Read Synchronicity War Part 1, The for Free Online Page B

transport, Shiloh was busy saluting and shaking hands with
more Space Force brass than he had ever seen in one place at the same time
during his entire career. The greetings were positive but somber in tone. There
were congratulations on his victory and his bringing his damaged ship home, but
he could tell they didn’t feel he’d won a glorious victory, but rather some kind
of consolation prize. It was as if they were saying ‘you started a war, but at
least you won the first battle’.
     
    Shiloh was asked to accompany a Senior Lieutenant to a
waiting limo that was flying the flag of a three star Admiral. After settling
into its very comfortable interior, he waited alone for what seemed like a long
time. The door was still open and he could hear voices coming closer. He was
able to catch the last few phrases.
     
    “—yes, I know it’s a goddamn mess, but we have to keep
acting as if it’s a victory so the public won’t panic.”
     
    “Just wait until the Council hears that we’re in an
interstellar war with an enemy we know nothing about. One that can outgun us! God!
What a mess!”
     
    “Okay. Okay. Let’s hope it’s not as bad as it sounds. I’ll
go with Shiloh. You ride with his XO. We’ll compare notes after the debrief.”
     
    With that, Admiral Howard, Chief of Space Operations for the
United Earth Space Force, entered the limo, nodded to Shiloh, and rapped on the
transparent partition separating the passenger section from the driver. The
door hissed shut, and the limo accelerated smoothly. Howard said nothing for a
few seconds while he looked at Shiloh. Then he opened a compartment in the
middle of the seat, a compartment that Shiloh hadn’t even known was there, and
took out two cigars. Without saying a word, he offered one to Shiloh, who took
it with a curt, ‘Thank you, Sir.’ Howard grunted acknowledgement and lit his
cigar with the limo’s cigarette lighter. He handed Shiloh the still hot device
and the Commander did the same.
     
    After taking a deep puff of his cigar, the Admiral said, “Well,
Commander. You’ve had an interesting trip. I’ve seen the preliminary data you
transmitted, so I know the overall sequence of events. It’s too bad we don’t
know the fate of the 301 and 299, but I expect we’ll get some news sooner or
later.” The Admiral shook his head in obvious disapproval before adding, “I
can’t believe Omar would take his undamaged ships back there after Torres
ordered him to retreat. That was a damned reckless thing to do!”
     
    Shiloh said nothing.
     
    Howard took another puff and then said in a calmer tone, “I’ve
read your report. Very well thought out by the way. I was particularly
impressed with your analysis of the overall implications of the encounter and
battle. How convinced are you that a crash mobilization is needed to defend
against these aliens?”
     
    “Admiral, I’ve given this a LOT of thought on the way back.
The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that we need to start
building ships immediately. Lots of ships, and I don’t just mean more frigates.
We are going to need ships that are far better armored, with more powerful
weapons, and plenty of them. That means bigger ships. MUCH bigger ships. These
aliens will come looking for us, and we need to be ready for them when that
time comes.”
     
    Howard sighed and nodded. “Based on what I’ve learned so
far, I’m reluctantly forced to agree with your assessment. The problem I foresee
is that the kind of response you’re talking about will costs thousands of
billions of credits, and government revenues still haven’t returned to the
level they were before the Depression hit. It’s going to be tough to convince the
politicians that we need to do this. There’s an election within sight, and emergency-spending
programs of this magnitude will have to be financed with increased taxes. I’m
sure you know what that means?”
     
    Shiloh nodded. Howard went on.
     
    “Finding