Singing Senator Patreus' Beard - Part IX
13 Jun 2018Jellicoe
"Commander Jellicoe you're passengers are ready to embark." The voice of the Newton's Fusiliers travel coordinator came through on Jellicoe's slate as he sat grabbing a bite to eat with Claude and Vik. They were tired, very tired, the Fusiliers might have taken Malenchenko City but they had been under siege ever since as, backed by the seemingly limitless wealth of Denton Patreus the Liberals of Coma had been gaining ground fast, buying up assets both economic and strategic throughout the system, manipulating the commodities market to create artificial shortages and ferment discontent with the systems new rulers, discontent fanned by a near constant media barrage from compliant news outlets. As always this campaign had a darker side, in space privateers preyed on the Fusiliers shipping and ambushed their patrols while on the station government premises were attacked and Fusiliers personnel set upon, carefully placed agitators stirred up trouble in industry, the docks and anywhere else where it would damage the new regime as the resources of one of the most powerful men in the galaxy were focused on teaching this gang of brigands and anyone else who might be watching a salutary lesson in the realities of power."Roger that," Jellicoe replied, "Tell them to make their way to my hangar, my people are ready for them."
"Who are we carrying this time?" Claude asked, looking as though a bad smell had just wafted past his nostrils. "Terrorists or criminals?"
"Freedom fighters old boy," Jellicoe replied with a slightly forced grin, "Or rebels as I think they describe themselves. We're exporting the freedom we've won here in Coma."
"Is that really the best use of our time and abilities right now?"
Jellicoe pursed his lips, loudly exhaling. "We're losing," he said slowly, "Patreus is throwing more at taking back Coma than we ever expected. We thought that if we could take Malenchenko it'd be more trouble than it'd be worth to kick us out, but it hasn't turned out like that, Denton Patreus can't afford to let the galaxy think he's been beaten by a gang of troublemakers shouting about revolutions in the name of a woman he fitted up and had murdered, so he's chucking everything he's got at us, money, ships, men. Almost all his covet forces are focused on Coma so they only chance we've got is to make so much trouble for him elsewhere and draw some of them away, the people we're carrying are part of that."
"More blood on our hands?"
Jellicoe looked at his friend with hollow, empty eyes. "Bit late to start worrying about that old chap."