Ep.#11 - A Rock and a Hard Place (The Frontiers Saga - Part 2: Rogue Castes)

by Ryk Brown

  “The retaliatory attacks are not about the results,” General Telles reminded her, taking the pressure off of Nathan. “They are about maintaining an appearance of capability. If the Dusahn believe for a moment that our ability to retaliate has lessened, they will send everything they’ve got to destroy us; and destroy us they will.”

  “I wasn’t arguing against immediate retaliation,” Cameron insisted, “I was merely pointing out the costs. Forty-two missiles are not enough to defend Rakuen, let alone the entire system.”

  “I think we’re all aware of how dangerously low we are on jump missiles,” Jessica stated.

  “Now that the Dusahn know Rakuen has surface-based jump missile launchers, it’s a safe bet that the next time they attack, those launchers will be the first thing they target.”

  “RDC started moving them the moment the battle ended,” Lieutenant Commander Shinoda assured them.

  “Rakuen and Neramese must triple their efforts, and more quickly build both missiles and launchers,” General Telles said.

  “That may not be possible,” Nathan replied. “To get them to agree to the missile defense program, it was important for both sides to develop their capabilities at an equal pace. Neramese may be able to triple production, but Rakuen was just hit pretty hard. They may not even be able to maintain current production levels.”

  “This could be an opportunity,” General Telles observed.

  “How so?” Nathan wondered, a puzzled look on this face.

  “If the Nerameseans were to triple production and then gift enough missiles to Rakuen to maintain the balance of power, it could help build trust between both worlds.”

  “It might,” Cameron agreed. “The problem is, the Dusahn seem to be attacking every six to ten days. That’s not enough time to produce more missiles, regardless of how much effort is put into production.”

  “We have to go on the offensive,” Nathan said, seemingly out of nowhere.

  Everyone in the room stared at him in disbelief, except for General Telles, whose expression remained unchanged, as usual.

  “We have to keep the Dusahn busy defending what they have so they cannot attack us as frequently,” Nathan explained.

  “Preferably not at all,” General Telles added.

  “In order to prevent them from attacking this system again, anytime soon, we will have to harass them constantly,” Jessica pointed out, “and Cameron’s right, we don’t have the missiles for that.”

  “Then we don’t use missiles,” Nathan stated.

  “We’re down to two Strikers,” Cameron reminded him. “They’re the only ships we have that can reach the Pentaurus cluster quickly and have enough firepower to take down anything larger than a frigate. Even that is questionable, with only two of them.”

  “We’ve got one hundred Gunyoki,” Jessica pointed out.

  “Yes, we do,” Cameron agreed, “but they have very little training in swarm-attack tactics, as of yet. Besides, with so few jump missiles available, the Gunyoki will be needed to defend the Rogen system.”

  “Cameron’s right,” Nathan said. “We’re not sending the Gunyoki anywhere. In fact, we’re not sending any of our forces to harass the Dusahn.”

  “We’re not?” Jessica wondered.

  “The Dusahn aren’t after the Rogen system,” Nathan continued. “It’s too far away to be of use to them. They’re only here because we’re here. The Dusahn want the Aurora, and that’s what we’re going to give them.”

  “Come again?” Cameron said.

  “Commander Kamenetskiy, how long until the long-range emitter array is operational?”

  “At least a week to get the emitters installed,” Vladimir replied. “Then a few more days of jump testing to get them properly tuned.”

  “I need that cut in half,” Nathan instructed.

  “Uh…”

  “No uhs,” Nathan insisted. “Pull all the resources and personnel you need to make it happen.”

  “I can get the array ready in that time, but the jump testing…”

  “Will have to be done on the fly,” Nathan said, cutting his chief engineer off mid-sentence.

  “I’ll have to pull engineers from the second ZPED installation,” Vladimir warned.

  “Nope, I want that ready in three days, as well,” Nathan instructed. “You have permission to fully integrate the Sugali AI into our systems to assist, if necessary.”

