SWEET HOME ALLE BAMMA (SOLBIDYUM WARS SAGA) (5 page)

Admiral Regeny stared at me with a
somewhat stunned look on his face as he absorbed my suggestions.  “Did you just come up with that all just now or did you anticipate my concerns beforehand and have this planned out?”

“A bit of both, sir,” I replied.

“That’s incredible.  In just minutes you put together a complete strategy to deal with this situation.  It would have taken us weeks and we would not have come up with anything nearly this elaborate or efficient.  I get the impression from the way you approach these situations that yours is a planet plagued with frequent wars and that strategic planning is a way of life there.”

“To be honest
, Admiral, I never really stopped to think about it; but, in retrospect, I don’t know of a period during my lifetime – or any period, really – when there
wasn’t
a war or two going on someplace on Earth.  In many Earth cultures even the games children play, especially on computers, are based on war and combat.  Warfare has played a huge part in Earth history, so many of Earth’s citizens (scholarly historians and hobbyists alike) continue to study wars and battles.  There are even annual staged events where battles of some of the more famous wars are reenacted.  Nonetheless, the majority of Earth’s people live in peace.”

“So you
’re a war history hobbyist?”

“Me?  No, not by any means.  What I know was learned in school and from what you would call vid documentaries that are watched for education and entertainment.”

“People watch war stories for entertainment on your planet?  Incredible,” said Admiral Regeny with a look of astonishment.  “What’s even more incredible is that you claim your knowledge is limited; yet you seem so well prepared to handle these situations.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, sir, other than the last thing that I want to see is the devastation of war.  While I was completing my military training
, the Navy wanted to transfer me to the War College, but I wasn’t interested and managed to avoid that assignment.”

“War College?”  Admiral Regeny exclaimed in astonishment.  “They have a school for war?”

“Ah, well sort of.  Each branch of the military has a school where they train their future leaders and strategists in problem solving, decision making, and effective definition and execution of objectives.  For instance, the US Naval War College is described by its founder as "a place of original research on all questions relating to war and to statesmanship connected with war or the prevention of war."  Hence, they study past wars as documented by all parties in the conflict.  More specifically, these scholars study military strategies applied to past battles to analyze those that succeeded and those that went wrong.  They also set up and rehearse various hypothetical scenarios to examine possible outcomes.”

“This is done without there actually being a real threat?”

“Well, sometimes the scenarios are based on existing threats where engagement in conflict is considered a real possibility.  Under those conditions they analyze as many scenarios as they can to identify the best courses of action.  Other times they make up fictitious situations just to practice and hone their skills.”

“I can see where there could be a value in such a program.  I think it’s something the Federation military may find beneficial; but in the meantime, I’m afraid we’ll need to draw on your knowledge to help us.”

For the next few hours we discussed how to go about setting up the FSO and defining its parameters of power and capability.  The Federation had never seen a need for anything like this before and the admiral wasn’t sure how funding could be obtained from the Senate without making all of the FSO’s actions transparent.  Considering the vast number of senators and the probability that the Brotherhood had agents within the Senate itself, establishing the FSO in a way that would allow it function covertly was not going to be an easy matter.  In the end, I volunteered to foot the bill, at least for the short term, until such time that the FSO could prove its worth to the Federation and support the need for secrecy within the FSO structure.  Both the admiral and I felt that our best chance was to get the Senate to agree to leave the supervision and decision making about the budgeting of the FSO strictly to the Federation’s three Leaders and the High Command.  But there was a question of the legality of such action.

The Federation’s government includes an entity parallel to what on Earth was called the United States Supreme Court, a membership of justices within one of the planet’s governments that rules on matters of legality based on the country’s supreme law or “Constitution.”  In the Federation this body is called the
Federation Legal Review Board
or FLRB.  Unlike Earth’s Supreme Court, FLRB members are not required to be judges, nor are they appointed by a Leader or president; rather, they are a constituency of members who have been selected according to their demonstrated knowledge of the law as defined in the Federation Constitution.  Every university within the Federation territories submits their brightest and best law instructors and graduates to a pool of candidates who are subjected to a comprehensive exam.  The exam is derived from millions of test questions compiled by all the universities.  Randomly assembled questions appear in the test, which is given to all of the candidates.  The highest scorers are tested again using a new set of questions.  The top scoring candidates are then tested yet a third time, resulting in a final constituency of five members.  The entire membership of the FLRB consists of fifty members, each serving on the FLRB for staggered terms of ten years, at which time they step down to be replaced by five new members.  The rotation replaces five board members each year, resulting in a completely new constituency in any given 10-year period.  If a member dies or is not able to serve their full term, that individual’s chair remains empty until their term would have ended.  No member can ever serve another term.

A two-thirds majority is required for a ruling to be made on a legal matter
.  If the panel is unable to reach a two-third majority within three votes, the matter is held until five new members began their terms, at which time the voting process is repeated.  In the history of the Federation this situation had occurred only once.

The FSO was a matter that would have to face the legal challenge of the FLRB, not only for its formation but for its continuation and funding.  For the time being, however, the admiral agreed that there was a need to go ahead with the establishment of the FSO under the legal caveat of Federation maritime defense actions; and he would fight the battle with the FLRB later.

It was close approaching the dinner hour and I asked the admiral if he and his staff would be staying.  He declined, saying there were too many issues that needed his personal attention on the planet’s surface.  Captain Stonbersa, Kala and I saw them off at the hangar.

After they were gone Kala turned to me and said, “You look tense.  I think we both could use a few laps in the pool.”

