Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga) (20 page)

Her father had driven that lesson home when she was a girl. Loyalty
must
be rewarded. Achievements recognized. Fealty was a two-way street.

Emperor Karl had probably thought of that, but things were very busy. She wanted to be sure that nothing fell through the cracks.

The trip to the Department of Imperial Affairs was quick and the view was very nice. Avalon was a pastoral world, as befitting a former vacation hotspot. Perhaps she could get in some skiing while she was here. If Jared could free the time.

Once they’d landed at the large building and made their way to a conference room, Elise sat and let Brenda take the lead in discussing their situation. Since she had signed an agreement with Kelsey, this should be a perfunctory meeting.

The other woman sat across from Elise and opened a notebook. “I took the liberty of reading the agreement you reached with Princess Kelsey under her authority as the emperor’s representative. It all looks in order, but there’s one small formality that has to take place before it’s valid.”

Elise raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what I understood. Isn’t her word on this matter binding?”

“Yes and no. She had the authority to negotiate the treaty, but it’s not officially binding on the Empire until approved by the Imperial Senate. I’ve sent a copy to the Imperial Affairs Committee and they’re reviewing it.

“No doubt, they’ll want to discuss it with you. Once they approve the language, it has to pass a vote of the full Senate. If they recommend changes, obviously your government will need to review them and agree.”

That was not what Elise had expected to hear. “What’s our current status, then?”

“Due to the circumstances, the department will continue to treat Pentagar as a foreign government, but under a strict reading of the Imperial Charter, worlds are not allowed to secede from the Empire. I understand that isn’t what happened, but the founders never envisioned the rebellion or the Fall.

“I’m not sure how the Senate will judge matters, either. It’s possible that some senators will see Pentagar as an Imperial world. Others might try to keep that interpretation and still grant you more latitude in home rule. Unfortunately, some might stand firm that you are Imperial subjects. At this time, I’m not sure how the majority feels. Things have happened so fast.”

Elise felt her expression harden. “The Kingdom of Pentagar is a sovereign nation and we will not bow our heads to force. Your senators had best keep that firmly in mind. Do not turn firm allies into enemies. Especially not in the face of this war we’re in together.”

The other woman spread her hands helplessly. “I agree, but my hands are tied. You’re going to have to go to the Imperial Senate and discuss the matter. I’ve already spoken to one of the members of the committee and he’d be happy to talk with you as soon as you desire.”

“Very well. I expect this is something I’d best see to at once. Who is he and how do I set up a meeting?”

“I’m told he is available now. The van we arrived in can take you to the Imperial Senate building. Oh, and he’s one of the senior members of the committee. We’ve worked with him often and he’s a very reasonable man. Senator Nathaniel Breckenridge.”

Chapter Eighteen

Angela rode in a grav car on the way to the main campus of Imperial University with Owlet in silence. The young man stared out the window, brooding. He’d been that way ever since he’d met with the emperor.

He was meeting with the chancellor. Every kilometer that passed made him look more sour. It wouldn’t take long for the official to see right through his deception.

“You need to pull yourself together,” she said firmly.

He turned his head away from the window distractedly. “Hmmm?”

“I said that you need to focus. If you go in there like that, he’ll know you’re lying.”

“And he’d be right,” Owlet said dejectedly.

“You promised the emperor that you’d do this and that means you need to give it your best shot. You have to make these people believe you’re being up front and honest. If they see through this, then you’ve failed in your duty. So, as I just said, get your head out of your ass.”

He smiled a little. “I wasn’t paying much attention, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t what you said.”

“It’s what I meant.”

He sighed. “You don’t have any idea how hard this is for me, do you? Let me turn this around. Science is my life, just like the Marines is yours. What if the emperor ordered you to lie about a battle you’d been in? What if he ordered you to take credit for saving a bunch of lives? Of single-handedly winning the battle while you were just one person doing her part. That’s what this means to me.”

