The Raygin War

by Larry S. Gerovac

  Tews’s face turned red, as everyone laughed some more.

  “I have an idea, commodore – I mean Mac,” said Ruth. “Can we have access to the prisoners?”

  “Yes. Work through Ensign Spaz. Tell him how many Raygin you need, what help you require, and what type of an environment you need. I will let the crew know this team’s requests receive top priority. Work independent, work together, I don’t care. We are at war. I expect results by the 2000 ship’s time. He looked at the room’s clock. You have twelve hours.” He spun and walked out.

  *****

  It got quiet in the room. Everyone looked at Ayashe.

  “Is he kidding?” asked Tal.

  “He likes to push people but not beyond what he thinks they are capable of… so, I think he is serious. When he said each of you are priceless to him, he meant it. He has much on his mind, so let’s give him something he can work with in twelve hours.”

  Nobody said a word. Ayashe decided she needed to lead the conversation. “On my home world of Nokomis I received training as a military tactician. I won’t go into detail right now, but I studied all human wars. One way I see of balancing out our technical disadvantage with the Ogarii is by cutting off their head.”

  “You mean removing their ability to communicate with the Raygin?” asked Tinker.

  “Yes, but that is too obvious. They know we must attempt it, so they will be ready to counter our efforts. We need to do the unexpected. I am talking about an attack on their home base in the second ring. Why? Because humans have never traveled beyond the first ring so they won’t expect it. Plus we don’t know our way around and we are new to singularity drives. They will never see it coming.”

  “Now I understand things a little better,” said Captain Cutter.

  Ayashe had everyone’s attention with the idea of attacking the attackers.

  “Any ideas on how would we do it?” asked Captain Cutter.

  “Twenty-five years ago, my people captured a Raygin ship.”

  Tal’s eyebrows moved up as she focused even more on Ayashe’s words.

  “We have star charts showing many solar systems in the universe’s second ring. Apeiron is capable of reading electrical signals. The nanobots may be able to scan the our captives minds until it finds the information we seek we seek.”

  “Can we gather enough ships to send into the second ring with the Raygin fleet attacking us? How do you propose we mount an attack with enough firepower to threaten them?” asked Tal.

  This is good thought Ayashe. Everyone is beginning to participate. “The federation has an experimental weapon. It’s a planet destroyer. If we can create a delivery system using our combined technologies, it might be possible to hurt them. Force them to reconsider their war with humans.”

  “We already have our first concept to give Mac,” said Tinker as he looked at the clock. “We still have eleven hours and fifty-five minutes to come up with some more ideas. What else do you have Ayashe?”

  Everyone looked at Tinker, not believing what he said. Ayashe tilted her head and smiled at Tinker. She reached over and wacked him on the head. Everyone laughed.

  The ice was broken, and ideas started to flow from each person in the room. How did Mac do it? I would never have thought of putting this team together. Another one of his talents I suppose. I have to learn to be more like him and perform unending assessments of everyone near me and of my surroundings. It is tedious work and he makes it look so easy. I can see how his time as a sniper developed his skills. As a ghost behind enemy lines, his life depended upon mental sharpness, patience, inventiveness, and intelligence. My Mac is the whole package.

  Up to now, I thought my father was the best leader I knew. But Mac has taken leadership to a level I have never seen before. He forces himself to think ten moves ahead. He even saw the potential in Dwain when all I saw was a jerk. I should ask him what he sees in me. She became angry with herself. I’m a lazy daydreamer. Focus.

  Ayashe looked up to see Ruth Bernard, the chemist, staring at her. As soon as they made eye contact Ruth looked away. Ayashe felt sorry for her. She lost her husband to the Raygin during the attack on their ship. When she looks at Mac and me she must think about her own husband and what should have been. Ayashe decided not to say anything unless Ruth started a conversation about it first.

  When Mac arrived at 19:45 they had several items on the list. Ideas ranged from attacking the Ogarii to moving asteroids. He looked over their work, captured the items for consideration, and smiled.

