A Show of Force

by Ryk Brown

The lieutenant’s master sergeant looked at him, unsure of the lieutenant’s decision. “As you wish, sir.”

  The view from the lieutenant’s helmet camera shifted as the lieutenant moved out of the control cage and onto the landing that looked down over the cell block below. The cell block appeared to stretch into infinity from his perspective. An alarm squawked, and the sound of turning locks and sliding metal doors echoed through the massive, multi-tiered cell block. The lieutenant’s head swept back and forth as he scanned the men moving tentatively out of their cells to see what was going on. “Prisoners of the Jung!” the lieutenant called out in full volume. “I am Lieutenant Kellen of the Alliance! We have come to give you a chance at freedom! Take this prison now, then take back your world!”

  Cheers erupted from the prisoners below, as they began to run toward the exits.

  The lieutenant’s helmet camera again moved about as the lieutenant moved back into the control cage to face his master sergeant. “Order our men to retreat to the roofs of the cell blocks for extraction. Best that we stay out of the prisoners’ way.” The lieutenant then looked directly into his master sergeant’s helmet camera. “Commander, I trust you’ll send us a couple of jump shuttles?”

  Commander Telles looked at the flight controller and nodded. A small smile crept into the corner of his mouth. “Interesting tactic,” he said to Master Sergeant Jahal. “We shall have to keep an eye on Lieutenant Kellen. He shows promise.”

  “I’ll make a note of it, Commander,” the master sergeant replied.

  “Comms, message to the Aurora. Tell them that we should have complete control over the surface by local sunrise.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Casimir Ta’Akar sat quietly, watching the other nobles bicker. Such market conferences always descended into the same unproductive arguments, as nobles accused one another of trying to undercut them, and always in clear violation of whatever deals they had agreed upon behind closed doors. It had always amazed him how these men were never willing to commit the details of such arrangements to paper, yet were so quick to claim foul when someone failed to live up to their promises.

  It was for this reason that he was not surprised that the nobles on the Security Council had so expertly avoided making any commitments to the support of Sol. He was quite certain, had he handed power to Parliament before signing the Alliance charter, the nobles would still be trying to find a way to sweeten that deal to their benefit as well. Although he did not agree with his dead brother’s tactics, he did understand his desire to take action.

  However, he still believed that, given time, the people of Takara would force their leaders to take responsibility and actually govern. In the meantime, however, the nobles were more worried about securing and possibly increasing their holdings before new regulations and changes in the economic structure of the Pentaurus cluster took effect. It was a distasteful situation, but one that had to be waited out. Eventually, the dust would settle, and the way forward would be clear to all.

  “That propellant is not usable in our engines,” Lord Markly argued.

  The mention of propellant caught Casimir’s attention, pulling him out of his daydreaming.

  “Not as delivered, no,” Lord Manglar agreed, “but it can be used by Volon and Palee, as well as many of the ships trading with the Haven group. Those ships will no longer be forced to buy our products, especially if the Tannan propellant is cheaper. And let us not forget, the conversion process is quick, and requires only a modest investment to make the propellant available in all formulas. If that happens…”

  “You are worrying about something that has yet to, and may never become a reality,” Lord Arralo chimed in. “The volumes currently being shipped are barely enough to generate the financial support needed for Casimir’s escapades in the Sol sector… and let us not forget that it is nearly a thousand light years away. Regardless of the jump drive, it still takes time and resources to transport that propellant back to the Pentaurus sector. That is where our edge lies.”

  Casimir looked at Lord Arralo with disdain. “Escapades in the Sol sector? Is that what you think it is? Some sort of a ‘pet project’, a diversion for a rich prince? There are millions of people dying over there…”

  “This is not the appropriate forum for this discussion,” Lord Dahra interrupted.

