by Karl Morgan
“I’ll take it in my ready room,” the commodore replied as he rose and walked toward a door to the left of the command chair. “Send it in here, Ne-o-Ka.” The door slammed behind him.
As Ka-a-Fa sat, the view screen in front of him came to life with the images of the three top military men of Gallia. Field Marshall Je-e-Bo, Fleet Admiral Ba-a-Ka, and General Ze-u-De looked back at him. They did not appear to be happy. Ka-a-Fa said, “Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to hear from you so soon.”
“Forget the pleasantries, Ka-a-Fa,” Je-e-Bo replied. “These are difficult times and there is no time for that. We have just returned from meeting with the High Council. Those fools keep making our jobs more difficult.”
“What happened, Je-e-Bo?” Ka-a-Fa asked.
“They have promised General Fa-a-Di the job of permanent governor for our planets in Earth’s solar system,” Je-e-Bo continued. “This will keep that fool in our business forever.”
“If I may be permitted to say so,” Ka-a-Fa said meekly, “To me, this seems like a wonderful happenstance.” The three were incensed by the thought and glowered at Ka-a-Fa, but allowed him to continue. “Once the Neptune situation is resolved in our favor, Jupiter will revert to being just another new colony that will take at least two or three hundred solar cycles to develop into anything meaningful. The general will be kept busy managing construction and recruiting new settlers to move there. That will be no small task given the distance between Greater Gallia and Jupiter.”
“You have an excellent point,” Ba-a-Ka said. “Do you know that as part of this deal, the general’s brother-in-law is to take my job as Fleet Admiral? I am over eight hundred cycles old myself, so I have been prepared for retirement for some time. Are you prepared to report to that man?”
“Lord Admiral,” Fa-a-Ka said, “I attended the Gallia Prime Star Academy with Governor De-o-Nu, and I like to think of him as a close friend. He certainly doesn’t have the experience to take your place, but as a way to placate Fa-a-Di, it was likely the only acceptable solution. We must also remember that having De-o-Nu under your direct control will give you a lot of leverage over Fa-a-Di. It should keep him from causing any further trouble.”
General Ze-u-De rose and starting pacing about. “Those two have done so much to weaken Gallia. I would like to kill them both with my bare hands!” he growled.
Je-e-Bo laughed, saying “Ze-u-De, you are indeed an old fool. Both of them are masters of A-Nak-Fla, and could easily kill you with both hands tied behind them. “But I agree with your feelings on this. Fa-a-Di has given too much power to the outworlders. Gallia’s strength is weakened every time a new military academy or university is built on another planet. He and the High Commissioners before him have bowed before the other planets and allowed those places to grow in stature to rival even Gallia. That cannot be allowed to continue.”
“We must tread lightly on the issue of the outworlders, gentlemen,” Ka-a-Fa cautioned. “Less than ten percent of the souls of Greater Gallia reside on the home world. Gallia cannot stand if we anger the other ninety percent of our people. I agree that Gallia needs to be preeminent in Greater Gallia, but if we make the separation too great, we risk revolution. As you may know, more than eighty percent of the crew of my fleet here are not from Gallia originally. I have tried to keep my ships’ officers native Galliceans, but that was not easy. Those few cannot control the rest if they riot.”
Je-e-Bo looked calmly at the other two at their table, and then at Ka-a-Fa. “Commodore, none of us wants riots or bickering within our ranks,” he started. “The fate of Greater Gallia is out of all of our hands. We are all just soldiers doing a job for our people. All we can do now is focus on the mission at hand.”
“Aye-aye, Field Marshall,” the commodore responded.
Je-e-Bo continued, “We are all counting on you to handle the Neptune situation quickly so we can keep moving forward. With that problem gone, we hope much of the anxiety and concern within our people will diminish, and life will go back to normal. This is an enormous investment on our part. Things continue to deteriorate in the discussions with the Predaxian Alliance. We need you and your ships back on that frontier as soon as you can. Several Planetary High Commissioners have been complaining about the lack of military presence in their districts. We have even asked the Kalideans to help in those negotiations and possibly share some of their fleet for a short time. If you pull off this mission well, I can see you as Admiral Ka-a-Fa very soon. Gallia out.” The view screen went blank.
