Solbidyum Wars Saga 4: Too Late for Earth

by Dale C. Musser

  I was hoping the damages wouldn’t be as extensive as they were; the suite Kala and I had shared was totally destroyed. My study would have to be completely rebuilt, and the water was knee deep from the broken fish tank wall and all the fish were dead. Most of the suites and accommodations were damaged to the point that they were completely uninhabitable. I asked Dondor where the people who had survived were all staying and he responded that many were sharing the limited undamaged rooms that still existed. Some had been moved to the lodge by the cabin Kala and I now occupied, and the rest were being housed in hotels in the Capitol.

  “How many people died?” I asked Dondor.

  “Three hundred and forty three died. Twenty-eight of them were refugees you brought back from Earth. Some of them are pretty bitter about you bringing them all the way here to die, as they put it.”

  “I didn’t know what we were bringing them back to,” I said.

  “I think most of them realized that you had nothing to do with what happened, you are just as much a victim as they are. “

  While we were touring Kala broke away from me to discuss things with her assistant, Balinga. Balinga happened to be checking inventory with one of the staff in one of the lower store rooms when the attack happened. Fortunately, the room was deep enough to provide shelter for them and they both escaped unscathed. I asked to see the shelters that had been used by those who could get to them and I was surprised at their size. They were sparse by Galetils’ standards, but they were well supplied; double bunk cots and seating sufficient for hundreds of people occupied the spaces. Fusion battery-powered food synthesizers and lighting ensured that those who made it into the shelters were cared for; there even was a med facility capable of handling most medical emergencies. Dondor told me that some of the staff were still living in the shelters and working on cleanup during the day. After we left the shelters, Dondor took me to the hill side hangar where Piebar had set up an office to oversee the work being done.

  “I’ve made arrangements for a demolition crew to begin work tomorrow removing the debris, so we can begin reconstructing the estate.” Piebar informed me. “I’m assuming you want everything restored as it was before the attack?”

  “Yes, that will be fine,” I said, realizing that Piebar was further along in his thinking than I was, as I had not given any thought to rebuilding or relocating. What will you do for plans?” I asked as the thought just hit me.

  “I contacted Piesew on your ship, he said that A’Lappe had a complete set of the estate plans which he sent to me this morning. We have everything we need to restore the entire estate exactly as it was when you purchased it.” While we were talking, I saw Kala walking toward us,” Tibby, have you seen Regata since we got here?” she asked.

  “No, I haven’t now that you mentioned it.”

  “Is he that sort of green-skinned fellow with the brown patches on his skin?” Piebar asked.

  “That certainly sounds like him,” Kala said.

  Piebar replied, “I saw him not long after you arrived walking along the path that leads up to the lake.”

  “I had best go look for him,” I responded, “Kala, do you want to join me? It’s been quite a while since we have been by the lake.”

  “You go, Tibby. I think I'd better stay here, close to the toilet facilities, I seem to be needing to use them more frequently of late.”

  “Ahh, yes, the pregnancy, I forgot.” I said.”

  “FORGOT! How could you forget when I’m almost the size of a Markazian corvette?” Kala said in a teasing voice and with a smile.

  “You’re pregnant?” I responded in a mocking tone, “When did that happen?”

  We both laughed and I said, “I won’t be too long, I’ve not had a chance to talk with Regata in a while, I’m not sure how he is handling all of this action that has been going on since we picked him up at Alle Bamma. He might want to go back and abandon his journey with us. If he wants to return he can wait things out here, and when the next security team from Alle Bamma makes their rotation, he can fly back with the returning team.”

  I headed up the trail toward the smaller mountain lake further up the mountain and away from the main lake and the estate. As I climbed the trail there was one part that is close to the sheer mountain side, from there I could see down to the orphaned children’s village by the lake. I noticed a crowd of children gathered around someone and when I looked closer, I noticed it was Jenira. She was signing something to them but from my distance, I couldn’t be sure what she was saying. I noticed that the children seemed to be in awe of her. As I turned away from the lake and continued following the path, the sounds of the children were soon muffled out by the trees and replaced by the sounds of birds and other small forest creatures. Here and there, along the path, fernlike plants grew, and in places where the sun filtered through, a flower or two showed their colors. Eventually, I reached the shore of the small upper lake. The sun sparkled off the wind rippling waves as a gentle breeze kissed its surface. It was so peaceful and I found myself wondering why people went around fighting and killing when there were places like this that they could sit in and enjoy nature.

