by Charles Lamb
----*----
MeHak begrudgingly acknowledged that the plan about to be executed had certain merits. Though it did nothing to actually remove the irritants, making her political life miserable, it would harass them to the breaking point. At least she hoped it would.
There was great risk in what was to transpire, however the risk was not hers. The beauty of this arrangement was, by caving to the think tank coalition, she had placed the responsibility of success on them. Any fallout from this plan would rest in their laps, as she had never agreed to do this.
----*----
Brian was approaching the edge of the solar system. During the last three days he had his people constantly drilling, insuring each duty shift got equal training. Kola was learning to stretch her legs as well, working with each crew, and honing her own skills.
Prior to leaving earth, a course had been plotted that would take Kola and her crew from earth, to the Wawobash system and then on to the Kortisht. From there they would return home, completing a successful, three-legged trip in space. As the route was well known, it was considered a milk run by the navigation team.
With only a few hours to go before they were far enough out to go to Faster than Light speed, Brian received a call from earth. To enable communications at the edge of the solar system, a NeHaw repeater station had been placed there, like a buoy. With its own power and repulser motor, it was programmed to remain at the edge of the solar system referencing the sun rather than any of the planets.
“Brian, this is Linda,”
“What’s up?” he asked, as the communication was unexpected.
“We just got a message from the Wawobash. A NeHaw cruiser has taken up residence at the edge of their solar system.”
“Just one? Are they moving into the system?” he asked, the conversation now holding his entire attention.
“No, that's the weird thing. They aren’t trying to hide, they are just hanging out at the edge of the system. Oh wait, we just got an update. A Kortisht transport just dropped out of light speed and was chased off. They were making a parts drop, supplying new drives for the shipyard and the NeHaw prevented them from entering the system.”
“The NeHaw can’t expect a single cruiser to blockade the system there?” Brian asked absently.
“Agreed, anyway, Jake is asking if you and Kola are comfortable dealing with the situation?”
“Without question,” Kola replied before Brian could respond.
“Agreed,” Brian added.
----*----
The news of the NeHaw harassing the Wawobash was unwelcome to Jake and Edwin. The order had been placed for the ship they intended to use, a special NeHaw friendly section identified in the drawings. As it would be a few weeks before the modified vessel would be ready for delivery, Jake felt the offending NeHaw cruiser could be chased off without creating any delays.
The perfunctory conversation with HeBak was completed, sealing the deal established earlier. Jake had agreed to move the payment to his ship's hold, one hundred percent in advance. As there was no possible way the NeHaw could escape, backing out on their bargain, it was of no concern to him where the gold was stored.
He could see by the NeHaw’s agitated state, however, that the gesture created a good deal of excitement with HeBak. Leaving the security team with strict orders to keep the NeHaw in check, he had one more task to complete before leaving with Banks for Nevada.
“Sandy, may I come in?” Jake asked as he stood outside her door. It seemed like an exceptionally long time before the door finally opened and he saw Sandy standing in the doorway.
“Yes,” she answered in a small voice, not lifting her head to look into his eyes. As he entered, she continued to look down at the floor as she crossed the room and sat in one of the chairs.
Unlike the Sandy of old, she wasn’t in a flowery dress or high heels. She was barefoot, in jeans, and a drab, oversized T-shirt. It took Jake a moment to realize it was one of his. While she was in her room alone, Jake knew she was under 24-hour surveillance, by both Dallas and the medical staff. He also was aware that Becky still made daily visits, both as her doctor and her friend.
“How are you doing?” he asked, unsure of what else to say.
“Ok,” she replied without looking at him.
“We miss you. When are you coming home?”
At that, she looked up, with teary eyes.
“Why would you want me to?”
“Because we love you,” Jake replied immediately.
“No! Why would YOU want me back? I killed Alicia by being stupid.”
“Sandy, I killed a hundred Alicia’s on Klinan by being stupid. I hurt every day over that.”
As he watched the tears stream down her face, he stood up and took her hand. Leading her into the bedroom, he had her lie down and slipped next to her, holding her tightly. Eventually her sobs stopped and her breathing slowed. Within minutes they were both asleep.
----*----
Edwin Banks had received word from Dallas that their departure would be delayed a day. All she would say is Jake was unavailable until then. His first thought was he had slipped off with one of the many women he was rumored to be bound to, however the thought faded, as he knew Jake to be a man not given to whimsical behavior.
Squatting in Jake’s office, off the command center, he had been reviewing the list of potential crew for his mission when Major Sullivan came in.
“Colonel, I’m sorry I was looking for Jake.”
“I am told by Dallas that he is otherwise engaged. May I assist you?”
“Oh, no. it was more of an informational visit. We are getting reports of other worlds getting NeHaw visitors. No attacks, they just hang near the edge of the solar systems and chase off anyone that drops out of FTL. They are also blocking ships from leaving the solar systems.”
“I am sensing a pattern here. By preventing free movement, they are enacting a blockade of sorts,” Banks said as he considered the situation.
