Trader Vyx

by DePrima, Thomas

  "But it will take years to build the ships and staff them."

  "There's an old Chinese proverb: 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'"

  "There's another," Jenetta remarked, grinning, "that says: 'Paper can't wrap fire.' A paper fleet certainly isn't going to control the current Frontier Zone when it's re-designated."

  "I've also heard there's talk of the Nordakian Space Force being merged into Space Command."

  Jenetta shook her head slightly. "It would swell our ranks quickly, but I doubt it will happen."

  "Why not?" Zane asked.

  "Their training is inadequate by our Academy standards. I know that from first hand experience because I've toured the Space Force bases and schools. Academy trained officers would resist following the orders of a former Nordakian officer who was placed in command if they mistrust his training and experience. It could lead to some very difficult situations."

  "Even if it was you? You hold the rank of captain in the Nordakian Space Force. As I remember, you're only on loan to Space Command."

  "That's different, and I'm on permanent assignment to GSC. Like you, I'm a Terran who was educated at the Northern Hemisphere Space Academy on Earth, and I was already a Lieutenant Commander in GSC when I was honored by being made a citizen of Nordakia and commissioned in their Space Force. The GAC arranged that 'on loan' silliness to further cement relations with Nordakia."

  "Still, if the services are combined, you'd probably be advanced to the rank of captain immediately, and we wouldn't be able to see each other any more. You know the unwritten law about minimal social association with officers more than one level of rank from your own."

  "Zane," Jenetta said, sensitive to his feelings on the issue, "I know you're disappointed that I've been promoted ahead of you, but you'll be promoted soon. You're named on the Promotion Selection List for Commander that just came out."

  "Yes, but I still have to wait for a position to become available. It might be good for me if the GSC is greatly expanded. There'll be a lot of new positions created."

  "How close is this proposed expansion to actually becoming a reality?"

  "So close that my source isn't talking about it as being proposed. He says that it can happen in as soon as two weeks from now. They're just debating over the actual language of the resolution before going public. Word has already started to leak out though, so you'll probably see it in the news in the next few days."

  "What about the planets in the newly delineated territory that don't wish to be part of the Galactic Alliance?"

  "They really have no choice in the matter if they're located within the new border. Since we don't involve ourselves in the internal matters of planetary governments, it won't affect control of their governments or anything, but other problems will arise. Considering that the Galactic Alliance doesn't permit trade or association with planets that haven't developed rudimentary space travel capability, those planets that have already been trading with advanced cultures might suddenly find themselves isolated, except for trade with smugglers who choose to ignore GA law.

  "It seems unfair to drag them into the GA," Jenetta said, "and then restrict access to former trading partners."

  "The GAC believes that restricting access by more advanced cultures allows societies to evolve more naturally, without outside influence. Once they develop their own space travel capability, they'll be welcomed into the Alliance and can become an active trading partner with the more advanced member planets."

  "Except that the GA doesn't accept member planets that are located in the Frontier Zone."

  "That's been a problem; and one that's been discussed at great lengths by the Galactic Alliance Council. The fact is that we just haven't been able to exercise control over all of the territory claimed by the GA."

  "Is that the only reason?" Jenetta asked.

  "Basically. They'd love to accept everyone that applied for membership, but we just haven't been able to provide protection and law enforcement in the Frontier Zone, so the Council limited GA membership to those planets located within the inner border. Until Space Command is able to enforce all the laws of the Galactic Alliance within the Frontier Zone, I can't see the planets there being affected by a 'paper' expansion. They'll continue to carry out trade with anyone, just as they have before. We're really only establishing a new outer boundary, and announcing that no part of our Frontier Zone can be co-opted by life forms from outside the Galactic Alliance, or integrated into anyone else's coalition, federation, empire, or dominion.

  "Of course some solar systems within the Zone may still object to becoming part of GA space. I assume that those cases will be treated in the same manner as such solar systems were treated in the initial creation, and again after the first expansion of the Alliance. The objecting solar system will be totally isolated, and no vessel from any Alliance planet will be permitted to enter their system, or even trade with them at space stations or freight hubs. Likewise, their vessels will not be permitted to visit or trade with, or visit any Alliance member planets or space stations. Eventually, most of the previously isolated systems petitioned to have their status changed because they learned what they were missing out on as their civilizations matured."

  "If your rumor is accurate," Jenetta said, "Space Command is about to be handed a major headache."

  Zane's scuttlebutt was not only accurate, it was extremely accurate. Upon reporting for duty on Monday, Jenetta found an important memo in her message queue. Copied to all senior officers in the Intelligence Section, the memo stated that the Galactic Alliance Council was working on a resolution that would officially shift the Frontier Zone a hundred parsecs further out, and the former area would become regulated Galactic Alliance space.

  Jenetta was summoned to a briefing for senior officers in Kanes' office at 1000 hours. The meeting was primarily for officers with the rank of Lieutenant Commander or above, but the two Lieutenants assigned to his Strategic Planning Committee were there as well.

