The Battlestar Glory Ch. 09

(This is not a sexy story. It is a space war thriller.)

Chapter 9: Mutiny

From the Log of War Admiral Norman North, 9 years and 5 months after Vitalics:

I'm still turning the events of the past three months over in my mind. After a little over two years of travel, we reached the coordinates specified by the cargo ship we found. We arrived prepared for anything--a trap, contact with an alien civilization, an Insect battlefleet--anything.

What we found instead was not what any of us expected: another giant cargo ship, nearly identical to the first, filled to the brim with more spare parts that we desperately needed. Yes, once again the gaps in our fleet's inventory almost perfectly matched the kind of spare parts we were currently being given.

Obviously we are either under close observation without realizing it, or someone in the fleet is transmitting classified information without our knowing it. I'm not sure which alternative is more alarming. Whoever is supplying these parts is obviously trying to aid us, at present, but it would be better to know who they are and what their agenda is. We've been provided with a new set of coordinates, ones that will again take us approximately two years to reach, and we've set a course in that direction.

It's as good a direction as any; I have to confess that after nine years of searching we are no closer to locating Monumental technology than we were when we started. But there is obviously an organization out there who can help us, and I think it a better bet to seek them out.

We continue to have run-ins with the Insects; like clockwork, it occurs every nine to twelve months. If what the imposter told us is correct, they continuously field several large fleets to seek us out, and it's only a matter of time before we run into one. We've lost several ships, but at least with some form of resupply, we're able to maintain the warships we have left.

But morale is understandably low; after the let down of the encounter with the second large cargo ship, many in the fleet understandably feel we're not making progress, and the homesteading movement is once again gaining strength. It's now been several months since we encountered the second cargo vessel, and I am trying to relax by taking up holographic painting. I'm not very good at it, but I have a very good teacher: Commander Stacy Wren, who seems naturally gifted at it.

As we spend more and more time together, and our relationship has become more and more a matter of public knowledge to the crew, I have misgivings about keeping her attached to the Glory. It is simply not proper for a senior officer to have a relationship with a more junior officer directly under his command. And yet, if I transferred her to another ship, we'd have less time together, and visits would have to be much more public. For now, I'm leaving things as they are.

"Sensors confirmed, it's habitable," said Obe.

"Oh no," Took groaned in his cockpit. "Can't we pretend that we just didn't see it, or something?"

"You know the drill," said Obe. "Let's report in."

"Let's wait," said Took. "Let's get closer so we can give a complete report."

"We're going to have to give a report sometime," warned Obe.

"I know, but... every time we find a habitable world, the homesteaders start acting up," said Took.

"I know," Obe sighed. "I can't blame them. I'm tired of being locked up inside a metal can too."

"And you think I'm not?" said Took. "But you remember what the War Admiral said, and you know it's true. The bugs will come after us wherever we go. The only difference is that if they find us defenseless on a planet, we'll be wiped out."

"They don't seem to give up," Obe agreed. "But that hasn't stopped the homesteader movement from growing. And it's not just ex-Directorate people, but even some of our League officers."

"Let's take a closer look at the planet," said Took. "If we're lucky, we'll find something poisonous in the atmosphere."

But at that moment an indicator popped up on Took's scanning screen. "We're being scanned!"

"From where?" said Obe.

"The planet," said Took.

"Impossible," said Obe. "I'm not reading any signs of power generation or installations on the surface. Just lower level vegetation and animal life."

Their comms crackled. "Attention spacecrafts. Identify yourself."

For a moment, Took was tempted to automatically respond with his ID. But all he did was push the transmit button and say, "You first."

Obe, in his cockpit, looked over at Took as if to say, "What a great response!"

"Are you human?" said the human sounding voice.

"Yes," said Took. "And you?"

"Humans," said the voice. "It has been a long, long time since we have heard from other humans."

"That's nice," said Took. He decided it was time to take a chance. "My name is Command Captain Idaho Took of Alliance Command Carrier Glory. Ah... do you have a similarly long name or title?"

"No," came the voice. "Just a moment."

The comm went dead.

"Just a moment he said," said Took. "He's probably gone for a cup of water."

"Or they're getting ready to attack," said Obe. "Iday! Check your scans of the planet!"

Before their eyes, their readings changed. Where before they had detected nothing but forests and wilderness, now their scanners were reporting a small agricultural settlement, generating minimal amounts of power, on the northern continent.

"How did we miss that?" said Took.

The comm sputtered to life again. "Command Captain Took, are you there?"

"Yep," said Took.

"I have just conferred with the council of elders. It's been decided to invite you down to the surface. Are you capable of landing?"

"Ever since my 15th birthday," said Took. "Would you mine telling me who and what you are before we come down?"

"We are what you might call a colony, established nearly 50 years ago," said the voice. "My name is Ingore."

"50 years ago? How did you get this far out? And why didn't we detect you on our sensors?"

"I'll be happy to explain everything when you land," said Ingore.

"Right," said Took. "See you soon." He switched to the narrowband squadron frequency. "Buddy, what do you think?"

