Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price (2 page)

“You know, Admiral, I didn’t think any ship design could beat the carriers, but this ship exceeds my wildest dreams,” said Marranalis.

“I know what you mean.  This ship is a juggernaut!  I don’t know how else to classify it.  It’s not a carrier or a starship and it’s way too big to be a frigate.  The Senate just refers to it as the Admiral’s Military Command Field Operations Headquarters or AMCFOH.”

Marranalis laughed.  “That’s not what the crew calls it.”

“Oh?  What do they call it?” I asked in surprise.

“They call it the Black Hole Ship, because anything that goes up against it will vanish forever, as if they flew into a black hole.”

“Well let’s hope they’re right because I want to face off with Ming and his cohorts in this ship and send them into the agony of a black hole!”

“This may be your chance,” said Marranalis as we entered the
GLOMAR ROSA
’s War Room.  “Maybe the intelligence in Wabussie’s report will tell you where we can find Ming.”

The War Room’s on the carriers were a marvel in themselves.  The capacity of this technology was almost incomprehensible.  The computer that managed the space imaging system brought together data from every ship and satellite in the region, disseminated the information almost instantaneously to every commanding ship in the fleet and produced holographic images that, for all intents and purposes, displayed an image of any available area in space with uninterrupted immediate feedback.  The greater portion of the War Room was dedicated to the 3D holographic displays, which made it possible to walk right into the middle of a battle scene and see the action unfold in real time.  Even more amazing, a smaller block of space could be defined and scaled up within the scene to get a detailed look at a specific conflict; but what made the holographic system truly unique was its ability to link with the War Rooms of other ships and interact with their displays.  This feature not only made it easier to conduct meetings with the other admirals and ship captains when planning a campaign, but it also facilitated rapid exchange of information for decision-making purposes during a battle and prepared a virtually automated status report on demand.  It was one of A’Lappe’s greater accomplishments in terms of military equipment.  The War Room on the
GLOMAR ROSA
was larger than that on any warship in the Federation and, so far, it was untested; but I hoped that very soon I would have the pleasure of using it to see Ming destroyed.

My office was positioned next to the War Room.  This functional but comfortable space was paneled with an elegant wood-grained material.  It may have been real wood or an artificial material so similar to natural wood that it was indistinguishable.  It may also have been wood produced by a synthesizer, as this technology was said to be able to reproduce any type of organic material.  Whatever the case, it looked and felt like real wood.  Some distance away from my desk was a floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall vid screen that displayed images so true that had I not known otherwise, I would assume it was merely a window that separated me from whatever scene it portrayed.  Like every vid display in the Federation the image was three-dimensional; but what set this one apart from all the others I’d ever seen was that the omni-directional view widened the closer one moved toward the screen.  When standing right up against the display to look at a live image of space, I would have sworn that I could’ve seen the exterior hull of the ship, had I been able to stick my head through the screen.  However, that was a complete illusion in more than one way, as my office was located in the middle of the ship and nowhere close to the hull.  Moreover, I knew what actually stood behind the screen was a dormant Cantolla Gate meant for my own personal escape, in the event such a drastic measure was ever required.

I was the only military leader afforded the luxury of a private escape gate and only I knew the location of the receiving gate, which was located on a small, cloaked and unmanned patrol ship that sat alone within a region of space that was completely devoid of activity or visitors.  The design of my gate was modeled after two hidden evacuation gates located in the Capitol Station offices of the Federation Leaders.  If circumstances ever required me to use my evacuation route, I would need to destroy the 3D vid screen to get to the small compartment behind it, activate my end of the gate using a voice command that only I knew, and then pass into the refuge ship and close the gateway.  From there I could fly to the destination that best suited the emergency situation.  There were, of course, other escape gates for military personnel on all ships, but only I had a personal evacuation route and dedicated receiving ship. 

When A’Lappe designed the new carriers, I stripped out much of the luxury of the starships of old, replacing it with a more minimalist accommodation arrangement, and increased the ships’ offensive and defensive capabilities.  With the advent of the Cantolla Gates, fancy accommodations intended for long tours of duty were obsolete, as crews could now use the gates to go home at the end of shift and again to report for duty at the beginning of the next shift.  However, the Senate felt that the
GLOMAR ROSA
required a design more elevated than the carriers in terms of luxury accommodations and amenities, even if less opulent than the retired starships, since the ship would still be expected to host events and meetings with senators, senior military officers and dignitaries from other planets.  The Senate stated that the
GLOMAR ROSA
, as flagship of the Galactic Federation Military Forces, must represent the standards and images of glory and excellence that the Federation felt were needed to cast a lasting impression on any visitors.

I wasn’t in favor of the luxury elements of the
GLOMAR ROSA
’s design, but the Senate insisted on their inclusion.  I certainly wasn’t going to delay production because of such non-essential features and, more importantly, I felt that the Senate’s irrational resolve on the matter was a strong indication of a return to their past ideology, in which they believed opulence is a reflection of benevolent power and prosperity.  This kind of image and control over the Federation’s military was not something that made it better or stronger.  Ultimately, the Senate had its way and most of the visitor amenities were added.

While the visitor quarters were smaller than the dignitary suites of the starships, they did not lack in luxury.  Similarly, a major domo and house staff were at the disposal of the guests at all hours – something I was totally against including on the
GLOMAR ROSA
; but again I compromised, simply for the sake of getting the ship built.  Piesew was not about to leave the
NEW ORLEANS
to serve as majordomo for the
GLOMAR ROSA
, nor was Piebar ready to abandon the Megelleon estate for the position.  Both, however, highly recommended another of their relatives; an up-and-coming younger nephew to Piesew named Pieamar Mecarta, who served in the position with as much skill and refinement as his mentors.

