by Dietmar Wehr
The following ten days were filled with rising tension as the Committee tried to prepare for the attack. No trade ships were sent out, and as others returned, they were retained as well. The crew on the station orbiting Earth were evacuated to Vesta. Val Ky Ree and her three sentry ships were on constant patrol around Vesta. Ronson stayed aboard her ship.
The attack, when it came, was very unorganized. The advanced sensors on Val Ky Ree’s ship picked up a ragged string of ships emerging from hyperspace at considerable distances, but they were scattered over a wide area and seemed to have difficulty finding each other. It took almost 12 hours for ships to stop arriving, and it was another 23 hours before all 55 ships managed to locate each other and come together in a formation that began moving towards Vesta.
Ronson looked at the tactical display carefully. The formation would reach attack range of Vesta in roughly 7.3 hours. Nothing had changed on the defensive side. The trade ships that were already on station were holding their position. The ones sitting in the underground hangar were not yet moving and wouldn’t be until the enemy formation got a lot closer. There was no sense rushing to get them out into space only to sit around for seven hours afterwards.
“Do we know if those three big Trior ships are in that formation, Val Ky Ree?” asked Ronson.
“Impossible to say at this point, Troy. Not only are they much further away from us than they usually are to a trade station, but they’re not squawking their transponder IDs. My detection system may be able to pick them out from the rest when they get closer, but how close I don’t know. I’m going to send that fleet a message that I hope will convince them to abandon this attack.”
After a short pause, Ronson heard her voice and also saw her projected holographic image appear in the air before him. One of the smaller screens on the wall also showed her solid-looking image.
“This message is meant for the ships of the Compact that are now in this star system. This message is being sent in the human language as well as in the languages of all Compact races. I am Val Ky Ree of the Aesir. As you know from my previous contact, the human race is under our protection. We will not allow their colony on the asteroid known as Vesta to be attacked. We are also convinced that the humans did NOT attack the Zeiss habitat stations. We believe that the Trior were able to duplicate our torsion beam weapons after examining the weapon built into one of our smaller craft that the Trior had temporary control over. I’m sending you a recording of the sensor data from one of our smaller craft that shows three large Trior ships lined up perfectly to the three Zeiss habitat stations that were destroyed. Their torsion beams would have been able to hit all three habitats simultaneously as a result of that alignment. I warn you now that your fleet will not be allowed to move into weapons’ range. If you do not turn away and leave this star system, you will be destroyed.”
“That was good, Val Ky Ree,” said Ronson. “How long until they get the message?”
“A little over 10 minutes. I wonder if any of them will reply.”
Twenty-two minutes later a reply did arrive. Ronson waited patiently as Val Ky Ree translated it into English for him. She displayed the contents as a text message that scrolled across the bottom of the main display.
[We reject your sensor data and your accusations against the Trior. The humans’ hatred for the Zeiss is well known. Millions of Zeiss were killed, and their spilled blood cries out for vengeance. We know that you are the last member of your Aesir race. Even if you destroy all our ships, you can’t protect the humans forever. Eventually you will fail, and the humans will pay for their evil deeds.]
Before Ronson could respond, he noticed a status change on the tactical display. The red icon representing Val Ky Ree’s ship was now accelerating at a very high rate towards the Compact fleet.
“You’re leaving the space near Vesta?” asked Ronson in a surprised tone.
“Yes, Troy. Their reply tells me that there’s going to be a battle, and the further away from Vesta it is, the better. They’ve made me angry, Troy, and they do not understand the Aesir Warrior Code. For a Warrior, taking on the responsibility of protecting someone is to assume a sacred trust. If that Warrior fails to fulfil that trust and the one being protected is hurt or dies, that Warrior is honor bound to exact retribution. The death of the human race would demand the death of the entire race that caused it. They don’t realize the danger they are in. I will warn them of the catastrophe that they are risking and show them my power. I need to concentrate on piloting this ship now, Troy. Please do not attempt to engage me in conversation until this is over.”
Ronson nodded but said nothing. His eyes were glued to the tactical display. If he understood the Aesirian language side-bar data correctly, then Val Ky Ree’s ship was accelerating at a rate that was equivalent to slightly over 144 Gs. Compared to her ship, the Compact fleet was standing still. When her ship had travelled roughly one third of the distance, it started decelerating just as quickly. Ronson guessed that when velocity was back down to zero, the fleet would be within range of her powerful torsion beam turrets.
When the ship was about half way back to zero velocity, the red icon on the display flashed, and Ronson heard a ping. The side bar data revealed that the ship had been hit by radar emissions from the enemy fleet. At first Ronson couldn’t understand why that could be the case. Aesirian technology had proven that it could cloak a ship from EM detection systems all the way up to point-blank range. He really wanted to ask her why she was letting the Compact fleet see her ship coming at them at a still high speed, but when he mulled that question over in his mind, he understood the reason why. The Compact would see a VERY large ship coming at them fast, and that was bound to be at least somewhat intimidating.
