by Chris Hechtl
Jack scanned the report and then set the tablet down in front of him. “So far so good. We've been lucky so far.”
“Luck, blood, sweat, and whatever Jeeves uses, processing power? Watts?” Paul replied with a shake of his head. “So, the ship is docked?” He hadn't been at all happy at having everything put on hold until the alien ship had been captured. It had caused several delays, and by the time they'd gotten back to work, the weather had turned on a couple of the outside projects, which meant further delays.
“Yes. Officer Irigoyen has successfully docked the ship to the station. There was a bit of problems getting the two to mate up, but it is done,” Jeeves reported.
“Excellent. And next I suppose you're going to tell me you are going to divert some of the electronics industry to rework that ship?” Paul asked looking from Sharif to Jeeve's holographic avatar before settling his eyes on a bemused Jack.
“An engineering survey team is already onboard. Magellan's engineers are working with Sharif's,” Jack said, indicating the spaceport administrator.
“For the time being, the interface we whipped up will work for temporary moves and to monitor the ship's systems. Or we can rely on Jeeves,” Sharif replied. “But I'd like to rewrite their software so our people can use it. And eventually, yes,” he turned to Paul, “we'll need to overhaul just about everything for our people to use and maintain.”
“Just asking,” Paul said hands up.
“That's a problem we can table for a moment. Jeeves got into their database,” Jack said, turning to the A.I. as well as the image of Captain Cooley. “They had orders to recall all ships to the B-92C jump point. All ships. Apparently, the fleet that went to attack Sol got its ass chewed,” Jack said with a feral grin.
His announcement made the room abruptly break out into hearty cheers. People nearby turned up to find out what was going on. When they heard the cheers grew and spread. Jack took a sip of his water, confident it would be all over the base and the planet in next to no time.
When the cheers had begun to subside, he waved them down and then rapped the table in front of him with his knuckle. When they didn't quite stop, he rapped harder than he'd intended and then had to shake the pain of his bruised knuckles off to the chuckles and laughs of the relieved audience.
“Okay,” he said, wringing his hand. “As I was saying,” Jack said with a nod to the captain's avatar, “the navy apparently kicked their ass at the hyperbridge exit point. They took heavy losses but managed to retreat.”
“Losses to a smaller force. A much smaller force,” Captain Cooley reported.
“So, the force that attacked Sol before them?” Debby asked carefully.
“Was apparently beaten. Jeeves is still decoding the database.”
All eyes turned to the A.I. “I've decoded enough to tell you they don't know. It is not in the database. However, supposition would support the defeat of the Beta bull's task force given the appearance of the Terran force at the hyperbridge exit point.”
“Agreed,” Captain Cooley replied.
“So, we're no longer alone. We've got two ships available to us, but as Sharif just pointed out, our new acquisition will need a refit to be used by us long term. We will also need to upgrade some of the systems since they were not up to Terran standard. But the frame and basic components were there, ready for use.”
“So, we're not alone in this,” Paul murmured. He started to smile; it quickly turned into a grin. “Damn good to know.”
“It is, but we can't slack off and expect rescue anytime soon. The enemy is a hell of a lot closer than Sol is, and the enemy is just a little pissed off right about now,” Jack stated. “And a wounded, desperate bull is the most dangerous kind,” he warned.
That sobered the group instantly. Slowly they nodded.
“So, we need to continue to pick up the pieces and rebuild. We also need to keep expanding and working on our defensive projects.”
“What will we do with that dispatch ship? It's just a dispatch ship, right? No weapons?” Debby asked.
“Yes, it is just a dispatch ship. Yes, it is unarmed,” Captain Cooley replied. “I'm sorely tempted to put together a crew out of Magellan and any volunteers from your side, provision and refit her, then send her to Sol.”
“Tempting, damn tempting,” Jack admitted. “I did think of something else. Something some might have overlooked,” Jack said with a look to the captain.
“Oh?”
“The arrival of the Tauren ships at B-92C. It means the support ships you left there have been forced out. There is no mention of their capture, right?” he asked, turning to Jeeves.
“No, sir. There is a record of two ships departing upon their arrival however.”
“Well, that's a relief,” Captain Cooley murmured. He shook himself in the ensuing silence. “Undoubtedly, they'll go to the fallback position. I set up an alternative near the hyperbridge to home. Sorry, Sol,” he said.
“But the other scouts don't know about it?” Sharif asked.
Captain Cooley shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. I set it up after we got the news of the picket at the hyperbridge. It isn't far off the hyperbridge point, about a light year.”
“But still too far for Thales and Democritus to know about or find them.”
“Unfortunately, true, too true. I'm hoping they'll have enough fuel to go from the backup to Protodon or somewhere else,” Captain Cooley said quietly.
“Hoping that myself,” General Elliot murmured, rubbing his bottom lip with his index finger as he stroked his chin. “And we can't go to either site and drop a warning beacon; the Taurens will intercept the ship and destroy the beacon.”
“Exactly. Though they may not go after one of their own, at least not initially,” Jack said.
All eyes turned to him. “You are thinking of using the ship to slip behind enemy lines?” Paul asked eagerly.
