Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price (21 page)

“You really think that’s it?  Lunnie’s very popular on the ship, I’m sure there would be dozens of guys wanting to dance with her.”

“Yes, but she wouldn’t have as much control.  Besides, I think this arrangement has more to do with Reide having a girlfriend and Lunnie not having a boyfriend at this point,” explained Kala with a smile.

“I don’t understand.”

“Lunnie is jealous, silly.  Reide found a girlfriend before Lunnie found a boyfriend.  She and Reide are the same age, but she sees Reide getting ahead of her, so to speak – at least in her mind – and she’s jealous.”

“Just because Reide’s got a girlfriend?”

“No, it’s more than that.  Reide is now an officer.  She’s a first-level trooper.  Reide has a girlfriend and Lunnie is still unattached.  To Lunnie these things mean a lot.”

“Was your sister like that?” I asked.

Kala laughed.  “You better believe it.  She was younger than I was, so she didn’t feel the sense of instant competition, but she tried to best me by meeting milestones earlier than I did.”

“So you think Lunnie just brought Banggeric here tonight to compete with Reide and Volydalle?”

“My guess is she went into the Capitol today solely with the intent of finding someone to bring to The Lounge tonight,” Kala answered.  “Look out there on the dance floor.”

I looked where Kala was pointing and saw Lunnie and Banggeric dancing not far from Reide and Volydalle.

“Just watch,” said Kala.  Lunnie will keep working her way across the floor until she and Banggeric are right next to Reide and Volydalle and then she’ll start talking to them.  She wants to be on equal footing with Reide and this is how she’s doing it.”

“You really think so?” I asked.  Even as I replied, I could see that Lunnie was indeed slowly edging closer to Reide and Volydalle.

“I’m sure of it.  Just watch.  As soon as Lunnie gets within two meters of Reide, she’ll say something to him to get his attention.  You can count on it.”

As predicted, Lunnie was barely two meters from Reide when she said something to get his attention.

“See?” remarked Kala.  “Just as I told you.  I’ll even bet Lunnie will work super hard to get an early promotion, so she can catch up to Reide in rank.”

“Then why didn’t she join the JAC when Reide did?” I asked.

“I’m not sure.  Maybe Lunnie didn’t really believe that Reide would go through with it or maybe she thought her civilian scientific pursuits would parallel or surpass his military accomplishments.”

When the music ended the twins and their dates came back to the table.  Fortunately, the table was large enough for six, though we did have to search for additional chairs to seat everyone.

“So, Volydalle,” began Kala, as she and Reide took their seats.  “What do you think of the
NEW ORLEANS
?”

“It’s incredible.  We haven’t had time to see everything, but it’s already overwhelming.  It’s like a flying city!” replied Volydalle.

“Did Reide show you much of the ship or only his quarters?” Lunnie asked with syrupy sweetness.

“Oh, he’s shown me a good deal of the main areas.  He took me to the bridge to meet Captain Kerabac.  He’s shown me some of the gyms and exercise areas.  He’s even taken me to the laboratories to meet A’Lappe, Rory and Cantolla.  I’m amazed at how many people are on this ship.  I had no idea that Rebadat Tonclin and his daughter lived aboard the
NEW ORLEANS
!  We encountered them in one of the corridors and Reide introduced me.  It was quite an honor, but I was so nervous.  I think I sounded like an idiot trying to speak to Rebadat Tonclin.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” I interjected.  “Tonclin has spent years talking to idiot senators, so by comparison you probably sounded very charming and quite intelligent.”

“Indeed she did,” I heard Tonclin’s high-pitched voice interject from behind me.  Kala and I stood to give our former Leader a proper greeting.

“Volydalle, I couldn’t help overhearing your comments as I approached your table.  I was just coming over to say hello to Tibby and Kala.  There is no need to feel nervous around me.  I can assure you I am not any different than anyone else in this room.”

