by Chris Hechtl
That unfortunately had led to a redressing as a new administration had come into power. They had wanted to rebuild the fleet with the force emitters and other fruits of the researchers. Researchers had moved from pure research into development. Money had also flowed into the coffers of the yard to build new ships while the old ones were stood down and mothballed or scrapped. Eventually research had dwindled to a trickle once more. But they had the basics down.
They had been stumped by hyperdrives and some core hyper technology however. Their tech was crude by modern standards but serviceable the admiral judged. More importantly every piece could be replaced since they had so few modern hulls or pieces of equipment left in their inventory. Their skill sets were unknown, but they had a massive space workforce to tap. Retraining would be key, but he knew that could be managed.
More importantly the yard he'd started was still there. The framework, the complexes, it was there and more. They'd built on his initial start. The industrial replicators had been scrapped, but the complexes they'd been housed in were still available. Something could be done to fix that he thought with a nod.
He turned to the people. According to the initial reports, they had a strong work ethic. They were proud of their heritage and keen to rebuild, to find out what they'd lost and absorb it, learn from it.
Throughout the rebuild and long patient wait for someone to finally come, they had clung to the ideals of the Federation. They were quite proud of that. So was he.
When Caroline had left to return to Pyrax she carried a delegation of twenty people, ten of which were naval and marine officers. On their return they had sidetracked to Nuevo where they had made contact there and picked up another delegation before they had returned home. It had been a tad crowded on the light cruiser, but they'd made it work.
“Are you going forward with the release?” Sprite asked. “I know you wanted to keep Bek as an ace in the hole, both for their safety and to give you time to get them sorted out. It doesn't look like that's going to happen. Interviews are already being scheduled with the delegates,” she warned.
“We'll release it. We're going to have to fully seize control of B101a1 beyond the basic picket,” he said. She nodded. “I'm just glad they both are willing and eager to sign on the dotted line without any hemming and hawing or wrangling over comma placement,” the admiral said.
“And that they have a functioning shipyard and navy is a nice touch. The shipyard was expected, but the navy?” Sprite shook her head. “How are we going to handle that?”
“I'm still wrestling with it. Obviously everyone is going to have to be brought up to speed.”
“They swore the Federation Oath, Admiral. They don't have implants or geriatric treatments; modern health care is somewhat laughable,” Sprite said.
The admiral grunted. “I'm not thrilled about inducting Vice Admiral Sienkov and Rear Admiral Zekowitz into our ranks so easily. For one thing both of them outrank Phil.”
“Well, Zekowitz does by date of rank I believe,” Sprite said. “So …”
“So, I'm not sure how we're going to handle this one. Gingerly with long arms might be wise. But I don't know if we have the time for it.”
“I know. Oops, the news just hit that they have joined up and have a yard and navy admiral. I think we better get into this. We can't get ahead of it, but we do need to do some damage control,” Sprite warned.
The admiral nodded. “Get with the press secretary. Acting,” he grimaced.
“... and I just got a request from Admiral Subert. Apparently your lack of certain cabinet postings reached the ears of the new flag officers. Sienkov is near retirement; it's why he took the mission. He also has an interest in intelligence.”
“You're saying it would go a long way to put him in charge of intelligence? Or in the cabinet posting?” the admiral asked carefully. “That's a jump, Sprite! I don't even know the man!”
“One way to find out. He'd have to go on reserves to take the posting. He could also sit at the joint chief's table since he's the second highest ranking officer in the Federation now.”
“That we know of,” the admiral sighed. “Okay.”
“That was quick,” Sprite said suspiciously, eying him.
“Horse trading,” he replied with a shrug. “Protector, your thoughts?”
“I don't have many, Admiral, not on this subject,” the A.I. replied. Ever since the assassination attempt, Admiral Irons had gone out of his way to draw the A.I. out a bit more to feel him out and see how he was doing. “The appointment might be wise considering Bek's importance in the scheme of things. And he does have the necessary military training, though I question the intelligence angle since Bek was cut off.”
“True, what did they have to work with?” Sprite asked.
“True,” the admiral echoed.
They had no water dwellers among their ranks, but they did have a diverse population in each star system despite the occasional winnowing plague over the centuries. The delegation's officer contingents, the ten from Bek and the two from Nuevo were a cross representation of those species. He wondered briefly if any of the species thought to be extinct were among them? It would be nice if they found another Malekian or other species.
“I wonder how deep the shock waves will go,” Sprite mused.
“I'm more concerned about when inevitably word gets out to the Horathians,” Protector replied.
“I think is a gold star in our ledger,” the admiral said rising to his feet. “And not just because of what they've got and have accomplished. That's all icing on the cake. I want people to know that we're not going anywhere. And …,” he smiled as he picked up his jacket and shrugged it on, “sometimes Hail Marys pay off.” Admiral Irons said with a grin.
