Chương 45: Pyrrhus and Achilles

Academy Hill, Vidako Imperium Stellarum November 5, 2847 With less than two months until winter break, Arc could hardly make himself sit through his classes. In the front row of the lecture hall, while Professor DeVault flicked through his last few projections of the day, Arc couldn't keep his right leg from bouncing up and down in a display of sheer nerves. It wasn't that the course was anything but fascinating.

Under any kind of normal circumstance, he would have been riveted by the man's insights into interstellar war. In fact, before he'd gone on his first patrol with Vijay Iyer, War and its Theorists had easily been his favorite course. But with a hard deadline to be ready for his duel against Fletcher Radecki, every moment that he didn't spend getting ready in one way or another felt wasted.

"At its core, warfare in space would seem to be a case in which all engagements are, essentially, voluntary," DeVault lectured. Arc realized that he hadn't heard anything the professor had said for the last ten minutes or more, and resolved to fix his attention on the older man's words until the class let out.

"After all, space is so vast that it is a trivial matter for one fleet to avoid another." Cal Madine raised his hand, and Devault nodded permission for the cadet to speak.

"That doesn't take into account fixed points which have to be held, sir," he objected.

"If a fleet comes out of the gate and attacks Vidako, we have to fight them."

"Do we?" DeVault asked. Arc hesitated a moment, and then raised his hand.

"If we're on the planet, yes, we do," he said.

"But if we were up in the Honor, we could leave before the enemy force ever reached orbit. We might not be able to get to the gate if they protected it, but we could avoid them as long as we were willing to skulk around the edges of the system, or until we ran out of fuel or food."

"Precisely," DeVault confirmed, with a smile.

"In the hours it would take an enemy force to burn from the gate to Vidako, any defending force of ships could leave. That doesn't help our ground troops, of course, nor the civilian population, but such an engagement is still voluntary."

"That's insane," Sloane Emonstone-Granville broke in, without bothering to raise her hand.

"You'd actually argue for leaving everyone on this world to be conquered? Or worse—if something like the Swarm came, killed?" While the imperial fleet had confirmed Admiral Wai's arrival in the Ha'veth system, and every major media outlet had covered their departure, Arc hadn't heard any news about whether his carrier group had actually won, or not. The longer the silence stretched out, the more it became a topic of conversation—especially, he understood, among the upperclassmen.

Arc was hoping that, when he and Cassie visited Duke Montalban and his family again over the winter break, they might be able to learn more.

"Am I arguing for such a course of action?" DeVault asked.

"No. Merely pointing out the inherent contradictions in the assumptions that most of you have been making until now. It is not incumbent upon us to defend a planet, strategically, unless there is more to be gained by such a defense than by ceding the territory. In fact, there is only one way in which a naval force may be brought to battle, consistently, without their consent. Cadet Sandhurst touched upon this in his last answer."

"You're talking about the gates," Cal said.

"You can plant a force right at a system's gate and ambush anything that comes through." Whatever else he was, at least Cal wasn't stupid.

"Precisely." DeVault nodded.

"The fact that the imperium's faster-than-light travel is constrained by fixed points in each system means that those gates are, essentially, choke points. A defending force, if they are prepared to risk damage to the gate, can hold that point, and thereby the system, against any incoming aggressor, so long as they are willing to fight at a gate."

"Unless you use Torean warp technology," Arc pointed out.

"Which no one really does anymore."

"Again, that is an assumption," DeVault cautioned him.

"The Black Raptor Fleet never gave up their warp drives when they refused to join the imperium, and if any of you have the slightest idea where they are now, I'm certain fleet intelligence would reward you handsomely for the information." A wave of chuckles spread through the students in their seats, and even Arc couldn't help but smile. No one had seen nor heard of the fourth Torean ark-fleet in a hundred and forty-five years, and a lot of people speculated that they'd all died somewhere off in the black.

"But even putting the Harriers of Toree aside," DeVault continued, "we have no indication that the Na'xir swarm makes use of gates. The Singularity still cannot, so far as we are aware, manufacture their own. It would be foolish to assume they haven't delved back into warp engine development. By my count, no less than three potential enemies are, in the worst case scenario, capable of warping into any of our systems to make a surprise assault, and then holding our own choke points against a relief force."

A soft chime rang throughout the room.

"That is, it appears, our class for the day," DeVault announced.

"For a point of view on how warp drives alter strategic consideration, please read the selection from Kaimana. I think you'll find his account of the twenty-sixth century Torean raid on Alu to be of particular interest. Cadet Sandhurst, remain behind a moment, please." Arc had already stood up in his seat, but the professor's words brought him to a halt, and he shuffled his feet, watching the other cadets leave, before finally approaching the front of the room.

Did we miss an assignment, while we were out in the jungle? he asked Iceni. Not unless my records are inaccurate, his AI responded. DeVault simply watched him approach, remaining silent for a long moment. Eventually, unable to bear it any further, Arc broke.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked.

