The Shattered Empire (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 2)

by Kal Spriggs

  “More likely, however, is that they have someone senior to their government, someone that doesn't want their political opposition to know they're out here, away from where they can take action,” Kate finished.

  Lucius raised an eyebrow at that. He hadn't considered it, though that made as much sense as the rest. “That's a possibility, though I would imagine that President Spiridon would make some guarantee of preserving their power base until their return.”

  She gave a shrug, as if to say that who knew how far anyone could trust President Spiridon. “In any case, I'm guessing no matter who it is, we should find out shortly.”

  Lucius snorted at that. His eyes, though, ranged back to where Lance Namori and Sergeant Timorsky stood, their eyes roving the crowd. Officially there as assistants, they were here to make certain that this remained a diplomatic discussion... and if it didn't, they were charged with protecting him.

  Lucius had spared a moment of worry that they might feel some sympathy towards their original home before their departure. Seeing the hard lines on their faces as they stared at the Centauri Confederation elite, he saw that worry was completely unfounded. They hate these men and women, he realized, with the hate of those who have been at the very bottom and scraped for every morsel to survive.

  “Baron Giovanni, Madame Minister,” a voice said from behind them. Lucius turned and he vaguely recognized one of Kate's civilian assistants. “I thought you would want to know, but the Centauri Envoy just arranged for a high bandwidth ansible connection back to the Centauri Confederation, set to start in a few minutes. I'm told it would be suitable for a live transmission. I also noticed a Centauri Times media crew is setting up over in the corner.”

  Lucius glanced over. He didn't recognize all of the equipment, but he could guess well enough what most of it was for. Whatever stunt the Centauri Confederation planned to pull... they were about to do it. From how they'd kept his people in the dark, he had little doubt it would be a surprise of the unpleasant sort.

  Kate spoke up, “Thank you, Anders. Please make sure we have someone watching their feed, if possible.” That was a smart move, Lucius realized. While they would see the same thing as the people here, how that footage was modified or edited could have a profoundly different message to those who would receive it. She turned back to Lucius, “Baron, perhaps–”

  Before she could finish, the Centauri Envoy stepped out of one of the side rooms, “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending this historic event, which I am certain will lead to the unification of not just our two nations, but hopefully all of human space.” Xinghan said that with a smug tone that set Lucius's teeth on edge. “Baron Giovanni, President Spiridon thanks you for your attendance here tonight and gives his sincere apologies for being unable to attend personally. He does, however, feel that his Ambassador will not only fulfill his duties, but will be welcomed here by the United Colonies government.”

  Lucius stepped forward and he noticed that the assembled guests and functionaries had cleared an area. “Thank you for your welcome, Envoy Xinghan. However, I was under the assumption that the Centauri Ambassador would be in attendance?”

  “I am here,” a light but commanding voice spoke up from the open hatch behind Lucius. He turned and felt a moment of puzzlement as he stared at the short, dark-haired man in the doorway. His face was familiar, somehow, though Lucius couldn't quite place it. Gray streaked his dark hair and lines creased his face, signs that he had born the weight of responsibility and stress. He stood with a military precision, though he wore a carefully tailored dark suit rather than any type of uniform.

  “And who are you?” Lucius couldn't help but ask. He knew it was a setup, somehow, but he wasn't quite sure how.

  The Centauri Ambassador gave him a slightly crooked smile, “I am Marius Octavius Giovanni, formerly of the Nova Roma Empire, and now a representative of my home since my exile, the Centauri Confederation.” He nodded to the assembled guests, “I am the father of Lucius Giovanni and the bastard son of Emperor Romulus I... and I am here to talk about healing the wounds between our nations and once again being unified against the many threats our worlds face. I am pleased to announce that the systems of Volaterra and Lavinium, formerly of the Nova Roma Empire, have sworn their allegiance to me and I, in turn, have given my loyalty and service to the Centauri Confederation.”

