Upon hearing the word 'sedition,' Jenetta's eyes opened wide, she sat straight up in her chair, and she practically spit up the mouthful of coffee she had just taken from her mug. It was a heck of the way to start the morning.
"Since you left, months ago, the Azula Mum has been traveling around Gavistee, talking to your tenants. She's concerned with their welfare, and that's admirable, but she almost seems to be inciting them to demonstrate in protest against the present poor living conditions on the planet.
"My Lady, if word of this gets back to the crown, the king and queen will be most upset, and I fear what action they might take. I hope you will speak with her about tempering her— maternalistic— public speaking.
"Here are the monthly figures for your estate…"
Jenetta sat back in her chair without really hearing the rest of the message. She'd had so much on her mind that she hadn't really listened closely to the weekly messages from her mom. She knew her mother was traveling around the countryside, talking to the tenants and trying to make their lives easier, but she had no inkling that the activity could be construed as seditious. There was a new message from her mom in her personal mail queue, and although she normally only listened to personal mail after returning to her quarters each evening, she made an exception on this occasion.
"Hello, dear," the smiling face of her mother said as the message opened. "I have the most exciting news. There's to be a large harvest celebration in September and I've been invited by the Glinesku town council to speak. I'm told that it's always the largest celebration on the estate, probably because Glinesku is the largest town on the estate. Marisa has been helping me write my speech. I'm going to tell the farmers that they need to organize and demand that the king reduce the percentage of their crop that he takes as tribute every year."
If Jenetta hadn't stopped drinking her coffee after seeing the vidMail from her chamberlain, she probably would have spilled it all over herself with this announcement.
"Can you believe," her mother continued, "that he takes half their crop every year? It barely leaves them enough to live on. I don't know how they do it. They struggle all year to produce a crop and then he swoops in here and takes half of it. It's criminal.
"Marisa sends her love, as do I. Call soon, dear, and be careful out there.
"Annette Carver, Palace of the Family Carver, Gavistee Peninsula, Obotymot, message complete."
Jenetta was aghast but took several minutes to calm down before she recorded her response.
"Computer, new message. To Annette Carver, Palace of the Family Carver, Gavistee Peninsula, Obotymot.
"Mama, I appreciate your desire to help our people live a better life, but you have to remember that you're on Obotymot, not Earth. On Earth, specifically in the United States, the federal government now collects a flat fee income tax of fifteen percent from all those citizens who earn between the officially established poverty level and ten times the poverty level. It's understandable that some people think of that as the total tax rate for everyone because that's what politicians want you to think, but that's only a small part of the tax collection system. Almost every state has an income tax, many with rates as high as the federal rate. Then there're property taxes, school taxes, sales taxes, use taxes, health care taxes, retirement taxes, fuel taxes, travel taxes, hotel taxes, luxury taxes, alcohol taxes, food taxes, and on and on and on. Many of the taxes are taxes on things already taxed many times already, so the price of products and services are already much higher because of all the previous layers of taxes, and much is done to hide taxes to avoid taxpayer revolts. Directly and indirectly, the average middle class citizen pays approximately eighty percent of all their income to one government bureaucracy or another for taxes every year, and wealthy citizens pay up to ninety percent. Your income is taxed before you even see any of it, and when you try to spend the remainder, it's taxed again and again.
"Obotymot citizens pay just fifty percent of their crops if they're farmers or of their income if they're a merchant or tradesman. There is only one collection system and no other taxes. Having just one collection point means that the colossal costs of administering thousands of redundant tax collection programs like those in the United States are avoided. So fewer taxes need to be collected, and the taxes that are collected can be better utilized. Our people on Obotymot receive free health care, free education, and an untaxed retirement income. The tenants are not paying tribute to the crown; they are paying a tax for all the services they receive. In addition to the services I mentioned, money from the crops fully support the church, pay for military and police protection, and assist families who are certifiably unable to till the land or provide for themselves.
"So you see, our people aren't suffering. The planet sustained a devastating natural disaster when the meteor struck. The crown and the nobles have picked up the entire cost of cleansing the atmosphere and rebuilding the agrarian society on Obotymot while continuing to provide food, care, and shelter to all citizens. Yes, times were difficult, but the system works and the planet is on its way to a full recovery. As crop yields improve, the tenants will have more disposable income and a better life than they've had over the past two decades. If anyone is suffering, they're still eligible for assistance. The system isn't at fault for the suffering and every effort has been made to reduce it. Prior to the meteor strike, the people on Obotymot were happy and prosperous. They will be again.
"I love that you have embraced our people and want to help them achieve a more productive and enjoyable life, but I ask that you do it within the system rather than trying to change it. Please remember that when you speak, you are a part of the nobility. You are the Azula Mum. Your words carry a weight you may not yet fully appreciate. You must support the government, not denigrate it.
"My love to you and Marisa and I'm glad you're enjoying your time on the estate.
"Jenetta Carver, Admiral, Commander of the Second Fleet and Military Governor of Regions Two and Three, Palace of the Governor, Quesann, message complete."
