Chapter 35
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In the left window of the command gallery, the Tallana hung like an orange apple, glimmering with the sparks of the transit ships. From the distance, millions of ships in the transit Flow merged into a continuous silvery plume, with the Forizet Fortress floating as a gray pearl.
Flag Captain Vitsul Tarreich was reclining half in his chair, admiring the view. He had an absent-minded smile on his lips, and his fingers were tapping a tune on the armrest.
The Flag Captain had plenty of reason to be in high spirits. The unexpected trip to Tail Sector was a success. Although, the start of the trip had caused the command staff a near panic. Their ship, which had literally just come out of the slip, was snapped right from the first go-around. Seventy percent of the crew were graduates, to put it mildly, inexperienced and not yet used to the ship and its equipment. The ship looked like a newly hatched baby bird: many systems didn't work properly, and some didn't work at all.
They were not told the purpose of the campaign, but rumor had it among the "most-informed-people-in-the-fleet": the instant communication operators were rumored to be either to break up the fraying Great Houses or to force them into submission. The problem with either of those two possibilities was that they were a patchwork group, not all of them knew much about the Tail Sector and the fact that they only had eleven warships in their fleet that could easily be classified as cruisers. If the Great Houses really decided to go up against the Emperor, it would be one toot for them. They had plenty of ships and experienced officers. Especially since the sector fleet, along with Admiral Felcherev, had gone somewhere unimaginably far away, and there was a risk that they could be crushed piecemeal before they could connect at Tallana.
What's most frustrating is that it would have been a totally ignominious and pointless death, thought the Flag Captain as he continued to admire the view. The way I got the squadron, we wouldn't have had a heroic death, even if we all had set out to do so. And would have blamed it all on me as the leader of the squad. You'd think I put it together like that.
But luck was on their side. The rumors were not confirmed, and there was no need to go to war. Instead, they successfully provided a 'barrier' in the near sphere of hyperspace around Tallana until the main force of the sector fleet arrived. True, the engineering department had to work a minor miracle to power the main "plug" through the reserve storages, which were continuously pumped directly from the power unit. It was frightening to think what would happen to the resource capacity of the storage units afterward. But the order had been carried out, the honestly deserved commendations received, the experience gained, and now, the Dictator-class Large Linear Barriership, the Pride of Assara, was lying adrift in the fourteenth jump zone of Tallana conducting a full pre-jump diagnostic.
Just half an hour more... Tarreich thought, and the smile on his lips became more pronounced. Just another half hour and the chaos of the Tail Sector would be left behind, dissolving into the precise order of hyperspace. The most important thing, Admiral Felcherev, would also be in Tale Sector, and that was probably the best part... The Flag Captain was distracted from his pleasant thoughts about the increased length of the command line by the drastic change in the tone of the usual working commands. He glanced down into the control room, an abnormal commotion coming from the operational communication terminals. A heavy stone was laid on his heart by the foreboding of impending trouble:
Great shadows, don't let this be an order to remain in temporary command... Tarreich prayed, watching the information he received as it flowed from one post to the next, climbing up the chain of command.
The fuss that had begun with the communicators quickly caught up with the decoders, and then it was on to the black uniforms from the secrecy department. In a matter of two minutes, there was a clatter of uniform boots up the arc-shaped staircase of milky-white plastill, taking their wearer up to the command gallery.
Damn it, I should have jumped straight away... thought Vitsul, seeing exactly who was coming up to him.
Peleng Captain Kanir Agitom was senior on the LLB and part-time head of the service: "Communications and Surveillance". It was a very bad sign that a Peleng Captain was coming to report in person, and Kanir's face looked a bit surprised and tense:
"Sir, we have received an encrypted message from a local channel demanding the immediate boarding of a yacht with passengers. The source of the transmission is in the immediate vicinity. A yacht Aegis type. The transmission is encrypted in basic naval code, using the Imperial Seal key instead of a signature..."
"Damn it..." Vitsul involuntarily blurted out.
The chances of someone from the Imperial family deciding to visit their ship were vanishingly small. So that left only the "emperor's shadows". And given the mess going on in the Sector it was no surprise that one of them showed up. With a heavy sigh, he pressed the communicator key:
"Hangar Bay, prepare to take the Aegis-type yacht to the second deck." He ordered and, after thinking about it, called in the paratroopers, just in case.
"I don't think it's the princess." He shared his doubts as he and the Flag Captain ascended the lift.
