by Amy DuBoff
“No,” Corine replied. “And it’s not all civilians—just concentrated clusters in the main population centers.”
“In other words, the places that will most effectively draw the TSS’ resources. We’d never try to intervene at a dynastic compound, so they haven’t bothered to activate anyone there,” Wil concluded.
Saera eyed him. “That suggests that they could if they decide it would be worthwhile.”
“I’m not ruling out any possibilities.”
“All right,” Saera conceded. “But what can we do about it? We have warships knocking on our door and mass hysteria is about to break out on dozens of worlds. Do we sit on our hands, walk away, or…?”
“We’re not backing off,” Wil reiterated.
“Then what?” she pressed.
“I’m thinking.” Wil wished there was a clear answer, but any action—or inaction—would have ripple effects for the rest of their plans. “All right,” he said after another minute of thinking. “As things stand, the most immediate threat is the Tararian Guard. They have the big guns. The civilians might get into fistfights, but on the whole, any injuries or other damage will be minimal compared to what a warship can inflict. Instruct all TSS teams to shift their focus to disabling the Tararian Guard. They’re fewer in numbers, so there’s a chance that the suppression nets will have full effect at scale.”
Michael nodded. “I’m on it.”
“Good thinking,” Saera said privately.
“It’s the best I’ve got right now.” He hoped it would be enough.
Michael set about relaying the new orders to the rest of the fleet. The suppression nets were designed to deploy an electromagnetic field that would dampen telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Since the Priesthood’s orders were delivered telepathically, the field would, in theory, negate that telepathic influence and result in a person’s behavior returning to normal. Tests on the neurotoxin used by the Bakzen had been effective, but the Priesthood’s variation was new. If the nets were ineffective, the TSS would be at the mercy of the Tararian Guard.
“The first wave is deploying the nets now,” Michael reported.
Stars, I hope this works… Wil’s gazed was glued to the viewscreen as a grid of video feeds appeared from the TSS ships.
The suppression nets were invisible over the camera feeds, but Wil could sense the one cast over the Guard ships outside TSS Headquarters, even through the mass of the moon. It generated a low hum that pestered the back of his mind. He tried to block it out and focus on the video footage.
Ten seconds passed with no indication of success. Then, the weapons on the Guard ships powered down.
Wil breathed a sigh of relief and ventured a smile. “That’s a good sign.”
“Only ships at half the sites have started to stand down,” Michael reported. He paused. “We’re getting a communication request from the lead ship outside Headquarters.”
“Put it through,” Wil instructed.
The videos on the main viewscreen shrank and moved to the border of the screen, making room in the center for the new communication feed.
A woman dressed in dark gray with slicked-back hair appeared, sporting an expression of concern. “I’m Commander Rysa of the Valkyrie.”
“Hello, Commander,” Wil replied. “I’m High Commander of the TSS. I request your ships withdraw from our jurisdiction immediately.”
Rysa frowned. “That’s just it… None of us have any recollection of jumping here.”
“So the telepathic influence also results in amnesia? That complicates matters,” Wil said to the Agents present.
“It’s consistent with the Bakzen’s technique. Nolan didn’t remember what he’d done, either,” Saera pointed out.
Wil returned his attention to the viewscreen. “Well, Commander, I regret to inform you that the Tararian Guard and a number of civilians are currently under telepathic influence via a neurotoxin administered by the Priesthood. We have deployed a suppression net as a countermeasure, but it has not been as effective as we’d hoped.”
Rysa raised an eyebrow. “Pardon, the Priesthood deployed a neurotoxin?”
“I trust you haven’t seen the new mandate,” Wil continued. “The Priesthood has been removed from power. They have been less than honest with the Taran people.”
“Excuse me for a moment.” The video feed changed to the Tararian Guard’s emblem, which represented Tararia and its two moons set against a black background. Thirty seconds later, the feed reinitialized. “I’ve confirmed the new directive that all previous orders issued by the Priesthood are to be disregarded, but there’s no way to authenticate that command. Everything has always borne the Priesthood’s digital seal.”
Wil nodded. “We anticipated concern about the new mandates. You’ll find attached an official order ratified by all High Dynasties.”
Rysa appeared to be reading through something off-camera. “This is ratified by seven High Dynasties… with a seal from Dainetris.”
“It was a busy morning,” Wil said with a slight smile.
“I need to verify these instructions with the Guard leadership,” Rysa stated. “Thank you for your assistance.” She ended the communication.
“Uh oh…” Corine murmured from her station. “The Guard ships are on a vector that will take them beyond the suppression net in six seconds.”
Please tell me they’re just going to jump away… Wil held his breath.
“They’re slowing down,” reported Corine.
An electric flash lit up the viewscreen.
“What was that?” Wil demanded.
Michael closed his eyes while he filtered through incoming telepathic reports from Agents at the various sites. “The suppression nets are down. The Priesthood must have figured out a way to counter the frequency.”
Fok! Wil’s heart raced. “Can we cycle the frequency… anything to make it effective?”
