Fetra shivered a left shoulder, in an uncomfortably Krall-like sign of agreement. “True. Yet we were bound by the terms of that constitution, even though not a member of the Federation. How free were we to do as we pleased?”
“Well, for one, you had the right to leave Federation territory if you wished, with our help to reestablish on some distant habitable planet outside of our control. The world where you were held prisoners wasn’t your home world, since that home was also the Krall’s destroyed home. You could also have retained your non-member status where you currently live, to rule yourselves, and even to refuse permission for Federation citizens to live on your world, or from visiting there if you so decided. Of course, you couldn’t have visited any Federation worlds without being invited, if you did that.”
“You would have isolated us from our neighbors. As the Krall isolated us.”
“No, you would be isolating yourselves from your neighbors. You would be restricted from imposing your form of government on other people in the Federation, whatever you decided your government would be, and from imposing your laws on them. Just as we would not be allowed to impose our form of government on you. We granted you the planet where you lived as your possession, but the adjacent planets are Federation territory. You couldn’t colonize them unless you were a Federation member, and you would have to apply for the right to do that, and accept that any other Federation species could also live there, or visit when they wish.
“Now that you are Federation members, the right of access to other citizens applies to your declared home world, as you well know. Any Federation species can visit your world, and even take up residence. The population accords apply, of course, and your present small population will not be swamped with an influx of immigrants, which would dilute your self-rule, within our constitution’s framework.
“The Federation doesn’t have a claim on a single one of the star systems within the Empire, let alone over any of the species that currently live there. We do claim the right to defend ourselves from attacks by anyone. If a species within the Empire, such as the Ragnar, wishes to help us counter the threat the Thandol represents to the Federation, we will accept their help, and in turn help them oppose the Thandol. That doesn’t mean we will demand they join the Federation, or go to war with them to force them to join. That goes against the constitution we all approved.
“When I didn’t say divide and conquer, I was expressing our right to survive, and of asking for help to break up an empire that intends our dissolution. That is part of our survival, not of conquering and exploiting pieces of the Thandol Empire. I said exactly what I meant.”
Fetra was still confused about the composition of the invited group present in the conference room. “Only you Kobani, of those in this room, have the temperament and capability to effectively fight the Thandol, or their Ragnar servants. The Prada, Torki, and Raspani have faced an enemy before, but none of them defeated the only aggressor they ever encountered. We Krall’tapi couldn’t resist our own ancestors, even with Olt’kitapi technical assistance. Why were we asked to accompany you to a war zone? Are we expected to talk them out of fighting against you?”
Mirikami spoke up, before his wife said something he’d regret, but that she would enjoy saying. “Representative Toldot Fetra, how long have the Krall’tapi been a subservient species of the Federation?”
“I…, we…,” she faltered at the confusing question. “I mean, we Krall’tapi are not subservient to anyone. We are free of Krall domination.”
“Then, would you say the other three nonhuman species in the room are subservient to a Kobani Emperor, who rules the Federation on behalf of humanity?”
The questions quickly came into focus for her. “No, none of us are servants to your species, or dominated by the Federation. I was not saying we were. That was not what I asked.”
“I agree with you. Nevertheless, your valuable contribution to the conflict at Tanner’s World, and for the entire conflict with the Thandol Empire, may be to do exactly what your question asked. We do want you to try to talk them out of fighting with us.”
She seemed puzzled. “If your missiles and energy beams cannot make them stop fighting, how can my words?”
“Words from you, the Prada, Torki, and Raspani, may be more valuable than all of our weapons. Because you are not subservient species in the Federation, as every species in the Empire is, except for the Thandol. Your words and example may be more effective than our fleet of ships.”
Her toothy, Krall-like attempt at a human style grin was no more comforting to observers than was a ripper’s “smile.” Yet it conveyed her new understanding of what her role would be at Tanner’s World, and her willingness to serve in that capacity.
“If you can get them to listen to me, I will speak for my people, to tell the Ragnar that the weakest population of the Galactic Federation has a voice and a role in its government.”
“Thank you. I should add that I don't ask that everything you say to them to be glowing praise of the Federation. I know that I couldn’t compel you to do that even if I tried, and I don't want to try.” He smiled back at her.
“You have a right to mention your dissenting opinion on aspects of specific Federation decisions, which you have freely expressed in previous public discussions. Such as our preserving remnants of the Krall on an isolated planet. I know you prefer they be exterminated for their crimes. You can express that, or any other disagreement with Federation policy, as can any of our representatives of member species.
“This right to dissent and to be heard is a key difference between the Galactic Federation and the Thandol Empire. Such words should have value as an influence on future Ragnar actions, as regards their support of the Empire. I hope we find an opportunity to speak to them with other than our weapons. We’ll know soon, because we’re barely a half an hour from arrival, and they’ll detect our approach at any moment.”
****
“How many are there, and how soon will they arrive?” The acting Space Force Commander sounded annoyed with the sensor specialist who’d linked to him. Messengers carrying bad new were seldom appreciated.
