by S. H. Jucha
“That’s it?” Tacnock asked disappointedly.
“The pilots did report that the explosions indicated the fuel tanks were full,” Jess replied, “but they couldn’t say whether there was additional combustible material aboard. Juliette said if she had been responsible for sabotaging the ships, she would have done it through the fuel feed system.”
“Then we’re done with Norsitchia?” Tacnock concluded.
“We’re done,” Jess replied. “The Planetary Defense sent cubes through the gates to the connecting worlds and one to the Tsargit that the dome has been secured.”
“Where to next?” Tacnock asked.
“I’ve requested Pimbor,” Jess replied.
“You requested?” Tacnock queried.
“It seems the assault commander has more standing than he thought,” Jess replied, with a self-effacing grin.
“And how are the commodore and you progressing?” Tacnock asked slyly.
“Better than I could have hoped,” Jess replied, “but there’s a ways to go.”
“That’s a female of exceptional reserve,” Tacnock noted.
“Speaking of females, did you enjoy your embraces?” Jess asked teasingly.
“Immensely, both of them,” Tacnock replied, and his expression grew wistful. “Your sister is a warm human to the touch, and she can flood a mind. Juliette’s hug had little to recommend the senses, but that wonderful creation deigned to enfold me in her arms.”
Jess laughed good-naturedly at Tacnock’s joy in reliving his memories.
“Get your rest, my friend. Then get on your feet,” Jess said, rising from the desk chair. “We sail tomorrow for Pimbor. By the way, Menous and the remaining six brassards haven’t deserted us. They’re coming too.”
* * * * *
After the SE Trident collected the two brassards and their travelers from the Norsitchian planet, the fleet formed and sailed for Pimbor.
“Why Pimbor out of the three remaining domes?” Lucia asked at a morning meal.
“Didn’t you know, Commodore? Jess has an affinity for the smaller and more charming,” Tacnock remarked. He flashed his teeth broadly to indicate he believed he was included in that description.
Lucia laughed along with everyone else at the table at Tacnock’s humor. Curiously, she found herself the center of attention. “Don’t look at me,” she objected. “I might be slender in stature, but I’m certainly not, not … what you said.”
“Some of us would beg to differ,” Jess said quietly and continued to eat.
To the table’s surprise, Lucia didn’t object to Jess’s comment. In fact, her lips curved in the faintest of smiles.
“In all seriousness, Jess, why Pimbor next?” Ophelia asked.
“Pimborians are an anomaly among alliance races,” Jess explained, “and scientists have argued over the reason for their fate. Personally, I haven’t a clue as to which theory might be right.”
“The Pimborians are extremely small,” Tacnock interjected. “Believe it or not, at my height, I’m intimidating to them.”
The table glanced at the Crocians. Daktora was dropping a handful of food down his throat, and Bortoth chose to answer for the two of them. “Pimbor does hire Crocians,” he said, “but we try to communicate virtually after we arrive in their system. The Pimborians have built out special accommodations on their stations and constructed two shuttles for alliance visitors. Other races serve those areas and fly the shuttles. When we land on Pimbor, non-Pimborians transfer us to a temporary working location, which will have been vacated by the building contractors. Our appearance is likely to result in heart failure among the adults, or we could accidentally step on their kits, the young ones.”
“If the Messinants uplifted the alliance races, why didn’t they give the Pimborians greater physiques?” Patrice asked. “They certainly did to the Colony.” She shuddered at the mention of the giant insectoids. She’d only seen them under safe conditions, such as on the holo-vid or after they were deceased, but that was enough to make them haunt her dreams.
“That’s the question that’s been argued,” Kasie said. “One theory holds to the nature of the Messinants. It’s thought that they might have wanted to see if a sentient race could achieve space travel despite a size handicap.”
“Another theory,” Daktora interjected, after swallowing another great mouthful of food, “is that the Pimborians are an unfinished experiment. The Messinants moved on from this part of the galaxy before completing their genetic work on the species.”
“If the alliance had been more prone to intrepid exploration of non-alliance domes,” Tacnock added, “they might have discovered more evidence of the ancient race’s unfinished business.”
“Let’s hope the Colony hasn’t completed a ring above the Pimbor dome,” Sam said. “I’d hate to think of the insectoids running amok among the population and slaughtering the little individuals.”
Jess, Kasie, Ophelia, and Aputi laughed quietly. Tacnock chittered, and the Crocians rumbled.
“My brother,” Aputi said, laying a hand on Sam’s forearm. “Before their uplift, the Pimborians were a race of burrowing mammals, and they retain their skills and much of their earlier physiology.”
“In other words,” Jess added, “in times of anxiety or trouble, a Pimborian will go to ground. A giant insectoid will find it impossible to follow him or her into their small burrows.”
“Then there’s the possibility that the insectoids won’t even see the Pimborians as a threat,” Aputi said hopefully.
“That’s a distinct possibility,” Sam allowed.
It was eleven days of transit from Norsitchia to Pimbor. The first individuals to view the early telemetry thought they were experiencing déjà vu.
