"You were doing what your training taught you to do and what Second Fleet HQ wanted you to, just as I was doing what I believed Second Fleet would have wanted me to do when I ordered the delay to install those sensors. It's just fate, I guess. But I can't help feeling I'm missing something. It doesn't make sense that the Denubbewa fleet would just pack up and go before completing the Dakinium sheathing operation. And we know they hadn't yet fully sheathed very many of those warships when we arrived. They must have somehow learned we were here and vacated that site within twenty-four hours."
"Perhaps they have some way of detecting us when we pass by them or pass through them while we're in a double envelope," Commander Ashraf said.
"Perhaps," Christa said. "If they can, we've just lost another major advantage we had over them until now."
"I just had a wild thought," Commander Fareman said. "You told us of the debriefing you conducted with the Denubbewa you brought aboard the Koshi. You said the Denubbewa could overhear all communications aboard a ship?"
"That's what the cyborg said."
"Well, how about if he was able to plant a small transceiver somewhere aboard the Koshi?"
"He never left the table he was placed on when first brought aboard. He didn't have the run of the ship."
"But he could have dropped something tiny somewhere."
"The Dakinium is supposed to block all signals from passing through the hull."
"Our people just figured out how to make the undetectable detectable. Perhaps they figured out how to make the un-transmittable transmittable."
"Or how about this," Fareman said. "The whole 'seeking freedom' story was a lie. You did find the Denubbewa ship right next to a derelict you would certainly have stopped to investigate. What if there was another Denubbewa, an individual, outside the ship, wearing Dakinium armor or a Dakinium EVA suit. Do cyborgs need to breathe air? Anyway, he would not have shown up on your sensors so he could have planted some kind of bug on your hull and the hull of the Seeker when it arrived. Then, when we arrived at the battle site a couple of months ago, they immediately knew we were in the vicinity there so they packed up and hit the spaceways."
"If I wasn't paranoid before, I'm certainly getting there now," Christa said with a grin.
"A Space Command officer I admire very much," Commander Ashraf said, "once told me that the line between paranoia and security-consciousness can be extremely blurry and often invisible."
"Yes, I've heard Jenetta say that. The difference seems to be that the paranoid merely anguishes over things they feel they can't control while the security-aware individual takes action to protect themselves and others."
"So what will it be, Commander?" Kalborne asked. "Anguish or action?"
"Action— always. First we'll scour the interior of this ship for any transmitters the Denubbewa may have planted or dropped. Second, and concurrently, we'll have the exterior of the ship scoured for locator beacons and then scour the Seeker and all forty-eight CPS-16s as well. It's going to be a lot of work, but we must determine if we've been bugged or tagged. The Denubbewa had to know we'd arrived near the battle site, and we need to learn just how they discovered our presence before we had a chance to strike."
"I'll get my CPS engineers suited up and externally checking their ships for locator beacons while my Marines and engineers search the Seeker," Commander Ashraf said.
"My engineers and Marines can help," Kalborne said.
"My engineers and Marines can assist the Koshi personnel," Fareman said. "With everyone working, we'll resolve this issue tout de suite."
~ ~ ~
"I have good news and bad news," XO Mollago said when he entered Christa's office.
She put the viewpad down on the desk and looked up at him. "Give me the good news. I could use some."
"We've ascertained that there's no Denubbewa transmitter anywhere inside this ship."
"Great."
"Plus, there are no locator beacons on any of the CPS-16s or the Seeker."
"You've covered everything except the Koshi. Is that the bad news you saved for last?"
"Yes, Captain. We found a cyborg on the hull."
"A cyborg? On the hull?"
"Yes, it had fastened itself to a Dakinium latch-pin our engineers use when doing maintenance. And it was enclosed in a Dakinium EVA suit so it could travel with us wherever we went. We think it's been there since we first discovered the Dakinium-sheathed Denubbewa ship."
"Attached to the ship for all these past months? And no one noticed it when we arrived at Lorense-Three and then in the fleet parking around Quesann?"
"It was hidden pretty well, and it was all black on a black hull. So it's understandable that it would have evaded detection."
"Is it still alive?"
"It was when we located it. But it didn't want to be brought inside so it accidentally got shot a dozen times in the faceplate during the struggle. The faceplate was the only place it wasn't covered by Dakinium."
"Accidentally?"
"I'm assured by the Marines involved that it certainly appeared that way, Captain. The only thing I don't understand is how it recharged. It would have been on the hull for months while we were traveling."
"Sywasock said cyborgs can shut down and not require any power for up to a year. So this cyborg might have done that while we were traveling or when there was no activity. So our hull is now totally free of locator beacons?"
"Uh, yes."
"Why the uh?"
"There's more bad news."
"Lay it on me."
"The Denubbewa had another small device in addition to what we believe is the locator beacon."
"And have we determined what it is?"
"Lt. Burton has begun working on it. He believes it's a mass storage recording device. It was plugged into the cyborg's chest. Burton believes the cyborg was able to store everything he picked up with the telecommunication capabilities built into his body."
