“No, they won’t, but we don’t need them to. All we need is panic and indecision, and thanks to the ax that Polk hangs over the neck of every planetary defense and marine commander, believe me when I say there’ll be plenty of that about.”
Michael did not look convinced. “And how can you make sure of that?”
“Let me see … Take Yamaichi. The commanding officer of the marine air wing is one of ours, along with most of his staff. The man’s uncle was shot after Medusa, so he didn’t need much persuading to lend us a hand. And Besud will find that a large percentage of its ground-attack landers are combat-ineffective as well.”
“You can do that?”
“We think so. We own the specialist unit that maintains their fire-control systems.”
“What about Amokran?” Michael asked even though something told him that he would not like what Vaas was about to tell him.
“Best we could do is a couple of senior officers in one of their combat logistics battalions. We’ve given Amokran to Anna’s battalion …”
“Oh, no,” Michael whispered.
“… and that’s because the 3rd is one of the best units we have in the NRA, so I’m afraid they get the hardest targets.”
“Can’t argue with success, I suppose,” Michael said, his voice stiff.
“No, you can’t, not in this business. Now, what’s next? Oh, yes. What to do with you. Now, I know this will come as a disappointment, but I don’t want you joining the 3rd.”
Michael blinked; he had assumed the transfer was just a formality. “It doesn’t bother me that Anna’s the battalion commander, sir.”
“I’m sure it doesn’t, but it’s not that. I have other plans for you. Others may have taken the Juggernaut idea and run with it, but it was your idea, just as what comes next was your idea. Sending you out there,” Vaas said, waving an arm, “in the field with an assault rifle in your hand would be a criminal waste of your talents …”
Maybe so, General, Michael thought, keeping his face wooden, but that means I’ll be spending far too much time away from Anna.
“… and before you tear my head off, I know what you’re thinking. Anna, right?”
“Was I that obvious, sir?”
Vaas chuckled. “I’m psychic, remember?”
“So everyone keeps telling me.”
“Look, seeing her won’t be a problem, because I want you to be my roving eyes and ears, someone who’s not part of the formal command structure, my Devil’s advocate, if you like.”
“If that’s what you want, sir.”
“It is. You’ll be … let me see … yes, let’s call you my aide-de-camp.”
“Sounds good, sir,” Michael said. “For a moment I thought you wanted to bury me somewhere in the bowels of ENCOMM.”
“Not a chance, my boy. So trust me, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to visit the Velmars.”
“Thank you, General.”
“Right. The final run-through for Juggernaut is this afternoon. I’d like you to sit in on it, tell me what you think.”
“I’ll be there, and thanks for giving me so much time. I know how busy you are.”
“It’s nothing less than you deserve. Anything else?”
“Colonel Hartspring?”
“Now there’s a coincidence.” Vaas’s eyes narrowed. “I haven’t forgotten what Hartspring tried to do to you and Anna, and I don’t suppose you have either.”
“How can I? He hasn’t given up.”
“What’s the scumbag up to now?”
“He runs a unit called Team Victor. It’s a personal project of the chief councillor’s. When I was in jail waiting to be … you know … a message was smuggled in to tell me Team Victor was planning to kidnap Anna and hand her over to DocSec, and … you can guess the rest.”
“That’s answered a few questions we had,” Vaas said. He shook his head, his face a puzzled frown. “But why would they do that?”
“Polk didn’t think I was hurting enough, so he decided to make me really suffer. which I did,” Michael whispered.
“Kraa!” Vaas hissed. “They are something, those people. But why are you telling me?”
“I’m going to hunt Hartspring down and kill him, and when I’ve done that, I’m going after Polk. The time’s not yet right, but when it is, I want your word that you’ll let me do what I have to do.”
“Ah,” Vaas said, “that’s a tough one. You are one of my best assets, Michael. What if I still need you?”
Michael shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll go anyway,” he said, “but I’d feel a lot better if you said okay.”
“What the hell, fine.” Vaas sighed. “When the time’s right, come and ask. Unless you are the only thing that stands between us and total defeat, I’ll say yes.”
Vaas’s aide appeared. “General, the staff meeting?” he said.
“Yeah, sorry, Major,” Vaas said. “I’ll be there in a second. Michael, I have to go.”
“Thanks for everything, General. I know how busy you are.”
“No problem. Now, I was talking about coincidences, so I think you’ll enjoy this.” Vaas tossed a small packet to Michael. “One last thing: The next time I see you, I want you in NRA uniform. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
Tucked away in a corner of the staff canteen with a fresh mug of coffee, Michael opened the packet and spilled the contents onto the table: a handwritten note and a gold sunburst on a thin chain.
He picked up the note.
Michael,
One of the NRA’s deep penetration units ran into an old friend of yours, a Colonel Hartspring, a few months ago. His unit, a composite DocSec and marine unit; we don’t know what they do, blundered into one of our operations. Sadly, the bastards managed to fight their way clear. Hartspring was lucky to get out alive, but he did lose the enclosed in the process. The unit’s commander knew about you and Hartspring. He thought the sunburst would look better around your neck, so here it is.
We might have missed him this time, but trust me, his day will come.
Never forget.
Vaas
PS: If that sunburst’s not around your neck next time we meet, I will kick your ass.
Michael rolled the sunburst between his fingers. “Oh, yes, Colonel Hartspring,” he said under his breath, “your day will come, and that’s my promise to you.” The pain and suffering the man had promised Anna drove a wave of white-hot anger through his body; fists clenched, he drove his fingers into his palms so hard that the nails drew blood. He took a deep breath to steady himself as he put the sunburst onto the chain and around his neck.
He finished his coffee and set off to find Shinoda to tell her that that he would not be going with her to join the 120th.
The conference room was set with rows of seats arrayed in half circles around a small table and, off to one side, a lectern. As usual, Michael arrived early and slipped unnoticed into a seat at the back.
Slowly the place filled up. Michael checked the face of each new arrival, looking for anyone he knew. But every face was a stranger’s except that of Major Davoodi, Vaas’s aide, and they’d met that morning for the first time. He’d expected to see Captain Adrissa and the rest of the Fed spacers on her staff, but they were nowhere to be seen.
Strange, he thought. I wonder where they are.
Two minutes after the flow of arrivals had slowed to a trickle and then stopped, Davoodi called the gathering to attention as Vaas bustled in, followed by his new chief of staff and two more officers, one of whom he did recognize: Colonel, no, make that Brigadier General Pedersen, Vaas’s intelligence chief. As the rest of the brass took their seats at the table, Vaas remained standing, his eyes scanning the room.
Michael’s heart sank as he spotted Major Davoodi cutting a path right to him.
“The general would like you down front, Lieutenant,” Davoodi whispered.