Hector said, "That tracks with us."
"Good. Next the Carriers. You go with me to gather my other 9,999 ships, no I didn't stutter, assimilate my download, with me or not."
Tina and Claudia looked at each other too long, and then Claudia spoke, "Done."
"Excellent. Huta will be my Flag assistant, ass kicker, and general do-it-all. I almost forgot. You must swear to follow me, while I follow Melin. Anybody want out? No, well then, Huta, speak up."
"Did you clear this with our HQ?"
"No, all I want from our HQ is 100 person crews for each ship. I know that's twice as many as usual, but we're a lazy bunch. You have the balls to flat out tell them that, Huta?"
"Bigger ones than you'll ever have. I'm doing it now."
"That leaves our Reg friends. I see they're thinking, 'we don't fit in this and we'll not be pets.' Speaking of pets, I always wanted a few saber-tooth tigers for pets. Maybe we'll stop there. Seriously, you have more combat experience than the rest of us combined, or probably will ever have. I want you watching over my shoulder and if I'm about to do something dumb, which I regularly do, say something, and if I don't listen, hit me over the head, deal? Oh, and you are required to loose a few physical years, not more than half. What do you say?"
I knew they were thinking I'd lost it, but they knew also I spoke the truth.
All three stood, saluted, and said in turn, "I'll follow."
I knew that is all that's said in Reg ranks, so I stood, saluted them, "Thank you. Your first duty is to explore this ship. Take your time. Draft anyone to help you, understand?"
They just left, they understood, too much talk only makes for a chance to be heard by the enemy.
I haven't forgotten you, Kris, and Kristen. I know you swore to stick by Tina. However, you might do one more by keeping in constant contact with A-I HQ. I'm sure there are Comm rooms near the Bridge, and perhaps in the Quarters, Greta?"
"Both, I'll show you later."
"Unless I've slipped a cog that should do it. Get your duffels, soldiers. Greta, show them where to park the Assault ship. Also you'll have two storage containers coming down from orbit. One has new suits for you, Hector, a hundred of them. Similar containers have already been delivered to the other three Platoons. The other container has souvenirs from my stay and suits for Volunteers and us types. Have we brought enough fresh water on board? I expect we'll be going to dry worlds. Fill the tanks, won't you? Tina, get Nerre', Helga, and Heidi and their Signals Ensigns down here. We lift as soon as they're here. Go people."
Huta waved his arm, and motioned us to remain seated. "We have an answer from our planetary HQ. They say, tell them when and where to send the crews. The sender added a footnote. The Total Cultural Immersion Program is being scrapped. They don't like the results."
I said, "Tough luck, they created my mind set by putting me on Earth, so they have to live with it. OK, we're rolling, people. Greta get with Huta and map a route. We have to be back here tomorrow with everything done. Allow time for a stop at Frizdier. I want to shake Nikon's cage. We're due there in two hours. Go. Go."
They scattered; and I put my chair behind my desk. The Program scrubbing disturbed me, but what could I do, cut my throat? Have to truck on; I wonder who had my Harley now, Slag Butt probably.
Here and now, what else has to be done? Call Cmdr. Dick Jones. I'd given him that name when he came off the assembly line. No instructions about how to activate communications systems meant overall automaticity, "Calling Cmdr. Jones."
"Hear you loud and clear. What are your orders?"
"Remain here with 7,000 ships and help the Platoons make the newbies into something useful. I’m going to take 8,000 ships and scatter them for intelligence gathering. They'll report to you. Keep these Platoon people in the loop. They're just the tip of a vast organization we don't know about yet, and don't be nosey. Copy?"
"Copy that, Admiral Lenh. The ships going with you will follow your slip stream. Make sure your ship has our transponder frequencies."
"No worry, these people already did what you're going to think of next week. I'm totally serious about that, so be on your toes. I'll task a crew member to be in hourly contact with you. No contact, command reverts to you, and you have your orders. Lenh out."
