"None. The Milori hit a few ships in orbit that had torpedo capability, then went straight to NeTrediar. When they were done, they left, probably speeding off to meet up with the invasion force headed to Stewart."
"Okay, thanks. It was worth the effort. I wish we'd had time to get there before the invasion."
"If Arneu's alive, he'll pop up again."
"Yes, I'm sure you're right."
* * *
"Come in, Vertap," the King said from his cozy chair near the fireplace. "We just heard the news that Carver defeated the invasion force."
A group of powerful noblemen sat in chairs around the hearth drinking assorted beverages and listening to the conversation.
"That would be severely understating the situation, my Lord. She utterly crushed the entire invasion force while losing not a single ship of her own."
"Not one?" the king said, his jaw dropping.
"Not one. Two ships received minor damage and are being repaired. They'll be fully space-worthy in a matter of days, if repairs have not already been completed."
"How did she do it, Vertap?"
"We're not sure, my Lord, but it's safe to say she's a formidable foe. If she can't finesse a victory, she'll win by outright brute force. Our operatives say there's little left of the Milori ships. They were so utterly destroyed that some are mere shells, while others are in pieces. Reports say almost seven-hundred-fifty thousand Milori died in the battle. Carver lost twenty-two."
"Twenty-two thousand?"
"No, my Lord. Twenty-two crewmembers."
The king was silent for a few seconds. "Interesting. Thank you, Vertap. That will be all."
"Yes, my Lord."
Vertap bowed, took several steps backward, then turned and left the room. As the door clicked shut, one of the noblemen said, "We may have underestimated this Carver in our plans. If she could destroy the Milori with such ease, imagine what she could do to us. We must tread carefully in our dealings with her."
"I'd say we backed the right side," another said. "The Galactic Alliance is bound to be grateful for our help."
"I hope so. And I hope we've been correct in our assessment of the Alliance. We don't want to simply substitute one powerful master for another."
"I'm sure we took the only logical path. The Galactic Alliance has no interest in our space. Once Carver has destroyed Maxxiloth, they'll pack up and head home, leaving us free to take over the Empire. And all with us not having to break a sweat."
"I don't know. You never know what Carver is going to do."
"Oh, have another rum and go back to sleep, Nedweth."
* * *
"Admiral, Captain Lofgren would like a few minutes of your time," Jenetta read when the com unit buzzed.
"Send him in, Lori."
A few seconds later, the head of the Intelligence section on Stewart entered her office.
"Hi Ben, grab a beverage and have a seat."
"Thank you, Admiral, I'm fine," he said as he sat without having visited the beverage synthesizer.
"What can I do for you?"
"As you know, we've been interrogating the Milori prisoners. Most claim to know nothing and I'm inclined to believe them if they come from the lower ranks. We're using the technique of telling them they'll rot in our jails until they die if we find they've lied. It's worked, with a few. We've put together a token file of interesting facts. This morning, I was re-interviewing one that I spoke with a week ago and he told me something of great interest. I had isolated him after the last interview because I felt he was holding back. Anyway, today he told me he knows what happened to the crew of the Lisbon. He said he'll tell me if I promise to release him and let him return home."
"And?"
"I wish to know how you want to proceed."
Jenetta thought about it for a minute. "Agree to it. If his information is accurate, we'll let him go. I had intended to let them all go anyway."
"You're going to let them go before the war is over?"
"Yes, I had thought to give them an old, slow, unarmed transport from our confiscated ship farm and send them on their way with enough food for ten, and enough stasis beds for the rest. I figure they should make it home in about ten or eleven years."
"Unless they call home and get help."
"We'll disable their IDS communications, but leave them with RF. They'll be able to communicate with anyone who challenges them, but not send for help. I expect this war to be over long before they get home."
"Sounds like a good idea, Admiral," he said smiling.
"So promise them they'll be released and sent home once they talk and the information is confirmed, but not before."
