by Daniel Gibbs
The screen blinked off, leaving the bridge in silence. David looked to Aibek. “XO, you’re with me. We’ll meet our guests in the deck one conference room.”
“Yes, sir, this should be interesting if for no other reason than to be in the same room as one of your famed intelligence officers,” Aibek replied with a goofy grin.
“Lieutenant Goldberg, you have the conn,” David announced as he stood up from the CO’s chair.
Ruth jumped up from her station and turned to face David. “Aye aye, sir, I have the conn.”
David walked out of the bridge, followed closely by Aibek; he pulled off his cover as he exited the bridge and held it in his hand as they walked the few dozen feet to the conference room just off the passageway from the bridge.
They sat in silence, David lost in his thoughts and again going over the previous battle. His introspection ended when the large frame of a CDF officer walked through the hatch.
The man brought himself to attention. “Colonel Robert Sinclair reports as ordered, sir.”
David quickly stood, as did Aibek. Another young officer walked in behind Sinclair, and he also came to attention. “At ease, gentlemen,” David called out as he walked around the table and extended his hand to Sinclair. “It's nice to finally meet you in the flesh, Colonel Sinclair.”
Sinclair took David’s outstretched hand and gave it a warm shake. “You as well, General. I must say, this ship is… very impressive. I didn’t realize how big it was until it took me ten minutes to walk from the airlock to the gravlift. Allow me to introduce First Lieutenant Alon Tamir.” He gestured toward a younger man who’d walked through the hatch behind him.
“Pleasure to meet you as well, Lieutenant,” David responded, extending his hand to Tamir, who shook it while looking somewhat out of place and shy.
“Please, have a seat. Do either of you need anything in the way of refreshments?”
“No, sir. We had lunch just an hour ago,” Sinclair answered, his eagerness to get going showing on his face.
David and Aibek sat down at the same time as the two intelligence officers, sliding their chairs back up to the table. Staring intently at Sinclair, David began to speak. “Okay, you’ve got our attention, Colonel. What’s going on?”
Sinclair turned his head toward Tamir. “Lieutenant, your find. You get to brief it.”
Tamir visibly gulped, his face turning a touch red.
Watching him, David suppressed a smile. Oh, all those years ago when I was a First Lieutenant. A lifetime ago, he mused to himself.
Tamir stood and faced the rest of the officers. “Sirs, to begin, we deployed stealth drones throughout the battlespace before the engagement between the Alliance fleet and the League. While our drones didn’t detect the mines, they did a fine job of finding enemy ships. In short, Admiral Seville has received nearly two hundred additional ships in reinforcements in the last twenty-four hours. He has over seven hundred vessels at his disposal currently, and we expect to see more arriving within the next three days.”
“I believe the proper human expression is ‘oh shit,’” Aibek interjected, causing laughter to break out in the conference room; even Tamir broke into a smile despite his nervousness.
“That’s the understatement of the century, XO,” David responded with a grin. “Lieutenant, please continue.”
“This next bit is an educated guess, sirs,” Tamir said. “We can break any League code, but some are a lot harder than others for our quantum computers to brute-force the decryption. Typically, the League will use lower levels of encryption on ship-to-ship comms traffic, and save the best they have on what we would call gold-level communications.”
“In other words, the important stuff between senior commanders?”
“Exactly, General,” Tamir replied, beginning to loosen up some. “We caught several that had an immense level of power attached to them. Enough to transmit back to Earth for real-time communications.”
Aibek raised a scale over his eye. “You think they were communicating with League senior command?”
“Actually, sir, I think they were talking with the Social and Public Safety Committee. We intercepted chatter amongst the larger ships in the League fleet talking about wanting to find us and kick our butts. There were references to Admiral Seville not wanting to risk it, and those captains were upset. They got a taste of victory, and now they’d like to finish us off.”
“So put this all together for us, Lieutenant. What’s the full picture?” David asked.
“I believe that Seville is being pressured by the Social and Public Safety Committee to send out his fleet to find us, and then finish off our forces. I’m sure that they need some good news to report; we’ve gotten a lot of information out of the League over the last few months indicating that their news sources are having a hard time covering up the number of ships they’ve lost, and the tens of thousands of causalities suffered. Seville knows his best position is to wait for us to try again, so he wants to sit tight and conserve his strength.”
“That’s a compelling assessment, Lieutenant. Thank you,” David said as he turned his attention back to Sinclair. “Colonel, do you agree with Lieutenant Tamir’s thesis?”
“Tamir, close your ears because I don’t want you to get a big head,” Sinclair said with a slight smirk. “The lieutenant here is one of the best analysts I’ve got. If he gives me his best guess, I’d put money on it all the way to the bank.”
“So Seville thinks we’re coming back, and his government is run by imbeciles who have no idea how to fight a war. I think it’s a good thing for us, if we could somehow force his hand in moving the fleet.”
Tamir cleared his throat. “I’ve got an idea for dealing with that too, sir.”
“Lay it on me, Lieutenant,” David said with a relaxed smile.
