Retreat Hell

by Christopher Nuttall

  But no such attack had materialised, while the assassination attempt had put his forces on their guard. It made little sense, tactically speaking, unless Wolfbane had decided on a more steady advance across the border. Maybe that was what they had in mind, he considered; Wolfbane would know that sending fleets deep into Commonwealth space was asking for trouble, if something went wrong. Better a slow and steady advance than a sudden blow that might easily miscarry and leave entire squadrons stranded in interstellar space.

  “We will win this war,” Gaby said, with icy determination. She looked down at the city, then past it towards one of the makeshift planetary defence centres. “Whatever it takes, Ed, we will win this war. I am not going to let the ghosts of the past overwhelm the future.”

  Ed smiled to himself as he guided the aircar down towards the Council Chambers. There was the Gaby he had fallen in love with, the indomitable will mixed with an understanding and a pragmatism that had allowed her to make an alliance with her hated enemies. Whatever was coming, he hoped, she would be a match for it. She certainly had far more moral fibre than the Grand Senate had ever shown.

  Because she’s right, he thought, grimly. The dream of the Commonwealth, of a new interstellar order, cannot be allowed to die.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The miners steadfastly refused to go back to work until they were provided with ironclad guarantees of better treatment and a share in the proceeds, which would be reinvested in Stan’s World. This was supported by some of the scientists, but opposed by others. Caught in the middle, the corporation refused even the smallest compromise. There could be no political solution as the politics had expanded well beyond the conflict zone.

  - Professor Leo Caesius. War in a time of ‘Peace:’ The Empire’s Forgotten Military History.

  The only inhabitants of the Titlark System were a handful of asteroid-dwellers, members of a half-mad religious order that had secreted themselves away from the Empire after their messiah had warned them of the looming disaster. Or so they claimed, when Admiral Singh’s troops had rounded them up, loaded them onto a cargo ship and sent them back into Wolfbane-held territory. Rani found it hard to care about their beliefs, not when she needed their star system for her own purposes. Besides, a few years of re-education and their children would become good little peons on Wolfbane.

  She sat in her office on Orion and read the update from Avalon. The courier had almost burned out her drive rushing it to Titlark, but it had definitely been worth the risk. Rani’s assassin had made it through the defences, such as they were, and launched an attack right in the heart of the Commonwealth itself. It had misfired slightly – the President of the Commonwealth was apparently wounded, rather than dead – but it had succeeded in its principle objective. There could be no peace between the Commonwealth and Wolfbane.

  Using Private Polk as her assassin had been a gamble, one that could have easily gone spectacularly wrong. Someone might have recognised him, despite some facial alterations, or his conditioning might have broken at the worst possible time. Or he might have been identified as a conditioned person, which would have led to him being taken into custody and his identity uncovered when the Commonwealth checked his DNA against their records. Or ... someone might have checked his DNA anyway when he tried to enter the planet’s orbital station, which would have been disastrous. But everything had worked out better than she’d had a right to expect.

  And, best of all, Governor Brown knew nothing about the assassination attempt.

  Rani herself had held the plan in reserve for several months, hoping she could talk the Governor into authorising a strike against Avalon and Corinthian as the opening blows in the war. A successful strike against either or both of them would have crippled the Commonwealth, all the more so when the attack came out of nowhere. But when Governor Brown had refused to permit her to take the risk, she’d put her second plan into motion instead. The Commonwealth, after discovering that one of their own had been turned into an assassin, would be in no mood to talk peace. They’d make outrageous demands on Wolfbane, demands that would be automatically rejected. The message from her spies had made that clear.

  Governor Brown was an odd mix of traits, even Rani had to admit. He was bold enough to take power for himself, playing various factions off against one another until they all supported his supremacy, but there was a strong streak of caution running through him that made him reluctant to stick his neck out too far. Rani could understand the fear of losing power – if Brown lost power, he would lose his life soon afterwards – but she also understood the dangers in refusing to gamble when one was holding most of the cards. Brown thought, she suspected, that if the war went badly, he could come to terms with the Commonwealth and declare the war over. Rani knew better. The mere existence of the Commonwealth – and the Trade Federation – was a dagger pointed at the very heart of Wolfbane. There could be no peace.

  The Empire had never really tolerated any interstellar power that wasn't firmly subordinate to its own agenda. It was far from uncommon for the Grand Senate to interfere, openly and often, in their affairs, manipulating events until their independence was nothing more than a sham. Indeed, many of the brushfire wars the Empire had had to stamp on towards the end of its existence had been caused by meddling from Earth in the first place. But they hadn't really had any choice. The existence of a rival system, one that worked better than anything the Empire had produced, would raise uncomfortable questions in the minds of the Empire’s citizens. Why couldn't they have such political and economic freedoms?

  Governor Brown might have understood just how important it was to maintain corporate control of the sector – and the Empire. Without it, why ... the great corporations might be undermined and eventually driven out of business by a horde of local competitors. They would be forced to fight to survive. It was no surprise to Rani, who understood just how wide the gap between the Empire’s government and its population had grown in the final years of its life, that it seemed easier to manipulate the laws rather than remaining competitive. But that would change, now the Empire was gone. Unless, of course, Governor Brown managed to keep tight control over his fragment of the Empire.

