The overjoyed roar on the fleet channel was so long and enthusiastic that I even had to take off my headphones. But that didn't make it any better. The exact same noisiness and screaming was going in the hall, and I practically went deaf.
Standing change. Empire Military faction opinion of you has improved.
Presumed faction opinion of you: +6 (warm)
Standing change. Iseyek race opinion of you has improved.
Alpha Iseyek race opinion of you: +8 (warm)
Gamma Iseyek race opinion of you: +5 (indifferent)
Standing change. Chameleon race opinion of you has improved.
Chameleon race opinion of you: +6 (warm)
"Admiral Kiro Sabuto, report..." I wanted to demand an official record of the battle but cut myself off mid-sentence.
Florianna was writhing in very strong convulsions on the floor. The little girl was arching her back one moment, then curling up in the fetal position the next. What's going on with her? An epileptic seizure? That was the first thing that came to mind.
"Get a doctor immediately!" Scared shouts rang out, but the girl moaned out through her gritted teeth:
"I don't need a doctor... This... is totally different... I got carried away, not taking my strength into account... Agh!"
"I could be wrong, but to me that looked like a super strong orgasm," said Valian ton Corsa with surprise, looking down over the child.
"Probably," agreed Flora, trying to stand, but then falling to the floor again. "It's passing now... I beg your forgiveness for causing alarm. It's just that it was really hard to digest such a powerful flow of wild adoration and joy. My knees are still shaking..."
"Phobos, take the Truth Seeker away to my cabin and lay her on the couch. Let the girl get some rest and come back to her senses. Admiral, report on the results of the battle."
Kiro Sabuto called up a table on the wall and, using a laser pointer, he commented on the individual lines:
"We lost six frigates. Two in the initial phase of the battle, Tusk-4 and Tusk-11; then another four during the active phase, Tusk-7, Tusk-10, Safa-1, and Pyro-12 when the enemy destroyers got into attack range. The light cruiser Umoyge-1 was damaged. When its shields ran down, it fled the battle and warped out. The enemy lost seventy-two ships of various classes. Twenty-nine starships have been captured: all six Katana heavy assault cruisers, in full working order, four Thrush light cruisers, four Flycatcher destroyers, and fifteen Warhawk frigates. In my opinion, it was a great trade-off. We lost six frigates, and in return we got ten cruisers, four destroyers, and fifteen frigates."
I shook my head. We should have suggested the enemy surrender a bit earlier. Then we could have avoided unnecessary victims and saved more ships for the fleet. But ok, if it happened, it happened.
"So, all ships, come to the station to recharge. We've got another enemy to take care of in Himora. Captured starships are also to dock for charging. Their captains and senior officers are to be brought to me. Crown Prince Peres royl Paolo ton Mesfelle is also to be brought, but observe all privileges appropriate to his title.”
Global fame increase. Current value +10
Global standing decrease. Current value -20
Global standing decrease. Current value -21
Well then, it looks like my enemies heard about the results of the battle... To be honest, I was expecting much worse. Clearly, the information about the warp beacons being turned off had not yet reached them or at least hadn’t yet been connected with Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky.
* * *
I received the Crown Prince in the large hall of the heavy assault cruiser, Emperor August. First, the name of the ship went well with creating an official atmosphere. Second, there were no rooms on my Joan the Fatty big enough for this kind of thing. The hall was lined with armed Beta Iseyek soldiers, standing like terrifying, silent statues painted in the colors of the Orange House. The chameleon bodyguards showed themselves to their high-placed guest for just a moment before camouflaging themselves again. Two rows of human soldiers, between which Prince Peres walked, were frozen at attention.
I met my relative in my severe, dark blue Sector Eight Fleet Commander's uniform with just one medal pinned to it – the Silver Brooch with the number five inside a four-pointed star. Next to me were my fleet's two admirals and three beautiful women: Katerina ton Mesfelle as my advisor, Princess Astra as my favorite, and Bionica as my translator. My forced guest gave a dignified bow, looked around and wondered:
"I don't get it Georg. Who are you really? Are you the drunk who has his fun with women of questionable virtue or who you are now?"
"I'm both at once," I chuckled back. "I can be flippant and silly but, if need be, I set all joking and eccentricity aside."
Peres royl Paolo spent some time in silence, then began speaking, retaining his dignity and appearance of tranquility.
"I've heard rumors that you're a good fleet commander, Georg. But I, I'll admit, couldn't believe them... Alright, let’s be done with these empty words. I want to understand my status and what you are going to do with me. I warn you first: my father will not be paying any ransom for me if you're thinking about horse trading. I personally have no problem refusing my rights to the Sigur star system. Nessi is quite enough for me, and I have no use for an empty, remote system."
"To be honest, Peres, your agreeing to it is neither here nor there to me. You have no rights to Sigur whatsoever, so there's nothing for you to refuse. I want you to give an official order to all ships remaining in Himora. They must voluntarily join my fleet without resistance. As soon as you sign such an order, you can be free as a bird."
