“I believe He has a plan, but we often don’t follow it. Certainly, our enemies don’t follow it. Is it so hard to believe that HaShem has a desire for us to do certain things but chooses not to force us?” David paused. “I must ask. If you dislike people of faith so much, why are you here?”
Hayworth looked past him. “Tell me, Colonel—if you could, would you force me to believe what you do?”
Revolted, David asked, “Is that a serious question, Doctor? I would never force another to believe what I do. In fact, I would and do put my life on the line daily for your right to believe in anything you want, including nothing.”
Hayworth pursed his lips.
“That’s why I’m here, Colonel. Because here in the Coalition, I’m free to believe or not. That freedom is a higher calling than any religion. And don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike people of faith. I dislike religions and falsehoods. Belief in the supernatural is a falsehood, not a truth. Some lovely people are utterly wrong, and that grieves me.”
David leaned back.
Hayworth continued, “I’d like to ask you, though, do you ever question your beliefs? Do you ever consider that you may be wrong?”
“I have many times. I’ve questioned God’s existence and why bad things happen to seemingly good people.”
“And?”
“I cannot find a more logical explanation for our existence than a creator. Are you familiar with Pascal’s Wager?” David asked, referencing the work of Blaise Pascal, who created an argument that humans bet with their lives that God either existed or didn’t exist.
Hayworth raised a hand. “Colonel, just as I cannot shake your belief, you cannot shake mine.”
“Fair enough, Doctor. A counterquestion… Do you ever question your beliefs?”
Hayworth regarded David. “Every day, Colonel. Every day. Because I’m a scientist. And every day I come to the same conclusion. On the evidence. Or lack thereof.” He stood to leave. “For all our sakes, Colonel, if your supernatural being does exist, I hope it’s behind you. Either way, I hope your faith helps you kill our enemies. As for me, I’ll give you the best tools possible to do just that.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” David gritted out.
“Good day, Colonel.” Hayworth turned on his heel and walked out.
44
David glanced around the set of the holonews program, which was on a different channel from his last adventure in the media. Canaan News Network had an editorial viewpoint opposite from his last interviewer’s take on the war, for which he was grateful. Even so, he wanted to be careful not to “spike the football.” His emotions were still conflicted, but for the most part, he was back on a fairly even keel. More than anything, he wanted to get the public-relations work out of the way and get back to what had to be done—taking the war to the League.
Seated in the chair, David waited patiently for the interviewer, a holonet pundit by the name of Karen Byrne. He ran over the talking points that General MacIntosh had drilled into him about the war, focusing on the entry of the Saurians and the rekindling of the Canaan Alliance.
After a few minutes, Byrne walked in, flashing an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Colonel. I had a last-minute change in the next guest, which I had to prepare for.”
David stood and offered his hand. “No problem at all, ma’am.”
She shook his hand with a grip that surprised David. “All ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Before we start, I’d like to say, off the record, that what you and your crew did last week has given me and a lot of other people in the Terran Coalition hope that we can finally win this war.”
“That means a lot, Ms. Byrne. But the credit belongs to my crew, not me.”
“Please, call me Karen.” She smiled. “My interview notes said you were humble. That’s a nice trait, Colonel, but let me give you some advice. You’re a hero. Own it. If for no other reason than it helps our cause to have a hero, especially right now.”
“I’m not a hero,” David said sadly. “The real heroes were the men and women who returned home in flag-draped caskets.”
She leaned forward and touched his arm. “Yes, they are, Colonel. You must remember the citizens of our country need a real, live, larger-than-life hero. Not only do you fit the bill, but you just might be the real thing. I’ve heard you say that you serve because of a desire to be part of something bigger than you. So to honor the rest of your crew, own this moment. We all need it. We need to believe again. Almost all of us, I’m sure even you, had begun to accept that someday the League would win.”
“I think I did, Karen,” David said. “But that didn’t mean we weren’t going to make them pay for every inch in blood.” He offered her a rueful smile.
“Ready to get started, Colonel?”
“Let’s do this,” he said, immensely more relaxed than the last time he had been in a similar chair.
Byrne motioned to the director of the studio. “Take us live,” she said with her trademark warm smile.
David sat back as the director counted down the time to live. At three seconds, he switched to hand signals and went silent.
“This is Karen Byrne, reporting for Canaan News Network. I’m joined tonight by a special guest, Colonel David Cohen, commanding officer of the CSV Lion of Judah. Thank you for coming, Colonel.”
“Thank you for having me, Ms. Byrne.”
“It has been a momentous week for the Coalition, Colonel,” she said. “How does it feel to be the son of the man who saved Canaan and now, who also saved Canaan himself?”
David pursed his lips. “Just doing my job to the best of my ability.”
“Thankfully for the Coalition, that was enough to defeat Admiral Seville and his armada. You lost a close friend, didn’t you?”
David gulped. “I did.”
“Can you tell our viewers about her?”
“Major Thompson was the best friend a person could ever ask for. She lived for the cause, and she would lay down her life for another without a moment’s hesitation. She’d give the shirt off her back to someone who didn’t have one or her last credit to a food drive. She lived what she believed,” David explained with pride.
