Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price

by Dale Musser

  I was the only military leader afforded the luxury of a private escape gate and only I knew the location of the receiving gate, which was located on a small, cloaked and unmanned patrol ship that sat alone within a region of space that was completely devoid of activity or visitors. The design of my gate was modeled after two hidden evacuation gates located in the Capitol Station offices of the Federation Leaders. If circumstances ever required me to use my evacuation route, I would need to destroy the 3D vid screen to get to the small compartment behind it, activate my end of the gate using a voice command that only I knew, and then pass into the refuge ship and close the gateway. From there I could fly to the destination that best suited the emergency situation. There were, of course, other escape gates for military personnel on all ships, but only I had a personal evacuation route and dedicated receiving ship.

  When A’Lappe designed the new carriers, I stripped out much of the luxury of the starships of old, replacing it with a more minimalist accommodation arrangement, and increased the ships’ offensive and defensive capabilities. With the advent of the Cantolla Gates, fancy accommodations intended for long tours of duty were obsolete, as crews could now use the gates to go home at the end of shift and again to report for duty at the beginning of the next shift. However, the Senate felt that the GLOMAR ROSA required a design more elevated than the carriers in terms of luxury accommodations and amenities, even if less opulent than the retired starships, since the ship would still be expected to host events and meetings with senators, senior military officers and dignitaries from other planets. The Senate stated that the GLOMAR ROSA, as flagship of the Galactic Federation Military Forces, must represent the standards and images of glory and excellence that the Federation felt were needed to cast a lasting impression on any visitors.

  I wasn’t in favor of the luxury elements of the GLOMAR ROSA’s design, but the Senate insisted on their inclusion. I certainly wasn’t going to delay production because of such non-essential features and, more importantly, I felt that the Senate’s irrational resolve on the matter was a strong indication of a return to their past ideology, in which they believed opulence is a reflection of benevolent power and prosperity. This kind of image and control over the Federation’s military was not something that made it better or stronger. Ultimately, the Senate had its way and most of the visitor amenities were added.

  While the visitor quarters were smaller than the dignitary suites of the starships, they did not lack in luxury. Similarly, a major domo and house staff were at the disposal of the guests at all hours – something I was totally against including on the GLOMAR ROSA; but again I compromised, simply for the sake of getting the ship built. Piesew was not about to leave the NEW ORLEANS to serve as majordomo for the GLOMAR ROSA, nor was Piebar ready to abandon the Megelleon estate for the position. Both, however, highly recommended another of their relatives; an up-and-coming younger nephew to Piesew named Pieamar Mecarta, who served in the position with as much skill and refinement as his mentors.

  I left Marranalis in the War Room and went to my office to activate my personal comlink and access my messages. I now received so many messages daily that a staff member sorted them into various categories of importance, with the exception of secured messages, which were routed to me directly for priority attention. These messages included any communication from the Leaders or admirals, with messages from Admiral Wabussie at the top of the list. As head of the FSO, Wabussie sent communications that generally contained the latest intelligence data; hence, information from him was paramount to deciding any military actions. It had been Admiral Regeny’s neglect of such information that led to the near decimation of the fleet at GLOMAR ROSA and the surrender of the Federation to Brotherhood domination. I was not about to repeat his mistake if I could help it.

  I anticipated the communication from Wabussie regarding the possible whereabouts of Ming would take the highest priority, and I was correct. After entering my access codes and completing a retinal scan, the message file opened. Marranalis couldn’t have been more right when he said the information might be something I would find exciting. I glanced over the information quickly and called him into my office. Marranalis now had his own office, which was adjacent to mine and connected by a secured door. Outside his office was a larger administrative center, where aides reported to him from various desks and stations. Although the staff was technically mine, I considered them to be his team, as I rarely communicated with them directly. Their work and reports went directly to Marranalis and he prioritized and related the information to me personally, after which he filed the data appropriately for my reference. This saved me an enormous amount of time. I trusted Marranalis completely. Only a few people communicated with me directly without going through Marranalis and Admiral Wabussie was one of them.

  “You wished to see me, Admiral?” asked Marranalis as he entered my office.

  “Yes. You were correct in your guess that Wabussie's message would be news I wished to hear. It appears the FSO has gained new intelligence regarding Ming’s movements that might lead us to his location.”

  “So we know where he is?”

  “Not exactly, but apparently someone on Tombosem does.”

  “Tombosem! That’s a strange place for someone to have information about the Brotherhood,” said Marranalis in a confused tone.

  “Why is that?” I asked, as I knew nothing about Tombosem.

  “It’s a small, Federation-aligned world – a low-density moon, whose gravity is less than half that of Megelleon. I forget exactly which planet it orbits… the gas giant Laxaco, I think. Anyway, the life forms there have weak exoskeletons and they injure easily, so they rarely leave their world. When they do need to travel, they require special compartments that simulate their normal gravitational environment.”

  “What happens to them if they’re exposed to gravity levels?” I asked.

  “Their exoskeletons fracture and they are virtually crippled until their next shedding cycle, when they grow a new shell.”

