Wolf's Bane (The Empire's Corps Book 14) Read online

  Wolf’s Bane

  (The Empire’s Corps – Book XIV)

  Christopher G. Nuttall

  http://www.chrishanger.net

  http://chrishanger.wordpress.com/

  http://www.facebook.com/ChristopherGNuttall

  Cover by Alexander Chau

  (www.alexanderchau.co.uk)

  All Comments Welcome!

  Series Listing

  Book One: The Empire’s Corps

  Book Two: No Worse Enemy

  Book Three: When The Bough Breaks

  Book Four: Semper Fi

  Book Five: The Outcast

  Book Six: To The Shores

  Book Seven: Reality Check

  Book Eight: Retreat Hell

  Book Nine: The Thin Blue Line

  Book Ten: Never Surrender

  Book Eleven: First To Fight

  Book Twelve: They Shall Not Pass

  Book Thirteen: Culture Shock

  Book Fourteen: Wolf’s Bane

  Cover Blurb

  The Commonwealth has won a great victory, smashing Wolfbane’s attempt to take Corinthian and driving Admiral Singh’s forces back into enemy space. Now, as the Wolves reel under the impact of their defeat - and powerful factions plot to take control of the government and military - Edward Stalker plans a final offensive to bring the Wolves to their knees.

  But as mighty fleets clash in the inky darkness of space, infiltrators struggle to weaken a tottering edifice and both sides brace for the final confrontation, it all comes down to the last Terran Marines and a battle that will determine if the galaxy is to be united once again ...

  ... Or thrown headlong back into a new Dark Age.

  A Note From The Author

  As always, I would be grateful for any spelling corrections, grammar suggestions, nitpicking and suchlike. Please send reports directly to my email address or through Amazon.

  Thanks for reading! If you liked the book, please write a review. They help to boost sales.

  CGN

  Prologue

  From: The Day After: The Post-Empire Universe and its Wars. Professor Leo Caesius. Avalon University Press. 46PE.

  Materially speaking, the Battle of Corinthian - technically, the Corinthian Campaign - was not a decisive encounter. Wolfbane did not lose enough men and materiel to ensure its defeat, nor did the Commonwealth gain enough of an advantage to reasonably claim to have the upper hand. The loss of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, spacers and civilians did not affect the balance of power. In many ways, the battle was as meaningless as the skirmishes over Cantor, a stage-one colony that swapped hands a dozen times during the course of the war.

  But, politically, the Commonwealth won the Battle of Corinthian.

  For the first time, the Commonwealth lured the Wolves into fighting on terrain of its own choosing, using its technological advantages to offset the enemy advantages in men, machinery and firepower. Admiral Singh, now unquestioned ruler of the Wolfbane Consortium, bore the sole blame for a campaign that cost hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed many of Wolfbane’s most powerful military formations. And while her position was - on the surface - secure - she knew as well as anyone else that her defeat might lead to her fall from grace. Resuming the offensive, therefore, was simply impossible.

  It must have been frustrating to Singh to know - as she did - that the Wolves still held a considerable advantage in military tonnage. A direct strike at Avalon itself might have ended the war in their favour, despite the growing array of firepower the Commonwealth had assembled to defend its capital. A noted military theorist like her - like most admirals of the late Empire, Singh’s experience in extensive naval combat was purely theoretical - could hardly have failed to note the possibilities, all the more so as uncovering Wolfbane would not have weakened her position notably. And yet, launching such an offensive was politically impossible.

  And so the war paused, while the universe held its breath.

  The Commonwealth, too, was aware of the weakness of its position. Technologically, it held a considerable advantage; materially, it was outnumbered and outmatched. The Wolves could afford to lose more than the Commonwealth in any major battle - indeed, the loss ratio in almost all major encounters was two-to-one in the Commonwealth’s favour - and production of the new weapons and technology was hardly keeping up with demand. Given time, Singh and her allies would rebalance themselves, purge the naysayers, and resume the offensive.

  Worse, there were rumours that the Wolves were developing their own advanced weapons and technologies. While Singh had been badly worried by her first - and bruising - encounters with Commonwealth weapons, she was too experienced a naval officer to allow herself to panic. The Commonwealth had surprised her, true, but it had not produced a single workable silver bullet, a weapon that would render the entire pre-collapse Imperial Navy obsolete at a stroke. Given time, she told her allies, the Commonwealth’s advantages could be negated and their weapons duplicated. And she was right. It was ruefully acknowledged by the Commonwealth - during and after the war - that the new weapons were never as advantageous in the field as their designers proclaimed.

  The window of opportunity for taking the offensive, for knocking the Wolves back on their heels, was therefore closing rapidly. For all its advantages, the Commonwealth might still lose the war - and with it, all hopes of replacing the fallen Empire with something better, something that would weather any future collapses with ease. The fate of the war - and humanity itself - hung in the balance.

  Fortunately, Edward Stalker had a plan.

