Last of the Chosen (Spirit of Empire, Book One)

by Lawrence P White

  His neck began lowering, then he changed his mind and lifted it to its full height. “Because my first order of business is to keep you alive. We’ve been busy doing just that since we left Rrestriss.”

  She stepped up to him and reached a hand out, laying it against his scales. “I accept that. Nevertheless, we must find a way to keep me more informed. Perhaps you should call me to join the net when we’re threatened.”

  “You’re not a warrior, Krys. You won’t always understand the things we do.”

  She nodded. “Until I’m more familiar, I’ll only observe and be available for consultation. Stven, I will not command you in our times of need, but I, too, must learn to be a warrior. We have a long road ahead of us.”

  “And I’m a Rress. I will teach you, My Lady.”

  “Are you adequately staffed here on the bridge? You should attend the meeting with Admiral Hastak.”

  “I’ll attend. If Hastak keeps to his word, no one else will be near us. M’Sada and Tarn can listen in through the net. We might want their counsel.”

  She nodded. She knew it was not her place to tell him how to do his job. She had placed her trust in him from the beginning, and she would continue to do so.

  Hastak’s small ship arrived, and the docking went smoothly. He emerged through the hatch to the greeting of three Guardians. Their presence confirmed his suspicions that Rappor was not a normal civilian ship. He raised his hands instinctively, and Kross frisked him, then his adjutant. They were led to the small lounge where Krys, Senator Truax, and Stven awaited.

  “Tell us what you know, Admiral Hastak,” Krys commanded.

  “And who might you be?”

  “Answer my question, Admiral.”

  He glanced at Truax, whom he knew well, then at Stven. Truax nodded his long neck, and Hastak turned back to Krys. “Admiral Buskin told me he’d blow me out of the sky if I so much as harmed one hair on ‘her’ head. I take it he’s referring to you.”

  “Then he’s probably who he says he is.”

  “And who might that be?”

  “You tell me, Admiral.”

  He stared at her thoughtfully, wondering who this young woman could possibly be. He was accustomed to asking questions, not answering them, but she seemed undaunted by his rank. “He claims to have come from Chandrajuski.”

  “And . . .?”

  “He would divulge no more. He asked me a number of pointed questions concerning Struthers and his ilk, and based on my answers, he suggested I might find a meeting with you beneficial to all of us.”

  “And what are your feelings concerning Struthers, Admiral?”

  He turned to Truax. “We know each other well, Senator. I believe you can answer for me.”

  “Indeed I can. We’ve spent long hours discussing this very issue, but it’s no longer hypothetical. Given the choice between Struthers and our old Empire, where would you stand?”

  “On my oath, an oath given personally to the Queen when she promoted me to flag rank. Nowhere else, Senator. What that means in today’s world, I can’t say, but even without a Queen, my oath still binds me to some higher power than Struthers. He’s destroyed the very foundations of our civilization, and he’s broken our most cherished laws in the process.”

  Krys studied him for a time. “What if I told you the Empire is not dead?”

  “The Empire is dead, young lady. Are you telling me Chandrajuski is organizing something against these Rebels?” He considered for a time. “I like the sound of that, but it leaves me with uneasy feelings.”

  “The Empire is not dead, Admiral. Daughter lives.”

  He just looked at her, his brow creased. Then he turned to Truax with a piercing stare. Truax nodded his long neck but said nothing.

  His eyes narrowed as he stood stiffly. “You are not her.”

  “I’m not, but I promise you she lives. I’m recruiting others to help her restore the throne. Care to join us?”

  He had no words. How could he? He had lived for months knowing that the mold that had shaped his life had been broken in an instant of horror. His eyes lifted to his adjutant, Commander Vrehg, whose eyes were narrowed, his thoughts internal.

  When Vrehg’s focus returned to Hastak, it was with a look of triumph. “Join, sir. Until proven otherwise, it’s the best offer I’ve heard since we received word of the coup.”

  Such simple words, but so filled with meaning. As Chandrajuski had said, her words brought hope.

  “What proof do you offer?” Hastak asked her.

