Lieutenant Marcola
AGU® Border Patrol - Book 04
Copyright ©2018 by Thomas J. DePrima
19.g.28

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No part of this novel may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

ISBN-13 (eBook):   978-1-61931-036-0

ISBN-10 (eBook):   1-61931-036-8 

ISBN-13 (Print):     978-1-61931-037-7

ISBN-10 (Print):     1-61931-037-6 

Cover Image from: Shutterstock.com

Photo Manipulation by: Thomas J. DePrima

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person with whom you share it. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to the owner and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

An appendix containing political and technical data highly pertinent to this series is included at the back of this book.

To contact the author, or see information about his other novels, visit:

www.deprima.com

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to my copy editor Myra Shelley (myra.shelley@gmail.com)
and her team for a job done well and completed quickly.

I also want to thank Ted King, Mike Norcutt, and Jim Hicinbothom
for their speedy and detailed reviews of the rough draft before we entered the editing phase.

This series of novels includes:

AGU:® Border Patrol…                                                                         

Citizen X
Clidepp Requital
Clidepp Déjà Vu
Lieutenant Marcola

Other series and novels by the author:

A Galaxy Unknown®…                                                                         

A Galaxy Unknown®
Valor at Vauzlee
The Clones of Mawcett
Trader Vyx
Milor!
Castle Vroman
Against All Odds
Return to Dakistee
Retreat And Adapt
Azula Carver
Changing of the Guard
The Invasion Begins
Beyond the Rift

AGU:® SC Intelligence…                                                                       

The Star Brotherhood

Colton James novels…                                                                             

A World Without Secrets
Vengeance Is Personal

When The Spirit…                                                                                    

When The Spirit Moves You
When The Spirit Calls

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Appendix

Map

Chapter One

~ June 25th, 2287 ~

Sydnee's heart seemed to be beating faster than was humanly possible. It was after midnight, and the tiny sliver of light provided by a small, distant moon was barely adequate to illuminate the ground in front of her as she strained to hear any sounds that would indicate danger was near. This was her first trip down to the capital city of Yolongus, and when she managed to block out the pounding of her heart, the only other sounds she heard were the soft footfalls of her own carefully placed steps.

She had studied the map before beginning the mission, but after fifteen minutes of trying to escape pursuit by unknown individuals, she had lost her bearings. She believed she was close to the deserted warehouse on whose roof she had parked her shuttle, but she was unsure in which direction she should be traveling.

She stopped for just a moment to check the map on her viewpad. The light provided by the small device was extremely dim, but in the darkness that surrounded her, it was enough to give away her position. A flurry of laser flashes suddenly flew in her direction, all narrowly missing her. The light from the viewpad had been so faint that the shooters hadn’t been able to target her properly, and none had gotten lucky— this time.

As laser flashes continued to barely miss, she dove for protection behind a low stone wall. Her cover story for this mission was that she was a human who’d been enslaved by the Clidepp government, so she hadn’t been able to wear the DS personal armor that would have enabled her to walk through the city almost without fear. Almost, because, as everyone knew, where there were laser weapons, there might also be RPG weapons and hand grenades, although the local police on the Clidepp home world were rarely so armed. Laser pistols and rifles were more than adequate to put down any citizen insurrection and even fight civilian crime on a planet where the citizenry wasn’t armed.

Many decades ago, the government of Yolongus had required that all civilian-owned weapons be registered with the local police or the owner could face severe fines and even suffer imprisonment. When the registration process had been completed, the government then asked— purely in the interest of protecting the civilians from a small handful of deranged people— that the hundreds of millions of law-abiding civilians voluntarily turn in all weapons. The populace, for the most part, complied. After that, government law enforcement officers visited everyone who hadn't complied and confiscated the weapons the owners had failed to surrender voluntarily. A substantial number of citizens had died during those confiscations, all quite accidentally, according to the secret police charged with collecting all guns on the planet. A few civilians, those who wisely hadn’t registered their weapons or turned them in, still had their guns. Unfortunately, most were ancient lead-projectile weapons that presented little danger to anyone wearing armor. So, the people firing at Sydnee with laser weapons most likely had to be either the local police, the secret police, or the military. The local police might not have anything more dangerous than laser pistols or laser rifles, but the secret police and the military were well armed with much more deadly ordnance.

As Sydnee squatted behind the wall, looking at the map while trying to block the dim light from other eyes, she sought to determine which direction would take her to the warehouse and how she might reach it with her position now known. Her attention was instantly yanked from the map as a grenade practically landed in her lap.

Sydnee instinctively jumped up and over the low protective wall of stone in a quick movement reminiscent of a startled housecat on Earth. Landing on her back on the other side, she remained flattened against the ground as an explosion shook the pavement beneath her. It was too dangerous to remain where she was, so she jumped to her feet again and began running in the direction where the laser flashes seemed lightest. Each time she identified where a flash had originated and was able to see what appeared to be a person’s shape, she fired her laser pistol in that direction. She finally got a good look at one of the shooters when laser flashes in his background briefly illuminated his shape. From the uniform he was wearing, she knew him to be part of the secret police agency known as the Qummuc. Halting briefly, she managed to take down that attacker and three of his associates, then continued her flight and rounded the corner of a building at the end of the block. She didn't know if she’d killed any of them, but each had stopped shooting and fallen backwards in response to her fire.

As she hurried down a side street, she seemed safe for the moment, but she couldn’t stop to catch her breath. The surviving attackers would be on her trail in a minute, and she knew there were a lot more back there than the four she’d shot at. At times, it had seemed like she was fighting an entire brigade.

As Sydnee raced down another street, she spotted the one-story warehouse she’d been searching for. It gave her renewed strength, and she ran flat out to reach the safety of the structure. She entered the alleyway next to the building and pulled open the door to an interior stairwell that led to the roof. Bounding up the stairs two at a time, she reached the roof in just eight seconds.

She opened the door cautiously and scanned the roof before leaving the comparative safety of the stairwell. Seeing no one, she hurried to her shuttle, raced up the ramp, and entered the small ship. She then smacked the plate on the bulkhead that would retract the ramp while sealing the hatch. As Sydnee began to relax, she released a sigh of relief. But she’d been premature. Before the hatch had fully closed, an RPG round entered the shuttle’s rear cabin. There was nowhere to run within the confines of the ship, nor was there enough time to get clear. As the round exploded, everything was suddenly bathed in blinding light, followed by total blackness.

A few seconds later, her surroundings illuminated to normal levels, and a horn sounded somewhere as the holographic ship around her disappeared. Sydnee discovered that she was lying on a raised platform with low walls and not in a shuttle after all.

"Excellent score for your first time through the new Marine Combat Range, Syd," Marine First Lieutenant Kelly MacDonald said as she walked up to the raised platform. "Congratulations."

"Damn it, Kel," Sydnee said. "I thought I was going to make it to safety."

"You came close, Syd," First Lieutenant Martin Aguilo, the range officer, said from behind MacDonald. "You just failed to check the surrounding roofs before lowering your guard. There was a member of the secret police hiding behind a pile of refuse on the roof of the building across from the shuttle location. A simple thermal scan would have revealed him. As you ran up the shuttle’s ramp, he stepped out and fired the RPG launcher."

"What was my score up until that RPG round entered the shuttle?"

"Your final score was four hundred thirty," MacDonald said. "If you’d spotted that secret policeman on the roof before he fired, you might have survived that final RPG round, and you would have been the very first to receive a perfect score of five hundred. As it is, you’re in the top five percent of the range leaders. That's incredible for a first run."

"I'll do better next time."

"Care to go again now?" Aguilo asked. “We’ll reset the game to another part of the city.”

"Are you kidding? I'm wiped out. I doubt if I could score a hundred the way I feel right now."

Kelly MacDonald chuckled. "Exactly the way I felt after my first time. And after my second and third time as well."

"You've really outdone yourself, Martin," Sydnee said with a smile. "This has to be the greatest Marine Combat Range on any ship in the fleet."

"Thanks, Syd," Lt. Aguilo said. "We spent a long time planning it and then even more time constructing it. I wanted it to be the best."

"You succeeded. I'm anxious to go again— but not tonight."

"I hope you have a chance before your next mission."

"I should. I told Captain Lidden that my people and I need three weeks’ downtime before we deploy again. My entire crew needs a long rest after those months of surreptitious activity in Clidepp space. But I heard SCI is pressuring him already. They want us to drop off that Yolongi minister before he tries to claim citizenship in the G.A. from having been in our custody for so long."

"Technically, he's been in orbit around Yolongus for most of the time since we kidnapped him," MacDonald said, "although he's been inside a prison cell inside a Space Command vessel."

"True. And he’s logged more kilometers in a CPS than most members of Space Command,” Sydnee said with a chuckle. “I’m reasonably confident after our last mission that we now have the right person in custody for the bombing of the trade show. So, all I want to do is drop the innocent minister off on his home planet and consider our role in this complete.”

“We still have to seed the Clidepp Empire with the spy satellites.”

“Maybe not, Kel. If we do have the real Citizen X this time, SCI may cancel that part of the operation. Bringing back his two top lieutenants was the icing on the cake.”

* * *

“What have you learned?” Prime Minister Gustallo Plelillo screamed at the military officer who’d just stepped into his office. Plelillo ruled his nation with an iron fist, demanding absolute loyalty and obedience.

“The captain of your personal yacht keeps repeating the same story over and over. He says they were attacked by a ship they were never able to see with their cameras and that never showed up on radar. The captain of that mystery ship called herself Captain Anne Bonny. She demanded that the two top persons aboard the ship climb into a shuttle and fly over to their ship. They said they’d guide the shuttle once it left the yacht. The captain says they had no choice. The unknown ship had already destroyed the yacht’s temporal generator so it couldn’t get away. And they were threatening to completely destroy the yacht if they didn’t comply. The yacht has no offensive weapons and was helpless.

“So, your son sent two of his people over. Bonny must have realized the two weren’t the top people, and she demanded that the top person aboard the yacht come to their ship at once. She again warned that failure to comply would result in the destruction of the yacht. Bonny then sent the yacht’s own shuttle back to ferry him over. The captain says they never even saw who was piloting the small craft. As soon as your son climbed in, the hatch was closed, and the shuttle pulled away. That was the last time they saw any of the three.

“When they heard nothing for hours, they tried to contact the ship or the shuttle, but they received no response. The captain decided to take the course the shuttle had followed. They’d been able to follow its course on radar and could see it was still there, but when they arrived at its location, all they found was an empty shuttle. They performed a standard search of the area, but they never found the three individuals who’d gone to meet Captain Bonny, and they never even caught sight of the mystery ship.”

“A ship that can’t be seen by radar? Impossible. Go back and grill the captain again. He has to be hiding something. Squeeze him until he splits wide open like a melon. I want to know what happened to my son.”

“Sir, I heard a rumor that some time ago a Space Command ship stopped a freighter in our space and demanded food. They didn’t steal it. They paid for it in G.A. Credits.”

“Yes, I heard about that. What of it?”

“Well, I also heard that they never saw the ship until it was next to the freighter and threatening to fire on it unless it stopped. The security officer aboard that freighter swears they never DeTected the ship as it approached them, and it remained invisible to their radar even when it was stopped alongside.”

“Are you sure of your facts?”

“I didn’t speak to the security officer personally, sir, so I can’t swear to it. But the informant who told me has always been extremely reliable.”

“A black Space Command vessel that can’t be seen on radar? Yes, it’s all starting to make sense. All the attacks on this planet occurred at night, and no one ever saw the attackers. Someone blacked out the city just before the attacks on our holding facilities and slave marketplace. There have been numerous attacks where no one ever saw a thing. Black ships that can’t be seen on radar would explain many things. I’ve heard that Space Command is using black ships exclusively now, but I never heard about them being invisible to radar. So, how do we target it the next time one attacks?”

“I have no idea, sir. Perhaps one of our scientists might know.”

“See what you can find out. Did you damage the captain of my yacht to a point where he’s of no further use?”

“No, sir. He has some bruises and will need a few days to recover from muscle strains. That’s all.”

“Very well. Release him and send him back to my yacht. It appears he couldn’t have done anything to stop the events that occurred.”

“Yes, sir. Is there anything else you wish us to do regarding the unseen ship that took your son?”

“Until we learn a bit more about it, there’s nothing to be done. But keep your people on the case, and report anything you hear.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

Lt. Sydnee Marcola stepped into the captain’s office when the double doors slid back into their pockets on either side of the entranceway. Walking to the captain’s desk, she stopped two feet away and braced to attention before saying, “Lieutenant Marcola reporting to the captain as ordered.”

Lidden looked up from the viewpad he held in one hand and said, “At ease, Sydnee. Have a seat,” before returning his attention to the viewpad.

“Thank you, sir,” she said as she sat down in an oh-gee chair that faced his desk.

Commander Timothy Bryant, the Denver’s XO, was sitting in his customary location at the side of Lidden’s desk. He smiled and nodded to Sydnee when she looked in his direction. She returned the smile and nod.

Both Bryant and Sydnee remained quiet while Lidden read from the viewpad. Lidden had once told Sydnee that if he invited her to sit when she entered his office, she probably wasn’t in trouble, but she’d only been back for three days and hadn’t expected to be summoned until it was time for her to begin her next mission.

“Sydnee,” Lidden said as he finished reading the message and looked at her, “SCI tells me that you did indeed bring back the individual responsible for the bombing of the G.A. Trade Show where over four hundred children and twenty-five hundred adults were killed. I understand that Space Command wants to honor you on Earth, but SCI has requested that any mention of your name in connection with Citizen X be postponed until after you complete the mission to return the Clidepp minister to Yolongus. Space Command HQ has agreed, so both SHQ and SCI wants you to leave as soon as possible.”

“We’re not going to get the three weeks recovery period I requested, sir?”

“I’m afraid not. SCI says you can rest up during the return voyage to Yolongus.”

“Sort of a working vacation, I guess.”

“Uh, yes, something like that. I’m sorry. If it was up to me, you’d have your requested three weeks. But SCI wants us to return the minister as quickly as possible. As it is, they’ll be making an announcement that the party responsible for the bombing of the G.A. Trade Show has been captured. He and his top two lieutenants will stand trial before you’ve reached Yolongus. And Sydnee, it’s imperative that you get in and out quickly this trip. The slaves you brought back on your last mission are proof positive that the Clidepp Empire is not only condoning Terran slavery but actively promoting it. So, get in quickly, drop off the minister, and get out. And don’t bring back any more slaves.”

“That was my intention last time, sir, until you ordered us to pick up an SCI undercover agent who refused to leave until we rescued a shipload of slaves.”

“Uh, yes, that’s true. And I’m sorry we burdened you with that. SCI ordered me to pass that task on to you.”

“I understand, sir, and I’m not blaming you. And I don’t regret being forced to rescue the slaves. It was just something that spiraled out of control. Once we started the rescue SCI ordered, we couldn’t just drop the effort.”

“You did what you had to do to carry out your orders, and we’re grateful that everything turned out so well. You raised a lot of hell on Yolongus. I hope this mission goes smoother.”

“Has SCI made a decision regarding the satellites?”

“Yes. They’ve confirmed the assignment. Since the trade show bomber is the son of the Clidepp Empire Prime Minister, it’s more imperative than ever that we have intelligence regarding their military plans.”

“SCI surely doesn’t suspect that the Clidepp Empire will attack the G.A. over this issue, do they? I mean, it would be extremely foolish of them. They wouldn’t stand a chance against our battle capabilities.”

“They don’t know what the Empire will do. That’s why they want those satellites in place.”

“Then I’d like to make a request for additional resources.”

“What kind of resources?”

“I’d like two extra habitat containers and a doubling of all food, plus a doubling of all spare engineering supplies and parts.”

“Double the usual allotment for an extended voyage?”

“Yes, sir. If we’re going to seed all those spy satellites in a possibly hostile environment, I want to ensure we don’t have to go hunting for food and spare parts this trip.”

“Two extra containers will mean you’ll be outfitted with ten, total.”

“Yes, sir, but the CPS-14 is more than able to handle ten.”

“Then we’ll need to install a second computer interface unit to handle more than the eight containers the Justice can transport at present.”

“I understand the original design of the ship allowed for more, and it’s a relatively simple task to add up to two more interface units.”

“So I’ve been told. Okay, Sydnee, I’ll order that done right away. Anything else?”

“No, sir. That should do it. I’ll sleep a lot better knowing we’ll have plenty of supplies this time.”

“Remember, Sydnee, don’t bring any more slaves back this trip. That order comes directly from SCI.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll do my best.”

“Do better than your best. Leave it to the G.A. to handle the issue of slavery in the Clidepp Empire now.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, Sydnee, you’d better get your crew together. SCI wants you to shove off as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir. I don’t look forward to telling my crew that their leave has been canceled. They all worked extra hard and deserve a rest. This assignment is voluntary, right?”

“Thinking of declining the mission?”

“No, sir. Not me. But I’m sure someone might ask. And if anyone does decline, I’ll have to find replacements for them.”

“Yes, the mission is voluntary. And you can’t discuss the details until after they commit.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll get right on it.”

“Thank you, Sydnee. I’m sure this mission is going to go smoother than the last two.”

“I hope you’re right, sir.”

* *

“Syd, you said we’d have three weeks,” Lt.(jg) Peter Caruthers said in a complaining voice.

“I’m sorry, Pete. SCI overruled the captain. They want us gone yesterday. In fact, they want us gone before we even got back.”

“Damn.”

“Look at it this way, Pete. It’s going to take us a month to get there, and we know the trip in is always boring. You’ll get plenty of rest.”

“I’m in,” Lt.(jg) Jerry Weems said. “We’ve been dragging that poor minister back and forth. This time he gets to go home, right?”

“Right, Jerry. We drop him off before we do anything else.”

“Okay, I’m in,” Caruthers said.

“And me,” Lt.(jg) Olivetti said.

“Ditto,” Lt.(jg) Templeton said.

“I’ll make it unanimous, Lieutenant,” Chief Petty Officer Wilson Lemela said.

“Great,” Sydnee said. “Thanks. Now all we have to do is get the rest of the crew to sign on. I’ve scheduled a meeting in this conference room for 1300 hours. I’ll see you all then.”

* * *

At 2147 hours, Commander Bryant had the watch and was seated in the command chair on the bridge when Sydnee approached him and handed him a viewpad.

“Sir, this is the crew roster of the Justice for the upcoming mission,” Sydnee said.

“Did you have anyone decline?” Bryant asked.

“No sir. Lt. Colonel Dennier, Marine Captain Blade, and Marine Lieutenant Kelly MacDonald have all reported that they and their teams will be ready. And my Space Command team will be ready as well. I do have one substitution to report. Marine Corporal Vernon Jensen broke his right arm yesterday while training on the new Marine Combat Range. He tripped while trying to leap over a low wall as he dodged fire from a Tsgardi patrol. The doctor estimates that the nanobots will have the damage completely repaired in two to three weeks, but he wants Jensen to remain on light duty for two months, which disqualifies him. Lt. Kelly MacDonald has filled the position with another Marine who volunteered for the mission. So, we’re ready to go as soon as the Justice is prepped.”

“Very good, Lieutenant. The ship will be ready for deployment by 1300 hours tomorrow. You can alert your team to be prepared to deploy at that time.”

“Aye, Commander. I’ll alert everyone immediately.”

Chapter Two

~ June 26th, 2287 ~

“I was really hoping to have a bit more time to recuperate from the last mission, and of course to use the new Marine Combat Range,” Kelly MacDonald said as she sat with Sydnee and the first watch bridge officers in the officer’s mess aboard the Denver at noon the next day.

“As were we all,” Caruthers said. “I mean recuperating, not playing soldier on a combat range. Hopefully, this is the last trip to Yolongus to drop off this minister. I feel for the guy, but if we can’t drop him off this time, I’m going to push him out an airlock before we leave the planet’s vicinity.”

The other officers grinned. They knew Caruthers well enough to know he was joking. Despite his unusual sense of humor and seemingly offhanded remarks at times, he was as dependable, dedicated, and as loyal to Space Command as anyone at the table.

“The combat range isn’t for ‘playing’ soldier, Pete,” Kelly said. “It’s intended to sharpen your senses and hone your combat skills and responses.”

“Uh, yeah. I’d rather read or sleep.”

The others at the table either smiled or laughed out loud.

“I hope SCI changes their mind about the need for all those satellites,” Templeton said. “Seeding spy satellites throughout the entire Clidepp Empire is going to be one boring detail.”

“Given the situation there, it’s imperative that we know if they intend to start a war and when so we can put a lot more ships along our border to keep their war from overflowing into G.A. space,” Sydnee said.

“Their ships are so slow, they could never present much of a challenge to us,” Olivetti said. “Besides, they have enough to worry about with the Aguspod, the Kweedee, and the Blenod.”

“Especially the Blenod,” Sydnee said. “I think they’re pushing too hard. They may be seeking a war, and the Yolongi just might give it to them.”

“Given what we’ve heard, I’m surprised the Yolongi haven’t countered the Blenod aggressions to date.”

“The Yolongi have been tied up with the rebels. But we’ve solved that problem for them, so we might see them begin to fight the intruders on their borders now,” Sydnee said.

“I bet we never get so much as a ‘thank you’ from them,” Caruthers said.

“We just kidnapped the prime minister’s son and brought him back to be tried. They’re not going to thank us for that, despite the fact that he was the leader of the rebels trying to depose the Triumvirate.”

“Yeah, that’s another thing,” Caruthers said. “How come you never told us he was the prime minister’s son and that he was also Citizen X?”

“Need to know,” Sydnee replied. “If I had revealed it, the fact that he was the prime minister’s son might have gotten back to the former slaves, and they might have demanded that we turn him over to them so they could administer justice. Even if all it had done was dampen the euphoric spirit of freedom they were all enjoying, the knowledge would have served no useful purpose. It was far better that I was the only one who knew. I’m sure that once the G.A. determines his guilt, he’ll be properly punished.”

“Perhaps the G.A. might agree to release him if the Clidepp Empire renounces all slavery and releases all slaves to the G.A.,” Kelly said.

“I suppose anything is possible once politicians and bureaucrats get involved,” Sydnee said, “but I sure hope it won’t go that far. That animal should rot in a cell on Saquer Major for the rest of his life. For him, I’d even agree to bring back the death penalty.”

“How would you feel if the politicos chose to free him in exchange for freedom for all slaves in the Clidepp Empire?” Caruthers asked.

“Personally, I’d be very offended that any price was enough to secure his freedom, but as a Space Command officer, I’d accept it as I would any decision made at a higher level. I guess we’d have to ask ourselves if the price of freedom for millions of slaves is worth freeing a ruthless mass murderer. We can’t bring back those hundreds of innocent children and thousands of adults who were killed when the space station was bombed, but such a deal would allow us to bring back the millions of Terran slaves currently living in misery in the Clidepp Empire. It’s not going to happen though. I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way we’ll ever see those slaves freed is if we go in there and crush the Clidepp government, then annex their territory.”

“Spoken like Admiral Jenetta Carver herself,” Caruthers said.

“Admiral Carver understands that, sometimes, overwhelming force is the only viable option when it’s time to see justice imposed on the wicked and unjust.”

* *

At 1300 hours, with Lt. Caruthers at the helm, the Justice lifted slightly off the deck using its oh-gee capability and moved into the temporary airlock area. The huge walls then folded down, surrounding the ship, and after creating an airtight seal, massive pumps sucked all the oxygen out of the area and stored it in large cylinders. After the outer hatch had opened, Caruthers moved the CPS-14 out of the Denver and to a position several thousand meters from the destroyer.

Almost immediately, robotic tugs arrived with habitat containers and began attaching them to the Justice. When all ten had been attached and the connections and seals checked and verified secure, four shuttles carrying Marines arrived and linked up with the CPS-14. The shuttles also carried some additional Space Command personnel plus a reluctant passenger who wore a black hood over his head to conceal his identity while limiting his knowledge of the form of transportation. For all he knew, he was going home in a Space Command battleship rather than the smallest warship in the fleet.

* * *

“Engineering confirms that all ten habitat containers are secure, and all environmental systems are operating at maximum efficiency, Captain,” the com chief reported as Sydnee entered the bridge and sat in the command chair. “They add that all shuttles are secure, and all engineering systems are a go.”

“Navigation, is the course laid in?”

“Aye, Captain. We’re ready to depart.”

“Tactical, is there any traffic ahead of us?”

“The DeTect board is green, Captain. There are no vessels DeTected.”

“Helm?”

“All systems are go, Captain.”

“Build our envelope. Com, confirm we have permission to depart.”

A few seconds later, the com chief said, “The Denver says we’re cleared for departure. They wish us a safe journey.”

Ninety seconds later, Caruthers said, “The envelope is built, Captain.”

Lt. Olivetti at the navigation station said, "We'll cross into Clidepp space in roughly forty- eight seconds, Captain, and reach Yolongus in twenty-nine days, eighteen hours, twelve minutes, and thirty-six seconds."

“Very good, Nav. Start us on our journey, Helm. Maximum speed.”

“Aye, Captain. Engaging.”

The image on the front monitor changed from an actual image recorded from cameras in the hull to a composite prepared from sensors as the ship rocketed to Light-9793.48.

“We’re away, Captain,” Caruthers said.

“Very good, Helm.”

Sydnee leaned back in her chair and sighed silently. She could easily name a thousand places she’d rather be going than back into the Clidepp Empire. Hopefully, this would be her last trip to Yolongus.

* * *

“Prime Minister,” the military officer said with urgency as he burst into the office.

“Have you forgotten how to knock, you fool?”

“I’m sorry, Prime Minister. We’ve just picked up a news broadcast from the G.A. I thought you’d want to know immediately.”

“We pick up news broadcasts from them constantly. Is there something special about this one?”

“Yes. Yes, sir. It’s, uh, about your youngest son?”

Prime Minister Gustallo Plelillo jumped up from his chair as if it had suddenly become electrified. “Why is a G.A. news station talking about my son?”

“They, uh, they, uh— report that he’s in the G.A.”

“What’s he doing in the G.A.?”

“Uh, they say he’s been arrested.”

“Arrested? On what charge?”

“Um, they claim that’s he’s responsible for the bombing of the trade show at the Earth space station. They say he’ll be tried for the deliberate murder of almost three thousand Terrans.”

Plelillo’s eyes opened as wide as they could, and his face turned white. His jaw dropped as he flopped back into his chair.

The military officer was unsure of what to do. He wondered if he should call for a doctor, but as he stood there, Plelillo seemed to recover.

“Summon Weislis Danttan, the Minister of Intelligence, and Kurrost Mewaffal, the Minister of Public Information. I want them here in two hours and not a minute longer. Then I want you to make sure we have complete written transcripts of every news broadcast coming from the G.A. that mentions my son. They’re not like our news broadcasts, and every broadcaster will have a different take. Understand?”

“Yes, sir, Prime Minister. I’ll take care of it.”

* *

Less than two hours later, Danttan and Mewaffal rushed into Plelillo’s office without knocking. Although they were the other two members of the Triumvirate that ruled the Clidepp Empire, Plelillo was firmly in command.

“What is it, Gustallo?” Danttan asked. His voice conveyed the unmistakable message of both urgency and trepidation.

Mewaffal, always the quietest of the trio, said nothing, but his face reflected similar apprehension.

Putting down the transcript he’d been reading, Plelillo said, “My youngest son has been located. He’s in the G.A.”

“Is that all?” Danttan said with relief.

“All? You think I’d summon you like this if that was all?”

“Well then, what is it?”

“Space Command has arrested him for ordering the bombing of their trade show exhibit and killing thousands of Terrans.”

“There’s been another trade show attack?” Mewaffal asked.

“No, you fool. He’s being accused of bombing the First Annual Galactic Alliance Trade Show on the space station known as Freight-One in 2285.”

“How can they accuse him of that?” Danttan asked. “We know Aderses was in the Empire that whole year.”

“They claim he’s the leader of the rebels. They claim he’s Citizen X. They say he directly ordered the bombing because he was upset that Space Command interfered with his ordered attack on the diplomatic yacht in G.A. space.”

“Ridiculous,” Danttan said. “What’s their source for these absurd accusations?”

“His two first lieutenants, Blethque and Hliprez. They’ve declared they tried to talk my son out of attacking the G.A., but he was adamant. He insisted that he was going to teach the G.A. a lesson for interfering with his attack on a registered Clidepp diplomatic yacht, even if it was in G.A. space at the time of the attack. His own people insist that he was becoming drunk with power.”

“Incredible,” Danttan said. “And you knew nothing about this?”

“Of course not, you fool. If I’d known he was Citizen X, I would have stopped him and dropped him in a hole somewhere so he’d have fifty annuals to think about his stupidity.”

“I guess the G.A. will do that for you. If he’s convicted of the charges, he’ll spend the rest of his life in one of their penal institutions where once you go in, you never come out. At least not while you’re able to breathe.”

“I won’t let that happen. He’s still my son. It’s my place to punish him, not the G.A.’s.”

“If they already have him, there’s no way to get him back.”

“There are always ways. First, I want all Terrans in Clidepp space to be imprisoned, if they aren’t already slaves. Then, we’ll negotiate for my son’s release.”

“You can’t do that,” Danttan said. “You’ll start a war with the G.A.”

“We can’t hope to win a war with the G.A.,” Mewaffal said.

“The G.A. has already started this war by entering our space and kidnapping my son! Once we start incarcerating Terran freighters and travelers, the G.A. will have to negotiate if it wants them back.”

“You’re playing with fire,” Danttan said. “And it’s a fire that could burn us all to the ground.”

“I won’t tolerate the G.A. coming into our territory and kidnapping our citizens. If they had a grievance, it should have been handled through diplomatic channels.”

“They pulled all their diplomats out when your son started his rebel movement.”

“There’s absolutely no proof that my son was involved with that. This is just some kind of power play by the G.A. to force us to end slavery in the Empire. It won’t work.”

“When Carver comes here and destroys our fleet, how will we repel the Blenod?” Danttan asked.

“Forget the Blenod,” Mewaffal said. “When Carver takes over a country, she keeps it for the G.A. And we three will wind up in one of their prisons for the rest of our lives. That’s not the way I expected to live out my days.”

“The G.A. started this, and there’s no going back unless they release my son,” Plelillo said. “If they do release him, we’ll release all the travelers we’ve incarcerated up until that time. If they don’t, we’ll kill all the hostages and fight to the death. In that case, you won’t have to worry about spending your remaining days on a penal planet.”

* *

“I think Plelillo has gone a little mad,” Danttan said to Mewaffal after they left the building. “We can’t possibly defeat the G.A. And if we’re holding Terran hostages or have incarcerated any G.A. citizens, Carver will come here and destroy us the way she destroyed the Milori home world. If Plelillo doesn’t change his mind after he has time to reconsider, we may have to act.”

“You mean end the Triumvirate and make it a Diarchy?”

“Exactly.”

“And who would be the senior?”

“Do you feel up to it?”

“Uh, no, not really.”

“Then I guess it would fall to me to take all the heat when things go wrong.”

“What if we were to find another third body to split the responsibilities?”

“Someone that we could blame for any failures?”

“Of course.”

“It would have to be someone of limited intelligence who doesn’t envision a monarchy with themselves on the throne.”

“Of course.”

“And someone who will be content with, say, ten percent of the daily profits. After all, we’re the ones who spent years restructuring the government and building up this lucrative operation.”

“Of course.”

“Okay, but for now let’s just concentrate on Plelillo. If he regains his sanity before making any really dumb moves, we’ll continue as before. But if he goes completely insane, we’ll have to— retire him. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Good.”

* * *

“Just three more days before we reach Yolongus and drop the minister off,” Sydnee said to Kelly MacDonald as they sat in Sydnee’s office.

“I wonder what will happen this time,” Kelly said with a smile.

“Nothing,” Sydnee said. “Nothing is going to happen. Don’t jinx us by talking like that, Kel. Think positive. We’re simply going to drop off the minister as soon as possible and then get as far away from this planet as possible. Then we’ll start seeding the SCI communication satellites as we get farther and farther away.”

“If you really believed that, why did you bring along twice the amount of food we’d need for a two-year mission?”

“Because if we run into problems, we can’t just call for help. Oh, we can call, but help won’t come. We’ve learned that lesson a couple of times.”

“What kind of problems can we run into if we’re only dropping off a minister and SCI satellites?”

“From what we’re already experienced in the past, just about anything is possible.”

“Ya know, the crew has started a pool to predict when the first major problem will strike.”

“A pool? Who started it?”

“I don’t know, but I know that Space Command, my Marines, Blade’s Marines, and Dennier’s flight wing are all in on it.”

“And you?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m in. Do you want me to place a bet for you?”

“I’ll pass. What happens if we don’t have a major problem?”

“Everyone gets their money back.”

“Then I’ll work extra hard to see that nothing serious happens. How’s it trending?”

“Most bets are that the first major problem will occur within the first forty-eight hours following arrival at Yolongus because that’s when we’ll probably try to drop off the minister.”

“If so many members of the crew believe we’ll encounter another major problem this time around, why did they sign on? This is a voluntary mission, after all.”

“Because of you.”

“Me. What did I do?”

“Everything. You’re everything they look for in a commanding officer. You’re intelligent, you care about the safety of the crew more than your own life, and you seem to be the luckiest officer in Space Command. They know there’s a certain danger in the types of missions you’ve commanded, but you always find a way to win. And not only win, but to complete the mission with minimal death or injury to the crewmembers.”

Sydnee took a deep breath and released it slowly before saying, “That’s quite an endorsement. I’m just doing my job.”

“It’s more than just doing your job. It’s how you do your job. You always seem to be one step ahead of everyone else, and you never give up when anyone else is in danger. For example, in the past this crew has accepted your decision to park the ship inside the funnel of a volcano, and no one ever voiced a single disparaging comment about your decision. That’s real loyalty and trust.”

“I hope I continue to have their loyalty and trust.”

“You will, Syd.” With a wide smile Kelly added, “See, I trust you also. I know you always make the right decision and that you’ll always be there for us.”

* * *

“What the…!” Sydnee mumbled three days later as the Justice arrived at Yolongus and came to a stop in the same general area from which they’d launched their shuttles and fighters on previous visits.

Nearer the planet, laser fire and torpedoes filled the areas between spaceships. As ships maneuvered for position and fired on other ships, explosions were occurring everywhere. It reminded Sydnee of the time she had captained a stolen Clidepp destroyer in an engagement with Clidepp rebels who occupied another stolen destroyer. A rebel freighter with concealed torpedoes in freight containers then joined the melee and opened fire on the ship Sydnee was commanding.

“It’s a war zone,” Lt.(jg) Templeton, tactical officer, said as he looked at his screens.

“But who’s fighting?” Caruthers asked.

“It appears to be the Clidepp Empire and the Blenod.”

The Justice was still enclosed in a double-envelope, so although they were close enough to view the action, none of the other ships could see them, and none of the weapons fire could damage the small ship.

“They’re clobbering each other, but they seem to be about evenly matched,” Lt.(jg) Olivetti at the navigation station said as she viewed the battle on the large monitor at the front of the bridge.

“The Blenod appear to have a slight advantage in numbers,” Caruthers said, “and they definitely have more firepower.”

“What do we do, Captain?” Templeton asked.

“It’s not our fight,” Sydnee said. “We can’t get involved. All we can do is observe.”

“But while the battle is raging, we can’t drop off the package because the shuttles can’t develop double-envelopes around their hulls.”

“I know. And that’s extremely frustrating. But we simply have to wait.”

“And if the Blenod defeat the Yolongi fleet and then take control of the planet?”

Sydnee drew in a deep breath and released it slowly as she thought. She knew very little about the Blenod, but they had a reputation for being utterly ruthless. The Yolongi were also ruthless, but by all accounts they were a step above the Blenod because their primary motivation was wealth.

After thinking through her options, she turned to Com and said, “Chief, can you make a connection to the Yolongi government leaders that the Blenod won’t be able to intercept?”

“I might, Captain. We’ve been here enough times for me to learn the frequencies their government uses, and I’ve picked up some of their access code words.”

“I want to speak to the prime minister. Do the best you can.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Chapter Three

~ July 24th, 2287 ~

“Who is this and how did you get through to my command center?” Plelillo screamed into the headset.

“Good day, Prime Minister,” Sydnee said calmly. “I’m in a position to assist you with your Blenod problem, if you’re interested.” Her voice was electronically distorted, and Plelillo couldn’t even determine if he was speaking with a male or a female.

“What do you mean by assist me?” the prime minister asked, his voice a little calmer.

“I’m quite near your planet, and I’ve seen that you’re under vicious attack. You also appear to be significantly outnumbered and definitely outgunned. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you your fleet is slowly being decimated. It’s only a matter of time before the Blenod claim total victory in space and begin bombing your planet as they prepare for a landing.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Kidd— Captain Kidd. And I can turn the tide of battle in your favor— if I wish.”

“How can you do that?”

“Just accept that I can.”

“You’re Space Command, aren’t you? We know you’ve been in our space for some time— watching us and sometimes interfering in our internal affairs.”

“Who I am is unimportant, and what weapons I’ll use isn’t up for discussion. If I sit back and do nothing, the Blenod will most definitely destroy your fleet in the coming hours. I wouldn’t like that to happen. And once your fleet is wiped out, they’ll take over your planet. It’s only a matter of time now.”

“How much do you want?”

“I’m not interested in money.”

“Then what do you want?”

“I want you to announce on all commercial frequencies that all slaves in the Clidepp Empire are now and forever free, and that you will never again enslave any sentient species.”

“I can’t do that!” Plelillo screamed.

“Aren’t you the prime minister of the Clidepp Empire?”

“Yes, but I can’t free all the slaves. It would instantly destroy our entire economy.”

“How important will the financial stability of your economy be once the Blenod destroy your fleet and take over Yolongus and your other occupied planets? For that matter, how long will you— personally— survive?”

“You’re the one who took my youngest son, aren’t you?”

“We’ve been monitoring the situation on your planet for some time. We don’t like to interfere, but we will when the situation threatens to worsen dramatically. Your youngest son was your own greatest enemy. He was Citizen X. He repeatedly bragged of the day he would personally sign the order for your execution.”

“That’s a lie.”

“What do you expect would have happened once he’d overthrown your government? Did you think he’d simply have allowed you to retire to a quiet place somewhere where you could plot your return to power? Deep down, I’m sure you know that you would’ve been in a coffin within a year. He’d planned a public trial and a very painful execution where he’d have had a front-row seat.”

“You lie.”

“Believe what you wish. Perhaps the Blenod will be more agreeable to my offer. Goodbye, Prime Minister.”

“Wait! How can I get in touch with you? I have to discuss your proposal with my two associates.”

“You require no discussion. You make the decisions, and they both go along with whatever you announce. Their lives are on the line right now as well, and they will accept whatever you decide without question, unless they get a better offer. The Blenod will surely waste no time executing all three of you. If you decide to accept my very generous offer, you’ll make the announcement about immediately freeing all slaves and never enslaving any sentient race again. It should be sent out on all broadcast channels. I’ll then contact you once we verify you’ve done as I request.”

“Request? It’s a demand, but I’ll take your offer under consideration. You’re sure you can do what you say?”

“I have no doubt about that. Just one of my ships could destroy both your fleets in a heartbeat, but we’re not interested in taking over your primitive planet. If I can’t do what I say, what have you got to lose? Your life is certainly over if you refuse. Then, I’ll make the same demand to the Blenod about ending slavery when they take control of your empire.”

Sydnee looked over at the com chief and moved her flattened hand across the front of her throat. He ended the connection and nodded at her.

“Can we really attack a foreign power without first getting permission from Space Command, Captain?” Lt.(jg) Templeton asked.

“I’ll take full responsibility if we actually do it. I don’t believe Space Command would want to see the Blenod absorb the Clidepp Empire. Of course, I could be wrong, which is why it’s my decision alone, and I take full responsibility.”

* * *

“He promises to destroy the Blenod fleet?” Danttan asked. His voice reflected his skepticism.

“He promises that he will turn the tide of the battle,” Plelillo replied. “Nothing more.”

“And we must first announce that slavery is now illegal in the entire Clidepp Empire?”

“And all slaves are to be freed at once.”

“At once?”

“Yes. We must make those announcements before he attacks the Blenod.”

“What if we do that now,” Mewaffal said, “and then retract it after the Blenod fleet is destroyed?”

“Are you insane? He’ll attack us and turn us over to the Blenod government. If he’s capable of destroying the Blenod, he’ll have no trouble destroying what’s left of our fleet if we go back on a promise.”

“Perhaps that’s why he only promises to turn the tide of the battle,” Danttan said. “He figures that the remainder of our fleet will be destroyed as we finish off the Blenod.”

“Do you believe his objective is to see both fleets destroyed?” Mewaffal mumbled thoughtfully.

“Perhaps,” Plelillo said. “But if we don’t agree to this proposal, we won’t have to worry about that because we’ll be dead. Once the Blenod finish off our fleet, they’ll land ships and hunt us down. But— if we appear to be the ones who have turned the tide, the Blenod will be less likely to attack us again in the future.”

“Unless this Captain Kidd takes responsibility for the change in battle superiority,” Danttan said.

“I get the impression that whoever this Captain Kidd is, he doesn’t want anyone to know he was involved. He referred to Yolongus as a primitive planet. I originally thought this might be Space Command, but now I’m wondering if another force, an all-powerful force, is out there— a force that’s only looking for peace in the galaxy. Freeing the slaves would take the pressure of the G.A. off our backs and calm the situation down. And destroying the Blenod fleet should result in them scurrying back to the border areas, producing peace here for the present. If we let them think we were responsible for their losses, they might even leave our space completely. If there really is an all-powerful force interested only in peace, this would accomplish their goal.”

* * *

“Captain, may I come in?” Lt.(jg) Templeton said to Sydnee as the door to her office opened.

“Aren’t you on bridge duty?”

“Yes, ma’am, but Lt. Garcia relieved me temporarily. I really need to talk with you in private.”

“Come in.”

As Templeton entered the tiny office, the pocket door slid closed.

“Have a seat and tell me your concerns about the offer I made to the Yolongi Prime Minister.”

“How do you know I have concerns about that?”

“Don’t you? I know I do.”

As he sat in a chair facing Sydnee, Templeton said, “Well, now that you mention it, that is why I’m here. Captain, we can’t attack the Blenod.”

“If we don’t, the Clidepp Empire will fall. There’s no doubt about that. Most of their fleet has already been destroyed.”

“But we don’t have a reciprocal defense treaty with them.”

“True.”

“So, if we attack the Blenod, we’ll be guilty of violating a dozen Space Command regulations.”

“No, we won’t. I’ll be guilty of violating a dozen Space Command regulations. The crew will only be following the orders of their captain. I’ve just recorded a report to Captain Lidden, explaining my actions and stressing that the crew is opposed to involvement but will follow my orders. I’ll send it if the prime minister agrees to my terms and actually orders the release of all slaves in the Clidepp Empire.”

“Captain, you’ll be throwing away your career.”

“If the Clidepp Empire freed all the slaves in their territory, it would be well worth the career of one insignificant junior officer. Think of it, one career surrendered in exchange for freeing tens of thousands of slaves. I would gladly spend the rest of my life in the penal colony on Saquer Major to accomplish that. Even if only half the slaves were freed, it would be well worth it.”

“What if the Yolongi Triumvirate promises it and then reneges.”

“Then very soon, I might also become guilty of attacking the planets we just saved from the Blenod in order to destroy the Triumvirate.”

* * *

“Captain,” the com chief said as Sydnee sat in her command chair on the bridge and watched the fighting on the large bow monitor, “all planets in the Clidepp Empire are being ordered by the Triumvirate to immediately free all Terrans and other sentient slaves. The order states that anyone refusing to obey the directive will be forthwith arrested by the secret police and tortured to death in the nearest sports arena as their former slaves look on.”

“Well, I’d say that’s a pretty powerful incentive to free all their slaves. Did it go out on all civilian broadcast frequencies?”

“Aye, Captain. It will obviously take many days for the broadcast messages to reach all occupied planets in the Empire, but they can’t stop it now. Everyone is going to hear it at least once.”

Sydnee nodded to acknowledge having heard the report. She knew she’d now have to follow through on her promise to turn the tide of the battle to favor the Clidepp Empire, and she didn’t have a lot of time before initiating the attack.

“Com, put me on ship-wide broadcast.”

After touching a couple of contact points on his console, the com chief said, “You’re on, Captain.”

“Attention, crew of the Justice. As all of you probably know by now, we’ve reached Yolongus. Upon our arrival, we immediately observed that the Clidepp Empire was actively engaged in defending their capital planet against attack by a superior force of Blenod military ships. For some time, the Blenod have been absorbing areas of the Clidepp Empire located along their common border areas, but it appears that they now feel strong enough to arrogate the entire territory. The Blenod are a vicious warrior race who’ve been systematically conquering nations in other territories they seek to control. If they’re allowed to proceed unchecked, I wouldn’t be surprised to one day learn they’ve initiated an attack against the G.A., just as we’ve seen with other nations intent on expanding their territory through illegal seizure of claimed space.

“We do not have a mutual defense treaty with the Clidepp Empire, but it’s in our future interest to see that the Blenod attack fails. I’ve contacted the Clidepp Triumvirate without identifying myself or even acknowledging that we’re part of Space Command and offered to assist them in this battle in exchange for them immediately ordering that all slaves in the Clidepp Empire be freed and that slavery of sentient life be outlawed forever. They have issued that proclamation and broadcast it to all planets in Clidepp space, so I’m committed to assist them.

“To keep my part of the bargain, I intend to attack the Blenod ships using a plan which allows us to remain cloaked in a double-envelope at all times. For this mission, we were given a brand-new weapon, although I’m sure no one could have foreseen this development. One of the habitat containers beneath our hull contains weapons that I intend to use to destroy numerous Blenod ships. I’m hoping the surviving ships quickly deduce that their best course of action is to leave the area as fast as their engines can take them. I’m also hoping the Triumvirate takes credit for the kills, but in any event, no one will have evidence that Space Command was in any way responsible. I realize that there may be some objection from crewmembers regarding my initiation of this attack without preapproval from Space Command SHQ. If anyone objects to being a party to this action, they will be excused from duty for the duration of our attack. In any event, I take full responsibility for this action and only ask that crewmembers follow my directives.

“That is all. Carry on.”

Sydnee took a deep breath and then released it slowly before saying, “Helm, I want to see you in my office. Engineering, you also.” Lt.(jg) Caruthers was manning the helm during first watch, and Lt.(jg) Galli was the engineering officer. “Nav, you have the bridge during my brief absence. Tac, I want you to plot a course that will take us to each of the Blenod’s most powerful ships, starting with their largest destroyers. We’ll continue to destroy their ships until they vacate the area.”

“Captain, how are we going to remain cloaked? As soon as we open tubes to fire torpedoes, the lack of full coverage continuity on the Dakinium hull will cause our double- envelope to dissolve.”

“This is a brand-new weapon and was designed so the ship wouldn’t lose its double- envelope during an attack. The ejection tubes are completely surfaced with Dakinium so they won’t cause an interruption in the continuity of the envelope. As the weapons emerge from the ship, they’ll return to normal space and lose their cloak, but by then it’s too late for the enemy to react. This weapon was designed to fight the Denubbewa, and we’re the first CPS-14 to get them. Helm, Engineering, in my office.”

*

As Sydnee, Lt.(jg) Caruthers and Lt.(jg) Galli walked to Sydnee’s office, they encountered Lt. Colonel Dennier, Marine Captain Blade, and Lt. Kelly MacDonald coming from the other direction.

“Captain, is there anything we can do to assist?” Lt. Col. Dennier asked.

“Thank you, but this is going to be a ship-to-ship operation for now. The Blenod and Clidepp Empire are currently slugging it out, and I see an opportunity to make a significant difference in this part of space. I’ll certainly be in contact if there’s anything you can do. Thank you for your support.”

Dennier, Blade, and MacDonald nodded, and then all three turned and walked back down the corridor as Sydnee and the two Space Command officers entered the captain’s office.

“Pete, the new weapons I mentioned are WOLaR bombs,” Sydnee said to Lt.(jg) Caruthers as her office door closed.

“Bombs, Syd? Not missiles? How are we supposed to drop bombs in space?”

“As I said on the bridge, this is a brand-new weapon. SCI arranged for us to get this first because of our mission. The bombs are designed to be planted inside enemy ships by ships wrapped in double-envelopes as they pass through the enemy vessel. The system was originally designed for use by two Scout-Destroyers operating in tandem, with both ships traveling at Light-9793.48. The lead ship actually sends a signal to the trailing ship to release the bomb via a very precise timing procedure. We have to do this solo, so here’s what I want to try. Head straight for the ship to be bombed and try to stop inside. You should naturally concentrate on ships that aren’t moving. Tac will release the bomb when you give the word. If we manage to drop the bomb inside the ship, so much the better, but since it’s a WOLaR, getting it anywhere near the target might incapacitate the ship. If we disable it, but it can still fight, we’ll swing around and try again.”

“Without ever dropping our envelope?”

“Exactly. If you could actually stop us inside the enemy ship, we’d be sure that the weapon would accomplish its deed.”

“Come to a complete stop inside the enemy ship?”

“Pete, you’re the best CPS helmsman in the service. I’ve told you that often because I firmly believe it. Just get us as close to the center of the target as possible.”

“Syd, double-envelope travel is full speed or nothing. We can’t slow down and drop a bomb exactly where we want. We’ll be traveling at Light-9793.48. I’m good, but I’m not that good. I’ll be lucky to plant a bomb within a thousand kilometers of the intended target.”

“I’ve given this a lot of thought since I read the operational data on this new system, so I sort of expected that response, which is why I asked Galli to join us.” Looking at Lt.(jg) Galli she said, “Lieutenant, is it possible for the helmsman to override the helm controls so we can travel at slow speeds while remaining cloaked in a double-envelope?”

“No, Captain. The helmsman can’t possibly override the controls. The console prevents use of the double-envelope at any speed other than dead-stop and Light-9793.48.”

“I understand. Can the speed controls be overridden by an engineer?”

“The control is there to prevent a catastrophe like the one that occurred aboard the Scout-Destroyer Colorado back when Admiral Carver was in command. The ship was already traveling FTL when they began a speed test at maximum power. That procedure actually attempted to create a second envelope around the existing single envelope. Because they were out of phase with one-another, the procedure short-circuited power systems throughout the ship, and it was days before they regained helm control. When we build our double-envelopes now, they are perfectly in phase when the process begins or the effort is cancelled and reattempts the process automatically.”

“Yes, we learned about that at the academy. But is there any way Helm can have variable speed capability with a double-envelope so it doesn’t create a problem like that?”

“Well, we engineers discussed that at length at the Academy and many times since. I believe that if we totally disabled the single-envelope ability, it would ensure we’re not going to create a second envelope around an existing envelope. We should then be able to create and employ the double-envelope at any speed. But you lose all ability to be visible while the ship is moving.”

“How long would it take to disable the single-envelope capability?”

“Just to disable it in the helm console?”

“Yes.”

“About fifteen seconds.”

“That’s all?”

“Aye, Captain. I just have to open the console and disconnect two control leads.”

“And then there would be no chance of short-circuiting the system?”

“None at all.”

“Wonderful. Do it.”

“Uh, but that won’t enable the helmsman to use variable speed while in a double-envelope mode.”

“How long would it take you to enable that capability?”

“It’s quite a bit more complicated. I might be able to do it in— fifteen to twenty minutes.”

“Excellent. Do it.”

“It’s against regulations, Captain. I could be court-martialed.”

“I accept full responsibility, and it will be so written in my log that you rightly objected to my order. Please make the necessary alterations. You’re excused.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Galli turned and left the office.

“Pete, you’ll now have the ability to go as fast or slow as you wish as you approach the Blenod ships. You shouldn’t have any trouble stopping inside one. When you give the word, Tac will release one WOLaR bomb. As soon as it’s away, move to the next ship and repeat the process.”

“Okay, Syd. I’ll do my best.”

“You always do, Pete.”

*

Lieutenant Galli was already working inside the helm console when Sydnee and Lt. Caruthers returned to the bridge.

“Tac,” Sydnee said, “have you identified the primary targets and charted a basic course?”

“Aye, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Templeton said. “We’re ready to begin the attack when you give the word.”

“We just have to wait until Engineering completes his work.”

Twelve minutes after beginning his task, Galli closed the console doors and said, “The changes are complete, Captain. The single-envelope capability is disabled, and the double- envelope capability is now enabled for all speeds up to Light-9793.48.”

“Excellent, Lieutenant. Tac, send the attack plan to the helm. Helm, prepare to commence the bomb run.”

“Attack plan sent, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Templeton said.

“Plan received, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Caruthers said. “We’re ready to proceed.”

“Tac, are our WOLaR weapons ready?”

“They are, Captain.”

“Very good. Drop just one weapon per target when Helm requests a drop. Helm, engage.”

“Aye, Captain,” Caruthers said as the ship began to move towards the first target, an enormous destroyer.

On the first attempt, the Justice overshot the target by more than thirty-two thousand kilometers. Caruthers swung it around and halted the ship.

“Helm, is there a problem?” Sydnee asked in all seriousness as Caruthers was busy tapping numbers into the keypad.

“Yes, ma’am. This is a little like trying to swat a housefly with an anvil. It may take me a couple of tries to get used to the new flight performance. I’ll nail it down though, Captain.”

“Very good, Helm. We understand. Continue.”

It actually took Caruthers four tries to get the hang of it, but on the fourth try he halted the Justice in the heart of the destroyer.

“Drop the charge,” Caruthers said.

Templeton touched a contact spot on his board and said, “Charge dropped.”

As soon as Templeton declared the drop, Caruthers tapped a spot on his console, and the Justice leaped forward.

The ship was well away when the charge detonated. The Justice wouldn’t have been damaged, but this way they got to see the detonation from a distance. An enormous white light appeared where the destroyer had been, and then there was only darkness. The Blenod ship had been obliterated.

On the second attempt, the first effort found the Justice halted just eighty kilometers from the target. Caruthers punched a couple of spots on his console and the Justice leaped into the destroyer and stopped in the dead center of the ship.

“Drop the charge,” Caruthers said.

Templeton touched a contact spot on his board and said, “Charge dropped.”

The Justice was already headed for another Blenod ship before the second WOLaR detonated.

* * *

“One of the Blenod’s largest destroyers just evaporated,” Plelillo said as he placed the handset back onto the cradle. The handset had a direct connection to the strategic planning and assessment room.

“Evaporated?” Danttan exclaimed. “One of our ships must have hit their armory.”

“None of our ships was firing on the ship that was destroyed, and our weapons haven’t been able to penetrate the outer armor of their largest ships unless we hit the same location at least three times.”

“So, something happened aboard the ship that destroyed them?” Mewaffal offered.

“I’m thinking Captain Kidd was responsible,” Plelillo said.

“Captain Kidd?”

“We made the broadcasts he required, but our sensors haven’t recorded evidence of any unidentified ships.”

“So they really are invisible? How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?”

“You can’t. We’re lucky he’s on our side, this time.”

“So you don’t want to send the planned retraction of the previous announcement?” Mewaffal asked.

“Absolutely not! I thought Kidd would have to reveal himself, but he didn’t. Let’s keep watching to see if anyone spots a ship that shouldn’t be out there. And don’t you dare send that retraction announcement unless I give prior approval.”

* * *

After destroying eighteen of the largest Blenod warships, Sydnee ordered a halt to the bombing runs and had the com chief establish contact with Plelillo, the Yolongi PM.

“There are still twenty-two Blenod warships able to fight,” Plelillo said for his opening comment.

“This is a good time for you to contact the Blenod,” Sydnee said, “and inform them that you’ve destroyed their most powerful ships and will now destroy the rest of their fleet if they don’t quit the battle and leave the Clidepp Empire, abandoning all Clidepp space they’ve laid claim to in the past.”

“You want me to claim credit for your kills?”

“We’re not seeking credit for performing such an unpleasant task. We only want peace and to see all slaves freed.”

“If you don’t finish off the rest of the Blenod warships, I’m going to retract the recent order to free all slaves.”

“I promised to turn the tide in your favor if you freed all slaves and forever ended all slavery of sentient beings. If you retract the order you sent out or fail to follow through with the agreed terms, you should immediately make funeral arrangements for yourself and your two associates. You should also leave written instructions for anyone who will assume your position in the government, informing them that if the order you transmitted is not upheld, all individuals attempting to take up the reins of power will likewise meet their end within one solar cycle. Your graveyard is going to see a constant stream of burial ceremonies until someone with more sense than you’re currently exhibiting takes up the reins of power in the Clidepp Empire.”

Sydnee looked over at the com chief and gave him the signal to terminate the connection.

*

Danttan and Mewaffal, their faces reflecting the fear they were feeling, were staring at Plelillo when he slammed the communication handset down. They never uttered a word until he said, “It was worth a try.”

“You’re trying to get us killed?” Mewaffal said.

“No, you fool! I was trying to get Kidd to destroy the rest of the Blenod fleet.”

“It’s not necessary,” Danttan said. “While you were talking with Kidd, I was informed that the Blenod have broken off their attack and are fleeing in every direction.”

“All of them?”

“All of them.”

“Quick, I have to make a public announcement in which we claim credit for the destruction of the Blenod warships and declare this as a great victory over an enemy whom we shall soon eradicate if they don’t remove themselves completely from our territory.”

“What of the order that ends all slavery?” Mewaffal asked. “Do we rescind it?”

“Are you insane? Do you want to die? Do you think Kidd was being insincere with his threat to kill all three of us if we went back on our word? I don’t know what alien civilization Kidd represents, but it’s obviously one of the most powerful in the universe— and definitely one we don’t want to cross.”

* * *

“All the Blenod ships have left the area of the planet, Captain,” the tactical officer said as he studied his screens.

Sydnee and the bridge crew had been watching the drama play out on the large monitor at the front of the bridge.

“Captain,” the com chief said, “it’s just been announced that the prime minister is about to speak to all the people of the Empire.”

“This should be interesting. Put it on the overhead, Chief.”

There was a slight pause before the PM began speaking. Although he was speaking in Yolongi, the computer translated it into Amer, the official language of the G.A.

“Good people of the Clidepp Empire, I’m pleased to announce that our military has just repelled an unprovoked attack by the Blenod. As you know, the Blenod have been trying to absorb the Clidepp Empire, as they’ve done with several other nations over the past century. Because we’ve been involved with defeating an insurrection by Citizen X and his followers, we’ve been unable to focus our attention on the advances of the Blenod.

“But today we took them head on as they attempted to conquer Yolongus. I’m sure they were surprised by their losses in the engagement. We destroyed all the largest warships that were engaging our fleet, and the remainder then fled in panic. We will give them an opportunity to leave our territory peacefully, but if they don’t, we shall seek out and destroy any and all Blenod who have foolishly remained behind. We will not tolerate their interference in our internal matters.

“As you know, today I issued a proclamation that all slavery of sentient beings in the Clidepp Empire has now ended. We’ve contemplated this action for some time and are celebrating our outstanding victory over the Blenod by freeing all slaves throughout the Empire. Slave masters who refuse to free their slaves will greatly regret their failure to act. I repeat again that slavery will no longer be tolerated in the Clidepp Empire. Former slaves may choose to remain on the planet they presently call home or are free to travel anywhere they wish. They are also free to remain where they are as employees. But this must be their decision alone, and they must be paid a fair wage according to the payment requirements established on the planet for all other citizens.

“This day shall heretofore be remembered as the day that all Clidepp slaves were declared forever free and no new slavery will ever be tolerated.

“This is Prime Minister Plelillo, with Ministers Danttan and Mewaffal, declaring this day an annual holiday. May peace and prosperity always be the goal of our people.”

No one on the bridge spoke when the message ended until Sydnee said, “Chief, replay that message throughout the rest of the ship.”

“Aye, Captain.” The com chief’s hands moved quickly over the communications console, briefly touching a number of spots before he said, “The message is playing ship-wide, Captain.”

“Very good, Chief.”

Lt.(jg) Templeton was the first to clap his hands as he turned and looked at Sydnee. He was then joined by the other bridge members.

“Congratulations, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Caruthers said as the clapping subsided. “You singlehandedly, and in just one day, ended slavery in the entire Clidepp Empire.”

“Thank you. Thank you all. And thank you for standing by me and supporting my actions. I hope Space Command is as understanding.”

“You ended slavery and made it look like it was the idea of their own leadership,” Lt.(jg) Olivetti, the navigator said. “How can Space Command not be delighted?”

“We won’t know that until we return to the G.A. and I have to fully explain my actions. I’m almost glad that we have to seed the Clidepp Empire with spy satellites. It means I won’t have to face the music for many months.”

“Surely they won’t be upset, Captain.”

“My actions violated at least six Space Command regulations. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. But first we have a task to perform. Okay, Helm, take us to the first satellite drop area outside this solar system.”

“What about the prisoner, Captain?” the tactical officer asked. “Aren’t we going to drop him off?”

“We can’t do that now. It would confirm that Captain Kidd is actually a Space Command officer. We’ll have to come back in a few months and drop him off.”

“Aye, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Caruthers said. “We’re under way to the first drop location outside this solar system.”

Chapter Four

~ August 18th, 2287 ~

“Good Morning, Captain,” Commander Bryant said to Lidden as he entered the captain’s office just off the bridge for their daily briefing.

“Is it?” Lidden said.

Bryant stopped immediately and looked at Lidden closely, trying to judge his mood. “Has something happened, sir?”

“Overnight, I received a Priority One message from Space Command Intelligence. It seems they’ve picked up a number of very interesting broadcasts from the Clidepp Empire.”

“General news broadcasts or encrypted broadcasts?”

“General broadcasts from the Yolongus Government Center to all planets in the Empire. I wouldn’t exactly call them all general news broadcasts. Two were from Prime Minister Plelillo— himself. It seems that the Blenod, with a vastly superior force of warships, attacked the Clidepp military fleet in orbit around Yolongus.”

“Did the Clidepp Empire surrender?”

“No, that’s just it. They claim to have defeated the Blenod.”

“That’s strange. According to intelligence reports I’ve read, the Blenod warships are far superior to the Clidepp military vessels.”

“Exactly. Yet the prime minister claims that the Clidepp military achieved an overwhelming victory.”

“So, the Blenod were defeated. That’s good.”

“That’s not all. It seems that to celebrate the victory, all slaves in the Clidepp Empire are being freed and slavery is now outlawed for all sentient species. The penalty for anyone violating that proclamation is death.”

