by D. J. Holmes
“Don’t,” James said as he fixed Christine with a hard glare.
“Don’t what?” She asked sweetly.
“Don’t play me,” he replied. “I know my duty, you don’t need to use it to manipulate me.”
Christine looked away and sighed. “I wasn’t. Well, not really. I want you to be on the Council because I think we all need you. I know I do.” She looked back and held James’s gaze. “But as you can see, I am not above pulling on your heartstrings. You have a duty to all of Humanity and you know it. Perhaps more than I ever will. You have spent the last three years operating in the shadows because of that duty. It’s time for you to take the center stage and do what is needed.”
James let out a deep breath. As he did he forced his shoulders to relax, they had hunched up tighter and tighter as Christine had been talking to him. “I do not have the energy to argue,” he replied. “It has been a long day. I need to get back to Britain. What was the other thing you wish to speak about?”
Right away the look on Christine’s face changed. Her features softened and James detected a hint of color to her cheeks. “I know we’re both busy,” she said. “I was hoping that you might join me for a meal before we head back? I’m sure you haven’t been eating properly these last two weeks. I know I haven’t. A few moments of relaxation will re-energize us for everything that is awaiting us.”
James recalled the pressed rose Christine had given him the last time they had met before the Battle of Earth. Posing as a representative of the Chinese criminal underworld, she had tricked him into meeting with her. Before they parted she had given him back a rose he had once picked for her. She had looked just as emotional and vulnerable then as she did now. His mind couldn’t help going to Suzanna. He wasn’t going to betray her memory. Gently, he shook his head. “I’m tired. I wouldn’t be very good company. If you want to enjoy a good meal, it would be better without me. Perhaps another time.”
For the briefest of seconds, James saw Christine’s disappointment on her face, then the professional politician in her took it away. “Perhaps another time,” she agreed. She turned and quickly left.
“What was all that about?” Emilie asked as she approached.
James groaned, “Just two more problems to add to the list,” he complained. Somehow I’ve have got to stop Fairfax thinking about me as King, and Christine as Chairman of this Council. Shaking his head, he made his way out of the briefing room. As if he didn’t have enough problems already!
Chapter 4
Once assumed, responsibility is like an ever rising tide. It grows and grows bringing more and more weight onto the shoulders of those who hold it. When the right people begin this journey, it is for the benefit of all those around them. When the wrong people begin, the results can be devastating.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD.
19th September 2481 AD.
James had to grind his teeth together to stop himself from grumbling under his breath. The members of the Emergency Council were filing into one of Earth’s briefing rooms. Yesterday they had met for the first time and had unanimously voted to appoint him Chairman. Despite his protests, Christine’s logic had won out. No one wanted a political operator using the chairperson’s responsibilities for their own gain. The irony wasn’t lost on him. A month ago, he had been Earth’s most notorious outlaw. Now what was left of Earth’s political leadership thought they could trust him. Not trust, James said to himself as he watched the faces of his fellow councilors. They simply fear me the least. Or worse, they think they can manipulate me.
“All right,” he said when everyone had taken their seats. “I’ve received a number of items for today’s agenda. I’ve selected the three most pressing for us to focus upon.” Several expressions changed. Most had been politely waiting for him to start the meeting. More than one face now looked upset. That’s right, James thought. If you want to force me to be Chairman, I’m going to do it my way. He had received twenty items for the first meeting’s agenda. Half of them were all but irrelevant and the other half would likely turn the meeting into a debating chamber. The three items that he proposed to begin with had been submitted to him, though he had altered their contents somewhat overnight. Knowing he was going to have to chair the Emergency Council for the next several months had made it difficult to sleep, but at least he had used the time wisely.
The satisfaction he gained from watching several of the council members’ reaction to his words evaporated when his eyes passed over Christine. She had a small smile on her face and when their eyes met, she nodded. James quickly looked away. He wasn’t taking control to prove her right. He was doing what needed to be done. “Firstly,” he said as he dismissed Christine from his mind, “the most pressing matter is the coordination of our relief efforts and the request and transport of supplies from our colonies. With so many of our freighters destroyed in the battle with the Karacknids, our entire interstellar economy is going to take a hit. We need to prioritize getting relief to Earth. I am therefore proposing that we set up a subcommittee that will have two responsibilities. One, it will inventory what supplies each nation has and needs and begin to coordinate each of our national efforts to assist one another. Two, they will send out requests for specific aid and supplies to colonies that we know can meet our needs. The subcommittee will not have any authority in and of itself, they will simply make recommendations to us. I doubt any of us have time to get into the nitty-gritty details of the numbers, if we can appoint a subcommittee to do this and report back to us, then we can make final decisions on orders to give out in the days ahead. How does this sound?”
