Secrets in the Stars (Family Law)

by Mackey Chandler

  "I don't think whoever commands the Albuquerque is going to give this many armed ships reason to open up on him," Lee told Talker. "If he was looking to intimidate Red Tree or any of the Derf because we were gone from Derfhome, then it was really bad timing."

  * * *

  When Gordon and the main crew returned for their next shift there were a lot of messages to go through. The one from the clan Mothers was on top of the queue. Gordon shared it with Thor and Lee.

  "Clan son, we are glad to see your safe return. The USNA cruiser at Derfhome station is the second of their war vessels to sit there since your departure. The destroyer Texarkana arrived with timing suggesting it was dispatched as soon as commercial traffic to Earth carried word both of our armed ships were absent from the system. It arrived and docked within two days of normal transit time both ways after your departure. Then two weeks after its arrival the Albuquerque relieved it.

  "Their intention seems to be not to actively seek any confrontation, but to let it hang over our heads as a reminder they are a larger better armed nation than us. That their visit is not a normal friendly visit is clear from the fact crew has not been granted leave to Derfhome. Indeed liberty to Derfhome station has been very limited and officers only.

  "Perhaps they expected us to protest their presence from a position of weakness. We will not play these psychological games and ask for anything. If we protest it will be from a position of being able to enforce our requests.

  "We sent the freighter Red Metal to the Fargone system with commercial cargo and gave the master letters and authorization to consult with the Fargone military. He was specifically authorized to invite them to have a presence in our system if they felt limiting the USNA influence so close to Fargone served their interests. As you see, they accepted.

  "As we anticipated, they offered to make our system off limits to the USNA military vessels with an official announcement of exclusion, and to enforce that. Our spox was instructed to turn this offer down as it would make us a vassal system under Fargone protection. We had no way to prevent them doing so against our wishes, but they did not insist. Perhaps because as the Second Mother remarked, 'They realize Gordon will be returning'.

  "That is an eventuality the North Americans seem to have not weighed carefully. We have no idea or intelligence what their orders are, if the Little Fleet returns. It is not our will that you quickly invite them to depart. To do so is to require us to permanently retain our armed vessels in system to enforce this at great expense. We do however intend to hold the destroyer Sharp Claws here at least temporarily.

  "We have sent the Red Metal to occupy its previous wartime station, sending enough supplies that it can remain on station for an extended period. If word reaches them that the North Americans have reneged on their treaty, then we will resolve the matter permanently. They are instructed to start their run from much further out in the Solar Oort Cloud than we planned before, and rather than decapitate the North Americans with the loss of Vancouver and the surrounding region, they would impact the center of the continent with a higher energy strike, which would reduce their population and resources by an estimated eight tenths.

  "If necessary we would act to further reduce that to zero before they could recover, as has been our custom of old when warring with other clans.

  "We are reading summaries of your voyage as they are transmitted to us, and look forward to seeing your face."

  (Official Chop of the Mothers of Red Tree attached.)

  "Well, ships get lost between the stars," Thor growled a not too subtle threat.

  "Do you want to get into that sort of a contest?" Lee asked. "Foolish as they are they would know what happened. Might as well tell the Red Metal to boost and have done with it, as start a war of attrition that will end that way anyway."

  "We have system scan showing Bonus Points leaving for Fargone. That's news of us and their own going home to Fargone," Brownie said.

  "Oh my... The Caterpillars seem to have upped acceleration past the station," Brownie said. "Looks like they know we're stopping and want to see where Bonus Points is taking the news."

  The kilometer long ship took off at fifteen G on the same heading as Bonus Points left Derfhome. Then they increased their acceleration to twenty-two G. Their course would take them past Derfhome, fairly close. It was certainly going to give the Earthies an eyeful.

  "Ha! When the captain of the USNA cruiser sees that on scan he's going to need to go change his shorts," Thor predicted.

  "Indeed, we had to stifle such a reaction the first time we saw a Caterpillar ship maneuver, Gordon remembered. "Lacking the convenience of shorts."

