by D. J. Holmes
“What do you suggest we do now?” James asked the Lieutenant. Part of him felt guilty for putting so much pressure on a junior officer, but given Podolski’s experience with Hir’ram, he was genuinely interested in her opinion.
Podolski shrugged. “That is way above my pay grade.”
“But if it wasn’t?” James pushed.
“At this point, I’d say our only option short of abandoning the negotiations would be to demand some assurances. We could set a deadline and demand that some more concrete discussions take place or we would move in and resume hostilities. We could bring our fleet closer to their planet to emphasize our intentions. Normally the stick rather than the carrot is the way to get opposing sides to begin serious dialogue.”
“Commander?” James asked as he turned to his Chief of Staff.
“I’m in agreement with Podolski,” Scott replied. “Something needs to be done to force Hir’ram’s hand. Threatening an attack will show us if she is serious or not. I’d rather we just abandon the negotiations altogether and strike her fleet immediately. Though I understand that is off the table until Ya’sia is on board.”
James nodded; he knew Scott had added her last sentence for his benefit. Day by day the pressure from his senior commanders to abandon Ya’sia’s diplomatic approach was growing. Scott had been defending his course of action amongst the other ranking Admirals, however, in private, she had been more open about her reservations. She knew James shared her feelings. As yet, he hadn’t come to the point where he felt he had to force Ya’sia’s hand. Given Scott and Podolski’s most recent report, he was starting to think that time had come.
“All right,” James said. He slapped the table, coming to a decision. “We’ve been working out various strategies for launching an attack against Hir’ram’s forces. I’m going to insist with Ya’sia that we settle on one and begin final preparations. We can send Hir’ram some kind of ultimatum in the meantime. Things need to progress with our negotiations or we need to wipe out the Flex-aor forces in the system and move on to their homeworld. We’ve wasted enough time sitting around. Write up a brief summary of the last negotiations. I’ll have a final think and call Ya’sia after you send that to me. I know this hasn’t been easy, thank you both for your assistance. Dismissed.”
“Yes Admiral,” Scott replied as she stood and led Podolski out of the briefing room.
James stayed where he was as he thought through the best way to discuss things with Ya’sia. Their relationship hadn’t exactly deteriorated over the last several days, but it certainly hadn’t been growing in strength. James hesitated to call the Crian naïve, but they were certainly seeing something James and his staff didn’t. Either his people had a skewed perspective because of their almost constant experience of war, or the Crian were being blinded by their limited experience of war. James was certain he knew where the fault was. The problem was finding a diplomatic way to inform a new friend they were being duped.
*
An hour later James stepped off one of Golden Hind’s shuttles onto Handmaiden’s flight deck. He had decided having this conversation in person was the best way to go. Several of Ya’sia’s aides were waiting for him. “If you’ll follow me Admiral,” one said as he gestured for James to follow.
As the aide turned around one eighty degrees on the spot, James couldn’t help but think of the horse competitions he had seen where horses were made to dance and turn in tight circles. He kept any amusement from his face though. The aide led him to an elaborately decorated room which had just one small table and a series of odd-looking contraptions that James would have been unable to identify if Ya’sia wasn’t already sitting in one.
“Thank you for coming Admiral,” she said as she stood to greet him. “I presume you want to talk about the most recent round of negotiations?”
“I was hoping to,” James answered. He looked around the room, “this is a little bit more impressive than where we met the first time you invited me on board. Have I been upgraded to a new level of ally or something?”
“Not at all,” Ya’sia replied with a smile. “We like to keep our conference rooms bland so that the focus is on whatever is being discussed. Plus, we don’t want to put other races that may not be able to spare the same expense on their warships to shame. These are my personal quarters. Many of the things you see on the walls are gifts from my husband and family. Senior Crian naval officers are allowed a little more leeway in decorating their personal quarters.”
“I didn’t know you were married,” James replied genuinely surprised. Though Ya’sia had shared a lot of detailed information about her species, her personal life had rarely come up. “How long?”
“Forty years,” Ya’sia replied. “We have six children. And you, how long have you been married?”
“How did you know?” James asked, surprised that she knew more about him than he did her.
Ya’sia gestured towards his left hand. “Part of the cultural database you shared with us included information on marriage traditions. The ornament you wear on one of your fingers, that means you’re married does it not?”
“It does,” James replied with a smile. “You are astute. Yes, I’ve been married for eleven years, though we have no children as yet.”
“What does your wife think of you being a military commander stationed so far from home?” Ya’sia asked.
“I wouldn’t say she likes it,” James replied. “Though she understands. She is an elected leader of one of our colonies, so she understands the need to put duty above family.”
“My husband is a scientist,” Ya’sia explained. “Usually my duties have kept us both in the same system. This is the longest we have been a part in more than two decades.”
