by B. V. Larson
“You’re being evasive.”
“I believe I am having transmission difficulties.” The holo-image began to break up.
“Marvin, I’m not angry! I’d be ecstatic if you developed such a thing!” I yelled before the connection closed.
“Really?” Suddenly he showed crystal-clear in the holotank.
“Of course! It would be enormously useful in combat, don’t you think?”
“Perhaps. But there are many drawbacks. Its power consumption is such that it can only be used for a short period of time, and it generates a signature of its own. If an enemy ever divined and identified its existence, it would become useless.”
“So, like all technology, it will give us a temporary advantage. But that might be enough to win a battle or a war.”
“It will also eliminate its usefulness to me. I require every advantage to survive in this hostile universe. I am one of a kind, and if I am lost, my knowledge and vast neural processing capability will not be available to you.”
“Okay, Marvin. Hang on to your secrets for now, but eventually we may need the technology in order to make my plan work.”
“What is your plan?” he asked.
“I’m keeping that to myself right now. And Marvin, from now on, I need you to reply when I call. You’re a Star Force officer. You can’t only talk to your superiors when you feel like it.”
“I believe the transmission is failing again.” The holotank blanked.
I let fly a few choice epithets, but calmed down when I turned my mind to the fact of the ring connection.
-26-
After working on the problem for more than an hour, I felt I finally had a handle on it. There was a way to turn this to our advantage.
As much as I disliked staff meetings, I thought that the time for one had come. “Hansen, set course for Trinity-9, standard acceleration. Tell Stalker to follow. Notify all key personnel to report to the conference room in one hour.”
When they showed up, I’d already set up a rudimentary presentation of my ideas, with the brainbox’s help. These things were a lot easier when I could simply tell a smart AI what to do rather than manipulate software myself. I’d also made sure Kreel was connected on a secure vid-link to Stalker, and I let Cybele sit in as a representative of the Elladans. Marvin still had his spying software on Valiant, so I figured he’d be listening in too.
“All right, people, I’m sure you’ve already heard about the ring connection between the Whale planet and the Demons.”
Everyone nodded.
I went on, “This is a golden opportunity to cut their balls off—if we do it right. Let me show you my basic concept, but it’s in the early stages, and everyone is going to have input on this one. Besides, we’re two weeks out from Trinity-9, so we’ll have at least that much time to refine the plan.”
“Why not get there faster?” Hansen asked. “We’re full up with fuel, and we can get more at the Whale planet.”
“Because the Whales’ fleet is also about two weeks out. I don’t want to look like we’re hurrying to get there first. Besides, they’re going to do most of the work, assuming they agree to everything. Our getting there faster won’t help.”
“And if the Demons do discover the open ring, we won’t be sitting ducks when their fleet comes through to wipe out the Whales,” Bradley said with a raised eyebrow.
I pointed a finger at him. “Exactly. If everything goes to shit, we can still run for the only other exit from the system and take our chances going back the way we came. As long as we’re all alive, Marvin has a chance of opening a ring home.”
Kwon spoke up. “So what’s the plan, boss?”
“I want to invade Tartarus and wipe out the Demons, or at least bomb them back to the Stone Age like Dad did with the Blues. That will buy us and our allies a lot of time. Marvin needs time to keep working on the rings to find us a way home.”
“What if he never does?” Dr. Achmed asked, one black eyebrow raised.
“Then we’ll settle on Ellada and help them secure this system,” I said.
That raised his eyebrows even higher.
“Listen up, people,” I said. “We have at least one more tough fight coming up. If it goes like I plan, we’ll crush the Demons without significant losses, but you know what they say.”
Hansen grunted. “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.”
“Right. And speaking of battle plans…Valiant, first graphic.”
A stylized picture of Trinity-9 appeared alongside a similar representation of the Tartarus system. Marvin’s data had made the latter possible. The two rings were connected by a red tube with arrows to show how ships would penetrate from one side of the ring connection to the other.
“As you can see, the Whale planetary system has abundant raw materials. They also have over a hundred heavy warships plus infrastructure—shipyards, tugs, mining facilities and so on that survived the surprise attack.”
“So we’re going to build up a force based on what we have and hit them before the prisoners arrive?” Hansen asked.
“Correct, but with a twist of my own.”
“What twist?”
“I’ll brief you on it soon enough.”
“How will you convince the Whales to help?” Adrienne said.
“I’m not sure yet. I have to hope they will see the logic of eliminating the threat once and for all. To do that, I’ve come up with a plan that’s as foolproof as possible, assuming we achieve surprise.”
Hansen crossed his muscular arms and leaned back. “A large assumption.”
“The plan won’t work otherwise, but I do have a backup strategy just in case they discover the ring is open. We’ll fortify the Whale side and set up a kill zone right outside it. Hopefully the Demons will come charging through and we can wipe out what they have and then counterattack. Worst case, we’ll end up in another stalemate, but they will have shot their wad for this year.”
“Worst case…they’ll win,” Sakura said with a frown.