  ***

  Lucius made it through the initial handshakes and pleasantries in a dazed state. Though he managed to smile for the cameras, inwardly his emotions were a hash too complex for him to sort out. He couldn't say if it was elation or anger that gave a slight tremble to his hands. He didn't know if it was fear or excitement that made his stomach roil. He knew he needed some time to figure out exactly what he felt... and that this surprise had been sprung upon him to prevent exactly that. Upon that realization, he felt much of his emotional uncertainty ease. Regardless of how he felt, he needed to think and to push his emotions to the background. This realm of diplomacy was no different than battle, in that if he allowed his emotions to rule him he would grant victory to his opponents.

  Thankfully, after what felt like an eternity, the Centauri Ambassador, who Lucius refused to append a name for the sake of his own sanity, announced that he and Lucius would need privacy to discuss the terms of alliance which President Spiridon had offered.

  As they departed the lounge, Kate moved up next to Lucius. “I thought you said your father was executed?” she whispered.

  “He was,” Lucius answered. Everyone said he was... everyone except for Admiral Mannetti, whose cryptic statements during her imprisonment now took on multiple meanings. He met Kate's eyes, “I honestly don't know what to believe... which tells me that this whole thing stinks.”

  The Centauri Ambassador led them into a boardroom off the main passageway. Like everything else Lucius had seen aboard the Centauri Cornucopia, the room was luxurious to a fault. In particular, the wood paneling looked to be Saragossan Pine, which was rare not only due to the fact that it took six centuries to grow to maturity, but also because the Chxor had seized the system. The beautiful purple and gold hued wood had an almost metallic sheen to it... due to the fact that it absorbed a number of metals as it grew. In addition to it's unique beauty, it acted as an excellent barrier to eavesdropping, both electromagnetic and sonic, Lucius knew. He also knew that he was thinking about that rather than facing the immediate situation as a coping mechanism.

  He snorted a bit at his thoughts and faced the man who called himself Marius Giovanni. At close range, the similarity to his own features was unmistakable. Marius stood a bit taller than Lucius, but his body had the same light build. His face was lean, leaner than Lucius's, and his dark eyes had a glint of amusement and a wry twist to his lips. “I'm sorry, Lucius, to spring this upon you as a surprise. I know this all must come as something of a shock to you. Trust me, if I could have contacted you any sooner, I would have... but there were agreements in place and you never seemed far away from the agents of Nova Roma.” He had a tone of absolute bitterness, one which suggested just what he thought about them.

  “Surprise?” Lucius asked. He shook his head, “I think this goes beyond surprise, beyond shock, even.” He took a deep breath. Despite the possibility that this was his father... Lucius felt a wall of emotional detachment come down.

  “Well, I promise you, I will do my best to do things right by you and your sister, especially now that I am able to act freely,” Marius said. “And with your help, we can finally put things right with the human race, once more...”

  “Stop, please,” Lucius said, his voice flat. “You are here as the Ambassador for the Centauri Confederation. As their agent, you have their agenda and, presumably, a message from President Spiridon. Before we get into any philosophical discussions about saving humanity, let's deal with what President Spiridon wants... and why he sent you here to get it.”

  “This is not how a son should address his father, regardless of his age!” Xinghan said sharply.
His tone either perfectly mimicked shocked outrage or he genuinely felt that way. Lucius couldn't say which way he would bet.

  Lucius turned his gaze on the Envoy and the other man took a nervous step backwards. “I will state this once, and once only,” Lucius said, his voice flat. “Regardless of your message here, the theatrics you used out there was pure manipulation, not only of the emotions of billions of people who will see it, but also of my own emotions, in order to push whatever agenda you people have. If there was any sincere desire to reunite me with this man, who claims to be my father... well, it could have been done in private and announced later. You both are complicit in what amounts to emotional blackmail in an attempt to put me off balance for this discussion.”

  Lucius took a deep breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kate begin to smile wickedly. She recognized his tone, he knew. “I don't like being blackmailed. I don't like people who claim to be my friends trying to put me off balance.” His gaze went back to the Ambassador, who he refused to think of as his father, especially not until he had some form of proof. “Now, then. State your business here.”

