by B. V. Larson
“Have you got a prototype of these two smaller boxes?” I asked excitedly.
“If I did, I wouldn’t need your approval to build them, would I, Colonel?”
My grin faltered. “Let me guess…this is going to cost me, isn’t it?”
“The devices in question will require a fantastic amount of power and rare materials. I’ll be constructing the rings from collapsed star material—dark matter—then forming them into precisely matched and entangled shapes. Essentially, they have to be the same ring.
“How can you shape collapsed star-matter? You couldn’t touch it physically.”
“Actual physical contact would be dangerous and essentially impossible. We’ll use gravitational emitters. Something similar to the weaponry and drive systems of Phobos, but on a much grander scale.”
“Grander?” I didn’t like the sound of that. Phobos was seven miles in diameter, and about half the ship’s volume was dedicated to generators. “How much power would it take to activate a gravity emitter that could do the job?”
“The output of the local star would be enough.”
“What?” I shouted. “You mean Sol? Are you crazy?”
“Humans have often suggested there is a pattern of irrationality to my circuitry that causes me to generate ill-advised theories and plans. If that matches your definition of insanity, then I might match that classification.”
“Yeah,” I said slowly, trying to wrap my mind around the conversation. “Mad as a hatter.”
He finally left, and Jasmine came out of the bathroom drying her hair.
“What did that crazy machine want this time?” she asked me.
“He wants to build a big stick and poke the Macros with it,” I said.
“That’s crazy.”
“Yeah…” I said slowly. “But I think I’m going to let him do it.”
-4-
The following evening, I called a meeting with Admiral Newcome and his senior staff. When I went to meet with them, my mind was already made up. I was going with Marvin to the Thor System to attempt his experiment. I was tired of Earth, anyway.
“Admiral,” I began, “I’ve got a proposition for you.”
We’d sat down together to a sumptuous meal of barbecued air-swimmers. They’d been frozen and specially imported from the Eden system. Rank did have its privileges.
Newcome looked up with an alarmed expression on his face. He was a former RAF officer of the British air force. He was sixty-one years old, and his pink skull and jowls were frosted with white hair.
When Crow had taken over and declared himself emperor, he hadn’t pulled off the coup alone. He’d had the tacit approval of Earth’s major militaries. Newcome had been in that collaborative group. He’d advanced rapidly in the Imperial forces, eventually moving up to flying ships in space.
Many of our Star Force officers had come from various national naval or aviation backgrounds, as Newcome had. There was plenty of argument to go around as to which group did better in space. I was of the opinion that naval personnel were more suitable to flying large ships or formations, while air personnel fit in better with our fighter squadrons. Whatever the case, Newcome was a rare bird in that he’d survived both physically and politically during the two recent upheavals in government.
Some people on my staff, notably Miklos, thought I was a bit crazy to accept him into Star Force. After all, we’d fought a battle at the Tyche ring less than a year ago. But we were both human, and in the end I believed that put us on the same side. More importantly, he’d come to terms with me and been instrumental in causing Imperial Earth to fall with very little in the way of civilian death and destruction. In a way, I felt I owed him for that huge favor—we all did.
“A proposition, you say?” asked Newcome cautiously.
Like so many of my underlings, he’d learned to play his cards one at a time, never showing me what he had until he knew how things were going to go. He didn’t state his opinions until he knew mine. That wasn’t to say that he’d never disagreed with me, but he was a clever man who had always chosen his battles carefully.
“That’s right Admiral, are you interested?”
Newcome craned his long neck around and looked down the table at his junior officers, who sat in a row on his side of the table. Regular Star Force staffers like Jasmine were on my side.
I could tell right off he wasn’t going to get any support from his underlings. Every captain and commander feigned great interest in their food, which was believable enough, since the air-swimmers were excellent tonight. The flavor reminded me of a lighter version of duck, with a hint of escargot thrown into the mix. I loved it.
“Admiral, do I have your attention?” I asked.
“Oh yes, of course, Colonel. Please excuse me. I was just wondering if any of my staff members had any idea what you were proposing.”
“Details first, eh? No commitment without information? I understand that strategy, and I approve. What I’m asking is if you wish to command a flotilla under me—no, that’s too grand of a name. Let’s call it a task force- probably consisting of no more than a single carrier and a dozen support ships, along with several transports.”
If anything, the admiral seemed more flummoxed than before. I grinned at him.
“I—I don’t know what to say, sir,” he said.
“Stop worrying, man!” I said, laughing. “I’m not Crow. This isn’t some kind of setup that ends with your head on a pike. I’m just asking if you’re up for an adventure in space as my exec.”
Newcome laughed nervously. It wasn’t that he was a cowardly man, I knew that. But Crow had traumatized all his people. They’d never known when the wrong answer could mean the end of their careers- and possibly their lives.
“In that case, I’d love to join you,” he said. “Count me and my staff at your service, Colonel Riggs.”
