Miriamopus proposed.
<Yes, to our good fortune,> Hector replied, sharing with Miriamopus the elation he felt.
* * *
“We’ve received reports of another race’s battleship fleet that has sailed,” Julien said to Alex Racine.
The group was staring at a holo-vid, representing a great number of the federacy’s stars. It represented an enormous swath of space, the likes of which boggled human imaginations.
“Any data on directions?” Tatia Tachenko, the Omnian fleet admiral asked.
“By all reports, this one is sailing past the wall toward our worlds,” Julien replied.
“That’s if these verbal communications are to be believed,” Reiko Shimada, the Trident vice admiral grumbled.
“Admittedly, these reports aren’t hard data,” Julien allowed, “but the lifting of Artifice’s codes from many systems has earned us enormous goodwill, and races are anxious to reward us with accurate information.”
“Captain Descartes did say that the Nua’ll sphere was performing a thorough job when it came to removing the codes from every device in a system,” Franz Cohen, the fighter admiral noted. He shared a couch in the Freedom’s owner suite with his partner, Reiko, who was taking advantage of the downtime to be close to him.
“If this newest information is to be believed, that’s a total of three fleets that have crossed the wall in search of new colonies,” Renée de Guirnon, Alex’s partner, commented. “I wonder how far they’ll sail,” she mused.
Alex was staring fixedly at the holo-vid. The frustration was evident in his face. “We should have put up a sign,” he ground out. He glanced around at the confusion on everyone’s face. “A big sign … on the wall … no trespassing,” he said.
It should have been funny, but no one was laughing. Fleet resources were thin, which pinned them in place to protect the Talus system.
“We had no choice, Alex,” Julien said. “Artifice was the greater danger, and it was with great fortune and the assistance of other races that we were able to capture the entity.”
“I agree with Julien,” Tatia added. “And we have to be patient, while we fortify Talus, resurrect the Toral infrastructure, and guide the Toralians and the Sisterhood in forming their new society.”
“Where do we stand on the transition of sisters to avatars, Mickey?” Alex asked, abruptly switching subjects.
“The sisters have been removed from every Omnian ship and transferred to Toral, Alex,” Mickey Brandon, the fleet’s chief engineer replied. “But if you’re asking about the status of avatar adoption, I’ve no idea. I had to admit to being incapable of managing the sisters’ requests. I thought turning the process over to Miriam and Luther would work, but they gave up too.”
When Alex frowned at his friend, Mickey added, “It’s not as bad as it sounds. After Artifice was defeated, Z, Miranda, and Claude Dupuis oversaw the construction of a huge shop, complete with foundry, near the bot army’s remains. They guided the sisters in the design and fabrication of bots, which can create avatars and transfer kernels. Then they turned everything over to the sisters.”
“How’s that going?” Renée asked.
“It’s impossible to say,” Mickey replied. “The sisters trade avatars like we discard cards in a poker game. It’s gotten so complex that the teams patrolling for renegade bots have to query every device, so they don’t fire on a sister.”
“Oh … so they haven’t much use for human-appearing avatars,” Renée said in surprise.
“Not for now, anyway,” Mickey replied.
“I understand some of the Toralians aren’t pleased by that,” Franz offered.
“We stay out of it, as much as possible,” Alex interjected. “They’re going to have to work that out among themselves.” He glanced briefly at Julien, who took the hint.
Turning to Reiko, Alex asked, “Status on the orbital station?”
“I toured it two days ago,” Reiko replied. “The construction arm’s newest bay is online. The second Trident will be completed within days, as will the ninth traveler.”
“And the naval training?” Tatia asked.
“Going smoothly,” Franz replied, grinning. “Every Toralian wants to fly our ships. Those who get the opportunity work their wings off to prove their worth.”
“Julien, when do we expect the Toralian governors?” Alex inquired.
“According to President Sargut, the governors should be arriving in seven to eleven days, depending on the distance they’ve had to sail,” Julien replied.