Ka-a-Fa walked to his cupboard and removed a glass and a large bottle of Gallicean whisky. He poured a drink and swallowed it. He poured another and sat down behind his desk. Through his starboard viewport he could see five of his ships flying in formation. He thought about the unenviable situation he found himself in now. On the frontier, the locals loved him and his crew. They had done an admirable job controlling piracy in the area as well as limiting incursions of Predaxian ships into the region. He was doing the job of a loyal soldier. Now he was on a mission that was kept secret from the elected leader of all of Greater Gallia. General Fa-a-Di was the most respected military man in a hundred generations. Then he was elected to the High Council. Ka-a-Fa had sworn allegiance to his former teacher, and was now ignoring his rule. He muttered, “Admiral, traitor or both! How did I get such a lousy job?” A tone sounded on his control panel and he pressed a button. On his view screen was the smiling face of Fa-a-Di. “High Commissioner, what an honor to hear from you,” he said, shocked by the coincidence. He took another sip of his whisky.
“Ka-a-Fa,” the general said, “It is good to see your face. You must be having either a bad or exceptionally good day because I can see your whisky glass!” He raised his own glass so that the commodore could see it and laughed.
“A couple more drinks of this and I will have gone from bad to good, my friend,” Ka-a-Fa responded, laughing as well.
Fa-a-Di leaned forward so his beak was almost touching the screen and whispered, “Commodore, I know exactly what you and your fleet are doing, but that’s okay. We all work for the people of Greater Gallia and must follow our orders.”
Ka-a-Fa looked stunned, and stuttered, “That is absolutely true General.” He took another long drink and went to the cupboard to refill his glass.
“Ka-a-Fa,” Fa-a-Di began, “Don’t be worried. I won’t stand in the way of your mission to Neptune. At least not yet. As you should know by now, we are working with scientists from Earth and Kalidus to understand the mental images the Neptunians are sending. I think it is doubtful that we will succeed before your arrival. But I believe that God will help us learn at the appropriate time. If your fleet arrives and destroys those creatures before we learn what they are saying, then that was their fate. If they are destined to survive, we will learn first and stop the bloodshed before it starts.”
“God willing, you will succeed, General,” the commodore responded.
“God willing, indeed Ka-a-Fa,” Fa-a-Di continued. “I love you like a brother, Ka-a-Fa. I hope you know that. You were one of my best students at the academy and at my A-Nak-Fla camp at Ze-e-Akla. You were even best man when De-o-Nu married my sister. But I will tell you this now. If we are beginning to understand the Neptunians and have reason to believe they are not dangerous, and you choose to attack anyway, my fleet will attack you. I would never want to hurt you, son, but you and your crew would die in that battle. Many of our troops are fiercely loyal to me. I am the only one who encouraged the development of military academies off of Gallia. I am the one who gave high government and military positions to people from the other worlds. Those outworlders as some call them are the vast majority of our citizens. It is long past time for Gallia to share the spotlight with them.”
“Fa-a-Di,” the commodore said, “you know I would rather be on the Predaxian frontier right now fighting the real fight. This political gamesmanship is getting totally out of hand. But I do have my orders.”
“Ka-a-Fa, my son,” he replied. “I know, a
nd I fully expect you to carry them out. I would personally have you court-martialed if you did not. However, those orders are to eliminate a threat from the Neptunians. If they are not a threat, will you attack anyway because those old fools on Gallia tell you to? Don’t answer now. You probably don’t know what you would do, and that’s great. It means you have time to think about it and come to the correct decision. To help you think, I want to tell you a few things. First, I know the Earth warships are little threat to you. But they are positioning ten cruisers to be ready in case of a conflict. If you attack them, it would be a galactic incident of monumental proportions. The Kalideans will not be sending any ships to the Predaxian frontier. The ships they promised to send are going to Neptune to join our forces. Finally, you know I have a few crews fiercely loyal to me who will do as I say. I am hoping to have twenty cruisers around Jupiter by the time you arrive.”
“Yes General,” Ka-a-Fa stammered, “I understand you are a very powerful adversary. I would never wish to confront you.” He drained his glass. “Fa-a-Di, I have faith this will unfold in the proper way. I do not wish to die in a Gallicean civil war.”
