Implacable, page 25
“Admiral,” General Carabali said, “what will you do if those orders are eventually confirmed by Fleet Headquarters and the Alliance Senate?”
Geary inhaled deeply before replying. “If that happens, I will resign rather than carry out actions contrary to the laws and principles of the Alliance, and I will urge every other officer in the fleet to do the same, and I will issue public statements that the government of the Alliance no longer has my support.” He waited a few seconds, seeing all of the eyes riveted on him. “I must add that I consider it highly unlikely that the Alliance Senate has approved these orders.”
“Who sent them, then?” Captain Rogov protested. “The orders are in proper format and came to you through proper channels.”
“I intend finding out exactly who sent them,” Geary said.
Rogov shook his head vigorously, looking about the conference table. “This is about Desjani’s orders, isn’t it, Admiral? Isn’t that what this is about?”
Desjani gave Geary a curious look.
He nodded to her. “The orders do also relieve Captain Desjani of command of Dauntless, replacing her with an officer currently serving with General Julian,” Geary said. “That, too, conflicts with my orders directly from the Senate that I have full authority over every person under my command. I am curious, Captain Rogov. General Julian assured me that only he knew the contents of those orders. How is it that you are aware of so many of the actions contained in them?”
Rogov looked at Geary, his mouth opening, then closing, with no words coming out.
Captain Armus spoke up, his voice rougher than usual. “With all due respect to Dauntless’s commanding officer, Captain Desjani’s fate is a very minor issue here. The rest of the orders sent to the admiral are what matters.”
“That is not our call to make,” another officer spoke up.
Geary focused on her, the software obligingly popping up a box with identifying data. Captain Petra Bai, commanding officer of the newly arrived battle cruiser Invincible.
“Article 16 says it is our call to make,” Captain Duellos said, his voice cool.
Captain Rogov shook his head. “You heard the admiral. General Julian has been appointed overall commander of this region of space. It is his right, and only his, to make such a determination.”
“Until these orders are confirmed,” Geary said, “I consider myself to remain in command of every fleet asset in this star system, in accordance with my orders from the Alliance Senate.”
Rogov turned toward General Carabali, gesturing about him. “Surely the Marines will not sit still for this refusal to accept the legitimacy of orders from higher authority!”
Carabali turned an icy look on Rogov. “Do not presume to lecture Marines on loyalty to the Alliance.”
“This man,” Rogov insisted, pointing at Geary, “is refusing orders. He is betraying the Alliance!”
Captain Badaya, uncharacteristically almost silent until now, burst out into laughter. “Really! You’re accusing Black Jack Geary, greatest hero of the Alliance, of betraying it? We were taught he was the perfect officer!”
“There’s no humor in this,” Captain Bai shot back at Badaya. “And you of all people should know it. I am aware of conversations you have had in the past, Captain, conversations regarding overthrowing legitimate authority. You should walk carefully here. If such things were to become public knowledge, it would create major problems for you.”
Silence again, until Badaya laughed once more. “You’re aware of such things, are you? Then be aware of this. Publish it and be damned! I’ve done nothing, undertaken no action, not consistent with my oath to the Alliance.” He pointed at Geary. “The admiral, Black Jack—if you’ll forgive me for once more bringing up that nickname, Admiral—has not proposed taking any action against the Alliance. He has invoked Article 16, which is his right and responsibility under Alliance law, and is refusing to carry out orders he has not confirmed are proper. I’ll go one step beyond the admiral, though, and say what I know a lot of those here are thinking. These orders don’t just appear suspicious; they also seem to be the work of total idiots. That might be regarded by some as proof they did come from Fleet Headquarters. But that is not sufficient proof for me!”
Captain Jane Geary had been quiet until now, knowing that her loyalty to the admiral would be assumed. “The Gearys stand together. For the Alliance.”
“For the Alliance?” Captain Plant asked. “We have our orders. Our default is that orders must be obeyed.”
Geary shook his head. “The Alliance was not founded on blind obedience to orders. Especially when those orders would violate the laws of the Alliance.”
“You cannot know—” Rogov began.
“He’s Black Jack, you idiot!” Captain Badaya yelled. “My apologies, Admiral, for my unprofessional behavior just now,” he added in a normal voice.
Geary had rushed the meeting with his fleet commanding officers to get it going while General Julian was still aboard Boundless sending his ultimatum. It had been easy to block anyone on Boundless from joining the meeting. But he knew Julian would rush back to Implacable when informed of it.
So it was at that moment that General Julian’s virtual presence appeared in the meeting. “What is going on here?” he demanded in loud tones that had probably sent shivers down the backs of countless subordinates. “I should have been informed of this meeting.” He looked around, narrow eyed, as if memorizing faces.
“I called this meeting,” Geary said. “To inform my officers that I am invoking Article 16 in regard to those orders you delivered.”
Julian turned a bristling glare on Geary. “The contents of those orders are for your eyes only. If you have shared any information from them . . .” He let the words trail off in a vaguely menacing way.
