Pax Imperia (The Redemption Trilogy) (39 page)

“What about Radec?” Robert asked dismayed.

“Leave Radec to me. The princess will shortly be grieving for her newly deceased husband. My son will arrive shortly.” With that the Senator obviously cut the channel, as his image vanished.

Robert just stared once again into the now dark room, his headache back with a vengeance. He now knew that he had made a terrible mistake, one that he desperately needed to correct. However, as his hand once again reached for the communication console, he wavered. Not this time for fear of what Radec would do, but forewarned with the knowledge that he had a spy in his inner circle. Almost certainly the communication system would have been compromised. Robert cursed, wondering what else could possibly go wrong, before he was reminded of the Senator’s son’s imminent arrival.

“Shit,” he cursed again. He had promised Sofia he would remain neutral, that he would refuse to take sides and, most importantly, keep her safe. But how could he keep those promises now? Sofia’s words, that he would eventually have to take sides, came back to haunt him.

It looked like the decision had already been made for him.

*****

Caught up in trying to determine who the traitor might be, time passed quickly and, before he knew it, a tall man appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. His hair, coloured a mousy blond, was wet and matted, as if he had just stepped out of a shower. He had silvery eyes, the palest shade of grey Robert had ever seen, and a strong, aristocratic nose. His lips, meanwhile, were compressed into a frown of deep irritation.

“You’re Robert Calis?” he demanded impatiently.

Considering his own mother, Robert was more than willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt but, based on his tone of voice and condescending stare, Robert promptly filed him under his
do not like
category.

“Yes, and you’re the Senator’s son I was told to expect?” Robert asked calmly. If nothing else the eye colour matched.

“Captain Benson,” he replied haughtily. The expression on Robert’s face must have betrayed his thoughts, as the Captain added, “I don’t share the same name as my father. We find it more…convenient…to not announce our relationship to the entire Confederation, as my father is well known.”

Privately Robert thought it far more likely that the Senator simply had no wish to be any more closely associated with his son, especially considering his disparaging remarks about him earlier.

“So you’re a Captain in the 12
^th
fleet, under Admiral Sterling?” Robert inquired politely, recognising the insignia on his uniform, making small talk as he directed the man in the direction of his personal apartments.

“I should be Fleet Captain by now,” Benson fumed. “But I was screwed over by Sterling.”

Robert did not know Admiral Sterling well, but the man had a reputation as a fine Admiral and a good judge of character. If he passed this man over for promotion he must have had good reasons.

“But I finally had my revenge. You could almost say that I screwed him back,” Benson added scornfully, with a chilling laugh.

Robert did not understand what he meant by that comment, but did not like the insinuation and promised himself that he was not going to leave him alone with Sofia. That option quickly disappeared, however, when on arriving at her quarters, Benson stuck out his arm halting their progress.

“These are her quarters?” he demanded. When Robert nodded hesitantly, Benson took a step forward, curtly ordering, “Then wait here, as the last thing I need is a chaperone. I want to meet with her alone.”

Robert cursed as the door effortlessly slid open at their approach. Benson stepped forward and the door slid shut behind him. While Robert had no plans to enter, he was going to remain
very
close by.

*****

Sofia looked up in surprise as the door slid open, unannounced, to permit entry to a sandy-haired young man, who she did not recognise. From his uniform he was clearly a senior ranking officer in the Confederation Navy—but what was he doing here, alone? Somehow Sofia doubted Robert would permit just anybody to breeze into her personal quarters unannounced. A hint of unease passed through her, as she realised something was very wrong with this situation. Giving the man the benefit of the doubt, she stood as he approached, a pleasant smile on her face.

“Princess, my name is Captain Benson of the Confederation Navy. I was pleased to hear that you were alive and unharmed following the attack.”

“I am indebted to Robert—Mr Calis for saving me,” Sofia agreed. “Although I was shocked to learn that so many others had lost their lives.”

“The others were of little consequence,” Benson dismissed their deaths nonchalantly. “Far more important that you survived, as you still have an important role in the future, by my side.”

