Never Surrender (The Empire's Corps Book 10) (28 page)

“Of course,” Stewart said.

Jasmine looked at Kailee, who had accompanied the troops to the asteroid.  “Get a list of everyone on the asteroid, but make sure you write it on disposable paper,” Jasmine added, firmly.  “I don't want anything on the datacores if it can be avoided.  Data-miners can dig up just about anything these days.”

Pete sneered at them both.  “And just how do you intend to account for keeping the freighter here for a couple of days?”

“We will see if they even notice,” Jasmine said.

“They saw us arrive,” Gary objected.  “They
searched
us for contraband.”

Jasmine smirked.  “You’re thinking of government as brutally efficient,” she said.  “I rather doubt anyone cares about one old freighter staying near an isolated asteroid-mining station.  We might well have dropped off their sensors completely.”

“You don’t know that,” Pete said.  “They do take security seriously.”

“I don’t plan to stay long,” Jasmine said.  “Now ...”

She looked at Gary.  “Help Kailee with the list, then go back to the freighter and perform your regular exercises,” she ordered.  “It may interest you to know that we will be adding another five push-ups tomorrow, so leaving them undone today will come back to haunt you in the very near future.”

“I won’t let him slack,” Kailee promised.

Gary blushed.  Every day, after their exercises, Kailee made love to him.  It was a fantastic incentive, as far as he could see.  If someone had offered him the same, back on Earth, he would have worked out until he had as many muscles as Darrin.  Jasmine laughed, then dismissed them both with a wave.  Kailee caught his arm and dragged him away before anything else could happen.

“The children are gathered in the playroom,” she said, as they walked through the corridor and down towards yet another airlock.  The bulkheads were decorated with childish pictures, suggesting that at least some of the children had artistic talents.  He’d never seen anything like it on Earth, where displaying one child’s work would either be deemed elitist or discriminatory.  “They looked a cute bunch.”

Gary kept his opinion to himself as they stepped into the playroom.  There weren't many toys, merely a handful of teaching machines and a set of stuffed animals.  Thankfully, someone had dressed the children ... but they looked almost disconcertingly calm.  A kindergarten on Earth would have been the scene of a riot by now, with the bigger children picking on the smaller children and the supervisor crying in the background.  The children before him just watched him calmly and waited.

“Hi,” Kailee said.  The children smiled at her, then snapped back to wary attention.  “I need a list of your names, if you don’t mind.”

The kids obeyed, one by one.  Gary rapidly lost track of their forenames, while they all shared the same surname.  It was clear there would be issues in the future, unless they all regarded each other as family ... but they probably did, he reasoned.  The issues that ripped apart families on Earth simply didn't exist here.

“Done,” Kailee said, finally.  She paused.  “Can the children be left here?”

“Of course we can, silly grounder,” one of the older children said.  He had a light voice that didn't seem to square with his words. 
Grounder
wasn't exactly
Dirty Earther
or
Groundhog
, but it wasn't pleasant.  “We’re not
babies
.”

Gary shrugged, then led the way out of the room.  “How does that work?”

“I saw kids with small injuries on Meridian,” Kailee commented.  “They were allowed to keep pushing the limits until they hurt themselves, then they learned from the experiences and went onwards.  I guess these children learned the dangers of space pretty quickly.”

“I suppose,” Gary said.  Austin had once pointed out that anything that didn't kill someone made them stronger.   “But those who didn't learn the dangers would have ended up dead.”

He shook his head in disbelief.  On Earth, leaving children unsupervised would be grounds for immediate dismissal, if not criminal charges.  Children under sixteen were assumed to be eternally incompetent to look after themselves.  But the supervisors weren't allowed to do anything that might damage their children’s self-esteem, let alone keep them from playing as they saw fit.  The contradiction had led to a great many ruined lives.

“Ah, Kailee,” Jasmine called.  She was standing by a processor, studying the station’s diagrams.  “Do you have the list?”

“Yes, I do,” Kailee said.  “There’s nineteen children in all, ranging from three to nine years old.  Anyone older seems to be already part of the workforce.”

“Probably,” Jasmine said.  She didn't seem surprised by the discovery, but then she
had
grown up on a farm.  Gary had seen children on Meridian working with their parents as soon as they could, even though it was technically against Imperial Law.  “They could do
some
things to help by then, I imagine.”

She seemed distracted, but smiled at them both.  “Go back to the freighter and do your exercises,” she added.  She turned her attention back to the display, her voice fading slightly as she called up more files.  “I should have a plan of attack within a few hours.  By then ...”

Gary felt his blood run cold.  It was easy to forget where they were, but now ... now he felt it, all too clearly.  They could be discovered at any moment ...

... And if they were, there was no hope of escape.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Empire could not, openly, accept any other independent state.  If it had done so, it would have raised the issue of why other worlds couldn’t be independent, worlds that were restless under the Empire’s control.  Therefore, the Empire could not grant any legitimate status to POWs.

- Professor Leo Caesius. 
The Empire and its Prisoners of War.