"A colony, this far out?" said Obe. "Trap."

"Trap," Took agreed. "Well, we'd better signal the Glory before we walk right into it." He adjusted a dial to boost his transmission signal.

********

"A colony? This far out?" said the War Admiral.

"Unlikely," said Captain Dulin. "Captain Took suspects a trap."

"I do too," said the War Admiral. "Tell him to proceed."

"Sir?"

"If the Insects have gone through the effort to construct a colony in order to trap us, I don't think they'll settle for killing two of our pilots, even if one of them is the illustrious Captain Took," said the War Admiral. "And I'd like to find out more about exactly what kind of trap it is. It can give us insight into what the Insects are not only planning now, but what they may be planning in the future."

********

Took and Obe slowly climbed down from their cockpits. They had landed in a field just outside the main settlement. A small crowd of people wearing robes stood nearby, watching them curiously, even with a sense of awe.

Took and Obe walked over to them, a little awed themselves. The villagers looked dirty and worn out, but they also definitely looked human. And they weren't armed, except a few with long walking sticks.

Took and Obe walked forward until they were a few feet away, then they stopped. The villagers continued to stare uncomfortably at them. Finally, after it became clear that none of them would say anything, Took said, "Take me to your leader."

That broke the spell. One of them stepped forward. "I am Ingore," he said.

"Iday Took, Kato Obe," said Took. "We're very surprised to see you. You're the first humans outside our own fleet we've seen in some time."

"And you're the first humans outside our own group that we've seen in fifty years," said Ingore. "Come to the village meeting place, we will talk."

They followed his lead through the fields, animal pens, and thatched huts. It looked like a very simple agrarian community. It smelled like one, too. "Pretty low-tech here," Took commented, wrinkling his nose.

"By choice," said Ingore. "That's why we left the Alliance."

"Hm," said Took, busy taking in all the sights around him.

They reached a large hut with a thatched roof. Inside was a smooth wooden table with wooden chairs. Took hadn't seen real wood in years. He gingerly sat down on one of them, feeling he was sitting on an antique. Other elders sat down at the table, as did Ingore.

"May we ask more specifically why you left the Alliance, and how you came out here?" Took inquired.

Ingore smiled. "We rejected a lifestyle of technology, and preferred to live a simpler life, closer to the earth. Ironically many of us who felt this way were scientists. We purchased our own ship and came out here."

"It's a mighty long distance to come just for some privacy," said Took.

"We didn't want to be contaminated by outside influences, and outside technology."

"And yet you invited us down," said Took.

"So we did," Ingore sighed. "This is the first such invitation we've ever given. You have to understand, Mr. Took, that there are only fifty of us here. We value the community that we've built, but over time we've also missed news and contact with the outside world. What has happened? Has the Alliance expanded out this far yet?"

Took and Obe exchanged glances. "Not exactly," said Took.

"Are you part of an expedition?"

"You might say that," said Took. "We're part of the last survivors."

"Survivors?"

"A race of beings called the Insects conquered the Alliance nearly ten years ago," said Took. "They destroyed the fleet, almost all of it, anyway, and occupied our worlds. The survivors gathered together and fled Alliance space. We're representatives of that fleet."

The elders started murmuring amongst themselves worriedly.

"Humanity... destroyed?" said Ingore.

"Or enslaved," said Took. "We haven't been back home to check in a while."

"So you are... looking for a place to settle, is that it?"

"Ah, not exactly," said Took.

"Well, you can't settle here," said Ingore. "Go back and tell your leaders that. We value our privacy. We wish you well, but don't want an influx of new settlers."

"That's quite all right, we're not the settling down type," said Took. "We just want some information. Have you seen any Insect ships pass by in the past several months?"

"Insect?"

"Well, maybe that answers my question," said Took. "Come to think of it, how did you manage to stay hidden? On our first pass our sensors didn't-"

"A feat of ingenuity that I'm proud to say I helped develop," said Ingore. "The one piece of technology we tolerate. A cloaking shield which gives sensors the impression that this is empty forest land."

"Very handy," said Took. An idea occurred to him. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to show us how you do it? We could perhaps trade you-"

"No, I'm sorry, but we do not share the secrets of this technology with outsiders," said Ingore firmly. "If knowledge of our technology were to be disseminated, others might figure out how to penetrate our camouflage shield."

" We wouldn't want that," said Took, frowning theatrically. Well, it was worth a try.

********

"So let me make sure I understand," said the War Admiral. "A group of scientists set out from the Alliance fifty years ago in search of an agrarian lifestyle. They didn't want to be contaminated by other societies that do use technology, so they fly for ten years into uncharted space, and then, to top it off, they use a cloaking shield to further protect their privacy."

Took and Obe were testifying at a gathering of fleet captains. It was one of the few times he had ever been invited to such a meeting. He wondered if he could pick up a few interviews with some of the fleet captains afterwards.

