“But don’t take my word for it; let’s talk with our panel,” she said brightly, and with a whooshing sound, four new images were cut into the projection.
“Doctor Anton Foley, you’re an expert on bug psychology and physiology; why don’t you please tell our audience what you know about bugs and instruct them as to the complete and utter absurdity of this new bug menace,” she asked, putting a scornful twist into her last word.
“As you yourself well know, Mathilda, it is absurd. While there have been a few isolated incidents in the past, the alarm call to arms being bandied about by some of the more alarmist system governments regarding some kind of bug wave or region-wide Swarm attack is simply beyond the pale,” an esteemed black-haired scientist in a lab coat said with certainty.
“So, just to be clear, just as the reporters here in CNN believe, it’s not very likely,” she said.
“It’s patently absurd on the face of it. Bugs move at sub-light speeds. There’s no way Spineward-wide attacks could occur as a natural phenomenon!” the Scientist said passionately before flashing a smile at the camera and turning to present his best profile.
“What about your critics who point out the bugs could have been placed there by parties unknown?” cut in a second panelist, the label underneath his image stating he was Jose Westwarden of the Purple-Green Merchant Alliance, a new group of previously independent shippers who had banded together after the last round of hostilities ended.
The scientist visibly swelled before a third panelist cut in.
“Harkoria Fentan Mudd with the Movement for Peace here, and just what kind of rank insinuations are you bandying about? We’re trying to unilaterally reduce tensions with the Empire, not start a brush war,” she cut in furiously.
Jose Westwarden glared at the Movement for Peace activist before responding.
“Your words fingered the Empire, not mine. The Purple-Green Alliance is solely concerned with moving freight and that can’t happen if our crews are eaten up by bugs,” he said firmly, “our Merchant Alliance needs escorts and assurances before we’ll risk runs into areas overrun with space bugs. You can unilaterally reduce tensions all you want, but we want escorts.”
“Preposterous. Absurd on the face of it!” choked Doctor Anton Foley, turning red with anger, “are you actually suggesting that some group of rogue terrorists was seeding large swathes of space with space bugs? Only a complete moron or psychopath would do such a thing.”
“Forget the bugs!” cried Harkoria Fentan Mudd, “a few worlds may have been impacted, but that’s what we have the Confederation Flotillas for. Now that they’re forewarned, they’ll move into position to stop these isolated local infestations. What’s important is that we continue to give peace a chance. Better a few bugs than another Imperial Battle Fleet!”
“These bugs need to be stopped and contained or at least, Confederation escorts need to be provided to our freight haulers,” Jose Westwarden said flatly.
“The Confederation can’t afford to diffuse any more of its strength than it already has. Sending their light units out in penny packets on merchant convoy protection details would fritter their combat power away while at the same time slowing trade down to a crawl,” cut in a distinguished-looking man in Sector Guard uniform.
“Admiral Stood; how nice of you to join the conversation,” smiled Mathilda, “I hope you can be a calming influence on our more skittish merchant friends,” she said, flashing a warning look at the representative of the Purple-Green Merchant Alliance. “We wouldn’t want the public to start viewing the situation with alarm.”
“Exactly right!” exclaimed Harkoria of the Movement for Peace, “the next thing you’ll be doing is requesting we call back Tyrant to escort your shipping! This is not the beginning of the five year ‘miscommunication’ that issued in such dark times to the Spine. There’ll be no way to unilaterally build a bridge of peace with the Empire if we do something like that,” she sneered.
My expression darkened as every person around the table immediately fell all over themselves to agree with Harkoria as they laughed or snorted at the absurdity of anyone ever proposing a return of the MSP to the Spine.
“What is this rot?” I asked, temper surging, “the Spine is being attacked by bugs and they’re still debating the need for unilateral disarmament as if it were still a choice,” I shook my head and turned off the video. It wasn’t even worth mentioning that they had less than no interest in my help, considering it laughable, while at the same time their regional government’s much-vaunted Confederation Flotilla was actively soliciting my help.
In other words, just another day in the Spine.
Angrily, I switched channels, going from the Regional desk with Mathilda May to pan-galactic news.
On the screen, the orange-haired Speaker for the Grand Assembly of the old Confederation appeared, looking down from his podium at the assembled news reporters, his lips pursed in a confident expression.
“What is your reaction to the latest news about the CIB probe into Assemblywoman Gravity’s supposed corruption, as well as its implications as to links into the top levels of coalition party leadership? Your leadership specifically, Sir!?” demanded a hot young reporter with green hair and a wicked smile as she pressed the Speaker for answers.
“The Confederation Investigation Bureau working in conjunction with the Special Prosecutor and the Justice Department has privately cleared me of all wrongdoing. I assure you that if there was any corruption inside the Party, either party One Way or Absolute Choice, then there is only one way to deal with it. The guilty must be punished and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” the Speaker said seriously. “I will add that there is every indication the Grand Assemblywoman, if indeed she is guilty of anything at all, acted completely and totally alone.”
A large obese man with a mohawk and a trio of hover-drones thrust his way forward, shoving his mic at the Speaker.