  “I think it is,” Casimir insisted. “Dahra, Tammer, Markly… only Sorat and Larkspur are missing. Perhaps we should call them in and settle this now. After all, the more I have to finance this ‘escapade’ on my own, the more reason I have to flood Pentaurus markets with Tannan propellant. Is that not one of the topics of this meeting?”

  “Are you threatening to…” Lord Markly began.

  “I threaten no one,” Casimir interrupted. “Unlike you people, I speak in facts, and I do not hide my intentions behind verbiage intended to distract.” Casimir paused, looking at the nobles.

  “Since you have already taken the floor, you might as well tell us what is truly on your mind, my prince,” Lord Dahra said.

  Casimir hated Dahra’s use of the term ‘my prince’, as his use of it was not a show of respect, but rather disdain. Lord Dahra, in fact, the entire House of Dahra, had always disputed House Ta’Akar’s position of leadership over that of their own. The condescending tone he used whenever he spoke to Casimir exhibited his continued feelings on the matter. At times, it was all Casimir could do to keep from slapping the old man across his unnaturally younger looking face.

  “The propellant market is the least of your worries,” Casimir began. “You should be worried about the technological advantages that Corinair, and any other member of the Alliance will have over us once the contents of the Data Ark have been translated and distributed.”

  “And why would that give others an advantage over Takara?” Lord Dahra wondered.

  Casimir knew that Dahra was baiting him, but he did not care. “Because the Alliance is unlikely to share the contents with those who are not living up to their responsibilities under the charter.”

  “I’m confused,” Lord Dahra replied. “Did we not repair their ship? Did we not supply them with additional crew? Did we not give them ample supplies to safely return to their part of the galaxy?”

  “For which we received the jump drive technology.”

  “Quite correct. However, according to the terms of the Alliance charter, we have violated nothing. We are simply taking a reasonable amount of time in order to make a responsible decision about how best to support the Alliance’s efforts in the Sol sector.”

  “I suspect that the Alliance may not interpret your intentions the same way,” Casimir warned.

  “You forget, my prince, that the data cores are here, on Takara.”

  “How could I have forgotten,” Casimir retorted. “They are under my care, are they not?”

  “Indeed they are,” Lord Dahra agreed.

  “And as their caretaker, I am bound by honor to do with them as their owners dictate.”

  Lord Dahra paused a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Prince Casimir, when you signed the Alliance charter, on whose behalf were you doing so?”

  “Which time?” Casimir asked, his expression unchanged.

  “Pardon?”

  “My name is on the charter twice. Once for Takara, and once for the Karuzari Nation.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Lord Dahra retorted. “The Karuzari Nation is nothing more than an asteroid base, wholly dependent upon outside support…”

  “I beg to differ,” Casimir interrupted. “They are a sovereign nation, with legitimate exports that they sell to…”

  “They no longer reside within the sector…” Lord Dahra argued, his impatience beginning to show.

  “There is nothing in the Alliance charter that says a member cannot relocate their entire world,” Casimir said, purposefully interrupting Lord Dahra in return so as to further irritate him. “And, I suspect that as one who has signed on behalf of both entities, I am more than honor bound to
act in the interests of all parties…”

  “You are honor bound to serve the people of Takara!” Lord Dahra insisted, his patience nearing its limits.

  “…Therefore,” Casimir continued, ignoring Dahra’s outburst, “if the Alliance concludes that Takara has not fulfilled its duties under the charter, and they decide to withhold the contents of the Data Ark from them, then I shall be required to obey their…”

  “What you are describing could be considered an act of treason!” Lord Dahra exclaimed. “You call yourself a Takaran, yet you…”

  “Did you not claim, at the last Security Council meeting, that the Data Ark could not possibly contain anything of technological significance to the people of Takara?” Casimir argued. “If that is the case, Lord Dahra, then your concerns are unjustified, are they not?”

  “Have you no honor?” Lord Dahra exclaimed.

