Haraken (The Silver Ships Book 4)
Page 31
“Then, I imagine your high judge, his battleship, and your people are either captured or gone,” Tatia said.
Many of the scientists, who were witnesses to the UE’s prowess as it subjugated the entire Sol system, thought to disagree with the admiral’s conclusion, but the matter-of-factness with which she declared the outcome seemed absolute.
“Let’s presume Admiral Tachenko is correct,” Alex said, pulling the conversation back to him, “that leaves the Reunion isolated. At present, it’s making speed to exit our system. What will Speaker García do after his ship clears our system?”
Alex hoped for a simple response. Instead the Harakens waited while the scientists argued among themselves. Alex was tempted to interrupt, but Tatia’s signal cautioned patience, and finally their guests reached a consensus.
“We believe that Speaker García, having failed to accomplish his goal in this system, will choose to return to Earth since he will be unable to contact High Judge Bunaldi,” Olawale said, summarizing his compatriots’ thoughts.
“We are aware your people do not have FTL comms, but would Speaker García journey to New Terra in search of the high judge?” Julien asked.
“I said that was how they were communicating quickly despite the great distances,” Edward said to his companions, proud of his deductions about Méridien comm technology.
“We do not believe so, Julien. He would return home,” Olawale said with certainty.
“So, Speaker García chooses to return to Earth. Then what happens?” Alex asked.
“The speaker would report to his superior, and his data would be downloaded for analysis,” Olawale said. “If important enough, the results would be referred to the Supreme Tribunal. Your worlds would rate that level of scrutiny.”
“Then what happens?” Alex pressed.
Olawale squirmed in his chair as if he were a small boy hiding a dark secret.
“Your worlds would be seen by the Supreme Tribunal as prime objectives, Mr. President,” Priita said, taking the responsibility off her friend’s shoulders. “They would respond … they would be forced to respond,” she acknowledged grudgingly.
“Forced? Forced in what way?” Tatia asked.
“The Tribunal would know that no matter what it thought to do word would inevitably spread from the Reunion’s crew about what it had encountered here. The UE could not be seen as the weaker entity. Your technology aside, which is enticing enough, the Tribunal would be forced to come for you,” Yoram explained.
Alex halted his questioning to consider what he was hearing, but Tatia was anxious to hear specifics. “Do you know in what manner the UE would return?” she asked.
“I’m not knowledgeable in military matters,” Olawale acknowledged, “but I couldn’t imagine the Tribunal sending anything less than a significant fleet.”
“Define significant,” Tatia said, her voice taking on a commander’s tone.
“It would be a fleet built around several battleships,” Boris replied. Although he was a member of the medical profession, his two sons served on UE warships, but to Boris’s great anguish, neither son survived their service. “They would be accompanied by a host of lesser warships and support vessels. We are speaking about a fleet numbering fifty to seventy ships.”
“How long before they would arrive?” Alex asked. If not for the depth of his voice, the scientists might never have heard the softly asked question.
Edward, the physicist, led the discussion, supplying minimal sub-light and FTL transit times, while the others considered the political process that would consider the reports, deliberate, and then command the formation of the fleet.
“The UE fleet would arrive at Méridien anywhere from 120 to 150 Earth days,” Edward replied, “which would be about …”
“As early as ninety-eight Méridien days,” Alex supplied, almost as an afterthought.
“Why, yes, Mr. President,” Edward replied, surprised at the alacrity with which the man reached an answer. Edward just began his own mental calculations, and he was known as one of the UE’s premier physicists and mathematicians.
Julien sent.
When Alex paused and smiled to himself, the scientists’ hands and elbows nudged one another under the table to draw attention to what they were witnessing.
“Mr. President, I realize that you have many questions for us, but I wonder if you would indulge an elderly woman one question,” Nema implored.
“Does that approach usually work for you, Ser?” Alex asked, his smile disappearing and the stern face of the Haraken president returning.
“When I was younger, it was a favored technique, although in those years I was able to say I was a helpless young woman.”
When Nema offered him a sad smile in apology, Alex could see the charm and beauty she once possessed. “Ask,” he said.
Nema sat upright, leaning on the table in anticipation. “Are you communicating with your people by telepathy or do you have devices that enable you to share your thoughts?
“Clever question, Ser,” Alex replied.
Nema found herself pinned by Alex’s stare, but rather than fear the man, she was dying to know what was going on in his head and if he was speaking to anyone silently.
Alex’s first thought was to tell Nema nothing, but he relented. “We use implants in our cerebrums to transfer our thoughts to one another.”
“Can the implants —” Nema began to ask.
“One question, one answer,” Alex said, cutting her off. “Now tell me about the UE. I want to know how it came to power. What are its weaknesses? Do the people support the government? Does the UE have enemies?”
