by Don Viecelli
Tumil thought for a moment before speaking again. “I need to get my samples of the counter nano-agent that can reverse the Yoyka nanomachine contagion. Do you know where I stored them before I was captured?”
“I do,” Shonya replied.
“Good. Bring the vials to me along with some food. Once I regain my strength, we will begin.”
Shonya’s holographic image disappeared and Tumil waited patiently until a service robot returned with food and drinks. As he ate his food in silence he remembered what he was doing on the Solruku before it was captured by the Yoyka during the Battle For Holtu. It was purely by chance he was on board the starship at that time. He was planning to test the new counter nano-agent on some of Utor’s infected crewmembers still in cryostasis on the ship, but never got the chance. Now, he planned to use it on Utor and his three accomplishes. Tumil knew the counter nano-agent works to reverse the effects of the nanomachines on infected Qumru brains. Shonya informed Tumil what happened on Qum after Rahta sent his nanomachine kill code to kill all the Qumru people on Qum, but only partially succeeded. Tumil, with any luck, was going to reverse the tables on the Yoyka and make the Yoyka people pay for their treachery.
Another service robot entered the room and Shonya reappeared. “I have brought the counter nano-agent vials you requested. The robot held up a small box that contained the vials.
“Place them on the table,” Tumil said finishing his food and taking a drink of water. He stood up. “I am feeling better now, Shonya. I am ready to begin.”
“What shall we do first?” Shonya asked.
“Where are the Yoyka guards?”
Shonya checked the security cameras and said, “Two guards are in the hangar bay, one is on Level 13 below us and the fourth is taking a break in the dining area on Level 6.”
“Good. We need to go to the cryostasis chambers on Level 15 now. Follow me down there.”
Tumil picked up the box with the vials and headed out the door. He waited for Shonya to disable all security cameras and door alarms before he walked to the stair exit and proceeded down to Level 15 where the original Solruku crewmembers were still in their sleep chambers. All had been infected with the Yoyka nanomachine contagion before they left Qum. Tumil and Doctor Janice Martin had used them as test subjects to develop the counter nano-agent. Now he had other plans for them.
Tumil thought about the escape from Qum on the Solruku just after the Yoyka attacked his planet with nanomachines. When his body was regenerated on board the Solruku in orbit around Mars, he learned that the original thirty crewmembers had all been infected and planned to use the Passenger Minds stored in the quantum computer bays to infect everyone else when they arrived at Holtu. Ten crewmembers had died in the explosion on board the starship, twenty more were still in cryostasis, but were also infected. Four crewmembers, Utor, Seeto, Coltron and Binto were taken by the Yoyka on Mars and were now on the Solruku. 16 crewmembers had been captured when Vice Leader Di and the humans took back control of the ship. All 16 were put into cryostasis so they could not infect others when they reached Holtu. Now, Tumil planned to use the counter nano-agent on them to help him and Shonya take back the Solruku and escape from the Yoyka once again.
They reached the cryostasis chambers. Shonya took care of the chamber monitoring signals so no one in the Command Center would be able to tell what was happening. Tumil quickly went to work. He took out some vials of the counter nano-agents and started injecting the contents into the fluid lines for each crewmember. It only took a few minutes.
“There, I’m done,” Tumil said with the last injection. “Now we wait to see if it works.”
“How many should I wake up now?” Shonya asked.
Tumil looked at the name on the first sleep chamber. It read First Leader Montu. “This one. We will wake one up and make sure the nano-agent is working before we wake the rest. Have the service robot stand by in case we need it.”
Shonya activated the sleeper pod and the top cover opened up. A few minutes later the officer inside began to stir. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up. Tumil helped him.
“How are you feeling First Leader Montu?” Tumil asked.
Montu shook his head slowly and looked around the room. He seemed confused. “Where am I?”
“Don’t you remember? We are on board the Solruku,” My name is Tumil.
“The last thing I remember is receiving orders to take our Passenger Minds to Holtu. The Yoyka had attacked us with some sort of nanomachines that enslaved our people.”
