"We can talk openly in executive session," Admiral Ahmed said, "without fear of having our discussion recorded."
"Yes, Raihana, but our aides and clerks would still know what we discussed."
"But they all have a Most Secret security clearance," Admiral Yuthkotl said.
"Yes, Lesbolh, but they still might talk among themselves and someone without a Most Secret clearance might catch part of the conversation."
"So what's so hush-hush, Jen?" Admiral Bradlee asked. "Are you planning a coup of the G.A. Senate?" The smile that accompanied his question showed that he was kidding.
"No today, Roger. But what I wanted to discuss might seem that way to some."
"I was just kidding, Jen," Admiral Bradlee said.
"I know, Roger, but I'm not."
"Don't keep us in the dark, Jen," Admiral Woo said. "Tell us what this is about."
"Okay, Lon, here it is. When we discussed the actions of the new CPS-16 deployment, there was something else I wanted to discuss, but I hesitated to mention it even in executive session. I wouldn't even mention it in the lunch room where none of the clerks would be because the mess attendants could possibly hear. So here it is. I want every ship in Space Command that has double-envelope capability to fly though every asteroid in G.A. space."
"Looking for Denubbewa?" Admiral Plimley asked.
"Yes, Loretta. And also for Raider bases or the bases of any other group, organization, or military that is seeking to hide themselves from us. Naturally, they won't enter Dixon or Stewart, but every other asteroid should be searched."
"That's an enormous task," Admiral Hillaire said. "It was overwhelming when we were just talking about doing it in Region Three."
"Yes, I know, but I believe it will be worth it. Every ship with double-envelope capability flies though every asteroid at top speed and takes images of the interior. If the asteroid has been hollowed out, even partially, we'll know, and the occupants will never suspect we visited them. We can create a database of hits and put it aside until we wrap up the Denubbewa threat. Then, when our current plate is clean, we go after the Raiders or anyone else who may be hiding their presence and illicit activity in G.A. space."
"So far I haven't heard anything that even remotely sounds like something we're not currently empowered to do," Admiral Bradlee said, "or something of which the G.A. Senate might disapprove."
"Okay, here's part two of my wish list. We use the information we've gathered to begin putting an end to slavery in Region Three. We've been so busy defending G.A. space from incursions by enemy nations that we haven't addressed that very important issue, but it's one that must be resolved. We can't continue to denounce slavery in the Clidepp Empire while we're ignoring slavery here."
"We're not ignoring slavery here, Jen," Admiral Bradlee said. "Unlike the Clidepp government, which openly embraces slavery of Terrans and even profits from it, the G.A. Charter denounces slavery in every form for every sentient species and makes it illegal in G.A. space. We just haven't had the resources to stop it. My people have been working to identify where all of the so-called pleasure resorts are located in preparation for the day when we have the resources to begin eradicating slavery in Region Three. But identification is one thing, and stopping it is quite a different matter. The space station locations will be difficult, but not impossible, to commandeer. However, where slavery is perpetrated on a planetary scale, stopping it is another issue entirely. The Galactic Alliance Senate has never established a ground force because the charter forbids intervention in planetary matters. Our Space Marine forces are only charged with maintaining shipboard security or for performing limited Special Ops missions on planets."
"Roger makes a good point, Jen," Admiral Woo said. "You've ably demonstrated with the Tsgardi, the Milori, and the Uthlaro that Space Command is quite able to conquer an enemy by destroying their space fleets and even laying waste to their planets from outside their sensible atmosphere. What we seem to be talking about now is taking over an entire planetary government without causing considerable infrastructure destruction and inhabitant death. But we've never had the ability to invade a planet and take over a government without first destroying the infrastructure."
"Exactly," Jenetta said. "That's where I was headed. It's time we create a large Marine ground force specifically trained to handle significant hostile situations on planet surfaces."
"That's going to be a really hard sell in the G.A. Senate," Admiral Burke said. "I'm sure some of the Senators will immediately assume the worst. It's always seemed to me that one of their greatest fears is that Space Command would one day grow too powerful for them to control."
"I agree that there will be a great gnashing of teeth," Jenetta said, "even though we've never done anything to support a fear we might attempt to wrest power from the Senate. We're a military organization that operates under civilian authority, and we've always been careful not to violate the power and authority they've vested in Space Command and the Space Marines.
"If we're forced to deploy ground forces," Jenetta continued, "I'm not sure we could avoid inflicting a considerable amount of death and destruction. We've all studied the tactics used on Earth and other worlds during periods of war. Destruction of the enemy's infrastructure has always been the main battle strategy when conquering a government that still refuses to capitulate as a more powerful force moves in. When I said ground forces, I was thinking more of police actions, but it might not be possible to take command of a planet without resorting to considerable violence and force as the planetary protection forces are subjugated. If our goal is to liberate a significant part of a population that's being held in slavery, a surreptitious effort to create a fifth column on the planet—assuming one doesn't already exist—might be the best place to begin. Then, in time, we can begin a ground assault with the support we've been able to establish on the planet.
