Riss Series 4: The Riss Accession (22 page)

We left the wave
with minimum power and immediately cut back to half power on two engines, slipping
silently through space. Fortunately for us, the Aliens were consistent, as you
would expect robots to be, which was not to be confused with stupid. Therefore,
we knew the approximate area in which the scout would most likely be found.

"Commander
Byer, release your Ghosts. Locate only."

We had agreed to
release ten Ghosts with a specific search pattern. Once the scout was located,
its position would be recorded, the Ghosts would return, and the
Mnemosyne
would slowly get in position
to destroy the scout after the task force began its attack on the
Medusa
.

"Aye
Captain, Ghosts away. Locate only."

Now we could do
nothing but wait for the task force to arrive.

 
"Alena, as part of your training, I'm
going to ask you what you would do as the battle develops. It's not a test, and
there are no right and wrong answers. It's for you to state what you think you
would do and compare it to what I decide. If the two plans of action are
different, we can discuss why. If you do the same when you are with Pavao, I
believe over time you will develop your own tactical judgment. Notice, I said
your own. Don't try to copy Pavao, or Damaass, or me. Every situation will be
different and therefore unique. You have to try and get into your enemy's
mind."

"Like
Si'jin," She laughed.

"Much the
same. If you know your enemy's level of skill, you have an advantage because
you know what he is and isn't capable of doing. If you don't, you must try to
determine it before you commit. Surprise is always your greatest advantage or
weakness."

"But that
means you can't plan ahead."

"Plans
seldom survive contact with your opponent. You can make a conceptual plan as we
did here in Lycus. But it must be continuously evaluated as the battle goes on
and you learn more about your opponent."

"How? While
people are dying around you... "

"Consider
it a contest between you and the other captain or captains. Your job, while
your sisters run the ship, is to figure out what that captain or captains are
planning. Forget everything else."

ships leaving the wave.>

The VTM lit with
white dots tagged SL1, SL2, SHt1, UL1, UL2, and UL3. They continued to approach
Lycus at half speed as if unaware of the
Medusa's
presence.

Six hours into
the approach, the Aliens sent their warning. "Unidentified warships. You
have entered a solar system under the control of the Supreme Council of the
Gods. You are directed to proceed to the planet named Lycus where you will
evacuate your ships. Failure to comply will result in your destruction."

"So far
so good," Alena said. "The
Medusa
hasn't released any of its cruisers, yet."

For the next
hour, the task force continued towards the planet and closer to the
Medusa
. Then in the blink of an eye, SM1
and U1 disappeared, reappeared close to M1, disappeared again, and reappeared a
few light-seconds away.

explosions.>

<
Medusa
still functional. Four cruisers
emerging from
Medusa
.>

"Alena,
what now?" I asked.

"Fire
both banks at the scout, then release the Ghosts if necessary," she
responded immediately.

Connect to Byer.>

"Commander
Byer standby to launch Ghosts."

"Ghosts
ready."

solution. Fire all demons.>.

solution. Fire one. Fire two.>

The
Mnemosyne
shuddered twice as the missiles raced to their target, which was less than four
seconds away.

hits. Ship destroyed.>

"Byer,
launch your Ghosts. Make sure that scout is in no condition to fly."

"Ghosts
away."

leaving the Wave.>

The VTM began
adding tags: SC1, UC1, UHv1, UL4, UL5, UL6, SL3, SL4, SL5, and SL6. Sixteen
cruisers in total, eight from the SAS and eight from the UFN. The only
difference was that the UFN had no Hunter class cruisers and had added a Heavy
in its place.

"Alena,
what should we do now?" I asked.

This time, she remained
silent for almost a minute.

"Wait to
see if they need our assistance. They have already destroyed two of the Aliens’
cruisers."

"What would
you do if you were in charge of the task force?"

"Order
another run at the
Medusa
since it's
still operational. Another skip-attack using Dusters."

"And what
will the
Medusa
captain do?" I
asked.

Alena gave me a
blank look.

"The
Medusa
's captain is your opponent. Don't
think of him as a robot. He or she is an intelligent being and not going to
roll over and die any more than you would in his predicament."

"Oh... A
duster will mean another attack—"

connect to SC1 and UC1.>

SC1.> Admiral Gebauer's face appeared on the monitor.

UC1.> The monitor screen split and Admiral Li Sing appeared.

"Sirs, may
I ask what you intend to do next?"

"I suggest
another skip attack against the
Medusa
,
Li Sing said.