Sofia was slightly taken aback at his indifferent attitude, but assumed that he must have seen a lot of death and destruction and had become somewhat immune to it. “So Captain, I don’t suppose that you’re here to rescue me from my jail?”

“Not yet, but soon, Princess,” Benson reassured her. “I promise you that it won’t be much longer.”

“And what of my husband; your Lord?” Sofia asked suspiciously, for nothing made sense. Why would a Confederation Captain be here? If he knew about her, why didn’t Jon know? She knew with absolute certainty that if Jon knew her to be alive he would be at her side in an instant.

“Do not concern yourself with your husband,” Benson replied dismissively. Completely misunderstanding her intent, instead he tried to reassure her. “I will take great satisfaction in personally releasing you from your current marriage. My father has promised you to me, and I will readily take you as my wife, just as soon as Radec is dead.”

Sofia stared in disbelief at the impetuous Captain standing before her, unable to believe what she was hearing. She considered the man in front of her for a minute, wondering if this was the man that so intimidated Robert. Just as quickly she dismissed the idea as absurd, for this man was an arrogant, conceited fool. That was clear from the dreamy, vacant expression in his eyes, and his overly inflated ego when he assumed she would fall at his feet and worship him simply because he had offered to release her from her marriage to Jon. Jon would be similarly likely to dismiss him, before killing him for even daring to think of stealing her from him.

“You are not the first to stand before me and making such promises. Many others, far greater than you, have claimed as such, but still my husband lives, and they do not. Twice he has died before, but each time he has returned from the dead. I think you’ll find Jon much harder to kill than you think.”

Benson looked surprised at her response, before laughing. “Do not concern yourself with him. For his death will come at the hands of somebody close to him, somebody who he trusts and least suspects.”

Sofia meanwhile was starting to get annoyed by this vain man who so boastfully stood before her, threatening the man she loved. Therefore she took a step closer to Benson, a dangerous glint in her eye, which he totally misinterpreted.

“Do you know what the difference between you and Jon is?” she inquired in a sugary tone of voice.

“That he has nothing to offer you, while I have everything. Riches, power and prestige—dazzling clothes, the most glittering diamonds, endless balls and parties, extravagance beyond your wildest imaginings,” Benson replied, confidently. Reaching out as she drew closer, he put an arm around her waist and pulled her against his body, pleased beyond measure when she did not resist.

“No,” Sofia disagreed with a small shake of her head. “For I never wanted any of that. Jon is a good man, neither vain nor conceited. You would try and talk a man to death. Jon? He is just going to kill you.” Cocking her head to one side, observing Benson’s stunned expression at her words, she added. “As to your marriage proposal—” She kneed him hard in the groin, watching with barely concealed pleasure as he doubled over in pain, his hands going to the junction between his legs. He therefore failed to notice as Sofia balled her hand into a fist, which she promptly slammed into his jaw.

Benson crumpled to the floor, whimpering, curling up into a foetal ball.

“That’s my answer to your marriage proposal. Now consider yourself lucky that I am not my husband, as I don’t approve of killing in general. He would have just cut off your head. Now get out!” She roared, nursing her bruised knuckles.

“You whore,” Benson groaned, pain emanating in waves from his groin and jaw. “Wait until my father hears about this.” He quickly shied back as Sofia took another threatening step closer.

“Is everything okay in here?” Robert inquired, sticking his head into the apartment. “I heard shouting and wanted to make sure—” he trailed off in surprise at the scene facing him.

“Captain Benson was just leaving,” Sofia insisted.

“I’ll show him out,” Robert reassured her.

“I can find my own way,” Benson said stumbling to his feet, rubbing his sore jaw. “I won’t forget that,” he insisted, turning to look at Sofia. “Once Radec is dead I’ll be back and you’ll pay for this humiliation. You’ll pay many, many times over. You’ll soon be wishing you were as dead as him.”

“That is enough,” Robert interrupted before Sofia could pummel the captain again. Robert focused his angry gaze on Benson. “The princess is my guest, and while she is here she is under my protection. Now, you heard her, get out.”