“Ka-a-Fa,” the general said, “I believe all will work out too. But before I go, I want to share one last thought with you.” Ka-a-Fa was staring blanking out his viewport as the general continued, “Of those twenty loyal crews who will fight with me if needed, six are in your own fleet right now.” Fa-a-Di snorted.
“You are bluffing General,” he replied. “I handpicked my crews. Their allegiance is to me first and Gallia second.”
“Perhaps I am bluffing, Ka-a-Fa. In the moment you decide to attack harmless life on Neptune, you will find the old general has many friends. You don’t have to believe me now, but you will believe me then! Jupiter out,” Fa-a-Di laughed as the screen went blank.
Ka-a-Fa sat quietly for several minutes. He tried to imagine which of his personally selected captains would switch sides in battle. He thought about the Chiefs of Staff and their demands and how they were only interested in maintaining and growing their own power. He worried about the citizens in the Predaxian region who were now unprotected. He thought about High Commissioner Fa-a-di. His studies under the general had been the happiest time of his life. He thought about the Neptunians too. Were they really scheming to take over Greater Gallia, or were the fear-mongers just fools? He decided he was thinking too much and returned to the bridge.
As the door closed behind him, the crystal spider in the upper corner of the room moved. He unfurled its wings and landed next to the whisky bottle that Ka-a-Fa had left open. It extended a slender tendril down into the bottle and took a long drink. After withdrawing the tendril, it glowed bright white, and disappeared.
Chapter 24
Dave Brewster was getting very nervous. The Ticonderoga has been orbiting New Dawn for two weeks now. Drew and Corrine Baker had been returned to their city as promised. The two colony ships were continuously shuttling down supplies to the colonists. There had been no further attacks on his crew, but little else good was happening. Drew had arranged for a meeting of the New Dawn High Council in New Dublin. It took more than a week for the representatives to travel to the city. Dave had offered the ship’s shuttle fleet to expedite travel, but only a few of the farthest settlements took them up on the offer. Clearly, the Dawners were not yet comfortable with the intrusion into their everyday lives.
Dave was sitting in the main dining room on board sipping his espresso. Things were moving so slowly that he needed the kick from espresso to keep him from dropping off to sleep. He had recurring dreams about flying around that blue planet with the flying globes of light. When he thought the memory might be fading, he would have the dream again and be right back there, battling the star cruiser with no weapons. The less sleep the better, he thought. Charlie and Aria entered the dining room and Charlie joined Dave at the table. Aria went to the counter to order for them. “Good morning, Charlie, how are you two today?” Dave said.
“Going crazy just like you, pal,” Charlie said. “This waiting for the Dawners to make a decision is driving me crazy. I heard a major sandstorm is headed toward New Dublin. That will likely cut off communications for a few days. More delay.”
Aria joined them at the table. On her tray were three cappuccinos and a large plate of pastries. “Dave, please help yourself,” she said. “How is Darlene? Where is she anyway?” She took a cup of coffee and a chocolate croissant and nibbled it.
“She is with the High Commissioner and a contingent from Kalidus holding negotiations on Gallia,” Dave answered. “Apparently we have a situation brewing. At least that’s what she tells me.”
“That is odd. I had a talk with Fa-a-Di who is on Jupiter just a while ago,” Charlie said. “You’d think he would be on Gallia negotiating for his people.”
“The times are changing on Gallia, Charlie,” Dave replied. “Fa-a-Di is near the end of his second term as High Commissioner, and has decided not to run for reelection. I can’t say that I blame him either. Politics is not a game many can play well. It’s just like this situation on New Dawn. I can’t believe it is taking this long!”
Aria reached out and touched Dave’s hand. “Dave, these people are making decisions that will change their lives forever. They know their way of life is not sustainable. All they need is the time to agree that things need to change and to believe that we really want to help,” she said soothingly.
Dave held her hand for a moment and then released it. “Aria, I know you are right about that. I know that it’s true in my heart as well. There are just too many things going on now, and time is short.”
“Dave, I know the Courage was summoned back to Earth this morning,” Charlie added. “I’m a bit concerned our colony ships have no protection. I know there are no known pirates in this area, but it does make me nervous nonetheless. Besides, what’s going on back home that needs so much protection?”
