Solbidyum Wars 3: Pirates of Goo'waddle Canals (24 page)

“So it falls on us to stop a war by acquiring the stolen solbidyum before Brotherhood gains control of it.  Wonderful!  Simply wonderful.  How do we always end up being the ones to get stuck with all this crap?” I exclaimed with frustration.

Kerabac laughed.  “In all fairness to the admiral, we’re not exactly stuck with all the crap.  The Federation forces still have to respond to the crisis at Samalis, and they haven’t exactly been sitting still while we’ve been busy singlehandedly saving the Federation.”

“True,” I mumbled, “but it seems we get more than our share of the work and that we play a larger role in defending the Federation than we should.”

“Honored First Citizen,” Norkoda interjected, “if I may be so bold, it is not that the Federation is lax in its duties; rather that they are ignorant of the ways of war and combat, whereas you are well versed not only in hand-to-hand combat, but in the strategies and alliances that emerge during such widespread hostilities.  Give us time to learn what you know, and you will see a Federation that is eager to defend its citizens and preserve its ways of life.”

“Well said, Norkoda,” Kala said as she joined us.  “Tib, before you showed up, the Federation thought they had it all down when it came to warfare and military campaigns; but in the short time that you have been here, it has become painfully obvious to the Federation how deficient we are.  You have demonstrated that there are areas to requiring great leaps of improvement and that your knowledge of Earth-style warfare and war history is sorely needed.  I think you’ll be surprised how fast the Federation will embrace what you have to give and how quickly they’ll put it all into motion.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing,” I replied.  “I would hate to see the Federation become a nation of warmongers constantly engaged in one war after another.”

“There is one more bit of news,” Norkoda said with a slight cringe.  I stared at him, waiting.  “Commander Wabussie also relayed that the frigate
RIVED
, while on a mission to place satellites intended to monitor and receive transmissions from your home planet of Earth, encountered a very large and unusual ship that didn’t match any known configurations in our database.  The ship approached and attacked, without any warning or contact.  Fortunately, the
RIVED
is one of our ships equipped with the RMFF and 10X reactor, so she withstood the conventional attack.  The alien ship then attacked with some sort of energy weapon that rendered the entire crew of the
RIVED
unconscious, though there was no damage to the ship itself.  The RMFF remained active and prevented anyone from boarding the ship.  When the crew regained consciousness, the attacking ship was gone.”

“That information seems to correspond with the information that you brought us on the recording of the Brotherhood members.  My guess is this mysterious ship belongs to the Tottalax they were talking about.  How long was the crew unconscious?”

“Commander Wabussie didn’t mention how long, but I’m sure we can find out.”

“Please do, and let me know.
”

Norkoda open a channel to the
NEW ORLEANS
directly.  “I’d like to talk to Stonbersa and A’Lappe to see if he or Cantolla has any idea as to what this weapon maybe or how it works and whether there is any defense against it.

“
Kerabac, can you show me on the star map just where Samalis is in relationship to Earth?”

“
Yes,” Kerabac said as he activated the controls for the vid screen and a vast star map appeared.  “Here,” he said, “is Samalis.”  A bright red blip appeared over a star on one of the edges of the map.  “And here is Earth.”  Another red blip appeared on the map. 

“They’re on complete opposite sides of the Federation territories,” Kala exclaimed with surprise. 

“Where are we now in relation to this star map?” I asked.

“Here,” Kerabac responded as another red blip appeared on the map, closer to Earth than I would have suspected.  I stared at the map a moment, pondering what I was seeing.

“What are you thinking, Tib?” Kala asked.  She knew me well enough by now to know when I was formulating ideas.

“I’m thinking the Brotherhood is planning to attack us from two sides to divide our forces.  They’re hoping to initiate their attack in the Samalis sector and draw Federation forces in that direction, and then direct the Tottalax to attack from this side of the Federation where there will be nothing to stop them.  With this weapon they have, they can disable any Federation forces they may encounter
; and with most of the Federation ships drawn to the Samalis sector, it would be an easy run on the capital for the Tottalax ships and a small number of Brotherhood ships.”

“You think the Tottalax are on this side the Federation space?” Kerabac asked.

“The conversation Norkoda recorded was here – in this sector – and it seemed like it was fresh news.  The attack on the
RIVED
took place here on this side the Federation and it certainly seems to correspond to the information Norkoda recorded.  If the Tottalax were in contact with the Brotherhood in or near this sector and the attack on the
RIVED
also occurred on this side the Federation territories, it stands to reason the Tottalax world must also be on this side of the Federation territories.  It also means it must be relatively close to Earth, possibly someplace between Earth and here.  Norkoda, contact Wabussie and have him check into all references of contacts and rumors about the Tottalax and find out where they occurred.  I fear the Federation may be going to be hit from two sides.”

