AMP Blitzkrieg (11 page)

I slowed before approaching the moon base. I had fully expected to pick up something on my sensors as on my last visit there were picket ships that kept a watch on the surrounding area. I cruised into the system and was soon orbiting the moon that had at one time been Zimmerman's base of operations. There was nothing. No evidence that man or any other species had ever been there.

I sat for several minutes with my hand rubbing my square chin. Had the plug on the clandestine army been pulled? Had their position been compromised leaving them no choice but to pull up stakes and move? There was no evidence of a fight. I set a course for the Grid to quiz Doris on what she might know.

Four days later I arrived and settled in to the Alpha sector landing bay. Doris met me at the dock. "Hello Rex! This is a surprise meeting. I have a few things to discuss with you when we get back to my office, big things."

I reached out to Doris as she began to turn, "How about we meet on the Wren where we know it is private. I've often wondered just how far SCore's eyes and ears extend here on the Grid. It is their station and they could easily bug every square inch of it."

Doris replied, "That is true. It’s why I built a confidence box inside my office. I have a sound and signal insulated box that is my actual office. It sits inside a larger room that I have standard signals emanating from should anyone be listening through the walls. When you walk through the door you have no idea that it is sitting in a much larger room. But we can talk here if you like."

I nodded my head and pointed my hand towards Doris' office. "After you" I said with a smile. "As always, I am impressed with your ability to manage on your own." The walk took 20 minutes and was filled with small talk about the Grid. Doris had very strong opinions.

"Michael Felix continues to consolidate power. He has moved up to several of the power committees within the Senate. I suspect he will be running for President two years from now when the next full election is held. He has quite the following and so far has not had a misstep during his speeches. He seems to be able to rile up the people and easily shame those who would plot against him."

And I have reports of little miss Elizabeth meeting with him often. Definitely a business relationship, but I have yet to figure out what it is they discuss. And I check on Jeb's cousin Duane at the shooting range every few weeks just to make sure he is not being singled out for anything. So far, there hasn't been any evidence of him being watched. The range itself is doing well, but nothing that would draw much attention."

When we entered Doris' office she asked her secretary that we not be disturbed. When the door closed she pushed several buttons on her desk and the two cabinets to either side of the door slowly slid together. Several seconds later a chime could be heard signaling that the office was tight.

Doris spoke, "Now, we can discuss anything we like. I have sensors surrounding the outside of the box that tell me if any signal leakage develops, so we should be neat and tidy." The office walls were stained wood. A heavy crown molding that matched the stain surrounded the ceiling. It was an office that you would expect to find at a high-end company. The large desk that Doris was seated behind commanded attention. I nodded my head in approval as I looked around.

"Doris, I am in need of any information you have on Admiral Michael Zimmerman. I believe he may be related to the current Vice President, or at least a close ally. He is one of our most highly decorated military leaders so tread lightly if you need to go out and gather info."

Doris typed Zimmerman into her desk computer. "Let's see what I have... he was here on the Grid a week ago Tuesday. Had a two hour meeting with... ugh, Michael Felix. He had lunch and then a hearing in the Senate chamber. He then departed for his ship, the Belvedere. His ship and several escorts then departed."

So Zimmerman was still alive, that was good news. But I now had the task of finding him. I turned back to Doris, "Do your people have any contacts of contacts listed? I'm sure someone on this station knows where he is or how to contact him. I need to speak with him regarding issues of extreme importance to us all."

Doris browsed through her information, "He did meet for dinner with... hmmm, Ashley Elizabeth. It seems your girl is right in the thick of whatever is going on. If you choose to meet up with that one again I would be very careful. You might end up pinned to a table and injected with all sorts of drugs making you spill your guts. You know, with you goes this whole operation."

I sat back in the chair and ran my fingers through the hair on top of my head, "Yeah, I'm well aware of that. I sometimes look around at all that is going on and all that we have done and I'm just blown away. How could the series of events that has transpired have led us to this point? We are fighting a war!"

"And we have resources at our disposal that most nations could not dream of having. It's like a storm where everything is swirling madly around us, but we have somehow managed to stay in this little eddy current that has allowed our capabilities to explode. We are terraforming a whole planet out there! I sometimes wonder when this is all going to come to a head and collapse. I'd hate to think I brought it on all those good people who are by my side... including you."

Doris gave a slight smile, "Well Sir, all I can say is you may have provided me with the opportunity of a lifetime here, but it is me who took it. And it is me who will continue to commit all I have to this effort because I know that it is just and it is right. All of these people that have joined on are not so much willing to lay down their lives for you Sir, but for the cause. This war affects us all."