"It sounds like an exercise in excessiveness to me," grunted Captain Harkness of the Blue Luna. "They could have picked a planet a few months outside of Alliance space, or even inside Alliance space, and not even be found for years."

"I also think it's odd that a society that so desperately wants to avoid technology uses technology, even to protect itself," said another captain.

The War Admiral reclined in his war room chair. The camouflage shield was part of the puzzle, but what that part was, he hadn't yet figured out. "And you say they don't want us to settle there?"

"They brought up the subject, and made a point of saying they don't want us to settle there," said Took.

"They did, did they?" said the War Admiral.

"In fact, they specifically told me to tell you that."

"Hm," said the War Admiral. "In the trap I'm imagining, they would want us to come down and colonize."

"But they wouldn't want to appear too eager," said Captain Perko Gale of the fast attack destroyer Always Ready.

"Correct," said the War Admiral

"You're assuming that this is a trap," said Captain Bennett of the Amory Til.

"That's the operating assumption," the War Admiral agreed.

"I think we need to investigate the matter further before we come to any firm conclusion," said Bennett.

"For once, Captain, I agree with you," said North. "That's why I propose to send a medical and tech team down there to see if they really are what they appear to be."

"A team from the Glory?" Bennett asked.

"Yes, Captain," said the War Admiral.

"Sir, I propose a more balanced team," said Bennett. "These recons are almost always performed by Glory officers. I think our survey teams would benefit by having crewmembers participate from other ships."

The War Admiral considered, but just for a second. "Very well, Captain. Would you like to send a team from the Amory Til to accompany them?"

"That I would, War Admiral."

"Very well," said the War Admiral. "We're adjourned." He pressed a button, and the holographic representations of the fleet admirals faded, leaving him alone in the room with Dulin, Wren, Took, and Obe.

"Sir are you going to let-" Took was cut off by the deceptively calm stare of the War Admiral.

"I want you to accompany the tech team," said the War Admiral. "Since you made the initial contact, you'd be an ideal liaison."

"Somehow, I don't think that's the only reason," said Took, waiting for the inevitable.

"And while you're there, use your good journalistic instincts to snoop around while the others keep the colonists occupied," said the War Admiral. "Dismissed."

When Obe and Took filed out, Dulin and Wren stayed behind.

"Sir, I didn't want to speak up in front of Captain Took, but I agreed with his sentiment. You let Captain Bennett get away with too much, especially in front of the other captains."

"It's a delicate balance, Captain," said the War Admiral. "Too little pressure, and he runs amok and ruins discipline. Too much pressure, and we'll have a split in the ranks." He turned away. "But you're right about one thing. The time is fast approaching when we're going to have to deal with Captain Bennett."

********

As Took piloted the transport into the atmosphere, he noticed the shuttle from the Amory Til had already streaked ahead of them. "They're in a real hurry, aren't they?" Took muttered.

But the biggest surprise came when they landed and everyone disembarked from their ships--from the transport, the tech and medical crew, and a couple of marines; and from the shuttle--none other than Captain Bennett himself and two of his men.

"What's he doing here?" Obe whispered.

"Do you have something to say, Lieutenant?" said Bennett, walking over. If he didn't like the War Admiral, he certainly didn't like the War Admiral's trained pets. And there was something else about Took that rubbed him the wrong way.

"Ah, he wasn't saying anything sir, just that he was delighted to see you," said Took, giving a little smile. Although Bennett outranked him, he didn't fear him.

"Can we get on with this?" growled Doctor Farb, hefting a shoulder bag filled with equipment.

********

"You have returned," said Ingore, giving Took a broad smile.

"Yes, I-"

Bennett stepped in front of Took. "My name is Captain Michael Bennett, I'm in command here."

"But Mr. Took is also a Captain, is he not?" said Ingore, puzzled.

While Bennett was explaining the confusion between space force and naval ranks, Took whispered, "While the commodore here is making second contact, keep your ears open."

"Where are you going?" Obe whispered back.

Took gave a mischievous smile and turned to go.

"Yes, you can go too, Lieutenant," said Bennett to Obe, glad to see them leave.

"Afraid not," said Took, turning back. "Lieutenant Obe is a trained diplomat, having spent decades in the foreign service before joining the navy."

Obe barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I am ordering you both to leave. You're dismissed!" said Bennett, a glare burning in his eyes.

Took stared back, giving an irritating smile. "You're very good with that, you should get that look patented."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please, no arguing," said Ingore gently.

Took gave Bennett a sarcastic salute and headed off.

********

Took checked in first with the agro workers who had come down with them. "What do we have here?" he asked, pointing to one of the fields.

"Looks like potatoes," said one of the techs.

"Ha ha, very funny," said Took. "Have you learned anything useful?"

"Other than the fact that from our readings these are common sixty day potatoes, and that they were planted two weeks ago, no."

Another tech approached from a field down the road. "Same thing there," the second tech said. "It looks like they all did their plantings two weeks ago."

"Anything unusual in that?" said Took.

"No," said the first tech. He scanned the soil. "That's odd, though."

"What?"

