by Charles Lamb
“General, I was told that the humans will only accept a reply from me, and I must be in their presence. The cube should say that!” HeBak replied with a bit of a panic.
“Possibly, we shall see about that. I wonder if they are specific as to what condition you must to be in?” KaLob added as he waved the group away while still examining the cube in his hand.
Once he was alone, KaLob gently placed the cube on the reader and immediately his display lit up with documents, in NeHaw, as well as a hologram on his desk. In the hologram, a human was sitting behind a desk quite similar to his own. The image sat frozen as it waited for him to activate the recording.
KaLob studied the human, as this was his first opportunity to see the species in great detail. As he suspected that this was the leader of the enemy that had turned an Empire upside down, he was cautious to not let the arrogance of the past cloud his impression. This human had proven resourceful, cunning, and worst of all, successful in his efforts.
Triggering the recording, he listened to the perfectly spoken NeHaw, referencing the provided documentation several times during the presentation. Finally stopping the recording as it began to replay, he sat back from his desk, absorbing all that had been proposed. At first he rejected the inferences, but as he considered the consequences, he slowly began to see the possibilities.
Finally, he sat forward, snatching the cube from the reader and locking it up in his private safe. Apparently, HeBak was going to return to the humans unharmed after all. With the item safely locked away, KaLob cleared his calendar for the next few cycles.
Next he placed a request with his research department, asking for any data they had on the humans, including their history, customs and social structure. If he was to meet with their leader, he wanted to be as prepared as possible for the event.
Chapter 27
With the amount of damage the space station had sustained in the attack, the decision to post ALICE-3 nearby was an easy one. Overall, 3 of 6 modules were damaged and there had been a measurable loss of life. On the positive side, it was still operable and had more than held its own in the fighting.
Personally, Jake was becoming a bit concerned at his less than concerned attitude about the casualties. As he scanned the reports he realized he didn’t recognize a single name, and that bothered him.
In the Battle of Klinan, he had personally known most of those that had died in the fight, and that had tempered his decisions since. Now, these faceless names had him wondering how many more battles he was willing to plan and execute, without a major concern for the lives lost in that cause.
He remembered Patti’s question once more, about what did success look like in this war. The question had haunted him, and prompted his actions with the NeHaw HeBak. As he waited for the reply, he only hopped his counterpart had the wisdom and foresight to embrace the opportunity he was presenting.
----*----
Colonel Bo Chao was delighted with the outcome of the battle at the edge of the solar system. The timely return of the battleship ALICE-3 had been a fortunate turn of events accelerating what Bo perceived to be the inevitable success of the struggle.
What confused him though, were his instructions to remain on G-43578, even though they had determined the strategic value here to be minimal. When queried as to the reason for their delay, Jake had simply explained that he did not want to release the bargaining chip just yet.
Bo wasn’t sure what plans Jake had set in motion, he simply respected the man’s wishes and continued to beat Robert at Xiangqi while Robert humiliated him at poker.
----*----
It was two days after the fight over the space station that the Phantom appeared at the edge of the system. Considered a noncombatant as far as the fight in space went, the SAS team, under Colonel Banks, had found one more opportunity before returning home.
A simple smash and grab operation, they had located an outpost at the edge of a larger system. Breaching its defenses, they overcame the small defense force there and stripped the facility of any usable information before the reaction force could arrive.
Going stealth, they had slipped past the ships coming in to rescue the captives and taken the Phantom FTL as they landed. Jake laughed when Banks explained how they had taken the outpost without firing a shot and then locked up the staff in a supply room. In the short time they had available, they had emptied out the computer room, loading the entire space into the Phantom’s hold.
----*----
“Jake I think we need to talk about some things,” Patti opened at the meeting she had called in his office.
“When a woman say we need to talk, it’s never good for the man,” Jake replied snidely.
Besides Patti, Jake had Sara, Linda and Ivan in his office as well. Online, and conferenced in, were Nigel, Bonnie and both Bo and Edwin linked from their positions in deep space.
“The events of the last few weeks have seen you, Edwin and Bo all leading combat missions off planet and all considered very high risk,” ALICE offered as a way of broaching a subject Jake had been dodging for quite some time.
“All successful, I should point out,” Jake replied, concerned at where this was going.
“Regardless, you three are the leaders of the military for this planet. To have you constantly placing yourselves at risk is irresponsible,” Patti added.
“Someone must always be seen as the leader. While there are many Starshina, there is only one Ataman,” Ivan offered.
Jake could see heads nodding, acknowledging the Russian’s comment.
“And you are proposing?” Jake asked, dreading the reply.
“Congratulations, old son, you are now a General,” Nigel announced, as if it was a good thing.
“It was decided that, with both Colonel’s Banks and Chao off planet, that you should be promoted as the head of all the armed forces,” ALICE explained.
“Look, you all know how I feel…” Jake started before Banks cut him off.