The Pimbor dome had a ring. A colony transport appeared within the ring and plied the space between the moon and the planet. More transports orbited the planet, their side hatches open and exposing empty interiors. Numerous shuttles stood on their tails across the planet’s surface.
“We’ve returned to a security stance,” Olawale said to Lucia, relinquishing fleet command authority.
“Jess, I’ve the transports, and then you’ll have the planet,” Lucia said.
The Rêveur rendezvoused with the Tridents in Pimbor’s orbit.
The SADEs scanned Pimborian communications for contacts. Eventually, they intercepted calls from freighters sailing the moons of the outer planets. The captains were intent on shifting critical supplies between outposts. They trafficked in water ice, food, and necessary smelted ores.
For Omnian humans, the delay in the conversations was interminable. Olawale left it to the SADEs to ask the questions and await the answers.
When the replies came from the freighters and the outposts, they were the same. The ring was constructed. The Colony’s transports arrived and sailed for the planet. After achieving orbit, the transports launched shuttles. The stations near the moon and above the planet were abandoned before the arrival of the first transport. The government, which was a collective organization, was disbanded, and the citizens went to ground.
When Jess heard from Lucia that the transports had been eliminated, he said, “Lucia, next the shuttle comm network needs to be disabled.”
Lucia ordered the launch of three travelers for the remaining Omnian security. Sam enlisted Aputi’s help, and he gave the Pyrean a crash course in the operation of a plasma rifle. The first time Aputi discharged the weapon his grin couldn’t have been wider.
The three teams spent days landing next to the numerous shuttles. They’d exit their crafts, target the tops of the Colony’s shuttles, and vaporize them with plasm
a rifles. Then they’d board the travelers and lift before there was a chance of encountering the insectoids.
In turn, Jess regarded the SADEs. “What kind of numbers are we facing?”
Juliette and Esteban were linked with Orbit. They’d been tabulating the insectoid estimates, while they reviewed the telemetry of the traveler crews who’d destroyed the shuttle comms.
“Seventeen to eighteen hundred adults,” Esteban replied.
Into the stunned silence, Juliette added, “Based on the Norsitchian data, we’ve determined that Pimbor has experienced shuttle landings for a period of three annuals longer. This means the juveniles will have had more time to mature. The growth rates of the species are unknown, but we can expect them to have reached a minimum length of a meter or more.”
“A fifteen-to-one ratio against our troops,” Jess remarked, shaking his head in resignation. “We haven’t the forces to execute an open hunt.”
“What are you saying?” Patrice asked.
“We need a different strategy,” Jess replied.
-34-
New Strategy
Jess chose to usurp a command chair. Typically, the Rêveur’s two command chairs were reserved for Olawale, Patrice, or Captain Lumley, depending on their needs.
Francis eyed Olawale, who waved the captain’s concerns aside. Olawale had no intention of interrupting Jess’s thoughts.
Jess rotated the chair so that he could see the holo-vid. The SADEs displayed a kaleidoscope of surface views for him, and he stared at the images, hoping for some inspiration.
When nothing occurred to Jess, he regarded Olawale. “I’d understand if you wanted to abandon this system in favor of one of the other two. They might not be as inundated with insectoids,” he said.
“Are you giving up on the Pimborians?” Olawale asked.
“No, but I can’t think of a single aggressive strategy in which our meager forces can defeat as many insectoids as the SADEs estimate,” Jess replied.
“Do you have an alternate strategy, one which takes a more passive approach?” Lucia encouraged.
“I do, but it’s going to take a significant commitment from the fleet,” Jess replied. He looked expectantly at Olawale and Patrice.
“I see no reason to quit,” Patrice replied. “We’ve taken back two domes. I’m expecting us to make it five for five in dome recovery.”
“I’m in agreement with Patrice, Jess,” Olawale said. “Tell us what you need.”
“We need the Pims,” Jess replied. “This will be a long-term engagement.”
“How can the Pimborians help us fight?” Sam asked. “Do you expect a bunch of them to gang up on an insectoid, one at a time?”
“The planet is hiding nearly two thousand Colony members,” Jess replied. “If we send out teams to hunt them, we’ll lose a trooper for every two or three insectoids we destroy. We can’t win that way. We can only win by attacking defined targets.”
Tacnock chittered loudly. “The Pims will be our scouts,” he crowed.
Jess indicated his friend and nodded his head, with a grin on his face. “This will require a cooperative venture with them. We have to bring the Pims to us,” he said.
“We’ve spoken of the Pimborians’ aversion to outsiders,” Bortoth pointed out.
“The Pims are probably over that,” Olawale suggested. “Based on the SADEs’ estimation of the Colony’s domination of their planet, I think they’ll be desperate for help. They might even welcome Crocians.”
Bortoth and Daktora snapped their jaws shut and rumbled in amusement at Olawale’s remark.
“The first thing we need is a work zone,” Jess said.
The holo-vid display was fed suggestions from the SADEs.
