ROMA

by R. A. Ender

  The shuttle itself was unremarkable. Heavily fortified to withstand a considerable pounding, the shuttles only purpose was to drive toward the hull of another ship as quickly as possible protecting the troops inside. Never counting on an accessible docking port, the shuttle was equipped with an automated breaching system at its rear exit.

  Thankfully, in this case, we can use the docking port, Abad thought to himself recalling how long it had been to get the ringing out of his ears the last time he had been on board a shuttle during a breach boarding operation. It was a necessarily loud method of getting onto an enemy ship, unfortunately for the troops inside.

  Now that he was onboard the shuttle, he could feel the ship instantly move and watched the launch bay begin to disappear as the doors began to close. On board the shuttle during an operation where he was not in charge, he was no more important than another soldier. He fell under the command of the boarding chief, no question, though professional courtesy offered him some additional leeway.

  The flight to the Caesar Augustus was quite quick and without incident. The boarding hatch was unsecured and all the soldiers boarded the ship without resistance. The ship seemed deserted. Looking around, Abad observed a general quarters order flashing on all the displays and stations. The commander of this ship obviously wanted to avoid any problems between boarding soldiers and his crew.

  Moving down the hall in a methodical way, the soldiers quickly scaled the ladder ways and arrived at the narrow single door entrance to the command deck of a Defense Force vessel. The door opened without resistance and the soldiers flooded into the Command Deck with practiced speed, efficiency, and surprise.

  Once the soldiers were all inside, the chief of the boarding troops entered followed closely by Abad.

  Once Abad emerged onto the Command Deck, he observed that the soldiers had occupied all the stations. The remaining soldiers had herded the Defense Force personnel, the first any of them had seen since arriving on board, to the front of the command deck, up against the large display screen.

  Abad slowly approached the main command station and seated himself, silently in its chair. He waited for a moment, looking at the Defense Force personnel without a saying a word. He could count a Fleet Admiral, a Captain, two Commanders, and half a dozen junior officers who appeared to be dressed as officers in training with an indicator of the number of years in training. It was a very unusual Command Deck crew, not typical for Defense Force. Abad thought to himself, I’m going to love to hear them explain this crew!

  Abad continued to sit in a silent command deck until the Chief of the boarding troops approached him. “Sir, I’ve received confirmation that our troops have secured all the reactor control rooms, the medical bay, the armory and the hangar bay. The ship is boarded and captured.”

  For the first time since setting foot on the Caesar Augustus, Abad spoke. “Thank you, Commander.”

  Turning his attention squarely toward the Fleet Admiral, Abad continued. “Admiral of the Fleet! I have boarded and secured your ship. Do you surrender?”

  CHAPTER 19

  Richard stared steely eyed at the Watabaeg Militia General. His instinct was to reject any suggestion of surrender. He had never surrendered in his life and the very thought of it made him ill. However, the Watabaeg were not an enemy people. They were a member of the Confederacy. Somewhere deep inside Richard, he felt as though this must be a test or protocol of some sort.

  Still, pretty insulting to demand surrender from an ally! Richard thought to himself.

  Before speaking, he took a deep breath, swallowed and said, “General, we surrender to your authority.”

  A smile instantly spread across the General’s face. Richard couldn’t tell whether it was a smile of happiness, self-satisfaction or an evil delight. He soon had his answer.

  “Surrender accepted Admiral of the Fleet. My name is High General Addisus Abad of the Watabaeg Militia. I now return control of this ship to you and your crew, but it must remain under escort while in Watabaeg inner and outer system during war times.”

  Turning to look over his shoulder, Abad shouted an order. “Chief, tell your men to turn their secured sections back over to the Defense Force crew and return to the ship immediately. Once on board, instruct the Commanding Officer to maintain protective escort of this ship. I’ll return after I meet with the Admiral.”

  The Commander of the troops gave a quick salute and acknowledgment before turning on his heels and giving his own men orders to return to the boarding ships.

  Turning back toward Richard, Abad still had a smile on his face, which made him much less imposing than moments before. He was an extremely large human, to say the least. Richard was of average height, but this man towered over him. He must be at least seven feet tall. And he is solidly built, not gangly and thin like many human giants.

  “Admiral, thank you for allowing me aboard your ship. May I be introduced to your Command Staff please?” Abad asked casually.

  Richard hesitated at first, but instantly put that feeling out of his mind as he knew it was only proper to introduce his crew to a guest, which Abad was, however oddly he arrived.

  “Thank you, High General for allowing us to visit Watabaeg space. My name is Admiral of the Fleet Richard Hilbornus.” Pointing toward Robin, Jen, and Sara, Richard continued. “This is my second in command, Captain Robin Shelbus. My navigator, Commander Jen Klodokus and my Chief of Security, Commander Sara Daridius.” Each nodded as they were introduced.

  “A pleasure to meet you all,” Abad said with a slight bow of welcome. He fixed his gaze back on Richard as he continued. “Richard Hilbornus of the Siege of Veselyy?”

