Dust Bunny (Rust Bucket Universe)

by Atk. Butterfly

  ***

  Ethel opened up the message and read it quietly. As she read, her face became bright red and her eyes almost bugged out. The veins in her forehead became prominent as she read the ultimatum sent to her by an admiral in her government's own Navy. Then she looked up at the representatives and spoke. "I have just received a message from Rear Admiral David Oden. In it, he stipulates that if Gabrielle, Edun, and Echo should decide to secede, the military will not fight them while the war with Malak is ongoing. He states that the Malakins are the greater threat and he has the support of the rest of the Navy in his ultimatum."

  "What?" roared Mikelia.

  Ethel said, "Okay, let me continue. He recognizes that he's throwing away his career, but he stated reasons in this message as to why he feels this to be so important. Briefly put, he's certain that if we start fighting among ourselves, we will lose to Malak. He sees this as the only way to win that war and keep the Navy and Marines from dividing themselves into two opposing camps. He emphasizes that the military is not overthrowing the government. They will continue to respond to our orders so long as we do not order them to attack any seceding planets. If we do, the Navy will take their orders from the secessionists until the conclusion of the war with the Malakin Empire. He also states that his oath included obedience and observance of our Universal Rights Bill on which the Union was founded. He cannot break that oath. He is willing to resign, be court-martialed and plead guilty, or whatever we choose at the conclusion of the war with Malak, regardless of its outcome. I will pass this message around to you all so that you may read it in full for yourselves."

  There was plenty of outraged discussion as the message made its way around the Congress. Only three representatives had no complaints about the admiral's action. Instead, each of them breathed a short sigh of relief, knowing that there wouldn't be an immediate civil war if they had to break free. There would now be ample time to plan for most of the foreseeable contingencies.

  The vote for Serapha's admission didn't come up. Neither did the vote for Leuion in deference to Leuion's wishes, even though they saved the Seraphan task force or at least half of it anyway.

  ***

  The following day, Lobbyist Lordsman was again present though his demeanor was greatly subdued. He advanced to the recognition zone and was permitted to speak. "My government asked me to convey its appreciation of the Union's actions in assisting it against the Malakin fleet. In light of the military outcome of that skirmish, my government has asked me to have you delete paragraph 2 on page 75 of the request for waiver. Our officers will have their ranks adjusted down to fit in with the Union forces whether they feel insulted or not. Thank you." He then went back quietly to the spectator section and took a seat.

  Garin stood up and was recognized. "I think that a vote should be taken soon on these issues. I am disheartened by the fact that Serapha did not even acknowledge that it was Leuion forces that reached them first and assisted them out of their predicament. Nor does Serapha acknowledge that their forces ran, leaving the Blues to fight alone against a superior force. Not only that, but our squadrons didn't assist the Seraphan forces at all, but had to race to help the Blues whom the cowardly Seraphans left while they saved their own asses. Now, all of a sudden, they are willing to have their officers take orders from ours. I'd like to know just how many more items in their application will they be sorry for later? Regardless, I move for a vote."

  Enough members finally stood up asking for a vote. Ethel began the proceedings. Within minutes, Seraph was a member whereupon Raymond Lordsman came forward to take a seat. As he did, four members walked out of the Congress. The surprise was that Beulah's representative joined Echo, Edun, and Gabrielle in leaving. They were joined as they left by Neeko.

  Ten minutes later, Adriena's representative also walked out after hearing most of Representative Lordsman's first speech. In it Lordsman harangued the godless people of Opal and the citizens of some other planets whose cultures Lordsman had determined the Congress should investigate and change.

  ***

  Dave looked at the news. He was surprised to discover that not three members, but five, had walked out of Congress and indicated to the news media that their governments intended to press forward with secession. It changed the picture enough that he knew now he had made the best decision he could have under the circumstances. With five members, possibly Opal, and definitely Leuion banding together, the Union would have been very hard pressed in trying to survive. The five planets might have represented at most only a sixth of the Union's strength, but they could have held out for a considerable amount of time despite fighting on two fronts.

  Also, Dave read with interest Representative Lordsman's first Congressional speech that was quoted in its entirety even though it was inflammatory and irresponsible. In it Lordsman hinted that sometime later he expected the Union to wipe out Opal. Even the censure vote against Lordsman afterwards hadn't cooled off anyone's temper. Consequently, the news was filled with comments from around the Union. Pristine's leaders were finally awake but too far away and isolated from the seceding planets. Because of those factors, they spoke in muted voices.

  Meanwhile, Dave knew that he still had a war to win and a civil war to prevent from happening. Though he had the support of the Navy, he didn't have the support of the Seraphan forces that were being readied to move against the secessionists. Dave knew that if the Union was to be saved, the Blues couldn't become involved in hostilities against Serapha or any other human forces. He would have to use Union forces exclusively to defend against Serapha. He prepared new plans to keep both fronts from exploding in the Union's face.

  ***

  Admiral Oden wasn't at all surprised when he received visitors later that afternoon. He welcomed them inside his office and offered them seats.

