SECTION 1
Top Secret
From: Jon Damor, Commander, The Legion of Space
To: Vice Admiral David Ulnar, Commanding Ninth Defense Squadron
Upon receipt of these orders your squadron will proceed to the Orion frontier to seek out hostile alien forces of unknown origin believed heading toward the territory of the League of Worlds. The Ninth Defense Squadron is hereby required to conduct a reconnaissance in force against these aliens to determine their nature, origins, and intentions. You are authorized to engage them in combat at your discretion, but the delivery of recon information to Legion Sector Headquarters is of utmost importance.
Alien forces, identified from intercepted ultrawave messages as “the Ka’slaq,” fired upon a lightly armed exploratory mission near the System S.C. 170 two weeks ago, destroying four of five vessels, among them the Discovery. Last reported positions and courses will place the aliens at Thule in eight to ten days. The Ka’slaq are presumed to be hostile to all League forces.
Effective this date, you are appointed Acting Sector Commander to coordinate frontier defenses and operations in your sector. Admiral J.T. Merros has been assigned as C.O., First Defense Fleet. Upon his arrival you will transfer authority as Sector Commander to him and integrate your forces.
Jon Damor,
Commander of The Legion of Space
Personal Message
From: James Star
To: David Ulnar
Dave:
Commander Damor brought Dad the news about the mobilization orders and he said he’d enclose this message with the official word to you. They won’t pass the whole truth on through channels, so I’d better give you the full story.
Those aliens out there are trouble, maybe the biggest trouble the Legion’s tackled since the Cometeers. They shot up a flight of survey cruisers; only Pioneer got out and she was crippled so badly it took a week to reach a port and a working ultrawave relay to warn us. The League Senate met the same day and agreed to bring in the Keeper of the Peace—that gives you an idea of how serious it is.
But when Sis tried to use AKKA, nothing happened! She says there’s some kind of mental power, like a shield, that protects the aliens from her weapon.
You know, as I do, that AKKA depends on the Keeper’s mind to operate. Stephen Orco could do the same thing because he knew the secrets of AKKA and could cancel out the Keeper’s power. So these Ka’slaq either know about AKKA or have some other mental or physical powers we cannot comprehend. They say an attempt to use the other “ultimate weapon,” the geofractors at contra-Pluto, was blocked by a force screen!
Maybe now you can see how critical things really are, Dave. If we can’t beat these guys in a fleet action—and you’ve got to wonder if we have a prayer of that with everything else that’s gone wrong—we’re in trouble. “A mortal lot of it,” as old Giles Habibula would have said.
So be careful. And try not to let Metros get to you—I know he’s not been your best friend in the service. But they can’t spare Commander Damor, Dad, or Admiral-General Derron yet, and Merros has the seniority. He’s a good man, even if he does get rabid when he hears the name “Ulnar.”
I can’t say it often enough—be careful. And good hunting.
Your friend and kinsman,
James Star
Upon completing this section, go to section 2.