The Khruellian Encounter

by C J Klinger

  After a moments silence, Talor said, “They sent a version of one of your expressions, ‘Any enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ They have agreed to let you take the lead.”

  Jon sent a message to Adalan-Kyfor informing her of the new allies arriving to help with the destroyers.” She did not respond, but his com let him know the message had been received. Talor informed him mentally that she was engaged in a dual with a Khruellian destroyer. Jon’s money was on Adalan, but he was still worried about his friend’s safety.

  # # #

  At first, Commander Velik was just irritated at the loss of several of his battleships. He knew whenever a species rejected a negotiator’s offer, and the Khruellian space force moved to enforce the Hegemony’s plan, there was always a possibility of losses. These losses never delayed the inevitable and served to provide a measure of motivation to the rest of the fleet. No one seriously considered the possibility that a subject world was capable of stopping a Khruellian fleet bent on destroying their capital city. When the second and third battleship exploded, his irritation turned to concern. It graduated to fear when his destroyer command reported severe losses from a fleet of attack ships. He began to have serious doubts about his ability to execute his orders when six of his cruisers were engaged in a losing battle with a new threat, the enemy’s missing planetary fleet.

  He got control of his fear with the knowledge he still had twenty-one of the Hegemony’s largest ships to complete the destruction of his target.

  Commander Velik turned to his flagship commander and said, ‘Recall the destroyers to provide cover. These attacks on our battleships are getting bothersome.”

  The flagship commander looked at his squadron commander in disbelief. “Bothersome?” he thought. “They’re destroying our fleet one ship at a time. I would call that more than bothersome.” He controlled himself and relayed the squadron commander’s orders. After a moment he got a nasty shock in return. He listened to the message and turned to Balikon-Velik and said, “The destroyers are engaged in a battle with a swarm of small fighters and members of the enemy’s defense fleet.”

  Balikon-Velik’s interest was aroused. “Are these fighters from the enemy’s defense fleet?”

  “No Sir, they appear to be the same kind of ship that attacked Khruel earlier this year.”

  Balikon-Velik was jubilant, “I have found the enemy’s hiding place.” He ordered, “Abandon the attack on the capital city. Prepare to engage all enemy ships. I want one of those small fighters taken alive. ”

  # # #

  Jon listened to Adalan’s report on her situation. Considering the odds against them, they had fared very well, thanks to the Alphan drive and inertia damper. She had one ship damaged and out of action and had damaged or destroyed ten Khruellian destroyers. Now that ships from the subject planet had joined in the battle she felt sure all of the destroyers that remained in the battle would be put out of action.

  He said, “We’ll be in orbit in twenty minutes to pick you up. There’s one more ship I want to hit, and then I think we’ve worn out our welcome.”

  “Stay safe, my warrior,” The Hyloxian commander said.

  “And you, my friend,” Jon said in return. They were too far apart to share empathetic images with each other, but their words still conveyed their concern for each other’s safety. The Constitution had pulled away to reassess the situation. The damage to her hull was severe in several spots on the exterior, but none of the energy bolts had penetrated into the interior. The half meter thick hull of long molecular carbon strings was unbelievably tough. Jon recalled from his study of the original USS Constitution on Earth that she had earned the title “Old Ironsides” because of her ability to withstand heavy cannon balls from enemy ships. He decided it was also a worthy title for the modern day version of the old Constitution.

  They had one more piece of business to attend to before taking their party someplace else. Jon had studied the Khruellian formation. The lead ship was the largest and most likely the fleet’s command ship. He and Ben discussed it and agreed that a direct confrontation was the most likely to succeed. He moved the ship under stealth cover to a point several kilometers in front of the enemy formation, which was rapidly approaching the capital city. If the Khruellians were still bent on destroying the city, their focus would be on the target on the ground. They had learned the reason for this rather archaic method of destroying a city from the captured Khruellians. The Hegemony wanted slow, deliberate destruction of all the surface structures to make a point to the surviving citizens. This is the price of resistance. The surface destruction would allow for quick reconstruction without having to rebuild the underground infrastructure. The Khruellians wanted the planet to have a robust economy to pay the annual tithe. A totally destroyed society was a burden, not a taxpayer.

