<Interesting …> Julien replied, borrowing Alex’s favorite word.
Alex took control of the meeting again. <Let me give you what I believe is a critical example of the makeup of these aliens. We were within range of six silver ships in Bellamonde, but only one attacked. It could have been sent, or it could be that it was the nearest one to us. When we destroyed that ship, the next five closest ships attacked. What was interesting was that one of the ships was not close enough to join the fight. So why did it come our way? And for that matter, why didn’t the five attack when the first one did?>
He left the questions on the table and waited.
<If the ships were making intelligent decisions,> Sheila said, <computing the distance and opportunity, then it would suggest the first ship might have been chosen to be the attacker, but by this supposition, the fifth ship in the second group shouldn’t have attacked.>
<But if there is no great intelligence within the individual ships, why didn’t all the silver ships head our way when we destroyed the first ship?> Andrea asked.
<Escalation,> Tatia answered, which produced frowns and confusion on most faces, except for Alex, who nodded and smiled.
Renée hated this part. The two shared the language of offense-defense like a pair of game masters. She didn’t really hate it, but it was frustrating.
<Okay…?> Andrea said for the group, laying her hands out in supplication of an explanation.
<We take out one ship,> Tatia said, <then the nearest ships are ordered to attack. There is no calculation of strength and distance. It’s a fairly simple tactical response. Send the nearest ships—five were near.>
<And if we destroyed those five?> Andrea asked.
<Then probably all the silver ships would have come after us,> Tatia concluded.
<All but the last ten, who would stay behind to guard the mother ship, remember?> Sheila said.
Everyone looked to Alex to see if he agreed, but he was far away, communing with the SADEs.
Alex gave the SADEs a fight scenario for them to consider—the type and extent of force necessary to draw the patrolling silver ships to the farthest edge of the system, the amount of time that would gain him to destroy the ten protectors and the mother ship, and the forces required to accomplish the task. As the SADEs gamed, Alex changed parameters and the scenarios spewed forth.
The discussion had so quickly energized Alex’s thoughts that he failed to close the group’s conference comm, and unfortunately he had subsumed their security protocols. Méridiens were taught specific protocols that allowed them to control the flow of information into their comms in an ordered and sequential fashion. Participating as a bystander to Alex’s multi-threaded processes required just the opposite technique.
<Interesting,> Alex commented when he returned to the group.
Renée contained her smile at Alex’s enigmatic comment. It was his usual one when he had made a major discovery or design breakthrough.
Alex regarded the sallow complexions on the Librans’ faces. <Sers, my apology for leaving your comms open.>
<And you have only had your first implant for less than a year,> Tomas commented, shaking his head slowly, trying to clear it.
Eric was swallowing carefully and sipping water to prevent retching. He had been on the receiving end of the comm onslaught before. This time, he had chosen to participate in order to test his own capabilities. Obviously I need to admit my inferiority in this regard, Eric thought, and realized he had just shared that thought with the group.
<No, Leader Stroheim, you didn’t,> Alex replied privately. <In conference mode, I run a censor program that I designed to keep personal thoughts private.>
<Except from you, Admiral,> Eric noted.
Alex didn’t bother to reply.
<Well, what did you learn, Admiral?> Mickey asked.
<Before we go there, Mickey, I would hear the Captain’s other question,> Alex said as he turned to Lazlo.
The Captain cleared his throat. Much of his old confidence, gained during decades as a freighter Captain, was returning. <What’s to stop the mother ship from simply evading you if it has the speed to do so?>
<To your question, I would say … Julien?>
<We’re researching, Admiral,> Julien replied.
The response opportunity rotated to Cordelia, who sent, <It would appear, Admiral, that the mother ship accelerates quicker than any of our larger ships but not as fast as its drones. We believe this is a further indication of Julien’s supposition of their gravity drives.>
They heard an audible groan from Mickey, and concerned faces swiveled his way. <What I wouldn’t give to have a peek at that technology,> Mickey said. His new engineering compatriot, Lazlo, laid a sympathetic hand on Mickey’s arm, patting it gently. Around the table, the concerned looks transformed into smiles and outright grins.
<To answer your earlier question, Mickey,> Alex said, <my first concept was to catch the mother ship with all the drones tucked up inside before it enters FTL. My second idea was to entice the drones away from the mother ship, and use a second force to attack the ten defenders and the mother ship. However, in neither case will we catch the mother ship, so I’m thinking of a third option, a variation of option two. We eliminate most of the drones, leaving the mother ship nearly defenseless. If fortune is with us, the mother ship may get the hint and run back to the deep dark, away from us all.>
<Admiral, regarding this third scenario, we don’t have the resources to take on the entire fleet of silver ships,> Andrea stated.
<What is their key weakness?> Alex asked.
<Their system limit,> said Mickey, whose job it was to understand limitations.
<So we use hit-and-run tactics,> said Tatia, suddenly understanding.