Grudfad had initially responded with even greater snappish irritation, to what he assumed would be another useless gravity target report from his sensor division. Up until now, their inertial mass detections of stealthed enemy ships had repeatedly arrived too late for coordinating fire control or fleet disposition. This was a slippery and elusive foe.
The sensor division had a different type of detection to report this time. More enemy ships were coming. “Sire, they are too tightly clustered to isolate traces for individual ships, but the advance tachyon waves our traps detected suggests a combined mass roughly equivalent to the last fleet of enemy ships to arrive.”
“Another two thousand?” He grunted in disbelief. He’d have considered another two hundred to be bad news. The technician gave him a time-to-arrival that didn’t leave Grudfad long to plan a response either.
Not that I can create any practical plan to fight twice as many of these berserkers, he thought sourly. He knew what he had to do, and he linked to Thond to tell him.
“Sire, a second fleet of enemy ships is inbound for this world. The advance tachyon wave reveals that it represents a mass equivalent to their previous reinforcement fleet, which consisted of 2,000 of their Ravager equivalent warships.”
Thond replied to him gruffly, displaying less respect than his Acting Space Force Commander thought he deserved. “Lieutenant, they’ve proven to be a very deceptive foe. That new force might consist mainly of those giant ships the crabs build, which are not combat craft, and a just a few of them could be loaded with water, to emulate the mass you infer is present. The enemy wants you to retreat. Do you even know if they have two thousand more captured clanships to send? That would mean they have significantly more warships equivalent to our Ravagers than we have. Where have they been for the other raids?” He knew exactly where Grudfad was leading.
&
nbsp; “No, Sire,” his second in command admitted. “We can’t confirm what class of ships these are, but we have not seen any other type of Federation warship. Sending the giant crab ships wouldn’t fool us after the White Out. Not even if they possess the same advanced stealth systems, and can prevent a gamma ray burst. Their large mass concentration would register quickly on our Thandol sensors. We can’t accuse this enemy of being stupid, and they certainly know we are not.”
Thond, to give himself a moment to think, avoided the real subject of Grudfad’s call with a brief diversion. “The additional Hoths have joined our four infantry groups. Did the Spears evade damage as we hoped?”
“They Jumped in and out, nearly as fast as do the Federation ships when they attack us. The enemy reacted by Jumping near to where they had been, but they were too late to launch an attack on them. The Hoths promptly descended deep into the atmosphere, evidently their smaller size and high numbers catching the enemy atmospheric defenses by surprise. The Hoths reached your ground forces before the heavy atmospheric missiles could even get aloft, and their normal aircraft could not face a faster Hoth, having a Normal Space drive.”
Thond, whose mind had been racing, saw no advantage to his present predicament by prevaricating. Time was too short. “What are you going to do, Space Force Commander?” Using this title, rather than his rank of Force Lieutenant Commander, he acknowledged Grudfad’s primary responsibility to the Space Force element.
“Sire, it appears the Federation has committed over four thousand three hundred combat ships to the defense of this one planet. We brought two thousand forty Ravagers and six hundred Shredders for space combat, and some of them are defending the five hundred twelve supply ships. We cannot prevail against that many of the enemy, and their rapid response to our invasion is all but incomprehensible. It seems improbable they knew we were coming, since there was no waiting ambush, yet they matched our total warship force in less than two cycles, and now in less than three cycles, they have sent an overwhelming force. When the Pounder landings were under way, you asked me, ‘Which is more important? The flagship or the rest of the fleet?’”
Thond cringed inwardly at his own words being quoted back to him, knowing it was justified. Grudfad didn’t expect a response, so he continued talking.
“I am informing you that our fleet is at great risk, and under the present circumstances it is more vital to the Ragnar future than is a Ground Force that we cannot possibly withdraw safely with the force already deployed against us, and certainly not before the next enemy fleet arrives. With so many enemy ships, they will cripple or destroy the bulk of our Space Force within two or three cycles. I intend to withdraw, but I will wait until I see what type of ships comprise the new enemy force. What can I do to help strengthen the Ground Force in the short time remaining?”
Thond had been devising a desperate partial remedy while Grudfad spoke. “I propose we send down as many of the supply ships as we can, and divide them equally to land where the Pounders of the four infantry groups are presently gathered. The defensive weapons of the Pounders can help protect them when they leave orbit over them and the infantry. I’m not going to load the infantry into the Pounders now, to move them to link up with the remaining armored forces. However, we need supplies if we are to hold out.
“If there is any hope for our relief or a safe withdrawal later, our leaders have to notify the Thandol High Command of our invasion effort here. They’ll eventually learn about it anyway. The Emperor may agree to send a portion of one of their far larger three fleets here in a relief effort, and if he does, you may be allowed to join them. In any case, I concur with your assessment that you should withdraw the fleet’s warships. Although, the supply ships are vital to us on the ground, but not to the survival of the fleet.”
