“No, I served on the catapult crew. The catapult was a mechanism that helped to launch the planes,” I replied.
“Ah, yes. Those confused me at first when I viewed the vid clips of your carriers in action, until I realized your planes relied on speed and airflow for lift. The carrier decks weren’t long enough to achieve those without an assist. It must have been fascinating work.”
“More like monotonous and dangerous,” I answered. “There was certainly nothing fun about it. One mistake could cost someone their life; and I was unfortunate enough to see that happen.”
A’Lappe spent the next forty minutes going over the finer features of the ship with me. Like most ships in the Federation, the controls were standardized and the computer actually did most of the flying, so I found nearly all of it to be very familiar. Only the controls for the Cantolla Gate and some of the weapons were unusual. I found myself wondering how different things would have been if Kala and I had crashed on Desolation in this ship and whether we would have fared as well with it as we did with the ALI.
I was finishing up with A’Lappe when Marranalis’ voice came across my com link. “Admiral, there’s a call coming in from Admiral Stonbersa. Do you want me to connect you through your com link?”
“No. Give me a few minutes to get to my study,” I responded.
“You’ll have to excuse me, A’Lappe, duty calls,” I said as I headed down one of the familiar maintenance tunnels that led to a secret access into my study. “Oh, and the new ship…brilliant!”
Once seated behind my desk, I signaled Marranalis to put Admiral Stonbersa through. Stonbersa’s image appeared on the screen. “What can I do for you, Admiral?” I asked.
“Admiral,” Stonbersa began, “we’ve picked up signals from the outer rim sensors that indicate a large number of cloaked ships traveling beyond our borders. By our estimate, there are over 600 of them.”
“Where are they headed?” I asked.
“That’s a bit of a mystery; they don’t seem to be going anywhere. They keep moving about beyond the boundary.”
“Are they flying as a unit or separately in different directions?”
“They seem to be traveling in small groups, but flying in different directions. I think they’re circling around out there beyond the boundary, but we have no idea why.”
“Do you think it’s a distraction? Perhaps they want us to detect them?”
“Honestly, Admiral, I have no idea. None of it makes any sense.”
“Have you sent any cloaked ships to investigate?”
“Not so far. Do you wish me to do so?”
“I don’t think we have a choice. We need to know what they’re up to. Send out twenty ships, all of them cloaked, and check out what’s going on. Keep me updated with your findings. In the meantime, I’ll coordinate with some of the other fleet admirals and have a number of ships put on alert for rapid deployment to your sector via Cantolla Gates, if the need arises. In the meantime, I want your sector operations to appear as routine as possible, in case they are monitoring your movements. I don’t know what the Brotherhood is up to, but I damn well want to find out and be prepared for whatever it is. I’ll be attending the inauguration dinner for Leader Pheosa at the Capitol tonight; but if there are any new developments, contact me immediately.”
After disconnecting the call, I turned toward the aquarium to contemplate these new developments and absorb a few rare and welcome moments of solitary silence, when the signal to my door sounded.
“Come in,” I said. The door opened to reveal Lunnie standing there in an outfit that she clearly had picked out herself. Even at eight years old the resemblance to her aunt Luinella was undeniable – the same thin frame, blond hair and facial features, and those same piercing blue eyes. She took one large step across the threshold and stood for a moment with the usual beaming smile that held a promise of whimsical trouble.
“Hi Daddy,” she said, as she marched over to me and seated herself in my lap.
“Hi yourself. What have you been up to, and to what do I owe this lovely visit?” I asked.
“Not much. I was missing you and wanted to see you,” she said as she put her arms around me and gave me a hug.
“I see,” I said, as I began to suspect there was more to this visit than Lunnie was disclosing at this point.
“Where’s your brother?” He and Lunnie were usually inseparable.
“He’s gone to the lab. A’Lappe is going to show him how the cloaking thing works.”
I had a moment of panic at Lunnie’s comment, imagining young Reide unexpectedly making things on the ship vanish behind cloaking fields. Even worse, if he figured out how to build a personal cloaking device, who knows the places that boy would get into and the trouble he might cause.
“Does your mother know where he is?”
“I think so,” Lunnie responded. “He told her he was going to be with A’Lappe.
“Daddy, can I go to our estate for a week?”
“Why do you want to go to the estate for a week?” I asked, recognizing that this was the real reason for Lunnie’s visit.
“Well some of my friends there have been asking me to come and stay for a few days so we can play together, and I feel like I’ve been neglecting Poccot.” Poccot was the name of the horse we had cloned and given Lunnie a few months earlier.
“You see Poccot twice a week, when your mother and Jenira take you riding,” I said.
“Yes, but Daddy, that’s not the same. Poccot needs me to be with him more often than that or he won’t bond to me properly.”
I had to suppress a grin at Lunnie’s choice of words. She was very bright for her age and was always watching vid documentaries about animals. I suspected her idea of “bonding” with Poccot came from something she’d picked up from one of the documentaries.
“Have you asked your mother about this?”
“N-o-o, I thought maybe you could talk to her about it,” Lunnie said looking at me and batting her eyes in a fashion that reminded me of her aunt. She was learning all too quickly how to turn on the charm, I thought with a sigh.