"I
agree," Gebauer said, then added. "Why, Reese?"

"I wonder
what each of us would do, if we were the captain of the
Medusa
."

"Teach
those humans a lesson," Li Sing said.

Gebauer frowned
while nodding agreement. "Whether they are intelligent or exceedingly
smart computers, we must assume they have learned that lesson. The very reason
destroying the scout is priority one. Do you have a suggestion, Reese?"

"Get two
cruisers in position for another run, while the
Mnemosyne
moves closer. When we are all in position, they will send
in their Dusters. Then I will send in two Dummies. Then they will initiate
their run. If the
Medusa
is still
operational, I will make another skip-attack," I said, leaving out the
timing which would have to be worked out if they agreed.

Silence greeted
me.

"Yes, that
may work," Gebauer said.

"They fire
at the Dummies because they are expecting another skip-attack and can't reload
for at least thirty seconds," Li Sing said, smiling.

"Unless
they didn't fire all their missiles. But I agree, it's a reasonable risk,"
Gebauer said.

It took an hour
to work out the details as the
Medusa
began to make its way towards the entrance to the Wave.

"I see what
you mean, Leader. It's easy to get fixated on your plan and forget about your
opponent. You have to be in his mind if you are going to beat him," Alena
said. "I begin to understand why Damaass wins so often against the SAS
officers. He gets in their heads."

"The task
force has overwhelming force and will destroy the
Medusa
. The only question is how many lives it will take. That is
why the Riss captains must have experience and judgment. We cannot afford to
waste Riss lives. Neither Gebauer nor Li Sing is a coward and both have battle
experience. But they are used to losing ships and have come to think of it as
the cost of winning. I would rather the Riss captains think of it as the cost
of stupidity."

*
* *

It took an hour
to work out the details, mostly the timing of the Dusters, Dummies, and
skip-attacks. In the end, it worked to perfection. The
Mnemosyne
crept within a light-second of the
Medusa
, which made the Dummies appear close enough to the Duster
explosions to be a cruiser making a similar skip-attack. The
Medusa
had been ready and fired all its
missiles, blasting the Dummies to dust. And the skip-attack destroyed enough to
render the
Medusa
non-operational.

*
* *

Three days
later, we returned to Echo. I walked through what had happened with Damaass and
Elissa, using each stage of the encounter to quiz Elissa and Damaass as I had
Alena. Damaass was quick to understand as it was his nature to think
what if
. After a debriefing of Wattson,
Zhu, and the task force commanders, I departed for Freeland.

I felt a bit
apprehensive as we left the Wave and entered Freeland's space. Iglis had sent
Commander
Williams,
the Freeland Intelligence officer, notice of our pending arrival via the
Comstat
, but there
were lots of
Lavetts
and
MacLins
around.

authentication codes.>

proceed.>

Connect.>

Pavao appeared
on the overhead monitor. "I think you're lost. Commander Bradshaw is in
Echo," Pavao said, trying to look serious.

"How do
you know I haven't kidnapped him and am planning to hide out on Freeland?"

"Because
you wouldn't be on the Bridge talking to me." She laughed. "Welcome
back, Nadya."

"It looks
like we should be in orbit around Freeland in eight hours or so. I'd like to
meet with you for dinner. Say twenty hundred hours."

"See you then."

I cut the
connection. "Alena, you're invited. I'm going to visit the sections then
get ready. You have the watch." I proceeded to the Intel section first,
where Iglis met me at the door. "Captain Reese, would you like something
to drink?"

"Yes, and
you can bring me up to date on anything interesting that’s been happening in
Freeland that isn't classified."

"Everything
is classified as a matter of policy, just in case it should be," she said,
grinning as we made our way to her office. "Even the rumors. According to
Williams, Freeland is rumor-mill central. The rumor of the day is that you are
carrying urgent dispatches from Admiral Wattson to activate additional
squadrons from Freeland, including the Riss."

"Sounds
like the focus may actually be on the war, instead of the Riss and
Freeland."

"I think
the Alliance and the fact that the Riss cruisers have killed three
Medusas
have helped. As for Freeland,
they see them producing their missiles and upgrades. Besides, Stenberg has been
keeping everyone busy. Between ship upgrades, compliance tests, and exercises,
there hasn't been much idle time."

That sounded
like a huge improvement since I departed for Dong. I left and found Commander
Byer in Shark bay one, talking with several pilots.

"Captain Reese,
we were just discussing the Ghosts."

