Sentience 1: Storm Clouds Gathering (40 page)

“Good,” Kalis continued. “Look, none of us
wants
a war with the Alliance. Military officers do not start wars. Politicians start wars the military is expected to fight and win. All we Southerners ask is for
those people
to just leave us alone. We desire peace no matter what the sacrifice, save honor and freedom. In independence, we seek no conquest nor concession of any kind from any of the planets with which we have lately been associated, other than they leave us alone and not attempt our subjugation by force of arms. But, as their new president has already made clear his belligerent attitude towards us, and his pretensions of legal authority over us, we must be prepared to fight a war against
those people
, whether we want to, or not. We will never submit to armed subjugation, which we will, and must, resist to the utmost dire extremity.

“We have all foreseen this tragedy coming and we have endeavored to prepare for it. We have provided you with the best equipment, weapons and crews we possibly could, with the time and resources available to us. I consider it a miracle we have accomplished as much as we have. I’m sure it’ll come as a bit of a shock to the Yankees in the early going.”

Another soft chuckle sounded as each flag officer envisioned the enemy’s realization of exactly what was arrayed against them, and the shock when identification of those Confederate ships was confirmed.

“But we won’t catch them with their pants down very often, after all of our rabbits are out of the hat. Hopefully we can fight them fairly even-up in the early going, but over time they’ll put that massive industrial complex of theirs to good use and the Consortium will make another mountain of money doing it. They’ll gear up and man-up and try to overpower us by sheer numbers.

“I won’t try to bullshit any of you — we will be in a desperate fight for survival, but the news is not
all
bad. While we’re out on the front lines doing our duty, I can assure you the folks back home will not be sitting idle. I can’t go into detail right now, but rest assured that we’re actively engaged in breeding more rabbits.

“You will all find detailed orders pertaining to your individual assignments loaded into your flagship computers. Forward all pertinent orders by tight-beam encrypted laser to the remainder of your task forces before entering tachyon space, so your ship commanders can study them en route. You’ll all need to engage in grueling shipboard training regimens and computerized war games,” Kalis continued, “until these crews, so recently thrown together, learn to function as a totally homogenized team — a well-oiled machine.

“You are our best and brightest. When the time comes, fight smarter, not harder and God willing, we’ll whip these people and keep on whipping them until they stop attacking us... until they recognize they can never, and will never subdue us, so help us God.”

“So help us, God!” chorused the flag officers facing Kalis.

On his way to the shuttle that would take him out to the
Independence
, Ben Stillman walked by a cordoned off area in a large spacecraft hanger where he got just a flash impression of what appeared to be the strangest starship he’d ever seen.
Weird… kinda hard to see, but it sorta looked like something you’d end up with if a spaceplane fucked a destroyer.
Crewmen were struggling to get the ship covered with a tarpaulin the size of a circus tent. Intrigued, Stillman veered toward the strange craft to try to get a better look, but was immediately stopped by two large Fleet Police ratings:

“I’m sorry, Admiral... this is a restricted area. No one other than assigned crew and full admirals are allowed access.”

Hmm… Not sure, but I think I might have just had my first brush with this mysterious “Confederate Intelligence” outfit Admiral Kalis was talking about.

At 10:00 hours, precisely on schedule, the CSS
Independence
and her consorts slipped their moorings and backed out of their berths using thrusters. As soon as Task Force-21 got turned and formed up into their assigned positions, encrypted tight-beam laser communication emissions shot from
Independence
to all of the other task force ships, as ordered:

CONFEDERATE STELLAR ACCORD

FLEET MOVEMENT ORDER: CLASSIFICATION TOP SECRET

February 12, 3861

To: Task Force-21

From: Rear Admiral Benjamin F. Stillman, Commanding, Task Force-21

Subject: Movement Order Authorization: GB4E33W97YS3F

You are hereby directed to depart Mystic Fleet Port Facility and proceed under direction from CSS Independence directly to the interim destination of the Lusia system, where refueling operations will commence as necessary. From there, under direction of the Commander of TF-21, you will proceed to further interim refueling stops at the systems of Bama, Missip and Joja prior to arrival at TF-21’s final destination of the planet Socar.