  “I’m gathering from your description; they’re not even close to being humanoid,” I replied.

  “No, sir. You can display an image of them on your vid screen, if you like,” he replied.

  I fiddled with the console until an image appeared of a creature that resembled the giant coconut crab of Earth. I had seen coconut crabs during my time in the Earths Navy, when we docked for a short time at Tasmania on our return to San Francisco from the Persian Gulf. Those creatures, however, had tough thick, dark-colored shells, whereas the Tombosemites’ light, firebrick red exoskeletons appeared to be extremely brittle and nearly paper thin.

  “How did the Federation ever get connected with the Tombosemites?” I asked. “I don’t see what they could have that would be considered valuable or trade-worthy to the Federation.”

  While I was asking this question, I continued reading on the screen. “Oh, never mind,” I said as I came across my answer. “It says here that the planet is known for its high-grade pharmaceuticals and health facilities. Apparently, people with certain health problems benefit from the lower gravity as a means of therapy and the Tombosemites are excellent surgeons. Hm... I thought most operations were done robotically throughout the Federation.”

  “Most are, but certain conditions are not part of the robotic programming or if the required surgery involves other complications, then a sentient surgeon is required. The Tombosemites make superior surgeons because of their multiple appendages and very fine dexterity. We may think they’re ugly, but they’re good at what they do. In fact, their surgical skills and their pharmaceutical production capabilities have become valuable enough that the Federation agreed to protect them with a minor military outpost and a small contingent of troops who patrol the surface,” replied Marranalis.

  “So how would one of these Tombosemites obtain information about Ming and the Brotherhood?” I asked, thinking out loud.

  “Maybe it’s not a Tombosemite. Perhaps it's patient who’s
there to receive treatment for some health reason,” reasoned Marranalis.

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” I answered, as I went back to reading Wabussie’s report. “You’re right. According to the report, this individual has traveled to Tombosem for repair to his abdomen. He apparently suffered some kind of severe injury and they have to clone a complete digestive system before the surgery can proceed. In the meantime, he’s being fed intravenously. The report indicates that his injuries may have been caused by Ming in some way.”

  “Why hasn’t the FSO or the FOI interrogated him?” asked Marranalis.

  “It’s not clear in the report. It only mentions that the individual wishes to speak to me about current Brotherhood operations and he won’t talk to anyone else.”

  “That sounds suspicious. It might be a trap to get you there and kill you.”

  “If this report is accurate, it hardly sounds like he’s in any condition to kill anyone,” I replied. “Besides, the last time someone asked to speak to me it led us to Ming. Speaking of which, what happened to Asalott? Did he return to Eh-Netta to complete his vows?”

  “No, sir. He’s still aboard the NEW ORLEANS, last I heard. Apparently, the Gom Pasha wants him to stick around to witness the fulfillment of the prophecies.”

  “Hm... I wonder if any of them have ever considered the possibility that I’m not the one shown in the prophecy. It's probably just a coincidence. Asalott may be with us a long, long, time.”

  “I don’t know, sir, but as far as this individual on Tombosem, if you are planning to see him personally, I recommend you let our troops on site assess him and the immediate area before you meet with him.”

  “Alright. Make the arrangements. I’d like to talk to him as soon as possible. Have Captain Hanges set a course to Tombosem immediately.”

  Captain Hanges was a Ruwallie Rasson and the first to be taken from the fighter group and put in command of a massive warship. He was one of the top strategists in the fleet and had one of the highest kill records in fighter combat of anyone in the fleet. He got along well with fellow officers and was highly respected among the crews. I think it came as a shock to many when I selected him to captain the GLOMAR ROSA instead of transferring Mareoparen from the MAXETTE. However, no one voiced any opposition to my choice. Mareoparen was a superior officer and one of the few Nibarians to have risen to the rank of captain, but he lacked the instinctive quality of split-second decision making I felt might be needed in a critical situation on a ship of the magnitude of the GLOMAR ROSA. Hanges demonstrated those qualities in every aspect of his career. He didn’t hesitate to voice his opinions, but he followed orders implicitly once they were given to him, regardless of his thoughts. He was the kind of officer I could depend on during a crisis. In many ways, he was more like Kerabac than many of his Ruwallie Rasson brothers from Goo’Waddle.

  “See what additional information you can dig up about….” I hesitated as I searched the report for the name of the informant at Tombosem. “Ah, here he is… Krossden. I’m assuming this Krossden is a humanoid…?”

  “I wouldn’t know, sir,” replied Marranalis. “But I’ll find out. We’ll need translator devices, if we’re going to communicate with the Tombosemites. If I recall correctly, their language consists entirely of hissing and clicking sounds.”

  “Well, it won’t be the first time we’ve had to use translating devices. They were at least somewhat effective when speaking with Tot and the creatures on Irribis. I just hope that communicating with these Tombosemites is easier.”

  “Kalana might be able to help you there, sir. In fact, I believe she was still serving as chief attaché for the Federation when you first arrived with the solbidyum in the TRITYTE.”

  “Ah, yes. I keep forgetting Kala was the military attaché. That seems so long ago. I’ll have to speak to her about it.” At times I was afraid that my synthetic nerve degeneration was beginning to affect my memory.

