Sector Eight (Perimeter Defense: Book #1)

by Michael Atamanov

  "Attention everyone! This is the Sector Eight Fleet Commander speaking, Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle. I order all ships to remain at the station, turn off maneuver drives and remove energy shields. Viscount Sivir ton Mesfelle and all captains are invited to a meeting on the heavy cruiser Emperor August in ten minutes. And yes, any ship that tries to undock or does not power down its shields in one minute will be immediately destroyed for disobedience."

  I switched over to the internal fleet channel.

  "To all ships in the fleet! Go out to the optimum shooting distance, but do not open fire and do not release drones! Remain at full readiness!"

  "Now we'll find out whether there'll be a battle or not," said Admiral Kiro Sabuto, nervously tapping his fingers on the touch-screen table before suddenly exclaiming in joy, "Oh, look! They're turning off their shields! But the most important thing is what the battleship does... Yes! The battleship as well!”

  That was just amazing. Now I needed to build on the success.

  "General Savass Jach, make a landing on the Himora station. Resistance is not expected. Those on the station are our allies. You just need to show your power and maintain vigilance. Your mission is to turn off the station's warp beacon and also place a large enough group of soldiers on each ship to keep an eye on all key systems – cannon batteries, engine rooms, officer's decks, and so forth. Your order is only to protect. You are not to display aggression. Those are already our ships, de facto. All that's left is to back that up legally..."

  And there I was again in the large hall of Emperor August. Another honor guard, terrifying praying mantises in formation, and the very same retinue, even if no one had woken up the wiped-out Princess Astra. But what a sense of déjà vu.

  Viscount Sivir ton Mesfelle was a fairly young, blond man with long hair that fluttered freely. Instead of a military uniform, the man was wearing a form-fitting dark suit. He greeted Katerina like a close acquaintance, after which he daintily bowed to me in accordance with all court etiquette rules, given my seniority in title.

  "Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, I have come to your ship on your request and am prepared to hear your Highness out."

  But instead of me, after getting permission first, Katerina began:

  "Cousin, I see that your affairs have come to quite a bad state. You screwed Peres over, messed up a combat operation, upset the Duke and weren't even able to reach the Tivalle system, which was promised to you..."

  "Ugh, Kat, tell me something I don't already know!" the Viscount said, waving it off in resignation. "The idea of splitting the fleet up wasn't even mine. But the Duke wants to put all the responsibility for its failure on my shoulders. At first, they trusted that I could give worthy command, but this has just been a whole cataclysm of bad luck... The crews revolted, saying I'm not a soldier and thus have no right to command. They flagrantly ignored Peres's order to jump to Hnelle. And then the warp beacons started disappearing from out of nowhere. The Duke yelled a horrible string of curses, demanding that I bring the fleet to Tesse. But how? All the beacons are off! I haven't been in such a truly sticky situation since we were in school together. Since that time, remember? When me and you decided to fix the test results and broke into the server room at night. We were trying to find the director's password for the terminal, but instead I accidentally turned off the financial department's security system and, that same night, some hackers stole a million and a half credits..."

  "Alright, you can discuss your shared past with Katerina later," I said, interrupting the excessively talkative Viscount. "Sivir, I have an offer that you might find interesting. The Tivalle system, that was promised to you by the Duke, could really become yours. Endless fields of ice asteroids, rare isotope mines, billions in profits, glory to the 'Ice Viscount,' and guaranteed protection from Duke Paolo as well as any other foes. I need a viceroy I can count on. Someone who will develop production, increase output and provide me and my fleet with a constant source of tax income."

  I suppose my offer surprised my distant relative, because Viscount Sivir, who must have already been thinking he was in a hopeless and abandoned situation, perked right up and exclaimed enthusiastically:

  "I am ready, my Prince! What do I need to do to get that position?"

