Frontiers Saga 12: Rise of the Alliance (48 page)

“Well, now that the scavenger teams have begun harvesting material from the battle debris, we should have all fabricators running around the clock again within a few days.”

“I’m sure Lieutenant Commander Kamenetskiy will be happy to hear it.”

Commander Willard looked back toward the hatch as Captain Roselle entered the ready room. “If there is nothing else, sir?” he asked Nathan, looking to excuse himself.

“No, Commander,” Nathan replied, “thank you.”

“Sir,” the commander nodded. He turned to face Captain Roselle. “Captain,” he said respectfully as he moved around the captain and exited the compartment, closing the hatch behind him.

“Still not sure how I feel about a mutineer as your XO,” Roselle said as he took a seat.

“It depends on why he mutinied, doesn’t it,” Nathan said.

“I guess that depends on which side of the mutiny you’re on.” Roselle leaned back in his chair, looking at Nathan. “Which brings me to my next question; how the hell did they know?”

“If you’re referring to how the Jung knew where to find the Falcons, the question has already been raised by both Lieutenant Telles and Lieutenant Commander Nash, the latter of which confronted me only minutes after the battle had concluded.”

“So, they suspect a spy as well?”

“It has to be someone on either the Aurora or the Celestia,” Nathan explained. “We were both docked inside the Karuzara for at least ten days, during which time most of our crews had access to the interior of the Karuzara.”

“But not
all
of your crews.”

“No, not all. We have narrowed the list down to about eighty possible suspects.”

“They must have transmitted the information to the Jung during the battle,” Roselle said. “Surely you can tell from your sensor logs or comm logs if someone sent a message.”

“We have been unable to find any indications of such a transmission,” Nathan admitted, “but we have not given up. We will do everything possible to discover the identity of the spy.”

“The problem with spies, Scott, is that they are usually well hidden. I trust you’re keeping this compartmentalized?”

“So far, the two of us, Lieutenant Telles, and Lieutenant Commander Nash are the only ones who know of the investigation.”

“How do you know I’m not a spy?” Roselle challenged.

“Because neither you nor your crew had ever set foot on the Karuzara, so none of you knew the location of the other Falcons, or that any of them were operational.”

“Just checking. You know, you might want to install some sort of anti-theft devices on those birds.”

“That’s the plan,” Nathan assured him, “as well as self-destruct mechanisms to destroy the jump field generators in case of capture. That was Admiral Dumar’s first order as the new Commander of the Alliance.”

“So, I guess it’s official, then.”

“Yes, all the existing governments of Earth, such as they are, have signed onto the Alliance charter. As of today, we are all
officially
under the command of the Alliance.”

“How do they plan on sorting out ranks and such?”

“They decided that since all the policies and procedures for the Aurora, the Celestia, and the Scout ships are all written for EDF rank structures, it would be easier to use that than to come up with some sort of a hybrid system.”

“Makes sense, I guess.”

“Too bad you won’t be here for the ceremony,” Nathan said.

“Yeah, I’m real broken up about that one,” Roselle replied. “Wish we could have gotten our plasma torpedo cannons installed before we left, though.”

“The Karuzara should be back and ready to finish your upgrades in a few weeks. To be honest, I’m surprised they didn’t suffer more damage than they did.”

“Sixty kilometer rock versus a twenty-kilometer ship… Rock wins every time,” Captain Roselle said as he stood.

“Leaving already?” Nathan asked with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Roselle snickered. “I have to admit, Scott, after all that’s happened in the last few weeks, I’ve got a bit more respect for you than before.” He held up his hand, his thumb and forefinger held only a centimeter apart. “Just a bit.” He turned toward the hatch. “Of course, I’m still going to jump your shit every time you fuck up. You know that.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Captain.”

