Alex and Renée heard wonderful, ethereal music fill their implants. It was so unlike either of their worlds’ contemporary music. It was similar, yet different, to the music that Cordelia had played during her pastoral presentation on the Freedom’s bridge.
Julien played one composition after another, delicately blending them together, as Mütter had demonstrated to him. He began lowering the volume as the vital signs of Alex and Renée ebbed, and then, at last, fading the music out.
Rest well tonight, my friends, Julien thought. Someday we may not be as fortunate as we were today, but until then …
-14-
As the Rêveur exited FTL outside of the Arno system, Julien sent Alex’s pre-recorded message to Tomas and Eric, announcing the successful destruction of the second silver ship with no loss of pilots or Daggers. Julien downloaded the event in its entirety to Cordelia and Z.
Congratulatory comms poured forth for the Rêveur’s crew from people across the planet, the stations, and the ships. The Librans’ welcome to the warriors was warm and celebratory.
While en route through the system, Alex held a conference comm in his cabin with his officers and the SADEs. The primary subject was the status of the long-term plan.
When it was Mickey’s turn, the engineer said, <Admiral, I have an unusual subject to discuss. I asked Captain Menlo to keep an eye on T-1 while I was reviewing the progress on the freighter’s retrofit. Lazlo was monitoring the production of Dagger missiles when he asked me if I wouldn’t prefer to use a more powerful explosive in our warheads.>
All the heads in the Co-leaders’ cabin swiveled to regard Alex.
<Admiral,> Z explained, <Captain Menlo was referring to an ore extraction explosive the Independents employ.>
<Z, I saw that material used on the asteroids,> Mickey said. <It didn’t appear to be very effective. They drilled, set a charge, and the ground was barely disturbed.>
Julien added, <Admiral, Z has shared the product’s specifications with me. It appears the Librans are able to focus the blast through the formulation of the material. It’s quite ingenious and would be advantageous for our missiles. I calculate that the same quantity in our warhead would deliver six times more power.”
Following Julien’s analysis, a few colorful expletives circulated through the conference comm.
<Z, are there quantities of this explosive already available or would we have to manufacture it?> Andrea asked.
<Inventory is scattered in multiple locations, Captain,> Z replied. <However, I estimate that when mining is completed, there would still be approximately 782 kilos available for your use.>
Utter stillness followed Z’s remarks until finally the SADE asked, <Admiral, is there a directive that you wish to issue concerning these stores?>
Alex started laughing, the relief evident in his voice, and everyone followed suit.
<Z continues to employ comedy,> Julien sent privately to Cordelia.
<Be kind, Julien. He does not yet understand,> Cordelia replied.
<Yes, Z, please have all surplus of this …> Alex began.
<Zertrümmerer, Admiral,> Z completed for Alex.
<… Zertrümmerer transferred to T-1 as soon as possible,> Alex continued. <Leave the miners with a 10 percent overstock.>
<My calculations are accurate, Admiral,> Z objected. <The 10 percent overage is unnecessary.>
<Z, the surplus is for the errors we humans might make,> Alex explained.
<Z, remember what we discussed,> Cordelia sent privately. She had sought to help her fellow SADE balance his exacting ways with the messy mannerism of humans. Despite Z’s century-plus years of existence, it was something he still struggled to master.
<My apologies, Admiral,> Z replied. <I have issued the requests as you have directed.> Always be prepared to apologize for confusion or miscommunications, no matter who might be at fault, Z thought to himself. He did remember that part.
<Zer … trümmerer?> Mickey said, struggling with the word’s pronunciation. <Everyone, this explosive is now “Libran-X.”> His comment was met with chuckles. Engineers like it simple. <So what does it mean to our missile designs?>
<Before we discuss that, Mickey,> Alex said, <you need to stop production of the second-stage nanites and buoys. We won’t require them now that we know that warheads are all we need.>
<Well that’s good news, Admiral. We’ve been making first-stage missiles complete with accelerant and triggers since we knew we had to have them. We only started making second-stage shells twelve days ago.>
<Which brings me to my recent thoughts,> Alex said. <I think Julien should redesign the second-stage to hold fewer, but more powerful warheads. If the new second-stage held only ten missiles and employed Libran-X, then each warhead would be twelve times more powerful.>
Andrea, Tatia, and Sheila tried talking all at once. Mickey, leaning against a bulkhead in the freighter’s spine, stood quietly listening to the outburst from the officers—very glad he wasn’t the Admiral. Julien was thinking the same thing.
