Chapter 21: Refinements

Koluna joined Jem and I in the main bridge while Ship took care of the cleanup after the last ambush.

“Well done Brian. We defended this system against nine foe vessels,” said Jem. I worried her enthusiasm would bother Koluna. I also didn’t want to take all the credit for mass killings.

“Thanks are due to Ship more than me. I came up with the plans, but Ship did all the work,” I replied.

I paused before continuing, “I’ve been trying to figure out the foe strategy. From their point of view, this system has been dormant for centuries. Suddenly, their extra node sends a signal that a whole fleet of Baglogi vessels had arrived. I bet that was rather disturbing news.”

“Agreed. So they send three of their biggest, baddest vessels to deal with the threat,” said Koluna.

“What they didn’t realize was we were not as easy to defeat as Baglogi of long ago,” said Jem.

“Fortunately, you’re correct. But then they send three more vessels every two days. I don’t know if this is their standard protocol for dealing with an enemy. I don’t understand their thinking,” I said.

“If the first wave can’t eliminate us, then more vessels arrive every two days. In time, they’d have the numbers to overwhelm the enemy,” said Jem.

“They don’t realize their vessels are entering a kill zone,” said Koluna.

“It’s about to get interesting soon,” I replied.

“What do you mean?” asked Jem.

“Travel from their system and back is about eight days. If the first wave finds nothing of interest, they’ll return or send a message to arrive after at least eight days. Think about it. On day zero, wave one leaves. Day two wave two leaves. Day four wave three leaves. Wave three arrived on day eight. Soon the foe is expecting a response from wave one. When they realize something is wrong, they’ll change their approach,” I said.

“Which we can expect after day twelve, or four days from now,” said Jem.

“Correct,” I said.

“Where are you at with the permanent system defences?” asked Koluna.

“Nowhere near ready,” I replied. “The manufacturing facility is getting established on the remote planetoid. Once ready, it will take a while to build everything we need. Until then, we must fight from the shadows.”

“Not good enough. You come up with such good ideas. Come up with a response that doesn’t involve killing. Get them to stop sending more waves of vessels. If they don’t keep arriving, it gives you time to finish your defences,” replied Koluna. I looked at Koluna; I so wanted to do something for her. To make things better for her. Then, like something in my head went click! Yes!

“That’s an excellent idea, Koluna! Why didn’t you suggest it sooner?” I asked.

“What? What idea?” she responded, looking confused.

“I have to send an interstellar message to the foe and ask them to stop sending more vessels. It’s so simple,” I said.

“Are you feeling all right?” asked Jem. I guess I sounded rather loopy right then.

“Oh yes. Ship, tell me you have worked out how the foe would send a response to their home system,” I said.

“Interstellar communication is possible, although I’ve limited understanding of their language, as I already informed you,” said Ship.

“It does not have to be complicated. We need a simple message like ‘no Baglogi vessels found’ or ‘all clear in the system’ or whatever you have words for,” I said.

“Confirmed. Searching deciphered vocabulary ... How about ‘Baglogi system empty, zero vessels, previous report invalid’?” asked Ship. I could hug Ship if it had a body to hug.

“Captain, I think we should send this as soon as we can. In four days, when they receive our message, hopefully they’ll delay sending more waves of vessels,” I said.

“Ship, send the message,” said Jem.

“Confirmed. Message sent,” replied Ship.

“Koluna, that was a great idea. It could save lives and buy us more time,” said Jem.

“Yes. Thank you, Koluna. There may be two more waves in the next four days if their pattern holds. After that, we’ll see if the message worked,” I said.

I felt like I had gained some reprieve with Koluna by sending the message. I knew I needed to do more, though. Ship continued the cleanup around Baglogi-4 while we retired to our cabin to have a meal together.

“Tonight I’d like to share a Baglogi favourite of mine,” said Jem as she went over to the food dispenser. Soon were sitting around the table enjoying a fish dish with vegetables. It got me thinking. This food was a synthesized replication of a dish from over two thousand years ago. Who knows if the fish or the vegetables in this dish still existed on the planet surface? It tasted good though. Perhaps when things calmed down, we could go back down to look for fresh ingredients and make something from scratch.

Over dinner I shared a theory I’d had, “perhaps long ago, the foe somehow captured a Baglogi fleet admiral. The foe learned the Remote override protocols and used them to defeat all the Baglogi.”

“That would fit the limited data we have so far,” said Jem.