All Enemies Foreign and Domestic (Kelly Blake series) (15 page)

      Kelly asked, “How does it work?”

      Doctor F’Veh opened the case he had walked in with and pulled out what looked like a big, long beanbag.
 
He walked over to Kelly, asked permission, laid it over Kelly’s shoulder and turned it on.
 
It heated up quickly and soon Kelly felt an itch in that shoulder.
 
It grew in intensity until the itch was more than he could believe possible.

Doctor F’Veh turned off and removed the device, then said, “This device analyzes your body, detects the fracture, and creates a customized electromagnetic field on the spot of the injury to make your bones knit back together more quickly.
 
Your blood flow to any damaged cells is higher than before and thereby helps in your rapid healing of any soft tissue injuries.”

Doctor F’Veh conversed with Doctor Stevenson for a while, explaining every component of the kit.
 
He came over to Kelly, shook his good hand, and Kelly escorted him out.

      He came back to find Doctor Stevenson pouring over the components and reading the translation of the manual.

      “What do you think, Doc, will it work or just leave me with a gangrenous stump where my leg used to be?”

      Doctor Stevenson looked up from the manual and said, “I don’t see that it could do any harm.
 
I can knock you out with a sedative if the itching gets too bad to sleep.
 
It really projects a smaller strength electromagnetic field than you would get from a tri-vid viewer.
 
I recommend giving it a try overnight.
 
I’ll have my Physician’s Assistant watch over you.”

Kelly said, “We’ll do this at my quarters instead of in here, just in case this is a K’Rang Intelligence ruse.
 
Let me get my stuff and you grab your PA and go to my place.
 
Drinks are on me.”

* * * * *

      The Supreme Queen of the Civilization, alone in her birthing chamber, reviewed the report of the furry bipeds recapturing and making off with their ship on the fifth world.
 
The local sentient queens still had the navigation and communication devices and the courier ship should be there in a day or two.
 
The sensors on the courier should be sufficient to locate the ship.
 
The furry bipeds were not leaving the system without their nav system and there was technology on that ship that could be adapted to the Civilization’s use.
 
Their engines alone could do much to improve the Civilization’s own engine technology.

She checked on the arrival time for the Civilization fleet at the first of the five subdued worlds.
 
She also checked on the location and estimated time of arrival of the annihilation fleet and found it two weeks out.
 
If the courier ship could get this navigation system back here for her scientists to analyze and enable them to launch colony pods more precisely at habitable worlds, the Civilization would expand at a rate higher then ever before.
 
If the Civilization started colonizing a number of the closest worlds simultaneously, the furry bipeds would be overwhelmed, for they could not defend everywhere at once.
 
While they were tied up on these first colonized worlds, colony pods could be fired deeper and deeper and continue to overwhelm them, until their peoples were slaves or food.

      She called her assistants in and passed several messages to be sent to the senior sentient queen on the fifth world, the courier ship captain, and the civilization fleet commander.
 
She also ordered another annihilation fleet to proceed to the area of the fifth planet, even though it would take weeks to arrive.
 
She had an idea for how to trap the escaped ship and get it back.

Chapter Eight

      The door to Candy’s detention room opened and the senior K’Rang officer who had spoken to her before entered with L’Gan.

      “Mrs. Blake, I have a question for you.
 
Are you an advocate?”

      “I am a graduate of the Winston Churchill School of Law, licensed to practice law on any Galactic Republic world and accredited by the Galactic Republic Department of State to practice law on any world containing a Galactic Republic embassy, consulate, or interest section.”

      The senior officer deflated slightly at her answer.

      “Mrs. Blake, we have a delicate situation.
 
Elder J’Gon was brought to this facility to face a military tribunal investigating the circumstances leading to the K’Rang defeat at the Battle of G’Durin.
 
The presiding panel is on another world and we are limited in Elder J’Gon’s choice of advocates, as the security forces are very actively seeking to return you and the elder.
 
We offered the elder his choice of military advocates from the three we have here at this facility and, instead, he chose you.
 
Mrs. Blake, you are under no obligation to accept his choice.
 
This is an internal K’Rang matter and your abduction and presence here was a gross and unauthorized exceeding of the commando team leader’s orders.”

      Candy said, “I accept.
 
I would be honored to assist in Elder J’Gon’s defense.
 
I need to see his charge sheets and a copy of your military tribunal manual.
 
I will need to meet privately with my client first.
 
My K’Rang may not be up to the challenge during the tribunal.
 
May I have L’Gan as my translator?
 
Let’s go!
 
The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I get home.”

* * * * *

      The commander of the 1st Annihilation Fleet surveyed her command.
 
Her flagship was a planetary sterilization ship, half again the size of a K’Rang battlecruiser, the bottom festooned with radiation magnetrons designed to kill any life force on the surface, but leave vegetable matter undamaged.
 
Her opposite surface held batteries of plasma turrets, rail gun mounts, and gimbal-mounted directed energy weapons.
 
Her flagship alone could subdue most worlds.
 
For larger or more inhabited worlds beyond her capability, she had escorts mirroring her armaments and radiation generators, but in lesser quantities.
 
