"Please, I beg you; deliver our messages as soon as possible. This tragedy must not last a second more than necessary."
Cale stared at the empty viewscreen. "Damn, Tess, that's the most amazing thing I've seen since Raqal Wilkins took me to the gym after school. Do you think he means it?"
"Based on my studies of body language and speech patterns," Tess replied, "I feel certain the man was sincere. Of course, he could be a pawn in a complicated game, but it is difficult to envision a planetary president in that role."
Cale nodded soberly. "I agree. Let's call Zant back, and boost max for the jump point. We have messages to deliver."
"Then you will send the message torpedo to Admiral Gonzalez-Villareal?" Tess asked.
Cale shrugged. "That's the president's decision. Personally, I would send it — after it's been decrypted, translated, and scanned for secret content. It may save a lot of lives."
"I will begin the decryption procedure at once. Sire Jenfu reports that he will return after this run. I interpret this to mean when he completes his current firing pass."
Cale shook his head. "Connect me," he said. When Zant's face appeared on the viewscreen he said, "Damn it Zant! Get your ass back here. Something's come up, and we've got urgent business."
Zant just grinned. "Urgent, huh? What's up?"
Cale grinned. "You'll have to get back here to find out. I'll be closing the cargo door to the hold in ten minutes, and we boost in fifteen."
"You can't scare me. Strengl s have jump engines."
Cale shrugged. "True, but do you have enough fuel to make it to the mine? Or would you rather just drift around the system until the Santies rescue you? Ten minutes." He signaled Tess to cut the connection.
Zant was irritated at having to cut his attack short, but when he saw the President's message, he agreed that they should be going. Cheetah boosted max in pursuit of the slower Ilocan's Revenge and their prizes.
They escorted the prizes through the first jump point. Then Cheetah boosted max for the next jump point on their way to the mine. The jumps seemed interminable, but finally Cheetah emerged in the mine's nameless system, and headed for the mine at nearly 1.5G.
The prizes from Santiago had not arrived yet, probably wouldn't for several days, but already space around the mine was crowded. Cale counted seven ships being held in orbit. He wondered how the government intended to sell them, but that wasn't his problem. He had a message to deliver.
"So, what do you all think," the President asked. "Should we send on Calderon's message?"
"To hell with him!" the man speaking had been introduced as the Secretary of the Interior, though Cale had forgotten his name. "Why the hell should we deliver his mail?
Jessica whirled on him. "Because, Artut, this mail tells the Admiral to stop killing our people! Because this mail might help end the damned war! And because the Admiral doesn't know about anything that's happened, and he'll keep shooting until he does!"
The man she called "Artut" flushed and looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, Jessie. I ran my mouth before my brain was in gear."
She smiled. "No problem, Artut. But now we all need our brains in gear to decide the best course."
"Hell, we should send the damned message for all the reasons you've just spelled out," replied Artut. "Oh, there's a slight chance it contains some kind of secret coded message, but if our experts couldn't find one, I doubt it." Heads nodded all around the table.
Jessica turned to Cale. "Well, Cale, we appear to have decided. Would you like to make a speed run and fire off a message torp?"
Cale bowed from the waist and smiled. "Madam President, I would be delighted," he replied.
Chapter 12
Admiral Gonzales-Villareal gasped in disbelief. First, there was the mysterious message torp, an obsolete design made on Takul almost a century ago. Then the discovery that it had contained a personal message from the President! That was all shocking enough. However, it was the message itself that told him his career was over. The damned Ilocanos had raided Santiago? Where did they get the capability? They'd been seizing ships? And all the time, he had been sitting on his ass orbiting Ilocan, with his troops chasing rabbits! He would be a laughingstock; the Admiral who'd been having planning meetings over Ilocan while the Ilocanos had raided his home planet!
His orders were almost equally incredible. He was to stop all offensive operations. Easy enough; aside from a few patrols chasing woods runners, and a few cutters flying detection flights, there were no offensive operations.
Render all appropriate aid to the Ilocanos? What the Sheol did that mean? Even if he wanted to, he couldn't find any Ilocanos to whom he could render aid!
Finally, to immediately release all prisoners not undergoing medical treatment. Absurd! Obviously, the President did not understand that if he released a prisoner today, that prisoner would be killing Santiagans by nightfall!
Then the statement that all this was pending discussions on ending the war. And he, the senior officer in Santiago's military, who should be advising the negotiators, was sitting here two jumps away!
Well, if the message was to be believed, at least he need not expect a battle enroute to Santiago.
He exploded out of his flag cabin aboard Furioso, firing orders in every direction. Call the troops back from the ground. Not as simple as it sounded. First, the patrols had to be recalled, and cutters sent to retrieve them. Then there would have to be an orderly withdrawal of the outlying positions with their supplies and equipment, and finally the operational headquarters in the devastated main city of Homesafe, with its supplies and equipment. All prisoners to be released at the last minute, as the troops and med techs were boarding shuttles. All ships to recall any people or boats not on board and make all preparations to break orbit. Detail a ship to remain behind, with detailed instructions on permitted actions in any given circumstances. The Admiral set an arbitrary time of ten hours for the flotilla to break orbit.
They made the deadline, and boosted for the jump point at the max acceleration of the slowest ship, the converted tug, now unofficial minesweeper.
"Madam President," President Calderon beamed, "It is a pleasure to meet you."
Jessica did not return the smile. "I'm sorry I cannot say the same," she said grimly. "You asked for this meeting; what do you want?"
Calderon's smile did not waver; in fact, it widened. "Ah! You are as impatient with diplomatic niceties as I am. You know what I want. I want to discuss terms for cessation of hostilities. However, that could have been done by diplomats, or even by viewscreen. What I really hope to accomplish is to convince you to hear me out."
Jessica sighed. " Senor Presidente, I traveled for three weeks to meet you, including one jump. I have no other appointments this morning. I came to this recal system to 'hear you out'. Please get on with it."
Calderon's smile remained. "Good. I am glad you have no particular attachment to the niceties of diplomacy, because I intend to violate the strictest rule of diplomacy; I intend to speak only the truth.
"Madam President," he continued, "I am your villain. I personally issued the order to attack Ilocan. I did so on the advice of my council, but I am Presidente, and I bear the responsibility. You see, I am a career politician. I have devoted my life to finding ways to profit personally from what is laughingly called 'public service'. This war looked like an easy answer to some serious problems.
"But from Santiago's perspective, the war has been a complete disaster: an action against an unprepared opponent that was expected to be over in a week, but that dragged on into a seige of more than a year. Then, suddenly, an opponent reputed to be weak, with no spacegoing capability, turns the tables in a few months, and defeats us with an amazing ease. It is an embarrassment to everyone connected with it.