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“How is it none of you knew five of our ships, along with a company of Special Forces operators and a detachment from the State Security Commission, left the Hegemony for months on an expedition to the Hatshepsut star system?”
Grand Admiral Vigdis Mandus, Commander-in-Chief and Regent of the Wyvern Hegemony, paced back and forth behind her chair at the head of the conference table as she vented her spleen. Without warning, she stopped and gave the three service chiefs a venomous glare.
“Are you not in control of your branches?”
“That’s a bit unfair, Regent,” Admiral Marco VanReeth, Commander, Hegemony Guards Navy replied in a measured tone. “You know we rely on our chiefs of operations for the day-to-day running of the services. Our duties on the Ruling Council absorb much of our time. It simply takes the three of them to form a little cabal, and we’re none the wiser.”
“I can assure you my deputy was wholly unaware,” Chief Commissioner Cameron Bucco said, “and so was the commander of the Wyvern Group, General Cabreras. This was cooked up at lower levels in my branch.”
“Be that as it may.”
Mandus resumed pacing under the eight Council members' guarded eyes. Five were present in the flesh, the service chiefs, the Chancellor, and the Consul ruling Wyvern, and three, the Consuls of the Torrinos, Dordogne, and Arcadia star systems via subspace radio. The latter hadn’t said a word, both because they weren’t directly involved and because the delay in transmission quickly became irritating. Even with powerful subspace relays in geosynchronous orbit above the four planetary capitals and interstellar relays between the four systems, it was hardly instantaneous. And the Regent seemed irritated enough.
“It’s clear both the Navy and Ground Forces operations chiefs were involved. There’s no way around that. Which leaves us with the question of what next? Conspiring to violate the laws this Council has decreed in the interests of state security is a serious matter. Civilians who do so receive the harshest of penalties, including death.”
“Only if they’re not well connected,” Chancellor Elrod Conteh muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, Regent.”
She glared at him for a few seconds, then let her eyes roam around the table and across the three displays at its far end.
“The way I see it, we have two options. One, we bury the whole matter, execute Torma and Ardrix, replace the Navy and Ground Forces operations chiefs and those who directly helped them, including Commodore Watanabe and the five starship captains, along with the officer commanding the Special Forces company. Then, Chief Commissioner Bucco conducts a thorough purge of the Guards Corps ranks, starting with his own service, because we obviously face a core of dissenters who do not respect this Council or its authority.”
Bucco nodded.
“We’re due for a serious purge anyhow. There’s too much laxity in the senior ranks.”
“Including the Commission, it seems.” Mandus gave him a hard stare. “Don’t become overly enthusiastic at the thought of shooting your own people, Cameron.”
“Regent.”
He and his seven colleagues might form a Ruling Council with Mandus at its head, but she wielded the ultimate instrument of absolute control, the Wyvern Regiment. Not only was it under her personal control, but it acted as a military police unit that could easily counterbalance the Commission in and around the capital if necessary.
The Regent personally selected its commanding officer for unbreakable loyalty to the Hegemony’s supreme office above anything else. He or she would defy anyone of higher rank other than the Regent, with force if necessary.
“Our second option is to get ahead of the matter. Accept Task Force Kruzenshtern’s findings and make them our own by saying we approved the expedition. Then, announce Lyonesse’s existence and plan our own expansion using similar means. I’m sure Archimandrite Bolack can scrape up Void missions to seed our first colonies beyond the four home star systems.”
Admiral VanReeth glanced at Bucco.
“Can the Commission scrape up enough teams to make sure those missions don’t threaten our security by their activities on planets we can’t effectively control? Teams that don’t show this Colonel Torma’s unfortunate tendencies I mean.”
Bucco gave VanReeth a dirty look.
“The Commission serves the state and will do what it requires.”
“Enough!” The word cracked like a whip above the Council members present in the flesh. Those at the far end of a subspace link flinched a little while later. “Two options and no leeway, my friends and colleagues. What is the safest path for the Hegemony?”
“Bury the matter,” Bucco replied without hesitation. “News that after two centuries of believing we were the last survivors, it seems there’s not only another but one who’s seizing former imperial star systems, will destabilize the current order. And that is the road to ruin.”
“For whom?” Chancellor Conteh asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Precisely what I asked. Who will be ruined by acknowledging we are not the sole survivors?”