Olawale and his compatriots shifted uncomfortably in their seats. “What would you do with this sort of information, Mr. President?” Yoram asked.
“I thought that would have been obvious by now, Ser Penzig. I’m going to try to prevent a war. And all of you,” Alex said, swinging his arm across the table, “are going to help me.”
In the end and after much debate, the scientists decided to divulge their knowledge of the UE — its noble start and its ignoble present. When their story reached the conquest of the colonies, the Harakens became intensely interested.
“What is the nature of the relationship between the colonies and Earth now?” Tatia asked.
“The circumstances are unique,” Priita answered. “On the one hand, trade between Earth and the colonies is robust and interdependent. On the other hand, the political relationships are fragile. The colonies did not submit willingly, and their subjugation was rather brutal.”
The remainder of the exchange lasted through midday meal, which was served in the conference room, and discussions continued through the afternoon, a second meal, and the evening. By the time Alex and Tatia finished their debriefing of the scientists, the No Retreat was entering Haraken’s orbit and the Last Stand’s extensive FTL comm was being received.
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Alex and a group of people surrounded the No Retreat’s bridge holo-vid for the Last Stand’s message.
The scientists were brought from their conference room to witness the complete transmission. While their minds burned with questions about the evidently advanced technology, Olawale and his friends sensed the tenseness on display by the Harakens and speculated that a critical moment in the tides of worlds was about to unfold as the holo-vid flared to life.
“Mr. President, what are we about to see?” Olawale asked.
“This will be a record of the events at New Terra where the Hand of Justice journeyed. The message originates from our carrier, the Last Stand.”
The bridge was silent as the horrific battle at New Terra played out. The Harakens winced as the number of losses mounted, but
they were few compared to the complete elimination of the UE forces. At the end of the vid, Sheila summarized the Haraken losses and the disposition of the ships.
The message closed with Eric Stroheim’s statements. “Mr. President, as your senior representative in New Terra, I have authorized the conversion of the New Terran shuttle-travelers to fighters, an authority you so graciously granted me … without a word, I might add. I might warn our commanders that it has been decided that New Terran shuttle and Dagger pilots will be trained by Commander Svetlana Valenko.”
A few groans were elicited from the No Retreat’s commanders, who were well aware of Svetlana’s no-rules style of engagement.
“I would imagine there could be several of us who would have the authority to convert the travelers,” Tatia mused while staring at Alex.
“And you would be correct, Admiral,” Alex replied. “Consider it an emergency failsafe.”
“Of course, there would be those who would know this, could approve the request, and be able to manage the conversion,” Tatia added, glancing between Julien and Cordelia.
“The SADEs stand ready to assist you and your staff, Admiral, whenever you need us,” Julien replied and sprouted a Terran Security Forces cap with a major’s insignia, the type Tatia wore more than a decade ago. He added a cheeky smile as he touched a couple of fingers to his virtual cap’s brim.
The image of a hat appearing on Julien’s head should have created a stir among the scientists, but they were in shock about the outcome of the battle at New Terra.
“You destroyed a battleship,” Olawale whispered.
“We were left with no choice,” Alex said quietly. “I am deeply sorry for the loss of your friends and comrades, Sers.”
“The high judge led them to their doom, Mr. President,” Olawale replied, shaking off his mental malaise. “No, Ser, what my comment was meant to convey was that I found the outcome of the battle incredulous. When I heard Admiral Tachenko announce that if the high judge failed to retreat he was probably dead, I presumed a certain amount of inexperience.” Olawale quickly turned to Tatia. “My apologies, Admiral, I meant no disrespect, but the UE battleships have been a symbol of domination in our solar system for more than a century, considered invincible, and yet you accomplished it with fighters that appear to have no engines and no weaponry.”
“A ray or beam of some type, Admiral?” Edward asked.
“Edward, another time,” Nema admonished. “We have just witnessed the deaths of thousands of our people.”
“Another reason we stand here, Nema,” Priita reminded her. “We came for the opportunity to learn and perhaps to enjoy social freedoms that have been denied us on Earth.” She directed her last comment at Alex, and held his gaze, waiting.
“You will have both, Sers,” Alex said to the scientists, “for as long as Haraken exists as a free society. Toward that end, my staff and I are leaving you here aboard the carrier, for the near future. As of this moment, you are free to ask questions of any crew members, but please, try not to ask all at once … spread your inquiries out, won’t you?”
* * *
Planetside on Haraken two days later, Tomas Monti and the Assembly were listening to Alex’s arguments for more than an hour since the emergency session opened. But the frowns on their faces, including that of Tomas, told Alex he was not convincing them of the necessity to interdict the UE’s next move. This was despite the fact that Tatia stood beside Alex, adding the military disadvantages of letting the UE fleet enter their space. She was repeatedly assuring the Assembly it would happen.
