Sector Eight (Perimeter Defense: Book #1)

by Michael Atamanov

  The fact that someone with all these talents was for some reason not authorized to work with upper aristocracy was of course surprising, but did nothing to stop me. Another thing was that her salary requirement wasn't as inflated as that of other beautiful girls with significantly more modest features. It wasn't that a high price would have stopped me. With the Prince's resources at my disposal, I'd have been able to buy Miss Universe, but her yearly salary was still surprisingly low. Just six thousand credits for someone with such an advanced degree. My new assistant was called Bionica Klein, and she could start in four days. What the hell, let's do it!

  * * *

  "He has been prepared for interrogation and presents no risk," said Popori de Cacha, stepping to the side.

  A beat-up, dark-haired man of about forty with a huge bruise on his cheek bone was sitting on a chair. His arms were tied behind his back, and his legs were tied to the metal legs of the chair. The patches on his jumper told me that he was the senior electrical technician from Algol Hulk.

  "Tell me your story," I proposed to the criminal. "I'll decide the severity of your punishment relative to the truthfulness of your words."

  And with that the technician opened up. It looked like he'd gotten caught up with some Green House spies three years earlier, and since then he'd been given the assignment to keep an eye on Orange House ship movements. He'd left spy bugs at stations and on ships, and informed on the location of Orange House aristocrats and their contacts. Around half a year earlier, he had been promoted, which brought him to Algol Hulk, where he continued working for the Green House. Almost the second he arrived, the captain called him and said that he was aware of his activities. Captain Crasav ton Lavaelle was himself the coordinator of the Green House spy network, and many of the crewmembers from that cruiser had either been blackmailed into spying or were even career spies working undercover for the Green House. On top of that, there were more spies on the other ships.

  "Tell me their names!" I demanded, and the technician told me eleven last names. I couldn't believe it. The second assistant to the captain and the chief communications officer from Algol Hulk, the captain of Pyro-8, the first assistant to the captain of Pyro-14, and a few security officers and technicians from the crew of Queen of Sin...

  "Arrest everyone on this list without exception!" I ordered the commander of the yacht's "golden" guard.

  The gloomy muscular goon in charge of the nearly one-hundred-strong detachment of elite warriors furrowed his brow in dissatisfaction:

  "My Prince, the only evidence you have is one technician's word. There are many respected officers on that list. I'm afraid a number of them will not like it. The blow back from this will be serious. It's entirely possible that the arrestee lied to save himself. Would it not be better to check with a Truth Seeker? It would take Miya only an instant to check if all this finger-pointing has any truth to it and determine if these people are guilty."

  At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. The security commander of my personal yacht dared question my orders? But still, I didn't stomp my feet or demand submission. It couldn't be that the Prince and the head of security had that kind of relationship, right? Maybe the Prince really did follow his subject’s sage advice? What was more, this Miya just kept coming up... You couldn't spit on this ship without hitting some trace of Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle’s strange companion. I was learning bit by bit just how important her role had been in the Crown Prince's world.

  "Miya will not be available for some time. She has gone on an important mission. So we'll have to get by without a Truth Seeker. And I may be no Miya, but I'm a mystic as well. There are some things I can do. Commence apprehending the suspects! Place each of them in a separate chamber, isolated from the others. I will be talking to each of the arrestees myself."

  By morning the fleet was abuzz like a battered bee hive. The number of arrested was rising at a frightening pace. While interrogating every traitor, I found it helpful to tell them that the Truth Seeker was listening in on our conversation. Every time I did this, the arrestee immediately stopped being stubborn and gave up all their associates. I even began to fear that this process would never end and that I would have to place the whole fleet under arrest. But the total number of conspirators never rose higher than thirty-six. I was told all known names.