"Aye, Admiral," he said, standing up.
"And Ben?"
"Yes, Admiral?"
"See if you can discover the locations of any other Raider bases. There must have been some sort of a falling out between the Milori and the Raiders for them to have attacked Raider Ten. Perhaps they'll be willing to speak about it."
"Okay, Admiral."
Jenetta leaned back in her chair and stared vacantly at the ceiling after Captain Lofgren left. The Milora's information could significantly affect her personal situation. If she could find Admiral Vroman and bring him back here, she could be relieved as base commander and then be free to handle whatever other job they had for her. She'd have more time to complete the chore and so be available when the new battleships were ready to be launched. If the thought of rescuing a Space Command crew and senior admiral was not enough to make her smile, this thought was.
Two days later Captain Lofgren returned with new information.
"He says he was a member of the crew on board the Milori cruiser Rowlidph. They dropped off the admiral and crew on a planet in the Siena system. It's about sixty light-years inside the Frontier Zone."
"Computer," Jenetta said, "show me a holographic map of the Siena system."
Instantly, an image appeared above Jenetta's desk. It showed a sun surrounded by twelve planets.
"Computer, how many planets are capable of supporting human life without special breathing apparatus?"
"The fourth planet from the sun is suitable for human habitation, and the inner moon of the fifth planet has a barely breathable atmosphere."
"Computer, tell me about the fourth planet."
The computer began reeling off facts and figures, but when it said the presence of creatures like those of prehistoric Earth had been reported, Jenetta stopped the computer.
"Computer, you mean like dinosaurs?"
"Affirmative, according to a survey report filed by a mining company."
"Computer, tell me about the moon of the fifth planet."
"Little information is on file, except that the temperature drops below zero Celsius each night."
"The prisoner said the planet was tropical to temperate," Captain Lofgren said.
"Good God," Jenetta said. "They left them defenseless on a planet with dinosaurs. I hope there's someone left to rescue. The prisoner understands the deal is contingent upon us finding the crew?"
"I made that abundantly clear."
"Okay, Ben, good job. I'm going to arrange for a rescue mission right away. Thanks."
"My pleasure, Admiral. I hope you find them."
"If we do, it's through your efforts, Ben."
Three days later the Colorado, with Jenetta aboard, and the Yangtze entered orbit around a planet in the Siena system and began mapping the surface. The captain of the Yangtze called Jenetta just an hour after starting their sweep.
"Do you have something, Frank?"
"Aye, Admiral. We've found a valley in the eastern quadrant. I'm sending you the coordinates. There's a sign carved out of the forest that says 'GSC Lisbon', and we can see humans moving around."
"Is there room for a shuttle to land?"
"There's enough room for a hundred shuttles."
"Okay, I'll take a party down and investigate. Stand by. If it's our people, I'll call for all our shut
tles to come down and pick up the survivors."
"Aye, Admiral. Yangtze out."
The noise overhead drew the attention of everyone in the camp. They watched in slack-jawed amazement as a GSC shuttle slowly settled onto one of the fields near the camp. Admiral Vroman blinked twice, rubbed his eyes, and blinked several times again before rushing towards the shuttle's landing position.
As the hatch opened, a Space Marine Major carrying a stun pistol stepped out. He glanced around before turning to say something to someone behind him. Then another person emerged, followed by two Space Marine Sergeants. Admiral Vroman would have recognized her anywhere, even without the two stars on each shoulder.
She slowly scanned the assembled group, who seemed to be holding their breath while trying to determine if she was a hallucination, and said loudly, "I'm Admiral Carver of Space Command. Are you the crew of the GSC Lisbon?"
The outpouring of emotion occurred almost simultaneously among the stunned survivors as some began laughing hysterically and others dropped to their knees and wept. Some surged forward to touch her and assure themselves that she was real, but the Space Marines moved to protect her. The Lisbon crew stopped short when Admiral Vroman yelled, "Atten-shun!" Looking to him, they regained their composure, wiped their tears, and straightened up.