Avalon, Year 5 (PE)

Kitty couldn't help a feeling of ...
concern
, if not nervousness, as she stepped into Colonel Stalker’s office.  The last week had been spent watching the suspects and silently cataloguing their movements in order to build up a case against them, but Kitty was grimly aware that the case was far from perfect.  They had a link between Hannalore, Gaston and Wolfbane, yet she had no idea if others were also involved.  There were two staff members at the Governor’s Mansion who might well have assisted with bugging the entire building.

But the case was conclusive enough to justify action, she was sure.  All that remained was to convince the colonel to agree.

“Colonel,” she said, as she closed the door.  “I believe we have a suitable case.”

Colonel Stalker nodded, curtly.  He was studying a starchart showing Wolfbane’s advance into the Commonwealth, an advance that might well have been aided and abetted by the information obtained at the Governor’s Mansion.  Hannalore - or her husband, if he was involved - had focused on the political side of things, but there were some military titbits included in the DataStream.  One of them might have made life easier for the advancing forces.

Kitty sat down, then rested her hands in her lap.  “Hannalore, the Governor’s wife, appears to be the prime spy,” she said.  “It was her idea to host the parties, which she apparently funded by selling her jewels.  I have checked with the markets and confirmed that she only raised a couple of thousand credits, not enough to pay for one party let alone several.  Logic suggests she must have found the money elsewhere.”

The colonel frowned.  “Didn't her husband notice?”

“He would have bought the jewels for a minimum of two
million
imperial credits,” Kitty said, flatly.  “I don't think he would have realised just how much their value had fallen, after the collapse of the Empire.  Few of the richer men on Avalon care to spend their money on adorning their wives.  Why spend a million credits when a thousand credits can be almost as good?”

“They might have been purchased by a wealthy
woman
,” Colonel Stalker pointed out.

“Same psychology,” Kitty said.  “A wealthy man who buys jewels for a million credits apiece makes himself look like a fool.  A wealthy woman who does the same makes herself look like a spendthrift.  There’s a difference between conspicuous consumption and being a greedy asshole - or being married to one.  In both cases, it weakens their claim to be responsible businesspeople.”

She shrugged.  “In any case, most of the jewels are currently listed at two to three hundred credits each,” she added.  “I think the vast majority were actually picked up by the museum for later display.  Jewels worn by the last Governor’s Wife or something along those lines.”

The Colonel held up his hand.  “Very well,” he said.  “Can you prove your case?”

Kitty ticked off points on her fingers.  “Hannalore has a source of money we cannot identify,” she said.  “The mansion is bugged - and bugged in a manner that suggests it was the owner who did it.  Said bugs picked up both false information intended to catch a spy and later snatches of false information we used to prove the bugs and the spies were linked.”

She paused for effect.  “Hannalore goes to visit the same orphanage the day after each party; Garson visits the same orphanage at the same time.  Garson uses one of the computers at the datanet cafe to upload a series of files onto the datanet, which are shifted through a network of automated programs until they finally end up in the out-planet datacore and get transmitted to a remote asteroid station.  If all of that is a coincidence, Colonel, I would happily resign on the spot and go to work in a brothel.”

The Colonel’s lips twitched.  “You probably won’t have to,” he said, dryly.  “And Gaston himself?”

“Multiple anger issues,” Kitty said.  “I had a psychologist do a work-up of him, now we have him under constant surveillance.  His conclusion is that Gaston will snap, sooner rather than later, and when he does, the results will not be pleasant.  The only mercy is that his plan to build home-made bombs seems to have been derailed.”

“Wolfbane wouldn't want him blowing up buildings when spying is much more harmful,” the Colonel agreed.

“He may restart,” Kitty said.  “I don’t think he has the personality to handle the task indefinitely.  Sooner or later, he will grow tired of not seeing any evidence of his success and start plotting something himself.”

The Colonel frowned.  “Then why would Wolfbane rely on him?”

“Hannalore has a decent motive to visit the orphanage,” Kitty admitted.  “I checked; she’s a known benefactor, even to the point of giving the children clothes and supplies from the Governor’s Mansion.  She’s even been donating money recently.  Gaston, too, has a good reason to visit.  They may not have been able to set up a better link before we started running more counter-spy operations.”

“Or they don’t want to risk someone more competent, if Gaston is a disaster waiting to happen,” the Colonel said.  He sighed.  “And what about the Governor himself?”

“I don’t think he’s involved,” Kitty said.  “But he’s going to be shocked when he finds out.”

She shook her head.  It wouldn't be the first time that a spy had embedded so thoroughly into an enemy state that he’d married and had children, developing emotional ties that would shatter when - if - the truth came out.  But Hannalore hadn’t been a spy when she’d married the Governor, or when she’d come to Avalon.  Unless she’d always been an embedded spy and her contact information had ended up on Wolfbane ... she sighed, then dismissed the thought.  No one in their right mind would consider the Governor’s wife a reliable long-term agent.

“Shocked is one word for it,” the Colonel said.  “And while he has no political power, he does have influence.  Those parties gave him a lot of contacts.”

