by David Tatum
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Alpha Centauri, Orbital Guard Cutter Pangolin
“Talk about a graveyard for old ships,” Lieutenant Hrkac said, surveying the scan results. The assembly Admiral McCaffrey had called was currently on a chartered private vessel, to avoid diverting any of the ships that were still engaged in rescue and recovery operations or undergoing significant repairs. It had, indeed, only taken twenty minutes of travel time to get to the dumping area Commander Spirit had mentioned.
“I didn’t think we returned to Alpha Centauri after we advanced past the need for hyperspace jump gate technology,” Captain Ahonen remarked in amazement.
Prior to the invention of a practical hyperdrive small enough to be mounted inside of a ship, there were ‘doors into hyperspace,’ as they had been promoted. These hyperspace jump gates could open and close doors into the only practical method for interstellar travel... but, in order to work, a jump gate would have to be installed at both the entry and exit point for all travel. It required the use of generation ships, traveling – as the name would imply – for generations towards the targeted star and building the gates before a new route could be opened. Alpha Centauri was the location of the first prototype jump gate exit, and after that became the launching point for many generation ships.
“Well, the old waystation was abandoned,” Mia admitted. “And so were the jump gates, although some of them might still be floating around – the one in Sol is, after all – but we’ve been sending decommissioned warships here for hundreds of years. There used to be a small shipyard here, as well, but I believe that was abandoned. The only security left for this place is that no-one knows it’s here save for a few very high ranking members on the Wargame Committee... and the people responsible for transporting ships to be mothballed, such as yours truly. Not that security is all that important. Who’s interested in a bunch of old, mothballed, obsolete warships that have been largely stripped of anything worth keeping, anyway?”
“We are, that’s who,” McCaffrey said.
“Is that a generation ship?” Hrkac blurted out, amazed, as he saw one particularly well-worn vessel. “My God, this is the stuff of ancient history here.”
McCaffrey surveyed the fleet around them. Yes, everything here was old and it was all entirely obsolete... but there was a lot that could be exploited, too. Every Wargame ever was a practice for re-commissioning ships like this, and every Academy student had experienced the Wargame once in their schooling. Yes, some of the ships, like Hrkac’s generation ship, were too old to be of any kind of practical use, but there were still the hulls of a number of corvettes, frigates, the classic ‘starships of the line’ which once filled the role of modern battleships but would now only be considered a light cruiser, heavy cruisers, and even a number of battleships. Most of the battleships were undersized, but a few weren’t. There were a few of the Cleopatra class, sisters of which were still in commission in the modern Navy. Sirius class battleships such as those used by the Academy in the current Wargame could be seen. Nothing here was particularly exciting, but there was enough to build up an emergency force to deter another attack by the fleet which had limped away from the battle, if they had just a little time.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said finally. “All that matters now is getting this stuff home and to start building. Their hyperdrives have probably all been stripped, though, so we’re probably going to need to bring in a few interstellar-capable tugs, and it will take a while to get them back to Earth.”
Commander Spirit hesitated. “About that, sir... I have another idea, if you’re willing to risk it....”
CHAPTER XXIII
EAS Don Quixote
“Are you sure they requested that I come, too?” Beccera asked, astonished, as he followed Commander Burkhard to the shuttle bay. “Or was it a general ‘all regular officers above a certain rank’ type of order?”
“Your name was specifically mentioned in the communiqué we received,” Burkhard replied grimly.
“But... what possible need would there be for me in a meeting like this?” the Army colonel asked, unable to believe his ears. “I mean...Hell, do they expect me to storm a planet or something? That I can do, if I have an Army unit or three, but we don’t. What are they interested in me for?”
“I don’t know,” Burkhard snapped impatiently. “I don’t know anything! Just that they’ve suspended the Wargame... and about the only thing which could make our Navy do that is war or major disaster. So, something’s going on. Maybe you’re being recalled or something, but I just don’t know.”