  Two captains, four first assistants, many other officers... The list of traitors turned out to have been extensive. None of them were players, just NPC's, which wasn't very surprising. What real player would want to play such a vile and humiliating role for so many years? But even without living players, the problem looked very serious. What could we do with the traitors? Some of them were guiltier than others. Their levels of repentance and preparedness to aid the further investigation also varied. I wasn't ready for a trial yet, but I also couldn't draw the process out. I was informed that the crews of some of my ships were on the edge of revolt after the previous night's arrests and the subsequent lack of information that followed. I took another look at each detainee's record and discovered that they were all members of the Imperial Military Faction, so I decided on a change of plans.

  "Oorast Pohl, gather the fleet officers in the large hall in one hour, and arrange for the meeting to be broadcast live to all ships! What's got these people upset is a lack of information, so we'll do this as out-in-the-open as possible."

  An hour later, I went into the hall. The large size of the room notwithstanding, it wasn't able to fit everyone who wanted to attend. There were soldiers standing in the hallways and along the walls, as well as sitting on the stairs. When I arrived, silence took hold. All faces turned to me.

  "Dear officers! I've gathered you all here today for an exceptionally important reason. I've known for quite some time that there were a number of Green House agents among the upper officers on Algol Hulk. I knew about it but didn't think it was very important. In any case, the Green House is part of the Empire, just like our Orange House, or any other Great House. Maybe we aren't all friends, but still we are not enemies. The situation changed drastically when our fleet encountered the aliens and joined the war. Many of you probably noticed that Algol Hulk refused to obey orders and fled the battle. Thereafter, upon fleet warp, Algol Hulk yet again ignored a direct order and arrived much later than the rest of our ships. It was the only reason the cruiser did not take part in the battle with the pirates, though we were counting on them. That was the last drop. The cup of my patience has spilled over and the captain of Algol Hulk, Crasav ton Lavaelle, has been removed from ship command and dishonorably discharged from our fleet's ranks due to cowardice and repeatedly disobeying orders from the fleet commander."

  The hall began to come alive. It looked as if many of them really didn't know the story and naturally wanted to discuss it with their neighbors.

  "Captain Crasav ton Lavaelle’s dismissal had an unforeseen consequence. It revealed the long-festering ulcer of treason. The Green House spies, who had multiplied to unforeseen numbers in our fleet, have been deprived of their coordinator and have begun to act on fear and take risks, carrying out orders received earlier or acting in their understanding of their role. They've harmed us before in various ways, trying to lower the effectiveness of the fleet and, ideally, even destroy it. But now they've begun flat out killing Orange House soldiers and officers!"

  The audience whirred in indignation. Many shouts could be heard calling for the traitors to be punished harshly. I raised my hand, calling for quiet.

  "As you understand, the audacity of the Green House spies has crossed all conceivable boundaries. This is why the traitors have all been arrested and interrogated. This infection of treason was able to overrun the ships of our fleet. All told, thirty-six members of our crew were caught up in the enemy spy ring. So none of you worry that Orange House soldiers might be detaining innocent people; I'll be sure to let you hear the arrestees' confessions yourselves. And thus we come to the most important thing. Why I've brought you all here. As fleet c
ommander and Crown Prince of the Empire, I possess the full legal authority needed to convict the traitors myself. However, I noted that all the accused are Imperial soldiers. I value soldiers as a class very highly, and I admit that there may exist particular aspects of the military justice system that I may not be aware of. For this reason, in order to avoid making any mistakes, I consider it fair that all of you gathered here today judge the traitors in full accordance with the law as Imperial soldiers.”

  Standing change. Empire Military faction opinion of you has improved.

  Present Empire Military faction opinion of you: 0 (indifferent)

  Great news! I got some responsibility off my shoulders and let the Military know that I respect their traditions. I was finally able to crawl out of negative standing.

  Kiro Sabuto took the floor and let out an incomprehensible phrase:

  "34-11, what do you think here?"

  "I do not agree, admiral. 37-12A! This aspect also should be considered," objected Captain Oorast Pohl.

