Offices of the Supreme Council for the Preservation of the Faith, city of McNair, Commitment
“Send him in!”
Polk did something he had not done since becoming chief councillor. He got up and went around his massive desk to shake the hand of the man who entered his office before waving him, more than a little surprised, into a seat.
“Well, Admiral. Looks like we’re actually going to do it.” Polk went back to his own seat.
Fleet Admiral Jorge smiled. “Well, sir. If you mean give the Feds a damn good kicking they won’t forget for a long time, then yes, I think we are. And I think we’ll get them to the negotiating table.”
Polk leaned back and looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling.
“You know, Admiral, I have to be honest”-You lying jerk, Jorge thought; Polk had never been honest in his life. He would not be chief councillor if he had; that was for sure-“When we started down this road, I really thought that it would all fall apart. Like so many things the Hammer has tried to do over the years,” he added bitterly.
Jorge shook his head emphatically. “We all have doubts, sir. We need to. Our contingency planning would be nonexistent otherwise, but this time, I think Fleet can do what it has been asked to do. We certainly have the means to drive the Feds to the negotiating table.”
“Your antimatter warheads?”
“Exactly so, sir. It makes every Fed ship vulnerable and their tactics obsolete. You recall the briefing from defense intelligence?” Polk nodded. “I do. We have a lead of three, more like five, years over the Feds.”
“I’ve told the planners to work on three. On the warhead front, I cannot see how they can duplicate what took us the best part of thirty years in less time. Think of the production infrastructure alone. Not to mention catching up on the fundamental research. So that’s how long we’ve got to get the monkey off our back. I hope, well, I just. .”
Polk leaned forward with a smile. “Hope those useless sons of bitches at foreign relations can negotiate the result we need. I think that’s what you wanted to say.”
“Well, not quite the words I would have used, sir, but close enough,” Jorge conceded. “I’m sure we can hold the Feds for three years. I think we can probably hold them for five. After that. .”
“Kraa!” Polk sneered, his lip curling in disdain. “I’ll tell you something, Admiral. If the councillor for foreign relations hasn’t wrapped up negotiations with the damn Feds before next year is out, then you’ll be seeing a new face at the council table, I can assure you.”
Jorge had no trouble believing Polk, just as he had no trouble believing that his own life-and the lives of his wife and only son-would be forfeit if the warships assigned to Operation Damascus did not eliminate the threat posed by the Fed fleet.
“Now, enough of that,” Polk continued. “I recall we had some other matters to deal with.”
“Well, sir. Let me start with the biggest problem I’ve got: the admiral commanding the Fortitude system, Rear Admiral. .”