Retreat and Adapt

by Thomas DePrima

  Jenetta raced onto the admiral's bridge and climbed into her command chair. The large monitor at the front of the bridge was displaying an image of the captain's bridge. Gavin was in his command chair reading a report from a monitor mounted to the chair near his right hand. Jenetta stabbed lightly at a contact point on her left-hand monitor that would allow an image of the admiral's bridge to be seen on the captain's bridge.

  "Any change in status, Larry?" Jenetta asked.

  Gavin looked up and said, "No change, Admiral."

  A tac officer was always on duty on the admiral's bridge, ready with answers in an instant. He had a direct connection to the lead tac officer on the captain's bridge to allow them to coordinate all functions. As Gavin and Jenetta talked, the other crewmembers assigned to the admiral's bridge entered and manned their consoles.

  "Okay," Jenetta said as she buckled her seat belt, "once most crewmen are at their posts, let's move in to a hundred thousand kilometers."

  Gavin checked a monitor and said, "We're at ninety-eight-point-two percent of full readiness and climbing fast."

  "Okay, let's go see what the situation is."

  * * *

  "Admiral," the booming voice of a Tsgardi tactical officer announced excitedly through the ceiling speaker, "our DeTect systems have just reported the approach of a large ship."

  Admiral Kelakmius of the Tsgardi Defense Command was just sitting down to have dinner in his cabin. He stood back up and pushed his chair back, then hurried over to the intercom control on the bulkhead. "What kind of ship?" he said calmly.

  "It's still too distant to be sure, but it's coming on fast and appears to be a warship. We'll have better data shortly as it gets closer."

  "A warship? What makes you think it's a warship?"

  "It's too large to be a single-hulled freighter and too fast for either a freighter or passenger liner. If it's a warship, it's almost certainly Space Command. The Territorial Guard warships don't venture this far outside the original Milori Empire."

  "Space Command? What would they be doing here?"

  "We'll get better data as they move closer."

  "Sound general quarters— no— wait. Do not sound general quarters. If they are Space Command, we must not put them on alert."

  "What action should we take, sir?"

  "I'll be on the bridge in a couple of minutes. Just standby until then." Kelakmius glanced over at the table where his fresh zeepaza was wiggling and squirming over bright yellow relliso leaves. By the time he returned, the zeepaza would probably be dead and the relliso would be wilted and tasteless. Damn all Spaccs. Why did they have to show up now, of all times?

  * * *

  "Tac, any change in status?" Jenetta asked of her tac officer as they approached the planet.

  "The ships are still in geo orbit, Admiral. We're starting to get a little better data now that we're closer. All five ships appear to be exactly the same size." After a short pause, he added, "Admiral, the ships appear to be Tsgardi destroyers."

  "Tsgardi?"

  "Based on the return data, that's what the ship identification system is reporting, although it's only showing a seventy-eight percent accuracy at this time. Wait, the accuracy indicator just jumped to ninety-two percent."

  "Could they be new ships the Flordaryns are building for home system defense?"

  "The configuration is one that was discontinued some forty years ago."

  "That would indicate that they're Tsgardi System Defense ships because that's all they had left after the war. Have they gone on alert?"

  "There's no indication of activity."

  "Perhaps they haven't noticed us. Com, are you picking up any local chatter on the frequencies the Tsgardi use?"

  "Negative, Admiral. Everything seems peaceful on all military channels."

  "Get me the Planetary Council Headquarters."

  "Aye, Admiral. Working on it."

  * * *

  "The ship is almost definitely Space Command, Admiral. It looks like a Prometheus-class battleship, but there are some slight discrepancies. It might be a new class."

  "Great. We're sitting here in these old rust buckets while Space Command's newest class of battleship bears down on us. Those little scout ships took out most of our fleet while never losing a single ship. How could we ever stand up to a new battleship?"

  * * *

  Twenty seconds later, the com chief on the admiral's bridge aboard the Ares said, "I have the Council President, Admiral."

  "Put him on my left-hand monitor."

  "Aye, Admiral. He's there."

  Jenetta looked at the image of the Flordaryn. He didn't appear distressed at all. "Mr. President, there appears to be five Tsgardi destroyers in orbit around your planet."

  "Yes, Admiral Carver, we know," Jenetta heard through her CT. "They've come looking for help."

  "Help? Help with what?"

  "Their ships are breaking down and they have no one to fix them. While we were being held as slaves, they tried to have us train some of their people to be engineers, but few could even master the use of a screwdriver."

  "Those ships are never supposed to leave their solar system. That was in the terms of their surrender."

  "They've brought them to us here because we refused to go there. This is the only way we'd agree to fix them."

  "You've put me in a very delicate position, Mr. President. I had told them that if any Tsgardi warships ever left their home system, we'd destroy them on sight."

  "They claim they need the ships in good working order if they're to protect their home system and had no other alternative."

  "We're going to approach the planet, but no closer than twenty-five thousand kilometers to any Tsgardi warship. Tell them that if they make the slightest provocative move, we'll blast them to space dust."

