The Phoenix War

by Richard L. Sanders

  I have to get the message out. The Najamnik will warn Calvin and the Empire. Humanity still has a chance. I just have to get the message out!

  Samil pressed on, trying very hard not to think of the consequences that would await him should anyone in the Enclave discover what he was about to do.

  ***

  Raidan was in his office thoughtfully circling the rim of his shot-glass with his index finger when word reached him. Message from the Arcane Storm. Maximum priority signal. He took it at once.

  “Report,” Raidan demanded. He hoped the message was good news. Specifically that the last remaining isotome weapons had been found. When Tristan’s face appeared on the display, he had no such good news.

  “I received a most unusual message,” the lycan said, his face revealed a balanced mixture of intrigue and concern.

  “Do tell,” said Raidan patiently, knowing his loyal subordinate would get to the point quickly.

  “It was from the Savetnik of the Enclave, no less.”

  Raidan raised an eyebrow. “The Savetnik?” Samil Cross wasn’t one to reach out. At least not to Tristan. There had been some correspondence, and Tristan had used Samil as a means of keeping tabs on the Enclave by trading information with him, but there was rarely ever anything major to report. Most updates regarding the Enclave were about their continued status as a group desperately hiding in the nether recesses of the Tybur Cantons. Shocking surprise... Until recently Raidan hadn’t cared a whit about the Enclave, but that had been before he’d learned of their involvement the missing Arcane Storm and the isotome weapons.

  “Yes, the Savetnik,” said Tristan. “He had a warning for us.”

  “What did he say?” Raidan maintained his cool.

  “The Savetnik believes the Alliance is in imminent danger. Something is happening on Tybur, something big. Something involving the Rotham.”

  Raidan’s mind immediately jumped to the obvious conclusion, but he remained silent and allowed Tristan to get there.

  “Apparently the Enclave has had a change of leadership, and they are cooperating with the Rahajiim even more than before. They’ve also recruited the help of the Khans; at minimum the Khan circles on Tybur and Io are involved. The Savetnik believes that in the very near future the Alliance will no longer be a deterrent to Rotham war fleets trying to cross the DMZ.”

  Raidan felt the weight of this new information; it was just as he feared. “That means we must end this Imperial Civil War sooner than we all thought.”

  “And even that may not prove soon enough,” said Tristan darkly.

  “What do you mean?” asked Raidan; it was obvious the lycan wasn’t finished.

  “There’s more,” said Tristan, pausing only slightly. “The Savetnik had other news. He says the Rotham are making their move against Renora.”

  “We knew they would.”

  “But the Savetnik says it’s already begun. They’re already on their way.”

  Raidan tried to imagine the fleets of ships that were sailing through alteredspace, determined to conquer an Imperial world. It would be tragic, to be sure, but it might also be useful. If the Rotham Republic attacked Renora too soon, before the Imperial fleets had a chance to fire on one another, it would tip their hand. And nothing united foes faster than a common threat. Should Rotham fleets invade human space, there was a strong chance that the loyalist forces supporting Kalila and the insurgent forces supporting the Assembly could unite—however briefly—and throw the Rotham back into their corner of the galaxy.

  “Did he describe how and when the Rotham plan to attack Renora?” asked Raidan, guardedly hopeful.

  “He did not know,” replied Tristan, in smooth, almost-chilling words.

  Raidan nodded.

  “But I would expect the Rahajiim to be too clever to attack Renora directly. I would expect their move to be something subtle.”

  “So would I,” admitted Raidan. Knowing the thought of an obvious attack, one transparent enough to unite humanity, was likely too much to hope for. “Something subtle yet not less deadly. Probably something invisible to the galaxy, something the Imperial public will not notice—at least at first. And yet, somehow, bloodier and crueler than we can imagine.”

  “That sounds like the bastards,” said Tristan. “Which means any Rotham ship headed anywhere near Renora must be stopped at all costs.”

