by David Weber
She reached for the eom panel and began to punch Magda's code, then stopped. Her hand fell into her lap, and she leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes.
Not yet. She must speak to Magda, must plan and confer. But not yet. Please, God, not just yet.
An odd numbness gripped the officers in Togo's briefing room. It went beyond the inevitable aftershock of battle--even of one such as this.
Sonja Desai looked at the faces of the people who had come so far and given so much for the victory which had been denied them. It wasn't defeat, Not really.
But it wasn't victory, either, and the price they'd paid was terrible enough to demand victory.
Scan Remko sat staring dully at the deck, his face working with emotion. He'd learned what had happened to Trevavne, and no assurance that he'd done tar more than his "duty" could reach him in the darkened chamber to which he had withdrawn and which held but one thought: he had failed the admiral.
Yoshinaka and Kirilenko sat side by side.
They'd come from Nelson (along with Sanders, who was even now preparing for his departure) and had arrived a few minutes late, after receiving assurances that Sandoval's condition was stable. Mujabi was present in his new capacity as CO of BG lfwhat remained of it. So were the other ranking survivors, including Khalid Khan, who was the first to react.
"What you're saying, Admiral, is that we're simply to keep station here in Zapata until we get orders to the contrary?" "Correct," Desai nodded. "So are the rebels. This is the precondition to the cease-fire.
All major Fleet units must remain in place. Of course, noncombatant supply vessels aren't included, nor are light combatants... like the rebel destroyer which will take Mister Sanders to the Innerworlds." They all stared at her as if she had, inexplicably, left out the most obvious point.
It was Kirilenko who blurted it out.
"But, sir, what about the admiral... er, Admiral Trevayne?" Desafs face was at its most flinty.
"Nelson is, of course, covered by the cease-fire terms and must remain here. But I am advised by Doctor Yuan that Admiral Trevayne can be maintained aboard Nelson indefinitely in his present condition. So there's really no problem.
Any other questions?" The stares changed subtly, as if these people were looking at a thing they couldn't comprehend, and were fairly sure they did not want to.
Kirilenko stiffened, and his mouth began to open.
Under the edge of the table, Yoshinaka gripped his forearm, very tightly. Kirilenko's mouth closed again, and he subsided.
Desai stood. "If there are no further questions, ladies and gentlemen, please carry on." She walked to the door, then paused and looked back.
Everyone was still seated.
Desai looked sraieaht into the eyes of Scan Remko, the senior man in the room. For a bare instant, he stared back with an unreadable expression. Then he lumbered to his feet and said, in a voice like a rockslide, "Attention on deck." They rose slowly to attention. Desai nodded very slightly and stalked through the door.
Her expression and posture remained equally stiff in the iqhtraship car and through the passageway to her quarters. e sentry snapped to attention, and she nodded crisply to him as she pressed the door stud and entered.
The door closed silently behind her. She stood a moment, her face wearing a vague look which slowly turned into one of pained bewilderment. Something happened inside her, something whose possibility would have been flatly denied by those who knew her. Her features collapsed into a maskstbf inconsolable grief, and a harsh, low cry welled out of her like the plaintive wail of a maimed animal unable to understand its pain. She hurled herself onto her bunk, burying her face in the pillow as she wept convulsively, and the sound of her empty, tearing sorrow filled her cabin.
A moment later, the door slid open with its usual soundlessness to admit Remko and Yoshinaka.
They stopped, frozen with amazement, at the sight of the sobbing woman on the bunk. The woman neither of them had ever thought of as a woman at all. Remko turned to Yoshinaka and opened his mouth, but the commodore put a finger to his lips and slowly shook his head.
They departed as silently as they'd come, leaving Sonja Desai alone with her grief for the man she had loved silently and hopelessly for years.
CONFERENCE Oskar Dieter studied the strained faces of his cabinet, remembering the day the first mutiny had been reported, and shuddered. his was almost worse. There'd been no treason this time, yet Fourth Fleet had lost more tonnage in two hours of close action than had been taken from Admiral Forsythe, and the shock cut deep. Even Amanda Sydon was gray-faced and stunned.
