NO TIME FOR GLORY (SOLBIDYUM WARS SAGA Book 8)

by Dale Musser

  Lunnie sat back with a huge grin. “It’s a deal, dad.”

  As we disembarked I saw Kala walk across the landing pad looking slightly puzzled.

  “Was that Lunnie who just landed the transport?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said, “and she made about a dozen equally smooth landings earlier in the lesson.”

  “How did you do it, Tib? Jenira and I have been trying to teach her for over a week and we’re still sore from the rough landings Lunnie inflicted on us.”

  “Dad told me I could go to the Rojavi concert, if I pass my piloting lessons before then,” Lunnie announced while jumping up and down in front of her mother.

  I could tell by the look on Kala’s face that she wasn’t particularly happy about the arrangement, but she didn’t openly object.

  “You’re not there yet,” I said. “Remember, tomorrow you need to pilot and dock a patrol ship as smoothly as you did this transport.”

  “Ha, that will be easy,” Lunnie said triumphantly as she trotted away. “I have this down now.”

  “Tibby, did you really tell Lunnie she could go see Rojavi?” Kala asked after Lunnie was gone.

  “I told her she had to pass first and then pilot the transport carrying her friends and bodyguards to the event. It was the only way she was going to get motivated to learn,” I said.

  “Well, I must say I was impressed by her landing. My kidneys still hurt from the bounces she gave me yesterday,” Kala said as she rubbed her back. “Do you think it’s safe to let her go to this event?”

  “If Jenira is one of her guards, I think she will be safe enough. I just wonder if Jenira and her team will change their minds about flying with her.”

  “Good point,” Kala laughed. “They’ve taken to calling her Splat, after watching her landings this past week.

  “So how did things go with that asteroid-ship you checked out?”

  “It turned out to be a disappointment. It was never completed. It appears that the Brotherhood abandoned the project when they identified a fault zone in the rock that could have led to structural failure once pressurized. What we saw was just an empty shell – not so much as a single clue left inside,” I answered.

  “So you have no idea where it came from?”

  “Not exactly. Probably the nearest asteroid field. The FSO is working on it.

  “So what’s next?” Kala asked as we walked back into the main house on the estate.

  “We’re going to liberate Alamar-4. I spent the morning going over plans with Slater, Regeny and Wabussie.”

  “Alamar-4? By the stars, Tib, it’s been over a decade since the Brotherhood seized that planet. What’s made it so important to liberate Alamar-4 now?”

  “For one thing, since the Senate has forbidden the military from going after the Brotherhood outside the Federation, the only remaining Brotherhood strongholds that the Federation can legally pursue are those located on worlds they took from the Federation. Alamar-4 is currently one of the least protected of the Brotherhood bases. Intelligence has revealed that their security has become quite lax.”

  “But is there anything there worth going after at this point?” Kala asked.

  “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

  “I don’t understand why the Senate is against us taking the war to the enemy. It doesn’t make sense to allow the Brotherhood to continue attacking us on our own ground,” Kala said.

  “On Earth we had a saying; they are burying their heads in the sand, so they don’t have to look at the truth. They’re afraid our home defenses will be weakened, but what they fail to see is that the Brotherhood is slowly gaining control of more and more Federation planets, because they can deploy virtually all their forces here without worrying much about defensive manpower in their outlying strongholds. One day soon they will dominate half the Federation planets. With every world they capture from us they gain another piece of solbidyum, which they take from that world for use in one of their asteroid-ships. Those ships, crude as they are, are a formidable power that is next to impossible to overcome. If we don’t find a way to identify the source of the asteroids and end the production of these ships, we’ll soon face an armada of them that we can’t defeat – and the Federation will be destroyed.”

  “I have faith in you, Tibby. You’ll find a way.

  “Oh, before I forget,” Kala said, “Tonclin contacted me today. He would like you and I to join Chanina and him for dinner at her NEW ORLEANS suite this evening.”

  “Tonc is on the NEW ORLEANS?!” I exclaimed.

  “Yes, he’s visiting Chanina. Since his term as Leader expired, he’s been visiting Chanina more often. He seems to be less inclined to spend time at their Nibaria estate, since it was attacked and destroyed a few years ago.”

  “Well, it’ll be good to see him again. My evening is free, unless some emergency arises.”

  “Good. I told them I thought we would be able to make it. I’ll call Chanina to confirm.”

  “Tibby!” I heard someone call my name from behind me. I turned to see Cantolla walking toward us at rather swift pace. “I’m so glad I caught up with you.”

  “Actually, I was planning to see you next on my schedule today,” I replied. “We’ve received word from Kerabac that the NEW ORLEANS has reached Earth and is in orbit now.”

  “Oh! That’s what I was going to ask. My teams are ready to go to the surface and begin the next round of surveys. We have enough cloned plants and bacteria to begin seeding the planet for its recovery, if measurements confirm that the conditions are right. Based on the last survey, several regions appear to be stable and ready for reintroduction of initial species.”

  “How long do you think it will be before humans can again take up permanent residence on Earth?” I asked.