"That's
the reason I'm here. I'd like you to put a team together to work with the Invincible
group. Maybe a few of your folks wouldn't mind the experience," I said,
getting everyone's attention. Byer smiled, understanding my intention to help
break the monotony of the ship and a chance to see Freeland. "We will be
on Freeland until the
Eirene
rotates
back."

"Thank
you, Captain. Some fresh eyes may help." He grinned.

I headed for
the army area and found Terril talking with several Scorpions.

Everyone stood
when they saw me.

"Leader
Reese, are you here officially or slumming?" Terril asked. "I was
just going over your security with those who will be assigned to you this week.
Freeland can be exciting."

"Captain
Reese, were you looking for me?"

"Actually,
I was. With the
Eirene
leaving, you
will be taking over security. I wouldn't mind a little extra and maybe also in
the Riss area." I watched as Seng's emotions went from confusion to
understanding.

"Yes,
Captain. I will make sure security is tight." He smiled.

I left feeling
I had done all I
could
.

to give them planet-side leave but can't without starting a riot.>

Freeland not ready mix.>

It would only take one or two to create a major incident.>

* * *

I stood
waiting as Pavao exited the shuttle with two Scorpions trailing. Her two-Ghost
escort had docked in the next Sharks' bay.

"It's
good to see you, Nance," I said, giving her a hug.

"Not half
as much as I am to see you. This Leader stuff is worse than being a
captain." She grinned.

"You seem
to have things under control, as we weren't attacked when we entered Freeland
space."

"The war
seems to have everyone occupied temporarily. They probably didn't attack you
because they thought you had news about the war." Pavao said as we made
our way to my office. We arrived just as Alena did.

"Alena,
I'm surprised you aren't in Dong." Pavao gave me a questioning look.

"Get
yourself something to drink, and I'll explain." I waved to the sideboard.
"Now that we have four operational cruisers, I've decided it’s time we
provided the Mutual Support I agreed to with Plimson. I'm leaving one cruiser
on Dong, one on Freeland, and two on Echo. After an engagement, that cruiser
will rotate back to either Freeland or Dong and the cruiser on that station
will take its place on Echo. Elissa will be the XO on the
Minerva
, and Jaelle on the
Maat
.
Alena will be the XO with you and me. I'm hoping she will be ready to captain
one of the next Riss cruisers, and then Jaelle and Elissa.

"That may
work out good. We have a Riss-human candidate for the next Riss cruiser, which
will give Alena another six to eight months. The next Riss cruiser, the
Elpis
, i
s scheduled to be operational in a month,
and they are building one every six months," Pavao said, stopping for a
drink of her wine. "Her name is Samantha Sheva. She qualified over a month
ago but wanted time to think about it. I know how she felt. I remember when you
blindsided me. When you are young with stars in your eyes, it's a much easier
decision than when you are older and realize the extent to which it will impact
your life. She already knows she won't give up her Riss."

"Who is
the Riss with the most interest?"

"A huntress,"
Pavao said.

the ways of hunting.> I saw an image of the sun passing over a shaded valley,
and as one trail after another lit, a different animal appeared for a second before
being lost again in the shadows.

name?>

talented.>

"Sheva
will be arriving back in three days. Speaking of candidates, what’s Zhang
like?"

"Like an
older Zen monk: quiet, thoughtful, pragmatic."

"Serious?"
Pavao asked.

"I think
he has a sense of humor," I said, thinking back to his reactions to some
of Chung’s and Sato’s statements. "In a way, he's like Damaass. He's
capable of getting inside his opponent's head," I said, realizing that was
the crucial requirement for a Riss captain. Each Riss cruiser carried seven
percent of the Riss nation.

Before Pavao
left, I set up a meeting with Stenberg for the next morning.

* * *

When I entered
the conference room on the
Horned Owl
,
three men and Zann were standing in a group talking. It was an odd group. Stenberg
and Zann were now full admirals and their companions a tall, heavy-set vice
admiral, and
an
equally tall woman captain.

As everyone
found a seat, Stenberg said, "Leader Reese, welcome. You know Admiral
Zann. This is Vice Admiral Kephalos, who is directing operations on Freeland.
And this is Captain
Horshell
, captain of the
Horned Owl
and the senior captain on station. Help
yourself
to something
to drink, and we'll get started." Stenberg sat at the head of the
rectangular table with Zann to his right, Horshell next to her, and Kephalos to
his left.

