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Deliberations
© 2021 by Walter Reimer
She’d been away from Terra for over ten (nearer eleven) years, and as the diplomatic courier settled into a synchronous orbit over New Melbourne, Anulka-Mei Balakrishnan couldn’t believe how dirty the place looked. Parts of the world were obscured by dingy gray and off-white clouds, and she recalled that parts of the planet were uninhabitable. Well, the place had looked like this before she had left, but still . . .
Below her, the megalopolis of New Melbourne stretched like a scar across a third of Ostralya from the spaceport at Nullarbor to the eastern coast and out into the sea.
The contrasts between Terra and Gwath ka-shlal were stark, and she hated the shlani even more for it.
One of the crew had helpfully given her a filter mask, something she hadn’t had to think about wearing for years but was required for Terra’s atmosphere. Fortunately she wouldn’t be out in the open very long, and the government complex had its own internal air-circulation systems.
Not simply because of the outside environment; it was the simplest way to deter the introduction of poisonous gases or pathogens into the facilities. Of course, there were poisons, and then there were poisons, and she was walking into a potentially lethal atmosphere.
There were a series of thumps as an armored shuttle docked with the courier, and two mel minks stepped aboard before the canine femme could get out of her seat. They wore black suits in the current style. “Anulka-Mei Balakrishnan?”
The Dhole-Akita femme stood. “That’s me.” Her two aides stood as well.
The minks promptly displayed badges, in black and gold – Special Service badges – and the antelope and raven sat down immediately. The badges conferred an almost carte blanche authority on the bearer, and their existence had been rumored for years. “Just you, Balakrishnan-jih,” the mel said. “The Lord Protector’s orders.”
“Another shuttle will collect your aides and luggage,” the other said. “You have priority.”
Balakrishnan nodded, and followed the two into the waiting shuttle. As soon as the airlocks cycled closed the craft undocked and headed down.
The interior was Spartan, but it was obviously meant for VIPs, which made her relax.
Just a little.
It was a fairly rough ride down. ‘Priority’ apparently meant ‘drop like a meteor, and hope the wings don’t snap when you level off.’ The shuttle steadied down after a few fur-raising moments, blast shutters opened to let in the wan sunlight and she felt the discernible difference as the artigrav switched off and Terra’s gravity asserted itself over her. Dumping speed quickly in a series of S-curves, the shuttle flared into a hover and settled with a light thump at the military-only section of the spaceport.
The two minks were on their feet before the engines shut off, and a personnel access mated itself to the shuttle’s airlock. “After you, Ma’am,” one said to Balakrishnan as the door cycled open.
The canine braced herself and walked out into the tunnel, the two Special Service officers right behind her.
A very familiar rabbit flanked by two uniformed Foreign Ministry security officers was waiting for her at the arrival lounge. “Anulka,” Hwillis Shumeng said. The cant of her ears indicated that she was nervous about something.
“Shumeng.”
Unexpectedly, the rabbit lunged at her and gave her a brief hug, leaving Balakrishnan in a state somewhere between angry and confused. While she recovered her poise the rabbit turned to the two minks. “I’ve got it from here.”
“You don’t give us orders,” one said.
“All right,” the rabbit said. “Try to keep up. Come on, Anulka, the car’s this way,” and she seized the canine’s paw and almost broke into a run, followed by the two ForMin security officers and the minks.
The canine grew winded and barely managed to make it to the car, a squat armored shape. The two security guards practically threw her in, the doors closed and the car sped off.
“What’s the matter?” Hwillis asked as Balakrishnan sprawled across the seats, tongue lolling as she panted.
The Dhole-Akita got her breath back enough to snarl, “You try living for ten years at zero point seventy-six gee and see how well you run in this!” She put a paw to her heart and closed her eyes, struggling to get herself under control. “What the fuck were you thinking, leaving those SS mels behind?” she finally demanded. “Even I know their reputation.”
“I needed to talk to you alone, and they have ears,” Hwillis said, ignoring her former lover’s tone for the moment. “And I’ll be in trouble, not you.”
“That’s not a comfort, and you know it.” Another pause. “All right, then, talk.”
Shumeng immediately started looking nervous again. “The Lord Protector’s been shut up with the admirals and the AIs since midnight, waiting for you to arrive. I need to know, Anulka – did the shlani give you any daylight for negotiation? Are you sure you’re not keeping anything back?”