“Yes, but almost everyone else in this room is some kind of hero,” replied Volydalle.  “I mean, how many people get to meet a First Citizen, let alone two, or a former Leader, like you.  Jenira is renown in the Federation as the greatest warrior ever to live, A’Lappe is one of the foremost scientists and Cantolla is the inventor of the Cantolla Gates.  I find it a bit humbling, so I can’t help asking myself,
What am I doing here?”

“Having a good time, I hope,” I said.

“I know what Volydalle means,” Banggeric added.  “I feel awkward and out of place here.  I mean, I’m enjoying myself, but I feel like I’m way out of my league.  It’s as though none of it is real and I’m not really here.”

Lunnie punched Banggeric on the arm.  “Hey, I’m real and you’re here!”

“Maybe now I am,” he said, rubbing out his arm.  “But tomorrow I’ll be aboard the
TRAVERNIC
in Sector 7 and all of this will seem like a dream.”

“You know, Banggeric, when I was your age, I entered into the Navy on Earth.  I was from a poor family.  Both my parents were dead and I had been living with my grandparents.  I never dreamed then I would ever be living the kind of life I am now.  Who knows what may happen in the course of your life.  Thirty years from now, you may end up being ten times richer than I am and serving as a Leader in the Federation.”

“I doubt that, sir, but thank you for saying it anyway.”

“How about you, Volydalle?  Where have you been assigned?” I asked.

“The
NUGGEN
, sir, as a navigation officer.”

“Oh,” said Tonc.  “You should talk to my daughter, Chanina.  She’s a navigation officer here on the
NEW ORLEANS
.”

“Yes she is, and a very good one, I might add,” I replied.

“Tib, I hope you don’t mind, but may I interrupt your evening with your family and guests to have a word with you in private?” asked Tonc.

“Certainly,” I replied.  “Will this take long?”

“No, not long at all.  Just a moment of your time.”

“Alright.  We’re close to one of the observation domes.  They’re usually vacant at this time of day.  Will that suffice or do we need someplace more secure?”

“I think the observation dome will suffice.”

Once again, I had forgotten that the
NEW ORLEANS
was in orbit around Earth.  The sight of it through the dome momentarily took my breath away.  Each time I saw my old home, it looked more and more like the planet I remembered.  The shapes of the continents weren't quite the same, because of changes in ocean levels and the completely new shape of Asia and the Pacific Rim since the asteroid impact, but the colors of the sea and atmosphere were losing the dark, murky appearance and were returning to the marbled blue and white that I remembered from years past.

“Now, what is it you wish to discuss?” I asked.

“I just wanted to give you heads up so you aren’t caught off guard with this matter when you hear of it elsewhere, but many of the worlds are concerned about the Brotherhood’s expansion and fear that the Federation won’t be able to provide them with adequate defense.  Several of the planets are looking to fortify their own planetary forces to defend themselves.  They plan to bring up the matter at the next public Senate meeting.”

“I see,” I said.  “I don’t see any real problem with that course of action, so long as they’re willing to coordinate with the Federation forces in the case of an attack.  It needs to be established that their forces must follow the orders of Federation military leadership so that all defenses are synchronized to avoid the travesty of friendly fire.  Otherwise, I see no reason to oppose the idea.  In fact, it would be a real asset.”

“This is good to hear, Tibby.  I feared such views might cause rifts between these home defensive forces and the military.”

“Like I said, as long as they’re willing to take orders from the Federation military during an attack, I actually encourage local forces of all planets to participate in their own defenses.”

When I returned to The Lounge, the twins and their dates were on the dance floor and Cantolla and Truath were visiting with Kala.

“Is everything alright, Tib?” asked Kala as I sat down.

“Yes, fine.  Tonc gave me some information he thought I might be interested to hear.  Actually, I was, but not in a bad way.

“Cantolla, Truath, it’s good to see you again.  How are things progressing on Earth?”

