“Yes, sir.” Desjani saluted before she departed.
Geary nodded to Duellos. “Thanks for the backup.”
Duellos gave Geary a skeptical look in return. “You don’t really expect the Syndics to let us access that hypernet gate at Sancere, do you?”
Geary looked down and grimaced. “No. I think the Syndics know they can’t afford to let this fleet get home with a working key to their hypernet. It’d give the Alliance a decisive edge in the war.”
“So they will take the extreme measure of destroying the gate rather than allow us access.”
“Probably.” Geary shrugged. “There’s always a chance they won’t. A very slim chance, but it’s there.”
“True.” Duellos sighed. “If not for that gate, the fleet wouldn’t have followed you to Sancere, you know.”
“I know.”
“But if we make it there, and win, the doubters will have trouble finding an audience.” Duellos carefully saluted. “It’s a tremendous risk, but you’ve earned the right to our trust.”
Geary returned the salute. “Thanks.”
“You’re sure the jump drives can get us from Cydoni to Sancere?”
“Absolutely.”
After Duellos “left,” Geary went wearily back to his stateroom. He didn’t need to be on the bridge when the fleet turned since he could watch the maneuver from the displays in his own stateroom. Normally he’d try to be on the bridge anyway, satisfying the need of the crew to believe that their commander cared about their work and how they did it, but after the drawn out and too-often-hostile arguments he’d dealt with, Geary badly needed a break.
He saw Co-President Rione waiting outside his stateroom, knew there’d been time enough for her to be briefed on the meeting by some of the commanders of ships belonging to the Callas Republic, saw the fire barely restrained behind her eyes, and knew he wasn’t going to get that break yet.
Rione stood silently until Geary entered, following him inside and waiting until the hatch closed before rounding on him and letting her feelings show clearly.
Looking at her, Geary realized he’d never really seen Co-President Victoria Rione angry before. It wasn’t something he wanted to see again. “How could you have done such a thing?” Rione demanded, seeming to bite off each word as it came out.
Geary spoke carefully. “I believe this is the best course of action—”
“You’ve betrayed this fleet! You’ve betrayed the Alliance! And you’ve betrayed me!”
Flinching from the harsh words and anger, Geary nonetheless found his attention fixing on the last sentence. “I betrayed you? How?”
Rione flushed, drawing herself back. “That’s … never mind. I misspoke. I meant that you’d betrayed everyone in this fleet, all of the officers and sailors who have come to trust that you would use your command wisely! I have not worked against you. I have tried to support your efforts, thinking that you had demonstrated a lack of personal ambition and some minor degree of common sense. I was wrong, Captain Geary. By fooling me as to your true intentions, you succeeded in manipulating this fleet to a place where you can play the hero you’ve obviously always sought to be! And you’ve made me an unwitting accomplice in your schemes!”
“I am not a hero,” Geary snapped back at her. “This isn’t about that at all. If you’ll just take a moment to consider my reasons—”
“Your reasons? I already know what your reasons are,” Rione insisted. “You fear that Captain Falco will wrest command of this fleet from you. I heard what he said to you, warning you that the fleet would choose another commander if you weren’t bold enough! So to prevent that from happening, you’re willing to risk this fleet’s destruction! As if the fleet and every person in it is just a toy that you and Captain Falco are fighting over like a pair of jealous toddlers! If you can’t have it, no one can!”
Geary kept a rein on his temper with great effort. “Madam Co-President,” he ground out, “I extrapolated every possible course of action—”
“Did you? And where are the records of these extrapolations, Captain Geary?” she demanded.
That statement knocked Geary off balance for a moment. “You can access my personal strategic models and simulations? Those are supposed to be under a tight eyes-only security seal.”
Rione, looking like she regretted having admitted that, nonetheless nodded imperiously. “Did you have something to hide, Captain Geary? Such as a total lack of records of the simulations you claim justify this decision of yours?”
“I didn’t run simulations,” Geary roared back. “I could do all of that in my head. Not to the same degree of accuracy as simulations, but well enough to identify the dangers we were facing!”
“You actually expect me to believe that? Do you think I’m stupid as well as gullible, Captain Geary? What were you planning to manipulate me into doing for you next? Do you think I have no pride? Do you think I have no sense of honor?”
He tried to get his temper back under control. “I have not fooled you, I have not manipulated you, I have been honest every step of the way.”
Rione leaned closer, her eyes blazing. “I have endured many things for the sake of the Alliance, Captain Geary. But to find that I have been treated in this fashion by a man I had come to assume was above such things is the most humiliating thing I have ever experienced. Worse, the fact that you succeeded in using me to further your aims means these ships and perhaps the Alliance itself are doomed. The people of the Callas Republic, who I swore to serve faithfully, are doomed. I have failed, Captain Geary. You can take satisfaction in that much. You don’t need to continue pretending to be unjustly accused.”
Geary glared back at her. “Believe it or not, this isn’t about you.”
“No, Captain Geary. It’s not. It’s about the thousands of men and women you are leading to their deaths.”
Geary looked away, trying to regain his composure. “If you would do me the courtesy of letting me explain my intentions—”
“I’ve already heard them.” Rione pivoted, walked one step away, then swung back to face him again. “The simulations you claimed to have run don’t exist. You haven’t even tried to claim otherwise.”
“I never claimed to have run simulations!”
Rione paused, then a bitter smile curved one corner of her mouth. “So the simple warrior chose his words with such great care? Implying something existed when it didn’t?”
“I didn’t intend that anyone misinterpret my reasons for this course of action! You just have to take my word for it that I worked this out.”
“How convenient,” Rione stated in a voice suddenly gone icy. “I only need to take your word again. I hadn’t realized you held me in such contempt. Am I really so easy to manipulate?”
“I did not manipulate you! That was never my intention!”
“So you say.” Rione shook her head slowly, never taking her eyes off of Geary. “Your real intentions are already clear to me.”
“Fine,” Geary almost snarled. “Then why don’t you tell me what you think they are?”
“I already told you. When confronted with a serious challenge to your command of this fleet, you have chosen to do the sort of insanely risky and ill-considered action that you have spent the last few months claiming to abhor. Your intention, Captain Geary, is to prove that you can be as brainlessly aggressive as Captain Falco, thereby ensuring these ships continue to follow you, regardless of what happens to them as a result.”
“This isn’t brainless,” Geary snapped back at her. “I considered all options.”
“And clearly disregarded all of the intelligent ones!”
“I don’t want this fleet destroyed! If we’d continued ahead as planned, we would’ve been trapped by superior Syndic forces after having been worn down by more minor losses in every system along the way!” He was yelling at her again, Geary realized, more angry than he could remember feeling since being rescued.