The Prodigal Emperor (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 3)

by Kal Spriggs

  She shrugged, “My own programmers aren't certain about that. Unfortunately, Tascon's hack muddled everything quite a bit... possibly because he wanted it to be that way.”

  Lucius turned a basilisk glare on the Ensign, but Alberto Tascon stood straight. “I can give you all that information... and all I want in return is a small payment for my services, exoneration for any laws I broke, and a release from the military.”

  Lucius gazed at him for a long moment. In reality, what Tascon asked wasn't terrible. He wasn't much different from a private investigator or someone with a tip coming forward. Yet some part of Lucius felt a burning rage that this man wanted to extort him for information that could save his daughter's life. He bottled that emotion away, however as he gazed at Tascon. “Fine.”

  “Could I get something in writing?” Alberto Tascon asked as he looked between them.

  “You have my word,” Lucius said. “I will release you from your oath as an officer, I will recompense you for your efforts, and you will not face prosecution for any crimes which you may have committed or will commit in the rescue of my daughter.” His voice was stern, but something of his anger must have shown in his face because Tascon cringed back.

  “Well,” Tascon said as he pulled out a data chip. “This has all the information and contacts along with a bill for my finder’s fee.” Alicia took it away from him and plugged it into her data pad. “Now if that's all, I'd like the money transferred to my account...”

  “Not so fast,” Colonel Proscia said. “The Baron said you could go free, but only in exchange for good information. You come with us.”

  “Us?” Lucius asked.

  “Colonel Proscia has activated a tactical team from his cadre at the Academy,” Alicia said absently as she browsed through the data. “He and I agreed that due to the...” she trailed off and gave a suspicious glance at Tascon, “...various threats, you should have a protective detail of well-armed Marines on hand.”

  “It'll be headed by Sergeant Timorsky and Lance Corporal Namori, sir, if that is agreeable,” Colonel Prosica said. “They picked out the rest of their team, and I've hand selected another team for retrieving your daughter, as well.”

  Lucius nodded. It went without saying that the Colonel would have selected men for their capabilities and loyalty. He looked back at Alicia, “Well?”

  “Apparently Ensign Tascon has a very... colorful array of business ventures, including freelance hacking, illicit sales of copied entertainment modules, and illegal collection of demographics data,” Alicia said slowly. “However, he appears to have isolated the location and computer from which the hack occurred and he inserted some sort of worm that gave him access to that computer.”

  She rotated the datapad, “He also had captured images of the people in vicinity to the computer, two of whom match our known suspects.” On the screen, Lucius could see Randal Schultz IV and Gregory Stuts, along with the faces of three other men. “We have positive identification of suspects as well as an address and reasonable suspicion.

  “So...” Lucius said, “What are we waiting for?”

  “I'll ready my assault team, sir,” Colonel Proscia said.

  “I'd like to have my personnel establish a perimeter, Baron,” Alicia said. She typed in commands to her datapad. “And all respect to Colonel Proscia, but my people have more recent training for hostage rescue.”

  Lucius frowned, “Get both teams ready. I'm coming along as well.” He pondered the information, “I want Colonel Proscia's team on lead, they have quite a bit of experience and I've seen him handle hostage rescue before.” Granted, that had been years ago, but Lucius didn't know Alicia's personnel and right now, he wanted to go with someone he trusted. This was, after all, his daughter's life on the line. He looked around at the serious faces in the room. “Let me know as soon as you are ready.”

  ***

  “Baron,” Reginald said as Lucius stepped into the office, “I want to offer you my unqualified apologies and should you want it, my resignation, as I completely understand if you want me to be replaced. I should have spent additional time watching over your daughter...”

  Lucius waved a hand, “Reginald, you're only one man. It isn't your fault. If anything, it's my fault for not having a proper escort like these two,” Lucius said as he hiked a thumb at Sergeant Timorsky and Lance Namori who had followed him into the office.

  “Still, Baron,” Reginald said, standing straighter, “I feel responsible. I ask that you allow me to accompany the strike team when they go to retrieve your daughter.”

