Reconnaissance in Force (Book 6 of The Empire of Bones Saga)

by Terry Mixon

  He deleted the message and pinged her place. If she wasn’t ready for a call, her computer would prompt him to leave a message.

  An image opened up of her drinking some coffee in her kitchen. She was a little bleary, but awake.

  “Morning, Jared.”

  “Morning,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of unsettling news, though I have some, too. You called, so you get to go first.”

  She shook her head. “I’m sure mine is more troubling. I had dinner with Senator Breckenridge last night, though I’d hardly call it a meal. More like an ambush.

  “He told me that…ahem, he’d been indiscreet with my mother about nine months before I was born. He’s my biological sire. Lily confirmed it. Without telling me in advance, which I’m going to have to talk with her about.”

  He almost dropped the package of bacon he was opening, but managed to save the sacred pork. “That’s a lot more unsettling than my news, at least to you. I’m not sure what to say, but you knew it had to be someone. At least the man showed some character during the coup.”

  She nodded, eyeing the stovetop. “That looks good. I’m going to make me some, too.”

  The way the implant calls worked, it seemed as though she was standing right there, though her kitchen was laid out differently than his. It was as though the two rooms were side-by-side. It made having a conversation much easier than just voices in one another’s heads.

  “The news was shocking,” she admitted, “but it wasn’t the worst part. My mother showed up on my doorstep right after I got home.”

  Jared, a man who’d faced death in combat without a tremble, blanched. “Jesus.”

  “Indeed.”

  “What did you do?”

  She laughed without humor. “I resisted the urge to punch her lights out. She is my mother, after all. In fact, I managed to avoid telling her anything and threw her out on her ear, much to her outrage. I was far too angry to have that fight.”

  “And she let you throw her out? I’m shocked.”

  “I cheated and had the Imperial Guard handle it. That didn’t go over well, as you might imagine. You know how she is.”

  He smiled a little. “Actually, I don’t. She never wanted to see me, and I was happy with that.”

  Kelsey growled. “See? That’s what pisses me off. She’s a damned hypocrite. She had the gall to sound all outraged that I wasn’t ready to welcome her with open arms. Accused me of holding a grudge over something that happened before I was born.”

  “Something she conveniently forgot to mention, and that you had to find out the hard way,” he agreed.

  “Exactly! Anyway, she just wanted to fight after that, so I had the guards eject her from the premises. I did allow myself the pleasure of pushing her out the door and locking it behind her.”

  He focused on the food for a minute, making sure everything was cooking well. Then he started the coffee.

  “You’re not going to be able to put her off for long, you know.”

  Kelsey sighed. “I can try. I needed to tell Talbot first anyway. He deserved to know the truth. Which, I’m still not sure I should tell my father, by the way.”

  “Why not? He already knows you’re not biologically his. I’d imagine he’ll have an epic fight with your mother about it, by the way.”

  “That is his fight,” she admitted, “though I deserve to have a piece of her, too. I’m concerned that putting a name to my sperm donor will cause Senator Breckenridge more trouble that he perhaps deserves.

  “I’ve come to the conclusion that his mistake was a long time ago, and that he was young. Christ, look at the things I’ve done. I’m not in a real position to judge.”

  She sipped her coffee. “My mother, on the other hand, was a serial adulterer. Talbot and I flew out to the Palace and I examined the secret exit’s computer. I’ll bet she didn’t know it kept recordings of the comings and goings. Care to guess how many men she smuggled in?”

  “I’m told the only way to win this kind of game is not to play.”

  “Eighteen!” she said, ignoring his response. “And not all of them before my birth! She was cheating on my father right up until they found out about you. Breckenridge was actually one of the shortest affairs in duration.

  “One of them lasted two years. He moved out to her new home as the groundskeeper, by the way. I’m not sure precisely which bushes he keeps trimmed, if you know what I mean.”

  “That was a bit bawdy, even for someone who spent much of their time with marines,” he said. “She is your mother. Don’t forget mine kept exactly that same kind of secret from me.”

