majority into falling into line.”
“Precisely.” Hok shook her head. “Bloody man is a fool. If he’d eased up, the Revival would have lost much of its political legitimacy in the eyes of the average Hammer, and the flow of recruits the NRA depends on would have dried up, along with money and supplies. We’d have withered on the vine, and our Branxton bases would have dropped into Polk’s hands without him having to send in the marines. Instead, our support has never been stronger.”
Michael looked skeptical. “That doesn’t help much, surely,” he said.
“It does. Let me tell you; when we launch Juggernaut, we’ll be pushing on an open door. Polk won’t last a month, and that’s because the marines and planetary defense will refuse to fight. Deserters are telling us that the marines are close to mutiny and planetary defense is the same.”
“So why isn’t Polk worried? He should be.”
“Yes, he should. But we think he’s decided that they don’t matter anymore. The marines and planetary defense have both let him down: the marines by failing to destroy our Branxton bases, planetary defense because they let us escape. Now, thanks to the Pascanicians, he will have his antimatter missiles sooner rather than later, and when he does, nobody in humanspace will be able to stand up against him. To rule humanspace, all he needs is the Hammer Space Fleet, and he’s being nice to them … for the moment, at least. So who needs the marines? Who needs planetary defense? Polk doesn’t, not anymore.”
“The man’s insane,” Michael said.
“Maybe, but thank Kraa for it. Makes our job easier.”
“I hope so,” Michael said with obvious feeling.
“Which brings us to the subject of your Anna.”
Michael’s gut twisted. “Ah, yes,” he said, trying not to sound as anxious as he felt, “I was about to ask.”
“Relax. Major Anna Cheung Helfort is fine.”
Michael’s eyebrows shot up. “Major?” he said, incredulous. “I thought she was a captain.”
“Oh, she was.” Hok chuckled. “But we’ve just had word she’s been promoted.”
“What a surprise.” Michael sighed. “I always wondered why she didn’t join the marines, since being a grunt is obviously what she likes doing.”
“She has a gift for it, that’s for sure.”
“Has she stayed with the 120th?” Michael asked, hoping against hope that she’d been transferred somewhere safer.
“She has. She’s been given command of a company.”
Michael’s gut twisted some more. “Good for her,” he forced himself to say. “The 120th is still in the Velmar Mountains?”
“They are, along with the 443rd and the 22nd. They’ve taken a lot of pressure off the Branxtons and have tied down an entire planetary defense division. The latest intelligence summaries say that those Hammers have been hit so hard that only a handful of their formations are fully combat effective.”
Michael knew he should take some comfort in the fact that Anna was up against second-rate troops, but he couldn’t. Anna being Anna, she’d be in the thick of it. “Good to hear,” he said. ”I just wish she knew I was okay.”
“Shit! I’m so sorry, Michael; I meant to tell you earlier. I know what Admiral Jaruzelska said, but General Cortez overruled her. He’s made sure she knows.”
Relief flooded Michael’s body. “That was good of him.”
“Least we could do.”
“Don’t let me forget to thank him.”
“I won’t,” Hok said, getting to her feet. “Now, I’ve got some things I need to do, and if you’re half as tired as you look, I think you should turn in.”
“You’re right, Major,” Michael said, all of a sudden conscious of just how exhausted he was. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“You will.”
Friday, January 2, 2404, UD
Hendrik Island antimatter plant, Commitment
“If you’d like to come this way, gentlemen.”
Trailed by his chief of staff, Polk followed Doctor Ndegwa past a massive blast door and into a tunnel
“Precisely.” Hok shook her head. “Bloody man is a fool. If he’d eased up, the Revival would have lost much of its political legitimacy in the eyes of the average Hammer, and the flow of recruits the NRA depends on would have dried up, along with money and supplies. We’d have withered on the vine, and our Branxton bases would have dropped into Polk’s hands without him having to send in the marines. Instead, our support has never been stronger.”
Michael looked skeptical. “That doesn’t help much, surely,” he said.
“It does. Let me tell you; when we launch Juggernaut, we’ll be pushing on an open door. Polk won’t last a month, and that’s because the marines and planetary defense will refuse to fight. Deserters are telling us that the marines are close to mutiny and planetary defense is the same.”
“So why isn’t Polk worried? He should be.”
“Yes, he should. But we think he’s decided that they don’t matter anymore. The marines and planetary defense have both let him down: the marines by failing to destroy our Branxton bases, planetary defense because they let us escape. Now, thanks to the Pascanicians, he will have his antimatter missiles sooner rather than later, and when he does, nobody in humanspace will be able to stand up against him. To rule humanspace, all he needs is the Hammer Space Fleet, and he’s being nice to them … for the moment, at least. So who needs the marines? Who needs planetary defense? Polk doesn’t, not anymore.”
“The man’s insane,” Michael said.
“Maybe, but thank Kraa for it. Makes our job easier.”
“I hope so,” Michael said with obvious feeling.
“Which brings us to the subject of your Anna.”
Michael’s gut twisted. “Ah, yes,” he said, trying not to sound as anxious as he felt, “I was about to ask.”
“Relax. Major Anna Cheung Helfort is fine.”
Michael’s eyebrows shot up. “Major?” he said, incredulous. “I thought she was a captain.”
“Oh, she was.” Hok chuckled. “But we’ve just had word she’s been promoted.”
“What a surprise.” Michael sighed. “I always wondered why she didn’t join the marines, since being a grunt is obviously what she likes doing.”
“She has a gift for it, that’s for sure.”
“Has she stayed with the 120th?” Michael asked, hoping against hope that she’d been transferred somewhere safer.
“She has. She’s been given command of a company.”
Michael’s gut twisted some more. “Good for her,” he forced himself to say. “The 120th is still in the Velmar Mountains?”
“They are, along with the 443rd and the 22nd. They’ve taken a lot of pressure off the Branxtons and have tied down an entire planetary defense division. The latest intelligence summaries say that those Hammers have been hit so hard that only a handful of their formations are fully combat effective.”
Michael knew he should take some comfort in the fact that Anna was up against second-rate troops, but he couldn’t. Anna being Anna, she’d be in the thick of it. “Good to hear,” he said. ”I just wish she knew I was okay.”
“Shit! I’m so sorry, Michael; I meant to tell you earlier. I know what Admiral Jaruzelska said, but General Cortez overruled her. He’s made sure she knows.”
Relief flooded Michael’s body. “That was good of him.”
“Least we could do.”
“Don’t let me forget to thank him.”
“I won’t,” Hok said, getting to her feet. “Now, I’ve got some things I need to do, and if you’re half as tired as you look, I think you should turn in.”
“You’re right, Major,” Michael said, all of a sudden conscious of just how exhausted he was. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“You will.”
Friday, January 2, 2404, UD
Hendrik Island antimatter plant, Commitment
“If you’d like to come this way, gentlemen.”
Trailed by his chief of staff, Polk followed Doctor Ndegwa past a massive blast door and into a tunnel
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