"This soil is very rich."

"Meaning...."

"Either there's something unusual about the soil, or this is the very first crop that they've planted on this spot," said the tech.

Took raised an eyebrow. "Scan the surrounding area. They may rotate among different fields. See if you can spot any areas that have been plowed before. And don't go anywhere without a marine guard," He turned, and spotting Doctor Farb looking annoyed, walked over to him. "What's up, doc?"

"These fine farmers won't permit me to conduct a medical examination."

"We're fine," said one farmer.

"We're all fine," said a second farmer dully.

"Why not let the doc check you out?" said Took. "You should always get a routine physical once every 50 years, I always say."

"No," said the farmer. "No electrical equipment. He can examine us, but no scanners. It's our beliefs, you understand."

"I'm beginning to," said Took.

Took wandered around for the next hour, checking out the farming community. Everything seemed completely ordinary. So this is the life that Captain Bennett wanted them all to live. To homestead and become simple farmers. Took found it perfectly mindless. Personally, Took would rather take his chances with the Insects in space.

As he wandered around the outskirts of the village, a small building caught his eye. Small, but clearly, unlike the others, made of metal. Using his hand scanner, he tried to see what was inside of it. But whatever was in there was shielded.

"What are you doing?" said a farmer, smiling pleasantly as he walked up to Took.

"Just looking around," said Took.

"No electronics, please," said the farmer, looking disapprovingly at Took's scanner. Took took one more look at his scanner that gave him a small surprise, then set the save button to record his readings, and then reluctantly closed the scanner down.

"Better?"

"Much," said the farmer placidly.

"Mind if I ask what's inside there?"

"That's the building containing the only electrical device in the colony," said the farmer. "Our camouflage device."

"Mind if I take a quick look?"

"Entry is forbidden."

"All right," said Took. He would've been really interested to go inside, but at this point, it wasn't really necessary, not after the readings he had obtained on his scanner.

Took walked back to the council hut, where the elders were just breaking up after what looked like a big meeting.

"It's decided," said Ingore, smiling graciously. "We approve."

"Approve what?" said Took, unsure whether to ask Ingore, or turn to Obe, who was trying to get his attention. Bennett was ignoring him entirely.

"We will permit you to settle here, in the valley several miles to the south," said Ingore.

"Really? Only yesterday you were telling us you didn't want us here," said Took.

"Forgive my manners," said Ingore. "I wasn't entirely aware of your plight. Your Captain Bennett has told us the touching story of how you have been hunted by these insect creatures, and how many of you have been wounded and killed. As it is a matter of life or death, we will permit you to have refuge here. You must establish settlements of your own and do your own farming, you understand, and respect our ways, but we will accept you and use our camouflage shield to protect you, so that you may live in peace."

"We can start bringing down transports with supplies and crew almost immediately," said Bennett.

"Ah, Captain Bennett sir, aren't you forgetting one little thing?" said Took.

Bennett glared at him.

"The chain of command? Doesn't the War Admiral have to approve any general disembarkation?"

"You let me worry about him, little man," said Bennett. Nodding to Ingore, he said, "We'll speak again." And he turned and left for his shuttle.

"I'm five foot ten inches tall, and that's without my boots," said Took. "That's plenty tall. Why does everyone taller than six feet feel they have free license to call me "little"?"

"Took, don't you think we have bigger things to worry about?"

"You're right, buddy," said Took. "Let's collect the crew and get back to the shuttle." Took spoke into his wrist comm and ordered the others to gather at the landing site. "I remember, though, what happened to the last guy who called me 'little man'."

He was referring to the ex-farming director, Odusk, who was currently enjoying a comfort suite in the Glory's brig, as he had the past few years.

********

"Very interesting," said the War Admiral. "Very interesting indeed. A farming community that's been on the planet for fifty years and yet has only been farming for two weeks. A community with not a single sick person and all refused to have a routine medical scan." He turned to Took. "And most interesting of all, a metallurgical analysis of the building containing their precious camouflage field shows that the building was forged sometime in the last year."

"Obviously this is a trap," said Captain Dulin.

"Obviously, a trap," said the War Admiral. "The moment we leave our ships and settle down, that's when the Insects will come for us."

"We should leave immediately," said Wren.

"There's no hurry," said the War Admiral. "I'm sure that the fleet that's waiting for us will suddenly appear if we head out of orbit."

"But... there's no purpose in staying," said Dulin.

"There just might be one," said the War Admiral calmly.

********

The holographic image of Captain Shang looked thoughtful as he sat in Captain Bennett's office on the Amory Til. "I don't know, Captain."

"This could be our last chance!" said Bennett. "Think about it, Feng. Every time we've proposed settling down somewhere, the War Admiral has always thrown his 'they will hunt us down and shoot us' argument at us. But for the first time he can't use this argument against us. We'll be well protected by the camouflage shield."

"We don't know that for sure."

"Nothing is for sure!" Bennett thundered. "But this is the best chance we'll have to settle down! A hospitable planet, friendly allies, and technology to protect us. What more can you ask for?"