  And so the bloodbath continues, Raidan thought darkly. Reflecting on the ever-likelier possibility that he would indeed live to see the day his mighty nation was destroyed. He imagined uncontested fleets bombing planets from high orbit, while isotome weapons blackened stars across the Empire.

  “The Savetnik said his warning was specifically meant for Calvin,” added Tristan.

  “I’ll see that he gets it,” said Raidan. “And the queen too.”

  Chapter 9

  “And any ships heading to Renora from the DMZ, or from any position within ten clicks of the DMZ, or bearing Rotham markings, must be prevented from reaching its destination at all costs,” continued Raidan.

  Kalila listened patiently, watching the mysterious man’s face carefully as it appeared on her private display in the CO’s office of the Black Swan. Captain Adiger stood by her side, otherwise she was alone.

  “And you say your information is good, that it can be trusted?” pressed Kalila, once Raidan had finished speaking.

  “Samil Cross is reliable,” confirmed Raidan.

  Kalila searched the man’s eyes, as best she could see them over the display, and wondered how sincere he was. She thought of Calvin’s warning, that Raidan was to be trusted only cautiously, and that Raidan and the people he worked for were prime suspects in the attack on Cepheus, a Rotham world where the civilian body count was still rising from an unidentified terrorist attack.

  “And what would you have me do with this information?” asked Kalila.

  “My Queen,” said Raidan, his tone respectful. “End this war quickly and decisively. The Rotham are coming. They’re on their way. As I’ve said, the Alliance can no longer deter them from crossing the DMZ. If we cripple our own defenses through civil war, and destroy our own fleets, we will have no means of protecting ourselves against the greater threat.”

  Kalila considered this thoughtfully. It was true that any violence during this civil war, any loss of life, was a dear price for humanity to pay, and would make them a weaker target for alien predators lurking abroad. Certainly she hoped to avoid war, or to keep casualties and destruction to a minimum, but so long as the Assembly defied her, and remained in the hands of corrupt conspirators, and her father’s blood remained unanswered, she could not avoid Imperial conflict. It was inevitable. The best she could hope for now was to defeat the insurgents swiftly and win the support of most of the Empire. With that kind of backing, the Assembly would have no choice but to support her claim, for their own survival, and then she could return to Capital World and take her rightful place upon the throne. There she’d see to it that the villainous scum that’d undermined the Empire, corroding and corrupting it at the highest levels, was purged and extinguished forever.

  “Thank you for your information and for your advice, Captain,” said Kalila with a polite smile.

  “As ever, I am grateful to serve,” said Raidan. He bowed his head respectfully.

  “There is one other thing you may do to serve,” said Kalila. Raidan looked up, clearly surprised.

  “Name it and if it is in my power, it shall be done.”

  Kalila waited a moment before speaking, using the time to take Raidan’s measure, as best she could, so she could read into the man’s reaction when he refused her. If he refused her. “I ask you to immediately release to us detailed information regarding the Organization, including its membership, its resources, its hierarchy; I want to know all of it.”

  Raidan looked momentarily flummoxed, but his voice remained both pleasant and polite. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” he said. “That is not within my power.”

  �
��Why not?” asked Kalila, adding a sharp edge to her tone.

  “The Organization is led by White Rook. I do not have the information you request. But I shall send you what I do have, as much as I can,” he spoke quickly, as if to prevent interruption. “I hope it will suffice. Until we speak again, I wish you good health, Queen of the Empire.”

  The display winked off. Kalila stared at it for a moment in pensive silence. He is far too secretive, Kalila thought. Calvin was right to warn me. Normally she wouldn’t have accepted the service of one she could not completely trust, but as times grew deadlier every ally seemed more valuable. Especially valuable allies such as Raidan. So long as he put the crown first…

  “What do you think?” she turned to Captain Adiger. He’d stood vigilantly by her side the entire time where he’d kept a respectful silence and allowed his queen to control the discussion.

