by S. H. Jucha
“Continue,” Alex said, when Myron paused to see if his assumptions were correct.
Myron surveyed the faces arrayed in front of him — three humans and two SADEs — and realized this visit wasn’t a test of him. They were a recruiting party.
“Here’s how I see it, Sir,” Myron said, addressing Alex, his hands tucked behind him in a parade-rest position. “If you take the combat-ready warriors who wish to be part of your expedition, you’ll need me. The warriors will be in unfamiliar circumstances and fighting in unknown quarters. My two staff members will close the academy, and the remaining warriors will return to their nests. More than likely my staff members will relocate to Omnia City. They won’t be returning to New Terra. Of the nineteen warriors I would recommend, more than a few have mates. They’ll go, if their mates can travel with them. Can I assume they’ll be quartered aboard the Freedom?”
“Yes, if Alex approves,” Cordelia replied.
Myron glanced toward Cordelia, the two momentarily locked eyes. He nodded in approval of what he saw. SADE or no, the commodore was firmly in control of her command responsibilities. Myron returned his attention to Alex and waited.
“What of Homsaff?” Alex asked.
“She’s the leader, Sir. She’ll go, making the count twenty. And if you ask about Pussiro, I can tell you that he’ll stay on Omnia,” Myron replied.
“Where are the warriors now?” Alex asked.
“They’re in a training exercise. They can be recalled, if you wish,” Myron replied. He was sensing that the Dischnya were key to some part of Alex’s plan. His participation depended on whether the warriors were willing to go. For his part, he was ready. He itched to be part of a major conflict and lead the Dischnya warriors. In his mind, they were the finest soldiers he’d ever trained.
“Let’s visit them,” Alex said. “Walk or ride?” he asked.
“Might be better to ride and observe the action, without disrupting it,” Myron replied.
After boarding the traveler, Myron directed the pilot to the training site.
“Take us through the exercise,” Tatia requested.
Myron linked to the traveler’s controller, identified a small area, and shared it with his fellow passengers.
“In the area I’ve highlighted, half of the cadets are holding a fixed position. If you zoom into your image, you’ll identify subtle terrain changes that will indicate where the defenders are hiding,” Myron explained.
“Is this meant to be an ambush by the defenders or is the attacking force aware of these positions?” Reiko asked.
“The aggressors know that an enemy force is in their area. Their orders are to locate the defenders, design an attack plan, and remove the defenders,” Myron said.
Alex studied the surrounding terrain. The defenders had chosen a site that abutted the tall grasses, which heralded the start of the green. The location was chosen to prevent the aggressive force from coming at them from the rear. He scanned the area and failed to locate the attacking force.
Julien shared an infrared view with Alex. Highlighted by their body heat, a group of Dischnya slowly crawled through the deep grass.
Cordelia had also switched to an infrared view to locate the attackers when she couldn’t detect them. She loosed the sound of chimes. “Might I presume that Homsaff leads the aggressors?” Cordelia asked, as she sent Myron her view of the terrain.
Myron examined the infrared image and silently gulped. The edict against penetrating the green used the edge of the grasses as the demarcation zone. Z hadn’t found any dangerous flora or fauna in that zone, but it was the easiest way to define the prohibition.
“Yes, Admiral,” Myron replied. “Alex, should I halt the exercise?”
“Not now,” Alex replied. He was absorbed in watching the ambush play out, but he did make a note to speak to Myron about his ability to control Homsaff. Initiative was one thing, when necessary, but it could lead to a mistake in judgment, which could easily result in disaster.
In the thick expanse of grass and weed, the aggressors, led by Homsaff, closed in on the defenders. They moved excruciatingly slowly, using up a good hour to cover the last 15 or so meters. The Dischnya’s weapons were modified stun guns that would deliver a mild shock and trigger an adversary’s harness.
When Homsaff’s forces burst from cover, they howled and yipped. It caught the defenders by surprise, and they made the mistake of popping up from concealment to look behind them. In short order, every defender’s harness displayed the telltales of impact. Only one of Homsaff’s soldiers had been tagged.
On Alex’s order, the pilot dropped the traveler to the ground. As soon as the group disembarked, Myron called the troops to attention. Alex walked the row of Dischnya warriors. The eyes of Homsaff and her warriors were bright with success. Bits of grass seed, burrs, and dust coated their fur.
“Congratulations on your success, Homsaff,” Alex said, stopping in front of the young queen.
