The Riss Accession, page 14
part #4 of Riss Series
"Interesting idea. I’ll let you know when I’m in position. "
Ten minutes passed as the Mnemosyne maneuvered into position.
I sat back hoping I wasn’t wrong. That close, the Aliens’ thirty- and fifty-centimeter lasers were deadly, as we had learned at Fools Landing. I opened my SID and punched in Byer’s code.
He answered immediately.
"Commander Byer, prepare your squadron. We’re making another run. If we can disable the Medusa, I want your squadron in position to clean up anything still functional. There may be cruisers still docked. "
"Yes, ma’am. "
In less than a heartbeat after the Duster left the tube, the Bridge personnel turned translucent for two seconds. The Mnemosyne shuddered as twelve Demons exploded from the ship, and everyone again faded into ghosts and back again.
I hit my SID connect to Byer. "Byer, release your Ghosts. The Medusa has lost power."
"Ghosts exiting now."
My eyes went reflexively towards the VTM, but of course there was nothing to see. The Medusa had lost power, and the Ghosts were invisible to our sensors. We could do nothing but await Byer's report. The damage monitor showed only minor injuries and no equipment failure. Time seemed to go into slow motion; the minutes dragged by.
My SID lit with Byer's smiling face. "Captain Reese, Commander Katlin reports four Alien cruisers on the Medusa destroyed. They were apparently being held in reserve. Ghosts destroyed them in their launch bays."
"Send my congratulations," I said and activated Seng's SID.
"Seng, Send two boarding parties to the Medusa. The power is down, but let's make sure it doesn't come back on again."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, and a minute later, "Shuttles on their way."
Damaass appeared.
"Damaass, drop two shuttles of Scorpions. I want to make sure the beast is dead."
"Done. Your intuition was good, dybbuk." He smiled. "Our damage on this run was much less than the first one. Light damage here and there, and a few minor injuries. Are we going to join the battle on Dong?"
"No. They need the practice. Our responsibility is to ensure that the Medusa and everything in it is dead."
"Why do you think one of those two cruisers didn't continue going and return to the home base after they discovered the scout dead?" Damaass asked.
"Poor judgment, orders, tradition, or they thought they were winning. Many would think leaving a battle was cowardly."
Damaass laughed. "Before becoming a Riss-human and knowing Adiona, I would have thought that. Now, my guardian angel would have me considering the greater good."
* * *
Several seconds later, Sakaata's face appeared on the overhead monitor. "Reese, you had us worried. Your entire area of space looked dead. Obviously the Medusa lost power, but since we can't see your cruisers, we didn't know if you were alive or dead. I was particularly concerned when I noticed two explosions and then two alien cruisers joined us right afterward."
"They managed to find, engage, and destroy two Dummies. If we had engaged their cruisers, the Medusa would have been alerted to our presence. It's dead along with four cruisers it had in reserve. We've been waiting to see if you let any leave your party."
"Makes sense now that I hear what happened. Fighting with three nations is tricky. It would be convenient if someone were in charge, like the Gardners of SAS want, but that isn't practicable, as you've just demonstrated."
"How did things go for you and your task force?"
While he formulated an answer, I wondered why the Medusa had elected to keep four cruisers in reserve. Did the commander misjudge the number of ships in the system, or did it have something to do with who commanded the Medusa? And was each Medusa commanded by the same individual? Damn, the concept of a robot-host gave me a Medusa-sized headache.
That shocked me into silence. I knew the Riss didn't want to leave their normal host... Oh. If the Riss could transfer a copy... Interesting. The Aliens could be a very small group of organic material.
Sakaata's voice brought me back to the present. "We had the overwhelming force by three to one, but between a faster reload capability, an ECM equivalent to an SAS Heavy, and those damn fighters with their kamikaze tactics, it's like fighting Hunters. In total, four Lights and a Heavy were destroyed, three additional Lights are non-operational, and most ships have light to moderate damage. It would have been worse if my Riss-certified ships hadn't destroyed two Alien cruisers before they discharged their fighters. In my task force, I lost an unmodified Light, another is barely operational, and have moderate damage to another Light and my command ship, the Condor. What about you?"
"Better than last time. Have to; we don't have copies to throw away."
* * *
We arrived back in Dong air space early the next morning. I had chosen to return at half speed with our radar active, knowing many in the various task forces would be rightfully nervous and that the Riss cruisers looked more alien than the Aliens' cruisers. On the way back, I held a meeting with the senior personnel on the Mnemosyne and Minerva.
When I entered the room, Jaelle called "Attention," and everyone rose. Most were smiling.
"At ease." I said, and to my surprise everyone started clapping.
"To Captain Reese," Damaass said, raising his glass. "The leader of the meanest, baddest fighting elite in the galaxy." As he finished, everyone cheered. My face must have turned scarlet because it felt on fire.