Finally, his people appeared alarmed. I smiled at that. I could tell he’d stuck a pin into them on purpose. If they weren’t going to speak up for their commander at a difficult moment, then they could suffer the consequences of his unsupported decision.
“Very well,” I said, staring briefly at each of them in turn. “Let’s not talk about this to anyone. It’s not exactly a secret mission, but after the strike on my headquarters yesterday, I’d prefer not to inform more people than absolutely necessary about the nature of my plans.”
“We’re still somewhat uncertain about the details of this, ah…adventure, Colonel,” Newcome said delicately. “Can you give us a hint so we can prepare?”
“All right,” I said. “Here it is: we’re going to the Thor System.”
That alarmed look was back on his face. It was mirrored by the expressions of his subordinates. At this, I frowned. These ex-imperials were frightened whenever they left the Solar System. They were a provincial bunch that liked the comforts of home.
“Listen,” I said, my voice becoming stern. “This is a space-going navy, in case any of you have forgotten. I know you like your velvet cushions and gold braid, but we’re heading out to the frontier. Don’t forget that our empire extends far beyond the Solar System these days. We have six systems to worry about.”
“I take it then that we’re making a show of force?” Newcome asked. “A parade of ships patrolling the outer regions to show the local populations we’re strong and in charge?”
“That’s not a bad idea, but it’s not our primary mission. We’re going as part of a research and construction effort. Marvin will fill you in on the specific supplies he requires to be loaded into the transports.”
I took several more bites of air-swimmer, cleaning my plate. The other officers had been chatting, but now they spoke only in subdued tones. I didn’t like the idea that they were too frightened to speak openly in my presence, but it seemed to be the case. I guessed that if I didn’t execute anyone for a year or so, they might loosen up and grow some gonads again.
When I’d finished, I stood up suddenly and clapped my hands tog
ether, creating a booming sound that rang from the steel walls.
“That’s it, then,” I said loudly. “I want everyone to jump on this tomorrow morning. We ship out in a week’s time.”
They gaped at me like fish. I left the room and stomped out into the passageway. Jasmine was right behind me.
“Did you see that?” I asked her. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
“They aren’t Star Force marines, Kyle,” she said.
“No kidding. They’re the polar-opposite of gung-ho. They’re soft, that’s what they are.”
Jasmine shushed me, but I grumbled all the way back to our quarters. Over time, she’d moved up from being my regular dating partner to become my live-in girlfriend. I wasn’t quite sure how that had happened—I never understood how a woman managed this trick. From my point of view, one day I’d been flirting and working up the courage to kiss her—and the next time I looked around, I found she was sighing in her sleep next to me every morning. What magic had transpired in between? I had no idea. The whole process was baffling to me.
Still, I found myself happy with Jasmine. She wasn’t as provocative as Sandra had been, and I would say the flames of desire weren’t quite as hot and wild. But, on the plus side, she never kicked me in the ass or tried to strangle me in my sleep. When it came to women, I supposed one must take the good with the bad.
“From what I’ve seen, the Imperial Navy people are competent,” Jasmine said.
“We’ll find out,” I said. “We’ll take them out there, and if we’re lucky, we’ll show them a thing or two. I feel like a mountain man of centuries past around these Earth types. They must feel the way the Romans did when they found their empire in the hands of German barbarians.”
She twisted her mouth and looked up at me. She crossed her arms. “Sometimes I feel like I’m the consort of a barbarian king.”
I snorted. “That’s fine. But don’t get any ideas the way Attila the Hun’s wife did. I’m not going out that easily.”
We laughed and sat down on our poufy couch. The furniture was overstuffed and entirely too silky for my taste. I felt like I was in the lobby of some swanky hotel, rather than in an officer’s quarters. These ex-imperial ships were almost embarrassing.
“Why does everything have to be red, gold and purple velvet in here?” I complained.
“Do you really want to redecorate before we go out to the Thor System?”
“Nah,” I said, steering her away from that idea. If I let her, I knew she’d decorate the hell out of this place. “There’s no time for that.”
She looked slightly disappointed.
“Can we talk about something serious for a second?” she asked.
“What?”
“Miklos. You haven’t told him you’re leaving yet, have you?”
I heaved a sigh. “No.”
“Are you worried that he’ll be upset about your decision to fly with Newcome as your fleet commander?”
“He’ll be threatened, I don’t doubt it. But I want him to oversee the construction of the orbital shipyard. And I want Newcome to get some field experience.”
“How do you think Newcome is doing so far?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “My first impulse is to relieve him and find someone younger and less timid.”
“He has wisdom, good judgment.”
“Yeah, maybe. But would he surrender to the machines as quickly as he did to us?”
She frowned at me. “That’s not fair. He believed in you and wanted to save his fleet to fight Earth’s real enemy.”
I nodded. “That’s what we say. But you know the news people and junior staffers call him ‘Newcome the Runner’.”
“He lost more than ten percent of his force before withdrawing,” she said. “He had no idea what we could do. He was outranged and outgunned. From his point of view, Phobos wasn’t even badly damaged.”
