“Yes. Speaking of which, can we get an update on efforts to develop our own system?” Admiral Yuthkotl asked.
“We’re making progress,” Admiral Plimley said, "but it’s slow going. We’ve learned an enormous amount about wormhole physics since we first started, but there’s so much more we need to learn before we can hope to put the system into operation. The system must be so secure that there’s absolutely no chance the Denubbewa or anyone else can block or interfere with our transmissions. At the same time, we’re working on ways to block the Denubbewa system from working in G.A. space. We have successfully made a few small transfer tests with inanimate objects between Lorense-Three and our headquarters here. So far, our new system seems to be working perfectly, but there are no safeguards in place yet. And we must still seed CJ satellites throughout G.A. space before the system can be operational and dependable for everyday use.”
“So how long are we talking about?”
“A year— or maybe ten. We can’t quantify the unknown. We just don’t have the data yet. But what we have accomplished so far is promising— very promising.”
~ ~ ~
“Come,” Captain Gavin said when the annunciator system informed him that his XO, Commander Eliza Carver, was at his office door. Normally, the door would open for her whenever she approached it, but Gavin had just finished transmitting a response to a message from Quesann and he hadn’t wanted any distractions until he was done, unless he received a Priority-One message.
“I understand we’ve received a communication from Quesann, sir?” Eliza asked as she entered and took a seat next to the captain’s desk without being invited.
“Yes. We have a new mission.”
“Denubbewa?”
“Yes.”
“Local?”
“No. We’re heading for the Ruwalchu Confederacy.”
“Ruwalchu? They rejected our offer to establish diplomatic relations.”
“Well, they’ve changed their minds since the Denubbewa attacked.”
“I guess an invasion by superior hostile forces can do that.”
“Yes. According to Admiral Holt, they’re pleading for us to help them. The request said the Denubbewa had destroyed half of the entire Ruwalchu Space Fleet and cyborgs were landing on some planets.”
“Were landing?”
“Well, the request is over two months old. It had to travel to Quesann, undergo discussion by the A.B., and then get sent to us after a decision was reached. I imagine that by now most of their fleet has been destroyed and the Denubbewa have landed on a lot more planets.”
“And what are our orders, sir?”
“Our orders state we are to enter the Ruwalchu Confederacy, along with most of the Scout-Destroyers and the dozens of CPS-16s assigned to them, and destroy every Denubbewa ship we see.”
“My kind of orders,” Eliza said with a smile. “Short and direct.”
“Mine too. I’m going to order Christa to stay behind in G.A. space. She’ll assume command of all taskforce ships remaining here and continue patrolling the border areas with unclaimed space until we return. Umm, you ever seen a Ruwalchu?”
“No, but Jenetta has. She says they have thick humanoid bodies with two spindly arms ending in eight fingers. They don’t have shoulders— exactly. Or definitive necks. Their torsos just narrow into a rather large head. They have no visible nasal cavity or nose, but they do have ears, a mouth, and two eyes. Jenetta has never met one in person, but she has communicated with them over a vid line.”
“They sound prettier than the Uthlaro. But their looks don’t matter. Let’s crank up the battle group and move out.”
“Which ships will be accompanying us, sir?”
“There’s a complete list in your computer queue.”
“Time to departure?”
“Let’s see—,” Gavin said, looking up at the chronometer on the bulkhead. “It’s fourteen thirty-two, so we’ll move out at twenty hundred hours. That’ll give everyone time to recover any engineers who might be performing maintenance outside their ships and stow all gear.”
“Aye, sir. We deploy at twenty hundred hours. Our destination is the Ruwalchu Confederacy, and our orders are to destroy all Denubbewa ships we encounter.”
~ ~ ~
“Good morning, Jen,” Admiral Plimley said. “Welcome to our first real test of the Space Command CJ Gate system.”
“Real test?” Jenetta echoed.
“Don’t worry, we’re not sending a sentient lifeform. We’ve been successful with single-cell organisms and insects, so now we’re advancing to a higher lifeform.”
“How high?”
“Small rodents. Specifically, two mice— a black one and a white one from the SC Research Facility on Quesann. Both are healthy specimens. If the test appears to be successful, we’ll return the mice to the facility afterwards and they’ll determine if the mice are in the same prime condition as when we received them this morning.”
“This booth looks exactly like the ones from the Denubbewa ships. I thought you were working on a revised configuration for our booths?”
“Actually, this is one of the Denubbewa booths. We’ve recovered an enormous quantity of them, so using their booths saved us time and effort during this initial testing stage. However, the Gate is completely different where it counts, such as the new power supply we’ve designed and all of the control circuitry. The computer that drives each Personnel CJ Gate is ten times faster than the one the Denubbewa use, and the operating system is as different as night and day.”
“Does that make the travel faster?”