“Yes, I’m sure, Shumeng,” Balakrishnan said wearily, running a paw through her headfur. She sat up and straightened her suit. “K’Tan gave me no room. We either surrender, or they throw everything at us.” She suddenly squirmed. “I need to pee. How long till we get there?”
“We’re nearing Zidne now,” the rabbit replied after a datatrance of about a second. “Government-only traffic lanes, and I arranged priority passage for us.”
Balakrishnan nodded, and pressed her thighs together.
The car approached the armored gates of the Presidential compound, and barely slowed as the AIs conversed about clearances and lowered the barriers. The autocannons tracked the vehicle briefly, and returned to scanning the road and surrounding city as the gate closed. The car took a right-paw turn and descended several levels, coming to a halt in a parking area. The two women emerged from the vehicle and headed into the complex.
Shumeng tapped her foot impatiently. “You’re not done yet?”
“Fuck you.”
“Deus, your bladder hasn’t gotten any bigger since we were in college, Anulka.” The sound of rushing water made the rabbit’s ears semaphore, and the canine came out of the toilet looking a bit less agitated.
“Where to now?” Balakrishnan asked.
“This way,” and the two women headed down another corridor, then another, and finally a third that ended at a closed door.
The sign beside the door read Authorized Personnel Only, and was flanked by two huge panthers and a minkess who paced back and forth. She’d obviously been waiting for them, because she smiled as they approached. “Hwillis-jih!” she said in a rather pleased tone, “the only reason you’re not under arrest now is because you’re still needed.” She bared her teeth. “But there will be an accounting, I assure you.” She turned away and opened the door, stepping aside to usher the canine and the rabbit inside the darkened room.
“Ah! Ambassador Balakrishnan, good morning,” Felix al-Sakai said as the holographic projection vanished and the room lights came up. The Indochinese leopard smiled and got up from his seat, crossed the room and offered her his paw. The canine hesitated, fighting down a decade of adherence to Kashlanin customs, and finally took the paw. “I’m very pleased to meet you. Come, have a seat, and we’ll begin.” He went back to his chair, while Balakrishnan found an empty seat between Shumeng and one of the admirals.
“Since we’re all here now,” Felix said, “the reason I called you all here is to discuss the newest operational plan. Admiral Doren, go ahead,” and a holographic star map appeared as a bear stood up.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” and Doren paced into the projection, which zoomed in to show the onetime border between the Confederacy and the Empire. “We’ve projected a high probability of making it across the border undetected, keeping to areas that have no presence or where there are detection stations that can be easily spoofed.” A series of symbols describing ships appeared, easing across the borders in small groups until they assembled into a fleet within Kashlanin space.
“Once we are across the border, the plan is to move carefully through hyperspace,” Doren explained, “since we still don’t have exact data as to the hyperspace terrain. The AIs have run all possible projections, and we expect to arrive at the perimeter of the Kīa System within ten days of leaving the border.”
Balakrishnan’s ears went straight up. “The Kīa System?” she blurted. “You’re attacking Gwath ka-shlal directly?”
“Perhaps not directly,” Felix said. “That will depend on how heavily defended the system is, but we do want to make a demonstration that may force them back to the negotiating table.” The projection zoomed in further, until the Imperial Homeworld stood at the center of the focus, rotating slowly. “One of the reasons I’ve invited you all here,” and Balakrishnan looked around, noting several civilians, “is to help us determine what high-value psychological targets are on the planet.”
Balakrishnan felt a sudden urge to urinate again.
© 2021 by Walter Reimer
She’d been away from Terra for over ten (nearer eleven) years, and as the diplomatic courier settled into a synchronous orbit over New Melbourne, Anulka-Mei Balakrishnan couldn’t believe how dirty the place looked. Parts of the world were obscured by dingy gray and off-white clouds, and she recalled that parts of the planet were uninhabitable. Well, the place had looked like this before she had left, but still . . .
Below her, the megalopolis of New Melbourne stretched like a scar across a third of Ostralya from the spaceport at Nullarbor to the eastern coast and out into the sea.
The contrasts between Terra and Gwath ka-shlal were stark, and she hated the shlani even more for it.
One of the crew had helpfully given her a filter mask, something she hadn’t had to think about wearing for years but was required for Terra’s atmosphere. Fortunately she wouldn’t be out in the open very long, and the government complex had its own internal air-circulation systems.
