"But we resurrected him and gave him a new purpose in life, even if he was only substituting one master for another."
"Think of it this way. For a couple of weeks he was his own person again, able to think and act according to his own wishes even if he had no choice in the overall mission."
"I guess," she said with a sigh. "Hey, I'd better get going or my squadron will be leaving without me."
"Good luck out there."
"Thanks. Enjoy the popcorn."
"I would never say this to Dillon, but I envy you right now."
"We've both seen our share of action."
"Yes, we have." Eliza said. "And I'm grateful I've never been shot."
"Ouch. Don't remind me." The sisters hugged and then Christa hurried out while Eliza looked around the room and thought about the upcoming engagement and the poor cyborg who'd gotten his humanity back, although limited and only for a short time. After a couple of minutes, she shrugged and headed towards AC&C.
* * *
Chapter Twenty-Seven
~ February 16th, 2292 ~
Christa sat in the command chair on the bridge, staring at the huge monitor at the front while the crew prepared for the attack. The ships about to participate in the organized chaos that would follow were currently positioning themselves for departure from the assembly area. More than a light-year away, the fleet of Denubbewa warships sat quietly, hopefully unaware of the destruction about to befall them. The arrival at the battle site and the first detonations from the attack would occur within seconds of the scheduled time for all Space Command vessels.
As far as anyone in Space Command knew, the Denubbewa didn't have Neutrino Measurement Sensors, so the Dakinium sheathing of the SC fleet would keep their presence from being observed by the enemy fleet while sitting at the RP. Every ship in the attack group did have the sensors, so the position of every other SC vessel within ten kilometers was visible on their monitors.
The course to the Denubbewa fleet had been entered into the navigation computer of every ship, and their double envelopes would be built three minutes before deployment. The chronometer on the helmsman’s consoles, synchronized with the chronometers of all ships participating in the battle, would actually engage the drive at the correct nanosecond. One full second before the first bomb was to be dropped, the Alpha-Twelve rotating-frequency ship-protection code would begin being broadcast by every Space Command ship in the sector. This wasn't to prevent a Space Command vessel from being damaged by friendly-fire but simply to track the positions of all Space Command vessels because the signal could identify all fleet ships out to a distance of eight billion kilometers using the DeTect system. The Denubbewa might become aware that an unidentified signal was being broadcast, but they wouldn't know what it meant until their ships began exploding in their midst. At that time, many command officers might begin to suspect it was indicative of the method Space Command used to teleport bombs directly into their ships.
As the chronometer neared the departure time, all talk ceased on the bridge and all eyes were on the time displayed on the front monitor. With exactly three minutes left, the double envelope finished engulfing the ship. When the chronometer reached zero, the ship attained Marc-One without anyone feeling the slightest movement. The chronometer immediately reset to thirty-six minutes, the time it would take to reach the Denubbewa RP.
Activity on the bridge returned to normal after that. When the time ticked down to single digits again, it would almost be time to begin the destruction of the Denubbewa armada. Once the attack began, the helmsman on each ship would head directly for one of the ships in their 'lane.' As the ship slowed and entered a Denubbewa ship, the tactical officer would release a bomb, whereupon the helmsman would apply power and proceed to another ship after bypassing about a hundred. The ship behind the SD would target the first ship after the one that was currently blowing apart. And so on and so on for all the ships behind the SD. It wouldn't matter if a ship or two or twenty was missed. Other squadrons were waiting for any ships that made it out of the RP area. None would escape because the Space Command vessels could travel more than thirty times the speed of the fastest Denubbewa ship.
"Captain," the Com Chief said as the Koshi ejected its fourth WOLaR bomb, "we just received that signal."
"What signal, Chief?"
"Like the one we received right after we dropped off that special package a few weeks ago."
"Where did it come from?"
"It seemed to come from the third warship we bombed."
The most recently ejected WOLaR, the fourth, detonated as the chief petty officer spoke.
