Earthers

by S. H. Jucha

  Thirty captains and six senior captains volunteered and were accepted to sail with the Omnians. The number, two fewer than was hoped, would have to do.

  Immediately the Earther commanders and their crews were the recipients of implants and cell gen injections from Pia’s stores. Afterward, the SADEs instituted the nightly games for the newly implanted crews to adopt the technology.

  Three weeks after the Earther crews received the medical tech, Alex curtailed Sol’s shadow production. He allowed any units currently under construction to be delivered provided they were received within the next eight days.

  Tatia chose to split Deirdre’s command, and she took half. Franz would receive half of Darius’s command, when the fleet returned to alliance space. She selected Reiko and Lucia to lead the two commands of SE Tridents. They were the admirals with the most experience in working with Earthers.

  Nikki paid a visit to the Freedom on the day before the fleet was to launch. She enjoyed an evening meal. Then she retired to visit with Alex, Renée, and Julien.

  “This time, it’s the alliance’s enemy. Then what?” Nikki asked, as she accepted a cup of thé from Renée.

  “Establish the first alliance outpost,” Alex replied.

  “Where?” Nikki inquired.

  “The center of alliance space, which happens to be Pyre,” Renée replied, with a grin.

  “On Pyre?” Nikki asked.

  “No,” Alex replied. “The outpost’s independence is paramount. A station will be situated in the system, and we’ll require the Pyrean government to recognize that the station, its ships, and its service members are independent of Pyrean oversight.”

  “Exactly what will be the purpose of the outpost?” Nikki asked.

  “What duties do your security forces perform?” Julien inquired.

  “Ah,” Nikki exhaled slowly. “That’s a huge job for a single outpost.”

  “You have to start somewhere,” Alex replied. “It’s time for governments to stop thinking of only their systems. We must work today with the future in mind. Otherwise, when it arrives, it’ll smack us in the face, as if we were unsuspecting children.”

  “What comes after your outpost?” Nikki asked.

  “If circumstances permit, the conference at Sol with the colony leaders,” Alex replied.

  “You mean if the leaders wish to take part in a conference,” Nikki surmised.

  Renée laughed politely. “Nikki, no. In this case, circumstance means one or more battleship wedges haven’t crossed the wall toward our colonies or alliance space. We’ve left probes with allies and races we wish to protect. If we receive a signal, then the fleet sails immediately. Then again, some unknown and remarkable group of entities might descend on New Terra or Sol. What we’ve discovered is that there’s no shortage of troubles in the galaxy.”

  “I think I liked it better when I was rim governor and uninformed about the wider problems,” Nikki lamented.

  “The choice of whether to know is always ours,” Julien pronounced.

  4: Pyre

  The augmented Omnian fleet, except for Commodore Tenard’s command, sailed for Pyre.

  A message was sent to Darius to pull his Tridents from duty over Pimbor and Quall and sail for Pyre, after Earther forces arrived to relieve him. He was requested to communicate with Commodore Tenard Oleg about his arrival date.

  After the fleet made orbit over Pyre, and Darius’s command arrived, Alex repeated something typically unprecedented in Omnia Ships’ history. For the second time, he chose to leave the Freedom unprotected, and he sent the admirals’ commands on their way.

  Tatia knew the order was coming, and she had no response. The Freedom, the Rêveur, and some freighters would have no Trident cover. Then again, it wasn’t like alliance space was a hotbed of warship encounters. Without a word of argument, Tatia ordered the commands to sail.

  Alex’s first order of business on Pyre was a discussion with the president, Leslie Finian. He requested Ophelia schedule a meeting, and at the appointed hour, he and others dropped planetside in a traveler.

  When Leslie received word that a traveler had landed on the grounds, she and her staff assembled in a conference room. They were taken aback when the first two individuals to enter the room filled the doorway. The individuals scanned the room, took positions in the corners, and silently watched everyone.

