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Later that morning, an announcement over the public address system shattered Grenfell Priory’s silence. All within its walls were summoned to the Chapter House at eleven-thirty for a special announcement by Archimandrite Bolack's order. Ardrix and Torma, who were wandering around the perimeter in silence, glanced at each other.
“That is highly unusual,” the former said. “Normally, announcements are made immediately after one of the regular services or during communal meals.”
“Which means, I sincerely hope, that things are on the verge of moving very fast.”
Shortly before the appointed time, they joined a throng of Brethren, Void Reborn and Lyonesse, at the Chapter House entrance. Because he was a visitor, Torma slipped into one of the upper pews along with Hermina and her colleagues while Ardrix joined the others. At eleven-thirty precisely, just as the prioress and the chief administrator took their chairs on the dais, a large display over the entrance came to life with the image of a lectern flanked by Hegemony flags and backed by the banners of the Guards Corps’ three branches. The pulpit itself was decorated with the phoenix, sword, and stars emblem of the Wyvern Hegemony. Moments later, Regent Vigdis Mandus, wearing her unadorned black uniform, appeared on the display and walked up to the lectern. She looked straight into the video pickup.
“Citizens of the Hegemony, greetings. It is with great pleasure and pride that I stand before you to announce the return of the first successful expedition beyond the Hegemony sphere by our courageous Navy. Task Force Kruzenshtern, under Commodore Gatam Watanabe's command, carried out the reconnaissance of one of the main wormhole network branches leading to former imperial sectors beyond our own. During that trip, they discovered several worlds still inhabited by humans but whose civilizations collapsed. As a result, the Ruling Council and I decree that the Hegemony will go forth into what was once the human empire and recolonize those worlds so they may join us in rebuilding and erasing the scars left by the Great Scouring. We will therefore embark on a substantial naval expansion program, increase our Ground Forces, and invite the Order of the Void Reborn to increase is numbers so it can minister to those who will soon become our fellow citizens.”
She paused, chin raised in a regal bearing, eyes looking straight into the video pickup. Whether it was by some clever technical design or merely his imagination at work, Torma felt as if she was addressing him directly, and he wondered if anyone else got the same eerie impression.
“Our ancestors swore the Oath of Reunification long ago. Today, I order every branch of the Hegemony government to execute it. The first inhabited world that will rejoin humanity across the stars shall be Santa Theresa, which is connected to Torrinos via two wormhole transits. Our initial reconnaissance will leave Wyvern in six weeks and the first colonization mission in six months. After a long slumber, we will finally mend that which was rent asunder and reunite our species under the banner of the Hegemony.”
Torma felt Metrobius, sitting next to him, tense up, though he and the rest of the Lyonesse Brethren didn’t say a word.
“Thank you, and may the Almighty in the Infinite Void watch over you always.”
The display went dark, and though Torma heard the rustling of robes as Brethren turned to each other in astonishment, none broke the customary silence. The prioress stood.
“You may return to your customary activities.”
Ardrix rejoined him as they filed out, a smile of quiet satisfaction on her narrow face.
“Our travels were not in vain.”
“No, but let’s give this time to play out. The Regent’s speech just now was merely the opening salvo. She’ll likely face plenty of opposition from those who fear diluting the state's power through expansion will carry a cost they cannot bear, and many of them can sabotage her efforts by using the government’s habitual inertia. They’ve had almost two centuries of practice.”
“What will happen with us?” She led him back on the perimeter path so they could avoid the Lyonesse Brethren, who seemed stunned by the announcement.
“I couldn’t say, but our returning to Commission duty might not be the greatest idea at the moment. Those at the highest levels will know our role in the matter by now, and no one wants a pair of investigators who presume to go so far beyond their remit that they travel countless light-years through the wormhole network.”
“Not even General Robbins?”
Torma shrugged.
“She may not have a choice in the matter, depending on how Chief Commissioner Bucco reacted. We might as well enjoy the peace and quiet here, where our Commission colleagues won’t tread for fear of the Archimandrite’s wrath.”
“In that case, shall we meditate while walking? It will help us digest these events which, using your expression, are now moving extremely fast.”