Jenetta took a deep breath and leaned back into her chair. She hoped the message reached her mother before the harvest festival so the speech could be altered. She had so much to worry about already and wished that one more problem hadn't just been added to her burden.
Before she returned to Space Command business, she sent a message to Chamberlain Yaghutol explaining that she had sent a message to the Azula Mum in which she attempted to curb any behavior inconsistent with her elevated position on the estate.
* * *
"Any sign of enemy ships?" Commander Shawn Fischer asked as the three ships of his search group established a three-way conference.
The search group, as per orders from Captain Zakir Singh of the DS destroyer Duluth, senior officer among the ships tasked with finding the Salado, had waited weeks to give time for the enemy ships to leave the vicinity of the destroyed ship so the SC ships could return to retrieve the crewmembers they had been forced to leave behind. The three small ships had just rendezvoused after completing a full Light-9790 search of space within a hundred billion kilometers in every direction.
"Nothing showed up on our screens, Commander Ashlyn Flanery of the Vistula said. The image on Fischer's office monitor showed her to be sitting in her office with her XO.
"Ditto," Commander Wilson Teffler of the Gambia said from his office. "We didn't see so much as a rogue asteroid. There was nothing out of place in our search area."
"Same here," Fisher said. "I think we should contact the Sebastian and inform them that it appears to be safe for them to come in."
"You're senior here," Flanery said, "so it's your call. But for the record, I concur."
"Ditto," Teffler said. "But I suggest we add that they shouldn't drop their envelope once they arrive next to the Salado until we can each place our Distant DeTect satellites and establish a safe zone of twenty-four billion kilometers. Once the Sebastian opens her hull to take the Salado inside, she'll be a sitting duck if th
e enemy shows up. Twenty-four billion kilometers will give her a safety margin of three minutes. It's a small margin to be sure if her hull is still open, but if the enemy ships do show up, maybe we can distract them long enough for her to seal her hull and build an envelope as you did for us when we needed the time."
"Okay, good idea, Wilson. Let's do it, guys."
It took several hours for the three small ships to seed the area with Distant DeTect Grid satellites, activate them, and fully test the system. Once the grid was online, the Sebastian was given a green light to approach the Salado and take her inside.
With everyone working as quickly as possible, the destroyed ship was soon secure inside the Sebastian and the hull resealed. Once the ship transporter had rebuilt her envelope, everyone breathed a little easier. Only then did engineers enter the Salado with hopes of finding the Gambia and Vistula crewmembers. If the enemy ships showed up on the DDG, the ships could easily be gone before the enemy arrived.
Guarding against the possibility that the enemy might have left explosive devices aboard the ship after they were foiled in their attempt to catch the Gambia, Vistula, and Yukon, Marines first performed a complete sweep of the ship. Once it was determined to be clear of any such devices, engineers began examining all of the onboard stasis chambers. Since the hull of the Sebastian was Dakinium-sheathed and Dakinium blocked all transmission signals, the enemy could never detonate a planted charge from outside. In fact, if the enemy had planted a locator beacon, they wouldn’t even know that the Salado had been moved, just that the beacon had stopped transmitting.
After retrieving their DDG satellites, the three scout-destroyers rejoined the other search ships at the RP while the Sebastian headed for Quesann at Light-9790.
In a conference call with all ships, Captain Zakir Singh asked Commander Fischer for a full status report.
"As previously reported in our official mission report," Fischer said, "the SC transporter ship Sebastian is currently on its way to Quesann with the Salado in its hull. The enemy ships never put in an appearance, so all remained quiet at the battle site. Following a search for explosive devices aboard the Salado, the engineers searched the stasis beds in all life pods. None were occupied and never had been, but many were missing. The number missing exactly equals the number of crewmembers we were forced to leave behind at the earlier confrontation. We did find all three of the shuttles that were sent over initially, two from the Gambia and one from the Vistula. The conclusion would have to be that the enemy seized the stasis beds containing our people."
"Was there any indication of why they chose to take prisoners now and not earlier?"
"We know of no reason for their action."
"Very well. Thank you, Commanders Fisher, Flanery, and Teffler. This concludes your ship's role in the incident that occurred while investigating the attack on the Salado. We can only hope that we will one day recover our missing crewmen and that they will be healthy.
"Normally, we would likely receive orders to resume the patrol routes we were following when the call went out for search ships, but Region Two HQ has new orders for all of us. We're to begin a new search. This time we'll be hunting for the enemy ships that have attacked us, and in so doing declared war against the Galactic Alliance.
"R2HQ believes that a race known as the Denubbewa are responsible for the attacks on the Yenisei and Salado. Reportedly, whole colonies of these aliens spend their entire lives aboard enormous mother ships. R2HQ believes that one or more of these mother ships might have entered GA space and is acting as a staging platform for upcoming attacks. They believe that the two attacks were only to test our ships and weapons. The coming storm will probably see them attempt to purge our forces, much as the THUG pact tried to do. We must locate their forces, and especially their mother ships if we're to have a chance of defeating them.
