Riss Series 4: The Riss Accession (4 page)

Plimson turned his attention back to me.
"Alright, Reese, what do you need for a MSA agreement between the Riss and
the SAS?"

"I won't sign a mutual support
agreement—" I held up my hand before anyone could
react
verbally.
"I will make an
agreement
between you and me. A personal
commitment
for military
support and a sharing of all technology. Your word for the SAS
military
and
mine
for the
Riss."

"Reese, you are the only leader who
would
commit
their
nation
on someone's
word
. I agree,
between you and me."

"Admiral Plimson, I respect and
trust
you. I
believe
you would do
well as a Riss. We are each given a
position
based upon how we can best support the
Riss nation.
If conditions change
,
someone else may be given your
position or you theirs.
Today my
position
is
Leader
.
Every month or two, when I
feel
it's too much
or
that I'm not the
best
person, I try
to
give
it to someone else.
The Riss have so far refused because
,
for
now
,
they believe I'm the right person for this position.
No ego is involved. Each Riss is only
concerned with supporting the Riss, not her
position,
because they
are all equal." I paused for a sip of kaffa.
"I believe you
are Riss-like in that you are only concerned with supporting the SAS and would
take another position if you felt you were no longer the right person for the
job.
In
fact, I'll
wager
you've tried to
retire
, and they were smart enough not to
let
you. I know
you will
do
your best to
support
the Riss, and I will do my best to
support
the
SAS."

"Agreed. "Now, Reese, what do
you want in return?"

"The most important condition is
restoring discipline."

"Agreed."

"I'm resigning my commission in the
SAS. That will
separate
me from the navy, which has been a significant
source of
resentment
towards the Riss-humans. Many will be
happy
that we are
no longer in the SAS military. We will
design
new uniforms for the Riss-humans, which
will
reinforce
our separation from the SAS."

"Agreed. Although I don't like it,
I
understand
your
logic
."

"The Riss cruisers need repairs and,
more importantly, upgrades designed to
counter
the Aliens’ tactics. I'd like that a
top priority."

"Why are the Riss cruisers a
priority? Your ships are already better equipped to
fight
the Aliens
than
the SAS. You
proved that at Fools Landing," Wattson asked.

As usual, I suspected the
question
wasn't what
he wanted the answer to. "How would you feel if the Aliens attacked Eden
and killed twenty million?"

"Outraged, sick beyond words."

"
Two
Riss were killed on the
Eirene
and
four
on the
Mnemosyne
during the
battle
of Fools
Landing. Given approximately ten billion inhabitants of the SAS and three
thousand Riss, those six deaths were the equivalent of killing twenty million
humans. That may seem a bit academic, so let's consider the navy. You have
approximately three hundred ships with an average of five hundred per
ship—one
hundred fifty
thousand
in total. If we lose a Riss cruiser, we lose two hundred Riss. That is the
equivalent to you losing twenty cruisers."

"Agreed. Yes, you... the Riss risk
much supporting the SAS."

"That brings me to a more serious
issue—captains. As a separate nation, I'm
free
to
make
anyone a
Riss-human
—"

"No!" Stenberg blurted.

Wattson frowned.

Plimson looked down in
thought
.

"I love my Riss-sisters, Alena,
Jaelle, and Elissa. In peacetime, they would
make
good
captains today. But they are not ready
for
war
.
Forcing them today would
put
the Riss cruiser and two hundred Riss at
greater risk. Consider further: if Pavao or I are killed, you
lose
a Riss
cruiser, a captain, and an XO who is a potential Riss captain.
That
would be like you losing one hundred twenty cruisers."

"
One hundred twenty captains
, not
cruisers," Wattson corrected.

"No. If you lost one hundred twenty
captains, you could
promote
one hundred twenty senior commanders.
We
have no one to promote
;
therefore
,
the comparison is more like you losing ships."

"What are you proposing?
You
and Pavao have said in the past that you can't
make
just anyone a Riss-human.
Most are
repulsed by the idea; many others couldn’t
tolerate
an
intelligent
being
inside their head, and there is no point unless the person has
combat experience," Wattson said, appearing to be probing.

"Very
correct
. I'd suggest
a new Riss Project. We would
solicit
candidates from the SAS, JPU, UFN, and
the clans—

"No! No! You can't
trust
the Raiders
in Riss cruisers!" Stenberg shouted.

Wattson glared at me.

Plimson didn't
react,
seemingly
still in
thought
.

"Originally, the Riss Project
selected twenty
eligible
candidates and asked the Riss to
select
ten. The Riss
selected six. The project
leader
insisted there had to
be
ten
, so another
four
were
selected. Three of those four couldn’t
tolerate
an
intelligent
life-form
being in their
head
and were taken to
Saipha
and had the Riss removed. The fourth
used the Riss' gifts to
abuse
other cadets and cheat on exams. The Riss took
control and insisted on being removed. A better example involved me. On one of
my ships, a Raider gained access in an attempt to kill me. He killed a Riss who
was trying to
protect
me. Terril, what happened?"

