by Don Koch
Hank explained to his team and they were all excited to try it out. Hank and his team entered rapport and then invited Queen Firs and ten of her queens to join them. Sass exclaimed, “I thought it was amazing before but this is an entirely new level of experience. Most amazing is that there is clearly increased range, multitasking is improved, but the ability to see through things is entirely new, Queen Firs, welcome. You have added an entirely new dimension to our capabilities.”
Each of the team members were equally excited and welcoming. Finally, Hank asked if she would like to try a projection and she agreed. Hank asked Barana if she would warn Uncle Pete that he was coming for a visit with friends so as not to give him a heart attack. He suggested to Queen Firs that when in visible mode she sit on his shoulder and take a form that was five times her normal size. When Pete had been warned, Hank projected the entire group in to his lodge near Juneau and introduced everyone to Uncle Pete.
“Youngster, I thought you were out Malone way”
“Actually we are a bit past that at Rotagilla, 6,238 light years from here.”
“6,238 light years. That is quite a bit more than the 5,000 that is your normal range, how did that happen?
“It was the addition of Queen Firs and the Gorth that increased our range. I suspect that our range might even be in the 10,000 light year range. Pretty incredible!” pointing to the queen sitting on his shoulder, “She increases our range and adds a few other capabilities as well. We now have a seven species T-Raptor team. Anyway, I just wanted to show them the lodge and use this as a range test, but now we have to get back. Later Uncle Pete.” They returned to the Station and broke Rapport. “Well Queen Firs, that was amazing. What do you think?”
“I agree, it was an something unique in my experience that I had not even anticipated. You have opened new vistas. I look forward to assisting in a real operation.”
“We tend to have those with some frequency these days, but rest assured you are now a valued member of this team. Welcome.” He went on to brief her on what they had discovered and what they were doing. “When we arrive at Gnuxet, we will use a T-Raptor projection. I would like to have you visibly on my shoulder when we do that. We will be the only ones visible. I intend to chastise them but it likely will not do any good. I want to place some doubts in their minds.” Hank advised Emil Bikel on Station 161 of their plan.
# A few hours later at Gnuxet #
Station One arrived in Gnuxet orbit and the T-Raptor teams prepared for rapport. Hank contacted Emil Bikel and updated him on the plan. Emil commented that he wished he was going along. “Emil, you should join us. Call in your T-Raptor team and observe. Queen Firs and I will be the only ones visible. Have you identified the individual we should be addressing.”
“Yes, and he is a real piece of work. His name is Kangx. He is the ruler, more like gangster in charge.” Emil indicated where Kangx was located. Five minutes later, both teams were ready and entered rapport. They then projected to the office of Kangx who was startled by their sudden appearance. Kangx immediately drew an energy weapon and fired at Hank and Queen Firs that had the usual effect. None. Kangx then blustered, “Who are you and what are you doing here.”
“We have come to return some of your people to you. They have been most annoying. Fifty years ago, they came to collect tribute from the Gorth and destroyed many of my friends hives in the process. The ships were destroyed by planetary conditions. We are keeping most of what they brought with them as reparations but that will be insufficient. We will determine whatever else may be needed for the damage they have done and the damage that others of your kind have caused.”
“Here is the commander of the tribute group.” The commander then appeared and was clearly disoriented.
Kangx was again startled, “Brother Tangx, is that truly you, we had thought you dead all these years.”
Tangx responded, “It is I brother.”
“Silence. You will listen and not speak until so instructed.” Kangx started to object but Hank gestured and no sound came out. He gestured again and the chains and manacles dropped off the commander. “You are not permitted to send any more tribute vessels to Gorth. That is forbidden. You are not to send tribute ships anywhere. We are considering the punishment that we should apply. Meanwhile, we are returning all of the commanders people with some of their personal effects. All of your people are being returned to the open area outside this building. We will be back. Queen Firs, your people have suffered the most at the hands of the Rotans. Do you have anything to say to these people.”
“Yes, we do.” She flew to Kangx desk and started to grow larger. When she was five feet long in appearance she continued in a booming voice, “The next time we must defend ourselves against your kind, we will return here with millions of us in this size. We are now able to defend ourselves and you can no longer harm us. You have killed many of our people and have angered us greatly. We will no longer tolerate your actions.” As she spoke she moved her head to within inches of his face. “DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE SAID?” He was clearly discomfited and nodded agreement. She slowly returned to her former size and returned to Hanks shoulder. “We have nothing more to say to this creature. We are ready to depart.”
They returned to the Station and broke rapport. Emil followed and said, “Queen Firs, that was awesome. You clearly had his attention. My compliments for hitting exactly the right tone of intimidation for that creature.”
“Thank you for that Emil Bikel, I admit that self restraint is not an easy thing for us, but we knew that if we allowed our self to sting him, we might kill him and we knew that Henry would not be pleased if we did that. We are learning and we believe it is a good lesson.”
