Solbidyum Wars Saga Book 1: Battle of the New Orleans (32 page)

Kala spoke up, “What can you tell us about this rebel faction that seems to be trying to get the
Solbidyum; they seem to be just a bit too organized to have just sprung up since the recovery of the
TRITYTE
.”

“You
’re right there. The Federation Office of Investigation (FOI) has discovered that Corporal Lexmal and Lieutenant Loracie were both members of an underground movement that’s been around for over three hundred years.  Lt. Loracie was the crew member who administered the loyalty test to Lexmal and substituted his test results.  This group they belonged to was set as a secret society but became little more than a drinking club up until a few years ago when it started to take on a new face for malcontents believing that progress was being held up by the Federation.  Even so, their numbers have been relatively small up until about ten years ago, when they got a new charismatic leader named Eulshod Rendoid.   No one is sure where he comes from and few have actually ever seen or talked to him.  What we do know about him is that he is rich and paranoid, he espouses that he will make his followers rich and they will one day replace the Federation with a new government in which each of them will be leaders.  Even so the FOI didn’t foresee them as any threat as they appeared to be poorly organized and had no real hierarchy within to organize anything.  Obviously they were wrong on that count, and it appears that Corporal Lexmal has enough sway within the organization to galvanize enough of its members to follow him in hopes of getting rich.  The FOI is trying to track down all the members now and to find out which of them are involved in this plot.”

“What of this
Eulshod Rendoid,” Kala asked,  “is he party with the raiders?”

“He doesn’t appear to be
. In fact, he seems to be more than willing to turn over the secret membership list to the FOI to aid in our investigation so long as we leave him alone...”  Wanoll said, “He may have been the catalyst that the group formed around, but the group now is not one of his making or following, that much now at the moment.  Never the less, the FOI is keeping an eye on him.”

“What can you tell us about this group?” I ask
ed, “What do they call themselves, do they have any special code names or secret passwords or words of recognition that might help us in identifying them?”

Wanoll sighed and said
, “They call themselves the BROTHERHOOD of LIGHT and are said to carry a small coin like medallion, some wear it, and some carry it in their pocket.  On one side is the symbol for Infinity and on the other side is a Mobius strip.  It’s supposed to be a sign of Power Forever. Power Forever is their word of recognition as well. In a sense Solbidyum is the ultimate sign of their order as it represents Power Forever. One thing the FOI is sure of and that is that they will attack again and probably on an even larger basis.”

“That’s not what I want to hear
,” I said, “but for right now, if we can be sure of the loyalty of the crew on this ship we are about as safe here as you can possibly be. Once the RMFF is turned on nothing is getting in.”

“I’m afraid that
Admiral Regeny is going to be disappointed about the RMFF, he was really hoping you had found a way to power it using a standard fusion reactor.” Wanoll said.

“Doesn’t anyone have an idea where the rebels are hiding? It has to be someplace close by?”  I asked.

“It a real mystery,” Wanoll replied, “the FOI and the military have been using all their resources and we haven’t a clue where they go to.  We’re pretty sure they are on Megelleon, but they hug the ground with their ships and know routes that keep them from being observed.   It’s not easy to hide a patrol ship and they are not hiding them outdoors on the surface or we would be able to pick them up with satellites; we’re getting nothing.  All buildings large enough to hide them are also being checked but with no luck so far.

Captain
Maxette has asked me to provide you with one hundred fifty troopers for crew and security here on the
NEW ORLEANS
until you can get fully manned. The Federation can’t have the
TRITYTE
falling into enemy hands, I’ll also be staying here to help, though I have a feeling I will be learning more than I will be helping,” he said with a chuckle.  “You seem to be safe enough from outside attack with the RMFF here on the
NEW ORLEANS
up and running, but you have little protection at the moment from internal attacks.”

             
“I appreciate the offer,” I said, “however, I have one condition, and everyone who will be stationed here must undergo a mental probe to determine their loyalties.”

“That’s not a problem,”
Wanoll exclaimed, “all the troopers being sent here have already been tested back on the
DUSTEN
before being sent here.”

“With all due respect,
Corporal Lexmal was tested on the
DUSTEN
, and we all know how that turned out. If you don’t mind, we will retest everyone here again.  No one will be coming aboard the
NEW ORLEANS
without being tested by Major Kalana.  Further, so long as it doesn’t impact any of your primary orders from the Federation high command, while you are aboard the
NEW ORLEANS
you and the troopers will answer to Captain Stonbersa.”

Wanoll looked at me
curiously for a moment and then laughed, “Tibby I truly admire you, you have every right to be cautious.  I agree you can start by testing me.”

Kala began testing troopers
shortly after, starting with Lt. Commander Wanoll, Wanoll passed but out of one hundred fifty troopers being assigned to the New Orleans for security, seven failed the test and were under questioning. Five of the seven were found to have affiliation with the Brotherhood of Light, the other two were just mercenaries in their desire to obtain Solbidyum for themselves. Lt. Commander Wanoll contacted Captain Maxette from the bridge of the
NEW ORLEANS
with the findings of the tests.

