Red Zone - 6
A Novel
3
The Lt. Commander was not what Venky had expected.
He had expected someone who was not close to Terran Norm,[1] tall perhaps. Elf-like. Different.
Instead, he looked like a rather broad-shouldered norm. Perhaps slightly modded. Perhaps. But also, perhaps just relatively, though not unreasonably, tall. One thing that marked him as different, was that he was lean and well-muscled, but that could have been the saying of most military men. Venky knew that his biceps gave him away as someone who put in hours of working out, in addition to any enhancements. Venky examined the Lt Commander's physique and concluded that it was probably mostly earned. The first lesson is not to underestimate these people. Venky's experience with Jovians was limited, and, he was concluding, highly stylized. Tourists, images, and outright fiction had taken their toll. I've been indulging in too much pornography of fair skin and floating breasts.
Look.
And so, he forced himself to memorize the long frame of the Jovian and the way he stood, with an easy that was far different from Ground Force attention. It was more like the stance of Fleet in that it was ready for shifts, rolls, and gravity changes.
Venky: “I am glad you could come here, and of course, you are welcome to whatever comforts are available.” Remember not to bump into anything. Being in his command center, was very different, from being a guest. He wanted to appear as if he was comfortable.
“Thank you. I can tell you are new to the job. Congratulations.”
Venky was not perturbed in the least, but he was going to test whether the Lt Commander was simply leveraging a good dossier or was perceptive. Doubt is my constant companion, I do not know what I know, I do not remember what I remember, I do not see what I see. I do not know you, but I will come to bye and bye.
“Thank you.” He flashed a grin with teeth and bowed while shaking the visitor's hand. “I am sorry I do not have time to give you a tour quite yet, I am busy managing the transition. What should I call you?”
“Tony is fine. As for a tour, it isn't important. Is this room sealed, I mean from surveillance.”
“It can be.”
“Then I would like that, we've got some important things to talk about. I know you Terrans are long on protocol, but up near the old man,[2] we stand less on ceremony. Unless of course, we go on and on about it.”
“Surely you infinitely jest.” The smile remained.
“No. It's different in the Republic. Everything is very informal until the shooting starts.” Venky could feel the very flatness of the language. Terringlish was very clearly the base of his thought and accent.
“I recall you've seen a number of battles.”
“Mostly set pieces,[3] a few real all outs.[4]”
“I am sure we will have a great deal to discuss.”
Both were, of course, watching the seal indicator. When it lit, and the view to the outside was dark, both relaxed.
Tony opened: “I have to say, I do not trust you.”
That was blunt. “I'm sorry you feel that way.” Tony’s face was genuine, but not placid. Venky let his face ease down from the diplomatic smile he had been wearing.“Suspicion, is the Terran Norm.”[5] Perhaps an attempt at humor will work here.
For the first time, the Jovians smiled an unforced smile. “Indeed. it is. Indeed. Being military men, I am not expecting to be welcomed in, this is a mission, and we both have our orders, spoken and unspoken.”
“Yes.”
“I am hoping, however, we can be candid with each other, at least in laying out our points of view.”
“I somehow doubt we will be able to do more than show a small fraction of what we are told. It will be difficult to do any more than begin what is a very delicate process. I know you are here to build goodwill but matters move slowly in the Dominion.”
“Except when they move very quickly.”
Venky could not help but see, in his mind's eye, tanks during a drop, breaking through high cirrus clouds, with a sensation that moved across his cheek like the touch of a woman's fingertips.
“Touché, Lt. Commander. Touché.”
“Tensions are rising between our respective commands, and above them, the political authorities.”
“I would be stronger than that - but go on.”
“I know your Mars Fleet is ordered on maneuvers, and I am sure you know, or will soon, that the FRV Hyperion is moving towards Mars.”
“I had not been informed, but I am not surprised. There has been rumor of it for some time.”
“Above then, we could have a real conflict.”
“I certainly hope it will not come to that.”
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Wait, I didn't hear that, it must be a memory.
“If it does, it will be short in space, but not on the ground.”
“You think so little of your fleet.”
There was a wry smile.
“Your Kumar is a top-flight bird, everyone says so. But your ships.” There was a simple shake of the head.
