The Commander

by CJ Williams

  The local culture was nothing exceptional. Before the bombardment started, it was a feudal society with fiefdoms spread around the globe. Local kings ruled their own territories on each continent.

  When kingdoms bumped into each other, the inevitable result was a combination of land swaps and royal marriages. The hierarchy kept the people poor and the common folk uneducated. Luke found it noteworthy that even as a feudal society, the planet fit the galactic norm of non-violence.

  The population remnant would need assistance but Luke had no experience know what that meant. He brought the army down to help, they had a background in dealing with refugees.

  “At the very least, I suggest leaving Company B from the 2nd Battalion, Commander,” Colonel Lindsey recommended. “Their focus is combat support and Captain Barrett is best at handling people. Most troops call him ‘the chaplain’.”

  “Is he that religious?” Luke asked.

  “Not at all,” Lindsey said. “Just a good people person. Makes his men feel good.”

  “Will the 2nd Battalion CO squeal when we take Company B?”

  Lindsey chuckled in a gravelly voice. “Of course he will. But I already told him it’s coming and frankly, he agrees. Barrett is not the best combat guy, but he’d be great at putting this place back together. Good leadership skills. He’s an administrator at heart, not a warrior.”

  “Is this a fool’s errand, Brad?” Luke asked the colonel. “Tell me the truth.”

  Lindsey stood and walked to the edge of the chalet where he leaned against the tent pole to admire the view. Their encampment was located in a grass-covered valley that had escaped bombardment. The land sloped gently away to a mountain lake.

  Luke had thrown in a fishing line two days ago and pulled out the local version of a trout. It weighed in at five pounds. It was the first time since leaving Earth that Luke wished he had a cell phone. He wanted a picture of the thing.

  “Yes, Commander. It is a fool’s errand. But it’s one that needs to be done. These people are human. They don’t deserve what happened. At least we can give them a chance. I’d like to leave a whole brigade here but I understand you need to maintain a combat force.”

  Luke pressed the Colonel about his answer. “You know that whoever is left behind is very much at risk from another attack. Since we knocked out the Bakkui ambush they may want to retaliate.”

  “I know. But you could leave a couple of warships. Take enough time to put together a large replicator unit. We could gather any locals that would come together. Plenty of them will starve if they stay out on their own, especially with winter coming on. George tells me this place has a rough cold season.” Lindsey paused to gaze at the scenery one more time. “But this planet would be worth it.”

  “You’re making me all teary-eyed, Brad,” Luke said.

  Lindsey looked back, his scarred face slightly abashed. “I know. Getting too sentimental in my old age.”

  “Sounds like it’s more than that. What is it about this place?”

  Lindsey shook his head as though to clear away unwanted memories but then he spoke anyway, the words coming out on their own. “Reminds me of when I was a kid. My grandparents had a place in Oklahoma; looked at lot like this. Ever hear of Beggs? Not many people have.”

  Luke shook his head, amused by the rough warrior’s maudlin reminisces.

  “Small town. Not more than a thousand people, I expect. Been a long time since I thought of it. Be nice to retire in a place like that…like this. With a little effort, a man could really make something of it.”

  Luke leaned back, pushing the small chair onto its rear legs. George, anything new from the probe to K18.

  Yes, Commander. As suspected the planet is fairly advanced, on par with Jigu. I perceive you are implementing your revised strategy.

  “I am indeed,” Luke said aloud.

  “What’s that, boss?” Lindsey asked.

  “Nothing, Brad. I like your idea about Captain Barrett.”

  Luke handed a folder containing a sheaf of papers to Lindsey. “See what you think of this, Colonel. We might be on the same track.”

  Lindsey took the file and started reading through the documents. As he read, Luke watched the man’s face light up.

  Before Lindsay was half-finished, he looked up at Luke. “You serious about this?”

  “Unless you can talk me out of it.”