Christa sighed and said, "Thanks, Chief."
Where previously the SC ships had completed the initial bombing run and then turned to make pass after pass until there were no more targets, most of the Denubbewa armada fell victim to the attackers on just the first pass. Naturally, some warships managed to escape, but the SC ships lying in wait were in hot pursuit as the Denubbewa ships only briefly managed to escape death from the attack at their RP.
"Well done," Captain Gavin said in an announcement to all ships after the fleet paused to regroup. "Not one ship has survived our attack. I guess we can call this a clean sweep. We still have a lot of work to do. We must clean up this mess before we rest. So send out your shuttles to push the destroyed ships back into the central area. And again, well done."
"You heard the boss," Christa said to her squadron commanders. "We've done this before. We have to get this mess cleaned up and ready for the ships from Quesann to collect it for recycling."
"What do we do with the cyborg, uh, bodies we find?" Commander Fareman asked. "Do I have my people bisect them?"
"No, SCI now wants us to preserve all of them that are still alive."
"Are we starting our own cyborg battalion, Commander?" Commander Kalborne asked jokingly.
"I certainly hope not. I believe SCI is hoping to gather intelligence. They've learned how to download the information the cyborgs possess in their electronic memories. That data may help us in future engagements. This war isn't over. In fact, some think it's just beginning. As evidenced by the fact that they were sheathing their ships with Dakinium, the Denubbewa continually evolve, and so must we. We have to stay well ahead of them."
~ ~ ~
Even with the shuttles from four hundred ships working to clear the site, it took a couple of weeks to round up all the pieces of the Denubbewa ships and drag them to a collection point. Engineers from one of the SDs strung cable between a few of the larger sections initially to keep them together and then others started cabling additional large sections as they were pushed to the quickly expanding pile. As the pile increased in magnitude, the cabled sections added a degree of stability to the collection of scrap. Denubbewa bodies collected during the effort were put into a separate area. If the Denubbewa appeared to still be alive, they were brought to the Ares. Christa warned Captain Gavin that the Denubbewa had the ability to pick up all electronic signals within the ship, including CT transmissions, so Gavin had the engineers completely enclose one hold with a wire grid that would interfere with electromagnetic signals. The grid didn't totally block the signals, as Dakinium plating would, but it distorted the signals so much that the messages were unintelligible. Then the engineers began working on sheathing a hold with Dakinium plates from the Denubbewa ship scrap.
With the entire Denubbewa advance armada destroyed, along with all of the Denubbewa warships that had already been in G.A. space, there was no further reason to block unnecessary communications so all restrictions were lifted and military personnel were permitted to send vidMails to family and friends. The normal time limit was extended to ten minutes per day for the first week.
~ ~ ~
There was no way of knowing when the Denubbewa would attempt another invasion or even where they would try, so once the RP was somewhat orderly, Captain Gavin began releasing most of the CPS-14s and 15s so they could return to their regular duty assignme
nts. Gavin retained all of the SDs because each had, at a minimum, a full Marine platoon on board. The Ares itself had come close to cleaning out Harrat Island Marine Base and brought a full brigade of four thousand Marines for this mission. The base had temporarily acquired the look of an abandoned base, with the remainder of the needed Marines acquired by temporarily reducing by half, the Marine complement on all warships at Quesann.
Battleships normally had one or two companies of Marines on board because of the inability to predict a situation that would require ground troops, but a brigade was unheard of. The reason there were so many Marines on the Ares on this occasion was simple. Jenetta wanted the motherships Christa had saved from destruction thoroughly searched. Her orders had specified that no corridor, no hold, no room, no locker, and no access tunnel was to be marked as clear until it had been checked. Gavin told them that as each area was checked, it had to be signed off by the senior officer or enlisted person in charge. And further, if an area was later found not to be clear, the officer in command and everyone else in that unit would forever regret the day they stepped foot on the Ares.
