happen automatically. I can’t expect my pilots to have to worry about the air conditioning during a battle.”
Chandrajuski nodded, his great head moving up and down minutely. “We can do all that, and we will.” His gaze focused on Trexler again. “You frighten me, Ray.” Trexler raised his eyebrows in a question, and Chandrajuski continued. “In you and Reba and Mike, I see warriors. I’ve always considered myself to be a warrior, but I see now that I’ve been more of a policeman than a true warrior. It’s a struggle trying to keep up with you.”
“Policeman maybe, but a more apt term might be peacekeeper. You’ve spent a career keeping the peace, and I hope I can join you in that effort when this is all over. For the moment, our job is not to keep the peace but to wage war. Lots of people, good people, died out here today, and many more are going to die before we’re done. It’s a sad business, this killing, and I take no enjoyment from it. We are not heroes, we’re businessmen executing a business plan. It just so happens that our business plan entails killing the enemy in the most efficient way possible.
“But never forget: we’re just ingredients in the recipe. The master chef is the Queen. Her job is to mix us with the other ingredients to create a finished product that is peace restored. Then the killing will end.”
“She has been the key all along. Our efforts have not lost sight of that,” Chandrajuski said.
“They can’t. We will prosecute our business plan, but we in this room can never lose sight of the finished product. I’m certain she won’t let us, either.”
“So we focus on new strategies. The cruiser has become our first line of offense,” Chandrajuski said. “We’ll see to new tactics, and we must see to improvements to the ships to make them more survivable.”
Trexler nodded. “Mike is way ahead of us on that, but his plan is just getting started.”
“He has a plan?”
“He does. He’s asked Serge to explore the possibility of creating a large number of tiny little ships. The ships would only have a crew of three or four, and they might only carry one or two guns, but each gun would be as powerful as a gun on a cruiser. These tiny ships would be exceedingly hard to target, making them much more survivable.”
Chandrajuski considered for a time, then turned to M’Coda who said, “We’d be back to the shortage of pilots, but if development is far off, we have time to work on the issue. We should direct our thoughts to the coming battle at Aldebaran I, and we have to figure out how to secure Orion III against counter attack. We’re suddenly back to the issue of resources, or lack thereof.
“After this defeat, they will have to delay the next attack,” Chandrajuski continued, thinking out loud. “They lost considerable resources, resources that I suspect cannot be quickly replaced, and they need to reconsider tactics just as we do. I believe we have a little breathing room.”
“It’s also likely that they have only a limited number of trained Chessori crews,” M’Coda agreed.
“In which case we can recruit more gunners from Earth and spread our pilots out to more cruisers. Then we can begin the process of creating new and better tactics.”
Trexler leaned back on the couch to let them work out the details, but the more he thought about it, the more he questioned the underlying assumptions. What if they were wrong? What if they didn’t have a lot of time before the next battle?
He considered a plan of action based on that assumption, then spoke up. “You’re looking at it the way a policeman would look at it. You’re trying to get all your ducks in a row before you break the door down and rush in. Will you consider the thoughts of a warrior?”
Chandrajuski and M’Coda both stopped talking and turned to face him. M’Coda’s upper hands were still for a change.
“Do you have any paper, and something to write with?” he asked Chandrajuski. “I’d like to make notes on this that we can review later.”
Chandrajuski spoke with his gaze never leaving Trexler. “Ship, record.”
“Okay, I guess that’ll have to do,” Trexler said, “though I sort of prefer paper and pen for this.” He held his arms out wide. “We have a lot of experience with major conflicts on Earth. Time and time again, two items stand out that have the most impact on winning or losing. First: supplies and resources. Second: mistakes at the highest levels of command. Compared to the Rebels, who can draw ships and crews from all over this vast Empire of yours, we’re exceedingly short on resources.”
M’Coda’s upper hands began a new, refreshing preening. “Their Chessori resources are probably limited.”
“What if they’re not?”
M’Coda’s upper hands paused for a moment, then resumed, moving faster.
Trexler turned to Chandrajuski. “Mistake one?”
Chandrajuski’s eyes blinked once, but he remained silent.
Trexler leaned back in the couch again. “It just so happens that I agree with you that the Chessori resource could be limited, but it might not be. Now for an observation: you and the Rebels all think alike to a large extent. You’ve attended the same schools and seminars, probably sat side by side with some of them. You’re likely to approach fighting with similar ideas and tactics, yes?”
Chandrajuski nodded his head but said nothing, so Trexler continued. “I think it likely that we have an advantage in this area, because the Rebels have, we believe, focused on getting their Chessori counterparts up to speed, and they’ve relied on the scree instead of developing tactics. We, on the other hand, have focused intense effort on how best to duke it out with them. Agreed?”
“Agreed, Ray.”
“I wish I knew who was running the show for them, because this next concept is critical. They just lost a major battle, and they lost horribly. They ran with their tails between their legs. When those ships get home in a couple of months, the top commander, or commanders, are going to be embarrassed. And, these commanders are new to their jobs and trying to prove themselves. A wise commander might choose to sit back and think about what happened, dissect the battle and come up with changes to his operations, then implement those changes, which would take a while.
“Depending on the character and stability of the commander, though, he could just as easily fly into a rage and decide to attack us right away. He’d have to use the same or similar tactics that we just saw here, but if he committed overwhelming resources to the next battle, it might produce a better outcome for him. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
M’Coda turned from Trexler to pace the room in thought. Chandrajuski, likewise, stared at him, but his thoughts were not on Trexler. They were on the words Trexler had spoken.
After a time, Chandrajuski said, “Juster, the Queen’s brother, commands the Rebel fleets. I know him well. He is clever, decisive, and thoughtful. I believe he will choose his next course with careful calculation. Juster reports to Struthers, the old First Knight. I know him less well, but to his credit, he planned and executed the coup masterfully. I think he, too, will resort to cold calculation.”
“Okay. Let me throw one more item into the pot. We feel the pressure of time only as it relates to stopping them or slowing them down. They, on the other hand, feel the pressure of time as it relates to accomplishing. They’re under pressure to act, to convince the rest of the Empire that they are not only in charge, but that they are successfully in charge. How will that weigh in their deliberations?”
“The pressure on them will be fierce,” Chandrajuski answered.
He thought for a time, then said, “The issue comes back to whether the Chessori supporters are limited in number. Certainly, the Rebel ability to train Chessori is unlimited, but how well have the Chessori taken to the training? I believe their whole species has come to rely on the scree, and I suspect they do not feel the need to learn tactics. Certainly, we saw no great tactics here. You or I would have prosecuted the attack from their perspective much differently.”
“I agree completely with that observation. Regardless of the training given the Chessori, they do not appear to have soaked it up. So, back to the issue of a Rebel response. What would you do if you were in Juster’s shoes?”
“I am in Juster’s shoes, and you’ve reminded me that I have to take politics into consideration, and at a level I am unaccustomed to. Sector politics are much, much different that Empire politics. I would give even odds on Juster waiting or acting immediately. When I factor in the pressure on him from Struthers, who is himself under intense pressure to convince the Empire, I would lean towards Juster moving with some swiftness.”
“Let’s take it one step further,” Trexler encouraged. “We’re fairly confident he’s going to come to Aldebaran I.