“Wow! Now that is very strange. Intelligence reports indicate that their entire economy is dependent on slavery.”

“Exactly. There seems to be a lot more here than they’re saying. SCI wants to know if we can shed any light on the issue.”

“Us? What could we possibly— oh, no. Are they suggesting that Sydnee might be involved?”

“According to the established timetable, the Justice should have arrived at Yolongus a few hours before the announcement that the Clidepp ships had defeated an overwhelming force of Blenod ships.”

“Have we heard from Sydnee, sir?”

“No. Of course, her orders call for her to limit her communications with us.”

“You don’t really think she could be responsible for freeing the slaves? She’d have to have entered into a pact with the Clidepp Empire to save them if they agreed to free all slaves.”

“We’re talking about Lieutenant Sydnee Marie Marcola, Tim. I trust Sydnee to always do what is right— but— she has a knack for getting into situations that severely test the limits of her orders.”

Commander Bryant chuckled before saying, “I can’t dispute that she does have that knack. So, what do we do now?”

“I’ve informed SCI that I have no information regarding the recent events in the Clidepp Empire. If I know Sydnee, she’ll file a report that explains all her actions, even if she exceeded her orders and broke regulations. Where she exceeded the latitudes permitted, she’ll fully explain the reasons for her actions.”

* * *

“Satellite eight is away,” Lt.(jg) Templeton, the tactical officer aboard the Justice, reported aloud. “It seems to be functioning properly and is moving towards it’s programmed location.”

“Eight down, two million to go,” Caruthers said from his chair at the helm console.

“Two million?” Sydnee repeated from her command chair with a smile.

“Well, it seems that way. We’ve only dropped off eight satellites in three weeks. We’re going to be out here for years. It’s a boring detail.”

“I seem to recall you saying you liked boring.”

“I like boring aboard the Denver. Aboard the Denver there are always things to do in your down time. All we can do here is lie on our bunks or run on one of the tracks in the empty habitat container. We don’t even have a swimming pool here.”

“There are about ten thousand videos in the computer, a hundred thousand books, and video games galore.”

“Captain,” the com chief said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you just received a Priority One message.”

“Send it to my queue, Chief.”

“Already there,” the com chief said as he tapped a contact spot on his console.

“Tactical, you have the bridge in my absence. Start us on our journey to our next drop location.”

“Aye, Captain,” Lt. Templeton said as he moved towards the command chair Sydnee had just vacated.

*

Sydnee leaned in towards the computer screen for the retinal scan as she took her seat in her office. Once the computer was satisfied, a message from Space Command Intelligence began to play. A captain requested that she immediately forward all information she might have regarding the recent events in the Clidepp Empire where the Blenod fleet was reported to have been defeated in battle and the Clidepp Empire issued a proclamation freeing all slaves.

Sydnee leaned back in her chair as the message ended. She had prepared a full report for Captain Lidden but hadn’t sent it. She was hoping the issue would die down long before they returned to the G.A.

Sydnee sighed and prepared a response to the message from SCI, then bundled her response and the prepared report into an encrypted package for SCI. She notified the com chief to send it off, along with complete recordings of the conversations with the Yolongi official, and then she moved to her bunk and lay down to think as she stared up at the overhead. She had no idea how SCI would react, but since the battle and slavery issues were now history, she didn’t expect to be recalled from their current mission. She didn’t want Captain Lidden to be blamed in any way and decided he should be aware of recent events. She rose and sent a copy of the report, along with copies of the conversations, as a Priority One message to Lidden, then returned to her bunk to contemplate how the messages might be received.

* * *

“I received a message from Sydnee overnight,” Captain Lidden said to Commander Bryant a couple of weeks later as they began their daily briefing. “It included her official report regarding the situation at Yolongus and her part in the operation that occurred.”

“So, she was involved?”

“Up to her eyeballs. Here, I’ll let you read it for yourself.” Lidden called up the message and turned the vid screen towards Bryant.

* * *

“We just received a response to the query sent to Lieutenant Marcola, sir. When the Justice arrived at Yolongus to drop off the minister, they flew right into a space battle. They were encapsulated in a double-envelope, so they were invisible to the two warring fleets. It was obvious that the Blenod were decimating the Clidepp forces. Marcola saw an opportunity to end slavery in the Clidepp Empire and so contacted Prime Minister Plelillo. She had her voice electronically altered and identified herself as Captain Kidd.”

“The Terran pirate from the seventeenth century on Earth?”

“I’m sure there was no intent to claim lineage. It was probably just a handy— pseudonym. Anyway, she allowed Plelillo to believe she represented an advanced race that only wanted peace and freedom for all sentient life in the galaxy. She told Plelillo he was about to lose his forces to the overwhelming superiority of the Blenod, but she could turn the tide of battle if he cooperated with her. She told him she wanted him to free all slaves in the Clidepp Empire immediately and proclaim that no sentient lifeform would ever be enslaved there again.”

Admiral Kincaid chuckled and said, “Well, her views on slavery have been well known since that incident aboard the Clidepp diplomatic vessel. And how did Plelillo respond?”

“He refused at first but then asked if she was sure she could do as she said.”

“She said she was quite sure, and that if Plelillo didn’t consent to her terms, she’d simply wait until the Blenod had finished off the Clidepp fleet and occupied their planet, at which time the Blenod would slay Plelillo and his associates. She would then take action to force the Blenod to end all slavery; however, at that point it would be too late for Plelillo to get involved. He wisely accepted her terms and issued a system-wide proclamation that all slaves were to be immediately freed and that no slavery of sentient beings would ever again be tolerated in the Clidepp Empire.”

Admiral Kincaid had chuckled throughout the entire rendition. “I like this young officer. It’s a shame she didn’t accept our offer to become part of SCI. We’re sure no one knows— Captain Kidd— is part of Space Command?”

“It’s possible that Plelillo suspects it, but there’s no evidence. After Plelillo agreed, Marcola ordered her engineering officer to modify the helm lockout controls so they could control the speed of the ship while in a double-envelope cloak as they obliterated eighteen of the Blenod’s most dangerous vessels. She even convinced Plelillo to claim full responsibility for the destruction.”

“So, the slaves in the Clidepp Empire are now free?”

“That’s the story we’re hearing from our undercover people on Yolongus and other planets in the Empire. They report that the larger slave owners were strongly resisting, but after a visit by the secret police, they quickly freed some of their slaves. I’m sure there will be holdouts at remote locations, but they’ll no longer have the— full— support of the government.”

“From the way you phrased that, it appears you believe the government will waffle on their promise to free all slaves.”

“It’s too much too soon, sir. The small operations might comply, but the large, powerful operations risk complete shutdowns of their industries if they free all their slaves overnight. I’m sure Plelillo will understand and make time concessions.”

“I’m sure you’re right. However, if the government has officially announced that slavery in the Empire is now illegal, we can expect a fluid situation as things resolve. The important thing is that an end to slavery is the eventual goal of the government. And Marcola did it all without getting us involved in a shooting match or even a diplomatic harangue?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent.”

“How would you like to proceed?”

“Send an encrypted message to Marcola. Tell her this operation has been officially classified most secret. None of her crewmembers are to discuss the operation with anyone.”

“Yes, sir. They’re under blackout regulation, so we know word hasn’t been spread to anyone other than SCI and the Denver senior officers.”

“Notify Lidden about the ‘most secret’ designation,” Admiral Kincaid said, chuckling again. “I really like this young officer. The slavery situation in the Clidepp Empire was destined to become a very messy diplomatic issue that could have embroiled us in political difficulties for eons. But Lt. Marcola solved that problem and also rocked the Blenod back on their heels for a while. And she did it all without involving the G.A. However, she did openly violate a number of Space Command regulations. So, officially, we can only offer tacit approval of her actions.”

“How should I respond to her report?”

“Don’t respond at all other than to notify her of the ‘most secret’ designation. Let’s allow the matter to simply fade away. Should anyone inquire, deny that SCI had any involvement in the battle at Yolongus. It’s the truth, after all. It was all done by Lt. Marcola.”

“And Captain Lidden? What should I tell him?”

“Simply tell him that any involvement by Space Command at the Yolongus battle has been adjudged highly unlikely. I know him. He’s a good man. He’ll know to read between the lines.”

* * *

“Unlikely?” Commander Bryant said when Lidden relayed the information in SCI’s top- secret report.

“They’re sweeping it under the carpet, and we must do the same.”

“Sydnee should get a medal for what she did.”

“The people at Space Command HQ know the truth, and that’s all that’s important. Knowing how active the rumor mill is at HQ, I’d be willing to bet that within a month there won’t be a single officer above the rank of lieutenant who doesn’t know Sydnee was responsible for freeing all the slaves in the Clidepp Empire.”

“That’s something, I suppose.”

“Something? In the service, having self-respect and the unwavering respect of your superiors, fellow officers, and subordinates is everything.”

* * *

Several months after receiving notification from SCI that the attack on Blenod warships at Yolongus by the Justice had been declared ‘most secret,’ and that should any crewmember ever discuss that day’s activity with, or in front of, any individual who wasn’t a member of the crew aboard the Justice during the attack, they’d be subjected to the most severe punishments conceivable, life aboard the small ship had returned to normal.

The Justice had just placed one of the tiny spy satellites in orbit around a planet with a small mining operation and was preparing to head to the next drop location when Lt.(jg) Templeton announced “Captain, a ship has just entered our DeTect range.”

“A freighter?” Sydnee asked.

“It’s much too early to say. It just entered our maximum DeTect range.”

“Is it coming directly at us?”

“Negative. Its apparent course will bring it no closer than three-point-two billion kilometers to our position. Ah, we have a better fix on it now. It’s moving way too fast to be either a freighter or military ship from the Clidepp Empire, given their maximum speed capabilities and their official limitations on speed of travel by Clidepp vessels.”

“How fast is it traveling?”

“Definitely in excess of Light-450. I’ll have a more precise estimate in a few more seconds. It’s still on the far edge of our DeTect range.”

“Light-450? Even the fastest Blenod military ships can’t travel faster than Light- 300.”

“I have a better fix now. My instrumentation has computed its speed as Light-480.”

“What? No ships in this part of space except Space Command can travel at that speed. Could it be one of ours?”

“Unlikely. But it’s still a bit too far away for identification.”

“I want to see who in this part of space can travel at that speed other than us. Helm, set course to intercept that ship.”

“Aye, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Caruthers said as he entered course information for an intercept. A slight correction might be required as they closed in on the unknown ship. With the initial course information entered into the helm computer, Caruthers tapped a contact spot on the console and the Justice surged ahead at Light-9793.48. “Interception course engaged, Captain.”

When traveling at almost ten thousand times the speed of light for a short trip, it almost seemed that a ship arrived at its destination before it left.

The Justice reached the intended location in the blink of an eye. They actually arrived before the mystery ship. Since they were almost directly in its path, Sydnee said, “This is excellent, Helm. There’s no need for another move yet. When the ship arrives, fall in behind it.”

“Aye, Captain,” Caruthers said.

Several minutes later, the unidentified ship passed by the Justice. Since the Justice was cloaked in a double-envelope, the passing ship could not have seen it.

“Tac, are my eyes seeing what I hope they’re not seeing? Does that look like a Denubbewa warship to you?”

“Aye, Captain. That’s a Denubbewa destroyer all right. They all look like they came out of one gigantic mold.”

“I doubt anyone in this part of space could have acquired a Denubbewa ship in battle, so it must be piloted by Denubbewa. Navigation, plot the ship’s course and tell us where it’s headed.”

“Aye, Captain. One minute.”

A minute later Lt.(jg) Olivetti said, “On its present course, it will pass through numerous solar systems, but none are really populated. A few have small mining operations. That’s about it, if our charts are accurate.”

“Com, put me on ship-wide broadcast.”

“You’re on, Captain.”

“Attention, crew of the Justice. We have just encountered a Denubbewa vessel traveling at its top speed through the Clidepp Empire. Until now, I had never heard of a Denubbewa ship being sighted anywhere except in G.A. Regions Two and Three. We have been at war with the Denubbewa since they attacked and destroyed two Space Command scout- destroyers without having first declared war on the G.A. Unlike our previous engagements in the Clidepp Empire, a state of war already exists between the G.A. and the Denubbewa. I intend to attack the Denubbewa ship and destroy it. That is all.”

“Captain, the Denubbewa ship has come to a full stop,” the tac officer said.

“Why?”

“Unknown, ma’am. They’ve just stopped.”

“Could they be aware of our presence?”

“Unknown, Captain, but I can’t see how they could be. Our double-envelope is still intact.”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere, are we not?”

“Yes, ma’am. Perhaps that’s the reason. Where better to meet with other Denubbewa invaders than in a location that’s highly unlikely to be observed?”

“Okay. Then we’ll just observe for a while. Perhaps we might wind up with a bigger haul than just one destroyer.”

* * *

“We’ve been sitting here watching that Denubbewa warship for six weeks now, Kel,” Sydnee said as she talked in her office with Marine Lt. Kelly MacDonald.

“They say patience is a virtue.”

“It looks like a deserted hulk.”

“Maybe that’s the idea. They might be hoping someone comes along who’ll try to salvage a deserted hulk.”

“Perhaps, but I still have that nagging feeling that they’re here for a rendezvous with more Denubbewa ships. That’s the only reason I decided to hang around. But we can’t wait here forever.”

“So, how much longer do you intend to wait?”

“Two weeks at most. If no other ships show up before then, we lay a WOLaR egg in its belly and resume our chore of seeding space with the SCI satellites.”

“It’s hard to know which option is more boring.”

“Watching a Denubbewa ship or seeding space with satellites?”

“Yep. I wish we had a Marine Combat Range in this ship,” MacDonald said.

“At least they gave us the extra habitat containers I requested. There’s enough deck space that everyone on the ship could be running at the same time.”

“Yeah, but just running gets boring after a while. Our new combat range on the Denver will never get boring because it can be altered so easily.”

“Martin did a great job. I’m looking forward to seeing what else he’s included in the range. I only got to use it—”

Sydnee was interrupted by a message from her XO. “Captain to the bridge.”

Both Sydnee and Kelly were on their feet and headed for the bridge in two seconds.

“What’s the emergency, XO?” Sydnee said to Lt.(jg) Jerry Weems.

“We’ve DeTected multiple ships headed this way.”

“Tac,” Sydnee said, “what can you tell us?”

“The ships appear to be headed directly toward the Denubbewa destroyer. That’s all I know, Captain.”

“How many are we talking about?”

“I count twelve so far.”

“So far?”

“There may be other ships that haven’t entered our DeTect range yet.”

“True. If they’re Denubbewa, we may get to bag our limit. We’ll wait a bit and see if anyone else comes to the party.”

Chapter Five

~ April 23rd, 2288 ~

“Tac, have you identified the ships yet?” Sydnee asked a minute later.

“Not yet, Captain. They’ve slowed to sub-light and are still too far away for identification. But I can now say with near certainty that they are not Denubbewa.”

“Based on what?”

“Their speed. Just before they slowed, they were moving at about Light-300. Denubbewa ships would likely be traveling much faster and shouldn’t have slowed as they approached one of their own.”

“Light-300 pretty much rules out the Clidepp military, unless they’ve made significant progress recently,” Sydnee said. “Their warships have been maxed out at Light-150 for more than a decade.”

“So, if it’s neither the Denubbewa nor the Clidepp, who is it? Freighters?”

“The Clidepp government has restricted Clidepp freighters to engine systems that are incapable of exceeding Light-75. Of course, some may choose to ignore that restriction because they can outrun the Clidepp military if they have speeds faster than Light-150. I understand Space Command has encountered Raider ships in Region Three that have capabilities considerably faster than Light-300. And it’s a well-known fact that the Raiders conduct business operations in the Clidepp Empire. At one time, they provided most of the Terran slaves bought and sold in the Empire. They’re probably very upset that slavery is now outlawed. They’ll have to make up the shortfall with illegal weapons, narcotics, and other contraband.”

“The ships are approaching a point where my tactical systems should be able to identify their construction,” Lt. Templeton said.

There was complete silence on the bridge as everyone waited for the identification.

“Captain, you’re not going to believe this,” the tac officer said a minute later as he stared at his screens. “The ships are Blenod.”

“Blenod?” Sydnee exclaimed. “I expected the Blenod to be scurrying for their border as fast as their engines could take them. Why would they be here? I can’t see them collaborating with the Denubbewa.”

“They just had their butts kicked at Yolongus a few months ago,” Caruthers said. “They might be looking for an edge and think that working with the Denubbewa can give it to them.”

“The Denubbewa don’t give anyone an edge,” Templeton said. “They only take. They might expect a proposed alliance to be an easy way to take over the Blenod territories. The Blenod would learn too late and wonder how they ever allowed it to happen.”

“We’ll wait until the Blenod get closer and then let them watch as the Denubbewa ship is obliterated before their eyes. Perhaps that will change their minds about joining them.”

“Captain, the Blenod ships have suddenly accelerated to full speed.”

“Away from this area?”

“No, ma’am. They’re headed directly at the Denubbewa destroyer. Wait, now they’re spreading out in what appears to be a battle formation. It looks like they’re preparing to attack the Denubbewa warship.”

“If that’s true, then they’re going to get another ass-pounding.”

“The Denubbewa ship just rolled back the outer hull sections that protect their deck- mounted missiles. They should be ready to launch within seconds.”

“And we have a front-row seat. This should be educational.”

“Aren’t we going to warn the Blenod, Captain?” Lt.(jg) Olivetti asked.

“It seems that we’re about to see two hostile forces face off against one another,” Sydnee said. “By hostile, I mean two forces that are essentially enemies of the G.A., although neither has formally proclaimed themselves to be enemies. If the Blenod are permitted to expand their territories, there’s little doubt they’ll one day threaten the G.A. I see no reason to warn them. I’m sure SCI and Space Command will be very interested in seeing the vids of the upcoming fight.”

“But Captain, the Denubbewa is the only force we know to be hostile towards the G.A. And we did just protect the Clidepp Empire against an attack by the Blenod in which we destroyed eighteen Blenod ships. Don’t we owe them something?”

“No, nothing. They weren’t attacking Yolongus on our behalf, although I used their attack to force the Clidepp Empire Triumvirate to end slavery.”

“You don’t really believe we ended slavery, do you Captain?” Caruthers asked.

“No, I’m not that naïve. But it was a vital first step, Lieutenant. It’s true that the Triumvirate will actually refrain from assiduously enforcing the new mandate, but just the fact that they publically made the proclamation forces them into a tight position. If they openly reject the proclamation now, they’ll look like fools. So, we can deal with their efforts to procrastinate full implementation of the process where before we were stymied by their declarations that slavery was both legal and acceptable.”

“The Denubbewa have fired a volley of missiles, Captain,” the tac officer said.”

This observation pulled Sydnee’s attention back to the impending battle. The massive volley released by the Denubbewa destroyer caused the Blenod ships to immediately scatter in every direction. In atmosphere, missiles and rockets could ‘push off’ against the atmosphere just as an airplane does, but in the vacuum of space, control is far more difficult. To change trajectory quickly, a spaceship requires massive thrusters that can alter its heading. But where spaceships had considerable thruster capability, the capability in weapons to change direction quickly was far more limited. As the Blenod warships scattered, the Denubbewa rockets unsuccessfully attempted to follow their targets.

“Captain,” the tac officer said, “nine more ships are now approaching from a different direction. The Blenod ships have begun firing their weapons at the Denubbewa destroyer, and the Denubbewa ship is targeting the new group. My systems indicate that the nine new ships are also Blenod.”

“Interesting,” Sydnee said as she watched the battle action on the front monitor.

As the battle raged on, space was filled with missiles flying in every direction. It became more likely that a ship would be hit with a missile not intended for that ship than one actually fired at it.

After twenty minutes of battle, the Denubbewa ship had suffered many strikes from the missiles fired by the twenty-one Blenod ships, while eight Blenod ships appeared to be out of action. At one point, a missile actually passed through the stern of the Justice, or perhaps more accurately, the Justice passed through the missile since the Justice was still sheathed in its double-envelope.

The battle raged for thirty-eight minutes after the first missiles were fired. A large explosion near the stern, perhaps a magazine, destroyed the propulsion system of the Denubbewa ship. The Blenod stopped firing once it was obvious that the Denubbewa ship wasn’t going anywhere and that the missile barrage from the Denubbewa had ceased.

“This isn’t good,” Sydnee said.

“That the Denubbewa ship has been defeated?” Caruthers said.

“That the Blenod will have access to Denubbewa technology. I’d begun to have second thoughts about destroying the Denubbewa destroyer because salvagers in this area would have access to Denubbewa technology. And now it’s obvious that Blenod scientists will be crawling all over that ship, just as ours have done with ships captured in G.A. space, in order to learn everything they can. Practically overnight, their ship technology could advance fifty years.”

As Sydnee talked, a series of explosions rippled through the Denubbewa ship and pieces of the vessel flew or floated away in every direction.

“Well, that potential disaster has been resolved,” Sydnee said.

“They committed suicide?” Olivetti said.

“We only became aware of the Denubbewa a few years ago when they attacked and destroyed two of our scout-destroyers in Region Three. Since then, we’ve made every effort to learn all we can about this new enemy. Some of our information is mere speculation and some is information we’ve accumulated from other races. Lately, there’s been scuttlebutt that the Denubbewa have the means to teleport materials and personnel significant distances. If that’s true, they might have begun moving their personnel off the ship when the battle seemed to be going against them. Perhaps the ship was even deserted when it blew. It might have been a delayed-action self-destruct charge that finished the ship off before any race could lay claim for salvage.”

“Teleport, Captain?” the com chief said.

“Yes, Chief, just as we send electronic signals, it’s reported they appear to have the ability to send solid matter.”

“That’s utter nonsense,” Caruthers said. “Scientists have never been able to teleport a solid block of material composed of the same element, much less something with the structural complexity of a living being.”

“Just because we haven’t yet accomplished it,” Templeton said, “doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Mankind once adamantly insisted that the Earth was flat. Later people ridiculed anyone who dreamed of powered flight. They claimed it was a merely pipe dream. Later, eminent scientists insisted that travel faster that the speed of light was an impossibility. But now we travel at almost nine thousand, eight hundred times the speed of light. Let’s not rule something out simply because we haven’t been able to do it— yet.”

“Captain?” Caruthers asked. “Should I resume course for our next satellite drop location?”

“Not just yet, Helm. We really don’t know very much about the Blenod. Let’s continue to observe them for a while. We might learn something new. There’s certainly no rush on the satellite deployment.”

“Aye, Captain,” Caruthers said as he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the large bow monitor at the front of the bridge.

With the Denubbewa ship completely destroyed, the Blenod appeared to be concentrating on repairing damage to their ships. A small fleet of shuttles traveled to and from each of the ships destroyed by the Denubbewa, perhaps to search for possible survivors.

Cameras aboard the Justice had recorded everything visible, and the data files would be turned over to SCI when the Justice returned to G.A. space.

*

Two days later, the Justice was still observing the Blenod activity. Sydnee was working in her office when she received a message from the tac officer via her CT.

“Captain, a large ship is approaching. A very large ship.”

“Can you identify it?”

“I’ve never seen one, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was a Denubbewa mothership. It’s unbelievably enormous. The Blenod are clearing out— quickly. And Captain, the ship didn’t appear on my DeTect screens. But because it’s so big, I was able to see it visually from a long way off when it passed in front of this solar system’s sun. And Captain— the ship is black. The Denubbewa must have learned how to synthesize Dakinium.”

“I’ll be right there. Marcola out.”

*

Sydnee’s combined office and quarters was less than twenty feet from the bridge entrance. “Sitrep, Tac,” she said as she entered the bridge.

“The Blenod must have had lookouts posted out beyond DeTect range because their ships are already departing the area. That suggests they’d already recovered all of their people before we even became aware of the approaching ship.”

“Unless they’re sacrificing a small work staff to save the ship and most of the crew.”

“Yes, ma’am. The Blenod are currently headed away in every direction.”

“Smart. If the Denubbewa gave chase, the most they could capture or destroy would be one ship. All of the Blenod fleet combined wouldn’t be able to defeat a Denubbewa mothership.”

“Uh, the approaching mothership is slowing.”

“I guess they’ve decided that one less Blenod ship isn’t worth the effort of a chase,” Caruthers said.

“Tac, how much damage do you think one of our WOLaR bombs would cause to that Denubbewa mothership?”

“I can’t say without knowing where the weapon would be detonated. I’ve heard their entire core is devoted to open space and is used as a haven for their destroyers, so if the bomb was planted there, you wouldn’t damage the mothership very much.”

“Suppose we wanted to hurt the mothership but not actually incapacitate it.”

“I suppose the best location for that would be where the destroyers reside inside the belly, Captain. I guess you’d call it their port or harbor. A WOLaR bomb dropped in the middle of their ships might damage or destroy the destroyers they’re transporting without harming the mothership’s engines, unless the destruction of the destroyers initiated a cascading effect that took out the mothership.”

“I concur. Helm, once that mothership stops, fly through it so we can map the interior.”

“Without dropping bombs, Captain?”

“Yes, we want to damage it but not destroy it. At least not yet.”

“We’re at war with the Denubbewa, Captain,” Caruthers said. “We should destroy it while we have the chance.”

“That was my first inclination, but I changed my mind when the Blenod attacked the destroyer. We’re outside G.A. space, so we can’t recover the remains of the mothership and the destroyers she’s carrying. That means that either the Blenod or the Clidepp Empire will, and we can’t afford to let either of them get their hands on Denubbewa technology because they’d probably learn too much from it. We especially want to make sure they don’t get any of the Dakinium. So, we want to seriously damage the mothership but not so much that it can’t head back to wherever it came from.”

“I agree, Captain,” Templeton said. “As much as I’d like to destroy them, we can’t allow their technology to fall into the hands of either the Clidepp Empire or the Blenod.”

“I agree as well, Captain,” Caruthers said, “now that I understand your reasoning. We mustn’t allow the Blenod or Clidepp military to get ahold of advanced technology as a result of our missteps.”

“The Denubbewa mothership has come to a halt near what’s left of the Denubbewa destroyer that the Blenod managed to overcome,” Templeton said.

“Okay, Helm, take us through that mothership slow enough so that all of our cameras get a good view.”

“Aye, Captain,” Caruthers said.

Over the next half hour, the Justice traveled through the mothership repeatedly. The cameras were synchronized with the envelope regenerations, so they got the best possible views as the small ship slipped in and out of the mothership.

“I’ve plotted the best course through the mothership for inflicting the maximum damage to their destroyers without damaging their ability to pilot their ship, assuming that secondary explosions from the destroyers don’t cause it,” Templeton said.

“Very good, Tac. Okay, Helm, use the course suggested by Tac and take us through. Tac will drop the WOLaR at the appropriate time, and then I want you to punch the throttle so we can view the explosion from outside.”

“Aye, Captain,” both officers said.

“I have the course, and I’m moving the ship at the suggested speed,” Caruthers said.

As the Justice entered the mothership and moved through the port, they saw activity everywhere. The cyborgs were recovering sections of the destroyer that had lost its brief war with the Blenod.

As Templeton said, “WOLaR away, Captain,” Caruthers tapped a contact spot on his console and the Justice bolted away, stopping a hundred kilometers outside the vessel to watch the detonation. The mothership was so large that they couldn’t have seen the entire ship on the bridge’s front monitor if they were any closer.

As the bridge crew watched, the mothership seemed to vibrate, but no large holes appeared in hull sections. A few destroyers that had been inside the mothership were blasted out into space through the open port entrance. Secondary explosions continued to shake the mothership for some time.

*

The last explosion within the mothership occurred some three hours and twelve minutes later. By then, space around the gargantuan ship was filled with debris and the bodies, or pieces of bodies, of Denubbewa cyborgs.

“I guess the excitement is over,” Sydnee said from her command chair.

Word had spread throughout the ship, and Lt. Colonel Dennier, Marine Captain Blade, and Lt. MacDonald had come to the bridge to see the show. At that point, Sydnee ordered that the image on the front monitor be made available throughout the ship. The com chief made an announcement to that effect, and everyone who wasn’t sacked out tuned in.

*

“Are you going to destroy the mothership?” Kelly asked Sydnee when it appeared the fireworks were over.

“No,” Sydnee said and then explained why not.

“That’s makes sense,” Lt. Colonel Dennier said. “We don’t want either the Blenod or the Clidepp Empire getting ahold of Denubbewa technology. What do you think will happen now?”

“I assume the Denubbewa will try to get their act together and limp back to wherever their base is in this part of space.”

“And what will we do now?” Marine Captain Blade asked.

“We’re a very long way from G.A. Regions Two and Three,” Sydnee responded. “I’d like to know where these Denubbewa came from. Did they travel through the G.A. to get here? If not, then what route did they follow? And are they establishing a base on this side of the G.A. so they can attack us on two fronts, or merely bypassing us with plans to arrogate the Clidepp and Blenod territories? As you see, I have lots of questions with no answers— yet.

“But first, I want to see how extensive the damage was. Helm, take us through the mothership again so we can take a look at the destruction. All cameras should be running, Tac.”

As the Justice entered the mothership, everyone not busy with some other chore was watching the vid screens. The destruction was horrendous.

“Holy Moly,” Caruthers said. “There’s nothing left of the destroyers that were in here except scrap metal. We creamed them.”

“That we did,” Sydnee said. “If anyone ever asks how powerful those WOLaR bombs are, you can tell them about the damage just one caused on this day.”

*

Following the briefing on the bridge with Sydnee, Lt. Colonel Dennier walked to the mess hall with Marine Captain Blade to get some coffee. As they took seats at an empty table after retrieving their java, Dennier said, “You seem to accept everything Lieutenant Marcola proposes without question. Do you honestly trust her judgment that much?”

“I trust her implicitly, Colonel.”

“Implicitly?” Dennier echoed.

“Implicitly. This is my third mission with Lieutenant Marcola, and your second. We’ve been in a lot of very difficult situations during the past missions. You know, I’ve always followed orders from superiors to the letter, but there have been times when I didn’t completely trust the judgment of a superior officer. However, I’ve learned to trust her judgment— implicitly. I’m not saying she can’t err— there are always things beyond our control that can go wrong at the last instant— but her response in such situations has always been spot on. So, if circumstances do suddenly change, I know she will— amazingly— immediately come up with the perfect response.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.”

“Glad?”

“Yes, because I feel the same way, and I was worried that I might be losing my sense of judgment. Knowing that I’m not the only one helps reinforce my self-confidence.”

“If it helps, I know Lieutenant MacDonald and the entire bridge crew, if not the entire ship’s crew, support Lieutenant Marcola without question. And it’s not just because they have to obey all orders from the ship’s captain but because they, too, trust her judgment completely. This mission, like the two previous missions Lt. Marcola commanded, is voluntary, and the only substitution was owed to a Marine breaking his arm the day before we left the Denver. I understand he pleaded with the medics to let him come because his arm would be healed before we reached Yolongus, but they refused because the regs require that a Marine be one hundred percent before being deployed on a mission. And there was no problem finding a substitute. I heard that so many Marines volunteered to fill the slot that they had to hold a lottery to see who got the seat, and the only ones allowed to toss their helmet into the ring had to be approved by their C.O. They know that these secret missions of the Justice are highly dangerous, but they also know that they’re vitally important and that Marcola is one of the best of the best, which is why she keeps being tapped for vital clandestine missions outside of the G.A. It’s become something of a special honor to be assigned to her command.”

Dennier chuckled before saying, “I’ve known she was a firecracker since our first meeting. She wasn’t intimidated by my superior rank, and she displayed a level of confidence that I expect to see only in someone of approximate equal rank and years of service. When we reached Yolongus, she left no doubt as to who was in command, and her performance was five by five. It culminated in freeing thousands of slaves and capturing the individuals responsible for murdering thousands of civilians attending a trade show in a space station in Earth orbit. She’s an amazing woman.”

“That she is, Colonel.”

*

For more than seven weeks, the Denubbewa mothership remained where it had been when the explosion rocked the ship and destroyed all the warships inside her port. It was assumed that secondary damage caused by the explosions from ships inside the port was responsible for the delay. Finally, the gargantuan ship began to move. It slowly turned to a new heading and then disappeared from visual range as full power was applied. Sensors on the Justice indicated that the Denubbewa vessel had departed the area at a speed of Light-480. The Justice, sheathed in a double-envelope and therefore completely invisible to the Denubbewa, followed along at a pace that matched that of the mothership.

Chapter Six

~ June 2nd, 2288 ~

It had only been a bit more than eleven months since the Justice had left the Denver back in the G.A., but it seemed like years. As the days passed, there was no clear indication of where the Denubbewa mothership was headed, but the Justice continued to follow along. Since the Denubbewa were limited to single-envelope travel, it felt to the crew of the Justice that they were traveling in slow motion.

“So where do you think they’re going?” Kelly MacDonald asked Sydnee as they sat in her office.

“Darned if I know, Kel. Presently, we’re headed towards unclaimed space that borders both the Clidepp Empire and the Aguspod territory.”

“Do you think they’ve established a base in that unclaimed area?”

“Perhaps. It could be the perfect place. And no one could dispute their right to be there. It doesn’t alter our response to their presence, though, since they’ve declared war on us. We’ll fight them and destroy them wherever we find them.”

“Have you informed Lidden?”

“Not yet. I’ve been hoping to have something a little more certain before I alert Space Command.”

“They know about the Blenod and the Denubbewa slugging it out, don’t they?”

“Not yet. I was hoping we’d know where the mothership is headed by now. I was ordered to keep communications to a minimum, so that’s what I’ve done.”

“Syd, you have to tell them. What if something was to happen to us? They’d have no idea where we are or what we’ve been doing.”

“I will tell them, Kel. I just want a little more information before I do.”

“More information? They should be alerted to the fact that the Blenod and the Denubbewa fought a pitched battle in Clidepp space, and the Denubbewa lost the first round. They should also know that we took out maybe a hundred Denubbewa destroyers when you ordered that attack on their mothership. Syd, that’s a lot of important information. Assuming the Denubbewa have established a base in unclaimed space and that the mothership is headed there, it’s going to take us six months or longer just to cross the Clidepp border at the speed we’re traveling. I never thought I’d think of five hundred times the speed of light as slow.”

“There’s nothing we can do about the slow speed. The Denubbewa only have single- envelope travel. But perhaps you’re right that I should alert someone in Space Command. I’ll send a message to Captain Lidden tomorrow and let him decide if anyone else should be alerted. It’ll take about three weeks for the message to reach the Denver, and probably the same for a reply— much longer if he wants to consult with Space Command HQ or SCI before responding. Hey, it’s chow time. Want to grab some lunch?”

* * *

“I received a Priority One message from Sydnee in the wee hours,” Captain Lidden said to his XO during their morning briefing a few weeks later.

“A Priority One message that concerns…?” Commander Bryant asked with a smile, and before Captain Lidden could reply, Bryant added, “I bet she’s bored out of her mind with that seeding project.”

“Actually not. She’s put the satellite project on the back burner.”

“Without authorization?”

“She has a new priority, and I support her dropping the satellite-seeding work.”

“This sounds serious. I can hardly wait to hear what she’s doing now.”

“She’s trailing a Denubbewa mothership— a mothership sheathed in Dakinium.”

Commander Bryant stared at Lidden for several seconds to determine if he was kidding. Then he repeated Lidden’s words slowly. “She’s tailing a Dakinium-sheathed Denubbewa mothership. Are you serious?” Bryant shook his head quickly before continuing. “Forget I said that. Of course, you’re serious. What’s a Denubbewa mothership doing in Clidepp space?”

“That’s the question she’s attempting to answer. After I read her message, I sent a priority message to SHQ. I included a copy of the proof she sent.”

“What kind of proof?”

“You’re going to love this. She flew the Justice through the Denubbewa mothership, just as she did with the Blenod warships around Yolongus, and dropped a WOLaR.”

“Just one? I thought it takes three or more to destroy a Denubbewa mothership.”

“She expected that to be the case. She says she wanted to damage them severely while not completely destroying the mothership. She didn’t want either the Clidepp military or the Blenod to salvage the ship and gain access to the advanced science.”

“Smart move. So how badly was the mothership damaged?”

“They dropped the WOLaR right in the middle of the Denubbewa warships that were housed inside the mothership’s hull. The bomb and subsequent explosions aboard the destroyers totally annihilated all the ships there but left the mothership’s hull and propulsion system basically intact. The Denubbewa then spent weeks repairing internal damage, and they’re now traveling towards an unknown destination.”

“And the Justice just happened across a mothership sitting in Clidepp space?”

“It seems that they were dropping off a satellite when they DeTected a ship entering their periphery. As it moved closer, they realized it was a Denubbewa destroyer. She included a file of recorded imagery with the message.”

“Wait a minute. You just said it was a mothership.”

“They encountered the destroyer first. Rather than immediately destroying the Denubbewa vessel, Sydnee decided to see what the ship was up to, so she ordered her helmsman to tail it. When it stopped, so did the Justice. They sat there for a few weeks, waiting for something to happen, and it finally did. A convoy of Blenod ships arrived. Sydnee thought it might be a prearranged meeting, but then the Blenod attacked the Denubbewa destroyer. The Blenod ships, some twenty-one in total, took heavy losses, but they had the advantage in numbers and managed to cripple the Denubbewa ship, which then appeared to activate a self- destruct charge that destroyed the entire ship.

“The Blenod hung around for a few weeks, making repairs to their damaged ships, until another Denubbewa ship arrived. But this time it was a Denubbewa mothership, and the Blenod wisely chose to leave the area. That’s when Sydnee decided to plant the WOLaR in the mothership. And as I said, it did enough damage that it took weeks before the mothership was ready to depart the area. The Justice then began to tail the mothership to see where it was going. That’s where we stand now.”

“So, the question is: What were the Denubbewa doing in Clidepp space?” Commander Bryant said.

“And just as important, where are they presently headed? Sydnee has taken the right actions— first by not destroying the mothership and now for following it. I sent her a message that she should continue what she’s doing while SHQ decides what it wants us to do.”

* * *

Sydnee was asleep when a Priority One message arrived from SCI. She jumped out of her bunk, pulled on a robe, and acknowledged receipt of the message to the com chief on duty. Then she rubbed her eyes before submitting to the retinal scan and settling into her office chair to view the message. The image of Captain Salido from SCI appeared on the monitor, and his voice began to emanate from the overhead speaker.

“Lieutenant, you made the correct decision when you avoided serious damage to the Denubbewa mothership’s propulsion. It was not only important to prevent both the Blenod and Clidepp military from gaining access to advanced technology, but by leaving the Denubbewa with propulsion, you’ve provided an opportunity to follow them to a base or assembly area for Denubbewa ships. It’s imperative that we learn where that mothership is headed. Disregard any instructions you have regarding satellite seeding and any orders you may have received regarding reporting schedules with Captain Lidden. I want you to send us a position report, course, and speed verification every seventy-two hours, plus information regarding any course corrections, however slight, as soon as they occur. Include a detailed report of any sightings of other ships, regardless of their nation, but if they’re on the fringe of your DeTect system’s range and unidentifiable, do not alter course. We want you to have eyes on that mothership at all times. Captain Lidden will receive a copy of this transmission, so he’ll be aware of the changes in your orders. Good work, Lieutenant Marcola. Carry on.”

* * *

“This is a boring duty assignment,” Kelly said to Sydnee as they sat in her office. “I thought seeding satellites was bad. This is ten times worse.”

“I agree, Kel,” Sydnee said. “But what can we do? These Denubbewa ships seem limited to about Light-480. Our Light-9793.48 is more than seventeen times faster, so I guess we’ve gotten spoiled.”

“Have you heard anything about Space Command adopting the engine modifications you discovered a few years back?”

“Not yet. They probably want to make sure it’s absolutely safe before they adopt it, if they even do.”

“If they adopt it?”

“They won’t adopt it if there’s a potential danger. We might simply have gotten lucky when we used its capability to get back to G.A. space. Remember, we broke down a second time while we were still on the Clidepp side of the border. We were dead in space until we were rescued by the Denver’s CPS. I’m sure the experts want to be as certain as possible that our vessels wouldn’t lose propulsion during an engagement with an enemy. If one did, it could result in the loss of our ship and its crew.”

“Yes, you’re right. And even if we had that speed now, it wouldn’t help us. In fact, it might make us feel even worse if we knew we could travel twenty-six times faster than the Denubbewa speed we’re currently limited to.”

“We’ll just have follow along to see where the Denubbewa mothership is going.”

“But we’ve already been following them for twenty-three months, Syd. How much longer will it take them to get to wherever they’re headed?”

“I wish I could tell you, Kel, but I can’t. SCI wants us to follow them, so we’ll follow them.”

“How long can we go without resupplying food and other essentials?” Kelly asked.

“The satellite-seeding task was supposed to take two and a half years, so the food allocation was sufficient for five years, just in case we ran into any problems or delays. But I requested that the food and other supplies be doubled since we were going to be in hostile territory a very long way from the G.A. for the entire mission. Captain Lidden approved my request. He also gave us the extra habitat containers so we’d have plenty of room for exercising or whatever.”

“Or whatever? Does that mean he’s expecting you to bring back slaves?”

“No, he made it crystal clear that under no circumstances was I to bring back any slaves this trip.”

Kelly laughed. “What happens if you do?”

“I don’t know, and I’m not going to find out. I mean that. I do.”

“Everyone knows how you feel about slavery, Syd. We all share your mindset that slavery is evil and must be eliminated, but you’re fanatical about it.” With a smile she added, “We’ll see if you can resist bringing a shipload of former slaves home now that you’ve helped free them.”

“I want them all to be free, but I can’t help them if I lose my position and rank. So, I’m going to follow my orders and let others recover the slaves now that the Clidepp Empire has declared slavery illegal, even if they don’t enforce the law. I have to wonder what the government would do if they received a report about escaped slaves. We know from personal experience that there are SCI operatives on Clidepp Empire planets, so they’ll be the primary force now in seeing that the slaves are really freed. And, of course, there’s the Aleoxlene Reqoppl, which in Amer means Darkness Flows. But I like Winston’s nickname for them. Moonlight Brigade sounds so much more effective and gives a sense of military organization. I’m sure they’ll be working to make sure all the slaves are freed.”

* * *

“Any word from Sydnee?” Commander Bryant asked during his morning update meeting with Captain Lidden.

“I haven’t heard from her in months, but SCI sends me an update once each month to notify me that with their three-day update requirement, they’re still in almost constant contact, even if it takes weeks for each message from Sydnee to reach SCI, and that all is well. All I know about the situation with the Denubbewa mothership is that the Justice has crossed over the Clidepp border and is now in unclaimed space.”

“I wonder why the Blenod chose to attack the Clidepp Empire rather than simply laying claim to some of that unclaimed space.”

“I imagine the opportunity to take over a nation where mining operations are in full production, and factories & industrial complexes are already built, was more attractive to the top government people than having to start from scratch on new planets.”

“You’re probably right, sir, even if it did mean they’d lose part of their space fleet.”

“SCI said, after a review of the imagery provided by the Justice, that the Blenod weren’t losing very many ships until Sydnee decided to play the role of spoiler in order to get the Yolongus Triumvirate to declare slavery illegal. If Syd hadn’t involved herself, the Blenod would almost assuredly have arrogated the Clidepp Empire by now.”

“She must be making quite a name for herself among the people in a position to know of her accomplishments.”

“She deserves it,” Lidden said. “We got lucky when she was mistakenly assigned to this command instead of being ordered to report to Admiral Carver’s command.”

“I’d love to know what the story is with the Blenod attack on the Denubbewa destroyer. They had to know the Denubbewa vessel was just sitting there in space. Did they have a planned meeting, or did they somehow intercept a message that the Denubbewa were to meet a mothership at that location?”

“I’d probably lean towards a planned meeting because the Blenod showed up with twenty-one ships. Their ship speed is so slow compared to the Denubbewa ships that it would have been difficult to get a task force of that size to the location in time to attack the destroyer.”

“Unless they just happened to have the task force sitting nearby,” Bryant said.

“There’s nothing nearby in that location, except one tiny mining colony. I was surprised that SCI wanted a spy satellite seeded there but assumed they were just looking for complete coverage as long as the Justice had to pass through that solar system.”

“What do they mine there?”

“I have no idea, other than I know it’s not Dakinium.”

“That’s for sure, since Dakinium doesn’t occur naturally. I understand that our scientists really struggled to reproduce the metal Admiral Carver discovered on Mawcett.”

“I wonder how many scientists around this galaxy are presently trying to replicate Dakinium. We know the Raiders have been trying, but it’s our most closely guarded secret. I heard that SCI has an undercover force dedicated solely to ensuring that no one outside of the military ever gets the formula or a sample piece of Dakinium that would allow them to experiment and possibly reverse engineer the metal. But— no secret remains a secret forever. That’s why our scientists and engineers work so hard to keep us on the bleeding edge of advanced technology and science, and why our ships’ officers and crews are always looking for ways to improve our performance. We can never let down our guard.”

* * *

“We’ve got the preliminary report on the number of slaves that have been freed,” Danttan said to Plelillo in the closed meeting being held in Plelillo’s office.

“I can guess what the report shows, but tell us anyway,” Plelillo said.

“To date, it appears that just sixteen point four three six percent of Terran slaves have actually been freed.”

“Sixteen percent,” Plelillo echoed. “If Captain Kidd learns about this, he might come back and destroy this entire city.”

“We should move elsewhere,” Mewaffal said.

“Kidd seems to know everything we do,” Plelillo said. “If we moved, Kidd would know where to find us. We’re dealing with a very advanced culture. They might be five thousand annuals ahead of the G.A.”

“We can’t just end slavery,” Danttan said. “Our total economy would collapse. We have to do it gradually.”

“And if Captain Kidd comes back and decides we’re not making an honest effort?”

“Well— first we show we’ve stopped all programs that were used to procreate new slaves. Every slave farm has been shut down.”

“That’s a good first step. What about the females who were pregnant but hadn’t yet delivered?”

“We’ve turned them over to the Citizen Services Department in each city,” Danttan said. “But now those departments are demanding a budget increase to handle their increased costs.”

“Give them a one-year, ten percent increase of their budget to cover the estimated increased costs for the unplanned female patients. That should give them double their actual increased costs. They’ll just have less for personal issues. What else?”

“The industrial complexes say it will take twenty years to free all slaves and replace them with free citizens. They believe they should be able to replace up to five percent of the current workforce each year with free citizen workers.”

“How about if we call the slaves ‘indentured citizens’ and require them to stay until their— previous living costs— have been repaid? Tell them they’ll now receive free room and board, and a minor weekly stipend for personal use, with five percent of their previous living costs being amortized annually until the total amount has been paid. At that time, they’ll be free to leave.”

“That’s pretty lame,” Danttan said. “Do you really think Captain Kidd will buy it?”

“We’re doing our best to accomplish this without sending our economy into a nosedive. There are no easy solutions. If the economy collapses, the indentured servants will suffer along with everyone else.” Plelillo sighed before saying, “Every time I think of Captain Kidd, I imagine he’s watching us right now. We really don’t know that he isn’t listening. The way he destroyed those Blenod ships scares the heck out of me. It shows us what kind of power they have. Without even showing his presence, he utterly destroyed eighteen Blenod ships. If we had that kind of power, we could rule this entire galaxy.”

“Careful, he might be listening and decide he’s backed the wrong team. He said all they want is peace and freedom for all in the galaxy.”

“I’d love to know where he comes from and what race he represents.”

“I doubt we’ll ever know. They’re giants, and compared to them—in their words—we’re primitives. Isn’t that what Kidd said? Uh— you no longer hold it against them that they took your son and turned him over to the G.A.?”

“I’m not happy about it, but I’ve realized they actually did me a favor. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. The rebels were a serious threat to this government, and in the end, I probably would have either had to issue orders for my son’s death, or at the very least imprison him for life. If not, he surely would have tried to kill us. It’s been difficult accepting that Captain Kidd actually did me a favor because now my son can’t blame me for his punishment. The G.A. has banned capital punishment, so he’ll probably be imprisoned for life, as he should be for murdering thousands of innocent children and adults attending a trade show. It was unconscionable. Even I would never have ordered such an act.”

Chapter Seven

~ September 2nd, 2290 ~

“Captain to the bridge,” Sydnee heard as she was drying her hands after washing. She dropped the towel on the sink in her lavatory and turned in one quick movement. In less than six seconds, she was entering the bridge. “Sitrep,” she said to the officer sitting in the command chair.

It was 0716 hours, Galactic System Time, just forty-four minutes before the end of the third watch, and Lt.(jg) Glenn Russo had been the bridge commander since midnight.

“The mothership has stopped. I’ve ordered the Justice to stop as well.”

“Where are we?” Looking up at the front monitor, she said, “I don’t see anything except the mothership and really distant stars.”

“There’s nothing here. The Denubbewa just stopped. We weren’t expecting it, so we had to turn and come back.”

“Nav, where are we?” Sydnee said to the navigation officer.

“We’re in the middle of nowhere, Captain. The nearest solar system is at least twelve light-years away, and the planets in that system are reported to be uninhabitable and unoccupied, as are most of the systems within fifty light-years, so it’s easy to understand why this area of space is unclaimed. We’re well outside both the Clidepp Empire and Aguspod space.”

“Tac, are there any other ships on the DeTect?”

“Negative, Captain,” the Tac officer said as he looked down at his screens. “Unless there are other ships with Dakinium sheathing, we’re alone out here with the mothership.”

“The Denubbewa must intend to meet someone here,” Sydnee said. “Okay, Lieutenant,” Sydnee said to Russo, “I’ll be back to relieve you after I have breakfast.”

“Aye, Captain.”

*

“Any change, Lieutenant?” Sydnee asked Russo when she returned to the bridge.

“Negative, Captain.”

“Okay. You’re relieved.”

Sydnee sat down in the command chair and stared at the large monitor at the bow as Russo left the bridge. After following the mothership for years, they were now once again sitting idle as they observed it. They’d passed out of Clidepp space, and Sydnee— and no doubt SCI— had expected that the Justice would be led to a Denubbewa base, or at the very least a Denubbewa assembly area.

* * *

After several days of no observable activity by the mothership, the port doors suddenly opened and small Denubbewa tugs began dragging pieces of broken destroyers out of the hull. They quickly established four separate areas for the scrap and arranged the damaged ship sections based on the severity and possible usefulness of the ship pieces. Then, in the days that followed, they began working around the clock to build/rebuild ships from the scrap. Their tenacity could almost be admired, until it was remembered that they were little more than machines.

* * *

“After following that Denubbewa mothership for two years and three months, they suddenly decide to stop and repair the ships we destroyed in their belly,” Kelly said angrily to Sydnee as they sat in Sydnee’s office. “I was hoping they’d lead us to a secret base so we could destroy a lot more of them.”

“This location is important,” Sydnee said. “I don’t yet know why it’s important, but I feel it in my bones. Something is going to happen here— something important— something very important. I don’t think they’d have traveled for twenty-seven months just to stop now and attempt to make repairs on their destroyers.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, but we’re going to sit here until we either learn or run out of food.”

“Run out of food? Are we that low?”

“No. We have enough for about seven more years.”

“Seven years? You intend to sit here for seven more years?”

“I don’t think we’ll be here that long.”

“So why do you think the Denubbewa came here?”

“I suspect this might be an assembly area and the future location of a forward base. They probably have ships headed to this location from every direction imaginable.”

“But why here? There’s nothing within a light-year of this location.”

“Possibly they intend to amass here for an attack on Region One of the G.A.”

“The G.A.? The G.A. is on the other side of Aguspod space, and we’re a hundred light- years away from the Aguspod border.”

“That’s true, but I doubt the Denubbewa fear the Aguspod, so they’ll probably fly right through their space on a direct path to Earth.”

“Earth isn’t the center for Space Command and the Space Marine Corps anymore. That’s been moved to Quesann.”

“Yes, but Earth is still a prime target. It’s home to our most important educational academies, plus multiple bases. It’s second only to Quesann as a primary target.”

“I can’t see it.”

“An attack on Earth would draw every Space Command vessel in Region One.” Sydnee took a deep breath and then released it slowly before adding, “I could be wrong, but we’ll stay here awhile and see if anything develops.”

* * *

Months later, Sydnee was awakened to an urgent “Captain to the bridge” message via her CT. She jumped out of her bunk, pulled on her uniform, and headed for the bridge without even checking her appearance in a mirror.

“Sitrep,” Sydnee said in an urgent voice as she entered the bridge.

“Three more Denubbewa ships just arrived. They’re all destroyers.”

“Well, the party may be about to begin.”

“Party, Captain?” Lt.(jg) Ross said.

“They’re gathering for something, and I suspect it’s something big. We might know soon enough, but it may be quite awhile before they feel ready to begin whatever they have planned. I’m going back to my bunk. I’ll see you at the end of your watch unless something else happens.”

“I’m sorry to have interrupted your sleep, Captain.”

“You took the right action. I expect you to alert me again if such a change in the status quo occurs. I’ll see you in a few hours. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Captain.”

* * *

“Lt. Marcola reports that several Denubbewa destroyers have arrived at the location where their mothership chose to stop and work on restoring some of their destroyed ships,” Captain Salido said to Admiral Kincaid when he reported to the admiral's office after requesting a meeting.

“Just several destroyers?”

“That’s what she reports.”

“That doesn’t seem to alter the situation very much.”

“No, sir. Since we have no idea why the Denubbewa chose to assemble in this location, I’m allowing Lt. Marcola to manage the situation. She’s displayed remarkable judgment in the past, so I feel it’s best she makes the calls given the enormous distances involved. Even with IDS communications, we’re talking about weeks for a message to travel each way.”

“Yes, communication times are a problem. Very well, keep me informed.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

“Any word from Sydnee?” Commander Bryant asked during their morning update.

“Not from Sydnee, but I’ve received the usual monthly report from SCI. They say that all is well, and that the Justice is watching an enemy ship as it attempts to repair damage caused by the Justice.”

“The Denubbewa mothership?”

“I assume that’s what they’re referring to.”

“It’s hard to believe they’ve been gone almost three years.”

“Yes. But I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished. They’ve been monitoring that Denubbewa mothership, and while the duty isn’t exciting, it’s important. At some point the Denubbewa will be ready to strike at us again, and the surveillance work by the Justice could mean we’re much better prepared for whatever they have planned.”

“I’m just glad I’m not aboard the Justice. The crew must be going crazy with the inactivity.”

“That’s where a good captain is most needed. He or she keeps the crew active and allows them little time to think about the boredom. I’m sure Sydnee has them performing equipment checks, maintenance work, and training activities rather than allowing them to simply wallow in their bunks.”

“When they finalize this mission, will they be reporting back to the Denver?”

“I believe so. Why do you ask?”

“Because we’ve received replacements for all the crewmembers assigned to the Justice.”

“It was necessary. We were shorthanded before they deployed on that mission, and their absence put an even greater strain on us. I’m glad we got those extra people. Whether the crew of the Justice will return to us or be reassigned elsewhere, I can’t say. But I can say I’d hate to lose them. They’re some of the best we have.”

* * *

“I’m sorry, sir,” the communications officer said to the prime minister. “We’ve been trying for days but we’ve been unable to contact Captain Kidd on the frequency he used in the past.”

“Dammit,” Gustallo Plelillo said to his two Triumvirate associates as he paced around his office. “He must be out there somewhere. He’s probably watching everything that’s going on. I don’t understand why he won’t respond.”

“Perhaps he’s unhappy with us because we haven’t moved quickly enough with freeing all the slaves,” Weislis Danttan said. “He might be trying to decide whether to punish us or not.”

“What percentage of slaves has been freed?”

“According to the latest information we’ve received from the officers charged with overseeing the effort on each planet where slaves are or have been, the percentage freed is now almost twenty-two percent.”

“Twenty-two percent?” Plelillo repeated. “Twenty-two percent?” he said again much louder. “I’m sure I wouldn’t be happy with that if I’d been promised that all slaves would be freed. We’ll be lucky if Kidd doesn’t attack us and replace the government.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about the Blenod anymore,” Kurrost Mewaffal offered. “They’ve apparently abandoned all their bases in our space and returned across the border.”

“What about that space battle you reported?”

“We still don’t know what happened just outside the Veroost Nebula. According to rumors from salvagers, someone destroyed eight or more Blenod ships. They say there are pieces spread out over ten thousand kilometers of space.”

“It had to be Kidd,” Plelillo said. “No one else is capable of destroying Blenod ships like that.”

“Or possibly a ship captained by another member of Kidd’s race,” Danttan said. “The salvagers who came across the wreckage of the Blenod ships say they also found fragments that represent very advanced technology. I’ve ordered my teams to collect all such fragments so we can analyze them.”

“I can’t believe a Blenod ship might have been able to destroy a ship from Kidd’s race,” Plelillo said. “No,” he said forcefully after a brief pause, “it must have been some other race. Perhaps Kidd, or one of his race, found the Blenod working with some other advanced race and decided that, in the interests of peace, they must all be destroyed. I don’t have to tell you how powerful Kidd is. You were here when he destroyed the Blenod ships that were attacking us. We never saw or DeTected anything other than the Blenod ships. We know Space Command is using black ships to hide in the blackness of space, but even they couldn’t pull off a feat like that.”

“So, what do we do?” Danttan asked.

“I don’t know. If Kidd would contact us, I’d try to make him understand that we’re doing the best we can with freeing the slaves while trying to ensure that our economy doesn’t collapse. That would hurt the slaves as much as it would the general population.”

“Perhaps we should approach the G.A.,” Mewaffal said.

“And tell them what?”

“Not to tell them anything but to ask about forming a closer political relationship. Now that we’ve outlawed all slavery, they might be amenable to an improved diplomatic relationship— perhaps a mutual defense agreement.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Danttan said. “The G.A. is so far ahead of us from a technological perspective that they’d laugh at any such proposal we made. If they were ever attacked and couldn’t easily handle the attackers, we wouldn’t have a chance. And if we invited them here, they might take over our empire.”

“How will we know unless we try? They’ve established diplomatic relations with other, less sophisticated governments, such as the Gondusans, and the Hudeerac Order, both of whom foolishly joined the Uthlaro in their effort to arrogate the G.A.’s Region Three.”

“Yes,” Plelillo said as he nodded thoughtfully. “Any other nation would have absorbed all of the defeated enemy’s territory into their own after the enemy surrendered.”

“On second thought,” Danttan said, “pursuing improved diplomatic relations with the G.A. might be worthwhile if for no other reason than as a way to improve our relationship with the race represented by Captain Kidd if the G.A. has diplomatic relations with them. Perhaps we should have our diplomats use their secret contacts within the G.A. in an effort to learn what they can about this mysterious, all-powerful race. And perhaps improved contact with the G.A. will help us improve our military vessels. It’s common knowledge that some of their freight-haulers and passenger-liner companies are working to adopt new technology that will give them speeds as high as Light-450. We could triple the top speed of our military vessels.”

“We don’t need the G.A. to improve our own military vessels,” Mewaffal said. “I’m sure the Raiders would be happy to sell that technology for a price. They’d sell their mothers if anyone wanted to buy them.”

“We could probably get the technology for free from the freight and passenger-liner companies if we allowed them to travel in Clidepp space at the higher speeds,” Danttan said. “Faster travel speeds would mean they could deliver their freight loads quicker and save on employee payroll costs.”

“Forget about the faster speeds for now,” Plelillo said. “Right now, we need to find out what happened near the Veroost Nebula, and we must also reestablish contact with Captain Kidd.”

* * *

“Captain?” Sydnee heard as she sat in her command chair and stared at the image on the large bow monitor.

“Yes, Chief, what is it?” she asked the com chief on duty.

“Ma’am, I’m picking up signals on the frequency we used to contact the leadership on Yolongus.”

“What kind of signals, Chief?”

“They’re calls for Captain Kidd.”

“Kidd?”

“Aye, Captain. The prime minister is trying to make contact with you.”

“Let me hear them, Chief.”

The signals began playing through the overhead speakers.

After listening to the recorded data, Sydnee said, “That’s the prime minister alright, but we’re too far away to hold a conversation. Record a reply, Chief.”

“Aye, Captain, whenever you’re ready.”

“Prime Minister, this is Captain Kidd. I’ve received your hail, but I’m not presently in or even near Clidepp Empire space. I’m presently about eleven billion light-years from your border. I’ll contact you when I return to your space to ensure you’ve freed all the slaves as you promised. Captain Kidd, out. Send that, Chief, after matching the voice that was used for the original contact.”

“Aye, Captain.”

* * *

“Prime Minister, we’ve finally received a response from Captain Kidd,” the communication center officer said.

“Put him through, Colonel.”

“He’s not calling, sir. It’s a recorded message.”

“Then play it.”

“Aye, sir. Here it is.”

After listening to the message, the Prime Mister said, “Colonel, do you know which direction the message came from?”

“All we know is that it was first picked up by a distant communications satellite in the Sebeen-96 sector. Directional information indicates that it had to come from well outside our territory. It had to come from unclaimed space, or…”

“Or what?”

“Or from another galaxy. Possibly eleven billion light-years away, as Kidd says.”

“Eleven billion light-years,” the prime minister repeated.

“It’s possible, sir.”

“That’s all, Colonel.”

Plelillo thought about the message as he paced around his office. The distance was almost unbelievable, but for Kidd’s race, it might simply be a day trip. “Another galaxy,” he kept repeating over and over as he paced. Finally, he stopped and, with a look of satisfaction, said aloud, “No, Kidd has to be in unclaimed space. That has to be where Kidd’s base is located. But why there? There’s nothing of importance or value there.” Then, as if he’d suddenly had a revelation, he said, “Kidd’s race must have the ability to somehow mask their presence, just as he masked his presence when he attacked those Blenod ships. Perhaps they can even hide planets— or entire solar systems. They are truly powerful.”

* * *

“Captain to the bridge,” Sydnee heard as she worked on a report in her office during the second watch. Within seconds she was on the bridge and approaching the command chair where her XO, Lieutenant(jg) Jerry Weems, was seated.

“What is it, XO?”

“There’s something going on with those three Denubbewa destroyers. They haven’t moved for months, but now all three are moving.”

Sydnee turned to look at the front monitor and stared at the image before saying, “They’re not moving very quickly, but they are definitely moving.”

“They just seem to be changing positions. What do you think it means?”

“I have no idea at this point. It’s obvious they’re not just maneuvering so they have a clear path to go FTL. It’s very strange.”