“That is correct. The Yoyka did attack us and some of us escaped. I will fill you in later, but first I must verify you are free of the nanomachines. You and the rest of your crewmembers were all infected before you left Qum. A lot has happen since. Let me run some tests while you get dressed. Then I will explain what happened to our people and what we must do now.”
Chapter 12
Holtu Meeting
First Chair Brendu was ready to begin the meeting. First Chair Cleota, Vice Chair Penda, High Leader Altek and Vice Leader Di were sitting at Brendu’s conference table in his office. It was early in the morning in Iconda. The weather outside was windy from early morning showers, but the sun was beginning to break open on what would become a beautiful spring day on Holtu.
“Let us begin. High Leader Altek, please update us all on your military status,” Brendu said.
“Certainly, First Chair. First, I would like to thank you for the awards ceremony. It was an honor to be recognized by our leaders along with others more deserving than I.” Altek bowed his head to all at the table.
“It was the least we could do, High Leader. Your actions saved our worlds,” First Chair Cleota said smiling.
“Thank you First Chair Cleota. I was simply doing my duty. I am grateful you recognized the actions of our Qumru and Human crewmembers and pilots who served alongside of us during the battle. Without their support, we would have been defeated by the Yoyka and all would have been lost.
“The Yoyka surprised us with their Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse or NEP weapon. Normally, this would not have been a problem, but we have learned from our scientists that the Yoyka found a way to disrupt our android brain functions using a specific wavelength that caused all Holtu in the blast radius to become unconscious. This will not happen again. Our brains will be shielded from the affects of any NEP weapons the Yoyka try to use against us in the future.
“We must assume the Yoyka have discovered how to achieve the same FTL hyperspace speeds that we possess from the capture of the Solruku. They will no longer be surprised by our quick responses in battle.
“Our space fleet stands at 280 warships plus forty damaged ships undergoing repair. We destroyed half of the Yoyka’s warships that attacked us during the Battle For Holtu and Mars. That leaves 230 Yoyka warships that are still on their way back to Yoykan solar system. We estimate the Yoykan Empire has five hundred warships guarding their space territories. We cannot defeat them with our Alliance space fleet alone. We need more support from other alien races opposed to the Yoyka.
“We believe that there are several alien races still fighting the Yoyka such as the Synorans and others that remain in contact with the Qumru. We are seeking them out now to see if they will help us. Certainly, some of them have heard what the Yoyka did to our people on Qum and would be willing to help us defeat the Yoyka.”
“What about the Solruku?” Brendu interrupted.
“Our latest surveillance drones show it is still docked at a space ring orbiting Yoyka. There has been no further communications with the Solruku since it left Holtu,” Altek answered.
“Perhaps we should destroy it with missiles,” Brendu suggested.
“I believe it will still be of value to us if we can find a way to communicated with the AI, Shonya, or even Tumil if he is still alive.”
“What about the Onutu technology? Certainly, we don’t want the Yoyka to learn how to use it,” Vice Chair Penda said.
“As you kno
w, Onutu technology is protected by quantum encrypted codes. It cannot be broken by anyone except a few Qumru scientists and leaders. Tumil certainly would not let the Yoyka have the codes. He would die first. It will take the Yoyka much more time to develop brainwave nanites based on their DNA to work with Onutu. I am more worried about the Yoyka developing new weapons to try and defeat us,” Altek responded.
“What type of weapons do you think they are working on, High Leader?” Cleota asked.
Vice Leader Di spoke up. “I believe the Yoyka will develop a similar kinetic energy missile such as the one we used against their warships during the Battle For Holtu. We are working with the Human scientists to improve our own KEMs to make them harder to detect in flight.
“A more dangerous threat is a new weapon the Yoyka may have developed and used on one of their nanomachine controlled planets called Synor. We are investigating the reports we received now.”
“Do we know what type of weapon it is?” Brendu asked.
