Beyond Death (Perimeter Defense Book #2) (9 page)

I drummed my fingers on the table, hurriedly trying to come up with a new action plan in my head for the changing situation. There turned out to be extremely little information. The temporary regent of Tesse's fleet looked very threatening and, to top it all off, it wasn't at all clear where the main part of the Orange House Fleet was. It was one thing if they were in Ulia. Then they would need more than seventeen hours, including recharging time to get to Tesse. It was another thing entirely if the Duke was keeping his fleet in the Capital or Nessi. In that case, the fleet could jump to Tesse at the first alarm signal...

I needed the Truth Seeker right away, and I asked to be put through to Nicosid Brandt to ask how Florianna was doing and see whether the medics had finished looking her over. The old doctor answered the call almost immediately, but the information he had to tell wasn't at all what I wanted to hear:

"My Prince, the representatives of the Dark Mother that came studied the child and gave her crystals. I'm afraid that the girl will be unavailable for the next two or three days, as she will be in a crystal sleep."

I thanked the doctor for the information and signed off. Aw, hell! What a bad time it was for this! Risking the fleet and sneaking to Tesse when the situation looked so much like a trap would be just dumb.

But then I noticed that everyone around the table had stopped talking amongst themselves and were looking at me, clearly intrigued at my stormy reaction to Nill Amsted's story and were waiting for an explanation. I was in no mood to explain myself yet, as I was too busy trying to think everything through. I couldn't choose for myself if it was worth using the information from the admiral to attack Tesse while the enemy fleet was divided.

Too bad the Truth Seeker had dozed off. Wait a second... There was another way I could check!

"Bionica, I need information. Does Duke Paolo royl Anjer have android servants? And if so, can you talk to them and figure out what star system they are in?"

My pretty translator delayed for a few seconds, then stated:

"My Prince, Duke Paolo does not allow android servants. And if I may note, it is highly improper on your Highness's part to pressure android servants into spying against their masters..."

Space Corporal Beston Maf, sitting to my left, suddenly hiccupped loudly and tried to stand and apologize to those in the hall for his tactlessness. He made another blunder and tipped a wine glass over onto his pant leg.

"So, the kid is cut off!" Kiro Sabuto said, giving his thoughts on the episode.

I was looking at something else entirely. The android used his red-wine-soaked finger to write something on the white tablecloth hanging down from the table. When the young captain took his hand away, I was able to read it. There was just one word scribbled there: "Ulia."

Leaving my glass to the side, I stood decisively and said to those gathered:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I beg all of your forgiveness for having to end this wonderful dinner so early. If everything goes according to plan, we will continue our feast in seven hours in the flying palace. Admirals, prepare the fleet for war. We are headed for Tesse.”

A
s I had ordered, the fleet left the warp tunnel as close as possible to the Tesse station. I supposed that Count Avalle royl Anjer ton Mesfelle's ships would be guarding the warp beacon, meaning they wouldn’t be too far from our exit point. The best thing, of course, would be if they were docked right on the station. If that were the case, like with the Alien invasion of the Nayal system, the battle would begin with a one-sided mass shooting while the enemy ships were still tied down.

However, I was wrong. There were no defenders near the station.

"Enemy ships not detected on the tactical grid! Just a container ship and two passenger liners charging up."

"Checking on the directional scanner. I’m picking up a huge number of combat starships. Four battleships: two
Tyrants
and two
Monarchs
. Twenty-six heavy cruisers. Thirty light cruisers. Sixty destroyers. One hundred ninety frigates. Determining their locations now..."

"Prince, the enemy fleet is orbiting Tesse-III near the space docks."

"Necessary time for warp jump: eight minutes," reported Admiral Kiro Sabuto, calmly awaiting my orders.

What to do: immediately attack Count Avalle's fleet before they figure out what's going on and get ready for battle, or first turn off the Tesse warp beacon so the enemy wouldn’t be able to get reinforcements from neighboring star systems? I chose option one.

"All ships, move out toward the third planet! One minute until warp tunnel can be opened! Set warp tunnel exit point to one thousand miles from the planet's surface. Communications officer, transmit an order to the Tesse station to put out the beacon!"

Nicole Savoia, sitting next to me, took off her headphones and, muting her microphone, suddenly asked me to explain my last command. The lieutenant reminded me that Duke Paolo had placed his people at all key positions in Tesse – including, logically, the strategically important warp beacon as well.

"Maybe they'll roll, and we'll manage to avoid an assault on the station..." I smiled in reply to my excessively serious assistant. "Action in five! Four. Three. Two. One. WARP!!!"

