by Dietmar Wehr
“Your appointment as Fleet Master is rescinded. Your appointment as Ship Master is also rescinded. Your recent promotion to Leader of Ten Hundred is ALSO rescinded! You will remain here in this system until the next attack is ready. You will then board the flagship in order to observe how a successful battle is won. When that race has been defeated and subdued, you will then be sent back to the Capital where you will have the honor to command a desk in some forgotten department of the Fleet Service! The only reason you’re being allowed to continue to wear that uniform is that dismissing you from the Service would also dishonor your father’s Service legacy and memory. Now get out of my sight!”
Torq saluted and left, and as he did so, he was surprised that he wasn’t feeling humiliated or shamed. Deep down, he knew he had done the right thing and that he was right about the changing nature of the wars his people would have to fight. It was unfortunate that more fleets would have to be destroyed before the Base Master and his generation of officers would realize this fact. But eventually they would come to understand that the easy conquests were now over, and eventually he would be vindicated.
Chapter Six
Ashiana read the decrypted message for the third time.
[WE CONSIDER THE HUMAN ASSESSMENT OF THE SIZE OF THE TYRELL EMPIRE TO BE UNREALISTIC AND MANIPULATIVE. THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO INTIMIDATE US INTO SHARING OUR TECHNOLOGY WITH THEM. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO AGREE TO ANY SHARING OF MILITARY TECHNOLOGY. WE ARE WILLING TO CONSIDER A LIMITED FORM OF MILITARY CO-OPERATION WITH THE HUMANS IF THEY AGREE TO CONTINUE TO KEEP THE TYRELL SYSTEM AND ANY BUILDUP OF FORCES UNDER OBSERVATION. IF THIS IS NOT SUFFICIENT INDUCEMENT FOR THE HUMANS TO RETURN TO THE TYRELL SYSTEM, YOU ARE AUTHORIZED TO SAY THAT AN AGREEMENT FOR A MILITARY ALLIANCE WILL DEPEND ON US WINNING THE NEXT BATTLE AND THAT RECEIVING TIMELY AND ACCURATE WARNING OF THE NEXT ATTACK AND ITS STRENGTH WILL BE REQUIRED. YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT HIGH COMMAND WILL DISAVOW YOUR COMMENTS AS BEING UNAUTHORIZED IF WE DECIDE NOT TO FULFILL THAT COMMITMENT. YOU ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO BECOME FRIENDLY WITH THESE HUMANS EITHER AS A GROUP OR INDIVIDUALLY. THEIR RACE IS TOO PRIMITIVE TO BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED AS EQUAL TO US. END OF MESSAGE]
Ashiana turned off the message display and leaned back in her shuttle pilot’s chair. She found the message disturbing for a variety of reasons. While it was possible that the analysis of the L-wave data showing star systems under Tyrell control was exaggerated, she was convinced from her own observations of data displayed on Pathfinder’s Bridge that the Tyrell controlled more star systems than High Command believed. The shape of the distribution of those red dots really did suggest a portion of a spherical volume of space. She was certain High Command would see things differently if only she’d been allowed to send the actual data instead of just her own impressions. And promising an alliance when she knew High Command would almost certainly reject it after the next battle was not honorable in her opinion. The humans had primitive technology, but they were still intelligent and brave beings. Deliberately lying to them would be difficult for her and her sense of honor, but she would do it because there was no price too high to pay to save her race. She turned and looked at the learning device and the data storage unit attached to it containing all her people’s scientific and engineering knowledge. Her guilt at even considering giving it to the humans, contrary to orders, so that Cate would have at least a chance of surviving future battles with the Tyrell, was partly assuaged by the duplicity of this message. She shook her head at the last part ordering her to not befriend the humans. Too late! The physical attraction to Cate, which she had once felt and now understood to have been caused by what the humans referred to as pheromones, was gone. But in its wake was left a platonic affection that was impossible to ignore. She cared what happened to Cate and yes, to a small extent, about some of the other humans on board Pathfinder, including Gort Eagleton. She would not disobey orders to save them, but she would do it to save Cate. That much she had already decided, and she would not change her mind. She activated the communication channel to Pathfinder’s Bridge.
