The Shattered Empire (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 2)

by Kal Spriggs

  Emperor Romulus IV smiled, “Of course.” He glanced over his shoulder at the pair of Nova Roma Marines. “These two fine gentlemen are from my new bodyguard. I've got an entire platoon of them.” He looked back at Lizmadie. “If you two would accept it... I'd like to attach a team of them to provide you some additional protection.”

  “Uh...” Tony looked both surprised and confused.

  Lizmadie smiled though, “Of course, that would be very generous.”

  Her half-brother gave her a nod, “It makes me feel a bit better knowing you'll have a full team of Marines handy in case of any other issues.” He all but spat the last. “Do they know who it was, yet? Was it some kind of terrorist group or Chxor sympathizers?”

  Lizmadie grimaced, “They have no idea. Not yet. The FIB is keeping what they do know very close to their chests, but our attackers took the body of their man with them. All they have are the bullet holes and some shoe prints, and a bit of their hacking code from when they took down our home network.”

  The Emperor looked angry, “That sounds like some kind of professional team.” He shook his head, “Admiral Balventia warned me that the United Colonies is too lax on their internal security, it looks like he was right.”

  “We trust our people,” Doko snapped, “That's not being lax, it's avoiding a police state.” The vehemence in his voice belied his own current status of house arrest, which Lizmadie couldn't help but feel bitterness about.

  Emperor Romulus IV shrugged, “Either way, if you'll have them, the team of Marines will be here. And if you'll both accept it, I'd like to make that permanent.” He cleared his throat, uncertainly, “I've also withdrawn my earlier order for you to be prosecuted for working for Admiral Mannetti.”

  “It took this to change your mind?” Lizmadie said with a level look. She knew her family could be pigheaded, but she was surprised it had taken him this long to see through the obviously false charges.

  Her half-brother shrugged, uncomfortably. “It took me some time to separate my personal and professional opinions... and then Baron Giovanni was already off-world. I still believe that there is an informant, but I think it more likely that this was his work, possibly to silence you both or to kidnap you for additional leverage.”

  Lizmadie shrugged, “I'm not certain, myself, how I feel about that.” In truth, she thought this informant was some ploy by Admiral Mannetti to sow confusion in their ranks. It seemed too bizarre that someone might have worked under Lucius Giovanni for years, if not decades, and betrayed him. Then again, she thought, he does have certain blind spots where his friends are concerned. It bothered her, but now was neither the time or place to bring that up. “Still, I'm just glad we're both alive and well.”

  “Well, I just happen to have brought a bottle of muscato,” Emperor Romulus IV said with a slight smile. “How about we drink to that?”

  ***

  UCS Nova Rosnik

  Shadow Space

  September 29, 2403

  Forrest glanced up at a chime at the hatch. “Come in,” Forest said, surprised that anyone on the destroyer had come to see him. The destroyer wasn't big enough for him to have his own quarters, of course. He shared it with three other junior officers. All three, however, were on day shifts.

  Forrest jumped to his feet as the Baron stepped through the hatch. “Uh, good morning, sir.” He felt a bit of panic at his current state of dress. Last time he'd met Baron Giovanni he'd been dead drunk and dressed in slovenly coveralls. Today, again, he was in coveralls, fresh from his night shift, grease stained and dirty.

  “Take a seat, Ensign,” the Baron said with a wave. He closed the hatch behind him and gave Forrest an odd look. “I thought you were assigned to navigation?”

  “I was,” Forrest said and he couldn't keep a bite of anger from his voice. “I've been reassigned.” Forrest had been told by the XO that for 'causing problems' he was no longer attached to navigation, instead he was attached to engineering as a shift supervisor. Officially, of course, it was a 'broadening' assignment to improve his base of knowledge. But since he'd arrived there, the Engineer had basically ignored him and put him on night shift.

  “I see,” the Baron said. Something angry flashed behind his eyes, but Forrest couldn't guess if it was aimed at him or someone else. “I'm here in a purely unofficial fashion... I want to know more about what happened from when this contact initially showed up to when you notified the XO.”