I thought I'd skim back to the Bridge, and see what had happened; get in the way, make people nervous. If the crew had nerves, which I doubted. No, it would be better to stay put, and credit them with the brains of a ten year old. I'd given specific orders, probably no casino on this scow. Damn, I'd stolen an awfully lot of money from First Fed casinos. They'd assumed I had scruples, up to my departing where they realized they'd never recover their losses.
I viewed General Nikon sitting with his aide, Alstons, before we slipped into their time. Their open-top command car sat in the middle of a vast burnt expanse which had been a town.
The pilot made my ship appear ten feet from the car. I stood on the lower deck and called down, "We'll send transport."
Two remote control circles were dispatched and they came aboard. I said, "I've made ready a table. We will sit here on the deck with my command staff. Thank you for coming."
Nikon removed his cap. Nice cap, I thought. Placing it on the table he said, "It would have made too much uproar to have you set this city down near the occupied areas. I'm sure you've cleared your presence with the Orbital Forts?"
"No, they can't see us. Would you like to call them? Just talk normally and you'll be put through. As far as they're concerned you are still sitting in your car."
"Nikon to Fort Command. You need not monitor me anymore."
Turning to me, he asked, "I don't suppose you'd know if the enemy has this capability?"
"Not as far as we know. But I will leave 500 First Federation ships to ensure your personal safety. They'll be about. You won't see them either, but for credulity's sake, one will make itself visible beyond your car."
A silvery stubby saucer, 1,600 feet in diameter became visible. Nikon's lapel squawked.
"Sir, we have a bogey on top of you, request action clarification."
Nikon grimaced painfully at the screech, "Take a picture for your scrapbook, you'll probably never see another. Then, stand down."
The ship remained behind his car. "When we're done here," I waved toward the saucer. "That ships Captain will give you a tour. What you see and what we say here is for you to keep to yourself. What's your general strategy for holding the line, General?"
"Resist and drop back into a funnel formation the end of which is plugged by something even you haven't seen - a contained sun."
"I know the tech for achieving one. Never knew anyone mad enough to do it, and get talked about anyway. Sounds like you have the situation covered. We'll not get in the way. However; I have 8,000 of those stubby saucers over there in your space. They'll scout and assist as needed. There are a similar number of Green Ships about, same mission. Never seen a Green Ship? Look to your left, at 1,000 feet."
I had it remain visible for five minutes, no sound came out of the lapel.
After it went to Invis, I said, "Almost enough with the bread and fishes Sir Alstons. What could you do if you had a thousand years to prepare for a war?"
He focused on me to see if I joked. "I'd pre-position supplies everywhere they might be needed. I'd train and retrain troops." Nodding to Nikon he continued, "Before those things I'd throw every asset into research and development."
I continued, "Remember what I said about our ears only. I've had the assets of forty nine planets and a thousand years to prepare, and I'm an essence eight billion years old. Do you think I overlooked anything? Of course you can't answer that, but think about it."
They looked at each other, looked around what they could see of my ship, across the distance to the saucer, did everything but pinch themselves. Though, they did re-cross their legs. In the end they answered nearly in unison, "No."
I asked, "What are you in need of?"
Alstons consi
dered. "Low level remote controllable recon craft. They would be a man-power force multiplier."
"Look past the Saucer."
A massive cargo vessel slowly drifted down to the surface. This time the lapel squeaked, "Commo check, Sir."
"Loud and clear."
"Acknowledged."
Nikon muttered something about good help being hard to come by.
"There's a planetary surveillance system in that ship. Walk in and someone will show your people what to do. If you want they'll do it for you in the beginning. There's nearly an unlimited supply of such ships, they're still being built, forty nine planets, a thousand years. The purser has a list of what's available. Maybe you could spend a moment with him. If you gentlemen like, there's food first?"
Nikon said, "Another time Lenh, we need to get ready. The enemy will attack soon."
"I understand. Forgot to tell you, it's Admiral Lenh. You see, the lady who gave me 10,000 of the ship you're standing on felt I should be an Admiral."
