by S. H. Jucha
“Greetings, Director Fistonia, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” Alex said, as he exited the shuttle gantry.
“Leaders Racine and de Guirnon, suites are reserved for you,” Fistonia replied. “If you and your companions would follow me?”
As Fistonia lumbered beside Alex, he asked, “Lead Councilor Jarmonin wishes to know who you’d like to address.”
“The membership,” Alex replied, and Fistonia nodded.
“You seem much calmer about our abrupt arrival and request for an immediate meeting of the Tsargit, Director,” Renée said.
“At first, I considered the impromptu appearances of your people as ... let us say ... impositions, to be polite,” Fistonia replied. “Now, I’ve come to accept them as part of the changes that have come to the alliance, and I must accept that.”
“Why not be part of the change?” Jess asked.
Fistonia regarded Jess’s uniform with a lift of the eyebrow, and Alex said, “He’s now Commander Cinders, and he’ll lead the outpost at Pyre.”
“A swift promotion, Commander,” Fistonia said. He glanced behind him at the similar uniforms worn by humans and alliance members. “I’ve been the Hyronzy station director for more than half a century of annuals. I’ve enjoyed a comfortable routine ... until lately. I recognize others might be anxious to initiate new directions for the alliance, but I won’t be one of them.”
Julien had just communicated that the outpost would have SADE support. One of Jess’s greatest concerns had just evaporated with three little words.
After Fistonia settled his visitors in their accommodations, he contacted Jarmonin’s staff. Immediately, he was transferred to the lead councilor.
“What’s Leader Racine’s request?” Jarmonin inquired.
“The membership,” Fistonia replied perfunctorily.
“I’ll arrange it for tomorrow,” Jarmonin replied, with a sigh. “The representatives should be accustomed to having their schedules disrupted by the Omnians by now. Anything else?”
“I believe I know Leader Racine’s purpose,” Fistonia said. “Six individuals with him are wearing the same uniform, and it’s not Omnian blue. Furthermore, one of those in black and gold is Captain Cinders, who is now Commander Cinders. According to Leader Racine, the commander will head the outpost.”
“If key outpost individuals are being presented to us wearing uniforms, events are moving quicker than I anticipated,” Jarmonin mused. “The presentation will make a powerful statement to the assembly.”
“The commander and I discussed the changes that the alliance is undergoing. He asked me if I would participate in them,” Fistonia said.
“An unsettling request,” Jarmonin sympathized.
“It was,” Fistonia acknowledged. “I believe whether we participate or not, the changes will come at an ever-increasing pace. The near future will not belong to individuals such as us.”
On the following midday, once again, Alex took the Tsargit’s membership stage.
The alliance representatives and their staff packed the rows high into the hall. They’d needed no encouragement to attend to hear the Omnian leaders. The station was rife with rumors of black and gold uniformed guests, who included the outpost commander.
“I expect this will be my last address to this body for a while,” Alex began. “The Omnian fleet has duties elsewhere.”
Alex heard the murmurs, grunts, and tweets and surmised there was appreciation for his leaving the Tsargit membership in peace to pursue its orderly schedule.
“However,” Alex added and paused to deliver a winning smile, “I expect the outpost commander will be dropping by Hyronzy Station, now and then, to update you.”
“I’m here today to introduce you to individuals who it’s important that you know,” Alex said. “In turn, they will give you an update on the outpost.”
“A question, Leader Racine,” the Usaanan member said, rising on his serpentine body.
Alex indicated the speaker with a hand, and the Usaanan asked, “If your fleet leaves alliance space, who will operate the outpost?”
“Your question is based on a false assumption,” Alex remonstrated, “and I want every individual to listen carefully to my answer.” He’d turned in a half circle to eye the councilors behind him before he faced the members again.
“The outpost isn’t an Omnian operation,” Alex continued. “Yes, we’ve supported it, but alliance races have contributed to the effort. Sol, the human system that sent the colonists who settled Pyre, has generously supported the outpost and the fight against the Colony. This outpost and its mission are a galactic community project.”
“Leader Racine, another question,” the female of the Veklock triumvirate requested.
When Alex agreed, the Veklock asked, “If the alliance considers the actions of the outpost leader to be inappropriate, what provisions are there for the individual’s removal from office?”
“That’s a good question,” Alex replied. “Since I expect the job to be a thankless one, I imagine the outpost commander would be happy to step down if you requested it. But why don’t you ask him yourself. I’m pleased to present to this august body Commander Jess Cinders the leader of Outpost One: Resistance.” Alex said, inserting the name Jess sent.
