“All you need to know about me is that I arrived on the Hell Shrike, was taken into the confidence of a Lorander agent, and am now the commander of War Forge Station. I also serve as one of the Headmasters here. I almost forgot, it’s Suit Week.” She sealed her black and white vacsuit then, to the amusement of several audience members. “That’s better. Since I’ve never had the burden of doing this before, spending all these days trapped in my suit, I’ll be sealed up just like you until it’s over, as will the other headmasters.”
Someone in the audience cheered, and it brought a wave of applause on. After a few seconds, Colonel Black requested that the crowd calm with a graceful gesture of her hands. “This station is three percent complete. The temporary control centre, crew and trainee quarters, some basic training facilities, and the first fabrication line are finished. By the end of the week the first material processing facility will go online, and you will see the pace of construction quadruple as the War Forge begins building entire sections itself, taking production over from the Solar Forge. For anyone who is curious, the Solar Forge has been building parts of this station for weeks while it has been performing refits and building smaller ships. Students here are invited to observe and study the construction of the War Forge during your time here, but please don’t get in the way of any of the hundred thousand robots that we’ve programmed for the construction. I’m happy to have you all aboard so we can share in this experience.”
Colonel Black took a moment to look across the audience before continuing. “This is a top secret project that we expect to leak,” she said calmly. “One or more of you will reveal the existence of this station to your government, to a friend, family member, colleague or perhaps to a stranger. I expect it, but I hope it doesn’t happen soon. We will find out who is responsible for the leak and the Intelligence arm of Haven Fleet will be tasked with tracking you down and dealing with you. It doesn’t matter if you are from another military organization or one of our own. It will happen. While the War Forge is vulnerable, the secrecy will be maintained. By the time most of you graduate from this phase of the Apex Program, I expect the world of the War Forge will be out, and it will not be vulnerable. Some of you may even be tasked to serve on a ship that’s built here, since the first ship is scheduled to be completed in three weeks.”
“Colonel, I find your threats insulting,” said a British Major who Alice didn’t recognize. When she tried to look him up on her comm unit, nothing came up. “I understand secrecy, but you have thousands of trainees here. There are officers from small military organizations here as well, the leak will happen.”
“I’m not worried about any of them,” Colonel Black replied. “Our investigations into every one of them have proven their loyalty. Should I worry about you, Major Inez? Should I assign a shadow to you?”
“The British military helped lay the foundations for everything Haven Fleet has and is your ally in everything going on in this system. You threaten us without cause and openly insult British commanders with your public threats.”
“Lorander assisted us just as much, and we haven’t found any leaks in their organization, nor have any of their people proven to be spies for the Order of Eden or Regent Galactic. Do we want to talk about the British Alliance’s record?” she asked, gesturing towards the massive wall behind her where images of hundreds of military service people in British uniforms appeared. “We have a precious alliance, Haven Fleet and the British Alliance,” she explained to the auditorium audience. “We owe our gratitude and loyalty to them, but the faces and names you’re seeing belong to confirmed spies and deserters who ally themselves with the Order of Eden or were paid for information by Regent Galactic. These are the people we have hard evidence on who serve or have served in the British Alliance military within the Rega Gain system. They outnumber the spies found on Tamber by eleven to one. The British Alliance have not pursued thirty eight percent of the spies in their own organization even though they have the same evidence we do. One of them almost made it aboard this station, but his shadow caught him. You’ll find him in the brig of the Morning Star, Major. I’ve had him delivered there for you. It’s this kind of slow work that has prompted Haven Fleet to begin its separation from the British, who we will still have a good alliance with. When the War Forge is ready, the British Alliance will be able to put requests in for ships, repairs on your vessels, and important components. By then I’m sure the word about our new station will be out, but the location will change, the War Forge will still have a cloaking field, and our defences will still be significant, so secrecy and might will still be on our side. Many of you are asking yourselves; ‘if you know that word of this station will reach enemy ears, why use it as a training centre? Why invite people from other military organizations to the facility?’ I loathe the motivation behind those questions and understand them at the same time.”
Alice noticed Carl Anderson and several officers, including all the captains who she met on her first day, arriving through a door to her left and taking their seats. Their expressions were serious and they were careful to be quiet.
Colonel Violet Black continued. “These questions of loyalty, of trust break my heart. I come from a place where service was sacred, and when I was tasked with building this station, I wanted to make a place where that bond between comrades and country was just as strong. The War Forge is a training facility, it is a ship yard, and more because it is purpose built to create our defence. Look at what Haven Fleet can already do, look at the opportunities it is offering you, and at the seriousness of the task you have before you.” An image of Haven Shore’s city square appeared, with the monument built to honour the sacrifices made while founding and defending it was erected. The Everin building was opalescent in the warm sunlight, and a group of children came into view as they were told about the statue of crewmen and women standing together. “This is what you are pledging to protect, above all else. A place that, until such a short time ago, was barely a dream. Now it’s a growing place of peace and safety as the rest of our galaxy falls to chaos in most places and tyranny in others. This is where you take your oath. This station is where you will be re-forged into the soldiers and commanders you must be to make sure that this,” she gestured towards the looming image of sun and peace behind her, “doesn’t become this.” She turned to face the image and it became a recording of a smouldering town square with cobblestone walks and finely crafted stone buildings littered with burned bodies.
