Free Homeworld: A Military Science Fiction Novel by Eric S. Brown, Tony Faville Page A

Defense Force Fleet so that it could better fulfill its purpose. Xarn wondered if every world in all of Darian space were converted to nothing but giant factories, how long it would take them to match such a fleet. No. In Xarn’s opinion, the Darian Empire could not match such a force in the amount of time required if the Coalition next turned their sights on Dar after Earth fell.
    Xarn wondered how long it would be until panic set in amongst the general populace. It was impossible not to hear about the advancing Coalition fleet, as humans seemed to be obsessed by the same information repeated to them by as many different people as often as possible on their vids.
    Xarn would privately mourn the passing of this small, salt-water blue, planet. While it was nothing like the pure warm sands and bountiful oasis of his own home, it had its own charm. There was no doubt in his mind that Earth would fall. It was highly unlikely that the Earth Republic Fleet could hold back the coming Coalition armada. Earth’s planetary defenses would also be crushed and after that, the Coalition would take the surface by force of arms. Things certainly weren't going to go well for the civilian populace.
    Not even the vapid primped human heads could assure the populace that the Republic would fight on. The message was flashing on the vid screens he had passed on his way to this meeting. Even they could not deny, in their innermost thoughts that this planet, which in the ancient past had given birth to the human race as a whole was to put it mildly, in trouble
    Besides the civil war, the planet was in financial ruin, resources were running short, and even with the boon that the factories of the military industrial complex enjoyed in times of conflict, even they were beginning to fall silent. Or so the report Xarn had read this morning had told him.
    Meanwhile, the Coalition was thriving and only now coming into its prime. All three of the other galactic players, including his race, had thus far had kept out of the war, not providing direct assistance to either side. When the invitation to attend this meeting had arrived at his embassy this morning by Coalition courier, Xarn’s gut reaction was that with the human’s civil war drawing to a close, and the Coalition standing to control more worlds than the Darians and Geners combined, the balance of galactic power was changing.
    One of the benefits of a calm populace was that if the Ra-tids viewed the Earth as weak, they would attack it themselves just to deliver the killing blow. They could never hold the world against the remainder of the Earth Republic Fleet now being recalled from all sectors of the Earth Republic controlled space, nor could the Ra-tids stand toe to toe against the Coalition. None of that would matter to the Ra-tids though. Earth and all its residents would be erased from the galactic game simply because it was in the Ra-tids nature to destroy what they perceived as weak.
    Xarn inhaled slightly as he detected the smell of fear and human sweat. Xarn turned his gaze towards the entrance of the conference room just as Ambassador Fal slowly walked through. The way he was nearly in march step was not a good sign. Xarn, in his own way, cared for the human ambassador. Like himself, Fal was once a proud warrior until old age made him quit the field and choose to fight with words instead of weapons.
    It was also not a good sign that Ambassador Fal did not immediately greet the dignitaries assembled with his customary warm smile. The Earth Republic ambassador was obviously shaken as he crossed the conference room and took his usual seat next to Xarn.
    "Good afternoon, Ambassador Fal. How are you, my old friend?" Xarn purred.
    "I am well, Xarn, and you?" Fal automatically answered, his mind clearly elsewhere, though the man struggled to appear as if everything was normal. "It appears Earth's atmosphere is treating you well."
    Xarn smiled, showing his fang-like teeth. "As a matter of fact,