  “You do not know the meaning of the word!” Casimir shouted. “Not one of you!” he added, his open hand pounding the table. “You sit and discuss your business arrangements. You count your money, you maximize your holdings, and you tabulate your influences. Yet none of you is willing to risk anything for the greater good of Takara, let alone humanity in general!” Casimir laughed. “And you still have the unmitigated gall to call yourselves ‘noblemen’?”

  “You might want to choose your words more wisely, Casimir,” Lord Dahra warned. “For the leader of House Ta’Akar should not go about making idle threats.”

  “I do not make threats, Lord Dahra,” Casimir replied, his temper barely controlled. “I make statements of fact, and the fact is, that the Alliance is asking me if and when Takara will be sending aid. At this point in time, I am forced to tell them that I have no answer, and I am not expecting one for several months at best. After which, I suspect the Alliance will insist that I hand the data cores over to the Corinairans, whom they rightfully trust a good deal more than the Takarans.” Casimir stood and straightened his jacket. “That, my dear Lord Dahra, is what an honorable man does.”

  Casimir turned and headed out of the room.

  “We have not finished this discussion, Casimir!” Lord Dahra exclaimed as Prince Casimir burst through the exit doors. “Do you hear me?”

  The door closed behind Casimir as he marched out of the room and into the corridor, where his bodyguards waited. Behind him, the voices of the other lords could be heard as their own debates about his statements and intentions began.

  “I take it the meeting went well?” Casimir’s principal bodyguard inquired, a smile on his face.

  “It could have gone better,” Casimir admitted. “I suspect a timely departure from the building would be in order,” Casimir added as he continued down the corridor past his bodyguards.

  “Of course, sire,” his principal bodyguard replied, falling into step behind his prince.

  * * *

  “Flight ops reports Commander Telles and the Pylian diplomats are on board, Captain,” Ensign Gambara reported from the Aurora’s comm station.

  “Threat board, Lieutenant?” Nathan inquired from his command chair.

  “Threat board is clear, sir,” Lieutenant Delaveaga replied.

  “Mister Riley, take us back to Sol.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Ensign Riley acknowledged. “Plotting jump back to Sol.”

  “Lieutenant,” Nathan said as he rose from his chair and headed aft. “Take us back to Sol and make port in the Karuzara. They have a new plasma cannon turret to install on our topside.”

  “Aye, sir,” Luis replied.

  “Send Commander Telles to my ready room when he arrives,” Nathan instructed the guard as he entered his ready room. He moved around his desk and took his seat, then called up the latest reports from the surface of Pylius. They had liberated the system and removed all Jung forces with surprisingly little loss of life. The Ghatazhak losses had been minimal, as had the collateral damage to the Pylians themselves. Even better, neither the Aurora, nor either of the Scout ships had sustained any damage. The KKVs had done their job on the battle platform and battle ship, just as planned. If the Karuzara work teams could crank out the kinetic kill vehicles even faster, they would be attacking Jung resources more frequently. However, eventually, they were going to need the Celestia in order to ensure success, especially as they got further away from Sol.

  Although it originally had been his idea, Nathan found himself wondering, at times, if the Alliance really needed to clear the Jung any further out than twenty light years. Were they creating a ‘safe zone’ around Sol, or were they simply guaranteeing an overwhelming response from the Jung, one that made all previous attacks pale in comparison.

  One thing was sure. The Earth needed time to recover, and the Alliance needed time to build its forces. The one-year time buffer that the twenty light year ‘Jung-free-zone’ provided was more likely a two to five year buffer. It would take time for word of the liberation of these worlds to reach the Jung homeworld, wherever that world was. After that, it would take time for them to react, and to move ships and resources into position for another attack. And the more massive the attack, the greater time it would take to prepare.

