Merkiaari Wars: 02 - What Price Honour (46 page)

“George?” Faggini said, and the vision of San Luis slipped back into the mists of time to wait for his call. “It’s time.”

Burgton slapped his harness release and stood. Flowers preceded him to the lock with Faggini and Hymas following along behind. As he readied himself to put on his show, his thoughts turned to Admiral Meyers. Did she have any new data on the incursion?
Canada’s
report, out of date though it was, indicated that it was a small one—merely two
Marauder
class transports had been committed to it. A
Marauder
was nothing to sneer at under any circumstances, but this incursion
was
small in comparison to say… the Garnet incursion. A fleet of fifteen
Marauders
had hit that luckless world.

The
Marauder
class heavy transport was a huge ship on anyone’s scale. Its detachable landers could quickly transport Merki regiments, called fists by the Merkiaari, to any planetary surface within a target system. Each fist was composed of a thousand individuals, each heavily armed. There were typically a hundred such fists per transport ready to be awoken at the press of a button. Ten fists were classed as a division by the Alliance. No one knew what the Merkiaari called them. Two
Marauder
class transports meant twenty divisions. It was as simple as that. Two hundred thousand murderous aliens ready to be awoken at the touch of a button, two hundred thousand murderous fighting machines needed to die for the mission to be complete.

Could it be done?

He had some ideas, but a lot depended on the Merkiaari doing what he expected. He knew them of old. They could hardly be called original thinkers. They always reacted with massive force to any attack or defiance. That kind of mindless aggression could be channelled to their detriment if he was careful. Merki males tended to rely heavily on their gauss cannons, which operated in similar manner to an Alliance AAR. The females were different. They were more intelligent than the average male, and had proven it to him more than once by ruining his plans. They were physically larger than the males—much larger, and they liked to use a dizzying array of weaponry. No two were alike in their preferences. Being so large, they were dangerous whether they were armed or not. He preferred not of course, but his preferences rarely made a difference where Merkiaari were concerned.

Burgton knew what the mission would be. It was the same as it ever was—destroy Merkiaari wherever he found them. Vipers were created for that purpose, but it would take more than a single battalion to liberate the Shan worlds. Of that he had no doubt.
Sutherland’s
fighter wings were a godsend. Without them the mission would be untenable. A single unsupported battalion pitted against twenty divisions of Merkiaari? He shuddered inwardly. Enhanced or not, it would be a slaughter. He would not allow that to happen. The Alliance needed him and his men intact. He knew it beyond doubt or question. Admiral Rawlins knew it, and the President knew it.

His vipers were essential to the future of the Alliance. That being so, he had to make Admiral Meyers give him control of
Sutherland
, or at least control of her fighter wings. He needed to know that when he ordered an air strike, it would be forthcoming in timely fashion without the need to wade through red tape or smooth ruffled feathers.

The outer hatch cycled open, and Burgton stepped through it to board
Victorious
. “Permission to come aboard?”

A young ensign stood nervously at attention and greeted them. “Granted, sir. If you would follow me?”

Burgton smiled. Ah, to be that young again. “Lead on, Ensign.”

He followed the ensign to her captain who was waiting not far away.

Captain Fernandez stood at slightly over six feet in his regulation boots. His white navy shipsuit was as immaculate as one would expect from one of the Alliance’s best cruiser Skippers, and his handshake was unselfconscious. It was a relief. Many people were uncomfortable in the presence of what they called cyborgs. Burgton sometimes felt like staying at home and never venturing off planet because of it.

“May I introduce my officers?” Burgton asked, indicating those accompanying him. “Colonel Flowers, Major Faggini, and Lieutenant Hymas.”

“Welcome aboard,” Fernandez said.

“Call me Dan,” Flowers said and shook the offered hand.

“Erica,” Major Faggini said, also shaking the Captain’s hand. “You have a fine ship here. I would like a tour sometime… when you’re not so busy of course.”

“Call me Tomas won’t you? I would be honoured to escort you around her personally,” Fernandez said, and smiled widely. Anyone who praised his ship was good people as far as he was concerned. He shook Hymas’ hand and then turned back Burgton. “The Admiral asked me to escort you to her.”

Burgton nodded, expecting nothing else. “Of course. Lead on, Captain.”

After dismissing the wide-eyed Ensign, Fernandez indicated the way with a wave of his hand. “May I ask a question, General?”

“Go ahead. I don’t promise to answer.”

“It’s not that kind of question. You must get a lot of that kind.”

“You have no idea,” Burgton said, barely holding in a sigh. “What’s your question?”

“It regards our mission. I understand from conversations with the Admiral that you have only a single battalion with you. Can you really hope to liberate the system with so few?”

“You don’t believe in viper superiority and indestructibility then?” Burgton asked wryly, and Flowers snorted. “Haven’t you heard? We won the last war single-handed.”

Fernandez chuckled, but it was a strained sound. “This is my first mission against Merkiaari. None of us have fought them before. Only you and your men have ever faced them. Have you any advice for me?”

“Hit them hard and fast from concealment. Keep firing until your magazine runs dry or they’re all dead, whichever comes first. Give them time to organise and you’re dead—period.”

Flowers and Faggini nodded grimly, perhaps seeing battles of long ago. Burgton didn’t need to look back. He carried his defeats with him every day… and his dead.

“…land war. Concealment is hard to come by in space,” Fernandez said querulously. “How would you approach this mission?”

Burgton smiled. “That’s what we’re here to discuss. Admiral Meyers will handle any enemy ships in system, but if I was her, I would jump in right on top of them, and let them have everything at point blank.”

“You’re assuming a lot. What if we jump in and don’t find them where we expect—what then?”

Flowers shrugged. “Then we die.”

