Galactic Empire Wars 2: Emergence Read Online Free Page B

wide
street. “We’ve accomplished so much in the last two years, it’s almost
unbelievable. There was a time at the beginning when I wondered if we would
even be able to survive.”
    “The Kivean’s construction
technology is remarkable,” responded Mason as he gazed at several of the tall
buildings around him; some were nearly thirty stories high. “You’ve seen their
city and you know what they’re capable of building.”
    Adrienne
nodded. She was close friends with the Kivean leader’s life mate, Harnett. She
had been to the Kivean city a number of times and always marveled at how their
buildings and homes almost seemed as if they possessed a life of their own.
Their buildings soared into the air and were connected by slim, delicate bridges
at various levels. The buildings were brightly colored and almost seemed to be
out of a fairy tale.
    “Ah, here we
are,” said Mason as he stopped in front of a small restaurant.
    He could smell
the savory scent of steaks cooking on the grill. It had been a while since he
had treated himself to a steak. Going inside, they were led to a private dining
room where the others were waiting. This was going to be a meeting to discuss
the current state of affairs in the Solar System and what was to be done about
the Kleese.
    “Mason, there
you are,” Mayor Silas spoke as he stood up with a big friendly smile. He walked
over, shook Mason’s hand, and gave Adrienne a fatherly hug. It wasn’t often
that he could leave his duties as Mayor of Luna City and come to Vesta. It
seemed as if every day there was a new crisis.
    Looking around
the room, Mason spotted his sister’s brother-in-law, Darren Kirby. Others in
the room included Lawrence Henderson from Jornada, Professor Alex Scott from
Mars, Ethan Hall, Cheryl Robinson, and Colonel Bailey.
    “Now we can
eat,” Darren said with a grin. “I was getting hungry!”
    “You’re always
hungry,” commented Ethan. “You’re just like your brother.”
    “We don’t have
restaurants on Holbrook Station,” Darren shot back, patting his lean stomach.
“It’s been months since I’ve had a good steak!”
    Everyone laughed
and sat down; they soon had their orders placed and everyone looked expectantly
at Mason. This was an important meeting and everyone was curious as to what he had
to say. They knew he had been meeting with General Mitchell and the head of the
Kiveans, Marken, discussing their future. It was very seldom they could all get
together with the responsibilities they had at their respective colonies. Mason
had called this meeting so there would be no misunderstandings about what was
going to happen.
    Once Mason was
satisfied that everyone was ready, he stood up and looked at the people in the
room. “As all of you have probably heard very soon we will begin military
operations against the Kleese. As a matter of fact, one has already been
launched and should be returning shortly.”
    “I thought
so,” Alex said with a deep frown, his dark eyes focusing on Mason. “I had heard
rumors about a mission. I asked Major Sanchez about it, but he refused to
comment. He told me I would have to get that information from General Mitchell.”
Alex paused and looked slowly around the group. “It’s been nearly two years and
the Kleese have left us alone. Is it wise to start a war against an enemy that
vastly outnumbers us? We’ve lost so much; do we dare risk losing everything?”
    “Perhaps we
should wait and let our population grow more,” suggested Stan, glancing over at
Alex and feeling uneasy about attacking the Kleese. Both of their colonies were
more vulnerable to attack than Vesta. “The last census indicated we had just
slightly over eighteen million people. That’s not a lot of people to fight a
war with.”
    “I understand
your concerns,” Mason replied evenly. He had voiced the same ones himself to
General Mitchell and Marken. “But the Kleese have not forgotten us. From what
Marken has told me, their Empire is