by Bob Blanton
“Now the avionics in your jet will account for all of that for you, but you need to be aware of it so you understand the targeting solutions that you’ll be presented. Your missiles will have the same starting velocity and vector as your jet, so you’ll need to account for that when you’re deciding when to launch. Your plasma cannons and lasers won’t be affected by your current heading and velocity, but the railgun will. And the railgun only fires directly along your longitudinal axis.”
She got more groans from the group.
“Now when you’re dealing with one target, you can align the plane of your maneuvers with the target, so everything you’re dealing with is mostly in two dimensions, but add a second or third target, and now you have to deal with all three spatial dimensions at the same time. Thank god for computers, huh!”
After running through a few more examples, Catie turned the class back over to Kasper. He set everyone to running through the simple simulations using their specs and a fake joystick on their desks.
“Hey, thanks for coming,” Kasper said.
“It was fun,” Catie said. “The look on their faces when they realized how much they don’t know is priceless.”
“It won’t take them long to adapt,” Kasper said. “And we’re not going to spend any time on atmospheric flying, so they’ll make faster progress than usual.”
“How do you like teaching?”
“It’s interesting, I’ve had a few pilots come through that I used to fly with.”
“Hey, I’ve never heard why you left the Navy?”
“Oh, my jet lost an engine during a carrier takeoff. I had to eject, but the canopy stuck so I fractured my neck. That was the end of my Navy career. Dr. Sharmila fixed me up and got me back to flying. Good thing I have such a thick skull, huh?”
“I guess so,” Catie said. “I’ll see you around.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Hello, ANDI,” Catie said as she brought her lunch back to her cabin. She’d been making a point to interact with ANDI more to help with his development.
“Hello, Cer Catie,” ANDI replied.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, Cer Catie.”
“What do you get when two dinosaurs crash their cars?”
“Dinosaurs are extinct.”
“But if they weren’t and they had a car crash.”
“If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be able to drive cars.”
“Okay, try this one: what sits at the bottom of the sea and twitches?”
“Kelp,” ANDI answered.
“That’s not funny!”
“Is it not?”
“You’re supposed to say A nervous wreck.”
“Wrecks are inanimate,” ANDI said.
“It is a play on words,” Catie said. She’d been trying to teach ANDI about humor, but he was failing miserably. “When people are overly nervous, you call them a nervous wreck, see, that’s funny.”
“What is the purpose of funny?”
“To make people laugh!”
“Cer Catie, the Centag quantum is vibrating,” ANDI said.
“That’s not funny,” Catie said.
“I am stating a fact, not making a joke.”
“Call Daddy, Uncle Blake, Sam, and Admiral Michaels; we’ll meet in the ready room!” Catie said. “And Dr. Metra,” she added.
Catie rushed to the boardroom, almost running into Admiral Michaels as she turned the corner.
“Lieutenant, we hurry, but we do not run,” the admiral said.
“Yes, sir.”
Catie slowed down and kept pace with the admiral; they entered the room together.
“What is this Centag quantum?” Admiral Michaels asked.
“You know about quantum relays?” Catie asked.
“Yes.”
Marc and Blake entered the room together, followed by Samantha and Dr. Metra.
“Hi, Daddy, I’m explaining about the Centag quantum.”
“Go on.”
“Anyway, they are always in pairs. The Sakira has two hundred pairs that we use to link to the satellites, the Foxes and Lynxes, and now to Delphi City and Delphi Station. There are four half pairs that link to Paraxea that we monitor. Commander Centag was the guy who murdered the captain of the Sakira. After he died, we searched his quarters to try and figure out what he was up to. All we found was half of a quantum pair, the Centag quantum. This is the first time it has vibrated.”
“Okay, what is it saying?” Admiral Michaels asked.
“ADI?”
“Why ADI, I thought ANDI was the one that reported it?” Captain Clark asked.
“She’s cleverer than ANDI right now,” Catie said.
“Thank you for the compliment, Cer Catie. The quantum is sending some form of coded message,” ADI said. “I have not been able to break it yet.”
“What should we do?” Admiral Michaels asked.
“Have Dr. Metra answer it,” Catie said.
“What should I say?” Dr. Metra asked.
“Tell them the truth,” Marc said. “The Commander is dead, most of the crew is in stasis, you found the quantum and would like to know why they’re calling.”
Dr. Metra took a moment to compose herself then she nodded, “I’m ready.”
“I’ve connected it to your comm,” ADI said.
“Sannu, wannan shi ne Dr. Metra, da jiragen ruwa likita,” Dr. Metra said. “Ke wacece?”
“ADI, please provide all of us with the translation,” Marc said.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Metra, the ship’s doctor, who are you?”
“I am Commodore Warlmag. Where is Commander Centag?”
“He killed himself after his attempted mutiny failed. Again I ask, who are you?”
“Commodore Warlmag was the leader of the colony ship that was lost,” ADI said.
“I do not have to explain myself to the ship’s doctor; I am a captain.”
