Milor!

by Thomas DePrima

  "I wouldn't put too much faith in that treaty, Arnold," Admiral Ressler said. "From what we know of the Milori, they'll be back as soon as they feel strong enough. It will probably be necessary to take the war to their territory next time, and have the surrender signed by the Emperor inside his own palace."

  "I expect so, Shana, but they're gone for now and we have time to prepare for their next visit, thanks to Admiral Carver and her imaginary battle fleet."

  "I don't like the fact that she didn't trust her fleet captains enough to tell them about the subterfuge," Admiral Hubera grumbled.

  "Since when it is considered improper for a flag officer to keep non-vital information from subordinates?" Admiral Burke asked.

  "Non-vital? We're talking about information that was key to the entire plan."

  "It was only key once it worked, Donald," Admiral Hillaire said. "It would have been superfluous if it hadn't. Our ship's officers and crews were all fully committed to go into battle on Admiral Carver's command."

  Admiral Hubera muttered something under his breath.

  "It was a magnificent tactic, even if she didn't advertise it in advance," Admiral Bradlee said. "As an intelligence officer and someone quite used to keeping his cards close to his vest, I admire her ingenuity and audacity. My people are taught to be creative thinkers. Admiral Carver was never trained for that by us, but she has the gift."

  "I believe that it really justifies the faith that we had in her when we assigned the additional ships to her commend," Admiral Platt said.

  "Shouldn't we recall some of those ships now that the threat is over?" Admiral Plimley asked.

  "I'd vote against that, Loretta," Admiral Woo said. "The invasion shows that we're very susceptible to another incursion by the Milori. Unless we begin to see a substantial increase in criminal activity in the sectors where we reduced the patrols, I say that we allow them to continue to their new assignments."

  "I agree, but let's stick to the topic at hand," Admiral Hillaire said. "What do we do about Admiral Carver?"

  "What do you want to do, give her a third star?" Admiral Hubera grumbled.

  "No, of course not. She just received a promotion. But she certainly deserves premier recognition for what she's accomplished."

  "If not a second Medal of Honor, than she deserves a third GSC Cross, at the very least," Admiral Burke said. "Her handling of the conflict saved tens of thousands of lives, and ended the problem for the foreseeable future."

  "No one has been awarded two Medals of Honor for separate actions since the military fought ground wars on Earth," Admiral Ahmed said.

  "No one in Space Command has ever done what Admiral Carver has done during her career, Raihana," Admiral Hillaire said.

  "I don't like it," Admiral Hubera said. "It sets a bad precedent. Admiral Carver only did what she was being paid to do. Everyone else in that engagement was ready to forfeit his or her life in the defense of the Galactic Alliance. Should we award everyone who was there with a Medal of Honor?"

  "Donald," Admiral Platt said, "it's true that the MOH has usually been awarded to recipients who distinguished themselves in individual combat, often after being severely wounded, but this case is unique. Admiral Carver was prepared to sacrifice herself and her crews to stop, or at least slow, the advance of the Milori. Yes, everyone at the confrontation came very close to sacrificing their life, but Admiral Carver was the only one with free choice, both about being there, and, proceeding with her plan. You heard the statements from her captains that they had beseeched her to move to a rear area position from which to direct the battle, but she remained to lead her people, and give the Milori an impression of invincibility by her presence. What's more, her actions in preparing to meet the Milori were directly responsible for saving the lives of everyone aboard our twelve warships, some twenty-four thousand officers and crew. The decision to place yourself in imminent danger in order to protect or save others, is at the very heart of the justification for awarding the Medal, and always has been."

  "Admiral Carver did save the lives of everyone in her task force through the use of her superior intelligence and a monumental bluff," Admiral Moore said. "I see validity in both Donald's and Evelyn's statements. Admiral Carver is very deserving of major recognition for her actions, but I think that Space Command's highest honor, the Space Command Cross, is the proper award in this instance. All in favor of awarding Admiral Carver a third Space Command Cross, signify by raising your hand," Admiral Moore said.

