"I am General Yanigg. I am the supreme Commander of our Empire's Defense Force which is responsible for all tactical operations in our Empire. Before this attack, we had twelve-hundred of our raider sized war ships which are much less powerful than your warships. Each raider can launch ten fighters; so, we have twelve thousand fighters. We are supplied by convoys of civilian craft. We have very little supply capability within the service. But, it is not just a numbers game. I see that your force is technologically superior. You can go faster, maneuver better; and you have better command and control because of advanced communications and sensors. I also saw tactics that, I have never seen before. I have learned a lot from my defeat. I also see that you are a people of honor. This is very rare and we respect that above all. I can assure you that, regardless of my Empire, I may not become your friend or ally; but, I will not be your enemy, anymore." The General sounded quite sincere in his pronouncement.
"Follow me to my office.' Bryant commanded as he turned and walked with his party and the two aliens in toe. 'Sit and relax. I can offer you a drink of some beverages that are special on my world. They are powerful and can affect your judgment, if you drink too much; but, they can make you feel very good, too." Bryant offered.
"Yes Admiral, we will try some of these drinks; but, you will have to choose for us. We don't know these drinks." Yanigg answered.
George poured them each two fingers of Cuddy Sark then sat at his desk and contacted Olivia Hurst for officers’ quarters for the Colonel and Flag quarters for the General.
"Oh, this is quite good. We have a drink like this on my world. But, this is smokier than ours. We use our drink at celebrations. It eliminates most inhibitions." The General said as he rolled the glass; catching the light in the golden liquid.
A steward and two security people showed up at the door.
"These people will show you to your quarters. The chef will be there soon to speak to you about food. Your quarters are not together and will be on different levels; but, you may visit each other any time you wish. If you wish to take meals with others, you may use our dining lounges. We call them mess halls. We have separate ones for General Staff, Officers and enlisted people. You may eat in the General staff or Officers mess halls. We have a barber shop, some stores and a bar on board along with a lot of other services. There is a bar in your quarters with drinks like the ones in my bar. Feel free to try them all, if you want. The steward will show you the devices in your quarters and how to use them. if you want something, else; just ask for it. You will be treated like honored guests." George said as he stood and directed the men towards the door.
When they were gone, he sat with Marie, Grace and Ian discussing their view of what had transpired. They were impressed with his progress. Marie felt the General was being authentic and sincere - that, he really believed the Orion Empire was a strong and honorable society, they could at least tolerate. George dismissed them and sat at his system composing.
Memo
Encrypted and Classified
To: OESA C&C, Emperor Edward III, Office of the First Minister, Secretary of Defense
From: Admiral George T. Bryant Commander Mobile Fifth Command
Cc: No other copies distributed
Sub: Peace Talks
Date: May 3, 2249
All,
I am pleased to inform you that, discussions with the enemy whose attack we recently repelled are making positive progress. Our impression here is that their warrior caste society attacked for little more than the glory of winning another war; and, subjugating another people. Though quite intelligent, tactically capable and technologically advanced, they seem to have been poorly prepared for what they faced in the endeavor. They knew little or nothing about us; did little if any intelligence preparation; and, had not even determined the size or strength of the enemy they would face.
Though they took a fool hardy course, they seem to be a people who are honorable and can be trusted to keep their word. The leader of the attack - General Yanigg - has sent communications to his Emperor requesting the approval to negotiate a peace treaty. In the meantime, we are still holding prisoners in our brigs. We have made the General and a subordinate Colonel our "guests" aboard the Columbia. We have detained a few enemy vessels, in our region for tactical reasons; though, all others have been cleared from Orion Empire space.
Communications with General Yanigg's superiors is delayed by distance. Messages must travel sixty-five light years each way, by drone. In the meantime, the General and I will begin treaty discussions in the hope of having a document ready, when his authorization arrives. My goal here is just to keep them at a distance from our space. They are essentially aggressive by nature; so, it is possible a change in leadership could create the conditions for a future attack. However, they pride themselves in their honor and believe it dishonorable to break a promise or contract; so, I believe a treaty is the means to keep them in check through future generations. To achieve our treaty objective, we will obtain agreement from them not to trespass in our, or our allies' territory. Further to that, we will establish a buffer zone outside our territory which will secure our border and our trading partners. This enemy appears to be a very proud species; so, I do not believe we should attempt to extract reparations. I believe that any such penalties would serve to belittle them; and, would result in termination of our treaty sometime in the future.
We must be prepared to demonstrate that, we would back such a treaty with force. I have stressed that it is only through our good will that we do not attack and disable their offensive capabilities permanently. In that light, it would be a wise idea to negotiate defense and non-aggression pacts with our partners with the aim of holding large joint military exercises outside our boarders as a demonstration and constant reminder of our strength.
I believe any treaty with this enemy should be concise and simple not including any other goals but peace, non-aggression and prevention of trespass.
