by Kal Spriggs
The ansible connected and a moment later a familiar face appeared. “Ah, Mister McGann,” a rough voice said. The craggy face that stared out of the holounit looked as if could have been carved from stone. “Or should I say Tommy King?”
Mason's eyes narrowed. “Well, Admiral Collae, I'm afraid you've got me mistaken. But if you'd like, I'll go ahead and leave, I'd hate to intrude.”
“So eager to leave?” Admiral Collae asked. “Why, I'm reminded of our first encounter. You left rather abruptly as I recall... Tell me, what did happen to the fake Tommy King that was with you?”
“He died,” Mason said, his voice harsh.
“As I would expect the real one would treat an imposter,” Admiral Collae said, his gruff voice satisfied. “I must say, you played me quite well. Mistress Blanc too, she's actually quite upset with herself, you know, it's rare that someone so completely fools a psychic.”
“I'd imagine,” Mason said. “Well, if all you wanted was to reminisce and catch up, thanks for the meal, but I've a ship to catch.”
“Of course,” Admiral Collae said, his rough voice level. “But if you leave, now, you're making a tremendous mistake. One I'm sure will weigh heavily on you and your new girlfriend as well, especially with her loyalty to Baron Lucius Giovanni.”
Mason dropped his feet off the table and he leaned forward, “Why should I believe a word you say? For that matter, what would you care about Lucius Giovanni?”
Admiral Collae gave a smirk, but Lauren didn't miss the dangerous glint in his eyes. “Your Baron Giovanni has struck a considerable blow to the Balor. But, as the saying goes, never do an enemy a small wound. The Balor are regrouping... but most of the Colonial Republic thinks they're gone for good. Their alliances are unraveling... and it's only a matter of time before a lot of the old rivalries explode into a nice civil war.”
Mason's eyes narrowed and Lauren saw his hands drop to his pistols. “Couldn't happen to a nicer group of tyrants, corporate hacks, and terrorists, present company included.”
Admiral Collae's smirk grew into a smile, “Ah, there's the old hatred I had heard so much about. You know, I was actually disappointed when the original news of Tommy King's demise reached me. I never had the chance to test myself against the legend... disappointing, that.” He cleared his throat and if anything, his rough voice sounded even harsher when he spoke. “The end times are on us, Tommy King. You know what that means, don't you? Chaos, disorder, planets and systems scrabbling for safety, for a strong figure...”
Mason's eyes went dark, “I do. Lots of petty tyrants will try to set themselves up as the next big thing in town. Most of them will kill a lot of good people as they do it. I saw it happen when Amalgamated Worlds crumbled... I don't imagine it will be much better with the Colonial Republic.”
“I'm not just talking the Colonial Republic,” Admiral Collae said. “President Spiridon of the Centauri Confederation just dissolved their Senate and Sigma Draconis and Epsilon Indi seceded. The Tau Ceti Separatists have splintered into factions yet again, with Tau Ceti's Prime Minister going as far as to declare war with the Republic of Formalhut. Nova Roma is effectively gone. Who does that leave? What powers have lurked in the shadows... waiting for this opportunity?”
“The Shadow Lords,” Mason said, his voice suddenly cold.
“Them, yes, but also others,” Admiral Collae said. “Personally, I think the Shadow Lords are a less certain threat, but a woman scorned, that's something else entirely, isn't it? My former ally, Admiral Mannetti is the problem. She's known to hold grudges and your Baron has bested her not just once, but twice. She'll wait until your Baron is extended and at his moment of greatest weakness before she strikes him, too.”
“Why do you care?” Mason asked. He privately thought the Shadow Lords were far and away more dangerous than any normal set of pirates. Then again, from what few connections he maintained with the darker side of things, Lady Kail was a dangerously competent woman.
“Because I'm a target as well... As I said, she holds a grudge. And with what I took from Faraday, I've ships undergoing refit that she'll want,” Admiral Collae said. “My own self interest suggests that I pass along some information on the threat. Also, Baron Giovanni has proven that he, at least, can defeat the Balor, though perhaps not as artfully as I might with my greater measure of experience against them.”