"Yes. It is my privilege to serve with the elite of the services. Not only comrades-in-arms, but friends." I sat. "Who would like to start the debriefing?"
"My pilots went wild over the Dummies. They sucked the Aliens' fighters to them like a black hole. It was very satisfying after the carnage at Fools Landing." Byer said.
"I agree," Commander Clarkson said, nodding. "What I love about the Riss ships is that you have us tied into the VTM, so we are more aware of what is happening."
"I agree," Seng said. "Usually, the army has to learn everything second and third hand and after the fact. Here, I feel like we are part of the team."
"You are," I said, trying to catch everyone's eyes. "Any idea why we managed to catch four cruisers on the Medusa?"
"Surprise, I think," Iglis said. "The party I sent over after the Scorpions informed me it was clear that they were preparing to launch them. It will take time to understand the exact reasons. Maybe repairs, or fuel, or... "
"Was anything active when the Scorpions arrived?"
"No, there seems to be a domino effect. Once they determine they have lost the fight, everything begins shutting down. I would guess it's an effort to destroy any useful information before the enemy can get to it," Seng said.
I sat back content. I was on a Riss ship, operated by Riss, and even the humans seemed to be somewhat Riss-like.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Aftermath
We had only been in orbit around Dong for a few minutes when the Dynasty sent a message reminding me of my dinner invitation with Zhu. Sakaata called shortly afterward, also wanting to meet for dinner. She sounded aggravated when I told her I couldn't because of Zhu's invitation. Instead, we arranged a morning meeting prior to the joint debriefing Zhu had scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
I spent the rest of the morning with Sato, Chung, and Zhang at their first meeting with the twenty Riss volunteers. It went about how I would have guessed.
Sato's questions were concerned with how the Riss companion would help him and ensuring he would be in charge. He loved the idea every Riss would agree with his decisions.
Chung appeared concerned with losing control to the Riss.
Zhang appeared interested in the Riss as a people.
I knew I didn't want heroes, like Sato. The Riss didn't need to prove themselves or to die for someone's idea of glory. I didn't blame Sato. He was raised in a culture which tended to see one as a hero or a coward, with nothing in between. Chung wouldn't survive. He saw the Riss as parasites rather than intelligent beings. Like Egon, one of the original ten Riss-humans, he would go insane, and the Riss would have to be removed for his own safety. Unfortunately, he wouldn't resign from the program because that would mean he would lose face. Zhang met all of the qualifications—a tactical thinker who saw the Riss as people and good allies. But he kept his thoughts to himself, so it was impossible to know his motivation. I would have to leave that to the Riss to determine. I called a stop around lunch time. Better to keep the sessions short. The candidates and the Riss needed time to consider what had been said and organize their thoughts for the next meeting.
* * *
"What do you think Zhu wants?" Terril asked during our shuttle ride to the Dynasty.
"I have no idea, although I suspect Fleet Admirals don't invite anyone to dinner to chat about their day."
"Should be interesting then."
"For you." I said as the shuttle touched down. I rose and exited the shuttle to another formal welcoming.
Afterward, Zhu stepped forward. "Welcome, Leader Reese. I'm afraid your performance yesterday requires a very formal reception," he said, indicating for me to walk with him. "I hope you don't mind meeting with me alone. I have no secrets from the SAS, but I would like an opportunity for us to get better acquainted."
"I'd like that," I replied. I doubted I would ever truly know Zhu. He was not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve or to say anything without giving it careful thought, which made it difficult to know exactly what he was thinking, unlike people like Admiral Salazan. He led me to a small room with a table set for two. Only Terril and Xun entered the room.
When we sat, a woman entered in a military uniform I thought the equivalent of a sergeant. "Leader Reese, what would you like to drink with your dinner? We have a variety of wines, liquors, kaffas, and teas."
I looked to Zhu. "Admiral Zhu, being a Riss-human has limited my socializing. The concept has been very controversial in the SAS, and I've found it best to limit my civilian exposure."
"Yes, I can understand that. People like things they understand. That is why tradition is so comfortable. It makes it easy to understand the rules. The Riss-human concept would not be easy to comprehend and would brand you an outsider. Do you drink wine?" He asked.
"On occasion. Mostly I drink kaffa, but I did like your tea."
"Lee, bring Leader Reese several wines and teas to taste," he said to the woman and continued before I could reply. "Leaders must socialize, so maybe I can help you to know your choices."
"Thank you, Admiral Zhu."
"Zhu, please."
"Zhu."
"We owe the Aliens for yesterday's invasion. It was an excellent demonstration on many levels. It provided real experience against the Aliens' Light cruisers and fighters, practical application of the Riss technology, and the ability of the Riss. I'm afraid Admiral Salazan would not have been happy to witness the Riss destroying a Medusa." A small smile touched his lips. He looked up and nodded.
