Defending Earth-Discovery Means Death (25 page)

The Johan Ruler chuckled, “About ten billion advanced warships.”

Rose looked at him and laughed, “Very well said, Your Highness. That’s exactly the situation we’re facing. How will we ever be ready to take them on?”

The Audon quickly said, “When we have enough warships to make the challenge.”

Rose nodded and looked at the Welken, “Are you satisfied that we do not have to depend on telepaths to fight our ships?”

The Welken looked over his shoulder at his Fleet Leader, turned around, and nodded, “It does appear the Welken that took part in the recent attack were not detected by the Feeder Warships.”

Rose looked at the other leaders, “Will all of you agree that your species can fly the light ships without detection?”

The Myot quickly said, “How is this screening device capable of blocking the thought patterns of different species?”

“Actually, it doesn’t block the patterns of the one wearing it. It blocks the Feeders mind from penetrating to the wearer’s mind. It is designed to stop them and will work with anyone using it.”

“What if the Feeder’s link? Will a huge number of them be able to get through the device?”

Rose tilted her head, “We haven’t used it in the Death Feeders’ central planetary system where billions of them are linked, so that issue has not yet been answered. However, it has withstood other Feeder links at planets we’ve freed from their rule.”

The Goran thought so all could hear, “Do we not need to make that determination before we start moving forward?”

“Not really.”

“Why not?”

“By the time we find ourselves having to confront their central planets, we’ll have to eliminate all of their fleets defending them. Once that’s done, we’ll have enough telepaths to complete the final task of attacking their home worlds.”

The Welken stared at Rose and asked the question all of them were wondering, “Do you intend to start attacking their fleets now?”

“No, I don’t.” Rose saw the Leaders relief and she tried not to smile. They just weren’t ready yet.

“Then what is it you intend to do?”

Rose sent a report to each of their terminals, “What you have on your individual displays is, what I hope to be, an accurate count of the warships at our disposal. It includes the ones in storage on your planets and those in the manufacturing pipeline at the moment. Please notice that we have nearly as many in storage as we do in service.”

The Leaders stared at their displays and the Audon shook its head as it ruffled its green feathers, “I heard you say this yesterday and I found it hard to believe. This really is a waste.”

Rose nodded, “I agree and all of you are currently at one quarter of your actual production capability. That is going to change.”

The Audon looked up from his panel, “How?”

“All of you are going to start producing warships at maximum capacity and you will be charged with providing pilots to fly them.” Every leader jerked their head up from their display. “The Gorans and Humans will provide the screening devices for your warriors along with the simulators to teach them how to fly the new light ship.”

“But who is going to organize them?”

Rose smiled and looked at the fifty that fought against the Feeder Fleet, “These fifty warriors will go to your civilizations and take command of your fleets. They will be promoted to Fleet Admirals at the conclusion of this meeting and they will lead your efforts at getting your forces organized and up to speed on how to attack the Feeders.”

The Audon shook its head, “You mean a different species will be leading my forces?”

“Your own warriors will command the smaller fleets as they come online but, yes, you are correct. One of these warriors will guide them and coordinate them into the overall Alliance Fleet. We are going to have to learn how to fight our ships in formations that will boggle the imagination. Do you have a problem following a different species, Great Leader?”

The Audon looked at the Welken and then back to Rose. He was trapped. “No, my forces will cooperate with the Fleet’s Leaders.”

Rose smiled. None of the Leaders present were willing to say the Welken weren’t qualified. His status among them was too high to be challenged.

Sam sat in his chair among the warriors and smiled. He wondered why Rose had chosen the Welken Instructors to take part in the attack. Now it became clear why. With the Welken taking a major role in leading the Fleets, the Royal would be more likely to support the effort. He shook his head and murmured, “That was brilliant.” Ethan sitting next to him, heard him and nodded.

The Welken looked at Rose and said, “Who is going to be the overall commander of our fleets?”

Rose smiled, “The same one that commanded the attack against the Feeder Fleet, Admiral Matt Coronado.”

