I had to walk in a circle twice around the hologram, before I was able to orient myself and point on the map to approximate places where the mobile warp beacon deliverer had been and where the enemy fleet had come out from.
"One hundred eight miles," the tactics officer counted off, having measured our distance from that point.
"Great. Now calculate one hundred eight miles from the point where we recently shot down the cloaked Alien frigate in a straight line from the Aysar Cluster. That is precisely where the Alien ships will arrive in fifty-two minutes and sixteen seconds. And I want the biggest bombs we have in the fleet installed all around."
I noted my subjects coming to life instantly, and the respect they were looking on the little Truth Seeker with. Clearly, none of my officers had any doubts that it was Flora who had given me the right answer. And as the Truth Seeker had pointed me in the right direction, they technically weren't wrong. The tacticians began scuttling around, the admiral began fleet roll call, and Bionica was also hissing something out in Iseyek. Finally, Kiro Sabuto reported to me on what kinds of instruments of death and destruction my fleet was in possession of:
"My Prince, each of the battleships has one fifty-megaton bomb. There are also ten ten-megaton bombs, and eight 'one-and-a-halfers' on the Legashes, and each of the stealth bombers has one three-megatonner... Which bombs should we set?"
I considered it briefly. I was hesitant to use all my big trump cards like that in one go; however, there was a serious chance that such an easy opportunity wouldn't present itself again.
"Let's put both fifty-megatonners down. The Aliens learn quick, so they won't get fooled by a trick like that twice. Set one right at the marked prewarp point, and the second three miles toward the Aysar Cluster. We'll see how well the Alien rear shields take damage. Oh, and also put all eight one-and-a-halfers from the Iseyek ships out in a circle around it. After such an epic honeypot on the praying mantis's part, and until I have no more doubt in the loyalty of the Swarm ships with me, I have no desire to leave any Iseyek in possession of such dangerous weapons. With a total of ten bombs, we'll try to do the most damage we can to the Aliens, as we won't get another chance. Just make sure to synchronize all the timers very carefully so we don't end up blowing up our own bombs for nothing.”
"It will be done, my Prince!" the admiral turned to give the orders, but I stopped him.
"Admiral, that isn't all. I feel that the time has come to split the fleet up. The two battleships should keep charging for the warp jump, but the other ships simply cannot allow themselves the luxury of lounging around for so much time. That is why I and the remaining ships will go now to the Aysar system and try to clear the station there as quickly as possible so the fleet can start recharging. However, there is also absolutely no way we can leave the two battleships here without protection. I have no doubt that there are Alien cloaked frigates nearby observing us. If the fleet leaves, they may appear and try to hold the battleships here until the rest of the Alien fleet arrives. I personally would do the very same in their position, and after the other ships came I would also destroy these ships, depriving the human fleet of their most dangerous weapons. That is why I am leaving fifty frigates and ten destroyers to cover the battleships. Admiral Kiro Sabuto, it is precisely you that I entrust with the mission of making sure our most valuable ships make it to Aysar safe and sound. My friend, go as quickly as you can to Master of Tesse. I'll inform Nill ton Amsted of your command. Nill, though, I want to see here on Joan the Fatty. I have my own special mission for him."
* * *
Three hours, seventeen minutes. That was how long the warp jump to the Aysar Cluster took. Too short to get any sleep, and on top of that I was in such an overexcited state that I wouldn't have been able to close my eyes anyway. What I wanted to do was share a meal with Katerina ton Mesfelle, but my cousin was in no mood. She was admonishing herself for not having seen the risk of our being betrayed fast enough on her own. I set off to my cabin, but was also met with an unexpected obstacle. Princess Astra had finally found inspiration. The girl was in the process of creating her 'next masterpiece' and ejected me from my own room in quite a rude manner.
I stomped my feet in frustration at the locked door and set off to Florianna's room. In the last few days, the crew of the cruiser had begun keeping their distance from this basically normal room. They were afraid of and avoiding the Truth Seeker.
"Come in, your Highness," the voice in my head rang out when I was still a few steps from the door.