When he did, Lee placed three small glasses of wine and three cups of tea on the table in front of me, bowed and stepped back.
"They are for you to sample. If you find something you like, I can put a name to it. Take your time."
When he nodded, Lee placed a glass of wine in front of him.
"Yesterday also emphasized the need to disseminate the Riss technology as quickly as possible. We will not have Riss cruisers at every battle, and it would be unfair for the Riss to have sole responsibility for disabling Medusas."
"I agree. I also think we need to disseminate the tactics we are developing." I said, thinking about Sato's and Chung's proposed approaches and what I had learned in our two encounters with a Medusa.
"What do you mean?"
"We are developing new technology in response to our encounters as well as learning what works and what doesn't. On our first encounter with a Medusa at Fools Landing..." I went on to explain the encounter and the damage, the development of the Dummies, and our encounter yesterday. "Perhaps a tactical school at Echo," I said, thinking out loud, "where encounters with Medusas are incorporated into live exercises."
Zhu sat quiet for a while.
I took a small sip of each wine in front of me. One tasted very tart, another acetic, and one sweet and smooth with a pleasant smell. I pulled the latter one closer to me, not wanting to interrupt Zhu. Then I tasted each tea. One tasted burnt, one earthy. The third had a mild pleasant flavor, and I pulled it closer to me.
"Plum wine and Oolong tea," he said.
I thought he had disregarded my earlier remarks, until he continued.
"An ongoing war college. Admiral Wattson will like that idea. If you will give me a detailed report, I will deliver it to him. That brings me to the reason for this dinner." He paused to take a drink of his wine, while Lee placed a full glass of Plum wine next to me and cleared away the other glasses and cups.
"What if you had been killed in the engagement with the Medusa?"
"People die in war. The Riss would pick another person to take the position of leader."
"Yes, our positions can all be filled, but would the future be the same? Would Stenberg have agreed to your proposal to put a Riss technology center on Dong as Wattson did? Would another Riss Leader have made Damaass a Riss-human? Would Admiral Erdogan have listened to your advice and waited to attack the Medusa?" His gaze seemed far away as he talked.
"I understand your concerns, but..." I shrugged, not knowing what to say.
"Too bad we can't make copies like the Aliens." He laughed softly.
* * *
I left Jaelle to monitor the Riss-human candidates’ session with the Riss and went off to my meeting with Sakaata.
When I exited the shuttle, a young lieutenant met me. "Welcome aboard the Condor, ma'am. Admiral Sakaata has asked me to escort you to her conference room. If you'll follow me," he said after saluting.
I nodded, and we exited the shuttle bay with Terril and two scorpions following.
At the conference room, he knocked once, then opened the door.
"Leader Reese and security," he announced. Sakaata stood as I entered and held out her hand.
Your uniforms are tricky." She smiled. "One never knows whether you are dressed formally or down for the occasion."
"It's formal if they're clean," I quipped, although that may be too close to the truth.
"There is kaffa on the sideboard," she said, nodded to the back of the room. "I would prefer if you didn't walk out of a meeting when someone says something controversial. It doesn't help to solve the problem. I'm not saying Morley was justified in saying what he said, but walking out just throws fuel on the fire."
I said nothing as I retrieved a cup of kaffa and returned to sit opposite her. When I didn't respond, she continued.
"Captain Newmon was killed during the battle of Dong when the Seahawk was destroyed. Morley feels strongly that had Riss been on board, he could have saved his longtime friend. He blames you and your anti-human attitude, and I'm afraid there are those who agree with him." She took a sip of her kaffa while glaring at me. "You have a commitment to Plimson to make this alliance work."
Before I could respond, Sakaata continued, her voice harsh. "Having secret meetings with the UFN is causing concerns among my officers. Pretty soon, someone is going to make an attempt on your life."
"Rear Admiral Sakaata, if someone is failing Admiral Plimson it's you, with your failure to control your people. It's not my responsibility to help you do your job. The Riss are not shooting at humans. The Riss are not calling humans cowards. The Riss are following Admiral Wattson's commitment to the UFN to share technology. I'm not a member of the SAS military and have no obligation to discuss my actions with you," I said without emotion, took a sip of kaffa, and continued. "When I was your XO, you treated me fairly. You treated the Riss-humans and Riss on your ship fairly. But you are resorting to the same narrow-minded behavior that affects so many in the SAS: you have a problem, so it's the Riss' fault."
Sakaata sat open mouthed, her face flushed with anger. She glared at me for a long time. I waited to hear her response, which would determine our future relationship.
Sakaata sat with her eyes closed for a long time. When she opened them, she looked to Terril and gave a small smile.
"I think your security team is debating whether to shoot me or not."