Emil went on, “I am even more impressed Queen Firs, my respect for you continues to rise. Not many people could exercise that kind of self-control particularly given your experience with the Rotan. Hank, you have a wonderful addition to the fleet. I hope to work soon in collaboration with the Gorth. I will return to my Station now. I want to observe the Rotan reaction.”
All of the Rotan from Rotagilla were deposited in the open space next to Kangx' office with their supplies. The Rotans were back home.
The Gorth were represented on almost all stations and were contributing their talent with some vigor. It turned out that not only were they a hard working species but a fairly gregarious one. They were clearly exhibiting joie de vivre and they deserved it.
Chapter 34: Expanding the Fleet
Station 1 in orbit at Malone –
April 12 – C Day 591
The various Stations at Eagle, Malone, Alaok, Sitler, Pulse, Veltor, Cestin and Phang were all in communication with the planets they were guarding. Recruiting was going well and all had agreed to the transfer of their military operations to the Antoran Fleet. The Stations were explaining how the transfers would take place and how the warships would be converted to commercial hulls.
Hank ordered activation of Battle Status for Division 3 Stations and of Station 181 from Division 21 with transfer to the Malone region a few days earlier. The additional six Stations along with Stations from Divisions 6 and 9 were providing backup capacity for the guard Stations. He then arranged for additional Stations to standby at various locations to facilitate the movement from local military to the Antoran Fleet. Eagle, Malone, Sitler, Veltor and Phang each had a Type 1 Station and three Type 2 Stations either assigned as defense or on standby. Alaok had a Type 1 and two Type 2 Stations in system. This was expected to provide sufficient capacity to handle the ongoing recruitment and transfers.
The Stations were operating programs utilized in other more distant systems. Transfer rates among the military population on the various planets were running at about 75%. The remaining 25% were typically taking retirement or separation. One of the attractive features with the Stations was the ability to have t
he entire family together and to see other, sometimes exotic, locations.
About 10% of the applicants were rejected as unsuited for duty on a Station. Most rejections were due to xeno-phobia, intolerance of other species.
Training of the new additions was generally the same as recruits and transfers from other locations. Recruits with no prior military experience took longer to train as is true anywhere. Those transferring from a military structure still had to go through a boot camp that lasted about 13 weeks. This structure anticipated that transferees had held some rank and retention of that rank required some specialized training. Basic training in those cases was structured differently than that for a raw recruit. While there was considerably more to learn, the teaching methods aboard an Antoran Station allowed for a much more intensive curriculum and a substantially increased retention of information learned. Life aboard a Station had a more amenities than most were used to but the duty requirements were no less stringent than the experienced on their home world. After six weeks, individuals would be integrated into units with persons from other worlds and species. In many cases, this would be the first time a recruit or transferee was exposed to another species. Reactions were carefully monitored. Poor reaction at this stage was the primary cause for washing out and return to their home world.
Individuals unsuited to a Station usually had acquired skills still useful on their home planet. To avoid potential conflicts when encountering other species, a substantial amount of counseling was provided to those being returned for xenophobia. Some of the planetary governing bodies went so far as to legislate barriers to certain occupational fields for persons exhibiting a high level of intolerance.
A surprising number of transferees and recruits requested out of region assignments to follow their training phase. All were made aware of the vast educational opportunities. It was clear that the level of transfers and recruitment would sustain the personnel needs for the fleet in this region.
Since there were a sufficient number of Stations in the region, Hank ordered a modified upgrade program similar to those run in other regions. The quick resolution of the Sitler issue and the pending Gorth incursion was a wake up call to the various systems.
The Grout Twins were region wide celebrities for their contribution to the Gorth resolution. Their return home was met with a large party in their honor but not before Queen Firs and a number of her queens met with all six youngsters in person via a T-Raptor session and offered her gratitude and thanks. She noted that she was aware their work product honey was a prized food for humans and that their hives were preparing a special comb for each of them. It would be ready in about a month or so for their consumption. She also expressed a desire that the youngsters remain in touch with the hives. The queen imprinted a recognition pattern on the hives, so that whenever a number of Gorth were in their presence, the Gorth would fly a formation about six feet above them as a form of greeting. The only other persons to whom this honor was routinely given were Hank and Sam.
Barana had explained to Queen Firs why their work product was so desirable to others species. It was a high quality source of protein and a natural sweetener. Honey was also the only known non-perishable food. It was highly desired by almost all species including humans. Hank had indicated that they were willing to trade for any excess product the Gorth were willing to provide. Barana noted that while the product is desirable, the humans on Stations would not steal it as they were aware that it is a survival issue for the Gorth, a sentient species. Queen Firs indicated that the Gorth would establish hive components where they would place the excess materials that could be provided for trade.
