With that, the meeting ended. William agreed on the next meeting with Laura, and then went to the medical bay to get Jiao and Jeffery.
But before leaving, he wanted to talk with Rachel, who he hadn't seen for a very long time.
***
"Commander!" Jiao saluted as William entered the medical bay.
With haste, Jeffery saluted after Jiao, surprised why an admiral began to salute a commander. But then he realized that Commander Johnson was the same commander Jiao had talked about after the battle at Fexsol.
"Jiao," said William and saluted back. Jeffery was even more surprised to hear the commander to talk to the admiral by her first name. But Jiao acted as it was nothing but normal.
William nodded to Jeffery. "Commander."
Without knowing what to do, Jeffery nodded back.
William's eyes shifted to Rachel, who was a little farther away, examining the dead Kaitians. She hadn't noticed that William had entered the room.
"I want to talk to Rachel before we go," said William, and walked toward Rachel.
Jeffery watched William. When he reached Rachel, he saw how happily surprised Rachel was to see William, and they hugged. Then, to Jeffery and Jiao's great astonishment, Rachel passionately kissed William and he returned the kiss with equal passion.
Jeffery and Jiao exchanged looks. Jiao shrugged, but said nothing.
William and Rachel held each other for long moments, talking and whispering, and it was clear that neither wanted to let the other leave. It was William who finally let Rachel go. He gave her a last kiss and walked back to Jeffery and Jiao.
It seemed to Jeffery that William was sad. Rachel looked longingly after him.
"Let's go," said William, and they went back to the docking bay.
"Jiao," said William, once they'd reached the shuttle, "you can go with the Sea of Boston directly to SD-9. I'll brief you there. And, Jeffery, we'll upgrade all our ships to the latest weapons and technology. You'll be one of the first to get them at SD-9."
Jeffery nodded.
"You did well during the battle," commended William. "And I heard that your Marines fought well beside Jiao's Jaegers. Good work."
"Thank you, sir," said Jeffery. He was a bit reluctant to say "sir" to a fellow commander, but it was already obvious that this man was not any ordinary commander.
"I'll see you both at SD-9," said William, and went back to his own shuttle.
Jiao and Jeffery flew back to Sea of Boston. As soon as they went to the bridge, Jeffery ordered the ship at full speed to SD-9.
***
"I've missed him," said Rachel to Milton, who'd come to the medical bay, "More than I had realized."
"Bad times emphasize feelings we have," said Milton understandingly, "and these times are the worst in our history. Do you realize how close we were to losing everything? How close we are to losing everything?"
"I knew it was bad," said Rachel and turned to look Milton, "but I didn't know it was that bad."
Milton nodded. "If we hadn't destroyed The Village of War, we wouldn't have had a chance. We'd be dead now, and there'd no one to stop the Kaitians. But now they've suffered great losses themselves, and it seems that they'll hold their positions for now. And that brings me here," finished Milton. He nodded toward the dead Kaitians. "Have you learned anything? Anything we can use as a weapon?"
"I can get started with the genetics, but we'd need live Kaitians to test and finish any genetic weapons," said Rachel.
"But, look . . . there's something very interesting here."
"Swords?" guessed Milton.
"Exactly," she said, "and more. Subtle things, like the markings on the armor of the officer. I'm sure they have some higher meaning. Admiral Bai suspected that these were the Kaitian elite soldiers, and I must agree--in which case, the destruction of The Village of War did indeed cause heavy losses to them."
Milton was thoughtful for a moment and looked closer at the Kaitian soldier and his armor.
"I hope you're right. Put all your findings and thoughts in to your report. And ask for whatever help you need," said Milton. "We'll provide it."
17
William stood in his office at SD-9 and looked at the map of the galaxy on the wall.
The map showed the latest known positions of the Coalition forces, as well as the enemy forces. For the umpteenth time, William thought about the calm before the storm.
