The Impossible Future: Complete set by Frank Kennedy (mini ebook reader .txt) 📕

here,” he would tell Ignatius before making one concession. “But a god’s work never ends.”

Even now, Brother James consumed himself with dozens of mental tasks. He looked across time and space to study the paths before his people, each at the end of a complex algorithm of causality. He thought about names for his new daughters, who would be born in a few days. He contemplated the language of burgeoning trade deals with six colonies. He considered how to expedite the fleet’s production line in order to exterminate the remaining Chancellors onboard sooner than scheduled. He developed the first virtual draft of his speech inaugurating the new capital of Hiebimini. He finalized the design of a miniature bicomm to allow instantaneous conversation with any hybrid or immortal across light-years. He compartmentalized the collective thoughts of his fellow hybrids, with whom he was in continuous contact. He walked the white forest, looking for any sign of life.

All this and far more competed for his considerable attention as he sat in the forward captain’s dais, briefed on the latest military intelligence. Major Rafael Kane discussed his findings as Admiral Valentin listened via holowindow from the planet. His sons, Benjamin and Peter, flanked him in seats usually reserved for his brother and wife. James grew impatient when he did not hear definitive results.

“And this is the best you have?” He asked Kane. “Four colonies? Assuming their new weapon is not originating on Earth.”

“Indeed, Brother James,” Kane said, throwing up graphic interfaces of the worlds in question. “Only these worlds – Euphrates, Hokkaido, Tamarind, and Catalan – have a significant Chancellor presence, all of it non-military. Our agents have heard speculation, idle rumors, but nothing concrete. And as for Earth, we’re spread too thin to account for all the Carriers.”

James grew frustrated. His eyes were focused in so many directions, he lost the clarity of vision which guided him before realignment.

“How many targets on the colonies?”

“Twenty-two, sir.”

“Aerial defenses?”

“None, sir. They are civilian populations.”

Valentin interrupted. “What are you suggesting, Brother?”

“If we eliminate colonial threats, we can turn our focus to Earth.”

Valentin sighed. “James, we established a truce. You crafted a promotional broadcast for our allies. Any act of aggression against the colonies will undermine our message.”

“Not if we limit casualties to Chancellors. We will say they remained behind to scheme for the Guard’s return. Therefore, they violated the truce.”

“James, we cannot ensure indigo safety through bombardments, and we do not have a large enough army for ground assaults.”

James turned to his twin sons, who continued to grow at a monstrous pace, rail-thin but approaching seven feet tall though they were less than two years old. They were wild-eyed and exuberant, their minds processing knowledge far beyond a Tier III education, but their social development lagged.

“Peter, what do you think of Uncle Valentin’s caution?”

The boy, who had his father’s nose but the ebony hair of his mother, could not contain his joy at being acknowledged.

“Bless you, Father, bless you.” He pointed to the four colonies. “I think we should only be cautious when we might lose. Who cares if we kill a few indigos? What are the others gonna do about it? They can’t stand up to you, Father.”

James tussled his hand through Peter’s hair. He recognized Valentin’s consternation, but turned to Benjamin.

“And why, my son, is Peter correct?”

“Because everyone is afraid of us, Father. We can strike them anywhere, and they know it. Even if we take out a whole city, nobody will fight back because they know we’ll come for them too.”

“Excellent points, both of you. Thoughts, Admiral?”

Valentin massaged his left temple with two fingers, a giveaway to his impatience. James knew all his brother’s quirks and how to leverage each to his advantage. As he predicted, Valentin waited for a five-count after dropping his fingers.

“My nephews are eager, but we all know a good general does not attack simply because he can. The objective must be clear and the strategic value certain. At the moment, we only suspect our enemy is developing a new weapon at one of those locations. But what if they borrowed from our script? There are dozens of empty systems along the Fulcrum. What if they're working off-book far away from prying eyes, as we did for two years? Major, how many casualties will the indigos suffer if we annihilate every colonial target?”

Kane produced the number instantly. “Seventy-three thousand, sir.”

“A small price for …” James began, but Valentin surprised him.

“No, Brother. There are no small prices. We promised to be their liberators. If we change our tactics now, we will destabilize our support, which I should note is far shy of the majority on any of these worlds. What message would these strikes deliver to the undecided?”

“A message of strength. And what, Brother, do you propose?”

“A three-pronged strategy. One, we reanalyze data from the twenty-two sites and narrow the field. Chancellors have predictable patterns of movement and communication. The clues will be visible. Second, we end our deep-system sorties. Those ships and crews can be put to better work shoring up Hiebimini. If the Guard has developed anything similar to Slope, their fleet will arrive as close to the planet as they can calculate. Third, we slow the rate of our colonial diplomatic missions by half and divert those resources to tightening planetary defenses. Our people are stretched too thin.”

James saw the curled brow. Valentin was holding back.

“Perhaps your people would not be under so much pressure if we ended the liberation program for immortals and focused those resources on home world defense. Should that become the fourth prong in your strategy, Brother?”

Benjamin and Peter did not withhold their glee. No one spoke until they stopped applauding.

“James, we decided months ago that growing our society was an imperative. As long as the hybrids can reproduce, the