  "With all due respect to you, no!" came a destroyer captain, standing up from his seat. "The murder in no way took place during combat, which is why I think a totally different article of the Star Fleet Charter applies here..."

  "Wait up, guys," interjected another captain, having decided to express his point of view. "After the last battle, our commander did not give our fleet leave and did not allow the crews to exit their ships to Himora. So, as before, article 34-11 is still in effect here, but subparagraph C!"

  It seemed that the trial would be more drawn out than I expected, so I asked them to provide me the final decision of the military court in no less than fifteen hours. I then headed to my bedroom to sleep off the endless, crazy night.

  * * *

  I was awoken by the beep of an incoming message from the communications officer. My officers were generally not supposed to disturb me while sleeping unless it was for events that really were very important. If I had been woken up, it must have meant that something extraordinary had happened. I read through the short message, not coming to its meaning right away:

  The Head of the Blue House, Duke Malvik royl Stefan ton Miro, has resigned.

  So, why did they wake me up? What does this have to do with me? I'm not from the Blue House! But just then, Lika ran into the room, her hair wet after swimming in the pool. Without a pause, she jumped up onto my bed and shouted excitedly,

  "Dad, have you heard? That two-hundred-year-old fart finally admitted that it’s time to give someone else a turn on the Blue House throne! For my whole life, all I can remember Duke Malvik doing is getting sick, getting better, then getting sick again."

  In my two days in the game, I had managed to more or less familiarize myself with the most notable members of Imperial aristocracy, so I was able to confirm confidently:

  "Likanna, I am older than you, and my memories of the Duke are no more varied.”

  We both let out a chuckle, then Lika uttered a phrase that I didn't know how to react to:

  "Admit it, Dad. You made this happen, didn't you? Remember how you told me that with the help of a very strong Truth Seeker, it would be possible to make this happen, and many times you declared that Miya was one of the strongest Truth Seekers in the Universe. Plus, I heard that you sent your girlfriend out on an important mission. So it all came together!"

  I answered in the negative, which left her clearly upset. Lika got sad, hugged me around the knees and thoughtfully remarked:

  "These decrepit old aristocrats do like to take their time to make way for the next generation. This is the first time in my memory that the line of succession has moved from a dead stop. Ughh, too bad it wasn’t someone from the Orange House who resigned..."

  As Lika kept silent in thought, I quickly called up a hint and looked over the rules about the lines of succession to the Great Houses. I had already called that information up before, but it was on my first day in the game, and I barely remembered because I had more important things to deal with at the time. All I figured then was that the Imperial throne presented no threat to me, given that my position in the line of succession to the Imperial Throne was somewhere in the high fifties, and the first hundred in the "living line" hadn't moved for twenty years at least. I had to disenchant my daughter of her dream:

  "Lika, just think about it, though Duke Malvik has lived two hundred and eight years, he has only moved up to third in line to the Emperor's throne. So, Lika, there's no way the throne will shine its light on us for at least another two hundred years..."

  "You're not moving beyond number forty-eight, no, but I've got somewhere to go still from one hundred eleven... You're right though, you know. There's really no difference... But it is totally possible for me to become Queen of Fastel in like a hundred years and, as for you, there's not just the Imperial crown to think about, there's the Orange House crown too. Your brother and sister are just a tiny little bit older than you. It must hurt, doesn't it?"

  I smiled and let out a sigh.

  "Lika, it hurt when I was still a little kid, but I got used to it. Roben is four years older than me, and my twin sister, Violetta, was smart enough to be born first. But they're before me in the line of succession, so there's nothing to be done... Alright, seeing how you finally woke me up, let's have breakfast."

  While Bryle set the table, I got myself in order and inquired with the admiral if the soldiers had been able to reach a verdict.

  "All thirty-six of the Green House spies have been sentenced to death!" announced Admiral Kiro Sabuto. "The sentences will be carried out today at seven P.M., at the moment our fleet starts off for the Tesse system."