"As Captain Reese ran towards the
Raider, she stumbled and fell. When I went to her, I heard a strange voice
saying she had taken control of the Captain. It was Thalia. When I asked why,
she said revenge was not the Riss way. She wouldn't
allow
the Captain
to gain control until the next morning."

"The lesson here is that while the
Riss don't want control, they are capable of taking it against the
human's
will and
won't
allow
a violation of their ethics. Can you imagine a Riss-human
attempting to
fire
on an SAS or Riss ship, or even attempting to kill someone who
isn't trying to kill him or her? No, I would
trust
any
human
a Riss had chosen
as a
host
with my life."

"Are you saying you won't agree to
mutual support if we say no?" Wattson asked.

"No, I'm saying I won't allow
Alena, Jaelle, or Elissa to
take
a Riss cruiser into battle. So you will have
only two. Worse, my three Riss sisters will have to act as
XOs
on Pavao and
my ships until they gain sufficient
war
experience to
command
one on their
own. That means if one of our ships is destroyed, only one Riss cruiser will be
available to
support
you."

"Agreed," Plimson said to
everyone's
astonishment
. "We are at war with a technically
superior race. We have to
use
our best and brightest people as leaders and
the most advanced technology we can
create
. Right now, that's the Riss
cruisers." He stopped to take a sip of kaffa, then looked at each person
in the room.

I was surprised to see Wattson
nod
when Plimson
looked at him.

"Nadya, I agree to everything. If
we can't
get
control of the
military,
we will lose to the Aliens and this
decision
is
me
aningless. Not
only
have
you never disappointed me, you always make me look like a genius. However,
that isn’t what is
important
. What is
important
is that your
actions protected the security of the SAS. I
trust
your future
actions will continue to prove valuable to the SAS."

Plimson stood and walked over to Terril.
"I have some
additional
stipulations, Leader Reese. You and Pavao will
continue to
have
mandatory
security
guards
authorize
anywhere you go. In addition, all other Riss-humans
will have
security
when they may be at risk, like outside the ship or when non-ship
personnel
are on board.
Gunny Terril will be responsible for that
security
and may
create
a
special
detail
if she thinks
it's necessary." He looked to me.

"Agreed."

 
"Elder
Ni'Shay
, I want one
Riss cruiser in
production
at all times. We are going to need those
ugly
beasts,
sooner rather than later."

"Agreed,"
Ni'Shay
said,
smiling.

"Admiral Plimson, I agree with
Leader
Reese," Wattson said. "I
believe
you are the right person for the position of Secretary of Defense. Although I
agree with your decisions, I doubt either Stenberg or I would have had the
courage to make the
agreement
you've made with Reese. I give you my full
support."

"Mine too," Stenberg said.

I
felt Thalia grinning.

* * *

When the Admirals left, I turned to
Ni'Shay.

He was smiling. "You and Admiral
Plimson are well suited. You are the right people for the positions you hold.
We, the clans, are glad we decided to align ourselves with the Riss. You have
our
clan
loyalty and full support."

"
Ni'Shay
, repairing
the
Mnemosyne
and the
Eirene
are your top priority. I'd also
like
you to
seek
candidates
for the Riss-human Project and to pre-screen them. We need battle experience, strong
tactical skills, but without issues." I turned to
Da'Maass
. "Yes,
Da'Maass
, you've
earned the right to be a candidate."

"Thank you,
Leader
." His cheeks looked ready to
split
with the size
of the smile.

* * *

"Well Gunny, what do you
think?" Pavao
asked
,
looking
across the aisle to where Terril
sat
.

"I'd say that was a perfect
ten-knot performance. Captain... Leader Reese is never boring, although I was a
little disappointed when Admiral Plimson left without a Reese-headache."

"Yes, that was quite a
performance
. You and
Plimson are much alike. You're not afraid to take risks. What I’d like to know
is whether I agree with your decisions because your words are the words of the
Riss or because I think they were
good
decisions?"

"If you agree, it's because you
like
the
decision
. You're now a
mixture
of human and Riss
,
so you will
have
an opinion, but when I
speak
for the Riss,
you will
know
it is for the good of the Riss and will
want
to
help."

"Good. I'd hate the
thought
that I'd lost
my ability to reason. I do agree the military has lost control of
discipline
and don't
envy Wattson having to
gain
it back. However,
I believe he is the
right person for that responsibility.
What next?"

"The five of us are going to
develop the technology to counter the Aliens’ missile technology, their
kamikaze tactics, and figure how to kill a
Medusa
without getting the
hide stripped off us in the process."

