Into the Breach (Empire Rising Book 15), page 7
The Representative actually laughed. It sounded like a loud-pitched dog bark. “You take us for fools, Human. You are brave, bringing one ship here as you have done, I will grant you that. But we know who you truly are. And we know who the Human Empire truly is. You are conquerors and pillagers. You are here to spy out our home system so that you can aid the Dudl’lons in their conquest of our system. Or perhaps you are here to simply take it for yourself. In either case, we know your true intentions.”
Jonathan raised his hands palms forward in a conciliatory gesture. “I do not know why you believe such things about us, but I can assure you they are not true. My species has fought wars with two other sentient species, yes, the Flex-aor and the Karacknids. But they were both defensive wars. And we did not fight alone. We fought alongside more than ten other sentient species who all consider us to be their friends and allies. We are not conquerors or pillagers; we simply seek peace and friendship with our neighbors. As an offer of goodwill, I have permission to share certain technologies with any species that I make first contact with. I would be more than willing to share them with you, along with star maps of the local systems and more detailed information on my species and the civilizations we are friends with. There are six civilizations that are not too far from your home system we could introduce you to. The five species that make up the Conclave Alliance, and the Nanee Empire.”
The one who spoke for the Representatives shook his head vigorously. “You are lying to us. What technologies do you offer? Agricultural ones? Civilian manufacturing ones? Who you think we are? We know how to feed our people and build what we need. All you offer are empty promises. What good would these technologies do us when you help the Dudl’lons to come and conquer us? They would be worthless then.” Jonathan opened his mouth to protest but was unable to get a word in. “And as for these other species you mention,” the Representative continued, “we know all about how you tricked and conquered them. They are your slaves now, as you would have us be.”
Jonathan shook his head just as vigorously. “That is simply not true. It is clear you have attained misinformation about us before we have met here today. I do not know who has been feeding you these lies, but I assure you, they are lies. I mean your people no harm.”
“That is what a spy would say, is it not? And we know your technology is more advanced than ours. You say you didn’t enter our system so as not to appear a threat to us? Yet, it is likely you have already gained all the strategic information about our defenses and fleet that you need. Tell me, what have the Dudl’lons offered you that you would help them conquer us? Will they become your client state and rule us on your behalf?”
Jonathan jumped to his feet, shaking his head again. He felt he was drowning and was unable to kick his feet or pump his hands to swim upwards. “I’m sorry, but you’ve got this all wrong. You have to believe me; I had never even heard of the Dudl’lons before you mentioned them just now. Who are they? If they threaten you, then perhaps my species could offer you protection.”
The Representative brought his hands out from under the table and slowly rested them on its top. He spoke more slowly than before. “So, your true intentions come to the fore. You have been using the Dudl’lons to threaten us, to make us scared so that we would embrace you and your protection with open arms. That is how you will subdue us, is it?”
Jonathan wanted to shout at the Representative, it was the only way he could think to make himself heard. Yet, his mother’s voice filled his mind; ‘anger in negotiations gets you nowhere. You lose control and you will only insult your opponent.’ It was a lesson she had driven home many times as he grew up. Usually, his mother had been trying to help him navigate the many arguments he had with his younger siblings. Yet, he knew she had been preparing him for something more. Taking a breath, Jonathan calmed himself. It was clear the approach he was trying was failing. He needed to adopt another tact. Someone has made contact with the Bar’samin before us, Jonathan was sure. It was the only explanation for why they knew about the Empire and why they were so hostile. Someone has turned them against us. There were only two possibilities that Jonathan could think of, either the Karacknids or this unknown species the Bar’samin refer to as their Saviors. He had no idea why the Karacknids would take an interest in such a technologically inferior civilization. But then the same would hold true for the Saviors, wouldn’t it? He asked himself. He had no answers.
Taking a deep breath, he finally spoke again. “I fear we have gotten off on the wrong foot, Representative. For that, I wish to apologize. You may not believe me when I said it, but this is genuinely the first time I have heard of your civilization or spoken to someone from your species. Nevertheless, I see you will not believe me. Clearly, someone else has convinced you that we are a threat. May I ask who this is?”
“Who we are friends with is none of your business, Captain,” the Representative said. “Unless it is your intention to conquer them as well?”
“Have you considered the possibility that they are the ones deceiving you? It may be that they have intentionally tried to turn you against us. Perhaps it is the enemies of my Empire I mentioned before, the Karacknids? Or maybe it is the species you refer to as your Saviors?” At the mention of Saviors, the other Representatives who had all been sitting perfectly still glanced around at one another. Jonathan had to hide a small smile; he clearly hit a nerve.
The Representative who had been speaking to him banged a hand on the table. All eleven of the other Representatives’ heads snapped back towards Jonathan and remained perfectly still. “You know not of what you speak,” the Representative said. “And even if you do, it will not save you. Neither your ship nor all the scans of our system you have collected will return to your Empire. We will destroy you now, spy, and when your fleet comes to take this world, our Saviors will wipe it from existence. We will put an end to your conquering ways once and for all.” Raising a clenched hand, the Representative pointed a fist at Jonathan. Then, the holo display went black.
