Mutineer (Empire Rising Book 7)

by D. J. Holmes

  “Given this, the information brought back by our scout from Mindus space rules out the Mindus as the source of these weapons. From the scans our scout carried out, we know that their weapon technologies are too dissimilar to those of the Flex-aor and the others to be from the same source. Further, there was no sign that the Mindus have been preparing to launch an invasion. Given the relatively safe assumption that whoever has been arming these races intends to conquer our sector of space, these Invaders are the only race that fits the description our data suggests. It may take them a decade, or even a century, but it is my belief that these Invaders intend to conquer our sector of space, as it seems they have conquered others in the past.”

  “If the threat of invasion is a decade or perhaps even much further away, why are we rushing into helping the Mindus?” the four-armed alien who had objected replied. “Their plight is sorrowful yes, but by striking now, we risk sharing the same fate.”

  “I do not share your assessment Oram,” Dur’ack responded. “If the Invaders are the source of these advanced technologies, it means they are aware of the existence of our Trading Alliance. It means they have a long-term plan which they are working according to. The fact that their threat may be a decade or further away, to me, actually strengthens the reasons for taking action now. If they are confident they can overwhelm us in the future, by striking now we can throw them off balance.”

  James nodded as he thought through what Dur’ack was saying. The best form of defense was a good offence. Especially a surprise offence. Equally though, he was becoming more concerned. He and his staff had already concluded that whoever was dishing out weapons technologies to aggressive alien species were doing it as a pre-emptive to an invasion. What he hadn’t fully thought through before was that whoever was doing it had to know about the Varanni and their advanced technologies. If they knew that, and still had plans to invade this sector of space, then they were either foolhardy or supremely confident. A race that had strategic plans that spanned over decades suggested their opponent fell into the second category.

  “I understand what you’re saying Admiral,” the alien speaker replied. “But I am still concerned. Time is on our side.”

  Rather than responding again Dur’ack bowed slightly and lowered herself. The alien speaker then did the same. At once others stood. In some way James didn’t yet understand, the High Councilor gave permission for one to speak. This time James had no guess as to which species they were from. He felt his frustration rising. Ya’sia had only given him a brief file. She said that it was up to each individual species to reveal themselves to Humanity and open diplomatic relations. That was all fine and well, but they were the ones who had invited him to this High Council meeting. Putting his frustrations down, he forced himself to listen carefully.

  “I wish to begin by publicly stating that my delegation recognizes the serious threat these Invaders pose to us. As a result, we heartily agree with the High Councilor’s first proposal. If each of our species’ independence is threatened, then we must stand together. Sharing technologies will be an important part of this. In addition, though I am not proposing it now, if this threat is as great as Dur’ack believes, other means to unite us politically, over and above the economic ties we all share, may prove fruitful avenues of investigation.

  “With regard to the second proposal that has been made, we have more hesitation. If all of our fleets are to be upgraded with Varanni weapons technologies, it makes no sense to send our fleets out to engage these Invaders immediately. If losses are expected to occur on such a mission, that means we will be losing ships that could be refitted. If the threat is as serious as we are led to believe, does it not make more sense to refit our ships and then go to the Mindus’ aide? To do anything less would be to throw lives away.”

  “The Mindus may not have that long,” the High Councilor answered. “Do not forget, they have promised to share many of their technologies with us. Though their military technologies do not appear to be more advanced than our own, there are other areas in which they are more advanced. These other areas would no doubt be a benefit to our societies, more importantly, they may also open up other lines of research that would produce military benefits. From what our diplomatic delegation reported, the Mindus neglected their military construction, research and development. It may well be that the Mindus hold the key to defeating these Invaders, they just have not had the time to develop it. The Varanni Senate recognizes the risks involved in sending a united fleet of warships to the Mindus’ aid. Sending such a fleet will put our own warships at greater risk, yet we believe the risk is worth it.”

  As the discussion continued, James listened intently. He was learning much about the different alien species from how their designated speaker talked. Each species had a different temperament and differing levels of respect for the Varanni. Certainly, they all respected the species that had brought their Trading Alliance into being. Some though, had a deference for the Varanni that bordered on worshipful. Others were a lot more hesitant to simply believe the Varanni always came to the right conclusions. As two sides formed, James counted four species that had expressed agreement with everything the High Councilor and both Varanni Admirals had discussed. Those four races along with the Crians, who also voiced agreement with the Varanni Senate proposal, put the majority of the delegations in favor of the Varanni’s plan. However, five species still continued to hold varying amounts of reservation towards the plan. Eventually, after a couple of hours, it appeared no one wished to say anything more. Though it seemed every possible point had been debated a consensus had not yet been reached.