Saera shook her head. “That will take time—”
“Weapons are locked on the TSS spaceport!” Corine exclaimed. “I need—”
She cut off as dozens of subspace signatures appeared on the viewscreen.
Wil’s breath caught in his chest. A fleet that size could easily blow up the whole moon!
Ships appeared within the subspace distortions, slowly resolving into solid forms. The design was unmistakable—the elegant styling of the Aesir.
Saera sighed with relief. “I thought we were done for.”
“I knew they’d come.” At least, I hoped they would…
On the viewscreen, similar subspace distortions appeared at all the sites populated with Tararian Guard warships. In each instance, the Aesir vessels were a match for—if not outnumbering—the opposition.
“Incoming communication,” Corine reported.
“Accept,” Wil acknowledged.
Dahl’s image appeared on the main viewscreen. “Hello, Cadicle. May we offer our assistance?”
Wil beamed at him. “Please! I can command a fleet in battle, but politically fueled stalemates are beyond me.”
“I believe you would have found a way. All the same…” Dahl nodded to someone off-camera. An instant later, engines and weapons on all the Tararian Guard ships simultaneously deactivated. “Now you can focus on the real task at hand.”
“Thank you,” Wil said. “But, the last suppression field failed.”
“We are actively controlling this one,” Dahl replied. “The mind is much more powerful than technology.”
Wil bowed his head. “Indeed it is. We are indebted to you.”
“You already know our terms,” Dahl stated.
Except, if Jason’s right, we may be trading the Priesthood for an even more powerful opponent. “Yes, and we will hand over the rift to you when the Priesthood is secure.”
“We will take it now,” Dahl said. He paused, realization flitting across his face. “If you are concerned about us accessing the power contained in the tear, you needn’t worry. We reflected on your son’s wor
ds, and we have seen that we are not yet ready to follow that path.”
Can I really take that statement at face value? He glanced at Saera and she looked equally skeptical.
“We must trust one another,” Dahl continued. “You may not believe my statements are genuine, but you must have faith.”
“We’re out of options,” Saera said privately in Wil’s mind.
“I guess we really are.” Wil inclined his head to Dahl. “I’ll have Jason withdraw the Conquest. The rift is yours.”
“In good faith, we will withdraw, as well,” Dahl told him. “With the Tararian Guard fleet disabled, there is no need for an active patrol.”
“Thank you,” Wil acknowledged.
Dahl gave a single nod. “Now, you must subdue the High Priests. Even without their fleet, they are not powerless.”
“We’ll have them soon.”
“We will make sure the Guard is not a threat. End this.” Dahl terminated the communication.
Wil released a long breath.
“Talk about timing…” Saera murmured.
“Last possible second, for sure.” Wil sighed. “Let’s call up Jason and get his side of things.”
Corine initiated the communication, and Jason picked up in the Command Center of the Conquest five seconds later.
“Hey,” he greeted with a smile. “The Aesir showed up, after all.”
“Thank the stars!” Wil breathed. “You all right?”
“Unscathed,” his son reported. “I think a particular Tararian Guard officer might now have it in for me, though.”
“I’m sure we can smooth things over when we’re finished here. Is the rift secure?” Wil asked.
“Well, there are three dozen Aesir ships. The Tararian Guard doesn’t stand a chance against them, but can we trust them to be left alone with the tear?” his son replied.
I wish I knew the answer, but we’re out of options. “They claim they’ll withdraw when you do. But if they can’t be trusted, I don’t want you there without any backup. I could use your help on Tararia.”
Jason took a slow breath. “All right, I’ll head right over.”
“I’ll let Raena know to expect you,” Wil said. “Be safe.” He ended the call. “Michael, now that the Aesir can keep the civilian and Guard forces in order, reallocate TSS resources to eliminate any suspected Priesthood lab sites. No more clones.”
“Consider it done,” Michael responded and got back to work.
“I’m glad we have the Aesir on our side,” Saera said. “If they’d turned against us…”
Wil shook his head. “I can’t help but think how different things would have been if they’d assisted us in the war.”
“Well, we’re united now. This is our chance to start over.”
“It is,” he agreed. “And to that end, I should be there.”
Saera’s expression made it clear she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of them separating, but she nodded. “It’s a conversation to be had face-to-face.”
“This is almost over.” He kissed her. “We have them cornered.”
“Finish it,” she told him.
“That’s precisely what I intend to do.”
CHAPTER 18
Cris dashed though the marble-lined halls of the Sietinen manor with his family in tow.
“Again with the running!” Kate moaned, and she paused to slip off her shoes before continuing to jog barefoot on the tiles.
“The Tararian Guard ships are dormant. We need to make a move on the Priesthood’s island while we have an opening,” Cris replied.
“Isn’t that the TSS’ job?” Raena ventured.
Ryan nodded. “I’m inclined to agree. We’re in no position to get in the middle of that fight.”
“I didn’t spend almost two decades as TSS High Commander just to sit on the sidelines for this,” Cris said. “You don’t have to join me, but I’m going to do anything I can to help.”
Kate shrugged. “I guess there’s no point in removing the Priesthood from power if we aren’t going to change the rules around telekinesis.”