"All searchers will use Light-9790 speed and never drop their envelopes. At that speed, we need not fear the enemy ships. It's true that we cannot engage them at that speed, but it's also true that they cannot harm us. Our task is to locate every enemy ship in GA space. Since we expect that all will have an obvious power signature, we won’t stop to investigate dormant anomalies."
"Will reports require verification by other ships?" one of the scout-destroyer captains asked.
"No. Our search fleet is too small. Just report the sighting and send the recorded data for the contact."
"It could take thousands of years to search all of Region Two space with just fifty-two search ships."
"Then we should get started. Any other questions?" When no one spoke up, Captain Singh said, "Okay. The navigator on each ship will shortly receive the coordinates of the ship's search territory. If you have any questions at that time, contact me. Otherwise, deploy whenever you're ready. Dismissed."
* * *
Vyx entered the flight deck of the Scorpion in response to an audible alert in the living quarters and saw the reason for the signal immediately. A light on the flight console, indicating an incoming message, was winking on and off. He plopped down into the pilot's seat, lightly stabbed at a button on the console, and watched a small monitor as a vid message played for several minutes. At the conclusion of the message, he erased all record of the communication and returned to the living quarters. The flight deck was unattended because the ship had been parked for several months at a spaceport at Humalerret on the planet Uthlarigasset. Living aboard the ship meant that Vyx's team of Intelligence agents could talk freely without fear that anyone might be eavesdropping or recording their conversations.
"We have new orders," Vyx said to his associates as he returned to the dining room where Byers had begun serving dinner in his absence.
"What's up?" Brenda asked. "I was just getting into the swing of the old assignment. We have to stop the slave trade in this region."
"It's big," Vyx said as he sat down in his regular seat next to Brenda. "Real big. Bigger than Admiral Carver's goal of eliminating the slave trade. A new enemy has appeared in Region Two."
"New?" Nelligen said, "As in someone we haven't fought before? I had begun to think we'd run out of new enemies and could just concentrate on the old familiar ones, like the Uthlaro and Raiders."
"They might be involved. That's why we're being called into the act."
"So who is this new enemy?" Kathryn asked.
"R2HQ doesn't know for sure. All we know is that they've destroyed two of our scout-destroyers in Region Two near the Hudeerac/Ruwalchu border and their ship configuration resembles ships of a race called the Denubbewa."
"Denubbewa?" Byers said. "Never heard of them."
"Neither have I. But that's what R2HQ is saying. They're not locals. Apparently their home system is twelve thousand light-years beyond our border."
"Are they kidding?" Nelligen said. "Why did they have to come here to pick a fight?"
"That's one of the things R2HQ would like to know."
"As much as I love this ship, if these Denubbewa could destroy two Dakinium-sheathed ships, the Scorpion is certainly no match for them," Brenda said. "What's our role in this?"
"The Quesann Intelligence Section has received information that the Uthlaro have been recruiting workers and sending them off-world. Nobody knows where they've gone, but R2HQ thinks they're being sent outside GA space. HQ wants to know what they're doing, for whom, and why they're doing it outside GA space."
"Space Command doesn't have any authority outside GA space," Kathryn said.
"Actually, we do. We're not supposed to enter another nation without orders or permission, but open space is— well— open. In any event, we have orders to track the workers and find out what's going on. HQ also wants to know if the Uthlaro are involved with the Denubbewa and if the two things are related."
"The Uthlaro have always tolerated Terrans here because of their association with the Raiders," Brenda said, "but since the war they certainly don't trust any of us. How are we supposed to get one to open up and tell us where the worke
rs have gone?"
"I don't know. I guess they expect us to use the superlative talents that got us into this wonderful line of work in the first place."
"I don't like this assignment already," Byers said. "I don't have any superlative talents except for cooking."
"You don't like anything," Nelligen said.
"Not true. I'm very partial to my new Crème Brulee dessert recipe."
"It's too sweet."
"Just sprinkle it with red and black pepper like you do everything else and you'll love it too."
"I'm not crazy about this new assignment myself," Vyx said, interrupting the verbal repartee and returning attention to the business at hand, "but orders are orders. Someone pass the mashed sweet potatoes and turkey platter, please."
* * *
Chapter Twelve
~ September 25th, 2286 ~
"If the new GA Senate complex isn't located on this island, it will be more difficult to defend, Admiral," Captain Graham Daltas, the architect heading the design effort, said. "And the weather on this island is perfect for year-round government operations. It's ideal for the Senate Complex."
"Captain," Jenetta said, "there are thousands of islands suitable for the GA Senate on this planet. Many enjoy the same temperate weather we have here, and I know the Senators will love whichever one we choose. When I laid claim to this planet on behalf of Space Command, I established a zone of exclusion that covers the entire solar system. Anyone who tries to enter the solar system without an invitation will learn that when we say, 'Stay away,' we mean it. Defense of the facilities is not a major consideration since it's unlikely that an enemy ship will ever get close to the planet. Select another."
"But Admiral, locating the complexes here will mean less travel time to the new Supreme Headquarters complex, which SHQ requires be located immediately next to the GAS."
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