"I will speak plainly so there is no misunderstanding," Mzuzi said. "Abasi offers humanity a seat at this very table."
"There are billions of humans," Marny said. "I cannot possibly speak for the multitude of nations that make up humanity."
"Stop positioning, Mzuzi," Mshindi Prime prompted, irritation evident in the flick of her tail. "Marny James-Bertrand, we offer the status of an Abasi House to Loose Nuts."
"I've said as much," Mzuzi growled.
"I am in no position to negotiate the details of this offer," Marny said. Her words caused angry grumbling to break out around the table. Looking to Mshindi Prime for support, Marny stopped talking.
"The council will desist." Mshindi raised her voice and slapped a broad stick against the table. "We will allow our guests to speak. We have already learned that they only do so when value can be added. Please continue, James-Bertrand Captain."
"Are you prepared to negotiate territories?" Nick asked. Marny looked at him quizzically and he answered her unasked question. "Abasi is structured like Earth's ancient feudal societies. The houses defend the territory, are responsible for infrastructure, and collect taxes. As an Abasi House, we would also be obligated to share any new technology we might come in contact with or control."
"Iskstar," Marny said, mostly under her breath. The single word, however, sent a fresh ripple through the gathered Abasi heads.
"We hadn't thought to discuss territories," Mzuzi said. "You are a small faction. How would you manage such?"
"You're offering us title without holdings?" Nick asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes," Mzuzi started.
"No!" Perasti Prime slammed her paw onto the table and stood. "Are we little better than the Pogona snakes that infest our cities?"
Mshindi Prime stood next to Perasti Prime. "Busara. Your claws are as sharp as ever – as is your mind. Marny, Nicholas, this is new territory for the Felio. Our best strategists tell us the approaching Kroerak fleet will defeat our peoples."
"Heresy!" Mzuzi roared.
"We speak truth within the Chamber of Koman," Mshindi Prime said calmly. "House Mshindi and House Perasti believe Loose Nuts will come to the aid of the Felio people when asked and that no further agreements are necessary."
"But?" Nick prompted.
"Our spies report that you have discovered a weapon called Iskstar, something you seem to have verified a few moments previous," Mshindi Prime said.
"You should not tell them of our spies," Mzuzi said.
"We are in the Chamber of Koman," Mshindi Prime responded. "If you did not wish the humans to learn the truth, then you should not have brought them here. There is no place in this chamber for a lie."
"The High Council wants to lock down the Iskstar weapon to the Abasi by offering Loose Nuts political standing as a House," Nick said, looking at Marny as he did. "By agreement, the Abasi High Council could require that all knowledge of Iskstar be shared with Abasi. House of Loose Nuts would also be obligated to use this weapon, if there is such a thing, in defense of the Abasi people."
"Your mate speaks truth," Perasti Prime said, addressing Marny. "What say you?"
"Mhina system," Nick said, before Marny could answer.
"WHAT!" Mzuzi leapt up from where he'd been sitting and rushed toward Nick. He only slowed to a stop when Marny stepped in front, striking an aggressive combat stance. "You impudent cur. Never has any Felio claimed an entire system. These humans are as treacherous as any Pogona."
"Settle, Mzuzi," Mshindi Prime said, her quiet delivery in stark contrast to Mzuzi's excited rampage. "There are only two inhabitable moons in all of Mhina and the system is separated from Confederation Space by blockade. Being cut off, you will have no tax base in which to build your House. Also, we believe the Kroerak will arrive in Tamu system by entering Mhina first. Mhina has no value. Please explain, Nicholas James."
"With the Kroerak fleet you are expecting, will the blockade hold?" Nick asked.
"We do not believe so," Mshindi Prime answered. "Our fleet will last five ten-days if the Pogona do not join with us. There are several other smaller nations that are sending their best, but it will not be enough."
Mzuzi growled at the suggestion of failure but didn't interrupt.
"Then you give up nothing," Nick said. "If Abasi falls to Kroerak, the status of the Mhina system is not important. If we are successful, humanity will have a place where we can grow without the impediment of being second-class citizens."
