by J W Murison
‘Maybe so, but still, it’s more a job for a scouting group, not two lone ships. I want to send a scouting group out to that asteroid field to see if we can discover what the Humans were up to. Do I have your support?’
They all agreed. The Supreme Commander ended the meeting but stayed behind. He was old now and had fought in many battles, but for the first time in his life he felt hope for his people.
Chapter 21
The President sat at his desk reading through a report on their latest escapades. Steven sat across from him, a tight feeling in his gut. Eventually the President put the report down.
‘You have had quite a little adventure Steven.’
‘It didn’t seem much like an adventure at the time sir.’
‘I want to congratulate you on the job you did in Catataracs space. Well done for that. Then you compromised the mission by rescuing an enemy of the federation. I want you to know that a few days ago, I received a request from the federation. They in turn had a request from the Ortea race asking for a Goodwill Ambassador from the Human race to be sent to their planet. Don’t worry, they did not compromise you.
‘In brief, the Ortea claimed to have captured a ship that held a lot of up-to-date information. This included quite extensive reports on a race of meat-eaters who had joined the federation. They state that they are curious. The federation has sent many Ambassadors to the Ortea only to have them eaten. Now, however, they believe that with the inclusion of a meat eating race within the federation, it may be time to start real negotiations. They would accept a Goodwill Ambassadorial visit, but only if it was from the meat eating races. There will be a debate this week, and I am invited. Obviously, this will mean you and your good lady attending a meeting with a race that no one has anything good to say about, and are considered the most dangerous of all races.’
‘I will be able to handle it sir. If the rest of them are anything like our captive, we should get along quite well.’
‘Or maybe they are just curious to see what you taste like.’
‘I don’t think they are eating all these different species out of ill-will sir. They simply have no other choice.’
‘There was a very interesting part of the communication that hasn’t been made public yet. The federation were under the impression that they were simply killing and eating their captives. It seems they have enslaved many of them and are breeding them like domestic stock. The federation is livid. My first impression is that they want to launch a massive attack on the Ortea, but wiser heads are beginning to voice reason. As yet, they have no idea how many of their people are being held captive; but they all want one thing, they want their people out of there.’
‘Our captive let slip that there are millions of them, almost as many captives as there are Ortea.’
‘In that case an assault would cost as many lives of the innocent. The trouble is, we can’t disclose that information. It will be one of your tasks once you are deployed. The other thing is that the burden of supplying domestic livestock for federation citizens will fall to us. What do we swap them for?
‘It has to be camels and goats sir. Wild pigs maybe. Once negotiations start, we will have to send in scientists to discover what will grow.’
‘At least you are thinking about it. Now I have a final matter to discuss with you. What the hell happened at the federation training post? For god’s sake, I have officials breathing down my neck looking for scalps.’
Steven took a deep breath and dipped into his briefcase. ‘The simple answer is that you have to start screaming for scalps yourself sir. The people from the training establishment were well out of order. They boarded a non-federation ship, with arms, and tried to arrest its Captain. By their own laws, it does not come under the same federation laws.’
‘Stop! Give me a quick rundown of what the hell happened first.’
Steven took another deep breath. ‘We arrived at the federation training post about two weeks ago. The Sir William Wallace was there at the request of the federation. It has not been seconded to the federation, therefore it does not come under its command.’
‘I know that much, what happened next Steven?’
‘The Captain of the Sir William Wallace was the one who rescued Charlie Murison after he destroyed the asteroid that was flung at Earth.’
‘I see; yes I remember that. Go on.’
‘It would seem that our Charlie made quite an impression on the Captain and vice versa.’
‘She is all woman, I have met her. That cannon she wears at her hip is almost as impressive as she is.’
‘That was a gift from Charlie for saving his life. Also for taking the time to talk to him while he was blind and incapacitated on board her ship.’
‘Now I am beginning to get the picture. Was Charlie aware of who she was?’
‘Charlie was already a very big fan of hers. He knew exactly who she was. She was very curious to see what he looked like in real life. When Charlie was on board her ship, he was coated in a metal skin. He looked more like a robot. They met once more, briefly, on board my ship. Nothing happened there, I reviewed the meeting between the two; Charlie even told her that she wasn’t his type. They seemed to have formed some sort of bond though. Call it friendship if you will sir.
‘Anyway, when we arrived at the federation training post, she came aboard to see us and when she discovered Charlie had been promoted to the rank of Captain, she invited him over for dinner. At that time she also informed us of the problems she had been having with the federation training staff. The key problem was an Albany Colonel, who lost his father in the invasion of our solar system. He has been a royal pain in the arse to all, and particularly hates females in uniform.
‘Now, because of that Charlie did some research on rules and regulations. He discovered that the Sir William Wallace did not come under their jurisdiction. However, to be on the safe side, he downloaded federation protocol on the fraternisation between male and female military personnel. You have to understand that female military personnel are extremely rare, and there are none serving in the federation other than those serving with the Human fleet.’