"I realize the enormity of the task ahead of us. Even discounting the ongoing threat from the Denubbewa, we've only got a tenuous handle on protecting our territory and bringing the rule of law and order to Regions Two and Three. We still have a major uphill battle ahead of us. All we want is peace, freedom, and security, but there seems to be a never-ending effort by others who are greedy for power and wealth to deny us that. We must have a way to enforce the rule of G.A. law on those planets that refuse to adhere to the few restrictions we demand, such as no slavery, no G.A. credits forgery, and no narcotic distribution outside a planet's atmosphere. In the past, we've had planets request that we step in to help them deal with serious criminal elements or civilian uprisings, but the G.A. Senate has always refused because it violates our Charter. It's time to amend the Charter— slightly."
"I believe you have the full support of the Board, Jen," Admiral Platt said, "but as Raymond speculated, it might be a hard sell in the G.A. Senate. A very hard sell."
"I'll have to tread carefully lest I create the wrong impression regarding our need for a ground force. If anyone has a better idea before I begin working on my proposal to the Senate Council, I'm listening."
* * *
Chapter Five
~ June 28th, 2290 ~
"Commander Carver has arrived, Admiral," Jenetta heard on her viewpad.
"Send her in," Jenetta said as she stood to come out from behind her desk.
The pocket doors to the outer office slid open a few seconds later. Christa entered and came to attention a meter from the desk. "Commander Christa Carver reporting to the admiral as ordered," she said.
As the doors silently closed and no one in the outer office could see, both women giggled and rushed to embrace.
"Welcome to Quesann, sis," Jenetta said as they hugged.
"Thanks, sis. You have no idea how happy I am to be here."
"Are things that bad on Dakistee?" Jenetta said with concern.
"Deadly," Christa said with a fierce expression, then added, "Deadly dull, that is. All I've done for the past few months is approve requisitions or deny t
hem. I hate clerical work."
"How's Madu?"
"She's healthy. But I haven't seen her very much other than on the vid."
"Is she still upset with me?"
"I doubt she'll ever get over the fact that you forced her to make nice with the Nordakians. She never speaks ill of them in public anymore, but I'm sure the hatred is still there. She just doesn't want to appear to be a hypocrite after the way she acted in front of the cameras in order to get the formula."
Jenetta shook her head. "They gave her a formula that ends sterility on their planet, one that saves their entire race at no expense, and she still hates them."
"Yeah. I don't think she'll ever truly welcome their presence. The rest of the population doesn't seem to feel that way though. Everywhere you look you see happy women with big bellies, and it's not just because they're getting fat from eating too much. Well, I suppose they are eating a lot more."
"Because they're eating for two or more now?"
"Yeah. I expect the Dakistee population to increase by about fifty percent within the next year. It's practically a law that all women must become pregnant as soon as possible to rebuild the planetary population. Some women haven't yet managed to become pregnant, but some are carrying twins or triplets. It appears that the predicted demise of the Dakistians was greatly exaggerated."
"That's wonderful," Jenetta said with a smile.
"Yeah," Christa said with a hint of melancholy in her voice.
"Are you having regrets about not yet finding a mate for yourself after seeing so many women, including your sister, happy to be pregnant?"
"Are you telling me you're pregnant again?"
"No. I haven't even seen Hugh since he came to the Obotymot Mansion, although we do vidMail each other at least twice a week."
"Oh. Uh, no to your question. Well, maybe a little. But Eliza and I decided to wait and see how your pregnancy turned out. We were very concerned that the Raider DNA modifications might affect our offspring. And then there's the not-so-minor issue that it would pretty much mean an end to our time in space, as it's done for you."
"I don't regret it for a second, although I thought I would once. Kaycee and Kyle are about as healthy, happy, and beautiful as two babies could be. Wait until you see how big they're getting."
"I have. Momma's been including pictures every time she vidMails the family. She seems as delighted with her grandchildren as any grandparent could possibly be."
"I know how happy she is. But she never told me she was sending pictures with every vidMail. Now that you're here, you can see them in person."
"I've watched them as they've grown because every time Momma records a vidMail, she's holding one of the children. And either Jake or Ruby are always in the picture as well."
"The cubs rarely stray very far from the kiddies during the day, and they sleep in the nursery at night. I think the only time during the day they don't have the kids in visual range is when I arrive home at night. As soon as I enter the nursery, they dash out and complete some laps around the house and gardens to get some exercise because they've been sitting or lying around all day watching over the babies. Sometimes I think they're even more devoted to Kaycee and Kyle than Cayla and Tayna have been to me."
"I wish I had been able to bond with one of the cubs while I was on Obotymot."
"It wouldn't have mattered. They had to remain with their fathers while they were educated. But the next time you see them, they can leave if you establish a mutual bond with one of them."
"There are six still unpaired— so far— and six of us Carvers when we count the boys. Do we all get one?"
"You don't get one. The pairing must be mutually decided. I've told Ruby and Jake that Kaycee and Kyle must accept them of their own volition when they reach an age where they're old enough to decide."
"Come on. There's no way Kaycee and Kyle are going to refuse a lifelong bonding with Ruby and Jake after they've grown up together. And by the way, where are Cayla and Tayna?"
