Sentience 1: Storm Clouds Gathering
Page 32
A search for Admiral Kalis’ spaceplane was initiated after the ensuing update from Souri changed its status from overdue to missing. Over 100 Fleet craft of all types were launched to begin scouring the spacelanes between Tucky and Souri in the attempt to locate Admiral Kalis and the other five passengers and crew of the missing 20-passenger GulfMaster executive spaceliner the Fleet used to shuttle governmental officials and senior Fleet officers around the Alliance, as necessary. In all the excitement, no one noticed that besides Admiral Kalis, the rest of the passengers consisted of solely of Kalis’ personal staff.
The rest of March proceeded pretty much as expected. Marrot appointed or reappointed cabinet positions, meticulously adhering to J.P. Aneke’s list. Even though the senate rubberstamped all of the appointments, it took a while to get everyone through the confirmation process, just because of the sheer numbers of people involved. To the almost universal consternation of the Fleet, Jeannine Franks was reappointed as Secretary of Defense.
The Planet Socar, Colum International Spaceport
March 19, 3861
“My God, they’re coming,” breathed Marjorie Hennings, a deep-space traffic controller at Colum International Spaceport on Socar. There on her long-range scanner screen over 30 blips appeared suddenly, approximately 3-4 light minutes out. That many ships coming in as a group always meant military and since Socar and the rest of the Confederacy didn’t have a military, that meant the Alliance Fleet had just arrived.
“I have over 30 ships inbound at 188 by 231,” Hennings announced to the other controllers in the room, knowing her normally controlled, professional voice sounded shaky and broken.
Mark Haywood, the duty supervisor came over and looked over her shoulder. “Jesus, so much for their thirty days. It looks like they didn’t wait.” Haywood grabbed the communicator at Henning’s station and said, “Get me the governor’s office… priority!”
Three very, very tense minutes went by, as every controller in the room waited for the inevitable message of impending calamity from the Alliance Fleet that was surely winging its way through space, to arrive. At four and a half minutes, Hennings’ comm came alive in her ear:
“Socar control, this is Task Force-21 of the Confederate Fleet, arriving Socar to assume responsibilities for the defense of this system. Rear Admiral Benjamin Stillman, commanding.”
Unsure of exactly what she just heard, Hennings croaked out, “Say again, task Force 21. Did you say Confederate Fleet?”
Eight agonizing minutes later, Hennings heard, “Affirmative Socar control… this is Task Force-21 of the Fleet of the Confederate Stellar Accord, arriving in defense of the Socar system. Rear Admiral Benjamin Stillman, commanding.”
Marjorie Hennings broke into tears as she joyfully announced to everyone within earshot, “THEY’RE OURS! We have a Confederate Fleet and they’re here to protect us!”
Pandemonium broke out within the Colum International Spaceport control room. “This is Governor Bright,” a voice said from the communicator Mark Haywood was still unconsciously holding in his hand.
“Governor, this is Supervisor Haywood at Colum International Spaceport Control. Please be advised that we have a Confederate Fleet, I repeat, a Confederate Fleet inbound, and they’re here to protect Socar.”
CSS Independence, in orbit above the Planet Socar
March 21, 3861
“Captain, I am receiving an incoming message for Admiral Stillman via tight-beam laser communications, sir.”
Captain Richard Bonhoeffer, commanding officer of the attack carrier CSS Independence, turned to the junior officer manning the communications console and asked, “Who’s sending it, Clancy?” Bonhoeffer expected the message to have either originated from one of the other ships in the task force, or coming up from Socar and the admiral would want to know who was signaling him.
LTJG Randall Clancy looked at Capt. Bonhoeffer with confusion evident on his face. “I don’t know sir… ah, the message appears to coming from empty space, bearing 271 by 197.”
“Scan, give me a look at 271 by 197, 3° spread, maximum power,” barked Bonhoeffer.
After several minutes, the scan operator responded, “Negative contact, Captain.”
“Any thermal showing on infrared?”
“No, Captain. There’s nothing there.”
