The Lost Stars: Shattered Spear (35 page)

Exhausted despite the up meds his battle armor was pumping into his bloodstream, Rogero realized with a start of surprise that two of those soldiers were Capek and Dinapoli, two of the three who had been rescued by
Manticore
. “You two are making a habit of being rescued from this planet,” he said.

“I hope this is the last time,” Capek said.

Dinapoli, weaving on her feet from tiredness, managed a nod. “We saved some citizens.”

“Yes.” Rogero let everyone else begin boarding the shuttle, feeling the reassuring vibration in the ground that marked the ongoing orbital bombardment of the surface above the enigma base. “But let’s allow the mobile forces to finish this fight.”

He went up the ramp last. The shuttle began rising while its ramp was still coming up, then as the ramp sealed the shuttle pivoted to face straight up and rocketed for space.

*   *   *

“THE
last of our people is off the planet,” Leytenant Mack reported to Marphissa. “The final shuttle lift has cleared atmosphere.”

“Good.” She ended the call and glared at her display. “Let’s stop playing around.
Midway
, see what your big ones can do.”

Battleships could carry some big rocks.
Midway
unloaded the biggest chunk of streamlined metal she had, and fired it downward from an altitude of twenty thousand kilometers above the ravaged surface of the planet. Picking up energy with every kilometer it fell, the rock impacted with the force of a multimegaton nuclear weapon, creating a massive crater directly above where the enigma base lay and shattering the planet’s surface for a wide region around the site.

“My sensors can’t tell if the shot penetrated the enigma base,” Leytenant Mack reported. “But there doesn’t seem to have been nearly enough subsidence of the surface. The enigmas must have dug out some huge spaces under that planet, and if we collapsed them we should see the surface drop a lot more than it has.”

“Well . . . damn,” Marphissa said. “We’ll have to let the pirate have the last word on this.”

Imallye had taken her flotilla out to where a natural asteroid about thirty kilometers across was swinging through the wide, elliptical orbit about the star Iwa which it had followed for countless years. Though occasionally crossing the orbit of the planet, and currently heading
inward only thirty light seconds from the planet, it would never have come close enough to be caught in the planet’s gravity and be pulled down to its doom.

But even though thirty-kilometer-wide asteroids had a tremendous amount of mass and momentum, the amount of diversion necessary to change its path enough to meet that of the planet was within the capabilities of several human warships. With tow cables wrapped about the asteroid, they tugged it about, altering the age-old path, and setting it on a course for the planet.

It would take a little while to get there. But when it did, the impact would devastate half the planet and break everything on the other half.

“Maybe that will get their attention,” Marphissa growled. “Just leave us alone! And we’ll leave you alone!”

“The base, the armadas, this must have cost the enigmas a lot,” Kontos suggested. “Even if they want to strike again, it will take them a while.”

“It had better take them a long while.” Marphissa leaned back, trying to relax after the long strain of the preparations for the fight and the actual engagements. But she couldn’t relax, because President Iceni had ordered Marphissa to take her flotilla to rendezvous with Imallye’s flotilla.

To negotiate.

“I have done this before,” Marphissa had protested to Iceni. “At Moorea, I took my ship close to Imallye to negotiate. It didn’t end well.”

“This time we outgun her,” Iceni had said.

“Not by much!”

“Make it happen, Kommodor.”

*   *   *

THE
virtual conference was centered on Iceni and Imallye, apparently facing each other across a table at which only Iceni was actually seated. To either side of Iceni were Kommodor Marphissa and Colonel Rogero. Imallye was alone. She still wore the black skin suit, the weapons,
and the glittering insignia, but Imallye had added a long jacket that made the tight bodysuit less revealing. She lounged back in her seat, one elbow resting on the table, her chin lying on the palm of that arm’s hand.

Iceni studied Imallye for a long moment, then nodded to her. “Granaile Imallye. Or Grace O’Malley, as you called yourself when I knew you.”

“When you knew my father,” Imallye replied. “We’ve both changed our names, haven’t we, Madam President?”

“I was always Gwen Iceni, but now I have a different title.” Iceni clasped her hands before her. “I have a pretty good idea of what happened, but I would appreciate your confirming it.”

