Jay Allan - The Cost of Victory

Erik nodded to the general. "Yes sir. You're right, of course." He looked down and rubbed his hands together.

"What is it, Erik? There's something else bothering you."

"Well, sir…" Cain looked up and locked eyes with the general. "I'm just thinking about the colonies. I mean, you don't think it's just us they're going to pull this with, do you? The colonies have grown too. How much wealth do they produce now? How important have they become to the Alliance economy?"

"You're worried they're going to crack down on the colonial governments?" Holm got up and took his water bottle in his hand.

Erik paused for a second before he answered. "I'm worried they're going to try. And if they do, those people aren't going to put up with it. What are we going to do when they order us to start shooting colonists?"

"You really think things are going to go that far, Erik?" Jax had been content to listen up to now. He was more optimistic by nature than Cain, and he hadn't considered things to the extent Erik had."

Erik almost held his tongue, but he figured if he couldn't speak in front of these two, he couldn't speak in front of anyone. "Yes. I do."

General Holm sat back down behind his desk, and rubbed his face with his hand. "Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that. At least we don't have to worry about it right now. We've still got a war to fight. So let's focus on that right now, and we'll deal with the rest as we go. Whatever Alliance Gov is planning, they aren't going to do it until the war is over."

Cain and Jax both nodded their assent. "Good. So let's talk a little about what comes next. We had to call off the second half of Sherman because we lost our naval support. But we'll eventually get back on track. They can't keep most of the navy at Gliese forever; either they'll be a fight or there won't, but sooner or later they'll send us a couple battlegroups and we'll be able to finish the job."

Cain was relieved to be thinking about something other than the Alliance government. "I suggest we take the time to integrate the replacements we've received into our formations." They had lost about 10,000 troops in the three battles they'd fought, but they'd gotten fresh recruits to bring them back to establishment strength in all units. "We're probably looking at several months at least - just in transit time to and from Gliese - so I'd recommend some war games. Maybe even a couple practice assaults if you can get us the landers and supplies to burn."

Holm smiled broadly. "You're going to have my job someday, Erik. That's exactly what I was thinking." He reached into his desk and pulled out a small box. "First, I need to do some shuffling around of the command staff. You both know General Isaacson was wounded when his lander crashed on Wellington. Sarah's crew managed to keep him alive, but he's got an odd genetic marker, and they've had a hard time regenerating. He's looking at some heavy gene replacement therapy and then multiple regens. Two, maybe three years in hospital."

Cain and Jax both winced. Isaacson had been their division commander and a good officer, popular throughout the ranks.

"So," Holm continued, "I've got to replace him. I don't want to look outside the I Corps for senior officers if I can help it. So, I'm bumping Gilson to command 1st Division. Erik, I want you to take over 1st Brigade, effective immediately." He smiled at Cain's stunned look. "There's no one I trust more."

He looked over at Jax. "Darius, you'll take over the regiment." He tossed him the box he was holding. "Here are your eagles. Congratulations, Colonel Jax. You earned them."

Erik turned to face Jax and put his hand out. "There's no one who deserves it more, Jax," he said as they shook hands.

Holm stood up and walked around the desk again, putting his hand out to Jax as well. He glanced over at Cain. "I'll get you your star too, Erik. But I can't approve a promotion to general rank without an OK from General Samuels. I sent the request this morning." He gave Cain a quick grin. "Another reason I don't want you picking fights with that political officer right now."

After shaking hands with both of them and exchanging congratulatory salutes, he continued. "I want to bump up one of Jax's captains to major and give him the battalion. I'll expect a recommendation from the two of you by 1800 tonight. Try to agree and just give me one pick. I'll approve whatever you guys send up."

"Yessir." Cain and Jax spoke almost in unison.

Holm looked down and poked at his 'pad for a few seconds. "I'm sending you both some operational notes. I want 1st Brigade to plan and execute an assault on Columbia. You'll be taking on 2nd Brigade, which will be defending. We'll do a simulated bombardment, and then you'll hit the ground, Erik. Review the notes, and we'll discuss again tomorrow, say 1300 hours." He glanced back down at his desk. "Dismissed."

The newly promoted officers stood up and snapped salutes to the general, Jax's sharp and crisp, Erik's a little ragged. They turned and walked toward the door.

"Oh, and gentlemen?"

They turned to face the general. "You have both seen a force assault Columbia. See if you can do better than they did, ok?"

The conference room was large and extremely plush; the polished walnut table alone cost enough to feed a hundred starving Cogs for a year. The soft leather chairs surrounding it were no less expensive, and in these comfortable seats there were a number of well-dressed men and women. To the side of the table was a large credenza covered with platters of food. This was a lunch meeting, and the group assembled here quietly picked at their plates and fiddled with their 'pads while the waiters finished serving everyone. Finally, the last of the staff departed wordlessly, and the heavy glass doors slid shut, the clear panes turning opaque as they closed.

The room had an old look to it, with its real raised panel wainscoting and antique oil paintings on the walls. The paneling alone was noteworthy - wood of any kind was an expensive commodity, and walnut of this quality was almost priceless. There were few forests remaining in 23rd century America, and almost none with the old-growth trees needed for this type of craftsmanship. The illusion of some ancient manor home's drawing room ended abruptly, however, at the single wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, which offered a kilometer-high panoramic view of the southern Washbalt skyline.

"We have a number of items to discuss, and time is short. I have to brief our British friends on the status of our operations; my transport leaves in three hours, so let's not waste any time." The speaker was a tall man, perhaps sixty years of age, his black hair sprinkled lightly with gray. His name was Gavin Stark, but only a few people in the room knew that. To most of them he was simply Number One, the head of Western Alliance intelligence and one of the most feared men on the planet. "Let's start with the Epsilon Eridani initiative. How does the excavation proceed?"

A woman seated at the opposite end of the table responded. She was tall and trim, perhaps a few years younger than Stark, though there was more gray in her hair. "Operations are almost back on schedule. As you are all aware, thirteen years ago, just before the war, CAC intelligence discovered what we found on EE-4. They launched a surprise attack and took control of the planet. We were able to divert a detachment from 1st Marine division to retake the world before they could dig in or reinforce. Or, of course, get any heavy intel from the excavation site. The battle was small - neither side was heavily mobilized at the time. In the aftermath we were able to substantially upgrade the system's defenses, and a naval battlegroup has been posted there since."