by Dale Musser
Slater interrupted with new developments. “Tibby, I’m getting reports from my ground units that the enemy is blowing up their bases on the surface. I’m pulling my men back so they aren’t killed in the explosions.”
“Do we have any armored mechanized units down there that can withstand the explosions?” I asked.
“A few, but I don’t see what they can do to help.”
“Move them in as close as possible to the remaining bases without putting them at risk,” I said.
“Yes, sir, but what do you hope to accomplish?”
“There are two possible ways for them to be detonating the explosions – one is with time devices and the second is using a remote. I’m hoping that it’s the second of the two, because the controller of the remote is likely the base commander or someone else of significant rank. If this is the case, the controller will flee the base just before detonation. If we can capture at least one of these individuals before detonation, we may be able to obtain the remote and prevent the destruction of a facility, which might give us access to computers or other records. If we can accomplish that we may be able to advance our intelligence of Brotherhood locations and movements.”
“I see. I’ll issue immediate orders to our ground units,” said Slater.
Five hours later, we received word from one of the ground units that they had captured the commanding officer of one of the bases before he was able to detonate the bombs. Slater ordered that the prisoner be brought to the MAXETTE immediately for interrogation. Meanwhile, Admiral Wabussie contacted his office and ordered several of his best FSO interrogation agents to report to the interrogation room located adjacent to the War Room.
Interrogation rooms in the Federation were different from their Earth counterparts. The walls were circular instead of rectangular and there were no windows or one-way observation mirrors. Instead, the walls themselves were transparent from the outside and opaque white from the inside. An outside passage made it possible to walk around the entire perimeter of the room and view everything inside. There was no table, only a few chairs. One chair in the middle of the room was equipped with an electronic truth headband and manacles that were hidden in the chairs arms. The restraints were used only when a prisoner was combative or if they were deemed violent or dangerous. A small projector in the ceiling displayed images on the wall in front of the prisoner, so evidence could be presented during the questioning.
Though Cantolla had developed a means by which the truth headbands could be deceived, the knowledge of this method was a highly classified secret known to less than a half dozen people. Therefore, it was highly unlikely that the Brotherhood possessed this counter-technology and we felt certain of interrogation results obtained with the use of the headband.
The prisoner’s name was Garmon. His uniform identified him as a commander in the Brotherhood’s military forces. Garmon was an odd man – rather thin with sharp, angular facial features and a thin, beak-like nose. He switched from belligerent behavior one minute to groveling and whimpering the next. Next he would scream threats in frothing rage, the next crying and begging for mercy. It was quickly becoming apparent the man was mentally unstable, probably as a result of Ming’s brainwashing protocols. In any case, we weren’t getting any information out of him.
“What do you think we should do, Admiral?” Wabussie asked as we observed from outside the room. “The man doesn’t appear to be in his right mind.”
“I think it might be wise to bring in a consultant on this matter,” I answered.
“Consultant? Who?”
“Doctor Hughes. He’s what we called a psychiatrist on Earth. He specializes in diagnosis and treatment of behavioral and mental issues. He may be able to provide some insight as to what’s going on with this man.”
“Ah yes, Doctor Hughes. I’ve met him several times during social functions on the NEW ORLEANS. I don’t know that I have a lot of faith in his mental health ideas. It all sounds rather unfounded and a bit farfetched, if you ask me, but it’s worth a try.”
“Good. I’ll have Marranalis contact him and get him over here from the NEW ORLEANS immediately.”
By this time the battle was winding down, and the last of the larger Brotherhood ships had fled the area. Federation ships were in pursuit. However, it wouldn’t be long before the enemy ships reached Federation boundaries, where Senate mandates prohibited us from pursuing further. I decided to take a break and make a quick visit to Kala and the twins before returning to the War Room. I’d completely forgotten about Senator Wingutt’s aides until I encountered them outside the War Room door.
“Admiral Tibby,” one of the men said curtly as he approached me. “We are here to formally inform you that you are to appear before a Senate hearing committee three days from now at 0800 sharp Capitol Standard Time to answer charges of treason.”
While he was speaking I saw Captain Mareoparen approach behind them. Mareoparen was the operational captain of the MAXETTE, unlike Captain Marranalis, who was my personal aide.
“Captain,” I said, ignoring the men in front of me. “Did these men go through official channels and security screening before gaining access to the MAXETTE?”
“Uh, I don’t recall seeing any requests or signing any approvals,” answered Mareoparen.
“We don’t need permission. As representatives of Senator Wingutt, we are authorized to go where we wish without using authorization protocols.”
“I’m afraid you’re wrong there, gentlemen. Even Federation Leaders go through proper channels before coming aboard.
“Captain, dispatch troopers immediately to take these men into custody until it is clear that their presence here is only an error on their part. I think it best they be treated as possible terrorist suspects, until we can ascertain otherwise. Also, please speak to gate security and determine how these men entered without screenings.”
“Right away, Admiral,” he said with a smirk, as he detained the two men and called for security.