The Kaitians had ceased their invasion after the battle of the Mopian home world, engaging only in occasional skirmishes that the Coalition forces initiated. The scouts, the ones who weren't caught, reported that the Kaitians had increased their resource harvesting and industrial production in the conquered worlds.
Fortunately, the cease of Kaitian activity meant that the Coalition had had time to prepare; four of their own super-cruisers from the Coalition shipyards were ready.
"Commander?" called somebody in the intercom. "They are here."
"Send them in," said William and turned toward the door. Jiao, Jeffery, Nick, Louis, and Bruce came to the office.
"Please take a seat," said William, and sat behind his own desk.
"Now the time has finally come for your next mission," he said. Since the battle of the Mopian home world, William had kept the humans in the background, not going near the Kaitian forces. He had wanted to wait for the super-cruisers, and for advancements in weapons and technology to be installed in human ships.
"Finally," said Bruce.
"Yes, old friend." William smiled. "Finally. You know the enemy is rebuilding their forces. Even if we were defeated, we caused them greater loss than we thought at the battle of the Mopian home world. But we need to take the initiative, since, frankly, we will lose this war unless we gain the upper hand." Jiao and Jeffery were surprised by this comment they'd been told otherwise through the official channels. William saw the surprise.
"Yes, that's true," he said, "and we must change that."
William stood and walked to the galaxy map.
"As you can see, the Kaitians have nearly cut the Coalition in half, with the Miccvans on one side and the rest on the other. We know that the Kaitians are rebuilding their forces; as soon as they're ready, we are sure that they'll launch simultaneous attacks on the Miccvan, Ooktian, Gemono, and Rg'Tkeen Empires.
"We are outnumbered, and even if we had ten times the forces we have, we'll still probably lose this war," said William. "So it's time to even the odds."
No one said anything. Bruce had a thin smile and Nick and Louis were looking almost bored, which was how they wanted look to others. In reality, they were not bored but curious, even anxious, as they didn't know why they were there.
"Jeffery," said William, "you are here because I'm giving the Sea of Boston to Jiao. The ship is fitted with our latest weapons and technology, the bleeding edge stuff from the research."
This surprised Jeffery but before he could say anything, William continued, "I'm giving you a choice. You can stay on the Sea of Boston as the first officer. Or I can find you a new ship, perhaps a cruiser, for your new command."
Jeffery was even more surprised by the choice--but what really surprised him was the thought that if he went to another ship he might not see Ellen again.
The answer came almost immediately. "I'll stay as the first officer, sir."
"Good," said William and Jiao nodded approvingly. "I'll find a new position for your current first officer. Is she ready for her own command?"
"Lisa?" said Jeffery. "Yes. She is ready."
"Very good, I'll find her a frigate," said William.
"And now we go to evening the odds." He looked at Jiao and Jeffery. "You'll play an important part in it. We are making new weapons as we speak, and the Coalition Command has prioritized the development of genetic weapons against the Kaitians above all else."
"Sir?" interrupted Jiao. "Isn't that illegal?"
"Ah. I knew you'd ask that," said William. "They are illegal in the Coalition, yes. But t
he enemy is not part of the Coalition and they really don't care about legalities. I'm sure you've heard what they are doing in the conquered worlds."
All nodded.
"The rumors are all true," said William, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"But we need living samples to further development. The bodies you brought us, Jiao, have been paramount, and now they are pretty much used."
Jeffery took a breath; he knew what their mission would be and it was not going to be easy.
"Your mission's primary objective," said William to Jiao and Jeffery, "is to infiltrate Kaitian space and bring living and dead samples of the Kaitians back for our research. As many as possible. You'll get the details when you leave. You also have two secondary objectives: reconnaissance and hit-and-run attacks. Very much like what you did with The Village of War, Jiao."
"Yes, sir," said Jiao, "but The Village was far better equipped."
William smiled. "But you don't know yet what we've put in the Sea of Boston. I'm sure you're going to like it. Any questions? You'll get the details when you leave."
