Solbidyum Wars Saga 7: Hunt for the Reduviids

by Dale C. Musser

  It was a few hours later that I began to receive reports from my fleet admirals, who were observing the clusters of Brotherhood attack ships begin their movements toward the assault sites at the old Cantolla Gate station position and at planets Porpoatr and Locola. This development indicated that the battles would probably commence in a day or two, just as I would be in need of another treatment – the worst possible time. I checked with A’Lappe to see if there was anything he could do.

  “I’m afraid not, Tibby. As it is, your treatment schedule is aggressive. I’m not sure how your body would handle it if we gave you an earlier treatment or even just a partial bridge therapy. Your body needs to readjust after a treatment and that takes a full week.”

  “Isn’t there anything you can do?” I asked. “I can’t afford to have my mind go blank in the middle of these battles.”

  “There is a synaptic stimulant that should provide a temporary but effective boost your mental functions, but it’s dangerous. If I give you too much, it could overstimulate your synapses and cause you to hallucinate.”

  “What about a minor dose of that? Just enough to hold me steady?” I asked.

  “It probably won’t work. Your body must accumulate enough to reach a certain threshold before it metabolizes at all on a cellular level. Too much and you hallucinate; too little and nothing happens. Besides, we have the unknown factor of potential interaction with medications that you already take. There is no telling how they will interact.”

  “How about this; you give me the maximum dose that you think will be safe, even if it’s less than I might need? Maybe with my other treatment, plus this stuff, it will be enough to carry me through.” I was practically begging A’Lappe at this point.

  “All right, but I must warn you, you are taking a huge risk,” said A’Lappe.

  “Well, that’s nothing new, now, is it? I’ve been doing nothing but taking risks ever since I arrived in the Federation.”

  A’Lappe gave me the injection; I was expecting some discomfort afterwards, similar to what I experienced after my regular treatments, but I felt nothing at all. I was neither sick nor tired. On the other hand, I didn’t feel more energetic or smarter either. Nothing. It was as if nothing had happened at all.

  Only a few more hours before the attacks would begin, I thought as I headed to my suite. In the morning, Norcar would be getting his fake call to return to Weccies. Báihuā would turn off the alarms so the Reduviid kidnappers could get into the estate undetected and kidnap Tabgellis and Mazukam as soon as Norcar was gone. The Brotherhood fleets would attack at the site of the old Cantolla station, only to find it vacant and a fleet of Federation warships in its place. At Porpoatr and Locola, Brotherhood fleets would sweep in, only to be met by cloaked Federation ships and at Megelleon, Reduviid would swarm in order to attack ground based Cantolla Gates connected to the Capitol station, only to find them heavily defended by highly skilled Federation ground troops. In orbit, two Brotherhood freighters would be intercepted by Federation forces and either forced to surrender or be blown up. Several warships poised to transfer quickly through the Cantolla Gate nearest Epsirt waited on the word that the battles were underway; they would rush to Epsirt and using the ultraviolet markers the Brotherhood had laid out on the surface, they Federation would deploy troops rapidly to the planet. More troopers would move through the two Cantolla Gates of the estate and the storage locker and would attack the estate being used by the Brotherhood on Epsirt. We were still uncertain whether Fass Hakwin was on Epsirt at all, either at the estate or the under-ice base, but we hoped to find and rescue him.

  I don’t know if it was the injection A’Lappe gave me or the tension of the impending battles, but I didn’t sleep at all that night.

  Finally, after hours of lying in bed staring at the ceiling and listening to the rhythm of Kala’s breathing, I decided to get up and go back to the War Room on the MAXETTE, hoping that I might accomplish something there. When I entered, I found Commander Stallard, Marranalis’s assistant, on duty.

  “Good morning Admiral,” he said as I entered. “Is everything all right, sir?”

  “Good morning, Commander. Yes, everything is fine, at least I hope so. I was unable to sleep, so I thought I would come here early to see if anything was happening.”