When I poured
a cup of kaffa and sat next to
Horshell
,
Kephalos
didn't seem pleased.

sure.>

"Leader
Reese, I understand that you are sending Captain Pavao to Echo, and you are
planning to stay on Freeland," Stenberg said as I took a seat.

"That is
correct. For now, the Riss will have
two
Riss cruisers permanently on Echo to
support the Alliance, and one each on Freeland and Dong."

"Why not
all four on Echo?" Kephalos asked in a neutral voice.

"Because
it would freeze the Riss' contribution to the Alliance. Cruisers need to be
Riss certified, and captains qualified to command the new Riss cruisers."

"Neither
seems necessary. Our personnel aren't stupid. Just live up to your agreement
with Admiral Plimson and provide each ship with two Riss. And I can provide you
with captains for your new ships." He had the nerve to smile.

"You
appear to have an issue, Admiral Kephalos. Why don't you just get it out?"
I returned his smile.

"Yes, I
have an issue with you. Everyone I've talked to says you're trouble, hate the
SAS, and can't be trusted. You've set yourself up as the leader of the Riss and
pretend to talk for them. How do we know that? You've made a murdering Raider a
captain on one of your ships, giving the clans all our secrets. And now you're
in bed with the UFN, giving them our secrets." He slammed his fist on the
table, causing the glasses on the table to splash over.

Before
Stenberg or Zann could speak, I shook my head at them. "I agree, Admiral.
You do have an issue, but it's not with me. Admiral Plimson ordered additional
Riss cruisers and agreed to expand the Riss-human projects in order to provide
qualified captains for the Riss cruisers. He stated that there were no
restrictions on eligibility and clarified that Freeland personnel were
eligible. Admiral Wattson approved the Freeland
base
on Dong and
the sharing of Riss technology. And to clarify your misconception, the secrets
you keep referring to as "Our," meaning SAS, were developed by
Freeland specifically for the Riss and used no SAS technology. What’s more, those
people who say I'm a troublemaker are like you, confused as to the facts."
I rose and poured another cup of kaffa.

"Kephalos,
everything Reese said is correct. I was there. You may disagree with Admirals
Plimson and Wattson's decisions... just as your reports may not agree with all
your decisions, but Reese has not done anything without SAS approval. Well,
maybe except for kidnapping the Alliance delegation." He gave a short
laugh.

Kephalos
sat glaring
at me.

"Admiral Kephalos,
the Riss are committed to supporting the SAS and their Alliance partners in their
fight against the Aliens. But we are a sovereign nation. We are not slaves. The
Riss have a mutual support agreement with Admiral Plimson. If you or anyone
feels we're not living up to our agreement, he should be notified so he can
take action."

"Everyone
thinks you are acting on your own and sees those decisions as slaps in the face
of the SAS," Kephalos said in a cool voice.

"That is
a problem I can't solve, just like the repulsion many feel when they hear the
Riss are parasites. Immediately, they think the Riss want to change hosts and
invade them. The Riss are very happy with their Gorillai hosts. Those in charge
could solve the problem through education, unfortunately, many of those in
charge feel the same way and tend to reinforce the problem. Ask Admiral
Gebauer. He will tell you it's true."

"We need
to discuss what I can and can't expect from you," Kephalos said, appearing
to have regained his composure.

"You can
expect my full support. People with an aptitude for Symath who are not prejudiced
against the Riss will be certified, and
two
Riss assigned to that ship. Any
personnel who meet the criteria will be admitted into the Riss-human project
and made eligible to qualify to captain a Riss-cruiser. I will share what I've
learned about fighting the Aliens’
Medusas
,
cruisers, and fighters, and run exercises..."

The
discussions went on for several hours, and I felt Kephalos went away a little
less angry.

settle for that.>

person, one... >

wise one.>

* * *

"Even
with two Ghosts shadowing us, it's scary traveling in the same shuttle as you.
You do have a tendency to piss people off. Everyone from petty officers to Vice
Admirals. Imagine the paperwork if I had to shoot him."

"Think of
the free beers the story would earn." I said, smiling at the thought.

"There is
that. What's next?"

"I need a
visit to Freeland, tomorrow, to catch up on the status of our projects."

"That
shouldn't be too exciting. They like you, and no one there wants to kill you.
Or at least, I don't think so. Maybe... a few of the old Raider captains,
although they could apply to be Riss-humans." She laughed.

"I'm
hoping that after Sheva, the next three captains will be Alena, Jaelle, and
Elissa."