by Don Koch
Hank then indicated that he was willing to take some questions but did not feel obligated to respond to every question. The first question asked how much longer the Gar campaign was expected to take. Hank said the expected to be done in the next six months.
The next question was one that he expected. Why not just bomb them out of existence. Hanks response was that the Antoran Fleet did not engage in genocide. The questions went on for another 20 minutes with no surprises. At that point, Hank indicated that there would be a reception out on the lawn as was done previously. Hank circulated amongst them for about an hour and then the fete was over and the leaders were returned to their offices.
Chapter 32: Preparations
Station 1 in Earth Orbit –
February 9 – C Day 163
"Barana I think it is time for another little visit to Dranz. Lets see what his frame of mind is now that he has time to think about our last visit."
"Lets start from our quarters, Gambel and Hanser can join us there. Oh, would you please put in some nice Glarin type recliners for them so they are comfortable."
When all were ready, they entered rapport and went to the Flagship. Again only Hank was visible and looked as solid as anyone or anything on the ship. The rest had particular things they wanted to see. Hank walked on to the bridge and a crewmember tried to stop him. Hank emulated solidity and pushed the crewmember aside easily. Another crewmember drew a blade and attempted to stab Hank but the blade shattered upon contact with Hanks form. Hank picked up the pieces, recombined them and returned the blade to the crewmember's sheath. The crewmember bowed and backed away.
"Really, Dranz, your people do not seem to learn. Such ineptitude is really alarming for world conquerors. Oh, I almost forgot, you had some one else do your fighting for you. I just want to see if you are ready to go home. Dranz, how do you do that, change colors like that. It is a very interesting visual effect and such a range. That is enough of the small talk. I just wanted to let you know that instead of destroying the lot of you, you and all your crew members will, in a short while, be returned to your home world. There you will remain the rest of your days. You will not be allowed to go into space again. Any attempt to again enter space will be denied to you. This will be your racial sentence for multiple acts of genocide. I think I will visit a few more of your ships this time. We also know that the Gar have at least three other fleets underway. Those will also be stopped and returned to Gar. Did I tell you that this visit has been broadcast to all of your fleet. I hope you have an interesting day. See you soon."
Hank visited a dozen more ships and essentially created disturbances amongst them, each time broadcasting his visits to the other ships. Gambel and Sam indicated they were ready to leave so they all returned to Station 1 and compared notes. "I think we have them well rattled. Some of them are just about in a panic. It appears that they know little of psychological warfare. Sam your haunting idea appears to be working very nicely. Did we learn anything else of particular interest?"
Gambel said, "We may be able to create further confusion with the Gar. It looks like they are susceptible to mental suggestion. We could mentally suggest to some crewmember that he perform a particular act and he will do so. I experimented with this on the visit and the success rate was 100%. So that is another tool we can make use of."
"That is good. Barana how is the preparation of the Gar stasis units coming along?"
"That is good thinking, Ok, let's see if Josh is ready for us." Barana indicated that he was and they all transported to the briefing room at command headquarters.
Josh briefed Hank who approved the plan. The command staff for the fleet and each of the various stations was then briefed. Assignments and roles were made and timing was laid out. Barana noted that about a tenth of the Gar fleet had reversed course and appeared to be heading home. Some of the Gar vessels were firing on by their own fleet but no vessels were destroyed. Clearly some ship commanders were in a panic. Apparently the visitations were having an impact. Hank noted that the group would try additional trips to vessels not yet visited to see if some more unease could be generated.
Essentially the plan to deal with the Gar was divided into a number of parts. These were:
Neutralize the Gar fleets.
Return all Gar to their home planet including those of other invasion fleets.
Quarantine Gar.
Josh also outlined a plan to systematically retrace the Gar path and retrieve any Gar found along with their vessels. All would be returned to the Gar planet. Josh noted that the Gar vessel records have been copied and locations of other invasions mapped. Barana had prepared destroyer software to erase any record of the purported insult that appears to be the trigger for the invasion reaction by the Gar. This was intended to try to reduce the reminders to perceived insults from the records in hopes of realigning the Gar motivations for their warlike attitude.
Hank noted that he wanted the final operation to commence in five weeks.
Two days later, Hank, Sam, Gambel and Hanser again visited Dranz only this time all were visible and the occasion was not broadcast to the rest of the Gar Fleet. On appearance, a crewmember fired an energy weapon at Sam who nonchalantly reached out and crushed the weapon. The discharge of the weapon had gone through Sam's image with no effect other than to destroy a station in back of where Sam was seen and injuring a Gar crewmember in the process. Hank said, "well Dranz, I see you have rather shaky weapons discipline and control of your crew. Using an energy weapon inside of a ship in space make me wonder how you even survive in space. I wanted my spouse and friends to see you."
