Arlynn smiled. “I can’t speak of her time here, of course, and her freedom has been limited to ships most of the time, but I think she’s thriving. She is alone only when she chooses to be alone. Greg and I are her official parents, but crewmembers and families have adopted her on each of the ships she’s been on. Our quarters are often filled with visitors, most of them invited by her. Life aboard ship is perhaps even more social than life on the planet. Whatever guidance you bestowed on Emily during her first fourteen years must have been good, because she is a good person, loved by many.”
“What comes next for her?” Jackie asked, her eyes wide and brimming with tears of happiness for her daughter.
“I’m not certain. My hope is that she will settle into a routine centered on our home on Ariall, but there have been ‘developments.’ I don’t know how much time we’ll have at home before setting out on our next voyage. She’s already begun her schooling, and it will continue wherever she goes. Physically, she is nearly completely healed. She’s participating in sports activities under the guidance of her physician, and she thrives on the competition. She likes to win,” Arlynn added with a smile.
“She always has,” Dave replied, “but I didn’t know you had sports. I thought you were a noncompetitive people.”
“Not at all. We are very competitive, though we compete differently than you do here. We do not have contact sports, for example, but we have many non-contact sports. Some of them require great mental diligence in addition to physical stamina. We compete aggressively in many other areas of life as well—just not on the battlefield.” With a sad look, she added, “And that might be changing. The Alliance is preparing for battle as we speak.”
“You said there have been developments,” Dave inquired, turning the conversation to business. “Anything I should know about?”
Arlynn had known this issue would come up and she was prepared. “We think the Fourth Race, the Oort, made a technological breakthrough. If we’re right, it puts the Harbok in peril. Greg and Kannick are discussing it with them right now.”
Dave’s eyebrows rose. “You’re talking with the Harbok?”
“With one Harbok, yes,” Arlynn answered carefully. “Our present mission includes expanding on that contact.”
“If the Harbok face great peril, as you put it, surely Earth does as well,” Dave stated strongly with narrowed eyes. “You can’t keep us in the dark.”
“At this point, the danger only affects the Harbok. That does not change the fact that we deplore ignorance,” Arlynn stated emphatically. “Still, the tremendous risks to Earth from learning of our existence have not changed, unless you’ve made substantive progress,” she stated with a questioning look.
“Actually, we have,” Dave replied. “Nothing is public yet, but I’ve gathered a small group together, all of them world leaders, to develop a master plan. We can’t control the actions of nations outside our group, not yet, but within our group there’s quite a lot we can do. We’re working hard to resolve age-old conflicts between ourselves. Some of them are real hotspots. We could use a little help,” he added with lifted eyebrows.
“What kind of help?”
“I suspect your ships have pretty capable sensors. Is it possible for you to search out locations of weapons of mass destruction? I’m talking here about chemical, biological, and nuclear materials. If we could reduce or eliminate the threats from those weapons, we’d have a great head start on the rest of our problems.”
Arlynn considered his request. “The nuclear materials are child’s play, but I don’t know about the others. I’ll find out, but we do not have the freedom to explore here. The Harbok will not permit it. We hope to change that over the next few years.”
“I thought you were going to bring a fleet here for our protection? Isn’t that what we sent all those people for?”
“It is, and we will, but they’re still in training.” Shifting the topic of discussion, she said, “I applaud your progress, Mr. President. I sense rightness in your approach. You have two more years in office. Will you be able to continue your efforts afterward?”
“We’re establishing finances with that in mind. The group will grow, has already grown, and we’ll eventually include non-political entities like businesses and universities. Controlled expansion will create more synergy. I might have more need of demonstration flights from you for our new members.”
“In the short term, that’s not possible.”
“How short of a term?”
“I can’t say. It depends on the Harbok. Things are moving ahead in that arena, more quickly than we expected, but it will be at least a few years.”
“We deserve the right to defend ourselves, Arlynn,” Dave said, bringing the subject back to what mattered most to him. “Our plan for resolving some of the conflicts hinges on reciprocity from you.”
“What kind of reciprocity?”
“In the beginning, maybe a few trinkets, a few gifts of technology. We want to build an infrastructure that will eventually lead to the production of our own ships, maybe even space stations to detect the approach of enemies, that sort of thing. If we start small and spread the projects around, we can prevent economies from collapsing when the world learns of your presence. We’re preparing to divert monies for these projects from certain national defense programs, but we can’t do it if we’re under the threat of weapons of mass destruction. We could really use your help in that area.”
“I sense rightness here, but it’s too soon. We’re working as fast as we can to convince the Harbok to become allies, but until we do, our ships do not have free access to Earth. As Earth’s temporary representative to the Alliance, I pledge to you that we’ll devote all possible energies to protecting you.”
“You do not fairly represent Earth if you continue in this vein, Arlynn. No one from Earth would feel the way you feel.”
“Grayson does,” she responded instantly. “We are holding nothing back from him. He agrees that Earth cannot know about us yet, but he argues strongly for us to protect Earth even if you’re not aware of our presence. We listen to him, Dave. Earth has strong representation on the Executive Committee.”
