Handolly turned to Riggs. “The humans we saved flourished on the two planets we placed them on. Their societies grew much like Earth. A client race of ours, the Primords or Prims as we call them, first encountered the Zodarks roughly three thousand of your years ago. We provided technology to them so they could fight the Zodarks and protect a section of space they lived in. We helped them expand and secure their territory from the Zodarks.”
Chief Riggs and Admiral Halsey both leaned forward as they listened to Handolly, totally mesmerized by what he was telling them.
Handolly continued, “Around two thousand of your years ago, the Orbots started to lose their war against us. It was around this time they began to give the Zodarks a lot of new technology—technology that allowed them to skip hundreds, even thousands of years of development. The Orbots equipped and trained the Zodarks to become a true fighting force that could assist them in their war against us. Shortly after that, the Orbots directed the Zodarks to attack the Primords.”
Handolly showed them a giant star map of several star systems and regions of space that Admiral Halsey was not familiar with. “For a few hundred years, the Primords and the Zodarks fought each other to a standstill. While the Zodarks were fierce warriors, their starships were no match for what we had provided to the Prims. That changed when the Orbots gave them the warp drive, or what you call FTL or faster-than-light travel.
“We have another ally from a nearby galaxy called the Gallentines. They are a near-peer species to us, an elder race if you will. Our military assisted them in a campaign against one of their enemies. In exchange for our help, the Gallentines assisted us in capturing one of the Orbots’ core home worlds. This was a turning point in our thousand-year war. It was a huge defeat for the Orbots and forced them to pursue a peace treaty with us.
“When a cease-fire was achieved, the Orbots knew they could not retake the two systems and five planets we had captured without the help of the Zodarks. As you can see from our stature, we are not a physically large species. Besides their significant height advantage, the Zodarks are incredible warriors when it comes to ground combat. The Orbots marshaled their fleet and helped the Zodarks crush our allies, the Prims.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to help the Prims in time. The Prims lost most of their core worlds. They managed to hold on to a few systems, but they lost more than seventy percent of their previous territory. We provided them with enough advanced technology to stop the Zodarks from wiping them out. Still, it will be a long time until we can count on the Prims to help us battle the Zodarks or the Orbots again.”
Seeing a break in the explanation Handolly was giving them, Chief Riggs interjected, “Handolly, that still didn’t answer my original question—how are there humans now on several planets?”
Halsey turned to look at Riggs, shooting him a look that said he should stay silent for the moment and let these new friends of theirs talk. Seeing his cheeks redden, she knew he’d received the nonverbal message.
“Ah, yes, my apologies,” Handolly said. “I was giving you an overview of what had happened with these human worlds. When the Prims lost control of their space, the two planets we had placed the humans on were part of that space. The Zodarks, as you know, are meat eaters. While they do eat human flesh from time to time, they are not culling them for food as many of the Sumerians believe or may have told you.”
“Whoa, what do you mean, ‘as the Sumerians believe’?” asked Halsey heatedly. “We haven’t told you anything about the Sumerians or what they told us.”
Pandolly, the Altairian ship captain, spoke up this time. “Admiral Halsey,” he said, using her formal rank, “we know everything about your encounter with the Sumerians and everything they have shared with you up to this point. You may think your computer systems are secure, but our sensors have already scanned and assimilated everything your society and people know up to this point.”
Now Halsey was piping mad. She held a hand up to stop him from speaking further. “You’ve penetrated our systems? How dare you!” she barked.
Chief Riggs reached his hand over and placed it on her left forearm, whispering softly, “Admiral, it won’t do any good to get mad at them. They are clearly a super-advanced society. You had to expect they’d have some kind of ability like this.”
Halsey let out a sigh and slowly nodded. She whispered back, “You’re right. I lost my cool.”
“My apologies, Captain,” she said to Pandolly. “I shouldn’t have gotten angry at you. You are doing what you feel is best to protect your ship and people. I’d do the same thing if I were in your position.”
The Altairian lowered his head in acknowledgment of what she had said.
“Abigail, we mean you and the people of Earth no harm,” Handolly replied. “If we wanted to harm you, our single ship could do so. Please, let me finish explaining what has happened to your fellow humans.
“What the Sumerians have told you is religious folklore—it is not factually true. The Zodarks have created rumors, stories that they are like demigods, and that they cull a percentage of humans as a sacrifice to them, to be eaten like cattle. This is all wrong. The Zodarks have actually taken this percentage of people and brought them to a new planet deep within their space.
“The Zodarks have shared a great deal of their technology with this group of humans, and so have the Orbots. As a matter of fact, the Orbots have even allowed some of the humans to create their own humanoid versions of themselves, half-human, half-machine cyborgs just like them. The Zodarks and the Orbots have been using this process of culling these other human worlds to create an army of new soldiers to fight us. You see, the Zodarks, like the Orbots, do not procreate quickly or often. So while they have vast sprawling empires, planets, and colonies, their populations do not increase rapidly. Each major battle, whether won or lost, continues to diminish their population. It is only during the periods of peace that either species has succeeded in growing its population. Humans, however, can procreate rapidly and often, thus giving both species a near-endless supply of soldiers.”
