Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price (8 page)

“How long ago…,” I coughed in pain.

“Maybe fifteen minutes ago.  Not much longer.  Tib, they had snipers hidden in several locations on the parade grounds.  That’s how you got shot.  I think you were the intended target the whole time.”

“Are there any reports of attacks elsewhere besides the base?” I asked, as I feared it might be the beginning of multiple attacks Federation-wide.

“I don’t know, Tib.  Everything has been happening so fast we’ve not had time to check.”

“I’ll check, Captain Kalana,” offered one of the troopers in the corridor.

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” replied Kala.  “Confirm first that our route to the
GLOMAR ROSA
is secure, if Trooper Luinella has not yet done so.  Report back as soon as you have details.”

“Were our troopers able to get any of the snipers?” I asked.

“Tib, honestly I don’t know much of anything yet.  I did hear someone shout that the snipers were cloaked.  There were only a few armed trooper guards present at the parade grounds and no one else was armed, as far as I could tell.  I heard Commander Ircart tell Reide there was an arms locker in a building at the end of the stadium, if they could get there.  That was while we were carrying you to the patrol ship, so I have no idea if they made it or not.”

“Attention, everyone.”  The announcement was from Lunnie, whose voice came over the intercom.  “In a few seconds we’ll be passing through the launch tube gates on the carrier
ONDA
and we should arrive at the
GLOMAR ROSA
immediately afterward…,” and then in a low voice I heard her say, “…I hope.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, which of course triggered a stabbing chest pain so severe I thought it would kill me.  I knew Lunnie had never flown through a gate before; and even though everything was automated for gate passage and landing, I knew Lunnie had to have been a nervous wreck.

I looked down at my chest and saw a huge, dark bruise where I was hit.  Kala saw me looking at it and said, “You have several broken ribs, Tibby.  The impact of the projectile against your body armor stopped your heart.  Lunnie’s quick thinking and the bravery of the cadets who surrounded you took you out of the line of fire.  These cadets carried you while they performed manual resussitation until they got you here to the med unit, where the equipment took over and restored your heart rhythm.”

“Damn,” I said.  “Help me sit up.”

“Tib, I don’t think that’s wise.”

“Probably not, but as Rear Admiral of the Federation Military Forces, I’m not going to be carried off this ship.  I need to be seen walking and looking normal – or at least functional – to convey a sense of confidence and security.  If people see me on my feet and walking of my own accord, it will mean in their minds that attack was unsuccessful.  If I’m carried off the ship and it’s reported in the news, people will panic.  Our crews are no different that the civilians.  They all need to be assured that the Federation fleet and military forces continue to operate smoothly and efficiently, in spite of a sniper attack on one of our bases… which, in itself, will be a challenge to explain to the press.

Kala scowled and said, “Very well.  Let me help you get dressed.  I’m afraid your jacket doesn’t look good after the impact, but it’s still intact.”

“That’s fine.  As long as I’m able to walk and wave, it will suffice,” I said.

“You’re starting to sound like Admiral Regeny,” said Kala.  “Always thinking about how things appear.”

I paused for a second.  “Yes, I guess I am, in a way.  Maybe I’m developing a new sense of appreciation for him, now that I’m walking in his shoes.”

Putting on my jacket was an extremely painful undertaking and I feared for a minute I would need to forego wearing it, but with the slow careful assistance of Kala, we managed to get me back into my sullied whites. 

About that time, there was a brief moment where the ship lurched and then thumped into what I hoped was a landing on the
GLOMAR ROSA
.  Kala lost her balance and bumped into me.  I collapsed and nearly blacked out from the pain, but the hissing sound of the opening airlock and the inrush of troopers snapped me out of the shock.

“It’s alright,” I said as Kala helped me to my feet.  “Lead the way and I’ll follow you.  Just don’t go too fast.”

“Yes, sir,” the lead trooper said.  “Admiral Marranalis will want to know your status immediately.  Do you have anything you wish me to convey to him, sir?”

