David Weber - Starfire 1 - Insurrection Page 8

  Yet Ladislaus had never felt more nervous in the Chamber of Worlds. The conference room didn't even hold the full Assembly--comonly its leaders sat around the rectangular table, their eyes calm and dispassionate upon him.

  Three weeks of cautious, private conversations had brought him here. Despite his care not to involve the government in his discussions, it seemed the government had decided to involve itself. Now he gazed at the people in the room--President Bjorn Thessen, President Pro Tern Knute Halversen, crucial committee chairmen--and waited for the inquisition to begin.

  "Ladislaus," President Thessen said finally, "you've been meeting with influential people in the short time you've been home. We're wondering why you haven't asked to meet with us." Ladislaus tightened inwardly at Thessen's Standard English. Since the days of the Abandonment, the dialect of Beaufort had become a badge its people wore consciously. It was their declaration of defiance to the worlds which had ignored them in their hour of need, and while almost any Beauforter could speak barely accented Standard English, most would see themselves damned and in. Hell before they would.. except in official settings, where the planetary government's members felt they somehow stood in the presence of their Old Terran ancestors. So ff Thessen chose to speak Standard English, it meant he spoke as President of the Beaufort Assembly. an officer charged to preserve and maintain the Federation.

  "Forgive me, President Thessen," he said softly. "I wanted to sample public opinion before I spoke to you officially." "And why was that?" Thessen wondered slowly. "Could you be thinking of seizing power from us, Ladislaus?" "No!" Genuine horror sharpened his voice. "It was only--was "Enough," Thessen said with a headshake.

  "Excuse our doubts, but we're a suspicious lot these days. Blame it on the times. At any rate," he added with a wintry, smile, "we chose you for the Assembly because you've a quick mind and strong will, like your father. We can't very well eom- INSUIRECTFFON 67 plain because you act accordingly. But now that you're here..." Thessen straightened, an age-spotted hand touching a

  document before him.

  "You probably won't be surprised by this, Lad." He handed the single sheet over, and Ladislaus ran his eves down it, then raised them to Thessen's face with reneed respect. As delegation security chief, he'd thought he knew all their avenues of information, but their intelligence network obviouslv reached further than he'd believed pos- sible. What he held was a memo signed by Simon Taliaferro himself.

  "It's no surprise, no," he said quietly.

  "We've read your reports--and Fionna's.

  Is this memo accurate? Will the Amalgamation pass, do you think?" "Like a doomwhale through nearcod," Ladislaus said flatly.

  "Aye, I Gad the fearing of that." Thessen's Standard English lapsed briefly, then he shook himself.

  "You should know, young Lad, that Capricorn brought a writ of extradition from Old Terra. I sent it back marked "opened by mistake"--was a mutter of laughter filled the room his-comb you're right Fionna's murder is but the beginning. I've viewed the chips of that "impeachment."" The old man's face wrinkled with disgust. "It's clear there's no reasoning with them. Except, perhaps, this man Dieter, of all people. How say you, Lad?" "Dieter?" Ladislaus frowned. "Tm thinking he's a good enough man... but he's only one man. Aye, he insulted Fionna, but he was drugging, and... in a way, that mav have been the making of him. But whether he's to bl surviving..." He broke off with a shrug.

  "So no matter what he feels, there's little he can do, eh?" "Aye. It's Taliaferro has them in his grip the now, and it's a mad seashrike with a mouthful of blood that man's to be. There's to be no stopping him? He stopped, a little abashed by his own vehemence.

  "Then, young Ladislaus," Thessen asked slowly, "what's to be done? Fionna spent twentv tilde five years seeking our rights. Was it all for naught?" His His "Not for lack of trying," Ladislaus said grimly. "No one ever fought harder than Fionna. You know--you all know--she wanted no more than justice, no more than a transition. If even one Corporate World had reached out a hand to her--l" "But fail we have?" Thessen pressed quietly.

  "Aye, Mister President," Ladislaus said heavily. "We have." "And it's that message you've been sharing with others, is it?" Thessen's old eyes were keen.

