Hellhole Inferno (27 page)

Before Michella could speak, Ishop said, “They betrayed me as well, Eminence. We are trapped. Mere pawns.”

The ship's pilot—Ian Walfor, former planetary administrator of Buktu—said, “Diadem Michella is a pawn. You, Mr. Heer, aren't much of anything at all.”

Ishop glowered at him.

Michella tried to be dignified. “I am the Diadem of the Constellation, and I demand to be treated with proper respect. If I am a political prisoner, then certain conditions must be met. Even General Adolphus, for all his crimes, understands the necessities of politics, and of decorum.”

“Proper treatment … just like you showed the people on Theser?” Tanja Hu asked. “Lord Riomini leveled the entire colony without warning, killed every single civilian, including Administrator Sia Frankov.” She made a bitter sound. “Don't talk to
me
about expectations and respect.”

Ishop struggled against his bonds, but Michella could see that he had no real hope of breaking free.

“Before we take you to meet the General, we'll shackle you as well, in keeping with precedent,” Enva Tazaar suggested. “Enjoy your relative freedom for now. Don't give us a reason to take it away.”

Walfor's ship decelerated toward the large stringline hub above the blasted planet. Numerous ships were there, some at the hub, others riding in space. Michella knew those vessels would not be enough when the Army of the Constellation swooped in to destroy the rebels.

“Commodore Hallholme will come for me,” she said, her voice hard. “He won't be far behind.”

“I'm afraid the Commodore encountered some unexpected difficulties back at Tehila,” said Walfor. “A saboteur damaged the terminus ring. He won't be able to launch his ships until repairs are made.”

Tanja interjected, “And he knows we have you as hostage. I told him we'd kill you if he pursued.”

“He'll know you're bluffing,” Michella said.

Tanja raised her eyebrows. “Are we? I reminded him about what I did to Governor Undine.”

Michella's heart felt heavy. Brave Commodore Hallholme, a staid and formal commander who did everything by the book, would never take the chance. With the Diadem in enemy hands, and the stringline to Hellhole damaged so that he couldn't launch his fleet, the Commodore would have to make up his own mind. She trusted him to know what to do; he was loyal to her.

As Walfor's ship approached the stringline hub, he transmitted a message and immediately received clearance to dock his ship at the hub, where a special escort shuttle would take them down to the General's headquarters.

Michella looked through the cockpit windowports, saw the blasted planet below, the enormous impact crater that looked like a bull's-eye hundreds of kilometers wide. This was the hellish place where she had exiled the defeated General, fully intending for him to perish.

Now she was the one trapped here, and she doubted if even Ishop Heer could help her.

Hellhole …

 

35

General Adolphus had never dreamed of such a complete turnabout: a defeated Diadem Michella Duchenet brought before him in chains. He didn't gloat over his victory—that sort of pettiness was dishonorable, and it was beneath him—but having the Diadem as his captive changed the very nature of the war. And he would indeed use that to his advantage.

Waiting for the arrival of the prisoner, he and Sophie Vence met in his Elba offices, completely in control; Sophie stood in support beside his desk, exuding righteous anger. She had always blamed the Diadem for the Deep Zone's misery. She reached over to place a firm hand on his shoulder. “You've waited a long time for this day, Tiber.”

He considered. “I waited for Destination Day, when our stringline network was complete and we could declare independence. And I've waited for the day when the Constellation decides to coexist with the Deep Zone. But waiting to gloat over her? No. I will treat the Diadem as a rival leader should, not as a barbarian.”

Ian Walfor and Tanja Hu arrived with the Diadem and her aide as prisoners, both of them with wrists and ankles bound with symbolic chains. They were accompanied by a blonde woman he did not at first recognize, then he placed Enva Tazaar. Not long ago, the former ruler of Orsini had reached out to him, proposing a secret alliance against the Diadem. She had been stripped of her rank and possessions, and had disappeared. Now that was a surprise.

But his attention was riveted on Michella Duchenet.

