General Brodwyn’s force of will was so strong she held her two officers to silence, though both the commandant and her own adjutant quivered with outrage over her seriously considering Logan’s request. Logan had no idea how long they stood there, he and Nicolette and Vance still at attention before the now-empty desk. Time slowed to where each beat of his heart seemed thunderously long. His life, his future, rested in the balance. And all he could do was wait.
When she spoke, it was to the gathering twilight beyond the window. “I give you three weeks.”
Logan’s relief was so strong he could scarcely breathe. Thankfully, Nicolette answered for him. “That is not enough, General.”
“Nonetheless, it is all you shall have. I gave my friend six weeks, and now I have the blood of five hundred troops on my hands, and my friend is permanently absent.”
Her aide said, “General, I must object in the strongest possible—”
“Three weeks. Starting now. Not one instant longer. Gerrod, you are to observe. And you will do so from your office. No off-planet sorties unless I give you a direct order.” Her breath continued to fog the window. “Perhaps the shortened time span will save your company, Logan. But I doubt it.”
The commandant said, “General, this is a totally futile—”
“Commandant, are you aware that an inspectorate from the Human Assembly is arriving on Cygneus Prime?”
“I . . . What?”
“One condition for our entrance into the Assembly is, we must make every effort to protect our citizens.”
Logan had never before met the camp commandant. The closest he had come to the man had been holding the brigade’s standard on parade. But Logan knew what others thought of him. The commandant was a precise man who liked numbers more than men and planning far more than action. He was probably ideal as the leader of a training camp well removed from battle.
The commandant fumbled his response. “General . . . I don’t see . . .”
“Precisely. What possible good could this ragtag band do? The answer most certainly is, none whatsoever. But that is not the point.” Brodwyn returned to her place behind the desk. “Our ruling council ordered me to bring the Outer Rim under control. Our army failed. Our army, Commandant. They failed. So I ask you. What possible answer can we offer the inspectorate when they arrive?”
When the commandant did not respond, Vance offered, “That we have continued to try.”
“Exactly. But the minister of defense, my direct superior, did not gain his position by sacrificing good men on futile gestures.” She pointed to Nicolette. “Do you understand why I am divulging state secrets?”
Nicolette nodded. “Because you think—”
“I do not think, soldier. I know.”
“—you’re sending us on a suicide mission.”
Brodwyn let the silence own them for a time. “Well?”
Nicolette’s voice did not waver. “Asked and answered, General. We will not fail.”