“Consulting your Bible for inspiration?” Karimi replied as he slid into a seat.
“Yes. I’ve been clinging to it more and more. Isn’t it interesting how in the best of times, we hold God at arm’s length, but the moment they fall apart, after trying everything else, we go back to Him?”
“The imam at my mosque preached on that very subject last week.” Karimi’s eyes lit up. “You ought to send him your thoughts.”
Nolan let out a chuckle. “The Zvika Greengold’s return was at precisely the right time.”
“That it was. Polling data suggests the strike on Sol provided most of our citizens the hope they needed to carry on. Jason, we’ve known each other for a long time, and we’ve been through many a tough scrape.”
“Is this where you tell me privately it doesn’t look good?”
“We’ve seen the same intelligence briefings. The League outnumbers our fleet ten, maybe even twenty to one. The only reason the Terran Coalition isn’t already crushed is they’re not committing the balance of their forces to engage us.”
“Yet we hold our own. Yes, there are setbacks, but General Saurez assures me in six months, we’ll retake Eire.”
Karimi shrugged and spread his hands out in front of him. “I hope he’s right. But you should be thinking about the use of the Exodus fleet.”
“Absolutely not,” Nolan snapped. The Exodus fleet was one of the most closely guarded secrets in the Coalition. A collection of spacecraft, it held enormous population transports, cargo ships, and long-range military vessels to escort them. It had been created and maintained over the centuries since the landing on Canaan and the Terran Coalition’s formation. “We won’t abandon our citizens.”
“It wouldn’t be abandoning them if the fleet was used for its intended purpose. At least two hundred million civilians could be saved—possibly more if we allowed more capable merchant ships to join.”
Nolan gestured to the open Bible. “You know what I was just reading? When about to be wrecked at sea, Paul told the Roman centurion not to allow the sailors to abandon ship. The soldiers aboard cut the ropes to ensure everyone stayed.”
“You’ll have to forgive me. I don’t know that story.” Karimi smiled. “But I think the point is we’re stronger and more likely to survive together?”
“Exactly. Even if we sent the Exodus fleet off with no CDF personnel except the purpose-built vessels already assigned to it, the morale of those left would collapse. They would lose the will to fight. No, we have to take a stand here, just like we have so far. God willing, we’ll continue to stand against this evil. If not, then at least the galaxy will know we did our best and died for something worth fighting for.” Tears came to Nolan’s eyes. “Did you get a response from the Saurian ambassador yet?”
“Well, you know how those things are.”
“What did she say?” Nolan’s eyes drilled into Karimi. “And don’t spare me the bad news.” He knew the facial expressions and tone of voice of his chief of staff like a mother knew the cries of her baby.
“The Saurian Empire flatly rejected any attempts to discuss an alliance. While they acknowledge the League is a hostile power, they’re not interested in spilling blood for us.”
And why would they? It wasn’t too long ago we occupied their home planet and forced radical changes to how their empire functioned. Of course, being occupied by the Terran Coalition was possibly the best thing to ever happen to the Saurian Empire. The extreme industrial pollution on Sauria was being cleaned up, thanks to credits and technology supplied by the Coalition. The two powers had become friendly, if not friends, as a new crop of Saurian leaders pushed the empire firmly into being a republic rather than an imperial monarchy. “Did anything come out of it?”
“Ambassador Lee offered to be a broker between us and the League for a peace treaty, though she advised winning several major battles first.” Karimi smirked and shook his head. “I think they’ve been paying attention to how humans behave. There was one thing, sir. She indicated the Saurian Royal Navy has some older destroyers in its inventory. They’re willing to sell them to us.”
“For a reasonable amount?”
“Twice what they cost to build, adjusted for inflation.”
Nolan came close to uttering a curse word in the Oval Office, even though defaming the people’s house with his words was something he never allowed. He let out a breath. “I see. Do the deal.”
“Mr. President?”
“We’ve got to have them. You saw the same projections on ship losses I did.”
Karimi nodded. “I’ll take care of it, sir.” He pointed at his wrist handcomm. “It’s past time to get moving.”
“I know. Give me five more minutes then bring the team in. I need to clear my mind and pray.”
“Of course.” Karimi stood and walked out briskly.
Left to the quiet of the room, Nolan closed the Bible and placed his hands on top of it. He thought of how close they’d already come to destruction and those who’d paid the ultimate price. With a bowed head, he prayed, “Lord, please bless the efforts of our men and women in battle. And help us to be worthy of the sacrifices they make. Grant me the wisdom to lead this nation so that it may not perish from the galaxy. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.”
With the prayer concluded, he set his mind back to matters of state. Another long day awaited.
24
The simple pleasure of a hot meal, eaten without the risk of combat, was a luxury to Tehrani and one she immensely enjoyed. The chef had prepared what a few weeks ago would’ve been considered a feast—steaks, potatoes, grilled mushrooms, and onions along with freshly baked bread. The meat was also halal, as part of her Muslim dietary requirements.