  “Honestly, Tibby, we don’t know. Whatever it was the Tottalax was using to seed the atmosphere went a long way toward scrubbing a number of planetary environments. Some of those reactions are still taking place, so the planet still isn’t ready to sustain human life. I’m hoping, though, that the maturing areas are stable enough to allow for more archaeological exploration. Perhaps my teams will be able to recover more artifacts soon.”

  “That sounds interesting. I’d like to join you on an expedition or two. I’m curious to see what’s happened to some of the places I remember,” I said.

  “We’d appreciate your participation, Tibby,” Cantolla said. “I’ve added several members of the Mars and Lunar colonies to my team. They’re likewise interested in examining some locations that are familiar to each of them. Scientifically speaking, the collective input will certainly help in developing a more comprehensive evaluation of the initial devastation and subsequent changes to specific environments. From there we may be able to extrapolate data that gives us a better understanding of what’s been happening on a larger scale since the asteroid impact. We won’t, however, be able to see much of the region you call China. Almost everything there was destroyed by the direct impact and a number of volcanoes in that region are still very active.

  “Say, has A’Lappe shown you the new weapon he’s developed?”

  “New weapon? No, he hasn’t shown me anything new in some time. Has he invented something that will help us win the war?” I asked.

  “He was testing and calibrating its functions yesterday. I imagine he’s finished by now. He said as soon as he had it completed he wanted to show it to you.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Perhaps I’d best let A’Lappe tell you. I don’t want to take his thunder away. I think sometimes he lives just to see your excitement and appreciation for the new devices he conjures up.”

  By this time, it was mid-afternoon and, as was the case more frequently of late, I’d missed a meal. I’d noticed that I was beginning to lose weight and it was clear that I wasn’t eating enough or often enough. I sighed and headed back to the MAXETTE, stopping briefly at a food synthesizer to select a bowl of noodles, which I carried with me
to my office.

  “Missed another meal, Admiral?” asked Marranalis as I entered the War Room.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Well, at least you survived Lunnie’s pilot lesson.”

  “Actually, I think she’s got the hang of it now.”

  “I’m pleased to hear that, though we could have used her flying as a deterrent to keep the Brotherhood from invading Megelleon.”

  I laughed at Marranalis’s joke and headed to my chair to eat my noodles before they got cold. I had taken only a few bites before Marranalis notified me that Admiral Regeny was outside my office, demanding to see me immediately.

  “Alright, send him in,” I said as I quickly crammed the remaining noodles into my mouth and washed them down with what was left of my foccee.

  Admiral Regeny marched into the room and leaned over my desk, skipping any pleasantries as he launched his interrogation. “Tibby, where have you been acquiring the Nijang Fighters you’ve been providing to Federation forces?”

  “From many sources. We’re having them built in shipyards all over the Federation,” I said calmly.

  “What about outside the Federation? Is any fabrication taking place outside Federation territory?” he asked red-faced.

  The direct question made me uncomfortable. I had commissioned much of the fabrication to be completed by the androids, who I had helped in recent years to established a colony on Mars. The androids were producing a large number of the Nijang Fighters in exchange for payment from me, personally, in the form of materials and machinery that they required for their own purposes. I was then “providing” these fighters to the Federation forces without cost and, of course, without informing anyone outright that the androids were the primary fabricator. The Federation military had maintained a long-standing hatred for the androids and still considered the Federation to be technically at war with the entire android population; though, in truth, there had been no fighting for hundreds of years and the androids had repeatedly made it clear that they wished only to live in peace.

  “I see,” I said as I gathered myself and sat back in my chair. “I guess what you’re really asking is whether I’ve commissioned any shipbuilding to be completed by the androids. Is that it?” I asked.

  “By the stars, man, don’t tell me you’ve actually been buying ships from them?” Regeny said as his face grew even more crimson.

  “Actually, sir, the androids have been building most of the Nijang fighters for the past eight years. Without their services, we wouldn’t have been able to meet the demand.”

  “You deliberately went behind my back and circumvented the Senate embargo legislation on this matter! You know as well as I do that there’s a Federation-wide ban on all trade with the androids!”

  “Yes, sir, I do – and frankly, sir, I don’t give a damn. The Federation’s war with the androids ended a very long time ago. It’s time the Federation recognizes the androids are no longer a threat but a potential ally. I’m not going to sit back and allow the Brotherhood to conquer the entire Federation coalition because a group of out-of-touch senators haven’t got enough sense to see who our real enemies are and who are friends are.”

  “Tibby, do you not realize the trouble you’re in? The Senate has discovered what you’ve been doing. I just received word they plan to bring you up on charges of treason. They demand you be brought before the Senate for questioning. By the stars, man, they plan to strip you of everything and toss you in prison, if they prove these allegations.”

  “It’s a good thing, then, that I didn’t tell you what I was doing,” I said. Now you can honestly deny having any part in these so-called illegal transactions. You're safe.”

  “Damn it, man, how can you sit there so calmly?! Don’t you understand? They plan to court martial you and throw you in prison for good.”

  “Do you really think they’ll do that?” I asked. “Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously! Not only do I think they might, I think they’re fully prepared to do so right now. Tibby, you don’t know how completely ignorant many of the senators are about the war and the real dangers faced by the Federation. The decision they’re going to make will not be influenced by any real concept of the magnitude of this war.”