  Marius Giovanni's amusement vanished, replaced by an icy expression that mirrored Lucius's own. “Very well, Lucius. As I said, I understand that this may have come as a shock, so I'll not take offense at your attitude. I did bring this upon myself, in a way.” He took a deep breath, “As I stated, Volaterra and Lavinium have both held out against the Chxor advance. When I heard that Nova Roma had fallen, I marshaled what forces I had to come to their aid. As a result, both systems have sworn themselves over to my service. I am firmly allied to the Centauri Confederation and have been President Spiridon's personal guest for the past four decades of my exile. I count him as a close, personal friend and confidant. When I heard of your survival, I made my case to him, and he in turn, began to work towards offering you a similar arrangement to what I have obtained for Volaterra and Lavinium, as well as any other Nova Roma worlds and systems I liberate.”

  “Which is what, exactly?” Kate asked. “Satrapy under President-For-Life Spiridon's burgeoning empire?” Lucius heard Envoy Xinghan choke at her words, but something like amusement flashed over Marius's face.

  “No,” he answered. “Despite what you may have heard, President Spiridon isn't quite the heartless, power-hungry monster that his enemies have made him out to be.” He shook his head, “Yes, we would be subjects under his new nation, what we have discussed is actually an arrangement similar to what the United Colonies already has in place, whereby planets retain local autonomy but are subject to an overall higher nation.”

  “Except they wouldn't have any say in this nation, would they?” Kate demanded.

  Marius threw up his hands, “Look, this is the survival of our species we are splitting hairs over. Are things within the Centauri Confederation ideal just now? No. But President Spiridon takes only the actions he must to keep things together. For that matter, under this proposed alliance, you would retain control over the Dreyfus Fleet... which I assume would go a long way in showing not only his true intentions, but also in preventing any type of military takeover from the supposed evil Machiavellian forces at work behind the scenes.” His tone of sarcasm was sharp enough that it could have drawn blood.

  “So,” Lucius said, his voice calm. “The carrot is to retain what we already have... At the same time, the Centauri Confederation gains access to a powerful fleet and the moral high ground gained in being the defenders of humanity. I assume this would probably settle a great deal of their political unrest. What's in it for us?”

  “Seriously?” Marius asked. “Such cold calculation I did not expect from you. Look, your nation gains access to our technology, to our manpower. Imagine the fleets we could marshal against the Chxor and Balor with a unified Centauri Confederation...”

  “Which would require we crush any opposition before we get that kind of backing,” Lucius interrupted. “Which would almost certainly mean a break in our current offensive. That gives the Chxor time to rebuild and refit as well as fortify their current holdings.”

  “Look, we can discuss the strategic and tactical benefits at a later date,” Marius said, his own voice calm. “I have the complete offer,” he held up a data chip, “for you and your senior government officials to look over. You can take the time to think it all through and we can discuss alterations if necessary. And before you even ask, I'll make myself available for any type of biological investigation, to include full genetic scans to prove my identity, as well.”

  Lucius nodded at that, despite his own reservations. This was a big offer and it deserved consideration rather than being dismissed out of hand. Yet his instincts told him not to trust any of it. He just wished he could trust his instincts as not being emotionally compromised.

  “Once that is done, however,” Marius Giovanni said softly, “I would like the opportunity to get to know both you and Alanis... and to get to know my granddaughter.”

  Lucius felt his throat close up. He managed a sharp nod. Kate, thankfully, spoke up, “We'll accept the time to look the offer over. Now, if you gentlemen would excuse us, I think that we all have a lot of work to do.”

  ***

  “So...” Lucius said, once all his people had assembled, “how much of what they've said is true?”