"He made recordings?"
"Yes, Captain."
"If there was no transmitter inside the hull, then he couldn't have been receiving anything from someone inside the ship."
"Well, yes and no. When your cyborg was transferred in a yard shuttle, there was no Dakinium shielding him after he left the ship until he was put into a holding cell."
"And you think he might have recorded everything I discussed with him in his internal electronics and then transmitted it to the cyborg hidden on the hull during processing."
"It's possible."
"Yes, it's very possible. It's also possible that the cyborg on the ship was able to record tens of thousands of Space Command conversations, messages, and reports while he was on the hull and the ship was at Lorense-Three and then again when we were with the fleet around Quesann. A lot of it would have been encrypted, but it's amazing what you can learn from ordinary conversations. Tell Lt. Burton to be very careful with that device. If it does contain telecommunications data, we must know what was on it. The Denubbewa cyborg could have transmitted all that data as soon as we got close to the Denubbewa fleet here."
"Yes, Captain."
"Good job, XO. Give my compliments to everyone who participated in this effort."
"Yes, Captain."
* * *
Chapter Seventeen
~ July 8th, 2291 ~
"Good Morning, Admiral Carver," the G.A. Senate President said cordially as Jenetta was welcomed into the enormous room. She was then escorted to a seat facing the center of the raised dais where the fifteen-member Senate Council sat while conducting business. Cayla and Tayna were, as always, by Jenetta's side.
"Good Morning, President Fluessa," she replied as she sat down. The two Jumakas took their places on the floor on either side of her legs.
"I asked you to attend this closed session of the Council to discuss your request that we approve sentiency for the Jumaka race on Taurentlus-Thur."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm afraid that while much of the Council favors bes
towing sentiency status, there is opposition, so we will not be forwarding the resolution to the full Senate."
"May I be permitted to know who opposes it?"
"We are not allowed to disclose how Senate Council members vote on Council business. When a matter goes to the full Senate, the votes are a matter of public record."
"But if the Council doesn't forward a resolution to the full Senate for a vote, there's no voting record for the citizens of the G.A. to learn how senators have voted behind closed doors."
"That's the way it's been since the Senate was established."
"Actually, the Council votes were public information until the Council elected to alter the procedures and keep its voting history a secret from the G.A. public."
There was a silence in the room that lasted a full minute as the Council members looked at one another and then at Jenetta.
"Regardless," the Senate President said, "matters under discussion and the voting history of Council members are not open to scrutiny by the public."
"I understand, Mr. President. And I don't actually need to hear who opposes sentiency for Jumakas. I believe I already know."
"You do?"
"Yes. It's fairly obvious who stands to gain if sentiency is refused. And by that I mean personal gain, not political gain."
Speaking sternly, the Council president said, "I would caution you not to reveal confidential information you learned while attending a Council meeting."
"Mr. President, I haven't learned anything while attending this Council meeting so I can hardly be accused of revealing something I learned here."
"On the contrary, you've— uh— you've learned that the sentiency request will not be forwarded to the full Senate for a vote."
"That's hardly confidential information, Mr. President. The people of the Galactic Alliance are waiting anxiously to see what you've learned in your sentiency investigation. When you fail to send the measure to the Senate for a full vote, everyone in the G.A. will know you've intentionally suppressed the vote. They already know Jumakas are sentient. They have the proof of their own eyes and ears. Some planets have already declared Jumakas to be sentient, and more will do so. Those planets are going to demand to see the test data that refutes that declaration. When you fail to make it public because it proves Jumaka sentiency, they'll know you're hiding something for political reasons or personal gain."
"I remind you that as Admiral of the Fleet, you serve at our pleasure."
"I serve the people of the G.A. not because I have to, but because I choose to. I serve as Admiral of the Fleet because the G.A. Senate promoted me into this position, and I will step down immediately should the full G.A. Senate vote to request or demand my resignation. At that point, I will very happily return to my estate on Obotymot and to my duties there as an Azula and as a Lady of the Royal House of Nordakia. As to the matter of sentiency for the Jumakas, seven G.A. member planets, including their home planet of Taurentlus-Thur, have already enacted legislation that recognizes Jumakas as sentient beings on their planets. Their rights are forever guaranteed there and they are legally protected while on the planet. To keep a Jumaka imprisoned on any of those seven planets is considered an act of slavery. Anyone who keeps a Jumaka imprisoned anywhere else in G.A. space will be arrested as a slaver should they ever set foot on any of those planets. I believe that in time, Jumakas will be recognized as sentient beings everywhere in the G.A., despite the efforts of one G.A. Senate Councilman to block such passage for personal gain."
"Perhaps I should also remind you, Admiral, that you have requested that we, the G.A. Senate Council, approve a Marine ground force and then forward such recommendation to the full Senate for a vote. Irritating a senator who will vote that initiative up or down will not improve your chances."
