Retreat and Adapt

by Thomas DePrima

  "My King," Aloyandro said with utmost respect, "I've just received a communication from Admiral Carver."

  "Is there a problem?"

  "Uh— not a problem, Your Highness. It's a request. She asks for permission to cross our space into Ruwalchu space."

  "She's attacking the Ruwalchu? And she wants to involve us? The Ruwalchu will accuse us of being complicit."

  "She states categorically that she is not planning to engage the Ruwalchu in anything more than dialog. She says she confronted a Ruwalchu warship, the Vormeddo, eleven light-years inside their border, and the captain responded most belligerently when asked why he was there."

  "Did she destroy the ship?"

  "She says she simply broke off contact and decided to take up the issue with the Ruwalchu Gilesset directly. She seeks only friendly dialog."

  "And you believe her?"

  "To the best of my knowledge, she has never lied to us and has always acted most honorably. Yes, I trust her word."

  The king stood and walked around his large office twice as he thought.

  "I would like to meet this human. Ask her to stop here."

  "Going or coming, sire?"

  "Which would you suggest?"

  "I imagine she feels some sense of urgency in contacting the Ruwalchu and would be distracted before. I suggest requesting a meeting on her return visit."

  "Fine. Give her permission to cross our space and request a meeting on her return trip."

  "Yes, Your Majesty. It shall be done."

  * * *

  "The Hudeerac approved our request," Jenetta said to Gavin, "so plot a course through their nation that will get us to the Ruwalchu Confederacy as quickly as possible."

  "We've already plotted the optimal course. We were only waiting for permission. I'll have my helmsman change course immediately."

  "Very good. Would you join me for supper tonight?"

  "It would be my pleasure."

  "Good, I'll see you then."

  * * *

  Seventeen days after the confrontation with the Vormeddo, the five-ship task force approached the solar system where the Ruwalchu had evolved and which still functioned as its capital system. Patrols along the borders shared with the GA had been increased substantially in recent years, but patrols along the border with the Hudeerac were light and the task force never spotted a single military ship until they neared the main system.

  "General," an aide whispered desperately to General Ardlessel as he sat in on a planning session, "we've had contact with the Terrans."

  "Yes, I read the report from Captain Debillisa days ago," the general whispered back. With a smile he added, "The Terrans ran away."

  "Not away, General. They headed here."

  "What?" Ardlessel said loudly, interrupting the present speaker at the podium. "What did you say?"

  "They've come here, General. They're asking to speak with the Gilesset."

  "What do you mean, they've come here? They couldn't have gotten here without being spotted."

  "Nevertheless, they're here."

  "What do you mean by 'here?'"

  "Close enough for almost instantaneous communications."

  "Impossible."

  The aide simply shrugged.

  "Where are they?"

  "Just outside our solar system."

  Without explaining himself, Ardlessel jumped up and headed to the communications center at a run while the speaker at the podium just stared in stunned silence.

  "Let me talk to this Terran!" Ardlessel shouted as he entered the communications center. He walked directly into a secure conference room and closed the door. A few seconds later, the image of Jenetta popped up on the conference monitor.

  "I'm Admiral Jenetta Carver," she said as she became aware of the open line. The distance meant that there would be a slight delay, but it would be minor since IDS communications traveled at 8.09 billion kilometers per second.

  "I know who you are, Terran. What do you want?"

  "I wish to address the Gilesset."

  "You can address your comments to me."

  "Do you speak for the government? Are your words binding?"

  "I'm the senior military officer for all of the Ruwalchu people."

  "But you don't speak for the government?"

  "I'm empowered to communicate with aliens."

  "But you don't speak for the government. You can't commit the government to any policy."

  "It doesn't matter. Whatever you have to say can be said to me."

  "Thank you, General, and no disrespect, but I'll wait until the policy-makers can be addressed. Contact us on this frequency when that's possible."

  With that, the signal from the Ares ended.

  Ardlessel jumped up, screaming at the blank monitor. His aide, who had followed him into the secure room, said, "She can't hear you, sir. The connection has ended."

  "I know that!" he shouted. "Notify the War Council that an emergency meeting has been called. We'll meet in the War Conference Center in two hours."

  "But she requested an audience with the Gilesset, sir."

  "I don’t care what she requested. I'm calling an emergency session of the War Council. Now do it."

  "Immediately, sir."

  Two hours later, the Prime Minister called the meeting to order. Member and aides were still scurrying to take their seats.

  "What's the emergency, General?" Prime Minister Pemillisa asked as soon as the room quieted down.

  "We were just contacted by Admiral Carver, the Terran in command of the former Milori territory."

  "Contacted? In response to your forays into their space? Did they engage your ship?"

  "No, Prime Minister. They confronted it and then left. When I got the report, I thought they had run away."

  "But they didn't?"

  "No, Prime Minister. They're here."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "Carver and a small task force are outside our system. I spoke with her two hours ago."

  "You spoke to her. Via a direct communication?"