The number of activated latent telepaths continued to grow. There were now 1.25 million on Station One alone. At the current rate of activation, the Station would reach 41 million by early June. Vassim reported that his research group had located the means to activate telepathy in all persons in the Stations but suggested that more research would be advisable before such an activation was considered. His group wanted to explore any potential downsides before proceeding with the project and prepare for the training in shield development that would be necessary if such a project was activated.
Vassim commented, "When we started reviewing the mental maps of our non-telepaths and comparing those with active telepaths and inactive latent telepaths, we found that there is something akin to a switch in the non telepaths that was in a different position than in those with telepathic capabilities. I remember thinking that it can't be that easy. We had a volunteer group of non-telepaths that wanted to be telepathic. We explained to them what we had found and they wanted us to try activating telepathic capability. I was worried that we might cause irreparable harm so Barana suggested using the same method as used with identified latent talents. The surprise to me was that it worked every time. It took a few minutes longer than it does with a latent, but it worked. Barana reviewed the results and found that the switch has been permanently altered. To use an analogy, the switch seems to prefer being in the 'on' position and she believes that it will breed true. It appears that once it is activated it will remain switched on in future generations. It is akin to tripping a switch in a person that then stays fixed in that person and that of his or her progeny. All of the species on the stations have the switch. Interestingly, the Rotans on Gnuxet do not have a switch. They are not now telepaths nor can they ever be telepathic. We are still actively looking for anything that suggests we should not proceed but so far it is looking good."
# April 15 – C Day 594 #
The trial of Rema Brondin started as scheduled. She was belligerent and feisty throughout the trial contending that she had assumed command of the planet legally and that was fairly easy to disprove. She had representation that was good but in view of the evidence presented was not effective. At one point during the trial she admitted to placing General Marson Fist and commented that he was a pawn that was smart but dangerous and that he would have not been given the post of planetary governor as promised. She did not trust him and would not allow him to stay in a position of power. She did not elaborate on how she intended to accomplish that but she did not leave much to the imagination. The trial lasted 10 days but again the result was a foregone conclusion. She was found guilty of most of the charges against her and sentenced to death. Three days later her execution would take place.
# Station 10 in orbit at Sitler –
April 17 – C Day 596 #
The first batch of cruisers had arrived and the excitement on the Stations was high. There were 101 vessels and they went to the Stations of Division 10 and 17. There were a considerable number of persons volunteering to crew the ships. The on-board AI's brought the ships in without crew. Each vessel was met by a large group interested in serving on a cruiser.
Early in the morning, Anto and Goulf Grout returned home and while their experience had been amazing to them, they were happy to be back with their family. They had promised to stay in contact with Gust, Anya, Jane and Chris. A going away party had been prepared for the six youngsters. One fascinating event at the party was that several hives of Gorth attended the event and they formed a portrait image of each of the six youngsters using hundreds of thousands of Gorth to do so. The images were done while the Gorth were in flight and were all caught on vid. Each image was about 8 feet tall and the precision of the representations was almost photo-like. Vids of the event were transmitted to each of the occupied planets in the region via guardian Stations in orbit. Everyone was impressed.
Queen Firs asked the youngsters if they would allow the Gorth to land on them. They all agreed that would be fascinating. Queen Firs told them that they would not be stung and the Gorth would not impair their breathing. She said that the sensation might tickle because the motion of their feet and wings were apt to produce that sensation. The youngsters were game and held each others hands while forming a circle. The Gorth then landed on their arms and shoulders. Once there, the Gorth in unison hummed and said thank you. The
y then flew back to their hives. The Gorth also told them that if ever they needed help, to mentally call for them and they would come. Queen Firs noted that though they were small, they were many.
The trial of General Marson Fist of the Sitler Armed Forces started per the instructions from the Malone High Court. The court entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf since he was facing the death penalty. Fist told the court he intended to defend himself. In his opening statement, he stated that he was an enemy combatant and that the court could not try him. The court ruled that by holding the position that he did as Presidential Chief of Staff, he did not act as a combatant, but rather acted in a civil position and committed acts against the people and the government that could and would be tried in court.
The government produced the mountains of evidence against him prepared by the Antoran Fleet. Fist did not object to any of the evidence produced and made no comments until the rant made by Rema Brondin concerning him were entered into the record. When that occurred he grew red in the face and one could see that he was incensed. After all the evidence was produced against him and it was time to present his defense, he took the stand and said that the directions for all he had done came from Rema Brondin and that he had been assured governorship. He also noted that there was a hidden symbiote facility on the planet Bear that was due to automatically disperse a wave of symbiotes to all inhabited planets in the region in five days. She was the puppet master for that wave and clearly expected to be alive when that wave hit. He said that he could no longer support any ruler that would renege in such a manner and provided the coordinates where the facility was located. He then acknowledged that he was guilty of all of the charges against him and would accept his sentence. He then rested his case without refuting any of the evidence. The result was a foregone conclusion. He was found guilty of all charges against him and was sentenced to death. Execution was scheduled for ten days following the sentence.