by Chris Hechtl
"Just keeping the base diseases at bay will generate a healthier base population. Once we have zeroed in on the specific variants of each virus we can target them better. But a general vaccination program is the best first step we've got," Doctor Kraft stated. "Along with informing the public."
“There will be some outcry on that, but I think we can put a positive spin since we're doing something for everyone's benefit,” Liobat stated.
“Good. Handle the spin when it comes.”
“The problem is we don't know where the ships are and how far out they can be. They might already be inside our perimeter,” Yorgi mused. “Though, I have to admit, we didn't pick up any chatter in our interrogations. Could they be testing this in Tau?”
“It's possible. We need to double check that. I think the Horathians are going to grasp at any weapon they can get their hands on, if only to distract us,” Admiral Irons stated. “Look into the intelligence angle,” he said with a nod to Yorgi and Sprite.
“We're going to need more ships to plug the holes. Also ships powerful enough to handle a Horathian warship if it is going to try to break the blockade,” Yorgi stated. Sprite nodded. “And we have no idea where they spread this outside of Tau. Sigma? Pi? What timeline are they using? Is there a version with a longer incubation period?” he asked. “We didn't get a word of this in our intel. I don't like that. I'm going to have my people go over everything again. It might have been compartmentalized, but I'm sorry, it's too down pat.”
“Start with Fourth Fleet survivors since this came from a branch of Fourth Fleet,” Sprite suggested.
“Understood. Monty already did so, but we know what to ask for now so he'll give them another go,” Yorgi stated flatly.
“I think they are looking for something to kill all of their target populations as quickly as possible while throwing as much chaos into the mix as possible. But they don't want to touch the human population since they want them as slaves,” Emily stated slowly.
“But viruses are notorious about jumping species and populations. Especially anything that might hit a chimera or a crossbreed. And stuff that can kill apes can jump easily to humans since we're related. This …,” Iab shook his head in distress.
“Hopefully, this is contained in Tau. If they were doing the initial test there …?” Professor Tyler mused, thinking hard. All eyes fell on him. “It's what I'd do, Tau is near but mostly isolated with links to Upsilon sector but with few links to the other sectors. If they tested it in Tau, they could then get results back after a period of observation.”
“So, what, go around spraying death like some sick Johnny Appleseed and then come back to see what worked and what didn't?” Captain Herschel the secretary of transportation asked, clearly aghast at the idea.
“It's a potential scenario. We won't know more until we shake some people up and get to the bottom of it. But in the meantime, we've got to plan for the worst,” Admiral Irons said, looking around the room and meeting each of their eyes to drive the point home.
“One way or another, we'll deal with it. Doctor Kraft's people will work the problem from their end. He has the full support of Navy Medical,” Admiral Irons stated firmly. “In the meantime, we need to throw as much as we can at this problem.”
“Among others,” T'rel'n reminded him.
“Before we head onto the next fire, one more point,” Admiral Irons said, shooting the Veraxin a look. “We're going to need Congress lined up behind this. That means briefing them and getting funding—additional funding. Start working on that,” he said, shooting the Veraxin a firm look.
“The more people who know the more likely it’ll get to someone, a staffer or someone who will leak this,” Liobat warned.
“It is going to get out. We need to get ahead of it. Get our initial stages moving and then arrange a proper press briefing. Get ahead of it, show them we're on the problem and working on it to end it as quickly as possible,” Admiral Irons said firmly. She nodded.
“We'll need to brief the planetary governors too,” Moira said quietly. All heads turned to her. “We don't want them finding out in the press conference. It'll undermine trust in us. They'll be blindsided and will feel betrayed. We don't need anyone getting upset and causing issues.”
“True,” Admiral Irons stated. “You can handle it?”
“I'll coordinate with Yorgi, Liobat, and Doctor Kraft. This should come from his office though; if it comes direct from us, it will look like we're stealing his thunder,” she warned.
“Then he can be there and do the primary briefing or his press secretary can with him. We'll be in the background showing our support,” Sprite stated. Moira nodded.
~~~^~~~
“This well and truly sucks,” Commodore Montgomery said. “No one breathed a word, believe me,” he said, clearly disgusted.
“I did a search. I didn't pick up on anything either,” Yorgi said in support as he looked around the table. Everyone who could be there was there, the most senior officers in the star system. They were the Admiralty or the majority of it at the moment. From their decisions, the fate of the war front as well as the possible fate of the Federation rested.
“Less ass covering more action in other words,” Vice Admiral Creator of Things stated.
“I'm afraid it isn't enough,” Vice Admiral Odette Champion murmured. As a Bekian transplant, she was still getting up to speed with things but had turned into an able leader.
“What isn't?”
“What we're trying to do to handle the plagues. We're treating the symptoms not the cause as Doctor Kraft would say,” she stated. She barely remembered to substitute the Federation surgeon general over the Bekian one.
“The only way to deal with the source is to take out Horath. We're a bit far away from there. Granted we're getting there, slowly, but …,” Admiral Soar and Strike looked over to Vice Admiral Georgi Pashenkov. The Neowolf shook his head.
