by Jay Allan
Sparks hesitated nervously before he continued. “If you will all indulge me in what I freely admit is pure guesswork, I believe there is another factor that we should consider.”
“Please, colonel. Go on.” Holm nodded as he spoke.
“Yes, sir.” He hit the button on the controller again, and a schematic appeared on the screen. It looked like a rough engineering diagram of the superstructure of a space ship. “The enemy seems to utilize an external weapons deployment system not unlike our own missile racks. Their setup is substantially larger and more complex, however.” He paused and took a breath. “It is my opinion that they utilize this system for all of their antimatter weapons and that their doctrine requires full deployment of that ordnance before entering into the effective zone of any opposing weaponry.”
Garret leaned back in his chair, and odd smile on his face. “You weren’t kidding about guesswork, were you?”
Sparks felt his stomach clench. “I’m sorry, admiral. I just thought…”
“Relax, colonel.” Garret’s smile widened into a full-fledged grin. “I happen to think you are correct.” He turned to face Compton. “Admiral West’s experience seems to add validity to this theory. She apparently caught the enemy by surprise with antimatter weapons still bracketed to their hulls. It appears that a number of vessels were destroyed by their own secondary explosions. What do you think, Terry?” Garret was the only person in occupied space who called Fleet Admiral Terrance Compton Terry.
“I agree.” Compton didn’t hesitate. “In fact it would explain the apparent disparity in the damage levels it took to destroy different enemy ships. According to West’s data, the ones that didn’t get vaporized by their own antimatter warheads took a hell of a lot more pounding before they went.” He paused with a crooked smile on his face. “It almost reminds me of the old wet-navy stories. Catching an aircraft carrier with bombs stacked on the deck.”
“Of course the problem is getting close enough undetected.” Garret’s smile morphed into a thoughtful expression. “Erica West took advantage of an anomaly in the system layout…something we won’t be likely to have again.” He rubbed his hand over his mouth as he thought. “I’m not sure how we can replicate that.”
Compton leaned back in his chair, but he remained silent. It was Tom Sparks who worked up the courage to jump back into the exchange. “Sirs, I may be able to offer some insight that may be useful in that regard.” He paused, eyes shifting back and forth between Compton and Garret.
“By all means, colonel.” Garret looked up expectantly.
“Well, it appears that the enemy weapons are quite susceptible to our ECM…strangely so, in fact. To the extent we have been able to calculate it, our ECM success rate in the engagements to date is higher than what we achieved in the Third Frontier War. If this is new technology being deployed by one of the other Powers, I am at a loss to explain this.” He hesitated, then added, “Perhaps some of their new technology interferes with their electronic systems in some way. Or maybe they had to sacrifice their ECM and ECCM suites to make room for the new tech.” He didn’t sound convinced.
“I apologize for interjecting, but I believe that Dr. Hofstader has some insights that I think you should all hear at this time.” Roderick Vance hadn’t said a word since he’d greeted Cain. “Indeed, this is why I brought him here to this meeting.”
Vance was a Martian and a spy…not the most likely candidate to enjoy the trust of the men sitting in the room. But he’d proven to be a loyal ally, and he’d followed through on every promise he’d made them. If he thought it was important, they wanted to hear it.
“Please, Dr. Hofstader,” Garret responded immediately. “If Mr. Vance feels it is important, we shouldn’t delay.”
Hofstader rose slowly from his chair. He wasn’t easily intimidated, but the last few months had been bizarre to say the least. Expelled from the scientific mission on Epsilon Eridani IV, just before be boarded his shuttle he was handed a data chip with some extraordinary information…evidence he’d used to develop a theory so shocking, he’d at first been hesitant to share it even with his assistant. Then his transport was intercepted by a Martian warship and he was escorted off and taken to a meeting with none other than Roderick Vance. Now he was in a conference room with the top commanders of the Alliance military. Hofstader didn’t care about nationalities…not now. If what he theorized was correct, it transcended borders and nations. If he was right, mankind was at an historic juncture. And in grave danger.
