Milor!

by Thomas DePrima

  Far less than one percent of the material submitted by the Arrosians fell into that category, so it didn't take Jenetta long to complete her review. She then spent several days in virtual solitude while she reviewed the testimony and deliberated the case. Commander Ashraf refused all appointments except for the most urgent ones, and carefully screened Jenetta's messages to keep her from being distracted while she wrote her decision. When she was done, she had the delegates notified that the hearing would continue the next day.

  * * *

  The large conference room was SRO to hear the decision. Everyone immediately stood, and remained standing, until she had taken her place at the head of the horseshoe shaped table. To begin the proceedings, Jenetta pounded her gavel twice. Glancing around the room, she saw a number of faces that she didn't recognize. Jenetta's office had issued a number of press passes to journalists for the final session, but the new faces probably belonged to the recently arrived diplomats. Jenetta had reserved a block of passes for the new ambassador to distribute as he saw fit.

  "The hearing to determine ownership of the moon known as Isodow, a natural satellite that circles the planet Selax in the Weitack system, is now reconvened. Both parties have agreed to binding arbitration. I, Admiral Jenetta Alicia Carver, as the Supreme Military Commander of Space Command in this region, was accepted by both parties to perform as Arbiter. My decision will be final. There is no recourse for appeal.

  "This hearing was begun many months ago, and each side was allowed ample time to present their case. In fact, I imposed no time limits and I hope that both sides feel that they have had an opportunity to make their positions clear. During the past few months, while the hearing was in recess, our JAG officers and personnel have meticulously examined every document submitted into evidence by both parties. I, personally, have read every translated document that the JAG office believes has a bearing on this case, and I've now reached my decision.

  "One-hundred-eight years ago, by the Arrosian calendar, a civil war broke out between the Arrosians and the settlers on Selax. A bloody campaign ensued, and after years of fighting, both parties agreed to end hostilities. The Arrosian Dregma, the ruling council on Arrosa, formally proclaimed that Selax would receive its independence from the mother world. Representatives of both worlds worked tirelessly for more than a year to create a fair and equitable treaty. Elected representatives signed the document and a long period of peace followed.

  "The treaty very clearly spelled out the terms of the separation and Selaxian independence. However, no document can possibly address every single issue that might later arise. Isodow is such an issue. The treaty does not include it in the separation."

  The delegates from Arrosa began to smile.

  "But neither does it exclude it."

  They stopped smiling.

  "Neither in the formal treaty, nor in any of the documents submitted into evidence that represented the first ninety years of Selaxian independence, is the moon even mentioned. It was not until an Arrosian mining consortium began mining operations on Isodow that the issue arose. It is the position of Selax that the moon was not mentioned because they implicitly understood that it belonged to them, while Arrosa's position is that the moon was never ceded in the original treaty, nor in any subsequent treaties or negotiations, because they never intended to relinquish possession.

  "I find merit in the positions of both parties. I cannot order the Arrosians to terminate their mining operations, but neither will I award the moon to Arrosa. When Arrosa gave independence to the people of Selax, there were half a dozen communications satellites in orbit around Selax. Arrosa placed them there when the planet was still a colony, and never removed them. Ceded to Selax through default, rather than formally in the treaty, it established a precedent that satellites are part of the property transferred to Selax. Isodow is nothing more than a very large, natural satellite. I rule that Isodow, and all satellites of Selax, are now and forevermore, the property of the people and the planetary government of Selax.

  "I further rule that Arrosa shall be permitted to continue its mining operations on Isodow, without hindrance from the planetary government of Selax, subject to the following conditions: 1) Arrosa's mining operations shall be limited to the immediate areas where they had already begun operations when this hearing began, 2) Their rights expire at each location once a year has passed without mining operations being conducted at said location, 3) They must negotiate to purchase, from the Selaxian planetary government, the soil and subsoil rights for any expansion of existing operations, or any new areas they wish to mine, and 4) The Selaxian government has the sole right to grant or withhold such rights, just as if the mining operation was taking place on Selax.

  "I hope that both parties feel they've been treated fairly by this decision. This hearing is now concluded."

  Jenetta pounded the gavel once, then stood as the chief delegates from both sides hurried towards her from opposite directions. The Selaxian delegate reached her first.

  "Admiral, allow me to congratulate you on your recent promotion."

  "Thank you, Mr. Chief Delegate."

  "And let me also express once again how much we appreciate the key role that Space Command has played in resolving this dispute. We know how busy you are with other matters. The people of my planet will rejoice this day. The moon, that we always knew was ours, has been officially declared as such."

  "I'm glad that the matter was able to be resolved peacefully."

  "As am I, Admiral," the minister from Arrosa said. He had reached her as Jenetta was speaking. "I applaud your decision. I know that the mining consortium will be happy to learn that their mining rights have been guaranteed by Space Command."

  "I'll be gratified if my decision helps keep the peace between your planets. You have so much in common that you should be close allies, both working to make better lives for your citizens. Until this matter arose, it appeared that you were well on your way to normal, friendly relations and extensive trade agreements."

  "If Selax can reign in its radical element," the Arrosian minister said, "we can resume those relations."