The entire bridge crew was now staring at the bow monitor. Since the Justice was sheathed in a double-envelope and hadn’t moved in many months, there was nothing to do to prepare for whatever the Denubbewa intended to do. The tac officer was the only one who occasionally let her eyes drop to her monitors as she scanned the data they provided before looking back up at the bow monitor.

Several minutes after the ships had begun moving, they fired their thrusters to halt them in new positions. The area between them now formed an enormous equiangular triangle, or three-sided regular polygon.

“The ships are all perfectly stationary again, Captain,” the tac officer said.

Looking towards the tac officer, Sydnee said, “Tac, do you see any reason for their repositioning?”

“Negative, ma’am. Before, they were almost aligned side by side. They’re still in the same basic configuration, but now there’s a tremendous amount of open space between them. The three sides created by their repositioning are almost precisely equal in length.

“Something’s happening, Captain,” the helmsman said.

Sydnee shifted her gaze back to the monitor.

“One ship seems to be glowing,” the navigation officer said.

“It appears that way to me as well,” the engineering officer said.

“Yes, I see it,” Sydnee said. “Anybody know what that means? Is it a weapon? Can they see us?”

“We’re out of phase,” the tac officer said, “so it’s doubtful they know we’re here.”

“If they could see us, wouldn’t they have attacked us before this?” XO Weems said. “Or at least investigated the anomaly?”

“That would seem like the most logical action,” Sydnee said.

“The glow seems to be reaching out to the other two ships,” the tac officer said.

“But what does it mean?” Sydnee said. “If anyone has any ideas or speculation, speak up. I’ve read everything about them that’s come my way, but I’ve had no contact with the Denubbewa until we encountered them in Clidepp space. I’ve certainly never heard or read anything about their ships glowing.”

No one offered any ideas or suggestions. The bridge crew just continued to watch the glow brighten around the one ship and intensify as glowing tendrils of bright light reached out towards the other two ships.

As the glowing threads reached the other two destroyers, those ships also began to glow, as if the condition, like a disease, was catching. As their glow intensified, a soft glow began to develop in the area between the three destroyers.

“Do you think it’s a self-destruct mechanism?” the com chief said aloud.

“They haven’t been attacked,” the tac officer said, “so there’s no reason to self- destruct.”

“I don’t like the looks of this,” Sydnee said. “I dislike unexplained phenomena like this.”

“If they get much brighter, we may not be able to see any detail,” the navigation officer said.

“Engineering, can you adjust the brightness on the monitor so we can see the ships better?”

“Aye, Captain,” the engineer said as the tapped a few points on his console.

As the engineer made the adjustment, the three ships became much easier to see, but space around them darkened, and most of the stars disappeared.

“That’s enough,” Sydnee said. “We can see the ships clearly again.”

“Aye, Captain.”

The ships continued to glow, but the light no longer intensified as the bridge crew of the Justice looked on.

Suddenly, the bow of a moving ship appeared in the center of the triangular area between the three glowing destroyers. Within seconds they could identify it as being the bow of a Denubbewa destroyer. Only the part of the ship that had so far passed through the glow was visible.

“Where’d that come from?” Sydnee asked. “Tac, did you DeTect that ship’s approach? Was that destroyer on any of your screens?”

“Negative, Captain.”

“It’s still growing,” the helmsman said.

They watched as the new destroyer continued to emerge from the shimmering surface of the three-sided regular polygon until it was wholly visible. Then, suddenly, another destroyer began to emerge from the glowing triangular shape.

“There’s another one,” Sydnee said. “Tac, where are these new ships coming from?”

“I don’t know, Captain. They just seem to be materializing out of thin air.”

“That’s impossible,” the navigation officer said.

Chapter Eight

~ November 2nd, 2292 ~

“Maybe not,” Sydnee said. “We’ve heard speculation that the Denubbewa can transmit matter and cyborgs between two very distant points. Perhaps now they’ve developed the ability to transmit ships. I’m sure the ships aren’t materializing out of nothingness, but they might be rematerializing from a dematerialized ship transmitted to this location. In any event, we’re not going to just sit here while they build an entire fleet around us. So far, they might just be testing a new system. Let’s shut them down before they start bringing motherships already filled with destroyers. Tac, prepare the WOLaR bombs. Helm, put us inside the destroyer that first starting glowing.”

“Aye, Captain,” both officers said.

The helmsman was not as proficient with precision positioning as Lt.(jg) Caruthers, but after several attempts he managed to position the Justice inside the stern of the destroyer that had first started glowing.

“Tac, drop the bomb,” Sydnee said. “Helm, take us to each of the other destroyers. Start with the two that were glowing.”

In just over ten minutes, all five destroyers had been literally blasted out of existence. One WOLaR wasn’t enough to kill a mothership but was more than enough to obliterate a destroyer.

“Good job,” Sydnee said.

“Do we destroy the mothership now, Captain?” the tac officer asked.

“Let’s watch and see what they do.”

Over the next few hours, small tugs from the mothership moved to where the five destroyers had been and recovered small parts of the ships. They were small parts because that was all that was left of the ships after the WOLaR bombs had detonated.

“Why do you think they’re bothering?” Weems asked Sydnee.

“Perhaps they’re trying to determine what happened by collecting pieces of the ship. We’d do the same thing if five of our ships suddenly exploded and we had no idea why.”

“Yeah, I guess. So what now? Do we stay here and destroy every ship that rematerializes?”

“I’m going to prepare a full report and send it to SCI. I’ll request permission to just destroy the mothership and then head home.”

“What about the minister?”

“Oh, right. I’d forgotten about him. I guess we’ll have to drop him off first.”

“I heard some scuttlebutt that he doesn’t want to go home.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He says that his marriage was having problems, and by now his wife has probably remarried. He says he’d like to become a citizen of the G.A.”

“That complicates things. I’m glad you told me. I’ll talk with him and include that information in my report to SCI.”

* * *

Six weeks later, a response from SCI finally arrived.

“Attention crew of the Justice,” Sydnee said on ship-wide broadcast. “I’ve just received a response from Space Command regarding my request that we be allowed to destroy the mothership we’ve been babysitting for five years and return home. They’ve informed me that they don’t want us to leave our post just yet, but— they also say that a small force of Space Command vessels has been under way to this location for months. Once they arrive, our combined forces will attempt to commandeer the mothership, destroying it only as a last resort. We will then be allowed to head for home. I don’t have a timetable yet, but at least we know it should happen in the next few months. The reason the ships are taking so long to get here is because they’re coming from Region Two and won’t be passing through either Clidepp space or Aguspod space so neither government can claim any salvage rights to the ship, or whatever pieces remain if we can’t take it intact. That is all. Carry on.”

Within three minutes, Kelly MacDonald was at Sydnee’s door. Sydnee opened it as soon as Kelly was announced.

“Is it true? Are we going home?”

Sydnee smiled and said, “You don’t think your captain would lie to her crew, do you?”

“Of course not! I just want to make sure I didn’t imagine it.”

“Oh, okay,” Sydnee said with a smile. “Then yes, it’s true.”

“How soon?”

“Months, but not years.”

“Why months?”

“The vessels are coming from the vicinity of Quesann in Region Two. They had to travel through Region Three until they reached unclaimed space and then skirt around Aguspod space. It takes a lot more time than if they could take a direct route.”

“Why don’t they just come direct? They’re not dragging any enemy ships while traveling to meet up with us here. While sheathed in a double-envelope, no one would even be aware of their passage.”

“I don’t know, Kel. Perhaps it has something to do with salvage laws, or treaties, or— something. The important thing is that they are already on their way. It’s hard to believe that it’s only been five years since we left the Denver. It seems like twenty.”

“More like thirty to me,” MacDonald said with a smile.

“Well, this mission is almost over.”

“You’re sure?”

“What do you mean?”

“We still have almost an entire cargo of spy satellites on board.”

“No, they wouldn’t do that to us.”

“I certainly hope not, but I wouldn’t be so sure. And even if they do allow us to return to the Denver, won’t they just send us back out again after we get our batteries recharged?”

“Kel, I was feeling real good until you got here.”

McDonald laughed. “Sorry, Syd. I guess I’m just a hopeless pessimist.”

“I think you’ve spent too much time training with your people.”

“I have to keep them sharp. We don’t work any harder than Major Blade and his people.”

“I guess the air wing has it the easiest. They just sit in their simulators and practice bombing and attack flights.”

“Lt. Colonel Dennier doesn’t let them off that easy. They have to keep their bodies fit, so she keeps them working out on the running tracks. It’s not all playtime in the simulators.”

“I know. I was joking.”

“I wonder how many slaves have returned to the G.A.”

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough. I wonder how many have opted to stay in the Clidepp Empire.”

“Do you really think any of them would?”

“Many were born there, and it’s the only place they’ve ever lived. Now that slavery has been outlawed, some may opt to stay.”

“I guess we’ll find out if they have any loyalty towards a government that kept them enslaved.”

* * *

“Captain, we’re being hailed by the GSC Destroyer Lubbock, the com chief said. “It’s commanded by Captain Sheila Buscatti.”

“Put it on my CT, Chief.”

“Aye, Captain. You’re live.”

“This is Lieutenant Marcola of the GSC CPS-14 Justice.”

“This is Captain Sheila Buscatti of the GSC Destroyer Lubbock. We’re here to relieve you, Lieutenant.”

“Excuse me, Captain. Relieve us?”

“Affirmative. My com chief is ready to send you destination coordinates where the rest of the task force is waiting.”

“You’re ordering me to proceed to that location, Captain?”

“Affirmative, Lieutenant. Depart as soon as possible. We’ll arrive in your vicinity in a few minutes to take over your surveillance duties and keep a close eye on the Denubbewa mothership.”

“Aye, Captain. We’ll be ready to depart in ten minutes. I have to give my crew time to stow loose objects and prepare for the trip.”

“Understood, Lieutenant. Carry on.”

“Marcola, out,” Sydnee said to close her CT connection. “Com, broadcast the ‘make ready for action’ message to the crew.”

“Aye, Captain, broadcasting the message.”

Throughout the ship, crewmembers immediately began stowing loose gear as the message played twice. Inertial compensators and artificial gravity significantly reduced danger of flying objects but even compensators could fail. So stowing loose objects before a ship changed locations was standard practice.

While the crew was stowing loose objects, Sydnee received CT queries from Lt. Colonel Dennier, Marine Captain Blade, and Marine Lieutenant Kelly MacDonald. She told them to stand by as she’d be making a ship-wide announcement in a few seconds.

“Chief,” she said to the com chief, “put me on ship-wide.”

“Aye, Captain. You’re on.”

“Attention, crew of the Justice. I’m delighted to announce that the task force from Region Two has arrived. We’re pulling back to the location where the task force has stopped, roughly a light-year from here. The destroyer Lubbock will assume our role here while we join the rest of the force so I can confer with the task force commander. That is all. Carry on.”

After the connection was ended, Sydnee said, “Com, have we received the coordinates of the task force?”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Send them to Tac and Helm. Helm, as soon as Tac receives the green light from all ship sections, we’ll proceed to those coordinates.”

“Aye, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Caruthers said.

Several minutes later, Lt.(jg) Templeton said, “All sections are secure, Captain.”

“Helm, take us to the task force.”

Sydnee leaned back into the command chair and relaxed. It felt so great to finally be done with the Denubbewa mothership. She was so ecstatic that she would have loved to simply scream out loud, but that wouldn’t be proper, so she just sat quietly as the ship left the position in unclaimed space from which they’d kept an eye on the Denubbewa ship.

* * *

The task force had halted over a full light-year away from where the Denubbewa mothership was located to ensure there was little chance of their being observed once they canceled their double-envelopes. The Justice was directed to the Atlas, where the captain of the battleship was expecting Sydnee.

“Come in, Lieutenant,” Captain Arthur Weinst said when Sydnee reached the captain’s office and the pocket doors had separated to allow her entrance. “Welcome to the Atlas.”

“Thank you, sir. I was surprised when I was told to report to the Atlas. I was under the impression that this was a Tritanium-hulled ship, so I never expected you to be out here.”

“Have a seat, Lieutenant. You’re correct that this ship was built before we started sheathing them with Dakinium, but over the past few years while you’ve been out here watching this mothership, all older Space Command warships have been overhauled and clad in Dakinium. The double-envelope ability alone made it worthwhile, and we have the additional benefit of near indestructibility. But enough about the Atlas. I want to congratulate you on what you’ve accomplished out here. You very well may have stopped the Denubbewa from attacking Region One the way they attacked Region Three.”

“They attacked Region Three, sir? I hadn’t heard of a Denubbewa attack there.”

“You probably haven’t been receiving regular Space Command activity reports out here.”

“No, sir. I was ordered to keep correspondence to an absolute minimum to better ensure the Denubbewa never learned we were watching them.”

“On April 1st of this year, the Denubbewa made an attempt to take Quesann. We believe they’ve perfected a teleportation device that allows them to send ships as large as their motherships to any destination in the universe, as long as they have specially equipped ships at both the sending and receiving locations. We believe this area was the receiving location for an invasion force.”

“That explains a lot. We saw several ships materialize before our eyes. Fearing that we’d soon be surrounded by a fleet of Denubbewa warships, I ordered all ships except the mothership destroyed.”

“No doubt saving Region One from being invaded.”

“Did the Denubbewa destroy Quesann?”

“No. One of our ships had found what appeared to be a deserted Denubbewa destroyer. After boarding it, a decision was made to drag it back to Quesann so the scientists and engineers could study it. Once there, and by the merest of flukes, the equipment required to rematerialize the Denubbewa attack armada in our midst was deactivated by a couple of engineers who felt the strange equipment warranted further investigation when they discovered the controller on the bridge of the ship. We now believe the ship was allowed to fall into our hands so we would haul it back to Quesann and position it in a place from which the Denubbewa could launch their attack.”

“So, it failed completely?”

“The materialization of ships failed. The Denubbewa then sent a small army of cyborgs to Lorense-Four where the scrap from their decimated fleets was being stored prior to recycling. They used battered but still-functional CJ Gate booths buried in the scrap piles.”

“CJ Gate booths?”

“The CJ stands for ‘Cosmic Jump.’ It’s the name we’re using to describe how the Denubbewa transmit solid matter through space. We believe that every Denubbewa ship has at least one Personnel CJ Gate booth on board so the cyborgs can instantaneously travel from anywhere to anywhere when there’s CJ equipment at both locations.”

“Wow. I’d heard that they might have perfected the ability to transmit solid matter to distant locations. I wish we had such equipment.”

“We do— now. Our people have studied the CJ equipment and learned how it works. They’ve been busy creating a system for us that can’t be co-opted by the Denubbewa. I understand our system has already been put into regular use in Region Three.”

“So, you’re saying that if you had one of these CJ Gate booths aboard the Atlas, you could step into it and instantly be in Region Three?”

“Yes, as long as there’s also a booth at the desired location there and we have the digital address.”

“Incredible. Absolutely incredible. We won’t need ships anymore.”

“We’ll always need ships. You do know about our improved speed, don’t you?”

“Improved speed, sir?”

“Yes, Marc-1.”

“Marc-1? No, sir, I haven’t heard of that.”

Weinst chuckled. “That’s amazing, considering that you were the first to attain such improved speed.”

“Me, sir?”

“Aboard the Justice when you ordered your crew to repair your cracked induction coil with the Marine’s epoxy. That’s why they named the new speed after you.”

“Marc-1 is named for me?”

“Yes. Just like Mach speed on Earth was named after Ernst Mach, the Austrian physicist who developed the Mach principal. They dropped several letters off your last name, but it was named after you.”

“I— don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. The speed is top-secret at present, but someday the public will learn how it was developed.”

“So, you traveled here at Light-12,241.63?”

“Faster. The scientists and engineers were able to improve upon your speed once you’d shown them what was possible and how you’d achieved it. We traveled here at our new top speed of Light-14,685.7.”

“Wow, I wish we had that speed aboard the Justice. Our best speed is Light- 9793.48.”

“That changes today. We brought the components necessary to give you the higher speed. Once your engineers install them in your ship, you’ll have the nearly fifty-percent increase that all Space Command is enjoying now.”

“That’s wonderful, sir. My crew will be ecstatic to learn we had a role in developing this new capability.”

“My chief engineer has probably already delivered the replacement parts and several spares to your ship.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I understand you’ve been out here for more than five years. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir. It was supposed to be a two-to-three-year mission for SCI, but then we encountered a Denubbewa destroyer. As we were observing it in an effort to determine what it was doing in Clidepp space, a force of Blenod ships showed up and attacked. The Denubbewa destroyer appeared to self-destruct after the Blenod successfully took out its propulsion systems. Then, as the Blenod licked the wounds they’d received, the Denubbewa mothership showed up and the Blenod wisely fled the area. Rather than destroying it completely, I bombed the mothership’s internal harbor with one WOLaR weapon, annihilating all ships in its belly, and then followed the Denubbewa here. I’m so glad we can now head back to the Denver. Can we depart today, sir?”

“Uh, not just yet, Lieutenant.”

“Sir?”

“We’re going to make an effort to acquire that mothership you’ve been watching for so long, and we may need all available ships. If we can commandeer it, we’ll fly it, or drag it, back to G.A. space for study. We were hoping you might have some suggestions for how we could do that, given that you’ve been observing it for so long.”

“Sir, we know that the ship is manned— and I use the term lightly— by cyborgs. We also know that we have the ability to pass through the ship and release payloads such as WOLaR bombs or whatever we wish. Beyond that, I don’t know how we could be of help. If we had a weapon that would only destroy the cyborgs without destroying the ship, I’d gladly drop that weapon, but I fear any attack might cause the cyborgs to self-destruct the vessel, as the destroyer in Clidepp space appeared to have done.”

“I know of no weapon that can destroy the cyborgs without destroying the ship.”

“Perhaps the scientists and engineers back at Quesann might have something.”

“If we had something like that, where would we drop it?”

“That would depend on the weapon itself. We’d have to know the effective range and whether or not it’s effectiveness would be compromised by bulkheads.”

“How did you ever manage to plant a WOLaR bomb among the destroyers? Your helmsman must be the best in Space Command for that kind of accuracy at Light- 9793.48.”

“Uh, well, I cheated a little. We were out here all alone and needed greater bombing accuracy, so I had my chief engineer jury-rig the helm console. He first totally deactivated the single-envelope capability so we couldn’t have a problem like that of the Colorado. Then,I had him alter the double-envelope capability so that it would operate at any speed. When we had to bomb the Denubbewa ship, we halted the Justice inside the ship and released a bomb. I take full responsibility for the alterations aboard the Justice. The chief engineer is blameless and only performed the task because I ordered it.”

“It may interest you to know that all ships can now operate at any speed within a double- envelope. I’ll have my chief engineer work with yours to bring your console into line with the current standards. After that, your helmsman can use any speed in either single-envelope or double-envelope without worrying that you’ll have a problem like the one Admiral Carver’s ship experienced so long ago.”

“Variable speed in both envelope modes has been approved for all ships, sir?”

“Yes. It was a big step forward. There’ve been a lot of improvements since you left the G.A. five years ago. And I can assure you that you won’t be criticized for what you had to do. By the way, we’re delighted that the Clidepp Empire has openly rejected slavery, even if the numbers are still low.”

“Low?”

“We estimate that the actual number of slaves freed stands at about ten percent.”

“That’s it? Just ten percent?”

“I’m afraid so, but that’s ten percent more than we ever expected to see without going to war.”

“I suppose I had higher expectations,” Sydnee said.

“Don’t be distressed. You’ve accomplished more than anyone else has been able to accomplish, and the Yolongi officials don’t even know that a Space Command officer was responsible.”

“Uh, you know about that, sir?”

Captain Weinst chuckled and said, “It’s the most non-secret secret in SCI history, and it’s now spreading throughout the entire Space Command officer corps.”

“I’m shocked. I don’t know what to say. I was told it was top-secret and should never be discussed.”

“I guess it was just too big a secret for some to hold their tongues. You probably haven’t heard because you’ve been away from the G.A. for so long, but some people are referring to you as the fourth Carver sister.”

“Now I am really shocked.”

“Many of the Carver sister’s accomplishments were top-secret and, unfortunately, couldn’t be released to the general public. The same holds true for you, which is probably responsible for the analogous references. All I can say is, keep doing everything you’ve been doing.”

Chapter Nine

~ February 22nd, 2293 ~

“Explain to me how the Clidepp military could best your powerful task force, Admiral!” the Blenod military admiral screamed at the commander who’d been charged with taking Yolongus.

“They couldn’t,” Commander Bommasko said. “It had to be someone else. We were destroying the Clidepp ships left and right. The battle was all but over when our ships suddenly began exploding.”

“From our own munitions?”

“Negative. It was from something else. I believe the Denubbewa were behind it.”

“So that’s why you ordered the attack on the Denubbewa ship carrying their negotiators to our scheduled meeting? That’s why you ended any hope of our alliance? And all without getting authorization for what you then ordered?”

“Yes, sir. It had to be them. Nobody else has that kind of capability. We know they can materialize and dematerialize their soldiers, weapons, and supplies. So, they must have materialized bombs inside our ships and then detonated them.”

“There’s one little problem with that supposition, Commander,” Admiral Wiloffn said. “The Denubbewa have to have both a sending unit and a receiving unit in place in order to do that. Since there were no receiving units aboard our ships, the Denubbewa couldn’t have materialized a bomb.”

“Receiving units?”

“Exactly.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Obviously.”

“Still— knowing how powerful the Denubbewa are, there’s no reason they’d need us. What could we possibly offer them? It had to be a plot to take over our territories. Once we’d welcomed them in, they’d have killed off our military and taken over.”

“You do know the Denubbewa are cyborgs, right?”

“Of course, Admiral.”

“So, what do cyborgs need that they can’t manufacture?”

“Uh, nothing. They manufacture everything they need.”

“Wrong! They can manufacture a billion mechanical bodies, but they have no means of creating the living brain required for each and every one. We, on the other hand, now control eighty-two planets that are filled with sentient life forms. Most of them, while completely useless to us, are still useful to the Denubbewa for their brains. The ones we’ve offered may not be the most intelligent species in the galaxy— in fact, I believe some are so dumb that they can’t walk and talk at the same time— but the Denubbewa don’t need brilliance, they just need living brains capable of performing boring, repetitious functions throughout the entire day. That’s why we’ve made an alliance with them. They get the idiots we don’t need or want, and we get technology that will allow us to expand our control throughout this entire galaxy.”

“And what happens when we run out of useful idiots?”

“We won’t run out. First, idiots reproduce far faster than anyone with intelligence in most species, and there are some species that seem to live only to reproduce. And second, because we’ll keep expanding and taking more planets filled with idiots. The universe is awash with them. Most populated planets have an abundant supply, and other planets have nothing but idiots.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“You— not we— will contact the Denubbewa and apologize for the attack. You’ll tell them that the person responsible for the attack was arrested and has now been executed, and that we still wish to establish a pact with them that will be mutually beneficial.”

* * *

After returning to the Justice, Sydnee made an announcement on the bridge that explained the modifications being made to the helm station on the bridge and below deck in the engineering section. When she announced the new speed capability, the bridge erupted in applause and cheers. She quickly added that although it had been named after the captain of the ship, as is common in such cases, the contribution of everyone was acknowledged in the ship’s log. She said that everyone aboard the ship at that time could take great pride in the speed improvement, and that one day the incident would be as well known among military personnel as the situation with Commander Jenetta Carver aboard the Colorado.

* * *

Sydnee returned to the Atlas several days later to attend a meeting with all the other ship captains. It seemed as if everyone there knew about her role in the Clidepp Empire declaration outlawing slavery, as well as her role in improving the speed of all ships by just under fifty percent. At first, she was a bit nervous with all the attention turned her way, but she’d become accustomed to it by the time Captain Weinst arrived to open the meeting.

After calling the room to order, Weinst queried every officer present to hear their ideas about commandeering the Denubbewa mothership. Most of the ship captains had nothing to offer after the first two officers had their commando-style suggestions shot down as being impossible to execute. Sydnee, as the lowest ranking officer there by several grades, was the last to be called on.

“Lieutenant Marcola,” Captain Weinst said, “have you come up with any ideas for how we might take the mothership since we spoke several days ago?”

“Uh, well, we have to assume that as soon as the Denubbewa become aware of our presence and determine that we might have a chance of taking their ship, if such a capability even exists, they’ll decide to self-destruct the vessel.”

“We’re aware of that. Do you have any suggestions for how we might take the ship without having them execute the self-destruct option?”

“There’s only one way I can think of, and it depends on us knowing where the self-destruct mechanism is located and how it’s initiated. There’s probably only one location, such as on the bridge. You mentioned to me recently that our people in Region Three were duped into bringing a Denubbewa vessel into the Quesann area for dissection and evaluation. Do we know where the self-destruct mechanism would have been accessed on that ship?”

“I don’t know, but we can find out if you have some sort of plan for taking the mothership.”

“My idea will probably sound very crazy, sir.”

“From what I’ve seen, your crazy ideas work better than the best ideas of some others. Tell us what you’re thinking, Lieutenant.”

“Well, sir, we know we can enter the mothership without the Denubbewa being aware of our presence. The Justice has already done it on multiple occasions with a double- envelope intrusion.”

“Yes, but we also know that all the Denubbewa are in constant radio communication with all of the others aboard the ship,” one of the other ship captains said. “As soon as you drop your envelope and begin an attack, the entire Denubbewa contingent would know you’re there, and an alert would be sounded.”

“Let’s hear her out before we start poking holes in her idea, Captain,” Weinst said to the other officer.

“Yes, sir.”

“Proceed, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir. We’ve successfully dropped a WOLaR bomb inside the mothership and later returned to view the carnage. Once the bomb is ejected from the bomb chute, the double- envelope around it dissipates, and it’s back in normal space. I was thinking we might be able to do that with troops. The bomb chutes are large enough to accommodate a person, and it should work, as long as the person is close enough to the deck to prevent injury. A small force could then commence their attack, taking the Denubbewa totally off guard.”

“But that mothership is enormous,” Weinst said. “By the time a force that we dropped into the ship’s bay could reach the bridge, the Denubbewa would have had all the time in the world to initiate the self-destruct.”

“I wasn’t thinking of dropping them in the ship’s bay. I was thinking more about dropping them right onto the bridge deck.”

“The bridge deck?” one of the other officers, Captain Epps, said. “You were right; that is crazy. No helmsman could put people on the bridge. They’d rematerialize in the overhead, the deck, or inside a bulkhead.”

“Captain Epps, I asked that everyone hold their negative comments until we’ve had a chance to evaluate Lieutenant Marcola’s operations plan.”

“Sorry, sir.”

“My helmsman could do it. He’s the best in the service. We used him at Yolongus, and he’s never let us down.”

“Even if your helmsman could do that,” another officer said, “and you successfully dropped one of my Marines on the mothership bridge, the area would probably be crawling with cyborgs. My people aren’t trained in that kind of warfare. I doubt he or she could manage to take the bridge alone.”

“I wasn’t thinking of dropping just one Marine. I’d want to drop an entire Special Ops team.”

“Marine security personnel assigned duty aboard Space Command vessels aren’t Special Ops trained.”

“I just happen to have a force of Special Operations Marines aboard the Justice, plus a full platoon of very qualified Marines that are almost as good.”

“Special Ops and a full platoon of Marines? In that tiny ship? Just what kind of mission were you on, Lieutenant?”

“It’s just our normal contingent, sir. I have an air wing as well.”

“An air wing? An air WING?” Epps said incredulously. “In that tiny ship? Just what kind of mission were you on?”

“Uh, for the past seven years we’ve been performing special missions for SCI. I’m not permitted to expound further.”

“SCI? Seven years? Tell me, Lieutenant, was it really you who captured Citizen X?”

Sydnee gazed directly into Epps’ eyes, drew in a deep breath, and then released it slowly before saying, “I can’t comment on that, sir.”

“So, it was you.”

Sydnee didn’t respond.

“Is it true that you’re related to Admiral Carver?”

“Not to my knowledge, sir.”

“Lt. Marcola has had a very busy and productive career,” Weinst said. “Don’t underestimate her abilities simply because of her young age and current rank. One day, some of you may be reporting to her.

“Let’s get back to the matter at hand. I like your idea, Lieutenant. While it may have sounded a little off the wall at first, it seems to hold more promise for success than any of the other ideas proposed so far. Quesann wants that mothership. They believe the other ship was intentionally left for us to find and take to Quesann, so this mothership might yield far more secrets. How soon can you be ready to mount your attack?”

“Before I can commit to a date and time, I’ll have to discuss it with my people, sir. They’ll probably want some time to prepare. Can you provide any deck layouts of the area around the bridge, if the bridge is where we should attack? I think you’ll probably want to confirm the location of the self-destruct switch. That alone may take several weeks to hear back from Quesann.”

“You’re right, Lieutenant. We’ll have to contact Quesann and get that information, along with approval for the operational plan. We’ll meet again when we’ve gotten the go-ahead. Good work, Lieutenant.”

“Thank you, sir.”

* * *

When Captain Weinst had received the necessary information from Quesann and reviewed it, he forwarded a copy to Sydnee. The ship they’d taken back to Quesann had actually been a destroyer, so they couldn’t use its layout for the attack, but seven unoccupied and intact motherships had been located in Region Three and commandeered by Space Command.

“We now have complete deck plans for the Denubbewa motherships,” Captain Weinst said when the commanding officers met again. “When we left Quesann, we weren’t aware that our military brothers and sisters in Region Three had found and taken control of seven apparently deserted Denubbewa motherships. Those ships have now been repurposed as Space Command bases, occupied by Space Command forces, and moved to seven different locations at the extreme areas of Region Three, so the importance of taking this mothership intact has diminished considerably. But Quesann still wants it if we believe we can take it with a minimum amount of effort and losses. It may or may not have unique features and capabilities, but just its potential use as a new base is enough to justify the effort.

“The Denubbewa motherships we commandeered in Region Three all have fourteen Personnel CJ Gates, so it’s logical to assume that this mothership is similarly equipped. The CJ Gates can be used to clear the ship in anticipation of a self-destruct event or to bolster their forces in the event of a firefight. No matter how many scenarios my staff on the Atlas have proposed and discussed, it appears that any attack on the mothership will result in considerable and unacceptable losses of personnel.”

The silence in the room was complete for several minutes as everyone mulled over the information.

When no one seemed predisposed to talk, Weinst said, “I’m willing to listen to arguments or suggestions.”

When several more minutes passed during which no one spoke up or even made eye contact with Weinst, he said, “I was hoping someone would have a brilliant suggestion that my staff had overlooked. How about you Lieutenant Marcola? You always seem to think outside the box.”

“I can’t resolve the issue of fighting potentially thousands of cyborgs who are on their home ground, so to speak, with limited fighting personnel who are totally unfamiliar with the mothership’s interior. There’s only one way to even up the odds a little.”

When she didn’t continue right away, Weinst said, “And what is your suggestion for how we might accomplish that?”

By now, everyone at the table was staring at Sydnee. Since most of the ships in the task force were either destroyers or gargantuan reclamation vessels, every one of the other officers outranked her by three grades. She took a deep breath and continued.

“We can’t take on an entire mothership full of cyborgs, so we have to reduce the odds somehow. Either we get them to leave the ship using their Personnel CJ Gates, or we separate the drones from their leaders.”

When Sydnee paused, Weinst said, “And how do we accomplish those tasks?”

“It’s logical that the only way the cyborgs will voluntarily leave the ship during an attack is if they believe the fight is lost. So, we have to pursue the other option. We must isolate the drones from their supervisors.”

“And do you have a suggestion for how we can do that?”

“As I understand how the Denubbewa system works, most Denubbewa are drones, with just a relatively small number of supervisor cyborgs. All cyborgs are in constant communication electronically, both with supervisors and each other. If we could cut those links, the cyborg population aboard the ship would be thrown into instant disarray.”

“And how do we accomplish that?” Weinst asked.

“That’s where my knowledge of the cyborgs hits a wall. Since we know the cyborgs get all their instructions directly from their supervisors electronically, we have to develop a transmitter that jams those signals completely. The drones will then feel isolated. I’m sure we must have people who can develop such a transmitter. In fact, we’ll probably need multiple units— as many as possible— to ensure that every part of the mothership is covered. Then, we use our ability to fly through the mothership while in a double-envelope and drop the transmitters, which return to normal space once outside the ship’s envelope. I’m not sure what the reaction and response would be, but I’m hoping they’d head for the Personnel CJ Gates. Of course, the drones may not take that action unless they were ordered, so perhaps we could have the jamming transmitter occasionally halt jamming and send a message to immediately evacuate the ship.”

Sydnee had been staring down at the table as she organized her thoughts and spoke. She paused and looked up, realizing for the first time that everyone was looking at her as if she’d just grown a second head.

Looking at Weinst, she said, “Well, you asked me to think outside the box, sir.”

“Yes, I did. And you did. Instead of fighting and defeating the cyborgs, we get them to run home.” After a few seconds, he added, “I like it. It’s inspired. But we have to find out if it’s possible.”

“Perhaps Quesann would know of a way to jam the communication signals and intermittently order the drones to evacuate the ship.”

“I’m going to discuss it with my engineers and also send a message to Quesann requesting their assistance. I’ve heard rumors that they actually have former Denubbewa cyborgs working with our people now.”

“Drones? Working for us?”

“No. They’re allegedly scientists who never had their minds wiped because it would have destroyed their usefulness, but their corporeal bodies were replaced with mechanical bodies. I imagine they hate the Denubbewa as much as we do— if not more.” Addressing the gathered officers, Weinst said, “That’s all for today. If anyone else comes up with an idea, let me know.”

* * *

“We’ve received a request from Captain Weinst,” Jenetta said to the other members of the Admiralty Board. The Board was in closed session, but it wasn’t an executive session, so it was being conducted in the Admiralty Hall. “He states that it appears impossible to seize the mothership in an intact condition without significant loss of life because the ship is filled with thousands of cyborgs. However, he says that one of the task force captains has suggested that it might be possible if we could create a jamming device that would prevent drones from receiving the constant transmissions from cyborg supervisors while also broadcasting an intermittent signal that instructs drones to return to their home base. He says a CPS ship could actually plant the devices inside the mothership using their bombing techniques and then activate all of the devices at the same instant, sending the entire ship into disarray. What do you think, Loretta?”

“It’s an interesting idea. It might be possible. I’ll run it past my cyborg scientists and see what they think. I’m sure it would be possible to create a jamming signal, but I don’t know if an order to Gate out of the ship could be combined within that. Who came up with this idea?”

“Captain Weinst credited Lieutenant Marcola, the captain of the CPS-14 that’s been watching the Denubbewa for a number of years under orders from SCI.”

“Is that the same officer responsible for the speed improvement?” Admiral Woo asked.

“Yes, Lon,” Admiral Bradlee said. “She’s spent most of her career outside the G.A. in command of a CPS-14. She’s now on her third mission to Clidepp space.”

“A CPS-14?” Admiral Burke questioned. “Wouldn’t a CPS-16 be more practical for such lengthy missions?”

“Her current mission started before the first CPS-16s became available,” Admiral Plimley said. “Her captain added extra habitat containers so they’d have more space, food, and spare parts for this mission. As it turned out, she would’ve had to end the mission a year ago in order to return and resupply.”

“Does she still have that Clidepp minister aboard?” Admiral Burke asked.

“Yes,” Jenetta said. “After she convinced the prime minster to outlaw slavery in the Clidepp Empire and destroyed eighteen Blenod ships, she didn’t want the G.A. to be associated with those events, so she proceeded with her mission to deploy SCI satellites. I understand the minister has now requested that he not be returned to Yolongus.”

“Where does he want to go?” Admiral Yuthkotl asked.

“He wants to emigrate to the G.A. I don’t know if he has any particular planet in mind. Okay, Loretta will look into the cyborg signal-jamming question so we can report back to Captain Weinst. Let’s move on. What’s next?”

* * *

“I received a response from Quesann regarding the possible jamming of cyborg transmissions,” Captain Weinst said to the assembled task force captains. “They commend us on the idea and have sent us construction details for the special devices that can then be dropped inside the mothership using the bombing tubes normally used for dropping WOLaR weapons. Their report states that following our query, the cyborg scientists now working with Space Command constructed several test devices. Apparently, Quesann has ordinary cyborgs that they use for testing. Reports showed that the only message the test subjects reacted to universally was a message to proceed to the nearest Personnel CJ Gate and return to the main processing center where they received their initial indoctrination. The cyborgs aboard the mothership will all know the code that will return them to that location. In addition to the cyborgs being gone from the ship, we’ll benefit from their main processing center being a bit overwhelmed while they try to figure out what’s going on.”

“That’s wonderful news, Captain,” the captain of a reclamation vessel said. “When do we commence the operation?”

“My people have already begun assembling the jamming devices. They estimate that if we go all out and work around the clock, it would take a minimum of six days to manufacture the number suggested by Quesann. However, if we encounter any difficulties, it could take as long as a month. I’m allowing two weeks as the minimum time before the jamming equipment is ready.

“The Justice is the only vessel with a helmsman experienced in the pin-point precision required for the human drops. I’ve had my people practicing on our simulators so my CPS-14s and 16s will be available as backup. Since my helmsmen are not yet as proficient, my people will be used for dropping the jamming devices into different areas of the mothership as recommended by Quesann once we develop the final attack plan. Should any of the devices be damaged or lost due to misplacement, there’s no real harm done, as long as the number is minimal. As soon as the Justice has deployed the Marine Special Ops people onto the mothership’s bridge from a special habitat container being prepared for that purpose, they’ll continue dropping Marines at key points throughout the ship. Like the habitat container used for dropping the WOLaR bombs, the special ejection tubes are lined with Dakinium, so the ship will maintain its double-envelope at all times. The Marines will each jump into one of the numerous cylindrical tubes at the bottom of the habitat container and the tubes will be sealed. Since they’ll be wearing their armor, there’s no chance of them being affected by a toxic environment or non-environment aboard the mothership. At the appropriate time, the Marines will receive several seconds’ warning before the bottom of the tube opens. They’ll be informed of the distance to the deck on which they’ll land, and then the tube will be opened. The Special Ops Marines are being trained in disabling the self-destruct mechanism on the off chance that one of the supervisor cyborgs is able to activate it before it also attempts to return to the Denubbewa main processing center.

“We’re hoping to take over the mothership without firing a single shot, but we must be fully prepared to encounter cyborgs unaffected by the new jamming equipment should a few of the devices be damaged in the drop or misplaced. While wearing their armor, our Marines will be fully protected from the laser weapons usually employed by the Denubbewa, but of course, there’s always the danger of more deadly weapons being employed by cyborgs in defense of their ship.”

Addressing Sydnee, Weinst said, “Lieutenant, tell your Marines they must be ready to attack the mothership in as little as seven days. They should immediately move into the Atlas for the duration so they can use our Marine Combat Range to train until the day before we attack. They’ll then have twenty-four hours to rest up before we go in.”

“Yes, sir, my Marine Special Ops team has already been practicing all week for the drop into the bridge area using something they rigged up in their exercise habitat. The regular Marine platoon has been preparing with them. I assumed they might be required to protect the corridors outside the bridge. I’ll also order them to proceed to the Atlas until the assault. They’ll be ready, sir.”

“Very good, Lieutenant.” To the group of assembled officers Weinst said, “I think we’re done here for today. Dismissed.”

* * *

The jamming transmitters weren’t ready on the seventh day, or the eighth, or the ninth, so the Marines and helmsmen kept training. There were actually six other CPS ships in the task force, but there’d only been one habitat container capable of dropping bombs, and none capable of dropping Marines. All the available engineers not manufacturing the jamming devices were working aboard the Atlas to modify standard habitat containers for the latter task. It was more difficult than originally expected because in the regular containers, the lowest level was used for life-support systems. As long as the ship’s main system was working properly and the container wasn’t set adrift, the main system would be sufficient enough that everything on the lowest level could be removed temporarily. But even that task was onerous.

* * *

Finally, twenty-two days into the preparation work, everything and everyone was ready. The mothership hadn’t moved in all that time, and there’d been no sign of activity, so some believed the Denubbewa cyborgs might have already used their booths to travel to another location. By now, it was well known among the task force that Space Command had found seven abandoned motherships and converted them to Space Command bases in Region Three.

The Justice would lead the raid by dropping the Special Ops Marines onto the bridge and the other Marines in corridors throughout the bridge deck. Caruthers was at the helm and itching to go.

At the appointed time, Sydnee gave the word and the Justice moved out. Like all the other ships, the task force was still a light-year away from the mothership, except for the GSC Destroyer Lubbock, which had been on station watching the mothership since the task force first arrived.

* * *

In less than forty minutes, the Justice arrived at the place where they’d spent much of the past few years. The mothership was exactly where it should be, and Sydnee gave the word to commence the operation.

“Beginning the attack,” Caruthers said as he touched a few spots on his console. The Justice surged ahead, then slowed as it reached the mothership.

Over the next eighteen minutes, the Justice flew through the mothership and dropped the Marines in the designated locations. As it dropped the last Marine, the com chief sent a message to the captains of the other CPS-14s and CPS-16s that their ships should move in and drop the transmitters. It didn’t matter if any were picked up by cyborgs aboard the mothership because the units were sealed and couldn’t be altered from the outside. The cyborgs probably wouldn’t damage them until they knew what they were, and they’d probably follow the transmitted orders before that could happen.

As the CPS ships completed their task, the com chief sent the activate signal that would trigger the devices to begin their transmissions. Then, the several CPS ships with Marines from the other ships moved in and began dropping their people in designated areas.

*

Before the last container with Marines could finish unloading its cargo of Marines, the mothership disappeared, and several Marines suddenly found themselves floating in space instead of standing on a deck aboard the mothership.

“What happened?” Sydnee asked anxiously from her command chair. The Justice had pulled back to their previous viewing location after delivering the Marines.

“The mothership has gone FTL,” the tac officer said.

“Did we lose anyone?”

“So far, we’ve lost everyone,” Caruthers said.

“I don’t mean the Marines who made it aboard. I mean the Marines who wound up in space. I hope nobody materialized inside a bulkhead or a deck.”

“The CPS that dropped them is preparing to pick them up,” the com chief said. “They report that all are okay. Their personal armor has more than enough oxygen to sustain them until they’re brought aboard.”

“Helm, follow that mothership,” Sydnee said.

Chapter Ten

~ March 3rd, 2293 ~

As the Justice went in pursuit of the mothership, Sydnee contacted Captain Weinst to report the situation as she knew it.

“Yes, Lieutenant,” Weinst said, “I’ve already been informed about the departure of the mothership. Since its limited to Light-480, you should overtake it in a few minutes.”

“Yes, sir. We’ve already established visual contact, and my helmsman has reduced our speed considerably so we don’t overshoot it.”

“Good. Stay with it in case it changes course. We’ll be joining you shortly. Take no action until we arrive.”

“Aye, sir. We’ll inform you if the mothership changes course. Marcola, out.”

Sydnee leaned back into her command chair and watched the bow monitor as the Denubbewa mothership appeared to grow against the blackness of space. If she’d been running the operation, Sydnee would have ordered the helmsman to enter the mothership, but she had her orders to stay with the ship until the rest of the task force arrived, so she told the helmsman to match the ship’s speed but maintain some distance.

*

All Marines that had wound up floating in space had been recovered when the task force joined the Justice.

“What’s the situation, Lieutenant?” Weinst asked when he contacted Sydnee.

“No change, sir. As per your orders, I haven’t taken any action.”

“Have you established contact with the Marines we sent in?”

“No, sir. You ordered me to take no action other than to stay with the mothership.”

“Yes— I did. We’ve attempted to contact them without success. What action would you take if it was your decision?”

“Since the hull of the ship is sheathed in Dakinium, we can’t communicate with the Marines unless they can tie their communications into the external antenna array. I would suggest that the Justice move into the port. From there, we should be able to make contact with the Marines, if any are still alive.”

“You believe they might have encountered cyborgs that didn’t leave the ship?”

“I never expected the ship to move, sir. I believe this could only have happened if someone on the bridge or in engineering engaged the engines.”

“That seems logical, Lieutenant. Enter the port and see if you can contact the Marines.”

“Aye, sir. We’ll be under way in a few seconds. Marcola, out. Helm, take us into the mothership’s port.”

“Aye, Captain,” Caruthers said.

Within one minute, the Justice was entering the belly of the mothership, thanks to the characteristics of the double-envelope. Caruthers flew the ship into the center of the port and halted.

Sydnee said, “Com, are you receiving anything on the Marine frequencies?”

“There’s a significant volume of chatter, Captain.”

“Attempt to make contact with Marine Captain Blade.”

“Aye, Captain.”

A few minutes later, the com chief said, “I have Major Blade, Captain.”

“Put the call on my CT.”

“Aye, Captain. You’re on.”

“Major, this is Marcola. We’re inside the mothership— in the port area. What’s your situation?”

“We presently hold the bridge, but we’ve been under almost constant attack by a small number of cyborgs. Fortunately, they only have laser weapons. When we arrived, there was only a handful of cyborgs on the bridge, and we were able to dispatch them quickly. We then sabotaged the self-destruct apparatus according to the process outlined by the engineers so it couldn’t be activated. But within minutes following that, cyborgs started to return. Apparently, they recover quicker than expected. Their dead bodies are piling up around the entrance. As soon as they show themselves, we terminate them.”

“Do you need reinforcements there?”

“It sure wouldn’t hurt, but what we really need is someone who understands how this ship equipment works.”

“Are you in communication with the other teams?”

“Affirmative. They report that they can see a tremendous amount of activity around the booth rooms. As quickly as cyborgs go in, others come out. It’s almost impossible to tell if the ones coming out are the ones that just went in, but then the ones coming out immediately get in line to leave again. We’re assuming it’s because of the message being sent out on the jamming devices.”

“Understood. We’re going back outside so I can report to Captain Weinst. Do your best to hold on.”

“Wilco. Blade out.”

“Marcola, out.”

“Helm, take us outside.”

As the Justice emerged outside the mothership, the ship and the task force disappeared. Caruthers turned the Justice and caught up with the ships as Sydnee contacted the Atlas.

“Captain, I spoke with the Marine Special Ops commander. They hold the bridge but have been under attack by small parties of cyborgs. Do you have any engineers who are familiar with the ship’s systems and equipment?”

“I’ve had my people studying everything Quesann sent. Tell Blade to clear as large an area as possible on the bridge and I’ll have one of the CPS ships with the modified containers drop a few of our best engineers in.”

“Yes, sir. It might also help to send some Marine reinforcements.”

“Affirmative. I’ll get on that right away. Weinst out.”

“Marcola, out. Helm, take us back inside.”

Once the Justice was back inside the mothership, Sydnee had the com chief contact Blade.

“Prepare to clear as large an area as you can, Major. Engineers and reinforcements will be arriving as quickly as they can be assembled aboard one of the special CPS vessels. I’ll alert you when they’re about to arrive.”

“Roger, Captain, we’ll make a hole when we hear from you.”

“I’ll be in the port so you can contact us at any time.”

“Roger. Blade, out.”

“Marcola, out.”

It was almost an hour before a CPS-16 from the Atlas entered the mothership’s port.

“Justice, this is Lieutenant(jg) Astolino. We have the delivery you requested.”

“Welcome, Lieutenant. Do you know where to make the delivery?”

“Yes, ma’am. We have the ship layout information.”

“Good. Stand by while I clear the drop zone. Com, get me a three-way with Major Blade.”

“Blade, here, Captain,” she heard a few seconds later.

“Major, the delivery is here.”

“Understood. The deck is clear.”

“Astolino, did you hear that?”

“Affirmative. We’re moving toward the drop zone.”

Because the CPS-16 was sheathed in a double-envelope, the Marines already on the ship’s bridge never saw it as it entered the upper area of the bridge. If they’d been able to see it, they only would have seen the very bottom of the container up to the point where it disappeared through the overhead. The engineers and Marines just suddenly appeared as they cleared the container and returned to normal space. The helmsman had maneuvered the ship perfectly, and the bottom of the container was just seven feet above the deck of the bridge.

When all the Marines and engineers had cleared the drop tubes, the ship moved away slowly and returned to the port area.

“Lieutenant Marcola, the drop is complete,” Lt.(jg) Astolino said.

“Understood. What are your orders now, Captain?”

“We’re to leave and report to the Atlas, then return here if you think we can be useful.”

“It would be helpful if you’re here should I need to relay additional information to the task force. That way I won’t have to leave the port again and will be here to receive any messages from our people currently aboard the mothership.”

“Understood. We’ll report and then return.”

“Very good. Uh, does your ship have a name?”

“Not officially, but we call him Tiny Tim.”

“Then thank you, Tiny Tim.”

“Our pleasure, Justice. We’ll return shortly unless the Atlas orders us to return home. Astolino, out.”

Sydnee said “Major, did the drop go okay?”

“Affirmative, Captain. One of the engineers landed wrong, but the injury isn’t serious. Just a sore ankle. They’re already familiarizing themselves with the equipment. They say the transmitters are still sending out the signal to the cyborgs to return to the main processing center. That must be what’s causing them to go in circles. When they return to the main processing center, they’re probably being told to return to their ship. Only a small number of cyborgs, possibly supervisors who aren’t mindless drones, are trying to make a fight of it.”

“Do the engineers know how to cut the power to the booths?”

“I’ll ask.”

Sydnee heard Blade pose the question to one of the engineers.

“He says it’s possible if they can identify the proper circuits.”

“Tell them to do it if they can.”

“But then the cyborgs won’t be going in circles.”

“I’m hoping they’ll queue up and patiently wait in line while we take them down. It’ll also stop the flow of the ones that have already left before they can be returned. At some point, the processing center is going to put everything together and make the drones impervious to the transmitting message.”

“We still have to take down the ones that are trying to repel us.”

“I’ll leave that to you. Post a few of our people there to protect the engineers, and then try to clear the corridors near the bridge. Are you in communication with Lt. MacDonald?”

“Yes. She’s holding her own in the corridors where she and her people were posted. As long at the cyborgs don’t show up with heavy weapons, they’ll be okay. But we have to get a handle on this operation. We believed the ship would be mostly deserted when we arrived.”

“We know you’re operating under difficult circumstances. If the engineers can temporarily disable the engines and shut down the booths, we might have a chance to commandeer this ship. Above all else, we must make sure the self-destruct isn’t reengaged.”

“One of the engineers said it can only be activated from the bridge, so as long as we hold the bridge, we’re safe from that threat.”

Suddenly, the Justice was outside in space, surrounded by the task force.

“Helm, what just happened?” Sydnee asked.

“I think the mothership stopped,” Caruthers said.

“Well, get us back there.”

“Aye. Captain.”

Several minutes later, the Justice was back inside the mothership.

“Com, make contact with Major Blade.”

“Aye, Captain.” A few seconds later, the com chief said, “Major Blade is on your CT.”

“Major, what happened?”

“One of the engineers shut down the engines. He thought that’s what he was supposed to do.”

“It was one of the assigned tasks, but I guess we expected a little advance notification.”

“Sorry, Captain.”

“No harm done. It just took us by surprise. Can the engineers also open the main port doors now?”

“Hey, Lieutenant,” Blade said to the engineer, “can you open the main doors to the port?” A second later, Blade said, “He nodded and went over to a different control panel.”

“The doors are opening,” Sydnee said about a minute later, “and the task force has returned. The smaller ships are headed towards the entrance, and they’ve cancelled their envelopes. They’ll be visible to the cyborgs.”

“All the booths have now been shut down,” Blade said. “Our people are saying that the cyborgs have queued up at the entrance doors of the rooms where the booths are housed, but they aren’t moving.”

“There are far too many for us to take prisoner,” Sydnee said. “Mow them down. You know the vital area to target.”

“My pleasure, Captain,” Blade said.

* * *

“I understand you gave the order to destroy all of the cyborgs,” Captain Weinst said to Sydnee the following day during a meeting in his office.

“Yes, sir.”

“Why?”

“The drones were of no value to us and presented a continuing threat while they were— alive. According to everything we know about them, their minds would have been wiped clean of all memories long ago, and they were simply machines with a biological brain. Once we’d shut off the jamming devices, they could have reverted to their former programming and attacked us. I felt it was better to let them rest in peace. I know that’s what I would have wanted for myself were I in their position.”

“I suppose you’re right, Lieutenant. I can’t see myself wanting to live in that state either.”

“What now, sir?”

“Every able-bodied Marine, Space Command junior officer, and noncom will participate in a complete search of the mothership. If any cyborgs are hiding, we’ll find them and allow them to join their deceased comrades. Once we’re sure there isn’t a single cyborg left aboard, we pack up and head for Region Three, skirting around the Aguspod territory.”

“And my command, sir? Will we be heading back to the G.A. now?”

“Yes, Lieutenant. You’ll take command of the mothership and bring it to Region Three where it will be used as a Space Command base like the other seven captured motherships.”

“Oh.”

“You don’t sound very excited. You’re going to be commanding what we believe is one of the largest ships in space. I believe it’s an honor the Admiralty Board decided to bestow on you for everything you’ve done for Space Command during your time in the service.”

“I— uh— do appreciate the great honor, sir, but I was sort of looking forward to getting back to the Denver. A trip from here, the middle of nowhere, to the far reaches of Region Three is going to take a decade at Light-480.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“But, sir, the Justice has already been on this mission for almost six years.”

“Are you saying you refuse to accept the new mission, Lieutenant?”

“Uh— no, sir.”

“I realize you’ve been away for a long time, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see you get relieved before you even reach Region Three. The best part is that, even if that happens, you’ll always be known as the captain who brought back the Denubbewa mothership you and your crew had under surveillance for half a decade, and that it was you who foiled the Denubbewa effort to invade Region One.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

It took weeks for the mothership to be thoroughly purged of cyborgs. There were no armed cyborgs waiting to spring, but the searchers did find several holds filled with replacement cyborgs in an unconscious state. Engineers were brought in to terminate all artificial life without waking the sleeping cyborgs. The brains were removed and given a space burial at a special ceremony, while the metal bodies were crushed to prevent reuse and then stored in a scrap-metal area of the port.

When the search was officially concluded, everyone involved could have sworn that there were no cyborgs in hiding or stored in some form of suspended animation.

* * *

Before the task force left, twenty percent of each ship’s engineering staff was transferred to the mothership. Copies of all mothership information sent by Quesann was transferred as well so the engineers would have the latest data. Lastly, six full platoons of Marines were assigned to the mothership. The cyborgs didn’t use beds, so quarters aboard the task-force ships were disassembled and then reassembled in the mothership.

Sydnee was on the bridge of the mothership when the task force left for Quesann. One moment they were there in space not far from the mothership, and then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone. Of course, no one aboard the mothership really knew if they’d left, but it was assumed that they had.

Sydnee sighed quietly and then said, “Helm, take us home according to the route specified by Quesann.”

“Aye, Captain. Engaging. Next stop, Region Three.”

“Let us hope,” Sydnee muttered under her breath so no one could hear her words.

* * *

“These quarters are great, Syd,” Kelly MacDonald said as they relaxed in the enormous captain’s quarters aboard the mothership. “I’m surprised because I never would have expected a cyborg to need something like this.”

“It wasn’t like this when we took over the ship,” Sydnee said. “I had the engineers rip out all the stuff a human officer doesn’t need and add the stuff we do, such as a bed, desk, sofa and chairs.”

“I was surprised when I heard you were moving into the mothership.”

“Well, the mothership is the vessel we’re traveling in now, so I needed to be closer to the bridge. The Justice is just sitting in the port with the other CPS ships assigned to us.”

“Have you renamed this behemoth yet?”

“No, not yet. I was thinking of calling it the Humdrum because that’s the way life has been ever since we first saw it. We did have several exciting moments, such as when we destroyed all the ships in the port, when we destroyed those Denubbewa warships trying to bring their fleet here, and when we commandeered this ship. But the rest of the days have been boring.”

“This ship is sheathed in Dakinium, right?” Kelly asked.

“Yes.”

“Then why don’t we just build a double-envelope and up our speed from Light-480 to Light-14,685.7?”

“I wish we could, but the engineers say it’s impossible. The systems in this vessel are nothing like the systems used by Space Command ships.”

“Then how about we move the Justice topside and have it create a double-envelope around both ships?”

Sydnee chuckled before saying, “The Justice would be like a flea on an elephant. I’ve been told this ship is just too big for the small Justice to create such an envelope. The engineers don’t think the largest battleship in Space Command could produce an envelope that would work. They seriously doubt that even a freighter designed to haul ten kilometers of cargo containers could come close to generating an envelope large enough.”

“Then we’re stuck with Light-480.”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so. But— there is a possibility that we might enjoy some furlough time at Quesann while the Humdrum is still stuck out here in nowhere.”

“What? Really? How?”

“We have fourteen of those CJ Gate booths, and we have the engineering reports that show how to modify them to work with the new Space Command CJ Gate booths.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

“I already have the engineers working on it. They also have to modify a couple of those spy satellites to work with the system.”

“What do the spy satellites have to do with it?”

“Maybe something, maybe nothing. Here’s the way I understand it, and I caution you that this is all new to me and I may not have all the facts down properly.”

“I’ll forgive you,” Kelly said with a smile.

Sydnee smiled back and said, “Don’t make me laugh or I’ll lose my train of thought. Okay, there are two forms of communication involved in this new system. One is the standard S-band we use for all our communications at present. The signal travels three light-years each hour, or 0.0513 light-years each minute. That’s 8.09 billion kps. The new form sends a signal via a wormhole. As I understand it, it can cross the full width of the galaxy in seconds. Although there’s a very slight delay, you can actually have a live conversation with someone in Region Three.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, I’m perfectly serious. Picture this: Space Command places a number of small satellites in orbit around a planet, one of which accepts the S-band speed signal and sends it on to a main satellite somewhere near the planet but outside the orbital paths at. You have to do it this way because planets rotate and may not always be in proper position for a good connection. The main satellite then passes the S-Band signal to a master satellite at a fixed location in the solar system. The master satellite then establishes contact with a target master satellite in the solar system where the other party is located using a wormhole transmission. That master satellite then sends an S-band signal to the local satellite, which relays it to the party being contacted. All this can happen in the blink of an eye if the conditions are right, but reliance on S-band slows it a bit. Since we’re in a ship, we’ll almost always have a line of sight to the master satellite, and if our engineers can create the equipment as planned, we’ll actually take the place of the master satellite, so our outgoing signal will not even be transmitted in S-band. A wormhole will actually be established between us and a master satellite at the destination, making our communication virtually instantaneous. And if we’re contacting another ship, we should be able to establish a direct wormhole transmission between the ships. That will definitely make the connection instantaneous.”

“Whew!” MacDonald said.

“Exactly,” Sydnee replied. “A wormhole connection between two ships. Staggering, isn’t it?”

“You ain’t kidding. Wait a minute, are you kidding?”

“Nope, that is exactly how the system works, and they currently have it in operation in Regions Two and Three.”

“What about Region One?”

“They’re working on it. It takes time to build and position the satellites in space. I understand that a basic system has already been established in Region Four for communication with Quesann.”

“Region Four? What’s that?”

“It used to be called the Ruwalchu territory. They’re part of the G.A. now. I just learned about it from Captain Weinst.”

“Did they attack us?”

“No, they were attacked by the Denubbewa. Their entire space presence, which they called their Space Fleet, was destroyed. They asked for help and we went to their aid. We destroyed all the Denubbewa ships we could find in their territory. With their Space Fleet gone, they were helpless should the Denubbewa return. So, when we were through eradicating the Denubbewa and preparing to return to G.A. space, the Ruwalchu government begged us to stay to protect them, and then they requested that they be allowed to join the G.A.”

“Wow. See what happens. You go away on a simple mission to make a delivery and drop some satellites for just five or six years, and everything changes while you’re gone.”

Sydnee smiled and then started laughing, which started Kelly MacDonald laughing.

Chapter Eleven

~ Sept 16th, 2293 ~

It took months, but modifications to the ship’s bridge aboard the Humdrum were finally finished. Since every primary function of the Denubbewa mothership, as well as many secondary ones, had been controlled from the bridge, the area previously devoted to the bridge was larger than the entire CPS-14 Justice. On Sydnee’s order, a section of the bridge that was roughly the size of the bridge on a Space Command battleship had been marked off and a bulkhead erected to separate it from most engineering functions. Normal bridge functions, at least all bridge functions that were normal aboard a Space Command vessel, were moved into the smaller area. The rest of the bridge would continue to function like the below-decks engineering control areas aboard a Space Command vessel.

It was also necessary to construct some seating on the new bridge. When cyborgs weren’t lying in a prostrate position during their recharging periods, they stood while on duty, so they never used seating. The only time they weren’t standing upright or lying prostrate was when they were performing some function, such as a repair that required them to assume some special position.

When Sydnee and her bridge crew could finally take proper seats on the bridge, they began to feel much more comfortable with their new assignment. Until then, all bridge personnel had been sitting on uncomfortable boxes or pieces of spare equipment.

* * *

“We’re almost ready to make the first real test, Captain,” Lieutenant Dellarosa said as Sydnee entered the CJ Gate room.

“You’re absolutely certain that no Denubbewa cyborgs can come through this Gate booth once you activate it?”

“Space Command uses an entirely different address encoding system than the one the Denubbewa use. Their codes will no longer function on the retooled equipment. Space Command wanted to ensure that the Denubbewa could never compromise our system the way we did theirs. Our system is actually much more complex than the one the Denubbewa use and includes many additional safeguards to prevent accidents. That’s why it’s taken us so many months to get everything in sync.”

“So, what will the first test show?”

“We’re not going to send any matter in this first test. The same system is used both for communications and matter transport. When traveling via wormhole, the time lapse between transmission and reception of communication messages should be mere seconds, regardless of how much distance is involved.”

“I can’t wait to see the results.”

“Would you like to speak to Quesann HQ?”

“Sure. Are they on?”

“We haven’t initiated contact yet,” the engineer said as he entered data by touching contact points on a keypad. “It should take just seconds.”

Suddenly, as the engineer worked, a voice could be heard on the overhead speaker. It said simply, “Quesann HQ.”

The engineer nodded to Sydnee.

“This is Lieutenant Sydnee Marcola, captain of the mothership codenamed Humdrum.”

A few seconds later she heard, “Mothership? Humdrum? Who are you, and how did you get access to this communication system?”

“This is Lieutenant Sydnee Marcola, captain of the CPS-14 Justice out of the destroyer Denver, calling in from aboard the recently commandeered Denubbewa mothership codenamed Humdrum. Identify yourself.”

“Uh, this is Communications Chief Everett DeSantis, Lieutenant.”