“Thank you, Admiral Garret.” His voice was clear and steady. With everything that had already happened, he was beyond being nervous about addressing a few officers, however highly ranked. He’d settled into an odd sort of calm. “As you all know from my previous introduction, I am a physicist. My primary fields of research are antimatter and sub-atomic particles.” His eyes moved around the table as he spoke. “I was assigned to the research project on Carson’s World to study the alien artifact that was discovered there.”
He took a step back from the table, which gave him a better view of everyone as he spoke. “I developed a theory that the structure on that planet was actually far vaster than indicated by preliminary investigation. In fact, I believed it to be planetwide, extending all the way down to the core. Unfortunately, the committee in charge of the expedition had imposed very rigid rules regarding the pace of research and exploration.”
A momentary flash of anger gripped Hofstader – he was still bitter about the Committee and its actions in expelling him. “I took it upon myself to conduct unauthorized explorations in which I was able to confirm – to my satisfaction, at least – that my initial hypothesis was correct. The structure was a massive antimatter production facility, drawing on all of the planet’s seismic and volcanic activity for power.”
“That must be the answer.” There were rumblings from everyone present, but it was Terrance Compton who spoke first. “One of the Powers must have successfully infiltrated the facility and learned enough to mimic the technology.”
The others started to all speak at once, but Vance put up his hands. “Gentlemen, please…your indulgence. Dr. Hofstader has much more to share with you, so I ask you all to refrain from jumping to conclusions.”
“Thank you, Mr. Vance.” Hofstader shifted his feet nervously. What he had to tell them wasn’t easy. “I’m afraid, Admiral Compton, that it is quite out of the question that any of the Superpowers are behind this invasion force you are facing.” The room went silent. “Apart from the extraordinary implausibility of any nation of Earth successfully adopting this level of technology so quickly, the production of antimatter in the quantities we have seen deployed would require power generation facilities beyond anything possessed by the Powers. Constructing something on the order of the machine on Carson’s World would take us centuries, even if we understood the technology, which we most profoundly do not.”
“Well, Dr. Hofstader, I can assure you that we are actually being attacked. I have the dead Marines to prove it.” Cain hadn’t intended to sound as hard-edged as he did, and he softened his tone. “What is your explanation?”
Hofstader took a deep breath and looked over at Cain. “Well general…that is where the data provided to me before my departure from Epsilon Eridani IV comes into play. We had been proceeding on the assumption that the machine on Carson’s World has been long dead but, as it turns out, that is not entirely true.” Every eye in the room focused on him. “One of Dr. Travers’ instruments recorded two separate bursts of an unidentified form of energy. None of our normal detection devices were capable of picking it up. My belief, which admittedly lacks supporting evidence at present, is that we are dealing with a form of dark energy…something entirely different than anything we have encountered.” He paused for a few seconds and swallowed hard. “And I believe that it was some kind of alarm or distress call.”
The room erupted, everyone shouting at the same time. Admiral Garret stood up and pounded his hand on the table. “Pl
ease, please. Let’s not lose our composure, gentlemen.” He turn his head toward Hofstader. “Am I correct that you are suggesting that we have been fighting the race that built the machine on Epsilon Eridani IV? That we have made first contact?”
Hofstader looked extremely uncomfortable, but there was a confident look on his face…almost defiant. “Well, Admiral Garret, I wouldn’t state it exactly that way. However, yes, I do believe we are facing a force that has responded to the distress call we undoubtedly activated during our research efforts.” He took another breath. “And as such, we could indeed be dealing with that very race…or their servants or successors.”
The room was silent for a long while. Everyone present sat quietly, deep in thought. Finally, General Holm asked, “Dr. Hofstader, I find your theory compelling, but it is a lot to accept…especially with so little evidence. Yet you seem to be quite confident in your determination. May I ask why?”
“I had considerable doubts, general…before I arrived here.” Hofstader looked over at Sparks. “I believed I was correct, but I very much wanted some form of corroborating evidence. And I got that here, courtesy of Colonel Sparks.”