  “Have you ever been in a firefight?” Lucius asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes,” Reginald nodded. “More times than I like to remember. It is not my strong point, but perhaps I can help your team to find your daughter safely. It is the least that I can do.” In his eighteenth century British Military garb, he should have looked ridiculous. Somehow, though, the psychic looked confident.

  Lucius took a seat behind the desk as he thought about it. On the one hand, Reginald was a precious resource, the only telepath that Lucius had to rely upon. He was also Lucius's only connection to Kandergain and Lucius feared what might happen if something should befall him. Then again, having a telepath present to pull the thoughts out of the minds of the kidnappers would be handy for Colonel Proscia's team.

  “Very well,” Lucius said, “Tell Colonel Proscia I've authorized you to join his team. I want you at the back, where it is safe, though. No heroics, leave that to his Marines, understood?”

  “Of course, my Lord,” Reginald gave a low bow. “Thank you for this opportunity.” He turned and left. Lucius gave a look at his escort. “I'd like a moment alone, please.”

  The two gave each other uncomfortable looks, but they nodded and stepped out. It was a reminder to Lucius of how much his life had changed. I never wanted to be the ruler of a nation, he thought. If anything, the failed ambitions of his father had made the very idea repugnant. Marius Giovanni's failed coup against Emperor Romulus III had left such a stain upon Lucius's childhood that such ambitions were expunged as a matter of survival.

  Yet now he had that position and authority… and the fact that he had not embraced it had put his child at risk. People had died because Lucius had not taken the proper precautions in protecting himself.

  That would have to change, he knew. Colonel Proscia's protective detail was a step in the right direction, but Lucius knew that it was only a step. If his infant daughter was a target, then so was his sister and her son. For that matter, the simple apartment he'd lived in would not do from a security standpoint. While he didn't want anything as ostentatious as a “palace” he would almost certainly have to have a private house of some kind, probably with areas for meetings for his staff, politicians, and for foreign dignitaries as well.

  And defenses, Lucius thought, my new home will have considerable defenses to keep my family safe. Thinking about that would give him something to keep him occupied until the time came to move.

  Lucius looked up as the door to the office chimed. “Enter,” he said, even with a look at the clock. Colonel Proscia had said he wanted to wait for Alicia's people to establish a perimeter before he moved his team up. That shouldn't have happened just yet. The FIB was trying to move in quietly without alarming the kidnappers.

  Lucius felt his mouth drop in surprise as Admiral Valens Balventia stepped through the hatch, followed by Sergeant Timorsky and Lance Namori, both of whom had suspicious expressions on their faces. Then again, the rivalry between Lucius and Valens was something that had become common knowledge long before the fall of Nova Roma.

  Admiral Valens Balventia stopped a couple meters away. His expression was hard to read and Lucius wondered if he had been sent by Emperor Romulus or if he was here to gloat. Probably to gloat, Lucius thought darkly, the bastard would never miss an opportunity to rub it in. Lucius suddenly regretted the fact that he had notified Emperor Romulus IV of the kidnapping.

  “Baron Lucius Giovanni
,” Valens Balventia said, his voice oddly formal. Lucius blinked a bit, since he couldn't remember the other man ever using his full name and title. Normally he called him by his rank, a way to remind Lucius that he was below him. Lucius's rival paused and seemed almost at a loss for words.

  “Lord Admiral Balventia,” Lucius nodded in return. If the other man wanted to be formal, so much the better. While he could be just as caustic in that fashion, at least he was somewhat restrained. He glanced at the clock, “Is there something important that brings you here? I am under something of a time constraint, just now.” The understatement was clearly a bit too much for the other man, who coughed slightly at the rebuke.

