by Saxon Andrew
“How do I know you’re not sending me a code to do just that?”
“Rory told me if I met resistance, to just allow you to go your way.”
“WAIT A MOMENT!!”
“What’s it going to be, Kuchen.”
“How do I know I can trust you?”
“Wellll…it comes down to who is more trustworthy…Rory or Thorpe. Decide, I’m missing my supper!”
“Send the code.” Kuchen activated his keyboard and began entering letters and numbers as Ginger called them out.
It took four-minutes to enter the entire code and then Ginger said, “You can press enter now.”
“That is one long code!” Ginger was silent and Kuchen put his index-finger on the enter button. He closed his eyes and pressed it. He immediately heard over the wall speaker, “Virus is now removed and self-destruct is on stand-by.”
Kuchen looked up and saw the PA was still operational. The entire ship had heard what just happened. “Very good, Admiral; you surprised me.”
“What happens now?”
“Continue on your current course and you’ll run into five very large warships moving toward you. Do not attempt to avoid them, just fly by them.”
“Are they Brax.”
“Why should I spoil the surprise? Just do as I’ve…advised.”
• • •
General Haley watched the Stalingrad moving toward the Gap and began to get a bad feeling. The last time he was here, a battle was breaking out and that crazy Admiral was headed right for the center of the zone. “Sir, I’m picking up five giant ships moving toward the Stalingrad.”
“That also means they’re moving toward us as well.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Turn the Squadron around but keep Kuchen on your monitor!”
“Sir, his ship flew into the middle of those ships and disappeared.”
“Go to full speed and get out of here! We can’t afford to lose the only warships we have to defend Earth.” The fifty-warships turned and went to full-speed.
The Stalingrad flew through the middle of the five Brax Warships and Kuchen saw on his rear monitor they were being pushed by Space Tugs. He stopped the Stalingrad and said, “It appears that Admiral Mankin has some explaining to do.”
“So do you, Admiral.”
Kuchen sat back and said, “It hasn’t been the Brax attacking Earth.”
“And Earth isn’t planning to destroy the colonies, either.”
“I don’t know if I’m going to be welcome.”
“Depends on what you have to say. However, take some time and let me know about what you want to do, as long as you do it in twenty-minutes.”
Chief Petty Officer Millan asked over the ship’s PA, “Admiral, what does she mean about the General planning to attack the Colonies?”
Kuchen sighed, being honest with one’s crew wasn’t always a good thing. “I’ve talked General Thorpe out of attacking the Colonies three-times. He intends to kill everyone on the thirteen-Colony Planets.”
“Why?”
“Because he has been sending anyone that doesn’t agree with him there. He knows they are not fans of his and he intends to eliminate them as quickly as he can.”
“And you were a part of this?”
“I told you I talked him out of it three-times.”
“Does Admiral Mankin know about that plan?”
“It appears he does, Chief. He’s been using Brax Warships to prevent Thorpe from building enough warships to make the attack.”
“HE’S ATTACKING EARTH!! HE’S A TRAITOR!!”
Kuchen shrugged at the voice, “And what does that make General Thorpe. Does Earth have the right to kill every human being in the Colonies? It seems to me that a war is happening we’ve not been aware of and both sides have a different perspective on what is right at wrong.”
“What do you think is right, Admiral.”
“Preventing Thorpe from killing all of you. And don’t fool yourselves, if I allowed his men to board our ship, all of us would be dead now.”
“What about our families, Sir.”
“I think you can count on them having already being executed.” His statement was greeted by silence. Kuchen started to get angry, “Don’t even think surrendering to his men would have made a difference. He sent his executioners out the moment he ordered our ship boarded; I’ve seen how he operates. And if you haven’t, you’ve been deliberately fooling yourselves. There was no saving our families and running was the only way to save ourselves.”
“Couldn’t we have gone back and fought…’
“Against twenty-battleships and thirty-destroyers. The Defense Satellites would have killed us before we came within a thousand-miles of the planet.”
