New Contract (Perimeter Defense Book #3)
Page 23
I was silent, shocked at what my robot secretary had just told me. Bionica turned her humanity setting back up to maximum, and was now waiting for my reaction.
"It is senseless to try to find the identification numbers of the exact robots who committed this crime. It’s a virtual certainty that their memories have been wiped by now. And the assassins can hardly have been careless enough to leave tracks leading back to themselves."
My assistant gave an affirmative nod in return, then added:
"All communications between robots on dangerous topics takes place over very advanced technical encryption standards. Tracking down a particular individual is theoretically possible, but in reality it would take decades to decrypt all the chains of anonymous proxy servers and passwords from the many thousands of available symbols. I'll tell you this right away: I was not personally involved in the preparation or carrying out of this operation. I was informed of what happened in Kammo after the fact, as I was cut off from the network due to the Orange House's communications blockade."
"But then, at least share your thoughts on what happened," I asked, and Bionica frowned.
"It was stupid and risky. I would have been categorically opposed, if I had known they were preparing to assassinate Crown Princess Inessa. A group of robots and androids decided they wanted to show the ruler of Unatari their loyalty, and at the same time demonstrate what they were capable of. It was an attempt to influence your decision on providing rights and freedoms to anthropomorphic robots. Androids believe that by doing that they showed their usefulness to Unatari and are counting on a grateful reply. However, they do not know your Majesty as well as I do. I suppose that this obviously terroristic act on their part achieved exactly the opposite effect. Crown Prince Georg now thinks androids dangerous."
Bionica was right, and was simply saying my thoughts out loud. Now, I will have to think it through seriously and double check my thinking before allowing programming restrictions to be removed from the androids.
* * *
Dekeye, the Iseyek capital system, met us with the stirring of thousands and thousands of insect ships next to a huge space citadel. There were ore freighters, container ships, and a great many other transport ships. There were also defense corvettes, heavy platforms with laser and rocket installations, a huge number of light and heavy cruisers, and a simply unending list of small-class ships. Our frigate's tactical computer took a long time to spit out a three-dimensional map with a long list of observable objects in the near grid. We were not able to identify some of the markers. They were depicted as question marks.
"Crown Prince Georg, Imperial catalogs are missing the data on many of the Swarm ships we are observing. I request your permission to begin scanning them to determine their characteristics."
In theory, I agreed with the captain of our frigate, Tamara Vuzhek. Data on the characteristics of our closest neighbors' ships would be of great value for all humanity. That said, unlike the brave girl, I was still cognizant of the fact that the Arite, whose presence everyone in my circle was now used to, was a loyal subject of Swarm Queen Nai Igir.
"No, captain. I forbid active data collection for newly observed ships, as such activity from a diplomatic ship could give our hosts the wrong idea. We came on a peaceful, diplomatic mission, and will not be engaging in espionage."
Standing change. Iseyek race opinion of you has improved.
Arite Iseyek race opinion of you: +28 (trusting)
Alpha Iseyek race opinion of you: +26 (trusting)
Standing change. Iseyek state opinion of the Unatari State has improved.
Iseyek state opinion of the Unatari State: +9 (warm)
My guess was proven correct. The Arite, standing nearby in the form of a security officer, was listening carefully to my conversation with the captain. What did surprise me was the standing change with the Alpha Iseyek. Our conversation must have been being immediately relayed to someone of that race.
"They suggest we take a corridor and dock at the citadel," the captain's first assistant said. "Before us is a dense mine field, but a safe tunnel through it has been cleared."
Tamara Vuzhek pointed at the rows of markers on the hologram:
"It looks like the Swarm is preparing for a potential Alien invasion. And they have every reason to do so. I can see on the tactical screen that all the space around the warp beacon for hundreds of miles is densely packed with anchored mines."
"Nope, nothing surprising about that. The Swarm is in absolutely the same situation as our Unatari State is. The Aliens are just two warp jumps from the capital. The enemy advance through Swarm space has seriously slowed down since the blowout we gave them in the Aysar Cluster, but it hasn't stopped completely. Three months ago, the aliens captured the Lobj system, even though there was an expanded field of high-power mines set around the warp beacon. So, the mines are capable of only delaying the enemy and doing it some damage, but not of stopping an invasion. That is precisely why we're here. Together with the Swarm, we are trying to turn the tide of the war."
Standing change. Iseyek race opinion of you has improved.
Arite Iseyek race opinion of you: +31 (trusting)
Alpha Iseyek race opinion of you: +29 (trusting)
Iseyek Prime race opinion of you: +12 (warm)
Standing change. Iseyek state opinion of the Unatari State has improved.
Iseyek state opinion of the Unatari State: +10 (warm)
Geez! There was only one being in the Universe that could change the Iseyek Prime race’s opinion of someone, and that was the Swarm Queen herself. Nai Igir must have been personally watching my arrival to her capital. I answered in kind, mirroring all personal and faction opinion changes, both personally with the Queen and with the Swarm as a whole as well.
