Captain Tribek, who had been silent until now, replied. "We don't have the vessels on-hand to accomplish it. I'd have to be in contact with my superior, see if he can requisition the vessels. It shouldn't be a problem, but it may take some time."

Selere then added, "One other thing. I will authorize Imperial help only if every citizen of Valinor is given the choice to accompany General Zhu. Otherwise it is simply a removal of a problem and not a solution."

Zhu, who had immensely enjoyed seeing President Hunt forced to shut his lying mouth, added, "I agree with Commander Selere. Every citizen of Valinor must be given the right to choose. And what of aid for my men? We will be starting fresh on a planet unknown to us, no matter how similar in conditions it may be. We will require money, arms, and tools to establish ourselves there."

Hunt began to rise again, then thought better of it and remained seated as he spoke. "Commodore, if you allow this man to take more Valinorians with him, he will corrupt the minds of all Valinor's citizens and wreck our economy!"

Selere, by now disgusted with the President, thought, And probably take your precious tax money as well, forcing you to tax the corporations that you're in bed with. He kept this to himself, though, and said, "Mr. President, do you not agree with democracy? I was under the impression that was the system you were striving to uphold." He paused. "We in the Empire may have a different system, we may not think that yours works, but we are not ignorant of its workings. You sound like you might want a totalitarian state."

Hunt glanced at him in shock, then the realization of what had just been said hit him. His jaw worked for a moment, then he said, "Alright. Put the choice before the people. Let them decide whether they wish to leave or not."

Well, the voting process will do several good things at least. It will weed out the insurgents and the little political opposition to the President. Hunt should be happy, because it removes the possibility of another civil war exponentially. No more bloody war. Thank the maker.

The Commodore looked at Zhu.

“Mr. Zhu, I find your requests somewhat interesting if not revealing. As far as what I know, none of us are in the charity foundation. I can speak for the Confederation, and probably the Valinorian government, that you will get no money from us. Valinor is already heavily damaged, and with its new membership appeal before the Council, we intend to repair the damages down by the war instead of on your colonization of Ectabahn. Perhaps my Imperial colleagues will be more willing to grant your requests. I think what strikes me the most oddly is your request for weapons. Your forces seem to have enough arms; otherwise I imagine your insurgency wouldn’t have gone very far, even with Imperial help. What kind of tools would you require?”

Zhu sat back. He hadn't realized the extend of his request. "Commodore, my forces may be armed, and the Imperials have helped us some in that respect, but we are only armed for insurgent activities. We don't have the weapons necessary to fight a general battle, as was proven on the ground today. Had we not known the land much better than your Confederation forces, we would have been wiped out in detail. We have no armor, no heavy weapons, and no armored vehicles excepting the few Skorpions loaned by the Empire. Without these, how can we maintain a standing army?"

Selere jumped in. "Let me clarify, Commodore Lucerne. There is no government on Echtabahn now. Zhu plans to bring order to the planet, not overthrow an existing government."

"As for the monetary aid," Zhu then continued, "recall that it was not my fault that Valinor was destroyed. I assume that you do not want a permanently hostile nation on your borders, but one that will be amicable and perhaps even a trading partner. Without aid, it will be difficult to convince my people to ever trade with the Confederation.

"As for tools, we will need things that will help us establish ourselves as working men. We have thus-far only been an army; now we must be colonists as well. We have little money and no mining or farming equipment. We will need help in that area as well."

Something's not completely right here. I could of swore that there were reports of insurgents using handheld proton torpedo launchers on the field. Unless he means planetary defences. And it wasn't his fault that Valinor is damaged? Wasn't he the man exploding bombs in cities? Granted, not all of it is his fault, nor is Valinor totally destroyed. This could be our road block though. Except...

"Mr. Zhu, the Confederation has an old stockplus of agriculture equipment on Almas; we recently replaced most of it with more recent models or automated droids as part of our economic growth plan. We would be willing to provide some of it for your colonisation efforts. I'm sorry, but we have no mining equipment to spare. Perhaps your Imperial allies will be willing to help your people in those regards.

The Confederation, especially Valinor, is uneasy with the idea of supplying your people heavier weapons. At least until our relations have been stabilized and established. If it would ease your mind, however, we could station several cruisers around Echtabahn to prevent and protect against hostile raids or attacks."

Zhu thought for a moment. "Your offer is acceptable, Commodore. I assume you realize that, in payment for their support, the Imperials will have a base on the planet and will be allowed to come and go as they please. But I think, if you guarantee neutrality above the planet, the Imperials will as well." He looked at Selere.