  The Constitution began her run at the lead ship when the Khruellian formation began to break up and head for space. Jon immediately became concerned for Adalan’s small force. They were no match for a squadron of heavy battleships and cruisers. He called her and told her of the ships headed her way. “Break off and regroup where we were hiding on the second moon. We’ll be right behind you.”

  She reluctantly agreed, and Jon turned his focus on the lead ship, which had presented its underbelly to them as it pulled up toward space. “There’s your target, Ben.”

  Ben responded immediately with the order, “Focus all guns on a single point.”

  The gunnery officer selected a point amidship and commenced firing. A ring of fire ten meters in diameter appeared followed by a blast that left a hole completely through the Khruellian battleship. It began to lose altitude. Why the ship didn’t explode was a wonder to everyone in the command center.

  Ben said, “That will keep them out of space.”

  Jon asked Talor to get in contact with the commander of the planet’s defense force and advise them of the disabled Khruellian warship. “Maybe they can learn something from the prisoners and the ship’s weapons systems.”

  Jon said, “Let’s get out of here and spread some good cheer in another part of the Hegemony. That will really confuse them.”

  Ben gave the order, and within a minute the Constitution had passed the boundary and was ready for a jump to their moon base. They checked the low orbit area for the presence of any of Adalan’s small fighters and when they found none, made the jump to the second moon. They left behind a battle raging between the remaining Khruellian ships and the energized planet defense force. The Hegemony’s conquest of the planet and subsequently the rest of their empire was no longer a given. On the moon they gathered up the ten fighters, some of them badly damaged and made a single jump to Newhope, confident they had demonstrated the viability of a united technology warship.

  Chapter 52

  Newhope

  Jon sat in the corner seat of the officer’s club nursing a cold beer. From a military point of view, his expedition had been a rousing success. The CSF Constitution had performed extremely well under very tough combat conditions and had returned with only repairable exterior scars and no internal damage. She had single-handedly destroyed five Khruellian battleships and four heavy cruisers while her deployed fighters had destroyed or damaged fifteen enemy destroyers. A fleet of similarly equipped ships could easily take on any Khruellian fleet they would encounter. The military felt they had found the answer to the expanding Khruellian Hegemony.

  The political side of the equation was another matter. The civilian leaders were upset at their military for usurping their responsibility to negotiate with other members of the Allied Defense Force. They were particularly incensed at Admiral Dexter and by proxy, Group Captain Jonathon McKinnah III. In the first of many hearings, the admiral had pointed out that no CSF secrets had been revealed or traded in arming the CSF Constitution. In fact, he pointed out, it had been their alien allies who had taken the first steps and offered their technology without reservation. Some members of the committee were not impressed with his argumen
t.

  Now it was Jon’s turn to face the committee. He did not look forward to sitting in front of the seven committee members, who had never faced an enemy in combat and answering their self-serving questions. He was very concerned about his ability to keep his mouth shut when asked a question clearly aimed at the committee member’s reelection campaign and not at trying to get answers. Like most military men, he had no problem with the system of government they operated under, only with certain individuals who were more concerned about their power base than serving the Confederation. He was allowed to bring witnesses in his defense but had decided to go it alone. There was no reason to scuttle other officers’ careers.

  A sultry voice said, “Hey sailor, want to buy a girl a drink?”

  He turned at the unexpected intrusion and was shocked to see Annika standing there. “Oh my God,” he said and hopped off the stool to take her in his arms. The weight of the world seemed to lift off his shoulders. “What are you doing here?” he asked coming up for air.