I leaned over the side of the chair and looked at the floor. It was a smooth polished marble. I then looked back at Doris and chuckled, "Sorry Doris, I just get a little overwhelmed sometimes given the gravity of all this. I've struggled with this before. And if by chance you talk to Frig, please don't mention this discussion as he has heard my blathering about it more times than he can count on his hands. I just sometimes need that grounding reassurance that what we are doing is right."

Doris sat up in her chair, "It is right Sir, and there are about a half million people behind you that believe that. And if the population of this station knew what was going on they would overwhelmingly be behind you too. Just keep doing whatever it is that you are doing Sir, because you have a knack for always heading down the right path."

"All through our history, and frankly the history of every species out there, there have been those great leaders who arose from seemingly nowhere to accomplish astounding things. If we are able to turn this war around Sir, you could be one of those great men."

I had to hold up my hand and shake my head back and forth, "OK, OK, I get it. Please stop now before my head gets so big that I can't get out of this office. But keep this in mind Doris, behind every one of those supposed great leaders were all the good people who were doing the heavy work. Just work to keep me pointed in the right direction Doris, that's the most I can ask of anyone."

I departed from the Grid. There was no meeting with Admiral Zimmerman. I had given Doris instructions to try to get the word to the Admiral's people that the other force from the Prassi war was interested in meeting with him. Doris would have to tread carefully as there were those on the Grid who were aligned with the enemy.

As I taxied out of the bay I noticed a Delta runner taking up launch position two ships behind me. After lifting off I set an initial course towards Marcon. When the Delta runner set out they went in the opposite direction, I was in the clear. I then changed course taking my normal route home. I had a week to contemplate what our next moves would be.

When I arrived back at home base the Colonel was preparing his crews for the deep run into the Delvin sector. I was itching to go along, but was soon dissuaded from taking part. I was needed at home in case the contact was made with the Admiral. I was not looking forward to all the paperwork and minor decision making that came with being President, but it was the task that had been thrust upon me and I always had room to delegate.

After trudging through the morning's managerial duties I made my way to Frig's lab. The left side of his face was in bandages from his first set of operations to repair the damage from the shattered glass. George had told him that the operation went well. The other side of his face was scheduled for the following week.

Frig had continued his attempts to isolate the inner workings of the Durian virus, "Sir, the genius behind this code makes it something to behold. There is layer upon layer of trap doors and hidden routines that seem to evolve as you test against them."

"I know that it is not possible, but at times I wonder if this seemingly sentient app is going to sprout wings and fly to another console on its own. If you poke into one section it immediately rewrites that functionality somewhere else and it then tries to lure you further down into... what did you call it… a rabbit hole?"

"I spent countless hours doing just that until I figured out what it was doing. I now have two routines of my own that will pin a function down until I have completely examined it. The code however, becomes extensively more complex the further I am able to get."

I cocked my head slightly to the side as I looked around the lab, "Do you think you can crack it? And if so, what benefits might we see from your efforts?" Frig nodded, "Yes, there is a tiny light at the end of the tunnel Sir. As I had stated before, if we are able to take control of this code, we may be able to use it against the Durians."

"Imagine their own scientist’s reactions when a Trojan of their own making infiltrates their network. That could mean anything from simply learning the location of their home-world to being able to take control of their fleet. What would the Torrians do if a Durain fleet was to suddenly attack them?"

"The possibilities of what this could do has already provided me with hours of entertaining thought. While on a lunch break the thought entered my mind of setting the self-destruct on their entire fleet all at once. It made for an enjoyable meal Sir, quite enjoyable."

I then changed topics, "How about your experiments on the wormhole antenna stuff, has there been any progress there?" Frig again nodded, "I was able to reproduce the effect on a relatively microscopic scale. But it is all new territory for me Sir."

"I have asked George if he could recruit any scientists who were proficient in radio frequency engineering and study. I am hopeful that with the right people we could also make a breakthrough on that front. I have to say Sir, these are exciting times. The war, all this new technology, everything we have accomplished since the day when I outed myself as a spy... it has all been more that most could dream of in their lifetime Sir."

"My parents used to speak of a place called Garuth. It was where all good Gambits went after death. I sometimes wonder if I have not already died and gone to Garuth Sir. The only thing missing is my parents. If Garuth exists, they would be there."

