All for All, page 26
part #3 of Cast Adrift Series
"Practically speaking, we didn't have a clue she existed until they jumped our fleet," Admiral Morrigan cautioned. "No one else knew, from what we have been able to determine. It's quite possible they have an isolated shipyard, either in one of their core systems or even somewhere in interstellar space and finding it will be difficult."
"Agreed," Solomon said. "There are just too many variables."
"I understand." Abraham looked at Hawthorne. "And the rest of our allies? And the neutral powers?"
"The Alphans have said nothing," Hawthorne said. "My office has asked their ambassador for any intelligence they might have, from the sector, but so far we haven't had any reply. The Galactics as a whole seem to be waiting to see what happens - they haven't backed down on their threats to escort ships through the edge of enemy territory, yet they haven't gone through with it either."
"The battle was only a week ago," Admiral Morrigan said. "They may have dispatched ships and we simply don't know about it, not yet."
"True," Hawthorne agreed. "But they would be keen to try to avoid a clash with the Pashtali. Or us."
He met Abraham's eyes. "The situation is still very much in flux, sir," he said. "The Pashtali are wobbling. Their grip on their empire and a number of crossroads and bottlenecks is looking shaky, and their problems are accelerating. The vultures are gathering, looking for ways to bite off chunks of their territory or even impose the right of free passage. The Pashtali have always been reluctant to allow free passage and free trade and, in doing so, they have made a lot of enemies. At the same time, they are still a major power. Their enemies may fall back if the Pashtali seem likely to win the war."
"Of course," Abraham agreed, sourly. "The strong do whatever they like and the weak suffer what they must."
"Yes, sir," Hawthorne said. "We are making progress. It is just very slow progress."
He shook his head. "There's been no change in their talks with us," he added, after a moment. "The script hasn't changed since the fleet departed. I don't think their representatives are aware of how things have gone. Frankly, I stand by my original conclusion. They're stalling to the point of absurdity. My guess is that they're not even trying to keep us talking, not any longer."
"It wouldn't be the first time one arm of the government lost track of what the other arms were doing," Abraham said. "Have they not tried to use the victory to pressure you and your representatives?"
"No, sir." Hawthorne grinned. "If I went by what was discussed in the sessions alone, I'd say there were neither victories nor defeats. Their reps don't seem aware of them. They just seem to be blindly following orders."
"Which could mean their government hasn't decided what to do," Abraham said. "Or that they're trying to determine how badly the defeat will weaken our position."
"The public is already aware that something has gone wrong," Jenny Geddes said. The Interior Minister scowled. "There's no way to block civilians from accessing interstellar news networks. Most of them aren't particularly trusted, not here, but enough are that word is starting to spread. We're getting hundreds of questions from families of military personnel and there's nothing we can do about that either. My office has been pushing the line of no independent verification, and I have staffers reminding people that the Pashtali have a long history of dishonesty, but I can't promise it will have any effect. We don't know enough to tell the world."
"We don't even know enough to lie," Henry Travis said. The Vice Speaker scowled at the display. "Assuming the fleet really was destroyed, or at least crippled, where do we stand?"
"We lose," Admiral Morrigan said, simply. "The best we could hope for, under the circumstances, would be becoming an Alphan Protectorate. Again. The worst ... total occupation, perhaps even total extermination. The Pashtali have shown a frightening lack of regard for interstellar law and civilised norms, sir, and they might assume they can get away with attempted genocide. Some humans would survive, we think, but as nothing more than a scavenger race. We wouldn't be able to rebuild in a hurry."
Travis swallowed. "I see."
"There's no way to sugar-coat it," Admiral Morrigan said. "We staked everything on one roll of the dice. We are committed."
"And there's no way to back out, not without surrendering," Travis said. "Right?"
"Effectively so," Hawthorne agreed. "If we want a protector, we'll have to offer them more than goodwill."
