Andrea nodded. “I wish I could have known her,” she said. A single small tear came out of her eye and slid down her cheek.
By now dinner had been completed, and the four sat around the table in the Admiral's cabin on the Paris, having coffee and dessert. Hecate was not sure she liked coffee, so she sipped slowly. Andrea Iona, on the other hand, was taking to it like a duck to water - she was already on her second cup.
Hecate was slowly coming to terms with the story Jake was relating. Everything he had told them meshed. And Jake had made an exceptional offer. He had given a DNA sample to Hecate's ship's doctor, who had taken it back to the Nemesis for analysis. The doctor had returned shortly and, with a brief nod to Hecate, told her all she needed to know. This man was her grandfather.
“But why haven’t you tried to form an alliance with us sooner?” asked Hecate. “It seems to me the danger is imminent. The Bats are nearly upon you!”
“I agree,” replied Jake. “But let’s be realistic. You know as well as I do that if your Empress Hippolyta, with her hatred of the Earther Myth, got definite proof of our existence, she would immediately use it as an excuse to invade us and make us into a colony of Aeolis. Quite frankly, up until recently, we wouldn’t have had the means to resist your Navy. It’s only within the last couple of years that we’ve reached a point where we feel we could negotiate as equals and defend ourselves if your Empress decided to attack. So, we were on the cusp of sending a mission to approach your government and establish a diplomatic channel – when this happened.”
“You mean Hippolyta’s attacks…” said Andrea.
“Yes. One of our frigates witnessed the attack on your father, Hecate. They realized too late that the stealthed destroyer slipping up behind your father’s corvette was opening fire on it. I’m so sorry that they weren’t in time to save him.”
Hecate spoke bitterly. “Someone will pay for that, I promise.”
Jake nodded. “And then we received intelligence that you were the next target.”
“How?” exclaimed Andrea. “Do you have spies in our Navy? You do, don’t you!”
Jake looked at her, with a slight smile on his face. “You know I can’t answer that, Commander. But even if it were true, let me assure you it would be purely as a defensive measure. We have no animosity toward you or your people. We are only trying to survive.”
Hecate glared at Jake. “How many?”
Jake shook his head. “Can we please just defer that discussion to a later time? If we form an alliance, then I promise you, we’ll clear all that up.”
Hecate was not satisfied. “How many spies do you have in our Navy, Grandfather?” she said sarcastically.
Jake leaned forward, put his elbows on the table, and looked sternly at Hecate.
“Granddaughter, don’t make me send you to your room!”
There was a short silence. Then Andrea burst into laughter, and the rest of the table soon followed, Hecate included. Finally, after a moment of hilarity, they settled down.
“OK,” said Hecate. “I’ll defer that question. But not forever.”
Jake agreed. “That’s fine. Let’s work on our survival first, then we’ll get to the smaller issues.”
Jake leaned back and went on. “So basically, that’s the story. We received intelligence that you were on your way to Marinas for re-supply and that you were being shadowed by three destroyers. I left the message with Minerva on Marinas to have you meet us here. And we were just a few minutes late making our arrival, for which I am very, very sorry.”
"But...how...have you lived so long? You look to be about forty years old!" said Andrea Iona.
Jake nodded. "When the Machine Ship Pandora came to Earth, one of the first things she did was make some modifications to my genetic structure, which froze my age at thirty-eight. I haven't aged since then."
"But why did she do that? Not that you're complaining, I imagine." asked Andrea.
Jake continued, "Pandora stated the only chance for humanity to prevail against the Bats was for me to survive long enough to lead the RDF all the way to the final battle, for both technological and strategic reasons. I've never fully understood it myself, but over the years, I've come to accept it. It's really hard to argue with Pandora.”
"And is Pandora still around?" asked Hecate.
"Well, yes and no," said Jake. "She roams about our part of the galaxy, and you never know where she is. But occasionally she'll stop by to say hello. The last time I saw her was about...oh, I guess twenty years ago. She suddenly popped up one day in orbit around...well, one of our planets...and sent me a message. I went up and visited with her for a couple of hours, then she was gone again. I haven't seen her since."
