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Hatshepsut System
“Operations to the captain.”
“Morane.”
“Traffic control buoys report Seeker emerging from Wormhole Two, sir.”
“Finally. Get me a subspace link with her before she goes FTL.
“Already on it, sir. Wait one.”
Captain Lucas Morane, commanding officer of the Lyonesse Navy’s Hatshepsut Squadron, put away the weekly maintenance report for Starbase Hatshepsut, his headquarters and home away from home. Although calling the small, prefabricated orbital a starbase was a bit grandiose in Morane’s opinion, it still served the same purpose as its larger siblings around Lyonesse, Arietis, Yotai, and the republic’s other core worlds.
The Hatshepsut Squadron wasn’t much — two Lannion class frigates and three Frater class corvettes. It was all the Navy could spare. The republic’s shipbuilding industry was still confined to Lyonesse itself, and even with a dozen orbital yards for large starships and another dozen on the surface for small combatants, it barely met the needs of both the Navy and the Merchant Service.
And hard-pressed Void Ships, such as Seeker and its sisters, who patrolled the wormhole network, kept the republic’s outposts connected with the home system, and escorted replenishment convoys? They were almost constantly on the go. Fortunately, the Navy’s policy of double crewing meant time ashore between missions, so the men and women aboard didn’t burn out.
Squadrons protecting outer star systems weren’t quite as lucky with home leave while on station, but their crews could still enjoy a few days ashore on the world they protected every couple of weeks and breathe fresh air.
“Commander Byner for you, sir.”
His office display lit up with the narrow, angular face of a pale, copper-haired woman in her early forties. Keen blue eyes met his, and Morane couldn’t help but see barely contained excitement.
“We found them, sir,” Julia Byner said in her rich alto before Morane even opened his mouth. “Torrinos. A single wormhole transit from Wyvern, according to the old navigation charts. Full buoy constellation around the wormhole terminus and a task force of one cruiser and three frigates within easy FTL reach. They must have spotted us emerging even though we came out running silent and sent the nearest ships to investigate.”
“Or it was a coincidence.”
“No, sir. They knew we were there because they came out of silent running a few million kilometers from the terminus and hammered our most likely vector with every bit of the sensor power they had. Since my mission was to find and report, I went up systems and turned back. They pursued, but we reached the terminus ahead of them and broke contact. One notable thing, though. They didn’t use targeting sensors — at least not that we could tell. But they hailed us on every frequency, normal and subspace. As per my orders, I didn’t reply.”
“Well done, Julia. Send me your report, and I’ll push it home via the relay network, which, as you’ll be pleased to know, is now operational. The Chief of the Defense Staff can have your commendation ready and waiting when you dock.”
“Thank you, sir. I just hope my mission didn’t trigger something we might come to regret.”
“If they didn’t show an aggressive posture and tried talking instead, I’d say we won’t face an invasion anytime soon. Do you want to spend a few days here to catch your breath? The station is still a little small for a Void Ship, but with Thebes now boasting an operational spaceport, you can send liberty parties down directly. I’ll sort it with the garrison commander. The locals are quite happy to make money off visiting starship crews, now that they’ve adopted Lyonesse Creds as a secondary currency along with an official exchange rate.”
“You’ve been busy since I passed through on the way out.”
“Not that you stopped to take stock, let alone spend a day or two in orbit.” Morane’s smile took the sting out of his words. “Always on the move, those Void Ships. I should know after three years in one. But the credit belongs to Abbess Rianne and Chief Administrator Horam, and they’ve been busy for the last two years.” When he saw the look on Byner’s face, Morane chuckled. “Yes, it’s been going so well. The Motherhouse upgraded Thebes Priory to an abbey a few weeks back. That means they can establish subsidiary houses elsewhere on Hatshepsut, provided they produce enough local Brethren to staff them.”
“And when do the locals get a senator?”
“Not just yet. First, the Thebans must set up missions in the other large population centers and extend their influence to eventually bring everyone under a single government. Once they unify this place, we’ll offer them membership in the republic as a sovereign star system. But a Lyonesse ambassador arrived on the resupply convoy yesterday to formalize our relationship with the Thebans. In fact, you’ll probably catch up with that convoy. It headed back a few hours ago and is in FTL between our hyperlimit and the wormhole terminus.”
“Considering I’m faster than a replenishment convoy, I’ll sail right by with no one noticing. Do the Thebans know what we’ve planned for them?”
Morane nodded. “Yes. It gives them the incentive to absorb every bit of the technological progress they can manage as quickly as possible.”
A sly smile lit up Byner’s face. “It’s part of your ancestor’s master plan, no doubt?”
“More or less, adjusted for local conditions, such as another interstellar polity, if not on our doorstep, then within a Void Ship’s reach. But we can discuss that around a cup of coffee, perhaps spiked with some Theban rum, if you decide to stop for a bit.”
Byner grimaced. “As much as I’d enjoy that, my people can almost smell the upcoming crew change and a stint at home. I’ll send you my report for onward transmission and make for the exit wormhole directly.”
“Pity. But I’m here for a while, so we can always have our chat the next time you visit.”
“It would be a pleasure, sir.”
“In that case, I’ll wish you an uneventful trip home and some well-deserved rest.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Starbase Hatshepsut, out.”
