Sector Eight (Perimeter Defense: Book #1)
Page 16
He wormed his way out of it, the pest! For some reason, the Emperor took his servant’s word that the mistake was just a coincidence and paid no more attention to the minor episode. He asked Rahim to call the other attendees in from their separate chambers for the meeting. The secretary took a weighty silver bell from the table and gave it a few shakes. A clean, crystal sound rang out, serving as a signal. Several doors opened, and all kinds of different people began entering the room. Three were in orange garb – the ancient Duke Paolo royl Anjer; leading him by the hand was my sister, the Crown Princess Violetta; and also Marat, who I'd seen earlier.
There was one more person in green than in orange. The first to come out, the head of the Green House, Duke Kevin royl Olefir ton Lavaelle, was quite a lively geezer for all his two hundred ten years. Count Amelius royl Mast ton Lavaelle came next. He was the great uncle of Captain Crasav, who I'd banished from my fleet. Then came the two inseparable twins, Rigo and Keno, who were as alike as two peas in a pod. By the way, they were both my first cousins on my mother's side. The Green House delegation was filled out by a tall, pretty girl with chestnut hair. I didn't recognize her, so I quickly read the popup:
Katerina ton Mesfelle, speaker of the Green House
Age: 28
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Relation to you: Your second cousin
Class: Aristocrat
Achievements: Master of Rhetoric
Fame: +2
Standing: +7
Presumed opinion of you: Unknown
Other than the members of the two Great Houses, also in the hall there were: Space Marshal Abram Kovel, from the Imperial Star Fleet, and an elderly woman in dark, long clothing, whose face was obscured by a hood that was down over her eyes.
I read about the space marshal – he was a worthy soldier, a good strategist and had participated in a great deal of military conflicts. Abram Kovel was a supporter of the concept of the decisive battle: trying to pin down the enemy with the huge, unified Imperial Fleet and, all at once, crush them. I was aware that the space marshal had tried several times to change the law on reassignment of Great House forces, so that they would be subordinate directly to the Imperial Joint Staff, but each time he met with very strong resistance from the aristocracy.
But I was much more interested in the old lady. The Dark Mother was the strongest Truth Seeker in the Universe, after all. Nevertheless, I wasn't able to get any additional information about her. Don't tell me such a high role is played by an NPC?! On the other hand... That's probably how it should be in a balanced game. You can't give a real player such great opportunities as the most powerful Truth Seeker in the game would have. Just imagine the potential consequences.
The attendees took their seats around the table – the orange ones to the right, and the green ones to the left. The others took the seats closest to the Emperor.
"So, let's begin," my second cousin stood up and announced the criminal charges she'd memorized in a well formulated tone. "The Green House accuses Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, present here today, of negligence in his duties as the Sector Eight Fleet Commander. The fleet completely lost its combat strength in a fight with just one small alien ship. At present, all that remains of the fleet are two light cruisers, one of which doesn't even have an experienced captain, as well as a few dozen support ships."
My accuser paused, giving the Emperor the chance to take a note on the screen of the computer lying before him. Finally, August royl Toll raised his head and with a motion of his palm, indicated that she could continue.
"Second, with his exceptionally incompetent command, Crown Prince Georg has spooked off our historically staunch allies in Sector Eight, the Kingdom of Fastel. The Kingdom of Fastel's fleet has separated from ours and has refused to participate in further joint operations with the Orange House fleet. Beyond that, the commander neglected his direct duties and allowed Iseyek military ships to make an incursion into Imperial territory unpunished."
"That really is quite serious," proclaimed the Emperor, taking another set of notes.
Katerina ton Mesfelle waited once again until the Emperor had finished writing, and continued:
"Our third accusation: the Crown Prince was unjustly harsh in suppressing the dissatisfaction of his fleet’s captains and officers, which was brought about by his own incompetent leadership. Cruiser Captain Crasav ton Lavaelle was sent back to the Empire in a humiliating way on a dirty freight ship, while the thirty-four other fleet officers were executed. And at last, our fourth and final accusation: the fleet commander has blemished his standing with links to suspicious characters, the attempted assassination of his own brother Roben's heir, and finally with his choice of an old android as a girlfriend and sex toy, which has become the focus of gossip everywhere outside alien territory. And with that the Green House rests."