  Forrest looked away, “Sir, I'm not sure I should talk about that.”

  “Putting aside the issues of chain of command and whatever conversations have gone on about this already,” the Baron said, his voice level, “I want to know because the implications of another vessel intercepting us in shadow space are extremely dangerous.”

  Forrest licked his lips. He had been told, in no uncertain terms, not to discuss the incident with anyone else by not just the Executive Officer, but also the Nova Rosnik's Captain. Still, if there was anyone who could override them, it had to be the Baron... but then there's what some of them say about him, Forrest thought darkly. Not that he believed it himself, but he was pretty certain at least some of the officers of the Fleet must or else why would they repeat it? Forrest met the shorter man's dark eyes and finally gave a sigh, “Sir, it all started when Navigation Tech Haines forwarded me a sensor contact.” Forrest ran through the entire event chain, to include the technical details he remembered. He didn't bring up the full hour that it had taken him to convince the XO to notify the Captain... or the dressing down he'd received from both of them.

  “Right,” Lucius said. “That's even worse than I'd thought.” He looked down at the deck plates for a long moment. “I'm getting some very odd responses and attitudes here, Ensign. Could you explain some of them?”

  Forrest instinctively shook his head. It would be bad enough if they found out he'd told them what had happened with the sensor data. It would be far worse if they thought he was going behind their backs to discuss things they'd said in private.

  Yet, when he looked at the Baron, he remembered the ideals that had made him agree to sign up with Boris. In particular, he remembered the importance of taking a stand for the ideas of freedom in the face of the Chxor's tyranny. He remembered how the Baron could have made himself into a warlord, yet he'd encouraged the development of a constitution, instead. “There's discussion, among some officers,” Forrest said, in a low voice. “Especially some of the original Dreyfus Fleet officers... about you, about Admiral Dreyfus...”

  The Baron cocked his head, “And?”

  Forrest looked away, “Some of it is just rumors, that Admiral Dreyfus commands the military, that you're more a figurehead.” He paused a moment, then admitted, “Some is worse, that Admiral Dreyfus is running things behind the scenes, that he's just waiting to defeat the Chxor before they seize power and restore things to how they used to be... to reinstate Amalgamated Worlds. They say that the United Colonies is just a cover, that soon things will be just like they were before they left.”

  “What?” The Baron asked, “That's absurd.”

  “There's more,” Forrest said in a low voice, “There's some who have talked about how if Admiral Dreyfus doesn't... then there are officers who will... and they'll take the necessary steps.” The last smacked of either a mutiny or a coup, either of which would be a violation of their oaths. That was bad enough, but the thought of them trying to use the Dreyfus Fleet to restore the defunct Amalgamated Worlds smacked of outright conquest. Amalgamated Worlds had controlled all of human space. The bureaucrats who'd managed it had wielded extreme power and the military under them had done some atrocious things in the name of preserving the peace.

  “Really...” the Baron said. Forrest looked up and he saw an iron expression of determination on his face. “We'll have to see about that. Thank you, Ensign.” He turned and left before Forrest could respond.

  ***

  Faraday System

  United Colonies

  October 2, 2403


  Lucius leaned forward in the jump seat near the command chair of the Nova Rosnik. They had only minutes until their arrival at the Faraday system. The contact remained, but had shown no activity or interaction. Then again, communications in shadow space was difficult without using an ansible. The odd energies of the realm caused all manner of interference.

  Lucius squashed a hopeful idea that Kandergain had returned. While he would like to think she would... this didn't fit with her earlier behavior. She would have come straight to him and she would not have stalked his ship.

  Right now his current fear was that the other ship would emerge almost on top of them when they left shadow space. Like most systems, Faraday had established military and civilian zones for shadow space emergence. The the transponders that allowed for rapid identification of friend or foe functioned for both civilian and military vessels. The civilian zone was much further out, to allow for better security and screening besides the automated system. The military zone was closer in, because of challenge and acceptance codes that allowed Faraday's defensive forces to verify identities. The civilian zone was well outside energy weapons range of anything in Faraday orbit, while the military zone had several cleared corridors that ran all the way down into lower orbit to allow for damaged vessels to receive assistance immediately upon arrival.