"I assume," said Jeffery, "that we'll get Marines for the mission?"
"Of course. A full company. The three Marine platoons already on the Sea of Boston," answered William and wondered why Jeffery looked so relieved at his answer, "and seven platoons from the Jaeger Brigade."
"When do we leave?" asked Jiao.
"Immediately," said William, "Get whatever you need and go to the Sea of Boston; you'll find the ship ready to depart to the first destination."
Jiao stood up and Jeffery followed. "Yes, sir!" they said.
"Dismissed," said William, "and good hunting."
Once Jiao and Jeffery had gone, William continued. "And now to you," he said to Nick and Louis.
"We could have done that," said Nick, nodding toward the door.
"I'm sure, but I have better mission for your talents." William smiled.
"And what might that mission be, I wonder," said Louis.
"The secondary objective is to gather intelligence about the Kaitians--their fleets, bases, and everything--so that we can pinpoint the most effective targets for the Coalition forces," said William.
"And if that's the secondary objective, what is the primary one?" asked Nick, curious to hear the answer.
"You are going to see the Strangers," said William in a flat tone and Nick fell from his chair.
***
"The Strangers, William? Really?" asked Nick after he got over the shock.
"I didn't knew you were a comedian," said Louis twitching in his chair, "But I'm not laughing so you're a poor comedian."
"Ha ha." Bruce laughed. "I knew you'd planned something for us. But I admit, I'm surprised, too."
"Not you, Bruce," said William, "Only Nick and Louis."
Bruce looked disappointed, but as William raised his hand slightly, Bruce knew William had something for him, too.
"The Strangers?" repeated Nick. "Really?"
"Really," answered William, smiling, but then turned serious. "We know that the Kaitians are involved with the Strangers--you brought the evidence yourselves."
Nick and Louis nodded.
"But we don't know why they are involved. Why do the Strangers leave the Kaitians alone?" continued William. "So far, all the reports tell us that the Strangers couldn't care less about our war. They still do whatever they do, so we have started to think that perhaps the Strangers are not involved with the Kaitians, even if the Kaitians have involved themselves with the Strangers. But still it's a mystery why they are left alone."
"So you want us to find out why?" asked Nick.
William didn't answer right away. The thought had occurred to him, but in the end, he doubted they could find out and whether that was even important to know. "No. That might not be so easy. Or even relevant. I want you to go to take a close look at them." He smiled.
Nick and Louis exchanged looks.
"A close look?" asked Louis dubiously.
William nodded. "It's time to find out what our latest cloak is made of. We've made improvements to it and we must know how good it is. You can now decloak and cloak again. You also get cloaked torpedoes, improved AI and much more. The best technology in the galaxy.
"I want you to go to the old Hwzeenn home world, wait for the Strangers there and then," said William, "see what happens."
The men went quiet.
"You realize, William," said Nick after a long silence, "that if the technology doesn't work, we'll die."
"Yes, Nick," said William, and sighed. "But you are the only ones who can do this."
"Why not AI?" asked Louis.
"It's a possibility," said William, "but, frankly, I don't trust an AI enough. Besides, if Strangers detect the ship, what would they do if they find only an AI? Maybe they capture it? And that's something I can't afford. Believe me, I've thought about this. As much as it saddens me, you're the ones that I need to do this."
The men were silent once more.
"The old Hwzeenn home world, eh?" said Nick, after he decided that he wouldn't miss this chance even if it killed him.
"That's where the Strangers were seen for the first time," said Louis. "By one of the scouts, Alex."
"Alex?" said Nick. "Yes, I remember. He was all over the news, became one of the richest men of the SolGov at the time."
"I remember him from KCap-16." Nick smiled. "He was seeing a girl I fancied at the night of the Revelation."
"Heh, heh." Louis laughed. "You never got to look under her uniform, did you?"
"No, I didn't!" Nick laughed. "And that's all your fault!"
He pointed to both Bruce and William and the men laughed together.
