The Shadow of Cincinnatus (43 page)

For both sides, the Battle of Boston brought change. The Federation saw the victory as heralding the eventual reunification of the human race. There was no incentive to compromise. But the Outsiders saw the victory as a foretaste of eventual disaster. And, in desperation, they started to consider other ways to win their war.

And yet, the Federation was staggering. Cracks in its society, some caused by the Grand Senate, others by the Justinian War and Emperor Marius’s coup, only widened as the war raged on. The Federation needed a period of time to breathe. Instead, it lurched from one crisis to another, then another and another, until it could no longer cope. The victory at Boston came too late, in the end, to prevent the Federation facing the ultimate disaster...

...And, for Emperor Marius, the choice between winning the war or salvaging something from the ruins of a once-proud civilization.

But for those who lost, the shock of defeat could force them to face facts and change their tactics.

-The Federation Navy in Retrospect, 4199

Sanctuary/Nova Athena, 4101

Chang Li had to fight to keep her face impassive as General Charlie Stuart was shown into the Council Chamber. His uniform had been taken from him and replaced with a bland jumpsuit that might as well have been sackcloth and ashes. The long interrogation sessions that had followed the news of the defeat had left the general looking thoroughly unwell; he stood between two armed Marsha, his pale face suggesting he was on the verge of collapse.

He didn’t deserve such treatment, Li knew. He’d fought well and hard for the Outsider Federation. But there had been no choice. The Council wanted more than just a full investigation, no matter how hard she’d struggled against it. They wanted blood. In hindsight, thousands of people were arguing that Boston had been a trap...and that General Stuart, the man who had argued for the battle, had deliberately sent his fleet into a meatgrinder.

They think he’s a traitor
, she thought.
And they want him to die a traitor’s death
.

She felt her lips quirk into a bitter smile as she surveyed the councilors. None of them could hope to make amends with the Federation, not now. They were either descendants of those who had fled the Inheritance Wars or aliens – and her, of course. The Federation probably considered her a traitor, all the more so for plotting against them while seated on Earth as a member of the Senate. But the other members had slowly withdrawn from the Outsider Council.

It was hard to blame them, she knew. Their worlds stood naked, exposed to the Federation’s counterattack. It wouldn’t be long, if the reports from Earth were true, before Emperor Marius himself led an offensive into the Rim. And it would be almost completely unstoppable, at least until the damaged starships were repaired and rearmed. The Federation, its pride stung, would attack with savage force, clearing as many Outsider-occupied worlds as possible. And they would make great gains before the Outsiders rallied.

If we can
, the pessimistic side of her mind noted. They’d expended far too many starships in the Battle of Boston, for nothing.
We may not have time to replace our losses before the enemy attacks.

“General Charlie Stuart,” the mediator said. “You have been summoned before us to account for the defeat at Boston. Do you have anything you wish to say before we consider your case?”

Li gritted her teeth. It wasn’t a fair trial. How could it be? They wanted blood – and they didn’t much care
who
bled, as long as someone did.

“I was the person who believed there was a window of opportunity to attack Boston,” General Stuart said. His voice sounded broken. “I was wrong, as you know, and I accept full responsibility for the failed offensive. There is nothing else to say.”

Li winced, inwardly. General Stuart hadn’t been the only person involved – and he wasn’t the only person who could claim a share of the blame.
She’d
signed off on the plan to attack Boston, as had most of the Council. The Marsha, in particular, had been very enthusiastic about the plan. It was odd, but perhaps unsurprising, that they seemed the least inclined to seek a scapegoat for the disaster. Their honor code left them convinced that a failed offensive was still better than standing on the defensive.

“Then we must consider your punishment,” the mediator said. “Is there anyone who would speak in your defense?”

General Stuart shook his head. He’d been offered the chance to call witnesses to the stand, but he’d declined to summon anyone. It might well have damaged their careers too.

Li hesitated, then rose to her feet. “I believe we have to consider all the facts,” she said, shortly. “There were no voices who believed the attack on Boston was a mistake. No one argued against launching the invasion of the system. And, because of that, we cannot hold General Stuart solely responsible for the disaster.”