“Not yet, First Chair. The report just came in from one of our warships at Qum. I plan to go to Qum and check it out in person,” Di said.
“I wish to go with you to Qum, Vice Leader Di,” Cleota said. “It is time for me to return to Qum and re-establish our government in Ollala.”
Brendu looked around the table. “I believe the Yoyka Emperor will attempt to attack us again as soon as his fleet returns to Yoykan and gets updated with the new FTL hyperdrive and new weapons. His defeat here at Holtu must be avenged or he will lose control of his power. Therefore, we must build up our defenses here at home and prepare for another attack or find a way to attack his forces in Yoykan space first. Let me know how best we can achieve both priorities, High Leader Altek, before the next meeting.”
Everyone stood up and began to leave the room. Brendu turned to Cleota and said, “After you arrive at Qum, you must decide what we should do about the nine billion Qumru we must bring back to life. Should we do it here or on Qum? It is up to you to decide.”
Cleota thought for a moment before responding. “It might be wise to delay the regeneration of these lives until we achieve victory over the Yoyka. If we lose, we may have to save our race using Onutu somewhere else in the galaxy.”
Brendu agreed with that logic. It seemed the wisest course of action to his android mind considering the present circumstances. He must protect his Qumru creators and ensure their survival at all costs.
Chapter 13
NSC Meeting On Earth
President Mary Woodley Anderson was walking in the White House Rose Garden enjoying the warm spring weather and clear, cloudless skies above the White House. The sweat smell of the lilacs helped relieve the stress of her job and allowed her to think about other things besides war and environmental crises. The peace and quiet did not last long.
“Madam President, it’s time.” Chief of Staff Allison Conley said as she approached from behind.
Mary turned around. “Such a beautiful day, don’t you think?”
“It is, Madam President.”
Mary sighed and asked, “Do you have my notes for the meeting?”
“Yes. They’re all on the comtab. “I’ve added the Daily Briefing notes as well, and the latest military reports from Mars in case you need them.”
“Very well, Allison. I guess we should head in for the meeting. I don’t want to keep them waiting.”
Mary led the way back inside the White House to the Oval Office. It was time for the daily National Security Council meeting. Mary did not stop to pick anything off her desk. She continued out the northwest door onto the main corridor, which led to the Situation Room located in the basement of the West Wing.
The large conference room table was already filled with people. They all stood up when Mary entered the room and took her seat at the head of the table. “Please take a seat everyone. Let’s begin. Carlo, why don’t you give us an update on the military forces status first.”
“Certainly, Madam President.” Secretary of Defense Carlo Russo said. “The UN Space Strike Force has thirty million military personnel in service under the command of the UN Space Defense Group controlled by the UN Security Council members. UN’s goal is fifty million service men and women by the end of this year. Our country will contribute up to five million service personnel, which include crewmembers, Space Marines and Zoltu fighter pilots serving on Holtu warships.
“The Holtu have approximately three hundred twenty warships. We have two warships in operation and are building up to two new warships per month in factories on Earth and on the Moon. These factories also produce up to fifty new Zoltu space fighters per month for use on the warships and defense of our solar system.
“We have thirty thousand troops in training on Mars, which you were updated in the President’s Daily Briefings report. The Holtu have requested we train and equip up to ten thousand Space Marines for ground assaults on Yoyka targets. This is ongoing.
“Our military research and test centers are developing new missile weapons to use against the Yoyka warships. Our latest Kinetic Energy Missile, KEM, did a fantastic job at the Battle For Holtu. We are making it more deadly and better protected from enemy defense systems. We are testing the new enhancements as we speak.
“Our next new weapon will be built around space drones. The larger drones can be used to attack warships and space fighters. Smaller drones will help protect our Space Marines on enemy assault missions. Drone warfare has unlimited potential as defensive and offensive weapon systems, Madam President.”
Vice President Allen Denton interrupted with a question. “What about the nanomachine threat? What’s new with that?”
