by C. R. Daems
"Sit, before you make my guards nervous. I'll make this quick. Your wounded have been treated and are fit for travel. You will be loaded onto our cruisers and flown to Fool’s Hope. For the trip, you will be housed in shuttle bays. It won't be comfortable, but it's only for two days. One of you will be in each bay to explain what I'm about to tell you." I paused and looked at each of the officers. "Given your bay doesn't cause any trouble, you will be released when we arrive. If you cause trouble in transit, then you will be spaced," I said to wide-eyed shocked faces. In fact, we had placed sleeping-gas cylinders in the bays in case of trouble. I turned and left the room. "I'm hoping that will keep them placid for the two-day trip. Let's get them loaded. The faster we get rid of them, the better."
It took a day to load everyone, two uneventful days to Fool’s Hope, and half a day to unload the prisoners.
* * *
I spent most of my time on the way to Hayjar in my office—when I wasn't on the Bridge—writing my proposal, a revised Mutual Support Agreement with the UFN. I hoped to have a well thought out draft ready for my meeting with Admiral Zhu. I finished the last day of travel and called Gebauer—who had asked to come along—to my office. In a way, I considered him a representative of the SAS—a relatively sane one.
"How can I help, Leader Reese?" he asked when he entered.
"Help yourself to something to drink and have a seat. I'd like you to read a revision to the Riss' Mutual Support Agreement with the UFN."
"Why me?" he asked as he fetched a cup of kaffa and sat.
"It affects the SAS, and I'd like your opinion." I handed him my tablet with the document. He gave me an appraising look before accepting the tablet.
"An interesting proposal which assumes you can defeat the Ecitoni. The SAS won't like it, but it's generous considering our long ingrained hostility toward the Riss."
"Where do you stand, Karl?"
"Do I have a choice? My attitude toward the Riss hasn't been all that good."
"I respect you, so yes, you have a choice."
"Can I be neutral, an ambassador of sorts?"
"That sounds like an excellent idea. A role I believe you're well suited for," I said, thinking he might make a good conduit between the Riss and the SAS. Time would tell.
* * *
When we arrived, the Dynasty and the Imperial Dragon were already in orbit. I arranged for a meeting with Emperor Okuda and Admiral Zhu on the Golden Dragon that night.
When I exited the shuttle on the Imperial Dragon, a bugle sounded, and the twenty-commando honor guard in the bay braced to attention. Then Captain Tang stepped forward and saluted.
"Welcome to the Imperial Dragon, Leader Reese." He stepped aside and Zhu stepped forward. "The Emperor is looking forward to talking with you, Leader Reese. He finds you an interesting person, and like me, believes you can see the future."
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral Zhu. I look forward to seeing the Emperor."
Zhu and his security, Master Yu, led me to the emperor's dinning room, where Okuda awaited. I gave him a bow of respect, which he returned.
"Was it fortunate or unfortunate that Admiral Gleason chose to defy Admiral Plimson?" Okuda asked, his face expressionless.
"It has provided us with a better picture of the Ecitoni but cost nearly one hundred cruisers we can ill afford to lose."
"And the attack on Freeland?"
"It has removed the SAS from a say in the coalition against the Ecitoni."
Okuda smiled. "Does it not also give us more time?"
"I think not. Like a cancer, the Ecitoni will grow each day, making it harder if not impossible at some point for us to stop them. It may make the decisions less emotional but no less urgent."
"And the reason you asked me to attend?" Okuda said.
"I would like to change our Mutual Support Agreement." I handed Okuda and Zhu each a tablet with the new MSA and the creation of Military Free Zones, MFZs.
They were quiet for a long time after carefully reading the document.
"An interesting concept, Leader Reese. This suggests you know how we can defeat the Ecitoni."
"I think so," I said, marveling at Zhu and Okuda's ability to think through a problem before speaking. Unless I had the cart in front of the horse, that was exactly what the revised MSA suggested.