"It's not that simple," said Shang. "You're asking me to mutiny against the War Admiral." He looked sharply to the side. "Is this line still secure?"

"Scrambling every tenth of a second," said Bennett, checking an instrument pad. "It's not mutiny--we're not taking over, and, strictly speaking, we're not properly under his command. We're Directorate officers, and he's with the League, you know that, Shang."

"But the Alliance-"

"The Alliance died ten years ago at Vitalics," said Bennett. "What we're talking about is a chance to live! Do you want to spend the rest of your life on the run from the Insects! Every time they engage us, we lose more and more ships and men. You know it's just a matter of time before we're all dead. This is your last chance--will you take it?"

Shang nodded reluctantly. "All right. I'm in."

"Good. I'll be in touch soon." Bennett terminated the signal, and then called the next officer.

Captain Harkness of the Blue Luna.

Bennett generally preferred to contact Directorate officers who he knew would be sympathetic; but there were a few League officers who he thought might also join up. Harkness has never shown much sympathy to the homesteader movement, but neither did he openly attack them; Bennett remembered that he was among the first officers to request that the War Admiral step aside during the imposter incident several years back. Whatever he was, Harkness was a free thinker, and might be open to persuasion. And the Blue Luna was the third biggest ship in the fleet, after the Amory Til and of course the Glory. It would be worth the risk to try and swing him over to their side.

********

"What are you talking about?" Harkness frowned.

It wasn't going well from the start. Bennett decided to try one more time. "This may be our only chance for survival."

Harkness grunted. "I'm a soldier. I don't think I'd be much of a farmer."

"At least you'd be alive," Bennett pointed out. "And not everyone will have to farm."

"Ok, but how can you be so sure this is a legitimate offer? The War Admiral thinks it's a trap."

"He thinks anything that will dilute his power is a trap," said Bennett. Then, seeing the expression on Harkness's face, he changed tact. "He's a brilliant soldier. But he's not empowered to make this kind of non-military decision."

"Are you saying we should mutiny?" said Harkness.

Obviously, Harkness would not be persuaded. It was time to back up and obfuscate. "Of course not," said Bennett soothingly. "I was only thinking of presenting a united front to the War Admiral, to try and persuade him otherwise. I would never consider taking action without his approval."

"Hm," said Harkness. Bennett couldn't tell if he accepted his story.

"All right," said Harkness, not giving anything away. "Let me give it some thought."

"You do that," said Bennett, relieved, signing off.

********

Harkness did think about it, for a full hour, which was a long time for him. He was a free thinker, but one who came to quick decisions. Then he called the War Admiral.

"They're obviously plotting some kind of mutiny, War Admiral," said Harkness. "I just thought you'd like to know."

"I appreciate the warning, Captain," said the War Admiral, acting totally unsurprised.

"What are you going to do?" said Harkness.

"We'll talk about it at the fleet meeting tomorrow morning," said the War Admiral.

"A fleet meeting tomorrow morning? Admiral, this has gone way beyond-"

"I appreciate your concern," said the War Admiral. "North out."

"He's right, sir," said Dulin, standing out of range of the image North had been transmitting.

"I second that, sir," said Wren.

"I appreciate your opinions," said the War Admiral. "Please return to your posts."

********

Dulin and Wren filed out of his office. "He's really keeping his cards close to his chest on this one," said Wren.

"I'm sure the War Admiral knows what he's doing," said Captain Dulin. "I hope," he muttered, mostly to himself.

********

Everyone was in attendance at the fleet captain's meeting North had called the following morning. "And this evidence should prove, I think, that this is an elaborate trap set for us by the Insects. I propose now that we move on-"

"Just a moment, War Admiral," said Captain Bennett.

The War Admiral permitted himself to look surprised. "Yes Captain?"

"We haven't finished discussing this topic," said Bennett. He took a deep breath, and launched into a speech. "I have seen this settlement firsthand and met with their leaders, and I can tell you all, this is no trap. In fact, this may be our best hope to live the rest of our lives in peace. I think you see a trap because you want to. I think you are so headstrong in favor of this fruitless quest you've had us on for the past ten years that you can't take a step back and realize that there's another alternative. We haven't found any useful Monumental technology and we never will. All we've done is lost lives as we've been hunted down by the Insects. This may be our only chance to save the rest of our remaining lives."

He looked at the War Admiral, waiting for an explosion.

But the War Admiral took it calmly. "What do you propose?" he asked.

"A choice," said Bennett, surprised that the War Admiral wasn't putting up more of a fight. "Let the ships that want to disembark, disembark. Those that want to go on, can go on."

"And how will each ship decide?" The War Admiral asked.

"By each captain, of course," said Bennett.

"Of course," said the War Admiral. "And if any of the crew have a different opinion?"

"Well, they can transfer to another ship, I suppose," said Bennett. He hadn't considered that point.

"I respect your opinion, Captain," said the War Admiral. "But it's just that--your opinion."