  “Excellent work,” said Mac. “Be back to work tomorrow at 0800 hours.”

  Ayashe watched Mac work his charm. From her seat she could hear the conversations as he talked to each person. Tinker and Captain Cutter invited her and Mac to Cutter’s cabin. To her disappointment, Mac thanked them and said he was working on a master plan for the coming battle. He looked at Ayashe and winked.

  The sneaky Moke Burro knew I was listening. A light tap on Ayashe’s shoulder startled her. She turned to find Ruth standing inches from her face.

  “I’m sorry Ayashe, I didn’t mean to alarm you, but may I ask you a personal question?”

  “Ask away.”

  “Do you believe in totems?”

  An odd question, I wonder where she’s going with this? “Yes, my people, including myself believe in totems. My father has seen the ghost like animals, but I have not. Why do you ask?”

  “I have no Indian blood in me, yet I have seen a totem.”

  Ayashe was shocked. “Where did you see it and what animal was it?”

  “Remember when you looked up and caught me staring at you? I’m sure you thought I was focused on you.”

  Ayashe felt her stomach flutter.

  “Well it wasn’t you I was staring at, but a wispy animal standing over your left shoulder. I know this is going to sound stupid, but a cow’s head was sniffing your hair.”

  Ayashe’s face turned a shade lighter as her stomach became queasy. She felt a little light-headed. “Are you sure it wasn’t a bull?”

  “As sure as I am here talking to you, it was a cow. I’m a colonist. I know a cow when I see one. So, what does seeing a cow hovering around you mean?”

  “The cow represents the stability of a home, happiness, and patience.”

  “Hmmm, I guess seeing a cow isn’t bad is it?”

  “No. It’s good. Very good.” Ayashe didn’t mention the cow totem also appears when there is a pregnancy. Oh, what am I going to do? The military doctor guaranteed me I wouldn’t get pregnant. What will Mac think? We haven’t even discussed children. I don’t even know if he wants any. How will he be able to lead with a child distracting him? How will I lead?

  Seeing confusion on Ayashe’s face Ruth asked, “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

  “I’m fine. What you said about seeing the totem brought back many memories. I don’t understand why you saw it, but I’m thankful you told me.”

  “It was a pleasure working with you, even with the distraction.” Ruth smiled and headed towards the door where Tal was already talking to Mac.

  Ayashe wondered if Mac heard any of their conversation, because she could hear his. Tal was talking about how she liked the idea of attacking an Ogarii planet. She wanted to know what he thought about the feasibility of using a planet buster bomb. Mac explained it was on his list to give to Apeiron, but he liked the idea of attacking the enemy. Tal volunteered her skills as a pilot.

  “Listening in? Why not go up and join the conversation,” said Tews.

  “I wanted to hear the conversation, but I don’t want to distract him,” Ayashe said as she smiled at Tews.

  “You and Mac are refreshing. Most people would tell half-truths, but you two don’t even think about it. You both give honest answers. By the way, I liked what you did with the team – getting everyone involved.”

  “Mac told me you’re an expert with bugs, but he didn’t tell me you are also an expert on human behavior. I felt I needed to get everyone
talking. Tell me Tews, would you like to head up the team evaluating the Raygin and Ogarii? We need to start collecting data and learning how they interact. You’d be perfect. You already have experience with both races.”

  “You think Mac would want someone like me on such an important team?”

  Ayashe laughed. “I’ll tell you a little secret. When Mac talked to me about you he said there’s more to you than anyone realizes. I’ll talk to him.”

  “Thank you, Ayashe.”

  She stood up and walked with Tews to where Mac was finishing his conversation with Tal.

  Mac looked at Tews and said, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I need someone to head up our new Alien Affairs Division.”

  Tews started laughing. “You heard our conversation.”

  “Not all of it but enough to realize Dreng is right. Awe shit, I mean Ayashe. I’ll never get use to this.”

