“You’ll survive. Rejoin, regroup and we’re out of here.”
That was when the defender on the roof of the warehouse behind her shot straight down with a flamer, not aiming for the carapace of the Spider, but for the pile of mines that now lay beside Heather’s feet. Against a Spider’s superior heat efficiency, a single flame attack couldn’t do much. Multiple heavy explosions nearby, on the other hand… if her ’Mech was crippled, the mission could be lost.
Heather hit her pedals hard, taking the Spider straight up, using the jump jets’ full power. A ball of flame from exploding ordnance roared after her.
The leap brought her level with the roof of the building where the man with the flamer stood. The look on his face, she thought, was priceless. He must have thought that thirty tons of angry ’Mech was about to land on top of him. He ran. Heather dropped back down, cushioning her fall with jets, and wheeled her multilegged ’Mech into a sprint out of the alley.
“Fire in the hole!” she heard as she landed, and brown dust and white smoke erupted from the warehouse as the militia squad’s demolition charges did their work.
“All secure, no casualties,” Santangelo reported. “Got a little hot on your side of things?”
“You could say that,” Heather replied. “Someone in Kittery is thinking. That string of mines wasn’t meant for Koss on the Shandra—it was bait for me.”
“It looks like you were a bigger fish than they expected,” Santangelo said. “Next on the list?”
“Next on the list,” she confirmed.
“I’ve got the shortest route outlined on the map.”
“I don’t like that route,” Heather said. “They know where all the warehouses are as well as we do. Better, probably. And by now they for damn sure know where we are. They can figure out where we’re probably going, and they know our quickest path from one site to the next.”
“So what’s our solution?”
“Bypass this next one, hit number five on the list instead, then backtrack to four. Keep ’em guessing.”
“I’m all in favor of that,” agreed Santangelo. “Give me a sec… there. I have location five highlighted, and a couple of possible paths illuminated.”
“Take ’em both. Me and you with the Fox go up one, the militia squad and the Shandra up the other.”
“Splitting your command? That’s what nailed General Custer at the Little Big Horn.”
“That, and five thousand Sioux,” Heather said. “The Kittery Renaissance doesn’t have any five thousand foot soldiers, and we need to keep them guessing. Let’s go.”
“No sign of the intruders,” Hansel reported. “They should have been here by now.”
He had antiarmor missiles aimed down the street in front of the fourth warehouse, with support lasers hidden in the houses along both sides of the street the ’Mech would be forced to come down in order to attack this location. He’d catch the Paladin’s troops in a cross fire and cut them to pieces.
He had to. He’d scrounged pretty much every piece of heavy antiarmor the Kittery Renaissance possessed in order to concentrate it in this spot. Today’s activities weren’t supposed to have involved ’Mechs at all, not until the end, at which point the arrival of a ’Mech would mean that they were supposed to retreat.
But so far today, nothing was going according to plan.
Back at the command center, Cullen Roi followed reports from other locations.
“We’ve spotted opposition in two locations,” Norah said. She indicated them on the map. “It could be they brought in a bigger force than we initially thought.”
“It could be,” he said. “What I want to know is why they’re heading that way at all.”
Norah pointed at the location of the fourth warehouse. “Maybe they don’t know about this one?”
“I don’t think so. I think they’re being cagey.”
A fifth cache location lit up on the map. “Ah, here they are.” Cullen called up the scene commander on the radio. “What’s your situation?”
“We’re under attack by about a squad, supported by a ’Mech and vehicles.”
“Can you hold them?”
“For a few minutes.”
“Hold them as long as you can. I’m bringing up reinforcements.”
Cullen keyed the net to Hansel, who would be waiting now at his ambush location for an attack that wasn’t going to come. “Go at once to the fifth location, Donnitz area. Leave slow units behind if you must. The enemy is there. Engage them. All units, expedite relocation of supplies. That is all.”
