by PP Corcoran
TDF Southern Cross was only fifty meters long and six at the beam. With most of her power systems offline while the chief inspected the fusion injectors, Southern Cross was a proverbial hole in space. Bob brought up the projected course of the unknown ships. If they kept to it, the closest of the five should pass within 40,000 kilometers of him in about nine minutes. A bit too close for comfort.
“Get Nichol back up here double time. I want her to plot us a course at an angle away from those ships. Use only the docking thrusters to maneuver and I want the primary sensor array to face them all the way. Whoever they are, I want as much detail on them as we can get and tell the chief to get the drive buttoned up again. If these guys turn out to be unfriendly, I want to be able to hightail it out of here.”
#
The next quarter of an hour was the longest in Bob Strait’s life. Once again, Nichol had proved how good a navigator she was as she maneuvered the small courier away from the oncoming ships with aplomb. Bob had been forced to wipe the sweat from his eyes as the five unknown ships, all the size of light cruisers, powered past him in perfect formation, completely unaware of the Southern Cross. His ship’s computers recorded every detail of their cigar-shaped superstructure and passive sensors absorbed every erg of energy the ships emanated. The likely power output of the four ominous-looking grazers clustered around the cruiser’s nose and the smaller snouts of the particle beam emitters spaced along the length of the hull had Bob squirming in his seat. Just one hit from one of those particle beams would rip the Southern Cross apart, never mind the grazers. But it was one particular image that was still floating in Bob’s display. On the flank of each of the cruisers, just below a raised command structure, was emblazoned a winged beast, the talons of its four extended legs grabbing the sword that passed through its body. The symbol of the Imperial Alonan Navy. A navy that didn’t have access to certain aspects of Commonwealth technology as it had refused to join the Union of Planets. One of those technologies was the gravity drive.
“Nichol, plot us a course for home and fold when you’re ready. The dispatches can wait.”
#
GENEVA – SOL SYSTEM
The quarterly meeting of the Commonwealth Union of Planets leaders had been a series of briefings by preening politicians, eager to get as much media exposure for themselves and the political parties they represented as possible. Rebecca Coston unconsciously massaged her right hand and forearm. She must have shaken hundreds of hands today as the aforementioned politicians vied for a moment with the twenty-fourth president of the Terran Republic and a sound bite, which the media would replay on the various news channels. Accompanied only by her ever-present protection detail, Rebecca left her office via a side door, which led to a small room where she entered a waiting elevator. She found the quiet of the elevator a refreshing change as it dropped down through the core of the mega-scraper that housed the multitude of departments required to run a planet-wide government. The ride from her office passed in silence as Rebecca collected her thoughts for the forthcoming private meeting with the other heads of state. The elevator reached ground level but didn’t slow its descent. When the doors eventually opened, Rebecca stepped onto a small platform five stories below ground.
Waiting to greet her was Patricia Bath. Rebecca had recognized the urgent need to have an adviser who could distill into bite-sized pieces the massive amounts of information being generated on a daily basis by the ever-growing diplomatic, science, and military arms of the Commonwealth, and when Rebecca approached her old friend Aaron Beckett and her science adviser Valerie Hayes, both of them came up with the same name. Patricia Bath. Rebecca was promptly impressed by the young woman’s organizational skills and in no time at all Patricia had cut a swathe through the various department heads who insisted they be allowed to brief the president personally. Anyone who refused to comply with the new adviser’s rules found themselves getting a personal call from Rebecca’s Chief of Staff, Clement Bradshaw. Anyone who was stupid enough to cross swords with Clement very quickly found themselves on the losing end of an argument they wished they’d never started. Word spread fast that Patricia Bath had the ear of the president and top aides so Patricia’s new guidelines were implemented with only mumbled complaint.
“Madam President, I’ve loaded a short brief on each of the points that you asked for onto this PAD.”
Taking the PAD with a weary smile, Rebecca nodded her thanks as both women entered the waiting train carriage and sank into its comfortable seats. The maglev raced along the underground tunnel connecting her office building in Geneva with the sprawling underground facility known simply as Central Command. The eighteen kilometer long tunnel allowed the president to leave her office and be in the heart of Central Command within minutes. Safe from anything but multiple nuclear strikes.
The maglev slowed smoothly from its 300 kilometer per hour headlong rush as it approached the first of a set of armored blast doors, which rolled aside, allowing the carriage to pass before resealing the tunnel behind it. A second set of blast doors closed behind the maglev, which came to a halt and lowered itself onto the tracks. With a subdued whoosh, the carriage doors opened and a waiting marine colonel escorted the president and her party along brightly lit corridors filled with soldiers, sailors, and marines going about their business. The colonel parted the throng like the bow of some oceanic vessel, never slowing his business-like pace until he reached a set of doors with the simple sign, “Briefing One”, above it. Only the presence of two armed ground force soldiers who snapped to attention as the president approached marked the door as being any different from the multitude of others along the route. With a gracious “thank you,” Rebecca passed through the doors accompanied only by Patricia. Her protection detail took post outside the room, alongside the silent soldiers.
