Greener Green III: Let Light Reign

by Peter Sowatskey

  Lil and I looked at each other, but didn't ask questions. We just fell in step with Betty as she led us out of the ship, across the plateau and into the tunnel mouth. I reckoned it four times as tall as me. As we went along the tunnel maintained the same height as the opening. The walls gave off a glow so the light level didn't diminish. Strangely, our foot falls didn't make any noise. It curved left and then right and left again as we walked.

  Betty said, "The walls absorb all wavelengths. I realize now why we can't search out the nests on other worlds electronically. Have to do some more research. The curves add to that capability. Here we are."

  We came to a vast high room with a ceiling so high it made me dizzy to look up, same degree of light around the room, at ground level, and less above.

  "This is going to be the center of our efforts. When the equipment arrives we'll project the part of the Universe we're concerned with, makes it more realistic to track our progress that way. Come on over here. This table I had made special in this wedge shape. When the rest of the order arrives from the village shops they go together to form a massive circular work surface. The lecturer can stand in the middle. Oh, here are Janus and Mary."

  A fellow a head taller than me approached. He had an indistinct look to my senses, but otherwise a normal appearance.

  Betty said, "Granger, this is Janus, Janus, Granger."

  We shook hands, nothing remarkable about his grip, or him, close up. It dawned on me that therein lay his strength. No one wanted to do anything about him. Damn hard to achieve.

  "I've heard of Metallics; thought it a fable. I'm a magician. That's why I appear indistinct to you. No, not telepathic, just reading body-face language. I'm pleased to be on your side."

  "And you on mine." I answered sincerely.

  Betty interrupted, "If I can have your combined attention I have a short necessary lecture. You may sit. Here as you see is a local pulp fruit. It represents our Universe. I put this stick in it. The angle, about two o'clock, isn't exact, but it will demonstrate a point. If you went along that angle far enough you would come to the ANNU KI main base. Conversely they have invaded this Universe, the fruit, starting at the sticks penetration point. Now, I'm going to cut a third of the fruit off, slantwise, like this. The cut off piece represents how far, until now, they have advanced and therein they have complete control. We know this from different sources, long story. It will be in our data base. All of what is discussed here is for Intelligence Command ears only."

  I observed, "That's good news. It makes the fight seem less hopeless. Conquering only a third of the Universe is possible."

  "Exactly," Betty seconded. "And we will fight along that one third deep frontier toward their location, in a sporadic manner, so they don't immediately know what we're doing. To make the fight seem more sporadic we will use the concept of the Fifth Column. Through the Church of the Open Door we will insert people up to forty years in any planets past to act with our invasion forces when they get there. That's what Janus will organize, using how ever many time drop periods as necessary. Regardless, he will be back here in four weeks, or less, to report on his efforts, so we can get intelligence to our fighters when they need it. Meanwhile we will go after lightly armed, disorganized planets. Granger, do you have any comments, or suggestions, or any of you?"

  I saw that Mary and Lil were reflecting, so I spoke first, "I went through the training data Tel had implanted. The ANNU KI use their mother ships in a coordinated manner. Two ships per planet, with thirteen support ships each. The mother ships are on the ground over the magnetic poles, to influence the planets weather. That they used as a weapon. Then the support ships wipe out pockets of resistance to their invasion. I see no reason to lose our ships haphazardly, when their tactic has been proven many times over. We will destroy the Mother Ships and then their support ships, taking over planetary weather control ourselves. Then the Ranger ships will do the actual ground interface of surrenders and civilian support."

  Betty agreed, "In space, with support, an AK mother ship takes much effort to bring down. No planetary defense can hurt them. The Rangers have ships to fight them in space, but not very many. I expect that they will shortly have more. But, on the ground, if a blizzard will wipe out an installation, it's silly to risk attack ships and Infantry. I will gather details from our friend in the swamp. I know you don't trust him. Neither do I. But so far he's been on the level. If he's playing a game to our detriment, it's beyond me to ascertain. And damn little is beyond me. Mary, Lil, you have anything?"