  “It reminds me of home.” Regata’s voice said from somewhere nearby. I turned looking for him but couldn’t see him anywhere. “Do you come here often when you are on Megelleon?” he asked, and this time I spotted him half-way up in one of the larger trees sitting in the juncture of a split in the trunk.

  “Yes, actually Kala and I come here nearly every day,” I responded.

  “I thought you might. Thumumba would like this place,” he said as he looked about and out over the lake. We have no mountains on Sweet Home. I think Thumumba never thought of mountains. I will tell him of them, perhaps he will make some, though I probably will not live long enough to see them. Thumumba works slowly.”

  “Yes, he mentioned that to me,” I replied.

  Regata stood up and then hopped off the tree branch down to another and after that to another and another until he was finally on the ground. He walked over to me and looked me in the eyes. “Tibby, it is like this everywhere with man?”

  I looked at him wondering what he meant by his question, but before I could answer he continued. “It seems that all men do is fight and try to enslave or harm others. Since I have left Alle Bamma, this is most of what I see of men. There seems to be war and fighting everywhere. There are good people, in fact, most of them seem to be decent. However, there are a lot of terrible people also, far too many bad people. These men you call the Brotherhood, they are men like yourself only where you strive for good and to help others, they strive for evil and to enslave and dominate others. The men you picked up from your home world, most are good, but some, like Ming, Láng, and Yǎnjìngshé were bad. Then here in the Federation, it seems also that you have good and evil with the bad trying to subjugate the good.”

  “I’m afraid that is the way people are. Most are good in their hearts and only want to live in peace and to be treated fairly, while there are others who are always trying to take what others have and who try to do harm.” I answered.

  “But why? There is plenty of peace and beauty for everyone to enjoy.” Regata asked.

  “For some there is never enough and they only want to have it all for themselves and do not want to share with others.” I returned.

  “This is a very sad thing, Man-Who-Speaks-for-Thumumba. I will report these things to Thumumba, but I am afraid it will make him very sad also.”

  “Regata, do you wish to return to Alle Bamma? In a few days a ship from there will be arriving here so the security forces can rotate personnel. If you wish to return you could go back on that ship.”

  Regata looked at me in shocked amazement. “But, I have only begun the search Thumumba has sent me on and so far I have not found another like him. I cannot return until I have investigated more.”

  “Very well then. By the way, has Piebar arranged for a room for you?”

  “He offered to provide space
for me in the lodge near where you and your mate are, but I would prefer to stay out here in the trees. I feel more at peace and it reminds me of home.”

  “Very well,” I said. “Kala and I will be leaving in a day or so to join up with the NEW ORLEANS as they try to block the fire from the HOSPIN from destroying Plosaxen, you are welcome to return with us, or you can relax here for a few more days. Once things are safe at Plosaxen, Kala and I will be returning in the NEW ORLEANS so the last of the repairs can be made and to see to the reconstruction of the estate before we venture out again.”

  “I would be deeply honored if you allowed me to stay here for a few more days. I do not think I would be of any assistance to you in your battle.”

  I left Regata sitting by the water. Soon the sun would be setting, and I knew he would find himself a nice spot in one of the trees to sleep in, if he hadn’t already. When I arrived back at the estate I was told a DSC message had come in for me from Commodore Stonbersa on the NEW ORLEANS saying they were making good time on their way to Plosaxen, and they anticipated arriving there a few hours before the HOSPIN. He also stated that Marranalis had reported in that the HOSPIN was on course and still was not cloaked. Marranalis and the fighter crews stopped firing on the HOSPIN since its RMFF had been activated, but that they still were in pursuit and would join up with the NEW ORLEANS at Plosaxen. I looked about for Kala and Jenira and was told they had headed back to the cottage as Kala said she was feeling tired. While I knew that in later staged of pregnancy that was not uncommon I still was concerned, I had Piebar locate a pilot to shuttle me to the cottage also. As we approached the lodge I noted a military patrol ship parked in one of the landing areas. Its new appearance and freshness clued me in that it belonged a high-ranking official, so I was not surprised when I arrived at the cottage to find Admiral Regeny seated at the table drinking foccee with Kala and Jenira.

