FALL OF THE KAN KE’ EL
© 1999 by J. A. Stubbs
The government on Cantnos never heard from their warships again. Which has been the fate of anyone who has attacked the Star Children’s home world since. For this was only the first of many assaults on Klolois III, over the years. Yet no force has ever successfully invaded the Star Children’s Haven, even to this day. However it was the first battle of what many planets now call “The Star Children’s War.” And other worlds name “The Kankreel War.” After the Hikillie mispronunciation of the name Kan Ke’ El.
But all that Platipla’s heirs knew was that seventeen of their best ships were gone. After taking those losses in the Klolois system, they were reluctant to commit more forces to capture Haven. Instead they deployed their fleet to defend the Kan Ke’ El home worlds. They withdrew their forces from the Planet Weyawi. A world whose government they had been trying to defeat for more than two years.
They also ended their raids on the Planet Grimel’s spice mines. Calling in all of their resources to protect the Kan Ke’ El system. They equipped as many of their soldiers as they could, with thought screens. And made sure all of their top government officials wore them too. They did this to protect their people from any mental assault the Star Children might try.
Then the Platipla’s enlisted the help of Hikillie Death Merchants to capture the twins. The Hikillie are one of five apex predator species on their world, Hikil. Though they are the only one of those five species considered to be sentient. The Gindi recruited them because their hunting prowess has no equal. For once a Hikillie has chosen it’s prey; they hunt it until it is caught, or killed. Or they are.
The Kan Ke’ El government even sought to restore ties with the Gindi of the Klar’ Zilk Union. But the rift between their two societies, after the civil war, was still too great. Then they tried to form alliances with the neighboring star systems they had attacked. The Grimel protectorate didn’t bother to respond to their overtures. But the Weyawi did promise that they would help the Star Children purge the Kan Ke’ El system of Gindi; when the time came.
One month before the promised invasion, cities on Zilknoc began receiving evacuation orders; instructing the population to flee the planet at once. This order was confusing, because it conflicted with the standing directive to stay and fight. Not only that, most of the food for the Kan Ke’ El system was raised on Zilknoc. And since it also had the largest population of the three worlds; it would be the hardest to abandon.
Still, several unidentified transport ships arrived in orbit around the planet. For two days, they removed large segments of its population. The Gindi crews in the warships assigned to guard Zilknoc; somehow failed to notice any of these foreign craft, or their actions. When the leaders on Cantnos found out more than a half million Gindi had been removed from Zilknoc; they panicked. For their people had disappeared without any warning; and they had no idea what could have happened to them.
Next: The Fall Of The Kan Ke’ El Continues.
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Thank You,
Wil Sansflaw