  “I could use an ancient form of mind control called hypnotism.” Tews saw Mac’s face light up. He looked at Ayashe who frowned at him. “Hey, I’m kidding, we use chemicals nowadays. No one has hypnotized anyone in thousands of years.”

  “Can you do it? Can you hypnotize someone?”

  “Oh, come on Mac, I don’t care which of my names you use,” said Ayashe.

  “Yeah. I still know how to do it.” Stepping in front of Ayashe, Tews blocked her view with his back. He pointed through his chest at Ayashe so Mac could see. He shook his head no.

  “Tews, I’m not stupid,” said Ayashe. “I know what you’re doing. He knows better than trying something so crazy. But, thank you for telling him no.”

  After laughing at the two of them, Mac said, “It’s for Lieutenant Phlop. He can’t remember anything dealing with the Ogarii. The med staff used every technique at their disposal. Nothing worked. The doctors think the Ogarii have used a technique or chemical we are not familiar with to block his memories.”

  “When do you want me to try hypnotism on him?”

  “Get some sleep tonight. Meet me at the med lab at 0800 hours. Be ready for a long day. I have to enter your new title into the records. What’s your full name?”

  “Tews Alexander G- e-l-l-e-g-o.”

  “I’ll be a Platyrhine’s uncle,” said Mac. “I thought Tews was a nick name.”

  “For first names,” said Tews, “my parents used variations of sequential numbers. My older brother was Eins, and my younger brother was Tres. It’s what happens when your parents have an over active sense of humor.”

  “It’s Brilliant. I’ll see you at 0800.” Mac patted Tews on the back.

  Ayashe noticed Tews’s eyes got a little vacant. The same look Mac had when he talked about his brother. She was glad Mac patted Tews. She could see it meant a lot to him.

  “We have to stop them,” Mac said.

  “I know. I’ll do my best. See you in the morning.”

  Tews walked down the passageway with his head hung low.

  Ayashe walked up to Mac, gave him a big hug, and said, “We need to talk.”

  Without warning Apeiron appeared next to Mac. “Sorry to interrupt, Mac. You both better get up on the bridge. We got the tachyon com system working. United Fleet Command was already online trying to contact the Constellation. It appears they also were working on the com system. When Vice Admiral Farragut discovered you are on board, he wanted to talk to you as fast as possible.”

  Ayashe ran with Mac to the nearest elevator. She knew with the tachyon com system working there would be little private time with her husband. The talk about children would have to wait, but she hoped not too long.

  The elevator doors on the bridge opened. Ayashe’s star chart was on the holo display. She looked at the scene. People were everywhere. The computer reported, Commodore McCormack on the bridge. It got quiet as all eyes fell on her husband. She felt sorry for him. Everyone already understood the fate of all humans rested with Mac.

  While Ayashe looked it the map something kept nagging at her about the Raygin attack plan. She felt they had missed something important.

  The Constellation’s captain interrupted Ayashe’s thoughts. “You were right about all the infested planets except one. Esharra. The attack on the ground has begun.” The captain looked at Mac, “Now everyone knows, we are at war.”

  Mac looked at Ayashe. “This means the Ogarii already have a method of instant communication. The war has started, and we are operating several days behind their first big move.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN: The Real Quarry

  Though light years apart, the vice admiral and Mac were able to talk face to face. As soon as United Fleet Command got the tachyon com system working, they started to set up a large-scale network. Communications in some areas became instantaneous. The new com devices were being installed in ships of war and key military installations first. In some cases, a single tachyon system was placed in large human population areas. These systems linked to local dissemination networks already in place.

  The time lag in the old method of communication forced the vice admiral to operate on many assumptions. He had no idea what chain of events put Mac on the Constellation. He apologized for not taking more action. Presidential support involving spending money was hard to obtain.

  Admiral Farragut showed Mac the videos he had from a few of the infested planets. The Raygin proved to be a ruthless enemy. Killing every man, woman, or child they came upon. The enemy spared no one. Not even the sick, the old, or the immobile.