“I wasn't talking about that. We haven't seen the use of biological warfare from them before, correct?” Admiral Pashenkov asked, looking at the two spooks in the room.
“With the exception of the ET incident, that is correct, Admiral," Monty supplied. The Neowolf nodded once at the reminder. "Up until now they've been using gas chambers and other means to destroy their undesired populations,” Monty supplied.
“So, it goes to assume that Tau is a one off. A testing ground as Professor Tyler suggested.” They had all been briefed on the recent cabinet meeting.
“Careful making assumptions. But I get your point,” Yorgi stated. “From Commodore Logan's report, we can deduce that they are using a shotgun approach. That's hardly efficient.”
“We've confirmed that the units that started this were with Fourth Fleet. That means they launched that mission before they knew all about us. So, they go to hit Tau and want to see if it works. It would slowly spread on its own as people panic and run,” Monty mused.
“Which is what happened during the Xeno war,” Admiral Irons stated.
“Right. And they'll cut each other off, quarantine … it will destroy any form of unity in Tau,” Admiral Soar and Strike stated.
“Not completely. Not if they share treatment and information about the weapons, which is where we come in,” Admiral Creator of Things stated.
“Exactly. This will be the bridge to unite people with us against the pirates. They'll see the pirates as despicable and a mortal threat. One that needs to be extinguished once and for all.”
“Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Or easy,” Monty stated.
“Obviously. None of them have the means,” Admiral Creator of Things stated, waggling his antenna.
“But we do. So they'll flock to our banner. Which will mean we'll need to produce tangible results. That's easier said than done,” Admiral Pashenkov stated. He was still wrestling internally with playing second fiddle to Admiral Irons. The fact that Admiral Sienkov also outranked him was also something he had to swallow. But, he was getting there. Fortunately
, Admiral Irons delegated a lot.
“I know. Even the simplest things to do are hard. And it is even harder trying to tell John Q Public that in terms they understand. They just want it over and don't understand why all of the blood, money, sweat, and tears haven't been enough,” Admiral Champion stated.
“And it's just getting started. Yes, I know. I never promised easy or quick victories. But we will get it done,” Admiral Irons said firmly.
Odette nodded to him. “Exactly, sir.”
“Back to my point, I think we need to redefine the Eastern Front mission,” Admiral Pashenkov said.
Admiral Irons was the first to catch on. “You are talking about pulling them back and forming a plug. Stopping them at a bottleneck from spreading the weapons further. Have them stand on the defense so we can shift resources elsewhere.”
“If the Horathians haven't already shipped it elsewhere. We have no proof they haven't already whipped up batches in their hell hole labs and sent them off to Sigma and Pi,” Sprite warned.
“We need to form a blockade,” Admiral Champion stated firmly. She brought up a star map and highlighted Horathian controlled space. “If we block them at Finagle and Garth, they are contained. That will stop the spread of the weapons.”
“If they haven't gotten out already,” Sprite repeated.
The vice admiral shot the A.I. avatar an annoyed look. “We have better communications. With the ansible we can set up similar blockades at choke points in Pi and Sigma to halt the spread beyond the area already infected. Effectively quarantining what has been infected. It won't be pretty, but we'll be sending in medics to treat them too.” She turned to the admiral. “Sir, I think this is a viable and important plan. One that needs to be implemented as quickly as possible if we're going to have any sort of chance at halting the spread of this thing.”
“Unless they use capital ships to break the blockade,” Admiral Irons rumbled as he rubbed his jaw. Odette sucked in a breath to continue the argument, but he made a small hand gesture halting her. “I see your point, Admiral. We already have a small blockade set up in New Horizon. That leaves Finagle. But the Eastern Front is already committed to action in Garth, so we can't recall them at this time. That means sending reinforcements to them but splitting what they need to send some of those forces to Finagle.”
“Yes, sir. We're getting some ships out of Bek now ….” The admiral grimaced. “But I've run the numbers, and I know they aren't enough. And yes, I know that they are green,” she said, shooting a look at Sprite's avatar.
“Will a cruiser squadron be enough?” Sprite asked.
“We can snip one off of Third Fleet,” Admiral Subert's image said. “If we throw in one or more escort carriers and some support ships they should be okay to put a temporary stopper in the bottle until we can send them more. But, you do realize this will undermine morale with the forces on the front. They'll see the diversion of forces they were promised. It will also slow down the attack on Horath itself. Quite possibly delaying it by years,” Admiral Irons said with a shake of his head. “I can't help but think that's what they want in the first place.”
“That makes sense. But we need to halt this if we can. If they send a plague ship past our own ships south into our sector, it could get ugly here,” Admiral Soar and Strike stated.
“And the political fallout wouldn't be pretty. We need to check the worlds in this sector for signs of the plagues,” Admiral Irons said with a significant look to Sprite. She nodded and made a show of noting the order down.
“I'll coordinate with Doctor Kraft. I'll ask him and Commodore Richards to look into better methods of dealing with the vaccines. If necessary, we might have to dust off the ET scenario.” Admiral Irons winced at that suggestion. “Back to the ships, I think the carriers are going to be needed the most for patrols, and that's going to be an issue with the Eastern Front.”