When my second cousin had finally taken her seat, the Emperor sat in silence for a bit, then declared, addressing me:
"These accusations are truly very serious, Georg. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
I stood up and, looking at Katerina, said mockingly:
"I have yet to hear one word of truth come from my second cousin's mouth. Because of that, I've actually been left a bit confused – I can't seriously be expected to refute such artless lies, can I? Either my second cousin wasn't paying attention in her rhetoric courses, or the Green House has no real accusations against me."
"Come now, Georg, go a bit easier. There's no need for insults," interjected the Emperor, obviously dissatisfied. "What have you got on this case? Any facts to back up your assertions?"
"Of course," I smiled. "So, point by point. In regards to what my second cousin said about the strength of the Sector Eight Fleet: 'two light cruisers, and a couple of little ships,' is that right?"
Katerina nodded slowly, staring at me with an expressionless gaze.
"So, here are the facts: At present, the Sector Eight Fleet has fourteen cruisers, of which eight are heavy class..."
"That's a flagrant lie!" exploded the head of the Green House, no longer able to hold himself back and jumping up from his seat.
I turned to the old woman and, with a slight bow, asked her to come closer:
"I ask the Truth Seeker to check my words. At present, my fleet is composed of one Flamberg heavy assault cruiser, three of the newest model Katana heavy assault cruisers, four Legash heavy cruisers, and six light electronic warfare cruisers."
"He speaks the pure truth, Emperor," said the old lady in a trembling voice.
"Thus, I consider the first accusation against me a flagrant lie," I snorted, as I bowed mockingly to the head of the Green House. "The Sector Eight Fleet is stronger now than it's ever been. What were the other accusations? That the Empire supposedly has been left without allies in Sector Eight, and that Iseyek ships had made an incursion there? Let's define our terms here, so I'm clear which of these mutually exclusive accusations I am to answer to – what is it? Are we without allies or have the Iseyek come? In actuality, it is the Iseyek who have become our allies and given us their ships at no expense, as well as allowed the Imperial fleet passage through Swarm territory for the first time in a century."
The "jury" buzzed. It seemed they were not aware of these details. I made a serious face and added:
"Yes, I really did have to face a difficult choice – three Kingdom of Fastel cruisers that would never become part of our fleet and would continue to act of their own accord, or nine Iseyek cruisers under full Imperial control. I chose the second option and made some of the most loyal allies you’re liable to find. Yes, my choice did upset my wife, Princess Marta, but it's plain to see that a complete break in the alliance has not been made. The Kingdom of Fastel is still as loyal to the Empire as ever and is still guarding its part of Sector Eight. So, the Empire hasn't lost a thing, and instead has acquired new allies and their fleet. And if anyone remains in doubt, I'll say one word: 'Uukresh.'”
"Uukresh is the name of the insect mother ship. It's their strongest ship. What are they doing, giving us one?"
"They've already given us one. As we speak, that huge carrier is on its way to the Tesse system for repair under the guard of my ships. That giant will become the pearl of the Sector Eight Fleet."
"Why don't we get that information checked, just to be sure," suggested Katerina. "It sounds so good it hurts. Too good to be the truth."
I gave my hand to the Truth Seeker again, and the old lady said:
"That is also the truth, my Emperor. The huge Swarm ship now belongs to Prince Georg."
The attendees began making a din. It was very positive news. The head of the Orange House gave me a gesture of approval, saying I'd done a good job! I then continued:
"So, I suppose that the falsity of the second accusation has also been proven. Let's move on to the third. Regarding Crasav ton Lavaelle... What do we really know about the captain? Dark Mother, stay close, please. I'll need your help again soon. So, I'll say this as frankly as possible: I still don't know if Crasav ton Lavaelle is truly capable of commanding a cruiser!"