“Why should I care?” Mason asked. “It's not like I'm much of a target. Seems to me she'll leave well enough alone.”
Admiral Collae gave a dry, gravelly chuckle, “The man I met, here at Anvil, was looking for redemption: he carried prayer beads. Tommy King walked into the monastery there Eldorado and came out as another man, one who might well give a damn about humanity. Of course, I could be wrong. If I am, then Tommy King was the kind of man who knew that any offer I might make would pave the way for vast riches and the opportunity to get some revenge against the people he hated.”
“Seems like you have me figured out,” Mason said, his voice light. “So if I were to take you up on that offer, where would we meet?”
“You know of the old Colonial Republic Prison in the Anvil system?” Admiral Collae asked. Lauren frowned, the name sounded vaguely familiar, but she wasn't sure where she'd heard it before.
“I know about Rota Prison,” Mason said. Lauren heard something dark in his tone, “If I decide to take you up on your offer, I'll see you there.” He ended the call.
“We should warn the Baron,” Lauren said, her voice nervous. She didn't know much about the Shadow Lords. What she did know was all bad. Powerful, old psychics, who hid out in shadow space and had pirate fleets that attacked out the blue, sacking entire worlds.
“And what, warn him people are after him?” Mason shook his head. “No, we go to him, now, and we'll just be a distraction. Hell, that's probably one of Collae's plans. Your Baron has a lot on his plate. And there's little enough chance he'll trust Admiral Collae, not after he tried to betray him.” He rubbed thoughtfully at the stubble on his chin. “No, we go to the Baron now and we don't help him out, we just increase the confusion, make it more difficult for him to make a decision... or else he just ignores the threat and does what he has to do, anyway.”
Lauren frowned, “We're at an ansible station, we could send him a message or warning.” She felt like she was betraying the Baron by retaining the information. I may not work intelligence for him anymore, she thought, but my training tells me that he needs to know this information.
“And tip our hand,” Mason said. “I guarantee Collae has an agent here. It's easy enough to tap into a call from one end or the other if you own the equipment.” He shook his head again. “No, we've got to find out more before we go back to the Baron.”
Lauren bit her lip as she remembered the heavily ornate document in her locker back aboard the Second Chance. Just before she'd left, the Baron had given it to her. The Letter of Marque would allow her to act as a privateer or agent for the United Colonies. For that matter, from what her old boss, Alicia Nix, had told her, it authorized her to recruit and deputize others, basically up to and including a fleet. Of course, she thought, if I really get out of hand they could always revoke it...
Mason met her eyes with his own. “The way I see it, Admiral Collae wants Tommy King. Not just for his skills, but for his contacts and for his ships.”
“Do you have those?” Lauren asked. From the little he'd said, it sounded as if he'd turned his back on all that. She would imagine that kind of behavior might burn bridges. She didn't think the types of people he had associated with would be the forgiving types.
“Those and more,” Mason said, his eyes suddenly distant. “And that's part of what I'm afraid of,” Mason said. “Tommy King was bad enough, I hate to think of what a man like Collae would do with the resources I can access.”
“Please,” Lauren said, her voice dry. “Remember, I found you stranded on Anvil, your ship impounded and with barely enough cash to pay your bar tab.”
Mas
on smirked a bit, “You did, indeed. And for that matter, I can't say I didn't need your help...” His smile died and something very dangerous suddenly looked out of his eyes. “But you were helping Mason McGann, not Tommy King.” His voice took on a deeper lilt, almost a nasal twang, “And Tommy King is a different fellow altogether.”
He stood, “We go this route and it's a dangerous road.” His voice was level, but she saw some uncertainty in his eyes. He's afraid, she realized with shock, afraid of what I'll see in him. The thought was absurd to her. She'd seen and done terrible things of her own. For that matter, she felt like she had far less compunction than he did, especially when killing the Chxor or their human sympathizers were concerned.
“Join forces with the infamous pirate Tommy King, travel the galaxy, meet new and interesting people... kill them,” Lauren smiled, “Where do I sign up?”