He sighed and tapped the crystal table with his knuckles. "Ladies and gentlemen, for the record- --was he looked at Sky Marshal Witcinski his-comI should like to say that I concur entirely with Admiral Desafs actions." A rustling sigh ran around the table. "Even ff she had continued the action and won, it would have cost more than we can stand.
Admiral Trevayne's---was his voice faltered briefly his-comships are both our most powerful single striking force and our sole technical advantage.
Had Admiral Desai won at the expense of crippling damage to Fourth Fleet, we would have been unable to follow up her "victory." Had she lost, the Terran Republic must inevitably have captured sufficient examples of the Rim's weaponry to duplicate it." He felt his listeners' stab of surprise as he deliberately used the term "Terran Republic" instead of "rebels" and their horror as they considered the consequences of the Republic's acquiring weapons in advance of anything they could produce.
"I would like to ask Sky Marshal Witcinski and Vice Admiral Krupskaya a few questions," Dieter went on quietly. "First the Sky Marshal. With Fourth Fleet halted, whether by a cease-fire or the destruction of its units, what are the chances for Operation Yellowbrick?
"Nil," Witcinski said. His voice was like a gravel-crusher. "Whoever planned the rebels'--was he stressed the word deliberately--"tactics knew what he was doing. I still don't know how they guessed our plans, but they've put up a web of fortresses and fighters that's stopped us cold.
I've suspended operations ater taking only two of our target systems, Mister Prime Minister.
We could still take the other three our ops plan calls for, but not and have anything left at the end.
"As for Fourth Fleet"--he shrugged--"I can only endorse your own estimate. Trevayne's ships are unique. Now that I've examined Vice Admiral Desafs report, I am even more convinced that they represent a qualitative breakthrough of the first magnitude. Trevayne and Admiral Desai managed to destroy almost fifty percent of the force engaged against them, but the rebel admiral knew the sort of action she had to fight. Trevayne's force lost at least as much as she did. As nearly as we can estimate, almost twelve million tonnes of shipping were destroyed--not damaged, destroled.
We don't know about the rebels, but Fourth Fleet lost over forty-one thousand dead. I think that's an effective answer as to whether it can carry out its part of the plan. Without the Rim to meet us more than halfway--was He shrugged again.
"I see." Dieter turned to Susan Krupskaya. "Admiral Krupskaya, what are the odds of the Republic recognizing the futility, of further operations on our part?" "Excellent, sir," she said after a very brief glance at Sanders. "Analysis of our losses must tell them Operation Yellowbrick bled us white. They've been hurt, too--butadly--but not as badly as we have." "I see," Dieter repeated. "And how quickly can they duplicate Admiral Trevayne's weapons without actual samples?" "It's hard to be precise, sir, but my analysts estimate eight months, maximum, before they have working models." Someone gasped, but Krupskaya plowed on.
"We've been looking at the data Mister Sanders brought back, and they're very, very close to the variable focus beams, judging from their' new primary. With that head start and the data they must have recoccded during the Zapata engage- ment, they can have that weapon in three to five months.
The HBM should take considerably longer--we've no evi- dence that they've begun experimenting with gray dr
ivers-- but their new shields offset that. And we," she smiled thinly, "have no way of obtaining hard data on their new systems, since they've carefullv used them only against the Rim. It will take us much longer to duplicate them. And, Mister Prime Minister--was she paused and drew a breath his-comx is my duty to point out that, judging from their order of battle at Zapata, our previous estimates of their con- struction rates may be as much as fifteen percent low, so even our numerical advantage is in question." "Thank you, Admiral," Dieter said gravely, and ('ooked back at his shaken colleagues. "Ladies and gentlemen, I already knev what Sky Marshal Witcinski and Admiral Krupskaya were going to say, and I had them plug that data into our computers. According to the new projec- tions, we stand a sixty-five percent chance of losing the war within one year." The room was deathly silent.
"If we hold out for another year, we have a sventv percent chance of final victory--but the computers project a war which will continue for another twelve to fifteen years.