  "We have some thoughts, nothing specific now; we'll see what Janus comes back with. Talk about our minor input then." Lil voiced.

  "Fine. I'll be around. I'm sending Janus back on the Battleship without me. Let's go catch a shuttle, Janus."

  We said goodbye all around. Mary walked out with them. Lil and I sat down. We ate the part of the fruit which remained in the bowl, symbolic I thought. The juice we washed off with canteen water. It seeped into the floor.

  Operational Area Vicinity of First Federation Research Complex

  By Polaris

  Chapter Fourteen

  Admiral Tildore Secallo

  The Research Station, minus the shipyard, sandwiched between the two Ships of the Line, moved from its location. Redundancy over redundancy had been factored in. The embodied former inhabitants, now on ARK V, hadn't any doubt about a successful conclusion. Maybe we were in the wrong business. Five hundred miniature Carriers went along with it, flying to the rear. They claimed they could match any velocity. I believed them. I had to because I stood by Nerre, on our new Carrier and watched them move away. Helga and Heidi had elected to come along, so backup crews had taken over our three former Carriers. Everybody beamed because Carrier duty always got fought over. There were eleven more Carriers in the shipyard complex, one for each of my proposed companies. Hurrah, Lil had bit the bullet. I never had any idea why she hadn't taken charge long ago, as High Admiral.

  The Workers said they could move their own shipyard. I didn't doubt them either. A Passenger Ball would meet us at Moneslakia after picking up the new recruits from ARK IV, which orbited Earth.

  Unnecessarily I said, "Let their turbulence totally subside, before we move, Nerre."

  Nerre glanced at Marvin beside me, and only answered, "Yes sir."

  They both knew I only made noises to hear my own voice at times. Marvin's Worker shadow stood a few feet away from him. Its eyes were the only thing that changed. They twinkled, or glowed, or spun. Eventually I'd know what set them off.

  Nerre ordered, "Movement array, standby,” she glanced at the Worker. The Shipyard started to move. Not slow like the Station, but like a dog let off its leash. "Maintain stated positions, match velocity."

  I hoped it wouldn't run away from us, seems like Workers might have a sense of humor.

  Six days later Nerre, Marvin, the Worker, and I sat around a small table in my office. I asked, "Is there anything else anybody wants to add to our plans before we have to concern ourselves with arrival procedures?"

  The Worker spoke first, "No. The Company you asked for is ready to go planet side with you. We need nothing but a space to land our ships, twenty five small Carriers. Mobility is dominant to our tactical calculations when fighting a surface war. We realize this planet is pacified. However pacified is not a constant state. We will prepare a landing site for the A-I Company per plan."

  "Truer words were never spoken." I agreed. "Landing beacons will transmit, when were on the way down."

  Marvin assured us, "Announcements are going out from everybody who calls themselves a leader, to every world in our tactical space; including this one, that unusual people will be doing surveys searching for natural resources. Cooperation is being asked for, to benefit the community finances. That way we should have to kill fewer people, any casualty will be collected right away."

  Nerre summarized her part, "Once the shipyard is in a stable orbit further out than the Rail Gun Dock, I will make a swoop to
a thousand feet and eject the two troop carriers above us. The Volunteers aboard will simulate insertion in a hostile environment and setting up a base of operations in the mountains near the HQ. Thereafter they'll play a part, along with everybody else, in HQ security. I'll say this again, or for the fifteenth time, this environment is not to be considered friendly. We're working with a live ANNU KI soldier, who has an agenda of his own."

  "DO here. We're braking for Moneslakia. We'll do twice around the planet to allow the gravity field to slow our momentum, and allow us to get our own surface and subsurface readings. Stationary in one hour. Volunteers loading into transports in a half hour. Out."

  "That does it, "I said. “Marvin, are you going down with the Workers, or are you going to take the shuttle with Nerre and me?"

  "They've allowed me to get briefed on their two person Carriers, so I'll be going down in one with them. I'll see you later at HQ."

  "Have fun. Nerre won't let me near controls anymore.'

  Nerre started to sputter, so I hastily added, "Just joking. I'm sure I would be allowed to play with the remote pilots seats."

