Retreat And Adapt (A Galaxy Unknown) by Thomas DePrima Read Free Book Online

anything else you need to discuss with the Board, Jen?"
    "That's about it, Richard. Thank you for your indulgences today."
    "Okay, let's continue with our regular business."
    Jenetta sat and listened quietly through the rest of the session, but her mind was elsewhere. Among other things, she was thinking about how she would ask Brian Holt to give up command of his base and join her at Quesann.
    When the morning session ended, Jenetta and Lt. Commander Ashraf joined the Admirals and their aides for lunch in their dining room. Jenetta sat at the large table reserved exclusively for flag and general officers, while Lori sat at one of the tables reserved for commissioned officers.
    In the informal and relaxed environment, Jenetta related information about the situation at Quesann that she would never put into official correspondence. At one point, Admiral Platt said, "Tell us about Christa, Jen. Is she completely well?"
    Jenetta smiled and looked briefly at the four members of the Board whom she knew were aware of Project Springboard. She had no idea whether Brian Holt had informed any of the members that he had used the capabilities of that project for Christa's return to duty. Jenetta couldn't see any indication in their expressions that they knew, so she decided to assume they didn't. "Yes, thank you. Her wounds are completely healed. She couldn't wait to return to work so she could wrap up her business on Dakistee and get back into space."
    "We need her talents on Dakistee right now," Admiral Moore said. "The discovery and awakening of the ancient Dakistee people has been like opening a Pandora's box. First, the archeological people have been screaming their heads off. You would have thought they'd be ecstatic to have an enormous reservoir of firsthand information about the distant past fall into their laps. I suppose they may have felt that way at first, but they'd also come to believe that Dakistee was their planet. They had expected to spend their lives uncovering the ruins of an ancient civilization. It's become obvious that the Dakistee people will not sit idly by as scientists slowly peel back the layers of time. They want their planet returned to their control as quickly as possible. Personally, I don't blame them, but they have to understand that we must dismantle forces set in motion on what we believed was an uninhabited planet. When we told the Archeological Expedition Headquarters on Anthius that they would have to return everything removed from the planet, they used their influence to have every member of the Galactic Alliance Senate demand we rescind our ruling. I informed the GA Council that we were only proceeding according to the laws passed by the Senate that clearly specify our response to such situations. I told them that if they wished us to behave differently, it was up to them to rewrite the laws. They've been arguing about the affected statutes ever since.
    "Second, the awakened Dakistee people at Loudescott— or Camtolla, as they're calling the location now since that was its name in ancient times— aren't waiting for us to peacefully retire from the planet. They've formed a new pro tem government and begun pushing the scientists out of the way so they can begin awakening the still-sleeping citizens in other buried facilities.
    "Third, the Dakistians aren't only pushing to get exclusive access to the locations identified as underground stasis facilities. Our intelligence people tell us that they are also looking for other buried facilities. As yet we don't know what they're searching for, and they haven't been forthright with information. We're hoping that Lt. Commander Carver's return to the planet might help us learn what they're seeking. They acknowledge that they owe her much for her role in awakening them and feel a unique kinship towards her since she was born on Dakistee."
    "Their search must have something to do with gaining independence," Jenetta said, "since the stasis pods contain the