At that fateful moment, Norkoda, who was sitting at the communication console, suddenly interrupted us.

“I have another urgent message coming in from the admiralty over the DSC system,” he said with one hand on the earpiece in his left ear.  “Do you want me to relate it as it is coming in?”

“Yes, please do.”  I answered.

“A shuttle arrived on the starship
GROTTOM
in the Nayjax system near the planet Tonhig a few hours ago.  When the passengers were being taken for screening prior to being granted access to the rest of the ship, they suddenly produced weapons, killing all the security forces in the hangar area.”  The bridge immediately responded by sealing off the hangar from the rest of the ship and sending troopers deal with the attackers.  At about the same time that the attack was taking place, the
GROTTOM
was attack by a swarm of ships that had been hiding behind one of the moons.  The
GROTTOM
reported eight corvettes in the attack and one battle cruiser of Markazian design.  They were accompanied by nearly 100 fighters that took up positions about the
GROTTOM
.   Captain Donol immediately activated the RMFF to protect the ship; but with the enemy holding the hangar bay the
GROTTOM
was unable to launch any fighters or patrol ships, most of which had been secured earlier as the
GROTTOM
was about to depart for the Kandien System.

“Captain
Donol said they were preparing to open fire on the surrounding ships when a large ship of a strange configuration joined the Brotherhood ships.  Then all communication ceased.  The admiralty feared that the
GROTTOM
had fallen into the hands of the Brotherhood and that the Brotherhood were using some new weapon to render the crew of the starship unconscious, like they did with the
RIVED
; but about thirty minutes later a message came in from one of the Nibarian crew members on the
GROTTOM
.  He was not affected by whatever had rendered the rest of the crew unconscious.  He managed to get to the bridge and evacuate the air from the hangar area.  However, the invaders managed to get aboard one of the ships in the hangar before all the air was gone and subsequently tried to escape while the RMFF was active.  The Nibarian reported that, when the ship hit the RMFF, it accelerated and shot out away from the ship so fast that it appeared to be a streak of light.  The attacking craft surrounding the
GROTTOM
bombarded the ship for over an hour with no affect before they broke off and fled the area.  The Nibarian on the bridge was unfamiliar with the ships armament and was unable to return fire.  It was a few hours later when the crew of the
GROTTOM
regained consciousness.

“Admiral Regeny requests that Commander Wabussie contact him at once regarding intelligence missions for FSO operatives.”

“Shit!”  I exclaimed in English before continuing in the official Federation language.  “The
GROTTOM
has a DSC system aboard it, as well as a 10X reactor, the RMFF and a cloaking device and about a dozen of our Mirage Fighters.  If the Brotherhood had gotten their hands on any of them, we’d really be in trouble.  I wonder, though, why the Nibarian was not affected by whatever the enemy used to knock out the rest of the crew?”

“I wonder what happened to those bastards that tried to escape in that ship they took from the hangar,” Kerabac said.  “Their ship most likely disintegrated when it was expelled at near light speed from the RMFF field.  No one could survive that acceleration.”

“I where do you think that ship is now?”  Kala asked.

“Probably halfway into the next universe,” Kerabac replied.

Norkoda interrupted us again. “Tibby, I have a channel open to the
NEW ORLEANS
with the commodore and A’Lappe standing by.”

“Put them on the main screen
,” I responded.

“What can we do for you Tibby
?”  The commodore asked as soon as the vid screen displayed the view of the
NEW ORLEANS
bridge.

“I need to talk to A’Lappe
,” I answered.

Before
the commodore could respond, A’Lappe stepped into view.  Apparently he had been standing just out of the range of the camera.

“I’m here Tibby.  How can I assist
?”

“Let me explain what happened, A’Lappe
,” I began.

I gave A’Lappe a quick rundown of what transpired and finished up by asking, “Is there
any way we can further protect the RMFF, the cloaking and DSC systems and 10X fusion reactors and the other technology installed on the Mirage Fighters?  All the Federation needs to do is lose just one starship and all of that capability will be in the hands of the Brotherhood.”

“Right at the moment I can’t think of any, Tibby.  The DSC system would take them a long time to figure out
.  Unless someone were to tell them precisely how it worked, it’s unlikely they would figure it out on their own in less than a year or two.  But the others, well I’m afraid there is no way to prevent them from being tampered with and reverse-engineered, if an enemy ever gets their hands on a ship.  Your best chance is to simply prevent them from ever getting one.  Logically, it’s really only a matter of time before they will gain the secrets to one or all of these technologies, Tibby.”

“Well, think about it anyway
.  See if you and Cantolla can find a way to make these things more secure.”

“I’ll do my best.  By the way, you say that a Nibarian on the
GROTTOM
wasn’t affected by the weapon used against the ship?”

“So it would seem,” I answered.  “Is that important?

