Solbidyum Wars Saga 7: Hunt for the Reduviids (23 page)

I saw Marranalis relax and he asked, “Can he do that?  I mean, will that work?”

“I don’t know.  That's what I want to find out.”

“Well, if it does work, I hope the Brotherhood never finds out about it,” he exclaimed.

“That makes two of us.”

A little later when I was alone in my office by the War Room, Marranalis entered, “How did it go last night?  Are you feeling okay today?”

“I had to shower four times to get rid of the chemical smell from my treatments,” I said and I related my dreaming and the sweats as well as Kala waking me.  “But I slept well after that and this morning, I feel great.”

“I noticed the odor last night and I meant to tell you about it, but I forgot,” he replied.

“That’s going to be something difficult to deal with, I am afraid.  I will need to shower several times on days when I have treatments and I will need to drink a lot of water to flush the chemicals out of my system.  I’m glad I will only need to go through this once a week and not every day.”

“I got the impression that it isn’t a pleasant experience from the way you looked and acted last night,” Marranalis replied.

“It wasn’t and to be honest I dread my next treatment, but if it works it’s worth it, I guess.”

“Marranalis, I need you to have one of our best pilots go to the
NEW ORLEANS
and have them contact A’Lappe.  I’ll contact A’Lappe and tell him what I want.  Tell the pilot that A’Lappe will lead him to a ship.  I want the ship flown to the nearest Cantolla Gate and flown here to the
MAXETTE. 
I’ll need it before Nybidong arrives.”

“Yes, sir.  A new ship?  Something that flies as fast as the Brotherhood ships, I hope?”

“New yes!  As fast as the Brotherhoods? I fear not."  By the way, has the FSO transferred that damaged Brotherhood ship to the
NEW ORLEANS
?

“Yes, sir, I received word last night that they had.  I would imagine that A’Lappe and Cantolla are tearing it apart now.”

“So Cantolla is back on the
NEW ORLEANS
now?”

“I believe so, sir; I saw her at the Gates when I was coming back to the
MAXETTE
last night.”

“Excellent, between Cantolla and A’Lappe I don’t believe there is a task they can’t accomplish.”

I was scheduled to work out with Padaran that morning, but I was concerned that after the treatment the night before I might not be up to it.  However, I decided to go as usual.  Padaran had been beating me soundly in sparring matches using martial arts for quite some time now and I expected that I would get a pounding that day; but to my surprise, I defeated him in three falls and did so quickly and efficiently.  I was a bit taken back by this and Padaran seemed to be in near shock.

“What happened, Tibby?  You were astounding today.  You seemed to know exactly what I was going to do and were countering my moves almost before I executed them.”

“I don’t know,” I laughed, “to be honest, I expected to get my butt kicked today as I didn’t feel so good yesterday.”  In the back of my mind, I was sure it must have something to do with the treatment A’Lappe gave me, but he had said that the treatment didn’t impact speed or nerve responses and only improved synapse functions in the brain.  So it must have meant that my brain was working faster and getting the messages to my nerves quicker.  Whatever it was, I was feeling pretty great at that moment.

I stopped by A’Lappe’s lab and was able to get him alone for a few minutes and related my experiences from the night before.  He was concerned about my illness after and said that he thought maybe we needed to reduce the dose of medication in the I.V. he gave me.  He also seemed upset when I told him about my body odor after the treatment and was concerned that it might stress my kidneys.  He borrowed my vid pad and installed some “tests” as he called them, to test my mental and memory functions every day.  He said when my scores fell below a certain level, I needed to contact him and schedule another treatment.  The tests didn’t seem to be anything more than simple video games that required memory skills to win.  Anyone looking at my vid pad would assume that was all they were-- games.

I was still with A’Lappe when Marranalis contacted me to tell me Captain Nybidong was waiting for me at my office on the
MAXETTE. 
I headed back to meet with him so fast that my guards were practically running to keep up with me.  My energy level was exhilarating and I wondered how long I would feel this way.

