Clidepp Deja Vu

by Thomas DePrima

  "So what are you going to tell Sydnee?"

  "I'm going to tell her she's been officially promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Let her enjoy the promotion for as long as she can."

  "No, I mean about the other. They're just sitting there waiting for something to happen on the planet. In the meantime, a shipload of former slaves are eating their way through the ship's limited food stores. What of her request that we resupply them as soon as possible?"

  "I've been forbidden to send any support vessels as I did when she got stranded just over the border on her last mission into Clidepp space. And I hate to tell her to abandon the former slaves in the embassy and return to GA space ASAP to offload her passengers, but I know of no way for her to surreptitiously acquire more food if they remain where they are. And even if she cut rations and left Yolongus space today, they will most likely run out of food long before reaching GA space. The only way we could avert that disaster would be to send a CPS-14 loaded with food that would meet them halfway. Raiding the long-term emergency food stores from the embassy was inspired, but that's impossible while the Yolongi secret police is surrounding the compound. If the shuttles leave the embassy, the Triumvirate will have proof that a GA ship was in the area and could have been behind the attacks."

  "There doesn't seem to be much choice. She has to cut rations and head back immediately. The people in the embassy bunker should be safe from attack by the Yolongi. I'm sure that bunker can withstand almost any attack the Clidepp Empire can make, short of completely destroying their own capital city. And, as you said, they have plenty of food down there."

  "Even cutting rations, they won't have enough food to make it back here once they receive my message eleven days from now. I think it's time I practiced a little CYA."

  "How are you going to accomplish that?"

  "I've pretty much decided to send a Priority One message to SHQ/SCI and inform them that while following orders issued by them, the commanding officer of the auxiliary ship involved in the special mission was required to commit actions inconsistent with normal protocols."

  "That seems pretty general, sir. How does that cover your ass?"

  "It'll be on record that I ordered a subordinate to perform an action following orders SCI directed be passed along verbatim. The lack of specifics, other than the date I send the message, is necessary owing to the top-secret nature of the orders. Granted it's a one-sided avowal, and it could be argued that it pertained to another mission entirely, but the significance of the message won't be lost on SCI."

  Bryant shook his head slightly and said, "And God help our people on the Justice."

  * * *

  Sydnee considerably underestimated the time a response from the Denver's commanding officer would take. Thirty-six days after sending the message, a Priority-One message finally arrived from Lidden. Sydnee was asleep at the time, the message arriving at 0328 GST, but she jumped out of bed when informed by the watch commander that it had been sent to her queue.

  After rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Sydnee leaned in so the computer could verify her identify with the required retinal scan. Once satisfied with the identity of the recipient, the computer began to play the encrypted vid.

  "Hello, Sydnee," the image of Captain Lidden said. "To begin, I want to apologize for putting you in this position. As you know, when I offered you the mission the task was simply to return the package. SCI then altered it to include placing satellites all over Clidepp space. You accepted the additional task, but I felt like we were taking advantage of your acceptance of the original mission. Then when SCI altered it again to have you recover one of their agents on Yolongus, I had no choice but to pass on their orders.

  "The narrative you provided about having had their agent on board and then allowing him to return to the planet to recover slaves drew criticism from the SCI, but they were gratified you required him to send his full report before allowing him to leave the ship. They also acknowledge that his superior Space Command rank put you in an extremely awkward position when you tried to deny his request. They have received his report, by the way, and I understand they were very enlightened by the information it contained. They also acknowledge that once their agent was captured by the secret police, it became most imperative he not remain in their custody because he might be forced to talk about his mission on Yolongus and the information he had collected. I haven't been privy to the information contained in that report so I'm unable to share it with you, but I understand it's worth everything you've been through and far more. Should the diplomatic status between our nations worsen, I believe— or at least hope— the SCI will stand behind us. They have also said they want you to take whatever reasonable risks you deem appropriate to again recover the agent you referred to as Winston in your message.

  "I regret I'm unable to provide any support for your current food situation. Space Command has adamantly refused to allow another ship to enter Clidepp space, especially in light of the current situation there following the attack on the capital city. I practically begged them to send a Scout-Destroyer loaded with food that would also bring back the slaves you've freed, but they say a second ship might make war inevitable. I regret this might mean that, at this point, they will disavow your mission and put the entire blame for your unauthorized presence in Clidepp space squarely on your shoulders should the situation deteriorate further. Your intense disapproval of the slavery situation in the Clidepp Empire has been well known since the incident aboard the Clidepp diplomatic ship. Since I'm forbidden from sending supplies, you must start back immediately. Reduce meal portions to stretch the remaining food supplies as much as possible. Other than that advice, I'm afraid you're on your own. But I know that in spite of the difficulty confronting you, the fate of the Justice, his crew, and the former slaves couldn't be in better hands than those of one of the newest lieutenants in Space Command. Congratulations Lieutenant, the Admiralty Board approved early promotion a few weeks ago and you've been appointed to fill a vacant O-3 command position here aboard the Denver. You are now entitled to wear two full bars on each shoulder. The usual promotion celebration will naturally have to wait until you make it back to GA space, but I'm confident you'll be with us shortly.