“Well, sir, we know the League puts a lot of stock in what the Terran Coalition media has to say about the war and our readiness posture. All media except for Canaan News Network. You have an embedded reporter on board from GNN if I remember correctly? We could plant disinformation with your embed and, in turn, cause the Social and Public Safety Committee to force the issue with Seville.”
“An interesting idea, Lieutenant. Do we consider it might be dishonorable to manipulate the truth, though?” Aibek interjected.
David shook his head. “When dealing with the League? I don’t see it as lying, I see it as deceiving the enemy.”
“I must protest, General Cohen. Lying brings you closer to evil, and lying is wrong by its very definition,” Aibek said, his jaw set.
David closed his eyes for a moment. “XO, I hear you. One of the Ten Commandments is you shall not bear false witness. I get it. But what else would you have us do? I think Lieutenant Tamir is onto something here. It’s simple and brilliant. Deceive the Leaguers and get them to divide their forces. Then we go in and take that station. We do that… the fourteen thousand plus people who died two days ago don’t die in vain. If the price for that is one Jew committing a sin, I’ll beg God for forgiveness and hope it evens out.”
David could tell from the furrowed brow and narrowed eyes on Aibek’s face that he wanted to continue to debate the subject as he began to speak again. “It’s your decision, sir.”
“The ruse will have to be perfect, General,” Sinclair said, changing the subject. “You can’t have her deliver a report like normal. That’ll look and smell fake. We have to go all out; she has to do it under duress and act like she’s breaking the rules. I’d say go so far as to fire blanks and have her tackled by security personnel. Do everything short of shooting her on camera.”
“That’s pretty dark, Colonel,” David responded.
“I’m an intelligence officer, sir. I’m paid to be dark and do the things no one else wants to know about or be responsible for. You could say I’m a sin eater. I do the things that need to be done, and my hands are the ones that get dirty so the rest of you can stay clean.”
David sat back in the cha
ir, considering his options. If this goes wrong, it’s going to be bad. We’ll be walking a very fine line in terms of breaking the law that states CDF personnel cannot knowingly lie to the press. Who am I kidding? We’ll be breaking the law. No, I’ll be breaking the law. It's my command, and the buck stops with me. God help us if we don’t, I don’t see a way to get Seville to divide up his fleet. This might not even work, but I’ve got to try. I owe it those who died for all of this to not have been in vain. “Okay, Colonel Sinclair. You work up a script, I’ll talk to our resident reporter and see if she’s willing to go along.”
“I would recommend giving her no choice,” Sinclair responded, his voice hard as nails.
“It must be a voluntary action, period. I’ll sign up for lying to the League, but I won’t force her to do it against her will. On the pragmatic side of things, even if I did, it would show, and all of this would be for nothing.”
Sinclair nodded. “I understand, sir, even if I disagree.”
“Okay, gentlemen, let’s get to it,” David announced as he stood up. The rest of them sprang to their feet a split second after he did. “Dismissed.” Aibek thinks I’m going too far. Sinclair, not far enough. Who’s right? If I stop to think about it, I don’t think I’d like the answer.
21
Ruth decided to take a break from working on the tactical plans for dealing with Unity Station and made her way to the officers’ mess closest to the bridge. There were so many officers on the ship, it had six different messes assigned to them, while the traditional wardroom was reserved for only the senior staff of the vessel. Hmm, they have cheeseburgers today. It’s still kind of weird to break kashrut. I feel odd about it, she pondered before deciding to order a hamburger without the cheese. After waiting patiently in line, she got her meal and proceeded to a dispensing station to get a beverage; in her case, regular water. A voice from behind startled her from her thoughts.
“Hey, Ruth, how are you doing?” Taylor asked.
She turned around to see the communications officer behind her, a cheeseburger in hand. “I’m okay but famished. An army marches on its stomach, right?” she asked rhetorically while flashing a smile. “Want to join me?”
“Sure.”
The two of them made their way to a small table and took their respective seats. It wasn’t lost on Ruth that Taylor was a gentleman; the little things he did like always waiting until ladies were seated before he sat were noticed.
“An hour off shift, then back on for another ten. We’ll sleep when we’re dead, I guess,” Taylor deadpanned.
“It seems like it some days. But we’re making progress.”
“Yeah, I’ve been helping to gather information from the various captains in the fleet. General Cohen’s closing in on a strategy. I’ve worked with him long enough to be able to feel it when he’s about to find what he’s looking for.”
Ruth laughed. “I’ve only got an extra six months on you for working with him. I do know what you mean, though. He’s like a laser sometimes in his focus on a problem. One of the best things about his style, actually,” she said as she looked Taylor over. His face was wearing a frown, and something about his demeanor was off. “Is something wrong, Robert?”
“No.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Yes.”
“Which is it?”
“I sometimes struggle with my job.”
“How? You’re good at it, at least from my perspective.”
“Not at being good at it, but that I have it. My family was mostly Marines. I always wanted to do computers, so I ended up riding a console. There are times when I wish I were out there, on the sharp tip of the spear.”
Ruth glanced at Taylor’s right hand, where he wore his wedding ring. “Does it have something to do with your wife?”
