After a short time in thought, I replied, "I think we bring everyone and then sit back away from the fight until we see where we can be of help."
I contacted one of the two Odenta cruisers that remained in observation mode. "Captain, when you return to Odenta, have command bring all forces to the standoff point you see designated on your display. We will need everyone we can put into battle. Whether or not they will actually have to fight will depend on the size of the fleet the Grumar and Grotus bring."
The captain replied, "Understood, sir. We are expecting the next crews to be here within the hour."
Garrett looked into the comm. "They won't be here for forty days. I have to wonder if that will be too late."
Go said, "I'm on their command ship. I just passed the Ambassador. Looks like he's on his way to the shuttle bay."
Go drifted into an ornate conference room. Five Moddle officials were seated at a round table.
The lead official said, "I do not trust these Humans. I want all ships fully prepared for battle when they arrive. Until they show they do not have hostile intent, we must have our forces ready."
Go raised his eyebrows. "Wow, Mr. Beutcher. You nailed that one."
I replied, "They are only being prudent. That isn't anything I wouldn't do if the situation was my own. Sit tight there for a while. Let's hear what else they have to say."
A second Moddle placed his hands on the table. "Permission to speak, Your Highness."
Go said, "Your Highness? Would this be the king or emperor of the Moddle empire?"
Garrett replied, "Given the heavily jeweled collar he's wearing, I would say that's probably correct."
Jack tilted his head. "If the Moddle emperor is here, I would bet that's all the warships they have. Your emperor would rarely go with ships to the front line."
Go replied, "The Talisan emperor is here."
Jack shook his head. "I think we can all agree that's not the same thing. If the emperor is here, they must be expecting this battle to be winner-takes-all."
The emperor waived his hand. "Speak freely, Molingal."
The duke named Molingal nodded. "When the Humans arrive, we should have our ships in the best of defensible positions. Make the Human ships be the first to encounter an attack."
The Emperor laughed. "And just how would we do that? The planet is round. We have no data that tells us which direction the attackers will come from. Admiral Balgar, select a hemisphere of the planet and position our ships there. The Human fleet can take whatever other position they want."
The admiral bowed before turning to whisper to his aide.
The Emperor turned to his left. "Duke Pashna, you have been decidedly silent during most of this negotiation. Tell me your thoughts on what you have seen."
The duke cleared his throat. "I see this as a mistake. We could better defend from our own worlds. Our supply lines and ship repair facilities would be there. Our hospitals would be there. Our people would be motivated to protect their loved ones. Here, we are fighting over a planet which is of little value now that we have the Alliance ion technology."
The Emperor clasped his hands together, propping up his chin as he thought. "I have considered many of these things, Pashna. We could have left half of the fleet at home. But what would we be when all was said and done? We would likely be an empire with only half a fleet.
"Of all our colonies, only five are thriving. The rest are impoverished and barely able to survive on their own. I no longer wish to rule over an empire of rabble, Pashna. To achieve the greatness we seek, we must put something at risk. I would rather go down in dismal defeat than sit back and try to defend as our enemies grow stronger. Our fleet is here. We fight as one or we die as one. If we defeat the Grumar and Grotus, this galaxy will be ours. If not, then we are not the great species we all want to be."
The Emperor pursed his lips and then turned to his right. "Duke Edlund, do you feel this same way?"
The elderly duke sat silent for several seconds. "I feel the same as Pashna in many ways, but I believe our people will fight here just as well as they would while defending our worlds. Each knows the extent of our force here. No greatness was ever achieved while hiding behind a wall, Your Highness. Here, with this fleet, we will achieve the greatness that we seek."
The Emperor nodded and gestured with his hand. "Please continue, Edlund. I would be interested in your thoughts about the Humans."
The old duke fidgeted before he replied: "With the agreement, we have no enemies of the Empire other than the Grumar and Grotus. But I do not trust the Humans. We don't know where they come from and we cannot be certain of why they are here. It is my belief they have long fangs, fangs they keep hidden. We should be wary of this alliance."
The Emperor sat silently in thought for nearly a minute. "I believe we have made the right decision here today. This new information about the Grumar fleet size is troubling. Our fleet is substantial... as is that promised by the Human ambassador. The image we have seen, for the first time shows the power of the enemy we are up against."
Duke Pashna said, "Your Highness, it is possible that the Humans fabricated that image in an attempt to get us to sign the agreement."
The Emperor replied, "I have considered that, Pashna. However, we had come to our agreement before that information was provided to us. Its relevance to the agreement is immaterial. If the image is false, we will still be in a position to deal with the Humans later. If it is true, we will need every ship and every man they can spare. Let us hope the Grumar and Grotus do not follow our example and bring everything they have."
Go continued to listen in on the Moddle conversation with no new revelations coming to light. After several hours of similar conversation, Go powered back to the Alliance ship, coming to a stop in a conference room where the diplomat, his aide, Captain Rogers, and another official were meeting.
