CHAPTER 32
Alexander returned to Terra the day after his interview with Admiral Senn’tyr of Quoterra. His reasoning was twofold. Reports indicated a rising level of hysteria concerning the impending Alliance entry into the Terran system. Alexander did not attempt to censure or downplay the news reports that had the Golkos-Seer’koh fleet only two weeks away now, but he wanted to lend his surety to Terrans everywhere. He made nightly broadcasts, preparing his people for the battle to come. He reminded them of their own history when they overcame the most dangerous warrior race in the known galaxy, themselves, time and time again through courage and perseverance. Most of Alexander’s effect was not through speeches, however, but through his presence. No Terran expected Alexander to be anywhere but in space directing the battle when the time came, but for the moment to have him touring the major cities of Terra leant an air of calm. The Terran Overlord was never flustered that the empire was under duress, and his quiet confidence was contagious.
Alexander attended the dockyards, spaceports, social events and legislatures on six continents. Behind the tours was Alexander’s interest in how defensive preparations were progressing. Terra already boasted a significant planetary defense system before the Alliance threat; a result of the Chem intention to destroy the presumed Scythian mercenaries. Since that time the standard array of blaster projectors and defense screens had undergone a radical and very Terran transformation. As Terran engineers studied and came to understand their purchased weaponry a host of innovations and improvements went into the field. Ideas that worked were quickly spread throughout the system, and those that did not were discarded.
To Alexander, who had taken little part in these earthly matters, the preparations were heartening and fascinating. Standing beneath a thirty meter projector rifle on the tropical island of Diego Garcia he listened intently to General Aaron Sharon, former Commander of Israeli defense forces, and now the Commander in Chief of the Terran Defense Force. General Sharon was a well respected commander Admiral Augesburcke’s Chief of Defense in CODOTS. When the CODOTS was dissolved the General retained his responsibilities, and since worked feverishly to overhaul and expand the scope of Terran defense.
“The Scythians sold us nine of these guns,” he told Alexander’s party. “It’s a good gun, though we’ve made some improvements. There was a good deal of wasted energy vented into the atmosphere and into the crust, which the Galactics like to use as a heat sink. We use this practice as well, but we’ve found a way to save that energy. We can expand the principle of the magnetic bottle which is used to contain matter-anti-matter reactions to this use. Under normal circumstances the energy is transferred deep within the crust and allowed to dissipate. We channel this energy via a magnetic conduit to a holding field in the seamount beneath the atoll and allow it to expend its energy on the matter there. Eventually the energy within the field will turn the matter into a dense plasma, which we can channel back into the gun’s atmospheric phaser. Part of the problem with a planetary gun is the requirement for it to shoot through the atmosphere. This requires us to focus the beam to minimize the energy loss. In reality, however, we still lose about ten to fifteen percent of our power to atmospheric attenuation. It’s not a very efficient method, but it is overcome by the sheer energy available to the gun. Ground power stations are capable of far larger outputs than ship borne engines, and they can be dedicated to the gun alone. Therefore, this gun, despite its limitations, can emit a projector stream greater than that of a battleship broadside. We’ve improved upon this though by concentrating on energy management and finding another method of allowing the beam to pass through the atmosphere. The basic theory was to use the plasma in pulses or “bullets” of energy to create a tunnel in the atmosphere for the gun to fire. These “bullets” are plasma bursts, and they leave a wake in their path which is a near vacuum. The best thing about the idea is the “bullets” are free, as they come from wasted energy. Before we had to curtail and focus the power of the gun, and we still lost a great deal to the atmosphere. Now, however, we can fire almost as if through a vacuum. It took months of tinkering, but now I’m happy to say that we’ve got the bugs worked out and we’re firing at one hundred and twenty-three percent of previous levels.”
“Impressive General, most impressive,” Alexander nodded, “and you say this increase is due to simply finding a better way to get through the atmosphere? I am surprised, I must say, that the Galactics had not found a better way previously. If you look at their technology they have a remarkable level of ability when it comes to controlling the atmosphere with regard to weather, pollution, and the like. Why would this problem be so difficult?”