“I was just about to tell Kala,” said Cantolla, “I’m amazed at how fast the life forms are re-establishing themselves.  It seems that nearly everything we plant grows rapidly in all of the respective climates and altitudes.  We’ve also started reintroducing a full range of beetles, ants and other insects, including those that are needed for pollination, but I’m not certain how migratory patterns for creatures like bees, butterflies and moths will adapt to the limits of the environment.  Soil bacteria are all doing well, as are the various types of earthworms and other similar underground life forms.  In many of the heartier equatorial regions and grasslands, we’re close to restoring entire ecosystems, including smaller amphibious, reptilian and mammalian animals.  Of course, we’ve only been able to do this on the South American continent so far.  The far eastern continent and surrounding areas where the asteroid impacted are far from being ready for most terraforming processes, though we have reintroduced some bacteria in those regions.

“Truath has been working on the aquaculture.  She’s restocked some of the native freshwater species in the tributaries of what I believe in your time was called the Amazon River.  There’s been moderate success with some species but not others.  The problem seems to be the water chemistry.  The volcanic ash and gases that were ejected into the atmosphere during the post-asteroid volcanism have changed the water pH and mineral composition and many of the fishes won’t reproduce unless the chemistry is perfect.  We expect greater success as these contaminants are washed from the surrounding mountains and headwaters.

“That’s good to hear,” I said.  “Has anything started to grow in the northern hemisphere?”

“Not much.  The bacteria and underground life forms seem to be taking hold somewhat, as are a few grasses and trees, but most seem to be struggling to survive.  It seems that South America has the best chance for recovery, at least that’s our best assessment for the time being.”

“What about crops and domestic livestock?  Are they thriving yet?”

“Only in a relatively small portion of South America,” replied Cantolla, but that area seems to be expanding steadily.  Extrapolating what we’ve seen thus far, it’s theoretically be possible to reintroduce a small human colony in a year or two.  Right now you could sustain a few thousand near the area where we set up our lab, but it wouldn’t be perfect.  A great deal of external support would be required.”

“At least you’re making progress.  I’m very pleased to hear this.  Thank you, both of you.  You’re doing a great job.”

We were interrupted by the beep of my wrist com.

“Tibby here.”

“Admiral,” Marranalis’s voice came across the comlink.  “We have a situation in Sector 2.  Several giant asteroids have unexpectedly appeared in the same region of space and they’re all on a trajectory toward Efferatus-6.  General calculations thus far indicate that they’re approximately two days from impact.  The asteroids appear to be unmodified; that is, unmanned natural objects.”

“I’m on my way.  Contact Captain Hanges and have him get the
GLOMAR ROSA
to Efferatus-6.  Notify half the fleet in Sector 2 to proceed to Efferatus-6 at maximum speeds.  I want patrol ships to proceed immediately to the first location where the asteroids were detected to search for any sign of Cantolla Gates in the vicinity.  If they find any that are not ours, they’re to destroy them at once.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Marranalis.

I turned to Kala.  “I’m sorry, dear, but it looks like an emergency again.  Please tell Lunnie I may not be here to see her off in the morning.”

“I’ll tell her.  Take care, Tib.”

I leaned down to kiss her gently on the cheek.

“My apologies, ladies, but duty calls,” I said to Cantolla and Truath.  As I turned to leave, I glanced quickly at the dance floor to see the twins dancing and laughing with their dates.  I hoped they had enjoyed their evening and made some special memories, as I feared there would be little enjoyment for them in the near future.  I also prayed that I was wrong.

“Status, Admiral,” I said to Marranalis minutes later as I entered the War Room on the
GLOMAR ROSA
.

“Sir, the
GLOMAR ROS
A is en route to the nearest stellar Cantolla Gate with Captain Hanges at the helm.  We'll need to traverse five gates to get us to Efferatus-6.  Estimated time of arrival is thirty-two hours.”

“What about our other ships?  What’s the earliest ETA for our first carrier?”

Marranalis looked at the vid screens on his console.  “Four hours and nineteen minutes for the
KONSTONSE
, sir.”