“And disappointed?” Duellos waved one hand in a dismissive gesture. “I happen to believe that if this fleet makes it home, it will be because we remembered the honor of our ancestors.” His gaze shifted to the star field on one bulkhead. “It seems so obvious, really. Deplorable practices adopted during the last century were repeatedly declared necessary if regrettable in order to win the war. Oddly enough, we’ve yet to win. You’d think somebody would have asked before this why the regrettable but necessary measures haven’t actually produced the promised results. Not until you came along and started us really thinking about it instead of just accepting it.” Duellos sighed. “No, I’m just playing devil’s advocate, Captain Geary. Every commander needs someone like that, don’t they?”
“At least one,” Geary agreed.
“And you have not only me but also Co-President Rione.” Duellos gave Geary a speculative look. “How’s that going? If I may ask.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“She’s a strong woman, and a hard woman, and as respected as any politician can be among the fleet.”
“I have plenty of experience with the first two descriptions, and I don’t doubt the last.” Geary shrugged. “She’s been distant since Ilion. I don’t know why. She won’t say.”
“The commanders of ships from the Rift Federation and the Callas Republic have confided in me that Co-President Rione has been uncharacteristically disengaged lately,” Duellos observed. “She seems to be more distant with them as well.”
“That’s odd.” I’ve been assuming I did something. But then why would Rione be acting the same way to the ships from her own republic? From all I’ve seen of her, Rione has a lot of personal concern for those ships and their crews. “I’ll see what I can find out. It’s certainly puzzling to see that kind of behavior from someone like Rione.”
Duellos nodded.
“Speaking of puzzles, though, I’ve noticed something that I don’t understand. My latest thorn in my side, Captain Casia, is a battleship commander,” Geary noted.
“Yes,” Duellos agreed, clearly wondering why Geary had brought that up.
“So are, or were, people like Numos, Faresa, and Kerestes. Meanwhile, I’ve got commanders like you, Desjani, Tulev, and Cresida who are excellent officers and all command battle cruisers.” Duellos spread his hands in a self-mocking gesture of humility and nodded. “Why?”
“Why?” Duellos repeated, perplexed now.
“Why are my battleship commanders of lower quality than my battle cruiser commanders?” Geary asked bluntly.
Duellos had the look of a man who’d just been asked why space was dark. “That’s the way the fleet works. The most promising officers go to the battle cruisers. Those who aren’t judged good enough to command battle cruisers go to battleships.”
Geary waited, but Duellos seemed to think the arrangement didn’t require further explanation. “Okay, that’s how things work. But why? In my day, battleships were seen as the highest and most prestigious command. Battle cruisers were important, too, but ranked below battleships.”
It may have been the first time that Geary actually startled Duellos. “Are you serious? But battleships are slow. Ponderous. They’re powerful, but they don’t lead the fleet into battle!”
“Lead the fleet?”
“Yes!” Duellos made a sweeping gesture. “Battle cruisers are fast. They lead the charges, they make the first contact with the enemy—”
“They die faster and more frequently because they lack the same level of protection that battleships have,” Geary interrupted.
“Naturally,” Duellos agreed, still seeming baffled. “We don’t go into battle to hide behind armor. We go to fight. And the battle cruisers are in the forefront of the fight.”
It suddenly made sense. A fleet culture that valued combat above everything else, that saw the highest virtue in coming to grips with the enemy as fast as possible, that had grown to disdain anything that could be called defensive in favor of always seeking to be on the attack. Of course the best officers would aspire to command the most offensive-oriented ships, and the least regarded officers would be sent to the ships that emphasized defensive capability along with their massive armament.
But there was a serious problem with that way of thinking. Geary wondered if he had finally discovered one of the things that had worked to cripple leadership in the fleet. “Captain Duellos, think about what the fleet is doing. It’s been putting its best officers on the ships most likely to die and keeping its worst officers on the ships that are most heavily protected. Doesn’t that strike you as a fairly insane way of doing business in the long run?”