"Mhina." Mshindi Prime nodded and pulled a small, smoothed stone from the table and walked to the end where a darkly stained leather bag sat next to a lightly stained bag. She dropped her stone into the lighter bag.
"House of Loose Nuts," Perasti said, somberly picking up a stone, walking to the end of the table and dropping it into the light bag.
"Iskstar," Gundi Prime added, following suit.
"Desist," Mzuzi, Kifeda Prime said, angrily dropping a stone into the dark-colored bag.
The procession continued with only one other negative vote.
"House of Loose Nuts, you are required to vote," Mshindi Prime said.
"Nick?" Marny asked.
"Today is your show, Marny," he answered. "I'll back whatever play you call."
Marny walked to the table, plucked a smooth stone from on top and held her hand above the light-colored bag. "Today, on behalf of Liam Hoffen, Petersburg Station, and the willing humans of Zuri, we join with the Abasi people. From this moment forward, we will be known as the House of the Bold."
With her speech complete, she dropped the stone.
Marny picked a squirming Little Pete up from his armored crib as they exited the elevator onto the thirtieth floor of the House of Koman. She'd requested privacy so her team could regroup. Surprisingly, House of the Bold had been given an entire floor. The space was completely open, awaiting a desired configuration. A few construction supplies had been left leaning against the building's exterior wall. Marny mentally added ‘finishing out Bold HQ’ to the bottom of her rapidly growing list of things that needed attention.
"Perasti Prime provides invitation to your party for refreshment in a short span," Moyo stepped from the elevator but did not venture any further into the space. The Felio time frame provided was equivalent to about an hour.
"We accept. Thank you, Moyo," Marny answered. The Felio officer bowed slightly, brought her paw to mid-chest, and left on the elevator.
"Why are we here?" Flaer asked. "Are we being detained?"
Marny wandered to the broad windows that looked out over the capital city of Amanika. Like every major city she'd been in, this city bustled with frenetic activity — vessels buzzing back and forth and pedestrians bustling about their business. Unfortunately, hundreds of thin pillars of smoke rising from the city provided a different kind of reminder. For a second, Marny was back in the Amazon, fighting as a fresh boot in her first war.
"Not detained," Marny answered absently. "Just committed."
"This is Nick. Go ahead."
Marny turned, something in Nick's tone caught her attention.
"Sendrei," he mouthed, adding her to the conversation.
"… believes the second fleet will come through Mhina in less than a ten-day," Sendrei said.
"How did he get this intel?" Marny asked, surprised.
"I'm going to break the open-channel protocol," Sendrei said. "I don't think it matters at this point if someone is listening in. The Iskstar appears to be a lot more than some sort of weapon. Jonathan thinks it is a sentient species or that some sentient is communicating through the crystal formations. They feel there's evidence to support both ideas."
"That doesn't make sense," Nick answered. "Are you talking to these Iskstar? How does the weapon work? You have to fill us in."
"We don't have a lot to work with either," Sendrei said. "We haven't seen a lot of Liam and Tabby lately. The weapon is real, though. Using a normal blaster turret, we replaced the tuning crystal with an Iskstar. It ate through t
he Kroerak ship like a mining laser through plastic. I just don't know if we can trust the intel."
"What do you mean?" Marny asked.
"There's no good way to say it," Sendrei said. "Liam may have been compromised by the Iskstar."
"Compromised?" Marny asked forcefully enough that she startled Peter and he complained loudly. "How?"
"He's established some sort of communication with them," Sendrei answered. "They seem to communicate with him while he is … dreaming. There's no way to verify what Liam is saying."
Marny's eyebrows shot up and she looked over to Nick who shared her same, startled reaction.
"Is he acting strange otherwise?" Marny asked.
"No way to know," Sendrei answered. "We've been running a thousand kilometers a second around here. Fact is, however, he was right about one thing."
"What's that?" Nick asked.
"Liam told us, through his communication with the Iskstar, about the Kroerak Fleet’s arrival in the Picis system. Jonathan was able to verify it," Sendrei said.
"Are you saying you have Kroerak in-system?" Marny asked. "We're still thirty days out and that's if we burn at Double-A rate. You should have told us."