  Chapter One

  Admiral Rani Singh had never been one to despair. She’d worked her way up the ranks through ability alone, even though jealous and amorous superiors had done their best to put her down. She still smiled whenever she remembered Admiral Bainbridge, the randy old goat who’d done his level best to destroy her career after she’d declined his advances. The old man had transferred her to System Command, never realising the power he’d put into her hands until it was far too late. She’d never given up, even when she’d lost Corinthian to the Commonwealth and had to flee to Wolfbane. She was mistress of a hundred stars, unchallenged ruler of a small empire of her own ... and weaker, perhaps, than she dared admit, even to herself.

  She stood at the window, staring out over the city. Tryon blazed with light, towering skyscrapers reaching up to touch the very edge of the atmosphere. Governor Brown, whatever one could say about him, had done an excellent job of putting Wolfbane’s economy back on a sound footing. The corporations were happy, the network of industrial nodes were humming along, producing an endless supply of everything she needed to extend her empire still further. And if someone didn't want to acknowledge Wolfbane as the new mistress of the universe, she had more than enough firepower to crack any defences. Opening up hundreds of colonies for her corporations had been easy.

  And yet, the war with the Commonwealth had taken a dark turn.

  She gritted her teeth in frustration. She’d talked Governor Brown into starting the war, pointing out that the Commonwealth’s growing technical superiority would eventually turn it into a major competitor, perhaps even a threat. And she’d been right. If anything, she'd underestimated the Commonwealth’s advantages. But Governor Brown had been assassinated, she’d taken command ... and made a serious mistake.

  Rani admitted that, in the privacy of her own mind. She’d allowed herself to be duped, believe - because she’d wanted to believe - what her intelligence agents were saying. And, perhaps, because she wanted to return to Corinthian, to recover the world she’d lost so many years ago. But it had been a mistake. Hundreds of thousands of lives had been los
t, dozens of formations had been smashed ...

  She lifted her head, staring at the towers. They seemed to look back at her, mockingly. She had no illusions about the industrialists who ruled the planet, who bowed to her only because they feared her. Governor Brown had known how to talk to them, how to balance the dozens of competing factions in order to keep them happy and himself on top, but Rani didn't have that advantage. Diplomacy had never been her strong suit. The industrialists respected her military might, appreciated her willingness to use force in defence of their interests, but they didn’t like her. And now they thought she was weak, she knew all too well, they would be plotting against her.

  And I can't strike first without losing the war, she thought, grimly. She drew herself upright, centring herself. They’ll rip the industrial base to shreds if I try to purge them.

  She lowered her gaze, peering down into the darkness below the glowing towers. Wolfbane had a large and growing population, a population that was only kept in line through liberal applications of the carrot and the stick. Governor Brown hadn't helped by conscripting every technical expert for a hundred light years and transporting them to Wolfbane, forcing them to work to maintain and expand the planet’s industrial base. There had been a shortage of trained technicians, Rani recalled, but in the long run it had been a mistake. Countless workers now had good reason to be angry at the regime, the skills to turn their anger into action ...

  ... And they were too valuable for her to purge. She’d started training programs, of course, handing out rewards like candy to anyone who passed, but the demand for trained manpower was endless. Rani couldn't afford a crackdown, even on men and women her security officers knew to be subversives. She could only hope that she could keep the lid on long enough to win the war, which would allow her more freedom of movement. And yet, she knew that wasn't going to be easy. Resuming the offensive, after Corinthian, would probably provoke open rebellion.

  She looked up, her eyes seeking out the starships and orbital battlestations protecting the planet. The corporations had demanded that she protect their homeworld - despite the risk of a major attack being almost nil - and she hadn't been able to refuse them. But it tied down hundreds of starships she could have taken to Avalon, if she’d had a completely free hand. It wasn't as if the orbital stations couldn't protect the planet ...

  And I’m down here in the fortress, she thought. I can’t even go back to orbit without looking weak.

  Her lips twitched in amusement. Governor Brown - or one of his predecessors - had created the fortress, apparently under the delusion that it represented an effective defence. Rani supposed it would be, against unarmed civilian rioters or even enemy soldiers, but it would be worse than useless against an enemy who gained control of the high orbitals. Hell, it was just a big target, one that would attract KEWs like flies to rotting meat. Unless, of course, Wolfbane managed to duplicate the Commonwealth’s force field generator. Now that would give whoever had ordered the fortress the last laugh ...

  ... And Governor Brown hadn't even been in the fortress when he’d been assassinated.

  She turned, composing herself, as she heard the door open behind her. Only a handful of people had access to her private apartments, although she was honest enough with herself to admit that even the most extreme precautions wouldn't keep out a truly determined assassin or stop someone transporting a nuke into firing position. The fortress was designed to take a nuclear strike - the designer had layered the building with starship-grade hullmetal - but she had her doubts. Civilians, in her experience, rarely understood the realities of combat.

  “Admiral,” Paula Bartholomew said. “I have an intelligence update.”