“No, we use the same wormhole science, but our computer system allows us to incorporate more checks and safeguards. Once someone initiates contact with our Personnel CJ Gate, it rejects attempted contact from all other sources until the transfer is complete. If the incoming transfer doesn’t take place within two minutes, the Personnel CJ Gate alerts the sending booth that the transfer should not be initiated, but it waits another full minute before actually canceling the transfer and proceeding to the next caller in the queue. We’re doing everything possible to ensure that all travelers arrive safely.”
“Does the person or object being transferred bounce from satellite to satellite on the way to its destination?”
“No. We track the location of booths in the system via the satellites, but the individual or object travels directly from departure point to destination via an independent wormhole transfer in subspace because by then the exact locations of the sending and receiving booths have been established by the satellite communication system.”
“So the location signals never travel by wormhole?” Jenetta asked.
“Yes and no. There are two different formats that can be used in a signal, and they aren’t mutually exclusive. The Personnel CJ Gate first sends a query signal to the satellite in closest proximity to the Gate, which then forwards that signal to the nearest master satellite. Now, there may be half a dozen satellites in orbit about a densely populated planet, and the signal may travel through several until it gets a clear path to a master satellite. To this point, the signals are S-Band. There’s only one active master satellite in a solar system. We’ll have backups available in case something happens to the master, but they’ll have to be activated by a technician only after determining that the previous master is out of commission. If the transfer is being sent to another location in the same solar system, the master forwards the signal without involving a second master. In that case, no wormhole is opened as part of the handshaking process.
“If the transfer involves a destination outside the solar system, the signal is forwarded to another master. All signals from a master satellite to another master satellite are transmitted via a miniature wormhole and take just seconds to reach the master satellite closest to the final destination, regardless of the distance within G.A. space. The second master satellite then communicates with a satellite closest to the receiving CJ Gate using S-Band, and that satellite com
municates with the destination CJ Gate. It took me longer to explain it than it takes to send a signal from here to where the Ares battle group is right now. When all of the handshaking is complete, a wormhole path has been identified and is about to be established directly from the sending booth to the receiving booth. The handshaking is required to guarantee the safety of the traveler. The actual travel will take place in the blink of an eye and far faster than the preparation activity.”
“When the cyborgs were invading Highcap SCB, a new group of three was reportedly appearing in each of the booths every few minutes. Do you think that indicates they were coming from a very great distance?”
“It was more likely owed to the ancient computer hardware in the booths. As I’ve reported, our new computer hardware is ten times faster than the hardware we replaced. That means the handshaking process can be completed significantly faster than before and additional travel to the same destination can be processed much quicker.”
A lieutenant commander entered the room and said, “We’re ready to conduct the test, Admiral.”
“Proceed.”
“Aye, Admiral.” The officer touched his Space Command Ring and said, “Commence the test.”
Several seconds later the Personnel CJ Gate booth glowed brightly, then immediately dimmed to a normal light level. On the floor of the booth was a small cage with two mice inside. Both mice seemed extremely agitated and scurried around the cage for fifteen or twenty seconds before calming down.
“It looks like it was successful, Jen,” Admiral Plimley said when the lieutenant commander picked up the small cage and held it out for the two women to see the mice. “We’ll let the folks over at the RF check them out and tell us if the condition of the mice is the same as when they loaned the pair to us this morning. Tell them we want a top-to-bottom checkup, Commander. Each test after this one is going to be increasingly important as we move towards transferring sentient beings.”
“Are you sure the actual transfer process is identical to that of the Denubbewa transfer, Loretta?”
“As far as I know, the actual transfer part of the process is identical in every way. We’ve added frontend and backend computer safeguards to ensure that our signals can’t be compromised, we’ve upgraded the electronics to speed the transfer of preparation and verification steps, and changed the power supply as we’ve discussed previously rather than using the ancient model developed by the Locculo. But the actual wormhole transfer process is identical.”
“Wonderful. You and your people have done an excellent job so far, Loretta. I’m really looking forward to the day we can put the system into actual operation. Tell me, would it be possible to send a signal using the same basic process but without a physical transfer between the CJ Gates?”
“I don’t see why not. But what’s the point of establishing a Personnel CJ Gate connection if you’re not going to send something?”
“I was thinking of sending something— just not a physical form.”
“Not a physical form?” Admiral Plimley said. The perplexed look on her face slowly turned into a smile. “You’re thinking of a wormhole communications system again, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“It’s definitely possible, and our people have discussed it among themselves. But we can’t accomplish that until we have the satellite network in place. It’s strange that the Denubbewa ships don’t have such a communication system.”
“Perhaps they prefer direct-contact reporting. All their commanders have to do is step into a booth and they can be back at their headquarters in minutes. We had a report from Highcap SCB that a supervisor cyborg entered a booth shortly before our Marines were set to attack the three CJ Gate rooms the cyborgs held. A different cyborg returned about seven minutes later and then the cyborgs began to evacuate the base. So perhaps communications are only made during face-to-face contact.”
“I suppose. And it ensures that no one can intercept messages that contain vital and strategic information.”
