ROMA

by R. A. Ender

  Multiple simulations showed that the various branches of N.E.D.A. were working against each other and that communications and planning between the branches were poor. Each Legate seemed to hold too much power and guard their authority too strongly. Part of the reason, which the leaders acknowledged, was the antiquated system that made each branch a national responsibility. Therefore, each nation state felt personally hurt if funding cuts or planning changes negatively affected their national branch.

  Well, the leaders changed all of that. They all agreed and wrote into the constitution of New Earth that N.E.D.A. would be commanded by a Praetor Imperator Legatus, who held total authority over the Legates, derived power from the leaders, and was the overall commander of N.E.D.A. The first appointee to the office was to be Tribune of the Castra Heather Julia Severii.

  Heather had often wondered why she had been chosen over so many others of higher rank and greater experience. The reason was apparently her reform of the base she commanded, LaGuardius Seccus. Since taking command she had initiated reforms to curb wasteful spending and have the base perform its duty above and beyond expectations. Though she had never been permitted to see the defense simulations, she had been told that her base was one of the only parts of N.E.D.A. that fulfilled its role.

  The day that the leaders publicly announced the change, she had begun her reforms. She had been careful not to cause problems while the leaders got each of their national Senate’s to accept the change to the constitution, which apparently was assisted by the defense simulation failures. Senators do not relish the thought of their homes being bombed from orbit. Once approved, she moved quickly. Many retirements of senior staff occurred and a great reform effort began.

  Now, only three years later, the pain was over and the success was apparent to everyone. She was surprised at the speed, but it was pretty clear to her that the obstacle was national jealousy. Once she had command and could override those emotions, the men and women of N.E.D.A. made the reforms happen with enthusiasm and complete success. They were the heart of the organization and they proved their worth.

  Now, all five branches worked together. The cost of N.E.D.A. had actually been reduced by almost twenty percent, which made the politicians very happy. Even better, it had been done without closing any installations or terminating anyone in uniform, though many bureaucrats were eased out. Heather had even managed to instill an even stronger sense of national pride in the branches when simulations, previously hidden from public view, were released and each nation could be proud of the role they played in New Earth defense.

  It was hard not to be inspired by the colorful and dramatic simulations released for public consumption. It was true that the positives were played up, and the mistakes edited out, but it was still exciting for the citizens of a nation to see their men and women in action.

  The Gemberlicans, whether they lived in Gemberlic, Garouve or Philipippius were proud of their Liburna submariner forces randomly lifting out of the oceans and launching volley after volley of surface to orbit missiles, or discharging their massive laser beam arsenal. The citizens of Monor and Ebos cheered the success of their Atmospheric Squalus Fighters skipping into space for punishing assaults on orbiting ships.

  Desert got to cheer about their land forces quickly responding to any invasion ships, either forcing them into the oceans using their massive pulse laser artillery and repulse beams, or the punishment they leveled against any troops who actually managed to land. Segal got a great light show as their orbital defense system wreaked havoc on any invading fleet, sending more than a few ships into fiery obliteration in the upper atmosphere.

  Probably the proudest were her own fellow citizens of Roma. The cradle of the New Earth human civilization, they were proud of their unique and pivotal role in the history of mankind. And they were equally proud that one of their own citizens was the head of N.E.D.A. They were especially proud of their land based surface to orbit laser beam installations. The most spectacular part of the simulation was when five of the incredibly powerful beams struck out and sliced a full strength I.A.E. Sovereign Force Battlecruiser to pieces inside of ten seconds.

  All the nations of New Earth were proud of their role in their mutual defense, and it made Heather’s role as chief reformer much easier. She was even in talks with the people of Desh about finally entering N.E.D.A. Pacifists by religion, the people of Desh had long been proudly outside of the military conflicts of New Earth’s past. Even when the last planetary wars had long ended, and a mutual defense organization was conceived, they had abstained.

  Heather had embarked on a considered effort to create a new branch of N.E.D.A., the Planetary Care and Peace branch. She hoped to create a branch whose primary role was to seek peaceful relations with everyone, and thus avoid war. And secondly, have a branch dedicated to the care of New Earth providing emergency health services to the citizenry during an assault. They could also be dedicated to the care of veterans, which currently was administered independently and differently by each nation.

  This effort had begun very soon after she came to office, with discussions being opened up with Desh. She had preferred to focus on her reform, but with that now largely concluded, her new focus was entirely directed to achieving that monumental goal. With all nine nations for the first time in New Earth history working together in united defense, it would be a strong seal of approval stamped on her reforms. It would be a very proud moment.

  Of course, the complexity of the task was enormous and helped explain why her desk was absolutely covered in papers and reports. It might look worse than it actually is given that the desk was quite small. She had not been thrilled by the idea of using this desk, but the leaders had insisted on a symbol of her new office, and this desk was it. Removed from its display in the Museum to Mars in Historic Roma City, the desk was that belonging to General Marcus Tatanus Aurelianus, the leader of the first New Earth legion and the first Governor of the Province of Roma. Made of solid and everlasting Gemberlican wood, it was as strong as the day it had been carved from a single tree, almost a full eighteen centuries in the past.