  Nerre threw up her hands and started for the corner of the room where our packed duffels lay. She scooped up mine and hers, came back, and threw it at me.

  "Time to go topside." She ordered. I just put the strap over my shoulder and followed her out the door. There I stopped, turned, and saluted the dead Phaeton Captain. I, for one, considered him to still be around, looking at what he'd wrought.

  The plan went smoothly and I walked down the shuttles ramp to be greeted by Betty.

  "Glad to see you've made it. Let me escort you to your tunnel. It's Spartan now, only beds, but the village makes all sorts of furniture. You missed Mary and Lil. They went out yesterday with Granger, recruiting. They'll be back in a week."

  We walked into a wide high tunnel and around several bends.

  Betty informed me, "Bends dampen sound. Here's your off tunnel. Just remember the first one to the right. Throw your bag in it and let me show you my baby."

  I set my bag down and we continued along, bending so many times I lost count. At every bend a tunnel went off at a right angle. I asked, "What were they planning here?"

  "Regional HQ. No idea what that meant to them. I'm on good terms with our swamp rat, but I respect his mental privacy because to do otherwise might blow his mind. Odd situation. My problem. Viola, we're here."

  For a long moment I thought I'd been transported back to the Carrier Bridge and looked out onto space. I regained my balance quickly.

  "Gets you huh? It gets everybody. That's us blinking green, off to your right. The blinking red one, to the left of it is Gangene. It's proving to be a problem. Going to have a lot of recruits from it. Lewis says two days. He's not a patient one, genius type."

  "In a command slot?"

  "Yep. Mary's idea. He brought his whole class along, three thousand plus, and more assets than he'll ever need. Here we're short of the ANNU KI main base in territory they've not pacified yet. That white arrow way up there points out the way to it. More details, that's up to you to arrange."

  A snake girl approached.

  Betty waved her closer. "This is Melin. The Torkens are off conquering."

  I held out my hand. She touched it. I felt a deep space in her, never felt that before.

  She said, "You too big for my appetite. But Betty makes sure I eat in the cooler. No danger to anyone. Welcome to this planet, my place of birth. Betty says you bring many people, different people. Maybe Betty will find a better model for me."

  Betty put her arm across Melins shoulder and assured her, "You, as yourself, are a fine person. You've learned much. I'm giving you the job of remaining by Tildore's side. You can learn about each other. It's important that you both do that. Tildore knows that your kind fly his fighters from the circle ships."

  Melin looked at me calculatingly and said, "We good flyers. Hard bodies. My body is hard too. Harder than yours. We learn together."

  I couldn't quite understand Betty's point, but she had one. I'd understand it later. I just said, "Yes."

  Betty interrupted, "The Battleship and other ships for the Intelligence HQ are due in two days. I've brought in all sorts of projection equipment. There are domes half the size of this one. What's your pleasure?"

  "Nerre will be along as soon as she satisfies her curiosity about the AK ship out there. She has the details worked out. Anything I need to know on the Admiral level?"

  "Your Fifth Column person will be back in three weeks. I'd use him to get an attack plan finalized, and applied to targets." She waved at the representation above.

  "That desk over by the wall taken?"

  "No."

  "Have potential targets been assigned a weighted index number?"

  "No."

  "Fine. Just bring me a sheet on each one, and that's where I'll start. Come sit with me Melin, and tell me about your adventures, while Betty's busy."

  Betty walked across the room to a computer array. Melin began to tell me about her meals. Some had been nice people, some not.

  Nerre came into the room followed by about twenty Volunteers. They were the first planet side rotation group. Everybody had been aboard something too long. I waved her over to Betty when she came down from the partial Universe display. Betty, and they came en-masse to me, while I took the sheets from Nerre, I waved them to tables.

  When they were seated I rose and said, "We, I, have to make a numerical targets list. Many factors go into that process. The computer would do that if it knew what we wanted. So we're going to tell it what we want by example. Then input our results, and it will program itself. Each of you, make your list of relevant factors. Then make one master list by agreement. After that you'll each get the same thirty planets data. Use your master list and a one to ten scale, to ascertain who should be invaded first. I'll work on the same thirty planet list on my own. Let's see what comes of that approach. No time deadline. You feel foggy go for a walk. Begin."