  There would be war, Rani knew. The Commonwealth had been eager to discuss terms, so eager that they’d let themselves be manipulated into a trap, but their mere existence was a threat to the newly-established order. Planets would be tempted by the promise of control over their own internal affairs, spacers would be tempted by the offer of political independence and freedom from burdensome regulations ... hell, there were even faint rumours that the Commonwealth’s scientists had made a number of new breakthroughs. If they were true ...

  Rani hated to think about the implications. Scientific research and development in the Empire had slowed down to a crawl, reducing itself to tiny improvements that were barely worth the effort. Scientists had even asked, openly, if humanity had reached the limits of the possible. Dreams such as FTL communications, matter transference and direct energy-to-matter duplication – to say nothing of freeform nanotechnology – seemed nothing more than science-fantasy. But now ... the Commonwealth was claiming to have started to improve its technology radically. The prospects for the future were alarming.

  Once, as a young trainee, she’d simulated a battle between a modern squadron and an entire fleet of battleships from the Unification Wars. The battleships had been wiped out, effortlessly. Their missiles were clunky compared to modern designs, their armour was pathetic and their sensors almost blind. What would happen if the Commonwealth made an unimaginable breakthrough and perfected something that would make Wolfbane’s entire fleet obsolete? The war could be over in less than a month. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she’d learned the hard way not to underestimate the Commonwealth. They’d kicked her out of Corinthian, after all.

  Shaking her head, she took one final look at the message, then keyed her console and called an immediate staff meeting. Half of her staff officers were spies, of tha
t she was sure, appointed either by Governor Brown or her rivals on Wolfbane. If she held a meeting without making sure they were all called, they would go crying to their masters and mistresses about the secret meeting she’d held. She rolled her eyes at the thought, then stood and walked through the hatch into the conference room. Her officers were already gathering there.

  “Be seated,” she ordered, as they stood to greet her. There was no shortage of discipline, she had to admit, and most of the incompetent officers had been purged by Governor Brown and his allies. But half of them were still spies. “There are two days until we begin our staggered departures. How do we stand?”

  “All starships are in excellent condition,” her ops officer said, at once. “The training battalions and conscripted units have turned out a lot of good technicians to maintain the systems. The latter have actually managed to fit in quite well, with a little prodding. Overall, there are no major problems that would delay our departure.”

  Rani smiled. There was almost nothing, even a battleship unable to enter Phase Space, that she would have deemed sufficient to delay their departure. It was hard enough planning a series of simultaneous strikes against a multi-star opponent without delaying matters any longer than strictly necessary. By now, most of the Commonwealth would know that their President had been the victim of an assassination attempt. Rumour would probably make her dead even if she wasn't literally dead. They’d be going on the alert, expecting war. But Governor Brown wouldn't know it ...

  Risky, she thought. But worthwhile.

  She had no illusions about her position as his subordinate. Brown hadn't been interested in her personally or sexually. He needed her – and he would use her – but he wouldn't underestimate the depths of her ambition. If the war ended quickly, or both sides agreed to a truce, he would have no further use for her. Rani knew her fall would lead rapidly to her execution. It was what she would have done.

  But if the war continued, Governor Brown would need her more than ever.

  The ops officer continued speaking, unaware that his mistress wasn't quite paying attention. “Overall, training and exercise schedules have worked out fairly well,” he continued. “Most of the crewmen have proved themselves adaptable, even when dealing with unscripted exercises and unexpected surprises. Those that haven't have been relieved of duty and shipped back to Wolfbane, with a strong suggestion they be reassigned to somewhere a little less challenging. In particular, speedboat crews have proven themselves in exercises, but we do not yet know how they will work out in practice.”

  Rani smiled. Speedboats – tiny spacecraft intended to assist long-range missile targeting – had been a concept the Imperial Navy had experimented with, but never managed to get to work. Perhaps the Commonwealth and Trade Federation wouldn't be the only innovators in future, she knew, because Wolfbane had actually made the concept work reasonably well. It would have to be tested in combat before she approved completely, but it would give the enemy an unpleasant surprise. The major downside was that it was regarded as almost certain suicide.

  “And the crews?” She asked. “How are they coping?”

  “They seem to be considered heroes everywhere,” the ops officer said. “Several of them were placed on report for ... unscheduled sexual congress.”

  “How terrible,” Rani said. Her lips curved into a smile. “Sexual congress we didn't authorise.”

  The ops officer looked embarrassed. Rani understood; there were certain matters that were meant to remain below decks, not brought to the attention of the fleet’s commander. But then, she had been an ops officer herself. She knew, all too well, that the men she commanded weren't paragons. God knew just how many mistakes she’d made by allowing her men free reign on Corinthian. People who might have supported her, or at least tolerated her rule, had been driven into opposition. It was a mistake she wouldn't allow herself to make again.

  “Inform them that there are pleasure units for such matters,” Rani said. “And remind them that it isn't a good idea to distract other personnel from their duties.”