  “I was preparing my morning report for Captain Marranalis,” he said, “but I can brief you on events now, if you wish.”

  “Yes, please do.”

  “There have not been any Reduviid attacks in the past fifteen hours since troops were deployed and no reported attacks by the Brotherhood ships on any planets. Ships in Sectors 2 and 3 report that they are picking up ship movements on long-range scanners outside the Federation boundaries. Movement patterns suggest the ships are amassing and moving in the direction of the target point at the last location of the Cantolla Gate Station. Some of our ships in Sectors 4 and 5 are picking up similar indications of ships amassing and traveling toward planets Porpoatr and Locola with an estimated arrival in eight hours. All defense and response ships are in place and ready for action.”

  “Hmm, where are we in relation to all this?”

  “We, sir?”

  “The MAXETTE,” I said. “Where is the MAXETTE at the moment?”

  “Why sir, we are in Sector 1, less than a parsec from the Capitol Station,” the commander responded, while staring at me as though I had grown a horn from the middle of my forehead.

  “You’ll have to excuse me, Commander, with hopping about through Cantolla Gates the way I do all day, I forget where I am and exactly where all the ships are positioned.”

  “Yes, sir. I understand, sir,” he replied, in a tone that totally indicated he didn’t understand at all.

  “Have we received any new information from the FSO.”

  “No, sir, but we have received word from a patrol ship that passed close by Epsirt, that by using an ultraviolet scanner, they have detected a landing site in the southern hemisphere of the planet that matches the description provided by our spy on the planet.”

  “That’s good news. Has the information been passed on to our ships in that sector?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Sir, if I might ask, why aren’t we going in now and cleaning up the Reduviid base on Espirt? Why are you waiting for them to kidnap our agents before attacking?”

  “Simple. The Brotherhood has coordinated all their attacks to happen at once. We have laid traps for them and hope to do them a lot of damage when they do attack. If we rush in on the Reduviid base now, it will alert them to the fact that we are aware of some level of activity on their part and that we are in possession of at least enough reliable information to prepare and act against a reliable target. An alert to their fleet of the attack would be a certainty and the Brotherhood would likely call off their other assaults and escape.”

  “Sir, do you think we will win?”

  “Win? Not hardly. I think we will win the battles today, but we will suffer steep losses. Hopefully the Brotherhood will experience much greater losses than we do, but neither side will actually win. Only when one side is totally destroyed will anyone win.”

  “But in the end you think we will win? Right, sir?”

  “Yes, I think we will, because all of us fighting believe in what we are fighting for and are willing to die for it. The Brotherhood troops are fighting because they are afraid not to fight, or because they are addicted to drugs they can only get by fighting, or because they wear a slave collar that forces them to fight. But their hearts are not in the fight and, in the end, that will be their downfall.”

  “I see, sir,” Stallard said.

  “I’ll be in my office. Let Marranalis know when he arrives that I am here, and that you have already briefed me,” I said.

  “Yes, sir.”

  It’s kind of funny how when you can’t sleep, and you get up to occupy yourself with something, then you fall asleep. That’s what happened to me on this occasion. I’m not sure exactly at what poi
nt I fell asleep, but I was awakened by Marranalis’s voice demanding a response from me.

  “Sir, are you all right?”

  “What? Huh? Oh, yes, I must have dozed off,” I said as I looked about the room. My mouth felt dry, so I got up out of my chair and walked across the office to the drink dispenser. I was about to get some water, when I decided that foccee would serve me better.

  “You care for some foccee? I asked.

  “No, thank you, sir, I just finished a cup,” he said. “Commander Stallard told me you came in a few hours ago, and that he’s already briefed you on the night’s events.”

  “Yes. I haven’t had many opportunities to talk with him in the past. He seems like a good officer.” I made small talk while my brain slowly came back into focus. “I take it nothing new has developed since I spoke with him.”

  “Nothing that has been reported to us,” Marranalis said. “Are you sure you’re alright, Admiral? I mean… well, with your condition and all?”

