Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price

by Dale Musser

  “I have the plan right here and nearly everything is in place. We can have the operation fully functional in eight to twelve hours – even sooner, if we put all troopers and JAC cadets on alert, so they can be called up at any moment.”

  I saw a lot of heads turning around the table as senators talked to each other.

  “Admiral, why haven’t you put these soldiers and cadets on alert already?” asked another senator with a bit of a critical tone in his voice.

  “Because we’ve barely finished the plan and I honestly haven’t had time. We’re I not sitting here now answering questions, I would probably be putting the plan into motion at this moment.”

  I saw the senator look at someone sheepishly as he fiddled with the papers before him.

  The meeting went on for a few more minutes. In the end, all three Leaders agreed that we should put our plan into effect immediately by putting the troopers and JAC cadets on notice. This would mean canceling all leaves and I knew that part wasn’t going to sit well with Reide or Lunnie, because they missed their home and their friends very much; but those are the fortunes of war we’d have to endure. The Senate military oversight committee voted to approve the action as well, though I have no idea why they voted at all. After the executive approval of the Leaders was declared, their consent was not required. Still it was nice to know that everyone was onboard one hundred percent.

  When the meeting was finished and I was collecting my things to leave Leader Pheosa approached me.

  “Tib, how are you doing?” he began informally. “You’re not looking too good and I noticed you wince several times during the briefing. I’ve seen the reports from the medics who treated you and they agree that you’re placing yourself at risk by continuing to work at the pace that you are.”

  “I’ll admit, I am having pain, sir. If it were not for the severity of the situation, I would take it easy and recuperate for a few days.”

  “Yes, well, that’s what I want to talk to you about. Once you have the plans in place that we discussed here today, the other Leaders and I, as well as the senatorial oversight committee, feel you should take a few days to heal. Let your staff handle things. I know Admiral Marranalis is quite capable of standing in for you and Admiral Wabussie will certainly do what he can to lighten your load until you’ve recovered sufficiently.”

  “I appreciate that, sir. I only have one other major detail to see to today, and then I will try to take some time off.”

  “Good to hear. Tib, I can’t tell you want a comfort it is having you in command of these matters. Were Regeny still alive and running the show, the military oversight committee would be in a panic right now. Instead, while they are concerned, they have confidence that you will see to the matter and handle it appropriately. It makes all of our jobs easier when things are running smoothly.

  “Oh, and when you get back to your yacht, Tibby, give Tonclin my best regards.”

  When he said this, I immediately realized that it was from Tonclin that he had learned of at least part of my injuries and health situation. Though Tonclin didn’t know about my synthetic nerve problem, he most certainly would have heard others aboard the NEW ORLEANS talking about the pain and increasing fatigue that I was no doubt concealing poorly at this point. I breathed a sigh of relief as I joined my guards outside the meeting room. At least the problem of how I was going to justify two days of rest to strengthen before my treatment had been solved.

  The meeting with the Leaders and oversight committee had lasted longer than I anticipated, so by the time I returned to the GLOMAR ROSA, it was nearly time to head to the surface of Tombosem.

  “Admiral, have you eaten today?” asked Marranalis, as I tried to coordinate my thoughts as to what I needed to do before I spoke to the informant.

  “To be honest, I don’t remember,” I replied.

  “Let me order you something. You can eat here quickly before you leave. We can prepare something from a synthesizer in three minutes.”

  “Fine. A bowl of noodles will suffice.”

  Marranalis turned away to give orders to a junior officer and then faced me again.

  “Marranalis, I need to you to carry out the plans we discussed yesterday. All leaves are to be canceled and all troops are to report to their respective bases or assigned stations. Senior cadets at all JAC campuses are to report to the bases we discussed for immediate briefing and assignment to administrative and processing tasks normally allocated to troopers. The Leaders want things in place so the troopers can be activated at the first sign of violence. After today, I’m going to be out of the picture, unless there is an overwhelming need for my services. The Leaders have ordered me to stand down for at least two days of recuperation. I just need to get this one last task done today on Tombosem and then things are in your hands.”

  “I understand, Admiral,” said Marranalis with a knowing nod. I think it’s in the best interests of us all that you do this.”

  Just then the junior officer returned with a tray that held a steaming bowl of noodles. It looked good and smelled even better. I ate noodles quite often when I didn’t have time for a proper meal, so I was prepared for the normal fare; but this time there was something different in the dish.

  “What’s this?” I asked as I stared into the bowl.

  “Noodles sir, just as you asked,” replied the officer a bit nervously, as if he was afraid he had done something wrong.

  “I know they're noodles, but what’s this?” I asked as I studied the round, brown items swirled among the noodles.”

  “It’s canjonnie, sir.”

  “Canjonnie? I’ve never heard of it before.” I sniffed at the bowl and was awarded with a dark, rich scent that held the promise of a delicious flavor.

  “The morsels are commonly added to noodle recipes on my home world,” he replied. “I’m so used to keying them into my order that it never occurred to me that you might not want your dish prepared this way. I can get you another bowl if you like, sir.”

