Bentley nodded and sprinted to his desk. Moore picked up the cheat sheet, hoping the next item would distract him from Bentley’s single-sided conversation.

Before he could get properly rolling, Bentley was back in front of him, holding out a printout.

Ted—

I don’t know what kind of clusterfuck you guys have underway up there, but the politicos are going apeshit. We have a directive, direct from the office of the President of the United Earth Nations, to provide all pertinent information. It takes something truly extraordinary to unite the entire peanut gallery, but this has absolutely everyone, from the looney left to the environmentalists to the fundies to the rabid right screaming for blood. The President can’t ignore that large a united front, which means Naval Command can’t either.

There will be a formal request for more information coming in a short time. Suggest you don’t try to stall or dissemble.

George Fredricks, Admiral

SSC/UENN

Moore looked at Bentley with one eyebrow raised. The lieutenant had a gray cast to his skin that Moore found disquieting. “Something else, lieutenant?”

“Yessir. Just heard it on the office wire. The SSE has announced that they are sending a flotilla to Lagrange Four Naval base to inspect and evaluate the threat.”

* * *

Dr. Narang looked like she’d been struck with a club. Moore waited a moment to be satisfied with the effect. She needed a dose of reality, and this might just be a kick in the right direction.

“You aren’t going to cooperate, Admiral, are you?”

“Of course not. Imagine us letting a foreign military march into our territory while we bow and scrape and say Yes, sir and No, sir and Please, sir. I’d be court-martialed—at minimum—and rightly so.” He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should soft-pedal his next point, then decided not to. “If the Sino-Soviet Empire forces the issue, there will be a battle. They are sending a full flotilla, and we don’t have the hardware in place to hold them off. So if push comes to shove, we won’t be surrendering. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Narang nodded, slowly. “To the death. Ours, if it comes to that.”

“That is correct, doctor. Please relay to your staff as appropriate.”

* * *

Twelve SSE warships, including two full destroyers, stood at zero relative motion in the monitor. Facing them were nine UENN frigates and one cruiser. It was a David-and-Goliath moment, and Moore had no illusions about the outcome, if things went bad.

The voice of the SSE flotilla Commander, one Captain Chekov, came over the monitor. “You have insufficient forces to hold us at bay, Admiral. I suggest you step aside and accept the inevitable. You cannot win.”