  She smiled brilliantly at him and said, “The admiral thought his ace combat commander might need some company.”

  Jon laughed and kissed her again. “Man, he was right about that.”

  She sat down next to him and asked, “Are you okay about tomorrow?”

  Jon smile had a wry twist to it, but he knew she was the one person he could be completely honest with. “No, I’m not, Honey. It’s not the questions or accusations that bother me. It’s what the CIP Congress has become that really irritates me. When I think of all the sacrifices and hard work my grandparents put into creating this union, it makes me angry to think that some petty elected Politian might have a stranglehold on our survival.”

  Anita listened to her husband express his innermost feelings. Her point of view was different than his, and she decided to share it with him. “Jon, I don’t know who in our history said that democracy was a messy affair, but it was better than the alternative. Believe me, it’s true. You have always lived in a democracy. I have not. Billions of people on earth were willing to sacrifice almost everything to have what we have today in the CIP. Is it perfect? No, but nothing we humans do is ever perfect, only a work in progress. If I were in your position, I would just keep my mouth shut tomorrow and let the people who care for you speak on your behalf. You might be surprised at what they have to say.”

  Jon listened to Annika, a little surprised at her passion for what she believed. She had never expressed an opinion about the CIP’s political processes, and it made him realize he still had much to learn about the beautiful woman he had married. He relaxed and smiled rewarding her for her simple advice.

  He took her hands and said, “Is this considered a conjugal visit?”

  She laughed and said, “You’re darn right it is, sailor.”

  He got up and said, “Perhaps we should get busy conjugaling.”

  “Let’s,” she said and hooked her arm in his as they walked out of the club.

  Later that evening, exhausted from their lovemaking, Jon sat up in bed and described the action against the far superior Khruellian fleet. He told her about the bravery of the thirty Hyloxian fighters in their small ships taking on the much larger destroyers and successfully destroying fifteen of them. “They are natural born fighters. We are lucky to have them as allies.”

  Annika listened to the man she loved and admired so much. She considered him one of the bravest men she had ever met. When he was through singing Adalan’s praise, she said, “You know she loves you, don’t you?” She was not jealous of the cat woman, only envious of the time she had spent with her husband.

  “Adalan?” Jon asked, not sure if Annika was correct in her characterization of the Hyloxian’s affections for both of them.

  “She told me so,” Annika said. “In her society, the females have always done the hunting. They are bigger than the males and assumed the leadership role thousands of years ago. She told me that the biggest fantasy in Hyloxian literature is of a heroic male figure that comes out of the jungle and sweeps an equally heroic female off her feet. In her eyes, you are that figure.”

  “I had no idea I was the cat’s meow,” Jon said and ducked a pillow, which led to a pillow fight and another round of “conjugaling.” They both slept well that night.

  The following morning Jon and Annika, decked out in their class A uniforms complete with rank and battle medals walked into the committee hearing room. They were shocked to discover every available gallery seat was filled with friends and comrades, most notable every member of the McKinnah clan including Talo, Talia, and Talor. Seated next to them were Admirals Dexter and Barbara Chen-Warren as well as the delegates from the Allied Defense organization. Jon was pleased that Adalan-Kyfor was there in her official uniform of the commander of all Hylox forces. Perhaps the most surprising was the Terran Secretary of Alien Affairs, Hector Andreas Gavito. Jon could not decide if he was there on his behalf or for the committee’s position. He and Annika were heartened by the show of support. The committee members were also going to be as much on trial as Jon.

  The committee chairman, a delegate from Romano named Montero DeWalia called the meeting to order. He looked around nervously and welcomed the distinguished guests before stating the purpose of the meeting. “As you know Group Captain McKinnah, there have been questions about your involvement in a military action to share CSF secrets without the express approval of the Constitutional Congress. Are you prepared to answer our questions?”

  Jon had decided to take Annika’s advice and let his witnesses speak for him. The only witness he had asked to attend was Admiral Dexter, his immediate superior during the action under investigation. He answered, “I am.”