Yawen’s gasp was only outdone by the tears that flowed behind her transparent faceplate. Nivee put her arm across her shoulders to soothe her, but it didn’t make a difference. “That’s Mullan’s Landing, I lived an hour away,” she whispered.
Alice looked back at the bodies of the men, women and children and saw something that she was sure she’d never forget. In the closed doorway of a red stone house a woman and man held a young boy, his hand still clutching his mother’s shirt. At their feet was a half-melted respirator, it looked like someone shot it. The black around their noses and mouths made it clear to her that they died breathing the contaminated air.
“I was born there,” Colonel Black said. “That was my home, where my great grandparents, grandparents, parents and almost all of my relations lived. I have no better memories than the ones I made there,” she said quietly. “Revenge was my motivation until I saw Haven Shore. Even in its infancy, I could see that there was something worth protecting.” The vision behind her faded to black. “If I turned my hate and drive for revenge towards helping Haven Shore build its military and infrastructure so it could protect itself, there could be a place where families could live free, and they could begin building a history like the one I had. That is why Lorander chose me to benefit from the knowledge I needed to begin this great work, and why I’m here, and why I take this oath. It is new, the Haven Charge, please stand and take it with me.”
The clamour as all the Haven Fleet trainees, Officers and black suited people rose filled the room. Al
ice couldn’t help but notice that all the commanders along the front who wore uniforms she didn’t recognize, only half of which were human, rose as well. “Attention!” barked Governor Anderson, and everyone on their feet snapped to.
Colonel Black looked straight ahead at attention as she began. The words of the oath scrolled on Alice’s faceplate and she spoke as loudly and clearly as the woman on stage. It was divided into two parts:
HAVEN CITIZENSHIP
“I, Alice Valent, pledge my allegiance to Haven. To bear personal responsibility in maintaining its liberty, the welfare of all its people, and to coexist in harmony with my fellow citizens.”
HAVEN FLEET PLEDGE
“I will defend Haven, and serve in Haven Fleet faithfully according to the Unified Regulations Code. As a member of Haven Fleet I pledge to defend, to liberate, and to explore until the completion of my term.”
The pride Alice felt prompted a few tears of her own. She was standing with so many people that she knew must feel the weight of the moment, including her grandfather, Governor Anderson, who stood and took the oath with everyone else along with the entourage of Captains and other commanders with him. For the first time she truly felt like she was a part of something much bigger than herself, something important. After everyone finished taking the oath there was a long moment of silence. “That was the first time the official oath has been taken anywhere in the universe,” Colonel Black said proudly. “I thank you, and ask you to imagine that thousands of citizens across the Rega Gain System, which will be called the Haven System by the end of the week, will take the citizen portion of that oath. Elections for upper leadership are being held soon so our government can grow as a proper, recognized democracy, and your leaders will be saying the charge as well. You will always have the honour of taking it first, thank you.” She said, applauding the audience.
Before her hands could touch once, the auditorium was flooded with the sounds of applause, and she left the stage. Governor Anderson and Captain McFadden took her place. “Welcome to your first Command Level Fleet Briefing,” Governor Anderson said. “We’re going to go light on you this time, and only provide you with the broad strokes of what’s going on around you. You cadets of lower rank are here so you can get an idea of what your Officers will experience every three days while you’re training here. Depending on what’s going on and what you’ll have to know, Officers may have to attend a meeting like this every morning. By continuing in the program past this very minute, you are vowing to uphold the Haven Fleet Secrecy Contract. We are joined by Admiral Charon of the British Alliance, and Captain McFadden, who is poised to take a special role in the development of Haven Fleet while she is in-system.”
A young looking Admiral in a British Alliance uniform joined them on the stage. Her hair was coloured silver, and cut short.
