“Semi, will your people provide us with a ship to head back to Earth?”
“Of course major.”
“What kind of ship?”
Semi started to answer but Silva spoke first. “Major, I think I’ve anticipated your needs here. I’ll be glad to go over all the specs with you but I can tell you that we will be able to protect ourselves from the Noridians and we are prepared to establish much more than just an outpost presence should you invite us to do so. We will be equipped for a long duration stay and, short of giving you a direct technology transfer, we can provide some considerable aid in areas of manufacturing and medicine—with no strings attached.”
“Is this a change in your policy towards Earth?” a somewhat surprised Dr. Decker asked.
“It’s not policy per se,” Silva responded. “It’s more a matter of my fellow Coridians deciding to follow my lead on this matter.”
“So you’re in charge of the Coridian mission now?” I asked.
“In our own way yes major, you could say that,” Silva responded while strongly holding eye contact.
I later learned that Silva had done a little more than just anticipate some of our needs. Because he had infiltrated our military there were databases on Larga that carried our armament specs and he had used his influence to start printing matériel as soon as we’d arrived.
Before the Noridians had attacked us on Stiger there were 16 military personnel under my command (including Iron Jaw but not including Silva). Now we were down to 6 shooters, myself and Iron Jaw. Silva was holding strong on not giving us advanced weaponry but he was going all out on providing us what we were used to.
Currently being printed were ten of the US Special Forces preferred assault rifles; the M4A1 with the SOPMOD (Special Operations Peculiar) Block 3 upgraded Accessory Kits.
The M4A1 was about as perfect for our needs as you could get; it is a high-tech, multiple-use assault rifle. It fires a high-velocity 5.56mm round that can take on body armor and is effective for both close-in fighting as well as long-range targets. It carries integrated optics and lasers as well as thermal and holographic sighting. It’s effective in both daylight and night and can be quickly converted to a grenade launcher or shotgun. It can also be fitted with a suppressor to minimize sound and muzzle flash.
As a back-up weapon for the shooters and self-defense for everyone else, all team members were being provided with 9mm M11 Sig Sauer P-228s. Smaller than the P-226 and easily concealable, it was a good handgun for both the civilians and military.
Along with other tactical gear Silva was making sure we’d be well equipped.
All of this would take a few days to produce but as much of a hurry as we were in I deemed it essential.
“Julie, what is your best guess as to how the powers that be on Earth received our report?”
“It’s almost impossible to say,” she responded. “It would largely depend on what messages, if any, that Colonel Memphis has been allowed to send back to Earth and what ‘spin’ they’ve put on the situation. The Noridians have to know that we’ll head home. I’m just surprised that they’re not already there.”
“I think I can help with that,” Ashima interjected. “We were able to monitor several Noridian ships deployed along the route from Stiger to Earth. If you would have headed straight for Earth instead of coming to Larga you would have been intercepted…”
“…and destroyed,” Dr. Spencer finished for her.
Ashima continued, “We think that Jaki was probably confident of preventing your return to Earth and this gave you a small cushion of time, but that cushion is now over and she is certainly on her way there as we speak.”
“The other advantage you have,” said Silva. “Is that the Noridians don’t know about the Coridian presence on Earth and, although they might wonder, they’re probably underestimating how much cooperation you’re receiving from us. They therefore can’t know that you can get a message to your people and don’t even know for sure that you’re still alive.”
“They know that their ship didn’t return from Stiger!” Iron Jaw declared.
“Yes,” Silva responded. “And they have to know it’s been destroyed but they will certainly believe that Coridians did it in response to their aggression. For all they know your entire team was wiped out according to plan.”
“So,” Julie said. “There’s a good chance that Jaki is probably operating under the assumption that she can still seduce Earth into accepting a protectorship.
“Semi,” Julie continued. “Those ships that were hoping to intercept us; won’t they just go to Earth and reinforce Jaki? How many ships are we up against?”
Semi thought for a moment and then responded, “I’d be surprised if it worked out that way. In your culture there would be someone in charge that could order ships around but our culture is different. Those ships responded to a request for immediate help from a Noridian of high stature but once the immediate need has passed they’ll be interested in resuming their own pursuits. Unless Jaki could make a solid case that there was an imminent need for more help she’s probably on her own. I just don’t think there would have been time for her to rally more permanent support.”
“Major,” Julie said as she suddenly shifted her eyes to me. “We need to get another message to Earth with instruction that when the Noridian’s arrive they are not to inform them that we’re still alive or that they’ve had any contact with us. They need to play along until we get there.”
“Will they do that? Will they believe us?” Dr. Spelini asked.
“For now they have no reason not to but once Jaki arrives there’ll be a powerful temptation to not want to believe us. Honestly, without us there I think it will only be a matter of time at that point until the greed sets in and the only thing Earth will see is the magic Noridia has to offer,” Julie concluded.
“Ok,” I said. “Major Reynolds and I will prepare another message for Earth and then I want a doctor to take a look at him.”
Before he could protest Semi spoke, “We’ll take care of him major.”
“Mike, there might not be much we can do for cracked ribs on Earth but I’ve got a feeling these guys are way ahead of us in that department so lend me your thoughts on a message and then go get looked at.”
Iron Jaw gave me a muttered aye, aye and I turned the meeting over to Dr. Spencer to let him share his strategy. I didn’t like splitting up the team but as he reminded me I had tasked him to come up with a solution. I can’t say that he was convincing that he could accomplish anything but I’d already learned not to underestimate this group.
Before we adjourned I turned to Silva, “I appreciate your cooperation but I have a question.”
His look invited me to continue.
“Does that cooperation extend to providing us with advanced communications gear and the like?”
“It might,” he responded.
“We need to talk,” I said with a cold smile.
After everyone else had left I’d invited Silva to stay behind and share… breakfast? Lunch? Time was getting away from me so maybe this is what they called brunch; at any rate I wanted a chance to speak with him without the chance of being overheard.
We spent a lot of time discussing what kinds of devices might come in handy for us and how much of it would be faster to print here on Larga rather than on the ship in route. As much as I didn’t trust anyone that had deceived my country I had to admit he seemed determined to help us and give us anything we needed as long as we didn’t put his dynasty at risk.