Finally, Andrea restored order. She noticed Alex hadn’t said a word during the entire outbreak. <My apologies, Admiral, emotions are running high,> Andrea said.
<I can understand your concerns, people. Now hear my reasoning,> Alex said and laid it out for them. They learned that Alex had reviewed the vids of the second ship’s destruction with Julien, an exercise Andrea was mentally kicking her rear end for not thinking of it herself. The details of the vids revealed that despite the appearance of the silver ship exploding from a simultaneous strike of multiple warheads, it didn’t. The first eight strikes created crack lines across the shell. Then the next two strikes started an eruption from within the ship. The remaining shells joined the inferno.
<So what’s your conclusion, Admiral?> Sheila asked.
<Several things, Squadron Leader,> Alex replied. <First, we cannot rely on our test of the captured shell. For some reason, its structural integrity was lost. This is an important point. Our multiple patches of nanites-2 did a great deal of damage to the integrity of the first silver ship’s hull. Our single missile strike became the death blow. For the second ship, it took ten missiles to defeat it. We had to destroy its integrity first … just like our more complex nanites’ process did on the first ship. And a final point: I think when we destroyed the integrity of the second ship, its drive containment field was lost and that’s what caused the ship to vaporize.>
<So this is an equation of numbers balanced against power,> Tatia mused. <We use fewer warheads but you calculate that one enlarged missile with Libran-X can achieve what ten of our version-one warheads did before.>
<Precisely, Commander,> Alex replied. <In our present configuration, we require four to five stage-one missiles delivering eighty to a hundred warheads to succeed against a single enemy fighter. Imagine firing a single stage-one missile with ten warheads, which can deliver, as a combined punch, 50 percent more power than four stage-one missiles today that loose a hundred warheads. With Libran-X, any one of these new stage-2 warheads might take down a silver ship.>
<But the beams take out swaths of missiles, Admiral,> Sheila said. <Using fewer missiles plays into the hands, or whatever appendages they have, of the enemy and their energy beams.>
<If I may, Admiral,> Cordelia interjected. <It would seem most appropriate to design something like this.>
Everyone received an image of a point spiraling open into interwoven, curving rays that converged again at a second, distant point.
<Julien, could we use this type of algorithm in the warheads even under the conditions of an evading target?> Alex asked excitedly, nearly vaulting out of his chair.
<Predictive targeting could be achieved, Admiral,> Z responded instead, <using your fighter’s controller to relay the target’s location to the second-stage missiles.>
Cordelia produced a diagram of a missile firing from a fighter. The controller tracked the silver ship, the second-stage missiles spiraled out in her pattern, and the spira
l closed to converge on the moving target. <I have many algorithmic patterns such as this one that I use in my art, Admiral. If you design second-stages that can follow these paths and be directed by your controllers’ signals, you would eliminate the ability of the silver ship to destroy so many of your missiles at once.>
The room became absolutely quiet, each person immersed in his or her own thoughts. And while the humans ruminated on what the new design might mean in their fight against the silver ships, the SADEs were busy redesigning the second-stage missiles, increasing their size, adding new drive circuitry to manage the spiraling paths, and laying out algorithms that could be selected by the fighter’s controllers. Before a human spoke again, the SADEs were nearly done.
<Julien, how do these changes impact our manufacturing schedule?> Alex asked.
<Admiral, our present second-stages are unusable. We will complete a new second-stage design in 0.23 hours. The new design will only allow eight warheads in the tube, but the new missiles will execute any of Cordelia’s patterns. We might even take a page from Commander Tachenko’s book.>
<Are you going to be sneaky, Julien?> Tatia asked.
