Empery

by Michael P. Kube-Mcdowell

  “If they’re living things, they must have a drive to preserve themselves,” she said with breathless earnestness. “I count on nothing more than that.”

  Wells’s anguish was now evident to everyone in the room.“Do you understand what you’d be risking?””

  “Yes,” Sujata said bluntly. “Do you understand what you already are?”

  Slowly drawing a deep breath, Wells averted his eyes downward. Sujata waited and said nothing, sensing he had reached a delicate cusp.

  Yamakawa sensed the same thing. “Commander,” he said firmly. “Time is slipping away from us. The Phad recon—Kite will need guidance—”

  Sujata pounced. “That’s right—tell Kite what happened to Falcon. Tell them you’ve decided to wait until the same thing happens to them to be convinced.” Her tone changed abruptly from biting to soothing. “Harmack, it doesn’t matter what they think. It doesn’t matter if we don’t have all the answers. If a thing is right, it’s right no matter what. How many reasons do you need?”

  Wells pursed his lips and slowly shook his head.

  Despair flooded Sujata’s being. “Commander Wells, as Chancellor of the Service I am ordering you to recall all ships to the Perimeter. I understand your reservations. But the responsibility is mine. Call them back.”

  He slowly raised his head and met her eyes. She knew the answer he would give, and she knew, too, that no one in the room would question his defiance. And yet he hesitated, holding her gaze for a long, frozen moment.

  “I’m sorry—” he began in a soft voice.

  Just then a trilling sound from one of the consoles interrupted. “Basenet,” announced a com operator. “I have a priority request for conference from President Roland Dailey.”

  Sujata suddenly perked up.

  “Refuse it,” Wells said. “I can’t take the time.”

  “Commander, this is Senior Specialist Marlenberg,” said a new voice. “Sir, President Dailey is most insistent—he promised to arrange for the evisceration of the duty tech if he didn’t refer the request to higher-ups. I’ve already refused a request in your name. This request reminds you that you claim Terran citizenship and orders you to respond immediately or face charges under Council law.”

  “What is this?” Yamakawa demanded.

  “I guess we should find out,” Wells said. “All right, Mr. Marlenberg. We’ll accept the conference.” With a sideways glance at Sujata, Wells walked to the conference ring at the far end of the room. As he stepped inside the circle, holographic images began to appear opposite him: first Dailey, then a man wearing the imperial robes of Liam-Won, a Maranit woman in high dress, and on until seven semisolid human shapes stood there. Slight differences in density among the figures and the faint auroralike modulation patterns between them showed that each was originating from a different location.

  “Commander Wells, is Chancellor Sujata present?”

  “She is.”

  “Chancellor, would you enter the circle, please?” .

  Sujata picked her way between Yamakawa and Shields and came forward to stand beside Wells.

  “Thank you,” Dailey said. “Chancellor, I call on you today not as President of the World Council of Earth but as Chief Delegate of the Concordat of Worlds, currently in session by means of this conference you have joined—”

  Chapter 20

  * * *

  Footsteps of the Dawn

  “The bear that prowled all night about the fold

  Of the North Star hath shrunk into his den,

  Scared by the blithsome footsteps of the dawn…”

  —James Russell Lowell

  “Is this a joke? What in bloody hell is the Concordat of Worlds?” Colonel Shields demanded from where he stood in the middle of the situation room.

  If the conference relay picked up Shields’s words, Dailey paid them no notice. He went on to introduce the other delegates, who proved to be the heads of state of the six most populous First Colonization worlds: the Journan Elector, the High Councilor of Ba’ar Tell, the First Mistress of Maranit, the King of Liam-Won, the Renan Elder, the Dzuban Life Father.

  Dailey continued, “Seats are being held open for all the other home worlds—including Feghr—pending their unification. We will not consider the Concordat complete until all the worlds are represented. In the meantime it’s true that a number of our brothers and sisters will be, in effect, disenfranchised. However, I want to note that our seven worlds are home to the vast majority of the human population. The worlds not yet seated boast a total population of barely two hundred and fifty million—three percent of the total census.