“Like I said, these briefings are not meant to take much time, so here we go.” A hologram of Tamber appeared above him, the light of the sun shining on it from one side, and the red glow of the fires of Kambis on the other. “Tamber has cooled politically, and we have begun construction of five more agricultural towers that will be complete in only nine days thanks to materials that were found during several scavenging runs. These towers will feed another quarter million people once production is in full swing, and thanks to the civilian recruitment program started some time ago, we will have the people to operate them. That brings us to housing. A great deal of Tamber’s civilian dwellings are still viable on the ground, and the Rangers are dedicating a great deal of time to returning residents to the few neighbourhoods we can protect from gangs and raiders. So far we have only been able to accomplish this with three small groups of homes, most of the other neighbourhoods have been overrun by squatters, or have been stripped down to their walls. On the brighter side, the residents who are shown what remains of their homes almost always join Haven Shore and take up residence in the Everin Building, which is almost full. Construction on two more buildings has begun within the radius of our energy shield. With the delivery of thirty-five ground based surface to space weapon emplacements to take place over the next thirty days. Repairs on older defences are already under way. Tamber will be the most well defended earth like planetary body in the sector. All of this sounds fantastic, I’m sure, but we are operating without any excess supplies, and there are still over ninety million people on Tamber without proper access to food, water or housing that we can’t afford to invite to our door. Our power production systems are running at capacity as we expand, and we are resorting to more basic means as more materialization systems wear out. We are training people to use the least demanding technology we have so we continue to take care of more people through expansion, but we will have to slow down for between six and ten days while the section of the Solar Forge that was building parts of the station you’re sitting in is re-tasked to assist in the expansion of Haven Shore and the construction of another settlement. We expect the pace to double at that point, and will only be limited by the number of qualified people we can recruit and clear. New citizens are all receiving a cursory scan for memories that indicate allegiance to the Order of Eden or Regent Galactic interests. The accuracy of the latest version of our scanning technology is now up to ninety nine point nine seven percent. One more thing about Haven. As we grow from a city-state type of settlement to a citizenship that will expand to millions and assume control of an entire solar system, new government is required. We are following Lorander style leadership and abandoning the idea of a single president or leader. Instead there will be a Triumvirate consisting of leaders representing the military, sciences, and social concerns. I’ll be running for the Military leadership position, so this will be my last act in government until the vote is held in two weeks.”
“Moving on: On average the Rangers and Haven Shore Law Enforcement Officers are discovering three Order of Eden Operatives a day in the Everin Building alone. That’s not including the much higher number of Operatives we are discovering thanks to our cadet and officer recruitment programs. Our mind scanning requirement for the program is yielding actionable intelligence, and helping us weed out every operative they try to sneak in. We have even found one with a grafted layer of scan-reactive synthetic matter that is made to trick our scanners.” An image of a brain with a layer of synthetic flesh installed over top of it appeared over the Governor. “The trouble they took to bring this technology to Tamber and the pain the operative suffered to have it surgically implanted only remind us that our enemies will do anything to get someone undercover. It’s a lesson for you, for me, and for our allies. Having said that, crime in our settlements is below one percent, the Council is already being given more power with which to govern themselves now that most of the self-serving representatives have been given the opportunity to retire, and all of our bases are expanding as quickly as possible. Now I’d like to invite Admiral Charon to the podium.”
A transparent hologram of the British Alliance flag appeared above her as she stepped into the centre of the circle. “Thank you, Governor. I’m not here to waste your time, so let’s get at it. The Fifth British Alliance Battle Group – code named Bastion – has engaged a significant Regent Galactic force along the upper edge of the Iron Head nebula. We caught them in the middle of establishing a presence near an abandoned planetoid – Galevar – that was wiped clean of life during the holocaust virus. As with most purified worlds, the machinery there was intact. Galevar was the manufacturing centre for that system, providing core components that materializers have difficulty producing or cannot produce at all. We caught them with their pants down, so to speak, and destroyed a pair of command carriers, their compliment, and capturing several other ships. The Fifth Battle Group was engaged one day later by a larger force, and that battle has gone on near Galevar for the last six days. It is imperative that we hold that world, otherwise the Order of Eden will have significant facilities from which to patrol and dominate the most contested section of the Iron Head nebula. During th
e fighting we received our first message from the Triton. It was a relay that simply stated that they have found Freeground Alpha and what remains of Freeground Fleet. They are making their way out of the nebula now.”
Alice couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of her father and so many other people she loved returning safely. Training, studying and her close friends helped her keep her mind off of them, but she still worried daily, and sometimes hourly.
The Admiral continued. “We are making the data burst available to you to examine. Now for a broader summary of the sector. British Alliance forces have engaged Regent Galactic ships seven times in the last thirty days and won each engagement. This is thanks to our advanced scouts being high in number and constantly on the move, then engaging each ship we find with a vastly superior force. Our record of success is tarnished by the fact that three times as many ships have gotten away before we could engage them. We do not know where the technology came from, but many Regent Galactic ships seem to have upgraded scanners that can spot our cloaked ships at medium and close range.
Pirates are becoming a growing issue as different bands of looters are benefiting from worlds that are technology rich but population poor thanks to the holocaust virus. We are at a crossroads. Tamber and the British Alliance fleet stationed here could use the supplies they can offer, but they are looting worlds that may require the equipment and supplies now or in the future. To determine whether we will buy these ill-gotten supplies or not, a council is being convened that will meet with Patrizia Salustri, who will be representing the largest Pirate Organization. Beyond the frontier of the Rega Gain system and the worlds controlled by Regent Galactic or the British Alliance is a lawless galaxy that has not yet begun to recover from the holocaust virus. This will be an important factor to consider once you are out there, young Officers, and you will be forced to deal with some unsavoury characters. To finish my part of the briefing, I would like to share some good news. The space around Kambis and its moons – especially Tamber – is secure. The tools of space superiority we can bring to bear at a moments notice far surpass what was available when Kambis was directly attacked, and there are two more Battle Groups coming. The British Alliance is with you, and we are watching this class with great interest and anticipation, thank you.” Admiral Charon bowed her head and stepped back.
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10 Page 31