  Nine hands rose in support of the proposal.

  "We have enough to approve the award, but it would be nice to have it unanimous," Admiral Moore said. "Donald?"

  "Oh, alright," Admiral Hubera said cantankerously as he raised his hand, "I vote for it simply because she's not getting another MOH."

  "It's agreed then, by unanimous approval of the Board. Admiral Carver will receive a third Space Command Cross, for her actions against the Milori."

  "Now, who's going to replace her at Stewart?" Admiral Platt asked. "Her duty tour is up in a year and a half. Whoever gets the job will have to leave for Stewart soon."

  "I think that she should remain right where she is for another duty tour," Admiral Hubera said. "You're all so captivated by her abilities, let her use them to keep that part of space stable."

  "As much as I'd personally like to see Admiral Carver remain on as one of my base commanders," Admiral Burke said, "we have to be mindful of Admiral Holt's warning that she'd resign her commission and take a job as a freighter captain, just to get back aboard a ship."

  "She'd never resign her commission if she's as good an officer as you all think," Admiral Hubera countered.

  "Most of us here at this table have spent much of our lives in space," Admiral Hillaire said. "We know what motivates a line officer to seek such a life, even if we can't really define it easily. We know how powerful the pull of space can be."

  "Are you accusing me of being insensitive to the desires of a line officer, simply because I spent much of my career as a professor at the Academy?" Admiral Hubera asked.

  "No. I simply think that you secretly wish that Admiral Carver would resign. It's obvious you don't like her very much."

  "She's just another young upstart who's climbed through the ranks too quickly, for my tastes. She looks the same as she did on the day that she graduated from the Academy twenty-one years ago. Replace the stars with a cadet uniform and she could blend into a group of students so well that you'd never be able to spot her. For purposes of calculating retirement, she's only thirty-one years old. I didn't get my first star until I was sixty-eight and it was the greatest honor that I've ever received. I received my second star when I was eighty and approaching retirement. I'm sure that it was intended as a retirement gift for my years of service, but the border expansion has allowed me to remain on active duty. I appreciate the trust that the GAC has placed in me, and I've dedicated my life to the good of the service. Admiral Carver doesn't even want the rank. She acts as if we're seeking to injure her, when we're only trying to honor her. It annoys me that something so precious to me, has been treated with disregard by someone else. I don't have anything personal against her except that attitude. Admiral Holt thinks that it's because of a fool stunt that she pulled when she was a cadet in one of my classes, but that's not it at all. It's because I don't think she deserves of all the attention that continues to be directed her way."

  "That was quite a speech, Donald," Admiral Hillaire said. "I'm sure that everyone on this Board understands that you only have the good of the service in mind for every action that you take, even if we all disagree with your assessment of Admiral Carver."

  "A few months ago we discussed the possibility of having Admiral Carver take responsibility for the Nordakian Space Force, as part of our effort to merge them with Space Command," Admiral Moore said. "I've been in communication with the King of Nordakia and he's indicated a willingness to discuss the matter further. In the meantime, he's decided to promote Ca
ptain Carver, to use her Nordakian Space Force rank, to Senior Admiral, the equivalent of our Upper Half. They don't have brevet rank, so the promotion is permanent, but it's naturally not incumbent upon us to match it. Admiral Carver should receive the notification soon.

  "On the matter of a replacement, I propose moving Admiral Vroman from Hawking Space Command Base. Admiral Vroman already has his second star, and Hawking is only a StratCom-Two base, so we can replace him with a Lower Half. The Flag Officer Selection Board has several candidates on their list. Any of them will do for command of Hawking because it's so far from the border that a new base commander won't be challenged while he gets his feet wet."

  "I second the proposal," Admiral Platt said. "Admiral Vroman is a very capable officer, and since he's almost eighty, I'm sure that Donald won't have any objection."

  "None," Admiral Hubera said. "He deserves the upgrade to a StratCom-One base. He's earned his position by doing an excellent job, and has progressed steadily throughout his career."

