Children of the Fleet (Fleet School #1)(15)
“Are you that desperate to get to Fleet School?” asked Desk Man.
“I’ll already be at Fleet School,” said Dabeet. “You will not only let me live, you’ll return me to Indiana, and, because I passed this test, the Minister of Colonization will take me up to Fleet School. I’ll be there, ready to cooperate with your venture.”
“And what, exactly, is this venture supposed to be?” asked the Brazilian.
“Think about what Fleet School represents. The best of the children of the Fleet are there. An attack on the station doesn’t have to ‘succeed,’ it only has to take place. No nation will claim credit for it. The only message the mission will give to the IF is this: If you continue to abandon Earth to endless warfare, then you will not remain untouched by war.”
“This hypothetical expedition is expected to fail,” said Desk Man.
“The mission will succeed no matter what happens, because the IF can’t absorb such a blow. It will have to come to Earth and exert authority, and once it has taken that step, it will have no choice but to restore the Hegemony and guarantee the peace as it did during the Formic Wars.”
“But what will this expedition do—besides die with disinformational notes in their pockets?”
“A sensible plan would be to take over the entire station without harming any of the children. A message is sent to the IF. Then the invaders seize one of the Fleet School shuttles and take it back to Earth, with a few dozen children aboard, along with the surviving members of the expedition.”
“So the IF won’t shoot it down,” said Desk Man.
“The IF doesn’t have to worry about publicity,” said the Brazilian. “So they can shoot it down and write off those children as casualties of war. They could claim that we exploded the shuttle.”
“They could do that,” said Dabeet, “except that they do have to worry about publicity. Nobody is more suspicious of official statements from the high command than soldiers and junior officers are—they know from experience that most of what the high command says is bullshit. So if the IF high command wishes to retain their lofty offices, and to have the loyalty and obedience of the soldiers and officers under them, they will proceed with great caution. They would far rather see your expedition get back to Earth, if it means the children survive, than to punish it, if that would harm the children.”
“You’ve never been in the IF,” said Desk Man, “so you have no idea what they—”
“You know he’s right,” said the Brazilian. “You know that your own military functions exactly that way.”
Again, silence. Desk Man might disagree with the Brazilian, but it would do him no good to argue with him, or even show Dabeet that he was frustrated. If he was. Desk Man was good at keeping his face blank. Or else Dabeet wasn’t skilled enough in reading facial expressions to be able to read him.
“It’s quite possible,” said the Brazilian eventually, “that the child is right about the IF setting a trap for us. I don’t think they’re interested in catching and punishing us, as long as we return the boy—in this, his situation exactly parallels what he says of the Fleet School hostages we would take, if we were insane enough to pursue his plan.”
“So all of this was for nothing,” said Desk Man.
“Not at all,” said the Brazilian. “We have made the acquaintance of a remarkable child, and we can only hope that he’s as big a source of irritation and inconvenience for MinCol as he has been for us.”
“Setting him free is a mistake,” said Desk Man. “If we intend to use his plan, and he ends up in Fleet School, he can warn them of what’s coming.”
Dabeet chuckled. “Why would I do that?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t you?” asked Desk Man.
Dabeet unbuckled his seat belt, stood up, and leaned on the desk, so his face wasn’t far from Desk Man’s. “I don’t like the Minister of Colonization. I really don’t like his having rejected me for Fleet School unless I passed this dangerous test. If I fail, I’m either a captive or I die—so if I live, tell me what it is that I owe to MinCol? Loyalty? He had no loyalty to me.”
“This feeling will pass,” said Desk Man.
“The IF is manipulating Earth,” said Dabeet, “at great cost to all nations, including yours. When your people start dying in the wars that are coming, how quickly will your rage at the IF ‘pass’?”
Desk Man remained silent until the Brazilian spoke. “Here’s what we’ll do, my young friend. If you get taken up to Fleet School, then you will find a way to open an entry point on the outside of the station. Choose a spot that will face Earth while the door is open.”
“And you’ll be watching?” asked Dabeet.
“Let’s say you do it twice. Open it for a period of time, close it for the same period of time, then open it again. That will tell us that you are capable of helping us, on a schedule, and that we still have your loyalty.”
“A traitor can open a door,” said Desk Man.
“Once we know that there’s a door that might open,” said the Brazilian, “we’ll decide whether to risk the lives of a team of soldiers in order to pursue your insane plan. If we can figure out a way to approach the station undetected, and if we think the plan will have the outcome you predict, and if the situation on Earth becomes as dire as you claim to believe it will, then we’ll consider your plan. If we decide to proceed, we’ll find a way to let you know the day and time of arrival, and you will be there to open the door.”