The Swarm by Orson Scott Card Page A

was about? thought Mazer. Copernicus is destroyed, the IF is unstable, and Vaganov is concerned about attendance at his silly parties?
    The socials were weekly get-togethers held in the officers’ lounge. Vaganov had organized the events shortly after taking command. Mazer had attended the first one out of obligation, but he had left as soon as it became apparent that the event was nothing more than an informal brown-nosing affair, wherein junior officers fawned over Vaganov and his senior aides in the hope of getting in their good graces.
    â€œI’m not one for socials, sir,” said Mazer. “I hope you’ll forgive my absence.”
    â€œOf course,” said Vaganov. He glanced back at Mazer’s record. “It says here that you fought the Formics in China, but there’s very little information or specifics. All I see are complaints of insubordination.”
    He looked back at Mazer as if expecting an explanation.
    â€œSome of my senior officers in the NZSAS and our counterparts in the Chinese army were not pleased with my decision to engage the enemy and offer assistance to wounded civilians,” said Mazer.
    Vaganov nodded as if he expected this. “Yes. The NZSAS. That’s the New Zealand Special Air Service?”
    â€œThat’s correct, sir.”
    â€œSpecial Forces.”
    â€œYes, sir.”
    Vaganov frowned. “So you’re in China, you rescue civilians, you give the Formics hell, and all you get for it in return are strikes on your record.” He shook his head. “That sounds about right. If I didn’t know any better I’d say I was back in Russia.”
    Vaganov waved a hand through the files and made them disappear. “Do you know why we’re going to lose this war, Mazer? Do you know the biggest weakness in the Fleet? The largest chink in our armor? It’s not our weapons. It’s not our inferior tech, or our numbers, or our lack of combat experience in space. It’s skomorokhi. That’s a Russian word. Do you know it?”
    â€œNo, sir.”
    â€œIt means ‘buffoons.’ Idiots, Mazer. That’s why we will lose. Incompetent leadership. There are far too many men with stripes on their shoulders who care more about getting additional stripes or protecting the ones they have than they care about the twelve billion people of Earth. I know that sounds ludicrous, but it is a fact. A fact you know all too well, I suspect, because when I see those notes of insubordination on your record, I know precisely the type of man who put them there. I know because I’ve served under men like that myself, men who have tried similar tactics to discredit me. They tear down junior officers they consider a threat, they fear thinking they don’t understand, they blame everyone around them for their own mistakes. And because these are charismatic men, and semi-intelligent men, they can fool those above them into thinking them tactical geniuses surrounded by fools.”
    Vaganov stood erect and clasped his hands behind his back. “I know what type of soldier you are, Mazer. I’ve seen records like this time and again. And they always belong to soldiers who give a damn, soldiers who do what’s right.” He raised a finger. “Don’t mistake me. I’m not advocating insubordination. Disobey a lawful order from me, and there will be serious consequences.”
    He smiled. “And I know why you don’t come to the socials, Mazer. You skip them because you can’t stand a kiss-up. The sight of all that fawning and pandering makes you sick to the stomach.” His smile widened. “But you see, that’s just it. That’s why I hold these socials whenever I receive a new post. I am looking for soldiers like you, Mazer, soldiers who are so repulsed by those games and turned off by the bureaucracy that they would risk offending their CO by not showing up.” He laughed. “The only thing I