“I just want to take some of my family’s killers out before I go.”
“Then you happen to agree with Admiral Mankin. I suspect you will get an opportunity to do just that if you join him.”
“What about joining General Thorpe?”
“I suspect you’ll have the opportunity to join your family if you choose to do that.”
“Are you saying we have no choice.”
Kuchen smiled, “No! There is always a choice. We have a perfectly good warship and we can leave this part of the galaxy and look for another place to live out our final years.”
“There are less than a hundred-women on board, Sir.”
“And most of them are spoken for, Chief.”
“That could only lead to confrontations.”
“Here’s how it is. We ask Admiral Mankin to take us in and hope he does. If he refuses, we leave to go our own way. But I want one thing clear! If we ask him to accept us and he agrees, then we give him our complete loyalty. If any of you think you can go to General Thorpe and save yourself with information…well…I’ve seen him take information from others and then kill them very slowly. He knows if they could turn on others, they’ll eventually turn on him. He killed them slowly to make sure the information was accurate. Take a vote on what you want to do and let me know. I think we have another five-minutes before I have to give an answer, so you better get moving.”
Kuchen waited and at the two-minute mark said, “Alright, what’s the choice?”
“Engineering votes Mankin.”
“Bridge votes Mankin.
“Weapon’s votes Mankin.”
“Marines vote Mankin.”
“Intelligence votes go our own way.”
“Landing bay votes Mankin.”
Kuchen said, “Ok, you’ve made the decision. Colonel Nemeia.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Take the Intelligence Officers and give them a shuttle.”
“BUT SIR!!”
“You want to go your own way and I can’t trust your loyalty. Neither could Admiral Mankin. Go your own way.”
The ten Intelligence Officers were escorted to the landing bay and forced to leave the ship in a shuttle. They moved twenty-miles away and one of the disruptor crews hit the shuttle with a beam. Kuchen heard over the PA, “OOOPS!”
“Alright, we are now back to being a warship. I will not be using the PA to make decisions and I expect you to follow your orders.” He pressed his communicator and said, “I would like to petition Admiral Mankin to accept the Stalingrad into his ranks, Admiral Bennett.”
Ginger initiated a broadcast so her transmission came over every speaker on the Stalingrad, “Are you and your crew prepared to swear their loyalty to the Colonies and to defend them even if it costs them their lives.”
“I would have thought you would want us to swear our loyalty to Admiral Mankin.”
“No man is bigger than our species, Admiral. And will you stand by your crew that they will keep their oaths?”
“I will. And they will make sure of it.”
“Then follow me.”
Ginger said over another frequency, “Captain Ebersol, take those derelicts to the planet. We’re going to leave the others for another time.”
�
�Yes, Sir.”
Ginger turned and the five Space Tugs fell in behind her Scout. The Stalingrad fell in behind the derelicts and began moving back toward the Orion Spur.
• • •
The Stalingrad was met and surrounded by five-Battleships six-hours out from the Fleet. “Admiral, if you will please follow me.”
“Captain Kincade, I thought your ship had been destroyed? Kuchen replied.
“My demise has been greatly exaggerated, Sir. Admiral Mankin is waiting for your arrival on the New York.”
“I’ll follow you, Captain.”
Captain Lenov looked at Kuchen, “This doesn’t look good, Sir. Those five-Battleships were listed as lost in action when General Haley went out to the Fleet.”
Kuchen shrugged and turned to his Second-in-Command, “I suspect there’s a lot of things we don’t know about. Just be patient.”
“Sir, the five-Battleships surrounding us have powered up their disruptors. Should I activate our defenses?”
“No, they’ll open fire the moment they detect power going to them. I assume they’re making active scans.” The Weapons Officer looked at his panel and nodded.
Lenov’s eyes narrowed, “What’s going on?”
“It appears the Fleet is not in General Thorpe’s corner.”
“You don’t know that, Sir. Thorpe wants us dead; they could be carrying out his orders.”
