1925: Tau Past, #6

By Richard R Lockwood

The Bifrost Bridge of the Gods begins operation. Boris Kosakov becomes a Lieutenant leading a Leepa scout company aboard the Tau Fleet Carrier Scorpion. As the scope of Tau space expands, they often bump into aliens of all types. Sometimes it is no problem. Sometimes it is a rather violent bump. With each military confrontation the Tau face a choice, become stronger or disappear in defeat. Out beyond the Orion nebula, allied ships are disappearing, adding another worry to an Earth already under threat.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard R Lockwood
• Release date: Oct 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215293508

Richard R Lockwood

Was born in Miami FL. Worked for the University of Florida until I retired. Been married to the lovely Cecelia for 40 years now, proof that I'm a lucky guy. Now living on the Nature Coast in Citrus County. Enjoy all kind of wildlife, especially reptiles and insects, so I'm pretty sure I'm in the right place. When I'm not writing I enjoy wood carving. Both of the heads beside me in the picture are cedar from the Chassahowitzka Forrest. I also love to walk my dog Bark Anthony. Probably need to go do that now. A Chronology of the Twins Alternate Universe novels and some thoughts and rationales - https://www.ricklockwood.net/Chronology.html My Books on Books 2 Read - https://books2read.com/ap/RaZ9Br/Richard-R-Lockwood  

Book preview

Tau Past 6

1925

1

As a junior military officer, Boris Kosakov often had stretches of time to wait and reflect on the strange turns of his existence. It had been eventful before a madman from the future broke him out of a Kazan prison, his life filled with the normal ups and downs of a teenager living in Tsarist Russia during the Great War and Bolshevik Revolution, but after that crazy night it had been a straight climb to possibilities he had never imagined. Certainly he had never dreamed he would be here, standing under the great golden roof of the Bifrost Bridge, 900 light years from Earth, and waiting for his new captain to arrive.

His old captain, Lothar von Richthofen, had informed him yesterday that Captain Ng Yu Mi would be getting a new ship to lead the Forward Recon Group. Freya would stay and be part of the Home Fleet for Asgard. Ng’s new ship, the Scorpion, would need a Lieutenant Commander to lead the scout wing.

It’s a little early to be promoting you again, Boris, Lothar had told him, but you’ve led scouts in over a dozen system engagements. Everyone who’s worked with you agrees you’re an excellent officer, so I thought I’d offer it. Or you can stay and help me run Asgard, but now that we’ve cleared the spiders out I’m sure it will be a dull place.

The home of the gods a dull place? Sounds like you want to get rid of me, Captain.

Lothar smiled, Of course you’re welcome to stay, but if I were in your position I know where I’d be going. Bifrost has become a desk job for me and Lieutenant Commander is one step closer to Godliness.

Of course I’ll take it, Boris smiled back. What elements will a scout wing have?

It will be the usual arrangement we’ve developed here in Asgard. One gross split up into three companies with transports so they’ll have room for a long mission. A custom transport with a mess deck, ready rooms and cabins for Leepa.

I’ll be the only human in the wing?

I think we can find you a Lieutenant if you want one.

I’d prefer Corporal Komba.

Fine.

What about Seyoum?

"He’ll command the scout wing for Eagle."

Boris nodded, I’ll miss our Friday morning breakfasts.

Now that the fighting is over here the Admiral wants to switch to a monthly lunch with the Tau Council. Just when I finally got the names of all his kids straight, too.

He has some new toddlers in the nursery you haven’t seen yet. He’s not stopping the baby factory.

Why should he? We have a lot of planets to fill up, and now that Jade is gone...

Boris thought about that conversation again as he stood facing the row of portals that led out of Asgard, then brought himself back to the present and considered the view. The building had been meant to be empty, but then they needed a place for a portal hall and Lothar had decided to put the two together to create the mythological Bifrost Bridge in reality. In Boris’ opinion the real version beat the hell out of the mythical one.

There was a portal to Longwei, another to O’Neal, another to Hell Station, and five for Earth leading to the Taumid East, Fleet HQ in Crimea, Shanjing, and Asgard recruiting stations in Berlin and Dakar. The row of portals were set in front of a golden cube 50 meters on a side and placed exactly in the center of the kilometer square floor, but the giant cube was still dwarfed by the dimensions of the Bridge. The kilometer square golden roof floated 700 meters above their heads and could be brought closer if one of the frequent summer rain showers threatened to reach the travelers.

Around the cube’s corner from the portals out of Asgard stood another row of portals leading to other systems in Asgard, eleven so far, one for each habitable world and the Leepa shipyards at Icarus. Around the corner from them was a set of portals leading to the carriers and highliners that made Asgard their home.

