The Invasion Begins

by Thomas DePrima

  “I’m not in a position to promise years of Space Command protection to a foreign government in their own territory. Should the A.B. order it, we will naturally remain here and guard the Ruwalchu territory, but I really can’t see that happening. We have the G.A. planets and populations to protect and not nearly enough ships to watch over Regions Two and Three as it is.”

  “So if the Gilesset declines the annexation, we just leave?”

  “As soon as this taskforce has completed our present assignment, I’ll make my final report and ask Quesann for new orders. It’s up to them.

  “On a related matter, I just received a report from the Scout-Destroyer Mekong. Commander Cody Morrow reports that when his force arrived at the Ruwalchu Confederacy planet Buwalke, they found fourteen Denubbewa warships in orbit. They also found a mothership a few billion kilometers away. Morrow sent his CPS-16s to take on the warships while the Mekong took out the mothership. He reports that all Denubbewa ships have been destroyed. He also says they’re not getting any response to messages directed at the planet.”

  “Hopefully, the residents are ensconced in nearly inaccessible underground shelters, as they are on Ruwalch.”

  “Yes, hopefully. I replied to Commander Morrow that we’ve made contact with representatives of the Confederacy on Ruwalch and that he should leave any contact with citizens hiding in underground shelters on Buwalke to the Ruwalchu Confederacy.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “Hello, Loretta,” Admiral Carver said as she entered a large laboratory at the Weapons R&D center. The chronometer on the wall chimed once to indicate it was 0800 Local Time.

  “Good morning, Jen,” Admiral Plimley said. “You’re right on time.”

  “On time for what? Your message only said I should come at 0800.”

  “Is Brian with you?”

  “No. Is he supposed to be?”

  “I wanted both of you here. He said he was coming.”

  “Don’t start without me,” Admiral Brian Holt called out as the dual pocket doors slid quickly back to admit him and he hurried into the room.

  “Never, Brian,” Admiral Plimley said with a grin.

  “Good morning, Jen,” Admiral Holt said. “Good morning, Loretta.”

  After both women had returned the greeting, Jenetta said, “So what is it you’re going to start, Loretta?”

  “We’re about to make the first long-distance test of your new communications system.”

  “My communications system?”

  “The one you asked me to develop.”

  “The one that uses a wormhole?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have that ready for testing already?”

  “I assigned two of my best people to the task, along with six of the new scientists you got us. I divided them into two teams and installed the experienced people as the project leaders supervising the new people. One team took responsibility for the transmitter and the other for the receiver.”

  “I can’t believe you’ve completed it already.”

  “We gave it our top priority, and the teams have been working around the clock, seven days a week, stopping only long enough to eat a meal or get some sleep. We already had the technology working in the new CJ Gates. We just had to separate the circuitry from the Gates’ electronics and mount the components in communications consoles. All that was left to do after that was to mount them in the ship Brian provided. The consoles may not look too pretty right now, but if the test works, we’ll get a couple of designers involved, along with some engineers.”

  “I don’t care what they look like. I just want them to work.”

  “We tested them locally and they worked. Today, we’ll be testing them at a distance of eighty light-years. The GSC Destroyer Nome, with Captain Anita Rolereo in command, left two days ago. She was to take up a position roughly eighty light-years from here and hold position until she heard from us. Using S-Band communications, an outgoing signal would reach the Nome in about twenty-six hours. We’re hoping for a considerable improvement over that time.”

  “So what are we waiting for?” Jenetta said anxiously. “Let’s not keep Captain Rolereo waiting.”

  Admiral Plimley smiled and said, “Brian, would you like to ask the com officer of the Nome to tell us the time and date according to their chronometer?” She gestured towards the com unit.

  “Me? I don’t know how to use that gizmo you developed.”

  Plimley smiled and stepped over to the laboratory counter where the console sat. Picking up a microphone shaped like a laser pointer, she lightly pressed a contact point on the console and said, “Nome, this is Quesann. When you receive this message, respond with the exact GST time of your response.”

  Admiral Plimley removed her finger from the contact point and placed the microphone on the console cover before she turned towards Jenetta.

  “How long before we hear?” Jenetta asked.

  “If we did our job correctly when installing the com unit, it shouldn’t be very long.”

  Thirty-six seconds later, a voice said, “Quesann, this is the Nome. Com Chief Griffiths responding.” Griffiths then gave the GST time and date. The current time on Quesann was eighteen seconds later.

  “Yes!” someone said loudly from behind Jenetta.

  As she turned to see who had spoken, a technician said, “Sorry, Admiral. I got carried away.”

  “No harm done, Lieutenant,” Admiral Plimley said. “We’re all excited about the success.” Turning to Jenetta, she said, “Well?”

  “I’m as excited as that lieutenant. Well done, Loretta. I assume we can send vid-mails as well as strictly voice communications?”

  “Of course.”

  “Extend my congratulations to your teams. Now, how soon can we have eight units with full installation instructions ready for shipment?”

  “Eight?”

  “Seven for the new bases in Region Three and one for the Ares. We’ll need many more, of course, plus replacement parts for repairs, but this will get us started.”