  "Selax has nothing to do with the terrorist activity on your planet," the Selaxian delegate argued. "Our intelligence services have not been able to find one single thread of evidence to support such a claim."

  "Gentlemen," Jenetta said, "it's time to mend the small holes that have developed in the fabric of your relations. You should be working together to find the terrorists who perpetrated the dastardly acts of violence against Arrosa."

  "Arrosa is determined to track them down, Admiral," the Arrosian minister said. "Eventually someone will foolishly want to talk or brag about their deeds and we'll be there to arrest them."

  "I hope so, Minister. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have to get back to the business of running this base."

  "Thank you again, Admiral," the Selaxian delegate said.

  "Our thanks also," the minister from Arrosa said, not to be outdone by the delegate from Selax. "Your involvement in this matter has been most appreciated. I hope that the Arrosian government can someday repay your assistance."

  Jenetta smiled, and made her way through the group of Selaxian and Arrosian delegates that had assembled around her to listen. She shook all proffered hands and eventually made it clear of the group. Captain Donovan and Commander Blake were waiting to congratulate her.

  "Wonderful verdict, Admiral," Captain Donovan said. "Both parties got what they wanted."

  "Yes, the Selaxians got clear title to their moon and the Arrosians get to keep their present mining operations. I was afraid that the Selaxians might try to demand part of the profits from the mining, but I think that they're satisfied that war has been averted, and they have title to their moon."

  "A decision worthy of King Solomon," Commander Blake said.

  Jenetta smiled. "I'm sure that Solomon would have found out the parties that were committing the acts of terror on Arrosa. With the decision render
ed, we may never know."

  "I don't know about that, Admiral," Captain Donovan said. "Those things have a way of leaking out eventually, even if it doesn't happen until someone seeks absolution on their death bed."

  "Perhaps, Captain."

  "Excuse me, Admiral," a voice said from behind Jenetta.

  Jenetta turned around and found herself facing a distinguished looking gentleman of about eighty years.

  "I'm Ambassador DelCordia. I just wanted to introduce myself. I've tried calling on you at your office but your aide said that you couldn't be disturbed."

  "How do you do, Mr. Ambassador? It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry that you were turned away, but I was working on this case and I told my aide not to disturb me unless it was an emergency."

  "I quite understand, Admiral. I've spent the last several days watching the video transcript of this case. May I say that I think your solution to the problem is excellent? Further, both parties seem genuinely satisfied. I wish that all disputes could be settled so elegantly."

  "Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. Now that you're here to help us, I'm sure that they will."

  "If you have some time in the next few days, Admiral, I'd like to introduce you to my staff before they begin leaving for their assignments."

  "Yes, of course. But I'm afraid that your staff will have to remain at Stewart for a while. I can't possibly spare any ships to bring them to their assigned destinations." Lowering her voice, Jenetta said, "We're facing an imminent threat from the Milori Empire and all warships must remain at Stewart for the immediate future. All of this is confidential and I ask that you not repeat it lest the news create a panic. Additional ships have been dispatched to Stewart and should be available to deliver your people in about six to eight months."

  "Six to eight months? I wasn't informed. What's the problem with the Milori? Is there anything that my staff and I can do to help?"

  "I'm afraid not, Mr. Ambassador. The Milori have issued a proclamation that our Frontier Zone is now part of their empire and have ordered us to withdraw all our ships immediately, or face destruction. A force of warships has entered our territory and begun building support bases. The GAC has decided not to simply surrender the territory. I'm sure that you'll receive official word very shortly. As to meeting your staff, how about tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock?"

  "That will be fine. Should we come to your office?"

  "My office is much too small to easily accommodate your staff. How about right here?"

  "Excellent. Until tomorrow then?"

  "Yes. Good day, Mr. Ambassador."

  Jenetta smiled at Captain Donovan and Commander Blake and then left the conference room. She probably had a hundred messages waiting for her since she hadn't responded to any over the past few days. Lori would have told her if any required her immediate attention.

  Reporters, denied access to Jenetta while she was in the conference room, immediately surrounded her as she stepped outside. Remembering from an earlier time when she refused to comment, that they would hound her until she gave in, she composed herself and smiled. Vid operators powered on their cameras and aimed them in her direction. Jenetta gave a short statement, repeating what she had said in the hearing. Following that, she answered questions, giving monosyllabic answers whenever she could. When the questions all started to sound like rephrased questions of ones already asked, she ended the interview and walked to her office. The thought running through her mind was that she should have brought her cats. They always had a rather calming effect on reporters, outwardly at least.

  Jenetta spent all her work hours, until her meeting with the diplomatic staff, clearing up her messages. She even skipped lunch so that her message queue would be clear before the afternoon meeting.

  Just before two o'clock, she hurried to the conference center. She only expected to see the senior staffs that would maintain the embassies on the various planets in the sector, but the Ambassador had brought everyone, including the clerks, that could fit into the room. When she entered, those with seats stood up, then everyone applauded as if she was the keynote speaker at a conference. She quickly formulated a welcoming speech in her mind, using a hasty blending from all the welcoming speeches that she had made in recent years. Ambassador DelCordia introduced her through a short speech about her accomplishments, although that was hardly necessary, and then gestured to Jenetta that she had the floor.