“Energy spikes from all the Bar’samin warships, Captain,” Schmidt reported hastily. “They are powering up their reactors. Engines are beginning to put out thrust as well.”
“Turn us around, get us out of here!” Jonathan ordered. He shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t understand where he had gone wrong. He had failed first contact. He had let his mother and father and the Empire down. The sudden blaring of alarms snapped him out of his own head. The alarms were announcing targeting scanners passing over Achilles.
“Missile launches!” Schmidt reported seconds later. “One hundred and forty-four missiles incoming.”
Jonathan swallowed as he saw the new contacts appear on the holo display. He had seen far larger missile salvos, yet before, he had always been part of a fleet. Achilles was on her own. Even though he knew he had ordered Achilles to move close to the system’s mass shadow, he had to doublecheck just to reassure himself. He let out a long breath in relief. At the rate the missiles were accelerating, Achilles would easily cross the mass shadow and be able to jump out. “No sign of any kind of gravity well technology?”
“None, Captain,” Cortez said at once, obviously sharing Jonathan’s concern. “None of their ships seem to have unusually large power signatures, either.”
“Well, at least that is something. I guess we can power up our active sensors now. We may as well get as detailed a scan of those ships as we can before we jump out,” Jonathan ordered.
“Certainly, Captain,” Lydia replied. “Powering up active sensors no…”
Jonathan’s heartbeat skyrocketed as he saw the same thing Lydia did. Nearly half of the Bar’samin missiles had detonated. For a split-second, Jonathan feared the Bar’samins had some kind of bomb-pumped laser technology, something that would allow their missiles to strike his ships from such a distance. His body tensed as he expected something to plow into Achilles. Yet, nothing came. Instead, the entire Bar’samin fleet disappeared from Achilles’ sensors. “What is happening?” Jonathan demanded.
“Our sensors can’t see through the detonations,” Lydia reported.
“Some kind of chaff?” Schmidt asked.
“It has to be,” Lydia replied. “We’re picking up tens of thousands of small metallic particles. I don’t know what they are, but they’re reflecting our sensor emissions all over the place. We can’t get a return on anything. Or, more accurately, were getting millions of returns!”
Jonathan was impressed. He strongly suspected that if he had fired a salvo of missiles at the Bar’samin fleet, they would have now lost their targeting locks. No doubt behind the wave of chaff, the Bar’samin fleet was altering course even as it continued to close with Achilles. “And the beauty of that chaff is that it’s moving fast, staying ahead of their fleet, giving them cover as they charge in,” Jonathan thought out loud. “How long until the rest of the missiles reach us?”
“Seven minutes, Captain,” Schmidt answered.
“Hold off jumping out for a moment,” he ordered as he got a feeling there was more to learn about this race that seemed to want to make an enemy of his people. Two minutes passed as the wave of chaff and remaining missiles continued towards Achilles.
“Look at that,” Lydia said as she pointed to something on the holo display.
It took Jonathan a moment to see it, then even longer to figure out what he was looking at. The dense cloud of chaff seemed to be moving. At least, tens of thousands of the small metallic particles did. Yet, they couldn’t possibly be powered. After several seconds, Jonathan was able to recognize the pattern. The movements all seem to be outward from several central positions. From their ships! James figured. “How?”
“Magnetic fields,” Monroe said, speaking from his science console for the first time since Achilles had entered the system. “They’re using intense magnetic fields to manipulate those objects. It allows them to fly right through without risking damage to their hull.”
Monroe was cut off by the sounding of more alarms. The rest of the Bar’samin missiles were detonating. An entirely new wall of chaff appeared, cutting off any visuals or sensor returns from the Bar’samin fleet as it finished traversing the first wall of chaff.
“They have disappeared again,” Lydia announced.
“Jump us out,” Jonathan ordered. He thought he understood now. In a matter of seconds, a tremor ran through Achilles as his destroyer jumped into the safety of shift space.
“What on Earth was that?” Cortez couldn’t help but ask, relief filling her voice.
“The missiles were never intended to hit us,” Jonathan explained. “They served their purpose. Remember the large energy weapons we spotted on their ships. Whatever technology they use, the chaff is designed to get their warships into range to use them.”
Cortez was nodding as Jonathan spoke. “Even if we had wanted to open fire, with their missiles, we might not have scored a single hit.”
“Exactly,” Jonathan said. “A novel tactic, but possibly an effective one. We’re going to have to figure out some counters.”
“What are your orders now, Captain?” Scholes asked from the navigation console. “What course should I plot?”
