Shadow Space Chronicles 1: The Fallen Race (22 page)

Lucius leaned back in his chair, brow furrowed, “How do I contact her?”

“Well, as I said, I’m really shocked she hasn’t—”

“
Morning, sir, we got a call for you,” Lieutenant Palmer’s drawl interrupted on speaker.

Lucius frowned, “Another answer to our message?  I thought we’d made it clear we have sufficient forces.”

“Ah, no, Baron.  It’s, well, a ship just arrived in-system.  The captain called us right off, and said she’s wantin’ to talk with you, personal-like.”  Lieutenant Palmer seemed disconcerted.  “It’s a small ship, looks like one of ‘em Achaean scouts.  Not much of a threat by itself.”

Lucius had an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach, “Did she say how she found us?”

“Naw, sir, she just said she had to speak with you in person, and gave her name.”

Lucius closed his eyes, “Her name is Kandergain, correct?”

Palmer didn't answer for what seemed like a long time, “Why, yes, sir, it sure is.”

“
Well, her timing is impeccable.  Direct her to land at the south pad.  Tell Colonel Proscia I want an honor guard, I’ll meet them there.”  Lucius closed the link, “Well, Mr. McGann, it looks like she wanted you to introduce her.”

The smuggler shook his head, “Like I said, she’s… she’s just spooky.”

“I’m beginning to feel that way myself,” Lucius sighed.

***

The ship settled on the south pad smoothly, “She knows how to handle a ship, that’s for certain,” Lucius said softly.  Lucius waited in his best black uniform, with its silver buttons and epaulets.  Twenty Marines stood by, dressed in their full battle harness.  It might be excessive, but then again, it might not be enough.

“I’d love to add that ship to our forces,” Lucius murmured.  Ruggedly built scout ships, the Achaeans mounted the best scanning equipment and computers to match.  That single ship probably had better systems than the
War Shrike
mounted.  Of course, the handful of Achaeans that survived dated to just before the fall of Amalgamated Worlds.

The woman that stepped down the ramp didn’t look like a psychic.  With simple, rugged clothing and her blonde hair pulled back into a pony-tail, she looked like the normal prospector or surveyor that would crew an Achaean.  She smiled as she surveyed the arrayed Marines, “Thank you for the honor guard, Baron Giovanni.  I swear to you that I will be on my very best behavior.”

Lucius stepped forward, offering his hand, “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”  He took her hand, and made a slight half-bow over it.  “Though, I must apologize that I’m not so certain I can take you at your word.”

She smiled, “Sweetheart, if I wanted to kill you, there’s nothing you could do to stop me.”  She sighed, “Though I suppose you’ll need further demonstration.”  She released his hand and stepped back.  The lights dimmed slightly.  The air chilled suddenly and a crackle of static electricity rippled through the air.

Suddenly there were shouts of surprise from behind him.  Before Lucius could turn, the rifles and sidearms of his escort flashed past him, to spin in the air around the psychic.  They spun faster and faster, as she raised her arms.

She dropped her arms.  The weapons settled into neat piles, just as if the Marines had stacked them prior to undertaking some work.  The lights returned to their normal brightness, and warmth slowly returned to the air.  She smiled wryly, “My best behavior, Lucius.  I promise.”

Lucius let out a breath that steamed, “Well, then.  Perhaps we can dispense with the honor guard.”  He cleared his throat, “Would you care for some refreshments?  We’ve prepared some in the observatory, it’s my favorite place to eat.”

She nodded, “I’d love to.  Lead the way.”

Lucius turned and started out of the landing bay.  “As it would happen, by the way, Mr. McGann and I were just discussing you, prior to your arrival.”

“
Ah… how fortuitous.”

“
One might wonder at the timing.” Lucius said

She gave a slight smile, “One might.”

They walked in silence for a while, and Lucius took the time to study her more.  She stood taller than him.  She didn’t appear much older than her early twenties, though life-prolonging treatments could make her much older than him, depending on which ones she’d taken.  As they walked, her brown eyes roved over the activity of the base.  She smiled, every now and then, as a child ran past.