“Escort carriers as you mentioned, sir. They don't belong in the wall of battle anyway,” Admiral Champion stated, taking up the thought as she turned to Admiral Irons with a significant look.
Admiral Irons nodded slowly. They'd had that conversation before on the way back from Bek.
“We do have a spot of good news; the first modern carriers will be coming out of the Bek yards in a week if they stick to the schedule like I think they will. Zek is damn good, I wouldn't be surprised if they are ahead of schedule actually,” the T'clock stated. “According to their last progress report, they have already launched escort carriers that are working up,” Admiral Creator of Things stated. “We can order those forward to replace units that are sent out. It will take time to get them through the rapids, but if we get the ball rolling now, they'll get moving sooner.”
“Send the prep orders to move them then,” Admiral Irons ordered with a nod of support. “Anything else?”
“I suggest we look into more hospital ships,” Commodore Richards stated. Her image flickered ever so slightly as she turned to look from left to right.
“We can't … oh, the civilian yards?” Admiral Subert asked looking at Admiral Irons.
“Yes. And our own of course. The civilian yards are producing now, albeit at a slow pace. The one in ET is perfectly positioned to build Liberty class hospital ships. Mercy ships. They don't even have to be in a Liberty hull, a smaller Dora hull might work just as well.”
“The larger the ship the more they can handle a planetary outbreak. Also, the less crew they need since we wouldn't need multiple crews for smaller ships. But, I see where you are going with this. ET has had its experience with the plague and has a first-class medical establishment now. I agree,” Admiral Irons stated with a nod. “We'll need to tap the reserve funds to get them going. And it will take them time to build the ships, outfit them, and train the crews. I've already issued orders to convert any Liberty class in the pipeline to hospital ships.”
“Not to mention work them up. We have one ship in the pipeline now. Plus, we have the hospital ship Good Hope in Syntia's World, and her sister ship Florence Nightingale has finished working up here. Good Hope has finished with the outbreak there. We can look into Pi while sending them both to Tau,” Yorgi suggested.
“Good idea. They are already headed to ET and eventually Tau. I sent the orders a short time ago,” Admiral Pashenkov stated.
“Don't forget, according to her report Commodore Logan proposed the possibility of converting her Liberty class ships into makeshift hospital ships as well. Once she finds a place to set up shop that is,” Sprite interjected.
“Agreed,” Admiral Pashenkov stated with a nod to her image.
“Was the plague there related to the bioweapon?” Admiral Soar and Strike asked, turning to Helen's avatar.
“No. A natural one. No sign of it being an attack,” Yorgi stated before Helen could.
“What he said,” Helen stated, pointing a virtual finger to the admiral.
“Well, that's a relief,” the Delquir stated.
“How bad is this threat? I got the download. I knew the enemy might resort to biological weapons, but …,” Amadeus paused as if to shrug helplessly.
“It's bad,” Admiral Irons said as all eyes around the table fell on him. “Almost as bad as a Xeno threat, Amadeus,” he rumbled. Yorgi winced. “We have to get ahead of it as well as deal with those already infected. I know it is a division of resources when we can least afford it. I also understand that it might be a ploy by the enemy to force us to back off or weaken us. It doesn't matter. It's not just a political move.”
“But …”
“What's the point of winning if there isn't a galaxy left?” Phil stated. Admiral Irons grunted, looking at Phil's image. “It's something we said during the Xeno war.”
“I remember,” Amadeus said.
“I don't think any of us want to show up in a star system to see it being torn apart by plagues or worse, lifeless. If we can do something, we will. And we are doing something. Back to the Ptah mission," Admiral Irons said, looking at Sprite's av
atar.
She nodded once to him. “As they go through Pi, they can pass on the word, explain how to recognize the symptoms, the vaccines, and treatment methods,” Sprite stated. “Though it could cause a panic in some populations,” she warned.
“Their problem. We're getting the word out,” Yorgi stated flatly. Sprite's avatar nodded.
“Pass on an order to inspect all ships in Pi and Sigma, no exceptions. Look for the plagues as well as the means to spread them,” Admiral Irons stated.
“What do we do about ships that refuse to heave to for inspection?” Sprite asked. “Some may not recognize our authority.”
“A graser up the kiester or at least a warning shot will end that,” Admiral Champion replied with a sniff.
“We explain the problem. If they still refuse, they get blown out of the sky, innocent or not. We'll deal with the fall out later. For the moment we need to stop this plague. If they are innocent, they have nothing to hide.”
“Some are still nervous about that and overreach,” Sprite warned, still playing devil's advocate.
“Their problem. This is a major attack; we have to deal with it with the tools we've got,” Admiral Irons stated firmly. “Now, we'll need to take a look at the pickets in Senka and elsewhere since we will inevitably be dealing with a refugee crisis. We'll need to alert the star system authorities for housing and other things as well. But not just yet. For the moment, pickets …”
~~~^~~~
After the meeting, Admiral Creator of Things went in to check in with Vestri. He'd already gotten a synopsis in a classified briefing, and the T'clock had alerted him to changes to the build schedule.