by Dale Musser
“Wow!" I exclaimed. “This explains a lot. I’m not sure how I can use this information, but I have a feeling it’ll come in handy and will have devastating results on Ming.”
“I wish we’d have gathered the information earlier,” said Wabussie. “We had most of the information in the data cubes all along, but it wasn’t until we heard these latest rumors and started sifting backwards from his military records that we came across the data about his true identity.”
“Better late than never, as they used to say back on Earth. Keep digging and if you find anything else, let me know.”
“We will. We're just hoping that Ming dies soon. The longer he lives, the madder he becomes and the more desperate he is to destroy the Federation. His troops are terrified of him. Oh, one more thing. Obviously, he’s aware that he’s getting weaker, so he doesn’t trust his senior officers anymore. All of them are now required to wear explosive slave collars. If he becomes suspicious about any of them, their heads are blown off immediately. One rumor that’s made its way through the Brotherhood organization is that he blew the heads off more than thirty officers in one day, because he suspected them of trying to organize a coupe. The truth was they were secretly trying to organize a celebration to his greatness in hopes of pleasing him. According to the rumors, when he found out the truth later, he laughed hysterically about it as though it were a grand joke.”
There was a knock on my door and Marranalis stuck his head and announced, “Admiral, the gate at Daprise-3 is opening.”
“Gotta go, Admiral,” I said to Wabussie, and I hit the disconnect button before he could reply.
“Are our cloaked patrol ships with the gate components in place?” I asked Marranalis as I headed into the War Room.
“We’ve only been able to get one into position. The second one is on its way, but isn’t in position yet,” he replied.
“As soon as the enemy ships move in, I want our cloaked ship to pass to the other side. They have their instructions. If the second ship gets there in time, they’re to proceed through the gate as well. I don’t want our ships to fire until the enemy releases its first canister missile. At that point, the canisters are the primary targets and the ships are secondary. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Admiral.”
It didn’t take long before the first ship came through the gate. Either the Brotherhood was so sure of their being able to get in and out quickly that they didn’t bother cloaking, or they wanted to induce more fear among the surface dwellers on Daprise-3 by being completely visible to the citizens as the deliverers of death.
They were clearly also not expecting much in the way of opposition, as they brought in only three corvettes for their attack. Each ship took up position in an outer orbit around the planet and fired their canister missiles in unison, then turned for a hasty retreat as though they feared the contagion of the pathogens even from afar. No sooner did the ships turn in the direction of the gate than our cloaked ship headed through the gate ahead them. At the same time, our fighters targeted the descending canister bombs, vaporizing them before they came anywhere near the atmosphere. As soon as we opened fire on the fleeing corvettes, they began to accelerate toward their escape. As planned, we allowed their first ship to make it through the gate as our fighters focused on the other two. Even though they were fully shielded, our ships were able to inflict some damage before they made it to the gate. As soon as the third ship cleared the gate threshold, the gate closed.
My first thought was for the security of our patrol ship that had passed through with the gate components. “Is our ship on the other side safe?” I asked almost immediately.
Marranalis examined the instruments before him and replied, “It seems they are. They accelerated rapidly after they cleared the gate, so as not to be detected by the returning enemy ships. They’re reporting back that they haven’t detected any other ships in the immediate area and no planets or moons showing signs of life. They’re going to parallel the enemy’s course, rather than follow them, in case the enemy scans behind them to ensure they weren’t trailed by one of our fighters.”
“Excellent,” I replied.
About an hour went by when our patrol ship reported back.
“We have a problem, Admiral,” said Marranalis. “The enemy is passing through second gate at this time. I don’t know if our shadowing ship will be able to make it through behind them before they close it.”
Minutes ticked by and then Marranalis announced, “They made it through, sir.”
“Great!” I exclaimed, nearly jumping out of my chair.