“I already told you,” Imallye said. “The Syndicate was worried about suppressing your rebellion, and about more star systems around here following you out of the Syndicate. I suggested a false-flag operation, where I would pretend to be a pirate warlord who had rapidly taken over a few star systems and acquired some powerful Syndicate mobile forces. That would fool rebellious elements in those star systems into thinking they already had a new master and fool you into thinking I wasn’t working hand in hand with the Syndicate. Having failed to take you down, and having put in place what it considered to be adequate safeguards against my betraying them, the Syndicate agreed to the idea.”

Iceni could not resist shaking her head. “The same basic concept as the Syndicate tried at Ulindi, only bigger. Faced with one defeat, the Syndicate tried the same tactic but on a larger scale, hoping that the result would be different. But the Syndicate’s safeguards against you were not adequate because you were not the CEO at Ulindi. You always intended to betray the Syndicate.”

“Of course I did.” Imallye waved toward the portion of space where the bulk of what remained of the Syndicate Worlds was located. “That’s what they taught us, isn’t it? Rules are for suckers. The strong do what they will, and the weak endure what they must. Do you know how old that quote is? Never mind. The point is, I owe you, because you created
the opportunity I could exploit. Once I had those star systems under my nominal control, my agents could start setting things up for me to actually wrest control from the Syndicate. Same for the mobile forces that I had ‘captured.’ A lot of snakes died in a fairly short period of time. I don’t know where the Syndicate has been getting so many fanatics, but they must be running short.”

“You owe me.” Iceni made it a statement and a question.

Imallye fixed a dark gaze on her. “Yes. Not as much as you owe me, though.”

Colonel Rogero cleared his throat to break the resulting silence. “Granaile Imallye, are any of your people among those we brought off the planet?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’d like to transfer them to you.”

“You would?” Imallye grimaced. “None are mine. The Syndicate brought that ground forces unit, and the mobile forces, and the families of those people, from another region. No ties around here. How bad was it?”

“On the surface?” Rogero inhaled, exhaled, then shook his head. “Pretty bad. At the current time, I think we, humanity that is, are outclassed by enigma ground defenses. We did recover some expended enigma weaponry that should help us identify their targeting mechanisms and other information. But we’ll need to work out new tactics and get some new systems fielded before we can successfully take them on the ground.”

“Interesting.” Imallye looked at Iceni again. “I didn’t know how this part would work out. I knew the Syndicate was planning to reoccupy Iwa, to lure you in, and I was supposed to hit you in the back while you were dealing with that. I came through Iwa so I could react to whatever happened, not to destroy you, even though you made such a major production of leaking your intention to also come to Iwa so I’d show up thirsting for your blood.”

“You were very convincing,” Iceni said.

“I’m always very convincing. Sincere? That’s another matter.”

“You say you did not intend attacking me, but there is the other matter of what happened when my ship
Manticore
visited Moorea Star System,” Iceni said.

“Oh, that?” Imallye looked mildly regretful. “I had to maintain the illusion. The Syndicate expected me to offer no quarter to any of your followers. If I had let
Manticore
go the snakes would have suspected that I might be faking, and I was not prepared to make my move yet. I really was happy when your ship instead escaped, and in such a clever way.” She smiled.

Iceni raised an eyebrow at her. “But if Kommodor Marphissa had not come up with a way to escape, you would have destroyed
Manticore
?”

“Of course I would have. You can’t make a stew without gutting a few fish.” Imallye grinned at Marphissa, and she smiled back, both of them looking like tigers baring their teeth at an opponent.

“What a lovely metaphor,” Iceni observed, glad that the two other women weren’t actually within physical reach of each other.

Marphissa spoke warily. “Mahadhevan commanding the HuK
Mahadhevan
was a fake? Not a real worker who had helped kill the officers and snakes on that ship?”

“Isn’t he a brilliant actor?” Imallye said. “The Syndicate ordered him to pretend to be a worker who had led a mutiny on that unit and killed all the snakes aboard, and as things worked out, he really did turn out to be the leader of a mutiny who killed all of the snakes aboard. After you had met him, of course. Wheels within wheels, Kommodor. Never believe the first level of whatever you see.”

