SWEET HOME ALLE BAMMA (SOLBIDYUM WARS SAGA) (49 page)

“By that point the High Command had moved aboard Tibby’s ship, the
NEW ORLEANS
; but instead of treating Tibby’s offer to set up a safe temporary mobile command center with the graciousness of a guest, I let arrogance get the best of me and instead saw the
NEW ORLEANS
as a war vessel of the Federation military with myself as its commanding officer.  Oh, I was willing to let Tibby call the shots; after all, he was making me and the Federation military look quite good.  Tibby has a way of making the exceedingly difficult look easy.  To my shame, I paraded Tibby and his team around, showing them off as though they were a triumph for the Federation.  I was wrong to do so.  I never took into account the wishes or wellbeing of Tibby and his compatriots.  That foolishness nearly cost the lives of both First Citizen Tibby and First Citizen Kalana.  I deeply regret my thoughtless actions now, but even then I didn’t fully accept responsibility for my self-serving decisions.  I continued my foolishness even after First Citizen Kala was wounded and clinging to life in stasis.  It was when I insisted that I was going to take the
NEW ORLEANS
from Tibby to use as my command ship for the battle at Banur, instead of supporting Tibby in his decision to come here to Alle Bamma to get the materials necessary to make the anti-toxin for Kalana, that Tibby set me straight on the matter.  I’m glad he did.  Even today I am horribly ashamed of my actions and my behavior.  Never has anyone performed as great a service to the Federation as Tibby and his team; and I was wrong to take advantage of him and his team as I did.”

The admiral’s heartfelt and candid speech roused the crowd into a roar of applause and cheers that I thought would never end.  He waited patiently until the din subsided before
he continued.

“It was First Citizen Tibby’s idea to set the trap at Banur for the Brotherhood, a trap that worked remarkably well.  By our count the Brotherhood arrived at Banur with five corvettes, one frigate and 29
 patrol ships.  We met them with two cloaked star ships, three cloaked frigates, hundreds of cloaked patrol ships independent of the many hundreds already on the star ships, and ten cloaked Mirage Fighters.  We took nearly a hundred prisoners and killed most of the other enemy contingent in battle.  We out gunned them by at least 100 to one.

“Tibby, on the other hand, arrived at Alle Bamma with his yacht, the
NEW ORLEANS
, a few patrol ships, ten Mirage Fighters and a few hundred of his security forces.  He arrived to find that Alle Bamma had been occupied by 15 Brotherhood bases, nearly a dozen heavily armed corvettes, over a hundred patrol ships, and thousands of ground defenses and troops.  Tibby and his crew captured the entire planet; set free thousands of natives held in slavery; and managed to capture – not destroy – but
capture
many of the enemy ships, which he is now using to guard the planet.  He also managed to capture over a thousand enemy Brotherhood troops and officers.  With one small ship and a fraction of the forces we had at Banur Tibby accomplished ten times over what we did.”

Once again there was
a roar of applause and cheers.

“There is one thing more that needs to be mentioned.  Part of the Brotherhood’s plan was to intercept and/or delay solbidyum deliveries throughout the Federation and use these disturbances as a
political tool to claim that the Federation is demonstrating partiality to specific planets and systems and to breed propaganda in an effort to convince the citizens of the Federation territories that we are liars who are using the solbidyum covertly for our own power-hungry purposes.  It was Tibby who devised a plan to expedite the delivery of the solbidyum; and though I cannot tell you the details of that plan, I
can
tell you that, as of this moment, over 30 worlds have received their solbidyum deliveries and commissioned their global power distribution systems; and nearly 400 additional deliveries are underway as I speak.”

Again came the roar of applause and nearly deafening cheers of surprise and excitement.  Then the admiral continued, addressing me directly.

“Tibby, you and your crew deserve a rest; so, barring an all-out war where every federation planet is under attack, I promise you, I will not be calling on you every day for your amazing support and assistance.”

There was another round of applause and I decided to use the moment for a speech of my own.  I rose from the table during the applause and addressed the admiral.

“Do you mind if I say a few words?”

“No, no, not at all.  Please do,” he said as he sat down.

“There is a lot of talk about me and what I have done,” I began, “and though my team is mentioned when relating events such as those that have recently unfolded, they do not receive the full recognition they deserve.

“The wonders of the RMFF shields that now are begin installed on the Federation star ships and frigates, as well as the unique power sources that are required to maintain them are the direct result of A’Lappe’s works and discoveries,” I said as I walked to his table and placed my hands on his shoulders.  “What has not yet been mentioned about A’Lappe is that he also is the architect of my ship, the
NEW ORLEANS,
which was not designed or built for me, but for Galetils, a man who may in fact have been murdered by the Brotherhood in their attempt to seize the plans for the 10X reactor, the
only
reactor capable of generating enough power to operate an RMFF shielding system.  It was also A’Lappe who designed the Mirage Fighters, ships that can fly with more speed and maneuverability than any other ship known in the Federation.  While it was Commodore Stonbersa and Captain Kerabac that discovered the cloaking technology we use on the ships, it was also A’Lappe who figured out how to develop versions that could be used on smaller Federation ships and by Federation troopers.  I did
not
do these things; many of his inventions had already been developed long before I ever came here.

“The learning headbands that have enabled Federation troopers to develop their martial arts skills lifetimes faster than they would with conventional methods were developed by Cantolla and her team of scientists,” I said, as I walked behind her chair and placed my hands on her shoulders.  “Without her accomplishments we would never have been able to save the
DUSTEN
, nor would these troopers have survived many of the combat situations we have faced thus far.

“Working together, Cantolla and A’Lappe have also overcome the barriers associated with long distance communication.  It will now be possible for star ships and the High Command to communicate instantly, even when light years apart; and while this technology is still in its infancy, it is a giant leap forward in communication and in response times for crisis situations.”  The
re was a collective gasp and some applause from the audience at this announcement.

