the former council under Supreme Overlord Xatul should have dealt with many years ago,” Gareth said coldly. “Former Supreme Overlord Xatul,” Harmock reminded Gareth coldly “The former Council of Overlords was weak and incompetent. It is well that most of them died when the Humans attacked our home world.” “The Bashan fleet has taken up a position between us and their world,” reported Jalridd. “There are numerous outposts on the other planets and upon several moons in the system.” This didn’t surprise Harmock as the Bashan System was rich in heavy metals and the Bashans maintained a robust space mining industry. The Bashan traded heavy metals for many coveted items found on other nonaligned worlds, something the Zaltule put a stop to when they had conquered them. Now the Bashan found themselves standing alone. “The Bashan Chancellor is demanding that we honor the neutrality agreement they signed seven hundred and forty-two years ago,” Dalock reported from Communications. “Neutrality agreements!” Harmock spoke in anger. “How could our race have been so foolish to sign so many and allow hundreds of worlds to remain free of the empire?” “The council was weak,” Gareth responded, unmoved by the Bashan request. “The Zaltule are not weak, and the council no longer exists.” Harmock returned his attention to the tactical screen. “What is the composition of the Bashan fleet that opposes us?” “It is quite large by nonaligned world standards,” Jalridd replied. “There are two hundred and twelve battlecruisers and four hundred and sixty support vessels in the fleet ahead of us.” “Their primary weapons?” “Pulse fusion beams similar to ours as well as a powerful energy cannon,” Salten reported from the tactical station. “Their ships are also protected by a strong energy shield.” Harmock had been aware this wouldn’t be an easy world to conquer so he had brought two thousand Zaltule battlecruisers with him. He would overwhelm this fleet and then proceed to Bashan where the collars of obedience would be placed around the necks of the chancellor and the other foolish leaders of that world. The Kleese were the dominate species in the galaxy, and all others would submit to Kleese rule. In Harmock’s mind, only the nonaligned worlds were worthy of surviving and being part of the empire. Their more advanced civilizations could be of use to the Zaltule when the Kleese ventured out to conquer the rest of the galaxy. The other inhabited worlds were infested with vermin and were only worthy of providing conscripts to be used as cannon fodder and to serve upon the exploration ships and assault vessels. Even though Harmock found this distasteful, it freed up Kleese and particularly Zaltule warriors to expand the empire. “Advance upon the enemy, standard fleet offensive formation.” Harmock was determined this would be a short battle, and once this world was subdued only one nonaligned world would remain. After that, it would be time to deal with the Humans and their paltry Alliance. Harmock wasn’t concerned so much about the Alliance; however, the Humans were another matter. They were a race of warriors and who Harmock had come to accept were almost equal to the Kleese in their ferocity. Of all the races the Zaltule had ever encountered only the Humans had shown no fear when facing the Zaltule in combat, both upon the ground and in space. - The two thousand Zaltule warships formed up into their offensive formation of five lines two hundred ships long and two ships deep facing the Bashan fleet. The Bashan had formed their fleet into a massive cylinder formation with the support ships on the outside and the heavier battlecruisers on the inside. The cylinder was aimed at the heart of the Zaltule formation. The Bashan battlecruisers were eight hundred meters in length, eighty meters wide, sixty meters thick, and almost arrow shaped. The front of the vessels flared out as