In reply, Peres royl Anjer burst into a malicious laugh:
"Is that all? You don't want anything else? You wouldn't like the Nessi system thrown in as a gift? I declare officially to you that I will not sign such an order. Those are my ships, and you won't lay a finger on them. Also, they have already left Himora to link up with my father's ships! There's no way you'll ever catch them!"
"Whatever you say, Peres. That's all I needed from you. What can I do? If you didn't want to give up your ships for your freedom, I'll have to send you to Roben royl Inoky. My brother has been dreaming for fifty years of having a discussion with you about the order of succession. Roben even bought all kinds of torture instruments from me that I found in the Brotherhood of the Stars palaces – the kind for the least talkative prisoners... So, maybe you'll rethink giving me the ships?"
To be honest, I just wanted to slightly spook Peres to make him a bit more pliable. I bent the truth a bit. Roben really had shown an interest in the pirate torture instruments, but only for the Tesse museum. However, what happened next was something I was in no way expecting:
Crown Prince Peres royl Paolo ton Mesfelle has resigned.
My jaw fell to the floor in surprise. My involuntary guest fixed his hair with his hand and wondered aloud in a calm voice:
"I would bet I'm not quite so interesting to Roben now. Can I go?"
"Of course, Peres royl Paolo. I wouldn't dare hold you here now. A ship will bring you to Tesse and further to Nessi as soon as the warp beacon is activated.”
After Peres had left the hall with the same unaffected look he came in with, Katerina ton Mesfelle said quietly but distinctly:
"I always suspected that Peres didn't care for politics or all these orders of succession deep down. But, Georg, you've just made a deadly, inconsolable enemy in the person of the head of the Orange House, who will never forgive you for his son's resignation. And you'll never convince Duke Paolo royl Anjer that Peres did it voluntarily."
I walked up to the table and poured myself a glass of mineral water for lack of something stronger at hand. Yes, what had happened was unexpected, and could hardly be called positive. I had no doubt that the Duke would be enraged. There was no conversation to be had about peace now.
"Alright, if it happened, it happened. You can't change the past; he can't take back his resignation. Call the c
aptains here. I need the Truth Seeker immediately.”
Ten minutes later, around a hundred people came into the hall – the captains and their senior aides from the ships captured in the last battle. Some of those who came in gave an ostentatious bravo, others were hanging back getting flustered after seeing the huge praying mantises. As I walked up closer, they froze in place. Most of them bowed respectfully or gave me a military salute. After I made sure everyone was together and listening carefully to me, I turned to the captains with a small speech:
"Dear officers, above all else, I want to express to you my respect and admiration. None of your ships fled the battle despite the unbalanced forces and big losses. And it isn't your fault that you were thrown wantonly into battle, like cannon fodder, tricked by a promise of reinforcement, and sent to make war on loyal representatives of the Empire just like yourselves. Your previous commander, Crown Prince Peres, has just given up on his unjust demands, having refused all pretenses toward me and even giving up his title. And now the question arises: what is to be done with you? I am offering you the chance to transfer to another fleet in the same old Orange House. All I ask is an oath of loyalty to me as your new commander. Given that, all your titles and positions will be retained. Your ships and crews will also remain with you. If any of you thinks that they are not ready or cannot transfer into the Sector Eight Fleet, just leave this hall. You'll be sent to Tesse on the next flight, and we will do you no harm. I am not considering forcing anyone onto my side. I'm only interested in volunteers, and I'll easily find a replacement for anyone not prepared to dedicate themselves to defending Sector Eight from alien invasion."
No one broke ranks. I waited for a few minutes to make sure, but no one stepped forward to refuse.
"Admiral Kiro Sabuto, swear in our fleet's new officers. I warn you in advance that a Truth Seeker will be reading you to check the veracity of your intentions. If any of you has changed your decision, this is your last chance to leave the hall."
I waited another minute, but no one stirred. The admiral waited for my signal, came out in front and began ceremoniously reading the oath. The officers repeated after him in concert. A minute later, when the oath had been accepted, I wondered to Florianna:
"What's your verdict, Truth Seeker?"
The little girl, who had been standing in front of the ranks until that point with a hood cast over her head, revealed her face, displaying her fiery orange eyes:
"My Prince, three of them were lying. That one, this one, and that lady over there. They all had the intention of fleeing at the earliest convenient moment, if possible with their ships. And that guy was drooling over Princess Astra during the oath swearing, so I couldn't tell if he really meant it or not."
After a couple of seconds, three decapitated corpses fell to the floor. The chameleons appeared for just a second and returned to invisibility. If the show execution of the traitors and oath-breakers had an effect on the other officers, they weren't showing it at all. No one budged or moved away from the dead bodies. Princess Astra and her sister also took the executions without hysteria or fainting.
I called the last of the named four over. The tall handsome brown-haired Corwin ton Ugar somehow resembled a hussar of centuries past. The little Truth Seeker walked up closer and observed his behavior attentively. I suspect that Popori de Cacha's chameleons were already holding their expertly-sharpened blades at the officer's throat, but he did not display any signs of fear:
"My Prince, this is simply more than I can bear. It's the first time I've seen such a pretty girl, and during the oath-swearing I really just forgot about everything in the Universe. All the same, my loyalty to you as a commander was never in any way in question."