  "Yes, Mr. Prime Minister."

  "Great Protector," the chair of the Space Services committee said. "How did they get here? Are all your ships on the border taking a holiday?"

  Turning to face the SS committee chairman, Ardlessel said, "I don't know how they did it, Mr. Chairman. We'll look to solving that riddle later. Right now I'm trying to move assets into place to fight them once they attack."

  "Once they attack?" the Prime Minister asked. "If they intended to attack, why haven't they started already?"

  "I don't know, Mr. Prime Minister."

  "They didn't give the Milori or the Uthlaro advance warning before they attacked their shipyards. Why would she give us an advance warning?"

  "I don't know, Mr. Chairman."

  "Well, what exactly did she say?" the Prime Minister asked.

  "She said she wanted to address the Gilesset. She wouldn't speak with me because I can't set policy for the government."

  "Then we should be discussing this in the Gilesset chambers."

  "I wouldn't do that, Mr. Prime Minister."

  "Why not?"

  "I believe it's a ploy to get all the council members together so she can kill them all at once."

  "As I recall, she addressed the Uthlaro Council of Ministers directly from just outside their solar system and didn't attack them."

  "I don’t trust her, Mr. Prime Minister. Our Uthlaro contacts have consistently told us how merciless and untrustworthy she is."

  "I think it’s worth the risk. She has already evaded all your protections. If she wanted to rain down destruction on us, she could have begun hours ago without giving us warning."

  "If you do this, Mr. Prime Minister, we'll all regret it."

  "We shall see, General."

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  ~ March 8th, 2288 ~

  Jenetta was working in her office when she received a message from the Admiral's Brid
ge com chief that an incoming call, purportedly from the Ruwalchu Gilesset, was holding.

  "Thank you, Chief," she said as she activated the large monitor on the bulkhead. "Put it through."

  The monitor illuminated with a view of the Gilesset chambers. The room was packed and everyone was wearing headphones in preparation for hearing the translation.

  "Good morning," Jenetta said.

  "Good morning, Admiral," a Ruwalchite said as the camera turned to frame one individual. "I'm Prime Minister Pemillisa. The presence of your small task force in our space surprises us."

  "No more, I'm sure, than the presence of one of your warships in our space surprised us."

  "I understand we've been receiving daily reports from that ship. We were led to believe you would attack it on sight."

  "Then you've been misled, Mr. Prime Minister. As far as I know, and still believe, your warship has not attacked any shipping or planetary settlements. We ask that warships from visiting nations contact us for permission before entering our space, but we never attack first and question later. I tried to determine why your warship was in our space, but the captain was most uncooperative. I decided it was time to open discussions with your government, but we've only been treated with hostility until now."

  "Our information has been that you intend to absorb our nation into the Galactic Alliance."

  "As I've said, you've been misled. We do not absorb the territory of other nations without due cause. Three large nations, each of them with severe internal problems, exist on the other side of Region One. One is on the verge of full civil war. But as long as they make no effort to absorb our territory, we will not make such an effort towards theirs. We are certainly strong enough to absorb any of them, or all of them at once, but we haven't. Throughout the entire history of the Galactic Alliance, we have only claimed open space, except in those situations where we were first attacked by hostile nations who had designs on our territory. The Milori attacked us, and after we defeated their invasion fleet, we made them leave our territory. Then they came at us again with a larger fleet. We were forced to destroy their entire second invasion force. We knew then that the Milori would never stop attacking us while Maxxiloth was in power, so it became necessary to bring the war he started directly to their planet. We only claimed the territory after their unconditional surrender and as a means to ensure they never attacked us again. The Milori people are now an important part of the GA and are enjoying peace for the first time in many decades.

  "We had a similar situation with the Tsgardi. They entered our territory with three hundred warships and intentions of absorbing Region Two in concert with the Uthlaro. I ordered them to leave our space and they attacked us. We knew they would never live in peace with their neighbors, so we destroyed their entire invasion force and absorbed their territory so we might restrict them to just their home system. The planets the Tsgardi enslaved after acquiring space travel capability are now free of any outside rule and beginning to prosper.

  "The Uthlaro are yet another example of a nation that attacked us first, and which we knew would never stop attacking us. We were forced to destroy their entire military armada and absorb their territory to keep them from waging war when they again felt strong enough. Even now, after the loss of their territory, they continue to plot against us, and they're actively trying to poison minds against us."

  "What you say sounds credible."

  "We seek only peace with nations that seek peace in return. We'd like to have friendly relations with the Ruwalchu people, but if you simply want to be left alone, we will leave and never return. All we ask is that you practice what you preach. If you don't want open relations and accessible markets for goods and services, then don't send ships into our territory. Regardless of what you decide regarding trade, we require that you ask permission before sending any warships into our territory."

  "And yet you came here with five warships."

  "After you sent at least one warship into our territory first. And that warship seemed to be deliberately hostile, as if they wanted us to attack them."