"I think, cadet, that you should have taken my offer to write you a recommendation," DeVault said.

"If you'd gone to the fleet academy on Luna, you would not be upon the verge of risking your life in a foolish duel. I thought you were smarter than this." Arc could feel his face burning red hot.

"He took me by surprise, sir," he said.

"Outmaneuvered me. It won't happen again."

"Did you not listen to a single thing I was saying this class?" DeVault demanded, with a frown. The combination of his height and the deep tone of his voice made for an imposing combination, and the effect was only heightened when he was angry.

"You are choosing to accept this engagement, Sandhurst. Why are you making that choice, when you don't have to?"

"I did the best I could," Arc argued.

"I can choose the ground, and I'm –" DeVault made a sharp cut of his hand.

"Your enemy has the advantage of superior training and field experience," he said.

"One. Two, he has the advantage in equipment. The Tyro is a training mech, not a front line machine. You will be going up against a Kestrel. Three, he has the advantage of range. Four, maneuverability. What advantage do you have, Sandhurst? I'm trying to think of one. Has it simply not occurred to me, or are you, in fact, thoroughly outclassed?"

"I have until May to train," Arc pointed out.

"So does he. Perhaps you will gain more benefit of the time, relative to him," DeVault conceded.

"But you can hardly expect to close the gap in skill completely."

"Knowing his machine means I can target its vulnerabilities," Arc argued, not yet prepared to back down.

"As he will target yours, though I admit the Tyro is a more well rounded, robust chassis," DeVault said.

"All you are doing is attempting to lessen the advantages he already holds so that they are not quite so egregious. That isn't a winning strategy, son."

"You want me to back down," Arc said, and shook his head.

"First of all, I don't think he'd play along."

"We have just over six months to pressure him into accepting," DeVault said.

"I do not appreciate seeing upperclassmen attempting to bully my students, and there are plenty of other professors who agree with me. Give us time to work." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Arc sighed.

"Is that what Alexander would do?" he asked.

"Alexander?" DeVault frowned.

"After my first class," Arc explained, "you quoted Napoleon at me. That Alexander was in the first rank of generals not just because of his strategy, or his logistics, but because he 'carried out audaciously.' You told me that if I wanted to lead a wing, I needed to earn the confidence of my soldiers. That I needed to be able to inspire brave action –""On the field," DeVault objected.

"Not in some meaningless duel."

"But it does have meaning, sir," Arc protested.

"He's doing this to get back at me and Cassie, because she rejected him. What does it say if we let him get away with it? What does it say about her, and about me? Do you want me to be the lieutenant who ran away from a duel?"

"Is it not better to withdraw and preserve your force for later action, than to lose it entirely?" DeVault argued.

"Would you rather be a Washington, cadet, or a Pyrrhus of Epirus?"

"In this particular case, I'd rather be Achilles," Arc joked.

"But I'll settle for surviving. I'll settle for a draw."

"You had better have a damned good plan by the time May comes," DeVault said.

"Or I will do everything in my power, such as it is, to stop this duel from proceeding. I will fill the commandant's desk with written objections from every instructor at this academy, if I have to." Arc hesitated. He didn't want to chance saying anything out loud, not in any room that Jessica hadn't swept for listening devices, but –"I can see the shape of it, sir. I need to know more," Arc admitted.

"I need to do a bit of research, find out the answer to a few questions, and most of all get some sim time against someone piloting a Kestrel. But I can see the shape of it."

"Well," DeVault drew the word out.

"At least you understand the need for operational security. I'm recommending you for my simulations and war games course next semester, Sandhurst. It's by recommendation only, and I want you in it."

"Understood, sir," Arc said.

"Thank you."

"On your way." DeVault waved a dismissal, and Arc hurried out of the lecture hall. 𝝮 Arc didn't manage to make it over to the infirmary until his classes were done for the day. He'd managed to squeeze in an appointment with Doctor Seung that would leave him just enough time, so long as they didn't run long, to dash back across campus and grab dinner with his friends at Tycho Hall.

He'd considered the possibility of running into Radecki at the infirmary ahead of time, but at the end of the day there wasn't anything to do but take the chance. If he'd had access to the infirmary schedules, he could have planned around Radecki's time there, but those weren't public information. I might have been able to scrounge them up for you, Iceni pointed out, as Arc approached the door. If you had let me.

"The last thing I need is the two of us getting in trouble because you tried to crack the infirmary computer systems and steal data," Arc warned her.

"Aren't you shackled precisely to prevent that sort of thing?" He put one hand on the door handle and swung it open, then stepped into the waiting room. Besides the corpsman currently manning the desk, the only other person there was a tech student who appeared to have burned his left arm rather badly. The immediate physical safety of my host is a higher priority than following academy regulations, Iceni explained.