I turned to Florianna. The kid shrugged her shoulders:
"This man is wheedling, trying to hide his feelings for my sister behind his truthful words. It is beyond a doubt that he will be loyal to you as a brave and experienced light cruiser captain. But given the slightest chance, he will try to take your favorite from you, Crown Prince Georg."
I looked at the captain. He was standing up well to my gaze and chuckled in reply. Not the slightest bit of fear or embarrassment could be found in Corwin ton Ugar's facial expression. The situation was, in fact, quite complex. There was nothing to punish my subject for; however, ignoring that episode without losing face was also not a possibility.
I tried to look at both of us from the point of view of an external observer: a young, tall, career soldier with an Imperial combat medal on his broad chest; and, on the other side of this young, dashing hunk, his rival for the heart of a lady, twice as old, shorter by almost half a head, fat and bloated… Hrmph... In literature and cinema, this situation has arisen hundreds of times. And even Tolstoy himself played on the theme in War and Peace, and the readers always sympathize more with the brave young man. But then, what do you do if you find yourself in the body of a rotund old Pierre Bezukhov? Solve the issue with force?
"What do you say, my commander? Will my head roll for sins I haven't yet committed?"
"It would be easiest to ask Astra herself." I found myself and turned to the Princess. "What do you say? Do you want me to give you this courageous officer?"
My favorite shook her head forcefully:
"No, no, Crown Prince. I am utterly satisfied in my current position, and I am not preparing to change a thing."
Apparently, the girl was totally serious about being afraid that I could make use of the situation to exclude her from my retinue. That was the exact reaction I was counting on.
"The lady doesn't want your company, Corwin ton Ugar. That makes the situation much simpler. Your impetuous head isn't the only part of you that could be cut off... Bionica, instruct Phobos and Deimos what part of this captain precisely needs to be ripped out if he gets anywhere near Princess Astra."
The android chirped something to the two bodyguards, and the two somewhat creepy Beta Iseyeks walked up closer and began looking over the man with interest, focusing their huge eyes on a spot somewhat below the captain's belt. Phobos even turned to look at his razor sharp upper appendage, apparently imagining what would be the best way of carrying out this mission. The smile slinked off Corwin ton Ugar's face, and he said distinctly:
"I have understood perfectly, my Prince. I will try to keep myself at a distance from your beauty."
On the way back to Joan the Fatty, walking through the halls of the Hnelle station, the little Truth Seeker seized the moment when all the others were quite far from me.
"Actually, my sister Astra told an untruth. In fact, she took quite the shine to the courageous officer. But I just didn't want to talk about it with strangers around."
"You're learning fast, Flora. If you had brought me shame in the presence of my subjects, I would have had to cut out your long little tongue."
The kid giggled happily:
"That's exactly what I read in your thoughts. It was the only reason I kept quiet."
* * *
There was fifteen minutes left before coming out of warp. I kept looking at the clock with increasing frequency. Time really was getting compressed. The Tesse beacon would turn on in twenty-three minutes, which is why my fleet had just eight minutes to wipe out the enemy in Himora or, at the very least, succeed in capturing the Viscount's most valuable ships and not letting them escape the trap.
"The Viscount's fleet is still next to the station, as before," Florianna announced confidently.
The kid yawned, making no effort to hide it. Her older sister Astra had gone to sleep a long time ago in a separate cabin, which had been split in two for the sisters. But Flora wouldn't, leave despite my admonishments.
"I really want to be here when your Highness achieves victory," said the little Truth Seeker, explaining her stubbornness. "Don't worry, Crown Prince Georg. What happened in Hnelle won't happen again. Back then, I just wasn't ready. This time I'll hold it together."
Katerina ton Mesfelle, sitting nearby with a mug of hot, firo-n
ut drink in her hands, turned to me and said:
"Georg, in any case, before you start shooting, try reasoning with the Viscount first. I already told you that we might be able to avoid this battle. Judge for yourself: Viscount Sivir openly disobeyed the Duke's order by not coming to help Peres. Going back to the Orange House to get severe punishments is something he definitely doesn't want. The fleet is only more or less loyal to him. He's just a temporary commander, appointed to the role of a Crown Prince that resigned. The surrounding warp beacons aren't on, and he doesn't know what to do. Even though the ships are still docked at the station, and they've had many hours to prepare, they still can't come to a unified decision. I'm telling you, Georg, there must be such chaos and scuffling going on over there that the combat structure of the fleet is simply unworkable. You just have to talk to them, not give them a common enemy to unite against."
"Alright, Katerina, we'll see. I'm not going to promise anything, but I'll try to resolve this peacefully. So, time… It's time for me to head to fleet headquarters.”
To be honest, I strongly doubted my cousin's words. The picture was just too puppies and rainbows. However, reality fully affirmed what my new advisor said. You practically couldn't make out the Himora station. So thick was the layer of ships stuck onto it that they managed to look like nothing more than separate station elements. The docked battleship especially impressed with its size. It was a huge, terrifying ship called Bride of Chaos, which was twice as big as the space station itself. I turned on the public channel:
Sector Eight (Perimeter Defense: Book #1) Page 33