“I’m with Cameron on this,” General Kristianne Farrah, Commander, Hegemony Guards Ground Forces, said before Bucco could answer Conteh’s question. “We can’t acknowledge the existence of a rival outdoing us until we have his full measure and can show the people we will become the sole heir of the fallen empire. Anything less means unrest and upheaval. After almost two hundred years of peace and stability, we cannot afford a breakdown of the social contract.”
Mandus turned to the Commander of the Guards Corps Navy.
“Marco?”
“I’m with my fellow service chiefs, Regent.”
“Chancellor?”
“I’d still like to hear Chief Commissioner Bucco explain for whom not burying this issue is the road to ruin?”
A faint sneer briefly crossed Bucco’s face.
“Surely you get my meaning.”
“Of course, I do, though I’d rather hear you say it. But since you won’t, please allow me. The knowledge we’ve held back for two centuries, comfortable with our illusion of absolute control over four planets, while another surviving chunk of the empire is slowly reunifying human worlds, can ruin our very system of government. And with it, those of us around this table, the members of the Conclave who elected us, and elites who profit from the way we’ve run things for so long.”
“Illusion?” A frown creased Bucco’s forehead. “My dear Chancellor, it’s not an illusion if the people believe it to be real. And after all this time, none would tempt fate by pushing the boundaries.”
“Yet many already are, such as the people behind this merchant’s voyage beyond our sphere. How many others escaped your notice altogether? I tell you, we’ve been riding a dangerous beast for generations, and it’s hungry. We must stay ahead of the news, whatever the consequences or that beast will surely devour us. Our denying the truth because we find it inconvenient will end in disaster. That which cannot go on forever will not go on forever. And ignoring the galaxy at large because we’ve become ossified is something that cannot go on.”
Mandus studied Conteh with greater interest than ever before.
“Why are you so passionate about the subject, Chancellor? I’ve never heard you talk about the need for change. Our system works. The worlds in our care remained safe since Dendera’s defeat. Why upset everything? Sure, we can’t deny reality, but we can adjust to it slowly, without saying anything about Lyonesse or even intimating someone else is reunifying humanity. That way, our current system of government will survive.”
Conteh chuckled.
“It might survive the annexation of three, four, or even ten star systems. But as Dendera proved, absolute control over a thousand star systems, home to countless worlds, non-planetary habitats, and unregistered colonies, is impossible. I won’t even mention control over traffic through the entire wormhole network and the unimaginable vastness of interstellar space. We should face reality right here, right now, and adapt. If that means changing how we govern the Hegemony, then so be it. Yes, I can give you a long list of those who will strenuously object and perhaps even sabotage our efforts. They’ve become the closest thing to the old imperial aristocracy, a caste for whom any change to the system of government means loss of power, influence, wealth, or all three. And that includes a fair number of Conclave members.” Conteh turned to Bucco. “But I’m sure the Commission can rouse itself to finally arrest saboteurs who are part of the upper crust, even though they’ve been quite literally getting away with murder for longer than anyone can remember.”
“Careful, Chancellor,” Bucco growled.
“Instead of executing him, why not promote the colonel who triggered this? He strikes me as rather fearless and unimpressed by rank, even though I’ve never met him.”
Mandus rapped the tabletop with her knuckles.
“Back to the debate at hand. The three service chiefs favor burying the entire story and presumably purging their organizations, the two going hand in hand. Let’s just be sure what a purge implies. It means I will execute the most senior officers involved. We can’t just force them out and watch as they build an underground opposition network.”
Admiral VanReeth shrugged.
“I’m good with that. Sandor Benes has been eying my job with undue interest. He’s the sort who might just engineer my removal.”
“No love lost there,” Chancellor Conteh said to no one in particular.
“Benes wasn’t my pick, and he’s been scheming behind my back from day one.”
Mandus turned to General Farrah.
“Are you just as unhappy with your second-in-command?”
“No.” She shook her head. “We’ve always worked well together, and I wouldn’t want him executed over this.”
“Suppression means to purge. Are you changing your mind?” When Farrah didn’t immediately reply, Mandus resumed pacing. “Admiral VanReeth is for suppression; Chancellor Conteh is for releasing the news and changing the way government does business, and General Farrah has joined the ranks of the undecided. Consuls, what say you?”
The rulers of the Hegemony’s star systems, retired admirals or generals elected by the Conclave for nine-year terms, ran their worlds almost like medieval fiefs. And it was an open secret that Consuls, along with their deputies and secretaries, left the post much wealthier than they were before taking it up. As such, they had a vested interest in the current system, and Mandus fully expected they would voice support for suppression.
“Wyvern?”
