But it looked too good to be true. “They’re abandoning such a useful world?”
“So it would seem,” Admiral Singh agreed. “Corinthian is really too far from their core to allow for mutual support.”
Mark nodded, slowly. He was no naval expert, but Corinthian was nearly a month from Avalon at best possible speed. Trying to hold on to the system would pin a substantial enemy force down indefinitely, allowing the Wolves to wreak havoc elsewhere. Corinthian might be able to support the enemy’s war effort, but the sheer distance between the threatened world and the rest of the Commonwealth worked against it. The defences wouldn't die on the vine, yet they wouldn't help others either.
“It doesn't make sense,” he said. “They must know that they need every last scrap of industry they can get.”
“They do,” Admiral Singh agreed. “They’re sending a substantial force to ... liberate ... the industrial base I built up before I was forced to leave. They’ll strip Corinthian bare of everything from trained personnel to industrial modules, leaving a restive population that won’t be too pleased to see me again. By the time they leave, Corinthian will be useless to both us and the Commonwealth.”
Mark frowned. That made a great deal more sense. The trained manpower alone would make one hell of a difference, in the right - or the wrong - hands. He’d seen enough of the Empire’s educational system to know that trained manpower was worth its weight in any rare substance one cared to name. And Corinthian had been a member of the Commonwealth for nearly three years. The possibilities ...
He looked up into her disturbingly dark eyes. “They might have moved some of their own industrial base out there,” he breathed. “There’ll be a chance to capture some of their technology.”
“It’s a possibility,” Admiral Singh said. Her voice darkened. “The research labs have been quite slow in understanding the principles of their technology, even though we now know such things are possible. Indeed, half of the ... scientists ... are convinced that we are misreading the sensor records. They simply don’t believe that force shields are a viable technology.”
Mark wasn't surprised. He hated to admit it, but most of the technology his force used would be understandable to a military officer from the days before the Empire. Scientific research had slowed to a crawl, in the final days of the Empire, and technological innovation had been strongly discouraged. The Grand Senate had been happy with its control of everything important, he recalled. They hadn't wanted to accidentally develop something that might upend the entire balance of power, let alone threaten their superiority. Their scientists hadn't been worthy of the name.
“The Commonwealth doesn't have that disadvantage,” he commented. “Nor does the Trade Federation.”
“No,” Admiral Singh agreed. “They have the advantage of having an industrial base, without the corporate mindset that developed over a thousand years of squashing all the competition by fair means or foul. Right now, there’s no room in their little heads for a genuinely original thought. And I can't even purge half the bastards without sparking off a civil war.”
She leant forward, her eyes blazing. “You understand the potential benefits of securing Corinthian before they strip the planet bare?”
“Yes, Admiral,” Mark agreed. “But they will have already begun the operation, surely?”
“They will not find it easy to pick up a whole industrial base and transport it home,” Admiral Singh pronounced. Mark was inclined to agree. “And I imagine that my ... successors ... will resent losing so much of their hard work. They will not be inclined to cooperate, even at gunpoint. The Commonwealth will find it hard to carry out their mission within six months, let alone a year.”
Mark rather suspected she had a point. Wolfbane had raided every nearby world for trained manpower and industrial modules and it had always faced resistance. Never enough to stop the looting, to be fair, but enough to cause problems. Experienced personnel had even killed themselves, rather than be taken from their families. Governor Brown had eventually issued orders that families were to be taken too, but too much damage had already been done.
“They may not even have the shipping space for non-essential personnel,” he commented, thoughtfully. He’d handled evacuations, in the past, and they were always messy as hell. A person would be taken on the wrong ship or left behind ... hell, the Commonwealth’s attempt to evacuate Thule had failed miserably. “And the trained personnel will definitely resent being separated from their families.”
“Quite,” Admiral Singh agreed.
She tapped the console again, replacing the starchart with an order of battle. “My task force will advance to Corinthian as quickly as possible, destroying or driving away the Commonwealth ships within the system, before proceeding to secure the high orbitals,” she said. “Once we take control, you’ll be landing with a sizable force to take control of all the major cities and secure the personnel and facilities we need. You’ll also be watching for the rebels who unseated me beforehand, so they can be punished as they deserve.”
Mark winced at the hatred running through her voice. Admiral Singh had been an empress, to all intents and purposes, before she’d been kicked off the planet. Now, she held power, but not supreme power. She could have come to terms with Governor Brown if she’d met him as an equal, instead of a supplicant. He couldn't blame her for wanting a little revenge ...
And she can't strike at her true enemies, he thought. So she strikes at others instead.
“That will require considerable manpower,” he said, carefully. If anything, that was an understatement. Corinthian was heavily populated as well as heavily armed. “We may not have the resources on hand to cope with the mission.”