Seeing the old woman before him, broken and helpless, made Adolphus recall when
he
had staggered forward across the floor of the Council Hall, a prisoner after his first failed rebellion. The seats had all been filled with nobles, many of whom hated him. He had been sure he would be sentenced to death, but had hoped to negotiate clemency for his followers.

He'd gotten neither. Instead of execution, the Diadem had sent him to a hellish planet and exiled his followers as well. Now the tables were turned. He met her gaze calmly, not provoking, but supremely confident. She had to see that she had no power here, no leverage.

Adolphus rose from behind his desk, and the old woman lifted her chin. Defiance flashed in her eyes. “What will you do now, General? Drag me through the streets? Make a show of denigrating me before you kill me?”

He was surprised and let disappointment creep into his voice. “If you imagine I would do such a thing, Michella Duchenet, then you know very little about me. You must know that I am a man who respects authority and honor.” He glanced at Tanja. “The shackles are not necessary. Please remove her restraints.”

Though the others seemed wary about this, Tanja released the manacles. Diadem Michella lifted her age-spotted arms, rubbed her wrists. She offered no thanks for the courtesy.

“What about me?” Ishop Heer lifted his manacled hands. “Unshackle me, too, as a show of good faith?”

Adolphus sat back down behind his desk. “I think not—I know you well enough, Mr. Heer.” He didn't trust Michella Duchenet, but he did not fear her. Her lackey, however, was an entirely different sort of enemy, a loose cannon, someone utterly dishonorable who would come up from behind and slip a knife in a back. “This is between me and the Diadem.”

He turned to the old woman again. “Some realities, first. We've worked hard for our freedom and independence in the Deep Zone, and I have no desire to continue this conflict. We're caring for thousands of Constellation prisoners that we'd just as soon send home in exchange for the Buktu civilians you still hold. We captured most of your Constellation fleet and chased Commodore Hallholme back to Sonjeera with his tail between his legs. And now he has seized one of my DZ planets, so I'll have to defeat him again—and I will, with or without you as hostage.”

His voice grew harder, louder, as anger built within him. “I intend to use you as a bargaining chip if I can. You will not be harmed, nor will you be allowed to create unrest. My first order of business is to deal with Commodore Hallholme and his fleet at Tehila. After I've made certain that he poses no threat, we can negotiate terms for your release.” He raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps in exchange for Constellation recognition of Deep Zone independence, and all of our prisoners freed.”

“That will never happen,” Michella said. “If you send me back right away, I
may
allow some of your followers to live.”

Adolphus remained calm. “Please, no ridiculous posturing. It's not worth my time. The war is over, and the Deep Zone is free. Now that I have you as hostage, the rest is all details.”

Adolphus summoned his personal security guards to take Diadem Michella and Ishop Heer to secure chambers here at Elba, where they would be kept under constant guard for the time being. After the prisoners were gone, he let Tanja Hu and Ian Walfor go to tend to their ship, but he asked Enva Tazaar to stay. “You've made a surprise appearance in the Deep Zone.”

She looked hopeful. “I suffered unexpected setbacks, but I am on your side, General. I already suggested an alliance with you, one that would have brought down Michella Duchenet.”

“I remember it well,” Adolphus said. “Unfortunately, the timing was not right, and now the situation has changed drastically.”

Enva said, “Change is inevitable. We can either implement the change, or be overwhelmed by it. With my family connections, I would still be a powerful ally, General.”

He could see she was ambitious, but he wasn't convinced. “My understanding is that you have no power whatsoever.”

She shrugged. “Circumstances change. The old noble alliances can be resurrected and new ones formed.” She smiled, but with only a hint of humor. “My original offer still stands. If we topple the Diadem, you could give me leadership of the Crown Jewels while you administer all the frontier worlds. As allies, we would bring this mess to an end.”

“True leadership positions are not given. They are earned.”

Enva looked at the General with barely concealed astonishment, turned toward the door. “I orchestrated the capture of Diadem Michella. I warned you of Commodore Hallholme's surprise attack, and arranged for the sabotage of the stringline hub to delay his launch. Before that, I endured exile, waiting and hiding and planning just to build something for myself out in the Deep Zone. I delivered your worst enemy to you at the most crucial time. You now have the Constellation over a barrel.” She glanced at Sophie, then at the General. “How can you suggest I haven't earned anything?”

