Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price

by Dale Musser

  “I wish Slater was still alive to advise us. Ming probably did something similar to this on Earth and Slater could have told us how they dealt with the situation back then,” I said, thinking out loud.

  “Maybe Doctor Danjuma can help. She was an Earth doctor during that time. If Ming used germ warfare back then, Naomi would have to know something about it, wouldn’t she?” Marranalis offered.

  “You’re right. I need to talk to her,” I replied. “We need to get word to the people on the ground who are not ill to get away from the infected areas and we need to set up quarantine zones. Make sure all our people in these areas are wearing HAZMAT suits and following the strictest quarantine protocols. Broadcast HAZMAT high alert protocols to all Federation and planetary authorities. It looks like Ming has found another way to create a situation where we need to stretch our resources to the max and reduce our ability to fully defend and protect all the Federation planets.

  “Do you think we need to bring the JAC cadets back in order to help?” asked Marranalis.

  “We may, but I don’t think it will help much. What we need is for the planetary police forces and the local governments to step up and take over these operations. We’ll provide what assistance we can, but only in organizing and training. I don’t see that we can do much beyond that.

  “Oh! Has anyone thought to shut down the Cantolla Gates on these worlds? By the stars! If any of the infected people get through the gates, we’ll be in for one hell of a time!” I exclaimed.

  “The gates were shut down immediately when the attack began, I’m not sure of their status at the moment,” Marranalis replied, as he broadcast an immediate security shutdown order.

  “Get word to them and tell them to keep those gates closed,” I said.

  “Yes, sir. Already done.”

  While Marranalis contacted the appropriate planetary authorities and training units, I sat with my forehead propped against my fist as I pondered the situation and tried to determine what to do next. My thoughts were interrupted by Marranalis.

  “Sir we have a situation.”

  “What now?” I asked with agitation as my fist fell to the table.

  “We’re getting word that the first people to contract the disease are rapidly developing respiratory distress. They’re coughing up blood.”

  “Already? It’s only been a few hours since the canisters were dropped! What kind of microbe strikes that fast? By the stars, if this disease, or whatever it is, gets off the planet, it could spread and infect the entire Federation in days!” I started pacing the floor in an effort to organize my thoughts quickly. “We have no choice. Quarantine the entire planet right now. No one on the planet is allowed to leave. Cantolla Gates remain shut down and no ships, transports, GW pods, satellites or hardware of any kind leave the surface. Give orders to any ships we have in orbit there that they are to stop any craft trying to leave and force it to return to the planet. If they don’t comply, they are to be shot down. We have no alternative other than to treat this infection like a pandemic and restrict it, whatever it is, to this planet’s surface until we can find a way to cure it,” I said.

  Once I’d given the instructions, I left Marranalis to handle the details of implementing my orders and I headed to the NEW ORLEANS to see Doctor Danjuma. When I arrived at the med unit, I was surprised to discover she wasn’t there.

  “Sir, she hasn’t been on the NEW ORLEANS for more than a year,” explained the young medic working in the unit.

  “What? Where is she?” I asked with mild confusion.

  “Sir, she’s at your Megelleon estate. She felt her services could be better utilized there. I believe, sir, that she made the arrangements through Captain Kalana.”

  “Oh! Alright then. Nevermind. Thanks,” I said as I turned and headed for the Cantolla Gate that would take me to the estate. The technician in the med unit was probably right about Kala and Doctor Danjuma discussing this and making the change without involving me. Kala handled most of these things, since I was so busy with the war and had little time to deal with matters associated with my personal ships or estate. It bothered me, though, that Naomi had been away from the NEW ORLEANS for over a year and I hadn’t noticed. Ultimately, the move really did make sense. There were very few injuries that occurred on the ship and even fewer illnesses. Those that did arise could easily be handled by the automated med units and mobile response teams. Medical needs on the estate were another matter entirely. Not only were there injuries related to the normal maintenance and operation of a sprawling estate and horse ranch, there was an ever-growing orphanage which brought the myriad of medical challenges that only children can manage to create. While the established med units at the estate could handle and treat more than ninety percent of these, there were certainly more situations that required a real doctor’s hands-on assessment at the estate than there were on the NEW ORLEANS.

