Flood allowed herself a moment of gloating. “Arrests are being made, but it’s your people being rounded up, not mine.”
Maxon stared at her. For the first time, doubt was creeping onto the Fleet Admiral’s face. “You’re bluffing. That whole farce earlier with Boyer and your so-called adoption—if that is the basis for your claim to power, you will be laughed out of the Empire. Sorry, it just won’t work.”
“Oh, that. It is indeed my claim to the Throne, but Boyer’s appearance served another purpose. Did you know that there is a security hole in the government holographic network? Admiral Tovar drew our attention to it. It was deliberately placed there by your friends in the Culture Ministry. Culture apparently thought it would help them spy on potential enemies. You see, if one side fails to terminate a holo link, the other side can keep the audio channel open and eavesdrop.”
Maxon’s eyes moved from Flood’s face to the desk control panel and back. “But you closed the transmission—I saw you lean forward and end the connection.”
“No, I just tapped on the volume button—I didn’t close the connection. And your bug finder wouldn’t pick up on an open holo signal. Those things are calibrated for listening devices, not holos. I know that’s true because I tested one in advance to make sure.”
The large door at the end of the office burst open and four Kaskian Guards entered to take up positions, two of them standing close behind Maxon.
Channa Maxon sat frozen in her seat, going over it all in her mind. As she did, an audio recording began to play on the office speakers. The voice on the recording was hers.
“We should have just killed Renata in the first place, since that’s what we had to do in the end anyway… We should have just killed Renata in the first place, since that’s what we had to do in the end anyway…”
To Flood’s left, the hologram of Bennett Boyer appeared once again. On her right, three new figures materialized—Admiral Schooler, Admiral Tovar, and General Hinojosa.
“Admiral Schooler, you all heard?” asked Flood.
“We did… Your Majesty.”
Schooler’s words shook Maxon. “Schooler, I am still in command,” she barked. “You will immediately launch a counterstrike to put down this rebellion.”
Schooler’s face was dour. “Leonardo Sanchez was my friend. And Renata was my Empress. No, I’ll not take orders from a traitor, and after the Fleet hears what I’ve heard this evening, no one else will either.”
Maxon was undeterred. “Admiral Sykes and First Fleet will crush all of you, and when he does, I will—”
“You will do nothing, Channa,” snapped Tovar. “Sykes isn’t going to save you. He heard the live holo feed and has already agreed to stand down.”
Turning to Flood, Tovar’s voice and manner shifted into formality. “As Renata would have wanted it to be, the Space Force is yours, My Empress.” The holograms all bowed to her.
Blood and adrenaline surged through Ardith Flood’s body. This was something she never desired for herself, but she made a promise to the sister of her name and heart. It was a promise that had to be kept at any cost.
“I thank you all,” said Empress Ardith. “Admiral Tovar, you will immediately order all of our forces in Jangsuvian space to withdraw. We are unilaterally ending this conflict.”
“Surrender!” cried Maxon.
“Victory,” corrected Ardith. “Our Empire has been prosecuting a punitive campaign against the Jangsuvians for the attack against our mining station on Vanth. That campaign has just come to a successful conclusion. Admiral Schooler, I want you to personally take Marines to the Foreign Ministry building. Find Minister Amesbury and arrest her. Jon Schooler, I am naming you as the new Foreign Minister.”
The older man’s tired face lit up. Schooler needed a new challenge, and his appointment would play well with the other starhold governments.
“Admiral Tovar,” Ardith continued, “you are the new Chief of Space Operations.”
From her chair, Maxon snarled. The longtime rivalry between her and Tovar had not turned out the way she envisioned. Nothing was this evening.
Ardith moved on. “General Hinojosa, you are hereby appointed Army Chief of Staff.”
“But, Majesty, what about Field Marshal Stavrianos?”
“He just retired,” declared Ardith, “and General—have your soldiers rip down every orange and red banner in the Empire.”
As the glowing photons of the holographic images faded into the air, Channa Maxon remained defiant.