“You have earned my respect and my gratitude,” Adolphus said. “But the Crown Jewels are not mine to give.”

She paused, reassessed. “I have to start somewhere. I'm here and ready to reestablish myself as a leader. Give me a planet to administer. I'll even run Tehila, if you manage to take it back from Commodore Hallholme.”

“Still thinking big?” Sophie said with a wry smile. “I hate to admit it but we could use another strong leader in the DZ. I believe Hossetea is in need of new and loyal leadership.”

The General realized she was right. After researching Enva Tazaar when she had first proposed the pact with him, he knew she was both formidable and capable. She was hard, sometimes even ruthless, but her record had been impressive enough. He did owe her some kind of reward, so he would give her a chance to prove her worth.

“The planet Theser is a better option,” he said. “Devastated after Lord Riomini's attack, but habitable. Empty and unclaimed. Many Candela refugees are still displaced, not just the ones trapped on Tehila. They'll be willing to work, anxious to establish a new home rather than crowding an already-strained DZ world. It will be a hard place to reestablish a colony—but not much different from when the Diadem sent me here to Hellhole. After you prove yourself there, then perhaps we can talk. If you think you're up to the task.”

Enva narrowed her eyes. “I remember what you said back at the end of the first rebellion: Better to rule on Hellhole than to serve on Sonjeera. It's better than being a civil servant. A step in the right direction. I'll take it.”

Adolphus leaned forward, folded his hands together on his desktop. “We can send the tools, prefab structures, and supplies they'll need. Many of the remaining Candela refugees will jump at the chance for a fresh start. You'll have Theser to administer as an interim governor. Demonstrate your abilities, and in a year or so, we'll leave it up to the people there to pick their own leader. What happens next depends on whether you've impressed them or not.”

Enva Tazaar began to consider the possibilities. “I will impress them, General.”

 

36

It was the third day since the four Constellation officers had escaped from the camp. Bolton continued driving the camouflaged and damaged Trakmaster over rough, rocky ground; his stomach was in knots—he had no sense of where they were, or where they were going, because the onboard nav-system could not recognize the surrounding terrain. Escobar insisted on heading “forward” without having a solid idea of what that was.

In the early morning, Bolton drove through an arroyo, heading for yet another line of hills in the distance. From the high point, they hoped to receive a nav-signal or at least find some distinctive landmark to get their bearings. They had to reorient themselves, so they could head toward Michella Town … and escape.

“For all we know, we're heading in the completely wrong direction,” Escobar said with a groan. “We don't dare let searchers find us.”

“That might not be a bad thing, at this point,” said Yimidi. Bolton had heard him sleeping fitfully, coughing himself awake and then trying to go back to sleep. The junior officer sounded exhausted, and his throat was raw.

“The General has been looking for an excuse to get rid of us,” Escobar said. “If we're recaptured, he'll order our execution because we tried to escape.”

Bolton tried to sound determined and encouraging. “We have to survive on our own and get off this planet. It's our duty to get back to the Constellation, somehow.”

In the rear compartment, Seyn Vingh sat as far from Yimidi as possible. “I hope we don't all catch whatever the hell you've got. Some kind of plague … how do we know it's not contagious?”

“You want to just abandon me so you can go on?” Yimidi asked.

Bolton raised his voice just enough to let them hear the unexpected steel there. “That is not what we do.” If the disease had been contagious, with the confined vehicle and the recirculated air, all four of them would have been exposed by now. “He needs medical attention.”

“Be my guest, Major Crais—find us the nearest hospital facility,” Escobar said in a sharp tone.

“I don't think it's contagious,” Yimidi said, rasping. “One of those algae things tried to get in my mouth. I'm still tasting it, smelling it. What if it left spores or something inside me? I could be … infested.” He coughed, doubled over, and hacked in a much more violent spasm, as if his rib cage would crack open and his lungs spill out.