"Not just mine, War Admiral," said Bennett.

"Really?" said the War Admiral. "Who else shares your view?" It was as if they were debating an abstract, scholarly subject. "Don't be shy," said the War Admiral. "Stand up!" he said, his voice hardening.

A few fleet captains stood up, and then a few more, some of them very hesitantly. "Is that all?" said the War Admiral. "What about the merchant captains?"

"We have convinced some of those as well," said Bennett.

"Well, by all means, let's bring them in and hear what they have to say," said the War Admiral, looking annoyed. It was obvious that he was going to try to use the force of his personality to browbeat them into submission, but it wouldn't help, this time.

There was an awkward silence while the merchant captains were patched in. When their images materialized in the war room it was positively crowded. "For those of you who just joined us lately-" began the War Admiral acidly. He quickly explained the situation, and asked those who supported Bennett's position to stand up as well. And a number of them did.

"You see, War Admiral, it simply isn't just my opinion," said Bennett.

"Yes," said the War Admiral. "Your dangerous opinion is shared by many." He turned to the captains whose holographic images were standing. "You still want to embark on this, even though you know it's almost certainly a trap? You heard the report about the potatoes; they've only been farming for two weeks! You heard the metallurgy report; that building is only a few months old! Can't you see that this is clearly a trap!"

"You present this information as if it's conclusive," said Bennett. "We haven't done conclusive studies of the soil; it may not lose as much nutrients in each replanting as ours does. As for the building, that's not conclusive either; they could have built a new building to replace an old one that they tore down. Maybe you can explain, War Admiral, how likely it is that the Insects would pour an incredible amount of resources into creating a phony colony, and how likely it is that they'd be able to convincingly brainwash fifty people, and furthermore, how likely it is that they'd know exactly which planet we'd stop by?"

"We've already seen them put an incredible amount of resources into hunting us down, that's not new," the War Admiral responded. "As for brainwashing or mental control, it's been done before. Don't forget that none of them would let Doctor Farb examine them. As for the last point, I don't know how they knew we were coming here, but it's obvious that they did."

He looked at each of the wavering fleet captains, pacing back and forth among them. "In the end, it all comes down to trust. You all know I have saved each of your lives countless times. You have trusted my judgment, my instincts, for years, putting your lives in my hands. I say once more, trust me now! If you decide to disembark here, we will not be able to return to protect you. The Insects will come and slaughter you not in weeks, or months, but days." He stopped, standing nearest the captains he thought might be wavering the most. "I can't tell you what will happen if you stay with us. But if you leave the fleet, I am certain what your fate will be. You will die. Period. I ask you, one last time, trust me now!" He turned to one captain standing up. "Will you trust me?"

That captain, looking chagrined, slowly sat down. He would stay with the War Admiral.

"Will you trust me?" said the War Admiral, moving to another--who also slowly sat down.

He went down the row, fixing each of them with the stare, asking each the same question. In the end seven sat down, leaving 16 standing--16, out of 71 captains in the fleet.

"All right, you've had your say," said Bennett. He had been nervous that even more captains would back down.

"What are your intentions?" the War Admiral said.

"We're going down to the planet," said Bennett. "We've decided."

The War Admiral looked down for a moment. Then he gave Bennett a dark look. "And you expect me to sit back and let you do it?"

Bennett said nothing.

"I did that once," said the War Admiral. "Sat back and let things happen. The result was tens of thousands, perhaps millions dead, and the whole of humanity enslaved. I don't think I will let that happen again."

"What are you going to do?" Bennett said. "You're not going to fire on our ships, are you?"

North said nothing for a moment. Would he fire on them, or even threaten to? A majority of the military ships were on his side, but would they fire on their own ships, even if the War Admiral ordered him to?

Thankfully, they would never have to find out. "No, I will not fire on your ships," said North, his head bowed in apparent defeat.

"Then I think we've finished our talk," said Bennett.

"I agree," said North. He raised his head and spoke into the air. "Now, Major Fortran!"

The holographic images of the fleet captains who were standing up could be seen looking sharply to the side, and then, one by one, they were pulled off-screen, to be replaced by a marine.

"Renown secured, sir," said one marine.

"Crawler secured, sir," reported another.

"Katarin secured, sir," said a third.

One by one they reported in.

"No, you can't do this!" said Bennett, as he was yanked from view.

"Actually, I can," said the War Admiral. "You are all under military arrest. You and your senior officers will be put under preventative detention. You will not be allowed contact with any of your crew, pending your transfer to the brig on the Glory."

One of the merchant captains who had stayed loyal muttered, "Was this really necessary?"

Surprisingly, it was another captain who answered. "Of course it was, you fool," said Captain Harkness. "If we lost a third of the fleet, what do you think that would do for our chances of survival?"

North, nodding, said, "I'm going to be quite busy for the next few hours, gentlemen. I'll be in touch soon," he promised.

********

"I understand now," said Wren. "You wanted Bennett to approach the other officers first, so you could see who was loyal and who wasn't."