Geary smiled in a way that didn’t touch his eyes. “How strange that Captain Rogov seems to know a great deal of the information from those orders. How is that, General?”
“I order you—”
“You do not have authority over me. My orders come directly from the Senate.” Geary touched the data pad. “I have no idea where these orders came from.” He looked from General Julian over at Rogov and Bai. “And, pursuant to my orders from the Senate, I am directing all ships in this star system to report only to me and accept orders only from me. I am also directing you, General, to release Boundless and all aboard her from your control.”
“You’re either crazy or a fool,” General Julian said. He turned to look down the conference table. Geary could have silenced him, but decided to let Julian talk. “You all learned the same lesson that I did from our long war with the Syndics. Any sign of weakness provokes danger. Only strength can create the kind of respect that will protect the Alliance from its enemies.” He turned a hard gaze on Geary. “Enemies both human and alien, and those humans who place their love for aliens above their loyalty to humanity.”
Captain Duellos spoke in almost a drawl. “You mean the sort of strength that would force a star system to either join the Alliance or be conquered?”
“It’s for their own good, and the good of humanity,” Julian said.
Captain Hiyen stood up, his voice heavy. “If the Callas Republic hears of such orders, of intent to force any star system into membership in the Alliance, I am certain it will sever all remaining ties with the Alliance.”
“That would be a serious mistake,” General Julian said.
“Is that a threat?” Hiyen asked as if unable to believe his ears. “Did you just threaten the Callas Republic?”
“It wasn’t a threat,” Julian said, looking as if he wanted to backpedal but wouldn’t. “I’m simply reminding you, and everyone here, that all of humanity, every star system, has to stand united against the alien threat.”
“Stand united whether they like it or not?” Captain Badaya said. Always a verbal bomb thrower by nature, Badaya seemed to be enjoying this meeting a great deal.
Hiyen had the appearance of someone trying to control growing anger. “What you describe is not an Alliance, General. It is an empire. As the senior representative of the Callas Republic in this fleet I tell you that we will have no part in it.”
“You are relieved of command,” General Julian said. “I’ll send another officer to take command of . . . Reprisal.”
“Are you insane?” Hiyen asked. “No one can relieve me of command except the Callas Republic. That is clearly spelled out in the terms under which the republic joined the war against the Syndicate Worlds.”
Julian looked around again, focusing on General Carabali. “Send Marines to that ship and arrest that officer,” he said, pointing at Hiyen.
Carabali gave Julian a bland look, shaking her head. “I do not have authority to carry out such an arrest of an officer of an allied government.”
“General,” Captain Armus said, his frown deeper than ever, “has an ultimatum indeed been sent to the Dancers?”
“That’s correct. We’re letting them know who’s boss.”
“And if the Dancers do not comply with this ultimatum, we will attack them?”
“If necessary,” General Julian said. “Any minor Dancer advantages in terms of technology will be easily overcome by human fighting spirit and our numerical advantages in this star system. We will prevail.”
“What if the Dancers have a mutual defense agreement with the Taon?” Commander Boudreaux called out. “Or with the Wooareek?”
“Are you scared of these aliens?” Julian scoffed.
“Yes, General, I am,” Boudreaux said. “If I want to commit suicide, I’ll do it on my own rather than take my entire crew with me by trying to attack the Wooareek.”
Captain Smythe, who had been sitting on the sidelines, watching and waiting, finally erupted. “You want to start a war with the Dancers here? We’re isolated deep inside Dancer-controlled space! What happens after we ‘prevail’ in this star system?”
“We have the auxiliaries,” Captain Bai said. “We can fight our way through as many spider-wolf star systems as needed.”
“The Dancer ships are faster than ours,” Duellos said, “and their weapons more accurate. And, as engineers, they know those auxiliaries are our weak point. The Dancers will destroy the auxiliaries first.”
“That’s not a problem,” General Julian said, his voice dripping with scorn. “Why would we have to use jump drives? Think about it! There’s a hypernet gate here. We linked the hypernet gate at Midway to the Alliance hypernet. We have the same expertise here. We can do the same thing in this star system with the alien hypernet gate.”
“Are you a complete idiot?”
Geary had asked Dr. Cresida to be at this meeting because he thought that issue might come up. And, as he had hoped, when it did she didn’t hold back.
“Who the hell are you?” Julian demanded.
“Dr. Jasmine Cresida! The person who developed the theoretical basis for linking Midway’s gate to the Alliance hypernet, and the person who led the team that carried out that linkage!”
General Charban, used to dealing with Cresida, spoke up while General Julian fumbled for a reply. “Doctor, are you saying that any plan to make use of the Dancer hypernet by taking control of it is unrealistic?”
“I am saying it is total fantasy! The Dancer hypernet employs the same theoretical basis as ours, but it implements that using a different technological approach. An approach of which we know effectively nothing except that remote analysis of the Dancer gates confirmed they are not constructed along the same lines as ours.”