~ ~ ~
Searching seven motherships, each the size of a small city, was going to take time— lots of time. But Gavin had made it clear that if anyone ever wanted to get back to Quesann or Harrat Island Marine base, they would have to complete this job. So the Marines threw themselves into the task. They had equipment that could detect the heartbeat of a mouse at a hundred meters, but they had nothing for detecting cyborgs that hadn't yet been activated so the entire mothership from sail to keel and larboard to starboard had to be visually checked.
To save time, the Marines decided to first occupy each mothership to be searched. There seemed to be an infinite number of holds from which to choose for their bivouac, and they found one with fresh water for their mess hall with another enormous hold next to it for their sleeping accommodations. The Denubbewa didn't need oxygen, but there was oxygen/nitrogen capability throughout the ship and it was activated in all areas other than the port in the center of the mothership where ships docked. One officer speculated that they must have needed the systems to keep slaves alive until they could turn them into cyborg drones. Or perhaps the original Denubbewa population were air breathers. Whatever the reason, a breathable atmosphere throughout made the job substantially easier. The Marines were all wearing their personal armor throughout the day, but they relied on the air in the ship for breathing unless their armor warned them of a problem. If that was to occur, the suit would automatically close the vents to outside air and fall back on the re-breather units and small oxygen replenishment supply.
~ ~ ~
When the first of the motherships was declared totally clean of any Denubbewa cyborgs, Gavin assigned a squadron of CPS-16s to drag it to one of the locations established by the A.B. Knowing that the double envelope created by a single CPS-16 could be extended to completely eclipse the mothership, one was tethered to the Denubbewa vessel and departed, with much fanfare. Once at their new location, the squadron would remain there until relieved. As soon as Quesann received notification that the mothership was on its way, several destroyers at Quesann would leave to meet them and the CPS-16's new homeport would become the newest space station in G.A. space.
~ ~ ~
"Commander Christa Carver, reporting as ordered, sir," Christa said to Captain Gavin as she entered his office and braced to attention in front of his desk. Christa managed to hold her stolid stance until Gavin said "At ease, Commander," despite the fact that the ship's executive officer, Commander Eliza Carver, was grinning at her from an oh-gee side chair next to the desk. She stood up when Gavin rose from his chair.
"Christa," Captain Gavin said, "you and your four squadrons have done an incredible job out here. The people of the G.A. owe you a debt of gratitude. None of us believe this is the end of the Denubbewa effort to absorb this part of space, but we're better positioned to fight off their invasion attempts now than at any time in the past, and we'll continue to get stronger with each passing day. We will continue to drive them back or destroy them whenever they come at us again. Unfortunately, the cyborgs are about as close to being machines as anything could be, and machines have just one objective. They will continue to perform whatever jobs they've been created or programmed to perform to the exclusion of all other considerations. With the Denubbewa cyborgs, this means they'll continue to prosecute this war until one or the other of us are no more. By securing those seven motherships for our use, you've helped us tremendously. Once they're checked and moved to a strategic location, we'll begin using them to give us a better presence in this part of space. And having a better presence, as happened with Stewart, can make all the difference when it comes to extending the rule of law and order, not to mention being better prepared should an outside force attack."
Christa had been trying to figure out where Gavin was going with the little speech, but he hadn't yet made the point he seemed to be working towards. Was he going to tell her that her squadron was going to be stationed out here? Or, even worse, that she was going to be placed in command of one of the new space stations as had happened to Jenetta when she managed to capture the Raider base that eventually became Stewart Space Command Base?
"Christa, when you stepped slightly outside the orders instructing you to destroy every Denubbewa ship you encountered, you showed the courage that real commanders always exhibit. We don't want machines in command of our forces. We want intelligent commanders who know that sometimes they must briefly obey the true spirit of our objectives. Before we left Quesann, Jenetta told me that all members of the Admiralty Board were delighted you hadn't destroyed the seven motherships. The G.A. Senate has approved substantial increases to the Space Command budget to allow us to prepare for the war with the Denubbewa, and having these seven bases almost ready to occupy will mean that more funds can be devoted to ships and manpower. The A.B. was already making preparations to occupy the seven new bases before the Ares left Quesann. I want to thank you on behalf of the G.A. for your loyalty and dedication to the G.A. and Space Command, and your superb performance out here. I wish I could bestow a more tangible sign of our appreciation, but promotions and medals are the province of the A.B. However, I have written a letter of commendation that will be placed in your file."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."