His smile of understanding vanished as the ship jerked suddenly, and he found himself flying head first through the holographic tactical display to the floor. “Let me guess! We were hit by a torsion beam?” he asked.
“Yes.” The brevity of her reply reminded him that she was busy flying the ship.
As he stood up in the middle of the tactical display he saw that three of the blue dots representing Compact ships had changed to yellow. The symbol next to them was the Aesir symbol for the Trior.
“Bingo,” said Ronson in a hushed voice. Those had to be the large Trior ships that carried their version of the torsion beam weapons. As he stepped back to where he had been, he noticed the 3-D display now showing a large sphere around Val Ky Ree’s ship. The side bar data relating to her weapon turrets were showing yellow numbers that were dropping, which he interpreted as the distance to the Compact fleet that was beyond her weapons’ effective range. That range was therefore dropping, and in a sudden flash of insight, he understood that the sphere represented the effective range of her weapons. As soon as the Compact fleet crossed into the sphere, the side bar data would drop to zero and her weapons would be able to fire. The ship jerked again, but this time, Ronson was ready and was bracing himself. The implications of that second jerk suddenly dawned on him. The Trior torsion beams had a greater range than the turrets on Val Ky Ree’s ship!
“How did they manage to build torsion weapons with a greater range than yours?” The question popped out of his mouth before he remembered that he was supposed to keep quiet. It took a while before he heard her reply.
“Effective range is…function of weapon size…Trior ships have enough internal room and…power for very large projectors…Defense shields holding!”
A double ping brought his attention back to the display. The Compact fleet had just crossed the outer boundary of the sphere. He watched as the side bar data showed her four turrets’ status which shifted from ‘Tracking’ to ‘locked on’. He shifted his gaze back to the yellow dots just in time to see them flash brightly for half a second before becoming very faint dots that were now falling behind the rest of the still advancing fleet.
“Targets hit and disabled,” said Val Ky Ree. Before Ronson could say anything, she continued. “Val K
y Ree to Compact Fleet. I have disabled the three Trior ships that are carrying torsion beam weapons. If you board those ships and examine their cargo compartments, you’ll see what’s left of those weapons. I could have destroyed those ships completely, and I can destroy all of your remaining ships just as easily, but I would prefer not to do that. You are being used by the Trior for their own ends. Now that you have seen my power, you are advised to take advantage of my patience and immediately decelerate to zero velocity. If you do not do so, I will take whatever measures are necessary to defend the humans. If all humans are killed, either now or in the future, the race that is responsible for their elimination will face the same fate. This I swear as an Aesir Warrior!”
Ronson held his breath as he watched the velocity data of the Compact fleet. It wasn’t slowing down. Another translated text message scrolled across the display.
[The decision to destroy all humans was made by the leaders of our races. Your Aesir are gone! By what authority do you interfere in our quest for justice!”]
When Val Ky Ree replied, the volume was deafening. “I AM THE LAST OF THE VALKYRIES! THE GODS GAVE US THE POWER TO DECIDE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES! YOU HAVE DETERMINED YOUR OWN FATE. IN ORDER FOR MY HUMANS TO LIVE, YOU MUST DIE.”
Ronson watched in shock as the blue dots started to disappear one after another. He jumped in surprise at the sound of the double ping and saw that the remaining Compact ships were now decelerating. The blue dots stopped disappearing. There were eight left, plus the three crippled Trior ships which were now far behind the rest.
“Compact ships, listen carefully. Because you have started to decelerate, the humans have asked me to spare your lives, and I have granted their request, but only so long as you stay away from the human colony. If you desire to save the Trior crew who are still alive, do so quickly. They are unable to decelerate, and I will destroy them before they reach Vesta. No further communication will be tolerated.”
Ronson waited until he was sure that Val Ky Ree was finished speaking. “That was a nice touch about us asking you to spare them,” said Ronson.
“Yes, I thought so too. I also think that taking on the persona of one of your race’s mythical Valkyrie was an effective psychological ploy given that my actual name and the name of those mythical beings is phonetically almost identical.”
“You practically had me convinced too! I wonder, though, if any of the Compact races know about the human myth of the Valkyries and how they decided the fate of the spirits of human warriors who were already physically dead. Their reference to life or death was actually a metaphor for heaven or hell.”
“They may not understand completely what Valkyries are, but I think they got the message about the power I have and my willingness to use it. I have to confess, Troy, that the Valkyrie persona appeals to me. It is compatible with my Warrior Code. Just as humans sometimes pretend to be someone else, I think I would like to assume the persona and name of those mythical beings, at least for a while. You have always pronounced my name without the pauses, like this.” The tactical display disappeared and Ronson saw English letters spelling out ‘Val Ky Ree’ and ‘Val Ky Ree’. “But you correctly put the emphasis on the last syllable. I believe that while Valkyrie is spelled slightly differently, the emphasis is also on the ‘kyr’ so it sounds like Val kyr ee. From now on, humans may pronounce my name as Valkyrie.”
