Lyon's Pride (39 page)

“Glad to hear you admit it, Thi,” said Kloo with approval. “But if I grasped your plan properly, it'd save a hellacious amount of lives!”

*   *   *

Ashiant heard the report with a blank expression but the way his eyes blinked rapidly from time to time and the way they moved over items on his desk told Thian, who knew him the best, that he was already mulling over available options. At the point where Thian said that the High Council was keeping all additional units in Alliance space, he grimaced and “hmmmd” deep in his throat.

“I can understand that,” he said, allowing the words to emerge on a long expelled breath. “We shall first take Earth Prime up on his offer to send us more missiles and whatever other supplies on which the Fleet needs topping up.” He taped the connection to the bridge. “Mr. Wasiq, please call a red emergency session of all captains, first officers, gunnery and commissary personnel. The Primes will be standing by to 'port carriers to the
Washington.
Vandermeer, clear the landing bay and be ready to receive Human and 'Dini visitors appropriately.”

Having given the necessary preliminary orders, Ashiant sat very still, not even steepling his fingers as he sometimes did, his eyes unfocused but, if Thian couldn't read the thoughts, he was aware of intense mental activity.

Abruptly Ashiant rose and, with an odd explosion of breath from his slightly opened mouth, pulled the blouse of his shipsuit down.

“We have quite a job of work ahead of us, don't we?”

Thian nodded. Rojer, Clancy and Kloo shot Thian curious glances but he ignored them.

“Rojer, would you be kind enough to discover from
Captain Soligen's Primes, what course setting she's currently on in her pursuit of the two Spheres? If she knows which systems they emerged from, and where the third one might come from?” Then he looked at Thian. “Has Squadron B been informed of the total picture?”

“Earth Prime was not specific on that point, sir.”

Ashiant nodded. “Then tell her, Rojer, and, as tactfully as possible, ask her to refrain from taking direct action. I think we have presumed too much from too little substantiated information…” Ashiant missed the look Thian received from the others, “…but from all the 'Dinis know, a Sphere rarely initiates space attacks. Let us hope they are, as has been their
custom
, single-minded in their current mission.”

Ashiant began to pace then, hands behind his back.

“We don't yet
know
if their comparable primary has been discovered, do we? How far ahead could you 'port a scout, Prime?”

“Using the mass of the Third Sphere as one reference point, we could possibly send it that much further beyond as the distance between our current position and the Sphere's.”

We've never done anything like
that,
Thian
, Rojer said, his mind tone aghast with consternation.

I think we may have to do a lot of things that haven't been done before, Roj. But I
know
we could manage that
.

The exchange was so brief that Thian did not miss Ashiant's reply.

“We might be in a tactically superior position if we could establish exactly where the Sphere is headed. I know I would feel a considerable relief if that could be ascertained.”

“Excuse me, sir,” Kloo said, “but we don't even know
what
they're
looking for. How would we be able to find what they haven't?”

“Since we now have a sizable file on what they haven't wanted, perhaps any G-star registering odd fluctuations or variations or sun-spot activity, or aberrations not listed, would be worth staking out. This Third Sphere…‭—and for the first time since receiving news of the unfavorable developments, Captain Ashiant vented agitation. “Bells! Gentlemen, this is Operation Number Three. So, Number Three will undoubtedly have to make a course correction at some point. If advance scouts—we'd best deploy all we have…” and he paused to look queryingly at Thian, who nodded with more energy than he felt for such a project, “we will be in a better position to cover possible objectives. Kloo, you'll command the
Revere
and, when you assemble your crew, include Lieutenant Commander Langio—she's the best astrogator—and whatever other personnel might be useful in that aspect. I'll have to let other captains have their byte on selections but you're mine.”

Kloo looked briefly toward Clancy but caught Thian's quick head shake and, saluting, retired from the room.

The com unit buzzed then. “Sir,” said the com officer, Eki Wasiq, “we've replies from everyone and most are ready to lift on the ‘go' from the Primes.”

Ashiant nodded to the three Talents. “I'll want all three of you at this strategy conference, too.”

Do we know what we're getting ourselves in for, bro?
Rojer asked, echoing the sentiments Clancy held clear to be seen as the three jogged back to their ready room.

No, but we've done pretty well so far, handling matters as they come, haven't we?
Thian said with a grin as he swung his feet up on the couch and began to lean into the generators for gestalt. He would use as much artificial help as he could, to spare his energies for what he was
undoubtedly to be saddled with all too soon.
And I'm just as scared as you are
.