Almost immediately Marranalis reported a new complication. “Sir, they now have a new problem. The location is densely packed with enemy ships. They’re reporting asteroid-ships, frigates, corvettes, fighters and even old starships. Thousands of them. They’re trying to ease their away through the area to a location deeper into space and a safe distance away from the ship cluster to set up our stellar gate.”
“Do we know where in the galaxy they’re located?” I asked.
“I can pull the data from their ship and put it in the hologram,” Marranalis answered.
“Do it,” I said.
Moments later, a location in the galactic hologram lit up.
“Where is this in relation to that planet or moon that Yungman's sister said her captor mentioned? Plamos or Xennek?”
“Plamos is right there, near our ship.”
“Where are the crews that we deployed earlier to set up gates there?” I asked.
“Give me a moment, sir,” said Marranalis as he worked the consoles. A few minutes later, six points of light were added to the display. They’re still pretty far off. Several weeks, in fact.”
“Is there any way they can stop and set up one of the gates they’re carrying to send them all back here and then transfer them through the gate that our shadow ship at Plamos is setting up? If we can do that, we can get more gates set up sooner around the enemy.”
“Well, yes, but you would be better served just sending out new ships and components and recalling the other ones. Well save a few days that way.”
“All right, do it.” I said. “Wait a minute. Are there any potential Brotherhood targets in range of those ships?”
“Hm. Let me check. Yes, there is one. A planet called Yho-owee isn’t far away. It’s a known Brotherhood world.”
“Good. Order them to divert to that area and erect their gates in an appropriate attack configuration there. We’ll send a flotilla to attack the planet just hours before we attack Plamos. The attack at Yho-owee will cause Ming to believe we’re far from finding him. Maybe he’ll even divert some of his forces from Plamos to fight at Yho-owee. He won’t be expecting another attack so soon thereafter, especially not at Plamos. “Maybe, just maybe, we can turn this war in our favor again,” I said.
The next twenty-four hours went well. Our ship at Plamos had so far remained undetected and had established a stellar gate that facilitated the passage of five additional ships that setup additional gates by the end of the second day, one positioned as close as possible to the moon, Xennek, where I hoped Ming was holed up. I called a meeting with the fleet admirals to make battle plans.
“We have an opportunity to deliver a critical blow to the Brotherhood fleet, one that might bring an end to this war. However, it won’t be without cost. We will be moving into the densest concentration of enemy ships we have ever seen yet, so it will be impossible for us to not suffer losses. But we’ll have the element of surprise on our side and if we take out their most dangerous ships first, we’ll have the advantage for the rest of the battle. We have three ships equipped with PLABEs and I plan to take all of them on this mission.
“For this operation we have six stellar gates in position surrounding the enemy base. We will attack simultaneously through all six gates. As labeled in the display, the gates are identified as Attack Gates 1 through 6, or AG-1 through AG-6. Fleets entering through gates 1 through 3 will each be commande
d by a PLABE-equipped flagship, which will focus on destroying the most dangerous Brotherhood ships immediately upon entry. These include asteroid-ships, starships and frigates, in that order of priority. AG-4 through AG-6 will host a second carrier in addition to the flagship to fortify the firepower against the priority targets for these fleets. The rest of our warships and fighters will focus on all other Brotherhood battleships. As the danger of the Brotherhood ships is reduced, our ships will begin targeting production facilities, supply depots and ground bases.
“As far as the battle strategy is concerned, the idea is that we will start from the perimeter of their gathered ships and work our way in toward the center. Any ships trying to escape will be handled by the fighters. That doesn’t mean our other ships can’t fire on them if the opportunity presents itself, but I don’t want them to divert their fire from their assigned targets unnecessarily. If we work together and stick to our objectives, we can win this battle.
“Now, once our fleet is through the stellar gates, I’m ordering the gates to be closed to prevent Brotherhood ships from getting back through them into Federation territory. I also want a full squad of Nijang Fighters stationed at each gate to protect them from any Brotherhood ships that may get within firing range. Any questions?” I asked.