  “I think he’s hiding something,” said Adiger. “I’m also suspicious of his information.”

  “I am as well,” admitted Kalila. “Although, if it is true…”

  “Then our situation is indeed dire,” said Adiger.

  Kalila pressed her fingers together and considered all that Raidan had told her. Such a tangled web this all is, she reflected. Thinking how odd that Raidan’s source for all this new information was, allegedly, none other than Calvin Cross’s own father.

  “If I may, Your Majesty?” asked Adiger.

  “Please,” said Kalila. “Speak your mind.”

  “I would follow you into any battle, to my own grave if it comes to that, without so much as batting an eye. You know that.”

  “Indeed I do,” said Kalila. She’d known Adiger since she was a child, and even before she’d been born, Adiger had faithfully served House Akira.

  “And so I hope what I am about to suggest is not out of place,” Adiger said, his words seeming to tip-toe.

  “Say it,” said Kalila.

  “You are the rightful heir to the throne, and by every law of the Empire, you should rule. Your claim is the best, your right to succeed your father is absolute, now that your elder siblings are passed on, but…” he hesitated.

  Kalila held her tongue. Knowing what Adiger was about to say. And not liking it one ounce.

  “Have you considered… for the safety of your subjects and all the realm… surrendering your claim and allowing the Assembly to select a new monarch?”

  “That’s no longer an option and you know it,” said Kalila. “The Assembly has declared us all Enemies of the State.”

  “True,” Adiger admitted. “But in exchange for certain promises, for the chance to prevent civil war, I’m sure certain arrangements can be made. Deals brokered, guaranteeing your safety, in exchange for cooperation.”

  “It isn’t my safety I’m worried about,” said Kalila. “The very fact that the Assembly could so easily and so readily declare us Enemies of the State illustrates how severely hijacked they are. They are a corrupt body of bribed, bought, and beguiled fools who have sold the Empire out from under its citizens in exchange for their own personal profit. Even if I turned the reins over to them, and let them choose a new king from amongst themselves, would you really trust that person to lead our fleets in a proper defense against an alien invasion? Assuming they could even manage to pause their dysfunction long enough to agree on a successor monarch?”

  This seemed to give Captain Adiger pause.

  “And even if we did survive the Rotham invasion, what then?” asked Kalila. “Would such a new leader, one completely in the pocket of a consortium of foreign interests and corporations be able to restore our Empire to its true glory? Would such a person be capable, and willing, to cleanse our government from the corrupt influences that have taken root?”

  “No, I suppose not,” said Adiger. “I just thought… if we could avoid civil war…”

  “Don’t think I haven’t considered it,” snapped Kalila, letting more frustration color her tone than she wanted to. “I don’t want to hold the monarchy. I never asked for it. I never desired it. I was always relieved that the throne was meant to pass to Genjiro and not to me. But reality is what it is. My brother is dead. My sisters are dead. Worst of all, my father is dead. Murdered. Slain on the Assembly Floor! And you would have their deaths go unanswered? You would give control of the Empire to those maniacs? What hope then would be left for humanity? Is that what you honestly think is best? Tell me true!”

  “No, Your Majesty,” Adiger said quickly. He bowed his head. “Forgive me. I spoke out of insolence. I was not thoughtful.”

  As she looked at him—a man who’d always seemed made of steel, bowing before her now, looking disgraced, she felt pity. I should not have been so harsh with him. He is thinking only of saving lives. An admirable goal. And one we both share.

  “You have not spoken out of insolence,” she said, her voice calm and commanding. “And I thank you for your thoughts and advice. As things stand, however, we must stay the course. And if there is any hope of saving the Empire, it must remain in the hope that good triumphs over evil. And that those responsible for corrupting our Empire, those who have sold us out, those who would destroy us, shall be exposed and punished.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  “And as for the Rotham threat… let us hope that it is not so urgent as Raidan thinks. And that by the time they come to challenge us, we will again stand as an Empire united.”