At the bottom of the last face of the cube stood portals to other locations on Bifrost; the Governor’s HQ, Fleet HQ, and the Fleet recreation centers. Two squads of Marines kept order and made sure the civilian travelers kept moving and didn’t spend too much time gawking.

His mind returned to the first past time expedition from this era. Why would Jade want to leave this? Admiral Kosciusko and the other Tau leaders are all racking their brains for ideas to outdo Lothar; what will human space look like in a century? Why would she want to start over?  Of course she would be the boss wherever she wound up, but so what? It would be decades before her new society could reach this level. If she’d stayed, and worked, she would probably have her own star system here by now.

His thoughts were interrupted by a Gurkha Marine stepping out of the portal from Fleet HQ, a sure sign that someone important enough to rate their own guard would follow. He straightened up as he recognised the trim form and precise movements of Captain Ng Yu Mi emerge, but then was startled to recognize his brother Ilya following her from the portal.

Welcome back to Asgard, Captain Ng. Ilya?

No welcome, little brother? I told you he’d look funny, Skipper.

He often looks funny, Number One.

What? You’re...

Why don’t you take us to the Governor while you’re figuring it out, Lieutenant Commander.

Yes Ma’am, right this way. Boris got them started on the short walk to the portal to Lothar’s HQ, "Welcome to Asgard, Ilya, you’re the Exec on Scorpion?"

Pounced on that right away, didn’t you Scout Leader?

Boris pointed out the correct portal and they stepped through to emerge in the reception room of Lothar’s HQ ship. He sent an arrival message as he summoned a float to take them to Lothar’s office. When they got to the office the Gurkha took up station outside, Ng Yu Mi went inside, and Ilya grabbed his little brother by the arm and said, You and I are way overdue for a drink. Is the club in the usual place?

Sure, Ilya, this way.

A minute later they were entering the officer’s club deck. Ilya ordered a vodka and Boris ordered an ice tea.

What the hell is that? asked Ilya.

Tea, I’m on duty, Ilya.

You disappoint me already Boris. Oh well, he raised his glass, To the Fleet.

Boris echoed him, then said, Congratulations on the promotion, I hadn’t heard.

Ortega just slapped the silver square on me, it’s probably still warm from his hand.

I’ll try not to disappoint you again, Ilya.

You never really have, baby brother, except for that one time you got in trouble with the law.

Shall we compare sins, ancient brother? And where would we be if I hadn’t gotten in trouble?

We’d be nowhere, although we’d be much closer to home.

"True. Where is Scorpion right now?"

"Falling in-system. She’ll be here in 30 minutes. Then we have to wait two days until the Aberdeen and the Eagle join us before we can go look for beasties."

"Does Scorpion have a football team yet? Lothar is always looking for a game and it sounds like we’ll have time."

It shouldn’t be a problem. Do your bugs play?

No, they’re not much bigger than the ball.   

Too bad. I guess we’ll have to find something for them to do.

Do you still spar, Ilya? I’ve missed our boxing matches.

Really?

Sure. Corporal Komba hits a lot harder.

Hah! I seem to recall taking it easy on you for some reason, but now that you’re four centimeters taller than I am...

And in better shape, it looks like.

What insubordination. I’ve had important things to do.

And important ladies to do them with?

"Don’t believe what you see in the news, little brother. Things in Petrograd are dull as ever. It’s the duty of a Suvorov officer to provide a fine example of Russian manhood to the bored population."

Sure, Boris. Do you see the Tsar and the Tsarina much?

Ah, you’ve learned to aim for the weak spots. In fact, Count Pugachev told me that they were grateful for my navigational skills, but as long as I kept reminding the Tsarina of a certain ugly incident better forgotten...

So here you are.

Yes, are we far enough from the past out here?

We’re Russians, Ilya, we carry the past in our back pockets, especially when we... and he nodded at the empty vodka glass.

Ilya shrugged, Have you become a scold like Oksana?

"Ilya, you’re a Scorpion now, and Ng Yu Mi puts up with very little."

"That’s right, you served with her on Freya. She seems pretty cold."

Boris switched to a safer subject, "Who’s the flight boss on Scorpion?"

Ng told me it’s a Gurkha named Bahadur, but I haven’t met him yet. I haven’t met anyone except you and her; she came out to Crimea to collect me.

It was Boris’ turn to shrug, The Gurkhas are usually good at their jobs, that should make it easier for you.

I’m thinking I’ll only have one problem, he said, staring at Boris.