  "As the deputy commander of the fleet in Himora, sign an official order transferring all your ships into the Sector Eight Fleet. That is all I ask. I'll deal with the captains myself. They're already waiting for the meeting. The contract on the Tivalle system and detailed production plans will be drawn up for you by Katerina ton Mesfelle. At the same time, you'll have all the time in the world to reminisce about your student years."

  * * *

  "Do you know who I am?" My well-earned sleep after such an action-packed day was interrupted by the voice of a young woman. It was a very pleasant and somehow soporific voice.

  "I suspect that you are Miya," I answered, not overly confident.

  "That's right."

  She stayed silent for a long time, then spoke out reproachfully:

  "Ugh, Ruslan, Ruslan... I wanted to talk to you about serious things, but I've discovered that you are not at all ready for such a conversation yet. It doesn't seem that you've fully realized the seriousness of the situation you're in. You've been entrusted with a frightening mystery, and you signed a contract to keep the personality swap a secret. And what do I find? Not only have you allowed a Truth Seeker to get close to you, you've already allowed her to uncover our shared secret. I have to interfere personally to avoid a catastrophe, the scale of which is hard to even imagine. At the same time, this will serve as a lesson to you. And in our next conversation, you'll give my words the attention they deserve."

  * * *

  The dream vanished as if by magic. I was sitting on a huge bed. My heart was pounding in my chest, threatening to break out of my ribcage and fling itself as far as possible from the horror it had lived through. Had the lost Miya really spoken to me? Or was that just a dream? The most terrifying of my nightmares? Weird that I didn't see her face. She was speaking in a relaxed tone and at first glance revealed absolutely no cause for alarm. Nevertheless, the feeling wouldn't leave me that just now Death herself had been at my door and had just barely missed catching me.

  Miya was talking about some kind of lesson that I need as an example to be more obedient. And she also talked about a Truth Seeker that I had brought too close to me. Florianna. There was no one else that came to mind here. According to Miya, Florianna had already figured out about Crown Prince Georg's change of personality. And that was why Miya was personally preparing to interfere and stave off a catastrophe. I threw on my robe and hurried into the hall toward the sisters' cabin.

  Princess Astra was sitting on the floor in a pair of light fluffy pajamas, pressing the pale lifeless and limp Flora to her chest in terror. The little Truth Seeker's eyes were wide open and stationary. Blood was pouring out of her nose. Astra's pajamas were already soaked in her sister’s blood. Flora's nightgown was also wet. A whole puddle had accumulated on the floor...

  "I need a doctor immediately in cabin 2-18!" Popori de Cacha, who was standing next to me, said into his transmitter.

  Astra looked at me. The girl's eyes were wide in horror.

  "Out of nowhere, Flora made a creepy scream and fell off her bed onto the floor," explained the terrified Princess. "I ran over, and when I got to her, she was already unresponsive."

  The room quickly grew cramped as more and more people ran in. Several people and chameleons were hunched over the little Truth Seeker.

  "She's breathing!" someone shouted joyfully.

  "Let the doctor in!" Nicosid Brandt flew into the cabin with his assistants, immediately asking everyone else to go out into the hall.

  A few minutes later, a hospital stretcher was carried past me, and I was able to see the tubes that had been inserted into the girl's mouth and nostrils. The terrified Astra was in fits of hysterics and was positively roaring. No one could
calm her down. The girl was screaming that there was no way she would be made to stay alone in that room, because she was scared. I bid the Princess move into my cabin and reassured her that the chameleons would provide security.

  Only a few hours later did the Princess calm down at all, before falling asleep on the couch. I covered her up with a warm comforter myself and left Phobos to guard her, as I went to the medical wing to see Flora for myself. Nicosid Brandt was sitting in a chair looking haggard and sorrowful. At that moment, his many years were especially noticeable. When I asked about how Florianna was doing, the experienced doctor shrugged his shoulders in confusion:

  "My Prince, there is no way you will believe my diagnosis. The bilipid membranes in the girl's nerve cells have been severed and, as if all at once, the nerve cells have been burnt up in whole sections of her body. Such severe damage could only have been done by an infantry combat laser, but, if that were the case, then it isn't clear why no other types of cells were affected, only the nerve cells."