  "Aye." Ladislaus looked up almost defiantly. "It's not to make any difference what wording I share, Mister President. You're to know that. And even if you're not to--was he drew a deep breath and committed himself his-comx's to tell them I must." "I see." Thessen's voice was very level. He glanced at his colleagues, and Ladislaus felt the tension. What he'd said was treason.

  "Young Lad," Thessen said finally, "it's not quite fair we've been with you. This group" he gestured around the table his-comis more than just the leadership of the government. This--was he tapped the memo his-comis no more than a part of what we've done. Are you, then, prepared to tell us the Federation is doomed? Is it to defy all of us you are? Knowing we're to have information even you are not to know?" "Aye, Mister President. If so I must, then it's to defy you I will be doing!

  Fionna had the giving of her life for her dream, but her dream had no life of its own. I'm not to be seeing more! It's to be enough of our blood they've had the taking of!. It's to be war they're waging, a war of 'laws" and "writs" and "reapportionments." Well, to give them their war!" He was on his feet, blue eyes flashing, and his voice was roiling thunder in the chamber. "To give them a bellyfull of war--and not with words!" He choked himself off abruptly. Whatever he felt, whatever he thought, these were the leaders of his people.

  It was not proper to raise his voice to them, and his temerity shamed him. Yet he was resentful, too; resentful of their slowness, resentful that age and high position blinded them to what he saw so dearly.

  He sank back into his chair, watching Thessen glance once more around the gathered faces. Here and there a

  head nodded slowly, wordlesslv, and Ladislaus felt his heart sink at the slo confirmatiggns.

  "Ladislaus Skjorning," Thessen's voice was deeper and more powerful, his old face flushed, "it's to be too long you've had the ('iving amongst Innerworlders!" The Beaufort dialect penetrated, and Ladislaus raised his head. He stared at Thessen's bearded pounds ce, and the old man smiled slowly. "Did you have the thinking it's to be only you to know these tlings, Lad?" The president shook his head. "We've had the thinking of such thoughts for long now, and we've had the preparing for it, as well.

  You're to make no rebellion against us, Lad Skjorning, for we're to be before you. Aye, young Lad--if it's to make war they are, then it's to make war we are, as well!" Ladislaus gaped at the old man, and the pieces suddenly fell together. The copy of the memo, the channels gf informatio the persistent questioning--he'd come into th chamgr convinced he alone saw what must be done, only to find thev'd alreadv seen it!

  "We've had the m'akin of our plans for long," Thessen said slowly, "yet we're to be old, Ladislaus. We're to be worn and tired-- we're not to have the strength and youth for this. But it's to see you do. So to tell us, young Lad--will it be vou who has the leading of us?" "Aye," Ladisltus said softly. There was no hesitation in him, only the grim, cold certainty that it was for this moment he had been born and trained, and he looked around the circle of old faces, seeing the same bitter determination in the wise eves and lined faces looking back at him.

  He nodded his' head slowly, and when he spoke again, it was to swear an oath.

  "Aye," he repeated. "It will be that!" "If this be treason, make the most of it!" William Patrick Henry, Before the Virginia House of Burgesses SECESSION Fleet Admiral Stepan Forsythe looked up from his paperwork as his communicator lit with the face of his staff communications officer.

  "Yes, Iister Qwan?" "Sir," Lieutenant Doris Qwan said carefully "we're picking up something from a Mobius Corp mail packet. A transmission, not a courier drone." Forsythe cocked an eyebrow. A transmission meant they were in the same system as the packet, but why transmit at all? This system was uninhabited and far outside the Innerworld relay nets; logically ther
e was no one to hear the message, except for the unmanned recorders in the warp point nav beacons..

  "What sort of message, Lieutenant.

  "I... don't really know, sir. May I play it off for you?" Forsythe nodded, and his screen flickered abruptly, then steadied with the image of a lean, uniformed man. The twisted-loop collar insignia of his firm was overlaid by the crossed starships of a Federation mail carrier's captain, and his dark, strong face was tense, almost frightened.

