Uthlaro Prime Minster Taomolu Barguado and the Council of Ministers stared silently at Minister Neddowo. As one of the wealthiest Uthlaro citizens on their planet, Neddowo was accustomed to the silence of subordinates when he ranted.
"What are you doing about this, Barguado?"
"We're at a loss to explain it."
"Are you? Then let me explain it to you. Space Command is gobbling up our fleet, a bite at a time."
"Space Command could not possibly have gotten ships to the areas where our ships are disappearing— not this quickly. If they had dispatched an entire fleet immediately after the Milori surrendered, they would still be a light year away from where our ships have gone missing."
"Gone missing? Gone missing? Is that how you are thinking of this, Barguado? No wonder we continue to lose ships. They're not being destroyed," he said mockingly, "they've simply— gone missing."
"If Space Command were responsible for our missing ships, we'd have heard something from our operatives on Stewart," Barguado said.
"Why do you believe our people on Stewart would know anything? They're not even in Region Two. Do you have anyone on Quesann?"
"Uh, no, not yet. The planet has so far been limited to Space Command personnel. Several of our operatives who have covers as legitimate journalists have applied for visas, but no transportation to Quesann has been available yet. And once they can go, it will take several years to get there."
"Then we must get to someone who already knows what's going on."
"We've tried for years, but Space Command people are too loyal. We haven't been able to turn anyone."
"If the Raiders can do it, then so can we. I'm authorizing a twofold increase for your information budget. You find someone and find them soon. Someone in the know will sell information if you wave a million credits under their greedy little Terran noses."
"Yes, Minister," Barguado said.
* * *
"Good morning," Admiral Moore said to the assembled admirals of the Admiralty Board as he took his seat in the large hall they used for their meetings. It was a closed session, so only the admirals, their aides, and a couple of dozen clerks were present. "As you know, Admiral Carver continues to make amazing progress in the situation she faces in Region Two. The Gondusans and Hudeera have surrendered unconditionally and ceded back that part of their territory Admiral Carver allowed them when we defeated the Milori. The armada now facing our forces has been halved, but the most difficult part of the fight, by a wide measure, still lies ahead of us.
"Admiral Carver has forwarded a recommendation that the seven-member rescue party who entered the Uthlaro ship each be awarded the Space Command Star. In a private communication, she informed me that the officer who led the party, Commander Stephan Cross, did so in violation of her standing orders that Marines clear all enemy ships before Space Command personnel enter. However, before that incident he had been a good officer and a credit to the service. We'll never know what prompted him to enter the ship with such careless disregard for the safety of himself and his people, but that part of the record will remain sealed. All in favor of the posthumous award of seven Space Command Star medals signify by raising your hands." Looking around the horseshoe-shaped table, Admiral Moore said, "It's unanimous," to his clerk.
"Loretta, can you give us an update on the situation at the yard?" Admiral Moore asked of Admiral Plimley, referring to the Ship Building Facility in orbit around the planet Mars.
"As you know," Admiral Plimley said, "the senior people at the yard have all been briefed, privately, on the situation in Region Two, and are continuing to put every resource possible into the construction of the scout-destroyers. They've hired more workers and are operating a full, twenty-four-hour schedule on those docks. With our firm commitment to produce three hundred of the small ships over the next decade, additional economies of scale have been realized. They believe they'll be able to reduce the completion time on the small ships by as much as one third without adversely impacting the current delivery dates established for destroyers, frigates, cruisers, and battleships. The three new Prometheus-class battleships will be ready to launch in two and half months."
"Excellent. When do you anticipate the next group of scout-destroyers will be ready to launch?"
"If nothing unexpected happens to delay their completion, all ten should be ready in less than two and half months."
"Wonderful. And the next group will be ready four months following these ten?"
"If not sooner."
"Excellent. If Admiral Carver can reduce the size of a thousand-ship armada by half with just thirteen ships, the additional three battleships and twenty scout-destroyers has to help her halt the progress of the remaining ships aligned against her."
"With luck," Admiral Plimley said, "we should be able to get her four new DS destroyers and two new DS cruisers at about the same time the second group of ten scout-destroyers are ready for launch."
"You've been able to advance their construction schedules by that much?"
"The yard manager has pulled some of the crews off the warships that can't possibly be launched for more than two years and put them on the ships that are nearing completion. He says he has so many people working on them that, at times, the crews are falling over one another. He hasn't told them the reason, but they understand the urgency and are putting everything they have into getting these six ships completed early. They've seen the flurry of activity over at the docks where the scout-destroyers are being built and know something big is up."
"By now the Uthlaro know all about the surrenders of the Tsgardi, the Gondusans, and the Hudeera," Admiral Hillaire said, "so the importance of keeping everything a secret has disappeared. Perhaps it's time to hold a press conference about the undeclared war?"
"Keeping any specific information about Admiral Carver's operations a secret, of course," Admiral Bradlee said.
