by K. B. Wagers
Fleet Marshal Kreskin had given the surrender order, but we weren’t taking any chances. I’d ordered my Marines to fire without hesitation on anyone who was stupid enough to have a weapon in their hands. Emmory wasn’t about to let me set foot on the station again until he was sure things were safe. And I was done with my people dying.
It took the better part of an hour, during which time I listened to the reports coming in from Major. Riots had broken out shortly after my message reached the ground, and the remaining Indranan forces had staged an assault on the largest Saxon force near the capital city.
“Talked to Mel,” Hao said, leaning on the ledge next to me and looking out at the ships swarming around the station. “She said there was only a small picket of four ships at Minor. They disabled them on their way through yesterday. I’d still send a small force over to be sure, but it sounds like Canafey is back in Indranan hands, little sister.”
“I’m not sure the cost was worth it,” I murmured. The casualty lists were scrolling on the side of my vision, a seemingly endless wave of dead and injured. There was still no word from the Vajra, though Admiral Fon had informed me she was docking with the ship and would report as soon as she knew what the situation was.
“It never is, Hail,” Hao said, tilting his head to the side and studying me. “But it’s sometimes necessary. You need those ships. This was just one battle in a war. One you handled beautifully.”
I slid my eyes sideways at him, and he smiled.
“I’m serious, Hail. Portis would be proud. I’m just a gunrunner, but I’m proud of you.”
“You’re not just anything.” I bumped him with my shoulder.
“This is important.” He turned toward me and bowed with his eyes lowered to the floor. “You’re going to be a hell of an empress, Your Majesty.”
“I—you—” My choked reply was cut off by Ragini on the overhead com system.
“Your Majesty, Admiral Hassan is on-screen for you.”
I took the stairs from the observation deck two at a time, my brain spinning over the fact that Hao had just called me Majesty with such respect and that Inana was alive. I slipped on the last stair and nearly landed on my ass, but Emmory caught me and set me back on my feet.
“Inana.” The emotions that Hao had raised spilled over at the sight of Admiral Hassan’s bruised face. “Thank Shiva for keeping you safe. I was—” I swallowed, exhaled. “I am so glad to see you.”
“I am glad to see you, too, Your Majesty. I’m afraid your flagship has seen better days.”
“We’ll fix it.” I gestured to my right. “We’ve got a shipyard that’s not too bashed up.”
Hassan smiled. “So I heard. Congratulations, Majesty.”
“Thank you, Admiral. We couldn’t have done it without you.” I folded my hands together and pressed them to my forehead, then shook them at her. Hassan’s cheeks went red as those on her ship and mine repeated the gesture of gratitude.
“Majesty,” Emmory said. “Colonel Baleth says the station is cleared and safe for you to board.”
“Good. Inana, I will see you in a little while?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Admiral Fon?”
The older woman straightened her shoulders a fraction. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Could you send us a shuttle with someone who can fly this thing? I don’t think either Hao or I are qualified to dock, and I really don’t want to tear another hole in the station.”
The laughter on her bridge was quickly snuffed out, but I grinned anyway.
“I’ll pass the word along, ma’am. It’ll just be a few minutes.”
“No problem. We’ve got time.” I settled into a seat. “At least for now,” I said to myself as the screen went blank.
38
We set up a makeshift command center in a conference room two levels below the now-hollowed-out deck I’d blown up several hours before.
It was cramped, windowless, and packed with people, which didn’t help my claustrophobia. I silently struggled to keep my breathing even and as slow as possible even while my heart rate was through the top of the station.
“Majesty, do we need to move somewhere else?” Emmory kept his voice low as he rested a hand on my back.
“This is the biggest spot on the station you can control,” I said with a shake of my head. We could have done this meeting in the mess hall, but one look at all the exposed areas and I’d known my Ekam wouldn’t have survived the meeting. He’d have died of a stroke before we were finished with introductions.
I’d tucked away any protests and let Emmory have his concern. We’d just won a massive victory, and I didn’t want to ruin it by ending up dead.