  “No. I like it. A lot.” Lindsey went back to the documents, more slowly this time. Thirty minutes later he looked up again. “I’m in. I assume you know this is at least a full brigade. Probably need some of the 2nd as well.”

  “Set up a screening process,” Luke suggested. “See how many volunteers there are. Also, I need you to tell me how many soldiers I need to keep on Lulubelle. I went with two brigades at the outset because that was the recommendation. But so far, we haven’t needed anything like that.”

  Lindsey nodded. “I thought you had too many soldiers myself, but it wasn’t my place to criticize.”

  “All I need is a police force,” Luke acknowledged. “Something for ground protection when we’re on a new planet. I don’t see me ever needing fifteen thousand guys. That’s just hard on everyone.”

  “Got it,” Lindsey said. “I’ll make sure you’re not shorted. What else?”

  “I’m giving you a mission, Brad. And it’s not to sit around fishing. I want to dedicate this entire planet to combat support. I’d like to see shipyards, R&D, everything we need to carry this battle into bad-guy territory.”

  “That’s not a short-term objective,” Lindsey warned. “You realize that.”

  “I understand. But you’re getting a head start. It took me eleven months just to launch our first Mars colony.”

  “I thought George gave you all that.”

  “He gave us replicators and gravity drive, that’s true. But we designed the warships, the tools, the force fields and the procedures. You’ll have all that from the get go. And enough people to make it work. I don’t think the locals can be much more than a distraction.”

  “No,” Lindsey countered. “Not a distraction. This is their planet, after all. My goal is to bring them into our century, those who want to. That’s something for our Captain Barrett to work on.”

  “Sounds good. I didn’t mean to imply we shouldn’t take care of them. I like your approach.

  “What about self-defense?” Lindsey wanted to know. “We need protection until everything is up and running.”

  “I’ll leave a contingent here. I can give you twenty warships to start, and about fifty fighters. Keep in mind, however, that the space forces will not be under your chain of command.”

  “Seriously?” Lindsey didn’t like that idea.

  “Air power needs to be separate. They need to set their own priorities.”

  “Right.” Lindsey grinned savagely. “I forgot you were an Air Force weenie in the old days.”

  “Still am, Brad.”

  “Okay. I can live with that. What do you need from me?”

  “I’ve given you a rough outline. Get your staff together and put some flesh on it and we’ll meet back tomorrow. I’ll allow a few of my people on Lulubelle to volunteer, but I’m going to be fairly stingy where that’s concerned. Anything I can’t give you, we’ll get from Moonbase. You won’t have to go without for long.”

  “What about AI? Are you going to give me one of those smart boxes?”

  “Absolutely. In fact, I’ve already talked to George about it. I didn’t like the last one he produced on Jigu. It had a little too much character for me. We need to do some groundwork first, however. And get you a large-scale replicator going.”

  “I would appreciate it,” Lindsey said.

  Luke thought the man already looked ten years younger. It wasn’t a surprise; this was a great planet. It would be nice to find a place like this and settle down someday.

  # # #

  “How did it go, Commander?” Carrie asked.

  “About the way we though
t,” Luke replied. “He tried hard not to show it, but he was like a kid at Christmas.’

  Carrie grinned. “I like the idea. It’s kind of a tribute to all those people who died. It means their passing wasn’t in vain. It means their spirit will live on.”

  “Well. I think it means we need to vaporize the ones that did it.”

  She frowned at his interpretation. “Kind of a harsh way of putting it.”

  “Kind of a harsh way to die, if you ask me. Not really all that poetic when you think about it. Anyway, we need to send an inordinate amount of supplies down to Bradley’s planet. I told him he could look for volunteers from the crew but that we would exercise a fairly strong veto.”

  “Okay.”

  “And I promised him twenty warships.”

  Carrie hesitated a fraction of a second before replying. “Okay.”

  “And fifty fighters.”

  “Okay,” she groaned.

