Counter-attack
Page 17
“We had to win, man. What happened was accidental, our computer estimated the probability of failure to be less than two percent. And your ring was the gate through which you could escape. It should have been destroyed.”
I didn’t oppugn the words of the toad about the fortuitous nature of our victory. Why? Let him think what he wants. If all the other frogs prefer this kind of delusion, we’re better off. But my questions about the portal were still open.
“Do you know transport ring technology?”
“We know about it. Our ancestors used to know how to build a hypergate. Now we don’t. We still have several active portals between major star systems, but no one knows how long they’ll work. Can I ask you a question?”
“Ask me, Commander Clee.”
“A hyperportal is a technology so way out of your league. Where did you get it?”
“Are you so sure of our backwardness?” I answered the question with a question.
“I've just fighted your fleet, man. How many ships did you pay for your victory? You’re a hundred years behind us, no less, and we can only operate and partially maintain portals, not build them. Or is there a mistake in my logic?”
***
“30 heavy ships, and each of them is capable alone of destroying 15, if not 20, of our finest battleships,” Marshal Tobolsky spoke gloomily, looking me in the eye, “plus a fleet that quargs can build. Their strike force is dead, but the industry is fine. Do you understand, Admiral, that this is hopeless?”
I asked to see the President right after I got back from the Kappa Ceti system. Tobolsky himself didn’t mind hearing about our operation firsthand, so he found the time for me almost immediately, except my story didn’t make him happy. But this time I had something to fix the mood of the head of the Federation.
“Mr President,” said I after a brief pause, “You and I had already been in situations where it seemed like all was lost. However, here we are, alive and well, as the whole Earth Federation is alive and relatively well.”
“And do you know how we can survive this crisis?” There was fatigue and skepticism in Tobolsky’s voice.
“I don’t have 100 per cent confidence, but we have a chance. It appeared only a few hours ago. You’re the first person in the Federation I’m telling about it.”
“Don't drag it out, Admiral, I’m listening to you.”
“The transport ring in Barnard’s Star system received an information packet in a long-range hypercommunication mode. This message could only be transmitted from another transport ring. Standard hyper-transmitters can’t do that.”
“Admiral, the second ring is now returning from Kappa Ceti system in disassembled form. Or was it reassembled somewhere halfway?”
“No, Mr President, our ring is still disassembled. The signal came from somewhere else. It’s very far away, Commander-in-Chief, Sir, VERY far away, but... these are people, and they know about us. As soon as we built and put into operation a couple of transport rings, they detected a long-range hyperjump with their scanners.”
“So now we’re glowing all over the universe, and anyone can know about us?” The President’s voice sounded anxious.
“No. They were just very lucky. It was an unlikely coincidence.”
“What are they offering?”
“They gave us the subspace coordinates of one of their hyperportals, which is what they call transport rings. We are invited to visit them, and I am sure this meeting will open up serious prospects for us. We have a chance of getting another very powerful ally that has overtaken us for hundreds of years.”
“Or the chance to become their underdeveloped appendage,” Tobolsky sounded unhappy.
“That’s up to us, Mr President. They can’t get in without our portal.”
Tobolsky did not respond for some time, then extended his hand, placed his finger on the DNA scanner on his desktop and made some manipulations with the pictograms glowing on it. My tablet signaled receipt of a file.
“Look at this, Admiral. I’ll wait.”
The first thing I saw was security classification A-Zero, which meant access to the document only with the personal authorization of the President. Well, it looked like I got some grandiose information.
I was presented with an analytical account of my life from the moment of birth to the defeat of the financiers' conspiracy. It was prepared by very determined and meticulous guys who didn’t leave out any important details and didn’t bother to obey the law when collecting information. And at the end came the psychoanalysts' conclusions, and they were very reasoned and logical, despite their, to put it mildly, extraordinary character.
I looked up at Tobolsky and waited silently for his comments.
“How old are you, Admiral?” Finally, the head of state spoke.
“20, Mr President,” I honestly looked into Tobolsky’s eyes, “I am 20 years old.”
“And how old is he?” Tobolsky nodded on my tablet.
“He was 52.”
“Tell me about him.”
“His name was Dean. He grew up in an orphanage, then there was a cadet school, the Paratrooper Sergeants Academy, a military career, the rank of brigadier general, and a lethal dose of radiation in one of the last battles when the enemy used a new weapon.”
“And who are you now? Admiral Igor Lavroff or Brigadier General Dean?”
“Brigadier General Dean died millions of light-years from here, Mr President. His brain died and his body was cremated. He never saw his parents, he somehow failed to start a family, and his whole life was inextricably linked to the army. I believe he was a good man and a good officer, and he died like a soldier defending his homeland. And I am Admiral Igor Lavroff, born on Titan and living on Earth. My father died in the Quarg War and my mother is alive, and I’m very happy about that. Brigadier General Dean never had a mother. I have a woman I love who I hope will agree to be my wife after all, I have much to lose and someone to protect, Mr President.”
Tobolsky kept his mouth shut for about a minute, looking at me with interest, as if for the first time, then he shook his head slightly, as if repelling a thought, and calmly said, “I heard you, Admiral. Let’s assume this conversation never happened. When can you go to the potential allies?”
“You want me to do this, Mr President?” I was genuinely surprised.
“Fleet Admiral Lavroff,” Tobolsky has spoken in official tone, “You are appointed head of our embassy. Present the composition of the delegation and the plan for the negotiations to me today by 16 o'clock. The exact time of the visit you agree with potential allies independently, at your discretion, but do not delay, the situation is not conducive to procrastination.”
“Permission to do so, Commander-in-Chief, Sir?”
Epilogue
The arrival of the Allied fleet was arranged with maximum solemnity. The parade order of the combined squadron of warships of men and lizards stood still not far from the transport ring. Earth Federation leaders, Lizard ambassadors and senior Imperial officers observed the ceremony from the specially equipped panoramic deck of battleship Saint Petersburg. Inga asked to attend the ceremony with me, and I put her on the guest list. We stood ten paces from Marshal Tobolsky and looked at the gate of the hyperportal.
The space inside the ring was covered with a cloudy gray layer and launched the first ship into our space. My heart sank when I saw the familiar silhouette of the Hammer-class Imperial battleship. Inga squeezed my hand a little and whispered softly:
“Is that what you wanted, Lavroff? Everything was for this moment?”
“Yes, and no, Inga,” responded I quietly as I watched a heavy aircraft carrier coming out of the portal behind the battleship, “It was a debt, and I paid it back in full. I did achieve the goal you talked about at the lake at Barnard-3. People on both sides of the portal have a real chance, and we just have to take it.”
“Then why 'yes and no'?” Inga’s hand trembled a little, and I leaned towards her ear.
“Because
some time ago Captain Inga Kotova answered 'no' to a question that is very important to me, and now, in my opinion, is the right time to repeat it.”
Inga smiled and squeezed my hand harder.
To be continued.
Brigadier General. Book 5. A Leap Across the Abyss