* * * *
Captain Perth was met at the lock by his patiently waiting wife when they docked. She didn't say a word, just grabbed him by each cheek, kissed him to the cheers and whistles of the watching crowd, then pressed her forehead to his when the kiss naturally ended.
“You scared the shit out of me, you jackass. I'm proud of you,” she whispered. “Now, I think we need a private place where I can bawl you out and spank your ass,” she said. Her lips quivered in an almost smile.
“Yes, ma'am, looking forward to it,” he answered dutifully. She shot him a look then snorted and tucked her arm in his as she led him off on his much overdue leave.
* * * *
“You've got mail,” the computer said.
“I bet I do. Tons of it,” the Neo-sea-lion said. “Tons and tons,” she said. “Start with the priority messages,” she ordered.
After a moment the list disappeared and a familiar face appeared on the screen. She blinked in surprise. Initially she thought it was a canned message to all members of the navy, but she was quickly disabused of that notion.
“Midshipman Qilaq, I wanted to thank you personally for the sacrifice you've made,” a familiar voice said. Qilaq stared in astonishment. “I know it hasn't been easy these past several months. You did what a good medic would do, looked to the long term of the greater good. I bet your family will be proud of you,” Admiral Irons stated.
“I know you are on the fence about your future. I am asking you to reconsider your desire to resign your commission. We need more like you, and you are correct, we shouldn't have pressed you into the mold. I can only say that needs must, and our needs were great. I'm afraid they still are. I can't promise it won't happen again, nor would you believe me if I said so.”
He grimaced. What was left unsaid was that he didn't want her to resign because of the black eye it would give him with the public and especially with the water dweller community. He needed volunteers, not conscripts.
“Caroline will be returning to Bek and Nuevo leading several ships in a month or so. Each of those ships have water dwellers on board as helmsman. I'm asking you to stay the course you are on now. To take your online courses as you have with Doctor Naroob. I will personally make certain you g
et the same credits and opportunities for advancement as your fellow classmates, as well as double time served in active service. We will also make every attempt for you to get credit and training at each port of call should you wish to avail yourself of that extra work.”
He paused, looked thoughtful for a moment and then held up a forestalling finger. “As long as you keep your grades up, young lady,” he warned sternly.
Despite herself she chuckled.
He nodded once. “Think it over and get back to your counselor and advisor when you are ready. Thank you for your service to the Federation and to answering the call to protect the lives of others. Admiral Irons out.”
The Neo-sea-lion inhaled, then exhaled slowly as the video terminated. She wasn't certain what she wanted to do, not anymore. The pain and anger had faded, replaced with a temperance and awareness of how hasty her hot decision could have been.
And how disastrous it might have been for Caroline and her friends. Friends like Dwight, Tulimak, Tyjon, Doctor Naroob.
It was definitely going to take a while to come to a formal decision but she knew already which way her heart was leading her.
The End
Author's Afterward
Wow What a book! I had planned a lot more stories, but when some ran long, well, I had to move them to the next book. :D
My thanks to Tom for gaming out Bek and Nuevo with me. (Not to be confused with Thomas who also helped me a bit there!) I also need to thank Mike Boos for what he did to my rather shoddy map. Thanks for the clean up! Eventually I'll get around to releasing the maps to Sigma sector, Pi sector, and finishing the individual star maps and 3D map! Someday … um … maybe? Hopefully?
Anyways …
Some of the betas have been on me to spin some of these stories into fully fledged books. (My Darling Caroline for one) I know a few of the stories were maudlin, sorry, I couldn't help it. Not everyone is going to get a happy ending. I've made it clear that no one is safe, not even my supporting or main characters (yes, that includes Irons!). For those of you wanting a favorite to stay safe, sorry. For those of you wanting Irons to go out on adventures, again, sorry. You'll have to put up with him being a spider in an ever growing web, at least for the time being.
But, well, things are getting better. There is a small, dim light on the horizon. We'll see if it gets any closer with the next installment, Retribution.
As always you can see my various musings, material, and such as well as what's next (including sneak peek snippets!) on my blog. You can also get a bit more of the Engineer Universe on the Wiki or at the Facebook Group.
Appendix
My Blog:
http://cyberforge3d.blogspot.com/
The Wiki Site:
http://federation-datanet.wikia.com/wiki/Federation_AI_Historical_Datanet_Wiki
The Facebook Fan Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/582559128466667/
Ships:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6theborg_(ship)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship)
Stars:
http://www.space.com/6560-life-thrive-red-dwarf-star.html
Spycraft:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clandestine_HUMINT_asset_recruiting#Love.2C_honeypots.2C_and_recruitment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment
Misc:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ordronaux_(privateer)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_St._Clair
http://www.ligo.org/news/media-advisory.php
Tools from Tom:
http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
http://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/3/what-is-the-minimum-human-population-necessary-for-a-sustainable-colony
http://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/7270/habitable-moon-of-a-gas-giant-working-out-the-sizes-and-distances
http://www.metamorphosisalpha.com/ias/population.php
Sneak Peek:
The following sneak Peek is a raw snippet from Retribution and an early look at what you will be seeing. Some things may change. :)
Admiral De Gaulte frowned as he looked at the plot before him. He was pretty much certain that they could and probably should write off 4rth fleet and any Gather ships in the Western side of the sector. He laid out his reasoning and waited but the protests from his staff were muted and mostly pro-forma.