<Exactly, Commander,> Alex said. <We draw one or several of them out to that gas giant’s orbit. After we defeat them, they’ll send more fighters until they are down to the last ten protectors. We use gravity against them. I believe the silver ships will risk their limits in order to defeat us—probably ordered to do so—and we choose how and when to take them on fighter by fighter.>
Smiles went round the room. The only word the group heard came from Tatia, who said, <Sneaky.>
Alex heard a final word from Julien: <Devious.>
-15-
Alex met Tomas the next day after morning meal for a private tour of the Freedom. It would be just he and Tomas, so Alex could focus on the city-ship’s build-out. Of course, Alex’s shadow accompanied him.
The Librans were attempting to build the two city-ships in tandem, working on the same tasks on both ships at the same time. Alex wondered if the concept proved out in reality. The morning of the tour, while he was still in the refresher, he had queried the SADEs on the efficiency of this method.
<In theory, Admiral, it is an ideal concept,> Julien had stated.
<Cordelia, Z, compare the last five days’ work on your ships against expected efficiency. What do you see?> Alex had requested.
Within a few moments, Z had responded, <Employing your word for discovery, Admiral, I would say “interesting.” Assuming we are using your ship’s clock of thirty hours, I estimate a 13.3 percent inefficiency in the work scheduled to be accomplished in that time period on the Unser Menschen.>
<Cordelia, is it the same for the Freedom?> Alex had asked.
<Admiral, we are falling behind schedule by 8.4 percent in the same time period,> Cordelia had replied.
<Okay, so not only do we have inefficiencies, but we have two different inefficiency rates. Why?> Alex had asked. He had to wait while the SADEs put their figurative heads together. It was awhile before they came back to him with an answer, and Alex had time to finish his morning meal and board a shuttle for the trip to the Freedom.
<Admiral, our inefficiency analysis is ready,> Cordelia sent.
<Please proceed, Cordelia,> Alex said, knowing Julien and Z would be linked into the comm.
<It appears that our particular reality is not very for
giving of my people’s traditional ship-building techniques. These Méridien methods have been adopted over centuries when building identical ships at the same time. But in those circumstances, House engineers and builders had equally qualified personnel, sufficient manufacturing power to ensure no lag times in material delivery, shuttles in numbers that could guarantee on-time delivery, and a timetable that allowed a more leisurely building pace.>
<And we have none of that,> Alex replied.
<That is correct, Admiral,> Cordelia said.
<Julien,> Alex sent, to which his SADE responded with the silhouette of the Sleuth.
* * *
“Greetings, Admiral,” Tomas said, meeting Alex as he descended the shuttle’s gangway ramp into the Freedom’s bay. “Do you have a specific agenda for the tour, or would you like me to be your guide?”
Alex shook Tomas’s hand and said, “Why don’t you lead, Ser Monti, and I’ll add things to the list as we go.”
The two men spent the entire day touring the ship. Tomas would have been surprised to know that the majority of Alex’s communications during the day were with the SADEs, who apprised him of details that Tomas could not have possessed and sent him images portraying the finished appearances of areas still under construction.
Each of the ships had achieved basic operational status, having closed their hulls, installed their engines, and begun building out environmental systems. But in many cases, they resembled a skeletal system. Cabins were still under construction, and kilometers of power, control, environmental, and sensor systems were yet to be installed.
Tomas was especially pleased to show Alex the city-ship’s center. At the heart of the ship was a huge park with trees, shrubbery, flowering plants, and grasses. Waterways wound through the park, and broad-leaf plants with blooms of flowers floated in the waters. Tomas was almost gushing as he held his arms wide to indicate the massive park as he and Alex stepped from the lift.
The trees were six to eight meters high and were already extending lacy branches over crushed stone walkways and park benches. The ceiling was a gigantic half-sphere, four decks high, and covered both the park and the shops that surrounded the park. Flowers were blooming throughout the landscape. The small streams fed pools filled with colorful fish.
Alex was surprised to see the number of people at work. “Ser Monti, you’re putting a great deal of effort into this park.”
“It serves two purposes, Admiral. We will need to live for many years on this ship, and our people will need a place of peace for their well-being. And rather than attempting to carry sufficient water supplies for years, we’ve designed our water filtration systems into the garden. The roots of these plants are bio-engineered with embedded nanites that filter the water. Our engineers estimate our initial water supply will last for eight to nine years before we require topping off our water tanks.”
Tomas urged Alex to walk through the park, which Alex presupposed was to view it more closely. But it turned out the Leader had an ulterior purpose. Hundreds of people lined the walkways and had been waiting for the New Terran Admiral. He was greeted with bows of respect from most, while older Librans often touched a shoulder or an arm.
Regarding the huge undertaking of the park and shops, Alex was of two minds. It was a peaceful, idyllic place that the people might need if they were to stay aboard their ship for years while they built a new home, and it was obvious that the people had to have started construction on the park soon after they finished the ship’s basic requirements, in order to easily transport all the organic material into the ship’s central location. But how much time has this place cost them? Alex wondered.
<Cordelia, how much does this park add to the human basic requirements of oxygen production, waste filtration, or any other needs?> Alex asked.
<In the immediate future, the first year’s quarter, Admiral, the value is minimal. Its usefulness would be over years as a mental health benefit, water filter, and oxygen generator.>
<Then this could have been finished later, even though it might have taken more work and they might have had to use much smaller trees,> Alex reasoned.
