SotU2 Chpt 49

=Chapter 49=
==State of the Union - Book 2==
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Kirin River, Irian
Silver Hawks Coalition, Free Worlds League
27th March, 3067
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“Once again, my congratulations.” Galen heard as he entered the ante-chamber to Isis’ office.
The SLDF had relocated their headquarters after Sabine Steiner had moved to intervene at Saiph, with leadership of the disparate task force transferred to Laura Nelson of the Genyosha. Officially, just to allow Sabine to focus on her new area of concern but command hadn’t been returned to her after it was clear that Sun-Tzu Liao’s overconfidence wasn’t quite suicidal enough to attack an actual SLDF deployment.
It was a bit of a mixed message though. Tai-sa Nelson had made it clear she’d cheerfully move her command, Reinhart Steiner’s and the mercenary elements of the SLDF to Saiph and take a crack at the CCAF given half an excuse. Not because she was rabidly anti-Capellan, just because she thought peacekeeping was blunting the Genyosha’s edge and some combat might correct that.
Galen would be perfectly happy to give her the chance if it came to that. He hadn’t lost the battle but nor had he covered himself with glory.
Sigmund Hughes left Isis office before Galen had found a seat to wait for his chance to meet with Irian’s duchess. The industrial magnate gave him what was probably a sincere smile. “Ah, Colonel Cox. May I hope that you’re here with more business for my company?”
“Not today, Sir. But I expect that I’ll be in touch shortly. Our peacekeeping role here in the League doesn’t seem to be about to go away.”
“Just send word to me if there’s anything I can do to smooth the way.” Hughes assured him. “The SLDF will have our very highest priority as a customer.”
As opposed to the Silver Hawks Coalition? wondered Galen privately. “I believe we can do business.”
“That’s the name of the game.” the older man boomed and made an exit.
Galen glanced after him for a moment and wondered if Hughes had managed to get access to his recent messages from Hohiro Kurita. The SLDF’s other Regimental Combat Team was already on its way into the Free Worlds League now that the Rim Commonality had requested support, and plans to split the First RCT to create the Second RCT had been adjusted to reflect carrying out the expansion on site.
Now that had been changed again, with the core of a fourth Regimental Team to be established in the next year. It would mean hiring two regiments of mercenaries on a semi-permanent basis and, even with that, both RCTs would be under-strength through to at least 3070. Even so, it would mean an increasing amount of the SLDF’s budget being spent in the Rim Commonality, the Duchy of Tamarind and - especially - the Silver Hawks Coalition, which had the most robust military manufacturing sector of the three.
Glancing at Isis secretary, Galen was waved in and he entered the office, closing the door behind him. The duchess behind the desk had a professional mask on her but the expression fell away once she saw it was him. “A busy day?” he inquired kindly.
“You have no idea… except you probably do.” she corrected herself. “What with Victor and all that.”
“It’s something like that. Commiserations on being elected as the head of Irian’s planetary government.”
Isis slumped back in her chair. “That sounds so much more sincere than the congratulations I’ve been receiving so far. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that this is what I came back to the League for.”
“Oh?” Galen looked at the chair facing Isis and then went past it to lean against the end of her desk. “I knew you’d spoken to Halas and to Omi before deciding to come here.”
“I wanted the wealth and power to be my own person.” She adopted a whiny tone. “Why did no one warn me that it came with responsibilities?”
“The previous decade or so wasn’t sufficient warning?” Galen questioned lightly
Isis laughed at that. “I may be a little slow at times.” Then the amusement drained away from her. “Do you think less of me? That I came back out of ambition?”
“Power isn’t evil in and of itself.” Galen folded his arms. “It’s what you do with it and what you do to obtain it...that can be… wrong.”
“Like Kathrina.” Isis commented
That still sent a pang through him. Partly anger at how she’d sent him to what had nearly been his death, partly disappointment that she hadn’t been the person he thought she was in character and perhaps even identity. Partly irritation at himself that despite ten years she still had enough hold on him that it hurt. “That’s certainly an example, although I can think of others.”
“I carved a slice of my home nation - my father’s nation - away and I’ve seceded in all but name. The parallels have been on my mind.”
Galen shook his head. “Don’t let Hughes or your other detractors do that to you. You’ve got people around you like Alys and Lloyd for examples who will tell you if you’re letting power go to your head. Trust them, not the people who have a vested interest in tearing you down.”
Isis looked up at him, then pushed her chair back and got to her feet. Galen stepped back a little but she moved towards the window. “Would you be one of those people, Galen?”
He swallowed and then walked over to join her at the window, looking over at the garden. Staff were still putting the lawn back in order after it had been used as an impromptu parking lot. “I could be. If you want me to.”
She sighed. “Thank you. You’ll have to let me know what your next posting is. At least I can afford my own HPG charges now.”
That was a slight exaggeration, Galen knew. Even before she was a duchess, Isis had access to some Marik funds. Enough for any normal person to live in reasonable comfort. The problem was that she’d not been a normal person and her royal status required a level of security that she’d had to lean on patrons before. And now, the woman next to him was in a position where she could be the one offering that protection to others.
“Probably not so many of those.” he told her. “Hohiro isn’t stupid, at least for the next few years this is likely to be the SLDF’s major deployment. He’s asked me to serve as liaison officer to the Silver Hawks Irregulars should that be Silver Hawk Regulars now?”
Isis leant over and threaded her arm through his. “Marshal van Creveld is still arguing with General Thrall over that. I think we’ll see distinct brigades forming again now that we need something more permanent, but it’s unlikely I’ll have to get involved.”
“But, my point is, I’m not going anywhere in the next few years. After that, well…” said Galen
“A soldier’s life.”
“I’ve come a long way from the farm back on Tamar.” he agreed and felt her pull closer against him.
“Will you ever go back? Even I can see that the Archon-Prince is angling for a confrontation there.”
‘Even you’?, I think you under-rate yourself Isis. Even Hohiro seems to think that the recent AFFC deployments are just precautionary. “No, my family there has been dead since 3039 and the farm was in different hands by the time the Clans arrived. There’s not really much left for me there - the SLDF may send me back if we get involved, but that’s all. And as a liaison officer...”
“Would you be satisfied with that? There’s going to be room for command opportunities with the way the SLDF is expanding.”
Galen smiled slightly. “I’ve spent more time in a staff role than in command. There’s been some mention I might get a brigade in a few years but after Saiph I’m in no hurry.”
“Are you blaming yourself for that now?” she asked, looking up at him. “Everyone else seems aware that you did wonders holding the defenders together for months under the pressure that we were under.”
“I seem to remember a few other people doing a lot of that.” He shrugged. “I’ve not lost my nerve, but it came very close to being not enough.”
“You can’t make your life on what might have been.” she said wisely. “If so, I might still be hung up on Sun-Tzu.”
“Well I wouldn’t want that.”
Galen Cox yielded to impulse and leant down towards her. Isis Marik moved closer to meet his lips and nothing more was said in words.
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;Note from Author: Thus concludes the second arc of State of the Union: Fledglings Take Flight. The story continues with Book 3.
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