"We also need to shore up our financial situation," Zoe Walker said. The Finance Minister looked around the table, her eyes grim. "We are dependent, right now, on loans from various interstellar powers. If it looks like we'll be unable to repay those loans, they'll start calling them in. And then the economy will be fucked."
"So we don't pay," Travis said. "We are in the middle of a war. We can refuse to hand over anything we need for our defence."
"Which will make it harder to get loans in the future," Zoe snapped. "The interstellar bankers rely on trust, sir, and confidence their debtors will repay them. If we refuse to pay our debts, or hand over the collateral, they will see us as a bad risk and then they'll simply decline to loan us anything more."
"We may not live another year," Travis said.
Abraham barely heard the argument. The stakes had already been high, but now they were stratospheric. There was no way to know what had really happened ... he wished, suddenly, for verifiable data even if it proved that Admiral Yagami and her fleet had been blown to dust. At least he'd know what happened ... right now, he and his team were faced with making policy blind, without any solid awareness of what had really happened to the fleet. The only good sign was that the Pashtali hadn't demanded their immediate surrender or else. It was a hint, at least, that Admiral Morrigan and her analysts were correct and the fleet had survived the engagement. But he dared not rely on it.
If they know how many ships we had, prior to the engagement, they'll know how big a chunk they tore out of our navy, he thought, numbly. They might decide they can wage war on the rest of their neighbours first, then turn their attention back to us. We couldn't rebuild in time to meet them.
"Mr. Speaker," Zoe said. "We have to pay our debts."
"And we will, if we can," Abraham said. "Remind the bankers that we may be all standing between their homeworlds and the Pashtali."
He knew, even as he spoke, it was unlikely to impress the bankers. Earth was a very minor power. The Terminus Powers were all lesser powers. They might be formidable, as a group, but the Galactics wouldn't be impressed. Not yet. They might not see Earth as a bulwark between them and a deadly enemy, but just another minor power that had defaulted on its loans and needed a spanking. To him, Earth was the centre of the universe. To them, Earth didn't even rate a mention.
We beat the Pashtali once, he reminded himself. Too bad the rest of the galaxy only takes notice when it suits them.
His bleeper chimed. "Sir," Rachel said. "Ambassador Yasuke requests an immediate interview with you. He's already on his way."
Abraham grimaced. The Alphans were normally sticklers for protocol. They weren't supposed to depart for diplomatic meetings until they knew there would be someone waiting for them ... he couldn't recall, ever, a meeting that had been held with practically no notice at all. And yet ... there was no point in trying to delay matters. If the Alphans thought the meeting was vital enough to dispense with protocol, they were probably right.
"We'll discuss the issues later," he said, standing. "For the moment, we'll maintain a strict no comment policy and, if pressed, note we're waiting for hard data."
He left the chamber, formally dismissing the meeting. There were no objections. His cabinet had grown up in a universe controlled by the Alphans. They knew how unusual it was for one to demand an urgent meeting. Abraham's mind churned as he made his way to the elevator and headed up to his office. It boded ill, he felt. If the Alphans withdrew their support, and the warcruisers protecting the system, Earth would be hopelessly vulnerable. All hopes of victory would go with them.
"He's landing at the pad now," Rachel said, as he left the elevator. "I'm having him escorted to the diplomatic chamber."
"Let's hope he's in an understanding mood," Abraham muttered. Ambassador Yasuke was more insightful and relaxed than most Alphans, but by human standards he was still incredibly prideful and quick to stand on his dignity. "Can you arrange for tea and biscuits?"
"Of course, sir," Rachel said. "Good luck."
Abraham tried not to show his concern too openly as he stepped into the room. Ambassador Yasuke was already being shown in through the opposite door, his escorts standing back to allow the door to close. Abraham groaned inwardly. Protocol demanded he stand to greet the alien ambassador, but it was too late for that. The meeting had been thrown together far too quickly for anyone's peace of mind.