<Absolutely, Commander,> Julien replied. <I recommend loading a hundred algorithms in the warheads. Depending on some variable in the controller’s signal, the warheads would select one of the hundred patterns.>
<Yes!> Tatia said. <The silver ships wouldn’t immediately detect the pattern in our missile deployments, since the spiral patterns would be random. That’s brilliant, Julien.>
<Well done, you three,> Alex sent. <I’m very impressed. You’ve increased our opportunity for success immeasurably.>
For a brief moment, Cordelia and Z knew what it was like to be truly appreciated and on such a critical matter as improving the odds of turning the tide of destruction away from the human race. It was not lost on either of them that they were also helping to ensure their own survival.
* * *
When the Rêveur made orbit around Libre, Andrea stationed their ship just off the Bau Zwei orbital where the Freedom and the freighter Money Maker were docked.
Alex had called for a face-to-face meeting that included Tomas and Eric. So at the set time, Alex, Renée, his officers, and the twins took a Freedom shuttle to the city-ship. Although the Rêveur had been gone for nearly twenty-three days, to Alex it appeared as if only minor progress had been achieved on the massive ship, despite the fact that thousands of people were hard at work on each vessel. It was a reminder of the sheer size of the city-ships.
As Alex descended from the shuttle, he heard in his implant, <Welcome aboard, Admiral.>
<Thank you, Cordelia,> Alex replied.
<Julien has shared the details of your adventure, Admiral. He terms your event “a close shave”—an ancient technique for an Ancient man. You’re a very resourceful human, Admiral.>
<A little ingenuity and a little fortune go a long way, Cordelia.>
<Your modesty does not suit your accomplishments, Admiral. Although, I believe the question is moot. Many others sing your praises for you.>
<That’s always a dangerous song for any individual to hear, Cordelia.>
<Indeed, it is, Admiral. In the old world vids Julien has shared with me, it is often referred to as a deadly siren.>
<I’ll be sure to keep some ear wax handy,> Alex replied, chuckling at the image Cordelia’s comment had created.
It took Cordelia a few ticks to identify the meaning of Alex’s phrase. Finding several references to blocking out sound by stuffing the ears, she presumed it was the correct one. It was typical of the man’s responses—low key, unassuming. I wonder which character from Julien’s vids you represent, Admiral: the warrior hero or the quiet man forced to fight but who yearns for peace? Cordelia wondered if they would live long enough for her to discover the answer to the question.
<Admiral, I wish to thank you for bringing Julien back to us. Please let me know when you and Ser are available for a private showing. I have a gift for the two of you.>
Alex pondered Cordelia’s message as he walked into the conference room. He recalled a phrase from an old Earth vid. One character teased another over a woman he had begun seeing, and, in light of Cordelia’s comment, Alex thought a rephrase of the character’s statement most appropriate: “Julien, you old dog you.”
Captain Manet had flown up from planetside in the Outward Bound to join the meeting, transporting a load of Librans to the station before flying to the Freedom. The city-ship’s cavernous bays easily accommodated the converted explorer-tug. At Mickey’s request, Captain Menlo was also present.
As Alex and his people entered the conference room, Tomas surged out of his chair, vigorously shook hands with Alex, and bussed Renée’s cheeks. As Eric stepped forward, Alex delivered the polite Méridien greeting only to see the Leader’s outstretched hand.
“Welcome back, Admiral,” Eric greeted Alex. “I’m pleased to see you safe.”
Alex shook the Leader’s hand, a wry grin on his face. “Leader Stroheim, I would think you didn’t expect us to return.”
“If I was to tell what I thought, Admiral, I did not,” Eric replied. “Circumstances did not favor your success, and driving your ship at 123 percent of power is unheard of in the Confederation. Safety protocols are never released. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be safety protocols, would they? Fortune seems to ride your shoulder, Admiral.”
