Spooker
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Grass Eaters 2 | 33 | Consequences
🕑 Added 2024-07-31 16:47:01 +0000 UTCAtlas Naval Command, Luna
POV: Blake Wald, Terran (Senator)
Senator Blake Wald adjusted the microphone to his height, looked at the camera, and held up a stack of papers. He began to read his prepared speech from it.
Good morning. Today, we present this report and these recommendations to the President of the Terran Republic. To the Terran Republic Senate. The Terran people. And to our allies in the Malgeir Republic. This report represents the majority conclusion of the Republic Commission on the Incident in the Malgeir system of Sconcans. In Sconcans, an allied warship named Cliunc was attacked and boarded by enemies on the return trip of a reconnaissance mission. Cliunc carried with it six thousand allied spacers, critical intelligence on an enemy system, and above all, possible traces that may have revealed the existence of the Terran people to our dangerous enemies.
I will not mince words. The personnel of the Terran and Malgeir services responded with efficiency and professionalism… but it is also fair to say that… they were unprepared. As we detail in our report, this was a failure of policy. It was a failure of management. And above all, it was a failure of imagination.
We recognize that as commissioners, we have the benefit of hindsight. War is messy. War is risky. And the job of keeping a species-wide secret is of paramount difficulty. We do not know if any specific or combination of measures would have averted the incident. What we do know is that the countermeasures we did adopt did not work as planned or designed.
Our fail safes relied on hastily constructed mechanisms that did not include appropriate redundancies. Our gaps in intelligence gathering necessitated the use of allied units with substandard equipment. And our programs for training these units have not bear fruit as expected. These examples make up a broader picture of Republic foreign and defense policy, and they show how we may have failed to fully protect our allies’ people and the secret of our people’s existence.
Our failures took place over many months of this war. No single individual is responsible for it. Yet individuals and institutions cannot be absolved of responsibility. Senior officers in the Navy, in the government, and in the intelligence community bear some element of that. That said, we are not here to assign blame. We look back so we can look forward. Our goal is to prevent future failures.
The Commission studied numerous proposals and weighed their benefits and drawbacks. We recommend significant changes in policy and prioritization. First, command. A critical theme that emerged throughout our inquiry was the difficulty of answering the question… who was in charge? Who was ultimately in command of the ship or the task force? Whose orders should be followed? Too often, the answer was… no one. Thus, we are recommending a joint allied command authority. We need to unify the chain of command. We recommend a joint allied commander. We recommend clearer enforcement of existing rules for command, on all sides of the alliance. These were all proposed at the beginning of the alliance. We are aware that diplomatic discussions have been ongoing, and we urge additional priority on those in the context of this incident.
Second, integration. Unit experience and expertise are too diffuse. With the exception of a few top commanders, Terran units are not used to working with Malgeir units, or Granti units. And vice versa. We need more familiarization between equipment. We need standardization of everything from terminology to munitions. We recommend a plan for full unit integration. It will not be easy: it will take time, and it will take resources, but it is the path forward for victory.
Third, prioritization. We looked at many defense and intelligence programs, with different sources of funding. We recommend… no across-the-board cuts nor increase. But there are shifts in strategy for how we accomplish the other changes. We recommend a fast-tracked retirement timeline for older equipment and using the savings to promote unit activation. We recommend diverting some of the savings to the newly instituted unit integration plan.
These and other recommendations are spelled out in great detail in our report. We’ve made a limited number of recommendations focusing on areas we believe to be the most critical. We approached our task with the deepest respect for our people in service. In this report, we believe that we can make a difference for our security. We can make our people safer. We can make our allies safer. And we can prevent this from happening again.
“I’m happy to take your questions.”
He looked at the blinking lights on the screen, each representing a journalist with questions. He pointed at one of them. “Ms. Onizuka, Atlas Times.”
“Senator Wald, you mentioned that the result of this commission was a majority report, not a consensus report. There’s been rumors that there is a minority report in the commission that rejects most of the recommendations made. Is there any truth to that?”
