Perilous choices, p.9
Perilous Choices, page 9
part #11 of Gate Ghosts Series
“Personally, I’m in favor of the latter choice,” Yathal quickly interjected. “I think the invaders should earn their freedom.” His smile appeared mirthless and many chuckled, knowing his intention.
“With hundreds of extra workers, we could plant trees and shrubs faster. We could even start sowing grass seed,” Uferus commented. “I like the idea.”
The captains’ stricken faces didn’t appear to elicit any sympathy from their audience.
“I think a compromise can be struck,” Ophorous offered, whose thoughts had wandered far afield to a more important subject.
The rescued captains were encouraged by Ophorous’s statement. That was until she finished speaking.
“Instead of a sentence of ten or twenty annuals for service on this planet, it could be reduced to five annuals in exchange for some information,” Ophorous finished.
“You can’t do this,” the semi-dry captain declared.
“Why not?” a councilor inquired. “You attacked an ally without provocation. You didn’t heed our edict that you leave our territory, and you launched missiles that could have entered our system. If an enemy force had done any of those things to threaten your home world, how would you have treated the captives?”
“What about our long-standing relationship?” a warship captain queried.
“The one that Utilimats have taken advantage of for nearly five hundred annuals?” Yathal inquired. “And since when does the Utilimat council and the supreme forces commander reciprocate by sending warships armed with extremely dangerous missiles?”
The rescued captains deflated. Their arguments were getting nowhere.
Julien had seen this failing many times before. The warship captains couldn’t believe that the Yerets didn’t comprehend that they were in the right, but that was always the complaint of aggressors. In their minds, they were always the misunderstood party.
Reluctantly, a warship captain addressed Ophorous. “You intimated that there was a means of reducing our time on planet,” he said.
“Where do Utilimats construct the bead-filled warheads?” Ophorous asked.
Slowly, almost too slowly, the warship captains shook their heads.
Ophorous mutely appealed to Uferus, who said, “We should ask the first officers. If they give us the information we want, they could go home now instead of the captains.”
“It’s kept secret,” a captain quickly said. “Most likely, it’s in some Utilimat system.”
Julien sent a request to the SADEs. Then he remarked, “It seems unlikely that something this dangerous would be allowed anywhere near a Utilimat population.”
“Where did you take command of your warship?” Uferus asked.
“Why is that important?” a warship captain queried.
“Answer the question, Captain,” a councilor directed.
“My ship arrived in system, and I accepted it from a delivery crew,” the captain replied.
Uferus eyed the other two warship captains, who said roughly the same thing.
Julien received the data, and he held out his hand to expose his palm holo-vid.
Ophorous eagerly left her seat to approach Julien.
Uferus quickly joined her.
The display was a wireframe model of star systems. Uferus was the first to spot some of the adjoining data in the display. He expanded the display and pointed to one system. “The Utilimat home world,” he announced, and Julien nodded.
Ophorous manipulated the display, expanding it and swiveling the map. “Captain Uferus, isn’t this the system where the huge orbital construction station sits above the Utilimat world?” she inquired.
Uferus studied the reference and its relationship to the home world and other stars. “Confirmed,” he replied.
“How about this one?” Julien asked, rotating the display to put a star in the center.
Ophorous and Uferus studied the location in relation to the other stars, and they both shook their heads.
“Why is this one of concern to you, Julien?” Ophorous asked.
“According to data recovered from the warship that was boarded for the warhead, the ship originated from this location,” Julien began, reverting to the systems that the captains had identified as where warships were constructed. “Then it proceeded to this unknown system. Finally, it was delivered to the Utilimat home world.”
“Then the unknown system is probably where the warships were loaded with bead-warhead missiles,” Uferus surmised.
“That’s our consensus,” Julien responded.
“With this star map, you can sail to that location,” Ophorous offered.
“That would be trespassing,” a warship captain pointed out.
“Probably much like your warships coming here, you mean?” Yathal countered. Silence greeted his challenge.
