Both Elian and I were curious to learn as much as possible about him. What we discovered was that he was an academic of some standing, rather than a career diplomat. A little research brought to light that he was an outspoken opponent of the government’s military response “to the first intelligent and technologically advanced species humans have yet discovered”. We also learned that his area of competence had precious little to do with the purported goal of this flotilla, which was to open up a dialogue with a species that had with no provocation attacked and killed hundreds upon hundreds of human beings. In fact, he was a professor emeritus of ancient history. He was also connected.
We commed the admiral’s office and asked for a few minutes of his time. He was a busy man, despite the fact that the immediate crisis had ended. He was working sixteen hour days trying to prepare us for the next crisis, which would be a nice change from normal, and it was heavy going. Not everyone believed that we had anything more to fear, either from the bugs, or from their ‘imaginary’ enemies, as the opponents to the government military buildup liked to call it.
The admiral was expected to defend humanity against threats, both domestic and foreign, and he was trying to do just that, but he was getting a lot of flack from a faction of the left that accused the government of being a militaristic bunch of dim witted fascists, and from another faction on the far right, which believed the extra monies was better spent by not spending it and instead giving it back to the rich who generated it in the first place.
We were given ten minutes at the end of a long day for him. We arrived early and were ushered in while his previous guests were still in the process of leaving. They looked disgruntled, which I took to be a good sign, as they were, in the hoary yet eloquent words of the master chief, REMF’s.
We were told to sit and he got right to the point, “I can guess that you are here to talk about the ambassador.” By now, we expected him to be nearly omniscient, and his opening statement did little to pop that particular balloon. Elian nodded and said, “Yes sir. We have not met him yet, and he hasn’t asked us to meet with him. What we have read about him seems to suggest that he opposed and possibly still opposes the government’s ‘use of force to eliminate a possible threat to humanity’s boundless expansionism’, to quote him. We could use any advice you might toss our way, sir.”
Admiral Lee grinned and said, “Well, with responsibility comes the possibility that you might just have to deal with an allegedly grown man who has never been confronted with evil, naked aggression or harsh reality. This might just be an opportunity for you two to hone your presumptive skills at being diplomatic in the face of idiocy. Please remember that I can squash you like a bug, so don’t go repeating me, hear?” We nodded our heads solemnly, and I asked, “Sir, what we could use right now are some guidelines that delineate just where his authority ends and ours begins.”
The admiral stopped grinning and said, “You are to provide him with transportation to the location of the fifth bug fleet, where you will make every effort to assist him in opening a dialogue with that species. Those are not merely words written on a piece of paper, although they are written. They are my intent. Your responsibility to your ships and their crews takes precedence only when he orders you to do something that endangers said ships and crews. I warn you, however, that this entire mission is gray, with nary a speck of black or white to be seen. You refuse his ‘requests’ at your peril, so you had best make absolutely certain that a court martial would find that you properly refused an illegal order. Even better, zero courts martial, one happy ambassador.”
We looked at each other and Elian asked, “Sir, court martial?” Admiral Lee said, “You heard me. He holds your career in his hands. From what I have heard, he is highly opinionated, but a fair man who will listen to reason. His beliefs in this instance seem to run counter to reality, so I would suggest that you make every attempt to acquaint him with reality on the journey to bugville. Do not, under any circumstances argue with the man. He is nearly seventy years old, and he has students your age, so he may not be terribly open to the voice of sweet reason. Hell, he probably has grandchildren your age. I have uploaded to your ships a great deal of video of the initial attack on the Essex, as well as the final attack. You might want to familiarize yourselves with this information, and attempt to present it to him. Your final orders are being sent to your ships as we speak, so I’ll say good-bye now. I have placed you in a bad spot, and I regret that, but you should know that I have a great deal of faith in you two. I only screw people I trust – all the others I keep very close to hand, or in the brig.”zzzz
The admiral stood and held out his hand. We shook and then saluted.
We left Jupiter base two days later. The admiral held a reception for the ambassador. A certain amount of civilians and politicians made the trip to Jupiter base, and Elian and I attempted to hide out amidst a sea of uniforms. We were probably twenty years younger than anyone else in the space. Admiral Lee personally introduced us to the ambassador, whose name was Emmet Leung. He was gracious but barely noticed us. So - we were off to a start of some kind, we just didn’t know whether it was the start of a noose being slipped over our heads, or some other possibility equally as bad.
We headed out system with the two Dresdens, twelve Hawks and a newly armored and mildly stealthed FFC, loaded up with missiles and a one-off on-board refueling system that could refill the reactor tanks of the Hawks while underway. Someone got the idea from an ancient video he’d seen. In it, two air breathing aircraft were being refueled in flight by a large tanker. It trailed hoses from its airfoils and the smaller fighter planes simply pulled forward, aligning their fuel intake with the hose, through which petroleum based liquid fuel was passed. It was an elegant solution four hundred or so years ago, and just as good today.