"Of course," Admiral Hillaire said. "I'm simply suggesting the people of the Galactic Alliance should know a new threat exists and, while they are presently in no danger, they should be aware that we are doing our best to handle the situation. It might help military recruitment if our people know we have been invaded again. Recruitment levels have dropped since the Milori invasion failed and we annexed their territory."
"I'll have the information office draft a release," Admiral Moore said. "The GA Council has just approved my request to expand the Mars shipbuilding facility. They've approved the construction of three hundred additional docks. We haven't been allocated the funds to commence laying hulls just yet, but I believe that to simply be a matter of time. With the facility expansion, we should be able to produce one hundred new warships each year, or more if some of the slips are used to produce scout-destroyers.
"Our next topic is to appoint a new commanding officer to McCardin Space Command Base. You all have a copy of the list of eligible officers. Does anyone care to make a recommendation?"
* * *
Chapter Twelve
~ May 2nd, 2283 ~
"Nothing!" Commander Omega Kostopolis, Captain of the scout-destroyer Seine said in exasperation. "We've twice performed a Level One search of our assigned territory and haven't caught sight of a single ship, or even a residual ion trail!"
"Thank you, Captain," Jenetta said. "I'm sure your crew did its usual thorough job."
"Thank you, Admiral."
"Colorado out."
"Seine out."
"Another dry hole," Jenetta said to Admiral Kanes who was seated across from her in her briefing room aboard the Colorado. "That makes four in a row."
"I suppose we'll have to accept that the Uthlaro have changed their battle plan. Frankly, I'm surprised it took them as long as it did."
"Yes, but it would have been nice to pare their fleet down a little further. Still, they have a hundred forty fewer ships now than they did before. That's almost twice the number currently assigned to my Second Fleet."
"What now, Jen?"
"W
e'll return to Quesann to resupply. Our ordnance stocks have gotten precipitously low, but I was reluctant to stop while we were having so much success against the Uthlaro. We knew they'd change tactics eventually and I wanted to confront as many groups as possible before that happened."
"How soon did you want to leave?"
"Now that the Seine has completed a second search of its grid section there's nothing to keep us here. We can head for the barn as soon as our ships have all returned. I have been considering a slight detour, though. Milor lies almost directly in our path so perhaps we should stop there briefly so I can visit with the Viceroy."
"You're not planning on going dirt-side, are you?"
"Not hardly. After what I did to their planet, even their protection details would be trying to kill me. We'll remain in orbit and I'll invite the Viceroy to come up."
* * *
Seventeen days later, the thirteen-ship task force entered the Milor system. There were several dozen warships at defensive posts throughout the system, but when the Space Command task force announced their arrival and intentions they were passed through without further challenge. Milor Approach Control immediately directed the ships to parking orbits above the planet.
"Greetings, Admiral Carver," Viceroy Berquyth said when communications were established. "Or should I call you Governor Carver?" He immediately waved an arm if the matter was of no consequence, then said, "Regardless, welcome to Milor."
"Thank you, Viceroy. I'm delighted that an opportunity to visit with you has presented itself. We are on a return trip to our base at Quesann."
"And I am delighted you've taken time from your hectic schedule to stop. Would you like to come down, or shall I come up?"
"I think it better you come up. I imagine there are many hard feelings toward me and your protection details might find their task too onerous."
"Not at all, Admiral. Since the unfortunate and premature death of our late Emperor, Maxxiloth, we've been inculcating our people with the idea Milor will be far better off under the rule of the Galactic Alliance than it ever was before. Schoolchildren now pledge their undying allegiance to both Milor and the Galactic Alliance before classes begin each day and a daily stream of public service announcements, on all voice and vid channels, praise the Galactic Alliance. Everyone on the planet knows that Space Command was only trying to stop Maxxiloth from waging war further when it targeted installations with military value and a great deal has been made of the fact that you did everything possible to avoid civilian locations. Your smiling image now looks down on our people with that of my own from every location where Maxxiloth's sinister face appeared before. You are regarded as a hero on our world for having saved us from future decades of war. We all knew Maxxiloth wanted to rule the galaxy. Our people never would have ceased dying in futile wars while he lived."
"But there surely must be hard feeling among those that lost loved ones in the battles with Space Command, or for the destruction we caused when we attacked your planet."
"Their enmity has been turned towards Maxxiloth because it was he who started and perpetuated the aggression. He sent our people out to attack a peaceful neighbor and brought the destruction down upon our heads when you defended yourselves. Many of the social programs instituted to rebuild our planet bear your name."
"I have to admit to being quite stunned by this revelation, Viceroy."
Smiling, the Milora said, "I invite you to come down and see for yourself, Admiral. I believe you will be just as stunned by the open reception you receive."
Hesitating for only a second, Jenetta said, "Very well, Viceroy, what time would be convenient?"
"It's early morning here in the capital, Admiral. How about joining us for the midday meal we enjoy when the sun is at its zenith. I'm not sure what your people call that time."
"We call it noon."
"Very well, please join me at noon. Your shuttle will be cleared to land on the palace grounds."