  Kelsey shook her head energetically. “Oh no, she didn’t. I’ll lump her with Breckenridge and my father. The excitement of the situation and the person they were dealing with overcame their common sense. That’s a far cry from what my mother did. She knowingly cheated on her husband for decades.

  “Anyway, I’ll deal with her soon enough. What is your unsettling news?”

  He started to respond, but the door chimed. “Someone is at the door. Let me call you back.”

  Jared pulled the last of the breakfast off the heat and headed for the door. He could’ve checked remotely to see who it was, but the guards wouldn’t have disturbed him unless it was important.

  Opening the door revealed his own mother. “Jared!” She rushed into his arms. “I got here as quickly as I could.”

  “Mom, I’m glad to see you,” he said, squeezing her tight. “I should’ve come to visit, but things have been so busy. Come in.”

  The guards—a mixture of Fleet Marines and Imperial Guards—closed the door behind them. He was going to have to sort out that mess before long, too.

  “I just made breakfast.”

  “Good. I’m starving.”

  That hadn’t been his mother’s voice. Elise, her hair tussled from sleep, came out of the bedroom and stopped dead in her tracks. Thankfully, she was dressed, though only in his shirt. It covered everything. Barely.

  His mother’s face paled a little. “I should have called ahead. Why don’t I come back later?”

  “It’s a little late for any embarrassment,” he said with a chuckle. “Besides, today is going to be very, very busy. Mother, this is Elise Orison. Elise, my mother, Patricia Mertz.”

  Elise smiled as though she hadn’t walked almost naked into the room with his mother. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Patricia. You absolutely should stay for breakfast.

  “Let me get dressed and we can talk. And, before you start, I don’t want any of that ‘highness’ nonsense from you. I’m Elise.” She headed back into their bedroom.

  “Let me get us some coffee,” he said to his mother. “I have so much to tell you.”

  “Obviously,” his mother said with a twinkle in her eye. “I’d given up hope that you’d ever find someone special with your career looming over you like it does. I hope she’s the one.”

  He smiled. “I think so. I just have to find the right time to ask the question.”

  “You know I can hear you, right?” Elise asked from the bedroom. “Yes, I’m the one. That’s the worst proposal ever, by the way, but I’ll take it.”

  He’d forgotten that she had excellent hearing, but smiled anyway. The prospect of marrying her had his heart soaring.

  His mother pulled him into a hug. “Oh, my God! I’m overwhelmed! So much has changed.”

  “You have no idea. Sit down and I’ll bring your coffee. I know my message was a bit sparse on detail, but I’m okay. Better than okay, really. So much has changed. Some of which I can’t talk about.”

  She took the mug of coffee from him. “I heard some of it. I always knew you’d succeed at anything you tried, but you’ve exceeded my wildest expectations.”

  “I’ve also exceeded my own worst case estimates. The situation the Empire finds itself in isn’t pretty. I’m not sure if everyone understands that just yet.”

  “The news services seem to be taking the situation seriously,” she said
. “I’d only gotten your initial message when the emperor had His Grace virtually shove me onto a fast transport for Avalon. If you sent any other messages, they haven’t caught up with me.”

  “Then you’ve missed a lot of the story,” Elise said as she came out of the bedroom in a sophisticated looking dress. One suitable for the ceremony later this morning.

  Which reminded him that he hadn’t gotten around to telling Kelsey what was coming. Well, she’d just have to be surprised along with everyone else.

  “I’d planned on asking you to marry me a little more formally,” he told her.

  She kissed him soundly. “I was almost to the point of proposing to you. You can be frustratingly dense at times. Have you heard how long before you ship out again?”

  He nodded. “No more than a week. Possibly sooner than that. Time sensitive events are in motion.”

  His mother’s face fell. “I’d hoped to have more time with you.”

  “I’m sorry. I’d like that, too, but if you’ve heard even the basic story, you know how important this is.”

  She nodded, her face becoming resolute. “Of course. You know I’m so very proud of you, don’t you?”