“Admiral Tibby, aren’t you putting us at the same risk that we were in at Glomar Rosa by using so many ships in this operation? Wouldn’t it be wiser to hold back more of the fleet?”
“I recognize the parallels between this assault and the one led by Admiral Regeny at Glomar Rosa, Admiral, but remember; there is risk in any battle. The painful lessons learned at Glomar Rosa have served us at every battle we’ve fought since. Unlike the battle at Glomar Rosa, we are not leaving the gates open and unguarded. These were the first blunders Regeny made and they cost us heavily, leaving the fleet trapped and allowing the Brotherhood to pass into the Federation to retaliate. Secondly, we will be going into this battle with three PLABEs, besides our superior warships and fighters, enough firepower to destroy the planet and both its moons, if we wish. So we have superior fire power. Finally, we are launching this attack with the element of surprise. At Glomar Rosa, the enemy knew we were coming, this time they do not. As for leaving ships behind, we’re only taking six fleets and three additional carriers for this campaign. The bulk of the Federation fleet will be deployed across the Federation to handle any wayward Brotherhood ships that enter their sectors.”
“Admiral?” another Fleet Admiral called out. “What about the disease canisters the Brotherhood has been using? Won’t our attacking fleet be in danger from those?”
“I don’t see how they would be,” I answered. “Unless they can breach the ship’s hull and get the pathogen inside the ship, our men are safe.
“Now, if there are no further questions, we need to get down to the detailed strategic planning. I want to attack in thirty-six hours.”
Over the next several hours, we made plans and assigned fleets to each gate. For the first time in months I felt like we actually had a chance at winning the war. By evening the outline for the offensive was comprehensive and I felt I could head back to the NEW ORLEANS in time to dine with Kala and leave the remainder of the work to the staff.
Kala decided that she wanted to go to the estate and dine at the same secret lake alcove where we had dined recently. She said she had a special surprise for me. I wondered what it might be right up until Piesew served us our salads before the entrée.
“Kala, are these real tomatoes? I mean from Earth seed?” I asked as I stared and the bright red wedges on my salad.
“Indeed, they are,” Kala grinned. “Cantolla and her team have been cultivating them from seeds they retrieved from the seed bank. Everyone is falling in love with them. The local botany crews have been harvesting and eating them so fast no one else is getting any.”
I took a bite and was rewarded with that rich flavor that only a fresh vine-ripened tomato can deliver. I closed my eyes and savored the taste.
“Oh my, that is good,” I exclaimed.
“Great. I hope you like the entrée just as well,” she added with a huge grin.
I was torn between eating my salad quickly, so I could find out what was coming next, or eating it slowly, so I could savor the flavor longer. Finally, I finished the salad, which was then immediately replaced by one of Piebar’s staff with a plate concealed under a silver cover. I glanced at Kala, who was still grinning in anticipation of my reaction to what was under the lid. Finally, Piebar lifted the lid. To my surprise, there before me was a hamburger with French fries. I mean a REAL hamburger with real fries. The bun was real. I could see a large slice of real onion and another slice of real tomato, as well as a leaf of real lettuce. I almost cried with joy.
“All of this stuff was produced from seeds and genomes in the lab?” I asked.
“Yes. Kala said the meat is from that animal that’s similar to a fubalo, a cow I think Cantolla called it. She said it was a Charollette I think.”
“A Charolaise,” I corrected her.
“Yes, that’s what she said. I saw some grazing in a field down by the agricultural lab. Beautiful big white animals. They also had some other cows in a separate field that she called Piedmonts.”
“I never heard of that one,” I said as I took a bite of the hamburger. My eyes rolled as I chewed the first bite. “By the stars, Kala. This is like food heaven.”
Kala laughed as she eyed her own plate. “I’m so glad you like my surprise.”
“I don’t like it. I love it! I just wish the twins were here to enjoy it with us,” I said.
“Oh that reminds me. Lunnie called. She’s due for some leave soon and will be coming home to visit for two days.”