“Chief DeSantis, this is the first test of a new system installed aboard a commandeered Denubbewa mothership. Presently, we’re in unclaimed space, very distant from the G.A., and underway to Region Three. That information is top-secret, so you will relay it to no one. Make an entry in your log that the CPS-14 Justice, which is inside the Humdrum, is now able to send and receive messages via the new G.A. CJ Gate system. We’ll shortly begin making tests of the physical transport capability. This system will now be monitored 24/7. Your communications equipment should show you the address assigned to this Gate. Send a message to Admiral Holt’s office notifying him of my call. That is all, Chief. Marcola out.”

“That was exhilarating,” Sydnee said after the call ended. “Being able to have a near- instantaneous conversation with the G.A. while we’re so far out— it’s almost like— a miracle.”

“The miracle of advanced technology,” the engineer said with a smile. “The communications capability will be live on the bridge within an hour now that we’ve successfully tested the system.”

“When do you expect to have the physical transport capability active?”

“Very soon, Captain. The success of this test shows that we’re about there, and we’ll soon begin testing the matter-transport capability. Would you like to volunteer to take a trip to the G.A. via a wormhole?”

“I’d love to— but as Captain of the Justice and the Humdrum, I’m actually the only individual aboard who can’t leave the ship. That’s in the regulations, not a fear of the new process. We’re presently in unclaimed space, and that equates to being in enemy territory. The most senior officer on all warships is not permitted to leave the ship under these situations unless first granted permission by HQ.”

“Yes, I recall the regulation now. I’m sorry I tempted you, ma’am.”

“Don’t be sorry. You gave me the opportunity to be the first one aboard the Humdrum to use the new communication system on this ship. It’s a memory I’ll cherish forever.”

* * *

“All my efforts to contact the Denubbewa have failed, Admiral,” Commander Bommasko said. “They no longer seem to be in Clidepp space.”

“So, you have failed us again,” Admiral Wiloffn said. “First you destroy the ship carrying representatives to our scheduled meeting, and now you fail to make contact with the other Denubbewa ships in Clidepp space— and we know there are many.”

“I’m sorry. sir, but I can’t make contact with someone who’s either left the area or fails to respond. We know their travel speed greatly exceeds our own, and if they choose to ignore our efforts to contact them, we can never hope for a meeting.”

“You’ve been a great disappointment to us, Commander Bommasko. Thanks to your bumbling attack on Yolongus, we’ve been forced to hide ourselves at this and other secret bases where we’re unlikely to be seen by Clidepp military vessels or even freighters. The Triumvirate on Yolongus believes we’ve completely left their territory because we pulled back from the border solar systems we’d occupied. They now believe we’ve dropped our plans to arrogate their entire territory. We have to learn how the Clidepp military was able to destroy our ships, and we must align ourselves with the Denubbewa. I want you to search every square light-year in Clidepp space until you find the Denubbewa’s hidden bases. And when you do locate them, don’t attack them. You have to make them understand that we still want to form an alliance with them despite the missteps of the fool who attacked their liaison’s ship.”

* * *

Sydnee was on hand to view the first test of the G.A. CJ Gate booth as a matter-transport device. Naturally, no life form was being used as the first object for the test. Instead, the item being sent to the Quesann test location was a complex electronic component that had been removed from a device in parts storage. The item would be sent and then should be immediately sent back. After receiving the item, it would be tested to ensure it was still in prime condition.

The attendees waited anxiously after the component had been sent. Suddenly the booth lit up and the item reappeared. An engineering officer took the part and inserted it into the device from which it had been removed. After the device had been put though a full series of tests, the engineer declared that the device, and the booth, appeared to be working perfectly.

For the next test, they’d use a goldfish provided by one of the Justice’s aircraft mechanics who’d brought a tiny aquarium aboard ship before the Justice deployed for the satellite-seeding mission. The fish had bred quickly under the care of the mechanic. From an original glass fishbowl containing just six goldfish, every mechanic and pilot in the air wing now had their own small aquarium in their quarters. So, using just one fish seemed like a logical test subject for the second test.

Several anxious minutes passed before the small glass container reappeared with the fish. The goldfish seemed perfectly healthy after traveling many thousands of light-years in mere minutes, and the water level in the container hadn’t changed. The mechanic would keep the fish separate from the others and continue to watch it carefully over the next week to see if there were any signs of abnormal behavior. Based on the ostensibly satisfactory test, everyone aboard ship began talking about using the Gate to travel to Quesann so they could use some of their accumulated shore leave during the years it would take for the Humdrum to reach its final destination.

* * *

“The Humdrum?” Admiral Carver said with a smile. The Admiralty Board was meeting in closed session in the Admiralty Hall.

“That’s what Lieutenant Marcola is calling it,” Admiral Holt said. “I suppose if I had been babysitting it for years and was then given orders to idle away more years while I delivered the newly commandeered ship to Region Three, I’d probably have come up with a name that reflected my frustration. But, we really should name it before Humdrum sticks.”

“I agree,” Admiral Plimley said. “Who’s next on the military tribute list?”

“Commander Jenetta Carver has been skipped over several times,” Admiral Hillaire said with a smile.

“And should be skipped over again,” Jenetta said. “Our policy has always been that we never pay tribute to an actively serving member of the military.”

“I believe Commander Kevin Bemming of the Yenisei is next on the tribute list,” Admiral Bradlee said.

“Then I move that the newly acquired Denubbewa mothership, which is to function as a new Space Command base in Region Three, be named the Bemming,” Jenetta said.

“I second the name,” Admiral Woo said.

“All in favor,” Jenetta said. When all members of the Admiralty Board raised their right hand, Jenetta said, “It’s unanimous. Brian, please notify the Humdrum that the ship will hereafter be referred to the as the Bemming in honor of Commander Bemming of the Yenisei.”

“It will be my honor to do that,” Holt said. “We still have to decide on a location where the base will be situated.”

“Yes,” Jenetta said. “But we have a couple of years before we have to make a commitment.”

“Can’t we get that ship here sooner?” Admiral Yuthkotl asked. “It’s such a waste to have it plodding along at a mere four hundred eighty times the speed of light, when it should be traveling at Light-14,685.7 like the rest of our ships.”

“Loretta,” Jenetta said, “how’s the effort coming to establish a space gateway system that can transport a vessel as large as the mothership?”

“Each day brings us a little closer to that goal,” Admiral Plimley said. “When the Denubbewa planned their attack on Quesann, they probably figured we’d all be destroyed in the ensuing battle and they’d get the ship back that contained the special Arnada Gate equipment. It’s saved us many years of development and testing. Having the cyborg scientists working for us has also advanced our timeline significantly. I think we might be ready to make our first destroyer-sized ship test in about four months.”

“That’s great. What about being able to transport a mothership?”

“It’s the same process and will use the same gateway. The larger ship will simply require a bit more power for the transport. The proposed Gate design consists of twelve remotely controlled drones arranged in a circular pattern at each Gate location in space. There will be a ship nearby that controls the entire transport process. When the process begins, the twelve drones will establish a link with one another and create an enormous, glowing circle of light in space. That’s the gateway. There will be a similar circle at the destination. The Denubbewa use a system where the equipment is mounted inside three destroyers for their transports, but our designers have developed a more flexible system with far greater safety through redundancy. All the ship needs to do is fly through the glowing circle. We can make the circle as small or as large as it needs to be. Once the ship to be transported enters the glowing threshold, it can’t stop or deviate from its charted path. They immediately regain flight control after they fully emerge at the other end.”

“And we’ll be able to use this system for commercial traffic as well?”

“Yes, the gateway can be expanded up to twenty kilometers in diameter. The larger the opening and the longer the ship, the more energy required, so the circle will normally only be set to accommodate our largest battleships and then expanded when required for commercial vessels. And best of all, the system as designed is portable. It allows us to ship the drones via any CJ Cargo Gate. And CJ Cargo Gates, when disassembled, can be sent via any CJ Personnel Gate. It gives us tremendous flexibility.”

“So, if all goes well, we might be able to shave several years’ travel time off the Bemming’s travel.”

“Yes— hopefully. We’ll know for sure in a few months, Jen.”

* * *

“We’ve been renamed,” Sydnee said to Kelly MacDonald a few days later in the privacy of her office.

“We’re not the Justice anymore?”

“The CPS-14 is still the Justice. Quesann has instructed us to refer to the mothership as the Bemming.”

“Bemming. Wasn’t that the name of the captain of the Scout Destroyer Yenisei?”

“Yep. Commander Kevin Bemming.”

“Good. He and his crew deserve the recognition, and it’s fitting that a former Denubbewa mothership be named after a Space Command officer murdered by the Denubbewa.”

“Yes, it’s fitting. But changing the name isn’t going to get us home any sooner.”

“It’s almost amusing,” MacDonald said.

“What’s amusing?”

“When we get back, we’re going to have obscene amounts of back pay, but there’ll be no place to spend it.”

“Who knows, Kel? A lot has happened since we’ve been gone. And a lot more can still happen before we get back to the Denver, if we even get back. By the time we get back, you might be able to use the CJ Gates to transport to Earth in the blink of an eye.”

“The tone of your voice suggests you think we might not get back.”

“We’re going to be in Region Three. Rather than sending us back to the Denver in Region One, they may reassign the Justice to a different destroyer.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I’m hoping it doesn’t happen. I should probably stop thinking about it. Even if we do get back to the Denver, it’s not going to be for years.”

* * *

“Captain,” Lt.(jg) Templeton said, “I’ve got multiple ships on the DeTect. Their course will take them across our path just ahead of us.”

“Can you identify them?”

“They’re still too far away for an identification.”

“Our hull is sheathed in Dakinium, so they shouldn’t be able to see us with DeTect equipment. Keep your eyes on them. Let me know if anything changes.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Helm, change our course slightly. Let’s see if the ships on the DeTect alter their course.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Several minutes later, the tac officer said, “The ships on the DeTect have altered course to intercept our new course.”

“How can they see us? Tac, are we showing any exterior lights?”

“Negative, Captain. I would venture a guess that they’re able to see us by using the stars in the background. We must remember that this is not a CPS-14. It’s a behemoth, hundreds of times larger than the largest Space Command battleship.”

“Of course. That must be it. Com, sound General Quarters.”

“Aye, Captain.”

The General Quarters announcement immediately began reverberating throughout the ship.

“Captain,” the com chief said, “it sounds like they’re trying to make voice contact. I can’t tell for sure because the translator doesn’t seem to be working.”

“Put the message on the overhead.”

“Aye, Captain. Here it is.”

What sounded like squeaks, banging, and whistles filled the bridge.

“That’s what the translator produced?”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Have you used that translation device before, Chief?”

“No, ma’am. All messages to us before were in Amer.”

“Do we have access to the translator aboard the Justice?”

“Not from here, Captain.”

“Who’s manning the bridge there on this watch?”

“It should be Lieutenant(jg) Sebastian.”

“Have Sebastian run the message through the translator there.”

“Aye, Captain.”

A few minutes later, the com chief said, “We have the Justice version, Captain.”

“Put it on the overhead.”

“Aye, Captain.”

A second later, the bridge crew heard, “Dentifi you or be stroyed.” The message repeated twice.

“Chief, send this through the Justice’s translator. ‘Attention, ship trying to make contact. We are a Galactic Alliance vessel on our way back to our space. Identify yourself.’”

A few seconds later, the com chief said, “The Justice says the message has been sent.”

“Chief, can we route the incoming and outgoing translations directly to the bridge here without all the intervention?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Do it.”

“Yes, Captain.” A few seconds later, the com chief said, “The routing is done Captain. And there’s a message coming in.”

“Play it.”

A message began to play on the overhead speaker. “We are the Kirriri. We have adjusted our translation system to the language known as Amer. What are you doing in this space?”

“Send this, Chief: ‘We are at war with the Denubbewa. We followed this mothership to a rendezvous location, destroyed all the ships it met, and then commandeered this ship. Since you’ve got a translation device that contains Amer, it’s obvious you’ve heard of us.’”

“You will turn it over to us.”

“No, we won’t. Perhaps you haven’t heard of us. We are not a warlike people, but we are perfectly able to defend ourselves, our territory, and our possessions.”

“Turn it over to us or we will attack and destroy you.”

“No, you won’t, because to do so would constitute a declaration of war. We would then be forced to attack you, destroy all your ships, and fight you whenever and wherever we meet in the future, just as we do with the Denubbewa. We don’t want that to happen and hope you won’t force us into that action.”

“You only have one ship. You cannot destroy our entire fleet. Surrender now or die.”

“I’m not familiar with the Kirriri race. Where is your home planet?”

“We do not reveal that information to warlike races.”

“It’s you who’s threatening us with attack and destruction, so it seems that you’re the warlike race here. We’re merely traveling through this unclaimed area of space, peacefully. I hope we won’t have to fight you. But if we do, you won’t survive.”

“We have you outnumbered.”

“Since you have an Amer translation set in your equipment, you must be familiar with our capability.”

“We know of you and your strength, but you are only one ship.”

“That’s incorrect. Much of the space inside this ship is used as a port for other smaller ships. The G.A. has been using these commandeered motherships as space stations. It would be unwise of you to assume you have some sort of advantage because you presently see only one ship.”

“Bravado won’t work. We intend to have that ship. You will either give it to us, or we will take it.”

“How many have you been able to take from the Denubbewa?”

Sydnee waited for a reply, but there was only silence.

When no reply came over the next several minutes, she said, “Com, close the connection.” Then she touched her Space Command ring and said, “Lieutenant(jg) Jerry Weems.”

“Weems here, Captain.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m on the bridge of the Justice. I headed here when I heard the news.”

“Excellent. We may need the support of our CPS if this somehow turns into a fight. Since we’re traveling FTL, I can’t see how they could even commence an attack other than an envelope merge. But let’s be prepared for anything. Take the Justice out of the port in a double-envelope and follow the Bemming. You’ll need to be ready to use the WOLaR bombs if we have to fight the Kirriri. I’m not going to just turn the Bemming over to them.”

“Aye, Captain. I’ll take the Justice out, follow the Bemming, and await further orders.”

“Marcola, out.”

Sydnee leaned back into the chair and reviewed the situation in her mind. As far as she knew, this was a first-contact situation, which raised concerns of its own. It was obvious they were an advanced race, and she was sure she’d never heard of a race called the Kirriri. Although the Justice could probably fly circles around the Kirriri ships, the Kirriri weren’t having any trouble keeping up with the Light-480 speed of the Bemming, but the only way to stop or attack a ship traveling faster than light was with the highly dangerous maneuver known as an envelope-merge. The first ship to which Sydnee had been posted was essentially destroyed after it made an effort to merge envelopes with a ship operated by Clidepp rebels. The G.A. was now able to safely attack ships traveling FTL because the development of the double-envelope actually allowed them to enter the ship while in an out-of-phase condition and drop a bomb inside the enemy ship. When the bomb reentered normal space, it was already inside the ship and primed to explode.

Sydnee would have to see what action the Kirriri might take before she acted. So far, it was all just spoken threats. She certainly didn’t intend to fire the first shot, but they’d be ready to return fire if and when the Kirriri attacked.

Chapter Twelve

~ April 11th, 2294 ~

“Another message from a Kirriri ship, Captain,” the com chief said.

“Play it.”

“This is your final warning. Halt your ship immediately and prepare to be boarded, or we will stop you with force.”

“Com Chief, re-establish the connection with the Kirriri.”

“Connected, Captain.”

“Attention, Kirriri ship, we do not bow to such demands. If you attack, we shall retaliate and destroy any and all of your ships that attack us, just as we destroyed the Denubbewa ships that were with this mothership. I don’t want to start a war, and I hope you share that sentiment, but should you attack us, you will learn how powerful the G.A. really is.”

There was no verbal response, but a Kirriri ship began to approach the Bemming from the stern. It was apparently going to try an envelope merge.

“Com, contact the Justice.”

“You’re connected, Captain.”

“Justice, this is the Bemming. It appears the Kirriri have decided to attack us. You have a go to destroy the ship moving up behind us.”

“Justice is about to be served,” emanated from the overhead. It was the voice of Lt.(jg) Weems.

“Tac, do we have a view of the stern?”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Put it on the front monitor using a split screen.”

The front monitor, which until then had been projecting a view from the bow, was immediately divided into two halves in order to show both bow and stern images. Although it was pitch black outside, the Kirriri ships were not sheathed in Dakinium, so the Bemming’s computer could create an image of the tailing ship as an outline on the monitor. The ship moving up behind the Bemming looked to be about the size of a Space Command destroyer, which meant it looked almost insignificant when seen next to the Bemming.

The Kirriri ship moved closer and closer to the Bemming, being careful not to crash into the stern. As it closed the distance, it also slowed. The delicate nature of the envelope merge process was obvious, and it was also obvious that the Kirriri helmsman had practiced this maneuver many times.

Suddenly, the image of the Kirriri ship disappeared from the monitor. When the WOLaR exploded inside its hull, the ship was totally obliterated. Tiny fragments of the ship flew in every direction, but no longer at speeds faster than light. When the single-envelope was destroyed, so was their FTL capability.

*

“What just happened?” the Kirriri senior commander, Captain Equille, screamed after the ship assigned to perform the envelope merge disappeared.

“I don’t know, sir,” the helmsman of the lead ship, the Queddicale, said. “The Volquppi seemed to be— vaporized.”

“Assign a ship to return to the point where the incident occurred to see to the rescue of Volquppi crewmembers.”

*

Shortly, the Queddicale received a message from the ship sent to rescue surviving crewmembers. “The Pequrei reports that the Volquppi is completely gone,” the communications individual said. “There’s almost nothing left that’s larger than a Kirriri body, and there are no bodies at all. Even the most indestructible materials have been reduced to tiny fragments.”

“How did they do that?” Equille screamed. “The Volquppi hadn’t even come close to merging its envelope with the G.A. ship.”

No one on the bridge offered any thoughts until one said, “Perhaps the enemy ship has an expanded envelope on the stern since the stern is always a ship’s most vulnerable area. The Volquppi may have been in the enemy ship’s envelope and not even realized it.”

Equille paced around the bridge as he thought about the idea. Finally, he said, “We know that our envelope extends only a short distance, but the enemy ship may employ a different system. Tactical, assign another ship to perform an envelope merge, but have it attack the sail area of the ship rather than the stern.”

“Aye, Captain.”

*

“There’s another ship moving up, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Templeton said. “This time they’re trying the top side.”

“Com, notify the Justice that they don’t have to wait so long this time. We’re sure of the intent of these aliens.”

“Aye, Captain,” the com chief said.

A few seconds later, the com chief said, “the Justice is moving to intercept the Kirriri ship.”

*

“The Brixxof has just been destroyed,” the helmsman aboard the Queddicale said. “It wasn’t even close to establishing an envelope merge.”

“The Terrans must have decided to destroy any potential attack before it has a chance to damage their ship,” Equille said. “It’s the only possible answer. But how are they doing it?”

*

“There’s a message from the attacking ships, Captain.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Attention, enemy ship,” came over the overhead speaker. “You have now destroyed two of our ships, and a state of war exists between our nations.”

“Com, record a message to be sent.”

“Go ahead, Captain.”

“Attention, Kirriri commander. I warned you that if you attacked us, we would respond with force. You then chose to ignore my warning. I regret that you attacked us and forced us to destroy your two vessels, but you brought it upon yourself. You have refused to even identify your home territory. We have had no verification that you have any claim on this area of space, but it’s apparent that you choose to act like pirates, attacking friendly ships who were minding their own business until you attacked them. I regret it has come to this, but you left us no choice. Since we know of no valid claim to this territory, it shall remain unclaimed space on our charts, and you shall be known as pirates. And even though I have the ability to destroy every single ship in your convoy, I will refrain from further destruction. Attack us again and that pledge will be immediately rescinded. At that point, we shall destroy not only the attacking ship, but all other ships in your task force. We just want to be left alone as we continue our voyage home.”

*

Equille smashed his hand, which resembled a claw, down on the nearest flat surface as he listened to the message from Sydnee. The Kirriri population had bodies like that of ants or insects, but only in that the major parts of the body seemed segmented. The body parts shrunk to nothing at the joints, then quickly expanded again to resemble a Terran body part. And the species was enormous, with most Kirriri standing about six feet tall. Also, they had four legs that supported their bodies when they were standing upright.

“Summon the captains of all ships,” he said to his communications individual. “I’m calling for a strategy session to commence in ten ticks.”

*

“I want suggestions for how we can stop this intruder,” Equille said as the meeting opened. “We want that ship, and we want it as intact as possible. We’ve all seen them before, but we’ve never had a better chance to acquire one. If an alien race somehow found a deserted ship, it means that there are no cyborgs aboard. If we can acquire it, we can learn many of the Denubbewa secrets that have prevented us from winning confrontations with those metal monsters.”

After a minute of silence, Equille said, “Nobody has a suggestion? How about you, Alleqas? You always have something to offer.”

“Sir, you would not welcome my suggestion.”

“No? I’m listening. Tell me what you think.”

“I would suggest we apologize for the two attacks on their commandeered ship and request a conference to discuss an exchange of technology with the aliens. They’re obviously an advanced race, and their decision not to destroy the rest of this task force after our two failed attacks show they’re civilized. We have no idea how they destroyed our two ships, and they claim to have destroyed multiple Denubbewa vessels before commandeering the mothership. I’m a little embarrassed to raise this point, but their technology appears to be far, far superior to our own.”

“That’s defeatist talk, Alleqas!” Equille screamed. “It’s the last thing I ever expected to hear you utter.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I’m as loyal to our nation as anyone you could name, but we must face the fact that there are probably many races in this universe that are superior to our own in terms of technology. If you need another example, look no further than the Denubbewa themselves. They’ve come out on top in all our confrontations, and they always win easily when the sizes of the forces are about equal. If we’re ever to defeat them, we need help from people who’ve had success in that endeavor. It appears that the G.A. might be that race. And we know from everything we’ve heard that they don’t seek to conquer their neighbors, although they apparently could, unless the neighbor first tries to conquer them and arrogate their territory. I think they’d make a good ally in our fight to suppress the Denubbewa.”

Equille took a deep breath and then released it slowly before saying, “Does anyone agree with Alleqas? How about you, Ruxxele?”

“I’m very sorry, sir, but I don’t agree with continuing the attack on the G.A. ship. I’m a loyal Kirriri and will follow every order you give, including an order to sacrifice my ship in an unwinnable effort, but personally, I agree with Alleqas that we’ve made a mistake attacking the G.A. ship and should seek a way to make amends and establish contact on a better footing.”

“Is that the way everyone feels?” Equille asked.

When no one answered, he said, “Does anyone believe we should continue to press the attack on the G.A. ship?”

When no one answered, he said, “How about you, Juurilp? The commanding officer of the Volquppi was your brother.”

“My brother was faithful to the nation, and I’m sure he’d have gladly sacrificed his life and his ship even if he’d known the outcome in advance, as would I. But I don’t see any advantage to attacking a nation that so far appears to have technology superior to that of our forces, has a reputation for being a good neighbor, and who would be a far better friend than an enemy. But if you order it, I will attack the G.A. ship.”

Equille took another deep breath and then released it slowly before saying, “It appears I stand alone on this issue. There’s an ancient saying that goes: ‘When you find yourself standing alone in a crowd, you’ve either chosen the wrong position, or you’re standing in the wrong crowd.’ I know you are all faithful officers who would gladly sacrifice yourselves for the good of our nation. So, it appears that I’ve chosen the wrong position. I’m enough of a loyal member of the Kirriri nation to admit that I might have been mistaken. I’ll now give some thought to how I should apologize to the captain of the G.A. ship and request that we establish formal diplomatic relations. Dismissed.”

* *

“Captain,” the com chief said, “we’re receiving a message from the Kirriri. It’s in the form of a vid.”

“Play it on the bow monitor, chief.”

The large monitor at the front of the bridge illuminated with the image of a human-like ant standing upright. Then the Kirriri began to talk. The words had already been translated.

“Captain, I am Captain Equille of the Kirriri Space High Command. I want to apologize. After a discussion with the captains of the ships under my command, I realized I acted foolishly towards a peaceful neighbor. My officers, to a man, pointed out my mistake. They are all loyal Kirriri officers and would sacrifice themselves in an instant for our nation, so they never questioned my orders, although they disagreed with them. I foolishly sent in two ships to force you to stop, and you rightfully stopped them from completing their assignment. I am responsible for their loss, not you. I hope you can forgive me. I had hoped that the ship you’re flying would yield secrets we could use in our fight against the Denubbewa, and I was wrong to try to take the ship by force when you didn’t immediately surrender it.

“I ask that you meet with me to discuss the war against our mutual enemy, the Denubbewa. There will be no subterfuge. If you accept my appeal, we will come aboard your ship. Or, if you prefer, you may come aboard ours. I await your decision.”

Sydnee leaned back in her chair and exhaled. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath while Equille spoke. It wasn’t that she feared him or anything he could say; she’d just been so shocked by his appearance. Of all the intelligent species in the G.A., she knew of none that so resembled an insect species on Earth. While she didn’t look forward to a meeting with a species that had begun their relationship by attacking her ship, she did have an obligation to foster goodwill with aliens who extended their hand, or claw, in friendship. She just had to be wary that it might be an effort to get other Kirriri aboard the Bemming. But that was the risk taken when functioning as ambassador to new nations.

“Nav, you have the command while I’m off the bridge. I’ll be in my office.”

“Aye, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Olivetti said as she stood to move from the navigation console to the command chair Sydnee was vacating.

Sydnee paced around her office while she thought. She knew she couldn’t refuse the request to meet, although she was suspicious that it might be a ruse just to get them to stop so the Kirriri could make another attempt to take the mothership. The Justice was still trailing the Bemming and would destroy every ship in the Kirriri task force if the aliens made any additional attempts to commandeer the ship.

When she had organized all her thoughts, she sat at her desk to make a vid. In it, she welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Kirriri aboard the Bemming and exchange information about their respective nations. She suggested that Captain Equille bring four of his top officers for this first meeting. She said that although he was welcome to partake of the food and beverages aboard the Bemming, she was unsure if they were safe and palatable for his species and that he might prefer to bring his own refreshments. She explained that all ships in the G.A. operated according to a Galactic System Time based on the time of day at HQ on Earth. Supreme HQ had since been moved to Quesann, but they had continued to use the old Earth clock for shipboard watch time. She had a timeline appear in the vid so they could reconcile the G.A. passage of time and the current time of day with their own form of timekeeping. Then, she established a time for the meeting aboard the Bemming and announced that the ship would come to a halt thirty Earth minutes before the scheduled meeting, if the meeting time was acceptable. The doors to the port would be opened and one ship could enter and then link up with an airlock if they were compatible. She included a Periodic Table of Elements arranged by atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties as part of her explanation of the atmospheric requirements of Terrans. She said that if this was incompatible with Kirriri physiology and they required a special environment for breathing, they should wear suits capable of supporting their species. Lastly, she invited any questions regarding the proposed meeting and environment.

When she’d completed the vid, she viewed it twice to make sure everything was as clear as possible when dealing with a previously unknown species. She decided she could phrase one issue better, so she created a new message. Satisfied after reviewing the second effort, she sent it to the communications console on the bridge with an order to transmit it to the Kirriri.

* *

“We’ve received an invitation from the ship’s captain to meet with the people from the G.A.,” Equille said in a meeting with his top four officers later that day. “She seems sincere and has provided us with details about their environment. Unfortunately, they breathe a different mixture than do we, so we’ll have to wear environmental suits the entire time for this first visit.”

“What are we hoping to achieve with the meeting, sir?” Alleqas asked.

“In the short term, it’s to begin planting the seeds of friendship. We’ll learn about them, and they’ll learn about us. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Yes, sir. Since we have a common enemy in the very powerful Denubbewa, we need all the friends we can get.”

“That’s what our initial goal is.”

“And after that?”

“To acquire, peacefully and in a friendly manner, technology that will help us in our battles with the Denubbewa. Do you approve?”

“Most definitely, sir.”

“Good. We have translation capability for the Kirriri language to Amer, but they didn’t seem to have an Amer-to-Kirriri translator, so I’m going to present them with one. It’s important that we all be on our best behavior for this first-contact meeting. If anyone here feels they can’t be friendly because the Terrans destroyed two of our ships with all hands, I want you to withdraw from the meeting. I’m as upset as you over the loss, but the Terrans were only defending themselves from attack. I’m the one who bears the responsibility for the losses.”

“No one blames either the people of the G.A. or you, sir. It was an unfortunate incident that is best forgotten.”

“Thank you, Alleqas. That helps a little, but I shall regret that decision forever. Okay, the meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at 38:94.”

“38:94?” Ruxxele repeated loudly. “That’s the middle of our sleep cycle.”

“It’s just one of the problems with initial contact for interspecies interaction. We are rarely in sync with our awake and sleep cycles. In the future, once we’ve exchanged information about ourselves, meetings can be better scheduled.”

* *

The Bemming came to a halt at the scheduled time, as did the Kirriri ships. As the doors of the port opened, one of the Kirriri ships entered and proceeded to the designated airlock; however, the airlock systems were incompatible, so the Kirriri delegation had to use a special airlock a little further down the dock—two doors surrounding a chamber that only allowed two individuals to cycle through at a time. The ship was stationary, and a rope was run to the airlock entrance so the Kirriri could pull themselves over to the airlock in the zero- gravity port and then cycle through.

When the Kirriri group was assembled on the dock, there were nine individuals. The Lt.(jg) assigned to meet the party and bring them to the conference room said, “I’m sorry, but only five individuals may proceed to the conference room, and weapons are not permitted.”

Equille activated the speaker on his helmet after setting the translator to Amer. Then, pointing to the armed individuals, Equille said, “These four soldiers are my protection detail.”

“I’m only permitted to bring five individuals, none of whom may be armed. You can bring your protection detail, but no one else, and your protection detail must disarm here.”

“That’s unacceptable,” Equille shouted.

“Then I’ve been instructed to tell you we’re sorry you wasted your time coming, and that we wish you a safe journey back to your task force outside this ship.”

Equille turned to leave, but Alleqas put out his arm before saying, “Sir, if they wished us harm, they’ve already had ample opportunity. I suggest we leave the guards here and carry on with the meeting.”

Equille made a face and said, “Thank you. I almost let my temper get the better of me.” He then turned and gave instructions to the protection detail to wait there on the dock.

There were three carts waiting for the party just inside the ship after they passed through the large airtight doors that separated the port from the interior of the ship. The transport carts normally carried up to six Terrans in the two seats behind the driver, but the bulky spacesuits meant that only two Kirriri could fit into each cart. The five aliens took seats in the foremost part of the carts and the Lt.(jg) acting as escort sat in the rearmost seat of cart number three.

The Kirriri couldn’t help but be impressed by the enormity of the ship, but they never uttered a word as the carts traveled distances many times the length of their ships. When the carts arrived at the conference area, all passengers disembarked and were escorted to the meeting room where Sydnee was waiting with Lt. Colonel Dennier, Marine Captain Blade, and Marine Lieutenant Kelly MacDonald.

Sydnee and the others stood as the Kirriri entered the room. As Sydnee smiled and began her rehearsed speech, one of the Kirriri yanked quickly at something from a pouch on his belt. In his haste, and probably because he was completely encased in a spacesuit, he fumbled the object slightly. When he had a firm grip on it, he raised it towards Sydnee. But she’d already acted. With one swift move, she had grabbed a water carafe from the table and sent it sailing towards his head.

As the carafe crashed against the faceplate of the Kirriri helmet, the alien again lost his grip on the object he’d been trying to point at Sydnee. This time it fell to the deck. As he bent to retrieve it, Kelly MacDonald pushed her way to the alien and grabbed at his helmet to keep him from reaching it. She secured a tight grip on one of the hoses attached to his helmet, and as he tried even harder to recover the object lying on the deck, the hose broke free. The alien immediately stopped attempting to reach the object on the deck and began furiously trying to reconnect the hose. He was still trying to reattach the hose as he fell to the deck and then stopped moving.

Chapter Thirteen

~ April 23rd, 2294 ~

“What is that?” Sydnee asked as Marine Captain Blade bent and recovered the flashlight- like object dropped by the alien. His fellow Kirriri officers just stared dispassionately down at the body.

“It’s a molecular disrupter,” Equille said.

“A weapon?”

“Yes. It’s deadly to carbon-based life forms. It doesn’t seem to have much of an effect on cyborgs unless the beam hits them in the center of their chest.”

“I’m not a cyborg.”

“I realize that, and so, apparently, did Captain Juurilp. I must apologize again, Captain. Juurilp was a good officer and I never would have believed he would do something like this. He was one of the group that convinced me to ask for this meeting.”

“He may have believed it was the only way he could get to me.”

“Perhaps. His brother captained one of the ships you destroyed.”

“Only because my ship was threatened with imminent attack if we didn’t take action to prevent it.”

“Yes, I know. That was my fault. Juurilp probably should have tried to kill me since I was responsible for his brother’s death.”

As they talked, several armed Marines rushed into the room with weapons raised. They were responding to Blade having depressed the button on an alert transmitter when the action started.

“It’s alright, men,” Sydnee said. “The excitement is over. Take this body back to the port area so he can be returned to his people when they leave.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Equille said. “We do perform a small ceremony whenever possible. Despite what Juurilp tried to do here, he’s always been a loyal officer in the past.”

“Perhaps we should postpone our conference until you’ve had an opportunity to do that.”

“I think that would be best.”

*

After the Kirriri left, Sydnee turned towards Kelly MacDonald and said, “Thanks for helping out with that alien.”

“I’m just glad you were so quick with the water carafe. All I did was accidently pull out the hose he needed to breathe. I was only trying to incapacitate him, not kill him.”

“In case I forget, remind me when we get back to the Denver to thank Martin Aguilo. Even though we’ve been away for years, the time I spent on the Marine Range was responsible for my quick action. The range time heightened all of my senses, gave me confidence in my abilities, and taught me to react immediately with whatever was at hand.”

“You had great reflexes before you ever used the range, but it does add to that edge so you never hesitate when confronted by an emergency or a potential enemy. So, what now? Is that the end of our attempt at first contact with an unknown species?”

“Well— for today anyway. We’ll have to wait and see what the Kirriri want to do.”

“Uh— do you think the attack today was planned?”

“Are you asking if more than the one Kirriri was part of the attempt?”

“Yes.”

“I have to say no. If more than one was involved, someone would have been tasked with diverting our attention and giving Captain Juurilp time to pull his weapon without being seen.”

“Yeah, probably. Do you think they’ll attack us again? I mean, for killing one of their ship captains.”

“I hope not. It couldn’t be helped. It was either him or me, and I don’t have to tell you how I’d vote.”

* * *

A full week passed before the Kirriri again made contact with the Bemming. During that time, the alien ships had maintained a steady presence within a thousand kilometers of the enormous vessel.

“Captain,” the message said, “we’ve completed our ceremonies for the departed, and I’d like to meet with you again. Please arrange a time when we can renew our discussion. I promise there will be no more incidents like the last.”

“Does that mean there will be new kinds of incidents?” Kelly joked when she heard the message replay in Sydnee’s office. The two women were alone in the room.

“I hope not. We’ll assume that all will go well, but we’ll be prepared for any treachery. SCI has said they’d send a representative if I notified them the Kirriri wanted to meet again.”

“Send a representative, as in send him or her via the CJ Gate booth?”

“That’s really the only way it can happen.”

“When are we going to get a chance to travel via the booths? I know a lot of Space Command personnel have been coming and going because I’ve seen so many new faces I haven’t recognized.”

“Right now, travel is restricted to engineers and scientists performing tests on the equipment. I’m perfectly willing to wait until they certify that all fourteen booths are safe for our use.”

“All fourteen? I thought we were just going to have the one.”

“There are fourteen booths throughout the ship, so we might as well make all fourteen ready for use.”

“In case we have to evacuate quickly, like the Denubbewa?”

“I hope not, but you never know. Having all fourteen available is the wisest course. I understand that the eight space stations in Region Three not only have all fourteen available, but they also have brand-new Gates that are almost as large as a habitat container.”

“What for?”

“For sending really big stuff, I guess; or large cargo shipments. The distance between the space stations is enormous, and now the quartermaster ships won’t have to make regular trips to resupply those stations. We’re getting one of the new, enlarged Gates also. That’s why you’ve seen so many new faces.”

“How many Space Command and Space Marine personnel are aboard this ship now?”

“It changes daily, but the latest count I’ve seen is five thousand, three hundred four.”

“Five thousand, three hundred four? I had no idea. That’s more than an Ares class battleship. I think their crew size is only about three thousand, five hundred.”

“I think that’s right. You have to remember that this ship is hundreds of times larger than an Ares class ship. The port alone could hold all of the battleships in Space Command.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t been replaced.”

“Well, thank you,” Sydnee said with a grimace.

“Oh, you know what I mean. You’re a lieutenant. Only captains get command of battleships, and you’re in command of a ship hundreds of times larger than our newest battleship.”

“There’s a big difference. I’m not really in command of this ship. I’m just in charge of moving it to Region Three. Yes, the fifty-three hundred Space Command personnel aboard the Bemming do, technically, have to obey any orders I give, but this is still just a space station on its way to its assigned location.”

“But if the Kirriri attack us, it becomes a warship again?”

“Uh, yes, for a time.”

“Then, technically, you command fifty-three hundred Space Command personnel.”

“Okay, you win. But once we deliver this ship, I’m just going to be plain old Lieutenant Marcola again.”

“Plain? No. Old? No.” With a smile she added, “I hope you’ll still talk to your old friend Lieutenant MacDonald when you become an admiral.”

“Of course, I will. I’ll need someone to bring me my coffee.”

“Funny, Syd. When’s the meeting with the Kirriri?”

* *

The Kirriri arrived right on time. Having completed the airlock procedure previously, they were through to the dock and aboard one of the waiting carts promptly. Then began the long journey to the room where the conference would be held.

Equille was the first to enter the room and was surprised to see that the conference room had been altered considerably. The room was now double in size, with a fully transparent wall extending down its entire length. Equille stopped short when he realized the purpose of the wall and looked towards Sydnee.

“Following our last meeting,” Sydnee said, “we removed the bulkhead between this and the next room to make one much larger room. The other room has an atmosphere consistent with the one you described that you have aboard your ship. If you prefer not to wear your cumbersome spacesuits, you can go into that room and remove them. The table in this room has been pushed against the transparent barrier, as has been done in the other room, so it appears as if we’re sitting at one table. We’ve included a translation system between the two rooms so that whatever you say in your language will be heard as Amer on this side of the transparent partition, and everything we say in Amer will be heard as your native language in that area. To speak privately without being overheard, simply depress one of the red buttons on the table. It will light up to tell you the room is secure.”

“You did all this for us?”

“For both of us. We want to establish friendly relations with our neighbors now that we know of your existence.”

“Thank you, Captain. We appreciate your efforts and the kindness you’ve extended to us.”

“My pleasure, Captain. Also, we have another individual with us today. This is Lieutenant Commander Pietro Marcossa. He’s a specialist in dealing with new relations between races and will lead the discussion.”

“Will you be staying?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Good. We welcome Lieutenant Commander Pietro Marcossa to the discussion. I must ask why he wasn’t here at the last meeting.”

“He wasn’t on board the ship. After I reported the first contact, Space Command suggested he might be helpful in greeting a new race.”

“I don’t understand. No spaceship has visited this ship since our last meeting.”

“That’s correct. The lieutenant commander just arrived a few hours ago. He came directly from our HQ on Quesann in Region Two.”

“But again, we saw no ship arrive.”

“That’s correct. The lieutenant commander came via a wormhole. You wouldn’t have seen anything or heard anything on the S-band frequencies.”

“Captain, please. Wormholes are a myth.”

“Perhaps there’s a better descriptor than wormhole, but that’s the way we refer to it. Basically, the physical matter is reduced to a form of energy and transmitted to another location. We can cross the entire galaxy in seconds.”

“I won’t believe that until I see it with my own eyes.”

“Would you like to visit Quesann?”

“What?”

“I asked if you’d like to visit Quesann. We can send you there, and then they can send you back. In between the travel, you can go outdoors and see that you are indeed in another part of the galaxy.”

“Uh, Captain?” Lt. Commander Pietro Marcossa said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. It hasn’t been cleared.”

“Lieutenant Commander, I’m hoping we can establish a good relationship with our Kirriri visitors, and thus their civilization. I realize I may be overstepping my authority slightly, but I want to show them that we are not exaggerating. I want them to trust our word and have them strive to have us trust them. It may be some time before we’re permitted to share our technology with them. That will have to be approved at much higher levels than mine, but I want them to understand I’ve never lied to them and never will, while also knowing I can’t share all of our technology without approval from our superiors.”

“I really don’t see that we’re violating Space Command regulations, so I’ll go along with your request— this time.”

“Thank you, Lt. Commander. Shall we go?”

*

When the group reached the CJ Gate booth, Captain Equille stood back and looked at the booth for a few seconds before saying, “This is how you travel?”

“This is just one way, Captain,” Sydnee said, “but there’s nothing that can compare with this first experience. Are you ready to travel many thousands of light-years in seconds?”

“I still don’t believe it’s possible, Captain.”

“You will, Captain. Please step into the booth with your fellow captain and the lieutenant commander. This booth can only accommodate up to three at one time, so your fellow Kirriri will have to remain here with me until you return.”

Marcossa, Captain Equille, and one of the other three Kirriri officers (still in their spacesuits) stepped into the booth. It appeared to be a bit tight, owing to the Kirriri spacesuits, but when Sydnee nodded to the technician, the three travelers disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

Sydnee stood in the booth room with the other two Kirriri captains until the booth glowed brightly again. The clock indicted that slightly over twenty minutes had passed when the three travelers returned.

As Captain Equille stepped out of the booth, he was shaking his head. He looked at Sydnee and said, “After arriving at a different booth location, we went outside the building. It was a gorgeous afternoon on Quesann. It’s hard to believe— uh, did that really happen?”

“Yes, sir. You were on the planet Quesann.”

Equille lifted his left hand and opened it as he looked down. There in his glove was a large tuft of green grass. “It really did happen. I bent and picked this up while we were outside the building.”

One of the two Kirriri captains who’d remained on the Bemming said, “We saw a flash and then you were gone. When we saw another flash, you were back in the booth.”

“I’m reeling, Captain,” Equille said to Sydnee. “I now firmly believe that what I experienced was something I’d previously believed was impossible. Your race is so far ahead of ours that we are like infants in a nursery.”

“Captain, we’ve been fortunate to advance our technology to a level that allows us not only to fight the Denubbewa but to beat them at their own games. We’ve been where you are and can recognize the frustration of fighting a powerful enemy that seems unbeatable. If you’re ready to work with us, we’re ready to work with you. My rank and position don’t allow me to make promises as to how much technology we can share with you, and it will take time for our two races to— fully trust— the other. But if we persist in the effort, I’m sure we’ll both improve our chances of beating the Denubbewa.”

*

Upon arriving back at the conference room, the four Kirriri entered the room that had been prepared for them. The aliens remained in their spacesuits, so Sydnee mentioned to Equille that perhaps they didn’t trust that the atmosphere created for them was okay. Equille glanced at a device on his wrist, nodded, and immediately removed his helmet. He then took a deep breath as his fellow officers looked on. As he took a seat facing the transparent wall that divided the room, he said to Sydnee, who was sitting at the table in the other room, “The atmo is perfect, Captain. It’s like being aboard one of our own ships. Thank you for your considerations. Now— where shall we begin?”

Seeing that Equille didn’t die immediately after removing his helmet, the other aliens finally removed theirs.

*

When the first conference day had ended, both races had acquired a basic knowledge of the other’s development as a spacefaring civilization. When they exchanged star maps, the Kirriri were surprised to learn of the enormous magnitude of the G.A., the number of occupied worlds, and the diversity of species in the G.A.’s four regions. Their own territory, which they’d always viewed as being vast, was slightly smaller than the size of the G.A.’s Region One after the first expansion in 2203. And Region One was by far the smallest of the G.A.’s four regions.

Sydnee had learned that the Kirriri spaceships could travel at speeds as high as Light-532, which was a significant accomplishment and explained how the Kirriri were able to catch and even pass the Denubbewa ship when the mothership was maxed out at its top speed of Light- 480. But when questioned about the speed of the Space Command warships, she could only say that they were quite a bit faster. She couldn’t tell the Kirriri about the speed capability of Space Command ships because she would have to explain about Dakinium and the double-envelope capability. Although powerful people in the G.A. knew Space Command ships had unbelievable speed, how they accomplished it was still top-secret.

“How can you have speeds quite a bit faster?” Equille said. “Our top scientists have said that the maximum speeds possible cannot exceed Light-800.”

“I’m sure that at one time those scientists would have said that traveling faster than the speed of light was totally impossible. What will these same top scientists say when you tell them you traveled thousands of light-years in mere seconds?”

“They’ll say it’s impossible.”

“Exactly. But you know you did. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more at this time. The technology behind our ship speeds and almost instantaneous travel across the galaxy using the special booths will have to remain a secret until our two races have established formal diplomatic relations. And even then, top-secret information can only be shared if first approved by the G.A. Admiralty Board.”

Equille said he understood completely and that he’d already submitted a report to his government in which he recommended establishing formal diplomatic relations with the G.A., along with the exchange of ambassadors and their staffs. They didn’t have the instantaneous communications most ships in Space Command now enjoyed, so it would be weeks before he received a response.

* * *

“The commander of the Kirriri forces presently in talks with our people,” Admiral Bradlee said in a closed meeting of the Admiralty Board, “has informed our forces that he has recommended to his government that they immediately establish diplomatic relations with the G.A. and that we exchange ambassadors and diplomatic staffs.”

“Roger, a few weeks ago they were firing on our people,” Jenetta said.

“They didn’t actually fire on us, Jen. They tried to perform an envelope-merge so they could stop the mothership, but Lieutenant Marcola destroyed the two ships they sent in. Her CPS-14 was sheathed in a double-envelope so the Kirriri never knew what happened.”

“And now you want us to establish diplomatic relations?”

“They were misguided. They didn’t know who we were and so treated us as an enemy because we refused to surrender the ship.”

“Demands that you surrender your ship in unclaimed space is piracy,” Admiral Plimley said.

“We’ve done worse.”

“Not without provocation,” Jen said.

“They were desperate. They haven’t been nearly as successful against the Denubbewa as we’ve been.”

“You seem convinced we should do this,” Admiral Woo said.

“I support taking it to the next step. We should learn more about them before dismissing their request. They may turn out to be very valuable allies in the fight against the Denubbewa.”

Jenetta looked around the table and said, “It can’t hurt to take it to the next level. Roger might be right. But we’ll have to learn a lot more about them before sharing too much information.”

“What about Lieutenant Marcola?” Admiral Burke asked. “She’s the one who made first contact.”

“I sent one of our diplomatic negotiators to assist her. To convince them that we were genuine, the Kirriri commander and one of his captains were brought back here via a CJ Gate.”

“Back here?” Admiral Woo said.

“Not for a state visit. Just to show him a sample of our technology. The party of three arrived here, took a stroll around the quad, and then returned. As expected, he was highly impressed, and it helped to convince them to begin diplomatic talks.”

“I suppose there was no damage done,” Jen said. “I’m sure our people didn’t explain the science behind the travel.”

“Absolutely not. They know better.”

“So how do we proceed?” Admiral Plimley asked. “We can’t just leave the mothership out there.”

“The CPS-14 is still there, and we can replenish their food and other supplies using the Gate,” Admiral Ahmed said.

“The crew has been living in that CPS-14 for half a dozen years,” Admiral Holt said. “They should be rotated back. We can teleport another crew to bring back the Bemming.”

“The Kirriri began the diplomatic talks with Lieutenant Marcola. They’d probably be more comfortable with her there.”

“Are you suggesting we name her as ambassador and allow the crew to return?” Admiral Woo asked.

“No, she’s a Space Command officer— and a damn good one,” Holt said. “She wouldn’t be happy in the diplomatic corps. I’m suggesting that we send her a CPS-16. It should have a CJ Cargo Gate and all the amenities we currently include in all CPS-16s.”

“I think that would appeal to her,” Jen said. “I second the suggestion. The CPS-14s were never intended for long-term missions. The CPS-16s are.”

“So, what happens after the CPS-16 arrives and they shift their people?” Admiral Hillaire asked.

“We send Lieutenant Marcola and her ship to the Kirriri home world as our first-contact team,” Admiral Holt said. “Since they’ll have a CJ Gate, we’ll have plenty of time to prepare them for their new mission by sending diplomatic personnel to train them.”

“I’m not so sure they’ll be happy with that mission assignment,” Admiral Woo said. “They deserve a year of shore leave.”

“It’s only an interim assignment,” Holt said. “When it’s over, they can have their year of shore leave. But I’d be willing to bet that most of them will be looking for another mission within a month.”

Chapter Fourteen

~ May 11th, 2294 ~

“Syd, are you okay?” Kelly MacDonald asked as she entered Sydnee’s office and saw the expression on her friend’s face.

When Sydnee didn’t reply, she asked again.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she replied, but the tone of her voice told a different story.”

“What’s wrong? Come on, tell me. You know you can tell me anything. Bad news from home? Is your family okay?”

Sydnee took a deep breath and then released it before saying, “I just received a message from Quesann. We’re not going home.”

“What do you mean, not going home?”

“Exactly that. We’ve received a new mission. We’re going to the Kirriri home world to function as the G.A. base.”

“G.A. base? How can we be a G.A. base?”

“Simple,” Sydnee said. “We’ll have a CJ Gate aboard ship so personnel from the G.A. can travel to and from the planet. Space Command doesn’t want to put a Gate on the planet until we know we can trust the Kirriri.”

“Oh my God. It will take us forever to get there in this bucket. And then we’ll still have to deliver the Bemming when our mission is over. We’re not going to get home for fifty years.”

“Well, it might not be that bad.”

“How can it not be?” Kelly said. “Even the Kirriri can travel faster than this ship, and they say it’ll take them more than a year to get to their home world.”

“Admiral Holt says we’re receiving a CPS-16.”

“What are we going to do with another ship?”

“It’s not another ship; it’s a replacement for the Justice. In fact, the new ship will be re-designated as the Justice once it arrives, and the old ship will just be assigned to the Bemming without a name until his next crew takes over.”

“A replacement? Gee, I’ve kind of gotten used to the CPS-14.”

“The CPS-16 is just like the CPS-14, but much larger and roomier. It was designed for away missions from the beginning, where the CPS-14 was really only intended to be used like a space tug for short-term missions.”

“I’ve never seen a tug with weapons like we have on the Justice.”

“And you probably never will. But they were added on after the fact to expand its capabilities and usefulness when the CPS-14 was already in service. The CPS-16 is substantially roomier and uses the same habitat containers. I understand that the CPS-16 has been modified a number of times, with each change making it roomier and more powerful. They’re on Model G now, and that’s what we’ll be getting, but they don’t use the letter in the regular ship designation. When the new ship arrives, we’ll put our containers on it. So, in many ways it won’t even seem like we swapped ships. But the ship’s crew will have actual quarters now instead of all sleeping in one big barracks-style room.”

“I bet there’s no improvement to the sleeping areas of the Marines.”

“You’d lose that bet. We’re getting additional habitat containers outfitted as barracks for the Marine personnel. And the swimming pool container will be nice.”

“A swimming pool?” Kelly said excitedly. “Honest?”

“Honest.”

“Well, that changes everything. But— we’ll still be out here forever.”

“Maybe not. We’re being relieved of the responsibility for delivering the Bemming to Region Three. The crew transporting the CPS-16 will take over that task. The only mission we’ll have will be as first-contact liaison to the Kirriri. I’ve been ordered to tell Captain Equille that he should head back to his home planet, and we’ll meet him there. It’ll take a few months for the new CPS-16 to arrive here, but we’ll probably still beat the Captain back to his world.”

“What do we do while we’re waiting for the CPS-16 to arrive?”

“We resume our trip towards Region Three. Light-480 is slow compared to the speed of our ships, but this ship will make an effective Space Command base. We need more of a presence in that region.”

* * *

Sydnee contacted Captain Equille and relayed the information that Space Command had ordered her to proceed to the Kirriri home world so that her new ship could function as a platform for a CJ Gate that would allow instantaneous travel between worlds. Equille said he would comply and be there to greet her when she arrived. Since they’d shared star maps of their nation’s territories, Sydnee would have no trouble finding the Kirriri home planet.

When the Kirriri ships left the area, Sydnee recalled the Justice. It had remained outside the mothership on Sydnee’s orders in case she’d misread the intent of the Kirriri or some other ship’s captain went rogue like Captain Juurilp.

* * *

Months later, the Bemming rendezvoused with the new CPS-16 from Quesann. The officer in command was Commander Eric Stafford, and Sydnee welcomed him after the new ship had docked inside the former mothership.

“This is absolutely incredible, Lieutenant. I knew the ship was touted as being enormous, but it’s even larger than I expected.”

“Yes, sir. She’s capable of housing an entire armada in her belly. That’s why they present such a danger. You might think you’re engaging one ship and suddenly find yourself fighting dozens of destroyers, or perhaps even a hundred. But they make excellent Space Command bases because all visiting ships are protected by the Dakinium-sheathed outer hull the Denubbewa are using now.”

“And yet, even with the Dakinium, the Denubbewa are still limited to Light-480?”

“Yes. I guess they just haven’t developed the technology to create a double-envelope. And if you think the port is big, wait until you see the rest of the ship.”

*

“I see what you mean,” Commander Stafford said as they rode through kilometer after kilometer of corridors. Sydnee was driving and they were alone in the cart. “This ship makes a Space Command battleship seem as small as a CPS-14.”

“It is a bit overwhelming at first,” Sydnee said in agreement.

“Yes, it is. Yet you seem to have adapted to it just fine.”

“I’ve had a lot of time with it, but I’m happy to be turning it over to you, sir.”

“Lieutenant, I haven’t told you how much I admire your contributions to Space Command and the G.A.,” Stafford said.

“My contributions, sir?”

“Yes. I admit I’ve really been looking forward to meeting you, and I’m certainly not disappointed. You’re a remarkable officer.”

“I really haven’t done anything to deserve such praise, Commander.”

“Are you kidding? I doubt there’s a single officer in all of Space Command that doesn’t know your name and wish they could serve under you.”

“I think you’re exaggerating a bit, sir. I’ve been lucky on a few occasions, but that’s about all.”

“Lucky? An officer can be lucky once or maybe even twice, but when the officer does the kinds of things you’ve been doing on every single mission, it’s not just luck.”

“Are you sure you’re talking about me, sir?”

“You are Lieutenant Sydnee Marie Marcola, aren’t you?”

“Um, yes, that’s my rank and name.”

“Then I’m talking about you. When I received orders to proceed to this location so far outside the G.A. to relieve the present commanding officer of the Bemming, I naturally knew that it was not only unusual but virtually unheard of. So, I contacted a friend in SCI. We were roommates at the Academy, and I wanted to know if he could provide any additional information. He said he could neither confirm nor deny anything I might have been told to date. Then he suggested that we get together for old time’s sake to discuss our academy days. I agreed, and we met at a small restaurant on Quesann that’s popular with legislators.

“I knew the restaurant was swept for listening electronics several times a week, so I was surprised when he took out a detection device to ensure that our conversation wasn’t being recorded. He knew, without my telling him, that I’d been appointed to relieve the Space Command crew aboard the Bemming and then deliver it to an as yet unstated destination, but that I hadn’t been told the name of the officer presently in command. So, he understood my trepidation about the assignment. When he told me that the present commander of the ship was none other than Lieutenant Sydnee Marcola, I was even more surprised. I’d heard of you, of course. I imagine everyone in Space Command has heard of Sydnee Marie Marcola.”

“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration, sir.”

“Perhaps, but if it is, it’s not off by much. My former roommate was able to tell me a lot that’s never been made public, such as that Marc-1 speed was named after you because you were largely responsible for it. Then I learned that you’d made multiple clandestine SCI missions into Clidepp space and that you’d always astounded your superiors with your actions and results. You located and arrested Citizen X, the mass murderer, and his top two lieutenants, despite receiving no help from the Clidepp government. Also, you freed and returned thousands of slaves to the G.A. And most importantly, you managed to get the Clidepp government to publicly renounce slavery and forever make it a crime in the Clidepp Empire. And those are just the highlights. I learned that the Bemming was a former Denubbewa mothership you’d come across and then followed in the hope it would lead you to a secret base. Even though that didn’t work out, you destroyed five Denubbewa destroyers and ended plans for an invasion in Region One. Plus, you also destroyed all the Denubbewa destroyers inside the mothership’s port. Lastly, you made first contact with an advanced race we were unaware of and arranged for the first diplomatic negotiations in what is hoped will be a good relationship with a powerful neighbor also at war with the Denubbewa. I’m not even going to touch on the facts that everyone knows, such as your confrontation with the Clidepp ambassador’s guards when they were brutalizing a Terran slave girl, or saving the entire crew of the Perry at the risk of your own life.”

“I didn’t do that alone.”

“I know, but you were in command of the ship.”

“Commander, I’ve just been caught up in circumstances beyond my control, and I did what I had to do to survive and protect the people under my command.”

“It’s the decisions made by a commanding officer under the most difficult of conditions that often makes the difference in the outcome. My initial orders only stated that I was to replace a commanding officer aboard a ship being transported to a Region Three destination. I suspected I was being sent to replace someone who’d been adjudged incompetent and who’d lost control of the situation. I worried about the discipline problems I’d face as I tried to reestablish order from chaos. I’m delighted to say that’s about as far from the situation as any prediction could be. So, where are you headed now, Lieutenant?”

“I’ve been ordered to proceed to the Kirriri home world to assist with establishment of diplomatic relations. I haven’t been trained for diplomatic work, so I’m not sure how helpful I can be.”

“Space Command may be relying on you to evaluate the military capability of the Kirriri and report on their readiness. We also need to know their attitude towards us. In other words, are they only pretending to be friends in order to learn about our advancements?”

“Yes, I’ve wondered about that last one.”

“It’s a legitimate concern. We want allies against the Denubbewa, but not if their main goal is to learn all our technological advancements so they could conquer us one day. I always hate seeming to be paranoid, but we can’t be entirely trusting.”

“Yes, sir. I agree. I suppose only time will tell.”

“I’m sure the judgment you’ve shown in the past figured prominently in the decision to appoint you to this very important mission. While I look forward to being the commander of the Bemming for the next few years, I also envy your role in this undertaking. This is an exciting time to be in Space Command.”

* * *

Sydnee remained aboard the Bemming for a full week after Commander Stafford arrived to help him become acclimated to the ship. During that time, the crew of the Justice worked to prepare the CPS-16 for departure. Both ships accepted habitat containers of the same size, so the crew mounted the original containers onto the CPS-16, Then all systems had to be checked and double-checked. Some of the containers that had arrived with the CPS-16 would stay with the ship. One container held the swimming pool, while another contained the substantially enlarged CJ Cargo Gate. The others were to provide hew housing for the Marines. Where all Gates had previously been a small booth that could only accommodate three individuals, the new Gate platform was large enough to transfer a dozen individuals, plus a very large piece of equipment, enough food supplies for several months, and replacement WOLaRs in just one transfer. Since the Justice was going to be so very far from the G.A., the new capability added another dimension to its usefulness.

One of the habitat containers that would be remaining with the Bemming contained another of the new transfer platforms. The still-crated system would be moved into the Bemming and assembled by the engineers still aboard the mothership when they found the time, whereas the new transfer platform for the Justice had been fully tested and was already operational.

*

When the new Justice was ready for departure, they didn’t need the Bemming to stop; they simply built their double-envelope and exited the ship. As the Justice emerged outside the mothership, the single-envelope that was sheathing the enormous ship ceased to include the CPS-16, and the Bemming disappeared in an instant.

“How does she handle, Helm?” Sydnee asked Lt.(jg) Caruthers.

“Exactly the same as the original Justice, Captain. I feel like I’ve come home again.”

“Great. Tac, any issues?”

“None, Captain. It’s just like the smaller ship.”

“Nav?”

“Ditto, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Olivetti said. “It’s just like the older ship. With a lot more space.”

“Yes. Com Chief?”

“Five by five, Captain.”

“Okay. Nav have you computed the course to the Kirriri home world?”

“Aye, Captain. I’ve sent it to Helm.”

“I have the course, Captain,” Caruthers said.

“Good. Helm, take us to our new destination.”

As Caruthers engaged the drive, he said, “We’re away, Captain.”

The large monitor at the front of the bridge had immediately changed from a real image of the stars to an image prepared by the ship’s sensors. The light from the stars appeared like white streaks against the blackness of space as the ship reached Light-14,685.7.

Before leaving the bridge to work in her office, Sydnee sent a message to Captain Equille, informing him that they were now under way for the Kirriri home world. Before they’d separated, they’d selected an encryption system for communications and established code names and words so the other party would know the caller was legitimate.

The Kirriri border was roughly three hundred sixty-eight light-years from their current position, so while traveling at Light-14,685.7, the Justice should enter Kirriri space in nine days. Until then, they were in the unclaimed space that bordered the G.A., the Aguspod nation, the Kirriri Expanse, and the Clidepp Empire.

* * *

“How long do you think we’ll be out here?” Kelly asked as she sat in Sydnee’s office.

“I have no idea, Kel,” Sydnee said. “I’m not even sure why we were picked for this assignment.”

“I suppose it was because we made first contact with a previously unknown intelligent and advanced species. I realize it’s important, but diplomacy isn’t exactly our thing, unless you administer it with weapons.”

Sydnee grinned and said, “I suspect that our role in all this is really just to protect the diplomats who’ll be arriving via the Gate system and to keep things civil if the Kirriri attempt to force us to reveal our military secrets.”

“Do you really think they will?” MacDonald asked.

“I don’t know. We don’t really know them well enough yet. I do know we’re more than a match for any of the Kirriri warships or weapons we’ve seen so far. I also know that if the Kirriri are genuinely interested in combining forces against the Denubbewa, we should welcome their association. Until now, it’s seemed like we’re in this fight alone because no one else appears to be able to stand up to the Denubbewa, at least as far as this part of the Milky Way is concerned. As with all wars, the best time to take on an enemy is when they’re at their weakest. If we merely let the Denubbewa pass us by for the present, they’ll likely get more powerful as they absorb other nations that aren’t as well armed as we are. Eventually we’ll have to fight a much larger, and, I assume, a much more advanced Denubbewa fleet.”