  "If they do move, it won't be very far or very fast, Admiral. Their FTL drives and Sub-Light engine systems are all off-line. All they have available is their deuterium thrusters."

  "How long have they been here?"

  "Several GST weeks."

  "And their claims of needing service are genuine?"

  "More than genuine. I'm amazed they even reached us. If we were more than eight light-years distant, they probably wouldn't have even tried to make the trip. These ships are the oldest they had. They were unfit for real combat, so they kept them home as a basic security force. You have little to fear from these ships."

  "It's not the ships I fear; it's their torpedoes. Even the oldest ships can fire the newest torpedoes."

  "They arrived with just five torpedoes apiece, and we required them to offload the missiles to a storage barge before we'd begin work. We also disabled their laser arrays. I don't think they know that yet."

  "That was a very prudent measure."

  "We didn't want there to be any accidents while they were here that could be used to cover up kidnappings with claims that the missing people had been vaporized in a laser array accident or torpedo explosion."

  "How much longer will it take to complete the repairs?"

  "My chief engineers say that a proper overhaul would take several GST years but they estimate we can make the ships reliably space worthy again in nine to ten more GST months."

  "I can't assign any of my ships to stay in orbit that long to ensure your safety."

  "I think we're safe enough, Admiral. They have no offensive weapons, and if they do anything to harm any of our people, they know we'll never work on their ships again. Since we're the only ones who would even consider working on their ships, they have to comply with our demands."

  "Tsgardi don't necessarily think very far ahead. Their leaders do, but the average Tsgardi warrior doesn't correlate the current situation with something that might happen as far away as dinnertime."

  "We know the culture all too well, Admiral, and we thank you for your concern, but if the Tsgardi ever try to enslave our people again, they'll learn we're not as trusting as we once were, or as defenseless."


  "I'm glad to hear that, Mr. President."

  "We look forward to welcoming you and the delegation you're escorting. When can we expect you?"

  "The delegation leader will be responsible for making all arrangements, so she will no doubt be in touch very soon. At present, she and the other delegates are in a Secure room. We took every precaution for their safety when we spotted the warships in orbit around your planet."

  "As you can see, the situation is not as bad as one might expect."

  "Are there any Tsgardi on the planet?"

  "No, we refused to let them land. The population might react badly after so many years of slavery and the loss of so many family members. Fully half our engineering people refused to work on their ships."

  "I understand. It will take many generations for the memories to dim."

  "If ever. Many people have written books about their years in captivity. Some of the tales are quite graphic and even stir the blood of people who were least affected during the occupation."

  "I suppose that's why I was so surprised to hear you had agreed to repair their ships."

  "Truth be told, I was afraid to refuse them. They are quick to anger and might have attacked us before Space Command could arrive to assist."

  "If you'd like to terminate your agreement, I could ensure this group would never bother you again."

  "Tempting, Admiral, but we've always prided ourselves on meeting our commitments, and we did commit to doing this work."

  "May I ask how the Tsgardi intend to pay for your services?"

  "They have already paid us. The form is precious metals and stones. As you know, most Tsgardi have strong backs and weak minds, so mining is a very suitable occupation and they are quite good at it. We, uh, doubled what we would have charged anyone else to make up for past treatment we endured at their— paws."

  "Very well, Mr. President. I'll be contacting them myself very soon. Now that I know the situation, I'm better positioned to deal with them. The leader of the trade delegation will be making arrangements with your office for the trade discussions. Thank you for your time."

  "Of course, Admiral. And may I extend the thanks of all my people to you for freeing us from Tsgardi rule. We look forward to becoming an active and voting member of the Galactic Alliance. Good day."

  Jenetta leaned back into her chair and thought about the situation. She wasn't so sure she could have so soon entered into a working relationship with a race that had subjugated hers for so long. The Flordaryns were a truly unique people. Or perhaps they had an unseen agenda. Jenetta shook her head to clear her thoughts. Perhaps she was just becoming paranoid, but the President of the Flordaryn planet was a politician, and she didn't have very much respect for politicians. These days, they always seemed to be embroiled in bribery, corruption, or sex scandals. Of course, she knew it had always been that way with the ruling classes. It had just gotten worse down through the centuries as people won the right to vote, while governments had grown larger and power had become centralized. During their careers, politicians seemed to slip deeper and deeper into the wallets of big business until they all but lost sight of their constituents— until it was time to seek reelection. And now the GA Senate wanted to establish a new center for operations on Quesann— her Quesann. What had she ever done to deserve that?

  * * *

  "I'm Admiral Jenetta Carver," she said when communications had finally been established with the senior Tsgardi officer aboard the destroyer Vekezemos.

  "I know who you are, Terran. You destroyed the Kingdom's fleet and murdered our military forces."

  "Yes, well— that sometimes happens when a would-be conqueror attacks a peaceful nation in the belief they can steal that nation's territory. You chose to chew on something that could bite back and had much sharper teeth. I gave the Tsgardi fleet the opportunity to surrender peacefully. They foolishly made a decision to fight. Once that occurred, the outcome was inevitable."

  "Every Tsgardi warrior carries your picture, Terran."