When I reached my office, Captain Nybidong rose to his feet and saluted.  “Admiral,” he said.  “I am here as you requested.”

“Captain Nybidong, it's so good to see you again.  I want to thank you for the outstanding job you did in the battle last week.  I understand you only lost one pilot.”

“Yes, most unfortunate.  He was one of my best pilots, but he died in battle and died gloriously.  What more can one ask for?” he asked proudly?

“Ah yes,” I replied.  I didn’t think dying in battle was the way to go, but I wasn’t going to argue with Ruwallie Rasson tradition.

“So, what is it you wished to see me about?”  Nybidong asked.

“I’m thinking about giving the Ruwallie Rasson some new ships,” I answered, “a new fighter design.”

Nybidong’s eyebrows raised, “New ships?  Are they faster than the ones we have now?”

“No I’m afraid not.  “However, the ships are much smaller and more maneuverable, both in and out of a planet’s atmosphere, plus they are armed with many times the fire power of the older ships.  I have one in the #3 hangar bay right now if you would like to see it.”

“Certainly, Admiral, I am always interested in seeing new ships.  You say this one is smaller.  Why, if I may ask?”

It’s all a matter of need,” I said, “With the existence of ship-sized Cantolla Gates, there is less need for ships with large crews and accommodations.  We can base these ships anywhere and send them through gates to any location in the universe in seconds.  At the end of the day, the pilots and crew of these ships can fly home and spend the night with their families instead of being out in space somewhere.  Come, I’ll show you and you can give the ship a test flight.”

I was expecting Nybidong to be excited when I showed him the ship, but his first reaction was anything but enthusiastic.

“What is this tiny thing?” he exclaimed.  “Surely, Admiral, this is a joke.  This is not a fighter; it is too small!”

“This small fighter has more firepower than the fighters and patrol ships you use now.  It has more firepower than a corvette and is more maneuverable, plus you can take it into the atmosphere and sustain long-distance in-atmosphere flight at higher speeds than any other ship in the Federation.”

“This little thing?  Where does the crew stay?  I only see three seats and no accommodations.”

“As I said earlier, accommodations are not needed.  Nor is a larger crew.  This ship can be flown by one person in a fight, but having three increases its firing and targeting capability.  At the end of the day the ship returns either to a carrier, or it returns to a planet base via Cantolla Gates.  There is no need for quarters.”

“Hmm, I am not sure I like this fighter.  However, I will fly it and see.” 

Nybidong boarded the fighter along with two other Federation pilots and moments later they blasted off from the hangar launch tube and into space.  We were close enough to the planet Daxyon that they could take the ship into the atmosphere and also near an asteroid field where Nybidong could also test out the collision avoidance system.  I had expected that the test flight would last about an hour and I started to get concerned when nearly four hours later Nybidong still had not returned.  I was about to have the bridge try and contact him when I got word he was returning to the
MAXETTE
.  I made it to the hangar as he landed.  No sooner had the hatch opened than two very pale troopers ran from the ship holding their hands over their mouths.  Moments later a grinning Nybidong stepped from the fighter.

“Admiral, this fighter is beyond anything I could have imagined.  I do not believe that even Moozien swallows can maneuver better.  When I took it down to the planet, we skimmed along the ground so fast we sucked the trees from the soil as we passed; and in the asteroid swarm, we dodged rocks while traveling at twice the speed of normal ships.  Oh, and the firepower, I have never seen the likes of it.  We blew up asteroids so quickly, I tell you; I don’t believe we left a single asteroid intact in the area,” he said, laughing loudly.  “Oh,” he said as he saw the two troopers kneeling over a trash receptacle throwing up; “You will need to have someone clean-up inside.  I fear my two companions must have eaten something bad. They became quite ill about the time we started dodging asteroids.”

I had to suppress a grin; the Ruwallie Rasson were known for their reckless, daredevil flying, and I had no doubt that he scared the crap out of his two companions – perhaps even literally.  Neither of them looked too good at the moment.

