by C. R. Daems
The gentle smiling face of Admiral Zhu appeared.
"Rumors abound as to your status and whereabouts. If you have time, I would love to entertain you on the Dynasty."
"What if I entertain you on the Mnemosyne instead?" I said, thinking to keep it informal and allowing Zhu to filter the information better afterward.
"I would like that. Name the time, and I will be there."
"Would twenty hundred hours be convenient?"
"Yes, I look forward to seeing you and the future," he said, and cut the connection.
My immediate thought was,Yes, but on reflection, seeing the future had its problems. Most imagined you could change one thing and everything else would remain the same. Not possible. It would have a ripple effect not only on you, but on everyone who came in contact with you and those who came in contact with them... And even if you saw your future, you couldn't see all of those you impacted. It gave me a headache just thinking about the ramifications.
I notified the Riss-humans to attend the meeting.
"Kind of takes the fun out of assigning myself to your security detail, learning what's going on when I get invited as a Riss-human," Terril laughed. "I still feel a bit out of place."
"No, Terril. As a Riss-human, you are part of the team who are both helping the Riss negotiate their way through human society and helping to protect them as a nation. As such, you or any other Riss-human could be in a position to speak for the Riss or could be the next Leader."
"Whoa! Me?"
"Yes, Terril, you." I laughed. "It's one of the things they don't mention when you become a Riss-human—your position is assigned based on the needs of the Riss Nation. And so long as the Riss must interface with humans, the Riss-humans are the best qualified to lead."
"I'm going to triple your security," Terril said, looking far too serious.
* * *
I waited with Terril and another Cobra as Admiral Zhu and his ever-present Xun exited the shuttle.
"Welcome aboard the Mnemosyne, Imperial Fleet Admiral Zhu," I said, and gave a small bow of respect.
"Thank you, Leader Reese. Entering a Riss ship is somewhat like entering someone's home—far more personal. I see Gunny Terril is now one of the Riss-humans. Following the Riss is like watching the evolution of a new species, one I find most interesting." Zhu smiled.
I led us to my conference room. When we entered, everyone stood.
"Admiral Zhu, I believe you know everyone here. Captain Pavao, commander of the Eirene. Captain Sheva, commander of the Elpis. Captain Zhang, commander of the Maat. And Colonel Terril, in command of Riss-human security," I said formally. "Since we operate as individuals, I thought they might provide a more complete picture of our activities over the past few weeks. We will be open and candid with you, but I leave it to you to share or filter the information as you think appropriate."
"Thank you for your trust. Times are tense, and we, as a nation, are not united in our approach. The Emperor, Parliament, general population—even within the military we do not agree. Of course, our strong tradition keeps the problem hidden and allows the Emperor to rule. Most times that is preferable to the alternative; however, in times like this, it may not be." He shrugged and sat. I noticed Terril sat off to the side with Xun talking, rather than at the main table.
"While we eat, let me bring you up-to-date on the activities at Freeland prior to our departure."
* * *
After dinner, I had us moved to my office. Although a little crowded, I hoped it would make the atmosphere more personal and the discussions more spontaneous. When everyone had something to drink, I began.
"Having done everything we could to secure Freeland's safety, I felt we had to do something to disrupt Admiral Neifeh's invasion. Based on the reports I was receiving, I thought Neifeh was getting ready for a major offensive, and he had the winning position since the SAS had let him take the initiative. So, I took a detail to Ormazd..." I went on to explain what we had encountered at each system.
Zhu remained unusually quiet during the hour long tale.
