Democracy 1: Democracy's Right by Christopher Nuttall Read Free Book Online Page B

challenge.  He considered asking Stacy if he could delay their arrival times until he could organise space for them, but he knew her too well.  She had no concept of delayed gratification.  She would want to have them all under her control as soon as possible.
     
    He keyed his console, authorising the shuttles to dock, scattered out over all nine superdreadnaughts.  The Household Troops could escort the prisoners to their quarters – if they were members of the Thousand Families, they could not be mistreated or Stacy’s superiors would disown her – and then secure them until they could be sent home in disgrace.  Another feather in Stacy’s cap...who knew, perhaps her superiors would be so pleased that she would be promoted away from his superdreadnaught squadron.
     
    “Bring them in as soon as possible,” Stacy ordered, tightly.  “And then prepare to engage the enemy.”
     
    Jeremy nodded.  The red icons on the display – the battleships protecting Jackson’s Folly – were already moving into a defensive formation.  He was privately impressed by their determination – he would have considered jumping out and waging a hit-and-run war against the Empire rather than standing in defence of their homeworld – but it wouldn't matter.  They couldn't stand against his superdreadnaughts, even with Stacy in command.
     
    The thought was bitter, yet it had to be faced.  Another world was about to be ground under and brought to heel...and there was nothing he could do, but watch.
     
    ***
    “The shuttles are away, sir.”
     
    Colin nodded, watching as the icons accelerated towards their target ships.  Preparing the holographic message had been a gamble, even though they’d discovered Commodore Roosevelt’s secret orders to Captain-Commodore Howell.  If she’d insisted on the shuttles all going to one superdreadnaught, the Marines would have to have used the emergency plan and if that had failed...they would have died, followed rapidly by the Observation Squadron itself.  He wished, desperately, that he was flying with the Marines.  It was the first time he had sent men into danger, where some or all of them might be killed, without being with them. 
     
    He sat back and tried to remain calm.  It was tempting to spin up the drives, just so they could flicker out and escape if everything went to hell, but that would risk alerting the enemy ships.  If they realised that the Observation Squadron wasn't behaving normally, what would they think?  Would they think that Howell was just being careful, or would they realise that something was very wrong?  No; they had to sit still, knowing that if the raiders were detected ahead of time, they were committed to a missile duel with nine superdreadnaughts.  It was a battle that would only have one outcome.
     
    “Good,” he said.  There wouldn't even be any live feed from the shuttles.  “Hold our position and stand by.”
     
    There was nothing else he could do, but wait.
     
    ***
    The great advantage of the Marine Goblin-class assault shuttle, as far as Colonel Neil Frandsen was concerned, was that it could pass for a Cloud-class heavy transport shuttle, even at close range.  Its weapons were mounted on recessed platforms, allowing them to be concealed from suspicious eyes until it was far too late, while it could carry thirty armoured Marines into the heart of the enemy position.  In this case, Neil knew, three shuttles were going to land on the General Montgomery .
     
    He studied his HUD as he ran through the final checks of his armour and weapons.  Commander – no, Captain now – Walker had been keen to avoid heavy casualties if possible, but Neil knew that it was quite possible that they would lose the entire team along with the superdreadnaught.  It didn't matter so much to him.  After he’d been effectively cashiered for refusing orders to slaughter helpless captives, his life had been meaningless.  Colin Walker had offered him a chance