by Chris Hechtl
He was amused to see Captain X'll'r hadn't held senior grade rank long. She too had been elevated to flag rank. She was in command of the First and Second Battle Cruiser Squadrons in Pyrax and gearing up for the eastern offensive he knew.
Samese had also been promoted to commodore rank. The Neogorilla would retain his position as commander of the orbital fortresses. Most likely he would be assigned to those guarding B101a1, Horatio thought. He nodded once and then continued to read.
He skipped past a few unfamiliar names. They were people in Antigua or Second Fleet that he hardly knew. But a few names jumped out at him after a bit.
The Naga Ss'rik'thh had been promoted to Captain JG and given command of Argentina in the second BC squadron. He would undoubtedly act as X'll'r's deputy.
He had a little misgiving about promoting Liota Chavez to captain senior grade and handing her Peru. But it wasn't his call. Obviously, the brass back home had seen something in her to warrant not only the elevation, but moving her from Admiral Butley to Peru to take over from X'll'r. Would the Veraxin retain her old ship as her flagship he wondered? He wasn't certain. He scanned it again and then found the notation next to Peru's name—4th BC Squadron. Well, that answered that. She was going to be given command of 4th BC when it formed. Good, he thought with a nod.
The final name made him smile. Apparently, Junior Valdez had shown enough grit and had handled Argus's trials well enough to warrant his own elevation to captain senior grade. Good for him he thought with a nod.
He frowned and then decided he had no choice. He cut off the ansible's transmission, then typed out a short announcement of the arrival of Ilmarinen and that he was a passenger on the ship. He typed out a paragraph stating his mission and then hit transmit.
He tried to sit there and watch the message being transmitted, but it was like watching paint dry. He instantly realized he had to keep the conversations simple. Text speech, he reminded himself with a shake of his head.
When he went back to reading the news, he stopped at the news of the battle of B-97a. “Shit,” he muttered. That the fleet had gotten hammered was bad enough. Seeing the juggernaut headed to Protodon, it was no wonder there was a notation of rioting there.
He shook his head. He was going to have to talk to the officers about the battle.
~<><{<^>}><>~
Captain Clayton looked a bit glum Horatio thought as he checked the reaction to news of Battle of B-97a. “Not good,” the captain muttered.
“Not at all, sir. Understatement of the century,” the XO said. “My question is, how bad is it really?” she asked.
“Well, from what I've read, Second Fleet has been hit hard. They are keeping the exact number of ships destroyed under wraps or they didn't bother since the bandwidth is so low,” Horatio stated. Admiral White fell back to B-95a3 and then to Protodon.”
“So, full retreat?” Mack asked.
“Not necessarily,” Horatio replied carefully. The other officers eyed him. “Strategic withdrawal in this case. Protodon has fixed defenses and more ships. And speaking of which, did any of you note that reinforcements were mentioned?”
“I caught that—the two DNs and a squadron of BCs,” Fly by Night stated, raising a claw. “Will they be enough?”
“Fresh forces against the pirates? Will they arrive in time is my question,” Lieutenant Koba stated.
“Remember, there is a disparity in quality of our forces as well,” Horatio stated. “And the emergency reinforcements were just the biggest sent. There were reinforcements already in the pipeline. By now they should have replaced their losses.”
“But they are going to have damaged ships to contend with. Crews that were torn apart,” Commander Koba pointed out.
Horatio nodded. “Mack here knows a little about what a factory ship can do to make repairs to a fleet. You've only seen what Ilmarinen can do in simulations up until this point. Now imagine your crew fully trained to handle the equipment and highly motivated to get the rest of the fleet back into fighting trim. I think Second Fleet's fleet train will react in the same way,” Horatio stated, looking around the compartment.
There were a few nods but not many.
“I held back the best news for this moment,” Horatio said with a smile. He pulled up the file and put it up on the main board, and then with a finger flick he sent it to each of their tablets.
