Changing of the Guard (A Galaxy Unknown - Book 11)

by Thomas DePrima

  "Unless what?" Jenetta asked.

  "Unless the explosion had some effect on the double envelope, such as causing it to fail. I mean, we're talking about one of the most deadly forces in warfare."

  "Yes, there would have to be some serious testing before we tried that. But that isn't an issue here. With your idea that we stop and release the cyborg inside the warship, there's no explosion to consider."

  "You know, this raises a new question," Christa said.

  "I'm listening," Jenetta said.

  "Why do we need two ships for each bomb dropped? If we stop, drop a bomb where we know it would do the most damage, and then go on to the next ship, it would effectively double our capability. We'd only need one CPS-16 for each target."

  "Hmm. All of our Dakinium-sheathed ships have the ability to create either a single envelope or a double envelope. We originally required that travel in a double envelope could only be engaged at maximum speed because we had learned that trying to create a second envelope over a first envelope caused a massive short-circuit. That's what happened when I commanded the Colorado during the initial space trials. And normally we want full power when establishing a double envelope. But now I see a need to change that. I think I'll have a lot to discuss with Admiral Plimley tomorrow. Want to come?"

  "Heck no," Christa said. "I'm on leave. I want to stay here and visit with Mom while I play with the kiddies. But I'll come if you want me to."

  "It's not necessary. I just thought you might want to come and hear what she has to say. It was your idea, after all."

  "I'll let you tell me all about it tomorrow night after dinner. Now, if we're done here, let's go visit with mom and the gang."

  ~ ~ ~

  "What do you think, Loretta?"

  "You came up with all this by yourself?"

  "Christa came up with the idea of stopping inside a Denubbewa warship and ejecting the cyborg from a bomb port. Then we got talking about bombing in general and the fact that perhaps we no longer needed two ships for each bomb dropped into a warship if we can simply stop while inside the Denubbewa ship."

  "Talking with Christa is like talking with yourself."

  "Not really. And people are suspicious of other people who have conversations with themselves. Christa is an entirely separate individual with a separate life and separate friends. We simply share the same family, as do all brothers and sisters. I always think of her and Eliza as sisters who shared the womb with me after the fertilized egg split once and then again. We began to have different lives and experiences after we left Dakistee. We're completely different people now, even though we tend to have similar thought processes."

  "I'll have to think about this. Off the top of my head, I can't see any difficulty with stopping inside a Denubbewa warship while maintaining the double envelope to drop off the cyborg Roger's people are trying to program. We stop now without dissolving the envelope to ensure there's no danger of collision when we emerge in normal space/time. But I'd be concerned about one of our ships being too close to a WOLaR explosion, even while inside a double envelope. We'll have to determine a minimum safe distance from the force released in such an explosion. But— we should be able to slow the ship considerably as long as we create an effective lockout between single envelope and double envelope and then resume full power as soon as the bomb is dropped rather than maintaining a consistent high speed as we do now."

  "I'll gladly accept that restriction of a lockout to improve our flexibility. Anything else?"

  "Not right now. Let me think about this and share it with a few of my top people so I can get their ideas. But so far, I think the idea has great potential, Jen. The idea that we can immediately double our bombing capability is inspired. It's as big an advance forward as when you developed the idea of bombing enemy ships to begin with rather than assaulting them with missiles and laser arrays."

  ~ ~ ~

  "Loretta liked your idea," Jenetta said as she and Christa sat in her study after dinner.

  "Which one?"

  "Dropping the cyborg into the ship while we're stopped within the Denubbewa vessel. She liked the other ideas as well, but she wants to check with her people to see if anyone believes there's a danger from being in the proximity of the bomb when it detonates even when inside a double envelope. However, she was in favor of the variation where we slow down, or even stop, then apply full power to get clear before the bomb explodes."

  "That works for me."

  "Me too."

  "How soon will I be heading back to my squadron?"

  "In a hurry?"

  "Yes and no. I'm enjoying this little break, but I also want to wrap up this business with the Denubbewa."

  "We're on the verge of wrapping up business with this initial invasion fleet, but I suspect this war is just beginning. The Denubbewa want our technology just as much as, or more than, we want the Cosmic Jump Gate technology they stole from the Locculo civilization. I haven't admitted it to anyone but myself, but even if we manage to locate their home world and flatten it, I don't believe they'll stop while even one Denubbewa still lives."

  "I sort of feel that way myself, and it's the impression I got while talking to Sywasock. But I'm still anxious to wipe out every single one of the Denubbewa warships that are currently in our space."

  "You'll be headed back soon enough. The shipyard is busy converting every CPS-14 and 15 they can get their hands on so those ships can function as bombers, and all ships are having the Neutrino Measurement Sensors installed. The four squadrons gave us one hundred ships to find and destroy the Denubbewa. When the next attacks begin, we expect to have over four hundred attack vessels. I'd like to have a thousand, and in time we will, but we can't wait around forever. As soon as we learned of the eighteen RPs, Admiral Holt sent orders to the CPS-16 squadron leaders to dispatch two CPS-16s to each possible RP location and perform flyovers to determine if there were any Denubbewa ships there. All ships were to be thoroughly checked to ensure there were no hull-huggers or beacon emitters on their hulls before they left. So we should be able to assemble a picture of what we'll be fighting without having alerted them to our presence."

