Solbidyum Wars Saga 6: Defeat of the Tottalax (9 page)

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting that,” I said.

“If you’ll excuse me, Tibby, I think I need to return to my quarters to wake up, as I am sure I must be asleep and dreaming.  This has to be a historical first; Senator Sipollie admitting he was wrong and apologizing!” Marranalis exclaimed.

“Yes well, when you do wake up, wake me up also, as I seem to be having the same dream.”

“Maybe he needs to get shot more often,” Marranalis said.

I laughed, “Let’s wait and see.  This wound seems to be working pretty well at the moment, maybe that’s all it takes.

“What’s the status of the team that went to Windsor?”  I asked.

“They are there and cloaked sir.  They have a Cantolla Gate erected and cloaked out behind one of the outer planets in that solar system, and it’s ready for transit of ships.”

“Excellent, I suspect that will be one of the things Regeny and Wabussie will want to discuss.  I’m going to suggest Wabussie sends some of his FSO trained people with our recon surface team.  I’d like to send them out in the next few days if possible.  Along that thought, have Captain Mazone start to assemble several recon teams to check out the planet.  I want them ready within three days.”

Captain Mazone had taken over as the leader of the special ops forces after Sokaia’s death.  He had demonstrated the most skill, and as Sokaia’s second in command, he had the knowledge and experience for the job.  He was a good officer and was well-liked by his troopers.

The meeting with Admiral Regeny and Admiral Wabussie a few hours later started off strangely.  Before we began Regeny had several of his security team sweep the entire conference room for listening and recording devices.  I noticed they also swept the room with a device I hadn‘t seen before that reminded me of an ultraviolet light, only the light emitted was a yellowish green instead of blue.  It was not until everything checked out as clean that the meeting began.

“I suppose you are wondering what that’s all about,” Regeny began.  “We’ve discovered listening devices back at headquarters on Megelleon, most of them were the old electronic type, but we’ve also discovered a new recording method using biological material similar to a fungus.  It was noticed a few weeks ago by the cleaning crew, and they cleaned it up only to have it reappear again a few days later, at other places in the same rooms.  They didn’t think much of it and assumed it was just some mold; after all, the subterranean military offices are a bit on the damp and musty side.  It wasn’t until they started trying to get rid of the stuff that they made this discovery.”  As he said this, he placed a data chip in the vid screen and activated it.  It showed a brown stain on the side of an office chair.

“This is what the stuff looks like.  Not much to look at, and easily ignored, but watch what happens now,” Regeny said.  On the screen we watched as a man took one of the lights with yellow/green light.  He had the light in one hand and a microphone in the other.  As he waved the light over the smudge on the chair, instantly you could hear voices and noises that had obviously occurred in the room hours earlier, coming from the fungus.

“What?” I exclaimed, “How is it doing that?”

“We don’t know. We're hoping A’Lappe and Cantolla can tell us.  We’ve found this stuff numerous places around headquarters, and Wabussie here has had the FSO check out the Senate, and they have found the same stuff there.”

“What do you know about it so far?”  I asked.

“Only that as it grows, it also records sound.  When you subject it to this light, it replays back everything it has recorded to that point.  We think it only holds recorded information for a few days, two to three at the longest.  After that the older portions of sound data get replaced by new information. Until we can get this taken care of, Wabussie and I will be setting up temporary headquarters here on the
DUSTEN
.  There is less likelihood of this stuff being on your ship than on the planet.  Even so, I want a complete sweep of all the Federation Starships.”

“Sir,” I began, “obviously someone must have planted this stuff; can’t you find out who by looking at vid recordings of the rooms and seeing who comes and goes and plants the stuff?”

“No, I wish we could.  Apparently, this stuff was planted a long time ago; weeks, maybe even months for all we know.  It grows very slowly at first and our scientists who have had a look at it say they believe it may have been planted as a single spore up to as long as a year ago.  It doesn’t seem to start recording sounds until it reaches a size of your small fingernail, but how long it takes to get that large we do not know at this time.”