  Talker, knowing he was missing some of the message feed, but having system scan and hearing Brownie and Thor in the open was alarmed. "These Earth people at station. They won't panic and fire on the Caterpillars as they pass close will they?"

  "No, they aren't as hard wired to be stupidly aggressive as Biters," Gordon assured him. "Given that everything has changed suddenly with us returning with extra ships and this strange companion, he may decide on his own that it is his duty to return home and update his command on developments."

  "As is her privilege, the Third Mother has been sending a heavy stream of encrypted traffic also," Brownie informed Gordon.

  "Everybody has their own take on it beyond our official report going out, I guess. Don't be shy if you want to talk to your guys," Gordon offered Talker.

  "And have to rush to contradict myself in a few hours when the scan changes? No thanks. I'll wait and let the changing situation sort out before making hasty statements," Talker said.

  "Your friend has a depth of wisdom," Ha-bob-bob-brie told Lee.

  Chapter 23

  Late in their shift there was a sudden change in the system scan. The Albuquerque announced to system control they were releasing unmanned traffic. They emitted a jump drone that hurried away not on a vector for normal Earth traffic but to a little used system off the normal trade route.

  "That's a pretty uninteresting star system, with no mining and no commercial presence at all. Why would anybody be there to receive a jump drone?" Lee asked. "Can it go beyond?"

  "No, if anybody is making a multi-jump drone I'm not aware of it. Not even military. They all maximize speed to get to the next system quickly. Artificial Stupids don't handle multi-system jumps well. They had somebody lurking there for backup," Gordon said with certainty. "They'll be the one to take word to Earth now."

  "Hmm... Do we have the angle on it to put that armed jump drone you had them build in ahead of the messenger?” Thor asked.

  "Sure, if you want to start a war," Gordon said.

  "I'm close," Thor admitted. "I have little patience with liars and scoundrels. That ship sitting there says we are not really at peace with North America. It says we just have an armistice, that they are reminding us they can end it when the time seems right to them."

  "Somebody in charge didn't believe the message Ms. Houke took home that we were willing to destroy them rather than yield," Lee said. "I wonder if she was imprisoned or at least let go from their service when she got home, after negotiating the treaty?"

  "The Mothers pay news clipping services to gather information for them. I'm curious too," Gordon admitted. "I will ask the Mothers to add inquiries about her to the data collection. It might tell us something of their mindset. It does look as if perhaps she was too successful in her job."

  "What are you going to do about the Albuquerque?" Lee asked him.

  "Why am I required to do anything?" Gordon asked. "I intend to ignore them."

  "Oh... that's really nasty," Lee decided.

  Gordon declared the voyage of the Little Fleet complete, and released the Fargone ships from his service. The Sharp Claws, he informed their direction from him was at an end and they could ask the Mothers of Red Tree who they would retain in service and who would be cut loose. He offered to try to find transport for anyone not wishing to be released at Derfhome, and i
nformed his own crews that anyone not wishing to remain in service for the trip to Earth could request leave or dismissal.

  He docked briefly at Derfhome station and a dozen crewmen from the fleet changed ships and duties, with one electing to deadhead to Earth, two seeking rides to Fargone, and two saying their goodbyes and awaiting passage to more exotic destinations. After arranging their own passage down to Derfhome and a transfer for Thor to the Retribution to replace Captain Aristotle, who was taking leave at Derfhome, Gordon had a skeleton crew hold the High Hopes in Derfhome orbit, since long term docking at the station was too expensive.

  Gordon was informed Quantum Queer would be staying at Derfhome for a bit to allow the destroyer Straight Away to rotate home. They would do so as an armed escort, as soon as the Badgers and Bills got a delegation sorted out to go on to Fargone.

