“Atalia has been pounded to hell for the last century. It’s not exactly a prize for the Alliance.” Rione shrugged and stood up. “But we’re not annexing it. I’ll prepare a message for Dungeon to carry to the grand council, suggesting we offer limited protection but avoid promising any more than that. The Alliance can’t afford to take on the responsibility of fixing up Syndic star systems as well as our own. Make certain that you specify in your message to Dungeon that you’ve promised on your own honor that the people in Atalia won’t be bombarded again unless in response to attacks on Alliance units in this star system.”
He set to work crafting his replies as Rione left. At one point an alert announced the arrival of the Alliance kinetic bombardment launched twelve hours ago at some of the distant targets at which it had been aimed. There wasn’t any halting the onward progress of that bombardment, since the Alliance couldn’t stop the rocks any more than the Syndics could.
One other thing bothered him, though. Atalia hadn’t surrendered to the Alliance. It had surrendered to him.
CAPTAIN Duellos—the man, not his virtual image—leaned back and glanced around Geary’s stateroom. “I always expect a place to seem different when I’m there in person no matter how realistic my virtual visits were supposed to be. Too many people use filters that show a virtual visitor a false image of grandeur or whatever other spotless illusion they prefer to their own reality.”
“So, is this different?” Geary asked, dropping into the seat opposite.
“Not that I can tell.” Duellos shrugged. “I didn’t expect differently. To me you’ve always seemed uncomfortable with illusions.”
Most visits among the fleet’s ships were virtual ones, but while physical visits were unusual, they weren’t totally unheard of. With no enemy threat still present, Duellos had taken a shuttle to see an old acquaintance who was now commanding officer of one of the new battle cruisers, then swung his shuttle by Dauntless on the way back to Inspire. “How’s your friend on Agile?” Geary asked.
“He’s fine, though a bit worried about everything he’s hearing about these radical new ways of fighting that Black Jack Geary is employing. I reassured him that they are honorable, effective, and learnable, as he saw when we arrived at Atalia. He wanted to see me in person to pass on a memento from a mutual friend of ours who died in battle a little while back and wanted me to have something of his to remind me of . . . our times together.” Duellos sat silent for a moment, then looked directly at Geary. “I keep expecting to get a message from Jaylen Cresida with the latest on her researches or some tactic she wanted to talk about.”
“I know how you feel. It’s hard to look at the fleet and not see Furious there.”
“But . . . we go on.” Duellos blew out a long breath, then nodded at the star display. “We go, to be specific, back to the Syndic home star system.”
“That’s the plan,” Geary agreed.
“Aren’t you curious as to how I knew it was the plan?”
Geary made a face, waving toward his desk. “According to reports from Lieutenant Iger, the intelligence officer assigned to Dauntless, everybody in Varandal Star System, military and civilian, seemed to know that before we left. I had to brief various parties on the plan and get their approval, you know.”
“And somehow the plan got leaked,” Duellos remarked with obviously feigned surprise. “Where are we really going?”
“To the Syndic home star system.”
He frowned and leaned forward, searching Geary’s face. “Are you trying to make them think that because everybody knows we are going there we couldn’t possibly be really going there? Manipulating the mind of the enemy is an inexact and often failed art.”
“So I’ve heard.” Geary sighed as well. “I didn’t want it to leak, but I suspect the Syndics knew we’d be aiming for there anyway. It’s the only objective that makes sense, the one place the Syndics can’t afford to lose, and the Syndic leaders can’t abandon their home star system without suffering a massive hit to the morale of the Syndicate Worlds.”
“That’s true of our leaders,” Duellos agreed. “Is it true of theirs as well?”
“As near as we can tell. The Syndicate Worlds are very close to falling apart as it is. A little piece just broke off here at Atalia. Having their leaders run would shatter everything that’s left.”
Duellos was studying the star display again. “The only way to get there fast is by using the Syndic hypernet, which means barging in the front door again. I hate to recall how many mines we encountered outside that hypernet gate.”
“My plan takes that into account,” Geary confided. “We have to go to the Syndic home star system in order to strike a decisive blow, but there’s more than one way to get there fast. I’ve done my best to let only the fewest possible people in on it, then not use comm systems unless I have to, but when we’re about to jump out of here, I’ll brief the fleet on it just as I promised.”
“I understand your hesitation to use even the ultrasecure comm systems. I’m sure you guessed that’s why I came by in person.” Duellos gave Geary a sidelong glance. “You’re talking to Tanya? She’s in on the planning?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent.”
Geary smiled. “Why would you think I wouldn’t have her in on the planning?”
Duellos was studying his fingernails. “Personal reasons.”
“They’re not getting in the way.”
“She asked me to talk to you,” Duellos continued in relaxed tones. “Tanya, that is. ‘Beat some sense into him,’ she said.”
“What’d I do this time?” Geary asked.