  Jenetta quickly formulated a strategy for dealing with this latest obnoxious commander who was all bluff and bluster. She knew she had to knock him down a peg or two without it actually coming to blows, so messing with his head a little might throw him off balance from the start. Smiling sweetly, she said in a totally girly voice, "Oh, that's so sweet. Are they hoping to get my autograph?"

  "What?" the Tsgardi asked with a confused look. He was expecting death threats.

  "Are they carrying my picture around so I can autograph it for them if we ever happen to meet?"

  The Tsgardi sneered and said, "They carry it so they can study it every night and burn your image into their mind. They will recognize you instantly should you meet, and they will exact revenge for our dead comrades."

  "Oh, I guess it's not so sweet then." Jenetta had known exactly why Tsgardi warriors carried the images. It was reported that they never fell asleep at night until they had studied each image of their enemies for at least five minutes. "Tell you what, let's you and me duke it out right here."

  "What's this 'duke it out' mean?"

  "It means fight," Jenetta said as she pressed a spot on her left monitor. "There, I just gave the order to ready five torpedoes. That's one for each of your ships."

  "Wait, we're unarmed. You can't fire on us."

  "Oh, but I can. You see, when the Tsgardi War Council surrendered unconditionally, they were told that no Tsgardi warship could ever leave your solar system without permission. You did not request permission from Quesann and yet here you are in a different solar system. Legally, I can reduce you to space dust and no one can say a word against my action."

  "But we're unarmed."

  "I think we both know that doesn't really matter. You wouldn't stand a chance even if you were armed. So we might as well just finish this right here and now and have it over with. Are you ready?" Jenetta poised her finger over a contact spot on the monitor.

  "You can't do this," Admiral Kelakmius screamed. "You're a Space Command officer. This is murder."

  "Why shouldn't I do it? You believe me to be a murderer anyway."

  "But that wasn't cold-blooded murder. It was murder during battle."

  "Oh, murder during battle, was it? Well, we'll call this a battle and then it will be alright, okay?"

  "We're defenseless. You can't murder us like this."

  Jenetta had tired of the game so she said, "Oh, I just remembered something. I promised the Flordaryn Council President that I wouldn't destroy your ships until after they finish their work. So I guess I can't destroy you just yet."

  Kelakmius seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before saying, "We're no match for a Space Command battleship."

  "That's probably the first thing you've said that I agree with. I'll tell you what—when your repairs are finished, you contact Space Command at Quesann and request an escort back to your home solar system. We'll send someone to see that no one destroys you on the way home. And in the future, I expect you to request an escort should you ever again need to leave your solar system. This is your final warning. If any warship ever again leaves your solar system without permission, we will destroy it without further word when we spot it. Is that understood?"

  Kelakmius was bristling, but he was smart enough to simply say, "Understood."

  "Good. Never forget it."

  Jenetta waited until after the connection was severed before allowing herself to smile. She hoped she had finally put the fear of Space Command into Kelakmius. He had to understand that the Tsgardi warships may not leave their home solar system without permission and without an escort. He was understandably having difficulty coping with the loss of their kingdom, but if he left his planet's system again, she would have to take more drastic action than a mind game and simple tongue lashing.

  * * *

  In the weeks that followed, the delegation from the GA conducted numerous sessions with government scientists and engineers. Jenetta sat in on some of the higher-level meetings, and
of course engaged in many closed-door meetings with senior military, intelligence, and political figures on the planet. At the end of the meeting schedule, she was more convinced than ever that the planet's leaders had some hidden agenda, but it was like that on every world. They would only tell the GA, and Jenetta as the GA's official representative, so much of what they were doing or planning for their people. That was their right and perfectly acceptable because what they did on their own planet was entirely their own business. The GA would only get involved if matters moved off-planet. And even then involvement was only required if the planet violated Galactic Alliance laws.

  Jenetta was tiring of the endless meetings that should be handled by the GA Diplomatic Corps, and would be once Flordarya became a member of the GA, when she received a message from Admiral Augustus Poole.

  "Hello, Jen. I have the sad duty to report that we've found the Yenisei. According to the report from the captain of the Thames, the hull is so riddled with holes that it resembles a brick of Swiss cheese. The crew never had a chance. All hands are accounted for. Following my report in early March, I dispatched one of the new ship transporters to the last reported location of the Yenisei. I certainly wasn't expecting the news that we've just received, but I expected that the ship, when found, might be disabled. The Winston should reach the location within a few days and return here by about June 26th.

  "In the meantime, all of the Yenisei's logs will be downloaded to the Thames and then transmitted to Intelligence here at Quesann. The captain of the Thames will send his complete report within twenty-four hours. I'll forward a copy to you as soon as we receive it. We're continuing the search for the Salado with every ship we can get to their last reported location, and there's even more urgency now that we've learned the fate of the Yenisei.

  "Augustus Poole, Rear Admiral, Upper Half, Base Commander, Quesann SCB, message complete."

  Jenetta immediately cancelled her participation in all further meetings and scheduled the Ares to depart the following day. The delegation would remain on the planet to conclude their business, then request that a ship pick them up.