The Crocian representative’s roar of approval led the noisy contributions of his fellow members.
Jess had ridden the lift in the center of the councilor’s round, and he exited the circle to join Alex, as he was introduced.
Alex sent, while the applause continued. Then he stepped aside to join Renée and Julien.
Jess raised his hands to quiet the members. “To answer the question just asked,” he began, “the day I lose the Tsargit’s confidence is the day I’ll step down as commander. Take a vote. I’ll let the majority decide.”
Members near the Veklock female turned glaring eyes, orbs, and sensors on her. In turn, she imperially tipped her beak into the air to deny their disdain.
“There are other individuals I want you to meet,” Jess continued. As Lucia stepped from the councilors’ circle, he added, “This is Fleet Admiral Lucia Bellardo. She’ll command our fighting ships. As you can see, she’s from the same planet, Méridien, as Leader Renée de Guirnon.”
“Commander, a question,” Jarmonin said. “Does Admiral Bellardo report to you?”
Turning toward the lead councilor, Jess replied, “Yes. Every individual I introduce today directly reports to me.”
Facing the audience again, Jess said, “The outpost has accepted the delivery of four starship carriers, which are configured to transport troops, equipment, and fighters. These ships are armed with a new weapon developed by the Omnian SADEs and are designed to destroy Colony transports.”
“If you haven’t heard,” Lucia interjected, “the insectoids have escalated their tactics. Transports have become lethal traps, and the insectoid reds now carry energy weapons, disruptors.”
“The new starships have Earther crews,” Jess said, “and the captains report to Admiral Bellardo.”
“Commander, are four carriers sufficient for the task?” the Crocian member asked.
“Not nearly,” Jess replied. “These ships are gifts to the outpost from the three Omnian leaders you see standing here,” and he indic
ated Alex, Renée, and Julien. “If you want to see the outpost become more effective in its fight against the Colony, then alliance races will need to contribute credits for the purchase of more carriers from Sol.”
“Or you can build your own carriers and donate them to our cause,” Lucia interjected. Her comment created a great deal of discussion.
Alex thought to speak, but Renée intercepted him with a hand on his forearm.
“Some of you might be worried about other races constructing warships,” Jess said, which hushed the audience. Many members suspiciously regarded Julien.
“If you build an armed carrier, you’ve two choices,” Lucia explained. “You can gift it to the outpost, or you can use the ship for your own purposes. However, understand this. The weapon will be inoperable. Every Omnian starship possesses a controller. That device won’t allow you to operate the weapon.”
“More important, the outpost will be informed by the controller if a rail gun exists on your ship, and we’ll come and remove it,” Jess said. “That action will constitute your only warning.”
“But who protects us from the outpost?” the Hyronzy representative stood and roared, and Fistonia winced.
Jess smiled and waited for the Hyronzy member to regain his seat. “Who protects you from the Colony now?” he asked rhetorically.
The question forced the Tsargit members to consider the conundrum. A military force was necessary to fight the insectoids. But how was the power of those forces to be controlled and directed?
“I believe your fears will be calmed when you’ve been introduced to the first four assault leaders, who will be responsible for engaging the Colony in the domes and on the planets,” Jess said. “They are Tacnock from Jatouche, Commander Sastisona from Sylia, Major Aputi Tulafono from Pyre, and Queen Homsaff from Omnia.”
The assault leaders stepped through the councilors’ circle and flanked Jess and Lucia. They stood proudly in their black and gold, which they’d undoubtedly earned.
Jess let the murmurs run, while the audience gazed at the collection of races on the stage.
“Every individual in uniform is an experienced veteran of thousands of insectoid engagements,” Jess announced forcefully. “With respect, none of you can say the same. Therefore, I recommend before you pass judgment on any action executed by the outpost that you grab a Loopah weapon, confront the insectoids yourself, and then come talk to me.”
Jess didn’t wait for questions. He exited the stage, and the others followed.
35: The Drake
Having exited the membership hall, Jess regarded Alex’s face, as they rode a lift to the station’s shuttle level.
Alex sent.
Alex thought about what Jess said, and he imagined the expressions of consternation on the part of the hundreds of individuals responsible for directing their worlds. He broke out in laughter that echoed through the corridor that they’d entered, and he gently clapped a hand on Jess’s shoulder.
Lucia glanced toward Renée. She was pleased to see Ser smiling at the two men.
Returning to Pyre via the domes, Jess discovered that Alex had sent every available city-ship engineer, human or SADE, along with the techs, to work on the outpost station.