<Careful, Admiral. You know how you dislike the concept of public sex,> Renée teased. She enjoyed the soft smile that quickly crossed Alex’s lips before he turned to take a seat at the table.
Alex signaled to everyone at the table that he would conference them. It was his way of being polite. Before most could change their security protocols, Alex had subsumed those programs and linked everyone with the SADEs.
Julien’s files on the event in Bellamonde had been reviewed by those at the table. Alex moved on by providing an update on their missile repurposing. <So now we know that we can focus on just warheads, and they will be much more powerful with your Zertrümmerer, which unfortunately, due to my Chief Engineer’s inability to accept the word, has become Libran-X.> Mickey ducked his head at Alex’s comments. <But at this critical juncture, one must keep the engineers happy.>
<What strategy will you employ with your new information, Admiral?> Tomas asked.
<Before I answer that, Ser Monti, let me ask Leader Stroheim a question. Ser, what are your orders for the liners on station in Bellamonde when the alien ships swarm from the planet?>
<The instant the mother ship’s directions are determined, Admiral, the Captain abandons his post at top speed and signals us,> Eric replied. <Z estimates that we will have between thirteen to fifteen days depending on Libre’s orbit at the time.>
<We know the silver ships leave and exit a system within the mother ship,> Alex mused, working through his thoughts. <This indicates that the silver ships are like our fighters. They’re not FTL capable. If we are fortunate and ready in time, we might attack when the mother ship is ready to exit the system with all the silver ships tucked up inside.>
<Your pardon, Admiral,> Alain said. <Has anyone ever seen a weapon discharged from the mother ship?>
The only one who was taken aback by an escort entering the conversation between Leaders was Eric Stroheim. But he was learning quickly and kept his thoughts to himself, or at least, he hoped he had.
<Excellent question, Alain,> Alex said and folded his arms to wait. Because the Admiral’s people were also patiently waiting, Tomas, Eric, and Lazlo decided they would do the same.
By now, Z had come to accept Julien’s translation of the Admiral’s implied requests and found he was enjoying the freedom of pursuing information to satisfy the open-ended requests. Several moments later, the combined power of the SADEs had combed through hundreds and hundreds of hours of Confederation monitor ship footage.
At
Julien’s signal, Alex responded, <And the answer is, Julien?>
<There are no records of any weapon emanating from the mother ship, Admiral,> Julien responded. <And anticipating the Admiral’s next question, no Confederation monitor ship ever approached the mother ship close enough to warrant an offensive response. So the data is inconclusive as to whether the mother ship may or may not have weaponry.>
<What is the proximity of silver ships to the mother ship at all times?> Alex asked.
Everyone lapsed into silence again. The Méridiens had never employed their SADEs in such a manner and were flabbergasted at how easily the Admiral had co-opted them into this obviously very capable advisory group.
<Admiral, our analysis shows that a minimum of ten silver ships accompany the mother ship at all times while they are in system,> Z replied, pleased to have been the one delegated to respond. <The only time the mother ship is unaccompanied, for only the briefest of time, is before and after FTL.>
<So if the silver ships protect the mother ship at all times, we might operate on the assumption that the mother ship has no defensive or offensive capabilities,> Alex said. <This would mean the mother ship would be vulnerable just before entering FTL. If we can cripple that ship, then we will have trapped the fighters in the system. It would give us more time to damage that behemoth beyond repair.>
<Admiral, I have a couple of questions,> Lazlo said. <Couldn’t the silver ships build another mother ship?>
<From everything we’ve observed, Captain, I believe the silver ships are drones,> Alex replied. <Yes, they have organic beings inside, but they operate in a most mechanical fashion. So I don’t believe they are capable of creating the technology that drives the mother ship.>
While the group began to argue Alex’s supposition, Julien sent, <Would you equate the aliens, Admiral, to the bee analogy—only a queen reproduces and this queen is in the mother ship?>
<Something like that, Julien,> Alex sent back, <but consider another possibility. What if instead of a hierarchy within a single species, we are dealing with two species, one dominating the other?>