  “So, how long do I have before the Senate calls me in for questioning?”

  “I don’t know… a day or two, I suspect. What will you do?”

  “I’ll attend the hearing and answer their questions when the time comes. Until then, I will fight the Brotherhood as always. I am curious about one thing, though. How did the Senate find out the androids were supplying me with ships?”

  “I have no idea. They didn’t say.”

  “I need to find out. Only a small handful of individuals knew about those arrangements and I can’t imagine any of those people would have divulged that information willingly. I’d also be interested in knowing which senators decided to act on this information.”

  “Tibby, they’re just doing their jobs. You don’t suspect that some of them are aligned with the Brotherhood, do you?”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time, Admiral. You will recall that, when Roritat revealed himself to be the leader of the Brotherhood, a number of senators also left with him. I seriously doubt someone would go to this level of investigation and pot-stirring if there wasn’t some Brotherhood instigation behind it.”

  “Be very careful when you make that assertion, Tibby,” said Regeny. “This bunch is out for your blood and if you try to turn the tables on them, they will only become more ferocious. Honestly, Tibby, this doesn’t look good.”

  “When has it ever looked good, Admiral?” I asked rhetorically. “Since I arrived here in the Federation, there has always been some element of the Senate that has taken issue with the military’s agenda and has wanted the Federation to simply surrender to the Brotherhood. The only time the Senate decides anything in our favor is when the Brotherhood is directly bombing their facilities or killing senators in mass attacks. I wonder sometimes about their ability to lead their planets properly when they are so malleable and when they consistently display so little intelligence.”

  “Tibby, I think you need to talk with Tonclin about this. He’s no longer a Leader or senator, but he still has connections in the government. He knows probably better than anyone what you can expect when you get summoned to testify.”

  “I happen to have dinner plans with him tonight on the NEW ORLEANS. I’ll see if he can give me any advice. In the meantime, however, I’m going to keep on doing what I have been doing.”

  “Just be careful, Tibby. The Federation needs you, whether the Senate knows it or not. Honestly, I don’t think we could ever defeat the Brotherhood without you.”

  “You do realize that I don’t need to do any of this, Admiral?” I said in frustration. “I could just as easily withdraw even just half my wealth from Weccies, gather my family into the NEW ORLEANS, along with anyone else who wants to go with me, and LEAVE this Federation. I could just choose a direction and keep traveling for years, until I am so far away from the Federation territories and Brotherhood strongholds that no one we meet will have heard of either. I could set up a new estate on a new world and live a peaceful, relaxing life, instead of putting up with all this crap on a near daily basis. Do you even recognize that, since I arrived in the Federation, I have never taken more than a day off at a time to relax and be with my family? Every day I fight the Brotherhood for the sake of the Federation – and for what?! If the Federation doesn’t want my help, then perhaps I should leave.”

  The look of shock and fear on Regeny’s face was almost primal. “NO, no, Tibby! There is no need to do that. I’m sure we can work this out. We just need to sooth the worries of some of the Senate members.”

  “My recommendation is that any Senator that believes we should negotiate with the Brotherhood instead of fight them should be the first to step forward and try. One of two things will happen; either they will end up joining the Brotherhood out of gre
ed or fear, or the Brotherhood will kill them. That’s the extent of any negotiation the Brotherhood accepts.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Admiral, I need to get to the NEW ORLEANS to prepare for dinner with Tonclin.”

  I have to admit that Regeny had irritated me deeply. I’m not sure if I was exasperated with him specifically or with the Senate for their kangaroo court tactics, but I was definitely irritated. I guess it showed, because I no sooner returned to my estate than Kala sized up my mood and confronted me.

  “What’s wrong, Tib? You look upset.”

  “I am,” I said. As I stomped around the bedroom and changed for dinner, I told her about Regeny’s huffy entrance into to my office and a much edited version of the discussion that followed. Though I made it clear that I was facing a Senate hearing, I left out the bit about my use of the androids to fabricate fighter ships.

  “Oh, Tib, that’s terrible. But I’m certain it will all work out.”

  “I don’t know if it will or not; but even if it does, the issue creates an even bigger problem.”

  “How so?” Kala asked.

  “I’ve actually been thinking about taking the MAXETTE outside the Federation boundaries to launch direct offensives against the Brotherhood. I’d be going against the Senate’s dictates if I did, but I don’t see any other way to win and end this war if we don’t.”

  “Wow,” Kala exclaimed. “Have you discussed this with anyone?”

  “I’ve kicked around the idea a few times with Marranalis, but I haven’t planned anything concrete at this point.”

  “You could end up in serious trouble if you do. At best they will court martial you and strip you of your rank and position. At the worst you could be declared a traitor and imprisoned for life.”

  “Yes, I know. But Kala, if we keep fighting only defensively from within Federation boundaries, we will eventually lose. That is a fact. There is no way to win without taking the battle to their outlying base planets. We might stall them here and there for a few decades, but eventually they will take enough of the Federation in bits and pieces that the coalition will lose its unity and strength to survive.