  “No, this will be fine,” I answered as I tasted a small piece. The flavor was excellent and reminded me of grilled ground beef mixed with onion. The canjonnie added a richness to the taste of the noodles that was pleasing and I may have even said “Mm,” out loud. I thought I heard the officer let out a sigh of relief before he stepped away.

  “Is there anything else I need to know before I head to Tombosem?” I asked Marranalis as I made quick work of my lunch.

  “Yes sir. We’ve secured an interpreter for you. She is familiar with the Tombosemite language and customs. She’ll be wearing a translation device similar to the one you used on Irribis, I believe. Since the Tombosemites communicate with hisses and clicks it’s hard for humans to understand them and vice versa.”

  “Good. Anything else?”

  “Yes, sir, just one thing. Captain Padaran approached me after our planning meeting yesterday requesting that Reidecor be assigned to his unit, if possible, when the time came to put the plan in motion.”

  “What? The last thing I want is either of my kids to be given special privileges. I’m sorry, but as much as I love my children, I can’t allow them to have special favors above that of any other individual in the military.”

  “Sir, I don’t believe that’s Padaran’s intent. He wants Reidecor assigned to him so he can expand and accelerate the martial arts training. Reide is really very good, and he would make a great instructor. Besides, Reidecor is good at developing battle tactics, as he has already demonstrated; and as a lieutenant Padaran feels he would be a great asset to his unit.”

  “I see. Alright, but he’ll have to go through normal channels. I won’t play any role in this decision. If somewhere along the line Padaran’s request is quashed, I won’t step in to change things.”

  “I’ll tell him, sir,” said Marranalis as I slurped down the last of the noodles.

  “Now, I need to get down to Tombosem and see this...” I took a quick look at the notes on my vid pad, “Krossden fellow. Let’s
hope this trip across the Federation to see him was worth it,” I added.

  Tombosem was one of the few Federation worlds where Cantolla Gates were not installed on the surface. The size of a native Tombosemite was not conducive to utilization of a standard gate for passage to other locations, due to the unique shape and very large size of this creature. A dedicated gate would be required on every world just for their use, which was not only unreasonable, but unnecessary, since they rarely left the confines of their moon. On the rare occasions when they did travel, they did so in a ship that was specially designed and equipped for their size and gravitational needs and utilized a stellar Cantolla Gate stationed in a nearby orbit that was large enough accommodate the largest ships in the Federation.

  With the GLOMAR ROSA parked in orbit, the trip to the surface of this moon took only fifteen minutes. There was only one Federation military post on Tombosem and it was quite small by Federation standards. For reasons known only to the Brotherhood and Ming, the Brotherhood didn’t show much interest in worlds where humans were not the dominant life form. From the air there seemed to be a curious lack of towns or settlements. I mentioned it to the young female military attaché interpreter named Nerori, who was assigned to assist me.

  There was something about Nerori that seemed familiar. It took me a minute to realize that she reminded me of Kala when I first met her. It took me a moment to figure it out, but it wasn’t any physical resemblance; rather it was her uniform and the way she carried herself that was reminiscent of my early relationship with Kala when she was my military attaché. In fact, Kala may even have been about Nerori’s age at the time. It made me smile to think of Kala back then. Little did I know when I met her that one day we’d be bondmates with children.

  I was shaken back from my thoughts by the sound of Nerori’s laugh. “That’s because you’re looking for a human style city. If you look closely, you will see dark spots along the surface. Each one is a hole that leads to the underground where Tombosemite communities are located. They carry out a mostly subterranean existence and come to the surface just to harvest food and then only at night.”

  “So they don’t like the light,” I said. “Will we have trouble seeing underground?”

  “We won’t be going beneath the surface. Even if we did, you wouldn’t have any difficulty. They keep it lit sufficiently, so you wouldn’t notice any difference.”

  “Then why do they stay underground during the day?”

  “It not a matter of light in general, it’s the type of light. The star in this system emits a great deal of light in the ultraviolet range, which is very uncomfortable for the Tombosemites for some reason. The lighting they use below ground only has a very weak ultraviolet content that it is acceptable to them.”

  “So if we’re going to be meeting on the surface, where will that be?”

  “At the landing site, I believe. I was told we will be greeted by the mappelet of the settlement. He’s much like a mayor or governor. After that you’ll be able to meet with Krossden, who the Tombosemite representatives will bring with them.”

  “Why can’t meetings be simple in the Federation?” I asked rhetorically. “It seems like every time I need to meet someone, it's in a clandestine location and under peculiar circumstances. Why can’t they just once come to my office to meet me?"

  I would conjecture, sir, that you meet extraordinary people and extraordinary people require extraordinary situations,” Nerori responded.

  “Yes, I guess that’s true," I laughed.

  “Sir, I need to tell you that when you meet the mappelet he will kneel down with his front legs. You will need to kneel down on one knee in response,” Nerori said.

  “Oh, by the stars,” I exclaimed, “What happens if I don’t?”

  “Then the mappelet will rise, turn his back on you and retreat underground and will never see you again. Failing to reciprocate this gesture is the highest form of insult to a Tombosemite.