With losses," he finished quietly, "which will make the Battle of Zapata look like a children's picnic." The political leaders stared at him in shock.
The military leaders weren't surprised, but their expressions were those of people who'd just bitten into something spoiled. No one questioned his statements.
"I think, my friends," he said very, very softly, looking straight at Amanda Sydon and her "war party" adherents, "that under those circumstances, we cannot justify contin- uing this war ff there is the least possibility of any other acceptable resolution. Even victory can cost too much at times." Sydon glanced at her supporters, but they refused to meet her eyes. The glare she turned on Dieter was fulmi- nating, yet she said nothing. There was nothing she could say, and the voice of protest came from another source. "But, Mister Prime Minister!" Witcinski protested. "Vic- tory is the only "acceptable resolution!" Yellowbrick should have succeeded-woustd have succeeded ff the rebels hadn't figured out what was coming and managed to ambush Admiral Trevayne. I'm not faulting him, sir--it was a brilliant ploy, obviously something they spent months arranging. But now that they've stopped us, they'll exploit. No strategist worth his salt would stop hOW-LIKEWAS "Indeed, Sky Marshal? What do you think they'll do, then?" "They'll leave their forces in the Zapata System exactly as they are," Witeinski predicted. "As far as we can tell, they committed less than ten percent of their assault carriers there--comthe others are still available for offensive strikes, backed up by their surviving Frontier Fleet fleet and light carriers, while we cut our defenses to the bone for Yellowbriek. They can achieve crushing local superiority wherever they choose, and they know it.
They'll go on the offensive and chew us up, hoping for a knockout." "That would certainly be their most logical course," Dieter said softly, "but they're not going to do it." "Why not?" Witeinski demanded hotly, feeling his professional judgment called in question.
"I think because they don't want to destroy the Federation,"" Dieter said slowly.
"No?" Amanda Sydon laughed harshly. "They only went to war against it!" "Agreedmbut I think they just wish to be left alone," Dieter replied. Sydon stiffened angrily, and some of the others joined her, but he raised a hand and his voice was stern with hard-earned authority. "No, hear me out--all of you! From the beginning, the Fringers have been reacting to what they considered an intolerable situation. They reacted militarily because all political avenues seemed closed. They--was He shook his head firmly. "Enough. The point is that they never sought to conquer the Innerwodds. Arguably, they lacked the ability, to do so, but it would seem that is no longer true--they have the ability to conquer us ff they act promptly. The Sky Marshal's arguments are most cogent, but to succeed, they must act at once.
Surely none of us is so foolish as to believe that their strategists are less competent than our own?
They must know that their advantage is fleeting--that they must act before we make gMore our losses. Yet they are not going to doso.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have received a communication from Ladisgg'aus Skjorning." The atmosphere in the conference room was so brittle it could have been chipped with a knife. "He offers"--his eyes bored into Sydon's m?an immediate armistice for the purpose of concluding a general peace." Some of the people at the table looked as if he'd just punched them; others suddenly at straighter, their eyes bright with hope. He didn't tallyy to estimate the numbers which felt either way. "His message is accompanied by an analysis almost identical to that we have just heard. But in pursuit of his armistice, he has ordered a two-month unilateral suspension of ali offensive operations, pending our reply. In short, my friends, he has voluntarily given up his best chance for outright victory to prove he desires pbledace!" Ladislaus Skjorning sat in the first-class lounge of TRS Prometheus and watched the blue and white planet grow It had been six years since last he saw that world, and the sight stirred something within him.
It had been hard to induce the Republic to send most of its executive branch into Federation space aboard an un- armed passenger liner, but he'd done it. His cabinet had en rela. tiveffity easy to convince, but not Congress. Only -comence tact that the Federation had voluntarily offered a quarter of Battle Fleet as hostages for the safe conduct of their guests had outweighed congressional memories of Fionna's assassination.
Now Prometheus slipped into orbit around the mother- worMore, and Ladislaus hid a grin.
