Price of Imperium

by Dave Robinson

  Each of the Enemy ships had a set of launchers on the missile side of the hull, six of them in a hexagonal formation, each raised above the now empty missile field below. From the looks of things they followed the same principle as the battle-cruisers, a limited number of very heavy salvos to try to destroy an opponent as fast as they could. Unlike the battle-cruisers though, it appeared these ships retained some missile capability once the initial missile storm was expended. They had something to shoot back with, even when they could not close to hammerbeam range.

  It wasn't enough. Even Jhon's rusty tactics education was enough to show that the Enemy had no chance. None of their vessels had enough firepower to put up a serious challenge. They had expended too many missiles in the opening; now they had nothing to fight back with, while Admiral Torrens' could hold the battle-cruisers out of range and pound the Enemy all day. They could not outrun the battle-cruisers, and if they tried to close, Captain Har Ovrilan could simply draw them back onto Admiral Torrens and Commodore Makar, both of whom had forces ready and able to stand against the Enemy beam to beam.

  The Enemy seemed to know it too, Jhon was sure he could see an air of desperation in their tactics. Time and again they charged, trying to get their battle-cruisers and surviving dreadnaughts where they could do something, anything, to fight those ships that were picking them apart from outside their own range. Nothing worked, and an hour later there was nothing in Belkrath space but their own force.

  "Well done," Admiral Torrens said, finally rising from her command chair. "We didn't lose a single ship."

  "I'm surprised," Jhon looked up from his own display. "They were throwing a lot more weight of metal than we were."

  "We have better defenses," she smiled, "and a mauler is a lot tougher than anything smaller."

  "Admiral, we have an incoming signal from the planet." One of the bridge officers interrupted. "It's the planetary governor's office."

  "Put it on the main screen," Jhon answered. "I want to hear what they have to say."

  "Aye aye sir,"

  The combat display faded, to be replaced by the heavy-set face of a tired looking man. Over his shoulder, Jhon could see that he was in a planetary defense center, with charts and images in the background.

  Admiral Torrens stepped forwards. "This is Admiral Vatriz Torrens, Imperial Guard, the gentleman beside me is His Royal Highness, the Prince Jhon, Heir to the Imperial Throne."

  "Thank the Founders that you've come." The man's face seemed to lose a thousand pounds at her words. "We sent to Rondor for assistance weeks ago, but you're the first reinforcements we've seen. How far behind you is the main fleet?"

  "We are the main fleet." Jhon stepped forward to stand beside the Admiral. "Rondor Station has been turned over to the Tavrolan guard and at last report they were not accepting any Imperial message drones. We came as quickly as we could, but I would not expect any further assistance."

  "You're it?" The man's face fell. "The Enemy has been in-system for the last six weeks. They have already taken over one of the moons of the fifth planet, and their main force hasn't even arrived yet.

  "I've been holding them off with six super-dreadnaughts, a dozen battle-cruisers and one mauler fresh out of mothballs. The only reason that I've been able to do anything is because the Enemy has been focusing on their blockade of the system and building up their base on that moon. If they had directed a force half the size of the one you faced against the planet I don't think I would have anything left."

  "At least you have something left," Admiral Torrens said. "Our combined force should be able to do some damage to them. All of my maulers are planet-busters and we have full weapons release."

  "That doesn't matter at this point." Jhon heard the fatalism in the man's voice. "Their planet's not here, if that's not just some ancient myth, and with the fleet they do have, I don't think our combined force would have a snowball's chance of taking them on. What it really means to me is that the eight maulers you did bring are distinctly second string."

  Jhon pulsed a quick interrogative through his implant, looking for identification for the man on screen. Rolan Simes, System Governor, Vice Admiral AIN, retired, his implant obediently responded.

  "Admiral Simes, what matters is that Belkrath is in danger, and the Imperium is responding." Jhon put some battle steel in his voice. "We may not have brought as much as you hoped, or even as much as we hoped. What we did bring is what we had, and what you need if we are to have any chance of saving Belkrath. The Enemy is here, and we are your best hope."

  "Best hope?" Admiral Simes looked as if he was about to spit. "Try forlorn hope, or maybe lost hope."

  "If I hear any more such defeatism from you, Admiral, I will have you relieved of command." Jhon spoke softly, but he meant every word he said.

  "You can't do that." The admiral's face reddened enough that it was easily seen on the screen. "On what authority, I'm the legally confirmed governor of this system; appointed by the council."

  "On my own authority; Crown Recognizance," Jhon said. "In the absence of the Emperor, I as the recognized heir can take action in his stead. I can bust you back to assistant dog-catcher if I have to, and I won't hesitate a second if I think it will help save this system."

  "D-dog catcher?" Simes spluttered and Jhon realized he'd used the English term as Imperial did not have anything with quite the same connotations.

  "Don't worry; I can make sure you have plenty of time to find out what one is." Jhon let himself smile a little without relaxing his eyes. "I hope I can feel assured of your cooperation."

  "You can, sir." This time Admiral Simes' voice was more subdued.

  "Very good," Jhon let the smile spread a little further. "My staff and I will meet you in about eight hours. We have some planning to do."

