A ripple of reaction ran around the virtual table. Geary studied the expressions of his commanding officers, not liking what he was seeing. Enthusiasm seemed nonexistent, even among his firmest supporters. But only Captain Casia spoke out. “We’re barely closer to Alliance space now than when we left the Syndic home system,” he complained.
“I didn’t bring this fleet to the Syndic home system,” Geary reminded Casia. “It’s a long way home. I can’t help that.” He paused, gauging reactions again. Too many officers were gazing at the star display with resigned or worried expressions. “We need to try something different, though. We’ve been avoiding jumping along a straight line to Alliance space to avoid Syndic traps, but the Syndics are starting to figure out that we’re doing that.”
He had them again, every officer listening closely, but Casia swept a hand toward the display. “We’re not going to retreat again, are we?”
The question was perfectly phrased, so perfectly that Geary wondered if Casia had come up with it himself or if a more capable officer opposed to Geary had fed him the line. It was exactly the sort of query that would undermine Geary and any plan he suggested.
But it appeared he’d been able to outmaneuver his adversaries in the fleet this time. “No,” Geary informed Casia, his eyes hard. “I intend taking the fleet on a dash toward Alliance space, seeing how far we can get before the Syndics figure out what we’re trying and attempt to tighten the noose around this fleet again. We should be able to make substantial distance toward home and throw off Syndic plans based on the assumption that we won’t act that way.”
Faces brightened all along the table, though this time Geary noted that Captains Duellos, Tulev, and Cresida seemed a bit wary, as if concerned that he had conceded to Casia. There wasn’t anything he could do to make everyone happy, it seemed.
Then again, it wasn’t his duty to make people happy.
Geary pointed at the display. “Instead of jumping for Wendaya, from here we’ll go to Sendai, then straight through to Daiquon, and if everything seems clear, on to Ixion.” Bright lines appeared on the display, forming a slightly bent arrow aimed at Alliance space.
“That’ll take us almost a third of the remaining distance home!” Commander Neeson noted with a smile.
“Surely the Syndics will figure out our path before we reach Ixion,” Captain Mosko of the battleship Defiant replied with a worried expression.
“I would think so,” Captain Tulev agreed. “Captain Geary, do I understand properly that we will evaluate the situation in each star system before jumping to the next?”
“That’s correct,” Geary confirmed. “I expect the Syndics to figure out we’ve changed our approach to getting back to Alliance space. Once they do so, they’ll be able to use their hypernet system to shift forces more rapidly than we can move and set up blocking forces again. But I think we’ve got a very good chance of making Daiquon without serious opposition, and a decent chance of being able to get to Ixion.”
He seemed to have them. Geary felt a momentary rush of annoyance, angry that he had to convince them rather than just tell them what to do. It wasn’t like he’d made endless mistakes since reluctantly assuming command of this fleet. But it seemed he had to prove himself again every day to the doubters. “We’ll take advantage of the times in jump space for the auxiliaries to manufacture more fuel cells and expendable munitions, and distribute those among the other ships during our transits of Sendai and Daiquon. If we proceed on to Ixion, I want us to be ready for anything.”
Captain Casia was still frowning. “And after Ixion? Will we continue toward home?”
Geary fought down an intense desire to wrap his hands around Casia’s neck. Fortunately, just the mental image of Casia’s face turning purple as Geary squeezed cheered Geary enough to calm him before he replied. “This fleet’s course is ultimately always toward home,” he stated evenly. “But I’m not making detailed plans four star systems ahead. We will have to take into account what the Syndics are doing by the time we reach Ixion.”
“If we maintain the initiative-”
“The Syndics can move faster than us, Captain Casia. They have the advantage of a hypernet they can use.” Why did he have to explain something so simple?
Commander Yin spoke up again as if she had been encouraged by some sign Geary had missed. “Returning this fleet to Alliance space as quickly as possible is critical to the war effort,” she noted as if uttering a profound observation.
“If this fleet doesn’t survive to reach Alliance space,” Captain Duellos drawled, “it won’t do much for the war effort.”
“We’re fighting our way home,” Captain Desjani added with a glare at Yin. “We’re inflicting damage on the Syndics every step of the way home.”
Instead of replying, Commander Yin bent one corner of her mouth as she looked at Desjani, as if her words were somehow amusing. Desjani obviously caught the expression, too, her face hardening. But before she could say anything else, Captain Tulev spoke up. “We’re also tying up most of the Syndic fleet trying to find us and stop us,” Tulev tossed in blandly. “They can’t take advantage of our absence from Alliance space to attack the Alliance, because they need to use almost everything they have to hunt us.”
Commander Yin glanced around, didn’t see whatever she was looking for, and subsided with a dark expression.
It was past time to say something to remind everyone that they were part of the same fleet. “The Alliance needs us home,” Geary stated in a quiet voice that required all of the other officers to listen closely. “The Alliance ships that didn’t accompany this fleet and are now holding off the Syndics are surely counting on us getting back. The Syndics are just as desperately trying to stop us from getting home. Every day this fleet continues to operate behind Syndic lines is a victory for the Alliance and a defeat for the Syndics. When we get home, we’ll do so with our heads held high and with a Syndic fleet that’s a lot smaller, thanks to the victories we’ve already won and will continue to win. Our ancestors will be proud of us.” He paused. Everyone was watching him, but there didn’t seem to be anything else he should add. “Thank you. You’ll get maneuvering orders for the jump to Sendai within the hour.”
The images of ship commanders disappeared like a flurry of soap bubbles vanishing under a strong wind. Captain Desjani, still glowering toward the place where Commander Yin had appeared to be seated, stood up and with a mumbled, “Excuse me, sir,” quickly departed the room.
That left one image still seated, now leaning back, boots resting on the table surface. If he hadn’t known it was a projection reflecting the actions of a man on another ship, Geary would have sworn the other officer was actually here with him. “Captain Duellos,” Geary greeted the image of the man. “Thanks for staying.”
Duellos’s virtual presence smiled. “It’s not that much of a hardship.”
“I’m still grateful.” Geary sat down again and sighed. “There were a couple of things I wanted to ask you.”
“Is something wrong? Or perhaps I should ask, is something else wrong?”
Geary made a twisted smile, and he nodded to acknowledge the point. “Nothing that didn’t come up at the meeting, I think.”
“The usual subsurface intrigue and counterproductive debate,” Duellos observed, examining his fingernails.
“Yeah.” Routine not-quite-disrespectful-or-mutinous behavior from some of the fleet’s officers. “I am curious about something.”
The figure of Duellos stood up, walked over to the seat opposite Geary, and sat down. “Policy issues? Personnel?”
“Both. First, what can you tell me about Captain Casia?”
Duellos’s lip curled. “An officer of very modest gifts, so modest that he was even outshone by Captain Numos. Are you wondering why he was so big a pain at the last fleet conference and now this one?”
“Yeah.”
“Because both Numos and Captain Faresa are currently under arrest. That leaves an abuse-of-power vacuum within the Third Battleship Division,” Duellos noted. “As you may have guessed, that division has been a dumping ground for problem commanding officers.”
Geary pondered that. In his time, with so few capital ships available, the idea of devoting a division of battleships to isolating problem officers would have been unthinkable. “How serious a problem is Casia?”