  The Albuquerque's master never spoke to them or acknowledged them with a hail or message of any sort. After completing an epic voyage some acknowledgment would have been normal for most spacers. News services on Derfhome were not as obnoxious as Earth, but he had to have seen the Badgers and Bills being interviewed. The Badgers directly as a few of them had an excellent command of English. But from the Earthies not a word. On the station nobody from the ship was in evidence. If they were at liberty they were in civilian clothing. It amused Gordon to think what sort of fees the cruiser was running up at dock trying to intimidate them. If they wanted to boost the local economy however they were succeeding.

  The exo-clinic at Derfhome station couldn't start to do a medical on the entire fleet. They contented themselves with a thorough examination of two Humans, two Derf, and one each of the new aliens. The larger sample gave them a better statistic picture in any case. They picked the young woman who had the foot infection and found no traces of it lingering. They all got a clean bill of health.

  * * *

  Derfhome surprised the Badgers and Bills. Nobody hid the population numbers or the rural nature of most of the clan keeps from them. The facts were there if they searched the web fraction they had access to. They'd just formed this false expectation from the obvious wealth and weapons tech of the Little Fleet of a much more bustling urban sort of planet.

  Lee assured them Earth was very much that way, but no other planet in the Human sphere had been populated long enough to be as crowded or industrialized as they were expecting. Even New Japan and Fargone were still mostly empty, Fargone more so because they were extremely picky about immigration.

  Derf cities were rather functional places, without a lot of flashy displays of wealth that come with spending government money on bureaucratic palaces, courts, endless office buildings or the monuments, arches, statues and obelisks that celebrate heroes and victories. All the power resided in the keeps and modest clan halls. The cities were for trade, warehouses, and some industrial processes no clan Mothers wanted on their lands. The hotels and restaurants were more for the businesspeople than resorts for vacationers. There was no fascination with casinos of which even Fargone had a few. The aliens nevertheless found some shopping, enough they could eat to be interesting, and trips to places of natural beauty on which to spend some of their money.

  Not many got to see the core of the culture, the clan keep. Talker did as a guest of Gordon and Lee after spending a couple days seeing his subordinates were settled in and having, or causing no problems. Lee and Gordon visited their bank and did some personal shopping waiting on Talker to go to Red Tree all together. Lee was nervous about their reception. She'd been in conflict with the First Mother her first visit and hadn't forgotten that. Having the Third Mother arrive in the same aircar with them, without expressing any objections, eased her concern. It was a ten seat commuter aircraft, which meant a Human, Badger and two Derf pushed its load envelope.

  Chatting with the Third Mother on the flight Lee asked if she would accompany Talker and Singer to Earth, to facilitate their adaption of the claims system.

  "I've had enough travel for awhile. I see no need for my presence. Derf, Fargoers and others have filed claims before. It is the company filing, not Red Tree. Now, whether they will welcome this other civilization into the system has little to do with Red Tree. Indeed too close an association might prejudice them. We may be at peace with North America, if it holds, but I doubt we have actually found favor with them to somehow be seen as a sponsor. What would I say?" She had a point, Lee decided.

  Lee thought her friend Clare who they'd rescued from Earth might be at the keep. She'd left her behind when the Little Fleet left to further her education. She'd found the education Earth gave to negative tax recipients didn't prepare her for any sort of spacer job. She had Lee's license to visit the keep or stay in the city and take classes as she wished.

  Lee found a private moment to hide her use of a private phone from envious eyes, and sent Clare a message that she was on planet and at the Red Tree keep, but she was just passing through to Earth and might not see her. Clare replied that she hadn't expected her back so soon, was surprised when the Little Fleet returned, and was immersed in studies and doing fine, but just starting to see how much there was for her to learn. Also, did Lee think she'd be coming back from Earth? Lee assured her that was the plan.

  Gordon got word that the Bonus Points returned almost as fast as a turnaround from Fargone could be done. The huge Caterpillar ship unnerved the Fargoers and they had tactfully suggested they'd love to see if the aliens would follow the Bonus Points back to Derfhome. Unsaid but intimated was soon. It did, to their considerable relief.