"I expect the senators to vote the way their consciences dictate, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the MGF is not for me personally, but for the citizens of the G.A. I get nothing from it except a heavier workload. I will say, however, that if the Senate ever wants to see the rule of law and order established in Region Three, it must approve the measure. If it doesn't, then anarchy, slavery, counterfeiting, and illegal drug production and dissemination will continue to flourish there. It's your choice, Senators. If you want me to clean up the region, I need the tools and manpower to do that. If I don't get it, you'll have to explain the continued lawlessness to your constituents.
"There's a matter I hadn't intended to bring up today, Mr. President, but as long as I'm here, I guess I will. The Denubbewa are back— in force."
"The Denubbewa?" the Senate President said. "I thought they were all but eradicated."
"No, not eradicated. Space Command gave them a good thrashing, but they keep coming back. A force of some twelve motherships and an estimated four thousand warships were recently spotted in a remote area of Region Three. SCI believes they're making preparations to take control of Region Three away from the G.A."
"This information seems quite convenient, coming as it does following your request for a major appropriation increase."
Opening a folder she'd brought with her, Jenetta handed several photos to the escort who was standing by her side. The escort then took the photos to the Senate president. "These were taken when one of our CPS-16s overflew a Denubbewa fleet a few months ago."
As the photos passed among the senators, jaws dropped. After they'd all had an opportunity to view them, the Senate president said, "How can they possibly have assembled four thousand warships here without anyone seeing them arrive?"
"Space command has been receiving sighting reports of Denubbewa ships for some time. I only learned about it when I returned from my leave of absence. We dispatched four squadrons of CPS-16s to see if they could locate them, and they did."
"Did they engage them?"
"The two CPS-16s that located them couldn't possibly destroy thousands of Denubbewa warships by themselves, Senator. So they pulled back and reported the find. My last message from that sector is that our people are waiting for our forces to arrive so they can attack this one small group of Denubbewa ships."
"One small group? You define four thousand ships to be a small group?"
"Yes, Mr. President. From everything we've been able to learn about the Denubbewa, this is a small group. We assume they're evaluating our defenses. When they attack, they'll reportedly come in numbers that will stagger the imagination. And if those reports are accurate, we don't have one tenth the number of ships and people we will need to patrol G.A. space properly and defeat the Denubbewa when we encounter them."
"Is this an additional request for an increased budget?"
"You have the evidence of what we face in your hands. We do the best we can with what we've got. But if you want us to finally gain control of Region Three, end the lawlessness there, and eradicate the Denubbewa threat, we'll need you to approve the requested MGF appropriation in addition to substantially increasing our annual appropriation for ships and personnel. Senators, the G.A. is roughly six times larger than it was when it only consisted of Region One, yet the Space Command budget is just two-point-one-seven times larger than it was back then when our biggest problem was the Raider organization. And speaking of the Raider organization, we know they control a significant amount of the slavery, drug, and counterfeiting operations in Region Three. If left unchecked, it could spread to Region Two and destabilize the law enforcement efforts we've managed to put in place there only with the help of the Milori."
"Are you suggesting that you'd welcome the Milori Home Guard to join Space Command?"
"The Milori make excellent law enforcement personnel. Their Home Guard has been extremely effective at controlling crime in the sectors where we've permitted them to operate. It would help if we could train them to perform as Space Command personnel and have them adopt our method of doing things."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this," one of the senators said. "Next you'll be telling us we have to give them seats in the Sen
ate."
"They should have seats in the Senate. They've shown themselves to be loyal to the G.A., and they are a member planet."
"They've applied, but we haven't formally recognized them as yet," another of the senators said.
"It's overdue. They should be recognized for the progress they've made in restructuring their society away from war and violence and at complying with G.A. law. They deserve a seat at the table."
"At this table?" one of the senators said, gesturing towards the bench that ran the length of the dais.
"I was talking figuratively and referring to the Senate body as a whole."
"The Milori question will be dealt with at the proper time," the Senate President said, "as will the issue of increasing your appropriation and establishing a Marine ground force. Tell us what you intend to do about the Denubbewa."
"We'll do as we've always done. We'll hunt them down and destroy them at every opportunity. They know they'll be treated as invaders every time we encounter them in G.A. space. They've had ample opportunity to leave, yet they keep coming, and in greater numbers every year. We must eradicate them, and we will work tirelessly in that regard. I don't wish to become a cyborg any more than you do, and we know that's what they intend for us should they ever get control."
"What is it you need most?"
"First, many more ships and the personnel to man them. It takes time to build ships and recruit and train new personnel, so the longer we delay, the more dangerous the situation becomes. Second, we need more scientists to help us produce the next generation of weapons. I'm not necessarily talking about arms research. Rather, we need better detection equipment that will help us locate enemies in the vastness of space. Once we find them, we can destroy them. It's locating and identifying the invaders that gives us the greatest problem. If we knew where the Denubbewa were in Region Three, we could send everything we have at them and destroy them. But until we have a better means of locating them, we'll just continue patrolling the Region and hope we run across them."
"What kind of equipment would you like to see in operation?"
Changing of the Guard (A Galaxy Unknown - Book 11) Page 20