“Yes, every nation they absorb can possibly add to their technological position. But how can we fight an enemy that may already be spread across the entire universe? We have no way of knowing how many wars the Denubbewa are presently fighting.”

“As with every war, the most important weapon is intelligence information. That’s where the Kirriri come in. We know they’ve been fighting the Denubbewa for a considerable time, as have we. It’s imperative that we learn of their encounters, their successes, their failures, and just every detail they can tell us about their engagements.”

“And what will we tell them in return?”

“That’s hard to say. We’ll tell them everything we’re permitted to tell them. It’s going to be difficult not to release top-secret information since all our engagements have depended on the secrets and tactics we’ve developed and implemented.”

“Difficult? I think it’s going to be impossible.”

“Then we’ll have to change our ship’s motto from ‘We get the job done,’ to ‘We make the impossible possible.’”

“We have a ship’s motto?” MacDonald said quizzically, and then laughed when she saw the look on Sydnee’s face.

* * *

“Captain,” Sydnee heard via her CT as she worked in her office.

“Marcola,” she said after touching her Space Command ring to activate her CT.

“Captain, this is the com chief. I’m picking up a jumble of messages from Kirriri ships. They seem to be involved in a battle. My guess would be that it’s with the Denubbewa, although they haven’t specifically named them.”

“I’ll be right out, Chief,” Sydnee said as she jumped up from her chair and headed for the door.

As Sydnee entered the bridge, Lt. Olivetti was already out of the command chair and on her way to the Nav station.

“Put them on the overhead, Chief,” she said to the com chief.

As the battle orders flowed from the overhead speaker in translated Amer, the bridge crew tried to make sense of them.

“Tac, can we determine how far from us this battle is taking place?”

“I can make a guess, Captain, but I can’t guarantee it’s accuracy.”

“Give me your best estimate. How long before we could get there?”

“Okay, Captain, I think it’s about eighteen minutes at our maximum speed of Light- 14,685.7.”

“Com Chief, try to raise Captain Equille.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Several minutes later, the com chief said, “I have him, Captain. The distance creates a slight lag in send and receive time.”

“Put me on that line.”

“You’re on, Captain.”

“Captain, this is Captain Marcola. Can we be of assistance?”

Sydnee waited for the response to arrive.

“Where are you, Captain?”

“We’re headed for your location, although we’re still quite a distance away. What are you facing?”

“There are eleven Denubbewa destroyers facing us. They were collecting citizens from one of our planets. When we learned of it, we changed course and headed here to engage them. I don’t know if you’ll arrive before this battle is over.”

“Captain, distract them in any way you can without further endangering your ships. We should arrive within fifteen G.A. minutes. Can you hold on?”

“We’ll try, Captain. Are you sure you can assist us?”

“I’m sure, Captain.”

Chapter Fifteen

~ July 7th, 2294 ~

“Nav, ETA to the site of the battle?” Sydnee asked a few minutes later.

“I estimate eight minutes and twenty seconds, Captain.”

Sydnee leaned back in the command chair. She knew every second was vital as she willed the ship to go faster, but that didn’t help, naturally. It would take as long as it took.

“Tac, are the WOLaRs loaded and ready?”

“Affirmative, Captain. I’ll drop one as soon as Helm gives the word.”

“Very good,” Sydnee said. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. She knew that everyone on the bridge was just as anxious as she was, and they all felt just as helpless at present. She imagined the Kirriri ships and crews being destroyed with each second that passed.

Finally, Tac said, “We’re there, Captain.”

As the streaks representing stars on the front monitor changed from a computer-generated image to one of real time, the bridge crew knew they were at the battle site. There were flashes of light in the distance, indicative of explosions as fire was exchanged between the two parties.

“Helm, take us in and begin the attack,” Sydnee said.

“Aye, Captain. We’re going in.”

Lt.(jg) Templeton, the tac officer, selected the targets, and Caruthers at the helm then brought the Justice into the interior of the Denubbewa destroyer he’d indicated. When Lt.(jg) Caruthers said, “Drop!” Templeton released a WOLaR bomb from the weapons containers beneath the ship. While in a double-envelope, the Justice couldn’t be damaged, but the ship was already on its way to its next target before the bomb detonated.

Over the next eight minutes, five of the eleven Denubbewa destroyers were reduced to tiny pieces of scrap. The remaining Denubbewa vessels suddenly built FTL envelopes around their ships and disappeared, heading in different directions.

“Com, see if you can make contact with Captain Equille.”

“Captain Equille is attempting to contact you, Captain,” the com chief said.

“Put him on the overhead, Chief.”

“Aye, Captain. You’re on.”

“Captain Equille, are you okay?”

“Captain Marcola, is that you?”

“Yes, Captain. I’m sorry it took us so long to get here.”

“Are you responsible for destroying those five Denubbewa ships?”

“Yes, we destroyed five of the eleven vessels that were attacking your task force.”

“But you’re not showing on our sensors. Where are you?”

“Uh, we’re close. Captain, if you can send a ship to tail each of those Denubbewa destroyers that left the battle, we can continue the work we started.”

“Stand by, Captain Marcola.”

As the crew of the Justice looked on, six of the Kirriri ships went FTL.

“The Captain is attempting to contact you, Captain,” the com chief said.

“Go ahead, Captain.”

“Six of my ships are attempting to tail the Denubbewa destroyers that fled the battle. Our ships have a slight speed advantage, so they’ll stay with the ship they’ve been assigned to follow. Uh, can you fire on a ship that’s traveling FTL?”

“Yes, Captain. That’s how we were able to defend ourselves when your ships attempted an envelope-merge.”

“Ah, yes. What else can we do to assist you?”

“Have each of your tailing ships send a unique, repeating identifier signal every few seconds so we can find the Denubbewa ship they’re tailing. Tell them not to follow directly in the wakes of the destroyers or they’ll wind up flying through the debris field when the ship explodes.”

“Stand by, Captain Marcola.”

Half a minute later, the Captain resumed his communications. “Is that signal adequate, Captain?”

Sydnee looked over to the tac station, and Templeton nodded.

“That’s adequate. We’ll be back as soon as we wrap things up.”

*

The Denubbewa had scattered in different directions, no doubt confused by the sudden turn in the battle. The Justice was able to plant WOLaR bombs in five of the escaping destroyers, but one Denubbewa ship had apparently changed direction before the Kirriri ships were sent out. The ship assigned to follow it had proceeded along the ship’s original course but gave up after it traveled twice as far as should have been required to catch the slower ship. Dakinium sheathing kept the ships from appearing on sensors in either the Kirriri ships or the Justice.

When the Justice returned to the battle location, the Kirriri were busy rescuing crewmen trapped in ships that had taken hits from the missiles used by the Denubbewa. Those missiles, upon striking a ship, first spread a caustic chemical that ate through the ship’s hull. The second stage then fired a small nuclear device into the hole, evacuating the atmosphere while filling the ship with radioactivity. Long experience with the Denubbewa had taught the Kirriri to retrofit their ships so that every frame section was shielded against radiation. They might lose one frame section or possibly two for each missile that struck one of their ships, but the rest of the ship would remain uncontaminated.

Before arriving at the battle scene, the Justice had dropped its double-envelope and completed the final distance in a single-envelope. The ship would not be more visible to electronic scanning because of its Dakinium sheathing, but it would appear in visual scans.

“Captain, the Justice has returned to the site of the battle,” Sydnee said.

“Thank you for your help, Captain Marcola. We’d bitten off more than we could chew and were doomed if we had to continue fighting. I was about to order my fleet to leave the area, which would have meant losing the entire population of the planet.”

“I’m sorry for your losses. We’ve had such scavenger attacks in the G.A. where the Denubbewa collected citizens to harvest their brains for use in cyborg bodies.”

“And you stopped it?”

“It’s a never-ending task. It’s impossible to be everywhere at the same time, but we continue to try. I think the Denubbewa have begun to realize they’ve met a civilization that isn’t going to back down while we still breathe.”

“Two civilizations, Captain. We, too, will never quit the fight while we live.”

“I’m sorry, Captain. I didn’t mean to imply anything else. You are brave warriors who defend your nation with your lives.”

“No offense was taken, Captain Marcola. Your arrival was unexpected but fortuitous. I see you’ve changed ships. This one is considerably smaller.”

“Yes, the mothership has continued on to its destination in Region Three. This ship is considerably smaller, but also considerably faster and considerably more deadly.”

“More deadly? Really? And can it transport people and inanimate things to Quesann and back?”

“Yes, Captain. The diplomats are not presently on board. They’ll join us when it’s time to exchange diplomatic parties. At that time, our team will arrive here, and your team will be transported to Quesann.”

“And will we have private communication with our people?”

“Of course. Although it will be necessary that all messages using the near-instantaneous communication be routed through our equipment, you may use whatever cryptographic communication systems you wish. Where you require maximum security, you should use your own transceivers, but naturally it would take months for the communications to be completed. When your people are transported to Quesann, they should bring their equipment with them.”

“When will we be able to use the near-instantaneous method on our own?”

“That’s one of the many issues to be worked out at the diplomatic level, sir.”

“I understand. I’m not going to ask if that tiny ship of yours is capable of taking on the Denubbewa. You defeated ten of the eleven Denubbewa destroyers by yourself. Your ship was invisible while you attacked the enemy ships, not only to our radar but also to our cameras. How do you accomplish that? And how did you destroy the enemy ships? We never saw a single missile strike any of the Denubbewa vessels here. How did you accomplish that? Is it an energy weapon?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I’m sure you understand that those are top-secret matters that I’m forbidden to discuss.”

“I understand, Captain Marcola. Perhaps we’ll learn the answers as the diplomatic discussions advance. For now, just let me express my great appreciation for your help today.”

“You and the Kirriri people are most welcome. I hope you didn’t lose too many citizens on the world that was under attack.”

“At this time, we don’t know what the losses are. It’s a shame we couldn’t have taken those Denubbewa ships intact as you did with the mothership.”

“Yes, and I regret that as well. We were able to take the mothership because it was essentially a stealth attack. We were literally inside their ship before any of the Denubbewa vessels had any idea we were within a thousand light-years of that armada. Here, the ships were already engaged in battle when we arrived, and once they tried to escape, we had no choice. We had to use whatever force was required to ensure they didn’t survive to attack another planet and harvest the brains of innocent civilians.”

“You were able to enter their mothership without their knowledge?”

“Each time we fight an enemy, we learn more about them, and that allows us to devise new tactics on future engagements. The Denubbewa are definitely not innovators, and that’s their weakest point. When they do recognize new or superior technology, they work to adapt it for their own use. We do the same, except we look for ways to not only utilize the technology but to improve what we’ve found. That helps level the field when combating their ability to produce an expanded fighting force practically overnight by appropriating brains from living entities and inserting them into manufactured bodies.”

“So, you’re saying that you were able to enter their mothership without their knowledge.”

“Yes, but I can’t elaborate on the method used.”

“I hope our diplomatic efforts move along swiftly. There’s so much we can learn from you.”

“And we look forward to having an ally against the Denubbewa.”

* * *

“Lieutenant Marcola took her ship into a battle with Denubbewa destroyers yesterday,” Admiral Holt said to the other members of the Admiralty Board in the Admiralty Hall. The meeting was closed to other than the members of the board and their aides.

“She’s found more Denubbewa ships?” Admiral Woo said. “Wasn’t she on her way to the Kirriri home world?”

“She was,” Holt said, “until her com chief picked up a flurry of confused messages and reported the situation to her. She listened to the messages and deduced that cyborg teams on a Kirriri planet were abducting citizens to harvest their brains as they did on Husteus in our Region Three. The Kirriri fleet had responded to a call for help but was being decimated by eleven Denubbewa warships. The Justice arrived just in time to turn the tide. They destroyed five Denubbewa ships around the planet before the remaining destroyers fled in every direction. Kirriri ships then followed the six deserting Denubbewa ships and helped the Justice track them down so they could also be destroyed. The Justice was able to terminate five of the ships, but one escaped and was never found. It’s believed the ship changed course before the Kirriri ship assigned to follow it left the battle site on its original heading. Since all the Denubbewa ships were sheathed in Dakinium, they couldn’t be tracked using standard detection equipment.”

“I’m sure the Kirriri were surprised that one tiny ship could produce those results,” Admiral Bradlee said.

“No doubt,” Jenetta said. “I’m worried that we might be revealing too much too quickly to an unknown civilization. We really don’t know yet if we can trust them. We never even knew they existed until very recently.”

“Our people have been reminded that they must not reveal top-secret information without authorization,” Admiral Holt said.

“The very fact that one of our CPS-16s destroyed ten Denubbewa ships singlehandedly reveals quite a bit about our capability,” Admiral Plimley said.

“Yes,” Admiral Holt admitted, “but they don’t know how we do it. At least not yet.”

“And we have to be sure they never learn before we decide if we can trust them with such a secret,” Jenetta said. “In your next communication to the Justice, order Lieutenant Marcola to remind the entire contingent aboard the ship to be careful when performing activities in front of the Kirriri that might result in them learning our most precious secrets.”

“Okay, Jen,” Admiral Holt said.

“Commander Stafford dropped one of the new communication satellites every light-year on his way to meet the mothership,” Admiral Plimley said. “Is that still being done since the change in command took place?”

“The policy hasn’t changed, Loretta,” Holt said. “We loaded up the special habitat containers with three times as many satellites as needed to drop one every light-year between here and where we understand the Kirriri home world is located. And if they need more, we can send them via the CJ Cargo Gate aboard the Justice. The tactical officer is automatically reminded every light-year to have the helmsman stop the ship for just an instant so he or she can eject one of the new satellites. Since the ship travels in a double-envelope, no one will ever see it stop momentarily or drop a satellite. When the Justice reaches its destination, space between us will be well seeded with the satellites. If we establish a permanent diplomatic post on the Kirriri home world, we’ll send a communication system that can be used by the Kirriri to communicate directly with us here on Quesann. Once the Justice learned of the attack by the Denubbewa, they ceased dropping the satellites, but they’ll return to where they stopped and finish the chore.”

“Have we learned what the Kirriri call their home world?” Admiral Burke asked. “It’s getting tiresome calling it the Kirriri home world.”

“They call it Epplyottoslactitorumalleeta,” Admiral Burke said.

“Wow, what a mouthful,” Burke said. “I’m almost sorry I asked. It’s easier to call it the Kirriri home world.”

“Let’s just refer to it as Epply,” Admiral Woo suggested.

“Works for me,” Burke said.

“Okay,” Jenetta said, “but only in this hall. Everywhere else, it’s either the Kirriri home world or Epplyottoslactitorumalleeta. The official recorded minutes should always be altered to identify the planet by its proper name. We don’t want to insult our new friends.”

“The Kirriri don’t enjoy our speed capability,” Admiral Yuthkotl said, “and it wouldn’t be proper to arrive before Captain Equille since we’re visiting his planet at his invitation. How many more months before their slow ships arrive at their planet?”

“As much as seven months,” Admiral Holt said. “And that’s only if they resume their trip right away. If they remain at the planet where they fought the Denubbewa to assist in the cleanup, who knows how long it will take?”

“What if we were to invite the Captain to travel aboard the Justice?” Yuthkotl said. “How long would it take the Justice to arrive at Epply if they traveled at top speed?”

“A bit less than eight days at top speed.”

“Would it be diplomatic to propose that the Captain travel aboard the Justice?” Admiral Hillaire asked. “I mean, he’d have to be barred from the bridge so he doesn’t learn about any advancements we want to keep secret.”

“And he can’t wear a spacesuit for eight days, so we’d have to arrange for one of the habitat containers to have an atmosphere he can breathe,” Admiral Holt said.

“That’s going to be the most difficult task,” Jenetta said. “Even though it was a moderately simple task aboard the Bemming, the Justice doesn’t have anywhere near the resources of the former Denubbewa mothership. Of course, we could invite him to come here and remain for the eight days while the Justice travels to Epply. Then, when it arrives near the planet, the Captain could suit up and return to the Justice. While he’s here, we could arrange for tours that wouldn’t yield any top secrets but that might both impress him and entice him to be even more in favor of establishing a firm alliance.”

“I like that idea better than having him aboard the Justice where he could poke around, pry, and ask questions of crewmen for eight days,” Admiral Holt said. “We already have living quarters suitable for visiting dignitaries who require special environmental conditions, so it would be a simple matter to arrange for one with the breathable atmosphere necessary for the Kirriri. We also have equipment to recharge their spacesuit tanks for their tours.”

It sounds like a good plan,” Jenetta said. “Does anyone else have a plan they’d like to present?” When no one spoke up, she said, “Let’s vote on it. All in favor, raise your hands.” After she glanced around the table she said, “Let the record show that the plan carried unanimously. Okay, is there any other business to discuss today?”

* * *

Captain Equille agreed with the plan to visit Quesann for eight days while the Justice traveled to Epply, and he arrived with two of his officers a few days later. The Justice then immediately headed for Epply.

* * *

When notified that the Justice had arrived at the Kirriri home world, Captain Equille couldn’t disguise his surprise. “Already?” he said. “But we just arrived here.”

“It’s been eight of our days, sir,” the Terran diplomat assigned to conduct the tours said.

“Yes, but I thought you were— exaggerating slightly.”

“No, sir. The Justice is in orbit around your home world. As soon as you’re ready, you can travel to the Justice and then have one of your ships transport you to the surface.”

“And what of the G.A. diplomats who are being assigned there?”

“The team selected to represent the G.A. is still being assembled.”

“But surely they can travel in G.A. space with the same speed available to the Justice.”

“Yes, sir, they can. But it’s not simply a matter of travel. Some are integrally involved in other diplomatic assignments. They need to be freed up by replacements so they can become part of this very important delegation.”

“I see. Very well. When will my team be going home?”

“Just as soon as you’re ready, sir.”

* * *

Hours later, the Kirriri officers on Quesann arrived aboard the Justice, and Sydnee was on hand to greet them. Rather than squeezing the three travelers in spacesuits into the CJ Personnel Jump booth, they traveled to the Justice via the CJ Cargo Gate used for freight movement.

“Welcome back, sir,” Sydnee said. “I hope your visit to Quesann was enjoyable.”

“Yes, and it was very enlightening. I applaud your nation’s advancements. And most of all, I applaud the peace you enjoy. It has been some time since we felt completely safe on our own home world. For far too long, we’ve lived with the spectre of the Denubbewa dangling over us.”

“We can never let down our guard,” Sydnee said, “and the spectre of the Denubbewa dangles over us as well. They are a race that must be eradicated from the universe if we’re ever to enjoy an extended period of peace. Fortunately, we’ve developed technology that gives us an edge over the Denubbewa. For perhaps the first time in their existence, they’re playing catch up. But they never stop trying to knock us down.”

“Perhaps with your help, we’ll one day be able to enjoy a time when we’re not at war with the Denubbewa.”

“And perhaps if all the peaceful nations in the galaxy join forces, we’ll all be able to enjoy a life of peace with our neighbors.”

Chapter Sixteen

~ July 22nd, 2294 ~

When the diplomats selected to represent the G.A. in negotiations with the Kirriri arrived aboard the Justice, Sydnee and her senior officers were there to greet them. It wasn’t the appropriate time to have a tour of the small ship, so they were immediately escorted to one of the ship’s new shuttles. A dozen Marines transported the luggage and cargo cases the diplomats had brought and stowed them in the lower level of the shuttle.

When the CPS-16 had been delivered to the Bemming, all four of the older shuttles were retired with the CPS-14, and Lt.(jg) Jerry Weems, the Justice’s XO, had been eagerly awaiting a chance to fly one of the new shuttles. The controls were very similar, but there were a few new features available.

“She handles the same as the old shuttles,” Weems said to his copilot, Ensign Henri Callara as the ship set down on the planet.

“Disappointed?” Callara asked.

“No. Well— maybe a little. I remember reading that the power had been increased significantly.”

“But you haven’t opened her up yet.”

“With a rear cabin full of senior-level diplomats? No way. But— there’ll be time on the trip back when we’re empty.”

*

Landing on the planet was a real experience. As soon as they touched down, an honor guard consisting of dozens of six-foot-tall soldiers that reminded most of the diplomats of giant ants rushed the craft. Neither Weems nor Callara were concerned because they expected it. After lowering the ramp that extended out from the ship, Weems notified the sole Marine inside the rear compartment that he should open the hatch. Since the atmosphere on the planet was toxic to Terrans, everyone aboard the ship was wearing personal armor. The armor, in addition to protecting the wearer from harm, also provided a breathable atmosphere inside the suit. The flight deck was sealed off from the rear cabin, so Weems and his copilot had never donned their helmets, but they were within easy reach in case an emergency arose.

After the diplomats left the shuttle, the Kirriri workers removed all the luggage, loading it onto a wheeled cart pulled by a tractor of sorts. Instead of having wheels like the cart, the tractor had four mechanical legs.

When the Marine had closed the hatchway, taken his seat, and buckled his seat straps, Weems retracted the ramp and locked the hatch. With the ship secure and no beings outside within twenty meters, Weems requested permission to lift off. Upon receiving permission to depart the airfield, he lifted the ship off the surface and allowed it to climb swiftly into the sky on opposed-gravity waves.

“I’m glad to be out of there,” Weems said. “I know they’re our new allies, but their appearance is even more startling than that of the Milori.”

“I think the Uthlaro are uglier than the Milori.”

“Then you probably get nervous around the Tsgardi.”

“I’ve never seen one up close— but yeah, their appearance is unsettling.”

“I’m sure they all feel the same way about us.”

“Probably.”

“Okay, we have enough altitude. I’m going to punch it. Hang on!”

*

Five minutes later, Weems said, “It handles just like any of the old shuttles.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know. I thought it might be different. Are you ready for some envelope travel?”

“Envelope travel? Shuttles can’t build an envelope.”

“No?”

“No. Hey, wait a minute. Are you saying this shuttle can build an envelope?”

“That’s what I was told. It seems that while we were babysitting that Denubbewa mothership for all those years, the engineers and scientists back at Quesann were busy on more than just the new CJ Gates. All shuttles, other than the ones that were sitting with us in unclaimed space, were upgraded with envelope capability.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“How fast can they travel now?”

“Would Marc-1 excite you?”

“Damn straight it would. Can they do that now?”

“That’s what the captain told me.”

“And we can also conceal ourselves in a double-envelope and pass through matter?”

“That’s what the boss says. Let’s give it a try.” They were already well outside the gravity well of the planet, so Weems pulled the throttle back all the way, cutting all power to the sub- light propulsion engines. “Now, raise that cover in the center of the instrument panel,” he said, pointing to a small hinged flap on the console.

“Wow,” Callara said as he opened the compartment. “I never noticed there was a hidden compartment there before.”

“That’s because there wasn’t a hidden compartment on the old ships. Now move that small lever to the right. That’s the double-envelope position. When it’s on the left side, we’re in single-envelope mode.”

“Done,” the copilot said. “We’re in the double-envelope position.”

“Okay, now we wait as the ship builds the envelope.”

Two minutes later, a buzzer on the panel sounded and the small lever inside the compartment illuminated. As the envelope was building, monitor panels had lowered to cover the windows. The view of space outside the small ship became a computer-generated image.

“We’re now in a double-envelope and invisible to anyone outside this ship,” Weems said.

“I don’t feel any different.”

“Do you feel different when we create a double-envelope around the Justice? ”

“Uh, no.”

“Then you shouldn’t feel any difference now. Here we go.”

Weems depressed the throttle control and the monitor images changed to show the stars becoming streaks of light as the small ship swept past.

“We’re now at Marc-1,” Weems said.

“Wow,” was all Callara uttered.

“I never thought I’d see this capability in a shuttle. It’s amazing that they started implementing this in shuttles three years ago. It makes you wonder what else we’ve missed while we’ve been stuck out there watching that Denubbewa mothership.”

“I know one thing I’ve missed.”

“What’s that?” Weems asked.

“Liberty. I want to find a nice quiet beach on one of Quesann’s oceans and lay in the warm sun for a year— with an enormous tub of ice-cold ale on one side of me and a large picnic basket full of prepared food on the other.”

“Sounds lonely.”

“After living aboard a CPS-14 for so long, I could use a little loneliness. But I wasn’t planning on being totally alone. There’re a couple of Marines I’d like to invite.”

“Do I know either of these guys?”

Callara chuckled before saying, “I wasn’t thinking of inviting any guy Marines.”

“Am I invited?”

“You can come, but you have to bring your own dates and beverages.”

“We may not have an ocean available on the new Justice, but we now have a pool. It’s the next best thing to the oceans on Quesann.”

“I want peace and solitude. Having private quarters for all officers is great. But since we got the new ship, it’s been standing room only in and even around the outside of the pool.”

“The novelty will wear off eventually, and we’ll actually be able to swim laps. Okay, lets head for home.”

“Hey, do you think our fighter planes have double-envelope capability now?”

“I don’t know, but I kinda doubt it. The planes have very limited space for extras. But if they don’t, I’d bet the folks back at Quesann are working on it.”

* * *

Back on the Kirriri home world, the diplomats were settling in. There was a small ceremony in the Royal Palace to welcome them, and then they were shown to their quarters.

The Kirriri had sealed off a small section of a building where the diplomats would reside while on the planet, making it completely airtight. An atmosphere that met G.A. requirements was then created throughout that entire part of the building. There were two very large meeting rooms like the ones created on the Bemming. A transparent wall extended down the center of each room, sealing each side with its own atmosphere so that neither G.A. personnel nor Kirriri would have to wear a spacesuit through what were expected to be very lengthy meetings.

The visitors were delighted at finally being able to remove their spacesuits once the environment in the living quarters was checked and certified. Although not nearly as bulky as the suits typically worn for extended activity outside a ship in space, they still became a bit uncomfortable after being worn for hours.

With the stage set, so to speak, the meetings would commence the following day.

* * *

“This is as bad as when we were babysitting that mothership,” Kelly MacDonald said to Sydnee as they sat in her office. “Have they responded to your request to send some of our people back to Quesann on liberty since we’re just sitting here day after day? It’s been a month already.”

“They say the negotiations are at a critical juncture, and they want all of us here in case we have to pick up the diplomats in a hurry and head home.”

“Home,” Kelly said. “I like the sound of that. Hey, Syd, do you suppose the Denver has a CJ Gate booth or CJ Cargo Gate now?”

“I don’t know, Kel. I’m sure that eventually every ship will have at least one. But how fast the fleet will be outfitted, I couldn’t say. The only reason we got the CJ Cargo Gate early is because of our importance in this mission.”

“I’d be satisfied with just the CJ Personnel Gate. I’d really like to go home for a visit.”

“To the Denver?”

“Of course. That’s my home.”

“What about your real home? You once told me you were raised in Seattle and Oklahoma City.”

“Yeah, my family moved around a lot, but those are the places I remember best. I haven’t been in contact with any family members since I joined the Corps, and I don’t miss them. The Corps is my family. And I kind of— look to you as my mom. Oh, I know you’re not old enough to be my real mom. In fact, I’m a year older than you. But you look after all of us, and I’ve seen you put our lives ahead of your own.”

“Uh, well, it’s my job. Space Command has placed you in this command and made me the commanding officer. And I take my responsibility seriously.”

“No, it’s more than just that. That’s why everyone on this ship will do anything you ask of them. We know you’d never ask us to perform a highly dangerous task unless it was vital. That’s why none of us would hesitate to sacrifice ourselves to protect you.”

Sydnee had to swallow hard to clear the lump in her throat.

* * *

“Captain,” Sydnee heard via her CT, “Captain Equille is requesting to speak with you. He says the communication is private. And he’s using the special encryption code you issued for his personal use.”

“Private and encrypted? Well, I’m alone in my office. Pass it through, Chief.”

“Aye, Captain. Captain, Captain Marcola is taking your call. She’s on the line. Com Chief, out.”

“Captain?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Are you the only one who can hear me?”

“Yes, Captain. We have a private line.”

“Captain, we have a serious problem.”

“I’m listening, Captain.”

“The diplomatic talks aren’t going well. Your people are refusing to turn over any technology until they’ve studied our society, and my king is demanding that they immediately turn over all information on technology that will help us defeat the Denubbewa. My king isn’t used to be denied anything he wants, and I fear for the safety of your people if they don’t relinquish the information.”

“That does sound ominous, Captain. What is your sovereign likely to do?”

“There’s no limit. He has a terrible temper and has put people to death for the pettiest of issues, such as bringing him the wrong slippers.”

“But our diplomats are not Kirriri. Surely he wouldn’t harm them and start a war between our nations.”

“I fear he might do exactly that. This is an incident without precedence. We’ve never entertained diplomats from a nation more advanced than our own, and I fear my king is both frustrated and feeling a bit impotent. That’s a terrible situation when a king is all- powerful.”

“What do you suggest we do about this?”

“I suggest you contact your diplomatic representatives and implore them to release some data. That might placate the king enough that he won’t take any drastic action against your people.”

“I see. You really feel that’s necessary?”

“I do. I don’t want anything to interfere with the future relationship we hope to build between our two nations.”

“I see.”

“Perhaps if you came down here and tried to act as an intermediary between the diplomats and the king?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Captain Marcola, maybe you don’t appreciate the danger. The king can have your people executed in a heartbeat.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Captain. But regulations forbid me to leave my command when the ship is in hostile territory.”

“But this is the Kirriri home world. You’re perfectly safe here.”

“Captain, you just stated that the king might murder our diplomatic staff if he feels displeasure. To me, that says this area is hostile. And that means I cannot leave my ship. In the event that our diplomatic staff was murdered, I would then be obligated to destroy your home world.”

“Destroy our home world?”

“I assure you, I would take no pleasure in doing it.”

“You believe you could do that?”

“I wouldn’t enjoy it at all, but murdering our diplomatic staff would be an act of war on your part, and I’d then be obligated to kill every citizen on your planet. I’m afraid that when I finished, your entire planet would be in flames. I think you understand how much power I have at my fingertips. Compared to me, your king is virtually powerless.”

“You would destroy my entire planet if the king executes your diplomatic staff?”

“Regrettably, yes. My actions are mandated by Space Command regulations. I’m required to destroy any civilization that declares war on the G.A., and executing a delegation we sent on a peaceful mission would constitute such a declaration of war.”

“I don’t believe you would do that, Captain.”

“Captain, when I found you under attack by the Denubbewa, I destroyed ten of the eleven warships involved in the attack, and we had to chase five of them down. I was happy to assist you. With your home world, I wouldn’t have to chase anyone. I could just sit back and bomb your planet into complete oblivion. The G.A. hates war, but we’ve found it necessary on occasion and have mastered the process. Following their unprovoked and unannounced attacks on two of our scout ships, we declared war against the Denubbewa. Since that day, the Denubbewa have never bested us in any conflict. We’ve destroyed many thousands of Denubbewa warships, killed hundreds of thousands of cyborgs, and we’ll continue to kill them until they’re extinct or they stop preying on weaker civilizations. If we ever locate their home planet, or any planets that are home to a Denubbewa base, we will not stop the bombing until that planet is just a memory. Our Admiral of the Fleet once said that sometimes you must be just as vicious as your enemy if you ever hope to enjoy lasting peace. Please, don’t make me destroy your home world in retaliation for a foolish act by your king.”

“Captain, I wish it could be otherwise, but my sovereign is all-powerful in our culture. We must do as he says.”

“Captain, millennia ago on my home planet, there was an all-powerful emperor named Julius Caesar. It’s been reported that he made a serious error by believing he could do anything he wished without dissent. When he reportedly made a decision that would end the present form of government and replace it with another that wasn’t popular with people closest to his exalted position, they gathered together and killed him. The government then continued on as it had before, and a new ruler was appointed. Although that assassination was performed by a group, a single person could have performed the same act if he believed the other leaders would support his action.”

“Captain, are you suggesting…”

“I’m suggesting nothing, Captain. I was merely relating a tale from my home world about a very powerful ruler who went too far.”

“I wish you could meet my king.”

“That’s impossible while I command this ship.”

“Unfortunate.”

“It could be worse. Far, far worse.”

“Are you referring to the present situation on the planet?”

“Yes. I feel confident that your king won’t order the execution of the G.A. diplomatic personnel, but should that appear imminent, perhaps someone would step forward and prevent it from happening.”

“Good day, Captain.”

“Yes, Captain. I hope we both have many more good days.”

As soon as the connection was broken, Sydnee told the com chief to connect her with the head of the diplomatic team. The call was to be a Priority One call to Commander Mellane’s CT. Making it a Priority One call on a CT alerted the commander that he was not to acknowledge the call if he wasn’t alone.

“Commander Mellane isn’t responding, Captain.”

“That probably means he can’t talk right now. Okay, Chief, we’ll give him some time to get back to us.”

* *

Several hours later, Commander Mellane finally contacted Sydnee.

“Captain Marcola, what’s up?”

“Are you alone, Commander?”

“Yes, at present.”

“I was contacted earlier by a Kirriri senior military officer. He believes you might be in grave danger.”

“And why does he feel that way? Did he elaborate?”

“He says you’re refusing to reveal Space Command technical information and the king is highly upset. The officer says he fears a death sentence may be imposed because you’re upsetting the monarch.”

“It’s true that we’ve refused to simply turn over Space Command secrets en masse. We’ve explained that, in time, we may begin sharing some data, but we have to learn about their civilization before we can do that. The king has been very cordial and seemingly understanding, but the officer who contacted you might be seeing a side we haven’t been privy to.”

“On the presumption that the king may not be as patient as we could hope and that he’s merely disguising his true feelings when you’re in his presence, I’m going to start working on a plan to pull you out quickly should anyone take hostile steps towards you or any member of your party.”

“Thank you, Captain Marcola. I hope it won’t be required, but knowing there’s a quick escape plan can be comforting when danger threatens.”

* * *

The office and living quarters of the captain aboard a CPS-16 had been altered substantially over that of the CPS-14. Where it had sometimes felt like officers were sitting in each other’s laps before, the four officers in Sydnee’s office actually had room to stretch out and even walk around a little. It didn’t rival the private quarters or offices of a captain aboard a battleship, but it almost felt that way to Sydnee after having conducted meetings in the CPS- 14.

On this occasion, Sydnee had been joined by Lt. Colonel Dennier, Marine Captain Blade, and Marine Lieutenant Kelly MacDonald. Dennier commanded the small air wing aboard the Justice, whereas Blade commanded the Marine Special Ops teams, and MacDonald commanded the Marine platoon of regulars.

“I hope this meeting is to tell us we’ll actually be getting a chance to get off the ship for a while,” Dennier said.

“We’ll have to see,” Sydnee said, “but the prospect is there. None of us were happy about spending years tailing that Denubbewa mothership and then more years babysitting it while we watched for something to happen. But let’s not forget that we’re being credited with preventing a planned invasion of Region One. And we wound up with a heck of prize to boot. That mothership is destined to become a new space station somewhere in G.A. space.

“But the reason for this meeting is to plan a possible rescue effort on Epply, and I’m hoping we won’t need to execute it.”

“Who are we going to be rescuing?” Blade asked.

“Our diplomatic team.”

“Have they been incarcerated? Or injured?”

“No— at least not yet. And I hope they won’t be jailed or worse, but we must be prepared with a plan if they are. Captain Equille, the officer who commanded the task force that first attacked the Bemming, contacted me privately and said that his king was growing increasingly upset with the diplomatic team for refusing to immediately turn over technology that would allow them to repel the Denubbewa attacks. Equille said he feared his monarch would attempt to acquire the information through force. He’s known for reckless use of force with his subjects.”

“But he’s not dealing with his subjects this time,” Dennier said.

“No,” Sydnee said. “Now he’s dealing with a foreign government that wields considerably more power than he does, which might be why he hasn’t already acted. But we can’t wait until he actually does something. We need to prepare now and have a plan ready so we can react on a moment’s notice.”

“A ground assault would see us outnumbered a million to one,” Blade said. “We wouldn’t have a chance in the open against a monarch that wields such tremendous power.”

“Yes, it has to be a stealth operation. That’s your forte, Major.”

“We can’t even get close to the planet without being seen,” Dennier said. “I don’t think we could pull off the same kind of operation we performed on Yolongus because we have no information on their power systems and infrastructure.”

“That’s not going to be a problem,” Sydnee said.

“Not a problem?” Dennier repeated with skepticism in her voice.

“We’ll use shuttles for the penetration. With the old ship, we had four. When we got this new ship, we received six of the newest and best available.”

“Shuttles are too slow,” Blade said. “They’d shoot us out of the sky.”

“Not so,” Sydnee said with a smile. “The new shuttles have an edge we didn’t have before. They can now build an envelope. And better yet, they can build a double-envelope.”

“You mean they can be hidden while sitting on the lawn in front of the building housing the diplomatic team?” Dennier asked.

“Yes.”

“When did this happen?” Blade asked.

“While we were off babysitting that Denubbewa mothership for years, the scientists and engineers back at Quesann were very busy. The new feature of the shuttles was used at Husteus when our people went in and rescued the citizens that were under guard in the arenas and sports stadiums. They flew in using a double-envelope, identified all their targets, then cancelled the envelopes and took out the cyborgs in seconds. I received a full video briefing on it when we got the new ship. I didn’t want to say anything until we had a chance to test it for ourselves. XO Weems and one of the other officers tested it out and reported that it worked perfectly. So, we can have transportation waiting nearby if we do have to rescue the diplomatic team.”

“We received new fighters when we got the new ship. Are they capable of building an envelope?” Dennier asked.

“No. You would have been informed if they were.”

“Too bad. We could have dropped down and opened fire before anyone knew we were there. If the shuttles have these new capabilities, my wing has lost its value here.”

“Not so,” Sydnee said. “It’s true that the shuttles will be much more useful on clandestine missions than they were in the past, but they lack the maneuverability of your ships since they have no wings to push off against the atmosphere in planetary operations. The shuttles are like flying blocks of wood in those situations, but they’re ideal if precision, high-speed maneuvers aren’t required. And I have no doubt our research people will eventually find a way to give the air wings the same speed and cloaking ability as the shuttles. With us being a front-line ship, we should get the first production models available if we’re in or near G.A. space. Okay, let’s get down to business and come up with plans for rescuing our diplomats should the need arise.”

Chapter Seventeen

~ August 22nd, 2294 ~

“Good Morning,” Jenetta said as she welcomed the members of the Admiralty Board to the special closed-door executive meeting in her office. No one else was allowed in, and nothing would be recorded. When all were seated, she said, “First up, Admiral Holt has received a message from the Justice. The captain, Lieutenant Sydnee Marcola, has informed us that she’s received a disturbing warning from Captain Equille of the Kirriri. According to Marcola, Equille has expressed a fear that the king of the Kirriri is unhappy with the progress of the diplomatic meetings and may turn to violence to try and get what he wants.”

“Do we have any confirmation on that?” Admiral Bradlee asked.

“Lt. Marcola says she’s spoken to Commander Mellane, and he hasn’t sensed anything unusual.”

“I wonder how much experience the king has had with diplomatic teams,” Admiral Hillaire said. “Some monarchs and government leaders are so far removed from such interactions that they don’t understand how slowly the process can proceed at times. They don’t understand that establishing such relationships and building trust takes time— sometimes a great deal of time if the parties are far apart when negotiations are initiated.”

“As I understand it, their monarch is their supreme ruler, and his decisions are never questioned or criticized.”

“That’s the worst of all situations,” Admiral Ahmed said. “An absolute ruler who’s never criticized isn’t normally someone who’ll be patient as diplomatic efforts grind slowly forward.”

“Perhaps we should call our diplomats back,” Admiral Hillaire said, “and forget about establishing a diplomatic relationship with the Kirriri. We don’t want to get into a shooting war with someone we initially wanted to side with against the Denubbewa.”

“I don’t think we have adequate information to make a decision at this time,” Admiral Yuthkotl said. “We should wait until we know more.”

“By the time we know more, it may be too late to take any action,” Admiral Bradlee said.

“That’s true,” Jenetta said, “so it appears that we’ll have to let Commander Mellane make the call. Lieutenant Marcola will take her cue from him, and if he’s deceased or can’t be contacted, the decision will fall to her. She’s displayed a remarkable ability to see issues clearly and has always made the right decision.”

* * *

Shuttle One hung suspended in the sky above the Royal Palace on Epply. It was sheathed in a double-envelope so no one other than the bridge crew of the Justice knew it was there. Although the tiny ship was out of phase, it could automatically maintain its position relative to its surroundings unless the pilot entered movement commands.

The Marine complement aboard the ship consisted of one-third of the Special Ops team and three fire teams from the platoon under the command of Lieutenant MacDonald. The remainder of the Marines were on standby alert in case they were needed. The shuttle suspended above the Royal Palace would be relieved by another shuttle from the Justice at the change of every watch.

Several times during the first day of monitoring activity at the palace, a Kirriri military plane had flown close to the invisible shuttle. And once, a palace shuttle had actually flown through Shuttle One. Having the Kirriri shuttle pass through the small ship didn’t affect it or the occupants of either shuttle in the slightest, although the Marines in the rear cabin were more than a little surprised when the translucent images of the Kirriri shuttle briefly passed through the out-of-phase Shuttle One.

* * *

The days passed without any indication that the king intended violence or force towards the G.A. diplomatic team. The diplomats had continued their daily meetings as both sides learned about the other.

“I thought it important that we discuss the situation,” Sydnee said to the other officers assembled in her office. “It’s been a month now and nothing has happened. And we still have the entire crew on high alert.”

“You think we should stand down, Syd?” Lt. Colonel Dennier asked.

“Perhaps, but I’d like to try something else first. I want to ask Commander Mellane to take a brief respite so his team can return to Quesann and brief SHQ on any progress they’ve made.”

“And what do you think that will prove?” Marine Captain Blade asked.

“Well, if the king fears they might have learned of his plans, if in fact there are plans, he might forbid some or all of them to leave because he’d lose control over the situation. And if he was to refuse their returning to Quesann, we’d know there was some validity to the warning I received. On the other hand, by not restricting their travel for whatever reason, we can probably assume that Captain Equille either misunderstood the situation or might possibly have an ulterior motive.”

“Ulterior motive?” Dennier said. “You mean like a palace coup?”

“Exactly.”

“And you think Equille is behind it?”

“It’s possible. It’s also possible that someone else is behind it and is using Equille. I just don’t know, which is why I want to send the diplomatic team back to Quesann for a conference with SCI. It’ll be the first step in determining whether we have a problem.”

“And then?” Blade asked.

“I’m just not sure. Let’s try this first step and see where we are.”

* * *

Commander Mellane contacted Sydnee in response to her Priority One message as soon as he was free and alone.

“Captain Marcola, what’s up?”

“Are you alone, Commander?”

“Yes, at present.”

“To date we’ve seen nothing to indicate the Kirriri mean you or the diplomatic team members any harm.”

“Neither have we.”

“I’ve had my crew on alert since we last spoke, and I’d like to have them stand down if we’re comfortable that there’s no imminent danger.”

“Have you come up with an idea to test that?”

“I’d like you and your team to return to Quesann.”

“If there’s no danger, why should we leave?”

“If the king allows you all to leave freely, then there’s probably no danger. If he prevents it, we’ll pull you out. The cover story is that you must report back to Quesann to inform your superiors of the progress you’ve made. Tell the Kirriri diplomats that you’ll return in about a week.”

“Very well, Captain Marcola. We could use a break. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to travel.”

“Thank you, sir. Marcola, out.”

* * *

“We’ve received a message from Lt. Marcola this morning,” Admiral Holt said following a regularly scheduled meeting of the Admiralty Board. They were in closed session, so the gallery had been cleared of all newsies and other attendees. The Space Command clerks and aides were still present. “She states that the diplomatic team is ready to return to brief our staffs but that the king has requested that he be allowed to send a royal delegation to Quesann.”

“And the purpose of his request?” Admiral Bradlee asked. As Director of SCI, he’d be responsible for anything that happened to the visitors or anything they did while on Quesann.

“The king hopes we’ll give them a tour of our planet and Space Command facilities and vessels.”

“That sounds innocuous,” Admiral Yuthkotl said. “We regularly give tours to visiting dignitaries.”

“But those visiting dignitaries are from planets that are members of the G.A.”

“Are you afraid of sabotage?” Admiral Bradlee asked.

“Anything is possible with a race we’ve just met. All we really know about them is that they’re at war with the Denubbewa.”

“Having a common enemy is often a good recommendation,” Admiral Woo said.

“Normally. But let’s not forget that a Kirriri captain warned us of possible aggression,” Holt said. “It’s also possible they might have ulterior motives. What do you think, Jen?”

Admiral Carver, who had thus far been silent, said, “I agree that we should welcome the Kirriri dignitaries. I also agree that we must remember they’re still an unknown race. It’ll take time for us to know them and trust them completely. Let’s welcome their representatives and give them a basic tour of Quesann, but they mustn’t have access to any top-secret areas or personnel.”

“And if they ask why they aren’t being shown top-secret areas?” Admiral Plimley asked.

“Tell them the truth. Tell them that once we establish formal diplomatic relations, we’ll be more open with them and begin to share our technology.”

* * *

“Space Command has consented to the Kirriri request that they be allowed to send a diplomatic delegation to Quesann, sir,” Sydnee said to Commander Mellane when he returned her call.

“I think the king will be pleased,” Mellane said. “I’ll notify him as soon as we’ve completed our communication.”

“No sign that they’ll hinder your leaving?”

“None whatsoever. It begins to appear that your information was in error.”

“Yes, it appears that way, sir. Have you seen Captain Equille?”

“Not for the past several weeks. Perhaps he’s off on a mission.”

“I hope that’s it.”

“Why?”

“I’d hate to think he’s been arrested or anything.”

“I see. Well, perhaps by the time we get back, he’ll have returned. When do we leave?”

“Whenever your team and the Kirriri are ready. Just give the word and I’ll send a shuttle to pick you up. You’ll be on Quesann within an hour.”

“It’s so amazing that it’s still hard to believe— and we’ve already experienced it once.”

“It’s opened up the galaxy to us.”

“Yes, it has. Well, I’ll contact you again as soon as I have a date and time for our departure.”

“Yes, sir. Marcola, out.”

Sydnee stood and walked around her office as she thought about Captain Equille’s possible departure. Because of his message regarding potentially nefarious activity at the palace, she would have expected him to contact her again before he left.

After circling her office several times, Sydnee returned to her desk to continue dictating her daily reports.

* * *

“We’re ready whenever you can send shuttles down to the surface,” Commander Mellane said the next day after he’d initiated a call to Sydnee.

“One shuttle should be adequate for your staff and a small delegation of Kirriri,” Sydnee said.

“No, I estimate we’ll need at least three shuttles. Perhaps four.”

“Four shuttles?”

“Well, perhaps three will be enough, but they’ll be crowded.”

“I don’t understand. Did the Kirriri ask you to bring gifts back to Quesann as part of a state visit?”

“They’re sending some gifts for the Admiralty Board, but mostly we need the space for the Kirriri delegation itself.”

“I’ve had Kirriri visitors aboard this ship. They aren’t that big— maybe six feet tall.”

“It’s not their size; it’s the number of delegates. They’re sending seventy-three delegates, plus luggage and food supplies.”

“Did I hear you correctly? They’re sending seventy-three delegates?”

“Yes. Seventy-three.”

“Isn’t that bit unusual?”

“Well— perhaps it’s unusual for us because in the G.A., planetary delegates are already part of the G.A. In this situation we’re dealing with another culture, an unknown culture, and it may not be unusual for them.”

“The Admiralty Board approved sending a Kirriri delegation, but I’m not sure they understood the number that would be coming. Sir, I’m going to have to contact Quesann and get approval for sending that number of Kirriri delegates.”

“That won’t be necessary, Captain. I’ll take full responsibility for the size of the Kirriri delegation.”

“Very well, sir. As long as you accept full responsibility, I’ll send down four shuttles. They should arrive within two hours.”

“Thank you, Captain. We’ll be ready to board when they arrive. Mellane out.”

“Marcola out,” Sydnee said to break her connection with the ship’s communication system even though Mellane would never hear it.

She tapped a few keys on her desk keyboard and began talking. The message would be recorded in the ship’s com system.

“Message to Admiral Holt. Sir, Commander Mellane has just informed me that he’ll be bringing seventy-three Kirriri delegates with him. I was concerned with the number, but he said that he accepts full responsibility, so I’m not contacting you for permission. Instead, I’m merely informing you so you’re prepared for the number of Kirriri that will be arriving with him and our delegates. Marcola, out.”

Sydnee took a deep breath and released it before telling the com chief to send the message immediately. All communications to Quesann were being sent via the new wormhole capability, so she didn’t have to specify the transmission method.

* * *

“Hi, Brian,” Jenetta said as she answered the com in her office. “What’s up?”

“I just received a message from Lieutenant Marcola,” Admiral Holt said. “She informed me that Commander Mellane is bringing seventy-three Kirriri with him and his staff.”

“Seventy-three? That’s the size of the delegation he’s bringing?”

“Exactly.”

“How long do we have to respond?”

“He’s not seeking permission, and we already authorized the trip, so they could arrive at any time. When Marcola told him she’d have to get permission for that number before she sent them, Mellane said he accepted full responsibility.”

“I’m glad she chose to advise us so we’re prepared. You’d better find a few dozen more escorts real quick.”

“I took care of that before I contacted you.”

“Good. Okay, Brian. Thanks for alerting me. Carver, out.”

* * *

As four of the six shuttles that had been delivered with the CPS-16 separated from the Justice, one of the others was floating unseen above the royal palace. Shuttle Six had taken its place at the beginning of the previous watch. Once all the diplomats were off the planet, the shuttle watches would end. Whether they would resume when the Space Command diplomats returned from Earth was still to be determined.

The four shuttles received permission to land on the palace grounds and set down in the marked areas. A large contingent group of Kirriri waited patiently nearby, and next to that group were the diplomats from the G.A. All were wearing spacesuits or personal body armor. The G.A. diplomats required it to survive on the Kirriri home world, and the Kirriri would require to survive aboard the Justice and on Earth.

Seating for the diplomats had already been assigned, and as the ramps extended out and down to the surface, they moved towards their shuttle and climbed aboard.

Once the diplomats were all aboard, Kirriri workers drove fully loaded baggage carts to the shuttles and carefully stowed everything in the storage areas beneath the rear cabins.

When everyone and their belongings were aboard the shuttles, the ramps retracted, the hatchways closed and locked, and the shuttles were given permission to lift off. Shuttle Six was ordered to leave their watch position and immediately return to the Justice so it would be in its proper parking position when the other shuttles arrived. The four shuttles took their time climbing to the orbiting CPS-16 so Shuttle Six would already be parked and empty when they arrived.

The CPS-14 had just one connection entrance to its shuttles. Cargo in the lower area had to be passed up via hatches to the passenger cabin or unloaded to space-walking crewmembers who then floated from or to airlocks on a lower deck. That problem had been corrected with the CPS-16. When a shuttle was locked into position against the ship, a cargo airlock on the next level down could be extended out to the shuttle, allowing a shipment to be loaded or unloaded easily. The payload area could now be loaded or unloaded in one-twentieth the time it had taken before.

* *

The passengers were immediately escorted down to the CJ Cargo Gate habitat container while Commander Mellane went to speak to Sydnee. She was in her office, and the doors opened as he approached them.

“Come in, Commander,” Sydnee said as she stood up behind her desk.

“Good morning, Captain,” he said as he entered her office.

“Have a seat, sir,” Sydnee said as he neared her desk. “Coffee?”

“No thanks. I’ve already had my limit for the entire day.”

“Problems with the transfers?”

“No, that went very smoothly, thanks to you. I’m on edge because of what I just learned.”

“Can you share it?”

“It’s not secret, although it had never been explained to us before. I’d been wondering why we’d never seen any female Kirriri during our time on the planet. When I asked about their females, I was told Kirriri females rarely left their homes. No more was offered, and I didn’t want to press the issue, believing I’d eventually learn. Today I learned.”

“Your enunciation almost makes it sound ominous.”

“Tell me, Captain. What do the Kirriri remind you of?”

“In what regard, sir?”

“Appearance.”

“Is this just between you and me?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. They remind me of the ants on Earth. Six-foot-tall ants.”

“That was my first impression as well. Of course, they’re a sentient species, but since they have segmented bodies like the ants we have on Earth, it’s understandable that we’d make that connection. Although they have segmented bodies, antennae, and walk upright, they do so on four legs. And while they have vocal cords, they can also communicate silently by touching their antennae to that of another Kirriri.”

“Where are we going with this, Commander?”

“This morning I got my first look at a female Kirriri and learned that the female is their queen. Captain, she was as large as a two-story house and was riding on an open platform trailer being pulled by one of their large tractors that employ four mechanical legs.”

“Are you saying that there’s only one female at the palace?”

“Exactly. I learned today that she’s the mother of all the Kirriri I’ve met so far.”

“The only mother? Is that bad?”

“No. But what I learned after that is. You see, a queen has sex with many males, and only the smartest are chosen because all their knowledge is passed down to all the offspring the queen produces.”

“The offspring are born with all the knowledge possessed by all of the males with whom she has had sex?”

“Exactly. It appears to be a genetic thing. We’ve seen such species before, but never to the extent where all offspring are born with all the knowledge possessed by multiple males who have had sex with a queen. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

“I’m sorry to say that I do. You’re now worried that everything the seventy-three Kirriri see on Quesann will be passed to the next batch of Kirriri just as if those thousands of Kirriri had actually been on Quesann themselves.”

“Exactly. And the oversized group of visitors might be an attempt to see more than we wish them to see at this time.”

“That’s a serious situation, but you can’t back out now. Can you?”

“I was hoping you might have a way of preventing them from traveling to Quesann.”

“Not without raising a diplomatic furor, sir.”

“Yes. That’s why I’m beside myself with worry.”

“Why don’t we alert Quesann and see what they suggest?”

“How long can we delay the transport?”

“Well— I suppose we could find a mechanical anomaly that has to be examined before we send anyone through the Gate. And then we’ll have to perform some tests before a living individual can be sent.”

“How long?”

“I honestly don’t know, but we’ll give Quesann as much time as possible to prepare and respond. How about if we begin with a tour of this ship? Of course, we’ll only show the areas we feel comfortable showing them. Captain Equille had a tour, so we wouldn’t be showing them anything they may already know.”

“Excellent.”

“But first, we have to notify Quesann about what you’ve learned. Would you prefer to do it?”

“I think that would be best— for both of us.”

“Very well. Do you want some time to organize your thoughts?”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Okay. Come around my desk and sit in my chair. I’ll initiate the recording process. You can then review it after you’re done. You can redo it as many times as it takes for you feel comfortable before we send it. If you approve, I’ll have the com chief send it to Admiral Holt as a Priority One message.”

Mellane nodded and moved around the desk as he planned exactly what he was going to say.

Chapter Eighteen

~ August 28th, 2294 ~

“I’ve just received a Priority One message from the Justice,” Admiral Holt said when Jenetta responded to his call.

“A Priority One? Have our diplomats been imprisoned?”

“No, they’re aboard the Justice. The problem is the seventy-three Kirriri diplomats.” Holt then went on to explain the situation as Mellane had related it to Sydnee.

Jenetta listened carefully until he’d finished, then said, “So every single thing they see will be known and remembered by all offspring as if the offspring had been part of the visit?”

“Exactly.”

“You know what this means, Brian?”

“Yes. We can’t allow the Kirriri to ever learn any of our technology because we can never be sure the secrets won’t be revealed. If only one of them who knows of our technological advances is captured and turned into a cyborg, all of the Denubbewa will instantly know our secrets.”

“I’m glad we learned of the potential problem before it was too late to do something to prevent it,” Jenetta said.

“What do we do about the diplomatic group waiting to come to Quesann?”

“They should be returned to their planet immediately.”

“And our diplomats?”

“They should return here. There’s nothing more they can do on the Kirriri home world. We cannot entrust the Kirriri with any more information. It’s a shame. It would have been nice to have a sophisticated and powerful nation working with us against the Denubbewa.”

“Perhaps we can still coordinate our defense with them.”

“Even allowing them to know our defense plans might be dangerous. I’m sorry to say that we must cut all ties with them.”

“Very well. I’ll tell Lieutenant Marcola to return the Kirriri to their home world. What should she tell them?”

“Uh, have her extend our sincerest apologies and say that a small problem makes travel impossible at this time, but we’ll advise them when it’s safe to travel to Quesann again.”

“That’s not totally inaccurate.”

“No. It’s basically the truth.”

“Will we ever tell them the whole truth?”

“That remains to be seen.”

* * *

“Quesann has responded to your report, sir,” Sydnee said to Commander Mellane when he arrived at her office. “They’ve issued orders that the Justice not allow any Kirriri to travel to the G.A. via our CJ Gates unless first approved on a case-by-case basis.”

“Is that all they said?”

“No, sir. They want you and your diplomatic team to report to Quesann as previously planned.”

“That makes sense. I’m sure they’ll want to know everything we’ve learned about the Kirriri while we’ve been here.”

“I’ve already issued orders to my people that the Kirriri baggage is to be immediately reloaded into the shuttles. That should be accomplished within the next half hour. The Kirriri will then be delivered back to their planet.”

“And then?”

“Then we leave orbit and head for the G.A.”

“Abandoning the Kirriri to attacks by the Denubbewa?”

“Like you, sir, I’m an officer in Space Command. Space Command has ordered me to immediately return to the G.A., so I’ll follow those orders, just as you’ll follow your orders to return via the CJ Gate.”

“I’ve heard you’re a bit of a loose cannon who doesn’t always follow orders when the situation calls for a bit of independent and imaginative thinking.”

“I always follow my orders to the letter, sir. But in the past, contact with Space Command was measured in weeks, not hours, minutes, and seconds, so in certain circumstances, and only by necessity, I was forced to follow my instincts. My orders here are clear— we deliver the Kirriri diplomats back to their home planet and then head for the G.A.”

“Do you want to tell the Kirriri or should I?”

“I thought it would be better coming from you.”

“I agree, although I dread seeing the disappointment in their eyes. I know that most were very much looking forward to visiting Quesann.”

“It’s unfortunate but necessary.”

“Very well, Captain Marcola. I’ll give them the bad news and tell them to prepare for immediate travel home.”

* * *

“Your Majesty,” the Kirriri king’s chief attendant said, “the G.A. shuttles have arrived back on the planet and are offloading the diplomatic teams.”

“Back here?” the king said. “They should be in the G.A. by now.”

“Yes, sir, but they’ve landed, and the teams are emptying from the shuttles as we speak.”

“They may have learned of our plans. We’ll have to advance the schedule. Arrest all the G.A. diplomats at once on charges of spying.”

“The only diplomats in the shuttles are ours, Your Majesty.”

“No G.A. personnel?”

“None, other than the pilots, I assume.”

“Then arrest the pilots.”

“On what charge, Your Majesty?”

“Collusion.”

“Collusion with whom?”

“That traitor, Equille.”

“Right away, Your Majesty,” the attendant said before hurrying off.

*

I’m sorry, Your Majesty. By the time I reached the shuttle pads with armed forces, they had lifted off.”

“Then shoot them down!” the king screamed.

“But Your Majesty, that can’t help. It will only anger the G.A.”

“I don’t care. Send our ships out with orders to shoot them out of the sky.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

* * *

“We have Kirriri ships headed this way on an apparent intercept course,” the copilot of Shuttle Three said to the pilot. “They’re not sparing the horses.”

“The captain warned us this might happen. She was right again. Let’s go to double- envelope.”

The copilot flipped the lever that would build the double-envelope, and it began to coalesce around the small ship. Within two minutes, the envelope would fully engulfed the ship like a blanket as it faded from view. The ship’s Dakinium surface would have protected the ship from damage, but the double-envelope made them both completely invisible and impervious to all weapons of the approaching ships.

“Envelope complete,” the copilot said as the status registered.

“Just in time,” the pilot said. “Okay, let’s head for home. Enter the new coordinates into the guidance system.”

While the three shuttles had headed for the planet to deliver their Kirriri passengers and cargo, the Justice had built its double-envelope, left its orbital position around Epply, and traveled to a distant rendezvous location far from the Kirriri home world. It would wait there for the shuttles to arrive.

* * *

“Where are they?” the Kirriri pilot screamed.

“I don’t know, sir,” the copilot said. “They were there a minute ago when we set the course.”

“They must have some way of disguising their presence. Target their last known location and fire.”

“Missile away.”

After a few seconds, the pilot asked, “Anything?”

“Nothing on the screen, sir. The missile is still on course, but it’s past the point where the Space Command ship was located. They don’t seem to be there.”

“Arggh! The king is going to have our heads for this. We’ll be lucky not to join Captain Equille at the bottom of the harbor.”

* * *

“This is great!” Kelly said exuberantly as she sat in Sydnee’s office. The two friends were alone. “We’re on our way to the G.A., we’re not traveling in that ultra-slow mothership, and we have the new CJ Gates for near-instant communications and travel.”

“I agree. I’m going to wait a few days for things to settle down, and then I’m going to request that I be allowed to give two-day shore leave to two crewmembers at a time.”

“When do you get shore leave?”

“I don’t. At least not until the Justice is either in a safe harbor or back at the Denver.”

“That sucks!”

“That’s part of the job,” Sydnee said, then held up her hand as she received a CT page from the com chief on duty.

“What is it, Chief?”

“Captain, I’m picking up a lot talk in Kirriri. It appears that an overwhelming force of Denubbewa warships has entered their solar system and begun attacking Epply.”

“The home world is under attack?”

“It sounds that way, Captain, although so far no Denubbewa have landed on the planet.”

“Stand by, Chief. Marcola, out.” Looking at Kelly, she said, “Com is picking up a lot a communication that indicates the Denubbewa are attacking the Kirriri home world.”

“Do you believe it?” Kelly asked.

Sydnee drew in a long breath and then released it slowly before saying, “I don’t know. It’s funny that the attack started just an hour after we left.”

“It might be an attempt to get us back into the Kirriri’s missile sights.”

“Yes, that’s a possibility, but— what if it’s true? They have to know that if we returned to find it was all a ruse, we’d never trust future calls for help.”

“The king may be so upset that we cancelled the diplomatic talks that he wants a pound of flesh at any cost.”

“If that’s the case, it could be the costliest pound of flesh anyone could imagine.”

“People seeking vengeance often ignore all other factors— to their own detriment.”

Sydnee took in another deep breath and then released it slowly before touching her Space Command ring to initiate a CT page. “XO,” was all she said. XO Weems presently had command on the bridge.

“Weems,” Sydnee heard.