  "q'his is Captain Donald Stiegman, Federation mail packet Rising Moon, TFMP-11329. The following information must reach government authorities as qnieldy as possible.

  Stand by to receive coded data; this is a Class One Priority signal." Forsythe stiffened. Class One Priority was assigned only to threats to the very existence of the Federation, and his finger stabbed the emergency buzzer on his desk as the screen dissolved into a blur of static. The image danced insanely for perhaps ten seconds, then cleared, replaced by Captain Stiegman's worried face.

  "Reverse course immediately. Do not enter the Kontravian Cluster. Get that message out.

  Stiegman, message ends." Forsythe's cabin door opened as Captain Enwright and Commodore Samsonov hurried in past an astonished Marine sentry. They slid to a halt, faces anxious, but Forsythe motioned them to silence.

  He watched the screen blank briefly before the message repeated itself, then gestured both men to chairs and punched the override to recall Lieutenant Qwan.

  "It's a loop, right, Lieutenant?" "Yes, sir, with an 'all ships" header.

  We've been in-system over an hour without hearing a thing, so I think we caught his first transmission.

  I'd guess he came through from Bantu and started transmitting the moment he hit normal space." "I see. Anything on that coded sequence?" "No, sir. I'm afraid the computers haven't broken the scramble yet, much less the code. I think he's using mail service protocols, sir." "Very well. Keep on it and do what you can." Forsythe felt litfie hope. Mail service codes were at least as good as the Fleet's codes.

  "Yes, sir. Any response?" "Not yet. I'll get back to you." Forsythe turned to his juniors. Enwright's expression was thoughtful and waiting; only someone who knew him well would recognize the questions burning in his hazel eyes, but the curiosity in Gregor Samsonov's wrinkled forehead and hooded brown eyes was more evident. For-sythe smiled a wintry smile as he nodded to his flag captain and his chief of staff.

  "Gentlemen, it seems we have a mystery." "Mystery, sir?" Trust Willis to ask the first question.

  "You know as much as I do, Willis. You heard the message. Reactions?" Enwright sat very erect. "A few points seem obvious, sir." "Indeed?" Forsythe cocked his head.

  "Enumerate, please."

  "Yes, sir. First, he doesn't have any drones or he'd'ye sent the message direct to a Fleet base. Secondly, whatever the message is, it's both urgent and hot. If it wasn't urgent, he wouldn't be transmitting; if it wasn't hot, he'd transmit in clear.

  Third, he's worried about pursuit. He's not in range of our scanners, so we sure as he bar were' aren't in range of his. That means he's transmitting blind and hoping someone hears. Couple that with his injunction to clear out fast--was He shrugged.

  "He must he afraid there're bandits on his tail, and he's wai'ning any unarmed civil ship to stay clear of them.

  "And those three points, sir," he finished levelly, "lead to a fourth: he's absolutely right to declare a Priority One emergency." Forsythe drummed gently on his desk. It was a mark of Enwright's true stature, he thought, that there wasn't even a O-ace of 'I told you so" in his voice. He glanced at his cffief of staff.

  "Gregor?" "I'm afraid I have to agree, sir," Samsonov said unhappily. Forsythe sighed heavily, feeling the full weight of his years, then nodded and managed a bleak smile.

  "Well, I'm afraid I agree, too. It seems you gentlemen were right to urge me to split the task force." It was a bitter admission, but he made it calmly, then turned to his communicator and punched up the flag deck. The screen lit with Lieutenant Qwan's face, and he could just see his operations officer behind her. He smiled to himself.

  Commander Rivera must have heard about his summons to Samsonov and Enwright.

  "Lieutenant. Commander." His voice was as gravely courteous as ever. "Task Force orders, Commander. We will increase to flank and close the Bantu Warp point. Detach the battle-cruisers and Admiral Ashigara's carriers--- send them ahead of the battle line." "Yes, sir," Rivera said crisply.