  I sat and started on my stack. I noticed that Nerre got a stack and went off to an unoccupied table. My personal consideration of importance centered on ease of conquest, that being necessary to establish a support base. Sure, we could fight from our ships, but if we could get the local planets behind us, contributing to the conquest effort, we'd be far better off. Just in not having to go back and re-conquer the reluctant.

  It took me five hours, because I didn't want to get too far ahead. I delayed by making several visits to the plentiful one sex bathrooms. We learn from our enemies. We Volunteers didn't have these considerations anymore. We didn't rescue the weaker sex, and get shot in the trying. We didn't have any weaker sex. We'd see who did. I made a list of who I had on board, us, Essences, Workers, Regs, Brenesi, Dragon people, Reborn Humans, Rangers, (hadn't seen them around yet) the Metallics, (In ANNU KI bodies, and in snake bodies), damn, I had a feeling I'd forgotten someone. Their strengths and weaknesses had to be listed, and reduced to a numerical scale, for the computer. Damn, I'd forgotten the Phaetons, oh my. Their number would probably grow when we factored in the First Federation planets, and their desire to kill the people who'd ruined them.

  "They're about done, Melin. Let's go get some fresh air." Truthfully the air flow didn't lack anything.

  Outside we found a table by the cliff side and watched the sun set in the South Western sky. Have to get up on the local seasons. The briefing mentioned mid-summer, pleasant with air moving up from the valley.

  "Do you smell someone cooking supper, Melin?"

  "Yes. Not hungry. Can I drink from your canteen?"

  "Why not?"

  I handed it to her. I'd noticed a sign for an Infirmary.

  IT WON'T HURT HER. I'LL GET HER A COMBAT VEST LATER AND FILL THE CANTEENS WITH YOUR MIXTURE.

  'You were a bit stingy on the hops last batch.'

  SO SORRY, MASTER

  She handed the canteen back empty. "Thirsty, you talk with Betty. Me too, sometimes. Not fun being on
e of a kind. Torkens understand, but not many others here."

  Was I being approached? Oh, this could be delicate. "Let's go see what is done. We'll come back here later."

  "I have to get coat. Meet you here?"

  "Yes. Three hours."

  Back in the planetarium I found three stacks of papers on my desk. Everyone had evidently gone to make their bed, or something. My stack didn't appear to be in the same place I left it. I shuffled through the stacks. All three stacks were the same. Did I have a good group of followers, or not? I looked closer. There were very few alterations of subordinate evaluative criteria. That clinched it for me. Betty had gone elsewhere, but the operator didn't hesitate when I presented the three stacks. I noticed her name tag, Signals Ensign Maria Brunnel. She looked like a college girl.

  I asked, "Can you, strike that, of course you can, the agreement is reached for these planets. Applying the reasoning, and anything you'd care to add, I'd like a marching route. We'll get you the skills weighting tomorrow."

  "It will be on your desk at dawn. And I did attend college, long gone civilization. You would have liked it there; nothing to do but learn."

  "I would sincerely like to do just that."

  "I know. Maybe I'll recreate that time, for you and me to visit. Good night sir."

  I left her to her task. She probably had the skills set done already. Oh well, it would be an interesting mental exercise. I went back to my tunnel and claimed my duffle. I discovered the secondary tunnel, no change in size, had depressions about thirty feet deep off of it. I turned left into the first depression, found no duffle there, and claimed it as mine. A simple wooden bed with bed covers, sat in a corner, Spartan indeed. Another corner had a commode, and a shower pipe protruding from the wall, sixteen feet up. Some interior decorator stood to make a killing here. I threw my duffle on the bed and went back to the table by the cliff. Melin waited for me, a long length light roomy coat wrapped around her. Next to her she had a combat vest with six canteens on it, just canteens, and no weapons. She must have sensed my hesitation.