"Alex was on that mission with Susan and her people, Lea, Michael, and Harry," said Nick, and William stopped laughing.
"That wasn't public knowledge," commented William, in a normal tone with a hint of warning. "Be careful when you look for information. You might find something that you're not supposed to see."
Nick and Louis made a note of the comment, but neither could determine how serious William was.
"William," said Bruce, "they should know."
"Know what?" asked Louis.
William glanced at Bruce and nodded in agreement. "You know what happened to Susan."
"Yes," said Nick, "she staged her own death and vanished."
"Right. Do you know what happened to the others?"
It didn't happen often, but this time, Nick and Louis didn't know, and shook their heads, much to William and Bruce's surprise.
"The Rg'Tkeen lost track of Lea. And the Saami lost Harry," said William. "And they all happened too close each other to be coincidences."
"And Michael?" asked Nick.
"We lost track of Michael long ago and no one knew where he might be," said William, "until just before you came back from the Kaitian home world and brought yourselves the last piece of the puzzle."
William told them about what Jeffery and Caleb had told them about Jaeger Sergeant Michael Angelos.
"Do you think what I think you think?" said Louis.
"Yes," answered William, "I believe that Michael was at the Kaitian home world when the Strangers killed them. And I believe Susan and others vanished just after that. And I believe that it must be the reason why they vanished in the first place."
"I think you're right," commented Louis. "Difficult to think otherwise."
Nick nodded in agreement, shifted uneasily in his chair, and said, "In the light of this, I fear that the Kaitian war is nothing but a footnote of things to come."
"Exactly," said William, "so it is of utmost importance to see what, if anything, we have against the Strangers."
"And against Susan and others as well," said Louis.
William nodded. "You're right. More than you know."
The group, the Coalition Command, was established just to find out about Susan and her kind as well as the Strangers. Over its long history, they determined that they sh
ared history with the Strangers, and many theories had been formulated what that history might be. Some of the theories were wilder than others; some theories were even plausible.
"When do we leave?" asked Nick, sensing that their part of the briefing had come to an end.
"In a few days," said William. "You can go and relax until the ship is ready."
"Which ship, by the way?" asked Louis.
"The Lake of Fairwater," answered William. "As you already know, the soul of a cruiser in the body of a corvette."
Nick and Louis smiled at the comment. "Right on, Commander."
The men left the office and William turned to Bruce.
"And now to you, old friend.”
"Yes. To me," said Bruce, waiting to hear what William had in mind.
"I know you've been itching for battle, even with the risk of dying," said William and Bruce nodded. That was exactly what he'd wanted to do.
"And now you'll get your chance," said William. "I give you the super-cruiser from the combined Coalition shipyards, due to arrive very soon. I unleash you to cause havoc in Kaitian space, based on the intel from others, including Nick and Louis, and to do some recon for yourself too."
"Yes!" said Bruce delighted.
"Unlike The Village of War, the new super-cruiser won't have any smaller ships, but everything is filled with weapons, shields and energy," said William, "I give you also one of our cloak detectors. It must be kept secret, by any means necessary," he added. "You know that."
Bruce nodded, pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected to get any of their top-secret technologies. "I know."
It went without saying that Bruce, and William, would do almost anything to keep their cloak and cloak-detector secret.
"So," said William, "the ship arrives soon and I've chosen preliminary crew for it. Feel free to make any changes."
"Thanks, William," said Bruce and started to smile a very wide smile indeed. "You know, I've been wanting to something like this for a long time."
William nodded, and he understood perfectly what Bruce meant.
"Just be careful," he said. "I'd hate to think a future without you, old friend."
"I'll be careful," said Bruce and stood up. William stood up, too, and they shook hands.
Bruce nodded and left the office without another word.
18
"What do you think?" asked Louis.
The Lake of Fairwater had come to the edge of the star system of the old Hwzeenn home world. The Strangers, if they were still punctual, would arrive in five days.