“Shit,” Kitty said. 

She met the Colonel’s eyes.  “I don’t think she’s a professional spy, sir,” she said.  “There would be nothing to gain by leaving her where she is, without interference.  We can take advantage of her without leaving her alone, I think.”

The Colonel looked back at her.  “And your reasoning is?”

Kitty knew she was being tested, but she couldn't help a flicker of irritation.  “If we control her, we can slip false information to Wolfbane and determine what other pieces of information are included in the packets,” she said, coolly.  “But if we leave her alone,
she
will determine what else goes to Wolfbane.  One of those pieces of information might be outright disastrous.”

She held up a hand.  “One piece that went out last week concerned a dispute between Avalon and Taurus,” she added.  “I expect the Wolves will be very interested to know about fault lines running through the Commonwealth.”

“Probably,” Colonel Stalker said.

Kitty pressed her advantage.  “They must find dealing with us as strange as we find dealing with them,” she said.  “Hannalore was giving them insights into our developing politics we’re not getting from
their
side.  There’s already rumblings about Avalon hogging too much of the political power to itself ...”

“You’ve made your point,” the Colonel said, flatly.

“It’s going to be used against us,” Kitty added.  “It was
Avalon
that took the decision to send the CEF to Thule ...”

“Most of which comes
from
Avalon,” the Colonel reminded her.

“But it is intended as a
Commonwealth
formation,” Kitty countered.  “Its deployment was solely debated on Avalon, in the midst of a political dispute over the disastrous mission to that godforsaken hellhole.”

“Lakshmibai,” the Colonel said.

Kitty ran her hand through her long hair.  “My very strong advice, sir, is to move ahead and take Hannalore into custody now,” she said.  “If we do it covertly, we can make sure she continues to work for us, without betraying us further.”

“I assume you have a plan,” the Colonel said.  “You don’t want to send a small army of policemen to her door?”

“That would be a little bit revealing,” Kitty agreed.  “I’d prefer to invite her here, along with her husband, and then take her into custody.  I don’t know
how
she will react, when she discovers her cover is blown, but we would have the best chance of containing it here.”

“And her husband will not react well either,” Colonel Stalker said.

“No, sir,” Kitty said.  “I rather doubt he will.”

She looked down at the floor, then back up at him.  “There are too many different ways she could react, sir,” she added.  “She could break down and beg for mercy, she could try to hide behind her husband, she could coolly offer to trade her assistance for leniency ... I’ve seen all of them, in my time.

“And we couldn't put her on trial.  The jury would want her hung.”

“They might be right,” Colonel Stalker said.  “Does she
deserve
mercy?”

“She’s a traitor, someone who betrayed us because she fell off the gravy train,” Kitty said, flatly.  She understood the Colonel’s point, but she wanted to make
use
of the spy.  “However, we can also use her to mislead Wolfbane.  She can redeem herself through service.”

“She will never be trusted again,” the Colonel said, flatly. 

He leaned forward.  “I will need to discuss the matter with the President,” he warned.  “And then we will decide how to proceed.”

“Understood, sir,” Kitty said.  “But it’s only two days until the next party.  I would prefer to take her into custody tomorrow.”

The Colonel nodded.  “I’ll get back to you,” he said.  “Dismissed.”

***

Ed knew that people made bad decisions when their lives changed without notice.  He knew just how much crap Professor Cassius’s wife had put him through, when he’d lost his job for daring to question the establishment, and he knew just how many exiles had committed suicide after leaving Earth for good.  In that sense, Hannalore was no different ... but instead of either climbing into the bottle or working to adapt to the new order, she had set out to betray it.  And succeeded magnificently.

The hell of it was that the parties
were
useful.  Deliberately or otherwise, the Governor and his wife
had
put together an institution that had helped the Commonwealth grow into a powerful state.  Ed had read the puff piece in the
Avalon Central
and he had to admit the Governor had found a niche.  But none of it counted against the sheer scale of his wife’s betrayal.  Kitty was right.  Hannalore could be used to mislead Wolfbane ... and yet, there was the abiding sense that she should be punished, perhaps executed or sent into permanent exile.  The public would demand the maximum sentence for her crimes.

He cursed under his breath, then called Gaby and requested an immediate meeting.  The plan he’d been putting together to give Wolfbane a bloody nose was workable, he was sure, but it would be easier to make it work if they could mislead the enemy beforehand.  Kitty was right, again.  Hannalore would be able to mislead the enemy, if she was used properly.  And yet, could they trust her not to slip a single warning message into the datapack?  One mistake and the data conduit would be lost forever ...

Shaking his head, he rose to his feet and walked up to the President’s office.  Gaby hadn't wanted more than a single large room, one where she could host a small gathering or do her paperwork, rather than the giant apartments enjoyed by the Grand Senators on Earth.  Ed wondered, absently, if future Presidents would feel the same way too, then pushed the thought aside as he walked through the door.  The guard scanned him quickly, then nodded curtly.  Ed had given several previous guards chewing outs for not realising that orders to search everyone meant search everyone.