Badger (11 page)

“A good example would be Reverend Thomas Gates. He is an influential figure in both Oduran politics and culture, though evidence suggests he, as well as many of his sect, originated in the Celostian Union.”

A grumble of discontent swept through the officers. Many had left the Union behind for one reason or another, striking out on their own like the Telosians or defecting to the League for a variety of reasons. Some had been lured by the promise of the League’s wealth and power, others driven by ideologies or creeds, still others by simple, pure hatred. None had the true respect of any loyal Celostian officer and never would.

For his part, Kenning did not notice the stir his statement had provoked. He continued. “Gates has an intense dislike for all things Celostian. In fact, he was a member of the parties within the Oduran League who helped motivate the government to launch the latest series of attacks against the Union. His speeches are one long diatribe of hate and contempt for our way of life, and as a result he is considered a viable threat to our interests. He has also recently begun speaking out against Banks and has called for him and his allies to be replaced as leaders of the League.”

Kenning turned to face the rest of the officers, his voice growing firmer. “He is not alone. There are many others who are speaking out against Banks, but they are just as dangerous to us as we are too them. If anything, Banks is serving as a brake for many of their destructive appetites, since he apparently is currently unenthusiastic about launching another campaign against us. Our forces, thanks to the leadership of Admiral Nivrosky, dealt them enough of a blow that Banks hesitates to face us for some reason, and now for that same reason he might be pulled from his throne.”

He manipulated the controls again, and Gates faded slightly while the last image grew distinct. “We assume this man is intended to replace Banks as the de facto leader of the Oduran League. General Franklin Al-Mustafa, a leader in the military who has served in repeated campaigns against the Union. He participated in the razing of Rigannin as well as the raid against Erad afterward, though apparently his ship left the Oduran fleet before it met defeat at our hands. As a result, he stands with a strong record of strikes against us, without the stain of the disaster at Liandre.” Kenning leaned back, crossing his arms. His lips twisted in a half smile as if the image of Al-Mustafa amused him. “Al-Mustafa has currently been assigned along the borders of our territory and is likely responsible for encouraging the small scale attacks against our frontier. He cannot launch a larger-scale strike without the approval of the Oduran leadership, which under Banks is unlikely to happen, but if Banks falls…” He trailed off suggestively.

“Then we could be looking at Rigannin all over again.” The words came from Captain Espinoza, who was slumped in her seat. She looked weary, and Jacob could sympathize with her as Kenning continued.

“Or worse. The Odurans are likely aware of how thin our defenses are stretched right now, and that knowledge would spur them to send an even larger strike force than they normally would. They could even commit all of their forces in an attempt to break us at last and take control of the Union.” Kenning shook his head, a sad expression on his face. “Given the high casualties among our more eager border patrols and the lack of support from the political establishment back home, we could easily have given them the chance to shatter our home.”

Jacob recognized the barb directed at him. Obviously he had made an impression with Commander Kenning, and not a good one from the sound of things. The swipe at the Independents he should have expected as well, given Kenning’s enthusiasm for the Federalists, but he was more surprised to hear a murmur of agreement from many of the rest of the officers. Apparently even a small amount of support from a politician went a long way toward gaining loyalty, and he wondered just how much of a minority an Independent would be among the members of the Navy.

The High Admiral stood and nodded to Kenning, indicating his part of the briefing was done. “Thank you, Commander Kenning, for that information. It will help put in perspective the need for the operation which we will embark on together.”

Kenning stiffened to attention and gave a slight bow of the head before he took his seat. Nivrosky, turned his attention back to the rest of the officers, sweeping his gaze across them.

“It is clear if we do nothing but wait, the situation will continue to worsen. Attacks along the length of the frontier will continue to erode our patrols, our standing squadrons and task forces will continue to weaken. All the while, the confidence and support of both the government and the civilians we are charged with protecting will continue to wane. When Banks falls, or when he decides to take decisive action against us again to answer the critics of his regime, the Odurans will be able to smash us to pieces and scour the remnants of our culture from the stars.”