"Ambassador," he said. His mind raced. Should he apologise? Or should he assume the alien would understand why protocols hadn't been followed? "Thank you for coming."
"Thank you," Yasuke said, as if he hadn't been the one to request the interview. "My government insisted I meet with you at once."
Abraham felt cold. "They did?"
"Yes." Yasuke held out a datachip. "Our ... sources ... within the Pashtali Empire were able to get some live footage of the recent engagement between your fleet and theirs. It was a defeat, I am sorry to say, but not a total one. Your admiral was able to break contact and escape into multispace."
"I ..." Abraham found himself at a loss for words as he took the chip. "I ... on behalf of my government, I thank you."
"You are welcome," Yasuke said. "I'm afraid that certain details were removed from the footage, but enough remains - we hope - for you to verify it."
"We understand," Abraham said. The Alphans had spies within Pashtali space? It wasn't really a surprise - every government worthy of the name had sources everywhere they could - but ... he had the odd feeling he was missing something. "My analysts will study the footage as soon as possible."
Yasuke bowed his head, a polite acknowledgement. "My government has also asked me to inform you that they intend to continue supporting your war effort, through both a minor military deployment and open lines of credit. We have attempted to discuss a possible peace with the Pashtali, but they have refused to make any concessions at all, either to you or your allies. We believe they think the war is far from lost."
"They may be right," Abraham said. "Is your government willing to provide military support?"
"Not as yet," Yasuke said. "Perhaps not ever."
Abraham nodded, concealing his annoyance. The Pashtali would back down, wouldn't they, if the Alphans threatened to cross the border and join the war? They'd have to be insane to pick a fight with the Alphans, as well as the other Great Powers. Earth couldn't convince the major powers to join the war, but the Alphans could ... right? But he knew better than to expect it. The Alphans had taken heavy losses in the last war. They didn't want to get into another one, not if it could be avoided.
Nor do we, he thought.
"We understand," he said. The Alphans wanted a buffer state between their empire and the Pashtali, not a war fought out to the finish. "And again, we thank you."
"We will discuss other matters later," Yasuke said. He stood and bowed, then retreated to the door. "For the moment, we wish you well."
"And you," Abraham said. "Your escorts will take you back to your aircar."
Abraham stared at the datachip as the alien ambassador stepped out. Hard data ... it was what they needed. He doubted the Alphans would provide faked data and it would be easily disproven when the analysts went to work. And yet ... he was sure they were missing something. But what?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
ESS Dauntless, P-23
Observer Salix would never have admitted it, certainly not to his hosts, but he found human adaptability more than a little disconcerting. The humans had taken one hell of a beating and yet, after a week of hard work, were ready to return to the fight. There was no way his own people could have matched it, he conceded ruefully. It wasn't just that their ships were harder to repair without a shipyard - that could be changed, now they knew their ships could be damaged - but ... it was a zest for life, a willingness to innovate that his people had lost long ago. Half the repairs were patchwork messes that should not work, yet did. The ships were ready and raring to go. And their crews seemed to feel the same way.
It was perplexing. The humans had been beaten. They'd lost dozens of ships and thousands of crewmen. Their morale had started to plummet, then steadied and slowly started to climb again. They'd buried their dead, launching the bodies into multispace with due honours, before returning to their duties with a grim determination to continue the war. There was no way to be sure, of course, but Salix was entirely confident that the Pashtali had yet to repair their damaged ships. They might not even have started. If that was the case ...
He stood on the human CIC, watching as the fleet emerged from the crossroads under cloak and headed into the transit system. P-23 was little more than a lone star and a handful of asteroids - hardly worthy of any real attention, although two had been turned into free-floating habitats - but there were five crossroads that allowed the system to be used as a transit point. He was mildly surprised the Pashtali had bothered to settle the asteroids, although he suspected they were just trying to make sure no one disputed their claim to the system. It might have been a waste of time, a few centuries ago, but now ... he shook his head. The system was too deeply within their empire for anyone else to take and hold it for long. He honestly wasn't sure if Admiral Yagami was doing the right thing.