“I’ll let them know,” said Ronson. The holographic display resumed showing the tactical situation. The remaining Compact ships were still decelerating, although three of them were maneuvering in front of the three Trior ships, which were now starting to catch up due to the higher velocity they had when they were disabled.
Over the next 18 minutes, three Compact ships rendezvoused with the three Trior ships briefly before pulling away and resuming their deceleration. Eventually, all 8 undamaged ships halted their forward velocity and began to accelerate away from Vesta. As soon as they were clear of the Trior derelicts, Valkyrie blasted them to atoms. The Battle of Vesta was over.
Chapter Eighteen:
Because of the intensity of the animosity expressed by the Compact fleet, the Committee decided to wait a while before sending trade ships out again. With the threat over, the crew returned to the station orbiting Earth. Sixteen days later, a Zeiss ship dropped out of hyperspace and headed at a very leisurely pace, with its transponder on, to the station. On its approach, it sent a text message in English to the station, which was immediately retransmitted to Vesta. Ronson was in the shower when the message arrived.
“Troy, I’ve just received a text message from a Zeiss ship that was relayed to us by the station. Shall I read it to you now, or would you prefer to read it when you’ve finished your personal hygienic rituals? By the way, what was that song you were singing just now?” asked Valkyrie.
“It’s a song that I haven’t heard for a long, long time that just sort of popped into my head. It’s called Radar Love. Go ahead and read the message to me, please.”
“After a quick inspection of the three Trior ships, the presence of large weapons of unknown type were confirmed. The Trior have refused to explain what type of weapons were in their ships. Because those ships have been destroyed, it is impossible to determine if Val Ky Ree’s claim that Trior ships destroyed our habitats is true. However, there is sufficient doubt over the original theory that humans were to blame that the Zeiss no longer seek retribution on humans. We also wish to state that our race was not responsible for diverting the asteroid that hit the human home world. We now seek to resume trade and are here to explore trade with humans. Request permission to dock with your station.”
“How very interesting,” said Ronson, “They managed to cast suspicion on the Trior without actually blaming them, thereby giving themselves the flexibility to not do anything about the Trior. And as far as the asteroid strike on Earth is concerned, their disclaimer reminds me of a line from a famous play by a man named Shakespeare. ‘Methinks thou dost protest too much.’ Did you notice that they don’t actually let us off the hook for the attack on the habitats? They’re just saying that they’re giving us the benefit of the doubt. Boy, talk about walking a fine line.”
“I take it therefore that you don’t accept their claim of not engineering the asteroid strike on Earth?” asked Valkyrie.
Ronson shut off the shower and stood there shaking his head. “I don’t know what to think at this point. I know that it’s risky to ascribe human thought patterns and responses to alien races who probably don’t think and react the way we do, but it sounds like they know damn well we didn’t attack their habitats. They just want us to think they’re doing us a BIG favor by not seeking retribution, thereby hoping that we won’t pursue our vendetta against them for the Earth asteroid strike”
Valkyrie paused before responding. “I confess that I did not see that aspect of their message. Given that the Zeiss are no longer likely to attack Vesta, do you think it’s safe for me to visit all the Aesir planets to eliminate the possibility that the Trior or other Compact race will exploit the technology there?”
Ronson considered that question as he stood in front of the hot air blower to dry off. “I suppose if you leave the sentry ships behind just in case this peace offering is bogus, then Vesta should be okay. I notice that you said ‘me’ instead of ‘us’. Do you not want me along?”
“I hope you won’t be offended by what I’m about to say, Troy. The goal of this mission will be to destroy all Aesir technology on the colonies and the home world. Because the home world is covered with cities and other installations, eliminating all that will take some time and will be very difficult for me on an emotional level. I would not be good company for you, and you would find the long duration to be tedious and boring. It will be months before I finish the mission.”
Ronson’s first impulse was to say that he was willing to put up with the tedium and boredom in order to be there if she needed him, but his second thought was that it might be nice to spend more than just a
few days on Vesta in the company of other humans. “I’m not offended, Valkyrie. I think of us as a team, but even members of a good team will occasionally need some time apart. I’ll pack what I’ll need while you’re gone and let the Committee know why you’re leaving for a while.”
By the time Ronson was ready to pilot one of the auxiliary craft out of the hangar bay, he was feeling anxiety about not being on this mission. “I’m beginning to think I should stay aboard, Valkyrie. You might run into something that only a human could handle, like what happened at the Command Base.”
“Your concern is appreciated, Troy, but a Warrior should have periods of solitude in order to better listen to one’s own thoughts without distractions, and I think that applies just as much to you as to me.”
“Does that mean I’m a Warrior too?”
“You’ve demonstrated that you have the necessary bravery and ability to focus under stress. All you lack is the training in combat skills. Anyone can be trained to handle weapons, but that alone does not make a Warrior. A Warrior must know when to fight and when not to fight. I consider you to have that Warrior Spirit within you, Troy. Go now and spend time with other humans. There will be other battles to fight, and I’m certain that you will be with me when that time comes.”