"Remarkable," Zhu said when I finished. "Ormazd was left undefended. Not too much unlike the UFN and SAS have left Daiyu and Eden vulnerable. Admiral Neifeh could have ignored Echo, Wahoo, and Blue Canyon and attacked Eden. That would have resulted in the destruction of two of the SAS's five fleets and caused the Sadr Union to surrender. And I agree, without your intervention, Admiral Neifeh was poised to do just that. Our governing bodies have let fear dictate their military strategy." He sat quiet for a long time before speaking again. "I'm glad you told me first. If this information got to the Emperor before I had a chance to speak with him, he might have had me arrested and executed for defying him and the Parliament. The question is, what will the JPU do next? And that may well depend upon what the SAS and UFN do next. You have given us an opportunity, but will we take advantage of the situation?"
"I agree, my brother," Zhang said. "The Riss have frozen the JPU's invasion temporarily, which creates a window of opportunity. The first to act will be the winner."
"I will talk with the Emperor," Zhu said.
* * *
"Well, Commander Iglis, what's the news?" I asked as everyone got settled.
"Not a word about Admiral Neifeh or the JPU. It's like the SAS intelligence is blind."
"Admiral Neifeh's strategy is paying off. He quarantines a system, cutting off all information and forcing the SAS to commit resources to find out. If your opponent won't commit resources, he becomes effectively blind," Sheva said.
"Exactly, and it has Admiral Butler furious. He's demanding I tell him what's going on, and threatening to revoke my access if I don't. I know I'm violating orders and will probably be court-marshaled when we get back to Eden, but I've held off telling him anything until I clear it with you. If that information got into the wrong hands..."
"Thank you, Iglis. You've made the right call. If Neifeh knew what we have been doing, he would understand why and know Eden was vulnerable—and attack."
"Admiral Wattson is also furious you haven't kept him informed and is demanding you meet with him in Echo immediately," Iglis said looking guilty, although she wasn't responsible for the news.
"I'm having some trouble bringing my detached units up to the new strength levels. Rumor has it that our actions will provoke the JPU into a war with the UFN. Even if only a small percent of the individuals in the detached units believe that, it could become serious over time and even lead to mutiny. Another rumor is that the Emperor is furious with Admiral Zhu and Leader Reese."
"You seem to have antagonized almost everyone," Pavao said, and then laughed. "Maybe it's time we blow this Galaxy."
"Except for Freeland, I would agree with you," I said. In a way, I could understand some of the reactions. The JPU had the citizens terrified, which led to the leaders' panic. They had hoped to avoid a war, and I had apparently dragged them into one. It didn‘t matter that avoiding a war with the JPU was an illusion and fighting back the only way to freedom. "Pavao, Sheva, you are leaving for Echo as soon as you get back to your ships. Zhang, as soon as you clear the Maat of your detached units, you are also going to Echo."
"What about you, Nadya?" Pavao asked.
"If I left, it would support the idea that we were guilty of whatever anyone would make up. Besides, Admiral Zhu is going to need support."
* * *
I sat watching the little red dot disappear on the VTH. Pavao had departed immediately almost eight hours ago, and Sheva an hour later. Neither gave notice nor asked for permission to leave, using stealth mode to avoid alerting attention. Zhang had claimed the Riss had found a bug infestation on the ship, and he
needed to clear the Maat to disinfect it.
"Isn't it early for shift change?" I asked when two new Cobras joined the two already on board.
"This is your new detail," Terril said, looking very serious.
"Why? I'm safe here on the Mnemosyne."
"Because the Leader of the Riss put me in charge of your security, and I'll sleep better."
* * *
It surprised me that I'd heard nothing from Admiral Zhu over the last twenty-four hours. I would have liked to know how he was doing with the Emperor. I would have liked to visit the planet to see how things were going at the factories and arrange for the Mnemosyne to be restocked and minor damage repaired, but felt I should wait on Admiral Zhu to resolve any potential problems.
"Leader Reese, I am Captain Hang of the Dynasty. Admiral Zhu is in his shuttle on his way to the Mnemosyne to meet with you. He apologizes for the short notice, but the matter is urgent. His shuttle will be there in less than five minutes."
"Thank you, Captain Hang."