Hecate set her coffee cup down in the saucer. "I want to talk about these Bats more. You say they are about 800 lights from Earth?"
Jake hesitated. "Yes, their capital planet is about that distance from us. You realize, I can't give you too much information right now. Your government...your aunt Hippolyta...is quite antagonistic to the concept of Earth."
Hecate nodded. "I understand. But what I need to know is, are these Bats a danger to us as well?"
"They are," said Jake. "If they overrun Earth, then you will be next."
Hecate was silent, trying to formulate which of her many questions she wanted to ask next. Andrea glanced at her, then jumped in.
“Why are your ships wedge-shaped? It seems like an inefficient use of space.”
Jake nodded. “It is, but we use a technology called a grav deflector – a strong, artificial gravity gradient – to deflect incoming cannon rounds and beamers. A grav deflector works best when the ship is wedge shaped. By putting it right at the front of the ship and fighting nose-first, incoming rounds, beamers, missiles can be deflected back along the side of the ship instead of penetrating.”
“Most of the time,” added Captain Egan with a wry smile.
“Just so,” said Jake. “No system is perfect, so if the round is fast enough, massive enough, hits at just the right angle, it can penetrate. Same with a beamer, if it hits at precisely the right angle, it can get through. Still, though, most of the time, even if it penetrates, the gravity gradient will deflect it down the side of the ship, making it an in-and-out shot through the less critical parts of the structure. On a good day…”
“And,” added Captain Egan, “We also use the grav deflector when we travel at high speeds in three-space, to deflect radiation, small particles, even some larger rocks. That allows us to get up to about point-six light speed in three-space, as long as the system is not too cluttered up.”
“Wow!” said Andrea. “Incredible! We can only handle point-three, maybe point-four in a really clean system we’ve already surveyed. And we armor up our ships, armor up the belly and try to fight belly toward the enemy. Your system is better, I think.”
Hecate nodded. “And what’s the chances of us getting that technology?”
Jake looked at her. “Better than you think. If we can negotiate an alliance with you, then you’ll get all our technology.”
Hecate looked at him. “Empress Hippolyta will never consider it. She’ll shoot first and ask questions later.”
Jake grinned. “Then let’s toast to the success of your trip back to Aronte.”
***
Early the next morning, Hecate stood at the front of the cargo bay, facing the remnants of the crew of the Aeolian starship Metis, the lone survivor of the three AEN destroyers which had ambushed her ship. The crew had been locked in the cargo hold of the Paris since being recovered from the derelict ship. Now they stared at Hecate sullenly, not sure if they would live or die. This morning, onboard the Nemesis, Hecate and Andrea had questioned the Captain and the XO of the Metis. The two officers had survived the questioning – but only just. Hecate was in no mood to be merciful.
Now she paced in front of the remainder of the crew, collecting her thoughts.
"People. You've been told what really happened yesterday. I
know you thought, in good faith, you were attacking a ship that had been taken by pirates. But now you know that your Captain and XO were attempting to assassinate a Princess of the Blood. They are now locked in the brig on the Nemesis, and they'll be taken back to Aronte to answer for their crimes. And they’ve admitted that you were innocent of this, that they lied to you about your mission."
Hecate paced at the front of the group, ill at ease.
"I wish I could tell you that you can just go back to Aronte and all will be forgiven. But alas, it isn't quite that simple. You see," and Hecate hesitated.
"This attack was ordered by the Empress." A gasp went through the crowd.
Hecate faced them. "Tomorrow, my ship will be repaired enough to start back to Aeolis. And I will go back to face the Empress. It will most likely be a battle to the death, a Blood Match by the rules of the House of Aronte. Only one of us can walk away. And the reality is, if I lose this battle, you should know…the Empress will not let any witnesses to this attack remain alive."
The assembled crewmen muttered, as they comprehended the situation.