Roselle smiled and headed for the exit, then paused at the hatch. “You know, I was ready to do it. Jump inside that rock and set off my antimatter warhead.” He turned and looked at Nathan again. “I was this close,” he said, again holding up his hand with his thumb and forefinger close together. “If Telles hadn’t pulled it off at the last moment… ”

“That’s why I asked you to take the job, Captain,” Nathan said. “A failsafe isn’t much good if you don’t have the right man’s finger on the button.”

Roselle smiled again. “That’s why I have more respect for you than I did before, Scott.” Roselle held up the gesture with his thumb and forefinger a third time. “Just a bit.”

* * *

Nathan looked out at t
he Porto Santo base from the vantage point of a nearby hill. The warm ocean air wafted across the hilltop, its slight chill offset by the warmth of the afternoon sun. This was what he missed the most… Fresh air, sunshine, vast open spaces. All of these things were missing from the artificial environment of a spaceship. Even the garden domes being constructed deep inside the Karuzara asteroid could not do it justice. This is what they fought and died for… The ability to stand on a spot such as this, and breathe in the air and absorb the bountiful energy of the sun. Everything else boiled down… It was just that simple.

“You were saying, Captain?” Telles said, breaking Nathan out of his daydreaming.

“I was saying that I’m amazed at how quickly your people have gotten the base fully operational again, especially in only two weeks.”

“There is nothing amazing about it, really,” Telles insisted. “Much like the people of Earth, we too had gone underground, along with all of our assets. The buildings that were destroyed had been baited with radiological decoys to trick the Jung’s targeting computers. They destroyed only that which we wished them to destroy.”

“I only wish the entire planet had fared as well,” Nathan said as he continued walking the ridge line.

“Compared to the previous attacks, your world received only scratches this time around.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Nathan agreed. “How are things coming along with the Jung ground forces?”

“The last of them were either eliminated or captured a few days ago. We have had reports of small skirmishes, but we have yet to confirm that any of them were with actual Jung soldiers. As best we can tell, there are no more organized Jung forces on this world. Of course, we shall continue to operate as if there are.”

“Of course.”

“I have spoken with the leaders of Earth,” Telles continued. “We have agreed to provide training for their security forces, here on Porto Santo.”

“Yes, I heard,” Nathan replied. “Congratulations on your promotion, by the way. Lieutenant to full commander. A nice jump, and well deserved I might add.”

“Thank you, sir,” Commander Telles replied, “although I am not sure exactly how a commander fits within the Ghatazhak rank structure.”

“Does it bother you to be under the auspices of the Alliance?”

“Not at all,” Commander Telles assured him. “Admiral Dumar has had a long and distinguished career. He is well qualified for the position. However, we are still Ghatazhak just the same. The men stationed here now are still programmed to remain loyal to yourself above all others. I cannot speak to those Ghatazhak who shall join us in the coming months, as I assume that their programming shall favor the Alliance.”

Nathan stopped walking and looked at the commander. “Why can’t they just be loyal to the Ghatazhak?”

Commander Telles looked quizzical. “That is an interesting question, Captain.”

Nathan continued walking. “So, how long do you think it will take for the security forces of Earth to be able to take over the job of policing their own areas?”

“To a significant degree? Several months at least. To completely take over and free us from our responsibilities on this world?… Perhaps years. Much of your world is still contaminated, as you know.”

“Yes, but the Corinairans have promised a continuous stream of aid, as well as technology that can be used to clean up the contamination. Of course, it will take some time. Only a few of the Earth’s fabricators survived. It will take a few months to significantly grow their numbers to the point where they can keep pace with demand.”

“Yes, but their numbers
will
grow,” Commander Telles assured Nathan. “There is one thing I have learned about Terrans. They are tenacious.”

* * *

Jessica walked the streets
of Terra, the first of several settlements built by refugees from Earth on Tanna. The city was rudimentary at best, with rows of small houses of simple yet sturdy construction. Much of the walkways were no more than trails worn down in the grassy meadow alongside one of Tanna’s many lakes. However, as simple a city as it was, it was a vast improvement over the camps that Jessica had rescued her family from more than a month ago.