"You're most welcome. Now, my XO has something to tell you. XO?"
"Christa, I've been told that a cyborg has been asking to meet with you— alone."
"A cyborg? With me? Alone?"
"Isn't that what I just said?"
"Yes, I guess I was taken a little aback. Why me?"
"I'm sure I don't know. Would you like me to accompany you?"
"Uh, no, that's not necessary. Where is it?"
"Down on the security deck in one of the shielded rooms."
"Okay, I'll stop down there and see what it's about."
"It might be one that learned you led the forces before the Ares arrived and wants to promise they'll leave the G.A. for good if we release the surviving cyborgs."
"If that's what it wants, it's going to be disappointed. I'm the one who ordered that all cyborgs be destroyed— until Quesann overruled my standing orders." Looking at Gavin, she said, "I'll go down there now if that's all, sir."
"You're dismissed, Commander."
"Yes, sir." Christa said as she braced to attention and then turned and left the room.
There were both advantages and disadvantages to having a face and appearance identical to the Admiral of the Fleet, who was also the most famous person in G.A. space. One advantage was that no one ever questioned your authority once you passed a retinal scan, if your rank permitted you to issue such orders.
"I'm here to see the cyborg that's been requesting to see me, Staff Sergeant," Christa said as she completed the retinal scan necessary to enter the security area.
"Aye, Commander. This way."
The Marine noncom led Christa to
a secure holding cell, then said, "The cyborg is secure, Commander, but do you wish to have a guard accompany you?"
"As long as it's unarmed, I should be fine."
"Oh, it's definitely unarmed, ma'am," the Staff Sergeant said with a mostly suppressed snigger.
"Then open the door and leave."
The noncom ordered the guard to unlock the door and saluted Christa, then turned and left.
Christa pulled the heavy door open and entered the room. There was only one cyborg in there, and as soon as Christa saw it, she understood the guard's comment about it being unarmed. It had no arms, only partial stumps where its legs had been, and its chest-protection plate was bent and scarred.
"Commander Carver," the cyborg said. "At last."
"Uh, you requested to see me?"
"I've been requesting to see you for weeks."
"Why?"
"I'm M934CVY9274NT209W."
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
"Sorry. I'm D01 of SCI."
"D01? The cyborg I brought out here?"
"The very same."
"Prove it. Where did you come from originally?"
"I don't know. My memory was wiped clean, erasing all knowledge of my homeland. The SCI took me from the Denubbewa warship you found that was being used by the Elobian scientists in their getaway."
"Okay. You pass the test. Uh, are you in pain?"
"Not any more. Cyborgs do feel pain when they're first injured. It's necessary so we know when we've been injured, but we have the ability to turn off the pain receptors once we acknowledge the injury. I feel quite comfortable, except I can't get up and move about."
"What happened to you after we dropped you off?"
"I hid the pieces of the bomb casing and was then able to move about freely on the Denubbewa warship without question. Since I wasn't listed as being part of the crew, no one tried to assign me to any work details. I located a likely target— a security officer with two blue dots— and waited for my chance to kidnap him. When your fleet attacked, I was just about to render the security officer unconscious. I never got the chance. Suddenly the whole ship was destroyed around me. I wasn't injured in the explosion but I was damaged when the overhead collapsed onto the deck where I was. The security officer was critically injured because the casing that contained his brain was damaged. As he died, he grabbed me and entered an encrypted message into my memory in case I survived."
Changing of the Guard (A Galaxy Unknown - Book 11) Page 32