  “I think so. A’Lappe gave me an injection that is supposed to help me over the next two days until I can have another major treatment, but he’s not sure how well it will work. Maybe that’s what kept me awake all night,” I replied. “Keep an eye on me, though. If you see I am seriously having difficulties, let me know immediately.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Is Norcar still on Epsirt or has he left?” I asked, as my mind began to clear and focus on details.

  “I believe he’s still there. The fake call was placed about an hour ago that heralded him back to to Weccies. He put on a very convincing act, telling the FSO agents substituting as his sons to stay and enjoy themselves, reassuring them that he will be back in a day or two at the most. He should be leaving Epsirt shortly.”

  “Good, things are on schedule. Have Nybidong and the Ruwallie Rasson fighters joined with Admiral Wingate at Locola?”

  “Yes, sir, they’re all in position and ready for action.”

  “I wonder if I should have broken the Ruwallie Rasson fighters up into three groups and assigned some to each battle zone. They are our best fighter pilots. We probably could have used some in all of the target sectors where we’ll be fighting today. Ah well, it’s too late for that now. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out.”

  Marranalis’s wrist com beeped.

  “Marranalis here,” he said.

  “Sir,” the voice of one of the men in the outer War Room came through the com, “Admirals Regeny and Wabussie are here and wish to see Admiral Tibby.”

  I sighed and looked at Marranalis. “So it begins,” I said. “Tell them I’ll be right out.”

  For the next three hours, I sat in the War Room with Regeny and Wabussie staring at the 3D hologram and waiting for the action to happen. The Brotherhood fleets advanced to within striking distance of their targets and halted.

  What are they stopping for?” Regeny howled.

  “They are awaiting word from Sisopan that Norcar’s boys are in custody,” Wabussie said.

  “By the stars, I wish they would attack so we can get this over with. It’s driving me crazy. I don’t know how you and Tibby can remain so calm at a time like this,” Regeny fumed.

  Wabussie grinned and looked at me but said nothing.

  “Any word from Slater on activity on Megelleon?” I asked.

  “His team, in conjunction with some of my FSO agents, have spotted several individuals we believe may be Reduviids. They are milling about near the gate stations but not entering. Once the battle starts, Slater is going to move his troopers closer to individuals. We have several troopers in place who are wearing protective body armor that will resist the explosive blasts of body bombers. This detail will move in and check out the suspects,” Wabussie explained.

  “I’m assuming all these additional troopers and agents in the gate area are well concealed.”

  “Yes, sir, they are staged inside the buildings, occupying almost every room and compartment that is out of sight. At our command they will move out quickly, checking any and all detainees for explosive devices. They have orders to shut the gates down immediately and not re-open them until everyone has been cleared and all enemy combatants have been removed.”

  More time ticked by, as I watched Regeny consume three trays of pastries and at least a gallon of foccee. I was beginning to realize that Regeny was one of those individuals who ate excessively when he is nervous.

  “Sir,” Marranalis interrupted, “Leader Tonclin is calling and wishes to address all of you.”

  “Put him on the vid screen,” I said.

  Tonclin’s image appeared on the screen.

  “Admirals,” he began with his high-pitched voice, “how goes the war? I’ve not heard anything all day.”

  “So far all is quiet,” I answered. “The Brotherhood ships have moved into attack position but are holding. We believe they are awaiting word from Sisopan on Epsirt that Norcar’s sons have been taken hostage.”

  “I see,” Tonclin said, as worry spread over his face. “I was just –”

  Beside me was a flurry of activity, as Marranalis said, “Are you sure?” He then he interrupted the conversation with Leader Tonclin and reported, “Sir, it's started. They’ve kidnapped our two agents on Epsirt and the Brotherhood ships are moving.”

  I could see Tonclin’s reaction on the screen and I quickly said to him, “Sir, with all due respect, I need to go. The battle has begun.” I turned to Marranalis, “Alert Admiral Slater; tell him the battle is on and to move in on the suspect Reduviids now.”

