CHAPTER 13

The man with the pipe stood on the edge of Lake Pend Oreille, his pipe bowl glowing softly in the early night. Two dark figures clad in wetsuits stood next to him. They were almost impossible to see, their suits and equipment being completely black, and they waited upon the pipe smoker with the silence of evil spirits. Crandal glanced at the lights down the bay, picking up the set which belonged to Alexander’s float house, and then he turned back to the two figures. “Let me reiterate this element to you,” he told them pointedly. “The Alliance wants Alexander’s body as proof of his death. If you cannot gain this advantage then pass up the opportunity. Also, the Mystics say that Nazeera of Chem is to be with him. She is not to be harmed. We do not need a holy war with the Chem. Is this perfectly understood?”

Each of the men nodded, and then silently slipped into the cold black waters of the lake.

#

The mood of the war room on Pend Oreille made several marked swings during the course of the battle. As the Terran fleet of fireships and their escort of warships dropped out of superluminal and approached the enormity of the Golkos-Seer’koh fleet everyone held their collective breath. Alexander glowered at the hologram, muttering.

“Will they go for it?”

Nazeera tried to appear professionally disinterested, but she bit her lips until they bled. Admiral Augesburcke paced the float house floor cursing to himself. As the Terrans deployed into three formations the tension rose palpably, climbing to a crescendo as the Alliance deployed their formations in response. Nazeera was the first to speak at this point, sitting abruptly upright in her seat.

“They’re forming for a standard envelopment,” she told the assembled Terrans. “There is no doubt about it; they mean to engage your fireships as battleships.”

“We have them!” Augesburcke breathed.

“We’ll see,” Alexander cautioned. “Let’s see what kind of nerves they have when the fireships fail to return their volleys. Will they continue to envelope, or will they keep their distance and continue a long range bombardment? The next few moments will tell.” As the fleets drew slowly closer together the Terran flanks sped ahead. The flank squadrons attacked the outer vestiges of the Alliance formation, not inflicting a great deal of damage, but only intent on distraction. As they dove in towards the Alliance ships only to duck away again Alexander said aloud, “Not too close now, we only want to keep them from fully concentrating on the situation, like a mosquito. We don’t need any Gagarin heroics here. By the way, where are our audacious Captain Konstantinov and the Gagarin? I hope he is suitably employed elsewhere, I don’t want him getting killed in this.”

“Not to worry, Alexander,” Admiral Augesburcke told him with somewhat less of a nervous smile. “He’s standing to a few million kilometers off, flying high cover. His primary responsibility, and that of the one hundred other boats we have out there, is to ensure we don’t get surprised from some unknown Alliance force, and to track the movements of the Alliance fleet after the engagement. He should be busy enough after the fracas. This isn’t his show anymore, though; it’s those tankers you had us convert. It looks as though they’re coming under fire now.”

“Now’s where we see whether this harebrained scheme works,” Alexander breathed, as splashes of blaster fire began to cascade amongst the fireships. The long range blaster fire continued, growing in accuracy and intensity, but with seemingly little effect on the tankers. This was not to be wondered at. Without life support systems or multiple weapon systems to keep powered up the fireships could expend as much power as was needed to regulate the defense shields. Once the ships came into optimal range, the shields would not matter for defensive purposes and their fields would be diverted to help funnel the final cataclysmic projector blast. The Alliance fleet kept hammering away at the core of fireships, completely ignoring the flanking Terran squadrons. After fifteen minutes of long range bombardment the foremost portion of the Terran sphere entered the Alliance envelopment.

Three minutes later Augesburcke reported, “All elements of the fireship sphere are in optimal firing range, Alexander.”

“Pull back the flanking squadrons. Release the hounds, Admiral.” Alexander ordered.

Augesburcke punched a button at his comm panel and gave the order.