“That sounds like an eminently wise idea Vice Admiral,” Bernard said, immediately raising James’ suspicions. “There are many major and minor issues that we will no doubt have to confront together, forming subcommittees that can do some of the legwork and report back to us will take some of the administrative load of our shoulders. I would suggest though that with this subcommittee and any others we might form, that at least one member sit on each committee. Seeing as this is our first committee and you are the chairman, perhaps you would be best placed to take up such a role? You can show us how you intend these subcommittees to operate.”
James had to clamp his mouth shut as he glared at Bernard. He wanted to groan. The point of the subcommittee was to let him escape some of the minutia of governing. Bernard had trapped him perfectly. He could hardly refuse to sit on his own subcommittee. Even so, he opened his mouth to refuse. A sudden jolt made him stop. Glancing to his right, he saw Emilie’s foot had just kicked his chair. Turning his glare on her, he was surprised when she met his stare without flinching. Then her eyes pointed his gaze down to a note she had just written. There was just one word on it. Mentally, James shook his head. Emilie was picking up politicking faster than he. The name was one they had discussed together yesterday but quickly dismissed; they had seen no way that the Emergency Council would approve such a suggestion. Yet now, if Bernard was making such a demand, James could make his own in return. “Fine,” James said with an over exaggerated sigh. “I will be a part of the subcommittee,” he paused for effect. “But I do have one condition of my own. I would like to see McCarthy appointed to the committee as well.”
“That is preposterous,” Chancellor Hoffman balked as he lurched forward in his chair. “McCarthy is a smuggler and a thief. If we put him on the subcommittee, he’ll corrupt the entire process.” Hoffman eyed James warily. “Perhaps it was a mistake making you Chairman. You have spent too much time out on the fringes of society.”
“I believe I said as much myself yesterday,” James countered. “But I do not make this suggestion lightly. McCarthy knows more about how our interstellar economy works than any of us. And he has no ties to any of the large corporations. Even better, he has lost almost all of his ships in the battle for Earth. He and his crew voluntarily fought alongside us. Whatever his past actions, that alone is testament to his trustworthiness. I recall he once told me
that he cares as much about the economy of our colonies as any national leader. After all, how can he make a profit if there is no interstellar trade to undercut? If we’re going to see our economies jumpstarted after everything we’ve lost, we’re going to need someone who understands our interstellar trade, and someone with the contacts to encourage some of those more on the fringe of our society to aid us. Our major corporations have taken massive hits to their freighter fleet. I’m willing to bet there are a handful of smuggling operations out there who have their shipping fleets completely intact. McCarthy will be able to negotiate with them.”
“You make a strong case Vice Admiral,” Christine responded. “But you’re proposing a bold move. Especially as this is our first act as a Council. McCarthy is a known criminal throughout Earth. This will not play well on the holo-news reports.”
“That means nothing to me,” James replied as he turned to Christine. “If I’m to be on this committee, then I insist McCarthy be a part of it as well.”
Christine stared at him for several seconds then nodded slowly. “If your presence on the subcommittee is conditional upon it, then I will support it.”
“As will I,” Koroylov added. Around the table most of the Councilors agreed until just Bernard and Hoffman hadn’t spoken.
“Well?” James prompted as he stared at Bernard.
“On one condition,” Bernard said. “I want it made very clear in the minutes of this meeting that you proposed the name. If this backfires, I don’t want there to be any doubt as to where the blame lies.”
“Find by me,” James said. In the back of his mind he could hear Suzanna’s voice of warning. He was letting Bernard dig him a grave. I don’t have time for such concerns, he said to himself.
“Very well,” Bernard said. “I am in agreement.”
“As am I,” Hoffmann added. “Given Bernard’s amendment.”
“Very good,” James replied. “Then we can vote by a show of hands.” Moments later, James banged the wooden gravel Fairfax had found for him. It signified the vote had passed. “Now, let’s determine who else we should add to this subcommittee and then we can issue orders for it to be formed later today. The sooner they can get to work the better.”
Thirty minutes later and James brought his gravel down after passing the vote on who would form the subcommittee alongside McCarthy and himself. “That was swiftly accomplished,” he couldn’t help himself from saying. He was impressed with how easily the group were working together, despite the reservations some had had with his suggestion of McCarthy. “Now, we can move on to the second item we need to discuss today. Our military situation.”
“Do you have a proposal to bring?” Admiral Allende asked.
“I have two,” James said to the Mexican Admiral who commanded Earth’s orbital defenses. Miraculously, his command battlestation had survived when so many others had been destroyed.
“First, I believe we need to appoint a new commander of Home Fleet,” James said as he nodded to Koroylov. “We have discussed this previously, and now would be the appropriate time. Koroylov has enough on his plate as the president of the Russian Star Federation. We will all be forever in his debt for how he defended Earth, but from what he’s already said to us, he would be happy if we appointed someone else to the position now that the Karacknid threat has diminished. We should decide this today, though I do not intend to make a specific suggestion.” In reality he did, but even he knew he couldn’t push on this topic.
