Ep.#15 - That Which Other Men Cannot Do (The Frontiers Saga)

by Ryk Brown

  “It means we didn’t need to attack the Jung home system. All those people… All of our people… None of them needed to die.” Nathan turned and headed for his ready room without saying another word, his face pale.

  “Nathan,” Jessica said, wanting to reassure him, to comfort him.

  He did not respond. He just disappeared into his ready room without another word.

  * * *

  Nathan entered the bridge through the port entrance, as he pulled on his uniform jacket.

  “When the message said an envoy will arrive shortly, I didn’t think they meant the next day,” he said to Naralena as he entered.

  “Ship is at general quarters,” Naralena replied as Nathan passed. “XO is in combat, chief of the boat is in damage control.”

  “All weapons are charged and ready,” Jessica reported.

  “Intercept jump is plotted and ready,” Mister Riley added. “The ship is on course and speed.”

  “What is it?” Nathan asked. “Another comm-drone?”

  “No, sir,” Mister Navashee replied. “Too big for a comm-drone. It’s a bit bigger than a Jung gunship. It did, however, come out of FTL at the same location as the comm-drone, only at a greatly reduced speed.”

  “No other contacts?”

  “No, sir.”

  Nathan sighed. “Well, let’s go say hello, shall we? But keep your finger on the escape jump button, Mister Riley.”

  “Aye, sir. Jumping in three……two……one……jumping.”

  Nathan moved to his command chair as the jump flash washed over the bridge. His eyes stayed fixed on the main view screen.

  “Jump complete.”

  “Target reacquired,” Mister Navashee reported. “Eight million kilometers and closing. They’ll pass on our port side, about six thousand kilometers out, twelve degrees down relative.”

  “Green deck,” Nathan ordered. “Launch the ready birds.”

  “Green deck, aye,” Naralena replied.

  “Target is indeed a ship,” Mister Navashee continued. “Her only weapons appear to be mini-rail gun turrets, one top, one bottom. My guess is that she’s some kind of long-range FTL shuttle, Captain.”

  “That’s it, though? Just mini-rail guns. No antimatter reactor, no nuclear warheads, nothing like that?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Does she have shields?”

  “Unknown,” Mister Navashee replied. “But if she does, they aren’t raised.”

  “Flight ops reports four Super Eagles away,” Naralena announced. “Time to intercept is two minutes.”

  “Relay your sensor readings to those fighters,” Nathan instructed.

  “Already on their way, sir.”

  “How long until she reaches us?” Nathan wondered.

  “At present closure, about ten minutes,” Mister Navashee replied. “But the target is decelerating, just like the comm-drone did.”

  “Then she means to make orbit as well,” Nathan surmised.

  “Mister Chiles, come about, nice and easy, and come in behind the target on a standard intercept.”

  “Standard intercept, aye,” the helmsman acknowledged.

  “One minute to fighter intercept.”

  “Receiving transmission,” Naralena reported.

  “From the fighters?” Nathan asked.

  “No, sir. From the Jung ship.”

  “Put it up,” Nathan instructed.

  “The transmission has video as well,” Naralena warned.

  “Fine,” Nathan replied. “Might as well see who we’re talking to.”

  A moment later, an elderly, yet distinguished looking man, wearing a perfectly pressed Jung uniform, appeared on the main view screen.

  Nathan had to control his surprise at the identity of the Jung officer. “General Bacca.”

  The general smiled. “Captain Scott. Well, this is a pleasant surprise. I see you’re looking well.”

  “Apparently Jung Command has a sense of humor, sending the same man I ran out of the system as a peace envoy.”

  “Well, it just so happened that I was still in the neighborhood, and, what with travel between distant stars being so time-consuming for those of us without jump drives, I guess our leaders chose expedience over decorum. Apologies if my presence offends you.”

  “Your presence has precious little effect on me,” Nathan assured the general. “State your intentions, General. My patience is in short supply these days.”

  “I humbly request an audience with your leaders in order to negotiate a cease-fire, so that both our worlds can live in peace.”