  It occurred to me as I walked through the corridors that I hadn’t seen Doctor Hughes in some time either. The last I had seen of him was shortly after the battle at Glomar Rosa, when I related to him the painful details of my decision to fire on the planet, knowing that the outcome could be devastating, but not knowing that my action would end up vaporizing an entire world. He’s seemed quite horrified at the time and I hadn’t seen or heard anything from him since. On a whim, I called Kerabac on my comlink as I headed toward the Cantolla Gates.

  “Kerabac here.”

  “Kerabac, Tibby here. Is Doctor Hughes still aboard the NEW ORLEANS?”

  “Hughes? No sir. He left the NEW ORLEANS over a year ago.”

  “Did he move to my estate?” I asked.

  “Hm, no sir. I really don’t know where he went. I remember him coming to me before he left. He asked me to transfer the currency you’ve been paying him since joined us to a credit chip and said he was leaving your service. I assumed you knew about this. Did I do something wrong?”

  “Ah, no. You did right. I’m just surprised he left without saying anything to me.”

  “Tibby, if I may ask, why do you think he left?”

  “I’m not entirely sure, but he reacted rather strongly when I told him about the destruction of Glomar Rosa and he never spoke to me again after that session. I got the impression that he was horrified by what I’d done and simply couldn’t deal with it,” I replied.

  “You may be right. Hughes was a pacifist and I’d had more than one exchange with him about the necessity of fighting the Brotherhood.”

  “Okay, well thanks for the update. I’m on my way to Earth to see Doctor Danjuma. We've got a situation on Agraious. The Brotherhood is using germ warfare with some kind of fast-spreading agent. The entire planet has been quarantined until we find a cure.”

  “Yes, I received the emergency broadcast. The hour is a little late on Megelleon to be seeing Doctor Danjuma tonight. Is it that urgent? Do you think she can help you in some way with the immediate situation?”

  Kerabac mentioning the hour caught me off guard. I hadn’t realized how late it was. I could always wake Doctor Danjuma, but the question was whether the matter warranted waking her at that the moment. I decided it could wait until morning.

  I replied back to Kerabac, “I don’t know. If she’s aware of Ming using a similar tactic during Earth’s Third World War, I’m hoping she’ll have some insights as to how to handle the situation we’re facing now.”

  “Well, good luck with your efforts. Tell Naomi hello from me and remind her that she still owes me a dance.”

  “I’ll give her the message,” I said as I turned around and headed back to my quarters on the NEW ORLEANS. I arrived to find Kala already asleep. I was hungry but too tired to eat anything. I undressed quickly and got in bed.

  That night, like many others since the battle at Glomar Rosa, I had nightmares of its destruction. In my dream I saw thousands of people running about, screaming in fear and pain as the planet began to disintegrate around them and flames erupted from the ground to devour them. I saw Slater
’s face as he howled in anguish while flames ate away his flesh. Like other times, my dream ended with me being called before the Senate, only instead of being exonerated for my actions, I was deemed guilty of crimes against humanity and I was sentenced to die, along with my entire family, in a fashion similar that suffered at Glomar Rosa. I had reached the point in the dream where the execution was being carried out. I stood on a barren planet with Kala, Lunnie, and Reidecor as the planet began to shake violently and split apart. Flames erupted from the developing cracks and the earthquake became increasingly violent, throwing me about in a torturous heat.

  “Tib!” I heard Kala’s voice calling, as I thrashed about to find her, only to see her engulfed in flames. “Tib, wake up! You’re having a nightmare again!” Kala cried out to me as the shaking became more violent.

  “Tib, wake up!”

  I finally forced my eyes open to realize it indeed had been another bad dream.

