Last Measure of Devotion (TCOTU, Book 5) (This Corner of the Universe) Read Online Free PDF Page B

willing to call them in.”
    “Duke,”
Wallace said defensively, “surely my service to the corporation is worthy
enough for them to shield me.  I’ve spent a lifetime defending IaCom… I would
do anything to protect Sade!”
    Hughes
rested a hand upon the Red Admiral’s shoulder.  “Easy, Oliver.  Everything that
can be done, will be done.”  The COO cocked his head to one side.  “Now, you
can defeat this privateer in battle, can’t you?”

Chapter 2
    “As
you were,” Heskan thundered as he walked down the main aisle of the spacious
auditorium.  To either side of him stood nearly one thousand men and women, the
bulk of Seshafi’s Space Combat Command.  He took the stairs near the front of
the auditorium in pairs and, once on the stage, surveyed the floor for the
markings that would tell him where to stand.  Directional microphones would
broadcast his voice not only to the chiliad of sailors in attendance but to all
members of Seshafi’s tiny navy across the planet.  “Please be seated.”
    Heskan
lightly cleared his throat.  Despite the massive audience, easily the largest
he had ever spoken in front of, he was not nervous.  He had given speeches with
higher stakes before.  “Ladies and gentlemen, in twenty-five days we attack Sade.”
    The
throng in front of Heskan was far too disciplined to break into anxious chatter
but not nearly enough to avoid a wave of hushed gasps.  He looked out at the
young sailors in attendance.  There was shock on their faces along with a
healthy amount of fear but also something else… an understanding that the
matter between the two warring corporations must be resolved.
    Off
to the side, backstage, even Lieutenants Selvaggio and Truesworth gasped at the
announcement.  Truesworth cast his head to the left and spoke in a quiet voice
to Vernay, “ We’re attacking them ?  That’s crazy!  Stacy, why
aren’t you as shocked as we are?”
    Vernay
shrugged lightly with a wry smile.  “What, is this my first day here?”
    Oblivious
to the backstage banter, Heskan continued.  “While we are still firming up our order
of battle, we’re going to commence combat exercises in two days with what we
know we’ll have for the attack.”  He looked downward, at the front row of the
auditorium.  Yon Nguyen, recently promoted to captain, sat stoically.  The
Seshafian native had been briefed an hour earlier on the operation that would
commence in a little over three weeks.  Heskan held reservations about Nguyen’s
conservative, nearly antiquated nature but understood that Archduke Covington
promoted Nguyen to captain to act as not only a sounding board for Heskan but
also a brake.  Covington admitted that the ancient conventions and covenants of
corporate warfare were undergoing a transformation with the Sade-Seshafi
conflict, but he also realized that a full-throttled, headlong change of the mores
could result in the decimation of both systems’ navies that either side could
ill afford.  Covington urged Heskan to be creative with his interpretation of
corporate rules but not violate them outright.  As a single-system entity,
Seshafi held little sway over The Courts in the capital system of Nessus and needed
to tread lightly when dealing with the larger sharks in the corporate judicial
system.
    Heskan’s
voice echoed through the large chamber.  “In the next twenty-four hours,
Captain Nguyen and I will determine the ship captain list for the pending battle. 
There will be differences from our last action.”  He looked sternly across the
room.  “I place a premium on combat experience and the officers that have proven
themselves will see their names at the top of the list.”  He resisted the urge
to smile as he thought about his crew.  “Some of the names you will recognize. 
Others, you may not.  Ultimately, I know that each of you will perform to your
utmost regardless of who your ship captain is or where she may have