“Am I supposed to be compliant and fall on my sword now? That would make things easy for you, wouldn’t it? You do realize that I still have my supporters, both in the military and the civilian sector. This is not over.
“And good luck holding Tezrina,” Maxon railed on. “Once they rebel, Arethusa will quickly follow. So will the old Commonwealth planets. I have personal arrangements there—those former Gerrhan generals are loyal to me, not you.”
Ardith leaned forward and pressed a desk key. “Come in.”
A hidden side door to the left of the Empress slid open and a woman entered. She was a beautiful blonde, in her mid-thirties and dressed in an olive green business suit. Taking up a position to the side and midway between Ardith and Maxon, she gave a deep bow from the waist.
“My Empress,” acknowledged the woman.
Maxon rolled her eyes. “Such theatrics. If you have to go to so much drama to convince me that you are legitimate, imagine how difficult it’s going to be convincing the public.”
The blonde turned toward Maxon. “You will show respect and shut your mouth, or I will rip it off your face.”
The defiant Maxon seemed unnerved, but only for a second. “Who is your charming friend, Flood?”
Ardith stood and moved to the blonde’s side. “You two actually know each other, in a roundabout way. This woman did some work for you a couple of years ago.”
The blonde flashed a menacing smile. “Hello, Fleet Admiral. My name is Casca.”
Maxon’s eyes widened. “That’s absurd, Casca is dead. Everyone says he died on Gerrha two years ago.”
“Casca was never one person,” the blonde explained. “For many years, my husband and I were Casca. He was the one killed on Gerrha—killed in a job you commissioned us to do through Director Tolbert. Even though I understand you weren’t personally responsible for his death, I must say that I’ve always looked forward to holding someone accountable.”
Maxon sat motionless, an expression of shock settling over her face.
“Casca has been working for me for a few months now,” said Ardith. “Now that I am to be Empress, she will be placed on personal retainer as the Crown’s chief assassin.”
Ardith waited for some type of reaction from Maxon, but when she received none, she continued. “I’m not going to expose your crimes to our people, Admiral Maxon. Publicizing your misconduct would cause a serious breach of faith in the leadership of the Empire. Instead, I’m sending you into exile. You won’t be leading a rebellion on Tezrina, or stirring up trouble on Arethusa. In fact, if there is ever the slightest indication that you are trying to re-enter the realm of Sarissan politics, Casca will be dispatched to kill you. Do I make myself clear?”
Channa Maxon stared up at the two women, and then looked out the large window at nothing in particular. “You were right earlier,” she said in a small voice. “Polanco failed. Choi failed. Now I have too.” She blinked her eyes and refocused on Ardith.
“Where? Where are you sending me?”
“Cardea.”
“Cardea!” Maxon yelled. “Cardea is a hellhole!”
“And better than you deserve,” said Ardith sharply. “King Radomir has assured me that his government will co-operate. You will be given a villa and a few servants. You and your woman will have the freedom to come and go planetside as you please. However, understand this—once you arrive on Cardea, you will never be permitted to leave that world again.”
“You’re sending Ume
with me?”
“Yes. Aside from you, Yamazaki is the last person I ever want to see again. You two deserve each other,” said Ardith sourly. “Just so you know, this is all Bennett Boyer’s doing—the exile, keeping your crimes secret, all of it. He thinks it’s the politically expedient thing to do. Believe me, if I didn’t value his opinion so much, I’d let this woman slit your throat right here and now.”
Maxon said nothing, once again gazing out the window.
“Guards, take her away,” ordered the Empress.
With the departure of Maxon and the Kaskian Guards, Casca stood silently as Ardith returned to the large chair behind the desk. She let some of the tension drain from her body, rubbing the back of her neck and stretching her arms. The plan she’d had so much doubt about actually seemed to have worked.
Ardith looked over to the woman she knew years ago as Eden Southwell. “Lots of changes since the old days back at Camp Bonham.”
“A few,” joked the blonde.
