Finish the Fight
Echoes of War Book Seven
Daniel Gibbs
Contents
CSV Lion of Judah Blueprints
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Epilogue
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Acknowledgements and Afterword
Finish the Fight by Daniel Gibbs
Copyright © 2020 by Daniel Gibbs
Visit Daniel Gibb’s website at www.danielgibbsauthor.net
Cover by Jeff Brown Graphics—www.jeffbrowngraphics.com
Additional Illustrations by Joel Steudler—www.joelsteudler.com
Editing by Beth at BZhercules.com
3D Art by Benoit Leonard
This book is a work of fiction, the characters, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. For permissions please contact [email protected].
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Echoes of War
Book 1 - Fight the Good Fight
Book 2 - Strong and Courageous
Book 3 - So Fight I
Book 4 - Gates of Hell
Book 5 - Keep the Faith
Book 6 - Run the Gauntlet
Book 7 - Finish the Fight
Breach of Faith
(With Gary T. Stevens)
Book 1 - Breach of Peace
Book 2 - Breach of Faith
Book 3 - Breach of Duty
Book 4 - Breach of Trust
1
SHAEF Headquarters
Canaan – Terran Coalition
January 26th, 2463
No rest for the weary. That about summed up David Cohen’s life, as he trudged into an internal security checkpoint within Canaan’s central Coalition Defense Force administrative installation. He’d already cleared the exterior scanners and identification check, proving he was in fact, General David Cohen, commanding officer of the CSV Lion of Judah. Twenty-two years in uniform, and it all comes down to this. A summons from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—General Okafor, and God only knew who else.
It was only two days after the inauguration of the new president, Edwardo Fuentes. David listened briefly to his inaugural speech, calling for unity along with the usual beats of patriotism and self-sacrifice. Along with a pledge to end the war. How’d Fuentes put it? Peace at last. A smirk crept onto his face at the thought. He passed through the next line of inspectors and into the wing dedicated to the Saurian/Terran Coalition alliance. The joint military command was called the Allied Expeditionary Force, and its leadership held the label Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force. We’re so good at assigning long-winded acronyms to everything.
“Whatever these stupid politicians say, we’re with you, sir.”
The voice interrupted David’s mental reverie. It belonged to a young woman standing at crisp attention, who wore the stripes of a corporal on her battle dress camouflage uniform. She had the country flag of the United States on her shoulder, and below it in the religious position, the Crescent and Star of Islam.
“As you were, Corporal. And, thanks. Though we shouldn’t be saying such things out loud.”
She broke into a grin. “Yes, sir.”
“Carry on.” As David walked away, he wondered how many others in the CDF shared her view. I know I do, and so do most of my fellow soldiers. The conference room loomed in front of him, its two large mahogany doors practically screaming “go away!” in his mind. He felt apprehension at the unknown. A private to the left of the entrance opened it, allowing him entry. He strode in to find most of those attending already there. Numerous flag level officers, General Okafor, General MacIntosh, and oodles of civilians in expensive suits lined the room.
“Greetings, General Cohen,” a voice with a slight Spanish accent to it greeted him.
It took David a moment to realize it came from none other than President Edwardo Fuentes himself. He immediately brought himself to attention, arms stiff as a board at his side. “General David Cohen, reports as ordered, sir.”
“Ah, no need for such formalities here, David. May I call you David?” Fuentes replied as he flashed a smile.
Try as he might, David couldn’t detect insincerity from the man. The smile was warm and seemingly genuine. He relaxed into a parade rest posture and eyed Fuentes carefully. “Of course, sir.”
“Thank you. Please, have a seat over here next to Andrew.”
David quickly crossed the steps to the indicated chair. I wonder why he’s so informal? A tactic to make us feel at ease before lowering the boom, maybe? He sat down next to MacIntosh and directed a glance with a raised eyebrow toward the older man.
“We’ll be getting started in just a moment,” Fuentes replied.
As the seconds stretched out, David sized up the new President. Shorter than the average human by about six centimeters, Fuentes had nearly black hair, carefully cropped, and a near-perfect complexion. To say he was photogenic was an understatement, even at sixty years of age. More personnel entered the briefing theater, mostly military, along with a few civilians. The last civilian was something of an additional shock—Daniel Barton.
