by Doug Farren
The two lovers reluctantly separated. Jay and CAIN returned to Jay’s office where they continued their work on the Human version of the inertial compensator.
22
Suspicion
===============================================
===== November 2, 2058 (Terran calendar) =====
===============================================
“The fleet commander will see you now,” the officer manning the desk informed the captain who had been patiently waiting in the outer office.
“Thank you,” Captain Mernaga tey Tantaga replied as he stood up.
The door to the inner office slid into the wall as Captain Mernaga approached. It closed behind him with a barely audible thunk. The man behind the desk remained seated as he motioned for the captain to approach. Although the captain and the fleet commander were long-time friends, they always followed proper military protocol when in uniform. Captain Mernaga took several steps into the room, stopping at rigid attention precisely three meters from the front of the massive hardwood desk.
“Captain Mernaga tey Tantaga reporting as ordered,” he formally announced his presence.
Fleet Commander Buranoe tey Suteanus vroo Gruastra remained seated as an officer of his rank should. He was nearly seventy years old, yet his mind was still sharp and his eyes sparkled with life. He had served in the Tholtaran space force for nearly five decades. He was from the old school and required even his closest friends to follow strict military discipline in his presence at all times while on duty. He was highly respected for his military cunning and for being a fair superior officer.
“At ease captain. Would you like to sit?”
The captain relaxed his stance but remained standing. The question was part of the protocol and unless Captain Mernaga had a valid reason for doing otherwise, the accepted response was, “The offer is appreciated sir, but I will stand.”
“Very well, captain. Your report please.”
“The Humans appear to be developing a substantial military defense capability. They have built a large, heavily defended military base on their moon and are currently constructing a large space station which orbits the planet opposite their moon. They have deployed several hundred short-range fighters at both these facilities.
“The fighters are lightly armed and are not capable of faster than light speeds. A second type of fighter has recently been introduced which is larger, more heavily armed and is faster than light capable. They have also built and deployed 22 heavily armed FTL capable patrol ships. More are under construction both in Earth orbit and at several shipyards on Earth itself.
“Three substantial warships are currently in service with at least 24 more under construction. A variety of smaller ships are also being built. None of these ships pose a threat to us. It is not entirely clear, but it appears as if all the larger ships are being built in response to a general planet-wide military buildup designed to impress the nations of Earth and not the Consortium. Earth may have a planetary government which meets the standards of the Consortium but it is still a divided world.”
The captain paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. He was presenting his report entirely from memory. As per proper military protocol, his eyes were locked with those of his commander. “Our intelligence reports indicate that the Humans have made some significant advances in the areas of defensive shielding and long range sensor technologies. There is also one item of concern to report.”
The fleet commander seemed to straighten up in his seat a bit. “It appears as if the Humans may have developed a new type of weapon. This new weapon is quite large and is believed to be powered by an integral fusion reactor. We have been unable to gather any additional information concerning this weapon or its capabilities. The Humans have been quite diligent in keeping it under a sensor shield.
“At this point in time, I do not believe the Humans represent a viable threat to the security of the Tholtaran Republic or to the Consortium. There is no evidence of the construction of any large military vessels capable of challenging any ship in our fleet.”
Fleet Commander Buranoe listened to the report with all his attention, his eyes locked onto those of Captain Mernaga’s. At the conclusion of the report, Buranoe continued to stare at the captain. After several seconds Captain Mernaga became nervous and finally said, “Do you wish for me to elaborate on any further details of my report sir?”
The fleet commander leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands together in front of him, and stared at a spot on his desk. He took a deep breath and said, “You have doubts.” It was a statement—not a question.
Captain Mernaga was not sure what the fleet commander was leading up to. “The report is complete and the conclusions are supported by the facts. My personal opinion concerning the matter is irrelevant.”
The fleet commander straightened himself and gestured toward a chair, “Please, have a seat captain.”
For a moment, Captain Mernaga was confused. It was very much outside of proper military protocol for a junior officer to sit in the presence of his superior officer. Doing so, unless one had a very good reason such as an injury which prevented him from standing, indicated that the two officers were equal to one another.
Buranoe noticed the captain’s hesitation. “There comes a time captain when one must set aside military protocol for the sake of clarity. Ever since we have established relations with the Humans, there has been an undercurrent of uneasiness throughout the Consortium. You have doubts concerning your investigation. I heard it in the way you presented your report. I saw it in your eyes. I need to know your feelings concerning the Humans. Therefore—Sit!”
Captain Mernaga quickly took the offered seat. He was uncomfortable in doing so but he did not want to argue with his superior. “What is it you would like to know sir?” he asked.
“Tell me what is not in your official report. I know you harbor doubts concerning the recorded conclusions. I want to hear them.”
