Righteous Reign The Series: E-version Boxed Set Edition

by Thomas J. MacDonald

  "Admiral, your covert agents have been excellent. Every time we think we are done, they point us to more. When we have a site under control, they move on; looking for more. They are trained so well. They don't even need to be given new orders to proceed to the next assignment. They are astounding!" He finished.

  "Mr. President, we have always found that; if you train people well; then, give them reasonable autonomy; they will do the right things when needed.' I responded. 'How're we doing so far?" I queried.

  "We have lost eleven hundred twenty-seven with another sixteen hundred wounded or injured; and, have lost three armored vehicles and four aircraft. I regret to inform you that, you have lost nine of your agents. But, for all that, we have killed forty-three thousand two hundred seventy-three and have sixteen thousand eight hundred twelve captured and arrested. This does not include the thirty-three hundred fifteen we detained, a few days ago, here in the Capital. We have destroyed or seized over three thousand armored vehicles and thousands and thousands of weapons. But, it is not finished, yet. Your people are still leading us to more." He finished with a smile.

  "When this is concluded, I will leave my agents on the ground to circulate. If there is more to this, they will find it. We will try to be off the planet in ten days; so, you can enjoy your autonomy."

  "You mean you're…we're not facing destruction!" The president yelped; the relief apparent in his voice.

  "I see your legitimate execution of a good plan you developed to rid yourself of this plague. And, I have been receiving reports from on the ground, hourly. My people say; all your forces are conducting search and seizure and, breech and arrest operations, with enthusiasm and vigor. For the moment, I don’t see why I would execute an order to completely sterilize your world. But, you need to do more. You need to root out all information on this culture and destroy it. We do not want someone coming across information that sounds interesting or romantic in some weird way; and, attempting to revive the culture." I added.

  He slid a pad toward me, across the table top.

  "There are lists on here, of all the data systems and hard references to this subject matter, we have already purged. There is another list of all that needs to be done. If you compare the two, you will see that a substantial amount is gone; but, there is a lot more to do. It will take us another week. By the time you are ready to leave, you will be satisfied that our world is like the Encalle never existed.' He said with the tone of a child seeking the approval of a parent. 'The list is still growing, though. We have powerful search programs seeking out all references to the Encalle and a lot of related terms. But we should have removed and destroyed everything in a week." He added.

  "That's good; because, I have to report to the OFSA and the Federation, in detail. If they think my decision is wrong, they can overrule it and order your destruction. The more detail we have showing the complete erasure of the Encalle, the more likely it is we will prevent that outcome." I added that bit as a motivational reinforcement - though, it was true.

  On February 24, I was able to send a detailed report to the C&C, the CIC and Secretary of Defense outlining the actions and their results. I professed my belief that all Encalle, and references to them, were gone; and, that I believed the problem resolved for good, this time. I advised of our intent to break orbit on February 28.

  On February 27, I received the following memo, very late in the day.

  Memo

  CLASSIFIED - SECRET (NTK)

  ENCRYPTED

  AUTHENTICATE ROOT I.D. CCX@716481*TW

  From:Office of the OFSA C&C;

  To:Admiral K. Brubacher Commander IGB

  C.C.Office of the Secretary of Defense; Orion Federation CIC

  Re:Detected buildup of Encalle on Rho Three

  Date:February 26, 2259

  Kurt,

  Congratulations on successful completion of your objectives. We do not believe that either past incident resulted in such a complete eradication of this problem. We are also impressed at the way you had the people of Rho Three deal with the issue themselves, this time. It should serve to motivate them to ensure this problem never arises again.

  That being said, we would ask that you leave a considerable number of your covert forces deployed on the surface, for an extended period. This will allow you, and in turn, the Federation, to monitor the situation on the surface, to ensure the complete removal of the infection.

  We have submitted your name to the Secretary of Defense and President Chalisez name to the Assembly and Secretary of Defense for consideration for special recognition.

  Congratulations and Good Luck!

