Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga)

by Terry Mixon

  She focused her attention on Jared. “I don’t think he’s capable of that, but if you want to look at it, well, that shouldn’t hurt anything. It’s not like you have a relationship to sour.”

  “The two of us do have a relationship. A very bad one. In any case, I’m more concerned about us.”

  Kelsey sighed. “Jared, I don’t think any less of you for suspecting Ethan. I’m just saying not to bet the ranch on him being your sinister mastermind. What do you want to do first?”

  “I think we need to speak with your father.”

  “With our father, you mean. Like it or not, he’s one of the links that binds us.”

  “You grew up with him as a father. I didn’t. Frankly, I don’t know that I’ll ever feel comfortable around him. But, for your sake, I’ll try.”

  She smiled. “That’s all anyone could ask. Well, let’s get this over with. The search is widening and someone will ping Talbot’s recovery beacon before long. Once that happens, I’ll need to be free to rain hellfire and damnation down on some deserving souls.”

  Kelsey sent a message to the pilot to head for the Palace. Someone would wake her father. If he wasn’t awake already.

  Jared rubbed his leg thoughtfully. “Speaking of hellfire and damnation, Carl destroyed his apartment building. Part of it, anyway. Planetary Security wants details he and Major Ellis aren’t willing to divulge.”

  “Jesus,” she said. “How many people did these bastards attack? Was anyone hurt?”

  “The collateral damage was limited to structures, bad guys, and Major Ellis. She’s going to be fine. There’s a rumor a superhero is on the loose, though.” He told her what he knew of the incident.

  She shook her head. “That hammer is a little too dangerous for him, I think. He’s trashed pretty much everything he’s thrown it at.”

  “But you think it’s awesome. Admit it.”

  “Kind of. At least I think I might be a tad more precise in how it’s used. In any case, it saved their lives tonight, so that’s a win. What did the mastermind want with him?”

  Jared shrugged. “Perhaps he was simply the one who looked easiest to grab. Big mistake on someone’s part. With that hammer, he was probably the most dangerous.

  “I don’t think that device belongs in too many hands. The technology, sure, but not all rolled together. A shield for combat use. A larger scale weapon for vehicles. Even flying marine armor. Just not all in one package.”

  She nodded. “I’ll take possession of it as soon as practical. Angela will howl, but you’re right. That’s too much for one person. I’ll lock it away from general use, too. It would be far too easy to use it as a crutch.”

  “That might be for the best.”

  The pinnace came in for a landing at the Palace. She unstrapped herself and rose to her feet. “Come on. It’s time for you to make your pitch. I don’t expect Father will be easy to convince.”

  * * * * *

  Elise stepped off the pinnace onto Orbital One. Surprisingly, there hadn’t been any trouble for her. The security response on Avalon had been ridiculous. Guards everywhere and armed craft circling the Imperial Senate.

  She’d found out just before docking that Jared had gone to Avalon. As frustrating as that was, she’d have to accept he was okay until they caught up with one another.

  Her welcome party consisted of Reginald Bell and William Hawthorne. And a significant number of Fleet security officers.

  “Surely we’re not in danger here,” she said.

  “I’d wager Admiral Mertz thought the same thing,” William said. “Yet someone tried to kill him in his quarters. Still, I doubt we’re targets in this unpleasantness.”

  “Agreed,” Bell said. “I’ll still avail myself of the offered protection. It’s been quite a long day, but I find myself wide-awake. Shall we adjourn somewhere for a snack? I have something I’d like to discuss with you, Highness.”

  She nodded. “I’ve eaten, but some tea would be most welcome.”

  The three of them relocated to a restaurant with a fabulous view of Avalon. The snowcapped peaks were particularly stunning.

  The security team made sure no one else was in their section. She smiled apologetically at those displaced.

  Bell waited until they’d all ordered to speak on anything of substance. “I don’t know how your situation was received, but I ran into a hitch. They claim that I have no authority to negotiate with Pentagar. Even with Princess Kelsey’s blessing.”