<Undoubtedly, Admiral,> Cordelia said.
Both Cordelia and Z, whose fates were tied to the successful launch of their ships, understood the Admiral’s thoughts. Their Méridien-trained people were undertaking the city-ships’ construction using centuries-old methods, despite the desperate circumstances. The Admiral, on the other hand, saw a world soon to be menaced by an enemy and planned accordingly. The SADEs’ quest to improve their ship’s construction efficiencies acquired significantly more processing power.
After the tour of the upper decks, bridge, park, and shops, the latter enticing as they were, Alex requested that they tour the engineering aspects of the ship.
Cordelia, who originally hoped Alex might visit her new display suite, was pleased to hear him request that Tomas tour the ship’s fundamental systems. Her displays would mean little to her and the Librans if they were dead.
When the tour was finished, Alex asked to meet privately with Captain Cordova in his cabin to prevent alarming the bridge crew with their discussion. Alex was ushered into the Captain’s cabin and seated at an expansive conference table. Alex liked the elderly man, who he felt exuded an air of confidence and grace.
“Captain,” Alex began, “if you had to leave orbit thirty, sixty, or even ninety days before construction was completed, would you change anything?”
“Is there something I should be concerned about, Admiral?” José asked.
“At this time, the question is hypothetical, Captain.”
“Well, Admiral,” José said, relaxing back in his chair, an air of repose overtaking his usually erect posture, “our ship construction methods are tried and true. Efficiency is best maintained in this manner. If we were to speed up the process, we would more than likely disturb the entire timeline, resulting in a delay of the schedule.”
<He doesn’t know, Admiral,> Cordelia lamented.
Julien felt sad for Cordelia and Z. It was hard to comprehend that those you served, those you depended on to keep you safe, were often not the best qualified to do so.
Alex thanked the elderly Captain for his time and headed back to his shuttle for the return trip to the Rêveur. On the way, he signaled the SADEs. <What is the key driver for Méridien ship construction methods?>
<That makes sense. If this is the so-called tried-and-true method,> Alex said, quoting the Captain, <then it was probably built on economic efficiency.>
<Which, under our present circumstances, seems the height of idiocy,> Z added.
<Z, we’ve spoken about this,> Cordelia said.
<Cordelia,> Alex said dejectedly. <Z’s not wrong and he’s only saying what we’re all thinking. Cost-effective construction is not building the Librans’ escape pods the quickest way possible.> Then Alex added, <So long as we keep comments like that between us, Z.>
<Understood, Admiral. I’m still working on an appropriate communications style, as Cordelia terms it.>
<Well, you three have your work cut out for you,> Alex directed. <Work on a new construction schedule that gains us the greatest efficiency and prioritizes the ships’ essential elements in order to launch at the earliest possible date.>
<If we launch prematurely, we may not be able to sustain the living environment adequately for any length of time,> Cordelia said.
<Understood,> said Alex and closed the comm.
* * *
<Julien, we must prepare our city-ships sufficiently to maintain our people’s needs for years,> Cordelia sent to her fellow SADEs after their conference with Alex ended. <We mustn’t launch prematurely.>
<Maybe it has escaped your notice, Cordelia, that the Admiral resides on one of the fastest ships in this system,> Julien responded.
<Why do you state a fact?> Z asked.
<Julien means, Z, that the Admiral is in no danger if the silv
er ships come before we’re ready. The Rêveur and the other passenger liners can easily escape. The freighters have a high probability of escaping, with sufficient warning. It’s the Librans, the city-ships, and you and I that may be caught by our enemy.>
<By extension,> Z reasoned, <the Admiral’s concern for us might be less so since his safety is not in jeopardy.>
<Do you believe that, Z?> Julien asked.
<No, I don’t,> Z said abjectly. <I was pursuing logic without emotional context again.>
<So what was your original point, Julien?> Cordelia said.
<It’s as Z said: he doesn’t believe that the Admiral is not concerned for you. By extension, if the Admiral is working to launch earlier, with minimum life support, he is ensuring first of all that you live.>
<But for how long?> Cordelia interrupted, something she had never done before. And the first time that I’m rude, it would be to a friend, she thought, adding to her annoyance.
Julien was sympathetic to his fellow SADEs’ angst. They depended on the Librans and yet were caught between their people’s purposeful, dependable construction methods and a stranger’s concept of launching the ship with minimal life support capabilities. <The Admiral does not intend to jeopardize your lives,> Julien explained. <In fact, the opposite is true. He is ensuring first that if the silver ships come this way, you live through the invasion. Then he will have a plan to protect you long term.>
<If he has a plan, why did he not share it?> Z asked.
<The Admiral is not secretive, Z,> Julien explained. <It’s his habit to collect information, dwell on it, and then proceed with the best plan he can formulate. If he has not shared his plan, then he is not ready to share. The variables are not yet defined.>
Both Cordelia and Z were unsettled by this explanation. Julien was asking them to believe in his Admiral. Believe that the New Terran Leader would produce a plan to ensure the survival of a quarter-million Librans.