Guardian Stone 2: Stone and the T-Raptors

by Don Koch

  "Remember, you can control your appearance while in this state. The easiest is invisibility. That is our default condition. You can also choose to be solid, in which case nothing can hurt you. Nebulous mode will allow you to walk through walls and again nothing can touch you. You can affect physical conditions by force of will. Barana usually supplements our energy when we do this. I think you are ready for tomorrow."

  Chapter 35: And Then There Were None

  On Station One, About 30 LY from Saba Fleets –

  December 12 – C Day 469

  Hank had gathered his T-Raptor team in the room where they would enter rapport and gave them a last minute update to the plans, "We now have 20,000 warships gathered around the two Saban Fleets. They are there for distraction and intimidation. We have 100 T-Raptor teams busy closing down their communications, drives, self-destructs and weapons. They should be done in about another 20 minutes. This has been going on for the last three hours, so by the time we get there the battle will be over. The Sabans just do not know that yet. We do have a slight change in the plan. Initially, I will appear and ask for surrender and provide the arguments for that. When I do appear, all warships will uncloak. I will then ask a number of you to appear including the Admiral and his wife and the three dreadnaught captains. We ran an extra session to assure that they were able to do this and they can. I am going to ask the Admiral in command of the Fleet if he has any questions of anyone he sees. The families of the Sabans on board will be visible through a projection from the lodge at Denali II. I want to convince them to enter stasis voluntarily. The Admiral assures me that Admirals Nars and Raxs are not suicidal. Ladies and gentlemen, please remember that we hope these Sabans will eventually be our allies, so no unnecessary rough stuff. Any questions? Hearing none, let's get comfortable and I will let you know when it is time to go."

  Twenty minutes later Hank and the team entered rapport and projected to the flag dreadnaught's bridge. He appeared before the position of the Admiral of the Fleet where two crewmembers attempted to prevent his approach. They were gently pushed aside and Hank said, Admiral Nars, may I have a word with you?"

  The startled Admiral said, "How is it that you know me and I do not see that I can prevent you from speaking. I am happy to see you have not brought your 'pet' with you."

  Hank chuckled, "Yes, I utilize his services when I want intimidation or extreme distraction to prevail. That is not necessary this time. I have brought some of your friends and mine with me. But first, you are likely aware that your communications are down, your weapons are no longer operable, your drive is out and the self-destruct mechanism has been circumvented and will not operate. None of the technology in the fleet is equal to or superior to what you are facing. Your visual scans are still working so you will see that you are surrounded by more than a few of our warships. They are not there to do you harm, but rather to get your attention."

  Nars said, "Well you have certainly been successful in that."

  Hank again chuckled, "Admiral I am pleased to see that you have some of your sense of humor intact. My reason for being before you is to ask for the surrender of your fleet. Before you respond to that however, I have some people with me that I will ask to appear and you may ask of them any question you wish and then I would hope to discuss terms of surrender. First is my wife Sam."

  Nars was clearly shocked, "You bring your spouse into a potential combat setting?"

  Sam laughed and responded, "Believe me Admiral Nars, he could not have stopped me and I am quite capable of taking care of myself."

  Hank then said, "My Executive Officer General Joe Carson and his wife June, his and my assistant General Josh Adams and his wife Rose." Each appeared as named. Next are Gambel and his wife Hanser from the Planet Glarin. Also Bairz and his wife Wira from the planet Gar. Both the Glarin and Gar are former antagonists of ours and are now best of friends. I would also like to present some people you know whose reported demise was very much premature. Admiral Sass and his wife, Captains Jess, Foss and Muss from the dreadnaughts one of our warships encountered a few days ago. In addition, the scene above my head is live from my ship 20 light years from here. They can also see you so if you wish to say anything to them, they can hear and are able to respond in real time."

  The scene before him showed a relaxed gathering of the remaining Sabans on Station One. Suddenly he rose sharply staring at the image before him, "Rusa, is that really you? You were reported dead on a ship crash."

  A young girl responded gaily, "Yes, yes, grandfather, it is I. This is a wondrous place and mother and father are here also, see over there."

  Sass intruded, "Old friend, I only had time to get this part of your family on that courier. The rest I could not locate in time. I hope they too are well. The Ruler is out of control and his sanity has totally left him. His advisors and cronies are no better. I realized some time ago that the situation was only going to get worse. I did notice the restraint being exercised by General Stone and his fleet in attempting to deal with our Ruler's machinations and saw that his technological base was far in excess of our own. When I saw his reaction to the three dreadnaughts sent out to intercept the monitor ship, I was certain I was correct so I set up this escape plan. It turned out that I was correct and the Antorans mean to end this conflict with minimum bloodshed. So far there has been none. It is an amazement, truly."

  Nars rose again and slowly unpinned his sash of office, offered it to Hank saying, "It is clear to me that we are clearly and completely defeated. I therefore offer you the unconditional surrender of this fleet. I ask that you treat my people fairly."

