by Kal Spriggs
The senior Tau Ceti officer's face flushed, clearly he had not expected someone else to know of his losses. Kapitan zur Weltraum… Daniel thought, he’s an equivalent of a senior captain, just short of flag rank.
"Admiral Collae, you've been after Reese Leone since his former mentor, Admiral Mannetti, betrayed you at Halcyon Colony," Chairman-Admiral Ortega continued. "And Senior Captain Beeson is here hunting Reese Leone on behalf of the United Colonies, presumably for his criminal charges as well as his alarming interests in Illuari artifacts."
Daniel's eyebrows went up as she dropped that bit of information.
"Does this have a point?" Admiral Collae asked. His stone-like face showed no emotion, although his gruff voice was abrupt enough to suggest impatience. His dark hair and eyes and craggy features made him a menacing figure and Daniel knew well enough that the Admiral had been both ally and enemy to the United Colonies.
"Of course," Chairman-Admiral Ortega nodded. "Seven days ago, criminals in his employ slipped into Brockman shipyards and stole a vessel. This vessel, the Widowmaker, was property of the Centauri Confederation, undergoing some very specific technology upgrades. I think I need not remind anyone here about the consequences Tanis Defense Force applies to anyone who violates the laws of our system."
So Tanis wants his head on a stick now, Daniel thought. He couldn't imagine what might have been valuable enough to risk drawing their ire, not with half the known galaxy wanting him dead already.
"Because we already knew that the rest of you have a vested interest in his capture, I thought it appropriate that we pool our resources," Chairman-Admiral Ortega stated. "At this time, we project that he has a fleet of twenty or more vessels, many of them military-grade. Some he has taken from the Shogunate, others from Tau Ceti, and still others from Colonial Republic systems."
Daniel felt his stomach sink as he considered the makeup of that kind of force. The Colonial Republic ships, depending on their classes, would make adequate screening and scouting forces. The Tau Ceti vessels would provide him with significant punch. Twenty ships, he thought, five times what I have.
He saw calculation on the faces of the other officers as they looked at one another. "We had not heard that he had access to such resources," Kapitan zur Weltraum Langsdorff said. The Tau Ceti officer, broad of shoulder and tall, looked as if he'd bit into a lemon. "How is it that he has amassed and maintained such a force?"
"He's access to Admiral Mannetti's funding and those of her people who escaped capture at Halcyon Colony," Admiral Collae said. "I understand that he's utilized her contacts to recruit personnel and he's established himself as her successor."
Daniel considered that, but it didn't quite explain it all. Admiral Mannetti had a base of operations in Port Klast and then at Halcyon Colony. She'd used those bases to resupply her forces, perform maintenance, and to give her crews downtime. Pirates and outlaws without that necessary downtime tended to get tired and make fatal mistakes.
Reese didn't have a base of operations... did he?
"What is it that you propose, exactly?" Langsdorff demanded.
"We know that Reese is operating in this region," Chairman-Admiral Ortega replied. "We know that his end goal likely involves the Temple of Light. I would propose that we conduct joint patrols, coordinate our efforts, and defeat our enemy with a united front."
"It would appear that you're offering us nothing more than added burden," Admiral Collae growled. "We would be shackled to so-called allies of dubious capabilities. For that matter, you would require us to give up intelligence that may then compromise our own interests."
"Ah, but there's a prize to all of this," Chairman-Admiral Ortega stated. "In the interests of punishing this threat, Tanis System Control Corporation will bankroll all operations and will pay for fuel, maintenance, and resupply for your vessels. You will have a secure base of operations while the man we all hunt will not."
Daniel’s eyebrows rose at the offer. While the United Colonies had prepositioned equipment and supplies, it would still save them millions if they accepted the offer. For the other navies, this offer must be even more valuable. Admiral Collae mustered dozens of ships, the expense of their operation being offset by Tanis would probably be of massive value, especially since he lacked a proper base of operations since his retreat from Halcyon.