"And you prepositioned Major Fortran's men on the ships most likely to go over to his side," said Dulin. "A masterful job, War Admiral."

"Thank you," said the War Admiral. "But now we have a mess on our hands. Where do we find 16 loyal captains to replace them? We know about the disloyalty of these men, but what about their bridge officers? How far down does the trouble go? Right now I have a handful of marines on each ship's bridge and engineering section, but if the trouble spreads, they could easily be overpowered."

"I suggest we not worry about the crews for now, War Admiral," said Dulin. "We couldn't replace them even if we wanted to."

"Quite right," said the War Admiral. He paused a moment, making a decision. "Set up interviews with the senior officers on each ship. Try to get a sense of who is loyal and who isn't."

"And what do we do with each group?" Dulin asked.

"The disloyal officers, those who won't recommit to their oaths, will be stripped of their rank and sent to perform civilian duty on the merchant ships. If they like the idea of farming so much, they'll get their chance. Then leave about half of the so-called loyal officers where they are, and arrange a schedule to have them swap positions with officers on loyal ships. We're going to have to promote some first officers on the loyal ships to become captains on the vacant ships, so there will be some openings."

"So you hope by integrating the potentially disloyal officers, you can limit their ability to do damage."

"Precisely," said the War Admiral. "If they're on a ship with a loyal crew, there's a limit to what they can do. Our time here is most limited. I want this task completed within eight hours."

"Eight hours?" said Dulin. "That's impossible!"

"Any more of a delay than that and we risk bringing the Insect fleet down on us," said the War Admiral. "If we don't accept their generous offer soon, they're going to realize their plan has failed and they will attack. And when they do, we're going to need trained crews in place."

"And what do we do with the disloyal captains?"

"Leave them to me," said the War Admiral.

********

"Yes, we're really excited about coming down to the planet," said Took, speaking over the comm.

"Where's Captain Bennett?" came Ingore's voice.

"He's busy, uh, packing," said Took. "We have a lot of equipment to bring. The first shipment should start coming down in twelve hours."

"All right," said Ingore. "But I'd like to hear from Captain Bennett soon."

"I'm sure you will," said Took. He closed the comm, and received a nod from the War Admiral.

"Is there any way we can help them?"

"Assuming they're under some form of mind control or conditioning, the minute we went down to the planet to grab them, we'd spring whatever trap is waiting for us," said the War Admiral. "There could be whole battalions of Insect troopers, waiting below the surface." He looked thoughtful. "No, their fate was sealed, like everyone else's, the minute we agreed to meet the Insects at Vitalics."

The interviewing process proceeded quickly. Captain Dulin reported in to the War Admiral. "Only a handful have refused to retake the oath. I'm afraid a number of disloyal officers will slip through."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that right now," said the War Admiral. "Perhaps their attitudes will change after the events of the next two days unfold." He didn't elaborate further. "Do you have the duty lists and transfers ready?"

"Here's a rough draft," said Dulin. Normally, high level transfers were considered for hours, by a committee. Here they were proposing to transfer dozens of senior officers to dozens of ships with just a few minutes of consideration.

"A rough draft will have to do," said the War Admiral, studying the pad Dulin handed him. "But this won't work," he frowned, pointing at one entry. For the new captain of the Amory Til.

"She's the logical choice, sir," said Dulin. "In fact, there is no one else suited to command a half-carrier."

The War Admiral said, "I can think of someone else, Captain. If you're up for it."

********

"WHAT?" said Stacy Wren.

"It's not polite to yell at your commanding officer," said the War Admiral mildly.

"You want me to take command of the Glory?" said Wren. "You only promoted me to full commander a few years ago!"

"I agree under normal circumstances that this promotion wouldn't occur for another two decades, but circumstances aren't normal. Experienced ship officers are rare; Experienced ship officers who know something about command carriers are only two in number. Yourself, and Captain Dulin."

"Then why not keep Roger here and put me in charge of the Amory Til? The Amory Til is a smaller ship, it's like a demotion for Roger."

"A smaller ship filled with smaller, more rebellious minds," said the War Admiral. "It's a much more difficult assignment, which is why we need the more experienced officer there."

"Is that all?" said Wren.

North didn't answer, didn't even pretend not to understand what she was talking about.

"Is that all?" she whispered again.

North turned away, looking out the window. "I don't know," he said slowly. "My decision definitely makes logical sense, and yet, where you're concerned..." he slowly turned and looked back at her. "I warned you something like this could happen when we became... involved." He paused, then said, "Would you really prefer to go to the Amory Til in Roger's place?"

Wren didn't say anything. Then, in a small voice, "No. No, I really wouldn't."

********

A stunned silence broke out in the Glory's brig when the War Admiral entered. The 16 former captains and handful of other senior officers glared out at the War Admiral behind a force field.

"I really wish it hadn't come to this," said the War Admiral. "If the fate of the remainder of the human race hadn't been at stake, I might have let you go your own way." And then his voice hardened. "But it wasn't just a matter of letting you go to your deaths, but your crews, too. What shall I do with you now?"

