There Before the Chaos

by K. B. Wagers

  “I owe you anyway, it all comes out in the wash.”

  “The empire of Indrana is paying for my doctor’s retirement?” Hao asked.

  Dailun chuckled and wandered over to the window.

  “It’s coming out of Cressen’s accounts, not that it’s any of your business,” I said.

  “You kept your accounts?”

  “Mind your own business.” Desperate to avoid the curious look he was giving me, I fixed my eyes back on the tablet. Much like sleeping with a gun under my pillow and sitting with my back to the door, I couldn’t find the strength to move all the money from my gunrunning days to Pashati. I might have to run—someday—and it was better if I wasn’t caught off guard when it happened.

  I’d tried during those first few months at home to settle in and forget the instinctive need to be prepared for any eventuality, telling myself that I was home and that nothing could possibly happen that would require a safety net like that. Of course, I couldn’t undo twenty years of habit and gut instinct through sheer willpower and worked myself into far too many sleepless nights.

  It had been Zin who’d finally sat me down—with his customary practicality—and told me to leave the accounts where they were if it helped me sleep better at night.

  “Because we all sleep better when you do,” he’d said.

  I still couldn’t figure out how he’d even known the accounts existed, let alone how that was what had been bothering me, but he was a former Tracker and they lived and breathed instinct. Regardless, the permission worked, and I stopped worrying about it and started sleeping at night.

  Hao smirked. “Do your BodyGuards know you still have an exit plan?”

  “They do, thank you very much.”

  The talk with Caterina was loud in my head and I smacked Hao’s hand away when he reached for the tablet on the desk in front of me.

  Hao shrugged, studying me curiously over my rebuke. “Indrana is hard up for cash, that’s not exactly a secret, little sister.”

  “True, but you’re not a member of my government so you don’t get to look at our financial records.”

  “Ouch.” He pressed a hand to his heart in mock hurt but raised it in surrender when I glared. “All right, all right. Have it your way. I can’t do much about Indrana’s money problems, but I could pay for that new palace of yours, if you’d let me.”

  I couldn’t do much more than blink at him. This wasn’t a frivolous offer, but Hao’s fortune was nothing to sneeze at. The reconstruction budget for the palace was giving me a massive headache. I’d put it off for as long as I could, forcing them to rebuild and repair everything else in the capital before we tackled the palace. I would have skipped the structure entirely, but everyone else insisted it had to be done.

  Here was a way to get rid of this particular headache. My former mentor’s wealth rivaled that of what the agreement with the Tarsi had just brought into the empire—if you mixed his legitimate businesses in with everything else. It wasn’t anything compared to the treasury of Indrana, even on a bad day, but it was still impressive.

  It wouldn’t fix anything, not in the long run, but for a moment I was so very tempted to take the breathing room he offered and at least get this headache over with. Except Hao was, for all intents and purposes, still attached to his uncle, still a gunrunner.

  “I can’t.” I looked toward the window and watched the clouds float by, little tufts of cotton in the blue sky, before I met Hao’s raised eyebrow with a soft smile. “Thank you, for the offer, Cheng Hao. It is more appreciated than you know. However, I am no longer a gunrunner.”

  “You are the empress of Indrana,” he said without a hint of a smile and the tiniest of nods. “However, you are also my little sister. Nothing will change that. The offer will remain should you decide otherwise.”

  Nodding, I swallowed down the lump in my throat.

  My relationship with Hao had always been a strange, undefinable thing. Something caught between love and respect with only one awkward moment of attraction that unnerved both of us so badly we vowed never to open that door again. I loved him like a brother; there wasn’t a need for any more of an explanation than that.

  Hao had always been fond of me, a fact that worried Portis from the outset and seemed to amuse everyone else we encountered over the years.

  After my—albeit brief—death at Wilson’s hands, Hao had decided to stay in Indrana. He hadn’t said anything about his plans, so I had no idea how long he was going to stay. But for the moment, at least, I got to enjoy his company. Him doing strange things like offering to bankroll the construction of my palace and my occasional ass chewing from the matriarchs about letting him into my inner circle seemed to be the price I had to pay for his presence.

