Solbidyum Wars Saga 5: Desolation

by Dale C. Musser

  “Thank you Lieutenant, I had better call her back. I imagine she was viewing the event on the vid screen and saw both the Admiral and I shot. She is probably pretty upset.”

  “I informed her you were wounded, but it was not life threatening, sir, and that you were being sworn in at that moment.”

  I excused myself from the presence of Admiral Regeny and Leader Tonclin, and followed the lieutenant through a series of corridors to a communications station. As I entered the room, immediately everyone snapped to attention.

  “At ease gentlemen,” I said and then added, “and lady,” as I noticed there was also a woman officer present. “I need someone to open communications with First Citizen Kalana at my estate.”

  “Sir,” one of the officers began, “we still have a link open with the First Citizen as she requested, until you could get here.”

  “Ah, good,” I said as I was directed to a small booth-like room with a vid screen and a chair. Once I entered, the glass door was closed, and I noticed a guard took up station outside. I knew there was a button that I could press that would turn the glass opaque, but I didn’t know where it was and I wasn’t in need of secrecy. I had barely sat down when the screen in front of me lit up, and Kala’s face appeared.

  “Tib, are you alright? I saw you shot when you shoved Leader Tonclin out of the way.”

  “Yes, yes. I’m fine. Just a minor shoulder flesh wound. It will be healed in no time.”

  “You look a bloody mess,” she said, and I realized I was still wearing my bloodied uniform jacket.

  “I haven’t had a chance to find a new jacket. I was just sworn in as Fleet Admiral only minutes ago. In fact, the medic was still working on my shoulder as I took the oath.”

  “How soon will you be back here?” She asked. “Do you need me to come to you?”

  “No, no, there’s no need for you to come here. I’m coming back to the estate as soon as I get finished here. I’m going to need to get to Plosaxen and the NEW ORLEANS as soon as I can. I’ll probably leave first thing in the morning.”

  “What about Regeny?” she asked. “His condition looked pretty serious on the vid screen.”

  “He’s fine. His wound was only a flesh wound also. He had a lot of blood loss and needed a transfusion, but he’s up and about again.”

  My return trip back to the lodge at my estate was anything but normal for me. My official shuttle was escorted by four trooper filled patrol ships and two mirage fighters with crews. As I exited the shuttle, I was greeted by a color guard of troopers already at my estate, and Kala and Jenira were waiting eagerly when I exited.

  “Tibby I’m so glad you are back! I was afraid you might have been killed when I saw you get shot while trying to save Leader Tonclin.” Kala barely spoke to me before Jenira angrily began signing in my face that I should not have been risking my life the way I did, and this was why she needed to be there to protect me. I was both touched and amused by her concern, but one look at Kala’s face told me that I had best not let the amusement show. We were quickly led to our cottage while troopers took up stations around the area. I noted several troopers unloading laser canons from two of the shuttles and setting them up at the edges of the landing site. Kala noted the look of concern on my face and said, “Get used to it Tibby, this is how things will be from now on. You’re the number two man in the Federation military and you will have security forces with you from now on for your protection.”

  Jenira sported a pouting look while she signed that she could do a better job of protecting me than the troopers, but she didn’t press the matter.

  “I need to make contact with A’Lappe. Is there a DSC system on any of the patrol ships?” I asked the captain of the troopers guarding me.

  “Yes sir, there is one in the ship we arrived in. I can have Lt. Kacosen link up for you if you can provide A’Lappe’s location.”

  “He’s aboard the NEW ORLEANS, trailing the HAPRIN at the moment,” I answered.

  “If you’ll follow me sir, I will get you with the lieutenant.’

  We returned to the ship, and I was introduced to Lt. Kacosen, who turned out to be a young man of about 20. I explained to him I needed to communicate with A’Lappe on the NEW ORLEANS, and he said he would make contact immediately. Since there was always someone at the communication station on the NEW ORLEANS, contact would be instantaneous.

