Space Chronicles: The Last Human War (28 page)

“General Tragge, Hep light ships are entering the last asteroid field.”

“Get me
the Admiral.”

“What’s up, Byn?”

“Heps are on the move. They’re only committing light ships this time.”

“Good. I was hoping Rotaga would make that adjustment.”

“How are shield upgrades coming?”

“
Almost done. Those mods are impressive. Whose idea was it? I’ll buy him a big zhungo steak after this is over.”

“Your friend, Admiral Lu, at Wallow Minor provided the original idea. Ludic, my technical genius, refined it
, and our logistics guys made it happen. It’s going to cost you a lot to feed all these guys.”

General Tragge and the a
dmiral found a moment for laughter as the fleet commander joked about being happy to spend his entire pension to feed them all, if these things worked as hoped. Then, he turned his attention to the final defense of Tanarac.

“Do you want us to make a stand at the asteroid belt?”

“Negative. Let’s not test those enhanced shields unless there is no other choice. Position your ships around Tanarac, staying inside our planetary shields. This will improve survivability until the 10
th
and 11
th
arrive.”

“Okay
, but I’m gonna leave my mediums at the belt to take out their light stuff when they pop out. I’ll pull them back as soon as the heavies show. Let’s hope my surprise in the asteroid field thins out a few more heavies.”

General Tragge
wondered when his missing battle groups would arrive.

#

“Prime Skah, Rotaga. You asked me a question. What would I do if I was in the Tanarac commander’s position? I have thought about it, and I have a different answer.”

“Speak.”

“I would mine the asteroid belt.”

“You would do this
in defiance of Galactic Law?” Rotaga’s eyes opened wide as he challenged his apprentice’s conclusion.

“Yes,
sir. They are desperate. They believe we would not expect such behavior from Tanaracs. Their ethics prevent them from defying rules, so if I was in their position, I would deviate from my normal behavior and attempt to surprise my enemy.”

“Very good. That is why I sent my expendable ships in first. If our small ships encounter mines, their loss will accomplish two things. First, it will confirm what our enemy is thinking. Second, the destruction of our light ships will
neutralize mines for our deep-space warships.”

The younger officer was pleased to have arrived at the same conclusion as his leader.

“What is the status of our repairs?” Rotaga turned to another subordinate.

“Sir, we have complete communications with our fleet using old
-style subspace digital links. Higher communication functions will require more time to repair.”

“Do we have a way to communicate with our ships inside the asteroid belt?”

“We are working on that, sir. Scout ships are setting up a relay system, using stationary picket drones in strategic places along the rock field. They report no encounters with mines.”

“Good. Order the rest of our fleet to advance. Have my personal Ground Assault Team
s begin loading in the launch bay.”

“Ground assault, sir?”

“Do not question my orders.”

Rotaga spent his entire life preparing for this one chance to elevate to the Royal house. Most military leaders lived an entire lifetime without such an opportunity. Capture of the Tanarac Empire would
cede him rule over an entire galactic Sector. Every royal family in history came into wealth through conquest. This was his time.

#

General Tragge continued watching monitor six along with most of the occupants in the War Room. One of his men stated the obvious.

“
Heavies are moving, sir.”

One big Heptari
capital ship after another faded into the silent chaos of the final asteroid belt. Rotaga’s giant command ship entered last.

Staff in the War Room watched
nervously in anticipation of the admiral’s plan. For a while, the asteroid belt looked normal. Without warning, the entire field lit up in a brilliant flash of light diffused by countless space rocks. Another massive explosion followed somewhere deep within. Seconds later, a third flash silhouetted rocks along the edge of the asteroid field. More flashes followed in rapid succession. The usually dark asteroid belt glowed like a young nebula.

As War Room personnel watched the activity, a small Heptari drone came into view. It paused and rotated on its axis until it faced directly into the camera. A single bright orange flash brought the monitor to black.

#

“Prime Skah
! Mines destroyed four Rahl-class starships and seven Cosh cruisers. Do you wish to continue?”

Pull back our capital ships.” Rotaga immediately assessed his tactical situation. “We still outnumber Tanarac in heavy ships. Have you determined why these mines failed to show on sensors?”

“Yes, sir. Tanarac positioned small ships within each minefield. Their mines are inert until spotters visually identify one of our heavies. They’ve been allowing small ships to pass safely. Once they activate the mines, it’s too late for our star-class ships to counter. Enemy scout ships were destroyed as they tried to escape.”

“Run a scan ahead of
the fleet and—”

“But
sir, inert mines do not show on scans.”

Interrupting a Prime Skah could be a lethal mistake. The young officer quickly apologized, took a step back
, and bowed his head. Rotaga continued.

“As I was saying
, scan for Tanarac life signs. They can turn off their ships, and they can turn off their mines, but they cannot turn off bio signs. Find those Tanarac scouts. Destroy them. Our heavy ships will continue after the path is cleared.”