“Tell me, Admiral, what do you call these fighters?”

“We haven’t named them so far,” I said.

“Then we must think of a good name, something that reflects their abilities,” he said thoughtfully.  “They should be named something that puts fear into the minds of the enemy.  I know!  There is a serpent on Hergoth called a Terornor.  Its strike is like lightning and death from its bite is instantaneous.  We should call them Terornor Fighters!”

“I like that; Terornor Fighters it is!  So how do you feel about heading up a squad of Ruwallie Rasson using these ships to fight the Brotherhood?”

Nybidong’s face got serious and he turned his head to look once more at the ship.  “How many of these fighters do you intend on providing us?”  He asked.

“How many do you want or need?”             

“Hmm, some of my men would not want to fly in so small a ship; but most, once they see what it can do, will insist on flying nothing else.  I would guess about 800 for a start.  Once the others see how these fighters perform, we will need a lot more.”

“Good, then I will see to it that at least 800 of these ships be built.  They can be built quickly, so you should start receiving some very soon.  I want you to train a special team of fighters for these ships.  I’m hoping that soon we will be able to increase the speed of these fighters as well; and when we do, I plan to chase the Brotherhood to the ends of the universe, if needed and destroy them forever.”

The next few days went well and for the first two, I managed to beat Padaran in our morning sparring matches, but on day three he beat me once again and on days four and five there was no doubt in my mind the effects of the treatment A’Lappe was giving me were wearing off.  Although my memory was still sharper than before, I could feel a mental slowness creeping back with each new day.  Any dream I may have had that one treatment would fix me evaporated.  I dreaded the idea of going through the hell of the treatment again, but I saw no choice.  I would soon need another one.

By now, Norcar had taken possession of his estate on Epsirt and our FSO agents were on the planet.  Norcar insisted that he needed to go with them as he couldn’t wait to see the Estate for himself.  No sooner did my agents get a Cantolla Gate set up on the planet than Norcar used it to visit me on the
NEW ORLEANS
.  Admiral, I realize that you didn’t buy me Rinncal Haf-joab’s estate as a gift and that you intend to use it as a base to spy on the Brotherhood on the planet, but I must thank you anyway.  The estate is beyond my dreams.  I fear I shall never get any banking work done as I will want to spend all my time there relaxing.”

“Well, it is important that you do use the estate and enjoy it so everything appears natural.  Take your friends there to entertain; use it as if we were not there spying.  The FSO agents there are trained to function with others about and not look suspicious.  Tell me, have they installed the Cantolla Gate on your estate someplace that is not noticeable?”

“Admiral, they were truly ingenious with it.  There is a huge piece of wall art in one room that goes floor to ceiling.  They installed the “nodes”, I believe they called them, so that they appear to be part of the art.  As long as the gate is inactive, it looks like a piece of normal art; but when they activate the gate, it turns into a doorway to a compartment on the
NEW ORLEANS
.  From there one of your crew led me to the gate that brought me here to your ship.  I must tell you, Tibby, that traveling through those gates is a magical experience.”

“Well I am glad you enjoy it, but I fear you will need to do most of your traveling to and from Epsirt via space ships, or the Brotherhood is going to become suspicious as to how you are getting on and off the planet.  Since Epsirt isn’t part of the Federation, it’s not supposed to have a Cantolla Gate.”

“Yes, I understand, but it is sad; traveling through the Cantolla Gates makes things so much easier.  When will you be coming to Epsirt?”

“Maybe never,” I answered.  “If I came, it would be through a Cantolla Gate and my presence on the planet would be noted almost immediately.”

“Not if you stayed on the estate grounds,” Norcar said.

“I fear that may not be true.  I have no doubt that there are people observing those coming and going at your estate, as well as some sort surveillance cameras watching what goes on there.  If I were to pass by a window, or set foot outside, I would be spotted and our cover blown.  Unless there is a need for an invasion, my presence on Epsirt would only cause questions we can’t afford to have asked.”