Homeworld

by Ben Winston

  The rest of the enemy fleet had finally registered on the scanners now, nine hundred, sixty-four warships were in the enemy fleet, but their ultimate destination was still unknown. It could have been either Sol or the Hyclarion System.

  What happened next was more effective than any designed weapons known. The commanders and tracking officers watched as the enemy fleet was literally shredded by the asteroids ejected from the Mass. It was almost horrifying to watch: almost.

  In his office, Ben had watched the 'battle' and was very confused. He didn't understand what had happened to the large enemy fleet.

  "Mother, what just happened here? I didn't think we had any weapons that could reach that far?" Ben asked the ever-present AI.

  "We do not. The enemy fleet was destroyed by asteroids knocked loose by the bombardment of the astronomical object known as the F'orindante Mass. This outcome was not planned, but was most fortuitous. However, we will now have the task of trying to track the movement of the Mass and any asteroids knocked loose that could pose a threat to our own navigation. Eventually, they could have a detrimental effect on inhabited worlds, however, that will be many centuries in the future because of the distances involved." While she spoke, Mother altered the graphic Ben had been looking at to show the bombardment and the dislodging of the asteroids. In an exaggerated display, she showed him the asteroids destroying the enemy fleet.

  Ben nodded. "Okay, I'm with you so far. But how did the asteroids do that much damage, don't star ships have screens to protect them from stuff like this?"

  "They do have screens or a type of force field to prevent micro-meteor strikes and the like. However, I think you are not seeing the scale of what we are discussing. While there were micro-meteors in this cloud, most of these were in excess of five tons some as high as fifty tons. Also, the velocity they were moving at was such that even normal, full-strength, combat shields and point defense weapons would not have been sufficient protection to prevent the destruction of the vessels. There is little that can defend against the event in question; as the Lizards have recently discovered," Mother explained. "Thankfully, an occurrence such as this rarely happens in nature. General Greenwold has dubbed it 'Cosmic Buckshot'."

  Ben sighed and nodded. "Indeed. If I understand the physics correctly, let's just hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass, too."

  Ben's intercom beeped at him, when he hit the accept button, his aide told him Marcy was there to see him.

  "Send her in, I wonder what she wants?" he asked rhetorically.

  "I am not sure, Highness, but I don't think she's very happy about it," Sharon replied. "I'll send her in."

  Marcy stormed into his office, it was very apparent she was not a happy camper. "Ben, please tell me you didn't order this?"

  "I can't tell you that until I know what 'this' is," Ben replied. "What's got you so upset, Marcy?"

  "The F'orindante Mass astronomical object. Please tell me you didn't order the bombardment!" Marcy began. "Do you understand what just happened out there?"

  "To answer your first question, no, I didn't order it; I believe Admiral Yolinar did. As for what just happened, a very large enemy fleet was utterly destroyed without the loss of any of our ships or people. What else happened?" Ben asked.

  Marcy sighed. "Ben, when it comes to objects the size of the Mass, you can't just simply push them around. This is going to have long term effects on our entire quadrant of space! Very few of them are going to be good. There is a balance to the way the galaxy works; every object of mass has an effect, however seemingly small, on every other object. Now that the mass is moving, it will have an effect on every solar system and gravity well in this quadrant! Ben, we're talking about increased solar activity, potentially causing stars to go nova far earlier than projected. Altered planetary, and even solar orbits. Comets and asteroid course changes… the list is almost endless. Ben this is a disaster of massive scale!"

  "Calm down, Marcy," Ben said and got her something to drink. "I'm sure you already have Mother and her sisters working on plotting out the changes as well as the course the Mass is now on, am I right?"

  She nodded. "Yes, but we are talking about something so massive and complex it could overload their processors."

  "Please!" Mother replied. "Minister, primary calculations have already been completed. Second and third stage computations are now in progress and nearing completion. However, there is an anomaly you may wish to explore."

  Marcy was surprised. "Uh, really? What's the anomaly?"

  "The mass is slowing down. It will come to a relative stop in twenty-nine hours, sixteen minutes," Mother replied. "You may wish to begin requesting permission to research this impossibility."

  "Isn't it stopping a good thing?" Ben asked.

  "Yes, it is, but the question then becomes, how is it stopping? In space, an object in motion will remain in motion until acted upon by another force. So the question becomes, what is stopping the Mass?" Marcy asked. "There is also the question of the junk that was knocked loose by the bombardment."

  "With as many sensors and tracking equipment as we have in this system, as well as the stuff the Empire has, we should be able to find at least the bigger stuff, right?" Ben said reasonably. "I remember, back before The Fall, NASA and other groups saying how difficult it was for them to locate potential planet killer asteroids and comets. Don't we have a much better ability to do that now?"

  Marcy sighed. "Yes and no. We do have a lot more equipment we can use to track objects in space, so we can track stuff in this system. But, a lot of the gear we have may not detect this stuff because it's looking for energy signatures or other forms of radiation and not just mass. Besides, it isn't just in this system we need to worry about."