  From a practical point of view, it was smaller than a typical desk, as people were not as large eighteen centuries ago as they were today. Also, given its historic nature and method of construction, it had no drawers, cabinets or places for mounting displays. It meant that if Heather needed to work, she needed to drop a display from overhead and use a portable station pad, which wasn’t all that bad. It meant everything got piled on the desk until she had seen it and it could be filed by her assistant.

  Which reminded her, where is my assistant? Her musings had certainly lasted longer than the customary five minutes her assistant usually afforded her. Almost as she opened her mouth to call out, her assistant popped his head in the door.

  “Legatus...Admiral of the Fleet Hilbornus is waiting on the comm line for you.” He informed her crisply before quickly closing the door.

  No matter how many times I tell him to stop calling me and Richard by rank, he won’t stop! She thought with a moment of frustration, which was quickly replaced by a warm feeling of happiness.

  Richard is coming soon, I bet, she thought. He had told her that he planned to make New Earth his first training cruise stop, so they could spend a couple of weeks together as the officers in training learned about planetary defense. Any future officer operating in a fleet needed to be well aware of planetary defense methods, otherwise they risked their own ship being destroyed or uselessly defending that which was already secured.

  Grabbing her station pad from beside her chair, she dropped the display down and opened the comm line. As the display dropped down, Heather fixed her hair quickly with her hand and straightened her uniform to make it slightly more form fitting. Hopefully, this will put a nice full smile on his face, she thought excitedly.

  Unfortunately, when the display came into position and turned on, staring back at her was a grim looking Richard. Oh, no. He isn’t coming, she though
t, the warmth of her happiness ebbing away. They had known each other long enough to read each other’s thoughts instantly.

  “Hi love,” she opened. “Why aren’t you coming?”

  Richard gave her his half smile. “I look that grim do I?” He asked, already knowing that he did.

  “Well, it makes me happy to know that not coming to see me makes you unhappy. If it didn’t, I would be worried. So, what’s up?”

  Richard sat up straighter in his chair before answering. “The CAC has given me a mission which will take us out of the Old Colony region. It’s time sensitive, so I can’t make a stop along the way. I had Jennifer run the nav numbers to see if we could Jump Gate it from here on New Rome to New Earth and on to F’lwok at an emergency jump speed in the same time as a direct normal jump, but it would add a good two weeks, so I can’t make that sacrifice for my personal life. As it was, even if we did it, it would only give us a quick kiss while we waited for the gate to orient properly. I’m sorry, love.” Richard’s eyes were clearly saddened.

  Heather felt sad inside. It had been over three months since he had been back in port at New Rome, but his duties while his ship was parked and serviced never allowed him to get away. The hope had been a few weeks once his cruise was underway. I guess I’ll be waiting a lot longer now. Oh, if only we could go back to that year we had together, that was the best time of my life, Heather thought wantingly.

  For Richard, he saw only what she wanted him to see, and she had long practiced displaying only a positive exterior. It worked equally well when commanding troops as it did when speaking to your lover.

  “It’s fine, Richard. We will see each other soon enough. I just finished my meeting with the Legate’s, so I know nothing major is going on. How long do you suppose this assignment will take?” The question was leading, though. Telling him that she knew nothing and he had a secret was a tried and true method to have someone tell you their secret. Keeping secret information made everyone feel powerful, and when one has the power they have an instinctive urge to prove it whenever an opportunity presents itself. Military personnel are trained to overcome that feeling, but the reality was that it could never be entirely overcome, hence the reason secret information is often spread around.

  For a moment, Richard seemed to think about what he could say, but eventually, he began a very hesitant sentence.

  “Of course, I can’t tell you much. I... ah... well, I’ll say this. My assignment is to take the training ship to F’lwok and train the officers in border patrol tactics and methods. The assignment is unlimited, and can only be changed on direct orders from CAC.”

  Richard leaned in toward the display slightly, “And for your sake, please make sure your people are fully ready and not lazing around the base.”

  With that said, Richard sat back in his chair. “Well, love, I have to go and get this ship out of the dock. Please remember I love you a lot, and my ship will be in New Earth nearspace as soon as I can. I love you, bye.”

  “I love you too, and thank you.” And with a quickly blown kiss exchange, the display went black.

  Heather sat back to think about what Richard said. Clearly, he was being sent to monitor the I.A.E. border. Also, telling her to have her troops ready, which was a given anyway, was certainly a big hint about a potential Imperial Alliance invasion.

  That would be quite a shock! She thought to herself. Maybe that author did have some inside knowledge. Now, what was his name again? Heather tried to think back to that intelligence report she had discussed with the New Earth Security Agency attaché a couple of weeks ago, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember.