“It was simply never addressed, Alexander,” Nazar told him. The Chem folded his arms, head cocked to the side, gleaming eyes glancing at the gun. “Again we see an example of our differing modes of thought, and one of the reasons you are so feared as a species and as a being. Such an attention to detail is somewhat alien to the Galactic’s mind. We developed our weapons, and our machines to suit our purposes, but there is little exploration beyond that need. The creation of technology takes a great amount of resources. When this weapon was designed those resources were dedicated to it until such time as the desired performance was reached and then they were promptly diverted elsewhere. This desire and ability of Terrans, to endlessly explore for better ways of doing things is unique to the Galactic’s civilization. It is part of your psyche, it appears, and I am beginning to comprehend just how ingrained this need to learn and to change is to your people. My observations also lead me to believe that this difference between modern Galactics and Terrans is more behavioral than intellectual. I consider myself the intellectual equal of any Terran, but my cognitive training is based on a linear, you would call it stagnant, cultural development. Galactics are concerned with the status quo, and thus the maintenance of civilization, not necessarily the improvement of it. This is a result of a lack of need; there is no starvation, no destitution, and until recently no war in Galactic civilization. Each culture has its place and there are rigid borders set upon what is expected and required of people, states and civilization in general. That in a very simplified picture was the state of the civilized galaxy in the kicellia prior to Alexander.
This weapon is a case in point. It is actually a copy of the standard Chem terrestrial defense gun, and in all ways is its equal. The design itself was last updated a kicellia before you, Alexander, were making your stand on Stamford Bridge. There have been few significant upgrades to the design, and it was built for many kicellia of service life. It is a well balanced weapon with a good service history, though I know of no planet, other than Terra, which has more than five of them. The Scythian’s must have spent the last kicellia acquiring that many.”
“Actually we scavenged four of them from former Scythian worlds outside their Homeworlds,” General Sharon told Nazar. “We’ve found that virtually anything is available at a price, though unfortunately the well is drying up. We’ve pretty much exhausted the Scythian stockpiles. We’ve had to become inventive.”
“Please go on,” Alexander asked, walking around the emplacement and gazing at the Sun through the tritium filigree with the fascination of a young boy.
“There are a lot of hodgepodge and makeshift systems,” Sharon replied evenly. “In addition to the planetary projectors there are multiple emplacements on asteroids moved into high orbit. These batteries consist of smaller power projectors linked in series and dug into the crust of the asteroids. They don’t normally have the power to effect ships with potent defense screens, but we’ve discovered that linked together with their blasters concentrating on a specific location we can penetrate shielding. The batteries are fully automatic and programmed to fire on the same targets as their complementary projectors on Terra. In this way we catch any ship entering a standard bombardment orbit in a potent crossfire. They won’t be able to channel power to ventral shields without leaving their dorsal side wide open. Beyond that our major initiative is the mine fields. We’ve depleted all the available matter-anti-matter generators the Scythians had so we’ve resorted to nuclear again. Specifically we’ve found a use for the roughly thirty thousand nuclear warheads that have been stockpiled over the last half century. The fields are already in place with proximity fuses set. We’ve re-used the magnetic bottle concept to direct the energy of the mine more or less at the target. They should, in theory, be able to disrupt and even penetrate galactic shields. I think it will provide a nasty reception for the Alliance should they try and enter orbit outside our safe corridors. To further confuse the matter there are over one million objects in the fields around Terra, not all of them are nuclear of course, in fact some are simply garbage cans filled with water and tossed overboard, but due to their similarity in size and mass without a minute scan there is no way to tell one from the other. We hope to keep the Alliance busy enough so they don’t have time to look. The minefields are located in low orbits of one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five kilometers: standard bombardment orbits.”