As the briefing room doors closed behind them, Rebecca stopped for a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the relative darkness of the room lit only by the ambient light filtering in from “The Pit.” The raised briefing room, with a glass wall, offered an impressive view into the operations center that was the beating heart and brain of the Terran Defense Forces. Its constant activity always reminded Rebecca of what it must be like to be at the center of an anthill. Row upon row of displays manned by officers speaking in hushed tones. The largest holo projectors Rebecca had seen anywhere turned the front wall of “The Pit” into a constantly changing montage of numbers, diagrams, and images as priorities changed.
Rebecca returned her attention to the room. Moving to the head of the table in the center of the room, she nodded a welcome to Prime Minister Bezled of Garunda and Chairman Taarov of the Persai, each seated beside their representatives to the Combined Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“Madam President,” called General Keyton Joyce from behind a lectern at the far end of the table. “We’re ready to start the presentation whenever you are.”
“Please do, General, I’m most interested to hear the Joint Chiefs’ assessment of recent events.”
“As you know, ladies and gentlemen, following the decision to initiate survey missions once more Survey Flotilla One was tasked to Algol 3, Survey Flotilla Two to 23 Librae and Survey Flotilla Three is as yet to deploy but is finishing working up and should be leaving for Tau Eridani within the next seventy-two hours. If I may, I would like to give you all a brief overview of what SurvFlot One and Two found on reaching their respective destinations.”
Rebecca glanced across at Bezled and Taarov, who both nodded their assent. “Go ahead, General.”
The holo cube above the table came to life with the representation of the Algol 3 system. Its three stars slowly rotating at its center in their odd balancing act. The presence of three stars in the one system led to a confusing series of orbits as each star in turn influenced each of the systems’ planets, but highlighted in the holo cube was the single planet of any importance. Benii.
“The revelation of finding another advanced race that was not only aware of th
e Saiph manipulation in their own past but also fully aware of the potential threat posed to them by the Others came as no real surprise to us. Our analysts had believed it inevitable that we would eventually come across another race who, like the Persai, had either come across the Others or some evidence of the Saiph. The fact that they, without the aid of the gravity drive, had also managed to colonize two other star systems, was unexpected, but on reflection, the Persai had been in the process of establishing extra solar colonies when the Others had destroyed their original home world.”
Force Leader Tolas surged to his feet and slammed his fist down on the table, his lips flattened to show teeth. “Something those thrice-cursed Balek will pay for at my hand and the hands of my kin, General!”
Chairman Taarov placed a calming hand on Tolas’ arm. “Of that I have no doubt, my friend. But for now, we build our strength ready for the day of vengeance. Continue, General Joyce.”
“It would appear Mr. Chairman, that the Benii hold the same sentiments as yourselves toward the Others. Having used the courier ship we dispatched for the use of Ambassador Schamu to establish contact with their two colonies, Baut and Gossol, we found that even though Baut has a relatively harsh environment and life is difficult there, the colonists have managed to build up a significant military force. The second colony, Gossol, has a much more benign environment and though a younger colony, it has also flourished and established a viable tech base which has already produced a number of warships and is in a position to significantly increase production if the Commonwealth was to supply additional resources in the way of automated ship building units.” Keyton paused and gave the gathered politicians a deliberate look. “That of course is a political consideration and not a military one. However the ambassador reports that both colonies have asserted their allegiance to the home world and have agreed to be guided by its decisions.”
“What is your opinion of the Benii military strength, General?” interjected the Garundan Prime Minister.
The image of a large gun-metal gray ship edged in blue replaced that of the Algol 3 system in the holo cube.
“This is a Benii carrier. It is roughly one and a half times the size of our largest current battleship. However, its armament is radically different. It carries 115 of these…”
In the holo cube appeared a sleek, round-nosed spacecraft. Two stub wings protruded away from the main body and at the tips of each wing sat a long, lance-like weapon. Above and below the main fuselage sat a small turret mounting twin cannon.
“This, ladies and gentlemen, is a Benii space fighter. They call it a Freiba. I believe that is a type of flying insect with a particularly nasty sting. An apt description. The Freiba is specifically configured for fighting in space, rather than our own Reaper, which is primarily configured for atmospheric warfare. These Freiba are highly maneuverable and incredibly fast. According to Admiral Papadomas’ reports he believes that the Freiba could very well swamp the close-in defense systems of any current warship in either the Commonwealth’s or the Others’ order of battle. They are armed with two concentrated beam emitters, which, individually, would cause superficial damage, but it is the analyst’s opinion that a number of strikes will penetrate battle armor and may cause significant damage. Needless to say, the boys and girls in Research and Development are desperate to get their hands on a Freiba.”
“It’s my understanding, General, that the Benii have already offered the Commonwealth full access to their military technology in return for an alliance against the Others.”
“Yes, Madam President, that is correct. I believe Ambassador Schamu is in the process of preparing his suggestions for an initial memorandum of understanding to be put before the Commonwealth Council for approval so that he may open up full treaty negotiations with the long-term view of the Benii joining the Commonwealth as a full partner.”