What had seemed like a good idea was now looking more and more like something that was going to give me an aneurysm from the anxiety of it all before we were done.
I was thankful now that Rai and Johar had declined my invitation, and other than my BodyGuards, only Hao and Ragini had joined me for the meeting. That still left us with a roomful of five admirals, two Marine colonels, and more than a dozen assorted staff and junior officers.
Too many people. Too small a space. Not enough air.
My adrenaline rush had worn off an hour ago and now I was desperate for a drink, a meal, and somewhere to crash.
“Admiral, let’s get started,” I said, and the room dropped into silence.
“Of course, Your Majesty. If everyone will take a seat.”
I stayed where I was by the wall. People moved for their chairs but no one sat.
“They’re not going to sit until you do,” Hao whispered.
“Oh, bugger me. Everyone sit down.” My voice cracked through the room like a whip and several of the younger officers jumped, then dropped into their seats.
Admiral Hassan’s smile peeked out from behind her hand. Lieutenant Moren had healed the worst of her injuries, but a mottled bruise still tracked its way across her face.
“I’d like to take a moment to thank all of you for this victory today and another to remember our fallen. They gave their lives for the shining star of Indrana, may it never be forgotten.”
“May it never be forgotten.”
The words echoed around my head and I fought the urge to bolt from the room.
“Admiral Hajuman, if you would give us the status report?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Admiral Hajuman was a tiny woman with sharp, dark eyes who was unrelated to my BodyGuard Iza. “We lost five ships in the battle for Canafey: three battlecruisers and two destroyers. All six carriers are intact, though the Vajra suffered heavy damage and will likely be out of commission for some time. Eighteen Jal fighters were either destroyed or damaged, with half of the damaged ships repairable. None of the medical frigates suffered damage, and other than the one Vajrayana Her Majesty blew up, all those ships are in good condition.”
“It wasn’t in fighting shape anyway,” I quipped, and the chuckles rolled around the room.
“Of course, ma’am. All ten of the ships Cheng Hao was kind enough to lend to the cause are also in good condition. We have twenty-eight captured Saxon vessels that are intact and another seven that will be demolished once we’re done with them.”
“How many prisoners?” I asked.
“Fifteen hundred sailors, ma’am. I don’t know about the numbers on the ground.” Admiral Hajuman looked to one of the Marines.
“We don’t have them all yet, Majesty,” Colonel Baleth replied. “I’d say upward of five thousand soldiers between both Major and Minor. They’re still cleaning up. There are still some pockets of resistance, but the bulk of the forces surrendered.”
The discussion shifted to the transportation of the prisoners to the planet’s surface until we could decide what to do with them, and I made a mental note to send Captain Earnest and his team along. I settled in against the wall when Ragini took the floor; my senior tech was more than a little nervous as she explained the workings of the Vajrayana ships.
“That
one is smart,” Hao whispered in my ear. “Keep her around.”
“Planning on it,” I whispered back. “Rai said he and Johar are leaving soon. Are you…”
“I’m going to hang around for a while longer,” Hao said. “I didn’t have any jobs lined up and this is more fun, plus there’s free food.”
I choked on my laughter, earning a look from Admiral Hassan that made me feel like a schoolgirl again. Ignoring Hao’s snickering next to me, I returned my attention to Ragini’s presentation.
“There will be notes on this for anyone who is interested, and I can answer specific questions after the meeting.” She wrapped up and sat back down with a relieved sigh when no one spoke up.
“We’ve got twenty of the three dozen ships in Home Fleet,” Admiral Hassan said, bringing up a list on the screen. “Eight fled from 2nd Fleet when they entered the Red Cliff system and realized what was going on. Because of Prime Minister Phanin’s claims, the other fleet commanders assumed the death of both myself and the empress. Her previous broadcasts and the one from today should change that, but I’ve already sent orders for them to stand their ground unless they are fired upon by their own people. We can’t have them abandon their posts and risk the Saxons moving in until we know that we can keep our outer worlds safe. Intelligence suggests more than half the planets in the empire are under enemy control, but we have no official verification on that at this time.”