  Elise nodded. “I ran into a somewhat similar situation. I spoke with Senator Breckenridge. Yes, the ass’s uncle. It seems the Imperial Charter doesn’t recognize that a world might be separated from the Empire for any reason. So, the treaty Kelsey and I negotiated is being fought over in the senate.”

  “And this elder Breckenridge stands against us,” William said. “That’s not surprising, I suppose. My situation is similarly impacted. While we recognize the authority of the Imperial Throne, the negotiations to keep our local rule in place are on shakier ground. The government must be reviewed, they claim.”

  She sipped her tea. It was surprisingly good.

  “Actually, I’m not certain that Senator Breckenridge will be our enemy in this matter. He seems willing to deal. The price for his help is irksome, but reasonable. He wants my best effort to convince Kelsey and the emperor not to pursue charges of treason against Wallace Breckenridge. Though the man’s escape may confound all our plans.”

  William nodded judiciously. “His link to the attackers might make that very difficult. Though, based on his record, the jailbreak portion of the mission went off entirely too smoothly.”

  There was a core of truth to that. Breckenridge wasn’t the universe’s most competent villain.

  “I’m sure that problem will solve itself. Other than Talbot, the enemy’s plans have gone badly astray. Now that people are looking into it, I hope the conspiracy will unravel quickly.”

  Bell focused his attention on her. “Which brings me to the matter I’d like to discuss. Someone seems to have decided it was a good idea to promote me and award me back pay. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

  She put on a blandly interested expression. “Did they, now? I’m sure you earned all that and more. Congratulations.”

  “I notice you didn’t deny the charge, so I’ll take that as a tacit admission of guilt.”

  He sighed. “I was quite happy being an ensign. Now, I’m officially a retired admiral with half a millennium of service. You wouldn’t believe how much money that is. Even with the several hundred years the bean counters are disputing because I was in stasis.”

  “Accountants are so predictable.” William’s expression brightened. “So, you’ll pick up the tab? Perhaps I’ll splurge on a good brandy after all.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Emperor Karl rose to his feet when Jared and Kelsey stepped inside his office. He waved the Imperial Guardsmen out. “Jared, I’m so pleased to see that you’re well.”

  “It was a close thing,” Jared admitted. “Under other circumstances, I might have let the killers in. You’ve heard about Breckenridge escaping, I presume.”

  The emperor nodded as he sat. “From the most secure facility we have. It’s maddening. He has friends willing to kill to get him out. They found the bodies of some men assigned to Orbital One stuffed into a crate at the spaceport a little while ago. That’s in addition to the men and women guarding the brig.

  “We recovered the cutter, but they sprayed it down with something that destroys DNA. It’s like a bad conspiracy movie. One where I’m the dunce in charge that never saw it coming.”

  Kelsey rose from the seat she’d taken and put her hand on her father’s shoulder. “Why should you expect the worst from people?”

  “True,” Jared said. “You didn’t have your crew mutiny and lock you in the kitchen.”

  Karl gave him a sad smile. “Yes, but you had no reason to expect the betrayal. I should’ve seen this
coming.”

  “Through what? Psychic powers? Your Majesty, no one expected this. I have a theory about the people behind the attack on me.”

  The emperor straightened. “A lead would be most useful right now.”

  “You won’t like it,” Jared warned. “I know there are a lot of reports to go over, but have you read the one on Carlo Vega’s death?”

  “I skimmed it. It’s troubling. Who disliked him enough to kill him?”

  “No one, I expect. I’ll bet everything I own that I was the target.”

  Karl Bandar’s eyes widened. “You? Who would want to kill you and how did they get Carlo Vega by mistake? Better yet, why didn’t you lock them up?”

  He gave the man a grumpy smile. “Because I have no authority over the person I suspect is behind it. I’m morally certain the candies that came from the Palace for me had one that was poisoned. I gave them to Vega, never suspecting anyone would do that. That’s why there was no poison left to find.”

