Tell the truth, Radko would have said, simple and from the lines. Plus, it got her off the subject of Yu, and what he could and couldn’t do there.
“You know Redmond tried to steal Scout Ship Three.”
“The whole galaxy knows.”
“They had some sort of magnet. They linked the two ships.”
“It’s old technology,” Sale said, surprising him. “Apparently they used it to link generation ships together. To save on fuel.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Neither did most of us, but Commodore Favager of Nova Tahiti recognized it. Got quite excited about it.”
Clemence Favager was an Old Earth nut. Ean could imagine her getting excited about the use of old technology.
“They were taking a risk all the same,” Sale said. “We know ships physically bonded together can jump through the void, but an electromagnetic bond. I wouldn’t want to be the first to try it. I’d be worried the bond would break in the void.”
Jakob didn’t seem the sort who left things like that to chance. “They had probably already tested it.”
Sale nodded. “How did they get onto the scout ship?”
“Three of the people with Jakob were linesmen. The ship was happy to let them on.” It wasn’t the place or the time, but, “The ships need people, Sale. They’ll start choosing their own soon.”
“Tell that to the admirals, Ean. There’s no use telling me.”
Sale needed to know because she was one of the people the ships were choosing.
Ean continued with what had happened. “The jump was in ten minutes, and the Eleven was four hours away. I couldn’t stop the jump.”
“Not even with line eight?”
“I don’t know how to do it, Sale. I didn’t know what to ask. I couldn’t get it to understand.” Maybe he should have insisted.
Sale put up a hand to stop the flow of words. “It’s fine. What happened next?”
Ean blew out his breath. He didn’t like to admit the next bit. “The trainees aren’t used to training yet. And I’m not—” Sale knew he’d been having trouble; otherwise, she wouldn’t have said what she’d said about Peters the other day. “I wanted to stop the jump, and I wanted to move the Iolo closer to the Eleven fleet. Which meant a cold jump, but Rossi—” He took a deep breath, forced his voice even and smooth. “He doesn’t like cold jumps any more than the captains do, and he . . . tried to stop me.”
“By stealing Bhaksir’s blaster and firing at you?”
He nodded. “Only Rossi’s a famous ten, so when Bhaksir tried to stop him, the other linesmen came in to protect him.”
“I see.”
Sale had the same direct way of looking that Abram and Michelle did, as if she could see right through you.
“Gruen and I will talk to the admirals,” Sale said. “You’re lucky they have other things to think about today.”
“Thank you.”
Sale turned away from the boards and looked directly at him. “When you’re out of your depth, Ean, you have to learn to ask for help.”
“I can manage.”
“You can’t manage. We have a ship on lockdown because you insist on doing everything yourself. We have a linesman who nearly got his leg shot off.”
He’d spent an hour in regen. His leg still itched, but it was fine.
“Another one with a broken wrist, one with concussion, and five with various laser burns. Four people were arrested.”
What could he say to that?
“Worse, we have to explain to the admirals of the other military forces what happened.”
“I’m sorry.”
This time it was Sale who sighed. “Don’t be, Ean. It’s as much my fault as it is yours. I knew you were having problems. I should have done something about it.”
“You’re not responsible for me.”
“Somebody has to look after you while Radko’s not here to do it.”
Radko’s job was to protect Ean from would-be murderers and kidnappers, not from his own inability to control the trainees.
He was glad his comms chimed then, with a message from Abram. He was to address the council meeting the following day. Even gladder Abram had made it soon.
“If you were a soldier and couldn’t fire a blaster, Ean, you wouldn’t be expected to teach yourself. Your team leader would help out, ensuring you had remedial help.”
He couldn’t fire a blaster, and it was one thing Radko had never shown him. He’d asked her once if she was going to. She’d said, “Ean, your weapons are the lines.”
“Maybe you should teach me how to use a blaster.”
“Are you changing the subject, Ean?”
“No.” Maybe. He wasn’t sure. “What do I do about the line trainees?”
“Let’s see who gets involved before we decide.” The shuttle sounded for landing. Sale strapped herself in. “Meantime, we have to survive this supper first.”
* * *
THE ship welcomed them. Ean sang his own song of welcome as he followed Sale down the corridor. He checked the ship while he did so. Captain Helmo was on the bridge. He felt—or heard—Ean’s regard, and nodded. Commodore Vega was at shuttle bay five, waiting for a shuttle to dock.
Commodore Bach, the Emperor’s head of security and Vega’s equivalent, was in the foyer of Yu’s apartment, talking into his comms.
“Everything is in hand, Lord Renaud. I assure you. I have set my staff to attend to it personally.” He glanced at Ean and Sale. “You will excuse me, Lord Renaud, but I must attend His Imperial Majesty.” He swiped off, then swiped the comms open again. The woman at the other end wore a Lancian uniform, with the same braid Ean had on his own shoulders. “Find out who assigned Yves Han to a covert operation. I want their head on my desk, tomorrow morning.”
“Do we rescue Han the Younger?”
“What we do is damage control. And hope certain people never hear about it.” Bach swiped off, then looked at Sale and Ean.