“Ms. Onizuka, there is a… dissent report from one of our respected commissioners. That is not the same thing as a minority report, I want to make that clear. Nonetheless, this report is the result of weeks of hard work and represents the view of the overwhelming majority of commission members. As a commission, we have reviewed over six million pages of documents, interviewed thousands of individuals, including experts both in service, retired officers, and independent investigators. In a democracy, there is bound to be some disagreement on policies. And in our case… maybe some of the facts too. That is the reality of our line of work, and we hope it does not color your opinion of any of the commission members or the report itself.”
“A quick follow up, if I may, Senator.”
“Sure.”
“The level of the Republic’s intelligence exposure as a result of the capture of the Cliunc: that seems to be the most hotly contested part of the report. What is the Commission’s opinion on the subject?”
“The report details a range of possibilities, from an unprecedented breach of the Prime Directive in addition to information regarding some specific military capabilities… to uh… minimal exposure, if any at all. Given the loss of communication with the Malgeir ship and our inability to get to the battle site, it is impossible to speculate with any certainty as to the severity of the exposure. That is why our report recommends a host of measures that account for all worst-case scenarios. Does that answer your question, Ms. Onizuka?”
“Yes, Senator.”
He looked at the screen again and tapped on the next name. “Next question. Mr. Adams, Republic Navy Radio.”
“Senator Wald, good to be here. Are the reports true that Admiral Amelia Waters, the hero of McMurdo, has been reassigned from Task Force Frontier and stripped of active responsibilities right before the public release of the commission’s report?”
“Mr. Adams, I uh— have heard similar reports, but the commission is not responsible for personnel changes in the Navy—”
“But the commission report does include recommendations for personnel changes, does it not, Senator Wald?”
“Yes, it does, Mr. Adams, however I will note that… if you are looking at the same report I’ve seen, the personnel changes detailed in there are not related to any of the recommendations made in our report. As for the veracity of the rumors and their rationale, I will have to redirect those questions to the Navy Communications Director.”
“Next question.” He picked another name. “Ms. Scobee, Titan Independent.”
“Senator Wald, you mentioned equipment retirement fast-tracking. Does the commission have something in mind for the number of Peacekeeper destroyers that will be retired in the next calendar year?”
“Ms. Scobee, thank you for the question. We have made recommendations, but the specifics will be up to the Senate. The proposal right now is to retire them as quickly as the Navy can handle familiarization on the Python-class and to create a process that facilitates that one-to-one transition by the squadron—”
“What about the leaked report that the Python-class will be inadequate for the role the Navy needs them for, Senator?”
“I’m sorry? I’ve read a lot of reports. I’m not sure which one… The new Python advanced missile destroyer represent the state of the art in Republic warfighting capabilities and a significant investment of the Navy’s procurement—”
“Senator, the report was about peacekeeping. About the anti-piracy campaigns in the Red Zone. Pythons lack the quad spinal railgun mounts in the old Peacekeeper and cannot operate in the proximity of Jovian storms—”
“Ms. Scobee, for specifics, I’ll redirect you to the Navy’s official assessment of these ships. Though I will note for the record that the report you are quoting is nearly five years old and both problems you mentioned have already been addressed or alleviated in the latest Python production blocks.”
He closed the connection and picked a new speaker, this time a Malgeir reporter.
That’s a new one.
“Ms. Braust from… Federation— Malgeir Federation Channel One?”
The alien reporter grinned into the camera. “That is correct. Your pronunciation is excellent. Thank you for the opportunity, Senator Wald. I have a question regarding the joint allied commander referred to in the report. Is your commission recommending a Terran for the position? And if you are, who do you think is best suited for the task?”
“Thank you for the questions, Ms. Braust. The commission does not take a position on who is best suited for the task. There are many well-qualified candidates in both services. And in our report, we recommend that the candidate selection process be worked out at the diplomatic level between our two governments. Does that answer your question?”
“Yes… I have another question. May I?”
“Go ahead, Ms. Braust.”
“Given that this report and any mention of it will likely be censored in the Federation, does the commission have any ideas how to best implement its recommendations on the Federation side?”