“What is it?” Alex queried. He’d played too many poker hands with Julien not to notice subtle tells in the SADE’s voice.
“Sargut evinces no concerns about the governors’ visits,” Julien replied. “He feels confident in his claim on the home world and the new constitution he’s signed with the sisters.”
“But?” Alex pursued.
“Commander Taralum and Liaison Suntred don’t exhibit the same assuredness about the governors’ arrival,” Julien replied.
“Historically, when the Toralians claimed new territory, it was because they were founding new colonies,” Julien explained. “There is no precedent for reclaiming the home world.”
“What do Taralum and Suntred think the governors will try to do?” Tatia asked.
“That’s the problem,” Julien answered. “They’re uncertain, but they point to the fact that the governors are powerful Toralian leaders.”
“And they’re more important than a mere fleet commander,” Tatia finished.
“That seems to be the case,” Julien admitted.
“How are they expected to arrive?” Reiko asked.
“If you’re asking about the size and number of the ships that will accompany a governor, Reiko, that is unknown too,” Julien said. “Before now, governors traveled between colonies. These particular individuals have never visited the home world, and you can imagine why they haven’t.”
“That means we don’t know whether they’ll arrive in some sort of liner, a battleship, or a fleet,” Reiko concluded, and Julien nodded his assent.
“We do have a significant concern about the governors’ visits,” Julien said. “I understand from Taralum that the governors will demand a visit to the mound with Sargut present. It has something to do with affirming his Change.”
“I thought the Change was evident in various ways,” Alex said. “That’s what I understood from Taralum that day on the mound.”
“If I interpreted Taralum’s concerns properly,” Julien said, “the visit to the mound might be when the governors show their hands.”
“Meaning that if they wish to challenge Sargut’s authority, that’s the place to do it,” Alex finished.
“That’s how I read it,” Julien affirmed.
“Which brings up another problem,” Franz said. “That area still has thousands of active renegade bots that were too small to make the journey to join the army at the polar region, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. Furthermore, we don’t know how long the governors intend to sit out there in the open, much less what sort of security they’ll bring.”
“The answer to the last part is none,” Alex said firmly. “The governors will be transferred from their ships in Talus travelers.”
“With Toralians acting as crew,” Tatia said, grinning, and Alex nodded, a smirk at the corner of his mouth.
“Furthermore, we’ll provide the security,” Alex added. “We don’t need trouble to start from any quarter and have to worry about foreign security.”
“It’s too bad that we can’t shut down Artifice’s code in the renegade bots,” Renée lamented.
Except for Renée, the group glanced at Alex. The remaining bot army couldn’t be shut down because it operated on comm levels that only Artifice could access. Not even the Nua’ll comm sphere was capable of doing it. The bots had been Artifice’s last line of defense, which the Dischnya had penetrated. Shutting down th
e bots would require giving Artifice access to an antenna, which Alex had forbidden. It was a decision with which everyone agreed.
“We should deploy security at the mound now to clear the bots,” Alex said. He focused on Tatia, and said, “The Dischnya with plasma rifles, Miranda and Z in augmented avatars, and travelers in overwatch.”
Tatia nodded briskly and sent various orders via her implant.
“Who are acting as liaisons for the sisters with Sargut?” Alex requested.
“One individual,” Julien replied. “The sisters have gravitated toward Miriamette. I did suggest to her that she would accomplish more housed in a human-appearing avatar for her meetings with Sargut, the Toralian commanders, and Suntred. I’m pleased to say that she adopted my recommendation. It was better than her greeting them on the planet in the construction bot she often occupies.”
“What image did she choose?” Alex asked, and Julien sent him a vid of Miriamette’s avatar. Alex examined it in his implant and shook his head in resignation.
<Share,> Renée requested privately of Alex, but he didn’t respond.
“My partner appears reluctant, Julien; please share with the group,” Renée requested.
When Renée received the image, she laughed and remarked, “She could be my sister.”