  "Good morning," Kanes began after everyone had taken their seats at the large conference table, or in seats around the walls of the room after places at the table were filled. "I'm sure that you've all read the memo about the frontier zone by now. The GAC has privately deliberated on this expansion for some time, and they feel that with the Raiders so weakened from previous engagements, the time has come to act. Since the new territory hasn't been claimed by anyone previously, there shouldn't be any challenge to our authority. A number of worlds within the old Frontier Zone have been petitioning for inclusion in the GA for years, and now they'll be welcomed as full voting members. The official announcement will be made in a couple of weeks, but as with most issues where politicians and their office staffs are involved, the word has already leaked out. Our task is to figure out how to exercise control over the new sectors of space that will adjoin our current mission area.

  "In order for us to adequately patrol the new space, our fleet size must be, at the very least, doubled. The GAC has promised that it will, but realistically it will take many years to build enough new ships to cover it satisfactorily. A number of older warships, taken out of service over the past decade, are being refitted for patrol duties in rear areas where we have few problems, so that the newer, faster ships can be freed up for patrol in the new space. Space Command is also finally changing the mandatory ship's officer retirement age from sixty-five to eighty-five, and mandatory retirement age for base personnel is being changed from eighty-five to one-hundred. The former age limits were a holdover from when people rarely lived beyond ninety years. Now that people are averaging a hundred-thirty-six years with nano-bot medicine, and many make it to one-hundred-fifty, this change is long overdue. Time spent in stasis will now be completely discounted from the officer's age when computing mandatory retirement dates, instead of being computed at twenty-five percent as was the case previously.

  I'll be speaking with each section chief over the next few days to discuss how this impacts your
section. Any questions?"

  "When will this expansion take effect, sir?" Commander Edgar asked.

  "As soon as the resolution is officially presented, voted upon, and passed. I understand that the wording is 'effective immediately', but we still have the formalities of government to observe. Of course, the criminals living in the old Frontier Zone will have weeks to escape into the new zone since the word is already out, but we're positioning as many ships as possible so that we can begin interdiction activities as soon as the okay is given by Space Command Supreme HQ."

  "The Alliance currently shares borders with three other nations, sir," Commander Brantford said. "How is that situation to be handled? We obviously can't expand the Frontier Zone into their territory."

  "Where we cannot expand our borders a full one-hundred parsecs, our new border will abut our neighbor's border."

  "Will home port assignments be changing, sir?" Commander Murray asked.

  "I'm sure that they will. Space Command will be stretched pretty thin for quite a while. A lot of ships will immediately be re-assigned to home ports closer to the old Frontier Zone. In this region of space, that means Dixon, since it's the closest base to the old border. We'll have to build a number of new bases, since we don't currently have any in the old Frontier Zone, and they'll need to have ships assigned to them for protection. But that will probably take decades to happen."

  "How does it affect our search for the remaining Raider bases, sir?" Jenetta asked.

  "Very little, and they remain a top priority. We'll continue to gather data, and we'll move when we have a definite location. We believe that both Raider Four and Five are in our expanded sector area, so we'll now be empowered to seek them out as well." When ten seconds passed without any further questions, Captain Kanes said, "If there're no further questions, you're dismissed."

  People would be thinking about how the news affected them and their job functions over the next several days. As the group rose to leave, Kanes said, "Commander Carver, remain behind, please."

  When the office was clear of the others, Kanes asked, "Have you formulated any new ideas on our arms problem?"

  "Nothing yet, sir. I'm still reviewing the material from the case."

  "We've received a vid of Vyx's meeting with Rivemwilth so we have the serial number from the sample weapon he was able to examine. It certainly appeared genuine. We're tracking it from manufacture, to locate the point where it went missing. It should help point a finger at our problem."

  "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

  "Just continue your review of the case file and make whatever suggestions come to mind."

  "Yes sir. Sir, the Gollasko Colony will fall within regulated space once the border shifts."

  "Yes, that's correct."

  "What about the Alyysian arms merchant that's been using the Colony as his base of operations? Rivemwilth's capture could provide all the information we need to close down the pipeline of stolen weapons and arrest everyone involved."

  "Yes, but I doubt he's still there. He's probably already on his way to what will become the new Frontier Zone. If he's still at Gollasko when the resolution passes and we can get a ship there, we'll take him into custody immediately."

  "Even though there's no formal planetary government on Gollasko?"

  "Because of it. In the absence of a planetary government, we can treat it as we would a ship in space. If there was a formal planetary government, we'd have to apply for extradition, or wait until he tried to leave the planet because we can't interfere in the planetary administration."

  "Yes sir. Sir, after we took down Raider Three I expected Space Command to immediately seek out and capture Raider Two. We thought we knew the general vicinity of that base."