  “That is my tenderest hope as well.”

  Kalila looked away from her servant and back at the display. It was empty, no broadcast was being sent. But in the emptiness she saw Raidan’s face and the words of his warning haunted her. If there was an imminent Rotham threat, if indeed they were already on their way to Renora, and if the Alliance truly was no hindrance to them anymore… she had to know it. And be ready to deal with it.

  “Summon Calvin Cross here immediately,” she said.

  “At once,” Adiger snapped to attention and headed for the door.

  “And send a general order to all fleets,” said Kalila, thinking about Raidan’s haunting words. “Tell them to intercept any ship heading to Renora. If the ships are Rotham, order them to divert course. If they refuse… destroy them.”

  “General order to all loyal ships?” asked Adiger, he’d stopped his march to the exit and was again facing her.

  “General order to all Imperial ships,” said Kalila. “Loyal or otherwise. This is a threat that affects us all. Everyone needs to know what’s at stake. And everyone needs to do their part to keep our people safe.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Adiger saluted and left.

  ***

  “So?” Kalila asked, looking at Calvin intently. “Can he be trusted?”

  Calvin scratched his chin thoughtfully as he considered all of this new information. When he didn’t reply immediately, he could see in the queen’s eyes that she was impatient and deeply concerned. Though her body language remained composed, regal and collected.

  “Who do you mean?” asked Calvin. “Raidan or Samil?” This new information, for it to have any credibility, depended on the assumption that both Raidan and Samil were telling the truth. Which seemed like an almost ludicrous assumption under normal circumstances. Raidan was cunning and often relied on half-truths, and as for Samil, everything he had ever done—indeed everything he was, everything he said, everything he ate, everything he slept in, every breath he breathed, everything he surrounded himself with… everything about him was an enterprise of deceit, emptiness, lies, and self-interested betrayal.

  “Your father,” clarified the queen. “I understand that you haven’t seen him in quite a long time, and that he left you and your mother. Which doesn’t speak well for his character. But I also understand that he was the source who tipped you off regarding the isotome weapons on the surface of Remus Nine. Deadly weapons that you proceeded to destroy. I am therefore aware that he can, at least sometimes, be a trustworthy source of intelligence.”

  Calvin listened, hol
ding his tongue. He felt a mixture of emotions welling up inside him, part of it was anger, part of it was something else entirely. As he stood attentively before Kalila, the mighty Queen of the Empire, he tried very hard to ignore the flicker of memories of his childhood that danced through his mind as they discussed the man who’d abandoned him and broken his mother’s heart. Memories of the man Calvin had once idolized. And, even more shamefully and stupidly, had once loved and sought the approval of. And then, as sudden as starlight, the man had vanished. Mother had been in denial for days after that, and when the truth finally sank in… she wept for a long time. Deeply and frequently. He hurt my mother, that bastard, for that I’ll never forgive him…

  “So tell me, Mister Cross,” the queen continued. “In this instance, do you counsel me to believe the threat he warns us of is credible, or is there an ulterior motive at play? Perhaps he is working for the Rotham? Maybe they hope they can use him to trick us into making a preemptive attack, one that will justify their war to their own people?”

  Calvin bit his lip and continued to hold his silence awhile longer before speaking. When he did, he kept his tone as neutral as he could. “There’s always an ulterior motive where Samil is concerned. He never does anything out of heartfelt generosity. Whatever motivated him to warn us that the Rotham are moving against Renora and that the Alliance cannot deter them much longer, you can bet he’s getting something out of it. Somehow he benefits from this. But in this case, I don’t believe he is working for the Rotham.”

  “If not that, then what?” asked Kalila. “If not out of loyalty to humanity, or as part of some scheme hatched by our enemies, why then would he send us such a warning?”

  Calvin had no answer for that. “I don’t know,” he admitted.