  Richard nodded without speaking as he always did when someone recognized him. The acknowledgment made Abad smile even more broadly.

  “Then I am even more proud to meet you! Did you know that the Siege of Veselyy is a required course for all students of the Watabaeg Militia academies? Its example and teachings have been one of the main backbones to how Watabaeg has constructed and reconstructed its defense planning. You were unbelievably innovative for a Captain in Defense Force. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” And with that, Abad came close enough to extend his arm, which Richard grasped firmly.

  “So, Admiral of the Fleet, what brings you to Watabaeg during this time of war?”

  Richard nodded to Robin before answering, giving the all clear signal for the crew to return to their stations. Looking back toward Abad, he gave the only answer he could.

  “The war brings me, General.”

  Abad’s smile grew even larger but more stiff and serious at the same time. “Yes, this phantom war is a curiosity, to say the least.” Abad looked around before continuing, as though he was assessing the command deck.

  “You have a lot of junior officers around, is there a more secure place we could speak?” Abad asked.

  Richard nodded and indicated with his arm in the direction of the Captain’s Cabin, off to one side of the Command Deck. Almost as soon as he had done so, he regretted that choice, but it was too late to take it back. As Abad walked in front of him in the direction of the Cabin, Richard thought to himself, I’m not sure we’ll both fit!

  Richard led the way around the corner, and both he and Abad entered the Cabin. Unlike many of the other meeting spaces on board the Caesar Augustus, the Captain’s Cabin was not spacious and impressive. It was a simple room with a couple of fold up bunks, to permit the Commanding Officer to get a little sleep near the all-important Command Deck. With the bunks folded up, fold down chairs could be pulled out of either side of the room, while a small table could be created by pulling down the middle section of the bottom fold up bed. Aside from that, there were only a couple of standup stations built into the two walls facing back toward the Command deck on either side of the small doorway.

  Richard knew immediately that he would not be using the table. Abad’s legs would not fit under it. Instead, he just pulled out the two chairs and offered one to Abad. Abad
sat down, looking uncomfortable but making no comment either in words or facial expressions. That wasn’t too surprising coming from a military officer. Richard activated one of the wall-mounted stations so he could see information about the status of the ship, before sitting opposite Abad. As predicted, it was a very tight fit.

  Abad opened the conversation with a few casual comments which Richard handled with some diplomacy.

  “That is a lot of women you have in your senior staff, Admiral. Quite unusual, quite unusual. Do you find it difficult to work with a crew of women?”

  “I’ve always found them to be as insightful, if not more so than men. Besides, I’ve built my senior staff with the best people I’ve ever met in my career. Nothing else was considered.”

  Abad nodded. “I too am always looking out for talented people and bringing them into my senior staff. I must confess that there are far fewer women to choose from in the Watabaeg Militia, though.” With a wry smile, he continued, “They certainly are far better company.”

  “Well, this is a fine ship, this Caesar Augustus of yours. I’ve never seen or heard of it before. I thought my System Control Officer had misspoken when he said it was a Kordont Emperor Class. I thought he had meant a Kordont Executive Class, and just had this war with the Imps on his mind. But I see the Defense Force has a new class of battleship. Care to tell me about it?”

  “To be honest, General, it is not really a new class or a new ship.”

  Abad put a hand up to stop Richard. “Please, Admiral, my colleagues always refer to me as Abad. Please feel free to do the same. And how would you like me to address you?”

  “You can simply use my first name, Richard. Defense Force is a little less formal than a more martial force such as the Watabaeg Militia.”

  Abad’s head began nodding furiously at that comment and a big happy smile broke out. “Isn’t that the truth!”

  “So, Richard, continue about your ship.”

  “Yes, well, it’s not a new class because there are no plans to replace the Executive line anytime soon. So far, this is unique class and ship. We’ve actually been in service for almost ten years though we aren’t that high profile. The ship was built for two reasons. The first, and it speaks to the abundance of junior officers around, is it’s a classroom. After graduating from one of the Defense Force academies, students who qualify for officer training receive a single year of planetary studies. Those that succeed complete three years of training and studies on board the Caesar Augustus. This is a ship almost entirely crewed by students.”

  Abad’s eyes grew large with surprise. “That is a truly frightening thought! Since you have not exploded, I assume it has gone well?”

  “There are always hiccups, especially the first few years. However, at this point, we have three levels of experience and the students are organized with the third year crewmembers in charge of their newer subordinate students. Tends to be a great method of teaching and learning. It has been an unqualified success in my opinion.”

  “And the second mandate of your ship?”

  “Basically, we are a multi-purpose single ship fleet available to perform whatever task is needed by Defense Force brass. We conduct extensive diplomatic missions, representing the fleet throughout the Confederacy. It is quite an honor.”

  “I would imagine so. Well, that is all quite nice. Why are you in Watabaeg space?”