* * *
We met the next day to discuss the implementation details. Emperor Okuda had left early that morning, giving Zhu his authority to work out the details, since Okuda agreed he and the UFN Committee would approve it. We met on the Mnemosyne: the Riss-humans, Zhu and Admirals Iwata, Kishi and Husing.
"Let me summarize what the UFN and Riss have agreed to do. First, the SAS and JPU space will be designated as Military Free Zones, MFZs. That means neither the SAS nor the JPU will be allowed to build military aircraft. They will be allowed merchant ships but with severe restrictions on the weapons they can support. All merchant ships—which includes those of the UFN and of Freeland—must be registered with the United Coalition of Merchants, UCM, which will be administered by the UFN and Riss. UCM registered merchant ships are free to trade in the UFN, SAS, and JPU but are subject to unscheduled inspections upon entering and leaving a system. Ships not UCM registered are subject to seizure and destruction. Each system will have an UCM Eiris installed, which will log all ships in and out of the system," I said to shocked and confused faces.
"The SAS isn't going to like that, even though it won't matter. They have no navy to stop the UCM from enforcing the new rules," Sheva said.
"Don't we have to solve the Ecitoni problem first?" Bradshaw asked and received a few nods of agreement.
"I've concluded we cannot defeat the Ecitoni in the conventional way. Maybe if we had thirty fleets and were willing to lose twenty-five of them. Admiral Gleason proved that. With ninety eight cruisers, he hardly made a dent in the Ecitoni Mother ship, and I'd wager they have already replaced a significant number of the fighters they lost and made repairs to the small section of the Mother ship that was damaged. They are a floating factory with millions of bodies."
"That was the impression I got," Katlin said. "Shooting missiles at the Mother ship was as meaningless as shooting at an asteroid."
"Starve them," Da'Maass said.
Zhu gave an imperceptible nod of agreement.
"Yes. That is one of the reasons I wanted the Eirises. They must send out scouts to locate inhabitable planets for when they are ready to move. If we can intercept them leaving or returning, that might freeze the Mother ship, which would eventually cause it to die from a lack of resources. The Eirises could help us identify the scout ships and provide us with advance notice. If that doesn't work or they have already scouted the area or tend to move without knowing where to go next, we will have to eliminate their shuttles. Without shuttles, the Mother ship cannot survive."
Alena was notified and informed that ten Eirises were a priority. The Riss reprogramed the Eirises that Elissa and Jaelle had retrieved to send a report of all ships entering and exiting the system to the Hayjar Comrelay, and the Cerberuses were dispatched to install the modified Eirises at Lingwood, Ruchild, and Lord’s Landing. While we waited on the Cerberuses, I suggested we visit Eden.
"Why? The new rules aren't negotiable," Zhu asked.
"I'd like to avoid destroying merchant ships if I can. Maybe if Eden sends out the rules, the merchants will listen. Besides, Eden needs to know we're serious. They tend to live in their own little reality."
* * *
The Mnemosyne, Eirene, Maat, and Minerva entered thirty minutes before Admiral Zhu and Green Fleet, to ensure the SAS Irises wouldn't be a problem.
Thalia sent with an image of signs
hanging everywhere in space: Riss free zone, Riss-humans trespassers will be gut shot, we tar and feather Freelanders… I couldn't help a laugh and sent the image to Terril, who choked.
Terril sent with a hint of relief, having witnessed what they were capable of doing.
Several minutes later, Admiral Zhu and the Green Fleet began entering Eden space. When they were assembled, we made our way to the planet, ignoring the frequent attempts to communicate with us.
Once in orbit, I had r-Galene make contact with Eden central and included Zhu and the Riss-humans on the connection.
"What do you want?" a male voice asked in a command tone.
"I'm Leader Reese and I have Fleet Admiral Zhu with me. We would like to speak to the core group of the SAS council. I have news of their three fleets," I said, thinking that would get their attention without a long explanation.
"I'll tell them," he said and then a few minutes later, "How did you get past the Irises?"