“Emperor Yu requested the presence of Linesman Lambert at supper, sir,” Sale said.
Bach looked at her epaulettes. “And he’s delivered by a group leader.”
“Yes, sir. It’s a good opportunity to debrief in private.”
Bach nodded. “I heard about today. What started it?”
“Started it, sir?” Sale looked as mystified as Ean felt. “Captain Jakob attempting to steal the ship.”
“The lockdown of linesmen.”
He shouldn’t have known about that. It was Abram’s area, not Bach’s. Not even Vega’s, although she knew.
“That.” Sale waved a dismissive hand. “You know linesmen. They come in thinking they’re the galaxy’s gift. We’re teaching them new methods. It takes time to adapt. They don’t like change.”
Sale was as talented at dissembling as Abram and Michelle. Ean hid his smile.
“So they always do this?”
“This time was a little extreme. But there were reasons.” Sale saluted. “It’s in my report if you wish to read it. But, sir, I must deliver the linesman to supper. If you will excuse me.”
“Of course.” Bach stepped aside to let them enter. He followed them in.
The walls on the Emperor’s entertaining room were covered with TransScreen, a product that had come onto the market just before Michelle had purchased Ean’s contract. TransScreen had a smooth surface that showed whatever was sent through to its controllers. This particular sheet depicted a 360-degree panorama of somewhere on Lancia, for the sky had a distinctive purple tinge. Ean could hear the feed from line five as a constant stream, and as he watched, a shuttle zoomed high across the sky. A delayed real-time send, he guessed.
How magnificent would it be to switch the view to the cameras on the outside of the Lancastrian Princess? You’d really feel you were in space then.
Or maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Ean didn’t like to remember there was only a wall between him and the stars.
He wasn’t the only guest. Sattur Dow was there, as was the Factor of the Lesser Gods. Plus assorted support staff. Some of Yu’s, some of the Factor’s, some of Sattur Dow’s. Ean recognized Ethan Saylor, the youth who continually called Vega wanting to talk to Radko.
Two members of Helmo’s crew were clearing away the remains of food on the long supper table. Ean’s stomach rumbled as he saw that. He hadn’t eaten yet.
Yu looked him over as if he were inspecting something he was about to purchase. He glanced at the Factor. The Factor quirked an eyebrow. Ean got the impression that neither of them was impressed.
“So, Linesman,” Yu said, and Ean got the impression more than ever that he was being studied as a pending acquisition. “Why is Galenos hiding information about the alien line ships from Lancia?”
He was glad he’d seen Vega’s tape of Michelle’s meeting with her father. Otherwise, he might have replied that the Department of Alien Affairs was keeping information about the line ships from every world until it was safe to do so.
“Hiding information.” Ean managed a creditable Rossi-like laugh. “From Lancia, who gets knowledge before everyone else does. Who sends their own staff out to the Confluence every day. Other worlds should be so lucky.”
“That isn’t what I have heard.”
It was a pity Yu hadn’t been on ship long, for the lines weren’t picking up his emotions enough for Ean to interpret them. “I don’t know what you have heard,” Ean said. “But if it’s not that, I would question your sources.”
Yu’s eyes narrowed.
The Factor intercepted smoothly. “Tell me, Linesman. What is your opinion of the events today?”
Which events did he mean? The lockdown of the linesmen? Or the attempt to steal Scout Ship Three?
“I’m a linesman, not a politician. If you are looking for opinions, why don’t you ask—” Abram, he’d been going to say, but Yu obviously had it in for him. “Mi— Her Royal Highness, the Crown Princess, I mean.”
“Assuredly, we will,” Yu said. “But does it not seem unusual that a man heretofore known as loyal and devoted to his ruler suddenly tries to steal a ship? One might almost believe that Captain Jakob was framed.”
He couldn’t be serious. But it seemed he was.
“By whom?” Ean asked, when he finally found enough voice to speak.
“Someone who wishes to keep the Worlds of the Lesser Gods out of the New Alliance.”
Like Abram, he meant.
“No,” Ean said. “The Factor was not set up. Jakob is working with Redmond. He’s sent them messages in the past.”
“Messages,” Bach asked sharply. “To Redmond. How do you know that?”
Bach’s high-tech center he’d set up on board the Lancastrian Princess would have picked up the transmissions as well. If Ean and Helmo hadn’t destroyed his listening devices.
“We’ve heard some of them.”
“Heard some of them?”
“Jakob sent a message before he left to go home.” Except he hadn’t gone home. “He was speaking Redmond.”
Yu, Bach, and the Factor exchanged glances.
“Why wasn’t I informed of this?” Yu demanded.
Now Vega would get in trouble because Ean had opened his mouth. “We were following it up. Jakob had replaced the camera in his cabin with old footage of him sleeping. We didn’t have any recordings of what he did or said.” Their emotions were stronger now; he was finally picking something up through the lines. Consternation, agitation. “Once we knew more, we would have notified Commodore Bach, of course, but Jakob and the Iolo tried to steal the ship before our investigation was complete.”
Bach asked, “Do you have proof of this?” while the Factor demanded, “Are you spying on us?”