This was unexpected. The Tholtaran military had learned long ago that it was more efficient to deal only in facts. Over the years, the military, and eventually most other facets of Tholtaran society, had learned to follow this philosophy. It was so ingrained into Tholtaran culture that speculation was fast becoming considered socially unacceptable. It took a moment for Captain Mernaga to overcome his personal distaste for not dealing in facts.
“I find it very hard to trust what many Humans say. I know it does not make sense, but through personal experience I have learned that, for some reason, Humans find it easier to lie or to at least twist the truth than to tell the truth as it really is.”
“And how does this relate to your report?”
“Humans seem to have an inherent inability to trust others, especially those Humans who are in positions of authority. They say one thing and do something else. This inability to trust others has led them to become very adept at deception. I don’t believe for one instance that the Humans are not building a fleet of warships.”
“Ah—We come to the core of your doubt. A fleet you say? Come now captain,” the fleet commander seemed to mock him. “There is no evidence what-so-ever that the Humans are building such a fleet. The ships they have built are obviously inferior to ours. They simply don’t have the technology. Even if the Humans did have the technology, where would they build such a fleet? To build a warship requires the support of a considerable shipyard.”
“I cannot say how I have come to this conclusion,” Mernaga admitted. “Perhaps it is the culmination of many unrelated facts that I have gathered. Each one on its own cannot prove what I believe, but taken together they give me an overall feeling that things just don't add up.”
“Don't add up?”
“My apologies fleet commander. It is a Human expression which I believe expresses my feelings regarding the Human military.”
“An interesting expression! Other than the small defense ships and the few ships the Humans are calling cruisers you have
mentioned we have never seen a Human warship capable of challenging any of our ships nor have we ever seen any evidence that any such ships exist.”
“They did launch what appeared to have been a prototype over a year ago. We managed to get a quick scan of it as it left their moon’s orbit. The ship was equipped with several technologies new to the Humans. Come to think of it, the ship even contained something that was shielded from our sensors. It was quite possibly the prototype for this new weapon they have developed. I can’t imagine them going to the trouble of building a prototype without following through and building some type of warship.”
“I am aware of the prototype. It was a small ship not configured to perform as an actual warship. Our analysts believe it was a test platform for new technologies and not actually a prototype for a warship. If I recall correctly, the ship was never seen again.”
“Precisely! Where did it go? Why go to all the trouble to build and launch a ship to test all their new technology if they had no intention of using this technology in the near future? They must have a shipyard somewhere.”
The fleet commander seemed to be considering what he would say next. He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of him. After a few seconds of silence he said, “Rest assured Captain, you are not alone in this belief. The historical record of Humans seems to back up your fear as well as the opinion of many of our most respected psychologists. Humans are unstable and resort to violence at unpredictable times. They are also incredibly cunning.”
”I am relieved to hear that sir. I was beginning to believe I had an irrational distrust of Humans. There is something else about them that I have discovered and it is what I fear the most.”
“And that is?”
“Along with being dishonest, cunning, and unstable to the point of violence, they are capable of seemingly unbelievable leaps in technological development. Their early development of a stardrive is a prime example. There is no telling what they may be capable of developing, especially since they seem to be absorbing everything the Consortium can give them. It's almost as if they are receiving help from another race.”
“That possibility has been thoroughly investigated and found to be false. It would serve no useful purpose for one race to foster rapid advancement of another. The sporadic occurrence of Humans with unusual intellect has been confirmed.”
Mernaga accepted this as a statement of fact but couldn't stop himself from adding, “That alone makes the Human race dangerous.”
The Captain was quite surprised when Buranoe agreed. “Very true captain. One final question: If you were in a position to do something concerning the Humans, what would you do?”
This was an honest and perfectly reasonable request from a superior to a subordinate officer. It demanded an honest and unrestricted reply. “It is too late to ignore them,” Captain Mernaga replied after a moment’s reflection. “A treaty with them has been signed and Humans can now be found on almost every Consortium world. I think it would be in our best interest to keep a very close watch on them. We may even have to stretch the terms of the treaty with them a bit in order to ensure that we are protecting our own security. We must find a way to determine the capabilities of their new weapon and we must try to locate their hidden shipyard.”
“Despite the evidence you still believe the Humans have an off-world shipyard?”
“Very strongly sir. The ship building activities witnessed in the vicinity of Earth are uncharacteristic of what would be expected of the Humans. I can’t confirm it through intelligence, but, I have a distinct feeling that the Humans have advanced further than we have been led to believe.”
Fleet Commander Buranoe’s brow furled and a scowl formed on his face. “A distinct feeling? Am I hearing speculation from one of my best ship captains?”
“I know it is not acceptable for me to speculate,” Captain Mernaga replied already too deep in trouble to try to explain his way out of it. “And I should not be presenting my opinion concerning what the Humans may be doing without having some facts to back it up. But, Humans are like no other species we have ever dealt with. They are cunning, intelligent, and unpredictably violent. It would be in our best interest to keep a close eye on them.”