  “Do you need proof? Is hope not enough?”

  “No.”

  “Short of standing in her presence, what proof would satisfy?”

  “A letter from her, an order . . . a Knight.”

  “I can provide none of those at the moment. I have a letter from Chandrajuski, and you have the assurances of Senator Truax, the Great Cats, and myself. Is that sufficient, Admiral?”

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m a Friend of the Royal Family.”

  He stepped back, his eyes widening, then he turned those eyes on Truax for confirmation.

  “It’s true, Admiral. Krys is well known to me, brought to me by Daughter herself many years ago.”

  Chapter Twenty-eight: Mind Weapon

  “We should meet with Admiral Buskin,” Hastak decided. “Or,” he corrected, looking to Krys, “at least I should.”

  “No. Include me,” Krys said. “I have a good feeling about him.”

  “You know, as eerie as it sounds, I do too. Chandrajuski chose well, I suspect.”

  “It might not be so simple,” Stven announced. Sitting to the side, he’d essentially been forgotten. “There’s another threat we have to deal with first. M’Sada and I are working on a plan, but . . . well, we haven’t come up with one yet.”

  “What’s the problem, Captain?” Hastak asked.

  “A Chessori trader. It came out of hyper about ten minutes after Admiral Buskin did.”

  “It’s just a trader. I hear they’re showing up all over the place lately, though I haven’t seen any here. They don’t bother anyone.”

  Stven looked to Krys. She considered, then nodded her head. Secrets were of no use if they weren’t used. He filled Hastak in on the events at Dorwall.

  “So the Chessori are our enemies,” Hastak said.

  “They are, but we don’t know how to fight them,” Stven added.

  “If a fight is necessary, surely one trader couldn’t take out a squadron.”

  “I’m not sure that’s its purpose, sir. I think it’s here to discover what we, or at least Admiral Buskin, are up to.”

  Hastak frowned. “I don’t follow, Captain.”

  “Consider the following, sir: the Chessori are lethal, they have a means of disabling our ships, one dropped from hyper near us at Dorwall in a manner indicating it was summoned, and the Chessori here dropped from hyper in a manner indicating it was following.”

  “Surely you jest, Captain. Communication with ships in hyper is not possible, nor is following a ship through hyper.”

  “Rule out nothing, sir. We’ve learned to drop the word impossible from our lexicon when dealing with the Chessori.”

  “You give them too much credit.”

  “We exit hyperspace many times during transit. Have we fully explored the possibilities of what could occur in normal space while we’re between jumps? Standard policy is to focus on setting up the next jump. What if the Chessori somehow read our jump computers as we send the command to jump? Do you look for anyone following you between jumps?”

  “You give them a frightening edge.”

  “I prefer not to underestimate their capabilities. I’m probably crediting them with more than they deserve, but after what I’ve seen, I’ll continue to do so until I learn otherwise. Consider the Chessori trader out there. It may not know our purpose, but if it does, or if it knows or suspects the purpose of Admiral Buskin’s squadron, the names of our ships may become tied together. Those suspicion
s may already have been communicated to others.”

  “If that Chessori is an enemy and a spy, it’s our job to deal with him.”

  “How? What if Chessori traders have this ability to neutralize ships?”

  “It took five Chessori ships to neutralize a squadron at Dorwall.”

  “Were they all needed? We just don’t know, sir. I have no idea how to approach within firing range of that guy, not with any assurance of my own survival.”

  Kross padded his way through and around the attendees to stop before Krys. “Krys, you have knowledge of at least three events concerning the Chessori. In two cases a Great Cat was not incapacitated.”

  She considered his words. “You stretch the imagination, Kross.”

  “I do. To me, there is always a way out, always a way to succeed. It sometimes requires a stretch. I’d like to find out.” He turned to Sheeb. “My place is here with Krys. Would you like to go hunting?”

  Sheeb’s lips lifted in a grin.