  Chapter 17

  Jayne paced the cabin. She strode back and forth swinging her arms widely. She didn't want to be alone, but she didn't want anyone to watch her either. So she paced. She still wore the plain blue uniform, but now there was a small crown on her shoulderboards. What she really wanted was to throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but that wasn't an option. The Imperium did have t-shirts, it was a hard article of clothing to miss, but she had yet to find any substitute for jeans. As she walked, her hands occasionally stopped their vigorous motion to move to her belly, she would rub it for a moment, then jerk her hand back and continue striding.

  She was not supposed to be pregnant and married at twenty-six; especially not married to someone she barely knew. Bill's face slipped into her mind again and she pushed it away. It was not about her being attracted to John, or Jhon as she should probably think of him now. It was about doing what had to be done. It was about duty not love.

  Jayne stopped and looked in the mirror. She could see the lie in her own eyes. Yes she felt she had no real choice, she had to go along with it. But it was as much because Jhon had asked her as any sort of duty to humanity. He was the one with the sense of duty, and those tight buns. She wanted him; she wanted to be with him. If she had her way they would spend the rest of their lives together, getting to know each other. Yes it was a cliché; it was nothing but a cliché. But it was one she could not resist. There had been an attraction from the very first, and the trip to Nightfall Station had been what had really done it.

  They had not had much time alone together, not really. Most of the time after the "proposal," she had to put the quotes around it even in her own mind, had passed in a whirl. Document signings, retinal and genetic scans, then the implantation. By the end of that night she had been pregnant. Jayne shivered at that thought, pregnant.

  She remembered Jhon, standing there in her room as she lay in the bed after the procedure. Even with him fully dressed while she was wearing a gown, and under the covers it had been a strange feeling.

  There are a couple of things you need to remember, he had said, standing close to the bed and pointedly ignoring the chair that lay beside it. The first is that everyone you meet wil
l have an agenda, especially at the Council level.

  I know, I've sat in on enough board meetings at the society to see that. Jayne had snapped the words back at him, not sure why she let her temper get the better of her.

  I'm sure you have, but remember, these people are playing for very high stakes. It may be the same game, but don't underestimate anyone because it seems familiar.

  All right, I won't. She muttered grudgingly.

  Good, he had replied and she had been torn between the desire to preen at the praise and punch him for being patronizing. The other part is that you can't just go down there and expect to be accepted, he continued. In fact, you won't have any power at first; not without being confirmed.

  Isn't it better that they underestimate me? Jayne had said. The less they think of me, the more I will be able to get away with.

  Only to a point. He frowned. If you go down there and announce yourself, they will know who you are, and they may be able to stop you.

  What are you talking about? She sat up in the bed. You're talking in circles; why don't you slow down and make sense?

  I probably deserved that, he grinned and she noticed how much the grin lit up his face. The point I am trying to make is that none of this, he waved around the cabin and back to himself, none of this will give you any real power until you can be confirmed back on Altiar.

  Confirmed? Jayne raised an eyebrow. What sort of confirmation are you talking about? I haven't been inside a church since I was sixteen, and I wasn't brought up Catholic .

  I'm not talking about religion; he shook his head, then lowered his gaze meeting her eyes with his. I'm talking about your confirmation as my wife, and our child's confirmation as my heir, as the Imperium's heir. Until that status is confirmed you will have no more real power than you did back in Seattle.

  Then why are you sending me there? As a diversion, is that it? Jayne half rose in the bed, trying to force her point across. I did not agree to this just to be a diversion.

  No, no, he held his hands up in a placating fashion. I didn't ask you to do this as a diversion. I asked you to do this because I can't be in two places at once. What I am trying to say is that you won't have any official and legal powers until you are confirmed by the Imperial Conservator.

  So what do I have to do, just show up and hand him a marriage license? She had a sudden vision of handing a handwritten note to a ninety year-old man in a fancy suit.

  No, not exactly, Jhon said. First, it's not exactly a 'him.' The Imperial Conservator is a computer system that confirms and determines eligibility to ascend the throne. He shivered. It does genetic and psychological testing and then either approves or disapproves. If approved, it confirms your status and places various Imperial overrides in your implant.

  So I have to let this thing inside my head? Is that it? Jayne didn't try to disguise her anger, hoping it was the only thing that was making her heart race.

  It's not about letting it inside your head. You aren't really the heir, not the way I am. I had to undergo the full testing, what you are likely to have to go through will be more on the lines of confirming that you're pregnant with my child. Once that's confirmed you should be able to go to the Council chamber and take your place.

  Take my place?

  Yes, there's a seat for the monarch on the Council, and once recognized you would be able to take that place as the regent.

  I've got it, she looked at him. It sounds deliberately overcomplicated if you ask me, but I do understand.

  At that he had bent over and kissed her on the cheek, Thank you was all he had said before he turned and left. Jayne gently stroked her cheek with her fingertips.

  "Everyone has an agenda," she muttered softly.