“The two things are hardly the same,” she said dryly. “But if he ordered me to, I’d do it.”

“What if they awarded you the Imperial Cross? Then the public would be honoring you for something you never did and you’d have to wear the reminder of that lie for the rest of your career. Until the truth came out and then you’d be reviled as someone without honor.”

That set her back on her heels. He was taking this a lot more seriously than she’d imagined.

“Again, the two situations are hardly equivalent,” she said. “Even if they were, I’d damned well do what was best for the Empire. It’s more important than how I feel. Everyone would understand when the truth came out.

“And let me point out where you made a mistake. You figured out how to communicate across interstellar distances. That’s big. That’s worth the damned Lucien Prize all by itself. The rest of this is just embellishment.”

“All I did was pull together a bunch of other peoples’ research. Yes, I had to detail the scientific framework this was based on, but I just saw the connections. Others did all the hard work.”

He balled up his fist and hit his armrest. “And that’s what’s diabolical. I’m telling the truth while knowing they won’t believe me. When it comes out, it won’t matter that I’ve denied everything. And I’ll know this the whole time.”

“Are you going to back out?”

“No.”

“Then quit your bitching and get your head out of your ass. We’re landing, and unless I miss my guess, that’s the chancellor standing right there. You gave the emperor your word to fool him, so you’d better put your game face on.”

* * * * *

Carl stepped out of the grav car. He’d seen Chancellor Warwick before—from a distance—but the man hadn’t known him from Adam. Until today.

“Mister Owlet, welcome back to Imperial University,” the dapper older gentleman said. “I must say that what I’ve been reading about you is most impressive. Come to my office and we’ll discuss it in a more, um, secure environment.”

Warwick glanced at Major Ellis curiously. “I’m afraid I don’t know your friend. Is she, ah, cleared to know about this?”

Carl wasn’t surprised at the other man’s confusion. Major Ellis had changed into civilian clothes for the trip. He supposed that made more sense on a university campus. And it softened her appearance a lot. She wasn’t nearly as intimidating when she was out of uniform.

And she was, oddly, a lot more attractive. He could see what the other Carls had seen in her. Not that that changed their current circumstances.

He smiled, working hard to make it look genuine. “Chancellor Warwick, allow me to introduce Major Angela Ellis of the Fleet Marines. She’s my minder and is indeed cleared to hear anything we discuss.”

“Ah! I see. Then if you’ll both come with me, my office isn’t far, as you know.”

The three of them walked off the landing pad while the driver took the grav car back into the air. The man, another marine in civilian clothes, would be nearby in case they needed a quick extraction.

“Actually, I have no idea where your office is,” Carl said apologetically. “I was pretty focused on my studies and never had reason to go to the administration buildings.”

“I understand. That’s true in much of academia. We administrators labor behind the scenes so that people such as yourself can focus on what’s important to you.”

In this case, Carl was in complete agreement. Imperial University was a model of efficiency and excellence. Chancellor Warwick and his associates had done everything in their power to make the learning environment the best it could be, while staying out of the way.

All too often, that wasn’t the case. He had nothing but the greatest respect for the man and that made what Carl was doing even worse.

“I had a long conversation with Doctor Leonard this morning and I took a brief call from Doctor Cartwright,” Warwick said. “Both were laudatory in discussing your contributions to the mission. I, of course, don’t know the full details, but both men mentioned that they wouldn’t have achieved so much without your hard work and keen insight.”

“Allow me to assure you that they’re overstating my case, Chancellor. I played the part I needed to, but
they
made the magic happen.”

Major Ellis cleared her throat. “I have to disagree. Mister Owlet brought more to the table than he’s mentioning. Don’t let his humble nature fool you. His skills had a lasting and far reaching impact on this mission and I’ve personally seen him do things I’d call wizardry.”

Carl couldn’t stop himself from giving her a sideways look of disbelief. Her compliment actually shocked him speechless. It had to be a lie to shore up his story.