Nivrosky looked around the table again, making a point of meeting each officer’s eyes. “We cannot allow this. We
must
take action, step beyond our current positions, and stop the enemy in their tracks. Any other course we set would lead to disaster and defeat. Any other choice would mean death for our fellow officers and loved ones, and slavery for whoever survives our folly.” The High Admiral’s gaze fell on Jacob, and he felt a chill as the man paused for a moment before continuing on.

“I have petitioned the High Seat and received permission to conduct an offensive exercise against the Oduran League positions on the Frontier.” A combination of keystrokes brought up a new projection, sweeping away the images of the Odurans to show the stretch of space near the border. The view of the stars magnified, the systems on the edges of the map vanishing as the ones at the center grew larger. Soon only a small slice of the overall border remained, a particular portion where the barrier of grey, neutral systems between Celostian and Oduran territory grew thin. Jacob stiffened when he recognized the place, and he thought he caught a hint of a smile on Nivrosky’s lips as the admiral spoke.

“Our operation will be launched here. The Odurans have established a forward base in the area, in the formerly unsettled system of GRC 13576, informally known as Wayward. Traffic indicates a small amount of trade moves through this space as well, meaning that the Odurans are setting up trade arrangements with the local merchants, to more easily gain the supplies they would need to expand their influence there permanently.”

“Frontier traitors.” The mutter came from a sour faced commander at Kenning’s right hand.

Kenning caught Jacob’s eye and inclined his head slightly, very nearly indicating agreement. Jacob felt his fingers clench again. These days was getting much harder to avoid hitting someone.

The High Admiral silenced any further commentary with a severe look before he continued. “More importantly, the base has grown large enough to support what may be the first strike against our border colonies. General Al-Mustafa will be leading a large flotilla through GRC 13576 within the next three weeks, though his current target remains unknown.” Nivrosky smiled. “This will be our chance to capture or kill Al-Mustafa before any more support coalesces around him. If we decapitate the movement within the Oduran League, we may allow cooler heads to prevail, and our home can be preserved.”

He touched another set of controls, and the projection shifted. “From this system we will be jumping to Harel, and from there to GRC 55410. After we traverse the system, our next riftjump will take us to GRC 11649, the newest of the Celostian Union’s outposts.” High Admiral Nivrosky’s eyes touched Jacob’s again, and the man’s lips twitched into what might have been a smile. “I believe they call it Reefhome.”

The eyes of the other officers swung toward Jacob, and he tried to keep his expression impassive. He had not been allowed to return to Reefhome since that final desperate struggle against the Telosians, but he had heard the citizens of that distant outpost of the Union still carried a lot of enthusiasm for him and his crew. Apparently their fervor had transmitted to the rest of the Navy as well. Intent on preserving their newfound freedom, the frontier spacers had built up the repair and manufacturing facilities Admiral Dianton had forced them to create, quickly becoming an ideal forward deployment area for many Celostian forces patrolling that section of space. Officers who had passed through the system or spent time in the repair docks had mentioned to him the readiness of the people of Reefhome to contribute to the war effort and their determination to support the Union at all costs.

Of course, they had not forgotten the people who had sacrificed so much to earn freedom for them. Though he had not been able to confirm it, Jacob had heard at least one vessel christened there carried the name
Wolfhound’s Tooth
; even worse was the rumor that the
Jacob Hull
had sailed out of the Reefhome docks as part of the local defense force. The prospect of finding out exactly how many of those rumors were true did not particularly appeal to Jacob, especially not with the rising number of officers like Kenning and Upshaw who would use it to attack him further.

Nivrosky only paused for a moment, likely to allow the inevitable distraction to run its course. Then he continued, punching in commands that directed the projection to outline the course the fleet would follow. “Once we have resupplied and effected repairs at Reefhome, we will be riftjumping into the true Frontier. Within three short transits, we will find ourselves at Wayward in time to destroy their trading station and intercept General Al-Mustafa when he arrives. Are there any questions?”

Captain Upshaw cleared his throat almost immediately. The High Admiral nodded in his direction, and the pale-faced officer rose to his feet, hands clasped behind his back.