He shook his head. “We can't get anywhere with wishful thinking. They are gone. If they show up or get out of the area, more power to them. Good for them. But we're not going to count on them.”
“Sir?” Commander Ramichov, Princess Catherine asked.
He shook his head again. “If they have a force in B95a3, and pickets, we can't assume anything anymore. We cannot go by hopeful assumptions that our people got out. No. Whatever is left of 4rth fleet has been run down or run into the other sectors... or has been obliterated. We need to focus on what we know. The reality, however unpalatable that sits before us.” He waved to the map. Red lights marked the known worlds of the new Federation including the 2 gateways to the Western side of the sector, Pyrax and Protodon.
“Aye aye sir,” Catherine replied with a dutiful nod. Commander Ramichov, princess and second in line to the throne seemed to take the announcement in stride. As his Operations Officer she most likely had already drawn the same conclusions. Since she was also a princess one could assume she had some sort of strategic training.
Only a fool would assume she hadn't had any, or that it had been limited to the political arena.
“We do have a little more on our unexpected visitor sir. It wasn't a light cruiser,” Lieutenant Commander Sedrick Lovato stated. The intelligence officer put a blurry image up on the holotable. It was tapered, a delta shape with engines in the fat rear end. It was also black; they could only infer the shape based on an overlay and some highlight glitter that her hull skin hadn't managed to dampen. The admiral stood and leaned forward, hands on the desk to support himself as he stared at the slowly rotating ship. “It's not a classic warship. CIC is rating it as a scout based on the mass readings sir. I'm in concurrence. I believe it is a Prowler class sir,” Sendrick stated.
“So, another class they have in production. And I'm guessing since the image is so blurry you couldn't get a lock?” the admiral asked.
Sendrick nodded with a grimace. “Yes. Their stealth is good, hence the belief it was a Prowler. Our active sensors couldn't get a good enough lock for the passives to focus on I'm afraid. CIC based the scout ruling on the mass readings they got at emergence plus this compilation from just after her hyper emergence.”
“I see,” the admiral mused.
“I'd say they are scouting for an offensive,” Commander Berney Yashanaka said shaking his head. “I'm now wondering about the timing.”
“We definitely threw them off,” Sendrick stated.
“There is that. But I'm more concerned about the timing involved in where we're both going.”
“No way in hell we'll catch them,” Sendrick stated. The others stared at him. He shrugged. “If they have the plans and it's a new ship my credits are on that it's stock. New means she's faster than us. Much faster. She'll be long gone before we arrive in B-97A.”
“Quite probable. Unless there is a naval force there, or in B-95a3 for her to hook up and warn,” the admiral mused, still staring at the image.
That simple statement made the tension in the room ratchet up a little. But only a little, they were still confident they had the big guns.
Which they did, considering two of their number, including the very ship they were in were Dreadnaughts. They were the mightiest ships ever deployed on a combat mission by the Empire.
“I'm curious if we can mouse trap anyone we run into. I'd like to get a piece of them. The question is how,” the admiral stated. He turned to them. “So, I want contingency plans folks.”
“In other words it's time to play the 'what if game', right sir?” Catherine asked
in amusement.
“Yes indeed. What if we jump in and they are waiting in ambush?”
That idea made the staff blink then frown thoughtfully.
“You are thinking they'll court battle even though it is obvious we've got the edge sir? Won't that Prowler warn them?” Berney asked carefully after the silence lingered a little too long.
“I'm throwing it out there. Yes it's ballsy, unless you think it through. They could pull a hit and run. Hit us as we transition down from hyper, and then run before our weapons can recover.”
“Using their superior speed to get to the next jump point and do it again sir?” Catherine asked, thinking the scenario through. She didn't like it, didn't like it at all. Their ships would be at their most vulnerable exiting hyper, their sensors blinded with no intelligence about their surroundings. Most of their power systems would be transitioning from the hyperdrive to other systems.
“Throw the priority at powering our sensors and defensive systems first?” Berney mused.
“Defenses first then sensors? I'm not sure,” the admiral said. “Anyone think of a counter?” He surveyed the room. “Other than jumping short or long?”
“Long would allow them to be behind us. We could theoretically pin them, we'd be on the inside and we could run them down easier. But they'd be coming up our back sides initially,” Berney said, obviously not liking that idea. Sedrick shook his head. Others did as well. Catherine pursed her lips in thought.
“Jumping short... if we came in on a slightly different vector, high, low, on a flank... that'd throw them off. If we worked the geometry right we can minimize their short run to the next jump point. Or set it up so we can hit them along the way I suppose,” Catherine mused.