"I don't think so." agreed Kanir, adding with a chuckle. "But one can always hope for the best."
The paratroopers had already lined up in a guard of honor, forming a wide corridor from the proposed landing site to the lifts, when the steel-grey Aegis, without any inscriptions or emblems, rumbled through the curtain of the biosecurity field with an iridescent hum. Soon the noise of the thrust generator died down, and the yacht came to a silent standstill over the red outline of the allocated pad. There was a faint hiss as the hatch in the floor opened, and a cargo platform with a single passenger floated down, a small orb swirling unstoppably around it, which made their unexpected guest look like a wavering charcoal black shadow.
"It is a pleasure to welcome you aboard the Pride of Assara," said Vitsul, bowing his head as their visitor stepped off the platform. "And I would like to... Make sure." He added as he held out a dial pad. "Enter your personal code, please. It won't take long."
The black figure silently accepted the dialing panel, which immediately disappeared in a cloud of distortions created by the orber, and quickly returned it. During the moment, while the panel was changing hands and the orber was adjusting to the new target's silhouette, Vitsul got a good look at their guest's arm, but there were no surprises at all. He was wearing a regular light space suit, or in Navy parlance, a black 'hide'. The only certainty was that the "shadow of the Emperor" was not of heroic proportions and was probably a woman if it was human at all.
All the explicit shadows of the emperor are definitely human. But does that apply to the secret ones? Vitsul genuinely couldn't remember. And in principle, what difference does it make now? A woman or a mirlisti, if the code is confirmed I am supposed to act as if the Emperor himself is on board.
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The panel beeped softly and illuminated green. Allocation of instant communication channel... request sent. It remained to wait for the control request to go through the long chain of instances: the sector office, the regional office, the united headquarters, the higher headquarters of the fleet, the Emperor's office... Or do they have it through the Inquisition? I don't remember...
The uncomfortable pause dragged on, and still, no answer came, and Flag Captain Tarreich began to feel somewhat uncomfortable. They were sandwiched between two silent chains of 'honorary guard' troopers. He and Kanir, as the two senior officers stood at attention just in front of the blurred figure of their guest, the orber work making it look more like a black flame wavering in the wind, all in complete silence.
While the wait stretched on, Vitsul ran through his options as to why exactly they were so lucky to have such a fortune. For some reason, he did not doubt that this was the real 'shadow of the emperor'. It was unlikely that any of the crew, or himself, was such a significant figure that the higher powers of the empire were interested in him.
We don't even have any nobles in the crew, just a couple of baronets.
It appeared to have something to do with the ship. The Pride of Assara could provide a hyperspace blockade, and because it was a very new ship, it had an instant communication facility.
At best, they'll just 'call it in', and that's it, thought the Flag Captain, looking blankly at the point that was hypothetically just above their guest's head, or they'll take us somewhere to block something. The worst options were simply not something he wanted to think about.
Finally, after at least a dozen minutes, the panel beeped again. When Vitsul opened the answer, his eyes were dazzled with colorful visas confirming the correctness of the request, below there was a single line: "To render all possible assistance, to carry out any orders" signed by the personal adjutant of the emperor. However, this was probably unnecessary, as it was already clear that they now faced one of the "second men in the empire", and in the absence of the Emperor, it was the first.
"Your Majesty..." The Flag Capital swallowed involuntarily and smiled somewhat tautly. "I beg your pardon..."
"Don't!" the figure rumbled, making a vague gesture with his hand. Orber must have been attuned to the distortion of speech, for the "shadow's" voice was more like a metallic rattle. "No need to apologize, Captain. Your vigilance is commendable. Let's not waste any time, order the operator's room of the instant communication facility to be cleared, and escort me there."
"This way, Your Majesty," said Vitsul, making an inviting gesture towards the lifts.
............
Once in the control room, the "shadow" locked the door and released a small round droid, which began to thoroughly scan the room. After about a minute, it finished its inspection and beeped loudly, flashing a blue light. Making sure everything was all right, she turned off the orbiter, removed the translucent mask that covered her face, and began typing a request on the remote. After a few minutes, the screen opposite blinked, and a rotating emblem of the Imperial Office appeared on it. The screensaver lasted for a few more minutes until finally, on the screen appeared an elderly man of fifty, wearing a white navy uniform with gold admiral's epaulets on both shoulders.
"Your Majesty..." The Shadow bowed her head slightly, her voice rare feminine, even enchanting, without the orber. "I hope my call has not distracted you too much..."