It wasn't like Admiral Zhu to be impulsive, but the mood on Dunn was tense, and I knew Zhu trusted Captain Hang.
"Colonel Seng," Terril said into her SID. "A shuttle carrying Admiral Zhu is approaching the Mnemosyne. Put your unit on alert." A brief silence followed as she listened to Seng. "No, on my authority as the one responsible for her security. I'll leave this channel open...in case." She glared at me, daring me to say something. When I didn't, she gave me a crooked smile and lifted her SID again.
"Cobras, alert status. Report to shuttle bay one," she said, then ignored me as her attention turned back to the shuttle entering the bay.
Strange, the shuttle was from the Dynasty, but it was a combat shuttle. The four Cobras drew their guns only a second behind Terril. I had started to say something when the lock turned green and the door opened to show Admiral Zhu in the doorway, hands tied in front of him, and officers with lasers holding his arms. They walked down the steps, followed by a grinning commando colonel.
"Drop your weapons. The Mnemosyne is now the property of the UFN, and Leader Reese is under arrest for treason by order of Admiral Erdogan, the senior officer on Dunn," the colonel barked. A second combat shuttle slid into lock two.
The colonel's face clenched into a scowl as he reached the bottom of the steps. "Drop your weapons immediately, or—"
Sensing Terril was about to fire, I sprinted toward Zhu and his guards. Terril's weapon cracked, and the commando colonel's face exploded. Dropping onto my left leg, I swept my right through their legs. They flew backwards, allowing Zhu to jerk free. I grabbed at his tied wrists and yanked him up. When he grabbed Zhu's leg, I kicked the back of a guard's head and felt his skull crush. The other guard raised his laser but went down under a shower of weapon fire. I lurched back toward Terril, pulling Zhu with me. One of my security team grabbed Zhu by the arm, and we retreated toward the exit to the hallway.
The bay was in chaos: the back ramps of both shuttles had dropped, and commandos were beginning to pour out. One of my security team lay dead where we had stood waiting.
As we reached the door, a Cobra covering my back fell, and a searing pain struck my shoulder. As another Cobra yanked Zhu and me through the door, my thigh exploded in pain. Inside the hallway, four Cobras stood waiting.
"See if you can keep them from leaving the bay. I've called ship alert, and Scorpions should be here in minutes. Afterward, join us on the Bridge," Terril said, shaking her head in disgust as she lifted me off the ground and began running toward the Bridge.
Terril sent, tinged with excitement.
"Byer," I said, clicking on his private channel as I bounced along on Terril's shoulder.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Launch half your fighters. Destroy any shuttles you find. If you can see the two shuttles in Shuttle Bay one, destroy them. Afterward, return to the ship. We're leaving." I clicked off just as we reached the Bridge.
The VTH came to life seconds later with fifty colored dots: eight yellow, sixteen red, twenty-four green, one blue for the Dynasty, and the Mnemosyne displayed in white. Interestingly, only the green cruisers and the Dynasty had their weapons online. My SID lit with Byer's face. I hit connect.
"Captain, two shuttles destroyed approaching the Mnemosyne. Nothing else is in sight. The shuttle bay is closed, so we can't get at the two shuttles there," Byer said.
"Good work. Return to the ship."
My SID lit with Seng's face. I hit connect.
"Captain, the threat is contained. Thanks to the Cobras and Terril putting us on alert, no one managed to do more than breach the hallway. We think we have them all, but we're doing a room-by-room search. The Riss have made the shuttles nonfunctional."
"Continue Ship Alert status until you've finished your search, Colonel. The Scorpions came through again. Good job." I cut the connection.
I had just finished the thought when the Bridge faded into a mist and the Riss looked like furry wraiths. Just as quickly, they became solid again.
she sent with a laugh.
< Stopped pain, most bleeding. Need surgeon remove bullet in shoulder. Need rest to fix.>
"Zo'Imre, you and Te'Bandi help Admiral Zhu," Terril said as we proceeded to the infirmary.