  Over the next hour, Jenetta told the new arrivals about the base and the situation in the sectors of space considered part of her command. She then opened the meeting up to questions and spent another hour responding. The diplomats, already well briefed, asked very pointed questions. Jenetta answered to the best of her ability, but many questions concerned diplomatic issues that had never crossed her desk.

  Once the question and answer period was over, the ambassador had each person come to the front of the room for a personal introduction. Jenetta smiled and tried to remember as many names as possible. She shook their hand and again welcomed them to the base.

  She was glad and a bit tired, when the welcoming ceremony was over and she could return to her office. With the arbitration hearing finished, she could now begin to concentrate more fully on the arrival of the Milori.

  Jenetta spent the next morning in conference with Commander Barbara DeWitt, the senior officer of the Weapons Research section, and six members of her staff. The W.R.&D. people would naturally take an active role in arming the ships for the upcoming conflict. Every ship had phased array lasers and torpedo capability, but special purpose ordnance was available in the armory. The armaments supply section only placed it aboard ships granted special approval.

  Working together to plan for every possible contingency, they created a list of requisite weapons. The ordnance would be prepared, checked, and loaded aboard the ships before the task force left for the Frontier border.

  * * *

  Christa arrived in time for dinner with Jenetta on the day the Chiron returned to the base.

  "Congratulations, sis," Christa said as they hugged. "I expected you to make admiral some day, but I wasn't expecting it quite so soon."

  "Neither was I, but as I told you in my message, it's only temporary. I'll be a captain again when my tour is up. And I was as much as promised a ship by Admiral Holt when they stuck me here for five years."

  "What's the big emergency? Captain Powers remained pretty tight lipped about the reason for our return. Besides the Captain, I think that only our XO knew."

  "I'll tell you but you'll have to keep it to yourself."

  "Where's the fun in that? Everybody's expecting me to bring back the scuttlebutt tonight."

  "Christa, I'm being serious. We don't want to risk creating a panic among the civilian population on the station."

  "Panic? Now you really have my interest."

  "A fleet of Milori warships might be headed this way."

  "Might?"

  "We're only sure of one ship, but feel confident that there might be as many as sixteen."

  "Why? We haven't had any problems with the Milori. Their empire's outer border is at least five hundred light-years beyond our new outer border."

  "Was more than five hundred light-years beyond ours. They've announced that they're laying claim to our Frontier Zone and everything between our territory and their old border. The Ottawa encountered sixteen warships in the Elurra System, and the Milori began pursuit after announcing the details of their claim to Captain Crosby. They've ordered all Space Command vessels out of their territory and back inside regulated GA space. They deny that our prior claim has any validity."

  Christa made a whistling sound that dropped off quickly in pitch and volume. "That's an undeniable declaration of war."

  "Exactly. Now you know why the Chiron abandoned its patrol and returned directly here. We're going to need every ship assigned to this base if the Milori intend to enforce their demand that we surrender our Frontier Zone."

  "Yeah, and then some. We can't possib
ly defend the entire Frontier Zone against the Milori. We barely have enough ships for normal patrol duties inside the inner border."

  "We'll do what we can with what we've got. We're not simply going to let an invading fleet take over. If we don't stand up now, they'll think they can take the rest of our territory whenever they feel like it. Appeasement doesn't work. We learned that on Earth a long time ago. Look what happened prior to World War II when Great Britain's Arthur Neville Chamberlain gave in to Hitler in hopes of averting a war. Each concession made Hitler more secure, and made war more inevitable. Winston Churchill once said, 'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' These Milori interlopers cannot be permitted to believe their aggressions will succeed."

  "When do they get here?"

  "We still have several months before they arrive at our inner border. Preparations are already under way for a welcoming party. It'll be a warm reception."

  * * *

  Jenetta was flooded with congratulatory messages regarding her promotion for weeks. It had taken many weeks for the word to circulate to the furthest reaches of the Galactic Alliance and for the messages to reach her. She normally would have spent time creating a custom response to each one, but she had so much to do that she just recorded a general message, and appended a custom opening and closing remark. She naturally sent custom messages to family, very close friends, and important dignitaries.

  When all ships based at Stewart, excluding the Ottawa, were back in their homeport, Jenetta called a meeting of all nine captains. They met in the large conference room located next to the base's Combat Information Center.

  "Good morning, Captains," Jenetta said. "As we prepare to face a new threat, I'm glad that you're here with me. The destroyers Asuncion, Geneva, and Beijing, cruisers Song, Romanov, and Plantaganet, and battleships Prometheus, Chiron, and Thor will soon be joined by the destroyers St. Petersburg, Buenos Aires, and Cairo, the cruiser Mentuhotep, and the battleship Bellona. This will constitute the entire Space Command task force assembled to meet the enemy. There are an additional nineteen ships underway for Stewart, but we expect that they'll arrive too late for the confrontation. The Ottawa, as you all know, is bringing the Milori to the party.