“Captain,”
Wanoll began, “we seem to have a bigger problem than we thought.  Tibby, in his wisdom, insisted that everyone to be stationed on the New Orleans must be psychologically computer tested before being allowed to server aboard the ship despite the troopers previously being tested on board the DUSTEN.  The troopers were all retested and the results of these tests are grim.  Five percent of the previously tested troopers failed the second test. We have to conclude that we have persons in the testing systems who are passing through confederates and that our own ship could have Rebels aboard.  For the moment I am holding the troopers that didn’t pass to keep word from leaking out. We believe that you need to immediately start retesting not only your troopers, but the test facilitators as well.   It would appear that the rebels have been in place longer than we suspected. Now with the Solbidyum back, I fear we are on a collision course with problems we have not seen in centuries.”

Captain Maxette face looked glum as
the news was delivered, he stared back at us through the screen, “Tibby I don’t suppose you have one of your magic tricks that can get us out of this mess do you?”

“I’m afraid not
Captain,” I said, “I wish I did.”

“I
will immediately start retesting everyone starting with the test facilitators, but it’s not going to be easy and if anyone figures out what we are doing I hate to think what might happen.  There are thousands aboard the
DUSTEN
and if what you are saying is right, there’s no telling what kind of trouble we could be in here.  We must filter out the rebels if the TRITYE. Of the ten thousand people on the
DUSTEN
, six thousands of them troopers, if 5% of them are rebels that’s 300 that we have to worry about, no telling what kind of trouble they could do.  But it’s the
TRITYTE
and the Solbidyum they are after and the
DUSTEN
has neither so I suspect that we’re safe here until we can filter out the rebels.”

“I fear there is a much larger problem here than we are seeing,
Captain I just haven’t figured it out yet.” Wanoll said.

“
Captain Stonbersa,” Maxette said, “I’m glad to see you accepted Tibby’s offer, I feel a lot better knowing you are in charge of the
NEW ORLEANS
, whatever happens don’t let the
TRITYTE
fall into the hands of the enemy, nor the
NEW ORLEANS
for that matter.”

“
Rest assured Captain,” Stonbersa replied, “you have my word I will do all I can to protect both ships.”

That evening Kala and I dined in our suite alone. 
Piesew ordered us some tasty dishes from the synthesizer and after serving us he retired to his quarters.  Both of us sat quietly for a while and finally Kala spoke, “Tib what’s bothering you? I can see it on your face and I know it’s more than the current situation with the rebels?”

“I didn’t think it
showed, “I answered, “but yes something is bothering me, it is directly related to the rebels in a way.   It’s just that you and the rest, Lunnie, Reidecor, Marranalis, and to some extent Kerabac, well you’re all like family to me and I like having you all near and talking and doing things with you.  The past few days, however it’s been so busy and hectic that it seems we all are going apart instead of being the team and family I would like us to be.  Right now Lunnie and Reidecor are aboard the
TRITYTE
making sure the RMFF shields are fully powered, Marranalis is working with Wanoll and the Troopers making sure the ship is guarded and maintained inside properly.  And Kerabac, what the hell is Kerabac doing anyway?”

Kala chuckled
, “He’s been working with Orcpipin and the shipyard team on the navigation system, it was not fully functional and when we turned on the RMFF system they discovered that the navigation system stopped functioning all together.  Orcpipin’s engineers and Kerabac think they may have a solution and have been working on that all day and still continue to do so as far as I know.”

Kala got up from the table and
came over to where I was sitting and sat down on my lap and wrapped her arms about my neck and said, “and what about me?  Have you missed me by your side all the time?”

“Kala,
“I said as truthfully and sincerely as I knew how, “I have missed you the most of all, every minute that you were not at my side.”   Kala kissed me than and leaned back looking at me and smiling said, “Good and don’t you ever forget it!” and with that comment Kala stood up and still holding my hand led me to the bedroom.

In the
morning I called for my crew and Captain Stonbersa to a meeting in the galley area on the
TRITYTE
.  It was the first time that Captain Stonbersa had been aboard the
TRITYTE
and he was openly moved and teary eyed about “this historic ship,” and how he never thought for a moment that one day he would stand inside of her.  He talked about how when he was a child the tales of the
TRITYTE had
intrigued him.  It made me realize once again how truly significant this ship was to the peoples of the Federation and I began to formulate a new plan in my mind, but first we had so survive the current situation before I could give that more thought.

