Cassandra
The last several days of travel through Barta Space had been uneventful. Training had relaxed, although Cassandra could still feel the tightness in her muscles. Regular PT duties were still in effect, but that was easy.
General Dodge remained on the planet with his guard as he met with the System-lord of Golden Reef, and ‘The Cave’ remained in orbit with reaction forces standing by. Cassandra wished that they had been part of the ground forces, or even part of the quick reaction team.
Cassandra took her seat next to Edmund at their normal table in the mess hall they ate at. “Can’t believe Golden Reef has more than a billion and a half people,” he said as he took a mouth full of the meal.
“Billion and a half, and yet no Star Fortress, couple space stations but no fucking Star Fortress,” Thane Vault said amazed. “It’s no wonder the Furse have ransacked Bolgar Sack for generations.
First Companion Boggs smiled. “You Dralans, and your fortresses. Fleet power is where it’s at, boots on the ground,” Leeann said before she took her own bite.
“Even still,” Thane Vault said. “The system is pretty much undefended. The largest station in the system is the Gylfi mining station. At least that is somewhat of a real station. Sixty thousand or so.”
“Eighty,” the First Companion corrected. “Likely the only reason the system is so populated.”
“That’s not much better,” Second Companion Walker said.
“The real surprise,” Edmund said cutting in, “is that the System-lord Lightwatch has enough minor systems sworn to her that the files on Golden Reef say she commands a total of more than four billion people. Two and a half billion spread over a dozen or so sub systems, but where is the fleet to protect them? You would think he had enough personal to draw from that he could have a somewhat seizable fleet of lighter starships.”
Cassandra shrugged. “The Bolgars are weak, who would have guessed?” she said and popped her spoon back into her mouth. “Lettowen is one of the poorer section of Bolgar Space, at least since the conquests of Ruthen Space.”
“Ruthen?” Thane Vault asked.
“Ruthen Space was sparely settled by the Bolgars, it’s to the north and east of Lettowen. Furse Settlers began to settle worlds there several hundred years ago. King Rothgar made his son Rollo King of Ruthen Space before Rothgar was killed in Drala,” Edmund said.
“The Rothgar?” Thane Vault asked.
Edmund nodded. “The one who’s death launched the Great Savage Host by his children, and conquest of Drala, yes.”
“Temporary conquest,” Thane Vault corrected.
“At any rate, Ruthen is a mix match of Furse and Bolgar lords, but the Furse largely rule there. It’s a poor sparely populated region of space, but they also much deal with not just Bolgar threats along their southern borders, but also the Techno Empire, and Bataar peoples to the east.”
“Come on,” Thane Vault said with a smile. “Techno Empire? Thats a myth right?”
No one at the table returned the smile, and Cassandra looked seriously at the thane. “We don’t joke about the Techno Empire. It’s said there are still False Gods from thousands of years ago in service to their undying emperor.”
“Better the Ruthen face them, than us,” Boggs agreed,