  "Admiral Oden, we are aware of your message to Congress in its entirety. We would like to offer you sanctuary when this is over," said John Skier from Beulah.

  Dave replied, "I appreciate that, but my heart still belongs to the Union. I fought to preserve it. Now my actions are still meant to give it a chance to heal itself, even if it's at my expense. I meant what I said in that message. When the war with Malak is over, they may do with me as they wish."

  "You honestly think it can heal itself?" asked John.

  Dave replied, "I think it deserves the chance to do so, even if it requires my sacrifice. Whether it can be healed or not is a matter for the politicians to decide. All I know is that if I hadn't acted as I did, the two sides would be shedding blood already. As well, we would be in serious jeopardy of losing against Malak soon after the infighting began. This way we're not killing each other and we still present a united front against Malak. My career is a small price to pay for the bloodshed I'm preventing."

  John said, "Should you change your mind, the federation we are forming will gladly accept you as a citizen without question."

  Dave replied, "I appreciate the offer and might have to ask that my family be protected if I cannot save the Union. For myself, my word continues to stand as is."

  Melith of Gabrielle looked at the admiral and shook her head. "You would be a splendid citizen of our world for how you stand by your word. You will be honored by us regardless of what comes to be. Your name will not be sullied on our world ever, no matter what the outcome. Admiral Oden, I wish you well."

  "Thank you," Dave replied.

  John said, "If you don't already know this, Opal is activating its reserves. It doesn't intend to be caught napping. They have the equivalent of two squadrons and four space marine units. They are not joining us, however, since we have indicated that we will continue to honor the Universal Rights Bill in its entirety without waivers. In light of Lordsman's hate speech, they have stated they will still help with our defense against the Union."

  Dave replied, "I would rather have them help against Malak than see them in a losing war against the Union."

  "How so?" asked Melith. "You have control
of the Union forces."

  Dave answered, "That's true, but Opal isn't part of the Union. I said nothing about being reluctant to fight against them, not that I wish to do so. Once the war with Malak is over, the Union forces will be completely free to retaliate against Opal should Opal do anything it shouldn't. It would be wiser for them to either remain out of our internal conflict unless attacked or to join in the effort against Malak. Anything else would be totally disastrous for them."

  Melith asked, "And if they're attacked, what would the Union forces do then?"

  Dave answered, "If Serapha attacks them, I will move Union forces against Serapha's forces. However, I fully expect Serapha to attack one of your planets instead. The rest of the member worlds will be hesitant to attack Opal seeing as it is so close to most of them and can retaliate. I can't imagine Opal not fighting back since Lordsman has stated that he intends to see them wiped out in his lifetime."

  "Do you know which planet the Seraphan forces will attack?" asked John.

  Dave nodded, "Yes, whichever planet I'm on. If they can kill or capture me, the Union forces could disintegrate into opposing factions. Then a full-scale civil war will certainly erupt. I'm not really that important, but I am considered the ringleader of this so-called mutiny. If that happens, it will become quite ugly because enough of the senior officers feel as I do about the outcome for humanity if we don't defeat the Malakin Empire first. Even though only five planets have announced their secession, close to half the military will support them for the same reasons the planets seceded. They take their oath and support of the Universal Rights Bill quite seriously. The military, particularly the Navy, isn't like it was a decade ago when politicians ran it almost completely. Of all the squadron commanders, only two are adamantly pro-Union, regardless of what happens to the rights bill. Of the naval base commanders, I can only state that they have little choice but to go along with whatever world they're located on. That doesn't mean that their sympathies are aligned with those planets though."

  John expressed surprise as he asked, "That many units of the military would be on our side?"

  Dave nodded. "It would result in a large-scale bloodbath among us. Then Malak could come in and take what it wanted. I dare say that I wouldn't be alive much longer after that anyway. Most likely the Malakins would have me executed as a war criminal, if they do such things, so my career isn't all that bad a price to pay in the long run."

  "What about the two squadron leaders who are pro-Union? Won't they oppose us actively?" asked Melith.

  "I have already given them my word that we will not initiate any aggressive actions against any Union members. In exchange, they have agreed not to act against you until the war with Malak is over. So the only force you need worry about for now is the Seraphan Navy. I'm positioning units that are loyal to you under any circumstances to defend against them should they attack. The only thing I hate doing to those squadrons is requiring them not to fire first. If anyone starts a shooting war, it will have to be the Seraphans."

  John asked, "Have you ever thought of becoming a politician? You seem to have thought of everything."

  "No, I'm not cut out to be a politician. However, I hope that I haven't overlooked anything critical in my planning. Otherwise, the Seraphans will bring back capital punishment by public hanging which means a number of us might feel a rope around our necks."

  Dave couldn't reveal to them that in his thoughts he already saw the secessionists killing him later to prevent him from honoring his word to the Union. They would if they came to realize that his earlier phrase "or (do) whatever we (the Union) choose at the conclusion of the war with the Malakin Empire" meant that he would once again take orders from the Union and forcefully oppose the secessionists. They would have little choice then other than to kill him to protect themselves when the war with Malak ended. Even outnumbered, Dave knew they believed that he would win in bloody naval combat. Such was his reputation.