"Well, General Zhu," the Commander replied, "I'm not sure I like the idea of sharing space with Confederation warships. But, if Commodore Lucerne will guarantee neutrality, this is what I can promise. We will not initiate hostilities above the planet unless we give 48 hours for the Confederation to evacuate, the Confederation declares war on the Empire, or your ships initiate hostilities. Is that acceptable, Commodore?"

Hunt, who had been sitting at the end of the table silently, couldn't take it anymore. It was his planet that had been fought over, his subjects that were being taken away, his money that was being taken. So he interrupted before the Commodore could respond. "Commodore, I don't think we should give these terrorists anything. They destroyed Valinor's economy. They have stolen money from the people!"

Zhu glared at Hunt. "Mr. President, the only money we have stolen has been from the large corporations. Therefore, the only people we have taken money from are the large corporation owners and you, since you line your own pockets with their money."

He then turned to the Commodore. "I believe I know where we can get the mining equipment. President Hunt gets equipment at a discount for himself. He can get the equipment for us wholesale. We'll pay, as long as you don't mind Imperial credits."

Corise nodded at Zhu.

"Yes, that should be acceptable. If you have an Imperial base," stated Lucerne, "you be pretty well protected with that alone. I doubt your people will have anything to fear. If you so decide to buy mining equipment, Mr. Hunt and the corporations will have a say whether or not you can go through them. The Confederation protect the rights of individuals and freedoms. However, since you do not seemed to have endeared yourself to them, it is unlikely that they will be willing to do so. What I do know is that there are plenty of neutral companies that would be willing to sell to you. And with Imperial backing, I think you could easily get discounted, maybe even free, mining equipment."

Zhu's lip curled. "Now I see. The Confederation is simply another form of tyranny, oppressing the people by claiming to respect their freedoms. You can take your freedoms and shove them..."

Selere frowned and interrupted, "General! Control yourself!"

Zhu's eyes shut for a moment, then he said, "My apologies, Commodore. I do not like those who prop up the oppressors in the name of liberty and freedom. It is a offense to everything I believe in and everything for which I have fought for four years. But I will take what I can get. So, if we have decided that we are moving to Echtabahn with all who will go, and you both will help us move, and the situation of aid is resolved, I believe these negotiations are over."

Zhu and his delegation stood. "I will be making an address to the planet within the hour, Mr. President. You may speak whenever you want. I will be presenting my case to them and offering all who wish to flee your tyranny the opportunity. And I hope I never see you again until I have the chance to take a piss on your kriffing grave."

With that, Zhu turned and walked out. Selere drained his wine glass and turned to the Commodore. "Commodore Lucerne, I hope we meet again under better conditions. I think we might get along." The rest of the delegation followed Zhu out of the room and back to the shuttle. It was time to go.

Valinor City, Valinor

The desert dust swirled around the city’s wall’s gates. Dark figures uniformly marched through the blistering dust bowl towards the gates. The lines of Confederate Troopers, Valinor Security Forces, and the nearly endless host of Paladin IIs began their entry into the capitol. The gates swung open and the forces continued their procession to the Presidential palace. After months of fighting criminal fighters, their hunt was over. Valinor was finally at peace; at least internally. The Commodore stared at the distant force through a pair of binoculars and lowered them.

“Well, Mr. President,” stated the Kashan man, “You can rest in peace. The Engineering Corp will be arriving shortly to set up more permanent defences. The moon of Treppok will also be fitted with defences and probably a starfighter base.”

The Valinorian man nodded. “Thank the maker. With that idiot Zhu gone, we can finally be at peace.”

“Peace,” snorted Lucerne, “is always a temporary state. They’ll be back. Or at least others like them. It is only a matter of time. But on the bright side, your security forces seem to be well-seasoned and trained.”

Hunt turned to the Confederate officer. “What are you planning to do them?”

Corise shrugged. “Equip them with newer equipment or simply replace stuff. Their uniforms look like they need to be replaced. But they’ve lasted fairly long given that state of war. I imagine Trutzig will arrange for standard Confederate uniforms to be issued to them.”

“I’m not concerned about the military. I’m concerned about our people. Zhu’s fighters and few scattered supporters are now gone, but their legacy is still here. There are mines and buildings to repair; lives to be rebuilt. His legacy will never truly leave us though; it will be a scar this planet will have to bear.”

The younger Lucerne nodded. “We will do what we can to help. All the members of the Confederation are already mobilizing to do that. Food from Almas and Audacia. Equipment from Metalorn and Uffel. The list goes on. Your people will be well-taken care of.”

