by Don Koch
"Thanks Lorena," he said, "I expect you are right, but this sure is not what was expected."
Several hours later the missiles arrived and Lorena selected the one to place in stasis. The remaining missiles were eliminated as instructed. Lorena commented to Josh,
"Thanks Lorena, I will talk to the Glarin and let them know what is going on. Would you please connect me."
"Hello again Commander Vassim. It is time to give you an update on the events unfolding this day. I can't begin to imagine the stress your crews have been under for such a long time. I am sorry that we had to add to that stress earlier today but I think you will appreciate why that was necessary. Are your people comfortable and at ease? "
"They are indeed General Joshua Adams, we are ready to hear what you would tell us."
"Great. First off, our custom is to address one another in formal settings by rank and surname so in this case, I would be General Adams. My given name Joshua is used in less formal settings or a less formal Josh."
"I would first like to tell you what happened after you departed your home system. Your infected people, attacked the planet Cler and in the same year, the planet Fullus. The populations on both worlds were decimated. They then proceeded to the planet Antor but the Antorans were forewarned and managed to leave before the invasion fleet arrived. The Antorans are able to travel at speeds far greater than that of the Glarin fleet. This gave them time to build a fleet to counter the Glarin fleet and to find allies to assist them. This vessel in which you are currently shielded is one of those vessels and I am one of their allies. My commander is General Henry Stone and he is preparing the defenses to counter the attack. He suspected that this group of seven ships might not be hostile and sent me to find out if this was true. In a few minutes our AI, Lorena, will have finished her analysis of the data acquired from the missiles that were following you. We do know that six of the missiles were warheads and that the seventh contained the symbiotes that you described. We also know that there are three types of symbiotes on that missile. We will know a lot more shortly and will share that with you. I should also tell you that I am a mind talker so it is not possible to tell me an untruth without my knowing it for what it is. You did ask how I come to speak your language. I learned it a few months ago and I hope I am speaking it correctly."
"You speak it as though it were your native tongue, how long did it take you to become so proficient?"
"About seven of your day cycles."
Lorena interrupted,
Josh said, "Please proceed."
"Wow, that is a game changer. Lorena, that is outstanding work, thank you. Commander Vassim, do you recognize the species that is targeted by the third symbiote?"
"Yes I do, that is a Linan. They live in a system between Glarin and Cler. It would seem that the Gar have much to account for."
"Commander, would you and any of your staff like to come aboard our vessel so that we can talk face to face and decide what to do next. Our gravity and atmosphere here are essentially the same as your own. If you bring samples of your food we should be able to find food compatible for your needs. We have scanned you and you do not have anything that might cause us harm such as an unknown symbiote or infectious disease. We would welcome you here."
"It would be my honor, but how do we do this."
"Gather those you are bringing with you around your person and Lorena will transport you here. We will bring you to what appears to be an outdoor location. If that makes you uncomfortable we can move to something more confined. Let us say in 10 minutes. Is that good." Vassim agreed.
Ten minutes later, Josh and Vassim met in person. Vassim had his other ships captains with him and about 20 others. The Fleet contingent consisted of Josh, Rose and the command staff with the telepathic auxiliary. The Glarin were obviously surprised and impressed with their surroundings. Like most beings visiting a station for the first time the impression was a bit overwhelming. They spent a bit of time to allow the Glarin to acclimate to their surroundings. Then Vassim spoke to Josh, "General Adams, as you might imagine, earlier today we believed that we were dead beings and now that huge weight has been lifted from us through your extreme generosity. We are indebted to you. What can we do to serve?"
"First off, Commander, please understand that you have provided us with far more than we have given you. The information we have gleaned from that missile will likely result in our ability to save many of your people. The fleet of Glarin heading our way has stasis units for 559,000,000 Glarin, but we have to assume that a number were expended in the campaigns against Cler and Fullus. We have no way to know how many Glarin remain in stasis, at least not yet. The plan I propose to provide to my commanding general is simple. I will suggest to him that we bump that fleet out of FTL, block communications by the ships and then transmit the self-destruct sequence for the symbiotes. I would expect that to allow us to mop up what is left. The unknown element in this is how many Gar are on board that fleet."
