Retreat And Adapt (A Galaxy Unknown) (45 page)

"Dinner will be ready at 1900. First we have to exercise Thor and feed him."

"I'm finally going to see the new kid?"

"Yes. I believe he can be trusted to have more freedom."

"What about the girls?"

"They haven't seen him since he came aboard, so we're all going down together. If they get a little too amorous, you'll have to help me keep them separated."

Eliza giggled. "So I'm here as a jumaka chaperon?"

"We both are. And it might take both of us to keep them apart if my girls are in the
mood
."

"Why risk it at all?'

"They've been wanting to see Thor even more than you have. And I'm sure he wants to see them."

"So we have to make sure it's just a meeting of minds."

"Platonic affection would sure save a lot of headaches later."

As soon as the two women entered the hold with Cayla and Tayna, Thor started bouncing excitedly around in his cage. Jenetta had to tell him to calm down just so she could open the door.

As the door opened, Thor rushed out and then stopped cold. He had been so fixated on Cayla and Tayna that he hadn't even noticed Eliza. He turned his head and looked at Jenetta, then looked at Eliza again, then back to Jenetta and back to Eliza. While Cayla and Tayna nuzzled him, he pushed his way to Eliza and sniffed. He was confused. She had almost the same smell as the other one. But the scent of Cayla and Tayna wasn't as strong on Eliza.

"Thor," Jenetta said. "This is my sister." She knew he wouldn't understand cloning, so she said, "We come from the same litter."

That seemed to get through. He smelled her again to remember her, then turned to Cayla and Tayna. A second later he spun and ran as fast as he could around the hold. The two female jumakas stayed right with him. If anything, they were more fit because they ran with Jenetta every day and were able to move around her quarters, whereas he had spent his days in the cage.

The cats ran, rolled around on the deck together like kittens, and nuzzled each other while mewling almost constantly. Jenetta then fed all three together. While Thor was wolfing his food down, a small chunk fell onto the deck. When he lowered his head to retrieve it, Cayla growled at him. He was startled and stopped, then looked at her. She mewled a series of different sounds at him and then continued eating. Thor lowered his head and finished the food in his bowl, then took a long drink but never touched the food on the deck.

While Jenetta was cleaning up after they had finished eating, Eliza asked, "Did Cayla just give Thor a lesson in table manners?"

Jenetta picked up the piece of food and tossed it in the trash. "I think it was a lesson in security. Cayla and Tayna were trained never to eat anything that's not in their bowl. Security animals are usually trained that way to keep them from being poisoned or drugged by outsiders. I guess in their mind that even includes dropped food that lands outside their bowl."

"And Cayla was able to communicate that to Thor?"

"It seemed that way. Each time Tayna and Cayla have been with Thor, they've made a lot sounds that remind me of conversing. I think their spoken language abilities are far greater than I suspected. Well, the kids are exercised and fed, so now it's time for us to go eat."

* * *

"General Ardlessel, we've been waiting for many weeks for your report regarding the Galactic Alliance," Prime Minister Pemillisa said. "Are you finally prepared to present it?"

Ardlessel stood at his seat. The enormous room in the Ruwalchu War Conference Center was packed with government officials and military officers either seated at the table, sitting in the gallery, or lining the walls.

"Mr. Prime Minister, honorable members of the Gilesset, and my fellow officers, I apologize for keeping you waiting so long for this report. We are a considerable distance from Uthlarigasset, and I was waiting for a response from my contact there. Yes, I am prepared to present my information today. First, I must report that my Uthlaro contact continues to maintain that the Galactic Alliance has definite plans to take over our territory three annuals from now. We are stronger now, militarily, than we've ever been, and I know that if we continue to build ships at the current rate and our recruitment continues as it is now, we will definitely be in a position to repel them when they come."

"That's all, General?"

"Yes, sir. That's all of the new information I have to offer."

"I assume you're open to questioning now?"

"Yes, sir. I am."

"Fine. I'd like to go first. Admiral Carver recently arrived just outside our solar system. She came peacefully, but I question how she got here at all without being detected."

"I can't answer that, Prime Minister."