There was a clicking sound from Insect #342. “These facts must be accepted and learned from,” it said, through the translator. “The defeat has left us in a dangerously exposed position. There is no time to judge one person when the whole is threatened.”

“Agreed,” High Lord Slant said. The Marsha leaned forward. “He launched a powerful offensive and did his best to win.”

“But he lost,” one of the human representatives snapped. “He could have taken the system and opened the way to the Core Worlds. Or backed out when it was clear the Federation Navy was up to something. Instead, he stayed in the system too long to escape, after it became clear that the Federation had laid a trap.”

“I take full responsibility,” General Stuart said. “The blame is mine.”

“Then I propose that General Stuart be sent to command the defenses of Nova Athena,” Li said, shortly. “It will be a demotion, but it will also give him the chance to learn from his defeat...”

“But he could have planned to betray us,” the representative snapped. “He should be stripped of all honors and exiled.”

“He was interrogated thoroughly,” Li snapped back, feeling her patience coming to an end. “He didn’t intend to betray us to the Federation. I suspect we allowed our desire to break through into Boston and take control of the Asimov Points to blind us to the risks involved in the assault.”

She paused. “I call for a vote,” she said, as General Stuart shot her an unreadable look. “All in favour of Nova Athena?”

“All in favor,” the mediator said, once everyone had raised their hands. “General Stuart is hereby assigned to Nova Athena as her system defense commander. Good luck, general.”

He waited for General Stuart to be escorted out of the chamber, then keyed a switch. A young black-haired woman, wearing the uniform of an Outsider general, stepped into the chamber, She carried a small terminal under her arm and looked, thankfully, confident. Li wasn’t sure if her confidence was based in reality or not, but the Council needed to believe they could win. Or at least force the Federation to come to terms.

“General Wilson,” the mediator said. “You are the new commander of the Outsider Navy. Do you believe we can still win the war?”

“I believe it will be very difficult,” General Wilson said. Her accent suggested she’d spent time in the Federation, before joining the Outsiders. “However, we still have some advantages. Most notably, our bases are hidden from rapid detection.”

“There are still vulnerable worlds,” Councilor Blunt insisted. “Every world we liberated from the Federation is now at risk!”

“Yes, they are,” General Wilson said. “But, realistically, few of those worlds contributed more than trained manpower – at best – to the war effort. Athena and Nova Athena are the only worlds that possess considerable industrial bases of their own. I believe we should harry the Federation Navy as it advances back into the Rim, but avoid a pitched battle short of either of those two worlds.”

“You appear to be gambling that the Federation has not located any of our homeworlds,” Blunt said. “What if they choose to strike directly beyond the Rim?”

“Then we will lose the war,” General Wilson said. She pressed her hands together, as if she were in prayer. “We simply do not have the resources, at the moment, to cover every possible target. The last set of reports from our agents on Earth confirm that Home Fleet will be detaching a sizeable force to reinforce Fifth Fleet. Added to what Admiral Garibaldi has under his flag, he will not run into anything big enough to do more than delay him until he reaches Nova Athena.”

Wilson paused. “And I believe Nova Athena will be their prime target.”

Li swallowed. “Because of me,” she said, when she trusted herself to speak. “They’ll target my homeworld because of me.”

“I believe so,” General Wilson said. She tilted her head, allowing strands of black hair to shroud her face. “They consider you the prime mover behind the Outsider cause, Councilor. Targeting Nova Athena will not only undermine your status, but prove that we cannot protect even the homeworld of one of our leaders.”

“I see,” Li said. “And what do you propose we do?”

“We repair our ships, then prepare to meet them at Nova Athena,” General Wilson said. “We would probably be better off declining to defend Athena itself. There are too many rebels on the ground.”

“Then see to it,” Li said, after canvassing opinions. “But what if we can’t defend the world anyway?”

“We fall back,” General Wilson said. “Right now, Councilor, ships are more important than planets.”