  “Anyway, I hear you are busy being an empress for the next few days, and I have some other things to look into.” Hao smiled and executed a bow as Emmory came into the room with Stasia behind him. I got to my feet.

  “The Saxons are inbound, Majesty. They should land in about an hour.”

  “Thank you, Emmory.”

  “I’ll go get your things ready, Majesty,” Stasia said, and I nodded to my maid.

  Offering up a smile to Dailun as I walked them to the door, I squeezed his hand. “Henna is really all right? You know how Hao is.”

  “She is fine. It is a lovely place for her to settle. Her mother lives out on the edge of a small settlement on Thory V.”

  “Good. If anyone deserves the peace and quiet, it’s her.”

  “She said to tell you she’ll miss you and to come visit sometime.”

  “I’d like that,” I replied. “I’ll talk with you later.”

  Dailun smiled and dipped his pink head, then followed Hao down the hallway. I rubbed a hand over my inexplicably misty eyes and headed for my bedroom to change.

  5

  The beads of my heavy cream-and-gold sari danced in the breeze. I stood on the edge of the landing pad, watching as two smaller, but far more powerful, Jal fighters escorted the unarmed courier ship carrying the new king of Saxony and his retinue to the ground. The fighter craft were under orders to fire upon them should they deviate even a meter from their assigned path, and I imagined the pilot was sweating buckets.

  The good part of surviving the attack on Red Cliff and winning the war against the Saxons was that it had enabled me to set the rules for not only this meeting but all the terms of the final peace treaty.

  In all but the most official and technical terms, the Saxon Kingdom was surrendering to Indrana. I had agreed not to wipe the Saxon Navy off the galactic map and allowed Ambassador Toropov’s people the space to run a bloodless coup against King Trace, putting his younger brother Samuel on the throne. In exchange, they were about to sign a document that returned all the planets the Saxons had taken from Indrana in the War of ’84, in addition to the ones that Indrana had relinquished in the peace treaty we’d signed in 3001.

  There would be reparations, though Saxony was nearly as broke as Indrana. The money would come, but it was a long way off, and the more cynical part of me didn’t hold a lot of hope we’d ever see a single credit. But maybe Alice’s children would.

  Even more importantly, King Samuel would admit, in front of the entire galaxy, that Saxony was responsible for starting the War of ’84 and for my attempted assassination. He was also going to offer a full apology.

  That was almost worth more than any concessions we were about to receive. No longer would history claim that Indrana had started the war that brought both powers to their knees, killed millions, and required the might of the Solarian Conglomerate to bring it to a halt. My planets were returned to the empire, their resources and people back where they belonged after more than twenty years under the control of a foreign power.

  Indrana was whole again and I would use that to our advantage. Brokering deals with powerful Solarian businessmen was just the start to bring credits and jobs into our economy. I would build my empire back up and make it even bette
r than before the war started. Once we were on solid footing again, we could focus on the second phase of the reformations and by the time Alice’s daughter took over, Shiva willing, the citizens of Indrana would know equality and peace and prosperity.

  Not bad for a former gunrunner.

  Caterina shifted at my side. The two of us, along with my BodyGuards and a full platoon of Marines, were the only ones here to greet the king. Alice would stay well away from the signing, safe at my country house at the base of Mount Rishabha, her absence a pointed reminder of how little I trusted the Saxons to keep their word.

  My other conditions were also in place to put the Saxons in the most disadvantageous position possible. It was petty of me, maybe, but I wanted everyone to remember what had happened on Red Cliff, and the best way to do that seemed to be my continued insistence that the Saxon party come to Pashati, that they fly in on a courier ship, and that they remain unarmed at all times.

  It was the sort of thing that gave a bodyguard heartburn, and even Emmory winced in sympathy when I had laid my terms out to Toropov.