  When no one spoke for several seconds the High Councilor raised herself up. “This has been a productive session. We have all shared much that needs to be thought over. We will bring our discussion regarding the Varanni Senate’s two proposals to an end here. After a recess of six hours, we will return to discuss more. At the end of that session we will hold a vote on each proposal. For decisions of such significance, I will be proposing a two thirds majority is required to pass each proposal. The Varanni Senate does not wish to drag any member of our Trading Alliance into war against their will, however, if the majority of us see these Invaders as a significant threat, we must act in unison.

  “Before we depart, I have asked Admiral Ellian from Fleet High Command to give you all a brief overview of what our proposed campaign to aid the Mindus will look like. Hopefully this will give us more to ponder during our recess. Admiral Ellian,” the High Councilor repeated and gestured to another member of the Varanni delegation.

  “Thank you High Councilor,” Ellian began. “If the High Council votes to dispatch a fleet to Mindus space, we intend to leave Varanni Prime within the week. During that time, we will gather the remaining supplies we need and begin implementing what upgrades we can to Alliance ships. We have a number of supply ships in orbit that are ready to depart. More are being loaded as we speak and more are coming in from other colonies. We believe we will have enough supplies to take a fleet of seventeen hundred ships to Mindus space and carry out offensive operations for one month. That should give us enough time to buttress the Mindus defenses. After our initial fleet leaves, a second fleet will be gathered in Crian space. We estimate that another six hundred ships will be brought together. That fleet will leave three weeks after the first and will escort a much larger supply convoy that will allow all of our forces to continue operating for several more months. During this time a regular resupply convoy system will be established. In addition, the initial fleet will have two Varanni fabricator ships accompanying them. The fabricators will use raw materials supplied to us by the Mindus to produce key munitions and other essential components our fleet will need.

  “It is no secret that none of us have any experience operating and maintaining a large fleet outside of our home territories. However, given our technological capabilities, this should not pose too great a problem. We have large military supply depots scattered throughout our
territories for an emergency such as this. To keep such a large fleet operating so far from home for a prolonged period of time will require that we use up a significant portion of these supplies. Yet even now, Varanni factories are being retooled to replace what we will use and we will expect our allies to do the same. It will take some work to keep our ships resupplied, but we are confident in our abilities to do so.

  “When it comes to specific fleet elements, it is our intention to combine most of the forces gathered in this system to form the initial fleet that will be sent to Mindus space. Many of your species’ best ships and commanders are here. They are who we need to lead us in the first thrust against these Invaders. Additionally, we will be asking each Alliance species to commit another twenty percent of their fleet strength to form the second fleet. In total, sixty percent of all Varanni Alliance warships will be committed to defending the Mindus. That will give us a force strong enough to turn back the Invaders whilst leaving us with enough strength in reserve in case something goes wrong.

  “The specifics of what will occur when our fleet actually arrives in Mindus space are harder to outline. In part it will depend on the strategic situation the Mindus are facing when we arrive and how they wish to use our forces. At present, it is our belief that splitting our forces will reduce the effectiveness of their sudden appearance. It is likely the Invaders will have spread out their forces to allow them to gain numerical advantage in key sectors as they push towards the Mindus homeworld. The combined strength of our initial fleet should be more than enough to overwhelmingly shift the balance of one sector of the conflict in our favor. A surprise counter-attack against one portion of the Invaders’ fleet will give us the best opportunity to defeat the Invaders and force them to withdraw from Mindus space. As I said, this would be the ideal scenario, but things may change as our knowledge of the strategic situation in Mindus space develops. Given that, Varanni High Command intends to dispatch a number of admirals and their staff to Mindus as soon as the High Councilor’s second proposal is passed. They will form a military attaché to the Mindus and prepare for the arrival of our ships. My aide has sent a more detailed logistics plan to each delegation informing them of what supplies we would expect their species to provide. You can each consult it after the session has ended. Are there any questions the delegation speakers wish to ask of me?”

  One of the speakers James didn’t recognize stood and began to speak when High Councilor signaled she could. “I do not have a direct question for you Admiral Ellian, but for Vice Admiral Somerville. From what I have been told about the Human race in general and Vice Admiral Somerville in particular, he has experience of the kind of campaign you have just outlined. I would be keen to hear his input.”

