Earth Awakens (The First Formic War) (52 page)

“She used to be, yes. Until you returned from the Kuiper Belt.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“She was clearly in love with you, Lem. I’m disappointed you didn’t see it. It was blatantly obvious to me.”

It took Lem a moment to find words. “Are you delusional? Simona was a friend. And barely that. Most of the time she couldn’t stand me.”

“She couldn’t stand that you ignored her. You bickered like a married couple. I thought for sure you must have slept with her.”

Lem blinked. “With Simona? No. Is that why you fired her? Because you thought she was sleeping with me? Because she wasn’t.”

“I fired her because she betrayed me.”

“How? I can’t believe that.”

Ukko stood, pulled the bib from his neck, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it on his desk. “You’re going to dislike what I have to say next, Lem.” He exhaled and sat on the edge of his desk. “I suspected Simona’s love for you was increasing. That poses obvious problems for me. I can’t have my chief of staff giving more loyalty to my son than she gives to me. So I gave her a test. I knew you were sleeping with Despoina. And I knew you were trying to pull information from her about my affairs. So I wrote an e-mail to myself as if it were written by Despoina and I let that e-mail fall into Simona’s possession. If Simona was loyal to me, she would erase it and never disclose it to you. But if Simona was in love with you, if she was loyal to you
over
me, she would show it you. Which she did. She went straight to you behind my back. My only option was to fire her.”

Lem stared. A sick heavy feeling had gripped his chest. “You wrote that e-mail?”

“Despoina was not my informant, son. I did not ask her to spy on you or extract information from you. Nor was she the whore you took her for. She was a sweet girl. For whatever reason, she seemed to be blind to your faults. Or perhaps she loved your strengths so deeply that she saw past what makes you human. Either way, you let a real catch slip through your fingers, son. Her father has quite the empire. It could have been a lovely match.”

Lem said nothing. Words wouldn’t come. His whole body felt numb.

“You acted too rashly, son. I found your response revolting. Arresting her in the night, banishing her from Luna, writing a malicious, scathing note. What were you thinking? That was cruel and demeaning, son. Totally inexcusable. And what’s especially tragic is that it’s evidence that you were clearly in love with her. Only a man betrayed by love would debase and humiliate someone like that. If she had meant nothing to you, you would have come to me. I would’ve been the one who had offended you. But instead, you spit all of your venom at her. You’ve made plenty of mistakes in your life, Lem, but this is first time I have ever been ashamed to call you my son.”

Lem stared at him. His hands were trembling. His words were quiet. “I am not your son. I can’t be. No father would ever do such a thing to his own child.”

Ukko sighed. “This defense of yours gets old, Lem. You can’t blame me for all of your mistakes.”

“You created a lie. You invented a situation and provided proof. You built the justification for my actions in my mind. How is this not your fault? She was kind to me, Father.”

“Learn from this, Lem. You can’t act rashly. You can’t hire thugs to—”

“This is not one of your damn life lessons, Father! Or if it is, it’s so twisted and demented that I don’t want to hear it. You used me. You used her.”

“You used her first, Lem. Don’t forget that. We both know why you came to my office and approached her.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“It was, Lem. Your heart might have gone pitter patter eventually, but you were playing her for your own gain. What’s that American phrase? The pot calling the kettle black?”

Lem waved his arms and stepped away. “I am finished with you. Done. I don’t know why I ever wasted time seeking your approval. You were never going to give it anyway. It’s no wonder Mother left us. It’s no wonder she’s crazy. How could she not be if you treated her like you treat me.”

Ukko stood erect and straightened his coat. “Are you done throwing your tantrum now?”

It was such an infuriating thing to say, so condescending, that Lem couldn’t form a response.

“You’re upset, Lem. My e-mail tactic with Despoina may not have been ideal from your perspective, but love was the reason for Simona’s disloyalty to me. So it was her
love
that I needed to test. Simona would be eager to give you proof that might end your relationship with Despoina. I needed to see if her loyalty to me was stronger. It wasn’t. Had I known you have would reacted the way you did, I would have taken another approach. We both made mistakes. As for your mother, yes, I probably drove her to her mental state. You’re a little old to be having that eureka moment now, though. You should have reached that conclusion about twenty years ago.”