He looked at the clock. The riots hadn’t been supposed to start for hours. Well, he’d just had his morning ruined. Some other people could have their morning ruined, too.
56
Chamber of Paladins, Geneva
Terra, Prefecture X
20 December 3134
In the Chamber of Paladins, Jonah sat listening to the three-sided conversation between Anders Kessel, David McKinnon and Tyrina Drummond. Drummond seemed to have memorized every word of the governing protocols of The Republic, though Kessel and McKinnon seemed determined to catch her in a misstep. Jonah’s own memories of the previous election were not overly sharp—by his memory, the assembled Paladins had done little more than confirm Devlin Stone’s chosen successor by acclamation.
The three Paladins were still talking when the small door off to the side of the Exarch’s podium swung open, admitting Damien Redburn himself to the chamber. A silence fell as one by one the others in the room became aware of Redburn’s presence. The Exarch spoke into the quiet.
“You’re all welcome here today, and I won’t keep you long from doing the work that you have to do. You have my best wishes for a successful outcome.”
The Exarch paused and looked at the small group of men and women who represented all of The Republic’s Paladins save two—the currently absent Heather GioAvanti and the never-seen Ghost Paladin. Then he continued, “Clearly, with an absent Paladin, no binding vote or formal deliberations may be held. I imagine, though, that each of you has plenty to say. Perhaps you should commence discussions.”
Kessel stepped forward. “We’ve already voted to do that, Exarch. Just ironing out a few procedural kinks.”
“Well, that should be the job of the facilitator. Have you chosen a facilitator?
A slightly embarrassed silence descended over the chamber.
“When something is done only once every four years, it’s easy to forget protocol,” Redburn said gently. “Choose a facilitator and begin discussions. Hopefully Paladin GioAvanti will arrive shortly.”
There was another silent moment, then Otto Mandela’s booming voice: “I nominate Tyrina Drummond as facilitator.”
“Seconded,” said Jonah Levin.
“No!” Kessel objected.
“You may take a few moments for debate,” Redburn said with a sigh. He had hoped this, at least, would go smoothly.
Drummond stared ice at Kessel as he spoke. “With all due respect to Paladin Drummond, what this process requires most is free and open debate. Paladin Drummond’s demeanor has been known, on some occasions, to be somewhat… brusque. Intimidating, even. I’m afraid that’s not what we need in a facilitator.”
“I do not believe that Paladins are so easily intimidated,” Drummond said curtly. “I am as interested in choosing a worthy Exarch as anyone. I do not think efficiency in my activities should be counted against me.”
“Does anyone have a suspicion of how Tyrina intends to vote?” interjected Meraj Jorgensson. Several Paladins started to speak, but fell silent. “Me neither. I think that alone makes her a good candidate for facilitator.”
“Tyrina Drummond has been nominated and seconded as balloting facilitator,” said Redburn. “All in favor?”
“Aye,” said at least a dozen of the Paladins in a ragged chorus, including Jonah.
“Any nay votes?”
A few voices responded. Drummond showed remarkable restraint in not glaring at each individual opponen
t.
Redburn nodded. “The ayes have it. Paladin Drummond, I turn the discussion over to you.”
Redburn turned and left through the same door by which he had entered. Tyrina waited until it had closed behind him, then left her seat and walked up to the lectern. She looked out at all of them with a sharp, penetrating expression—and Jonah remembered that the members of Clan Nova Cat had a reputation for seeing powerful visions.
“In the name of the dream of Devlin Stone,” she said, “and to honor his memory as we wait for his return: Let us cast our first trial ballot.”
“What about discussion?” Kessel immediately interjected.
“Let us see where we stand first,” Drummond said serenely. “I believe that Paladin GioAvanti’s delay will provide ample opportunity for discussion.”
Jonah nodded with the rest of the council. He’d say what he had planned after this ballot, and he was sure there would be an awful lot of discussion when he was done.
