The Thousand Emperors (34 page)

‘You said Sandoz forces were ordered to kill her,’ said Vasili. ‘But who gave them their orders?’

‘To find out the answer to
that
,’ Antonov replied, ‘you must first go somewhere I cannot.’

‘You said she was asking too many questions. Questions about what?’

Antonov rolled his shoulders, as if one of them were slightly kinked. ‘I need to get access to the information stored in a private data-cache maintained by Cheng – one that nobody
else knows exists, and that contains, or so I believe, damning proof regarding Ariadna’s death.’

Vasili stared at Antonov, his eyes burning. ‘You’re using me,’ he rasped. ‘You never gave a damn about me before now, and I’m not stupid enough to believe
you’re here solely for my benefit.’

Antonov laughed. ‘Ever the pessimist, Sevgeny? Of course I’m using you. What kind of fool would I be, if it were any other way?’

‘You’re a devil,’ rasped Vasili. ‘When you go to hell, they should put you in charge. I swear you were made for the job.’

‘I seek evidence of a different kind,’ Antonov told him. ‘Proof that your beloved Father Cheng has not only discovered a second entrance to the Founder Network, but is
exploiting its discoveries just as recklessly as the idiots who brought about the Abandonment.’

Vasili stared open-mouthed at Antonov’s data-ghost. ‘Impossible!’ he cried. ‘I stood by Joe’s side through almost every major policy decision the Council has
made since its inception. He—’

‘Used you,’ Antonov finished, ‘to get into power, then finally discarded you once you proved to be a liability. You know he always treated Ariadna with disdain; he allowed
you to become part of his inner circle, but not her – and why? Because she asked the questions
you
refused to face. There’s a reason, Sevgeny, that people called us the Thousand
Emperors – because that’s what we became, figureheads spouting the same old monopolistic bullshit to justify their grip on power.’

‘And who would you prefer we emulated?’ Vasili yelled. ‘The Coalition? Their decisions nearly destroyed the human race!’

Antonov slammed a fist into the palm of his hand. ‘When we fought them to a standstill all those years ago, Sevgeny, they were tyrants – no doubt about that. They used the chaos
of the Abandonment to take our colonies by force, and I fought them as hard as you or anyone else, but that was centuries ago.
Centuries
.’

He stepped back slightly. ‘They’ve evolved so much during the long separation of our two civilizations, while we’ve stood resolutely still. Their old guard are long gone,
dissolved in the sweeping changes that overtook them. It’s only us who call them the Coalition – they just call themselves the human race.’

‘Human?’ Vasili laughed. ‘Like that Ambassador of theirs? Have you or anyone else ever even seen behind that fucking mask of his?’

‘We could argue forever, Sevgeny, and we’d never see eye to eye, because we’ve become set in our ways, as impermeable to change as Joe, and that is precisely why none of us
should be allowed to rule any longer.’ He reached out a hand. ‘Accept my offer or not. It’s your choice, and one I cannot force upon you.’

‘Damn you,’ Vasili hissed, his hands twisted into claws. ‘Damn you to hell.’

‘No.’ Antonov shook his head, eyes glistening. ‘Damn
them
to hell, Sevgeny.’

Something inside Vasili gave way, as if he were no longer able to contain so much anger. He collapsed into a chair in exhaustion, and stared out past the patio towards the courtyard and the
ocean beyond.

‘All right,’ he said, too weary now even to be angry, ‘where is this data-cache?’

‘That’s where it gets complicated,’ Antonov replied. ‘You first need to go to Javier Maxwell. A set of communication protocols are hidden in that library of his; these
will lead you straight to the location of the data-cache.’

Javier Maxwell. Sevgeny shook his head and sighed. He should hardly be surprised Maxwell was involved in all of this somehow.

‘Why do you need
me
to do your dirty work, Winchell?’

‘You know I’d be risking detection if I data-ghosted into his prison, Sevgeny. You, however, have the right to enter his library at any time.’

It all suddenly became clear. ‘So that’s why you’re here,’ said Vasili. ‘Javier knows about these protocols?’

Antonov shook his head. ‘I’m far from sure he has any idea whatsoever that they exist. But remember, he acts as custodian to data-repositories to which you also have access. My
researches show that the protocols are buried deep inside them, and I can tell you just how to locate them with his help.’