“So I’m given to understand,” Chancellor Warwick said as they walked through the tree-lined quad.

Students filled the open area. They laughed, played, and shouted. Most were older than he was, but that wasn’t unexpected. He’d arrived at Imperial University barely into puberty, a prodigy. Which significantly affected his social life, he admitted.

Now he was old enough to envy those couples walking close to one another. His focus might have sped him up the ladder in his studies, but he’d missed so much while locked in the lab on those late nights.

Part of him wanted to smile wryly at the looks they were getting. He knew what they were thinking. The chancellor was giving a tour to a prospective student and his…mother? Major Ellis wasn’t that old, but her imposing stature lent her an air of maturity beyond her years. And the way she walked made her look dangerous, though their watchers wouldn’t know why.

He resisted the urge to say something to her about it. That wouldn’t be helpful, even if it would be fun.

“Do you know that you’ll be the youngest PhD this institution has ever produced, if you pass your dissertation?” the chancellor asked.

Carl returned his attention to the man. “No, sir. I wasn’t aware of that. It’s a little intimidating.”

“Don’t be too worried,” the man assured him. “The fact that your theory has been proven to work lends a lot of credence to your underlying model. I’ve taken the liberty of assembling a team of department heads to review your work. All cleared by Fleet, of course.”

They walked into the administration building and took the lift up to the top floor. Carl kept his initial objections quiet until they’d made it into the man’s office.

“Let’s sit over here while we talk,” Chancellor Warwick said. “Can I get you any refreshment? Coffee, perhaps?”

Major Ellis put her hand on Carl’s leg to stop him from answering. “Thank you,” she said. “We’d both love a cup.”

“Then I’ll be right back. I’ve got a fair hand with the brewer, so I’ll bring us a fresh pot.”

Carl tried to ignore the heat soaking through his pants leg from her hand. It was…distracting. “What if I don’t want any coffee?”

“Then don’t drink it, though that would be rude. I wanted one last chance to remind you this is game time. Of course he’s getting a team of people together to review your work. He’s heard about the Lucien Prize, so he’s moving quickly. Don’t make too much of a stink about it.”

She was right, but that only made it more annoying. “Well, I can’t just help him speed this along. It would be out of character. No one would take this without some protest.”

“I bet you know some people that would jump at the chance and run over anyone in their way.”

He actually did know some people like that, but they weren’t him.

She seemingly realized where her hand was and withdrew it, sitting back in her chair. He hoped she didn’t realize what kind of effect her touch had on him.

The chancellor came back a few minutes later with what turned out to be some excellent coffee. As a lab rat, Carl knew all about bad coffee, so he could appreciate a good brew.

Chancellor Warwick set his cup down on the saucer. “Now, as I was saying, a team of cleared PhDs are examining the papers you’ve prepared. I understand that it isn’t a thesis in the conventional manner, and so do they. You’ll be meeting with them to discuss everything over the next few days. Think of it as a working defense of your dissertation.

“We have two of the quantum communication sets. Fleet is taking a number of them to the Baker system next door. One of our people is with them and in possession of the other half of the linked pair they loaned us for testing. It should be through the flip point later this evening and ready for testing tomorrow.”

“We know that they don’t work at an unlimited distance,” Carl warned him. “Harrison’s World is two flips away and we can’t communicate with it now. The Nova system is just short of a thousand light years away. Harrison’s World is an additional 415 light years, though some of that is lost because it’s at something of a slight angle. Call it thirteen hundred light years by direct line.”

The other man nodded. “The Baker system is significantly closer. Hopefully, it will work. If it doesn’t, then that gives us more data, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose so, but that isn’t really helpful. I have to admit I didn’t expect it to work at interstellar distances, no matter what the theory said. The fact it has a limit is actually reassuring to me.”

The other man sipped his coffee and gave Carl a long, considering look. “I understand that you feel that you only combined several existing sets of work to make your breakthrough. I want to take a moment to disabuse you of any notion that those facts lessen your work.