“I’d like to talk to him. Can you bring him here?”
“The round trip takes six months, and he’s a key player in developing a fighting force. Are you willing to risk delaying those efforts?”
The President frowned, knowing the answer but not liking it.
“Know this,” Arlynn added firmly. “We will not, and have not, abandoned you. Our primary focus is the Harbok—you can’t even imagine the sacrifices they’re making—but in helping them, we’re helping Earth and ourselves. We’re moving as fast as we can. We have a plan, and the plan is working.”
“The best plans have ways of failing, Arlynn.”
“Greg’s very words. He expresses that concern daily. He will not let you down.”
Dave frowned, then he switched to another subject. “I have a special request to make. I’d like you to take someone back with you again.”
“Another child is sick?” Arlynn asked, afraid of the answer and afraid of her own weakness in this regard.
“No, not this time. He’s an Australian scientist.”
“He is ill?”
“Very ill. He has a wasting disease that has reached the point that he can no longer function.”
“There are lots of people here in his condition, Dave. We can’t take everyone.”
“I know, and this is not in the same category as the request I made regarding Emily. That was a purely selfish request, though I would do it again in a moment. This request comes from the Australian Prime Minister, a member of my special group. You and Greg met her during your last visit. The request is unofficial but strongly worded. She understands that you have complete latitude to decide.”
“But you planned thoroughly. You’re making the request to me rather than to Greg.”
Dave smiled. “I did. Greg would say no. You might not.
”
“I am not the soft touch you think I am.”
“Yes, you are,” he said with his smile still in place. “But this man is special, in the same category as Einstein who was one of our most renowned scientists of all ages. He’s a theoretical physicist who has been on the cutting edge of knowledge. The An’Atee can take him even further.”
Arlynn sighed. “He must be well-known. Will his disappearance create problems for you?”
“No, and I think he’ll provide value to the Alliance. You know how Greg interprets things differently than you do. This man might do the same.”
Arlynn frowned, but she said, “Tell the Prime Minister I agree. I’m leaving just as soon as Greg gets back to pick me up, so you’ll need to get him here quickly.”
“Thank you, Arlynn. You will not regret this.”
“I have never for a moment regretted our choice with Emily. I wish we could extend offers to others, but we cannot. What is his name?”
“Dr. William Smythe.”
Chapter Sixteen
Despite the gravity of their mission, Greg and Kannick had fun teaching Ollie to fly the fighter. Kannick flew the fighter until they were well clear of their hangar bay, then he got up and had Ollie take the command seat. The Harbok caught on quickly, even faster than Greg had. Though big, strong, and tough, his touch on the controls was delicate and precise. His decision-making and ability to focus only on the kill hinted at a lifetime of single-purpose training and duty. Ollie had been trained to kill, and he had been trained well.
The ease with which he learned surprised even him. According to Ollie, Harbok ships had rectangular screens placed about the circumference of the bridge, comparatively small screens showing only limited fields of view. During battle, a three-dimensional holographic display came into play, somewhat like the combat mode on An’Atee ships, but most crew members stayed heads-down and focused on instruments during a battle. Displays on the An’Atee fighter were technologically eons ahead of his own. The whole front of the An’Atee fighter was a screen. The screen surrounded the three primary crewmembers on the sides, top, bottom, and front, giving them the impression they were perched right out in space. Powerful computers superimposed information necessary to fly the ship on the screen, but the outside view remained clearly visible through the data. Ollie found flying the An’Atee fighter to be largely intuitive.
When switched to the combat mode, the presentation changed. Everything extraneous to fighting disappeared from the screen. All the distant stars, the moon and the sun, and everything that was not nearby were removed to reduce clutter on the screen. A hollow red sphere sprang into view with their ship centered within the sphere. Other nearby ships, Ollie’s fighter in this case, appeared in yellow with predicted trajectories extending from the symbol. Ollie ‘jumped’ his An’Atee ship within the sphere, always to the edge of the sphere, changing the size of the sphere and the jump point with controls at his fingertips. Either Greg or Kannick could assist from their own seats when Ollie became too busy or overwhelmed with manually flying the ship. They shouted and confirmed orders for various shield and fire control settings, making the bridge a busy place. Ollie’s hardest problem was learning to use the keyboards, but he eventually caught on to the pattern. Kannick helped him when necessary.
Then the dangerous part began. Both ships had adjusted their lasers down to a point they hoped would not damage the ships, but there was some uncertainty. The An’Atee fighter had been configured for training the recruits from Earth, and it had the capability to tune its lasers down. Ollie’s ship, on the other hand, was a ship of the line. It had never been intended as a training vessel. His engineer was not completely certain his adjustments would work.
Ollie stayed in the command seat as the Harbok fighter, uncloaked at first, began its attack. The two ships were fairly evenly matched with Ollie doing the flying and Kannick and Greg manning the guns and shields. Then the Harbok activated its cloaking device and completely gained the upper hand. Kannick gave Ollie enough time to become frustrated, then he spoke a command to Greg who activated their own cloaking device. Though it was the first time a Harbok had seen the An’Atee cloaking device, Ollie took it in stride without comment. Greg had anticipated evening the odds with the cloaking device, but the Harbok continued to pound them unmercifully.
