“I agree, Erik.” Holm almost laughed when he saw Cain’s surprised expression. “We just don’t know what we’re facing…either it’s a trick of some sort, or one of our enemies has taken a massive leap forward in power.” Cain had a bad habit of taking personal risks Holm considered unwise or unnecessary. But this time the Commandant agreed completely. “I need to have you out there. There are just too many variables. We have to have someone on the scene with unlimited discretion.” He looked right at Cain. “That’s you, Erik.”
Holm leaned back in his chair and looked over at Jax. “Darius, you’ll take charge of the rest of the division. I want you to put Prescott’s brigade through its paces until he gets here. He’s got less experienced units on average than Teller, and I want everybody ready for anything.”
“Yes sir.” Jax’s response was sharp and decisive, as always.
“And Jax…I know 1 st Division is understrength, but I’m going to divert the cadre for your third brigade to Angus Frasier’s 2 nd Division.” Holm glanced quickly at Cain to get a read on his reaction. He expected an argument, but Cain surprised him by silently nodding his agreement. “But I’m going to do what I can to expedite bringing your divisional support units up to regulation strength. That should compensate somewhat, and it will give you a wider range of capabilities, especially when we know so little about the prospective enemy.”
“I’ll get more transport here ASAP.” Garret was looking across the table in the general direction of the Marines. “If things get hot out there, we’ll get the rest of 1 st Division to the front…if I have to set up couches in the launch bays of the battleships to do it.”
“And I’ll get General Frasier to Armstrong to start getting 2 nd Division shaken out.” Holm’s voice was firm, but his expression showed concern. “Hopefully he can get them in enough shape to take your place here.” He was staring at Erik and, for once, the decisive General Holm looked like he could use a little reassurance. “After all, we still have to defend everything else.”
“Angus Frasier is a good man, sir.” Cain was happy to give Holm the support he needed, but he was speaking from the heart too. “He saved my ass on the Lysandra Plateau.” Cain paused for an instant, recalling those hellish days on Carson’s World. Frasier’s Highlanders fought alongside Prescott’s troops and broke through the enemy lines to relieve Cain’s surrounded brigade…and they’d paid heavily to do it. “I can’t think of a better man for the job.”
The room fell silent, each of them considering the situation from their own perspective. Finally, Holm took a deep breath and stood up. “Well, we all have work to do, so I suggest we get moving.”
The others started to rise and head toward the door. Garret walked around the table toward Holm. The two senior commanders spoke quietly as the rest of the officers present filed out of the door.
Jax and Cain stepped out into the quad, the sunrise just peeking over the mountains west of the camp. Jax waved for the orderly to bring the transport around. The two had been silent since leaving the conference room, but now Cain turned to his oldest comrade, his head arched up, blue eyes looking into those of the big man. He had an oddly calm expression on his face. “Well, my friend…once more into the breach.”
Chapter 7
“Dr. Hofstader, this committee would like to be lenient, but your actions are impossible to justify.” Ivan Norgov sat in the center of a long table at the front of the room, his angular face betraying anything but a desire for leniency. “Frankly, I find it difficult to conceive of a worse breach of the Committee’s trust.” He leaned back in his chair slightly, making a moderate effort to suppress a self-satisfied grin. “And I cannot overstate the recklessness of your actions nor the danger in which you placed this research facility.”
Hofstader sat silently in a smaller chair, one significantly less comfortable than the plush leather seats of the Committee. He faced the long, polished wood table, staring defiantly back at the Committee members who looked at him with varying degrees of disdain. The whole thing disgusted him…the bureaucracy, the pomp, the obscene luxury. The Committee table alone cost more than the salary of 20 research assistants for a year. Why, he wondered, do these fools care so much for all this nonsense? They are sitting on the most profound discovery in the history of mankind, and all they want to do is have meetings and write rules.
“I would also like to add that I am personally shocked at your conduct. Whatever your own inclinations, this Committee had already considered and rejected your repeated requests to accelerate the exploration timetable.” Norgov’s tone was scolding, his arrogance showing itself. “Yet you took it upon yourself to secretly enter sections of this facility that were newly discovered and off-limits.” Norgov glanced right and left at his colleagues on the Committee then back at Hofstader. “You compromised the safety of this installation and the entire research team because of your impatience.”
God, he loves the sound of his own voice, Hofstader thought derisively. He had nothing but contempt for Norgov and all the others like him. As far as he was concerned, people like him had been holding back human development and advancement for centuries. He had intended to remain quiet, but finally he decided the only way to shut Norgov up was to say something himself. “Dr. Norgov, I believe that you are mischaracterizing the nature of my activity.” Hofstader paused for an instant, reminding himself to stay calm and keep his voice even. An angry outburst wouldn’t help him now. “I merely scouted a section of tunnel and confirmed the presence of a large particle acceleration chamber. I did nothing further except to conduct passive radiation readings.”
“Dr. Hofstader, you are again leaping to premature conclusions.” Adam Crandall was seated at the far end of the table. The expression on his face was troubled, and his voice was gentle, almost sad. Crandall was pompous and unable to embrace anything outside academic orthodoxy, but he lacked Norgov’s mean streak. He was upset at Hofstader’s actions, but he also knew the German was probably the foremost expert in antimatter in any of the Powers. It felt wrong to ban him from the project, even if his actions warranted punishment. “I agree that the evidence suggests such a usage for this facility, but we have nowhere near the data we need to reach such a blanket conclusion. We must not sacrifice scientific validity for the sake of enthusiasm.”
Hofstader held back a frown. He couldn’t stand Norgov, but Crandall was different. The Alliance scientist was unquestionably a genius, however choked by procedure and protocols his research might be. Norgov, on the other hand, was more politician than scientist. Hofstader didn’t think the Russian contributed anything of use to the research effort. “Dr. Crandall, I understand that you take a more deliberative approach than I often do.” He was trying hard to sound conciliatory. “But that is why it is even more imperative that we move with greater urgency…so we can collect the data needed to meet your criteria.”
The Alliance scientist was about to respond, but Norgov spoke first. Crandall had an uncertain expression on his face, as if he was considering Hofstader’s words, but Norgov wore a scowl, and it was clear he had no interest in anything the German physicist had to say. “Dr, Crandall, Dr. Hofstader, your debate is tangential to the issue. The fact remains that a gross violation of the rules and a betrayal of trust has taken place.” He turned his head to look down the table at Crandall. “The time for discussing proper research protocols is past. This Committee has already done that and made its decisions.” His head moved back toward Hofstader, his eyes narrowed, face twisted into a disapproving frown. “Dr. Hofstader simply did not like the Committee’s decision, so he ignored it.”