“XO, turn us around and take us back to Epply. Inform Tac that we’ll need to be ready to deploy some WOLaR bombs.”

“Aye, Captain,” Weems said. “Estimated time to Epply is fifty-two minutes.”

“Understood, XO. Marcola, out.”

“Okay,” Sydnee said to MacDonald, “we’re going to find out if the attack is real or a ploy. And now I’d better tell Quesann what I’ve done. They still have time to turn us around again if they disagree with my decision.”

“I’ll leave you alone to compose your thoughts and prepare your message.”

“I’ll see you later, Kel.”

Sydnee spent the next ten minutes deciding on exactly what she intended to say and how she was going to say it. Then she tapped the contact point on her desk console and began speaking.

“Priority One message to Vice-Admiral Brian D. Holt, Commander of the Second Fleet. Begin message.

“Sir, less than an hour after leaving Epply and beginning our journey to Quesann, as per your orders, my com chief picked up communications that indicated the planet is under attack by an overwhelming force of Denubbewa warships. The Kirriri have a large military space force, but more than two-thirds of it is always on patrol somewhere else in their nation. While they can usually hold their own with the Denubbewa when they have an advantage in numbers, I don’t believe them capable of defending themselves when outnumbered or even when only slightly outnumbered. For that reason, I’ve issued orders that we are to return to the planet to assist the Kirriri and, even more importantly, to further reduce the size of the Denubbewa forces operating in this galaxy.

“Sir, if you would have us ignore the situation on Epply, you need only order us not to interfere. I will then have the Justice turn around and resume our journey to Quesann.

“I await your reply as we travel back towards Epply.

“End of message. Lieutenant Sydnee Marie Marcola, Captain of the Space Command CPS-16 ship Justice.”

After reviewing the recording she’d just made, she ordered the com chief to send it as a Priority One message to Holt.

* * *

Admiral Holt was working in his office when he received the Priority One message from the Justice. He naturally listened to it immediately. After thinking about the message for several minutes, he contacted Jenetta.

“What’s up, Brian?” Jenetta asked when she responded to the call.

“The Justice has turned around and is returning to Epply.”

“Didn’t you order them to return to the G.A.?”

“Yes, and they were under way for Region Three, but they picked up com chatter that Epply was under attack by an overwhelming force of Denubbewa warships. Marcola turned her ship around and then immediately contacted me, stating that the Justice would turn again and resume their journey to the G.A. if I ordered them to not interfere.”

“Hmmmm,” Jenetta uttered.

“Exactly.”

“The decision is naturally yours to make, Brian, but if you want my advice, I’d say let her return to check out the situation. She’s always shown remarkably good judgment when left to her own devices before we had instant communications. She’ll know soon enough if the attack is real or just a ploy to get the Justice to return. Lt. Marcola will know the truth of the situation before she ever has to cancel her double-envelope.”

“That’s the way I was leaning, but I wanted someone else’s opinion. Okay, Jen, thanks. I’ll message her to carry on with the situational evaluation and authorize attacks on the Denubbewa if they turn out to be a real threat to Epply.”

“Okay, Brian. This may be a ploy to distract us from noticing a Denubbewa attack somewhere else in one of our regions. Keep me informed.”

“Will do, Jen.”

* * *

When the Justice was within ten minutes of arriving back at Epply, Sydnee entered the bridge. XO Weems, until then sitting in the captain’s command chair, stood and moved over to the XO’s chair. The second command chair had been added when the CPS-14 bridge was redesigned to better suit the CPS-16.

“Com Chief,” Sydnee said, “How goes the battle?”

“There’s a lot of chatter, Captain, but there are fewer and fewer Kirriri voices.”

“Tac, can you see anything yet?”

“Not yet, Captain. This ship is so much faster than the CPS-14 that we get a lot less warning when approaching a hostile area. Of course, the double-envelope still prevents us from being seen while protecting us from danger.”

“Let me know as soon as we’re within range. Helm, that will be your cue to stop the ship so we can evaluate the situation.”

“Aye, Captain,” Lt. Caruthers said. Normally, the second-watch helmsman would be at the helm, but Caruthers was recognized as the best helmsman when flying into battle. He could fly the Justice into any enemy ship and stop it in exactly the right location for the WOLaR drop.

* * *

“We’re there, Captain,” the tactical officer said.

“All stop,” Lt.(jg) Caruthers said.

“Well, it wasn’t a fake message,” Sydnee said. “And it looks like most of the Kirriri ships are already out of commission.”

“I see activity from just two,” the tac officer said.

“I wonder if the Denubbewa have begun going down to the planet’s surface. Well, let’s not wait. Tac, are you ready?”

“Locked and loaded, Captain.”

“Good. Helm?”

“Chomping at the bit, Captain.”

“Good. Okay, take us in, Helm.”

The Justice moved forward with incredible speed. If there’d been any other helmsman guiding the ship, they’d probably have overshot their mark, but Caruthers stopped the forward movement directly in the middle of the Denubbewa destroyer.

“Drop,” Caruthers said.

“The WOLaR is away.”

Sydnee just sat back in her chair and watched as the two officers performed flawlessly and the Denubbewa fleet was whittled down with each movement of the Justice to a new location.

Regardless of the abundance of Denubbewa ships in orbit around the planet, Caruthers never hesitated as he took the CPS-16 to a new target. Sydnee began to wonder at what point the Denubbewa fleet would decide they’d had enough. Perhaps the cyborg supervisor in command of the mission had lost its life early in the one-sided battle because the Denubbewa ships didn’t break orbit and quit the battle until most of the fleet had been destroyed.

“They’re bugging out, Captain,” the tactical officer said.

“What’s the count?”

“By my count, we took out fifty-six destroyers.”

“That has to be a new record. Where is the mothership?”

“Unknown. If there is a mothership nearby, it must have hung back out of DeTect range, or it might be Dakinium-sheathed.”

“It’s going to be a lot emptier on their return trip than they were when they first reached this area,” Caruthers said with a grin.

“What now, Captain?” Weems asked.

“I’m half tempted to chase after the fleeing Denubbewa ships, but I’m afraid we might capture a mothership and then have to drag it back to the G.A.”

“Seriously?”

“No, I’m just joking. We don’t have the manpower to capture a mothership. It took an entire task force to take the last one, even if our Marines did play a key role by taking the bridge and disabling the self-destruct device.”

“And we don’t have any of those devices that make the Denubbewa want to evacuate the ship.”

“That too. So, let’s make contact with the Kirriri and see if any Denubbewa made it down to the surface to begin collecting brains. Com, see if you can raise the Royal Palace. Maybe the king will want to knight all of us.”

“They have knighthoods?” Weems asked.

“Maybe. I don’t know. In any event I don’t think I’d want to kneel before their king while he had a sword in his hand. I was the one who sent all their diplomats back before they had a chance to visit Quesann.”

“Uh, yeah, why did you do that?”

Sydnee explained briefly that they needed to be extra careful with what they allowed them to learn because the information could spread almost as quickly among the Kirriri as it was spread with cyborgs.

“They’re really born with all of the knowledge of every Kirriri born before them?”

“That’s what Commander Mellane said. I saw no reason to doubt him.”

“Gee, they don’t seem very bright, considering that every one of them is supposed to have all the knowledge their species has acquired since the beginning of time. In fact, they seem positively stupid at times.”

“When did you arrive at that assessment?”

“I was supervising the handling of their baggage when they first came aboard, and I spoke with a few who had translation devices. I didn’t try to test their knowledge, but they didn’t come across as very bright when it came to spaceships. Since they’ve been a spacefaring race for over a century, I’d have expected them to have a lot more knowledge about it.”

“Captain, we’re being hailed by the Kirriri,” the com chief said aloud.

“Who is it? A representative of the king?”

“He claims to be Captain Equille. He says he knows we’re up here, even though we’re not showing up on their radar screens, because no one else could have saved their planet.”

“Captain Equille? Are you sure he identified himself that way?”

“Absolutely. I asked him twice because you’d said he was believed to be dead.”

Chapter Nineteen

~ August 29th, 2294 ~

“Captain Equille?” Sydnee said with obvious doubt in her voice.

“Yes, Captain Marcola. It’s really me.”

“We believed you were dead, sir.”

“I’m back from the dead, Captain. The king ordered my execution when he learned from a spy in my command that I’d spoken to you of his plans. But several of my officers secured a corpse from a funeral home and dressed him in my clothes, then managed to spirit me away before publicly dropping the weighted corpse into the harbor. It’s a shame it wasn’t the body of the spy. The corpse was so weighted down that it probably disappeared into the mud and silt of the harbor, never to be seen again. I’ve been in hiding since then.”

“How are you able to come out now, sir?”

“The king is dead. The Denubbewa attackers primarily targeted every palace owned by royalty around the entire planet as part of their initial attack. I guess they believed that with the monarchy completely wiped out, we’d be disconcerted and totally unable to function. They were wrong. But even so, if it hadn’t been for you, we might have found ourselves in cyborg metal bodies within a fortnight. The people of this nation can never hope to repay you for what you’ve done today. When we saw the Denubbewa warships exploding in space and yet saw no attackers, I knew it was you. Our forces had nearly been obliterated in the sneak attack, so it couldn’t have been anyone else. Thank you, Captain.”

“I’m glad we could help.”

“We look forward to cementing our relationship with the Galactic Alliance and possibly acquiring some of your incredible technology so we can better defend our nation while working with you to drive the Denubbewa out of this galaxy.”

“Uh, that might be a problem, Captain.”

“Why? I thought we were establishing solid bonds of friendship.”

“It’s complicated.”

“I heard you refused to transport a diplomatic party to Quesann, and I thought that might’ve been because you’d learned of my reported demise.”

“I think it’s better that we discuss this in private, sir.”

“Yes, but it will have to wait. We’re going to be busy for weeks cleaning up the mess down here and establishing a new government.”

“Contact us when you’re free. If for some reason I have to leave, I’ll inform you before we depart.”

“Please, Captain. Please don’t leave until we’ve had a chance to talk.”

“I’ll do my best to be here when you’re available for a conference. Good luck, Captain.”

“Thank you again for all you’ve done, Captain. Equille, out.”

* * *

“I’ve just received a report from Lieutenant Marcola,” Admiral Holt said when Admiral Carver answered the call to her office.

“And?”

“She states that they pulverized fifty-six Denubbewa destroyers before the rest scattered in every direction in their efforts to get away. The Justice didn’t pursue any of them.”

“Fifty-six destroyers? I’d say they bagged their limit.”

“And there’s more.”

“More destroyed Denubbewa ships?”

“No, more information. Captain Equille is alive. The king had ordered his execution, but some of his people managed to free him and spirit him away. They then used a corpse for the deep-six burial. He’s able to come out now because the royalty was targeted in the initial Denubbewa attack and most were killed, although things are still a little confused. And Equille wants to get together with Marcola to discuss working together to destroy the Denubbewa.”

“He doesn’t know that we know about the genetic memory problem.”

“Apparently not. And Marcola hasn’t said anything.”

“I don’t see that anything has changed, Brian.”

“No, but Marcola wants to speak with him and explain our position. She feels that even if we can’t share our secrets, it would still be good to work with them to eliminate our common enemy.”

“Well, she does have a point. Allow her to meet with him, but make sure she knows not to share any technical information about our weapons and advances.”

“I’ll tell her, but I doubt it’s necessary.”

* * *

During the initial voyage to the Kirriri home world, the Justice had paused briefly every light-year between the two nations in order to seed the route with one of the new CJ Gate satellites. The Justice still had an enormous supply of the tiny satellites, so Sydnee took it upon herself to do as the Denubbewa had done when they invaded G.A. space. Rather than sitting around while the Kirriri rebuilt their government’s infrastructure in order to become operational again, Sydnee decided to spend the time seeding Kirriri space with the satellites. This would assist in future telecommunications and CJ Gate travel should it become a reality in the nation.

Over the following month, Captain Equille contacted Sydnee several times to report that they were making good progress and that he would hopefully be able to get together with her soon for their discussion. Sydnee told him that Quesann had approved the Justice remaining in Kirriri space until they’d had a chance to speak.

* * *

“Welcome aboard, Captain Equille,” Sydnee said as the Kirriri officer stepped out of the Justice’s shuttle.

Equille was naturally wearing a spacesuit but it was equipped with an external communications device and translator.

“Thank you, Captain Marcola, although my title has changed. I’m now Prime Minister Equille.”

“Are congratulations then in order, sir?”

“I suppose that’s yet to be decided from a personal perspective, but it’s politically accepted as an advancement.”

“Then I offer my congratulations, Mr. Prime Minister.”

“Thank you, Captain Marcola. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t once again thank you for ending the Denubbewa attack on our planet. Without your timely return and engagement of the Denubbewa warships, we would surely have been lost.”

“I’m glad we were able to assist.”

“Our forces had already been decimated when you returned. Your defense of our planet is totally responsible for our still being a nation. Our planet would definitely have been lost if not for you. I’ve signed a proclamation that declares the date to be celebrated each annual as Captain Marcola Salvation Day.”

“I’m honored, sir.”

“Posters and banners with your image have been erected all over the planet. I wanted my people to become familiar with your— slightly different anatomy. We have several different sentient species in our Kingdom, but none resemble your species.”

“We have many different sentient species in the G.A. so our people are accustomed to seeing different shapes and forms. How goes the effort to reestablish the government on your planet?”

“Very well, I think. Some of the royalty were away from their palaces and so survived the Denubbewa mass-murder effort. The survivors immediately sought to claim the throne; however, we’ve decided we’ve outgrown that form of government and have chosen to install a representative government elected by the people. Presently, military officers are temporarily filling all the key posts, but we’ve scheduled an election date when the citizens will decide who they want to have in charge.”

“Then each planet in your nation will decide on its own form of government, or will there be one form of government for all planets?”

“I had a lot of time to think on it and discuss it with my peers while I was forced to stay out of sight. Our new system will be like yours in the Galactic Alliance. The Kirriri Alliance will protect the nation without interfering in the internal workings of the planets. So, whether they prefer to be ruled by royals or by an elected governmental body will be up to them. We’ll help them establish the original government but then leave them to refine it according to their wishes.”

“That’s very advanced thinking.”

“The situation with the king made me believe he’d become too powerful.”

“There’s an ancient saying on my world,” Sydnee said. “It was first expressed in a letter from a man known as Lord Acton. He wrote: ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’”

“A very wise man.”

“Yes, it’s been proven to be accurate time and time again.”

“Time and time again?”

“Yes. Even with elected governments, the leaders sometimes forget they were elected by the people to serve the people. They begin to believe that they know best what the people need and want rather than listening to the will of the people. They begin to serve themselves and their associates, with the entire focus of their being to get reelected, even if it means stealing an election.”

“And what happens then?”

“What always happens. The people can only be pushed so far before they rise up and set things straight. There’s another famous saying which is credited to a very wise man from the country where I was born. His name was Thomas Jefferson and he once wrote in correspondence to a fellow government representative: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”

“How can such problems be avoided?”

“The only way is through term limits because the longer a politician remains in office, the more chance there is that they will be corrupted by the power they wield. The worst of the worst are the ones that have held their positions the longest. Unfortunately, only politicians can pass laws that establish term limits, and most politicians refuse to do so because it would effectively cut off their power and prestige.”

“Another example of how power corrupts. How has Space Command managed to avoid such problems? Surely the leaders of such an enormous and powerful military organization must be tempted from time to time to abuse their absolute power.”

“I suppose we’ve managed to avoid that problem by having a number of checks and balances in the system. First, the hierarchy are not elected like politicians. The senior most officers are selected to lead by their peers. That means that only the finest officers ever reach the pinnacle of the power pyramid. Our present leadership is praised by everyone I know, and we believe that no finer officer than Admiral of the Fleet Jenetta Carver has ever headed the Admiralty Board.

“Here’s an interesting and completely true story. When the last Admiral of the Fleet wanted to retire, Rear Admiral Jenetta Carver was chosen by the members of the Admiralty Board to replace him. They knew she didn’t seek power, and that she was the best commanding officer in the service. They worried she might refuse the promotion, so they voted her into the ‘soon to be vacant’ position without first asking her if she would accept the role. She was so upset when she learned of the promotion that she announced to close friends her intention to resign her commission. Her good friend, Admiral Brian Holt, who was also her immediate junior officer, convinced her to hold off on the resignation and instead take a leave of absence to think about her future in the service. He knew she loved her role in Space Command. She listened to his advice, took an extended leave, and returned to her family estate. Oddly, she’s a senior member of the Nordakian royalty and owns an enormous estate on the planet Obotymot. She has many leaseholders and is beloved by all of them, from what I hear.

“After giving birth to twins, Admiral Carver decided to return to Space Command. She accepted the promotion to Admiral of the Fleet and became the most senior officer in Space Command. So, we have a commanding officer who didn’t want the power, and I doubt we’ll ever have a better leader. Heaven protect us from people like politicians who crave only power and will do anything to hang onto it.”

“Thank you for relating that story. I can understand now how the G.A. military is able to function so well. I hope the Kirriri Alliance might one day be spoken of in such glowing terms. Tell me, Captain, why did Space Command refuse to allow our diplomats to come to Quesann?”

Sydnee looked around at the several Justice crewmen and several Kirriri crewmen listening to the conversation before saying, “I think we should discuss that in private, sir. Come to my office.”

“Have a seat, please,” Sydnee said as the door closed behind Prime Minister Equille.

As Equille settled into a chair facing Sydnee, she said, “I’ll tell you what I know about the sudden cancellation of the trip to Quesann. It wasn’t because we suddenly didn’t want to establish a military or diplomatic relationship with the Kirriri. It was because we learned that your species unintentionally passes on everything the parent has observed, experienced, or learned to newborns through a form of genetic heredity. There was great concern that if we shared our technology secrets with your species, or even just allowed your representatives to view some of our technological advances, the information could be unintentionally passed on to the Denubbewa if those offspring were ever captured and turned into cyborgs.”

“I see. We have the same concern,”

“You do?” Sydnee said with surprise.

“Yes. It’s why we’ve never allowed royals to enter any of our weapons development facilities or visit any of our military vessels unless they were strictly limited to secure areas.”

“I don’t understand. What do the royals have to do with it?”

“That particular trait, the one regarding the passing on of knowledge through genetic heredity, is limited to the royals of our species. The military never allowed them to see anything that was secret because we feared the information might be disseminated to enemies of the Kirriri. The king agreed and issued a proclamation that royals were never to be allowed in top- secret military areas.”

“And the genetic heredity trait is definitely limited to royals?”

“Yes. Every newborn is tested to see if they have the gene. If they do, and they’re not royals, they are, um, ah, well, recycled.”

“Recycled?”

“It’s the kindest way I can say it. We’re not proud of what we do, but we believe it’s necessary. All inductees to the military are always checked and double checked to make sure the gene hasn’t been missed at birth. We’ve found a few.”

“And you recycled them as well?”

“No, their reproductive capability was taken away and they were then sent to work on farms where they’d probably never have access to females and from which they could never escape and manage to produce offspring should the sterilization effort have, um, failed. Over the years, there have been fewer and fewer instances of the gene discovered in non-royals, but everyone is still tested.”

“I see.”

“I assure you that the issue is just as vital to us as it is to you. We’re fighting for our very existence and can’t ever allow the Denubbewa to gain any kind of edge that would doom our population. We’re not nearly as technologically advanced as the Galactic Alliance, but we do have military secrets the Denubbewa could benefit from and use against us.”

“Mr. Prime Minister, would you be opposed to having medical teams from Space Command come here to examine some of your people and verify everything you’ve said?”

“You think I’m lying?”

“No, I don’t. But I believe others in Space Command might be skeptical, and this would allow them to eliminate any doubt from their minds.”

“Yes, I understand. No, Captain, I wouldn’t be opposed to that.”

“You understand that you’d have to cooperate completely. They’d probably want to examine a blood sample from each of the surviving royals.”

“As would I, were our positions reversed. I have no objection if it would relieve the minds of your superiors.”

“Very well. I’ll prepare a full report and send it off to Space Command.”

* * *

“I’ve waited until the regular Admiralty Board meeting was over and all newsies and spectators had left the gallery seating before bringing up the next subject, which can only be discussed in a closed session,” Jenetta said. “As you know, Admiral Holt and I decided to cancel the proposed travel by the Kirriri diplomatic representatives after we were informed that Kirriri offspring were born with all the memories of both parents. That meant that the offspring of anyone who’d visited Quesann could possibly have precision memory of everything their ancestor had witnessed here. We decided not to risk the chance that a Kirriri citizen could be taken by the Denubbewa and everything they knew could then be spread to every other cyborg.”

“But aren’t the memories of cyborg brains wiped before a cyborg becomes active?” Admiral Woo asked.

“We’ve always believed that, Lon,” Jenetta said, “based on interviews with the cyborgs now working with us, but we can’t know that for sure. And I’m not suggesting that they’ve lied to us. Perhaps they don’t really know for sure because they’ve never worked in that area. Or perhaps the practice didn’t start until after the Denubbewa realized they were missing out on a valuable information source. In any event, we can’t trust that the Denubbewa would fail to learn of our technology if the Kirriri had the information.”

“I agree with your and Brian’s decision,” Admiral Bradlee, who headed the SCI, said.

“However, new information has come our way from Lieutenant Marcola.”

“Isn’t she on her way back to the G.A.?” Admiral Ressler asked.

“She was, but she requested that she be allowed to return to Epply.”

“Why?” Admiral Burke asked.

“They picked up ship-to-ship chatter that indicated the Kirriri home world was under attack by an overwhelming force of Denubbewa ships. She knew that most of their fleet was out on patrol and too far away to be of any assistance before the planet fell. Since they were only about an hour out, she requested that she be allowed to return to give the Kirriri a hand against our common enemy. When the Justice reached Epply, the Kirriri Home World Protection Fleet was almost destroyed. Only a couple of ships were still firing, and the Denubbewa ships numbered about a hundred destroyers. The planet was done for if the Justice couldn’t turn the tide, so they dove into the fray. The Justice destroyed fifty-six Denubbewa destroyers before the rest of the fleet decided they’d had enough and headed away from the planet in every direction.”

“Fifty-six Denubbewa destroyers?” Admiral Yuthkotl remarked. “Amazing.”

“Yes. The Denubbewa had been targeting the royal palaces on the surface and had managed to kill most of the royalty before they were stopped. I guess the royals didn’t believe in underground bunkers or simply believed their home planet protection force was invincible. Anyway, the new Kirriri government has made the date an official holiday to be celebrated annually and named it Captain Marcola Salvation Day.”

“Didn’t she already have a holiday named after her by the slaves she rescued from Yolongus?” Admiral Burke asked.

“Jealous, Arnold?” Admiral Woo asked with a mischievous grin.

“No, Lon,” Admiral Burke said with a lopsided grin of his own. “I’m just trying to keep track of all the Sydnee Marcola holidays.”

“I think we’re getting a little sidetracked,” Jenetta said. “The reason I brought up this topic was because the new Kirriri government has requested again that they be allowed to send a diplomatic team to Quesann.”

“But that’s impossible, right?” Admiral Burke asked.

“We believed that was the case. But when Lieutenant Marcola explained to the new head of the government why it couldn’t be allowed, he responded by telling her that it was only the royals who can share information genetically, and most of them died in the attack. The normal population doesn’t have the ability to pass on knowledge. The new prime minister has said that we’re welcome to send our experts to examine the people who would travel here or anyone else on the planet. So, I propose that we send a team of geneticists and biologists, and whoever else will be needed, to ascertain positively that the non-royals cannot genetically pass on information to offspring. If that proves to be correct, then I propose we allow the Kirriri diplomatic team to visit Quesann. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll allow them into high- security areas or anywhere we wouldn’t allow a person without even a basic security clearance. We have to remember that this is just a first step towards establishing a diplomatic relationship, and we have to learn about our neighbors before we invite them into our homes.”

“But they aren’t our neighbors,” Admiral Yuthkotl said. “Their border is hundreds of light-years from our nearest border area in Region Three.”

“What happens if we establish a treaty agreement with the Kirriri,” Admiral Ahmed asked, “and then some nations lays claim to the territory between us.”

“Oh, no,” Jenetta said.

“What’s the matter, Jen?” Admiral Holt asked.

“I see what’s coming. The only way to ensure that we have the best access to the Kirriri nation is to claim a corridor to their border. That’s means even more territory to safeguard. We can’t handle what we’ve got now.”

“Simply claiming a corridor for passage doesn’t require us to patrol it,” Admiral Woo said. “It’s only to ensure that no one can block our passage to a nation with whom we have a reciprocal defense agreement.”

“We’ve always accepted that travel in all claimed space is guarded by the nation claiming the territory,” Jenetta said. “It prevents nations from claiming more territory than they can legitimately occupy or protect. The first time someone gets attacked by pirates in that corridor, they’ll start screaming that we’re supposed to be guarding our territory and that we’re responsible for their losses. We’ll have to have at least a few ships patrolling on a regular basis just so we can say we’re working to keep crime to a minimum.”

“Having a few people screaming at us is better than having to travel tens of thousands of light-years around a newly claimed territory if the claimant refuses to allow us to cross their space,” Admiral Holt said. “As an example, I offer the Aguspod nation and their claimed territory. If we wish to cross into their space, we must apply for permission explaining why we’re entering their space, what our destination is, and how long it will take us to complete our travel. We must then wait until they get around to responding.”

“Okay,” Jenetta said. “Right now, the territory is unclaimed. Let’s just file a claim and announce that we don’t guarantee safety because the limited number of solar systems and lack of habitable worlds means there will be very few patrols. I wish we could get by without patrolling it, but if we don’t have regular patrols, someone can dispute our claim to it.”

“I second the motion,” Admiral Holt said.

“Does anyone want to discuss it further before we vote?” Jenetta asked.

“I have just one question,” Admiral Bradlee said. “How much unclaimed territory are we claiming, Jen?”

“Let’s say we’re claiming all territory that would allow us a direct line of travel to any border point with the Kirriri nation from any border point in the G.A. and the reverse. We’ll let the cartographers take care of the specifics.”

“And I suggest that we call it Region Five,” Admiral Plimley said, “to give it an official designation consistent with our other territories.”

“Okay,” Jenetta said, “all in favor of the motion that we formally lay claim to Region Five, raise your right hand.”

Jenetta glanced around the table and said, “Let the record show that the vote is unanimous. Region Five will now be part of the Galactic Alliance. I’ll see that the newsies get the official report so they can transmit it via their regular channels. That way, everyone within this galaxy will eventually receive the official claim information.”

“And the hosting of the diplomats?” Admiral Woo asked. “Are we doing that?”

“Yes, if we all agree.” Jenetta said. “All in favor of hosting Kirriri diplomats here on Quesann subject to the findings of the scientific investigation that their genetic memory issues will have no effect on our security?”

Everyone raised their hands again.

“The motion carries unanimously,” Jenetta said.

Chapter Twenty

~ October 2nd, 2294 ~

“Space Command has agreed to reopen diplomatic negotiations, Prime Minister,” Sydnee said to Equille when she finally got through to him. “If you agree, they’ll send geneticists and biologists to examine the representatives you nominate for the diplomatic positions, as well as a sample of the general population. Once cleared, the diplomats should have no further problems as they interact with G.A. diplomats.”

“Wonderful, Captain Marcola. We’ll naturally cooperate in any way we can.”

“I’ve also been ordered to tell you that the G.A. is now claiming all of the unclaimed space between our nations. The G.A. has no present intention of occupying it, but this ensures that no one can ever block our travel if we establish formal ties and you call for help. It will now be known as Region Five of the G.A.”

“And you’re claiming all unclaimed space around our nation?”

“No, sir. We’re only laying claim to the space we would have to cross from every part of the G.A. if you called for emergency assistance. If you have occupied planets in the unclaimed space, that space should be officially claimed by you. The G.A. isn’t looking to deprive you of space you already occupy. We’re only working from the maps you’ve already provided to us. We have too much space to patrol now and only want to ensure that no nation can forbid our crossing the space between our two nations because we failed to claim it when it was unclaimed. The documents have already been prepared and announcements planned, so everyone in the galaxy who intercepts G.A. broadcasts will shortly know of the claims. They also included a claim on your behalf that covers the space you’ve identified as Kirriri space so there’s never any question in the future. Quesann will amend our claim to transfer to you any space you currently occupy but which might not be noted on the maps you provided.”

“And will you be patrolling the claimed space?”

“Yes, but only the minimum required to keep our claim valid since we have no colonies there. However, new colonies may be established in the future as we share technology that allows citizens to explore farther out than they have in the past.”

“Your own people don’t have access to your wonderful technology?”

“Some technology is shared, but certainly not all. In every society there are people who refuse to obey laws established to protect the populations. Many find such errant behavior profitable, until they’re caught. The G.A. doesn’t enforce the laws written by and for the inhabitants on the planets, but we do have a few G.A. laws for all people in the G.A. For example, we forbid slavery, counterfeiting of G.A. Credits, distributing illegal drugs outside the planet’s sensible atmosphere, interfering with commercial traffic outside a planet’s sensible atmosphere, and attacking other planets in the G.A. In order to keep a slight edge over lawbreakers and to keep secret the technology that allows us to fight and destroy the ships of alien nations such as the Denubbewa, we keep certain vital information secret. Also, if the technical information was openly shared with all citizens, enterprising individuals would be selling it to the highest bidders outside G.A. space. Some species are just not mature enough to have such information in their possession.”

“I understand, Captain. And would such information be shared with the Kirriri?”

“I’m sure your civilization is mature enough to handle advanced technology, but what you learn and when is not my decision to make, Prime Minister. But I believe you’d probably enjoy the benefits of new technology if we establish a diplomatic relationship.”

“We very much wish that to become a reality. What now? Will you be remaining here for a while?”

“We must remain here so the G.A. scientists have a CJ Gate available. And we’ll probably remain here until they finish their work. I don’t know what plans Quesann has for us after that, but you can be assured that I’ll keep you informed.”

“Thank you, Captain Marcola.”

“You’re most welcome, Mr. Prime Minister.”

* * *

“So now that we have a Region Five,” Kelly said as she and Sydnee sat in Sydnee’s office, “are we going to have to remain out here?”

“For a short time— at least. Until the scientific work and the diplomat transfers are settled to some degree, Space Command needs to have a CJ Gate out here.”

“What’s your best guess for how much time that will consume?”

“No idea, Kel.”

“We’ve been outside the G.A. for so long that I’m beginning to feel like I’ve never lived anywhere else except aboard the Justice.”

Sydnee smiled. “I know what you mean, but this is the new Justice. The additional room and features, such as private quarters and the pool, are great. But yeah— if we ever get back to the Denver, I’m going to feel lost.”

“I can’t wait to spend some time on the Marine Combat Range. I wonder if Martin has added any new features.”

“I’d be willing to bet we won’t even recognize it. Of course, we weren’t really there long enough to try all the holographic features he’d already incorporated.”

“Ya know, Syd, there are days when I feel absolutely worthless out here. With our missions to the Clidepp Empire, there was always a chance we’d be needed at a moment’s notice. But since we left that area, the only mission we’ve had is to take control of the mothership. It was exciting, but it was over too quickly. I know Blade and Dennier are feeling the frustration of just sitting around.”

“I understand, Kel. During those years we sat babysitting that Denubbewa mothership, I kinda felt the same way. But, ya know, this duty is better than transporting that monster of a mothership to wherever Space Command has sent it. That crew is going to be aboard that slow ship for a long time.”

“Yeah, that’s true. So you haven’t heard where they sent it?”

“Nope, and I haven’t asked. I imagine it will be somewhere at the far reaches of Region Three where we have a real need of an armed presence.”

“I guess. And now that we have a Region Four, it’s all the more necessary. Hey, wouldn’t it be something if they turned it around and sent it back here to give us a base in Region Five?”

“Don’t say that too loud— Space Command might hear you,” Sydnee said with a smile. “Actually, it’s more likely they’ll tell us to go find another one and haul it back here.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Why not? We did pretty good the last time out. We took the ship and didn’t lose a man. There weren’t even any injuries, except for a few minor ankle sprains among the engineers who hadn’t put on their combat boots before being dropped onto the bridge deck inside the mothership. And looking at it realistically, we don’t really need a large presence in Region Five. I imagine there will have to be regular patrols just to enforce our claim on the territory. It’s amazing that we weren’t even aware the Kirriri were here until they tried to take the mothership from us, so there’s no telling how many occupied planets we’ll find in Region Five, although we’re pretty sure there aren’t any more advanced civilizations here. At least none with space travel capability. It’ll be handled like the other regions we’ve claimed. Any civilizations can continue doing whatever they’ve been doing without interference from us. It’s only when they progress enough to leave their planet that they’ll be required to obey G.A. law, without exception.”

“And if they object to obeying the few laws established by the G.A.?”

“Then they’ll be isolated on their own planet out to the uppermost limits of their sensible atmosphere.”

“Well, that sounds sensible,” Kelly said with a large grin.

“Funny,” Sydnee said with an equally large grin.

“Hey, it’s lunchtime. Want to grab some chow?”

“I’m starving. Let’s go.”

* * *

Several days later, teams of experts arrived from Quesann. It would be their job to determine if genetic heredity extended beyond the royalty and how much of a danger it presented. They were anxious to get started, so the Justice’s shuttles were immediately loaded with their luggage and equipment and the teams were transported to the surface within an hour of having left Quesann.

Work facilities had been arranged by the new prime minister, and the teams wasted no time getting set up. The teams would be allowed to select the test subjects from the populace rather than having them provided by the new government. They estimated that their work could take as long as an annual, depending on the level of cooperation provided by the government.

Aboard the Justice, things continued normally. Space Command sent a dozen tiny satellites prepared especially for placement in orbit around the Kirriri home world. While Space Command couldn’t offer the new communications equipment that would allow the Kirriri to communicate with Quesann in almost real-time terms, they did the next best thing. The new satellites could make contact using standard S-band to communicate with the seeded Space Command wormhole satellites located just across the border in the new Region Five. From that point, the signal would be transmitted almost instantly to Quesann. Responses traveled the same way. The signal was sent to the wormhole satellite nearest the Kirriri nation border, which was then sent via S-band to Epply. Instead of having almost instantaneous communication, the roundtrip cycle would take more than two weeks. Although considerably better than three months required for a round trip S-band communication, Sydnee knew Prime Minister Equille wouldn’t be happy.

* * *

The Justice placed the satellites in orbit around Epplyottoslactitorumalleeta the next day. Being clad in Dakinium meant that the satellites would absorb power from the planet’s sun and never need recharging. Also, when the satellites were sheathed in Dakinium, they became virtually indestructible, so there was no danger from accidental contact with spaceships or extra-planetary objects. Were that to happen, they would simply reposition themselves after the contact while remaining ready for communications work at all times. The only possible problem with the satellite placement was that some rogue Kirriri might attempt to recover one to learn about the Dakinium, but there was no way to avoid that. While the black coloration of the satellite surfaces and the absorption of any electronic detection signals made them almost impossible to spot, they were susceptible to visual location efforts because of their placement so close to a planet, which was why the wormhole technology couldn’t be employed in those satellites. The Dakinium formula used for the satellite covering was the formula used by the Denubbewa, which didn’t allow for double-envelope creation. Since it was already in widespread use by the Denubbewa, it was probably only a matter of time before the Kirriri acquired a sample of the material, if they didn’t already have one. As such, it wasn’t an issue to get worked up about.

* * *

“Good morning, Mr. Prime Minister,” Sydnee said when she was finally able to get through the layers of bureaucrats and speak directly to Equille.

“Good morning, Captain Marcola. What can I do for you on this very busy morning?”

“I promised to inform you if and when I received orders to leave Kirriri space. That day has arrived.”

“What? You can’t leave. We’ve recalled part of our fleet that was out on patrol when the Denubbewa attacked us, but most haven’t returned yet. We’re still very vulnerable.”

“I said the Justice is leaving, not that you’ll be devoid of protection here. A replacement CPS-16, the Shield, will be arriving within a day. We’ll remain until the Shield is within an hour’s travel time.”

“But in the hour we’re unprotected, the Denubbewa can return and devastate the planet.”

“Mr. Prime Minister, the last time the Denubbewa attacked your home world, they ran away after murdering most of your royalty and wiping out most of your protection fleet. I doubt they’ll try that again because they probably believe you have some new secret weapon that would finish the job the Justice started.”

“What you say has merit, but I’d feel a lot better if you could delay your departure.”

“You received the new communication device I sent down to your office?”

“Yes. Thank you. My technicians are reviewing the plans so it will be available if we need it. We’ve learned that your electrical system requirements are inconsistent with our systems, so they’re building an adapter unit to power it. And it will still take time for help to arrive if we call. Are you absolutely sure you can’t delay your departure until the new ship arrives?”

Sydnee hesitated for a few seconds before responding, then said, “Very well, Mr. Prime Minister, we’ll remain in orbit until the Shield is just minutes away.”

“Thank you, Captain. By the way, where are you headed?”

“Space Command regulations prevent me from identifying our destination, but I can say that we’ll be considerably distant from the Kirriri nation borders. I wish you all the best and hope the friendship that has been fostered between our nations will continue to grow.”

“Thank you, Captain, and I wish you a safe journey and successful mission, wherever your orders might take you and your crew.”

“Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. Marcola out.”

* * *

“Why didn’t you tell me we were heading out?” Kelly MacDonald asked as she plopped into one of the chairs facing Sydnee’s desk.

“I knew no one would be happy, so I delayed telling anyone as long as possible.”

“Oh oh! Is it that bad?”

“No, it’s just not where we want to go.”

“Don’t tell me. We’ve been ordered to return to the Clidepp Empire and resume dropping the spy satellites.”

“Bingo. But now we also have to seed Clidepp space with communications and travel satellites.”

“Wait a minute. We couldn’t drop any C-T sats in Kirriri space, but Quesann wants us to seed the Clidepp Empire with them?”

“Yeah, I don’t understand it either. But ours is not to reason why; ours is but to do or try.”

“That’s from The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson, isn’t it? I thought the last two words in that quote were ‘and die.’”

“They are. Also, Tennyson was writing in third person, so he used the pronoun ‘theirs’ instead of ours in several places. The full text of that paragraph is: ‘Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. Into the valley of Death, Rode the six hundred.’ But I prefer my version. It’s not so depressing and doesn’t suggest we might die.”

“Surely we aren’t risking death when we drop satellites off?”

“Hopefully, but that’s all we were supposed to be doing seven years ago when we left the Denver, and look at everything that’s happened to us since then.”

“Seven years,” Kelly echoed. “Are they going to allow us to grab some shore leave while the Justice heads for the Clidepp Empire?”

“I asked. They said no. They insist the ship must be fully manned while we travel outside the G.A. in case something happens. We could need every hand, and some might not be immediately available if they’re on shore leave.”

“What could happen?”

“Are you kidding? Just look back at the last seven years. This mission originally promised to be as boring as it was long.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But we’re back on track for boring, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“And you’re not going to try to end slavery anywhere else?”

“No ma’am. One to a customer.”

“And we’re not going to get involved in anyone’s else’s war?”

“They’ll have to fight their own wars.”

“Then this is truly going to be an epic trip.”

“Epic?”

“Yeah, because you’ve never before passed up an opportunity to jump into a fight.”

“I resent that,” Sydnee said with fake indignity.

“I’ll apologize when we get back to the Denver if I’ve been wrong,” Kelly said, smiling widely.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Sydnee said with a grin.

“I don’t really expect to have to apologize. I know you too well. Come on, Syd, let’s go to lunch.”

* * *

“Captain to the bridge,” Sydnee heard as she worked in her office a few weeks later. She jumped to her feet and was entering the bridge within twenty seconds of hearing the message. Everything seemed quiet. They were still traveling at Marc-1.

“What is it, XO?” Sydnee asked Lt.(jg) Weems, who was studying an image on the monitor mounted on the left arm of his chair.

Weems looked up and said, “We’re picking up a lot of chatter, Captain. And it looks like a convoy is under attack.”

“Whose convoy?”

“An Aguspod convoy.”

“Aguspod?”

“Yes, ma’am. We’re still in their space.”

Quesann had granted permission for the Justice to fly through Aguspod space as long as they remained hidden in a double-envelope.”

“Who are they fighting?”

“It looks and sounds like they’re fighting Denubbewa destroyers.”

“Oh, good grief. The Denubbewa— again.”

“It sounds like the Aguspod convoy is being systematically wiped out.”

“Where is this taking place?”

“Roughly six minutes off our starboard.”

“Good grief. Helm, all stop.”

“Aye, Captain,” the helmsman said. “All stop.”

“Are we going to assist them, Captain?” Weems asked.

“If we do, we’ll be violating our orders. I was told we could only cross Aguspod space if we maintained a double-envelope the whole time.”

“We can assist the Aguspod and not drop the double-envelope. You did it for the Yolongi.”

Sydnee smiled before saying, “I see that my bad habits are rubbing off on you.”

“No, ma’am. I’m just learning tricks they never taught at the academy. Helping overmatched neighbors is never a bad habit.”

“You’re right, XO. We should assist the Aguspod and strike another blow at the Denubbewa. Helm, take us to the battle zone. Tac, prepare to drop WOLaR bombs on command from the helm. Helm, do you feel confident that you can handle the ship well enough to properly deploy the bombs?”

“Aye, Captain. Lt. Caruthers has been instructing the other helmsmen and myself in the procedure.”

“Okay, we’ll see how well you do.”

“Ready at Tactical, Captain,” the tactical officer said.

“Okay, Helm, it’s in your hands now,” Sydnee said as she climbed into the Captain’s command chair. “Make us proud.”

“Two minutes to the battle site,” the tactical officer said.

Sydnee just sat and silently watched the large monitor at the front of the bridge.

As the Justice reached the battle site, Sydnee saw that confusion reigned.

The helmsman never uttered a word as he selected his first target and moved into its form.

“Drop,” the helmsman said he brought the ship to a stop momentarily.

“Away,” the tactical officer said.

The helmsman wasted no time getting to the next target. As the Justice entered the wispy image of another Denubbewa destroyer, the first was exploding.

After that, a Denubbewa destroyer was exploding every few minutes.

The Denubbewa stubbornly remained at the battle site, firing on Aguspod cargo ships and their military escort ships until their eighth destroyer exploded. Someone finally realized that this wasn’t going to be the easy kill they’d imagined. Instead of harvesting the brains of the cargo ship workers and those of the military people still alive in the military escort force, the Denubbewa ships left the battle site in every direction. They no doubt had a rendezvous point established in case they lost the fight and would meet up there when they were sure they weren’t being followed.

“Helm, this battle is over. Follow one of the departing destroyers.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Hours later, the destroyer stopped zigzagging and followed a straight path. After another two hours, the rendezvous place was straight ahead.

“Good grief,” Sydnee said.

“What’s the matter, Captain?” Weems asked from the next chair.

“It’s another mothership.”

“Where? I don’t see it.”

“It’s obviously sheathed with Dakinium. Instead of looking for a ship, look for the large dark silhouette where the ship is blocking out light from the stars.”

“Ah, I see it now.”

“I guess they didn’t have enough Dakinium left over to sheath their destroyers after they got done covering the mothership.”

“Do we attack her?”

“No. I wish we could, but I know Space Command will want us to capture her intact.”

“Do you think that ruse we used to order all cyborgs to leave the ship will work again?”

“The Denubbewa aren’t stupid. They probably figured out what we did and prepared themselves in case we tried it again. No, we’ll have to come up with a new strategy, but I’m fresh out. Let’s notify Quesann and see what they want us to do.”

“If it was up to me, I’d drop three WOLaRs in their interior and be done with them.”

“Your solution would be more satisfying, but we have to think of the value of that ship as a space station. For example, we could move it into Region Five and give ourselves an instant presence there.”

Chapter Twenty-One

~ November 16th, 2294 ~

“Lieutenant Marcola has once again engaged the Denubbewa,” Admiral Holt said when Jenetta responded to his call.

“She seems to have an uncanny gift for finding them,” Jenetta said. “Where did it happen this time?”

“In Aguspod space.”

“Oh, no. Please tell me she didn’t drag us into a confrontation with the Aguspod.”

“Okay— she didn’t drag us into a confrontation with the Aguspod. I mean that. I gave her permission to shorten her travel distance and time by cutting across Aguspod space, but I insisted that she maintain a double-envelope at all times. She complied, so the Aguspod never visually identified their savior.”

“Their savior?”

“Well, she did save a cargo convoy and at least half of their military escort.”

“Never visually identified their savior? Does that mean they identified our ship in some other way?”

“No. In fact they’re actually praising Captain Kidd because no one ever saw who attacked the Denubbewa.”

“Kidd? The pirate of Earth fame?”

“In this case, it was the acknowledged captain of the ship that saved the Yolongi home world and got the Triumvirate to outlaw slavery.”

“Ah, yes, I remember now. Marcola identified herself as a Captain Kidd to the Yolongi. How did the Aguspod establish that Captain Kidd was their savior? Did the Justice make contact with them?”

“No, they leaped to that conclusion entirely on their own because no one ever saw who attacked the Denubbewa. During the battle, the Justice destroyed eight Denubbewa ships before they decided they’d had enough and the remaining destroyers fled the area. The Aguspod just automatically assumed Captain Kidd had to be responsible because the story of how Kidd saved Yolongus from the Blenod has been spreading everywhere, in spite of the fact that Marcola wanted the Clidepp military to take full credit. I guess the people in the Clidepp military just couldn’t stop their rumor mill. It’s also well known that Prime Minister Gustallo Plelillo has been trying to contact Kidd ever since Kidd saved them. The story is that Kidd belongs to an incredibly advanced race of beings that only wants peace and prosperity for all beings in the universe. It’s said they have no interest in absorbing the space controlled by other nations but that Kidd jumps in wherever he’s needed to protect primitive civilizations.”

“He?”

“The sexual identification is based on the disguised voice Marcola used when conversing with Plelillo. It sounded decidedly more masculine than feminine.”

“I see. And has Marcola returned to her assigned task?”

“Not yet. That’s the issue I really wanted to speak to you about.”

“What did she do now?”

“Nothing bad. None of the attacking Denubbewa destroyers were sheathed in Dakinium, so the Justice was able to easily follow one of the ships that left the battle site. The Justice trailed it until it returned to its RP location. And at that location, they discovered a Dakinium-clad mothership.”

“Another mothership?”

“Yes.”

“Undamaged?”

“So far. Marcola is merely watching it as she did with that other mothership. Would you perhaps be interested in acquiring it?”

“Of course. Think we can pull it off a second time?”

“Perhaps. Marcola and her people did a fantastic job the last time. We got a city-sized ship that was empty of cyborgs and completely undamaged.”

“She can’t do it alone.”

“Of course not. She’ll need support.”

“Okay, Brian, let’s do it.”

“Who should command the operation?”

“It can’t be Marcola. She’s a good officer and very capable, but she doesn’t have the rank yet to command an operation like this. I’ll leave it up to you. You know your people and their capabilities better than I do.”

“Okay, Jen, I’ll assemble a task force.”

“Good, keep me in the loop.”

“Of course.”

* * *

“We’re back to babysitting,” Sydnee said to Kelly as they sat in her office enjoying a morning cup of coffee.

“I hope it won’t be as long as the last babysitting assignment.”

“I doubt it. The impression I got from Admiral Holt’s message was that a task force is already under way to this location. Once they get here, we’ll attempt to commandeer the mothership with as little loss of life as possible.”

“When did you become concerned with destroying cyborgs?”

“I’m not. I actually believe we’re doing a service to the poor, wretched individuals who were slaughtered so their brains could be harvested and then inserted into a mechanical body where it endlessly performs monotonous tasks without ever enjoying any quality of life. I was referring to the loss of our Space Command and Space Marine personnel. I don’t expect this takeover to be as easy and clean as the last.”

“Why not? You did it for us once before.”

“It’s not like the simple task of pulling a rabbit out of a hat. And I’m no magician. I was able to exploit a weakness in the Denubbewa system once, but they aren’t stupid, and I’m sure they’ve blocked that Achilles' heel in their operations.”

“So, find us another way to peacefully empty a mothership of cyborgs.”

“And what would you like for my third miracle? Peace throughout the entire universe?”

“That would be wonderful, Captain Kidd,” Kelly said facetiously. “Yes, make that happen next.”

Sydnee just smiled and shook her head slightly.

* * *

During the weeks that followed, Sydnee was rarely seen except during the first watch when she would sit quietly in her command chair on the bridge, hardly ever speaking unless someone asked a question. And since the ship was in a stationary position from which they could observe the Denubbewa mothership, there were few interruptions. When the watch was over, Sydnee walked to her office and sat at her desk with the chair back at maximum recline so she could stare at the overhead, or she could be seen endlessly walking the corridors of the ship with her head down, never acknowledging the presence of anyone she passed. Everyone could tell she was deep in thought and tried not to disturb her as she struggled to dredge up every fact and tidbit of trivia she’d ever heard about the Denubbewa as she searched for a way to reduce their fighting effectiveness during an invasion of the mothership.

Almost six weeks to the day after receiving the message from Admiral Holt informing her that a small task force was under way to her location, it arrived and held position at a rendezvous point a light-year away. It had been assembled from ships already in Region One, which accounted for its speedy arrival. Unfortunately, the Denver was not among them. The RP of the task force was sufficiently distant from the actual location of the mothership that the chance of any Denubbewa ship under way for the mothership’s location catching sight of the task force was negligible. Although while sheathed in a double-envelope the Space Command ships were invisible to all sensors and even visual notice, they would have to drop their envelopes in order to conduct necessary task force preparation operations.

The Justice was ordered to join the task force at the RP, and one of the new shuttles capable of building a double-envelope arrived to keep an eye on the mothership.

Sydnee’s summons came from Captain Neil Elder, Captain of the Boreas GSC- B374, so the Justice proceeded to the battleship’s location. There was no way for the CPS-16 to link to the battleship directly while all six shuttles were attached to the Justice, so Sydnee was conveyed to the Boreas in a shuttle.

As the shuttle’s hatch opened inside the bay, a lieutenant was waiting to greet her and escort her to the captain’s office just off the bridge. After years aboard a CPS ship, walking through the battleship was like stepping out of a closet and walking through a sports stadium, in spite of the time spent aboard the Bemming. The bridge of the Boreas seemed to be larger than the entire CPS-16, probably because it was— at least on the one deck.

As Sydnee and the lieutenant approached the captain’s office, the escort held back so only Sydnee would be seen by the office’s sensors and so solely announced to the captain by the computer system. The door opened almost immediately.

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Sydnee said to the escorting officer as she took a step towards the opening.

“My honor, Lieutenant. I mean that.”

“Thank you.”

The captain’s office seemed to be as large as Sydnee’s office on the CPS-16, with the Justice’s bridge and mess hall added.

“Come in, Lieutenant,” she heard the captain order.

Sydnee walked to a point a meter from the captain’s desk, stopped, and braced to attention before saying, “Lieutenant Sydnee Marie Marcola reporting to the captain as ordered.”

“At ease, Lieutenant,” Elder said. Pointing to the officer sitting in a side chair next to his desk, he said, “This is my XO, Commander Diana Durland.”

“Ma’am,” Sydnee said as she nodded her head.

“Lieutenant,” Durland said with a similar nod.

Gesturing towards an empty chair on the other side of his desk, Elder said, “Pull up a chair, Lieutenant. We’re discussing the onerous task of commandeering a Denubbewa mothership without getting half my command killed. Admiral Holt told me you devised an incredible plan to remove most of the Denubbewa during a similar operation, and that the task force at that effort only suffered a few twisted ankles— all of which were owed to engineers failing to wear their combat boots. He told me I should allow you to tell the story.”

“Uh, yes sir. There was only one bad sprain. An engineer landed wrong when he was released about seven to eight feet over the deck. The others were able to complete their assignments without delay.”

“Released over the deck? Released from what? No, better yet, start from the beginning and tell us everything that took place.”

“Yes, sir. It’s kind of a long story.”

“We have plenty of time. Proceed.”

Over the next twenty-two minutes, Sydnee related the tale of watching the Blenod attack a Denubbewa destroyer and then watching as they scurried away when the mothership arrived. She told of following the mothership for years and then maintaining surveillance when it finally stopped. She told of destroying the Denubbewa ships responsible for helping vessels materialize from nowhere. Then she related everything about the mothership takeover.

“Well done, Lieutenant. As Admiral Holt has said, you probably saved Region One from a Denubbewa invasion force. As to the vessels from nowhere, we’ll have our own system soon. Most of our vessels have at least one Personnel CJ Gate now, and about half of the warships have Cargo CJ Gates. I understand you have one aboard your ship.”

“Yes, sir. It was necessary because of our last assignment at the Kirriri home planet.”

“The project the scientists are working on now is a CJ Armada Gate. When they have it ready, we’ll be able to send an armada of warships almost anywhere in G.A. space in a heartbeat. It’ll also be available for use by freighters when not needed by Space Command. The transport fees will help pay for the costs of building and maintaining the system, and the freighters will save up to ninety percent of their shipping costs. Sometimes the speed at which changes are happening seems dizzying. But we have to stay on top of everything because our enemies are always looking to exploit any weaknesses.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So how many of these communications devices will we need?”

“I’m sorry to say that the idea may not work this time, sir.”

“Why not?”

“The Denubbewa were caught totally off guard, but they’re not stupid. I’d venture a guess that they’ve worked out what we did and corrected the situation somehow. It would be as simple as requiring all orders to leave the ship receiving immediate verification from the cyborg’s supervisor. The supervisors weren’t fooled by the message, but they appeared to be confused, and their low numbers allowed us to take them out quickly. I don’t think they’ll be caught off balance again with cyborgs looking to leave the ship en masse. The thing that must still be confusing them is where the signal to abandon the ship came from since radio signals can’t penetrate Dakinium.”

“I’ve been told that you understand the Denubbewa about as well as anyone out here. Do you have any other suggestions for how we can complete the takeover without losing any of our people?”

“I’ve been racking my brain ever since I was informed you were coming to make an attempt to commandeer the mothership. I’ve only come up with one idea that might work, but I don’t know how to implement it. If you support my idea, you’d have to contact Quesann for assistance.”

“That’s not a problem. With the new Gate system, we can even send engineers there to discuss it with them in person.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, tell us what your idea is.”

* * *

“Good morning, Jen,” Admiral Holt said when Admiral Carver took the call.

“Good morning, Brian. How’s everything?”

“All is quiet— for a change. I’ve just received a message from Neil Elder.”

“He’s out in Aguspod space, isn’t he?”

“Just beyond their territory in unclaimed space, I’m happy to say. We wouldn’t want the Aguspod to get angry with us for picking a fight in their space with a Denubbewa mothership, even if the Denubbewa did recently attack one of their cargo convoys.”

“And what does Neil have to say?”

“He’s working on a plan to commandeer the mothership, and Lieutenant Marcola has suggested a new idea for the takeover.”

“Her last plan worked perfectly. Why can’t we use that one?”

“She doesn’t think it will work again. She believes the Denubbewa have figured out what we did and established procedures to block it.”

“That’s possible. So, what’s her new idea?”

“This time she wants us to put them all to sleep.”

“Sleep?”

“Sleep.”

“How?”

“That’s what I asked. She said that she remembered hearing something about your sister finding a Denubbewa destroyer full of scientists who were all asleep. At the time she’d heard there was some way a supervisor cyborg can do that. She said that our cyborg scientists might know of a way to do it remotely if sending a signal is all it takes.”

Jenetta chuckled. “She’s right. I remember that now. The scientists all said that their supervisor had put them into sleep mode. That was the cyborg supervisor that attached himself to the outside of the ship we dragged back here. It wanted to spy on us without us being aware of its presence. I’ll have Loretta talk with the scientists about doing it remotely. If it’s viable, all they’d need do would be to drop signal emitters throughout the ship like they did with the devices used to send messages to leave the ship.”

“Marcola is a good officer,” Holt said. “We should consider giving her more responsibility.”

“I agree that she’s done a fantastic job for us, but there might be some opposition because she always takes more on her shoulders than she should.”

“Who does that remind you of?” Holt said with a chuckle.

“Are you talking about me?”

“None other.”

“I only did what I had to do.”

“And Marcola? Can you honestly declare that she hasn’t done only what she had to do?”

“Well, there was that incident with the ambassador and his guards.”

“Be honest, Jen. Could you have just stood by and let the ambassador’s guards beat that poor female slave? A Terran slave?”

“No, probably not.”

“I honestly can’t say what I would have done, but I know I couldn’t have just stood by and watched.”

“I know you, Brian, and I know you would have done whatever it took to stop them.”

“Perhaps. In any event, I can’t fault Marcola for what she did that day.”

“Unfortunately, her position doesn’t allow her to move up in rank and remain as ship commander of the Justice,” Jen said. “The CPS ships weren’t intended to provide a career position with an upwardly mobile track. The CPS-14s were intended for very short-term missions, and the newer CPS-16s were designed for longer term missions, but neither was intended with the officer’s career in mind. Since scout-destroyer command positions require the officer to be a commander, or at least a lieutenant commander, that avenue is blocked for now. And all regular warship commands for destroyer and larger vessels require a captaincy.”

“That’s a problem. She’s used to being in command— although all officers senior to her have always praised her respect for the command structure and her helpful support on every issue.”

“Perhaps after she finishes her present assignment, we should move her to a ship where she has an opportunity to live and work within a normal shipboard command structure.”

“Send her back to the Denver?”

“It might be good to find her a position aboard a different ship. It could be awkward to return to the Denver with the same people she’s been commanding these past ten years.”

“Awkward?”

“You know what I mean,” Jen said. “Personnel often develop close ties with their command structure when it’s small. Someone who was formerly under her command could expect her to run interference for them if they don’t get along with their new command structure. Back in the twentieth century on Earth, in the wet navy, there were small commands aboard PT boats. The entire command might be just ten members, so they could grow very close.”

“I see what you mean. So where do we send her?”

“We don’t have to make a decision today. If they manage to commandeer the mothership, we can assign her as captain for the transport role and advance one of her senior officers aboard the Justice to command of that ship while they complete the satellite-seeding work.”

“Okay, we’ll wait to see how the current mission plays out.”

“I’ll get together with Loretta and see what her scientists can come up with regarding the sleep issue. I’ll call you when we have something.”

“Okay, Jen. Holt, out.”

* * *

“My cyborgs confirm that Denubbewa cyborg supervisors put worker cyborgs to sleep by broadcasting a sleep signal,” Admiral Plimley said. “However, the signal used is always transmitted within one meter of the cyborg to be put asleep.”

“Is that an ironclad requirement?” Jen asked. “I mean, can a strengthened signal be used to put multiple worker cyborgs to sleep from a much greater distance?”

“They don’t know. But the good news is that they’re still susceptible to the signal, so we can build a device and test it out under different distances and bulkhead thicknesses to maximize the strength.”

“Excellent, Loretta. How much time will be required to develop the device?”

“When do you need it?”

“Yesterday.”

“I thought you might say that, so I put a top priority on it. How many will you need?”

“Enough to put the entire cyborg crew of a mothership to sleep. The devices will be dropped throughout the ship so the signal will continue to operate and keep the cyborgs from being awakened by their supervisors.”

“It appears you’ve found another Denubbewa mothership in G.A. space.”

“Lieutenant Marcola of the Justice found it in unclaimed space. The other one was discovered in Clidepp Empire space, and the Justice followed it as left the Clidepp territory. Brian sent a task force to commandeer the new find, so they’re developing their plan for the attack. If we employ this new device, I imagine that at some point the supervisors will attempt to destroy them to keep them from operating, so they must be sturdily made.”

“Well, we can’t use Dakinium because it would block the signal. How about Tritanium? We have enormous supplies of recycled material from when we replaced the outer skin of our ships with Dakinium.”

“That would be great if the signal isn’t degraded by the material.”

“Nope, it’ll pass through the Tritanium like an asteroid passes through space. But why not use the same device we used for the last mothership takeover? That was successful.”

“Lieutenant Marcola believes the Denubbewa may have created countermeasures to prevent that from working again.”

“Yes— that’s possible. The Denubbewa aren’t stupid. It figures that they’d have investigated what happened and then developed a plan to ensure it couldn’t happen again. Marcola is a sharp officer.”

“Yes. She’s the one who came up with this new idea also.”

“Oh! She’s a very sharp officer. I’d forgotten all about that sleep command capability.”

“As did I. So, as soon as you know the signal strength required, how long to build them?”

“The signal emitter should be a relatively simple device. With top priority, our people can possibly turn out a sufficient quantity in thirty days.”

“Wonderful. As soon as you have them ready, send them to the Boreas. Captain Elder is heading up this operation.”

“Will do, Jen.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

~ December 29th, 2294 ~

“I’ve been informed that the Weapons R&D people at Quesann believe it will be possible to produce a device that will put the Denubbewa cyborgs into a sleep mode while being rugged enough that the supervisor cyborgs will have great difficulty interrupting the signal,” Captain Neil Elder said to the task force ship captains arrayed around the table in the large conference room aboard the Boreas. “That means that even if they deduce that the sleep signal is coming from the devices, they’ll have a devil of a time trying to break the Tritanium outer shell. But we all understand this isn’t going to be an easy task. The people at Quesann say that even though the low-level worker cyborgs will be affected and out of the picture, the supervisors will be unaffected. And as soon as the workers start to drop everywhere, the supervisors will be working to awaken them. Hopefully, the continuous signal from the devices will put them right back into sleep mode.”

Looking at Sydnee, he said, “Quesann says it was an excellent suggestion, Lieutenant Marcola.”

Sydnee merely nodded.

Addressing the assembly again, he said, “I’m sure you all appreciate the incredible size of the mothership. The cyborgs working for us at Quesann say there could be as many as four hundred to five hundred first-level supervisors aboard that vessel when you factor in all the cyborg ships parked inside the vessel’s port. So even if we manage to put all the worker cyborgs to sleep, we’ll still have a hell of a fight on our hands.

“The crew of the Justice is as familiar with the mothership layout as anyone in Space Command, so we’re damned lucky to have them here. Lt. Marcola has assured me that her chief helmsman is one of the best in Space Command, and that he’ll deliver the most important sleep devices exactly where we need them. I’m referring to the devices that will be placed in and around the bridge.

“Quesann has sent a precise layout of the mothership. It was created from one of the motherships being used as a G.A. space station in Region Three and was recently validated as being accurate during an examination of the first mothership that was captured out here. The Denubbewa apparently don’t modify ship designs very much once they have one that works. As far as we can tell, they haven’t modified their motherships since the first Denubbewa ships entered the G.A. and attacked our ships, except that now they sheath them in Dakinium.