She had three assault landing ships filled with soldiers ready to overwhelm any planet inhabitants holed up below ground where the radiation could not reach.
 
The rest of her fleet consisted of minor escorts and support ships.
 
She had commanded the fleet through six engagements and had successfully established the civilization on six planets.

      Her mission was to go in after the colonies had or were about to achieve dominance and kill off enough of the indigenous inhabitants to ensure that the colonies achieved dominance.
 
She could kill all or most of the inhabitants of a planet in thirty orbits, if sun synchronous, while the colonies stayed safe underground.
 
This usually left a few pockets of indigenous inhabitants that were easily subdued by the colonies’ forces.
 
She and her escorts, being dual sided ships, could destroy the local inhabitants, weaken the local defenders through precision fire support, or defend against a counterattack from space.
 
She had never had to perform that last mission, but she constantly drilled her crew and command on fleet-on-fleet engagements, so they would be ready when and if the time came.
 
She anticipated that now that they were colonizing into the space of another spacefaring race, they might encounter such a counterattack.

* * * * *

      Candy had her chance to consult with her client in an unmonitored room.

      “Your excellency, have you lost your mind?”

      J’Gon laughed and spoke to her in Galactic Standard.
 
“Mrs. Blake, this tribunal has no legal standing.
 
I know; I wrote the manual they are citing as their justification.
 
I’ve already informed them they are guilty of treason.
 
The response was an honorable one by the trial judge.
 
I may feel bad about having them executed when all this is finished.”

      Candy goggled at J’Gon and said, “My translator and I have read the pertinent parts of the manual for tribunals.
 
It does not seem to grant them jurisdiction over you or anyone not directly under the command of the military unless there is a state of emergency under three categories:
 
Loss of government control; breakdown of social order; and natural or manmade disaster, including war.
 
None of these appear to be empowering at this time.”

      “Mrs. Blake, they are going through with this tribunal with or without justification.
 
They are demanding to know how we got into the disastrous war with your race and why we lost.
 
How did you find my charge sheets?”

      “I had trouble understanding them.
 
First is the charge of dereliction of duty.
 
Second is compelling surrender when the capability to resist still exists.
 
Third is a charge of reckless endangerment of military equipment. That one is a stretch and one thrown in because they couldn’t think of anything else.
 
Fourth and last is a charge of cowardice in the face of he enemy.
 
I don’t think I have ever heard of the military trying a head of state except in the case of a coup or revolution.”

      J’Gon gathered up his papers, turned to Candy, and said, “Come, let us get this over with.
 
I expect this will be a quick and dirty trial.
 
Don’t let too much of it splash onto you, Mrs. Blake.”

      He stopped her as she got to the door and handed her a small pocket-sized book, “Read that.
 
It is a copy of the founding constitution of the K’Rang Empire.
 
It might help you to understand the proceedings a little better.”

* * * * *

      Tammy reported to her boss, Rear Admiral Jan Van Lewtens, Commander, Heavy Aviation.
 
He stood up as she saluted and reported in.
 
He returned her salute and gave her a hearty handshake.

      “Sit down, Tammy.
 
Let me tell you why I had you come in such a hurry.
 
We have a new foe coming at us.
 
The K’Rang have an insectoid race challenging them for their space.
 
They have been unfortunate enough to lose one of their navigation systems to them.
 
That means the insectoids have the location of all the K’Rang habitable worlds, our worlds, and the Angaerry worlds.
 
If you can believe it, the K’Rang came to us for help.
 
They want us to help them fight off these insectoids.
 
We’ve been told to prepare for raids against the insectoid fleet, but we won’t help them until they return the defense attaché’s wife.”

      Tammy’s blood ran cold.
 
“They’ve taken Candy?
 
Who’s taken Candy?
 
When did this happen?”

The admiral replied, “I didn’t know you knew her.
 
I’m sorry for breaking it to you this way.”
 
He backed up behind his desk, picked up a piece of paper, and read from it.
 
“She was kidnapped four days ago, along with one of the Elders.
 
Intel thinks it is a coup by the K’Rang Army.
 
The remaining Elders are tending to the Army and have promised to get her home safe and sound.
 
We don’t move until she is safe – unless we get attacked.

      “Tammy, we’re going to do an abbreviated activation and assumption of command ceremony in two days.
 
You’re missing one squadron that’s still forming on Gagarin, but it will be here later this week.
 
You’ll be full up at that point.
 
I want you to train them up on the tactics you used against the K’Rang.
 
Once we go against these insectoids, I anticipate hit and run raids like you used so successfully against the K’Rang.”

      He pressed a button on his desk and one of his admin assistants, a smiling, petite brunette, entered.

      “This is Yeoman Howard.
 
She’ll drive you around and get you settled in.
 
She’ll be your yeoman after the ceremony, so you can keep her.
 
Watch her, though.
 
She’s a little too smart at times.
 
Go get yourself a place to live and some food.
 
I’ll see you back here tomorrow morning at 0700 for my morning briefing.
 
I’ll introduce you to your counterparts then.”

      Tammy shook her hand and Yeoman Howard led her out of the admiral’s office.

      “Come on, ma’am, do you want to eat first or get housing?”