Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [212]
She waited for a long moment, but no one accepted her offer. Her own crew began cheering. Hakim Allahu and his fellow Rhejak leaders clapped each other on the back.
'I don't see any fat lady around, but it's time for her to start singing.' Willis chose twenty-five of her own soldiers she was sure she could count on. 'Let's take that troop transport before the General's men aboard my Jupiter get too suspicious. We already know they've got itchy trigger fingers.'
Willis herded her special squad aboard the General's ship, knowing she didn't have enough firepower for a stand-up fight against an EDF Juggernaut. She had to take control before it could come to that.
* * * * *
Aboard the lead Manta's bridge, Lieutenant Commander Brindle was surprised to see her. 'Admiral! We've been trying to reach you. After the General began his speech to the troops, we lost all contact with the surface.'
'Yes, quite a communications breakdown.' She had insisted on running the troop transport in radio silence, transmitting no more than her classified ID beacon to get aboard the Manta.
Brindle was full of questions. 'But where is the General? This is not at all according to procedure.'
'I'll explain everything in a minute.' She strode to the command chair, and Brindle quickly relinquished it. 'Let me send a transmission to the Jupiter's bridge.'
'I will contact their acting captain immediate--'
'No need.' Watching the Jupiter cruise behind them like a great armoured whale in space, she keyed in the coded sequence directly from her chair. A Christmas tree of lights twinkled, marking deck after deck. 'Send this. Don't bother waiting for an acknowledgement.'
'What is it, Admiral? Where is General Lanyan? Has something happened? The Jupiter's acting captain has been sending constant inquiries--'
She regarded him with a cool glare. 'Do I look like I'm participating in a celebrity interview, Mr Brindle?'
The comm officer quickly said, 'Sending now, Admiral.'
The coded burst went out. Willis had never actually forgiven General Lanyan for commandeering her Jupiter. Now her lips curled in a satisfied smile as she watched the lights wink out, deck after deck. The Jupiter's weapons ports dimmed, the engines died, leaving the Juggernaut dead in space.
'Admiral, something just happened to the Jupiter'!'
Brindle took a step closer to the viewscreen. 'Are they under attack?'
'Don't worry. That ship won't cause us any more problems.' Willis shook her head in wonderment. 'I can't believe the General thought I'd forget my own guillotine code.' More likely, he hadn't dreamed she would use it.
Brindle rounded on her, his face full of anger. 'Admiral, this is uncalled for!'
'Expressly according to procedure, I have relieved General Lanyan of his command, citing numerous breaches of military protocol.'
'Breaches of protocol?'
'For starters, firing upon a Roamer non-combatant, murdering innocent civilians, maliciously destroying private property, and attempting a military coup of a lawful government.' Her smile was grim. 'I can come up with more, if you'd like.'
Before Brindle could say anything, several of the bridge crew cheered. 'It's about damn time, Admiral!' She had not underestimated the effect the worsening news had had on her soldiers.
But she kept watching her second-in-command, marking him as a potential trouble spot. 'Do you have a problem with that, Mr Brindle?'
His jaw worked, and finally he said, 'Yes, Admiral - yes, I do. You have usurped the authority of your superior officer. You are required to follow the General's orders, whether or not you agree with them.'
'Study your history, Lieutenant Commander, and see how often “I was only following orders” holds up as a defence when crimes against humanity are committed.