Beccera grimaced. “My apologies. It’s just... I’m as startled by all of this as you are.”
Burkhard shook his head, sighing. “No apologies necessary, Drew. If anything, I should apologize for snapping. This whole situation has me a bit edgy.”
“As you say, no apologies necessary. So... we don’t know anything. Surely you have your suspicions, however. What do you think is going on?”
“I think there’s a war going on,” Burkhard replied grimly. “And I think no-one’s quite sure what to do about it.”
“And I think we’re going to be late if we don’t get moving,” Captain Morrison said from the entrance to the shuttle bay. “Hurry up, guys, I’ve been waiting here five minutes.”
“My apologies, ma’am, it was my fault,” Beccera said. “I needed a few minutes to get ready for travel.”
“Well, you’re here, now, so get on board!”
“Yes, ma’am!” Beccera agreed, saluting.
Burkhard grinned slightly as he followed the Army officer and the observer through the door. “Don’t you outrank her?” he whispered, curious.
“Err, yes,” Beccera replied. “But I think if I just pretend otherwise, things will go much smoother.”
The shuttle ride over to the Don Quixote was about as tense as any shuttle ride the trio of officers had been on. Even Weber, piloting for them, was silent as she flew. All three officers knew by know that she loved to talk up a storm when piloting.
They were met at the airlock by a woman with bizarre tattoos, cat-like eyes, and what appeared to be natural emerald-green hair. That combination of features instantly identified her as an inhabitant of the Iota Draconis colonies. A side effect to the genetic alteration done to counter poisons in the atmosphere of a particular colony world gave them the unique hair and eye features. The tattoos came from tradition: When settling Iota Draconis as the first politically independent extra-solar colony in human history, the colonists decided to mark their independence by calling themselves ‘Dragons’ and tattooing certain patterns on their bodies that gave them a more draconic appearance. Accepting the tattoos eventually became a rite of passage for those entering adulthood, though patterns had changed over the centuries to become something far different than the original.
The women of Iota Draconis were also prized as lovers all across the galaxy. As another effect of the genetic alterations made them release a pheromone with particular sensitizing effects when in the heat of the moment. It made them a frequent target for kidnapping. Iota Draconis women now rarely left their homeworld because of the phenomenon.
“Hello, ladies and gentlemen,” the foreign observer from Iota Draconis said, bowing in greeting. She gestured for them to follow her, and together the four of them left the airlock in the direction of the conference room. “I am Second Taii – the equivalent of your Commander rank – Seiroku Ildryn. The staff of this ship was running short of guides, and I was asked to bring you to the meeting. I will be attending, as well. My sympathies for your loss.”
“Our loss?” Burkhard asked. “You must know more about this meeting that we do. I’m afraid we don’t know quite what it is we lost, yet, Ms. Ildryn.”
Her eyes flashed – with what emotion, none of the trio could say. “I’m afraid my people are traditionally addressed with their given name last. You should address me as ‘Ms. Seiroku,’ or rather, ‘Mrs. Seiroku’ in my case. Alte
rnatively, you could address me as ‘Taii Ildryn,’ but only in situations where rank matters.”
“Thank you for the education, Mrs. Seiroku,” Burkhard replied. “But that doesn’t tell me what it is we’ve lost.”
“It is not my place,” she hesitated. “But I suppose you’ll hear of it, anyway. There was a surprise attack on Earth itself by an unknown enemy. Employing tactics and technology heretofore unseen, your entire Home Fleet was decimated. Earth Alliance forces ‘won’ the battle, as the enemy retreated when its last troop ship was destroyed, but for the moment Sol System is virtually defenseless.”
Burkhard and Morrison froze. Beccera, as an Army officer, didn’t know enough about the composition of Home Fleet to fully comprehend the impact of that statement, but he knew it was significant. A question came to mind, however. “And just how did you happen to come by this information before we did?”
Ildryn flushed. “I was with the first officer of this ship when it was reported. I... assumed you had been told.”