They reached the observation level after only a short walk.  Lucius seated himself at the same chair he’d taken when he spoke with Kral the Chxor.  He hoped this conversation would prove as helpful.  “So, what brings you to our delightful slice of the universe?”

Her face settled into a serious cast, “I’m here to help you and to warn you, Lucius.”  She sipped at a cup of coffee.  “Your battles at Faraday may well decide the fate of the human race.”

Lucius cleared his throat, “Oh... delightful.  No pressure, then?”

She smiled, “Quite the opposite, I’m afraid.”  She shook her head and her face returned to solemnity, “I’m certain you see the Chxor as the greater threat, right now, but there are other things far worse.  The Balor continue to rip through the Republic.  The Shadow Lords continue to raid and loot entire worlds.”  She sighed, her brown eyes focused on something distant, “Shadow Lord Invictus just sacked the Haid system.”

“
Isn’t that a Republic military world?” Lucius asked.

“
It was.  There weren’t… there isn’t much left there now,” the way she said it, Lucius wondered if Invictus had left any survivors.

“
Why?” Lucius shook his head, “Why would they do that, aren’t they human, don’t they care what happens to the human race?”  He had no personal encounters with the Shadow Lords or their minions and for that he was grateful.  He knew that Colonel Proscia had barely escaped from one of their raids.  The Nova Roma Empire had fought off a serious raid by Shadow Lord Gargant shortly after the fall of Amalgamated Worlds... a battle Lucius's own father had been involved in.

“
They’re arrogant, and they’re powerful.”  Kandergain shook her head, “Invictus did it to stop Imperious from taking the world, to tell the truth.  They worry more about each other’s machinations than the very real threat our race faces.”

“
You seem to know a great deal about them.” Lucius said, having sudden dark suspicions.  It wasn't unknown for them to send emissaries to manipulate those they saw as pawns.

“
I’m not one of them.” Kandergain rolled her eyes, “As powerful, definitely, but I lack their ambition, and the dark bitterness that drives them.”

“
And modest too,” Lucius said dryly. 

She shrugged, “The longer a psychic lives, the more she goes through, the stronger she becomes.”  She held out a hand, “The Shadow Lords have amassed armies and fleets to do their bidding, they don’t exert themselves as much as some others do.”

“So you’re old and experienced then?” Lucius asked doubtfully.  The Shadow Lords predated the fall of Amalgamated Worlds. 
Hell, they helped to loot Earth and finish off Amalgamated Worlds,
Lucius thought.  He somehow doubted that they had amassed a fleet to do so in any short period of time.

“
I knew your grandmother, Lucius.  I knew her when she was a child and
her
mother turned down the offer to escape with the Agathan Fleet.  I helped to train her.  When she turned twenty, I told her to go to Nova Roma and save the life of the young Emperor.”

Lucius stared at her.

“Once a psychic hits a certain level, it’s very, very hard to die.”  She shrugged, “I’m not invulnerable.  There’s a number of ways to kill psychics, as you must know.”

Lucius timed his statement for when she took her next sip, “Poison is the preferred method.”  Not that he had, but he wanted some measure of her by her response.

She didn’t so much as sputter, “Yes, that can work, so long as the psychic doesn’t have full control of her body.”  She shrugged, “Brute violence does the trick, preferably done from far away.  Bombs, large explosions, kinetic strikes, those are the most effective.  Rather hard to dodge a nuclear airburst.”

Lucius couldn't help but snort, “Probably true.”

“In any case, while the Shadow Lords have fought amongst each other over the bones of Amalgamated Worlds, I’ve fought to keep humanity alive.”  She shrugged, “It’s a hard enough task, especially when so many people can’t see beyond their own ambitions.”

“
So you’re the lone protector of humanity?”

