Chapter 92

With the Armada well out into the Orion Perseus gap, Clare decided to run for Sol after granting four days local leave. The crew members were attended by Companions who maintained the mental blocks when questions of "Sundowner's" performance were raised. Clare, Shirley, Morg and TJ had had a brainstorming session and come up with numerous acceptable replies and given them to the crew with the implications of great big top secret matter not to be even thought of.

Admiral Higgins had visited "Sundowner" with spouse and he didn't even bother to ask. He did discuss the recent events with Clare and her officers and it, was obvious to them, he was keeping his professional dispassion with great difficulty. He was able to flesh out the details concerning Mountserrat and confirmed that the capitol and its industry was "disappeared".

Emporer Harold was in the High Country and was gathering the reins of power back into his hands – the populace sought guidance and he provided it with the support of his Parliament - such as it was. The fact of 119's support and being the only naval elements in the system was conveniently skirted around. 119 (Reformed) was still in Mountserrat space covering the departed Chencon Armada (and guarding the supply train).

Queen Elizabeth and many of her household had perished.

The Commons was gutted as most of its city members had remained behind in their electorates, supporting the Parliament. Those who had stayed however had evacuated their families as it wasn't their risk. The Lords had returned to their estates and most of them had opened their estates to the evacuees – not solely out of the goodness of their hearts as the farms were to be worked hard in the forthcoming season and "if you want to eat you sing for it".

Griffen and Styx were intact and communications had been re-established; their yards had ramped up even higher with shifted emphasis on getting ships into service now.

Elizabeth had allegedly thrown one of her famous temper tantrums when the Space Lords had baulked at leaving the capitol – they went and were accompanied by almost all the staff The Admiralty Signals' Section, however. had remained fully manned until the end. RMN was now a service with no ships and not much prospect of even fielding a task group for some months.

TJ confirmed Renmark was unscathed but the capitol of Damasa was obliterated. Being forewarned the Mounty army division on Damasa had taken to the hills and dug in to good effect; many, mostly female, Masadans had taken refuge with them. The Lord Protector had visited Damasa, post-apocalypse, and had suggested to the survivors that a combining of their two nation planets under his governance would be the best for both. Decisions were quickly made and the integration (as opposed to colonisation) commenced – sometimes an absolute ruler does bring benefits.

"They're dead; they are dead men spacing..."

"Sundowner" was back at Old London Orbital. TJ had been able to catch up with his mutie net and then sit back and assess things.

Sir Henry Bollinger's attempts to warn Harbouria were unsuccessful and that planet nation just sat there awaiting whatever fate was theirs; no evacuations from New Liege, no mass exodus from the planet. TJ's contacts had accepted his earlier advice that now was a good time to take that accrued leave and transfer assets elsewhere.

The Armada was three days out of Harbouria.

The Armada's supply train sat in hard space under 119's guns. Their merchant crews with the few navy personnel were in two hospital ships seventeen days out of Sol.

Baron Westlake, Ambassador of the Empire of Mountserrat to the USW Senate and Sir Hyram Wangfor, USW Senate Ambassador to the Republic of Harbouria were conducting a war of words on the vid screens of the Old Earth.

The spokesman for the Chencon Senators had gone absent and it was rare to see a Chencon Senator even scuttling from a ground car into their Embassy. The Chencon government was business as usual or trying to maintain the façade.

The talking heads were talking up a storm opining the Settlement bombardment was a fake and only able to keep running the coverage because there was a determined lobby, with some influence, proclaiming it was genuine.

The Triumvirate had asked Clare Gillard for a meet to discuss events and asked they be accompanied by their intelligence chiefs. TJ was reluctant as he had no wish to have his mutie net exposed but Clare pointed out that the FTL, com and velocity, were more at risk than his net.

The old mezzanine mess on "Sundowner" was used for the conference. It was understood this was a meeting of proxies of the heads of government – utterly deniable – as they struggled with the political ramifications for Old Earth.

The Noramcon int chief summarised the event surrounding the Armada including the politics and Enkland and Russiberia made their additions.

TJ then began his presentation starting with an overview of Old Earth's population and non-renewable resources. His overview of the politics of galactic immigration and possibility of similar waves of migration was simplistic but served to highlight that the settled colonies were held to be resources.

The summary of "friendly" force and potential and of Chencon strength and potential must have depressed his listeners.

The events leading up to the departure of the Armada were digested in silence but Clare asked a question

"How aware are Solarians of the Armada?"

Noramcon Int replied,

"Up until the alleged Settlement destruction about as for the war out there – not very. A dog dying in Brooklyn still gets more coverage than a city now wiped out of existence somewhere in the Galaxy even despite the continuing debate about what happened. The Chencons have stifled debate in the Senate and no coverage is good coverage for them."

