“We have another problem as well, Tibby,” Regeny said, “the prisoners. Most of the Federation planets don’t want prisoners of war on their planets, fearing the Brotherhood will try to free them and will seek retribution against the worlds that do imprison them.”
“I have a solution for that Admiral, but it’s one we will need to keep top secret. There exists a large underground facility on Earth’s moon where Ming and the Chinese colonists were trying to survive. If we build a Cantolla gate there and transfer prisoners there from a central hub someplace, no one will know where they have gone or are being held. Supplies and guards will only have access to the base through the gates, so there would be no way to trace or follow a ship there. Since the location of the central transfer hub will also be a secret and its location unknown, and it will be cloaked and shielded, it’s unlikely it could ever be captured. If by some chance it ever was, shutting down the gates on the other end would still render it useless.”
“Excuse me for interrupting, First Citizen,” Leader Tonclin’s high-pitched voice interjected, “are you suggesting that the base where we hold the Brotherhood prisoners will be outside the Federation borders?”
I responded, “Precisely, who would think to look for them there?”
“I’m not sure that is permissible under Federation law,” Leader Tonclin said with concern, “I can see the value in it, but it’s something the Senate might have a fit over if they were to learn we were holding prisoners of war outside the Federation.”
“Leader Tonclin,” Regeny began, “I believe that during the first solbidyum wars that not only did the Federation have prisoner camps set up outside the Federation borders, but they also had prison work camps where the prisoners were used as forced labor as well. So unless the laws have changed since then, I don’t foresee a problem.”
“I hope you are correct, Admiral, in the meantime I will discretely have some of my aides investigate the legality of such a move,” Tonclin stated.
Regeny replied, “Thank you Leader Tonclin, the less that is known about our activity and plans, the safer things will be for the Federation.”
“Tibby,” Leader Tonclin continued, “Do you plan to submit your proposal for a new ship repair facility to the Senate for funding and approval? It could take months or years for them to reach a decision as each planet will want the yard to be in their system.”
“You mean to tell me that with a war going on they would be so petty as to stall things in an effort to profit their home worlds?” I asked.
“I fear so. You may need to abandon the HAPRIN completely rather than trying to repair her.”
I thought a second and then said, “and I suppose that if I were to build the ship yard there myself with my own funds it would be construed as a conflict of interest, in that I am an officer of the Federation military.”
“Alas, Tibby, I fear so,” Tonclin sighed.
“What if I lent the money to Kendrop and Gochian to develop the yards, and it was a zero interest loan? That way, it could not be construed a conflict of interest as I would not profit from it in any way?” I asked.
“An interesting idea,” Leader Tonclin said, “I will look into that also Tibby; I think you have found a loophole to the situation. I’ll check on it immediately on leaving this meeting and get the reply back to you quickly.”
“Thank you Leader Tonclin,” I said, “the sooner the better as we are in negotiations with Kendrop and Gochian at the moment and the outcome may depend on this.”
The meeting went on for a few more hours as we discussed a number of issues facing the military; finally the meeting ended and everyone was leaving, when Admiral Regeny asked me to join with him privately in his office for a few minutes. We were barely inside his office and the door shut when he said, “Tibby, I hear that Captain Marranalis had a meltdown when Captain Sokaia and her squad were killed on the HAPRIN. I think you should replace him, at least, for the time being with another officer. We can’t have high-ranking officers operating in a state of shock.”
“Begging your pardon, Admiral, but where did you come by this information?” I asked as I was pretty certain it didn’t come from my guards who were present then.
“Let’s just say I have my sources,” Regeny said smugly.
“I’m assuming it was Captain Slater, then,” I said after I had thought a moment about who was there to have seen Marranalis in that condition. “Did he tell you that my guards told him that?” I asked. Regeny stared at me stone faced for a minute and then said, “My informant said your guards refused to say anything about what happened after you took Marranalis off the bridge, only that when you two returned, Marranalis seemed to be more functional. Tell me, did you order your guards not to talk about what happened?”
“No sir, I did not! I said emphatically, “and I’ll swear to that with a truth band if you doubt me.”
Regeny relaxed his pose and said, “I’m sorry, Tibby, that won’t be necessary, but seriously, do you believe Marranalis is fit to continue as your aide at the moment?”
“Yes sir, I do!”
“Why?” Regeny asked.
“Because I know the man, and yes, he was in a state of shock for a few minutes, but you would have been too if you’d seen what the place looked like. Marranalis and Sokaia had served and trained together a long time. They were close friends; it was a normal reaction for him to experience a moment of extreme grief afterwards.”
“And you think that now he is over this moment of grief?” Regeny asked.
“By the stars, NO!" I almost yelled, “you never stop grieving about something like that. However, he is refocused and has turned that grief into something more productive. He’s turned it into a resolve, and he will use that resolve to carry out his duties to the best of his ability, and to avenge her death and not to mourn it.”
Regeny stared at me a moment and then nodded, “Very well, Admiral. It was only a suggestion. You know the man better than I do, and I’ll respect your judgement. Now tell me how are those twins of yours doing?”