  The planetary president made one stupid mistake after another. He had no military experience, but it didn’t stop him from trying to direct military forces. He ordered a counter attack without launching probes to assess the enemy. The colonel in charge had a live vid crew shooting him leading the troops. Instead of a battle it had become public entertainment. On Esharra, the first strike against the Raygin came from overhead. The fighters dropped ordinance on the enemy troops. The damage was devastating.

  Seeing the initial success from an aerial attack, the colonel committed his troops to a ground attack. When the fighters came around for a second pass, the bugs deployed a mobile shield. It neutralized the fighters. The bugs had suckered in the human ground forces. They held off firing until the humans were well in range of their laser canons. Under the portable shield, they began to fire at the attacking human troops. Mac watched the vids and shook in anger as the infantry took serious casualties for no reason other than ego.

  Understanding the dilemma on the ground, the squadron leader led the fighters on a dangerous low-level attack. They flew right up to the shield’s edge. The maneuver gave the troops enough cover fire to retreat. At least someone had some common sense.

  It was eerie to see the different colored laser canons firing. The powerful lasers on both sides caused the electrons of atoms in the air to become excited. When the excited atoms returned to their ground state they left a bright track behind. The red human lasers needed an upgrade to match the more powerful blue lasers. From the looks of it, the humans could also have used a few more canons.

  Admiral Farragut stopped the vid. He said, “Mac, I need you to take action before the planetary president does something even more stupid than he’s already done. Make a broadcast using the tachyon com system. Explain the attack by the Raygin and Ogarii. Show some videos of Imperial Station, the battle of Rayne, and throw in some current vids. Let them see both enemy races. Be sure to throw in some clips of us winning. We don’t want to demoralize our own people. They need to have hope. I want you to make a declaration of war and enact the United Planets War Powers Act. We need to make sure everyday people know you have legal status over any orders issued by the president. Or for that matter, anyone else claiming leadership.”

  Within minutes a video of Mac implementing the War Powers Act was broadcast. He became the hegemon for the human race. It was a responsibility he didn’t relish. Since his brother’s death, all he had ever wanted was to take care of his troops. Well, if he were honest, he would say he wanted to kill the enemy
too. He always thought the troops were like his family. Now his family had become much larger.

  Mac didn’t even look at the vids the Constellation’s crew put together. He trusted them. Besides, he was too busy saving people. He initiated the Planetary Doctrine of Posse Comitatus. He took control of civilian ships and planetary transportation. He had civilians moved off planet where he could. In other cases, he moved civilians to safer locations on the same planet. There was no time to reach a consensus, so he took immediate action.

  Every day, hundreds of ships and military facilities got their tachyon com systems on-line. The vice admiral did a great job expanding the network. One by one they reported in to Commodore McCormack for orders. Tachyon particles permeating the universe became the foundation of the new communication system. The frequencies were limitless because vibrating particles could oscillate at more than one rate. Mac could talk to one ship while sending a message to another. The box containing the new com system included an encryption device. Each ship and facility received specs on new weapon upgrades from Apeiron.

  It was agonizing for Mac to see the Raygin attack and not be there to help. The small convoy was still days away. The engineers used every moment to enhance their ship’s firepower. Key personnel worked around the clock on secret weapons. Mac was afraid there still might be more spies, so all outgoing coms had to go through the bridge.

  To help the planets without military support he decided to form a resistance force. He chose the name Lightning Brigade. They were to strike hard and like lightning, fade away and disappear. He taught them several simple tactics he learned during his sniper days. Their job was not to engage, but to harass the enemy. Mac hoped his tactics would buy the trapped humans some time. He sent instructions on how to make explosives from common local materials. He made vids on how to use various com devices to trigger the improvised bombs.

  Day by day the resistance grew. They were becoming killers. The bugs had the fancy weapons, but humans had the numbers on the infested planets. Soon the bugs realized they couldn’t keep sacrificing their troops. It became a matter of survival for them too. Their advance began to slow, giving Mac hope.