"I'll see you at noon, Viceroy. Carver out."
"Viceroy Berquyth, out."
* * *
As Jenetta stepped from the shuttle, a military band began playing an odd Milori tune unfamiliar to Jenetta. A small crowd gathered behind a row of palace guards hooted and slapped their semi-soft gripper claws together. Jenetta smiled uncertainly and waved, wondering if the people were being paid to welcome her or if they were palace employees herded outside by their supervisors. She still couldn't believe she wasn't the most despised person on the planet. Her Marine guard parted as she reached the bottom of the ramp to allow her through as the Milori Viceroy stepped forward from a row of dignitaries. He bowed and welcomed her to the surface before turning and introducing the eleven other ministers from the Ruling Council. Jenetta in turn introduced Lt. Commander Ashraf.
"Admiral Carver, everyone is delighted to welcome you here," the Viceroy said as they walked towards the palace. "I wish to be the first Milori to congratulate you on your success against the Tsgardis, the Gondusans, and the Hudeera. I admit I had serious misgivings when I received the message from you in which you said you were on Earth. I should have known you'd already be aware of the invasion and working to repel the invaders."
"I wasn't aware of the invasion until I received your message, Viceroy. Thank you for informing me so quickly."
"Then you really were on Earth?"
Yes, I was. I went home for a visit before I became so bogged down in my duties here that I couldn't get away again for years."
"The rumors are true then. Space Command has made significant improvements in Faster-Than-Light-Speed travel."
Jenetta looked at him in surprise. "I would have thought you knew all about our advances. You did have Admiral Vroman for some months before depositing him on Siena."
"The main information gleaned from Admiral Vroman was that you had tried to use a new indestructible material to cover your ships but that it interfered with the FTL drive system. There was no mention in our reports that the 'interference' was an incredible leap forward in FTL speeds. We only knew that as a result of complications the prototype had remained at your Mars facility for several years."
"It would seem that something was lost in translation. And yes, the 'interference' as you call it was the ability to travel significantly faster than the theoretical limits of FTL travel. The prototype remained at Mars while our people worked on finding ways to properly harness the incredible speed advancement so it could be used in all our new ships. Or perhaps Admiral Vroman had less information about the project than I thought. It was top-secret back then. It still is. But I doubt if it's really much of a secret anymore, especially since we started turning out new ships designed to use the speed in everyday travel. Surely your military planners must have wondered how we were able to bring the fight here so soon after your fleet attacked my command at Stewart."
"The consensus was that you had already sent ships after the first invasion attempt."
"No, we were perfectly serious about our hope to enjoy a period of peaceful coexistence when we sent your fleet home after signing the treaty. We didn't want your territory. The decision to annex it was made only because we knew Maxxiloth would continue to invade us every time he'd built his fleet to a point where he felt strong enough to take us on again."
"You were right, of course. Maxxiloth was quite mad. We would never have seen peace in his lifetime. When he announced he was going to share our metallurgical procedure for the production of tritanium with the Tsgardi, along with the secrets of achieving Light-450, the Council of Ministers knew we must act. We knew that once we lost our technological dominance, the Tsgardi would attempt to throw off the yoke Maxxiloth's great-grandfather had placed around their necks. The sharing of that information would have meant more decades of hostilities even if the Galactic Alliance didn't annex the empire. And I do apologize for marooning the Lisbon crew on Siena. The ship's database didn't contain information regarding the existence of such hostile indigenous wildlife as they faced.
"Our world is far better off now. I must admit to enjoying life a great deal more without the constant pressure of waging war."
"I would love to experience that myself for a while," Jenetta said.
"Now that you've repelled the invaders, perhaps you can."
"We've only stopped three of the four signatories to the pact that would see us driven from this territory so it could be divided up among the aggressors. The Uthlaro are still in play."
"Really? They haven't attacked any planets or former bases in the Region for many weeks."
"How do you know that?"
"After receiving your suggestion we make contact with all our people still off-world to warn them of potential problems, we asked them to send us a coded message once each day while they remained unmolested. We've been able to track the progress of the aggressors across the region by knowing which planets, outposts, or space stations continued to send. There have been no changes in weeks."
"I see. Have you been able to make contact with any who had previously gone silent?"
"The planets occupied by the Tsgardi have all resumed communications. The occupying forces have been picked up by transports and the planetary governments are reestablished, although most of the senior leadership was slain in the takeovers. From those locations that fell to the Uthlaro we've heard nothing, but we continue to try once each day."
"The Uthlaro invaders might have left jamming satellites in orbit at each location when they moved on. I hope they haven't done worse. We haven't had a chance to look into the situation yet. We've been a bit busy."
"As I can imagine."
"Viceroy, I was a bit surprised to see your shipyards so active as we passed the planets they orbit." Jenetta had waited until she felt the Viceroy was somewhat off-guard before informing him of her observation."
"Of course, Admiral, of course. Oh! I hope you don't think we're attempting to build a fleet to oppose the Galactic Alliance."
Against All Odds Page 20