  Hastak and his adjutant joined Stven and M’Sada on the net to discuss possibilities. Stven was unwilling to risk Rappor, and the others concurred without hesitation. Adding some difficulty to any plan was the fact that Admiral Buskin likely had no clue of the threat represented by the Chessori trader following him, and there was no good means of informing him without possibly alerting the Chessori. No one knew if the Chessori had tightbeam capability, but if they did, their closeness to Buskin put them in line with the transmission window.

  Getting into position was the first requirement. Hastak’s maneuvers would likely cause some alarm within Buskin’s squadron. When the time came, Hastak would have to show his hand, but he had to wait until it was too late for the Chessori to escape.

  Sheeb would have to go in with just one ship, and once the attack began, he might be the only one functioning on his ship. He would have to be at the controls of a gun that could be operated manually, and it would have to be a powerful gun. The Chessori defensive capabilities were not known, and the Chessori was fully staffed, placing Sheeb at a severe disadvantage. The guns of a cruiser would be best, but the guns on a cruiser could only be operated via the net. The guns of a frigate would have to suffice – they could be operated manually, and they were big guns. Sheeb would have to attack with a frigate.

  “You’ll need two cats,” M’Sada interjected. “Someone has to pilot the frigate. A single Chessori trader would never take on a frigate, certainly not within view of the rest of the squadron. Besides, its purpose here is most likely to gather intelligence, not to provide intelligence to us. It will run at the first hint of a threat. We have to suck it further into the system so it can’t jump, then someone will have to maneuver the frigate to stay on its tail. Can you cats fly the ship?”

  Kross was called, and he was not happy with the news. Yes, the cats had limited flying skills, but their primary purpose was to Protect Krys, not wage battle. Losing one cat was bad enough, and he was reluctant to chance losing two to this operation.

  “This will not be our last encounter with the Chessori,” Stven told him. “What we learn here might serve us well in the future, and think of the big picture. Daughter wages warfare on two fronts. Her primary focus is the Rebels at the moment, but in the long term she’ll be forced to deal with the Chessori, as well.”

  M’Sada joined in with an even more frightening possibility. “The timing of the treaty mission has bothered me since I learned of the fall of the Palace. Three Chosen were away from the Palace, and each has been, reputedly, dealt with. Could the treaty mission have been Struthers’ means of dealing with Daughter? Are the Chessori in league with him?”

  A couple of puffs escaped from Stven, and M’Sada was forced to leave the net again, scurrying from the bridge with his antennae held high, but that was okay. His leap of reasoning had accomplished its purpose. No one now questioned the need to deal with the Chessori, least of all Kross. The lone Chessori trader out there had become an experiment as well as a target.

  Kross himself would have to go. He was the best pilot of the three. Admiral Hastak returned to the cruiser with his aide and the two Great Cats. Stven contacted Admiral Buskin by tightbeam, but he couldn’t be certain the Chessori were not listening.

  “We’re all of a mind here, sir. We’re going to reduce speed and let you come to us. It might be possible to negotiate then. Your Friend concurs.”

  “Why wait for me? We can confer out here.”

  “Admiral Hastak has a few things to do with first. He is, after all, the only Empire force in the system, and he’s reluctant to abandon it. He’s going to move off for a while, give you and us some space. If you sense discomfort from any of his maneuvers, feel free to discuss it with him. Know that your Friend has approved his delay.”

  Hastak angled his squadron up and outward to bypass Buskin and the Chessori. He passed them ten days later, then he angled back toward Buskin a couple of hours later. Buskin responded instantly, calling him on the tightbeam. “You’re looking a little threatening there, Admiral.”

  “I know. I seek another. It would help if you reduced speed and angled slightly toward me.”

  Buskin looked him in the eyes hard, then cut the connection. Hastak’s maneuvers could only mean one thing, but it made no sense to him. He considered Rappor’s message: the Friend had approved. He reduced speed and angled upward, but he prepared his ships for battle, as well.

  A few hour later the Chessori began feeling pinched, and it angled away from all the Empire ships. Hastak went to full speed, and the chase was on. It would be a long chase, but the trajectories were acceptable. He would intercept the Chessori in two days. His ships spread out in a standard encapsulating maneuver, while the frigate with Kross and Sheeb aboard aimed straight for the Chessori.