Alex grumbled, and Renée patted his arm sympathetically. She sent privately, <I think it’s a compliment, my love. Please accept it as such.>
Alex didn’t share Renée’s opinion, and he was afraid to voice his own.
<Dassata, forgive the intrusion. Hector’s fleet is arriving. Shall I relay the admiral to you?> Killian sent. He and his fellow scout SADEs were far outside the Talus periphery and operating as the fleet’s early warning system.
Alex’s mouth curled in a smile at the mention of Hector’s assumed title, and his audience relaxed seeing his grimace disappear.
Alex sent, <Cordelia can handle the contact, Killian. Thank you for the timely announcement.>
In turn, Alex linked with those in the suite.
<Greetings, Alex,> Hector sent, his enthusiasm evident.
<Greetings, Admiral,> Alex returned, his smile growing wider.
<Apologies, Alex. The reinforcements arrived at Omnia with commodores. I found it expedient to promote myself to admiral,> Hector rapidly explained.
<How many did you bring?> Tatia asked.
<Twenty-one, Admiral,> Hector replied.
<A fair number of warships,> Tatia replied.
<Apologies, Admiral, I thought you were inquiring about squadrons since their groupings were what required commodores,> Hector replied.
<Sixty-three Tridents,> Reiko sent, her thought wrapped in amazement.
Alex grinned, and then his laughter slipped out. Hector lived for these moments, when he could surprise humans, especially Alex and his senior staff.
<I’d say your title was well-earned, Admiral,> Alex sent. <Any support ships?> he asked.
<Eight super freighters accompany the fleet, Alex,> Hector replied, <and I managed to collect a spare Trident and an explorer ship on the way here.>
<The Sojourn?> Renée asked anxiously.
<Yes, Ser, and the Guardian too,> Hector replied.
<What happened, Hector?> Alex asked.
<I received a distress call from Captain Plummer of the Guardian and responded,> Hector explained. <Apologies, Sers, let me say that all are safe,> he quickly added, thinking of Alex and Renée. <The exploration team ran into difficulties on a water world,> he continued. <While they were working on a rescue plan, a battleship fleet arrived.>
<Any ship losses from your fleet?> Reiko asked.
<We never engaged the alien fleet, Admiral,> Hector replied. <I chose to communicate to the fleet commander that the rescue of our explorers from the planet was our priority, and he could occupy the system.>
<And how did you manage to do that?> Franz inquired.
<That’s a long story, Admiral, which is best saved for later,> Hector replied. <I would like to mention two names for your consideration, Sers. You should hear Captain Plummer’s exploits against the battleship fleet. The other individual is Yoyo Tamora, a tech on the exploration team. Her actions were heroic, although she’ll be the last one to admit it.>
<So, no crew or ship losses, and you left the alien fleet there,> Alex affirmed.
<Precisely, Alex,> Hector replied.
<Where was this?> Tatia asked, and Hector sent the group the star coordinates.
Julien shifted the holo-vid image to display Talus, the wall, the water world system, and Omnia.
<Why was the Sojourn so far from Haraken and so close to the wall?> Renée asked, her annoyance evident.
<I did ask that question, Ser. The answer I received had much to do with saving time on returns to Haraken, while investigating multiple planets. However, it was clear that the expedition’s senior people knew where they were in relation to the wall,> Hector replied. He knew the information wouldn’t please Alex, Ser, and the senior staff, but they needed to know that human ships were ignoring the federacy’s dangers.
<We’ve reports of three alien battleship fleets that have crossed the wall toward our worlds,> Alex sent.
<The explorers have managed to locate one fleet for you, but we saw no evidence of the other two,> Hector replied.
<Do you think that fleet will remain in system or sail on?> Reiko asked.
<An interview with Captain Plummer should prove illuminating on that point, Admiral,> Hector replied, <and it’ll underline my opinion that the alien commander intends to claim that water world for his race. I think the battleship fleet will hold it until colonists arrive.>
<That mustn’t happen,> Tatia sent. Her thought was edged in determination.