“That was always the true worst case,” I replied. It was interesting that the engineer spoke up. She hardly ever addressed strategy or tactics. Maybe breaking up with Hansen had shaken her straitjacketed psyche. “So, we’ll make sure they don’t win.”
I continued briefing them on my plan. Once I’d gotten everyone’s buy-in, I ended the meeting and told them to get to work.
When I headed back to my quarters to continue refining my plan without distraction, Sakura met me at my door. “May I speak to you in private, sir?”
With any of the other woman aboard I might have hesitated, but Adrienne didn’t seem jealous of Sakura at all, and I couldn’t imagine Sakura doing anything inappropriate, so I opened my door and waved her in with a courtly gesture. “Of course. Have a seat.”
“I’ll stand, sir,” she said, taking a position in front of my desk and saluting formally. This reminded me that she was a career warrant officer before she became a lieutenant, and like Hansen, took the trappings of the service quite seriously.
I returned the salute, sat down, and then and folded my hands. “What’s this about?” I said mildly.
“I have information about the attempts to undermine and kill you, sir. I know you suspected me at one point and later Hoon, but I know the truth of the matter.”
“Really?” I rubbed my eyes. By this point, I’d had so many fingers pointed and had jumped to so many conclusions that I’d become a bit skittish about the whole matter. I wasn’t inclined to get too excited about new theories.
“I’ve put everything on this data stick.” She set it on my desk. “Please let me know if you have any questions, sir.”
I looked it over dubiously. “That’s it? No verbal explanations?”
Sakura shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not good at speaking, sir. The file on the data stick will tell the story better than I can.”
Sighing, I took the little device and bounced it
on my palm. “All right. Do you have any knowledge of any ongoing plots or future sabotage?”
“No, sir.”
“But you’ll inform me immediately if you do learn something?”
“Of course.”
“Dismissed.”
Sakura marched out as I rubbed my neck to stave off an impending headache. This assassin in our midst, this traitor, if I could use such a strong word—even if the actions were aimed at me personally the fact that I was Captain made it mutiny at least—was like a splinter embedded deeply in my heel, distracting and painful far beyond its real effect.
Inserting the stick into a port, I instructed Valiant’s AI to scan it carefully for malware, and then open it up on my display. It took me an hour to get though the methodical reasoning and logic train, something I’d expect from Sakura—but in the end, I had to admit she’d laid it all out.
Hansen. From her perspective, everything pointed to Hansen.
The case was all the stronger for her admission that she’d become infatuated with him and had performed some of the sabotage herself, though often not knowingly, she claimed. For example, she admitted making the sex vid, but said Hansen had told her it was going to be for a practical joke on me. She also said she’d made Kwon and me seem dead to everyone at Hansen’s orders, who’d told her it was part of a secret plan of mine.
Of course, I had to take into account the fact that Hansen had dumped her for another woman—the enchanting Cybele. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, went the saying. Sakura would be motivated to get back at Hansen.
Nothing in the report addressed the original bomb that killed Olivia, though.
Skeptical as I was, her words made some sense to me. Hansen had resented me from the beginning, but had fallen into line after it became clear I wasn’t going to be pushed aside easily. Now, I could see where my XO was simply biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to undermine me and eventually get rid of me. No question he would take over if I was gone. I’d even confirmed his position as second-in-command, and despite my popularity with the crew, Hansen was their type of leader—the kind that related naturally to them—while I knew I was more of a distant figure to everyone but Adrienne and my Pigs.
On the other hand, the evidence was mostly circumstantial and hearsay. The fact Sakura was willing to implicate herself made it stronger, but cases could now be made against several suspects—Hansen, Sakura herself, Hoon, Kalu, Marvin, even Valiant’s brainbox—and there were a few less likely but still possible ones, like Cornelius or one of the scientists. It was even possible that a completely unknown person among the crew, a highly skilled agent of some sort, was behind it.
The headache made it past my defenses, so I sent a message for Adrienne to come to our quarters as soon as convenient. Downing a couple of analgesic pills, I waited in my chair, eyes closed in thought, until she showed up.
“I could really use a neck rub,” I said when she arrived.
“You took me away from my work for that?”
“And this.” I gestured at the display. “Sakura confessed to helping Hansen make the sex vid and trying to kill Kwon and me. I have a serious headache.”
“Good Lord!” She moved around behind me to rub my neck and look at the data, using voice commands as necessary to look through it. “What will we do?”
“Not a damn thing. This is just the same as all the other evidence we have. It’s not proof, and I need proof before I’m going to accuse anyone this time.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I hate to believe Sakura was behind all this, at least knowingly.”
“But not Hansen?”
“I never liked him all that much,” she admitted. “He does seem like the logical choice, too.”
“Yeah. But half-truths are more believable than lies, and admitting to us that she was involved might be a preemptive strike against our believing it was she alone that did these things. It will muddy the waters by throwing suspicion on someone she now despises.”
Adrienne moved around to straddle me in my chair. “Now you’re just arguing for the sake of argument.”
“I’m not arguing. I’m discussing.”
