Against All Odds (39 page)

"Three years?" Kelleher questioned.

"Raider Fourteen is in that area of space between the former outer border of the Galactic Alliance and the pre-war border of the Milori Empire. We'd hoped we finally built a base that would be safe from Space Command interference, but we again find ourselves in their space. However, it's part of Region Two and so remote it might be decades before they begin patrols there. Presently, there's not an SC base within a thousand light years."

"This is definitely a long-term project," Strauss said, "but it will pay huge dividends in the future. I'm not proposing we take on Space Command in the future, but knowing our ships will be impervious to laser fire will not only assist our crews in evading capture, but will help us sign crews who haven't trusted the Tsgardi ships in the past. Good work, Ahil. Keep us posted on any progress. Any other new business?

* * *

"Morning, Jen," Admiral Kanes said as he entered her office. He walked to the beverage dispenser and prepared a cup of coffee before planting himself in a chair in front of her desk. Although he only wore a single star to her four, their working relationship had progressed to a point where military protocol only intruded when in the presence of others.

"Hi Keith," she said. "What's so urgent you needed to see me right away?"

Kanes sighed. "I've received distressing news in the form of a briefing message from Admiral Bradlee. It seems the Raiders have acquired a sample of Dakinium from an employee at JFW."

Jen tilted her chair back and stared up at the ceiling, saying nothing for a minute. "Well, we knew we couldn't keep it from them forever. Do we know how large a sample?"

"The inspectors at JFW are charged with accounting for every milligram. When the tally came up light one night, the line was shut down and a full investigation began. From the weight, they knew it was fairly small. All completed parts were accounted for, so it had to be from the scrap. Nothing is removed from the site until the accounting process is completed each night, so they were able to perform a detailed analysis of the waste products and identify the missing piece. It's cylindrical in shape, seven-point-eight-eight centimeters long by three-point-one-four centimeters in diameter. The size allowed someone to hide it in a body cavity, which is the only way someone could have snuck a piece out given the procedures they've been following. They've changed the operation so that all tiny pieces are held in a special scrap pile and must be accounted for before a shift is allowed to leave the floor."

"A little late for that."

"It'll prevent such thefts in the future."

"Have we learned who the traitor is?"

"Yes, we have her. You'll never guess why she did it."

"Then you'd better just tell me," Jenetta said smiling.

"She wanted to be like you."

"Me? By sharing our secrets with our enemies?"

"She didn't want to be a military leader; she wanted to be young and beautiful again. The Raiders convinced her that by getting them a piece of Dakinium, she would get her wish and also be performing a valuable public service."

"I'm waiting for the punch line."

"They told her Delcorado Engineering was behind the acquisition. Allegedly, they needed the sample to win new supply contracts. They convinced the woman that Delcorado was going to have to close all its plants if they could no longer compete. Tens of thousands would lose their jobs. Of course, it was all a lie. I think she was so blinded by her desire to be young again that she would have fallen for any line that sounded reasonable and allowed her to temporarily ignore her moral code."

"The Raider process didn't restore youth-- it only changed one's appearance. Mikel Arneu still looked his age when the process was performed on him. I saw vids taken of him on Scruscotto before Raider Ten was destroyed. He looked the same as he had on Raider One. If a youth-restoration process existed, he would have been the first one in line after it was proven. I only look this way because I was essentially twenty-one when they performed the process on me."

"I suppose the real question is how much of an impact this will have on this war," Kanes said.

"None. I'm not sure they can reverse-engineer the process from a sample. Our people have said no. They claim they wouldn't have been able to do it without the computer files I recovered on Dakistee. However, the Raiders can hire the best and the brightest. They might find a way. Even if they do, it will take years before they can produce any ships that use it as a covering. Then there's the matter of the new drive system required to establish the double envelope. No, the theft won't affect the outcome of the upcoming battle, but we'll have to solidify our control of this region before the Raiders can get ships into production or they might be tempted to try carving a section off for themselves. I don't want to fight another war over this territory."

"Amen," Kanes said. "Two has been enough."

* * *

"I still don't understand why we're being sent to Region Two," Byers said. "We don't know nothing about the Milori, except they're ugly as all get out."

"You're talking about a fellow Galactic Alliance race," Nelligen said.

"That don't make them any prettier."

"They'll probably feel the same way about you."

"What? I don't have tentacles that shoot out and crush you to death."

"Some of the food you serve up is almost as dangerous."

"Me? You're the one that likes molten lava chili."

"They wouldn't eat your food anyway. If it ain't still wiggling, they won't eat it."

"That's disgusting."

"Don't you eat raw clams?"

"Well, yeah. But they don't wiggle."

"They're still alive when you eat them though."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Uh— it just is."

Vyx entered the quarters where Byers and Nelligen had been playing cards for several hours and said, "Brenda, Kathryn, and I are headed down to the mess hall. You guys want to go?"

"Yeah, I think I can tear myself away," Nelligen said. "My stomach started grumbling a while ago."

"Your stomach is always grumbling. And I don't blame it with what you eat. I'd grumble also."

"You're just jealous because if you eat anything hot, you spend all night running to the head."

"I just go to the head to get some quiet. I don't know how you sleep through all the burping and belching you do in your sleep."

"If you're coming, let's go," Vyx said, before turning and walking out of the room.

Byers and Nelligen tossed their cards to the table and hurried out to join the other three SCI agents who were already a dozen paces ahead.

From that point on, there would be only small talk until they were again in a secure area.