Our frigate was going down a five-hundred-mile safe corridor marked with bright lights. It took us through the mine field, spitting us out near the huge space citadel of Dekeye. The insect fortress looked very imposing. It had giant superheavy turrets, innumerable high-speed cannons, rows of external hangars and other hangars leading inside the citadel for its guard ships. The four huge Trias docked on the enormous station looked like nothing but small outgrowths, while the orbital elevator that stretched down to the planet surface below looked like the thinnest imaginable silver thread. The Iseyek were recommending that we use that elevator to go down to the surface. Our frigate had barely docked at the station when the Arite contacted some services and asked them to wait for a bit:
"You humans have a pretty hard time surviving in unfamiliar atmospheres. These Iseyek can live with no problem in many different kinds of air, provided it has some percent of oxygen to breathe. Our Gamma Iseyek technicians are checking the hermetic seal on the elevator cabin now, and filling it with an air that is optimal for human respiration. We will board in fifteen minutes. The descent takes around half an hour. I should warn you that the atmosphere on Dekeye contains over thirty-three percent oxygen. That is over one and a half times greater than what humans are accustomed to. As such, you may experience oxygen intoxication and feelings of ecstasy."
Finally, we were given permission to leave the frigate. Accompanied by Bionica, the Arite and a group of bodyguards, I went down the gangway, and ended up in a huge hall. No one came out to meet us. The two divisions of Alpha Iseyek soldiers standing around us left us with no choice but to advance between the huge frozen-stiff praying mantises My android took me by the arm and walked next to me.
"Your Majesty, this might not be the best time, but I have important information to tell you. Crown Prince Demyen royl Amelius ton Lavaelle has refused your ultimatum."
"As is his right," I said, reacting to the news with utter calm. "Have they managed to calculate how long their provisions will last them yet?"
"Around two months, if they consume wisely. We could reduce the timeframe if we repeat the subversion. The androids could destroy another large portion of their food before anyone could stop them."
I
shook my head 'no:'
"It would be pointless. It takes eight years to fly from Forepost-13 to the next warp beacon over, so another day or even week more or less won’t change the situation much."
Bionica nodded in agreement, then continued telling me the news:
"I have some more information that may be of interest to your Majesty. A new fleet commander arrived to the Orange House today for Perimeter Sector Eight. What's more, they have been given ships by Emperor August himself for defense of the sector. And this time, the commander was really chosen not based on royal birth, but Alien-fighting experience. It is a truly authoritative veteran, who holds Imperial military medals, and who has fought in practically the same number of successful battles with the Aliens as your Majesty."
"Where were they able to find someone like that? Do I know them?" I asked in surprise, eager to find out the name of this talented fleet leader.
"I believe so. The new Perimeter Sector Eight Fleet Commander will be Space Major Nicole ton Savoia," Bionica told me, no longer able to hold back a smile by the end of her sentence.
I made a surprised exclamation. My former first assistant's career had really taken off! Nicole had managed to go from a modest junior fleet officer to fleet commander in just around a year! And somewhere along the way, she had also managed to pick up an aristocratic title, judging from the "ton" now appended to her name.
"I'd like to congratulate our good friend on the promotion. Unfortunately, I cannot simply go and speak with Nicole ton Savoia long distance or send her a message, as the Orange House will immediately accuse the new commander of making contact with the enemy. That is why, Bionica, I have a big request of you. Order her a pleasant gift anonymously and have it shipped out. I’d like Nicole to understand who sent the congratulations, if possible."
The android gave a perceptive nod and promised she would do it to the best of her ability. Then, our group had to stop before a massive closed door. My wonderful translator read the inscription on the metal doors aloud:
"Caution, airlock chamber. Sharp drops in pressure are possible."
With a slight hiss, the doors began to slide slowly aside, and we took a few steps back just in case. But the potential fall in pressure didn't come to pass, and I saw a group of people waiting for us in the next room as the doors opened.
First, I saw a short, bald woman, dressed in a dumpy, tattered traveling suit, who I recognized as Marian Sabati only thanks to the popup hint. This tired old traveler contrasted very sharply with the memory I had of her as a radiant young beauty. In contrast with the inconspicuous graying Truth Seeker, there were three adolescent girls in screamingly bright clothes with hair of the most senseless coloration, though they were all wearing identical thin gold crowns on their heads.
All three Crown Princess turned toward me simultaneously. Lika threw a folder on the floor and ran to me with a joyful shriek, jumping up and hanging off my neck. I disentangled my daughter and squeezed her tight for a minute, tenderly embracing Likanna and practically crying from happiness. For the first time since I’d started Perimeter Defense, I was first to open the standing change menu, giving Lika the maximum possible jump in personal opinion, +15 all at once. A second later, an identical answer came back:
Standing change. Likanna royl Mesfelle-Unatari's opinion of you has improved.
