A Savage War Of Peace (Ark Royal Book 5) (14 page)

“Corporal,” Hadfield said, once the door was closed.  “Perhaps you would care to explain why you allowed the aliens to build their habitations so close to the walls?”

Percy took a breath, placing firm controls on his temper.  “I did not feel that attempting to convince them to build elsewhere would be workable, sir,” he said.  “The last thing I wanted was to give offense to our hosts.”

“Hosts who could turn nasty at any moment,” Hadfield pointed out, coldly.  “Having their buildings so close to the wall would have allowed them to storm the fort before you could react.”

“I had contingency plans, sir,” Percy said.  “Mortars would have reduced the buildings to sawdust within seconds, if necessary.”

Hadfield glowered at him.  “You still took a dangerous risk.”

“And why,” Boone said, speaking for the first time, “did you not establish a permanent settlement on an island, as per your orders?  And why did you allow so many representatives from other nationalities to land at Fort Knight?”

Percy controlled himself with an effort.  “Permission to speak freely, sir?”

“Granted,” Hadfield said.

“I had ten marines, a handful of former Russian prisoners, and a small number of engineers from Pegasus,” Percy said, flatly.  “It was literally impossible to avoid enlisting alien help to build the fort, which required us to build it on the mainland, near our alien allies.  I simply did not have the force to deal with them if they decided to attack us, perhaps because we insulted them in some way.  The best I could have done, before your ships arrived, was die bravely.  We would have made them pay a price for attacking us, sir, but the outcome would have been inevitable.”

Boone smiled.  “And so you decided to rewrite your orders?”

“My orders called for me to set up a base and maintain friendly relations with the local aliens until the diplomats arrived, sir,” Percy said.  “Setting up the base on an island, as planned, would have made it harder to maintain friendly relations.  So too would have discouraging them from coming to visit us, or trying to hawk goods and supplies to the base.  I believe I did the best I could, given the resources I had on hand.”

He took a breath.  “Furthermore, I did not have the resources to threaten the Indians or anyone else who wanted to land on Vesy,” he added.  “I invited them to work through Fort Knight so we could keep an eye on what they were doing.  Had I refused, they would simply have copied the Indians and landed somewhere away from the base.  I would therefore have been unable to monitor their activities.”

“I see,
Corporal
,” Boone said.  “You feel you did the best you could, with the forces you had on hand.”

“Yes, sir,” Percy said.

Boone looked at Hadfield, who nodded.

“I am inclined to agree,” Hadfield said.  “But I’m afraid I have good news and bad news.”

Percy had to fight down the urge to groan.  He’d always hated the good news/bad news game, if only because his mother had been fond of it.  The good news was never good, while the bad news was always horrific.  Or so it had seemed at the time.  As a mature adult, it struck him that he’d been a little brat more than a few times.

“The good news is that you're promoted, effective immediately, to Second Lieutenant,” Hadfield said.  “It's actually backdated six months, as you might expect, so you were paid the full wages.  Not that it matters at the moment.”

Percy nodded.  There was literally nothing to spend his money on, either onboard ship or on Vesy.  The money would remain in the bank on Earth until he returned home or died, in which case it would be forwarded to Penny.  He didn't have any other biological relations left, as far as he knew.  They’d certainly never found his mother’s body.

And he’d been promoted!  Someone must have approved of him ...

“The bad news is that you will no longer be the commander of Fort Knight,” Hadfield continued, remorselessly.  “Lieutenant-Colonel Boone will be replacing you, I’m afraid.”

“Yes, sir,” Percy said.  He'd expected as much.  “Will we be returning to the ship?”

“No,
Lieutenant
,” Boone said.  “You and your men have been placed on the list of people to be sent home for leave, when the next ship departs Vesy, but for the moment your section will serve as a Quick Reaction Force.  The experience you have garnered of operating on Vesy is too important to waste.”

And we’ll be teaching the Paras what we know
, Percy thought. 
They’ll need to learn fast
.

“It will be a welcome change, sir,” he said, instead.  “However, I should warn you that the aliens are getting impatient.  They want what they know we can give them - and they want it soon.”

“Or they’ll go somewhere else,” Boone said.  “I believe Ambassador Richardson will open communications with them as soon as she arrives, once we get some proper security set up here.”

“And the spooks will want you to be debriefed,” Hadfield added.  “You’re going to be rather busy, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir,” Percy said.  He
would
be busy ... but at least he wouldn't be out on a branch, feeling as though some bastard was planning to cut him off with a saw.  “I look forward to it.”

Hadfield gave him a look of pure mischievous evil.  “And you should also send your sister a message,” he said.  “I believe she’s planning to interview you.”

Percy blinked.  “How ...?”

It struck him a moment later.  “She’s on the ship?”

“Embedded reporter,” Hadfield confirmed.  “And really quite depressingly enthusiastic.”

“Oh,” Percy said.  The thought of Penny on Vesy ... he’d
tried
to be protective, but she’d stuck her head into the lion’s den anyway.  “I’ll send her a message as soon as possible.”