  "My only reservation is that Admiral Vroman has never commanded a fleet in battle," Admiral Bradlee said. "For that matter, he's never commanded a ship in real action, only during simulations and war games. I'm not trying to take anything away from Admiral Vroman. He's an excellent administrator."

  "Except for Admiral Carver," Admiral Woo said, "no admiral in Space Command has commanded a fleet in battle. Admiral Holt did command the forces in defense of Higgins, but from the station. Only a few admirals have even commanded a ship in battle while they were still captains, if you can call skirmishes with the Raiders as being battles. Captain Gavin has twice commanded task forces in battles against the Raiders, but he refuses to give up his ship and accept appointment to flag officer."

  "Lon is correct," Admiral Platt said. "We don't have a pool of battle experienced flag officers to choose from, and Admiral Vroman has been a very effective administrator."

  "All in favor?" Admiral Moore said. Everyone raised his or her hand and he said, "It passes unanimously. Our next order of business is the award of honors for Admiral Carver's crews."

  "I propose that we accept the recommendations of Admiral Carver and the captains in her fleet," Admiral Burke said.

  "I second," Admiral Bradlee said.

  "All in favor?" Admiral Moore said, calling for a vote. As everyone raised his or her hand, he said, "Approved."

  * * *

  Emperor Maxxiloth sat in the conference room watching the report from Supreme Lord Space Marshall Dwillaak. The expression on his face sent chills through the various ministers and aides that were present. Dwillaak never made an attempt to shift the blame to anyone else.

  "…we retreat with most of our force intact, our only losses being the twelve warships destroyed by the enemy mines. I accept full responsibility for this disgraceful retreat, but given the size of the enemy forces confronting us, I knew that we would surely be destroyed. We've seen the capability of their ships; and if a mere fifteen could destroy our First Fleet, while only losing one themselves, the numbers that we faced could have crushed us easily. Every warrior in the fleet is willing to sacrifice himself for you, my lord, but I felt it wiser to leave Galactic Alliance space for now and preserve our fleets for a future engagement where we have the upper hand. Our recovered warriors are being debriefed to learn everything possible about the enemy. We shall begin preparations for a new assault once we've replaced the lost ships, learned more about the enemy's unknown weapons, and studied their tactics for possible vulnerabilities. Report complete."

  "Exalted Lord Space Marshall Berquyth," the Emperor said through clenched teeth when the report had finished, "are our forces now in the habit of running away from a fight?"

  "My Lord, Dwillaak showed great restraint. It would have been far easier to fight and die than swallow his pride in front of the disgusting hairless Terran by retreating. As he said, he was preserving the First and Second Fleets for another day. We could have struck a blow against the Alliance forces; but at what price? The loss of our First and Second Fleets at so early a point in the campaign would have left us with barely three hundred warships in the entire Empire. We would have accomplished little, and it would have been many, many years before we could mount another offensive."

  "And what have we gained? We've not only agreed to leave their space forever, but we've conceded another hundred light-years of my new territory. In the eyes of the galaxy, we've been beaten, and beaten soundly. We have never been beaten before. Not since my great-grandfather started us down this path to our Manifest Destiny have we suffered a loss. When word of this gets out, some of our subjects may begin to think that we've grown soft. They may start to think that the time has come for them to rebel."

  "All the more important to have a strong force, my Lord. With five hundred ships, we can still put down any rebellion or attack, from within or without our borders, before it gets started. With just three hundred ships, we might have had to pull back to our previous borders. At least we retain the territory up to the Galactic Alliance Buffer Zone. There are still many, many worlds to conquer in our new territory."

  "We've smashed all civilizations within our previous territory that had achieved space travel capability and set up puppet governments to control them. The others can wait until we get around to them. Our greatest threat is the Galactic Alliance; they've shown themselves to be a powerful force. Only they stand between us and my great-grandfather's goal to rule the galaxy."

  "We must bide our time and rebuild our forces, my Lord. When next we meet this Admiral Carver, we shall be better prepared. You will yet have her head on your trophy wall."