***
Chapter I
Faraday System
United Colonies
July 12, 2403
Baron Lucius Giovanni, Leader of the United Colonies – such as it was – and Commander of it’s Military Forces wondered whether the Giovanni stubbornness came of hereditary origins or if it might just be contagious. “Reese, I heard you the first time.”
“Then order her not to do it, dammit!” Lucius’s brother-in-law snapped.
“You know as well as I do how that would turn out,” Lucius said, his voice dry. “And to a point, her arguments are valid.”
His tall, blonde brother in law turned a deeper shade of red and he snapped, “Valid?” Lucius winced at the shout. Reese leaned over Lucius's desk, “She wants to join the Fleet. I nearly lost her once, I refuse–”
“In case you hadn’t noticed,” Lucius said sharply, “Our battles haven’t been exactly gentle on civilians.” Reese opened his mouth for another argument. “She also has a point in that she feels the same way about both of us. The Nova Roma Imperial Fleet denied her the opportunity to serve with us, not without waivers that she couldn’t get after my father’s actions. She’s tired of seeing us both go off to battle and not being able to help.”
Reese looked away, but the set of his jaw showed he still disagreed.
“Finally, I’ve made her agree to join the new Academy here on Faraday, rather than enlisting as she intended to do at first,” Lucius grimaced, “I’m certain you understand what a disaster that could be.” Despite himself, Reese snorted at the thought of his wife following orders as an enlisted rating aboard ship.
“Furthermore, it will take two years for the first class of officers to graduate. Both you and I know how grossly the war with the Chxor can change in that time.” Lucius shrugged, “With most of our current simulations we’ll have broken them entirely and she may well serve in a peacetime Fleet... or we’ll all be dead anyway.” Of course, those simulations didn't take into consideration the many other threats. The Balor had been knocked back, but General Shaden had reported them regrouping. The Shadow Lords were out there too, malevolent and powerful human psychics who pirated across human space with massive fleets.
Reese shook his head, “At least pull some strings and get her assigned–”
“That kind of patronage would set exactly the wrong precedent, create exactly the wrong atmosphere.” Lucius answered. “Even if I felt it necessary, I wouldn’t do it.”
Reese took a step back. Desperation marked his face as he spoke, “She’s all I have, Lucius. Please, this is my wife... your sister!”
Lucius sighed, “Reese, I can’t.
He watched his friend’s face harden, “Again, you choose politics and possible consequences over your own family. We got lucky last time, lucky that someone else got her out of danger. Danger you could have prevented. It’s the same thing and now I can see that the truth is you don’t give a damn about anything but your little empire you’re building out here.”
Lucius grimaced, “Reese…”
His brother-in-law's blue eyes were cold and hard, “No, Baron, we’re done. If you won’t help me with this, I’ll see what I can do on my own.” Reese turned and stalked out of the office.
A moment after the door closed Lucius’s com chimed. He answered it with a slight sigh, “Yes?”
“Baron, Admiral Dreyfus called up to remind you about the strategy session at fifteen hundred.” The voice of his new civilian secretary announced.
Lucius grimaced again, he was late, “Thank you, Cindy. Please let him know I had an issue come up and that I’ll be down immediately.”
***
“Attention on Deck!”
Lucius paused in the doorway, momentarily startled by the pronouncement. He shook his head, “Carry on.” There were times his new position caught him off guard, and one of those areas lay in military formalities. “Sorry I’m late, I had an issue come up.” He took the open seat left for him between Admiral Dreyfus and Admiral Mund.
Admiral Dreyfus spoke first, “We’ve finalized a set of plans for the offensive, sir. Captain Doko, as the head of that particular project, has prepared a brief.”
The familiar captain stood from his position at the table. His light pitched voice was confident as he spoke, “Gentlemen and ladies, I’m Captain Doko of the War Shrike. A quick summary: in order to secure our own borders and to save the lives of billions, we must not only stop the expanding Chxor, but liberate the worlds they’ve conquered.” He brought up a hologram that illuminated the vast and angry red swath of the Chxor held worlds. “Of particular interest is securing Nova Roma herself, along with the shipyards the Chxor captured intact.”