  Whatever word they brought back to the Fargone forces at Derfhome they didn't share with Gordon. He neither expressed approval or said anything to discourage their presence. As far as he was concerned that was between the Mothers and the Fargoers. He'd follow their requests for support if it made sense and was within his capabilities. It wasn't part of the business interests of the Little Fleet. It did however make him glad he had both the Third Mother and a Fargone spox along on their voyage. Just so he didn't get sucked deeper into the political side of it.

  A delegation on the Deep Space Explorer Green went to Fargone to do business. Mixed least they provoke the wrath of Gordon by Badger or Bill trying to exclude the other again. The Fargone destroyer Straight Away gave them an armed escort.

  The DSE Wonder went to New Japan, likely the more important delegation to buy arms they could afford. Fargone, unless they came up with some simple legacy systems, was going to be out of their reach. Since the Mother had reclaimed Sharp Claws to their service the Retribution escorted the Wonder, under command of Thor since Captain Aristotle wanted leave on Derfhome. The Retribution would return to Derfhome once the new aliens were safely introduced to the somewhat xenophobic New Japanese, as they intended for the Retribution to escort the Dart and High Hopes to Earth.

  The senior Mothers welcomed Talker as well as Lee could have hoped. She'd been the first Human to visit the Red Tree keep. Lee had no idea if once she’d broken the ice they'd had any others visit, and she wasn't about to ask. Lee assumed word on just about anything she said would filter back to the Mothers, who might well wonder what concern of hers their visitors were. Talker might very well be only the second non-Derf to be seen in the keep. The Derf children certainly considered him a treat, mobbing him anytime he stopped in a public place. Lee suspected they were more comfortable with him than her because he had fur.

  The First Mother had given her leave to bring a visitor when she'd been here before. Lee hoped the First Mum was not regretting that extraordinary privilege she'd extended to Lee. Gordon quietly assured her in their private rooms that if they had been terribly offended they wouldn't have given Talker private quarters. A place by the hearth in the clan hall was not considered an insult to travelers. That relieved Lee somewhat. Now if Talker just didn't inadvertently offend anyone after dinner.

  Talker spoke English, if anything, better than the Mothers, which was surprising as he'd known it for a much shorter time. However he was immersed
in it with both negotiating back on Far Away, and having come over to the High Hopes to help translate the Caterpillar transmissions. The Mothers knew it more as a diplomatic language than for normal conversation.

  Lee could see the Mothers warm to him, discussing how Badgers governed themselves. Their system of independent land holdings were much more like Derf clans despite the fact it was not a serial matriarchy, and they did more in common than Derf clans. They still functioned as isolated rural communities, with trades and specialized commerce in separate towns. Even Gordon twitched and grew attentive when the Mothers told Talker the clans had to do more in common too, as a matter of necessity to deal with the outside sphere of Human influence. He almost fell off his chair when they casually mentioned they needed to find measured ways to bring town Derf and traders into having an interest and voice in governance.

  Lee was caught unaware by Talker mentioning he'd taken her into a market town to trade in coins and shop for jewelry. He put her on the spot to relate the experience. Fortunately she had the necklace she'd bought under her blouse and brought it out and passed it to the Mothers to examine. Nothing she brought up seemed to offend, though Gordon was holding his breath. When she related how the farm supervisor from Talker's household had picked them up in a big farm truck with stinky boots and they rode in the cab the Mothers thought it was hilarious. Lee knew they didn't entirely approve of the expense of an aircar they'd been forced to use for lack of time. So they loved the story.

  Lee noticed the new Champion, Garrett, was standing behind the Mothers, though without the formality of his full outfit. He did however have the ax of his office. She hadn't thought of him as being on duty, but apparently the Mothers had felt the need for a little formality with this foreign visitor. After seeing the very fine metalwork of the necklace the Mothers bade Garrett to fetch his helm and shield.

  Talker oohed and awwed sincerely over the magnificent engraving and enamel work until he found the a panel ruined by a pistol shot with the enamel shattered and a groove in the bronze smeared with gilding metal and lead. "This is terrible to have damaged such artwork. Is there a contemporary artist that can repair it?" Talker asked.