The Phoenix War (49 page)

“How did you end up in this prison?” asked
Summers.

“It all happened after Remus Nine. After you
escaped, I was regrouping my squadron and a fleet came. Descended
on the system from out of nowhere. Thirty Rotham warships,” he
recalled his shock at the sight of alien warships lighting up the
Desert Eagle’s scopes. Somehow they’d snuck through the DMZ and
evaded all the Imperial listening posts… Or else had arranged for
any sighting of their fleet to go unreported.

“I scrambled my forces and fled the system,”
Nimoux continued. “After we regrouped, I tried to warn the military
of what I’d seen. That the Rotham had sent a war fleet into
Imperial space, in defiance of the peace treaty. I thought we were
at war…” it hadn’t been that long ago, not truly, and yet it felt
like some distant, past lifetime. “But they buried my report and
disbanded my squadron. They then ordered me to go aboard the ISS
Wolverine.” He recalled the ominous feeling he’d had when he’d
boarded the navy battleship, knowing that something was greatly out
of place. And the sudden surprise he’d felt when he’d been taken at
gunpoint by Imperial marines—his own escort forced to stand down.
“They, uh, they took me into custody. And the next thing I knew I
was on Gamma Persei Three, suddenly a prisoner. I can only assume
that my lookalike had replaced me. They probably had him aboard the
Wolverine and sent him back to my ship in my stead. My faithful
crew unknowingly abandoning me.”

“But you don’t know for sure that that’s what
happened?” asked Summers.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t know whether or not they replaced
you when they captured you,” she clarified.

“No, I don’t know for sure. That’s true,”
admitted Nimoux. “Once I was taken into custody, I didn’t know
anything that was happening.”

“Then how can you be so sure that people are
being replaced after they’re abducted?” asked Pellew. Nimoux noted
in the man’s eyes that he no longer seemed doubtful, but remained
distrustful.
I wonder if he knows something about this
,
Nimoux thought.

“I base my hypothesis on the fact that, once
I was brought into the prison colony, I encountered several people,
most notably Director Edwards, who I knew were not missing. And yet
here they were, on the prison colony, claiming to have been there
for weeks or months. Obviously no one can be in two places at once,
so one or the other had to be a duplicate. The facts suggest the
likelier explanation was that people were abducted and replaced,
not that a prison colony happened to exist that was full of
identical twins insanely believing they were actually other people
elsewhere in the galaxy. Especially since I experienced abduction
myself and knew firsthand they were telling the truth.”

Summers nodded. Although obviously intrigued,
she didn’t seem as surprised by this information as Nimoux had
expected.
Perhaps she and Calvin are already onto the nature of
the threat
, he thought hopefully.

“So you identified an enemy fleet entering
the Remus System, thirty warships strong, and you were taken
prisoner aboard the ISS Wolverine, and then you found yourself on a
prison colony on Gamma Persei Three full of influential people
who’d been secretly abducted, and then you escaped and hailed us,
and by the time we arrived everybody else was dead?” asked Summers.
“Is that everything?”

“Yes that’s right. Oh and all of the
prisoners were human, as were the guards,” Nimoux added, trying to
recall any detail that might prove useful. “I don’t know exactly
who was running the prison, but I’m guessing they’re part of the
same conspiracy Calvin is fighting against.”

“I see,” said Summers thoughtfully.

“Why did you hail the Nighthawk?” asked
Pellew. “Why not hail your own ship. I just can’t understand why
you would hail us.”

“I think that is a very good question,” said
Summers.

“I very nearly did hail the Desert Eagle,”
said Nimoux. “But then I remembered how the others prisoners had
been replaced by duplicates, and—despite how impossible it seemed—I
knew I’d probably been replaced too. And if I had, that means a
false Nimoux is commanding the Desert Eagle, and you can bet he
wouldn’t race to Gamma Persei Three and rescue me. No, the only
ship I could be sure wasn’t working for them was the Nighthawk. So
I hailed you.”

Pellew still looked skeptical but Summers
looked greatly relieved. No doubt this very question had been
bothering her.
I think she wants to justify trusting me
,
thought Nimoux.