  The ops officer didn't look any better, but he pressed on anyway. “Overall, stockpiles of weapons, spare parts and fuel are in place,” he said. “The fleet train is ready to accompany us, with enough stockpiles to allow us to fight several battles without finding replenishment within the Commonwealth. In addition, a flight of courier boats are also ready to spread the word of our conquests and upload propaganda into the Commonwealth’s datanet, as well as carrying word back to Wolfbane.”

  Rani nodded, then turned to her ground forces commander. “General?”

  General Haverford was a tall, powerfully-built man who had – in the style of Imperial Special Forces – shaved his head, then had it treated so his hair wouldn't start to grow out again. It gave him a slightly sinister appearance, which he cultivated to get the best from his officers and men. Rani had read his file carefully, but she honestly couldn't say she knew the man all that well. Chances were he had secret orders to move against her in the event of Governor Brown deciding she had outlived her usefulness. Rani had considered trying to manipulate him, but she hadn't been able to get enough of a measure of his personality to devise a plan of attack that might work.

  “Our troops are loaded and ready, Admiral,” he said. They’d had to modify a number of colonist-carrier starships to transport the troops, but it would suffice. “They will be able to occupy Thule and our other principle targets as soon as the high orbitals are secured. We have devised plans to deal with both the local government and the insurgent leadership within hours of landing.”

  Rani nodded. Both the local government and the insurgents would be surplus to requirements, once Thule was occupied. The insurgents, she hoped, would simply assume that they could just link up with the newcomers, which would allow them to be snatched and transported to a penal island before they could realise the error of their ways. They might have believed they would be allowed to keep their world as an independent system, but Thule was simply too valuable a prize to allow it to slip out of her hands.

  “The only problem is the presence of the Commonwealth forces,” General Haverford continued, coldly. “I intend to allow them the chance to surrender, once we control the high orbitals. They will be treated as prisoners of war, in accordance with the Articles of War, rather than insurgents, terrorists or traitors. Governor Brown has agreed to support me in this matter.”

  Governor Brown lacks the killer instinct, Rani thought, coldly.

  It wasn't exactly a surprise, though. Mistreating prisoners would rebound on them, disastrously. No one would surrender if they felt they could expect to be killed out of hand by their captors. Instead of taking their place in the Wolfbane Consortium, the Commonwealth’s military and armed civilians would fight to the death. No, General Haverford was correct. They had to take prisoners, if the prisoners actually chose to surrender.

  But would they believe us, she asked herself, once they know what happened to Polk?

  “We do need to consider the value of intelligence,” she said, carefully. “If enemy officers are taken captive ...”

  “They are unlikely to know enough to make interrogating them worthwhile,” General Haverford said. “In any case, the Governor has made up his mind.”

  Rani kept her face expressionless, refusing to show any trace of the anger that was slowly bubbling its way through her mind. It was ... irritating to have such an important issue forced on her at the last possible moment, even if she hadn't found the timing suspicious. There was no time to send a request to Wolfbane for the Governor to rethink his decision before they had to mount the offensive. No, she would have to accept it for the moment. And, in truth, she didn't really disagree with it.

  Bide your time, she told herself. Your day will come.

  “Very well,” she said, out loud. “I will leave such matters in your capable hands.”

  “We will occupy one hundred vitally important locations on Thule within hours of landing,” the General
said. “Our space forces” – he didn't say Marines, Rani noted – “will occupy sites around the system, including industrial nodes and cloudscoops. Once the occupation is completed, the locals will have no choice but to cooperate with us. Should they refuse, they will be shipped out-system to re-education camps.”

  Rani nodded. Governor Brown’s system of re-education camps had been surprisingly effective at turning enemies into allies. Being separated from their families and half-starved until they submitted, the cynic in her noted, probably had something to do with it. But Thule wasn't one of the minor Wolfbane worlds. There were other considerations.

  “They will be more effective on Thule than anywhere else,” she pointed out. “You will need to try to push them into cooperation, rather than simply removing them if they refuse to work at first.”

  “We will take care of it,” the General said.

  Rani smiled, coldly. “I have prepared the departure schedule for you all,” she said, addressing the table as a whole. “We will start dispatching starships and squadrons within two days. I want to take this opportunity, however, to impress on you all that some of the targeted systems are not as vitally important as your starships. If you should happen to run into opposition you cannot hope to defeat without risking your ships, you are to pull out and abandon the system.”

  Several officers looked mutinous. She pushed on anyway. “I expect you to use your best judgement of what constitutes a major threat,” she continued. “But I will not be best pleased if some of the targeted systems cost us one or two ships. Thule is important; the others ... are just propaganda. They will not be particularly useful to us for years to come.”

  She sighed, inwardly. Too many of her officers had served in the Imperial Navy, where retreat was considered disgraceful even if one was badly outgunned. But there was no point in wasting a starship merely to lay claim to a farming world. Several of their targets had been chosen merely to make it look as though the Commonwealth was going to lose and lose quickly. Civilians, largely unaware of the realities of interstellar war, would see the tidal wave of red icons overrunning the green and panic.