“As tempting as that is, I don't think it is wise. We need intel, but it's not worth the risk. You transferred the star charts to Magellan?” he asked, changing the subject as he turned to Jeeves.
“Yes, sir.”
“I've got Shelton and his crew working on comparing them now. Their initial report says it shows this sector as well as a path to their nearest base in the neighboring sector,” Captain Cooley replied.
“Which you want to scout,” Jack said. “But if you leave some of your crew to man the dispatch ship you'll be shorthanded,” he warned.
Captain Cooley grimaced. “Yeah,” he said.
“I think I can scare up a few people who have shipboard experience,” Debby said slowly. “They'll be rusty. Many are currently in the belt or on the stations. But I think I've got a few on the ground too.”
“You'll need Bess or Shelton to man the helm,” Captain Cooley said thoughtfully.
“Not necessarily. We have a few selkie here. They can be trained over time. We've got time … for the moment,” Jack replied.
“Ah. Well, if you can get a few to volunteer to join my ship, perhaps we can swap. I'll leave you Bess; you give me a selkie or two as a replacement?”
“We'll see,” Jack said, glancing at Debby. She grimaced.
“I'll see what I can do,” the Neogorilla replied, making a note on the tablet in front of her.
“Okay, next subject …”
(@)()(@)
Sheriff Tupper surveyed the sorry lot of aliens. It was getting harder and harder not to feel sorry for them. They were miserable, he could tell. They'd spent twenty months studying the aliens.
The audio techs and scientist had finally cracked the alien language wide open when they learned that the Taurens speak in low octaves that were subaudible to many of the Terran species. Apparently, the aliens felt the vibrations through the pads in their hooves, in the air, and heard some of it with their big ears. Someone had made a comparison to elephant rumbles.
They had put that together with the use of subwoofers in the intercoms and every audio system in the shuttle, somet
hing that the engineers had puzzled over but shrugged off. The sudden realization of what the clues staring themselves in their face meant that the aliens had been conversing with each other all along, not just standing around staring at nothing.
So, he'd had Paul rig all sorts of microphones up all over the prison camp. Jeeves had confirmed the conversations but was too busy to process them all in real time.
Just as long as the damn A.I. managed to pass on a timely warning of a prison break attempt or someone going postal, he was okay with the delay.
They were still trying to get the Taurens to talk to them. Some of the guards had managed to engage a few of the Taurens, and they'd managed to provide comfort items in exchange for some conversation but not much.
He shook his head as he listened to the latest techno babble from the pimple-faced kid of an audio engineer trying to get into some of the stuff they'd found. “I bet the other alien races they've run into had this problem. We overlooked it,” the kid said.
That got the sheriff's attention. “Wait, back it up,” he said, holding up a restraining hand. “Run that last one past me again?”
“The other aliens,” the kid said slower, as if to a child.
“Okay, what other aliens? I thought they were Xenophobic? You know, bomb everyone into oblivion?” the sheriff pointed out.
“Well, they apparently didn't do that everywhere. There are references in the databases we've got about bugs and forerunners,” the kid said, wrinkling his nose. “Sounds like bad sci-fi to me.”
“Okay. But they've talked to them?”
“No idea. I did look for a translation program but I didn't find one. I did find the one for our language, but it's crude.”
“I gathered that much from Jeeves,” the sheriff replied dryly. He looked up to the sky thoughtfully. It was getting cold again; the rains were on their way. They'd arranged for shelters for the bulls to take cover under. The tops were painted to look like ground. They also had heaters rigged up, though the guards had been forced to have the engineers rig cages to keep probing fingers from getting at the devices and getting burnt in the process.
“I'll have someone ask I suppose. Anything else?”
“We've still got a few places we can't cover, right? I'd like to add microphones in the center of the compound but …,” the kid waved a hand.
The sheriff turned and then grimaced. In order to do that, they would need to put the bulls somewhere else and then run cable to microphones in the ground. Cable that the aliens would dig up and cause trouble with.
“Okay, pass.”
“Okay,” the kid said, seeing intransigency when he came face-to-face with it. “Any idea on when we'll get more processors to go through all this dialog?” he asked, indicating the mainframe in the building nearby.
The sheriff turned to the building, then shook his head and looked away as he kicked a rock. “No idea. I doubt anytime soon, work is shifting to the dispatch ship.”
“Ship?” the kid asked, eyes wide.
“You missed the Tauren ship in orbit? The one we caught?”
The kid blinked and then whistled in appreciation as the sheriff snorted. “I didn't know. I've been …,” the kid indicated the headset around his neck and then to the microphones.
“Check the news sometime, kid, though I appreciate your dedication,” the sheriff replied with a pat on the kid's shoulder as he walked off.
(@)()(@)
“Their head of security is leaving,” Broken Tail reported.
“He is a smart one. Dangerous. We need to be extra cautious with him around,” the former ship's Alpha bull replied.
“Yes, Herd Leader,” the younger bull replied.
“They set up more devices around the compound. Most look like audio devices,” the Alpha stated. “Tell our people to keep conversations short and near the center of the compound,” he said.