Alstons made a skyward gesture and remarked, "If you want to be called the Queen Mother it's alright with me, Admiral."
The whole table laughed at that.
I smiled, "We'll do this again. I'll introduce you to everybody. We'll go for a cruise, dancing girls and all. The cargo ship will send a runabout for you. Don't worry; the Saucer will wait. Before you go, your cap, General Nikon, I like it. A cap didn't come with this uniform, and I should have one. Could you part with yours, and I'll have one modeled after it in the right colors?"
He looked at me oddly but said, "Sure, I have another, it's an old style from World War II on Earth, but you weren't there."
"Wanna bet? North Gate Road number Seventeen, 1940-1947 AD. We'll get together after this and have a pint. Oh, here is your runabout. I'll be in touch."
The runabout landed on the open deck and they were whisked away. I said to all assembled, "It is a shame he doesn't have better control of his time. Someone make a note, 'send him two Time Drop Belts.' We have buried ships waiting, let's go."
The notice of the ANNU KI frontal attack found us wrestling with ships number 8759 and 8760, on a planet far away from Frizdier. These two ships were similar to the ones we'd already dug up and crewed. But they had things added to them, like gun turrets every thirty feet on every deck, with rocket launchers between the turrets all the way around on every deck.
"Melin," I said. After I called her and explained the situation, "What do we have here?"
"No mention of these ships. Send me one. I'm following the attack as you are. Your forces are helping to hold the funnel, but they will attempt to break out at an angle. They're not that dumb. I think I know where. Instruct your people to follow my lead."
"Acknowledged, orders being relayed now. I'll be along as soon as we sort out these two ships."
"No, continue your mission. This will be a minor skirmish. The battle is later."
"Wilco, out."
I called Greta into my office. "Why isn't this situation handled already?"
"I'm following the attack, too. But to what you asked; I have to replicate my crew to get one ship to Melin. That takes time. To crew the different ship will take three usual crews. Your people haven't delivered the two extra crews. In our favor we don't have to put the secondary weapons on the new ship. So I'll send those armament ships to Melin."
I said, "Good chapter in a book. Next time I ask a dumb question, just say we're doing all we can. That will give me time to catch up on my Vid library. While I have you here, and of course you don't have anything personal to do, let me ask a few questions that have been rolling around in my mind."
"Go ahead."
"From what I'm learning of the 'Revive caskets' Melin could have chosen any body type; why yours?"
"Interesting term 'caskets' but the choice couldn't have been otherwise. This body can live in the Void."
"What's the difference?"
"Two brains. The internal one controls the bodily functions. The one in the head handles mental relays. The structure is surrounded by energy fields, which can isolate it from most environments. I'll activate the field, and you see if you can get through it easily. Be gentle, I don't want this one incinerated."
She disappeared into a ball of swirling energy. I 'pushed' at it. It deflected and absorbed my energy, and a denser energy field faced me. I tried a pinpoint beam; it penetrated but bent and went circled the sphere, being absorbed as it went. A still stronger field faced me. I could just blast her, but the frequency I'd tried, the one needed for mental control, couldn't penetrate her shield.
"You've proved your point."
Greta appeared in front of me. "Have you tried that in a Battle Suit?"
"No, they would be a loose fit for us."
"You didn't ask that maybe I'm not stupid, and wouldn't have thought of the different sized body problem, and built in inflatable form-fitting?"
"Didn't occur to me. I beg your forgiveness."
"Oh, bullshit," I said fondly, "Just don't think me short. And if I am I'll go back and make it right. Make sure enough suits for you and your crew are taken from the supply ship before it's sent on. Plus thirty percent as a safety factor. Get a-hopping girl."
I concentrated on the incoming attack news. Our losses were approaching thirty five percent. The enemy losses closed on ninety five percent of ships engaged. They still had a lot of ships, and they were duplicating more as they went along. Why weren't we doing that?
