18: A Show of Force

“I’m accusing you of violating the laws of nature,” he said,
irritated at my failure to respond.
“Nature’s virtue is intact,” I reassured him.
“I just know some different laws.”

Orson Scott Card
“This is phenomenal!” Captain Ti Lobelli raved. “You’re pulling us along as you travel multiple times faster than we’re capable of going alone. If you only charged fees to accompany you on your journeys, you could earn a fortune.”

“And discovering new cultures on vacation fosters good will and communications between the worlds,” Yklyst added in Plssam. “While creating demand for the trade goods of the planets you visit.”

“We’re not looking to start a ferry service,” Zita said. “But we could give a few people a lift whenever we happen by. Al loves to talk.” She glanced at him, raising a brow. “Having someone new at hand lets the rest of us get something accomplished.

“I must say,” Ti Lobelli noted. “I’m not used to people walking my ship’s hallways with metal boxes hovering over their heads.”

“It may look odd,” Tilli said, “but it allows our people to spend time aboard your vessel without suffering from exhaustion. While we adjust our gravity by positioning the units under our floors, automating them lets us adapt to your particular environment.”

“I’ll tell you, if you can sell us something providing consistent gravity, it would be worth a fortune. It’s a tremendous energy expenditure continually rotating your vessel to simulate it. What’s more, it varies with where you are, making much of the ship unusable and increases the chance of impact strikes. The savings alone would pay for itself many times over.”

Tilli giggled. “Trust us, once we get around to mining dark matter, we’ll have plenty to offer.”

“Well,” Al interrupted, “we’ve arrived at our preparation point.”

“And where is here?” Ti Lobelli asked. “I don’t see anything. Just empty space.”

“That’s exactly what it is,” he said. “We’re near Tissk, but in a region they can’t monitor, even if they could detect our ships. Neither of your vessels are as nimble as ours, as you’re unable to halt your forward momentum. You instead need to reverse using your thrusters, only then slowing by firing your engines. It’s an inefficient and time-consuming procedure, which is a severe handicap in combat situations. I want to ensure neither of you are near when we begin, so they won’t think you’re participating. So before we enter their system, we need to coordinate your efforts so we come to a complete stop. We’ll accelerate for everyone and cancel our forward momentum when we arrive, so we can distance ourselves as we leave you. We’re transmitting the timetable, so you can synchronize your movements. If you’re too slow, you’ll have to catch up, forcing us to restart the entire process.”

“It’s fascinating your ship doesn’t seem constrained by the laws of physics,” Ti Lobelli marveled.

“Hardly,” Theo said, as Al encouraged everyone to converse with their guests to make them feel comfortable. “We just possess more versatile engines. It’s something we can offer in the future. But the real magic is coming to a complete stop despite the speeds we’re traveling.”

“It’s useful in combat,” Gary confirmed. “In our battle, the Tissk’s inability to control their momentum, coupled with our constantly changing ours, meant they couldn’t counter our attacks and were late launching theirs. While they attacked our initial position, we attacked from all directions, running rings around them.”

“You don’t need to convince me,” Yklyst said, concentrating on their coordinated maneuvers. Matching each other’s speeds meant it was a stately process, providing time to talk as they maintained their positions. “Put in an order for me. Even for old traders like us, it’ll make docking easier, as well as allowing us to avoid pirate attacks. I’ll be honest, we’ve never practiced synchronized movements before, so it takes a little getting used to.”

“It’s helpful if you harass them with your drones as you make your escape,” Gary suggested. “It’s also handy if someone fires at you, and you stop before being hit.”

“As I’ve indicated,” Al continued, “I wouldn’t move while in Tissk lest you be seen as aggressors. It will clearly differentiate our actions from yours and keep you out of the line of fire. And don’t be afraid to use your drones to get a better look at the action. Just keep them out of combat, otherwise you may lose your investment.”

“You’ll also want to recall them to defend you,” Gary said, “in case the Tissk attack.”

