Scaevola's Triumph (Gaius Claudius Scaevola trilogy Book 3) (49 page)

Following the ceremony, Gerenthe gave a more detailed account of his victory, which had taken hours of bitter but gallant fighting. He described how he had led from the front into masses of enemy ships, which he then described as superior battleships, and how he and his fleet had darted hither and thither under incredible fire, selecting and destroying enemy ship after enemy ship, until after five hours, the enemy withdrew. He now brought up his landing craft, and despite the heavy fire from the planet, got his troops to the surface, where they eventually defeated the enemy.

He had left most of the troops there, with adequate support from the space fleet, and had returned to report his victory.

Then followed a sequence of questions, which he answered in a dashing way, then finally the proceedings drew to a close, with the announcement that Gerenthe too would be made a Space Marshall in a further ceremony shortly. Following this, proceedings closed, to permit Gerenthe to proceed to the feast.

Lucilla was in a dark mood. Politeness and the political aspects had required that they continue to watch, and as Gerenthe continued on, she became angrier. They had not received an equivalent ceremony, nor had they received anything like equivalent praise. Vipsania tried to soothe her, and seeing that food and drinks would be available in an adjacent room, she suggested they find something to eat. They should also try to acquire some of that Krothian wine, and suggested that that was something Gaius could do.

"Well?" she said at last, as Gaius had not moved.

"What's that?" Gaius looked up.

"I suggested you get some of the Krothian wine," she smiled.

"Oh, of course," Gaius said, with a distant tone in his voice. He did not move however, and there was a deep frown across his face.

"What's wrong?" Vipsania asked, after staring at her husband doing absolutely nothing but frown for another minute.

"Something's bugging me about Gerenthe," Gaius said at last.

"All the attention he's getting is annoying," Lucilla agreed.

"No, that's not what I mean," Gaius said softly. "I don't mind the Ulsians making a big thing of their hero."

"Then what?"

"There's something not right," Gaius said. "Remember how he described the battle? He took his ships directly up to a greater number of superior ships, and slugged it out. He claims he won by superior bravery."

"It wasn't a very important planet," Vipsania offered. "Perhaps they were the poorer troops."

"According to Gerenthe, they were top of the line warships. They usually go to the best troops," Gaius said.

"Maybe he lied about the numbers and quality," Lucilla muttered.

"Maybe he was mistaken," Vipsania offered.

"Perhaps," Gaius said without conviction, then got up and shrugged as he added, "Not that it matters all that much. Even if he were mistaken about the quality of the enemy and he fought a few clapped out old hulks, a victory is a victory. You can only beat what the enemy puts up against you. Let's have that wine."

* * *

As he expected, Gaius saw Admiral Gerenthe during the informal "mix and meet" at the end of the ceremony. Gaius strode over and congratulated Gerenthe on his victory.

"Who are you?" came the ungracious response.

"Gaius Claudius Scaevola, from the planet Earth." Gerenthe gave no response whatsoever, so Gaius added, "I am the other Space Marshall."

"I see." He then turned his back on Gaius, and continued as if Gaius was not there.

Gaius stared at the back, then shrugged. It was, after all, not his planet.

Lucilla had been standing to one side, but she was close enough to hear this. She felt like spitting tacks, and was about to advance towards the Ulsian Admiral when Gaius took her hand.

"Please, no!" he said.

She stood fuming for a moment, then nodded acknowledgment. While she could be thrown out of the Ulsian military and feel no regret, she recognized that the military might be Gaius' only home on this planet, and the only possible way home was through this military. Deferring to her brother was not one of her strong points, but this time she realized Gaius must be permitted to have his way. In any case, the insult was primarily to Gaius. If he wished to accept it, so be it. But that did not mean she had to put up with any more of this. If she could not respond to Gerenthe, then she should be elsewhere.

She turned and left the building. She stormed down the front steps, then suddenly realised that if it became known that she had run away to sulk, Gerenthe would have won. She needed a reason to go somewhere. Then she suddenly realised her new ship would provide just that excuse.