“Just tell him I’m on my way and take me to him.  Slowly.”

Lunnie came rushing into the already crowded room, pushing troopers and cadets aside to get to me.  She looked at me through tear filled eyes gave me a very creative air-hug while she kissed me on the cheek.

“Dad, I didn’t think you were going to make it!” she sobbed.

“It’s alright, Lunnie.  Thanks to you and the cadets, I’ll be fine.”

“Tib, you really need to go to the ship's infirmary,” insisted Kala.

“I will, but not until after I know what’s happening on Plosaxen and it’s clear that everything’s under control in the rest of the Federation.  Now take me to the War Room,” I ordered the troopers.

Word of the bombs and snipers and my evacuation to the
GLOMAR ROSA
must have spread very quickly.  The amount of time that passed since the attack and my arrival couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes; but when I stepped outside the hatch into the launch tube hanger, there was a loud roar of cheers, where several hundred troopers and much of the ship’s crew waited to see me emerge.  I smiled, waved and saluted, which still caused me a lot of pain, even though it was the left side that took the impact.  If the injury had been on the right, there’s no way I could have saluted, even for a second.

The bodyguards quickly led me through the maze of people and into a small shuttle that transported me to the War Room.  Kala insisted on going with me, and I allowed it, but I insisted that Lunnie go with the cadets, all of whom were to be taken to one of the onboard lounges.

As soon as I entered the War Room, everyone let out a cheer.  “Welcome back, Admiral,” said Marranalis.  “You gave us quite a scare.”

“Thank you, Admiral, I replied.  “What’s the status on Plosaxen?”

“We’re just beginning to receive reports now.  Initial intelligence gathered by Commander Ircart indicates that there have been four separate attacks on the base; one at the parade grounds, where it appears you and Admiral Windangar were the main targets; another at the main weapons depot, where the bomb failed to detonate the munitions inside; a single detonation near the base’s Cantolla Gate Station, which was damaged but will be back in operation soon; and a fourth outside the base’s War Room, which also suffered minor damage that will be repaired within a day or so.  There still is some contained fighting, as the enemy combatants appear to be cloaked, but there didn't seem to be many of them.  The best estimation is maybe twenty at the most.”

“Windangar?  Was he hit?”

“No, sir, but a cadet who was shielding him was killed.”

“How did they get on the base undetected?”

“It’s unclear at this time, but we think they may have slipped through the Cantolla Gates one or two at a time while cloaked when guests and families began to arrive for the event.  Security was focused on processing the large number of people, so it’s possible that cloaked intruders would have been able to slip past the checkpoints undetected.”

“How did they get a bomb through the sensors and planted into the seating area?”

“They used a body-bomber, sir.  We’ve confirmed it with vid recordings, if you wish to see it.  We suspect the bomber didn’t even know he was carrying a bomb inside of him.  He was seated directly behind you and was acting perfectly normal until he exploded.”

“Body-bomber!  I thought the Brotherhood had stopped using them!  We haven’t seen any of those in several years!” I exclaimed.

“Well, apparently they’re back.  It was also a body-bomb that damaged the Cantolla Gate Station, as was the bomb that damaged the War Room housing.   We're not sure about the one at the munitions depot.  There isn’t enough evidence to know for sure and there was no camera recording the area where the explosion took place.”

“What’s happening down there now?” I asked, as I looked at the 3D holographic display of the base in the ship's War Room.  As we scanned the real-time image, I could see what appeared to be clouds forming in certain areas that were slowly dispersing through the grounds and campus buildings.

“Are they using some kind of gas?”

“Sir,” replied one of the aides monitoring communications from Plosaxen’s surface, “Someone has issued orders for a light fog to be emitted from the on-base fog machines.  Apparently the fog creates a visible corona discharge around the cloaking fields of the enemy combatants, so we can spot them quite easily.”