  “Baron,” Valens said, “I heard about your daughter's kidnapping... and I wanted to express my sincere condolences.” Lucius felt his jaw drop in surprise. The last thing he would have ever expected was to hear anything like what Valens Balventia had just said. The Admiral gave him an uncomfortable nod as if almost as surprised to hear the words himself. “You may not know this, but a couple of years before I attended the Nova Roma Military Academy, my younger brother was kidnapped.” He cleared his throat a bit, “Tibus and I were very close. So I know what you are going through and I hope that your daughter is safely returned to you.”

  Lucius met the other man's gaze. Apparently this shared experience was something that transcended their hereditary feud. Lucius could recognize the olive branch for what it was... however temporary it may be. “Thank you,” Lucius said, “That means quite a bit to me.”

  Valens Balventia turned away without a word and headed to the door, the brief civility apparently too much effort to continue.

  “What happened to your brother?” Lucius asked. He knew that Valens' sister had become a prominent businesswoman, but he didn't remember hearing about the man's brother.

  Valens paused in the doorway. “The kidnappers panicked and killed him,” He said without turning around. “I hope that what happens with your daughter has a happier outcome.” A moment later, he was gone.

  ***

  Anthony Doko gnawed at his lip as he watched the clock. He glanced over at Lizmadie, but her face was as serene and composed as ever. He knew that under that outward appearance she had to be just as worried as he was, but he still envied her composure.

  Military bearing in battle was one thing, but this was a betrayal of serious scope. It was all that Tony could do to avoid storming out of the door and shouting it to the rooftops. He hated this kind of intrigue.

  At last, though, the door chimed. A moment later, one of the two FIB agents brought their visitor. “Alanis, thank you for coming,” Lizmadie said as she rose. “I understand that your time is limited...”

  Alanis Giovanni snorted, “Try nonexistent.” She shook her head and Tony saw how tired she looked. Her attendance at the Faraday Military Academy was no doubt stressful. Tony had heard that they worked cadets eighteen hours a day. “I'm on leave now, but that's because I'm supposed to be standing by the incubator for my son's birth. You made it sound pretty important that I be here, so, I'm here.” Tony could be wrong, but he heard the slightest note of relief in her voice. Once again, he wondered about what had happened between her and Reese. She had pressed charges against him despite the fact that they were expecting a child. It almost seemed as if Alanis was somewhat eager to avoid the birth of her son.

  “We are certain we've identified Admiral Mannetti's agent,” Tony said as he stood. He couldn't help but fidget as he thought about just how much danger Lucius must be in. “And we need you to pass the word.”

  Alanis frowned, “Now is not the best time.” She glanced over her shoulder at the door. “Look, I shouldn't be telling you this, I only know because Lucius commed me. He's here on planet, now, but he's trying to keep it quiet.”

  He and Lizmadie looked at each other and Tony saw realization in his wife's eyes. “Look, that's how we figured this out. We're certain that the traitor is involved, probably setting the whole thing in motion, all in order to distract us or sow chaos.”

  Alannis shook her head, “Well, if that's the case, they couldn't have picked a better way.” She pursed her lips, “Someone has kidnapped Lucius's daughter, Kaylee.”

  “We know that already,” Tony said. “We have to act now, before the traitor accomplishes whatever his goal is. He's exposed himself and this is our opportunity to nab him. Lizmadie and I hacked the FIB database–”

  “What?” Alanis said, “Aren't you both supposed to be under house arrest?”

  “Trust me, this is important,” Tony answered. He took a deep breath, “We know that the kidnappers are a local group, but we think they were set in motion by the traitor, so we backtracked what was out of character for them. The hack that gave them Lucius's apartment was done with old Nova Roma military coding, something that pegged it as having to be from the traitor. They used a Centauri P7K, with an integral suppressor. Going off our list of suspects, there's only one person who could have access to that kind of hardware to give it to them.”

  Tony waited as Alanis thought that through, “But...” she frowned. “The only person who should have that kind of equipment would have been...” She went pale, “You can't seriously be accusing Colonel Proscia.”

  “It fits,” Lizmadie said with a calm voice. She brought up some of their other evidence, dates and times that showed that he would have been able to slip out to help the kidnappers... and also a blank space of time when he could have helped Admiral Mannetti in her escape almost a year previously.