  "We did search, Jen, but we weren't able to find it. Apparently we were wrong when we speculated on its general position using the history of past attack locations by Raider ships. Space Command has had a dozen ships searching every asteroid, moon, and planet within ten light-years from our projection point since I returned from Dixon."

  "And they haven't found anything in almost a year and a half?"

  "Not a sign. The search has been called off now so that those ships can be assigned patrol duty in the new area of space that will soon come under Space Command jurisdiction, but they were on their second pass through so it's unlikely that they would have found anything."

  "Yes sir. I'm sure that the Raiders will reveal themselves again. We'll find them."

  "I'm not so sure. The Raiders have ceased all pirating activities in GA space. The word we get is that they've retrenched their operation, concentrating on their old rackets of drugs, weapons, slaves, and prostitution. Without the attacks on shipping, we can't plot their locations."

  "Then we'll have to find their hideouts by other means."

  Kanes nodded. "Dismissed, Commander."

  Returning to her office, Jenetta poured a steaming cup of coffee from the decanter her aide brought in, and listened as the computer resumed reading aloud where it had left off earlier.

  * * *

  The Chiron and Prometheus arrived in port within hours of one another on Friday; the Prometheus actually arriving days ahead of schedule after receiving new orders in connection with the Galactic Alliance's plan to expand the borders. At the end of the work day, Jenetta and Christa were excused from further duties at Intelligence so they could report aboard their ships. Both ships were scheduled to leave port within forty-eight hours, so Jenetta quickly prepared a final report of her investigation and brought it to Captain Kanes.

  "I'm sorry that I couldn't recommend any new course of action, sir. Your investigators and operatives have done such a thorough job that I just couldn't come up with any new ideas."

  "It was worth a shot, Jen. We're still actively pursing the case. We've discovered that the weapon shown to Vyx was part of a shipment sent to the munitions depot on Delos-Anon. The records show that a freighter delivered the sealed cargo container, but none of the weapons shipped in that container were ever logged into the armory. We're following up on that trail."

  "It sounds like you have your leak located."

  "Almost— at least one–– but we still want all the people involved. Somebody stole those weapons from the depot, and someone purchased them and distributed them. We want those individuals also."

  "Yes sir. Will you be traveling with the Prometheus when she leaves port?"

  "No, I can't get away right now. This border expansion has significantly altered my plans."

  "I wish you luck with the investigation, sir."

  "And you have a safe trip. Thanks for looking over the case. If anything comes to mind, drop me a note."

  "I will, sir. Goodbye."

  "Good-bye, Jen."

  Jenetta and Christa had given Eliza a little send-off party the evening before the Bellona left port, and now it was their turn to say good-bye to each other. After dinner they had their final chat as they walked through the civilian concourse.

  "It may be a while before we see each other again," Christa said.

  "Very likely, but we'll keep in touch. There should be quite a bit of time aboard ship to compose messages to each other, the boys, Regina, Marisa, and Mom and Dad."

  "I'll call at least once a week, as long as communications aren't blocked."

  "Com blackouts don't usually last very long," Jenetta said. "They're usually only employed before an upcoming action."

  "If we're operating in the newly expanded space, the captains may not want to give away our position."

  "Maybe, but it'll take four months at the top speed of the Prometheus or Chiron just to reach the border of the current Frontier Zone and then ten more to reach the new Zone."

  "Have you said good-bye to Zane?"

  "Not yet. I'll call him after we get back to quarters."

  "Just a phone call?" Christa asked teasingly.

  "He's been busy working every night this past week. He's preparing the case for a ge
neral court martial that begins next week."

  "Prosecution or defense?"

  "Defense, of course. He prefers that side of the aisle."

  "You probably won't see him for a year or more."

  "I know, but I can't make him interrupt his work on a case. It's too important."

  "Let's head back to the BOQ. I'm anxious to start getting packed."

  "Okay, but don't rush too much. You might be aboard the ship for a very long time."

  "Yes," Christa said grinning, "isn't it wonderful?"

  * * *

  Chapter Four

  ~ October 24th, 2272 ~

  Jenetta completed her packing in the morning and prepared to leave for the Prometheus. Zane hadn't been in his quarters when she called last night, so she'd left a message and then started her preparations for moving to the ship. After stacking her smaller cases atop her 'oh-gee' spacechest just inside the front door of the small apartment, she took a final walk around to make sure that she had taken everything. Her last act was to check for a message from Zane. There wasn't one, so she punched in the forwarding code. Any new messages would be routed directly to the ship.

  Satisfied that she wasn't leaving anything behind, other than her packed cases, she called her cats to her side and left the apartment. As she entered the lift with her cats, a rider who had come down from an upper floor moved as far back into the car as possible, a worried expression on his face.

  "Don't worry, Lieutenant," Jenetta said, "They won't bother you."

  "Yes, ma'am, if you say so," the lieutenant said, never taking his eyes off the animals. "I was just thinking that I hope they've had their breakfast already." After the car reached the lobby, he waited until Jenetta and her cats were well clear before he stepped out.