Jess tasked the veterans to handle simpler jobs for the outpost, freeing techs to join in the construction effort. The number of enclosed levels increased by one every couple of days.
Cargo shuttles were employed to transfer to the station the finished materials, which had been stored on Pyre. Down below, the veterans were the most effective.
When generators and power crystals arrived on a carrier from Pimbor and were unloaded, Mickey contacted Jess.
Mickey linked to Miriam and relayed Jess’s question.
A day later, the Drake, in the company of the Rêveur and an Earther command, sailed for a red-designated system. It would be an assault test run for the carrier and its crew.
Each carrier was named for one of the first four security personnel to fall at the Sylian dome. It had been Jess’s choice. Most thought the commander was honoring the fallen. Individuals like Alex knew Jess was attempting to assuage his conscience of the guilt he felt for their deaths.
Homsaff had been designated the carrier’s assault leader. Aboard were her warriors, the Norsitchian brassards, and a hundred twenty-five Sylian troops.
Also aboard were Jess, Lucia, and the other assault leaders.
During the initial meeting in the carrier’s conference room, Lucia asked the captain, “How much practice have you had with the rail gun?”
“None, Admiral,” the captain replied. “We were assured by Admiral Cordelia that the gun was tested after its installation, and she’d approved the test results. Also, the entire firing process is automated. We need only provide a crew to supply the weapon with spheres.”
“You designate the targets for the controller, and that’s it?” Lucia queried.
“Almost,” the captain replied. “We give the controller the firing parameters.”
“Such as?” Jess asked.
“We can order the gun to fire a single shot or continuously until the ship is destroyed or detonates,” the captain replied.
“How will the attack be ordered?” the gunnery lieutenant asked.
“On this trip, orders will originate from the admiral and me,” Jess replied. “Typically, those directions will be issued by the assault leader. After the carrier enters the system, the assault leader governs the action.”
“Reconnaissance is the first order of business,” Lucia said. “Until you know more about the insectoids in the dome and the circumstances surrounding the planet, there’s no action to be taken.”
Addressing the assault leaders, Jess said, “You know the Colony’s tactics. It’s imperative that if you discover something unseen before now, you need to immediately report it to the outpost and the other carriers.”
“What actions would you advise, Commander, if we discover something like that?” Homsaff inquired.
“My first instinct would be to tell you to back off,” Jess replied, “but we won’t make progress that way. So, I’m going to say be careful, take it slow, and thoroughly investigate it before you attack it.”
“How far will the assault proceed in this system?” Tacnock asked.
“We’ll be testing the rail gun operation by removin
g the transports,” Lucia replied. “Whatever’s left of them, the Tridents and fighters will clean up. Then we’ll survey the dome and the planet.”
“Afterward, Homsaff, the admiral, the other assault leaders, and I will leave you to your mission,” Jess added. “We’ll take the Rêveur to the outpost.”
Five days later, the fleet entered a non-alliance system. A second transit placed the ships on approach to a habitable planet from under the ecliptic.
Lucia had ordered the Judgment to remain at Pyre, forcing the Earther commodore and captains to operate in concert. Without a SADE in the fleet, crews used the power of their ships’ controllers to process telemetry data.
“Seven transports, with median hatches open,” Lucia commented. Her audience was on the carrier’s bridge, which was a generous space with a large holo-vid.
“That’s a primordial planet,” Tacnock pointed out, as he shifted the holo-vid’s display.
Lucia ordered Oleg Tenard, the commodore commanding the Earther Tridents, to deploy his ships.
Oleg sent the Tridents and their travelers to circle the planet and survey it. One traveler was reserved to provide overwatch on the dome.
Within a day, Jess, Lucia, and the assault leaders had their data.
“Looks like the Colony’s shuttles had trouble making landing,” Sastisona said. “We’ve fourteen touchdown sites, but only nine ships are upright.”
“Tacnock’s comment about this planet’s environment is to be commended,” Homsaff pronounced. “It’s obvious the Colony won’t find this terrain welcoming, and I don’t think we will either.”
“I’m wondering if the insectoids managed to get clear of those downed shuttles or not,” Jess mused. “It would be good to know if the planet started with two hundred eighty adults or one hundred eighty or something in between.”
“Agreed,” Lucia said. “Homsaff, after the transports are destroyed, the shuttles lying in the muck must be investigated. Determining whether the insectoids escaped or died inside will help you with an enemy count.”
“First things first,” Jess interjected. “Let’s test the rail gun, Captain.”