Sparks looked surprised. Whatever Hofstader had been able to determine, he had no idea what it was. “Me?”
“Yes, colonel. You were kind enough to allow me to examine some of the battle debris General Cain’s people sent back…and it was extremely enlightening.” He panned his eyes down the table. Everyone was staring at him intently. “Among the wreckage are some pieces of the larger robots…the ones your people call ‘Reapers.’ A portion of their exoskeleton appears to be constructed from a specific alloy, one that exhibits a number of odd properties, not the least of which is a strength several times that of the reinforced osmium-iridium polymer combinations used on your own powered armor.”
“I’m afraid I’m not following your logic, Dr. Hofstader.” Garret’s expression showed confusion.
“I have seen that alloy before, admiral…” Hofstader looked directly at Garret. “…in certain crucial conduits on the machine on Epsilon Eridani IV.”
The room was silent. Hofstader’s findings were far from outright proof, but it was all starting to make sense. Each of those present gradually came to the realization that the German scientist was right. They weren’t fighting a rogue Superpower that had managed an unexpected technological breakthrough…they were fighting the ancient race that built the facility on Carson’s World.
Cain felt a coldness, and a tightening in his stomach. He wanted to think it was surprise or tension…but he knew better. It was fear. Cain had been in some of the most horrific battles ever fought, and he’d come through all of them. But the thought of facing the builders of Epsilon Eridani IV was almost overwhelming. That mysterious race was piloting starships when men were learning to hunt with sharpened sticks. It was a prospect not unlike going to war with the gods.
Chapter 16
Emir’s Palace City of Izmir Planet Bokhara – 109 Piscium II
Kemal Raschid listened to the petitioners, but his patience was nearly at its end. Hearing the entreaties of petty lords squabbling over mining claims was tiresome, and if they troubled him much longer, he swore to himself, he would render a judgment neither of them would like.
Raschid’s family on Earth was very powerful, his father one of the Caliph’s Pashas, the highest ranking of all government officials. The family was fabulously wealthy and highly respected in the Caliphate. But Ahmed Raschid was a man of insatiable appetites, and he had a dozen wives and mistresses who had given him many sons. Kemal was the youngest of these, and though he was also the most capable, all he could hope for on Earth was a life of comfort and dissolution while the eldest of his brothers succeeded to the family’s power and titles.
For most citizens of the Caliphate, a life of even minimal comfort was an elusive dream. But for Kemal it was a curse, an existence without purpose. His mind was too strong, his spirit too powerful to spend his days sitting uselessly alongside the fountains in the family gardens.
He besought his father’s aid - that is when the old man had time for his youngest son, which was rarely. The two had discussed a place in the Caliph’s army, but the officer corps of the Earth-based forces had become a dumping ground for surplus sons of petty noble houses. The army that had shaken the world in the Unification Wars had atrophied during a century of terrestrial peace, and father and son agreed such a commission was beneath the dignity of the Raschid.
The offworld forces were vastly more capable than the Earth-based army, but there was no place among the slave-soldiers of the Janissary Corps for the son of a highly-placed family. The Janissaries were backed up by the picked levies of the lords who ruled the colony worlds, again leaving no career path for an Earth-based nobleman.
But Kemal could not be content to aimlessly walk the halls of his father’s vast palace with nothing more to occupy his thoughts than what he would eat for the evening meal or which of his women he would take to his bed that night. Finally, in his desperation, Kemal looked to the one place where superfluous younger sons could hope to wield power…space…the frontier.
The Caliphate’s colonies were, for the most part, estates contracted out to noble lords who agreed to pay certain taxes and a percentage of production to the Caliph. Convincing members of the nobility to leave behind the pleasures of Earth for the danger and hardship of founding a colony was difficult, and the Ministry frequently resorted to blackmail and coercion to secure enough “volunteers.” But Kemal needed no prodding, and his father’s influence obtained for him the position of emir on the newly discovered planet Bokhara. Most of the nobles who emigrated to found colonies were granted only the title of Subashi and the mandate to govern a world, or portion of a world, on behalf of the Caliph. But as emir, Kemal’s power was nearly total; he was the absolute ruler of the planet, save only for his fealty and obligations to the Caliph.