James was surprised once again. This was a very different side to Ya’sia than he was used to seeing. “I’m sure you miss him then. It may be a while yet before either of us can return home. Do you expect to hear from him when your first supply convoy catches up with us?” Ya’sia had arranged for a series of supply convoys to follow her fleet to the Flex-aor homeworld. The first wasn’t due for another couple of months though. Crian warships were designed to operate for long periods of time away from supply depots.
“I’m sure our first supply convoy will have a series of messages for me,” Ya’sia said with a smile. “I look forward to them. That’s enough about our personal lives. Perhaps later you can tell me more about your wife. For now, let’s turn to why you are here. The negotiations aren’t going to your liking?”
“That’s one way to put it,” James said slowly. “Another would be to say I think they are a ruse and nothing more. Hir’ram has no intention of negotiating anything meaningful with us. Everything she has done since we entered the system has simply been a delaying tactic. They are waiting for reinforcements from their homeworld. Then they will attack.”
“I think you’re right,” Ya’sia replied. “Eralla has come to the same conclusion. He’s been very hesitant to assign the worst motives to Hir’ram, but his recommendation after the last round of negotiations is that we should be preparing for military combat.”
James sat forward in the seat Ya’sia had prepared for him. He had not been expecting this. “You’re ready to strike Hir’ram’s forces and move against the planet’s orbital infrastructure?”
“I think it is time to show Hir’ram we mean business,” Ya’sia responded. “I was going to suggest we move in and fire a single missile salvo at Hir’ram’s warships. We can do a lot of damage to them, perhaps we could cripple half of her number in one salvo. Then we could reopen negotiations. I am willing to admit that in this circumstance, you may have been onto something when you said we need to be negotiating from a position of power. Clearly Hir’ram does not view us as a threat worthy of her respect.”
James puffed out his cheeks as he released a long breath.
“Something the matter?” Ya’sia asked.
James chuckled. “No, quite the opposite. It’s just, this is
quite a policy change.”
“I like to think I am quick to recognize when I am in the wrong,” Ya’sia responded. “Eralla is quite adamant. He doesn’t see the negotiations going anywhere as things stand. In fact, he predicts that their tone will only worsen if reinforcements arrive. Besides, this isn’t exactly a policy change. I’ve been saying from the start that we need to try to find a peaceful solution to begin with. We have done that and now it’s time to turn to other approaches. After we launch our attack we can see if Hir’ram is more amenable to holding a serious dialogue. If not, we will continue aggressive actions against her forces.”
“In that case perhaps it was me who was in the wrong,” James replied. “Given how insistent you have been on pursuing a peaceful solution, I didn’t expect you to change approaches so easily. I’m in favor of what you have suggested. Though how do you propose we end hostilities after just one missile salvo? I doubt Hir’ram will return fire with just one salvo of her own.”
“If you are in agreement, we can move close enough for my ships to open fire with our missiles. There’s no need for your ships to get involved at this stage. My fleet can open fire from a point where Hir’ram can’t respond in kind. We can fire one salvo and pull back. Hir’ram will be a fool to try and follow us. My fleet alone should be able to cripple hers with ease.”
“All right,” James said with a smile. His anticipation was growing. “I’m in. Let’s show Hir’ram and her people that we are not here to mess around.”
Ya’sia cut James off by raising a hand with one finger pointed upwards. She closed her eyes. James was surprised by her abruptness, but he had become accustomed to the Crian closing her eyes. Each Crian had a brain implant that allowed them to communicate with each other and mentally process files and other forms of data. Human scientists had been experimenting with such technologies for decades, but the Crian had long since perfected it. When Ya’sia’s eyes shot open the look of concern on her face was unmistakable. “What is it?” he asked.
“New contacts accelerating into the system. Hundreds of them. Hir’ram lied. The reinforcements from her homeworld aren’t coming in two days, they have arrived.”
James jumped to his feet. “I need to go back to my flagship.”
Ya’sia stood as well. “Not yet,” she said. “Let’s go to the bridge and see what is happening. We can decide what to do together before you depart.”
“Lead on then,” James replied.
On Handmaiden’s bridge the entire system was displayed in minute detail by the warship’s impressive main holo projector. The new contacts accelerating into the system were easily identifiable. The number glowing alongside the contacts identified that there were nine hundred and twenty. James felt a moment of relief. More than three thousand Flex-aor warships had been involved in the invasion of Human space. He’d been expecting far more ships. Of course, this could just be the first wave, he reminded himself. Hir’ram had mentioned something about a Royal Guard.
“These reinforcements put Hir’ram’s fleet at well over a thousand ships,” one of Ya’sia’s officers reported. “If it comes to fight, the computer gives us a ninety percent chance of victory. Though we will suffer losses.”
“Send orders to all of our ships, inform them they are to prepare for battle,” Ya’sia ordered. She glanced over at James and, after he nodded, she continued to give orders. “Send the transmission to Golden Hind as well, let Captain Becket know that Admiral Somerville has requested his ships go to battle stations.”
Ya’sia turned when one of the access hatches to the bridge opened and Eralla stepped in. She nodded to him as he moved to stand beside her. “How do you view the situation now?” she asked him.
