Free Crossroads of Fate (Cadicle #5): An Epic Space Opera Series by Amy DuBoff Page A

blue were field medical stations. Most of the red dots were either at the frontlines or clustered around H2 and the nearby planets. “Do all of these represent vessels only within the rift?”
    “Yes, since we lost Kaldern, we have barely any ships subscribed in normal space aside from a few remaining planetary outposts,” Ramsen replied.
    “Why?”
    “The Bakzen typically like to fight battles in the rift because of the telekinetic benefits,” Taelis clarified.
    They can strike us on either front. We need to cover both. “High Commander Banks indicated that you are at the limits of production—that what we have now is all there is to work with.”
    “More or less,” Ramsen responded.
    “We can activate ships that are standing guard near some of the populated planets,” Taelis added, “but doing so would leave the worlds exposed. It’d be a last resort.”
    Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. “What about supplies for the crews—food?”
    “We’re fully stocked,” said a man in his late-thirties, whom Wil recalled was Simon Elari, the Agent responsible for fleet supply management. “We have almost a year’s supply, if we were to be cut off from the main Taran distribution network.”
    At least there’s some good news . “Okay. How about the Bakzen fleet? What do we know about their numbers and capabilities?”
    Taelis shook his head. “They can hit us fast and hard. No one has seen too far into Bakzen territory since your encounter with them nearly a decade ago. Based on everything we’ve been able to see, it’s going to come down to a numbers game—which one of our fleets can deliver the most damage, the quickest, before our supplies run out. At the rate things are going, we’re in a bad position. We know you’ll change that.
    “We have run as many simulations as we can, and all indicators are that the TSS needs to make a big move first, before the Bakzen can make theirs. And the sooner, the better. Though the Bakzen have largely been keeping to this side of the dimensional rift and have stayed close to the planet that they claimed as their homeworld, they have recently started venturing to the outer reaches of the rift. Those explorations seem to be expanding. We know that the Bakzen have ramped up production, but we don’t know of what exactly. They have taken over some worlds that are rich in metal ores and minerals. Our greatest fear is that they have been manufacturing additional rift gates—or worse, ships with standalone jump drive functionality—and that they are gearing up for an all-out assault. Best we can tell, the Bakzen are positioning for a single invasion campaign.”
    Back when I met Carzen and Tek, it seemed like they were gearing up for something. Is this all part of the same plan? “What’s their target?”
    “We don’t know,” replied Taelis, a hint of defeat in his tone.
    “What aren’t you telling me?” Wil asked, sensing that the High Commander was holding back.
    “The Bakzen also now have some sort of remote telepathic control for use on civilian populations,” Taelis revealed. “That’s how the shield was brought down on Kaldern earlier this week, near as we can tell.”
    “Shite,” Wil muttered under his breath, thinking through the implications for such a capability. No one could be trusted; no world would be safe.
    “Kaldern was the first time we’ve witnessed it,” the High Commander continued. “If it’s happened before, it was never on a large enough scale for us to notice.”
    Wil examined the worried expressions of the officers around the table. “How are they doing it?” Direct control would take enormous focus. If it were biological…
    “That’s unclear,” Taelis said. “We’ve increased our surveillance to keep watch for the initial signs, based on what happened on Kaldern, but until we have access to an affected subject to study, we can’t prepare counter-measures.”
    Another unknown threat. I’m losing count. “Okay.