  The next Omnian to enter wasn’t much smaller, but Alex was definitely more cordial. He smiled and greeted the president.

  Alex introduced Renée, Julien, Tacnock, Z, and Miranda. Ophelia, Patrice, Olawale, Jess, and Kasie were known.

  Julien set his holo-vid at the end of the conference table.

  For a half hour, Alex updated the president on the recent events at Pimbor and Quall.

  “We’d heard from the Tsargit that the members of the federacy fleet were settled on Quall,” Leslie said. “We were surprised that the council agreed to allow that.”

  “Actually, it was a representative vote that convinced the council that it was the best option,” Alex replied.

  “We heard that from our member,” Leslie said. “Well maneuvered, Alex.”

  “How does the home world look?” the chief of staff asked.

  “They’ve done a marvelous job of rehabilitation,” Renée replied. “You’d be proud of their efforts.”

  Alex detailed their trip to Sol and the completion of the agreement, which provided the number of Tridents that the Pyreans had briefly witnessed overhead. Then he explained the commands’ search mission.

  “After you’ve identified the various degrees of dome and planet intrusion by the Colony for the alliance, what do you expect the Tsargit to do?” a staffer asked.

  The question generated polite laughter from most of Leslie’s visitors. Aputi didn’t mind showing his disdain by laughing louder than others.

  “We don’t expect the Tsargit to do anything,” Jess said quietly. “The Tsargit has had centuries to do something, and at best, its response has been pitiful. With the Omnians’ help, we’ll rid the domes and the planets of the insectoids.”

  “Where will you get your forces? Did Sol provide you with them?” Leslie asked.

  Alex sent.

  “In a manner, Sol did,” Jess replied cryptically.

  On Jess’s command, a shadow scurried through the doorway, jumped on the table, and swiftly spun to face the president, as Jess had directed.

  Leslie and her staff knocked over chairs to get clear of the table.

  “Apologies,” Alex said genially. “We didn’t mean to frighten you.” Although, Alex did want to make a point to the president about Omnian technology, and its usefulness in combating enemies.

  As Leslie and her staff regained their seats, Jess released the shadow’s temporary directive. Reverting to its original programming, the shadow scuttled around to eye its assault commander.

  “This is a shadow ... the creation of an Omnian engineer extraordinaire and his teams,” Jess explained. “It’s been designed and constructed to hunt insectoids, and it eliminates them with a laser. This version is amazingly sophisticated.”

  Then Jess signaled the shadow to leave the table.

  Leslie and her staff watched the shadow leap to within centimeters of Z’s leg and spin in place. Then its small head tilted up to watch Jess.

  Leslie regained her composure and asked, “How many shadows do you have?”

  Jess sent as a query.

  “Two thousand six hundred eighty-five,” Julien replied.

  “If we need more, we’ll purchase them from Sol,” Alex added.

  “Actually, we’ve a significant credit with your home world, Madam President,” Julien said. “At present, we’ve no financial exchange system. Therefore, we’ll be seeking ways to spend those funds on projects in alliance territory.”

  “Madam President, we’re here for several reasons,” Alex said, “but first, we need to show you something.”

  Julien activated his
holo-vid and said, “This is a map of alliance space. Every alliance race has been identified by its star coordinates. Please note the highlighted star near the center of this map. That’s where we sit now.”

  “Pyre is the center of alliance space?” Leslie asked with incredulity.

  “Because it is, it can serve a useful purpose,” Alex said.

  “What kind of purpose?” Leslie asked. She was suddenly alert.

  Alex launched into an explanation about his plan to establish multi-racial outposts to support peace in the region.

  “But after the insectoids are removed, the alliance will have peace,” the chief of staff pointed out.

  “We have starships,” Renée said. “Would you want the rights to build them?”

  Leslie glanced at her staff. They appeared unsure. However, one look at the faces of the returning Pyreans, and she knew their answer.

  “Certainly, other races will choose to have them regardless of whether we do,” Leslie replied.