  “Tib, you’re okay. It was just a dream,” Kala said as she pulled me to her and held me tightly. By now, Kala had become accustomed to me having these nightmares. “Tib, I really think you should go to see Cantolla and let her wipe these memories from your mind so you can have some peace at night. You’re having these dreams more frequently now. It’s not good. Maybe you should talk to Doctor Hughes again.”

  “Hughes is gone. He left the ship shortly after Glomar Rosa,” I said.

  “What? Why?” asked Kala.

  “He apparently couldn’t reconcile himself to what I did at Glomar Rosa. Kerabac said he took his money and left the ship shortly after my last session with him. Hughes didn’t take it well when I told him what I had to do and what the results were.”

  “Well, it doesn’t really matter. That psychiatry stuff he practices sounds pretty primitive and more like some mystical cult belief to me anyway. I think our memory blocking therapy using the headbands works better.” She reached out to calm me with another embrace. “Eew, Tib! You're drenched! You need to take a shower before going back to sleep!” she exclaimed as she shooed me out of bed.

  This wasn’t the first time I woke up in a sweat. In fact, after almost every nightmare I had about Glomar Rosa, I would wake up a complete wreck. I made my way to the bathroom and tried to shake off the last of the nightmare as I stood in the soothing mist. Even though the shower only lasted three minutes, Kala was asleep by the time I returned, so I just laid quietly beside her, touching her hair and gazing at the contours of her peaceful face in the dimly lit room until I fell asleep.

  The next morning, I had a quick breakfast before heading back to the GLOMAR ROSA. When I arrived, Marranalis was there to greet me, as always.

  “Good morning, Admiral.”

  “Good morning, Marranalis. What’s new in the morning’s report?”

  “Bad news, sir. Agraious reports that the first people infected by the canister germs who began reporting respiratory distress after the incident slipped into a coma last night and have since died. Anyone who had contact with these victims started showing symptoms not long after their initial exposure. In the meantime, reports of widespread illness and overloaded hospitals are coming in from the major urban areas adjacent to the canister drops. A quick check of the canister impact sites indicate that impacts were upwind of the cities and the airborne micro-organisms were carried easily by the weather patterns into the heart of each city. Also, the pathogen is obviously something new and hence untreatable by the Federation med units. So far there is no known remedy or inoculation against the toxin and it is expected that everyone within the infected cities will be dead within forty-eight hours. The disease is spreading rapidly around the planet, so it appears the local law enforcement has had limited success in controlling local travel or they didn’t identify the extent of the contagion until it was too late.”

  “By the stars, what could act that quickly? Is it killing anything else besides the people?” I asked.

  “It seems to have no impact on plant or animal species native to the planet. The humanoid life forms are its main victims. So far, the Nibarians do not appear to be directly affected, though they remain included in the quarantine, in the event they may be acting as carriers.”

  “That’s good to know. If they aren’t becoming ill, we may be able to send them some teams consisting of Nibarians to provide assistance. We need troopers on the ground who can function without getting ill themselves.”

  “Do you plan to open the Cantolla Gates to send them there?” asked Marranalis.

  “No. If we send any at all, they’ll go into orbit by ship and depart to the surface via transports, where they’ll stay until this is over. In the worst case scenario, we may need to sacrifice the transports to eliminate the danger of the microbe or virus or whatever it is from getting off the planet,” I replied.

  I decided to delay my trip to the estate until Marranalis and I could gather some data that might be useful in my discussion with Doctor Danjuma regarding the nature of Ming’s toxic biological agents and the history of his use of biological warfare on Earth. She was our best hope for determining a means of identifying the pathogen and vaccinating against it before Ming wiped out entire worlds with his poisonous bombs.

  When I finally did step through the Cantolla Gate and onto the estate grounds, I realized I had no idea where on to look for the doctor. I wasn’t sure if Kala was there or still on the NEW ORLEANS. If she was there, I knew she would answer a call from my comlink, but if she wasn’t, there would be no response. I gave it a try and got no response. I tried Piebar next. As my major domo at the estate, it was his responsibility to be aware of all activities estate-wide. Piebar responded immediately and directed me to the estate's infirmary and hospital, the whereabouts of which I had no clue.

