Predator was the bright spot. She could be repaired even with the limited facilities available to us, and her crew casualties could be made up from Harpy. Repair time was estimated at two to three weeks. “Make it two, maximum!” I ordered.
With one destroyer converted to emm cee squared and another damaged, Jonas was down to Nemesis, two cruisers, Relentless and Dauntless, and one destroyer, Raptor.
“Well, Admiral,” Cord beamed. “Your crazy boats seem to work.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “But I certainly hope that sixty percent casualty rates aren’t typical.” I sighed. “And we’ve lost the element of surprise. They know about the boats now. They'll be trying to figure out defenses as we speak.”
He grinned. “I know. However, it was worth it, Admiral. We’ll call Wil Tor on Haven, and have the rim tramps spread rumors of the battle to the other planets. Sheol! Jonas couldn’t have hidden the condition of that damaged destroyer; I’d bet rumors are already circulating.” He shook his head. “I know you don’t understand, Admiral, but that victory is worth a dozen destroyers!”
He sobered. “Now. Do we know who the boat pilot was that blew up the destroyer?”
Jamro answered. “Yes, sir. A miner from Keth’s World. But he was caught in the blast, and is one of our ten boat casualties.”
Cord nodded. “Very well. Captain, I want you to recommend him for the silver comet. As I understand it, you were closest to the action.”
“Yes, sir. I’d already suggested something like that to the Admiral.”
“Good!” Cord smiled. “Now, I want you, Captain, to take a rim tramp to Keth’s and track down some of the man’s family. Bring them here for a public ceremony.”
“Uh, sir,” Jamro began uncomfortably, “I’ve got repairs to my ship to oversee, and…”
“No, you don’t.” Cord interrupted, “Come, Captain, do you think I can’t recognize serious damage when I see it? Your ship is out for the duration, and you know it.” His manner softened. “I’m sorry, Captain,” he continued quietly, “But it’s true. Harpy needs a shipyard, and we don't have one.”
“What you don’t understand,” he continued, “Is that this mission can help our cause as much as Harpy and her entire crew. We desperately need a hero. The rim needs one, and those boat pilots especially need one. This young man genuinely was a hero, and I intend to see to it that his heroism is recognized. By sending a ship’s captain to bring back his family, we’re showing the rim how important this young man’s heroism was.”
“When you get his family back here,” Cord continued, “we’ll tape the award and the memorial ceremonies for the other twenty-two casualties we suffered and have the rim tramps smuggle copies of the tapes onto every planet in the sector. Don't be surprised if that boy ends up the rim’s first sector-wide hero.”
When the other officers had left, Cord turned to me. “All right, Admiral. You’re scowling. Why?”
I shrugged. “I just don’t like seeing you use those young peoples’ bravery and heroism for political gain, I guess.”
Cord paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Admiral,” he said quietly, “I’m getting a bit tired of your attitude. I’ve never dealt less than honorably with you, yet you continue to ascribe less-than-honorable motives to my every move. Was it dishonorable of me to use those young men to fight for our cause?”
“No, sir, of course not.”
He nodded. “Nor is it dishonorable for me to honor their heroism and sacrifice by sharing their ceremonies and awards with the people they fought and died for. Alive, they served by fighting a battle. Dead, they will serve by giving hope to all the people of the rim. You know better than I the real value of military ceremony. It seemed that there was always some cretin in the Imperial Assembly complaining about the waste of money for military ceremony and customs such as the ‘round trip ticket’.
“And every time it happened,” he continued, “every Admiral and General in the Fleet let out a howl that could be heard to the Pleiades! I know as well as you that morale and esprit de corps are two of the most important reasons that men fight.” His fist slammed his desk. “Damn it, Admiral, I’m honoring their service, not abusing their memories. And I resent your constant implications of dishonesty!”
“I’m truly sorry, sir,” I replied. My apology was genuine. Cord had always been honorable in his dealings with me. “I’m afraid I’m guilty of typing you as a politician; and the few politicians I’ve dealt with were the ultimate pragmatists. Right was whatever was good for their career, and wrong was anything that risked compromising or diminishing their power.” I shrugged. “You are quite correct, sir. I’ve never seen you display that kind of behavior, and I have no right to ascribe dishonorable motives to you.”
Cord grinned and nodded. “I understand, Admiral. Many if not most politicians are of the type you describe. But some of us are capable of seeing beyond our own noses.” He waved dismissively. “Now, tell me about our next operation.”
Cord was turning into a real fire-eater. A narrow victory over two destroyers had whetted his appetite. I hoped I could keep him from wasting good people.
When Kaleen called via subspace, we were still arguing. Cord wanted to mount another attack immediately, this one on Relentless, the Battle Cruiser Jonas had sent to Gamma.
I had just made the point that Jonas was certain to recall the Cruiser, in light of the destroyer battle. Cord was saying that was why we should strike now, when the comm tech called us.
Tempers still hot, we went to the comm room.
It was Wil Tor, of course. “Admiral, Viceroy, I’m afraid I have a bit of a problem down here. Lieutenant Colonel Ratjek, my CO on Thaeron, has deserted Jonas, and was picked up by my people last night.”
“That doesn’t exactly sound like a problem, Sneaker,” Cord said. “In fact it sounds like a coup. If the CO of Jonas’ Marine Detachment defects, surely others will follow.”
“Yes, Sir,” Wil replied, “You’re right, of course. The problem is that I’m the CO of the resistance unit. Now, the Colonel outranks me. Oh, the Colonel has no real problem with being under my command,” he added hurriedly, “but my marines are used to him being in charge. I’m afraid they’ll look to him every time I give an order.”
Cord looked slightly puzzled, but I understood completely. A CO has to be able to expect instant obedience, especially in combat. This is even more important in a guerilla operation, where uniforms aren’t worn and lines of command can become blurred. If Wil weren’t the senior officer present, it would seriously impair his effectiveness. The trouble was, I could see that Cord didn’t understand the situation.
“You say that the Colonel has no problem with being under your command?” I asked.
“None, sir. That’s not the problem.”
“I understand, Sneaker One,” I replied. “Stand by. We’ll be back with you in a moment. Snooper, disconnect.”
“Yes, sir,” Kaleen replied crisply. “You’re disconnected.” It sounded as though Wil was having an effect on Kaleen.
I turned to Cord. “I can see you don’t understand the seriousness of the problem down there, Viceroy.”
He shrugged. “You’re quite right, Admiral. If we’ve placed Tor in charge, it shouldn’t matter who shows up.”
“In anything but a combat situation, you’re correct, sir. However, in combat, lives depend upon total and instant obedience. You can’t have the troops looking around for the Colonel every time Wil gives them an order. This situation can’t continue. People will die.”
Cord shrugged again. “Very well, let’s promote Tor to full colonel. That should solve the problem, shouldn’t it?”
I was taken a bit aback. Despite my own lightning promotions, I still tended to think in Fleet terms, where majors were not simply booted up to bird colonel. That progression can take up to ten years in the Fleet. I guess I still didn’t understand the power of an imperial viceroy that Cord wielded so casually.
I nodded. “Yes, sir, that should do it, if we can make the promotion public to Wil’s people. How about this: we set up a small promotion ceremony via radio, and have as many of Wil’s people as possible tune in?”