I'm going to need to read up on the latest developments with him, Daniel realized. In fact, I'm going to need to read up on all of these people, whether or not this alliance forms. Odds were that they'd stumble over one another in their pursuit of Reese. In fact...
"We aren't the only ones after him," Daniel said, "There's an alliance of pirates, smugglers, and slavers who are after him for a variety of reasons. My squadron encountered a force of them tracking his ansible communications."
"We, too, have run into such rabble," Kaigun Motogami said. "They are easily defeated, yet extremely numerous."
Admiral Collae's dark gaze went between the Shogunate officer and Daniel. The news seemed to perturb him more than the reports of the size of Reese's forces. "This is something of a race, then," he said. "We need to get him before these others catch up to him."
So it's 'we' now, is it? Daniel didn't miss how the Admiral was suddenly onboard with the idea of a joint operation. It made sense, though. Admiral Collae moved on the edges of the law, himself, as a rogue military officer. He knew just how resourceful criminal organizations could be when they wanted someone dead.
"All of this begs the question, however," Langsdorff said, "assuming we do catch up to Reese Leone, who gets custody?"
"He must face trial in the Shogunate for his crimes," Kaigun Motogami snapped.
"He has information that I need," Admiral Collae snapped right back. And I think our engineers would agree with you, Daniel thought, while our military leaders would want him to stand trial. Admiral Mannetti had died before her trial could take place, her heart failing in reaction to an unforeseen allergic reaction to interrogation drugs. Daniel knew that a lot of her crimes had shifted to Reese in the eyes of many military officers, particularly since Admiral Mannetti had never stood trial.
"With respect to both your claims and to Langsdorff's question," Chairman-Admiral Ortega said, "there's a variety of solutions we can adopt after one of us has him in custody... perhaps even for him to face trial in a mutually agreed upon system, as a joint military tribunal?"
Various officers nodded at that. It wouldn't be as satisfying to bring him back to Faraday, but if they could get information on his backers and his research, it would be enough, Daniel thought.
"I'm not satisfied with that solution," Admiral Collae growled. "Reese Leone knows aspects of my military situation as well as elements of alien technology that can be extremely dangerous. Given his skill with electronics and engineering, I don't know that a prison would hold him."
"You're suggesting that he face death for his crimes?" Langsdorff asked.
"We had assumed this would be the case by necessity for the crimes we have charged him with," Kaigun Motogami demanded.
"In Tau Ceti, we do not recognize the death penalty," Langsdorff replied, "we view it as inhumane..."
"How many of your people has he killed?" Admiral Collae asked.
The Kapitan zur Weltraum flushed, "Do not think I am not motivated to seek his capture. My son perished aboard a ship that his people ambushed." He let out a tight breath, "The thing is, the people of Tau Ceti are wary of precedents such as a death warrant. Any officer who sat upon a tribunal that gave such a ruling would see his career end and might even face criminal charges upon his return to Tau Ceti. On my homeworld we believe that all people should be judged impartially and should be given the opportunity to become productive members of society."
"That's a lofty goal," Admiral Collae stated. "Tell me, are such high-minded principles the reason that your civil war has dragged on for over fifty years?"
Langsdorff’s face went red with rage, "How dare you--"
"Gentlemen, please," Chairman-Admiral Ortega interrupted. "Let us not begin fighting among ourselves. Punishment can be leveled by the tribunal. I will attest that Tanis Defense Force does not want to set a tone of leniency, so we too will request capital punishment for him."
Given Kaigun Motogami's earlier words that already suggested that three of the five involved groups would want Reese dead. Langsdorff seemed to realize that and he opened his mouth to argue, but she went on before he could speak, "You would of course be recused from any trial yourself, the man having killed your son, so we would understand if Tau Ceti was unable to select a representative for the tribunal, other than as an observer role."
Langsdorff’s mouth snapped shut as he realized he'd been given an out. He could claim to only have "observed" such barbaric justice, never once believing that Reese would face such an end. As the big blonde-haired man considered that, he gave Chairman-Admiral Ortega a single nod of acknowledgement. Everyone gets what they want, Daniel thought, except for Reese.