  “Don’t you mean, all our worlds?”

  “You have others?” the general inquired, appearing surprised.

  “Alliance membership in the Sol sector has grown somewhat during your absence,” Nathan explained with great satisfaction.

  “I see. Well, I suppose that makes this negotiation even more necessary. So, will you grant me an audience?”

  “I’ll have to speak with my superiors,” Nathan replied.

  “Muted,” Naralena announced. “Captain, our fighters are in position behind the target, and have missile locks. They can destroy her in seconds, if ordered.”

  “Very well,” Nathan replied. “Unmute.” Nathan took a breath before continuing. “In the meantime, General, continue on course and rate of deceleration. Make no changes to either without permission. If you do so, the four fighters on your six will destroy you in the blink of an eye. Raise your shields, charge your rail guns, or attempt to spin up your mass-canceling fields, and you will meet the same fate. Is that clear, General?”

  “Quite clear, Captain. I will see you at the negotiations.”

  “It is doubtful that I will be there.”

  “But why?” the general asked.

  “I am just a ship’s captain,” Nathan explained. “One of many. I shall leave the negotiating to our leaders.”

  “Oh, but I insist,” the general drawled. “I do so prefer to have a familiar face across the table from me.”

  “I’ll leave that decision to my superiors,” Nathan replied, unfazed.

  “I shall emphasize the need for you to attend,” General Bacca said. “I so look forward to finally speaking with you, face to face.”

  Nathan made a gesture to kill the connection, then turned to face Jessica at the tactical station behind him. “Can’t say that I feel the same.”

  * * *

  General Bacca was led into the room by four heavily armed Ghatazhak, and placed unceremoniously into a small conference room.

  A minute later, Admiral Dumar, President Scott, Commander Telles, and Captain Scott all entered the room and sat across from the general.

  “Ah, Captain Scott,” General Bacca greeted, rising to his feet to acknowledge him.

  The two Ghatazhak guards closest to him raised their weapons, immediately taking aim at the general.

  General Bacca noticed their change in stance, but chose to ignore them. “And the captain’s father, President Scott. So good of you both to come. But, where is Eli?” the general wondered. “I hope he is well.”

  Nathan felt a surge of anger welling up inside of him. His father felt it as well, and looked at his son as if to caution self-control.

  “I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure,” General Bacca said, turning to Admiral Dumar and offering his hand in friendship.

  “Admiral Dumar, commander of all Alliance forces in the Sol sector,” the admiral replied, ignoring the general’s hand. “This is Commander Telles, commanding officer of all Ghatazhak forces within the Sol sector.”

  Commander Telles offered only a polite nod.

  “The Ghatazhak,” the general said, holding his chin up to offer more dignity to the name. “Impressive name. I assume these are yours?” he said, pointing to the two Ghatazhak soldiers flanking him on either side. “Not very talkative, are they?”

  “Please, be seated,” President Scott instructed.

  “I have to say, I am surprised that ou
r meeting place is so…drab. But I suppose this chamber is not normally used for such purposes,” the general surmised.

  “We have chosen to keep you, and your ship, in a secure area at the extreme outer edge of this base, away from critical areas, just to be safe,” Admiral Dumar explained.

  General Bacca tilted his head slightly. “You believe me to be a ruse? An ambush of sorts? That my ship, perhaps even my very person may be a weapon meant to destroy your leaders?” The general laughed. “Gentlemen, the Jung do not operate in such ways. If we want someone dead, we point a weapon at them and shoot, face-to-face, so to speak.”

  “I believe the admiral’s concern was more about one of our own, killing you,” Nathan said coldly.

  General Bacca’s face broke into a wide smile. “I’m so glad you were able to attend, Captain Scott. I knew that I would like you.”

  “Your message spoke of peace,” President Scott interrupted. “State your terms.”

