by Chris Hechtl
“And did you find anything?”
“Based on what I have read, no. The path we are on is the only one to counter them effectively. We have to invest in point defense and more small craft.”
“Then why continue reading? You found the answer correct?” the Beta bull asked.
“It is … it is just, I was curious about how they handled their enemies once they won.”
“They destroyed them,” the Beta bull replied, ears going back.
“No. That is the thing; they didn't. Nor did we do that with our own people. When we beat a foe, they submit. We do so instead of offering challenge,” Dreamer replied.
The Beta bull paused and then cocked his head, considering the concept carefully. Slowly he nodded. “So, you say they will take us in as a member of their herd?” He wasn't certain he liked the idea of swallowing his pride and submitting to an alien race. To become what, slaves? He shivered at the vision of his people like the four-legged ones that the aliens fed off of.
“I am unsure,” Dreamer said, spreading his hands apart as he noted other bulls cocking their heads or ears in their direction. “Based on what I have found, we would be kept separate and be forced to lose our war-fighting material.”
“We would be defenseless!” the Beta bull protested, eyes wide in fear.
“But they would protect us. That is what I read,” Dreamer replied, waving the tablet.
“It is a strange concept, for them to protect those they have beaten,” the Beta bull said, wrestling with the outlandish idea. “Why?”
“It is their way.”
“It doesn't make sense.”
“They protect their children as we do our calves.”
“So, that is what we would be reduced to, calves in their eyes?” a bull protested.
“Not quite all,” Dreamer said as he remembered the passage about trials for genocide after the war. He remembered that the ship and herd leaders had ordered strikes. “They will want to punish those who struck at the helpless. That is something unforgivable in their eyes. They will temper their thirst for vengeance on all of our species with justice meted out against those who did that and then apply mercy to those who were innocent of such things.”
“Always nice to think of it, except for those who will be on the receiving end of such punishment for following orders,” the Beta bull said dryly.
“Then they should have considered the morality of their actions beforehand,” Dreamer said without thinking.
The Beta bull's eyes flashed at that. “And how would we do that? We did as others have done to us.”
Dreamer shook his head. “Have they? I do not remember any historical point made where the bugs bombed our colonies. They drove us out, yes, but they didn't bomb them.”
“We do not know that for certain,” the Beta bull said firmly.
“Truth. But, for those of us who have fought, the Terrans asked if we would do the same to our own children,” another engineering bull said as he came in to feed. “They take care of their own children. What are they doing on the planet we just left?”
The Beta bull stared at him and then slowly grimaced. “That was … a hard decision to make.”
“If they surrendered, the Terrans may accept the surrender,” Dreamer persisted. That made the new bull stop and turn to him. “The interesting thing is, give them a few eight of years or so to get over their anger and we will be accepted as equals. As long as we never threaten them again, we will be allowed to rise. I wonder, what can we achieve if we actually worked together?”
“We have always competed with other species. It is the way of evolution. It is the way of things. Growth or death through conflict,” another bull pointed out.
“Then, perhaps, it is time we find a different path,” Dreamer murmured thoughtfully as he looked up to the sky projected above them.
(@)()(@)
The ship's Alpha bull shook his head as he listened to the Beta bull's report. “And you say it is defeatist?”
“Yes. He is considering what will happen to us, to our people should we lose. Worse, he is discussing it out loud and making it sound like it is a good thing,” the Beta bull persisted.
“Has he lost heart?” the herd leader asked.
“I don't know, I can't look within him. I can say he was reading the alien's historical database.”
“You said this came of that. That he accessed files on how the Terrans treat the enemy they beat. Was he correct?” the herd leader asked.
“I don't know. I am not sure I wished to be poisoned by such thoughts,” the Beta bull stated.
The herd leader frowned and rubbed at his beard. “Plan for victory and defeat is something we were once taught. But we had forgotten the harsh lessons of defeat before meeting the Terrans.”
“And the best way to learn is through failure and defeat, for that is when we see what went wrong and how to fix it. And only through defeat can we rise, stronger than ever,” the ship's Alpha bull replied.
“Truth,” the Beta bull stated. “I believe in the changes that have been wrought with this fleet. I didn't before; I will be honest about that. But I have gone over the last battle with the weapon and sensor bulls. One of them ran a simulation on what would have happened if we had been as we were before we had met the Terrans. We would have been destroyed utterly.”
“See? Growth through competition. We are evolving. We are doing so rapidly. When we get to the home herd worlds, we will pass on that hard-won knowledge and victory will be assured,” the ship's Alpha bull replied.
“It is not to be. Remember, the Terrans are doing the same on their end. I fear the best we can achieve is another stalemate like we did with the bugs,” the herd leader replied.
That observation brought the other bulls up short.
“We will not go back on the offense?” the ship's Alpha bull asked.
“It will not be up to me. Most likely after being driven back as we have, we will stand on the defense. I'd like to think we can go back on the offense, but they build far faster than we have and innovate at the same level as we do. They have less people unwilling to adapt and evolve,” the herd leader pointed out.