“You are so sure?”
“I'm a Marine. My life is spent riding other people's ships. I've seen Dominion. I've seen private. I've seen Union. I've seen all four Republic destroyers. The Hyperion can rule them all.”
“And what is it that you have observed.”
“They are sending Hyperion; you have nothing that can take her.” So, the rumor goes. The chatter over the construction of it had filled military circles, it was derided as a huge waste, and feared as a weapon that would tilt the balance of power – not so much because of the ship itself, but the way it was built.
“She doesn't even have a spinal mount weapon.” She's a giant escort.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Wait, I didn't hear that, it must be a memory.
“That's the point. Some ships kill things, and ships that kill ships. Hyperion is a ship, that kills ships.”
“And the Dominion fleet?”
“Is a terror weapon. A spinal mounted weapon is a terrible thing, but it can just barely hit the broad side of a planet.”
“Firepower has won many wars.”
“And musclebound has lost many fights.”
“So, you are here to deliver a warning?”
“I'm here to make peace on the ground.”
“You have a strange way of doing it.” Allowed the more musical syllables of Anglo-English to peak out. The coupling of his mother over his cradle, her dark skin, and bright eyes shining down on him. Truly, the first sun he had ever known.
“I'm pointing out realities. The first reality is that Kumar has 4 L points to cover with 6 of the oldest warships in service, against Hyperion, which is an entirely new kind of vessel. It's not a DV, a destroyer vessel descended from Shiva.[6] It is a BV – a battle vessel.”5
“No sane planet would risk having the Dominion fleet come and attack homeworlds. You have 5 major ones.”
“Let me get to the second reality. There is no way the Jovian Republic can fight, and win, an occupation on Mars. I've got a company of lancers and a company of riflemen coming down. That's 45 men. Even, presuming, that they are sending transports.”
“Presuming, for the sake of argument.”
“That is five companies of men to secure a planet. We aren't set up to take on, what is it 12 battalions here on Mars?”
“That's just tank battalions. As I am sure you know, the Ground Forces are expected to have the infantry sent in.”
“The black elephants.”[7]
“The black elephants. 9 foot tall, modded, cybered, and molded. Battlesuits that can take a direct hit from most tank lasers.”
“That doesn't change the reaction, it just changes the speed.”
“Perhaps so. So, it is your belief, that the war in space will be a total victory for your Republic, but that in the event of war on the ground, Terra can hold Mars?”
“In the event of war on the ground, there is no way that the Republics are going to get involved in a planetside occupation because there is no way we could secure every piece of a very complicated system that is Mars. At all ends, a few well-timed self-destruct commands, and Mars will be a rock again.”
“And this makes you conclude that peace is in your, personal, interest as well.”
“In the event of actual war, you can take my surrender for granted.”
“It is an odd kind of loyalty which surrenders in advance.”
“Those are my orders. I can say that those are standing orders for all liaisoned troops: surrender immediately in the event of hostilities, except to those who take no prisoners.”
“So, if I refuse your surrender?”
“We die to a man.”
“That does not seem as if there is a reason to negotiate then. So long as I promise to follow the ancient conventions. It also seems that your people would have every incentive not to, for example, attack ground-side sites.”
“There are many states between peace and war. In the event of war, I have clear orders, which, as part of them, was to tell you.”
“So, in order to avoid being killed preëmptively.”
“Right. My men will have weapons under your lockdown, as a sign that we do, in fact, mean what I say.”
“But what do you mean, about many states between peace and war?”
“I would have thought you would understand what the heavy infantry means.”
“No, I am.” He stopped. He should. According to records, black elephant infantry had been assigned to many of his drops. He'd even remembered seeing them march a sweep through the underbrush. He recalled the naked reflectiveness of their armor. The sheer force of being visible, unlike drop tanks, and tankers, that thought, and moved, from cover to cover, from stability to stability. He remembered thinking of them as a claw that ripped through.
“It might not be Jove that you should be worrying about taking matters to a head down here.”
“You are trying to make me doubt another arm of my service?” A calculated eyebrow raises to underline the point.
“No, I'm saying there could be a revolt on Mars.”
“Go on.”