“High Admiral, with all due respect, I must ask why we are acting offensively at this particular point in time. A strike against an Oduran outpost, even one placed so close to our territory, could easily serve as a provocation Banks’ opponents can use to topple him. Instead of weakening our foes through decapitation, we could easily drive the Odurans to strike back even harder than we are currently prepared to face. Surely a diplomatic mission to the post might persuade the Odurans to change their behavior, perhaps even sway this General Al-Mustafa to our cause.”

Nivrosky’s eyes hardened as the captain spoke, but his voice remained cool and level as he responded. “A fair challenge, Captain Upshaw, with several valid concerns.”

Upshaw nodded in polite acknowledgement, but the High Admiral’s voice did not lighten as he continued. “While negotiations have their place in the relations we have with other powers in the universe, the Navy currently has not been tasked with any such efforts. The General, along with the task force that will accompany him, remains a threat to our security and liberty, regardless of the internal politics of the Oduran League. It is far more important to prevent the General’s momentum from building and perhaps allowing Banks to last a while longer against his opponents than it is to mollify our enemies at this time.”

Upshaw’s face reddened. “I understand your reluctance to make contact with them, High Admiral; neither of us is suggesting we give ourselves over to the bastards in charge of the League. I just wanted to know whether that option had been presented to the High Seat, and if he had any particular reason for discarding it.”

The conference room filled with tension. Upshaw’s question, though properly phrased, came fairly close to an accusation against the High Admiral’s competence and integrity. While Nivrosky did not flinch at the implication of the words, to be challenged by one’s own flag captain in front of other officers was not something most admirals would tolerate. Jacob wondered if his former supervisor was about to be relieved of command. The possibility unfolded a future full of delights in his imagination, at least until the High Admiral tilted his head to one side and grinned.

“I wish I knew, Captain Upshaw. The reasons of the High Seat are beyond the ken of a simple sailor such as myself.”

The unexpected joke broke the tension in the room like a rock in a still pond. Ripples of amused chuckles spread through the conference room, and Jacob saw many of the officers relax. Even Upshaw smiled, though his attention remained on the High Admiral.

Nivrosky shook his head. “The course you proposed was brought before the High Seat several times, but he approved and endorsed our current orders. That is all we need to know of the situation.”

Upshaw nodded and sat with a huff. Jacob noted his face was a little flushed, but Upshaw seemed relatively satisfied.

Another officer sitting next to Upshaw stood next, waiting until Nivrosky acknowledged him before he spoke.

“High Admiral, will any other ships be joining our task force before we reach the target system? While the ships we have assembled here are fairly impressive, I do worry whatever force the General brings with him will easily overwhelm us. At the very least, we would achieve a fairly costly victory with a high level of casualties.” A murmur of agreement spread through the officers, though the voices were pitched low enough that Jacob had trouble making out the individual words.

The High Admiral inclined his head slightly towards the speaker. “Another good question, Captain Sagezza. The ships making up this flotilla have been taken from units which have either recently been damaged in combat, are new construction vessels, or are otherwise likely to be considered indisposed by Oduran intelligence. Thanks to their current lack of operatives in our repair yards, we should be able to move to the target system without alerting the Odurans we are coming.” He paused, and his lips twisted as if he had tasted something rotten. “Unfortunately, including other ships from the fleet would give the game away, as well as leaving more portions of the border open to Oduran raids. We can’t afford either risk as we carry out our operation.”

Captain Sagezza nodded, his expression equally as unhappy, but he remained silent and sat. The High Admiral looked around as if he were looking for other objections or comments and found none. Having waited for a short time, Nivrosky finally broke the silence himself. “Thank you for your continued willingness to defend the Celostian Union. For the time being I hope you will stay on the
Badger
, at the very least to finish coordinating our formation maneuvers. Information regarding our targets and the expected Oduran forces we will face will be included in an intelligence packet we will send to you. There are also a few personnel changes that will be sent to each of you, mainly to better employ the talents of our officers against the enemy.”