"Would it have made any difference?" Sendrei asked. "Have you been lollygagging?"
"No," she answered. "We're coming, Sendrei. We'll get this thing with Liam worked out."
"Tell the Abasi about the second fleet and that the Kroerak are targeting Abasi Prime," Sendrei said. "I figure the best plan would be to move the blockade fleet through the Tamu gate and sit on it. That way they can pick off the Kroerak ships as they come through."
"Won't that leave Zuri open?" Marny asked. "That second fleet that will be sailing through Santaloo. Do we know the Kroerak will skip Zuri? Sendrei, if Abasi pull back to Tamu, Petersburg station will be wide open."
"If the size of the Kroerak fleets are as reported, it won't matter," Sendrei answered.
"Without Abasi support, Silver has to abandon Petersburg," Marny said. "I doubt even with the defensive guns they could last more than a few days against the Kroerak."
"Agreed. I have to go, Marny. We're on the clock here," Sendrei replied.
"Copy," Marny answered and allowed the comm to disconnect.
"What are we going to do?" Nick asked. "What if Liam is compromised like Sendrei suggested?"
"Liam is one-hundred percent until he isn't," Marny said. The lines in her face hardened with resolve as she said it. "Plan hasn't changed. More than ever we need that weapon. Now, we need to get ready to play nice with our new friends."
"That went better than I expected," Marny said as they loaded onto an awaiting shuttle. The shuttle's colors were House Perasti and she was surprised that Moyo, Perasti Tertiary, still accompanied them. She didn't feel it important to hide the conversation from Moyo, as the high-ranking Perasti had been in attendance when Marny and Nick had shared Liam's intel.
"It's quite a risk for them to redeploy the Confederation blockade," Nick said. "What if there isn't a second fleet? What if Kroerak only come through Mhina?"
"Abasi will not move the blockade fleet," Moyo said.
"But we know there's a fleet coming through Pogona space," Nick said. "If it enters through Brea Fortul, you'll only have a ten-day before it arrives at the Santaloo-Tamu gate."
"Perasti Prime has sent my sister Imara to Brea Fortul in our fastest ship. Zakia, second of Mshindi, has been dispatched to travel from Santaloo to Mhina. Our houses will gather the necessary intelligence so that the Warlord is able to act."
"Warlord?" Marny asked.
"In times of war, a single head is promoted to Warlord," Moyo answered. "Most believe this will be Mshindi Prime, as House Mshindi is strongest.
"With Imara on a mission, how is it that you have time to travel with us?" Nick asked. "I would expect the third of Perasti to have much responsibility, especially with rumors of war."
"It has been given to me to ensure the safety of House of the Bold," she answered. "Your status has changed more rapidly than your capacity to adjust and there are dangers of which you are not yet aware."
"That sounds ominous," Nick said.
"James-Bertrand Marny is identified as Bold Second," Moyo said. "She should assign further positions so that access to Abasi information may be granted."
"Nick, you should be second," Marny said. A moment later, a security prompt popped onto her HUD asking to instead confirm him as Fifth, behind Tabby and Ada.
"Negative," Nick said. "This is a command structure. You've always filled the second position whether you recognize it or not. I'll leave it to Ada and Tabby to argue about who is third and who is fourth."
Marny authorized the initial command structure as the shuttle transitioned from the blue atmosphere of Abasi Prime to the inky black of space. Using the AI to guide her, she located Hornblower's position nestled planet-side against the station. Her attention was drawn away from Hornblower as she caught the nose of an elegant, cruiser-class warship slowly arcing into view.
"Who is that?" Marny asked, as the ship cleared the station enough that it's smaller companion, a sleek frigate-class ship, came into view. Her AI, upon hearing the question, displayed the names of the two ships sporting distinctive medium-blue hulls and three white, angled blazes. "Perasti," she answered for herself. "Hunting Fog and Runs Before Wind. Jamani followed us back from patrol?"
"With respect. House Perasti requests that you allow Hunting Fog and Runs Before Wind to accompany you on your mission," Moyo said.