  “Chancellor, the Concordat is a voluntary federation not unlike the former Pangaean Consortium of Earth. Under the charter that each of the delegates has signed on behalf of his world, the individual worlds surrender to the Concordat the right to exercise dominion over certain matters of common interest, while retaining autonomy on all matters of strictly local concern. Among those functions we intend to address collectively are those which heretofore have been administered by the Service—transportation, trade, and security.”

  Behind her, Sujata heard Elizin’s hostile whisper: “What’s going on here? Why is he talking to her?”

  “I understand,” Sujata said, stealing a sideways glance at Wells. The Director’s expression was passive and unrevealing.

  “I want to assure you that the Concordat is prepared to assume the contractual obligations incurred by the Service, both toward the individual employees and its trading partners,” Dailey said. “You also have the right to know some of our specific intentions. The Arcturus New Colony on Cheia will be asked to decide whether it wishes to be admitted as a voting member or continue to be administered by central authority.

  “Where the various facilities of the Resource Branch are located in an inhabited system, they will be sold at a fair value to the local government. The remainder will be held by the Concordat and administered for the general welfare. Finally, the ships and forward stations of the Survey, Transport, defendant Branches will be merged into a provisional Space Authority under the direct supervision of the Concordat.

  “Chancellor, we make this claim lawfully and would prefer to exercise it peacefully, but we are prepared to take all necessary measures to enforce it. Will you recognize our authority and release the assets of the Service to us, or will it be necessary for us to seize them?”

  “I recognize your authority,” Sujata said, no hesitation in her voice.

  “Nobody cares what you say, bitch,” Brodini said, raging.“Let them try to seize us. They’ll wish they’d left us alone—”

  “That remark is out of order, Mr. Brodini,” Wells said sharply.

  “I mean it. She’ll see just what the Triads are capable of when we send one to Maranit—”

  “Shut up or remove yourself, Mr. Brodini,” Wells said, underlining his words with a hard look of rebuke.

  Brodini fell silent, but he was not the only objector. “This is a setup, a sham,” Shields declared. “This imaginary Concordat has no power over us. We have the right to—”

  “To do what?” Wells asked, sending the Chief of Staff the same withering look. “Please consider your words, Mr. Shields. What exactly are you defending?”

  Dailey had to be hearing the altercation, but he chose not to wait for it to end. “So that the Concordat has the opportunity to be served by executives of its own choosing, I ask that you submit your open resignation,” he said to Sujata. “I might add that this doesn’t mean that you may not be retained in this or some other capacity.”

  “I understand, and I’ll respect that request.”

  “Thank you, Chancellor, for your sense of honor. Commander Wells?”

  “Yes,” Wells said, turning back.“Commander Wells, under the legal and uncoerced transfer of power you just witnessed, you are now an employee of the Concordat’s provisional Space Authority. Twenty minutes ago the Concordat voted unanimously to order the recall of all of its ves
sels to the Perimeter pending a complete review of the consequences of past Service policies. You are directed to facilitate that recall. Please acknowledge.”

  “Tell them to go to hell,” Yamakawa demanded angrily.“This is nothing but a hijacking dressed up in legalisms.”

  “I have to agree, sir,” Venngst volunteered. “Without seeing the Charter, knowing the circumstances—I don’t know how they can expect us simply to hand over the sort of power our ships represent. The other worlds may be holding out, and the Concordat may be planning to use the Service to enforce their power. I don’t think your duty here is at all clear.”

  Wells drew a deep breath and released it in a sigh. “When a thing is right, it’s right no matter what sort of clothing it’s wearing,” he said softly. He glanced down at Sujata, and she saw something new—call it relief—in his eyes. Then he turned his back on Venngst to face Dailey.

  “Acknowledged, Mr. Chief Delegate,” Wells said in a clear, strong voice. “I will recall the ships. I assume you will want my resignation as well?”