One of the more tieidish decisions during the past several months had been choosing the site of the conference. But then he'd remembered that one spot on Old Terra herself was neutral; the tiny country of Switzerland, which had maintained its traditional independence for eleven centuries.
Some of the Federation representatives seemed to re- gard his suggestion as a subtle compliment, but others--like Dietermreeognized the second half of the message. It was possible to be good Terrans without belonging to the Federation.
A muted bell chimed, and Ladislaus rose, offering his arm to Tatiana Illyushina. The shuttle was waiting to carry them to the city of Geneva for the meeting which might end the dying.
A crowd waited beyond the hatch. Ladislaus stared out, feeling Tatiana craning her neck beside him, and smiled despite his tension. She'd never before been off Novaya Rodina with its vast, endless plains, and the mountainous horizon must seem as strange to her as would his own Beaufort. He knew they were under close scrutiny as his vice president gawked at the peaks, and he hoped wistfully that some might mistake her youthful fascination for callow inexperience. He doubted they'd be so stupid, but...
A band struck up, but the music was neither the Repuly lie's Ad Astra nor the Federation's Suns of Splendor. It took a moment of frowning effort to place it, then he smiled and nodded. It was indeed ancient, he thought, but the venerable Battle tigrmn of the Republic was a fitting selection for both sides.
He recognized Oskar Dieter and David Haley among the waiting officials. The big, solid-looking fellow in all the braid must be Sky Marshal Witcinski, and the fox-faced man beside him looked suspicously like the briefing holos" of Kevin Sanders.
Ladislaus squeezed Tatiana's elbow.
"Tatiana, my love, I'm thinking it's best you deal with yon Sky Marshal and leave the sharp-faced fellow to me." "Yes, Lad," she agreed demurely, "and I promise not to sign away our claim to Novaya Rodina, either." "Lass, I'm only worried about your inexperience," Ladislaus teased.
The Federation dignitaries halted at the foot of the pad, and Ladislaus started down through an honor guard of the Republic's Marines. He rather wished he'd brought Li Hah or Magda Petrovna for the military discussions. Fleet Admiral Holbein was a good man, but he lacked their quick wits. Yet there could be no question of recalling either of them from Zapata until these discussions were concluded. He sighed and stepped off the last step.
"Mister Skjorning." Dieter bowed, carefully observing ISU-APeople, ECO the agreed upon'protocols and avoiding official titles. "Wel- come to Old Terra." "lhank you, Mister Dieter." Ladislaus gripped the prime minister's hand firmly and looked into t
he slender New Zuricher's face. "I'm glad to see you again, sir, and only sorry that it must be under such circumstances. I've said some hard things of you in the past. I would like to retract them now." "hank you." Dieter looked away for a moment.
""rhat means a great deal to me in a very personal sense." He looked as ff he meant to say more, then shook his head. "Allow me to introduce you to my colleagues, sir." "It would be an honor," Ladislaus agreed, and the long round of introductions and reintroductions began.
He watched their faces carefully as they shook hands or bowed to one another, comparing their responses to those pre-dieted in his linstaking briefings. By the time he reached the end of the line, he knew the intelligence people had been right; Dieter's colleagues were almost evenly divided on the question of peace or war.
It remained to be seen whether he could bring them to decide for peace. his... quite impossible." Foreign Minister Roger Hadad shook his head firmly. "Even ff we were prepared to stipulate that anv planet which secededattempted to secede, rather--"" he corrected hastily, remembering that the Federation had steadfastly denied the legality of secession his-comis prima facie a member of your Terran Republic, we cannot possibly concede that any world taken from the Federation by force of arms is a 'natural" member of your confederation. The simple fact that a planet was considered a "Fringe World" before the rebelli--before the war, that is, is insufficient reason for us to resign all claim and abandon its citizens." "Mister Hadad," Ladislaus rumbled semi-patienfiy, "that may be true. At the same time, it's to be plain there's no cause to be saying a world isn't a natural part of the Republic simply because it dared not secede because it was having a garrison dispatched to stop it." He fixed the dapper minister with a gimlet eye. "I'm not to have been getting off the produce shuttle yesterday, Mister Hadad.