New Contract (Perimeter Defense Book #3) (20 page)

"Georg, I would like to discuss some issues you touched upon in your speech. Above all else, in regards to Lika... Am I to understand that my granddaughter Likanna was recognized as a Princess and made first in line to the Unatari State throne?"

I verified the information, and even noted that Likanna's interests would be represented by him as her guardian until she came of age, which also gave him the right to cast votes on her behalf in state councils. The King, clearly content, nodded and said decisively:

"Crown Prince Georg, I would like to know the conditions under which the Kingdom of Fastel would be accepted into the Unatari State."

The ruler of Fastel, seeing Katerina and my faces growing wide in surprise, explained willingly:

"The problem of all small stellar Kingdoms is that our noble titles mean absolutely nothing in other worlds. When my daughter Marta managed to conclude a legal marriage with a Crown Prince of the Empire, we thought that a true milestone, a real breakthrough in our many-year isolation. However, nothing changed. The princes, counts and barons of Fastel still did not have true royal status, neither in the Orange House nor the Throne World. And now, I see the possibility to change the situation, and work together for our mutual benefit. The newly minted Unatari State would obtain a fairly strong ally in the Kingdom of Fastel, which has forty-seven million people living on two inhabitable planets with fairly developed industry. In return, the Fastel aristocracy would like their titles to be officially recognized by the new government."

I quickly turned the possibilities over in my mind. I had the chance of strengthening my government for basically nothing, which was not the kind of thing that came about very often, so I needed to make use of the moment.

"Alright, here are my conditions. The Fastel Fleet must be brought out to the Varan system immediately to capture the space station and Orange House military docks in the system. The Varan system warp beacon must be turned off immediately. After that, both the Fastel and Varan systems will be accepted into the united Unatari State. You will personally receive the tile of Duke of Unatari, and retain the Fastel star system, as well as being at the forefront of Unatari politics. Your older son Niko will become a Count of Unatari and will receive the Varan system in perpetuity. He will also be given a place in line to the throne of the Unatari State, seventh to be precise, right after Duke Corwin royl Unatari. All other Kingdom of Fastel aristocrats will be given official titles as well. The ranks of your military officers, both in your fleet and army will also be retained."

The man began to think. He had clearly been hoping for more, probably wanting to retain his title as King, and his independence.

"Georg, I am not prepared to answer yet. I need some time," said the monarch, signing off.

"And why did you throw such harsh demands at your former father-in-law?" wondered my cousin.

"I didn't demand anything impossible. If the King wants the titles of his relatives to mean something not only in the Fastel system, but in another twenty star systems as well, he will first have to prove himself useful."

* * *

What a crazy day... I was simply immeasurably tired. I spent so much emotional energy. Also, the weighty, fat-laden body of Crown Prince Georg was absolutely not keeping up with the active schedule I had been forced to adopt in the last few days. All the moving, meeting and negotiating I was doing was hard on me, but reality had already made some adjustments to my plans. Like now, truth be told, I should have been flying to Astorimma to make a speech to the ministers. And after that, I should have been flying on a shuttle to
Queen of Sin
in order to then fly off for negotiations with the Iseyek. In reality though, after all the work I'd already done, my blood pressure was spiking, and my head hurt something fierce, which made my personal doctor Nicosid Brandt have to give me medicine and prescribe some nonnegotiable bedrest.

I did not argue with the doctor. He really was a first-class specialist and would not be limiting me without serious medical reasons. But, all the same, Nicosid Brandt was a doctor, and not a strategist or politician. All he could see were the numbers on a patient's medical chart, not taking into account the situation developing behind them. I couldn't afford to lose a minute now. I had to manage to do as much as possible before my enemies finally came back to their senses.

