Part 7 (1/2)
”Until such time as this Court may appoint another officer for the purpose, General Polan Tallis, previously identified in these proceedings, is appointed as Guardian Officer.”
The High Commander paused for a moment, then he said: ”Proceed with the investment of the insignia.”
_The Strategy_
General Sebastian MacMaine, sometime Colonel of Earth's s.p.a.ce Force, and presently a General of the Kerothi Fleet, looked at the array of stars that appeared to drift by the main viewplate of his flags.h.i.+p, the blaster-boat _Shudos_.
Behind him, General Tallis was saying, ”You've done well, Sepastian.
Better than anyone could have really expected. Three battles so far, and every one of them won by a margin far greater than antic.i.p.ated. Any ideas that anyone may have had that you were not wholly working for the Kerothi cause has certainly been dispelled.”
”Thanks, Tallis.” MacMaine turned to look at the Kerothi officer. ”I only hope that I can keep it up. Now that we're ready for the big push, I can't help but wonder what would happen if I were to lose a battle.”
”Frankly,” Tallis said, ”that would depend on several things, the main one being whether or not it appeared that you had deliberately thrown the advantage to the enemy. But n.o.body expects you, or anyone else, to win every time. Even the most brilliant commander can make an honest mistake, and if it can be shown that it _was_ an honest mistake, and one, furthermore, that he could not have been expected to avoid, he wouldn't be punished for it. In your case, I'll admit that the investigation would be a great deal more thorough than normal, and that you wouldn't get as much of the benefit of the doubt as another officer might, but unless there is a deliberate error I doubt that anything serious would happen.”
”Do you really believe that, Tallis, or is it just wishful thinking on your part, knowing as you do that your punishment will be the same as mine if I fail?” MacMaine asked flatly.
Tallis didn't hesitate. ”If I didn't believe it, I would ask to be relieved as your Guardian. And the moment I did that, you would be removed from command. The moment I feel that you are not acting for the best interests of Keroth, I will act--not only to protect myself, but to protect my people.”
”That's fair enough,” MacMaine said. ”But how about the others?”
”I cannot speak for my fellow officers--only for myself.” Then Tallis'
voice became cold. ”Just keep your hands clean, Sepastian, and all will be well. You will not be punished for mistakes--only for crimes. If you are planning no crimes, this worry of yours is needless.”
”I ceased to worry about myself long ago,” MacMaine said coolly. ”I do not fear personal death, not even by Excommunication. My sole worry is about the ultimate outcome of the war if I should fail. That, and nothing more.”
”I believe you,” Tallis said. ”Let us say no more about it. Your actions are difficult for us to understand, in some ways, that's all.
No Kerothi would ever change his allegiance as you have. Nor has any Earth officer that we have captured shown any desire to do so. Oh, some of them have agreed to do almost anything we wanted them to, but these were not the intelligent ones, and even they were only doing it to save their own miserable hides.
”Still, you are an exceptional man, Sepastian, unlike any other of your race, as far as we know. Perhaps it is simply that you are the only one with enough wisdom to seek your intellectual equals rather than remain loyal to a ma.s.s of stupid animals who are fit only to be slaves.”
”It was because I foresaw their eventual enslavement that I acted as I did,” MacMaine admitted. ”As I saw it, I had only two choices--to remain as I was and become a slave to the Kerothi or to put myself in your hands willingly and hope for the best. As you----”
He was interrupted by a harsh voice from a nearby speaker.
”_Battle stations! Battle stations! Enemy fleet in detector range!
Contact in twelve minutes!_”
Tallis and MacMaine headed for the Command Room at a fast trot. The three other Kerothi who made up the Strategy Staff came in at almost the same time. There was a flurry of activity as the computers and viewers were readied for action, then the Kerothi looked expectantly at the Earthman.
MacMaine looked at the detector screens. The deployment of the approaching Earth fleet was almost as he had expected it would be.
There were slight differences, but they would require only minor changes in the strategy he had mapped out from the information brought in by the Kerothi scout s.h.i.+ps.
Undoubtedly, the Kerothi position had been relayed to the Earth commander by their own advance scouts buzzing about in tiny, one-man sh.e.l.ls just small enough to be undetectable at normal range.