<Admiral, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that the federacy races have no knowledge of our concept of the wall,> Julien interjected. <To these races, they’re simply taking the opportunity to expand and colonize new worlds.>
<Was there a probe in the system, Hector?> Cordelia asked.
<Yes, we detected its signal,> Hector replied.
<Was it destroyed?> Cordelia pursued.
<Negative, Admiral. The resulting massive explosion could have been interpreted as an aggressive move on our part,> Hector explained.
<Well done, on all points, Admiral Hector,> Alex sent. <Accumulating a sizable force, rescuing the Harakens, and extricating your fleet without risking a fight with battleships.>
<Thank you, Alex,> Hector replied. His emotional state was soaring from the compliment of the human who’d rescued him from his box. <Alex, should I transit to Talus and bring the fleet in system?>
Alex was quiet, while he thought. The governors’ visit nagged at him, and he decided to embrace it.
<Admiral Hector, prepare your forces for an intervention,> Alex sent with power.
Alex’s statement would have been enough to fully capture his staff’s attention, but the power of his sending put them on alert.
<In seven or more days, five Toralian governors will visit Toral,> Alex explained. <This is their home world, but they might not be pleased with the changes that have taken place. I want your fleet on standby. Freighters and the Sojourn will be left behind. Your forces will transit to the system on the coordinates you receive. Hopefully, our two fleets and that of the Toralians will be sufficient to dissuade the governors from any overt actions.>
<Understood, Alex,> Hector replied.
<I’ll explain more to you later. Again, my congratulations on your successes, Admiral,> Alex sent and closed the comm link.
Renée was disappointed at the delay in seeing her son, but if Alex sensed trouble, she wanted Teague and Ginny nowhere near it.
-10-
Governors
<Alex, we require your immediate attention,> Beryl sent.
Beryl’s strident request required Cordelia to immediately pass it to Alex, des
pite the late hour.
Cordelia’s ping snapped Alex’s eyes open. After hearing the request, he sent, <Report, Beryl.>
<A battleship has transited into our space. Its vector originates from inside federacy territory,> Beryl replied.
<A single ship?> Alex asked, sitting up in bed and gathering his wits.
<Yes, Alex,> Beryl replied, loathing that she had to disturb Alex in the middle of his sleep. <It’s logical that this ship carries a governor, but its appearance is worthy of your viewing.> Then she sent some telemetry data to Alex.
Alex focused on the battleship’s details. Beryl and the other scout ship SADEs had provided estimates of the ship’s dimensions.
<Julien, I need comparison data with Sargut’s battleship, Dark Whispers,> Alex requested. He knew he didn’t need to share Beryl’s data. Cordelia would have already done that. As Alex expected, Julien was prepared and immediately sent images of Sargut’s ship, which was now commanded by Taralum. He compared it to the new arrival.
<This governor, if that’s who’s aboard, is arriving in a battleship that’s nearly fifty percent longer that Sargut’s,> Alex sent with incredulity.
<Alex, we estimate the new arrival carries twice the firepower of President Sargut’s former ship,> Beryl sent.
Alex checked his chronometer. It would soon be time to rise, and after morning meal he was due to meet with some of his staff, the Toralians, and Miriamette on the construction arm of the orbital station.
<Beryl, collect data on this vessel. Julien, we’ll wait until the meeting on the station to ask our questions,> Alex sent.
Realizing sleep wouldn’t return, Alex rose, took a long refresher to think, dressed, and met with Julien and Cordelia on the Freedom’s bridge.
More data was available from the scout ship. The SADEs had chosen to make a close pass on the battleship.
Seeing Alex wince at the scout ship’s risky maneuver, Cordelia said, “The SADEs determined that if this battleship was an interloper, it was better to know its capabilities sooner rather than later.”
“I’m curious to know if Sargut is aware of this class of battleship,” Julien said, and Alex tipped his head in agreement.