"By asking nicely." I cut the connection and heard Zhu's soft laugh. Thirty minutes later, Central connected and the faces of President Trostel, Ms. Naples, Ms. Flamer, Mr. Usher, and Mr. Krick appeared in individual sections on the monitor.
"What do you want, Reese? We met your conditions," he spat out like a bitter taste.
"You did, President Trostel. However, you made it clear you were forced to declare Martial Law, and that Plimson was under my thumb. As a result, Admiral Gleason decided he wasn't subject to Plimson's orders and ran off with First and Second Fleets, which he lost to the Ecitoni. The remaining group of captains killed Plimson and decided to commit genocide on Freeland—following the SAS Council and Yorke's original intent. As a consequence, the SAS no longer has a single navy cruiser. I returned the two thousand six hundred fifty-five survivors to Fool’s Hope. I'm here to congratulate you and ask how you are going to fight off the Ecitoni." I heard Terril snort. There was a stony silence, then the audio was cut and the five could be seen talking to each other.
"You…what do you want?" Trostel asked, fighting to keep from lashing out at me.
"Nothing from you. Emperor Okuda and I have decided the SAS, like the JPU, cannot be trusted as allies or even as neighbors. Therefore, we are declaring the SAS and JPU spaces as Military Free Zones. That means you are not allowed to build or operation military ships of war—"
"And if we do?" one of the women shouted.
"That ship will be destroyed, along with the factory which produced it, the space station, and the system quarantined—nothing in or out. We realize that the MFZ will leave you defenseless. But unlike you, the Riss are not seeking revenge on you for declaring war on them or for planning genocide, nor do they wish you harm. We will therefore provide you military support in the event it's necessary, and we will allow merchants registered with the United Coalition of Merchants, UCM—which will be run jointly by the UFN and Riss—to trade in the SAS, JPU, and UFN." I went on to explain the new organization. "Of course, these rules are not optional."
"What about the Ecitoni?" a different woman's voice asked.
"You're right to be concerned, now that you have lost your entire navy by your actions. Right now the Ecitoni are on Port Lost, Earthol, and Sparrow’s Nest. Judging by Ossicwater—which is devoid of life—they eat about a million people per week." When I finished, no one spoke. "I wanted you to understand the conditions under which the UFN and the Riss will provide you military support. Under our rules, you will be a free nation. Violations while we fight to save you from the Ecitoni could result in us withdrawing our military activities in the SAS, and afterward, a quarantine of any systems that survive the Ecitoni."
* * *
"That was interesting," Zhu said as we sat eating dinner on the Dynasty late that evening. We had spent more than eight hours answering questions about the Ecitoni, the loss of their fleets, and the UCM rules. "They really don't like the Riss…or you."
"I used to think I could change their minds and did everything I could to help. It was never enough. Prejudice is an emotional response, not a logical one. Since I now realize I can't change their attitudes toward the Riss and me, I'll settle for them being unable to kill me. Of course, we will have to destroy a cruiser or well-armed merchant now and then, but that is preferable to killing tens of thousands of crew who are just following madmen."
"Nadya, the UFN will share in monitoring the rules. We too would like peaceful neighbors."
* * *
We met on the Mnemosyne six days later: the Riss-humans; Zhu; and the admiral leading the Green, Red, and Yellow Fleets. The Cerberuses had installed Eirises on Ruchild, Lingwood, and Lord’s Landing and had modified the Irises on Eden and Corona. The Eirises and modified Irises would now report daily to the Comrelay on Hayjar the activity of ships coming and going, which would include any Ecitoni scout activity.
"Tomorrow, we begin Operation Earthol. Remember, we are there to test the possibility of starving the Ecitoni Mother ship—the viability of a siege, if you will. We are not there to try to destroy the Mother ship through a direct attack. I want us to fight smart, which means picking battles we can win. We cannot afford a war of attrition with the Ecitoni. If we're correct, the combat shuttles provide the Mother ship with raw material and food. Without raw metal they can't replace the shuttles we will be destroying, and without the shuttles they will run out of food." I paused to look around. "The existence of the UFN and Freeland may depend on clever captains, not dead heroic captains."
