Read Online Homeworld: A Military Science Fiction Novel by Eric S. Brown, Tony Faville - Free Book Online
Book: Homeworld: A Military Science Fiction Novel by Eric S. Brown, Tony Faville
Read Free Book Online
Authors: Eric S. Brown, Tony Faville
Ads: Link
ground war will happen whether we are there to intercept them or not. Either way, Mars will burn, Mr. President, and there is nothing we can do to prevent that from happening."
Earth Republic President Stripling's face was grim as he nodded, "Right then. Recall the entire Earth Republic Fleet, Admiral Patrick; I want them back here, protecting Earth. As much as I hate to do this, order those units already in place around Mars to pull out and return to Earth when things start to get too hot. From that time on, Mars and its colonial Defense Forces will be on their own."
Clarkson returned Admiral Patrick’s withering glare with a warm smile, then took another sip of his coffee, instantly wishing he had some alcohol on hand to add to it. It was going to be a long and bloody day.
Saying Hello to the Neighbors.
Xarn, First Partas of the Darian Ka’tta, or as his hosts on this slightly disturbing water covered world, might say in their own style, Xarn First Ambassador of the Darian Empire lounged in the elegant but just this side of opulent custom made chair. His hosts had provided it for him in the conference room located on the 400th floor of the Earth government’s Stellar Communion building.
An ostentatious title for a building to be sure but many ostentatious things happened here after all. In addition, Xarn admired the architecture of the building itself. It was inspiring, like a single great spire pointing to the heavens as if to point and say “Out there! Out there is our race’s destiny!”
Perhaps he had been among humans too long. Their abundance of optimism might just be starting to rub off, or perhaps he just found them more welcoming and easier to read than the government officials he had been forced to contend with in the Ka’tta back home.
Xarn, in an apparently absentminded gesture, stretched his silver grey, fur-covered arms towards the heavens and arched his back while he did so. This produced an almost inaudible crackling sound as the vertebrae in his spine popped. Not only did this ease the mild pain of sitting upright at a high table, which was one of the human’s more annoying customs, but it also produced a low baritone gravel-like growl from his counterpart occupying a truly tremendous grey granite chair which was located across a clear plastisteel conference table that occupied the majority of the room.
Battle Lord Juma of the Ra-tid had informed him many times, via a diamond shaped translator located on what served as the throat on this hulking brute of a rock, how such an act produced a vibration that was very akin to an offensive term used by the lower castes of his society.
While the silicon based Ra-tid species were hulking, eleven foot high humanoids made of many segmented stones, their physiology did not come with vocal chords. They had learned to communicate by picking up on subtle vibrations and when you saw two Ra-tids holding a heated conversation it sounded as if a fierce avalanche was occurring as they stomped their legs forcefully down on whatever they happened to be standing on.
Xarn reflected that this was most likely the reason why the humans had seen it prudent to reinforce the Stellar Communion building’s infrastructure after they had made first contact with the Ra-tid.
The title of Battle Lord was not some sort of ambassadorial affectation. The Ra-tid did not have ambassadors but neither was they poor tacticians. When it became apparent to them that they did not have the strength, at the moment, to annihilate the humans upon their first contact, they decided it prudent to send a high ranking military officer and a small contingent to listen to the intelligence that the other races freely gave at such gatherings and to inform a race that they were about to be annihilated.
While Xarn had a healthy respect for the shear brutal strength of the Ra-tid’s warrior society, he was completely appalled at their lack of honor and the atrocities they were known to commit on the
Earth Republic President Stripling's face was grim as he nodded, "Right then. Recall the entire Earth Republic Fleet, Admiral Patrick; I want them back here, protecting Earth. As much as I hate to do this, order those units already in place around Mars to pull out and return to Earth when things start to get too hot. From that time on, Mars and its colonial Defense Forces will be on their own."
Clarkson returned Admiral Patrick’s withering glare with a warm smile, then took another sip of his coffee, instantly wishing he had some alcohol on hand to add to it. It was going to be a long and bloody day.
Saying Hello to the Neighbors.
Xarn, First Partas of the Darian Ka’tta, or as his hosts on this slightly disturbing water covered world, might say in their own style, Xarn First Ambassador of the Darian Empire lounged in the elegant but just this side of opulent custom made chair. His hosts had provided it for him in the conference room located on the 400th floor of the Earth government’s Stellar Communion building.
An ostentatious title for a building to be sure but many ostentatious things happened here after all. In addition, Xarn admired the architecture of the building itself. It was inspiring, like a single great spire pointing to the heavens as if to point and say “Out there! Out there is our race’s destiny!”
Perhaps he had been among humans too long. Their abundance of optimism might just be starting to rub off, or perhaps he just found them more welcoming and easier to read than the government officials he had been forced to contend with in the Ka’tta back home.
Xarn, in an apparently absentminded gesture, stretched his silver grey, fur-covered arms towards the heavens and arched his back while he did so. This produced an almost inaudible crackling sound as the vertebrae in his spine popped. Not only did this ease the mild pain of sitting upright at a high table, which was one of the human’s more annoying customs, but it also produced a low baritone gravel-like growl from his counterpart occupying a truly tremendous grey granite chair which was located across a clear plastisteel conference table that occupied the majority of the room.
Battle Lord Juma of the Ra-tid had informed him many times, via a diamond shaped translator located on what served as the throat on this hulking brute of a rock, how such an act produced a vibration that was very akin to an offensive term used by the lower castes of his society.
While the silicon based Ra-tid species were hulking, eleven foot high humanoids made of many segmented stones, their physiology did not come with vocal chords. They had learned to communicate by picking up on subtle vibrations and when you saw two Ra-tids holding a heated conversation it sounded as if a fierce avalanche was occurring as they stomped their legs forcefully down on whatever they happened to be standing on.
Xarn reflected that this was most likely the reason why the humans had seen it prudent to reinforce the Stellar Communion building’s infrastructure after they had made first contact with the Ra-tid.
The title of Battle Lord was not some sort of ambassadorial affectation. The Ra-tid did not have ambassadors but neither was they poor tacticians. When it became apparent to them that they did not have the strength, at the moment, to annihilate the humans upon their first contact, they decided it prudent to send a high ranking military officer and a small contingent to listen to the intelligence that the other races freely gave at such gatherings and to inform a race that they were about to be annihilated.
While Xarn had a healthy respect for the shear brutal strength of the Ra-tid’s warrior society, he was completely appalled at their lack of honor and the atrocities they were known to commit on the
Similar Books
