Revolt of the Galaxy: Family d'Alembert Book 10 by Goldin Stephen & Smith E.E. 'Doc'

Author:Goldin, Stephen & Smith, E.E. 'Doc' [Goldin, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2012-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

Disintegration of Empire

The attack against its once inviolate presence caught the PCC by surprise—but it was not unprepared. From the very beginning, when it first considered the course of action it would take, it had known that such a moment might come. It had feared that the humans would turn against it, and its own actions had turned that fear into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now that its secret was out, there was no point in acting softly. Like blind Samson, the PCC would bring the temple down around itself.

Even as it was pulling out of its permanent orbit, as the Navy ships were surrounding it and it was firing its weapons at them, the computer system began the process of destroying the Empire. The PCC had available to it hundreds of different subcom channels, normally used for incoming data from planets all over the Galaxy. Now it abruptly cut off all reception and began transmitting instead. The transmissions were short, intensely concentrated electronic code signals to major computer centers on other worlds. The instant each subcom system received acknowledgement of its transmission, the PCC switched to a different frequency and contacted another of its pre-selected accomplices. Within two minutes, the word had reached every planet in the Empire. The PCC dropped into subspace secure in the knowledge that the destruction of galactic civilization was well under way.

On Earth, secretly planted explosive charges began detonating all over the planet. The Imperial palaces in Moscow, New York, London, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, and Angeles-Diego, as well as Bloodstar Hall, were leveled by spectacular blasts that destroyed everything for blocks around. Government offices of any size or importance were also hit; the blasts that destroyed them were less spectacular, but no less effective. The Hall of State for Sector Four—which also housed SOTE Headquarters—was reduced to rubble by a series of well-placed charges.

Fearing this sort of reprisal, Zander von Wilmenhorst had done the best he could to minimize the damage. At his advice, Edna Stanley was “vacationing” out in the country, far away from any mechanical devices that the PCC might have been able to manipulate by remote control. The Bavols and Vonnie d’Alembert were with her, as well as her husband and several members of the Imperial Council, so the most important officials within the imperial government were spared the worst ravages of the storm that swept the planet.

It would have been too much of a tip-off to the PCC if the Head had suddenly ordered everyone out of SOTE Headquarters, but he had arranged to have a small, harmless fire occur in the building just before the operation against the PCC was to begin. The entire building was evacuated as a safety precaution—and so only two lives were lost instead of hundreds when the building was demolished. All of SOTE’s vast files and records were lost, but the people who made the organization the finest of its kind in history were saved to carry on its work—which would be needed now more than ever.

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