“Something about the rank of fleet admiral being temporary.” Duellos raised both eyebrows at Geary. “You do have the grand gesture down. Most men regard that giving-up-everything-for-their-love thing as a theoretical exercise and don’t actually intend ever doing it.”
Geary laughed. “Roberto, I’m not qualified to hold that rank.” He held up a hand to forestall Duellos’s reply. “I can command this fleet. But fleet admiral is a lot more than that. I lack the necessary experience in diplomacy, logistics, planning, and lots of other things.”
“I must respectfully disagree, Admiral.” Duellos dropped all hint of humor. “In all seriousness, is that what you wish? Is that what’s best?”
He looked back at Duellos, letting some of his own emotional strain show. “I think I’ve given a great deal, I think I’ve done a great deal. There’ll always be more that’s needed. I know that, and I’ve stopped deluding myself that I can walk away from it. I won’t abandon those who depend on me. I’ve never done that. But how long can I keep going if I don’t . . . don’t look to what I need as well? Our ships were running out of fuel cells at Varandal, Roberto. Sometimes I feel like that, like my power core has reached exhaustion and needs to shut down. And then I talk to Tanya, and I can keep going.”
Duellos nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Have you told that to her?”
“I can’t! Not that way. You know that. It’s improper, it’s unprofessional, and it would place her in a dishonorable position. I respect her too much to do that.”
“Respect?” Duellos quirked a questioning eyebrow at Geary. “Or some other emotion you can’t say out loud?”
“Both,” Geary admitted. “But I won’t compromise her honor.”
“And she refuses to compromise yours.” Duellos shook his head. “You’re waiting until you are both captains again? And you’ve relinquished command of the fleet, so she’s no longer in your chain of command, and you can legally and honorably have a relationship?”
“Right.” Geary made an angry gesture. “Which would be impossible if I remained an admiral. Hence the temporary rank, and I will not bend on that. The Alliance government agreed that I would revert to captain and give up command of the fleet when the war is over, and I’ve returned the fleet to Alliance space.”
Duellos nodded once more. “So Tanya told me. Did the government promise not to pr
omote you again immediately and just as quickly reappoint you to command of the fleet?”
Geary stared at Duellos, feeling a sudden weight in his gut. “No.”
“Then you’d better plan for that.”
No wonder Senator Navarro had given in so easily. No wonder the officers in the fleet had such low opinions of politicians. At least this confirmed for him that his talk to Badaya about how politicians would easily manipulate officers had indeed been true and not just a tactic to convince Badaya not to force a military coup. Small comfort that was at the moment, though. “But, how do I . . . ?”
Duellos stood up, smiling wryly. “Move fast, outwit the enemy, strike in ways they don’t expect.” His smile faded. “You’ll need to be certain that Tanya feels the same.”
“How the hell do I do that when we can’t talk about it?”
“I haven’t any idea.” Duellos shook his head. “Tanya sent me here to talk about your career, not about your relationship with her. I can’t honorably act as an intermediary on that issue. You know that.”
“Yes, I do. No one can. We’d be asking them to take dishonorable actions, to assist in breaking regulations. The only people we could ask would be those we trust the most, and wouldn’t that be one hell of a way to repay that trust?” Geary faced the star display as if an answer might be read there among the stars. “I’ll figure out something.”
“Just remember that Tanya is going to be making her own plans. They may not coincide with yours.”
“Why not?”
Duellos took a moment, apparently deciding whether or not to answer. “You’ll have to ask her.”
“I can’t.”
“No. Sorry.” Duellos moved to leave, then paused. “I’ll tell her you’re firm in your decision on the rank issue. She won’t be happy.”
“Great. Right now that makes two of us.”
Duellos followed Geary’s gaze. “You’re looking at Dreadnaught.”
“Yeah. I still haven’t heard anything from Jane Geary except required professional reports.”
“That I can try to help with. There’s nothing dishonorable about seeking to discuss personal matters with a close relative. I’ll speak with her,” Duellos promised.
“Thanks.” Geary stood, looking closely at Duellos. “I’m glad to finally meet you in person. Just in case.” They’d be going into battle again, and in the tiny fractions of a second in which warships clashed on their firing runs, chance played a big part in who lived and who died.
“Yes. Just in case. I’ll go pay my respects to Captain Desjani and report the failure of my mission.”
Despite it all, Geary found himself smiling after Duellos had left.
THERE were smiles all around the conference table. Every commanding officer was happy about the one-sided slaughter of the Syndic fast attack craft and had already heard that Atalia had surrendered to Geary. The only unhappy face would have belonged to the captain of Dungeon, and that cruiser had jumped for Varandal twenty hours ago.
For the first time since he had assumed command of the fleet, Geary felt a need to tamp down the high spirits. “We’ve won minor victories here, but the big fight is yet to come. Some of the Syndic forces that attacked Varandal escaped, and they’ll have picked up reinforcements. We need to finish off that force.”