“Not for much longer,” Benson disagreed with a furious glare, before storming from the room.

“I’m sorry about that,” Robert said with a sigh. “Are you okay?”

“Nice friend you’ve got there,” Sofia retorted, nursing her torn knuckles. “I think I preferred it when you left me alone.”

“Not my friends,” Robert said looking away. “I’m just trying to do the right thing. The best thing, for everyone.”

“He said that they were going to kill him. That they had somebody close to Jon, somebody that he trusted. Is it true?” she asked fearfully.

“I don’t know,” Robert replied hesitantly, drawing her closer to him, offering her his reassurance. “But I do know this. I’ve met a number of the people surrounding Jon Radec over the years, and they all share one trait—they love him unconditionally. In all my life I’ve never seen such fierce loyalty and devotion to one man. They would sooner die than hurt him. They would fight and die for him, knowing that he would do exactly the same for them. Compared to that, Benson’s threats are meaningless.”

“I hope that you are right,” Sofia agreed, leaning into his embrace.

Chapter Fourteen

Capella, Alpha Aurigae System

Jon continued to observe the distant building, even as the light started to fade. Another day on Capella was coming to an end. He had stood this silent vigil for the past three days, ever since he had been informed this was the source of the transmission sent to Captain Harrison. That had been further reinforced only days later when David had finally stumbled out of the forests on Altair, dehydrated and suffering from exposure, but deliriously waving a datapad, shouting that he had found them. The device detailed every communication and fiscal transaction between the leader of the group of mercenaries on Altair and a company called United Stellar Defence & Logistics; which turned out to be one of numerous shell companies owned, managed and operated out of the building a few hundred meters distant.

The tall, dark, glass and steel structure loomed hundreds of meters over the surrounding low-rise buildings, casting an ominous shadow in the setting sun. The building was the headquarters for United Stellar Services, a massive fiscal conglomerate, which had regional offices in almost every star system spanning the Confederation. Jason, and his small team back on
Terra Nova,
had spent the past few days probing into every confidential database, rumour or report ever written about the company.

While they had been doing that, Jon had been tackling the far thornier problem of how to gain entrance to the building. For while his reach and authority was boundless, commanding hundreds of warships and tens of thousands of troops, he had found himself impotent to gain entry to one single building. Certainly while he could send in the marines to secure the building, or order detailed audits to inspect every record contained within, any such actions would simply alert the owners and whatever evidence might exist would soon be erased.

The sound of footsteps approaching from behind gave him a welcome reprieve from the headache of trying to work out how to proceed unnoticed. Turning his head at the approaching figure he was surprised to observe Paul stepping out of the shadows to stand next to him, the two of them observing the dark building in silence, the only sounds from the warm evening breeze flittering across the balcony of the building where they both stood.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” Jon commented. “I thought that you would be back at
Terra Nova
. Who have you left in charge?”

“The Doctor signed off on David returning to active duty yesterday. So I thought I would hop on a shuttle over here before you lost patience and did something stupid.”

“Like what?” Jon asked amused.

“Not a clue, probably getting stuck climbing through an open window on the thirtieth floor or something.”

“I hadn’t thought of that one—yet,” Jon laughed. “Did Jason find anything before you left?”

“Yes,” Paul said, passing him a datapad. “Everything he found is in there. However, I know you’re in a hurry so I’ll summarise it for you. United Services, via various cross-holdings, hedge funds and investment vehicles, is actually owned by one extremely wealthy, powerful and old family. The Malthuses. They trace their history back almost as far as Marcus, back to the very founding of the Imperium. The family is currently headed by one James T. Malthus.”

Jon thought for a moment, the name ringing a bell, sure that he recognised it, when suddenly it clicked in his head. Five years ago, soon after his arrival with Sofia on Eden Prime, after the signing of the Confederation Charter. One evening during the unending procession of congratulatory parties, an aging Senator, with grey hair and an expanding waistline. “Senator James T. Malthus,” he echoed, as the man’s words that evening suddenly came rushing back.