  “Admiral, tomorrow is the day that Reidecor graduates from the JAC, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is,” I answered with a smile.

  “I heard he’ll be graduating second in his class. That's quite a high honor. Actually, I was sure he would be first, to be honest,” Marranalis said.

  “I’ll let you in on a secret,” I said. “According to Commander Ircart, Reidecor should be first in the class, but he purposefully held himself back and allowed another cadet to be first. Ircart speculates that Reidecor doesn’t want the other cadets to believe he’s been given preferential treatment, so he’s deliberately maintained a second position in everything but martial arts. Some of Reide’s commanding officers have been keeping an eye on him. They all say that he clearly demonstrates far better skills when no one is watching than when he’s being tested.”

  “You don’t suspect he may have anxiety about tests, do you?” Marranalis asked cautiously.

  “No. Reide doesn't lack confidence from what his instructors have been able to see and according to his academic performance prior to joining the JAC. He just doesn’t want to graduate with first honors for his own reasons.”

  “Were you like that in training?”

  “Me? Heck no. Though I did very well with martial arts, I was only average at everything else.”

  “Somehow, sir, I find that hard to believe,” said Marranalis.

  “Well, believe it. It’s true.”

  “So I assume you and Kalana will be going to the ceremony tomorrow?”

  “Yes… and of course, Lunnie will be going too.”

  “I was surprised that Lunnie didn’t join the JAC like Reidecor.”

  “Jenira was surprised too, not to mention a little disappointed about it. But it doesn’t matter. Lunnie just finished basic training and Reidecor will officially be in the Federation Military as a lieutenant because of his JAC training. Lunnie will simply enter the service as a private.”

  “Yes,” Marranalis chuckled. “I heard that Lunnie wasn’t very happy when she heard that the draft proposed was approved by the Senate and that she and her friends would have to serve a minimum two-year tour of duty.”

  “Not very happy is an understatement. She didn’t speak to me for nearly a week, and then when she did it was to try to convince me to make an exception for her.”

  “Ouch! That must have been difficult. How did you deal with it?”

  “Actually, I didn’t have to say a word. Jenira was there when Lunnie brought it up. She tore into Lunnie with a rebuke that had her fingers moving so fast they were a blur. Lunnie kept backing up until Jenira had her in a corner. She kept signing in Lunnie's face until Lunnie nearly hyperventilated; and she kept up her fierce reprimand, even when Lunnie started crying. When Jenira finally did stop scolding her, she walked away with an equally fierce message to be understood from the very angry look she cast in Lunnie’s direction. After wiping away her tears, Lunnie made her way to me from the corner and apologized. She hasn’t mentioned or complained about being drafted again since then.”

  “What did Jenira say to her?”

  “I have no idea. I couldn’t follow her signing. It was much too fast for me.”

  “It’s too bad that Lunnie didn’t go into the JAC when Reide did. If she had, she might at least have had some say in the direction of her specialty training and where she is assigned.”

  “Actually, it hasn’t worked out too badly for Lunnie. She was only mediocre in most of her training. I have a suspicion that those results were deliberate on her part and that she held back with a particular goal in mind. She had no problem excelling in science and xenobiology, so on completion of her basic training she was assigned to a military research facility here on Megelleon as an aide in the study of poisonous life forms and pathogens of the galaxy and research and development of antidotes and uses for their toxins. I think she reports for duty within a week or two of Reide.”

  “Have you heard where Reide will be assigned?”

  “No. He could easily be attached anywhere, rating as high in h
is training as he did. His combat skills were outstanding, so he could end up as a ground trooper. Maybe he’ll be a fighter pilot. I understand he tied for top pilot in his class. And it’s not impossible that he could be assigned to a carrier or even a frigate as a junior bridge officer. In the end, he’ll be assigned where it’s felt by his commanding officers that he will best serve the Federation, just like the rest of the graduates. We don’t always get what we want in life, you know.”

  My tone in my last statement must have sounded more melancholy than I intended, because Marranalis was silent for a minute and then asked, “You’re a highly successful man in the eyes of the Federation, but is this what you want? I mean, what do you really want? I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard you say.”

  “Certainly not this,” I replied. “This is the last thing I would want. If I had my way, Kala and I would be living in a small cabin up by the lake at the estate, far away from all the doings of the Federation. Most of the time I wish I’d never found the TRITYTE.”

  “If you hadn’t, you would have been destroyed when the asteroid hit your planet,” Marranalis reminded me. “And you never would have met Kalana.”

  “You forget about relativity. I was flying with Gravity Waves during some periods and at the speed of light during others, so I experienced time dilatations. I would probably have been dead before the asteroid hit, because I’d have been in my late 80s or early 90s at the time. True, I wouldn’t have met Kalana, and that would have been sad, but perhaps the universe would have been better off. Besides all of that, had I not arrived with the solbidyum, events leading to the Tottalax aligning themselves with the Brotherhood probably wouldn’t have happened, so maybe they wouldn’t have directed that asteroid at Earth at all.”