It wasn’t that the Assembly had lost confidence in their president. Quite the contrary, they depended on Alex Racine to protect them as he always had, but that would be impossible if he was light-years away, engaging a huge and by all accounts overwhelming military force.
Alex continued to make his points, arguing for the authority to make the journey to Sol and find a means by which to avert an all-out war. Of course, it might have been argued that Alex was already engaged in a war with the Earthers without the Assembly’s approval, but everyone admitted that the events couldn’t have been foreseen, and it was necessary to block the swift and aggressive moves of the UE leaders. The Assembly leaders were still coming to grips with the fact they faced a new menace, and it was human.
Assemblywoman Bibi Haraken was in the middle of her question, when she was interrupted by the entry of the Haraken SADEs from the hall’s side door. They filed into the room to take a stand behind Alex and Tatia.
Alex sent, quoting one of his mother’s favorite phrases, which she often used when young Alex was attempting to explain away a faux pas of his own.
“Mr. President, Admiral Tachenko, Assembly Speaker Monti, and members of the Haraken Assembly, I have been asked to speak to you on behalf of my fellow SADES. You have, of course, reviewed the events surrounding our interactions with the Earthers at Méridien, New Terra, and here at Haraken. The SADEs have spent considerable effort and time analyzing the Earthers’ intentions and war capabilities. We have arrived at several conclusions, which we feel are critical to share with you as your fate and ours are intrinsically linked. It is our opinion that the UE scientists’ estimate of a sizable Earther fleet soon appearing in our system has significant validity.”
The Assembly members sat up in their seats. It was one thing to argue with other humans, even if those were your president and your admiral. It was another thing to debate with a SADE, and, in this case, all the SADEs.
“United Earth would not have sent one of its greatest warships to investigate the call of a single explorer ship unless it possessed a sufficient number of these vessels to allow one on temporary assignment so far from home,” Julien continued. “Furthermore, the fact that the speaker and the high judge presumed our societies would choose to assimilate with the UE speaks volumes as to the ease with which they believed this would be accomplished. Their confidence certainly extends from a history of successful experience, which we believe originates from the UE harsh subjugation of Sol’s colonies.”
“We conclude that if this Assembly votes to keep our president and Haraken’s forces in system, the UE will return in force with a vengeance to annex the Confederation, then Haraken and New Terra. The fleet will be massive, and we will have lost the element of surprise. Unless you are prepared to load our city-ships with less than half our population and leave Haraken within the next quarter-year, then you should get used to the concept of being a satellite of United Earth … whatever that entails.”
“Do the SADEs offer an option other than that given by our president?” Angelina asked.
“No, we do not, Assemblywoman Monti,” Julien replied to the daughter of Assembly Speaker Tomas Monti. “We are here to state that the only viable option is to send the president with our forces to Sol and trust that he is able to convince the UE that conquest of our worlds is not in its best interest.”
“Pardon me, Julien,” Katie Racine asked, “but you surmise that our fleets would face an enormous and powerful fleet of warships at Sol, and earlier it was stated that we have lost the element of surprise concerning the capabilities of our travelers. You’re not suggesting our ships should attempt to defeat the forces in the UE home system, are you?” The thought of voting to send her son to his certain doom, created its own conflict for Katie Racine.
“Negative, Assemblywoman Racine,” Julien replied. “The probability of defeating the UE war fleets is too close to zero to bother mentioning.”
The Assembly members began voicing and comming their questions and comments to Julien and one another, forcing Assembly Speaker Monti to regain order.
“Julien,” Tomas said, “perhaps you should clarify why you support the president’s journey to Sol with our carriers if y
ou do not believe they can defeat the UE forces.”
“The logic is unassailable, Speaker Monti,” Julien replied. “Waiting here for the UE fleet is a certainty of being subjugated. Going to Sol provides the only viable option.”
“We understand that, Julien, but if the intention is not to defeat the UE forces, what do you intend to do?” Tomas asked.
“In regard to the purpose of our president and carriers at Sol, Speaker Monti, I have no idea. What we, the SADEs, personally intend to do is support President Racine and give him every opportunity to do what he has done before … find a way to save us all.”
* * *
Alex spent a quiet night with Renée at their cliff home overlooking Racine Bay. The Assembly remained in session, breaking briefly for evening meal, and then resuming debate on the question. Teague and Christie were spending the night with Duggan to give the couple some quiet.
Renée made them hot thé when Alex first sat down, but the drinks were cold now. Alex sat for hours like a stone on the couch, deep in thought, and Renée curled up next to him to await together the Assembly’s decision.
“Good-night, Alex,” Tatia mumbled to herself. “May the stars watch over and protect us.”
Alex heaved a sigh of relief, and Renée uncurled to ask, “When do we leave for Earth?”
Alex drew breath to say “twenty days,” when a more important thought occurred to him. “What about Teague?” he asked.