  “Straight to the point, I see. Myself, I prefer the common pleasantries, but, since I am a guest here.” General Bacca took a breath, adjusting himself in his seat. “In exchange for a promise not to destroy your world, the Jung Empire requires that you agree to the following terms. First, you must not attempt to expand your influence outside of the Sol system. Second, your forces shall not fire upon any Jung forces, unless first fired upon by said forces, and then, only as needed for reasonable defense. There, you see? We are not asking much.”

  Admiral Dumar’s eyebrows went up. “Are we allowed to travel outside the Sol system?”

  “Of course,” the general replied. “The Jung are not unreasonable.”

  “I’m afraid there’s going to be a problem with some of what you propose,” Admiral Dumar began, “the first of which is what the Jung see as our sphere of influence. You see, it has expanded beyond the boundaries of the Sol system.”

  “Ah, yes. What was it called? The Pentaurus cluster? I’m sure that won’t be a problem, especially since it is well beyond our current range of travel. I’m sure we can amend that part to include them as well.”

  “How generous of you,” the admiral replied dryly. “However, my concerns lie with the Sol sector. More specifically, a sphere at which the Sol system is the center.”

  “I see,” General Bacca replied, his left eyebrow rising in surprise. “And how big is this proposed ‘sphere’?”

  “Thirty light years,” the admiral said.

  General Bacca was quiet for a moment, his expression unchanged. “In radius, or diameter?”

  “Radius, as measured outward from Sol.”

  General Bacca chuckled. “And you expect the Jung to withdraw all forces from this sphere? That would be more than a dozen systems.”

  “Eighteen, to be exact,” Admiral Dumar corrected. “And the Jung do not have to withdraw from those eighteen systems. We have already removed them.”

  Again, the general was silent. His normally confident and condescending cheer had turned sour. “By removed, you mean…”

  “Destroyed,” Admiral Dumar replied, barely able to hide the pleasure he took in saying the word. “All space-going assets, and all surface assets. Completely destroyed.”

  “As in, no survivors,” General Bacca concluded.

  “There were survivors,” Admiral Dumar replied. He looked at Commander Telles. “They are being held in a secure facility. There are what, about…”

  “Three thousand seven hundred and fifty-three Jung prisoners,” Commander Telles replied, “at last count.”

  General Bacca’s demeanor also changed, becoming more adversarial. “Assuming your claims are accurate, this changes things considerably. In fact, I may need to contact my superiors before continuing further. Unfortunately, that will take time, during which, incidents will undoubtedly occur.” General Bacca sighed. “I’m afraid you have greatly complicated the matter, gentlemen. Such losses will be difficult for the military castes to accept…my own included.”

  “Then it appears a cease-fire is not possible,” Admiral Dumar surmised, appearing quite willing to accept the inevitable. He leaned away from the table and raised his hand to signal the guard. “We will return you to your ship and escort you out of the system. Feel free to report our discussion to whomever you wish. Meanwhile, we will continue to…”

  “Admiral,” the general interrupted, “I’m shocked.”

  Admiral Dumar looked at the general, a curious expression on his face.

  “You know how these negotiations go. I offer you something, you counteroffer, and so on. Over time, we forge a compromise that both parties can live with. To give up now would only demonstrate your complete lack of interest in a cease-fire, and I find it hard to believe that you would rather continue a war than discuss a possible peace between us.”

  “Of course, a peace would be preferable,” Admiral Dumar admitted. “However, you indicated that the losses suffered by our removal of your forces from nearby systems would be impossible to accept. Therefore, I concluded that continued discussion would be a waste of our time.”

  “I said difficult, not impossible,” the general corrected.

  “My mistake,” the admiral acquiesced gracefully. “How would you like to proceed, General?”

  “Make a counteroffer,” the general suggested. “Tell me what your terms would be.”

  Admiral Dumar looked to President Scott.

  “Immediate withdrawal of all Jung forces from the Sol sector,” the President stated. “The boundary of which will be a sphere of fifty light years in radius, measured outward from Sol. Furthermore, there will be no passage of Jung warships within the Sol sector, without express permission of the Alliance.”