  This was precisely why the fast-attack ship production facility on Tanna needed to get under way as soon as possible. The various models envisioned would give them the ability to attack Jung assets anywhere within the Sol sector, and beyond, in short order. This was something that the Jung simply could not counter. Their only hope of survival, if faced with such a threat, would be to rally their ships around their home and create an impenetrable defensive zone. Of course, if they did so, they would undoubtedly concentrate their resources on countering the jump drive technology. The only way to do that was to get a jump drive of their own, and Nathan knew that it was only a matter of time before they did exactly that.

  “Captain,” Commander Telles called from the open hatchway.

  “Commander,” Nathan replied gesturing for the commander to enter.

  Commander Telles entered the captain’s ready room. “You wished to see me?”

  “Yes. The Pylian minister insisted that his people would be able to maintain order themselves within the week,” Nathan explained. “I was wondering if you agree with his assessment?”

  “It is possible,” the commander replied. “Plenty of Jung small and medium arms were captured intact, and, unlike the Coporans, the Pylians appear eager to be free of Jung rule and in control of their own destiny.”

  “And the Coporans did not,” Nathan said, remembering the meek nature of the people of the 61 Cygni system.

  “The people of Copora were more like bera.”

  “Bera?”

  “I believe you call them ‘sheep’.”

  Nathan nodded. “Yes, I got that impression as well.”

  “Do not get me wrong, Captain,” Commander Telles explained. “I am not condemning the Coporans for their submissive nature. On the contrary, it takes a considerable amount of patience to allow yourself to be subjugated in exchange for peace and prosperity. I believe your Earth history is full of such examples. In many cases, your people were not even aware of their subjugation. After all, there are more ways to conquer a population than force. Military might is simply one of them.”

  “Politics by other means,” Nathan mumbled.

  “The most effective governments are the ones that manage to subjugate their populations without having to use such force. Often, those same populations are inviting such actions. I believe that the Coporans are such a population.”

  “Then you don’t believe they will be a useful member of the Alliance?”

  “As a contributor of resources? Perhaps,” Commander Telles said. “As warriors joining in the fight… doubtful. The Pylians, on the other hand… I expect they will be lining up for the opportunity to kill more Jung.”

  “Yes, I saw the prison camera footage,” Nathan commented. “I’m not sure how I feel about Kellen’s tactics.”

  “I assure you, Captain, he was well aware
of what he was doing. He had already been on Pylius for seventeen days.”

  “Some of those prisoners might have been incarcerated for good reason,” Nathan said.

  “According to Lieutenant Kellen, the prison contained only those who stood against the Jung occupation of Pylius. Those men had committed no crimes against their own people. Furthermore, the liberation of those men served as inspiration to the rest of the population. A ‘call to arms’ I believe you call it?”

  “Another example of Ghatazhak ingenuity, then,” Nathan observed.

  “Correct,” Commander Telles replied. “It is what the Ghatazhak are trained to do.”

  “Well, I’m relieved to know that the lieutenant at least took the reason for their incarceration into consideration.”

  Commander Telles looked confused. “Why would he not?”

  Nathan smiled. “Then you’re fine with our turning control of Pylius over to their interim government as soon as practical.”

  “Indeed I am, Captain. I could use the extra manpower. May I inquire as to how soon we will be able to depart for Porto Santo?”

  Nathan looked at the status display on the main view screen on the forward bulkhead. “Looks like we’ve already jumped to Sol, Commander. So your shuttles can depart as soon as you’re ready.”

  “Thank you, Captain. Until our next adventure, then.”

  “Until then.”

  * * *

  “You spend a lot of time staring out windows these days, sire,” Major Bellen said as he entered Prince Casimir’s study.

  “Everything that matters is out there,” Casimir said. “Out there, up there, over there…” He paused, turning back and looking around his study. “There was a time when everything that mattered to me was contained within these walls, and on the lands just outside that window.” He turned to look out the window again. “So long ago.”

  “I have received disturbing news from one of my sources within the Takaran communications division,” Major Bellen said.

  Casimir turned back to the major.

  “A great deal of encrypted communications have been taking place among the various noble houses of Takara.”