  "Stop, stop. Can you say it again but in a language closer to the one I understand?" I asked the doctor. "What kind of injuries does Florianna have and what harmful effects could they cause?"

  The doctor looked at me sorrowfully, as if my intellectual capabilities had just fallen sharply in his eyes, and said:

  "To put it as simply as possible, she's paralyzed. The cells that transmit nervous impulses to the muscles are fried. Her legs, neck and shoulders suffered especially badly. The poor girl will never be able to move her arms and legs, hold her head up or turn her neck again. She cannot control many face muscles; smiling, frowning, moving her lips, swallowing food, or talking are all going to be impossible for her now. However, she can see and comprehend what she sees and hears. Her brain took no damage, no matter how strange that may be. I, despite all my knowledge and experience, cannot understand what happened to her or how it would be possible to be so precise when maiming a person."

  But I, as it were, did know what happened to the kid and who did it. But I wasn't going to tell the doctor that. This information couldn't help him treat her, but it would raise a bunch of questions that I did not need right now. A call came in. I listened to the message and said with a sad smirk:

  "Bad news never comes alone." I'd been called to the Throne World to the Emperor with the note "immediately."

  Here, Fishy Fishy

  I was standing in my headquarters next to a big table with a map of Sector Eight displayed on it. Captain Oorast Pohl, not hiding his aggravation, waved off yet another proposed route to the Throne World that I'd torn to shreds. Admiral Kiro Sabuto, sitting next to me, also couldn't contain himself:

  "My Prince, where are you getting all this confidence that the Duke will definitely intercept the fleet in Tesse? It's not like we're any old criminals. Yes, there was a sticking point with his son in the Hnelle system, but Peres crawled in there himself, despite knowing it had been officially declared closed. Also, all footage of the battle with detailed time-stamping shows that it was Peres's ships that fired first. They destroyed our frigate first. What accusations could they possibly make?"

  "Roben isn't answering my calls," I said, somewhat importunely. "That means that my brother is not at complete liberty. They won't let him talk long-distance. That means he's been given the works and is being pressed to get the information they need out of him. The only one who could imprison someone and conduct an interrogation of the ruler of a star system would be the head of the Orange House. But Roben is a neutral party that isn't engaged in this conflict, and look what he got. Just imagine how Duke Paolo would react if the people who actually fought with his son's fleet tried to come through."

  The pair exchanged glances, then the captain of my flagship took a risk and spoke his mind:

  "Crown Prince Georg, I mean no offense by this, but this wouldn't be the first time your brother didn't answer your calls for a few days..."

  "But it wasn't in such a serious situation!" I interjected. "Yes, I have nothing to hide here. Roben used to get drunk pretty often and binge for many days. All the same, it's still very hard for me to imagine my older brother going on a binge with all this ruckus in the Orange House and fleets of opposing sides flying back and forth through his system. Also, every time I used to try to call Roben, his secretary would answer, but now even that's not happening. And the Tesse news channels are just showing fluff! Everyone well knows that in a system next to Tesse, literally just now, there was a battle between two huge Orange House forces. But even then, none of the many news channels on Tesse is commenting on these events, which are maybe a bit more important than a balloon blowing contest or the opening of a new pastry factory, as was being reported on.”

  The two had no choice but to agree that what was happening on Tesse was very, very strange. The impression was forming that all information coming out of that star system was going through very strict censorship. The admiral decided to try and get ahold of some acquaintances that lived on Tesse, just to check. At the same time, I tried to get information from my many business partners and suppliers. But, nevertheless, it was all in vain. No kind of interstellar communication was working.

  "Let's fly to Hnelle," I decided finally. "Admiral, command the whole fleet to be at the ready in ten minutes! I'm gonna talk to some people to get the beacon turned on for a couple of seconds. We're gonna try to get to the Ulia system, which borders the core through Unguay. Yes, that way is significantly longer but going through Tesse, given how this situation has developed, would be rash.”