Would it really be so terrible if Reese faced execution in a fair military tribunal? As Daniel considered that, he remembered Lieutenant Commander Douglass, killed by Reese's hired thugs when they kidnapped Alannis Giovanni.
Daniel could live with Reese facing death. A fair trial was far more than Reese's victims had received.
***
"So, what do we know about Chairman-Admiral Amelie Ortega?" Daniel asked as he and his XO sat down in his office.
"Not much, unfortunately," Lieutenant Commander Capdepon replied. "We know that her father, Bill Ortega, is the head of Ortega Shipyards Incorporated and is a member of the board of directors for Tschanz Munitions, and is also a ranking member of Tanis System Control Corporation. She's been out of the public eye for the past two years, no one knows where, but intelligence reports suggest that her father probably put her in a mercenary company for some field experience. He wouldn't have identified the unit so that she couldn't be targeted."
Daniel nodded at that. That kind of consideration was typical among the ultra-elite. The better ones pursued lives of service, much like Emperor Giovanni and his sister. The others, well… the rumors about men like President Spiridon of the Centauri Confederation suggested they positioned their family members to enrich themselves and consolidate power.
Daniel didn't know enough to judge Chairman-Admiral Ortega. She might be doing what she did out of self-interest or she might truly want to protect the Tanis system. Either way, she was the one they were dealing with. Along with the others, he reminded himself.
"So, what do we know about the others?" Daniel had transmitted a list of the people at the meeting for his XO to research while he took a shuttle back to the ship.
"Admiral Collae is the biggest question," Joseph Capdepon said. "I had to skim the highlights, but he seems to play every side. He's been allied to Emperor Giovanni, he's been his enemy, he's betrayed him and also been loyal. He helped to liberate Nova Roma..."
"Where he received over thirty Chxor dreadnoughts in compensation," Daniel noted.
"Yes, exactly," Lieutenant Commander Capdepon nodded, "and he's here with a force of no more than twelve vessels. The really scary part is we have no idea where all his ships went or where he's recruited all of his personnel. Most of them are unbelievably loyal, he's almost never had a turncoat and the couple he has had have ended up dead."
"It's suspected that he's got the backing of Spencer Penwaithe," Lieutenant Commander Tim Gray said. "Who is not just the father of Representative Harris Penwaithe and Captain Garret Penwaithe, but he's also one of the original founders of the Provisional Colonial Republican Army. He's got a lot of political clout in the Colonial Republic and he doesn't seem to like the United Colonies."
Daniel frowned at that. Politics above the system level got extremely murky in the Colonial Republic... even more so now that it had begun to shed systems after the collapse of the Chxor Empire. While each system notionally got a seat on their general council, most high-level decisions took place in the back-rooms.
"Okay, so if I was inclined to trust him, I'd be better off avoiding that inclination," Daniel said. It was the impression he already had from his experience serving under Emperor Giovanni. "What about the others?"
"Kaigun Motogami is one of the Shogun's action commanders. He's got experience fighting a variety of pirates and he's one of the few survivors from when they got in a multi-way battle in the Yelang system," Lieutenant Commander Capdepon said. His XO spoke fairly confidently, but then again, he’d been one of the officers on “loan” to train the Shogunate officers in handling the new Katana-class frigates. "He's one of their most capable officers and there's a persistent rumor that he's being groomed for Kaigun Taisho, their equivalent to Admiral."
"If he's commanding a squadron out here, then that makes sense," Daniel said. "Do we know anything about them losing ships to Reese? The last I'd heard, they were in some skirmishes with some Colonial Republic systems, but they hadn't taken any serious losses."
"That's where I'm scrambling. We've sent a message back in cypher through the ansible network, but we haven't received anything concrete, yet. There's not a lot of places that they could have lost that many ships at once. Given Reese Leone's interest in Illuari artifacts, though..."