“Precisely, how many worlds are we aligned with?” he asked Bonnie.
“The only official treaty is with the five initial contacts, the Wawobash and Kortisht are included in that. Beyond that, we are in support of over a dozen or more races. Some of them reside on more than one planet,” she finished.
“So that’s their game. For us to meet our obligations we would have to supply combat vessels in sufficient numbers to counter them all.”
“We don’t have that many ships combat ready. Besides, what’s to keep them from flooding one location after another once we deploy, picking us apart?” Bonnie asked.
“Precisely.”
Chapter 28
Jake had no delusions that one night cuddling Sandy was going to cure her. He was encouraged, though, as he met Becky at the door the following morning. Sandy had kissed him goodbye and even welcomed a surprised Becky in with a smile, the first anyone had seen since her return from China.
Leaving her in good hands, Jake headed straight to his room for a quick shower and change of clothes. Not bothering to stop and read his messages or eat breakfast, he asked Dallas to deliver food to his office as he crossed the command center.
Entering his office, he was surprised to find Banks already there, and hovering over the small table they had been sharing.
“Good Morning,” he heard Banks offer with a smile, “I hope your derailment yesterday was not too distressing.”
Jake understood that was Banks way of asking about his disappearance without actually asking.
“I spent some time with Sandy.”
“Ah, say no more. Terrible experience, that. I hope the young lady is on the mend?”
“Better today than yesterday. We just need to string more of those together.”
“Well, while you were off grid, we’ve had some excitement.” Banks offered. He then went through an explanation of the NeHaw blockade and the analysis provided so far.
“Inventive, I’ll say that for them. And, it’s not in their m
anuals. I fear we have an unknown outside influence at play here,” Jake added after considering the information.
“Bonnie and I ran the numbers and there is simply no way we can tackle every point in the blockade. Should we clear one point and move on, they will simply replace the vacated ship with a new one.”
“Bonnie?” Jake asked, as the Brit had a tendency to be overly formal at first introduction.
Edwin reddened a bit before replying, “She can be quite insistent on certain points. A mother to your child, I understand?”
Now it was Jake’s turn to blush, “It’s complicated.”
“So I understand.”
“Moving on, I suggest we go ahead and leave for Nevada. We are not going to solve this today, and we have pressing matters there to address. Unless you have another suggestion?”
“I would only add that the ship you call Kola, with Brian in command, is on its way to the Wawobash star system. They plan to relieve the current NeHaw cruiser there of any further responsibilities. We might consider having them linger, rather than returning straight away.”
“Agreed.”
----*----
ALICE-1 was in conversation with her sisters, assessing the progress of the newborn in South Dakota, and evaluating the latest NeHaw threat. All had noted that Kola seemed quite content with her new role, as she departed the solar system. Information exchanges during the trip to the edge of the system indicated she was heavily engaged in human interactions, something they all valued.
ALICE-1, herself, was busy with the Russians, providing English lessons in their sleep while performing psychiatric evaluations during the daytime. As a whole, the group was quite eccentric by American standards, but they were very intelligent and quick learners.
However, ALICE-1 and her sisters had reservations about their willingness to assimilate into the current social structure. She had expectations that Jake would have to meet them half way to make them of any use in the coming struggles with the NeHaw.
In reference to the NeHaw, their captive in Texas was a concern for several of the sisters. All agreed with Dallas’s assessment that the creature was not forthcoming on his real reasons for being on earth. Why this particular NeHaw seemed so unconcerned about the risks of landing, where all captured NeHaw transmissions on the subject had indicated a real fear, was extremely suspicious.
A private concern of hers was the change in personality displayed with Sara. Since becoming pregnant, she had become emotional, short tempered and almost manipulative in her behaviors with other women. Admittedly, it was not all women, only those close to Jake seemed to bear the brunt of her emotions. In comparison to the other women, Sara’s behavior during pregnancy seemed extreme.
She was concerned that Sara’s continued instability would upset the balance between Jake and the other women. Such a rift among those in leadership positions could degrade the command structure and introduce a dangerous split. Unsure of what she should or even could do about the situation, she held her concerns to herself for the time being.
----*----
Kola dropped out of FTL just beyond the Wawobash system, ready for a fight. Before they could even launch their fighters, the NeHaw cruiser disappeared as it engaged its own Faster than Light drives.
“What the hell was that all about?” Brian asked as he stared out into empty space.
“I can detect no other NeHaw vessels in the area,” Kola replied.
“Sir, a message from the Wawobash. They expressed thanks for removing the NeHaw,” the communications officer announced.
“Well, that was easy. Unnervingly, too easy,” Brian said absently.
“Sir, we have a message in the queue from when we were in FTL. The Colonel has requested we delay the next leg of our trip and remain here until further notice.”
“We have our orders,” Brian announced, “Sounds like a great time to do a little window shopping,” he finished while altering one of the bridge displays to zoom in on the massive shipyards orbiting the planet.
