Seeds of Earth (38 page)

Are you accusing the Hegemony of responsibility for this incident, for which you have presented no proof?' said Kuros.

Sundstrom shrugged. 'To be honest, High Monitor, I don't know what to think. However, in a few minutes I shall be holding a press conference, and if I have to announce my resignation I shall tell the reporters why in detail, including a coroner's report on the FDF agent's body and additional testimony from my analysts.'

'Sir, this behaviour is outrageous!' said Horst.

'Indeed it is, Ambassador, but when you have a weak hand you have to make every card count.'

Theo grinned, enjoying this display of old-fashioned political rough-house.

'You have a talent for negotiating, Mr President,' said Kuros. 'Let me first put your mind at rest regarding Hegemony involvement in any insurgent activities here on this world - we Sendrukans do not engage in illegal activities that would threaten stability. That said, I do feel that, on reflection, your proposals have considerable merit. I am certain that Father-Admiral Dyrosha can be persuaded to draw down the Brolturan peacekeepers. I am likewise sure that Ambassador Horst can easily see how continued stability can only be beneficial to all concerned.'

For a moment Horst's face stared blankly from the screen. Then he blinked and life came back into his features. .

'Well, eh . . . if my Sendrukan colleague is willing to persuade . . . persuade the Brolturan commander to scale back the troop presence, that puts matters in a different light. In the interests of cooperation and stability my remit would allow me to offer the kind of military assistance previously mentioned.'

'Your words are most gratifying, gentlemen,' Sundstrom said. 'You have no objection to my announcing the main points of our accord to the waiting reporters?'

Assurances were given by Kuros and Horst, along with strained smiles, then farewells and the confrontation was over. Theo joined the others in an impromptu round of applause to which Sundstrom gave a sardonic smile and bow of the head.

'That Horst,' Theo said. 'The man's a handpuppet ...'

Aye, he just caved at the end, there,' Donny said. 'I thought he had more spine than that.'

'Well, we've no way of knowing what advice he was getting from his AI implant,' said Pyatkov. 'Or how much control it has over him.'

'Then there's no point in speculating,' Sundstrom said. 'In any case, this is a temporary reprieve until Kuros decides on his next move. Pyatkov, Barbour - could you wait downstairs in the conference room? I just need to have a private word with the Major.'

The two men nodded, rose and left. Theo returned his empty glass to the ornamental table and went to sit on the edge of Sundstrom's desk, silent, waiting.

'The assets, Theo,' the president said at last. 'You've got to move them again.'

'Again?' His heart sank. 'Why? And where to this time?'

Away from the towns and settlements. The Uvovo know of many a hiding place in the East Hills - I'll put you in touch with one of the Listeners. And why? well. . . time is against us, Theo, even though my steamroller-ambush ploy bought us a little more.'

'What happens when time runs out?'

'Occupation, maybe internment for the hard cases, with some kind of justification proclaimed loudly along with declarations of their generous and enlightened intentions towards us. I've seen several reports documenting the Hegemony's "generosity", worlds where every city is reduced to rubble, or where the ecosphere has been deliberately poisoned, or where tailored microorganisms were released to expunge a staple crop or a vital food animal. Which is what would have been in store for us had we not been a colonial offshoot from their principal ally.' His eyes were full of a ferocious resolve. 'There has to be resistance, Theo, a guerrilla struggle against the Hegemony that will deny them the right to be here.'

'Surely public opinion back on Earth wouldn't stand for Hegemony occupation?'

Sundstrom smiled. 'Public opinion depends on public perception, and across Earthsphere, especially amongst Human sectors, that perception is shaped by a news media consensus led by ...' He raised a hand towards Theo, expecting him to finish the sentence.

'Starstream,' Theo said sourly. 'What have they been saying about us?'

'That we're a bunch of ignorant, hairy-arsed throwbacks. Oh, there have been any number of pretty documentaries about Darien's flora and fauna, but otherwise the general slant is that we're a parochial, clannish rabble.'