We hadn’t solved the prickly issue of how to give the Hawk crews a chance to stretch their legs and get some real rest. Elian and I talked about it with the crews and decided that we would remotely control half of the Hawks at a time, and use the shuttles the Dresdens carried to transfer the crews back and forth. It meant that if we were attacked without any warning we would have no way of properly fighting those Hawks whose crews were aboard a Dresden, but there was no other way. We decided to have all the Hawks manned and on station when we approached within two days of the reported location of the bugs.
The ambassador was on my ship, and on the second day out, after our third jump I invited Ambassador Leung to a working lunch, at which Elian and a representative of the Hawk contingent would be present. The ambassador hadn’t left his cabin since he boarded, and I was getting a little worried that I’d already screwed something up.
Elian shuttled over after the FFC finished topping off the Hawks tanks. Our wardroom was of course fairly small but it was sufficient for the number of people who would be present.
Ambassador Leung came in to the wardroom, accompanied by an aide who I was meeting for the first time. She was possibly thirty years old and quite attractive, in a conservative, sophisticated and coldly distantly way. They were shown to their seats and we were served. The conversation was virtually nonexistent during the entire meal. I saw enough interaction between the two to come to the conclusion that the elderly professor might also be an old goat. He wasn’t married, so no harm there, but she must have pretty bad eyes not to note the approximately forty years separating the two. Of course, I could be completely off base. She could have very good eyes as well as a strong stomach.
After the remains of the simple meal were removed coffee was served. I said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to cover the orders we have been issued by admiralty. Afterward, we’ll entertain any comments or questions you may have concerning those orders. Then, I would hope that Ambassador Leung will tell us how we can assist him in carrying out his assignment.”
I read our orders, which occupied less than one page. My command experience was limited, but anything less than fifty or so pages was unprecedented. Nob
ody had a question, and I could see why, as our orders were startlingly vague. I looked around the table and turned to the ambassador, “Sir, at this time, I wish to ask you what you wish to accomplish, and how we may assist you? As you know, fleet has been observing this fifth flotilla for months, but we have not approached any closer than twenty million kilometers.”
Ambassador Leung said, “As this flotilla has made no attempt to attack us, I propose to simply approach it and begin the attempt to communicate.” I thought about his statement, which contained about as much detail a our mission orders, possibly even less, and said, “Sir, the ship you are on is a military vessel, as are all the others in this mission. I suggest to you that the alien flotilla will not necessarily come to the conclusion that our purpose is to communicate with words rather than with weapons. Can you tell us in greater detail how you will attempt to communicate?”
The ambassador said, “Young man, I have made my life work the study of civilizations, their rise and their fall. I do not see that you have any particular need to know, nor do I believe that you would understand what we are doing, were I to attempt to explain. At the appropriate time I will inform you of my requirements. It is my understanding that your ships are to be at my service. Is that not so?”
Aha! The cat was out of the bag.
I smiled my best, most engaging smile and replied, “Sir, the orders I have just read state that I have been ordered to transport you to the region of space occupied by the alien flotilla and render any additional assistance that you may request, as long as those requests do not endanger our ships, their personnel, our technology or the location of any of our home worlds. As you are no doubt aware, we, that is, humanity, have been at war with these beings, and there has been great loss of life. Therefore, I cannot simply assume that this violent race will tolerate our presence anywhere near their ships, which, if analysts are correct, are effectively their home. With that in mind, may I know, at least in a general way, how precisely you will attempt to open a channel of communication? I am asking this of course, so that I may better assist you in carrying out your extremely important mission.” You could probably smell my b.s. in the engine room. Hell, in the Lee’s engine room.
Ambassador Leung said, “Young man, I have made a great effort to learn everything possible about these beings. You, as a military man, will not have had access to most of the information that I have been given. Therefore, I consider it unlikely that you would understand either my means or methods.”
I avoided gritting my teeth, and I avoided reaching across the table and choking the bastard. Instead, I nodded my head and said, “That is most probably true. May I ask, sir, if your research material included the actual bridge recordings from the Essex? Specifically, in that very first moment that she came under attack? If not, you may wish to inform yourself of this important additional information fleet acquired at such a great cost in human life, so as to better assist you in knowing how best to proceed.” I was tap dancing like crazy here, but I thought I was doing a pretty good job.
Ambassador Leung said, “Young man, I assure you that I have been completely informed of every step of the process by which your fleet managed to kill uncounted thousands of these beings in the mistaken belief that they represented a threat to humanity.”
Well, the gloves were off now. I said, “Yes sir, but to get back to my question – have you witnessed these recordings?” The ambassador looked frostily at me but I simply waited him out and he finally admitted, “No, I have not. I do not feel that video footage of your naval personnel would help me prepare to communicate with this remarkable and highly sophisticated race of beings.”
