Karimi put a hand on Nolan’s shoulder. “Mr. President, we should be careful of allowing emotion—”
“This isn’t about emotion. It’s about morale.” He turned to Saurez. “What would you say the CDF’s morale level is right about now, General?”
“It’s good, sir. We beat the enemy, and when we can get favorable terms for battle, we win every engagement.”
Am I the only one who sees it? Nolan glanced at several of the faces around the table. “We’re winning defensive battles. We need to take the offense.”
“That’s out of the question for the next five years,” Saurez replied flatly. “Period, sir. I don’t like it any more than you do.”
From the rows of side chairs arrayed along the walls, a young man Nolan didn’t recognize leaned forward. “Sirs, there might be a way.”
Saurez whirled around, moving faster than a human could track. “Lieutenant, not here.”
The young man immediately went rigid and sat back in his chair. “Yes, sir.”
“Who is that?” Nolan asked.
“Lieutenant Andrew MacIntosh, sir. He’s a good officer, but he’s still young and doesn’t yet know when to close his mouth.” Saurez turned back toward the projector. “Back to the task at hand, sirs. We need to beef up our border presence. I want to bleed capital ships away from the core worlds and transfer them into mobile fleets that can quickly respond to League attacks.”
Nolan stared at him. “Defense in depth?”
“Exactly, sir.”
Nolan licked his lips and sighed. “We can’t be entirely focused on defense, especially as we’re asking the population to make sacrifices.”
“Speaking of sacrifices, Mr. President,” the commerce secretary spoke up. A woman with a soft voice but an iron constitution, she was a member of the rival Liberal Party, the main center-right political party in the Terran Coalition. In a tradition going back two hundred years, each administration had at least one cabinet-level secretary of the opposition party. “The latest ration-restriction proposal is on your desk.”
“Good,” Nolan replied. “And the draft law?”
Saurez and Karimi exchanged glances.
“Sir, we’re still not sure if that’s the right way to proceed,” Karimi said, finally breaking the awkward silence.
Nolan closed his eyes. “Abdul, how long have you known me?”
“Twenty years, sir. A long time.”
“That’s right. Have I ever asked you to do something I wasn’t serious about?”
“Well, sir—”
“Listen to me. We need a draft, and we need it now.”
“Both the Coalition Defense Force and Terran Coalition Marine Corps have far more applicants than we need at present, sir,” Saurez chimed in. “There’s no reason to impose a draft under these conditions.”
Nolan sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. The subject was one that mattered much to him. He was convinced that without a draft, the cost of the war wouldn’t be shared across all sections of the populace, and in time, it would lead to caustic results and divisions the League could exploit. “I’ve explained to you both until I’m blue in the face why it’s of paramount importance that we institute a draft.”
“Sir, your concerns are valid, but at this time—”
“By the time it’s a problem, we won’t have the political will to enact the law, General Saurez!” Nolan snapped. “I want the particulars delivered to the Assembly by the middle of next week. Do I make myself clear?”
Saurez went ramrod straight in his chair. “Sir, yes, sir.”
Nolan turned to the Secretary of State. “Donald, please tell me you’ve made some progress with our former allies.” Since the League had attacked, he’d been pressing to put the Canaan Alliance back together. Once the predominant military and economic force in local space, it had dissolved after the end of the Saurian Wars and the belief that they had ended the specter of war between the various races that called the Sagittarius Arm home. God, how wrong we were.
“I’m sorry, sir. We’ve been rebuffed by the Matrinids, the Saurians… and most non-Terran Coalition human-controlled worlds.”
The answer wasn’t unexpected, but it still stung. After the initial no replies to Nolan’s pleas for assistance, they’d tried traditional diplomacy instead, and that had come up short as well. “Is there anything we can do to change their minds?”
“Well, sir, the Matrinid ambassador suggested that if we could demonstrate military superiority over the League, it would make their entry into the war more politically palatable at home.”
“Because it’s less risk to them, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
Nolan exploded, “Damn them! Damn them all. We shouldered the burden when it looked like the Saurian Empire was poised to swallow every planet in this sector!” He took in the shocked expressions on the faces around the table, and the anger drained out of him. “I’m sorry. That was unprofessional.”
“I understand your feelings, sir,” Saurez said after a long pause. “It seems we’re on our own.”
“For now.” Nolan cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, get the draft markup language moving forward.” He made eye contact with Karimi. “Agreed?”
“Yes, sir,” Karimi replied. His tone sounded as if the direct nature of the conversation had chastened him.
“And I approve the plan to pull battlegroups from our core planets for these mobile defense forces. Are we done?”
“Yes, sir. That’s it for today,” Saurez said. He was still ramrod straight.
“Good. Thank you.” Nolan stood. That was the cue for everyone else to leave, which they did in short order.
As Saurez was about to exit, Nolan motioned him to the side along with MacIntosh. “A word privately, gentlemen.”
“Of course, Mr. President. What can I do for you?” Saurez asked.
Nolan grinned. “I want to hear what Lieutenant MacIntosh thinks we can do to hit back at the League.”
Saurez grimaced and let out a sigh. “Sir, I cannot argue strongly enough—”
Nolan held up his right hand. “General, as I said, I respect the military’s judgment and leadership, but as your commander-in-chief, I am ordering you to explain any and all options to attack the League of Sol on its home turf.”
“Yes, sir,” Saurez grated out. He turned to MacIntosh. “Lieutenant, explain and keep it brief.”
MacIntosh