Rotaga looked out his command window. “Very good move
, Admiral. You are a worthy adversary. I will treasure your head on my trophy wall.”

“Dr. Hadje,
our humans are getting upset.” The Head Tasker looked to his boss for direction. “Should we sedate them?”

The doctor
thought for a moment.

“Benjamin, perhaps it
’s time for us to introduce our human wards to their future. What do you think?”

“I’m willing. Adam, you are friends with many of the people in this compound. Perhaps you can help us gain their trust.”

“Sure, I’m not going anywhere.”

Dr. Hadje led a small procession into the human quarters. The Tanarac door-guard jumped to attention. He did not seem surprised to see
his boss, but was perplexed by the two humans in strange clothes who followed.

“Cal
l human workers into the cafeteria,” the doctor ordered.

Soon, several hundred
people sat quietly in the big hall while Taskers took their usual overseer positions at strategic points in the room. Dr. Hadje and the Head Tasker entered and the doctor stopped at the Head Tasker’s podium to address the gathering.

“Hello
. My name is Dr. Hadje. I am in charge of all human affairs on Tanarac. Thank you for coming to this meeting.” His comment caused confusion. No Tasker had ever thanked them for anything, much less for simply following orders.

He
looked around the room. These humans lacked the vitality he had seen in the free human colony. They merely waited in subservience.

“You are probably wondering why your routine has been changed during the past week.”

The doctor considered how much information he should release. How much knowledge was enough, and how much might be unsettling? He decided to focus on their upcoming freedom rather than current military hostilities. A slightly modified truth could be forgiven, under the present circumstances.

“Several days ago, Tanarac’s shields malfunctioned and several of our spaceships were damaged. For that reason, we kept you inside your quarters where you would be safe from falling debris. Repairs
are being completed, and you will soon be able to leave your quarters.”

The humans relaxed noticeably, now that they had a plausible reason for the restriction they experienced during the past few days.

“Something else has happened too, something quite exciting,” he continued.

P
eople in the hall had never heard emotion from a Tanarac before. The doctor’s enthusiasm came clearly through his dactah.

“I brought you an old friend,
” he said, “and a new one.”

Dr. Hadje motioned to the door. Adam stepped into view. Everyone knew
him, and they had heard the rumor that he was killed in a hicay attack. A mix of surprise and relief rose from the crowd. Several of his closest friends ignored rules and ran up to embrace him.

The doctor
smiled at the display of affection and beckoned Adam to join him up front.

“As most of you heard,
your friend was hurt badly by a hicay. Fortunately, our medical team was able to save him. We are happy to return him to you. Adam, would you like to speak to your friends?”

“Hi, everybody. Sure is good t
o be back. I missed you guys. What’cha think of my new clothes?” Adam followed his script perfectly. “Wait’ll you guys hear where I got this stuff. You aren’t gonna believe it. Hey, I got a new friend I want you to meet. Benjamin, c’mon out here.”

The free human leader stepped into view and joined Adam. A murmur rose from the crowd. This
extremely tall stranger wore odd clothes too. His face was covered in hair.

“I want
you to meet some of my friends,” Adam said and looked around the room for certain people. He pointed to one older man. “John . . . John, c’mere.”

The man at the back of the room looked
to his nearby Tasker for consent. The supervisor took his cue, in turn, from Dr. Hadje who nodded approval.

John worked his way around tables to the podium where
he was introduced to Benjamin.

Adam repeated this process until half a dozen audience
members stood with him and the free human leader. After completing his last introduction, he turned back to the crowd.

“
Everyone knows these guys. As senior operators in the quarry, they’re so old they get ten deck credits just for waking up in the morning.” Adam laughed at his own joke.

“We’re gonna have a meeting, and when we’re done, these guys will brief everyone about what’s going on.”
He knew he was forgetting something and hesitated for a moment before. “Oh yeah, I wanna thank Dr. Hadje and his Taskers for saving my life. You can all go back to your quarters now.”

Nobody moved. Humans do not give orders.

Dr. Hadje took the microphone from Adam.

“It’s okay, he’s right. You can go back to your quarters now.
Your senior members will be in touch with you shortly.”

Taskers opened several exit doors and people began filing out in traditional order. When the last of the workers were gone, Benjamin took charge.

“Please join me at this table,” he instructed older humans.

T
hey hesitated, looking at nearby Taskers for permission.

Dr. Hadje recognized an opportunity to begin the change from captivity to freedom. He turned off his translator and squeaked a few commands in the high-pitched Tanarac tongue. All Taskers left the room, leaving Dr. Hadje as the only Tanarac remaining. Benjamin appreciated the doctor’s initiative.

The doctor turned his translator back on and spoke to the group. “Your Taskers are gone. Please join Benjamin and Adam at the table.”

The free human leader
sat down and waited as the others slowly followed. He began the meeting with the least threatening discussion possible.

“Tell me about yourselves. What do you do in the quarry? How long have you been here? Have you chosen a life mate?”

