Star Force: Ghostblade (SF67) (7 page)

“And this mixed fleet would use what ships?”

“Special construction per unit requirements,” Paul
answered. “Our pick, not the factions.”

“Doable,” Roger added, “but it’d take a long time to
set up and we’d have to commission additional shipyards specifically for it. I
don’t want
Mainline
suffering production shortages to
cover.”

“I can see to that,” Davis offered. “The fourth tier
of non-military personnel will be segregated to exclusive planets. Those will
supply the ships for this new fleet, as well as be exporters to the rest of
Star Force. The populations will be there to work and nothing else, experienced
individuals only that will live with like-minded people, and I believe that
will increase production up another level, much like I experienced in basic
training.”

“With the Clans being the next step up,” Jason asked,
“for both civilian and military?”

Davis nodded. “Maturias will be a pseudo fifth tier
that will feed all graduates into the civilian tier. The others will pull
individuals up rather than have to worry about reproduction from inside. The
new fourth tier colonies will have maturias on site as needed for transitional
purposes, but the infants will be shipped off to other worlds as soon as
possible. That way they won’t be burdened with younglings or rookies living
amongst them, and the same method would be used in the Clans.”

“So much for a population surge,” Oni said
sarcastically.

“I know that interferes with some of your Clans’
population pushes, but am I wrong in thinking that it will elevate the skill
pool?”

“You’re right,” Morgan agreed. “And we’ll still be
able to push our numbers, just through other means. We won’t have to try and
stack the odds of a youngling buying into the Clan mojo when we can directly
recruit those who already do and boot those that lose their way. I like this
idea a lot, but it will require a lot of transitional headaches, biggest of
which is the loyal Clansmen we already have that won’t measure up to the new
standards.”

“Keep them if you want,” Davis suggested. “As much as
I want the Clans to be the elite of the elite, I also want to maintain and even
enhance your experimental status. Try whatever you like and see what works
best. The Clans are your little empires, continue to tailor them to your
wishes.”

“What of Canderous and Australia?” Mark-099 asked.

“With regards to Canderous, there is only one
alteration that I see being necessary, but feel free to add anything you like.
I think they’ve got to become not only a space-bound faction, but a nomadic
one. If we are to face the V’kit’no’sat we need to have bases that they don’t
know the location of, and the only way to do that in the face of a potential
computer hack is to have mobile ones. All future sedas need to be constructed
with interstellar gravity drives
defaultly
internal.
No more reliance on jump cradles.”

“We’ve been thinking along those lines for some time
now,” Paul admitted. “We were just waiting on the necessary technology to catch
up. As it is now, we can order a redesign with a loss of a decent amount of
internal space to accommodate the drives. It’ll lower their population count,
but we can work on increasing it over the years rather than waiting for a
prerequisite number. What about Australia?”

“They’re the weak link, by far, but so small in number
I’m considering not even tinkering with them. Thoughts?”

“Let me handle them,” Remy suggested.

Davis raised an eyebrow, about to ask what that meant
when Randy interrupted.

“Um, we’re overlooking the Kiritas/Kiritak why?”

Davis sat up a bit straighter. “I had assumed the
Kiritak were good to go as is. As far as the Kiritas are concerned, the Kiritak
are already their upper tier, and to date you haven’t wanted them involved in
military operations. Are you wanting to change any of that?”

“I’m just wondering why, if we’re altering all the
other factions to the same model,
are we
leaving them
unchanged.”

“Frankly I hadn’t considered it because their
civilization is so polished already that I didn’t want to mess with it. You
know them better than anyone. Do you think they’ll benefit from an internal
tier structure?”

“Not my point, exactly. But Mainline already has a
large number of Kiritak in it, working mainly the cargo fleet. Are we expelling
them to keep it all
Human
? And this new tier 4 you’re
planning sounds an awful lot like what the Kiritak already are, minus the
reproduction part.”

“I feel a criticism here. Just spit it out.”

“We can’t be split minded on this. Either we’re Star
Force or we’re just the Human Empire. Humans and Kiritak integrate so well together
in naval there’s no functional reason to split them up. If we’re worried about
the V’kit’no’sat targeting them along with us, then shame on us. We can’t treat
them as family
and
outsiders in the
hope that the enemy will leave them alone one day in the hopefully distant
future. We’re either in this together or not, and if not we need to split Star
Force apart and give the various factions their independence and stop feeding
them additional technology. That’s the only way they have a hope of not being
targeted.”