“As I’m sure you realize by now, one small ship cannot possibly place all of the sleep- inducing devices as quickly as I believe they need to be deployed. As soon as they appear, the supervisors will be trying to destroy them. Failing that, the only other way to suppress the signal is to put several bulkheads between the device and the sleeping cyborgs. Once they realize that, the supervisors will spread the word, so time is critical. We need to complete the takeover before they can awaken the many thousands of sleeping cyborgs.

“Among the ships in this task force, we have eighteen CPS-14s and CPS-16s. We need every one of the CPS helmsmen involved in this effort to have a chance of putting as many cyborgs to sleep as possible before our Marines board the mothership. To that end, the senior helmsman of the Justice will begin training sessions tomorrow. The CPS ships will withdraw to a remote location where they won’t be noticed and practice dropping small devices into an unused habitat container. The devices will be individually marked, and after each ship has dropped all of its test devices, we’ll halt and grade the effort. When we feel confident that the devices are being dropped where they’re supposed to be dropped, we’ll have a final test run at this battleship. If that bombing run is successful, we’ll be ready to go as soon as Quesann delivers the devices.

“Once we’ve actually planted the devices, we’ll have to deliver the Marines in the same way. They’ll move through the mothership, terminating every cyborg supervisor they encounter. They’ll also deliver a shot to the brain box in the chest of every sleeping cyborg. We must make sure they never awaken, or we could be overwhelmed by their counterattack. Just before we begin dropping our Marines, the Justice will drop its Marines and engineer force onto the bridge of the ship. They have the experience and know how to stop the Denubbewa supervisor cyborgs from executing a self-destruct. They’ll take full control of the ship, as they have in the past, but it’s our job to ensure the supervisor cyborgs cannot manage a counterattack. Any questions?”

The senior officers spent the next two hours establishing the parameters for the preparations and the attack. When no one had any further issues to address, the meeting was ended.

* * *

In the days that followed, Lt.(jg) Caruthers schooled the other helmsmen in the procedures and techniques he had developed for use during bombing runs. Initially, they used a computer simulator to practice the approach and dropping of the bombs or, in this case, the sleep-message devices. As the proficiency of the helmsmen improved and they achieved a measurable level of accuracy, they were advanced to actual ship practice where they dropped the practice devices created by the engineers into habitat containers floating in space. Finally, the helmsmen were allowed to drop test devices into designated areas of the Boreas. The practice sessions were all performed a light-year or more away from the Denubbewa mothership so they wouldn’t be observed. Two Space Command ships, usually shuttles, were always observing the mothership.

* * *

Four weeks after contacting Space Command regarding the request for the sleep-inducing devices, the units began to arrive via the Cargo CJ Gate aboard the Boreas. Each CPS ship then received as many devices as they could handle.

The stage was set, and the play was scheduled to begin the next day.

* * *

The CPS ships, each sheathed in a double-envelope, moved into position for the attack. They would first drop the sleep devices and then their Marines when they knew the devices had been activated and were beginning to work. Each device was capable of monitoring the cyborg communications around them so the ships would know if the devices were working and how effective they were. Once each CPS ship was empty of Marines, it would return to the Boreas and take on more. To save time, the CPS ships weren’t required to enter the regular ship bay because that required using the temporary airlock to evacuate and then refill the airlock after the ship was sealed inside. Instead, the CPS ships simply dropped their double-envelopes once in a cargo hold being used for this special operation.

*

“All ships stand down,” came over the overhead speakers on the bridge of every ship in the task force just seconds before the operation was scheduled to begin.

“All stop,” Sydnee said from her command chair on the bridge of the Justice. The Justice was to lead off the attack, first dropping sleep devices in and around the bridge of the mothership, then dropping Marines to secure the bridge, and finally dropping engineers to ensure that the self-destruct had not and could not be initiated. An explanatory message came from the Boreas almost immediately.

“All ships, hold your position. One of our shuttles patrolling the outer perimeter has identified another fleet of ships moving in this direction. They might represent a Denubbewa fleet dispatched to rendezvous with the mothership.”

“Good,” Sydnee said to herself under her breath. “We have the firepower to destroy all of them.”

As the task force stood down, the new fleet appeared on their tac screens.

Every tactical officer in the task force had their eyes glued to their workstation monitors as the arriving ships moved close enough to be identified.

“Captain,” Lt. Templeton said, “the ships appear to be Blenod.”

“Blenod?” Sydnee muttered. “What the hell are they doing out here in unclaimed space so near Aguspod territory? Is this another attack? Last time, they were smart enough to run away from a mothership.”

*

The Blenod fleet stopped a decent distance away from the mothership, but one ship approached and actually entered when the doors opened briefly.

“They seem to be welcome,” Sydnee said, surprised. “That’s quite a change from the last time we saw these cultures meet. Com, connect me to Captain Elder aboard the Boreas.”

Fifteen seconds later, the Justice’s com chief said, “You should be connected, Captain.”

“Captain Elder?”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

“Sir, I’d like permission to enter the mothership.”

“We’re going to wait on the attack until we see what happens.”

“Yes, sir. I wasn’t requesting permission to attack. I’d like to enter the port and see what type of welcome the Denubbewa extend to the Blenod ship.”

“I’d like to see that myself. Okay, Lieutenant, you have a go. When you return, send us copies of your logged recordings.”

“Aye, sir. Marcola, out.”

“Okay, Helm,” Sydnee said. “Take us in so we can see what’s happening inside.”

“Aye, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Caruthers said.

*

Sheathed in a double-envelope, the Justice passed through the closed doors like they weren’t there. The Blenod ship was already docking at a pier with an airlock while the Justice moved close enough to get a good view. As with the Bemming, the piers in this mothership were all enclosed by a transparent material so the Justice had a clear view of everything that was happening. As the Blenod ship completed its docking, a dozen or more cyborgs carrying laser pistols marched to the airlock. The Blenod hesitated, as if taken aback when they saw all the weapons pointed in their direction, but they emerged from the airlock anyway and stepped onto the pier. The Denubbewa didn’t require an environment, and it was likely the pier didn’t contain any. The Blenod were prepared for that and were wearing spacesuits.

The visitors were escorted to where the pier converged with the mothership’s dock that circled most of the port. No provided transportation was visible as the entire group disappeared through a bulkhead doorway. There was no sense following in the Justice, even though they could pass through walls, so Sydnee gave orders to return to where the Boreas was located.

* *

After the Justice had docked with the Boreas and uploaded all the collected imagery, Sydnee entered the battleship and walked to the captain’s office. The doors opened as she stepped in front of them, and she heard the captain say, “Come in, Lieutenant.”

The video that had been shot while the Justice was inside the mothership was playing on the large monitor that faced the captain’s desk. Sydnee remained to one side until it was done, then sat down in the proffered chair.

“What did you think, Lieutenant?” Captain Elder asked.

“I sort of expected fireworks. The last time I was present when the Blenod encountered a Denubbewa ship, they managed to destroy the vessel. Of course, that was a destroyer, not a mothership. When a mothership later arrived, the Blenod wisely left in every direction. So, I was surprised when the Blenod almost seemed welcome. Of course, they were met by a small contingent of armed cyborgs. In summary, I’d say they’re either trying to establish diplomatic relations or possibly establish a military pact. My vote would be the latter because I can’t see the Denubbewa establishing diplomatic relationships with anyone. A military pact where the Denubbewa receive biological brains in exchange for technology seems the safest bet. The Blenod control a number of worlds and would be able to harvest all the brains the Denubbewa need in this part of space. In my opinion, we should nip this before it becomes a reality. We should take the Blenod out and destroy any possible alliance with the Denubbewa. If their ships are destroyed while they’re here, the Blenod would probably blame the Denubbewa.”

“I see. And were you in command of this task force, what specific action would you take?”

“I’d send all of my CPS ships to drop a WOLaR into every Blenod ship outside the Denubbewa ship.”

“But you wouldn’t attack the mothership?”

“No, sir. We still want to commandeer that. I’d make sure that one of the ships we have watching the mothership stayed with it because I’d expect it to leave the area as quickly as possible once the attack on the Blenod began. We need to tail it because it’s sheathed in Dakinium.”

“That’ll be all, Lieutenant. Dismissed.”

“Yes, sir,” Sydnee said as she stood and braced to attention before turning on her heel and leaving the office.

As the door closed completely, Elder looked at his XO and asked, “What do you think?”

“About the situation or Marcola?”

“Both.”

“Well, her plan sounds good. She’s been out here for a very long time, and we know how successful she’s been. Practically everyone in Space Command knows her name. And the people who know her personally speak highly of her record and her attitude. I think I’d trust her judgment on this one.”

“I’m leaning that way myself. In the short time I’ve known her, her judgment has been excellent. Okay, let’s go with her plan. Have our CPS ships prepare WOLaR bombs and assign targets so we’re not planting multiple bombs in any of the ships. The training the helmsmen received for the attack on the mothership should serve us well in this endeavor.”

“Aye, Captain. I’m on it.”

* *

The Blenod ships hadn’t moved since they’d arrived, so establishing bomb-run assignments was easy. When the CPS ships were in position, Elder gave the command and the ships flew at their designated targets.

For the Blenod aboard the ships, it must have seemed like the universe had suddenly declared war on them. Before they even managed to get to their battle stations, more than half their fleet of twenty-four ships had been utterly destroyed.

As the CPS ships returned to their starting location, the port doors on the mothership opened and the sole remaining Blenod ship emerged. Not receiving any response to hails, the Blenod ship applied full power and left the rendezvous location.

*

“One ship is getting away,” a CPS commanding officer reported over the operation’s com line. “Do we pursue, Commander Durland?”

“Negative. We want him to report back that the only ship in the area was a Denubbewa vessel.”

“That should chill their relationship,” Sydnee mumbled to herself on the bridge of the Justice. “What now, Commander Durland?” Sydnee asked.

“I’m curious to see what the Denubbewa will do now. Stay battle ready. We may yet attack the mothership as planned. That decision will be up to Captain Elder.”

“That decision has been made by the Denubbewa,” another CPS commanding officer said. “The mothership just left the area at top speed.”

“It’s being followed,” Durland said. “We’ll catch up easily once we’re ready to take it on. All ships should stand down for now.”

* * *

“It appears that the Denubbewa mothership was waiting at this location as part of a planned meeting with the Blenod,” Captain Elder said during a conference communication between all ships in the task force. The commanding officers and their XOs were in the captain’s office aboard each vessel.

“I hope we managed to put a crimp in their association. Hopefully, the Blenod will assume the Denubbewa were responsible. And we’re assuming that the attack on the Aguspod convoy was just the Denubbewa taking advantage of an opportunity to spread fear among the nations in this part of the galaxy. I’m sure they never anticipated the arrival of the Justice.

“The Denubbewa mothership is currently under way for an unknown destination. One of our CPS ships is following and keeping it in sight so it can’t take advantage of its Dakinium sheathing to hide from us. Since the mothership is so slow compared to our ships, we can catch it any time we choose. I want to give them a bit of time to stand down, and then we’ll attack using the plan we originally developed. It doesn’t matter that the mothership is traveling at its top speed. Our ships, while sheathed in a double-envelope, can still enter the Denubbewa vessel and plant the sleep devices. Once the mothership has been flooded with the devices and they’ve had a short time to work, we’ll proceed to the next step. The Justice’s bridge subjugation team, consisting of Marines and Space Command engineers, will be dropped onto the vessel’s bridge where they’ll overpower anyone still awake and prevent a self-destruct mechanism from being activated. They’ve done this before and were highly successful. The vessel will then be halted.

“The Marines dropped aboard the mothership by the other CPS vessels will deactivate any supervisor cyborgs they encounter by firing into their chest plate. That should deactivate them permanently. Additionally, the Marines will fire a single blast into any other cyborgs they encounter, although the cyborgs should already be down. We cannot afford to have them awaken and reach weapons. Questions?”

“Sir,” one of the CPS commanding officers said, “do you expect the cyborgs that have been put asleep to awaken?”

“No, but at some point, we’ll be collecting the sleep devices and deactivating them. When that occurs, we must be prepared. It’s likely that at least a few cyborgs we’ve overlooked will awaken and find weapons. We want to minimize that situation.”

“What are we going to do with the bodies of thousands of destroyed cyborgs?” one of the other officers asked. “Space them?”

“Lieutenant Marcola has suggested that after we deactivate all their transport devices, we activate the Personnel CJ Gates in key locations and send the destroyed cyborgs back to their home base. It will send a clear message that we’ll destroy any other cyborgs they send into the Milky Way Galaxy.”

“I’d love to be there to see that,” one of the other young officers said.

“We can arrange that, Lieutenant,” Captain Elder said with a smile.

“Uh, I didn’t mean that literally, sir.”

“Okay, we’ll forget your request. When word of the Blenod attack here gets back to Denubbewa HQ, they’ll know that Space Command was responsible, so there’s really no need to send cyborg bodies anywhere but into the nearest sun.

As to the situation with the mothership, we’ll wait a few days until they’re a good distance from here. Perhaps they’ll relax their guard a little. Any more questions or observations?”

When no one spoke up within ten seconds, Elder said, “Okay. Dismissed.”

* * *

“Do you think the Denubbewa told the Blenod we were responsible for the destruction of all their ships?” Kelly MacDonald asked Sydnee as they sat relaxing in her office.

“Perhaps. The question is— would the Blenod believe it? The only vessel visible at the RP other than the Blenod ships was the Denubbewa mothership. And if I was the Blenod commander, I’d wonder why, if Space Command had the ability to destroy ships without revealing their presence, they totally ignored the mothership. From the Blenod perspective, if Space Command had weapons that could strike and destroy any target without revealing themselves, the mothership shouldn’t have remained untouched.”

“True. Where do you suppose the Blenod ship went? We’re a long way from their nearest border.”

“I imagine the captain wanted to report the destruction of his fleet to his command. The distance is so great that it’ll be weeks before he can get a response if all they have is S-band communications.”

“What else could they have?”

“If they’ve formed a military pact— or even merely established a level of detente with the Denubbewa— they could have received wormhole communications ability so they can share information quickly.”

“Do you really think the Denubbewa would share that kind of technology?”

Sydnee shrugged and was silent for a few seconds before saying, “The Denubbewa have learned that we’re a formidable enemy. We may be the first enemy they’ve ever encountered who’s bested them time and time again. That might make them willing to form relationships with allies that could provide information about us, even if that information is limited to just our movements.”

“But nobody can see our ships when we’re in a double-envelope.”

“We know that, but as of right now, it’s the biggest military secret in the galaxy. However, the thing about military secrets is that eventually someone talks out of turn or sells information for a king’s ransom. I’m sure the Denubbewa would be willing to pay almost any amount to learn how we’re able to attack their ships without being seen or detected.” With a smile, Sydnee added, “If they were human, I’d say they probably have daily nightmares about it. Say, cyborgs have biological brains. I wonder if they can dream and have nightmares.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

~ April 24th, 2295 ~

“Our CPS ships following the Denubbewa mothership have notified me that it has halted,” Captain Elder said to the ships’ officers assembled in the conference room aboard the Boreas.

“About time,” one of the officers said.

“So, we’ll now travel to its location and commence our planned operation to commandeer the ship.”

“Are there any other ships at that location, sir?” one of the other ship captains asked.

“Not at this time. Of course, that could change in the five days it will take us to get to the new location. Should any other Denubbewa ships arrive before we commence the operation, we’ll reevaluate our attack plan beforehand. And should any arrive while the operation is proceeding, I’ll make a decision at that time regarding our response. However, Quesann wants that mothership, and I intend to get it if it’s at all possible— or destroy it if it isn’t.”

“We’ll continue with the same plan even if an entire fleet of Denubbewa ships shows up, sir?”

“Even if an entire fleet of motherships shows up.” After pausing for a moment, he added, “During the past months while we’ve waited here for the mothership to halt, our CPS helmsmen have practiced their newly acquired skills of dropping the special devices precisely where they’re needed. Their accuracy has improved tremendously, and I’m sure they can drop WOLaR bombs with the same accuracy if I decided we’d have to destroy the mothership. I don’t want to spend more months waiting for another opportunity to grab that ship, so let’s do it right the first— I mean the second— time.”

“Sir?” Sydnee said. “You’re aware that if other Denubbewa believe the ship is lost to them, they’ll not hesitate to fire their own weapons at it to keep it from being taken by the G.A., aren’t you?”

“Yes, Lieutenant. And I’m well aware their missiles can damage and even destroy ships covered with Dakinium. We may be biting off a bit more than we can chew if there’s a Denubbewa fleet with the mothership when we arrive there, or even if one arrives after we commence the operation. A few casualties are always a danger in an operation like this one, but if I believe there’s a chance our casualties will be significant, I’ll give orders to cancel the operation and destroy every Denubbewa ship in this part of space from the relative safety of a double-envelope. In that case, Quesann would just have to wait for another chance to get a ninth mothership to be used as a space station.”

* * *

As the task force approached the Denubbewa mothership five days later, there was no sign of other ships, either visually or on the tactical monitors. There were most likely dozens of destroyers in the mothership’s belly, both expected and planned for, but they were currently hidden by the outer Dakinium sheathing.

One of the CPS ships had been selected to perform a quick scouting run through the mothership and, upon its completion, reported that all seemed quiet and normal aboard the vessel.

“Okay, we’re a go, Justice,” the Boreas reported. “Lead the way.”

The Justice entered the mothership while cloaked in a double-envelope and deposited a number of the special devices in and around the vicinity of the vessel’s bridge. As rehearsed, the CPS-16 then made a wide trip around the area to give the special devices a chance to work while other ships were dropping their sleep devices all over the interior of the ship. On the second pass of the Justice through the mothership, it dropped the Space Marine Special Ops team on the bridge. They reported that most of the cyborgs were lying on the deck, but several were alert and discharged their laser weapons at the Marines when they suddenly appeared in their midst. The cyborgs that were still awake all had one thing in common—a blue dot on their foreheads, indicative of them being supervisor cyborgs.

After his Special Ops team had destroyed the three cyborgs, Major Blade reported that one of them had three blue dots on his forehead. That individual was very likely the senior officer aboard the ship. The Marines then walked around the bridge and dispatched the sleeping cyborgs so they couldn’t awaken and counterattack. Meanwhile, Lt. Kelly MacDonald and her Marines were clearing the deck areas around the bridge. The Justice then dropped a team of engineers onto the bridge to take full control of the ship and disable the self-destruct mechanism.

As the teams from the Justice were performing their assigned duties, other teams were landing all over the mothership and performing similar duties. No one was dropped inside any of the destroyers located in the belly, or port. Instead, the CPS ships would drop a WOLaR in each of the vessels once all the sleep devices had been planted.

As explosion after explosion rocked the destroyers in the port, the CPS ships began dropping additional Marines throughout the ship’s corridors. Every deck had to be checked and cleared of cyborgs. It would have been a lot easier if they’d been able to clear the ship of cyborgs by having them leave via their own CJ Gate booths, as the Justice had managed with the last mothership. And once all the cyborgs had been destroyed, they had to be collected, loaded aboard cargo carts, and then moved to a disposal area near the port. Quesann had ordered that if the ship were taken, no debris could be left in the area. They weren’t concerned with cluttering space with garbage; they just wanted to ensure that no aliens were able to salvage anything and possibly adopt Denubbewa advanced technology. So, the cyborg bodies were loaded into what was left of the Denubbewa destroyers, and the ships were then towed to the nearest star and pushed into its gravity field. The star would do the rest since it’s corona was well in excess of 1,000,000 degrees Kelvin.

* * *

The entire operation, from the first drop of sleep devices to shoving the final wrecked Denubbewa destroyer onto a path that would take the debris into the sun’s corona, took eighteen very long days. Captain Elder, in a message to all ships, congratulated the Space Marine and Space Command personnel on a job well done. No one had been lost, and injuries were very minor, most actually having occurred during the cleanup stage. There were scorch marks throughout the mothership where errant laser fire had marred decks, bulkheads, and overheads, but otherwise it was in pristine condition. Engineers had moved in as soon as the battle was over and disabled all the Personnel CJ Gates so no cyborgs could suddenly appear aboard the ship. Two of the Gates were partially disassembled and the computer components replaced with Space Command components. They immediately became part of the G.A. Gate system. At the same time, other teams of engineers began assembling two CJ Cargo Gates so support personnel, food, equipment, and other items could be sent by the Quartermaster to the latest addition in the Space Command fleet.

The only ship’s captain thoroughly familiar with Denubbewa mothership operations and requirements was Sydnee. Her knowledge and experience were so considerable that it was only sensible she be placed in command of the recently commandeered vessel. Captain Elder made that appointment, stressing that it was temporary and that Quesann would make the final decision regarding command.

Once all the small pieces of floating debris resulting from the destruction of the Denubbewa ships in the port had been collected by the port sweepers and disposed of, the ships of the Space Command task force moved inside. Sydnee spent her days hurrying from one area to another as she supervised the work necessary to prepare the ship and personnel for beginning the long trip to the Galactic Alliance. Since the ship couldn’t cloak, they’d have to take the long way around the Aguspod territory rather than taking a direct route while hidden in a double- envelope.

Sydnee was taking a break in the captain’s office when Kelly MacDonald stopped by.

“So here you are,” Lt. MacDonald said. “I’ve been racing all over the ship looking for you. Every time I asked someone if they’d seen you, they told me you’d just left.”

“It’s been just as hard on me not having a communications system. I’ve been pressuring the engineers to get a CT system working aboard this ship, but they keep running into problems with electrical system incompatibilities. They say that perhaps by day’s end they’ll have it working.”

“You look terrible.”

“Thank you.”

MacDonald chuckled. “Your new command getting you down?”

“You could say that. We seem to be having ten times more problems getting this ship ready to travel than we did with the Bemming.”

“Maybe that’s just because it was all new with the Bemming so you had fewer expectations.”

“Maybe.”

“And we didn’t have to spend weeks dragging metal bodies to the wrecked ships in the port so we could send them into the nearest sun.”

“True,” Sydnee said as she stared down at the surface of the desk in front of her.

“You should just face the fact that you don’t like commanding a ship that’s two hundred times longer than the largest battleship in Space Command and has ten thousand times the interior volume.”

Sydnee looked up at Kelly and half smirked and chuckled at the same time before saying, “That’s probably it, Kel. I think you’ve found my problem. I like my little CPS-16 and feel totally lost in here.”

Kelly had already been grinning widely when Sydnee looked up, so she knew MacDonald had been joking. She didn’t really feel lost, but she did miss the camaraderie they had aboard the Justice. During her time in command of the newest mothership, she hadn’t had time to form any friendships with officers assigned from other ships in the task force, so her only pleasant experiences were when Kelly came to visit her in her current office.

“So, what’s on the agenda, Syd? When are we returning to the Justice?”

“I haven’t been told yet. I’m just hoping we don’t have to fly this behemoth all the way back to Region Five or Region Three.”

“I think I’d rather do that than spend the next two years seeding satellites throughout Clidepp Empire space.”

“I guess both possible tasks hold little appeal. I think we’ve been out here too long, Kel. We need some shore leave.”

“I’ll drink to that. I thought we might get some once we had the CJ Gates aboard the Justice.”

“As did I. Once we’re done with this mission, I’m going to demand that all crewmembers get shore leave. We have the means to transfer them anywhere in G.A. space where there’s a CJ Gate, so Quesann can’t refuse.”

“Quesann can always refuse.”

“Well— that’s true. But they better not if they want our crew to be at peak readiness. My people need a rest away from Denubbewa, Yolongus, the Blenod, and even the Kirriri. They need contact with their families back home. I can understand why Space Command doesn’t want us sending long messages via S-band while outside G.A. Space, but the new wormhole communications should be absolutely hidden from normal com systems.”

“Well, don’t make a fuss just yet. Wait until we find out what their plans are for us. Maybe they’ll let us come home now. We’ve earned it.”

* * *

“Come in, Lieutenant,” Captain Elder said as the doors to his bridge-side office aboard the Boreas slid opened.

“Lieutenant Marcola reporting to the captain as ordered,” Sydnee said as she braced to attention in front of his desk. His XO was seated in a side chair.

“At ease, Lieutenant. Have a seat.”

“Yes, sir,” Sydnee said as she relaxed slightly and sat down in the proffered chair.

“Lieutenant, how close are we to getting this mothership under way?”

“Very close, sir. The only thing holding us back is that the CT system still isn’t working properly. The engineers have it working almost ninety-five percent of the time, but we still have downtime. I’ve had several conversations interrupted when the system’s gone down. It’s usually only down for a short time before they track down the problem and correct it, but I haven’t wanted to get under way until the system is operating at one hundred percent. We’re in unclaimed space, and we never know what could happen out here. We can’t afford to have the com systems down at the wrong time.”

“Quesann is anxious for us to be under way. You’ve received the destination and route charts, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are we all buttoned up?”

“Yes, sir. All our ships are in the port, and all of the debris we’ve discarded has entered the corona of the star we chose as the dumping ground. There’s no retrieving any of it now, or even identifying that it was ever there.”

“Very good. I’ll give your engineers five more days to get the CT systems a hundred percent functional. After that, I want to depart this area.”

“Will the task force remain inside the Humdrum Two?”

“Excuse me? The Humdrum Two?”

“Humdrum is what we nicknamed the first mothership we took and flew to Region Five until Quesann gave it the official name of Bemming. So, we named this one Humdrum Two until Quesann gives it an official name.”

Captain Elder smiled. “I see. I assume you named it that because it’s a boring task to transport one of these slow ships.”

“Yes, sir. They’re limited to single-envelope speeds, and we’ve sort of gotten used to double-envelope speeds.”

“I understand. Okay, so plan on having the Humdrum Two under way when you return from Quesann.”

“Excuse me, sir? Quesann?”

“Oh, did I skip that part? Quesann wants you to report to HQ tomorrow at 0900 hours.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, Lieutenant. Tomorrow at 0900 hours.”

“But I can’t leave the Humdrum Two, sir.”

“Why not?”

“Regulations state that the captain of any ship in hostile space or facing a dangerous situation cannot leave his or her ship under any circumstances. Even if you relieve me of command of the Humdrum Two, I’ll still be the captain of the Justice, unless you officially relieve me of that command also.”

“Ah, yes. As captain of the Boreas, I’m subject to the same regulation, but I wasn’t considering how the regulations applied to a subordinate. Okay, let’s look at it this way. I’m aboard the Boreas, and the Boreas is inside the Humdrum Two, so technically, I’m the senior officer aboard the Humdrum Two, and the Justice is inside the Humdrum Two, which is clearly neither in hostile space nor facing a dangerous situation. So, I’m authorizing you to travel to Quesann via a CJ Gate so you can be at HQ tomorrow at 0900. Acceptable?”

“Uh, it’s a real stretch of the regs, sir, but I guess so. I’ll report to Quesann HQ tomorrow at 0900 as you’ve ordered. Do you know why they want me there, sir?”

“They didn’t communicate that information.”

“I see.”

“Okay, Lieutenant, you’re dismissed.”

“Yes, sir,” Sydnee said as she stood and braced to attention before turning on her left heel and leaving the office.

After the doors had closed, the XO said, “She plays it by the book, doesn’t she?”

“I’ve heard a few rumors that say she’s frequently thrown the book away and proceeded on her own.”

“Really? You mean like the one that says she’s responsible for the Clidepp Empire outlawing slavery?”

“That’s one, yes. Then there’s the one that says she alone was responsible for capturing Citizen X. They say even her crew never knew they had Citizen X aboard the Justice.”

“I hadn’t heard that one. I did hear the rumor that she’s responsible for developing Marc-1 speed.”

“That’s more than just a rumor. They named it after her.”

“Really? I thought people were just giving her credit because it was coincidentally similar to her name.”

“There’s nothing coincidental about it. I learned it from an engineer who worked on the project after she showed them all how she did it.”

“Why do you think Quesann wants her to report to HQ?”

“No idea. Maybe they want to give her a medal, or maybe they’ve discovered that she’s stepped over the line again and they want to knock her down a peg.”

While Captain Elder and his XO were talking about her, Sydnee was climbing into a shuttle for the trip across the port to the docking area. Although the Boreas was inside the mothership, there was naturally no atmosphere in the port area. Sydnee was so deep in thought that it seemed she’d just stepped into the shuttle when the captain announced that they’d docked at an airlock pier.

* *

“What’s up, Syd?” Lt.(jg) Jerry Weems asked after the corridor doors of her office had closed behind him. Although everyone on the Justice addressed her as ‘captain’ when outside her office, her oldest and closest friends were allowed to use familiar names in private.

“Captain Elder just informed me that I have to go to Quesann HQ. They want me there at 0900 tomorrow.”

“Are you leaving tonight?”

“No, I’m going to wait until the last minute so I don’t wind up standing or sitting around. I’ll leave at 0830 tomorrow. That will give me plenty of time to get to the HQ building a few minutes before 0900.”

“Why are they asking you to come to HQ?”

“I don’t know and neither did Captain Elder. I’ve been racking my brain since I got back from the Boreas. Maybe they want to chew me out for attacking the Denubbewa who were attacking the Aguspod convoy. I didn’t get permission before I gave the order to attack, and I was under strict orders not to reveal our presence in Aguspod space.”

“That’s old news. It happened long ago. And we never really revealed our presence.”

“True, but that’s all I can come up with, unless maybe they’re going to tell me that we have to bring this mothership to its new location in Region Five or Region Three before we return to Clidepp space to finish up the satellite seeding we began years ago. That’ll add at least five more years to this trip, and they might expect me to scream about it.”

“God, I hope that’s not it. There must be plenty of other officers in this task force who can ferry this ship to its new home.”

Their attention was violently pulled away when the emergency alarms began to drown out all other sounds in Sydnee’s office and the corridor outside. She immediately touched her Space Command ring and said, “Tactical,” expecting to hear from Lt.(jg) Templeton. When she didn’t get a response, she tried again. When she still didn’t get a response, she ran for the door, with Jerry Weems close behind. As they raced the short distance to the bridge, she could hear emergency alarms sounding from different directions. The doors to the bridge opened as she approached, and she hurried inside only to be met with a new cacophony of alarm sounds.

Racing to the tactical station, she screamed at Templeton, but he seemed to not hear her. She reached out and grabbed his arm. That got his attention.

“What’s going on?” Sydnee screamed.

Templeton just shook his head, then turned back to the tactical station and tapped a contact spot on the console. Instantly, all was quiet.

“What’s going on?” Sydnee said again quite a bit softer.

“The CT system is out again,” Templeton said. “I was unable to contact you or anyone else.”

“You sounded the emergency alarm because the CT system is out again?”

“No. I sounded it because there’s a Denubbewa mothership approaching our stern. It’s trying to hail us.”

Sydnee looked over at the helm station where Lt.(jg) Caruthers was sitting. He was looking toward her and Templeton.

“Get us out of here, Helm. Maximum power.”

Caruthers turned back towards the helm console and tapped a few spots. “Where to, Captain?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Anywhere,” she said. “Head for Region Five.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

~ May 23rd, 2295 ~

Looking down at the cameras that faced out the stern, Sydnee said, “I don’t see anything.”

“Neither did I,” Templeton said, “until the ship passed in front of the sun in this solar system. And Engineering sent a Marine private up to report that they were getting signals on one of the CJ Gate consoles they’d removed. They had applied power to it and were examining it.”

“The Denubbewa can’t jump into the ship, can they?”

“No, the console isn’t attached to a Gate. It’s sitting on a worktable.”

“Can you estimate how far off they are?”

“Based on what I saw, I’d say no more than a hundred kilometers at present.”

“A hundred? They might as well be in our port.”

“Yeah.”

“Helm,” Sydnee said, “try to maneuver us so we can see if they’re still behind us. No radical moves but put them between us and a star or cluster of stars.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Captain,” the com chief said, “Engineering says that the CT system is working again.”

“Great,” Sydnee mumbled under her breath. “Now that we don’t need it.”

Sydnee climbed into a command chair that had recently been part of the furniture shipment sent by the Space Command Quartermaster to outfit a commandeered ship totally devoid of chairs. The Denubbewa, because they were cyborgs, never used them.

“Captain,” Templeton said, “I just caught a glimpse of the other mothership when it passed between us and a star cluster. It appears to be on our tail and staying up with us.”

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t have greater speed.”

“We’re maxed out, Captain,” Caruthers said.

“Marcola?” she heard in her ear.

“Marcola here,” she said after touching her ring.

“This is Captain Elder. What the hell is going on? What was all that noise a while ago?”

“The CT system was down, and the bridge needed my attention. I was in my office and there was a Denubbewa mothership approaching us. I’ve ordered maximum speed with a destination of Region Five. The enemy ship is keeping right up with us.”

“Another damn mothership? How the hell many of those things are in this galaxy?”

“It’s a big galaxy, sir. This could be just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Can they catch us?”

“I don’t know their maximum speed, sir. So far they’re neither moving up nor falling back.”

“I’m coming up there. Stay on top of this.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Elder out.”

“Marcola out.”

“Tac, I’ll be in my office. Let me know immediately if there’s any change in the situation.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

*

As she entered her office, Sydnee stopped for a moment and took a depth breath. She held it for a second and then released it before sitting at her desk. The immediate need for desks and chairs had been filled by scavenging them from the ships in the task force, with most ships providing several pieces of furniture on a temporary loan. The Space Command Quartermaster had been able to send a small amount from what they had in their warehouses, but it barely scratched the surface of what would be required for such an enormous vessel. Sydnee had prepared a long list of things they needed and submitted the requisition to Quesann. Once the requisitioned load could be assembled from suppliers, it would be transmitted to the ship via the CJ Cargo Gate.

Sydnee was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear anyone pounding on the office door until she received a call on her CT.

“Open,” she said once she became aware of the pounding.

As the door opened, an angry Captain Elder stormed into the office, and Sydnee jumped to her feet. Elder’s XO and several other ship captains followed him in.

“Didn’t you hear us pounding on your office door, Lieutenant?” Elder said loudly.

“I’m sorry, sir. The door is extremely soundproof, and I was concentrating on the problems at hand.”

“Don’t you have an annunciator?”

“It’s like the CT system, sir, in that it’s working— sporadically— at best. The Denubbewa don’t use one because they all have communication devices built into their bodies. Engineering had to build ours from whatever spare parts they could scavenge until the quartermaster fills our requisitions.”

“I see,” Elder said, calming a bit. “Okay, what’s the situation?”

“Would you care to sit down, sir?” Sydnee offered. “Here, take my chair. It’s the most comfortable.”

Elder moved around behind the desk and sat down. “You’re right, Lieutenant, it is comfortable,” Elder said, calming even more. “Now, what’s the situation facing us?”

“We have a Denubbewa mothership on our tail, as you already know. As far as we can see, it’s unable to catch us, but we’re also unable to outrun it. It’s bow is less than a hundred kilometers off our stern. When you arrived, I was working on a strategy to commandeer it.”

“Commandeer it? Are you serious? How can we commandeer it? As soon as we stop, it’ll probably attack us. And as you reminded me once, their missiles can penetrate Dakinium, which makes this ship susceptible to damage and even complete destruction.”

“Yes, sir. I realize that, so I was working on a plan to take the ship without stopping.”

Elder stared at her for a couple of seconds before saying: “Continue.”

“All of our vessels are more than twenty-eight times faster than these Denubbewa ships. Plus, we have double-envelope capability, so we can leave this ship without stopping or even opening the port’s doors. The Denubbewa rely on their deadly missile attacks to destroy an enemy, but they’re of no use when traveling FTL because when fired, the missile would leave their envelope and immediately be back in normal space. Since this ship is sheathed with Dakinium, an envelope merge wouldn’t help them stop us because laser weapons would have no effect on the hull. As long as we maintain FTL, there’s absolutely nothing they can do to us.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Elder’s face. He nodded and said calmly, “Continue.”

I believe we can take that ship the same way we took this one. It really doesn’t matter that it’s running at top speed. It would be like catching a tortoise on Earth. All we have to do is recharge all the sleep devices and we’re ready to go.”

Elder smiled widely for the first time, “That sounds like an excellent plan, Lieutenant. When do you propose we put your plan into operation?”

“The first thing we have to do is get all our engineering people working on charging and testing the sleep devices. Then it’s up to you, sir. We’ll commence the operation on your command. It should go even smoother than the first time because our people are more experienced now.”

“You’re reasonably sure the second mothership can’t catch us while we’re preparing for the takeover?”

“As long as our engines don’t fail, it doesn’t matter. They can’t use their missiles against us, and they don’t even know what the story is in here. We cleaned up the battle site so there was no trace that we’d taken this mothership. They must be scratching their metal heads, wondering why their comrades won’t stop.”

“I like it. Let’s do it. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Need anything? Me?”

“This is your show, Lieutenant. I’m putting you in complete command. You have full authority over all ships in this task force, including mine.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. But that could be a little awkward.”

Elder smiled again and said, “I’ll make an announcement that you’re coordinating the battle plan and that all officers are to follow the plan you establish. They’ll cooperate.”

“Yes, sir.”

Elder and the other senior officers then filed out of the office, leaving her alone. After the door closed, Sydnee took a deep breath and released it slowly.

* *

“Do you think that was wise, sir?” Commander Durland said when they were alone back aboard the Boreas. “I’m referring to your decision to put Marcola in complete command of the task force for this operation.”

“Diane, she’s a lot things, but I don’t know that I’d precede any of them with the word just. She may only have two stripes on her shoulders right now, but I believe there are stars in her future. Apparently, Quesann thinks so also. Just look at the freedom they’ve given her to roam around the galaxy performing tasks normally assigned to an officer with four bars on his or her shoulders. Are you aware of any other lieutenant who hasn’t even been required to report back to his or her command structure in seven annuals and continues to receive new assignments directly from HQ SCI? Or one who performs assignments with little or no supervision?”

“That is a bit unusual, sir.”

“Unusual? Diane, it’s totally unheard of. And it says more about the confidence Supreme HQ has in a young officer than anything else I can think of. I can do no less.”

* * *

“He put you in total command of the entire task force?” Kelly said with incredulity in her voice.

“Well, he put me in command of the operation. That’s not the same thing.”

“Close enough.”

“Actually, I’m more like the starter in a footrace. Everyone knows their roles, and all the starter does is fire a blank cartridge into the air using a starter pistol.”

“So, when do we shove off— Admiral?”

Sydnee grinned and said, “As soon as the sleep devices have been checked and verified operational. Then, it’s the same routine as before. We drop the sleep devices first, then Blade’s people go in to take the bridge, followed by your people to take that entire section, and then the engineers are dropped into the bridge to disable the self-destruct mechanism. Lastly, Marines are dropped throughout the ship.”

“So, when do we shove off? I need an approximate time.”

“I’ll let you know in about four hours. That’s how long the engineers need to check the sleep devices. If everything is a go, we attack in eight hours.”

“Roger, eight hours.”

* * *

Eight hours later, the operation commenced. The sleep devices had all been checked and charged where necessary, the CPS ships had checked their ordnance-release mechanisms, and the Marines were primed and ready. The trailing mothership had been unable to close the gap between the two ships, so it was still just a distant image as the CPS ships created their double-envelopes and flew through the closed port doors and out into open space. As the trailing mothership passed them, the Justice entered the ship and dropped sleep devices all around the bridge. The other ships followed, and in no time, the sleep devices were all in place.

One of the CPS ships had been designated as the ship that would verify that the sleep devices were indeed working. It entered the ship and flew around, checking different levels and sections of the ship. Everywhere they went, they could see cyborgs lying on the decks, unmoving. There were a few supervisor cyborgs visible in various areas. Some seemed to be trying to understand what had happened while others were intent on waking the sleeping cyborgs.

When Sydnee learned that the cyborgs were down, she gave the order to begin the full assault. Blade and his Special Ops team went in first, followed by Kelly MacDonald and her people. In no time, the Marines controlled the bridge and the entire area surrounding the bridge. Then it was time for the mass assault. The other CPS ships began dropping Marines all over the mothership. They drew a lot of fire from supervisor cyborgs, but their Marine armor protected them from the laser weapons. The cyborgs had more dangerous weapons than laser pistols, but it appeared none had been able to reach the armories, and they fell without ever achieving a killing shot.

While the Marines were handling the cyborgs in the various sections throughout the mothership, the CPS ships turned their attention to the Denubbewa destroyers in the port. Each destroyer received a WOLaR in its midsection. One bomb was all it took to ensure the ship would never be a threat to the G.A. again.

As with the other mothership attack, most of the fighting was over quickly. A few supervisor cyborgs managed to evade the Marines for a while, but in the end, they all went down. Then it was a matter of performing the cleanup, so sleeping cyborgs were dispatched without ever waking. It might have bothered some of the Marines to terminate helpless cyborgs if not for the fact that the cyborgs weren’t really life forms. They were simply robots with a ‘stolen’ brain who had no life to speak of, nor did they have independent thoughts. They simply performed repetitious tasks ad nauseam like machines, and it actually seemed merciful to end their miserable existences.

* * *

“I just heard from Captain Elder,” Admiral Holt said when Jenetta answered his call.

“Was Lieutenant Marcola successful in securing the second mothership?”

“Yes, and the operation went even smoother than the last seizure. The experience gained by the helmsmen and Marines during the previous operation was probably partly responsible, but Elder says Marcola did a splendid job. I was a bit surprised that Elder put her in command of the entire operation.”

“We must remember that Lieutenant Marcola developed the attack plans for all three of the seizures. Before that, most senior officers believed such seizures were impossible and that we should simply destroy all motherships when we encountered them”

“Yes, of course. Perhaps we should bring Marcola back here to train our people in the procedure.”

“I don’t think she’d be happy in a classroom setting,” Jenetta said. “She’s a space monkey if I ever met one. And since I’m one myself, I know how she’d feel.”

“But you gave up a life in space for a desk.”

“It was either accept the desk or permanently leave the service. You remember how that one turned out.”

“Yes, you did nearly leave the service. Do you really think Marcola might resign her commission if we assigned her to a classroom role?”

“Do we really want to take that chance?”

Holt breathed deeply and released it before replying, “No, I don’t think we do, Jen. She’s too good. I don’t want to risk losing her.”

“I agree. I know she’s not going to be happy spending the next five to eight years captaining one of those ships to Region Three— or farther. We really should put one or perhaps both of them in Region Four. We have no presence there at all except for the new shipbuilding yard and the patrols.”

“Region Four is about a ten-year trip in one of those slow motherships. Perhaps we should discuss rotating crews for those long journeys. We have the new CJ Cargo Gates working perfectly, so crew rotation is a simple matter.”

“What we really need is the new CJ Armada Gates our people have been working on so we can send our ships from Region One to Region Four in a heartbeat.”

“Not to mention travel in all the other regions. How many CJ Armada Gates have been proposed to the full G.A. Senate?”

“I don’t know if the Council has informed the Senate yet. Originally, I asked them not to mention it to the full Senate until/unless we were sure we could do it. They promised they wouldn’t.”

Holt chuckled and asked, “How long do you think that promise lasted?”

“They’re politicians, so I doubt it lasted until dinnertime that day. I knew they wouldn’t stay quiet about it. The request was to protect myself in the future when they jump on my neck because I withheld other real secrets the public shouldn’t know too much about for G.A. security reasons. But the CJ Armada Gate is too big a deal to keep under wraps for long, especially since we’re planning to allow cargo and passenger ships to use it for a fee. The fees will pay for the development and operation of such Gates all over G.A. space. When I proposed letting the freight companies and passenger liners pay for construction of the system and its operation, the Council members began to see Credit symbols everywhere they looked. They’re probably already working on the fee schedule.”

“I know Loretta has been trying to keep a lid on it. She hasn’t even mentioned it in Admiralty Board executive sessions. So how is the development effort going?”

“Great— from what she tells me. As you know, the basic system is identical to the wormhole communications system, the CJ Personnel Gates, and the CJ Cargo Gates. It’s just bigger. A lot bigger. The only real physical difference is the hardware at both ends, and, of course, the power requirements, though Loretta says the latter was really inconsequential and easily resolved. The difficulty has been in initiating a stable Gate window and maintaining it. The engineers have come up with several designs, and they’re currently testing them on a small scale. When they decide on the best design, they’ll make a full-sized Gate and begin testing in earnest.”

“How big will a full-size CJ Amada Gate system be?”

“As Loretta told us back when they were still working on the design, the Gate can be expanded to take loads up to twenty kilometers in width. That’s easily large enough to accommodate a mothership space station, or a freighter maxed out with ten kilometers of cargo.”

“I can see why it’s going to be impossible to hide.”

“Actually, it’s not that difficult. The design uses twelve Gate components or drones. When activated, they automatically spread out and align themselves in the proper position— like the numerals of an enormous clock.”

“And then anyone can simply fly through the opening?”

“The destination has to be established first because the Gate will be able to connect with any other Armada Gate in the system. Then, contact has to be established between the Gates so we know it’s okay to send the ship.”

“It sounds complicated.”

“Well, the design and construction are quite complicated, but once it’s set up, anyone of modest intelligence can operate it.”

“Is it a traffic hazard if the use of a Gate is infrequent?”

“Loretta says the Gate components fit together like a medium-sized satellite. When they receive a properly coded signal, they’ll either separate to establish a Gate connection or move together to form a large, ball-like structure and so minimize traffic dangers. Of course, in areas of heavy activity, the Gate will remain of a size at least large enough for a battleship to pass through.”

“Can anyone steal the collapsed Gate?”

“No, because if anyone attempted to move it from its assigned location in space, it would first send a warning. If the thief managed to actually move the Gate more than twenty-five kilometers from its assigned location in space, it would self-destruct, possibly destroying the ship of the thief who failed to heed the warning.”

“Can someone deactivate the bomb component?”

“Only if the proper code is first sent. Every Gate will have a unique code, so it’s unlikely anyone will be able to steal it and survive. The same thing will happen if anyone attempts to disassemble the Gate to study its construction, sabotage it, or alter its instruction set for some nefarious purpose.”

“It sounds like Loretta and her people have covered every possibility for theft, sabotage, and misuse.”

“I think they’ve done an incredible job. They didn’t invent the Gate system, but they’ve embraced it and refined it to make our system unique, safe, and practical. Best of all is that we can transport all the components to wherever we have a CJ Cargo Gate. When together, the Armada Gate is far too large, but the twelve individual sections can be transmitted one at a time anywhere we have a CJ Cargo Gate.”

“So, we can send one of the new CJ Armada Gates to where the two commandeered motherships are presently located in unclaimed space, assemble it, and then transfer them to wherever we have another CJ Armada Gate?”

“Exactly.”

“So instead of our people spending five to ten years flying a mothership to wherever we need a space station, we can just send them via a wormhole?”

“Yes. Once the Gates are built and tested.”

“And does Loretta have a date for when that might be possible?”

“All she’ll say is that it will happen when it happens, although I know she’s given the project the highest priority. She knows we lost a chance to confront the Denubbewa in Region Four because it took us so many months to assemble a fleet and get it out there. We all hope we’ll never again lose an opportunity like that.”

“Well, if all of our destroyer captains were trained in the Lieutenant Marcola method of taking down Denubbewa motherships, we’d only need one destroyer with a dozen CPS ships each time we encountered one.”

“And a thousand sleep devices— until the Denubbewa find out how we’re doing what we’re doing and change their cyborg programming.”

“That’s true. And I suppose that could happen at any time.”

“It’s the reason we need our quickest thinkers out there doing what they do best rather than teaching in a classroom, and Lieutenant Marcola appears to be one of the quickest of the quick. When the Denubbewa figure out what we’re doing and take steps to prevent our takeovers, we’ll have to have officers like Marcola who can develop new methods. We know the Denubbewa vulnerabilities now and will need new alternatives.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

~ May 30th, 2295 ~

“I received a message from Sydnee overnight,” Captain Anthony Lidden said to Commander Timothy Bryant, the Denver’s XO when Bryant arrived at the captain’s office during first watch for their daily briefing session.

“Sydnee? Sydnee who?” Bryant said.

Lidden, who’d been staring down at a viewpad, looked over at Bryant without raising his head. The look, known in some circles as the ‘hairy eyeball,’ is supposed to communicate annoyance. It worked without Lidden saying another word.

Bryant smiled and chuckled before saying, “Okay, I know who Sydnee is. I was just joking. It’s just that we haven’t heard from her in what— about eight years?”

“That’s not her fault. After she notified us that she’d identified Denubbewa ships in Clidepp Empire space and that she’d ordered the Justice to halt the satellite seeding in order to follow a mothership, SCI ordered her to report only to them.”

“She’s not even considered a member of this crew anymore, is she?”

“Yes, that never changed, although we’ve received sufficient staff to replace the crew that left on the Justice, and I’m no longer required to submit any reports regarding the performance of those crewmembers. That duty was turned over to Captain Salido and Admiral Kincaid at SCI after the slavery situation occurred at Yolongus. They informed me that the Justice and its crew were being temporarily reassigned to SCI. Salido said they were still considered to be members of the Denver’s crew, but Sydnee wouldn’t be reporting to me until further notice.”

“But eight years?”

“The ones I feel sorriest for are the families of those crewmembers. SCI had ordered a blackout on most military communications while the Justice was outside G.A. space and a complete blackout on personal communications. Before the Justice left, crewmembers were advised to notify family members that they wouldn’t hear from them for about two years due to the nature of their mission. When that time had passed and I started getting messages from families concerned about the crew, I sent a note to each family member identified in the crewmember’s file as the person to contact in the event of an emergency. I told them the mission was still ongoing, and their family member was alive and well but still unable to communicate with them. I told them I’d be in touch if anything serious happened to the individual.”

“I remember you telling me that.”

“What I haven’t told you, or anyone else in Space Command, is that I send a follow-up note once each year just before the most important holiday season for that individual so they can communicate to the rest of the family that their loved one is alive and well, still aboard the Justice, and that the mission hasn’t completed yet.”

“Yes, you never mentioned that. I think that’s wonderful. So, what did Sydnee have to say? Is she coming back to the Denver now?”

“She doesn’t know yet. She wants to come back. Everyone in the crew wants to come back. They haven’t had any liberty since they left the Denver. I kind of got the impression that they’re all feeling a bit burned out, which is entirely understandable. Sydnee said she couldn’t tell me in the message what they’ve been doing but will fill me in with as much as she can if they let her return to us.”

“Really?”

Lidden just nodded.

“I hope I can be included in that briefing when she returns.”

“Unless she has some reason to exclude everyone but me, you’ll be invited.”

“So, they’ve really spent all of the last eight years outside the G.A.?”

Lidden nodded. “It certainly sounds that way.”

“I can understand why they’d be burned out.”

“I think we don’t know ten percent of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when we had liberty at Simmons SCB a couple of months ago, I ran into a couple of old friends. We went to dinner together, and after we’d had a few drinks, they asked me about Sydnee. I was surprised by the question and told them she’s an excellent officer who’s been away for some time on a mission for SCI. One of them, Captain Ryckardo, said, ‘That explains it.’ I said, ‘Explains what?’ He said they’d been hearing the most unbelievable things about our Lieutenant Sydnee Marcola. He said that according to a friend in SCI, she was being credited with the Clidepp Empire declaring a permanent end to all slavery of sentient beings. Then they said she was also being credited with preventing a Denubbewa invasion force from descending en masse on Region One. Next, they said she’d been credited with capturing a Denubbewa mothership intact.”

“What? She stopped an invasion and then captured a Denubbewa mothership? A full-sized mothership?”

“That’s what they said. As far as I know, there’s only one size.”

“I wonder if that could be true.”

“Stand by, you haven’t heard anything yet. They said that while she was transporting the mothership, now officially named the Bemming, through unclaimed space to Region Three, she encountered a small task force populated by a previously unknown spacefaring species. We now know they call themselves the Kirriri. Sydnee announced to them that the ship was no longer a Denubbewa ship. The Kirriri then demanded she turn the mothership over to them. She refused and they attacked. During the attack, she ordered two of their attack ships destroyed as they tried to perform an envelope merge. There was no damage to the Bemming.”

“So now we’re at war with this unknown species, the Kirriri?”

“No, because to top it all off, after destroying their two warships, she somehow managed to establish diplomatic relations with them. My friends told me that we’ve claimed all space between our two nations with plans to sign a mutual defense agreement. The newly claimed space is now designated as Region Five.”

“Where is this Region Five?”

“I don’t know exactly where the borders start and end, but according to my friends, our closest territory is Region Three, which accounts for our being unaware of the Kirriri. We’re still working to settle Region Three and haven’t really sent any ships in search of sentient life beyond its borders with unclaimed space. I should say formerly unclaimed space.”

“So now the G.A. has an entire new region of space thanks to Sydnee?”

“According to my friends— yes.”

“And you know these friends very well?”

“They’re fellow Space Command ship captains. We were at the academy together. If their information isn’t accurate, it’s only because they were misinformed. They’re not prone to exaggeration.”

“It appears that Sydnee has had a very busy eight years. I imagine I’d be burned out if we’d accomplished half that much and never had liberty. When do you think she’ll be back?”

“I’m beginning to wonder if she’ll ever be coming back to the Denver,” Lidden said. “She might have outgrown any role she would have here as a lieutenant.”

“Every so often, a person— they could be military or civilian— rises up and outshines everyone around them. There’s always been something unique, something special about Sydnee. It’s been apparent for some time that she might be one of those rare individuals who, faced with many possible paths of travel, always picks the right one.”

“I recognized that there was something different about Sydnee when she first came aboard the Perry. She seemed to be the exact opposite of the type of replacement officers we usually received. Her file indicated nothing bad. I didn’t understand why an officer with a blemish-free record, one who’d graduated near the top of her class at the Northern Hemisphere Space Academy and seventh at the Warship Command Institute in Australia, would be posted to the oldest and slowest ship in Space Command— a ship that very often received the dregs of service personnel. It wasn’t until much later that I learned she’d been sent to us as the result of a clerical error. Of course, that was well after she’d begun to impress all of us with her intelligence and abilities— and after she’d saved most of the crew from near-certain death in that action with the Rebels who’d stolen a destroyer from the Clidepp Empire military. We were indeed lucky to get her. And if we’re destined to lose her now, we should be grateful for the years she was part of this crew. She helped bring honor to the Denver.”

* * *

The cleanup efforts aboard the second mothership were no quicker than the cleanup efforts aboard the first mothership. Removing the cyborg bodies required considerable manual labor, so experience didn’t lessen the time required. Every cyborg had to be lifted onto a cart and taken to the port so they could be loaded aboard the remains of a Denubbewa destroyer. The smaller Denubbewa ships would then be dragged to the nearest star and given a push that would accomplish complete and final disposal in the star’s corona.

Once the cleanup was complete, it would be time to adapt the ship for use by Space Command personnel. Quesann had sent a disassembled CJ Cargo Gate to the Boreas, and engineers were now busy putting it together aboard the mothership. Once it was operational, the mothership would begin to receive furniture and other equipment and materials needed aboard the newest Space Command vessel.

Quesann had cancelled Sydnee’s appointment at HQ when Captain Elder informed them about the arrival of a second mothership. He’d informed them that because of her vast experience in commandeering and operating Denubbewa motherships, Lieutenant Marcola had been placed in full command of the operation to take the second mothership and then supervise the retrofit if the takeover was successful.

* * *

“I’m beat,” Sydnee said as she and Kelly MacDonald sat in her office sipping coffee.

“It’s no wonder,” MacDonald said. “Have you slept in the last twenty-four hours?”

“I can’t remember sleeping— oh wait, yes, I have. I fell asleep while dictating a report to SHQ. But then I woke up about eight minutes later when I hit my head on the desk.”

“What about the report?”

“I had to start over to eliminate the snoring.”

“Ah, the glories of command,” Kelly said with a smile. “Well, you’ll be able to get caught up on your sleep on our way to Region Three. Whadda ya figure? Five annuals?”

“From here? It’ll be more like ten.”

“Ten annuals?”

“Yeah, we can’t travel through the Aguspod territory, so we have to stick to unclaimed space— at least until we reach the new Region Five territory.”

“I don’t want to spend ten annuals in this bucket. I’m going to resign my commission and go home.”

“If you resign your commission, you can’t go home to the Denver.”

“Oh— right. Damn! Guess I’m stuck here like everyone else. Ugh, ten more annuals!”

“Don’t get upset yet. They haven’t announced we’re going to have to take this ship to the G.A. We may be freed up as soon as we have it ready to start its journey.”

“I hope we are. I’d rather spend the next two years seeding satellites in Clidepp space than delivering this monster ship to Region Three.”

“We should know in a couple of weeks. The work on this mothership is almost complete.”

“I wish the engineers could get the CT system working properly.”

* * *

“Lieutenant Marcola reporting as ordered, sir,” Sydnee said as she braced to attention in front of Captain Elder and his XO in his office aboard the Boreas.

“At ease, Lieutenant. Your latest report states that the mothership is ready to travel. I see the engineers even have the CT system working properly.”

“It’s about ninety-nine-point-nine percent effective, sir. We still occasionally have a glitch or two, but usually it’s just a bit of static that lasts for a few seconds.”

“I’m sure they’ll eventually clear that up. They did have to build an entirely new system, after all.”

“Yes, sir. And they’ve done a fantastic job. Everyone has.”

“Including you, Lieutenant. I want to commend you on the excellent command and control you’ve exhibited.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“So— are you ready to head for the G.A.?”

“I’m being tasked with bringing the mothership to Region Three, sir?”

“Not just one, Lieutenant. You’re to bring both of them to Region Two. Both ships will be under your command.”

“Uh, I suppose I’m ready, sir.”

“You don’t sound very enthusiastic.”

“I was hoping someone else would be chosen for that task. We still haven’t completed our original mission of seeding Clidepp space with satellites for SCI.”

“That mission is being assigned to someone else.”

“I see.”

“You’ve been out here for a very long time, Lieutenant. Cheer up. You’re finally going home.”

“Yes, sir. But not for five to ten annuals.”

“Not at all. The time will be more like five days.

“Five days? I don’t understand, sir. Didn’t you just say I’m to take the two motherships to Region Two? The top speed of those ships is only about Light-480.”

“That’s true, Lieutenant. What you don’t know— what most of our people out here don’t know— is that we’ve just been tasked with testing the new CJ Ship Gate.”

“CJ Ship Gate, sir? Are you referring to the CJ Armada Gate that’s large enough to send a mothership using the CJ Gate system?”

“That’s correct, but the descriptive name has been changed to CJ Ship Gate because access will be available to any licensed shipper. The word ‘armada’ makes it sound too military. While you’ve been busy retrofitting the second mothership, a small group of engineers, working about a light-year from here, have assembled and begun testing the newest Gate configuration. I’m not surprised you haven’t heard. I ordered the test area to be placed under strict isolation. The ships and people sent out there have never been allowed to leave the location or communicate with anyone outside the assembly operation there except for very limited communication with the Boreas. When I said assembly, I mean that the sections of the Gate— sent to us one at a time because each section requires all the space in a Cargo Gate— were unpacked and placed in open space. Once programmed, they maintain their location using tiny Deuterium thrusters that are recharged by energy from the section’s Dakinium outer cover. While you and your teams have been working so hard to prepare the motherships for transport, the other team has been sending drones back and forth to Region Two. The system had already been extensively tested near Quesann, but these tests were required to verify that the substantially greater distance didn’t cause any problems. We’ve now completed all the testing, and there hasn’t been a single problem. Since the test results have had a one hundred percent success record, the G.A. is now ready to implement the greatest advancement since Marc-1.”

When Elder paused and was apparently waiting for a comment or response, Sydnee said, “I’m almost speechless, sir.”

“Yes, it has that kind of effect on people as they digest the facts and think of the possibilities.”

“So, any Space Command vessel near a Ship Gate can now jump to any other Ship Gate?”

“Not just Space Command vessels. The G.A. is opening the system to any passenger liners and cargo ships that qualify for a license. All they have to do is apply for a transit permit license and open a credits account with a sufficient balance to pay the toll fee for each use of the CJ Ship Gate.”

“But right now, there are just these two locations?”

“At the moment, that’s all I know about, although I do know that a Gate is currently being readied for testing near Earth, and they expect to have that online within a few days. Over the next few months, CJ Ship Gates will begin to be available all over the G.A. The Senate has voted to give us whatever funds we need because they know the fees from private companies will recover all of our costs.”

“And the Gate here will be disassembled?”

“No, Space Command has decided to leave this Gate intact in light of the unusual Denubbewa presence out here. All Gates will be guarded by three CPS-16s, which will be rotated in and out every six months. The gate here will also be guarded by a Space Command destroyer. The newly assigned CPS-16s will arrive via the Gate, and the previous detail will leave via the Gate. Additionally, The G.A. has claimed this area of space.”

“Is this Region Six?”

“No, not at all. It only encompasses a small spherical area two light-years across.”

“Does Quesann think three CPS-16s will be enough for normal protection?”

“After what you’ve accomplished with just one CPS-16, they believe three will be more than adequate, although no one is expecting that another Lieutenant Marcola will be captaining each of the other ships.”

“Will they be responsible for approving transit requests?”

“No, all permit applications must be forwarded to Quesann, but the application can be forwarded via any of the CPS-16 on duty at a Gate. However, the applicant will not be allowed to use the gate until the application is approved. The CPS-16s is really only be here to protect the Gate, and stop anyone from trying to interfere with the operation of the Gate or study the electronics.”

“What if someone tries to steal a section?”

“All of them have locator beacons built in. And if they’re moved too far from their established location, they’ll explode. I’m sure you have a lot more questions, but we’ve covered the main points. I’ll send a copy of the report I received from Quesann to you so you can fully familiarize yourself with the new system. All I need you to do is establish a date for your departure so I can move my task force out of this mothership.”

“You won’t be traveling with us to Quesann, sir?”

“No. If we were, we’d just remain in here. Quesann has other plans for us.”

“I see. How about 1000 hours two days from now?”

“Fine. We’ll move out of this mothership at 0900 two days from now.”

* * *

“I’ve got great news, Kel,” Sydnee said as they relaxed in her office.

“We’re not going to have to take this ship to Region Three?” MacDonald said hopefully.”

“We still have take this ship to the G.A.”

“Then what news could possibly be good?”

So Sydnee told her.

“You’re kidding. We’re going to Quesann via a CJ Gate large enough to send this entire mothership there?”

“Yup. We leave here, travel one light-year before entering the CJ Ship Gate, and poof, we’ll suddenly appear somewhere near Quesann.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“Yes, I have.” Holding up her mug, Sydnee said, “This is my fifth cup of coffee today.”