  “Yes, sir,” Vladimir replied.

  “Captain,” Cameron objected, “I’m not sure that’s wise.”

  “I have to agree with Cameron,” Jessica said. “This could be part of a Dusahn plan to get the Aurora back in the Pentaurus cluster so that Leta can hand us over.”

  “It’s a gamble we’ll have to take,” Nathan insisted, “and she’s no longer called Leta. On this ship, she’s called Aurora.”

  * * *

  Loki sat in the middle of what was once his family’s home on Rakuen. The apartment looked much like he felt inside: torn up, chaotic…destroyed.

  He reached down and pushed a large shard of glass aside, picking up a holo-cube that had been buried under it. He activated the cube, and a holographic image of his wife and daughter appeared. He remembered taking the image a few weeks ago, only days after they had settled on Rakuen. He had taken them to the docks to watch the fishing boats unload. Lael had always loved seafood and could never get enough of it. It had been one of the few reasons she had taken so well to life on Rakuen, instead of her native Corinair to which she longed to return.

  Lael had been so strong, so determined. For the life of him, Loki never understood how he had managed to attract such a mate. He had never felt worthy of her, and when they had been blessed with a child only a few years into their marriage, he considered himself doubly blessed.

  Now…

  Loki tried not to think. He longed to be stupid, to be numb to all the horror around him. The only woman he had ever loved, the mother of his daughter, was gone. All of his life, Loki had tried to do the right thing. He followed the rules, did the work, met his responsibilities…and what had it all gotten him?

  Pain. More pain than he could possibly imagine.

  He tried to remind himself that he was not alone in his suffering. Countless others had suffered at least as much. What right did he have to feel as if fate had been unfair to him?

  But the despair would not leave him, despite his best efforts to drive it away.

  Loki heard the sound of broken glass crunching underfoot. With a slight turn of his head to the left, he spotted a uniformed pant leg. “It was such a good day,” he said, looking back at the holographic image.

  Nathan didn’t know what to say.

  “What can I do for you, Captain?” Loki asked.

  “Actually, I came to see if there was anything I could do for you, Loki.”

  Loki let out a pitiful laugh. “Can you clone her and bring her back to me?”

  “If I could, I most certainly would.”

  “Then, I guess there is nothing anyone can do,” Loki said, exasperation in his voice.

  “I’m so sorry, Loki,” Nathan apologized. “I let you down. You have always been there when I needed you, and now I let you down.”

  Loki closed his eyes. He wanted to cry again, but he had no tears left in him. “You don’t fight for me, Captain. You don’t fight for any one person. You fight for all of us. Even for our enemies’ families. You always have. It’s why we follow you.” After a moment, he turned to look at Nathan. “How do you deal with the loss?” he wondered. “Your mother, your brother, all of them. Does it not tear you up inside?”

  “It did,” Nathan admitted. “In many ways, it still does.”

  “How do you carry on?”

  Nathan sighed, moving deeper into the room, stepping carefully. “If I were to die—I mean, permanently—I
would want everyone to carry on and live their lives. I would not want them to grieve over me…at least not too much. So, I try to do what they would want me to do. I mean, you really only have two options. You can dwell on your loss, and fall into abject depression, or you can continue on with your life. The former does no one any good and, eventually, destroys you.” Nathan took a seat on the couch next to Loki. “However, men like you and I don’t have a choice.”

  “How so?” Loki wondered.

  “When my family was assassinated, I wanted to give up. I wanted to take the Seiiki and disappear. Let the galaxy solve its own problems. But I couldn’t. I had to find a way to save Miri. I had to be strong for her children. I had to be strong for everyone, for all those who had suffered a loss, or will suffer one. What right did I have to give up? You have Ailsa. If you give up, and let yourself fall into depression and despair, she will never know about her wonderful mother, nor how brave a man her father. In essence, you will be taking away the two most important people in her life. As hard as it may be, you cannot do that to her.” Nathan felt his eyes welling up, his voice breaking. “You can’t,” he added, putting his hand on Loki’s shoulder.

