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easy
nut to crack for the Kleese.
    “There are two
more nonaligned worlds remaining in Sector Twelve,” Wade said, his eyes
narrowing sharply. “Hyram went to both as well as an ambassador from Lanolth,
and they failed to convince those two worlds of the danger they’re in. Both
possess large fleets as well as orbital defenses. They don’t want to become
involved in a war that might have significant impacts on their beliefs and way
of life. They even refused to accept ion cannons to defend their worlds with.
They believe the size of their fleets will cause the Kleese to uphold the
neutrality agreements they signed centuries ago.”
    “A sad mistake
on their part,” said Fleet Admiral Thomas Kelly. Kelly had once commanded a
frigate in the Royal Navy prior to the Kleese attack, which had devastated
Earth. “Neither will survive for more than another few months and the Kleese
will then turn their attention toward the Alliance and us.”
    “Do we have
the fleet assets to stop them?” asked General Mitchell, his steely eyes
focusing on Fleet Admiral Kelly.
    “Most of the Alliance worlds have built their fleets up considerably, particularly the Lanolthians
since we sent them the second trading station we seized from the Kleese,”
answered Kelly. “Our own ship production has been greatly intensified as well.
The problem is going to be training. With all the new ships the Alliance now has, the crews are going to be very green. Hell, our own crews are
inexperienced. If not for the cloning program on Vesta, we wouldn’t be able to
come close to having the necessary crews to operate our new vessels. As it is,
we’re taking trained crews off many of our assault ships and replacing them
with much smaller inexperienced crews to cover our personal shortages on our
new heavy battlecruisers.”
    General
Mitchell nodded and turned his attention to Alliance Fleet Admiral Rivers. “How
soon will you be setting out for Alliance Space?”
    “Fourth Fleet
is in the process of loading supplies and munitions now,” Rivers responded. “I
intend on going to Lanolth and meeting with President Raytol; from there I’ll
go to Nalton and several other key Alliance worlds. I want to build Fourth
Fleet up to sufficient power to enable it to handle any Kleese provocation by
itself. We’ll have six smaller fleets assigned to fight holding actions until
Fourth Fleet can react. They’ll be positioned where they can rapidly respond to
any Kleese intrusion. In addition, we’ll have scout ships out watching for any
signs of Kleese warships approaching the Alliance.”
    “I wish you
luck,” General Mitchell commented. “Admiral Kelly, what type of fleet units can
we provide the Alliance to assist in its defense?”
    Admiral Kelly
cleared his throat and pressed an icon on the handheld computer pad in his left
hand. “We currently have nine fleets. Fleet Admiral Rivers will be taking
Fourth Fleet and we can spare two others without greatly compromising our own
security. We’re better off fighting the Kleese in and around Alliance space
than here at home. Keep in mind a major portion of Seventh Fleet will be going
with Admiral Adamson on his mission into Kleese space.”
    “With the two
additional fleets, I can station them in the areas where we feel the Kleese
will most likely attack,” commented Rivers as he thought over the strategy he
would use to hold back the Kleese. “Somehow or another we need to find the
Kleese main fleet and lure it into battle. If we can destroy their fleet, the
war for all practical purposes will be over.”
    The room was
silent for a long moment as everyone mulled over Alliance Fleet Admiral River’s words. It was difficult to imagine a galaxy where the Kleese were not a major threat.
    “There may be another
wild card in all of this,” Wade said, leaning slightly forward.
    “What’s that?”
asked General Mitchell, turning his attention to Wade.
    “The Kleese
we’re having problems with now are their