“I’ve asked for ten star fighters to be sent here as soon as possible,” Dave answered. I think five of them are due to jump to Far Sky today. “But I agree something is happening that is being hidden. I don’t like it at all. It’s almost enough to make one jump back to the unemployment line in the twenty-first.” They all laughed. They sat back, enjoying their breakfast and mutual company. Dave remembered when he first met Aria. He had thought she was so beautiful and unique looking. Now, looking around the room, it was Charlie and he who were unique. “Charlie, tell me about you and Lia?” he said at last.
Charlie laughed and looked at Aria who was smiling broadly. “Lia is my daughter, Dave, if that’s what you’re asking. It’s a bit of a long story, but since we are at the whim of the Dawners, I guess I have time, if it’s okay with you, Aria?” She smiled and nodded. “Time travel can be very confusing, Dave, if you haven’t already figured that out. When I first moved to San Diego, after my divorce and quitting my job, I was a bit of a bum. Actually, I had a lot of money, but with no connections, I just wandered about taking notes and getting to know the people around town. It was a lot of fun, but not very fulfilling as a replacement occupation. That was when I first started hanging out at coffee shops with my laptop, listening to conversations and dreaming up concepts for my books. This was all about ten years before I met you Dave. One day I was headed to the shop first thing in the morning when a blinding flash of light hit me. I thought a car had flashed its high beams or something. I felt very woozy after that and sat on the curb where I had been standing. Someone touched me on the shoulder and I turned to see a very unique looking and beautiful woman. She asked me if I was okay and offered to buy me a coffee. That woman was Lyra Lawson, Lia’s mother to be.” Charlie took a sip of his cappuccino and a bit of pastry.
Dave heard a tone on his earpiece and touched the contact. He listened carefully, acknowledged the message and closed the connection. “Charlie, you can continue your story on the shuttle. Drew said they are ready to meet with us. A shuttle craft is standing by in the shuttle bay. Let’s go.”
The three hurried out the door and into the hallway. The shuttle bay was at the bottom of the ship and so they took a lift down. They walked down another hallway and came to the shuttle bay. The shuttle pilot led them to the small ship. The shuttles were designed to carry up to one hundred people back and forth from a planet or another ship. The seats could be easily removed to make room for large amounts of cargo. This shuttle had two banks of seats to accommodate up to ten people. For this trip, it was only Dave, Charlie, Aria and Lia, who was already strapped in when they arrived.
Dave signaled the pilot that they were ready to leave. The ship pulled out of the shuttle bay and into space. The Ticonderoga loomed above them like a giant mountain of steel, gleaming in the reflected light from the surface of New Dawn. Below them was the vast expanse of the planet’s surface. Dave could see the outline of the sandstorm that was approaching New Dublin. It was still a day or two away, and he hoped he would be back on board before that monster hit. “Okay, Charlie, on with the story, if you can,” he said.
“Lia’s story, you mean,” Charlie corrected him. He looked at his daughter who was blushing. Aria put her arm around Lia’s shoulders and squeezed her. “Lyra was so sweet that day, and being newly single again, I was easily overcome by her beauty and kindness. I think you could say I was overwhelmed that such a young, beautiful girl would be so impressed with me. Before I finished my coffee, I had completely forgotten the bright flash and my wooziness. We dated for several months. She told me she was an anthropologist, but it never entered my mind she was from the future. In my job, I’d been around the world a number of times, and seen so many different races of people, I just assumed she was a mix or from somewhere I hadn’t been yet. After six or seven months, I was getting up the courage to ask her to marry me. I arranged a special dinner at the Marine Room and met her there. We had a wonderful time, watching the waves crash against the glass, holding hands and loving each other’s company. It was perfect. When I thought the time was right, I pulled an engagement ring from my pocket, dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me,” Charlie remembered. The shuttle craft shuddered as it hit the denser atmosphere nearer the surface. They were flying over the New Dublin Lake which stretched for hundreds of miles in each direction. New Dublin was approaching slowly in the distance. “Lyra’s reaction was not what I expected. She started crying. I thought I really screwed this up now, and I guess I did. She told me that she couldn’t marry me, and that I would never understand why. She took my hand, squeezed it, said goodbye, and left.”