He exerted his authority. “As Force Commander, I order the captains of the subservient species to Jump their two hundred fifty ships to the edge of atmosphere, directly above our four landing coordinates. There, they will descend as if their survival depends on speed. Because it will.
“If they refuse to follow that order, fire near them until they do. Remind them they can’t flee home when they Jump, because we know who they are. The Ground Force can’t survive long without their cargo. The Ragnar commercial fleet furnished us with supply ships, but they will leave with you when you Jump for home. There’s no need to sacrifice them, and their loss would aggravate the political storm that is certain to arise on Tantor.” Thond’s fabled career seemed unlikely to survive this fiasco, even if he somehow did.
****
Mirikami was incredulous. “Thad, did you say they’re landing more ships? What in hell for? This invasion is a busted operation. More troops and tanks on the ground can’t hold out, not without their fleet for protection and resupply. If the fleet stays we’ll destroy it, or they’ll be driven off after heavy losses. Their ground units are going to be on their own, no matter what.”
“Tet, the only ships Jumping in and descending to land are the supply ships, which we have thus far left alone. Nearly half of them appeared to have designs that differ markedly from ship types the Ragnar build. I spotted at least twenty that resemble the tubby Hothor ships we saw on their world when we were there. Athena spared them earlier, and I agree with her reasons. I didn’t think killing people we might want to cooperate with us in a fight against the Thandol a good idea.
“Now, I’m reconsidering. I wonder if we should dive in close to Tanner’s to blast them as they arrive. Those supplies will be used to support their troops.”
Mirikami was doing his own consideration. “Thad, is it only the ships you think are from subservient species doing the landing?”
There was a brief pause. “About half of the supply ships have the sleek lines the Ragnar seem to admire, and those also have similar electromagnetic signatures to the Normal Space drives of the Ravagers and Shredders. None of those are attempting to land. I think it’s only the ships of the other aliens doing that.”
That confirmed what Mirikami suspected. “Thad, I want you to let them get through unmolested. Ask the PDF to avoid shooting them down unless they do anything hostile. I doubt if they are capable of an attack anyway, or can defend themselves for that matter. I believe this means the rest of their fleet is about to Jump out of the system, taking the Ragnar built supply ships with them. They don’t mind losing those alien ships and crews, and they know some of the supplies will reach the ground safely even if we do attack them.
“With us in control above Tanner’s World, and then we deploy our troops, Shadows, and the ladybugs we brought with us, I think we can contain their infantry and defeat their armor, even if they get those supplies. In fact, if we are obvious about allowing resupply to happen, that should play into Maggi’s political strategy. We can prove to the species of the Empire that we are not like the Thandol. It’s also a gesture we can point to, when Maggi tries to convince the Ragnar, down on the planet, that we will negotiate with them in good faith.
“I don’t know, man. It may be a hard sell to the PDF. Their troopers, even with our help, are vastly outnumbered, and they don’t have any armor or decent air cover.”
“I’ll give them the two hundred ladybugs we brought with us, delivered to wherever they need them. I learned from Nabarone that Tanner’s shipped their handful of wartime tanks and most of their ladybugs to New Dublin, two years ago, to help root out the Krall holdouts there after we neutralized their fleet. Our four hundred thirty-two Shadows will fly support for them. I know the enemy flyers can’t match the capability of our pilots, but their space planes might have more firepower.”
“OK, Tet. In ten minutes you’ll join the party. You have the IFF codes to keep the PDF from shooting at you, and they know you’re coming. Any of your ships that don’t have troops, Shadows, or ladybugs aboard to slow them down can go after the Ravagers and Shredders before the Ragnar fleet makes a withdrawal. Let me link to Colonel Gaffigan to plead with him to let the enemy’s supp
lies get through. What a fascinating conversation that’s going to be.”
****
Hitok was as amazed as Thond, after the new enemy arrivals made their presence known. Destructively so. “They actually had another two thousand clanships to throw at us. If they have as many of them as Thandol drone scouts estimated were once in Krall possession, over twenty thousand, the Empire could be in trouble. The Federation may have captured a fleet that is eighty percent the size of the Thandol Space Force. That fleet was partly why the High Command wanted the Empire to stay incognito for so long. They may have overestimated the degree of destruction the Krall fleet suffered from human attacks. Humans must have had their own warships before defeating the Krall and capturing their fleet.”
Thond had the same concerns. “Where is the navy the humans used to conduct their war with the Krall, before the Federation won and had captured clanships to use? We haven’t seen a single warship they must have used to fight the Krall, before they learned how to disable their weapons.”
Thond reluctantly conceded the possibility that there was a larger Federation fleet than the High Command believed, but he had reservations. “If they have so many warships, I can’t explain why they left their newer colonies so undefended, at least after they learned about the Emperor’s aggressive intents. I suppose alien minds are alien, and we can’t be sure we understand their thinking.”
Koban 6: Conflict and Empire Page 24