The captain crossed his arms. "Hey, I just told you where the image came from, and I told you who sent it. I haven't had any interaction with Mr. Beutcher, or with anyone he knows for that matter—not since he went through the training course several years ago. You saw the data logs. The message appeared to originate from our location. Our sweeps have not yielded a clue as to how it was broadcast, and your engineer, Mr. Peck, has no clue as to how they changed the data logs to reflect its origin."
Barnabas Peck scowled. "Captain, you have a history with this Grunta. Why would he randomly select you to deliver this image? Would it not be just as effective to hail the general comm and pass the image that way?"
Dale Rogers sat up in his chair as he laid his clasped hands on the table. "Look… the broadcast only lasted seconds. You have seen just as much of what he said as I have. There were no other hidden broadcasts, no other messages and no reason for me to be involved in whatever it is that he is doing. And as far as that goes... what is he doing out here to begin with? How did he get here? Is there another portal open to Andromeda somewhere?"
Barnabas Peck shook his head. "He managed to come through the gate when it was opened. He is a wanted man in all the New Alliance. Harden Salton himself wants his head. He has been interfering with our mission out here and needs to be brought under control. If he makes contact with you again, you are to contact me immediately, is that understood?"
The captain sat back and nodded. "You want him? He's yours. I don't need the trouble. And from the looks of that image, I would say he was doing us all a favor. If you want to find him, I say you find that ship that came in on the other side of Doomlight and then turned away. That's who you should pursue, not me."
The ambassador held up his hand. "Gentlemen. We are all on the same side here. Mr. Peck, I expect you will continue your investigation. Mr. Rogers, I expect you will be forthcoming if another attempt is made to contact you. Now, I would suggest you both go about your duties. There is much to be done here before the others come through. We have... twelve hours left until that happens. And, Mr. Rogers, I am certain your request to transfer to a
combat ship will be granted. We will need our most capable officers running things if we wish to be successful."
The meeting broke up with Dale Rogers returning to his cabin.
Go looked around at the empty room. "Where to next?"
I replied, "Go to the captain's quarters. Garrett, when he gets there, re-open that comm channel. I think it's time the captain was given the full picture."
Jack looked over. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Is he someone that can be trusted?"
I nodded. "I believe so. If he receives the transfer, we would at least have someone within the Alliance fleet we could discuss things with."
Seconds later, Go said, "I'm in. Captain Rogers is staring at a mirror on the wall."
Garrett opened the comm.
The captain looked at his arm pad for several seconds before accepting the incoming hail. "Mr. Beutcher, what is it that you want from me?"
I replied, "It's not what I want from you, Mr. Rogers. It's what I'm going to give you that's important."
The captain stepped back from the mirror, leaning against his desk. "You are getting me in trouble, Mr. Beutcher. Mr. Peck now thinks I'm a spy."
I offered a nod. "I apologize for that trouble, Mr. Rogers. But the Grumar fleet is too large to ignore."
The captain rubbed his chin. "Tell me why I was selected."
I passed the captain an image of the stars from our view. "Tell me what you see, Mr. Rogers."
The captain frowned. "Stars, Mr. Beutcher. Those shiny little balls of light we like to call suns."
I paused for several seconds. "Does this star image match up to what's just outside of your ship?"
The captain huffed as he pulled up the image from his ship's sensors. "Yes. What's your point Mr. Beutcher?"
I smiled. "Now, pull up your best image of the Andromeda galaxy and tell me if you can find a match to what you are seeing."
The captain began to shake his head as he swiped at several display screens. "I'm not seeing anything, Mr. Beutcher. I'm turning you over to Mr. Peck."
I held up my hand. "You don't want to do that yet, Captain. I will just tell him you are heavily involved with me, putting you in deeper trouble than you already are."
The captain looked around his room. "Do you have this whole ship bugged or what?"
I shook my head. "Captain, look again at the Andromeda image and then at the star-field your sensors see. You will notice you are not in the Andromeda galaxy."
The captain looked back at his displays. "What? That's absurd."
"Does the shape of the galaxy your ship is sitting in match that of the Andromeda?" I said.
The captain looked at his screen intently before returning a worried look. "OK, you have my attention now, Mr. Beutcher. But what is it you are trying to tell me?"
I took a deep breath. "You are not in the Andromeda galaxy, Captain. The species you are negotiating with and fighting with are not members of the New Alliance and were never members of the AMP. Harden Salton has us all off in some other galaxy fighting wars of conquest. His intent is to take over a number of smaller empires out here, to build up a big fleet, and to force the other families to submit to him. Everything you have been told about this war is a lie. Take a moment to verify where you are, Captain. Your opinions about all this will change."
The captain studied the star data for several minutes, repeatedly scanning the area outside his ship to retrieve new data.
The captain said, "How do I know you aren't somehow feeding me phony data?"
I replied, "You have view portals on your ship. Find one and look out. You will see that the stars which are visible to you match your scans. And they do not match the Andromeda galaxy."
The captain asked, "OK, let's say you are telling me the truth. What am I supposed to do with this information?"