To be honest, I was very worried. The fleet of Count Avalle royl Anjer ton Mesfelle, the second highest figure in the Orange House court hierarchy, could in no way be considered easy pickings. Four battleships and fifty-six cruisers were a terrifying force and surpassed my fleet’s firepower by approximately one and a half times. Also, the Count's two hundred fifty small ships made the mission of getting my heavy ships out to optimal shooting distance very, very complicated.

Probably, my worry was rubbing off on those around me. I could see the officers looking at me, and they were also anxious. I had to quickly force an expression of confident ambivalence on my face.

"There are still seven minutes before we come out of warp. Bionica, be a pal and fetch me a coffee and some kind of pastry!" I asked the android girl. "They tore me away from the celebratory feast, but my stomach had already managed to work up an appetite. I don't like to fight on an empty stomach."

Seeing their fleet commander noshing on custard pies at a relaxed pace had a very calming effect on my subjects. As soon as the officers around me stopped worrying, I also felt my usual self-confidence return. Finally, I crumpled up the napkin and sent it into a far off trash can with a light flick.

"Be ready in fifteen seconds! As soon as we arrive I need a tactical map. It's started!"

We came out of warp facing the dark side of the planet. Even from so far away, Tesse-III at night was illuminated by what looked like a great many bonfires, marking the planets megalopolises with its six-billion-strong population.

"The enemy fleet is two hundred fifty miles away. The heavy ships are in a dense group, moving perpendicular to our position. Frigates and destroyers are surrounding the heavies in a sphere."

The position seemed to lend itself to a quick attack. If we can hurry and place webs on the enemy battleships to stop them from turning toward the attacking ships, Count Avalle's most dangerous guns would be stuck in a difficult position for getting off shots and could use barely even a third of their cannons. But every second left before the enemy came to and took countermeasures was valuable.

"All ships, advance! Heavies, standard formation. Electros, keep forty back. First and second divisions of
Pyros
and ten
Safas
, turn up your thrusters to maximum and reduce distance to enemy into a tight ring so you don't get one-shotted. Your mission is to get up to the enemy heavy ships! A medal and a crate of wine for the first one who gets me the jump coordinates next to the battleships! All other ships, stay at the ready! When you receive the coordinates, immediately warp to zero and get webs on the battleships as fast as you can..."

"My Prince, they're retreating! The enemy ships are warping out!"

And in fact, one after the other, Count Avalle's ships disappeared from the tactical map. At first it was just one or two retreating, but the flight gradually began to take on a mass character.

"Capture the valuable ships! Don't let them get away!" I shouted into the microphone in a voice not my own.

But there was little point left. Only the
Safa-6
had been able to catch anything in a warp disruptor, a
Thrush
light cruiser. The other frigates didn't manage to catch anyone. After cursing my ham-handed captains out on the fleet channel, I demanded that the fleet prepare to go after the fleeing enemy, and that the officers immediately calculate where in the Tesse star system Count Avalle royl Anjer ton Mesfelle's fleet had warped to by the trajectory of their exit.

However, after a few seconds, I noticed that the officers carrying out my order suddenly began exchanging worried glances. It can't be that I had demanded something too complicated, right? But the reason was something else entirely.

"My Prince, our approximation of their trajectory, with a nearly one hundred percent certainty, is indicating that the enemy fleet fled the Tesse system to the Orange House Capital. We don't have enough energy to follow the enemy in another long-distance jump," Valian ton Corsa took the risk of being the first to tell me the unpleasant news.

I walked through the hall with a microphone held to my lips, telling the frigate captains again about my frustration. Perhaps, the expressions I used were too sharp and emotional, but there really was a reason for the annoyance. According to the calculations that Nicole Savoia had already made on my order, the time and distance to the targets should have been enough for the frigates to complete their mission. Think if only they had caught just one battleship in a warp disruptor, my position in the dispute with the head of the Orange House would have been cardinally improved. Such a valuable captured ship would have served as a trump card in the discussions on the fate of my older brother Roben royl Inoky. Well, in any case, such a terrifying ship would have significantly strengthened the fleet in the event that the talks broke down. After calming down somewhat, I finished my hate-filled speech:

"What we need now is a little more Maur Cassei! The old man even practiced at full speed, pushing the limits of what the human body is capable of and even beyond. He couldn't be stopped by high G-Force or chance of injury. He would have caught me a battleship. The only one who could do a good enough job of replacing him is at repair in Unatari. I'm talking about Tamara Vuzhek, the captain of
Warhawk-4
. I'm sure she also could have dealt with this assignment..."

"My Prince, today I'll make sure all the frigates get some extra practice. Such mistakes cannot be repeated!" Admiral Kiro Sabuto reassured me, then wondered what to do with the captured cruiser.

"Have they not surrendered yet?" I asked in surprise.