  The direct question seemed to come out of nowhere. Obviously an attempt to get a straight, non-considered answer. Unfortunately for Abad, Richard was too well trained to fall for that. Also, Abad’s presentation of himself as not being aware of the Caesar Augustus seemed a bit implausible for Richard, so he was already on guard and cautious of Abad playing him. He really didn’t have anything he was planning to hide. He needed the knowledge Abad had if he ever hoped to build a fleet to free the Old Colony Region from the invading forces of the Imperial Alliance which he assumed were, as he spoke, traveling to the key worlds of the Confederacy or laying siege to them.

  Leaning forward slightly for emphasis, Richard explained the chain of events and details that brought him to be at Watabaeg.

  “What I need from you is information. I need as much information as possible about the current situation throughout the Confederacy, especially the Old Colony Region. If I don’t have enough, I’m afraid I won’t be able to convince any Fleet Admiral to commit their ships to an effort that contradicts the orders they’ve received from the Commanding Admirals Council. Can you help?”

  Abad leaned back for a moment, rubbing his face thoughtfully. Then he smiled, “Richard, I believe I’ll be able to provide you with enough facts that will send even the slowest witted Admiral into your camp.”

  “First, I can confirm that it is an invasion by the Imps. As soon as the interstellar TeleGod Network crashed, the Watabaeg Militia implemented its war plan. Part of that plan is aggressive patrolling of all systems space. While on patrol in some of our outer systems, our patrol groups encountered several small craft that we could not identify. Most of them managed to get away, all jumping toward Imp space. We did destroy a couple and our intelligence service has certified that they are of a design and material use which suggests they are of Imp origin.”

  “This actually sent considerable shockwaves through the Watabaeg government. As you may be aware, we have never been invaded by any foreign power in our entire history. As soon as the colony was established millennia ago, our people have always attempted to build a robust and deceptive system defense to dissuade any invader from trying. It has been an extremely successful strategy.”

  “With enemy ships destroyed in our system space, it severely shocked the security of our people. The government initiated its war plan as soon as the news became known. Part of it was sending fast dispatch vessels via Olympus Jump Gates to make contact with other planets. So far, only a few have returned with news, which is expected given the travel times involved. The news is grim.”

  “Initially, there was optimism that we were just worrying for nothing. The couriers that returned from Lochalsh, Minnipuka, and Kukatush, our closest neighbors, reported no invasion, just a communication failure.”

  “Recently, though, news has turned negative. Three couriers returned from New Rome, New Earth, and Tionaga. Every one of them reported Imp fleets detected in inner systems. The couriers didn’t stay long enough to gain any strategic information, but invading fleets was enough information for us to initiate our highest level of defense. Hence, your reception when exiting the gate.”

  With that comment, Abad gave a big smile. The smile gave Richard an opportunity to ask a question.

  “That brings up a question. How have you been able to coordinate your fleets without communication?”

  Abad’s smile grew even larger as he leaned forward. “What makes you think we don’t have communication?”

  Richard thought about it for a moment. He was trying to think back to the analysis of Watabaeg they had done while they were waiting at the Gate exit. He could clearly remember Sara telling him that she could only detect point to point communication signals. The general communication cloud that typically surrounded all planets was completely absent. Furthermore, there were no transport ships or pleasure ships traveling in the near system. In all, the system seemed to be much like F’lwok had been before they left.

  “Our analysis suggested that you had no communication. You do?”

  Abad began nodding slowly. “Yes, we do Admiral. Watabaeg is not one to rely on others. I assure you, we have complete communication. That you thought otherwise shows how valuable a strategy of creating the fog of war can be. Remember that.”

  “I will,” Richard answered a little sheepishly. “Please, continue Abad. This information is invaluable.”

  “I’m happy to help. Anyway, knowing that the Old Colony Region is being invaded had led us to limit our risk. We are still aggressively patrolling and defending Watabaeg near and outer space, but we are no longer dispatching couriers. As fa
r as I know we have sent a delegation to the Imps to discuss Watabaeg’s position in this war. Otherwise, we are in full defense mode.”

  Richard cocked an eyebrow at the delegation comment. “A diplomatic delegation? That seems odd. What’s its purpose? I can’t imagine the IAE will come to peace with the Confederacy!”

  “No likely not. But they might accept Watabaeg neutrality in this war. I suspect that is the purpose, though I wasn’t consulted. It is a government-initiated effort.”

  Richard was a little shocked. It took him a moment to process the suggestion that Watabaeg would withdraw from the conflict, especially given its military potential. They were a member of the Confederated Union of Worlds, one of the leading members! They were notoriously independent but Richard never thought they would let the rest of the Confederacy go down in flames and stand aside.

  Summoning his wits and courage, Richard addressed this point. “Why do you think the government is proposing neutrality? That would be pretty devastating to the Confederate cause!”

  “Militarily, it’s irrelevant. Either Defense Force repulses the Imps, or the Confederacy will be destroyed. The Watabaeg Militia is powerful, but we can’t defend the Confederacy alone. Our part to play is to protect Watabaeg. If the Imps chose to invade our system, they will be destroyed, without question.”