  "Anthony Frederick Lidden, Captain, Commanding Officer of the Denver, GSC-DS2026, in Region One. End of message."

  Sydnee, her mouth hanging open in shock, sat back in her office chair and stared at the Space Command logo that signified the end of the vid. She desperately needed food for her crew and passengers, plus help recovering the people still on the planet, so she had been counting on support from Space Command. But instead they gave her an extra half bar for each shoulder and a pay raise. She wasn't ungrateful for the promotion, but she needed that mission support far more than she needed new rank insignia.

  With food levels now reaching critical levels aboard the Justice and the embassy stores completely out of reach, Sydnee knew that even on reduced rations they would run out of food before they were even halfway back to GA space. She had waited too long for the APCs to leave the embassy compound in the hope that she could recover her people while securing the emergency food supplies. She would now have to find an alternate source of food on her own. The problem was further exacerbated by having all four of her shuttles parked in the underground bay at the embassy compound. The slaves had been growing their own food, so they would probably be adept at foraging in the wild. But even if the Justice could reach a planet where they could acquire food, they had no way of transporting it up to the ship. The Marine FA-SF4s had returned to the Justice after the attack on the capital city, but the sleek aircraft were designed for slicing through the dense atmosphere of a planet at supersonic speeds, not ferrying passengers or supplies. And while equally adept at flight in the vacuum of space, every cubic centimeter not allocated to cockpit space or propulsion functions was devoted to armament.

  The message from Lidden made Sydnee feel as if her ship and crew had been abandoned by Space Command. She sup
posed military ships and personnel were always labeled as expendable when on a clandestine mission behind enemy lines, undercover in hostile territory, or just outside the borders of their home nation, but she'd like to think they would endeavor to recover them if possible, just as she was ordered to recover Winston.

  Well, if Space Command isn't going to help us, she thought, we'll just have to save ourselves. And we'll let the chips fall where they may.

  Since the day of the attack on Yolongus, she had been receiving a message from Blade each morning. Initially it was a full status report, but after the first week it was usually just the same two words— 'still here.' It wasn't meant to report that the former slaves and the Marines were still at the embassy. It was to report that the Qummuc APCs were still on the perimeter of the compound with their weapons pointed at the embassy. Pointing their weapons at the embassy was a useless act, probably intended solely for public consumption. The embassy's APDS would prevent any APC barrage from seriously damaging buildings inside the compound.

  Sydnee had been thinking about the problem of food shortages for weeks, as with each passing day the food supplies dwindled. Most plans had to be discarded because they required at least one shuttle. She wished she had held one back as reserve, but the attack plan on the capital might have suffered without dedicating the full resources of the ship to a quick resolution. There was no way she could have known the number of rescued slaves would be so great and all four shuttles would be required to transport the slaves and food from the embassy.

  Without a shuttle, there was no way they were going to get food from Yolongus. Sydnee had composed a message to Blade weeks ago informing him that the ship was leaving the solar system to find food and that they would return when they could. The people in the embassy were safe where they were, so she had to think only about the people aboard the ship now. She sent the message to the com station on the bridge with instructions to send it on. It would be forwarded to the nearest com satellite, routed around the planet to the com satellite having the best line-of-sight with the embassy, and then sent directly to the embassy.

  With the task complete, she returned to her bed. In the morning, she would have the navigator plot a course to a distant point she had selected from the space charts. The hundred-thirty-two-light-year trip would take almost five days to complete, and there was no guarantee they would find food there, but they had to try something, and Sydnee felt this had the greatest chance of success since there would be no food coming from the GA.

  Once back in bed, Sydnee tossed and turned. She realized how much she had been counting on receiving some form of support from Space Command, even if it was just another CPS-14 such as Lifeguard bringing habitat containers filled with food, possibly a couple of MAT-14 shuttles, and providing additional habitat space for rescued slaves.

  * *

  After sleeping on it, or at least trying to sleep on it, Sydnee showered and dressed, then walked to the bridge. She was early, and when the watch commander, Lt.(jg) Ming, started to stand to yield the command chair, she waved him down. Instead, she paced around the bridge, thinking of all the reasons why she shouldn't do what she was considering doing. She would have preferred to walk around inside her office while she thought, if it had been large enough to walk around in. She could think of a dozen reasons why she shouldn't do what she was fairly sure she was about to order, but only one reason why she should. The reason in favor of the action— the desperate need for food— eventually won out. She believed if she didn't take the action she was contemplating they would run out of food completely within eight days. Being a month from GA space meant that she would have to order the four shuttles beneath the embassy to load up and leave the planet. If they did that, the Yolongi Triumvirate would essentially have proof the GA could be responsible for the attack on the planet and most probably declare war. Even worse, the Clidepp Empire would immediately know that the Dakinium-sheathed ships couldn't be tracked with their radar. They would then blame the GA for every event they couldn't explain, such as what happened to the ship in the ravine that suddenly disappeared.

