Exodus: Empires at War: Book 2 (20 page)

“I thought it was
secure,” said the Prime Minister, his tone changing to one of fear.

“It is as secure as we
can make it,” agreed the tall man, thinking of all the multiple encryption
routines that had gone into the communications net.  “But nothing is one
hundred percent secure.  That is why we still use face to face meetings.”

“Well, is there
anything you can do?”

“I will see, minister,”
said the man.  “I will see.”

He terminated the
connection and sat in his chair for a moment, contemplating the possibilities. 
We could probably get to the General, even through his security.  The Admiral
will be the more difficult target.  Maybe the entire ship will have to go,
though I hate to make a move so bold.  And what about the Commandant of the Marines. 
Surely she is also in this.  Maybe I need some direction.

The man sat and thought
for some time, coming to the conclusion that he needed to kick this up to his
employers, who had come through so marvelously whenever he needed the hardware
or the muscle.  He keyed in his link and set up a meeting. 
And wouldn’t you
be surprised at who you are actually aiding, Prime Minister
, he thought, a
smirk on his face. 
And how horrified when you discover what they are
actually after.

Chapter 8

Humanity never seems to
be satisfied by whatever system they are under.  Oh, they will live under it,
and prosper, and sing its praises.  And then they will wish that things were
different.  The fact is that the rulers are the only one ever really satisfied
with any political system.  And even they have doubts.  Empress Catherine the
Great, in an address to the media.

“So what can I do for
you today, Lieutenant,” said Captain Sebastian Ngano of the
Sergiov
,
steepling his fingers and looking over them into the eyes of his subordinate
officer.

I will not be
intimidated
,
thought Sean Ogden Lee Romanov, standing at stiff attention and looking over
the top of his commanding officer’s head.  Even telling himself that he did
feel some intimidation standing here in the Captain’s office.  Not the one
attached to his day cabin by the bridge, but his main office, attached to his
quarters deep in officer country.  The walls were covered with pictures of the Captain
with many people, some Sean recognized as members of the Commons.  That and a
number of awards the officer had garnered during his service, and several
models of warships on the credenza behind the wide desk.

“Sir,” said Sean,
barking it out like he was on an academy parade ground.  “The Lieutenant
requests an immediate return to duty.”

“You attended Peal
Island, did you not, Lieutenant Romanov?” said the Captain, his broad dark face
looking up at Sean’s.  “Of course you did, since that’s the one on the Capital
world.  Well, so did I.  And though I appreciate the ramrod they put in your
back, you can relax and act like a human being here.  We are no longer on the
island.”

“Yes sir,” said Sean,
coming to a military rest position and looking the Captain in the face.  “The Lieutenant
wishes to be returned to duty.  Immediately.”

“And you don’t have to
use that third person thing they teach at the academy,” said the Captain. 
“They don’t like that much in the real fleet.”  The Captain paused for a moment
and looked the Prince in the eye.  “Or is that an imperial third person?”

“The Lieutenant,”
started Sean, then shook his head and corrected himself.  “I mean, I don’t want
to be treated any different than any other officer, sir.  I…”

“Bullshit,” said the Captain
in a growl, slamming his palm on the desk with a crack.  “Your being here to
demand that you be returned to duty proves the lie in that statement.”

“The lie…”

“You let me finish, Lieutenant,”
said the Captain, glaring into the Prince’s eyes.  “Then you can have your
say.  Oh, I know that you try to be egalitarian, act like one of the boys and
girls.  And I have to compliment you on that attitude.  But the fact of the
matter is that you are not just one of the boys and girls.  You’re one of the
rich kids up the block.  Even those with noble upbringing cannot compare themselves
to you.  And you really think we are going to treat you like one of the boys
and girls?  Well, do you?”

“Sir, I wish to be
treated like…”

“Not wish to, Lt.
Romanov,” said the Captain, lowering his voice.  “Did you really expect to be
treated just like one of the boys and girls?  Considering who your father is,
is that a realistic expectation?  Well.  Is it?”

Sean stood for a moment
without talking, thinking about what the Captain has said.  “No sir,” he
finally replied, feeling his face heat up.  “I really don’t expect that, now
that you explain it that way.”

“Good,” said the Captain,
nodding his head.  “Now we’re getting someplace.  And you realize that right
now you are a high profile target for some every dangerous people?”

“Do we know who they
are?” said Sean after giving the Captain a head nod.

“No, and that makes
them even more dangerous,” said the Captain.  “And your safety is my concern. 
Of course the safety of all my officers and crew is my concern.  But right now
you are more of a target than all of the rest put together.  So that is why the
caution.  But I will tell you that we have completed advanced background checks
on everyone on this ship.  Any who were suspicious in their origins have been
transferred.”

“Were there many of
them?” asked Sean, a shiver running up his spine at the thought that a shipmate
might try to kill him.

“Only a couple,” said
the Captain with a smile.  “So you may return to duty, with my blessings.  What
you cannot do is leave the ship.  At least not at this time.”

“I understand,” said
Sean, his body relaxing now that he had gotten what he wanted.  “I just wanted
to get back to duty.  This being under protective watch was a bitch, sir.”

“And it’s something you
may have to get used to again,” said the Captain, looking behind him and
picking up a model from the credenza.  It was the model of a frigate, not the
latest design, but neither anything from antiquity.  “This was my first
command.  The
Organia
.  She was small and slow, with little in the way
of firepower.  About a hundred and fifty crew, including the squad of Marines. 
But she was all mine.  I didn’t have to share her with anyone.  Do you know why
I’m showing you this, Lieutenant?”