“That’s the optimal bombardment range for galactic style projectors,” Augesburcke added. “We are counting on the Alliance intention of entering orbit for bombardment after they’ve penetrated our systems defenses. In order for them to have any hope of penetrating our defense screens they will have to enter orbit. Beyond one hundred and fifty kilometers their projector streams diverge and lose power rapidly. Interference patterns set up by our atmosphere and our screens similarly reduce projector power within one hundred kilometers. Therefore, the Alliance has a fairly narrow corridor from which to bombard the surface, and our defenses are layered to aggravate this restriction.”
“Exactly, Admiral,” continued Sharon, “In addition to these lethal defenses we’ve developed some added surprises which are primarily intended to confuse and confound. The Scythians had in their possession a dozen tractor beam stations originally meant for mining. They have the ability to move great masses at pretty fair distances. We’ve placed them at various points over the globe with the intention of using them to disrupt formations, draw ships into “killing zones,” and manipulate the minefields.”
“An ingenious change in their purpose, General,” Alexander observed.
“That’s not quite all, Alexander,” Augesburcke smiled. “We have one more offensive program which I thought you’d like to hear about. I know in your former life that you happened to fly B-52’s. Well, we’ve found out they’re still useful as launch platforms. With a sub light engine mounted in the aft fuselage we’ve converted them to missile carriers. We can use the aircraft’s existing weapons loads, ALCM’s and SRAM’s with very slight modifications, in space. The nuclear payloads pack enough punch to disable or destroy a battleship if it penetrates the shields.”
“Really? I don’t suppose that old bird will ever be truly retired except by combat. What about the rest of our aircraft?” Alexander asked.
“We’ve had similar success with the Russian “Bears,” and the British “Vulcans,” but the B-2’s have too much composite for the tritanium bath process, and the B-1’s, well the Americans couldn’t get them to work under normal conditions so we’ve left them to the museums. Fighters just don’t carry enough of a payload. However, in tests we’ve found their small radar signatures might prove confusing to Alliance warships. Therefore, we’ve put station keeping thrusters on a few hundred with minimal flight controls. They are flown from the ground by datalink. Their purpose is to ram.”
“I can understand the amount of kinetic energy involved in such a collision,” Alexander wondered, “but what damage can we expect if a fighter gets through. Can we take out a battleship?”
“Each fighter has one of our nuclear artillery shells wired into her,” Augesburcke smiled. “It was only a few hundred shells out of the fields, so no great loss. We would have done more but we’ve run out of sub-light engines and thrusters; even the ones that don’t work anymore!”
“How many of these space/aircraft can we field?” Alexander asked.
“All in all we can field over five hundred nuclear armed aircraft for planetary defense. The total offensive punch amounts to roughly four thousand nuclear warheads.” Augesburcke explained.
“That’s impressive, Admiral, General,” Alexander nodded. “Four warheads to each ship. Things are beginning to stack up against Grand Admiral Khandar. He can’t have any inkling over what he’s about to face. This is hardly a standard Galactic defense. I imagine there’s going to be a great deal of surprise and confusion in the Alliance fleet when it arrives. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the essential part in all this. Our defense in depth looks quite menacing, and in all probability it is just that. The numbers are, however, against us. Even the energetic defense we envision cannot hold the firepower of the Alliance fleet at bay indefinitely; possibly not even until our fleets arrive. We must therefore add time to the equation and buy it how we will. Confusion is our greatest ally, in my opinion. The Alliance forces are attempting to coordinate their arrival for a simultaneous envelopment, but that is more difficult in reality than it is in theory. There is bound to be miscalculation and miscommunication on their part, and we’ve got to take advantage of that.”
“We’ve been working on that, Alexander, and I think we’ve found our avenue of attack. Believe it or not the exact position of Terra in the Galactic charts is not standard. Apparently this was never a well travelled region of space. The Scythians, when they controlled this space, were not eager to release accurate data; which is hardly surprising. Therefore, there is any number of estimated positions for Terra. This is a dilemma for the Alliance as they have to drop out of superluminal to ascertain exactly where we are. Given the range of error in the existing galactic database the Alliance could mistake any one of a dozen systems for the Terran Homeworld.”