  The lieutenant turned to the console and began concentrating on the message destination, and the message that would be picked up on the other end. Moments later, he turned to me and said, “Sir, they say A’Lappe isn’t there.”

  “What?” I exclaimed. “He must be there. He never leaves the ship.”

  The lieutenant stared blankly at the wall as he sent back a message to the NEW ORLEANS, then he turned to me again.

  “Sir, according to your communication officer, Verona, Commodore Stonbersa is saying that A’Lappe left the NEW ORLEANS at Nibaria when they arrived there for repairs, and he said he would be back in a few weeks. It was believed then that the NEW ORLEANS would be at the ship yard for a month or longer, and A’Lappe said he needed to check something out.”

  “Does the Commodore know where A’Lappe has gone?” I asked.

  Again, the lieutenant stared blankly at the wall a few minutes before replying, “No sir, he says he doesn’t, but he believes that someone named Cantolla does, and he is contacting her now to find out.”

  “Thank you lieutenant, let me know as soon as they respond.”

  “Where do you think he has gone, Tib?” Kala asked me. I wasn’t aware of her having followed me aboard the ship, so her voice took me by surprise.

  “I’m not sure,” I answered as I searched my mind to see if anything A’Lappe had said might give me a clue.

  “Sir, I’m getting a response from the NEW ORLEANS, Cantolla says A’Lappe has gone to the Pit,” the lieutenant said.

  “The Pit? Tib, do you know what she is referring to?” Kala asked.

  “Yes, I think I do. The Pit is a region of space that once held a black hole that we believe collapsed billions of years ago.”

  “A collapsed black hole! Isn’t that where so….” Kala began when I interrupted her quickly.

  “It’s an area he and Cantolla have been studying for some time and were thinking might have some mining potential for rare elements.” While I knew all the troopers guarding me at the moment, I didn’t want them knowing that the Pit was an area where Cantolla and A’Lappe believed we might find more solbidyum. If the Pit did contain solbidyum, it would make it possible for us to create Transport Frames that would allow us to move instantly from one place to its matching Frame, no matter where it was in the universe. A’Lappe and Cantolla had invented the frames months earlier, but only solbidyum could provide enough power to operate the frames.

  “Has anyone had contact with A’Lappe since he departed?” I asked the lieutenant.

  A minute after transmitting the question he replied. “They are saying no, apparently A’Lappe isn’t wearing his DSC gear, but he told Cantolla he would contact her once he reached the Pit.”

  “Please have the NEW ORLEANS notify A’Lappe I need to talk to him at the earliest possible moment,” I said.

  Later, as Kala and I sat in the small galley aboard the patrol ship eating some noodle dish she had gotten out of the food replicator, Kala said, “Tibby, it’s mighty strange for A’Lappe to leave the NEW ORLEANS. Do you think he is all right?”

  “I certainly hope so. I know he has his own ship that he kept in the hangar with the ALI, but I’ve never known him to use it. I have no idea what it’s like inside or its capabilities. I would imagine A’Lappe has cloaking on it, but I don’t have any idea what weaponry he has aboard it. I’m sure he will take all precautions to avoid the Brotherhood. A’Lappe picked a poor time to check out the Pit. I really need him to work on a new idea I have.”

  “Some kind of new weapon to use against the Brotherhood?” Kala queried.

  “New designs
for a war ship, starships are too big and carry too many civilians; that poses a security problem and wastes a lot of space. Frigates are too small. We need some heavy-duty space ships about a quarter of the size of a starship but large enough to be filled with mirage fighters and fitted with heavy armament with shields and cloaking that we can deploy about the Federation. They would have more fire power than a starship, carry more fighters and more military personnel, and they can be built in less time than a starship. I want A’Lappe to apply his genius to designing them.”

  “Do you think the Federation will agree to fund them?”

  “Yes, after Roritat’s attack and the event at the Senate today with the attempt on Tonclin’s life, they are in a panic and will fund any military proposals that they believe will help fight the Brotherhood.”