“Are there any more questions for these officers?” the council head asked. Everyone was quiet. So, he added, “There appears nothing more to exchange. Julien, would you have these officers returned to their crews?”
A SADE entered and beckoned to the captains. They rose and exited the conference room. Their postures suggested that they felt utterly defeated.
“Julien, we would hear your thoughts,” the council head requested.
“One moment,” Julien said. Soon afterward, Iltaft, Temtalum, and Shoya entered the conference room. The SADE gestured to the seats recently vacated by the warship captains.
Temtalum stared and frowned at her chair’s bottom. “Why’s mine wet?” she queried in Queller, which made Iltaft grunt humorously.
Then Iltaft moved over one seat to offer hers to Temtalum.
“I present these three individuals to you for various reasons,” Julien said, after linking to the three new guests and sharing with them. “On the far left is Conclave Representative Iltaft. Her race is on the other side of the anomaly.”
Not knowing first-contact protocols, Iltaft rose and tipped her head to the Yerets and then to the Utilimat captains. Immediately, her audience rose and returned the gesture.
Then Julien introduced Temtalum and Shoya as the pilots whom the audience watched play with the missile onslaught to determine their characteristics.
“Which of you lost your ship?” Ophorous inquired, which Julien translated via his conference links.
Shoya raised a hand. “Embarrassingly, that was me.”
When Ophorous heard Julien repeat what Shoya said, she nickered. Then she replied, “It should only be an embarrassment if nothing was achieved.”
Shoya nodded gratefully to Ophorous’s words.
Then Julien introduced the council, Judimal Yathal, and the Utilimat captains.
“Captains Uferus and Ophorous, you must have stories to tell, which I’d love to hear,” Iltaft said.
“We’re at your disposal, Representative Iltaft,” Uferus replied.
“I’ve asked these individuals to join us to consider the present situation,” Julien said.
“Are we still in danger, Julien?” a councilor asked.
“Pardon me, Julien,” Yathal interrupted. Addressing the council, he said, “While Julien can give you the conclave perspective, the question was misdirected.” Then he indicated Uferus with a hand.
“From the Utilimat council’s perspective, they’ll see their grip on the dependent races slipping,” Uferus replied. “The Utilimat worlds have done well by charging the three races exorbitant funds for defense. You might ask how many times your worlds have been attacked.”
“Just once, and by our supposed defenders,” Yathal commented sourly.
“It doesn’t matter if the Utilimat council considers the conclave as true allies or just usurpers of their lucrative position,” Uferus continued. “They’ve just begun to test the conclave. Many more warships with bead-warhead lances will return.”
“Well said, Captain,” Julien remarked.
Iltaft gestured to draw the Yerets’ attention. “Not too long ago, I was where you are now,” she said. “Quellers were staunch isolationists. Unfortunately, a vast empire shares a frontier with us, and they discovered our ships. If it wasn’t for the conclave, we’d have been suborned by a cruel race.”
“It’s a difficult transition to make,” a councilor commented after receiving the translation.
Yathal issued his soft laughter. “I invite the council to step outside,” he said.
His comment confused the councilors. So, Julien picked up imagery from Temtalum’s traveler and projected it for the council. It was pouring outside.
“That’s not a sandstorm out there,” Yathal said to make his point.
Iltaft grunted in agreement. “That’s the kind of thing the conclave does,” she said. “The organization has the technology, resources, and funds to assist races to develop healthier economies and societies.”
“So, Julien, how do we protect Yeret worlds from Utilimat encroachment?” Yathal inquired. He’d decided to take the lead and let the council follow him.
“Eliminate bead production,” Shoya swiftly replied.
“That would be a start,” Temtalum added.
Julien regarded the councilors to see how they were reacting to the advice.
As for Yathal, Uferus, and Ophorous, they were tipping their heads in assent.
“Action such as that could be considered an act of war,” a councilor opined. He gazed at his companions, but the majority of councilors were shaking their heads.
“I think the general thought is that the Utilimats were the first to demonstrate aggression,” the council head said.
