her! Of course. I have such trouble with their ugly
names,” Xie said. He scanned his handheld. “One of the prisoners confirmed she
was traveling with the group, but she wasn’t among the captured, and we haven’t
verified her death. We did use some explosives and orbital laser strikes, so
there are some remains we will need to study.”
Foster survived, Shen’s gut told him. Damn, she
would have been a major catch. But if we killed and captured some of the people
around her, it is still a significant blow. Every little victory like this
was a step closer to going home, Shen told himself.
“This success on your team’s information settles something
else,” Xie said.
“Sir?”
Xie reached into his desk and pulled out a small
felt-covered box, which he opened and placed in front of Shen. A small golden
metal bear was within. “My congratulations, again, Zhong Xiao . You are
promoted.”
“I am honored, sir,” Shen said. He bowed his head. This was
not entirely unexpected, given his service time, although the debacle at the
prison in the community of Cottonwood had left it in question. Perhaps this
means I will at last be recalled to a position on Earth.
“You will continue in your present assignment as my
intelligence chief,” Xie said. “We need you too much here. In fact, I believe
it is time to include you in on the details of the current operation.”
Although he had long learned to remain impassive in front of
superiors, Shen’s face must have betrayed a fraction of surprise, for Xie
chuckled and said, “Yes, the divisional chiefs have been left out of this one
so far, but you have already witnessed some results.”
Shen said, “The raid today. Does it relate to our reports
about the insurgents leaving the region around Cypress?”
Xie smiled. “Indeed. We have been encouraging them to gather
near here. Their strength has been in their dispersion. They have been
operating in small groups, killing us with a thousand cuts, while our superiors
on Earth continue to demand we divert more of our resources elsewhere.”
“So we are giving them reasons to move here, where our force
is concentrated,” Shen said.
“Through inaction, yes. We have turned a blind eye to their
connections with the civilians living in the camp. We’re feigning weakness and
inattention. We’re letting them think they have a chance to win, and that’s
drawing them together. Your assignment, Zhong Xiao Shen, is to find the
holes they are hiding in.”
“And once we’ve done that, we’ll smash them?”
“Only if we must,” the general said. “We intend to provide
them with another option, if they are wise enough to take it.”
Chapter 6
CANBERRA – Colonial Minister Peter Ainsley announced
the first solely Australian colony world will be named “Uluru” following Tuesday’s
national election. The moon, orbiting a large planet in the 36 Ursae Majoris
system, is said to be marginally habitable, and terraforming efforts are already
underway to allow humans to walk on the surface without breathing assistance.
The system is near the suspected boundaries of the stellar dead zone, but
scientists say the microbial oxygen-producing lifeforms in the moon’s oceans
are apparently hardy enough to have survived the primordial interstellar
disaster that created the dead zone in the first place.
While’s Australia’s acquisition of the colony has been
widely celebrated, it has also renewed calls for the country to seek a separate
peace in the interstellar war, with proponents saying Australia has achieved
its goals of acquiring a world of its own. But polls show almost two-thirds of
Australian citizens support remaining in the conflict, with many expressing a
desire to honor alliances and others expressing fear that forgoing cooperation
with the United States and Japan would leave their new world at risk to some
other power seeking potential colonies.
The name “Uluru” garnered 42 percent of the vote.
names,” Xie said. He scanned his handheld. “One of the prisoners confirmed she
was traveling with the group, but she wasn’t among the captured, and we haven’t
verified her death. We did use some explosives and orbital laser strikes, so
there are some remains we will need to study.”
Foster survived, Shen’s gut told him. Damn, she
would have been a major catch. But if we killed and captured some of the people
around her, it is still a significant blow. Every little victory like this
was a step closer to going home, Shen told himself.
“This success on your team’s information settles something
else,” Xie said.
“Sir?”
Xie reached into his desk and pulled out a small
felt-covered box, which he opened and placed in front of Shen. A small golden
metal bear was within. “My congratulations, again, Zhong Xiao . You are
promoted.”
“I am honored, sir,” Shen said. He bowed his head. This was
not entirely unexpected, given his service time, although the debacle at the
prison in the community of Cottonwood had left it in question. Perhaps this
means I will at last be recalled to a position on Earth.
“You will continue in your present assignment as my
intelligence chief,” Xie said. “We need you too much here. In fact, I believe
it is time to include you in on the details of the current operation.”
Although he had long learned to remain impassive in front of
superiors, Shen’s face must have betrayed a fraction of surprise, for Xie
chuckled and said, “Yes, the divisional chiefs have been left out of this one
so far, but you have already witnessed some results.”
Shen said, “The raid today. Does it relate to our reports
about the insurgents leaving the region around Cypress?”
Xie smiled. “Indeed. We have been encouraging them to gather
near here. Their strength has been in their dispersion. They have been
operating in small groups, killing us with a thousand cuts, while our superiors
on Earth continue to demand we divert more of our resources elsewhere.”
“So we are giving them reasons to move here, where our force
is concentrated,” Shen said.
“Through inaction, yes. We have turned a blind eye to their
connections with the civilians living in the camp. We’re feigning weakness and
inattention. We’re letting them think they have a chance to win, and that’s
drawing them together. Your assignment, Zhong Xiao Shen, is to find the
holes they are hiding in.”
“And once we’ve done that, we’ll smash them?”
“Only if we must,” the general said. “We intend to provide
them with another option, if they are wise enough to take it.”
Chapter 6
CANBERRA – Colonial Minister Peter Ainsley announced
the first solely Australian colony world will be named “Uluru” following Tuesday’s
national election. The moon, orbiting a large planet in the 36 Ursae Majoris
system, is said to be marginally habitable, and terraforming efforts are already
underway to allow humans to walk on the surface without breathing assistance.
The system is near the suspected boundaries of the stellar dead zone, but
scientists say the microbial oxygen-producing lifeforms in the moon’s oceans
are apparently hardy enough to have survived the primordial interstellar
disaster that created the dead zone in the first place.
While’s Australia’s acquisition of the colony has been
widely celebrated, it has also renewed calls for the country to seek a separate
peace in the interstellar war, with proponents saying Australia has achieved
its goals of acquiring a world of its own. But polls show almost two-thirds of
Australian citizens support remaining in the conflict, with many expressing a
desire to honor alliances and others expressing fear that forgoing cooperation
with the United States and Japan would leave their new world at risk to some
other power seeking potential colonies.
The name “Uluru” garnered 42 percent of the vote.
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