"We're entitled to a trial, War Admiral," said one Captain.

"We're under martial law, I and I alone will chair any tribunal," said the War Admiral. "I ask again, what should I do with all of you?"

His only answer was silence.

"The penalty for mutiny is still death," said the War Admiral.

"I'm not a military officer," said one of the captains, who had been in charge of one of the merchant ships.

"But you're under military command. This fleet is under martial law," said the War Admiral. "Now where was I? Yes, the death penalty."

"If you're going to kill us, just get it over with," snapped Shang. The others spoke up in a babble of voices.

"Quiet!" the War Admiral thundered. "Or are the rest of you as eager to die as former Captain Shang?"

The cellblock was silent again.

"Good," said the War Admiral. "As I said, the traditional penalty for mutiny is death by firing squad. However, the military penal code does permit me to commute the sentence in the case of mitigating circumstances." He hardened both his voice and his gaze. "Are there any mitigating circumstances?"

"What do you want?" said Captain Bennett, speaking for the first time since the War Admiral entered the cellblock.

"A message to each of your crews, assuring them you're all right, telling them you accept the full blame for what happened, and advising them to cooperate with us," said the War Admiral.

"In return for?"

The War Admiral stared at Bennett. "20 years for the others; 30 for you."

"30 years? In here? Forget it!" said Bennett.

The War Admiral shrugged. "You each have two hours to prepare for your executions." He turned to leave.

The first cries came before he had taken his first step. In the end, no one was executed.

********

The War Admiral entered the bridge.

"Captain," he said by way of greeting.

Captain Stacy Wren nodded, looking self-consciously for a moment at the additional full strip on her shoulder boards and sleeves. "War Admiral."

"Are the crew readjustments complete?"

"Yes sir," said Wren. "The fleet is ready and awaiting your command."

"Activate holomap."

"Yes sir," said the newly promoted Half Commander Fletcher. The three dimensional map appeared in the center of the bridge.

"There are three neighboring systems where the Insect fleet may be waiting for us," said the War Admiral. No one even thought to challenge his assessment that the Insects were waiting for them.

"Naturally, the Insects have us under surveillance, so the instant we break orbit, they will attack," said the War Admiral. "But it's important that we don't move towards the system where their fleet is waiting for us." He stared at the screen intently, and then pressed a button, causing one of the solar systems to flash. "They're waiting for us there," he said quietly. "And that means we have a chance to escape, at least for now, if we plot this course," he added, drawing a path with an electrowand.

"Set a course, Captain, and engage," said the War Admiral.

"Aye sir!"

********

The fleet moved out along the trajectory the War Admiral had set. Less than an hour later, they detected movement, from the very solar system the War Admiral had warned them of.

"Long range detects several battleships... battlecruisers... heavy and light cruisers... destroyers... several carriers," said Lieutenant Shishman.

"We'll be able to elude them in the NG-149 gas cloud we're heading for," said the War Admiral.

"How did you know they weren't waiting for us in NG-149? And how did you know which system they were waiting in?" Wren asked.

"I guess," said the War Admiral, "It comes down to a matter of trust."

********

The briefing was projected to the rest of the fleet the next day, when they were safely inside the nebula and had eluded their pursuers. It was broadcast to every holoprojector of every ship of the fleet.

"As far as we could tell there were 68 ships in that attack fleet," said the War Admiral. "Including a large number of heavy battleships, flat tops, and other support ships. For years many of you have been asking the question, 'what if we just settled down on a planet? Would the Insects come after us'? I think now you have your answer. They are so desperate to destroy us that they fabricated an entire colony at tremendous expense to themselves. One thing I think we can all agree upon; if we stop, we die. We have no choice but to go on. I hope this, once and for all, finishes the debate about homesteading."

Later, in his quarters, Wren said, "That was a masterful speech."

"Half of being an officer is giving masterful speeches," said the War Admiral. "But I think this will prove to anyone except the most hardcore of the homesteaders that settling down on a planet is impossible now. Ironically, the Insects have made us stronger, by removing this as an issue of debate."

"Have they?" said Wren. "We have an awful lot of new captains with unhappy crews."

"The crews will settle down, now that they realize that there isn't another viable option. Once you defeat an opposing ideology, the followers tend to drop away."

Wren smiled at him, pouring herself another drink. "All except the ones in the brig, of course."

"Of course," said the War Admiral. "It still pains me though that two of the eighteen, two League captains, two of my people, defected to the other side."

"You always tend to look on the dismal side of things," said Wren, snuggling up to him in bed. "What about the overwhelming majority of your captains who didn't desert you? After all they had been through, it's amazing they haven't all mutinied or gone AWOL by now. It's only been the force of your personality that's held them all together."

"Very flattering," said the War Admiral, always unable to take a compliment. "But-"

Ripper, sitting in a corner eyeing them, barked approvingly.

"See? If you don't believe me, believe your pseudo-pet," said Wren.

"I can't counter an argument like that," the War Admiral admitted.