“After this we sent a second probe. Thisprobe was specifically designed to prevent tampering, and washeavily armored so that it would not be easy to shoot down. It wasalso transmitting data non-stop throughout its flight. This meantthat the Magi could not merely manipulate the probe to convey whatthey chose, and it was impervious to the known planetary defensesof the colony. What did they do in response? They used a weaponthat they know we cannot duplicate, and fired on the probe threetimes. As we agreed here, it would have been impossible for them toknow that the first hit failed to destroy it before they fired thesecond shot, indicating that they had always intended to take threeshots. When we discussed this, the captain pointed out that it wasprobably a tactic designed to induce fear. It was then that Zalithpointed out their lack of sensor technology.”
Now it was time for me to present myconclusions. This would make or break me. I had their attention andif I messed up now it would be much harder to prove my worth in thefuture. If I had a future, since in a fairly short time I would beleading a virtual suicide mission.
“By now some of you may have an idea what Iam leading up to, but let me present two more pieces of data thathave not yet been considered in these chambers. The first is thecrew’s morale. Most of our crew are battle-hardened veterans, yetthere is a noticeable level of fear everywhere on the ship. Thatdoes not make much sense. All the Magi have done so far is to blowup a couple of probes and repel our first attempt at invasion. Evena mighty force like the Imperial Navy loses skirmishes, especiallyearly on in a brand-new war, or potential war. Some level ofanticipation might be expected, but fear? I may not have seen asmuch space time as the rest of you, but I think I can fairly statethat this level of anxiety is not normal.
“Add to that the strange orders from HighCommand, the lack of information, and the death of the captain’sinformant; and it start to appear that High Command is alsosuffering from an unusually high level of alarm. The fear here onthe ship could be categorized as fear of the unknown, but theindications are that High Command knows more than they are saying,so their fear is that of a known force.”
I paused to gather myself. The silence in theroom was deafening, almost entreating me to continue. “There is onemore piece of information which I think ties this all together.What I am about to disclose comes from a reliable but unofficialsource. I travel a lot in intelligence circles, and so I meetpeople, and perform favors which are paid back with information. Ibelieve this to be accurate. I trust this source.
“The Magi are not a new hostile force. Theyare an experimental research group into the art and science ofpsionic warfare. I know, you have probably all heard the variousconspiracy theories and think them groundless, but add up what weknow so far and it becomes apparent that the colony has launched adevastatingly subtle weapon against us, that ofpsychologically-induced fear. They are researching biologicalweapons, but not the kind we assumed; the so-called bugs in thiscase are people, a group that goes by the code name Black Adders.They were sent there secretly to focus solely on psionic warfareand attempt to prove or disprove the viability of such a weapon,and I would say they were successful in their endeavors.”
That wrapped up what I had to say. I wasunsure what to do next, when the captain spoke up. “Vydor, theytold me you were the best, and that you could find connections andlink data which others missed, and they were certainly right.”
I sat down and waited to see what would bethe reaction of the others. Dr. Rannor was reviewing the notes hehad taken. Larath was finding some reports on his personalcomputer, and Zalith looked lost in thought.
Larath was the first to respond. “Sir, I haveto say, with regard to Vydor’s statements about the crew, I mustagree. I am looking at the reports from my staff, and an illogicallevel of fear is being reported. I can think of no good reason forthis.”
“Dr. Rannor, what is your opinion on thecolony?” inquired the captain.
“Well, Captain, I have heard some rumorsabout a colony such as Vydor described, but I had rejected them assilly. His assessment of the colony as a failure is an accurateone, based on reports which I have no idea how he could have seen.In my studies of biological warfare I have turned up no newdiscoveries accredited to Arken IV. In fact, I had never heard ofthe colony until this mission,” answered Dr. Rannor.
“Zalith? Your thoughts?” prompted thecaptain.
“I have to admit Vydor’s theory sums upeverything very nicely, and I would agree with his conclusion basedon the given information. This leaves us with a problem. The Magihave at least one powerful plasma cannon, and the ability to sowfear. Either of those weapons by themselves would be dangerous, butcombined they make a deadly mixture,” was his reply.
“Does this change our commitment to send introops?” asked Commander Jones.
“Our orders are not conditional uponanything, so no. It is safe to conclude that High Command knowsabout the Black Adders, and that’s why they do not want us to bringthe fleet in any closer than needed. I assume they are counting onVydor’s reputation for reasoning to defeat the fear weapons, sincethe Tom’s boldness apparently failed,” answered the captain.
“But why did High Command keep thisinformation from us?” asked Dr. Rannor.
“Well, fear of the unknown is something weall have experience of; we all know how to deal with that. Fear asa weapon only works when you can remove the person’s ability todeal with it. They are probably assuming that we have a betterchance of winning if we do not know what we are facing, as odd asthat sounds,” answered Larath. “The big question we need to beconcerned with is how to fight this fear weapon.”
“I am not sure. I cannot find any reliableinformation on how to counter psionic warfare. We are all trainedto deal with fear, but Tom had that same training, and it did nothelp him,” I answered.
There was some brief chatter regardingvarious rumors and theories about psionic weapons, even a fewreferences to myths and legends from days so far back that no onecan place them.
“Captain, I need your permission to select areplacement to take over my post,” I began.
“Do you think you’re not coming back?”interrupted Larath. “If you leave with the intention of failure,then you will surely achieve it.”
Commander Jones interrupted, “That is a goodidea, Vydor. If the mission is a success you are likely to be goneat least a few months.” I noticed he did not address the questionof the mission failing.
“Months?” I was a bit shocked by thatassessment. “I figured several weeks, but not much more thanthat.”
“Yes. If you are successful at making firstcontact, then I will need you as part of the negotiations when Iarrive. In most cases the person who makes first contact is theperson most able to smooth over negotiations. After we have builtup formal communications, you could return to your post here, butthat often takes several months,” answered Commander Jones.
“Oh, come on! First we take a top officer andsend him on a suicide mission, and now we are talking aboutdisgracing him with a desk job? Is nothing sacred any more?” boomedZalith.
The assembled officers really were unhappywith this mission and how it was being handled by High Command.Combine that with the fear everywhere on the ship and things couldstart to get explosive. The captain sat back and watched. He lookedso calm in the face of all this. How did he do it?
It was officially my meeting, so it was up tome to try to control it. “Gentlemen, please. Enough of this. Iappreciate the concern for my honor and wellbeing. I completelyunderstand the risks of this mission. As of now no one understandsour enemy better than me, and I am not looking for a way out. TheEmperor has decreed that I lead this mission, and that is enoughfor me. I need not know what his plans are or the part I will playin them. If by my death or life I can serve the Empire, then Ishall do so.”