The
Romulus
had developed a minor fault in its cloaking system, and as the fault had been declared as being repaired, it was reasonable for Lucilla to board the ship and check whether it was truly repaired. She took a capsule to the spaceport, then suddenly realised that she did not know whether she was authorised to request a shuttle.

It turned out she was not able to board a shuttle since none were available, but she could communicate directly with her companion Antonia, who would send one down from the
Romulus
. The shuttle duly turned up and Lucilla boarded.

"Surprised to see me?" Lucilla asked, with an attempt at smiling. She was still inwardly fuming.

"I could not be surprised," Antonia replied with a broad smile. "If I were, you'd think I'd been up to something!"

"Could you be?" Lucilla asked in surprise.

"Not in the sense you mean," Antonia replied. She looked at Lucilla as the shuttle took off. "I was trying to raise your spirits. You look troubled."

"You could look where we're going," Lucilla frowned.

"This shuttle is under complete control," Antonia assured her. "My input comes from the shuttle's sensors, and from the
Romulus'
sensors. I thought you knew that?"

"I'm sorry," Lucilla said. "You're right. I'm upset."

"There, your ship," Antonia said brightly. "Now, we just dock here, then board."

It was only when Lucilla was boarding that a thought crossed her mind. She had paid no attention whatsoever to flying or docking. She really should have tried to remember more from this flight. She followed Antonia along a corridor to the rather plain room known as the bridge. A chair was produced, and Lucilla slumped into it.

"I can sense you are really upset," Antonia said softly. "Do you want to talk? Or have me look into your mind? I may be able to help, you know."

"And pass it on to other Ulsians," Lucilla muttered.

"Lucilla!" Antonia said, and took her hand softly. "I am your companion. Unless I could not prevent your committing a terrible crime in any other way, anything you say or think is totally private between us. You may trust me more than anyone else you have ever known. I cannot betray you."

Lucilla thought for a moment, then said, "Go ahead." This was likely to end up badly, but she had to find out whether she could really trust Antonia. It was just as she was thinking that thought when she realised Antonia would know she had thought that and . . .

'You really can trust me,' came the thought, then 'Oh!'

'Oh?' Lucilla sent her thought.

'Yes. I see your problem. I think you are doing the correct thing, getting away from there.'

'I can't stay away for ever, though.'

'So, what do you want to do?'

'I thought I should test the camouflage system,' Lucilla thought. 'If nothing else, it's a legitimate reason to get me away from that . . that . . .'

'Of course. Now, I must request a protocol. If you want the ship to do something, I suggest you make a verbal order. That way I can readily distinguish orders from ideas floating through your mind.'

'I'm that bad?'

'Those few privileged to have this ability, and they are very few, invariably agree to this, otherwise it's just too confusing.'

'Then what can I do?'

'Why not cloak up and make a close investigation of Gerenthe's ships. They have all their detectors on, but this ship should be capable of evading those, under certain circumstances.'

'They'll get suspicious when this ship simply disappears, though.'

'Not at all. The ship is capable of creating an illusory copy of itself, which will remain and give out the expected responses to observation.'

Lucilla stared, then said, "Do it!" Then suddenly she said, "Won't this get you into trouble if we're caught?"

"No more than you!" Antonia smiled.

"But I thought a companion would have to be, well . . ."

"A goody-goody?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that, but −"

"I think you would put it just like that," Antonia challenged.

"All right! Perhaps I would. But back to you. Why are you suggesting this?"

"Because I'm made like you," Antonia smiled. "I have to be, to support the sort of things you're likely to get up to."

"But isn't there a danger that −"

"You cannot be blamed for anything a companion agrees to," Antonia said, "because we are your legal filters. This manoeuvre isn't illegal, but it would be annoying for Gerenthe if he found out. I can't shelter you from his bad moods. Do you still wish to proceed?"