"Your friends are Glarin?"
"Yes they are. I see you have started the self-destruct sequence on your vessel. You think to destroy us with your ship. I am pleased to tell you that will not work. First I have changed the self-destruct mechanism activation codes. Those will recognize only my commands. Secondly, if they did work, you would only destroy yourselves, since we are impervious to their blast."
"Dranz, our intent is to return all persons in this fleet to your home world. Your ships are of Linan construction. After we determine if there are any Linan left to repossess the ships, we will determine if the ships should be dismantled to their component parts and returned to raw material status or returned to surviving Linan. Anything found of your own construction will be returned to your world as material that can be used for whatever construction your world desires except for spacecraft and weapons. You will be barred from using your spaceship construction sites until such time as the rest of the galaxy is convinced that you are ready to join us in space, peacefully. You will not further destroy those of your fleet who wish to return home or avoid the coming conflict. Do you understand what I am telling you?"
"Of course I understand what you are saying, but understanding does not infer agreement. I will do as I wish with this fleet."
"I thought you might react in that fashion. Very well, you have made your choice. You will be unable to fight your ship or to use FTL. We will continue to allow you ability to communicate with other ships in your fleet only. Your weapons will be rendered dysfunctional. We will be back to collect you in a short time." With that they destroyed the FTL capacitors and spares along with the Weapons capacitors and spares. This dropped the Gar command vessel out of FTL space and denied them the use of weapons. They had been effectively neutralized. Doing this on a single ship was a tiring exercise primarily due to the distance. Neverthel
ess, Hank realized that this would be an effective tool when the Antoran fleet was in close proximity. On return, he started training other telepathic teams to disable the weaponry and FTL capacitors. By the time they were ready to take on the Gar, they had 2,000 T Raptor teams ready.
### Aboard Gar Flag Ship Dragon's Teeth –
2 hours later ###
Fleet Commander Lord Dranz had gathered his senior officers together in the Wardroom of his ship, the Dragon's Teeth. His demeanor was one of sadness. "Gentlemen, It has been my privilege and honor to command you for the last 148 years that this fleet has been underway. I think it has long been clear to you how I feel about the mission we have been assigned by our Monarch. You know that I believe this to be madness. This venture is not a mission, it is a sentence that can only blemish our souls. Nevertheless, we are honor bound to follow the demands and instructions of our Monarch. Most of you have been present for the visitations by the human General Stone. I am incredulous that such a being exists, but not that he is opposed to our path. It may not be a huge surprise to you to learn that I am inclined to agree with his indictment of we Gar. Most of what he has implied during his visits are in fact true but we have no choice but to continue on that path though it means our destruction. I have no idea how the humans have become so powerful but it is my considered opinion that we can't successfully withstand their forces. They are able to walk the corridors of our ships with impunity. They bring their friends and even their families to peer at us. I am further saddened to say that many of us will certainly die in order to preserve what honor is left to us. I can't at this point see a way out of this situation so we must die for the honor of our people. It has not been lost on me that the human has played on our fears and emotions with great dexterity. He has been deliberately provocative and has likely gathered exactly the information he has wanted using that tactic. Fifteen minutes ago, I confirmed that our communications with others in this fleet are intact, but our drives, our weapons and our self-destruct mechanism have all been rendered useless. All I can say at this point is that it has been an honor to serve with you and I value the friendship of each and every one of you. Let us prepare for death as befits a warrior of the Gar. Gentlemen, I salute you." All of the officers stood to attention and returned the salute.
Chapter 33: Distress Call
Station 1 in Earth Orbit –
February 20 – C Day 174
"Interesting, send them everything we have on the Gar including the destruct sequences for the symbiotes. Have them dislodge those missiles from FTL and then destroy the missiles. They should send the destruct sequence to destroy the symbiotes. The missiles are unmanned so they can fire on them without ill effect. Use care to completely destroy the missiles. There may be planet busters in the mix. Tell them to test to see if the Gar can catch them at 16xSL and if not back down until they are maintaining distance. Tell them to lure the attackers on and that help is on the way but it will take 5 days to get there. Give them the nanite defense data for the symbiotes and put that protection in place as an alternative. Once they have determined the maximum speed of that fleet, have them cloak and keep an eye on this group. Have them fry the communications with their home planet. Tell them we are sending some T Raptor teams and what those teams are capable of doing. Lets send the exploration Divisions 3 and 8 out to help them. Those have been combat manned and have the speed upgrades in them. Send a team out that can upgrade the speed on Station 143 and then get them back here for full combat upgrades. That gives us the location of another Gar Fleet to recover."