  Admiral W. Stephenson

  Admiral G. Tonaka

  By March 1, we were in route to Theatre Six for a standard examination of the command.

  In early March, I was copied on one of Admiral Bryant’s regular reports to the C&C that seemed to crack open the puzzle box a little. One of the Inscrutables’ fighter craft; apparently assigned to reconnaissance; had strayed over the border; and, had been taken out by a Theatre Nine Raptor. The pilot had used a spear that had penetrated the enemy cockpit. The concussion killed the operator before the self-destruct could be engaged. Both the Aeronaut and craft were recovered, pretty much intact. More information would follow; as the vessel and its occupant were examined meticulously over the next months. We had finally caught a break!

  Chapter 4 - Looking Devils in the Eye(s)

  Monday, March 21, 2259

  "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Alva Edison

  I remember I was swamped with mail that Monday; because, Helena and I had taken the weekend off together; and, traveled aboard our personal craft into the thin wispy clouds outside V886 Centauri; known to the OFSA as "The Diamond Star." The surrounding clouds are the residual of it expelling its exterior and contracting into a white dwarf, many eons ago. They form a bubble a little more than an eighth of a light-year from the central object; and, are still expanding outward at about one hundred thousand kilometers per hour. The accompanying shockwave has little remaining force; because it is so widely dissipated. Readings indicate, the remaining core is mostly carbon; and, as it contracts under its own gravity, this is converted to a diamond-like crystal. Positioned in the eastern third of Centaurus, well south of the ecliptic; it is almost exactly fifty light-years distance from Sol. Though the usual ratio of distant galaxies and globular clusters applies to the deep space view of the region; there are few of the beautiful and vibrant nebulae we see in other constellations. Though old, the star is still quite hot and bright. Our scientists believe thermonuclear fusion of helium atoms remaining in its core is still underway. Centaur Fleet is here along with the Theatre Six Command supercarrier, the FSS Empress Victoria, to conduct measurements of the phenomenon to determine how much of the core has indeed cooled to a crystalline structure. Scientists have argued about it for three hundred years; placing the converted mass at somewhere between thirty and eighty percent of the star's matter. IGB is here to complete a regular examination of both the Theatre Command and Centaur Fleet. We have also deployed a Task Force to meet with Crux Fleet and conduct its semi-annual audit.

  Most of my mail is typical; containing reports from IGB investigative units, IGB internal policy and protocol memos, recommendations for promotions and transfers and requests for purchase approvals. Roh has forwarded last month's financials. And there are plenty of communiqués and orders between all the various upper command levels, that; I've been copied on.

  But a Report from Admiral Bryant stands out, among all the others. It was full of data from determinations reached by Theatre Nine's Mobile Theatre Hospital Biological Chemistry Unit, Genetics Laboratory Division.

  Theatre Hospitals are substantial mobile units. They are the size and footprint of a Supercarrier; possessing a single level island bridge instead of the three-level ones employed by the Command Centers. The bottom two decks are devoted to engineering disciplines and propulsion systems
. The third floor is strictly storage of gasses, food, medicines, surgical kits, diagnostic equipment repair parts; surgical gowns and a host of all the equipment and supplies any large hospital would require. Four houses all the medical department offices, a dozen surgical suites, diagnostic imaging; dentistry units, a dozen examination rooms, ten trauma/emergency suites and the extensive laundry facilities. The fifth floor hosts the mess halls with galleys easily the size of those on the Theatre Commands; though, the mess halls only have to serve twenty-three hundred. Schools, research labs, humanoid tissue replication labs, entertainment, swimming pools and gymnasium round out this level. Above that are eight of hospital rooms, treatment centers and small labs - one discipline for each deck. Deck six is the burn, dermatology and plastic surgery level. Seven is for orthopedics, cervical and skeletal muscular patients. Eight is devoted to trauma recovery. Nine is internal medicine, rheumatology, and immunology. Ten is divided strictly between internal medicine and infectious diseases. Eleven is split between genetics and all-purpose recovery. Deck Twelve is devoted entirely to housing the staff and crew of twenty-five hundred and civilian contractors. The norm would be to staff the hospital with around eighty administrative, two hundred fifty to three hundred physicians and surgeons, around eleven hundred fifty caregivers, eighty maintenance, fifty security and about eighty support staff. The ship's crew, galley personnel, civilian contractors, and Command would come in at around seven hundred eighty-five.