  All the past events poured down on me in one, packed, never-ending day that had begun fifty hours earlier with an arm injury in the gym and ended with a call to the Emperor. During that time, I had only managed to sleep in several-hour naps, so I was so tired that I was practically collapsing. I barely had the strength to throw off my uniform and crash down on the bed. Already dreaming, I might have heard Astra asking if she could lie down next to me because she was afraid to lie alone. It would seem I even gave my permission, but I'm not sure. Then, finally a well-deserved slumber washed over me.

  I woke up from a bizarre sound in the room. Someone was cursing someone out at half-voice and even wised up and started swearing at a whisper. Before even cracking an eye, the first thing I did was call up the time panel. I had only managed to sleep five hours. What bastard woke me up?! I opened my eyes to see who this suicidally-inclined individual was. Bionica was sitting on the floor. Her light dress was splashed with something dark. Next to the android, there was a saucer and an overturned mug. Judging by the smell of coffee, my synthetic assistant had brought me my usual morning drink. By the way, judging by the time, on a normal day I would have been waking up at that exact time.

  Next to Bionica, who was sitting on the floor, Astra was jumping up and down like an enraged fury. The only thing the Princess had on was a short, practically transparent tunic. Astra winced in pain and shook her beaten-up right fist. She also continued to whisper her complaints to the android. Bionica ran her fingers over the girl's left cheekbone in a very human-like gesture, checking for damage. At the same time, the artificial girl made no move to be quiet, and her language control filter was clearly off. All I had to do was sit up to make both sides of the conflict shut up and turn to me simultaneously. They even bat they're eyelashes at the same time.

  "She started it! She came in without knocking!" came out as the reason for my being woken up so early.

  I was in no mood to figure out who was at what level of fault and was preparing to simply throw the both of them out. But then, a clear voice rang out in my head.

  Duke Paolo royl Anjer's fleet has just arrived in Nessi.

  Hearing strange voices in your head is always a pretty bad sign, especially if you recognize who is speaking and realize with horror that it just can't be. Probably, the expression of surprise and even fear showed on my face, because the quarrelers stopped trying to make appeals and trained their eyes on me.

  "Bionica, bring me thr
ee more cups of coffee and some pastry to go with. Astra, change into something more appropriate," I ordered.

  The android girl stood in silence, picked up the saucer and mug, and went out into the hall. Astra tried to act cute and declared that that was her normal night shirt.

  "That's right, it's a night shirt. Night was over the second you two woke me up. And now someone from the housekeeping staff is coming to clean up after your fight, and I don't want you to give him a striptease."

  I ordered the blinds to open, and the flexible metal bands crawled up from the huge picture-window wall. From this side of the armored glass, you could see flashes of lightening in the purple blackness. Joan the Fatty was going through the warp tunnel to Hnelle again. There weren't many windows on the combat cruiser, in that the priority when building the ship was a reliable chassis and not the comfort of its inhabitants. On the more modern Katanas, the body was solid and didn't have such obvious weak points as windows. But on the Flamberg, for the Crown Prince, they were able to find one of the few berths with nearly two-foot-thick glass.

  "It's so beautiful! It's kinda eerie, but it's also just so awesome!" admired the Princess. She had already taken off her tunic and was holding the sealed packet with fresh clothes in her hands. "And where are we flying to?”

  I looked from the corner of my eye at the naked, beautiful girl standing three feet away, though I didn't say anything about her appearance. But I did answer the Princess's question:

  "We're flying to the Throne World, but we're taking the back way so we don't run into any trouble."

  "The Throne World!" Astra clapped in joy. "I've always dreamed of going there! They say it's really pretty there, right? The White Palace, the Silver Palace, a living waterfall, a spinning city, a valley with millions of fires, an underwater tunnel at the bottom of the ocean... I've heard so much about these marvelous places!"