by Daniel Gibbs
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 yourself. So, if for no other reason than to honor the rest of your crew, own this moment. All of us 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 in his chair 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 am joined tonight by a special guest, Colonel David Cohen, Commanding Officer of the CSV Lion of Judah. Thank you for joining us, 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 that 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 swallowed hard. “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 literally 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,” David said with a trace of a smile. “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 with the military.
“I think it’s going to change the course of the war. The Saurians have a fleet that is roughly the same size as our own. 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 believe we can ultimately win the war?”
“Yes, not only can we win the war, we will win the war. The Terran Coalition and our allies must win. If we don’t, it will plunge our galaxy into a dark age.”
Sitting back in her chair for a moment, Byrne paused before asking, “And how do we win, Colonel?”
David hesitated for a moment, remembering the order he 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, being the entire Coalition Defense Force and the Saurian Imperial Navy, will take the fight to the League and drive them back. The thing is, we have to keep the initiative and press forward. We cannot lose sight of the end goal, the destruction 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 will 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 that 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 who I command.”
Byrne regarded David for a moment. “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 us for the next three months, then on to the front.”
“I’m sure you will be anxious to get back into the fight, Colonel. Good hunting and Godspeed.”
David nodded his head as the on-the-air light blinked off. He relaxed in his chair. 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.”
Turning away from her, David walked out of the studio and made his way outside, heading back to the ship. While he didn’t care for the clear propaganda use of his ship, his crew, and himself, he 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 that were his crew, his ship, and himself, 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 even now that something had changed. The way people talked to each other, looked at one another, and even walked down the sidewalks had changed. There was purpose in their steps, smiles back 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 final command briefing before the ship 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 other ways simply dumbfounded any of them had survived.
The ship’s senior officers began to arrive, and after standing, he greeted each one and offered his hand. 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, ensure all departments have what they need for the coming few weeks, and that we’re ready to go,” David stated as he took control of the room.
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 that 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 that 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 for a moment to compose himself. While he was in a much better place, the wou
nd from his loss was still raw. “Thank you, Colonel.”
Turning his gaze to Hanson and Merriweather, David asked, “Major Hanson, what is our engineering readiness?”
Hanson looked at Merriweather for a moment before clearing his throat. “The reactor is as ready as we can make it, sir. Major Merriweather and Doctor Hayworth believe that the reactor is 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.”
“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, as well as 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 onboard along with munitions and parts for a sustained campaign.” He paused for a moment. “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.”
With that comment, the rest of the eyes in the room locked on to him, including David.
“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 special point to look at Kenneth. “Mr. Lowe, please remember the terms of your non-disclosure agreement.”
Kenneth looked back at David uneasily. “I didn’t hear anything, sir.”
David smiled. “Very good.” 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 also have 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 sub-light engines and thruster systems, sir. Combined with the shield enhancements, it will make the ship a tougher nut to crack,” Hammond said.
“Outstanding work, Lieutenant Goldberg, Lieutenant Hammond.”
David turned his head 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 glanced 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, 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.”
There were assorted smiles and grins from the assembled group, but it was Calvin who spoke. “It’s almost like we got a ship crewed by Marines.”
There was laughter and chuckles from all present. “Thank you, Master Chief,” David said. Turning to Calvin, he posed his next question. “Colonel Demood, what of our Marine contingent?”
Calvin broke into a grin. “All three thousand Marines onboard and awaiting to be ferried to our next engagement zone.”
“Oh, so we’re just the ferry service now?” Ruth said, her arms crossed in front of her but wearing a playful smile.
“Lieutenant, we all know if you need something absolutely, positively blown apart, call the Marines,” Calvin answered, just a bit cocky 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 with a smile.
“Accounted for and ready to roll, sir. We technically have two spec ops troops onboard, 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.
“Alright. 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 a large battleship that was purpose built with sixteen turrets of magnetic-cannons, and it was the pride of the Royal Saurian Navy.