Capt. Bonhoeffer pursed his lips in consternation. This is weird. “Comm, open me a voice channel on laser directed towards the bearing that message came in from.”
“Channel is open, Captain,” responded Randy Clancy.
Bonhoeffer toggled the transmit button on his console. “This is Captain Richard Bonhoeffer, commanding officer of the CSS Independence... to entity sending the message to Rear Admiral Stillman. Identify yourself, please.”
Seven minutes later LTJG Clancy announced, “Captain, I am receiving an incoming priority orders packet, coded specifically for Admiral Stillman, sir.”
Bonhoeffer toggled the ship’s intercom. “Admiral to the bridge, repeat… Admiral Stillman to the bridge, please.”
“What have you got, Rich?” asked Rear Admiral Benjamin Stillman, as he entered the Independence bridge.
“Incoming priority orders packet coded specifically for you, sir. It came in from empty space,” responded Bonhoeffer.
Stillman’s left eyebrow rose slightly at Bonhoeffer’s empty space comment. “I’ll take it at my station in CIC,” said Stillman, as he turned towards the ship’s Combat Information Center. Stillman sat down at his station and placed his thumb over the scanner to identify himself to the computer to unlock the message. “Computer, this is Rear Admiral Benjamin Stillman. Open the priority orders packet coded to my attention.” Within five seconds, the screen illuminated with the incoming message:
CONFEDERATE STELLAR ACCORD
FLEET ORDER: CLASSIFICATION PRESIDENTIAL TOP SECRET INTELLIGENCE
March 16, 3861
To: Rear Admiral Benjamin F. Stillman, Commanding, Task Force-21
From: Admiral Christopher Rawley, Commanding Officer in Charge, 2nd Fleet
Subject: Order Authorization: F446HR81XB65K
You are hereby notified of your brevet promotion to the rank of vice admiral by order of the president of the Confederate Stellar Accord and are directed to assume personal command of Fleet Intelligence support operations outlined as follows:
Immediately upon receipt of these orders, you are directed to personally report aboard Fleet Transport CSS Lewis, and you are further directed to then order CSS Lewis, in company with Fleet Tanker CSS Bentley, to proceed at best speed to the gas giant Themis in the Socar system. At Themis, CSS Lewis and CSS Bentley will rendezvous with Fleet Intelligence Infiltrator class vessel CSS Ghost and provide fuel and provisions as requested. You will also instruct the officers and crew of both CSS Lewis and CSS Bentley to observe the strictest possible Presidential Top Secret Intelligence security protocols, regarding the existence of CSS Ghost. After refueling and reprovisioning, CSS Ghost will depart from the Socar system under independent orders, while CSS Lewis and CSS Bentley return to Socar, where they are to be fully replenished by other TF-21 assets.
Upon completion of replenishment of CSS Lewis and CSS Bentley, you are then instructed to notify Captain Richard Bonhoeffer that he has been issued a brevet promotion to the rank of commodore, by order of the secretary of defense of the Confederate Stellar Accord.
You will then issue movement orders to CSS Lewis, CSS Bentley and three scout class vessels of your own selection to detached duty under the command of Commodore Bonhoeffer to the gas giant Asteria in the uninhabited Koios system, two light-years distance from the Maylan system, where they will act as liaison and provide refueling and replenishment to CSS Ghost as required. The scout-class vessels in Commodore Bonhoeffer’s detached command are to immediately forward all message information received from CSS Ghost directly to destinations as directed by Commander Michael P. Diamond, Commanding Officer, CSS Ghost.
You will advise Commodore Bon
hoeffer and the crews of the selected scout ships to observe the strictest possible Presidential Top Secret Intelligence security protocols regarding the existence of CSS Ghost. This detached command under Commodore Bonhoeffer is to be designated the code name: Grocery Store.
You are also authorized to advise Commodore Bonhoeffer that his command shall be provided relief on a three-month, rotating schedule. After departure of Grocery Store from Socar, you are further directed to assume direct command of the CSS Independence in addition to your duties as Commanding Officer of Task Force-21.