“Actually, that’s a great point… Ryan, how do you feel about changing that law?” Cris asked.
“Sure, I’m for it.”
Cris pulled out his handheld from his pocket and halted in the middle of the hallway. He initiated a call to Kaiden.
After several seconds, his brother-in-law answered. “Cris? I thought we’d handled everything for today.”
“One more item,” Cris replied. “I move we lift the ban on telekinesis.”
Kaiden sighed. “What are you planning?”
“Nothing specific. It’d just be nice to have some… flexibility.” And to retroactively dismiss that stunt we just pulled.
“All right, I’ll ratify it. You’ll need a fourth vote, though,” Kaiden said.
Cris smiled. “That’s my next call.”
“Good luck. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
“Of course. Thank you.” Cris ended the communication.
“Talsari?” Kate asked.
“They’re our best bet,” Cris agreed. He brought up Ellen Talsari’s contact information and opened a call.
This time, however, there was no answer.
Cris groaned. “Not helpful.”
“Let’s get to the administrative center and find out what’s going on,” Kate suggested. “We didn’t run all this way to stand around in the hallway.”
“Sorry.” Cris resumed jogging down the corridor.
“You know,” Raena began after a minute, “we should try Baellas instead of Talsari.”
“I don’t think Eduard is very fond of us after this morning.” Cris countered.
“I doubt he’s that displeased. He did cast his vote in favor early,” Raena pointed out. “Besides, Baellas is extremely dependent on SiNavTech—and now DGE—for transporting their goods. This would be a great chance for them to earn some favor.”
Cris admired her. “When did you become such the politician?”
She grinned. “I was always a good student.”
We do need to solidify alliances while everything is up in the air. A strong additional partnership would serve us well. Cris nodded. “I like it. We’ll make it happen as soon as Marina fills us in.”
They reached the administrative center soon thereafter. Staff members were looking worn after a night and morning of solid work, but the frenetic energy from earlier had mellowed—either due to things being more under control or sheer weariness.
Marina spotted them as soon as they entered the room and rushed over. “The Aesir just dropped into orbit,” she announced. “People are asking questions. We need to release a statement.”
“All right.” Cris sighed. “Raena, want to call Baellas?”
“Sure,” she agreed.
Cris nodded. “Okay, I’ll draft a quick statement and then head for the Priesthood’s island.”
Marina raised an eyebrow. “No.”
“I—”
His advisor shook her head. “We’ll make a thoughtful, live broadcast and conduct a Q&A afterward. You need to make a stand as an authority figure—you can’t get tied up in the thick of things.”
Cris groaned inwardly, knowing she was right but also hating that after all the years of planning his part would come down to a few choice words.
“TSS reinforcements are on their way,” Marina continued. “By the time we’ve made a statement, they should be able to move in without civilian resistance.”
“Then let’s go reassure them,” Cris agreed.
* * *
Raena’s heart pounded in her chest as she entered the conference room with Ryan. “When did we become so important?”
“Probably right around the time we agreed to run a civilization.”
“Oh, right. That.”
He took her hand. “Hey, you’ve got this. We’ve already done the hard part.”
Raena took a slow, even breath to calm herself. “You’re right. Thanks for being
here with me.”
“As long as I’m in here, I don’t have to deal with all that.” Ryan gestured toward the door.
“Good point.” Raena composed herself and then entered the communication request on the main holoprojector in the room.
Twenty seconds passed, and then an image of Eduard Baellas resolved on the holoprojector, as though he was in the room with them.
“Hello, Eduard,” Raena greeted. “Sorry to bother you so soon after our meeting this morning.”
“Is something wrong?” Eduard asked.
“More of a follow-on request,” Raena stated. “Sietinen has introduced a proposal to overturn the telekinesis ban on the central worlds.”
Eduard’s brow knit. “Is that so?”
“I’m calling to request your vote in favor,” Raena continued. “Given the… evolving dynamics with SiNavTech and DGE, this seems like a prime opportunity to secure a mutually beneficial relationship between our three families.”
The Head of the Baellas Dynasty stroked his chin. “What do you propose?”
“We could forfeit Baellas’ interest in DGE,” Ryan proposed. “SiNavTech’s and VComm’s shares are more than enough to get the company off the ground.”
“Good thinking.” Raena smiled. “Well, with the return of Dainetris, you’re facing a potential ten percent loss of your assets, due to what was—as it turns out—illegally absorbed from DGE. We are prepared to allow you to retain all of those assets Dainetris would otherwise claim.”
Eduard cocked his head, a smile touching the corners of his mouth. “Is that so?”
“It is,” Ryan confirmed. “I hope that your vote of confidence in what we have to offer in non-business matters can carry over to a new professional relationship.”
Eduard looked between the two of them. “I would be foolish to not recognize what a partnership between Sietinen and Dainetris means for our future. I welcome the chance to begin this new relationship on good terms.”
“So you will ratify the vote?” Raena confirmed.
“Indeed. Provide the official order and we’ll make some more history.”
Raena smiled. “Our thanks to you.”
“I look forward to our future business dealings,” Eduard said. “Anything else?”