  “Well, that’s certainly good to know,” I said. “Is there any other custom or taboo I should know about before I meet him?”

  “No, I think that covers everything. You might be interested to know, however, that the Tombosemites are neither male nor female and do not have mates. Each Tombosemite has the ability to lay and fertilize eggs, but they can only fertilize eggs that are not their own. Eggs are laid communally several times a year. We're not sure what triggers their breeding cycle, but they all experience it at the same time. They deposit the eggs in large sandy pits prepared for such occasions. Once the eggs are laid, the Tombosemites use a different set of reproductive organs to spray their sperm over the mass of eggs in the pit. The eggs are then covered with sand and after a few weeks they hatch. The young are self-sufficient when hatched, after which they wander about for several years, observing and learning. When they reach the age of six, they start taking on special interests and joining groups where they develop specific skills. They tend to be very empathic, but at the same time not very nurturing.”

  “That sounds confusing,” I said.

  “Maybe to us, but to the Tombosemites it isn’t. On the other hand, they find our method of reproduction and learning quite primitive and disgusting.”

  “Maybe, but I think our way is a lot more fun than theirs,” I replied with a grin.

  “Admiral, we’ve landed,” announced one of the guards.

  “Thank you, Sergeant,” I replied. “Will we need to go far to meet with the mappelet and Krossden?”

  “No, sir. They will meet us on the edge of the landing field, which is only about a hundred fifty meters from here,” he said as we stepped out of the hatch and on to the field. “Be careful stepping out of the ship, sir. Remember, you’ll have to adjust to the lower gravity.”

  I was glad he reminded me. I was also glad that I had experience walking in the prison facility on the Earth’s moon, otherwise I might have bounded off into the air from moving too rapidly or stepping too hard. As it was, I only felt minor weirdness for a few steps until I acclimated myself to the difference.

  Most spaceports and landing fields in the Federation were similar, consisting of a large flat area with numerous buildings of varying heights positioned on one side of the field and a few smaller special function structures located near the ends. The spaceport on Tombosem was not like the others. This landing field was only about one-quarter the size of the average Federation landing field. As for buildings, there were only four small structures, one of which one was five levels. Two of the remaining buildings were three stories tall and the last building was a very simple two-story structure.

  “This is a sparse facility. Which structure is the terminal building?” I asked Nerori.

  “There is no terminal building. The structures you see here are the Federation’s administrative, the maintenance and supply buildings. This spaceport is the primary and largest port facility on Tombosem. What you might think of as a terminal is underground like all other facilities operated by the Tombosemites.”

  As she explained, I saw a flat section near the edge of the landing field begin to tilt back like a giant trapdoor.

  “That will be the mappelet coming to greet you,” she said.

  “What’s his name? How shall I address him?” I asked, realizing I had no idea what his name was.

  “Don’t worry about his name. Simply address him as Honored Mappelet. The Tombosemites don’t have names like we do. We're not sure exactly how they address or identify themselves when communicating.” She turned on the small translating device attached to her belt in preparation for the mappelet’s arrival at our meet point.

  The large hatch kept opening until it reached a forty-five-degree angle. As I watched I saw two pole-like objects with balls on top slowly rise out of the opening under the hatch lid. They continued to rise until I saw they were attached to a large, hard-shelled head and an even larger body carried by many crab-like legs. As far as the comparison to an Earth crab, that’s where the similarities ended, because
this creature was enormous, about the size of an old Earth automobile conveyance. Its legs were long, but unlike the crabs, the ends of the limbs had multiple finger or toe-like appendages. I also noted as it walked that its limb joints were not restricted to movement in one direction, so it could ambulate or articulate its limbs in ways that now made it clear why they were such remarkable surgeons. In the end, this was a creature with which I would not want to have to fight. Happily, the Tombosemites were peaceful creatures and not inclined to be aggressive under any circumstances.

  There were two Federation troopers accompanying the mappelet. Behind them was a second Tombosemite navigating a reclined wheel chair like device in which a humanoid was seated. I assumed this person was Krossden, our informant.

  The mappelet stopped a short distance before me and lowered its front by flexing the two front legs. One limb bent to the ground in a sort of kneel, while making the strange clicking and hissing sounds that constituted its language.

  “Greetings, Honored First Citizen and Admiral,” spoke the translating device on Nerori’s a belt.

  In response I dropped to one knee as Nerori had instructed and replied, “Greetings, Honored Mappelet.”

  “It is a great honor to have you visit our planet, regardless of your reasons,” responded the translation device to the ensuing clicks and hisses of the mappelet. “Would you care to….” There were some strange squeaks and squawks that came from the translator device, which I knew from experience meant the device could not translate some phrase into the Federation language. I glanced at Nerori and she shook her head and mouthed the words, “Just say No, thank you.”

  “No, thank you, Honored Mappelet,” I replied. I noticed a miniature version of the mappelet, about the size of my head, scuttle across the landing field. It raced up to where we were standing, then stood very still, except for its stalk eyes, which waved about in all directions. Then, without warning, it scurried off toward the underground portal. I assumed it was one of the infants that Nerori and spoke of earlier. The mappelet paid it no mind and kept on talking.