  Hank responded, "Admiral, please retain your sash of office. I would ask that you and some selected members of your staff join us in quarters that will be provided in the habitat area of our vessel. Please select those you are certain will honor their parole. The crew will be placed in stasis units and kept out of harms way until this is all resolved. Then we can determine how to return them to Saba or whatever other options on which we can agree. We will activate local ship-to-ship communications so you can tell your fleet what to expect. We are going to leave you for a bit to visit Fleet Two. I will see you later today. We will be moving your ships to one of our stations. I will give you a more detailed explanation when we have completed our visit. Ok is everyone ready, same conditions, same process." With that Hank shifted the T-Raptor projection to the Flag-ship in Fleet Two and essentially repeated the same process with the same results. Admiral Sass had also arranged for a family member of Admiral Raxs on the escape courier. Later, when they were back aboard Station One, Hank was chatting with Sass. He noted that the inclusion of the two families was a stroke of genius.

  "It was a tactic to grab hearts and minds. I thought it might be helpful to appeal to the heart and if it contributed, I am happy."

  "Nevertheless, it was something that many would not have thought of given the stresses you were dealing with at the time. When we conclude this I want to have a long talk with you and your wife about a role in my command structure."

  Sass grinned, "Ah surely Henry, you know that as much as we might like that, we are not long for this life. I am already past the average life span for my people. I admit I enjoy the challenge of what I do but I can not stop the clock."

  Hank said, "Then I have a surprise for you. Barana tells me that your species life span is normally about 120 years and that you and your wife are at that now. She believes that you have about another 10 to 15 years left in you given no intervention. We have a very advanced non-intrusive medical capability aboard this station and she states that if you use it you can add another 400 to 500 years to your lifespan. She told me that if she had you at young adulthood, that number would easily be doubled. The bed you will sleep in is a learning and medical machine so you do not even know you are being treated. It can be turned off but no one has elected that option to date. My species lifespan is typically 70 to 80 years. I am now 42 years old but I could well live to be 1,442 years. Many of
my friends will be gone long before then because they started much later in life with these treatments. All of my senior staff were old when they came to the fleet. If you look at their vigor and mental acuity most would never guess. Starting this time next month we will be introducing a new version of the Type 2 station that can sustain a population of about 17 million. They will become our primary guardian of the planets we protect and we will be adding about one per month for some time. They will need crews. When we go out it is with our entire family including children. When we go, we are able to go at unimaginable speeds. I could return to my home planet almost 10,000 light years from here in less than 2 days. Anyway talk it over with your wife, I would suggest that you and your wife take the treatment and decide what you want to do after that. There will be no obligation. I do think you could make a substantial contribution here. I can only extend the invitation but that will be a decision for you and your wife to make, not me."

  "I would imagine that by now, your ruler must be having fits. We have a staff planning session in 15 minutes. Would you care to join us for the meeting?"

  "I would be delighted. Would it be possible to invite Jess and the two former Command Admirals?"

  "Already done, I thought you might like their company for this."

  At the meeting, Hank started with introductions. "I know that it is unusual for us to have guests at a planning meeting, particularly when the are from our 'enemy'. I felt that in this case it would be appropriate because we are going to be looking to our guests for how to deal with the aftermath of what we do next. I want all T-Raptor teams well rested for our next efforts. A number of those teams have their 'Harvey' mode down to a science. I think some of those guys and gals are wannabe actors. I get the chills watching their performance. They will be the only ones visible during this phase of the campaign. We want those fortresses disabled not destroyed. They may have a future use and I will want that available. I want the disabling done in such a way that they can't immediately turn them back on. We will have to do that. All ships involved will be cloaked just inside their Oort cloud. That is beyond the range of these forts. Once those things are shut down, we will place all of the fortress crews on bases on the planet preferably remote but not too uncomfortable. The bases have been selected because of how difficult it will be for them to move them anywhere else. All of the planetary-based weapons will likewise be disabled. Those that we can't disable, we will destroy, after warning the crews what is coming. That will be done with warships if it becomes necessary. The last step will be to depose the Ruler. At that point, I am hoping that our guests will help us by establishing a new governance system that does not involve a new Ruler. We would hope to see a government by the people. As an interim governor, I would suggest Admiral Nars until elections can be held. Admiral Sass is probably more qualified but we have been discussing other matters and he is certainly available for consultation in the meantime. You will need to consider how to extract, as smoothly as possible, your people from a despotic form of government to a democratic one. My discussions with our guests tells me that this would generally be accepted by Sabans and may not be as difficult as it appears at first glance. Does anyone have any questions or comments?"

  Admiral Sass said, "Henry, Admirals Nars and Raxs as well as the three Captains from the initial confrontation would like to volunteer to join your teams. We are familiar with these emplacements and might help to speed along the process of disabling them without destroying them. We also know what spares there are on the fortresses that might be used to rehabilitate these devices prematurely. We would also suggest that all airlocks into the station be secured and disabled. Some of the projector components require atmosphere to operate. Once that pressure is reduced or lost, the entire component must be replaced before it again becomes operable. Releasing that pressure is the easiest way to render them inoperable. We can also show you how to reroute the power sources so that they do not become the source of a potential destructive explosion."