“Dassata’s words are kind,” Homsaff replied in her sibilant-accented speech.
“Aren’t the Dischnya prohibited from entering the green?” Alex asked.
Homsaff was transformed. The team leader, who had stood at attention, was replaced by a nest queen, who felt challenged.
“This land is Dischnya,” Homsaff replied. “That land is Omnian,” she added, pointing a dark-nailed finger to the west. “Is that not so, Dassata?”
“Yes,” Alex agreed.
“Dassata requests the Dischnya do not enter the green, and his words are respected,” Homsaff said. “Here, on Dischnya land, we know where the danger lies. Here, on Dischnya land, the queens define the green, and it begins at the trees, not the grasses.” Homsaff’s yellow eyes stared hard into Alex’s, daring him to disagree with her.
“I stand corrected, Homsaff,” Alex replied, tipping his head to her.
Homsaff huffed her acceptance, but she couldn’t help adding, “Ené has a wise mate.”
The jaws of several warriors near Homsaff dropped open and tongues lolled out. In Dischnya society, it was a silent laugh.
Alex stepped back, a grin on his face, which quickly faded.
“The expedition leaves soon,” Alex announced in a loud, clear voice. “I wish to take some Dischnya warriors with me. The trip will be long, and it will be dangerous. The mates and pups of any of you who wish to go will be accommodated aboard the Freedom with you. If enough Dischnya wish to come, Commandant McTavish will join you. Each of you should speak with him to understand the risks of such a journey.”
Alex nodded to the group, turned, and walked away, but Homsaff quickly joined him.
“Dassata knows I’ll be going,” Homsaff said, “and I have one request. I want to be more than a team leader of warriors.”
“Do you still wish to be a starship pilot, Homsaff?” Alex asked.
“No, Dassata, that’s no position for a queen. I want to be like the Admiral,” Homsaff said, indicating Tatia. “She’s a warrior queen of starships.”
* * *
Two days after Alex’s visit planetside to speak with the Dischnya, Myron signaled Alex.
Alex replied,
Alex could hear Myron’s humor bubbling through his mind.
Alex smiled to himself. That was Dischnya progress. Emile Billings, his biochemist, had freed the Dischnya from their scent-dependency on a queen. Now they were making the most of it by adopting Omnian ways.
Having set the SADEs on track to accomplish his needs, Alex closed the link. He managed to beat the Dischnya’s arrival by 0.12 hours, most of which was required to reach their landing bay. He’d been so engrossed in making arrangements that he forgot to coordinate with his pilot to land in a bay near where the Dischnya would land.
Off the top of Alex’s head, he could think of only one item to acquaint the Dischnya with before they were handed off to others. He met the Dischnya at their bay, greeted Homsaff, the warriors, the mates, and even the pups, who were amused by the generous treatment.
Renée and others stood by to take the Dischnya’s carryalls, and Alex requested she accompany him. Then he set off along the corridors, taking several lifts until he reached the final destination. When they arrived, Alex overrode the lift’s doors to prevent them from sliding open.
“This ship isn’t Sawa Messa,” Alex said, staring at the group who were crammed into one of the larger passenger lifts the Freedom possessed. “Some things are extremely dangerous. We’ll teach you about these. Some things are not, and you’ll learn these too. What I’m about to show you is not a deadly place. In time, you might come to enjoy it.”
Alex saw two of the younger pups reach to grip Renée’s hands. She gripped them and smiled encouragingly. When Alex triggered the doors, a host of passengers, who were waiting to take the lift, stepped back and nodded graciously to the Dischnya, as they exited.
The Dischnya cleared the throng of humans and SADEs and froze in place. The tall trees and thick vegetation of the grand central park filled the space in front of their eyes.
“This is not the green,” Alex said firmly, and wide eyes turned to him for reassurance. “Nothing here will harm you. This place imitates what humans appreciate about forests, flowers, grass, and streams. It holds nothing deadly.”
Alex started forward, with Renée at his side.
Homsaff barked a command to galvanize her troops to follow.
Myron stayed at the rear of the Dischnya. He admitted to himself that he hadn’t considered that the parks would be an issue. Better get your head out of your butt, he mentally admonished himself.
Alex carefully walked the pathways, and the Dischnya imitated him, crowding against one another to prevent contacting the greenery.
“Safe?” one of the pups, who was holding Renée’s hand, asked.