"You don't know?"

"We're still investigating."

"You've had many weeks. How much longer is your investigation going to take?"

"I can't answer that, Prime Minister."

"Will you know in a month?"

"Again, I can't answer that, Prime Minister."

"You must have some idea. What leads are you following?"

"Uh— it seems inconceivable that she could have gotten past all our sensor systems completely undetected. We're still working on finding out how that happened."

"Okay, let's move on. The Director of Planetary Defense filed a report that when Admiral Carver was here, our systems couldn't fix her exact position. Are you aware of that?"

"Yes, sir. We looked into that and tested the systems. Everything appears to have been working fine."

"Then how do you account for the fact that our systems couldn't establish exact positions for her ship or the other ships with her?"

"I can't answer that, sir."

"You're saying you have no idea?"

"We've reviewed the recorded data and it appears that she was there some of the time but not there at others. We're trying to determine the reason for the anomalies."

"So, you say that she was not there some of the time, yet we clearly communicated with her. Are you telling us we were watching some sort of long-distance projected hologram?"

"No, sir, it was not a hologram. The vid signal was definitely emanating from the immediate area where we believe she must have been."

"Could it have been a relay satellite?"

"No, sir. That would have shown clearly."

"Then how do you explain this?"

"We're still investigating, sir."

"So at this time you can't establish exactly where she was located?"

"Uh, we can't, Prime Minister. At least not yet."

"Okay, let's move on. When Admiral Carver was preparing to leave, I told her we would order our ships not to attack her on her way out of our space. She replied that it wasn't necessary because our weapons couldn't hurt them."

"Obvious bravado, Prime Minister."

"Bravado?"

"Yes, sir. Our weapons are among the most powerful known and can destroy any ship."

"Did your command center watch Admiral Carver's progress as she left our territory?"

"I can't answer that, sir."

"You don't know if your people watched her leave?"

"Uh— we tried to, sir."

"And what did you see?"

"She, uh, didn't show up on any of our systems."

"A battleship and five smaller ships didn't appear on any of our sensors. Not on the way in or on the way out?"

Ardlessel hesitated for a couple of seconds before saying, "We only know that one second she was there, communicating with the Council, and the next she was gone."

"And that doesn't seem strange to you?"

"It is
very
strange, and we continue to examine the systems to find out how she did it."

"So let me summarize. You didn't see her arrive, couldn't see her while she was here, and didn't see her leave. Is that accurate?"

"We
will
find out sir. We simply don't know at this time how she did it. I've previously brought unconfirmed reports about incredible speed advances by the GA to your attention. It's possible that whatever allows them to achieve those speeds is responsible for masking their travel and presence."

"So is my statement accurate, at this time?"

"At this time, yes, sir."

"So if she returned tomorrow, you probably wouldn't see her arrival either?"

"We might, sir."

"And you might not?"

"Uh— that's a possibility."

"And if she showed up with a thousand warships tomorrow, you might not see her until she was in orbit over our planet?"

"I doubt we could miss a thousand warships, sir."

"Why? You missed six warships, and one of them was larger than anything we have."

"The sheer numbers would make the difference."

"Suppose she approached in groups of five?"

"We're talking about speculation, sir."

"So speculate."

"Uh— it's possible we might see them."

"And possible you might not?"

"I— uh— suppose that's a possibility."

"So all of the technological marvels we have at our disposal might not be able to see their approach. Tell us, General, if a thousand warships suddenly appeared around our planet and began targeting key locations, how long would it take to devastate our planet?"

"That's impossible to say, sir. Naturally, our planetary defense ships would attack immediately."

"And how many ships are close enough to make an immediate difference?"

"Uh— perhaps as many as five are close enough to make an immediate difference."

"Five? And how long would five last against the most powerful military force in this part of space?"

"Other ships would be on their way immediately, sir. We simply don't keep a large number of ships in orbit around the planet."

"But before those other ships could reach us, we could be devastated?"

"That would depend on the ships attacking us, sir."

"Are you aware that Admiral Carver devastated the Milori home world with just two of the small ships like those she had with her?"

"More bravado, sir."