Mat looked up and rolled his eyes. God don’t let this be true! He looked at Rose and saw her smiling at him. He mouthed the word ‘No!”’ to her and she laughed. He lowered his head and shook it. Eddy sitting next to him chuckled, “It’s been nice knowing you.”

Matt felt his wrist unit vibrate and he looked at it. A copy of his promotion papers appeared on the small display and he scrolled down them. They continued and he read what followed his forms. He chuckled and moved his wrist over and put it in front of Eddy’s face. She moved it back and focused on the screen. She read a few lines and jerked her head to him, and whispered forcefully, “THIS IS INSANE! I JUST GRADUATED!”

Rose stopped talking and looked at Eddy, “Is there a problem, Admiral?”

Eddy looked at Rose and lowered her head, “No, High Leader.”

Rose smiled at her, “Good.”

Eddy didn’t hear anything after the exchange. This was impossible.

Rose paused and watched the leaders discussing the orders they were given with their staffs. She leaned back in her chair and smiled as she thought, “I can see you’re still nudging things.”

“How did you find out about her?”

“Matt is number two on your watch list. I wondered why a newly minted cadet would be assigned to be his weapon’s officer. I took a look at her records and found them missing. I went back to her birthplace and found her birth certificate at the hospital. It appears I am not the only one that is a product of Jack and Jill’s ancestry.”

“It appears we weren’t through.”

“It makes sense that you would have a fall back in the event I was removed from the game.”

“That’s true but you’ve surprised us by seeing it. You are more than we imagined.”

“Thank you…I think.”

“Oh, it’s a compliment.”

Rose smiled and looked at Admiral Mandel, who was sitting with the Warriors. She motioned him to her desk and also pointed to Sam and motioned him to join them. They walked up to her and Rose said, “Sam, you’re much too talented to go through life carrying out the whims of a High Leader. You will go with the others and get our new fleets ready to take on the Feeders.”

“I rather enjoy carrying out your wishes, High Leader.”

“And I enjoy having you do it but you are needed elsewhere.”

Sam nodded and Rose looked at Mandel, “I want that captain that hacked into the Leader’s computers promoted and assigned as my new Executive Officer.”

Mandel’s expression showed his feelings, “But High Leader, he’s the best I have.”

“Then train another to do the job. He can take your place when you retire. But for now, I want him working directly with me.”

“Yes, High Leader.”

Rose saw Sam’s expression and she smiled, “You don’t have to worry, Sam. You and I will have our time together one day.”

Sam stared at her and, after a moment, smiled. He turned and went back to his chair. He didn’t realize she knew how he felt. He had been following her career for years. Many of his fellow pilots didn’t understand why he applied to be the last High Leader’s Military Liaison. He was on a fast track to high command when he did it but he knew that the current High Leader was not going to remain in place much longer.

He knew Rose had to be up for the position. Taking the post was the only way to get close to her. Now he was leaving and it saddened him greatly, but she knew. Thank God she knew and was interested in him. It gave him hope. But for now, the civilizations had to be taught to be warriors again. He looked at Rose and listened to her as she told the Alliance Leaders that they were the warriors that were needed to win this war. They listened and he could see, they believed her. She finally ended the meeting and stood up. She looked at him and he saw a twinkle in her eyes as she smiled, then turned, and left the room. He nodded slightly and took a deep breath. There was a war to win and it couldn’t take forever. He had a future to claim. He heard Matt speaking and he turned to hear him. He didn’t know why Rose had chosen Matt to be in command but he didn’t question her decision. He was the right one for the job, even if he didn’t know it…yet.

T
he huge facility was in an uproar. The thousands of recruits from the Welken, Myot, and Audon were screaming at the instructors that the simulators were impossible to pass. Some of them were even face-to-face with other recruits threatening to fight it out over just who was the stupid one’s presence.