He paused to let his audience study the map and the glowing beacon that was Nova Roma. “Our primary concern is time.” Anthony Doko said. “The more time the Chxor are allowed, the more established they can become on those worlds. Also, we believe that given more time, millions of human civilian lives may be lost to Chxor death squads, work camps, and other atrocities.”
Lucius grimaced at that. They’d liberated one such facility in the Melcer system and still hadn’t processed all the survivors. From what he’d heard, the Chxor punished minor ‘crimes’ such as leaving ones assigned district by assignment to their death camps. The Chxor simply executed anyone of anything they considered a major violation.
“Therefore, gentlemen and ladies, our best possible course of action is to open a direct path to Nova Roma, by securing these three systems,” Doko activated his control and illuminated the short chain. “Melcer, Tehran… and Danar.” The Nova Romans at the table began to mutter amongst themselves at the last.
Captain Doko continued, “Melcer we’ve already successfully attacked. It seems unlikely that it might have been substantially reinforced in the time since to the point that we cannot capture the system.”
The next star in the short chain began to blink. “From Melcer, the system Tehran is only a three day journey through shadow space.” He cleared his throat, “Tehran was an independent world. Going off of our intel on the Shah and his people, it seems likely that they will have fought against the Chxor. We don’t know the extent of their resistance, but it seems likely they will welcome any kind of relief from the Chxor.”
“That seems overly optimistic, doesn’t it?” Lucius asked, his brow furrowed.
Admiral Dreyfus spoke, “Baron, we’ve analyzed your more recent records, especially the… disagreement between the Shah of Tehran and Nova Roma. Although they disliked outsiders in general, we believe that they’ll welcome any help in removing the Chxor.”
Captain Doko shrugged, “In any case, sir, we’ll have control of the orbitals and use of the system for long enough to open other possible supply routes. Judging by the chaos the Chxor left here on Faraday after their brief occupation, Tehran will be in disarray for some time.”
Lucius nodded, “I believe that warrants further analysis, but your point is valid. We can hold the system for a time before issues of occupation versus liberation come up. Continue.”
The hologram chain strobed on the third syste
m, the one closest to Nova Roma. “That leaves us with Danar, gentlemen, and that is altogether another issue.” Doko's voice held confidence, but Lucius could still hear the edge of anguish there. Danar had claimed the lives of more of Nova Roma's military forces than any other system.
The hologram zoomed in to show an expanded diagram of the system. “It was Nova Roma’s second largest Fleet Base, with large reserves of mines, missiles, and an extensive sensor network.” Doko gritted his teeth, “Due to a... miscommunication, the commanding officer stood down most of the defenses just prior to the Chxor offensive, and he surrendered with minimal resistance when the Chxor enveloped the Empire.”
Lucius bit his tongue against the words he wanted to say regarding Admiral Vibius’s shameful actions. Pride and arrogance sent five battleships, two squadrons of cruisers and the entire screen element into a point-blank gunfight with the Chxor dreadnoughts in the worst defeat of the war.
“We believe that our forces are strong enough to break the Chxor element in the system and to hold it long enough to fortify it and move on to Nova Roma.”
Admiral Mund spoke, his voice dry, “As you can imagine… some of us Nova Romans have doubts in that regard.” He shook his head, “Admiral Ambrogino thought much the same and he had a significant firepower advantage when he mounted his first attack there.”
Captain Doko nodded, “Yes, sir. But, at the time, the Chxor expected a counter-attack. Their commander also got lucky when Admiral Ambrogino’s carrier hit a wandering mine.” The loss of the Praetorian to that ill fate had cost Nova Roma a thousand sailors and the chance to refuel and rearm its fighter squadrons.
“And what about the subsequent defenses that they prepared for Ambrogino’s return?” Admiral Mund asked.
“It seems doubtful that they left such extensive minefields in place, sir,” Admiral Dreyfus's intelligence officer, Captain Wu, said, from down the table. “The Chxor, having secured that front, are unlikely to leave such hazards for their own merchant and military traffic through the system.” Her voice was confident, though Lucius remembered well enough how other officers had been confident about recovery of the Danar system.