“Yeah. She was a Marine. I wasn’t there for her.”
“Sometimes it doesn’t help if you were,” Ruth replied.
“What do you mean?”
“I was there when my parents died. A League patrol burst into our house and killed my father as he reached for a gun. Then my mother,” Ruth said as she set her face and determined not to cry at the memory.
“I had no idea…I’m sorry,” Taylor mumbled.
“No, it’s okay. I paid them back, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. When those soldiers turned away, I snatched up a gun and shot them in the back. I kept shooting until I ran out of bullets, and then I ran as fast as my legs would carry me.”
Taylor’s brow furrowed. “Then what?”
“I joined a resistance cell and fought the League until the fleet and the Marines liberated our planet. I had nothing left. No family, no friends. I forged my dead father’s signature on my enlistment papers, easy to do because all planetary records were gone, and joined the CDF when I was sixteen. I’ve been blowing Leaguers out of space ever since,” Ruth said in a darkly amused tone.
Taylor laughed softly. “You’re a little warped, you know that, right?”
Ruth smiled. “More than a little.”
“I’ve been thinking about volunteering for the boarding party.”
Ruth’s eyelids opened wide and her mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I think it’s time that I stood up and put myself on the firing line,” Taylor responded in a sure voice.
“What will that accomplish?”
“I hope it will help me to live in my own skin a bit better. Perhaps I can be of some use. I’m a fairly skilled hacker, or as Colonel Demood puts it, comms geek.”
Ruth snickered. “He’s got a snappy put down for everyone, doesn’t he?”
Taylor nodded as he smiled. “Yes, he does. Besides, I shot expert in basic.”
“We’re a good twelve years from basic.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m only eleven years removed from the tender attention of my drill instructor.”
Ruth laughed again. “Just make sure if you volunteer, you do it for the right reasons, okay?”
“I’ll try,” Taylor said, picking up his burger. “Want to see if they’re any good?”
“We should bless the food first.”
“Why don’t you do it? That’s something else that isn’t quite right these days.”
“What do you mean?” Ruth asked, her voice betraying concern.
“I don’t know what I believe anymore. Do you still want to be friends?” he asked with a touch of a smile.
Ruth rolled her eyes. “Really? I think we’ve all been there. God knows I have. I still go to church and shul. I guess you could say I’m confused.”
It was Taylor’s turn to laugh. “Well, if that’s settled…”
Ruth smirked and bowed her head before blessing the food. As they ate, she couldn’t set aside her concern for Taylor. After they had finished their meal and he went back toward his duty, she found herself standing at the observation portion of the mess, looking out into space. God, please watch over Robert. He’s a good man, and he’s about to throw himself into harm’s way. Help them all. After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, her comm went off; it was time for her to go back to work. Turning around, walking quickly and with purpose out of the mess, she hoped she wasn’t about to lose another friend.
The medical bay on the Lion was still crammed full of the injured. As the Lion was the de facto flagship of the Coalition Defense Force, it got the latest and greatest technology; medical technology was included in those upgrades. The most severe trauma cases were transferred to the Lion in hopes the gravely injured would survive with the higher quality of care available. Walking into the lobby, David sought out Doctor Tural, who was making his rounds; he’d decided to spend a few minutes visiting the doctor and his patients before committing them to the next round of combat.
“Doctor! Do you have a moment?” David asked as soon as Tural stepped away from one of the treatment beds.
The much older man nodded. He wore a tired, sagging expression. “O
f course, Col… General Cohen.” Tural gestured to a quiet corner of the room, to which both men walked.
“Doctor, I’m sorry to disturb you. I wanted to see for myself.”
Tural looked up at David. “There are many here who might not make it, but we’re doing our best. All but twenty-three of the most severe cases have been discharged. A lot of soldiers are on light duty, but they’ll be fine.”
David found visiting the wounded difficult. To see men and women maimed following his orders was just hard to accept. I have a duty to see them, to try to comfort them in some small way, because regardless of anything else, I ordered them to fight. “I’ve brought some medals with me… Purple Hearts.”
“I see. Those are well earned in this ward, sir.”
“Will you escort me to the patients? I want to speak with each individually,” David asked.
“Who is first on your list?”
“Private Third Class Doris Hunter,” David replied somberly.
“Follow me, General,” Tural said, pointing to a bed across the room.
David took in the sight of the young woman; she was sitting up in bed, a smile on her face, which greatly surprised him, as both of her legs had been amputated after they were mangled from an explosion in the engineering spaces. Seeing David approach, she stiffened her posture in the bed.
“At ease, Private,” David said with a forced smile.
“I apologize for not standing, sir.”
David pursed his lips, fighting down emotion. “Apology not required, Private Hunter. I’ve got something for you.” He forced a smile as he opened the small case that held the medal. Turning it around to show her, he continued, “Private Third Class Doris Hunter, I hereby present you with the Purple Heart for the wounds you received in combat at Unity Station. Please accept this medal on behalf of a grateful republic.”
Stepping back, David came to attention and smartly brought his hand to his brow, snapping off a crisp salute. Retreating into the process and decorum of military tradition was always his out.