  "Accepted and thank you. That will help us to avoid hit and miss tactics. Barana has prepared full schematics of the fortresses so that we can figure out where to go and what needs doing. Lets get the six teams you will be joining together for a skull session as well as the 'Harvey' teams that will be doing the distracting. They need to know what they should not touch. Each of these Fortresses has 12 primaries dotted around its surface. All have to be disabled. After all have been disabled, Stations 121, 144 and 160 will move in and transfer all fortress personnel to the designated bases. By the time they are able to start moving personnel from those bases, it should all be over. Ok do some more of the individual unit planning and get a good nights rest. Tired minds make mistakes. Dismissed."

  Later that day, the three Saban Admirals approached Hank with some questions. Nars commented, "I do not think that I am a proper selection for interim governor when Sass is available. Aside from that, I have no experience with this kind of job."

  Hank chuckled, "Admiral, you would be surprised how often I have heard similar comments during the past two years. The last was from the person who is now the constitutional monarch of Gar. Before that he was a fleet commander that was going to invade my planet. I told him he was lying to himself. He had been in command of a 1,000 ship fleet for more than 100 years. He certainly knew how to govern. We also have resources on our station including the ability to teach using methods that will provide years of training in a matter of days. We have persons on board, advisors, counselors, etc. that will give you whatever assistance you need. In fact no one need know that you are receiving advice because you are telepathic and that will allow you to consult with persons who will not be seen or heard. You do know how to weigh options and make decisions. It is what admirals do. We do not intend to leave you stranded and unsupported. That could too easily slide into a dictatorship, which is not what we want. I made the same comment when I was recruited to command this Fleet. Admittedly it is an adjustment that most are not ready to take on and that is exactly the right kind of person for the job. If you wanted the job, it would probably not be the correct use of your talents and you would be the wrong person for the job. It almost sounds counterintuitive."

  "That sounds very much like what Admiral Sass told me but I thought he was saying that because he himself does not want to do it."

  "Admiral Sass is one of the most incisive individuals I have met, He is one cagey old snake," they all laughed at the comment, "but, I have something bigger in mind for him if he and his wife Kaxas agrees. I also have things in mind for you and Admiral Raxs when this project is done. I expect that this assignment will take about two years maybe less. By that time I expect to have 24 new stations completed and they will need crews and commanders. Those stations will be smaller than this one but the habitat will be near the same size. They are designed for a population of 17,000,000 and none of our stations are anywhere near capacity. Our current sphere of interest is about 10,000 light years across and there are a lot of really interesting worlds in that span that need our services. There are few more interesting things to do. Last year at this time our sphere of interest and influence was about 3,400 light years. Who knows what it will be next year or a year after that. It is exciting."

  "After this campaign reaches a conclusion tomorrow, we can talk some more about the training, enhancements and tools that we use, to do what we do. Easiest way is to start tonight with a sleep program that will explain us, the various features on station, something of our history and of our campaigns, our philosophy and the kinds of training available here. The additional advantage for starting tonight is that you will awake very much invigorated and that is not a bad thing in view of what we must do tomorrow."

  Admiral Raxs noted, "It is just really coming home to me that a few days ago when you told us that we were to return to Saba. You said that we are not permitted to have armed vessels in this galaxy. You were being quite literal. "

  "Yes I was. The people on any planet have the right to govern th
emselves but not to govern people on another planet or to enslave them. That is just wrong. We try to encourage trade among the diverse populations we encounter based on the notion that it will encourage friendly relations. That of course does not always work. I suppose, in that sense you could say, we are trying to impose our will on others. But we do not wish to be their governor, they should decide that for themselves."

  "Well I happen to agree with your philosophy as do the rest of us here. I would like to be a part of this when you are ready to have us. The idea of allowing insanity to rule us is just not acceptable. Thank you for what you are doing." The rest nodded agreement and then left.

  Chapter 36: A Fly in the Ointment

  On Station One, In the Saba System –

  December 13 – C Day 470

  6:00 am

  Barana woke Hank early,

  "My itch tells me I should hear what they have to say, would you please link us and we will see what they have." Sam was awake and listening with interest. Barana made the connection and all four kids were looking very worried.

  Gust who seems to have developed a leadership role for them said, "Please Uncle Hank, tell me you have not started the fortress operation yet." His look seemed almost pleading.

  Hank said, "No, we do not start for two more hours, you really look worried, what is going on?"

  "The forts are a dead man switch. Do not disable them first, it will blow up the planet."

  "What? Please explain."

  Jane said, "Uncle Hank, that nut case of a Ruler has booby trapped the forts so that when the last gun goes down, a signal from the forts will set off multiple explosive devices set in the tectonic plates around the world. The devices are thousands of times more powerful that the H-bombs of Earth. The result would be massive tsunamis and earthquakes that will tear that planet apart. He also carries a dead man switch himself and can trigger the devices from his bunker on one of the moons of the gas giant Fumis. We can see 12 devices and we are sending Barana their coordinates. This is awful, how could someone do that to his own people."