  The Nova Rosnik would emerge within the military zone. Upon their arrival, Lucius knew, the automated systems would challenge their IFF and codes and then clear them... but the mystery ship would emerge close to them... maybe close enough that automated systems couldn't fire and would need authorization from humans. That delay might give this mystery ship long enough to do significant damage before being destroyed.

  Lucius didn't know if the Shadow Lords employed suicide attacks like that... but he wasn't willing to discount it. Besides, if they sowed enough confusion, they could withdraw much as Lucius had in the Second Battle of Faraday.

  “Emergence,” the navigation officer, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Michele Zahn said. She paused as the sensors fed her data, “We're on target, within arrival parameters. Barely, Lucius thought, after a glance at the display, a few more percent off and we would have arrived in a restricted zone. It wouldn't matter what codes they had if that happened, the automated defenses would fire regardless.

  “Contact!” Petty Officer Bussinik called out. “Energy signature is cruiser sized, less than five hundred kilometers! No transponder and it hasn't answered the challenge codes.”

  “What?!” Lieutenant Commander Harper snapped. “That's impossible, Lieutenant Chungpoole, confirm that!”

  “We're being hit by targeting sensors, they've got us locked,” Petty Officer Bussinik said, before the Lieutenant could even look up from her display.

  “System Control reports targeting sensor hits on the station and the solar array,” Ensign Camilla Wynkoop said, her voice shaky. “They're demanding the identity of the ship that emerged with us, they can't fire on it, it's too close to us...” Her face went pale, “Now they're targeting us.”

  Lucius looked over at the Nova Rosnik's Captain. Lieutenant Commander Harper was frozen, mouth open, his face pale. Lucius popped his seat restraints and moved to the communications console, “Give them my identification code and tell them that the enemy ship must have a psychic navigator, that they intercepted our course in shadow space.” The enemy ship still hadn't fired, but that didn't mean much. Any hostile act could provoke it. She gave him a panicked nod, but relayed his message without an issue.

  A moment later, she looked up, “Sir, the cruiser is sending a message in the open.”

  Lucius looked over at Lieutenant Commander Harper. The Captain of the Nova Rosnik gave a shaky nod, “Thank you, Camila, bring it up on the main display.”

  There was no image with the transmission, merely audio, “...for our unconventional arrival. I am a representative of Shadow Lord Imperious and I come with an offer of alliance for Baron Giovanni and the United Colonies. My vessel, the Void Dragon will power down weapons as soon as we receive assurance that we will not be fired upon.” The man who spoke had a calm, smug tone, one that set Lucius's teeth on edge.

  Lucius leaned over the communications console. He spoke carefully, “This is Baron Lucius Giovanni, to all ships in system, I'm giving my assurance that the vessel will not be fired upon.” He waited a moment, until he saw the alerts on the displays clear. “You may take direction from System Control for your parking orbit. We'll discuss when you can send your emissary down after that.”

  He stepped back from the communications console and gave Ensign Wynkoop a nod, “Let me know if I have any priority messages.” Lucius turned to look at the Nova Rosnik's Captain. “Lieutenant Commander Harper, I'd appreciate it if you got me to the station as soon as possible.” Lucius didn't say anything else as the Lieutenant Commander took charge of the bridge once more. Some part of Lucius wanted to rub the other man's face in his mistake, but Lucius buried that bit without much effort. Lucius worried about the way the man had discounted such an obvious issue until it became a threat to which he couldn't respond.

  Lucius worried more about the fact that someone had seen fit to leave the officer in place and the effects of his attitude upon his crew in the long term. He felt, more and more, there were issues with the Fleet, particularly those officers who came from the Dreyfus Fleet. Somehow he had to get to the bottom of that. He now needed to find out what the Shadow Lord's emissary wanted and, just as importantly, find out what had knocked Alanis back on her heels.