"Admiral Kishi will command the Green Fleet and coordinate with Leader Riss to defeat the Ecitoni Mother ship on Earthol," Zhu said formally.
Kishi stood and bowed to Zhu then me.
"Captain Bradshaw," I said, "you will proceed to Sparrow’s Nest and Captain Katlin to Port Lost to observe the Ecitoni and to watch for scouts leaving or returning. If you detect scouts returning, you will destroy them if possible without endangering your ship. Captains Ja'Sai, Zhang, Sheva, and Da'Maass will accompany me to Earthol. Captain Pavao, you are Leader on Hayjar. If necessary, I will communicate with you through Lingwood or Ruchild. If I send Deploy, I want you and the other Riss captains to come to Earthol."
* * *
We entered Earthol slowly—two to three cruisers every ten minutes to minimize the Wave disturbance, hoping the Ecitoni either wouldn't notice or wouldn’t care. As Katlin had noted, the Ecitoni didn't seem to react until their Mother ship was attacked.
"What if I send scouts to determine the Ecitoni's current activity and the best locations to attack isolated groups of combat shuttles? I'm sure their activity has shifted over the past several weeks."
Kishi nodded. "I and my fleet are eager to rush in and kill Ecitoni. A very heroic and traditional response. But you are right—patience. This battle will be fought over weeks, not days." He gave me a small bow and cut the connection.
"Zhang, scan the planet from north to south. Ja'Sai, from east to west. Determine the locations of the current activity, the best groups to attack, and their total strength. Take your time. Admiral Kishi is right. This will take weeks if not longer to accomplish."
Two days later the Maat and Cerberus-2 returned, and we had a joint meeting on the Green Dragon.
Zhang was first to report. "You were right. The major cities they were attacking when we were here before are now desolate and the Ecitoni have moved on. I found three cities currently under attack. The first besieged city had eighty combat shuttles and eight Lights. The shuttles had a supply line going to the Mother ship. The other two had all the shuttles on the ground with
their Lights orbiting above. One had thirty shuttles and three Lights, the other twenty and two." He pointed to the hologram to show the exact locations.
Ja'Sai was next. "A similar result with one Light for every ten shuttles. I identified four cities under attack, with fifty, fifty, fifty, and twenty shuttles respectively. The last two had their shuttles on the ground. The first two had a line to the Mother ship."
"So the Ecitoni attack squadrons are composed of one Light cruiser—either for support or command—for each ten combat shuttles," Kishi said, summarizing what he had heard. "That’s a minimum of three hundred combat shuttles, thirty Lights, and anywhere from thirty to sixty thousand soldiers in the initial assault. And the supply lines could be providing additional troops on the return leg. That is the equivalent missile power of two fleets, if each combat shuttle has two missile tubes."
"Admiral Kishi, what do you say we take out their Lights and you take out the shuttles on the ground, when they can't use their missiles?" I said.
He smiled, his eyes bright with excitement.
"Here is what I propose," I said. "For this mission we will designate Ja'Sai's four sites as J1, J2, J3 and J4, and Zhang's three sites Z1, Z2, and Z3." I brought up a hologram of Earthol with the areas tagged red and white. "Position your squadrons one light second above sites J3, J4, Z2, and Z3, tagged in red. These are the areas with combat shuttles on the ground. Wait for us to destroy the Light cruisers, then you can destroy the shuttles on the ground. Our first target will be J3, then J4, Z2, and finally Z3."
"I will tight-beam you when we are in position," Kishi said. "Where would you suggest we rendezvous?"
"Back here. I'm curious as to how they will respond, and this appears a safe place to watch from. The Ecitoni response will dictate our next move."
* * *
Three hours later, the Green Dragon sent In position.