by David Weber
Commodore Hunter realized Admiral Waldeck had made a serious error in assuming they would face only local yokels@u There had to be Fleet regulars or reservists over there! Well, the hell with standing orders] His own orders went out: break through and get free, then stand off with missiles where his datalink would do him the most good.
Commodore Hunter cursed as the first ship dropped out of his net. They were stripping away his coordination, and ff his outnumbered units had to fight as individuals among that many enemies, they wouldn't stand a chance! But be didn't have much choice, because two light cruisers were lunging straight for him.
He watched in something very like awe as the rebel ships soaked up the fire from his own lights, homing on his wounded flagship. He saw hits going home all over them
@u.. both of them were streaming atmosphere.., and still they came on. One suddenly staggered and yawed aside as she took a direct hit on a drive pod, but she hauled back on course and kept coming.
He barked an order, and Invincible tried to turn away, but her crippled drive faltered. He looked back into his plot and swallowed as Sendai blew in half and the rebel cruisers closed to half a light-second, energy weapons aflame.
"Abandon ship!" he screamed--comb he was too late. ('intsu's hetlasers zeroed in on his command deck with uncanny accuracy, and a burst of finely-focused X rays tore him and his staff apart.
The battle collapsed into a mad, whirling ball of snap- g
ing ships. Atlanta exploded in a massive fireball, followed y Ajax. The surviving loyalists began a limping withdrawal, and a dozen gutted freighters drifted helplessly in their wake, glowing from the hits they'd taken... but there was a dead destroyer to keep them company.
Skywateh streamed air through a dozen huge rents, but her energy weapons were still in action--comsome of them--- and her mis-sties pursued the two retreating destroyers.
"Break off the engagement, Gaptain Howard," Magda Petrovna said wearily. He looked at her in surprise. Jirtsu was hard hit, but half her weapons were still-in action. "If we chase them and we're dead unlucky, we might catch them, Gaptain. Just us. We're the only ship that could." Howard's face ('x with understanding. "Yes, sir," he said.
"And send a message down to the planet," Magda said, looking at her battle plot.
Better than half her "fleet" had been destroyed in the short, savage action, and all the rest were damaged. "Fell them we won--I think." "And you mean to tell me," Admiral Waldeek said icily, "that a handful of armed freighters shot an entire light battlegroup to hell?" The white-heed lieutenant commander across his desk stared straight ahead. Spots of color burned on his cheeks, but his voice was controlled.
"Not precisely, sir. There were also two Fleet cruisers and a class three fort, ff you'll remember. With antimatter warheads." Waldeck flushed with furv. His lips worked, and the commander thought he'd gggne too far. But the admiral gradually regained control.
"All right, Commander, the point is well taken," he said coldly. "But the fact remains that in the first engagement against rebel forces, we lost virtually an entire flotilla. Your ship will be out of action for months, and I doubt Cougar will ever fight again." "Yes, sir." "We were supposed to teach them a lesson!" "Yes, sir." "Well, by God, we will teach them one!" Waldeck punched up a eom link to his flag captain. "Captain M'tana, the task force will move out in one hour. We're going to Novaya Rodina!" "Yes, sir." l?And you, Commander," Waldeek returned his attention to the unfortunate in front of his desk, "are going to come along and see what three battle-cruisers do to your precious rebels!" His "Well, Pieter Petrovieh, that's that." Magda raised her glass of vodka in a tired toast. "After all the repairs we can make out of local resources, the "Novava Rodina Fleet" consists of one crippled light cruiser, on crippled OWP, and four crippled freighters.
"Maybe, mavbe not. You can't run your life on Russian melancholy and the second sight, Pietr Petrovich, and we know what would have happened if we hadn't fought.
Still, I'I1 be surprised if we have time to do much of anything else before the next TFN force arrives, and this time it'll be a battlegroup worth the name." She shrugged, but her voice was softer when she went on. "We did our best, my Pieter. Maybe we should have surrendered ff they'd given us a chance, but they just opened fire." "I know." He swiveled his chair to look out the window at the bright spring morning. "Well," he said heavily, "ff they come back in force, we have no option but to surrender. Agreed?" "Agreed," she sighed. "Those are good people up there, Pieter. I don't want to see them die uselessly." "All right. Will you see to the communication arrangements, Magda?" "I already did," she said with a tired smile.