Duellos frowned in thought. “I hadn’t considered it in that light. But the fleet needs its best in the fastest and less heavily armored ships. A less-capable officer can survive in a battleship because they’re much harder to kill, you see.”
Geary couldn’t help a sudden laugh. “The system is designed to protect less capable officers?”
This time Duellos’s frown was deeper. “I’ve never heard it put that way. The usual way of thinking is that the defenses of a battleship can compensate for any shortcomings in its commanding officer.”
That almost made sense in a strange way. “Do the Syndics do the same thing?”
“I don’t know,” Duellos admitted. “I assume so.”
If so, at least both sides had been working to wipe out their best officers as quickly as possible. Once again Geary wondered why an intelligent alien race would need to take measures against humanity when the human race kept demonstrating great skill and enthusiasm at working against itself. “At least now I understand something important. Just between you and me, I think this is a crazy way of doing things, but for now I obviously can’t change it.” If he kept losing battle cruisers, he’d also keep losing his best senior officers. But there wasn’t any way he knew of to keep those battle cruisers out of combat when the fleet clashed with the Syndics. Even his best officers wouldn’t accept that. It was too contrary to the way they’d been trained, the way they believed, the way they’d always fought. But I’d better think of a way to preserve my battle cruisers, or this fleet is doomed. “Is there anything else I should know that I haven’t figured out already?”
Duellos frowned and seemed to hesitate. “You’re aware that your opponents in the fleet continue to spread rumors in an attempt to diminish your standing.”
“Yeah. Old news. Are they saying anything new?”
Another, deeper, frown. “I’m of two minds about telling you, Captain Geary. But you surely noticed the byplay between Captain Desjani and Commander Yin toward the end of the conference.”
“Yes, I did. What was that?”
Duellos spoke with clear reluctance. “I doubt that Captain Desjani has heard, unless someone claiming to be a friend has passed on the rumors, but you should probably be aware that some of the rumors claim that you and Captain Desjani enjoy a close relationship.”
It was Geary’s turn to frown. “I take it you mean something more than a close professional relationship.”
Duellos nodded, his expression reflecting distaste at having to discuss the matter.
“Are they claiming I’m cheating on Rione? I thought the whole fleet knew about her.”
“Apparently you’re able to keep two women happy,” Duellos replied, then quirked a sardonic smile. “One man allegedly able to keep the likes of Rione and Desjani contented. By all rights that should enhance your reputation, I’d think.”
“It’s not exactly funny,” Geary responded.
“No. It implicates not just your honor but also Captain Desjani’s, and for that matter Co-President Rione’s.” Duellos shrugged. “Anyone seen as your ally is fair game for those who oppose you.”
“Including you?”
Duellos nodded silently, and Geary shook his head. “I shouldn’t be surprised. But I’ll watch my step with Desjani, ensuring there’s nothing that even the most twisted mind could w
arp into some kind of improper action between us.”
“Twisted minds are enormously inventive,” Duellos pointed out. “If you were on my ship, they’d probably be spreading the same rumors about you and me.”
“No offense, Captain Duellos, but you’re not my type.”
“None taken,” Duellos replied with a grin. “Besides, my wife would look askance on such a relationship.”
“Women can be like that,” Geary agreed, recalling that Duellos had a family back in Alliance space, then couldn’t help a small, derisive smile. “For a guy allegedly with two women, I’m sure not getting lucky very often.”
“Look at the bright side,” Duellos offered. “If you really were cheating on Rione with Desjani, or vice versa, one or both of those women would surely kill you and laugh as they watched you die. Women can be like that, too.”
“They can indeed. Especially women like Rione and Desjani. Thanks for the heads-up on those rumors. I don’t want anyone’s honor questioned on my account.” Geary hesitated as another question came to mind along with memories of Rione. “That stuff that Captain Badaya brought up, about the hypernet gates…”
Duellos nodded calmly. “We managed to defuse that.”
