The President looked tired and road weary. He had probably been wearing the same clothes since the attack on the Capitol three days ago. He had a serious, no nonsense air about him, but at the same time he was confident about the words he was about to share with a waiting planet.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I do apologize for the information blackout imposed for the past three days. When you hear what I have to say you will understand the necessity for it. As you all know the Capitol came under attack by the Armed Forces of Nova three days ago. It was unprovoked and occurred during good faith negotiations between our representatives and the appointed representatives of the Novan Government. This conference covered the disputed boundaries of Fourth Colony territory, as well as trade routes through those territories, and trade concerns from the member planets of our entire quadrant.
“No one could have been more shocked than I when armed Novian troops entered my office and put me under arrest. In the ensuing hours as a hostage, I had time to reflect on how this impossible situation had been allowed to become a reality. I have had any number of meetings and discussions with the surviving members of the Fourth Colony Government over the last few months. While I appreciated the gravity of their situation, as exiles from a disputed territory, I thought that was as far as it went, never dreaming there was more to it.”
The President paused, taking a drink of water from a glass on the podium. He made a point of looking at every area of the vast audience, like he was trying to make a personal connection with each and every one of them. “I had been warned on numerous occasions that Nova was more than they seemed, and their plans and aspirations reached far beyond a disputed mineral rich asteroid belt. I might have been slow coming up to speed on that concept, but to my credit I am able to learn from my mistakes and profit by them. We owe a great deal to the citizens and Armed Forces of Fourth Colony. They saw things much more clearly than anyone else did, until three days ago.
“While our own Military Forces were trying to react to this surprise attack, the combined members of Fourth Colony’s Special Forces 01 had been at work for weeks in advance, anticipating it. They were the ones who first detected an imbedded code in the routine transmissions to the Novian Embassy from the Novian home world. Their experts worked tirelessly with their counterparts in our intelligence community, trying to ascertain the nature and content of that covert code. Their previous encounters and engagements with someone they considered a treacherous enemy made them suspect that Nova was planning something big.”
The audience was spell bound! The reporters were not even bothering to take notes for questions later.
“While operations were under way by Teams from Special Forces 01 to secure the release of the hostages here at the Capitol, additional Teams were striking the Novian Embassy at that exact moment, severing their Command and Control with both their forces in the Capitol Building, and their Government on the Novian home world. The Novian Government has contacted us through a neutral third party to protest this action on their sovereign soil. I passed along a reply that the privileges of the Embassy became null and void when they attacked our government with their military forces. When the Embassy was taken, a state of war existed between our two worlds, and all treaties were held in abeyance at that point.”
The picture was getting larger all the time, and the silence covering the audience like a heavy blanket stretched out and expanded. “What we uncovered in the files of the Novian Embassy shocked not only the heads of our own Intelligence Complex, but the Fourth Colony Intelligence experts as well. What was originally thought to be a negotiations ploy to force our hand at the bargaining table suddenly got much larger and more dangerous in size and scope. We are still sifting through mountains of documents and communications discs, but here is the gist of what we have discovered: Nova intended to have full possession and control of the entire Fourth Colony Territory, regardless of the cost or consequences. The untold mineral wealth of this region was absolutely necessary for their future plans to eventually expand and control this entire quadrant of space.”
At that point the silence that had been so profound and pervasive exploded in a rolling thunderclap of voices. No one could believe what they had just heard from the lips of the President himself. He stood like a granite monolith in a rushing torrent of comments and questions, unyielding and waiting to continue. When the initial shock had subsided, and yielded to the hunger for more information, the silence returned and took up its post in the audience.
“I can understand your reaction because mine was the same. How had we been so deceived and lulled into a false sense of security, when our way of life, in fact our very existence, was at stake? I have been in contact with every one of my counterparts, on every planet in or near our quadrant. They were all equally incredulous, until we provided them with copies of Nova’s specific plans for their own planets. Nova was so arrogant and sure of their success that they had every document available for their own Intelligence Operatives to work on while they were filling Diplomatic Posts in their Embassies. It gave them the perfect cover to roam our planets at will, marking down area weaknesses to be exploited, and custom designing their plans for our eventual takeover and inclusion in their empire!”
Again the din of the roar from the audience rose to epic proportions, everyone talking at once, and unable to hear anyone else.
The President finally held up his hand, after giving them time to blow off steam. Their hunger for information was growing in leaps and bounds, so they controlled their flaming outrage grudgingly, and waited for the man with all of the answers to continue. “Nova has become an immediate pariah in the quadrant, in light of the irrefutable evidence taken from their own databases. All members of their diplomatic staffs and military personnel have been arrested. The Embassies on every world listed in their master plans have been seized, and are undergoing a thorough search for additional information. All Novan businesses have been shut down, and their owners will be held until arrangements can be made to return them to Novan space.