“Well, I don’t know, Lunnie. You're still very young; so if you do go, I would prefer that you be with your mother or Jenira.”
“But Daddy, we have lots of servants and bodyguards at the estate. I would be safe there.”
“Do you think Jenira would feel you’d be safe there without her?” I asked. I saw Lunnie’s chin drop.
“Jenira never thinks we’re safe,” she said with some angst. “She almost insists on watching us use the toilet, like she’s afraid some Brotherhood agent is hiding in the disposal unit.”
I had to laugh, as I could visualize Jenira going to precisely those extreme measures to keep the twins safe.
“So will you do it?” Lunnie asked with a stare. “Will you talk to mother about it?”
“I’ll talk to her, but I’m not making any promises about our decision,” I said.
Lunnie started to open her mouth to say something and stopped as she seemed to be reconsidering her thoughts. “Thanks, Daddy,” she said. Then she kissed me on the cheek, hopped down off my lap and went running out the door. I shook my head. She was growing so fast and seemed much more mature for her age than most eight year olds – or at least eight year olds as I remembered them. I had no idea what eight year olds were like in the Federation beyond Lunnie and Reide.
Several hours later Kala and I prepared ourselves for Leader Pheosa’s inauguration dinner event.
“By the stars, Kala, what am I supposed to wear to this event – my Admiral’s uniform or my First Citizen’s attire?”
Kala muttered something, but I found myself momentarily distracted by the sight of her as she stood nude before the mirror, styling her hair. It seemed her beauty never faded; each time I saw her she was lovelier than the time before. I saw her glance at me in the mirror and smile.
“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you? I can tell by that slack-jawed look on you
r face.”
“Uh, I’m afraid I was distracted by your beauty.”
“Hmmph! Do I need to start dressing like the women on Tirdect and cover myself completely from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, so you’ll pay attention to what I am saying?” She scolded. I could see she was grinning and I knew she was flattered by my reaction to her appearance.
“Don’t you dare!” I exclaimed. “Don’t even think about it!”
“Ha. Well, you better start paying closer attention to what I am saying and less attention to how my butt looks.”
“Uh… yeah, sure… what did you say earlier?”
“I said that technically you could wear either; but unless you want to upstage Leader Pheosa at his inauguration dinner, it would be best that you wear your formal admiral's uniform. I’m wearing my captain’s uniform…” She glanced at me again and a sly grin spread over her face as she added, “…unless you think I should go like this.”
“Uh, no. As you already said, we don’t want to upstage the Leader at his own inauguration dinner, and you most the sweetest things!”
I was about to say something definitely would if you went like that.”
“Aww, Tib, you say else, when Lunnie came barging into the room unexpectedly. Neither of the twins had any sense of privacy when it came to Kala and I, and the lack of nudity taboos in the Federation meant that Kala and I being undressed at that moment was of no concern to Lunnie.
“Did you ask her? What did she say?” Lunnie blurted out as she ran up to me.”
“Ask me what?” Kala replied as she turned to face us.
“Dad, you promised you would ask her!” Lunnie exclaimed.
“Yes, I said I would, but I haven’t had a chance to!” I replied.
“Ask me what?” Kala repeated. I could see a sense of irritation beginning to grow on her face.
“Lunnie came to me at my office today and asked for permission to go to our estate for a week to visit some of her friends.”
“And to bond with Poccot, so he knows he belongs to me,” Lunnie added quickly.
“Hmm, I see,” Kala said. It was clear she didn’t see, but she was formulating some ideas in her head. “And what did you tell her?” She asked, directing her gaze at me.
“I said that you and I would discuss it, and that there were security matters involved. Lunnie seems to think that our security on the estate is sufficient to protect her. I told her I doubted Jenira will see it that way.”
Kala returned to her styling work in the mirror. I could see a slight grin on her face in the reflection as she replied, “I agree that Jenira won’t see the estate security as sufficient; but she might agree to your trip, if you were to take along some of the Women with Swords as bodyguards.”
“But Mother,” Lunnie plied, “my friends won’t want to play with me if there are bodyguards standing about, watching our every move.”
“Let me talk to your father about this,” Kala said. “We’ll give you an answer in the morning. Right now, we need to dress and go to Leader Pheosa’s dinner.”
Lunnie looked for a moment as though she was about to protest, but she didn’t. Instead she slowly turned and left the room.
“So what do you think?” I asked, as soon as I was certain Lunnie was out of hearing range.
“I think we need to figure out how to provide security for her in a way that suits us all.” Kala finished with her hair and went to the clothing replicator to select her uniform.
“So you’re willing to let her go?” I asked with some amazement, as I anticipated she would argue against it.
“Tib, think on it for a second. This is Lunnie we’re talking about. She came and asked us, as she should. But if we say no, she will simply find some way to sneak down there – and then who knows what kind of trouble she’ll get into. At least this way we have some control over the situation and in the future she will be more inclined to come to us about other things than she would be if we say no now.”
“Hmm, you’re right. I hadn’t thought about that. What do you suggest?”