  Marranalis passed on the orders and prepared separate holographic displays for each of the three battle scenes and adjusted in size to provide sufficient detail of the regions where the action was likely to unfold. Soon the large asteroid-ships were visible on the first display as they moved into position and began firing at what they believed to be the cloaked Cantolla Gate Station. What the Brotherhood found instead was that they had delivered themselves straight into a nest of cloaked Federation ships, hundreds of which began to break away and swoop in swiftly, directing an onslaught of firepower at the asteroid-ships with unexpected speed. Fighters equipped with slow penetration torpedoes fired on the large asteroid-ships. Most of the torpedoes that made it through the defensive fire exploded on the asteroids’ surfaces, causing little or no harm. However, about one out of every five torpedoes managed to reach sensitive locations, resulting in much more significant damage. Other Federation forces concentrated their efforts on the large Brotherhood ships. We had learned earlier that concentrated firepower from several sources was sufficient to weaken the shields of the Brotherhood ships powered by the 10X fusion reactors. Once shields were sufficiently compromised, slow penetration torpedoes and a little time is all that was needed to cause major damage to these larger ships. In the meantime, the remaining bulk of our fighters took on the enemy’s fighters and smaller ships.

  At Porpoatr, the main battle didn’t last long. No sooner did the Federation ships start firing on the approaching Brotherhood fleet than the enemy broke and ran. Our fighters and other ships that now could match their speeds took up pursuit and were doing considerable damage to the enemy.

  At Locola, the enemy continued advancing under heavy fire, even after our ships had been revealed. Once close to the planet, the Brotherhood unleashed a number of nuclear-tipped missiles at the planet. Nybidong and the Ruwallie Rasson fighters raced in, picking off most of the missiles in flight before they made it into the planet’s atmosphere; nevertheless, two missiles did make it through. The Ruwallie Rasson pursued the missiles into the atmosphere, and using the new fighter designs, reconfigured the ship's structure to deal with atmospheric flight. Even so, it looked like the missiles were going to make it to their targets. The missiles were seconds from impact, when fighters got a lock on the missiles and blew them up. Unfortunately, even though the extensive structural damage the missiles could have done was prevented, a large cloud of radioactive material was dispersed into the atmos
phere. It would require large-scale work to clean up the radiation, and a lot of people would need to undergo treatment for exposure to the radioactive elements.

  When the enemy saw their missiles failed to reach the planet surface, they began to fight, and the battle seemed to be equally matched; for every ship we took out, the Brotherhood took out one of ours. However, after nearly two hours of fighting, it started to become clear that the Brotherhood was losing their larger ships, whereas the Federation was losing smaller ships, fighters, and patrol ships with the weaker RMFFs. Not one of the Federations carriers took a hit; and no sooner did the Federation lose a fighter than we brought another one through one of the carriers Cantolla Gates from other base locations elsewhere in the Federation to replace it. When the Brotherhood saw this, they turned and began to flee at their maximum speed; but unlike in the past, where they were able to outdistance the Federation, this time our ships were keeping pace with them and giving them a continued pounding.

  From Megelleon, we got reports that Slater's men were rushed out of their concealment and quickly isolated the suspected Reduviid terrorists. Several terrorists blew themselves up when they saw they were about to be captured. Others were apprehended before they could reach their detonators. Unlike the attacks in the past, there wasn’t one person with a detonator to blow them up. Five of the people taken into custody weren’t terrorists at all, and happened to be innocent bystanders who looked suspicious. Seven terrorists, though, managed to avoid being captured and nearly reached their targets before being shot, as they raced toward the Cantolla Gates. One terrorist managed to get near enough to a gate that it was damaged and out of order for several hours until a replacement gate could be assembled. As soon as the attack began, all gates had been shut down, so at no time was the Capitol Station in danger from any enemy getting through from the ground. In orbit, the two enemy freighters carrying torpedoes were shocked when dozens of Federation fighters uncloaked around them, ordering them to surrender. Both freighters immediately cloaked and tried to make a run for it and were immediately destroyed.