  Jared pulled her into a hug. “I do, and that makes me feel as loved as I could possibly be. You made me the man I am.

  He checked his implant chronometer. “I have to get dressed. Elise will make sure you get to the Palace, but I have to be there early.”

  His mother frowned. “But you haven’t eaten. Why are you going to the Palace?”

  Elise smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Oh, just a little get together.” She speared him with a glance. “Eat some breakfast. I have it on good authority that they’ll wait for you to start.”

  His mother looked apprehensive. “I don’t know if Jared told you, but I used to work there. After what happened with the emperor, there might be some…hard feelings. Perhaps I should just stay in my hotel.”

  Elise put her regal face on. “I won’t hear of it. Trust me when I say that anyone who is rude to you will have more than enough people leaping to your defense. Any trouble will be very short-lived and terribly one-sided.”

  “You can’t yell at the emperor.”

  “I can, actually. Not that I expect him to be anything other than gracious and welcoming.”

  From his mother’s expression, she didn’t necessarily share that assessment.

  Jared walked into the kitchen and put the food onto plates. “We have enough time to eat, I suppose, but we don’t dawdle. We can catch up this afternoon. Let’s get some fuel. Today is going to be long and—for me—trying.”

  Chapter Seven

  Zia stepped out of the cutter she and her command crew had taken down to the Imperial Palace. The unexpected trip had thrown off her carefully scripted schedule, but when the emperor summoned his officers, they came and stayed as long as he wanted.

  Danny Leonidas and Brandon Levy stepped out behind her, still talking quietly. Annette Vitter and the ship’s chief engineer, Tony Hastert, were on their heels. The rest of her officers trailed after them.

  The Imperial Guard surrounded the landing pad. They were undoubtedly scanning her and her people for weapons.

  A woman in a suit stepped forward. “Captain Anderson, I’m Lisa Devonshire, His Majesty’s majordomo. If you and your officers would be so kind as to accompany me, I’ll show you to the audience room. Many of your fellows are already waiting.”

  Zia smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

  She ran back over her thoughts as the woman took them inside the tremendous building. It had to be an award for Admiral Mertz. Nothing else made sense. The man certainly deserved them. The promotion he’d gotten didn’t even match some of the rewards others had gotten for their parts.

  Frankly, she was glad she’d managed to dodge any awkward awards. She enjoyed teasing “Sir Talbot” every chance she got. He was still grumbling about it.

  Fleet officers, Imperial nobility, and Imperial Senators filled the Imperial Audience Chamber. She was definitely out of her league in here.

  “Zia!”

  She turned her head and spotted Charlie Graves and Dennis Baxter heading her way.

  Charlie was in command of the battlecruiser Courageous now. Her old partner, Pasco Ramirez, was his executive officer. Frankly, she was stunned that he hadn’t taken over Audacious. He had a lot more experience than she did.

  Dennis had been Athena’s chief engineer. He was now doing the same thing on Invincible.

  “Hey, boys,” she said. “Any idea what this is about?”

  Dennis shook his head. “No, but I haven’t seen the admiral. It has to be about him. I think there’s going to be a knighting ceremony.”

  Charlie grinned. “I hope so. I’d love to tease him about it.”

  She looked around the room. “There are a lot of us here. Not just people from the mission, but senior officers from all across Fleet. Not to mention all the people looking down their noses at us. This feels a little bigger than a knighting.”

  “What then?” Charlie asked. “Maybe making him a baron or something? That would be wonderful!”

  “Zia.”

  She turned her head and found Crown Princess Elise Orison standing behind her with a vaguely familiar looking woman at her side.

  “Highness.”

  “This is Patricia Mertz, Jared’s mother.”

  Zia smiled and took the older woman’s hands in hers. “It’s wonderful to meet you. Allow me to introduce Charlie Graves and Dennis Baxter. We all worked with your son on Athena.”

  “It’s such a pleasure to meet all of you,” the admiral’s mother said. “I’ve heard so much about you over the years. I feel as though I already know you.”

