The Swarm by Orson Scott Card Page B

hate more than an idiot commander is a brown-nosing junior officer. Oh sure, I act entertained. I’ll take their praise and compliments all day, but I’ll hate them for it.” He smiled. “That surprises you, doesn’t it?”
    â€œIt’s not what I expected, sir,” said Mazer.
    â€œI trust you’ll keep this little secret between us,” said Vaganov. “If the kiss-ups knew how self-defeating their behavior really was, they’d change. That’s why I consider them so unreliable. They shift with the wind.” He shook his head. “No, there is only one way to gain my favor, Mazer. By being the best damn soldier you can be. By dedicating yourself completely to whatever missions you’re assigned. Is that clear?”
    â€œYes, sir.”
    â€œI think you’re one of those soldiers, Mazer. In fact, I’d bet my life on it.”
    Mazer wasn’t sure how to respond. “Thank you, sir.”
    â€œThat lofty opinion of you is not mine alone,” said Vaganov. “I asked my advisers to tell me which of our breach teams was the best, and they all, independent of each other, picked yours.”
    â€œThank you, sir. My men are very competent. I think I got the best in the IF.”
    â€œOr you made them that way, more likely,” said Vaganov. “An army is only as strong as its commander, including an army of only four men. In any case, I see that you and your men are one of the teams testing the gravity disruptor.”
    â€œYes, sir.”
    Vaganov nodded. “And what do you think of the device?”
    Mazer hesitated. “Permission to speak candidly, sir.”
    Vaganov motioned for Mazer to proceed. “Please.”
    â€œSir, the gravity disruptor is a do-or-die weapon,” Mazer said. “If it fails, marines die. They cannot retreat. Nor can they be rescued. Any craft that attempted to do so would be incinerated instantly. We either penetrate that hull and take the ship, or we lose good marines. And based on our tests, I think it highly likely that the GD will fail.”
    Colonel Vaganov reached into the holofield and brought up a report. “If that’s your assessment, Mazer, then why do you run so many tests? It says here that you and your men have tested the GD nearly twice as many times as the other teams. Far more times than is recommended.”
    â€œThe IF may adopt this tech, sir,” Mazer said, “whether I agree with that decision or not. Should that occur, we must know the best operational tactics to minimize casualties and maximize success. That means taking every aspect of this operation into consideration and holding it up to intense scrutiny. Not just the tech itself, but how we deliver the tech, how we work as a team to set and activate the cubes. The op seems rather straightforward, I know, but my team has discovered many potential improvements. Everything from specific choreography to new tech marines might find useful.”
    â€œNew tech?” asked Vaganov. “Like what exactly?”
    â€œA few days ago we developed a rudimentary design for a nanobot shield that would catch and dampen explosive Formic doily rounds.” Mazer explained the premise behind the shields. Then, with Colonel Vaganov’s permission, he reached into the holofield and dug through the station’s files until he brought up the model Shambhani had created.
    â€œI see,” said Vaganov. “Interesting. Have you told anyone outside your team about this design?”
    Mazer hesitated. The IF didn’t explicitly forbid private forums like the one Mazer had created, but Mazer had never met a commander who liked the idea. If he divulged the forum to Vaganov, there was the risk that Vaganov would order him to shut it down. Mazer could probably argue whether that was a lawful order or not, but he didn’t want to risk it. So he answered honestly without mentioning the forum.
    â€œI’ve shared