As the humans warmed up to this affable stranger, each shared his or her story. Benjamin assessed these individuals for leadership potential as they spoke.

One woman, Kate of Striker Two, stood out. She had a long history of leadership among her fellow humans, but
he was more interested in her brushes with authority. She challenged Taskers on more than one occasion, making demands for improved working conditions for her people. She laughed about once spending a month in a re-education center for pushing back when a Tasker tried to make her close the door to her room.

As the older workers became secure with this new human, they began to ask questions.

“What quarry are you from, Benjamin?”

“Why do you wear
those odd clothes?”

He
smiled as conversation began to focus on him. Each time, he replied there would be plenty of time for them to learn about him a little later. Finally, Adam could not stand the suspense any longer.

“Benjamin’s our friend. He’s a free human!”
he blurted out the truth.

Even impulsive Adam knew the importance of letting those words sink in. He kept quiet while the others considered what he
had just said.

Kate studied
the older man, sensing strength in him, but not able identify its source.

“What’s the boy talking about?
” she demanded.

“It is as he said. I came from a community of free humans. We have no Taskers. We live entirely free.”

She continued to grill him.

“What planet are you from?”

“I was born right here on Tanarac.”

“Nonsense!” Kate challenged. “There aren’t any free humans on this planet.”

“Not true, Kate. Our society has lived secretly on Tanarac for over two hundred years.”

“I don’t believe you.”
She clung stubbornly to her belief.

Benjamin liked her strength.

“It’s true.” Adam jumped in. “I seen em myself. Where’d ya think I got these weird clothes?”

Kate looked back and forth between Adam and Benjamin.

“If you’re a free human, why’d you come here? Won’t the Tans keep you here now that they’ve seen you?” She was quick to figure out issues.

“I’m here to prepare captive humans for freedom. We are working a deal with the Tanarac government to allow all of you to leave captivity.”

“Oh yeah?” she spoke with pointed sarcasm. “Where are we supposed to go? Who’s gonna take care of us? I’m not going anywhere until I know more about it.”

Benjamin acknowledged her challenge. This natural leader would be valuable in building a new free human community.

“Let’s start from the beginning. Let me tell you about our society, and I will answer your questions afterward.”

He
shared the history of the free human colony and talked about The Wall but carefully withheld the recent discovery of its true nature. Listeners heard about the thousand humans making their way back through the jungles, but were not told about others who remained behind in deep hides in the mountains. He kept it simple.

At one point,
the doctor directed Tanarac cafeteria staff to provide snacks and drinks.

When Benjamin ended his tale, even Kate was mesmerized to the point of silence.

Dr. Hadje took a turn addressing the group.

“Everything
my friend told you is true. Adam and I have seen it with our own eyes. I would like to add one thing to what you have just heard. I am the senior scientist in charge of human affairs, and it has always been our intention to return humans to freedom in the galaxy. This recent development astonishes me as much as it does you. I hope you will help to lead your people into freedom.”

Now convinced,
Kate looked from Dr. Hadje to Benjamin. “How can we help? We’ve never lived free before. We wouldn’t know where to begin.”

He
nodded with satisfaction and decided to begin elevating her leadership role.

“
Your people are going to be fearful. They need assurance from trusted leaders. I ask you, and the other seniors in this room, to tell this story to your people. It will be easier for them to accept coming from you than from a stranger like me. Will you do that?”

Several at the table squirmed, uncomfortable with his request. Again,
she seized the lead, only this time, applying pressure to her peers.

“What do you think, William? How about you, Tara? You guys gonna do it?” She went around the table pressuring each member for their commitment. They all agreed, despite varying levels of enthusiasm.

She leaned forward in her chair.

“Okay, Benjamin, we’ll do it. When do we start?”

“You tell me. What’s the best way to break this news to your people?”

His question stimulated discussion between the new committee members. It didn’t take long for the meeting to fall into disarray with numerous people trying to assert conflicting points of view at the same time.

Benjamin raised a hand to quiet the group.

“May I have your attention please?” He had to repeat himself several times before everyone listened.

“The first task you need to master is organization of leadership. You cannot lead others if you cannot manage yourselves. In the free human community, we rely on a set of rules for conducting meetings. I will teach you the rules of order as we go. All decisions will be solely yours. I will merely facilitate.”

Everyone agreed.

Several hours passed before Dr. Hadje and the group of humans exited the cafeteria.

Two Taskers came to rigid attention
, and the doctor gave them a series of instructions. Surprise was obvious, and they hesitated until he repeated the instructions, a bit more forcefully. They headed down the central connecting hall of the human quarters, stopping at each junction to convey the new orders to their blue-skinned peers.

Soon, all Taskers had left the building.

Dr. Hadje turned to the human committee. “There you are my friends. As you requested, you now have complete control of the entire building. Good luck.”

The doctor walked slowly down the exit hallway
, smiling. He sensed the end of an era.

T
he human committee fanned out across the facility to bring news to their brethren. After three hundred years of captivity, freedom was at hand.