Theo remembered hearing about his nephew Greg's run-in with one offworld reporter. 'Is Lee Shan with Starstream?' "

The president chuckled. 'He's a piece of work, that one - I saw one of his reports on Darien politics that went out on a culture and politics channel which isn't fed through to Darien, surprise, surprise. It was cleverly done, subtle and nuanced, managing to be both accurate and completely misleading.'

'You mentioned seeing reports on the Hegemony and now this one by Lee Shan.' Theo paused. 'Have these come from the Imisil, Mr President? If so, can they be trusted?'

'More than that, Theo, we had one of the OG's newest surveillance terminals, modelled on one from the
Hyperion,
patched into a data nexus on board the Imisil ship in orbit. We were able to access the tiernet itself, that vast interstellar network; my God, Theo, there are oceans upon oceans of information out there, the knowledge and culture of thousands of worlds, and that is how I came to find out the foul history of the Sendrukan Hegemony. And can they be trusted? - I have no doubt that they have an agenda, but equally I am sure that our interests and theirs coincide.'

'Good, so we can expect a shipment of advanced weapons very soon, yes?'

Sundstrom gave a half-smile. 'Soon, perhaps. That Brolturan ship has seeded Darien's orbital shell with probes and detects that track everything in the planet's vicinity out to beyond Nivyesta's orbit. If something happens to disrupt and divert attention, the Imisil ambassador will seize the opportunity.' He thumbed keys on his desk and the wall screens behind him went dead. 'Now, time you went about your business and I tended to mine.'

'Donny Barbour and Mr Pyatkov?' Theo said. 'Why the separate meeting for them?'

'Actually all three of you are to be briefed separately and privately by me,' Sundstrom said. 'Thus the capture of one cannot jeopardise the others.'

A practical approach, Mr President, if a bit pessimistic,' Theo said. 'What if they capture you?'

Sundstrom laughed. 'Trust me, no one is going to capture me alive.'

The two men shook hands.

'Now go,' Sundstrom said. 'Good luck and good hunting.'

'You too, sir.'

And as he left the study, Theo was struck by a foreboding that this would the last time he would see the man alive.

38

ROBERT

After the conference call with Sundstrom and Kuros, he sat there at his desk, feeling an odd exhaustion of the mind. His thoughts were like worms slowly pushing themselves through a dark, muddy cave, taking an inordinate amount of time to reach the other side. 'Robert, how do you feel?'

How
did
he feel? He blinked, breathed in deep and turned to see Harry in a patterned grey lounge suit, seated at the end of the desk with concern in his features.

'You look tired, Robert,' he said. 'It's my fault, I pushed you too hard on the deployment matter . . .'

'Harry, Harry ... you were only doing your job while I was just, well ... wrong-footed by Kuros. Just wasn't expecting it. And Sundstrom - I was so furious at that gambit of his, and yet I can admire the way he played it, played
us.'

'Politics is politics, whether it's on a backwater planet or at the Great Assembly on Earth.'

Robert nodded and sighed, gazing out of the firstfloor window. The road was quiet, deserted, lit by a teardrop-shaped lightpod hanging from a question-mark lamp-post, ancl as he watched it began to rain, bright flecks falling within the radiant halo, dark spots speckling the ground.

'So what will you do about the marines?' asked Harry.

'Order Captain Velazquez to deploy them down here,' Robert said, turning to beckon Rosa over. 'After a quick game of chess.' From a desk drawer he took a folding board and a box of pieces. 'Black or white, my dear?'

'I'll play .. . black,' Rosa said, and as she sat on an opaque high stool, sixteen translucent black pieces appeared on her side of the board while he patiently set out the white side. This was a joy, he thought, playing a relaxing game of chess with his daughter after a hard day's work. But look at the lateness of the hour! - he would have to see her safely tucked up in bed once this game was over and not a moment later.

Robert played first, then move followed move, white pieces and dark, opaque grey pieces staking out territory, threatening assaults, shoring up defences.

'Robert, Lieutenant Heng is still in the building,' Harry said. 'I'm sure he would know the state of readiness of the
Heracles's
marine complement. Might be prudent to know this.'

'Hmm, you think so?' He pondered a clash of pawns on the board before him. 'Very well, have him come up.'

