Heliosphere 2265 - Volume 3: Revelations (Science Fiction) by Andreas Suchanek

Author:Andreas Suchanek [Suchanek, Andreas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Star Trek, Honor Harrington, The Lost Fleet, Spaceship, Heliosphäre, Solare Union, Solare Republik, Interlink Cruiser
Publisher: Greenlight Press (Andreas Suchanek)
Published: 2014-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

*

The President's Office, Paris

Ione Kartess has stopped counting her ViCa drinks. She had been on her feet for forty-eight hours now, meeting with a succession of specialists from the Secret Service, the Minister of Defense and Yoshio Zhang from the Space Navy. In between, she had met repeatedly with the Admiralty Council to discuss various scenarios for military intervention.

"Okay, what have you got for me, Collin", Kartess inquired of her Minister of Defense.

Collin O'Sullivan was a member of the moderate faction in her Cabinet – an allegiance that had won him his post. A short, thickset man with ginger hair and a face peppered with freckles, O'Sullivan was the type to think before shooting. And he had an iron grip on the Space Navy.

"To my surprise, not a single word of this has made it outside the crisis group", O'Sullivan reported in a measured tone. "Zhang has his people under control, most of the cabinet is still oblivious to what's going on and the media haven't picked up on anything.

In the meantime, we've developed a range of strategies. I have uploaded all of the documents to your personal memory cluster."

"Give me a summary, Collin."

"In a nutshell? Taking on the Parlids would be a colossal error.

The Secret Service has rushed to review its intelligence and prepare a new study. I'm afraid that we haven't been keeping tabs on them as closely as we might have. The data that the Narlians sent us from Kartas System caused quite a stir in intelligence and threat analysis circles. We now have a team of analysts working closely with them." O'Sullivan's disdain was apparent. "Our own efforts to establish a comprehensive surveillance program have met with little success. According to our best current estimates, the Parlids out-gun us by 2:1 in terms of tonnage."

Ione felt her stomach knot. "It's that bad?!"

"I'm afraid so, Madam President", said O'Sullivan. "Even with the help of our Narlian friends, we are a long way up Shit Creek here. A joint strike force could muster the necessary firepower to make this an even fight, but only with the support of the Eriin Alliance..."

Ione shook her head emphatically. It was a scenario that she was not prepared to contemplate.

In the aftermath of the First Parlid War, a number of planets had seceded from the Solar Union and declared their independence. In response, the president at that time had cut off all trade ties with the colonies in question – with catastrophic consequences. The economies of the once proud and wealthy colonies collapsed like a house of cards. A series of coups swept one government away after the next, transforming the region into a piracy hot-spot. Alliance ships intercepted passing merchant vessels, plundering their cargoes and butchering entire crews. Any children on board were kidnapped and raised by the very people who had murdered their parents.

Following a change of government, the new president had reacted swiftly. Dispatching diplomats to the region, she agreed to send aid and to end the economic embargo. But it was too late.

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