  Ben stopped her. "Aren't all of our long range sensors set for tracking mass?"

  "Well, yes but…"

  Ben put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down more. "As a matter of standard procedure, do they not constantly and continuously scan up to five light years in every direction and feed that data to the local traffic control AI who then updates the nav-data for ships?"

  "Uh yeah, but…"

  "So won't they locate the debris from this event so we can either avoid or destroy the pieces large enough to cause a problem?" Ben asked reasonably.

  Marcy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes Ben, they will."

  "It was the other scientists panicking over this that got to you wasn't it? Now, you can calm them down. Get them to focus on explaining why and how the Mass is stopping; that'll give them something else to focus on," Ben suggested.

  Marcy smiled at him slightly. "Do you ever panic?"

  Ben smiled. "All the time, I just don't let it show."

  Chapter Five

  Commander's Office

  Terran Marine Base Alpha

  Command and Control

  18 Jun. 10267 CE (AD)

  Terra, Sol System

  Gail had just finished the report on the previous day's action when Yolinar called her. From the background, Gail could see he was in his office as well.

  "Good Morning, General. I trust you had a good night's rest?" Yolinar asked in greeting.

  Gail nodded. "Much better than I thought I'd be getting. How was your night?"

  "Very uneventful. It was most enjoyable," Yolinar replied smiling. "I spoke to the Emperor this morning on the issue of the transponder codes. His Majesty has agreed that it is past time we alter the method in which this is handled."

  "Did something happen overnight I don't know about yet?" Gail asked.

  "Indeed. Lizard forces restructured themselves to counter the moves we made behind our lines. There can be no doubt that they have our codes. Conti and his staff are being charged with over a million counts of treason. I believe His Majesty plans on broadcasting the trials," Yolinar replied.

  "I never did like that man," Gail said. "How are we to handle the transponder issue?"

  "There will be a new tech update handed d
own for this, but to summarize; the new codes will be accessible by the Chief Engineer with the agreement of the Captain and the AI. The transponder itself will be rebuilt so it transmits two separate signals. The first will be a signal that identifies the vessel as a military ship of the Empire and nothing more. This signal will be for traffic control and civilian identification purposes. The second signal will be for other military units and will carry the ship data information and contain the friend or foe data. This conversion will include a separate software update for all tracking systems and traffic control units. Our existing ships will have to be rotated through your computer dock to be upgraded.

  "The new transponders will have to be built by your people and sealed prior to shipment for ships that are still under construction. This is going to create a lot more work for your people, but it cannot be helped. His Majesty will be speaking to King Bedouin this day to discuss this issue," Yolinar finished.

  Gail nodded. "Yeah, I know we're stretched pretty thin right now, but like you said, it needs to be done. I'll try to talk to Ben before the Emperor calls so he knows our opinion on this; maybe it'll help."

  Yolinar nodded agreement and understanding. "I also spoke to him seeking advice on your suggestion of rotating our command staff. While your idea has a lot of merit, he feels the risk would be too great. If we happened to miss even one disloyal officer, your security would be compromised. That is a risk we simply cannot take at this point. While the decision is mine to make, I agree with his thoughts on this; by some miracle, the Lizards have been ignoring you. We do not want that to change at this time."

  "I can certainly understand that, Sir," Gail said agreeing. "I'm not too crazy about the idea of them focusing on us either." She paused and frowned a little in thought. "Sir, as my commanding officer, I would like your permission to suggest to King Bedouin that he create a dedicated facility to the construction of the Aegis stations. Considering the performance of Aegis One yesterday, and the need for added security at the Capitol and the other support facilities, we need these systems built as quickly as possible."

  Yolinar looked thoughtful. "Yes, that station did perform remarkably well. Was not the plan for them to be built on location due to transportation issues? As I understand it, the stations do not have a hyperdrive."

  "That was the plan, yes. However, a reusable transportation platform could be built to move them, or perhaps one of the dreadnoughts could tow them. I just have a feeling we are going to need them far sooner than is currently projected," Gail replied.

  "You have my permission of course, General. I have come to take your 'feelings' as portents of things to come," Yolinar replied. "I would increase security at these systems until the fortresses are completed, but we simply do not have the resources for that."

  "Thank you, Sir, I'll see if I can get an appointment with his Highness today. I have just finished my after-action report for your staff and will send it as soon we are finished here," Gail replied.

  "Very good, General. I wish those on my own staff were as timely in the completion of their own reports. Thank you for your assistance yesterday; it was greatly appreciated," Yolinar replied.

  "It is but our duty to serve, Admiral," Gail replied politely.

  Yolinar did smile at her then. "I will let you get back to work, General. Good luck with his Highness, and let me know if I may assist."

  "Thank you Sir, have a good day."

  "And you, General," Yolinar replied and closed the connection.

  Gail sighed and called Ben's aide to see if she could get into speak to him today. Back in the days before the Empire had arrived, she would have simply called him directly. 'Such is the price of fame I guess,' she said to herself as the woman answered the call.