  "Do I at least get an estimated date?"

  "Just be patient." With a smile, she added, "I'll give you at least an hour's notice before your ship has to be underway."

  ~ ~ ~

  "Good morning, Jen," Admiral Holt said as he greeted her in his office on the base. "Coffee?"

  "Always. I'll get it. How about you?"

  "I have a fresh cup on my desk."

  As Jen walked to the beverage dispenser, Brian walked to the informal area of his office with his coffee and sat down in an overstuffed oh-gee chair. When Jen joined him, she took a chair facing his.

  "Good coffee, Brian," Jen said as she took a sip.

  "The beverage synthesizer was just replaced with a new model. It's now easier than ever to adjust the flavor to one you like."

  "I've spent so much time tweaking mine since I arrived, I won't let them near it unless it breaks. I've got it just the way I like it."

  "I like the coffee in your office. Now, what brings you here so early? Hiding from the Senate Council?"

  "No, not today. I have a very important matter to discuss with you. It's one we've talked about before—Operation Springboard."

  "Springboard?"

  "Yes."

  "I thought we decided never to talk about that again."

  "As I recall, we said we'd never talk about it unless it was imperative that we do."

  "And it's imperative?"

  "Sort of."

  "Okay, you have my undivided attention."

  "In order to get the assistance of the cyborgs Christa found, she made certain promises."

  "What kind of promises?"

  "The cyborgs that are teaching us about the Cosmic Jump Gates the Denubbewa use are the last unbridled members of their society. The only other remaining Elobians have been turned into mindless drones. So Christa promised them that in
exchange for their help we would reconstruct their original biological bodies from their DNA and put their brains into the bodies we create."

  Brian didn't say anything at first. He just sipped at his coffee and stared at Jenetta. Finally he said, "I thought we were never going to create a clone unless the original body was dead."

  "Their original bodies are dead."

  "But not their brains."

  "No. But we'll be putting the brain into the new body we create."

  "I don't think it works that way. Our greatest medical minds say we can't perform brain transplants. I don't even know if we can create their original bodies without having the original to copy."

  "We have their brains so we have their DNA. Does the equipment need more than that?"

  "We don't know if it will work for their species."

  "No, but it worked for Terrans, Nordakians, and Dakistians."

  "According to the doctor in charge, those species are not that radically different."

  "Brian, I'd like to have the people who duplicated Christa give it a try with the Elobians. You know what that Cosmic Jump Gate technology would mean to us, and we wouldn't do this until they've got the Cosmic Jump Gate technology working for us. If they did get it working, it would be worth every second we spend replacing their cyborg bodies with biological bodies. Will you do it?"

  "How could I reject such an impassioned plea?" he said with a smile. "I'll contact the lead people from Project Springboard and bring them here to investigate the possibilities. But I can't promise we'll be able to create their bodies, much less install their brains in the biological bodies."

  "All I ask is that you try. And please try hard. This is very important to the G.A."

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  ~ November 26th, 2291 ~

  "Hello, Sywasock," Christa said as she entered the quarters where the cyborg was living. "How are you doing?"

  "Captain, it's nice to see you again. I'm doing well. You?"

  "I'm doing well also. I've heard you're making good progress with the Cosmic Jump Gate education. I understand your class will be building a personal transporter station as a sort of final examination test."

  "Yes. They're brilliant scientists and they've picked up everything very quickly. It took us years to understand it, but of course we had no one to teach us. We had to work from lab notes and through examination and testing of the personal transport device."

  "It does make it easier when you can ask questions of someone who knows."

  "Yes. Have you finished destroying the invasion force?"

  "We've eliminated all of the motherships, but we're still tracking down the warships."

  "You've destroyed a dozen motherships? That's impressive. I don't believe any of the innumerous species conquered by the Denubbewa has ever destroyed more than one or two. And the defenders lost all of their fighting forces just accomplishing that."

  "The Denubbewa are formidable, but we're far more formidable when someone enters our space with an intent to conquer us and turn us into cyborgs."

  "I wish my people had been better prepared. When can we begin the process of recreating our former bodies?"

  "Work has already begun on that. That's the reason I'm here today. In order to prepare for the process, the scientists will need a sample of your DNA, or at least the DNA from one of the other Elobians."

  "DNA?"

  "Deoxyribonucleic acid. It's a polymer found in the nucleus of a cell. It provides the genetic information they need to begin creating an Elobian body. The scientists will take a miniscule piece of your brain to examine and reproduce enough to begin testing."

  "I see. I know what you're talking about. We have a different name for it."

  "That was to be expected."

  "How large a piece of my brain?"

  "They only need a few cells, unless your cyborg body contains any other flesh from your original body."

  "It doesn't."