“Is there any chance this stuff evolved naturally where it is, and that no one planted it there?”  I asked.

“If it did, it’s even stranger stuff than we think,” Wabussie interjected.  “We’ve only found it in areas where top-secret information is discussed and where plans are made. It is possible though, that whoever placed the fungi haven’t retrieved any data from any of them so far.”

“So then it’s possible that we may be able to use them to supply false information to whoever is doing this, and when they do retrieve information, it will be misleading.”  I stated.

“We’d not considered that possibility,” Wabussie commented, “it could be a profitable route to follow.  However, I think we need more information about this stuff before we attempt to do anything.”

“I agree,” I replied.  “Do you have any samples of this stuff I can give to A’Lappe and Cantolla to work with?

“Yes, we do,” Regeny said, “but we didn’t bring it with us.  I don’t want this stuff on the ship if I can help it.  The samples are back on Megelleon; we can have them delivered to A’Lappe and Cantolla at any time.”

“I’ll get with them right after this meeting,” I said.  “Is it possible for me to get a copy of this vid recording you have for them to look at?”

“You can have this one,” Regeny said, “It doesn’t serve me in any way.

“The next thing I want to discuss with you is Windsor; what is going on there?  Have we acquired any new data, and how soon can we attack?”

“As of this morning, our surveillance ship is there and cloaked.  They have an interstellar-sized Cantolla Gate up, and it is operational, but turned off at the moment.  It also is cloaked and hidden behind the last planet in Windsor’s solar system.  I have issued orders for Captain Mazone to have several recon squads ready to move out.  Wabussie,” I said turning to him, “I have asked that they leave space for members of the FSO to accompany them if you wish to send them.”

“Good thinking, Tibby.  I most definitely want to have some of my men on the mission.  How long do I have to select men to go?”  Wabussie asked.

“Three days,” I answered.  I noted both Admirals Regeny and Wabussie look startled by my comment but neither said anything.

“I have something I want to bring up,” I said, “I received word from one of the Ruwallie Rasson mercenaries that apparently there is a Tottalax refugee living on Irribis.  Reportedly, he’s in exile.  Wabussie, did you have any knowledge of this?”

“No sir, this is the first I’ve heard of it,” he said as he scanned his vid pad.  “In fact, we don’t even have an agent on Irribis, though the FOI has an office there.  Now that we’ve swept the FOI pretty much clean of Brotherhood operatives, we might be able to get some information from them.”  While he was talking, I noted he was scanning his vid pad.  “Oh, here is some luck for you.  Halfredies is being reassigned to Irribis and is on his way now, and he is scheduled to arrive,” there was a pause as he continued to search his vid pad, “today!”, he added with a grin as he sat back in his chair.

“Halfredies?  Galetils’ brother?  Is he still a double agent and part of the FSO?  I asked.

“He is,” Wabussie said, “but I see we don’t have a Cantolla Gate on Irribis at this time.  However, they are scheduled to get one in a few days.”

“Can you get in touch with Halfredies via a DSC message and have him find out as much as he can about this Tottalax, and if he really is there?”  I asked.  “According to my source, the Tottalax is involved with some water ballet or shows that take place in zero gravity.”

“I’ll get right on it as soon as this meeting is over,” Wabussie replied.

Just as we were finishing up the meeting, Admiral Regeny said, “Tibby, I want to thank you for the way you handled the situation with the senators who went to the facility for the prisoners of war yesterday.  You did an outstanding job.  The attack upon the group could not have been more opportune.  It got all the senators on our side regarding prisoner treatment and the security around them.  What happened to Sipollie could not have worked out better if we had planned it,” he paused and looked at me quizzically, “it did happen naturally, didn’t it?  I mean you didn’t stage that event on purpose?”

“I can assure you, Admiral, it was totally natural.  I had absolutely nothing to do with it other than being there when it happened.”

