Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price Read Free Page A

behind it, activate my end of the gate using a voice command that only I knew, and then pass into the refuge ship and close the gateway.  From there I could fly to the destination that best suited the emergency situation.  There were, of course, other escape gates for military personnel on all ships, but only I had a personal evacuation route and dedicated receiving ship. 
    When A’Lappe designed the new carriers, I stripped out much of the luxury of the starships of old, replacing it with a more minimalist accommodation arrangement, and increased the ships’ offensive and defensive capabilities.  With the advent of the Cantolla Gates, fancy accommodations intended for long tours of duty were obsolete, as crews could now use the gates to go home at the end of shift and again to report for duty at the beginning of the next shift.  However, the Senate felt that the GLOMAR ROSA required a design more elevated than the carriers in terms of luxury accommodations and amenities, even if less opulent than the retired starships, since the ship would still be expected to host events and meetings with senators, senior military officers and dignitaries from other planets.  The Senate stated that the GLOMAR ROSA , as flagship of the Galactic Federation Military Forces, must represent the standards and images of glory and excellence that the Federation felt were needed to cast a lasting impression on any visitors.
    I wasn’t in favor of the luxury elements of the GLOMAR ROSA ’s design, but the Senate insisted on their inclusion.  I certainly wasn’t going to delay production because of such non-essential features and, more importantly, I felt that the Senate’s irrational resolve on the matter was a strong indication of a return to their past ideology, in which they believed opulence is a reflection of benevolent power and prosperity.  This kind of image and control over the Federation’s military was not something that made it better or stronger.  Ultimately, the Senate had its way and most of the visitor amenities were added.
    While the visitor quarters were smaller than the dignitary suites of the starships, they did not lack in luxury.  Similarly, a major domo and house staff were at the disposal of the guests at all hours – something I was totally against including on the GLOMAR ROSA ; but again I compromised, simply for the sake of getting the ship built.  Piesew was not about to leave the NEW ORLEANS to serve as majordomo for the GLOMAR ROSA , nor was Piebar ready to abandon the Megelleon estate for the position.  Both, however, highly recommended another of their relatives; an up-and-coming younger nephew to Piesew named Pieamar Mecarta, who served in the position with as much skill and refinement as his mentors.
    I left Marranalis in the War Room and went to my office to activate my personal comlink and access my messages.  I now received so many messages daily that a staff member sorted them into various categories of importance, with the exception of secured messages, which were routed to me directly for priority attention.  These messages included any communication from the Leaders or admirals, with messages from Admiral Wabussie at the top of the list.  As head of the FSO, Wabussie sent communications that generally contained the latest intelligence data; hence, information from him was paramount to deciding any military actions.  It had been Admiral Regeny’s neglect of such information that led to the near decimation of the fleet at GLOMAR ROSA and the surrender of the Federation to Brotherhood domination.  I was not about to repeat his mistake if I could help it.
    I anticipated the communication from Wabussie regarding the possible whereabouts of Ming would take the highest priority, and I was correct.  After entering my access codes and completing a retinal scan, the message file opened.  Marranalis couldn’t have been more right when he said the information might be something I would find