Chapter 24: Intel

After the excitement of the latest wave of foe vessels was over Jem asked we have a discussion about it.

Jem started out “What differed from the past waves?”

“They changed their pattern. By splitting up they sought to flank us,” I replied.

“Brian had some new surprises for them,” added Koluna.

“Yes, so we now have a fleet?” asked Jem.

“Just two vessels. There was a vessel from the fourth wave that was largely undamaged. I arranged to have it upgraded and transformed into a Baglogi vessel. To defend this system I make use of all available resources,” I said. I hoped she would be happy about this.

“And the name Molly?”

“My mother’s name,” I said.

“You got the foe vessels to turn on each other?” asked Jem.

“Yes, they were doing it to distract the other vessel. You will notice there were no critical shots, no serious damage done,” I replied.

“It worked well. You surprised me once again. It seriously confounded the foe,” said Jem.

“I was glad we did not have to kill. But what will they say when they return home?” asked Koluna.

“I don’t know how their leadership will take it. We sent home the last two waves and harmed none of their crews. If they think their technology is ineffective they will be more cautious,” I said.

“We are getting stronger,” said Jem.

“Sometime soon they are going to respond in larger numbers,” I countered.

“Are the vessels from the earlier waves usable?” asked Jem.

“The vessels from wave one made an excellent decoy, as well as providing lots of intel for Ship. The others were too damaged to repair. They were sent to the manufacturing facility to use for raw materials and parts,” I answered.

“What is next?” asked Jem.

“I was thinking that the message we sent to the foe system should have arrived on day twelve. If it worked we will not see a wave on day fourteen. If it did not work, we could see an even larger wave. From the response we will be able to tell if the message worked or not,” I said.

“OK, and then what?” asked Jem.

“Two days after they got our message, which is today, two of their vessels will arrive in their system. Their report will contradict our message, so I expect more vessels leaving soon and arriving here on day eighteen at the earliest. What they have to report should give them reason to be cautious, so it is possible they don’t respond immediately,” I replied.

“You’ve been thinking this out carefully,” said Koluna.

“Our survival depends on out-thinking the foe. I spend much of my time thinking. As I have said before I grew up on a planet where thinking was commonplace. I competed with the best,” I said. I almost found myself to be proud of my Tian heritage. This system had become a giant chessboard. Every two days my opponent made a move. I now had another two days to prepare my response.

“So in two days we might see no vessels or many. If we don’t see any in two days, in four or more days we should expect many. Is that correct commander?” asked Jem.

“Yes captain. Plus, I am waiting for the return of the probe we sent to their system. The data it provides should help us understand more about the foe,” I replied.

Jem smiled, “Thank you for your report. And thank you for defending our system once again. I am amazed how you have stayed a step ahead of the foe, and defeated a greater opponent six times in a row.”

I sighed. I felt like her mood had turned positive.

“Ship did much of the work, building probes and the manufacturing facility. Now the manufacturing facility is up to speed, it is building probes and unmanned vessels which will soon be deployed to make us even more strong,” I said. I did not want to be the focus of attention.

“Thank you Ship,” said Jem, “without your help we would not have made it this far.”

“Yes, thank you Ship,” said Koluna. Ship did not respond to their thanks. But I felt Ship had done plenty.

After our meeting I went to our cabin. Molly travelled out to the areas where the foe vessels had deviated from their usual course and was deploying some additional data port probes. Ship moved back behind Baglogi-4. Both Ship and Molly were working autonomously rather than needing directions. I figured it was a sign of the new self-improvement protocol. I would have to keep an eye on their progress.

Koluna dropped by. I stood up, and she walked into my arms. The main bridge was a place to be more formal, but here was a place for hugs.

“What’s up?” I asked, still holding her.

“I feel out of place. I am skilled in purchasing, but there are no vendors here. There is nothing to buy. I am not a military being,” expressed Koluna.

“I am not really a military being. I like figuring out things and this fighting from the shadows seems to work for me. I guess I like to do sneaky things,” I said, grinning.

“But I feel so useless here!” she exclaimed.

“Without Ship we would all be dead. It is not just you feeling useless. Besides you make a huge difference. You are our conscience. Your views directed my actions away from lethal responses. Hundreds of foe crew owe you their lives,” I said. I felt rather awkward, as she was taller than me. I had to look up to look in her eyes.

“Right,” she replied. Her smile lit me up inside.

“It is good that you are here. I wanted to talk with you about something,” I said. Changing the topic seemed a good idea.

“What?” she asked.

“I’m worried about Jem. I have been trying to convince her we should not go to the foe system to fight a war. But soon the probe will return. I am concerned what will happen if it reports Baglogi life signs detected in the foe system,” I said.