  “How bad is your injury?” Kala asked with concern.

  “I can honestly say I have had worse,” I replied by a grin.

  “Seriously Tib, how bad is it? You seem to be moving about all right, but I know you, and you can fake it.”

  “It’s nothing serious, just a flesh wound, really.

  “Both the Admiral and I were shot with ice bullets, which cause a lot of bleeding but only a small wound. They were trying for heart shots, which would have killed almost instantly, but fortunately we were all in motion and their shots hit elsewhere.”

  “I’ve heard of ice bullets before.” Kala said. “That’s an assassin's weapon they use because they are hard to detect with usual weapon searches. We heard that the men who shot you are dead. It’s good you saw them.”

  “Actually, I only saw the one, and I recognized him as being one of the troopers whom Roritat had sent to take me into custody.”

  “Tib, you do realize that now that you are a fleet admiral, you will need security around you all the time.”

  “You too, I’m afraid,” I said. “If the Brotherhood can’t get to me, they will try for you, so you’re going to have lots of security as well.”

  Jenira, who was standing by Kala, began signing, “I will guard Kalana. She will be safe with me.”

  “I’m sure you would be a great guard, but she will need more than just you. You will need to sleep and eat and do other things at times and can’t be with her all the time.”

  “I have others who can help.” Jenira signed, “I have trained other women, and we can guard Kalana.” I glanced at Kalana to see her reaction, but she gave no indication of how she felt about it.

  “I’ll want to see a demonstration of their skills compared to a trained Federation security detail. Your team will have to outperform them before I agree to that.”

  “Jenira pursed her lips and signed “Fine, how soon do you want a demonstration?”

  “Not now, there are a lot of things going on that I need to address. I must return to the NEW ORLEANS to take command of the operation intended to prevent Roritat and Ming from using the HAPRIN to destroy the military facilities at Plosaxen. Once that is taken care of, I need to meet with the top-ranking officers and find out how many ships the Federation has, where they all are, and how to organize them into fleets. I need to convince Commodore Stonbersa to rejoin the Federation military and to accept the position as one of the fleet admirals. I’m going to need to promote Marranalis and get him working on boosting training and upgrading our troopers. So you’re going to need to get your ladies trained and ready for the test. The first chance I get we’ll have a demonstration of your team against a qualified Federation security team.”

  “Tib, you’re starting to sound like Admiral Regeny now, wanting demonstrations of power.” Kala said. Her remark stung, but I could see her comparison. When I first arrived in the Federation, Admiral Regeny constantly wanted me to demonstrate my martial arts ability until it nearly cost Kala and me our lives.

  “It may look that way,” I said reluctantly, “but the situation is entirely different. The admiral just wanted to show off his new toy, whereas I want to ensure your safety.” I looked at Jenira with her lips still tightly pursed, and then grudgingly she nodded her acceptance of my terms.

  After we were back in our cottage, Kala began questioning me while Jenira leaned against the wall sharpening her swords. “Tib how bad is it really?”

  “I told you Kala, I’m fine, my shoulder is a little sore, but otherwise I’m fully functional.”

  “That’s not what I was referring to. How bad off are things for the Federation? Do we have a real chance against the Brotherhood? It seems they are much better organized and have more strength than we, plus they have an alliance with the Tottalax, who have a sleep weapon that we have no defense against. We have no idea just how large their organization is.”

  “Exactly, which is why it is premature to be giving up without a fight? I fully intend to get the Federation military organized, and with the help of intelligence, Wabussie and his people are gathering, I’m hoping to put an end to the Brotherhood and their aggression.”

  “But they have the cloaking technology now and the RMFF shielding technology as well. Once they add that to their ships, they are just as impervious and have the same stealth capabilities we have. It will be a stalemate in any space conflict, but they will be able to wreak havoc on any planets they wish,” Kala added.

  “Which is why I need to speak with A’Lappe, I need to see if the RMFF technology can be adapted to shielding a city or military base.”