“As to your question, Chief Riggs,” Pandolly said as he moved to answer his question. “The Zodarks took the humans from the two planets we had placed them on and populated many other habitable planets with them. They did this for the reasons I just stated—to allow their populations to multiply, so they could be culled and brought to other planets deeper in their territory and used to create these new soldiers to fight for them. You see, while the Zodarks are a client species of the Orbots, the Zodarks have now made the humans from these planets a client species of the Zodarks. The Orbots, of course, have caught on to this as well and have begun spawning their own colonies of humans. After all, they couldn’t let the Zodarks grow too big, or one day they might overthrow them.”
Shaking her head dismissively, Abigail uttered softly, “Humans are the slave caste of the galaxy.”
Pandolly, the Altairian ship captain, heard her comment. “I can understand you believing that, Abigail. Our experience with humans shows them to be among the most adaptive, clever, and ferocious species in the galaxy. Just look at how your people found a way to survive the Great Flood—we had written the rest of the humans off.
“When you began fighting the Zodarks a few years ago, you certainly caught their attention after you destroyed a few of their ships. When we heard you had defeated a Zodark battlegroup, our elders ordered us to make contact with you. Our orders are to assess if your people can be cultivated into a true ally that could help us fight the Orbots and their client species.”
Halsey sat a little straighter in her chair. “For the last seven years, our people have fought and defeated the Zodarks. We have successfully integrated both their technology and Sumerian technology into our own. This has given us the technological edge to defeat them. It is my firm belief that, with some assistance, we would be able to help you defeat the Zodarks and the Orbots.”
Pandolly countered, “How would you begin to defeat the
Zodarks? Even now, there is a second battlegroup being dispatched to deal with you.”
This news of a second battlegroup caused Halsey’s heart to race a bit. She knew the human fleet wasn’t ready for another significant clash just yet. Admiral Hunt’s fleet was still back in Sol, and many of the replacement ships they had under construction weren’t ready yet.
Chief Riggs leaned over and whispered in Halsey’s ear. “Admiral, may I give them an idea of what we are planning?”
She turned and looked at him briefly, then nodded her head in approval.
“Pandolly, our plan is to liberate the Sumerian home world, Sumer. With their help, we would bring that human world into the fold of our alliance. Then we would liberate the remaining human-occupied planets along the chain of systems where you encountered the Franklin. Our goal is to integrate these human worlds into our military and industrial base. This would allow us to grow our fleets and carve out a piece of territory while we continue to build up our forces.
“What you’ve just told us about how the Zodarks have been using these human worlds shines a whole new light on the situation. By removing the Sumerians from the Zodarks’ control, we’ll reduce their ability to use the humans there as their soldiers against us in the future.”
For close to a minute, no one said anything. From Halsey and Riggs’s point of view, it was hard to tell what the two Altairians were thinking. Their facial expressions were either too subtle or nonexistent.
Finally, Handolly, the protocol officer, spoke. “Admiral Halsey,” he began, using her formal rank and not her given name like they had been up to this point, “I would like to speak with the leaders of Earth and the military commander Rear Admiral Miles Hunt.”
Halsey furrowed her brow at the mention of Admiral Hunt. “Our military commander is a man by the name of Fleet Admiral Chester Bailey,” she replied. “Rear Admiral Miles Hunt is our expeditionary commander. His fleet is currently in the shipyard undergoing repairs. Right now, I am the military commander for this sector.”
This time Pandolly spoke. “Admiral, we understand your military rank structure. We’ve reviewed the summaries of your battles with the Zodarks. Your Admiral Miles Hunt is by far your most competent and experienced military commander. If we are to entertain a military alliance with your species, we will want only the most capable military officers to be in charge of the new warships and weapons we will be teaching you how to build.
“We also know Earth is currently ruled by two factions, your faction and another group you call the Tri-Parte Alliance. This power dynamic will also need to be resolved if we are to allow you to join our alliance. We are not going to support one faction over another. If you are amenable to this arrangement, then I would like you to send a message to your second-in-command and tell her that you will be accompanying us to Earth to introduce us to your leaders and this Admiral Hunt.”
Halsey was a bit taken aback by the sudden demand, and she stumbled briefly for what to say. “Uh, normally it would take us four days to travel to Earth from here. I really can’t be away from my command for that long. Especially if you say a new Zodark battlegroup is headed towards us,” she replied, hoping she wasn’t causing a diplomatic problem with the Altairians.
Handolly gave a slight wave of his hand as if to dismiss her concern. “Abigail,” he said, slipping back into a casual form of address, “our ship can travel from here to Earth in less than a minute. You will only be gone a day. Then we will return you to your fleet. As to the Zodark fleet heading here…they are still more than two months away. We have plenty of time to help you organize a defense that will defeat them.”
Halsey’s eyes widened and she tried hard to keep her jaw from dropping to the floor. She knew the Altairians were fast, but she had yet to understand their full capabilities. If the Altairians can show us how to travel with that kind of speed, then the entire galaxy just got a lot smaller, she thought, processing the possibilities.