  Her implant reminded her of the time, and after a quick stop by the mirror to straighten her clothing, she headed off to the bridge. Indestructible was a huge ship, and it was easy to get lost. The destroyer that had originally picked her up had been a third the length and perhaps a tenth the size. On a ship this big she had to use the transport cars rather than simply walking. It just wasn't practical.

  She had considered waiting in the cabin until they were ready to go down to the planet, but she knew she would not be able to wait any longer alone. Jayne had spent too much of the trip alone in her cabin; Commander Holron and his people were obviously used to working as a team. As for Ober-dwan, he was an alien, a real alien, and there were some things she just wasn't comfortable discussing with him. She was not going to sit alone in the cabin until they reached the planet.

  Leaving her cabin, she entered the transport car. In principle it was like the elevators she was used to, but it traveled in three dimensions, and could take her anywhere in the ship. Jayne felt a brief tightness in her chest, then relief as she started to move. A display near the door of the car showed her location changing as she moved from the cabins that were near the outer skin, in towards the ship's bridge which lay within the armored citadel that made up its heart. There was something claustrophobic about moving through the fifty yards of armor (the implant translated it as meters but it was easier for her to think yards) that separated the outer hull of the battle-cruiser from the inner citadel.

  Commander Holron was waiting for her when she reached the bridge. "Is everything alright, Commander?" She asked, looking for a place to sit.

  "Everything looks to be fine, Your Highness," he said. "We have a seat for you over here if you'd like."

  "Thank you, Commander." Jayne wondered if the man had any bend to his backbone at all. He was always so stiff and formal around her. "Please, call me Jayne," she put on her professional smile, "I come from a place where we don't believe in royalty, so it's a little hard to get used to being called 'Your Highness.'"

  He returned the smile, though she noticed it did not go all the way up to his eyes. "Thank you; and you can call me Tam if you'd like." For just a moment she saw his eyes soften. "It's not a name I get to hear very often."

  "Very well, Tam." She smiled more naturally, "I can see we both have a lot to get used to."

  "I think so, Your... I mean, I think so Jayne."

  "That's better. I had begun to think I left my name behind in Seattle."

  "Captain, we're about to drop back to threespace," one of the officers called across the bridge.

  "Thank you Mr Thorn," Tam said, then turned back to Jayne. "If you would take your seat, I think it's time to show you Altiar."

  She nodded and went over to the seat. Like all the chairs she had found here it spent a moment adjusting to the shape of her body, moving beneath her as if it was alive, then settled into position. Meanwhile she could see all the others on the bridge leaning over their stations, obviously getting ready for something.

  "What's going on," she asked. "I thought you were coming home."

  "We are," Tam replied. "But there are rules to follow whenever we drop out of fivespace, and even when it's supposed to be safe, we still follow them." He gestured towards a woman over on the side of the bridge. "Commander Morraien will be sending off a message to let Admiral Calthran know we have arrived as soon as we drop down through fourspace where the transmitter will work."

  "This Admiral Calthran, is he the one I'm supposed to see?" Jayne thought the name sounded familiar.

  "Yes he is, he sent me out to find His Highness, and has been fighting a rear-guard action to save the Imperial System for years."

  "The message has been sent," the woman Tam had pointed out spoke softly. "We should be dropping back to threespace within a minute."

  "Thank you Commander," Tam replied. "This is the Captain speaking, all hands prepare for emergence."

  Moments later, Jayne saw the small screen by her chair change to display a series of numbers and bar graphs, everything from shield strength to coolant reserves. Most of it didn't make sense, but it was all there right in front of her. Then they emerged into threespace, and Jayne felt as if a toothache she had forgotten had suddenly stopped. There was a wrongness to four and fi
vespace, but it seemed to be one that she could only notice when she returned to threespace. It was a definition by absence, she could never tell what was wrong about four and fivespace, but she could feel it when she came back to threespace. Jayne shook her head, doubtless some scholar could expMorraien it in a way that would make sense to him if nobody else. In the meantime, she was back, and the feeling had vanished.

  "Wheeeeep!" An alarm sounded in both her ears and her implant.

  "Captain, we have four ships coming in, light cruiser size and they're illuminating us with targeting sensors." The man who Tam had called Thorn interrupted the alarm before continuing. "Systems show 90% likelihood of hostile action. I do not believe they are on our side."

  "Acknowledged," Tam's answer was curt, and for a moment Jayne wondered what had happened to him. "Hail them for me please. Advise we are a Fleet ship on detached duty and order them to veer off."

  A few moments later, the officer turned back to Tam. "No response sir, they appear to be deliberately ignoring our hails."

  "Very well Mr. Thorn, I want shields up and point defense live. Lock up the lead unit with our fire-control too if you please. Let's see how they like receiving the same message they are sending."

  "Aye sir," Thorn turned back to his console, and Jayne saw new icons appearing on her display.

  "What's going on?" She turned to Tam, who was studying his own screen.

  "It looks like someone arranged a welcoming committee for us," he replied, still looking at his screen. "Unfortunately I don't think we are really too welcome."

  "Are those ships attacking us?" Jayne shook her head in disbelief; these sorts of things just didn't happen on Earth. The US Navy would never attack one of its own ships returning to port.