• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

"I'll have my report to you the moment it's finished, sir," Cain said. "I have assigned focus groups to discuss various aspects of the aftermath." Careful in his duties to the point of being obsessive, the deputy always provided well-considered conclusions with all the supporting evidence Basil needed for making a decision.

With a final glance at the disheartening summary numbers, Basil dimmed the display. "I am not looking forward to the final tally of this disaster, Mr. Cain. I can't begin to estimate the fallout--if we survive the next few months."

When the Grid 0 flagship loomed before them, Basil felt nauseated to see its singed hull plates from the recent skirmish. The only capital ship left of the main battle group! If Lanyan had stayed a little longer, fought a little harder, could more of the hijacked vessels have been retrieved? Or would the EDF just have lost this one, too?

He suspected the General had made the correct decision. The Hansa media staff would have to bury the knowledge that so many trainees had been left in the clutches of the enemy. Just like at the battle of Osquivel, he thought. And that one had recently come back to bite them with the return of unexpected survivors and the embarrassing altruism of the Roamers.

A protocol officer in a rumpled uniform hurried to greet them in the Juggernaut's secondary landing bay. "Let me show you to the bridge, sirs." He brushed self-consciously at wrinkles in his shirt. "I apologize for the mess. We've been working double duty to effect repairs."

Basil scowled. "That goes without saying. Save the small talk until after we've received the General's report."

When the three men arrived on the Goliath's bridge, the disorder made Basil wince. Lanyan was usually a stickler for regulation neatness, but though the General was currently on deck, crewmen bustled back and forth as if he weren't there, calling to each other, tossing tools. Workers and officers alike lifted debris and installed components without regard to their relative ranks. Circuitry welders flashed fountains of sparks. The air had an acrid tang of oily smoke, hot metal, and something unidentifiable that was vague and unpleasant.

"General!" The protocol officer raised his voice. "General Lanyan! The Chairman is here."

Lanyan initialed an inspection pad that an ensign pushed in front of him, then swiveled his chair. A shadow of beard stubble covered his face (which was also surprising, since he usually kept his face so smooth it looked slippery). He had taken off his uniform jacket and wore an unmarked workshirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"Mr. Chairman, Mr. Deputy, I appreciate your coming up to orbit for this meeting." He briskly shook Basil's hand, then Cain's. His ice-blue eyes were bloodshot. "As you can see, I couldn't spare even a few hours to go down to Hansa HQ. We've got to get our asses moving and pull everything together. Ships keep trickling in, but not nearly enough for anything close to a thorough defense of Earth, let alone other Hansa planets. By now the compies have seized most of our grid battleships, and if they all come barreling back here . . . well, let's just say we want to be as ready for them as we can."

"Deputy Cain is compiling a thorough assessment."

Cain activated his datapad and sorted the numbers for display, but before he could deliver his summary, Lanyan ran to the sensor station, shouting, "I told you not to deactivate that system! I don't care what else you have to bypass, but I need redundancy on our weapons trackers."

"But it's for the f-food synthesizer, sir," said the amazed-looking ensign, who struggled not to stutter. "W-We've already sent for replacement parts. They'll be here from the Moon base within the day."

"And what if the compies come back within the hour? Would you rather have jazers or chipped beef?"

"U-Understood, General."

Lanyan turned back to Basil. "I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman. Where were we?"

"I was about to summarize what we know," Cain said. The deputy might not have the hard edge necessary to be a good leader, but at