Not simply because of the outside environment; it was the simplest way to deter the introduction of poisonous gases or pathogens into the facilities. Of course, there were poisons, and then there were poisons, and she was walking into a potentially lethal atmosphere.
There were a series of thumps as an armored shuttle docked with the courier, and two mel minks stepped aboard before the canine femme could get out of her seat. They wore black suits in the current style. “Anulka-Mei Balakrishnan?”
The Dhole-Akita femme stood. “That’s me.” Her two aides stood as well.
The minks promptly displayed badges, in black and gold – Special Service badges – and the antelope and raven sat down immediately. The badges conferred an almost carte blanche authority on the bearer, and their existence had been rumored for years. “Just you, Balakrishnan-jih,” the mel said. “The Lord Protector’s orders.”
“Another shuttle will collect your aides and luggage,” the other said. “You have priority.”
Balakrishnan nodded, and followed the two into the waiting shuttle. As soon as the airlocks cycled closed the craft undocked and headed down.
The interior was Spartan, but it was obviously meant for VIPs, which made her relax.
Just a little.
It was a fairly rough ride down. ‘Priority’ apparently meant ‘drop like a meteor, and hope the wings don’t snap when you level off.’ The shuttle steadied down after a few fur-raising moments, blast shutters opened to let in the wan sunlight and she felt the discernible difference as the artigrav switched off and Terra’s gravity asserted itself over her. Dumping speed quickly in a series of S-curves, the shuttle flared into a hover and settled with a light thump at the military-only section of the spaceport.
The two minks were on their feet before the engines shut off, and a personnel access mated itself to the shuttle’s airlock. “After you, Ma’am,” one said to Balakrishnan as the door cycled open.
The canine braced herself and walked out into the tunnel, the two Special Service officers right behind her.
A very familiar rabbit flanked by two uniformed Foreign Ministry security officers was waiting for her at the arrival lounge. “Anulka,” Hwillis Shumeng said. The cant of her ears indicated that she was nervous about something.
“Shumeng.”
Unexpectedly, the rabbit lunged at her and gave her a brief hug, leaving Balakrishnan in a state somewhere between angry and confused. While she recovered her poise the rabbit turned to the two minks. “I’ve got it from here.”
“You don’t give us orders,” one said.
“All right,” the rabbit said. “Try to keep up. Come on, Anulka, the car’s this way,” and she seized the canine’s paw and almost broke into a run, followed by the two ForMin security officers and the minks.
The canine grew winded and barely managed to make it to the car, a squat armored shape. The two security guards practically threw her in, the doors closed and the car sped off.
“What’s the matter?” Hwillis asked as Balakrishnan sprawled across the seats, tongue lolling as she panted.
The Dhole-Akita got her breath back enough to snarl, “You try living for ten years at zero point seventy-six gee and see how well you run in this!” She put a paw to her heart and closed her eyes, struggling to get herself under control. “What the fuck were you thinking, leaving those SS mels behind?” she finally demanded. “Even I know their reputation.”
“I needed to talk to you alone, and they have ears,” Hwillis said, ignoring her former lover’s tone for the moment. “And I’ll be in trouble, not you.”
“That’s not a comfort, and you know it.” Another pause. “All right, then, talk.”
Shumeng immediately started looking nervous again. “The Lord Protector’s been shut up with the admirals and the AIs since midnight, waiting for you to arrive. I need to know, Anulka – did the shlani give you any daylight for negotiation? Are you sure you’re not keeping anything back?”
“Yes, I’m sure, Shumeng,” Balakrishnan said wearily, running a paw through her headfur. She sat up and straightened her suit. “K’Tan gave me no room. We either surrender, or they throw everything at us.” She suddenly squirmed. “I need to pee. How long till we get there?”
“We’re nearing Zidne now,” the rabbit replied after a datatrance of about a second. “Government-only traffic lanes, and I arranged priority passage for us.”
Balakrishnan nodded, and pressed her thighs together.
The car approached the armored gates of the Presidential compound, and barely slowed as the AIs conversed about clearances and lowered the barriers. The autocannons tracked the vehicle briefly, and returned to scanning the road and surrounding city as the gate closed. The car took a right-paw turn and descended several levels, coming to a halt in a parking area. The two women emerged from the vehicle and headed into the complex.