But it will poke them in the eye, he thought, coldly. The human analysts insisted the mere presence of their fleet, sitting in P-23, would force the Pashtali to respond. Salix couldn't disagree with their logic, even though he doubted the system could be held. If there'd been a set of bottlenecks, the humans could have bled the Pashtali, but the crossroads were all too large to be effectively mined. They'll scramble and throw the humans back into multispace and then ... what?
His lips twitched. The fleet had picked up a handful of signals as it popped in and out of realspace, confirming that the galaxy was doing the equivalent of holding its breath, waiting to see what happened. The Pashtali had been telling everyone they'd won a great victory, but no one seemed to believe them. They had a poor reputation for telling the truth, although - in this case - their claims were generally accurate. Earth had confirmed they'd been a battle, but not said anything beyond that. Salix suspected it was the smartest thing they could do.
"Admiral," the little human said. "We are reaching Point Gudrun."
"Good," Admiral Yagami said. "Deploy the stealthed probes, then hold us here."
"Aye, Admiral," the human said.
Salix glanced at the human admiral. "Do you not fear detection?"
"The only active sensors in the system are orbiting the habitats," Admiral Yagami said, calmly. "We'll stay well clear of them as long as possible. They have no mobile units patrolling the system, so we should be safe enough."
They could have the entire system riddled with passive sensor platforms, Salix thought. He didn't bother to say it out loud. The human knew it as well as he did. There was no way to spot a passive platform, save by bringing up active sensors and that would advertise their presence to the entire system. They'll just have to hope they remain undetected until they reveal themselves.
He sat down and forced himself to wait. P-23 wasn't particularly important or well-defended - the humans could destroy the habitats pretty much effortlessly, if they were willing to commit butchery - but it was just a matter of time until a major convoy passed through the system. The Pashtali were straining every sinew to reinforce their outer systems, tightening their defences at bottleneck systems and preparing logistics for a renewed push against Earth or Terminus. Admiral Yagami had calculated the fleet would have a good shot at capturing, or blowing away, the next convoy. They couldn't hold the system, but they could force the Pashtali to respond to their provocation. And who knew what would happen then?
"A shame we don't have any updated convoy details," Admiral Yagami observed. "Do you have any intelligence reports you haven't shared with us?"
It took Salix a moment to realise he was being teased. "No," he said, concealing his annoyance. Humans were flippant when his people took refuge in stiff formality. "If I knew such details, I would not have been assigned to your ship."
The human took no visible offense. "It would be useful to have an agreement on interstellar free trade," she said. "You know, one that was actually enforced."
"It was not easy to come up with the agreements we have," Salix said. "And no government is willing to commit itself completely to ..."
The console chimed. "Admiral, we have multiple ships transiting Crossroads Two," the little human interrupted. "Half of them appear to be Pashtali freighters."
And more coming all the time, Salix noted. The Pashtali convoy was huge. They really are desperate, aren't they?
"Plot an intercept course," Admiral Yagami ordered. "Where are they heading?"
"Looks like Crossroads Five," the human said. "I'd say they're heading to Terminus."
"Or their nearest base to the bottleneck," Salix said. "Can you take the escorts?"
Admiral Yagami smiled, coldly. "Oh, yes."
***
Naomi had feared the worst, even though the fleet had stayed well away from surveyed threadlines as it made its way to P-23. The system was impossible to defend and yet its central location suggested the Pashtali would be wise to station a major fleet in the system, where it could respond to threats in any of the adjoining systems. She had very little hard data on what was actually stationed in the system and much of it was so outdated she suspected she'd be better off without it. But they'd entered the system to discover it was emptier than she'd expected. The Pashtali had probably withdrawn the defending ships so they could join the fleet that had jumped her earlier.