"Yet that bravado is confirmed by all of our spies."

"The GA obviously has tight control over their media."

"Okay, let's assume that their ships are the most powerful ever built. Could we be devastated?"

"I— uh— suppose, sir."

"So why should Space Command wait three years to attack and give you time to build up our forces when they could destroy us today?"

"Perhaps they're not ready to take control of our territory, sir."

"So they should wait until they have some extra free time and possibly face a much more powerful space force?"

"Perhaps they're not looking at it that way."

"And perhaps they know themselves to be so powerful that facing a larger force wouldn't make any difference?"

"I wouldn't say that, sir."

"You don't have to say it, General. I said it."

Ardlessel bit his tongue to keep from responding with anger or disrespect.

"General, how many nations has the Galactic Alliance attacked that did not first begin the hostilities by attacking the GA?"

"I don't have that information, sir."

"I do. I was interested enough to check. Take a guess."

"I don't know of any, sir."

"That's the correct answer. They have
never
attacked anyone who didn't attack them first. With Milor, they even ordered the enemy ships out of their space after defeating them and then didn't attack Milor until Maxxiloth attacked the GA a second time. That makes it sound like they don't want war with their neighbors, which reinforces what Admiral Carver said."

"I can't imagine that anyone would have spent so much money and effort building up their military forces if they didn't have eyes on conquering other nations."

"What nations do we intend to conquer?"

"Uh, none," Ardlessel said, clearly confused by the question.

"Then why have we spent years building up our military?"

General Ardlessel finally understood the reason for the question and the trap laid by the PM. He didn't respond. He just stared at the Prime Minister.

"Exactly, General. There are often good and valid reasons for creating a strong military even when a nation doesn't covet the territory of its neighbors. The Galactic Alliance seems to fit that description. Uthlarigasset, on the other hand, had attacked a neighbor with intent to steal its territory. So I ask you now, whom should we be listening to and believing?"

When General Ardlessel continued his silence, Prima Minister Pemillisa asked, "Are you familiar with the enemy Admiral Carver mentioned— the Denubbewa?"

"Following her assertions that they had entered GA space, I did some investigating. I learned that their home territory is over ten thousand light-years beyond our border. It's unlikely that they have invaded GA space."

"But if they have, what are their chances of defeating Space Command?"

"Their chances are excellent, if all accounts are true. But it seems unlikely that they would bypass us to attack the GA. For that reason, I think her statements were simply more bravado."

"You don't seem to have very much respect for Admiral Carver or her accomplishments."

"No, sir, I don't. I think her claims are merely to frighten everyone into submission. She's all talk and no action."

"Interesting, general. She defeated the Milori— twice, defeated the Tsgardi, Gondusans, Hudeerac, and the Uthlaro. All of that is verifiable. Yet you believe she's all talk and no action." The Prime Minister was silent for a few seconds, then added, "Tomorrow, at the regular session of the Gilesset, I'm going to propose that we establish diplomatic relations with the Galactic Alliance. If the Denubbew Dominancy is indeed moving in this direction, we want to be allied with a peaceful nation most able to help halt their advance. Further, I'm going to propose that we alter the military budget with an eye towards spending more on technological advances and less on increasing the number of personnel and new ships."

~ July 18
^th
, 2288 ~

Jenetta spent as much time as possible with Thor during the two months' time it took to return to Quesann. By the time they reached the base, Jenetta was confident that Thor wouldn't attack anyone unless that individual was threatening her. She no longer locked him in the cage, but he remained in the hold and only saw Cayla and Tayna when Eliza was there to help chaperon because Jenetta wasn't ready to have jumaka kittens underfoot just yet. But Thor was happy because he could run around or leap up on the cage or the other containers stored in the hold when he had an urge to stretch his legs. Jenetta had tested him twice by 'accidently' dropping a piece of food outside his bowl at feeding time. When she returned that evening, or the following day, the food was still where it had fallen. It proved both that he had learned from Cayla and that he was getting enough to eat. Whenever Jenetta arrived at the hold, Thor greeted her with the same enthusiasm she got from Cayla and Tayna.