“No lie slips between Ené’s teeth,” Renée said to the male pup. “Safe,” she added.
The pup slipped his hand free and stepped onto the grass. Hisses escaped the lips of Dischnya, who witnessed the pup’s actions.
The Dischnya watched with concern, while the young male walked around on the carpet of springy grass, so unlike the hard dry ground of Sawa Messa. At one point, he checked the bottom of his clawed feet to ensure nothing dangerous clung to it. His tongue lolled out in delight at the thought that this green was benign, and he stuck his nose into the grass and snuffled through it. In a final act of enjoyment, he rolled onto his back, hands and feet in the air, and arched his spine to relish the lushness.
“Safe,” Renée repeated to the contingent.
Slowly and one by one, the Dischnya separated to explore the park. Alex stayed long enough to watch a female pup wade into a stream and splash about until her mother called her back to her side.
-7-
Final Details
Cordelia had waited to announce to Alex the arrival of the Confederation ships until she was assured of the count. She’d pinged the lead ship’s controller to ascertain the expected number. When reality matched the data, she signaled Alex and Julien.
Both Alex and Cordelia checked the controller vocabulary database for the definition of the word.
Alex left it in Cordelia’s capable kernel to communicate the arrival of the ships to Tatia and Reiko. Those two had their work cut out for them, namely the fleet’s organization.
On hearing the news, Tatia chose not to wait until the ships made Omnia. She received the squadron and freighter organizations and reviewed the names and backgrounds with Reiko. Then the two admirals thrashed out the fleet’s hierarchy.
Tatia and Reiko met first with Cordelia in the fleet admiral’s conference room.
“Cordelia, your command tally is forty-eight travelers, sixteen freighters, and enough heavy beam weaponry to scare most fools away,” Tatia announced.
“A formidable arsenal,” Cordelia admitted.
“The rank of commodore is insufficient to command this organization. You’ll have commodores in charge of the freighter groups. As of this moment, you’re Rear Admiral Cordelia.”
“I’ll endeavor to serve to the best of my ability, Admiral,” Cordelia replied.
“I know you will,” Tatia replied.
Tatia signaled those waiting outside her stateroom, and Darius Gaumata, Deirdre Canaan, Ellie Thompson, Svetlana Valenko, and Franz Cohen joined them.
Exiting a traveler, Julien, who was beside Alex, broke
into a lively whistle.
“I don’t know that tune,” Alex said, “but I imagine you just learned of Cordelia’s promotion.”
Julien grinned, nodded, and whistled louder. The two made their way, with brisk steps that marched to Julien’s tune, through the bowels of the city-ship to meet with Mickey.
Cordelia managed Tatia’s complex conference comm, which included every fleet commander and captain of the Tridents, travelers, and freighters. At the end of the fleet admiral’s table, a vid unit sent the image of the eight fleet admirals out to the fleet’s ships.
“To the Méridiens, I say welcome to Omnia,” Tatia said. “We’re holding this conference in audio for the sake of our New Terrans. Arrayed around this table are faces that many of you know well, but let me acquaint you with their titles. Reiko Shimada is my vice admiral in command of the Tridents. Reporting to her will be Rear Admirals Darius Gaumata, Deirdre Canaan, Ellie Thompson, and Svetlana Valenko. Rear Admiral Franz Cohen will command the Trident travelers, and the freighters will report to Rear Admiral Cordelia. These latter two individuals will report directly to me.”
“We’d hoped to keep our freighters in close proximity to our Trident squadrons for protection,” a freighter commodore said. “No insult is intended, Admiral Cordelia,” the commodore quickly added.
“I can understand your reasoning, Sir,” a Haraken freighter captain interjected, “thinking that a Trident squadron, which amasses twelve fighters and six beam weapons, is excellent protection. But, personally, we’re more comfortable nestling close to the Freedom with her forty-eight dedicated fighters and her massive beam weaponry.”
“Not to mention,” the other Haraken freighter captain added “while you’re taking your sweet time calculating your tactics, we’ll have a SADE using her awesome resources to defend us.”
“You’ve armed a city-ship?” the commodore replied in surprise.
“Enough,” Tatia said sharply. “Let me explain how this works, Commodore. You’ve been training squadrons, while those around this table have been fighting, as a fleet, for decades, and we’ve been hard at work, preparing to take on a vastly superior enemy. You have your parts to play. What you won’t do is question my command organization, especially when you haven’t even experienced it.”