  “I won’t,” Loki promised, also getting choked up. After a few moments, he asked, “What do we do next?”

  “We finish getting the Aurora ready for action, and then we take the fight to the Dusahn. We make them pay for what they have taken from us all.” Nathan patted his shoulder. “We attack in four or five days. I hope you’ll be there with us but if not, I will understand.”

  “Thank you, Captain.”

  “You know, you can call me Nathan.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  * * *

  Nathan entered the office of the Prime Minister, escorted by the minister’s personal assistant. Unlike the government offices on Rakuen, the ones on Neramese were simple and unpretentious.

  “Captain Scott,” Minister Cornell greeted, coming out from behind his desk. “It is good to see you well,” he added as he grabbed Nathan’s hand with both of his own and shook it vigorously. “We have had so few updates as to the condition of your ship and, in particular, her crew. I, for one, feared the worst.”

  “Both came through relatively unscathed,” Nathan replied, “thanks to the new jump-missile defense system.”

  “I suspect you and your ship had more to do with our success than you are willing to admit,” the minister insisted. “Please, sit. I will order comfa.”

  “Comfa?”

  “Similar to what you call tea. It helps with mental focus and emotional balance. It is customary for my people to consume it prior to any negotiations.”

  “Negotiations?”

  “You are an important man, Captain. A busy man, I might add. It is doubtful that you would seek my audience without an agenda.”

  “Of course,” Nathan admitted. “However, I’m not here to negotiate, Minister. I have come to ask a favor. A big one, I’m afraid.”

  “I see.”

  “The current level of jump missile production is insufficient,” Nathan explained.

  “Our fourth factory goes online tomorrow,” the minister stated. “By the end of the week, we will be producing four missiles per day just on Neramese.”

  “The Dusahn are attacking at a rate of once every six to eight days,” Nathan explained. “Just enough time to travel here, attack, and return home. Now that they know the Rogen system has developed the means to defend itself, they will be forced to attack more frequently. They will learn how to quickly detect and eliminate the surface-based defenses.”

  “This is why we allowed the resurrection of the Orochi, is it not?”

  “Yes, but currently there are not enough missiles to arm all of the Orochi. To make matters worse, Rakuen has suffered considerable damage, and will be unable to increase their missile and launcher production rate. They have become far more vulnerable than before, and that’s from one attack.”

  “What is it you ask of me, Captain?” Minister Cornell wondered.

  “I’m here to ask you to share your missiles with Rakuen, to maintain an equal balance.”

  “Captain, this is the first time in decades that Neramese has been equal in defense capability to Rakuen. Now, by a twist of fate, we are actually ahead of Rakuen, and you want me to give that up? What kind of leader would I be?”

  “One with vision,” Nathan replied. “One who understands that the futures of both worlds are too closely intertwined to be ignored.” Nathan leaned back in his chair. “Minister, Rakuen has held power over your world under a belief that if Neramese were to gain military might over that of Rakuen, then Neramese would attack once again. Gifting the missiles, to not only provide for the defense of Rakuen but also to maintain the balance of power, would demonstrate beyond all doubt that Neramese desires a partnership with its neighbor and not to renew a decades-old conflict.”

  Minister Cornell also leaned back in his chair, contemplating the captain’s words. “I doubt that Rakuen would do the same, were our fortunes reversed.”

  “You may be right,” Nathan admitted, “but the lack of moral character in Rakuen’s leaders should not dictate your actions.”

  Minister Cornell sighed. “My military advisors have told me that we cannot defend ourselves from the Dusahn, should they continue to attack at this frequency and, now, you’re telling me these attacks will occur more often.”

