Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3) by Raymond L. Weil Read Free Book Online

tactical screen, Wade could see the friendly green icons of
the rest of Second Fleet. It consisted of six battlecruisers, sixteen light
cruisers, and thirty-two assault ships. Currently, there were six fleets of
this size in the solar system. In addition, there were another four hundred of
the smaller, disk shaped assault ships scattered about the system on patrol or
protecting different habitats.
    “I wonder how much
longer the Kleese-Strell war is going to last?” Adamson commented as he sat
down in his command chair. He knew the war between the two Galactic Empires had
kept the solar system safe from the Kleese for the last six years.
    “Not much
longer, I’m afraid,” answered Wade with a look of worry on his face. “We’re
still sending out diplomatic missions to the nonaligned worlds warning them of
the Zaltule and the danger they represent to the galaxy.”
    “Any success
in bringing them over to our side?”
    “Not yet,” Wade
admitted in a frustrated voice. “Several have expanded their fleets and
increased planetary defenses, but they refuse to join with us against the
Kleese. They feel their neutrality agreements with the Kleese should keep them
safe, and they’re hesitant about doing anything that might risk invalidating
it.”
    “What do you
think?” Adamson asked as the Constellation began moving away from the fleet. He
looked over at Wade, curious to hear his answer.
    “I don’t think
the neutrality agreements will mean anything to these Zaltule.” Wade took a
deep breath and watched the viewscreen, which was now showing Centerpoint
Station. “I believe the Zaltule will attack the nonaligned worlds to gain their
resources and technology.”
    “We could use
some of those worlds on our side,” Adamson said as he looked at the main
viewscreen. The station was visibly becoming smaller as the Constellation
accelerated away from it.
    The station
was one hundred and twenty kilometers across and twenty-four kilometers thick.
It had been stolen from the Kleese and brought to the solar system. Without the
station, most of the surviving Humans on Earth would have perished. The station
had tremendous manufacturing capabilities as well as numerous ship construction
bays.
    “The Zaltule
seem to have taken over the fighting for the Kleese Empire,” continued Wade. “They’re
more heartless and far more dangerous than the regular Kleese. I didn’t think
that was possible, but everything is pointing toward that being true.”
    “Where did the
Zaltule come from?” asked Adamson, arching his eyebrow. He knew Marken had
mentioned that the Zaltule were a warrior caste from the Kleese past. Their
sudden reemergence was a mystery.
    “We don’t
know,” answered Wade with a deep sigh. “I’ve spoken to Marken and he's
suggested the possibility that the Zaltule were in deep sleep somewhere in the
Empire. I just don’t know if I believe that; we’re talking about hundreds of
thousands, perhaps millions of this warrior caste.”
    “It’s a
mystery,” conceded Adamson as he gave the order for the Constellation to leave
Second Fleet and head for Vesta. He wasn’t anxious to face the Zaltule anytime
soon.
    As Wade watched,
the station began to rapidly dwindle in size as the Constellation began piling
on the acceleration with the ship’s sublight drive. The screen switched to a
view directly in front of the ship and for a moment, space seemed to shrink in
on itself as the ship’s Fold Space Drive was activated. The drive warped space
directly in front of the ship, making the distance between two points shrink.
The more power used to increase the warping effect, the faster a ship could
travel.
    “What will
happen if the Zaltule attack the solar system in force?” Adamson asked as he
thought about the forces they had available. “Can we stop them?”
    There had been
a massive buildup of the fleet using the construction facilities on Centerpoint
as well as those inside Vesta. In the last few years,