“Ah, yes, well good.  At least now we have the full support of the Senate regarding our treatment and interment of the prisoners of war.”

After the meeting adjourned I took the vid chip of the fungus Admiral Regeny had supplied and returned to the
NEW ORLEANS
.  As usual, I found A’Lappe and Cantolla busily engaged in some experiment.  Both appeared shocked at my arrival at their lab.

“First Citizen”, Cantolla began, “we weren’t expecting you.”

“Yes, I know,” I replied, “I have something I need both of you to look at and investigate.  Can we go into your meeting room here to discuss this?”  I saw a look of concern cross both their faces, but without further comment, we went into the small meeting room that was part of their lab.

I explained what had happened and how the fungus was discovered, and I played the recording for them.  Cantolla sat with a contemplative look on her face throughout the entire presentation, but A’Lappe practically jumped out of his chair when the fungus began playing back the sounds it had stored in its cells.

“Ginuluvti-nussfero-rufo
,” he exclaimed excitedly.

“What?” I asked.

“Ginuluvti-nussfero-rufo;
it’s a fungus that uses sound energy much the way plants use sunlight to grow.  The fungus relies on sound vibrations to aid in cell division and growth.  The cells basically lie dormant until they are activated by sound, then they grow and reproduce.  There is more to it than that, though, as they need moisture and nutrients, but those they extract from the air and on the surface they live on.  As each new cell is shaped, it is encoded with specific characteristics of the sound wave when they reproduce, so they can be played back,” he said with a look of excitement.

“So then you know about this stuff?”  I asked.

“Well, yes and no,” he replied.  “I know of it, but nothing much about it.  I’m surprised it exists here.  It’s known of where I co…. ah…; I’ve heard of it, but never seen it.”  I realized A’Lappe had caught himself quickly as he was about to say, “where I come from,” but he had cut himself short, and he didn’t wish others to know he came from a parallel universe.  I saw Cantolla raise an eyebrow, but she said nothing.  I knew she suspected that A’Lappe was not of this universe, but she too was keeping mum about it.

“Is there any chance we can get a sample of this stuff to work with?”  A’Lappe asked eagerly.

“It just so happens Admiral Regeny is sending you a sample for you to work with.  You should have it by tomorrow,” I said, “however, before you open its sealed vial, I want a complete sweep made of this ship to make sure none of it is already here.  Then I want you two to make sure all work done with this stuff is in an isolated and hermetically sealed cabinet.  I don’t want it spreading about the ship.  Tell me one thing, how does it produce sound when that light is on it?”

“That’s the mystery.” A’Lappe said, “No one knows for sure.  There are theories about it, but none of them have been proven.”

“Well, see what you can find out about the fungus; make it as a priority.  Right now, Admiral Regeny and Admiral Wabussie are aboard the
DUSTEN
using it as temporary headquarters until this stuff is all isolated at the Capitol. In the meantime we plan to load the fungus in their offices with disinformation for whoever planted it there.”

Since I decided to keep my residence on the
NEW ORLEANS
instead of the
DUSTEN
and simply travel between the two using Cantolla Gates, I was no longer using those quarters, and so they were assigned to Rear Admiral Regeny.  Other accommodations were found elsewhere on the ship of nearly equal status for Admiral Wabussie to use.  I started to wonder if either of these men had bond mates.  I had never seen or heard them talk of any.  I knew that Regeny had a sister who was Padaran’s mother, but other than that I knew nothing of either of these men’s families.

I was wondering about this when I returned to my own suite on the
NEW ORLEANS,
and I
decided to ask Kala about it.

“Kalana”, I asked, using her full name, which I seldom did, “Do you know if either Admirals Wabussie or Regeny has a bond mate?

“I don’t know about Wabussie,” she answered, “but Regeny did until shortly before you arrived in the Federation.  I’m not sure what happened to her.  I remember hearing something about her dying or being killed in an accident, but that was a long time ago.  Why do you ask?”