Rich Man's War (36 page)

Drums

“NorthStar, Lai
Wa and CDC clearly knew what was coming at the Annual Address. Representatives arrived with grim expressions and generally refused to engage with reporters. When the President began making his case, all three delegations, about a dozen people in all, stood up and walked out in an apparent show of solidarity.”

--Bob
Norris, Raphael Public Media, November 2276

Waking up in a real bed was nice. Waking up later would have been far better. The sky outside showed only the first hint of daylight. Tanner rolled over to silence the news broadcast set to wake him up. He allowed himself a brief sigh before rising, but nothing more than that. He didn’t want to risk falling back to sleep. He didn’t know how long it would be until he could sleep in something better than a bunk on a warship again, but he knew that he didn’t want to miss his shuttle back up to
Los Angeles
.

Groggy and a little grumpy, Tanner staggered off into
the shower, put on his service uniform and collected his small bag of personal items and the bag containing his dress greys. He gave his civilian surroundings one last look before checking out via holocom and heading for the transport depot.

In the hotel elevator, in the lobby and while waiting for his taxi, Tanner passed
multiple holo screens with men and women talking in breathless, excited tones about the announcements of last night. Tanner heard words like “revolutionary” and “rebellion,” along with the names of ambassadors from other systems who could not yet make substantive comments. He heard about the “countdown clock” established by the governor of Gabriel for NorthStar and Lai Wa executives to get off the planet lest they be arrested and charged, but Tanner didn’t hear what possible legal grounds could justify such a stunt.

Though normally an avid follower of news media, Tanner felt little interest that morning.
Political grandstanding was predictable. So was rampant media speculation. Events would play out as they would. Today, he preferred to savor the view of the streets and the skyline.

The rosy glow of the sunrise made it
all look too much like the streets and skyline of Scheherazade.

Tanner tried to put that out of his head. He’d spoken his mind last night in his impromptu interview with Rebecca.
As Andrea had predicted, Rebecca told him she didn’t know when her piece on her experience at the Address would be run, how long it would be or what sort of angle her producers would want. She seemed genuine enough, but the only thing anyone knew for sure was that human interest stories would take a back seat to hard core politics for the time being.

Nothing held
Tanner up as he moved through the civilian shuttle depot to the facility’s small military wing. He took up a chair in the waiting room, passed the time by plunging back into all the reading necessary for his new post, and eventually boarded his shuttle.

Other uniformed personnel shuffled in and took seats. None of them stood out, though Tanner did not give them much thought. He decided instead to close his eyes and try to relax. He’d only have half an hour or so, and
then a long day ahead of him after a long, late night. Like pretty much every other ship in the Navy,
Los Angeles
ran with her internal clock set to Salvation’s local time zone. He’d likely have to rush to get back to his bunk and change into a regular duty vac suit and make it to the morning briefing. It seemed wise to take advantage of what little chance he had to doze off.

Someone took up the chair beside him. He glanced at her only long enough to ensure that he wouldn’t be invading her space as she settled in, then closed his eyes again. Tanner felt the subtle shift from natural gravity to the shuttle’s artificial gravity generators, and then the soft vibrations of the engines as it took off. Some of the passengers chatted. He heard the quiet beeps of a few bits of personal electronics here and there.

“I expected a Master at Arms to be more vigilant,” said the woman beside him in a quiet, serene voice. Tanner’s eyes opened and his heart nearly leapt into his throat, but he kept silent. “Or have you really become that indifferent to famous faces?”

Admiral Yeoh wore ordinary marine service blues, not
too different from his own uniform, and that she bore only the rank of a staff sergeant. She held a small black messenger’s bag in her lap. “I’m sorry if I woke you. Couldn’t help myself.”

Tanner swallowed hard. He quickly processed the implications of the head of the military
putting on a disguise to board a shuttle bound for
Los Angeles
. “Technically, you shouldn’t still be wearing your cap,” he observed. “Not once you’re on board, unless you’re under arms.”

“Only sticklers and martinets enforce a rule like that,” she replied mildly. “Unless I’m under arms.”

He gave her another up-and-down glance. “You’re hiding it well if you are. Except for the cap.”

“I’ve had practice. You didn’t say hello at the ball.”

“You weren’t there long. Can’t imagine why.”

“No, I wasn’t,” she conceded, “and you had a lovely date to entertain. How did that go?”

“Pretty sure I’ll get an invitation to her wedding,” Tanner sighed. “Can’t say I’m shocked. Most of the time when you meet someone attractive, you find out they’re already involved.”

“Better luck next time.”

He paused. “How do you do that? Think about casual stuff like that at a time like this?”

“I do not see a ‘time like this’ as different from other time. Change is the only constant. And I’m sure you do it, too.” She looked at him sideways. “Crises come and go. Life moves on. Move with it.”

Tanner chewed on her suggestion. His eyes flitted this way and that, taking in the faces and postures of the other passengers in the shuttle. Several of the others had to be Yeoh’s personal staff, yet he saw only enlisted and junior officer uniforms.

“I take it they won’t be ringing the ship’s bell when you arrive?”

“No,” Yeoh answered. “Nor will there be a side party. This isn’t exactly a surprise inspection. The captain knows I’m coming, but he’ll keep it quiet about it. That means he won’t be able to set his crew on a mad spree of cleaning to prepare for my arrival. He’s probably beside himself right now.”

Tanner looked back at her and found her lips closer to a genuine smile than he’d ever seen. He couldn’t help but grin. “You think that’s funny?”

“I do. There’s likely a stain on the deck in the hangar bay right now that is driving him mad. It happens when you’re the captain of a ship.”

“Never thought I’d get to see your sense of humor.”