The city had grown in recent weeks as more and more immigrants had come over from Earth. The city’s central shopping district and government offices had grown accordingly, and many of the buildings in the district had risen several stories in height. What had started as a collection of tents had become a city complete with infrastructure, roads, shops, and public services.

She walked past one of the transportation hubs where Tannan busses picked up refugees to work in the fields and factories that produced that which the Earth needed. Men and women were disembarking from one of the afternoon busses, fanning out in all directions as they headed down the various paths that led to their homes. The lives of these people were not glamorous, and they certainly lacked the creature comforts that they had been accustomed to during their lives on Earth. But that was all before the Jung. Now, they were just happy to have a roof over their heads and the basic necessities of life. Even more so, they were happy that they were helping their homeworld to recover, despite the fact that most of them would likely never return to that world. They would build new lives here on Tanna, the world that had welcomed them with open arms. They would help shape this world, and in the process help shape a new Earth.

Jessica paused a moment, checking a hand-carved wooden street sign.

“Don’t tell me we’re lost,” Josh said from behind her.

“We’re not lost, cadet,” Jessica replied with a sharp tone, “I’m simply determining our position so that we do not
become
lost.”

“Sorry, sir,” Josh said.

“Her place should be down this way,” Jessica said as she continued walking.

They continued down a long, curving path that made its way between houses. Eventually, they left what had once been a grassy meadow and entered a forest of trees tinged with green and blue leaves. The forest had a magical quality to it, with birds the likes of which neither of them had seen, as well as small creatures that stuck their heads out of holes in the ground, then disappeared as the strange creatures approached.

Jessica finally came to stop in front of one of the small houses tucked away between two large trees. “This is it,” she said, stepping up to the front door.

“I’ll just wait over there,” Josh said, pointing to a nearby stump. “Soak up a bit of nature, and all that.”

Jessica knocked on the door. A moment later it opened.

“Jess!” Synda cried out, immediately throwing her arms around Jessica. “Oh, my God! I’m so happy to see you!”

For the second time in just as many months, Jessica’s heart was warmed.

* * *

“You know, I fought for the funding
for the Explorer-class ships,” Nathan’s father said as they entered the captain’s mess.

Nathan paused to look at his father. “I thought you were against the war effort?”

“I was, publicly,” he replied. “All part of the ruse. The original plan had been to build this exact same ship, but without the big four-barreled rail guns.”

“The quads?”

“Yes. Many were afraid that they could be considered as ‘orbital strike weapons’.”

“We have used them as such,” Nathan admitted. “More than once, I might add.”

“Well, the original ones were even bigger. They also had them on both the top and bottom. Same thing with the mini-rail guns.”

“Both top and bottom?” Nathan asked as he took his seat.

“Yes. We scaled down the design and instead reinforced the underside with additional armor under the guise of using it for aero-braking to save propellant while on long missions of diplomacy away from Sol.”

“I would have loved to have twice the number of rail guns, I can tell you that,” Nathan exclaimed.

“If you look at the designs, the spaces are still there.”

“That’s why we have those empty bays on either side of the main propulsion section, right? For future weapons?”

“Yes. Actually, the design had been to put energy weapons in those bays, but that was just a scam to hide the funds that were being diverted to the jump drive project.”

“You mean ‘projects’,” Nathan reminded him.

“Yeah, I still can’t believe that I didn’t know there was a shadow project,” his father admitted.

“One of the things you learn is to always have a backup plan,” Nathan said.

“They teach you that at the Academy?” his father wondered.

“School of hard knocks,” Nathan admitted.

The captain’s steward brought in their meal and placed it on the table in front of them.

“Molo, again?” his father asked.

“Sorry, but we have to conserve. You said so yourself.”

“I know,” his father agreed, “it’s just that we’re eating it at least three times per week now. The stuff grows like a weed in places a weed won’t grow.”

“That’s the beauty of molo,” Nathan said. “It grows where nothing else will.” He took his first bite. “Casimir said it would do well on Earth and help us get through the lean times as our world recovered.”