The makeup artist had left her mirror on Father’s desk. He picked it up and examined his hair. “As for being done with me, well, that’s a problem. Because I clearly can’t give the company to you if that’s going to be our relationship.”

He set down the mirror and faced Lem.

Lem paused. “You’ll never give this company to me, Father. You never intended to.”

“I’m giving it to you now, Lem. I’ll put all my stocks in a blind trust. You have plenty of enemies on the Board, however, so I’d advise you to clean house and set things in motion to remove people. Ramdakan can help. He’s an expert at that sort of thing. He can tell you who the snakes are, and I assure you we have plenty. I’m as gentle as a butterfly compared to some. Also, I’d recommend putting Benyawe on the Board. We’ll be deemphasizing our mining operations and putting a greater emphasis in innovation and shipbuilding. That’s our future, Lem. Lots and lots of military ships. We’ll be outfitting most of the International Fleet.”

“What’s the International Fleet?”

“I’ll show you. It’s time to make history, son.”

Father led them from the room. Maxwell was practically coming out of his skin, he was so worried about the time. He checked his holopad four times during the brief elevator ride down. When the doors opened and they stepped off, they found themselves in one of the holo rooms. The overhead lights had been dimmed. A crew of technicians was making final adjustments to the rig of lights and holoprojectors in the center of the room. Ukko paused to shake hands with the twenty or so reporters on Luna who had come to witness the event. Natasha, the makeup girl, brushed Father’s cheeks with a light powder.

Maxwell got everyone into position. Father stood off to the side in the darkness. The crowd quieted. The technicians removed their ladders and disappeared into the shadows. The holofield beneath the projector glowed to life.

The heads of five people appeared in the field. Lem recognized a few of them. The secretary general of the United Nations was in the center, a Brazilian woman named Silva. The others were the heads of China, Russia, India, and NATO, who was an American. Secretary Silva spoke first. She greeted everyone who was watching this historic announcement via holo. She explained that each member of the holo was sitting in his or her own headquarters and speaking to reporters gathered at each site.

Silva then spoke for ten minutes on the need for a united global military consisting of soldiers from every nation on Earth. This International Fleet would be led by two experienced military leaders with a track record of working with international troops and resolving global conflicts. The position of Strategos would be responsible for the overall defense of the solar system. “This duty would go to Lieutenant Colonel Yulian Robinov, who is currently serving as the chair of a council of international military leaders also known as Strategos, from which this new position derives its name.” Robinov appeared in the holo alongside the others, with his name and title suspended in the air beneath him.

Secretary Silva continued. “Robinov’s international peacekeeping force known as the Mobile Operations Police, who will serve as a model for the International Fleet, was recently responsible for ending the atrocities in China and bringing this horrific war to a close.”

The second position of Polemarch, she explained, would be responsible for the construction, maintenance, and operation of the International Fleet’s warships. “That duty goes to Major Khudabadi Ketkar of India, whose careful leadership fostered the alliance of Indian Para Commandos and the Chinese military, and who ended the Formics’ gas attacks and helped turn the war in our favor.”

Katkar appeared in the holo.

Silva welcomed him and then continued. “Creating and maintaining a defense through the International Fleet is a monumental undertaking that will require the resources and efforts of everyone. All nations must join in a united effort to protect our planet from future attacks while maintaining global harmony and peace. This council therefore proposes the formation of a global Hegemony. This Hegemony would consist of member nations committed to protecting our planet and the human race. Member nations would maintain their current system of government; but in global matters they would counsel with the Hegemony, who knows no borders and whose only interest is the planet as a whole and all of its inhabitants. Hegemony offices would be dispersed around the world so that Formics couldn’t destroy one capital and thus our global government. We would move the Hegemon’s core staff from city to city but never in the capitals of China, Russia, India, or the USA.