“Approximately 48 hours ago I issued an Executive Order bringing all space worthy civilian transports and cargo ships under temporary military control. In conjunction with other member planets in this section of space, we have set up a joint armada blockading the disputed territories of Fourth Colony. Our combined fleet is denying access to both the mineral resources and extensive ship yards in that territory to Nova. The situation is extremely tense, but they are badly outnumbered, so the blockade is holding. Nova is not used to being confronted by a superior force, and like all bullies and cowards are making threats and posturing, but they are not moving to take any provocative action. Volunteer Mining Engineers from Fourth Colony have already returned to their former complexes, and are assessing the damage that has occurred since they were driven off of their home world by Novian Forces. We will need both Fourth Colony resources and their expertise if we are to build a strong combined fleet to beat back the insatiable Novian avarice for possession, power, and control.” He paused to wipe the sweat off of his face, even though it was a very mild evening in the Capitol.
“All of those members of Fourth Colony who were involved in any of the mining operations, or the ore processing facilities, are urgently requested to make themselves available to return to your former jobs and locations. I am asking any citizen of this planet who has any expertise in these areas to volunteer to help us bring Fourth Colony capabilities back into production as soon as it is humanly possible. This is a top priority, so we can expand our fleet strength to continue containing the Novian threat.” He took another long look over the audience, exuding an air of a man who desperately needed the help and cooperation of everyone within the range of his voice.
“I have also authorized the recall of all personnel, who have ever served in the Armed Forces, to return to Active Duty Status immediately. Those seasoned Veterans of our various Military Branches will serve as instructors and mentors for younger, less experienced members. They w
ill also occupy planetside postings, freeing up younger members to move to the more critical forward postings against the Novian threat. All members of the Reserves, all Branches, are hereby activated, immediately. You are to report to your Units with all due haste.
“Civilians who have never served in the Armed Forces, but possess vital skills and expertise will be screened, classified, and included in the Reserve Forces of the Military. All citizens, between the ages of 18 and 35 will be asked to provide a minimum of two years Reserve Service, to expand the ranks of our current standing forces. More information and directions will be made to all areas of the planet through your Legislative Representatives. They are in the process of returning home to activate and coordinate these directives, even as this news conference is in progress.” A hushed murmur rose as everyone talked among themselves, trying to sort out all of the information that was descending on them from every imaginable direction.
“I have been in conference with the remaining officials of Fourth Colony. They have appointed 15 Representatives to cover the population of Fourth Colony Citizens that currently reside on Bijordan. They will be contacting everyone here with the offer of Bijordan Citizenship. All those who accept will be welcomed with the same rights and privileges as if they had been born here. Those who wish to retain their Fourth Colony Citizenship will be welcome to continue to live here among us, or return to Fourth Colony soil when the current situation has become more stable.” The President ventured his first smile since commencing this news conference.
“By another Executive Order I have also dissolved the law prohibiting participation in the Armed Forces to anyone under the age of 18 years of age, effective immediately. Those under the age of 18 years may choose to enlist, with the support of their parents or guardians. We can no longer afford the luxury of adhering to our quaint provincial attitudes governing who is old enough to serve. We thought ourselves so civilized and enlightened compared to our friends from Fourth Colony on that particular subject. If the members of Special Forces 01 had taken that policy to heart, I can’t bear to think what would have happened three days ago.” He let that gem of wisdom sink into the collective psyche of all of those listening, either there in person, or half a world away.
“During the course of our marathon meetings, members of our Legislature, Officials of Fourth Colony, and Military Commanders on both sides have agreed to combine our Fighting Forces to answer the demands of this current crisis. To that end we have designed and minted a new insignia to be worn by all members of the Armed Forces from both worlds. I think it is fitting that the first men who will receive these new symbols of our combined commitment and determination are those who led the mission to rescue our hostages and break Nova’s hold on the Capitol Building.”
With that the President turned over his shoulder and offered his hand to the uniformed men standing quietly behind him this entire time. There were uniforms from every branch of the Military, and the distinctive black uniforms of Special Forces 01. The men came forward, and assembled themselves in an orderly single line in front of the podium.
The President introduced the ranking Officer in the group, “This is Admiral Jeremy Bloch, and he was the one who contacted our Command and Control Center and rammed through the clearance for the rescue mission proposed by Special Forces 01. I am told that he took no prisoners during his mission to receive that clearance. His supreme confidence in these young men’s ability to secure the safe release of the hostages, and bring a positive resolution to this total debacle, was a shining beacon in a dark cloud of confusion. His support made it possible for the 01 to do what they do best: arrange for and execute miracles. As the leading edge on the tip of the spear for this combined operation, his will be the privilege of being the first to receive and wear the new collar brass of our combined forces.”