“I called you all here today for several reasons, first and foremost because I want to see you all, the past few days have been very busy and we have not had any personal time together as a group.  I hope none of you feel like I have forgotten you or that I am neglect
ing you.  You all have done an incredible job and I am extremely proud of you, much of it without my asking and acting just like the team I hoped we would become.  Reidecor and Lunnie, without your quick thinking and action when the raiders were on their way here we would probably all be dead and the
TRITYTE
and its Solbidyum would be in enemy hands, possibly the
NEW ORLEANS
as well.  If the two of you had waited to receive orders from me to attach the power cable for the RMFF to the
TRITYTE
we would have been lost.  I cannot thank you both enough.  I know that Kerabac has been working feverishly to resolve a problem in the navigation system and Marranalis has been working with Lt. Commander Wanoll to shore up ship defenses and security.  Kala has been busy retesting everyone to set foot in the ship to protect us from potential threats.  As for Captain Stonbersa, who barely set foot on the ship before having to take command during an attack, I thank you., Let’s just say that everyone has gone above and beyond the call of duty in this situation and I will not forget it.  I am hoping that soon we can get on to more happy and relaxing pursuits.”

             
“I for one have enjoyed every minute of the time,” Lunnie began with what one could tell was going to be yet another of her glib remarks, “having Reidecor all to myself here on the
TRITYTE
has been my dream come true,” and with that she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.   Reidecor blushed but didn’t try and disengage Lunnie’s arms.

“Well Lunnie I was planning on asking for a progress report from all of you,
but honestly that was not the update I was looking for.  Were there, or are there, any problems with power feeds for the RMFF that we need to know about?”

“None that I can find,” Lunnie
reported.

“Captain Stonbersa and Kerabac, I understand that when the RMFF is operating the navigation system is non-functional
, what can you report on that?” I asked.

Captain Stonbersa smiled, “We have some interesting news for you on that one, I’ll let Kerabac tell you though as he was the one who made the discovery.”

“Well I can’t really take credit for it. I mean it was just by accident that I discovered it.” Kerabac began. “We all know that up until yesterday RMFF systems have never been operated except in the smallest scales in a laboratory mostly because of the incredible power requirements, so there are still many unknowns with them.  In our case we found that when the RMFF system is active the navigation system won’t function.  We also learned that the RMFF system enhances the energy effect of anything moving through it and outward from the ship.  We were playing around with different functions to get the navigation system working and at one point tried piggy backing the navigation signals to a second magnetic beam and projecting it through the RMFF shield when suddenly we were getting calls from Nibaria questioning what had happened to the
NEW ORLEANS’
they could no longer see it.  When we turn the magnetic beam with the navigation signal off the ship reappeared to them.  We tested it several times and found that the RMFF can operate as a cloaking device if we inject a magnetic beam with the navigation system on it.  Oddly it only works with the navigation beam linked to the magnetic beam.  It was pure luck that we even figured this out.”

“You mean not only can we make the
NEW
ORLEANS
invulnerable from outside attack, we can also make it invisible?”  I exclaimed!

“That’s exactly what we mean,” Stonbersa said, both he and Kerabac grinning ear to ear.

“What about the navigation system?” I asked

“That one had me stumped for a while until I realized that light from the stars was still passing through the RMFF shield, so I recalibrated the system to work on light instead of the magnetic signature of the stars and it work
s. Well I should say it works as long as the RMFF field is up, soon as it’s dropped the light signature system only works with nearby stars.  So with the help of Orcpipin’s crew working through the night and installing some new gear in the bridge, we now have a dual system that switches automatically depending on if the RMFF is engaged or not. We also have a switch for the cloaking device as well.” Kerabac concluded with a smug satisfied smile.

“I’ve had them install a
security system so the cloaking device can only be activated by senior staff members of the crew,” Captain Stonbersa said, “That way if the ship ever falls into enemy hands they cannot cloak the ship nor activate the RMFF.  Every one of you in this room has authorization to it, but no one outside of this room does, and that includes Lt. Commander Wanoll.  I can change that if you want Tibby, but for the moment I thought perhaps you would prefer it this way.”

“Good thinking Captain,” I said,
“though I do trust Lt. Commander Wanoll, for right now I would prefer that not only does he not have access to the RMFF and the cloaking device, but I would prefer that no one outside this room know about the cloaking device at all.”

“
Marranalis, what can you tell me about the internal security at the moment?” I asked.

“The troopers sent by the
DUSTEN
are a huge step in the right direction.  I know most of the troopers sent and they are all top of the line.  All of them were shocked to find there were dis-loyalists in the
DUSTEN’s
crew and are extremely embarrassed by it.  I think they all will work extra hard to prove themselves just because of that very fact.  I talked to Orcpipin and he says his crew will be finishing up all the last details in the next day and they will depart then.  The Passenger liner coming in for repairs will be here that same day, and I believe that Piesew and Kala, and Captain Stonbersa have already screened a number of applications of people to interview. If they pass their interviews and loyalty tests we should have a crew and be ready to fly in about five days.  Assuming we are going to fly someplace,” Marranalis said with a grin.

Kala reported that her assistant back at the
Estate said everything seemed to be in order, the Federation has sent extra troops to boaster up the security; I suddenly had an idea.