"
Leader
Reese, this is Petra
Ta'Lona
. He will
replace me as project manager if…"

"I
understand,
Da'Maass
.
Ta'Lona
, I
want
your R&D
folks to consider how we can stop, or at
very
least, distract missiles that turn off
when they encounter
chaff
from our Duster missiles. And to think about
an effective way of stopping Kamikaze pilots from ramming our ships."

 
He Laughed and looked at
Da'Maass
. "Our
dybbuk
really thinks we can do this?"

"Petra, she asks, and we
deliver
because she
knows we can. She would tell us how, but she wants us to
believe
it's our
creation
."

position
.>

want
hear.>
Image of a Riss with her head buried in the sand.

While Thalia and I were
having
our
little
exchange
,
Ta'Lona
bowed and
exited the conference room.

"Well, Da'Maass,
since at this moment
,
you are the only Riss-human candidate, I guess I should
begin the introductory presentation."

"We can skip that and get to the
good part."

"No, we can't skip this part or any
other. The Riss are giving up their freedom while you are getting a
precious
gift. You
have the
battle
experience and tactical
ability
we are looking for, but you must
understand
what being a
Riss-human involves and prove yourself worthy."

"Yes,
Leader
Reese, forgive my
eagerness
. You're
right
, I'm thinking
of myself and of flying those
magical
cruisers and destroying the Aliens with
you. How could I not?"

"Yes, we are each lured into the
Riss-human program for reasons other than the Riss, but if you qualify, you
will find it should have been because of the Riss. Never mind. The Riss are
parasites, who for the past several thousand years have used the
Gorillai
, an animal
unique to
planet
Saipha
, as their host. If you could
see
a Riss, it would look something like an
old
earth
jellyfish." I activated my SID and transferred the image to
the wall monitor.

Da'Maass
stared
intently at the
image
but said nothing.

"The Riss will
leave
its
Gorillai
host and
attach
…"

I spent the rest of the day talking
about the Riss: their lives on
Saipha
, their
system
of positions,
equality, and the
position
of Leader. To my surprise, he was attentive,
and
his
questions showed the
keen
mind he had demonstrated as the project
manager on the
multiple
Riss and SAS projects.

"You were
right
,
Leader
Reese. I saw only flying a
Riss cruiser. I see the Riss...
Gorillai
, know they are
smart
, but fail to
see them as individuals. You have nothing to fear. I’d never betray you or the
clan
, any more
than you would betray the Riss."

"I know,
Da'Maass
. It’s
difficult to
understand
now, but you must give the same loyalty to the
Riss."

"What if they conflict?"

"Unless the clans
rise
against the
Riss, I doubt they ever will. We may decide to
go
a different way. In either case, you
can be separated from the Riss." I watched him
nod
understanding
. "I’ll
give you time to
consider
what you learned today. Within a few days, I’ll
schedule you for a physical examination and
seek
Riss volunteers. I will
notify
you when the
Riss are ready. If you think of any questions in the meantime, call me."

* * *

I found Doctor Dayton in her office.

"Good morning…
Leader
Reese. I'm glad you and the
SAS reached an agreement. The loss of the Riss would have been a
tragedy
. What can I
do for you?"

"I would prefer just Reese now that
I'm no longer a naval officer, but I think the military should use the term 'Captain'
to maintain the standard
protocol
everyone is accustomed to. Except for another
Riss-human captain, no Riss or Riss-humans have titles." I met her eyes
with a smile, still trying to
negotiate
between the Riss and military
conventions. "Being called Reese wouldn’t confuse the senior officers on
the ship, but it might confuse others."

"I understand."

"I'd like you to
give
Da'Maass
a
physical
and give me
your
evaluation
of his health. Any questions?"

"Yesterday, I might have had many.
Today
,
none.
Admiral
Plimson talked to each of the commanders on the Riss cruisers and informed us
he trusts your judgment. I think all of us would like to
understand
what’s going
on when it involves us, but he made it clear it’s your
decision
."

"I'm putting out a call for
Riss-human candidates."

To my surprise, Dayton nodded without a
noticeable reaction.

"They need the right mental
attitude,
battle
experience
,
and demonstrated tactical skill. A Riss should
be able to
fix
most physical problems in an accepted candidate, but we should be
aware of any beforehand."

"Admiral Plimson is a remarkable
man. Most in his position would have executed, jailed, or confined you and the
Riss to Freeland.
In either case
,
they would have lost the Riss technology and
two
valuable
allies—the Riss and the clans.
He
,
on the other hand
,
has
given you unrestricted approval.
I’ll contact
Da'Maass
and let you
know the results."

Next, I made my way to the Shark
area
and
found
Commander
Byer in Shark bay S1.

"Good morning…
Captain?"

"Yes, Captain would be
best
. Life is
confusing enough."