  “There you are, Tib,” Kala said when I entered. The Admiral arrived here about 10 minutes ago and says he needs to speak with you on an urgent matter.” By now the Admiral had risen from his chair and stood looking at me with a smile on his face. I had seen that smile before and I didn’t like it, because every time he had that smile, he had gotten me into another mess.

  “Vice Admiral Tibby,” he began, and I now was sure this was going to lead to another request for my services in some way.

  “Admiral Regeny,” I replied, “what is it you want me to do this time?” The Admiral got a sullen look on his face as though my having figured out he was going to ask me to perform some task had now ruined his upcoming request.

  “Leave it to you to be one step ahead of me, as always,” he exclaimed. “All right I’ll get right to the point. Tibby, we desperately need your help. I’ve spoken with a number surviving members of the Senate Defense Committee and they are in agreement that as soon as the Senate reconvenes tomorrow, if there are enough senators left to vote on it, to invoke the War Powers Act again. Their first duty will be to elect an interim leader, and the word is it will probably be Senator Tonclin, that’s good news for us. The Senate defense committee is going to request emergency funding to build new ships and recruit additional men for the military. They want to increase the size of the fleet and the number of men we have by at least 100 times bigger than it now is. It will take years to build starships; it requires almost four years to build just one, so we're going to need a lot of smaller ships like frigates with a lot of fire power but fewer men. We’ll need more corvettes as well.”

  “So what is it you want from me? Money! I don’t know what my resources are looking like at the moment but from the last balance I saw, I have more money now with the interest I am getting than I had when I received it, so I am sure I can help out if that’s what you need.”

  “I wish that money was what we did need, Tibby, but it’s not that simple. We need you, not your money, but you, and your leadership capabilities and your strategic thinking. If the Senate completely restores the War Powers Act, it will require the reactivation of fleet admirals to command sectors of Federation space and fleets. In the past Solbidyum War we had three fleets, each commanded by a fleet admiral all answering to the rear admiral. After the war when things calmed down, the fleet was reduced in size the need for fleet admirals no longer existed, their positions were eliminated from the military rank. Now the need is back, and the Senate Defense Committee plans to reinstate the positions and they have asked me to ask you to take on the role as one of the fleet admirals.”

  I looked at Kala, who stared at me waiting to see what I would say. Beside her Jenira stood in a tense pose, her hands clenched in fists and her lips pinched. I could not tell if she wanted me to say yes and lead her into battle, or if she expected me to say no and to take care of Kala and the babies. I looked back at Kala again and I felt myself slumping with the weight of the universe pressing down on my shoulders. This was not what I wanted, it seemed that all that I had done since arriving in the Federation was to fight one battle after another, when all I wanted was peace and time to spend the rest of my life with Kala relaxing and raising a family in safety.

  I was about to ask the admiral to give me time to think it over, at least a day or so when my writs com alerted me to a message from Piebar.

  “Tibby here,” I answered.

  “Tibby there is a Gravity Wave message pod that arrived in orbit and is broadcasting that it contains a message for you."

  “What do I need to do to access it?” I asked. I had never received a message directed to me this way before and was unfamiliar with the process.

  “I’ll show you, Tib,” Kala said she walked over to the vid screen on the wall. “Piesew, what is the retrieval code?”

  “Piesew provided her with a string of numbers which Kala entered via a touch screen key pad, and then she turned to me and said. “Say your name and then say activate and the message should start playing.”

  “Ahh… Tibby, activate,” I said. Nothing happened.

  “Try your full name,” Kala said.