For the first time in the call, the Senator seemed surprised. “It uh— it is not the place of this commission to comment on Federation uh— public policy. But the best way to implement our recommendations is… I would simply recommend that this report not be censored.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pathfinder Republic Cemetery, Mars
POV: Niblui, Malgeir (Ambassador to the Terran Republic)
Under the red sky, a procession of pallbearers in dark uniforms marched crisply in unison, their boots echoing as they escorted the dark blue casket down the cobblestone path. The casket was empty; that was not unusual: body recovery in the cold vacuum of space could be a difficult task for even a service where “no one left behind” was a sacred duty.
What was unusual was the color of the fabric draped over it: the blue and gray flag of the Malgeir Federation.
The path was lined on both sides with Marines. Not the usual Terran Marines. But Marines of the Malgeir Federation. Over a hundred. Some referred to among themselves as the Marooned: Malgeir troops who could no longer fight (or chose not to) in the few Malgeir frontline units that were entrusted with the secret of their Terran allies. Others were part of the batch sent to the Republic for the Red Zone campaign. They respectfully pressed their paws to the rims of their head coverings in salute to their fallen as the procession passed.
Federation Ambassador Niblui solemnly stood for the ceremony, a few lengths away from the final resting place and next to the few grieving Malgeir families who could attend.
Then, on command, the famous Navy Salute Battery took their positions, firing their three guns in sequence. Nineteen shots rang out, echoing across the Martian dome.
The Terran pallbearers slowly lowered their burden and stood up straight. With their white gloves, they lifted the flag over the casket, to the side, and began folding it with practiced precision. It formed a triangle, and the lead casket bearer knelt down to present it to the widow of Peipplust, representing the families of the Cliunc.
She made a quiet keening sound, raised her snout and then howled in grief. Holding the note for several seconds, the other Malgeir mourners joined in. As the noises died, she lowered her head and accepted the flag, muttering a “thank you” to the Terran.
A brass instrument sounded, playing a slow melody. Following the example of the others, Niblui clasped her right paw over her heart.
Then, the moment was over. The families filed out, left to grieve the loss of their worlds on their own.
Following the crowd, Niblui exited the cemetery to a waiting vehicle. As she entered, she glanced at the unexpectedly familiar face of its other occupant in mild surprise.
“Admiral.”
“Ambassador.”
There was an awkward silence as they waited for the vehicle to start, to take them to the spaceport.
Niblui broke it. “Admiral, I know you blame yourself for what happened, but my people do not see it—”
“Thank you, Ambassador,” Amelia replied curtly. “But I was in command in that room.”
The ambassador shook her ears. “We all saw the recording. There was nothing else you could do.”
“Once is accident. Twice now, I’ve been charged to protect your ships and failed.” The Terran looked out the window as she brought back memories of the Seuvommae. She continued, “With all respect to the late fleet commander, his claim of responsibility as a dying man’s— officer’s confession did not reflect the full reality of the battle. And it was certainly not my decision to leak the recording of the disaster to the press.”
“It was mine,” Niblui said simply.
Amelia’s eyes widened and her face was replaced with confusion. “Why?”
“People deserve to know the truth. And you deserve people’s respect for making the hard choices. Choices that were logical without the benefit of hindsight.”
“Logical choices are not always right ones, and it is my job to be able to tell the difference.”
Niblui said nothing in response for a while. She buckled in as the vehicle started and began to move.
“So what’s next?” she asked the Terran.
Amelia looked puzzled. “What’s next?”
“What’s next for you, when they reinstate you back to duty?” Niblui clarified.
“What makes you so certain I’m not heading for early retirement?” Amelia said, not meeting the alien’s eyes.
“The fact that they invited you to the funeral,” Niblui gestured out the window. “Your Navy would be hiding you if they were going to shit can you.”
“Sounds… political,” the admiral said with mild distaste.
Niblui didn’t look away. “It’s a Terran funeral for a Malgeir fleet commander. Of course it’s political. Your Navy hosted it to remind your people of the other war, and our families accepted their invitation because they know they’d never get a proper chance to grieve in Malgeiru… or even closure for what really happened.”
“Has it really gotten that bad back in the Federation? The censorship. The grief. Everything.”