  Alanis shook her head, “You do know he's the Commandant of the Faraday Military Academy, where I'm a cadet, right? I'd look pretty damned silly trying to arrest him. I assume you want to pass that information on to my brother?”

  “Yes,” Tony said. He looked at his wife, “You're the only one we can trust. After we realized that Colonel Proscia was behind this, neither of us want to risk anything by trusting anyone else. You are the only person who we know for certain isn't involved.” He turned to pace, suddenly unable to contain his nervous energy, “I mean, we don't even know he's doing it on his own volition. He might have been coerced, blackmailed, or even mind controlled by a psychic, who knows? But we're certain it's him.”

  “Well, then,” Alanis said as she pulled out her datapad, “We have a big problem, because right now, my brother has Colonel Proscia in charge of retrieving his daughter from the kidnappers... and he just left with him to go do just that.”

  ***

  Lucius sat back in his seat as Lance Corporal Namori drove the sleek black car through Faraday's streets. It was about as inconspicuous an armored vehicle as Lucius could ask for, but it still made him nervous that someone would see them coming.

  That was the reason that about a dozen other unmarked vehicles had set out for the Old Town district. Faraday's capital wasn't a megalopolis, not like the major cities of Nova Roma much less Elysium in the Centauri System, but it was still a sprawling town with enough traffic to hide their movement, or so Lucius had hoped.

  “Not long now, sir,” Sergeant Timorsky said.

  Lucius gave the sergeant a level look. “Am I that obviously nervous?”

  “Your daughter's been kidnapped, sir,” he responded. “If you didn't look at least a little nervous, I'd say there was probably something wrong with you.”

  “Thanks... I think,” Lucius shook his head. “Did Colonel Proscia pick you because of your sense of humor?”

  The Marine didn't respond, his gaze went out the window, his attention utterly focused.

  “Is something wrong?” Lucius asked as he followed the other man's gaze. He saw they had stopped at a traffic intersection the other street's traffic had begun to slow as the light changed.

  Why is that truck still coming? Lucius had time for that thought, even as he heard Sergeant Timorsky shout, “Contact right! Incoming vehicle!”

  Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Lucius saw Lance Corporal Namori had already started to accelerate as the si
gnal changed. He heard the warning a fraction of a second too late and the vehicle had already started to pull into the intersection. He seemed to realize that and Lucius saw him shift, as if he were trying to reverse their movement.

  The heavy truck struck the side of their vehicle at that instant. The front end of the car whipped around and Lance Namori disappeared into cocooning foam as the protective panels blew out in the front.

  The impact wasn't enough to do the same in the back of the vehicle and the seat restraints bit painfully into Lucius's shoulders as the vehicle spun away from the impact. Sergeant Timorsky fumbled with his weapon, which was tangled in his seat straps, even as he wiped blood out of his eyes from where his head had struck the car's frame. “Sir, we need to get out of here–”

  He broke off as he saw something, and Lucius looked over to see someone just outside his door. At first he thought it was someone trying to help, but a moment later the entire door shuddered and then ripped out of the frame.

  The Sergeant brought his weapon up, but Lucius heard a sharp crack and the sudden smell of ozone stung his nose. Someone had hit him with a stunner. Lucius reached for the Sergeant's pistol, but then the figure in the doorway shifted over and Lucius finally saw his attacker's face. “I don't believe this,” he said… and then his betrayer fired.

  ***

  Chapter VI

  Faraday Colony

  United Colonies

  February 7, 2404

  “Do we know any more?” Colonel Proscia asked.

  He thought he heard tears in Alicia Nix's voice, but he wasn't certain. “Not yet. I've interviewed your team, but both your men on the scene were incapacitated. I think we should have risked being noticed and had a full team with the Baron.”

  Colonel Proscia grimaced at that, because it had been his idea. “The Baron should have stayed in a secure location. I should have spoken up about it, but we were operating as if this was just the kidnapping. I think it's now likely that the conspirators are involved.”