paperwork back to an absolute minimum, but even so there was just so much to review and remember. He was going to lead the fleet into battle in a month, and then…? They’d find out how good their training and equipment actually was when compared to the Galactics.
One of the reports caught his eye and he smiled. The small group of reporters who had been embedded in the Navy were complaining about the food – and the lockdown. That wasn't too surprising; every reporter he’d ever met had been a prima donna, convinced that their shit didn’t stink. The ones he’d met before First Contact had demanded good food, better accommodations and complete access to everything, which they’d shared with the enemy. At least the Federation Navy could take a harder line. A reporter who broke the lockdown without permission would be thrown into the brig and transferred to the penal colony on the moon. Given what was at stake, it was unlikely that anyone would complain.
The next report was a contingency plan for calling up national military forces to reinforce the Federation Marines. For political reasons, the Federation Marines had been limited to ten thousand men, a force that could deliver one hell of a punch, but not occupy an entire planet or pose a threat to Earth’s independent nations. Tobias had always thought it a silly thing for the politicians to worry themselves about – the Federation Navy would have had a mutiny on its hands if it had tried to bully any of the major nations – yet there had been no choice. Reinforcements would be provided by national military units, if necessary. They couldn't be called up until the war began, for fear it might tip off the Hegemony that something was being planned. God alone knew if the Federation’s counter-intelligence operations had worked as well as they hoped.
Shaking his head, he stood up and looked over at the display on the far wall. His office was buried deep under the lunar rock, but like most Luna residents he’d chosen to display an image from the outside world in his private compartment. Earth hung in the sky over the moon, shining blue-green against the darkness of space. Tobias had visited a dozen worlds, including some inhabited by races that would have found Earth unpleasant for one reason or another, but Earth was special. It was the cradle of the human race, the source of mankind. The thought of Earth being dominated by the Hegemony was intolerable. It must not be allowed to happen.
It won’t be allowed to happen , he promised himself, firmly. The plan he and his staff had devised would give the Hegemony enough of a bloody nose to make them break off and leave Earth alone for a few decades. And in that time, humanity would become far more advanced than they could hope to match. If some of the programs bore fruit, the Hegemony wouldn't stand a chance.
Picking up the datapad, he returned to his notes. There was too much to do in the time before they went to war.
Chapter Five
“I’m afraid that it’s worse than we thought,” Conrad said into the camera of a tiny recording booth. It was soundproofed, but not - quite - enough to drown the bustling sound of his activating Marine unit outside. “There’s a full-scale exercise under way and we’re being deployed out into deep space. They’re going to be transporting us to the assault carrier in an hour or so – probably longer. Hurry up and wait is still a part of military life.”
He hesitated. “The boss hasn't given us any details – I don’t think he knows much more than he’s told us – but he has warned that we’re going to be away for several weeks, at least. Lots of bitching in the barracks, but no one is paying attention. We did volunteer for this shit, after all. I love you and I will return to you as soon as I can. Pray for me, OK?”
Conrad touched a key and the message stopped recording. He played it back, wondering if he sounded too mawkish, before deciding that it definitely
One of the reports caught his eye and he smiled. The small group of reporters who had been embedded in the Navy were complaining about the food – and the lockdown. That wasn't too surprising; every reporter he’d ever met had been a prima donna, convinced that their shit didn’t stink. The ones he’d met before First Contact had demanded good food, better accommodations and complete access to everything, which they’d shared with the enemy. At least the Federation Navy could take a harder line. A reporter who broke the lockdown without permission would be thrown into the brig and transferred to the penal colony on the moon. Given what was at stake, it was unlikely that anyone would complain.
The next report was a contingency plan for calling up national military forces to reinforce the Federation Marines. For political reasons, the Federation Marines had been limited to ten thousand men, a force that could deliver one hell of a punch, but not occupy an entire planet or pose a threat to Earth’s independent nations. Tobias had always thought it a silly thing for the politicians to worry themselves about – the Federation Navy would have had a mutiny on its hands if it had tried to bully any of the major nations – yet there had been no choice. Reinforcements would be provided by national military units, if necessary. They couldn't be called up until the war began, for fear it might tip off the Hegemony that something was being planned. God alone knew if the Federation’s counter-intelligence operations had worked as well as they hoped.
Shaking his head, he stood up and looked over at the display on the far wall. His office was buried deep under the lunar rock, but like most Luna residents he’d chosen to display an image from the outside world in his private compartment. Earth hung in the sky over the moon, shining blue-green against the darkness of space. Tobias had visited a dozen worlds, including some inhabited by races that would have found Earth unpleasant for one reason or another, but Earth was special. It was the cradle of the human race, the source of mankind. The thought of Earth being dominated by the Hegemony was intolerable. It must not be allowed to happen.
It won’t be allowed to happen , he promised himself, firmly. The plan he and his staff had devised would give the Hegemony enough of a bloody nose to make them break off and leave Earth alone for a few decades. And in that time, humanity would become far more advanced than they could hope to match. If some of the programs bore fruit, the Hegemony wouldn't stand a chance.
Picking up the datapad, he returned to his notes. There was too much to do in the time before they went to war.
Chapter Five
“I’m afraid that it’s worse than we thought,” Conrad said into the camera of a tiny recording booth. It was soundproofed, but not - quite - enough to drown the bustling sound of his activating Marine unit outside. “There’s a full-scale exercise under way and we’re being deployed out into deep space. They’re going to be transporting us to the assault carrier in an hour or so – probably longer. Hurry up and wait is still a part of military life.”
He hesitated. “The boss hasn't given us any details – I don’t think he knows much more than he’s told us – but he has warned that we’re going to be away for several weeks, at least. Lots of bitching in the barracks, but no one is paying attention. We did volunteer for this shit, after all. I love you and I will return to you as soon as I can. Pray for me, OK?”
Conrad touched a key and the message stopped recording. He played it back, wondering if he sounded too mawkish, before deciding that it definitely
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