  “Candies? I didn’t send any candies.” The emperor licked his lips. “You think Ethan did it.”

  Jared nodded. “He openly threatened me when I was leaving before the expedition. I’m sure there’s no record of the conversation, but he made it plain he was going to eliminate me as a threat to the Throne once and for all.”

  “God, I hope you’re wrong, but Ethan was so pleased after you left. I thought it was just because you were finally out of his hair, but it makes a terrible kind of sense now.”

  Kelsey looked aghast. “Father! You can’t possibly believe Ethan is behind this.”

  “Believe is too strong a word,” her father said. “Fear might be more accurate. He hasn’t been his usual self since your expedition returned. He’s spoken pretty strongly against trusting any of you. He doesn’t trust your implants.”

  “The implants,” Jared said. “That’s it. He took Talbot to examine the implants. And I think he tried to get Carl Owlet because he thought he might be able to explain everything.”

  “What about Breckenridge?” Kelsey asked. “Why rescue him?”

  “An ‘unbiased’ witness? I have no idea. Killing me is the least surprising thing about his plan.”

  She shook her head. “This is pure speculation. We know Breckenridge has an uncle in the Senate. Perhaps he’s behind this.”

  Her father sagged a little more in his chair. “Nathaniel has never been the easiest man to work with, but he’s no traitor.”

  “Someone is behind this,” Jared said. “If it’s not Ethan, then we need to eliminate him as a suspect so we can focus on the real threat.”

  “He’s out at the mountain retreat. I banished him there until he could get his temper under control. He’s got men I trust watching him closely.”

  “Unless you’ve got his communications under that same microscope, that doesn’t really mean anything.”

  Kelsey frowned. “Father, are you okay? You look almost grey.”

  The emperor clutched his chest. “I can’t breathe.” He fell out of his chair with a gasp before either of them could reach him.

  * * * * *

  Ethan looked up from the tablet he was reading when the head of the Guard detail opened his door.

  “My lord, you need to come with me.”

  He frowned at the man. “What’s going on?”

  “Your father has fallen ill. We need to get you back to the Palace at once.”

  Even though he’d known this was coming, it was still like a blow to the stomach.

  “What happened? Is he okay?”

  Ethan tossed the tablet onto the desk and followed the man out.

  “He’s unresponsive, Highness. They have him in the medical center and his personal physician is there. I don’t have any more information on his condition. Your sister and Admiral Mertz were with him when he collapsed.”

  The smile that news almost sparked was hard to suppress. Perfect.

  It was a shame the old man had forced Ethan to kill him, but it was necessary. Those nanites would extend his father’s life to undreamed of lengths.

  Ethan wasn’t going to wait that long to sit on the Imperial Throne. Instead, he’d be the one who ruled for lifetimes. He’d be the one the people called “The Great.”

  And he certainly wasn’t going to deal with centuries of fending off the Bastard. Mertz would continue trying to steal the Throne and he only had to succeed once. Ethan meant to see that threat eliminated before the man could make his next attempt.

  * * * * *

  Carl and Angela were just arriving back on Invincible when their plans took a drastic turn. They’d barely gotten off the pinnace when Doctor Stone was pushing them toward the next one in line. “This way. We’re going back down.”

  He went where she told him. It only took her a few moments to get them into the second pinnace and it undocked.

  “What’s going on?” Angela demanded.

  “The emperor is ill, and if what I suspect is true, we’re in big trouble.” Stone flopped into a seat and set her bag down beside her. “The admiral thinks it was the same poison that killed Carlo Vega.”

  “Oh, shit,” Carl said. “But you have an antidote. Right?”

  “No. The poison had broken down by the time I examined him. I might be able to slow things down, though. I have an analyzer in my bag. I’ll send Marcus what we find and pray he can help. But there’s a complication.”

  “That doesn’t sound at all promising,” Angela said as she sat down and strapped in. “Cinch up tight. They’re doing a combat drop and the grav drives might not be able to damp all the maneuvers. That means you, Carl.”