  Jaden Toropov, former ambassador to Indrana, had known better than to argue with me, and he bore the demands with a resigned sigh and a promise to do his best. As we watched the courier ship drift downward and come to rest on the landing pad fifty meters away, I smiled. His best, as it turned out, had been enough.

  “I’m not going to lie,” Caterina murmured. “It is a relief that we won’t have to keep an eye on the Saxons if things start to get worse with the Farians and the Shen.”

  “You’re still thinking about that news story from lunch?” I murmured back.

  “That and the recent messages from a number of our freighter captains expressing concern about an uptick in mercenary presence around the shipping lanes.”

  “I read those.” I only just managed to keep from frowning as the ramp for the courier ship came down and the four Saxons descended to the tarmac. My Guards and Marines all came to attention. “You think there’s a connection?”

  “You know as well as I do that the criminal syndicates will take advantage of the Solarians’ distraction.”

  “Fair point.”

  “They brought a woman,” Caterina said, changing the subject. “Interesting.”

  Saxony wasn’t as oppressively patriarchal as the Ganymede Oligarchy, but it was more so than the Solarians, and certainly I couldn’t remember ever having seen more than a handful of women in a position of power in their government.

  “Very,” I replied. The young woman walking by King Samuel’s side was nearly as tall as the king, though both were shorter than Jaden Toropov walking on the left and the strange man on their right.

  “Bodyguard on the right, Majesty,” Emmory murmured. “Jakob Utkin, former Saxon Shock Troop of thirty-three years. Honorably discharged just a few months ago to take over as King Samuel’s guard.”

  “We expected as much; is he armed?”

  “Not that I can tell. Zin is doing a more thorough sweep.”

  I nodded, keeping my eyes on the approaching group. They stopped in concert a meter away.

  “Your Imperial Majesty.” Jaden Toropov folded his lanky frame into an elegant bow. “Thank you for your gracious hospitality. May I present to you King Samuel Gerison and his bride-to-be, the Crown Princess Thora Bogdan.”

  Turning my gaze from Toropov to the young couple, I was pleased they both stood their ground, as obviously nervous as they were.

  Samuel Gerison shared his brother Trace’s features, but they still bore the innocence of a sheltered royal sibling who’d never expected to take the throne. I could sympathize, though my innocence had burned away a long time ago in the black.

  His navy-blue eyes were filled with a wary respect as they met mine. “Your Imperial Majesty, thank you for having us.” Those same blue eyes flicked to Emmory and then he extended a hand, taking a step forward to close the gulf between us. “I hope this is the beginning of an era of peace between our nations—and possibly in the future something more like friendship.”

  I took his hand and shook it firmly. “Peace is in all our best interests, King Samuel. Indrana also hopes for a day when our people can step away from the pain of the past and look on Saxony with friendship. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.”

  “Thank you.” Samuel smiled, the expression brief before he resumed his neutral look. “Thora is one of my most valued advisors.”

  “Your Majesty.” Thora’s smile was more genuine, and she held her palm up in an Indranan greeting instead of extending her hand. Her braided, white-blond hair hung over one shoulder to her waist, while her eyes, a lighter blue than Samuel’s, were filled with genuine warmth.

  “Your Highness.” I pressed my palm to hers. “Welcome to Indrana.”

  “I have been looking forward to it,” she said. “I hope to learn more about your empire and perhaps even encourage some changes at home based on your example.”

  Toropov unsuccessfully swallowed a chuckle, while Samuel sighed, suggesting that this was not a new discussion between the three of them—and that some of those changes were going to give these men heartburn.

  I grinned.

  “Let me introduce Matriarch Caterina Saito, head of the Matriarch Council.”

  As the royal couple moved on to greet Caterina, I turned my attention to Jaden. “You have moved up in the world, Prime Minister Toropov.”

  His own grin was as unrepentant as mine had been. “It is a pleasure to see you in your element, Your Majesty.”

  “That’s a kind lie. How is Trace?”