  "No," Sydnee mumbled to herself, "I can't order the ships to leave the embassy while it's a certainty they will be seen. Better not to give the Yolongi something else to think about, especially if it's also something they can use to declare war. At the very least they would learn their radar is useless where our DS ships are concerned."

  *

  Just before the watch was due to change, Sydnee took command from Lt.(jg) Ming. The usual briefing for commanders when the watch changed took just seconds. The ship had been parked in the same basic area of space since the camouflage work on the one shuttle had been completed and they'd returned from that planet, and aside from minor issues occurring inside the ship, there was nothing to report.

  Following the watch change, Sydnee called Lt.(jg) Olivetti to her chair.

  "Plot a course to this location," Sydnee said as she handed Olivetti a viewpad.

  Olivetti looked at the viewpad information for a second, then asked, "We're leaving Yolongus, Captain?"

  "Yes. Just as soon as you have a course plotted."

  "Aye, Captain. This destination is at least a hundred twenty light-years from here."

  "Actually, it's about a hundred thirty-two light-years from here. Plot the course, Lieutenant."

  "Aye, Captain."

  The entire bridge crew naturally heard the order to plot a new course, but Sydnee didn't offer any explanations.

  Before the shuttles had left to pick up the slaves and food supplies at the embassy, they had disgorged the contents of their underbelly storage. The items had simply been tethered to the Justice's hull at that time, but when it became clear that the shuttles would not be returning right away, the tethered items had been brought inside though one of the SF4 hanger doors. Their presence there would prevent a launch from taking place, but there were still seven other SF4 aircraft available.

  *

  When it appeared that Olivetti was done, Sydnee asked, "Navigation, is our course plotted?" Sydnee asked.

  "Aye, Captain," Lt.(jg) Olivetti said, adding, "And it has been forwarded to Helm."

  "Very good. Helm, is the course laid in?"

  "Aye, Captain. We're ready to go as soon as you give the order to build our envelope."

  "Very good. Engineering, is everything go?"

  "Aye, Captain. All systems are operating at peak efficiency."

  "Very good. Tac, is the DeTect board green?"

  "Negative, Captain," Lt.(jg) Templeton said. "A ship has just appeared on the DeTect screen. It appears to be that mining company shuttle again, the Patoosch."

  "That won't interfere with us. Helm, build the double envelope."

  "Aye, Captain, building the double envelope."

  As the helmsman waited for the envelope to complete, Chief Petty Officer Wilson Lemela said, "Captain, the Clidepp fleet has asked the Patoosch to provide today's identification code. Now they're acknowledging the code and allowing the Patoosch to approach the planet."

  "I guess someone had their head handed to them after the attack and they've tightened security," Sydnee said with a grin.

  "The envelope is built, Captain," the helmsman said.

  "Engage."

  "Aye, Captain," the helmsman said as he tapped a point on his console and the image on the large bridge monitor changed from a visual image via bow cameras to a computer image generated from the ship's sensors.

  "We're away, Captain," the helmsman said.

  Sydnee relaxed in the command chair and watched the front image until she grew bored. She then turned watch command over to Lt.(jg) Olivetti and left the bridge.

  Sydnee went down to the habitat container where the former slaves were housed and looked for the elected leader of the group. When she located her, she invited her to step into the corridor where they would have a little privacy.

  "Anese, I need to inform you of something," Sydnee said.

  A worried look
immediately came over the former slave's face. "Is it about my daughter?"

  "Your daughter is fine. All of the former slaves are being cared for. They're getting enough food and sleep, and their work assignments are light. They're only asked to work at daily cooking and cleaning chores for the benefit of the group as a whole, just as the former slaves do here. They are perfectly safe where they are."

  "That's a relief. Your expression made me think you had bad news."

  "I wanted to tell you so you can inform your people that we have left the vicinity of Yolongus. We've been unable to recover the other slaves from the embassy because, as you know, the Qummuc have surrounded the compound. I've been waiting for the Qummuc to tire of waiting for something to happen and leave the area, but they remain outside the walls. I'd continue to wait here except that our food supplies are getting very low. It's important that I take steps to replenish those supplies, and we can't do it while we're in the Yolongus solar system."

  "Is that the only reason?"

  "Yes, and it's a pretty important one."

  "And we'll return to get the others when your food issues have been resolved?"

  "Of course. Please don't worry about them. They're fine. We rescued everyone who was in that Qummuc slave facility, and as I've told you previously, that included your daughter."

  "Thank you, Captain."

  "I want you to pass that information on to the others. We just left the Yolongus solar system, and I'm sure the word will reach everyone down here before too long. I want them to understand we are not abandoning the others."

  "I'll tell them, Captain. Thank you again for everything you've done for us." A few tears wound their way down the face of Anese. As she wiped them away, she said, "For so long we prayed that someone would free us from slavery. The Aleoxlene Reqoppl freed us from our masters but had no way to get us back to the GA. You are our real angel. You are the one who will take us home. We trust you completely and know that when it's possible to recover the people at the embassy, you'll do it."