"After all, that's why I'm commodore of our magnificent fleet, isn't it?" "Hush, Magda." Pieter grinned slowly.
"Now you're being maudlin! Drink your vodka and cheer up. Things could be worse." "What do you mean, going to Novaya Petrograd? Natasha Kazina put her hands on her hips and glared at hey husband. "Who do you think you are? Vladimir Lenin? You're maybe going to bore from within like a mole and topple the government?" "Fasha, you know why I'm going--me and Vlad Kosy-gin and Georgiwe need to be sure those people understand what they're doing to us." "ReallyThat" Her voice dripped sarcasm.
"And you think they don't already? Idiots! Firing on a Terran Fleet! Next thing you know, there'll be missiles on the cities, and there you'll be, playing Menshevik in the middle of it!" "Hush, *Fasha! You know I agree with you--but maybe they aren't all idiots, no? There are good people mixed up in this, our people. Let me go see them.
Let me try to convince them they're wrong." "Argue with the rain! It pays more attention!" "Natasha, I'm going, and that's an end to it.
Sure the Federation has problems, but this isn't the right answer! If INSVRR-RCO 137 I don't try'to tell the Kadets that, I won't be able to sleep nights." "Ahhh[ Men--comvou're aHave idiots!" Natasha exclaimed, throw- lng up her hand in disgust. "But go! Go! Leave me and the boys to see to the planting! Just don't come crying to me when they don't listen]" His "Thank You, I'asha," Fedor murmured, kissing her cheek gently. "I knew you'd understand." "Get out of my sight]" she told him, but her eves twinkled as he backed off the porch. "And don't forgestffbring home some new dress material!" she admonished in a parting shot as he climbed into Kosygin's chopper and it ehirruped aloft.
Ship after ship slid but of the Redwing warp point; three battle-cruisers, two heavv cruisers, five light cruisers, and.fifteen destrovers. God, it was an armada, she thought wearily, and tuned' her commu. nicator to Tsuchevskv's priority channel.
"Yes, Magda??Hiseveswerepuffv.
She'dwakedhim up, she thought. Waked him from a sund sleep to face a nightmare.
"They're coming, Pieter," she said sadly.
"How bad is it?" "If I order a shot fired, it will be as good as executing everv man and woman in mv fleet." "11 right, Magda," he said softly. "I understand. Patch me through to their commander, if you can.
I'll handle it from here." "I'm sorrv, Pieter Petrovich," she said very quietlv "You did our best, Magda. Time was agst'us, that's all.
"I know[" she said heavily, and turned to her eom otcer.
Pieter Tsuchevskv stared into the screen at Admiral Jason WaIdeck, TF. The admiral's cheek muscles were bunched, and Pieter shivered as he realized the man had wanted a ght.
"Admiral, I am Pieter Petrovich Tsuchevsky of the Provisional Gov--was "You, sir," Waldeck cut in coldly, "are a traitor, and that is all you are!" Pieter fell silent, staring at him, and the admiral went on implacably. "I understand the purpose of this communication is to arrange your surrender. Very well.
Ali ships in space will land immediately at Novaya Petrograd Spaceport. Any armed vessel incapable of atmospheric flight will lower its shields and await boarding by one of my prize crews. The same applies to what's to eft of Skywatch. Is that clear?" "Yes." It took all of Pieter's strength to get out the strangled word, and Waldeck made no effort to hide his own savage satisfaction.
"As for your so-called 'Provisional Governme
nt,"" he sneered, "you will surrender yourvs to me as soon as my ships planet. There will be no exceptions. Anyone who resists will be shot. Is that clear?" "Yes," Pieter managed once more.
"It had better be. I will see you aboard my flagship in three hours." Waldeck cut communications curtly, and Pieter stared at the blank screen for long seconds as he tasted the ashes of defeat.
"Look at thaff' Fedor Kazin gasped as this; chopper swooped past the spaceport after a ten-hour flight. The others turned and looked--and looked again. Novaya Petrograd Spaceport had never seen such a concentration of shipping. Fedor's index finger moved slowly from ship to ,eaship as he counted.