I arrived back on the DUSTEN shortly afternoon and so far, other than for a few snack items served during the meeting with the Admiral, I’d had nothing to eat, and I was starving. I contacted the bridge and Captain Wanoll to let him know I had returned, and he told me that Marranalis wanted to know when I arrived to see what orders I had for him. I contacted Marranalis on my wrist com and asked him if he had eaten, and he indicated he hadn’t, so I asked him to join me in one of the officers’ dining rooms on the ship. Ten minutes later, we both were seated around a table, and a waiter was serving us foccee while we looked over the menu.
One of the nicer things on Federation military starships was their dining facilities, which were run more like restaurants than cafeterias or mess halls. Smaller ships relied heavily on food replicators, whereas starships took on, and supplied, large quantities of food allowing them to have diversified menus. The ships even had giant greenhouse gardens where fresh vegetables and herbs were harvested daily. I looked at Marranalis, who still showed some signs of distress and grief on his face, but he seemed more alert and functional than the day before.
“How are you holding up?” I asked.
“I’m keeping it together. Thanks for what you did for me last night. I was ready to toss it all in and take a walk in space when you showed up. However, you got me thinking with the things you said, and I realized that if I did that Sokaia’s death would have been in vain, at least as far as I was concerned. I know now that I need to go on and see to it that these Brotherhood beasts are wiped from this universe. I had a long talk with Dr. Hughes as you suggested. You know, Tibby, he’s actually a pretty decent guy, and he said a lot of stuff that really made sense to me. I told him what you said to me, about your screw up and them making you an Admiral and all. He grinned about that and said you were a pretty smart man, and that I am lucky to have you for a friend. I am, you know. Lucky to have you as a friend, and I appreciate it Tibby.”
&n
bsp; “Well that works both ways, I consider myself extremely lucky to have you as a friend also, and I would really hate to lose you.” By now, the waiter was back and standing patiently by our table.
“I’ll have a fubalo steak I announced. Rare, with steamed coscan leaves and baked prucellan tubers.”
Marranalis was quickly glancing over the menu while I ordered, as he’d not looked at it at all earlier, and finally he just said, “I’ll have the same.”
“How did the meeting with the Admiral go this morning?” he asked after the waiter left.
I related the meeting events, leaving out the conversation about him with the Admiral afterwards.
“So you’re thinking about putting the enemy prisoners we capture on your Earth’s moon? That’s brilliant, Admiral,” I noted he stopped calling me Tibby, and we were back to Admiral again, so I assumed he was now back into the official mode once more, “even if they did escape from the Moon facility, there is no air there and no ships either, the only way in or out of the place will be through a Cantolla gate.”
“That’s my thinking,” I said, “and it’s in a location no one would think to look for it. Leader Tonclin is concerned about it violating some Federation law, but Regeny is pretty sure we won’t be. We should know in a day or two.”
“How are you going to get things set up there without anyone knowing?” Marranalis asked. “You’ll need a crew to go there to set up the Cantolla gates and to create cells and detention areas.”
“The NEW ORLEANS should be en route to Mars right now to set up a gate there for the androids to relocate. It’s only a short trip from there to the Earth’s Moon, and I’ll have the NEW ORLEANS go straight from Mars to Earth to install a Cantolla gate on the Moon. Once the gate is there, and activated, materials and personnel can be sent there directly without the use of spaceships. There will be no record of any Federation ships ever having gone there.”
“Very smart Admiral, how many of the crew on the NEW ORLEANS knows about this?”
“So far, none of them know. I don’t plan to let them know until after they have completed their task on Mars, and all the androids have made their move to the planet.”
“So you’re going to keep the information about the location of the androids a secret also?” Marranalis asked with a surprised look on his face.
“No, not really, but I don’t intend to broadcast it either. I see no reason to keep that information hidden.”
Marranalis looked at me and asked, “What do you think will happen on Goo’Waddle once the androids are gone? They’re the ones who have been keeping law and order there and running the government since the departure of the Brotherhood from the planet.”
“There are elections going on right now for people to fill the offices the androids have been taking care of since the overthrow of the Brotherhood operations on the planet. By the time the elections are over and the newly elected installed in office, the androids will be ready to leave.”
“Aren’t you worried that once the androids are gone things will revert back to what it was before?” he asked just as the waiter arrived with our food.
“Only a little, without the corruption of Brotherhood there, I think the people will opt for a more civilian run government with elected officials with a judicial system that is one of the people and not some corporation or band of criminals. Besides, the Ruwallie Rasson will still be there, and while they may have some relaxed ideas about laws, they do respect the ones they have laid down to them by tradition. As long as they accept Padaran as their leader, I think we will be all right.”
At that moment, we were interrupted by a call on my com link. “Excuse me a minute,” I said to Marranalis.
“Tibby here,” I answered.
“Tib, this is Kala. I really need you to come and meet with the leaders of Kendrop and Gochian. We are at a stalemate, and unless you can make them some sort of promises about how things are going to be financed, they simply are not interested.”