Individual mission profile orders accompany this communiqué. All ship commanders are hereby directed to open and execute those specific orders, under direction of the Commander of TF-21.

Rear Admiral Benjamin F. Stillman

TF-21, Commanding

The Planet Socar, City of Colum

February 28, 3861

Bureau Chief of the Alliance Bureau of Investigation field office on Socar Tom Hardigan presented his credentials to security at the Socar Governor’s Mansion and waited for admittance. Tom and all of his crew had received their deportation notices a few days ago and in intense meetings among themselves concerning the political situation and their personal views about the right and wrong of the whole secession issue, reached their decisions. In the end, six of Tom’s fifteen agents opted to accept deportation and return to Waston. Ten, including Tom himself, opted to stay on Socar and support the Confederate cause. 45 minutes later, Tom was surprised when instead of being shunted off to an underling as he’d expected, an aide to the governor escorted him directly into the governor’s office.

“Good morning, Bureau Chief Hardigan,” said Socar Governor Maxine Bright, flashing her patented, brilliant smile. “What can I help you with today?”

“Good morning, Governor,” replied Hardigan as he accepted the governor’s outstretched hand. “I’m actually quite surprised you opted to take time out of your busy schedule to see me personally.”

“Have a seat, Agent Hardigan,” replied the governor. “Coffee?”

“Oh, no thank you, Governor,” replied Hardigan. “I’m very appreciative you’re seeing me personally, as that might help to grease the wheels of government, so to speak, about what I needed to discuss.”

“Well, I’ll certainly help if I can. What was it you came to see me about?”

“As I’m certain you are already aware, all Alliance citizens of Northern origin have been sent deportation notices. I have 15 ABI agents in my bureau and six have opted to accept deportation, but ten of us would prefer to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy and remain here.”

“I’m not sure I understand your reasoning, Agent Hardigan,” replied Governor Bright. “Why would you, all respected agents of the ABI under sworn oaths to the federal government, want to forsake those oaths and align yourselves with the Confederacy, which would be tantamount to treason against the Alliance, and cut yourself off from friends and relatives there?”

“Governor, our oaths were not to the protect and defend the government, but to protect and defend the Constitution of the Alliance. When I was a member of the Major Crimes Unit in Waston, I helped compile a virtual mountain of evidence of corruption and conspiracy existing within the federal government, but we could never get the Department of Injustice to present any of that evidence to a federal grand jury.”

“Department of
Injustice
!” Bright snorted. “I like that, Agent Hardigan, please continue.”

“Well, after seeing the tremendous injustices inflicted on the people of the South by a thoroughly corrupt federal government, it didn’t take much to understand that the Alliance Constitution has been totally subverted and made ineffective by domestic enemies, whom I am sworn to oppose.

I’ve seen the new Confederate Constitution and it’s almost a mirror image of the Alliance Constitution. Except for a couple of things like terms of office and cabinet members taking part in congressional debates, the only other changes I can see from the Alliance Constitution I’m sworn to defend are merely improvements which should help to ensure that what happened in the Alliance, does not happen here. It just feels
right —
like supporting the Confederate Constitution is the best way I could possibly fulfill my oath to defend the Alliance Constitution. As far as I can see, the people of the Confederacy are championing the Alliance Constitution a great deal more than anyone in the Alliance is right now.”

“Did I understand you correctly that you were with the Major Crimes Unit in Waston, before transferring here to Socar?”

“Yes ma’am, I was.”

“Did you happen to know of an ABI agent by the name of Fredrick Danforth, while you were a part of the MCU?” asked Bright.

“Fred Danforth? Fred and I virtually swapped jobs a several months ago. He and I have been best friends since college and we entered the ABI Academy together. Why do you ask about Fred, Governor?”