Marny recognized Runs Before Wind as the frigate that had met them upon entry into the Tamu system after the attack by the Strix-flagged fleet. The words of Jamani, Perasti Fifth, came back to her. Jamani had said she stood with Loose Nuts. Marny understood now that House Perasti had always intended to go with them out to Picis. With the incredible firepower of the two ships, Marny wasn't about to turn either of them down.
"Your ships look fantastic and you've been more than accommodating," Marny said. "You need to know two things, though. First, if you go, you're part of my battlegroup and under my direction." Marny looked at Moyo, waiting for a response.
"And your second requirement?" Moyo asked.
"We're likely going to get our butts kicked."
"Does it not reason that three ships are more prepared than a single?" Moyo asked.
"Two cruisers and a frigate have a lot of potential," Marny answered. "I'd love to have your help, but we have to have a clear leader and I will not cede my position."
"As my sister has already committed to you, we stand with House Bold," Moyo said.
Marny stood and placed her hand over Moyo's already outstretched paw. She curled her fingertips into the fur of Moyo's wrist at the same time the Felio grasped hers. She released when her nails touched skin at about the same time Moyo's nails grazed her own wrist. Such was the traditional Felio handshake.
"Ada, can you read me?" Marny asked, allowing her AI to establish a comm channel.
"Go ahead, Captain," Ada answered.
"Do you have an ETA on loading?"
"Copy. We're ninety minutes out and all personnel other than the four of you are present and accounted for," she answered.
"Good. Let's plan to be underway in no less than ninety," Marny said.
"Aye, aye, Captain," Ada answered. "It's getting a little tense up here, though."
"How's that?" Marny asked.
"We've got a couple of heavy ships from Perasti circling us like wolves," she said. "One of them is a two-year-old cruiser. Must have been built after the Earth invasion. I'd hate to think what would happen if we had to punch our way out of here."
Marny chuckled. "Copy that, Ada. We're currently in Perasti Tertiary's shuttle headed to the station. Hunting Fog and Runs Before Wind will be accompanying us to Picis."
"Was that our choice?" Ada asked.
"It was," Marny replied. "I'll catch you up when we get back to Hornblower."
"Okay, but one last thing. Who is th
is House of the Bold? They've supposedly got a cruiser docked here at the shipyard, but I can't locate it."
"Why don't you see what you can find on the public Abasi channels. Bertrand out." Marny closed the comm channel.
"That was mean," Nick said.
"I have my moments," Marny said, still gazing out at the gleaming Perasti warships. In most conflicts she'd participated in, two cruisers like Hunting Fog and Hornblower would have been more than enough firepower. Having seen the Kroerak, however, Marny knew they would soon be vastly out-matched.
Docking amidships on Hornblower, the four quickly disembarked. Marny wasn't surprised to find Ada in the passageway, waiting for them.
"You're in trouble, Missy," Ada said, her arms akimbo and a stern look on her face. "House of the Bold?"
"Better than House of Loose Nuts, don't you think?" Marny asked, grinning. "And you shouldn't be complaining. Far as I can tell, you're the equivalent of a Lord at this point."
"Oh. Do I have lands then?" Ada joked as they walked quickly back to the elevator.
"Well, actually," Nick said. "If we survive this thing with the Kroerak, you probably do."
"Yeah, well I have a mining claim in the Tipperary system too and look how much good that's doing me," she replied.
Chapter 13
Exposed
I awoke to the chirp of my suit's alarm. In truth, five hours of sleep on a cold, muddy, rock-laden floor in a cavern beneath a mountain was more than enough. I was tired, sure, but my body ached in ways I didn't realize it could. To make matters worse, I was low on med-patches. Rather than heal the numerous small aches caused by our poor living conditions, I decided I’d rather conserve what we had for emergencies.
"Tell me it's not time to get up," Tabby complained as I stirred next to her. I wondered if, with her synthetic muscles, she actually felt pain the way I did. I ripped the tops off the last two meal bars and handed her one, keeping one for myself. The water I dredged from my suit's straw tasted stale, although I suspect it had more to do with the humid moldy air of the cavern than it did the water.
Fury of the Bold Page 14