The Beta bull winced.
“But, we can win them over with time, persistence, and exposure to the new concepts, right?” the ship's Alpha bull asked.
“Ask for anything but time. I fear what the enemy is doing with their own,” the herd leader replied. “And if they do continue on the attack, if they have our star charts, they can come after the home herd worlds with vengeance in their hearts.”
The other bulls hung their heads at such dire thoughts.
(@)()(@)
“You wished to speak to me, Herd Leader?” Dreamer asked tentatively as he entered the bull's chambers.
The Alpha bull snorted and looked at the engineer with a baleful eye. The engineer turned tinker rolled his eyes and exposed his throat instinctively as he sensed the threat.
“You have been speaking out of turn.”
“Yes, Herd Leader. I spoke without thinking.”
“Such thoughts threaten to infect the herd, to sap their morale, to break their will when it is critical to keep that will to fight and protect our herd alive,” the herd leader said dangerously.
“I apologize, Herd Leader.”
“I want you to sequester yourself in a chamber for a pair of days and consider your actions more carefully.”
“Yes, Herd Leader,” Dreamer said miserably.
“Leave the tablet. You will be alone in your thoughts.”
“Yes, Herd Leader,” Dreamer replied with a nod as he set the tablet down and then exited the compartment.
The Alpha bull sighed as he picked the offending device up. Had he given Dreamer too much room to explore the alien database in his hopes of finding another tool for their use? Had the endless round of defeats broken him? He wasn't certain. He knew he would need careful handling in the future. His punishment would serve as a deterrent to him and to th
e others in the herd who harbored such thoughts.
(@)()(@)
Dreamer tried to take the lesson to heart, but it was a bitter thing for him to have to deal with. He knew the only one to fault was him for his talking without thinking. But as his thought twisted and turned in his head without direction, he finally brought order to chaos by concentrating on what he had come to love, thinking of new things to help the fleet. When he emerged he planned to have a series of things to implement.
For instance, the Terrans had those terror warheads. They hadn't found a way to copy them, but there might be a way to make something that was almost as effective if they used force emitters …
Chapter 38
Janus star system
2244
Second Fleet worked its way through the post battle chores relatively quickly. Admiral Kepler ordered a dispatch ship to Pyrax with news of the victory.
A part of the post battle chores was the analysis of the various after-action reports from those involved in the fighting. The flag staff went over each of them, looking for kernels of wisdom or things that needed to be rectified. The reports from the fighters and bombers told the flag staff about the enemy's introduction of their own point defense weapons on their ships for instance. “So they have them too?” Jan asked as Alton froze a computer enhanced image of a small turret firing on the hull of an enemy capital ship.
“Yes. The battle cruisers and some of the cruisers had rail guns. The battleships had lasers. They weren't as effective as our own, but they cut into our missiles too well for my tastes,” Alton replied with a nod.
“Agreed. What was that about a small craft firing counter missiles?” Jan asked, looking from him to Commander Hatfield.
“Yes, a bomber design, most likely a version of their shuttle modified to the role. They were using it to attack the missiles, so it is some sort of defensive craft. Theoretically, it could take on fighters as well, but it'd be slow. Or, it could fire torpedoes,” Adrienne replied.
“And they had missiles for their fighters?” Alton asked with a frown.
“Yes. Short ranged and slow, but they worked well from a six o'clock attack,” Adrienne replied grimly. “ECM and decoys weren't effective against them.”
“All right. Make sure we write that all up and get the wings training for them,” Admiral Kepler ordered.
Adrienne nodded firmly. “Aye aye, ma’am.”
“That being said, what else did we learn? And what did they learn?” Jan asked, changing the subject slightly.
(@)()(@)
Once the enemy had a good head start and she was certain they weren't going to double back, Jan had the two scout ships resupplied and then sent off to tail the enemy fleet at a safe distance. A pair of dispatch ships sailed with them and would bring back word. If the enemy changed course back north, they were to send back a dispatch ship as quickly as possible to bring her word of warning.
Concerned that the enemy might try to flank her through Pyrax, she sent a word of warning there with one of her CEVs, an empty munitions collier, and a pair of destroyers that needed an overhaul. The collier she would get back she knew; by the time it arrived, Eden should have enough for a single load of missiles, torpedoes, and some basic parts for her ships. She had sent orders for one of her tankers to come in as well since the enemy had destroyed most of their space-based infrastructure when they had withdrawn.
She didn't like frittering away her strength. It invited defeat in detail, but she had no choice. The carrier's force was too light to hope to engage the enemy force successfully if the enemy did show up. Instead, they were there to work in concert with the civilian defenses there to delay the enemy and buy time for her to get there should the enemy appear. She ordered a dispatch ship to be on station at the jump point to Janus so they could get the warning to her as quickly as possible.
From there she had Willard, Alton, and Adrienne settle into resupplying and training her ships while the Marines did what they did best on the planet. Based on the reports from General Elliot, resistance had stiffened in some areas but crumbled in others. Her destroyers were picketing the star system while her cruisers were in orbit for on-call fire support. So far the Marines had rarely used that option.