  “Do you really think it can?”

  “I don’t know. That’s what I have A’Lappe for.

  Tomorrow you and I will take the ALI and fly to Plosaxen and back to the NEW ORLEANS. After that we’ll take it one step at a time.”

  “I don’t think your security teams will like that very well, they are supposed to protect you 24 hours a day.” Kala said as she nodded toward a window through which a sentry could be seen surveying the surrounding area.

  “If they like they can send a squadron of ships along to protect us, but I fully intend for you and me to fly back in the ALI.”

  “And me too,” Jenira signed.

  “You can fly back in one of the patrol ships with the troopers. I suspect you will want to take the team of women you wish to use to protect Kala; you will need to be with them in one of their ships.” I could see Jenira mulling over my words.

  “But I could still fly with you and Kalana in the ALI and the women could fly in another craft.” Jenira signed

  “I think you will need all the time you can get to train your women as fighters if you wish to defeat the Guards of the Federation in a test to see if you, and they are qualified to guard Kala.” I could see Jenira struggling internally, but finally she nodded and signed that she agreed.

  “You must promise that you will have the contest as soon as possible after we return to the NEW ORLEANS.”

  “Agreed,” I replied. “Now how about we get some rest. I want to leave first thing in the morning.”

  In the morning, shortly after sunrise, Kala and I exited our cottage to find the ALI waiting on the landing pad. Three patrol ships sat nearby, two squads of troopers stood next to the first two ships; and Jenira, her women fighters, a few scientists and other staff members who would be joining us on the NEW ORLEANS stood by the third. Overhead six mirage fighters circled waiting to escort us on our journey. I was expecting Jenira to try to convince me that she should accompany Kala and me on the ALI, but she seemed busy and content with her women warriors and voiced no further complaints. Kala and I boarded the ALI and situated ourselves in the control room. Kala activated the gravity wave generators while I used the computer to plot the course to Plosaxen. Finally, I informed the other ships I was ready for lift off, and I engaged the engines and raised the ALI vertically about 1000 meters before engaging forward motion. Almost instantly we were joined by the three patrol ships, and the mirage fighters assembled in formation about us and our journey began.

  We were barely underway when Kala asked, “Tibby, why didn’t you want Jenira to join us in the ALI on the tri
p to Plosaxen? “And don’t give me that lame excuse that Jenira needed the journey time to train her women warriors.”

  I kept my eyes on the view screen and instruments while I made unnecessary adjustments to the controls as I answered.

  “I just wanted us to be alone with each other for a change. It’s nearly a week’s journey to Plosaxen, and this may be the last time we have any extended time together for a while.”

  Kala reached over and put her hand on mine. “Tibby I’ll always be around. We may not have a lot of personal time with each other in the future, but I will always be there.”

  “Yes, but we will always be under scrutiny and guarded, even Regeny was starting to complain that he was going to be under security surveillance constantly in the future now that we are officially at war.

  “Kala, am I doing the right thing? I mean for us and our children? What will life be like for them with security around all the time and we are constantly in danger?"

  “We’ll all be safe on the NEW ORLEANS,” Kala said.

  “But that’s just the thing Kala,” we won’t be on the NEW ORLEANS, at least not most of the time. I will need to be aboard one of the starships leading the fleet. I can’t lead the fleet from the NEW ORLEANS. Right now, A’Lappe is out there somewhere trying to locate another source of solbidyum. If he finds it, we’ll be powering our star ships with solbidyum instead of 10X reactors, and we’re going to need that power if we are to win against the Brotherhood.

  “I want you and our children to be as safe as possible, but I don’t know if that is on the NEW ORLEANS, or on a starship with me.

  “It will be necessary to remove most of the civilians from the starships, and there will be only limited government officials onboard; in their place will be thousands of trained troopers.”

  Kala stared in my eyes, “Tibby, I want to stay with you, and I want our children to be where ever we are.”