Flora was eating. Two of the Gamma Iseyek were feeding the paralyzed girl by squeezing an enriched puree through a culinary syringe down a long, flexible tube into her mouth. Not all the food was making it down her throat. Some of it was dribbling out of her mouth, and one of the Gamma Iseyek was wiping Flora's face with a napkin to accommodate this fact.
“Yes, I know how it looks. I beg your forgiveness for such an appetite-killing spectacle. It's just that I'm tired of intravenous feeding. I don't have any veins left in my arms after all the poking around.”
"No need to apologize. You are not at fault here." Hiding my squeamishness from the Truth Seeker would have been senseless. "I personally came in for advice. After the Swarm's treason, I need to be sure that the Iseyek ships in my fleet aren't going to pull any stunts when we want them least. For example, what if the insect captains think they need to make sure the Sector Eight Fleet cannot return to human-controlled space, as that would mean that the fact of the Swarm's actions would also reach the Empire, possibly leading to a new war with humans? Can I trust the insect captains, or will they stab me in the back?"
The paralyzed girl began to ponder and clearly ordered something mentally to her servants, as the pill bugs took her food away and set the girl's body upright.
"Your Highness, you are not mistaken. I really can sense treason and not only from the Iseyek. Many, very many in your fleet have a stake in making sure Crown Prince Georg can never again return to the Empire.”
“Flora, I need a complete list of the traitors in three hours.”
"That is simply impossible, Crown Prince. I need to check thousands and thousands of humans and nonhumans, and there is not enough time. Even Miya wouldn't be able to do such a thing."
"Alright then, just check the Iseyek captains. First check the heavy cruiser captains, then the light. If you can cut out the infection and save the valuable ships, I would be very grateful to you, Flora."
"I will remember your promise, Crown Prince Georg. I also wanted to make use of the occasion to ask: do you know that my sister talks with Corwin ton Ugar all the time? They spend hours, practically every day, chatting about such frank topics that I even blush for Astra when I listen in on her thoughts."
"Astra is not imprisoned. There is no reason for her to sit locked behind a door deprived of contact with the outside world. No one can forbid a free girl from fraternizing with who she wants."
“Hey, don't try to trick me, Crown Prince! Whether you want it or not, I am your Truth Seeker, and I can read your emotions and even sometimes thoughts. And it's roughly the same with my sister. Astra is right next to me, just two walls between us, and it isn't my fault that I can hear the echoes of her thoughts. Yesterday, she told him to make a wish and she would grant it, and then couldn't fall asleep afterwards so furious were her fantasies about what the brave captain could ask of a girl as beautiful as she. I feel that you like Astra and don't enjoy her talking on the side like that. Crown Prince Georg, my advice is to cut this nonsense off, before it turns into something more serious than flirting."
"And what do you suggest I do about it, Flora?"
"Your Highness, you know the answer to that question perfectly well, but are afraid to admit it even to yourself. The solution to this problem is easily within your reach."
"Good, I'll have a serious talk with your sister. If that doesn't help, I may have to consider some more radical options."
Leaving the Truth Seeker's room, I tried ha
rd not to think about what the paralyzed girl had said. Every person has thoughts intended for " internal use only" from time to time, and mine were no longer only for me. Yes, I was very much capable of arranging for One-Eyed Python not to survive the upcoming battle. No one in the fleet would even be able to figure out that it was a calculated move on the commander's part, and not a horrible coincidence. To be more accurate, almost no one... Flora would, of course, realize right away, but she wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it.
However, on a basic level, I thought this was the wrong route. It wasn't because it would have been premeditated murder. In an online game – and I was still inclined to look on the world around me as nothing more than a really good game with impeccable graphics – killing a rival and competitor was often the only way to achieve your goal. It's just that doing that wouldn't get rid of the problem, and Princess Astra would just quickly find another young cavalier to flirt with; so, in the end, I would come out even, and there were more than enough dashing young officers in the Perimeter Sector Eight Fleet. Also, being deprived of a capable and brave cruiser captain such as Corwin ton Ugar was something that I, as a fleet commander, also preferred to avoid. I really didn't dislike the talented captain at all, and after carefully studying his personal record, I even admired his bravery and brilliant tactical solutions during the Empire's war with the Union of the Four, an alliance of rebel systems in Perimeter Sector One. It was vexing that precisely the heroic captain Corwin ton Ugar could provoke such an unpleasant scandal that could seriously reflect on the Crown Prince's reputation.