Shumeng tapped her foot impatiently. “You’re not done yet?”
“Fuck you.”
“Deus, your bladder hasn’t gotten any bigger since we were in college, Anulka.” The sound of rushing water made the rabbit’s ears semaphore, and the canine came out of the toilet looking a bit less agitated.
“Where to now?” Balakrishnan asked.
“This way,” and the two women headed down another corridor, then another, and finally a third that ended at a closed door.
The sign beside the door read Authorized Personnel Only, and was flanked by two huge panthers and a minkess who paced back and forth. She’d obviously been waiting for them, because she smiled as they approached. “Hwillis-jih!” she said in a rather pleased tone, “the only reason you’re not under arrest now is because you’re still needed.” She bared her teeth. “But there will be an accounting, I assure you.” She turned away and opened the door, stepping aside to usher the canine and the rabbit inside the darkened room.
“Ah! Ambassador Balakrishnan, good morning,” Felix al-Sakai said as the holographic projection vanished and the room lights came up. The Indochinese leopard smiled and got up from his seat, crossed the room and offered her his paw. The canine hesitated, fighting down a decade of adherence to Kashlanin customs, and finally took the paw. “I’m very pleased to meet you. Come, have a seat, and we’ll begin.” He went back to his chair, while Balakrishnan found an empty seat between Shumeng and one of the admirals.
“Since we’re all here now,” Felix said, “the reason I called you all here is to discuss the newest operational plan. Admiral Doren, go ahead,” and a holographic star map appeared as a bear stood up.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” and Doren paced into the projection, which zoomed in to show the onetime border between the Confederacy and the Empire. “We’ve projected a high probability of making it across the border undetected, keeping to areas that have no presence or where there are detection stations that can be easily spoofed.” A series of symbols describing ships appeared, easing across the borders in small groups until they assembled into a fleet within Kashlanin space.
“Once we are across the border, the plan is to move carefully through hyperspace,” Doren explained, “since we still don’t have exact data as to the hyperspace terrain. The AIs have run all possible projections, and we expect to arrive at the perimeter of the Kīa System within ten days of leaving the border.”
Balakrishnan’s ears went straight up. “The Kīa System?” she blurted. “You’re attacking Gwath ka-shlal directly?”
“Perhaps not directly,” Felix said. “That will depend on how heavily defended the system is, but we do want to make a demonstration that may force them back to the negotiating table.” The projection zoomed in further, until the Imperial Homeworld stood at the center of the focus, rotating slowly. “One of the reasons I’ve invited you all here,” and Balakrishnan looked around, noting several civilians, “is to help us determine what high-value psychological targets are on the planet.”
Balakrishnan felt a sudden urge to urinate again.
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Dog (Other)
Size 120 x 77px
File Size 49.5 kB
Some idiot(s!) still don't realize that their enemy has already had their troops close enough to do this to them - and they don't have to guess where to go or what to attack.
“We’ve projected a high probability of making it across the border undetected, keeping to areas that have no presence or where there are detection stations that can be easily spoofed.”
So they have nothing but WAGs - Wild Assed Guesses
I can see the other side's murmurings ...
"They've taken the bait of an easy path to where they think our home world should lie. We will let them get in a little deeper before we start rolling up behind them and cut off any way to communicate with Earth - or to retreat. To Earth it will be as if they were swallowed up by the void ..."
“We’ve projected a high probability of making it across the border undetected, keeping to areas that have no presence or where there are detection stations that can be easily spoofed.”
So they have nothing but WAGs - Wild Assed Guesses
I can see the other side's murmurings ...
"They've taken the bait of an easy path to where they think our home world should lie. We will let them get in a little deeper before we start rolling up behind them and cut off any way to communicate with Earth - or to retreat. To Earth it will be as if they were swallowed up by the void ..."
Since the other side doesn't have good maps of that area of space I would expect misdirection to be used to help protect them. And I expect the Heir to show no mercy - and in such a way they never try again.
Like me giving my enemy GPS hints of where/how to hit me. They show up - only to find themselves in a dead-end - with the road out now blocked by more than they can get past - and nothing in the area worth taking their aggravation out on ...
Like me giving my enemy GPS hints of where/how to hit me. They show up - only to find themselves in a dead-end - with the road out now blocked by more than they can get past - and nothing in the area worth taking their aggravation out on ...
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