It’s because of Lieutenant Marranalis,” I said, placing my hands on his shoulders, “that so many Federation troopers have been so finely trained; and if it were mine to give, he would have a rank much higher than Lieutenant.  He has led the raids on the Brotherhood camps and trained innumerable Federation troopers and officers, many of whom outranked him.  Without his skills, keen military intuition and dedication to the citizens of the Federation, I would not be standing here today.”

Cheers of patriotism filled the room before I continued to Kerabac and Stonbersa.  “Without Captain Kerabac and Commodore Stonbersa and their extraordinary skills as leaders, pilots, and technical experts, none of this would have happened either.  It is because of their exceptional and precise execution that these remarkable ships and inventions we speak of so casually have protected lives, defeated our enemies, and expedited the distribution of solbidyum to the citizens of the Federation.  Their work is seldom mentioned and far too often taken for granted.”

I gathered my thoughts while the applause again filled the room.  My next introduction would require a bit of finesse.

“The battles at Alle Bamma were indeed a great triumph, not only because of the dismantling of an entire planetary Brotherhood base and the deliverance of thousands of natives from slavery, but also because the victory here has put a huge dent in the Brotherhood’s production and distribution of the harmful and addictive drug God’s Sweat.  But the victories at Alle Bamma could not and
would
not have happened – without Captain Felenna,” I said as I walked to the chair where she sat, her arm still in a sling from the wound she had received.  I paused behind her chair and placed my hand on her good shoulder.  “Up until a few days ago Captain Felenna was a member of the Brotherhood.”

There were gasps all around the room and a buzz of conversation, but I continued without faltering.  “Captain Felenna was never in the Federation military.  She was never a traitor to the Federation.  She became involved in the Brotherhood without really knowing what they were about; and when she discovered the true despicable nature of this organization, she was trapped here at Alle Bamma with nowhere to go.  When we arrived, she immediately took the opportunity to show where her true allegiance lies.  She put herself at great risk to assist us in stealing two corvettes, the
MIZBAGONA
and the
RUNANA
, one of which was the flagship for the Brotherhood fleet that was stationed here.  Captain Felenna was wounded during that mission; but even after being injured, she was able to kill the captain of the
MIZBAGONA
and command a crew of loyal security forces, who successfully seized the ship and delivered it to the
NEW ORLEANS. 
For her bravery and actions on behalf of the natives of Alle Bamma, the members of my crew, and the citizens of the Federation, I made her captain of the
MIZBAGONA
in my fleet.  I tell you with all honesty and truth of heart that none of what has been accomplished here at Alle Bamma would have been possible without her bravery.”

I heard the beginning of some nearby applause and I looked to see Admiral Regeny, who was clapping as he rose from his chair.  Beside him Captain Xantaee did the same; and suddenly everyone in the hall was on their feet applauding and cheering for Felenna.  Her eyes welled with tears of joy and pride as I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “See, I told you that you didn’t have anything to worry about.  The Federation is not about to try or charge a hero of your stature.”

“Thank you, Tibby,” said Felenna.

When the applause calmed down I continued
my speech.  “All of you make me out to be a hero and an icon of the Federation; but I too have my shortcomings.  I would have left before the battle at Banur, even if I had known it would have meant the Brotherhood getting away.  There was nothing at Banur to begin with; it was all a ruse, a trap to pull in the Brotherhood.  If the Brotherhood had arrived and the Federation ships not been there, the Brotherhood would have gone home empty-handed.  If I had stayed the outcome of the battle would not have been different.  What
would
have been different was that Kalana, the woman I love, would have been left much longer in stasis, where her life hung in the balance until an antidote to the deadly poison in her body could be found.  Kalana was and always will be my top priority, ALWAYS!

“
Yes, I fought for the future of the Federation so this alliance can continue to succeed and thrive, safe from the contemptible and violent influences of the Brotherhood and other threats.  But I also fought for Kala – for her very life.  On the world that I come from there is an old saying;
A man cannot serve two masters
.  There has to be one that stands above the rest.  I highly prize and value my citizenship in the Federation; but make no mistake about this – I prize and value Kalana more; and given a situation where I must choose, it is Kalana that I will protect and serve first.

“
So don’t make me out to be more than I am; do not expect more of me than I can do. 
These
are your
true
heroes,” I said as I swept my arm toward my crew.  “Give them their credit and their due.”  Then I went to my seat and sat down beside Kala, who looked at me with teary eyes and kissed me on the cheek.

There was a moment of silence and then Admiral Regeny got to his feet and said, “We salute you all, true heroes of the Federation.”  He was joined by Captain Xantaee and followed by everyone in the hall as they rose to their feet.  All the military personnel in the room saluted, while the civilians and dignitaries filled the room with reverberating cheers and applause.

The rest of the evening went by quickly.  We ate and chatted; and numerous dignitaries came by our table to express their gratitude for our deeds.  I looked over at the table where A’Lappe was seated.  Several people crowded around him to ask questions about the RMFF shields and cloaking devices.  He caught my gaze from the next table, looked at me with a mischievous grin, and blinked his eyes in his odd fashion.  Then, true to form, he disappeared from his chair to the amazement of those who had congregated around him.

A few seconds later I heard him whisper, “I’ll see you all back at the
NEW ORLEANS
.  These events sort of bore me.”

I laughed heartily, as I knew without a doubt that he was having the time of his life.

That night when we got back to the
NEW ORLEANS
, we had barely entered the bedroom before Kala pushed me on the bed and pounced on me, kissing me passionately.  “You made me so hot when you made that speech tonight that I wanted to tear your clothing off and make love to you right there,” she said.