"What drivel is this? My grandson was captain of Algol Hulk for a long time!" exclaimed the Duke, deeply offended in his finer feelings.
I reached for the hand of the Truth Seeker and started speaking, choosing my words carefully:
"In all my time having command over Algol Hulk, it was almost never Captain Crasav ton Lavaelle commanding the ship, but his first assistant. And of what the captain himself did: he was written up twice by Admiral Kiro Sabuto for ignoring orders. The admiral advised me to fire Crasav ton Lavaelle twice due to his being unsuited to command the cruiser, but for a long time I refused – he is a member of the respected Lavaelle family after all, the great-grandson of the Duke, and all that. But then, Crasav ton Lavaelle displayed cowardice in battle with the alien ship and fled, taking his cruiser out of the battle. Then, after receiving a direct, explicit order from the fleet commander to make the warp jump to Himora, he instead decided to sit down for a meal. This resulted in Crasav ton Lavaelle also not taking part in the battle with the pirates in the Himora system. That was the drop that caused the cup of my patience to run over. I couldn't stop myself, so I discharged Crasav ton Lavaelle. Why do I need a coward as a captain? He's afraid to fight, he disobeys orders, and all he does do is try to enlist my officers in his spy ring, turning them against the Empire and the Orange House! Of course, according to all military laws, he should have been sentenced the same as the other traitors, but he's still a member of the honorable Lavaelle family after all..."
"Dark Mother, what is your verdict? Is the Prince speaking the truth?" wondered August.
"Yes, my Emperor. All the Prince's words are truthful, with the exception of 'honorable Lavaelle family.' In reality, he harbors a slight disrespect for that family."
Some poorly restrained giggles could be heard, and Duke Paolo royl Anjer completely lost his composure, beginning to whinny like a mare. I even noticed a smile flash quickly across the Emperor's face. I could have ended there in regards to the third accusation, but I preferred not to quit while I was ahead:
"I suggest we speak a bit more on Crasav ton Lavaelle and his agents in my fleet. As I've already stated, I still am not sure that captain is capable of commanding a cruiser. But I am sure of something else: he lied flagrantly to his commander, and he ascribed his sins and faults to his crewmembers to shelter himself. Also, in his latest bout of deceit, he didn't even pay the captain of the ship that brought him to the Empire – he promised to pay, but still he fled without having done so!"
Here the Duke was forced to blush for his great-grandson, who everyone in the room had begun shooting reproachful glances. The Duke muttered something about how he'd be paying all of Crasav ton Lavaelle's debts personally that very day. I made a harsh face, stretched out my palm to the Dark Mother, and said:
"The spies and saboteurs implanted in my crew by Crasav ton Lavaelle went completely off tether after the captain's disappearance and proceeded to murder those loyal to me. Ladies and gentlemen, I think you'll agree that such behavior violates all possible bounds of proper conduct, even for spies embedded in an openly hostile state. The spies were uncovered in a surgical operation, but I did not think it my right to decide their fates, so I allowed the military court to handle it. The criminals were executed in full accordance with article 34-11, subparagraph C of the Star Fleet Charter."
The Dark Mother reaffirmed my words. The others present remained silent, somewhat shocked at what they'd heard. I went on to the last accusation.
"So, about my standing. This 'shadowy figure,' if I'm understanding Katerina correctly, is the Truth Seeker Miya. Or am I wrong, and the Green House had someone else in mind?"
"No, cousin," said Katerina, clearly mocking me. "You've understood perfectly. The whole Empire gossips about the details of the longstanding excessive intimacy between the Crown Prince of the Empire and the Truth Seeker of such questionable standing."