“No point in arguing old boy. It’s been decided. Neither Bo nor I are in a position to provide the leadership you can. You are an innovative leader that inspires the best in everyone you touch,” Edwin continued.
Acknowledging the inevitable, Jake caved to the unanimous decision with a shrug and a sigh.
“Thanks a lot,” he replied, with an almost genuine smile.
----*----
HeBak’s return had Jake on edge, as the alien traveled the four days needed to reach Earth after dropping from FTL. Since the NeHaw leader had replied using the same technology as provided him, there was nothing that could be accomplished until the ship landed in Texas.
Arriving in Texas the day before he expected the alien to land, Jake settled into a waiting mode that had him back in his workshop there. Wrenching on the 1966 Cobra, he was happy to find a stack of parts recently fabricated by Dallas and Seven, created to replace the decayed rubber he had already removed.
Although the car was far from ready to drive, working on it allowed Jake a moment to think and focus on more important issues. The contents of the data cube currently in route represented the future of the human race.
Should the NeHaw agree to his proposal, Jake was optimistic that they stood a very good chance of living a war free existence for the foreseeable future.
----*----
Patti and Daniel were in the process of celebrating his return when Gemma and Jacob dropped in. Having enjoyed their honeymoon in Iceland, the couple had returned first to Lanai, where they got caught up on all that they had missed. Satisfied that everything was running smoothly there, they had taken a few days to get settled in before traveling to the London facility.
“I must say, your new combat suits are a life saver,” Daniel said as he praised the two engineers.
Rather than shuffling off to one of their private rooms, Patti had suggested the four meet in one of the many restaurants the Brits had recreated in their subterranean home. While not actually a restaurant, as no one was charged f
or their meal, the atmosphere was one of a quaint bistro rather than the more sterile cafeteria style of the ALICE dining halls.
“He means that for real,” Patti added.
With that comment, Daniel went into the story of his adventures on K-82734 and his almost certain discovery at the hands of the security forces there. Patti could see her brother beaming with pride as Daniel explained his use of the disrupter rod in tunneling beneath the perimeter fencing.
Expanding on all that had occurred in the following missions, both Gemma and Jacob sat mesmerized, drawn in by Daniel’s descriptions of their technology in use.
“So how is married life?” Patti finally asked as they moved off of work talk.
“Other than the wondrous time we had in Iceland, it’s not terribly different than before. My mum, however, had completely transformed. The prospect of grandchildren has her happy as Larry,” Gemma offered after a bite of dessert.
“I however am still on probation,” Jacob added with a laugh.
“Not so Luv. She fancies you for a son in law. She is just slow to warm up to people,” Gemma replied while patting his arm.
“Well, I know for a fact Nigel thinks you are the best,” Patti added.
Glancing at Daniel, Patti sensed there was something troubling him about the conversation. As they discussed the in-laws, she could see his mind was not on the conversation directly.
“Patricia, I have something to ask you,” Daniel suddenly blurted as they were chatting after the table was cleared. Slipping off his chair so he could take a knee at her side, Daniel took Patti’s hand in his.
“Would you do me the honor of being my wife?” he asked as he looked up into her eyes.
Taken completely off guard, Patti could hear her answer.
“YES,” she replied before bursting into tears.
----*----
Jake was present as he watched the NeHaw HeBak lower his ship into the Texas hangar. He watched, breathing gear in hand and wireless helmet already on his head. Once it settled on its landing gear, he had Dallas transmit the access request as he approached the airlock.
Apparently expecting the request, the outer door opened as soon as Jake arrived, allowing him access to the ship. With his mask on and helmet in place, he entered the small space, triggering the outer hatch to close and then waiting for the NeHaw to give him access to the interior of the ship.
The NeHaw must have been in some hurry of his own as Jake found the inner door open almost as soon as he had turned from closing the outer. Stepping inside the ship, he found his host standing just inside, his arm extended.
“This is your reply. I am told you will have no issues accessing the contents, nor any trouble understanding it,” HeBak added as Jake took a cube exactly like the one they had sent.
“This now completes my obligations, would you please inform your people that they may begin returning my property immediately,” the NeHaw added.
“Absolutely. Will you be leaving afterward?” Jake asked, curious what deals the NeHaw might have struck back home.
The question seemed to strike a nerve with HeBak as he stood frozen for several seconds before replying.
“It was suggested that I consider staying with you for a cycle or two longer until your business with General KaLob is completed. Is this acceptable?” He asked.
“I will inform Dallas that your hangar space is not available for other uses,” Jake replied with a smile. He had no idea what had transpired on the NeHaw home world, but whatever it was, HeBak was not yet free to roam the empire.
----*----
Jake wasted no time in taking the data cube and retreating to his office here in Texas. With Dallas prepared to translate any information provided, he set the data cube on the reader and was instantly rewarded with the hologram and display filled with data that he had expected as a reply to what he provided.