I nodded my head solemnly and said, “As it happens, of the forty eight survivors of the carrier Essex and her escorts and fighter crews, a handful of them are members of this expedition. Have you spoken to any of these men and women?”
This brought the ambassador up short. He said, “Why no, I haven’t. However, upon reflection, I wonder what these people could possibly add to my knowledge of the species I have come to learn about?”
I said, “For instance, sir, do you not feel that speaking to the only human beings still alive that have had contact with the alien species may possibly provide you with at least an insight into how best to proceed?” By now I was so pissed that I was having difficulty in breathing calmly.
Ambassador Leung replied, “Young man, I assure you that I have quite precise records of your ship, the Essex, and its possibly inadvertent blundering into the path of the aliens. In preparation for this exciting assignment, your admiralty gave me access to every record I requested. I have read transcripts of, presumably, those shipmates of yours. These military people were neither well educated nor capable of providing the highly technical insights needed that would allow me to initiate a verbal and non-violent dialogue.”
I smiled once again and said, “In an effort to aid you in your task, I’ve taken the liberty of providing for you the video footage from the Essex bridge. The first attacks took place over a period of five days, but we have condensed the video footage down to a little over thirty minutes. We can display that information right now.”
Without waiting for his response I turned to my exec and said, “Will you please play the footage?” The room darkened and on a conveniently blank bulkhead the bridge of the carrier Essex appeared. We watched approximately thirty seconds of routine reports, many of which were about the just completed exercises of the Dash 6 fighters, which had just landed back aboard the carriers.
A strident alarm blared and over an external comm channel appeared the head and shoulders of an unnamed technician aboard the Horsham. She reported the appearance of a large flight of incoming fighter sized craft. As she continued her report, you could hear the howl of alarms as the Horsham went to battle stations. After a short pause, she reported calmly that the Horsham was being fired upon. She continued to report the Horsham’s efforts to turn away from the encroaching fighters. Her image shook as heavy energy weapons began striking the lightly armored and armed destroyer. In the background we could distinctly hear damage reports begin flooding in, until suddenly, the signal was lost. A moment later, an alarm on the Essex wailed, signaling the loss of contact with the Horsham.
My exec paused the recording and I explained, “It was at this moment that the Horsham was destroyed sir. Our sensors gave us no warnings that any spacecraft were” I signaled to resume the footage. We watched in silence as the carrier went to battle stations and began launching its fighters. We saw the captain take the helm from his deck officer. We heard the fighter pilots report as they accelerated away from the carrier and attempted to get into formation. The carrier reported the position and heading of the ‘bandits’ and directed the fighters toward them. Within twenty minutes, the fighter pilots and navigators began sending reports as they engaged the bug fighters. Several were cut off in mid sentence as the fighters were hit and destroyed.
In the background could be heard an unseen communications officer who was speaking to one of the fighters, asking for identification of the “unidentified intruders”. It was clear that in those first moments the Essex assumed human forces were attacking it. Within no more than three or four minutes after our fighters engaged, they began relaying data back to the carrier that indicated we were being attacked by a heretofore unknown class of fighters.
The last few moments of my footage showed the Essex admiral recording a very brief but succinct message, which was transmitted to a courier ship with the orders that it get underway immediately for Lubya.
This footage lasted for approximately ten minutes. No matter how many times I viewed this, I felt as if I were there once again, felt the anguish as my friends were blotted from existence.
The lights came back up and I asked, “Sir, does this footage add to your own understanding of just how we came in contact?” The ambassador was visibly shaken. He wasn’t stupid, but he was very stubborn. He said, “Young man, who edited that footage?” I
paused for a moment before answering. I chose not to answer his question directly. Instead, in a quiet voice I said, “Sir, Captain Turner and I were among the thirty six fighters who responded to that unprovoked attack against us. We were there, we saw and heard the deaths of thirty of our pilots and navigators. We....” I was cut off by the ambassador who said, “Young man, I may be incorrect, but it is my understanding that both of you are mere lieutenants. I suggest that your low rank meant that you were not privy to all that occurred on that unfortunate occasion.”
I sat for a moment, almost frightened by this man’s aggressive stupidity. I asked, “Sir, are you in possession of any communication made by these beings, prior to their attack on the Horsham and the other ships of the Essex flotilla?”
Ambassador Leung shook his head angrily and said, “You are here to assist me, not the other way around. I suggest that if you wish to possess a career in your precious Fleet, you keep that in mind.”
I said, no longer able to pretend to be either amused or lighthearted, “Sir, we have footage of the final moments of the Essex, footage which was recovered from the flight recorders of that ship some time after its destruction. Once again, the ship was, it thought, alone and in fact had gone to great lengths to remain separated from the aliens. Exec, please play that footage now.” I didn’t ask for permission, I was too angry.
Hawk Seven (Flight of the Hawk) Page 54