  "Yes— well, that was a decision by one of our military people. He didn't consult with this body before taking that action."

  "Then you'll see that the ship is recalled?"

  "I will."

  "Thank you. And is it your desire that diplomatic relations be established between our nations, or do you prefer isolationism?"

  "We shall have to discuss these issues. I admit that you've opened our eyes a bit."

  "Very well. For our part, we prefer to enjoy peaceful diplomatic relations and open trade with our neighbors. With such interaction, they see for themselves where the truth lies rather than relying solely on intelligence from a single source with a private agenda of subversive activity. Should you reach a decision favoring diplomatic relations, you can send a message to the Region Two Headquarters at Quesann and we will send envoys to draft a formal agreement. Our envoys always travel by military vessel, but we are careful to ensure that the nation knows they are coming before we enter their space."

  "That raises a question, Admiral. Why is Region Two still under military rule?"

  "A great deal of lawlessness still exists in both Region Two and Region Three, although we've made great advances towards establishing the rule of law in Region Two. We're currently building governmental complexes on Quesann, from which the elected civilian government of the Galactic Alliance that currently presides over Region One from their complex on Earth will preside over Regions One and Two, and eventually Region Three.

  "Beyond that, military rule must continue until outside nations cease their efforts to arrogate our territory. The Denubbewa Dominancy recently sent a massive war fleet into Region Two. The reason for my presence in this part of space is to confront the invaders with my taskforce. I'm not talking about the small group that has accompanied me here today. When I learned of the presence of your warship in our space, I came here to determine if you are in league with the Denubbewa before we destroy them. I certainly hope your nation isn't involved. Are you involved, Mr. Prime Minister?"

  "We are not. We were not even aware of an invasion and have no contact with the Denubbewa."

  "I'm glad to hear that."

  "I think you've made your case well, Admiral."

  "Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister."

  "I shall instruct our military not to attack you on your way out of our space."

  "That's not necessary, Mr. Prime Minister. Your weapons can't harm us, and your ships will never even see us leave."

  "You sound very confident of that, Admiral."

  "Yes. Thank you for your time today and the opportunity to introduce myself to the Ruwalchu Gilesset and present my nation's hope for a peaceful coexistence with your nation. Good day."

  * * *

  Jenetta hadn't felt she could refuse the king's request that she visit the Hudeerac home world upon her return from the Ruwalchu home world. He had, after all, graciously granted permission for the taskforce to cross their space, saving days of travel time. A state visit to a valuable ally seemed a small price, despite her eagerness to return to the sector where the search for the Denubbewa mother ships was still being conducted.

  "Admiral Carver, we meet at last," Vertap Aloyandro said as Jenetta stepped out of the shuttle with her two pets at her side and four protection detail people behind. Planetary Airborne Control had directed her small ship to the shuttle pad on the palace grounds.

  Jenetta knew from the protocol database that the Hudeerac didn't shake hands, so she didn't extends hers. Instead she bowed slightly and then said, "Minister, I feel very honored to finally meet you in person on this fine morning."

  "This is an honor for me as well. When I first made contact with you while you were still the base commander at Stewart SCB, I never expected that we would meet one day. The distance between our nations seemed so great. And now here we are, neighbors."

  "Our relationship has certainly had its ups and downs o
ver the years. I'm pleased we seem to have found a mutual ground that allows us to work together for the benefit of both our nations."

  "As am I. May I inquire about your visit with the Ruwalchu? Was it successful?"

  "We shall see. They had apparently believed we were about to invade their space and absorb them into the Galactic Alliance. I did my best to disabuse them of that idea. Time will tell if I was successful."

  "Wherever did they get the idea that you intended to invade their nation?"

  "I couldn't deny, and didn't try, that we have expanded our borders substantially during the past decade by defeating the Milori, Tsgardi, and Uthlaro. The Ruwalchu believed they were next."

  "I would be most happy to provide an excellent character reference, but alas, the Ruwalchu have no love for us."

  "What have you done to threaten them?"

  "Nothing to threaten them, but I'm afraid we did alienate them by asking for help when Maxxiloth was doing his best to absorb our small nation. They refused, claiming they didn't want to get involved in the disputes of other nations. My king was most upset and told them that if they didn't do something to stop Maxxiloth, it was only a matter of time before he felt powerful enough to crush them and take their territory. Fortunately for them and us, Maxxiloth turned his attention to the Galactic Alliance next. I suppose he felt you were the easier target. I'm happy to say it was his undoing."

  "The information you provided about Maxxiloth's clandestine operations in GA space and the estimated date of his second invasion effort was invaluable. We were most grateful you shared that information. That gratitude made it easier to reestablish our former relations after the Uthlaro were defeated."

  "I shall always be most embarrassed about our part in the Uthlaro pact, but I suppose things like that will happen in a society where a few short-sighted but powerful political leaders can sway opinions or strong-arm the less powerful into supporting poor choices made for personal gain."