I then addressed the Senators aides. “Once you’ve been confined and interrogated you’ll be given the opportunity to contact Senator Wingutt. Oh, and if the summons is determined to be legitimate, please tell him I will be there in three days.”
“You can’t do this!” one of the men shouted as I walked away. “The Senator will hear about this!”
“Oh, I hope he does,” I said. “Please tell him for me that sending persons aboard a warship by circumventing security protocols could be construed as an act of treason.”
When I arrived at my suite on the NEW ORLEANS, I was startled to see Tonclin seated in the living room with Kala.
“Ah Tibby, I was hoping you might come back to your suite about this time. I have some information for you that I wished to convey in person. There is less likelihood of it leaking out this way.”
“It’s always good to see you, Tonc, no matter what the reason is,” I replied.
“Yes, well, I wish this were a social visit. I fear the information that brings me here is far from pleasant,” he said in a serious tone. “I’ve spoken with some of my friends in the Senate and, from what they have told me, Senator Wingutt is fully bent on discrediting you and seeing you tried for treason. He’s even intimidating people in the military, threatening that they will be tried with you if they don’t testify against you.”
“Threats. Well, that explains how his representatives got into the MAXETTE without a security screening,” I commented.
“I must add, though, that it speaks to your character and leadership that, in spite of the threats, no one in the military has cooperated with Wingutt by testifying or providing any depositions that implicate you.
“Wingutt is a strange creature. He presents himself as a pacifist, but he plays anything but the part. He wants to do away with most planetary defenses while he, at the same time, is fortifying his own personal security and estate defenses.”
“I know the type, Tonc. He’s certainly much more than a hypocrite. On Earth, we
would have called him a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The wolf was a dangerous predatory creature, while the sheep was a docile and defenseless creature preyed on by wolves,” I said as I contemplated the situation.
“Yes, that seems to sum up Wingutt. Have you received a summons to appear before the Senate?”
“Yes, I just received it, moments ago…sort of,” I replied. I related the circumstances of my encounter with Wingutt’s representatives.
Tonc frowned. “Not good. Not good at all. And I agree with you, Tibby, it appears they deliberately chose a time when they knew you would be engaged in oversight of the fighting. I smell the workings of the Brotherhood in this.”
“We need to be able to prove it,” I said, “but I fear that may not be so easy.”
“When is the hearing supposed to take place?”
“In three days,” I replied.
“Wingutt is going to be furious that you took his aides into custody. He’ll claim you were trying to impede his investigation.”
“Investigation? What investigation. I wasn’t aware of any investigation,” I said in a mocking tone. “No one bothered to tell me there was an investigation taking place…at least not officially.”
“Yes, but you can be sure Wingutt will put a negative spin on your actions,” Tonc said.
We were interrupted by a beep on my wrist com.
“Tibby here,” I answered.”
“Tibby,” replied Marranalis’s voice, “Senator Wingutt is calling and wishes to speak to you immediately.”
I glanced at Tonc before replying. “Did you tell him I was busy fighting a war and didn’t have time to chat?”
“Well, something along those lines, sir, but he is most insistent that he speak to you immediately. He seems a bit distressed that his aides have been held for boarding the MAXETTE without clearing security.”
“Alright, I’ll be back on the MAXETTE in about five minutes. Tell him I need to clean up a few details before I can get to him.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Marranalis.
I turned my attention back to Kala and Tonc. From the look on Kala’s face, it was clear that she now had a complete picture of the accusations behind the Senate inquiry. It was also clear, as always, that I had Kala’s unwavering support. “Looks like I need to get back to the MAXETTE. I was hoping to have lunch, but I guess that will have to wait.”
“Tib, would you like me to have Piesew fix something for you and bring it to you on the MAXETTE?” Kala asked.
“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think I will have any appetite by the time I finish with Wingutt – and Tonc, thanks for stopping by with that information,” I responded as I headed for the door.
No sooner did I enter the War Room before Admiral Regeny began, “Tibby, Senator Wingutt has been calling non-stop. He’s furious.”
“That makes two of us, Admiral. I wonder which of us is the angriest.
“Marranalis, put the Senator through on the vid screen,” I said.
When Wingutt appeared on the screen, he looked nothing at all like I expected. I had envisioned him as a relatively young man with dark colored hair and hard features. Instead, I found myself facing a white-haired man with dark, piercing eyes. He was possibly in his fifties, but it was difficult to estimate ages in the Federation. Overall, he looked more like an evangelist from Earth than a Senator.”
“Admiral, what is the meaning of having my aides taken into custody? They were just doing their duty. You have no right to interfere,” he bellowed.
“I’m sorry, Senator, but they entered the ship illegally by circumventing security channels. It was only by luck that they weren’t shot, as we are currently engaged in a combat situation and our troopers are on heightened alert in the event of invaders.” The last part was a bit of a stretch of the facts, though not totally wrong.”
“Admiral, you do realize who I am and that my aides were on official government business, do you not?”