“Because you want to
make a point,” said Sean, nodding his head.  “You still long for that first
command.  Even more than you did the command of that heavy cruiser behind you.”

“Very good, Lieutenant,”
said the Captain.  “Relish the role you play now.  The lack of responsibility
as you gain experience.  Because someday you might regret that these times
didn’t last, when you have had ultimate responsibility thrust on your
shoulders.  Dismissed.”

The last words of the Captain
had a foreboding feel to them, and Sean couldn’t help but think back on them on
the way to his quarters to prepare for duty. 
But I will never have ultimate
responsibility
, he thought. 
The older brothers have that covered.  So
why did that statement bother me so much
.  Sean tried to put it out of his
mind as he got into a duty coverall.  But no matter what he did, it kept coming
back to haunt him.

*     *     *

“Only twenty-six hours
to translation,” said Captain Dame Mei Lei as she looked over the tactical
screen.  The convoy was still in good formation, just like she had set up at
the start of the voyage.

“Captain Dupfers on the
com for you ma’am,” called out the com tech, nervousness in her voice.

And well you should be
nervous, child
,
thought the Captain as she grimaced.  The fool of a contract ship’s Captain had
set her off several times on the voyage, with his daily complaints of one thing
or another.  The destroyers aren’t close enough to cover my ship properly.  The
destroyers are too close and are making my helm nervous.  The troop transport
ahead is too close and its grabber ripples are disrupting the smoothness of my
passage.  The troop transport is too far ahead and I’m having to fight his
hyper grav waves instead of coasting on them.

The problem with hyperspace
, she thought,
is
that damned fools can still send com lasers your way if you’re on the same
level and close enough
.
  She thought of maybe translating up to VII,
or moving far enough away in V to get out of the idiot’s range.  But that would
get everyone wondering if she had lost her mind.  Which might be the correct
call.

“Put him through,” she
finally said with a sigh. “Might as well get it over with.”

“Commodore Lei,” said
the frowning face as soon as it was on the screen, making the temporary rank
sound like a slur.  “I must protest your decision to put my
Haikado Maru
behind that tub of Captain Merlson’s.”

“And what is Captain
Merlson’s ship doing to your precious freighter now, Captain Dupfers?” asked
Mei Lei in her sweetest syrupy voice.

“Don’t you be
condescending with me, commodore,” hissed the freighter’s Captain.  “I will
protest your treatment of me and my ship to the highest levels of the
admiralty.”

“Protest away, Captain,”
said the Captain of the
Joan de Arc
, staring at the man.  “Your protest
will no doubt arrive on their desks at about the same time as my protest of
your disruption of the smooth operation of this convoy.”

“But your protest will
not much affect my career,” said the contract Captain with a cold smile
crossing his face.  “My line has a long term contract with the Empire.  And I
have a long term contract with my line.  How is your contract, commodore?  So.  Are
you going to listen to my complaint, or will the admiralty?”

“Go ahead, Captain
Dupfers,” said Mei Lei with a sigh.  “What can I do for you today?”

“It’s that damned Captain
Merlson,” said the freighter skipper.  “Those grabbers of his are out of tune
and are stirring up the fabric of space around us.”

“We’re almost at our
destination, Captain,” said Mei Lei with a scowl.  “Surely you can put up with
some minor turbulence for another day.”

“I demand that you move
us ahead of him,” screamed Dupfers, his face turning red.  “I demand…”

“Demand all you want,
you pompous fool,” said the acting commodore, fighting hard to keep her temper
under control and leaning forward in her seat.  “We are in hyper,” she
continued, in a voice like she was talking to a child, “in close formation, so
I don’t have anyone wandering off.  There are turbulences in space when ships
using ether grabbing drives are near to each other.  These are the kind of
turbulences that experienced spacers grow used to.”

“Will you move me up in
the formation, or will I have to do it myself,” he yelled over her.

“If you attempt to move
your ship from formation without my express orders I will have your vessel
boarded and you arrested,” said Mei Lei in a coldly calm voice, feeling
exquisite fine control holding her emotions in check.  “Do not think for one
minute that I will not.  Now I am finished with this conversation.  Captain
out.”

The screen went blank
on the image of the man opening his mouth to try and get in a word.  The Captain
put a hand on her head as she felt the beginning of a headache.

“Still dealing with
that bastard,” said Xavier Jackson over the private com link.  She checked the
time on the ship’s net and saw that he was to relieve her in another hour.

“You could still be in
bed,” she replied, “instead of tapping into bridge communications.”

“I’m already up and
getting the blood flowing,” said the man, projecting a laugh over the circuit. 
“I figured I better be ready to deal with the bastard when I come on duty.  You
know he screams his head off for you to come at his beck and call.”

“And you do a very good
job of denying his requests,” she said with another smile.  “I’m surprised he
hasn’t threatened to bring you before the Emperor for ignoring him.”

“He has,” he said
through the link.  “But I do believe his Majesty has more important things to
worry about than a mere commoner naval commander.  And I’m surprised you
haven’t ordered a surgical laser strike on his bridge before now.”

“I would like to order
him on point and bring back Rittersdorf,” she said.  “But then I might have to
explain to the admiralty how I let several billion Imperials of weapons and
equipment get lost along with a piece of shit freighter I was supposed to be
watching.”

“Almost be worth it,”
said the exec, projecting a smile.

“At least we will be
free of him after we reach Massadara,” said Mei Lei, feeling the tension
headache leaving her as she concentrated on relaxing her scalp muscles.

“Unless they saddle us
with him for the return trip,” said Jackson, projecting a frown.