“I’m just finishing up lunch with Marranalis,” I answered, “How soon do you need me? I think I can answer their concerns, as I talked this over with Leader Tonclin earlier today.”
“That’s great, Tib, can you make it in about 40 minutes? We’re taking a break right now and will be reconvening then.”
“Sure thing, just let me know where the meeting is being held, and I’ll be there in 40 minutes.”
“It’s being held in the first small conference room inside the diplomatic area on the ship,” Kala responded.
“Sounds like you really have your hands full, Admiral, “Marranalis said.
I thought I would stop by and see how the twins were doing before I headed to the meeting with the leaders from Kendrop and Gochian, but when I got to my suite, no one was there. I checked with the computer and was told that Jenira and one of the Chinese ladies in her group of women warriors had taken the twins to the pool. I would have liked to have been able to check in on them, but I didn’t have the time, so I quickly headed to the diplomatic area to assist Kala.
Where Rinncal Haf-joab had been excessively obnoxious and sufficiently unimpressed by Kalana and me being First Citizens, or my being an admiral, the two representatives from Kendrop and Gochian were just the opposite. They seemed overly in awe of both Kalana and me, while at the same time being total pains in the ass as far as reaching any agreements. The two reminded me of a pair of old comics back on Earth called Laurel and Hardy. Flottoef Natiloe of Kendrop, was tall and thin with a long drawn-out face and pointy chin, while Girtofto from Gochian was short and heavy set with a fine mustache. Each had a team of assistants who seemed to have been brought along more as window dressing than actually being functional, as none of them seemed to have the slightest idea what was going on ,or even why it was going on. I had been afraid that the problem that existed was between the two planets, but I found instead they both were pretty much of the same accord and quite willing to cooperate with each other. It was with the Federation that they seemed to have concerns.
“Honorable First Citizens, “Girtofto said at one point, “what assurances do we have that should we establish a shipyard repair facility here, that it will not attract the wrath of the Brotherhood? How can you assure us that they would not retaliate and destroy our planets in revenge?”
“I can’t!” I answered to the shocked looks of everyone in the room but Kala. “But if you do have a shipyard facility here there will be an increased presence in Federation military ships and troopers in the area to protect both the shipyard and your planets. If you don’t have the facility, our forces will be diverted elsewhere, and you will be more at the mercy of the Brotherhood when they decide to come back and attack you again.” I could see the shocked looks on the faces of delegates at the table.
“You would leave us defenseless if we don’t agree to your desire to have a shipyard here?” Flottoef stammered?
I replied, “No, not defenseless, but there certainly would be fewer defensive forces stationed here, as we determine the risk factor to the Federation in allocations of troopers and ships. Obviously, those areas of the highest strategic value to the Federation get the most in defenses and resources. Kendrop and Gochian are on the outer rim and while Kendrop has rich mineral resources, and Gochian is a lovely resort planet, neither rate all that high in critical value to the Federation to afford to allocate more military power here.”
“But if we had a shipyard here, we would be of strategic value to the Federation, and you would have a higher military presence here?” Girtofto asked eagerly.
“Definitely,” I answered, “We would have to in order to protect the shipyard and our ships that would be here.”
Both representatives turned to each other and whispered rapidly back and forth, finally Flottoeft turned and said, “We would like to be able to help, but I fear we lack the funding to produce such a facility, is the Federation prepared to assist us in any way to achieve this goal?”
“I spoke with Leader Toncl
in about this matter, and something is being worked on at this moment. Should everything check out, private funding will be made available to both your planets for the building of the shipyard here in the form of a loan at zero percent interest. You would be paying the loan back out of the profits the shipyard makes, so you would not need to raise taxes or drain your planets' treasuries. In addition, it will create thousands of jobs, as well as support many local businesses on your planets,” I said and then added, “Economically there is no real risk to you, but there is a definite advantage if you agree to our proposal.”
Once again, both men put their heads together and whispered energetically. Finally, they both turned to us smiling and Flottoeft said, “We would like to have a day to discuss this with our governments, might we give you an answer tomorrow at noon?”
“I looked at Kala and winked so that neither Flotteft nor Girtofto could see. She looked at me with a slight smile and then said to the two representatives,. “I think that would be acceptable. We will expect your response tomorrow at noon. Thank you,” and with that, the meeting was ended.
No sooner were the representatives out of sight and hearing than Kala turned to me and said, “Tib, why do I get the feeling that this ’private funding’ is coming from your personal coffers?”
“Gee, Kala, I don’t know why you would have that feeling,” I replied, acting like I had no idea what she was talking about.
“Ha,” Kala said, “I knew it! You volunteered to put up the money when you found out it would take months or years for the Senate to reach a decision on the matter. I have to admit, it was smart of you to make the offer at no interest, so no one can claim a conflict of interest on your part.”
“Well, it’s not officially been approved yet. Leader Tonclin is having it researched at the moment to make sure no Federation rules will be violated by this if we do it.”
“How soon will he know?” Kala asked.
Solbidyum Wars Saga 5: Desolation Page 33