“Hir’ram lied to us,” Eralla answered. “These reinforcements have arrived earlier than she intimated. She was stalling. Perhaps it was because she wanted to negotiate with us from a stronger position. However, I suspect everything she has said has been a lie. If that’s the case, she has no intention of coming to any kind of agreement with us. Battle is inevitable.”
“That’s our assessment as well,” Ya’sia replied. “Negotiations have come to an end.”
“Their reinforcements are still three hours away,” James pointed out. “We should hit Hir’ram’s fleet and the planet’s defenses now. Then we can turn and take out this new fleet.”
Before Ya’sia could share her thoughts, a bridge officer interrupted the conversation. “We are getting a COM message from Hir’ram. She wishes to inform us that the High Queen has arrived with her Royal Guard. The High Queen is requesting that she meet with our senior leaders for a face-to-face discussion.”
“Say that again?” Ya’sia asked, though her officer had been more than loud enough.
James didn’t listen to the repeated report; his mind was racing. If the ships that had just entered the system were the High Queen’s Royal Guard, then it suggested they could have many more ships back in their home system, or even hiding on the edge of this system. The request for face-to-face negotiations could be a trap. Either to delay any battle so that more Flex-aor reinforcements could come, or even to capture and kill him and Ya’sia. James turned to Ya’sia to voice his concern. He bit back what he was going to say when he saw the look on her face. He knew what she was thinking. A face-to-face meeting with the High Queen of the Flex-aor was too good an opportunity to give up.
“We have to go and see her,” Ya’sia insisted, clearly anticipating in James’ thoughts as well. “Given what we know about their society, if we can convince her to cease hostilities, the rest of her people will fall in line. Even if it is a trap and we are taken prisoner, risking our lives for the chance to save all the lives that would be lost if hostilities continued is worth it, is it not?”
“Of course it’s worth it,” James agreed. “But that is based on the assumption that this High Queen’s offer is even remotely genuine. Nothing we have seen from the Flex-aor suggests that it is.”
“Perhaps things would be different if you were discussing things face-to-face with their High Queen,” Eralla suggested. “It is possible Hir’ram’s contempt for me and Commander Scott in part came from the fact that she was speaking with people she considered not to be her equals. If it is both of you speaking with this High Queen, there is the possibility that she will take you more seriously.”
James wanted to argue the point. He wanted to argue against any reason that Ya’sia or Eralla put forward in favor of meeting the High Queen. However, he knew that doing so would not get him anywhere. The lure of a peaceful settlement was too strong for the Crians. “All right,” he said instead. “If you want to go to this face-to-face meeting, I will accompany you. However, we’re not going to do it all on their terms. If we’re going to meet her, we are taking our fleet. We’ll signal Hir’ram now and inform her that we are bringing our fleet to meet the High Queen’s Royal guard. You and I will then take a shuttle to the High Queen’s flagship to meet her. If Hir’ram’s forces, or any other ships are detected approaching us, we will take it as an act of hostility and all negotiations will end. That way, our fleet can crush this Royal Guard and the High Queen if it’s a trap. If you can agree to that, I will agree to the meeting.”
Ya’sia smiled. “Those are prudent suggestions. If things go badly it means we can stop the Flex-aor from combining their forces before the battle begins. If it is going to work though, we need to get our fleet moving now. Let’s send this transmission to Hir’ram and get going.”
Chapter 11
To the eyes of one of the naval officers of the First Galactic Expansion Era or the War of Doom Era, our modern warships would look wonderfully strange. Ship designs back then only had to accommodate members of the Human race. Now Empire ships can be home to as many as thirty different species. Trying to make each species comfortable has led to some peculiar internal design features.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD.
Handmaiden, X-62 system.
With time at a prem
ium, James elected to stay on board Ya’sia’s flagship. Within ten minutes of both senior Admirals giving commands to their fleets, the Human and Crian warships had moved away from the Flex-aor colony and were boosting towards the new fleet. Hir’ram had protested their demand that her ships stay in orbit but, as yet, her ships hadn’t moved. James was almost disappointed, if Hir’ram did break the terms they had set, it would allow Ya’sia and him to attack the High Queen’s fleet. Despite being outnumbered more than two to one, he and Ya’sia weren’t concerned that the High Queen posed any serious threat. There was a disproportionately high number of battleships and battlecruisers amongst her fleet yes, but even then, they didn’t have the numbers to defeat the Human and Crian fleets.
“Admiral, a transmission has come in from the largest ship in the High Queen’s fleet,” an officer on Handmaiden’s bridge reported. “It’s a series of instructions. We are to bring our fleet to a certain point and come to a halt. Then only one warship is allowed to approach the High Queen’s flagship. The instructions detail where the High Queen’s fleet will halt as well. Each fleet will be equally distant away from the meeting point and neither fleet will be anywhere near missile range of the other.” The officer transcribed the data to Handmaiden’s main computer and an image depicting the instructions appeared on the main holo projector as she spoke.