‘So what you are saying is that these rules are very old?’
‘Yes sir, that’s exactly what I was saying. Charlie followed those rules to the letter of the law. This involved having someone senior as a chaperone present. They chose lady Mya, as she is a member of the Modloch Royal household. She in turn was escorted by Cookie as a guard.’
‘So if all protocols were observed, what went wrong?’
‘They have to post their intentions to have dinner on some bulletin board. The Albany Commander saw it and basically went off his head. He stormed on board the Sir William Wallace with an armed guard, then burst into the Captain’s cabin, where she was having dinner. Charlie bent a few weapons, kicked the Colonel. Cookie burst in on the scene and knocked another of them out. The ship’s guard arrived and arrested the lot of them. They are at the moment being held for armed assault on board the Sir William Wallace.’
‘I suppose this Colonel assumed that they wouldn’t know about the protocols and stormed aboard to arrest the Captain.’
‘Yes sir, even though he had no jurisdiction to do so.’
‘Of course, because the Sir William Wallace isn’t a part of the federation fleet.’
‘The Sir William Wallace and the crew are guests of the federation, which makes it even more inappropriate. They are supposed to be protected by the federation.’
‘So why am I being hit with a shit storm?’
‘Because they don’t like us, they consider us third class citizens of the federation, they don’t like to be beaten at their own game, Captain Wilson is a woman. Take your pick.’
The President took the folder and opened it. ‘Okay, I see these are all the rules and regulations.’ He flicked through it. ‘All the evidence I require as well. I will kick a few arses with these. Where is Captain Murison?’
‘He stayed with the Sir Willi
am Wallace to back up Captain Wilson, so did Mya and my chef.’
‘Cookie! He will be sorely missed.’
Steven smiled, ‘He is, but long gone are the days when he used to do it himself. He has enough staff to cover for him these days.’
‘So what is the latest from the Sir William Wallace?’
‘They are weathering the storm. At the moment the station has cut all amenities and ordered all Human ships to break all contact with the Sir William Wallace. If they leave, then the federation can justify taking action against them, but not while they are still tied up. They have plenty food and water and are running on internal power. They still have the prisoners on board.’
‘Were they provisioned before they were cut off?’
‘Yes Mr President. Captain Wilson caught which way the wind was blowing very early on and ordered the Lexx to re-provision them immediately. I believe she stocked up for a long haul.’
‘I hear Lady Mya appealed to the Modloch Emperor for help.’
‘I believe that she sent a letter to General Rannalld, the Commander of the Emperor’s army. I haven’t heard anything else since.’
‘I received a request from the Emperor’s men for information. I will have this forwarded immediately. Do you think the Emperor will respond?’
‘I have no idea sir.’
The Earth’s President contemplated it for a moment. ‘We will just have to wait and see.’
‘Is there anything else sir?’
‘No Steven, but don’t go very far. I have a feeling the shit is about to hit the fan. If this meeting about the Ortea goes well, you will be required for an immediate briefing and deployment. I want to strike while the iron is still hot on this. A fast resolution to this conflict will be a huge bonus to us. I will send for a fast freighter to bring a heard of camels and goats. A few hundred of each to start with.’
‘I can help with the freighter sir, but not the rest.’
‘That’s okay Steven, I know quite a few Arabs. Did you hear that the station on the other side of the barrier is almost complete?’
‘No I didn’t sir, they are well ahead of schedule.’
‘They are, those fast freights you introduced have certainly helped speed things up. Are they a lot faster than the ones they have here?’
‘We designed them around a battleship sir, so yes, much faster. The problem is they don’t really conform to what is specified here. They could dock at any orbital space station, but they aren’t designed to land on a planet’s space ports, which galactic regulations require them to be able to do.’
‘Are they illegal?’
‘No, many races have their own freighters. However, once they join the federation, space ports have to be built to a specific design.’
‘I get it, and the only freighters that will fit are the federation ones. So someone somewhere has a monopoly.’
‘It is a conglomerate sir, a very rich one.’
‘I bet it is. Alright, relax for now, but keep yourselves ready to move at any moment.’
‘Yes Mr President.’
Steven was dismissed.
Chapter 22
‘Mr Michael Montgomery, the President and representative of Earth.’
The President got up from his seat and walked to the podium. He had plenty time to take in the splendour of the assembly. Some of the aliens were a bit hard to take, and there were far more here than he had already met. He realised that this was indeed the big league.
The introduction was simple ‘Members of the Federation. Thank you for the invitation here today. It is unusual for a representative of a planet that has just began their journey to become a full member of the federation, to be invited before you. I realise however that the circumstances in which I address you are not the circumstances in which I would like to address you.
‘Four weeks ago, armed intruders from the federation defence force assaulted one of our training vessels, which was a guest of the federation at the time, and tried to arrest its Captain. The charges were fraternisation with a junior rank of the opposite sex.