Damien Redburn entered his small, private office adjoining the chamber. His guest was waiting.
“Well,” said the Ghost Paladin. “At least they’re started.”
Redburn sat down at his desk and heaved a tired sigh. “There’s no telling how long it will take them to finish, though. They’re still one Paladin short.”
“Ah, yes. Heather GioAvanti is away chasing rioters, or potential rioters.”
“Do your people have anything new on that?”
“My people?” The Ghost Paladin shrugged. “We’ve pulled in two suspected agents of House Liao with what looked like plans to set off a biochemical device in the voting chamber, a squad of Dragon’s Fury commandos intending to seize the main Genevan tri-vid news station and force the personnel to broadcast House Kurita propaganda, and a warrior from Clan Jade Falcon who died fighting before we could get a clear idea of what the hell she was after. Oh, and there’s approximately fifteen organizations named after Devlin Stone fighting each other in front of the Hall of Government. But I’m not worried about any of those.”
“No?”
“No. What I’m worried about are the people out there whose plans we didn’t manage to catch.”
57
Chamber of Paladins, Geneva
Terra, Prefecture X
20 December 3134
Jonah Levin looked at the display on the tally board. Sixteen Paladins were currently present in the Chamber, and thirteen votes had been cast so far in the first trial ballot. He would not have been surprised to see thirteen different colors on the board.
The board displayed no names, only an array of colored lights. That anonymity had been another of the Founder’s political notions, according to Tyrina Drummond. A Paladin wanting to work out who was ahead and who was falling behind in the trial ballots would have to consult with his or her fellow Paladins and gather the information from them directly.
The absence of posted names was supposed—again, according to Tyrina Drummond—to foster cooperation and communication among the Paladins during the voting process. Jonah was far more inclined to agree with David McKinnon’s earlier assessment of the Founder’s personality, and to couple with it a suspicion that Stone had been unduly optimistic about human nature.
So far, no one was talking to anyone about anything—but Jonah knew that would change soon enough. He was the one who would change it.
There were seven colors currently up on the board, a rainbow of six with two dots each, plus one deep violet singleton. As he watched, the single violet dot changed to a double and a turquoise singleton popped up, representing two more votes cast.
Jonah regarded the collection of lights for a few minutes longer, then cast his vote for Maya Avellar. He had known and respected Avellar ever since the end of the Kurragin campaign, and if she was perhaps a bit less aggressive than the ideal warrior, her courage and integrity had never been called into question.
As soon as he registered his vote, another singleton light winked on, this time chartreuse.
The lights on the board stopped blinking and glowed steadily. All of the Paladins currently present in the Chamber and signed in on the system had voted. Tyrina Drummond rose and went to the podium in order to announce what everybody already knew:
“My fellow Paladins—the trial ballot is concluded. The floor is open for discussion.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Jonah saw Anders Kessel make a move to stand, but he stilled as soon as Jonah moved. An air of anticipation rose.
“Paladin Levin is recognized,” Drummond said.
Jonah’s left knee trembled slightly, and it annoyed him no end. He had led a suicide charge on Kurragin. He had destroyed another ’Mech on Kyrkbacken when his was reduced to a single functioning leg. On Elnath, he had been dropped from the sky while artillery blazed past him. And now, in a large ceremonial chamber, surrounded by fifteen people who didn’t (he hoped) want him dead, his knee wobbled because he had to make a speech. Ridiculous.
“My fellow Paladins,” he said in a creaky voice that sounded like his grandfather, “I have some information I’d like to share.”
He could feel the eyes watching him, and there wasn’t a single audible keyboard click. No one was going to send messages back and forth as he spoke; he had their full attention. Oddly enough, that calmed him.
“As some of you know, the Exarch asked me to look into the death of Victor Steiner-Davion. I’m pleased to announce we have made an arrest.” A murmur ran through the room. Jonah had them in the palm of his hand.