“We realized this problem in our own operations,” Nazar commented. “It is actually not all that unusual. Off the established trade routes there are many systems with less than accurate positional fixes. Most are newly settled worlds established within the last tri-centum. The standard procedure is to drop out of superluminal at a known location and search for the planetary beacon. Once that is located and the code confirmed the navigational computers can plot a course of entry into the system. Our plan for the approach to Terra was simply to halt in the region and scan for emissions. We did not expect a fleet to oppose us so the prospect of looking for you was not a great concern. The Alliance, however, will have quite a different problem.”
“That is what we are counting on,” Augesburcke smiled. “With Admiral Konstantinov’s wolves nipping at the Alliance heels they’ll have a busy time looking for Terra, and we’ve gone to a great deal of trouble to make it doubly difficult. The Galactic estimates for Terra are all within roughly one thousand cubic light years, so it’s not an enormous error, but there are still two dozen systems from which to choose. Of these fifteen have habitable worlds. We’ve chosen the one nearest in likeness to our own and set up a relay station. All emissions from Terra have been closely curtailed, but we’ve set emitters on our decoy world. We hope to draw the Alliance fleet to our decoy world and then harass them as they search for the real Terra.”
“Like as not Grand Admiral Khandar will send squadron sized search contingents,” Alexander nodded. “We should be able to further whittle them down, little by little.”
“That is the idea,” Augesburcke replied.
“Excellent, but will it be enough? I suppose that is the question which entertains all of us now.” Alexander told them. “We’ve done what we can on the military side of things, but the fact remains we’re outnumbered five-to-one with the Alliance fleet barely two weeks away. At best our own forces from Syraptose and Quotterim are fifteen days off. That’s a day gap we can’t fill with anything but courage and stubbornness. Twenty-four hours. Isn’t it interesting how such a small measure of time can dictate the rise and fall of empires?” Alexander was silent for a long while, staring out to sea. No one wished to break that foreboding silence. It was unnecessary. Alexander’s mind came back to the matter at hand soon enough with his usual optimistic, if vague opinion of the situation, and moved on to the next issue in his mind. “Oh well, we shall find a way through this. If it wasn’t dark before the storm we’d have no appreciation for the sunlight. On to the evacuation: how are we faring? Are we meeting the quotas we anticipated?”
“We are meeting them, Overlord, though not without difficulties,” Elianna Mogahndi told him firmly. As the Secretary of Terran Emigration she had enormous responsibilities, especially as Alexander was usually far too concerned with military matters to pay her difficulties their appropriate attention. The Overlord had already addressed the problem, which his practical and altruistic mind saw as no true problem to begin with. Therefore, he mistakenly expected all to play their part and get on with it. That was the extent of Alexander’s patience for dilemma’s he didn’t understand in the first place. In response to Alexander’s raised brow she said, “We’ve had trouble with certain contingents of volunteers who did not want to be mixed with other contingents. The difficulties are racial, religious, ethnic, you name it. The quotas are being met, but we are forced to use military units who have better things to do. It is effecting morale, efficiency, and I’m afraid the viability of the colonies.”
Alexander struck his forehead in undeniable anger and irritation. “The fools; is that all they are concerned with, their own petty jealousies and prejudices? Do they have any inkling of what is happening? What kind of intolerable idiots are these people?”
The explosion caught the entire party off guard, but Mogahndi reminded him, “They are your constituents, Overlord, and they feel they have grievances without representation. I do not agree with their positions, or their actions, but they must be addressed whether we like them or not. The pace of the emigration both helps and hurts. The circumstances of the crisis are pushing these people to do something they ordinarily would not. These same circumstances are at the same time raising the stress levels of everyone concerned. Emotions are running high. These people are not just moving across town, or across the state, they are moving across the galaxy. It is an enormous strain and its bringing every concern to the surface. If they have time they will work it out, but we are pushing awfully hard.”
