“That’s a pretty devious plan, Jen. Do you really think the Denubbewa are capable of coming up with something like that?”
“I’d like to believe that the Denubbewa are all mindless drones religiously following an archaic plan for domination of the universe— but I can’t. According to what we’ve heard from Sywasock and his people, the Denubbewa have been at this for eons. I doubt they could have lasted this long and progressed this far if there wasn’t a higher form of intelligence behind all of it. So yes, I believe the Denubbewa are capable of coming up with a plan this intricate and cunning. We’re still in the fight only because we’ve been fortunate to have a long history of warfare.”
“Having a history of warfare is fortunate?”
“Anything that prepares us for the worst an enemy can throw at us is beneficial. The war with the Raiders, the war with the Milori, and the war with the THUG pact have all helped prepare us for this moment. Imagine if we were just a peaceful society with no enemies to have kept us sharp when the Denubbewa arrived. I just hope we’re up to the task of taking on a society as malevolent and powerful as we believe the Denubbewa to be, and destroying them.”
“Or at least fight them to a draw,” Plimley said.
“If the best we can do is fight them to a draw, they’ll come back at us again as soon as they feel powerful enough, just as Maxxiloth did. Barbaric minds with inglorious visions of conquest and unlimited power don’t ever give up. You have to beat them into submission if you ever hope to have peace and a decent life without oppression from overlords.”
“So what do we do about the Denubbewa transponder? We obviously can’t install it and have them open a CJ Gate for their armada, but without installing it we can’t use it either.”
“Sywasock and our people must find a way to modify it so the Denubbewa are blocked from ever establishing contact with it while establishing one that allows us to open such a Gate.”
“He says he doesn’t know how. It wasn’t something he or his team built. They carried it with them when they were sent here and simply installed it as instructed. The group that builds the transponders is part of another development team.”
“You said the transponder is the same as the ones in the booths.”
“No, I said there’s one in every Personnel CJ Gate. I meant there’s a transponder, not an identical transponder. The design of this unit is considerably different, although the basic function is probably quite similar. It might have something to do with the size of the Gate being opened.”
“So, if I understand you correctly, we must redesign the transponder in every Personnel CJ Gate or they can never be secure from the Denubbewa?”
“That seems to be the situation, Jen.”
“And the cyborg scientists have no knowledge of the transponder construction and operation?”
“They understand the basic operation.”
“And they know how to disconnect the transponders without damaging the Gate booths?”
“Yes, of course.”
“That information must be transmitted to Captain Gavin aboard the Ares immediately for dissemination to the administrators in the bases we just established inside former Denubbewa motherships. Brian should actually send the information since he’s the Second Fleet Commander.”
“I’ll convey the information to Brian as soon as we’re done here so he can transmit it to Larry.”
“I realize you’re stretched pretty thin these days, Loretta, but do you have anyone we can put on this transponder project? We urgently need to learn exactly how it operates and then find a way to accomplish the same goal in a unique way that won’t allow the Denubbewa to control our Gates. We have a working unit of the Armada Gate transponder, so our people should be able to reverse-engineer it and produce a few dozen copies.”
“A few dozen copies?”
“Yes. My goal is to place them throughout G.A. space so we can move our fleets into position to defend our nation no matter where an enemy attacks. Ideally, our fleet could jump to a location that’s no more than two days’ travel time from any part of our territory at Marc-One.”
“Jen, I think the people already working on the Gate construction should remain on that project. I understand they’ve written volumes about the construction and operation. I might be able to assemble a team for the transponder research by skimming off a few people here and there from other projects. But Jen, I desperately need more scientists. Because of the Denubbewa threat, things have sped up dramatically in recent years. We were terribly shorthanded before Christa found that Denubbewa ship and these new projects were dumped in our laps.”
“I’ll see what I can do about getting you more people. Our main difficulty is they must have the highest security clearances possible before we can allow them into the labs.”
“Please do what you can, Jen, and I will also.”
“Okay. Thanks, Loretta.”
“Talk to you later.”
“Later,” Jenetta said as she touched the control that terminated the connection.
As Jenetta sat staring at the Space Command logo on the wall monitor that indicated the connection was closed, she sighed. The Denubbewa cyborgs at Lorense-Four were still working furiously to rebuild warships destroyed in Region Three. There was no way Space Command could allow any of them to be completed, but Jenetta still hadn’t come up with an idea, brilliant or otherwise, for ending their efforts short of using dozens of bombs.
If her new hypothesis about the Denubbewa ship having been intentionally placed where Space Command was likely to find it was correct, it would prove there was an intelligent mind or minds behind the mindless drones. If she couldn’t come up with a better plan to end this initial invasion attempt, she at least had to predict their next move.
Jenetta rose from her office chair and walked to her beverage dispenser where she filled her coffee mug with her favorite blend before walking to her informal seating area and sinking into the soft comfort of an overstuffed oh-gee chair. She tried to clear her mind of all thoughts except what she would do were she directing the Denubbewa invasion.