  * * *

  Jenetta presided over the memorial ceremony at Stewart for the crewmen lost in the battle with the Milori, along with the captain of each ship and the ship's chaplain. The convention center was filled to capacity, and the shops on the concourse were closed for the morning in observance of the ceremony.

  Each of the captains delivered a eulogy for the lost comrades aboard his or her ship and then Jenetta stood to deliver a closing eulogy.

  "My heart is filled with grief this day, as it has been since the battle. Death is a part of life, but to lose so many who were still in their prime is doubly painful. I personally knew most of the officers that we lost, and many of the NCOs and crewmen lost from the Prometheus and Song. The captain, or acting captain, of each ship has eulogized those in his or her command, but I'd like to say a few words about the two captains who are not with us today.

  "I first met Captain Joseph Malinowski, of the GSC Cruiser Mentuhotep, seven years ago when he answered a distress signal I sent out from the planet Mawcett, now known as Dakistee. Captain Malinowski never hesitated to answer the call when someone needed assistance. He was a wonderful human being, an outstanding Space Command Officer, and much beloved and respected by his crew. He shall be greatly missed.

  "Captain Andrew Novak, of the GSC Destroyer Asuncion, has been a close friend of mine for several years. The Asuncion was one of the ships that came to assist the Colorado after we had seized this base from the Raiders, and became one of the original complement of ships assigned to Stewart. We enjoyed many dinners together over the years. Most ship captains desire little else than to command a Space Command vessel, but I recently learned that Andy hoped his career would take him to a post as a flag officer. I'm sorry that he never had a chance to reach that goal. I know that he would have performed the duties of admiral as commendably as he performed his duties as a captain. He shall be greatly missed."

  Jenetta didn't wish to drag out the memorial with long winded speeches, but an additional fifteen minutes of eulogy to commemorate the lives of two senior officers who had made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, didn't seem excessive. Returning to Captain Malinowski, she spent about seven minutes discussing his career in Space Command, and finished by listing the people he was leaving behind. Then she did the same for Captain Novak. When she had finished her eulogies, the chaplains assembled
on the dais to offer a series of non-denominational prayers to close the ceremony. Most eyes were at least moist by the end of the memorial service. The ceremony would give closure to the event and now everyone could begin to put it behind them and move on.

  Since arriving back at Stewart, Jenetta had spent part of each day preparing personal messages to the families of her lost officers. She prepared a message of condolence to the family of every crewman, explaining to most that she hadn't known the crewman personally, but from the reports prepared by their captain, she knew that they had performed their duty in the best traditions of the service, and died bravely, while helping to defend all the peoples of the Galactic Alliance from the invasion force of a merciless tyrant. She sent all prepared messages just prior to the ceremony.

  Jenetta walked sadly back to her office, but it was time to let the unseen wounds heal, so she turned her mind to other matters. Captain Donovan had done an excellent job in her absence, but there were still dozens of small matters that required her personal attention. She had procrastinated about them, putting the matter of completing the messages and planning the memorial ceremony ahead of all else.

  Lori made it back to the office ahead of her because Jenetta had stayed behind to talk with her captains briefly. She would see most of them at dinner again this evening, and on many more evenings while they remained in port as base engineers fully restored the vessels. The objective of repairs performed before reaching the base had been to get the ships battle ready. Now, engineers would check every ship thoroughly, from keel to sail, and repair problems properly. When finished, there would be little evidence of the damage they had suffered. Out of necessity, Stewart had developed a complete repair-dock facility capable of handling almost any problem. It was the only repair facility within five-hundred light-years and Supreme HQ had supplied an extra hundred engineers to staff the dock. All newly arriving warships had their food supplies replenished and then been immediately dispatched to patrol duty. Normally, crews would receive a period of R&R after such a long voyage, but the current situation precluded such activity. Space Command needed as many eyes and ears out there as possible. That the Milori would return was a conclusion accepted by everyone.