In fact, there are precedents that an artificial intelligence acting against an imminent threat to their host can be considered self defense under certain circumstances. The case of Coldwater vs. – Later, Arc told her, and stepped up to the desk.

"Arcturus Sandhurst, Cadet Fourth Class. I have an appointment with Doctor Seung."

"You can head on in," the corpsman said.

"You know where her office is?"

"I do," Arc said, and crossed the room to the door. He took the corridor with quick steps, half out of nerves, and half because he was already hungry for dinner. He knew that Cassie and his friends would wait for him, and in the worst case save him a plate, but he was already asking them to do so much for him – When he reached Doctor Seung's door, he raised his hand and rapped his knuckles against it twice.

"Come in, Cadet Sandhurst," the academy's medical chief called out. Arc opened the door, stepped into her office, and then pulled it closed behind him.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Doctor," he began, before he'd even walked over to one of the chairs set in front of her desk.

"I'm not certain if you know about my duel with Cadet Radecki –" Nara Seung laughed.

"I think it is a fair bet that everyone on campus knows about your impending duel by now, Sandhurst," she interrupted.

"And you are not even the first one to come and see me about it. Commandant Marlowe took me out to dinner two nights ago at the officer's club to clear the way for you, so to speak. Sit down." Arc pulled one chair out and slid into it.

"Then you know what I need," he said.

"What you need is debatable," Seung grumbled, and tapped at the leftmost of her two screens. Holoprojectors built into her desk flashed to life, painting Arc's current academy file in lines of bright blue light. Cognitive and Physical Assessment: Arcturus Sandhurst Age: 18 Rank: Cadet 4th Class Cardiac Health 51st percentile Cognitive Processing Speed 99.

9th percentile* Hand Eye Coordination 66th percentile Reflexes 50th percentile Spatial Intelligence 92nd percentile Strength 48th percentile G-Force Tolerance (Head to Toe) 4. 9 Genetic Modifications: NA Qualifications: T-3 Tyro"Do you recall what I told you at the beginning of the term?" Doctor Seung asked.

"I do, sir," Arc said, with a nod.

"You said that you need me to be able to pull five g's by the end of the year. I'm well on my way to that, sir. If you'll let me have time in the centrifuges, that will only help things along."

"And help you get ready for your duel. Which Commandant Marlowe has determined the academy will allow to proceed," Seung said.

"If you're harboring any dreams that I'm going to clear you to begin training on a Kestrel early, put them aside right this moment. If you go up to Chel, it's going to be in a Tyro."

"I understand that, sir, and I'm not asking for it," Arc said.

"Just the chance to train in the centrifuges." Seung considered him for a long moment.

"You understand, cadet, that I'm going to have to be up on Chel with you," she said. Arc frowned.

"Sir?"

"The academy is obligated to provide medical care for a duel like this," she explained.

"When Cadet Radecki scatters the pieces of your Tyro across the moon's surface in a debris field half a klick long, I'm going to be the one who has to fish what's left of you out of your cockpit, and try to keep you alive. You understand Tyro cockpits aren't even built for ejection into a vacuum?" Arc swallowed. Make a note of that, Iceni, he thought. We need to try to get Natalie an escape capsule to swap into Unit Seventeen.

"Thank you for reminding me, sir," he told Seung.

"I'll add that to my list of things to take care of. But have you considered that it may not be me you need to rescue?"

"I've known Fletcher Radecki for two and a half years now," Nara Seung said.

"I do not believe that he is an unreasonable person. If you make an apology –""With all due respect, sir, perhaps that's because you're his superior," Arc said.

"Because from what I've seen of him, he's an arrogant, manipulative –" Seung held up her hand, and Arc swallowed what he'd been about to say next.

"I suppose we all only see one side of the people we think we know," she mused.

"The face they choose to show to us. I will allow that I may not know Radecki as well as I thought I did, if you will admit the possibility that he isn't an utter monster." Arc shrugged.

"Do I have your permission to train in the centrifuges, sir?"

"Fine." Seung shook her head.

"I'll file the authorization in the academy systems. For what it's worth, Sandhurst, I would prefer that neither of you kill the other. It is my profound preference that none of us go up to Chel at all."

"I'm not sure that's much chance of that, sir," Arc said.

"But thank you." He stood up, but did not turn his back.

"Oh, dismissed." Seung rolled her eyes, and Arc departed before she could change her mind. That was rather productive, Iceni pointed out. You got exactly what you wanted, after all. Shall I message tech Ramírez?

"Please do," Arc told her, as he hurried back out through the corridors of the infirmary. He'd been lucky enough not to run into Radecki yet, and he'd prefer to make his escape now.

"Did my request for a weekend pass go through?" It did, Iceni confirmed. We are free to go into the city, as of this evening. What are we doing?

"We," Arc told the artificial intelligence, "are going shopping. We need a Christmas present for a princess imperial."