“Before we decide on the appointment, I would suggest that whoever commands Home Fleet is given an honorary position on this Council. They would not have voting rights, but they should be allowed to attend our meetings and contribute with their opinions,” Allende suggested.
“That seems perfectly appropriate,” Senator Nicholls responded.
“Indeed,” James agreed. “Are there any who would protest such a decision?” When no one spoke James continued, “Then the question is, who do we appoint? What suggestions do you have?”
“Whoever it is,” Christine said, “it must be someone with real combat experience. Too many of our UN commanders have had little to no battle experience. In the end, Koroylov had to be appointed at the last minute to face the Karacknids because the Interplanetary Committee realized they had no one else. We cannot repeat such a mistake.”
“I heartily agree,” Chancellor Hoffman responded.
“In that case, our options are limited,” Senator Nicholls said. “May I suggest Rear Admiral Anderson. He is one of the most senior surviving American admirals who has seen combat. As a Captain he fought the Flex-aor at the battle of Connecticut, and he now commands fourth battlecruiser squadron in Home Fleet, or at least what is left of it.”
“Anderson is a good option,” Koroylov said as he rested his arms on the table they were all sat around. “However, I think our first choice is obvious. I have been able to watch her in action these last two weeks and I would give her my full support to replace me. Rear Admiral Gupta has a distinguished career, almost as distinguished as our own Chairman. She fought the Karacknids at Jaranna, and now here defending Earth as well. She spent the last three years preparing for their arrival. With the exception of Vice Admiral Somerville, no one else is better prepared to face them.”
“Gupta has my backing as well,” Christine said. “She is a fine commander.”
“But will the fleet follow a mutineer?” Bernard asked. “Let’s not forget that that is what she is. You’ve all seen the holo-news reports, Admiral Somerville’s appointment as Chairman of this Council has already caused quite a few waves. If we appoint Gupta as commander of Home Fleet, it will look like we are letting the mutineers take over everything.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Hoffman snapped as he waved a hand at Bernard. “They both were warning us when we would not listen. Eighty nuclear warheads would suggest they should be the ones in charge.”
James had to blink a couple of times to take in what he had just heard. Hoffman was from a German political party that had supported the UN’s arms restrictions. Has he had a change of heart? James mused. In his mind he slotted Hoffman into a new category. If the German Chancellor really was prepared for change, then the balance of the Emergency Council was slightly different than he had been expecting.
“Militarily it may be the best thing,” Bernard conceded. “I’m simply pointing out we need to weigh the political ramifications as well.”
James couldn’t help himself. He slapped his hand down firmly onto the desk. “And that has decided the issue for me,” he said as he held Bernard’s gaze. “We are here because too many of your kind heeded the political ramifications rather than the military ones. I know Gupta better than all of you. She would be a fine commander of Home Fleet. I propose we appoint her to take up the command.” After he finished speaking, James continued to hold Bernard’s stare, daring the British politician to say something more. When Bernard didn’t speak, he sat back slightly. “Does anyone else have an opinion on the matter that we should weigh up?” Though he hadn’t intended to be so forceful, now that Gupta’s name was in the mix, he intended to see her get the appointment.
“Rear Admiral Gupta’s reputation as an opponent of my nation and as a UN officer precedes her,” Minister Rajesh of India said. “Given her experience, I do not see how we could oppose such a suggestion.”
For another ten minutes James allowed the debate to go back and forth. It quickly became apparent that apart from her association with him as a mutineer, no one had anything against her appointment. And my proposing her hasn’t hurt her either thankfully, James thought after he calmed down. He hadn’t intended to bring the proposal himself, with Gupta being his closest friend, but Bernard had made him lose control. As a result, he breathed a sigh of relief when the proposal was passed and Gupta was appointed.
“Now, onto the next military matter. Yesterday I asked Koroylov to forward to all of you the reports we have received of Karacknid warships raiding
our colonies. Their main fleet seems to have fallen back to lick its wounds, at least as far as Holstein. Hopefully further. They can’t have built up too much in the way of repair facilities there yet. But it appears that what ships they have left behind in the systems they conquered have orders to continue offensive operations. We also have another problem; the morale of our fleet has been torn to shreds. Everyone who survived the battle with the Karacknids feels responsible for what happened to Earth. Every day is a reminder of our failure. It will take us months to rebuild our fleets, but we need to rebuild morale right now. We need to put together a squadron to confront the ships the Karacknids have raiding our colonies and win some victories. For our fleet’s morale, and for the morale of all our people. We have taken a beating over the last several months. It’s time we started to fight back.”