‘And what do you expect me to do, once I’ve uncovered this hidden goldmine of reputed scandal?’ Sevgeny asked, feeling suddenly tired and old. ‘Bring the curtains down
on the Temur Council? Inspire a fiery revolution and watch the worlds burn?’

‘I’ll leave revolution to others younger than myself,’ Antonov replied. ‘I need solid, independently verifiable proof of Cheng’s secret exploration of the
Founder Network, which I believe this hidden data-cache will supply. All I’d been able to find until recently were hints – pieces of a puzzle that together implied a much greater
picture. While you’ve been out in the rain – metaphorically speaking, of course – Cheng, Cripps and his fellow conspirators in the Sandoz Clans have been getting up to things that
threaten the existence not only of the Tian Di, but of the human race as a whole.’

‘What kind of things?’ Vasili demanded.

‘They have been searching for weapons,’ Antonov replied, ‘that Cheng believes will help him maintain his power and turn back the changes reunification with the Coalition
would otherwise force upon the Tian Di. Or do you really believe Cheng is suited to survive those changes, Sevgeny?’

Vasili sighed and looked away. ‘Perhaps not,’ he admitted, feeling as if treason were spilling from his lips.

‘I’ll leave my mechant in your care for now,’ said Antonov. ‘Use it to get back in touch with me once you’ve spoken with Javier – and maybe you and I can
work together again, the way we used to, back in the old days when we were young and burning with life.’

His data-ghost vanished, and Vasili sank deeper into his chair, staring at the cold stone walls surrounding him. More than ever, his home felt like a mausoleum, with him its premature
guest.

He thought of Ariadna, and wept.

Luc found himself back in the library, the book in his lap, fingers aching from gripping its pages. He let out a shuddering breath, then pushed the book onto a table.

From the outside, Vasili had appeared an entirely cold and unlovable figure, his face bent into a permanent scowl; and yet his love for his deceased inamorata had burned with such intensity that
Luc’s own feelings for Eleanor seemed pale by comparison.

But that wasn’t what made his hands shake as he lifted them from the book. In a few minutes his world had, almost literally, been turned upside down. A secret entrance to the Founder
Network, one that was being recklessly exploited by the leaders of the Tian Di? It sounded absolutely preposterous. And yet it didn’t explain the hammering of Luc’s heart, or the sick
feeling welling up in his chest.

He glanced towards the door, hearing hurried footsteps approaching. Javier Maxwell burst in a moment later, looking harried and wild-eyed.

‘You have to leave,’ Maxwell barked. ‘
Now.
’

Luc sat up, alarmed. ‘Why?’

‘Cripps is on his way here, with a detachment of Sandoz. It won’t be long before they arrive.’

Shit.

‘They must be looking for you,’ Maxwell continued, twisting his hands together, ‘or at least that’s the logical conclusion.’ He shook his head. ‘The Sandoz
have never come here in force like this before. Never.’

‘Or maybe,’ suggested Luc, ‘they figured out that the Ambassador was here.’

Maxwell regarded him uneasily. ‘Or that Zelia sent
you
here. I won’t know one way or the other until they arrive – by which time, I suggest, you should be as far away
from here as possible.’

‘No,’ said Luc, ‘not yet.’

‘There isn’t the time—’

Luc held up the book. ‘It was Father Cheng, wasn’t it? He gave the order to kill Adriana Placet.’

‘It seems you’ve been making good use of your time,’ said Maxwell, nodding at the book.

‘Antonov said that Cheng found a second entrance to the Founder Network. He also said Adriana Placet was killed because she was asking too many questions. Was it because she found out what
Cheng was up to?’

‘She knew
something
was going on, but not necessarily
what
.’ Maxwell stepped closer, taking a grip on Luc’s arm. ‘You need to finish what Sevgeny
started.’

Luc stood and pulled his arm away. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

‘I may not know all the details, but I certainly know enough to understand that Father Cheng is doing something that is endangering us all. You need to go to that station Sevgeny visited
and locate whatever data he found, and show the Tian Di what Cheng is doing. But that won’t happen unless you get the hell away from here first.’

‘But how can I possibly do that if I don’t have the protocols Vasili—’

‘You had the protocols in your hands,’ Maxwell said softly. ‘Hence my concern when you didn’t bring them back.’