  ***

  "One of our own admirals has instituted a navy-wide mutiny. You heard me right! Mutiny! They refuse to take orders from Congress in order to end these secessionist ideas by Gabrielle, Edun, Echo, Adriena, and Beulah. They are deliberately letting those planets succeed in their efforts to establish a rebel government. Not only that, but they are giving them time to build up fleets to oppose us with. Even though Serapha is the newest member of the Union, we feel as much love for it as the older established planets. Our former Navy, now the only part of the Union Navy that is not in a state of mutiny, will go out and stop them before they have time to build up! I wish them every success in bringing down the mutiny and stopping the rebellion by those godless, pagan, heathens who run around naked performing sex acts in the streets. It's about time we brought an end to some of this extremism that some people think is merely a different societal culture. It is idolatry and greed, lust and sodomy, sin and sacrilege to let those infidels continue to mock the Union and destroy the greatness it has achieved."

  "They do not even uphold the very Universal Rights Bill they so outspokenly endorse. They are planning on letting Opal, that world of atheists, join them without Opal so much as having to tolerate any religions on its planet. Those are not universal rights when people, particularly young people still in development, are deprived of the chance to hear the word of God and make up their own minds. Opal, at this very moment, is activating its armed forces to attack the Union. That's right! They are preparing right now for war! Meanwhile our former Union fleet is in mutiny and refuses to fight against the rebellion!"

  "On Serapha, we know how to take care of such mangy curs. We still practice capital punishment. When the leaders of this mutiny are captured, they should be hanged publicly! They should serve as an example to everyone that the Union is not to be harmed without suffering grave consequences."

  "Worst of all is Rear Admiral Dave Oden, hero of the Ape-oids' War. Some hero! He thinks he's a god, able to dictate his will to the Congress and the Union of Planets. Well, he isn't a god and he doesn't dictate to me! When he's captured, I shall be only too glad to personally lynch him if the Union brings back capital punishment. If not, I will make sure that he never sees the universe again as a free man. I'll see to it that he spends the rest of his life in the bowels of a dark prison!"

  "Nor shall his family escape punishment. They should forfeit all their property and their rights to vote or hold office. None of them have stood up against the vile, foul-smelling, disloyal Dave Oden, whom I'll not call an admiral ever again as his conduct dishonors the proud Union uniform and rank the Union entrusted with him. They should be forced to pay a penalty along with this traitorous dog, this sniveling coward who won't put down a small rebellion and who puts the Union's own survival at risk for his own personal gain!"

  Dave sadly shook his head at the comments made by Representative Lordsman. Though the words were highly inflammable, they were working in a few places. The news also reported him being burned in effigy in some localities, though Dave hardly cared about those places on Serapha where most of the anti-Oden hatred was brewing. He sent out a new message to the Grim Reaper Squadron concerning their defense of the rebellious planets from the Seraphan navy.

  Dave had already managed to obtain and view combat videos from some of the Seraphan navy warships. He had determined that they weren't nearly as good as Serapha's citizens or Representative Lordsman thought. His instructions to the squadron included more than not only being second to fire. The squadron would have to disable the Seraphan warships whenever possible and only fire for their own defense on gun stations of Seraphan ships that managed to hit Union warships. Dave knew he was asking almost the impossible of the men and women aboard the squadron warships. However, he wanted to avoid as much bloodshed as possible so that the Union might still have a chance to heal its self-inflicted wounds.

  ***

  In the meantime, representatives of the governments of Adriena, Beulah, Gabrielle, Echo, and Edun, along with Leuion, were forming a new government
, the Federated Planets. For once, Echo and Edun were getting something they always wanted for all their citizens. They were getting the right to keep and observe their own cultural values even when their citizens were visiting other member worlds of the new organization. In return, they were granting the same rights to the other members' citizens. No longer would someone have to dress up or down to freely visit another world where customs were very different. Even the military would have the same rights, regardless of what units the citizens were in.

  Despite the fact that Leuion could have probably received permission for their people to mate while fighting, Leuion's representative agreed that their contribution to the Federation's armed forces would discontinue that tradition as something they couldn't afford to continue. It was also partly instituted by Leuion as necessary public relations damage control in order to defuse some of the more inflammatory comments being made by Serapha's representative.

  Only one comment was at least partly true that Representative Lordsman made in his speech. The rebellious planets were actively building naval warships. However, those were all designed and planned for by the Union of Planets before there was even a hint of Serapha's intention of applying for admission to the Union or of a secession. The warships were originally intended for the Union Navy. Only circumstances of shipyard location were now dictating that they become Federated Planet naval vessels instead.

  ***

  Val was shown into the office by Captain George Clark, fresh back from his mission to Malak to bring the young spy out of hiding. It hadn't been easy reaching Val or evading the Malakins on the return trip as all the direct routes were thoroughly infested with Empire warships. They had returned by a roundabout route as Val's information was vital and couldn't be lost. Even more important was his direct testimony as a witness for that still carried more weight than a written report.