  "Then it will have to come from your brain. For initial testing, it can actually be from the brain of any Elobian. But when it comes time to produce bodies identical to the one you had on your home planet, they'll need a tiny sample from everyone. It's the only way they can produce bodies that are identical to the ones you had originally."

  "And Admiral Carver agreed to this when she was cloned?"

  "I told you she was drugged by an assailant beforehand, so no. I understand the process was slightly different with Jenetta and the other cloned people. The chamber where the process was started got samples of DNA skin flecks sucked up by air filters. But your metal body doesn't have any cells that flake off so they'll have to open the chamber where your brain is located and gently scrape a miniscule amount of cells off your brain. I'm assured it won't hurt and won't harm you in any way."

  "I see."

  "Anyway, that's a couple of months down the road. The scientists who'll be doing this have to plan every step before they start, and conduct a lot of tests on the DNA samples. Oh, and since none of us have ever seen an Elobian, they'd like to know what to expect so they know if the process is proceeding properly. Can you draw a picture of what your biological body looked like? And include basic measurements. It doesn't have to be a work of art. They just need an idea. For example, were you air breathers? Did you have arms and legs? How many of each, etc. That sort of thing."

  "Yes, we were air breathers, but we didn't require the rich oxygen/nitrogen mixture you require. Instead, we ingested a significant amount of water each day and some of that was used to fuel our bodies. We originally had four legs. It took us quite a while to get used to balancing on just the two that are part of this body. We also had two arms culminating with hands that contained eight fingers. There were six fingers on one side of the hand and two opposing fingers."

  "Any other appendages, such as tentacles?"

  "No, just the four legs and two arms."

  "How tall were you?"

  "About your height."

  "So that would make you a little under two meters."

  "Yes."

  "And how big around at the largest part of your torso?"

  "A little over one meter."

  "I see. Okay, I'll pass that on. And if you can draw a basic shape so the scientists know what to expect and plan for, it will help."

  "I can do that."

  "Wonderful. Before I go, is there anything you need?"

  "Nothing you can provide, I'm sorry to say. I would love to have contact with my countrymen."

  "I assure you they're well."

  "I know. I've been able to view them in vids on a fairly regular basis, and some people here have recorded vids of me so they can see I'm well. We don't doubt your sincerity and we realize why you don't fully trust us yet. I have only to look into a mirror to realize that. I wouldn't trust me either, knowing what I do of the Denubbewa."

  "We have a saying— 'Trust must be earned.' But from what we've seen so far, you're making a great deal of progress in that direction."

  "I hope one day to fully earn your trust."

  "I look forward to that day as well. Ya know, after I discovered that you'd lied to me, I suggested to my sister that you be terminated."

  "Lied to you?"

  "About your knowledge of Denubbewa plans and technology."

  "Yes, I regret that. I didn't know you or your people well enough and I didn't think I should share the Cosmic Jump Gate knowledge with another government that seemed warlike."

  "I realize we do seem warlike, but it's not the appearance that counts, it's the actions. There was once a leader on the planet of my birth who had a favorite slogan. 'Walk softly but carry a big stick.'"

  "A stick is a branch from something called a tree. Is it not?"

  "Uh, yes. A tree is a tall, perennial, woody plant. It has a main trunk and branches. The slogan means that you shouldn't act aggressively but always be prepared for aggressions from others."

  "I see. A wise person, your leader."

&
nbsp; "He was. Unfortunately, among politicians there are as many fools as there are wise people. The true leaders lead with dedication, intelligence, and sincerity, while the fools obfuscate, obstruct, and make outlandish and impossible promises, such as increasing free services dramatically while always promising to cut taxes. The fools only seek personal wealth or power, but the voters who believe those promises are the real fools because it's not possible to give more while taking less. There's another old saying from the same time period as the one I just mentioned. 'There's no such thing as a free lunch.'"

  "I understand that one," Sywasock said. "Someone always has to pay for what others receive for free. And I know that power is like a narcotic to some. They are the ones to be wary of."

  "It sounds like your society had its share of fools in powerful political positions."

  "It did. The crime is not being a fool. The crime is being a fool who believes you're wise enough to lead when you are obviously only interested in enriching yourself."

  ~ ~ ~

  Admiral Holt stood up as Captain Lawrence Frederick Gavin, commanding officer aboard the battleship Ares, entered his office. The men were old friends. Captain Gavin could have been promoted to admiral a very long time ago but he refused to give up his command and swap his bridge chair for a dirt-side desk.

  "Larry," Holt said, "welcome back."

  "Good morning, Brian. Hey, what's going on? I haven't seen so many ships around Quesann since the Uthlaro armada attacked."

  "It's all because of another invasion attempt. This time it's the Denubbewa."

  "The Denubbewa? I thought we kicked their metal buns out of G.A. space."

  "Some alien cultures just never learn. They're back."

  "When are they expected to arrive?"

  "They're not. We're going after them. And I want you to lead the charge."

  "I'm ready. When do I leave?"

  "Soon. Grab a coffee and have a seat."

  Holt took his coffee from his desk and moved over to the informal area of his office, sitting in his favorite chair there. When Gavin had prepared his coffee and sat down, Holt began.