And it should be said that the new Head of the Orange House, Duchess Inessa royl George ton Mesfelle set about working in the most active manner. She had refused to take part in negotiations without mincing words, not even waiting to hear out my cousin Katerina royl Unatari. Duchess Inessa's first order was to begin a complete transport, economic and financial blockade of the new government's systems. The Orange House's intelligence services froze the bank accounts and property of all companies without exception that had ever delivered anything to Tialla or Unatari. The directors of these organizations were also arrested. The new Head of the Orange House addressed her subjects with a fiery speech in the spirit of "we will defeat our evil enemies" and "our loyalty is a thousand times stronger than that of the separatists," and announced three new rules. If you trade with Unatari, you will be arrested and all your property will be confiscated. If you communicate with Unatari, you will be arrested and fined. If you support Unatari, you will be arrested and executed.

Basically, the enemy was already taking active measures. The Duchess had gathered a fleet loyal to her, collected allies, and conducted a prolonged, almost half-hour-long conversation with the Emperor (I found out about this in an official message from the Throne World secretariat). For me, wasting time due to being tired or unhealthy was just asking to die. As such, I lie in bed, just as the doctor ordered with my eyes closed... but, despite how bad I was feeling, I continued working hard in the internal interface, reading messages and answering them selectively.

The second step of my offensive continued. Reports came in that landing troops had captured the Vorta Beacon, Unguay, the Closed Laboratories, Forepost-31 and Parn systems. The first two star systems in the list were already officially part of the Unatari State:

The Orange House has lost sovereignty over the Vorta Beacon system

The Unatari State has gained sovereignty over the Vorta Beacon system

The Orange House has lost sovereignty over the Unguay system

The Unatari State has gained sovereignty over the Unguay system

The three remaining space stations were quietly taken under control by our assault groups, but we decided not to loudly broadcast that fact yet. We had calculated that it would be possible to "box-in" the huge Green House fleet in one of the uninhabitable systems between their current location and Unatari. The trap was so crude that it actually had a chance of working. The last thing to do, on my Truth Seeker's advice, was to remove all living people from the stations in Parn, the Closed Laboratories and Forepost-31 in the next few days, leaving only androids. Florianna thought that the Green House’s Truth Seekers would sense something was off if we didn't.

For now, the enemy remained uninformed on their loss of the Parn, Closed Laboratories and Forepost-31 stations. My people at these stations received orders from the Orange House not to respond to requests from the Unatari State to turn on warp beacons or change out the encoding mechanisms. In the coming days, they were preparing to cut Unatari off from communicating with the Empire. That information, together with the Orange House's new codes, I also received from my landing troops.

As it were, I was trying to take a short break in my work and get a bit of rest when suddenly, some messages came in that I had already lost hope of seeing:

The Orange House has lost sovereignty over the Varan system

The Unatari State has gained sovereignty over the Varan system

The Kingdom of Fastel has lost sovereignty of the Fastel system

The Unatari State has gained sovereignty over the Fastel system

The Kingdom of Fastel has ceased to exist

Finally, my former father-in-law had accepted my proposal! Without opening an eye, I ordered Bionica, who was sitting silently in an armchair next to me, to affirm the list of aristocrats from the former Kingdom of Fastel as Unatari aristocrats with the titles I’d assigned. And then, a call came in that forced me to forget everything. It was my daughter on the line from the Throne World! My eyes shot open instantly and I jumped up, buttoning my shirt as I quickly ran my fingers through my hair and accepted the call.

Lika was sitting in a pair of cozy pajamas on the edge of her bed in a semi-dark bedroom, lit by nothing but her monitor. My daughter's emerald green hair was messy, and her face was a bit puffy. I noticed another two beds behind her, with two girls dozing away peacefully.

"Dad, I was totally confused about what was happening," Lika admitted, somewhat embarrassed. "First, you made an angry speech and left the Orange House. Then, I became a Princess four times over and moved up ten places in the Orange House aristocrats list. Then, the Kingdom of Fastel disappeared somewhere without a trace, and my last name changed. Could you tell me in two words, what's going on?"

How could I possibly explain all these complex political processes to a twelve-year-old girl in two words? I smiled:

"Your grandpa Valesy and I decided it was getting too boring out here, so we started a war with three Great Houses at the same time."

Lika smiled hesitantly.

"You're just joking around again, dad... You yourself told journalists that I was already grown up. Explain it like a normal person."

Standing change. Likanna royl Mesfelle-Unatari's opinion of you has improved.