Heads bowed or looked up to the main screen to read. He waited a moment, then his smile broadened slightly. “As you can see, the pirates did hit Protodon. But the reinforcements arrived in time to force them to retreat.”
“They backed off?” Commander Koba asked as she scanned the report. “It says here they didn't fully engage. Just fighter and bomber engagements?”
“Yes. I'm not certain about the details, but the pirates withdrew. From what I've read, it was a ruse to draw the reinforced Second Fleet out to chase them so they could get in behind and tear up Protodon. Admiral White didn't fall for it.”
“So … he's going to sit there on the defense?” Mack asked. “Lick his wounds?”
“He's going to launch a renewed offense on his timing, most likely when he's confirmed the enemy is in full retreat,” Captain Clayton replied with a nod. “It makes sense,” he said.
“So, the question is, what do we do about this?” the XO asked, indicating the news on her tablet.
“I think we should release it, but I wanted to run it past you first so we can be on the same page,” the commodore stated. “Obviously I don't have many answers to questions that will be raised. But I can tell you what I think will happen based on what I know about Admiral Irons and Admiral White. But it would be supposition.”
“So, we need to have a clear message. The fleet has been hit hard but has stood its ground in Protodon and will be back on its feet and back to fighting shortly? Is that what your message is, sir?” the captain asked.
Horatio nodded. “Essentially, yes. Thank you, Captain.”
“It works for me. I wish we had more information to go off of though,” the captain said as he waved his tablet.
“It will come. In time. It's nice to be in the loop now,” Horatio stated.
There was a beep that startled a few in the compartment. Horatio turned to the main screen and tapped. A window opened with a video image of an Elf rating. “Sorry to bother you, sir, um …”
“Spit it out, Featherly,” the XO growled. “This had better be important.
“It is I think. It is for the commodore. Sir, you've got a response back from the ansible. Just a confirmation of your transmission at this point. Oops, there is a request for more input.”
“Understood,” Horatio said with a nod. He saw the captain stiffen a little. He returned his attention to the Elf. “I'll transmit it in a moment,” he said.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I think we're done here,” the captain said as he rose out of his seat. His junior officers did the same.
“Right.”
“We'll be working on the survey, sir. We're ready to deploy the second stage tugs when the time is right,” the XO stated.
Horatio nodded, but his thoughts were elsewhere. “Thank you,” he said as he accessed his implant files and began to upload them to Ilmarinen's communication's suite for transmission to the ansible. He hardly noticed the other officers leave the compartment.
~<><{<^>}><>~
Gemma and Leo ducked into the chief engineer's office. Gemma knocked on the hatch frame as she stepped over the combing. “Chief …”
“Come in,” Mack said. “What's this about?” he asked as he set the tablet he had been reading down and looked up to them.
“I … sir, we've been trying to think of what to do. We're unsure of what to make of the ansible platform obviously. I didn't see anything in our orders …”
“That's because there isn't anything. It never came up in the planning apparently,” Mack replied in disgust as he prodded the tablet in front of him with his fingertip.
; Gemma frowned. “So … what do we do?”
“For now, our jobs. Observe, don't interfere,” Mack rumbled quietly.
“Yes, sir,” Gemma replied with a dutiful nod.
“Leo, you are going to be involved in the station,” Mack said. Leo blinked and then nodded. Mack looked over to Gemma. “As soon as we're no longer using the drive, I'm seconding you and whoever isn't busy to the station. You can check the life support out. While you are at it, you can add some of Leo's toys as well,” he said indicating Leo with a head nod.
Gemma frowned, clearly puzzled. “He means the bugs,” Leo supplied.
Gemma blinked, then nodded. “Okay, I see.”
“What did you think I meant?” Mack asked, eyeing her.
“To be honest, Leo has made so many things, I wasn't certain at first,” Gemma admitted.
“Stay on mission,” Mack rumbled. He glanced over to his open office door to see a couple of ratings pass by. Leo and Gemma followed his eye line and realized the conversation was over.