"Nothing I can't talk to my own shadow about..." The Emperor brushed the matter aside with a touch of irritation. "I have been informed of the 'suicide' of this..." He pursed his lips and paused for a moment, trying to remember the name. "Captain Tarbell... I hope you found out from him why..." He pouted with obvious anger. "How dare he..."
"He knew about the prophecy, Your Majesty." She nodded in response, and seeing the surprise in the Emperor's eyes, she continued, "Lord Velaske told him. It was all a Melatian plot. At least, the late captain thought so. They involved him, promised him the title of Lord, and a tenth of Tallana's income... After it happens."
"Such generosity." The Emperor grumbled, looking thoughtfully away. "How did they know?"
"I don't know." With a quiet sigh of regret, the shadow replied. "Lord Velaske died on Tallana before I could reach him during the rebellion over a decade ago. There's reason to believe he was killed by his 'friends' in the PVD, probably to cover his tracks. So it has not yet been possible to ascertain exactly how the Melatians came to know this. But people from Melato occupy very high positions in the court and even among the shadows..."
"All right, that's enough..." The Emperor interrupted her and added with a weary gesture. "I see where you're going with this. I'll follow them personally... Does anyone else know?"
"Lord Velaske could not act alone. They killed their Ruling Lord, who must have been too loyal to his word. They were preparing to take over the whole Sector. It's not possible without widespread support from within and outside the House. They clearly had confidence in the position of the Sector Fleet, not to mention its strange movements during the mutiny... At least ten initiates, maybe more, and who knows if they have the intelligence to..."
"I said that's enough." The Emperor interrupted his shadow again. "I'll take care of the House of Melato, and I'll take care of the Admiral too. What about Fyron?"
"Countess Durlurll doesn't know yet," the shadow said and added with a little shrug, "but it's only a matter of time. She has an awful lot of spies in the House of Melato, and not just there... Maybe six months, a year at best."
"And Lady Baala?"
"I have no proof yet of House Kilret's involvement in these events," the shadow admitted with a sigh.
"Though I have no doubt you have been looking for them very carefully." The Emperor muttered disapprovingly.
"Melato has a long association with House Kilret." She shrugged. "Involving them in the conspiracy seems logical. So does House Peltar."
"Simply put, you are suspicious of all the enemies of your House."
"I suspect only the enemies of the Empire." A shadow protested calmly. "For example, Tallana, and the other free worlds are official enemies of my House, and are known to be fronts for your government, but I believe that in this story, they are no more than victims of their own idealism, which the conspirators took advantage of."
"All right." The Emperor sighed wearily. "Do your best to keep Countess Durlurl's ignorance on this matter as long as possible. But without conflict and rudeness. And it's unlikely the others will find out anything, but just in case, keep an eye out."
"It will be done, Your Majesty." The Shadow bowed her head again, and a slight smile crossed her lips.
The Emperor drummed his fingers on the table, sighed as if to relieve himself of his burdens, and added with an ironic smile:
"By the way, I've already seen the new House Fyron Privy Council, congratulations, three votes..."
"A little different from what was intended..." said the shadow with a little shyness in her voice. "But..."
"But what matters is the result." The Emperor finished for her. "Well, if that's all..."
"There is something I would like to ask of you, Your Majesty." The shadow said hastily. "About Lord Cassard..."
"What about him?" The Emperor raised an eyebrow. "He has already been removed from the Sector as you intended, and the Chancellery still has to struggle to devise assignments for him worthy of his family's nobility, antiquity, and in keeping with his abilities..."
"He gives me certain..." The Shadow was silent for a moment, picking her words, "Let's say doubts. You couldn't have arranged for him to be checked secretly but very, very thoroughly."
"Adept?" He frowned. "Well, when he arrives, he'll be dealt with."
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When the door to the communications room opened again, a wavering black silhouette reappeared before Flag Captain Vitsul, who had been waiting in the corridor all this time:
"Flag-captain." He murmured. "As soon as I leave your ship, you will leave immediately for the jump."
"It will be done, Your Majesty." He bowed his head, dancing with happiness in his heart. At last!
"Do I need to tell you about the secrecy?"
"I do understand, Your Majesty. The necessary steps will be taken..."
"Good." Interrupted him shadow. "This will be monitored. Very thoroughly."
Soon a small Aegis starlet separated from the Assara Pride's white hulk and instantly dissolved into the millions of sparks in the Tallana's transit Flow. The ship, having disposed of its unexpected guest, vanished into the blue of hyperspace.
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