Li nodded. “And that leads us to another problem,” she said. “Should we attempt to offer peace terms to the Federation – again?”

“The Federation didn’t accept peace terms when we were riding high,” Councilor Hammock sneered. “Why should they accept them when they think they’re winning?”

“Because it might prevent mass slaughter if they have to batter through our worlds, one by one,” Li suggested. “We don’t know what terms they would offer us.”

Councilor Hammock rose to his feet. “It seems to me, Chang, that you have good reason to worry about your homeworld,” he said. “That fear is driving you to consider surrendering to the federal bastards. Have you forgotten, so quickly, that we cannot trust anything they might say? They might demand we surrendered our ships one day, then move in and take over completely the next, once we rendered ourselves defenseless. We cannot trust a word they say!”

Li’s face burned with embarrassment – and rage.

“I understand you’ve had a shock,” Hammock said. “We’ve all had a shock. We didn’t expect a major defeat, while our early victories only made the defeat seem worse by comparison. But we have not yet been beaten. There will be time to strip naked, bend over and spread for them once we’ve been hammered into the ground. Until then, I intend to continue to fight.”

“I wish I was surprised at your attitude,” Li said, when she had managed to calm herself enough to speak. “But we do have to consider the worst. A single peace envoy...”

“...Would be seen as a sign of weakness,” Hammock said. “They would think they had us on the run, that we would surrender completely if pressed harder. Let us win another battle, let us give them a bloody nose...and then we can try and talk peace. We might win better terms.”

“There would be no better terms,” High Lord Slant said. “The Federation will not allow us to exist.”

Of course not
, Li thought. Aliens with guns – and grudges. The Federation’s nightmare, all the worse for the knowledge that humans had provided those guns, as well as training and starships.
You’ll be lucky if you just get forced back to your homeworld and blockaded
.

“Then we fight,” Hammock said. “This is no time to lose our nerve.”

* * *

They’d given Charlie a small compartment – marginally bigger than a prison cell – and a gun with a single bullet in the chamber. He’d found himself playing with it, wondering just who had bothered to show such contempt – or a backwards gesture of mercy. The Marsha, perhaps; they might have supported his attack on Boston, but they also thought highly of ritual suicide. They might have given him the gun as a sign of respect, not contempt.

He pushed the thought aside as the hatch opened, revealing Chang Li.

“Councilor,” he said. He rose to his feet, then gave her a tired smile. “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted you to live,” she said, eying the gun in his hand. “Who gave you a weapon?”

“I don’t know,” Charlie said. He still had nightmares over just how many people had died under his command. Hell, the entire Outsider cause might have died under his command. “I don’t know if I should thank you or hate you.”

“Stick with thanking me,” Chang Li said, bluntly. “Your successor believes that Nova Athena might come under heavy attack.”

“There aren’t many other targets that would absorb more than a destroyer squadron or two,” Charlie muttered. “You and yours did a good job at turning Nova Athena into an economic powerhouse.”

Chang Li nodded. Nova Athena’s population had been lucky. Their founders had managed to avoid most of the debts and obligations that would have bound them to the Grand Senate. It hadn’t allowed them to escape entirely, but it had given them a chunk of independence they’d used ruthlessly. And yet, they’d come to hate the Federation as much as anyone else along the Rim.

And why would they not
? Charlie asked himself.
They were as oppressed as anyone else when push came to shove.

“I want you to take command of the defenses and build them up into something impregnable,” Chang Li said. “The Federation
cannot
be allowed another victory.”

“And I won’t be allowed command of the defense fleet,” Charlie pointed out. “It would destroy your career if you tried to give me command.”

“You’ll have command of the orbital fortresses,” Chang Li countered. “And that will give you influence, I suspect. Use it ruthlessly.”

“Of course,” Charlie said. He sat down on the bunk, then placed the gun on the table. “What happened to my crew?”

“Most of them have been dispersed through the fleet,” Chang Li said. “You accepted the blame, so they were released without charge. I thought you knew that, Charlie.”