@u.. twenty-three.., twenty-four.., twenty-five... Twenty-five! And those big ones -comare they battle-crnisers, Georgi?" "Yes." Georgi Zelinsky grunted. "My God, it's all over! There wouldn't be any grounded battle-crnisers ff it weren't. They're about the biggest warship that can enter atmosphere at all, and they have to take it mighty easy when they do. No commander lands them any place he might have to get out of in a hurry." "Look!" Fodor said excitedly. "All the hatches are open--see? And over there! Look at all the pear' "Yeah," Vlad said, squinting into his teleview. "All in uniform, "too. Looks like they mst've stripped the crews off the ships." 'hey wouldn't do that," Georgi disagreed. "Not all of them. There has to be a'power room watch on board." "Yeah? Well look at 'em! They didn't leave many on board. His "You're right there." Georgi tapped his teeth, his mind going back over the decades to his own five-year hitch in the Navy. "Looks like they've mustered all hands for some reason. And over there-what's hat?" "That" was a long snake of civilians winding its way out from the city. Vlad swooped Iow over their heads. There were thousands of them.
"Damned ff I know," Fedor said slowly, "bu: I think better we should land and find out, no?" "I thnk yes," Vlad agreed.
The helicopter landed quieHy, and as the three farmers hurried over to the edge of the crowd something nibbled at Fedor's awareness. They were already merging into the front ranks of the long snake when he realized what it was. "Look--noto guns!" he whispered.
"Of course not," Georgi said after a minute.
"Fhey mst've declared martial to aw while we were in the air. Martial law means no civilian guns." "Well what about us?" Vffad whispered, tapping the heavy magnum automatic at his hip. It was a clumsy weapon, btt Vlad was old-fashioned; he preferred a big noisy gun that relied on mass and relatively Iow velocities.
"I recommend," Georgi said, unbuttoning his coat and shoving his laser pistol inside, "that we get them out of sight--fast!" Fedor tucked his own pistol (a three-millimeter Ruger needler with a ninety-round magazine) under his coat, then turned to the nearest townsman.
"What's happening, tovarich?" he asked softly.
"You don't know?" the townie looked at him with shock-hazed eyes.
"I just landed, tovarich. Came all the way from Novaya Siberia to talk to this Provisional Government." "Shhhhh! Want to get yourseff arrested, you fool?i"
"Arrested? For talking to someone?" Fedor blinked in astonishment.
"The whole bunch of 'em are under arrest," the city man said heavily. "We're occupied." "Well, what're you all doing out here, then?" "Orders," the townie shrugged. "I don't know.
They landed two hours ago and went on the city data channels. Somebody named Waldeck--he says he's the new military governor. He ordered the head of every household in the city to be out here by seventeen hundred... he didn't say why." "Every head of household?" Fedor blinked again at the thought.
"Right. So here we are." Fedor looked up as the long column shuffled to a halt and began to spread. Anxious-faced Marines in undress uniform, armed with autorifies and laser carbines, dressed the crowd, but something was wrong here. Those men looked worried, almost frightened--but they'd won!
"The Provisional Government!" someone whispered.
"All of them--and the defense force officers?
Fedor shook his head, trying to understand, and wiggled his way into the very front rank, staring over at the prisoners. He knew Magda well--he'd danced at her parents" wedding, too many years ago -comand it angered him to see her chained like an animal.
All right, so she'd broken the law! But she'd been provoked. It might have been wrong of her, but she'd only been doing what she believed she must!
There was another stir as the Marines drew back from the prisoners and formed a line between them and the crowd.
They faced the prisoners vigilantly while the Navy personnel formed two huge blocks, separated by about ten meters, andnd a party of officers strode briskly down the open lane.
Fedor was no military man, but even he could figure out the tall man with all the sleeve braid was an admiral. But he wondered who the other officer--the black one arguing with the admiral--was?
Whoever it was, they were going at it hammer and tongs.
Finally the admiral gave a curt headshake and said something loud and angry, but Fedor was too far away to hear.