"When you get time, Doctor Dayton, Thalia says I have a bullet in my shoulder, and I'd like you to look over Admiral Zhu. They appeared to have mishandled him. What's our status?"
"Two Cobras killed, two wounded and will recover. Three Scorpions killed and four wounded. They will also recover. My staff has things under control, so let's have a look at you," Dayton said as she began removing my clothes.
* * *
I opened my eyes to see Terril leaning against the wall talking to Admiral Zhu, who was sitting up in the other bed.
"How long? Anything exciting happening?" I asked.
"I'm told Admiral Erdogan has every available cruiser and fighter searching the area around the Wave entrance for you," Terril said. "However, the Red and Yellow fleets don't appear to be participating."
"It appears Admiral Erdogan is using an interim decree issued by some group in Parliament to arrest you and me as possible traitors. I'm sure he intends to kill us while trying to escape. The Red and Yellow admirals are loyal to me and unhappy with the way Admiral Erdogan assaulted the Dynasty, so they won't assist him."
"If I remember right, Admiral Erdogan's command ship plus three of his Heavies have Riss on board," I said, thinking out loud. This was a worst-case scenario—having to fight a ship with Riss on board.
"Don't forget the stealth fighters and Riss missiles," Zhu said. "In a way, Admiral Wattson was right to be concerned about giving the UFN Riss technology."
"In a way, he was right, but not about the UFN. The SAS has its own Admiral Erdogans. Admiral Yorke is an exam
ple, although he is not alone. Given the right circumstances, they would behave in a similar manner as Erdogan." I shrugged in resignation. The solution was not isolation but ensuring sufficient safeguards that Riss technology wouldn't be used against the Riss. There were too many good men like Plimson and Zhu. "Do you know if all the UFN ships have been updated with the new software I brought last time I was here?"
"Yes, I made sure every updated cruiser had the latest software and missiles installed. You do see the future." Zhu's last words were so quiet, I almost didn't hear them.
"I think it's time Admiral Erdogan and I met," I said, getting out of bed and dressing. "Care to join me, Admiral Zhu?"
"I'd be honored, Leader Reese."
* * *
I surveyed the VTH, noting the three distinct groups: green, red, and yellow. Only the green taskforce had their systems active and appeared to be conducting a search of the area next the entrance to the Wave. The red and yellow taskforces were many light seconds away from the green taskforce and content to remain were they were.
I clicked on Iglis's channel. "Commander Iglis, do you have access to the UFN Comstat?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Good. Please send the following message to Emperor Okuda at Daiyu:
EMPEROR OKUDA, YOUR GREEN ADMIRAL ERDOGAN HAS ARRESTED IMPERIAL FLEET ADMIRAL ZHU AND ATTACKED THE RISS NATION CRUISER MNEMOSYNE, APPARENTLY WITH THE AUTHORITY OF THE IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. THIS UNPROVOKED ACTION VOIDS OUR MUTUAL SUPPORT AGREEMENT AND CONSTITUTES AN ACT OF WAR AGAINST THE RISS NATION. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE RISS WILL NO LONGER PROVIDE OR SUPPORT THE RISS TECHNOLOGY ON UFN CRUISERS. BE AWARE, ADMIRAL ERDOGAN'S ATTACK ON THE MNEMOSYNE RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF SAS PERSONNEL ATTACHED TO THE MNEMOSYNE AS PART OF THE MSA BETWEEN THE SAS AND THE RISS. THAT ACTION CONSTITUTES A WAR ON THE SAS. RED ADMIRAL NAKAO AND YELLOW ADMIRAL LUO HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO ENTER THE WAR. I WILL HONOR THEIR NEUTRALITY. LEADER REESE OF THE RISS NATION.
"You're serious? Of course you are... I ‘ll send it right away," she said, eyes wide with shock. I clicked off.