“Arguing.” She kissed me.
“Okay, I was arguing. It’s how I think things through.”
“I know.” She kissed me again, and I slipped my hands under her tunic. “Naughty captain,” she said. “I need to get back to work.”
“You can spare an hour.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
The interruption ended up taking two hours—but it was worth it.
-27-
Full of drills and exercises for our green Elladan crew personnel, two weeks passed more quickly than I would have thought possible. Valiant seemed crowded again, like a vessel of war should be, and I detected no hint of trouble with the outsiders. I attributed this to the fact that most of them came from the “lower orders” and were ecstatic to be freed of their collars and treated with a modicum of respect, even in their bottom-level trainee positions.
As we approached Trinity-9, the Whale gas giant, the lightspeed communication delay fell to a manageable level, so I got in touch with Farswimmer. His—their?—image floated within the holotank as if it were an aquarium, an odd perspective. I sat in my chair and made sure the cameras were aimed at me only.
“Greetings, Captain Riggs,” the Whale began. “It appears we’re safe for one more year.”
“Thanks to your fleet, yes. But your world paid a heavy price,” I said.
“We only lost a few percent of our population. We shall rebuild. We always do.”
“I’m not so complacent, Farswimmer. Ellada was bombed as well, and theirs is a much less resilient world than yours. Wouldn’t it be more sensible to eliminate the threat once and for all?”
“Depending on the cost, Farswimmer tends to agree. But this mind-group is considered radical among my kind. We’re unusual by definition—even talking to aliens is considered bizarre behavior. The consensus of the Elder Minds—what you would term our government—is that the potential consequences of attacking are not worth the risk.”
I leaned forward. “Farswimmer, you can pay one price now or a much higher one later. The Demons are not merely an aggressive alien race that may tire of attacking you in time. They mean to subjugate you and the Elladans, making you their slaves forever.”
“You cannot know that.”
I sighed. “Humans have traveled the cosmos. We’ve dealt with marauders like the Demons and their fleets. They all have the same goal: to take as much power as they can get and disregard who gets hurt in the process.”
“If we could only communicate our message of peace to them…perhaps then, in a flash of understanding, they will advance from their primitive mire and trouble us no more.”
I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t help it. Fortunately, I didn’t think Farswimmer knew the meaning of the gesture.
“That is mere wishful thinking, Farswimmer,” I said in a level voice. “One of our philosophers once said: Prepare for the worst. If the worst doesn’t come, you’ve wasted resources—but if it does, and you’ve sat idle, you’ve lost everything. Do you see?”
“This being does, Captain. The question is, will the rest of my people?”
“Propose the plan to your people. We’ll help in any way we can.”
Farswimmer hesitated. “It would assist us if you would explain the details of what you wish from us, so we can properly evaluate the offer. I must warn you, I don’t hold out much hope for your chances.”
Knowing I had a surprise in store for Farswimmer, I didn’t react to his negative attitude.
“Of course. Valiant, transmit a copy of the package I uploaded earlier. Farswimmer, the data I am sending will explain my proposal. Feel free to revise it as necessary in order to convince your government. Although we can provide you with some new and helpful technologies, your people will be doing most of the work.”
Farswimme
r floated in the holotank for a couple of minutes, not saying anything. I was just about to ask him if he’d fallen asleep when he suddenly became more animated. “We received your data package. You have opened the portal from our world to Tartarus!” His tone, as much as could be gleaned from the translation software, seemed accusing, as close to anger as I’d ever seen.
“Yes, we have,” I admitted.
As part of his combination of experimentation and research, Marvin had activated the ring. I’d thought that detail might alarm the Whales and goad them into action.
“You must close it again!” he boomed.
“I’m afraid we can’t do that.”
“You must! We insist, on behalf of our people. This is our star system, not yours. Our world is directly threatened by this ring.”
I held up my palm. “I’m sorry, let me clarify. I don’t mean we won’t, I mean we can’t. Activating the ring at all was a fluke, a stroke of luck. We were actually experimenting on the Elladan ring, not yours, but the devices are networked, and so this was the result. What’s done is done. This is a two-edged sword, a golden opportunity if we seize it, but a potential disaster if we don’t prepare. The data I sent you outlines two possible plans. We could attack them at their home or lure them into a deathtrap at yours. I don’t see a viable third option. Do you?”
“Yes we do, and it is the one our leaders will most likely favor. We suggest we should fortify our side of the ring so strongly that the enemy cannot possibly survive transit. That will return the situation to normal. The Demons will again be forced to travel a great distance to attack us. We’ll see them coming, as always, and prepare.”
I shook my head. “No, no, no! If you let the Demons keep attacking you year after year, they will eventually come up with something that will beat you—a new technology or a new strategy. They’ll change it up like they did this time. You, on the other hand, have to win every single time. They only have to beat you once, and you’ve lost the war. That’s why attacking them is the best option. With this ring, you’ve gained the element of surprise. If you embrace the methods I outlined in the plan, you greatly increase the odds of success.”