“And what is the opinion of the Joint Chiefs on allowing the Benii into the Commonwealth, General?”
Keyton Joyce took a moment to look at the image of the Benii carrier and the Freiba next to it before answering. “The three planets of the Benii have managed to retain a similar force structure. Incorporating them into the Commonwealth fleets would bring us eight carriers, 920 Freiba space fighters, twenty-four battle ships and thirty-six heavy cruisers. That is the equivalent of all the firepower of First Fleet. The only drawback is that the Benii ships’ drive systems limit their ships to high sub-light speeds, but I have it on good authority that with assistance from our scientists working on Zarmina, they could have a working star drive within a few months.” Keyton gave a small shrug. “Alternatively, we could just retrofit the Benii fleet with gravity drives, but that would be a major undertaking and I have every confidence in the scientists on Zarmina finding a more acceptable solution. So in short, with the strength of the Others’ fleet still an unknown quantity, I would say the more ships we have, the better.”
Rebecca felt there was nothing more to be gained at this time by further debate on the Benii question so she moved the briefing on. “What of 23 Librae?”
“That, Madam President, is a completely different matter. Our interpretation of the situation in the system has been based solely on the reports of Ambassador Isa and Admiral Torrance. Militarily, we have already seen the effectiveness of the Nilmerg’s weaponry. Our estimate is that they are approximately forty years behind our own current top of the line ships, but if they’re able to achieve the element of surprise, as they did in the case of SurvFlot Two, then their weapons can inflict significant damage to our lighter units. Anything above heavy cruiser size would have no difficulty in defeating even a numerically superior Nilmerg force if it came down to it.”
“Then Admiral Torrance is to be congratulated in showing restraint in not destroying the Nilmerg, even though he found himself in a difficult situation.”
“That he is, Mister Prime Minister.” A wry smile appeared on Keyton’s face. “I could not guarantee that I would have shown such restraint, but the people in Survey are trained slightly differently from those in charge of the battle fleet and in this instance that paid off.”
“Are we any further forward on who these…” Rebecca searched her memory for the name.
“The Deres, ma’am?” Patricia added helpfully.
“Yes, the Deres. I’ve only had time to scan Ambassador Isa’s report but the situation in 23 Librae strikes me as a complicated one.”
A schematic of the 23 Librae system appeared in the holo cube. A type G star with two worlds orbiting exactly opposite each other in the Goldilocks zone with a third world just skirting the edge of the life-bearing zone.
“Complicated may be an understatement, Madam President. Ambassador Isa’s report indicates that for the majority of their history, the Nilmergs believed they were the sole intelligent species in the universe. Their astronomers had searched the heavens for signs of other life, much as we had done, without success. As time went by, they developed sufficiently to place artificial satellites in orbit and planned and launched unmanned missions to their nearest planetary neighbors. It was one of these probes to the planet on the fringe of the Goldilocks zone that revealed to them the existence of Deres. With Deres orbiting exactly opposite from them, the ambient interference the star generated had hidden any form of electronic emissions from either planet.”
Chairman Taarov let out a quiet chuckle. “I bet it came as a bit of a shock to find that what you had been looking for in the stars was actually only a stone’s throw away.”
“I can imagine it did, Mr. Chairman,” agreed Keyton. “The news of another sentient race in their own star system led to the nations of Nilmerg pooling their resources to construct a manned spaceship which was launched with the intention of visiting their neighbors. As the spaceship passed beyond the stars’ radio horizon they lost contact with it. This was only to be expected. But the months passed and they heard nothing further from either the ship’s automatic systems or the crew, so they decided to launch a second shi
p, but this time the ship was equipped with a relay satellite which the crew would deploy just on the edge of the radio horizon. This satellite would constantly relay telemetry back to Nilmerg from the ship. As the Nilmerg ship established orbit over what had been identified as the largest populated area ready to deploy its landing unit, the ship relayed back unusual readings which indicated a high level of radiation was present in the atmosphere. A level that couldn’t have occurred naturally. The explanation the Nilmerg scientists came up with was that there had been a high-order nuclear explosion in the recent past. Without warning, the feed from the spacecraft was cut. The ground controllers back on Nilmerg initially thought there was some form of technical fault, but as they began to piece the data together, they discovered that the radar on board the ship had caught a fleeting trace of at least two objects launched from the surface of Deres which were on a collision course with the ship. Their conclusion was that their ship was shot down deliberately.”
“An act of war?” asked Rebecca.
“Or one of defense, Madam President.”
Rebecca gave Keyton an incredulous look. “How so, General? The Nilmerg had made no hostile gestures. Their ships carried no weapons.”
With a few taps of his PAD, Keyton brought up a schematic of the original Nilmerg manned ship.
“This was supplied to us by the Nilmerg as proof that the original ship they sent to Deres was, as you pointed out Madam President, unarmed. At first glance no weapon systems are evident, but…”
In the holo cube the schematic expanded until it was centered on the propulsion system.
“Meet a 35-megaton nuclear bomb.”