  “Yes, for the same reason.” Wells nodded. “I will tender it directly, along with those of my senior staff.” It was over that quickly. Her knees suddenly weak, Sujata released the breath she had been holding as a shivery sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and saw the shadow lifting from the surface of her adopted homeworld, saw life stirring anew in the light. She heard someone say, “Thank you, Harmack,” in a fervent voice. Only later did she realize it had been hers.

  Translating intent into action took a little longer. The clock was still running on Kite, which gave issuing its recall the highest priority. But before Wells could deal with that, he had to deal with a minor revolt among his staff.

  There was no trouble with Yamakawa, a pragmatic man, or Venngst, a consummate professional who knew his place. Even Shields, though surly, seemed ready to accept the new reality.

  Brodini and Elizin were another matter. As soon as Sujata and Wells left the conference and the continuing session of the Concordat, Brodini flatly refused to do anything to help carry out Dailey’s instructions. Since as a member of the strategy committee Brodini had neither command authority nor operational responsibility, it was something of an empty vow.

  But Wells reacted to the symbolic meaning of the refusal rather than its substantive value. “I’ll accept your resignation now, then, Mr. Brodini,” he said curtly.

  “I’m not resigning, either,” Brodini said defiantly. “Do you think I’m just going to go quietly and let this happen? Somebody has to speak out. I’m going to make sure the station staff knows what’s happening.”

  For all the bold words Brodini’s protest ended meekly. His security clearance was dropped all the way to R-l and he, himself, was frog-marched by two Security officers to confinement in the housing block. Instead of a fight, Brodini settled for shouting imprecations against Sujata and the Concordat all the way down the corridor.

  But Brodini’s ineffectual gesture seemed to embolden Elizin, who had taken the loss of Falcon harder than any of them. Ever since then he had stood alone, unnoticed, near the back of the room, head hanging, silent, lost inside himself. When Brodini was gone and Wells announced he would make the recall in person from the Flight Office Command Center, Elizin suddenly sprang to life, rushing with long strides from where he had been lingering to intercept Wells.

  “Mack—’ you can’t do this. You owe them,” Elizin said, blocking the way to the door with his body. “I had friends on Falcon. So did most of my men. I ate dinner with Captain Hardesty the night before we left Lynx. He was telling me about a place he’d bought near Benamira. To retire to, you know?”

  “Stand aside, Captain,” Wells said, firmly but not without a note of sympathy.

  Elizin backed a step or’ two toward the door but made no move to get out of the way. “Those monsters fried him and you’re going to let them get away with it. It isn’t right, Mack,” he said with an earliest and deeply felt anguish. “It just isn’t right. You let them go out there thinking the Service was behind them, believing we were gonna back them up. You’ve gotta do something, Mack. You can’t just leave them out there. You’ve gotta bring them back, at least—”

  There was too little time to be diplomatic. “There’s nothing to bring back. I’m sorry, Captain,” Wells said, and tried to brush past the captain.

  On surprise alone, Wells made it to within two steps of the door. Then Elizin grabbed him by the arm with an iron-fingered grip and swung him around. “Didn’t you hear me?” he shouted, waving his free arm wildly, the hand balled in a menacing fist.

  The move had put Elizin’s back to both Shields and Sujata. Sujata looked expectantly at Shields, expecting him to intervene. When he did not, she did, stepping forward and grasping Elizin’s neck from behind in a sure-handed grip that took both the fight out of Elizin and the starch out of his legs. He collapsed heavily to the floor and lay still where he fell.

  “Carotid artery and motor ganglia,” Sujata said, looking down at her handiwork. “He’ll be all right in a minute or so.”

  “See he’s taken to the infirmary,” Wells said to Shields.“He’s not dangerous. He’s not even wrong. He’s just upset.” Then he turned to Sujata. “We’ve got to move.”

