Against All Odds (42 page)

"What?" General Ardlessel said loudly. "That's impossible."

"It would explain how the Space Command fleet escaped without damage in battle after battle with Uthlaro forces. Our contact sent security footage of the three shipyard attacks. It shows the Space Command warships being struck repeatedly by laser fire from protection satellites. They ignored the satellites as if they were inconsequential. Following the destruction of the shipyards, Admiral Carver, in her role as the senior military officer in Region Two, proceeded to Uthlarigasset where she threatened to lay waste to the home planet unless they surrendered unconditionally. As part of the surrender, they were forced to immediately cede all territory to the Galactic Alliance. The Uthlaro leadership had sent every available warship to confront her at her HQ base. A military person might consider the act foolish perhaps, but it's doubtful a few home system protection ships could have stopped Space Command. The planetary leadership, aware of what Carver had done to the Milori home world, capitulated.

"Following the surrender, Carver ordered the planetary leadership to announce the surrender and annexation in the news media. The entire territory learned of it long before the final battle."

"If their surrender took place before the final battle, why didn't they recall their ships?"

"Our contact says they did attempt to recall them, but Space Command ruthlessly tracked down the remnants of the fleet and destroyed them without giving them a chance to surrender."

"Unconscionable," General Ardlessel said. "You don't kill an enemy after they've surrendered. What kind of animals are these?"

"Obviously, they are the most dangerous and malevolent species we've yet encountered in space," the chair of the Space Services committee said. "We believed Maxxiloth to be a serious threat, although one which we could conquer, but Space Command destroyed him easily and annexed his empire. Now they've defeated the combined forces of the Tsgardi, Hudeera, Gondusans, and Uthlaro, and absorbed most of their territory. What I don't understand is why Space Command only took seventy-five percent of the Gondusan space, but ninety-five percent of Hudeera space. Why didn't they simply absorb both nations?"

"You can be certain it wasn't because they feared to engage either nation in battle," the Ruwalchu Security Officer said. "Our Uthlaro contact intimated that the Gondusan and Hudeera governments grew frightened after Space Command destroyed the Tsgardi and threw themselves on the mercy of the Galactic Alliance. They immediately withdrew their token forces and offered up territory in the hope Space Command wouldn't wipe out their races. The area each possessed is insignificant, but the Gondusan were the shrewder. The Hudeera apparently offered everything except their home system in an effort to be spared annihilation. The Galactic Alliance must have agreed to the terms simply to be done with them because they could have swatted them aside like a bothersome insect."

"It's apparent," General Ardlessel said, "that the Galactic Alliance is pursuing a manifest destiny like that of Maxxiloth's great-grandfather, Conniloth, who believed it was his destiny to control the galaxy. The Galactic Alliance might have chosen their name for the same reason. They believe they should control the Galaxy. And now they're moving in this direction. We must be next on their list for annexation."

"Great Protector, they can't possibly believe we're going to allow that to happen," the chair of the Space Services committee said.

"They might believe they're invincible. We have to admit that no one has been able to stand for long before their onslaught. If their ships really are invulnerable, we may not be able to stop them."

"We must be ready with every ship we have to repel their invasion."

"Repelling their invasion might be a little difficult, sir," General Ardlessel said. "Your committee has reduced the appropriation for new ships and personnel every annual since you became the chair. After twenty annuals of force reductions, we don't have any spare ships, or spare people to man them."

"You mean we've left ourselves open to attack?"

"As I've been telling you for annuals, it was only a matter of time before some interstellar superpower decided to conquer us. It looks like that day has finally arrived."

"But there's still time, right? I mean, they're not here yet."

"There may still be time, if the Galactic Alliance gets bogged down while exercising control over all the new territory they've conquered. Perhaps if we began a massive shipbuilding and recruiting effort immediately, we might have a chance of repelling them. Otherwise," General Ardlessel just shrugged his shoulders, "we'd better begin learning this language they call Amer.

~ finis ~

*** Jenetta's exciting adventures will continue. ***

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Appendix

This chart is offered to assist readers who may be unfamiliar with military rank and the reporting structure. Newly commissioned officers begin at either ensign or second lieutenant rank.

Space Command Officer Hierarchy:

Admiral of the Fleet (5 Star)
Admiral (4 Star)
Vice-Admiral (3 Star)
Rear Admiral – Upper (2 Star)
Rear Admiral – Lower (1 Star)

Captain
Commander
Lt. Commander
Lieutenant
Lieutenant(jg) "Junior Grade"
Ensign

Space Marine Officer Hierarchy:

General (4 Star)
Lt. General (3 Star)
Major General (2 Star)
Brigadier General (1 Star)

Colonel
Lt. Colonel
Major
Captain
First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant

The commanding officer on a ship is always referred to as Captain, regardless of his or her official military rank. Even an Ensign could be a Captain of the Ship, although that would only occur as the result of an unusual situation or emergency where no senior officers survive.

On Space Command ships and bases, time is measured according to a twenty-four clock, normally referred to as military time. For example, 8:42 PM would be referred to as 2042 hours. Chronometers are set to always agree with the date and time at Space Command Supreme Headquarters on Earth. This is known as GST, or Galactic System Time.

Admiralty Board:

Moore, Richard E -
Admiral of the Fleet

Platt, Evelyn S. -
Admiral - Director of Fleet Operations

Bradlee, Roger T. -
Admiral - Director of Intelligence (SCI)

Ressler, Shana E. -
Admiral - Director of Budget & Accounting

Hillaire, Arnold H. -
Admiral - Director of Academies

Burke, Raymond A. -
Vice-Admiral - Director of GSC Base Management

Ahmed, Raihana L. -
Vice-Admiral - Dir. of Quartermaster Supply

Woo, Lon C. -
Vice-Admiral - Dir. of Scientific & Expeditionary Forces

Plimley, Loretta J. -
Rear-Admiral, (U) - Dir. of Weapons R&D

Hubera, Donald M. -
Rear-Admiral, (U) - Dir. of Academy Curricula

Ship Speed Terminology:

Plus-1
- 1 kps

Sub-Light-1 -
1,000 kps

Light-1 -
299,792.458 kps or (
c
)
(
speed of light in a vacuum)

Light-150
or
150 c -
150 times the speed of light

Hyper-Space Factors:

IDS Communications Band -
.0513 light years each minute (8.09 billion kps)

DeTect Range -
4 billion kilometers

Sample Distances:

Earth to Mars (Mean) -
78 million kilometers

Nearest star to our Sun -
4 light-years (Proxima Centauri)

Milky Way Galaxy diameter -
100,000 light-years

Thickness of M'Way at Sun -
2,000 light-years

Stars in Milky Way -
200 billion (est.)

Nearest galaxy (Andromeda) -
2 million light-years from M'Way

A light-year
- 9,460,730,472,580.8 kilometers (in vacuum)

A light-second -
299,792.458 km (in vacuum)

Grid Unit -
1,000 Light Yrs² (1,000,000 Sq. LY)

Deca-Sector -
100 Light Years² (10,000 Sq. LY)

Sector -
10 Light Years² (100 Sq. LY)

Section
- 94,607,304,725 km²

Sub-section
- 946,073,047 km²