Neither Prime was at all surprised when their 'Dinis entered the room and settled beside them as if on guard.

“Who're we to pick up first, Mr. Wasiq?” Thian asked. “Give them to us in batches of threes, please.”

“Ah, well, Spktm, Prlm and Ktpl sound awful eager…”

“Is there a 'Dini officer available to greet them properly?”

“Aye, sir.”

Take 'em in order
, Thian said to Rojer and Clancy and reached out to grasp the 'Dini carrier from the Constellation
LSTS
.

“All in neatly, Thian,” Wasiq said, a note of relief in his voice. “Next are Captains Shepherd, Cheseman, and Germys.”

All were on board within fifteen minutes and, as the Talents rose from their couches, Alison Anne appeared with a tray of high-protein bars and more stimulants.

“I told Commander Exeter that you'd need watching,” she said, glaring at the three, “and you will! Even your 'Dinis know something big's up.”

They don't know the half of it, do they?
Thian said, grinning as he grabbed up some of the bars and deposited them in his thigh pockets and drained the beverage. Rojer and Clancy followed his example. “Greevy,” he added, grasping her elbow, so she'd at least get an empathic reading the urgency of the day, “get in touch with all T-2s and T-3s and have them alert and ready for unexpected duties.”

Do I use the code?

Not yet. We've got the strategy meeting to get through first…But if any 2s and 3s are slated for one of the scouts—Rame can have her choice, but I'll want to clear on anyone else first. I'll need the best of kinetics here
.

Alison Anne nodded in response and, while Thian would have liked a quick embrace from her to sustain him, he approved of her moving immediately to carry out his orders.

Rojer, make that 'path to Flavia and find out what the captain wanted to know from Captain Soligen
.

Right. It won't take long. I don't want to miss a moment of this meeting
.

*   *   *

Rojer arrived with that information and gave it to Captain Ashiant just as Thian began repeating the message 'pathed to him by Earth Prime, along with Captain Soligen's situation. The three Primes settled back then, to wait until the initial reaction was over and Captain Ashiant called for comments on appropriate tactics. As Thian listened to opinions, options and, more importantly, the almost overconfident optimism of Humans, he was half-sorry that the recent skirmish with the Second Sphere and its scouts had ended so successfully. Everyone had recovered from the original scare. Confidence was useful—in moderation. Presumption, and the Mrdini commanders were worst in the area, could lead to disaster.

“Prime Thian!” His name jolted him out of his contemplation.

“Sir?” and he swiveled in his chair to face Captain Shepherd of the
Vadim
.

“Did you identify any communications facility on the control board of the Refugee?”

“No, sir, but there was a lot of sort of end-of-the-row positions whose function had not been identified at the conclusion of our assignment.”

“Can you find out if such a function has now been recognized?”

“I will query Earth Prime on that point, sir.” And when
Captain Shepherd looked as if he expected Thian to perform his contact then and there, he added, “With respect, Captain, Prime's time is at a premium within the Alliance so I was asked to collect all pertinent data for one sending.”

“Oh! Yes, I quite understand, though that should be a priority question,” the older man said, his prominent eyebrows nearly touching over the bridge of his nose as he fumed quietly over the delay.

“Indeed it is, sir, and I'm certain High Council has the Phobos Base working all the hours of a day to discover what and how.”

“What good would that do, Shepherd?” Cheseman asked bluntly. “We wouldn't have the foggiest what they were saying even if we did access their communications frequency.”

Shepherd considered that but refused to concede. “We'd at least know
when
they were contacting each other, and, if we could determine the direction, be warned from what other quadrants we might expect additional units to join Number Three. I'll be candid, Cheseman, Ashiant, one Sphere posed enough problems. We may have the state-of-the-art missiles which have now proven effective, but the possibility of eight…or more…such ships, plus twenty-four of those overkill scouts, makes a formidable adversary.”

“We have reinforcements…” Germys began, pausing to frown at the ensign who entered as discreetly as possible to give Ashiant a note.

Shepherd took advantage of that pause and sprang in with: “…who are themselves not in a favorable situation, with a possible third Sphere coming up their ass. And what's this, Ashiant, about sending the scouts out
ahead
of Number Three, to
try
to find the one G-star in I don't know how many astronomical lengths ahead of us that these Spheres could be homing in on? If that is what
they're doing? And what is their sudden mass mobilization all about? Frankly, I think they're assembling a punitive force to despatch this Fleet and end its threat to their colonial expansionism!”