  Minutes later, Piebar appeared and offered to personally lead me to the doctor. I think it was his original intention to do so immediately; but he seemed to give me a head-toe appraisal when he arrived, as if he were concerned that I had become too thin, and then said that we should take a short detour to a small tower that overlooked the children’s gardens, where he would serve me a quick lunch before we continued. As we made our way to the tower, Piebar contacted his team, after which I could see some movement in the distance that indicated a table was being prepared for me on one of the decks. By the time we arrived, a very appetizing sampler tray and a glass of afex awaited me on a small linen-covered table overlooking the toddler playground. Piebar always seemed to have an instinct for what I needed to rejuvenate my body and spirit. Watching the children seemed to recharge my determination to defeat Ming and the Brotherhood and even the food selection seemed to revitalize my clarity and focus on the problem at hand.

  When we returned to our journey across the grounds, Piebar took me into a portion of the property I’d never visited before. The hospital was a much larger structure than I’d expected and it was nestled within its own garden area, so it wasn’t really visible from anywhere else on the grounds. Immediately upon my entrance into the building’s lobby I was greeted by a pleasant looking woman.

  “First Citizen, my name is Tranor. May I assist you in some way?”

  “Yes, I’m looking for Doctor Danjuma. Is she here?”

  “Yes, I believe she is. If you care to follow me, I’ll lead you to her.”

  “Uh, yes. Thank you very much.”

  “I’ll leave you in Tranor’s hands,” said Piebar. If you should need me for anything else, just call.”

  “Yes, thank you, Piebar,” I replied as I followed Tranor through a short corridor into the central portion of the main floor.

  As we moved past the main lobby, I could see signage indicating directions to the Emergency Services Unit, where I imagined there was much more activity than the area where Tranor was taking me. The central corridor seemed to be reserved for teaching and administrative offices and perhaps a dining lounge or two, none of which were very lively at the moment. Next we passed through a short corridor of lifts, sections of which were labeled
for various clinical and surgical units located within the building. Tranor explained that the four-story mini-hospital housed numerous specialized treatment areas and recovery rooms. The place was operated by an impressive staff, but none of them appeared terribly busy – at least at that particular moment. In addition to serving as a clinic and hospital, the building also provided duty quarters for the mobile medical teams that responded to onsite medical emergencies.

  As Tranor led me through the building, I couldn’t help but note the absence of visitors and the sense of urgency that one generally experienced in the hospitals of Old Earth. These hallways were empty and we only encountered one other non-employee on our short journey. I saw no carts or conveyances for transporting patients in any of the halls, nor did I see any patients, for that matter.

  “I get the impression you don’t do a lot here…?” I said.

  Tranor chuckled, “Not most of the time, though a few weeks back there was an outbreak of one of your Earth diseases… something you call measles. I believe that’s what Doctor Danjuma called it. We were pretty busy for a while as we managed that situation. However, you’re right. Most of the time we have little to do in the way of widespread emergencies or disasters. Nevertheless, we’re well-trained and prepared for any medical crisis within the estate.

  Here, we are, sir,” Tranor said as we entered a glass-enclosed suite. I’ll let Doctor Danjuma know you’re here.”

  A moment later Doctor Danjuma emerged from a door at the far end of the room.

  “Tibby, what a surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Come into my office where we can talk privately.” Once we were inside and she had latched the door behind me, she asked, “Now, Tibby, what can I do for you? Are you feeling ill?”

  “No, no, it’s nothing like that.” I hoped the fact that I was due for a synthetic nerve rejection treatment wasn’t too obvious. “We have a situation on Agraious. The Brotherhood has launched an attack there and Ming is using some sort of biological warfare.” I went on to explain all that was happening and the devastation that was unfolding as a result of the biological agent.