Now she had to settle in, watch, and wait.
(@)()(@)
General Elliot shook his head as he read the latest status report. They had half of the planet under control, which wasn't bad given that he and General Falcon had only three battalions to use. They were spread thin, something he didn't like to see but had little choice.
The Marines were the most effective at taking the fight to the enemy, but he needed them everywhere. The natives couldn't be trusted watching over the captives; one interview with the governor had proven that. There were plenty of Tauren holdouts however, plus vigilante groups to keep them busy. Until they got the resistance reduced, he couldn't free up manpower to help the natives rebuild. The few Marines and militia who had off time were trying to help he knew but without resources.
They'd just have to make do he thought as General Falcon waved a hand to get his attention. He looked up. “Sergeant Gnoll caught another group. He's working on an escort to bring them in, but if he does it will open a hole in the western sector. We don't have much aerial coverage in that area due to the storm. I'm trying to access the units in that area to find a way to cover the gap. Any ideas?” Bobby asked as General Elliot came over.
“Well …”
(@)()(@)
Governor Cristi Schotte had her hands full with the planet. The news that the Marines were taking captives had angered her fellow native colonists. Some had wanted to form lynch mobs, but the grim Marines had held them off.
A few had tried anyway, only to have the Marines keep them at bay. Seeing the dispirited cows and calves in the fenced-off pastures had stopped a few people and cooled their ire. A few others had turned away in impotent rage.
Cristi was struggling to work with her sisters to get people back into the few surviving buildings. No one wanted to occupy the alien structures, but when some of the midsummer thunderstorms had washed out a few of the homes being rebuilt, they'd given it a go.
She had to divide her time between trying to provide shelter, food, utilities, work with the Marines, and deal with the occasional vigilante group who wanted to go out on their own to hunt for any surviving Taurens. The Marines and Edenite militia took on anyone who wanted to fight she knew. Many got a taste of combat and either came back shaken by the experience or not at all ever again.
In a way, their liberation was almost as harsh on them as the occupation was to some. Cristi understood her late father's long stares and how many had insisted after the A.I. War that the nightmares and ongoing mental trauma was worse than the actual war. For some it was hard just relaxing and realizing they were safe.
For some, it was too much. The sudden intense relief of being rescued was almost as bad for her people as getting shot at. Some of the survivors still refused to leave the caves until the enemy was destroyed utterly.
She shook her head. That wasn't going to happen.
For the time being, her people had some shelter and weren't starving. The Marines and militia were generous in helping out when they could, but they had duties to fight and watch the captives. General Falcon had asked her to share food with the captives. She had flat-out refused. “They tried to starve us to death. Let them feel the pinch in their bellies for a while,” had been her response.
Which was why the Marines had shifted half of the resources they had started to provide to caring for the captives over giving it to the colonists. Another bitter thing for her people to see and swallow, Cristi thought as Arjen waved to her.
“What?”
“We've got some more solar panels off of a pumping station. Also, we found an old truck. The interior is shot, mom thinks she can get it running though,” her nephew reported. “But she needs parts,” he said, holding up a scrap of paper.
“Of cour
se she does,” Cristi sighed as she held out her hand.
(@)()(@)
Pyrax
Pyrax received word of the victory when the dispatch ship arrived in the star system. The small ship transmitted the news to the inner star system and then made for orbit of the gas giant to refuel. The little ship had orders to carry the news back to Sol.
Three days after the dispatch ship arrived, the CEV's task force arrived at the Janus jump point. “Why didn't she just send the carrier?” Paul demanded when the news of their arrival hit the colony.
“Ask her,” Jack replied with an indifferent shrug.
“Tempting,” Paul replied with a puckered expression.
“How goes the industrial projects?” Jack asked.
Paul grimaced but then accepted the change of subject. “We're still expanding as you know. Are you sure about the weapon platforms?” he asked.
Jack nodded. He'd realized that the enemy could cut up from the south if they were routed, but it had taken weeks to come up with something to stop them if they did show up in Pyrax. They had started ramping up production of the parts that they couldn't pull off the shelves. It wasn't easy however, and the additional project was affecting their other projects since it was unplanned.
“Put it this way; once we've got the bugs out, we can add it to the export list,” Jack replied.
“Sure, if you don't give the damn things away,” Paul grumbled.
“No.”
“We've been over this, Paul. The care package isn't charity,” Debby replied tartly.
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Paul said with a disgusted sniff.
“Half of the care package is food, so I don't know what you are complaining about. We've got a huge surplus,” Debby said, eyeing the man. “We can only preserve so much for so long. I'd rather it go to the starving people next door than throw it out.”
“Okay, okay,” Paul muttered hands up.
Jack nodded. “The ships will be in orbit in what, a week?”
“About that, yes,” Jeeves replied. “Six days fifteen hours to be more precise. Do you want it to the second?” The A.I. asked.