Legion Of The Damned - 06 - For Those Who Fell Read Online Free PDF Page B

somewhat martial air to the proceedings, as did the olive drab chairs.
    Chien-Chu was already present and turned as Booly crossed the stage. The two men were related, thanks to the fact that Booly had married the industrialist’s niece, andthey had been friends for quite a while by then. But it still felt strange to shake hands with a man who was more than a hundred years old, looked like he was twenty-five, and seemed to be ageless. Both men grinned as they came together. “Sergi! It’s good to see you!”
    â€œAnd you,” Chien-Chu replied, “although I wish the circumstances were different.”
    They would have said more, but President Nankool arrived then, along with Charles Winther Vanderveen, his senior political advisor, Margaret Rutherford Xanith, the head of the Confederacy’s Department of Intelligence (CONINT), and a phalanx of support staff.
    Booly’s team which consisted of Colonel Kitty Kirby, his chief of staff, Colonel Tom Leeger, and the recently appointed head of Inter-Arm Operations, Major Drik Seeba-Ka, a dour Hudathan who had distinguished himself during the recent hostilities on LaNor and been cajoled into accepting a staff position.
    There were others, too, including a six-officer naval contingent and all manner of specialists, analysts, and liaison people. There was a certain amount of milling around as each participant looked for a place card with his or her name on it, took a seat, and settled in for what promised to be a long session.
    President Nankool opened the meeting by thanking those who had organized it, joking about the tablecloth, and giving everyone an opportunity to introduce themselves. Then, after activating his hand comp, he read the agenda. “We’ll start with a review of the political situation, followed by the military summary and the strategy discussion. I think you’ll all agree that it’s absolutely critical for this group to achieve consensus on a general approach before we make presentations to the Senate requesting funding. All right, let’s get on with it.”
    Charles Winter Vanderveen was a tall, patrician-lookingman, with carefully combed gray hair, and piercing blue eyes. He stood, took a moment to remind his audience that all the information at his disposal was at least six standard days old, and began his presentation. The essence of the situation was that, while the Dracs hadn’t allied themselves with the Ramanthians, not formally at any rate, Confederacy intelligence analysts assumed that they would.
    Vanderveen went on to indicate that both sides were hard at work trying to woo the Clone Hegemony, and, while it was not yet clear which side the Clones would come down on, the answer would soon be apparent. If Senator Ishimoto-Six arrived on Algeron during the next few days, it could be assumed that the Hegemony had decided either to fight on behalf of the Confederacy or assume a neutral posture. Either of these would be acceptable, although it was Vanderveen’s hope that the Clones would add their military clout to the anti-Ramanthian alliance.
    â€œFortunately,” Vanderveen continued, “the Thraks refused to ally themselves with the Ramanthians, as some of us feared they might, and declared their neutrality instead. All of their warships have been pulled back to their home system to protect Starfall. If you want more granularity, check your hand comp. My report is titled ‘Political Summary,’ and bears today’s date.”
    A murmur of approval and relief ran around the table. The Thrakies possessed a large armada of ships and were skillful fighters where space combat was concerned. Their ground forces were something of a joke—but that wasn’t at issue. “That’s good news indeed,” Nankool said. “Thank you. Colonel Leeger?”
    Leeger had white sidewalls, a stiff crew cut, and ears that protruded like the handles on a jug. His uniform looked like it had