  Seems harsh, but... I thought I might limit the punishment to some of the crustiest old saboteurs. The ones who had brought the most harm to the Orange House. But executing them all en masse? The admiral then continued:

  "In accordance with ancient norms, your Highness, as representative of the Imperial family, has the right to exercise his will and pardon one of those sentenced."

  "Dad, can I pardon someone and exercise my will too?" begged Lika from behind me. "I'm a representative of the Imperial family too."

  "You can," I said, bringing the list of criminals and their personal records up on the screen on the wall.

  "Let that one go," Lika blurted out before she'd even had time to look at all the pictures. "He's got a cute face."

  I weighed the difficult choice for a long time. There were thirty five NPC's whose further existence in the game now exclusively depended on my whims! And I could only pardon one of them according to the law. If they were real people, I probably wouldn't have been able to make this choice. But there I sat at the dining-room table continuing to look over personal records, even though Lika had given me a suggestion. Finally, the hard choice was made. It would be the senior gunner from Algol Hulk. He was a jolly fellow. All the women loved him. At his young age, he was already a father of five from three different women, and they were all counting on him for support. He was forced to accept an offer from a Green House spy one month ago because he needed a little extra money to feed his kids.

  I told the admiral my decision and my daughter's. Kiro Sabuto also reminded me that there were almost four hundred pirates from the Payoff awaiting their fates. He recommended also allowing their cases to be heard by the military court, but I refused.

  "The Payoff, from the Brotherhood of the Stars, gave up practically without resistance. For this reason, I intend to release the rank-and-file right here at Himora. The station owners have been complaining of a severe labor shortage. They have several station development projects currently on hold due to a lack of manpower. Let it be a condition of their release that they sign a five-year contract with Himora. And then, who knows, maybe some of the former pirates will decide to settle down here. But as for the captain and his assistants as well as the other senior officers, I intend to keep them locked up in my ship for now. Who knows? Perhaps I'll be able to find out the coordinates of their beacon.
"

  I was already familiar with the story of the beacon in the Hnelle system. The Hnelle system, which had taken almost twenty years for our scouts to reach, turned out to be very convenient from a logistics standpoint. You could reach four star systems directly from its warp jump, which had previously been quite remote in the transportation network: Himora, Tesse, Forepost-11 and Tialla (the last one was my system, by the way). A warp beacon was built in the Hnelle system, which quickly spawned a space station and it snowballed from there. And when earth-type planets capable of supporting a full-fledged colony were discovered by scouts several years later and a bit deeper in space, the flow of shipping through Hnelle grew by hundreds of times, and with it the population of the station grew as well. And the station itself just kept growing. They set up shipyards for building ships of various classes, factories, laboratories, and space plantations. The inhabitants of the Hnelle system formed their own government independent of the Empire and called it the Brotherhood of the Stars. Then something happened that no one in the Empire expected. There was a military coup in Hnelle, and the new government turned the beacon off...

  A situation arose in which a series of Orange House star systems became cut off from the unified transportation network. It soon became apparent that the Brotherhood of the Stars had not turned the outpost all the way off and was using the situation to their advantage to organize pirate raids on the neighboring Orange House systems. The Brotherhood of the Stars' ships would turn up unexpectedly in Himora or Tialla, plunder and hijack passing peaceful ships or bombard the station, demanding a payoff. When an Orange House fleet would show up, the pirates would just warp immediately to the Hnelle beacon, which would light up for one second, then turn off to cover their tracks and avoid retribution. Sending a whole fleet of combat ships on the twenty-year flight to the Hnelle system and leaving our own defenses weakened for such a long period was, of course, something that no one wanted to do. The Empire had more important things to do than deal with the presumptuous pirates, so combat ships had to always stay in those areas for defense. Adding to that, combat ships weren't made for such long flights. Only scout ships were built for the purpose of being able to travel autonomously through space for many years or even decades.