“No man is more qualified for the position of Hegemon than the president and CEO of Juke Limited, Ukko Jukes.”

A small holofield encircled Father’s head where he stood, projected down from a shelf above him. A large floating holo of his head appeared to the right of Secretary Silva.

“As a citizen of the moon,” Silva said, “Ukko Jukes represents all of humanity and not any one nation. His devotion to the people of Earth is indisputable. His dedication to our safety, unquestionable. His vast success and experience in the private sector makes him uniquely qualified to handle the heavy logistical demands of building and mobilizing an international fleet. What we are proposing will be the largest undertaking in human history. To lead that effort, we require a hegemon who has proven he is capable of managing operations on such a massive scale.

“The United Nations will vote on this measure tomorrow during our general session, followed by a ratifying vote within each member nation. It is our hope that all nations of the Earth will join this united effort to prevent the atrocities that occurred within China. Never again should one nation suffer alone.”

Silva then gave the floor to Robinov, Ketkar, and Father, who each gave brief prepared statements. Lem barely heard a word they said. His mind was reeling. Father as Hegemon, the supreme leader of Earth. It seemed so obvious now. Father had been orchestrating this from the beginning. That’s why he had met with the woman from the state department and other dignitaries and officials since. And of course the United Nations would vote unanimously tomorrow. Father would never agree to participate unless he was certain of the outcome.

The holo ended. Father stepped forward and took questions from the reporters present. When asked if he intended to lead both the Hegemony and the company, Father said, “My new responsibilities as Hegemon will consume all of my time. It would be an injustice to the people of Earth not to give them my complete focus and attention. I have asked my son Lem to function as president and CEO in my stead, a recommendation I am confident the Board of Directors will ratify. My son is the most tenacious, brilliant, and fearless man I know. You saw some of that, no doubt, in the vids and accounts of the final battle. I can’t express the terror I felt to see him put his life in such danger. Lem is all the family I have. The thought of losing him was almost too much to bear. My heart goes out to China and every parent in the world who has lost a child or loved one in this horrific ordeal. And I give you my solemn promise, should I be elected Hegemon, I will do all in my power to ensure that we never lose our sons or daughters to an alien threat again.”

Father thanked them for coming. Maxwell whisked Father away. Lem followed, and once the three of them were back in Father’s office, Ukko began cleaning the makeup off his face.

“You’ve been choreographing this from the beginning,” said Lem. “You knew the drones wouldn’t work. Yet you sent them anyway to demonstrate to Earth that you were committed to the cause.”

“I wanted them to work, Lem.”

“Of course you did. If they worked, you’d become an instant hero. But if they failed, there was still much to gain. You would show Earth that you were willing to sacrifice your fortune to protect Earth. You’d still be a hero in a sense. And you sent the drones when you did because you couldn’t have Victor and Imala succeed. You couldn’t let
me
have the victory. That would throw your plans all out of whack.”

“You
did
have the victory in the end, son.”

“Yes, but only after you had showed the world you would do anything to protect us.” Lem laughed. It was all so clear now. “Benyawe was right, you don’t make mistakes. In fact, as soon as the drones failed, you changed your strategy to ensure that I would win. You told me about El Cavador, for example. You showed me Project Parallax because you knew I needed Victor to get a strike team inside the ship. And you knew that with information about his mother’s whereabouts, I could reenlist him in my effort.”

“We didn’t know Victor was still alive at the time,” said Father.

“You did. Somehow
you
knew.”

“I’m flattered you think I have superhuman powers, Lem.”

“And Ketkar. He helped Mazer and Wit in India and now he’s Polemarch. There’s a coincidence. What was it, Father? You and he strike a deal? He helps you orchestrate the alliance with China and India and you ensure his appointment as Polemarch.”

Father went to the bar and began pouring two drinks.

“Then there’s the vid of me,” said Lem. “All the hidden cameras. You did it to increase your appeal. Now the world will see you as the father of a war hero. Or, if I died romantically in battle, you’d be the father of a
fallen
war hero, which might be better. You’d get the sympathy vote. Either way you win.”