  Rani nodded, tiredly. Paula was loyal, she had to be loyal. She’d betrayed General James Stubbins, then the Commonwealth ... there was a good chance that, if someone found out the truth, that they’d charge Paula with betraying Governor Brown, too. Rani disliked using someone with such flexible loyalties, someone who might desert her at once if she were offered something better, but she had no choice. Besides, Paula was smart enough to understand the weakness of her own position. No one would defend her if Rani decided to have her killed.

  They made an odd couple, Rani had to admit. She was tall, dark-skinned and dark-eyed; she held herself with a military bearing that was an unspoken challenge to every man in the room. She’d learnt, back at the Naval Academy, that the key to earning respect was to do nothing that might dampen that respect. Admiral Bainbridge’s promised rewards would have been worthless, if her subordinates had believed - correctly - that she’d prostituted herself to earn them. And Paula was short, blonde and pretty in a way that owed everything to the body-shops. Her shirt was unbuttoned just enough to reveal a hint of cleavage, drawing the male gaze and short-circuiting the male mind. Rani was less impressed with that than Paula might have hoped - power was more interesting than sex, in her opinion - but she had to admit that it worked. Anyone who underestimated Paula would regret it.

  She met Paula’s eyes. “Spit it out.”

  Paula looked back at her, evenly. “Mouganthu and Hernandez had a meeting this afternoon,” she said. “We couldn't get a bug into the meeting chamber itself, but we do know it lasted for at least three hours before Hernandez returned to his aircar and flew home.”

  Rani lifted her eyebrows. “And you’re only telling me about this now?”

  “Mouganthu had his security staff put the tower in lockdown,” Paula replied. “Our agent didn't have a chance to send a message until 1900.”

  “I see,” Rani said. “Were they alone?”

  “Apparently,” Paula said. “Our agent wasn't in a good position to be certain.”

  Rani nodded, turning back to the window. Mouganthu Tower was clearly visible in the distance, glowing with light against the dark sky. Hernandez Tower was on the other side of the fortress, out of sight. Mouganthu and Hernandez ... two of the most powerful men on the planet, perhaps in the sector. Their meeting - and a secret meeting, one without aides or secretaries - boded ill for her. And yet, she could do nothing. She couldn't insist they opened their doors to her spies, could she?

  She looked back at Paula. “And the others?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary, as far as we can tell,” Paula said. “Tallyman may have been invited to the meeting - there was some encrypted traffic between the towers - but we don’t know for sure.”

  “Of course not,” Rani said.

  She shook her head in annoyance. The Wolfbane Consortium was built on genteel - and sometimes not so genteel - competition between corporations. Governor Brown had encouraged it, insisting that it kept them sharp and himself on top. But he’d created one hell of a problem for his successor. She knew her intelligence staff would decrypt the messages eventually - she was sure of it - but by then it might be too late.

  Or the messages will look innocuous, on the surface, she thought. We won’t understand the hidden meanings.

  “Keep an eye on the three of them,” she ordered. “And see if you can find an incentive for Straphang or Wu to cooperate with us.”

  “Wu is bidding to get the next set of naval contracts,” Paula said. “Straphang is facing financial troubles and probably trying to reduce her exposure. We could probably make them both decent offers.”

  She hesitated. “But we can't offer anything that would be completely convincing.”

  Rani nodded, irked. The corporate leaderships were practically an aristocracy in their own right, just like the never-to-be-sufficiently damned Grand Senate. She was surprised Governor Brown hadn't created a peerage system for them. But, whatever their titles, the leaderships kept one eye on the future at all times. They’d make preparations for all eventualities, including one where she fell from power or was brutally overthrown. And they certainly wouldn't commit themselves to her ...

  “Do it,” she ordered. Keeping as many directors as possible on her side was important, at least until the war was won. “And then ...”

/>   Her wristcom bleeped. “Admiral, this is Tobias,” a voice said. “I have an update for you. I think you’ll like it.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Rani said. She glanced at Paula, who shrugged. “I’ll meet you in my office, half an hour from now.”

  ***

  Professor Tobias Jameson was a young man who looked older, thanks to the abuse he’d suffered during his short career at Mouganthu Industries and then at the University of Wolfbane. He’d been very lucky, according to his file, to even get a place in the university, after he’d upset his corporate sponsors. Insisting that there was a better way to do things - that modern tech hadn't reached its limits - had won him no friends. Ironically, it had also won him a job after Governor Brown had realised that the Empire was gone.

  “Professor,” Rani said. She liked and trusted him, insofar as she liked and trusted anyone these days. It hadn't saved Jameson from an extensive security check before he was allowed into her office. “I trust that you have good news for me?”

  “I do,” Jameson said.

  He took control of the projector and displayed a set of holographic images. “As you know, we have concentrated a great deal of effort on finding ways to either counter or duplicate the Commonwealth’s force field generator,” he said. “This has not proven easy, Admiral. Some of our researchers are still in deep denial about the whole thing.”