  "Lieutenant Qwan, inform Admiral Ashigara of the situation and see to it she gets a copy of Rising Moon's message. Then I want a message transmitted to Rising Moon immediately. Message begstns: Fleet Admiral For-sythe, CO TF 17, to Captain Donald Stiegman, master, TFMP Rstsstng Moon.

  Message received--comgive him the time,

  Doris. My force headed to meet you at max.

  Estimate rendezvous with my advanced screen in-- was he raised an eyebrow at Enwright.

  "Call it nineteen hours, sir." "In approximately nineteen standard hours, Lieuten- ant,"" Forsythe continued to Qwan. "Courier drone with your transmission dispatched. Good luck.

  Message ends. Got it?" "Yes, sir. It's on the tape." "Good. Send it standard civil service cede, no scramble." "Yes, sir." "Thank you, Doris." Forsvthe switched off the communicator and turned back to lnwright and Samsonov. "And now, gentlemen, let us give some thought to our circumstances."" He smiled his bleak smile again. "Somehow I feel certain even my delicate touch will not suffice to make them any worse." Vice Admiral Analiese Ashigara, slim and severe in her black and silver uniform, sat on the flag bridge of TFNS Basilisk and watched the bright dot of the mail packet on her display. She glanced at acom rating.

  "Anything from the patrols, Ashworth?" "No, sir. They're 150 light-seconds out, and they report nothing detectable in scanner range." "Thank you." She glanced at her operations officer. If the recon fighters' exquisitely sensitive instruments weren't picking up anything, then there was nothing to pick up.

  "Recall them, Commander Dancing." "Aye, aye, sir." "Communications, raise Rising Moon." "Aye, aye, sir." There was silence on the bridge the silence of a professional team aware of the dangers of unnec, chatter -comz Admiral Ashigara leaned back in her cemmand chair and waited. Suddenly the main screen filled with the image of a dark, lean face wreathed in a huge smile of relief.

  "Captain Stiegman, I am Vice Admiral Analiese Ashigara.

  I assume you have a reason for declaring a Priority One message cndition?" "I wish to hell I didn't," Stiegman said in a rich New

  Antworp ccent. "All hell's broken loose out here, ma'am, and no mistake. If you don't mind my asking, where's Admiral Forsythe?" "He is following with the battle-line, Captain," Ashigara said. "I expect him in approximately six hours." "Battle-line?ddment Thank God!" Stiegman seemed to sag towards the pickup. "You don't know what's going on out here, Admiral! They're crazy! They--was "Captain Stiegman," Ashigara cut him off, "I appreciate the strain you are obviously undbr. I would request, however, that you say nothing more over an open channel. I will, with your permission, send my cutter for you so that you can deliver your message to me in person. And confidentially." "Yes." Stiegman inhaled deeply.

  "Certainly, Admiral. Send your cutter at once. The sooner I can tell someone else, the better, by God!" "Well, Captain Stiegman," Admiral Forsythe said as he handed the man a drink. "I have the essentials of your story from Admiral Ashigara." He sounded too calm. The Galaxy was collapsing around his ears, and he sounded too calm about it all.

  "I don't yet have all the details, however, and I'd appreciate it if you'd summarize for my staff, as well." "Summarize, Admiral?" Stiegman drained half the glass in a single gulp. "Gladly. In fact, I'll be delighted to let someone else worry about it for a while." His slowly easing tension wasn't lost on his listeners, and they hunched closer to him as he began.

  "It started about a month ago," he said slowly.

  "I put into Bigelow with a mail consignment--they break it down on Hasdruble for transshipmen
t to the rest of the cluster--and they told me my departure clearance and return cargo would be delayed a day or two." He shrugged. "Two days is a long layover, but I've had longer, so I didn't think much about it.

  "But a few hours later, the port master called me up again--something about a viral infection and they couldn't find one of the people who'd been exposed. He agreed the odds were against their plague carrier being on board, but SOP required a search of the ship. Well, I wasn't too pleased, but nobody wants to chance another plague outbreak, so I agreed." He paused and stared down into his drink. When he looked back up, his eyes were hot.