Presumed personal opinion of you: -83 (irreconcilable hate)

"It's not so easy to give a normal explanation right now, sweetie... but I'll do my best. Lika, you once complained to me that you were too far down the line of succession to ever become Empress, Duchess of the Orange House or Queen of Fastel. Well, now I made a whole new line, just for you, and you are number one. It's a new government with twenty star systems. Your grandpa Valesy completely supported my idea and included his Kingdom of Fastel in the new Unatari State. Of course, not everyone liked all these changes, so now I've got a war with three Great Houses on my hands."

Standing change. Likanna royl Mesfelle-Unatari's opinion of you has improved.

Presumed personal opinion of you: -68 (hate)

Lika kept silent for a bit, gave a heavy sigh and said:

"Dad, in the past I, of course, said a bunch of nasty things to you. But don't worry about what the system says. I actually miss you a lot. Can I fly out to meet you?"

T
he screen had long been off, but I was still sitting deep in thought. I had just assured Lika that I would be very glad to see her at my place, and promised to think up a way in the next few hours to get my daughter to Unatari space despite the Orange House transport blockade. There was no way I could hope to get her here through Perimeter Sector Eight. But what about Seven? The Green House armada was supposed to be arriving there any day now, so the warp beacons would be switched off to stop their invasion. There was one possible route left: through Sector Nine, though there were also difficulties with going that way.

First of all, getting through Orange House space unnoticed would be nearly impossible. What was more, I had no idea how the new Duchess would react to a passenger liner with my daughter inside. I was afraid that they would detain Lika under a formal pretense. Of course, openly arresting an underage Crown Princess seemed like something no one would have the guts to do, though. Such an act would be equivalent to declaring war on the whole Empire, including all five Great Houses, and dozens of other kingdoms and allies. If Duchess Inessa did decide to violate Imperial law so flagrantly, she would be removed from the throne that very day and arrested by her own soldiers. But taking a twelve-year-old girl traveling unaccompanied and removing her from a flight "for her own safety" to place her under supervision in a remote palace was something my enemies could easily get away with, and I needed to take that into consideration.

Even if I were able to get her through Sector Nine somehow, she would have to get through the Swarm after that. The Iseyek were very loath to allow human starships passage through their territory, so there would be obstacles on the insect border in any case. Iseyek... Iseyek... wait! Perhaps they would be able to solve this problem after all!

A praying mantis freight starship returning from the Empire back to Swarm territory wouldn't arouse any suspicion in the Orange House whatsoever. Swarm transport ships were normally not even inspected at the border if the customs declaration provided by the insects showed that the ship was empty. The praying mantises weren't accustomed to lying on principle, so if it said there was no cargo, that was probably the case. As such, an empty transport ship with a secret passenger would probably be let through the border without any problems. But it would be even better for her to be on a Swarm diplomatic ship. That would definitely not be stopped and inspected. The idea was so obvious that I questioned why I hadn't thought of it right away.

"Communications officer, connect me with Triasss Zess, Senior Swarm Ambassador to the Empire."

Three minutes went by, and my old acquaintance came on screen. All the praying mantis's appendages had sprouted again. His coloration had changed to a very light gray, and there was a wide blue stripe across the chest of his chitin shell. It was a symbol of distinction and simultaneously a sign that no member of the Swarm was allowed to touch him. Insofar as I knew, Swarm Queen Iseyek Prime Nai Igir had not only given full amnesty to the once disgraced diplomat, but had even promoted Triasss Zess and brought him into her inner circle.

"I'm glad to see you once again, your Majesty!" The praying mantis made a deep bow.

I greeted him in return with a slight nod:

"I am also glad to see you, senior ambassador! And though our relationship hasn't always been exactly smooth, I do hope that we can leave our past quarrels behind us."

Standing change. Your relationship with Triasss Zess has improved.

Presumed personal opinion of you: +70 (friendship)

Standing change. Iseyek race opinion of you has improved.

Alpha Iseyek race opinion of you: +24 (trusting)

Standing change. Iseyek race opinion of the Unatari State has improved.

