Forty-four
A face distorted with displeasure filled a wall of
Lee Wokan's office aboard the destroyer Eimaton. "You failed to assess
the defensive status and offensive capabilities of Covonia," stated Wokan's superior officer, Lord Gaston, in the Office of Military
Intelligence located on one of the core worlds of the Alliance.
Lee Wokan kept his tone of voice low and respectful.
"Sir, I assessed the technological status of Covonia in general upon my
arrival, including military capabilities. My inspection team saw no
evidence of illegal field engines. I imagine they were quite well hidden
from view."
"I sent my best to deal with a potentially dangerous
man, Agent Wokan. I never have appreciated the way you tend to
anticipate the outcome of a given situation. You are chronically
overconfident."
Lee wondered if Gaston seriously thought anyone would
have suspected Covonia, ten small, obscure cities ruled by an old man, to
have prepared to stand against the Alliance. In all likelihood, Gaston
was just covering his own liability in the matter. "The situation is far
from hopeless," Lee said. "Our presence defused a crisis of unimaginable
proportions. As for my performance in the matter, sir, I stand upon my
record."
Lord Gaston leaned closer to the monitor. "Khalin
Nome may have prepared for this day his entire life. If so, you and I
both are in deep trouble. We will both be replaced if we fail to
neutralize whatever nefarious plans Nome may have formulated. You know
Nome's history, and you know as well the fate of those in Alliance
Intelligence deemed incompetent."
Lee swallowed hard. Incompetents were declared
security hazards and tended to quietly disappear. "I have consulted Fleet
Commander Yelsim. We have options."
"Employ them. Get back to me when this mess is
resolved."
The screen snapped to blackness in his face. Lee
Wokan had haunted the fire control deck of the destroyer Eimaton since
usurping Fleet Commander Yelsim's command to open fire upon the ten cities
of Covonia. He returned there to join the Commander pacing restlessly.
"I suggest we concentrate the firepower of the fleet upon Bolphan. This
stalemate must end."
"I ask again," Yelsim said in his characteristic,
biting tone of voice. “Are the deaths of these five hundred thousand
necessary? The Alliance is not popular among the colonies. It will be
far less popular if we kill these people.”
"Commander, it's the only way to guarantee the
destruction of the Dalikor technology. Unless of course you don't mind
taking orders from another Dalikor." Lee calmed himself. "Commander, I have no way to
search for data files that can be hidden in a dust mode a micron in
diameter put in orbit around an obscure star a thousand light-years away,
but we know for a fact that nobody but Nome and his people have had any
interest in bringing to life another one of these monsters. I have my
orders. Covonia is to be destroyed."
Yelsim paused in his restless walk and studied the
technicians huddled over their consoles. "Beam output is near maximum.
We are having no effect in penetrating the spacial distortion of the
engines employed by the cities, although we have only nine to contend
with. One has branched and committed itself to the void. If we
concentrate firepower upon one city at a time, we may overpower the
fields, but we open ourselves to a counterattack in the process."
"How effective a counterattack can a colony of five
hundred thousand stage?"
Yelsim turned to face him with a face carved from
stone. "If they have prepared for this day, their capabilities may not be
apparent, as their spare engines were not."
"We would have detected major industrial operations
in this region," Lee said.
"These people are not the Hive. They
would not have operated openly. They very well may have been
resourceful.”
Lee decided he had better listen to expert advice.
"I will abide by your counsel, Commander, but neither of us have a way of
countermanding our orders.”
Yelsim sighed again, heavily burdened by
frustration. "We can defend ourselves if attacked, although we would
sustain casualties. We can destroy the cities of Covonia. In time. We
cannot do both at once.”
"Select a city you deem the weakest of the group,”
Lee said. “Concentrate your firepower upon it. If you feel you can go
over my head with this issue, I won’t try to stop you. I won’t lodge a
protest. I’d be more than happy to share complicity should we fail.”
Yelsim moved to the console to implement the order.
Over a period of one hundred thousand years, the
light of the attack upon the Covonian cities would be visible throughout
the galaxy. Momentarily, it ceased, and then resumed on one small target
many light-years away.
"How long?" Lee asked.
"Within the hour. I see evidence of field
instability already."
Yelsim pointed to a screen several minutes later.
"There. Imminent implosion."
Light with an intensity capable of vaporizing an
unprotected human body for a distance of many millions of kilometers
flared. When it faded, Covonia's number had been reduced by one.
"Incoming," Yelsim murmured. "As expected."
Lee groaned in outrage when the monitors showed the
extent of an approaching fleet of warcraft. "Where in the name of the
gods could they have acquired a force of that size?"
Yelsim spun about. "It's the same force and
configuration employed against the Hive! You said the threat of attack
from that source had passed!"
"But we saw the courier commit itself to the void,"
Lee bellowed. "The spacial signature was unmistakable!"
Hyperlight missiles arrived, unexpectedly launched from Bolphan
the instant Yelsim cut the energy beams on that city. Lee saw panic on Yelsim's face.
"Deploy all defensive system! Prepare for small warcraft engagement!
Don't let those warcraft concentrate their firepower on the destroyers!"
Lee backed against a bulkhead and watched the hum of
activity with only partial comprehension. It didn't seem possible that
the Alliance fleet could be harmed by the swarms of autonomous Hive
warcraft Myla had modified.
Lee gathered the courage to move to Yelsim's side.
"Do you have back-up you can call in?"
"Dreadnoughts Amikol and Sereeb, if we dare remove
them from the defense of the core worlds. The Alliance will not be
pleased."
"The Hive threat is minimal at this time," Lee
reminded the Commander.
Yelsim glared at him. "Thanks to Nome's monster, it
is, and now we have it breathing down our necks, you fool! Would you like
to request that they hold off their attack until help arrives?"
Yelsim swung back to the monitors. Lee watched the
Eimaton's warcraft decimated by Myla's new configuration. Myla herself
was gone, he felt certain. Who, he wondered, had she left in charge of
her powerful little armada?