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Wait, I didn't hear that, it must be a memory.
“Don't play Lt. Colonel. A good chunk of your economy is tied to Earth, but a good chunk is tied to Jove. Someone is going to be unhappy.”
“Unhappy enough to revolt?”
“Unhappy enough to do something stupid.”
“In which case...”
“In which case, the Dominion tells the relevant national governments to declare Mars Reconquista.”[8]
“That's not an official term.”
“Nor the way it, supposedly, will work, but we are following the flight of the bullet here.”[9]
“And.”
“And the Black Elephants, are here.”
“I am still not sure what emphasis you place on them, surely your service has heavy infantry as well.”
“Indeed, we do. And I know what they are used for.”
“And what is that?”
“Massacring rebels.” The Jovians didn't so much as smirk, or crack, or a smile, but there was an acidity to his tone.
“Perhaps our service is different.”
“You have a reputation as an actual fighting man Venky. Have you ever seen them engage an actual enemy?”
“As I am sure you have been told, there has been no military resistance on Terra, or within the Dominion, for almost a century.”
“And the battles you've fought?”
“Restoring order. No more.”
“I'm confused then.” He set a pyramid-shaped container on the desk, clearly embedded in it was quantum storage for memories.
“Because I've seen this.”
“And what is that? Purported memories of atrocities?”
“Nothing of the sort. I will leave that to intelligence services. These are satellite observations. It's a bit hard to follow, being from well out. But it's clear enough.”
“And what does it purport to show?” He raised an eyebrow this was the payload the Jovians had come to deliver.
“Heavy infantry doing what heavy infantry is for, on the far side of Moon.”
“So, without accepting your service's conclusions. It is your position that the assignment of the Black Elephants indicates that my service is keeping open the possibility of putting down a rebellion on Mars using atrocities?”
“It's not like your service has ever stopped at that before. Our records show you have over 60, actions to, how did you put it ...restore order?”
“Over 70.” No harm in emphasizing the point.
“And not one stand-up fight in them.”
“No. But then there hasn't been a need for pitched battle anywhere in the inner sphere in some time. Some might even call that an accomplishment.” Venky felt a ripple that was halfway to a shudder tighten the muscles on his chest, and his hand quivered It was not flattering to have one's career painted in such unpleasant shades of black and white. “You seem to be very talkative Lt. Commander.”
“Put yourself in my boots. I've got two companies of light infantry placed in front of potential hostilities, maybe a shooting war. My heavy weapons are going to be under your lockdown, and a regiment of 9-foot tall psychomutants is about to be dropped on my head. I'd give myself better odds being able to strip naked and make a run to the South Pole from here.”
“So why do you conclude that your best option is to be so communicative?”
“There are only two ways to play this. One is to play it close to the vest and smile and pretend we are all ok.” The Jovians unconsciously moved to adjust one of the many weapons caches on his suit. He probably had two dozen different options. Though, of course, none were armed at this particular moment. Or at least, none were supposed to be armed.
“And you believe the other is?”
“To lay all my cards face up.”
“It is not, to use the expression, a very strong hand. Why not be more circumspect?” Or of course, the best option was to put the scraps on the table, hoping to hide the roast in the kitchen. Venky toyed with the pyramid and then set it on the player. Above it was a holographic representation, clearly from some kind of long-range observation. There were a variety of artifacts that indicated that it was wider than the visible light spectrum and taken by stealth. Perhaps a wisp of a drone.
A tight loop began playing, large oblongs, clearly Black Elephants seen from above, had closed to close range with a series of clearly unarmed minors in light environmental vehicles and suits. The heavy infantry dismantled tanks on the outside and ripped the vehicles apart, exdecoming passengers and individuals on foot. The film played on remorselessly as people bent over. It was impossible to see, but easy to imagine, them coughing their lungs out in the few seconds of life left to them. The infantry stood around and watched. The clinching moment was when two palms slapped each other. It was a gesture that most people from Terra would be familiar with, they were equalizing credits of some kind as if they had been wagering on how long it would take. That slap, slap, gesture then fixed and played over and over again. Venky's eye was drawn towards it, but he held eye contact with the Lt. Commander.