  Jon was sworn in and waited for the first question. Of the seven members on the committee, Jon knew that three of them were definitely on the side of the military. Two of them including the committee chairman were not. He was unsure of the remaining two.

  The chairman said, “Earlier this year did you make contact with the other members of the Allied Defense Organization to discuss trading technologies?”

  Jon’s answer was as brief as he could make it, “Yes.”

  The chairman waited expectantly, and when Jon did not elaborate he asked, “Where you aware that such a conversation could be considered treason?”

  Jon said, “Yes.”

  Again the chairman waited for Jon to defend his actions.

  “Do you wish to elaborate on your answer,” The chairman finally asked.

  “No,” Jon said, which drew a chuckle from the audience.

  The chairman looked around as if his glance could silence the obviously partisan crowd. He turned back to his witness and asked, “Did you take this expedition at the request of the Commander in Chief, Admiral Dexter?”

  Jon realized the chairman was using him to attack the admiral. He was beginning to doubt his promise to keep quiet and let his witness talk for him. He looked over at Annika and got a mental message back telling him to keep his powder dry. He smiled at her suggestion and said, “Yes.”

  Another committee member raised his hand and said, “Mr. Chairman, I have several questions for this witness.”

  Chairman DeWalia looked irritated at his committee member’s request but knew he had to honor it. The committee member, The Honorable Malihta from New Shanghai was one of the members in agreement with the military’s action. He asked Jon, “At any time during your visit to these allies, did you volunteer any information about the IS-Drive?”

  Jon thought it was still a good idea to keep his answers to a minimum, even though the questioner was a friend of the military. He said, “No.”

  Malihta smiled slightly in recognition of Jon’s tactics. “Were you encouraged to discuss this drive system with any of our allies?”

  “No.”

  An aide handed a note to the committee member and after he read it said, “Mr. Chairman, I would like to call a witness to the stand and then resume questioning the witness.”

&nb
sp; The chairman said, “That’s a bit unusual, Mr. Malihta.”

  “I realize that Mr. Chairman, but I believe this witness will have the answer’s you are seeking.”

  To Jon’s surprise, his grandfather took the stand. After being sworn in, Mr. Malihta welcome to former Commander in Chief to the hearing. He asked his first question, “You are aware of the circumstances leading up to these hearings. Could you express your opinion on their purpose?”

  At seventy-four years of age, Jonathon McKinnah could easily pass for a man in his fifties. He had a commanding presence that intimidated even the arrogant committee chairman. Jonathon looked at the chairman and said, “They have no authority to regulate the use of the IS-Drive.”

  The chairman could not contain himself. “With all due respect, Sir, we are the elected representatives of the members of the CIP, and we do have the authority and the responsibility to protect our state secrets.”

  Jonathon smiled at the committee chairman and said, “I do not dispute that, Mr. Chairman, but the IS-Drive is a Gruenwald Laboratory secret, not the CIP.”

  “What?” the chairman said.

  “I suggest you read the original CIP Charter, Mr. Chairman. It states clearly the IS-Drive will remain the property of the Gruenwald Labs on Islandia until the owners release it to a party of their choice. My wife and I are the sole owners of the Gruenwald labs.”

  The chairman called a halt to the meeting while his aides researched the question. After five minutes he resumed the meeting with a shocked expression. Without an explanation, he said, “This meeting is adjourned. The witness is excused.”

  Like everybody else in the room, Jon was surprised at his grandfather’s revelation. He had always known his grandfather had control of the IS-Drive but did not know the details of the actual ownership. A crowd of well-wishers gathered around Jon. He became aware of Secretary Gavito standing on the edge of the crowd. The one-time adversary stepped up to him and said rather formally, “I’m pleased you survived this ordeal, Commander.” He smiled and added. “After all, you have to be around to keep your end of our bargain.”