Admiral Christopher Rawley
Commanding Officer in Charge, 2nd Fleet
Gotta be that weird thing they were covering with that giant tarp at Mystic, thought Stillman. Rich is definitely gonna have mixed emotions about this one… getting brevetted to Commodore and an independent command is something every captain in the Fleet only dreams of, but losing command of an attack carrier to get it?
Stillman printed out a hard copy of the orders and then returned to his quarters where he locked the orders in his personal safe. When Stillman reentered the bridge, Bonhoeffer came close and confidentially asked, “Anything you can talk about, Admiral?”
“Not right now, Rich,” replied Stillman. “But you’ll definitely be in on it later. Order the Lewis and the Bentley to form up on our starboard side, and get me a shuttle ready. You have command of the task force, until I get back.”
Stillman was so engrossed in the strangeness of his new orders, it took him another three days for his own brevet promotion to vice admiral to finally register.
President Marrot dispatched political flunkies to each of the six Confederacy planets early, so each would arrive exactly at the end of his thirty-day ultimatum date. All six of those delegations were met by an armed squad of Confederate Marines in full combat armor, who turned them away — not even allowing them to disembark from their spaceplanes. April was going to be a very interesting month.
Chapter-32
The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations. -- David Friedman.
The Planetoid Discol, City of Waston
April - June, 3861
“They did — what?” asked President Pierre Marrot incredulously.
“They wouldn’t even let us off the spaceplane, Mr. President. Armed troops in full combat armor met us on arrival and would not let us deplane.”
“Well, I guess they’ve given us our answer.” As the emissary left the president’s office, Marrot buzzed his Chief of Staff. “Get me the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs and the Chief of Fleet Operations. Have them meet me in the situation room, ASAP.” Forty-five minutes later, the last of the summoned group arrived in the situation room.
“Well, we have our answer from the rebels,” said the president to the assembled group. “They wouldn’t even let my representatives off their spaceplanes. I gave them a chance to do this the easy way, and they spit in my face. They want me to play rough, so I’ll oblige them.
“I want plans drawn up to take all six of those rebellious planets back, by force if necessary, and I want them tomorrow.”
It took several days for President Marrot’s attack orders for a coordinated strike against the Confederacy to be distributed to the various Fleet units stationed in Ginia, Nocar, Tucky, Tensee, Souri and Arka to reach their intended destinations. It took another several days for news of the mass mutiny which followed to reach Unionist bases, brought there by the very few Fleet units to return.
Ginia’s legislators and the general public were outraged that the federal government had actually ordered an armed invasion of the seceded planets. Ginia had always had very strong Southern roots, but passions toward secession had never been strong there. The president’s attempted invasion changed that.
When Governor Lawrence Westin of Ginia heard the federal government had attempted to use Ginia as a jump-off point for Fleet units ordered to attack the Confederacy, he was incensed and immediately took the matter before the planetary legislature. Within two days, Ginia convened her own secessionist convention and within three more, she ratified her own Ordinance of Secession.
Ginia was the very first planet settled by humanity, during the Great Diaspora, from old Earth. As the first, it was only natural that Ginia would become the primary cultural, social and political leader for the entire region, giving her immense prestige. Ginia had the highest population of any planet in the South and possessed as much industrial capacity as the six original Confederate planets combined, so Ginia had always been looked to as the de facto leader of the entire South.
After Ginia seceded, Nocar, Tensee and Arka determined to reexamine the matter with utmost urgency, and after solemn debate, all three convened their own secessionist conventions. It really surprised no one when the Confederate Congress moved the Confederate capital from Gomery, Bama to Rikmon, Ginia. It seemed only right and natural to do so.
The Alliance stock market had not yet fully recovered from the initial six secessions, and investors became frantic at the news that Ginia’s secessionist convention had voted to secede. Ginia’s secession wasn’t actually official until after the planet’s voters ratified the decision of the convention, but investors' nerves were frayed by the news. Ginia’s voters ratified her secession in May and when the news arrived, Nocar and Arka also seceded, following Ginia into the Confederacy.