“A very good proposition Commander Mernaga. How do you plan to carry it out?”
The change in rank did not go unnoticed. In an instant, the captain had been promoted to commander. It was also apparent that this promotion came with an assignment. The newly appointed commander gave his mind a few moments to absorb the impact of what had just transpired before replying. “I would have to research all of our available options before I could recommend a plan at this point.”
The fleet commander allowed himself the luxury of a small smile. His friend had once again proven to him that he was one of the finest military officers in the Tholtaran space force. Nodding his head he said, “I shall expect a detailed proposal in sixty days which I shall then present to fleet command for consideration. You will remain at your current assignment until fleet command has approved this project and selected a replacement. Congratulations Commander.”
Commander Mernaga stood up, came to attention and said, “Thank you for your confidence in my abilities Fleet Commander.”
“Dismissed!”
23
Distrust
===============================================
===== April 18, 2059 (Terran calendar) =====
===============================================
Commander Kilpatrick was jerked out of a deep sleep by the buzz of the intercom. The glowing numbers on his clock said 2:33 am, instantly putting him into a foul mood. He fumbled in the dark for the switch on the comm-panel finally managing to silence the noise and open the link. “What?”
The voice that responded was female and she was obviously nervous about waking up the base commander at this hour of the morning. “I’m sorry to wake you sir. This is Lieutenant Blount, I’m the duty CIC officer and you left standing orders for us to contact you personally if we ever detected an attempt to scan the sledgehammer enclosures. I believe we have detected such an attempt.”
The commander sat up in his bunk and flipped on the small reading lamp set into the wall. Now wide awake he replied, “You believe? If you are not certain then why have you awakened me? You had better be confident that this is real.”
“I am sir. For the past three hours we have been picking up short bursts of energetic particles being directed against one of the enclosures. We’ve also picked up very short duration, low power pulses of highly focused energy directed against the same enclosure. At first we thought it was a glitch in the detection net but now I’m convinced that there is a confirmed attempt to covertly penetrate the sensor shield.”
“Have you traced the source?”
“No sir, but we should have a solution pretty soon.”
“Good work lieutenant. I’ll be in CIC in fifteen minutes.”
When Commander Kilpatrick stepped through the door to CIC he was immediately greeted by a short, brunette who said, “We just got a fix on the source sir. It’s a Tholtaran freighter designated as V2-212 in high Earth orbit. We’re pulling up the orbital permit now.”
A moment later, one of the screens lit up with the ship’s registry information, cargo manifest, and other pertinent data. A brief scan of the results showed that the ship appeared to have legitimate business in Earth orbit. The information also indicated that the freighter currently had two shuttles on the surface being loaded with cargo at the Australian spaceport.
“What ships do we have in the area?”
One of the petty officers entered a command into his console and the main status screen shifted to show all the known ships surrounding the location of the Tholtaran freighter. The commander stared at the screen for a few seconds then issued a series of orders. “Order foxtrot 23 and 31 to take up positions 100 kilometers forward and aft of the freighter. Also order gulf nine to intercept as well. Get t
he captain of G-9 on the horn. I want to talk to him.”
The orders went out and moments later two fighters and a gunboat broke from their normal flight patterns. A few seconds later, the face of a Japanese captain appeared on the monitor in front of Commander Kilpatrick. “Captain Minotu, this is Commander Kilpatrick of Tycho base. I’m ordering you to intercept a Tholtaran freighter currently in high Earth orbit. It has been identified as the source of an attempt to scan one of our defense installations. When you arrive, you are to carry out an intensive security scan of the ship and report any anomalous results directly to me. Ignore any complaints made by the ship. If they raise their shield, power up your weapons and order them to surrender for inspection. You are not authorized to power the sledgehammer and you are not authorized to fire unless fired upon. Is this clear?”
Captain Minotu’s expression hardly changed. This was a man who took his duty seriously. “What shall I do if they attempt to break orbit?”
Commander Kilpatrick pondered this for a moment then replied, “I’m not going to be responsible for an interstellar incident. If they want to break orbit, let them. Escort them out of the system as far as you can. You are not to fire upon them unless the safety of your ship is threatened.”
“I understand. Minotu out.”
The ES Azuma Zosen pulled up alongside the Tholtaran freighter and immediately began probing the ship with a high-powered sensor beam. Within seconds the ship’s captain was desperately trying to contact the gunboat demanding an explanation. Captain Minotu ignored the demands and a moment later the freighter’s shield went up effectively blocking the sensor beam.
“Raise our shield,” Minotu ordered. “Power weapons and lock on target. Open a channel to the freighter.”
A moment later, the angry face of the Tholtaran captain appeared on Minotu’s monitor. “What is the meaning…”
“Tholtaran freighter!” Minotu interrupted. “You are to lower your shield and submit your ship for inspection.”