  “Thibodaux James Renwalt, activate.” Instantly the screen lit up to reveal Roritat and Ming standing on the bridge of the HOSPIN.

  “I’m assuming you survived our going-away present," Roritat said, “You’re too lucky to have died this easy, but I’m sure that in time, we’ll find a slow and painful way for you to die. Ming here thinks it might be fun to slow roast you and then force feed your cooked body to all the Federation officials who support you, but I don’t think that’s bad enough. We’ll think of something.

  “It was a real pleasure destroying your estate, now you will have to really do something on your own and not ride on the coattails of a genius like Galetils, but then Galetils wasn’t the real genius now, was he? It’s that creature A’Lappe that’s who is the actual genius. You think we don’t know about him or know where he is? Eventually, we’ll get him and see to it that he is put to use for the Brotherhood; that too is only a matter of time.

  “You’re probably wondering what Ming is doing here. I thought that perhaps having someone from your home planet who is a genius in military strategy and who thinks like an Earth man like yourself might level the playing field. I’m making Ming a war lord for the Brotherhood, be expecting to see him soon.” Ming laughed and then leaned over and said something to Roritat. “Ming wants me to tell you that we may have to hasten our attacks, so he can get back to you sooner; he said he wants to eat your children while they are young and tender.” Both Roritat and Ming laughed, and the screen went blank.

  Where just moments ago I had doubts and reservations about accepting Admiral Regeny’s request, I now had resolve. There was no way I could sit back and not do anything while these mad men went about threatening and destroying the universe, but even more so there was no way I would let anyone threaten my family! “Admiral, I accept your offer.” I answered.

  END OFBOOK

  BOOK 4 – TOO LATE FOR EARTH

  COMING SOON

  SOLBIDYUM WARS SAGA – BOOK 5 – D
ESOLATION

  Just days after the attack on the Federation Capitol and the death of thousands of senators, Tibby accepts the biggest challenge of his life by becoming a Fleet Admiral for Federation. The Brotherhood has commandeered the Star Ship HAPRIN with the intentions of attacking the military, and government facilities, at Plosaxen. Tibby is still at the capitol when he contacts his space yacht, the NEW ORLEANS, which is just finishing up repairs at Nibaria and asks them to fly ahead to Plosaxen and use its Reverse magnetic Force Field shields to deflect shots by the HAPRIN directed at the planet. Meanwhile, Tibby is officially commissioned into the Federation Space Force as a Fleet Admiral by the Senate. He and Kalana use Tibby’s Mirage Fighter, the ALI to join up with the NEW ORLEANS at Plosaxen. Before they arrive, the Brotherhood, on the HAPRIN, is joined by their ally a Tottalax warship. When Tibby and Kalana arrive, the cloaked NEW ORLEANS is taking heavy fire acting as an invisible shield. Tibby and Kalana are forced to remain cloaked themselves while they wait for the battle to wane so they can board the NEW ORLEANS, however, before they can do so the Tottalax unleashes their sleep weapon in an attempt to disable the NEW ORLEANS crew. Tibby and Kalana are rendered unconscious aboard the ALI as ship continues on its flight path after colliding with the Tottalax. Tibby awakens to alarms going off and the ALI is about to crash into a planet. He discovers his ship has apparently been damaged by an impact with the HAPRIN after he and Kalana lost consciousness. Tibby is barely able to make an emergency landing on the remote desert planet aptly named Desolation when Kalana awakens and announces she is going into labor. Tibby must help Kalana deliver the twins; the ALI is unable to take off or fly again, and nearest help is two light-years away Tibby activates an emergency signal for assistance and rescue, knowing it may be years, if ever, that it will be detected and help arrives.

  Tibby has no way of knowing what is happening with the war against the Brotherhood. He knows he needs to get back and take command of the 1st fleet but for now he must focus on caring for Kalana and the twins in a hostile environment, with strange nocturnal creatures on a planet that seems dead by day but comes to life after the sun sets. As time progresses, Tibby must deal with the nagging thought of who will hear his emergency message and arrive first, his friends to rescue him, or the Brotherhood that seeks to kill him.