Alexander turned to Nazeera, explaining, “I don’t dare let those squadrons face the firepower of that fleet. They’ve done their part for now. Still, if everything works according to plan they’ll be able to pick off some of the stragglers if the fireships break up the Alliance formation.”

Nazeera squirmed in her seat. “I’m not certain of the ethical use of these fireships of yours, Alexander my love. It does not seem to be the most honorable way to meet in battle. I understand the reasoning, and the logic. Militarily it is, theoretically, a cunning move. I cannot help but think, however, that the Chem would be somewhat disappointed in your strategy.”

“You surprise me, I admit, my dear,” Alexander told her. “I really did not think of the implications on that account, only of results. I suppose I would rather meet them face to face, but I cannot see a good probability of success in that manner. Not only am I outnumbered, but I am faced with invasion on three fronts. No military commander that I know of has won against such odds. With two foes I could have done it, but only if I could get the foe I’m after to actually engage me. My fear, Nazeera, has been the weaknesses of the Alliance, rather than its strengths. Frederick the Great found himself in much the same spot in Europe. Surrounded by strong neighbors interested in his territory he had to constantly go on the offensive, without real hope or even thought of conquering his neighbors, all to allow his kingdom to survive. In my case, however, the belligerent powers are acting in concert.”

“I am unfamiliar with your analogy, Alexander,” Nazeera smiled, “but may I point out a slight difference? This Frederick of yours was not looking to conquer his neighbors, Alexander is looking for nothing less.”

Alexander looked at his wife, the Elder of Chem, with a sour expression, but then broke out into a strangled laugh. He laughed at the lunacy of the idea, being reminded of his strange and humble beginnings. A year past the very consideration of his present reality would never have entered his dreams. Any further introspection was curtailed by Admiral Augesburcke. He tapped Alexander on the shoulder and brought the attention of the Overlord of the Terran Empire back to the battle.

“Alexander, the first of the fireships is ready to go up.

The laugh disappeared, “Now we see if Doctor Hashimoto’s tinkering works.”

“Here, here,” Hashimoto agreed.

The tension returned to the small cedar lined room. As the tanker “Star of Valdiz” prepared for Armageddon no one in the room recalled the soothing lap of the lake’s waters. The fiery beauty of the sunset was completely lost in the tension of the moment. When the “Star of Valdiz” blew another, more palpable wave of relief flooded through every breast in the room. Like a silent popcorn popper the light show began in earnest. Ship after ship erupted in blinding blooms of energy, sending out bright swaths of plasma and cutting huge gaps in the Alliance ranks. Within the space of fifteen minutes the Alliance formations were in tatters, and warships were scurrying away from the cataclysm of the Terran fireships.

Alexander and Nazeera watched the slaughter grimly. It was difficult, even in its success, as the Alliance vessels and crews had absolutely no chance. Battleships were cut in two, and even those vessels in the core of the envelopment which were not targeted suffered heavily from the exploding ships about them. The immolation of the Alliance enveloping forces lasted only twenty minutes, by then the last of the fireships were gone. The havoc they wreaked on the Alliance formations was another matter.

The first phase of the attack was complete in its success and surprise. The second phase began in earnest as the flanking squadrons sought to capitalize on the confusion. On the periphery of the jumbled Alliance formations there was some semblance of a fair fight as the Terrans engaged those ships fleeing from the carnage. Still, through confusion and panic the Terrans inflicted extraordinarily heavy damage with very little harm to themselves. Two hours later when all was said and done Augesburcke reported the initial tallies. Alexander realized that empty feeling of an overwhelming victory over an unsuspecting enemy.

“It’s like Agincourt or the Marianas,” the Admiral reported. “From the tapes we’re counting eighty-eight battleships and ninety-four heavy cruisers destroyed. That’s half their battleships in one fell swoop! The programming for the fireship’s targeting computers obviously worked well. They picked out the largest ships in their firing solution, and thereby caused an inordinate amount of damage to the Alliance heavies. Of the three hundred ships considered destroyed by the fireships and the Seventh Fleet over fifty percent were capital ships. That’s definitely a good days hunting!”