Julian had finally found his voice. “Just because you can’t—”
“No one can! Were those words small enough for you to understand?”
The general’s glare looked as if it could have melted its way through a meter of armor. “My experts say otherwise. They say we can do it.”
“Experts? What experts?” Cresida demanded.
“Dr. Frederick Lobachevski and Dr. Deena Resandia!” Julian announced triumphantly.
Cresida actually managed to look more angry. “Lobachevski is a moron who thinks if he makes up things to balance an equation it proves he’s right! And Resandia nearly bankrupted an entire star system by promising to deliver a next-generation hypernet that never worked! Your experts are scientific snake-oil peddlers.”
Geary, despite enjoying seeing Julian’s smugness dressed down, didn’t want Cresida to generate any reflexive support for a military officer being chewed out by a civilian. Especially a civilian with the chewing-out gifts of Dr. Cresida. “Thank you, Doctor. I think you’ve made your point very clear. We cannot use the Dancer gates without their full cooperation.”
General Julian shook his head, pointing at Cresida. “Why would we credit the words of this civilian? Someone with no connection to the military? Someone who does not understand our ability to get things done? Someone who never sacrificed as we have?”
“Excuse me.” Captain Armus rarely looked angry. He did now. “General, you should be aware that Dr. Cresida’s sister died as part of this fleet. Her sister, may her memory always be honored, was a fine battle cruiser commander who served with distinction and died valiantly fighting the Syndics. It is unbecoming of a senior officer to defame her family.”
Watching Julian, Geary saw the knowledge that he’d made a big mistake flash across his face. An attack on Dr. Cresida was viewed by the fleet as an attack on her sister, Jaylen Cresida, whose memory was indeed honored. Did Julian also realize that Geary had laid that trap for him, hoping he’d step into it?
Armus, at first not at all supportive of Geary invoking Article 16, was clearly wavering. But he had yet to express support for Geary’s position, or a willingness to follow Geary’s orders after this. And a rough estimate of attitudes among the other commanding officers was that perhaps a third were still in the same boat with Armus, not happy at all with the new orders, but unwilling to commit to not following those orders.
He needed another lever. But what?
THIRTEEN
“HOLD on,” an officer said.
Geary focused on her. Commander Thalente Hasan of the new heavy cruiser Gusoku, the same name as a ship that had been destroyed at Cavalos Star System fighting the Syndics.
“This is not adding up,” Commander Hasan continued. “We were told that this mission had the strong backing of Admiral Geary, and that the orders had been issued at the urging of Admiral Geary. Yet he is telling us he had no knowledge of these orders before this, and does not seem at all pleased with them.”
“Do you have a problem with your orders?” General Julian demanded.
“No, sir. Yes, sir,” Hasan said. “I agree with what needs to be done. But there is something wrong here. I think it should be clarified.”
“It should be clarified,” another new voice said. Lieutenant Commander Banoy Genji from the heavy cruiser Citadel, replacing a namesake lost in battle at Vidha Star System. “Admiral Geary’s example, and support, are critical to this mission, aren’t they? I don’t understand why he is objecting so strongly to this if the whole thing is his idea.”
Captain Rogov turned a glare on Lieutenant Commander Genji. “Do you understand your orders?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then why are you questioning them?”
Genji’s face tightened with anger at the rebuke delivered in front of so many others. “Admiral Geary—”
“Is not in command here!”
“The orders say he’s supposed to be!” Commander Hasan protested. “Don’t they? All Citadel’s commanding officer and I are trying to—” She stopped speaking as Lieutenant Commander Genji’s virtual presence vanished from the meeting.
General Julian spoke in the surprised quiet that followed Genji’s disappearance. “Lieutenant Commander Genji has been relieved of command.”
Geary moved to silence the babble of voices that arose but paused as Commander Hasan shouted. “The ground forces detachment aboard my ship is trying to break into my stateroom! My crew is resisting but unable to stop them.”
“Ground forces?” General Carabali’s parade-ground voice easily rode over all others. “Not Marines?”
“We don’t have Marine detachments on our ships!” Hasan said, speaking quickly. “They’re some sort of special forces without unit identification or patches. Wait, what—”
Commander Hasan’s virtual presence vanished.
“Special forces without unit identification or patches?” Captain Parr said. “Arresting commanding officers in the middle of a fleet conference? What the hell is going on?”
“This is what happens on Syndic ships, I’ve been told,” Captain Armus said, his voice a low, low rumble. “With special security forces aboard to ensure loyalty.”
“Why aren’t there Marines on those ships?” General Carabali demanded. “Fleet regulations call for Marines, not ground forces without unit identification.”
“This,” Captain Rogov announced, “is what happens when a senior officer starts questioning orders. Soon everyone is doing it. Even simple personnel decisions are questioned! Don’t you see where this kind of anarchy will leave us?”
“I wish to speak with Commander Hasan,” Captain Armus said. “Now.”
“You will follow orders,” General Julian said.