  James swallowed as every eye in the chamber turned to him. He quickly glanced at Ya’sia for direction. She shrugged her shoulders and then nodded towards the High Councilor. James looked around at the one in charge of the Council meeting. The High Councilor made a slight gesture with his head. James immediately felt even more under pressure. He thought the High Councilor had nodded but did that indicate he could speak or that he should remain quiet? He didn’t know anything about Varanni facial expressions. Panic began to set in. A groan almost escaped his lips when Ya’sia gave him a dig in his ribs with her elbow. Quickly he jumped to his feet, the High Councilor must have given him a nod of approval.

  “Let me thank this High Council for allowing a species that is not a member of your Trading Alliance to attend. You have honored me and my people. I am greatly honored to be allowed to address you all,” James paused as he looked around and caught the eye of every delegation speaker. He gave a number of slight bows to show his respect. “The delegation speaker is correct. I do have personal experience of being involved in and leading fleets of warships that have had to operate on extended supply lines. Without knowing much about your fleet’s supply capabilities and preparations, I cannot comment much on what Ellian has shared. It is positive though that you have stores of military supply spread across your territories. That will certainly prove helpful. However, there is one thing that experience has taught me time and time again. The importance of keeping a fleet in supply can never be overestimated. Moreover, the amount of munitions, replacement components and raw materials that a fleet goes through while carrying out offensive operations is always much greater than anticipated. I would recommend that whatever estimates have been made for what your ships will require be increased by a factor of twenty percent at least.”

  “That is helpful Vice Admiral,” the delegation speaker responded. “I would also like to know, what do you make of the plan to carry out such large-scale offensive operations at the end of such a long supply line?”

  James paused for a moment to think through his answer. On the one hand, he didn’t want to contradict anything the Varanni Admirals had said during the High Council session. They were clearly the leaders of the Trading Alliance and they would have the most say in how much help Humanity would be given. Yet he had been asked to the High Council session in part because of his knowledge, he had to be up front with the delegations. “In truth, I believe the plan is very risky. Again, without knowing the military capabilities of your fleets I cannot say how much. Nevertheless, there is a significant risk involved in what has been proposed. Such long supply lines will mean your fleets will be severely exposed. If the Invaders know where your home systems are, and we must presume they do if they have scouted this area of space to give weapons technologies to hostile races; then, as soon as they detect your ships they will know of your biggest weakness. If they wanted, they could pull out of Mindus space and draw your ships further away from your supply lines. Then smaller fleets could be dispatched to cut off resupply convoys and either trap your ships in Mindus space or force you to fall back. There is one thing Human history has taught our commanders, no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. It may be that you catch the Invaders off guard and engage a part of their fleet in a decisive battle. If that outcome is not achieved quickly though, your long supply lines will become a bigger and bigger weakness that the Invaders will no doubt try and exploit.

  “Take Admiral Ya’sia and I’s recent experience in our campaign against the Flex-aor. Though we had a significant technological advantage over their warships, their numbers surprised us. We found ourselves with our escape route blocked and after having already fought several battles, our supplies limited. When we escaped Flex-aor space, my flagship had enough missiles for just two more full salvos. I believe Admiral Ya’sia’s Handmaiden had only enough for four salvos. In one sense, despite all my experience, I led our fleets into a situation we were lucky to return from. From what we know of these Invaders, they are a much more serious threat than the Flex-aor and your plans mean you will be operating a far larger fleet for a significantly longer period of time away from your supply bases.”

  James raised both his hands palms outward as he continued. “I’m not speaking against the High Councilors second proposal. I understand the desire to help the Mindus. My species recognizes the moral duty of the stronger to help the weaker. We also believe that an unjustified aggressor should be opposed. Those considerations and the preferable strategy of engaging the Invaders far from your own borders are strong arguments for accepting the High Councilor’s proposal. I cannot deny though, that based on my experience I believe there will be serious risk involved.”

  “Thank you Vice Admiral,” Ellian responded with a slight nod towards James. James took it as his cue to sit down. “Your experience is indeed valued. Let me assure the delegations that we have put much thought into our supply situation. Portable Way Gates are being moved to the Crian border and dark matter dispellers have been dispatched. Currently it takes a Varanni frigate two months to reach Mindus space. We believe we can reduce that by at least two weeks, perhaps more. This is just one action we are taking too alleviate the supply difficulties we anticipate.”

  Though no one had asked him to speak, James
couldn’t help but jump back to his feet. He didn’t even wait for anyone to give him permission to speak. “With the greatest respect Admiral, you cannot do that.” James sensed Ya’sia reach out with the hand to try and pull him back into his seat, he pivoted sideways and brushed her off with his right hand.

  The High Councilor rose back to her speaking height. “You speak of respect with your words but show none with your actions. You are new to this system and the ways of the High Council and so I will show you some leniency. Explain yourself Human.”