“What are we to believe of what we see now?” Iceni asked. “What are your plans?”

Imallye gestured slightly with one hand. “The Syndicate is going to be a little upset. I need to defend against counterattacks by them. I also need to consolidate control of the three star systems that I actually do
have charge of now and begin making some changes from the Syndicate way of doing things. I can’t afford that much corruption and inefficiency, and I’d like to know that my star systems aren’t likely to revolt against me the first time they see a good opportunity the way they would have against the Syndicate. What are we going to do with Iwa?”

“Neutral ground?”

“We need to keep an eye on it,” Imallye insisted.

“I suppose we do,” Iceni said, glad that she had manipulated Imallye into suggesting it. “We could alternate providing picket ships to watch the star system. I’m not enthusiastic about the idea of setting up any sort of orbiting or planetary base here.”

Imallye shook her head. “A base would just be a target. What about the Syndicate ground forces and citizens you picked up?”

Iceni gestured to Rogero to answer.

He met Imallye’s gaze. “We can’t leave them at Iwa. Everything they brought to establish a new base on that planet was destroyed, and the planet itself isn’t in too good a shape.”

“It’s going to be in a lot worse shape when that megarock hits it,” Imallye said.

“Yes. As in the past when we have captured Syndicate personnel or found ourselves with Syndicate citizens, we are going to give them a choice. Join our forces or emigrate to one of the star systems associated with Midway if they agree to full security screening, or return to the Syndicate if they want to risk that.”

“I don’t get a shot at them?”

“That depends on how you mean
get a shot at them
,” Rogero said.

Imallye bared her teeth in another grin. “I know about you, Colonel. What kind of man could get an Alliance fleet battle cruiser captain to give up her command for him? The sort of man who could survive that mess on the surface and rescue a lot of citizens as well, I think. I’ll be blunt with you. I’m willing to offer them the same deal. The right to
move to a star system under my control, or join my ground forces, if they agree to a full screening to ensure they aren’t Syndicate agents.”

“I have no problem with that,” Iceni said.

“No quotas?” Imallye asked.

“No. If they all want to go to you, that’s acceptable.”

“Hmmm.” Imallye canted her head slightly to one side as she studied Iceni. “I’ll also be screening them to see if any are
your
agents.”

“Of course. Are you willing to negotiate a boundary agreement?”

“Of course,” Imallye mimicked Iceni. “How about a supporting forces agreement?”

Iceni raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You’re willing to talk about mutual defense?”

“That’s what we just did here, isn’t it?” Imallye looked at Marphissa again, then at Rogero. “Besides, having seen your forces in action, I’d much rather be fighting alongside them than against them.”

“I’m sure we can work that out.” Iceni inhaled deeply, nerving herself for what she must say. “I want you to know that my expressions of regret were not a tactic driven by necessity. I dearly wish I had not accused your father and caused his death. I can never make that up.”

“No. You can’t.” Imallye smiled slightly this time, the expression not conveying humor. “And I want you to know that my expressions of hatred for you were not a tactic driven by necessity. I really do hate you, and always will.”

“Fair enough,” Iceni said. “I’ll keep an extra eye out for assassins.”

Imallye smiled again and leaned a little closer. “No. Trying to kill you would lead to war, and war would lead to more fathers and more mothers dying and leaving their children to grieve and plot revenge. I won’t have that on my conscience. There may be other assassins on your trail, but you are safe from me. I want you to live with your guilt.”

“Fair enough,” Iceni repeated, keeping her voice steady with some effort. “Your father would be proud of you.”

Imallye sat back again, the smile gone. “I hope so. At the very least, I have made the Syndicate pay very dearly for what they did to him.”

“You have,” Iceni said. “They badly underestimated you. I never did.”

“Lucky for you.” Imallye nodded to Iceni, then to Marphissa and Rogero. “I’m going to send half my flotilla back to Moorea immediately, but leave the other half here until I see the rock hit. I’d advise you to do the same. The Syndicate did not apprise me of their other plans, but I have reason to believe they were intending to strike at Midway Star System while you were gone. They can’t have much available to do that, but the cruisers and HuKs you left behind might find themselves with a difficult fight.”