Luc stared at him for a moment, then cursed under his breath. ‘The book I found on Vasili?’

Maxwell nodded. ‘Which is why you must find it again.’

‘Surely you must have copies of the protocols!’

‘Whoever it was amongst the Eighty-Five who hid the protocols in the library’s databases erased them remotely some time very recently, presumably once they realized Sevgeny was on
their trail. That means, unfortunately, that the copy of them in Sevgeny’s book is now the only one still in existence.’

‘I don’t even know if the book is still in Vasili’s home. For one thing, it was damaged by the heat from the blast that killed him. For all I know, his house mechants threw the
damn thing out.’

‘That’s a chance you’re going to have to take. Without that book it would take you months to find the station.’

‘But how can I possibly get away from here? I’m stranded since Zelia’s flier disappeared.’

‘There’s a hangar below us, with a flier for emergency use by Cheng or anyone else in the Eighty-Five with an urgent need to make use of it,’ explained Maxwell, stepping closer
to the door. He gestured to the book still in Luc’s hands. ‘Take that with you and learn what you can once you’re away from here.’

Luc hesitated for a moment, then stuffed the book into a large pocket on the inside of his jacket, taking care not to let his fingers brush against the pages.

‘Why can’t you use that flier to get out of here yourself?’

‘It’s programmed to refuse my orders under any circumstances,’ Maxwell replied.

‘But if I took you on board with me—’

Maxwell shook his head. ‘Then it would never even take off.’ He shrugged. ‘Besides, where the hell could I go?’

Luc followed him along a short corridor, then down a winding stairwell, its walls bare and undecorated compared to the rest of the library complex.

‘But where can
I
go from here?’ he called after Maxwell’s retreating back. ‘I’ve got no idea what the hell’s happened to Zelia, where she’s gone
or if she’s in trouble of some kind. Without her, there’s nowhere for me to go.’

They came to a single steel door at the bottom of the stairwell. The temperature had plummeted, the air frosting with their every breath.

‘I knew Zelia well, back in the day,’ said Maxwell, stopping for a moment, ‘and she’s more resourceful than you imagine. Whatever’s happened to her, I
wouldn’t assume you’ve seen the last of her just yet.’

Luc followed him through this last door. Suddenly he was outside, a freezing wind sucking all the heat from his skin, as he found they had emerged into the cavernous hangar he had first sighted
from the foothills. There was, he saw, enough space to park a fleet of fliers.

The storm that nearly killed him had passed, and the sun hung sharp and bright in a sky striped with narrow wisps of cirrus. He stepped forward, hugging himself against the cold, and realized
belatedly that he’d left his cold-weather gear behind.
Idiot.

Mechants dropped down from some point in the cavern’s ceiling and moved towards them, weapons unfolding from their bellies. Luc turned to look at Maxwell, who had come to a halt just a
short distance beyond the steel door.

‘This is as far as I go, I think,’ said Maxwell, retreating closer to the door.

Luc glanced between Maxwell and the approaching mechants. ‘Are we in any danger?’

‘
I
certainly am, if I try and go any farther than this. I don’t see any reason why they would want to harm you, however.’ He pointed towards a low-slung shape parked
nearby and partly hidden beneath a heavy grey tarpaulin, AG field generators bulking out its sides.

‘That’s the flier you were talking about?’

Maxwell nodded. ‘I don’t see any others, do you?’

‘How did you do it?’ asked Luc, staring back at Maxwell in wonder. ‘I came here looking for Ambassador Sachs, and somehow I wound up working for you.’

Maxwell smiled faintly. ‘This is all Winchell’s doing, remember? Vasili would never have sought out the protocols or Cheng’s data-cache if not for that old renegade.’ He
nodded towards the flier. ‘Go now, Mr Gabion, before the Sandoz arrive.’

‘One last thing. You said the Ambassador came to you for advice. About what?’

Maxwell’s shoulders rose and fell in a sigh. ‘When I say there isn’t much time, I mean—’

‘Please,’ Luc begged.

‘He was trying to prevent a war, Mr Gabion. A war between the Tian Di and the Coalition.’ Maxwell almost shouted the words in his agitation. ‘I’d tell you more, but there
simply isn’t the time.’

Luc glanced towards the horizon beyond the foothills, and saw a tiny black dot moving across the sky towards them. ‘If I take off now, they’ll see me.’