“What’s the situation on the ground at home?” Colonel Bristol was a distant cousin of mine, with dark brown eyes and the same wide jaw I remembered from my great-grandfather.
“We’re unsure at the present time, beyond what you’ve all heard. Some of the matriarchs were murdered; the others are safe. Matriarch Clara Desai’s whereabouts are still unknown. We’ve been in touch with both the head of Galactic Intelligence and Matriarch Alice Gohil and will hold a separate briefing for the situation at home.
“The fighting seems to dissipate the farther you go from Pashati, and most of Phanin’s troops are limited to the Ashvin system, but we’ll still have to move quickly to keep things from spreading. I’m already getting reports of fighting on other worlds, but as I said we don’t have confirmation. As of right now he’s got control of the Ashvin system and of Pashati especially, so that’s our priority.” Hassan shook her head. “The worst thing is we’re fighting on two fronts and he knows it.”
“And he’s working with the Saxons,” I said. “Or at least he was. Given Trace’s mental state I’m not sure he can be counted on to hold up whatever his end of the bargain is, especially since it sounds like Phanin double-crossed him by blaming the Red Cliff attack on the Saxons.” I crossed my arms over my chest and made a face. “Inana, bring up the map, will you?”
She switched the screen and I pushed away from the wall so I could look at it from a better angle.
“Ragini, how much of a tactical advantage do the Vajrayana ships give us over the Saxons?”
“Quite a bit, Majesty. The new ships are faster and have better shields, and as you saw, their firepower is far superior. Give us a month to train people on them and the Saxons will be hard-pressed to defend themselves.”
“I don’t know if we have a month, but that’s something that needs to start now.” I watched Admiral Fon nod and jot the comment down on her list. “What does the total number of ships look like?” I asked.
“They have ten more fleets—well, nine more now—than we do, Majesty,” Admiral Zellin answered. “But fewer capital ships in total and they’re spread pretty thin at the moment. That’s just the Saxons, not their allies.”
From what we could tell, both our allies and the Saxons’ allies were staying out of it for the moment, but if things erupted into all-out war, a whole lot more people were going to join the fray.
“What are you thinking, ma’am?” Hassan asked.
“Insanity,” I said with a grin. “I don’t want to fight two wars at once, Inana. So what happens if I give Trace an ultimatum? He surrenders—” I jabbed a finger at Canafey and sliced it across the map to the Saxon home system. “Or I carve a swath through Saxony that will make the ancient march by the American general Sherman look like a stroll through the park.” I tagged through each of the spots where the Saxons had ships as I said it.
There was a long silence.
Colonel Bristol cleared his throat. “With all due respect, ma’am, he’ll call your bluff.”
“Oh, it’s not a bluff.” I winked at him and he flushed bright red. “We’re riding on a win, ladies and gentlemen. The momentum is ours. We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the advantage. Once we’re done with the Saxons, we’ll turn around and come home and if Phanin still thinks he can stand up to us after that”—I bared my teeth in a nasty smile—“he’s welcome to try.”
“Majesty, we’ve got Caspel and the others on the com link.”
I shoved the last few bites of my breakfast into my mouth and grabbed my cup of chai, grateful that I’d had time to shower and dress before I ate. Someone had supplied me with a Navy uniform in my size and a plain black top with the twisted imperial emblem. I blended in with my BodyGuards as we all headed down the hallway to the office Admiral Hassan now occupied.
She stopped her conversation with the one-eyed GIS director as I came through the door and bowed with a smile. “Morning, Majesty.”
“Inana. Caspel.”
“Good morning, ma’am.” He dipped his head. The camera pulled back a bit to reveal Taz and Alice.
“Majesty,” the pair said in unison. Alice was leaning against Taz, his arm around her, and I stopped myself just in time before I raised an eyebrow.