Daniel nodded. One of the intelligence files he'd seen was a note about a collection of alien artifacts in the Dai Yamato system, collected by the former warlord of the planet. The Shogun had turned the collection into something of a museum, but the system had remained very much a military enclave. Commander Jiang discarded the idea of Reese attacking the system because of the military strength, Daniel thought, but if he has as many resources as Chairman-Admiral Ortega suggests, then maybe he hit them by surprise. That made a lot of sense with what she'd said about captured vessels, as well.
Even though the United Colonies and the Shogunate were allies, Daniel didn't think that kind of information would be shared, particularly not with what he'd seen of their culture. A surprise attack like that would not be spoken of, lest others see it as a sign of weakness.
"We don't have anything at all about Kapitan zur Weltraum Landorff of the Tau Ceti Separatists," Lieutenant Commander Capdepon said as Daniel nodded at him to continue. "Our files on Tau Ceti are pretty sparse, since most of them are focused on their internal fight within the Centauri Confederation."
Daniel nodded, he was truly surprised to see any of their ships outside of the Confederation. The Tau Ceti Separatists had shipyards every bit as capable as those of the Alpha Centauri system. Most of what they built was destroyers and cruisers to patrol their system and to raid systems loyal to President Spiridon, along with light and fast carriers to screen their vessels. Like other Centauri Confederation systems, they had several squadrons of capital ships, but they used those only to defend their core worlds.
“Well,” Daniel said, “that rounds up all of them. Chairman-Admiral Ortega gave us a day to think things over. I need to confer with Princess Giovanni as to what agreements we can enter into.” He saw his XO nod at the distinction between ‘princess’ and ‘lieutenant.’ The one was subject to his orders and the other was capable of making decisions of state… and they both inhabited the same body. “Please send her up, would you?”
***
Lieutenant Alannis Giovanni stared at her commanding officer in shock. “Sir, you mean you’re asking my permission to ally with Admiral Collae?”
“Well,” Senior Captain Beeson smiled, “Admiral Collae among others. Technically, our alliance with the Shogunate would cover our actions in league with them. However, since we aren’t on the best of relationships with the Centauri Confederation…”
Alannis blinked at that. Tau Ceti, despite their ongoing civil war with Alpha Centauri, still considered themselves part of the Centauri Confederation. Most people referred to their side as the “Tau Ceti Separatists” but officially they were still the Confederation. And while they disagree with President Spiridon on almost everyth
ing, she thought, if we were to go to war with his faction, they’d probably close ranks. That’s what they’d done in the face of every other external threat, anyway.
Though… If we ally with them now, perhaps that could break them away a bit.
“You said that the tribunal will likely sentence him to death, even assuming they capture him alive?” Alannis asked.
“More likely than not,” Captain Beeson nodded gravely. “Three of the other four nations involved want him dead.”
“They aren't the only ones,” Alannis heard herself say. She saw her commanding officer purse his lips but she shook her head. “Captain, I'm speaking as Princess Giovanni when I say this: Reese Leone is dangerous and it would be best for the United Colonies if he was no longer a threat.” She could see he didn't quite believe her, but he just nodded in reply. “I think an alliance is in our best interests,” Alannis said, “so long as we don't compromise either our intelligence assets or our technologies.” The latter could be a problem, she imagined, particularly with some of the Constellation's equipment.
“I think we can protect ourselves, though anyone we operate in concert with will be able to ascertain quite a bit through observation,” Captian Beeson nodded. “With the Spathae’s and the Bowie's refits, they'll be able to see how we've improved our existing ship's capabilities.”
Alannis considered their potential allies. It wouldn't necessarily hurt to show the Shogunate what the potential for their technology. Especially with much of the technology transfers they'd already conducted, that would only show the value in remaining their allies.
With Tau Ceti, it might also work in the United Colonies' favor. They had remained with the Centauri Confederation, in part, because no one else had comparable levels of tech and to fully break away would put them at an overall disadvantage.