A wisp of a grin crossed Ardith’s face before she shifted back into formality. “Casca, I want you and Mr. Maldonado to make certain that both Channa Maxon and Ume Yamazaki arrive safely at their destination.”
“Yes, My Empress.”
“Give Maxon a month or so to settle in—then kill her.”
The blonde gave a slow, single nod. “Yes, My Empress.”
“And kill the Yamazaki woman too.”
Casca raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. “It will be done, My Empress.” Bowing from the waist, she walked to the side door. Just before she left, Ardith called out to her.
“Eden—thank you.”
With an elegant smile and a quick wave, Casca was gone.
As Ardith turned back to face the window, another flash of light came from outside. This time it was lightning, the sound of thunder trailing only a few seconds behind. In one corner of the window a small meteorological display had come online, the radar showing a line of thunderstorms approaching Esterkeep from the southwest. The firefight in the South Garden was over, and now the only sounds coming from the area were calls for medical assistance and orders being dispersed during the clean-up operation.
“House, reactivate the soundscreen.”
Silence fell as Ardith studied her reflection in the window. Her close cropped hair had been bleached platinum white. Gene therapy would soon make that a permanent tribute to her mentor.
As she peered at her reflection, her thoughts turned not to Renata Darracott, but inward on herself. A mere three days ago, she would have dismissed the idea of becoming Empress as ludicrous fantasy, but destiny hadn’t thought the notion so absurd. This was her path now, and she had to lay claim to it. The homage of her appearance aside, she needed to be her own woman. Empress Ardith couldn’t worry over what Renata Darracott might have done in this or that situation—she had to find her own way. After all, she thought ironically, Renata would have wanted it that way.
Another burst of lightning illuminated the sky. The storm was closing on the capital much faster than predicted.
“House, reduce office lighting to ten-percent.”
“Yes, Majesty,” said the computer. “Ma’am, Captain Vickery is requesting your presence in the first-floor library.”
“Tell him I’ll be there shortly. I just want to sit here for a few minutes.”
“Very well, ma’am.”
As the interior lights dimmed to near darkness, the first raindrops began to splash against the window.
28: Partners
As jails went, the new Imperial Palace wasn’t bad.
Frank Carr had spent the last three days there—eating, drinking, and making love to his wife. Their ‘cell’ was one of the guest apartments in the new palace, a luxurious suite of rooms on the second floor. He and Sanchez had been provided with gourmet food, unlimited alcohol, and plenty of privacy. There were also numerous Kaskian Guards around to make sure they didn’t wander away.
The Kaskians watching over them kept calling it protective custody, but Carr and Sanchez were prisoners nonetheless. Still, he had been locked up in worse places. In fact, every single place he had ever been detained was terrible by comparison.
Confinement was just another reminder of why the time was right to leave the spy game, move to Earth, and assume the sweet, uneventful life of a civilian. Of course, that all depended on whether they survived this predicament. When you were imprisoned you had a serious problem, no matter how pleasant the cell.
Sanchez was still angry about being stunned at the Agriculture Ministry, but even her disposition had softened with the unexpected chance for a second honeymoon. Regrettably, there was still the horrible truth that Empress Renata had been assassinated and that somehow Ardith Flood and her Kaskian Guards were involved.
On the morning of their third day of detention, it looked as though they might get some answers when Captain Vickery appeared at the door. “She wants to see both of you.”
Carr and Sanchez were escorted outside and led to a section of the palace grounds called the Vines, a stone walkway protected by cross-beam lattices covered with brucaa vines. Sweet-scented orange blooms hung above the path, which led to a small shaded courtyard. There they found the new Empress sitting on a cushioned patio chair and working on a datapad.
“I’m told you’ve already had breakfast, but speak up if you’d like anything,” said Ardith as they approached. “Joy,” she called to a nearby domestic, “bring Commander Sanchez a coffee—La Paz, black. Frank, anything for you? An Old Oakfield?”