I’m thinking your problem just walked in the door, said Boris, standing up to welcome their Captain.

Ng Yu Mi walked up to their table, Where are the Leepa?

Corporal Komba has them assembled in orbit waiting for your orders, Ma’am.

"We will inspect them while we wait for Scorpion. She turned to Ilya, We will carry out drills and exercises in a neighboring system until the rest of my ships arrive. She looked down at his drink glass on the table, then back to Ilya’s face, Are you fit for service?"

One vodka hardly makes...

She ignored the rest of his answer and turned for the door. Boris grabbed his brother’s arm to get him going and followed her quick steps out.

Boris took them to orbit in his cruiser where the Leepa scouts awaited. Komba had them in good order but Captain Ng seemed preoccupied to Boris; he thought she was communicating with Scorpion at the same time and anxious to get back to her own bridge. Ilya had never dealt with the aliens and Boris spent most of his time explaining their differences and introducing Reprutz and the squad leaders.

The Captain ordered him to load his wing as soon as Scorpion reached the area. Ten minutes after she arrived the carrier made orbit and Boris gave the order to board. All of the Leepa were veterans from several Asgard campaigns and quickly got themselves stowed away, a demonstration of military efficiency that got a ‘Good job’ from his brother but did not seemed to be noticed by the Captain.

Boris did not worry about it, he knew that she was a perfectionist and expected the same from her crew as she did from herself. It will be a learning experience for Ilya, he thought with an inner smile as Scorpion fell out of the system.

2

Over the last several months the Tau had developed a map of the major populations around Asgard and the Orion nebula. Various insect types dominated, but humans fit into many niches ranging from tiny farming communities in isolated asteroid belts, to the wandering Tinker families, to the giant self-sufficient Mmagam system ships. Some of the insect civilizations were of the ten legged spider type, called Gugudun by their detractors, and they seemed to have just as much range in their communities as humans. Many human populations worked with insect types like the Leepa, but the arrangement that the Gada Boragi All Queen had with her humans proved to be an exception; most of the Gugudun saw all other aliens as breeding stock for their carnivorous offspring.

Reiko, the Bifrost Intelligence Officer, had given Captain Ng dozens of communicators to distribute to the Leepa and human groups inhabiting the region, the Forward Recon Group spent their first two weeks handing them out. All were amazed at the instant communication capability, and each received the same answer when they asked her how it was done, We tied a knot in space just for you. Back on Bifrost, Reiko listened in on their message traffic and began to fill in more detail on her model of the sector as Scorpion and the FRG began to move through it and beyond. She made no secret of her surveillance, often asking questions and providing information to others, and developed relationships with several Mmagam and Leepa ships.

Boris had scanned the crew roster as soon as he came onboard and noted the presence of his old squadmate Rolf Schraeder, now a squad leader in the 3rd wing. He had sent his congratulations and a request to continue his saber lessons at a convenient time, then was interrupted by a klaxon announcing an Engine Failure drill. It had been much the same for the first week, the Captain calling drills whenever they were falling into or out of a system. Then she seemed to relent and the drills fell to once a day as her confidence in her crew solidified. Boris developed a routine of sending out one scout company at each system they visited. Reprutz and Komba rotated duties with Boris and one of them always accompanied the company on patrol.

Ng Yu Mi had called her wing leaders together the first day and informed them that they would be searching a half sphere extending 200 light years from Asgard and including the Orion Nebula. She directed her pilots to search for habitable worlds and gas giants and the crews of the FRG to search for jump capable ships; once they found them the identification process began and resulted in any spider ships declared as targets. After the destruction of the ship the carriers would jump out of the area until they could see the light from the ship’s arrival, then they would try to backtrack in hopes of finding more to kill. Two light months away was the usual limit on their sensor’s ability to glean trajectory information from an arrival burst, but it was good enough to provide a trail in many cases and the carrier group managed to kill a Gugudun ship every few days.

Boris lost track of how many gas giant moons and frozen planets that he and his scouts had explored in the first month. They sometimes came across communities of aliens, but it was a hostile neighborhood and a new military force in the region was seldom welcome.

Ilya often visited the scout deck and Boris was always happy to see his brother, but he usually refused the offer to drink with him. Admiral Kosciusko had made it clear that drink had destroyed as many men as any other enemy, and Boris had his own father as an example, but Ilya had his own demons. I know the Admiral has forgiven me, and Mother of God, Boris, I’m the uncle of two of his brats. He even convinced the Tsar to make me a baron, but I just can’t shake the feeling...

"You’re worrying about the wrong things, Ilya. If the Admiral was still mad at you then something bad would have happened