“What about your campaign promise, Mr. Speaker?! You promised transparency, that this would be the most transparent Speakership in the history of the Confederation and yet all we have are broken promises. In short, have you sold out your soul to Triumviri Pontifex as his new boot-licking lapdog?!” screamed the fat man.
The Speaker’s face hardened.
“I am no man’s lapdog,” snarled the Speaker, “and if Triumvir Pontifex or anyone else in the Empire continues to test the resolve of this government, there will be fire and fury such as this galaxy has never seen in its entire history!”
There was an audible gasp from the crowd of gathered reporters.
“Speaker, did you just declare war on the Empire on intra-galactic news?” gasped the green-haired reporter before visibly swooning in front of the camera. She was smoothly caught by an assistant before rallying back to her feet and once again thrusting her microphone at the Speaker.
“For too long, the Confederation has allowed its defense and the defense of the galaxy to rest in the hands of the Empire. The police action two years ago in the Spineward Sectors is just the latest indication of just how badly things were mismanaged before I came into office,” the Speaker said damningly.
“Are you blaming the entire Empire for instigating the actions of Irene Gravity and your own party or just the Triumvir!” demanded the fat mohawk man, visibly jiggling with fury and disbelief.
“Absolute Choice and Irene Gravity may have gone off the rails, but One Way is as dedicated to peace, security and a thriving economy as it’s ever been,” the Speaker said, throwing his political allies under the bus without hesitation the moment the going got tough.
“In other words, we’ve all been hoodwinked and this Wall you’ve sunk billions of credits into, is nothing more than a bigoted PR stunt and your attempt to perpetrate a fraud on the Confederation people!” screamed the fat man, now quivering with rage.
“Times were tough in the Spineward Sectors,” the Speaker said, lifting up a hand just behind his head and
thrusting a now quivering finger toward the ceiling, “but the Wall has worked. We made a deal, a great deal, the best deal you’ve even seen and just like I promised when you elected me to this great office, we’ve already cut illegal immigration and the refugee crisis down to 90%!”
“What about your critics who say this is not about refugees, but instead, that it was due to your and the Confederation Fleet’s total inaction that the Confederation government allowed the Spineward Sectors to fall into disarray during the five years’ hiatus following our disentanglement with the Empire and its imperial war machine?” demanded a hardnosed journalist.
The Speaker for the Grand Assembly visibly swelled.
“Our inaction? I don’t know if you are aware, but Confederation Fleet assets were operating in and around the Spineward Sectors right through the whole hiatus, up until certain officers lost their will, lost their way and ultimately gave up the fight for the Confederation, forcing Commodore McCruise, who felt her situation had become untenable, to bring her fellow patriots stationed at the Wolf-9 Starbase back home to the Confederation to seek help,” the Speaker shot back, “so don’t ever speak to me again about how the Fleet has failed this star nation! Maybe if my political opposition wasn’t so dead set against the Confederation Fleet that we’re literally forced to use the Wall to prop up the Spineward Sector governors and New Regional Authority, none of this would currently be happening.”
“That’s strange, Sir, because Grand Assemblypersons we both know, prominent members of this assembly, say that before the police action, you allowed—through apathy and inaction—unnamed imperial bad actors to take such advantage of our fellow citizens, Mr. Speaker. What do you have to say about that?” the reporter shot back with his follow-up.
“If you really want to support the Spine, then vote for my appropriations bill to fund the Wall and the Confederation Fleet,” said the Speaker.
“What about the budget, Mr. Speaker!?” shouted the green-haired reporter with the wicked smile, “already, we’ve had to institute a 5% rationing on critical mandatory electives like body image surgeries and facial reconstructive and cosmetic improvements. Now you’re asking for more? What’s next? Extending Grandma’s prolong booster treatments another six months down the road?!”
“Thanks to the mismanagement of Ms. Gravity and my predecessors in office, we’ve all had to make a great deal of sacrifices and I include the Confederation people when I say this,” the Speaker said solemnly, “however, when our brothers and sisters in the Spine cried out for aid and succor against imperial aggression, I knew what had to be done and the Wall was the only answer. The proof is in the pudding and my belief has been proven out; if you want peace in our time, then a few sacrifices are going to have to be made.”
“The fact is that thanks to the Wall and my ability to pick the best people for my top negotiation positions, we’re succeeding in making the Confederation great again. The truth is, we’re winning and we’re going to keep on winning, and then we’re going to go out there and win some more. I know that offends some people. I know there are naysayers. Already, we have people out there who say they’re tired of winning, who say why can’t we slow down, catch our breath and stop winning for a while? And to those people, I say we’re not going to stop, we’re just going to go out there and win some more!” the Speaker said passionately. “The Spineward Sectors is back in the fold which is a big plus in the victory column and on top of that, they’ve achieved semi-autonomous home rule in an amazingly short amount of time, which will help ease the eventual transition back into the Confederation fold as full voting members.”
“As for my political opponents and those reckless members of the media who believe imperial collusion is a real thing, all I can say is—keep dreaming. If I were really in the pocket of Gaius Pontifex, there’s no way I would have sent out Thomas Charles, an Admiral, former minority leader and current head of the Border Integrity Movement, with a fleet warship to drop-kick the Empire out of the Spine in nothing flat,” the Speaker said flatly.
