Minutes to Midnight

[Wildkins]

"VERITAS" STUART

8th June, 826 AS
Virginia System

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"And with us now, Lawrence O'David, chief military analyst with the Cheyenne Institute to discuss the recent successes of the Liberty Navy."

"Thank you. The Navy has long been criticized ever since the blunder over Leeds with Operation Royal Flush, but today I think I can speak of the first steps in a real Allied Victory on the Gallic Front." The man adjusted his glasses and leaned in slightly. "Just last night, Navy vessels took advantage of key intelligence and successfully destroyed a Gallic refueling and rearmament facility in northern New London. This will severely cripple their ability to resupply and rearm ships already in the field, allowing the combined navies to more readily encircle and finish off the Gallic forces over New London proper. If successful, I don't believe this war will go on for much longer."

"Wow. That's really quite the turnaround in such a short time. What can you attribute their success to, if anything in particular?"

"Well, as you know, Navy commanders have long since criticized the budget and support that the government has offered them. In particular, they've been critical of SecDef McKay's handling of the distribution of assets within the Armed Forces. Others, however, have argued that the Navy is simply mishandling the resources they have, and that the money would be better spent on overstretched and underfunded elements keeping the home-fires alight, such as the Security Force. Many strategists and sources within Navy high command have suggested that the Navy has simply gotten better at using the resources available to them."

"And -- you mention the Security Force. How have they been doing in light of their recent setback in Bering?"

"It's hard to say, exactly. Their operation was always a game above numbers from the beginning, and while they've remained tight-lipped about their counter-insurgency operations, some sources have suggested that they're simply undermanned and undersupplied. The loss of the Rickenbacker has solidified a sentiment that overworked crews and undersupplied ships are creating a dangerous combination for the LSF on our eastern border."

"Well, that's unfortunately all the time we have for today, but thank you very much for joining us on LNN Nightly News. Next up -- the inside scoop on Sugarland's Own Ice Cream. What LPI doesn't want you to know..."

The holofeed cut off with a sudden snap. Stuart sighed and got up from the crash couch, rolling his shoulders after an intense week of field work. In a relatively short amount of time, he'd managed to convince the Admiralty of a genuine supply depot that was rushed together the night before, plant a damaged Gallic tanker nearby, arrange for an emergency repair and retrofit of the Madison, now Rickenbacker (and antimatter-filled wreck), and send off convincing pressers to all the major news agencies before the budget hearing.

And it had barely worked.

Only one senator jumped party lines to stop the budget motion from moving forward, leaving the budget in the status quo for the upcoming year. ECHELON would get the funding it needed, the Navy would continue to make do, and Liberty might just live to see another day. He'd won this battle.

It sure didn't feel like he had, though.

Two Navy gunboats were put out of action just because of the shift in forces needed to pursue such a strike in New London, and that wouldn't even be the tip of the iceberg once the navies slammed into each other over New London. Gallia would have all the supplies they'd need, because the LSF didn't have the time or resources to find their real supply base. There was a genuine chance -- if a small one -- that Stuart had just cost Liberty the war in Gallia.

He just hoped it was worth saving the war back home.