  She fell in beside him in the corridor, keeping pace with his long, uneven strides.“I didn’t know you had that kind of trick available to you,“Wells said. There was a grudging respect in his tone.“Just something we Maranit bitches came up with to keep the herd docile,” she said lightly. Surprised, he laughed. “Please don’t make me like you,” he said soberly. “It’s bad enough having to concede that you were right.”

  Sujata stayed with Wells in the Flight Office Command Center until Kite acknowledged the recall and made good its escape from the Phad system by climbing immediately back into the craze. After that it would be four hours until the next message had to go out, to Triad One nearing Alphecca. Sujata took advantage of the lull to excuse herself and go off alone to pay the first installment of gratitude on some sizable debts.

  Unescorted for the first time on the station, she quite predictably got lost. But she had been cooped up in her quarters long enough that the freedom to get lost was a pleasure in itself. When she found her way again, her first stop was Wesley, where she found Captain Killea supervising the long delayed housecleaning of his now empty ship.

  “Thank you,” she said when she had separated him from the dock foreman. He shrugged. “We didn’t do anything. In fact, I’m still wondering what it is we were going to have to do.”

  “You followed my directions. You sent a message, just by doing your job.”

  Killea nodded thoughtfully. “I guess I understand that, with the stories I’ve heard since we opened up. I could still do with something more concrete to tell the crew.”

  “Did you have any trouble with them?”

  “Trouble?” he asked, cocking his head to one side. “No, Trouble is the second watch laying me out with a fitting wrench and making for the hatch. But I’ve had my fill of raised eyebrows and sidewise looks for a while.”

  “I’ll give you something more concrete for the crew—like a Service citation you can drop into their personnel files.”

  “That would help,” he said. He inclined his head toward the dock foreman. “I’ve got to see to some things, if you’ll excuse me.”

  “In a moment,” she said. “Captain Killea, I may yet need more from you and Wesley than sitting locked-out in dock.” He folded his arms across his chest. “How soon? The lance stills needs certification work.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Where we’ll be going we won’t need it. In fact, I’d prefer the lance disabled. I presume it’s not practical to think about removing it.”

  It was Killea’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “No, Chancellor, it wouldn’t be.”

  “What Wesley does’ need is the very best linguacomp available, on-station or elsewhere’ I’ll authorize a priority link if it needs to be downloaded
from Central. Your librarian will have to make a partition in the ship’s library for the inference processor and knowledge bank. And the battle strategist’s station on the bridge is to be modified for the operator.”

  “I’m not sure that the displays are compatible—”

  “Then have your systems people replace them. Rip out the whole battle couch if necessary. We won’t be needing that, either.”

  “It’ll take some time.”

  “I understand that. Give yourself a couple of days off, then get on it.”

  “Yes, Chancellor,” he said, brightening. He started to turn away, then stopped. “Chancellor, are we ever going to know what really went on in there?”

  She smiled faintly. “I doubt it, Captain.”

  “But it’s over, right? Everything’s back on keel now?”

  “Not quite, Captain. Not quite.”

  Returning to her office, Sujata tried to call Dailey, only to be told he was not available. The Concordat was still in session. It was the same an hour later, and an hour after that.

  It was not surprising that the first session of the Concordat should be a lengthy one. But there was something novel in the experience of trying to contact someone who had more important things to do than to talk to her. It impressed upon her in away that merely saying the words had not that she was no longer the final arbiter.

  The discovery was at once liberating and jarring. For six and a half years she had been the person to whom people came for permission. In her ingrained habit of thinking she had planned out her afternoon: First I will see Killea, then I will talk to Dailey, then return to the Flight Command Center for the wave-off of the Triads. Now she was serving at someone else’s pleasure, and though there was some relief in having given up responsibility with authority, it was irritating to be made to while away time waiting for Dailey to make himself available.

  She spent most of that time looking over the shoulders of various DIDAC specialists as they reviewed the data Falcon had managed to gather in the minutes before its death. Everything she saw, everything she learned from and with the specialists, convinced her that her still unspoken resolve was right-minded.