“It could be.  That’s something we’ll need to look into.”

“Is there anything else we can do for you
, Tib?” the commodore asked.

“Not that I can think of at the moment
; but stay vigilant.  This news about the Brotherhood and a new weapon and an alliance with these Tottalax is very disturbing.  I think it would be wise to make sure the RMFF is active full time and I recommend that you notify Captain Felenna to do likewise with the
MIZBAGONA
.”

It took three more days for us to reach Goo’Waddle.  Everyone on the ship was tense about the news from
the admiralty concerning the attacks and much conjecture was taking place about the nature of the new weapon used by the attackers.  During the rest of the trip I spent a good deal of time working out with Padaran and Marranalis in the cargo hold. 

I was surprised at Padaran’s speed and dexterity, as his overall appearance belied the agility that he demonstrated in hand-to-hand combat.  I also discovered that he had a very keen mind and was an extremely fast learner.  He turned out to be a very good actor, convincingly acting out any role.  I was surprised to walk into the galley area one day and find him entertaining Marranalis and several of the crew with impressions of his uncle, Admiral Regeny, as if having a discussion with A’Lappe.  It was
amazing how he mimicked not only their voices accurately, but their gestures and postures as well.  I had to laugh at the way he waved his hands in typical A’Lappe fashion while he characterized his voice and how he accurately tugged at the flesh under his chin like his uncle, when he mimicked the admiral asking a question.

“How many voices can you mimic?” I asked, interrupting his routine.

“How many would you like to hear?” Padaran responded in my voice, which caused the crew to laugh.

“Can you do Commodore Stonbersa?” I asked.

“But of course, Tibby, anything you ask.”  He responded in an exact duplicate of the commodore’s voice.

“What about Senator Tonclin’s voice…”

“Sorry, but I am not familiar with his voice.  I know he was aboard the ship, but I never met him or heard him speak.”

“How about Norkoda then?  You’ve heard him and been around him often enough.”  I was expecting it would be difficult or impossible for him inasmuch as the Nibarians had such high-pitched voices, so I was quite shocked when he responded back in a perfect mimic of Norkoda’s voice.

“Not a problem at all, First Citizen.”

“That’s amazing, Padaran.  It never ceases to amaze me, the talents that my crewmembers have.”

We were interrupted as Kerabac’s voice came across the ship’s speakers.  “Attention.  Everyone to their stations, we are seeing numerous ships ahead of us that appear to be of the type used by the Brotherhood.  We are momentarily outside their sensor range, but unless we cloak, we will be visible to them in a few minutes.”

Marranalis and I headed toward the bridge.  When we entered the control room, the star map was fully displayed on the screen and nearly one hundred red dots appeared on the screen in the space between us and Goo’Waddle.  “This is what we
’re facing, Tibby,” Kerabac began, “and I have every reason to believe there are more out there beyond our current sensor range.”

“What?!  All those are Brotherhood ships?” I asked incredulously.  “Where did they get that many ships?”

“We can’t say for certain they all are Brotherhood ships; but based on their movements and actions, it’s a safe guess that most of them are.  As for where they got them, I can only say that we never have known for sure how large the Brotherhood is, nor the extent of their existence outside of Federation space.  Many of these ships may simply be pirate or mercenary ships belonging to sympathizers to the Brotherhood cause or operating under hire by the Brotherhood.”

“This is giving me a headache!” I said.  Kala moved behind me and began massaging my shoulders and neck.  “How are we going to get through this mess?  We can’t simply hop through there like we hopped out of it at Ryken by turning the cloaking device on and off every few minutes.”

“Perhaps if we move around the other side of the planet, there will be fewer Brotherhood ships there,” Kerabac suggested.  “They simply may be concentrated on this side, waiting for the
RASSON BEDAN
to show up.  On the other hand, if they believe Logden is down there, they may be looking for him and anticipating his attempt to escape.  We’re still outside the sensor range of those ships, so we can skirt around and try to pass from the other side.”

“I doubt it will be any better, but it’s worth a try,” I said.

Over the next hour, Kerabac skirted carefully around Goo’Waddle and the armada of ships that surrounded it; but as we approached the opposite side of the planet, it became apparent that just as many ships were stationed there.

“So much for that idea,” I said with an air of defeat.

“Tibby,” Kala began in a questioning tone, “why don’t you simply have Captain Felenna fly the
MIZBAGONA
in near the surface under cloak, and then race away from the planet uncloaked and at top speed? The Brotherhood is sure to challenge her; and if she just keeps going, they will send ships after her.  All she needs to do is stay out of weapon range and not let them get too close; once she has drawn them off a good distance, she can cloak and accelerate back to her previous station.  They can’t hurt her with the RMFF on; and since nothing the Brotherhood has in their fleet can match her speed, she will be gone before they can catch up or target her.  Besides, they want Logden alive; so if they think he is aboard, they will not try to destroy the ship.”