She gulped down her surprise and did her best to maintain an even keel. “OK, Handolly, I will send a message to my ship and relay what you just told me,” she said as she touched her communicator, connecting her to Captain Johnson on the bridge of the Voyager.
Chapter Seventeen
The Elders
John Glenn Orbital Station
First Fleet Headquarters
Rear Admiral Miles Hunt lay in bed, looking at the ceiling as he remembered the night before. He and Lilly had gone to a great dinner party and stayed out rather late. He enjoyed being home to rekindle some relationships and friendships that had fallen by the wayside during his years of being deployed, even if it was for just ten days at a time.
His only gripe now was that, despite being home on leave, he still couldn’t sleep past 0500 hours. Decades of military rigidity beaten into him seldom allowed him to sleep in.
The repairs on his ship, the George Washington, had been completed nearly a month ago. With no sign of the Zodarks, Space Command had kept them in station longer so additional minor repairs could continue to take place. The added time at the station gave his crew the chance to take leave and spend much-needed time with their families. They knew when they left Earth this next time around, they’d be gone for probably at least a year if not longer.
Turning over in bed, Hunt saw Lilly was still asleep, dead to the world. He stared back at the ceiling, and his thoughts drifted to his son, Ethan. He’d nearly lost him in that last battle over New Eden. By the time his ship had arrived, the battle had been over. Hunt had been powerless to help his son, and that had really affected him. He was proud of Ethan and the way he’d handled himself. He was especially proud when his commander had put him in for a Silver Star, saying it was his superb ability to fight and fly the ship at the same time that had helped them win the day.
Hunt had thought he could get his son a posting on Admiral Bailey’s staff or maybe a safer job back in Sol now that he had seen some action and earned a couple of combat medals, but when the Franklin came out of the shipyard, his son had volunteered for it faster than he could get him a new assignment. Now Ethan’s ship was on a deep space patrol, and the Franklin had been gone for nearly three months. A once-a-month com drone told them that they were still alive, but the Franklin still had another month until it was due back in Rhea.
Just as Hunt was about to climb out of bed and take a shower, his communicator chirped, letting him know someone was trying to reach him. Reaching for the device, he laughed privately at how that damn little thing had ruined his thirtieth wedding anniversary in Bora Bora. Depressing the talk button, he said, “Admiral Hunt. Send it.”
“Admiral, this is Captain McKee. We’re receiving a flash message from Admiral Halsey. You’re not going to believe this, sir.”
Hunt shook his head. “Calm down, Captain. I’m in my quarters. Go ahead and tell me. I want to grab a shower before I head over to the ship.”
The radio squawked briefly as Captain McKee made sure no one was electronically listening in on their conversation. It might have been an encrypted communicator, but there was a lot of sophisticated military equipment hanging around this station that could crack it.
“Admiral, she says they encountered a new alien species. They’re transporting her and her senior enlisted advisor to Earth to meet with President Luca, Fleet Admiral Bailey, and you, sir.”
Ah hell, this must be a joke, Hunt thought. The crew’s trying to prank me before we head back out on patrol. His blood pressure started to elevate at the thought that this was a practical joke.
A second later, his communicator emitted a loud gong sound and then an alarm that’d wake the dead. Well, the dead except his wife, who somehow managed to sleep through the general quarters alarm being blared through every Space Command communicator on the station.
Crap, it’s real, he thought in horror, wondering whether the GW was about to be attacked. I better get back to the ship ASAP.
Hunt depressed the talk button. “I’m on my way. Bring the ship t
o general quarters. If you need to do an emergency separation from the station before I get there, do it.”
Hunt grabbed his trousers and put them on, sliding his feet into his boots next as he reached for his blouse. He didn’t even try to wake Lilly; he grabbed his cap and bolted out the door.
As he ran through the corridor, Hunt was still buttoning up his blouse. He rounded the corner out of officer country and sprinted into the main hallway leading to the ship piers. He made it just in time to hop on the tram before it took off.
When the driver saw his rank, he immediately asked, “What ship, Admiral?”
“The GW,” Hunt ordered as he finished tying off his boots and situating his uniform.
The GW was on the far side of the docking pier of the station. As the tram zipped past other docking slips, some of the passengers did their best to jump off. A few went tumbling, but generally they managed to get off without hurting themselves. Those officers and enlisted ran for their own ships.
By the time Hunt made it to the GW, they were just getting ready to close the gate connecting the ship. When the guards saw Hunt and a couple dozen crewmen jump off the tram and start running for them, they held the door open just long enough for them to make it through.
A few minutes later, they were on the GW. The door behind them shut moments later, fully sealing the ship off from the station. Hunt hadn’t even moved a dozen feet when he felt the warship shudder slightly.
Fran’s pushing off from the station, he realized.
Hunt ran over to one of the shipboard trams and hopped on. The tram would zip him and the others on board over to the center part of the ship and several other trams and elevator banks. It was the fastest way to move from one end to the other end of this four-kilometer long warship.
When they reached the elevator bank, Hunt jumped in and announced to the computer, “Bridge. Now!”
Into the Battle Page 30