“I know we’ve all lost someone in this war. I’ve never met someone in the Terran Coalition who was untouched by it. That said, I understand this loss was deeply personal to you.”
“Yes, it was. Sheila and I met each other a few days into boot camp twenty years ago. You make bonds during that period that last for life. I can still hear my drill instructor yelling at me. But I have an obligation, as do all of us who have lost someone, to carry on. Otherwise, their deaths are in vain.”
“And now the Saurians have joined our side. How do you think that’s going to help the Coalition?” Byrne asked, sticking to a line of questioning agreed upon ahead of time.
“I think it’s going to change the course of the war. The Saurians have a fleet that is roughly the same size as ours. They’ve pledged to send seventy percent of it to join us in the fight against the League. I believe we will push the League out of our space and throw them on their heels,” David said with conviction. It wasn’t just one of his provided talking points by MacIntosh. He believed it.
“Do you think we can ultimately win the war?”
“Yes. Not only can we win the war, but we will. The Terran Coalition and our allies must win. If we don’t, it will plunge our galaxy into a dark age.”
Sitting back, Byrne asked, “And how will we win, Colonel?”
David hesitated, remembering the order he’d received from MacIntosh not to over-editorialize. “I think we’ve all heard the saying that might makes right. In our case, I believe that right makes might. In terms of combat, we now have the initiative. We, the entire Coalition Defense Force and the Saurian Imperial Navy, will take the fight to the League and drive them back. The thing is that we have to keep the initiative and press forward. We cannot lose sight of the end goal—the dest
ruction of the League of Sol.”
“Why not simply force a peace with them?”
“If that is what our civilian leaders desire, then that’s what we’ll do, ma’am. But President Spencer has been clear that he believes the League is an evil that must be destroyed, and I couldn’t agree with him more. As for my part, I recall the words of a soldier many hundreds of years ago who pledged he would fight, he would sacrifice, and he would act as if the outcome of the entire war rested solely on him. I ask that of myself and of those I command.”
Byrne regarded David. “Thank you, Colonel. I believe you’ve painted a picture for our viewers of where things are now. Can you say what the next destination for the Lion of Judah is?”
David smiled. “Shakedown cruise for the next three months then on to the front.”
“I’m sure you will be eager to get back into the fight, Colonel. Good hunting and Godspeed.”
David nodded as the on-air light blinked off, then he relaxed. That wasn’t too bad, especially considering the last time I was in the interview chair.
“Thank you for joining me, Colonel. It was an honor to meet you, and regardless of what you say, I and most of the Terran Coalition view you as a hero. Thank you for your service.”
David stood as she did and offered his hand. “Just doing my job, but thank you.”
Byrne smiled and shook his hand. “Then keep on doing it, Colonel. Hopefully, I’ll get to interview you after we drive the League from our space. I look forward to the day.”
“Me too. Until then, Godspeed, Karen.”
“Godspeed, Colonel.”
He turned away from her and walked out of the studio then exited the building to head back to the ship. While he didn’t care for the use of his ship and crew as a propaganda piece, David understood why it had to be done. Morale had been weak for years, and the people needed a symbol to help them believe again. If the Lion of Judah was that symbol, well, all of them would have to live up to that standard.
Walking down the street of the busy capital city on Canaan, David could tell that something had changed. The way people talked to and looked one another and even walked down the sidewalks had changed. They had purpose in their steps and smiles on their faces, and they seemed to have hope again. And if there was hope, anything was possible.
45
After the ship had been fully provisioned and made ready to launch a few days after his final interview, David held his last command briefing before the Lion was due to depart. Arriving nearly twenty minutes before the meeting was to commence, he sat in the chair at the end of the table. Thinking over the events of the last two weeks, he was in some ways in awe of what had transpired and in others simply dumbfounded they had survived.
The ship’s senior officers began to arrive, and after standing, he greeted each one and offered his hand. Then as the last member of the invited party entered the room, David took his place at the head of the table.
“Thank you all for coming. I wanted to gather one last time today to talk over our orders and ensure all departments have what they need for the coming few weeks and that we’re ready to go,” David stated.
Ruth, Hanson, Demood, and Tinetariro nodded. The others looked at David intently.
“I would also like to welcome two new members of our crew: Lieutenant Colonel Talgat Aibek of the Saurian Imperial Navy and Kenneth Lowe from SSI, who is leading the four hundred contractors who will be joining us for the foreseeable future to keep our ship fully operational.”
Kenneth pursed his lips, and Aibek interjected, “Thank you, Colonel Cohen. It is an honor to be a part of this crew. I know you all suffered a great loss from the death of Major Thompson. I will endeavor in some small way to live up to her standard.”
David paused to compose himself. While he was in a much better place, the wound from his loss was still raw. “Thank you, Colonel.”
Moving on, David asked, “Major Hanson, what’s our engineering readiness?”
Hanson glanced at Merriweather before clearing his throat. “The reactor is as ready as we can make it, sir. Major Merriweather and Dr. Hayworth believe it’s fully combat capable.”