“Our objective is to drive the League from our space and start pushing them back 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 fully half of our outer rim colonies in the last ten years. With 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 paused for a moment and pulled up another graphic, this one showing the chain of command from the SACSF flowing down from Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force. “Additionally, the Joint Chiefs and Royal Saurian Navy command have created the Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force. It’s pronounced shafe,” David said, using the phonetic pronunciation. “SHAEF will oversee the invasion of League space.” After a moment to let his words sink in, he asked, “Any questions?”
“How are we going to keep all that brass shiny and working well together, sir?” Calvin said lightly.
Feigning mock annoyance, Aibek shook his head. “By bashing heads together so everyone gets along.”
The humans stared at the Saurian for a few moments before he smiled. “I jest!”
Calvin commented dryly, “That’s some dry humor, Colonel.”
“The best kind!” Aibek quipped back.
“Okay, everyone, I hate overly long meetings, so that’s all I have. Any saved rounds?” David asked.
Ruth leaned forward. “Master Chief, any idea when we could get invited to the chief’s mess?”
Tinetariro turned and gave Ruth a glowering look. “With respect, ma’am, you have to wait for the invitation. You can’t ask for it.”
Kenneth took that moment to ask a question. “Ah, sirs, if I may, I was asked by members of my team if I could request that the former chiefs and above of the contracting team be allowed to eat at the chief’s mess?”
“The master chief has final say on that, Kenneth,” David said.
Tinetariro gave the contractor an appraising look. “I’ll allow anyone who retired as a chief petty officer or above to join us anytime, Mr. Lowe.”
“Thank you, ma’am. If I may… why is going to the chief’s mess so important to everyone?”
“Because the chiefs have the best food. They run the mess and cooking staff, and ensure they get the best food for themselves,” David said. “It’s called the goat locker.”
Ruth smirked. “You would know, sir, mustang an
d all.”
Tinetariro rolled her eyes at the conversation. “Tell you what, Mr. Lowe, join us tomorrow for dinner and see what it’s all about.”
“Wait a minute, you just invited a defense contractor to the chief’s mess, but not us?” Calvin exclaimed with mock annoyance.
Tinetariro gave him a faux smile. “Why, yes, sir.”
The entire group laughed aloud at the turn of events as David stood once more. “Okay, everyone. Let’s get to it. We shove off at 0800 tomorrow morning. I’ll see most of you on the bridge. You are dismissed. Godspeed.”
There was a chorus of “Yes, sirs” from the team as they stood and filed out of the room. Kenneth stayed behind, apparently waiting for a moment alone with David. He took notice and paused for the contractor. “Something on your mind, Kenneth?”
“I’ve been meaning to thank you, sir.”
David raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”
The lanky defense contractor broke into a grin. “For whatever you said to my boss’ boss, sir. You saved my hide, but more importantly to me, you saved my team’s hide.”
“I might have had a short conversation. After all, you guys saved our hide out there.”
Kenneth tilted his head to one side. “All part of the service, sir.”
David laughed. “Keep it up, Mr. Lowe.”
Pulling himself up just a little bit taller, Kenneth pursued his lips together and smiled. “Yes, sir.”
“Carry on,” David said, walking past the contractor toward the exit. Striding down the passageway of the ship to his office, he felt alive again. They were able to strike back at the League of Sol, and his ship would be in the vanguard. A month ago, he would have said that actually pushing back and taking the fight to the League was impossible. Today, it wasn’t only possible; it seemed probable they would win. Smiling to himself, he knew the fight was far from over, but perhaps this was the beginning of the end for the League and for the war.
46
The next morning, David rose at his normal hour of “O Dark Thirty,” and completed his morning exercise and grooming routine. Since they were not yet underway, David chose to wear his service khaki uniform instead of the traditional space sweater. On his way toward the wardroom, he bumped into Tinetariro outside of a gravlift station. As soon as she saw him, she brought herself to attention. “Colonel Cohen,” she said as a greeting.