----*----
Jake and Edwin arrived in Nevada just in time to meet a large group of Russians on a tour. While most had changed into clothing provided by ALICE, the makeup of the collection of people was unmistakable.
“Colonel Jake!” Jake heard bellowed across the hangar.
Turning, he was just in time to receive a bear hug from the Russian.
“Hello Ivan,” Jake managed as he was released from the embrace.
“It is wonderful to finally meet you in person,” Ivan replied as he stepped back from the two men.
“Ivan, this is Colonel Banks.”
“Ah, the leader of the SAS. I have heard many good things about you.”
“A pleasure,” was all Banks could muster. While Jake found the Russian delightfully animated, he suspected he was a bit much for the generally subdued Brit.
“So, Colonel, when do we get to start killing NeHaw. Your Alice has been teaching us much while we sleep.”
“So I see. Are you free to come with us?” Jake asked while motioning Ivan toward the facility doors.
“Yes, I am at your disposal,” the Russian replied with a smile.
With that, Jake led both men inside, intending to head directly to his office off the command center. However, Sara intercepted the party in the hallway, greeting Jake with a passionate kiss before acknowledging anyone else in his party.
“This explains much,” Ivan commented with a smile to Banks, as the two waited patiently.
“Edwin, can I have a moment, please?” Jake asked after Sara released her lip lock without letting him from her grasp.
“We will be in your office.”
Once the men had left, Sara directed her attention at Jake.
“You have been gone way too long!”
“I’m sorry, it was not my intention. How are you feeling?”
“Lonely!” was all Sara would say.
Turning her about, Jake took her arm and the two slowly walked down the hallway as Sara unloaded on Jake. Mostly it was just catching up on everything that had happened since he had last seen her, but he could tell she was building up to something.
----*----
Patti was again back on the bridge with Daniel, as the two discussed their next steps. As they spent the day sleeping, the ship’s captain relocated to the south, hovering high above what was once Geelong, Victoria.
Having risen while it was still light out, Daniel had taken advantage of the time, before sunset, to do a live survey of Swan Island. He could make out a significant number of people moving about below. It appeared entire families were in residence there, making it imperative his SAS team was extremely cautious in contacting these people.
With that data, Daniel was hesitant to send the team in unannounced, as it could inadvertently trigger a firefight. He could hardly blame the defenders, as he assumed over the years, there was likely more than one attempt on their facility. From everything he could discern, they had been quite prosperous over the last eighty years.
There were several small boats tied up at a well-maintained dock. There also appeared to be a few motor vehicles in use. With Geelong and Melbourne nearby, they likely recovered fuel from all over.
“Sorry all, change of plans. I am thinking we should make a daylight landing,” Daniel declared once all the troopers we up and around. He explained his observations, and with concurrence from the team, they reworked their insertion plan for a morning appearance.
----*----
“Exclusive?” Jake asked, not believing what he was hearing. Then again, he had been expecting this conversation from the first day they agreed on “The Arrangement.”
“Yes, I think it’s time we moved past the needs of the ALICE’s and focused on what we want.”
They had taken a small table in one of the dining halls, off to one side of the room.
Jake knew Sara was referring to the actual reason the multiparty relationship was proposed in the first place. The eight facilities,
at the time known only to ALICE, needed insurance to guarantee their survival beyond Jake’s lifetime.
Thus, ALICE had scoured the local region for a mate she assumed Jake would be most attracted to. In finding Sara, she had stumbled upon a windfall. At the time, there were six women, Sara, Becky, Bonnie, Linda, Kathy, and Sandy, all rescues from a raid near Los Angeles.
Behind his back, ALICE-1 had been negotiating with the women to insure Jake had offspring. Jake had insisted that it was one hundred percent participation or not at all, thinking he would get out of the situation. Apparently, ALICE had anticipated the demand, and prearranged everything. Later, Jessie had wedged her way into the mix, seeing the opportunity to secure her own future.
In the beginning, Jake had insisted it was a bad idea, which would only end poorly for all involved. As things progressed, he had accepted that he might have been mistaken. Now he was renewing his previous perspective.
Even though Jessie, Kathy, and Linda seemed have cooled on the arrangement, they all remained on very friendly terms with Jake, like friends with benefits. Bonnie had outright quit, finding love with Robert. This still left Sandy and Becky as active competitors to Sara’s desires.
Knowing he was on very thin ice with Sara, the pregnancy leaving her emotional state questionable, he hesitated on repeating his initial statement.
“I know I told you before, your idea, you handle it, but this time I think I need to do this.”
The smile on Sara’s face implied she thought he agreed with her. In fact, he did, but not necessarily the way she expected.
“This is going to take some time, so you need to be patient, OK?”
He could see the smile fade from her face.
“Ok, but don’t take too long.”
With that, she gave him a kiss and then got up, heading out the door without looking back.
----*----
Jake found Ivan and Banks in his office as promised. He had apparently interrupted a discussion around something called The Great Game. As Jake was unfamiliar with the term, Edwin expanded on it.