Admiral Vroman stepped towards Jenetta, now almost hidden behind her Space Marine guards who had moved to protect her when the survivors began to surge forward. But for her height, she would not have been seen. Jenetta put her hands on the shoulders of the two sergeants in front and gently moved them apart.
"Admiral Vroman, I'm delighted to find you alive and looking so surprisingly well after a year and a half on this dangerous planet." He was significantly thinner than the most recent pictures of him, but appeared healthy otherwise. She extended her hand.
"Thank you, Admiral," he said, shaking her hand vigorously. "Welcome to Siena. I'm sorry for the condition in which you find us, but our uniforms wore out long ago and we've had to wear these homespun clothes."
"We have plenty of replacement clothing on board and you'll soon be back in real civilization."
"Allow me to introduce the officers of the Lisbon."
After introductions, Jenetta turned to the Space Marine Major and said, "Notify the ships to send down all their shuttles."
"Aye, Admiral."
To Admiral Vroman she said, "Have your people gather whatever possessions they wish to take with them and report to the shuttles for transport to our ships."
"You can't imagine how much I've yearned to hear those words."
Turning to Captain Lindahl, who was standing nearby, Admiral Vroman said, "You heard the Admiral; see to it, Captain."
"Aye, Admiral," he said, smiling.
In minutes, people were running for their shelters to gather up the few meager possessions or mementos they wished to bring back. Admiral Vroman turned to Jenetta and said, "Would you care for a tour, Admiral?"
"I'd love one."
"Let's start with the camp."
Admiral Vroman led Jenetta around the camp, with her security detail following at a tactful distance, while he explained the difficulties of starting life on a hostile planet with practically nothing. They toured the forge, mill, and cold storage warehouses, and walked to the North Pass wall. Admiral Vroman explained about the three dinosaur attacks they had repelled. He also told her of the other dangers outside the valley, such as the bearlons and the unknown creatures in the water that the first foraging expedition had observed.
On the way back to the camp he bragged about their projects such as the farm, the new bridge across the river, and the development of black powder rifles.
"It's amazing how well you've done here, Admiral," she said. "It's a real tribute to your leadership and organizational skills."
"Thank you, Admiral. There have been times when I felt a little like a king in my own kingdom, but a day hasn't gone by that I wouldn't have traded my kingdom for a ship."
A few hours later, all survivors of the Lisbon were safely aboard one of the two scout-destroyers. It would be a bit crowded on the return trip to Stewart, with crewmen bunking in holds and tripled up in crew quarters. Before leaving Siena, crewmembers freed the gelks in the corral so they could roam wild in the valley. With the two passes blocked, they should be safe from dinosaurs. The Lisbon crew hoped that, in the absence of predators, the gelks wouldn't overpopulate the valley and die from starvation, but nature has its own way of handling such things and they certainly couldn't take the animals with them.
The Lisbon crew took their first hot showers without time limits since their capture, and then the two dozen doctors Jenetta had brought checked them over from head to foot. The medical people treated them for all sorts of minor maladies for which their own medical people hadn't had medications. The crewmembers with unhealed injuries, either from the attack on the Lisbon or sustained while on the planet, received injections of nano-bots to assist in proper healing. Doctors would schedule reconstructive surgery for those serious cases that required it, as soon as they reached Stewart. The next order of business was the transmission of vidMail messages to family and loved ones. After shaves, haircuts, and receiving clean clothes, the Lisbon crew was happy beyond words and regaled the crews of the scout-destroyers with tales of their life on the planet. Over the following days, they would get enough food to fill out their bodies, which looked much older than their years because of the hard work, sun, and vitamin-deficient diet.
"I can't tell you how good it is to be clean-shaven again," Admiral Vroman said to Jenetta, rubbing his face as they sat in the officer's mess hall enjoying mugs of coffee. "I'll never again complain about having to shave once a month."