“Yes. But however they choose to handle their communications is aside from the issue we’re discussing. As much as I want the CJ Gate booths to be operational and available, of far more importance to us right now are timely communications. I know you and your staff are spread really thin, and we’re making every effort to find qualified people to expand your teams, but perhaps you could assign a couple of people to look into merging the wormhole capability into our communications system.”
Admiral Plimley sighed before saying, “I’ll see what we can do, Jen. I can’t promise any more than that right now.”
“I know, Loretta. And thanks. We’re fortunate and most grateful to have someone with your intelligence and dedication to the Galactic Alliance in such a key position.”
~ ~ ~
“We only have basic star charts for the Ruwalchu Confederacy,” Captain Gavin said to the assembled Space Command officers, “although they do have references that point to all of the occupied planets.” The captain and first officer of every Scout-Destroyer and CPS that would enter Ruwalchu space occupied a seat in the large meeting hall aboard the battleship. Gavin was giving the initial presentation and would announce the overall mission objectives. Then, Commander Eliza Carver would take over and announce the specific assignments for all ships. The battle group had halted roughly one light-year from the Ruwalchu border to make the final preparations before entering the foreign nation.
“The Ruwalchu Confederacy has appealed to the G.A. and Space Command for help. According to the message the Admiralty Board received, the Ruwalchu Space Fleet has been completely destroyed and the Denubbewa are now attempting to subdue the population. We all know what that means— the Denubbewa are preparing to turn them all into cyborgs. We don’t know how long it will take the Denubbewa to complete the medical investigation and develop the proper transition procedure for the Ruwalchu brain physiology, but we’re confident the Denubbewa are already experimenting. Once they refine the process, they’ll begin converting the entire population as quickly as possible. Our entrance into Ruwalchu space is intended to stop that from happening. We should maintain a double envelope at all times. Never drop your double envelope until this fight is over unless it’s absolutely necessary to complete your mission. Following this meeting, each ship will head to its assigned territory, either independently or as part of a team. Once there, you will immediately destroy all Denubbewa ships in the tried-and-true method of depositing a WOLaR bomb inside each ship before moving on to the next target. Any questions?”
“What if there are Ruwalchu citizens aboard the Denubbewa ships, sir?”
“They are to be considered lost. We’ve established that once the Denubbewa take captives aboard their ships, they begin the transition process immediately. We can best serve the Ruwalchu Confederacy by destroying the enemy wherever and whenever we find them. Any other questions?”
When no one spoke up, Gavin said, “Okay. I’ll now turn this meeting over to Commander Carver. Good luck and good hunting.”
As Captain Gavin turned to leave the large meeting hall, the entire assembly jumped to their feet and braced to attention, then retook their seats as the corridor door closed behind him.
* * *
Chapter Eleven
~ June 22nd, 2292 ~
Captain Gavin was working in his office just off the bridge when he received a page on his CT. The computer advised him the call was from Commander Carver. It was second watch so she would be on the bridge. He touched his Space Command ring to make contact.
“Gavin.”
“Sir, we’ve reached a point one light year from the planet Ruwalch, and I’ve ordered the squadron to stop. Do you wish me to send in the scout vessel?”
“Affirmative, Eliza. Alert me as soon as they return with the data.”
“Aye, Captain. Carver out.”
“Gavin out.”
~ ~
Roughly three hours later, the CPS-16 sent to reconnoiter the area around the home world
of the Ruwalchu Confederacy had returned and transmitted the images to the Ares via laser transmission signal. The scout had identified a Denubbewa mothership a few million kilometers from Ruwalch and two dozen warships in stationary orbit around the planet. A quick pass through the mothership showed over a hundred warships still inside the cavernous interior. The mothership was partially clad in Dakinium, but none of the Denubbewa warships appeared to have any Dakinium sheathing. While insufficient to hide the mothership from the DeTect system, the sheathing did reduce the overall return signal size, giving the impression of a much smaller ship until it was visible. Five WOLaR bombs dropped inside the mothership and one in each of the orbiting warships should ensure no Denubbewa survived the attack.
Each ship in the Ares squadron dropped its double envelope just long enough to launch a shuttle. The captains of the ships were making their way to a conference room where they would learn their ship’s role in the upcoming fight once Gavin and Eliza had established the attack plan.
“It’s a turkey shoot,” Eliza said as she and Captain Gavin viewed the recorded images on the large monitor in Gavin’s office.
“None of their ships are fully sheathed with Dakinium, and they’ve conveniently left most of their warships inside the mothership,” Gavin said in a low voice as if he was thinking aloud. “It’s too easy. The Denubbewa can’t be that obtuse. We just destroyed their armada in Region Three.”
“The Denubbewa may be aware we have no diplomatic agreements for mutual defense with the Ruwalchu and therefore believe we would never come here to help. We’ve never even established formal diplomatic contact with the Ruwalchu leaders. There was just that one time when Jenetta came here because a Ruwalchu warship was cruising around in Region Two. When she confronted the trespassing ship, the captain seemed eager to provoke a war.”
“Yes. But the Ruwalchu leader apologized and recalled the ship, blaming the incident on a senior military officer acting without permission.”
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