The lines sang a sudden song of welcome. It took Ean a moment to realize it wasn’t because of what the Factor had said, but it was Michelle’s shuttle, arriving in bay three. One of two shuttles arriving at the same time.
It was a pity Michelle wasn’t here, right now. She’d know what to say. Still, he’d talked himself into this. It was up to him to talk himself out of it.
“We are not spying,” for that seemed to be their main concern. Although he didn’t know why, given that rulers spent their lives surrounded by people who knew everything they did. “We look for triggers.” It was even true. “Redmond language, in this case, which was what alerted us to Jakob.”
The three men looked at each other again.
“You have an alert for anyone speaking Redmond,” the Factor said.
“Yes. We do.” Ean did, anyway.
“On this ship.” Yu looked at Bach, rather than at Ean. “Why would they expect that?”
“Concerned they have spies on board,” Bach suggested. To Ean, “You should have informed me, as I am responsible for the Emperor’s protection.”
Ean nodded but didn’t answer.
Yu started to pace. “My own daughter is spying on me now.” He stopped close to Ean. “Why is that?”
He was way too close, and according to Rigel, one never invaded the ruler’s personal space. Ean knew he was supposed to step back, to give him room.
Ean had learned more about intimidation techniques in the last six months than he had in his whole life. He knew how to respond. He didn’t move—back or forward. He curled his mouth in what he hoped looked like disdain, and channeled his best Rossi. “You assume she’s spying on you.”
His hands were clammy. He was sweating. This was as bad as the trainees and had escalated as quickly.
Down in shuttle bay three, Michelle waited for the air to recycle before she could disembark.
A woman exited shuttle bay five. One of Vega’s staff frisked her for weapons.
“I see no need for this farce,” the woman being frisked said.
“I would be negligent if I allowed you in the Emperor’s presence without it,” Vega said.
“Clear, ma’am,” the soldier frisking the visitor told Vega.
“Thank you. This way.” Vega led the woman along the corridor. “I trust you had a pleasant trip, Madam Chen.”
“Fine, thank you,” Chen said, stiffly.
Ean dragged his attention back to the room he was in. It wouldn’t do to miss something right now because he was listening to the ship. Yu was frowning, almost as if he’d forgotten Ean was there.
The Factor said, “If Jakob is working with Redmond, we must decide what to do about him.”
For a moment, it looked as if Yu wouldn’t answer.
“Galenos will question him. I would like to be involved in that.”
There was emotion here, pungent, and sharp. Ean couldn’t pick who it was from, maybe both of them. He tested the taste with his tongue. There was a touch of fear there, too, as if Yu really was worried about what Abram would do. About a man he’d promoted to admiral six months ago.
If he weren’t so paranoid, he wouldn’t need to be scared at all.
Yu turned his back on Ean. “You are correct, Factor. Admiral Galenos will twist the facts to suit himself.”
Ean wanted to leave, couldn’t do so until he was dismissed.
Sattur Dow stepped up beside Ean. “I believe you know my fiancée, Linesman.”
“Of course I do. Everyone on this ship does.”
“But you know her especially well, I have heard.”
What had he heard?
Dow smiled at him. “As such, I would like to extend an invitation to our wedding.”
There was no way Sattur Dow was going to marry Radko.
“Others on this ship know her better,” Ean said, trying to be fair. “They’re as much her family as her real family is, and have been around longe
r than I. You should invite her whole team.”
He was saved from the awkward silence that statement caused by the arrival of Vega and Madam Chen. Vega withdrew after delivering the new guest. She glanced sharply at Ean on her way out but didn’t say anything.
Chen made straight for Sattur Dow. “I need to talk to you.”
“Later.”
“I need to talk to you now.”
Sattur Dow looked irritated. “Please excuse me a moment, Linesman.”
Ean was pleased to see him go. “Of course.”
Dow tried to halt at the door, but Chen took him out into the foyer. “Privately.”
Ean eavesdropped unashamedly through the lines.
“You set me up.” Ean could hear Chen’s rage, icy on his skin.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Dow said. “But drag me away like that in the middle of a conversation again, and I will most certainly set you up.”
Ethan Saylor moved in to fill the void. “Linesman.” He smiled cordially. “We should get to know each other better since we’ll be working together.”
“Working together?” Most of Ean’s attention was on what was happening outside the door.
“Once your bodyguard marries Sattur Dow,” Saylor said.
Ean looked at him. He was serious.
“You sent me to Redmond to kill me,” Chen said.
Redmond, again. Why so much about Redmond all of a sudden?
“Maybe we could get together for a drink sometime,” Saylor said.
“If this is your way of getting something more out of our agreement, it’s not going to work,” Dow said. “Where are my plans?”
“What about tomorrow night? After you finish work,” Saylor said.
“I don’t have your precious plans,” Chen said. “You know that already.”
“Linesman?”
“You set me up, Sattur.” Chen took something out of her pocket. A chit. Ean was familiar with them from his youth. Chits were guarantees of money. You purchased them from moneylenders at above-market rates. They allowed you to move money without the purchase being traced.
Confluence Page 28
