Free Onslaught (Rise of the Empire Book 6) by Ivan Kal Page B

woman who had discovered it, Xa Gannan. It was a type of plasma-like substance that could literally break down solid matter, as long as it had energy.
    The three consecutive impacts on the energy shields did nothing, as the weapon was completely useless against shields. Its only strength was against solid matter. The drones fired their main weapon, high-intensity lasers, which the Ra’a’zani field’s dissipated but not completely; a small portion of the lasers’ destructive energy was transferring to the hull, scorching and melting it. The Ra’a’zani ships found themselves surrounded by drones, and hammered by intense beams of light and heat. Johanna sent the order for a couple of her battleships to change targets and finish the Ra’a’zani warships with their more powerful weapons.
    Her fleet’s missiles were hammering the Ra’a’zani ships, kinetic weapons blew their defensive platforms to pieces, and proton beams destroyed their ships. The Ra’a’zani were outmatched in every possible way, and soon the fighting drew to a halt as the last Ra’a’zani ship died. She had lost three drones, and had one lightly damaged cruiser; the Ra’a’zani had lost everything.
    Johanna disengaged the Watchtower interface, and started giving orders for the fleet to take up positions in the high orbit of the planet while the drones destroyed all the Ra’a’zani orbitals—their stations and processing plants—while her cruisers handled the planetary defenses and covered the fleet. Her larger ships were on their way to deal with the Ra’a’zani presence on the two moons and the rest of the system. It was time for stage two.
    ***
    Anessa was brought to the command room of Adrian’s ship escorted by six guards. She could see that all inside the room were engrossed in their stations. Orders were sent and relayed much like they were on a Legion warship. In the center stood her captor. Leaning on a railing, he gazed at the holographic display in front of him. His two beasts sat on their haunches, attentively watching Anessa as she approached. As she stepped close enough, he turned to look at her, then gestured to the display.
    Anessa turned her gaze and studied the holo. She didn’t understand any of the markings or data, but she knew that what was in front of her eyes was an aftermath of a battle. She recognized pieces of Ra’a’zani warships, and knew that the Humans had done what she couldn’t—they had found Ra’a’zani territory. Empire ships had besieged the planet on the holo, and many were lowering themselves to the ground. It was an invasion.
    Immediately, she felt anger. It was supposed to be her Legion that was destroying the Daksinn—the Ra’a’zani. She turned her eyes to Adrian, seeing him studying her.
    “I wanted you to see this,” Adrian said.
    “Why? Do you think that if I see you defeating these weaklings that I will change my mind, counsel my Elders not to attack you?” she said harshly. She couldn’t contain herself; this was her blood call. And she was seeing it fulfilled by another.
    Adrian gave a sad shake of his head. “You told me that this was important to you, to see the Ra’a’zani dead for massacring your people.”
    “I thought that your Empire doesn’t wipe out weaker civilizations. Does that cover only those races that didn’t have the chance to harm you? Are you perfectly fine with killing others when it is out of revenge?” Anessa asked sarcastically.
    “You think that you know everything, that you know what my people are ready to do,” Adrian said as he turned towards her, his expression harsh. “We don’t wipe out entire civilizations when there is another option. You think that that makes us weak; I assure you it does not. The end of Ra’a’zani civilization begins now, not because we are vengeful, but because they are a blight on the universe. They made a conscious choice to enslave others with full knowledge of what they were doing, and they cannot change.