"Being tested— again."
"Again?"
"Again."
"Why aren't you with them?"
"The testers refuse to let me look on. I think they suspect my presence might affect the results. But Cayla and Tayna always tell me everything that occurred during the tests. I want to make sure the testers aren't going too far."
"Just how long have the tests been going on?"
"Off and on— almost since I petitioned the G.A. Senate to declare Jumakas sentient beings. I understand though. The decision will affect the entire population of Jumakas, not just Cayla and Tayna. So the testers want to be thorough and don't want to risk any possible chance that the results could be influenced by my presence."
"How's it going so far?"
"They refuse to release any of their findings until the information is presented to the full Senate for a vote on the petition."
"No other alien species has ever been subjected to this kind of lengthy testing for sentience. Even the Pledgian population was simply accepted as sentient from the beginning, and they've never produced any great thinkers. They haven't even sent an elected representative to the Senate, although they're entitled to a seat. I'm quite sure they'd never get off their home world if they didn't hitch a ride with visiting freight-haulers."
"I believe the Jumakas weren't immediately accepted as sentient because they've never had an ordered society. That's probably because they've been hunted for centuries on Taurentlus-Thur for use as guard animals and such, so they've had to avoid the Thurians. Since there was no way to communicate with them, even the indigenous people of the planet never suspected just how intelligent the Jumakas were until this century. And they certainly never believed them to be sentient."
"If— I mean when— they're declared sentient, it might start a review of other species that appear marginally sentient. For example, there are those horse-like creatures on Noe d'al. They, too, can't converse with Terrans or anyone else— yet, but they seem amazingly intelligent. Perhaps they'll find someone to petition on their behalf."
"Perhaps. Maybe that's why the testers are being so careful with the Jumakas. They want to make sure their findings are ironclad. Hey, have you spoken with Admiral Holt today?"
"No, he's not available today, but I have an appointment for tomorrow morning. I've already accepted the position of SD captain, pending approval by the A.B."
"There's no problem there. I've discussed it with the other board members. However, the A.B. can't vote on it and make it official until Admiral Holt makes the recommendation official. Don't worry about it. It's just a formality."
"I'm not worried. I'm just anxious to get settled in the new ship and get to know her. Or is it him?"
"The rule of thumb was always to use the male pronoun for warships, destroyers and above, and the female pronoun for everything else. Only destroyers required an officer with the official rank of captain to be named as captain of the ship. When Scout-Destroyers became independent search-and-destroy vessels during the THUG war, the lines became sort of blurry. I guess we can refer to any ship that carries offensive weapons as a him."
"So the CPS-14s and up should also be referred to as him since they can carry offensive weapons."
"I guess. Now, until everything is formalized, you'll stay at my residence."
"Thanks. I've already had my things sent over. I'll get out of your way now and go visit with Momma and the gang. See you at dinner."
"Okay, sis."
~ ~ ~
"It's so nice to have all three of my daughters here at once," Annette Carver said as they sat down to dinner.
The Ares had just arrived back in port and Eliza had talked the ship's third watch officer into switching duty shifts with her. Since they were in port, all watch duty was usually boring. Eliza had to be back at the Ares before midnight for third watch, but she could enjoy a leisurely visit at Jenetta's home before then.
"It's too bad none of the boys could be here," Annette said.
"Jimmy will be in Region Two in a few more months, Momma," Jenetta said. "And we might even see Richie this year. Quesann is now the hub for the G.A. and we have a lot of cleaning up to do."
"Do you think your father will ever be sent out here, dear?"
"There's not much chance of that until he moves up to captain a new battleship, Momma. But large warship construction has slowed in favor of the new smaller ships."
"I've heard the shipyards are working 24/7, turning out new CPS-15s, Jen," Eliza said. "What's up?"
"The CPS-16. It's an extended version of the 15. Unlike the 15, which was designed for temporary assignments and relatively short voyages, the 16 will be a regular posting. Crewmembers will not have any other posts to return to after a mission is over, so they'll remain with the ship until they head out again."
"That I hadn't heard."
"And I know you won't pass it on until it's formally announced in a few months."
"You say an extended version of the 15," Christa said. "How extended?"
"It allows every one of the officers to have private quarters as large as the quarters a lieutenant would have on a battleship. Petty Officers will also have private quarters, although a bit smaller than that of the officers. Lower rank enlisted will be doubled up in PO-sized quarters. But even the enlisted who're doubled up will have significantly more space than anyone currently has in a 14 or 15."
"Sounds great," Eliza said. "But it would probably still seem cramped to anyone used to a battleship."
"I suppose, but the new oval running track, squash/handball courts, swimming pool, and hot tub will make up for it a little."
"You're kidding— right?" Eliza queried.
"Not at all," Jenetta said.
"Wait just a minute," Christa said, raising her voice slightly. "Are you telling us that the new CPS-16 ships are all going to have a running track, squash/handball courts, a swimming pool, and a hot tub? Just how much are you lengthening the ships?"
Changing of the Guard (A Galaxy Unknown - Book 11) Page 6