Jonathan’s professional interest in the Bar’samin’s tactics evaporated as the reality of the situation returned to him. He had no choice, there was nothing else he could do. Going back to Ulan’nagn would only spark another confrontation. “There’s nothing more for us out here,” he said, giving voice to his frustration. “Set course for Bastion, all we can do is inform Admiral Salamanca of what has transpired and hand the situation over to him.” If Jonathan’s voice communicated a sense of defeat, it was because that was how he felt. The whole point of his mission had been to give him and his ship experience of working independently. Yet now, at the first sign of trouble, he was having to flee back to Salamanca with his tail between his legs.
“Maybe there’s something else out here,” Lydia said slowly. Jonathan turned to find his Second Lieutenant staring at him. “I know you didn’t approve it, but I thought I could risk taking the liberty.”
Having served with Lydia before, both of them had been assigned to Achilles, Jonathan recognized her tone. “What have you done, Lieutenant?” He pressed.
“Just before the Representative cut the COM channel, I used the link between our two ships to run a hack into their COM system,” Lydia said sheepishly.
Jonathan almost jumped to his feet. “You did what?” He demanded. “Didn’t you hear them accuse us of being spies? If they find out!”
Cortez came to Lydia’s defense. “If they find out, their minds won’t have changed one iota. They’ve already opened fire on us without provocation, Captain.”
His First Lieutenant’s words slowed Jonathan slightly, but only slightly. “What on earth possessed you to do such a thing?” He asked, his eyes still boring into Lydia.
“It was their tone with you, Captain, they were not listening and would not budge. Then, in our transfer protocol’s exchange with their COM systems, I was able to see how outdated their systems are compared to ours. The hack is actually a piece of software the Crians have developed. It’s quite advanced. I doubt the Bar’samin will ever notice it. Certainly, their COM system didn’t detect the intrusion.”
Jonathan still wanted to shout at Lydia, yet he knew it would achieve nothing. He shook his head at her nonetheless. “You better have something interesting to show for your actions.”
Sensing Jonathan had relented, Lydia broke into a grin. “Actually, Captain, I did. I didn’t want to risk trying to hack into other systems, so I had the software search all the recent transmissions the civilian ship had sent and received. It looks like the Representatives received an updated star map from the exploration ship we followed here just a couple of hours ago. Here is what I believe to be a full map of all the systems the Bar’samin know about.”
A map appeared in front of everyone on the main holo display. Bar’samin was clearly marked at its center while eight other systems were depicted. It was a very small map by Imperial standards, yet it showed how far the Bar’samin had explored. Of more interest was one of the furthest away systems. It was clearly marked with the name Dudl’lon. “Maybe we don’t have to return to Salamanca just yet,” Lydia said excitedly.
Jonathan shook his head again, this time at Lydia’s impudence. She was right, though. There were too many unanswered questions for his liking. And maybe we don’t have to return to Salamanca with empty hands. “All right,” he said, making himself sound more perturbed than he was. “Set course for this Dudl’lon system. Maybe they will prove more friendly.” Hopefully, he thought, but didn’t add.
Chapter 6
A Captain’s duty is to always keep his eyes open and to learn from his allies and enemies alike. The navy that stops advancing and adapting is the one that will lose the next war.
-Excerpt from Empire Ascendant 3015 AD.
Achilles, 2nd July 2509 AD, (twelve days later).
Jonathan felt a strong sense of déjà vu. Achilles was sitting on the edge of the Dudl’lons’ system using her passive sensors to sift through all the emissions the alien species’ homeworld was giving off. Like the Bar’samins, the Dudl’lons were blessed with a gas giant rich in He3, and like their neighbors, the Dudl’lons had built themselves gas mining and storage facilities far larger than they could possibly need. It couldn’t be a coincidence.
Dudllias, the Dudl’lons homeworld, was also similar to Ulan’nagn in one other way. Numerous transmissions being picked up from the planet spoke of their enemy. It was clear the Dudl’lons were preparing themselves for war. The only difference was that the Dudl’lons didn’t appear hesitant to mention the Bar’samin by name. There had even been two communications picked up that mentioned the Human Empire. Neither proved conclusively that the Dudl’lons also saw the Empire as an enemy, but it was alarming nonetheless.
From there, the similarities ended. Contrasting sharply with the Bar’samin, the Dudl’lons were an aquatic species, living in the seas that dominated their homeworld. They also appeared to be ruled by a single King, though from what Rutherford and the analysts Jonathan had working with him could determine, there were many local Nobles and Mayors that held a lot of power over their areas of jurisdiction.
“We’re not going to discover much more unless we wait several days,” Jonathan said to his bridge officers. “And there is a mystery here I wish to get to the bottom of. I can’t shake the feeling that the Dudl’lons are going to respond to us just as the Bar’samin did. If so, there’s no point beating about the bush. We may as well reveal ourselves and see what happens.”
“I agree, Captain,” Cortez replied. “Someone has been telling the Bar’samin lies about us. We have to assume they have deceived the Dudl’lons as well.”