“Is there any more we should know?” asked
Summers. “About the prison or anything else?”

“Not that I can think of,” said Nimoux,
racking his brain for anything else that could be of use. “Just
that I hope you understand I’m not the enemy. After what I’ve seen
and what I’ve been through… I know you’re on the right side of
this. All I want to do is help, believe me.”

“Good to know,” said Summers. “Thank you,
that will be all for now. Fresh clothes will be brought to you so
you can get out of
that
and into something clean and I’ll
see to it that you get the medical attention you need.”

“Thank you,” said Nimoux gratefully. “And, if
I could trouble you for one more thing?”

Summers looked curious. “What?”

“A cup of tea would be beyond wonderful, any
kind will do as long as it’s hot. I haven’t had any in ages.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said. With that
Summers and Pellew left. Tara resumed standing guard and Nimoux was
again alone with his thoughts.

Now they have to decide whether or not to
trust me
, Nimoux thought. Believing they ultimately would. And
when they did, he could start making a difference once again.
Sadly, it was too late to help Harkov, Edwards, and the rest of the
prisoners on Gamma Persei Three, but he hoped desperately that it
wasn’t yet too late to help the Empire.

***

The door to her office slid open, momentarily
breaking Kalila’s concentration. She looked up to see Captain
Adiger enter.

“Pardon the interruption, Your Majesty,” said
Adiger, “I have a report from Sir Reginald.”

She felt her heart quicken. After all the
cautious consideration, tactical assessment, delicate maneuvering,
and carefully-discreet correspondence between her and her most
trusted knights, the time had finally arrived for her to execute
her plan. If it worked, it should prove a powerful blow Caerwyn
Martel’s unjust cause. And go a long way toward restoring the
Empire. “It’s no interruption,” said Kalila. “I’ve been waiting
eagerly for Sir Reginald’s first report.”

Adiger nodded. “Very good, Your Majesty. Sir
Reginald reports that his squadron is closing in on Olympia. So far
no sign of the enemy fleet.”

Kalila wasn’t sure whether to take that as a
good sign or a bad one that Sir Reginald’s forces hadn’t yet run
afoul of the Assembly’s fleet. “If the enemy is still ignorant of
the fact that a hostile force is about to pounce on one of their
most valuable systems, I’m sure they’ll figure it out soon,” said
Kalila.

“And when they do, their fleet will rush to
Olympia, just as you planned,” said Adiger.

Kalila nodded, thinking that had to be right.
It just had to. “And you’re sure that intelligence about our attack
on Olympia has been sufficiently leaked?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. And even if not, the
listening posts in the region that are loyal to the Assembly will
notice Sir Reginald’s squadron and sound the alarm. I’m certain
that word will reach the enemy if it hasn’t already.”

“And Sir Reginald, he understands his orders,
I trust,” said Kalila. “His forces are to descend upon Olympia and
feint attack until the enemy fleet is upon them. And then, at the
last possible instant, they are to withdraw and escape.
Not
engage the Assembly’s forces.”

“Sir Reginald and I have discussed the
details at length,” said Captain Adiger. “He knows his duty is to
lure the Assembly fleet to Olympia and buy you as much time as
possible, but he is not to get himself and his squadron killed if
he can avoid it, and by the time the enemy realizes your true
target is the Apollo Yards, their forces will be too far out of
position to respond in time. By the time they get there, the Apollo
Yards will be in our possession. And with minimal loss of
life.”

Yes
, this should work,
Kalila
reminded herself
. She’d planned it all out so very
meticulously, every detail; there was nothing to worry about. And
yet she couldn’t help but worry. It was her first combat order as
Queen of the Empire, and she knew that the resulting loss of life,
great or small, would be on her conscience.

We have to take the Yards
, she
reminded herself. If such a strategic point remained in Caerwyn’s
possession, he could easily attack her core worlds. Cutting her off
from supplies and breaking up support for her faction. Possibly
bringing the rest of the Empire into his scheming, self-serving
hands. The Yards definitely had to be removed as a threat. And the
easiest, most humane way, was to lure the enemy fleet away and then
capture the Yards. Just as she’d planned. And she knew she couldn’t
allow herself to keep having doubts.

