Free Riss Series 5: The Riss Challenge by C. R. Daems

pounding on my bedroom door. "The Mnemosyne has sent a tight-beam message for you."
    "I'll be right there," I said, jumping out of bed and throwing on yesterday's clothes. I didn't know what time it was, but judging from the darkness of the room and my grogginess, it must be the very early hours of the morning. When I entered the communications suite, several Ja'Tuva clan members were gathered. From the silence, I assumed they waited on the news. "Well, Costin?"
    "Here." He handed me an electronic tablet. I tapped the screen, and an encrypted message opened with two boxes: one with a string of symbols, and a second box that was empty.
    <62391699> Thalia sent, and I entered it in the second box. Immediately, the symbols changed into Eden standard:
    The Minerva entered Freeland space at zero hundred hours and established tight beam communication with the Mnemosyne based on Leader Reese's previously arranged protocol with Captain Damaass. We are proceeding to the backside of Freeland and will contact you in six hours forty-seven minutes, and thirteen seconds.
    "Da'Maass is back in town. Must be time to party," I said, which was greeted with clapping and cheers.
    * * *
    When Damaass contacted me, I arranged to meet him at the Rupea facility. When he entered the office, he stood mouth open, speechless, looking from me to the two men who had brought him.
    "Well, dybbuk, I've seen spaced bodies that look better than you. I thought they were playing a joke on me when I saw you. What happened?"
    "Thalia." I laughed. "I needed a disguise if I was to stay on Freeland and interface with the JPU invaders. Who would suspect an old looking hag was a Riss-human in her early thirties? I pretended to be an elder. After a few days of hunting...Riss for their skins, I convinced the Admiral in charge that only the Riss could install the Riss technology, that they refused to communicate with his people after being hunted, and that only I knew their sign language. So after some discussions, I became their spokeswoman..." I went on to explain the events of the past year. "Three weeks ago, a Heavy and two squadrons of older JPU Lights—without the normal two Heavies in each—arrived. I suspect the Admiral in charge will be the new station commander, and that Admiral Neifeh will be leaving with the last of the upgraded cruisers to invade the SAS."
    "Will this new Admiral want his squadron upgraded?"
    "No. I think Freeland is now redundant to them. They've sent some low-level Admiral to ensure we don't communicate with the outside universe and to destroy our industrial complex."
    "The price of cooperating with the JPU." Damaass took a drink of his red wine. "When Sheva and the others arrived in Dunn without you, all hell broke loose. Admiral Zhu called for a meeting with Admiral Plimson, and they met a week later on Echo. Their immediate reaction was to ignore your refusal to invoke the MSA, until the size of the JPU task force sunk in and they realized it would be a war that could destroy the SAS and UFN even if they won. Zhu was quicker than all of us to understand what you envisioned—a chance for them to prepare for a possible war, and that the Riss weren't going to help the JPU. I don't think he quite envisioned what you actually planned. Dunn has tripled its manufacturing capability and now has two UFN fighter and commando units, thanks to help from the SAS. The empires have established major military bases at Huan, Chao, and Dong in the UFN, and Echo, Wahoo, and Blue Canyon in the SAS."
    "I'll wager the UFN Imperial Parliament and SAS United Council dictated those systems, since they form a perimeter protecting the capitals of Daiyu in the UFN and Eden in the SAS—and leave the Darkov and Chiyoko Sectors wide open for invasion."
    "You're right, neither Plimson nor Zhu were happy when their governments insisted on those selections. Well Leader, what do you want me to do?"
    "You will join with the Mnemosyne and pick me up the day before Neifeh