"Admiral, you can't do this!" Captain Rupert M'tana said yet again. "It's illegal! It violates all their civil rights!" "Captain," Waldeck said savagely, "I will remind you--for the last time--comt this planet is under martiai law. And no one--comI repeat, no one--rebels against the government, kills Navy personnel and gets away with it on my wtch! Especially not ignorant, backworld Fringe "For God's sake, Admiral!" M'tana said. "You--was "Silence!" Waldeck whirled on the dark-skinned officer, and his eyes snapped fire. "You will go to your quarters and place yourself under close arrest, Captain M'tana! I'll deal with you later!" "I'm your fi, ag captain," M'tana began angrily, "and it's my duty. to-- "Major," Waldeck turned coldly to a Marine officer. "You will escort the captain to his quarters!" "Yes, sir!" The major had a thick DuPont accent, and his eyes were very bright. He saluied sharply, then jerked his head at M'tana as the admiral turned on his heel. M'tana could almost taste the Navy crews' confusion, but the Marine major tapped the butt of his laser meaningfully, and the flag captain knew it was hopeless. Sagging with defeat, he allowed the major to lead him away.
Waldeck mounted an improvised platform and turned to face the crowd of murmuring civilians.
He gripped a microphone, his eyes bitter as he stared at them. The only way to avoid more bloodshed was to rub these stupid proles' noses in what happened when they rebelled. He looked at his own massed crewmen. Yes, and show them, too.
He raised the mike.
"People of Novaya Rodina!" Fedor's head snapped around as the massively amplified voice roared. "You have belled against Federation law. You have harbored and abetted mutinous members of the armed services. Such actions are treasonous." Fedor flinched from the harshness of the admiral's voice. Treasonous? Well, maybe technically -comb a man could stand only so much.
"By the authority of the Legislative Assembly, all civil law on this planet is hereby suspended. Martial law is declared. All public gatherings are banned until further notice. I now announce a curfew, to take effect at 1900 hours. Violators will be shot." Fedor blanched. Shot! For walking the street?
"Before you stand the leaders of your rebellion against legitimate authority," Waldeck went on coldly. "As military governor of this planet, it is my responsibility to deal with these ringleaders." He paused and glanced contemly tuously at the prisoners. "The Federation is just," he said. "It extends its protection and support to those who obey our laws and justly deserved punishment to those who defy. them.
"Now, therefore, as military governor of Novaya Rodina, I, Admiral Jason Waldeck, Terran Federation Navy, do hereby sentence these traitors to death!" A great silence gripped the crowd. "Sentence---was Waldeek finished harshly his-comffbe carried out immediately!" Fedor couldn't believe his ears. This couldn't happen! Not in the Federation! It was a nightmare! It was... it was an atrocity!
He stared at the scene before him, unable to comprehend, as two Marine privates took Pieter Tsuchevsky by the arms. He moved slowly, as if in shock, but held his head high. As he and his guards moved away from the group
, two more privates singled out Tatiana Illyushina. The slender young woman drooped in their hands as she realized she would be next, yet she fought for control and tried to stand erect.
Paralysis gripped Fedor. He was suspended in disbelief, unable to think, barely able to breathe.
He watched numbly as Tsuchevsky was turned to face the crowd. Six Marines with adtorifies marched smartly out and took position before him, weapons at port arms.
"Firing squad!" a Marine officer shouted.
"Present arms!" Weapons clattered.
"Take aim!" Butt plates pressed uniformed shoulders.
Fedor felt something boiling in him against the ice, but still he could not move.
"Ready!" The pressure building in" his throat strangled him. "Fire!" Six shots rang out on semi-automatic.
It all happened in slow motion. Fedor saw Tsuchevsky's shirt ripple, saw great, red blotches blossom hideously as the slugs tore through his body, and Pieter Petrovich Tsuchevsky, Chief of the Duma, President of the Provi-sionatf Government of Novaya Rodina, jerked at the impact, then toppled like a falling tree. And as he hit the ground, the pressure in Fedor Kazin burst. His sustaining faith in the Federation died in an agony of disillusionment, and his hand flashed into his coat.
For one instant he faced them all alone, one man with a pistol in his hand and rage in his heart. Then the pistol rose. It lined on the burly admiral as he turned angrily towards the single voice raised in protest.
He never completed his turn. The needler screamed, and Admiral Jason Waldeck's uniform smoked under its hyper-velocity darts. He pitched to the ground seconds behind Tsuchevsky, and the crowd went mad.
Fedor never knew who struck the first Marine, but the guards never had a chance as the screaming, kicking mob went over them. Here and there an autorifie spoke, a laser carbine snarled. The Marines didn't die easily, and they didn't die alone -comb they died.