~ ~ ~
The Admiralty Board was in executive session the following day when Jenetta chose to reveal her latest thoughts regarding the current Denubbewa situation. The gallery seating had been emptied at the end of the regular session, and all reporters and session observers had left the building. Jenetta had even exempted the clerks from this session, although they all held a Top Secret clearance.
After pounding the gavel to start the executive session, Jenetta said, “I know some in the military have come to believe that the Denubbewa are the least intelligent enemy we’ve ever faced. I’m sure that idea is rooted in the fact that cyborgs are largely drones whose ability to think and comprehend has been stolen from them. Those same people believe that the Denubbewa have only been able to achieve victory over all previous opponents, as far as we know, because of the size of their military and the weapons they’ve inherited with each victory over a lesser civilization. While I agree that both are factors in their successful military campaigns, I’ve come to believe there is significant intelligence in their high command.
“Everyone presently in this hall is a military officer or enlisted person. And military men and women are taught from the very beginning of their careers never to underestimate an opponent. So I hope that everyone here will properly evaluate the situation and stop thinking of the Denubbewa as an inferior military opponent. I’m convinced they aren’t led by incompetent leaders. You have only to remember that the Denubbewa are operating at nearby Lorense-Four.
“Yesterday, I spoke with Loretta about our situation. I’m half convinced that finding the intact Denubbewa warship in Region Three wasn’t a case of dumb luck. It appears that it was a Trojan Horse of sorts, although it was not filled with soldiers simply waiting for an opportunity to emerge within our midst. I also don’t believe the cyborg scientists were complicit in the plan. It appears they’ve been unwilling dupes, us
ed by a superior intelligence that was well aware of their desire for freedom. That’s how SCI was fooled. The cyborgs working for us now honestly believe they were responsible for their escape when, in fact, the goal all along was to have the Armada CJ Gate located here in our midst. It had been tested by sending three motherships and thousands of warships to Region Three. Rather than having the rest of the armada make the trip from Region Three, the Denubbewa decided to let us bring the Gate here. At the right moment, a full armada could suddenly appear in our midst and immediately destroy the Second Fleet, after which it would level all of Quesann, killing the G.A. leadership and Space Command leadership in one quick attack.
“The Denubbewa used the thousands of warships brought to Region Three as bait to have us send a significant portion of our fighting forces almost forty-five days away from Quesann, knowing it would take a month and a half for them to return when they were needed most. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the many weeks it would take for them to receive the recall orders. We sent every CPS-14, 15, and 16 we could spare, along with most of our Scout Destroyers. We didn’t send the warships, but most of them are out on patrol to cover for the absence of the smaller patrol ships.
“The plan was nearly perfect. The one thing they didn’t count on was the removal of what is perhaps the most necessary component required for the Armada CJ Gate to operate. A small transponder mounted in a console on the ship’s bridge intrigued the senior officer of the ORDER team so he and his assistant removed it for study. Without that component, there was no way for the Denubbewa to establish a link to form the Armada CJ Gate. The Gate equipment couldn’t even be located by the Denubbewa, much less opened, so their armada was left ‘standing at the altar,’ so to speak. Or perhaps more appropriately, for want of a nail the Denubbewa were denied their victory and we’re here to fight another day.”
When Jenetta paused to take a breath, Admiral Yuthkotl said, “‘For want of a nail,’ Jen? I don’t understand.”
“It refers to an old military proverb said to have originated on Earth as far back as the 14th century. You can find a fairly well-known version in a book titled ‘Poor Richard’s Almanac.’ It goes like this:
‘For want of a nail, the shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost,
For want of a horse, the rider was lost,
For want of a rider, the message was lost,
For want of the message, the battle was lost,
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.’
“In the fourteenth century, and for many centuries thereafter, horses were used as the most common form of transportation on Earth. Horses are four-legged animals that were either ridden directly or hitched to wagons and coaches. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that automation replaced the horse. Prior to that, the horse’s hoofs had to be protected from chipping and shattering by a formed piece of iron called a horseshoe. Horseshoe nails were used to hold them on. When a rider’s horse lost a shoe, it had to be replaced immediately or the horse could become lame without it.”
“I see,” Admiral Yuthkotl said. “So the proverb is saying that losing the smallest component in a sophisticated war machine can bring the entire process to a halt.”
“Exactly, Lesbolh,” Jenetta said. “And that seems to be the case here. That tiny piece of equipment, the transponder, that was removed from the bridge for study put an end to the Denubbewa’s master plan to decimate Space Command and destroy the G.A. Senate in one swift attack.”
“You really believe that was their plan all along?” Admiral Burke asked.