“So, we’re really going to jump to Region Two?”

“Yup.”

“So then are we done with the satellite seeding and everything else?”

“Captain Elder said another ship would be completing the satellite deliveries. That’s all he could tell me. He wasn’t told anything beyond that regarding where the Justice might be sent next.”

“I hope they have a CJ Ship Gate in Region One. We could be back aboard the Denver in a couple of weeks.”

“They do have one in Region One.”

“They do?”

“Yes, but they’re still testing it. The Gate here had a higher priority. But maybe by the time we get to Region Two, the Region One Gate will be fully tested and online.”

“Oh, Syd, I’m so excited. We could actually be going home— for the first time in years. I wonder how many of the old gang are still there.”

“Some of them must still be there, although a few may have returned to civilian life, and some may have been promoted and posted in open positions elsewhere.”

“After so many years of being outside G.A. space, things are bound to be a little different. But the Denver will still be the Denver. It will still be home.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

~ July 12th, 2295 ~

“All ships except the Justice have left the port, Captain,” Lt.(jg) Templeton said.

“Close the doors, Tac.”

“Aye, Captain, the doors are closing.”

Seventy seconds later Templeton said, “The doors are closed and sealed, Captain.”

“Very good. Helm, do you have the coordinates to the Ship Gate locked in?”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Take us to the Ship Gate.”

“Aye, Captain, we’re now under way for the Ship Gate.”

There was a distinct sense of anxious anticipation on the bridge. Throughout the ship, monitors were projecting a live image of the bridge and space ahead of the ship. Almost everyone had paused their daily routine to watch. The mothership, with the Justice crew at the controls, was about to make history. During the testing period, a number of small ships, beginning with automated craft, had entered the Gate and emerged safely at the other end. But theirs would be the first manned, active-duty ship to use a Ship Gate. And not only that, it was the largest single-hull ship known to exist. The other mothership was coming along right behind the first one. Sydnee’s XO, Lieutenant(jg) Jerry Weems, was captaining that vessel. Weems would hang back on Humdrum Two until Humdrum Three sent a message from Region Two that it was safe to enter.

“Com, put me on ship-wide,” Sydnee said.

“You’re on, Captain.”

“Attention, crew of the Justice and of the Humdrum Three. We’ve been given the honor of being the first manned warship to use a CJ Ship Gate. As we enter the Gate here in previously unclaimed space and emerge seconds later in Region Two, we are making history. It will be something you can all tell your grandchildren. Play close attention because this experience will be over almost before it starts. Tac, are we cleared to enter the Gate?”

“Aye, Captain. We’ve received authorization, and the gateway to the Quesann Ship Gate is clear.”

“Then let’s fill it briefly. Helm, take us through the Gate.”

“Aye, Captain. Entering the Gate.”

Everything seemed to blur for a second, then sharpened again, and the Gate that had been in front of them was gone.

Sydnee swung around and looked at the stern monitor. The Gate was now visible behind them.

“Nav, where are we?” Sydnee said.

“According to the sensors and the stars, we’re in Region Two.”

Without waiting for further confirmation, crewmembers in every part of the ship began clapping, whooping, and hollering. Sydnee allowed it to continue for a full minute, and then held up her hands for silence on the bridge.

“Crews of the Justice and the Humdrum Three, welcome to Region Two of G.A. space.”

The bridge and every part of the ship that was manned erupted in whopping and yelling again. Sydnee didn’t try to quiet them this time; she let them continue until they got it out of their systems.

“Helm, clear the gateway-exit route.”

“We’re already clear, Captain.”

“Com, notify Humdrum Two that it’s safe for them to join us here.”

Four seconds later, the com chief said, “Message sent, Captain.”

After moving out of the path of any ships emerging from the Gate, Caruthers had turned the ship so all forward monitors aboard ship would project an image of activity at the Gate. Everyone on the bridge and throughout the ship was able to watch as the Humdrum Two emerged in Region Two. The second mothership to arrive then maneuvered to a position alongside Humdrum Three.

“We can’t be here already,” everyone on the bridge of the Humdrum Three heard Lt.(jg) Weems say.

“You’re on an open mike, Captain.”

“Oh, uh, this is Humdrum Two. We’ve apparently completed the journey and are now in Region Two.”

“Welcome to Region Two, Humdrum Two,” Sydnee said with a smile. “Com, notify Quesann Command that Humdrum Two and Humdrum Three have arrived.”

“I doubt that’s necessary, Captain,” Lt. Templeton said. “I’m seeing over twenty Space Command warships and dozens of smaller craft within DeTect range around us. I imagine it’s a greeting party on this momentous occasion.”

“So, where’s the party?” Lt. Caruthers asked. “Is there food? I’m starving.”

“It may not be necessary, Tac, but it’s protocol. We do it by the book. Com, notify Quesann Command that we’ve arrived.”

“Aye, Captain. I did that after you ordered it the first time.”

“Very good. Well, I guess we sit here until Quesann tells us where we go next.”

“Arrival message coming through now, Captain.”

“Play it on the overhead, Com.”

“Lieutenant Marcola, welcome to Region Two. Have your task force remain where it is for now. New orders will follow shortly.”

“Com, acknowledge receipt of the message,” Sydnee said, then added for the crew, “I guess we sit and wait for new orders.”

“And we didn’t get any party food,” Lt.(jg) Caruthers said from his seat at the helm. “Not even cake.”

Sydnee smiled at this expression of his sense of humor and said, “Don’t worry, Helm. I’m sure there will be lots of cake for our celebration later. A few hours before we left our previous location, I asked the mess to prepare double the amount of cake they usually prepare for Sunday afternoon meals.”

* *

Over the next week, Humdrum Three and Humdrum Two received tens of thousands of visitors. Although these weren’t the first motherships converted for Space Command use, they were the first that could be visited by G.A. officials, as well as the Space Command and Space Marine personnel assigned to the bases on Quesann and the surrounding planets. The enormous port inside both motherships was busy almost constantly throughout the first day, and the heavy traffic really didn’t slack off for almost three days. Since the ships were destined to become Space Command bases, sightseers would be common in the future. At that time, certain areas of the ship would be off-limits to all visitors, but for now, access to all parts of the ships were almost wide open to military personnel. Only the captain’s office, the bridge, and occupied living quarters enjoyed restricted access, and that didn’t even apply to Space Command senior officers, who received guided tours.

* *

Finally, the crowds began to thin, and then end. Life began to return to a somewhat normal existence aboard both ships. Even so, the ships weren’t ordered to move to the Quesann ship harbor. They were just too large, so they remained out near the CJ Ship Gate. This gave the crews a front-row seat, so to speak, to the traffic coming and going through the Gate. Sydnee knew that very little traffic leaving through the Quesann Gate was headed to the space Gate in previously unclaimed space, so this was an indication that perhaps the Region One Gate was now online. And after a few more days, the traffic had grown to a point that indicated other CJ Ship Gates were active. Sydnee believed that Gates in Regions Three and Four would have been very high on the priority list. Perhaps there was even a Gate in Region Five now.

* * *

“So far, every single transport of the new Gate system has been flawless,” Admiral Holt said to Admiral Jenetta Carver during their morning meeting in her office. “The Gate in Region Four near Ruwalchu should be operational tomorrow.”

Jenetta took a sip of her coffee and said, “Loretta told me there’s been one glitch in the system.”

“You’re talking about the Gate near Earth?”

“Yes.”

“It’s true, but it didn’t involve a ship transport or endanger the safety of any personnel. The glitch was owed solely to one of the Gate sections in the Earth Ship Gate drifting slightly out of alignment because of a bad sensor. That problem prevented the connection from being made until the sensor was replaced. Loretta and her people have done an incredible job. If every single component and process isn’t working one hundred percent correctly, safety concerns prevent the connection and the ship can’t travel.”

“That could cause us problems,” Jenetta said.

“How so?”

“If anyone wanted to stop our use of a Ship Gate, all they’d have to do is sabotage one small component.”

“Uh— well— that’s possible. But it’s extremely unlikely that it would put us out of business for long because there’s so much redundancy in the system. The problem you referenced was a non-issue on safety because it was a physical issue rather than an electronic one. Although the components are all bench-tested and receive a thorough burn-in test, there are bound to be tiny component failures in a brand new system. The good news is that the only way anyone could sabotage a Gate would be through a deliberate shipboard assault, and that’s why we established the policy of always having three CPS-16s guarding every Gate. And although replacement parts are in short supply right now because this is a new program, in the future, multiple parts and even complete sections will be available in the CPS-16s standing guard, and every ship will have engineers certified to repair the Gates. We may go down briefly, but we’ll be back in business before you know it.”

“I hope so. In any event, we should plan on doubling the protection forces temporarily when we’re planning a campaign against the Denubbewa or any other enemy until our military forces have all arrived at their destinations.”

“I have no problem with that. When our forces are properly distributed, there really shouldn’t be that many traveling from the same Ship Gate once the system is fully implemented. And we can plan on sending a squadron of CPS-16s through first so they can stand by with the original three CPS-16s until the rest of the task force completes their travel through the Gate. I received the copy of the deployment map you sent to all members of the Admiralty Board. So, you really think the Senate will approve this many Ship Gate systems and the necessary CPS- 16s?”

“Right now, they’re all still licking their lips and thinking greedily about all the revenue they’re going to be able to rake in from the transport fees paid by the passenger and cargo shippers, as well as how best to convince their constituents that the entire project was solely their idea from the beginning. I’m going to work on getting their financial approval on an optimal plan while they’re still in a euphoric mood, and I’ll reduce it only if they object. If we have to cut back, our cuts will most likely happen near the large population centers where we already have the best military coverage. Coincidentally, those locations will offer the greatest revenue in fees, so it’ll be an easier sell for me to get their approval later on after the fees start coming in and they ask why we don’t have more transport revenue from the more populous locations.”

“Good thinking. Have you decided where we’re going to position our two new motherships— I mean our new space stations?”

“I’d like to put one in Region Four and the other in Region Five if the Board agrees. The exact position isn’t as important as it used to be because we’ll be putting Ship Gates in the most vital positions. I’ll bring it up in the AB meeting and get everyone’s suggestions before we vote on it.”

“Sounds fine to me. Ya know, Jen, I’m feeling a lot better about our chances with the Denubbewa. The near-instantaneous communications across the entire G.A. made a tremendous difference, and now the near-instant ability to send our ships to any region where they’re needed make me believe we’re really going to be able to drive the metalheads out of the Milky Way Galaxy.”

“You didn’t feel that way before, Brian?”

“I’ve always felt supremely confident that we’d succeed in the end, but I admit that I worried about the price we’d be forced to pay before we drove them out of this galaxy. I no longer have any doubts. We’ve taken the worst they can throw at us and shoved it right back into their metal faces. We’re definitely going to drive them out of this galaxy, and the losses on our side will be incredibly less than their losses.”

“Should we just leave it there?”

“What do you mean? Are you saying we should pursue them outside this galaxy?”

“From what we’ve seen, it appears that we’ve been the first beings to get the better of them. Can we really just stop if they are no longer threatening us or our neighbors in this galaxy? And another thing, if we don’t stop them permanently, they might come back at us again when they’ve picked up new technology. And it might be technology we don’t have an answer for.”

“You’re right, of course, but I doubt you’d be able to sell that to the Senate.”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Most of this galaxy is still unknown to us. The Kirriri are practically neighbors and we never knew of their existence until they attacked the mothership being ferried to a new location by the crew of the Justice. For all we know, the Denubbewa might even have originated in this galaxy.”

“The galaxy isn’t shrinking in size,” Admiral Holt said, “but with the development of the CJ Gates, it’s gotten considerably smaller.”

“The word will soon be out about the CJ Ship Gates. I imagine the Kirriri will immediately request that we place one in their territory.”

“Would that be wise?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps if the final results of the genetic heredity investigation are negative, we can consider placing a Ship Gate there. I’d have no hesitation placing one very close to the border in Region Five, but that would require the Kirriri to first make a long trip through their own space to reach the Gate, which would delay our arrival when they need immediate help. Loretta has made every effort to ensure that no one can examine the systems unless they have the proper access code, and every module has a different key, so the secrets of how the Gates work are probably safe in Kirriri space. If they managed to get close enough to study the Gate sections, they might only succeed in blowing themselves up.”

“With three CPS-16s guarding every Gate, no one is going to get close enough to a Ship Gate section where they could begin to learn it’s secrets,” Holt said. “If the Kirriri want a Gate, they’ll have to accept a CPS-16 protection squad as part of the package. We can’t allow any alternatives on this.”

“Yes, the wormhole satellites, the new communications systems, and the Gate transport systems are now among our greatest secrets. These and the other secrets our people protect with their lives enable us to destroy the Denubbewa wherever and whenever we encounter them. We can never allow those secrets to be stolen and contaminated.”

* * *

Senator Prime Curlekurt Emmeticus, addressing the Gondusan Planetary Senate, said, “For annuals I’ve been informing this body about the incredible advances the G.A. has made with respect to communications and space travel, including their ability to cloak their presence. We suspect they’ve always had ships in our space, watching us in case we ever again attempt to challenge their authority in what they refer to as their Region Two. Some time ago, I informed this assembly that Ruwalchu had petitioned the G.A. to become part of that government. Senator Neodeet Literamus insisted it was all a fabrication. Well, we quickly learned the rumor was, in fact, accurate, and the Ruwalchu space became the G.A.’s Region Four. At that same time, I also informed this body that the G.A. was allegedly working on a new communication system that would allow them to communicate with their ships within seconds, regardless of the distance involved. Again, Literamus told us it was all a fabrication. Well, we have since confirmed that that ‘fabrication’ was, in fact, also true.

“I come to you today with a new report about the G.A. It appears that they’ve created a method of sending entire ships anywhere in the universe in seconds.”

“Absurd,” Senator Neodeet Literamus screamed as loudly as possible as he jumped to his feet.

“Neodeet,” Emmeticus said, “I have the floor. You will sit down until I finish or the sergeant-at-arms will remove you from this hall.”

Senator Literamus grumbled something unintelligible as his face reflected the extreme anger he was feeling, but he sat down.

“As I was saying,” Emmeticus said, “a report from one of our spies in Region Four states that he saw, with his own eyes, a ship arrive from Quesann through a large, glowing, circular ring. This informant has never lied to us, and his information has always been a hundred percent reliable. I trust his information to be accurate now. The G.A. has developed a method for sending ships anywhere they want— in an instant.

“Imagine what this means. Instead of it taking many annuals to cross the G.A., they can now cross their entire expanse in less time than it takes us to fetch a fresh cup of lucana from the cafeteria. While the Ruwalchu are reaping the benefits of a close alliance with the G.A., we’re slipping further back every day.”

“And what if just one of our planets chooses to join the G.A.?” Senator Piettoco asked. “What would be expected of them and us?”

“First, we don’t know if the G.A. would accept just one planet that is presently part of a confederation. We don’t even know if they’d accept our entire territory. They let us off lightly after we joined the Uthlaro and Tsgardi forces aligned against them. Our saving grace was that we hadn’t yet attacked any G.A. planets or spaceships. Look what they did to the Tsgardi and the Uthlaro Dominion after the G.A. totally destroyed their fleets. The Uthlaro were the primary force behind the attempted takeover of the G.A.’s Region Two, so they lost their entire empire and were restricted from even leaving their planet, although they did keep ownership of the planet. The Tsgardi also lost their empire but kept their entire solar system. And while the Tsgardi can travel anywhere within their solar system, they cannot leave it without advance permission from Space Command. They were both lucky that the G.A. didn’t take it to the next level and destroy their home planets with all their occupants. I firmly believe they have the ability to do so.”

“You don’t know that,” Senator Neodeet Literamus screamed from his seat. But he didn’t jump to his feet this time.

“No, I don’t know it for a fact, but I know that the G.A. is the most powerful force in this part of space. Even the Denubbewa must have finally realized that because there have been no attacks in some time. Whenever they engage Space Command, they come off second best. I imagine that the loss of thousands of ships has made them realize they’re better off absorbing weaker nations and bypassing the G.A. entirely. And yet with all their incredible power, the G.A. never tries to absorb the space of other nations or attack and pillage their planets. We do know, based on the agreement made with the Ruwalchu, that once a nation becomes part of the G.A., it can’t undo the ownership of the space. The planets can withdraw from membership in the G.A., but the space outside their sensible atmosphere will forever be part of the G.A.”

“So, if we applied for inclusion in the G.A. and were accepted, we wouldn’t necessarily be subject to their laws?” Piettoco asked.

“The G.A. has a very small list of laws that must be obeyed by everyone in G.A. space. For example, they don’t condone slavery or allow narcotics distribution off planet. Counterfeiting of G.A. Credits is also forbidden. I think there are a couple more laws, but I can’t remember what they are. I do remember that they are not inconsistent with our own interplanetary laws. The Ruwalchu were allowed to join as a group, so their vote in the G.A. Senate carries the weight of their total population on all planets in their previous territory.”

“So, anything the government of the planet chooses to do on their planet is none of the G.A.’s business?” Senator Welopper asked.

“Except for slavery of sentient beings. That’s not legal anywhere in G.A. space.”

“We’ve been living in fear of an attack by the Denubbewa because we know we can’t protect our people from them,” Welopper said. “I don’t see a downside to joining the G.A. Since we don’t permit slavery on any of our planets anyway, I propose that we petition the G.A. to accept us as part of their government.”

“There is one downside,” Emmeticus said. “If we join the G.A. and want maximum protection from the Denubbewa, we’ll be required to contribute to their military budget. The Ruwalchu are actually reimbursing the G.A. for the entire cost of the fleet being built to protect them.”

“Wouldn’t they have to pay to replace the fleet destroyed by the Denubbewa anyway?”

“Yes, according to our informants on Ruwalchu, the new fleet will only be used to protect Region Four, unless an emergency requires part of the fleet to help support other regions of the G.A.”

“That seems fair,” Piettoco said. “We’d have to pay for our military anyway.”

“There’s no guarantee the G.A. will accept our application for membership.”

“We won’t know unless we try,” Piettoco said.

“You’re crazy,” Senator Neodeet Literamus screamed. “If the G.A. accepts us, it’s the end of our freedom. They’ll enslave all of us.”

“And if the Denubbewa decided to attack us,” Emmeticus said, “it would be the end of all sentient life in the Gondusan Empire. We’d all be turned into mindless cyborgs.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

~ July 25th, 2295 ~

While traveling outside the G.A., communication with family, loved ones, and friends by the crew of the Justice had been restricted. Although intercepted S-band transmissions might not be intelligible if intercepted by foreign governments, just the presence of such communications could present problems. Upon their arrival in Region Two, the restriction had been immediately lifted, and Quesann HQ promised that all crewmembers would have unlimited access to the communication system for a full month, as long as everyone aboard the ship had equal access. Privacy aboard ship was often a rarity, so the recording booths that allowed both video and audio capture in complete privacy were constantly occupied as everyone was now spending as much time as possible preparing messages for transmission. The new wormhole communication system meant that messages reached their destination in seconds, and replies were just as fast once the transmission was initiated. Responses to messages didn’t require the ultimate in private listening afforded by the booths since devices for the ears offered that feature automatically when the reply message was played on a viewpad.

The Space Command personnel and the Space Marine personnel were anxious to visit Quesann, but HQ continued to reject all requests to leave the ship. Although the Humdrum Two and Three were available to Space Command and Space Marines who wanted to visit the ships, civilians were not allowed to board until engineers, supported by crewmembers, had finished installing sensors to detect bombs and weapons in all areas that would eventually be open for civilian use. This had long been a common practice on all space stations maintained by the military and had even been stepped up after a civilian- operated space station at Earth had been bombed, killing thousands of adults and children attending a trade show. Installing devices was a top priority and had to be completed before any shore leave was authorized.

* * *

“I hope we can complete the sensor installations soon,” Sydnee said to Kelly as they sat in Sydnee’s office discussing the work, “or I fear we’ll face a mass mutiny.”

“It’s not quite that bad,” MacDonald said, “but there is a lot—and I mean a lot—of grumbling in the mess hall.”

“Allowing everyone open use of the communications system for contact with families and friends for an entire month is probably the only thing that prevented mass desertion. It’s horrible knowing that sun, water, and beautiful beaches are just minutes away and we can’t use them.”

“I just keep telling everyone the beaches aren’t going anywhere, and they’ll be available as soon as the sensor work is complete. They’re all working extra hard to get it done.”

“I just hope they aren’t taking any shortcuts and we wind up with shoddy work.”

“Nope. Won’t happen. I’ve been telling them that if I find just one sensor improperly installed, we’ll have to pull every one out and do it all over again.”

Sydnee chuckled and said, “Good idea, but it’ll make you the most hated lieutenant in the Space Marine Corps if you have to do that.”

“I don’t really think I’ll have to because they know I’m serious. After the completed work is inspected by an engineering team, a second team inspects it again and then performs a test. So far, not one sensor has had to be pulled and replaced because of shoddy work, although we did have to replace a defective unit.”

“Great. Hey, are you ready to head to the mess hall for dinner?”

“Dinner?” MacDonald said, looking over at the chronometer on the bulkhead. “Yeah, it’s time. How did you know? I didn’t see you look at the chronometer.”

“I heard your stomach growling.”

“Mine? I thought that was yours.”

Sydnee smiled and said, “I really don’t care whose stomach it was. At the very least, it probably indicates one of us is hungry. Let’s go grab some chow.”

* * *

“Welcome back,” Captain Lawrence Gavin said to Commander Eliza Carver as she stepped out of the CJ Personnel Booth.

“Thank you, sir.” Smiling, she added, “I didn’t expect to be greeted down here by the ship’s captain.”

“The Ares just hasn’t been the same without you. I’m sure the entire crew of this battleship has missed you. So how are Jenetta and the family?”

“Jenetta’s fine. She sends her fondest regards. The twins are fine. They’re healthy, getting big and becoming a real handful.”

Gavin smiled and said, “I can imagine. And the menagerie?”

“The Jumakas are all happy and healthy. All the cubs are as large as their parents now. If it wasn’t for their unique fur colors and eye colors, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.”

“I thought you might be returning with one. Aren’t they old enough to be separated from their parents now?”

“Is that why you’re here to meet me, sir? You thought I’d be bringing one of the Jumakas back?”

“I wanted to be here in case you did, but I was also anxious to see my XO. I missed you these past four weeks.”

“Thank you, sir. And I missed you and the crew of the Ares. It’s always difficult to leave Quesann because it feels like home, but as soon as I’m back, I feel like I’m home again. I realize that sounds strange.”

“Not at all, Eliza. I understand completely. Unfortunately, I have no other family left since my parents passed, so the Ares crew is my family.”

“You couldn’t find a better pseudo family, sir.”

“I think so, also. Come to my office and you can tell me about all the great things happening at Quesann.”

* *

“Things are really jumping,” Eliza said as she sat down on one of the chairs in the informal seating area of the captain’s office. “I saw the two new motherships that have just been brought back from the region of unclaimed space where they were commandeered. We’re getting quite a collection. This makes ten motherships. The most recent two haven’t even been officially named yet. The crews are referring to them as Humdrum Two and Humdrum Three. I understand Lieutenant Marcola named them because they had to have some sort of identification until the Admiralty Board gives them an official name. The first mothership they commandeered was dubbed Humdrum until it was given the official name of Bemming, so the lieutenant is just incrementing the numerical value.”

“And the two newest ships traveled from beyond the Aguspod territory via one of the new CJ Ship Gates, arriving at Quesann within seconds of entering the Gate in unclaimed space, right?”

“Yes, sir. The reports state that all of the new CJ Ship Gates are working perfectly.”

“All? How many are in service now?”

“There’s the one in space beyond the Aguspod territory, the one near Quesann, and the one near Earth. They’re all operational and working flawlessly. I understand that half the effort in developing the Gates was to ensure nothing could possibly go wrong during a transport. Jenetta told me a Ship Gate is being assembled for Region Five near the border with the Kirriri, there’s the one here in Region Four that will begin its tests tomorrow, and the one sent to the far end of Region Three, which should begin testing in a few days.”

“Did Jenetta mention how many CJ Ship Gates they intend to place throughout the G.A.?”

“She didn’t give me a number, but I got the impression that they’d eventually like to have thousands available.”

“Thousands?”

“Yes, because they expect the cargo shippers to use the system extensively.”

“Wow, that’s going to put a lot of freight handlers out of a job.”

“Well, the system will be expanded slowly so as not to cause an economic disaster, but yes, eventually we’ll need a lot fewer people because cargo ships won’t be spending months and even years traveling between solar systems. Naturally, the first Ship Gates will be placed to best facilitate defense of the G.A., even if there’re no inhabited planets within five hundred light- years.”

“It’s going to take awhile to adapt to the new transportation structure we’re creating. And this is only the beginning. I foresee significant problems ahead.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“Once the ships and passenger liners start using the system, they’re going to demand that more Ship Gates be placed outside the G.A.”

“That won’t work. The other governments won’t want our CPS-16 protection ships in their space.”

“That’s why there’s going to be so much difficulty. The corporations will demand that we turn the system over to the private sector to appease foreign governments.”

“It’ll never happen. Jenetta won’t stand for it. The system needs the tightest scrutiny and control possible. The Senate would never give up control of the system.”

“I don’t know. Politicians are often a breed apart from the type of individuals you’ll find in the military. Time and again they’ve been caught taking bribes and misappropriating funds entrusted to them by the voters. And if a bribe is large enough, some won’t hesitate to turn over secret documents pertaining to the system.”

* * *

“It should arrive just seconds after the command to enter the Gate at the other end is sent,” Eliza said to Captain Gavin as they sat on the bridge.

“Is everything set?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Give the command, Eliza.”

Commander Eliza Carver looked over at the com chief and nodded. Seconds later the CJ Ship Gate began to glow, and then the unmanned drone appeared in Region Four.

“It looks to be in perfect condition, sir. We should have the readings in a few seconds.”

“All sensors are indicating a perfect passage,” the tac officer said.

“Excellent,” Gavin said. “Okay, send the CPS-16.”

Again, Eliza nodded at the com chief, and several seconds later a CPS-16 appeared in front of the Gate.

“The CPS-16 reports that all systems are producing the expected readings,” the com chief said.

“Wonderful,” Gavin said, “Okay, Eliza, unless you disagree, I’m going to declare that the first CJ Ship Gate in Region Four is now operational and ready for service.”

“I agree, sir.”

“Then make it so.”

* * *

“We’ve just received a message from our chief spy on Ruwalchu,” Senator Prime Curlekurt Emmeticus said as he addressed the Gondusan Planetary Senate. “Region Four now has one of the new CJ Ship Gates we’ve heard so much about. Ships can now travel the length and breadth of the G.A. and beyond in mere seconds.”

“Lies! All lies,” Senator Neodeet Literamus screamed as he jumped to his feet.

“Neodeet, the representatives from Ruwalchu were taken to one of the space stations that circle the planet Earth. They could see the planet far below as they stood in viewing areas.”

“They were tricked. They were probably drugged.”

“They took pictures with their own cameras of the planet and the space station.”

“They could be faked.”

“Yes, images can be faked. But this wasn’t a junket intended to interest investors looking to establish trade routes. It was to show what advances Space Command has made in its effort to protect the G.A. from attack by the Denubbewa.”

“It was probably intended to convince the Ruwalchu people that they made a wise choice with their decision to join the G.A. and to convince them to remain part of the G.A.,” Senator Literamus said.

“Space Command doesn’t have to convince them. They’ve already joined the G.A., and the move is permanent. They can opt not to support and participate in the G.A. Senate, but the territory will forever remain part of the G.A. They knew they couldn’t back out once the decision was made to seek protection from the Denubbewa by becoming part of the G.A.”

“And this is the fate you wish for us? An irrevocable decision that will tie us to the G.A. forever?”

“What I wish for our nation is to be free from worry that the Denubbewa will invade and turn us all into cyborgs. The Ruwalchu military forces were ten times more powerful than ours, and yet the Denubbewa destroyed them easily. Since we were once enemies of the G.A., I don’t know if we can count on them for help with evicting the Denubbewa from our nation as they did for the Ruwalchu.”

“And knowing that you can’t count on them for help, you still want to make us part of their nation. That would be as bad as if the Denubbewa attacked because either way, we lose our nation.”

“There’s a big difference between having the Denubbewa take our territory by force, turning all our people into cyborgs, and joining the G.A. where we’d have protection from the Denubbewa and not be turned into cyborgs. And all we’re giving up is the responsibility for the protection of the territory. The G.A. does not involve itself in the affairs of the planets, except when they break a few simple laws such as slavery, counterfeiting G.A. Credits, and distributing narcotics. Since we’ve also outlawed such practices in this nation, how would we be any worse off than we are right now?”

“We’d no longer have complete control over our part of the galaxy.”

“We know that. I asked you to tell us how we’d be any worse off than we are right now.”

When Senator Literamus didn’t respond for a full minute, Emmeticus said, “I asked you how we’d be any worse off than we are right now.”

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking.”

“If you can’t name something right off the top of your head, then it would be a non sequitur.”

Literamus just scowled.

Addressing the full assembly, Emmeticus said, “My fellow senators, you’ve heard the arguments and realize we’d be better off as part of the G.A. Therefore, I propose that we send them an official request to be considered for a merger arrangement with the G.A. as was recently offered and concluded with the Ruwalchu nation.”

“Remember,” Literamus said, “the deal with the Ruwalchu nation required that their legislative body agree one hundred percent with the arrangement.”

Staring at Literamus, Emmeticus said, “Are you saying you’ll vote no?”

Literamus shrugged his shoulders and returned just a hint of a smile with narrowed eyes.

“I take it that that’s exactly what you’re planning. Let me remind you that we’re just three weeks away from elections. Anyone who blocks this deal with a negative vote will earn the wrath of the people on election day. The rest of us will see that the voters understand exactly who’s responsible for them being in mortal danger of being turned into cyborgs.”

Literamus’ face lost all expression. “And I’ll tell them the truth.”

“What is the truth, Neodeet?”

“That there is no danger from the Denubbewa.”

“And just how do you expect to sell that after what happened in the Ruwalchu nation? The news services throughout this nation have been telling the populace on every planet about the attacks, so everyone knows the entire Ruwalchu Space Fleet was destroyed. And we’ve been telling them for years how powerful the Space Fleet was. It was the justification we used every time we needed to increase the military appropriation. The people were told we had to try to keep up with the Ruwalchu, even though we know we were never close. It’s a miracle that Space Command stepped in when they did and defeated the Denubbewa. Do you really think you can convince the populace that the Denubbewa present no threat”?

When he didn’t answer right away, Emmeticus asked again.

At this point Literamus stood up and walked quickly to the exit.

As the door slammed closed behind Literamus, Emmeticus said, “Before we begin work on a formal application, I want to see a show of hands to see if the effort is worthwhile. Who believes we should forward a petition to the G.A. requesting a merger with their nation?”

*

“The vote is unanimous except for Literamus,” Senator Bulbalo said to Senator Emmeticus after the formal vote had been taken and the Senate had adjourned for the day.

As the last of the other senators left the hall and the doors closed, the two men were alone.

“He’ll come around or I’ll see that he doesn’t get reelected,” Emmeticus said. “If it comes to that, we’ll have a new junior senator in his place—one who fully supports the merger.”

“How are we going to send the request to the G.A.? The message will take more than a week to reach Quesann and then more days or even weeks to work its way through channels to the top. The election will be long over before the message even reaches the people at the top. Literamus can squash the merger without worrying about being reelected.”

“I think the best way is to have our ships on patrol along the border attempt to make contact with a Space Command ship and ask them to come here so they can relay an urgent message to Quesann. If they have the near-instantaneous communications our spy on Ruwalchu reported, perhaps they’ll relay the message and then wait around for a reply.”

* * *

“Captain, I’m picking up an S-band message addressed to any Space Command ship near the Gondusan border or inside Gondusan space,” the com chief on duty aboard the Space Command Destroyer Athens GSC-D1367, commanded by Captain Patrice Havens, said.

“Inside Gondusan space? Who’s sending that message?”

“They refer to themselves as the Gondusan Planetary Senate.”

“Put it on the overhead, Chief.”

“Aye, ma’am. Here it is.”

The message from the Gondusan Senate, translated into Amer, began to play over the speaker on the overhead. “Attention, any Space Command vessel near the border of the Gondusan Nation or actually inside our space, it’s important that I speak with you. I’m Senator Prime Curlekurt Emmeticus of the Gondusan Planetary Senate, and I hope you will respond to this message. We await your response. End of message.”

“Any response, ma’am?”

“Not just yet, Chief.”

Captain Havens sat back in her command chair and thought about the message. It was obvious that the Gondusans believed there were Space Command vessels in their space. She’d heard rumors of incursions over the years, but it certainly wasn’t a normal practice, and Space Command HQ had always told all captains to deny the rumors.

After thinking about it, Havens decided to respond. “Chief, how long will it take for an S- band message to reach the Gondusan capital?”

“About eleven hours, ma’am.”

“Okay, respond that the SC Destroyer Athens patrolling along our common border has received the message.”

“Is that all, ma’am?”

“That’s all until we know what they want.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

~ August 9th, 2295 ~

Captain Havens was awakened at 0241 by the watch officer on duty, Lt. Commander Clarkson. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Captain, but we received a reply to a message you sent to the Gondusans. It’s not a Priority One, but it sounds important, so I thought you might want to hear it.”

“Yes. Play it, Lt. Commander.”

“Captain Havens, thank you for responding. It’s urgent that I speak with you as soon as possible. I invite you to enter Gondusan space and come to Sulello, the home planet of the Gondusan system. I can’t stress how important this is, and I’ll be eternally grateful if you come. Senator Prime Curlekurt Emmeticus of the Gondusan Planetary Senate. End of message.”

Havens groaned and got out of bed, saying, “Okay, Lt. Commander, take us to the planet Sulello.”

“Aye, Captain. Estimated time from our present location at Marc-1 is— twenty-one hours, sixteen minutes— roughly.”

“Proceed.”

“Aye, Captain.”

As the connection terminated, Havens touched her CT and said, “Com Chief.”

“Com here, Captain.”

“Establish a direct connection with Quesann HQ. Queue up the two messages from the Gondusans and send them in the background.”

“Aye, Captain. The direct connection should connect in a few seconds. The messages are ready to send.”

“This is Quesann HQ, Athens. Go ahead, over.”

“I’ve streamed two messages from the Gondusan Senator Prime, and we’re currently headed for the border with intentions of crossing, if you approve. Over.”

About fifteen seconds passed before Havens heard anything. “Athens, proceed on course. I’m awaiting final approval for your invited intrusion into Gondusan space. Over.”

Another thirty seconds passed before Havens heard, “Athens, invitation accepted by High Command. Report when you know more. Over.”

“Aye, HQ, I’ll report after I’ve made contact with Gondusan government officials. Over and Out.”

Captain Havens then stood up, stretched, and went back to bed.

* * *

It was almost midnight GST when the Athens arrived at Sulello, but it was only midday at the Senate building. As the Athens entered orbit, Havens told the com chief to make contact with Senator Prime Curlekurt Emmeticus.

A few minutes later, the com chief reported that the senator was on the connection.

“Senator Prime?”

“Yes, this is Senator Prime Curlekurt Emmeticus. To whom am I speaking?”

“I’m Captain Havens of the GSC Destroyer Athens. Is one of your planets under attack by the Denubbewa?”

“Not at present, Captain, but we live in fear that what happened to Ruwalchu will happen to us. Uh, Captain, where are you?”

“Not far, sir.”

“In orbit around our planet?”

“We’re very close.”

“But my people can’t establish the location of your ship.”

“When in hostile space, we prefer to remain cloaked.”

“Cloaked? I see. But Captain, this isn’t hostile space. We once made a foolhardy error because we feared the Uthlaro would attack us if we refused to join them, but thankfully we were able to back out before we engaged any Space Command vessels.”

“That’s why you still have a free and independent nation, sir.”

“Uh, that’s why I contacted you. We no longer want to be a free and independent nation.”

“I don’t understand.”

“We want to join the G.A. as the Ruwalchu have. We want to become part of the G.A.”

“I see.”

“Presently, all our senators are in agreement as you required of the Ruwalchu government. We’ll do whatever the G.A. requires of us. We’ve never condoned slavery, counterfeiting, or narcotics use.”

“That’s a good first step, sir, but I have no power to address this issue. You’ll have to take it up with Command HQ at Quesann.”

“How do we do that?”

“Just contact Space Command HQ.”

“The distance is so great that it would take months just to open a dialog. We’ve heard that you have the capability of sending ships anywhere in the galaxy in seconds. Can you send my ship to Quesann?”

“I’m afraid not. You see, the process requires a special Gate at either end. There’s a Gate at Quesann, but not here.”

“Where can we get such a Gate?”

“Space Command has only just begun producing them, so it will be some time before they’re widely available, and, of course, the first Gates will primarily be in locations that offer a military advantage. Later on, they’ll be open to use by commercial interests.”

“So, we’ll be able to get one then? Or we’ll be able to purchase a number of them so we can travel throughout our space as quickly as you?”

“I doubt they’ll be available outside the G.A.”

“Which brings us back to my initial statement that we want to join the G.A.”

“And as I initially asked, is one of your planets under attack by the Denubbewa? Is that why you want to join the G.A.?”

“To date, none of our planets have been attacked by the Denubbewa. We did lose a number of freighters to them until you folks stepped in and stopped that.”

“We stepped in?”

“Didn’t you? Isn’t that why you always have ships patrolling our space?”

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken. We have no ships on patrol in your space.”

“Do you deny that you were actually in our space when I first spoke to you? It’s the only way you could have arrived here so quickly.”

“I assure you we were not on patrol in your space. As to how we got here so fast, I can’t reveal anything about that. But we were not in your space when I responded to your message.”

“Then can you take a delegation to Quesann since your ships are so fast?”

“I can’t leave my patrol area without permission from Quesann. Stand by, Senator Prime. I’ll consult with Quesann regarding this situation.”

“When will we hear back from you?”

“As soon as I get an answer from Quesann. It could be a few minutes or a few hours.”

“Minutes? You can communicate with Quesann in minutes?”

“It may take hours for them to make a decision.”

“But it might be minutes?”

“It could.”

“Thank you, Captain. We’ll wait for you to contact us again.”

* * *

As the contact ended, Emmeticus turned to the ten other Senate committee members in the room and said, “See, I told you. I told you.”

“Told us what?” Senator Bulbalo asked.

“Years ago— years— I told you that the G.A. had developed some new form of communication, but that fool Literamus argued that S-band was the fastest form of communication possible and that there couldn’t possibly be anything faster. Now, we learn the truth. The G.A. has instant contact regardless of distance. And they can even send large ships anywhere in seconds. If only we hadn’t joined the Uthlaro in that foolish war.”

“The captain of the Athens doesn’t seem too angry about that,” Senator Bulbalo stated.

“Well, it was a long time ago, Curlekurt,” Senator Ceckwil said. “Perhaps they’re not still holding a grudge.”

* * *

“Quesann HQ has given me permission to send a small delegation back to the base to discuss the issues,” Captain Havens said when the connection with the senators was rejoined.

“Send?” Emmeticus said. “As in a ship?”

“Uh, no. We’ll send a three-member delegation via the CJ Personnel Gate we have on board.”

“You have some kind of gate on board your ship?”

“Yes. But it can only send a maximum of three individuals at a time.”

“Send? Send how?”

“It’s like sending a message. But instead of sending just your voice, we send all of you to a Gate at the destination. You step into a booth here, and seconds later you step out at your destination.”

The senators surrounding Emmeticus were staring at him, slack jawed.

“And this is safe?” Emmeticus asked.

“We use them all the time. We haven’t lost anyone yet.”

“Well, I don’t know.” Emmeticus said. “I just don’t know. Have you ever traveled that way?”

“Many times.” After a few more seconds, Havens said, “That’s okay. If you don’t wish to go, I can cancel the whole thing.”

“No, wait. Okay, I’ll go.”

“Fine. Tell me where and when our shuttle should land. Oh, by the way, do you breathe an oxygen mixture like Terrans?”

“Yes. Our species are very compatible. The mixture on our home planet is roughly 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% argon.”

“Perfect. We’ll await your message that you’re ready to be picked up.”

*

“They’re going to send me like a voice message,” Emmeticus said when the connection was closed.

“She said it’s safe.”

“Yes, she did. She also said she’s done it many times.”

“The G.A. wouldn’t be using it if it wasn’t safe.”

“I wish Literamus was here. I’d like to see if he’d go.”

“So, who’s coming with me?” Emmeticus said.

After a minute he said, “Don’t all volunteer at once.”

“It’s not that we’re scared, Curlekurt,” Senator Bulbalo said. “It’s just the idea of being chopped up into particles of matter and then being reassembled.”

“Which means you’re scared.”

“Well, maybe a little.”

“Well, I’m going if I have to go alone. This is going to be wonderful. I’ll be the first Gondusan to ever travel this way. And you’ll all be remembered as cowards.”

“You wouldn’t tell anyone, would you?” Bulbalo asked.

“I don’t see how I could avoid it. If I’m forced to go alone, people will wonder why there was no other brave person on the Senior Committee.”

The other committee members were standing in a rough circle, their eyes flitting from one to another of their brethren. Finally, Bulbalo said, “Okay, I’ll go also.”

“Is that all the brave Gondusans we have on this committee? You’ll regret it when Bulbalo and I get back and the newspapers all want to interview us.”

“I’ll go,” Senator Ceckwil said. “I could use some good publicity.”

“I’ll go also,” Senator Fuvver said.

“The Captain said the Gate can only handle three.”

“She said it can only send three individuals at a time.”

“I’ll go also,” Senator Wilonnu said.

“And me,” Senator Prubbal said.

“And me,” Senator Relurro said.

“Too late. We already have six volunteers. The captain may object if I bring too many. We don’t want to have the entire junket canceled.”

“Then we should draw straws,” Relurro said.

“It was first come, first go. We have our six. I just hope the Captain is understanding— and accommodating.”

* * *

The shuttle pilot never released the double-envelope until the shuttle was actually sitting on the designated landing pad. The Gondusans in the area were stunned to see it suddenly appear as if out of thin air.

When the six senators tried to enter the ship, the chief petty officer held out his hand to stop them. “I was only told to pick up three,” he said. His Amer was converted to Gondusan by his translation device.

“A slight change of plans,” Emmeticus said. “I’m sure your captain won’t mind.”

The chief reported the discrepancy to the pilot of the shuttle and then backed away a few seconds later to allow all six of the senators aboard the small ship.

*

Captain Havens was waiting to greet the diplomats when the door to the shuttle opened in the bay.

“Welcome to the Athens, Gentlemen,” she said. “I’m Captain Havens. We seem to have a larger group than anticipated.”

Emmeticus stepped forward and said, “I hope it won’t be a problem, Captain. I’m Senator Prime Emmeticus. We had more who wanted to come, but I had to draw the line. Allow me to introduce the senators that have been selected to join me.”

After the introductions were concluded, the diplomatic party of senators was escorted to the hold used as a transporter room.

“That’s it?” Emmeticus said as he looked at the simple Gate booth.

“What were you expecting?” Captain Havens asked.

“I don’t know for sure. I guess I expected to see walls of flashing lights and equipment, along with dozens of technicians.”

“No, this is all there is. The booth is large enough to handle three at a time. After all six have arrived on Quesann, your baggage will be sent.”

“Thank you, Captain. I don’t suppose you could tell us how you make your shuttle and ship invisible?”

“I’m sorry, Senator, but that information is top secret, and I can’t share it with you, nor can anyone else. Now— I need three of you to enter the booth for the first transport to Quesann.”

Emmeticus led the way into the booth and stood very still. As the technician pulled his goggles down over his face, he told the three senators to close their eyes for a couple of seconds, but Emmeticus chose to keep his eyes open. A brilliant flash of light caused him to see spots for a few seconds. As his eyes became accustomed to normal illumination levels again, he saw that the booth was in a substantially larger room.

A goggled chief petty officer standing at a control console said, “Please step out of the booth so the rest of your party can join us.”

Once the booth was clear, the CPO touched a contact spot on his console to reset the Gate and send a message to the Athens that it was safe to send the next trio.

Roughly twenty seconds passed before the booth illuminated again. When the light level inside the booth returned to normal, the second trio was standing there. All were rubbing their eyes.

“Where are we?” Emmeticus asked the CPO manning the console.

“Welcome to Quesann. Your baggage will begin to arrive now that your party is here. Outside this room, a guide is waiting to take you to the living accommodations that have been prepared for your visit.”

“We’re on Quesann?” Emmeticus said. “Just like that? A flash of light and we’re thousands of light-years from where we started? How much time has passed?”

Looking down at the console, the CPU said, “Since you stepped into the booth, about— one minute and twenty-eight seconds have passed.”

“Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Until recently, I never dreamed such a thing was possible. I don’t suppose you could tell us how that’s accomplished?”

“I’m sorry, but such information is top-secret. And I don’t really understand it all anyway. I just know it works, and there have never been an accident or a failure, sir.”

“I understand.”

The senators waited until their luggage arrived, and they were then taken to their accommodations. When they were settled in, each senator performed a sweep of their room, looking for electronics. They then met in the room assigned to Emmeticus.

“Do you believe it now?” Emmeticus asked the others. “Do you believe that the G.A. is so far ahead of us that it seems like we should still be living in caves?”

“I admit I had my doubts,” Bulbalo said. “Small doubts, but still doubts that all of the reports we received from Ruwalchu were true. I’m now convinced that those reports, if anything, understated the advancements we’ve experienced so far. When that shuttle appeared out of thin air on Sulello, I thought I’d lose control of my bowels.”

“I’m sure the leaders on Ruwalchu were equally impressed, which accounts for their speedy decision to merge their nation with the G.A.”

“It’s a shame Literamus is so convinced that the stories we’ve heard about the G.A. have all been gross exaggerations and that merging with them would have a negative effect on our nation. I see nothing but positives. The G.A. doesn’t interfere with the political and economic situations on the planets as long as the citizens and planets abide by the few simple rules that were established when the G.A. and Space Command were first formed. Space Command is only concerned with keeping the peace and protecting the planets in the G.A. from danger and outside interference.”

“Yes, the key is in the simplicity of the Space Command rules— rules that can never be changed by the G.A. Senate because they were part of the original charter. The G.A. Senate controls the purse strings, which gives them a little control over expensive new programs, but they can’t order the military to take any actions the military disagrees with. And from what we’ve observed, the military is well organized and well supervised by a senior command who maintains strict adherence to the original charter.”

“So, you’re saying that the G.A. Senate can’t order the military to go to war, but that since the G.A. Senate controls the purse strings, they can prevent Space Command from initiating any wars.”

“Yes, Wilonnu. Space Command must, every annual, justify and defend every program and planned change.”

“You seem to know a lot about the G.A. and Space Command,” Senator Fuvver said.

“Following our ignominious withdrawal from the THUG pact, as Space Command refers to it, I studied everything I could find in our libraries and news services. Because of the way the Uthlaro spoke of Space Command and the G.A., I thought the day might come when we would again find ourselves in conflict with them. I never dreamed that one day I’d be actively pursuing not just an alliance but an actual merger with our onetime enemy.”

“If they still think of us as their enemy,” Senator Bulbalo said, “they may outright reject any talk of a merger.”

“If they still thought of us as an enemy, I doubt they would’ve allowed us to come to their military headquarters. Yet, here we are.”

From what we’ve seen, they need not fear us,” Senator Wilonnu said. “But I freely admit I fear the amazing technology they’ve developed.”

“If they accept our merger proposal, we may one day have access to that technology. At least, that’s my hope. With Space Command defending our planets, we can concentrate on improving the infrastructure of our planetary commerce. Our people will be far better off than they are now. And we’ll naturally benefit in our roles as members of the Gondusan Senate.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

~ September 3rd, 2295 ~

“I have to go to Quesann HQ tomorrow morning,” Sydnee told her XO after learning that the meeting scheduled while they’d been in unclaimed space was on again.

“Quesann HQ? Why?”

“I don’t know. I was scheduled to go the day after the second mothership showed up in unclaimed space, but it was postponed when they pursued us and a decision was made to commandeer that mothership also.”

“When will you be back?”

“I don’t know. I really have no idea why they want me to come.”

“Perhaps they’re going to promote you to admiral for everything you’ve accomplished.”

Sydnee grinned and chuckled.

“But more likely,” Weems said, “they want to hear about your experiences with commandeering these motherships. You are, without a doubt, the foremost leading expert on commandeering and captaining Denubbewa motherships and converting them to space stations.”

“There are seven motherships already in use as space stations in Region Three.”

“But those were discovered abandoned. We had to take down our three, which were filled with cyborgs. They may want a firsthand account of the operation.”

“Maybe that’s it. You’ll naturally assume all of my duties until I return— if I return.”

“Syd, you can’t leave us.”

“It’s not my call, Jerry. But if I don’t return, I want to tell you what a privilege it has been serving with you and all the crewmembers aboard the Justice and the Denver.”

“Are you going to make some sort of announcement to the rest of the crew?”

“No, let them believe I’m coming back. I don’t want to say any goodbyes until I know what’s going to happen at Quesann. And if they decide that my time as captain of this ship is over, I’ll request permission to return so I can say goodbye to the crew.”

“Okay, Syd. I’m going to think positive. We need you out here. I don’t think anyone else could have done the incredible things you’ve done. I’m just going to assume they want you to brief them on the procedures you’ve developed for commandeering motherships.”

“Thanks, Jerry.”

* * *

Sydnee arrived on Quesann seconds before 0830 for her 0900 appointment on Friday and stepped out of the CJ Personnel Booth. It was her first time traveling in that fashion, and it was a bit of shock to find herself in a new location even though she was fully prepared and knew what to expect.

“Good morning, Lieutenant,” the engineer standing behind the travel console said. “Welcome to Quesann.”

“Thank you. I have an appointment at SHQ. Can you give me directions? I’ve never been on Quesann before.”

“There’s a petty officer waiting in the outer room to take you there.” Pointing to one of the room’s three doors, he said, “That way, Lieutenant.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

As Sydnee exited the room, a chief petty officer relaxing in a chair stood up quickly and said, “Good morning, Lieutenant. I’m CPO Linda Wilkoss. I’m here to escort you to SHQ.”

“Lead on, Chief.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The chief had a car outside the building, and after both were aboard and the chief had verified that there were no other cars coming, she raised the car to the correct altitude and then followed the drive lanes marked on the ground below as they proceeded to a large building that appeared to be about twenty stories high.

After landing the car on the roof, Chief Wilkoss pointed to an entry door to the lower floors and said, “Just go through that door, Lieutenant. I can’t leave the car here on the roof, so Chief Bartello is waiting just inside.”

“Thanks for the lift, Chief.”

“It was an honor and privilege, Lieutenant Marcola.”

Upon entering the building through the rooftop door, Sydnee was greeted by Chief Bartello. “Welcome to Quesann, Lieutenant,” she said. “This is your first visit, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’d be happy to give you a tour of the Quesann Space Command base after your meetings are concluded, if you wish.”

“Thank you, Chief. I’d like that, but I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

“I’ll plan on doing it then and hope you can find the time. Shall we go down to the meeting room?”

Sydnee nodded and followed the chief petty officer to the lifts. After descending eight floors, the lift stopped and the doors opened. The chief petty officer remained behind in the lift while Sydnee stepped out and walked to a desk where another chief petty officer was seated. There was a set of doors behind the greeting desk and no other doors or hallways were visible, so the one meeting area must occupy the entire floor.

“Good morning, Lieutenant,” the chief petty officer said. “Please have a seat and I’ll notify you when the committee is ready for you.”

Sydnee selected a chair and sank into its deep comfort. The lift doors had closed, so the area was now bathed in silence. There was a chronometer on the wall facing her, and she watched as the seconds and minutes ticked by.

As always, when summoned and given a time to appear, a individual must be there at that time, but it rarely worked the other way. Her 0900 meeting time appeared on the chronometer and then was gone. Nobody came or went from the meeting hall, so either everyone who should’ve been in there was already there, or there were other, private entrances/exits to and from the hall, and they might still be expecting someone to arrive.

The chronometer indicted the time was 1007 when the chief petty officer at the desk put her hand near her right ear and nodded slightly. When she lowered her hand, she said, “You may go in now, Lieutenant.”

“Can you tell me with whom I’ll be meeting?”

“I’m not sure, ma'am, but the officers will all have a nameplate on the table in front of them.”

“I see. Thank you.”

The chief petty officer simply nodded.

As Sydnee approached the doors, they opened to allow her to enter. The first thing she noticed was that the room was enormous. There was an oval-shaped table that accommodated sixteen and a gallery area that extended around the entire room. The gallery was empty at present, but the table was fully occupied except for one chair at the end facing her. The seated occupants were all senior Space Command or Space Marine officers, and all held the rank of captain or colonel, except for one. That one officer was Admiral Holt. Sydnee had never met him, but she’d seen images of him many times during her Academy years and her military service.

Sydnee walked to a point behind the empty chair after assuming it was for her and braced to attention.

“Lieutenant Sydnee Marie Marcola, reporting as ordered.”

“Good morning, Lieutenant,” the Space Command captain seated on the immediate right of Admiral Holt said. “Have a seat.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said before sitting down. After filling the chair, she sat ramrod straight.

“You can relax, Lieutenant,” the captain said. “You’re not going to be shot today.”

A chuckle passed among the officers around the table.

Sydnee was silent for a couple of seconds, then said, “Not today, sir?”

Another chuckle passed around the table.

“Nor any other day— as far as I know,” he said with a smile.

Sydnee smiled and relaxed slightly.

“Do you know why you’re here, Lieutenant?”

“No, sir.”

“It’s because every Space Command and Space Marine officer in this room, as well as perhaps every officer in the service and most of the enlisted, know your name but have never met or even seen you.”

“I’ve been assigned to missions outside the G.A. for a considerable period, sir.”

“Yes, we know. And your service to the G.A. has been nothing less than spectacular. That’s why everyone knows your name, although few could have picked you out of a crowd of female officers holding the same rank. We had expected to meet you months ago, but you’ve been occupied adding to your extremely impressive record by commandeering a third Denubbewa mothership. Remarkable! I’ve visited one of the motherships we discovered unoccupied in Region Three. They’re gargantuan, and it’s difficult to imagine commandeering one of those ships, but you’ve been able to take down three occupied motherships without any loss of life on our side. It’s no wonder everyone in Space Command and the Space Marines has been talking about you.”

“I’m just one small cog in the wheel, Captain. It’s true I devised the strategy used in the operations, but the hard work was mostly done by others. In my opinion, my team is the best of the best.”

“We’re all familiar with your record, Lieutenant. And we know you never hesitate to get your hands a little dirty when it’s required— or even a lot dirty. It’s what’s made you such an effective leader. Your people know you care about them and will, yourself, do anything you ask of them. I’m sure they’ll miss you.”

“Excuse me, sir? They’ll miss me?”

“You won’t be returning to the CPS ship you’ve commanded for so long, or I should say the newer CPS-16 you were assigned not that long ago to replace the CPS-14.”

“I can’t return?”

“We have something different in mind for you.”

“But I didn’t know I couldn’t go back. I never packed my clothes or said goodbye to my crew. Was it something I did?”

“It was everything you did. But this isn’t a punishment, Lieutenant Commander.”

“Lieutenant Commander?”

“You and many of your crew are long overdue for promotions. You haven’t received them because this is the first time you’ve all been back in G.A. space in many years, and there were no senior officers aboard your ship to conduct the ceremony. The promotions are actually retroactive to the time the promotion lists were established, and you’ll all receive full pay retroactive to the date you were officially promoted, even though we didn’t feel it was appropriate to notify you while you were involved in an undercover operation. You are now officially a senior officer, so when you return to say goodbye, you can conduct a small ceremony and deliver the promotions aboard the— what do you call it— oh yes, the Humdrum Three. We’ll take care of your promotion right now.”

Captain Forsyth stood and said, “Company— atten-shun!”

All the seated officers in the room stood and braced to attention. Admiral Holt and Captain Forsyth walked to where Sydnee was at attention. Forsyth opened a document folder and read the promotion details, then Admiral Holt reached out to change Sydnee’s lieutenant insignia for the insignia of a lieutenant commander, but Sydnee stopped him.

“What’s wrong, Commander?” Admiral Holt asked.

“Sir, once you pin that insignia on my uniform, I’ll be a lieutenant commander.”

“That’s right.”

“But, sir, won’t that mean that I can no longer be posted as a line officer aboard a Space Command vessel? I’ll be stuck on shore duty. Sir, that doesn’t appeal to me. I’d rather remain in space at the lesser rank.”

“Promotion to lieutenant commander doesn’t beach you, Commander. It makes you eligible for more responsible positions aboard ship.”

“But, sir, while I’ve graduated from both the Northern Hemisphere Space Academy and the Warship Command Institute, I’ve never attended the War College. That’s mandatory for line officers above the rank of lieutenant for posting to a warship command position. I probably would’ve been sent to the War College by now if I hadn’t been out of the G.A. for so much time.”

Holt lowered his arms and looked over at Captain Forsyth quizzically.

“She’s correct, sir. I apologize. Due to her length of service in a warship command position, I never questioned her eligibility.”

Holt thought for a minute before saying, “I know of three excellent senior officers who have all held command positions aboard large warships and yet never attended the War College. In fact, two of them technically never attended any of the academies, the Warship Command Institute or the War College. In each case, they’ve set an example that all Space Command officers attempt to follow. Granted, their cases are highly unusual, with two of the officers being clones, but their lack of formal study hasn’t prevented them from excelling at everything they do. They all share the last name of Carver. Lieutenant Marcola, you have a similar history of experience outweighing formal education, and by my order you will now become the fourth officer to have the War College requirement waived.”

Holt then smiled at her and finished the ritual of pinning the new rank insignia on her shoulders. He then took a step back and saluted Sydnee, who returned the salute.

Holt relaxed, smiled, and took a step forward, holding out his hand. Sydnee smiled and shook hands with the admiral before saying, “Thank you, sir.”

“No, thank you, Commander, for everything you’ve done for Space Command and the people of the G.A. We owe you a great debt. You’ve conducted yourself with honor and distinction.”

One by one all the other officers in the room then made their way to Sydnee to shake her hand and congratulate her on her successes and her promotion.

~ finis ~

*** Sydnee’s exciting adventures will continue ***

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Appendix

This chart is offered to assist readers who may be unfamiliar with military rank and the reporting structure. Newly commissioned officers begin at either ensign or second lieutenant rank.

Space Command Officer Hierarchy:

Admiral of the Fleet (5 Star)
Admiral (4 Star)
Vice-Admiral (3 Star)
Rear Admiral – Upper (2 Star)
Rear Admiral – Lower (1 Star)

Captain
Commander
Lt. Commander
Lieutenant
Lieutenant(jg) "Junior Grade"
Ensign

Space Marine Officer Hierarchy:

General (4 Star)
Lt. General (3 Star)
Major General (2 Star)
Brigadier General (1 Star)

Colonel
Lt. Colonel
Major
Captain
First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant

The commanding officer on a ship is always referred to as Captain, regardless of his or her official military rank. Even an Ensign could be a Captain of the Ship, although that would only occur as the result of an unusual situation or emergency where no senior officers survive.

On Space Command ships and bases, time is measured according to a twenty-four-hour clock, normally referred to as military time. For example, 8:42 PM would be referred to as 2042 hours. Chronometers are set to always agree with the date and time at Space Command Supreme Headquarters on Earth. This is known as GST, or Galactic System Time.

Admiralty Board:

Moore, Richard E - Admiral of the Fleet

Bradlee, Roger T. - Admiral - Director of Intelligence (SCI)

Ressler, Shana E. - Admiral - Director of Budget & Accounting

Hillaire, Arnold H. - Admiral - Director of Academies

Holt, Brian D. - Vice-Admiral - Deputy Commander of Fleet Two Operations

Burke, Raymond A. - Vice-Admiral - Director of GSC Base Management

Ahmed, Raihana L. - Vice-Admiral - Dir. of Quartermaster Supply

Woo, Lon C. - Vice-Admiral - Dir. of Scientific & Expeditionary Forces

Plimley, Loretta J. - Rear Admiral (U) - Dir. of Weapons R&D

Yuthkotl , Lesbolh - Rear Admiral (U) - Dir. of Nordakian Forces Integration

Ship Speed Terminology:

Plus-1 - 1 kps

Sub-Light-1 - 1,000 kps

Light-1 - 299,792.458 kps or (c) (speed of light in a vacuum)

Light-150 or 150 c - 150 times the speed of light

Light-450 - 134,906,606.1 kps

Light-9790 (9793.48) - 2,936,011,441.57384 kps

Marc-1 – Light-14,685.7 – 4,402,662,100.4506 kps

Hyper-Space Factors:

IDS Communications Band - .0513 light years each minute (8.09 billion kps)

DeTect Range - 4 billion kilometers

Sample Distances:

Earth to Mars (Mean) - 78 million kilometers

Nearest star to our Sun - 4 light-years (Proxima Centauri)

Milky Way Galaxy diameter - 100,000 light-years

Thickness of M'Way at Sun - 2,000 light-years

Stars in Milky Way - 200 billion (est.)

Nearest galaxy (Andromeda) - 2 million light-years from M'Way

A light-year - 9,460,730,472,580.8 kilometers (in vacuum)

A light-second - 299,792.458 km (in vacuum)

Grid Unit - 1,000 Light Yrs² (1,000,000 Sq. LY)

Deca-Sector - 100 Light Years² (10,000 Sq. LY)

Sector - 10 Light Years² (100 Sq. LY)

Section - 94,607,304,725 km²

Sub-section - 946,073,047 km²

TOC

This map shows Galactic Alliance space after maps were redrawn following the end of hostilities with the Milori, and the war with the Tsgardi, Hudeerac, Uthlaro, and Gondusans. Unclaimed territories between the three regions were claimed in order to have one contiguous area. Regions Two and Three are so vast that exercising control and maintaining law and order has been largely impossible to this date. Most recently, the Ruwalchu territory became Region Four

The only purpose of this two-dimensional representation is to provide the reader with a basic feel for the spatial distances involved, and the reader must remember that GA territory extends through the entire depth of the Milky Way galaxy when the galaxy is viewed on edge.

.jpg and .pdf versions of the maps created for this series are available for downloading at : http://www.deprima.com/ancillary/maps.html
should the names be unreadable in your printed or electronic media, or if you simply wish to gain a better overall perspective.