  “And a large-scale replicator.”

  “Commander!”

  “Relax,” Luke assured her. “We’re going to build him one and set it down. The problem is that this is going to take a bit more time than I wanted.”

  “Why are you giving him so much more than you did the Jigu?”

  “Think about it. We’re making him start a planetary colony with half the people and almost none of the resources that the colony ships have. I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave without leaving enough for him to get started. It’s gonna be rough on Bradley’s planet for a while.”

  “I know. It’s just that we don’t have a resupply built in for ourselves.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that. Did you look at the probe reports for J9580?”

  That brought a smile back to Carrie’s face. “I did. How did that little guy get overlooked by the Bakkui? It was great!”

  “Probably by being so small. George, display the area around J9580.”

  The wall dissolved into a star chart.

  “Zoom back to include Earth,” Luke said. “Show our current location and the rest of the star systems we’re talking about. Then add the known forward edge of Bakkui territory.”

  A circle labeled Earth appeared on the wall. To the left of Earth, along the galaxy spiral was Jigu, in System J64. Moving in toward the galaxy center, on the edge of the adjoining spiral was Lulubelle’s current location on J97. Further in that direction was System J9580. Beyond were systems for future visits, K18 and K39. All of the new star systems lined up in a straight line. Past those systems, the devastated area of the Bakkui covered the chart.

  In that part of the galaxy, all of the drones returned with nothing but images of destruction. The depiction of the enemy’s advance was a menacing reminder of what they faced.

  “Look at 9580,” Luke said. “It’s practically next door. George, what’s the travel time to get there?”

  “Approximately seven hours, Commander.”

  Luke turned to Carrie. “Have engineering finish the pieces for the large-scale replicator as quickly as you can. I’ll stay here to see it gets put together. While we’re setting that up, I want you to take a fleet of warships out to 9580. George said they have a unified government and that their culture is a lot like Jigu. See what you can do.”

  “Are you testing me?” Carrie asked.

  “I’d call it an opportunity,” Luke replied. “Good practice for you, and maybe a source of people for us. The people here aren’t advanced enough to become crew members and there’s too few of them. But 9580 is a bit more modern.”

  Carrie nodded her understanding. “When do you want me back?”

  “Quickly. For the rest of the day, get with your people and select your fleet. You can take fifteen warships. Keep your captains under strict control. While you’re gone, I’ll set up local training and self-defense operations. I’m not saying you have to hurry; do a good job. But don’t dawdle. If it doesn’t work out right away, don’t force it. Think of it as the start of establishing regular visits between 9580 and Bradley’s planet.”

  # # #

  A few weeks can make a big difference, Luke thought. He stood in the same encampment, but now it had a modern look of nascent industrialization. No doubt Earth-based conservationists would condemn his effort to transform Bradley’s planet into a center of chrome and glass. But Luke thought it was better than a lifeless surface scarred by craters.

  The conservationists wouldn’t like the name either. Luke’s constant reference to Bradley’s planet had somehow been recorded formally as Bradley’s Planet. Luke saw it as representative of the inevitable bureaucracy that went with any large undertaking. Lindsey took it with good humor but insisted the native inhabitants be listed as the Soyuja, which meant owners in their own language.

  In the meantime, Lulubelle’s engineers had created a mobile version of the large-scale replicator. The rectangular framework was mounted on gravity pads, and a lone operator sitting in a cab built atop one of the corners could float it to any location needed. With the push of a button a building would appear. Or, to be more accurate, with a button and a lot of prior architectural design and site engineering.

  So far, in a neat grid of city blocks, they had produced barracks, an administrative center, a hospital, and a tactical command center. Hundreds of reconnaissance drones moved throughout the solar system providing continuous updates that were integrated into a three-dimensional hologram in the situation center, designated “the tank” by its users. Lindsey didn’t like the flat panel view screens used on Lulubelle’s bridge. He was used to seeing his world laid out on the ground in three dimensions, with little piles of rocks that denoted the location of battalions and brigades.