“What do you say to your political opponents who are demanding you open up your financial and communication records in order to prove you did not in fact take imperial hush money to sell Confederation worlds directly to the Empire?” bellowed the fat reporter, face flushed red as he glared at the Speaker after this latest round of explanation.
“The sad fact is that any accusations of Imperial Collusion are the completely unfounded allegations of a few sad holdouts afraid of winning and even more afraid to do what it takes to make the Confederation great again. The Wall must go forward,” the Speaker said with complete and total certainty, “and any of my political opponents who are against it, as far as I’m concerned, they are against the Confederation itself. People like to accuse me of selling out the Confederation to the Empire but they don’t know me! They are weak both mentally and physically. If they were brave enough to say their words to my face, I assure you I could take them any time, any place, and anywhere, either on the floor of the Grand Assembly or in the public forum, or in person.”
There was a second audible gasp from the gathered reporters.
“Did you just threaten to attack your opposition in the Grand Assembly and call them traitors, Mr. Speaker?” demanded a random reporter from the pool.
The Speaker stepped back from the podium
“Enough questions. Our time’s up for the day,” said the Speaker’s Press Secretary, stepping forward and raising his hands, causing an even louder roar of outrage as the press went into a complete feeding frenzy.
I looked at the holo-screen with disgust.
The ‘Wall’ and this putz supposedly saved the Spineward Sectors from the Empire? The Speaker could keep dreaming. The Wall that he was so in love with wasn’t even pointed at the Empire, it was aimed at us in the Spine. The only thing the ‘Wall’ did was pay for the Confederation Flotillas that had driven the local warlords out of business after they drop kicked the MSP back to Gambit and Tracto.
He was a winner who’d made a great deal and I was the one who lost his way? Whatever the Speaker and Charles Thomas had agreed to didn’t look very great from where I was sitting.
Tossing the remote control onto the table with complete disgust, I turned off the news. All it was doing was raising my blood pressure.
Chapter 12
Jason and Akantha Go Head to Head
“For what possible reason could you possibly want to help those ingrates who turned their back on us, let alone the traitors that actively turned against you, Protector?” asked Akantha in an angry, no-nonsense tone of voice, “you know full well I don’t understand this insistence on helping those who actively hurt you and threatened this family!” she finished crossly.
“Akantha,” I started, trying to put my thoughts in order.
“Don’t you Akantha me! Explain yourself, or you won’t like what happens afterward, I assure you Jason,” she said, crossing her arms as she glared.
My previously placating expression stilled before morphing into a foreboding demeanor I’d rarely or possibly never shown my wife.
“I think you’ll want to take that back and apologize,” I said stiffly.
“Oh, I do? Make me,” she said bluntly, her jaw jutting.
“Don’t test me, woman,” I warned this conversation was rapidly moving past the issue at hand but I didn’t care. I’d compromised and back-pedaled and tried to appease her, and none of it had worked. Frankly, I was done trying.
“So, everyone and their sister can treat you like garbage but when I want you to stand up for yourself, I’m the one you turn on, is that how this works?” she asked sharply.
“I won’t turn on you, I’ll just leave. I won’t stay where I’m not appreciated,” I said flatly.
“Run? You? Never. You’ve too much desire for self-inflicted harm to ever turn away from anyone anywhere. Which is the whole problem! If you can’t even seem to turn down a man who stabbed you in th
e back, you’ll never leave,” she said with total certainty.
“You need me too much. More than you need those Spineward Sector politicians anyway. The truth is, you need Tracto too much to walk away from her or me. How long would your fleet survive without trillium?” she asked challengingly, “we need each other to survive. Together, we are stronger, except when you’re frittering away our strength, while apart we both die and you know it,” she ended hotly.
“I think maybe we should have had this conversation some time ago,” I said looking at her with new eyes, “after everything I’ve done for you, this is how you treat me, yeah?”
She gave me a searching look, uncertainty in her eyes for the first time.
“I’ve put up with a lot from you in the past and your people too, because you’re my wife and quite frankly, you were right; I did need the people of Tracto,” I said stiffly, “but I’ve had it up to here with the disrespect. It ends now. Today.”
“Who’s disrespecting who?” she shot back.
“You, just about every time you’re on my bridge?” I observed with a cutting edge.
“You think letting strangers and enemies guilt you into risking your life and the lives of your people doesn’t threaten our family every time you give in to them?” she asked, switching topics and completely ignoring my, to my mind, mostly accurate response, “I won’t have it; you have a family now.”
“We had a family during the battle for Sector 26 and yet you still almost got yourself killed gallivanting around in the middle of a counter-boarding action!” I pointed out, stung, because she had a point. A very small, nearly miniscule point but a point nonetheless.
Then I squared my shoulders. This time was different. I had a plan. If they really needed my help so badly in the rest of the Spine, then they could cater to my demands for a change. Like she said, I was a family man now. My kids were growing and as much as I sympathized with the helpless people of Capria, this Sector and the Spine, they had to come first.
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