“Well, Deesh my friend, if I were any good at that, I'd have been smooth enough not to draw this duty.” Venky startled. No one had ever called him, “Deesh.” It had to be in his dossier. It was a move calculated to startle, and set him off balance. That might have been a mistake.
“Accepted. So, what are you expecting? This is a very abrupt method of diplomacy.” If charging in like a meteor in a nursery can be compared to diplomacy.
“Diplomacy is what is going on on Phobos. This is poker. My ace is that loop.” Venky looked at the Jovan's face carefully. It bore the expression of someone who knows he is facing his potential executioner and has decided to spit in his face.
“It could easily have been forged. You think this will help?” Though actually, Venky was entirely certain it was real. What bothered him was the grinding logic: if this is what the Black Elephants are for, and he had worked with them, why had he never seen it? The most reasonable step was, that it had been removed from his memories, or perhaps worse, he had not done much of the killing he was credited with. I need time to examine this. Examine everything. The sweat of doubt broke out along his spine. He unconsciously shifted his hand to a biologic tablet, hoping the exper would sense his distress, and give him something to lightly smooth. He stopped, no, it might decide to lay him out. His hand crept away, and to cover he touched another tablet. It then struck him that another stie dose might give him the edge in the conversation.
He slid his hand over, wrote that he needed stimulants, and let his fingertips rest on the biological expert. The exper complied with gratifying speed, and he could feel a stiffness rise along his spine, and a sense of height and command filter to the rest of his limbs.
“What I'm doing is survival. Mine, at least. Yours, possibly. Subject it to any test you like. I know that it is real.” The Jovians seemed confident, with his eyes neither narrowing nor widening. His pupils neither constricting nor dilating.
“I appreciate your candor. But you cannot expect me to make a decision based on this one conversation.” I have, I just can't think of how to eliminate you, and hope your replacement is less of a barbarian.
“I don't. But do expect we've taken each other's measure. Your kind isn't well thought of where I come from.” Venky breathed in, obvious the Jovians did not understand the delicate balance that the Garden world required. But now was not the time to educate him. Someone in the intelligence service would simply arrange an accident for this man. How does the Republic function with this kind of disregard for people's feelings and position?
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Wait, I didn't hear that, it must be a memory.
“There is ample record of the Republic losing sight of legal niceties when it comes to enforcing power.” Venky looked at the loop again. He felt a burning shame, for himself, for his service. Here he was, a supposed hero, and this is what he represented to the outside. He looked again at the Jovan, who was entirely impassive as if waiting for him to take a turn in the game. When Venky did not continue, the Jovians did.
“I've killed people. But I've never seen, heard, or smelt, of bets on how long it takes civilians to exdecom.”[10]
The Jovan's eyes narrowed.
Venky's only thought was: I have a feeling that one of us is not going to survive this friendship.
[1] The Terran Norm is the racial purity test, and laws associated with it, barring individuals who are not sufficiently human from taking actions that have lasting effects. Originally targeted at computer intelligences, it expanded dramatically. Technically the Dominion neither sets, nor enforces the Terran Norm, but this is largely a fiction. Different governments have different levels of enforcement, with societies far out in the solar system ignoring it completely. Then there are blatant exceptions such as Black Elephants.
[2] Jupiter.
[3] Not a real battle. A slaughter in most cases.
[4] A skirmish.
[5] An old saying on Jupiter.
[6] DSS Shiva was the first DV, launched to enforce the Treaty of Phobos, built in lunar orbit, 2152. Its key feature was the spinal mounting of a linear accelerator capable of punching holes even in hardened domes. An attempt to build a new kind of ship by the Dominion.
[7] While descending from Gorillas, the Dominion has made them “human” after 10 years of service.
[8] 23 In the military parlance of the time, a Reconquista is an area of granted temporary autonomy, which the superior government intends to take back. The term is discouraged by diplomatic agencies but is commonly used by military commanders. The Congo Reconquista, at this time, is the scene of a long-running simmering series of disputes.
Reconquista means the military has complete control to do whatever it feels is necessary.
[9] An expression meaning how things go, from beginning to end.
[10] Explosive Decompression, the rapid loss of pressure, faster than the air can empty from the lungs.