Entry #35
High Orbit, Epsilon Indi
Lockdale Province, Terran Hegemony
11:00 8 April 2767
Amanda Braso and Ling Pao Collins look suitably confused as they exit their shuttle and see Corvus standing waiting for them with an honour guard a dozen strong drawn from the Caspar crews.
“Permission to come aboard?†Braso asks, saluting me – the ship, rather. I don’t think she’s grasped what I am yet.
Collins matches her salute in a perfunctory fashion and doesn’t wait for Corvus to return it before lowering his hand. He, I’m quite sure, has no idea at all.
“Welcome aboard THS Praetorian,†Corvus says with her own salute. “I’m Admiral Praetorian’s chief of staff, Taylor Corvus.â€
“Was the ship named for him or is it just a coincidence?†asks Braso curiously. “She’s obviously not a standard Texas-class.â€
Corvus opens her mouth to answer but is cut off by Collins: “Who cares. Let’s just meet him and get this straightened out.â€
A Major General outranks a Rear Admiral and a Colonel so however rude that was, he’d usually get his way. Not this time.
“You’ll treat my people with respect, Collins.†My ‘face’ appears on the monitor overlooking the shuttlebay. “I can use your division. The jury is still out on whether or not you are worth retaining.†I pause until he’s gathered his wits and is about to reply and then speak right over him. “Admiral Braso, your flotilla is being broken up and I’m afraid you’re losing your flagship. Advise Commodore Mitchell that he’s to take every ship except your four destroyers to rendezvous with the new Second Fleet at Graham IV.â€
Her face falls. I’d be more sympathetic if she hadn’t gone along with this crazy scheme. “Once you’ve got your effects sorted out, we’ll discuss your role in the fleet. You’re dismissed.â€
Collins’s face is an interesting puce as Corvus gestures for him to follow her towards the lounge. I wait until the doors close before I add to Braso: “I’m going to want full report on why you used a standard jump point, much less both.â€
“It’s standard doctrine to seize the jump points so that you can control the shipping lanes,†she protests.
“Standard doctrine assumes the SLDF is deploying overwhelming force, Admiral. I’m going to expect better from you in the future. I’m going to be entrusting you with the protection of the fleet’s jump-crews, after all.â€
In the lounge Collins looks around impatiently. “I thought you were taking me to Admiral Praetorian,†he demands of Corvus.
“I thought I told you to treat my people with respect just a few minutes ago,†I remind him activating the screen so that he has a face to address. “I’ll talk to General Collins privately, Corvus.â€
She left obediently and I locked the door behind her – not to keep her out but to keep Collins in.
“I thought we were going to talk face to face,†he asserts.
“This is as good as it gets, General. I see it’s not been made clear to you yet so let me clarify this for you: I am the machine intelligence that controls this ship and by extension all of the drones around it. I’m also, by decree of the Interim Director-General, a Vice-Admiral.â€
“You’re a machine!?â€
“A machine you’re inside of. Think about that for a minute. And while you’re at it, what were you thinking, rushing back here on your own? A single division isn’t much to deploy to liberate an entire world.†At least in this day and age.
He puts his hands on his hips. “How could you possibly understand? This is our home!â€
“I also have a home. A home I have had to withdraw from to preserve forces that can – eventually – retake it. Forces that have then been redirected to save your Division from committing highly expensive suicide in the form of bringing urban warfare to the heart of your pleasant, mostly pastoral world instead of, for example, preparing to liberate my home. Aren’t you glad I’m a machine? Otherwise I might be a little bitter.â€
His eyes are a little wide.
“Am I getting through to you, General? If you, as the man on the spot, had information that Kerensky and I did not then by all means explain it to me. If there is a good reason that Epsilon Indi must be liberated, no matter the cost to the overall strategy of defeating Amaris… then I’m ears.â€
“But if you, selfishly, arrogantly, put your personal concerns for your homeworld over your duty then Kerensky was right to get rid of you. And if you keep doing this, then I’ll leave you here on your homeworld because the duty of the SLDF is to the entire Star League first, and only then to individual states and worlds. Epsilon Indi is a hard target and while it’s economically important, it is not a strategic position. If we lose more than a division liberating it… then it’s a net loss for the campaign and we should have just let you die.â€
“Well that’s the heartless machine I was expecting to hear from. All about the numbers.â€
“Yes. It is about the numbers. It’s about thousands dying every day in prisons across the Hegemony. It’s about millions of people out of work and going broke because the core of the entire Star League’s economy is cut off and being asset-stripped to cater to Amaris. It’s about the billions of civilians in the line of fire because Amaris would rather burn a planet to the ground than surrender it.â€
“It is not about catering to one person’s selfish demands.†Although it probably looks a lot like catering to my demands, at least considering what I got up to in the month or two of this year.
“I want to protect my family, and the families of my soldiers. There’s nothing selfish about that!†protests Collins.
“What you were doing would, at best, have added your command to the death toll. Not that you’d be more than a blip. The death toll of fighting Amaris is already over sixty million.â€
“Sixty million?â€
“Carver V suffered about fifty percent losses to its total population when Amaris decided to cut his losses. The Republicans also, incidentally, had at least one city on Graham IV mined with a remote-detonated mine so that they could take out the leading elements of the liberation force. Do you want that to happen to your home town?â€
For a moment the question hangs in the balance before Ling Pao Collins draws himself up and salutes. “No sir, I do not.†He pauses. “The Epsilon Indi Division is reporting for duty. What are your orders?â€