“You should talk to my husband or my daughters. I’m hysterical.”

Tanner bit his lip. “Are either of your daughters single?
I’m probably gonna need a date for next year.”

“At the risk of sounding overprotective, I don’t think that’s a good idea. They would both love to go and they’ll be old enough that I can’t tell them what to do. But if you invited one, the other would likely hunt you down and murder you in your sleep. I have to look out for my subordinates.”

* * *

The shuttle’s arrival left
Tanner with about as much slack time as expected. He felt self-conscious enough about leaving the ship so soon after arriving, even if only for an overnight trip. Being a little late to the morning briefing might be understandable in his circumstances, but he preferred to avoid it if only to make a good impression.

He didn’t expect everyone to stand up and applaud when he walked in. He’d opened the hatch to find the two dozen or so MAs in the room lounging and chatting, but then one stood and started clapping and the others all joined in. Tanner froze awkwardly, looking from one to the other, seeing only grins and laughter. He blushed fiercely.

“What’s the deal, guys?”

The applause and chuckles died off as people took their seats once more. “You were all over the pre-show for the Address,” someone explained.

“Okay, that was all planned out in advance, right?” asked another shipmate. “That was a media stunt? They set you up with her?”

“No,” Tanner admitted, moving over to an empty seat a couple rows back from the front. “Turns out I was just desperate.”

“So how did it play out?” asked yet another shipmate. “Anything happen?”

“Nah, turns out
she’s engaged.”

“So what?”

“Okay, guys, quiet down,” called out MA1 Lewis as he moved to the front of the room. “Commander Jacobson and Chief Lockwood told me to get this rolling if they don’t make it back in time, so let’s clear out the simple stuff first and see if they catch up before we’re done. We’ve still got three guys in the brig right now: Staehely and Crall from Engine Two for that fight yesterday and obviously Finkbiner is still in there. We’re down to three days left with him, but I imagine the other two knuckleheads will be let out once their department head deals with the situation. They haven’t been a problem since they got brought in. Baldwin, how’s the eye?”

“Fine,” grumbled the petite third class sitting in front of Tanner. She’d been on an opposite shift from his upon arrival. He hadn’t met her
before now. “The swelling died down before I woke up this morning.”

“Well, I guess the LT is gonna make the call on whether they get nailed for striking an MA or not. I know you said it was on the backswing while they were still fighting, but it shouldn’t have happened
at all.

“Now, that said, all of you,” Lewis continued, his gaze falling over each of his peers and subordinates in the small audience, “remember, if you get asked what’s gonna happen with those jackasses, don’t say you don’t know. People should
know better. At this point, we need to start pushing back. If you get asked by someone of higher rank, I expect you to respectfully refer the question to a higher authority, but if it’s anyone your rank or lower, I want you to respectfully put your foot up his or her ass for asking in the first place.”

Tanner heard chuckles and saw a few small grins. No one needed to write notes for that. His fellow MAs seemed like a good bunch: competent, level-headed and generally mature. He felt a sense of ease in the room despite the serious nature of their duties. Minor brawls, petty thefts and disciplinary infractions were common matters for the MA force while the ship was underway. Tanner glanced at the training schedule and boarding team rotations listed on
a bulkhead bulletin board. The routine was busy, but still routine.

He considered what he’d heard the night before, and the passengers on his shuttle, and wondered if he would have any time at all to get used to the routine.

Lewis continued. “So the ship’s marines are going to play war in Shuttle Bay One for most of the day. I know it’s fun to stand around and watch, but try to contain your curiosity and let them run the place until they’re done, okay? Stay on your patrol rounds, but don’t dawdle through there and look for reasons to hang—attention on deck!” Lewis announced abruptly in time with the sound of the hatch opening at the rear of the compartment.

Ordinarily, Lt.
Commander Jacobson gave the “at ease” order as soon as he walked into the ready room. This time he left them standing until he made it to the podium and the door sealed shut at the back of the compartment. The head of the MA force somehow always looked a touch sharper and cleaner-cut than anyone else despite wearing the same uniform and adhering to the same grooming standards.

“This briefing is now classified,” said Jacobson. “If you have your holocom running, turn it off now. If you have something else on your mind, put it aside. We have a brief head start on some bad news and we need to take full advantage of the time we have. Take your seats, people.”

He gave the MAs a chance to settle back in once more. Thus far, Tanner had only shared a standard “welcome aboard” conversation with Jacobson. He hadn’t gotten to know the man at all, but he knew the other MAs seemed to respect him.

“
Los Angeles
will go quiet within the hour. The MA force is quiet as of
now
. No message traffic other than ship’s business will be allowed. If you have a letter you hadn’t sent or you planned on writing home tonight, I’m sorry. It won’t be going out. I do not know how long this will last, but I’m told it may be months. On that note, all leave scheduled for the next four weeks is canceled, and that will continue as long as our quiet status. Family notifications and financial issues will be handled in the normal fashion. And that’s just the start of it,” he added with a grim smile.

“Sometime tomorrow, we will rendezvous with
two specially-chartered civilian liners from the AISG to take on the 7
th
and 13
th
Marine Battalions. Note that I said ‘battalions’ and not ‘elements of.’ A large number of additional naval personnel will be coming along with them. We’re talking about more than doubling our current crew compliment, ladies and gentlemen, and they aren’t here for a couple of days.

“They’re bringing along a good deal more in the way of supplies, especially food and extra water, but this will
still be a major strain on the ship and her personnel. We will have marines camped out in the cargo bays and every other available space. Beyond that, we’re looking at a large portion of the crew having to hot rack with these guys. Everybody gets a buddy. You wake up and get turned out, your buddy goes to sleep in the bunk until it’s time to switch.”