  The Chessori’s visage appeared on all ships’ communicators as it made a general broadcast, and the crew of Rappor got its first view of a Chessori. “What is the meaning of this?” it demanded.

  Admiral Hastak responded. “We have reason to believe you carry contraband. We’re taking you aboard for inspection.”

  “That is unheard of. We Chessori never carry contraband. I will not come aboard.”

  “I’m not requesting, I’m ordering. Rendezvous with the frigate.”

  “I will not.”

  “Noncompliance is an admission of guilt, backed up by Empire law. This is a routine operation for us, and we’re quite good at it. The choice is yours, but I will not hesitate to open fire if you fail to respond to my orders.”

  “You wouldn’t dare. Such a thing would be an act of war against the Chessori.”

  “You’re in Empire territory now and subject to our laws. Besides, who will ever know?” Hastak asked with a leer.

  The Chessori cut the link. The squadron approached in an umbrella formation, intending to fully encapsulated the trader, but the globe never finished forming. As the frigate approached maximum firing range, it loosed a few shots across the bow of the Chessori ship which continued to flee. A little later, shots from the frigate’s smaller weapons began impacting the shields on the Chessori ship.

  Suddenly the nets throughout the squadron spasmed. Kross and Sheeb went down along with everyone else, but they didn’t stay down. Kross, the only living creature aboard the frigate still capable of flying the ship, focused on staying on the Chessori’s tail as it fled. As soon as he did, the Chessori opened fire. Shots impacted shields, but the Chessori weapons were too weak to penetrate the strong shields of the frigate. Kross pulled alongside the Chessori, and Sheeb opened up with the strongest gun on the ship. The first shot holed the Chessori, and the second turned it into a fireball. The terrible burning sensation ceased, and Kross stayed with the wreckage while Sheeb continued firing until only small pieces remained.

  When the crew of the frigate came back into the net, they were confused and hurting. At Kross’ direction, the captain opened a tightbeam to Hastak. “We’re secure. Head for the rendezvous. We’ll talk there.”

>   Admiral Buskin was not so easily persuaded when Hastak called him. “You have some explaining to do, Admiral. You just destroyed a neutral trader.”

  “That Chessori followed you, Admiral. Think about that, and we’ll discuss its neutrality at the rendezvous. Until then, consider both the Rebels and the Chessori your enemies.”

  At the rendezvous, Stven and Krys had a decision to make. Trust was rapidly becoming an issue of paramount importance. Could Buskin and Hastak be trusted? Knowing whom to trust would never be a sure thing, and a wrong decision could doom their mission, but the mission could not succeed without some modicum of trust. They’d never be certain, and gut instincts would have to play a part in the decision-making process. They agreed to go aboard Buskin’s cruiser.

  Kross and Sheeb met them, and Krys was surprised at how comforting their presence was.

  The description of the Chessori mind weapon, given by Hastak and Kross, was hard to believe, yet the picture they painted fit all the pieces of the puzzle they had so far encountered. No one knew how the weapon worked, but that didn’t matter at the moment. They knew what it did, they knew everyone was susceptible, and they knew the Great Cats could overcome its effects to some extent.

  Krys turned to Buskin, the Chessori temporarily set aside. “Why are you here, Admiral?”

  “Orders from Chandrajuski. I received several sets of orders from him by courier. The first set stated that you had undertaken a mission for him, but that you might need assistance. I am to escort you from a distance, and I am to avoid blowing your cover if possible. It’s a little late for that, I’m afraid.”

  “And your other orders?”

  “Not to be opened unless the first requirement failed or ended.”

  “Open them now, Admiral.”

  “You speak for him? Who are you?”

  “I have a feeling your orders will answer your questions. Admiral Hastak already knows the details of my mission. Chandrajuski’s orders will likely confirm those details. Why don’t you find out?”

  He went to his quarters and opened the orders. The message on the screen truly staggered him. He sat for a time in private contemplation, then rejoined the others.