“So much aid and relief,” smiled Hunt, “there will be rejoicing in the streets. And with your intervention here, you will always find support among us. In fact, I never got to share this with you, but our mining engineers made a breakthrough recently. It’s something of a fusion between our University geology branch and a corporation engineers. They call it Deep Core mining. Normal mining only extends into the planet’s crust. But by using some specially developed structural engineering techniques, they can dig deeper into the planet, almost to the core. This opens up a lot of untapped resources that we previously couldn’t get too. I’m sure we would be happy to share the methods and techniques within the Confederation.”

Corise nodded. “I have no doubt of that. There are a couple of other planets within the Confederation with mining operations that would be highly interested in that.”

Hunt nodded, opened his mouth, shut it, and opened it up again. “How do think Zhu is doing on Echt-a-whatever?”

Lucerne shrugged. “Probably worse off than you. They’re starting from scratch, and I’ve cancelled the shipment of Alma’s agricultural equipment to them as well.”

Hunt raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“Would you give equipment to your traditional enemy?”

Hunt shook his head. “No, but he isn’t the Confederation’s traditional enemy.”

“True,” stated the Kashan man, “but the Empire is. And it’s pretty apparent that Zhu is friends or maybe even a vassal of that monolith of evil. We still transported them, but we’ll probably end up pulling our ships back over here to help defend Valinor…”

Kian City, Echtabahn
Four Weeks Later


The move had gone smoothly. Thousands of people - men, women, and children - had accompanied General Zhu and his Freedom Fighters off Valinor. So many had come, in fact, that the Confederation was hard-pressed to transport them all. The Empire helped when it could, but since their vessels were not made to transport passengers, it took time. Still, every person who wished to leave Valinor was able to do so, and now Zhu had a small empire under his control.

The taking of the planet was quite simple as well. General Zhu met with the heads of the villages and towns, presenting his case for unity on the planet - unity under him, of course. It didn't take much for them to realize that unity was better than war, and even were the threat not on the table, working together would bring them both productivity and credits.

More difficult was the control of Echtabahn's two moons. One, Batahn, was of substantial size, containing its own ecosystem, which somehow vastly differed from Echtabahn's. The few inhabitants were farmers, growing enough crops to sustain themselves and the residents of the main planet. The other, Echbarahn, had nothing on it but a few communications stations. Still, after long talks, both agreed to come under General Zhu's administration.

The Valinorians landed on the surface of what would now be their home. Those who were to receive the new Confederation agricultural equipment staked claims on Batahn. Others took what mining equipment they had and staked claims at promising sites. It wasn't long before the first of the miners struck a vein of titanium and another struck a very durable form of iron. It seemed that their futures were secure.

Then, though, everything went bad. The Confederation cancelled its shipments of agricultural equipment before withdrawing all its capital ships from the space around Echtabahn. Zhu immediately turned to the Empire for aid, but Commander Selere didn't have the authority to grant it.

Fortunately for General Zhu, the Empire now had a definite interest in the planet. The iron and titanium that had been found could be easily combined to form a very strong alloy. While it could only be produced in limited amounts, it was enough to create superb body armor for multiple divisions of soldiers. The SS got first claim, of course, but the New Order established a contract with Zhu to trade the metals for agricultural equipment, mining equipment, weapons, and credits.

Still, starting on a new planet was rocky. The Freedom Fighters, which became the army of Echtabahn, were not fully equipped. They had a few fighters, but not nearly enough for planetary defenses. The SS left two cruisers and a few frigates in orbit until Zhu could afford his own ships, but it would not be enough to fend off a dedicated Confederation assault.

That was why this day was so historic. Colonel Wesley Vos and Commander Racen Selere sat in Zhu's office. Between them and Zhu was a treaty, one that would formally bring Echtabahn into the Empire as a protectorate planet. It also stipulated that General Zhu would be confirmed as an Imperial Army General and an honorary Colonel in the SS. The Freedom Fighters would be subject to fight only on General Zhu's agreement, and the Empire would not be able to recruit or draft soldiers from the planet. In return, Zhu would agree to pay a 10% tax on all productivity to the Empire (most of which would return in aid) and to sever any and all relations with enemies of the Empire. The Empire would also be the sole client of the metals found on Echtabahn's surface.

With the signatures affixed to the document, it was copied multiple times and sent to officials throughout the Empire. Two copies were left with General Zhu, and one with the SS. The original document was sent to Coruscant, where it was stored in the Imperial archives.

General Kian Zhu, commenting on the recent battle, move, and treaty, said, "It was a shame to have lost the battle for my home planet. It was difficult to leave and move to a new place, to be forced into a fresh start. And yet our new allies have taken care of us. We are beginning to prosper and will continue to do so. I do not worry so much about our enemies. They were able through their advanced technology to break through even the most spirited defenses. But I say that what technology did to us on Valinor will be corrected. But the correction cannot be rushed; rather, the only thing we can do is to wait on the shifting of the sands of time."


End