"Ask Kalani if she can fry their communications and their FTL capacitors and do it in a way that does not reveal their presence."
Barana replied after a bit,
"Yes it does, another complication. Alert Josh so he can take this development into consideration for our strike against the Gar. Please check fleet status to see if we can advance the operation for an earlier departure."
A few hours later, Barana reported,
"Once they have contained those 70 ships, keep one ship there to watch over the captured Gar and have the rest proceed to Linan to gather intelligence and take any action deemed necessary to protect the Linan population. Don't reveal your presence but take out their weapons and missiles. I am a bit worried about the Linan. First priority will be to disable the planet busters and symbiote missiles. I am dispatching Division 16 to assist Divisions 3 and 8. Any Gar vessels firing on a Linan is to be disabled or destroyed." He then asked to be put in communication with all stations.
"Greetings to all of the Antoran Fleet. This is General Henry Stone. We are now ready to take on the Gar Fleets. Yes, I said fleets, there are four of them that we know about. We are going to clear the space lanes of all Gar and confine them to their planet. We have just received word that Station 143 has been attacked not far from the Linan system. The station was uncloaked at the time and no damage resulted. The attack was unprovoked and was made by 70 Gar ships. Well, the time has come to do the job we signed on to do. I am moving up our schedule because, frankly, you are ready."
"OK, here are the assignments and instructions. Fleet 1 was captured three weeks ago. The Gar Fleet approaching Earth will be labeled Gar Fleet 2. Divisions 1, 2, 6 and 9 will meet Fleet 2. They should be pretty easy to deal with. They have been prepped. I want Commander Dranz in a special holding cell on Station 1, let's make that one of the lodges and put 5 of his officers with him. I want all of their discussions monitored. All ships captured are to be transported in the core of Station 149 to Tau Ceti after all crew, missiles, symbiotes and weapons have been removed. The old flagship from the initial invasion fleet has been refitted with a sufficient number of stasis units. I do not want anything left to indicate that a ship let alone a fleet of them ever passed that way. After that operation, Divisions 6 and 9 will proceed to Linan to assist there."
"The Gar Fleet holding Linan will be labeled Gar Fleet 3. Divisions 3, 8, and 16 will meet Gar Fleet 3. This one will be complicated by the
presence of a large enslaved population of Linan that we wish to liberate. They will be joined by Divisions 6 and 9 when their missions with Gar Fleet 2 is completed."
"The Gar Fleet that is 900 light years past Gar will be labeled Gar Fleet 4. It is still about 30 light years from its apparent target. Divisions 4 and 7 will encounter Fleet 4. First objective is to assure that no missiles have been launched and if so to destroy those missiles. That fleet is to be then neutralized and captured. When that is accomplished, Division 4 is to proceed to the target world and make contact. Inform them of the operations by the Gar and see if further assistance is needed. Division 7 is to bring the captured Gar and ships to a rendezvous point to be determined but probably in the vicinity of Gar."
"The Gar Fleet that is 960 light years from Gar on a heading that puts its apparent intended target about 100 light years away will be labeled Gar Fleet 5. Divisions 10 and 13 will meet Fleet 5. Similar to Gar Fleet 4, the first objective is to assure that no missiles have been launched and if so to destroy those missiles. The Gar is to be then neutralized and captured. When that is accomplished, Division 13 is to proceed to the target world and make contact. Inform them of the operations by the Gar and see if further assistance is needed. Division 10 is to bring the captured Gar and ships to a rendezvous point to be determined but probably in the vicinity of Gar."
"Divisions 5 and 20 are to proceed to Gar and blockade that world. Utilize your warships in visible mode. Any planetary defenses are to be neutralized. The only ships to get in are those with Gar aboard. No other races may enter Gar space. All Gar on multi-racial vessels are to be extracted and placed in stasis after determining that their presence is not critical to operation of the ship. Disable any Glarin or Linan ships with Gar entering the system. Those ships are to have all weapons removed and FTL capacity disabled. You may tell the planet that their war with the humans is now over and that they have lost. You may uncloak one or more of the stations as you see fit."