"I believe we can take this action rather soon. We will still have to determine what to do about or with the Gar but they have caused too much grief to ignore. The fact that they have created symbiotes against multiple species and deployed them is a declaration of war in almost any interpretation. I will be recommending that we offer to take you to one of the uninhabited planets we have discovered in our sphere of influence and see if it meets your needs and if so, help you to settle in there if that is what you want. We have 11 planets in our sphere of influence that are inhabited. There is Antor 2 in Tau Ceti, Earth in the Solar System, five systems that do not yet know of our existence and four more are being populated by people from Earth. We also have five planets that are suitable for habitation and you might like one of those. I can show you views of the planets to see if it is something you would like to see. We can help you to refurbish your ships and get a good solid start if you like. Each world in our sphere of influence is encouraged to trade with the others. Our principal rule is that planetary conflicts cannot be exported to space. T
his station and the 99 others like it intend to enforce that rule. We generally do not involve ourselves in local issues but have done so when innocent persons are made to suffer, most recently on my own planet. So you have choices to make and we are happy to provide you with the information needed to help you make intelligent choices. Some of your people may even wish to live on one of the stations. You can also elect to leave. We hope you do not but that is really your choice."
"In a few hours we will be leaving here to return to Earth. Your ships traveling at their top speed would take about 8 years to reach there. We will be there in 2 days. In the meantime please enjoy our hospitality. We have identified those of our foods you should avoid but your metabolic processes are surprisingly similar to ours so that list is very small. We can show you around the station, whatever you would like. We have views of the planet we would suggest for your use but we also have some others available. You can look through those to see if any others sound good. When we get to Earth, you will be meeting with my commander to see how we can assist and recover the Glarin in that invasion fleet. With that, do you have any questions I can help with."
Three hours later the discussion was still ongoing. They were clearly excited about the planet Janice as a possible new home. Josh ordered the 9th Division to remain on location to conduct scans for additional missiles and if found to map them for future destruction. Their orders were to destroy any missiles found within a day's travel and return home. A second group of missiles were identified 30 light years distant consisting of 100 missiles heading in the same general direction as the group of seven Glarin ships had been traveling. A third group of missiles was mapped following the main Glarin fleet at a distance of about 30 light years. Another anomaly was noted about 60 light years in back of that.
Chapter 25: A New Ally
Station 1 in Earth Orbit –
January 3 – C Day 126
Hank was sitting in his office when Josh reported in. Hank rose and went around his desk, grasped Josh's arm and said, "At ease General, When I send someone out on a mission I expect some kind of results, but your results are brilliant. By Heaven, I knew you were the right man for the task. I have affirmed every order you have given including that regarding the Glarin and the planet Janice. That also includes the next step, taking this to the main Glarin fleet or should I say Gar fleet. I ask for intelligence and you bring me that and an ally and the means to end the immediate threat from the Gar. You also put us on alert regarding the missiles and the additional symbiote threat. These Gar sure sound like a nasty lot. We will have to be sure that this is not another layer of deception but indications are that it is not. Wow, I haven't been this excited about something in ages. Well, I take that back, this is a distant second to meeting Sam. Right now, I want you to compose yourself because you are a genuine hero and people want to see you. We are about to go to a far more public place where everyone wants to see you. Are you ready? Ok Barana, we are ready for show and tell. I am not sure about Josh but he will have to suffer through this."
With that Barana transported them to the reception area previously used for the Earth leaders meetings and the place was crowded. Josh and Hank appeared on the stage and a massive cheer went up. Fador, Rose, General Joe Carson, Vassim and several others were on chairs on the stage. Hank asked the crowd to quiet down and then spoke, "Ladies, Gentlemen, Gentle beings, Members of the Fleet and those of you listening in from Earth and Antor II. Five days ago, I sent General Joshua Adams on a mission to gather intelligence about an upcoming conflict for which we have erroneously blamed the Glarin. Because of his precise handling of that mission, we have now clarified the antagonist in this conflict. We have also through his direction been able to identify a means to end the first part of this conflict and potentially save some 599,000,000 victims from the machinations of the Gar. His crew and most importantly, the AI Lorena supported General Adams in this effort. He has caused the identification of additional threats and their location. In addition, we now have an ally that we had previously thought was an enemy. It is therefore my distinct pleasure to award him with the Antoran Fleet Medal of Merit, our second highest award. Congratulations Josh and great work."
Fador was the first to offer congratulations following Hank. Joe Carson said, "I have listened to the entire transcript of your encounter and the orders that followed. That was a masterful exercise, I knew you had it in you. I am proud to work with you. Though I suspect you want the next assignment even more. Good job lad."