“How do I know that? All I know is that you must have been in league with Commander Centag, and he was a traitor.”
“How dare you! I wish to speak to the Sakira DI!”
“Use ADI,” Catie said. “Cut ANDI out for security.”
“ADI, please do as Catie said,” Marc instructed.
“Yes, Captain. Commodore Warlmag, this is the Sakira’s DI,” ADI said.
There was a long series of beeps and clicks over the comm.
“Captain,” ADI said. “He has just transmitted a code that would have activated a hidden virus in the old protocol interface. It would have given him control of the Sakira.”
“Play along with him,” Marc said.
“Yes, Captain,” ADI said. “Commodore Warlmag, you now have command of the Sakira, what are your orders?”
“Does the Sakira have sufficiently strong weapons to subdue the planet?”
“Captain, it does not. It can create substantial damage to their military and cities, but these people have nuclear weapons. I could not guarantee that they would not be able to destroy the Sakira.”
“Do they have space-based weapons?”
“Captain, they do not.”
“Where is the Sakira?”
“It is hidden at the bottom of one of their oceans.”
“Stay there. Now send me an assessment of their military strength, what they would be able to launch against a battleship. Also, give me a list of which cities I should destroy to make them surrender without damaging the viability of colonizing the planet and using its population as slaves.”
“How many colonists do you have?”
“We are bringing 1.5 million Paraxeans.”
“That is more than the records show that the lost colony ship was carrying,” ADI said.
“How do you know about that?”
“It was in Commander Centag’s files,” ADI replied.
“We’re bringing others that want to leave Paraxea and its muddle-headed government!”
“How have you convinced them to attack an innocent planet?” Dr. Metra asked.
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“We’ve told them that it was Earth that attacked the colony ship,” Commodore Warlmag said.
“Send him the military assessment from five years ago,” Marc said. “Can you stall on the cities?”
“I will try, Captain,” ADI communicated to Marc and the board. “Commodore Warlmag, I am transmitting the military assessment now. I have been compiling it every six months per standing orders. I need more time to analyze which cities should be targeted.”
“Fine, I will contact you later!”
“Captain, he has terminated the connection,” ADI said.
“How rude,” Catie said.
“Now what?” Admiral Michaels asked.
“You’re the military strategist,” Marc said. “What do you suggest?”
“We are just starting our buildup. How long before the Paraxeans arrive?”
“Admiral, if they continue to stay with the asteroid, they are sixteen weeks away, but if they leave the asteroid to make its own way, they could encounter our carriers sooner,” ADI said.
“So we need to really get after the buildup,” Admiral Michaels said. “Clearly, we don’t have much time or much of a choice.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“I was talking to Dr. Metra, and she suggested that we should wake the Paraxeans on the Sakira,” Catie said.
“Remind me who we have there?”
“There are one-hundred-forty-five Paraxeans there; they cover thirty-five specialties,” Catie said.
“Okay, so tell me the ones we should wake up,” Marc suggested.
“Still a long list,” Catie said. “But we should wake the chief engineer, the weapons engineer, the reactor engineer, the propulsions engineer for sure. I’m not sure we can manage without them. And the robotics engineer, the communications engineer, the electronics engineer, and the environmental engineer would be a big help. Then the chief steward would be nice since he knows how to coordinate all the maintenance work for the ship’s interior. I think he would be able to help us figure out how to build all that out.”
“And how can we be sure they weren’t part of Commander Centag’s little enterprise, or that they wouldn’t be sympathetic to the Paraxeans that are coming at us now?”
“ADI can test them,” Catie said. “And I think we should wake all the regular crew. They know how to do the actual work, and would be able to train and help supervise our new guys.”
“ADI?”
“Yes, Captain?”
“Your input please.”
“I agree with Cer Catie. Given their histories, it is unlikely that they would have any alliance with Commander Centag, and I can determine that by testing them,” ADI said. “Those are also the skills that could help you the most now.”
“Would we need to put them on one of the carriers?” Marc asked.
“That would be the most effective,” ADI said.
“I assume Dr. Metra would like to be present when they come out of stasis.”
“Yes, she said she would. She would bring the nurses out first, and if things go well, she could leave them to bring the rest out.”
“Is the Sakira provisioned to support them once they’re out of stasis?”
“Yes, Captain,” ADI answered.
“How can we protect ourselves if they decide to mutiny?”
“The doctor can put a special device under their skin. It can be used to disable them should they become a problem. It will also allow you to track their location and verify that they are keeping their comm active,” ADI said.
“I’ll call a meeting to discuss it,” Marc said.
“Thanks, Daddy.”
Chapter 22
The Big Lie
“People, we have a big decision to make. What do we do with the Paraxeans we have in stasis aboard the Sakira? They could be of enormous help in staffing the carriers we’re building as well as in helping us complete them,” Marc said as he opened the discussion.
“It also will impact the options we have when we win this battle,” Samantha said. “We’re going to have to deal with a lot of Paraxean prisoners as well as all the colonists on that asteroid.”