  “So, it seems that we only differ in twenty measly light years,” the general said. “How about this? We will give you your thirty light year sphere of influence, as apparently, you have already taken it. In addition, we will release control of any inhabited system that lies within the Sol sector, as you define it, but lies beyond your current thirty light year bubble, provided that the occupants of those systems wish us to relinquish control back to them.”

  “I’m afraid it’s even more complicated than you realize,” Admiral Dumar said.

  “How about this?” Nathan began, taking it upon himself to join the negotiations. “We keep cleansing systems of Jung assets, expanding ever outward, while you spend the next two hundred and forty-seven days high-tailing it back to Nor-Patri, or more accurately, CP-60 424, and await an answer from your leaders.” Nathan noticed the sudden change in the general’s smug expression. “That’s right, we know where your homeworld is located,” he said, leaning forward, a satisfied smirk on his face. “So, round-trip…throw in a week for debates by your leaders, that’s what? Five hundred days?”

  “Five hundred and one,” Commander Telles corrected.

  “How much further do you think we can expand our ‘area of influence’ in five hundred and one days, General?” Nathan asked, leaning forward even more, his voice growing more menacing. “Fifty light years? Sixty? Seventy? One hundred? How many Jung-controlled systems would that be? I know of at least one, about sixty-three point eight light years away that we’ve already beaten up on pretty badly. I admit, we haven’t taken it completely, but given time, I’m sure we…”

  “Enough,” President Scott intervened, pulling Nathan back in an attempt to dial down the rising emotions in the room.

  “You’re bluffing,” General Bacca stated confidently, refusing to be shaken by Captain Scott’s outbreak.

  Admiral Dumar placed a data pad on the table, turned it on, spun it around to face the general, and then slid it across to him. “This data pad contains everything we know about the Jung home system. It also contains estimated enemy casualties and losses, as well as after action reports from all ships. If that is insufficient, there is also plenty of video footage from the battle. My apologies if the information is a little one-sided. Your people were not in a sharing mood at the time.”

 
General Bacca studied the data pad, scrolling through screen after screen, his mouth agape, his expression one of disbelief, bordering on horror. After several silent minutes, he pushed the data pad back across the table, leaned back in his chair, and attempted to regain his composure. Finally, he spoke. “I suspect you will wish to transfer me to wherever you are holding the other Jung prisoners.”

  Admiral Dumar cast a curious look at the general. “You are no longer interested in negotiating a cease-fire on behalf of your empire? Not even with the generous terms we have offered?”

  “As you said earlier, Admiral. It would be a waste of both our time.”

  “I don’t understand,” President Scott said. “Surely your people would want to avoid further attacks on their home system.”

  “I’m afraid I do understand,” Admiral Dumar said. “The general believes that the Jung will be too outraged to accept a peace forced upon them. Their military castes will not accept such disgrace. They will want revenge.”

  “You understand the Jung well, Admiral,” General Bacca said.

  “I have known men like you my entire life,” Admiral Dumar said, disdain in his voice. “Men whose entire reason for being is to spill the blood of others. Who can only prove their worth through aggression and acts of utter violence, rather than through acts of intelligence, compassion, and understanding. I have news for you, General. Empires built by such men always fall.”

  “You do not understand,” the general replied, seething with anger. “Your alliance has willingly crossed a line…”

  “We were pushed over that line,” Nathan defended.

  “Captain,” Admiral Dumar scolded, looking at Nathan out of the corner of his eye.

  “General Bacca,” President Scott began. “It is true that our peoples hate one another. But it is also true that both our peoples wish to survive. We want our two sectors, one of which, by your own admission, is too far away to be of concern. You want the rest of the galaxy. By such comparisons, we are but a grain of sand on an endless beach. Surely, a man as experienced as yourself can see the logic in a peaceful coexistence.”

  “There can be no peace between us,” General Bacca said with a scowl. “Not after what you have done. It is not only the military that will cry out for vengeance, it is the people themselves. Had you limited yourselves to only military targets…”