"Therefore," Hecate continued, "Captain Egan of this frigate has graciously made you an offer. He will follow me back to Aeolis, keeping his distance and maintaining stealth. He will stand off from the planet, hiding in the Kuiper belt, while I face the Empress."
The crew stood silent. Hecate looked at them with sympathy in her face, but iron in her voice.
"If I lose the battle, then Captain Egan will offer you a choice. He will either drop you off on a planet of your choice in the Empire - or you can choose to go back to his star nation with him and make a new life there. You will all be offered places in their Navy. The choice will be yours. But I must tell you in all honesty, if I lose this fight, and you stay in the Empire, you will not survive. The Empress has many means of finding people and killing them. And I can tell you with absolute certainty, if I lose the Blood Match, and you stay, she will track each one of you down and kill you."
An officer in the front row spoke up. "Where is the home system of this ship? Where would we end up?"
Hecate shook her head. "I can't tell you just now. If I lose the battle, Captain Egan will provide you that information after you make your choices. If I win...well, then I'll tell you personally."
A voice in the back spoke up. "Who's in charge, after you leave?"
Hecate gestured at a young Lieutenant Commander standing beside her. "Lt. Commander Thelestris will be your commanding officer in the interim. I expect each one of you to provide her with the same respect and attention as if I were standing here personally. Woe betide the person who gives her any grief, people. Got it?"
A chorus of “Aye, Mum” went around the crew as they all looked at Thelestris. Hecate held her gaze on them for a long moment, then nodded.
"Best of luck to all of us, then," she said. "Godspeed."
Marfik System - RDF Forward Scout Base Twelve
The shuttle settled slowly into the dock outside the dome, and with a mutter and a pop the engines stopped. Cassian sat in the sudden silence. It was over. At least this part of it. He had successfully brought a remnant of his people from certain death to what was, at least, a chance of a future. Cassian bowed his head and said a short prayer to the Creator. Then he got up, brushed off his uniform, and stepped forward to the hatch. Captain Martin, his host on the journey from Zeta Ophiuchi, smiled and gestured, providing him leave to precede him. Cassian walked down a short boarding tunnel and emerged outside.
He saw a sparse, rocky moon. Above his head was a dome, with the shuttle docked next to the dome. Overhead he saw a smallish gas giant. A half-dozen corvettes and shuttles were clustered at other docking ports around the edge of the dome, and overhead he saw larger ships in orbit. There were low, grey buildings arranged neatly in a military manner. A squad of armed creatures waited quietly to one side, their rifles raised in a guard of honor.
A figure walked from one of the buildings toward Cassian. The...human, they had called themselves...was about three centimeters taller than he - and Cassian was a tall male for his race. He had earlier noticed four fingers on Captain Martin's hands, rather than the normal three, but otherwise there were very few differences between them. As this human got closer, though, he could see that his nose and eyes were different than Captain Martin's.
"Greetings, Captain Cassian," said the human, in near-perfect Daneki. Cassian was taken aback.
"How...how can you know our language?" he asked.
The human smiled. "We have an advanced AI which can perform machine learning while you sleep. It's called compressed learning. It only takes about three nights to learn a new language, and I started working on it as soon as I heard you were on the way. Let me introduce myself - I am Captain Saigo Takamori, but everybody calls me 'Sam'. Let me welcome you to our little home away from home here."
Cassian touched his forehead in the Daneki salute, and the human - the “man”, he realized, as he recognized the sex of the stranger - did likewise. Clearly, “Sam” had gotten a good briefing from the black frigates escorting them.
Behind Cassian, the Pilot and Copilot stood in awe, speechless. And behind them, Cassian's other charges gazed around in wonder.
"Captain Cassian, I'm sure you and your people are tired and would like to eat and rest. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to quarters which I think you'll find very agreeable." With a gesture, Captain Takamori turned and walked back toward the complex of buildings. Cassian and his people followed. As they walked, Cassian looked up at the dome over them. It was not very high, and he could see that there was an atmosphere outside the dome, because there were plants growing outside the dome. But the plants did not look very inviting, and Cassian suspected the atmosphere outside the dome was not very inviting either. Far away, he could see a ring system around the planet overhead, shining whitely in the light from a distant star.