Kuchen smiled, “If they were in with the General, then these missing Battleships would not be missing.”
Lenov stared at him and then shrugged, “So, everything that’s been happening in the gap was false-information?”
“It certainly appears so, Lenny. Let’s see what Mankin has to say.”
• • •
They finally arrived at the New York that was holding position in open space. “Sir, Admiral Mankin requests you and your Second to board a shuttle and come to the New York.”
“We’ll be leaving momentarily.” Kuchen looked at Senior Lt. Brady, “You have the ship. Do not under any circumstances activate our weapons!”
Brady glanced at the tactical monitor showing the five-Battleships surrounding the Stalingrad with active disruptors and nodded, “Yes, Sir. It wouldn’t do any good anyway.”
“It’s good you recognize that, Lieutenant. Power down our engines and drive-field emitters, as well.” Brady’s expression showed his surprise at the order and Kuchen smiled, “You don’t think those five are the only ships watching us, do you?” Brady stared at him as the pilot shut down the systems. “I’m depending on you to not do anything foolish, Lieutenant. These ships are veterans and we’ve not been in a fight. Just stay here and be cool.”
“Yes, Sir.
Kuchen and Lenov walked off the bridge and headed toward the landing bay. “What do you think Admiral Mankin is up to, Sir?”
“I don’t really know. I suspect he knows more than I think.”
“Sir?”
“Wait and see. Stay quiet and let me do all the talking.” Lenov nodded.
Chapter Seventeen
Kuchen and Lenov arrived in Admiral Mankin’s conference room and saw four Admirals and two Captains sitting at a table in the front of the room. Rory said, “Please come down and join us, Admiral Kuchen.”
Kuchen saw two chairs in front of the table and he walked down the aisle and took a seat. He looked around at the gathered officers and said, “This looks very much like a court-martial.”
Rory smiled, “Why don’t we just consider it a fact-finding committee?” Kuchen stared at Rory and nodded. Rory nodded to Meredith and she turned to Kuchen, “How long were you sending information to General Thorpe before you were sent to defend Earth?”
Lenov leaned forward and opened his mouth but Kuchen put his hand on his arm and he closed his mouth and sat back. “Just how do you know I was doing that?”
Rory shrugged, “You were caught sending a long transmission to Earth after the Scouts returned from the Gap.”
“And why were you spying on my communications?”
Rory looked at Meredith and she said, “Because I know who you are and knew it was only a matter of time until you revealed it.” Rory’s eyes widened and Kuchen’s eyes narrowed, “What do you mean by that.”
“You family and the Thorpe’s have been locked together for generations. I knew it would be the same with you and waited for you to show us your evil side.”
“What do you mean by my family. I’m the only one left in the Kuchen line. I have no other family.”
Meredith stared at him and Rory said, “What do you mean, Meredith. You’ve not said anything about this to me.”
“Was I right about him, Sir?”
Rory shrugged and Kuchen turned to Rory, who said, “That’s why I send you to Earth with Logan’s Squadron to defend it. It was clear you were a Thorpe operative.”
“That doesn’t say how she knew about it, Admiral.”
The rest of the room turned to Meredith and Rory said, “Captain, you need to explain yourself.”
“First, ask him if Thorpe is planning to attack the Colonies.”
Everyone turned to Kuchen and he said, “Da, he is. I’ve managed to delay him several times but he does intend to destroy them. He’s still sending dissidents there as we speak.”
Admiral Donovan said, “So, you stand with Earth on this?”
Kuchen shrugged, “I have no skin in the game. Like I said earlier, I have no family at either place. I don’t really care either way.”
Meredith sneered, “Would it make a difference if you did?”
Kuchen looked at her, “Why do you hate me so much? I’ve always felt your hostility and wondered what was going on. Your spying on me and these ridiculous accusations only show me a person afflicted by paranoia.”
“Meredith!”