“Ashiana to Bridge. Is Commander Ripley there? I can now share the contents of the High Command’s reply.”
“I’m here, Ashiana,” replied Ripley.
“I’ll be there shortly,” she said.
When she arrived on the Bridge, Ripley looked puzzled. “You didn’t bring a copy of the translated message?”
“Not necessary, Commander. The message was explicit and succinct. If Pathfinder is prepared to return to Alpha1 long enough to warn Odina when the next Tyrell attack is about to commence and how many ships are involved, the High Command is prepared to agree in principle to a military alliance. Negotiating the details will obviously have to wait until the attack has been beaten off.” She paused. Ripley said nothing. He suspected that there was more coming. “I’m also authorized to say that your co-operation would be viewed favorably with regards to the question of sharing some (she emphasized the word) military technology.” She looked carefully at Ripley’s face to try to gauge his response. He was being careful not to show any emotion, which was unusual for him.
Ripley concentrated on keeping his face passive. Ashiana was wearing her poker-face again, and that bothered him. The vagueness of the promises about an alliance and limited sharing of technology also bothered him. Everything she said could be disavowed by her superiors if they wanted to. If the decision was up to him, he’d play hardball and demand a binding commitment before taking Pathfinder back to the Alpha1 system, but it wasn’t up to him any longer. HQ on Earth had tied his hands with their reply, the gist of which was that he had to do whatever was needed to get an alliance and technology sharing agreement. The tone of the message left him with the impression that the red dot data had badly scared people at the upper levels. The estimated size of the Tyrell Empire had scared him too, but agreeing to every Odina whim was no guarantee of getting their technology.
“As you know, we received a reply from Earth as well. They’ve authorized Pathfinder to return to Alpha1 for further observation in order to warn your people of the size and timing of the next attack. I hope you like human food because this could easily turn into a long mission. I’ll give the orders to get the ship on its way back to Alpha1. Let’s hope we’re not too late.”
As it turned out, they weren’t. After emerging at the extreme edge of the Alpha1 system and moving carefully to within detection range of the third planet, Ripley and Ashiana were both relieved to see that there were still super-ships in orbit. The number had increased from seven to twenty-seven. Ripley reminded Ashiana that seven of those twenty-seven were probably the seven damaged ships that had returned from Odina.
As the days went by, the number of super-ships in orbit kept increasing. When 6 Tyrell ships arrived together to bring the total, including the damaged ships, to 42, Ashiana became visibly distressed. With 35 undamaged ships now apparently waiting for even more reinforcements, the attacking force would be at least twice as strong as the last attack. Ashiana knew what the Odina ship-building schedule had looked like before Pathfinder left, and she knew that at least some and perhaps even all of the Odina losses from the last battle could be replaced by the time of the next one. But that still left her fleet at a disadvantage in terms of tonnage and firepower. Would the Tyrell make the same mistake in tactics next time and stay bunched up so that all defending ships could target all attacking ships? The humans had created some simulations of the last battle, and the results had been interesting. The Tyrell fleet would have faired better if it had split up into three smaller fleets that were widely dispersed. If the distance between sub-fleets was greater than the effective range of the anti-tachyon beams, the defending forces would have had a much harder time concentrating their fire.
Ripley was bothered by the much larger force too. The Odina had to win the next battle if there was to be any chance of sharing technology, and that was now looking less and less likely. It was during his off duty visit to the mess hall
when he saw Ashiana trying to eat some human food in order to stretch her own food supply, that he decided to push the issue. As he brought his food tray to the table where Ashiana was sitting, he saw that Eagleton was sitting opposite her. Both of them looked up as he sat down beside Eagleton.