Fifteen years had passed since Kemal left Earth, and though his wealth would have allowed him to travel back and forth freely, he had never returned. The journey was long - over six months each way – and Kemal was busy building a world.
His energy had produced results. Calling Izmir a city was a bit of a stretch perhaps, at least by Earthly standards. But it was well on its way to deserving that status and, with 25,000 citizens and a bustling spaceport, it was a major metropolis out on the frontier.
Kemal had come to Bokhara a wealthy man already. Even the small sum allocated to a youngest son in a family as wealthy and prominent as the Raschid was a vast fortune. But now the planet itself had begun to add to his wealth. Most of the Caliphate’s colonies were backward, with a disinterested and decadent nobility ruling over the lower classes. These worlds produced only raw materials, shipping them back to Earth for processing. Kemal demanded more. Bokhara produced gemstones, some of the rarest and most valuable in human-occupied space. But Kemal did not ship raw stones back to the markets of Earth. The gems Bokhara exported were already cut and polished, and often used to create exquisite jewelry that sold for premium prices, swelling the coffers of Kemal Raschid.
In every area, the resources of the planet were fully exploited. The lower classes of Bokhara were poor and oppressed, as they were everywhere in the Caliphate, but the planet’s prosperity filtered down, making the life of a Bokharan peasant much more bearable than those elsewhere. As the demand for labor grew, Kemal allowed more immigration, mostly workers bonded to ten years’ service to pay for their passage. Kemal’s rule was firm, and sometimes harsh, but it was also fair…much more so than in most places, and he was popular with the masses.
The Caliphate had lost the Third Frontier War badly, and it had been forced to surrender a number of resource-rich colonies to the hated Alliance. Yet even this was to Kemal’s advantage, as the demand for new colonies to replace the lost production was acute. In addition to its planetary resources, Bokhara’s system boasted something else of great value – two warp gates leading into unclaimed spac
e.
The Caliph was so desperate to replace the lost colonies with new worlds, he did something that had never been done before…he granted a lord power over more than one world. Kemal Raschid had been given vice-regal authority over two new planets discovered in one of the adjacent systems, with the proviso that he agree to develop them with his own resources. He anxiously accepted and initiated plans to settle the first of these almost immediately. Kemal had even been excused from the recent mobilization order, freeing 500 of his Spahi petty nobles from military service to assist in the colonization effort.
Now Kemal himself prepared to visit his new fief. At the spaceport, the shuttles had been launching for days, ferrying people and equipment to the orbiting fleet. An armada of ships, mostly transports, but some gunboats as well, had been assembled by Raschid to support his new interstellar dominion. The ships were mostly older surplus hulls but, old or new, fleets were expensive, and this one had strained even the vast resources of Kemal Raschid.
Kemal wordlessly waved his hand. It was a signal that he was finished listening to the petitioners. Hamid, his chamberlain and major domo had entered through the side door of the audience chamber.
“My lord, your shuttle awaits you.” The chamberlain stood respectfully in the doorway. His uniform was utilitarian, crisp and clean in sharp contrast to the intricate décor of the palace. When Kemal had first arrived on Bokhara he had imitated the pomp and ceremony of his father’s domicile, including antique period costumes for the staff. But years of hard work and a focus on the profitability of his estate had instilled a new appreciation for practicality.
“I am ready, Hamid.” Kemal walked toward the door, the chamberlain moving quickly out of his way. “It is time for me to see what these new worlds have to offer.”
Red Crescent moved across the front of the warp gate. The ship was thrusting at half a gee, altering its vector slightly to position itself to drop the next scanner buoy. The solar system, dubbed Zon 111 by the Caliphate, not only had two useful planets, it had a warp gate leading into uncharted space.