* * *

"We're heading for Region Two because that's where the action is," Vyx said later when they were back at their quarters. "Admiral Carver requested we be assigned to her command. Our mission has nothing to do with the Milori. We're to head into the former Uthlaro Dominion, which is now part of Region Two, and begin working our way into the criminal circles there. The Scorpion is Uthlaro built, so that should give us an edge."

"I'll never figure out how they got the Scorpion into the hold of this ship," Byers said. "The hatches are one tenth the size. They must have taken it apart and put it back together."

Vyx grinned before saying, "This is the largest, single-hulled Quartermaster transport ever built in GA space. For really large loads, they can open the bottom part of the hull for a length of ten frame sections. After the load is stored and locked down, the hull is closed and sealed. Even so, it was so tight they were considering removing the side-mounted engine nacelles. Luckily, they didn't have to do that. Once we reach our destination, the Scorpion will be launched and we'll be on our way. If not for this ship, we would have spent a decade getting to our assignment area. I heard the yard at Mars is currently planning even larger transports. The front sections will swing out of the way and a battleship, two heavy cruisers, three frigates, or five destroyers can be loaded inside."

"Five destroyers?" Nelligen said. His face reflected his awe. "Good Lord. Why?"

"The older ships in Space Command are perfectly adequate for patrol duties. The problem is getting them to where we need them, when we need them there. The new ships, like this one, can travel at Light-9375, but the older ships are limited to Light-262. With the new transports, the warships can be ferried to where they're needed, and dropped off. If an emergency arises in Region Two, they can move the fleet around as needed."

"Wow," Byers said. "Where are we being dropped off, by the way?"

"We're heading to Quesann first. If the battle with the Uthlaro fleet goes as hoped, this ship will pick up a warship escort for the trip into the former Uthlaro Dominion. I haven't been given the exact location yet. Admiral Kanes will brief me before we leave Quesann."

"And if the battle doesn't go as hoped?" Brenda asked.

"I never bet against Admiral Carver. And I sure wouldn't play poker with her. She always seems to have an ace up her sleeve."

~ March 10
^th
, 2285 ~

During the final weeks, two scout-destroyers were assigned to shadow the Uthlaro fleet. For the most part, they remained just out of sensor range, but, hourly, one or the other would zip across the extreme corner of the Uthlaro sensor envelope to ensure nothing had changed. They weren't there long enough for the Uthlaro to detect a real presence, but it was enough for the scout-destroyer sensors to record the needed data.

"The Uthlaro are roughly one-half light year away," Jenetta said, "and headed directly towards us. The Euphrates and the Zambezi are keeping a close eye on their progress." Only images of the battle group leaders filled the wall monitor in the conference room aboard the Colorado, but the captain and senior staff of every ship that would participate in the confrontation was in a conference room aboard their ship watching the vid link. Jenetta probably should have been on the Flag Bridge of the Ares, but she wanted one more time in the command chair of the small ship before she surrendered to the inevitable.

"They'll reach our position in roughly twelve hours if they maintain their current course and speed. The DS ships will confront the enemy first at our current location one light-year from the base. It's possible the Uthlaro will immediately try to blast through us, but I expect them to stop when confronted by our picket line of ships. If they do stop, I'll attempt to persuade them to return peacefully to their homes. I don't expect them to comply. When I give the signal, the groups behind us will advance according to their instructions. Our goal is to show them our strength in the hope they'll leave without engaging, but, if they refuse to leave or if they try to blast through us, the DS ships will engage immediately. We should have several minutes to do as much damage as possible before they realize their laser weapons are useless. When that happens, they'll probably switch to torpedoes exclusively. With a two-to-one superiority in ship numbers and four-to-one superiority in the number of tubes, the torpedoes will be coming at us fast and furious. At that point, I'll order all warships to move up and join the melee. With luck, the Uthlaro will have forgotten about their laser arrays, thinking all SC ships are impervious to such weapons. If they choose to press their attack, they won't stop until they're dead— or we are. I'm sure you understand which option I prefer. If we must fight, I don't want anyone to let up while a single Uthlaro can pull a trigger. Pound them hard. Pulverize their ships. Blast them to space dust.

"Each group has their assigned position. Does anyone have any questions about their assigned location or role?"

Jenetta waited for a few seconds before saying, "I'll assume from your silence you understand the task ahead of us. Okay, let's take our positions and wait to see what the Uthlaro will have."

Jenetta tried to spend the hours until the confrontation by catching up on the mountain of reports in her computer queue, but her mind kept drifting back to the upcoming battle. She finally gave up and just sat in her briefing room going over every detail and possibility. She hoped she was prepared for any eventuality, but every warrior knows it's impossible to predict every action an enemy might take.

Ten minutes before the Uthlaro were expected to arrive at their positions, Jenetta returned to the bridge and sat in her bridge chair. Lt. Commander Gallagher, her first officer, took his seat to her left. Neither spoke a word. When the Uthlaro were five minutes away, Jenetta ordered the tactical officer to engage the AutoTect.

"The AutoTect, Admiral?"

"Certainly. We don't want them to run into us. We know they deactivate their ACS if they think the signal is an electronic debris device."

"Aye, Admiral. AutoTect is activated. They should be able to see us."

"Message from the Zambezi, Admiral," the com operator said. "The Uthlaro have dropped their speed from Light-375 to Light-187."

"It's going to take them an extra five minutes to get here," Jenetta said. "Oh well, we weren't going anywhere for a while anyway."