I left Marranalis in the War Room and went to my office to activate my personal comlink and access my messages.  I now received so many messages daily that a staff member sorted them into various categories of importance, with the exception of secured messages, which were routed to me directly for priority attention.  These messages included any communication from the Leaders or admirals, with messages from Admiral Wabussie at the top of the list.  As head of the FSO, Wabussie sent communications that generally contained the latest intelligence data; hence, information from him was paramount to deciding any military actions.  It had been Admiral Regeny’s neglect of such information that led to the near decimation of the fleet at
GLOMAR ROSA
and the surrender of the Federation to Brotherhood domination.  I was not about to repeat his mistake if I could help it.

I anticipated the communication from Wabussie regarding the possible whereabouts of Ming would take the highest priority, and I was correct.  After entering my access codes and completing a retinal scan, the message file opened.  Marranalis couldn’t have been more right when he said the information might be something I would find exciting.  I glanced over the information quickly and called him into my office.  Marranalis now had his own office, which was adjacent to mine and connected by a secured door.  Outside his office was a larger administrative center, where aides reported to him from various desks and stations.  Although the staff was technically mine, I considered them to be his team, as I rarely communicated with them directly.  Their work and reports went directly to Marranalis and he prioritized and related the information to me personally, after which he filed the data appropriately for my reference.  This saved me an enormous amount of time.  I trusted Marranalis completely.  Only a few people communicated with me directly without going through Marranalis and Admiral Wabussie was one of them.

“You wished to see me, Admiral?” asked Marranalis as he entered my office.

“Yes.  You were correct in your guess that Wabussie's message would be news I wished to hear.  It appears the FSO has gained new intelligence regarding Ming’s movements that might lead us to his location.”

“So we know where he is?”

“Not exactly, but apparently someone on Tombosem does.”

“Tombosem!  That’s a strange place for someone to have information about the Brotherhood,” said Marranalis in a confused tone.

“Why is that?” I asked, as I knew nothing about Tombosem.

“It’s a small, Federation-aligned world – a low-density moon, whose gravity is less than half that of Megelleon.  I forget exactly which planet it orbits… the gas giant Laxaco, I think.  Anyway, the life forms there have weak exoskeletons and they injure easily, so they rarely leave their world.  When they do need to travel, they require special compartments that simulate their normal gravitational environment.”

“What happens to them if they’re exposed to gravity levels?” I asked.

“Their exoskeletons fracture and they are virtually crippled until their next shedding cycle, when they grow a new shell.”

“I’m gathering from your description; they’re not even close to being humanoid,” I replied.

“No, sir.  You can display an image of them on your vid screen, if you like,” he replied.

I fiddled with the console until an image appeared of a creature that resembled the giant coconut crab of Earth.  I had seen coconut crabs during my time in the Earths Navy, when we docked for a short time at Tasmania on our return to San Francisco from the Persian Gulf.  Those creatures, however, had tough thick, dark-colored shells, whereas the Tombosemites’ light, firebrick red exoskeletons appeared to be extremely brittle and nearly paper thin.

“How did the Federation ever get connected with the Tombosemites?” I asked.  “I don’t see what they could have that would be considered valuable or trade-worthy to the Federation.” 

While I was asking this question, I continued reading on the screen.  “Oh, never mind,” I said as I came across my answer.  “It says here that the planet is known for its high-grade pharmaceuticals and health facilities.  Apparently, people with certain health problems benefit from the lower gravity as a means of therapy and the Tombosemites are excellent surgeons.  Hm... I thought most operations were done robotically throughout the Federation.”

“Most are, but certain conditions are not part of the robotic programming or if the required surgery involves other complications, then a sentient surgeon is required.  The Tombosemites make superior surgeons because of their multiple appendages and very fine dexterity.  We may think they’re ugly, but they’re good at what they do.  In fact, their surgical skills and their pharmaceutical production capabilities have become valuable enough that the Federation agreed to protect them with a minor military outpost and a small contingent of troops who patrol the surface,” replied Marranalis.

“So how would one of these Tombosemites obtain information about Ming and the Brotherhood?” I asked, thinking out loud.

“Maybe it’s not a Tombosemite.  Perhaps it's patient who’s there to receive treatment for some health reason,” reasoned Marranalis.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” I answered, as I went back to reading Wabussie’s report.  “You’re right.  According to the report, this individual has traveled to Tombosem for repair to his abdomen.  He apparently suffered some kind of severe injury and they have to clone a complete digestive system before the surgery can proceed.  In the meantime, he’s being fed intravenously.  The report indicates that his injuries may have been caused by Ming in some way.”

“Why hasn’t the FSO or the FOI interrogated him?” asked Marranalis.

“It’s not clear in the report.  It only mentions that the individual wishes to speak to me about current Brotherhood operations and he won’t talk to anyone else.”

“That sounds suspicious.  It might be a trap to get you there and kill you.”

“If this report is accurate, it hardly sounds like he’s in any condition to kill anyone,” I replied.  “Besides, the last time someone asked to speak to me it led us to Ming.  Speaking of which, what happened to Asalott?  Did he return to Eh-Netta to complete his vows?”

“No, sir.  He’s still aboard the
NEW ORLEANS
, last I heard.  Apparently, the Gom Pasha wants him to stick around to witness the fulfillment of the prophecies.”

“Hm... I wonder if any of them have ever considered the possibility that I’m
not
the one shown in the prophecy.  It's probably just a coincidence.  Asalott may be with us a long, long, time.”