“How much do you know about that?”
“Species extinction.” Captain Duellos leaned back again, closing his eyes for a moment. “Supernovas or novas going off in every star system with a hypernet gate in it. Commander, pardon me, Captain Cresida has let a small group of us know of the potential threat. She anticipated you might need backing up on the matter.” Opening his eyes, Duellos gave Geary a serious look. “I hope you won’t be angry with her. I think Cresida was wise to tell a few of us, as you saw during this conference when the subject came up.”
“I did see that,” Geary admitted. “You’re right. She was smart to do it. I’m frankly afraid for anyone to know, but if we’re to prevent the worst from happening, some people have to know.”
“Who else have you told?”
“Only Co-President Rione.”
“Ah. An Alliance senator.” Duellos grimaced. “The Alliance Senate would vote to use the gates, to explode the ones within Syndic space. You know that, don’t you?”
“That’s was Rione’s assessment, too. And the Syndics would have time to figure out what we were doing and retaliate in kind.”
Duellos nodded, suddenly looking older. “If you get this fleet home, you carry with it the knowledge to wipe out the human race.”
“Yup.” Geary slumped and rubbed his forehead. “Do you want to take over command?”
“Not on your life.” Duellos’s eyes strayed to the star display. “Perhaps the living stars have decided humanity is a hopeless case.”
“The living stars didn’t create the hypernet gates,” Geary replied, his voice harsh.
“If they guided us, it’s the same—”
“Someone…something else gave us that technology. I’m sure of it.”
Duellos pondered the words for a long time before answering. “Some thing. Nonhuman?”
“That’s my guess. Rione agrees with it. We think they’re on the far side of Syndic space.”
“An interesting idea.” Another long pause. “They gave us poison wrapped in candy and are just waiting for us to pop it into our mouths?”
“Maybe.” Geary made a gesture toward the star display. “We can only guess at their motivations. They’re right that humanity is just stupid enough to take their gift and wipe itself out, but they forgot something else about people.”
Duellos raised a questioning eyebrow. “And that would be?”
“We hate being told what to do, and we’re very unpredictable.”
The other officer smiled. “True. May I share this information?”
“Yeah.” Geary thought a moment. “Tell the same people who know about the hypernet gates. I’ve been so afraid of what might happen if the wrong people hear that I forgot to make sure more of the right people know what’s going on. Just in case something happens to me.”
Duellos frowned again. “Bad as we’ve become, assassination of superior officers has never been a path to advancement in the Alliance fleet.”
Geary couldn’t help laughing. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that. But, you know, there’s a war on. People get hurt.”
“So I’ve heard.” Duellos stood slowly, his face thoughtful. “The stakes keep rising, and the responsibility ultimately rests on you. How are you doing?”
“Lousy.”
Duellos nodded. “If worse comes to worst, and you are lost in combat, I’ll do my best. With everything. You have my word on the honor of my ancestors.”
Geary stood as well, reaching to grasp the shoulder of the image and remembering in time to just mimic the gesture. “I never doubted that. Thank you, my friend.”
Duellos saluted, Geary returned the gesture, and the image vanished, leaving Geary truly alone again.
FOUR
NO matter how bad it got, no matter how lonely and isolated he felt in command of this fleet, there were always his ancestors.
When the fleet finally reached the right point around the sun of Baldur and entered jump space en route to Sendai, Geary watched the external display change from endless star-spangled black to endless dull gray shot through with occasional lights that bloomed and faded. No one had known what the lights were in Geary’s time, since it had been impossible to explore jump space, and with the advent of the hypernet, interest in jump space had faded. Or maybe the lines of research that might have explained the lights in jump space had been forestalled by the need to support the war with all the scientific, technical, and monetary means available.