I didn't feed my illusions and understood perfectly that the fat, awkward Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky would clearly not be able to compete with Corwin ton Ugar nor basically any other brave young hunk in Astra's eyes. My favorite was only with me because of my high title and wealth, not at all because of love. If someone as high-born and well-provided-for as Georg royl Inoky were to come into Astra's field of view, but with a nice face, even I would be ready to put a battleship up against a rust bucket that my favorite would immediately gravitate toward this new center of power and wealth.
The only thing that could separate me from the others were my abilities as a skilled star fleet commander. That could be impressive to soldiers who were well versed in those kind of things; however, none of Princess Astra's interests intersected with it. I even strongly suspected that the last representative of the royal house of Veyerde didn't understand that there even was a reason for a space fleet to have a commander. Of course, I could have demonstratively take her down a peg or gotten rid of my favorite, but I still didn't want to take the situation to the point of public scandal.
I really did like Astra quite a lot, and not only for her prodigious beauty, but also because of her surprisingly childish directness – though I thought of my favorite more as a fun doll and sweet conversation partner, and not a potential romantic partner. But, despite all my warm feelings for Astra, I couldn't allow my companion to put an Imperial Crown Prince in a bad light with her rash, frivolous behavior.
* * *
"Three minutes to action!" I said calmly, looking at the people surrounding me.
Either my confidence had had an effect on my subjects, or they were simply in denial of the Iseyeks’ betrayal; in any case, I couldn't detect any signs of anxiety or, more importantly, fear on their faces. There was an overriding atmosphere of professionalism. The officers took their seats and set about performing their duties and preparing for the flagship to warp out. Nicole Savoia took out her cosmetics bag and, using a turned-off screen as a mirror, smeared a bright crimson lipstick on as if we weren't just about to enter a system under Alien control.
"Ten seconds! As soon as we’re out, I need a tactical map and a line opened to our cloakers in Aysar and Kej! Warp!"
Messages started coming as if from a cornucopia:
"Enemy ships detected! Aliens! Group of targets, there are eight of them. Three Sledgehammers and three unknown-model cruisers. Two Hermit destroyers. They are in a tight formation. Two thousand one hundred miles to the enemy. Three hundred miles to the Aysar station. The enemy ships are not moving relative to the station. I repeat: the enemy is motionless. No movement detected. No signs of radio activity either. No transmissions of any kind, interstellar or local. No enemy targeting systems detected..."
"Something's not right here," Nicole turned toward me, not hiding her apprehension.
"You can say that again. There's a fully-fledged station in this system that the Aliens recently refitted to recharge their ships. All these cruisers and destroyers we're observing could easily recharge and warp out, either to the Kej system after the main fleet or to the Lobj system. But, for some reason, these ships are still here, though they are a bit farther from the station...
I had a feeling inside that there was something afoot. If the Aliens didn't need these ships, they would have tried to take them out to the Kej system. And also these motionless cruisers, just sitting in space had clearly drawn my fleet's attention away from the station itself. Why? I needed more information immediately, and I ordered the Truth Seeker brought to me once again. And in the meantime, I called up our frigate spy.
"Rupert Donce, captain of Ghost-2, reporting in. No new Alien ships have been detected in the Aysar system in the last four hours. These cruisers and destroyers stayed attached to the station for a long time after we arrived, but approximately two hours ago they moved eighteen hundred miles and change away from the station, then stopped. They've been just sitting there for practically two hours now. My frigate is circling them at eighteen miles, so if you need jump coordinates, I can give them to you."