With that the President left the podium, trailed by an aide carrying a red satin box. He reached over and retrieved the old emblem with the roaring lion superimposed over a six pointed star of the Bijordan forces from Admiral Bloch’s collar, and replaced it with the new emblem that had Bijordan’s roaring lion holding Fourth Colony’s mining hammers. The Admiral saluted his Commander and Chief, and the President returned the salute. He then handed the Admiral another set of collar brass, and he turned and pinned it on the young Special Forces Captain standing next to him. At that point, all of the Officers standing in line reached up and removed their old emblems, waiting for their new symbols of unity. Each man, after having received his, turned to the man next to him and pinned on the new brass, as they exchanged salutes. It took several minutes for every man to don his new hardware, and when they were finished, the audience broke out in a spontaneous round of thunderous applause that seemed to go on forever.
After a respectable amount of time, the President again raised his hand to evoke a plea for quiet from the assembled audience. When order was finally restored, he continued. “I am sure you can all appreciate the crushing amount of work facing us, so we will have to draw this conference to a close. We have information discs available to every member of the press assembled here, as well as every member of the press watching the conference from distant locations. We have prepared a database where all of the information we have decrypted from the Novian Embassy will be made available to anyone who wishes to see it. We want everyone to have the opportunity to inspect these documents and learn for themselves the truth of what we have revealed here today. We will not censor or hold back anything we uncover; it will be open for free public inspection. We have learned a great deal about our enemy and with that knowledge even more about ourselves. May the Guardians of Humanity smile upon us all in our efforts!”
With that the President reached up and shut off his microphone, and turned to leave. The deafening roar of approval and the drum beat of hands clapping together stopped him in mid stride. He turned back to the audience, with a humble smile on his face, and a small wave, tears evident in his eyes.
The audience caught the spirit of the moment, and roared out their approval, calling out encouragement and best wishes for success.
Epilogue
The days seemed to fly after the rescue operation. Rys seemed to go from one meeting to the next, all done so quickly that if not for the chip in his head, he wouldn’t have been able to keep any of it straight. At one point, Admiral Bloch sat all of SF01 down and asked (well, pleaded would’ve come closer) if they would come on as full Bijordan citizens. He assured them that they would be very welcome in the Bijordan military as well.
Rys hadn’t needed to really think on the offer. Bijordan…he owed the whole planet a great deal for coming to his colony’s rescue. But more than that, he’d come to feel like this planet was home. Part of the reason for it was Anne. But another, equally large part was the Bloch family and the friends he’d made at school and old Mrs. Blevins next door and…all of it. Practically everyone he’d met and interacted with had cemented his connection with this planet. He wanted to protect every single person that had welcomed him so warmly and made him feel at home here.
So he’d said yes. In fact, they’d all said yes and meant it.
No one had thought to warn them what saying yes would entail. The President had been eagerly awaiting their answer, and as soon as he had it, he pounced on them in open glee. Then he’d dragged them out for a very public press conference where he’d used them as poster boys to recruit the rest of Fourth Colony’s military.
In private, he’d also awarded them (and the rest of SF01) a promotion. Rys had tried to protest this — they were only doing their job —but Dorian had taken him aside and with a rueful smile on his face said, “You don’t really think that you can save the President and not get rewarded somehow, do you?”
Rys decided to just shut up and go with the flow after that.
The President gave them new assignments along with their promotions. They were to be instructors at the newly rededicated Joint Military Academy. They would be allowed (encouraged?) to do
short tours of duty during the summer months, but otherwise they were to be teaching and training the new officers full time.
Frankly, Rys was glad of the new assignment. If he never got into space again, it would be too soon. Now that he’d had a taste of planet living, he’d never enjoy being in a recycling tin can again. Even colony life didn’t appeal to him.
Alright, being near Anne on a permanent basis might be part of that too. A little.
With the mission over, and their cover stories blown to pieces, they each vacated their foster homes and moved into Officer Quarters at the Academy. Rys knew that for most of 01, the separation from their foster families was not a final one. It was certainly that way for him. The entire Bloch family had helped him move in and decorate his new apartment. Sara had a key, too, “in case of emergencies” and the rest of his adopted siblings already had firm plans to kidnap him on the weekends. Rys felt honestly glad the connection with them didn’t terminate just because they’d found out the truth.
Three weeks after the attack on the Capitol Building, he headed out of his new apartment and across town to the Dorian’s family home. They were holding a belated after-mission success party that evening, and all of the 01 were invited.
When Rys arrived, he saw that someone (probably Rosalita) had anticipated the lack of parking spaces and hired a valet for the evening. Rys handed over his keys and headed inside. The door stood wide open with a grinning George waiting just inside the door.
“George,” Rys greeted while extending a hand.
“Rys,” the older gentleman returned while briefly accepting the handshake. “Go right on through to the pool.”
“Will do. How many have arrived?”
“Only a few,” George responded with a shrug. “But then, you’re early.”
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