After receiving an answer in the negative, I ordered the captured cruiser shot down by the heavy calibers, so the enemy would learn not to dally so much in throwing up the white flag next time. But just then Katerina ton Mesfelle intervened, asking me to reconsider the radical order and hear her out.

"Georg, you aren't seriously weakening the enemy by destroying one lone light cruiser. But if you let the starship go, you're underlining the fact that you only have a problem with Duke Paolo royl Anjer, not with the other Orange House aristocrats. It could lead to a split in the ranks of the Duke's United Fleet. That is especially important as this ship belongs to Count Avalle royl Anjer, the younger brother of the Orange House Head, but also the first in line to the ducal crown of our Great House."

"As far as I know, the two brothers get along well. I have my doubts that Count Avalle royl Anjer will come over to my side just because I let this one ship go."

Katerina shrugged her shoulders:

"Who knows what thoughts are kicking around in his head? A century and a half spent so close to the sacred crown, all the while never being allowed to put it on... In any case he will consider the possibility."

"Alright, cousin. I'll heed your words," I agreed and gave the command for my frigates to release the captured ship.

Standing change. Empire Military faction opinion of you has improved.

Presumed personal opinion of you: +9 (warm)

The warriors couldn't hear my conversation with my cousin, but they clearly approved of the choice. I suspect that the military decided that I valued the courage of the light cruiser crew refusing to give in in a hopeless situation.

A popup message came in. I read the text and couldn't hold back an elated scream:

The courtly council of the Tesse system expresses its unanimous support of Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle and fully approves of his actions in returning order to the Tesse system. While the legal ruler of the Tesse system, Crown Prince Roben royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, is absent and in light of his legal heir being underage, Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky shall be granted the title of regent with all the corresponding privileges and duties.

"There's something positive the fleet's done!" I chuckled. "All I had to do was achieve dominance in the cosmos and the Tesse politicians immediately made up their minds as to what side they'd take in the conflict. You'll see, Katerina, the rulers of Sector Nine will soon start doing the same. Then we'll talk with Duke Paolo and see who comes out on top in number of loyal Orange House systems!"

"I'm sure that your fleet is just a catalyst, and actually this is a subtle way for ministers loyal to Roben to express that – it’s a nod to those detaining their master. They’re saying: until you release the neutral Roben royl Inoky, you'll get his more hostile-minded younger brother as a ruler. I'll bet you anything that it won't be three days before Roben is declared innocent and returned to rule Tesse. If, of course, you let him back," Katerina said with a confusing smirk, looking me straight in the eyes. "Because now the very rich Tesse star system would have you as its unchallenged ruler for the next sixteen years until Roben's son comes of age. And, with his health, he might not even make it that long..."

"And you're going there..." I frowned in dissatisfaction. "Katerina, you're already the fourth person in the last few days to suggest different ways that I could replace my older brother."

"I don't see anything surprising about that," my sister said, not too embarrassed. "The prize is too great, and taking it isn't all that hard. That is exactly why you're being suggested: just extend your hand and pluck the juicy fruit hanging before your eyes."

"No need to tempt me. I'll answer you the same way I answered the others: I wouldn’t dare harm my brother Roben. Also, how can I count on the support and trust of the Orange House aristocrats in the future if I treat my own brother so uncouthly?"

Katerina didn't answer, but I understood that I hadn't persuaded my advisor.

* * *

It was unusually crowded in the familiar palace glade today. I invited everyone who had been at the prematurely-ended feast on
Emperor August
to continue the celebration in Roben's flying palace. I called my older brother's wife to join the festivities and, much to my surprise, Verena agreed. She was a short woman with a chiseled figure, the flawless face of a model and coal-black hair that formed a sparkling cascade down to her belt. I had seen pictures of Verena before, but photo and video couldn't capture even a tenth of this surprisingly wonderful lady's beauty.

Seeing Verena take a glass of sparkling wine, I touched on the subject of my ailing nephew's health as delicately as possible and wondered aloud whether his mother drinking wine might be bad for his health. Roben's wife smiled and answered with vigor:

"I practically never nursed the boy, even when he was a newborn. He's very allergic to lactose. My little son is in a hermetic, sterile bassinet being fed hypoallergenic formula by an automatic system. If only you knew, Georg, how tiring it is to be constantly afraid for his life: the sleepless nights, the relentless tears! Today I have a nanny looking after him. The little Crown Prince's health is good enough at this point to leave him unattended for a few hours. I am insanely happy that you invited me to the celebration, and for the fact that I had the chance for the first time in half a year to spend even one night out without fear and worry. Today I want to leave it all behind for the party atmosphere and ask kindly that you not stop me, even if I allow myself some extravagances and liberties."