After leaving Frig's lab I was confronted in the hallway by an aide, "Sir. We have a communique from Doris Jenkins with the location of Admiral Zimmerman. He will be expecting you when you arrive. He is not expecting you personally Sir, only a representative from whoever the force was that assisted with the Prassi."

Finding the location of the Admiral was great news. I immediately packed for the journey and made my way to the Wren. She had been refueled, restocked and was ready to be launched. I was soon on my way to grid 941 and the Admiral's new hideout.

It was a nineteen day journey from our side of the galaxy arm. The Admiral had selected a very remote location and as I approached my sensors told me that security was tight. I cruised in with the image projection program running and was not hailed until I began to decelerate. Three frigates from the Admiral's fleet screamed out to meet the intruder.

I received a hail, "Unidentified ship. You have entered restricted space. Come to a complete halt where you are. Any attempt to flee or evade a complete search of your vessel will be met with deadly force! Do you comply?"

I pressed the mic button on my console, "Yes, I comply. And if you would please tell the Admiral that the representative from the Prassi war is here to see him. I will await your response." The frigate Gallant pulled up beside the now still Wren. The image projection program had been disabled placing the Wren in full view. A bay door on the side of the frigate opened sweeping the Wren inside.

As the frigate headed for a meeting with the Admiral, two soldier escorts were soon visible at the cargo door of the Wren. As the door opened I greeted the Marines who stood at the ready, "Gentlemen. Glad to get out and stretch my legs. If you could kindly point me to where I might find the Admiral it would be appreciated."

A sergeant and private eyeballed me thoroughly as I stepped out onto the deck, "This way Sir. The Captain has requested that you join him for the ride to see the Admiral. Sorry for the armed escort Sir, it is standard protocol." I replied, "Oh, you don't have to explain anything to me Sergeant, we do the same when greeting those we do not know or trust."

We crossed the deck and boarded an elevator to the bridge level. Captain Blake was standing at the door when it opened. He held out his hand, "You are the representative of the other force during the Prassi war? I would first like to offer a my gratitude. Most of this crew fought in that bloody engagement. We have wanted to contact you for quite some time."

I replied, "Sorry we could not talk sooner Captain. Much like you, we are attempting to stay out of the limelight. We only stumbled upon the Milgari as they were about to attack the Prassi and thought it best to do what we could with our limited resources."

The Captain looked surprised, "Limited resources? From our perspective you had the tougher job and came away shiny and bright! We lost a lot of good men and ships in that battle. Would have been a lot more without your assistance Mr...." I replied, "Bumbalee, Rex Bumbalee."

I talked with the Captain for five hours before we entered the space around the Admiral's base. When the frigate slowed we turned and entered an immense station. More than a thousand ships were harbored outside while several hundred were docked on the station's exterior.

The Captain placed his hand on my shoulder as we watched on the massive bridge view-screen. "Welcome to OpCon Mr. Bumbalee, the center of the resistance and of all that is good in this sector. OpCon station was commissioned a year ago and is now our base of operations. It lets us pack up and move to a new location if the need were to arise."

"Personally, I think it's a thing of beauty, can pack a punch as well." I nodded as I responded, "It is extraordinary Captain. I have always been impressed with the Admiral's handiwork." The Captain nodded in return and gestured for me to move back towards the bridge elevator. The Admiral was waiting.

When I walked into the Admiral’s office he was busy signing papers with an aide. When the aide finished his duties he collected his papers and left the room. The Admiral stood and approached me with his hand out." I stopped him with a hand gesture. "Admiral, please follow me back to my ship. It is the only place that I can be sure is secure."

The Admiral hesitated at first and then nodded in agreement. We talked as we walked, "So, we finally get to meet someone from the mystery force. I’m not sure where you have been hiding out, we have been looking for you for quite some time. First, I’d like to personally thank you for your assistance. You saved a lot of my men with the Prassi that day."

"Second, as I am sure you already know, I am Admiral Michael Zimmerman of the Grid Defense Force. Has anyone filled you in on the purpose of our operation here? It is quite complex, but necessary."

I replied, "No explanation needed Admiral. I am fully aware of the purpose of your whole outfit. I go by Rex Bumbalee in most circles, but I believe you will remember me as Don Grange. After having a few political issues on the Grid I had to make a few changes."

The Admiral stopped in his tracks and backed up, "Don Grange!" He looked at me intently, "I can see a little bit of you left in there, but the work is impressive. Wow, Don Grange is with the mystery force, I should have expected as much. Fill me in on what you can. This is shaping up to be one heck-uv-a day. Don Grange… hmmm." I replied, "I would rather wait until we are on-board Sir."