“I have concerns, Major, that the lack of a shakedown cruise will cause small glitches to manifest at the most inopportune times,” David replied. Disinformation was being spread everywhere to make the League think the Lion would be out of the fight for months.
“That’s not an unreasonable concern, sir,” Merriweather replied. “We’ve taken steps to reduce the risk by stockpiling spare parts for every conceivable critical system.”
Kenneth spoke up. “If I may, sirs… ma’am?”
At David’s signal, Kenneth spoke. “We’ve filled four of the six major cargo bays with spare parts, focusing on weapons, defensive systems, including damage control, and propulsion. I’m confident there’s enough to sustain us through a three-month deployment.”
David relaxed slightly. We’re not out of the woods, but Kenneth’s got a good plan. “Very well. Colonel Amir, what is our flight-wing status?”
Amir cleared his throat. “Sir, we have all sixteen squadrons aboard along with munitions and parts for a sustained campaign. There is one concern, however. Our squadrons are pulled from several different carriers, and two are filled with raw recruits. There will be some amount of time required to form them into a cohesive fighting unit.”
Aibek raised an eyebrow. “We only have two weeks before we begin our counter-offensive.”
“That information is eyes only, Colonel,” David said. I wasn’t going to discuss that with Kenneth in the room. He’s got no need to know. “It does not leave this room, under any circumstances. Command has been careful to allow leaks that would suggest we’ve got at least three months before we start pushing back.” David made a particular point to look at Kenneth. “Mr. Lowe, please remember the terms of your nondisclosure agreement.”
Kenneth appeared uneasy. “I didn’t hear anything, sir.”
David smiled. “Excellent.” After a moment, he continued, “Weapons status, Lieutenant Goldberg?”
Ruth held her head up and sat straighter in her chair. “All damage to our magnetic cannons has been repaired, and all weapon systems are fully operational. We have also made some changes to our shield distribution network, thanks to suggestions made by the contractor team. They analyzed the logs of shield-generator failures and devised a way to cross-connect quadrants. I believe we’ll see better performance in our next engagement.”
“We also made some adjustments to our sublight engines and thruster systems, sir. Combined with the shield enhancements, it will make the ship a tougher nut to crack,” Hammond added.
“Outstanding work, Lieutenant Goldberg. Lieutenant Hammond.”
David turned toward Dr. Tural. “Doctor, have you been able to get the rest of the medical personnel you asked for transferred in?”
“Yes, sir. We now have our full medical personnel complement, including a dentist and a counselor.”
David looked at Tinetariro for his next question. “Master Chief, how are we doing on crew morale and readiness?”
Tinetariro smiled thinly. “The enlisted personnel are shipshape and ready to go, sir. We have a full crew and full stores, and we’re ready to fight.”
“And morale?” David pressed.
“Quite frankly, sir, I’ve never seen morale higher. The ratings want to… pardon the term… kick some ass.”
Assorted smiles and grins spread through the assembled group.
Calvin said, “It’s almost like we’ve got a ship crewed by Marines.”
Laughter broke out.
“Thank you, Master Chief,” David said. Turning to Calvin, he posed his next question. “Colonel Demood, what of our Marine contingent?”
“All three thousand Marines aboard and waiting to be ferried to our next engagement zone.”
“Oh, so we’re just the ferry service now?” Ruth asked with her arms crossed in front of her, but she wore a playful sm
ile.
“Lieutenant, we all know if you need something absolutely, positively blown apart, call the Marines,” Calvin answered a bit cockily, in true Marine fashion.
“Or I could just fire enough fusion warheads into the target to reduce it to its constituent atoms,” Ruth said with her own evil grin.
“What about the special operations team?” David interrupted.
“Accounted for and ready to roll, sir. We technically have four space special-warfare teams aboard as well as a company of special-operations-capable Recon Marines.”
“So we’re ready to roll?” David asked the room.
Heads nodded in agreement.
“All right. We have two weeks of intensive, twenty-four-hour-a-day shakedown activities. After that, we will deploy with a battlegroup that includes the Royal Saurian Navy’s flagship, the RSN Elcin,” David announced. The Elcin was an enormous battleship that had been purpose-built with sixteen turrets of magnetic cannons. She was the pride of the Royal Saurian Navy.
“Our objective is to drive the League from our space and into their own sphere of influence.” Tapping a few buttons, David called up a map on the interactive hologram projector in the middle of the conference table. “As you can see, the League is currently engaged in combat operations in eleven Terran Coalition planetary systems and has occupied half of our outer rim colonies in the last ten years. Thanks to the reformation of the Canaan Alliance, with the Terran Coalition and the Saurian Empire as signatories, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have activated the old CA military structure. As such, the supreme allied commander, Space Force will lead the joint Terran Coalition and Royal Saurian Navy fleets committed to the war effort.”
David pulled up another graphic. “Additionally, the Joint Chiefs and Royal Saurian Navy command have created the supreme headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force. It’s pronounced shafe. SHAEF will oversee the invasion of League space.” He let his words sink in then asked, “Any questions?”
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