“You’re doing nicely, gentlemen,” Al said. You’ll become adept at this soon. For now, we’re simply halting your momentum before leaving. By the way, Lox, Triliz and the other Lezmonom speaking with your people have identified a few potential Intuits. As I promised, we’ll provide quantum links for them for a fee, as they’re an extremely scarce resource. Employing them to avoid risks is an investment which will recoup that payment many times over. They can safely guide your crafts through interstellar space while communicating with us, your homeworlds and even your destinations. Rather than supplying everyone with their own, they can consolidate and convey messages for you.”

“Actually, I prefer you charging us,” Ti Lobelli groused, “so they won’t demand a higher salary for performing those functions!”

“Given how much they’ll save you, it’ll be worth every tolkar paying them extra,” Yklyst said. “Imagine how much more efficient you’ll be. Consider the alternatives? A single mistake would not only cost you your cargo, but your ship, your life, and possibly an entire system. No matter what they charge, it’s better than losing everything! And more importantly, you want them to feel appreciated so they aren’t tempted to join a competitor. If they’re proud of their work, they’ll refine their talents, working to earn you ever more profits to further their own interests.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Lobelli conceded. “Still, the costs are sure to mount.”

“So will your profits and activities,” Eli pointed out. “With new engines, rather than each trip taking decades, you can make multiple stops selling products from one world to the next. You can also carry more profitable items, including perishables, which benefits everyone. That’s how fortunes are made. You’ll make more trips, carrying more goods and build local markets while picking up more wares to entice other worlds. You don’t make fortunes by quibbling over necessary expenses. You do it by maximizing your returns and rewarding the actions which boost your bottom line.”

“We’re also examining your crews,” Xi said. “We’ve found a number of medical conditions which we can easily cure. We won’t charge for it, but it demonstrates how beneficial they are. They detect and treat a wide variety of issues your current medicines can’t, including genetic maladies, cancers and autoimmune disorders. If it takes you years making the journeys between planets, can you afford vital personnel keeling over midflight?”

“With our aids, your crews are not only learning Tandori but becoming fluent in each other’s languages,” Betty reflected. “It’ll make interplanetary trade simpler, and evaluating new wares on subsequent planets easier. Your crew can identify and select new products, speeding up every aspect of your business.”

“Our quantum-linked aids allow for simultaneous language acquisition,” Zita stressed. “Your people can converse with worlds you haven’t reached and generate advanced orders. Thus you’ll know what they want and how much they’ll pay in advance. It eliminates the uncertainty that plagues traders now. How do you think we’ve become so conversant so soon?”

“Hold on,” Lobelli said. “You’ve given our people your most valuable products? Doesn’t that undermine your entire sales pitch?”

“Not at all,” she answered. “Once you’ve seen what they’re capable of, you won’t dream of refusing to purchase them. But ... we can always shut them down at any time, so it’s no risk offering them to you now.”

“Please, we’re convinced!” Yklyst protested. “There’s little sense selling things we can’t purchase. We’ll barter for whatever you’ll offer. We’ll gladly pay for those single quantum-aids, as well as many regular ones as you’ll sell us. There are already enough things we’re dying to get our hands on. We can’t wait to try the new engines, so we’ll trade you all the raw metals and other items we can lay our hands on! Your biggest limitation is how much you can carry! If we can’t find the resources, there are plenty of traders who can.”

“All right, guys,” Al cut in. “You’ve done an excellent job. We’re sitting perfectly still. Now it’s time to pay the Tissk a surprise visit.” The three vessels accelerated out of the sector and soon reached their destination. As promised, Al’s craft slowed them, until both Ti Lobelli and Yklyst’s were stationary while his warship pulled away. With their natural defenses countered and their exterior brightly lit they headed towards the amassed array of departing vessels.

The fleet was about eighty percent of the way to their heliopause, while the Peaceful Avenger was behind and to the side, closer to sixty. Heading away and relying on visual observations, they weren’t aware the three ships had arrived.

“We’re baaaaack!” Al announced, drawing out the word. The undetectable drones they’d left behind transmitted his words to their world, while another tailing their armada informed them too. He signaled Gary to fire a single laser, which sped towards the distant fleet.