I screamed at Tel and Granger who commanded separate Mother Ship Wings on the front, "Wake up assholes! Learn from the enemy!"
After that our lines solidified, just a bit longer to the end of the funnel. The enemy gave up attacking and ran for the empty space they saw in front of them.
Out of the blackness multiple beams appeared. As they touched a ship it disappeared. The enemy couldn't go into Negative Space for fear of running into their own minefields. So the enemy ships just poured on the coal. Suns have a long reach. I counted, 7,982 enemy ships destroyed in eighteen minutes. I didn't want to know who did the targeting. I just wanted them on my side.
Looking at the view of drifting hulks I felt like the aftermath of a month's sex, total exhaustion. A tiny portion of my mind knew someone stuck their head in my office, and left after seeing me. Another portion said we'd continued our search, two ships now, and other ships had gone wherever. I slumped and let the Vid play over and over until it played itself out.
Sometime later the salvage wreckers arrived on the far away battlefield, and I thought, 'it's probably over now.' My self thought back, 'most likely.'
I straightened in my chair, hungry as hell, there better be meat tonight, and lots of it.
We returned to Hendes I a day after we'd left. We were out of kilter elapsed time wise, with the rest of the Universe. I suspicioned Melin would have it that way. We weren't playing the sequential time song 'no more'. I'd kept 1,001 ships. We got an extra to make up for the one I'd sent Melin. She figured the Gun Ship version was intended for deep scouting upon arrival at any destination. It suited the Elders level of arrogance to have only two such scout ships, instead of two thousand.
Hendes I had their own Time Warping going on and had transformed itself into a madhouse of directed activity overnight. I ordered one week of shore leave, or bunk time, whatever. We didn't need to be asking where and when. We just wanted the enemy to do that.
I sat with Hector who'd been updated on Hendes I events; discussing, 'what next?' when Cmdr Jones called.
"Admiral Lenh, the replacements have arrived for the Frizdier losses. What do you want done with them?"
"Retain them to assist in training."
"Wilco. Congratulations to us. Out."
Hector asked, "Why did he say replacements, instead of new ships?"
"Every lost soldier gets replaced. You weren't there Hector. Maybe you would have handled it differently. What do you do when you're the bearer of the news of total death? I gave them life. Every soldier off the ass
embly line has a name and a neighborhood behind him or her, 50/50 him--her. They have the memories and a slice of the essence of everybody in that neighborhood. In the end, everyone in the First Fed will be here in their soldiers. Every planet runs the assembly lines night and day. It's a total mobilization for war there. They are serious. Understand?"
"Yes, I understand. You'll go down in the annuls of Essence Dom as number one in making differences."
"I don't know about that. All history isn't written yet. How far along are they in meeting their goals here?" I asked.
"Melin says, "Get it done in a week." I think that means we attack in a week."
"I agree. I'd better step up events in the First Fed. You and your Assault people better have a five day completion goal." I reminded him
"Tracks for me. You better let your Carrier Captains in on this."
"I'll do that. See you at the Post, Hector. Greta, get me the Carrier Captains."
"Yes, Admiral Lenh."
He left and I considered what to do with the Carriers? Well, hell, let them follow me and kill what I didn't. Simple.
When Tina, Nerre', Helga, and Heidi came in, I said, "I haven't cleared this with Melin yet, but we're going to skim between the Void and the ARK. Like a 'V' of geese you will follow in your carriers. That's just to take their attention off of how many ships are advancing toward the center of the spider's web--which is the Universe ARK--from every 360 degree attack line. Additional ships will be skimming along the edge of the Void. Meanwhile, Nikon's force will push out toward the edge in a bowl formation, as he has been doing. Are you four up for being extra spoilers?"
They looked at me like they were going to pick a short straw again, so I said it for them, "Of course, you are. I suggest you position extra exterior fighters and have everybody on a remote control stick that isn't running the ships. We'll be using the Gun Ship version of this. This one remains here with copies of all of us on board, understand?"
Greener Green III: Let Light Reign Page 30