“What were you doing with the First Officer?” Beccera asked. The way this woman was acting was sending all sorts of alarm bells into motion in his head, and he was sure she was covering up something.
Her flush grew. “We were... um, in his stateroom. Do I need to explain further?”
“Are you married?” Beccera asked, digging deeper.
“Yes, but—”
“Mr. Beccera,” Burkhard snapped in a broken voice. “Taii Ildryn’s... infidelity... or whatever was going on in that stateroom, is completely unimportant at this point. Assuming her report is correct, we have a much more serious matter to deal with.”
“I’m just wondering why the ‘Second Taii’ would be having an affair if she is happily married,” Beccera replied. “Dragons are known for using sexual favors as a method of gathering intelligence, so—”
“Colonel, at least a quarter of a million of our military personnel have just been killed,” Burkhard interrupted harshly. “In one battle. At least forty percent of the ships in our Navy have been destroyed. I think that is more important than ferreting out a small-time intelligence agent of an allied power!”
“Small time?” Ildryn protested, offended.
Burkhard rolled his eyes. “Taii Ildryn, please... I don’t care if you’re a spy or not at this point, or whether you’re small time or the most important spy in the history of Iota Draconis. Just lead us to the meeting.”
“I am not a spy,” Ildryn insisted, gesturing for them to follow her regardless. Her gaze pinned down Beccera. “And those particular rumors are greatly exaggerated.”
Beccera shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing but acknowledging the rebuke. “I am only repeating what I heard,” he said, neglecting to mention that he had heard that bit of information every time a security briefing was made by anyone in any of the intelligence branches he’d ever worked with – civilian or military; loyal to the Earth Alliance or a declared foreign agent. All of them mentioned had the same warning. And, after hearing of an attack on Earth, anyone with unexpected information would arouse his suspicions, regardless.
“There usually is some truth behind any rumor,” Ildryn admitted. “And there may be with this one. I, however, only know that it is exaggerated, and that whatever may be true regarding this rumor has nothing to do with me.”
“If you insist, Mrs. Seiroku,” Beccera replied, watching her face to see if his gentle jab at her marital status would cause any reaction.
Her flinch showed that it did, and finally an explanation came forth. “I am legally a married woman, Mr. Beccera. However, my husband is a victim of Castergyne’s Disease and has been in support for over four years. I cannot remarry until he dies. I have no intention of divorcing him under these circumstances, but neither do I feel any moral compunction to remain celibate, as I am virtually a widow. My relationship with the first officer is already known by your intelligence organizations, and neither of our governments have objected. The only function I have with regard to the intelligence agencies of either of our nations is to occasionally pass their communiqués with each other back and forth secretly. I suppose I could be a leak, yes, but I’m a ‘controlled’ leak... and everyone knows it.”
All three Earth Alliance officers winced. Castergyne’s Disease was a horrible, incurable illness that would trap a person inside their own body. Brain scans showed that the brain was still active, but they also showed no indication of any connections to the body’s senses or control over the body. On life support, the person could live as long as their brain did – rarely longer than one year, but at least one case lasted for seven years before dying. Breakouts usually occured because of contaminated vegetables, and it was nearly impossible to detect before symptoms started to develop. There had been some recent discoveries that might allow for effective treatment if it was caught early enough, but they were still experimental and provided no hope for those already in long-term care.
“My apologies, Taii Ildryn,” Beccera finally replied into the silence which followed. “We still don’t know who it is who attacked us, and perhaps I am acting somewhat paranoid, but that doesn’t give me the right to judge your morals or to suspect you of using your sexuality for spy work. I am sorry about the loss of your husband.”
Ildryn nodded stiffly in acknowledgment. The silence that followed remained awkward until they finally entered the conference room.