All three looked tired.
“Majesty, I was just telling Admiral Hassan about the size of the force on Pashati and the rest of the Ashvin system. The good news is we’ve managed to consolidate a hold on the eastern side of the capital by the docks.”
“And the bad?”
Caspel’s smile was brief. “I’m not sure how long we can hold it without help, Majesty. We’ve heavily coded this com link, and I think we’re safe enough for the moment. I’ll send you more detailed files, and Admiral Hassan said she would have some information for me.”
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “We’ll get it to you.” I was already revising my plan. We couldn’t leave Caspel and the others to be taken by Phanin’s forces. At the very least it would result in Alice’s death, as well as the deaths of the other matriarchs who’d found safety there.
“Who’s in charge of Phanin’s forces on the ground? Prajapati?”
“Surprising, I know, but no she’s not.” Caspel’s smile was brief. “When I spoke to her last she was still on Basalt IV holding the planet for the throne. I advised her to stay put until orders came from you.”
“Alba, make a note of that. It wouldn’t hurt to swing through and pick her and her troops up before we go home.”
“Phanin has put a former colonel named Regen in charge down here,” Caspel said. “He was in prison, Majesty, until Phanin came back and released him.”
I didn’t have to ask what the man had been in jail for. I’d pulled his file when Caspel said his name. The rap sheet was filled with assaults, drinking, and misappropriation of imperial funds. The worst of the charges was the young ensign in his command that he’d beaten almost to death.
“Is he any good, or just a drunken brute?”
“He lacks tactical skill according to General Prajapati, but he’s determined, Majesty. He’ll hammer away at whatever is in front of him until it gives. Right now Captain Gill and some of the other ITS teams are making sure he can’t focus on anything other than chasing them around the city.
“I don’t know what his agreement with Phanin is, but I’m sure at least part of it involves a threat to put him right back where they found him if he doesn’t succeed.”
“That seems rather ill-planned for Phanin.”
“Doesn’t it though? I think he was forced to scramble for a replacement. From what I c
an figure out, General Mara was his first choice.”
“What happened to him?”
“Your Ekam shot him in the throne room during the first coup attempt.”
“Ah, bad luck for them,” I said, and shrugged. “Speaking of Phanin, Caspel. How in the fuck did we miss him?”
The director rubbed a hand over his eyepatch. “I don’t know, Majesty. He’s good. The best I’ve been able to piece together, he’s been plotting this for decades, somehow all under the radar and somehow without ever showing his hand to your cousin and nephew.”
“I know how,” I said, and spat the name between gritted teeth. “Wilson.”
“Yes, our ghost man, damn him. Some days I think he’s smarter than I am, Majesty. My apologies.”
“Cowshit, Caspel. You’re the smartest man I know.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What’s the condition on the ground? Are my people happy about Phanin?” I was pleased the hesitation in my voice was so small no one except Emmory noticed it.
“No, Majesty. Not at all. They’re scared, but also angry. What was grief over your announced death has become fury over Phanin’s betrayal. They are determined to fight for you. It’s one of the reasons Colonel Regen hasn’t moved against us yet. He’d have to plow through civilians to do it.
“Now, I don’t think he’d mind, but the Solarian embassy has been following the situation rather carefully, and Phanin is enough of a politician that he knows how badly it would go for him should he allow the slaughter. He’s already taken a hit because of the matriarchs.” Caspel raised an eyebrow. “And I hear tell there have been two attempts on his life so far. Something about a bounty on his detached head being offered by Cressen Stone?”
I gave the director my best innocent smile before I changed the subject. “What about the space above Indrana? We’ve got eight of 2nd Fleet’s ships.”
“You do, Majesty, but he recovered that number with the ships that defected from Home Fleet. Seven were destroyed in the fight before Admiral Smith retreated. Nine of them backed Admiral Shul in the fight, though I’m hearing from my operative that at least one ship and possibly as many as three are so badly damaged as to be out of commission.”