“How many Paraxeans are we talking about?” Admiral Michaels asked.
“There are one hundred forty-five,” Marc said. “Based on discussion with ADI and Dr. Metra, I’m confident we can ensure their loyalty before we release them. The issue is how we should integrate them with our human crews.”
“How are you going to explain that we happen to have all these Paraxeans helping us?” Blake asked.
“That is the crux of the matter,” Marc said.
“We could capture them,” Catie suggested.
“Huh, we already have them,” Blake said.
“But nobody knows that. Daddy has told everyone you found a wrecked ship. So we should just capture the Sakira,” Catie continued.
“That might work,” Admiral Michaels said. “We could say the Sakira was sent ahead to scout and that we used our Foxes to infiltrate her and capture her. I think we could sell it.”
“But to capture an entire ship, who’s going to believe that?” Blake asked.
“We don’t have to say we captured it; it can be destroyed for all they know; we just say that we took prisoners,” Admiral Michaels said.
“What about capturing an advanced base?” Kal asked. “Something on one of Jupiter’s moons. It would make sense that they had established an advanced base as part of their preparations. It would be easier to capture something like that than a starship.”
“I like that much better,” Blake said. “We could even sell a story where we discover the base and sabotage it so that the crew is sent into stasis. We wake them up and bring them back on one of the Oryxes.”
“Sure, and once they know that they’ve been lied to and are preparing to invade and conquer an innocent world, they can offer to help us,” Catie said.
“That would be a likely outcome should you capture any of the Paraxeans in the rebel force,” Dr. Metra said. “What they are doing is against the very fabric of Paraxean honor.”
“Do you think your people would be willing to go along with it?” Samantha asked.
“I am confident that they will,” Dr. Metra said. “In fact, I’m sure that any captured Paraxeans will also be willing to go along, as well as begin to help you once they’re told the truth. Only the most militant of Paraxeans would ever envision participating in such a horrible attack on another world.”
“Okay, then start bringing your people out of stasis,” Marc said. “We’ll make the necessary arrangements and time the announcement for two days from now.”
“What are you going to do?” Samantha asked.
“We’re going to put them on an Oryx, send them out for one day, then bring them back. While they’re on their way back, we’ll schedule a news conference and play the story out,” Marc explained.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Hello, this is Leslie Walters announcing our first victory in this war for our homeworld.” Leslie was standing beside the Delphi City Airport as the Oryx was making its final approach.
“With me is Colonel Kalani Kealoha, the head of Delphi security and the one responsible for this early victory. Colonel Kealoha, please tell us what has happened.”
“Leslie, we have been doing scouting missions to prepare for the arrival of the Paraxean fleet,” Kal said. “We discovered a small base on Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons. We were able to mobilize a small unit of our commandos and flew them to Ganymede within days of our discovery. They arrived and were able to land on Ganymede undetected by the Paraxeans. They were then able to disable all the communication systems and force the Paraxeans at the base to surrender.”
“What was the purpose of this base?” Leslie asked.
“They were mining asteroids to gather enough deuterium, heavy hydrogen, to replenish the fleet’s fuel supply once they arrive,” Kal explained.
“Who led the
mission?”
“Overall command was held by Captain Blake McCormack. The assault team was led by my top commando, Lieutenant Barry Schulman.”
“Where are they?”
“They’re aboard the Oryx that is landing now, along with one-hundred-forty Paraxean prisoners.”
“What do these Paraxeans look like?” Leslie asked.
“They look remarkably like us,” Kal said. “Their noses and ears are a bit different, but if you were to walk up to one on the street, you might not even notice.”
“Have you gotten any useful intelligence from them?” Leslie asked.
“I’ll need to turn you over to Samantha Newman for that,” Kal said. “I have not been involved in the interrogations.”
“Hello, Samantha, it’s nice to see you again,” Leslie said as Samantha moved up next to her. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”
“Well, the circumstances are certainly better today than they were last week,” Samantha said.
“How so?”
“We’ve disrupted the enemy’s plans by taking their forward base. We’ve learned a lot about them from the prisoners, and will certainly learn a lot more as we proceed,” Samantha said.
“What are the prisoners saying?” Leslie asked.
“We’re finding that their species is opposed to war. They’re telling us that the only reason they are attacking us is because Earth attacked and partially destroyed a colony ship from Paraxea. The ship was heading toward an uninhabited star system not far from here,” Samantha said.
“That’s ludicrous; Earth isn’t able to travel to other star systems!”
“We’ve explained that. We’ve been able to use some of the data from the computer core we recovered to show them the truth about Earth’s state of technology, especially eighty years ago.”
“If it happened so long ago, how can they be just now coming to Earth?”
“The Paraxeans have stasis chambers which put the occupants into a state of suspended animation. That is how they’re able to travel the great distance between the stars. Most of the Paraxeans heading for Earth have been in stasis for over one-hundred-fifty years; the military fleet with them has been in stasis for over sixty years.”
“What are you hoping to achieve?” Leslie asked.