"They haven't woken up to the shift in the balance of power?" TJ interspersed.

"'Teeth, their damned leaders are only just waking up and are terrified of "provoking" whatever." Russiberia snorted disgustedly. "Until that Armada returns Chencon is in a very weakened position but has managed to maintain the perception of being the most powerful nation on earth. What is really important is that Armada and what it is doing."

"Pardon me" Clare asked "I'm not versed in Terran politics but would you expand that?"

"Ma'am, until that Armada spaced, Chencon dominated the planet and because of their skilful propaganda, the electorate viewed them as benign and no threat; so the politicians were unsupported even if they took counsel of their fears. Behind the scenes the Chencon are bullies and have been coercing national leaders for centuries. Push has not yet come to shove as the Chencons don't want a showdown because even if they are the last standing, civilisation could well be destroyed..."

Russiberia paused to collect his thoughts and enjoy a drop of the brew.

" ... That Sopac fleet would require a concerted effort on our part (waving his hand at his colleagues) to destroy. It would be bloody but they would lose. But there is no support for that and perhaps rightly so as Chencon is definitely not posing any threat at present. But if that Armada victoriously returns, then all bets are off...

This planet has a goodly amount of living area still left but its resources are now at subsistance level and convert agricultural land to dwellings and we'd starve before we could get orbitals established – I was Naval Attaché to Renmark but I can't get my masters to do more that look at the things...

The Armada according to some sources has put the Mountserrat Navy out of play and is heading for Harbouria to do what we don't know. According to Westlake they are even more helpless than Mountserrat was and even if they are not the Armada could overwhelm them if it chooses. The Chencons could ally themselves with Harbouria and the effect is the same. The settled galaxy is the Chencon's oyster with all its resources...

Amaranti and Renmark, and I do want to know how it dodged its alleged bullet, are the only planets with navies to speak of left but they can only defend their own systems...

This planet's balance of power, and probably the galaxy's, is permanently altered. The return of the Armada puts this planet at the mercy of the Chencons...

That Armada doesn't return for some reason and we are freer agents for a while until their building programme starts delivering and as will probably be the case, our masters don't match them...

We are in the endgame for another planet wide conflict and, at least, I'd rather it not happen in my lifetime and I'd much prefer if I can leave my descendents peace for their lifetimes. And to persuade my leaders to act I need facts but ... where?"

There was along pause which the First Sea Lord broke speaking reflectively,

"Allow me to presume for the nonce that everything Commander Hobson says is proven ... Politics is so much about perceptions and presently our electorates perceive the Panda as being soft and cuddly. As Admiral Kutznokov states we need facts, hard facts, to break that perception smartly. According to Baron Westlake's secret memorandum to the Foreign and Interstellar Secretary of State, returning to Sol, in two ships, are the crews of that supply train and if I was in one of them I would harbour some trepidations about my fate at the hands of my government; particularly so if I was a watch officer. They have had, what?, four weeks to ponder their future and let their imaginations run riot ... They are shipwrecked spacers, being repatriated home and all that, and I believe that we, specifically, the independent merchantman "Sundowner" should offer them succour at say a mercy fleet hove to at the Falklands beacon...

I think I can persuade Harbours and Space to place a beacon down there considering the recent activity ... hmm?...

Puhleeeaase, Captain, don't say you don't have the means to speak with them. I don't know how you do it but I do know that you have the capability...

The rest of us can rustle up a mercy ship or two from each nation for such a humanitarian purpose and offer aid and asylum to whoever chooses...

And perchance a grateful or remorseful soul... ?...

Agreed? Good, details later. Now suggestions about the Armada?"

"They're dead; they are dead men spacing..." TJ stated flatly.

The naval eyebrows went hairward, and the Noramcon CNO cocked his head towards TJ.

" ... The Chencons took out the Junction at Settlement. One of the prizes for any conqueror. If you watch the live take after the bombardment you will see a hive of Chencon small boat activity about an undamaged area of the harbour. Two days of frenzied activity during which a large task force detaches on least time course to Renmark. Another day and the remainder heads out on least time course for Harbouria and Damasa in its orbit is just slightly off that track. Why the activity? They bunkered before they oblitered Settlement but didn't wait for their train except to dispatch destroyers back probably with orders to rendezvous somewhere...

I think I can make some sense. Your ships are designed for interplanetary voyages and bunkered accordingly for return voyages back to Old Earth inside the Solar system. Thus, Sol Mounserrat no problem. Bunker, and Mountserrat Harbouria, via hyper, still no problem but a return voyage would be unless they bunker at New Liege. But there is a problem. For the last four years, New Liege bunkers have been supplied by four separate distant sources of reaction mass – their local dwarf ran out; its down to its central core. Also with no home fleet to purchase fuel, the suppliers have cut back...