Determined not to let his anger get the better of him, David forced his face into a neutral expression, devoid of any emotion. Great. I suppose this is where I’ll be getting notification of my court-martial. He couldn’t help but think back to when Barton had tried to put him on trial for the near-loss of the Yitzhak Rabin, his first command. In David’s view, Barton was nothing more than a defeatist and a coward.
A holovid projection of Vice President Jessica Rhodes came to life. Her face was plastered with a smirk, almost like a child who found she could get into the cookie jar without being caught.
“Let’s get started, shall we?” Fuentes cut in. All eyes shifted to him. “I asked everyone here today to deal with the fallout from my predecessor’s strike on the League’s shipyard facilities. While I’m sure most of you, especially those in uniform, believe it was the right call… it has caused complications for my planned summit with the League.”
David stared at him as he went on, r
eferencing the need for unity. God, give me the strength to control myself.
“I need to know before I go into this further, is there any truth to the assertion we fired on a civilian station without warning?”
Before anyone else could answer, David leaned forward and opened his mouth. “No, sir. With respect, it’s insulting to even ask that of the men and women in this room.”
Okafor turned, and his eyes bore into David like a drilling machine. “As you were, General Cohen.”
Chastened, David adopted a rigid posture and stared straight ahead, forcing down the stream of words building in his throat. He’d found himself horribly depressed since returning home, but today was bringing out something new: anger.
“I respect your candor, David,” Fuentes replied. “It’s not that I would fault you for those actions. I understand decades of war have done a lot to undermine our basic morals. That’s one reason I want to end it.”
With a glance toward Okafor, David noted a small, almost imperceptible nod from the four-star general. I’ll take that as a green light. “Sir, I can’t speak for the millions of people in the CDF and the TCMC, but as for me and those I command, there is no undermining of our morals. We execute lawful orders. We’ve fought our own to stop unlawful commands from being carried out.” I know he’s been briefed on Erhart.
The loud voice of Rhodes broke into the conversation with a haughty laugh. “Oh yes, the great Coalition Defense Force. Guardians of our country and heroes to all. The ones who do no wrong.” Her voice dripped with acid. “You deserve to spend the rest of your life on Lambert’s Lament with the rest of the war criminals, General Cohen. I won’t even set foot in your precious military headquarters, because I’m sure all of you are just waiting for Edwardo and me to be in the same place to stage a coup!”
“Jessica, please, that is counterproductive. I simply wish to understand what I can push back on when I face the League’s ambassador.”
David stared openly at the holoprojector. How did we end up with this idiot in charge?
“Mr. President,” Okafor cut in. “We have a comprehensive report on the fleet's activities in Teegarden and Gliese 832 ready for you. It outlines hundreds of eye-witness accounts, backed by scan logs, and frankly, overwhelming technical proof.” His rich Nigerian-English accent made the words flow as he spoke. “There is no doubt in anyone’s mind of the accuracy of General Cohen’s account. There were no war crimes committed by the CDF or the Saurian battleship, RNV Resit Kartal.”
“Oh, come on, Edwardo,” Rhodes interjected. “You can’t possibly believe these people. They’re all Spencer’s lapdogs—handpicked. I wonder how much money the defense industrial complex paid them to take out those shipyards and try to keep the war going.”
Something stirred within David. He blotted out the voices as they argued with one another, and Fuentes tried to maintain control. Anger built like a boiling kettle until it exploded into white-hot rage. “I wish,” he began during a quiet lull, “Madam Vice President, that you had the intelligence to realize how stupid your comments are.” His voice was calm and collected, yet his statement might as well have been a thunderclap.
Rhodes's face turned to him through the holoprojection. Her lips were curled back in a frown, while she resembled a maddened animal. All that was missing was froth on her lips. “How dare you speak to me like that. I am the Vice President of the Terran Coalition. You… are a nobody who couldn’t cut it in life, so you went for the retirement program the CDF offers.”
She’s lucky she’s not in this room. David balled his fists up under the table, flexing them repeatedly and, as he did, felt MacIntosh’s hand on his arm. He paid it no heed. “You don’t know the first thing about me or my motives. Allow me to enlighten you. I love my country. I’ve fought for it, bled for it, given the best years I have to it. Seen friends die, killed God only knows how many Leaguers, and I’d do it again, gladly. No questions asked. It’s a shame the people who now run the Terran Coalition don’t love it one percent as much as me, and the rest of those who wear this uniform do—”
“—You don’t love the Terran Coalition. You get off on killing people,” Rhodes interjected.