Iseyek race opinion of the Unatari State: +1 (indifferent)

Not bad. Not bad at all! So, it seemed the senior Swarm ambassador had been given the authority to change faction relations. Even the Queen herself could hardly act with that kind of speed. I would have to keep that in mind when talking with Triasss Zess, as good relations with the Iseyek were extremely important for my new government.

"I won't beat around the bush here. I would like to have a personal meeting with the Swarm Queen as soon as possible. As you probably know, there have been some political changes in the Empire. A number of star systems have separated from the Orange House, forming the Unatari State. I would like to discuss a number of issues with your Queen related to our new status as neighbors."

The ambassador began thinking unexpectedly, even tilting his head to the side, which signified doubt or lack of information in his race.

"Crown Prince Georg, I don't see a real reason for you to meet personally with the Queen. All issues can be settled either with me, or remotely."

His refusal was completely unexpected. Also, I could detect some falseness and personal reluctance from the ambassador. For now, I didn't know the real reason for the refusal, but it only made the necessity of a personal meeting with Nai Igir stronger.

"Triasss Zess, I have gifts that must be given directly to Nai Igir, as she is the last Iseyek Prime. I have a nearly complete collection of numbered emeralds from Sivalla that once belonged to her race. My wife, Queen Miya, has spent many long years gathering these gemstones, and the time has come to return the relics to their legal owners. It would only be proper for the Swarm ambassador to the Empire to also be present at this occasion, which should be the final chapter in our old conflict. I also have another important topic to discuss. The Unatari State is planning to attack and liberate the Swarm systems currently under Alien control in the very near future. It would be quite strange if the Swarm Queen were not to take part in this historic campaign."

The praying mantis gave a deep bow:

"That changes things completely, Crown Prince Georg. I will arrange for you to meet with my Queen, and will try to be personally present."

Standing change. Iseyek race opinion of the Unatari State has improved.

Iseyek race opinion of the Unatari State: +3 (indifferent)

I found the option to give the same answer in return, and made immediate use of it:

Standing change. Unatari State opinion of the Iseyek race has improved.

Unatari State opinion of the Iseyek race: +3 (indifferent)

"And another thing, Honorable Ambassador. My daughter, Crown Princess Likanna royl Unatari will be finishing school soon, and she is planning to come visit me for summer break. The girl will be taking a path from the Throne world through your capital system, Dekeye. As such, could you pick her up on a diplomatic ship? As a father, I would be much more comfortable with my daughter having a chaperone I know I can trust."

The praying mantis looked at me for a long time, bulging his huge eyes outward before asking me a clarifying question:

"Your Majesty, would it not be frightening for a little girl to travel in the company of huge spindly creatures such as myself?"

"Not at all. Lika spent several months in the company of two Alpha Iseyek. They were bodyguards she was given by General Savasss Jach. And even I, though initially quite skeptical, also became convinced that my child could never find more reliable protection, nor better-behaved playmates in the whole Universe."

Standing change. Your relationship with Triasss Zess has improved.

Presumed personal opinion of you: +85 (friendship)

Standing change. Iseyek race opinion of you has improved.

Alpha Iseyek race opinion of you: +25 (trusting)

Standing change. Iseyek race opinion of the Unatari State has improved.

Iseyek race opinion of the Unatari State: +6 (warm)

"Not all human children have such a calm reaction to those of my race. Your Majesty's daughter is wise beyond her years. And, who knows, perhaps Likanna and her good opinion of Swarm individuals will be the basis for a peace between our races that will last for decades. For me, it would be a massive honor to personally accompany Crown Princess Likanna to the Swarm Capital."

* * *

I was only able to get ahold of my eldest daughter ten hours later, after Lika's lessons were over. In her time-zone on the Throne World, it was already past midday. Before I could say anything, Likanna anxiously blurted out:

"Daddy, some weird people came to our school this morning. They were asking the teachers about me. I overheard part of their conversation. They want to take me to Tesse right after the end of the school year. They said they could get all the documents from the Orange House sorted out."