“We tell Lunnie yes, and we have Jenira arrange for some Women with Swords to protect her. They can remain cloaked, so neither she nor her friends are aware of their presence,” Kala responded. She made some final adjustments to her uniform in the mirror and turned to face me.
“That’s brilliant, Kala. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because it seems that being a father makes you stupid,” she said with a grin, as she leaned over and kissed me on the head. “Now, are you going to sit there naked on the bed all night or are you going to get dressed?”
I suddenly realized that I hadn’t moved a muscle or made even a single preparation for the dinner engagement since Lunnie came into the room. Maybe Kala was right; being a father was making me stupid.
This inauguration dinner would be one of the last official events to be held at the Capitol on Megelleon. After a string of attacks on the capital city that resulted in the deaths of a number of senators, it was deemed that government facilities located on the surface were no longer safe. Instead, a giant space station protected by an RMFF shielding system was being fabricated in a dedicated orbit around Megelleon to serve as the primary Federation governmental facility. Essentially, it would become the new Capitol. Access to the facility would be solely by way of Cantolla Gates linked to Gate hubs, where the usual safety protocols were completed before passage was allowed. This arrangement not only minimized the risk of terrorists filtering through the screening process, but it rendered the execution of large-scale attacks on the new Capitol nearly impossible, making the facility one of the safest places in the universe. The station wasn’t scheduled to open for a few more months, but some branches of the government had already begun operating from there. Unfortunately, construction and furnishing of the banquet halls was considered low priority and their completion was saved until the end.
The old Capitol complex would still continue to function, but only for lower levels of domestic government services such as agriculture, health and welfare, education, and various divisions of the planetary government. Large obsolete sections of the old building would be converted into museum spaces, concert halls and entertainment areas. All higher offices and facilities, such as senators’ and Leaders’ offices, meeting halls and Senate chambers, and the Departments of Defense and Security, would be housed on the new Capitol space station.
Kala and I arrived at the Capitol using the NEW ORLEANS Cantolla Gate that connected directly to a gate positioned outside Regeny’s old office. For nearly five years Admirals Regeny and Wabussie had been using the DUSTEN as their base of operations, because it was much more secure. Regeny intended to continue using the DUSTEN most of the time and said he would use the gates to go back to the Megelleon station for meetings and other events as needed. To be honest, I think his regular presence aboard the starship made him feel more a part of the action and less isolated in his leadership role.
We arrived with our own large contingent of guards. Kala was attended by four guards made up of Women with Swords – with Jenira at the lead, of course – and a contingent of four Federation troopers was assigned to me. These guards would not remain at our sides during the event; rather they would station themselves in strategic positions throughout the event hall and stand at the ready to act if needed. Security at the facility was heavy. Armed troopers patrolled every area of the complex and retinal scan identity checks were conducted on everyone, including Kala and me. The strict security protocols were implemented immediately after Roritat’s betrayal and attack on the Capitol, the assassination of Leader Rieam and the attempts on Leader Tonclin’s and Admiral Regeny’s lives.
Nearly ten years had passed since those events and, during that period, the Federation moved forward under the guidance of two Leaders instead of the normal three. Finally, the balance was being restored with the election of Pheosa as the third Leader. Leader Tonclin would be in attendance at the inauguration event;
however, Leader Maragon would not, as Federation policy dictated that only two of the three Leaders were permitted to be in the same place at any time. This policy provided greater assurance that continuity of leadership would be preserved under at least one surviving Leader in the event of a disaster or attack. So, on this night, nearly ten years after the Brotherhood’s first major assault against the Federation, tensions were still high and security even higher. Because of the significance of the occasion, no one was surprised to learn that several senators had found reasons to excuse themselves from attendance out of fear of a Brotherhood attack.
The hall where the dinner took place was familiar to me. It was the same hall where I had received my citizenship in the Federation years earlier. It was here that I was officially welcomed into the Federation, named a hero and given the title of Tibby the Recoverer, and where Kala and I were honored together a few months later and given the title of First Citizen. Those events seemed surreal to me, as I stood once again in this great amphitheater. I looked up in awe at the tiered balconies arranged with hundreds upon hundreds of finely set tables and thousands of dignitaries, who gaze back down to where Kala and I would join Leader Pheosa and others at a table reserved for honored guests.
“Ah, there you are, Tibby,” exclaimed a high-pitched voice from somewhere in the direction of the dinner table. I looked to my left to see Leader Tonclin moving in my direction with another individual by his side. “Leader Pheosa, allow me the special privilege of introducing you to First Citizens Tibby and Kalana. Without the heroic efforts of these two patriots, it’s unlikely that the Federation would still be in existence today to receive your leadership.”
“I am deeply honored to meet you both,” Leader Pheosa exclaimed. “I have heard so very much about you and studied the history of your deeds since the return of the TRITYTE and the legendary lost solbidyum cargo. I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I am to actually meet you in person and share a table with you during this celebration.”
“I assure you, Leader Pheosa, the honor is ours. I’m certain the stories you’ve heard about us are greatly exaggerated,” I replied.
Solbidyum Wars Saga 7: Hunt for the Reduviids Page 3