“Yes, sir,” Gemma said as she rose from her seat. Leo nodded and followed suit.
“Dismissed.”
Chapter 41
Admiral Irons watched as his fellow flag officer came into his office and settled into a chair. He set the tablet down that he'd been reading and indicated the coffee pot on the corner of his desk. Admiral Sienkov shook his head. Admiral Irons smiled when his yeoman came in, set a glass of water in front of each of them, then set the pitcher down and departed.
“So I take it we're going to do a bit of talking?”
“I think that's Jedzia's way of anticipating our needs,” Admiral Irons stated.
“Is it like that again?” Yorgi asked whimsically. “I probably should have peed first then,” he quipped. Admiral Irons snorted. “Seriously, what's this about Admiral? The topic was blank,” the intelligence officer said.
“I think you know or can guess. Bek,” Admiral Irons said, placing his hands together in front of him. “It's a mess. I want to know why.”
“I can hardly say why. I'm here,” Admiral Sienkov said, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.
“No, but you know the background. Which, apparently, we need. Also, information on the new players, not just the basic data we've got,” he tapped the tablet in front of him with one index finger. “And Childress isn't even in the database,” he said.
“Him,” Admiral Sienkov growled.
“Yes. He came out of retirement and took over. Staged something of a coup. My question is, why and how he managed to do it. And obviously we're missing something in your past. So, we need to know.”
“I … it's all there,” Yorgi said, indicating the table. “We're not going to lie, Admiral, least of all to you.”
“There is something to be said about open and aboveboard … and lies by omission,” the admiral said eyeing Admiral Sienkov. “Questions have been raised before about certain mindsets. Problems with implant tech, A.I., that sort of thing. I've been too busy up until now to fully explore it. It seems I need to repair that oversight. So,” he knitted his fingers together. “Yorgi, level with me,” he said in a commanding voice, eyeing the other officer severely. “No more evasions, no more bullshit. The truth.”
“It's … complicated,” Admiral Sienkov said, clearly uncomfortable with the line of questioning. He also knew he couldn't get out of it. Obviously he had to face the unpalatable. He'd assumed someone else would have told the admiral. That he'd read between the lines or known what Bek was like from his previous experience. He knew now that wasn't the case. It was a clear case of assumption turning around and biting him in the ass as it usually did.
That didn't make it any easier to get out. Or for him to want to talk about it though.
“That's when you start at the beginning and break it down into usable chunks. I think I'm a smart man. Smart enough to figure some things out. If people talk to me,” Admiral Irons said tartly enough to penetrate the vice admiral's thoughts.
Yorgi winced. “Okay, I guess I deserved that.” He saw the admiral just stare at him. Finally, almost reluctantly he nodded. “Okay, to start it is a part of our history. It boils down to not wanting to repeat it.”
“Our history …”
“Terran, Federation, and Bek's history,” Yorgi said.
“Okay …”
“You left Bek in a sort of a pickle. We had people who stepped up to take command. They guided the development of a wartime economy.”
“I got that part.”
“In the guiding, some things were emphasized. But when no one came … they made changes ….” He grimaced.
“What sort of changes? I'm assuming to your history? Edited it?”
Yorgi shook his head. “We … according to what I read we tried to recreate some of the tech the Federation had from scratch. It didn't end well. Thousands died. So, they decided to stomp on it. It was drilled into us by the sleepers that oversee our culture and development. They didn't want us making the same mistakes. The inherent dangers were too much. A few times we ignored those warnings, and each time, each time,” he repeated, “we got burned—badly.”
Admiral Irons frowned thoughtfully. “The dislike of implants? I never understood that since I know some of your people have replacement limbs,” he said.
“That's part of it. Nanotech is a big one.”
“Okay …,” Admiral Irons frowned. “Who did this?”
“Our matriarch sleeper is a historian. I'm not sure if you are aware of that.”