“There,” Jess said, pointing at one of the images scrolling past. “Magnify,” he requested. After studying the scene, he announced, “Perfect. That looks like a Pimborian population center.”
“There aren’t any elevated buildings,” Sam objected.
“The Pims never build higher than two levels,” Daktora said.
“Lucia, I need our engineers,” Jess said quietly.
A few moments later, Edmas and Jodlyne hurried onto the bridge.
“I’ve a big job for the two of you,” Jess said. Pointing at the holo-vid image, he added, “I need a protective barrier around this population center that will keep the Colony out.”
Jess watched a barrier encompass the population center. He glanced at Lucia, and each knew what the other was thinking — if he had an implant, he could do this and many more things.
“I need space on one side of the compound to house our assault teams,” Jess requested.
“Travelers too?” Jodlyne queried.
“We need access to them, but they probably don’t need the same level of security,” Jess replied. “The barrier has to convince the Pims that it’s safe to live inside.”
The compound’s barrier shifted. Now it encompassed a new set of low buildings. Despite their single-story level, they towered over the Pims’ buildings. The travelers sat outside the barrier, but they were surrounded by fencing.
The Crocians’ chest-rumbling vibrations indicated their dissatisfaction with the lack of protection for the ships.
“Electrified fencing,” Jodlyne said to them, and the rumblings ceased.
“We’ll need materials. Lots of it,” Edmas said.
Jess pointed toward the SADEs. “Tell them. The freighters are outward. They’ll have to transport the smelted ores you need, unless you can source your materials locally.”
“There are a number of Colony shuttles on the planet,” Patrice suggested, “at least the remains of them.”
“What’s the required timeline for this construction?” Jodlyne requested.
“I don’t have one,” Jess replied. “We’re waiting on you. When the barrier and the fencing are up, we’ll transfer the brassards and begin the operation to take back the planet. Be careful not to disturb the population center. And leave soft ground around the inside of the perimeter.” To the engineers’ inquiring expressions, he added, “Those spaces are where I expect the Pims to pop up.”
Turning to the assault veterans, Jess said, “You have one immediate task. You must protect the engineering teams while they construct the barrier and fencing.”
Spinning the chair toward the engineers, Jess added, “By the way, I chose this particular population center because of the nearby shuttle port.”
“It will need fencing and power too,” Edmas said.
“And a means of transporting the Pims safely between the port and the population center. That must include materials transport,” Jodlyne said.
Turning to Sam, Jess said, “I see no reason that we can’t arm the protective details with plasma rifles.”
“I don’t either,” Sam replied. “A few judicious eliminations by plasma fire will have the insectoids avoiding our location.”
“Edmas, Jodlyne, until the construction areas are cleared of foliage, your people must work only during daylight. Afterwards, you can work at night. Then the troopers can use the thermal goggles to detect the Colony’s encroachment.”
For Jess, the SADEs were next. “We need to get a message to the system’s outposts and ships that their stations are available to them. Only the dome and the planet are off limits for now. However, let them know that a shuttle port and a population center will soon be available to them. Protection will be provided by their new allies. Note to them that we’re here in cooperation with the Tsargit.”
Jess spun the chair back to Sam. “We’re going to have to train the Norsitchian troopers in the use of plasma rifles. There aren’t enough veterans to provide protection details for the engineers, te
chs, and pilots.”
Sam linked to Olawale and Lucia. He sent, He received assents from both individuals.
“Done,” Sam said to Jess.
Jess rotated his chair to regard Olawale and then Lucia. “Thank you,” he said. It was an indication of his understanding of the Omnians — their approval hierarchy for use of their technology by other races and the ease of their implant communications.
The audience waited for more orders, and Jess chose to add a thought. “Let’s play it smart and rely on our experiences,” he said. “I’d like to see if we can avoid losing any more of our collective citizenry. It will help me sleep better.”
A thought crossed Lucia’s mind, and she wished again that Jess had an implant. If he did, she would have sent him a private message and told him that she would ensure he slept well.
* * * * *
The team vacated the bridge. Olawale was alone with Captain Lumley and his crew, and he sat in a command chair beside Francis.
When Francis didn’t reply, Olawale relaxed deeper into the chair and composed a message to Alex, which read,
“Alex, I would like to think that by the time you receive this update you would have reacted to my earlier messages. I visualize that you would have organized the fleet and been sailing to our aid. That might be wishful thinking on my part. I’ve no idea what critical situations might have demanded your attention.
“During these many months, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. Educational administrators aren’t qualified to lead expeditions into the unknown. I’ve been fortunate to have the likes of Lucia Bellardo, Sam Fleetfoot, and the SADEs to prevent me making egregious errors.
“We’ve contacted a wonderful human colony on the world of Pyre. Individuals from there have been instrumental in assisting us in the rescue of alliance races from the Colony. To date, we’ve recovered two lost domes. However, this third system, Pimbor, has been inundated by the insectoids for a longer period of time than the first two locations. The SADEs will have sent you the star coordinates for the domes that we’ve set out to rescue. We expect to be at Pimbor for the better part of a year.