  The most interesting aspect of these medical facilities is their reputation. Graduates vie to do internships and residencies on them. Specialized licensed practitioners and scientists fight for the positions on them; which, are relatively few considering the size of the Federation. I once read that; over twenty million graduating physicians are required annually, to keep up healthcare, for the Federation's half trillion citizens. A highly skilled neurosurgeon would be paid almost as much in OFSA service, as me. Medical budgets are set at the Quadrant level and divided down by each Quadrant Commander with the involved assistance of the Quadrant's Chief Medical Officer; usually a Rear Admiral. This officer would allot funds based on the guidelines set out by OFSA Headquarters' Medical Department. OFSA Mobile Theatre Hospital Commands had the finest physicians, caregivers, diagnostic technicians, diagnostic equipment, trauma centers, diagnostic laboratories and research labs in the entire Federation.

  So, I was not surprised at the investigation in Admiral Bryant's report - just, its results.

  Memo

  CLASSIFIED - CONFIDENTIAL (NTK)

  ENCRYPTED

  AUTHENTICATE ROOT I.D. FMy#716481*TW

  From:Adm. G. Bryant Mobile Fifth RAC Commander

  To:OFSA Office of C&C

  C.C.Inspector General; All Quadrant Commanders

  Date:March 17, 2259

  Admirals,

  I have just compiled and analyzed the reports I received regarding the post-mortem examination of the "Inscrutable" corpse; and, the disassembly and examination of the fighter craft we recovered back on April 30. Though the raw reports are attached, the following is what I gleaned from them.

  Fighter Craft

  These are a fixed wing single engine type capable of short space flights and atmospheric travel. Based on engine consumption and fuel storage, we have estimated maximum flight time at seventy-five minutes. The engine is similar to a small version of our IPE technology. One hundred fifteen thrusters, surrounding the entire craft, give it maneuverability. Short-range communication is achieved using high-frequency radio transmission. There is no long range communication system. The cockpit contains one pilot's seat with harnessing; supporting our belief these are bipeds (see autopsy); and, is aerated throughout to maintain pressure at around twelve PSI. The vessel is equipped with one particle cannon and a particle trap storage system, capable of firing ten charges. In addition, a single kinetic weapon can fire twenty-kilogram high-density orbs; but, is limited to twenty shots. Landing struts and hooks indicate these crafts are launched and retrieved in a similar fashion to our own. The skin is made from an aluminum alloy; unknown to our engineers.

  The Inscrutables

  The autopsy, subsequent laboratory testing, and research found a substantial biological difference to humanoids. Not the least of these is a mixed species DNA that our researchers believe is actually a result of random generation; and, not the product of interbreeding; if, even possible.