Captain Desjani caught Geary gazing at the lights, realized that Geary had noticed her noticing him, and looked away quickly. She’d told him soon after he assumed command that many sailors believed that Geary had been one of those lights, his spirit resting in the otherwise unchanging expanse of jump space until the Alliance’s need was so desperate that the legendary Black Jack Geary would return to save his people. Did they still believe that, after learning that Geary had actually been drifting in a damaged survival pod orbiting the star named Grendel at the edge of Alliance space for all those years, the beacon inoperative, the survival sleep equipment barely keeping him alive until this fleet stumbled across him?
Would he ever see Grendel again? He didn’t particularly want to. It was pretty much a useless star, the sort of place ships and convoys had once passed through on their ways to important places. Geary had been told the system had been abandoned because it was too close to the border with the Syndicate Worlds, and there wasn’t anything really worth defending in it, the wreckage of dozens of battles orbiting the star the only remaining signs of humanity’s former presence. But some of that wreckage had belonged to his old ship, the ship destroyed while covering the retreat of the rest of the convoy. A lot of his crew had died at Grendel. He owed them a respectful visit to the place where they had fought and died under his command.
Unfortunately, a lot more people had already died under his new command, including almost certainly his own grandnephew, whose ship Repulse had been destroyed covering the fleet’s retreat from the Syndic home system. Michael Geary probably rested with Geary’s ancestors now, ancestors he hadn’t paid respect to for too long. “Captain Desjani, please hold everything but emergency calls for me for the next hour or so.”
She nodded, her own face weary from time spent on the bridge while in enemy space. “There’s not much chance of an emergency while we’re in jump. Jump space might be boring, but at the moment boring sounds pretty nice.”
Geary turned to leave the bridge of the Dauntless, his eyes resting for a moment on the empty observer’s chair. Co-President Rione had normally occupied that chair even for something as routine as entering jump space. I need to find out what’s going on with her. I’ve needed to do that for a while, but I could find excuses not to while we were in Baldur Star System.
He l
eft the bridge, but instead of heading for his stateroom went deeper into the ship, toward a set of compartments buried as deeply within the battle cruiser as possible, protected as well as anything on the ship from enemy fire or accident. With all else that had changed since Geary’s time, finding those compartments still on ships had been a major relief.
Sailors and officers in the passageways made shows of saluting Geary as he passed, smiling at him with looks of admiration and hero worship. He smiled back, even though inside Geary wanted to shake all of them and ask why they couldn’t see that he was as human and as prone to error as each of them. He returned the endless salutes, his arm tiring rapidly from constant use and causing Geary to wonder if maybe he shouldn’t have reintroduced saluting to the fleet after all.
There were a few sailors standing near the worship spaces, but they all cleared a way for Geary when he arrived. After he’d passed them, he heard the murmur of whispered conversations. The crew liked knowing that he talked to his ancestors, liked knowing that he sought their advice and comfort just like anyone else.
Geary entered a small room, pulled shut the privacy door, then sat down on the wooden bench facing a small shelf on which a candle rested. Picking up the nearby lighter, he set the candle’s wick ablaze, then sat a little while, relaxing his mind as he waited for his ancestors’ spirits to gather.
Finally, he started talking. “Thank you, my ancestors, for bringing this fleet safely through another enemy star system. Thank you for guiding me in my decisions and for your help in ensuring we lost no people at Baldur.” Geary paused, his thoughts straying to places he hadn’t let them go for a while. “I hope Baldur hasn’t changed. I’d still like to see that world someday, see if it’s really what everyone used to say. But nobody in this fleet but me remembers that. Nobody else in this fleet remembers Baldur as anything but another enemy star system.”
Another pause while Geary let his thoughts drift. “I hope I’m making the right decision by going to Sendai and the stars beyond. If I’m wrong, please find a way to show me. These people trust me. Well, most of them do. Some of them think…hell, I don’t know what they think. It’s not like I want this job.”