  Well, let’s get ready for the worst. That way, we will be ready for the reality. Pushing a button on her station pad, she opened the comm line to her assistant.

  “Julius, can you arrange a meeting for our N.E.S.A. attaché this afternoon. I also want to meet with the Legate’s again tomorrow morning first thing, so please advise their offices that they aren’t to stray too far from the Capital.”

  “Yes, Legatus,” came the crisp reply.

  Heather sat back in her chair. Hopefully, that attaché has some solid intel. If Defense Force is on to something, New Earth had better of been brought in the loop.

  CHAPTER 9

  The command deck was unusually quiet. The usual background rhythm and noise seemed muted and absent. Richard could see the lights and visually recognize everyone, but it all seemed somewhat distant.

  However, the procedure under way was too important for him to focus too much on silly little details. The task at hand demanded his complete attention, and he gave it.

  Looking down at his station he watched the Caesar Augustus complete its final orbit of New Rome along the slingshot acceleration lane. The orbital laneway was clearly marked and separated from the rest of the nearspace traffic around New Rome. And it had to be!

  Any ship using the Olympus Jump Gate needed to generate a great deal of momentum before entering Olympus Space. Unlike Hyperspace jumps that all interstellar ships could perform in a run to jump, straight trajectory method, Olympus Space was different. The enormous amount of energy needed to open Olympus space was beyond the capacity of any financially viable ship. Therefore, colossal, jump gates had been built at every important world in the Confederacy. Many smaller worlds still didn’t have them due simply to the financial burden. At each world, two gates must be built, one for departures and one for arrivals. Usually, the departure gate is positioned close to the planet, orbiting in a position the keeps it between the planet and the nearest satellite. The arrivals gate is typically further into space, away from any other objects, in case an incoming ship has a problem. The distance from the planet provides a long untraveled lane to decelerate along.

  The key to hyperspace and Olympus space is that ships have a great deal of difficulty maneuvering. Small corrections can be done but only enough to keep a ship from wandering. The reality was that whatever direction you were going when you entered is the direction your ship will continue on until you return to normal space. In the case of hyperspace, ships can enter and exit at will. The length of time required to calculate your trajectory and get to your desired normal space speed is all that limits the time it takes for a ship to jump.

  For Olympus space, both factors are also important but you also need to pass through the gate to jump. And if you are not at the correct speed and angle when you enter, it can be a long trip or a fatal one. The reason is that the only way to exit Olympus space is to arrive at the other end of your journey and exit through the arrivals jump gate, which opens at a designated time and angle based on the information relayed from the departure gate. The system is extraordinarily complicated, which is why a rigid schedule is usually in place at each world for passage to another world. Long trains of passenger, transport, and commercial ships can often be seen traveling along the slingshot acceleration lanes, all heading toward a common destination.

  When Olympus gates were first installed, a run to jump gate method was devised but quickly abandoned. The length of time required for ships to transit to the gate, wait in space, accelerate along a long straight line to the gate proved too troublesome to coordinate and police, and the cost was high.

  Instead, Watabaeg devised a method of placing their gate in orbit between the planet and its nearest satellite. Designating a laneway, the train of ships made orbital transits diving closer and closer to the planet. The acceleration from these transits sped the ships to the speed they required, and when they were ready, they would slingshot out of orbit along a calculated course, straight into the waiting Olympus Jump Gate.

  The importance of being between the planet and the nearest satellite was for transits heading in the opposite direction. After slingshotting out of planetary orbit, the train of ships could slingshot around the satellite and be perfectly positioned to enter the jump gate in the proper direction.

  All of this effort was required since ships could not accelerate once they had ju
mped. Whatever speed they carried into hyperspace, was multiplied by 900 times as that was the nature of hyperspace. Olympus space multiplied another 900 times above that speed. And since neither had any friction, the speed never altered while in transit. A ship with the best normal space engines available, such as the Caesar Augustus, could reach almost point nine of light speed. Once in hyperspace, that translated to roughly two light years a day in travel time. In Olympus space, that became almost two thousand light years a day, though entering a jump gate at point nine of light speed was not permitted except in emergencies. The regulations of the space lanes allowed only up to point five, which still netted over a thousand light years a day, more than enough to cut travel times and costs by a significant factor. When Olympus space jump gate technology was first made available, it made space a whole lot smaller.

  Today, the Caesar Augustus was leading the train of ships destined to F’lwok. Located well outside of the Old Colony region along the border with the I.A.E., it was a popular destination for commercial and military traffic. Few pleasure ships were in the train, not an ideal world for a vacation. F’lwok’s history of instability and war guaranteed that.

  F’lwok had once been the capital planet of the great F’lwoka Empire. It had, at its height, controlled eight worlds, including as a colonial power the worlds populated by the Ituas. But, at some time long in the past, the Ituas had gained independence. The history on that subject was clouded and many stories and accounts exist.