Jack Campbell - Leviathan

“Admiral Bloch?” Geary asked.

“He got command of the Defender Fleet,” she said, “as I understand you were already told. Bloch still has, or still had, some powerful political backers. But I have been unable to confirm his current status.”

“Do you think Bloch has effective control of the dark ships? I’ve seen them doing things that I didn’t think Bloch would order.”

“I think he has influenced them to some extent. But I am certain he’s not in control now if he ever really was.” The senator gazed directly at Geary. “There is more than one way to neutralize a threat, Admiral. Some people wanted Admiral Bloch in a certain position because they hoped to benefit from that. But others of us intended all along that Bloch would be neutralized by giving him what he thought he wanted. He might still be alive, but if so, he is likely more miserable than when the Syndics had him. That’s ironic, isn’t it? He has all of space available to the warship he is aboard, but his compartments on that warship might form a very small prison from which there may be no escape.”

Geary looked back at her, appalled. “What if you’re right about that? Does even Bloch deserve such a fate?”

Senator Unruh stood up, sighing. “He got what he wanted, Admiral. If it isn’t what he thought it would be, that’s his own fault. And a useful lesson to anyone else who thinks pursuit of power is the path to happiness.”

“Where does the pursuit of power lead?” Geary asked as they waited for the hatch to open.

She gave him an amused look. “You care what I think? All right, then. Trying to accomplish something that requires someone to pursue power leads toward that something. But the pursuit of power as an end in itself doesn’t lead anywhere. It’s like someone walking on the surface of a Mobius strip. They go up and down and over and around, but they never reach a destination. They just keep walking, and wondering why they never get anywhere no matter how far and fast they walk.”

“Thank you, Senator.”

“For what? Letting you know just how badly we’ve screwed up and how much we’re counting on you to fix things?”

Geary shook his head. “No. For giving me proof that my faith in the government is not entirely misplaced.”

She stepped out to join the special forces soldiers, who began forming an escort around the senator. But Unruh turned to look back at Geary, her expression somber. “You do me too much honor, Admiral. I will do what I can to live up to your faith.”

Admiral Timbale waited until Senator Unruh and her escort had disappeared around a corner before turning a questioning look on Geary. “How did the meeting go?”

“What meeting?” Geary asked.

“Right.” Timbale walked alongside Geary in the opposite direction from that Senator Unruh and her escort had gone. “Is there anything I should know?”

Geary pondered what he could say. “We’re not alone.”

“Exactly who is we?”

“The good guys.” Geary smiled crookedly at Timbale. “Right?”

“I sure hope so.” Timbale walked a few more steps. “Do you still have those two agents aboard Dauntless ?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I still want them shot, remember?” Admiral Timbale glanced around, then checked a security device on his wrist to ensure they could not be overheard. “I have been apprised of subtle indications that someone is nosing around, trying to figure out what we might have learned from those agents.”

“We’ll make sure security around their cells remains tight,” Geary said. “Anything else?”

“I received classified orders to locate former Alliance senator Victoria Rione. There are people who want to talk to her.”

“Which people?” Geary asked.

“I can’t tell. That’s left fairly vague in the orders,” Timbale explained. “For that matter, just who originated the orders was left fairly vague. Which is why I haven’t been overly worried about trying to locate Rione.”

“It sounds like some other people are worried,” Geary said.

“I certainly would be if I were one of those responsible for what happened to her husband.” Timbale rubbed his nose. “By the way, my security people, the ones I trust, said they had found some odd anomalies in our security routines, some additional covert applications that could have allowed someone like Victoria Rione to pass through Ambaru as recently as a day or two ago without any alerts being sounded.”

“Really?” Geary asked.

“Yes. If she comes onto Ambaru again, she would be spotted.” Timbale gave Geary a bland look. “I thought you should know.”

“Thank you. I think you should know that a lot of things may be coming to a head soon.”

“In a good way?”

“Maybe.” Geary paused and faced Timbale, speaking in formal tones. “If we don’t meet in person again, I want you to know it has been an honor and a pleasure serving with you.”

Timbale replied with equal formality. “The honor and the pleasure have been mine. Good luck, Admiral. Does this mean it’s on?”

“It soon will be.”

Tanya was waiting in Dauntless ’s shuttle dock when he got off the shuttle. “I hope your visit to Ambaru was worth the risk,” she said.

“Yes, it was. And in any case, I can’t live aboard Dauntless ,” he told her.

“Why not?”

Instead of replying to that, he held up the data coin that Unruh had given him. “We have orders, from the government, and we have the means to get to Unity Alternate.”

“Orders?” Desjani asked, instantly suspicious at mention of the government. “Orders to do what?”

“To take Unity Alternate.”

“The government has ordered us to take the government’s secret, fallback capital?”

“It’s a long story,” Geary said. “But, basically, just like the Alliance military adopted some practices in the name of winning the war that weren’t really consistent with winning or with what the Alliance was supposed to be about, so did the government.”

“So we’re saving the Alliance?” Desjani asked.

He gave her a flat look, knowing that she was referring to the legend that Black Jack would return to “save the Alliance.” “Yes.”

“Good. I just wanted to be clear on that. When do we roll?”

“I need to check the status of our repair work and resupply,” Geary said, “but the same concerns apply as before. We need to give the dark ships enough time to resupply and leave their base again. Another week, at least, I think.”

She gave him a cautionary look. “They’ll come after you again. If we wait too long, they may show up here.”

That was an ugly thought. “You’re right. Let’s find out if we can get moving within a week.”

Once at his stateroom, Geary called Captain Smythe. “One week. I want everything out of dock and ready to go.”

“Admiral, I want… never mind. I can make it happen, but not everything is going to be done. You’re still facing the possibility of system failures on your ships, just like that main propulsion unit that failed on Fearless at Bhavan.”

“I understand. Make it happen.”

“Aye, aye, sir. As far as funding goes…”

“I have it on very good authority that the funding we need will materialize soon,” Geary said. “Through official channels.”

Smythe looked impressed. “How did you manage that?”

“I asked nicely.”

Despite Senator Unruh’s warning that the dark ships might still be getting information about what Geary was doing, there was no way to hide the preparations necessary for an offensive using the entire force remaining to First Fleet. But he still took some extra efforts to conceal one aspect of that offensive, personally summoning two officers to his stateroom on Dauntless rather than risking using a comm channel that could be tapped into.