  “I suppose we can have eight of them ready for shipment in about— three days, if you don’t want to wait until we have a chance to redesign the consoles.” Pointing to the com unit, she said, “This unit was jury-rigged and isn’t very attractive or compact.”

  “It looks pretty compact to me.”

  “You’re only seeing about five percent of the hardware. The rest of the equipment is on the floor below this one.”

  “We’ll have to go with what you have for now. After the first eight are on their way, you can have your designers work on a permanent console design. We desperately need these first units in operation.”

  “Okay, Jen. They will probably look a little better than this one, but not by much. We’ll have them ready for shipment in three days.”

  “Great. Brian, you’ll make sure they get to the new bases and to the Ares?”

  “Of course, Jen. I’ll use this new com system to recall the Nome. As soon as the shipment is ready, they’ll make the deliveries to the seven stations and then contact the Ares and make arrangements to deliver the eighth unit. Loretta, would it be possible to make a ninth system?”

  “As a backup?”

  “No, I was thinking of having it installed on the Nome so we’ll have instant communications until the stations and the Ares can install theirs.”

  “The Nome already has the prototype installed. Let’s leave that unit in the Nome until the new design is ready. They’ll get a replacement unit when production ramps up.”

  “Wonderful,” Holt said.

  “Loretta,” Jenetta said, “I never expected you to have it ready this soon. I imagine your teams have been working on this around the clock, and they deserve a rest. But—”

  “I know, Jen. Work first, rest afterward. Once the eight consoles have been completed and tested, the two teams will get leave time.”

  “Thanks, Loretta. And extend my thanks to them for their efforts. I’ll sleep a lot better once we have instan
t communications. I’ve worried almost constantly that the Denubbewa will overrun our forces in Region Three and begin attacking the populated planets without our knowledge. Without this new system, it would have been months before we learned of their advance. And Brian, please have the Nome deliver the first unit to the Ares. We really need quicker communications with the ships in Ruwalchu space. Then the destroyer can work its way back here as the seven systems are delivered to the new bases.”

  “Okay, Jen.”

  “Loretta, thanks again. The G.A. owes you a great debt for this effort.”

  * * *

  Chapter Fifteen

  ~ August 12th, 2292 ~

  “How much longer before our new com system is installed?” Gavin asked Eliza during their morning briefing.

  “Lieutenant Ryerson told me they should have it operational by 1400 today, if everything continues to go smoothly.”

  “It’s going to be great to have nearly instantaneous communication with Quesann. And in a few weeks, we’ll also have almost immediate communication capability with all of the new bases in Region Three. No more waiting days or weeks for a message to reach them and a response to arrive.”

  “In the message we received from Jenetta, she said to keep communications to a minimum until we have our own satellite system in place. We don’t want the Denubbewa catching on that we’re piggybacking our communication messages on their CJ Gate system functions. They might attempt to shut us down, even if they can’t decrypt our communication messages.”

  “Yes, we’ll use it sparingly. No messages home to loved ones and all that. We’ll continue to use the S-Band for all non-military communications. My first message with the new system will be to ask Quesann if we can leave Ruwalchu territory.”

  “We’re not going to wait for the annexation petition from the Prime Minister and the Ruwalchu Gilesset, sir?”

  “Other than a brief trip to meet up with the Nome in Region Three and pick up the new com system, we’ve been sitting here waiting for more than six weeks. Pemillisa told us it was all settled, but they still haven’t delivered the petition and verification vid I asked for. In the meantime, I’ve had our taskforce ships searching for any sign of Denubbewa to the farthest reaches of this territory. We found Denubbewa ships around all of the more heavily inhabited planets and destroyed them, but no others. And none of the ones we detected had Dakinium sheathing, so we should have been able to spot others with our regular DeTect capability. I have to assume there are no other Denubbewa ships in Ruwalchu space at the moment. I hate to say it, but this annexation discussion may have been a ploy to have us remain here and clear their space for them. Perhaps they never intended to seek annexation.”

  “It’s possible, sir, but they have to know they’ll be defenseless the minute we leave.”

  “They might believe that once we eliminate the Denubbewa here, no more will be coming for a while.”

  “I suppose that’s possible, sir.”

  “I sent a message to Quesann announcing the annexation interest. I’m going to look damn foolish if the Ruwalchu have been playing us. But when I sent the message, it still took a month each way for communications, and I wanted Quesann to know where things stood out here.”

  “I would have done the same, sir.”

  “Once we get the new com system installed, the first message will probably be a response to my message.”

  “Have you asked the Prime Minister about the annexation petition delay since the last query you told me about?”

  “Yes, and the answer is always the same. He says that when there was little likelihood of them actually seeing their space annexed to the G.A., the Gilesset was all in favor. But now that it could really happen, a few of the representatives are reluctant to announce their support of the initiative. He says they’ve been arguing the merits of the annexation every single day in the Gilesset.”

  “Politicians!” Eliza said with disgust. “The breed is the same wherever you go.”