  “I imagine that’s true,” Renée said.

  “I find it unbelievable that you would espouse intentions to bring peace to vast regions of space, and yet, you’ll offer warships to the races,” Leslie said. She was more than a little perturbed.

  “My partner said starships, Madam President,” Alex corrected. “She didn’t mention warships. In other words, would you like to be able to ship heavy quantities of material to other worlds via freighters?”

  “Oh, sorry,” Leslie apologized toward Renée. “Yes, we’d like to be able to do that.”

  “Returning to my earlier point,” Alex said. “Pyre is ideally located. We’d like to construct a station near Triton. It’ll be our outpost in alliance space.”

  “Will it have warships?” the chief of staff asked.

  “Certainly,” Alex replied.

  The chief of staff started to speak, but Leslie laid a hand on his forearm.

  “The federacy race, whose battleships you took ... are there other races like them?” Leslie asked.

  “Do you mean are there other federacy races who possess battleships?” Alex asked. “The answer is that nearly all of them do.”

  “As a whole, are they peaceful?” Leslie pursued.

  “They existed for centuries, perhaps millennia, under despotic control,” Alex explained. “They’re accustomed to fierce fleet engagements. They know no other way.”

  “Then there’s every chance more of them will come our way,” Leslie concluded.

  “That’s our concern,” Alex agreed.

  “Who will pay for this station?” the chief of staff asked.

  “We will,” Julien replied. “It won’t cost Pyre a coin.”

  “That’s not true, Julien,” Olawale interrupted. “We’ll require Pyre to install hydroponic gardens aboard the station and provide a variety of local plantings.”

  “Yes, fruit juices,” Tacnock exulted. “I’ve missed them.”

  Miranda sent to the Omnians.

  Leslie and her staff had laughed at Olawale’s request. “I think we can afford the price,” Leslie said, smiling. “The station’s existence will require the Assembly’s approval, but I can assure you that a favorable vote is a foregone conclusion. You’ll have our permission.”

  “There is one more item to discuss,” Renée said. “I’ll let Captain Cinders speak to it.”

  “Tacnock and I carry implants,” Jess said. “Essentially, they’re minicomputers in our heads and include comms apps. That’s how I signaled the shadow. Without this tech, hunting the insectoids is many times more dangerous.”

  “I speak to the SADEs,” Tacnock added. “They’re marvelous entities, and they never sleep. That means I can communicate to them with my mind, at any time.”

  “What is the point of this discussion?” Leslie asked.

  “The Omnians are offering the implant tech to Pyreans,” Jess said.

  “Oh,” Leslie replied. She glanced toward Ophelia and Kasie.

  “We were offered implants,” Kasie said, “and I wanted one, but tests indicated that the tech might interfere with our powers.”

  “I think we’ll need time to consider the idea,” Leslie said.

  “Well, Madam President, those of us who fight the insectoids are convinced that implants are effective tools,” Aputi said. “Now that the commandant has been safely returned to Pyre, I’ll be receiving my implant and returning to the hunt.”

  “I won’t allow any Pyreans to support the extermination of the insectoids, unless they possess an implant,” Jess said definitively.

  “Is that your decision to make, Captain?” Leslie asked, with narrowed eyes.

  “Omnians accept Captain Cinders as the assault commander,” Renée replied. “His decisions determine the nature of the encounters against the insectoids.”

  “I’ll make that point when I speak to the Assembly,” Leslie said. “Is there anything else to discuss?” she asked.

  “No,” Alex replied. “We thank you for your time, and we hope to have a long and fruitful relationship with Pyre.” He couldn’t help grinning at his pun, which served to end the discussion on a cordial note.

  * * * * *

  There were more than two weeks of relaxation for the Omnians and the veterans at Pyre, while they waited for the commands to report. Visits to Pyre allowed for sightseeing and long moments of peace and quiet.