“Ashiana is trying some soft foods like mashed tubers, kuri squash, and green jello, Commander. So far she hasn’t thrown up or keeled over.” He leaned over and said in what was supposed to be a conspiratorial voice but which was loud enough for Ashiana to hear, “I don’t think she likes the taste of the first two, but she seems to like the jello.” It was clear that Eagleton expected Ripley to laugh or at least smile, and when he didn’t do either, Eagleton realized that his attempt at humor was misplaced.
“I’m not surprised about the jello, Ashiana. Let’s hope you’ll find some other foods to your liking. What I would actually like to discuss with you is the Tyrell buildup and what that means in terms of co-operation between out two peoples.”
Ashiana put her fork down and waited. The moment she had dreaded was now here.
“I’m listening, Commander Ripley,” she said in what she hoped was a serious tone.
Ripley looked down at his food tray and decided that the subject he was about to bring up was too serious to be discussed while eating. The food would have to wait.
“It is now obvious to me, and I hope to you too, that your people are unlikely to win the next battle. That means that the Tyrell will be in control of the Odina system, and that being the case, I don’t see how your people would be able to transfer any technology without the Tyrell seeing it and stopping it. If there’s going to be any kind of tech sharing, it’s going to have to be done BEFORE the next attack. Wouldn’t you agree, Second Officer Ashiana?”
She hesitated before responding. “I can see the logic of your statement, Commander Ripley; however, I can not commit the High Command to do that on my own authority. All I can do is send them your request.”
Ripley smiled and shook his head. “I’m not requesting anything. I’m now demanding that they agree to have all military technology data ready to be transmitted or, if necessary, physically brought on board Pathfinder when we get there. If they refuse, I’ll order Pathfinder back to your home system just long enough to drop you off, and then I’ll take her home.” Ripley’s pulse was racing. He was playing a bluff that his orders did not authorize him to try.
“Am I to understand that you intend to send an L-wave message to Odina from this system and also get a reply back while still in this system?” she asked.
Ripley nodded. “The reply can be as simple as a yes or a no. A message that short might not even be noticed by the Tyrell. I’m willing to take the risk, and if the answer is no, then Pathfinder won’t be hanging around this system long enough to be detected by the enemy.”
Whatever Ashiana was about to say was interrupted by Harrow’s voice over the loudspeaker. “Bridge to Commander! The Tyrell fleet is on the move!”
Ripley activated the intercom button built into the table top. “Ripley here. How many ships, and what’s their heading, Bridge?”
“Thirty-six super-ships on a heading that appears to be for the Odina system, although that’s a preliminary estimate, sir.”
“Damn,” said Ripley in a low voice. “Okay, Bridge, get us moving at max velocity for the Odina system. Also send a warning to the Odina. I’ll be back on the Bridge shortly.” As he got up and saw Ashiana’s stunned expression, he said, “We’ll get there first. When we do, you have to try to get your superiors to authorize the transfer of military technology before the Tyrell fleet arrives. It may not save your people now, but it’s the only chance the Alliance will have to stop these wars and eventually liberate all the conquered races, including the Odina!”
Ashiana nodded as she got up. “I’ll try.”
The tension on the Bridge was palpable when Pathfinder dropped out of hyper-space into the Odina star system. Ripley had ordered the A.O. to emerge back into normal space as close to the Odina home world as it was possible to get given the constraints on travelling through hyper-space near planetary or stellar masses.
Ripley kept his focus on the main display, which was in the process of updating, as he said, “Okay, Comm., send Ashiana’s message.”
“L-wave message has been sent, sir.”
“Helm, you know what to do,” said Ripley quietly.
“Heading for Odina planet at point six,” came the response.
