“What’s his purpose here, sir?” Zygtta asked Chandrajuski.
“Let him explain. It’s him you will have to trust.”
Zygtta’s eyes settled on Hardesty. “Go ahead, Commander.”
“Do you understand the nature of the Chessori threat, sir?”
“I do, though I’ve never experienced this mind weapon of theirs.”
“I’m qualified to fly this ship, and I am one of a very few who are immune to this mind weapon, sir.”
Zygtta sat back, perplexed at this sudden revelation. His gaze went to Chandrajuski. “I was told no one was immune.”
“A means has been discovered to counter it, but the process is, so far, limited. It does not work for most, and its existence is an Imperial Secret, Admiral.”
“So limited that you send only one?” He turned back to Hardesty. “You can’t possibly clear the Chessori from my squadron by yourself.”
“Actually, with your cooperation, I can. A major battle is shaping up out here, and the governor knows it. You’re going to tell your Chessori crewmembers that you’ve received orders from the governor that they will play a major part in that battle. Without explaining why, you’re going to tell them that he’s ordered them to be given access to certain information about the ships that was previously withheld.”
“What information would that be?”
“I don’t know, sir, but whatever it is, it’s going to require all of them to attend a briefing. All of them at the same time and in the same room. The room should be as close to the hull as it can be, and I have to be able to lock it from the bridge.”
Zygtta stared at him as pieces of the plan fell into place in his mind. Hardesty saw in the Gamordian’s eyes when he reached understanding.
“You’re going to hole my ship?” he shouted.
“Only a small hole, sir. I’ll make sure the shields are down so there won’t be any collateral damage.”
“He’s going to hole my ship?” Zygtta said, turning to Chandrajuski.
“Consider the alternative.”
Zygtta stepped away, his long legs moving delicately as he rounded the table and approached them. “There must be a better way. We can coerce them into the room and just leave them there, let them starve.”
Hardesty rose to face Zygtta. “We can, sir, and I’m willing. By all reports, the scree is pretty bad. I’ll never know since I can’t feel it, but you will. How long will it take them to die? A week? Two weeks? A month?”
Zygtta’s fists clenched. “How long can they keep it up? I don’t want my ship holed.”
“I don’t know the answer to that, sir, but if one gets tired, I would imagine it could be passed to another.”
“We could hold the briefing in a hangar bay. You could evacuate it into space.”
“Do you think they’d fall for it? Do not underestimate your opponent, Admiral, and don’t forget – I’ll be the only one functioning when this scree starts up. If any Chessori escape, they’ll eventually breach the bridge. They’ll have the ship if they do. We only have one chance to do this right.”
Zygtta turned his long neck toward Chandrajuski. “You should have sent more.”
“In time there will be more. As it is, his presence here has significantly reduced the effectiveness of my own squadron. Pilots immune to the scree are in very short supply at the moment. My squadron commander is doubling as a pilot until he returns.”
“You’re not immune?”
“I’m not. The process doesn’t work for Gamordians.”
“Will it ever?”
“No.”
Zygtta stared at him for a time. “There’s a lot you’re not telling me, sir.”
“But it’s a good plan. If we can get all the Chessori into one place, you’ll have your squadron back, and you can disable the paragraph 13 program. You’ll have a small hole in your ship, but that only restricts you from entering atmosphere. You’ll be completely battle ready, which is more than you can say at the moment. In the meantime, you need to add Commander Hardesty to the list of who must be on the net.”
The wise, old eyes of two Gamordians blinked slowly as they stared at each other. “You ask too much, sir. I would ask proof that what you say is true.”
“These are terrible times, but I act in the name of the Queen. All of us do. We’re going to give Struthers a black eye, a big black eye, here in Orion Sector, and Orion Sector is just the beginning. I have experienced the scree, and it is very, very bad. The proof I offer you is that I am willing to remain aboard your ship during the operation.”
“You would do that?”
“I will. Let’s contact the other two squadrons. They, too, will have doubts. We’ll have to be discrete, but we’ll let them know of my commitment to the success of this operation.”
Zygtta opened his mouth to display many, many small teeth, and he and Chandrajuski batted fists together.
The same plan went into effect for all three squadrons, all scheduling the briefing to take place at the same time. Just prior to the briefing, squadron commanders ordered their attached frigates to close in on them. Though strange, the order was obeyed, and when the scree sounded, all ships of the squadron were affected.
Hours later, a frigate piloted by a Terran approached each cruiser, and a gunner surgically blasted through the tough skin of the cruiser. The scree ceased immediately, and Chandrajuski’s frigate pulled away quickly before it came under friendly fire.
There was no need for quickness. After hours of suffering the scree, the crews needed long minutes to come to their senses.
Chapter Twenty-two
Korban was tight-lipped when Reba, Val, Waverly, and the three squadron commanders briefed him in person. The utter ruthlessness of the Chessori surprised all of them, and now that they had personally experienced the scree, the true impact of the Chessori presence within the fleet hit home hard.
Reba’s Raiders, too, were stunned. Only half of their comrades returned unscathed. Such losses could not be tolerated. They would have to revise their tactics. Chessori would henceforth be shot on sight.
Val met with the Chessori traders he’d befriended some months earlier and moved them to Korban’s headquarters.
“What’s going on, Val?” Forg asked.
“I’m not at liberty to say, but I don’t think Chessori will be welcome here for long. This move is for your own protection.”
“We’d like to assist you.”
“Then do as I ask. I need nothing more at the moment.”
Forg considered, his large eyes never leaving Val’s. “Is this a test?”
“No, you’ve earned my trust. Do not betray that trust, my friend.”
“You’re a Knight, Val. We will not betray you. Are there Chessori traders in the system?”
“There are.”
“They might be innocent. I would have been. Is there any way to warn them away?”
“I won’t make any promises, but I’ll do what I can. Can you tell me which ones to warn?”
“Just warn all of them that Chessori are no longer welcome here. True traders will leave, or at least remain out-system until things are settled.”
Two days later, Korban received a summons from the Sector Governor, Sikes. Was this the call he had been dreading? He wasn’t ready to wrest control of the sector from Sikes yet.
He notified Chandrajuski, then delayed for a time while Colonel Waverly positioned his forces. When he answered the summons, it was uneasily, knowing he walked into a den of Rebel loyalists. He was accompanied by Reba, who had undergone treatment for her wounded lower leg but still limped noticeably, his adjutant, and three Terran soldiers. Waverly stationed a number of squads inside Korban’s headquarters and posted snipers on rooftops between his headquarters and the governor’s palace. Others were detailed to stroll unobtrusively in the vicinity of the governor’s palace, while the bulk of the men were held in reserve at various other locations.
Korban and his small group entered the governor’s mansion amidst hostile stares and the presence of many Chessori. Reba’s three sergeants, survivors of the battle on the cruiser, were not invited into Sikes’ office. They remained in his outer office where they stationed themselves well away from each other and remained at the ready.