The War of Pawns (The Human Chronicles -- Book Three) Read Online Free
Author: T.R. Harris
the other members of the Union.
The Klin gravity drive had been perfected 20 standard years before, and the Alliance was spreading faster than even the Juireans could control. Counterfeit technology was rampant, and every planet with a nuclear reactor was building gravity drives and attempting to start their own mini-empires.
In this environment, the Juireans found themselves contending with various other races from outside the Cluster. Some just wanted to be left alone, while others sought to supplant the Juireans as leaders of the Alliance. The wars that were fought were numerous and bloody, but eventually the Juireans prevailed, and brought a relative peace to the Union and the surrounding region.
And then the malaise years began.
Throughout the subsequent four hundred years, Juir went through a succession of leaders, with none ever approaching the stature or vision of a Malor. More often than not, coups within the Juirean ranks themselves proved more deadly and destructive than any of the wars fought against the rebel Union planets. The Juireans seemed more concerned with their own internal politics and prosperity, rather than that of the Union. There was discontent within the Alliance, and some saw the beginning of the end of Juirean domination within the Cluster and beyond.
It’s often at times like these that a true visionary arises to excite and unite a population. That Juirean was Arolus Ra Un, a charismatic leader who arose out of the ranks of politics, rather than the military. He had studied Juirean society intimately, and knew his race could not survive much longer constantly fighting among themselves, and the past four hundred years, that was essentially all they had done.
Arolus looked back at an earlier time in Juirean history, to the time when his people had first joined the Alliance. The Juirean people had been unified, and spiritually they were as one against the other races in the galaxy. Arolus sought to rekindle that nationalist spirit in the Juirean people.
His plan was simple: He would pit the Juirean people against all the other races in the galaxy, forcing them to unite as a single race, and for a singular purpose.
In a stroke of either genius, or the ultimate gamble, Arolus nearly bankrupted the Alliance and the Juirean government to build an incredible fleet of warships, over 10,000 in total. When complete, this massive juggernaut fanned out in all directions from Juir, with the sole purpose of expanding the Juirean Empire. In Arolus’ plan, The Mass , as it was called, would conquer untold number of worlds, either through force, intimidation or attrition, and as their empire grew, the Juireans would begin to experience an almost religious superiority over the other races in the galaxy, and an overwhelming pride in their own distinct heritage.
After so many years of fighting amongst themselves, this would be what it took to shake the Juirean people from their malaise, and to stop the killing within their own kind. Domination would be their sole purpose for existence.
It was an incredible gamble, yet one which changed the galaxy forever.
The Mass launched with as much pomp and ceremony as the Proclamation Ceremony, yet with starkly different results. As success followed success, the once empty coffers of the Juirean and Alliance treasuries began to fill with credits exacted from the hundreds, then thousands, of conquered worlds. This added wealth brought the ability to build more ships capable of bringing even more worlds under the domination of the Juireans.
The Juirean Empire grew beyond imagination, and became the first trans-galaxy Empire to ever exist. The Juireans were now the ultimate power in the known universe.
At the time of this death, Arolus Ra Un was celebrated for the success of The Mass, and for bringing pride back to the Juirean race. He soon took his place right alongside the glory of Malor the Great, as the two greatest Juireans to have ever
The Klin gravity drive had been perfected 20 standard years before, and the Alliance was spreading faster than even the Juireans could control. Counterfeit technology was rampant, and every planet with a nuclear reactor was building gravity drives and attempting to start their own mini-empires.
In this environment, the Juireans found themselves contending with various other races from outside the Cluster. Some just wanted to be left alone, while others sought to supplant the Juireans as leaders of the Alliance. The wars that were fought were numerous and bloody, but eventually the Juireans prevailed, and brought a relative peace to the Union and the surrounding region.
And then the malaise years began.
Throughout the subsequent four hundred years, Juir went through a succession of leaders, with none ever approaching the stature or vision of a Malor. More often than not, coups within the Juirean ranks themselves proved more deadly and destructive than any of the wars fought against the rebel Union planets. The Juireans seemed more concerned with their own internal politics and prosperity, rather than that of the Union. There was discontent within the Alliance, and some saw the beginning of the end of Juirean domination within the Cluster and beyond.
It’s often at times like these that a true visionary arises to excite and unite a population. That Juirean was Arolus Ra Un, a charismatic leader who arose out of the ranks of politics, rather than the military. He had studied Juirean society intimately, and knew his race could not survive much longer constantly fighting among themselves, and the past four hundred years, that was essentially all they had done.
Arolus looked back at an earlier time in Juirean history, to the time when his people had first joined the Alliance. The Juirean people had been unified, and spiritually they were as one against the other races in the galaxy. Arolus sought to rekindle that nationalist spirit in the Juirean people.
His plan was simple: He would pit the Juirean people against all the other races in the galaxy, forcing them to unite as a single race, and for a singular purpose.
In a stroke of either genius, or the ultimate gamble, Arolus nearly bankrupted the Alliance and the Juirean government to build an incredible fleet of warships, over 10,000 in total. When complete, this massive juggernaut fanned out in all directions from Juir, with the sole purpose of expanding the Juirean Empire. In Arolus’ plan, The Mass , as it was called, would conquer untold number of worlds, either through force, intimidation or attrition, and as their empire grew, the Juireans would begin to experience an almost religious superiority over the other races in the galaxy, and an overwhelming pride in their own distinct heritage.
After so many years of fighting amongst themselves, this would be what it took to shake the Juirean people from their malaise, and to stop the killing within their own kind. Domination would be their sole purpose for existence.
It was an incredible gamble, yet one which changed the galaxy forever.
The Mass launched with as much pomp and ceremony as the Proclamation Ceremony, yet with starkly different results. As success followed success, the once empty coffers of the Juirean and Alliance treasuries began to fill with credits exacted from the hundreds, then thousands, of conquered worlds. This added wealth brought the ability to build more ships capable of bringing even more worlds under the domination of the Juireans.
The Juirean Empire grew beyond imagination, and became the first trans-galaxy Empire to ever exist. The Juireans were now the ultimate power in the known universe.
At the time of this death, Arolus Ra Un was celebrated for the success of The Mass, and for bringing pride back to the Juirean race. He soon took his place right alongside the glory of Malor the Great, as the two greatest Juireans to have ever
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