Jenetta smiled. "We feared we might be too late to rescue you when we learned where you were."
"How did you find us?"
"During interrogation, a Milori prisoner told us about dropping you off in the Siena system. The rest was easy."
"The Milori," Admiral Vroman said as if he had a bitter taste in his mouth. "I think they're planning to invade soon. Why else would they have attacked the Lisbon?"
"They did attack, a few weeks ago. We kicked their butts again."
"How many ships did we lose?"
"None, but two were slightly damaged. We lost twenty-two crewmen."
"I'm talking about a full scale invasion, Admiral, not a small skirmish. They'll be coming in force this time."
"They did. Following your capture, we hunted down and destroyed twenty-five ships that were hiding inside our borders. One other managed to escape, but it didn't represent much of a threat because we damaged it so seriously in the encounter. When the invasion force of four Milori fleets arrived, we destroyed three hundred eighty-eight ships, and, as far as I know, that accounts for every Milori ship in Galactic Alliance space."
"Three-hundred-eighty-eight, and you didn't lose one? That's incredible. I hope you'll find time later today to tell me about your victory."
Jenetta smiled. "Certainly."
"I always knew it would be you who found us, Admiral. I imagined you stepping out of a shuttle so many times that I almost thought I was hallucinating today. But why did you come in this small ship?"
"This is the Colorado."
"The Colorado that you set the speed record with?"
"The very same. The nearest ships to your location were still about forty-five light-years away when we learned of your whereabouts, because I had to recall all ships in preparation for the Milori invasion. Using the Colorado, I was able to get to you in two and-a-half days. We'll be back at Stewart before you know it."
"Two and-a-half days to travel seventy light-years? Unbelievable."
"We're going to make you a believer. We're currently traveling at Light-9375."
Admiral Vroman shook his head slowly and reached out to touch the bulkhead wall, checking the vibration. "Unbelievable."
"Are you hungry?" Jenetta asked, pointing towards the mess atte
ndant. "Is there anything you'd like?"
"Yes, there certainly is."
Jenetta waved the mess attendant over. "Admiral Vroman would like to order something."
"Yes, Admiral?" the mess attendant said.
"I'd love a three-egg omelet with green bell peppers, cheddar cheese, and onions. I'd also like several pancakes with maple syrup, hash browns, a slab of ham, a side order of breakfast sausage, and four pieces of rye toast. Is that possible?"
"Can do, Admiral. It'll be about five minutes."
Admiral Vroman smiled like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. "Carry on, son."
Jenetta grinned and took a sip from her coffee mug.
Over dinner in her quarters that evening, Jenetta recounted the details of the engagement with the Milori.
"You actually got them to simply sit there while you pounded their ships to pieces?" Admiral Vroman asked incredulously.
"Dwillaak ordered them not to fire, and they didn't. I relied on their conditioning to do exactly as ordered at all times. I'm sure he would eventually have countermanded that order, so it was necessary to take his ship out as quickly as possible. I only sent in my battle groups to mop up so as to maintain the illusion that we destroyed the Milori ships with just SC vessels. I know the news images will eventually get back to Milor. The Milori vessels had a little more life left in them than I expected and they managed to strike two of our ships with torpedoes. I wish now that I'd waited just a bit longer."
Admiral Vroman smiled sadly and shook his head gently. "You continue to live up to your reputation, Admiral. Space Command is fortunate that you were still in command at Stewart. I shudder to think what would have happened if I commanded. I don't think I have the imagination to lead ships in battle the way you do."
"We all have different skills and different methods, Admiral. You did every bit as wonderful a job keeping the crew of the Lisbon alive during the past year and a half. Many officers could not have accomplished what you did."
"Thank you, Admiral. That's kind of you to say. May I ask a favor?"
Castle Vroman Page 27