“I do, Raymond. And until someone can show me evidence to the contrary, I will continue to believe that. And I will continue to believe that the individuals pulling the puppet strings attached to the mindless drones are brilliant tacticians, not just ‘lucky fools,’ as some believe. When they learned they couldn’t plant an armada in our front yard, they immediately came up with the alternate plan to have cyborgs reconstruct warships from the detritus in the scrap piles. I think we all believe their plan is to attack Quesann and place Personnel CJ Gates everywhere possible so they can quickly subdue populations while they work to construct another Gate capable of sending an armada of ships here.”
“Do you still feel we shouldn’t attack the Denubbewa in the scrap piles and blow them to a million pieces?” Admiral Holt asked.
“I’ve been thinking about that a great deal. Here are my present thoughts: I suspect the Denubbewa believe they have fooled us into thinking the cyborgs emerging from the scrap piles were the original crews of the destroyed ships. That way we wouldn’t discover what’s really going on within the floating mountains of trash. After all, there’s no need on our part to rush the recycling efforts so we would just destroy the remaining cyborgs as they emerge.
“But we do know what’s going on, thanks to the images we’re receiving as a result of daily trips made by CPS-16s operating in a double envelope. I think that rather than using WOLaR bombs as we do when we attack an enemy ship, perhaps we should be considering the use of much smaller payloads. We could make as many trips as necessary to drop small bombs wherever work seems to be progressing. With each tiny bomb dropped, they would be forced to start over. Even if we didn’t kill the cyborg soldiers, they might eventually be recalled to wherever their base is.
“Just as they changed their focus when they couldn’t access the Armada CJ Gate, we can force them to change it again.”
“Where do you think they’ll strike next?” Admiral Bradlee asked.
“If I was part of their war planning effort, I’d recommend Region Three in the hope that the enemy would commit maximum resources to locations as far from Quesann as possible. We will naturally remain the real target, but we’re inaccessible at present. They left seven motherships just sitting at the far end of Region Three. If they were to reoccupy those ships, they could raise a lot of hell. And since we know they can remotely engage the CJ Gate booths, they could fill those motherships with troops overnight.”
“Haven’t we already assigned ships and people to occupy those vessels?” Admiral Woo asked. His face was masked with concern.
“Yes, Lon,” Admiral Holt said. “All of the new bases have been occupied.”
“Late last evening I took it upon myself to send warning notices to each of the seven temporary administrators about the possibility of an incursion by Denubbewa cyborgs via the Personnel CJ Gates. I strongly suggested that they assign as many Marines as possible to each of the CJ Gate rooms. Unfortunately, it will be almost twenty-nine days before all of the messages arrive. That’s why I didn’t wait until today to take a vote on how we should proceed.”
“I would have given my full support to such an action,” Admiral Holt said, “especially after hearing your views on the military planning capability of the Denubbewa high command.”
“I’m also glad you sent that warning,” Admiral Bradlee said. “In times like these, we can’t stand on formal lines of communication and protocols. Lives are at stake.”
The other admirals all voiced their approval of Jenetta’s action.
“It’s imperative,” Jenetta said, “that we make every effort to learn how those CJ Gate transponders work and see if we can determine where the collected information is being sent.”
“You still want to visit them at their home location and destroy their world?” Admiral Bradlee asked.
“I think that, eventually, it will take a visit to their base of operations to stop them and ensure they never again venture into this quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy. And if we should learn they originate from a different galaxy, we’ll teach them they must leave this galaxy and never return.”
* * *
Chapter Six
~ April 12th, 2292 ~
“There’s still no response to our hails, Captain,” the com chief said to Captain Gavin.
It was first watch and Gavin was
seated in the command chair on the bridge. The Ares was less than an hour from arrival at the new Space Command base presently known as Grumpy, and after hours of attempts, they still hadn’t been able to contact anyone at the station.
Gavin scowled as he stared at the front bridge monitor. There was nothing to see while traveling at Light-14,685.7 except streaks of light as the ship passed innumerous solar systems. The only good news was that the other six bases were all sending daily reports to the Ares, and all was well.
~
“Helm, why have we stopped?” Gavin asked as the helmsman cut the power.
“We’re here, sir.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re at the provided coordinates.”
“We can’t be. The space station housing the new base is a former mothership. It’s enormous. Gigantic. It’s impossible to miss its exterior lighting. Tac, where’s the base?”
“It should be right here, sir,” the tac officer said.
“Well, it’s obviously not here. So find it! That order applies to all bridge officers.”
“There’s nothing on the screens, sir,” the tac officer said. “The base is gone.”
“The base is sheathed in Dakinium,” Gavin said. “It won’t show up on our screens. You’ll have to locate it by its exterior lighting or by observing where the light from distant stars is being blocked.”
“According to the navigation computer,” the navigator said, “all light originating from stars that should be visible from this location is visible. There are no extra lights anywhere. The station is simply not in this vicinity, sir.”
“Then where is it! Anyone?”
“If the station began moving away at maximum speed after sending their last message,” the helmsman said, “it could be as much as eighteen hours away from here at our Marc-One speed. The station is only capable of achieving single-envelope travel.”
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