Kerabac and I looked at each other with one of those looks that said,
Why didn’t I think of that?
  “Ahh…I doubt they would siphon off enough ships for us to get through,” I said, somewhat less convincingly than I hoped.

“Oh, come on now, Tibby, certainly you’re not going to reject my idea simply because you didn’t think of it?” Kala said.

“OK, OK… We’ll give it a try,” I conceded.  “Kerabac, contact the
MIZBAGONA
and relay our plan to Captain Felenna.  Find out how long it will take her to get here.  In the meantime, we will plan how to get to Goo’Waddle through this armada.”

“You mean MY plan, don’t you, Tib?” Kala said with a grin.  I shook my head and groaned.

Kerabac relayed the message to the
MIZBAGONA
.  Fortunately, it was stationed closer to this side of the system than the
NEW ORLEANS
.  It was only a matter of minutes before we received a response from Felenna advising that she would be here, but it would take her a day to get to our location.  I was concerned; even though we were outside the sensor range of the Brotherhood ships, it was possible one might get close enough to detect us.  As long as Kerabac was wearing the courier band, we were limited in our cloaking time.  There was an asteroid field not too far away, so we decided to hide there until the
MIZBAGONA
arrived.  With the RMFF activated there was no chance of us being damaged by an asteroid, in the event that one should accidently bump into us.

The asteroids gave me an idea.

“Kerabac, the ship’s propulsion is by gravity waves that are generated in front of the ship to pull it, right?”

“Yes, that’s somewhat the way it works.  Why?”

“Can the fields also be created to push?”

“Yes, in fact, there is also a wave generated behind the ship to push in conjunction to the one that pulls from the front.  The two waves are synchronized, so the ship rides in the trough between the two.”

“Is it possible to direct or create the field away from the ship – say in front of or behind another object?”

“Yes, up to a short distance of about three kilometers away at max.  What are you thinking?”

“I was just wondering.  What if we created a gravity wave in front of a bunch of those smaller asteroid debris clusters floating around out here and moved them in the direction of the Brotherhood ships? If we got a large enough cluster of them headed their way, they would have to move their ships or be severely injured.  If we could manage to aim them so they do not actually hit the planet, but just pass close by, I would think we’d be able to ride in amid the cluster, cloak before we get close enough to be spotted inside the swarm, and then, just as we graze the planet’s atmosphere, slip in and uncloak before your time runs out and make a dash for the surface.

“The Brotherhood ships will have cleared the area to avoid an asteroid collision, and they won’t be able to get back fast enough to stop us.  We can find a spot to disembark quickly and, once we’re off, the crew can cloak again before the Brotherhood finds us.  The ship can then move to an orbit where they’ll await our signal to return.”

“Hmm.  That could work, but it will be hard to control the direction of the meteoroids and asteroids to make sure none of them hit the planet.  It should certainly scramble the Brotherhood fleet; and if Felenna does her part to draw some of them off beforehand, we should be able to pull it off.”

Over the next few hours, I sat with Kerabac, Norkoda and Endina to figure out how to configure the gravity wave to steer the asteroids and meteors effectively and safely.  To be honest, I was not needed for the planning and had little to contribute, but it was important for me to listen and at least understand the challenges we might have during the maneuvers.

It was finally determined that we simply could not do it alone and we needed at least one more ship involved.  We would have to wait for the
MIZBAGONA
to arrive. It was decided that the
MIZBAGONA
would not need to draw the Brotherhood ships off after all; she would remain cloaked while helping to herd the asteroids.  Between the two ships, we anticipated that we would be able to herd enough asteroids to just skim the atmosphere of Goo’Waddle without actually impacting the planet.  The
RASSON BEDAN
would be able to ride in the midst of the asteroids and remain hidden from the scanners of the Brotherhood armada.  Then we would turn on the cloaking device and proceed to the surface unseen.  We’d have only a few minutes to accomplish the task because of the explosive courier band on Kerabac’s wrist.

During the next day, we managed to corral a number of asteroids and slowly begin moving them toward Goo’Waddle.  We were still outside normal sensor range of the planet when we were joined by the
MIZBAGONA,
and Captain Felenna dispatched several patrol ships to help guide the cluster of asteroids toward Goo’Waddle.

As we neared sensor range of the planet, Kerabac carefully situated the
RASSON BEDAN
inside the cluster and the patrol ships returned to the
MIZBAGONA. 
The
MIZBAGONA
remained cloaked while maintaining the asteroid cluster in formation.  Though we could not cloak the
RASSON BEDAN
as we moved past the Brotherhood ships, we were able to activate the RMFF to protect the ship from any asteroid that might graze or crash into us as we neared Goo’Waddle.