“If I had time, Madame Secretary, I don’t know if I could move them at all,” Alexander told her evenly. “Do you remember the stalemate in the Senate on just this matter? We are presented with a necessity, as well as an opportunity. We have no choice but to take advantage of it. I appreciate you quandary, Madame Secretary, but I want you to understand the full picture of what we face in this entire issue aside from the war. My advice to you during this time is to relish it. If we are successful in winning this war than your job will have become twice as difficult.”
The Secretary simply crossed her arms and looked sternly at the Overlord. He relented, and said, “You are in charge of the emigration. If there are—problem elements—in populations you have free reign to take them off the lists. Especially radicals. We don’t need anyone setting up a holy war on one of our planets. Will that do?”
She nodded, “Thank you Overlord.”
Alexander sighed, a signal to those around him that he had just purged his mind of the last issue and was ready for the next. They hopped in a car and drove to the spaceport. Within the hour Alexander and the entourage were in Cairo, and on the way to their next tour. Alexander longed for the relative peace of the Iowa, but he didn’t let the necessity of his appearances dampen his moods. The next tour was to take place at the pyramids. This was all too proper. The great pyramids were a symbol known throughout the known galaxy. The building of the colossal structures were the first event to win Terrans renown. The blood, sweat and ingenuity of the enterprise amazed the Galactics. It was only after further inspection, when the scale of warfare and conflict on Terra became evident, that this intriguing species was looked upon with more fear than wonder. Still, the great pyramids were one of the ten wonders of the universe.
Alexander was anxious to get going, but Nazar and his retinue were uncharacteristically late. When the Chem finally arrived Nazar’s expression changed the Overlord’s manner from irritated to cautiously inquisitive.
Nazar smiled and told him, “I apologize for the delay, but I’ve just gotten off the ethernet. That’s not so easy with all the interference in this system. My ears are still crackling from the poor reception here on the planet, but there was no time to get into orbit for a better link, and I had a feeling you might want to know about this. It should brighten even a grim Overlord’s decurn! As you requested the Chem Elder has been making some very subtle inquiries over the last three decurns. I just got off the ethernet with her.
She sends her greetings and her congratulations. Alexander, it was not as difficult as you feared. Once the terms of peace between the Terran Empire and the Syraptose and Quotterim were implemented and the Terran fleets departed orbit my government received inquiries from five of the eight remaining members of the Alliance. The inquiries were straight forward: would such an arrangement be possible for their empires, and what form of reparation would be required? The Elder provided them with the terms of your offer, and a personal Chem guarantee that the terms would be honored to the letter. Their unofficial response was favorable, though none would commit to a move out of the Alliance prior to an official ethernet meeting between yourself and their leaders. Apparently they put a great deal of faith on your word, Alexander, and they want the agreement documented with your presence.”
“That is something strange in my experience,” Alexander mused, “that is, to have a stranger’s word trusted to such an extent.”
“You are no stranger to the galaxy, Alexander,” Nazar told him.
Alexander nodded, understanding Nazar’s statement to a greater extent than any other Terran could. “Very well, we will accomplish the conferences at once. Who were the non-respondents, outside of the Golkos?”
Nazar cocked his head, smiling again, “That is the most interesting part, Alexander. Aside from the Golkos there was no positive reply from the Hrang or the Kempec, though the latter empires each expressed a very strong interest in discussions directly with you.”
Alexander’s eyes lit up at the meaning in Nazar’s statement, “Do you mean to tell me the Seer’koh are willing to withdraw from the Alliance?”
Nazar nodded maliciously, “I mean exactly that. Their only demand is that they not be held accountable for the execution of Terrans by the Golkos, and that certain planets in their empire be designated as “Homeworlds.” They are hunting planets; recreational worlds the Seer’koh set aside many kicellia past to preserve their heritage. There is a religious connotation to them which they take quite seriously.”
“In return they must immediately withdraw their fleet from Terran space, and submit to escort to our borders,” Alexander replied.
“That is understood,” Nazar assured him.
“By God’s Almighty hammer, never has a threat been halved with so little effort!” Alexander exclaimed. “Grand Admiral Khandar I have you now! The odds are even!”