"Captain Reese, I'm glad you and
Admiral Plimson came to an agreement. My
people
weren't looking forward to leaving the
Mnemosyne
.
You've spoiled us."

"I can't tell you how happy I am to
have you back. You’re friends and people I can trust in
good
times and
bad
."

"Thank you. You should know that
Plimson, on my recommendation, has increased the squadron to fifteen
Ghosts
.
"

"Commander, I’d like you to head up
a
team
to
include
folks from the
Eirene
and the clans and
determine
ways
to
effectively engage
the Aliens' kamikaze fighters. You should consider tactics as
well
as
possible
new
technology on the
Ghosts
and
the Riss cruisers. Contact
Ta'Lona
. He's the new project manager and tasked with
working on a solution."

"Thank you. I hope I'll never again
have to
see
the kind of losses they caused at Fools Landing."

"Me neither." I nodded my
farewell and made my way to the Intel section.

Verifying my identity and
authorization
was
pointless, so the guards just waved me through—they knew me from my
workouts; I was their Gunny's friend; Iglis had authorized my
access
; and two of
their fellow Scorpions followed me.

I found Iglis talking with a young petty
officer. "Good morning, Commander," I said as I approached.

Her head jerked up, and she straightened
almost to attention. "Captain Reese. I'm glad we didn't
lose
you."
She smiled. "Admiral Butler has made a few changes. I'm no longer the
station
Intel
officer."

I frowned. I had hoped my change in
status
hadn't
impacted anyone’s
life
seriously
.

"I'm
now
Admiral
Butler's liaison
, and all Freeland Intel goes through me."

Relieved, I offered her my hand, and her
brief clasp was firm. "Congratulations. That was a smart move on his
part
. It's best we
try to keep the Riss a
separate
nation, supporting the SAS with no direct or
indirect ties. The Riss-humans have all resigned their commissions, and the
units attached to the Riss cruisers don’t report to the Captain. They are
assigned only to
support
the ship's
mission
as directed
by Admiral Wattson."

"Clever and sneaky. As station
Intel, I would be restricted to Freeland. Now I'm
free
to
accompany
the Riss and
better able to keep him apprised of the overall situation." She grinned.

After her assurances she and I would
continue to bend the rules, I left for the Scorpion area.

Terril met me as I entered. Probably she'd
been warned by my security guards. "Captain Reese, you scared everyone.
Being Riss certified and serving on a Riss cruiser—after Fools
Landing—is the
elite
of the army's elite. And being on your guard
duty
the place to
be. If I sold slots, I could retire in luxury within a year."

As she talked, Colonel Seng joined us. "Good
afternoon, Captain. My
people
and I are glad you didn't
desert
us. We've
become quite fond of you. Although no one would have blamed you, I
believe
we would have
lost a vital ally, and it might have driven a wedge between the army and the
navy and possibly between the Sharks and the ship personnel. After all, when
they shoot at the Riss, they’re shooting as Sharks and Scorpions." His eyes
sparkled,
and
his upper lip twitched a bit. "Admiral Plimson has made it
crystal clear we do not report to you and are here only to support your
mission—and we had better
be
under the protection of the space gods if we
aren't helpful making his agreement with you succeed."

"I'd
trust
you and the
Scorpions at my back anytime. And we won't disappoint Admiral Plimson. He's
told me many times, ‘Admirals don't
like
to be disappointed’."

I left Seng laughing as I
made my way back to my office
. Stopping
on the way to see how the repairs were proceeding
,
I was
assured the
Mnemosyne
and
Eirene
would be operational in two weeks
or
fewer
.
At my office
door, I motioned Terril to come in.

The corporal closed the door after us.

Terril fetched two cups of kaffa, handed
me one, and flopped into one of the padded chairs.

"Well. " I took a sip of my
kaffa. "What's the latest news?"

"Wattson replaced ten Captains and
five
XOs
of the thirty ships currently assigned to Freeland. Most are being
forced to retire. About half were replaced by commanders on
station,
and the other
half came from Eden. He’s promoted four Captains to Admiral and put each in
charge of a squadron composed of seven to eight cruisers. It seems to have had
a positive impact on the fleet. A lot of people got promotions
,
as every
retirement slot had a ripple effect that reached down to the lieutenants.
People
are
beginning to understand and to expect serious consequences for not
following orders and for poor performance."

Terrill grinned. "Overall, I think
the focus is off the Riss and onto pleasing Wattson. He's conducting exercises
seven days a week, and he’s taking notes."

* * *

I called for a meeting with the
Riss-humans,
Ta'Lona
, and Da'Maass to discuss our new project.

"
Ta'Lona
is replacing
Da'Maass as project manager while he’s a candidate for Riss-human. If Da'Maass
is accepted,
Ta'Lona
will assume the responsibilities permanently.
Ta'Lona
, I've
identified several Riss I'd like assigned to Project…"