***
A week later, Cassian and Sam sat at breakfast, Cassian enjoying the new-found flavors of human food. Tests had confirmed their biology was remarkably similar - they could breathe the same atmosphere, eat the same food - and drink the same liquor, much to Cassian's delight. After a week of meetings, Cassian had convinced the humans of his sincerity and honesty. In his descriptions of the Bats, he held nothing back. He told them everything he knew of their warfighting capability, their colonizing methods and the little that he knew of their home planet, society and culture.
Importantly, Cassian had told them that the Bats recently turned their explorations back toward the Pipe Nebula – which meant in the same general direction as Earth.
“Your radio emissions – your EMF – started on Earth about 1910, I believe,” said Cassian.
Sam - short for 'Samurai', Cassian had learned, a nickname given to him because of his Japanese warrior ancestry – nodded.
“That’s correct. That puts our radius of electronic noise at 275 light years from Earth now. And based on your information, we know the Bat Empire is now about 420 light years in radius from their home world. So, as of this moment, there’s a margin of about 108 light years separating us.”
Cassian considered. “You need to be fully ready to fight them forty years from now. That’s assuming you can fend off any of their scouts that might come this direction.”
“I think we can do that. We have a very aggressive scouting program, as you saw when you came into the Zeta Ophiuchi system.”
Cassian smiled. “I hope you can stand behind that. There’s a lot of space out there.”
Sam nodded. “Believe me, we understand. But we’ve seeded the frontier between us and the Bats with millions of QE buoys, so we have a solid tripwire system that lets us know the instant a ship enters any system we are monitoring. Beyond that, all we can do is prepare for the future war, and we do that every day, believe me.”
Cassian nodded. Sam continued. “Not to change the subject, Cass, but as you know, you’ll be leaving tomorrow for Tolleson Base, our main mil
itary headquarters. I think you'll like it there. We have a very fine R&D facility there. Your experience developing attack fighters will be put to good use. All your scientists will have important roles to play in the future. The folks at the R&D lab are excited to have you and your people come and work with them."
Cassian nodded. "I can't thank you enough, Sam. Without your people, we'd all be dead now, drifting through space on a trip to nowhere. I'll never forget what you have done."
Sam smiled. "Cassian, just go and do good things for us all. I'm sure I'll see you again. And it's been a pleasure." Rising, he said, "I'm sorry I have to run, but I have a meeting."
Cassian nodded, looking around the cafeteria. In the corner, he saw the main part of his group having breakfast, smiling and happy. He saw young Vitus just coming into the cafeteria. Vitus got his food and came over, and Cassian waved him to a seat. Vitus nodded, sitting, quiet for a change. Cassian understood.
"Vitus, you know we're going to another place, where the humans will give us housing, jobs, a new life."
"Yes, sir," said Vitus.
"I bet you're thinking about where you will live."
"Yes, sir," said Vitus. "I don't have anybody. On the ship, it was OK, because I was with everyone. But there, I'll be alone."
"No, Vitus, you won't," said Cassian. "I've made arrangements for you to live with me."
Vitus jumped in his chair for joy. "You have? Oh, thank you, sir!" he practically yelled.
Cassian laughed, his first real laugh in a long time. "Vitus, you are now my adopted son. Welcome to our little family!"
City of Aronte
The Empress Hippolyta sat at the end of the council table, her chair a simplified version of her throne at the other end of the room. Her robe was covered in tiny pearls, luminescent in the light of the room. The dress was beautiful, but did little to improve the pinched, bitter look of the forty-nine-year-old Empress.
On her left sat her daughter, Princess Kantilla. On her right was Princess Deinomache, Hecate's mother and Hippolyta’s younger half-sister. The chair next to Deinomache was empty - Princess Hecate's place in the council room. The remaining chairs around the table were filled with the other members of the Imperial Council – five of the most senior women of the Aeolian nobility, advisors to the Empress.
Imprint of War Page 6