  "Hi Sharon, would it be possible to get into see our fearless leader today?" Gail asked.

  "Good morning General. Is this an emergency?" Sharon Hawkins replied.

  "No, not really, but I do know His Majesty will be calling to speak to him later, and I kind of wanted to talk to him before then," Gail replied.

  "Tell her if she can get her pretty ass up here in fifteen minutes, she can have breakfast with us!" Gail heard Ben say in the background.

  Gail grinned. "I'll be there, but what is he doing looking at my ass when he's living with two super-models?"

  "Well, he is male, General," Sharon replied, also grinning. "What would you like to eat and I'll include it in the order."

  Gail gave her the order for breakfast, told her own assistant where she was going, and took the express tube to the Capitol. She arrived at Ben's office in nineteen minutes.

  Instead of announcing her, Sharon just waved her into the office. "He's expecting you, so go ahead."

  Gail entered the office and, seeing Ben and Jorga sitting at the table with Deirdre, bowed to them.

  "Jesus, Gail, we're not on the clock yet! Can it with the bowing already!" Jorga replied.

  Ben chuckled his agreement. "So what's so important that it got you out of your hole in the ground?" He asked, as he set her place at the table and waved her to it.

  "A little birdie told me the Emperor is going to call you today to discuss a project. I needed to speak to you about it before he did," Gail replied.

  Ben cocked his head to one side and looked at her. "You're going to ruin my day aren't you Gail?"

  "Probably gonna be longer than that, Ben," Gail said as she took a bite of her toast.

  "So what did Yolinar say His Majesty wants to discuss?" Ben asked.

  "General Conti, the senior intelligence officer on Yolinar's staff has been arrested and charged with treason. His entire staff went with him," Gail began. "One of the things we believe he leaked to the Lizards was the transponder codes of all our ships."

  Ben looked thoughtful. "So the Lizards have been tracking all Imperial movements since even before the war."

  Gail nodded. "Yeah, we think that's how the Lizards knew how to find the First Guardian. Since then, they have been countering every move we've made within minutes of our ships actually moving."

  "So change the codes," Jorga suggested between bites of her omelet.

  "Imperial ships, especially Imperial warships have their transponder codes basically hardwired into them. The codes can only be changed at a dock facility and it was implied that it would be a job to do. The reason for the codes being the way they are, is a holdover from the early days of the empire when some of the crews would steal the ships and go rogue or turn pirate. That time is long in the past, and this tradition is long overdue for a change. They are going to ask us to build a sealed module that can be installed on new ships that only the Engineer will be able to access, provided the Captain and AI agree," Gail said.

  Ben flinched. "That's going to be tough with our current resources. We're running full out right now; I've even got a meeting with the labor leaders later today to see what can be done to reduce their load."

  "That's not all, Ben; they want to rotate all our existing ships through the CCSD to be upgraded to the new system," Gail said using the acronym for the computer and control systems dry dock facility. "There is another issue I would like to talk to you about as well, but again, it'll mean more work from our people."

  Deirdre just looked. "Ben, it's time. We need to bring more people home."

  "Where are they going to live, Deirdre? What are they going to eat?" Ben countered, but closed his eyes and sighed. "Mother, please gather all the data we have on the Mars and Centauri System colonial plans. Have Sharon work out a meeting of all Ministries for either later today or tomorrow. Have her include all Guild and Dock Masters as well please?" He looked back at Gail. "What else did you want to talk about?"

  "I've spoken to Admiral Yolinar about the performance of Aegis One yesterday. It did remarkably well; far exceeding our projected parameters." She paused to take a drink of juice. "Now, this is based only on my feelings, okay; there is no data to back this up at all. That being said, I'm not trying to make life any harder f
or you or our people Ben."

  "That's a hell of a lead in, Gail, what's eating you?" Jorga asked. She had been handling the details of the Aegis project for Ben.

  "I have a feeling we are going to need those stations built and in operation as quickly as possible. Far more quickly than we have planned for at the moment. I would ask that a dedicated facility be made available for that project exclusively. Build them here and we can have the dreadnoughts tow them to where they are needed, or build a reusable delivery gantry that can move them there. I know it means a massive undertaking to accomplish, and we simply don't have the people or the resources currently, but I feel we need to try," she finished.

  "Gail, we're talking about adding an additional dry dock facility, all the people to staff it, and the mining and manufacturing facilities to support it which we'd have to build as well. When the smoke clears, we're talking almost a million people just for this project alone!" Jorga said.

  Gail nodded. "I know! I know! But ever since that weird ass fight yesterday, I just can't shake the feeling we're going to be in trouble without them."

  Ben wasn't happy, that was clear on his face. "Gail, if you tell me this is something we need to do, I'll do it. I might bitch about it, but at the end of the day you are the person protecting us. If your instincts are telling you we need this, I'll figure out a way to make it happen. Even if it turns out that we didn't need to accelerate the Aegis project, I will never be mad at you for it. If you tell us, you need it; you'll have it."

  Deirdre got up from the table. "Uh, excuse me," she said and ran to the bathroom.