Chapter Thirteen

Joelle stepped through the hatch and closed her eyes, taking a long deep breath as she took her first step onto an alien world.  Or
another
alien world, she reminded herself.  Part of the reason she’d won the assignment was because she’d already visited an alien homeworld.  She tasted pollen in the air, along with a warm humidity that startled her, and a scent that was oddly flavourful, like warm perfume.  The wind shifted, blowing warm air against her bare face, then faded away again.  It felt rather like a tropical day in the Maldives.

Where diplomats meet to talk, then have fun
, she recalled.  The Maldives had been effectively depopulated during the Age of Unrest, when the capital city had been torn apart by rioting and then evacuated. 
I wonder how many of my fellows will make the same connection
?

She opened her eyes and stared at Fort Knight.  It looked crude, like far too many military bases, and yet there was a certain charm to it that caught her attention.  Perhaps it was the strange mixture of human and alien architecture, or perhaps it was because it was the sole major human settlement on the planet.  Around it, beyond the walls, were dozens of other buildings, not all of them alien.  The Americans and French had already started to occupy the barracks the Vesy had put together for them.

“Ambassador?”  Grace asked, from behind her.  “Are you alright?”

“I’m just admiring the scenery,” Joelle said, without looking around.  There had been health warnings included in the briefing, one of which had covered the potential danger of pollen on human health.  The medics were watching for the first signs of anything akin to hay fever or allergic reactions, although - so far - no one had shown any signs of more than mild sneezing when breathing the alien air.  “It’s a very strange city.”

“It’s a very primitive settlement,” Grace said, as she walked forward.  Joelle sensed, rather than saw, her wrinkling her nose.  “It’s covered in mud.”

“I think this isn't meant to be a permanent settlement,” Joelle said.  The Vesy knew how to work stone, after all; she’d seen images of their giant stone cities.  “They just wanted to build a settlement as quickly as possible, so they built it out of wood.  It isn't as if there is a shortage of wood on the surface.”

Grace sniffed.  “We could show them something better,” she said.  “Couldn’t we?”

“Probably,” Joelle said. 

She turned her head and blinked in shock.  The Vesy were
staring
at her, staring with an intensity that chilled her to the bone.  It was such a penetrating stare that she felt naked, even though she'd worn a light suit that covered everything, save for her hands and face.  She’d even donned a hat to keep the sun off her head.  The Vesy might be primitive, she reminded herself savagely, but they’d seen humans die.  They knew humans weren't gods.

And that will make them more dangerous across the negotiating table
, she thought, as she saw a uniformed officer emerging from the gates of Fort Knight. 
They will drive a hard bargain
.

“Ambassador,” the officer said.  “I’m ... ah,
Lieutenant
Schneider, Royal Marines.  I have been charged with showing you the fort and escorting you to meet with Ivan, the local alien ruler.”

Grace stepped forward.  “Do you have to use the Russian names for them?”

“Their names are unpronounceable,” Schneider said.  He didn't quite say that such details had been included in the briefing notes, but Joelle was sure he
wanted
to say it.  “We decided to stick with the Russian names until we obtained better translations.”

“You wrote most of the reports,” Joelle said, as she allowed Schneider to lead them towards the fort.  “I read them with great interest.”

“Thank you, Ambassador,” Schneider said.

They stepped through the gates and into the fort itself.  It was larger than Joelle had realised, with a number of low barracks and a handful of prefabricated buildings from Earth, all patrolled by men in jungle camouflage uniforms.  The Union Jack flew over the main building, but the Stars and Stripes dominated another and the French Tricolour flew over a third.

“We gave one barrack hall to the Americans and one to the French,” Schneider explained, as they walked past the barracks.  “The smaller groups have been allocated space in a communal building and told to behave themselves, basically.  We’ve been running language and alien culture lessons for them in the hopes of avoiding problems.”

Grace coughed.  “Do you know enough to avoid cultural misunderstandings?”

“Not enough,” Schneider said.  “They’re egg-layers; anything connected to their eggs and hatching is pretty much a berserk button for them.  The concept of bastardry seems completely alien to them - I think it’s because they recognise family members by scent - but we’ve been warned not to even
suggest
that someone did something to the eggs before they hatched.  Other than that ... they do have religions, which they’re reluctant to discuss, so I would advise you not to raise the subject with them.”

“That doesn't seem very specific,” Grace pointed out.

“As far as we can tell, we have contact with twelve or thirteen city-states, some of which were badly mangled by the God-King,” Percy said.  “That’s a tiny percentage of the planet’s population, all from an area smaller than England.  It’s quite possible that there are cultures on the other side of the world that are very different; we just don’t know about it, yet.  It will take years to properly survey the entire world.”

He shrugged.  “For us, giving someone the thumbs up is a good thing,” he added.  “In the Middle East, it’s insulting.  What’s taboo in this part of the world may be enthusiastically practiced in a different part of the world.”

Joelle nodded in understanding.  Dealing with cultural differences hadn’t been considered a priority since the Age of Unrest - few people cared to honour customs they regarded as brutal, barbaric and inhuman - but it could be important during talks with Japan, China or even Russia.  A Japanese negotiating team might be led by someone who never said a word, even during high-level discussions, while the Chinese were quite happy to have the talks stretch out over weeks if necessary.  And the Russians could be quite reasonable as long as they believed that no one was going to give them an inch, let alone a mile.