A ship blew apart without warning midway in the procession. The laboriously applied shielding did little to protect it. Since the ships traveled so closely together, the struck vessel tumbled, striking those near it, which were also thrown off kilter. Its debris ripped into the surrounding ships, causing significant damage.

“Now we wait for them to figure out what happened.” Al leaned back, putting his feet up and relaxing. Solomon, sensing his mood, sang a foreboding tune. He waited a while, idly petting him, before sitting up again.

“We thought it a pity you planned this surprise party when we wouldn’t be home, so we arrived early bringing fireworks. My, your Tissk vessels make a mighty pretty display. It’s a shame all those dead crewmen disrupt the festive atmosphere. Still, with so many ships, there’s no reason to stop now.” He paused, waiting several long minutes, allowing their dire situation to sink in. “Is anyone prepared to surrender, or should we resume?”

‘I wondered when you might show up. You certainly make a dramatic entrance, ‘ Gurrstlk acknowledged. ‘Your timing is excellent. I didn’t think you could schedule these things so precisely. I’m here with Illkk, who’s about to shit himself. He’s livid, and he’s taking it out on everyone nearby.‘

‘Are you safe, or should you make a strategic departure?‘

‘No, despite their reluctance, everybody knows my presence is essential—despite having no idea how our communications operate. They seem to think I need to pull out a headset to speak with you.‘

‘In that case, tell him I said howdy and hope we can become friends once the remains of his fleet are cleared away.‘

He didn’t respond for several long moments before answering.

‘Well, if he wasn’t pleased before, he’s prepared to eat his own children now! He says “We’ll crush you, you insolent cowards. Stand and fight like real warriors, rather than hiding and striking from behind!”‘

‘I’ve got to say, he’s got balls, though minimal intelligence. If you can, stick close by, so you can report how he’s responding. With our private link, hopefully we can negotiate without the typical bluster and threats he needs to fire up his people.‘

‘Trust me, he’s not broadcasting any messages now, and everyone nearby is terrified. He’s not a patient man.‘

‘Tell him we’ll remain where we are, with our exterior lit and our sensor-camouflage deactivated, though it won’t do him much good. His ships have little chance of reaching us, while we could fly rings around them if we wanted.‘

‘I told him; though he’s a little preoccupied screaming orders at everyone not in attendance. I’ll let you know if anything changes.‘

When no one else responded—their drones monitoring their transmissions, including the security channels—Al shrugged. “That’s what I thought, you’re so happy you’re at a loss for words. Maybe this will give you something to discuss?”

Gary fired another laser targeting the rearmost vessel—a supply ship—causing extensive damage. Its shrapnel smashed into those arrayed before it. The force of the blast again altered their horizons, throwing their perspectives off and complicating their responses.

Ever so slowly, the ships attempted to turn to confront them. Yet with their thrusters insufficient to maneuver quickly, the vessels closed with their neighbors in agonizing slow motion. Realizing they were about to smash into their fellow Tissk, and powerless to countermand their orders, they watched their demises approaching.

“So, any takers?” Al inquired, knowing they were powerless to do anything. “Anyone want to quit, or do you want to try for round three? I’ll tell you, while this may be exciting for you guys, this is boring as hell watching you slow dance. We’re used to more active battles, with enemies actually returning fire, so we’re likely to lose patience. After all, we don’t intend to waste the whole afternoon.”

“We’ll never concede!” someone on their homeworld declared. “We’ll destroy you, even if we have to sacrifice everything! You surprised us, but we still outnumber you. You can’t avoid us forever, and you’ll die for your sheer blind arrogance!”

“Supreme Commander Illkk?” Al asked in flawless Trilck. “I’m glad you could join us. I was afraid you were stuck on the toilet with shit dribbling down your leg, missing all the fun. Please, finish wiping your ass, and observe the demise of your once formidable fleet.” Solomon imitated dripping water striking a stone floor and he chuckled, not expecting it.