"I said, 'do it'," Lucilla said. "I see no reason to change my mind." She paused, and added, "As I suspect, you knew."

"I only guessed," Antonia said. "I know how you think, but you're not totally predictable, which, I hasten to add, is very desirable."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Now, look over there. There's your ship!"

Lucilla looked at the screen, and there, slightly behind and below the
Actium
and the
Livia
was an identical image of the
Romulus
.

"That's amazing!" Lucilla muttered. "We're going rather slowly aren't we?"

"Yes," Antonia replied. "We've got to come up to Gerenthe's ships more or less on an orbital path. We can cloak the shape of the ship, but we also need to hide exhausts."

The next two hours were quite boring for Lucilla. The ship drifted and the view of the planet below changed, however half of the planet was dark, and Antonia had sent the ship around that way so that, once behind the planet, orbital correction could be made through the motors.

Eventually Gerenthe's ships drew into sight. Lucilla had to admit it was a beautiful looking ship, glistening in the sunlight, a shuttle drifting lazily away. They drifted past so closely that Lucilla could hardly believe that they would not collide. For a short period she could see virtually every square meter of that side of the ship, and as they drifted slowly away Lucilla had a quick look at the remaining side, shaded but still clearly visible under the light of the inner moon.

"That's odd?" Lucilla frowned.

"What's odd?"

"Gerenthe's ship."

"What's odd about that? It's a very well designed ship, in my opinion," Antonia replied, almost in a huff, Lucilla noted, that Ulsian design should be thought of as merely 'odd'.

"He claims he's been in a major battle in which he was heavily outnumbered and he was about a planet without starship repair factories, and the ship is undamaged."

"You're right," Antonia replied, then added, "None of the other ships are damaged either."

"How could they be repaired so quickly?"

"I'll interrogate one," Antonia said. "We can't ask Gerenthe's ship, because he's senior, but we could try a junior ship. Your decoration is sufficient for me to order it not to report the interrogation, and it won't unless Space Marshall Gerenthe directly over-rides the order. He is senior to you," Antonia added.

"Do it," Lucilla said, as she watched the ships slowly drift abeam.

"That is more than odd," Antonia reported at last. "There have been no repairs because there was never any damage."

"How could he get away with no damage?" Lucilla frowned.

"I don't know," Antonia said, "and we never will know for sure. The ship reports a heated battle in which the enemy appeared not to manoeuvre, and while they were firing furiously, nothing hit."

"That doesn't make sense!"

"From what the Space HQ interrogation indicated, the computer memories have been deliberately altered to conceal Gerenthe's strategy. It appears he claims to have found a secret methodology for defeating them. He refuses to disclose it, because he claims he has evidence of espionage on Ulse itself."

"That's . . ." She paused, then said, "I was going to say that's nonsense, but I suppose I can't prove it."

"Perhaps I'm made too much like you," Antonia replied, "but I think it's nonsense also. However, from a strategic point of view, you must not do anything with this information."

"Why not? What's wrong with questioning? Or are you saying we shouldn't have got it this way?"

"The way you got the information is not the problem," Antonia said. "The problem is, you're questioning the integrity of one of the highest ranking officers on Ulse, and an Ulsian hero as well. Nobody would want to believe you, everyone would want to demolish your career, and you have no real facts. What would you accuse him of, exactly? You simply have no case to make, assuming that you wish to make a case."

"I've got some pretty strong feelings about this!" Lucilla said firmly.

"Including a strong personal dislike for Gerenthe."

"Is that a crime?"

"No," Antonia said, "but it doesn't exactly strengthen your position. Look at it this way. What exactly would you do?"

"Ask him how he'd manage this miracle!" Lucilla said simply.

"And he tells you to go mind your own business."

"Then I accuse . . ."

"You see the problem," Antonia said. "Accuse him of what? Of being exceptionally lucky? Or of fraud? You'd never get anywhere. Your opponents would simply say you have demonstrated that you don't like the Admiral, and you are simply being spiteful."