His voice grew stronger. “Before I tell you the who, let me tell you the why. Victor was killed because he uncovered a conspiracy of a rather unique nature. It was not a conspiracy to attempt a coup, or plan a military attack on a specific target. Rather, it was a conspiracy to control thought.
“For well over a decade, a group of Senators, working within the bounds of the government, have opened a series of academies and training programs across The Republic. They select the students for these academies carefully, and they approve the graduates even more aggressively. Those graduates they believed to have the most potential to help their cause, they attempted to shepherd into influential positions. In the early stages, this shepherding mainly took the form of making polite suggestions. In recent years, though, their tactics have veered strongly toward bribery, blackmail and intimidation to achieve their goals.
“Victor—Paladin Steiner-Davion—worked long and hard to get information about this conspiracy. He had it, and he was going to tell us about it. It cost him his life.”
For what seemed to be the first time in several minutes, Jonah took a breath. “Last night, Senator Geoffrey Mallowes of Prefecture IX was arrested for conspiring to assassinate Victor Steiner-Davion.” He paused, then added, almost as an afterthought, “He will be charged with attempting to have me killed, as well.
“We have also arrested an associate of Senator Mallowes, Henrik Morten. Based on evidence those two men are providing, we expect more arrests to be forthcoming.”
Anders Kessel and Otto Mandela shot to their feet the moment Jonah stopped talking.
“Two Paladins stand for what I assume to be questions for Paladin Levin,” Drummond said. Kessel and Mandela nodded. “Paladin Kessel may speak first, then Paladin Mandela. Other Paladins wishing to ask questions may stand in like fashion.”
Kessel began. “First, let me commend Paladin Levin for extraordinary work performed in a short period of time. I would, however, like clarification on one matter. You say this conspiracy that you have identified seeks to ‘control thought.’ In what direction are they pushing? That is to say, what do you know about the political leanings of this conspiracy?”
Jonah took a breath and counted silently to ten before responding. Kessel was asking him to walk through a minefield. If he did not cast his remarks carefully, his response could be seen as accusing everyone tied to the Founder’s Movement as being part of the conspiracy. The backlash from McKinnon, Sorenson and their supporters would be con
siderable—which might be what Kessel wanted. Fortunately, he had learned enough from Mallowes to know what to say.
“This conspiracy is about what most such conspiracies are about—power. The people involved see instability in The Republic, and they believe this is a perfect time to seize power. I believe Senator Mallowes saw it as a chance to return his family to the prominence he feels The Republic denied him. Other people involved hope to grab any splinters of power left if any part of The Republic breaks.
“I can’t say with certainty that all people involved in this conspiracy share a political leaning. What they share is a desire for power and a predator’s instinct that tells them their prey may be growing weak.”
Kessel, expressionless, sat down. A few chairs to his left, David McKinnon was nodding slightly at Jonah’s words. Made it through that one, Jonah thought.
True to form, Mandela moved right to his question, forgoing any niceties. “You said there are other arrests coming up. Who? More Senators? And for what? I can’t believe there was a whole crowd involved in Paladin Steiner-Davion’s death.”
“Right,” Jonah said. “There may be a few hired hands implicated in the assassination, but Mallowes and Morten look like the top of that particular chain of events. But the project Victor was working on shows plenty of crimes having taken place over the years, and bribery and blackmail are just the beginning. Honestly, I don’t know how far this may go, but I’m certain it’s not confined to the Senate. One thing to remember is this—the purpose of the conspiracy wasn’t to kill Victor. That was something they felt they had to do to keep their activities secret. As devastating as his death is to all of us, it’s only a sidelight to the central activities of this group. I wish I could say Victor’s death is only the tip of the iceberg, but it might not even be that—it could be a small chip broken from an iceberg that’s floating ahead of us.”
The Paladins rolled his words in their minds for a moment. No one even typed. Then Janella Lakewood fidgeted, hesitated, and finally stood to make her first remarks as a Paladin.
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