One of the features of the
NEW ORLEANS
that I found most attractive when I purchased this space yacht was that it has not just one pool, but several pools – and gyms as well.  My own personal suite was even designed with its own private gym and pool.  I was still recovering from the stab wounds Lexmal had inflicted on me during the reclaiming of the
DUSTEN
, but the synthetic skin-like bandages had promoted effective healing of the wounds while also allowing me to bathe and swim.  I knew that the regular exercise would continue to help heal and strengthen my injured muscles, so I accepted Kala’s suggestion.

Taboos that are common on Earth are nonexistent throughout most of the Federation, especially taboos related to nudity.  Consequently, the concept of bathing suits was foreign to its citizens and deemed silly by Federation standards.  When I first met Kala, I was shocked when she joined me in a shower to “freshen up” before going to meet Captain Maxette on the
DUSTEN
.  She was somewhat taken aback at the time when I described the customs and thinking of most of the cultures on Earth regarding nudity and sex.  She was completely amazed that it was considered OK for a man to be topless at a beach, but not a woman, especially since, as she put it, “Both have nipples don’t they?”

Kala had made me rethink many of the preconceptions, taboos and customs of Earth.  For instance, why were certain foods reserved for certain meals?  In the Federation there was no specific food that one ate only for breakfast or lunch or dinner; eating roast beef for breakfast and scrambled eggs and pancakes for dinner would not be looked on as out of the norm in the Federation.  Also, marriage, as understood and practiced on Earth, didn’t exist in the Federation.  Instead, there was a loosely practiced system referred to as
bonding
, which simply involved two people living together in a more or less exclusive relationship.  Family units with children generally included bonded mates for parents, though single-parent families also existed.  Ultimately, the legality of marriage simply didn’t exist on most of the planets.

When we reached the pool
, Kala wasted no time in shedding her uniform and diving in.  I was a bit slower, as certain motions still caused me some pain.  Lexmal had driven his knife into the muscles of my arms and legs and twisted the blade, leaving me with significant damage to the muscle tissues.  Until I was fully recovered my movements would remain guarded and stiff.  Nevertheless, I was soon undressed and slipping into the water to join Kala.  In the past Kala and I swam laps together, equally matched in strength and speed; but now Kala clearly outperformed me while I swam at a firm, steady pace to work the aches and stiffness out of my muscles.

As I swam
, I reflected on all that had happened in just a few months.  This all began when I found the
TRITYTE
buried in the swamp back on Earth and, in the course of investigating the craft, I accidently activated the homing device that brought it here to the Federation’s capital of Megelleon.  I thought of all that had transpired since then, the friends I had made and, sadly, the friends I had lost.  My journey since leaving Earth had been one unbelievable event after another and it didn’t look like it was going to end.  I found myself wondering if all of this was some sort of crazy dream.

When I reached the end of the pool, Kala was
waiting and watching me finish my last lap.  When I looked at her, I was even more doubtful that the experiences of these last few months were real.  Kala was not only one of the loveliest women I had ever seen, but she was also the most incredible woman I had ever met.  The fact that she was in love with me was almost too much to believe.  Even though she was with me pretty much constantly, I regretted that we had so little time to share privately.

As I pulled myself up out of the pool, I could see her examining my body.  Gently she reached out to trace her fingers over the bright red scars of my recently healed wounds.  “You’re going to have permanent scars unless you have the scars removed medically.”

“I really don’t care.  It doesn’t bother me to see them; but if they bother you I can,” I said.

“No, I don’t think they will bother me.  I was just thinking… Lexmal stabbed you with the same knife that he used to kill Lunnie.”  A brief sob escaped with Kala’s breath as she thought out loud, “Some of Lunnie’s blood was still on that knife.  It was mixed with your own; and now, in a sense, Lunnie is a part of you.”

“Even without being stabbed with the same knife Lunnie is a part of me,” I said.  “Her memory will always be a part of me.”

“What do you think about what Lunnie said in her message to me – I mean, about us having a daughter and naming her Luinella after her?  Do you want to stay with me?  Do you want us to have children?  I understand your ideas about relationships and I personally agree with and like your traditional Earth values; but do you want us to stay together?”

My eyes filled with tears as she asked me these questions.  “Kala there is no one I could want to be with more or to have children with more than you; and if – no, make that
when
we have a daughter, not only do I think we should name her Luinella, I
insist
she be named Luinella.”

Kala threw her arms around my neck and kissed me.  We stayed like that for several minutes, knowing that the other was not only reveling in the shared love, but also revisiting the grief of losing Lunnie.  Then, to my surprise and amusement, Kala said, “I’m hungry let’s get something to eat.”

The next few days were bustling with activity, as all sorts of supplies and laboratory equipment were brought aboard for Cantolla’s laboratory needs.  A number of assistants hired by Cantolla also began to appear and each was tested by Kala to ensure that their loyalties did not lie with the Brotherhood or any other subversive group.  Marranalis also had new recruits coming aboard to serve as my personal security force.  Kala tested them as well, while Marranalis addressed provisions for their quarters and gear and set up the required training schedules.  Then there was the admiral’s staff; 120 troopers to be trained for Special Operations units and 50 more to be trained as undercover operatives in the newly formed FSO.  Even with the addition of these people to the existing personnel on the ship, there still were many accommodations and other spaces on the
NEW ORLEANS
that were not in regular use – too many spaces left basically unseen.  For security purposes I felt that there needed to be someone on the ship that was aware of all of them.  While still preparing for our departure, I assigned Captain Stonbersa and Kerabac the task of visiting every space on the ship.  However, by the time we were ready to embark on this long journey with the admiral and his officers, they reported that they had been able to survey and visit only about 80% of the ship.  They both assured me, though, that once the ship was underway, there would be ample time for them to finish investigating the remaining unexplored areas.