There was silence for a moment, but then Liam blew out
a long breath. “He’s right, and I would go forward to add that we can’t pretend
that Humans are just one faction out of several. We are the core of Star Force
so we shouldn’t try to isolate ourselves. We need to extend the
Mainline
fleet, not create a separate group. Same goes to
civilian operations. We pull other races in where beneficial while letting them
keep isolated groups as a supplement.”

“We can’t evacuate everyone out to the rim,” Davis
said regretfully. “And if we fight it out here, we’re most likely to die along
with them. I don’t see a good option in this, so please feel free to throw out
ideas.”

“Let the Clans experiment and figure it out,” Randy
suggested. “If the V’kit’no’sat come back now we’re screwed anyway. You work
the present, we’ll fight the future.”

Davis looked around at the 100 trailblazers, realizing
how simple that solution was. Not because it was a solution, but because he
knew he could trust them enough to take that burden off his shoulders and find
a way, if one existed, to make this monster of an empire they’d cobbled
together work in the face of that potential doomsday.

“I can live with that,” he said simply, suppressing a
grin for what he was about to say next. “So, the next question before us then
is whether or not Kara gets her own Clan.”

“Ah…” Paul groaned, burying his face in his hands in
visible complaint while several other trailblazers snickered.

7

July 30, 2812

Solar System

Earth

“Found something?” Jason asked, walking up behind Paul
in the Zen’zat barracks in the pyramid as he was reading a vertical holographic
display.

“Just trying to size them up with an eye towards where
they might be in the present.”

“The others have gone already. Figured you would have
been first in line.”

“Clan Saber is pretty set, so we won’t be heavily contending
the territorial allotments. Why are you still here?”

“Same reason you are. Trying to find another angle.”

“Any luck?”

“I’m giving all my current people immunity to whatever
standards we use, so there’s not going to be a turnover period,” Jason said
casually. “The younglings will start being shipped out to
Mainline
colonies as soon as the message I sent arrives, so I’ve got time to ponder.”

“What about the race for the six systems?”

“You know as well as I that our Clans are more even
than others. We don’t stand a chance of earning a major slot, so I’ve chosen
not to waste resources overly prepping. I thought you might, given your naval
dominance.”

“I’m working a different angle.”

“Care to share?” Jason asked, sitting down on the
bench next to Paul’s.

“Territory defense only works if we can gain an
advantage on the ground, otherwise it becomes a death trap. We can’t put down
roots where the V’kit’no’sat can see them.”

“You thinking of moving your Clan
rimward
?”

“Even that’s not good enough. We can’t just hide, we
have to strike and be on the move at all times. I keep running scenarios
through my head and the only way I can see that Clan Saber can have a chance of
effectively combating the V’kit’no’sat is to stay mobile and never fight a
defensive battle. We have to be rogues, pirates even, as far as they’re
concerned.”

“Rebels against the Empire?” Jason floated.

“Davis is right to worry about the masses. Until we
can build planetary defenses sufficient to hold out against a modest fleet
we’re sitting ducks. I don’t want the Sabers being sitting ducks. If we’re
playing defense we can’t be protecting others. We have to be free to move. A
Jedi has no attachments for a reason, and I’m seriously considering applying
that principle to my entire Clan.”

“Like Canderous?”

“Yes.”

“That’s going to set you back so far you’ll be worse
off than the Snowstorms.”

Paul smiled.

“Alright spill,” Jason insisted.

“Think
Starcraft
. The
Terran
structures built on the ground could fly if
necessary to evacuate so you didn’t have to leave them behind to get
destroyed.”

Jason stared blankly at the holographic text and
diagrams for a moment, remembering back to the ancient game and realizing the
genius in it. “Incredibly difficult to create, because you’d be starting from
scratch, but you’d still be utilizing and living on the surface whereas
Canderous does not. If your position is compromised you could evacuate in short
order, then put down your infrastructure at another location and almost
instantaneously have full production resume. Downside would be size. You’d have
to have everything small and exchange mega facilities for hundreds of smaller
ones, but it is theoretically viable.”