When news arrived that Ginia, Nocar and Arka had all seceded, the Alliance stock market panicked and went into free-fall, forcing the federal government to step in and suspend trading. The Securities & Exchange Commission kept the market closed for three days to let trepidation subside, and then reopened limited trading, with restrictions on the amount the average market value could drop in a single day before automatic trading suspensions kicked in. Those SEC limits were reached three times during the first five days.
With Ginia’s secession, the governor of Maylan called for a secessionist convention, but in May, Alliance Fleet Marines were combat-dropped into the Maylan capital and established martial law, preventing the convention from meeting. Maylan legislators known to harbor pro-secessionist views were arrested as subversives, and the writ of habeas corpus was suspended. The SEC restrictions were still in place when Tensee seceded in early June, sending the entire Northern economy into complete chaos.
Instead of gaining the six rebellious planets back as he’d intended, all Marrot’s attack order had gotten him was four more planetary secessions, the loss of dozens of major warships, and an economic crisis of biblical proportions. The Confederacy however, increased their membership to ten, and gained an entire third fleet.
Militarily, the Alliance Fleet was left in almost as much chaos as the Alliance stock market. During the Great Mutiny, those Fleet units remaining loyal to the federal government had found themselves heavily outnumbered and outgunned by the mutineers. As discretion is indeed the greater part of valor, rather than initiate hostilities against a much superior force, most simply skedaddled back across the Kallarine Gap to the nearest Fleet base within the Union proper, to report in. After the latest round of secessions, thousands more Fleet officers resigned their commissions, and tens of thousands more enlisted men deserted and simply disappeared like mist before the rising sun.
The Alliance Fleet, stunned by the mass mutiny and defections, literally had to regroup and determine exactly what assets in ships and crews it actually had left to work with. As a majority of Fleet personnel had been from the South, the Fleet found itself with a lot more ships than it could fully crew. Fleet crews were shuffled around by disciplines, plugging holes as necessary.
Experienced crew personnel were at a premium. Virtually everyone with experience remaining in the Alliance Fleet received promotions of at least two grades. Fleet retirees were offered significant financial incentives to put their retirements on hold and return to active duty. The president was even forced to go on holovision to issue a public ca
ll for experienced spacers to volunteer for Fleet duty, from within the ranks of the commercial space industries, in a desperate attempt to fill the gaping holes within Fleet’s ranks. Academy cadets were used to train civilian spaceworker volunteers in the military disciplines.
In the scramble to reorganize the Alliance Fleet, someone eventually remembered all of the fighters and pilots who came off of the carriers that President Buchwald sent into mothballs several months earlier. The Fleet was highly embarrassed by the fact they had apparently “misplaced” them. In an ensuing investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee, classified records came to light indicating that President Buchwald had secretly authorized the sale of all of those fighters to Sextus for $396 billion. This had been paid for, in gold, delivered to and signed for by the Federal Reserve Depository in Norlans, Lusia, and the pilots had been furloughed and gone home. Personnel records pinpointed ninety-six pilots from throughout the North were found and their story verified, so it was assumed the records for the crews from Southern origins were accurate and they had been discharged and returned to their homes as well. Those Northern pilots were recalled to active duty.
After President Marrot instructed the Attorney General to issue an arrest warrant for former President Buchwald, ABI agents on his home planet of Dela found no trace of the ex-president, nor were ABI agents able to locate the pilots and crew of the Fleet-1 spaceplane that had carried the then president away from Waston the morning of President Marrot’s inauguration. The Secret Service had no records of Buchwald’s having left the White House that morning, but discovered that two Secret Service agents who had been assigned to the president at the time had also gone missing. Records indicated they had left on vacation and never returned to Waston.
Accusations and recriminations reverberated throughout the federal government to such extent that President Marrot called for a special prosecutor to be named to direct a massive ABI investigation into allegations of misconduct, malfeasance and possible treason. ABI Director William Hannity assigned primary responsibility for conducting the investigation to the Special Agent in Charge of the Major Crimes Unit, Fredrick Danforth.