Suddenly, the giant wall monitor high above the floor illuminated and an image appeared of a long line of ancient warships facing toward a vast fleet of warships moving toward them. The recruits looked up as they saw others staring at the monitor. The giant fleet moving toward the small fleet holding formation in front of them moved closer and the sheer magnitude of its size became increasingly clear. Silence dominated the room. Just before the two fleets collided, the video stopped. The vast room was silent and into the silence they heard:

“Your ancestors were present at that battle. The Legends launched an invasion of M-87 and your ancestors were there fighting with them. Myot, Welken, Goran, Human, Audon had gathered all their fleets and came together to meet that fleet you see on the monitor.”

The recruits looked around to see who was talking. Suddenly, many of them came to rigid attention. Supreme Admiral Coronado was walking in their midst speaking into a microphone. Soon the entire room was standing at attention.

“Your ancestors were outnumbered by more than a hundred to one and they did not turn and flee. Do you know why?” Matt paused and watched the recruits looking from him to the monitor. “They stayed to fight because your ancestors came from a warrior culture and they possessed a warrior’s heart. They stood and held formation against a fleet that was too large for their scanners to see all of it. They held their ground and they won.” Matt looked at a recruit standing next to him and he asked, “Why are you here?”

“To fight the Feeders.”

Matt nodded and turned to another, “Why are you here?”

“To defeat the Feeders.”

Matt moved through the vast room asking each recruit why they were there until one of them said, “I’m here to learn how to be a warrior again.”

Matt smiled at the recruit and said, “You are now a Squadron Commander and will lead a thousand ships against the Feeders.” Matt turned and his image appeared on the monitor, “I’ve been excited at the prospect of having you here to take part in the coming war against the Death Feeders. But I see that most of you have forgotten your heritage and no longer knows what it means to be a warrior.” The room began stirring at the comment and Matt continued, “In the war against the Legends, Welken, Myot, Audon, and Johan all fought with a ferocity that was amazing. But now your species have all been out of the fight for more than six hundred years leaving the real action to the Goran and Humans. I fear that your species have all lost their warrior’s heart.”

A voice rang out from the back of the giant room, “I will never lose my heart, Admiral! Never!” Immediately, others began yelling out their outrage at what Matt said.

Matt waited and let them vent their feelings. Finally, he raised his arms and the room slowly became silent. The monitor showed him turn to an Audon Recruit and ask, “What’s the difference between a fighter and a warrior?”

The Audon looked around and shook its head, “They’re the same thing.”

Matt stared at the Audon and then looked around, “A fighter goes out and fights. Once the fight is over, they stand down. A warrior goes out and fights. Once the fight is over, they begin preparing for the next fight. Which are you? I’ve listened to many of you complaining how difficult the simulators are to master. Will you turn and flee when the fight gets too difficult? You are here because our tests have shown that all of you possess the mental and physical abilities to fly an Alliance Warship. The tests don’t tell us how much you really want to do that.” Matt paused and looked around. “A real warrior would never allow a machine to stand between him and his destiny. Will you?”

A group of warriors standing around Matt turned and went to their simulators. Soon, the entire room was back in front of their simulators and the room was silent except for the pressing of keyboards. Eddy looked at Matt from the room high above the complex and started the video playing again. The room paused long enough to watch the Alliance and M-87 forces rout the Legend Fleets. When it ended, the recruits went back to work with a renewed intensity. Eddy shook her head, something about Matt was different. He possessed a presence that could be felt by others around him. He had told her that this first group of recruits was critical to the success of building the new fleets. Once it was shown that learning to fly a light ship could be learned by non-telepaths, the ranks would grow quickly. But this first group had to prove it. Failure would slow the process to a crawl. Eddy watched the recruits on the floor below and saw a change in them. They weren’t yelling or arguing. They were glued to their displays and, at the end of the day, most of them had to be ordered to leave and get some rest. She checked the main computer and found that the success rates on the modules had gone up eighty percent after Matt spoke to them. More than sixty percent of them were now on schedule. By the end of two days, ninety-eight percent were on schedule. Eddy wondered what it was that Matt had that was so…she shook her head. There was no way to describe it.