After stepping up into the hold of the Wren I closed the door. The signal inhibitors were brought online. I asked the Admiral to be seated in the engineer’s chair. I sat with my elbows on my knees and my hands clasped together, "I’m not really sure where to begin Admiral, I guess that would be at the start." I began to tell the tale of the transformation of Don Grange from a lowly Messenger pilot to the leader of a small but powerful and growing nation.

"Everything began to happen at a rapid pace after that. Most of the Tantric you have purchased the last few years has probably come from us. Virtually all of the ore the Prassi have used to rebuild was supplied by us." The Admiral interjected, "Yes, the Prassi, you will have to watch out for them. They are aggressive expansionists and I have no doubt they would turn on us in an instant if they felt it helped their cause. This sector is full of tyrants and villains. Be careful who you ally with."

"Of course we are not squeaky clean in this Don. We have been using the Prassi to distract the Milgari. So long as those two are warring they leave the Grid alone. Cortes, I’m sure you remember Cortes, he has been working closely with them, trying to keep their interests aligned with our goals. He has turned out to be one heck-uv-a salesman that one. Watch out if he tries to sell you something. He doesn’t give up."

I spoke, "Admiral, I have a question about Cortes and the Ranger, we saw them dealing directly with a Milgari fleet just before their raid on the Prassi. That encounter is a large part of the reason we have not contacted you before. I attempted to send you word of what we had seen. I hope it reached your hands."

The Admiral smiled, "So, that was you. We were wondering who it was that had been spying on us. Cortes was working the Milgari, providing them information on the Prassi. We hoped the ensuing war would weaken the Milgari. We joined in to help, but the Milgari force that arrived was much larger than what we thought was coming."

"That whole encounter did not go as planned. If you had not showed up with your ships that skirmish could have turned out quite differently. The Prassi were not prepared to pick up and leave during that first engagement. Had we lost, their population would have been slaughtered. Had we not sacrificed so many men and ships in that battle, they would have suspected our motives. Engaging with these species is a tricky business."

I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms, "Tell me about it Admiral, we have been trying to do something similar with a species called the Dakar. We were just making progress with them when they changed direction. I can’t much blame them though as the Milgari and the Torrians have a fleet of over 17,000 ships now. I believe the Durians have been assisting them."

The Admiral sat forward, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You are going to have to slow it down there Don, the Torrians? Are you saying the Milgari have a direct ally?" I raised my hand and waved it in a "no" gesture. "Sorry Admiral, it is much different than that. The Torrians control the Milgari. It is the Torrians who have been bent on the Grid’s capture for the last thousand years."

"The Torrians are a vile and greedy bunch. They enslaved the Milgari using a psychotic drug that makes them both fiercely loyal and at the same time maddeningly aggressive toward anyone else. I know we have taken Milgari prisoners over the years and we have never been able to get them to crack. They don’t seem to care and they are all of one mind. It’s the drug Admiral. It gets administered from birth. We are working on a cure, but it has so far proven elusive."

We encountered the Dakar and were able to join them in a fight to take back one of the worlds the Milgari had overrun. The Teldaki on Mortel were liberated only a short time ago. The Milgari then attacked with a vengeance and wiped out the Teldaki we had trained as assault troops. When we returned to scout the sector we discovered the massing of Milgari ships."

"Our pact with the Dakar was just in its initial phases. We had a second target in mind for another joint assault when the Milgari overran Mortel. Since that time the Dakar have nullified our pact and are in talks with the Milgari for a truce. I don’t believe they will receive a truce. I believe the Milgari will attack and devastate their fleet before imposing laws and rules on them that they are not prepared for. They may achieve peace, but it will come at a heavy price."

The one area we have been most successful at is in raiding the Milgari supply lines. We devastated their Tantric ore production, selling much of that to you. And we have been able to confiscate any number of massive transports that were loaded with precious jewels and gemstones along with a variety of other goods. We are just now beginning to push some of that material through the Grid."

The Admiral replied, "Ahh!, So you are behind Martool Mining. We have been trying to determine where these new supplies were coming from. It seems you run a tight ship Don. Information on your operations has been non-existent. We have had scouts out looking in almost every grid, but have come up empty."

I nodded, "Well, you don’t have to look any further Admiral. I will give you the location. And that brings me to why I am here. I want to start coordinating attacks with you. I know you are still under command of the Grid, or at least some aspect of its government. We are not under any of those obligations. We are commanded by no one and beholden only to ourselves."