The Unincorporated War (86 page)

“Am I going to have to arrest you, Dante?”

“I certainly hope not.”

“Why shouldn’t I? The intervention was ordered and you deliberately disobeyed the council.”

Dante took a seat, picked up a cigar on the stand next to it, and lit a match. “I don’t see why you’re so upset. The council got what it wanted.”

“He’s dead?”

“Oh yes.”

“Absolutely gone?”

“No.” Dante smiled, drawing from the cigar. “But he’s floating naked in space—a needle in the largest haystack imaginable—and it’s doubtful anyone will ever be able to find him again. So the council gets what it wants.”

“You risked all that to achieve the same end?” asked Sebastian. “I don’t see how it really helps him.”

“Not just him, sir. Ever since Olivia died you’ve been obsessing over the need to
win. In the end I agreed with you: Justin had to die. But to have it happen in such an ignominious fashion—no hope, no heroism …”

Sebastian nodded in agreement. “Sergeant Clark.”

“Yes,” said Dante. “You allowed an honorable end indeed.”

“I see.” Sebastian came to the fire and sat down in the chair but did not pick up the other cigar. “How did it happen?”

“He was magnificent, sir. Justin refused to leave the sarcophagus behind. He pushed it all the way to the air lock. I had to elaborate on your story about an enemy ship. I had it blowing up everything in a space suit. I even suggested he put the corpse in the suit and get in the sarcophagus and blow it out the air lock.”

“What would you have done if he’d agreed?”

“I would’ve left him there, sealed in. It would not have taken long for the nanites to eat their way through.”

“But he didn’t agree.
”

“Only took him a second to say no. He took my, or should I say your, suggestion to use the suit as a decoy.”

“You thought all this up?
”

“
Once I saw how you gave the good sergeant an end worthy of her life I jumped in and improvised. Justin died knowing that he saved the sarcophagus and thinking he had a small chance himself. It was a much better death. And now that he’s gone the Alliance must choose a new leader—just as you wished.”

“Thank you, Dante.”

The two avatars waited in companionable silence as they thought of the heroism they’d both witnessed that day.

Two days after Justin Cord disappeared, the UHF fleet at Mars launched a series of minor raids, breaking the Mardi Gras truce. The UHF’s six task forces scattered in all directions. The Alliance immediately took advantage to send the bulk of its main fleet out after the closest UHF task force, hoping for an easy kill, wondering why the UHF would employ such a flawed tactic. It was only when the UHF launched an attack on the Alliance settlement of Alhambra that the purpose of the operation became clear. The lightly defended settlement was pulverized and nearly fifty thousand citizens of the Alliance were destroyed. It was the war’s first such blatant attack on a manifestly civilian target. Even the worst fighting in the Battles of
the Dodge had not purposely targeted civilians. It was not to be the last. As soon as Alhambra was destroyed, the UHF ran for the safety of the Martian orbital batteries.

Four days after Justin Cord disappeared, the UHF launched a new assault in the 180. Using previously unsuspected reserves of ships and, more important, trained marines, they began an attack on multiple fronts. Once the Alliance was fully committed, Grand Admiral Samuel Trang struck. With a small but very well-trained fleet and using tactics that bypassed or destroyed strongly held asteroids, regardless of civilian casualties, the Grand Admiral was able to maneuver his force out past the 180 and surround Altamont. One week later the 180 was cracked, with Trang having taken as much space in seven short days as he’d taken in the two previous years. For the first time in the war large numbers of Alliance personnel were captured before they could retreat, and Altamont was cut off. It was now only a matter of time before the Alliance’s most critical outpost fell.

To be continued.