Ollie grumbled, “Turn on the sensors, you idiots.”
“They are on,” Kannick grumbled back in frustration. “Check your boards.”
“I am, I am,” Ollie growled as he jinked around. “I can’t see with the cloaking device on.”
Kannick and Greg looked at each other in shock. Ollie sensed their confusion and turned to face them, ignoring the other ship for the moment.
No one spoke, then Ollie grinned. “Can’t see through the cloaking device, huh? You’ll never beat us this way.”
“We didn’t develop it from plans. We had to reverse engineer it,” Kannick said, frowning. “I guess it needs more work.”
Greg spoke judiciously, “We’re not trying to beat you, Ollie. We’re trying to help you beat the Oort.”
“You won’t do it this way,” Ollie grumbled.
“Just keep trying, Ollie. We’re not through yet,” Greg replied.
When they’d had enough for one day, Ollie’s ship stood off while Ollie returned to the prime ship. Kannick, with Greg following, toured Ollie through the ship, then had to ask what Harbok liked to eat.
“I’ll be happy to sample whatever you eat,” Ollie replied gruffly.
The prime ship’s engineering chief had been busy while Ollie was out flying the fighter. He had moved two beds together end-to-end in Greg’s quarters for Ollie’s great frame, and he had built a table and chairs that would allow Greg and Kannick to eat in comfort with the Harbok.
“Hmm, no wine?” Ollie asked.
“No. Not on our ships,” Greg answered.
“So, you have a primitive cloaking device,” Ollie grumbled. “It might hide you, but it’s not an effective fighting tool. You said you reverse-engineered it?”
“That was Arlynn’s objective when she snuck into your base,” Kannick said carefully. “She gathered enough parts and information for An’Atee engineers to figure out how it works. Clearly, we have a long way to go. I want you to understand that we did not steal the technology in order to fight you. We were just trying to find a way to live long enough to talk to you. Despite our best efforts, you are the only Harbok we’ve ever spoken to.”
Ollie stared long at him before saying, “I’m a low-level station commander. I don’t make policy decisions. Regarding this particular policy, I’m beginning to think we might have erred.” He shifted his gaze to Greg and said, “During our last meeting, you said the An’Atee were strong where we Harbok are weak, and vice versa. I’ve given those words a lot of thought. After flying your remarkable ships, I’m beginning to understand what you meant.”
He shifted his gaze back to Kannick, saying, “Your ships are remarkably easy to fly. That doesn’t mean they’re survivable in battle.”
“Help us find out,” Kannick said. “I’ll be happy to make a prime ship and a fighter available to your scientists for study.”
Ollie shook his great head. “Too soon. Maybe someday.” His gaze hardened as he studied Kannick. “You have no idea how the average Harbok views you An’Atee. To most of us, you are beneath contempt.”
“We might have earned your contempt, but only because you value warriors so highly,” Kannick said. “There’s more to us than that, and I suspect there’s more to you Harbok than that, as well. For the moment, I’m focused on changing only one Harbok’s opinion of us. I hope I don’t fail, because Haldor might not have a lot of time.”
“Why?”
“Tomorrow we’ll do a little more experimenting with our fighter. We’ll discuss it afterwards.”
The next day Greg brought their newest gimmick into play. Seated in the left seat aft of the command chair, he energized the tagging laser. K
annick, seated in the right seat behind the command chair, took control of the laser weapons. They fought as a team. With the first use of the laser tagger, Ollie abruptly stopped flying the ship, forgetting the other ship for the moment.
“What just happened?” he demanded, turning to them.
“Our new toy,” Greg beamed. “Do you like it?”
Ollie stared intently at him for a time. “A cloaking device, now this new thing, whatever it is. What other new toys are you going to show me?” he asked.
“Sorry, Ollie. This is it. Let’s see how well it works.”
The Harbok on the other ship had no idea that anything unusual had occurred. They just suddenly did not have a chance. Every time they tried to hide within the cloaking device, they took hits the moment they turned it off to fight. The penalty to the An’Atee ship was that it had to keep its shield weak in order for the tagging laser to penetrate the field. With careful coordination, they learned to keep a reasonable safety margin while successfully keeping the Harbok ship lit up most of the time.
With other cloaked Harbok ships in the area, their task would have been considerably more difficult, probably requiring more protection from their shield and leaving less time for the laser tagger to be in operation. Despite that, the weapon was a significant improvement.
“Okay,” Ollie stated, abruptly shutting everything down and ordering the other ship to stand off. He stood up and turned to them, saying “I’ve seen enough. You didn’t come here to show off. What’s this all about?”
Greg and Kannick, feeling pretty smug, instantly sobered. They looked at each other, then Greg deferred to Kannick who was attempting to develop a bond with the Harbok.
“You once told Greg that the outcome of your war against the Oort is in doubt. One side or the other would make a breakthrough, then the tide would change. Until then, stalemate.” Kannick waited until Ollie nodded, then he added, “The Oort have their own cloaking device.”
Genesis Page 16