“Far more than viable.”

Jason frowned. “What are you seeing that I’m not?”

“It would make my Clan very hard to kill so long as we
have forewarning. Everything would be naval. I’d build the structures into
starships rather than mobile sedas. Quick to move, easy to replace if lost.
Focus on a smaller fleet rather than having big chess pieces. The necessary few
we could keep in deep space and safely anonymous. The problem is we’d become
very, very small and give up the industrial base we’ve established. Against the
lizards or even the Voku we’re better off proceeding as we are, but the
V’kit’no’sat are so far ahead of us that this is the only way I can think of to
give us a chance at survival. We have to be able to run and poke, no full-on
engagements. No even fights. We have to be ghosts operating out of view when
necessary.”

“And you’re thinking sooner is better than later?
Which is why you’re not even interested in the territorial allotments.”

“I get the feeling that if we’re tied to any planet
we’re not safe. We’ll make use of them when necessary, but we’re not going to
stay anywhere permanently.”

“You’ve settled on this then?”

“We can’t all do it. It’ll leave us too weak. But I’m
nearly convinced that this is the path Clan Saber has to go down. Not my first
choice, but it has too many advantages over an enemy that typically holds all
the cards. The more I review past battle records, the more I see the
V’kit’no’sat being used to running over people through sheer tech advantage.
They find out where you live then they pick the circumstances you’re bound to because
you have a home to defend. If we become homeless they’ll have to fight in
another manner, which they don’t have a lot of experience doing.”

“But there are some cases?”

Paul nodded. “They’re cagey, and almost exclusively
utilize computer or mental hacks to get the information they need to track down
those who hide or run away. If you leave a trail of breadcrumbs they’ll find
and follow it, but the cases that interest me the most are those they never
succeeded in locating.”

Paul adjusted the holograph telepathically, bringing
up a list in V’kit’no’sat script along with a galactic map. “These are
essentially bounties that were active at the time of the last update, citing
races deemed for extermination that they knew had at least partially escaped
their grasp. Those ships they’d tagged were still at large, including some
seda-like colony ships. It seems that if you run, and run hard, you have a
chance of getting away from them, and the Elarioni are living proof of that.”

“But you eventually have to settle down somewhere,”
Jason pointed out, “and when you do you risk being discovered.”

“Which is why you have to stay ghosts, living in the
anonymity that the galaxy is cloaked with. Always a rebel with no real
territory…at least none that you can’t live without.”

“You’re thinking about fighting them in the here and
now, not the future?”

“Surviving in the here and now. Other than some very
low ground conflicts we can’t stand up to their weaponry for even a short
while…but running is running, and I’d rather have the option now and not need
it than keep hoping to go unnoticed while we continue learning from the
database.”

“Your logic is sound, I just don’t think Clan Saber is
the Clan to do it.”

“Who then?”

“I think we all should, piecemeal. That way a part of
us could survive even if they came back tomorrow and live to rebuild the rest
of the Clan. We need to be empires, not just fleets of roaming ships, but with
that backup plan if things come to pass not in our favor. The Sangheili will
help you develop this tech, for I think it’s worthwhile, and I’m guessing
others will as well, but if we’re going to have a Clan go all-in and convert
100% to this methodology then I think it’d be best to start from scratch with
zero population and build it up one ship at a time.”

 
Paul turned and
glared at Jason. “You backstabbing bastard.”

“Am I wrong?” he asked innocently.

Paul squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think of a
reason to disagree. “There’s a freedom to the strategy that is very appealing,
and I want it for all of Clan Saber.”

“Is it worth losing your industrial muscle?”

“Depends.”

“We have the Tether colonies to fall back to. And even
if we are invaded 10 years from now having a roaming Clan fleet of any size
isn’t going to stop the carnage from ensuing. We need a Clan to pursue this as
another page in the Star Force playbook, but Clan Saber is too important to
other pages to focus on just this one.”

“But it’s such a cool one,” Paul protested.

“You can’t have two Clans, buddy,” Jason said, then
did a double take as he thought through his own statement as Paul’s eyes
widened a bit. “Or can you?”

“No reason she has to stop being a Saber,” Paul said
as he stood up, knowing that he’d just found his solution.

“Where are you going?”

“We must move quickly if the Jedi Order is to survive.
You in or not?”