Niblui tilted her head. “We’ve been in an existential war for over a decade, Amelia. The only reason we’re still holding together is that people still have hope. Hope they we can somehow still pull through.”
“Hope that six thousand souls on the Cliunc died for.”
“Exactly. And you’re avoiding the question.”
“What was it again?”
“What are you doing after they clear you?” Niblui reminded her kindly.
Amelia sighed. “Red Zone missions probably. All Task Force Frontier activity is completely on hold until we conduct this anti-terrorism campaign. And it’s no secret: everyone from the press to the Resistance know we’re just about ready to begin.”
“How are my people’s training progressing?” Niblui asked.
Amelia didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Marines aren’t born, Ambassador; they’re made.”
Niblui sighed as well. “That bad, huh?”
“Remember how your Sixth Fleet was before we got started? Trust us. Trust— me. They’ll be ready. If it’s the last thing I do with my career, I’ll make sure of it.”
After only the briefest hesitation, Niblui nodded in agreement.
As the vehicle rolled towards the cemetery gates, there was buzzing outside. Niblui realized that they were people, dozens of them, maybe a hundred. They were carrying signs. Some of them were shouting at the vehicles driving by.
Puzzled, Niblui asked, pointing out the window, “What are these people here for?”
“Protesters,” Amelia waved dismissively.
“At funerals?” Niblui gasped.
Amelia looked disgusted as well. “Unfortunately, some of our people choose to use their Basic Terran Rights to do the most awful things they possibly could with them.”
Niblui stared at the shouting Terrans. Some of them looked angry. One of their signs read “ET go home”. Another said, “Defund the Navy”. And yet another, “Terrans First”.
“Terrans first,” she repeated. “What does that mean? And why would they oppose your involvement in our war?”
Amelia sighed as she explained. “It’s a dog whistle.”
“A whistle… for dogs?” Niblui asked, familiar with the ubiquitous Terran pets that somewhat resembled her people. The moment she’d first encountered one of them… it had been confusing, to say the least.
“Like some of your people, dog ears are sensitive to higher pitches that we can’t hear. Dog whistles are meant to only be heard by certain people. In this case, that slogan is a dog whistle against certain humans, and more recently, against your people.”
Niblui nodded. “I see. We have something similar in our politics. What is the hidden meaning in that slogan?”
“When the Terran Republic was formed, it was limited to districts on Terra and Luna. It quickly extended to Mars and several of the asteroid belt districts with their wealthy industries. It was only several decades later that the colonies in the outer planets were accepted as full districts and their people as citizens. ‘Terrans First’ implied that the Jovian and Saturnian districts weren’t real Terrans like the rest of the Republic. And it was used heavily to advocate for brutal crackdowns against outer system unrest and crime, especially in the Red Zone, without regard for the civilian colonists living there.”
Niblui shuddered. “I’ve heard about those extremists. But they’re now on the side with the people calling for… removing funding from the Navy?” She gestured out the window at some of the signs. “Aren’t they supposed to be on opposite sides?”
Amelia shrugged. “Yeah, strange crowd. Nobody accused them of being too rational. I like to think that most citizens of the Republic believe in what we’re doing even if they may have reasonable disagreements on the specifics… but then I see these crowds grow every time I come to one of these, and… I’m less and less certain every time.”
Comments
Valdis Trautmanis
With Terrans in stead of Malgeir I would like those odds even against the Jem Hadar 🤔
ColonelCodfish
Ah. I guess that makes more sense.
Spooker
Most people on ships aren't armed unless they're ready, and it was a little more than a couple squads: you can pack a lot of little Buns into boarding shuttles. They've got 3 ships' worth of people who bailed out of their ships, and all of them know they've only got one way out of there. And training makes all the difference. These Malgeir are basically the people who (as we saw a few chapters ago) can't fight their way out of a paper bag before they had a few dozen tries in a sim.
ColonelCodfish
So wait, a couple squads of Znosians were able to cut through 6,000 Malgier? Even if the malgier were a little undersupplied an arms, I don’t think the Buns should’ve been nearly so effective as to take over a ship of 6,000 hostiles.