“What?  I’ve never heard anything about that.  Have you Marranalis?” I asked.

“No, sir.  It’s new to me.”

“Get A’Lappe on the vid,” I commanded.

A’Lappe’s image appeared a few seconds later and Rory was standing next to him.  “What can I do for you, Admiral?” he asked.

“A’Lappe, there’s been an incident at the graduation involving cloaked attackers and our troops are using fog generators to reveal the locations of the combatants.  Do you know anything about fog producing a visible corona discharge around a cloaked object?”

A’Lappe’s blank expression told me he hadn’t thought about it.  Slowly he said, “No… but it’s possible, now that you mention it.”

Behind him, I saw an excited look on Rory’s face.

“It works!  It works!  Reide, and me tested it one time here in the lab!” he said as he began to leap around.

“What?!” I exclaimed.

“When?” asked A’Lappe at the same time.

“The day before Tibby took him to Alamar-4 with Lunnie,” replied Rory.

“What did you do?” asked A’Lappe.

“Reide wanted to see if the cloaking devices made fog invisible, but when we tested it in the lab, the whole thing lit up and turned blue and made crackling noises.”

“Why didn’t you and Reide tell me about this?” A’Lappe asked with an excitement he rarely showed outwardly.

“I don’t know,” Rory said sheepishly.  “Reide said it wasn’t of any use, because there’s no fog in space and that you already have gravity mass detectors to reveal the locations of ships cloaked in space.”

“Yes, but we didn’t have any way of spotting people wearing cloaking devices on the ground or inside a ship,” I said.  “Rory this is a great discovery that you and Reide made!”

Rory beamed, but added, “It was mostly Reide’s idea.  But I helped!”

“So then Reide must be the one responsible for the fog as a means of finding the snipers and other cloaked enemies,” A’Lappe said.

“It certainly looks that way.”

“Tibby, is Reide alright?” asked Rory as I was about to end the call.

“I don’t know,” I said. “But as soon as I find out, I’ll let you know.”

Over the next hour, we monitored the battle in the 3D hologram and received reports of action on the ground.  Thirty-one people were killed in the explosion at the parade grounds.  One cadet was killed shielding Admiral Windangar and eight more were wounded either by flying debris from the blast or wounds received in battle.  Commander Ircart received a flesh wound.  Seven civilians died in the stadium seating, thirteen were wounded at the base Cantolla Gate Station and, miraculously, only three people died in the area of the armory.  The latest report indicated six wounded and zero deaths at the base War Room.  At other locations around the base the cloaked snipers managed to kill twenty-two additional staff, officers and cadets before they were finally located and stopped.  All but one of them were killed.  The last was hit by an armored vehicle as he tried to flee.  He was transported to the base hospital and was in critical condition.

Although I didn’t ask him to, Marranalis checked on Reide’s status.  Reide was doing fine and it was indeed Reide's doing when the fog generators were utilized to find the enemy snipers.  I asked Marranalis to send Rory a message on my behalf, letting him know Reide was safe.

When it finally seemed that everything on the base was once again under control, Marranalis turned to Kala and said, “Captain Kalana, as the only person here that is able to give orders to Tibby that he is likely to follow, I respectfully request that you order him to go immediately to the infirmary.”

Kala chuckled and then looked at me sternly.  “You heard what the Admiral said.  Do I need to order troopers to drag you there or will you go willingly?”

“Alright, alright!  I surrender,” I joked back.  Then I turned to Marranalis and quipped, “I won’t forget this… traitor.”

Marranalis let out a loud laugh, and I could have sworn I saw tears of relief in his eyes that I was going to be alright.  I struggled to keep from groaning as Kala helped me to my feet.  By now, the pain and soreness had amplified and was many times harsher than when I arrived.  I would have preferred going back to the
NEW ORLEANS
to be treated by A’Lappe, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen; so, slowly and painfully, I leaned on Kala as we made our way to the infirmary.