“We know the Yoyka have used their nanomachine weapon to subdue and conquer hundreds of alien worlds. However, The Qumru with help from our own scientists have developed counter nano-agents to negate and even reverse the effects from Yoyka nanomachines. The latest attack is an example of this. We quickly neutralized the nanomachines that were meant to sterilize our biosphere and prevent us from reproducing. Our scientists believe the Yoyka nanomachines can never be used to control us like they have done to other alien races. This will cause the Yoyka military to create new weapons to use against us.”
“What about using the nanomachines against the Yoyka?” Allen asked.
“It’s possible, Mister Vice President, but we think the Yoyka would be able to neutralize its effects quite easily. We haven’t tried it on any Yoyka, so we don’t know how effective it could be yet.”
Mary asked, “Carlo, what are we doing about military defenses in our solar system?”
“The Holtu have agreed to keep twelve warships on duty in our solar system until we can replace them with an equal number of our own warships. This also helps our UN Space Strike Force in training our pilots and crewmembers. Most of our Space Marines train out of our bases on Mars.
“We are also building missile defense and attack systems on moon bases around several planets. This includes satellite laser defense systems like the ones we now have protecting Earth and Mars. By the end of this year, we will have defensive systems around all military bases in our solar system, Madam President.”
“Anything else, Carlo?” Mary asked.
“No, I am finished, Madam President.”
“Very well, then I will tell you what I have learned from First Chair Brendu and First Chair Cleota. It seems the Yoyka are having problems with rebel alien forces in their own territories. The Yoyka are putting down resistance by wiping out whole planets like they tried to do on Qum. The Holtu are investigating and will let us know what they find.
“As some of you know, the Yoyka were able to capture the Qumru starship, Solruku, during the Battle For Holtu. Tumil, the Qumru scientist who helped develop the preventative nano-agent with Doctor Janice Martin was on the Solruku when it was taken back to Yoykan. This presents two major problems. One, the Yoyka warships now have access to the new FTL hyperdrive power systems, which gives them the same advantage we had in the la
st space battles. Two, the Yoyka have the Onutu mind transfer and regeneration technology. Fortunately, Onutu is protected by an unbreakable quantum code system. It is unlikely the Yoyka will be able to decode the program to allow them to use Onutu unless Tumil is forced to help them, which the Holtu do not believe will happen. In either case, the Holtu plan to find the Solruku, return it or destroy it before the Yoyka can do anymore damage.
“That’s all I have now. We can discuss more of this at the meeting tomorrow. Thank you for coming.”
The NSC meeting was concluded and everyone left to attend to normal duties. Tomorrow would bring more issues to deal with, Mary thought to herself. Hopefully, all can be resolved without facing the threat of another attack by the Yoyka.
Chapter 14
New Mission
Doug was on duty in the Command Center on the warship USS Illinois conducting training exercises when an alert came over the comchannel from Mars security center that a Holtu warship just exited hyperspace in their solar system. A message followed directed to their ship. He checked the ID code. It was from Vice Leader Di. He turned to Admiral Weston. “Admiral, the Holtu warship Bakutu just sent us a message. Vice Leader Di wants us to come over to his ship to meet with him and First Chair Cleota.”
“First Chair Cleota? I wonder what she’s doing here?” Jason asked more to himself than Doug.
“Should I confirm the request?”
“Certainly. Prepare a shuttle and we’ll hop on over. It’s time to talk to Di about war plans.” Jason said.
Doug called down to the Flight Control Tower in the hangar bay and requested a shuttle and pilot to take them over to Di’s warship. It was ready in minutes.
Since both Admiral Weston and Doug were leaving the Bridge, command was transferred to the next senior officer on deck. Doug followed Jason to the elevator and took it down to Hangar Level 11 to board the shuttle.
The new Wing Commander or CAG, Commander John Drake, was waiting for them at the ramp. He stood at attention and saluted. “Welcome, Admiral; Captain. I’ll be your pilot today. The shuttle is ready for takeoff.”