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.They’d been forced to keep silent about humanity’s losses, but it didn't take an expert to realise that every human loss had a greater effect than every Hegemony loss.“But the Funks themselves are not represented in your army,” she said.“How do you expect them to react to us arming and training the others?”“I do not expect them to react well to anything we will do,” Chekov said, slowly.“Their districts have become armed camps.Gangs of every race have been practicing ethnic cleansing on their neighbours, whenever they think they can get away with it.We simply do not have the manpower to stop them from paying off every petty dispute over the last hundred years.”Adrienne snorted.“But your army might turn on the Funks,” she pointed out.“Won’t that just make us look bad before the Galactics?”Chekov placed a hand on her shoulder, swinging her around to face him.“Let me put it as simply as I can,” he said.“When the Funks occupied Terra Nova and enslaved thousands of humans, the Galactics did nothing.The Funks claimed a fig leaf of legality and the Commune used it as an excuse to avoid confronting the Hegemony.When the Funks started to slowly increase the pressure on Earth, what did the Commune do? Nothing.The Association’s glory days are long over.Galactic opinion doesn't care what happens to us, so why should we care about what they think of us?”He snorted.“You Americans always expect war to be clean,” he added.“It should be a nice tidy affair, with only a few enemy killed and none of your own lost in combat.But war doesn't work out that way, does it? The Federation Council has ordered this world to be pacified.I do not have the manpower to convince everyone on this goddamned world to play nicely, so I am doing the only thing I can do to actually carry out my orders.And if the Funks don’t like it.“Tell me; when was the last time the Funks liked anything we did?”“I see your point,” Adrienne said.She could too, although she wasn't so inclined to dismiss Galactic opinion.It might have been difficult to restrain the Funks, but intervening against Earth would have to look a great deal easier.All the Galactics would have to do was threaten to call in their markers and demand immediate repayment of their loans.“But do you feel that the locals can be trusted?”“I have faith that none of them want the Funks to return and reassert control over this planet,” Chekov informed her.“That should keep them motivated to work with us – or to put up a fight, should the Funks return to Garston.The recent battle concentrated a few minds on the prospect of hanging.”Adrienne grinned.“And on the fact they were going to be hanged?”“But enough of this matter,” Chekov added, thawing a little.“I’m not at liberty to talk about our current deployments, but I would be happy to discuss the early stages of the occupation.We’ve actually managed to pacify a few additional cities.We may have to start moving the Funks and isolating them from everyone else…”“Maybe,” Adrienne said.“But how do you intend to do it fairly?”“We can’t,” Chekov admitted.“But since when were the Funks fair to everyone else?”Chapter Thirty-Four“Congratulations on your victory, Your Majesty.”“And thank you for your contribution,” the Empress said.She’d claimed personal credit for the plan that had bled the humans at Garston.“Your position has been secured, for the moment.”Lady Dalsha nodded, careful not to betray her relief.The Empress would need a scapegoat for the defeats the Hegemony had suffered so far and she knew that she was the prime candidate.Ironically, having been disowned by her clan gave her a freedom shared by few others among the Hegemony.There was something to be said for living an independent life.“We have also crippled the human raiding operation,” the Empress added.Lady Dalsha wasn’t so sure – the humans understood basic security far better than most Galactics – but there was no point in contradicting the Empress directly.“One hopes that we will shortly be able to reassert our position against the human invaders and evict them from our space.”“Yes, Your Majesty,” Lady Dalsha said.Personally, she was less confident.The Empress might have proclaimed Third Garston a glorious victory, but it had cost – badly.At least the force’s commander had had the sense to break off from Garston when human reinforcements had arrived.Intelligence hadn't been able to provide any definite figures for how many long-range missile pods the humans possessed, but no one wanted to find out the hard way that the humans had more than expected
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Tematy
IndexChristine Amsden [Cassie Scot Cassie Scot ParaNormal Detecti
Christie Craig [Divorced, Des Divorced, Desperate
Moore Christopher Ssij, mała, ssij (II)
Stasheff, Christopher Wizard in Rhyme 6 Haunted Wizard
Christine Feehan Mroczna Seri Mroczny Demon
Cidney Swanson [Saving Mars Saving Mars (epub)
Stasheff, Christopher Rogue Wizard 04 A Wizard in Peace
Feehan Christine Mroczna Seria 01 Mroczny Ksišże
Stasheff, Christopher Warlock 01 The Warlock in Spite of Himself
Christine Feehan Mroczna Seria 13 Mroczne Przeznaczenie