“
I’m not alone,” She spoke almost defensively.  “I get help from many people.”  The distant look came into her eyes.  “There’s another, like me.  He’s a lot more… direct, though.”

“
And where is he?” Lucius asked.

“
He’s fighting the Balor.”  She shrugged, “I’m not as good as him at the brute force aspects, so I leave that to him.  He and his wife are
quite
proficient at direct war.”

“
Ah, so he’s not your distant love?” Lucius smiled.

“
No, he’s definitely not.  More of an older brother.”  She shook her head.  “He’s fighting a losing battle though.  The Republic is too disorganized, too shot through with infighting.”  She sighed, “Which brings me back to my warnings and my offer of help.”

Lucius sighed, “Feel free to explain.”

“I’m not omnipotent, nor am I omniscient.  The reason it took me so long to come here directly involved scouting out your allies.”  She frowned.  “You really couldn’t have picked much worse than Collae and Mannetti, you know?”

“
I hadn’t much choice with Collae,” Lucius shrugged.  He thought for a moment and felt grateful that Tony wasn't around to overhear.  “Accepting Mannetti might have been a mistake,” he admitted.

“
Yes, yes it was.”  She shook her head.  “Both of them are going to betray you as soon as they see a clear advantage.  Despite what she may have told you, Mannetti has a serious grudge against you, though I’m not clear on the details.”

Lucius shrugged, “I was her XO when she commanded the
War Shrike
.  She was involved in a coup attempt, I turned her in.  When we went to turn her over to Imperial Security, she stabbed me and some of her fellow conspirators aboard the
Peregrine
helped her to escape.”

She cocked her head, “Very succinctly put, but I feel there’s more involved.”  She shrugged, “With both of them, the knives will come out as soon as they feel safe.  Expect Admiral Collae to try and use Mistress Blanc to throw some surprises your way.”

“You won’t be there?” Lucius asked, surprised.

“
I will, if you’ll take my help,” She shrugged, “But you haven’t heard my conditions yet.  My warnings are always free.  My help always comes with a price, as I’m sure McGann told you.”

“
Yes, yes he did.  I wonder how much of events you’ve manipulated.”

“
Not as much as I’d like, or we’d be in far different straits, I assure you,” Her smile was sardonic.  “I’ve worked with the Garu before, you can take their help, though when it comes time to bargain, prepare to be fleeced.”  She shook her head, “They’ve a handful of moderately talented psychics in their families, so they’ll be useful to watch your back.”

“
And what of my Emperor?” Lucius asked.

He waited some time before she spoke and when she did, he could tell she picked her words with caution, “That’s going to be a prickly thing.”  Kandergain took a deep breath.  “I don’t know what loyalties you have to him, but he’s going to want a return to the status quo.”

“Yes, I’d realized that.”

She nodded, “All the same… The Nova Roma Empire caused almost as much damage as benefit to the human race.  I don’t see that changing, not even with you at the hand of the Emperor, giving advice.  The idea that Nova Roma is paramount is too dangerous, led to too many poor decisions.”

“I don’t see many other choices.” Lucius said, “The shipyards there are still the largest in human space.  The population, whatever survives the Chxor occupation, will oppose the Chxor.”

“
And as I said before, the Chxor are not even the greatest threat.”  She shook her head, “There are factions among the Chxor that even now are looking for ways to stop their expansion.  The threat of the Nova Roma Empire has kept the Chxor Empire together.”

“
You think if I help the Nova Roma Empire return I’ll sustain the Chxor?” Lucius asked.

“
I think so, yes.”  She shrugged, “The first Emperor Romulus wanted to set up a protective cushion around his world.  He didn’t conquer, save those worlds that strictly posed a threat, places that were, at the time, pirate havens.”  Her eyes went distant again, “The second Emperor was different.  He was his mother's child... and he set out to conquer, to expand his empire.  The third was, as you know, weak.  He let his advisers guide him, and they wanted power and further expansion.  I think that the legacy of Nova Roma has been poisoned by those men and their actions.”