  “Yes, dealing with them can be incredibly frustrating at times. You elect them for the promises they make, and then once the election is over, they conveniently forget everything they promised. Their fence-sitting positions can drive you crazy.”

  “If they don’t follow through with the annexation petition and we’re ordered to leave, they’ll possibly have signed their own death warrant.”

  “Perhaps they believe they can simply remain underground until we clean up their neighborhood and make it safe for them to come out.”

  “Sir, suppose we warn them we might not be able to return if the Denubbewa appear in this territory again. We must naturally devote our full attention to the G.A. territory. They happened to catch us just after we completed a major engagement with the Denubbewa, so our taskforce was fairly close. They may not get that lucky again.”

  “That’s certainly not untrue. Why don’t you take a trip down to their underground location and apprise them of the realities of the situation?”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll go right after I complete my morning duties.”

  ~ ~ ~

  The underground park was busy with pedestrian traffic when the CPS-16 dropped its envelope and became visible over the spot they had used as their landing zone on previous visits. The people in the park scurried to get out of the ship’s way, but there was no panic.

  Before landing, Eliza contacted the Ruwalchu communication center and requested to speak with the Prime Minister. The ship hovered ten meters above the park while the call was routed to his office.

  “I’m sorry, Commander,” P.M. Pemillisa’s executive secretary said when Eliza requested to speak to Pemillisa. “I’m afraid he’s terribly busy and probably won’t be available for the rest of the day.”

  “That’s a shame,” Eliza said. “I wanted to say goodbye before our taskforce left Ruwalchu space, but I certainly don’t want to disturb him. Tell the P.M. that if we ever return to the Ruwalchu Confederacy, I’ll check in with him.”

  “You’re leaving?” the Ruwalchu on the com connection asked in surprise.

  “We’ve completed our mission here. For the moment we can certify that your territory appears to be completely free of any Denubbewa presence.”

  “What if they return?”

  “If we’re close to your border and not otherwise engaged, we’ll ask permission from Quesann to come help you again, if they haven’t already ordered us to come.”

  “But even if you’re near our border, it could take many weeks to get permission to assist us.”

  “Yes— if at all. Our first duty is naturally to protect the worlds and citizens in Galactic Alliance space. If there’s a danger of attack by the Denubbewa, we can’t leave our own planets unprotected to come protect a neighbor. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Yes, I understand fully. You’re saying that if we don’t become part of the G.A., you have no obligation to assist us at all.”

  “Uh, that’s the gist of it, as it would be for any nations that haven’t established binding ties. The planets paying to support the Space Command fleet or nations with whom we have reciprocal defense agreements must receive our first attention.”

  “And what of the planets in G.A. space that aren’t a member of the G.A.?”

  “We protect all space for them as well, down to their sensible atmosphere.”

  “And if the enemy has already landed on the planet?”

  “We’ll destroy the spaceship or spaceships of the invading force.”

  “But what of the attackers who are already on the planet?”

  “It sounds like you’ve been listening very closely to the questions and arguments being raised in the Gilesset.”

  “That’s part of my job. So what of worlds that are within G.A. space but haven’t agreed to be part of the G.A. government?”

  “G.A. law forbids us from landing on any non-aligned planet, even if they request it. The planetary leaders must understand that before making the decision to be aligned or non-aligned.”<
br />
  “So you wouldn’t assist them?”

  “If they declined to become a member planet, they’re on their own in all matters inside their sensible atmosphere. We are not allowed to interfere in the internal politics or law enforcement of a non-aligned planet. The exception would be where the planet’s occupants are breaking G.A. law with respect to certain restrictions on G.A. currency counterfeiting, narcotics distribution, slavery, etc.”

  “So they’d be on their own once the invaders landed?”

  “Essentially, yes. But the invaders would have to be on the planet to be safe from us, and we would destroy their means of escape.”

  “I understand.”

  “Well, since the P.M. won’t be available today, I’ll take my leave. The Ares could be leaving orbit very shortly. I just wanted to say goodbye before we left. Please extend my best wishes to the P.M., and I hope everything works out for you and your nation.”

  “Can you hold on for just a minute, Commander? I want to check with the P.M. to see if there’s any message he wishes to convey.”

  “Yes, I can stand by for a minute or two.”

  Less than forty seconds later, Eliza heard a familiar voice say, “Commander, you can’t desert us. We’re defenseless.”

  “Prime Minister?”

  “Yes, it’s me. P.M. Pemillisa. You can’t leave us.”

  “We can’t wait around here indefinitely, sir. And we have no valid excuse for delaying our departure. We’ve destroyed all the Denubbewa ships we could find in Ruwalchu space. It’s time for us to leave.”

  “But what about our annexation petition? That should be reason enough to remain.”

  “What annexation petition is that, sir? We’ve seen and heard nothing since the discussion aboard the Ares where you mentioned that annexation with the G.A. might be possible and desirable.”

  “I’ve been working day and night on making that a reality, Commander.”

  “It’s been more than six weeks since you opened the dialogue, sir. You informed us that the Gilesset had unanimously approved the annexation before we arrived.”