Cain didn’t answer right away. He continued to stare at the map and, finally, he extended his finger toward one of the large orange circles. “Cornwall. That’s where we need to be.” He looked up at Teller. “They may hit everything, but I’d wager anything they definitely come at Cornwall. Look at the warp gate layout.”
Teller looked down and scanned the ‘pad. All the threatened systems had multiple warp gates, but other than Cornwall, they mostly led in circles, connecting to the other worlds right on the Rim. Cornwall was the most direct route into the heart of the Alliance…it was a primary target for any enemy bent on invasion. “Are you saying we leave the other worlds undefended and focus on Cornwall?” Teller glanced quickly back at the ‘pad and then back up at Cain. “They can get to Farpoint without Cornwall, you know. Providence to Six Rings to Norris Station to Point Luck to Stanchion to Farpoint.”
Cain took a deep breath and stared at the map. “Yes, but that route leads through four essentially uninhabited systems. And the trip between warp gates in Point Luck is over 30 light hours. It’s a long way around, and if they go that way we’ll have plenty or warning and a lot of useless real estate we can give up while we prepare a defense.” He paused and took another breath. “But if they take Cornwall, they’re two transits away from here on a direct line.”
“What about the civilian populations?” Teller asked the question, but his voice was somber. He already knew the answer.
“There aren’t many civilians on those worlds…and letting our forces get chopped up piecemeal isn’t going to save one of them. We have no idea how large this invasion force is, but if we don’t stop them somewhere out here, we’ll be fighting them on Columbia and Arcadia and the other Core Worlds. Then you’ll see civilian casualties.” He hesitated for a few seconds. “I’ve already discussed this with Admiral West. We’re going to concentrate our forces to defend Cornwall. Meanwhile, she’s mobilized the extra transports and every civilian vessel we can get our hands on. We’re going to evacuate the other planets.”
Teller looked back at Cain, his expression doubtful. “You think we’ll have time to get them all off?”
Cain sighed. “No. Probably not. But we’ll get some of them. Maybe most of them…as I said, there are no large populations on those planets.” He stared back at Teller. “And that’s more than we’d do trying to mount hopeless defenses on all the threatened worlds.” Cain hated the idea of leaving civilians undefended, no matter how small the population. It was a calculus of his profession he detested. But there was no choice. Dividing his troops to cover all four planets might make him feel better superficially…if he could work himself into enough denial. But he knew it would be futile in the end, and Erik Cain hated futility. If his men and women were going to fight and die against a vastly superior enemy, they were going to do it where their deaths might have some meaning. If they could get more data on the enemy and hold him up for a while they would help their brothers and sisters who would fight the next battle.
Teller didn’t entirely agree, though he did see the cold logic in Cain’s plan. But he knew his commanding officer well enough to be sure there was no point in trying to change his mind. Besides, Cain was just about the only person alive that John Teller trusted without reservation. “What do you want me to do, sir?”
Erica West sat in her office and stared down at the screen of the com unit, a stunned expression on her face. “You want me to do what?”
Erik Cain’s face stared back at her on the small display. His expression was resolute. “You heard me the first time.” He forced a grim smile. “I want you to pull your forces out of the system after you drop Teller’s people on Cornwall.”
“Erik, I need to mount a defense. I can’t just give them the system.” She stared back at him incredulously. “And I can’t abandon your people there!”
“Erica, think for a minute.” Cain was trying to be gently persuasive – he knew he’d react the same way to a similar request. “You know you can’t win the battle, and if you fight it will be over in a couple days…if not hours.” He paused for an instant, thinking of what he wanted to say. It wasn’t easy telling a respected colleague she had no chance in a fight. “Their ships are faster, their weapons are longer-ranged. If you let yourself get sucked in you won’t be able to get away. My people will be alone anyway, and we won’t have Third Fleet waiting in the wings.”
“I don’t know, Erik. It doesn’t seem right.” Her voice was somber; she knew her fleet didn’t have a real chance, especially not at Cornwall. At least at Farpoint they had the bombers and fixed defenses of the base and the enhanced detection grid. But in Cornwall it would just be her aging ships. She was realizing Cain was right, but she still couldn’t reconcile herself to turning tail and leaving the Marines on their own.
Cain paused uncomfortably. After all these years he’d never gotten used to the small delay in ground to orbit communications. “Hear me out, Erica. I have a plan.” He took a deep breath. “I want you to fight at Cornwall…just not on the enemy’s terms.”
West looked back with a confused expression on her face. “What do you have in mind, Erik?”
“Take a look at your map.” He hesitated a few seconds, giving her time to pull up the information on her display. “Cornwall’s system has three warp gates. The enemy will be coming through the one from the Banshee system. We’ll be going in from Olympia.” He glanced down at the map display then back at the com. “Take a look at the one from XR-3.”
There was a considerable pause then West looked back up at the com. “But XR-3 is a dead end, and an empty one at that. There’s not even an asteroid there, much less a planet. What could we possib…”
“But look where it is relative to Cornwall.” No one had ever called Erik Cain a patient man. He’d started to interrupt almost immediately, but the communications lag had allowed West get out a few more words.
She stared down at the display again, her fingers moving to expand the view of the Cornwall system. She was confused for a few seconds, but then she realized what Cain was talking about. Warp gates were almost always located in the outer reaches of solar systems, far beyond the orbits of any planets. But the warp gate connecting Cornwall with XR-3 was an anomaly…it was less than 15 light minutes from the planet.
“You want me to hide in XR-3 and then bushwhack them.” She smiled as she finally understood what Cain had in mind. “That’s brilliant, Erik.” She allowed herself a small chuckle and added, “I thought you were a ground-pounder. You after Admiral Garret’s job now too?”
Cain returned the smile. “No, thank you. My own is quite enough. But this is an infantryman’s plan. My people can hold out longer on the ground than your people can in space facing an enemy that can out-thrust and out-shoot you.” A wicked smile crept onto his face. “If my people dig in, those bastards will have a hell of a time forcing us out, futuristic robots or not.”
West’s smile faded into a concerned look. “Erik, please tell me you’re not planning to go down to the surface on Cornwall.” When he didn’t answer she continued, “Because General Holm would have a stroke if he knew you were even considering it.”
Cain was still silent. He honestly didn’t know what he was going to do. There was no justification for him leading those troops himself. He was the overall theater commander, and he knew Jax and the second half of the division would be embarking any day to reinforce him. He had responsibilities far beyond the tactical command on Cornwall. But he still wanted to go. Deep down he knew the mission was futile. They might gain intel, and they might slow the enemy down, but there was no way they were going to beat them. Not on Cornwall. And Erik Cain wasn’t sure he had it in him to send thousands of his men and women to their deaths while he stayed behind. Not again.