  To top it off, Lucius didn't know who he could trust. Alicia Nix, his first thought, was out of the military and the head of his civilian investigation agency. Anthony Doko was restricted to his home and couldn't help. Lucius figured that Reese wouldn't help him and he was out of the Fleet already. Admiral Dreyfus was implicated, as were all of his personnel.

  Who could he turn to, who had the rank, the position, and most importantly, Lucius's trust?

  ***

  Chapter VIII

  Faraday System

  United Colonies

  October 2, 2403

  “So,” Lucius said to Alanis, “You're keeping the baby?”

  Alanis gave him a level look, “Of course I am, idiot. I'm not going to murder my unborn child because his father just happens to be an asshole.”

  Lucius snorted at that. Alanis still looked strained, but if she was able to summon that level of sarcasm, Lucius hoped that she was improving. “Okay, what's your plan then as far as raising your child? I mean, being a single parent and military service can be mutually exclusive.”

  “Well,” Alanis said, her voice dry, “She's going to have this uncle who I figured I could talk into watching her while I'm away. I figure he's pretty responsible, he's, like, the leader of a nation and probably stupidly wealthy.”

  Lucius shook his head, “I suppose I should have expected that.” He pursed his lips in thought. “I'd point out that I've fleet duties of my own, but...” he trailed off, hesitant to bring up the issues he'd noticed. Not because he didn't think she could handle it... but because Alanis was a much more direct person than he was. She'd try to tackle those issues head on. Since she'd be starting out at the bottom of the ladder, that kind of thing could be disastrous for her in the long term. Better, he thought, to figure things out himself and not to give her preconceived notions. “Well, I think after this campaign I'm going to need to buckle down and tackle all of my duties.”

  “Right,” Alanis rolled her eyes, “I'll believe that when I see it.”

  Lucius took a deep breath, “How are you handling... that is, are you alright with how it ended between you and Reese?” He hated to talk this, but he was the only family she had. It was not something he really wanted to discuss, especially because, having just heard what happened, a big part of him wanted to send some Marines to go track Reese down. The knowledge that he could order something like that made it a bit harder to restrain that impulse.

  “Of course
I'm not 'alright' with this,” Alanis said, her voice harsh. “It's bad enough that Reese did what he did. But that I let him back in, that I trusted him after he showed he couldn't be trusted? That makes me hate myself.” Lucius's mind immediately went back to the Marine option.

  “But I'm better, now,” Alanis said. “And I'm getting better, stronger, every day.” Lucius saw her gaze go distant. “And I'll pick myself up and move on, because what else is the alternative?” She shook her head, “And I'm sorry I called you back here, but it all was almost too much for me, just then.”

  Lucius felt his shoulder's slump a bit, “I'm sorry that I couldn't be back sooner.”

  “It's fine, Lucius,” Alanis laughed. “Honestly, just knowing that my big brother was coming meant more than you know.” Her laughter faded, “And don't you think about sending someone to hunt down Reese, either!”

  Lucius coughed, “The idea had passed my mind, but I've managed to restrain it thus far.” Though, of course, he couldn't guarantee that someone else wouldn't take matters into their own hands after the story got out.

  “Well, don't bother,” Alanis said. “He caught a freighter headed for the Colonial Republic... I've passed the info on to the Faraday Investigation Bureau, don't worry. But he's gone, at least for now. And, as the felony charges go out, he's going to be either a fugitive or ineligible for most of the jobs he could find. Besides, can you imagine how nervous he must feel, how afraid that someone's going to go after him just to try to get in good with you?” She unknowingly echoed Lucius's own thoughts. “While part of me would rather see him in jail... part of me doesn't even want that on my conscience.”

  Lucius's gaze went to the small pistol that she had left on the end of the table. She'd told him that as soon as Reese had left, she'd put it down and not touched it again. Some part of Lucius worried that she'd thought to turn it on herself, but he wouldn't, couldn't, bring that up. For that matter, he was surprised that she owned a pistol. Lucius, while vaguely familiar with the operations of both pistols and rifles, had never really used either on any occasion other than mandatory training. He wasn't certain where Alanis had learned to even use one... though he suddenly thought of Roberto Firnili back on Nova Roma.