During the period of negotiations, I am holding all Mobile Fifth Fleets at this location. Such a show of force seems to impress this enemy and serves as a constant reminder during peace talks; so, I intend to conduct war games and maneuvers in this region, during negotiations.
I estimate the treaty will be signed on or before May 25, 2249.
In response to your memo of May 1, 2249, I will be available for the requested meeting no earlier than Thursday May 31, 2249 due to the aforementioned treaty negotiations and travel times.
During the period of the war just ended, I attempted to keep you apprised of actions, as they occurred by copying you on all Action Orders and Memos and doubling the daily reports. I am sure you are aware that all parties in Mobile Fifth Command and additional supporting forces acted with the greatest courage and in the interests of the Empire. Many thousands of OESA personnel died or were injured in this endeavor. I would like to propose a memorial event in their honor. The size, scope and date of this event should be determined by your offices. It must also be obvious that, many of the Fifth's personnel distinguished themselves. I am preparing warrants for Command Level Awards to many of those. However, a special few distinguished themselves at an intensity that should be recognized at a higher level. In that light, I will prepare recommendations for OESA merits and Imperial awards.
I remain your loyal servant and friend.
George T. Bryant
By May 6, 2249, all ships in the Fifth's Fleets were in station alongside the Columbia. As a reinforcement to his earlier show of power, George conducted a small demonstration for the benefit of his enemy counterpart. As they stood at the viewport in his office looking out over the Armada, one of the subs momentarily disengaged its cloak; shocking the enemy commander. This was made to appear just a matter of normal Fleet activities.
"Admiral, it appears you have invisible ships, too." The General said.
"No sir, they are not invisible. They use a technology called cloaking shields to hide them. They essentially project point by poin
t image of the space around them one hundred and eighty degrees out of phase. From any point around them or above and below, they appear to be invisible. There are four of these ships in every fleet. We do not usually show them or discuss them. It was an accident that this one appeared. The commander of that ship will now spend several hours moving about under cloak to ensure his position is secure. Those vessels are armed with a host of missiles and torpedoes. They have particle weapons, too; but, never use them under cloak. The particle stream would give their positions away." Bryant responded.
"Most impressive! Most impressive." The admiration in the General's voice was apparent even in the translator version.
The last group to join the buildup was the one escorting the enemy vessels. They were dwarfed by the OESA frigates that secured their positions. It was another demonstration of the differences in the two forces.
During the subsequent weeks Bryant prepared his list of merit nominees. He worked on his list of the people he would be comfortable within his immediate command chain who were qualified. Moe trod between offices continually seeking counsel on the presentation he was preparing. Bryant, Yanigg and their supporting staffs met regularly. On the twenty second, a single incoming enemy vortex was detected. The exit aperture was quickly surrounded. Everyone stood down when its intentions were clear and it was escorted to a berth near the Columbia. A shuttle left the craft and docked at Columbia's docking port one. It held the message from the enemy leadership. Their tone indicated they were somewhat apprehensive about retribution from such a powerful foe and were anxious to prevent an attack. They approved the General's request to negotiate the treaty. Over the three weeks the two men had already reached a straight forward simple agreement. The enemy knew itself as the Spiel; and, they would not be permitted into space within one hundred and twenty light years surrounding Sol; unless with prior approval; unless, the vessel was a diplomatic one certified as such by the Orion Empire. Both parties agreed not to engage in provocative or belligerent behavior towards each other; or, their allies and trading partners. A diplomatic chain was to be created in both Empires with officials stationed in either's territories as a means to maintain discussions and reduce the chance of misunderstanding. Lists of allies and trading partners were imbedded in the agreement. By May 23, 2249, the agreement was signed and sealed and the peace was official.
"Sir, you and your ships are welcome to leave, at any time. We have released all prisoners of war to your vessels over these past weeks. However, if you would like to stay two more days, we are holding a celebration tomorrow night. We are not celebrating a victory; because, we do not celebrate war. We are celebrating the bravery of our personnel and the peace we established here today. Would you and your people like to attend the party. It will be held throughout the entire command. Two of the large carriers in each Fleet will host celebrations. There will actually be two parties that day. The first will start at eighteen hundred hours to twenty-four hundred; and the second will run from zero hours to four hundred thirty in the morning. This is so nearly everyone in the command can attend. There will be food, drink, music and a lot of fun. Your people can attend either party that their duties permit, if you permit it and if they want to attend." The Admiral extended the invitation with genuine warmth.
"We have become very good at negotiating Admiral. There are two things we would want; if, we are to attend your celebration. I am impressed with your kitchens. They took great pains to prepare our foods; and, were very successful at it. They also prepared some of your foods that were very good. We would ask that, your celebration includes some of our dishes; and, some of the wonderful delicacies of your world. Especially pancakes and maple syrup. They are amazing. My second demand is that we be allowed to transport some of our special beverages to the ships we will attend. You may wish to try them. We have many you would like. One is much like your Cuddy Sark. Another is like your Cognac. But, ours are just a little stronger than yours." He finished with a great belly laugh.