The medal presentation was transmitted to the Earth along with a censored explanation of the significance of the intelligence. The symbiotes were discussed but not the fact that they could be turned on or off or caused to self-destruct. The symbiote self destruction sequence was subsequently programed into all stations and all ships of the fleet including shuttles along with the means to detect their presence. Meanwhile several Divisions were moved about two light years from the Solar system to avoid solar interference while conducting scans for missiles. None were found within 100 light years except for the 100 missiles trailing the seven Glarin ships by 30 light years. All missiles were mapped to search for patterns. It was clear that an effort would eventually be needed to clear all space from the Solar System to the Glarin home world of these hazards.
Vassim asked for a meeting with Hank and Josh to discuss the Glarin role in the upcoming conflict. They readily agreed to the meeting. Vassim brought with him an individual named Boton. Vassim introduced Boton as a Glarin mind talker who had something to say that Vassim viewed as sufficiently important to bring to their attention. Since that was an unexpected turn, and it involved telepathy, Hank asked Barana to see if Sam and Rose were available for the meeting. They arrived shortly after. Hank made introductions and then asked Boton what he would like to say.
Boton said, "I have just come out of stasis. Abgar and Dinan were right about you, you are difficult to watch with the mind. It is like trying to look at the sun. Abgar and Dinan are Glarin and are in stasis in the Gar fleet. I am not sure how they can communicate in this manner while in stasis but they can do it. For a time there was a third called Gambel who was the most powerful Glarin mind talker known but we fear he is gone because they took him out of stasis and all communication from him ceased. Abgar and Dinan said that Gambel could see you and that you and those around you were growing very strong. They said that Gambel tried to influence you with messages but was unsure of what form his messages were taking. He noted that you appeared to have acted on his messages on several occasions, notably on September 20 and November 4 by your calendar. I am not sure what that was about, only that he tried to send you a message. Gambel had a number of gifts and one of them was precognition. Abgar and Dinan are not nearly as strong as Gambel but they did ask me to try to contact you. Unfortunately I am not nearly strong enough to send such messages though I tried. Then this opportunity arose. Gambel said something about death follows them at a distance. I am not sure what that means and then today I heard about the missiles. I had to tell you about this."
Sam said, 'Wow, that explains a few things. I hope that Gambel is alive and well because there are a number of people who will want to personally thank him. Boton, that explains a number of unusual events, thank you for telling us about this. It explains some interesting events that have occurred here and particularly on those dates. Let me ask you do you have a mate and if so is she also a mind talker?"
Boton was surprised at the question but answered, "Why yes, she is. Neither of us is very strong but on some occasions we can almost hear each other."
"I see where this is going, by all means, go for it. Commander Vassim, would it be OK with you if Boton's spouse joined my wife and Boton for a little training?"
"Certainly. Am I to understand that there is value in this talent other than determining truth?"
"Most definitely, but first we need to determine just how much the talents of your people in this regard are compatible with ours. My sense suggests that they are
very much alike in which case your Boton and his spouse may be far more valuable to you than you realize. Consider that if they are able to contact persons in stasis on those ships, what an advantage that might prove to be. It is definitely worth exploring."
"I can see the wisdom of that. I must admit that there have been so many new concepts to consider in these past few days that it is a bit overwhelming. I do appreciate your patience. I really do have two other things to discuss. The first is that we wish to take up your offer to allow us to settle on the planet Janice. From what we can see it is a beautiful world very much like our home world. We understand the strictures you ask for in this and those too are most generous and cause us no reservations. We also understand and welcome the posting of one or more of your stations near the world and that gives us a sense of safety and security, which as you may appreciate is a novel concept for us. The second is that there are those of us who wish to serve on the stations, if that is permitted, to assist in bringing justice to the Gar. This is not vengeance but rather it is our honor and duty. Our world had a military organization. In fact these seven ships hold about 300,000 trained troops. From the discussions I have had with your people, they are very much like your Marines. These are from our elite branch of service. Those not currently in stasis have asked me to approach you to offer their services. Is this something you would entertain?"
Hank said, "If this is something you wish to do we would be delighted to have your troops. Indeed there is likely to be a role for them is saving the Glarin in stasis in the approaching fleet. We will need to outfit them and there are enhancements that we can offer to improve their survivability should combat occur. It looks like your musculature and digit placement will allow you to utilize our weapons with little or no modification. I think we should consider having all of your people in stasis awakened. We can modify a sufficient number of our quarters to fit your people. Barana tells me that revisions can be completed in a matter of a few days, if that is acceptable to you. We have quite a number of people learning Glarin so they can speak to your people. Barana tells me that our training devices will work for your people with minor modifications. It appears that the people of this station are expressing a desire to have you here. A very positive sign."