I thought for a few seconds. "You use it to make informed decisions, Captain. Up until today, the Moddle have been your enemies. Harden Salton made a deal with the Grumar and Grotus to attack and conquer their empire. The Saltons thought they would weaken the Moddle for later domination. The Grotus, who are in charge of the Grumar, thought they were using the Alliance to weaken the Moddle empire. Both sides have since changed their minds with the Grotus now deciding they want the Alliance out of the picture.
"The planet Doomlight is of little value to any of them other than as a staging base. The Grumar, Grotus and Moddle want control of it because they believe the Humans to be somewhere nearby. The Saltons want it as a kickoff point for the own conquests. What I don't fully understand is why the Saltons don't just open their portal near one of those two empires and conduct their war from there. For example, if they were to open the portal near the Moddle worlds, they could have victory in a matter of weeks. The empire is undefended. Their fleet is all stationed here.
"If the portal was opened near the Grumar home world, attacks could be made there with the Grumar and Grotus never leaving their own space. Forgive me for rambling-on, Captain. It's just that we are all caught up in a massive game of trickery and deceit."
The captain crossed his arms. "I still don't know what to make of you, Beutcher. Why are you out here... if you are even out here?"
I replied, "My people, the Gruntas, were conscripted to fight in this war. We have a history with the Grotus. They are a sibling species. We came from the same world, which is located in this galaxy. The Saltons want my people to fight the Grotus and my people want to fight the Grotus, only they don't know what they are up against. The Saltons think there are an equal number of Grotus to Grunta, but that number is ten-fold what they think. I have been out here on a rogue mission to save not only my people, but every conscript that comes through that portal. So far, I've managed to keep my people alive. But that will change when the Grumar and Grotus arrive with that massive fleet. That could be at any moment."
The captain glanced at his arm pad. "I have to get back to the bridge. You've given me a lot to consider. At the moment I don't know that it changes anything I'm doing."
I nodded. "Just let it sink in for a while, Captain. You may find it useful in keeping yourself alive. But also keep in mind, if you tell this to anyone else, the Saltons may come looking for you."
With that the comm was closed. Go followed Dale Rogers to the bridge of his ship, where he received new orders. He would proceed to the portal gate area where he would await further instruction.
I said, "Go, I think we've learned all we can from there at the moment. I think we should drop a tag on the bridge. I don't know why, but something tells me we may want to keep an eye on the captain. Garrett, can you get into their systems? Tell me if they have a camera in their galley."
Garrett laughed. "Galley? Why?"
I replied, "Because Go hasn't eaten in days. When he powers out for a pickup, he'll be drifting for days before you can safely grab him."
Go said, "I am getting pretty hungry."
Garrett nodded. "OK, let's see... cameras... galley. Got it. I'll set up a loop with the last five minutes of recording. So long as no one sees you in there, you'll have five minutes to stuff your face."
Go replied, "Thank you."
Garrett again nodded. "You're welcome."
Go shook his head. "Not you! Knog. He's the one who was thinking about me."
I sighed.
Garrett returned a sarcastic scowl. "Fine then."
After a quick meal, Go powered out of the Salton ship and into free space. He was soon drifting at four SOL, his maximum safe speed.
Chapter 7
* * *
The following day, the portal opened. Only a single ship came through.
A video feed from the tag Go had left showed an angry diplomat. "What do you mean only one ship? I just signed a deal with a former enemy who has a thousand warships staring me in the face! Tell me the moment they are in comm range!"
The comm officer replied, "We should have comm in a few minutes, Ambassador."
Ambassador Gottlieb scowled. "I can
't wait to hear the excuse they will be giving. This is a disaster. It took weeks to build trust. We'll be lucky if they don't blast us."
The captain said. "It may just be a delay, sir. An untimely one, but just a delay."
Several minutes later a comm channel opened to the new ship. "Ambassador, there has been a change in plans. The fleet will not be coming through today. You are to instruct the Moddle that the fleet's initial departure was delayed by five days. This ship was sent forward at the original time so that the message could be delivered. You are being instructed to tell the Moddle that the delay will add four hundred additional ships to the fleet. Including ships that have improved armor for fighting the Grumar and Grotus."
The ambassador replied, "They will not be happy with that message. Now, will you tell me what's really going on?"
The captain smiled, "Tomorrow, the full fleet will depart for the Moddle Empire! You've accomplished your mission, Ambassador. The Moddle will have no empire to return to, and we will either be rid of them altogether when the Grumar arrive, or they will submit fully to our rule. Your work has brought about a great victory for the New Alliance, Ambassador. Harden Salton will want to congratulate you himself!"
Jack turned toward me with raised eyebrows. "Talk about a stab in the back!"
I nodded. "Harden's cunning and deceit are not without genius. With only a handful of shots fired, he may have just conquered the Moddle Empire. If his fleet does go through to the Moddle worlds, it can be returned home and sent here in two days’ time. He must have gotten his freighters of cesium ore from the Galorians. Opening that portal so much is expensive."
A hail came in directly from the emperor of the Moddle ships. "Hello, Emperor! I was just about to board a shuttle to come see you. I have terrific news!"
The Emperor returned an unhappy gaze. "You lied to us, Ambassador. Tell me, why we should honor this alliance and not vaporize you for your deceit?"
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