‘The Sir William Wallace is not a federation vessel, and does not come under your jurisdiction. The armed intruders were subdued and arrested. They remain incarcerated, and will remain so until the Sir William Wallace reaches Earth, where they will be tried for their crimes.’
There was a roar of disapproval. The President had read the rules well and held up his left hand. The noise subsided.
‘Yesterday a combined fleet of Human and Modloch ships arrived at the training facility to escort the Sir William Wallace to the great barrier. That fleet consists of no less than two thousand ships. We know the nearest federation fleet is almost two days away, yet the training station refuses to release the Sir William Wallace.
‘We are there to extract the Sir William Wallace and escort it to the great barrier; the Modloch fleet is there to extract the Lady Mya, one of the royal household. If you do not release the Sir William Wallace within six hours we will incapacitate the training station and eradicate any forces opposing us. This is a signed declaration of intent from both myself and the Emperor of the great Modloch Empire.’
The board in front of the President lit up like a Christmas tree. He picked one light and pressed it. A robed figure stood.
‘Mr President, I am the representative of the Trolon Race. Do you expect to get away with defying the federation? There are rules and regulations defining the proper conduct of all ranks.’
‘None of the people involved were part of the federation.’
‘Still, do you not think as a guest of the federation, some respect should have been shown?’
‘All parties involved, as a matter of consideration to the federation, obeyed to the letter of the law, all rules and regulations regarding such a meeting. Did you not read the material you were presented with at the beginning of this session?’
The representative sat down. Many of the lights went out. He pressed another light and another representative stood up. The President recognised an Albany.
‘Mr President, I am Ts´ Le´ Tut, representative of the Albany people. You must realise of course that this problem has arisen because of the abhorrent way in which Humanity exploits its females and expects them to fight.’
‘It wasn’t all that long ago that females from your own race picked up weapons and fought the men and women from my race on board the city ship you sent to invade our planet.’ His eyes swivelled to the Master of the House. ‘May I be indulged, Master of the House?’
He lifted a hand and the President continued. ‘This is a battle report from a senior Commander on the ground during the battle for the city ship.’
The President flicked through his tablet. ‘Our advance has been delayed for a short while by groups of Albany females, who fight with a determination and tenacity which has so far been lacking in many of their troops. There is just no give in these females. We have tried talking to them, asking them to surrender. We have offered them food for their children and themselves, and a comfortable environment to spend their last days. They have steadfastly refused. After a number of determined charges, the women have now set up a defensive perimeter and continue to take a heavy toll on my troops. I fear we will have to eradicate them entirely before we can move forward.’
The President looked up from the pad. ‘They held up our advance in that sector by six hours and won the respect of the men and women that they fought. In his last report of the day the Commander praised their courage and determination. I know that when the battle was over, he and his men returned to the scene of the battle and themselves took care of the remains of the fallen.
‘On our planet, the females of our species are protected by a number of civil acts, including the right to equality. In our society, if a woman is up to the job, then she must be considered for it. The woman you question is Captain Jean Wilson. She is a highly-decorated member of the Earth Defence Force. An ace fighter pilot, she downed three enemy fighters in a singl
e combat. She was also awarded decorations when she took the Sir William Wallace into combat against the Albany fleet. It was because of her actions and that of her crew that they were chosen to become a training vessel. The Sir William Wallace has the distinction of producing the finest fighting men and women of all the training vessels. Captain Jean Wilson has the respect and trust of the whole fleet. Don’t even suggest removing her.’
The Albany sat down and even more lights went out. It left only a half dozen.
He chose another one. A shorter figure than most present stood. ‘I am Queen Wiola Maleck of the Gishia race. I have to admire the way you Humans treat your females as equals, and indeed I would wish one day to meet this female Captain in person. However, are you and the Modloch Emperor seriously considering going to war with the whole federation over this single matter?
‘If that’s what it takes to resolve this issue, your Majesty. We did not make the rules, nor did we break them. It was the great federation that made them, and federation personnel that broke them.’
‘You know that taking the prisoners to Earth will be as good as a death sentence.’
‘The federation was given an opportunity to deal with this in house. They decided instead to try and punish us. We will not tolerate it. Neither will we tolerate the bullying that is happening here. We will happily stand at the side of the Modloch Emperor against all of you. If the federation wishes to avoid a conflict, then it should learn to follow its own damn rules.’
She sat down and all of the lights went out but one. The President pushed it. A figure he recognised immediately stood up.
‘Do you know who I am Mr President?’
‘Emperor Ne´ Langus, leader of the federation’s armed forces.’
‘Do you know why you are here today?’
‘Because troops under your command overstepped their boundaries and you don’t have the balls to reel them in.’
The Emperor howled with laughter as the whole room trembled. ‘I am the leader of the most powerful force ever created in the history of the galaxy, and yet you talk to me in this manner. If the translation of the word balls is correct, then you must have a very large pair Mr President.’