“In for what exactly?”

“Maintaining our duo dominance.”

Jason grinned. “Always.”

“We can discuss it on a run around the command deck.
Then I’m leaving the system to get to work before anyone else can get the jump
on us.”

3 weeks later…

Kara’s dropship set down inside Paul’s command ship
with the trailblazer waiting for her at the foot of the ramp as it descended.
She eyed him curiously, wondering exactly what the fuss was about concerning
this secret summons. She’d been hunting lizards on the far side of the Achkor
Region and had to abandon a war fleet she’d been tracking to come back to Star
Force territory to rendezvous with him.

“Now do you feel like telling me what the rush was?”
she asked, stepping off onto the ship’s huge hangar deck.

“Big shake up across Star Force. Everything is getting
reworked.”

“Yes, I know. Davis sent me a personal heads up.”

“He did?”

Kara nodded.

“Well, we’re still finalizing plans but Davis is
handling everything non-Clan with some input from us, which is why we haven’t
made a public announcement. There’s a lot of behind the scenes retooling that
has to be done and we’re expecting it to take no less than a year before he
starts reorganizing the
civies
. The Clans are going
to be reworked into Star Force’s highest caliber factions, with all maturias
being transferred to
Mainline
facilities so that our
populations will be totally merit driven entries and no natives.”

“He said as much. Please tell me that’s not why you
brought me all the way back here.”

“No. I could have sent you a message with that,” he
said, thumbing towards the exit.
What we
have to talk about has to be off the record.

Go on
, she
replied telepathically so there would be no eavesdroppers.

Everything is
changing for the Clans and our powerbase is going to evaporate if we don’t
adapt accordingly. Davis is offering up territorial prizes for a series of
elite level challenges…that you won’t be a part of. No offense, but
your
…

Is a cheat, I
know.

The territorial prizes
are so large it’s going to tip the current power balances along with all the
other changes that will be happening. Each Clan is gearing itself towards
facing the V’kit’no’sat threat while Davis is going to focus on the here and
now, and from what we’ve been discussing with each other there are going to be
some wildly different strategies employed, all of which will be centered around
an enhanced competition between the Clans to get us better prepped for going up
against Zen’zat.

Lizards don’t
offer up much of a challenge
, Kara agreed.
Will that mean we’re pulling back on our combat assignments?

The theory is
that with so many Bsidd and Calavari troops available the Clans can pick and
choose where we strike rather than carrying as much of the workload as we have
been. We will be keeping a higher percentage of our forces in training and Trials
but we’re still going to fighting, with an emphasis on the heavier engagements.

Other than the
maturias, what’s changing?”

We’re
amping
up everything. People either keep up or wash out
back to Mainline. We’re cutting the
newbs
and
slackers out and making the Sabers top of the line. Where exactly the
benchmarks will land I’m not sure yet. The harder we make them, the less people
we’ll have.

We’re kicking
people out?

No, I’m not.
Those already Sabers will remain Sabers if they choose. The standards will
apply to others going forward and I’ll reduce the transitional training wheels
over time. Eventually we won’t have any true civilian population left. Everyone
will be working to advance the Clan in some fashion or they’ll expire their
membership.

Sounds a bit
harsh for some of the old timers.

I’m going to
make sure it’s not, but everyone has to get up to running speed. No more
walkers.

And what was
important enough for you to come out and fill me in in person?

Clan Saber is
going to have a lot of new projects in the works going forward. Some I’m
working on now, others I’ll come up with later. A few of them will be co-op
ventures with other Clans, and Jason and I will be developing one in particular
that we’ll share with all the Clans after we get it smoothed out and a decent
head start. We’re going to design and build mobile infrastructure so that we
can land it on a planet and get a functioning colony up and running within days
rather than years. On the reverse end we’ll be able to evacuate the
infrastructure instead of just the population if we come under serious attack.

Isn’t that going
to be ridiculously inefficient?

Yes, which is
why we’ve got a lot of work to do on it. The up side is we can move our
infrastructure around where the enemy can’t find us. If we’re tied to one
location the V’kit’no’sat can simply come in and stomp on us. We need to be
able to run, hide, and ambush with more than just our fleet. We need our
industrial muscle to do the same.

For the entire
Clan or just an addendum?