“Our losses?”

“We didn’t press the issue too hard after they began to regroup, though our forces are still harrying their efforts to concentrate their fleet,” Augesburcke assured his Overlord. “We lost the heavy cruiser Portland and six other ships. There are light casualties otherwise.”

There was somber jubilation in the conference room, as Alexander was reflective. “What really hurt us, Admiral, and what could hurt us down the road is the Seventh’s lack of heavies. With only fourteen battleships we just couldn’t take advantage of the confusion. I’d wager that if we could have brought the Second or the Fifth with us we could have ended this war here and now. The Seventh may be potent enough when we have planetary projectors to support it, but as an attacking force I’m afraid we just don’t have the punch. Don’t get me wrong, we got in a good lick today, but I can’t help but think I had the opportunity to knock them out cold and we just didn’t have the muscle to get the job done! Maybe I was too fancy for my own good.”

Alexander stifled his disappointment and sent a live message of congratulation to the Seventh Fleet. A censored account of the battle was released to the press. The approved images consisted of only the standard engagements between Terran ships and Alliance ships, and only vague casualty figures were given; but at the heart of the releasable data were images of the aftermath. Ship after ship of the Alliance fleet drifted lifelessly in a sea of ionized plasma.

The business of the evening taken care of Alexander gathered up his drink, poured Nazeera a glass of wine and took her out on the deck. The night was clear and cool. The faint band of the Milky Way waxed overhead, and the vault above them was splashed with a dazzling array of stars.

Nazeera looked above and sighed, “A pity your companion planet is not out tonight, it is one of the wonders of the known universe.”

“The Moon?” Alexander said, as if she’d disturbed him from a long distant thought. “I remember looking up at the Moon one night long ago. It was the night when Terrans first set foot on another celestial body. I watched the eerie images on television, and then I came outside and looked up at the Moon. At that point I knew I wanted to be an astronaut and to make it in space. Unfortunately, things did not quite work out. Whether it was me, or my refusals to bow to the system, I never made it.” He shrugged, emitting his trademark half strangled laugh, and added, “I suppose either way it comes back to me, but oh how galling it is to know some of the undeserving who made it!”

“I am your wife, and yet I know so little of your past, my dear,” Nazeera noted. “I would hazard to say, however, that those same Terrans would be rather envious of your position now.”

“Quite possibly,” Alexander smiled, “but you know it is strange. I had a great many hopes and dreams, Nazeera, that somehow didn’t pan out. All of them had to do with space, or what you recognize as the galaxy and our galactic neighborhood. There is bitterness in me still over that, but that bitterness never carried over into my love or fascination for the universe, even down to the Moon, which was my first celestial love. I’ve spent many a cold night watching it, and asking it why. This night, though, I rather enjoy its absence. Its light blots out all but the brightest constellations. When it is down, as it is tonight, the stars reappear and it is almost as if I can see into the depths of space, and gain some feeling for just how vast it is. This night reminds me more of our night on Chem, that first night.”

“How so?” Nazeera coaxed him, turning her beautifully luminous eyes from the heavens and to his. She reached out to touch his arm, but a sharp hissing cut the air, interrupting her advance. Alexander’s arm was suddenly yanked from beneath her hand. She caught sight of his legs being dragged beneath the rail. Alexander hit the deck hard upon his back. A grunt of pain and surprise were all he could utter as the breath was driven from his chest. Nazeera started, but with the quickness of a cat she grappled his arm. Just as she found purchase on his flesh, Alexander was yanked underneath the rail and off the deck. Nazeera was pulled from her feet as she vainly sought to hold onto him, but he was gone into the darkness, leaving nothing but his skin beneath her nails. She cried his name aloud, but all she heard in response was the splash and swirl of the black waters of the lake.