He called up the star display, knowing that this was the moment they had all been anticipating. “We’ll jump from here to Kalixa. The hypernet gate there was destroyed, but from Kalixa we can make a jump to Indras.” His hand traced the planned path of the fleet deeper into Syndic space. “Assuming the Syndic hypernet gate at Indras has been fitted with a Cresida safe-fail system, we’ll approach that gate and use the Syndic hypernet key aboard Dauntless to allow the fleet to enter the Syndic hypernet and head for Parnosa.” The path on the display shot across space, ending at a distant star.
A moment’s silence was broken by Commander Neeson of Implacable asking the question Geary could see on every face. “Parnosa? Why Parnosa?”
“Because none of us trust the Syndics, and recent history warns us against entering the Syndic home star system through the front door represented by the hypernet gate there.” The reference to the Syndic ambush that had inflicted horrible losses on this same fleet didn’t need any elaboration. “So we’re going to come at them from an unexpected direction. From Parnosa, we’ll jump to Zevos, and from Zevos to the Syndic home star system.”
A moment’s silence followed while everyone absorbed that, then Captain Jane Geary spoke for the first time at one of these conferences. “Zevos is not within jump range of the Syndic home star system.”
“Yes, it is,” Captain Duellos responded in a thoughtful voice. “Not within official range, but when this fleet jumped to Sancere, Captain Geary showed us how to get extra range from the jump drives. The distance from Zevos to the Syndic home star system is less than we jumped then.”
“Exactly,” Geary agreed. “Whatever surprise the Syndics may have prepared for us won’t be targeted at anything jumping from Zevos. We’ll arrive at a jump point the Syndics regard as useless because they think there are no stars close enough for it to be used.”
Neeson’s smile was back. “So the Syndics won’t have anything there waiting for us. We’ll take their ambush at the hypernet gate in the rear this time.”
Captain Armus was frowning, though. “What if the Syndic defenders just bolt through that hypernet gate instead of fighting us? We’ll be giving them an easy escape.”
Rione normally remained silent in these meetings, but now she spoke up. “They can’t afford to run because the Syndic leadership can’t afford to run. The defenders have to stand and try to win because if the Syndic Executive Council flees their home star system, their remaining veneer of authority will vanish, and most of the Syndicate Worlds’ other star systems will follow the lead of places like Atalia and Heradao. We know this, and they know this. They must fight.”
Armus and some of the other captains had frowned more deeply at Rione interjecting herself into the meeting, but as she finished, the frowns eased. “That’s good, then,”
Armus conceded. “Fleet intelligence supports that assessment?” he asked Geary.
“It does.” Naturally, the fleet’s officers wouldn’t take a politician’s word for anything. “This plan isn’t set in stone, because if the gate at Indras is also gone or hasn’t yet been fitted with a safe-fail device, we won’t be able to use it. If that happens, we’ll keep jumping deeper into Syndic territory until we find a gate we can use.”
Dependable’s captain gestured for attention. “Admiral, the Syndics may not have installed those systems on any of their gates. I know this fleet rode out shock waves from gate collapses at Sancere and Lakota. Why can’t we attempt to use a gate even if it lacks a safe-fail system?”
Geary could tell the suggestion didn’t have support from any of the officers who’d been present at Lakota, but the question was an understandable one from someone who hadn’t been there. “We’re going to Kalixa next. I think once you see what’s left of that star system, you’ll have your answer to that. Are there any other questions?”
Captain Kattnig of the Adroit stood. “I wish to volunteer the battle cruisers of the Fifth Battle Cruiser Division for the vanguard of any future action against the Syndics.”
The other commanding officers exchanged glances, some approving, some disapproving, many simply of understanding at the request. Geary took a moment to answer. “Captain, the fleet’s formation in action will be dependent on the situation we encounter. I assure you that every ship in the fleet will play an important role in any engagement.”
Kattnig nodded respectfully. “This is understood, Admiral, but my battle cruisers have not had the opportunity to prove themselves under your command and are eager to do just that.”
“I will keep that in mind, Captain.” The request was in keeping with the offensive mind-set of the fleet, so there wasn’t any sense in outright denying it. Kattnig sat
down again, and Geary studied the other officers. “I have just one thing more, then.” He had been thinking about how to say this and hoped he had the talk down right. Desjani waited with a confident expression. He’d tried the speech out on her, and she had suggested only small changes.
“When I first gained command of this fleet,” he began speaking, “our situation was desperate. We fought desperately, as those who had nothing to lose. As we fought our way closer and closer to home, our emotions became the desperation of hope, the willingness to risk everything so we could return to our homes and loved ones. Now things have changed. We’re no longer desperate. But we must fight now to avoid complacency, to avoid the belief that the hard fighting is over, and painless victory is certain. We won easily at the jump exit into Atalia. But had we been unworried then, had we not shown the wariness of combat veterans, then this fleet would have plowed straight into that mass of merchant ships, and many of our own ships wouldn’t have come out again after those Syndic ships sprung their trap.”
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