display, centered on Heradao, then beyond that star to Padronis, Atalia, and finally Varandal.
So very close. They’d come so far. He’d have to make sure they made it the rest of the way no matter what awaited the fleet at Heradao.
Because a lot of people trusted him to be able to get the fleet home. And one of those people was Tanya Desjani.
HE had to hold one more meeting before the fleet left Dilawa. Once in jump space, only simple and short communications could be passed between ships. There was a small and select group with whom Geary had to consult before then.
He sat in the conference room once more, but this time the table didn’t seem much larger than it really was. Around it sat the images of Captains Duellos, Tulev, and Cresida, as well as the real presences of Geary, Desjani, and Rione. “We’re getting close to home,” Geary began. “We’re not there yet, and I anticipate a nasty fight at Heradao or one of the other Syndic star systems we still have to get through. But we can feel reasonably confident of handling the Syndics. What we still don’t know is how the aliens might react to this fleet’s getting home.”
Tulev resembled a bull as he nodded slowly and stolidly. “The aliens tried to ensure this fleet’s defeat and destruction at Lakota. That argues that they will not be pleased by our making it home.”
“But what will they do?” Cresida wondered. “If our speculations are right, they could trigger the collapse of every hypernet gate in human space. Will they actually do that when we get home?”
“That’s one of the things I’m worried about,” Geary said.
“We’ll have a little time,” Rione stated quietly but confidently. Everyone else gave her a questioning look, so Rione waved one hand at the star display over the table. “Consider first of all what we know of their tactics. They don’t appear to have acted directly against either us or the Syndics. Instead, they’ve tricked us into doing harm to each other.”
“True enough,” Duellos agreed.
“Now, what do the aliens know about this fleet?” Rione continued. “That we have learned that the hypernet gates make extremely powerful weapons. Do these aliens have agents or sources of intelligence, even if only automated worms and ’bots, within Alliance space? We have to assume so.”
“They had them threaded through the systems on our ships,” Cresida noted. “Those quantum-level probability-based worms. We think we found and cleared them all out, but for all we know they can activate new ones, or new ones can be triggered by certain events.”
“Exactly.” Rione pointed to the star display again, beyond Syndic space. “They’ve been watching us. They’ve been seeing how we act. Based on that, the aliens can reasonably conclude that when presented with the existence of such weapons, the Alliance will choose to use them.”
Cresida bared her teeth. “I think you’re right, Madam Co-President. They’ll wait to see if we do that, if we tell our political and military superiors that the hypernet gates in Syndic star systems can be used to wipe out the Syndics. And if our political authorities then order that such actions begin. If I’d been watching the progression of this war over the last century, I’d believe it was just a matter of time before one side used those weapons and the other retaliated in kind.”
“Thank you, Captain Cresida. After which,” Rione said, “the aliens will sit back and watch as the Alliance begins wiping out Syndic star systems, and the Syndics respond with the same tactic. The aliens wouldn’t have to lift a finger as humanity wiped itself out using weapons the aliens provided.”
Geary nodded, tasting something acidic in his throat. “So they’ll wait a little while to see what we do. That does give us some time.”
“Not too much time, Captain Geary.” Rione gazed at the star display, her expression somber. “I’ve been considering this in light of
So very close. They’d come so far. He’d have to make sure they made it the rest of the way no matter what awaited the fleet at Heradao.
Because a lot of people trusted him to be able to get the fleet home. And one of those people was Tanya Desjani.
HE had to hold one more meeting before the fleet left Dilawa. Once in jump space, only simple and short communications could be passed between ships. There was a small and select group with whom Geary had to consult before then.
He sat in the conference room once more, but this time the table didn’t seem much larger than it really was. Around it sat the images of Captains Duellos, Tulev, and Cresida, as well as the real presences of Geary, Desjani, and Rione. “We’re getting close to home,” Geary began. “We’re not there yet, and I anticipate a nasty fight at Heradao or one of the other Syndic star systems we still have to get through. But we can feel reasonably confident of handling the Syndics. What we still don’t know is how the aliens might react to this fleet’s getting home.”
Tulev resembled a bull as he nodded slowly and stolidly. “The aliens tried to ensure this fleet’s defeat and destruction at Lakota. That argues that they will not be pleased by our making it home.”
“But what will they do?” Cresida wondered. “If our speculations are right, they could trigger the collapse of every hypernet gate in human space. Will they actually do that when we get home?”
“That’s one of the things I’m worried about,” Geary said.
“We’ll have a little time,” Rione stated quietly but confidently. Everyone else gave her a questioning look, so Rione waved one hand at the star display over the table. “Consider first of all what we know of their tactics. They don’t appear to have acted directly against either us or the Syndics. Instead, they’ve tricked us into doing harm to each other.”
“True enough,” Duellos agreed.
“Now, what do the aliens know about this fleet?” Rione continued. “That we have learned that the hypernet gates make extremely powerful weapons. Do these aliens have agents or sources of intelligence, even if only automated worms and ’bots, within Alliance space? We have to assume so.”
“They had them threaded through the systems on our ships,” Cresida noted. “Those quantum-level probability-based worms. We think we found and cleared them all out, but for all we know they can activate new ones, or new ones can be triggered by certain events.”
“Exactly.” Rione pointed to the star display again, beyond Syndic space. “They’ve been watching us. They’ve been seeing how we act. Based on that, the aliens can reasonably conclude that when presented with the existence of such weapons, the Alliance will choose to use them.”
Cresida bared her teeth. “I think you’re right, Madam Co-President. They’ll wait to see if we do that, if we tell our political and military superiors that the hypernet gates in Syndic star systems can be used to wipe out the Syndics. And if our political authorities then order that such actions begin. If I’d been watching the progression of this war over the last century, I’d believe it was just a matter of time before one side used those weapons and the other retaliated in kind.”
“Thank you, Captain Cresida. After which,” Rione said, “the aliens will sit back and watch as the Alliance begins wiping out Syndic star systems, and the Syndics respond with the same tactic. The aliens wouldn’t have to lift a finger as humanity wiped itself out using weapons the aliens provided.”
Geary nodded, tasting something acidic in his throat. “So they’ll wait a little while to see what we do. That does give us some time.”
“Not too much time, Captain Geary.” Rione gazed at the star display, her expression somber. “I’ve been considering this in light of
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