“I’m worried about the idea of a purge, Regent. It would generate a lot of discontent within the Guards Corps, especially if that purge includes those who took part in the Hatshepsut expedition. There’s no way of keeping it hidden from the rest of the armed forces. Worse yet, Sandor Benes has a strong following in the Navy.” He glanced at VanReeth. “I can still count on friends in various places, Marco, and most would rather see him in your seat. Sorry, but that’s the reality at the more junior flag officer levels and below. I’m convinced suppression won’t work, and the fact we tried will only make matters more fraught with peril for the government. What is it they say since time immemorial? The coverup is always worse than the scandal? I’m with Chancellor Conteh on this. Acknowledge, adapt, and move forward.”
“Dordogne?”
She waited for the usual transmission delay, first for her question to reach the Consul, then for her answer, eyes on the relevant display.
“We’re caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, Regent, and damned either way. News of this magnitude will come out, if not tomorrow or the day after, then next month. Five starship crews will make sure of it, especially if we purge Gatam Watanabe. He’s another Sandor Benes, with a loyal following among the Navy’s officers. I’d rather not be hanged by the neck from the nearest lamppost by enraged spacers because mutiny will be a real concern if we don’t limit a purge to the most senior people.
“I vote no to suppression. Let’s focus our energies on a managed release of information and plan to carry out the Oath of Reunification. Even among those who might not, at first, be favorable, the general reaction might surprise us. There’s a lot of opportunity in a growing Navy, revived exploration, and especially colonization. The worlds between Hatshepsut and the Hegemony are ours for the taking. I’ll bet if we ask the Conclave in a plenary session, we’ll obtain a majority vote to get on with expansion before Lyonesse wipes us out. And that’s all I have to say on the matter.”
Chancellor Conteh clapped his hands in a slow, measured beat.
“Bravo. Someone who truly gets it.”
Mandus ignored him and turned her eyes on the next display.
“Arcadia?”
Again, a delay before the reply came across the subspace net.
“My gut tells me this is a no-win situation. Keeping news of Lyonesse from the Hegemony’s people would place us on the wrong side of history. I’m with Dordogne. Let’s seize the opportunities. There should be plenty of riches for everyone out there. Count my vote as a no to suppression.”
“That’s three against two, with one abstention. Torrinos?”
“I’ll make the Consuls’ response unanimous, Regent. Suppression wouldn’t do our credibility any favors, and a purge would see us replaced wholesale without Conclave intervention.”
Mandus nodded once.
“Four in favor. I’ll add my vote and make it five. The debate is over. Before we discuss how to handle the situation, it might be prudent if I take a few minutes and inform the Archimandrite. Who knows what mischief is brewing across New Draconis in the expectation we would move against those involved for defying this Council? A five-minute break, everyone.”
Shortly afterward, Mandus settled behind her desk, alone in the office, and opened an encrypted link with the Archimandrite’s office in the New Draconis Abbey. He answered within seconds, an expectant air on his face.
“And?”
“We’re good. Surprisingly, the four Consuls agreed, absolving me of the need to force the issue, but I’m disappointed in the service chiefs. Two blood-thirsty bastards in favor of a purge and one waffling general who somehow reached four stars in the Ground Forces without facing a hard decision.”
Bolack nodded.
“Then you know who needs replacing. I’m not surprised, however. The Consuls are nearer to the people, especially those with wealth. They know which path will keep them in power and riches, and it isn’t the one that might trigger a revolt.”
“Thank you for trusting me with this, Archimandrite, even if you waited until Task Force Kruzenshtern left the Torrinos system on a course for Hatshepsut.”
He inclined his head.
“When faced with such an existential decision, I knew you would make the right choice, provided you had time to think about it.”
“Call it enlightened self-interest. I enjoy my job and would rather not be hauled out of the Wyvern Palace by enraged Guards Corps officers or overthrown by the Conclave.”
“I admire your self-awareness.” He smiled at her. “When will you release Colonel Torma and Sister Ardrix?”
“As soon as we’re done here. But they must stay silent until I unveil my plan of action.”
“Then see that they’re delivered straight to the abbey. They can join the Lyonesse Brethren at the Grenfell Priory.”
“Whom I should enjoy meeting as soon as possible.” She sighed. “Just make sure no one ever finds out you’ve been keeping me apprised of Task Force Kruzenshtern’s expedition, for both our sakes. This must forever be known as the night Vigdis Mandus stared down inertia and reaffirmed the Oath of Reunification. Those involved would not react well if they knew we’ve been manipulating events.”