Morane sat back as a view of the planet below replaced Byner’s face. Responsibility for the safety of Lyonesse’s furthest outpost was an honor. He would watch history being made in real-time as Jonas Morane’s plan went into overdrive so Hatshepsut quickly became a self-sustaining bulwark against the Hegemony about which they still knew little.
But he still envied Julia Byner. The Void Ships traveled to places that hadn’t seen a human spacecraft in over two centuries. Long journeys, indeed, but the dual crewing system also meant they spent a lot of time at home between cruises.
A soft chime announced the arrival of Byner’s report. As promised, Morane put a priority tag on it and made sure the signals officer funneled it into the longest subspace transmission chain in existence. He then made sure both the new ambassador and Abbess Rianne received a copy before he settled in to read it himself. If he couldn’t travel beyond the republic in person, at least he could do so vicariously.
***
“Ambassador?”
Currag DeCarde, the new Republic of Lyonesse envoy to Hatshepsut’s Thebes Republic, turned at Abbess Rianne’s voice by the garden door. Tall, muscular, with a square face, sandy hair going gray at the temples, and his family's deep blue eyes, the fifty-five-year-old had been a Lyonesse Marine Corps officer for a quarter-century before donning a diplomat’s sober business suit.
The two and a half decades in the Defense Force hadn’t been optional — every DeCarde had served since the 21st Pathfinder Regiment arrived on Lyonesse aboard Jonas Morane’s ship Vanquish over two centuries ago. Even if only for a single hitch as an ordinary spacer or Marine private. It was not just a family tradition that went back to the days before the empire’s founding, but an obligation.
And those aspiring to high government or political office had better put in a good twenty and reach senior officer rank at the very least. DeCarde, in keeping with his ambitions, had left active service as a lieutenant colonel after a stellar career culminating in command of the 3rd Battalion, 21st Pathfinders. However, he still held a reserve commission as a colonel.
“Ah, Abbess. I was just admiring the embassy garden. How did you find such a sumptuous mansion this close to the Presidential Palace?”
Rianne, an ageless blonde with intelligent blue eyes, prominent cheekbones, and a serene smile, shrugged. “We didn’t so much find it as it found us when I told President Freeman that an ambassador would arrive in Thebes to represent Lyonesse. It was once the property of the most prominent shipping magnate on this island, one who profited greatly from our teaching them to build motorized surface vessels of useful tonnage. He offered it to the government, which, in turn, sold it to Lyonesse through Friar Horam’s office.”
“I should like to meet that shipping magnate.”
Rianne let out a throaty chuckle.
“Oh, you will, Ambassador, have no fear. He, along with every other industrialist and entrepreneur in Thebes. Their hunger for technology they can use to improve the industrial infrastructure is insatiable. Let’s just say the last two years, since President Hecht put Hatshepsut on an accelerated path, have been interesting.”
“As in the old Earth curse, may you live in interesting times?” DeCarde asked, eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Not quite that dramatic, sir, though some days we might feel like the Almighty is testing us in novel ways. And we haven’t yet established priories on Aksum, which will give me a whole new batch of headaches.”
“Ah, yes, the main inhabited continent. You’ve been there, I understand.”
Rianne nodded.
“To a city called Mazaber.” She grimaced. “Not particularly salubrious. While Thebes is clawing its way back to industrialization, Mazaber and the other Aksumite cities have been heading in the other direction. Hopefully, we can get the Thebans to establish their first offshore mission soon and arrest the slide into barbarism. Motorized surface ships will help. Until we pacify the Saqqara Islands, the trip to Aksum remains lengthy and fraught with peril for sailing vessels.”
“So I read from your report. Shouldn’t the problem correct itself in due course, however?”
Rianne made a so-so gesture with her hand.
“That’s my belief, but we’ve never captured Saqqarans and examined them for the rapid deterioration leading to premature death I noted when our ship sailed through the Central Passage. Still, the motorized vessels using the North Passage will reach Mazaber faster than the sailing ships did by using the Central Passage and without the risks.”
“Perhaps the Marine garrison might run a few expeditions into the Saqqaras,” DeCarde suggested.
“I’m not sure their commanding officer would be in favor of such an operation.”
A wintry smile played on his lips. “As ambassador plenipotentiary, I can direct local Lyonesse military activities to support our government’s aims.”
If Rianne was taken aback, she showed no sign. “I wasn’t aware of that.”
“It’s a rather unusual arrangement, I’ll grant you. Since Hatshepsut is at the far end of our supply lines, even though the relay system lets a message from us reach home in relatively short order, the President granted me enhanced powers. You might say I’m something like a colonial governor managing Lyonesse affairs to bring this world into the republic as an equal member, as well as an envoy to the local polity we’ve chosen as the future star system government. Especially since we now know where this Hegemony’s sphere begins, confirming Hatshepsut is the closest to an interface with it. In practical terms, we shall leave the locals to advance their affairs on the planet's surface, under our guidance, of course. Anything beyond their reach is ours to manage as we see fit for both republics, from here to this star system’s heliopause.”
Rianne didn’t immediately answer. After a few moments, she inclined her head in acknowledgment.
“I see. Is the abbey also under your remit, Ambassador?”
“For non-ecclesiastical matters affecting Lyonesse’s interests.”
“And you will define what those interests are, I suppose?” She asked in a neutral tone.
“Such are my instructions from our government. Of course, we shan’t speak of my purely Lyonesse responsibilities with the Thebans. The details don’t concern the locals even though my administrative duties are for their long-term benefit.”
“As you wish, Ambassador.”