“Captain,” and Spktm rose to its full height, “what the Hivers do now has never been seen in the two hundreds of years that we have been opposing them. We Mrdini find ourselves in accord with the theory that the three Spheres and the Great Sphere went in search of a homeworld to replace the one that was burned up. It is regrettable that the specific nature of that primary is unknown…”

Ashiant rose, bowing apologies to Spktm for an interruption in its peroration. “As to that, honored captain, the specific nature of the Hive primary
is
known.” He smiled as everyone eagerly awaited his next words, and waved the note in his hand. “As you know, we've been examining the systems which the Hivers have bypassed, but one of our bright young astronomically inclined ensigns, Cyra Charteris, hit on the notion of examining tapes from the astronomical files of the Hive quadrant and comparing them with those taken by your good self, Spktm, while at the nova site. We now know that primary's spectrum signature!”

His ringing voice echoed in the brief silence. Then everyone began to talk at once.

“Then I see no bar at all to sending the scouts out to home in on that star before Number Three can,” Shepherd said, almost shouting to be heard.

“We approve,” Spktm said, raising its voice over the second spate of excitement. “But,” and it raised its flipperlike arm, its digits displaying in a fan-like motion, “there are still eight Spheres to be disabled, preferably before any reach this star. They would fight more fiercely than ever before to protect it. And to deny us the way to such a reverent destination.”

“They will fight with madness never seen,” Prlm said. “Even the new missiles might not work.”

“They'll work, all right,” Thian said, suddenly rising to attract everyone's attention, “if they're
put
where they will do the most damage and
that
is a Talent we possess!”

That momentary silence was broken by a burst of laughter from Commander Yngocelen of the
Vadim
.

“Thian Lyon, you have made my day!” And he gave a triumphant whoop of delight, jumping to his feet. “Don't you all
see
what the Prime proposes? I mean, with that technique, it doesn't matter a hoot in hell how many Spheres come after us, they get a missile where it'll do the most good and boom!” He clapped his hands together and then extended his arms outward. “This is the
Genesee
ploy in a new guise. And it means we don't even have to get in range of any Sphere to destroy it. We'll only need to know
where
it is! Thian, Rojer and Clancy here plant the missile—hey, it doesn't even have to be a missile…”

“Which actually wouldn't fit in a Sphere engine room…” Rojer remarked, grinning at Yngocelen's enthusiasm.

“…Whatever,” and Yngie flicked that minor detail away with one long-fingered hand. “The package can be delivered and the Sphere is history!”

“
BUT THAT IS NOT THE WAY MRDINIS FIGHT HIVE SHIPS
,” said Captain Ktpl of the Galaxy-class
KLTS.
Its fur ruffled in agitation and it looked across to Spktm who was still on its feet, glancing from one Human speaker to another.

“
MOST RESPECTED SIR
,” Thian said first to Spktm and, bowing, to Ktpl, “
MRDINIS SOUGHT HUMAN AID BECAUSE WE DESTROYED A HIVE SPHERE WITH NO LOSS OF LIFE AMONG US. NO HUMAN BLOOD WAS SPILT. TOO MUCH MRDINI BLOOD HAS BEEN SPILT IN TWO HUNDREDS OF YEARS. NOW IS THE TIME TO END THAT WASTE OF COLOR'S BLOOD AND SPEND YOUR TIME
FINDING NEW WORLDS ON WHICH TO LIVE AT PEACE. YOU SOMETIMES FIND OUR CAUTION COWARDLY
…” A rumble of protest from as many Human throats as Mrdini briefly interrupted him. “
BUT WE HUMANS DO NOT RE-CREATE AS MRDINIS MAY SO WE ARE CAREFUL OF THE ONE LIFE WE HAVE
.” Thian wondered whether he had overstepped the bounds to interject that fact but he had to assume all Mrdinis of Skptm's, and probably Prlm's, status would know of the re-creation of Kat and Gil. “
THERE WILL BE FIGHTING ENOUGH TO SATISFY HONOR BUT FEWER DEATHS TO CAUSE GRIEF. LET US HUMANS DO WHAT YOU SOUGHT US OUT TO DO—DESTROY THE HIVER THREAT WITH THE LEAST POSSIBLE LOSS OF ALLIANCE MEMBERS
.”