Ripley nodded. The Odina High Command would soon have Ashiana’s message pleading with them to allow the tech transfer, and the ship was heading there as fast as possible. The Tyrell fleet was expected to arrive in less than an hour. Pathfinder could drop into orbit in roughly 21 minutes. If the tech transfer was approved, there might be enough time to get it to Pathfinder before the enemy fleet arrived, but when the enemy fleet dropped out of hyper-space, Pathfinder would leave orbit at max speed whether it had the technical data or not. He wasn’t going to risk getting caught in a crossfire of kinetic energy projectiles screaming in at FTL velocities from long range. He looked around the Bridge and sighed. He wished that Cate was on the Bridge, but she was at her Battle Stations post as was everyone else.
Ashiana sat in the shuttle pilot’s chair and performed breathing techniques to slow down her racing heart and calm her shattered nerves. High Command had had enough time now to read and evaluate her message. If they didn’t reply soon, she would take matters into her own hands. Whatever was going to happen to her race would happen regardless of what she did or didn’t do, and that realization gave her a strange sense of freedom. She jumped in surprise when her console beeped to indicate an incoming L-wave message, received by the humans and passed on to her shuttle. She quickly decoded the message and read it while she held her breath.
[TO SECOND OFFICER ASHIANA. YOUR REQUEST TO ALLOW TRANSFER OF TECHNICAL DATA ON ANTI-TACHYON CAPABILITY IS DENIED. YOU ARE ORDERED TO RETURN TO BASE AS SOON AS THE HUMAN SHIP IS CLOSE ENOUGH. BE ADVISED OUR SIMULATIONS SHOW A HIGH PROBABILITY OF VICTORY. END OF MESSAGE]
While she was still coming to grips with the message’s contents, the communications channel set to Pathfinder’s intercom frequency activated, and she heard Ripley’s voice.
“What did they decide, Ashiana?”
“They’ve approved the tech transfer, Commander. I actually have all the data on my shuttle already. It was gathered during my last resupply visit and placed on board my shuttle to expedite the transfer just in case a situation like this presented itself. I’ve been ordered to leave Pathfinder as soon as my shuttle is within range, and due to the lack of time I need some assistance to move the data and related equipment. I request that Senior Lieutenant Eagleton provide that assistance.”
Ripley shook his head in bewilderment. The data had been on board her shuttle all this time? That made no sense considering the tone of the replies from High Command that he’d seen. And why Gort Eagleton when any of the vehicle bay personnel could help her move the whatever it was that contained the data? His impulse was to deny the request for Eagleton, but something stopped him.
“I’ll send him down. We’ll be close enough for you to take the shuttle the rest of the way in about eight minutes.”
“Thank you, Commander Ripley.” There was something in her voice that Ripley found disturbing, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
When Eagleton arrived at the shuttle, he climbed aboard and saw Ashiana. She looked as though she’d been crying. Before he could ask why, she pointed at a piece of equipment.
“Remember I said how I was able to learn your language so quickly because of a learning machine? That’s it right there, and those containers underneath contain all of my race’s scientific, technical and engineering knowledge, including but not limited to all our military technology. I told Commander Ripley that High Command had agreed to the transfer. I lied, Gort. They refused. I’m technically committing treason by giving this to your people, but I don’t c
are. Cate, and you too, won’t stand a chance against the Tyrell with your primitive weapons. I feel a deep connection to her, and I don’t want to see her die in a useless gesture of defiance. This is her only chance to survive that war. I could have carried this equipment out of the shuttle myself, but I asked for your help so I could tell you why I’m doing this. And I’m asking you to tell Cate. Will you do that, Gort?”
Eagleton got over his shock quickly. “Ah, yeah, ah…I’ll tell her. Why didn’t you ask for her to help you instead of me?”
Ashiana shook her head. “She’s too high up in the ship’s command structure. Ripley would never have let her leave her Battle Stations post just to help me move this equipment. You, on the other hand, as the most junior of the tactical officers, are not in a vital post and can be spared for a few minutes. Besides—” she paused to take a deep breath, “—I don’t think I could stay this rational if Cate was standing in front of me now. No more questions, Gort. Let’s transfer this equipment before I change my mind!”