“You will be withdrawing two-thirds of the infantry and supporting arms from Thule,” Admiral Singh said, bluntly. “We hold the high orbitals and much of the orbital and interplanetary infrastructure. We’ll keep control of the capital and a handful of other locations, but the remainder of this shithole can go to hell.”
Mark forced his face to reveal no trace of his feelings. Thule wasn't as important as Corinthian, but he’d lost thousands of men trying to keep the planet under control. Never mind that half of them had been conscripts, men who hadn't really wanted to join the military; they’d died for Wolfbane, countless light years from home. It wasn't right to have their deaths be for nothing, although he doubted that Governor Brown had cared much before he died. Surely Admiral Singh would understand ...
“Thule is immaterial to us, right now,” she said, firmly. “I don’t intend to waste any more resources securing the planet. We can clobber the insurgents from orbit if they raise their heads too high.”
She shrugged. “But that will be your successor’s job,” she added. “I want you in command of the ground forces on Corinthian.”
“Yes, Admiral,” Mark said. A trap? Or was he merely the most experienced officer at her disposal? He didn't know anyone with more experience of sustained urban combat. “When do you intend to depart?”
Admiral Singh eyed him darkly. “How quickly can you load your men onto the transports?”
Mark thought fast, silently grateful for the vast number of contingency plans he’d drawn up - or, rather, had his staff draw up - for every conceivable situation. He’d assumed from the start that the deployment wouldn’t last indefinitely, not with Governor Brown a penny-pinching bureaucrat. Moving his men back to entrenched positions and preparing for evacuation had always been a very real possibility ...
“Two to three weeks, assuming we have enough shuttles on hand,” he said. “But we don’t have that many we brought in from out-system.”
He scowled in bitter memory. It was a sore spot. The orbital industrial nodes surrounding Thule had produced a number of shuttles for his forces, but two of them had exploded in flight - apparently, the insurgents had sabotaged the flight computers. It had caused several near-mutinies when his men had refused to board the damned craft. A number of locals had died for t
heir involvement, but it hadn't been enough to repair the damage they’d done.
“Use shuttles from my ships,” Admiral Singh ordered. “I want to be on the way to Corinthian within the month.”
Mark frowned. “That might be tricky,” he said. “Moving men is one thing, but evacuating our supplies is quite another.”
“It has to be done,” Admiral Singh said. “If necessary, we’ll send back for more supplies once we are established on Corinthian.”
“If we can,” Mark said.
He wasn't happy. In his experience, pre-war simulations of just how much ammunition would be expended in combat were almost laughably optimistic. His men had fired off millions of rounds on Thule, while losing over four hundred combat vehicles from light armoured patrol units to Landshark tanks. And hadn't that been a blow to morale? He’d always assumed the Landsharks were next to invulnerable, until they hadn't been any longer.
And yet, he had a feeling Admiral Singh wouldn't accept any excuses. She wanted Corinthian badly, so badly she was prepared to take the risk of commanding the operation in person, something that would rebound badly on her if the operation failed. There was no room for him to manoeuvre.
“I’ll communicate with my officers at once,” he said. “We’ll dust off the contingency plan for troop withdrawal, then put it into operation. It will have to be a staggered withdrawal ...”
He paused as a thought struck him. “We could always tell the insurgents that we’re leaving for good,” he added. It was risky - once his forces had a reputation for being liars, it was unlikely to vanish in a hurry - but it was a possibility. “It might stop them harassing our forces as they withdraw.”
Admiral Singh’s lips thinned. “I doubt they would believe us,” she said. “They have to know we would not abandon the industrial nodes.”
“True,” Mark agreed.
“Hammer the insurgents from orbit,” Admiral Singh ordered, curtly. There was no give in her voice at all. “Hit them whenever they hit us.”
Mark winced. Admiral Singh was a naval officer, not a groundpounder. She had no conception of what happened when a KEW struck its target. The resulting blast would not only obliterate the insurgent position, but everything around it. Hundreds of civilians - and Wolves - would be caught in the blast and killed. And any civilian survivors would be thoroughly radicalised. His men had caught hundreds of insurgents who claimed they’d only begun to fight after losing loved ones to KEW strikes.
She doesn't give a damn about collateral damage, he thought. In space, there was rarely any such thing. Even a nuke could detonate without risking innocent lives. And there’s no way to talk her out of it.
“I’ll issue the best orders for each situation,” he said. “Getting our troops out in reasonable order is the first priority.”
“Understood,” Admiral Singh said. She rose. “I’ll expect you for dinner tonight, General. I have some operational matters to discuss with you.”
“Of course, Admiral,” Mark said. Thankfully, his second could start preparations for the evacuation, once he had his orders. “I look forward to it.”
And that, he knew all too well, was a lie.