"I agree to your demands. I am just making all the arrangements and sending out all the notices. You will be notified officially in a little while. Thank you for staying with us and attending." The Admiral responded with a laugh.
At fourteen hundred, on Thursday May 31, 2249, eighty exit apertures appeared in the space outside the Kentaurus system and the entire Mobile Fifth exited and coasted towards orbital positions around Rigil executing orbit burns placing them in a tight formation in synchronous orbit around the planet. George reported in for Mobile Fifth, first. Then each Fleet Commander reported in listing all the ships in their Command. Headquarters welcomed them and ordered George to report to the C&C by fifteen thirty. That gave him time to shuttle down and spend a few minutes with Bill Stephenson, first.
"Admiral!" He was at attention as he stood in the doorway.
"Get the hell in here and relax. You don't have to stand on ceremony, my boy. You are an Admiral, too; you know?" Stephenson said with a raucous laugh.
"Technically, you still outrank me Bill. I have a ten on my collar. You wear eleven. So, you see, I have to suck up to you." George responded with a smirk.
"Bullshit. We should all be on our knees to you, my boy. You pulled our pants back up. This whole event has been an embarrassment to the OESA in some respects. You've been the only bright light in the whole thing." Bill said.
"Not the only one, sir. Thousands served with me and thousands died." George responded.
"I know; I know, my boy; but, without you, none of it was possible. Your press contingent did an excellent job, by the way. That proposal the bigwigs want from you better be good. They'll give you anything you want, right now! I think the Secretary of Defense would kiss your bare ass on top of the Assembly building, in broad daylight, with the Press Corps present; if, you demanded it. Over five hundred billion citizens believe the OESA is George T. Bryant!' Stephenson's enthusiasm was overwhelming. 'Oh sorry George, would you like a drink?" He added.
"Just a water, if you don't mind, Bill. I have a meeting with the C&C, shortly. I want to have a clear head. We had a hell of a celebration, after the signing. It’s been nearly a week; but, I think I'm still recovering." George replied.
"Yeah, I get it. You should have seen the celebration, here. I bet there's no champagne left anywhere in the Empire." Stephenson said with a laugh.
They sat and talked for another ten minutes; before, Bryant excused himself and headed over to the C&C side of the top floor.
"Admiral George Bryant reporting, as ordered, sirs." He said to both men who were in Dickinson's office, as had been prearranged.
"Relax George and take a seat.' David said. 'That was one hell of a job you did. Your reports were always concise; but, it was the press that really radiated the intensity of the situation through the entire Empire. It was a tough job and you did it well. I'm not sure any other man in our territory could have accomplished it." He observed.
"I must add my congratulations and admiration. You did a marvelous job. We are all in awe. What amazes me is how short a time you took to deal with such a strong invasion, over such a wide area. It seemed like you had your fingers on all the thousands of control buttons at the same time.' Brian added. 'Would you like a drink, George?" He added.
"No sir. I'm fine for now. But, can I take a rain check?" Bryant asked and received a nod.
"Did you prepare a proposal, George? David asked.
"Yes sir, and I'll send the data version to your system. But, I have it here in hard copy; because it is detailed and lengthy. That makes it hard to study on a system.' George said as he dropped the six hundred page bound proposal on Brian's desk. 'I think that is the most paper I've seen in one place in my entire life." He added.
David pulled his chair around; so he was sitting within eyeshot as Brian leafed through the book.
"I can see it's impressive. You probably make your case very well; but can you give us the condensed version verbally?" David asked.
"Of course, sir. It'll take a
bout an hour; if, you have that much time now. And I'll need to tie my pad to your system; so, we can display some relative graphics, if that's okay, sir." Bryant added.
"Use what you need, George. And, I can tell you that, both our schedules are clear for the day. The Emperor and First Minister cleared their schedules, too. They want to be called in when we think the time is right. They are both here at headquarters." Brian said.
"I think they should come in, now, Admirals. The proposal is extensive and costly; but, it's based on experience; so, I believe it is necessary. It would be wise if they hear it all. If you like it, we will need to present a unified front. Besides, I think I can sell it to them if they can hear it from me." Bryant said.
"Okay, George. It'll take a few minutes to get them here. Do you want to take a break before we start - you know - use a washroom - get a drink?' David's tone had concern. 'I know this a lot to ask so soon after what you've been through." He added.
"That's a great idea, sir." George said and rose to head into Dickinson in-suite. When he returned, he poured a black coffee from the insulated carafe and placed it beside his seat. By then, it was time to greet the Emperor and First Minister who had appeared. He detected a note of near awe towards him; as if, he was their superior.
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