Burgton nodded. “Nothing is certain, Captain. All we can do is plan for the worst and hope for the best.”

“Not very comforting.”

“You’re in the wrong line of work for comfort, Captain,” Faggini said, smiling to take the sting out of her words. “You and your crew will do your best, as will we. It will just have to be enough.”

Burgton knew the truth of those words. When Merkiaari were involved, nothing but the best would suffice.

Fernandez stopped outside an unremarkable hatch. It was like any of a dozen others they had passed. He keyed the comm and asked admittance. The hatch slid aside to reveal a very young seeming Admiral’s aide.

“General Burgton and his officers to see the Admiral, Joshua,” Fernandez said.

“Yes, sir. She’s been expecting you.”

They entered and Admiral Meyers stood to greet her guests. “It’s good to finally meet you in person, General,” she said and shook Burgton’s hand. She had a firm grip. “And these are…?”

“Colonel Flowers, my aide and Regimental Exec,” Burgton said and quickly made up something to cover Marion’s presence. “Lieutenant Hymas heads up Intel and coordinates data gathering. Major Faggini is officially CO of First Battalion, but Dan and I couldn’t keep away. We’ll try not to be a burden.”

Major Faggini snorted but said nothing.

Meyers raised an eyebrow at the byplay. “I’m pleased you came along then, General. I have a few questions about your part in the mission. I’m glad Admiral Rawlins saw fit to send you, but I still don’t like the odds.” She motioned to the hastily arranged seating. “Make yourselves comfortable.”

Burgton seated himself and accepted a cup of steaming coffee from Joshua. It was very hot and very strong, just the way he liked it. He drank a scolding mouthful ignoring the alert that flashed in the corner of his vision. His processor was like a mother hen sometimes. Caffeine wouldn’t kill him.

“My vipers’ part in this mission is simple in theory: Kill all Merkiaari in the target system. Wonderful coffee by the way.”

Joshua smiled briefly from the corner of the cabin where he sat in fascinated silence. Studying the legend, Burgton thought with an inward sigh. At least Joshua was discreet, unlike some he had met in his time.

“Theory rarely agrees with reality,” Meyers said dryly.

“Not a hundred percent,” Burgton agreed. “But in this case it’s close enough to serve. Assuming certain things come to pass, we will accomplish what we have been set to do. Firstly, we need to clarify what the mission is.”

“Obvious I should think,” Fernandez said, glancing at Meyers in surprise.

“Obvious?” Burgton mused. He placed his empty cup on Meyers’ desk. “Let us assume they haven’t been reinforced. Further, let us assume that you are successful in destroying the Merki ships—a big assumption. Now then, we have upwards of two hundred thousand Merkiaari on planet, and I have precisely six hundred and forty viper units to engage them. That means each unit must kill three hundred and twelve point two Merki troopers. Doable, but not easy.”

“Hmmm…” Meyers frowned. “Let’s say the mission is to keep them busy until Fifth Fleet jumps in.”

“Better,” Burgton said, pleased that Meyers saw things his way. “Such an objective allows me to pick my battles and husband my strength. It allows me to kill the maximum number of Merkiaari with the minimum of loss.”

“But what of the loss to the natives?” Fernandez said unhappily. “They’re dying by the thousands.”

“By the millions, Captain, by the millions. It changes nothing. Adding my men to the count benefits no one, least of all the Shan. I can best help them by drawing the enemy’s attention. While they try to respond to my presence, they’re not killing civilians.”

Meyers nodded. “I agree. How do you plan to proceed?”

“Securing a landing zone is a priority. I need somewhere large enough to be occupied by Merkiaari, but not so large that it houses multiple fists.”

“Hmmm. A port?”

“Precisely. And that brings me to one of those assumptions I mentioned. I need
Sutherland
placed at my disposal.”

Fernandez gasped. “
Are you out of your mind?
Liz will shit a brick when she hears! It’s out of the question.”

“I cannot proceed with my mission without air support. It would be suicide.”

Burgton was adamant on that point.

“And if I order you to go ahead regardless?” Meyers asked quietly.

Flowers and Faggini tensed at the implied threat.

Burgton considered his words carefully. “During the Merki War, my men and I were sent into occupied world after occupied world to take out the Merki garrisons. I protested the orders repeatedly, but I was ignored. I was ignored, and my regiment died a little more each time. And for what? Nothing. Those worlds had been lost years earlier. There wasn’t a single Human being left alive to save, yet we went in and died one by one.”

“It was your duty—” Fernandez began to say.

“Don’t tell me my duty, Captain! I know my duty better than you. Dying to save a few trillion credits of someone’s money is not it. There wasn’t an iota of military sense in sending us in. The Fleet could have taken out the Merki garrisons with surgical precision from orbit, but of course, the cities would have cost a fortune to replace,” Burgton finished bitterly.

“What is past is past,” Meyers said. “I
will
use your men to further the mission, General, and use them up if the situation demands it, but I swear they won’t die for no purpose.”

“Dead is still dead,” Faggini said.

Meyers ignored Faggini’s quiet murmur. “I cannot give you
Sutherland
, General. You’re not Fleet—you’re not even navy for Chrissakes, you’re infantry. As Tomas so inelegantly put it, Captain Alston would shit a brick, but I can detach a squadron of her fighters for your use.”

“Not good enough,” Burgton said.

Meyers’ eyes hardened. “It will have to be.”

Burgton glared back and knew it was going to happen again. He had told his people on the journey that he wouldn’t let them die for nothing, not this time, but here they were having the same kind of conversation he’d had with his superiors back during the Merki War. He could refuse the order. The others would back him, but who would Meyers put in command? He shuddered at the thought of some unenhanced Marine trying to lead his people into battle.