Sanchez sat down and turned to her husband. “Why is it that every woman you’ve ever met knows your favorite drink?”
Carr ignored her casual taunt and gave the servant a dismissive wave. “Too early even for me.”
Ardith put her pad aside. “I wanted for us to take a walk in the South Garden this morning, but there is still some repair work going on over there. We had a—um, party the night before last.”
“Your friends party hard. We heard the gunfire,” said Carr, looking around at Captain Vickery and the three nearby guards. “Let’s get right to it, shall we? What is going on? I’m having a hard time believing you people just stood by and waited for Renata to be killed, but what we saw at the Agriculture Ministry says that’s exactly what happened.”
“And, Colonel,” Sanchez added in a sardonic voice, “since we saw you last, you’ve gotten a promotion—all the way to the top. Do tell us about it.”
Ardith sat up straighter in her seat. “I apologize for the other day, the stun guns and all. Things were happening so fast, it all got out of hand.”
“Did or didn’t you know there was a bomb in Renata’s limousine?” Carr asked bluntly.
Ardith nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid we did. In the days before, the Kaskian Guard had discovered two other such devices at Koenig Manor. Channa Maxon and her people wanted Renata to step down, to give up the Throne. When she refused, Maxon moved on to more drastic measures to remove her.”
The new monarch rose and started to pace as she continued. “We discovered the car bomb the evening before the meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture. Short of a full-scale civil war, Renata insisted that the only way to force Maxon out was to trap her with her own actions. So, that afternoon…”
Sanchez was dubious. “Wait, you expect us to believe that Renata willingly got into that limo, knowing she was going to be blown to bits?”
Ardith ignored the question and proceeded with her story. “That night, after the explosion, several of us tricked Maxon into confessing to the assassination. When word spread of what she had done, military and political support for her collapsed. What you heard two nights ago here at the Palace was her personal guards being dealt with.”
“Her Majesty is telling the truth,” said Captain Vickery. “Renata gave up her life to save the Empire from those who would have eventually destroyed it. She also chose this woman as her successor. Her Majesty did not seek the job, but she has answered the call.”
Ardith sat back down, clasped her hands together and spoke earnestly. “I’ve seen your records, and I know your reputations as honorable people. Channa Maxon has been exiled. I have stopped the war with the Jangsuvians. We are dismantling the Ministry of Culture. We are going to put the needs of the People first again, and not the needs of the elite. It is what Renata Darracott wanted, what she couldn’t achieve as long as Maxon was in power. Renata surrendered herself to make a better life for the people of the Ten Worlds. Please, I beg of you, accept this.”
“This is bullshit,” said Sanchez. “Everything is still just your word. You’ve offered no—”
“I accept it,” Carr said.
“What?” cried Sanchez in protest. “Frank, they’ve given us no proof that what they are saying is true.”
“I know, but someone once said that history is a set of lies agreed upon. All right, I’m ready to agree. The explosive device that blew up the limousine was almost certainly the one that Simmons and Swain passed on from the Tezrinan bomb maker. And I can believe that Renata was desperate to remove Channa Maxon without a civil war, a conflict that she probably couldn’t win. I can also believe that Renata gave up her life to save the Empire. There’s just one thing I can’t buy… I can’t buy that she’s dead.”
Ardith and Vickery glanced at each other uncomfortably while Sanchez rolled her eyes in frustration.
“Which is it?” asked his wife. “Do you think she’s dead or don’t you?”
“I believe that she sacrificed her life—or rather, the life that she knew, the one she had here on Sarissa. She gave up her life as Empress, she gave up her friends and her loved ones. She might have even gotten into that car and died for real, but she would never, ever have dragged Karl along to his death too.”
Sanchez looked at Carr, her severe expression relenting. Perhaps she was placing herself in Renata’s shoes, thinking of what it would take to sacrifice her own husband.
“So what about it?” Sanchez said turning to Ardith. “Is she really dead?”
Keeper of the Sun (Starhold Series Book 3) Page 28