  Then the command’s initial reports arrived. Thereafter, they kept coming.

  By the fourth day of reports, Alex decided it was time to act, and Renée, Julien, and he sought Jess. They found him with Kasie and Tacnock, relaxing by a quiet lake and enjoying traditional Pyrean food.

  Jess watched the traveler land on a field of grass. It was near enough for his implant to identify the passengers.

  Julien detected the leap in Jess’s biorhythms, surmised his concern for his partner, and sent,

  Kasie picked up on Jess’s rush of anxiety, and she reached out a hand to grasp his.

  “It’s okay,” Jess said. “False alarm.” He smiled weakly at his sister and squeezed her hand.

  “Implants might not always be good things,” Tacnock remarked. He’d intuited the reason for his friend’s reaction to the traveler’s landing. Before they were interrupted by the Omnians, he slurped loudly on his fruit juice to finish it. It made the twins chuckle, which had been his intent.

  Alex, Renée, and Julien exited the traveler.

  “Maybe we should have waited,” Renée said, hesitating. She was looking at the idyllic location and the three individuals enjoying the scenery.

  “There will never be a good time for this kind of news,” Alex replied. He offered a hand to her, and she reluctantly accepted.

  “The commands are finding the Colony,” Jess said, when the Omnians arrived.

  “Yes,” Alex replied.

  “Many?” Tacnock asked.

  “The reports indicate a range of infestations,” Alex explained. “However, the initial frequency from four commands indicates a significant number of domes have been overtaken.”

  “Maybe, as the commands travel outward, the contact count will lessen,” Kasie said hopefully.

  “That is a possibility,” Julien offered.

  “When do we start?” Jess asked.

  Alex looked across the still lake. Flying insects danced on the surface. A small splash indicated a fish had reduced the insect count by one. He regretted interrupting the veterans’ moment of recuperation, but the danger wouldn’t wait. Unless it was stopped, it would only grow stronger.

  “Now,” Alex replied quietly. “I’ve issued a recall.”

  Jess stood and looked at his sister. “There’s no need for you to come,” he said

  “Who’s going to keep the bunch of you from feeling morose like you are now?” Kasie asked. Then sh
e spun up her power, infused it with her love for her twin, and released it.

  When Renée recovered from the strong, supportive emotion that had swept through her mind, she said flatly, “She’s coming.” Then she offered Kasie a hand to lift her off the ground.

  By late afternoon, the Freedom, the Rêveur, and the freighters sailed from Pyre. It turned out that no one was left behind.

  When Leslie heard the Omnians were leaving, she decided to request Ophelia accompany them. She was told by her chief of staff that Ophelia and Aputi had shared a midday meal with Major Paul Lindstrom aboard the JOS. Afterward, they’d caught a traveler for the city-ship. Later, Leslie listened to the message Ophelia had left for her, while she had been engrossed in a meeting.

  In short, Ophelia had said that this was no time to let the Omnian leaders out of their sight. There was too much to learn, and the relationship was too important not to nurture.

  After boarding the Freedom, Jess and Tacnock made for a bay. They’d been informed that Z and Miranda requested their advice. The pair entered an engineering bay that buzzed with activity.

  Tacnock located the SADEs via his implant, and he directed Jess through the maze of workstations.

  “Welcome,” Z said. “We require your consultation.”

  Then the SADE stepped aside and activated an engineering holo-vid. Its beam reached the overhead high above the deck.

  “Can it project farther?” Tacnock asked.

  “Another thirty-five percent, if there’s space,” Miranda replied.

  The holo-vid lit with the alliance star map. Although it was a closer view than before, it had the six color-coded sections.

  “The stars glowing blue are alliance worlds,” Z explained. “Those in yellow are stars where the Colony has been observed.”

  “We believe that taking into account the travel time between stars will result in a more efficient approach to eliminating the Colony,” Miranda added. “As you can observe, the contacts that the commands have recorded spread out from Pyre.”