  The corpse is that of a being that is essentially ninety percent insectoid and ten percent humanoid. Believed to originally possess eight limbs, four are now just stubs. Legs are relatively long and possess extremely robust musculature. Each is hinged at what we would call a knee, and a joint comparable to a hip rotates, as in humanoids. The ankle is a compound joint. It is believed these creatures would possess exceptional speed running on hind legs. The two major upper limbs are similar to arms; but, longer and stronger than in humanoids with a wrist joint more like a humanoid ankle. Hands can apply a palm grip, but end in digits comprised of three fingers on the outside and a pair that form precise pincers on the inside. We believe that; though these beings would walk and run upright most of the time; they are capable of dropping into a four-legged stride for lengths requiring endurance. Arms, legs, pelvis, shoulder and ten percent of the back and chest area, and the crest of the skull are covered by a thin, tough exoskeleton; though the body is supported by an extensive internal skeletal frame. The head is protected and reinforced by a thick, durable inner skull sporting a brain case similar in size to our own. The brain is comprised of several lobes. Intelligence is rooted in the largest to the top and front of the skull. This one replaces the two most humanoids possess. Smaller regions and nodes control senses, motor centers, automatic and autonomic functions. Internally, these beings present much slighter lungs than humanoids; supported by a series of bronchial tubing running throughout the body and terminating at narrow openings in the dermis below the exoskeleton. Stomach and digestive system are comparable to humanoids; and undigested food found in the corpse indicates they eat similar food to us - a variety of meats vegetables and other sources of proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, and fats. Surprisingly, they possess well-developed vocal cords stimulated by the stunted lungs. Their blood is red; and, based on hemoglobin. The facial construction was the most startling; in that, they are constructed much as we are with a mouth, a nose, two eyes and two ears positioned in similar locations to our own. The eyes appear like ours; until examined closely. What seems like an iris, actually contains eight independent eyes; each capable of regulating incoming light. Some seem more highly developed towards the infra-red frequencies; while the rest work best in normal white light.

  The body we recovered wore a uniform; tailored with openings and slits in places that supported their respiratory system. It displayed several insignias; one of which seemed to be rank designation and was positioned on the front right shoulder above the breast area of the uniform.

  Though almost sheer speculation, our scientists believe, at this point, that; these creatures are from a system high in infrared light; such as a red or orange-red dwarf star. They feel, our opponents follow similar circadian rhythm patterns to humanoids; resting at night and active daytimes. They believe, the Inscrutables would possess, at least, a couple of times the strength of our strongest member humanoids. Our scientists feel that the neurological construction of this creature gives it superior senses, similar intelligence level, and self-awareness; but, is severely lacking in emotions we gain by having two lobes of intelligence. In short, they are individually an imposing and formidable foe.

  I hope this assists you in understanding our dilemma and formulating future plans.

  Admiral G. T. Bryant

  So there it is. We are up against insectoids who look near humanoid. I felt a kind of apprehension. The part of the report about the lack of emotions bothered me. It's a lot easier to kill; if you have no feelings about it.

  On Sunday, March 27, 2259, I monitored a communication that kind of stunned
me a bit. In my naivety, I had assumed that, after the constitutional changes of 2257, our realm was dynamic and would probably survive a millennium. But not even two years later, the Representative Assembly was in the midst of a constitutional crisis. I had seen that discussed, in earlier communiqués, between George and the C&C and in the memos I received, about it, from Admiral Nichols.

  This memo indicated that; stricken by an inability to get anything done; because, of backroom politics that had become overtly partisan, in nature; a large group of legislators was demanding the restoration of the old constitution. They wanted Edward to take back all the reins of power.

  The message I saw was an urgent demand from the OFSA for George to return to Earth to lead negotiations toward some kind of compromise. Since he had been so instrumental in the plan that instituted democracy; everyone felt, he would be the person to figure it all out and bring things to some kind of settlement. Orders flashed back and forth, for days; before, he embarked on the trip. Admiral Palakiko would take operational command of Fifth Mobile; and George’s regular Deputy Commander Admiral J. Coquinas would take control of Theatre Ten, in her stead. This made sense to me; since Pal was more tactically experienced at handling very wide-ranging actions; and, had refused the position before Coquinas took it; to stay “in the thick of things”; as she put it. A Deputy Commander job is quite mundane; handling mostly technical issues and reiterating the orders of the actual Commander. Coquinas had never been in actual tactical command of anything larger than a Fleet before; and Pal had been running a Theatre for years, now.

  I had seen news publications covering the stagnation. There were others that dealt with the growing protest movements on several Federation worlds. There was dissension caused by the lack of central approval of legislation passed to fill a need, on their particular planets. And, that peaceful disapproval had led to an examination of other issues. There was now a small anti-war movement in a few systems. Those advocated giving the Inscrutables some of the space they coveted in exchange for amity. Of course, none of those stars fell in the regions threatened. If we did nothing, it was certain the Federation would explode into all its constituent pieces.