  “Stable.” The smile faded and Toropov shook his head. “Most days he is himself, and better than half of those he is his old self, which is a greater blessing from God than we could have hoped. The rest of the time he is lost either in his own world or in one that is rather nightmarish, I’m afraid.”

  “I’m sorry to hear it.” I truly was. My fond memories of Trace from my childhood before the war between us tore things apart had pushed me to accept his offer of talks on Red Cliff once I’d returned home and taken the throne. What we hadn’t known at the time was that Wilson had his claws in the Saxon king in the form of an extremely addictive and deadly drug known as Pirate Rock. It had made him unstable and Wilson’s willing pawn in the scheme to destroy my empire.

  I looped my arm through Toropov’s and followed behind Caterina and the others. “Will you give him my wishes for more good days than bad back home with you?”

  “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  “How are things at home going?”

  Toropov’s smile was slow, the older man studying me for a long moment before he answered. “Settled, if tentatively. We are watching the news about the Farians and the Shen with some concern. You?”

  “Same,” I replied with a smile of my own. “The quiet is nice, isn’t it?”

  “Very much so, Majesty. Very much so. I hope it continues.”

  “Good morning, Your Majesty.” Admiral Inana Hassan gave me a short bow and then stepped into the room, making way for the shorter man behind her.

  Caspel Ganej, director of Galactic Imperial Security, was a hawk-faced man with gray hair and a deceptively easy smile I’d learned early on hid an extremely devious mind. “Empress.” His bow was equally brief and I hid my smile. Everyone was catching on to my dislike of pomp, and functional while still technically proper greetings were becoming the norm. “We’re early, if you’d like to finish your breakfast?” Caspel asked.

  “I’m done with it,” I replied, waving a hand at the nearly empty plate on the nearby table and then nodding at my maid standing in the doorway. “Thank you, Stasia; tell Yun Li it was lovely.”

  “I will, ma’am.” My maid nodded her blond head with a smile and started clearing the plates. “Did you want the rest of your chai? Or can I bring you a fresh one?”

  “This is fine, thank you.” I snagged the cup and followed Admiral Hassan over to the seats near the fireplace. The elegant commander of Hom
e Fleet and victor of the battle of Pashati folded herself down onto the blue-gray couch and adjusted her uniform.

  Caspel sat next to her, looking like a Great Banded Eagle from Pholsus IV with his lean face and hooked nose. He was probably as dangerous as one of the carnivorous beasts, which could take off with a young child in their talons if given half a chance.

  I smoothed down my own top after I sat, the cut similar to Hassan’s but minus the military accoutrements and in a matte black the same as my BodyGuards.

  “What have we got?” I asked, cradling my mug in both hands.

  “Things are quiet, Majesty,” Caspel replied. “Though I think in part because everyone is holding their breaths until the treaty signing is completed.” A smile appeared briefly on his lean face, and I could see the slight difference in his prosthetic left eye from his real one as the silver shone through the brown. He’d lost the eye during Wilson’s coup, though the intelligence operative had mounted a successful defense of Krishan as I fought my way back home. “It is not just the Saxons and the Indranans who would like to see peace happen.”

  “None of the rest of them have borne the brunt of all these years of war,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

  “True enough. It will open up a number of doors to us, and likely the Saxons. I’m seeing suggestions that the XiXu will approach us about trade possibilities.” He raised an eyebrow. “It was their fuel tech in the Likho.”

  I whistled. The Likho had been a monster Saxon ship that King Trace had chased me down in as we’d made our way from the Canafey system back home to the Ashvin system. The behemoth of a vessel could do a thousand warp floats without stopping to refuel, and even though I knew part of that was due to her size, it was also the tech from the XiXu that had allowed for that kind of range.

  “Can you imagine what we could do if we could get that to work with the Vajrayanas?” Inana asked with a grin.

  “Will they be willing to offer up military tech, though? Surely something in their alliance with the Saxons prevents it.”

  “Maybe.” Caspel’s shrug was terrifyingly nonchalant. “But opening up trade means more people in and out of their territory, which means more chances for information to come out. And for the right price one can find out anything.”