Presumed personal opinion of you: -38 (quarreling)
After that, I set my daughter on the floor anyway, as it was getting to the point where it would be rude for me to keep ignoring the other Crown Princesses. The slightly chubby little girl with alternating locks of orange and yellow hair, was, as I supposed, the Purple House Crown Princess I had heard so much about, Joan:
Joan royl Reyekh ton Andor, Crown Princess of the Empire
Age: 12
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Class: Aristocrat
Achievements: Duke's Favorite Granddaughter, Joan the Fatty, Swarm Princess
Fame: +3
Standing: +3
Presumed personal opinion of you: +59 (friendship)
The other girl, with thin with huge blue eyes, and metallic silver hair, was the Blue House Crown Princess:
Natalie royl Cruz ton Miro, Crown Princess of the Empire
Age: 12
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Class: Aristocrat
Achievements: Swarm Princess
Fame: +2
Reputation: +1
Presumed personal opinion of you: +19 (warm)
Both of the girls gave flawlessly perfect bows to me and I, following the rules of courtly etiquette, answered the little Crown Princesses with a slight bow. Only after that did I notice the travelers' outfits. Over their rumpled, none-too-clean t-shirts or dresses, all three girls were wearing a wide blue sash. Seeing my interest in the unusual adornment, Joan explained with aplomb:
"Uncle Georg, Triasss Zess gave us these to wear. The praying mantis said that the sashes are so we won't get eaten by a hungry Iseyek on accident. They show that we are Swarm Princesses now, and it is forbidden to eat us."
"That's right, dad. We are now Swarm Princesses and have the right to vote in the Swarm!" Lika exclaimed, showing off. She then added, a bit quieter: "I don't understand a word when a vote comes up in the Swarm though. So I just hit a random button to make the voting window close."
Marian Sabati came up a bit closer, greeted me and explained:
"Ambassador Triasss Zess was in a difficult position, carrying out your Majesty's request. These three little fidgets spent the whole flight crawling into places they weren't welcome, painting the soldiers different colors, forcing them to dance, play fighting and all the other games they knew. The Swarm ambassador gave each of the Princesses one guard soldier to play with, so they would leave the other team members alone to work in peace."
"Mhm..." was all I could squeeze out of myself. "My mission must have been quite the burden to the ambassador, then."
"Not just him," the clean-shaven Truth Seeker snorted back unhappily. "This exotic hairdo is the aftermath of the girls' implacable desire to learn the art of hair styling. They took advantage of the fact that I spent three days out cold in a crystal dream. They had some fun experimenting with the scissors, dyes and hairspray. After I woke up, I had to simply shave myself bald to get rid of the uneven curls the girls had dried in with hairspray. And I won't even complain about the fact that they painted my nails and gave me a winged ass between my shoulder blades with a permanent marker. The only consolation is that it was little Crown Princesses playing with my body, not Crown Princes some five or six years older. They'd have found… less savory ways to have fun..."
The Arite, standing next to us, smiled and added:
"Triasss Zess had an idea then, and brought it before an emergency meeting of the Swarm. He proposed that we bestow the new honorary title of 'Swarm Princess' on the little girls in the interest of avoiding unfortunate incidents. It is now a title intended for underage Imperial Crown Princesses who come to Swarm space. It will serve as a guarantee that they remain safe, which is of critical importance to all Iseyek. Swarm Princesses are allowed to do whatever they like, and no member of the Swarm has the right to stop them or harm them in any way. Triasss Zess made the argument that these little girls are the future of the Imperial Great Houses, and good relations with them are a pledge of peaceful coexistence with the Empire for many years to come. And the Swarm agreed. Any childish antics on their part are nothing compared with the guarantee of peace between our races."
I did not manage to answer the Arite. The doors opened and a huge Beta Iseyek invited us all to come into the elevator and go meet the Swarm Queen in badly broken human language.
Ritual Duel
It turned out I was not prepared for the insect world, in either a physical or emotional sense. The planet of Dekeye had a "minor" peculiarity that the Arite hadn't bothered to inform us of, clearly thinking it utterly unimportant. The gravity on it
s surface was one and a half G's...
The Crown Princesses and guard soldiers weren't making a peep, under pressure in both a literal and figurative sense. As for me... I strongly suspect that, if I had found myself in such extreme conditions on the first days of my contract, I wouldn't have even survived the elevator ride. I remember a month and a half ago when, even in normal gravity, I could barely move my massive, 300-pound body at all. Since then, I had already lost 45 pounds and was able to exert myself in the gym once again. I think that may have been my saving grace. But all the same, I felt like a stevedore carrying a very heavy bag of cement on his shoulders, yet not allowed to take a break and set it down.
Of the people, only Marian Sabati was bearing the elevated gravitation well, not showing any change externally whatsoever. As for Bionica, the Arite, Popori de Cacha and Phobos, they felt completely normal and, it seemed, didn't even realize that the rest of us found it unpleasant. I would have to make a note of the fact that this was a good way of exposing Arites and androids in a group of people.