Chapter Ten
Indeed, most observers fail to understand the role luck and timing play in military (and government) operations.
- Professor Leo Caesius. The Role of Randomness In War.
“You know, Captain,” Commander Tygart said, “we could probably claim a record.”
Mandy smiled, rather ruefully. “I doubt we could beat a courier boat,” she said, as she studied the eerie lights of phase space. “And even if we did, it wouldn't last.”
She smiled at the thought. Starships were getting faster, thanks to the wave of innovation unleashed by the Commonwealth. So far, the technology had remained mainly restricted to military ships, but that would change sooner rather than later. And when it did, the galactic economy would change once again. Defiant was the fastest capital ship in space, as far as she knew, but she’d soon be joined by others. And all the stars would grow closer together.
And that will make life more interesting, she thought, as she settled back in her command chair. Being a starship commander and squadron commander was awkward, but her crews were well-trained and used to making a number of decisions without having her looking over their shoulders. We won’t have as much freedom as we have now.
She pushed the thought aside as she glanced at the timer, showing the last minutes ticking away before the squadron reached the phase limit surrounding Corinthian’s star. Pirates had been known to lurk along the phase limits, watching for lone freighters they could ambush, but it was unlikely that any pirates would dare to tangle with a warship. If, of course, there were any pirates left. She smiled a smile of cold satisfaction when she contemplated just how many pirate ships had been captured or destroyed, along with their bases, in the years since she’d escaped from captivity. It wasn't enough - it would never be enough - but it was a start.
“Two minutes to emergence point, Captain,” the helmsman said. “The drive is ready to recycle upon command.”
“See to it,” Mandy ordered, curtly. It was unlikely they would run into a problem that would force them to turn and flee, but she knew better than to take chances. The timing should work in their favour, yet luck might turn against them at any moment. “Tactical?”
“All weapons and sensors charged and ready, Captain,” the tactical officer reported. “Shield generator is online, ready to go active.”
Mandy forced herself not to show any sign of tension as the last few seconds ticked down to nothingness. It had been a boring voyage, even if she’d had time to chat to Jasmine and Mindy and run hundreds of simulations, based on what she expected to find when they reached their destination. But she knew from bitter experience that boredom was far better than running into an enemy squadron or being a helpless prisoner of a pirate crew. She felt for the poison tooth in her mouth with her tongue, feeling a wave of grim determination. One solid crunch and she’d die within seconds. It was an unpleasant thought, but she was damned if she was allowing herself to fall into pirate hands for a second time.
The ship rocked, slightly, as she dropped back into realspace. Mandy’s eyes flew to the holographic display, watching grimly as red icons flashed into existence, only to turn blue as IFF codes were checked and rechecked. The remainder of the squadron had made it, thankfully. She'd heard too many tales of navigators who put the wrong coordinates into the phase drive and ended up thousands of light years from their destination ...
“Preliminary scan complete, Captain,” the tactical officer said. “Local space is clear.”
Mandy nodded, although she still felt jumpy. The squadron had taken a least-time course to Corinthian, which made their arrival time and destination predictable to anyone with half a brain. If the enemy had managed to get an ambush in place, the first she’d know of it was when the missiles came screeching towards them out of seemingly empty space. But, as the seconds ticked by, she relaxed. The enemy, if indeed there was an enemy, had missed its best chance at scoring a devastating series of blows.
“Remain on tactical alert,” she ordered, quietly. “Send a standard IFF pulse to System Command.”
“Aye, Captain,” the communications officer said.
“Helm, take us into the system,” Mandy added. “Match course and speed with the transports.”
“Aye, Captain,” the helmsman added.
Mandy sat back in her chair and watched, grimly, as the squadron proceeded into the system, the display lighting up with hundreds of icons. Corinthian had been settled long before Avalon and it showed, although two successive governments hadn't been quite as enthusiastic about unrestrained capitalism and innovation as the Commonwealth. The system was dotted with radio signals, ranging from a dozen cloudscoops to asteroid settlements and small establishments on almost every planet. Indeed, it was clear that the level of interplanetary activity had tripled since her first visit to the pla
net.
And they’re working on growing their manpower base too, she thought. Corinthian had had the same problems as most of the other worlds, but Admiral Singh had managed to overcome many of them before she’d been forced to flee. Given time, they could rise to dominate the sector.
She scowled, remembering some of the complaints she’d heard from junior crewmen. They wondered just what would happen if Avalon - and Corinthian - continued to dominate the worlds around them. The Empire, on a smaller scale? Or something worse? She didn't mourn for what she’d lost, when she’d been exiled from Earth, but she had to admit that the Empire had offered stability. But that had been a lie, held in place by force and threats ... both of which had been in short supply when the end finally came. Now ...
They Shall Not Pass (The Empire's Corps Book 12) Page 10