The Insurrection

"But you do have a strength estimate?" Rutgers pressed. "Certainly. The full data is in the report. Fortunately, few capital ships were actually lost at Zephrain. His damaged units have been repaired, and apparently he's undertaken a program of new construction, as well.

"Sanders' voice trailed off in deliberately tantalizing fashion.

"New construction?" Rutgers frowned at him.

"What sort?" "A new group of monitors--he says." Sanders' voice was quite neutral.

"Says?" Krupskaya asked sharply. Trust Susan to be the first to pounce, he thought wryly.

"Let's just say I think he finessed some clues past the Orions--which takes some doing with a wily old whisker[*oslash] twister like Leornak." "Clues, Mister Sanders? What sort of clues?" "Just this, Sky Marshal he's building onlt monitors, each of which is tying up the full capacity of a Terra-class space dock, and he's named the first of them Horatio Nelson." "What? What sort of name is that for a monitor?" "Precisely, Sky Marshal.

Monitors are named for TFN heroes, yet this ship isn't. The Orions probably won't give it a thoughter all, our nomenclature is as confusing to them as theirs is to us--but a non-standard name suggests a non-standard class, no? Coupled with the building capacity devoted to each of them and the fact that he doesn't seem to feel the need for carriers-- was Sanders raised one hand, palm up.

"I see." Witcinski scratched his chin. "I believe you have a point, Mister Sanders." "So Admiral Trevayne has a sizable conventional force, plus whatever unorthodox vessels and weapons he may be building," Dieter mused. "And on that basis, he feels confident of defeating anything the rebels can throw at him." He nodded slowly. "My friends, I think that may be the best news since this whole sorry, disaster began. If he's right--if he can hold it may be time for us to consider Operation Yellowbrick." He glanced at his two senior milio ta. commanders.

"Comments, gentlemen?" "Really, Kevin," Susan Krupskaya chided as she poured scotch into his glass, "you should watch the way you talk to the Sky Marshal." "Why?" Sanders yawned and stretched,looking briefly more cat-like than an Orion. "Has he noticed something?" "Kevin, you're a clever man, not to mention devious and underhanded, but the Sky Marshal is cleverer than you think. He may not waste time on decadent things like social amenities, but he's quite well aware you enjoy twitting him." "Nonsehs left-brace That man's not 'well aware" of anything that doesn't mount shields, armor, and energy, weapons left-brace was "Oh, no? That's not what his war diary says.

"You've been tapping the confidential war diary of the military commander-in-chief, Susan?" "But, Kevin," she batted her eyelids demurely, "you always said that anything someone considers worth keeping a secret is probably worth knowing. Besides, he's a Fringer; it seemed like a good idea to check him." "But if he catches you at it," Sanders said warning left-brace y, "not even Dieter's going to be able to save your shapely ass." "No?" Krupskaya gri

"Ah?" Sanders glanced at the transcript and began to chuckle. After a moment, it became full-throated laughter, and he raised his glass ungrudging left-brace y to the absent sky marshal. Al left-brace it said was: "My Dear Vice Admiral. I trust you and Mister Sanders have enjoyed being on the 'inside." L. Witcinaki." "And he accused me of enjoying it!" "And he was right, you old reprobate left-brace was Krupskaya shook her head wryly. "I'm still not certain how he caught me, but he thinks you put me up to it." "Well, I suppose I did, in a sense," Sanders agreed lazily. "After all, I taught you everything you know." "Not quite everything," she said dryly. "And before you start blowing your ego out your ears, I have something for you. Here." She handed him a sheaf of pages.

"Ah left-brace An excellent job, Susan. Excellent left-brace his "Sure." She shook her head at him.

"Kevin, what are you up to? Here's proof that Captain M'tana and Alistair Nomoruba are feeding information to the rebels, and you won't right-brace et me do a thing about it left-brace Damn it, they've been doing it for over two left-brace lears now left-brace his "So they have." Sanders finished the first sheet, nodded to himself and crumpled the paper, breaking the security coating, then tossed it into the ice-bucket at his elbow.

The sheet touched melted ice-water and vanished as he turned to the second page.

"I've done a lot for you, Kevin," Admiral Krupskaya said sternly, "and I'll probably go right on doing it, but you owe me an explanation. I don't mind putting my career on the line, but sitting on this may violate my sworn oath as an officer." "Sweet Susan," Sanders said soothingly, "the skill has not yet deserted these palsied old fingers. This old eye has not yet lost its kee

"Consider: I first tapped into th conduit less than a month after the POW letter exchanges began, correct?" "Yes." "Fine. And at the time, the information passing through it, while undoubtedly useful, wasn't precisely Galaxy-shaking. Correct again?" "Yes." "Weffful, as I taught you in the dim mists of your youth, my love, one never tampers with a conduit unless the information passing through it is of deadly importance. Instead, one monitors it, traces it, and, above all, makes certain it carries information in apparent security, thus preventing the ungodly from tinkering up something one doesn't know about to replace it. This is spook basic train-lng manual stuff, is it not?"

"All right. I can accept that. Bu left-brace look at some of this stuff, Kevin! Details of the communications with the Orions to set up your trip.

Or here "she pointed at another sheet his--- details of cabinet meetings, for God's sake!

We're talking heavy duty data, Kevin. This is no longer Assembly gossip!" "And quite interesting it is, too," Sanders agreed brightly. "Damn you.eaou, Kevin! Don't evade me! Why can't I even tell Heinz tallyhat someone inside the cabinet is passing priceless data to the enemy?" "Priceless?" Sanders finished the last page of the intercepts and watched it curl into nothingness in the ice-bucket. "Perhaps, and perhaps not." He stirred the clear water and clinking ice with an idle forefinger.

"No 'perh" about it!" Krupskaya snorted.

"Actually, you know, there is," he corrected gently. "Consider this, my dear--everything you've picked up from the cabinet is purely political.

There hasn't been one scrap of military intelligence." "That's true," she agreed slowly, her tone suddenly thoughtful.

"Now," Sanders purred, "who has access to all this---was he tapped the bland water in the ice-bucket" but not to military data? The same cabinet meeting which discussed sending me to the Orions also discussed our entire naval strategy, yet there's not a word of that in here. Surely that would be worth more to the rebels than, for example, Prime Minister Dieter's requests for opinions on granting the "Republic" limited belligerent status?" "Selective information," she said softly, nodding her head. "But why? You're right; it's valuable, but less valuable than military intelligence," "Ah, but is it?"