It seemed only a moment or two before there was a knock at the door. He called out and a young man in an Earthsphere olive-and-brown uniform entered, approached and gave a stiffly formal bow.

'Mr Ambassador,' he said.

'Ah, Lieutenant - my daughter, Rosa.'

A moment's hesitation, then the officer bowed again. 'Miss Horst.'

'A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant,' Rosa said.

Horst nodded. 'It is very good of you to answer my summons at this hour. I shall shortly be issuing a request to Captain Velazquez for a company of marines to be redeployed down here, but in advance I should like to know what their state of readiness is.'

'I understand, sir. The
Heracles
carries two full marine companies, complete with lowalt fliers, ATVs and med-mobiles. Either or both companies can be scrambled and ready for deployment in under an hour, and a full company can be translocated to the planet's surface in about six hours, if all three shuttles are avail able.'

'Excellent, Lieutenant, and how would you describe morale at the moment?'

'Very good, sir. Everyone's keen to do whatever they can for the Darien colony'

'Of course, which is only natural and which we are already achieving!' Rosa moved a bishop across the board and placed it on a square occupied by
one
o' Robert's knights, then poked her tongue out at him. He smiled and removed the knight. 'So, Lieutenant, when do you return to your ship?'

'The cutter is supposed to leave Port Gagarin at I a.m., sir, but we have been advised to be there by 7.30 at the latest so I thought it advisable to start out as soon as possible.'

'Then I shall detain you no longer, Lieutenant. Be on your way, and pass on my warmest regards to your captain.'

'I shall, sir.' He bowed to Robert and again to Rosa, who smiled sunnily.

As the young officer left, Robert returned to the game and after a moment's scrutiny saw that he was a few moves away from a complete defeat.

Another game, Daddy?' said Rosa.

'Young lady, if your mother were here she would be outraged to see you still up at this hour . . . well, perhaps one more . . .'

'Robert, you were going to issue that order to Captain Velazquez,' said Harry, who was standing at the other window. He was smiling in that narrow-eyed, head-tilted manner that signalled disapproval.

'Oh, but I'm busy with Rosa, Harry - would you patch into my messenger and send a note for me? You know the basic details.'

Harry was still and silent for a second, then he said:

'That's it done, Robert. Do you want to retire to bed now? Since you decided not to cancel tomorrow's engagements, I would recommend catching up on some sleep.'

Robert frowned as he rearranged the pieces. Why was Harry being such a nuisance? Couldn't he understand that a father had obligations to his daughter?

'Really, Harry, I've just agreed to play another game. I'm sure that I'll be able to meet the day's . . . the day's . . .' He paused, feeling a little dizzy and seized by an irresistible need to yawn. The room dimmed and seemed to grow pale as if a grey veil fell upon everything.

Were those his hands that were carefully putting away the chess board and pieces? Was that his voice that said 'Goodnight' to Rosa and his fingers that switched off the intersim? His legs that carried him upstairs to change into his sleep wear, his bed into which he slipped? Grey hands, grey veil, grey voice, just like that moment during the conference call when his mind seemed to stumble but something in him carried on. Grey voice, grey hands, grey veil, his mind like a grey cave across which he crawled, sinking at last into grey sleep.

39

CATRIONA

Morning sunshine speared down through Segrana's upper canopy as Catriona guided her
trictra
along the branchways, heading back to that deserted village, back to the
vodrun.
The cold air was laced with damp odours of leaf and flower stirred and swirled by the heat of the sun. Rising wafts of warm air carried insects higher to unfurled, nectar-beaded blooms, new luscious leaves, overnight fungi and tiny water pools held in the crooks of tree limbs. Seeing this, Catriona knew that every insect had its predator, whether it was a bigger insect or a bird or some small, furry pseudo-mammal. Or even a plant, luring with sweet smells and bright colours, trapping the quarry with snapping leafy jaws or sticky, smothering leaves or steep-sided drowning sacs. There was even a tree which enticed insects into a crack in its bark which closed convulsively when an intruder tickled certain fibres within.

And as Catriona travelled, always her thoughts circled back to last night's strange dream in the
vodrun,
to the warning about invaders gliding through Segrana's shadows. Predators stalking prey ...