“Yes, Alpha,” Broken Tail replied.
“The tunnel is out; they count us regularly. Rushing the guards at the gates is also out. They have snipers on the towers. But there has to be a way to break out,” the Alpha rumbled. All of the bulls had turned to plans of escape as a way to pass the time. Some took the preoccupation more serious than others.
“Perhaps a means to pull the fences down? Or climb the shelters and jump over the fences? And a distraction to cover either attempt?” Broken Tail offered.
“It'd have to be one hell of a distraction,” the Alpha rumbled softly. When he noted the shaggy large alien looking at them, he immediately broke contact and moved off. He stepped in front of the alien and urinated in full view.
The alien snorted but didn't turn away. He said something in his language that the Alpha was curious about for once.
Perhaps it was time to cooperate a bit more, if only to learn more about their captors and what they intended for them.
Chapter 18
May 2239
Hyperbridge exit site near the B92C star system
One by one, the dispatch ships sent to the nearby conquered colonies of Protodon and Antigua returned to the herd. Each reported no sign of Tauren ships in the star systems they had been sent to. That was both a blessing and a curse, the Alpha bull mused.
The news that there were no reinforcements at either site hit the herd morale like a hammer. He hadn't realized how much his bulls were reliant on reinforcements. They were shaken he knew. He was keeping them busy with what repairs and maintenance they could perform with the resources they had on hand, but it was tiring to all concerned. So tiring and taxing that it was difficult to train the personnel he had drafted from the support ships. Fights were breaking out across the fleet. The ship's Alpha bulls were stomping on such activities harshly, but they couldn't let that get out of hand either. They needed every bull.
(@)()(@)
Reinforcements from the hyper bridge leading to the demon sector arrived in the usual flash of light and energy. Their arrival spooked the fleet initially.
When the ships were identified, the Alpha bull was deeply disappointed that only a cruiser and two dispatch ships came. He wondered what had happened to the Gamma bull's forces? Had he tried to follow the Alpha bull? He read their report, but there were no answers there to be found. His puzzle and concern deepened. It was possible that the dispatch ship that had gone to pass on the orders had failed in its mission, and the Gamma bull was still sitting in orbit of the conquered colony.
Or, he had gotten it into his head to overrule his orders, went to the hyper bridge jump point and then followed, eager for battle like the Beta bull. He shook his head.
The news from the cruiser and dispatch ship were mixed. He groaned when he heard that the herd leaders had seized upon the newly-conquered world and had already sent a colony ship as his schedule had said they would do. The cruiser's Alpha bull reported only a single under-strength herd defenders there to protect the world. They would be coming to his aide shortly, thus leaving the world and its population completely unguarded.
The dispatch ships and cruiser needed supplies. Fortunately, they just needed fuel, provisions, and some minor parts. The support ships transferred what provisions they had available, but fuel and parts were an issue.
The Alpha bull considered sending some more ships to the nearest captured colony to draw what supplies they could from them. Instead, he sent one dispatch ship to the new home herd world and then the other to the adjacent world in the star system near it to find out the fate of the Gamma bull and his herd.
(@)()(@)
The return of the fully-loaded support ships brought relief and a boost in morale for the herd. The support ships had wisely passed on some of their rebuilt or new built parts to their escorts during their time away. They had then stuffed themselves and the cargo holds and magazines of their cruiser escorts to bursting. Their contents were quickly unloaded and distributed to the herd ships. It bothered the Alpha bull that the herd's appetite was so voracious.
Instead of sending the empty ships back to w
hat many considered prime mining, the Alpha bull decided to send them to the nearest star to pull in as much material as possible. The trip would take a quarter of the time as the last.
When the ships left again, morale plummeted slightly, but the herd knew the ships would return.
While they were gone, the Alpha bull stayed on top of Dreamer and his team. He had regular brief reports from them on their progress and ordered all of their innovations passed on to the herd ships as quickly as they were created, sometimes before they were completed testing. He didn't know when the enemy would arrive, if they did, but he intended to be as ready as he could be.
(@)()(@)
Once some of the ills in engineering had stabilized, Dreamer was given resources and taken off general ship repairs in order to find ways to redress the disparency between the two forces. He didn't have access to the enemy's blueprints, but he had the herds sensor data and a lot of motivated but tired bulls eager to find a way to protect themselves and their civilization.
Reverse engineering the nuclear-shaped charges were relatively easy, though they would need field tests to make certain the devices worked. With material flowing into the fleet herd once more, he had been given some additional resources to build the warheads but only a few.
He built two tests warheads as well as his own concept, an extension of some of the weapons the herd had used over the years. He was curious to see them used.
The drive for the robot craft were easily built. He ripped as much tech off of existing designs as he could to simplify things, including using sensors from shuttles and small robotic craft used to for exterior repairs.
He introduced the machine shops to the concepts of an assembly line as they finalized the design of a counter missile system as well. Instead of one person doing the work in stages, sometimes having to stop to research how to build the next phase, he had them build things in subassemblies and then pass them on to others to finish the next step. Using as many universal fittings as possible also helped to streamline the process.