“Julien, can we count on conclave protection?” Yathal asked.
“We’ve never deserted a race in trouble,” Julien stated.
Swiftly, the council requested Julien help the Yerets by eliminating the source of bead production. Then they asked his associates to deliver a lengthy message to the Utilimat council and the supreme forces commander. Their final proposal, which was rapidly accepted, was to take steps to unite the Yerets with the Monkfreds and the Freiots.
“I welcome the steps that the council is taking,” Julien said. “Recognize that there will be obstacles to achieving your desires, but we hope our assistance will allow them to be swiftly overcome.”
When Julien rose, he paused and addressed the council. “I’d like to point out that what you achieved today by your actions formed from our initial contact with Captains Uferus and Ophorous,” he said. “Your judimal and Utilimat advisors represent the type of biologicals that we enjoy meeting.”
With that, Julien left the conference room, noting that Iltaft, Temtalum, and Shoya were on his heels. Linking to them, he sent,
Julien heard nothing, which made him laugh. He shared,
That did make Iltaft grunt and Temtalum and Shoya laugh.
A Trident senior captain accepted Julien’s recommendation to reform his squadron and take one of the ships that had handled the most dangerous aspects of the Utilimat warship encounter. Naturally, that was the Trident that Iltaft, Temtalum, and Shoya were aboard.
Julien replied.
∞
Uferus chose to remain behind, suggesting that Ophorous accompany Julien, and she quickly accepted the idea.
The council decided to remain on the planet until Julien returned.
As it had been directed, the Utilimat crews found themselves planting shrubbery and saplings. The worst part for them was the short rain showers propagated by the ice meteors that streaked across the sky. Their thick fur didn’t have time to dry out before they were soaked again.
As opposed to the Utilimats, the Yerets embraced and celebrated every brief rain for the gift that it was, courtesy of the conclave.
During the journey to the bead-production system, Ophorous formed a quick bond with Shoya. Soon, Temtalum and Iltaft whole-heartedly accepted her.
The conclave flotilla arrived at the system where the drenched captain’s warship was discovered to have stopped.
Halting far outside the system, Captain Gistamia waited for the Freedom's powerful telemetry capabilities to survey the area.
The completed report detailed a dead system. Two domes, one obviously for inhabitants and another one operating as a manufacturing site, were situated on an ice planet with the right size for gravity. Two Utilimat warships were in orbit above the planet. Both of them appeared to be served by shuttles launching from the planet.
Julien signaled the Trident senior captain to clear the two warships from the system.
Within moments, Iltaft and her friends felt the sensation of entering the dark.
While they waited for the signal to launch, a SADE connected privately to Shoya.
Shoya laughed loudly until tears threatened to run down her face. Wiping her eyes, she hugged one SADE after another, as she sent,
As the Trident squadron exited the dark, appearing above the inhabited planet, it was obvious that news of the Utilimats defeat outside the Yeret system had spread far and wide. Before the Tridents could get close enough for the SADEs to occupy the bridges, the shuttles retreated to the planet, and the warships fired their engines.
Instead of flaring missile module doors to attack the Tridents, the warships accelerated to exit the system, dropping below the ecliptic.
When Julien received the senior captain’s report, he signaled the remaining ships to make for the planet.
Two Tridents, including the senior commander’s ship, sailed across the ecliptic to take up station and guard against the warships’ return.
The third Trident drew near the ice planet and directed the launch of Temtalum’s traveler. Then the captain retreated a good distance to protect his crew in the event of a catastrophe.
Iltaft remained quiet. She was trying to absorb the manner in which the conclave was forced to conduct various actions in order to protect the peace. Admittedly, there was a part of her that wondered about the sanity of accompanying individuals like Temtalum and Shoya on their missions. Have Quellers ever had such courage? she thought.
A SADE aboard Temtalum’s traveler shared,
On a SADE’s request, Temtalum circled the manufacturing dome, and the SADEs studied the detailed imagery.