"My Prince, it is a trap! The ships are not abandoned at all. I feel their attention. Our actions right now are being scrutinized. I do not know why, but the Aliens need our ships to think they are not at risk and get close to theirs!” Little Flora's voice was wavering in worry.
"Thank you for the information, Rupert Donce. I do not need the coordinates for now. You should go away from them in the opposite direction of our fleet for one hundred eighty miles".
I stood and walked up to the little Truth Seeker's armchair. Flora looked at me with eyes full of tears and repeated her warning again and again to not approach the Alien ships under any circumstances. Despair and fear resonated in the girl's voice.
"I understand, Flora. And what about the question I asked before the battle?"
"I was not able to check everyone. But the four Legash captains, who joined the Sector Eight Fleet in the Sobj system, have a clear and unambiguous order from the Swarm not to allow your Highness to return to the Empire. I did not have enough time, so I only selectively checked one Gamma Iseyek, the commander of the light cruiser Umoyge-7. He was no traitor, though he was very, very strange. He is not at all like the other insects. Also, the Beta Iseyeks captains of Safa-40, Safa-41, and Safa-60 all give more priority to Triasss Zess's order than yours."
I thanked the paralyzed girl, allowing her to continue the work, and returned to the console.
"My Prince, this is Admiral Nill ton Amsted from the Kej system. Many events have occurred; I will report them in order. First, we were able to connect with the Gamma Iseyek scientists on Kej-V. With my translator, who turned out to be a very weak interpreter in practical conversation, we were just able to communicate that we could evacuate some of them on cloakers, up to three hundred of the Swarm's most valuable scientists. They have already decided who will be evacuated, and now we're just waiting for a good time.
That was excellent news. Three hundred valuable scientists rescued from a planet captured by Aliens could serve as a reason to get the Swarm to turn the warp beacon on for us. It wasn't likely, of course, but all the same there was some chance of escape. However, I was much more interested in my ships Master of Tesse and Bride of Chaos than I was in the scientists.
"How'd it go with my battleships? Did they make it out?"
"Yes, Prince Georg, both battleships have left and are
underway. Though you were not wrong, the Aliens really did try to keep Bride of Chaos from leaving. Three cloakers appeared next to the ship when it started moving and got it with a warp disruptor and webs. We lost six Pyros and four Warhawks in the battle with the Aliens, but they were all destroyed. In accordance with your order, Crown Prince, the cloakers did not uncloak, so as not to give themselves away."
Despite the fact that the fleet had lost ten frigates, I still considered the news positive. My main ships escaped, and that was what mattered now. But, at the same time, Nill ton Amsted continued, making no effort to hide his ear-to-ear smile:
"My Prince, now on to the most important news: our Alien apocalypse went off without a hitch! Their huge fleet came out right when and where they were predicted to, and Ghost-6 detonated the charges. It went off with such a marvelous bang, that it was like watching a new star being born! Despite Ghost-6 having been eighteen hundred miles from the blast, it was unmasked, and its energy shield fell by half. Around the blast area, for hundreds of miles, there is a whole sea of debris and background radiation that has stayed strong until now. That is why my cloakers will not risk getting closer, so as not to give themselves away. Also, a hidden stealth bomber attack would hardly be possible under these conditions, though the enemy is in a very tight formation."
"Which Alien ships did we manage to destroy?"
"Prince, we are making observations from three thousand miles away and only with passive positioning systems, so it is hard to say exactly. At least one Behemoth has been torn in half – though it is possible that what we are seeing is the remains of two different battleships. A great many small ships were destroyed, both by the explosions of our bombs and the subsequent antimatter explosions from the Behemoth. Together, they reduced the number of Alien small ships by half, though we are observing quite a few active frigate- and destroyer-class ships. All the same, the enemy fleet was not as badly damaged as we could have hoped. As many as two hundred battleships and no less than six hundred cruisers remain active. There are also just under a thousand destroyers and frigates left. Now the Aliens have concentrated around five huge ships that are three times longer than a Behemoth. I cannot tell if they are repairing or recharging."
Beyond Death (Perimeter Defense Book #2) Page 15
