Free Forever Until Tomorrow (War Eternal Book 5) by M. R. Forbes

want."
    "Temporarily. It isn't our decision to make."
    "No, sir."
    They rode in silence for a few minutes before reaching the main administrative building on the base. Soldiers in chunky powered armor stood at attention in front of it, ready to shoot at anything that moved.
    Petrov's aid opened the door for them, and they exited the car and headed inside. Katherine had been in the building plenty of times before. The General probably hadn't.  
    "Do you have any good advice, sir?" she asked.
    "For you? Be gracious, regardless of what he says."
    "Aren't I always gracious?"
    Yousefi laughed. "You wouldn't be piloting the Dove if you were."
    They reached an office at the corner of the building. Katherine knew it usually belonged to Admiral Johnson, but the three-star Admiral had been displaced by the five-star General.  
    They entered the waiting area of the office, adorned with cherry wainscoting and navy blue paint. A lightly faded rug with the U.S. Navy's symbol in the center covered the floor, and photos of seafaring ships lined the walls. The base had been turned over for UEA use almost a year ago. It was budget restrictions that kept the prior interior in place. All of the UEA's money that didn't go to personnel was being funneled into equipment, and that included the Dove.
    Petrov's aid moved past them, heading to the heavy door leading into the main office. He raised his hand to knock at the same time it swung open, and General Petrov stepped out.
    If there was anyone in history who looked the part of a war hero, it was Petrov. Over six feet tall, with a strong frame and muscular build that belied his seventy years of age. A good head of white hair, a solid jaw with a round of stubble strewn across it. His uniform was snug on him, the lines of hardware impressively drowning the cloth on his left side.
    "Corporal, you're dismissed," he said, his accent smooth and handsome.  
    "General Petrov," Yousefi said, bowing.  
    "General," Katherine said, doing the same.
    "Admiral Yousefi and Major Asher. At ease, please." He waved his hand. "There's enough formality out there to drown a horse. In here, we can be comrades, eh?"
    "Of course, General," Yousefi said, relaxing his posture. Katherine continued to follow his lead.
    "Come, come. Let us sit. Admiral Johnson, he has a nice table. I heard it dates from before U.S. Civil War. Impressive, eh?"  
    He retreated into the office. Yousefi and Katherine followed him. She had seen the table before. It was a beautiful piece. The chairs, on the other hand, were impossible to get comfortable in, but then again, that was the idea.  
    Petrov lowered himself into one of the chairs. Yousefi sat on his left, with Katherine beside him.
    "Let's not beat any bushes, eh, comrades?" Petrov said. "The Anti-Interstellar militants are a problem for the UEA. A big problem. Their brand of terrorism has already claimed the lives of a number of high-ranking officials, and has whole countries on edge, wondering what their operational ceiling might be. I've wondered that myself, and what concerns me is that I don't know. They should never have been able to reach the party, and they should never have been able to run loose inside a hospital on this base. And yet they have. They seem to have intel that rivals our own, as well as the organizational leadership to run advanced operations with an unfortunately high rate of success."
    Katherine glanced at Yousefi. Petrov's words sure sounded like beating around the bush to her.  
    "You didn't bring us here to tell us things we already know, sir," she said, already forgetting about being gracious.
    "No, of course not, Major. I tell you this to lay the groundwork. To give you background. The UEA, along with the governments of the world, have dedicated trillions of dollars to the design and construction of the Dove. Her flight into space is one of the most important things humankind has ever done. The costs in both finances and morale should she fail to make