My heart immediately seized up in alarm. It was possible, of course, that representatives of my brother Roben royl Inoky ton Mesfelle had, in fact, come to the school. My brother had a warm opinion of Lika and it really would have been in character for him to invite the girl to spend her vacation on his planet. But Roben presumably would have warned me, if he were going to do that, and I never heard anything of the sort. That was why it seemed more probable to me that my daughter had attracted the interest of the Orange House Duchess, Inessa royl George ton Mesfelle.

With no time to delay, I suggested that Lika come out to Unatari at once on the insect starship. Ambassador Triasss Zess had already assured me that the Swarm diplomats had received all necessary permissions for their diplomatic ship to pass through human territory, and promised to send a plane out on my signal to the gates of her elite school.

"Lika, you'll be the first person to ever travel with Swarm diplomats and visit the insect capital Dekeye. Just imagine how your classmates will envy you after break! We'll meet in the Palace of Queen Nai Igir. I'll tell Ambassador Triasss Zess you'll soon be on your way out. Gather your things. The flight should be six or seven days, so make sure you're packed for that, then come outside."

"What a cool thing to do over break! Daddy, you're the very, very best! Alright then, I'm gonna run off and pack! I'll see you in six days!"

Standing change. Likanna royl Mesfelle-Unatari's opinion of you has improved.

Presumed personal opinion of you: -53 (enmity)

* * *

Everything was ready for my diplomatic mission to the Iseyek. At the very last moment, on Admiral Mike ton Akad's advice, I decided to leave
Queen of Sin
in Unatari and transfer my headquarters to the battleship
Bride of Chaos
. The admiral thought it would be safer that way. Beyond that, leaving the Crown Prince's luxurious yacht behind in the capital was meant to serve as a symbol to reassure the population of Unatari. If the Prince thought the situation safe enough to leave the crown jewel of his fleet behind, everything must have truly been fine.

We were already preparing to make the warp jump to Sigur, when a message came in from my former father-in-law. The leader of the Fastel system, Duke Valesy royl Unatari was in a manic state, clearly proud of himself.

"Georg, you won't believe what we found in the Varan system! As you planned, the Fastel fleet captured and turned off the Varan warp beacon without delay. After that, we attacked the Orange House military docks in the system, but we ran into problems. There were rocket installations, a great many laser cannon turrets and a squadron of defense corvettes. They put up quite fierce resistance. We lost six frigates and two landing ships. It was a miracle that our heavy assault cruiser
Marta the Harlot
survived. It will need at least two months of repair now. But it was all worth it. We found a carrier under construction at the military docks!"

My eyebrows shot up in astonishment. Admiral Mike ton Akad, sitting next to me, couldn't hold back a surprised whistle, after which he started asking questions about the trophy and how close it was to completion.

The old man on the screen smiled.

"The giant is almost finished, and we captured it undamaged. My soldiers have taken pictures of it from various angles. The assault group sent a video report."

"I'll set up a three-dimensional projection right away," Valian ton Corsa promised, and after a few seconds, the hologram appeared in the middle of the room.

Compared with the
Thrush
cruiser flying by in the foreground, this mothership was of truly impressive, colossal dimensions. It was an irregular shape, reminiscent of a twisted chain. It had powerful main thrusters, innumerable energy shield installations along the whole chassis, and a huge number of hangars for light ships and combat drones.

"A
Quasar
-model ship. Humanity's strike carrier," Admiral Mike ton Akad gasped in delight. "The Empire started working on these designs twenty years ago in response to the Swarm inventing the impenetrable
Uukresh
. According to calculations from our military experts, the
Quasar
surpasses the
Uukresh
in all measures. A hundred light ships can fit on board instead of just eighty. It also has a higher-capacity energy shield. They hold the same number of drones, but a
Quasar
's drones are heavy, and have massive firepower.
Quasars
form the backbone of the First Imperial Fleet. I never thought I'd get the chance to see one in real life. And what's more surprising is to find this carrier in an Orange House station. The Imperial Joint Chiefs declared its design a strict secret. Peripheral Great Houses aren't supposed to have them. A Great House having one would upset the historical balance of power in the Empire!"