The General introduced himself in a very human like manner, and then proceeded to walk through his response to Jake’s proposal. It unnerved Jake slightly that the NeHaw was so businesslike in his approach, working in a very methodical fashion. They had so demonized the NeHaw leadership that it was with some difficulty that he had to imagine him as an empathetic being.
Clearing his mind of any preconceived notions, Jake set about evaluating the NeHaw response. It was several hours later when he had finally worked through the information provided and, with Dallas’s help, formulated a plan.
It was clear that the General was hedging his bets on working anything out with Earth. At several points in the response, he had alluded to a war of attrition that Earth could never win. In the same sentence, he also acknowledged the damage the effort was doing to the Empire itself.
To make this work Jake needed to provide a place where the two could meet, face to face, that didn’t expose their efforts to the Empire or Earth’s treaty partners. While Jake had no intent in selling anyone down the river, he knew that the more races involved, the less likely they would see a successful outcome.
To that end, he set the ALICEs on the task of locating a remote part of space that permitted the two to meet secretly while providing certain necessary components. Jake was very much afraid that he would have to convince General KaLob just how serious Earth was, and that meant demonstrations of power.
With that delegated, he proceeded to locate the other items he required for the meeting while creating one more message for General KaLob, outlining their next steps. While neither side had ceased their hostilities, his hope was there would be no further offensives until this meeting was convened.
----*----
Production Supervisor Valstorke personally addressed the latest human order, presumably requested from their leader himself. As he reviewed the request, he began to question the sanity of arguably the most powerful being in several sectors. The two items outlined were a combination of mundane and bizarre.
While not a particularly difficult order, the request came with a delivery date that required Valstorke to drop just about everything else he had in process, just to complete it on time. However, the price to be paid for such a delivery ensured he would complete the job early and exactly as requested. No questions asked.
Chapter 28
Robert was beginning to chafe at the delays in returning home. He and Bonnie had regular calls, but that just wasn’t the same as being there. Colonel Bo Chao seemed less concerned at the delays in returning, responding that Jake had a good reason he was sure.
By this point, all three locations had been completely restored to full working order, with the defenses back in place. The prisoners were all behaving, with Robert even honoring a request of sending death notifications to their home worlds, for those lost in the conflict.
Bo had Kola reviewed all transmissions prior to any release, verifying there was not hidden messages or nefarious intent in the effort. Beyond all of that, the Aseristic had resumed their work on the four cruisers. Robert had assumed the humans would be taking them along as war prizes and as such, the upgrades would be of value.
Positive he was not alone in his desire to be gone from this planet, Robert did his best to boost morale for the troops and crews on the ground and in space. He just hoped Jake didn’t drag this out much longer.
----*----
As the two ships closed in on the designated meeting spot, Jake could see his ship’s sensors dancing from the scans the NeHaw ship was performing on him. Both he and the small NeHaw vessel were given a very specific set of instructions to follow, for which any deviations would constitute an immediate cancelation of the meeting.
The place chosen for the negotiation was as remote a location in space as Jake had ever encountered in his travels to date. In this void, there were three floating celestial bodies, unattached to any star system and were, in fact, intentionally chosen because they were far from any star system. On Earth, they would be considered a navigation hazard, which was why they were chosen. All of them were about half the size of Earth’s moon.
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A respectable distance away from the three barren rocks, sat a special module Jake had ordered constructed by the Wawobash. Delivered to the space station, it had been programed by ALICE to FTL unmanned to an agreed upon locale where NeHaw security could scan and inspect it for treachery. Next, it was delivered to a final location known only to General KaLob and ALICE.
Docking at the port specifically intended for his ship, one he had ordered at the same time as the module, Jake exited the small craft and entered the half of the module designed to support human life. As he entered for the first time, he confirmed that the entire module was one large room with a clear partition separating his half from the NeHaw designed space.
Both halves contained a desk, each facing the other, as well as several chairs should either participant choose a more comfortable seat. No food or drink had been provided, should such a thing cause undue concerns to either participant.
Jake had no more entered his half, when the General entered opposite him. Both Man and NeHaw acknowledged the other with respect before taking their seats at the desks facing the divider.
“Colonel Thomas, my sensors confirm you came alone, as agreed,” KaLob opened the conversation.
“As do mine, General KaLob. By the way, it is General Thomas now. Things have changed somewhat back home,” Jake replied with a nod. As with HeBak, who was happily reunited with his gold in Nevada, the lack of lip movement when KaLob spoke was a bit disconcerting to Jake.
“My congratulations. You went to great efforts to arrange this meeting General Thomas. To what end?” the General asked, getting right to the point.
“What we are about to discuss is known only to myself and a very select few on Earth. It is my suggestion you consider the same security,” Jake replied before placing a data cube on the reader and hitting a key on his desktop display.