  He was pretty sure that was the first time she’d ever used his given name. Still, he promptly did as she ordered. He didn’t want to be squashed like a bug.

  “If this is the same poison,” Stone continued, “that means it’s the same assassin. The admiral was concerned it might be his half-brother.”

  “As in the heir to the Throne?” Carl asked. “That’s awkward. With the emperor out of play, there’s no telling what he might try.”

  “Which is why I think you need to take this pinnace and vanish for the moment. You know, as kind of a mobile reserve.”

  “You want us to hide out in case someone needs rescue?” Angela asked. “Like the admiral or the princess.”

  “Exactly,” the doctor confirmed. “I realize I can’t order you to do any such silly thing, so I ran my plan past Marcus. He’s endorsed it. Major, if you’ll take a moment to call him and confirm.”

  Angela’s eyes went unfocused for a few moments and then she nodded. “The captain has verified your orders, ma’am. That’s good enough for me.”

  “Excellent. Once we land at the Palace, I want you and this pinnace to disappear.”

  “Pinnaces can be hard to locate, but this is the capital. They’ll have us on their plates wherever we go.”

  The doctor grinned. “Not so you’d notice. This is one of the pinnaces from Persephone. It does stealth better than anything the New Terran Empire has ever seen. Just head back up and fade from the scanners once you exit the atmosphere. If you’re between the orbital and planetary control zones, they’ll probably miss you.”

  “That’s pretty damned clever,” Angela admitted. “Are you always this sneaky, Doctor? If so, why are you not in my poker circle?”

  “I have my moments, but this is Marcus’s idea. It’s freaking brilliant. He took the liberty of loading you up with a full set of powered armor and weapons. Once you settle down, you can monitor everything via a dedicated tight beam to Persephone.

  “They’re moving out of orbit with Admiral Yeats’s blessing. He’s not briefed on the plan, but he didn’t ask any awkward questions. She’s headed out toward the new flip point. She’ll engage stealth and slip back into orbit. So long as someone doesn’t physically see her, she’ll be good.”

  Angela shook her head. “You’re telling me we can’t even detect a ship like her in orbit? That’s insane.”

&n
bsp; Stone shrugged. “That may change once we upgrade the scanners to Old Empire standards. For now, count your blessings.”

  Carl cleared his throat. “And once we’re all stashed away, what then? What are you expecting to happen?”

  “Worst case,” the medical officer said, “the heir will assume the powers of the Throne and lock the admiral up. Kelsey is almost certainly safe from retaliation for now. She’ll stay with her father and work to make sure I have the access I need.”

  “So, we break the admiral out?”

  Stone shook her head. “No. Just wait for orders. Odds are you won’t have to do anything. Only if we need heavy firepower on a moment’s notice. Perhaps for rescuing Major Talbot. You’re not going to have to make this up as you go. Just take a deep breath and relax.”

  The pinnace decelerated and Carl was grateful he’d strapped in. That was the most intense landing he’d ever experienced.

  As soon as the ramp lowered, Doctor Stone went charging down. “Good luck!”

  The pilot closed the ramp and the pinnace took off again very quickly. He imagined Palace security wasn’t happy having an armed marine pinnace inside its defenses.

  He turned to Angela. “Do you think it will be that easy?”

  She laughed. “Nothing involving you ever goes the way I imagine.”

  His stomach sank. She was right about their luck. Things were probably going to go straight down the toilet.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kelsey stood beside her father’s bed, her mind filled with terror. He had to make it. She couldn’t imagine life without him. Jared stood silently by her side.

  Lily Stone was working with her father’s personal physician to isolate the toxin. The man wasn’t ready to say it was poison, but he wasn’t hindering Stone while she ran tests.

  “I found it,” Lily said. “It’s in his stomach, as expected. I’m getting a sample for the analyzer now.”

  “Can you reverse it?” Kelsey asked.