“I think I remember—a High Elf,” Admiral Irons said. His frown deepened. Historians were supposed to be objective. He knew that was a lie. Many had an axe to grind. They would get into something, a cause and then twist the facts to suit their viewpoint.
It had been done for centuries. If a fact or event was inconvenient to that world view it was ignored or overlooked. American history had been like that for centuries he knew; he'd done a paper on it as a child. He frowned thoughtfully, looking up to the ceiling for a moment. “So, she guided your development—industrial … education ….” Pieces were starting to fall into place. He didn't like them though. At least he knew who the enemy was though, he thought. She meant well, but he remembered a certain path that was paved with good intentions too.
“Yes, Doctor Windswept. She and the other sleepers oversaw what you abandoned,” Admiral Sienkov said with a slight accusing tone in his voice.
“Abandonment issues? You know about duty and following orders, Yorgi,” Admiral Irons replied, sitting back with narrowed eyes.
“I know it, but on a gut level, the resentment is still there.” The vice admiral shrugged. “But that's not all of it.”
“No, trust that I knew you folks could get the job done without handholding?” Admiral Irons pointed out.
Yorgi cocked his head as he considered that point of view. “You know, if that occurred to anyone I don't know if they said it the same way. I never heard it expressed that way I think.” He puckered his lips for a moment then shrugged. “I wonder if anyone ever saw it that way.”
“Okay, so …”
Admiral Sienkov checked his internal chronometer. “Do we have time or …”
“We're good. I had Protector clear our schedules for a couple hours. We need to get this out in the open to know how to best deal with it. It needs to be handled,” Admiral Irons stated flatly.
Yorgi sighed fatalistically. “If only I knew how. It's a royal mess I guess you could say. And if Horatio's report is accurate, well, it's bad. Bad and getting worse every day there.”
“We'll get back to the abandonment issue. Though I bet it's playing its part. So … history and repeating it,” the fleet admiral said, drawing them back to the background. He needed to understand the background and other stuff in order to see what shaped their world view.
Yorgi looked squarely at him. “You know the saying about people who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it?”
Admiral Irons nodded.<
br />
“Well, some don't repeat it; they get something far worse. Disaster, death. Death on a grand scale.”
“With …”
“We had a couple A.I. that went rampant. Fortunately, they were contained.”
“Fortunately,” the admiral replied with a grimace.
“But the worse thing was nanotech.”
Admiral Irons nodded slowly. “I can understand the risks. But they are just robots. I know. I use them all the time.”
“Well, we reawakened our fear of them anyway.”
“You do realize you have nanites in you now, right?” Admiral Irons explained patiently. “It's all part of the antigeriatric treatments. Also your implants,” he said as the admiral seemed to look horrified. “For that matter, you are overdue for your own A.I. package.”
“I … okay. I knew I guess, but I didn't want to think about it,” the vice admiral said. “I thought they'd been flushed out. Gone.”
“Right,” Admiral Irons drawled. “So, this history … it's not in the records you uploaded to us.”
“I … it was classified. I don't know all of it, not all the facts. I know one of the big messes was on Tesla station. I know that thousands were killed before the outbreak was contained. So, we banned the tech and anything related to it as well as anything else of risk that Doctor Windswept and the other sleepers designated. The burned hand taught best.”
Admiral Irons frowned as he digested that statement. Burned hand yes, but you didn't let bad things contain you completely. It stifled creativity, initiative, and risk. That bothered him on some level. After a moment, his eyes narrowed as he replayed that last sentence. “Wait, all of it? That explains why you are behind on hardware. But you need nanotech for a lot of hardware. Molecular layering can't be done effectively without nanotech. Molecular electronics …,” he frowned and shook his head as he considered the problem. “Decent grav emitters, hyperdrives, modern armor and electronics … you can't get those systems without it.”
“As I said, those who don't learn from history …,” Yorgi said doggedly.