She looked at Rory and said, “George Marshal Thorpe and Fedor Vasily Kuchen fought together during the war to unite the planet. Fedor was Kuchen’s great Grandfather. They were the ones that took control of the War Satellites above Earth and used them to remove the remaining dictators. The Soviet Union and the United States launched them and they had to be stopped from being used to start a major world war. They were successful. Once they removed the last dictators, they began the purges to remove their supporters; millions died.”
“My Great Grandfather was a hero of Earth.”
“But he didn’t break his alliance with Thorpe. Both of them became the leaders of their country’s military and passed that on to their children.”
Kuchen shook his head, “Is this going somewhere?”
Rory looked at Meredith, “What are you saying?”
Fedor had three-sons. Aloysha, Bora, and Ilya.”
Kuchen’s eyes narrowed, “Two of my brothers lost their lives fighting to unite Earth. Only my Grandfather Ilya survived the fight.”
“But before Bora died, he murdered more than three-hundred thousand Chinese and Russian Citizens suspected of being supporters of the opposition. No investigations were done, if anyone was suspected, they were killed and Thorpe’s Grandfather took part in the purges. They intended to take control of the planet and rule it with an iron fist.”
“THAT’S A LIE!!” Kuchen yelled.
Rory looked at him, “Let her finish!” Kuchen sat back glaring at Meredith.
Meredith continued, “Bora was assassinated by a man whose family had died in the purge and Ilya continued the bloodshed with George Thorpe Jr. He had two-sons and Admiral Kuchen’s older brother was also assassinated. Ilya died at an early age leaving Thorpe’s father in control of the military. However, without someone in the former Soviet Union to work with him, he was forced to watch as Earth elected a Planetary Government. He was given command of the Service Leaders that he passed on to his son, the current George Thorpe.
“Why wasn’t Admiral Kuchen a part of that leadership?”
Meredith looked at Kuchen, “Because he was too young at the critical time. He was thirteen-years younger than his olde
r brother, who was slated to join Thorpe in taking control of Earth. He joined the Military and still bound himself to General Thorpe. I knew who he is and saw it was only a matter of time until he revealed his true side. I monitored his communications and he proved it.”
Rory looked at Kuchen and said, “Admiral?”
“This is all a fantasy! Just what proof do you have any of this is true?!”
Meredith stared at Kuchen and Rory said, “Do you have proof?”
“Fedor Kuchen’s oldest son was named Aloysha Ker Kuchen. Aloysha means ‘Help the People’ in Russian. He took part in the fight to remove the Dictators and then witnessed the indiscriminate killing of the purges. He was in Iran when they started and decided he had enough. He walked away and boarded a freighter as a deckhand.”
“WHAT IS THIS FOOLISHNESS?!”
“You will keep your mouth shut, Admiral!!” Rory looked at Meredith, “Go on.”
“Aloysha stayed on that freighter using a false identity for a year and one day when it was off loading freight in Jacksonville, Florida, he walked away again. He finally found his way to Nebraska, where he went to work for a farmer growing and harvesting wheat. He changed his name to Andrew Kogan and married a young woman he met in Wyoming. They had two-children; a daughter named Misa and a son named Fedor. His daughter met a man named Carl Legion in Austin, Texas and they married. I am their daughter. My brother and his family recently left for the colonies to take care of my parents who were ordered there by General Thorpe.”
Kuchen’s glare had disappeared and he stared at Meredith in silence. Rory said, “Do you have any proof of this, Meredith.”
Meredith looked at Rory and then turned to Kuchen, “Only this.” She reached into the front-pocket of her uniform and pulled out an old, faded medal.
She held it up and Kuchen sagged in his chair, “That’s the Soviet Star awarded for heroism.”
Meredith nodded, “Aloysha was awarded it before he left for Iran. It has fallen to me to keep it.”
Kuchen’s head was down as he softly said, “Is my Uncle still alive?”
“No. He died young from exposure to all the toxins and nerve agents used during the Unification War. But he died happy with his wife and family at his side.”