by Don Koch
To this Barana added a detailed explanation of how the Antoran Fleet came to be manned, its purpose and its actions to date.
Acarma digested the message and realized that this help was precisely what was needed to assure success for the coming operation. She immediately sent back a message that started with,
Acarma thought a message to General Barth,
### On Station One underway ###
Chapter 22: I am Acarma
On Orbital Station Acar in Yannar Orbit –
November 20 – C Day 447
Orbital Station Acar Commandant, Pell Cassarn had been taking reports from his section heads for the last 15 minutes and as usual there were no reports of glitches that required attention. Almost everything that occurred on the Station requiring some intervention was resolved promptly with no issues. It seemed that the Station was literally self-repairing. This left a residual discomfort with Pell who often wondered why the Station ran so effortlessly and efficiently.
He checked his schedule and noted that he was due for his quarterly med check so he called for a personnel carrier and passed command to his second in command, Jon Hallen stating, “Admiral Hallen, you have command. I may be a bit late coming back, I need to run some errands for Marta. I’ll check in with you when this is all done.” He then transferred his station to Jon and sent the schedule to the approaching carrier, entering it when it came to a stop.
As the door closed and the carrier started moving he felt the twinge of a headache that was promptly gone. He had been experiencing these mini headaches for some time and it was one of the items he wanted the med unit to check and resolve. He settled in for the short ride to the designated med unit. After a few minutes, he realized that the trip was taking longer than he expected so he queried the carrier. “Carrier 422A, where are you taking me?” There was a flash of light and he found that he was no longer in the personnel carrier but rather seated and immobilized in the largest med unit he had seen.
Immediately a voice spoke to him from the headphones in the reclining device stating,
“Yes, I did, I intended to ask about that because the twinges have been coming on about a monthly basis for some time.”
Pell asked, “what are you talking about?”
Pell chuckled and said, “More than a few, but for starters, to whom am I speaking, you do not sound like the computer voice one expects in a med unit?"
“Well, that is most interesting, but why me and why at this point in time.”
A moment later, Pell's communicator signaled an incoming message from Admiral Hallen indicating that external communications were down and he could not figure out why. Pe
ll signaled back that he would look into it and asked Hallen to do the same.
Pell thought for a moment to digest what he had just heard. He had some vague suspicions that the Station was more than it appeared but this was a quantum leap over what he had anticipated. He also realized that an opportunity had arisen that could well change the course of history. He next asked Acarma, “What of the families and loved ones of my officers and crews. We have to do something to protect them if we intend to take any action against High Command.”
Acarma replied,
“Yes, I am. You surprised me a bit there when you introduced yourself because I had not conceived of the possibility of a being of your kind. That is amazing. That said, the use of the Starkiller is really all the reason I need to be prompted to take some action. My concern is that we have a sufficient following of personnel to effectively accomplish a coup. In particular, I will need the cooperation and support of General Wil Barth and his troops to make this work as well as my command team. Also this room is not on any of the maps I recall seeing unless my memory is going. Where are we?”
“These Antorans sound like my kind of people. Ok, lets do this, bring General Barth, Admiral Hallen and the rest of the command crew here for a meeting. Let’s make sure that if they have one of those time bombs in their noodle, it is deactivated. In fact, I want that done for everyone on station quickly but my command crew and senior officers first. Next, get their families here. They need to see them safe before they can reasonably react to what I intend to say to them. I am assuming you can make the other command center appear to be manned and respond to issues as they arise. Lets have a good meal and then send the families to those temporary quarters at which point my officers and I will then have our meeting. I am going to enjoy this.”
Chapter 23: Plan of Action
On Orbital Station Acar in Yannar Orbit –
November 20 – C Day 447.
Each of the Command team was told to report to a med unit where the termination devices were removed and were then told to enter a transport there to take them to a meeting with the Commandant. Everyone else with such a device installed was promptly scheduled for a visit to a med unit on the station including any ships docked at the station. By midday all devices had been removed and wristbands installed.
Pell met each of his officers as they arrived and told them to prepare themselves for a shock. He then led them into the huge conference room where the families of his officers were at a huge table with a feast laid out before them. After the relatively brief reunions he made a short speech stating, “My fellow officers and families, as you know, High Command has for some time utilized an appalling method for assuring your compliance with their whims. They place your families, sweethearts, friends in special enclaves on Yannar. They can't leave the enclaves. They are there as hostages to assure your compliant actions and activity. These enclaves are little more than prisons. Today that hostage holding method ends. Attached to this set of rooms, there are temporary quarters for you and your families. After we have had a meal and some private time I will ask the families to retire to those quarters while we officers have a discussion of substantial importance. For now please enjoy the meal and each other’s company. We have much to do ahead of us assuming you are willing.”
Later, after the meal was finished and the families had gone to their assigned rooms, the officers gathered in the conference room to hear what their Commandant had to say. “ My fellow officers, today I have had a rude awakening. I learned that each of you had been implanted by High Command with a termination device that would kill you on receipt of a coded signal. When this was discovered, all external communications were blocked and shields were activated. Each of you had such a device in your brain until your visit to the med unit just before this meeting. All of those devices have been removed and you have each of you have been given a wrist band to fool High Command into believing that your device is still active. Mine was removed shortly after I left the command post today. As good fortune would have it, I was in a shielded carrier at the time and the med unit recognized what the device was and removed it. The use of that device coupled with the use of hostages to secure obedience and the High Command’s willingness to use the Starkiller weapon has led me to the conclusion that I cannot continue to support the current regime. It is an evil that must be thwarted.”
He continued, “What I am about to propose will run a bit against the grain and in fact will be labeled as treason, but I absolutely believe it can work. I am not asking for your absolute support this minute and if you feel you cannot in good conscience join this undertaking, then you will be free to leave with your family, in fact we will deliver you where you want to go with the means at our disposal. I propose that Orbital Station Acar declare itself an independent state and that we take what steps we can to remove the high council from power and, most important, prevent the use of the Starkiller. I want that technology destroyed, eliminated in a way that it can't be reconstructed. Who is with me in this proposal?”
To a person, everyone in the room rose to attention and one after the other starting with General Barth, with hand over heart stated, “I pledge my support and allegiance, sir.” Pell was momentarily stun
ned but he returned each pledge with a salute. He expected support but not so promptly and with such unanimity. He was nevertheless very pleased and his pride in his officers rose yet a few more notches.
When everyone was done, Pell asked them to be seated and said, “I am thankful to all of you for your support and this demonstration of solidarity allows us to get down to business immediately. The first order of business is to neutralize and remove ALL political officers from their positions. This includes their support staff as well. This needs to be done swiftly and with minimal casualties. Preferably none, but if armed resistance occurs use the level of force necessary to quell it. We will be using a subterfuge to get as many of them in one place as possible and put them all to sleep for a few hours. All are to be disarmed and placed in restraints. We will then take them to the confinement facility at Felix where we will remove those inmates confined there for political reasons only. The criminals in that facility are to remain there unless specific instructions are provided to the contrary. General Barth, that task falls to your Marines and I also want to personally thank you for your role in the hostage evacuation. How soon do you think you can be ready to execute this part of the plan?”