“I was there,” I reminded her.
Jasmine was talking about our fleet battle upon entering the Solar System. We’d barely survived Newcome’s missile assault, but when we managed to blow up a good number of his ships while outside the range of his guns, he’d called it quits and withdrawn.
“The very ship we’re aboard right now survived that day due to his action,” she pressed. “But let’s get back to Miklos. When are you going to tell him?”
“Right now,” I said as I activated the coffee table. It was a screen, as were most of the walls. The coffee table served as the primary interface when I cruised the ship’s net, looking at data and vid feeds.
Admiral Nicolai Miklos came online within a minute of my hailing summons. The man had always been prompt.
“Sir?” he said, sounding a bit sleepy.
“What time is it down there…” I asked. “Oh, sorry, Admiral. I guess I can wait until morning.”
“You have me up now, sir. I take it there is no emergency?”
“No. This is about fleet operations.”
I quickly filled him in on my decisions. Like the rest of the staff, I left him in the dark about Marvin’s plans.
Miklos wasn’t like most of the commanders around me. He was more of a numbers man. While I briefed him, I could see he was tapping at something. He’d brought up the manifests Marvin had put out on the command web.
“This list contains a lot of specialized materials, sir,” he said, frowning. “Most of them will have to come from the Bellatrix System.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Sir? May I ask what…?”
“You mean what the hell we’re planning on building with this stuff? A powerful generator. The most powerful that’s ever been seen in our corner of the galaxy.”
He nodded his head slowly, rubbing at his eyes and flicking through reports with his fingers. I could see the blue light reflecting on his face.
“Where are you going to build this generator, if I may ask?”
I hesitated, but then decided to tell him. He had to find out soon enough, and the question was a reasonable one.
“I’m going out to the Thor System.”
“Ah!” he said with a knowing smirk. “I understand now. You’re going to build another space station out there.”
I frowned. Miklos and I had argued frequently about the viability of the battle station I’d built to defend the Eden System. It sat on the border between the Thor System and the Eden System, hanging near the ring on the Eden side. It had been marginally successful in its task to stop Macro incursions. Miklos had always seen it as a drain on resources that could better be used to build more ships.
“Not exactly,” I said.
“Very well, Colonel. I understand the nature of this call now. I will make immediate plans for departure. I don’t know if I can be up there until sometime tomorrow afternoon, as I have some appointments I’ll have to cancel—”
I put my hand up to stop him. “Keep those appointments, Miklos. I’m assuming they involve the construction of the orbital shipyard, right?”
He nodded, frowning.
“That’s fine. That’s just where I want you. Nothing is more important than getting that dock set up and running. I want you on the job, doing it right. In the meantime, Rear Admiral Newcome and I will be—”
“Newcome?”
“Yes, Newcome. I believe that’s what I said. He’ll be flying me out to the Thor system with a small task force.”
“Very well, sir,” Miklos said stiffly.
I could tell he wasn’t happy, but that was just too damned bad.
“Now,” I said, “get some sleep, man. We’ll talk more about this in the morning.”
“Good night, Colonel.”
We reached for the cut-off. Jasmine, who’d been out of camera range during the conversation, slid back onto the couch with me. She had pajamas on—the satin ones I liked.
“When did you get into that outfit?” I asked.
“I did it while you dropped the hammer on Miklos.”
“I hardly did that
.”
“His feelings were hurt. I could hear it in his voice.”
I made a disgusted sound. “Everyone’s a prima donna around here! Can’t I give a command assignment to the man I want for the job?”
“Yes, but you gave it to the man who fears it, while passing over the man who assumed it would be his.”
I looked at her for a second. She was often more perceptive than I realized.
“I do that sort of thing for a reason,” I said. “I don’t like people to become too comfortable in their positions. I want to shake them up- to push them to realize their full potential. If I leave a good man in an easy spot for too long, he’ll become as soft as these cushions. Speaking of which…”
I reached for her, and she resisted for a moment, but it was only a pretense. We made love the way only two people with rebuilt bodies can.
-5-
The flight out to the Eden System from Earth was wonderful. Each million miles we traveled, I felt better. By the time we passed through the Tyche ring into the Alpha Centauri system, with its few, dusty, lifeless worlds, I felt great.
I had to stop and ask myself: why? The answer was simple enough. I was tired of politicking and sitting in offices reading reports. I wanted to get out into the wilds of space again.
I don’t think I’m a bad government leader. Sure, there are better ones around, but there are plenty who are worse at it, too. The thing is that I hate it. I’ve never liked meetings, not unless I was designing something new and interesting or maybe planning out a campaign of action. For the last long, dragging months, I’d been talking about the allocation of trillions from the world budget and listening to speeches from people making their cases. It was kind of like being a judge orchestrating an endless trial.
I really, really hated the job and everything about it: The in-fighting, the pandering, and the jockeying for position. I didn’t hate the part about hamming it up for the cameras, but that was about the only fun I had at work.