  He'd called the meeting in the new government building in one of their secure rooms. That meant they could pipe in a feed from Admiral Dreyfus as well. Lucius couldn't tell whether it was paranoia or caution that had caused him to ask Admiral Dreyfus to keep the information from most of his staff until they knew more. Lucius had introduced the new faces, to include Reginald, who he had said was there to provide additional security in regards to psychics.

  “Well, what they said about Volaterra and Lavinium matches what we already suspected, to an extent,” Admiral Dreyfus said. “Though it seems highly suspicious that they gave him their allegiance upon his arrival.”

  “Even more so with who their commanders were,” Lucius said softly. Duke Balventia was the governor of Volaterra. Admiral Tiburus was the commander of the Nova Roma garrison from the records they had. Neither of them were even remotely likely to have supported Marius Giovanni... quite the opposite in fact.

  “There's the possibility that they were in desperate enough straits that they would have accepted help from anyone,” Kate said. “As much as I hate to admit it, that's basically where Faraday was before your arrival... we just didn't realize it.”

  “Yes,” Max Nguyen said softly. “But what if he made certain that no one would oppose his triumphant arrival? If he had access to Centauri Confederation assets, then he would have access to some of their special units, like the Centauri Commandos. They have a lot of expertise in assassination and kidnapping.”

  “Yes,” Lucius said. “They do.” Those kind of tactics seemed abhorrent to him: killing the leadership of a planet or system to ensure the population would welcome their new savior. He knew it was a common tactic in the Centauri Confederation, though.

  “So, it is at least possible that they have Volaterra and Lavinium, what are the effects of that on the Centauri Confederation's internal politics?” President Cassin asked.

  “Hard to say,” Kate answered. “Much of their populace are jaded when it comes to their news outlets. Still, once there's confirmation, it will be seen as a huge blow to President Spiridon's opponents. Someone signing on with him voluntarily will be a sign of legitimacy. I'm betting they'll use this to try to turn some Colonial Republic worlds and systems, as well, particularly ones who want access to their technology.”

  “It's worse than that,” Lucius said. “Both systems are on the flanks of the Tau Ceti Separatists and their allies. The overall military strength at Volaterra, in particular, will be a threat that will force them to increase their rear area forces.”

  “Assuming they have the strength to take away from defending themselves, in any case,” Admiral Dreyfus said. His gaze went off the screen for a moment as he thou
ght, “Baron Giovanni... that brings me to the question I hesitate to ask...”

  “Is he really my father?” Lucius said. “I don't know.” He looked over at Alicia Nix. “Have your people had a chance to do the comparisons?”

  She pulled out a file and slid it across the table. “Yes, Baron, that's why I was a little late.” She sighed, “I can tell you positively that he matches all records of your father that we can access. Biometrics is a complete match. Genetics, too. He physically appears to be a man of his age and, short of a complete interrogation, which is off the table for obvious reasons, he seems to be who he says he is.”

  “Which isn't to say that he is,” Lucius said with frustration.

  “There are ways to modify a likely candidate's biometrics, I'm told it's very difficult, but possible,” Alicia said. “But a genetic modification...”

  “Is possible,” Lucius said. He sighed, “It's experimental technology, but Nova Roma has dealt with a few such cases, most often with the subjects having been traced back to the Centauri Confederation.”

  “Oh,” Alicia said. He could see a sudden dark suspicion behind her eyes, “My people had not heard of that, but we'll begin to look into it.”

  “There was a professional thief, by the name of Crowe, who has a certain level of infamy,” Lucius said. “He made use of stolen nanotech, presumably from the Centauri Confederation, to mimic the appearance of people with access to his targets. That's one place to start.”

  Alicia nodded, but before she could speak, the doors to the conference room flew open. “I demand that the traitor Marius Giovanni be remanded to my custody!” Emperor Romulus IV shouted.

  Lucius looked over at the two Marines who stood uncomfortably behind him. He shook his head at them and they parted to let Admiral Mund and Admiral Balventia follow the Nova Roman Emperor. “Good...” Lucius glanced at the clock and winced at the hour, “...morning, your Highness.”