“Well I certainly know who you are, and now we are learning about the business of your aides. Of course, there was no way of knowing or verifying that until now. For all we knew, they could have been enemy operatives attempting to sabotage the MAXETTE.”
“That’s preposterous!” Wingutt fumed. “You knew full well they were there to serve you notice to appear before the Senate. This is all a ruse on your part to delay the investigation.”
“And exactly how was I supposed to know that an investigation is underway?” I asked. “Under current conditions, in the middle of a battle nonetheless, duty and diligence dictate that every precaution be taken. Surely you knew better than to send civilian men to any military facility in the midst of a battle.”
“I want those men released NOW. Do you understand me, Admiral?” Wingutt shouted.
“You would have me violate my sworn duty to the Federation by bending the rules just for your men, Senator? Why that could be construed as treason. No, Senator. I’m sorry, but they will need to go through a complete security check before we can release them. Now, if you have nothing more to discuss, I need to resume my oversight duties associated with the ongoing battle. I would hate for any of our men to be injured or killed because I wasn’t seeing to the battle because of a small matter of protocol.” I quickly disconnected before Wingutt could reply.
“By the stars, Tibby,” Regeny exclaimed. “You were pretty rough on him.”
“Not nearly as rough as I hope to be. That man is a menace to the Federation.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Tibby. Wingutt is a hard opponent. He’s not going to respond nicely to your defiance.”
“You know what, Admiral? I don’t really care!”
When the situation became relatively secure on Alamar-4, I decided to survey the situation on the planet personally. This, of course, demanded a large contingent of bodyguards and plenty of body armor. In recent years, I had taken to wearing the body armor anytime I went to a planet surface. Luckily for me, it was little more than a thin, lightweight undergarment, so it was easy to wear and didn’t restrict movement. Besides its resistance to laser fire, the material had the remarkable property of hardening instantly to block penetration when hit suddenly by a high-velocity object. My only complaints were first, that it tended to be itchy at times and, second, the impact of running caused the material to become somewhat stiff, resisting the motion of arms, thus leading to more rapid fatigue. Still, it was a life-saving device. With even the slightest possibility that an enemy combatant could still at large, ready to take action as a sniper, it was best to be prepared.
Mopping up after the military actions on Alamar-4 went faster than anticipated, but processing the people that were liberated in the siege was far more complicated than we expected. The condition of the surviving citizens was deplorable. Most were starving and suffering from other injuries and health problems. They had been subsisting under heavy guard, helpless and cold, poorly clothed, and housed in the filthiest imaginable camps. The luckier ones were provided with one meager meal per day. The able-bodied of all ages were forced to work 16-hour days with no breaks. Children as young as five years were expected to perform some form of manual tasks and they were beaten and punished severely if they failed to do so. Women were forced to work manual jobs by day and provide sexual services for the men by night, while the men were forced into hard labor and provided with little food and no rest. Most of them perished from starvation and fatigue. The finer homes on the planet had been taken over by Brotherhood troops, while the less opulent homes had been burned and razed, leaving nothing but heaps of rubble where they once stood.
The priorities of the Federation moving forward were to first restore the citizens to health and reconnect them with any surviving family members and then rebuild necessary infrastructure, towns and businesses so the citizens could begin the long journey of re-establishing a normal, habitable planet.
I talked to Kalana about the situation on Alamar-4 to see what we could do personally. We had long ago taken
steps to establish funds and charities from my personal wealth to help people in need throughout the Federation. Kala offered her liaison skills to help the locals adapt and restore their sense of security and she would see to it that hospitals and schools were built. There were many orphaned children on Alamar-4 who needed care and attention as well, not to mention homes. Many of these children would end up at the orphanage our Megelleon estate, where the staff was specifically trained to work with children who had seen and undergone the traumas of war and slavery. Kala and I had personally witnessed the immense support and healing provided not only by the staff, but by other orphans like themselves who had come to the orphanage before them. They would be nurtured and educated and their specific mental and physical needs would be addressed until they’re lives were restored as much as possible.
The solbidyum reactor on Alamar-4 had been taken by the Brotherhood, no doubt for one of their asteroid-ships. The original solbidyum supply found on the TRITYTE had long since been distributed to the Federation planets. Not a single grain remained in the Federation reserves. Though solbidnite was a viable substitute for powering the planet’s utility systems, its use was restricted to Federation spaceships and fighters. Ultimately, it was necessary to build and install 10X reactor sites on the planet’s continent to supply its power needs. Kala had already activated a reclamation and recovery team that would handle all these civilian matters beyond what the Federation would do and she would oversee their undertakings and the required funding.
Luckily, a few bases were left intact that the Brotherhood had, for one reason or another, failed to destroy. After the facilities were deemed safe for entry, Wabussie’s agents and technicians began sifting through all the computers and records found in the installations. In the meantime, Dr. Hughes worked with the enemy prisoner, Commander Garmon, who seemed to be responding to the medications he was being given. Unfortunately, he had so far provided nothing in the way of useful information.