The rest of the tour proceeded quickly.  Joelle was impressed, all the more so when she saw hundreds of Vesy working on the next set of barracks on the far side of the fort.  The walls would have to be expanded to provide cover, she suspected, but Fort Knight was already taking on the characteristics of a minor town.  It wouldn't be long before more prefabricated buildings were brought down from orbit and used to expand the facilities still further. 

“Tell me something,” she said.  “How secure is the base?”

Schneider hesitated.  “We have rules against allowing the aliens into the base without an escort, all the more so now as we have the firepower to back it up,” he said.  “However, if they attacked in force, we would probably be overwhelmed without orbital firepower to even the odds.”

He paused, again.  “We haven't been able to run coordinated bug sweeps yet, however,” he added.  “I imagine that various intelligence parties are already trying to pick up what they can from us.”

Joelle nodded.  “The conference rooms will need to be swept regularly,” she said.  “For what time did you organise the meeting with the alien ambassador?”

Schneider glanced at his wristcom.  “It is due to take place in two hours,” he said.  “Do you want to freshen up first?”

“Yes, please,” Joelle said.  Sweat was already running down her back.  “Show me to my quarters, if you please.  I can sort through the briefing notes and update my plans.”

Grace gave Schneider a long look.  “What do you make of them?  The aliens, I mean, when you talked to them?”

“Don’t expect them to have any patience with evasive speech,” Schneider said, after a moment.  “They are plain blunt men, as far as I can tell.  They won’t tolerate anyone trying to string them along.”

Joelle nodded.  It was something to bear in mind.

She hadn't expected much from the quarters and she wasn't disappointed.  Her suite was nothing more than a pair of rooms, a makeshift shower and a couple of pieces of alien designed and built furniture.  Grace grumbled when she saw the shower, which made Joelle smile; her aide had never lived or worked away from civilisation for a day, let alone a long-term assignment to another country.  Poor showers weren't
bad
, not compared to howling mobs intent on looting, raping and murdering western ambassadors.  She washed herself quickly under the lukewarm water, then hastily reread the briefing notes while Grace took a shower herself.  There was nothing new there, save for a warning that the Indians might be making all sorts of deals with the Vesy and no one had any idea what they might be.

And that is the question
, Joelle thought, as she changed into new clothes. 
What are the Indians offering that we will have to match
?

Schneider returned, when the time came, and led her towards the conference building outside the walls.  Joelle considered arranging to have something lighter than a heavy suit in future - it was unlikely the Vesy would care if she wore shorts and a t-shirt instead of the suit - and then pushed the thought aside as Schneider escorted her into the conference room.  An alien, a real live alien, was standing in front of a table, peering at her.  Joelle heard Grace gasp behind her, even though they’d seen aliens before when the shuttle landed.  Up close, the alien smelled faintly odd, a scent that reminded her of a heady perfume.  It made her think of weekends in the countryside when she'd been a little girl, down on the farm with her relatives and their small collection of animals. 

And you hated it when you realised that Harry Pooper had been slaughtered, then turned into the pork roast you had for dinner
, she thought, as she bowed to the alien.  The memory was so strong it almost overpowered her. 
How long did it take you to go back to the farm after you discovered the truth
?

“I greet you,” she said, in English.  She could speak Russian, if necessary, but she would prefer to use English.  “I am Ambassador Joelle Richardson.  I speak for my people.”

“I am Ivan,” the alien replied, also in English.  There was definitely an accent, but he spoke English better than she’d expected.  “I speak for my people.”

Joelle hesitated, then sat facing him.  Grace stood behind her; Schneider, after exchanging a wave with the alien, left the room.  The alien didn't sit; the briefing notes had made it clear that they preferred to stand, even where a human would have seen someone looming over them as a threat.  Their body language was still largely a mystery ... Joelle forced herself to remember, again, that she wasn't dealing with a human wearing a funny suit.  The Vesy might look closer to human than the Tadpoles, but they were still alien.

“I must be curt,” the alien said.  There were faint intonations in his flat voice, but it was impossible to tell what, if anything, they meant.  “I speak with authority to make agreements on behalf of my people.  Do you speak with the same authority?”

“Within certain limits, yes,” Joelle said.

“That is unacceptable,” Ivan said.  “Do you or do you not have authority to speak on behalf of your people?”

Joelle took a moment to compose an answer.  “I have authority to make agreements with you, within certain limits,” she said.  “As long as those limits are not infringed, I can make binding agreements on their behalf.”

She frowned inwardly, mind racing.  The aliens had accepted then-Corporal Schneider’s status as the man in charge, but they’d also understood that he had no power to make long-term agreements with anyone.  Now, with a genuine Ambassador on the spot, they clearly expected substantial discussions.  And with the Indians up to something, only a few hundred miles away, they had good reason to want to move fast.

Perhaps it would have been better
, she thought,
not to discuss the possibility of limits at all
.