“Shut up,” David replied. There was complete silence in the room. The breathing of those present registered, it was so quiet. “You’ve never served anything larger than yourself a day in your life. After dodging the draft, you what, got elected on a radical platform of peace at any cost, along with enough free cash for everyone to bankrupt the Coalition?”
“—I didn’t dodge the draft. I have a documented medical issue with the arch of my feet that prevents military service!” Rhodes shrieked.
“Right.” For a moment, David allowed a smug smile onto his face. “That might work on the constituents in your district who pull the lever for your particular party without thinking—but not in this room.”
“General—” Okafor attempted to cut in.
“You’re a disgrace to the millions of dead soldiers who’ve perished throughout this war, who fought under the flag of the Terran Coalition, and whose coffins are draped with it. You abuse the freedoms that they died for to give you when you stand at the forefront of a riot and burn that same flag in protest.” David’s voice rose to nearly a shout. “You and all the rest who think the same way disgust me, Madam Vice President. It’s a shame so many good men and women had to die to save the likes of you.”
“I want him court-martialed, Edwardo!” Rhodes thundered. “Do you hear me? In leg irons and worked to death on that stupid asteroid.”
David sat back and watched as the room erupted yet again. Well, at least I announced loudly that the emperor has no clothes.
“Enough!” Fuentes finally shouted. “I will not have this. Act like adults, all of you.” His eyes shone with anger. “You’ve made your point, General Cohen. I’d already decided to relieve you of command of the Lion of Judah, on the advice of General Barton, but this put it over the top. Whatever you may think of me and my government, know that we are grateful for the sacrifice of the CDF. But now is the time for peace, and I will not allow the military to dictate terms to the civilian government. Anyone in this room who can’t follow lawful orders may resign instead. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” David immediately replied. Others did as well. For a moment, the words of the President didn’t register. Then they did. Losing the Lion… The thought of no longer serving on the ship that was so much a part of his life felt like a dagger through his heart.
“Now. General MacIntosh, find a suitable replacement for General Cohen. General Okafor, put Cohen in a quiet billet, out of the way, where he can obtain enough time in grade to retire comfortably. There will be no court-martials or witch-hunts. It’s time for this to end. The Terran Coalition is moving on.”
Okafor leaned forward and made eye contact with Fuentes. “Yes, sir.”
“There’s no point in continuing this spectacle. I’ll review the written reports and follow up with any questions. Good day to you all.” With that, Fuentes stood.
Okafor did as well, and before anyone could interject or move, he spoke in a loud voice. “Mister President, you deserve a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that shares your beliefs and will implement your policy without question. That person is not me. You’ll have my resignation on your desk within the hour.”
His words were like another thunderclap. Junior officers openly stared, while MacIntosh sucked in a breath, loud enough for David to hear it.
“I see.” Fuentes glanced toward Barton. “Well, Daniel. It appears I’ll be recalling you to active duty.”
Dear God. Barton, back in uniform? That’ll be the end of us. David scrunched his face up and forced himself not to speak.
Fuentes turned on his heel and walked out, followed closely by the presidential protection detail. The holoprojector blinked off and the conference space emptied quickly, leaving MacIntosh and David together—along with one other person—Barton. It became apparen
t he wasn’t leaving when he walked up to the two of them and smiled. “Scotch, it seems we’ll be working together again.”
“Scotch?” David asked, his tone quizzical.
“An old nickname of mine,” MacIntosh ground out. “One I never appreciated.”
Barton glanced at David. “Pack your belongings and be off the Lion of Judah by tomorrow at 0800.”
“You’re not in my chain of command, sir.” David set his jaw and stared at the shorter man. “Until you properly deliver the order, I won’t comply.”
“Ah, going to act like a spoiled brat, are we?” Barton replied as a grin broke out across his face. “All the better, Cohen. I’m going to enjoy breaking you.”
“You wouldn’t know how to break a real soldier, Barton. You’ve never spent a day in your life in harm’s way or fired a shot in anger.”
Barton’s face turned blood red. “I’ve served the Terran Coalition for longer than you’ve been alive. You don’t have the right to lecture me about anything. Not with your record of hotdogging it up to get your fifteen minutes of fame.”
It was David’s turn to flush as he balled his fists and considered—for just a moment—putting one of them through the man’s smug face. “Nice try, Barton. You can come relieve me when you work up enough courage to set foot on a combat vessel.” He turned on his heel and started to walk away. I have to get out of here before I do something I’ll regret for a long time.
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