text: “Mr. Hunter, are you prepared to present your assignment?” “Yes, Commander Gupta.” “Then proceed to the front of the room and begin.” Calhoun Hunter, Cal to most, had not imagined that life at the Naval Officers Training Academy would involve so much reading. He imagined parade drills and mock battles, followed by fanciful retellings of such deeds at dinner with his friends and the ladies of the town. History was never his forte, especially when the only acceptable sources were official battle records. Commander Gupta was famously strict, and even more famously well-read. It was rumored that he had an eidetic memory, and an amazing recall ability. The cadets that tried to run some unverified opinion past him ended up utterly humiliated in front of his peers. Cal had not been able to find a student that earned an outstanding mark from him. So with slightly trembling legs and a pounding heart Cal stood from his seat and walked toward the lectern. He pulled up his assignment on his holographic tablet. He set it down and raised his eyes in what he hoped was a confident manner. He took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and began to speak. “The Battle of Europa Planitia was the final battle in the War of Martian Independence. It was notable for being the first battle fought in land, air, and space. The Martian Militia forced the Imperial Navy to withdraw from Martian space, abandoning their land forces to face overwhelming enemy numbers...” “Mr. Hunter, I would remind you to refrain from letting your opinion corrupt your perspective.” “My apologies, Commander, but a force of 20,000 Martians against 1,400 Terrans seems overwhelming to me.” “Again, Mr. Hunter, your opinion is corrupting your perspective. Continue, please.” “Yes sir. Thank you, sir. The Martian Militia used small, highly maneuverable ships to harass and damage our battlecruisers. They focused their attacks on the engines, which resulted in the battlecruisers losing their ability to maintain their orbits. After losing three capital ships to such assaults, Admiral Fleming ordered the remaining fleet to fall back into a higher orbit. The position change allowed the battlecruisers greater mobility, but took them out of range of the planet. It was a grave tactical error.” “Mr. Hunter....” Cmdr Gupta’s tone was unmistakable, yet Cal was prepared for this criticism. “Commander, the Admiral moved his fleet right in the crosshairs of the Phoebus Guns. He lost seven warships in ten minutes. I would call that a grave tactical error.” “Mr. Hunter, that was not an error. An error would be underestimating the damage he was anticipating to receive from a known enemy. No one knew of those guns before that moment. The fleet was ambushed.” Commander Gupta’s face was growing red. It was an uncharacteristically emotional response from the typically stoic academic. “With all due respect, Commander, Naval Intelligence at the time suggested that the Martians had those guns placed there, and the Admiral saw those reports. Now, I will continue with my presentation....” “Mr. Hunter, step down.” That was a tone that allowed no resistance. As Cal walked back to his seat, he had a slight smile on his face. He *was* on the right side of history on that point. Admiral Fleming had all the intelligence the Navy could dig up. It was common knowledge that he failed and that he lost Mars. Only those who ignored history could refute it. Commander Gupta kept his voice level, but his eyes held thinly veiled fury. “Cadets, I had not planned to discuss Naval Intelligence and its use on the battlefield with you today. Nor for some weeks, in fact, but this blatant disregard for perspective demands it. Yes, Naval Intelligence warned Admiral Fleming of the Phoebus Guns. They had other warnings that day as well. Mr. Hunter mentioned that the Martians had mustered 20,000 ground forces. Naval Intelligence told Captain Osaka that there were no more than 2,000. “They also told Admiral Nyugen that the Martians had no space worthy ships. As Mr. Hunter expressed, they had enough to cripple three battlecruisers and force a withdrawal without losing a single ship. “15,000 crewmen lost their lives that day, while inflicting fewer than 1,000 casualties on the enemy. It was the worst defeat ever suffered in Terran space, and every officer in Naval Intelligence was reassigned because of it. Hubris defeated us.” Something about this seemed personal. More curious than fearful, Cal raised his hand to gain the attention of the speaker. “Yes, Mr. Hunter? Please tell me you have a relevant question.” “Yes sir. You seem to be an expert in this battle. None of that information is available from the battle records. How did you know about the intelligence failures?” A dark cloud seemed to settle over Commander Gupta’s features. His shoulders dropped slightly for a moment, then just as quickly, reset. Commander Gupta looked right at him with those piercing eyes and started to speak. “Because it was *my* failure. I was a young intelligence officer attached to Admiral Fleming’s staff. I saw the reports of the guns and *I said nothing*. A fellow officer briefly mentioned it and was ridiculed mercilessly. I could not bear such treatment, so I remained silent. I stood on the bridge of the *Resolute* and watched thousands of my brothers die in minutes.” Those fiery eyes started filling with tears as he relived the memory yet again. “I feared more for my career than for the lives of my crewmates. As the guns trained their barrels on us, the helmsmen were trying to keep control of the ship and steer her away from danger. I vowed that I would never allow my failure to be repeated. I have worked for nearly 50 years to instill in my cadets that one should never ignore nor ridicule any concern that any crewman raises, no matter their rank.” He pulled out his ceremonial knife and in one swift motion, sliced a clean line down his trousers, revealing an artificial limb. “This is the price I paid for my cowardice. I lost my leg as a perpetual reminder of the lives I lost. I gained *this* leg as a reminder of my new responsibility: you.” After he finished, there was a heavy silence in the room. As he surveyed the faces before him, he felt satisfied. The lesson he worked so hard to teach them, had finally settled in. He took a deep, slow breath, then released it. “Cadets, you are dismissed.