“The fleet is standing by and ready for your
order, Your Majesty,” said Adiger.

Kalila nodded. “Very well, Captain. Send a
general order to all battlegroups,” she said, showing no hesitation
whatsoever. “Prep for immediate alteredspace jump. The time has
come to attack.”

***

“But sir, it’s urgent!”

“
Fine
. What is it?” demanded Caerwyn.
Thinking,
this had better be good!
Ever since he’d been
appointed Steward of the Empire, and taken control of its
financial, political, and military concerns, he hadn’t been allowed
to sleep more than three hours at a time without some kind of
interruption.

Worst of all, most matters deemed ‘urgent’
were not actually worth waking up for. Sure there was starvation in
the Callisto Colonies—
hard to care about a tiny group of
politically impotent pioneers
. And the Kalyke System was in
terrible financial trouble—
what else is new
? And Renora
remained in a state of unspeakable chaos—
that’s Zane’s mess, not
mine
. And, of course, the Imperial Assembly still couldn’t
agree on anything—
big surprise there
… It was excruciatingly
hard for Caerwyn to marshal even a little concern for such issues.
When what really mattered was still out there, waiting to be
determined.
I have the job of the crown but not the title
,
he thought miserably. But once he won his war against the fugitive
queen, and convinced the Assembly to elect him monarch, then he
would truly be king. And the Empire could be made great once
more.

“Intel Wing has intercepted several
dispatches from Kalila Akira’s fleet,” said Fleet Admiral Sergei,
his Minister of Strategy. Caerwyn had appointed an entire cabinet
of ministers to advise him as Steward. Though, truth be told, their
advice proved worthless more often than not.

“What do they say?” asked Caerwyn, suddenly
not feeling so tired. For once he’d been awoken for news that
actually mattered. If his spies had indeed intercepted Kalila’s
plans, he could foil them and crush her rebellion!

“All of the intelligence indicates Kalila is
mustering her forces against Olympia. Her fleet is already on its
way, our listening posts confirm that her vanguard has been
sighted!”

Olympia? That’s one of my most loyal
systems
, thought Caerwyn.
Does she think she can intimidate
them into changing sides?
Olympia boasted a large population
whose primary industry was agriculture.
Surely she wouldn’t
brazenly attack Olympia, would she
?

“What do you recommend?” asked Caerwyn.

“We have to defend Olympia at once!” said
Sergei. “Say the word and I’ll order the fleet to assemble and
protect our citizens.”

Caerwyn considered it for a moment. “Order
the fleet to assemble,” he said.

“Very good—”

“But
not
at Olympia,” Caerwyn added,
much to Sergei’s surprise.

“What do you mean?” the Minister of Strategy
looked extremely confused.

“If the fugitive queen has organized her
forces to attack us, then that means she has left her core worlds
undefended,” explained Caerwyn. “That presents us with an
opportunity to strike a terrible blow against her, much worse than
she can do to us at Olympia. In trying to bite our tail she has
exposed her throat!”

“But several systems depend on Olympia for
food,” protested Sergei. “If the supply lines are disrupted, even
temporarily, it will cause hysteria and starvation on some of our
loyal planets!”

Excellent
, thought Caerwyn.
Not
only is Kalila offering to draw first blood—which, with the proper
spin, will let me crucify her in the eyes of the Imperial public,
she has also left her dearest systems vulnerable to attack. When
she strikes us first, and women and children are starving because
of it, then it will seem like justice when I conquer and cripple
her planets
. Caerwyn felt himself grow excited at the very
idea. But he had to pitch it to Sergei in a different way; he
understood that he must pretend to care about the lives that would
be lost at Olympia and other places when the supply-lines were
disrupted.

“Yes, Kalila is showing us her true colors,”
said Caerwyn. “Which is why we must defeat her and her forces as
quickly as possible, and put a swift end to this war. Sergei,
you’re my Minister of Strategy, what do you suppose will end this
war in our favor the quickest?”

“If her base of support withdraws or changes
sides,” said Sergei, after considering it for a moment.