“Ah, finally,” were the words that greeted the foursome. Admiral Mumford was standing in front of the assembly, which was comprised of every captain and flag officer from every ship in the system, including the foreign observers from Iota Draconis and the Larkin Triumvirate. Notably absent were the observers from Cygni and the Pleiades Confederation, as well as the small number of minor powers who had managed to send a delegation that year. “Taii Ildryn, welcome. Mr. Burkhard, Mr. Beccera, Ms. Morrison, please take your seats – you’re the last to arrive, and we have much to cover.”
“Our apologies, Admiral,” Burkhard replied respectfully, taking his seat along with Beccera, Ildryn, and Morrison.
Mumford just nodded at them, then turned his attention to the rest of the crowded room. “Let’s begin, then. By now, you all probably have heard that Earth has been attacked. Details are sketchy, at best, but here is what we know so far.”
As Mumford recounted the reports sent out from Earth on the attack, people around the room grew stiffer and more quiet. Any attack on Earth would have been bad enough, but the destruction of Home Fleet was a far worse situation than anything those present would have imagined. When the Admiral finished reading from the dispatches, the whole room waited in silence for some explanation that might help them understand what had happened.
Vice Admiral Lee Craig, who had moved to the Don Quixote as an observer after her ‘death’ in the Wargame, was the first to break the silence. “We don’t know who did this, you say, but can we narrow it down a bit? Who has enough power to manage something like this without being noticed? Who could build this many ships and concentrate them into one force without anyone seeing them do it?”
“Those sorts of questions are exactly why I asked the observers from the Larkin Triumvirate and Iota Draconis here,” Mumford explained. “Obviously the Cygni are one possibility. However, while we knew a threat from them was building, our intelligence estimates indicated that it would be quite some time before they were ready to implement any plans. Six months to a year, at least. And while they have this kind of power, we doubt they could develop this level of technology and build this large a fleet using it in secret. Our intelligence sources inside Cygni are quite considerable, and we’re confident they would have heard something. However, our sources outside of Cygni are almost nonexistent, which is why we’ve made secret intelligence-sharing treaties with the Larkin Triumvirate and Iota Draconis. The circumstances have forced us to make that intelligence sharing a little less secret then we’d like, but I will still ask everyone here not to mention this treaty outside of this room.
“With that in mind, I’m going to ask Taii Ildryn, from the Federal Republic of Iota Draconis, and Admiral Kris Orpik of the Larkin Triumvirate up here to give us the briefings each was asked to prepare. Sir, Ma’am?”
Ildryn left the trio from the Chihuahua to stand in front of the room. She looked fairly comfortable with the spotlight, but that was to be expected of a Dragon – their society promoted the development of people who could rarely, if ever, be bashful or shy in the presence of others.
“Well, our best intelligence indicates there are only five powers with enough capacity to build a fleet of the size that attacked Earth. Those are my own Federal Republic of Iota Draconis, the Pleiades Republic, the 16 Cygni Confederation, the Virgin Planets of 70 Virginis, and the Earth Alliance itself. I’ll assure you that my people had nothing to do with this, and you obviously didn’t attack yourselves. That narrows us down to three. Your own people are the specialists in Cygni, and they don’t believe those pirates were responsible for this attack. Cygni may be allied to whoever the attackers were, since we know they were considering their own assault on the Earth Alliance, but my people have no information either proving or disproving that theory.
“When we signed the Joint Intelligence Treaty seven years ago, the Larkin Triumvirate was given the responsibility of data collection on Pleiades – we do have some sources of our own, but largely in the civilian sector. However, my people have been steadily investigating the Virgin Planets for many decades, and I can report extensive findings on them.”
“In terms of their physical capacity to produce an invasion force, the Virgin Planets are probably near the top. Contrary to their published census, multiple sources are reporting that they have the second highest civilian population in the known galaxy, surpassed only by the Earth Alliance itself. In terms of planetary numbers and territory, they are fourth, behind the Earth Alliance, Pleiades, and 16 Cygni. In terms of raw resources, they are second only behind Iota Draconis. However... after that, things start to lead away from the conclusion that they could possibly be the attackers.