  “I have to go meet up with Jared,” Princess Elise said. “Would you be so kind as to keep an eye out for Patricia?”

  “I’d be happy to,” she said. “Do you know what’s going on? Is it about Jared?”

  The other woman nodded. “Yes, but my lips are sealed. You’ll like it. I promise.” The princess excused herself and hurried out of the room.

  Zia focused her attention on Patricia Mertz. “You should be so proud of your son. He saved all of us, and I do mean all of us.”

  Jared’s mother smiled. “I couldn’t be more proud. This is so overwhelming.”

  “There are people with champagne wandering around,” Charlie said. “Would you like a glass? Everyone?”

  At their nods, he hurried away into the crowd.

  “There’s Princess Kelsey,” Dennis said.

  Zia turned her head and saw Jared’s sister zipping along in the same direction that Princess Elise had gone.

  That’s when she spotted a looming disaster. The princess’s mother was sailing along in her daughter’s wake.

  “Oh, hell,” Jared’s mother said.

  “Dennis,” Zia snapped. “Get people around us right now. If she doesn’t see us, there’s won’t be a scene.”

  “Battle screens up, aye” he said, pulling in people they knew to provide a wall between what would undoubtedly be a matter/antimatter mixture.

  “I should leave,” Patricia said.

  “Bull,” Zia said firmly. “You have more of a right to be here than she does. This is Jared’s moment. If she starts making a scene, I’ll end it.”

  The older woman looked unconvinced, but didn’t argue.

  The guards at the doorway allowed Princess Kelsey through, but stopped her mother. From the sound of it, she was giving them hell, but they held firm. It wasn’t as though she were the empress any longer. The divorce had been almost as scandalous as his affair, back in the day. Now, everyone knew the woman was a hypocrite.

  Zia kept an eye on where the woman went. This situation still had the potential to go seriously south, so she’d pay more attention to her than the ceremony. Just in case.

  * * * * *

  Kelsey made her way to her father’s dressing room. He was already in the robes of state. The long, flowing p
urple fabric was stiff and unbearably hot, or so he’d always said.

  Half a dozen pages stood ready to assist him, and the Imperial Crown and Scepter say on cushions close at hand.

  She resisted the urge to look at it more closely. This wasn’t the time.

  “Am I late?” she asked.

  “Just in time,” he said warmly. “They tell me Jared only just arrived. I expect him momentarily.”

  “Are you going to tell me that this is about?”

  “He didn’t tell you? Well, then, who am I to ruin the surprise?”

  She planted her fists on her hips. “So that’s how this is going to be. Fine, two can play at that game. I know a secret that you desperately need to know. I’ll trade.”

  He laughed. “Always bargaining. I’ll pass.”

  Kelsey sighed. “You really do need to know. Mother showed up at my place this morning. She’s here in the palace.”

  That wiped the humor right off his face. “Grim tidings, indeed. I suppose it was inevitable. I’d been hoping she’d stay away. I really don’t want to deal with her.”

  “Then don’t,” she said bluntly. “I tossed her out of my place, so she’s in a fine humor. There’s going to be a fight eventually. A big one. Fair warning, I’m going to cut her off at the knees.”

  “I may go into seclusion.” He rubbed his face. “Well, I don’t have time to worry about her now. There are people waiting for me to start. On the plus side, this is going to piss her right off.”

  “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

  He smiled. “And ruin the surprise? Of course not. You and Elise are going to be right there and you’ll know in a very few minutes.

  The main door opened to admit Jared, Elise, and the Imperial majordomo.

  Her father nodded. “Just in time. Let’s go.”

  He led them to the door in the wall. One of the pages presented the Crown to him. Karl Bandar settled it on his head and took up the Imperial Scepter. In that moment, he became her liege, the Terran Emperor. The transformation still amazed her.

  The majordomo waited for his nod and opened the door, walking out first. Kelsey could hear her voice as she announced her father’s arrival.