“Oh, no. I probably won’t get to see her. We’re going into battle about the time she’ll be getting home. This campaign will probably last at least two days. Oh well. It is what it is,” I said before taking another bite.
“Oh my,” Kala said after taking the first bite of her burger. “You’re right, Tib. This is excellent. What are these little stick things?” she asked as she picked up a French fry.
“That, my dear, is a French fry, which is cut from a potato, and the potato is a root…or a tuber…I can’t remember which. Why they were generally called French fries I’m not sure,” I explained, as I held up a fry in reverence. “I think it was a point of contention as to whether their origin was really the country of France. In England, they were simply called chips.”
“Chips,” pondered Kala. “Like a wood chip or splinter?”
“Hm. I never thought of it in that sense. I suppose it might be. I honestly don’t know.”
“Mm, this is pretty good, too,” Kala said as she chewed on one. “But I think I like the burger more.”
“So back to Lunnie. Did she say anything else? Is everything going okay?”
“She didn’t say much. Only that she missed us and would be home tomorrow night.”
“No boyfriend or anything?”
Kala chuckled. “She didn’t mention one, but who knows with Lunnie. “How are you feeling since your treatment?”
“Pretty good. At this point I don’t feel any better or worse than I have with past treatments.”
“Have you talked to A’Lappe? Does he still want to keep your treatment cycle at every six days?”
“I don’t know. I guess I should ask him,” I said. “You know Kala. I'm glad we’re doing this tonight… having dinner together, I mean,” I added quickly when she looked at me curiously. “The next few days are going to be very stressful and busy. I may not get a chance to eat with you for a while. For that matter, I may not even be able to see you for a few days.”
“Do you think the battle may not go well?”
“No, just the opposite. For the first time in a long time, I think the battle will turn out very well. We’ll take some losses, most certainly, but nothing compared to what the Brotherhood will suffer. There is even the possibility t
hat we may be able to destroy the source of the pathogen Ming has been using against us. It’s believed that it comes from Graben, one of the moons of Plamos. If we destroy the moon, we may destroy Ming's source of the disease and stop the canister bombings.”
“That would go a long way in easing the tensions and fears of the Federation citizens,” said Kala. “It’s all people talk about these days. Some people are even saying it would be better to surrender to the Brotherhood and live under their domination than to suffer being stricken with Ming’s plague.”
“Obviously, they don’t know Ming very well,” I added.
We finished up our meal and sat talking for a while longer, sipping on a fine Gabacian wine as the sunset worked its magic on the water and the stonework of the alcove before the stars began to fill the blue-black sky.
“I miss this,” I said.
“Miss what?” asked Kala.
“Watching the sunsets and sitting quietly with you.” I sighed. “When I was a boy back on Earth, I think I watched the sunset almost every evening – at least every evening when the sky was clear. It was almost like magic to me, watching the sky grow dark as the stars began appearing like white jewels. Now I rarely get to see a sunset or even the sky, for that matter, because I’m holed up in a ship’s War Room someplace, trying to track down the Brotherhood.”
“At least you’re not their prisoner, watching the sun set over a slave camp every night,” Kala muttered.
“Yes, I guess you’re right, but I would love to have more opportunities to finish the days with you.”
My wrist-com began beeping. “I dread what this might be about,” I said and then answered, “Tibby here.”
“Admiral,” came Marranalis’s voice through the comlink. We have reports from multiple sources of an attack on a civilian hub station at Tantella. By some unknown means, a large band of Brotherhood agents have managed to incapacitate our guards and take control. They replaced the nodes on one of the gates with nodes of their own and when they opened the gate, a large squad of men came through and began a sweeping ground attack throughout the gate hub. One of our guards managed to shoot out a node and close the gate, but now the Brotherhood troops are trapped at the station and are killing everyone they encounter. They’ve since occupied the entire main facility and have entrenched themselves quite firmly.”