"If that's true, then they know more than I do!" I chuckled. "To begin, dear cousin, read the details on the pharmacological effects of crystalloquasimetal-cis-isomer valiarimic acid, which Miya and I have taken, as mystics. I think, after that, a lot of the fantastic stories about myself and Miya will seem quite silly. The facts are as follows: Miya is one of the strongest Truth Seekers in existence. I myself do not know the limits of her abilities. Not long ago, she sensed a danger and went into hiding. It's possible that she foresaw this very conversation about her and preferred not to bother high society with her presence, and instead disappeared temporarily. Where Miya is now, I do not know. To be more precise, I have some guesses, but I am not prepared to share them, as she is very dear to me, and I don't want her being bothered. I was merely told through an intermediary that it was pointless to seek out Miya and that she would be coming back on her own in half a year."
"Half a year?" asked the Dark Mother, to confirm. "It's very curious that such a powerful Truth Seeker could be frightened off. Unless..." the old lady did not finish her thought, instead turning to the Emperor and quietly saying: "We'll discuss this issue later one-on-one after the meeting."
"Yes, I consider this matter settled. But what about that accusation about Roben's child?"
"The accusation was false. Georg and Miya's innocence was proven by another Truth Seeker. I have already been informed," said the Dark Mother.
Everyone remained in silence for some time, so I had to continue myself:
"So then, the only accusation against me that remains is the android I purchased?" I sniggered happily, adding:
"Is it not surprising to you that my purchasing a simple secretary and translator is being judged at such a high level? The Emperor, two Dukes, a Count, a Crown Princess, a space marshal, two fleet commanders... It's scary to think what could have happened had I acquired a cleaning robot or a robot dance instructor, instead of a translator. Would it have been necessary to convene the large council of all Imperial allies?"
"Yeah, it is a bit absurd," agreed the space marshal. "My Emperor, if that is all, then I suppose I'll be on my way. I have a great deal of matters to attend to more important than investigating the purchase of servant robots..."
Keno ton Lavaelle shot up from his seat and shouted:
"Georg did not buy a simple android, but a model for sexual gratification! What's more, it's not a new one but an old one, used many times over, stinking and vile!"
I suspect that my cousin's nerves gave out seeing all the accusations against me melt away. But making this personal was a bad choice on his part. He of all people should have known not to do that. I also stood up and angrily said:
"Look who's talking about stink! That android is much cleaner than you! Even from here I can smell the piss on your clothes!"
That was, of course, a blow below the belt. All c
lose relatives knew that Keno had suffered from bedwetting as a child and that he was treated and operated on for a long time (this information was even included in his character notes, which is how I had come to know it). There were rumors that even now, if strongly upset, this forty-year-old man would involuntarily urinate in his pants. I, of course, had acted nastily by touching on such a delicate topic, however he started it.
"That is untrue!" shouted Keno.
"Dark Mother!" I demanded, stretching out my hand.
Everyone in the hall froze. If the Truth Seeker confirms these words... it would be the end of Keno ton Lavaelle's standing. Just imagine if this medical information, such a delicate topic for him, were to be officially confirmed. However, that time the old lady was in no hurry and turned to the Emperor.
"Keno ton Lavaelle, leave the hall and get your nasty clothes in order," said August, obviously having decided that that was the best way to avoid a quarrel and, if I really happened to be right, give Keno the chance to avoid bad publicity.
My cousin's cheeks were aglow from shame and anger; however, he stood up quietly and left. And I, it seemed, had made a mortal enemy for life.
"Let me explain my actions in any case, but without unnecessary emotions," I said calmly. "Half the ships in my fleet are Iseyek, and none of my people understand their language. I needed a translator very badly, and whether that was a human or a robot was of secondary importance. Now I'm even glad that I chose an android. As far as I know from the information in the guides, the Beta Iseyeks have strong psionic powers. I really would not like it to be possible for the insects to read the thoughts of a living translator like an open book."
"And your own thoughts, Georg?" wondered my sister, Violetta. "When Miya was with you, you were protected. But now?"
"Yes, you must find another Truth Seeker," said the Emperor, who then suddenly wondered. "And, by the way, can a strong psionic read an android's thoughts?"
The Dark Mother shrugged her shoulders.