“Interesting… I suppose you may have heard about Socar filing suit against the
Department of Injustice
, as you put it, just prior to our secession?

“Yes ma’am, I’m not aware what evidence you uncovered to warrant that suit, but I hope that the refiling of that suit by several other Southern planets, not yet seceded, will get that evidence before the Supreme Court.”

“I think you may have seen a lot of that evidence before, Agent Hardigan,” said Governor Bright. “An ABI agent in charge of the Major Crimes Unit in Waston by the name of Fredrick Danforth sent me a huge accumulation of evidential data that we used as the basis of our suit against the federal government.

“WHAT? Fred sent you all of that evidence? But, that would have been illegal! Fred has never done an illegal thing since we absconded with some frilly ladies' undies during a panty raid back in college.” Tom forgot for a moment that he was talking to a very attractive middle-aged woman, not
that
much older than himself, and suddenly blushed furiously at what he’d just said.

The governor laughed and said, “Don’t worry, Agent Hardigan, I’m well aware of the behavior of college-age boys. I was in college myself once, you know.

“But back to the evidence that Agent Danforth sent me. From his letter, it was evident that he, too, was having a bit of a personal crisis concerning his oath of office, and finally concluded that the only way to actually fulfill that oath was to technically break the law by sending all that evidence to me.”

“Well, I’ll be damned... Oh, sorry, Governor,”

Maxine Bright laughed again and said, “Do all of the other agents desiring to stay have views similar to yours, Agent Hardigan?”

“We talked it over thoroughly and I’m convinced they are as sincere in their stated convictions as I am. I might have been born on Hio, but I know right from wrong and what the Alliance has done to the people down here is just plain
wrong
.”

“So, what is it that you and your people might want to do if you stayed here, Agent Hardigan?”

“Well ma’am, we’re all trained ABI investigators. Surely the Confederacy or Socar will need something investigated at some time or another. We might be helpful in that regard, if you’ll have us.”

“Yes, you just might at that. All right, Agent Hardigan, I’ll issue notarized attachments with my signature and gubernatorial seal you and your people can attach to your deportation notices, which will prevent anyone dragging y’all off to the spaceport.”

“Thank you, Governor Bright.” Hardigan stood to shake the governor’s outstretched hand again.

As he reached the governor’s door, she said, “Oh, one more thing, Agent Hardigan…”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Go buy yourself a really nice suit — you’ll need it for when I take you to meet President Collier.”

Three weeks later, President Lincoln Collier announced the formation of the
Confederate Bureau of Investigation
and its new director, Thomas Hardigan.

We want one class of persons to have a liberal education, and we want another class of persons, a very much larger class, of necessity, in every society, to forego the privileges of a liberal education and fit themselves to perform specific difficult manual tasks.
-- Woodrow Wilson

The Planetoid Discol, City of Waston

March, 3861

The morning of Pierre Marrot’s inauguration, in defiance of tradition, President James Buchwald did not accompany the president-elect to the ceremony, but instead departed the White House early and left Waston for the last time. Unsure whether his nemesis, J.P. Aneke, would have his hand-puppet Marrot issue a warrant for his arrest, in retaliation for his recognition of the Confederacy and wrecking the Consortium’s money grab by mothballing 28 percent of the Alliance Fleet, Buchwald ordered the pilot of Fleet-1 to change course away from Dela and head for Ginia instead, while he still had the authority of the presidency to do so. The governor of Ginia had promised to offer him sanctuary and even get him into the Confederacy, should it become necessary.

President Pierre Marrot’s inauguration went off with great fanfare… the kind only professional politicians can generate for themselves and others of their ilk. As expected, Marrot’s inaugural address primarily focused on the secession crisis:

“It is seventy-two years since the first inauguration of a president under our constitution. During this time, fifteen distinguished citizens have administered the executive branch of the federal government and have guided it through many perils, generally with great success. I now enter upon this same task, under great difficulty. A rupture of the Federal Union is now being forcefully attempted.