  “They will move supply ships closer to this system so their ships can rearm, refuel, and return in half the time. I predict the next attack will come in six days and after that, in three,” Nathan explained. “Even if they do not attack Neramese, Rakuen will fall. Can your economy survive without Rakuen’s?”

  “Doubtful,” Minister Cornell replied. “Although, it pains me, greatly, to admit this.”

  “There is a way to prevent these attacks,” Nathan added.

  “How so?” Minister Cornell wondered.

  “The Aurora must go on the offensive. The Rogen system is currently of no strategic value to the Dusahn. They only attack because the Aurora is here.”

  “Then, why do they attack Rakuen?”

  “Because Rakuen supports the Aurora.”

  “So does Neramese,” the minister pointed out.

  “Yes, but the Aurora was in orbit over Rakuen, so they could attack both with fewer ships. Trust me; they will eventually attack Neramese, as well, unless we leave.”

  “But if the Aurora leaves, we will be defenseless,” Minister Cornell argued.

  “Not necessarily,” Nathan replied. “First, the Aurora will give all of her jump missiles to the Orochi.”

  “Will that be enough?”

  “No, but it will buy us time,” Nathan replied.

  “Time?” Minister Cornell wondered. “Time for what?”

  “Time for the Aurora to return and join in the defense of the Rogen system.”

  “Return from where?”

  “The Pentaurus cluster,” Nathan replied. “You see, I intend to take the fight to the Dusahn. I intend to harass them so much that they cannot afford to send ships to the Rogen system, for fear of leaving themselves without sufficient defenses.”

  “But, it is a three-day trip for the Aurora, just as it is for the Dusahn,” the minister replied.

  “Not for long,” Nathan explained. He took a deep breath before continuing. “You can share this with no one, Minister, at least not for now.”

  “Share what?”

  “The Aurora’s single-jump range is about to increase…significantly,” Nathan stated.

  “How significantly?”

  “Enough to put Takara within single-jump range,” Nathan replied. “Enough to allow us to return in the blink of an eye should the Dusahn attack the Rogen system while we are away.”

  “But, you cannot defeat the Dusahn fleet, not with a single ship,”
the minister insisted.

  “No, I cannot,” Nathan admitted. “But I can chip away at their fleet, one ship at a time, keeping them so busy defending what they have, that they dare not venture beyond their defensive perimeter.”

  Minister Cornell studied Nathan for a moment. “I am not a military man, Captain, but even I know that such a strategy will make for a very long war.”

  “Perhaps,” Nathan admitted. “However, it will allow Neramese and Rakuen the time they need to build impenetrable defenses, as well as time for us to find a way to defeat the Dusahn once and for all.”

  “I hope you have something in mind, Captain.”

  “I do,” Nathan replied. “I don’t like it much, but I do.”

  * * *

  Vladimir straddled the bracing between the wall of the containment cylinder and the ZPED being raised into place. Only a few short weeks ago, the cylinder had served as the outermost shell of the Aurora’s number two antimatter reactor. In fact, the reactor, itself, had only been removed a few days ago and taken to a makeshift holding facility on an asteroid, at the outskirts of the Rogen system.

  He watched as his engineers raised the ZPED into place and began connecting the isolation braces, which were designed to absorb any vibrations emanating through the ship’s structure and prevent them from disturbing the zero-point device’s own delicate containment fields.

  “Commander,” a voice called over Vladimir’s comm-set. “The crawlers are reporting difficulty with the lateral bracing on all of the midship dorsal emitters.”

  “Tell them to skip them,” Vladimir instructed over his comm-set.

  “You mean, not install them?”

  “Da! That is what I mean!”

  “But, Commander, without the proper bracing, the emitters could shift…”

  “The lateral bracing is a redundancy,” Vladimir insisted. “If the emitter does shift, its attitude sensors will recognize the change and adjust their field appropriately. We can come back and deal with the lateral bracing later, after the jump array is back online.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “One moment,” Vladimir said, tapping his comm-set. “Aurora, are you monitoring this channel?”