  Luke had to agree that the tank gave a better visualization of the combat situation. He told George to put together the same thing on Lulubelle so he could try it out. With a little customization it might become the new standard for warships too.

  Carrie arrived back in system after a week. She didn’t report with an unqualified success, but certainly the expectation of one. In a sign of good will, and with a promise to return soon, she left a ten-person team on J9580, which she formally designated planet Payapa, the local’s name for their world.

  For several days, Carrie met with Bradley to strategize on how to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between the two planets. Carrie suggested that one answer was to open up parts of Bradley’s Planet for expansion by the Payapians.

  Lindsey didn’t like the idea. “And what will you do with the Soyujans? Put them in reservations and sell them alcohol?”

  His question brought Carrie up short.

  “Want them to perform little dances for the rich visitors?” Lindsey pressed.

  Carrie pushed back. “All right, I’m sorry. You know I wasn’t thinking anything like that, but I do get your point. What is your idea then? I’m trying to come up with something that will help both of us.”

  “We’re the wards for this planet,” Lindsey said firmly. “Not developers. I won’t have these people exploited.”

  “Point taken. Can we move on?”

  Lindsey backed off. “I don’t know what the answer is. I’ve been struggling with this issue. Native populations are never handled well. It would be too easy to fall into that trap here. Assimilate or isolate? I just don’t know.”

  Carrie shrugged. “I don’t know either. But we don’t need to decide everything right this minute. I would like to get the process started. Over the long term, it’s going to help both planets if we can get trade going. The Payapians are peaceful, for sure, but they’re ready for something new. Their planet is limited. Lots of small oceans around a whole lot of flat mini-continents. They have nothing like the mountains here.”

  Luke intervened. “Brad, I met with some of your Soyujans the other day. After talking with them for about thirty minutes, I was glad to get called away. I think they were about to negotiate a deal with me and I’m not even sure what I was offering.”

  Lindsey laughed. “Ye
ah. These guys have merchant’s fever in their blood, don’t they?” He gave Carrie a wry look. “Let’s just set up a few meetings and see what develops. Maybe I’m worried about nothing after all. Could be my Soyujans aren’t the ones we need to be concerned for.”

  Carrie was suddenly suspicious. “Do I need to worry that your people will take my people for a ride?”

  # # #

  “Commander, Captain Faulkner is entering orbit at this time.”

  Luke was glad to get the message. Carrie had left for a second trip to Payapa a week ago after she and Lindsey finalized their strategy. They would start introductions between the two planets with a “get acquainted” visit and Carrie had gone to establish diplomatic protocols.

  She was waiting in Lulubelle’s planning room, excited to fill Luke in. “The Payapa government voted to join your alliance in return for protection and technology transfer,” she said. “They were a bit hesitant but they’re also open to the idea of bilateral trade with the Soyujans. I’m not worried. Once they see these mountains, I think tourism will boom.”

  “How will they get back and forth?” Luke asked. “I don’t want us turning into a transportation company.”

  “We already have that ironed out. I had George redesign the basic Ambrosia model into two new variants; one for cargo and one for passenger transport. That thick, rounded design is very flexible. Both models are unarmed; I didn’t want a loose warship running around unsupervised.”

  “Good call.”

  “What’s been going on here?” Carrie asked.

  “Brad is moving like gangbusters,” Luke said. “You won’t recognize the compound. It’s the new capital city. Or at least the start of one. He said the university is going up tomorrow.”

  Carrie shook her head. “I still can’t get used to the speed that things happen around here. Can you imagine how long it would take to do on Earth what you’ve done in the last week?”

  “I think about it a lot. What I haven’t figured out is why most of these planets are so peaceful. Up till now, I just accepted that combat was the natural order of things. It certainly is in nature; big fish eat little fish.”