**
Two days later, Torma, Ardrix, and the prioress stood on one side of the quadrangle and watched the same abbey aircar that brought them to Grenfell land with Archimandrite Bolack aboard. They were warned about his arrival by the prioress less than five minutes earlier, meaning he hadn’t announced his visit for what Torma suspected were security reasons. The situation in New Draconis must be tense indeed, but then Bolack was likely in the eye of the storm, supporting Mandus in her nascent attempt at pushing the Hegemony in a new direction.
After a gentle landing under the driver’s deft control, the side door opened, and Bolack climbed out. He spotted them and broke into a broad smile.
“You’d enjoy the stir back in the capital, my friends. It hasn’t been this lively in living memory. Everyone wonders what everyone else is thinking or planning; the Regent is casting about for trustworthy people who can spearhead the colonization effort; rumors say the Navy is in a leadership crisis and your service, Colonel, isn’t far behind.”
“Welcome to Grenfell,” the prioress bowed her head, imitated by Torma and Ardrix.
“Always a pleasure. This is my favorite house. Such peace. I shall keep myself from disturbing it, but I must speak with your guests, these two and the ones from Lyonesse.”
“Of course. I’ve set aside an office for your discussion with Colonel Torma and Sister Ardrix. The Lyonesse Brethren will meet you in the refectory afterward.”
“Very gracious of you.”
The prioress inclined her head again, then indicated the administration building’s open front door.
“If you’ll follow me.”
She led them through a part of the building Torma hadn’t visited before, but Bolack seemed in perfectly familiar territory. After ushering them into a sparsely furnished room — desk, four chairs, and a credenza — the prioress left, closing the door behind her. Bolack gestured at the chairs and, instead of settling behind the desk, turned his to face them so that they sat in a tiny circle, knees almost touching.
“New Draconis is in utter turmoil. The Regent has upended so many iron rice bowls with her announcement, you’d think the End of Days is nigh. There are few senior people in government she can trust besides the Chancellor and his people, Vice Admiral Benes and Lieutenant General Sarkis and their people, and perhaps you two.”
“And you, sir?” Torma asked.
“The Regent and I have always enjoyed a relationship of mutual trust, Colonel.”
“That, I don’t doubt.”
“I see a question in your eyes. Ask it.”
Torma hesitated for a second or two.
“Did you inform her of the Task Force Kruzenshtern expedition before we returned? Perhaps shortly after we vanished from Hegemony space? Her reaction in our presence seemed a little strange.”
“You mean the arrests?” Bolack chuckled. “That was for your own protection. Yes, I told Vigdis Mandus about the Hatshepsut mystery once Kruzenshtern was beyond recall. At first, she was furious, but after weeks of thinking it over and long conversations with me, she finally acknowledged there could only be one workable path to secure the Hegemony’s future.”
“So that day in her office, it was an act.”
Bolack nodded.
“I’d given her a thorough briefing the day before. However, I then played my role as a messenger for Benes and his colleagues so no one would find out she already knew everything they did. As far as everyone involved is concerned, Regent Mandus heard about Hatshepsut and Lyonesse for the first time that afternoon and faced a momentous decision. But she’d already decided long ago at that point and just needed the Council’s, if not approval, then grudging acceptance. Yet, it meant you needed to disappear so no one could ask awkward questions while she forced the Council’s hand.”
A smirk lit up Torma’s solemn features.
“Admirably devious, both you and the Regent, sir, and I mean that as a compliment. I’ve dealt with slippery customers of every sort in my career, but this is on a whole new level.”
The Archimandrite let out an amused chuckle.
“I’ll take the compliment, but in truth, it was more a case of seizing the opportunity. Many of us fear for the Hegemony’s future if we don’t shake off our torpor, and we’d been seeking something dramatic that might do so for years, so thank you for your diligence in pursuing Jan Keter’s case.”
He bestowed a benevolent smile on them.
“Since the Regent can only rely on a few senior officials and must leave Benes and Sarkis in their respective posts because both services face rapid expansion over the coming years, she will create a fourth branch of the Guards Corps. It shall be known as the Guards Colonial Service, whose supreme commander will not become a member of the Ruling Council and thus will not be appointed by the Conclave like the other service chiefs.”
Torma gave Bolack a knowing look.
“That will shelter the incumbent from day-to-day Hegemony politics so he or she can concentrate on the mission. Slick. I like the idea. Make the Navy and the Ground Forces generate ships and troops for the Colonial Service. What about the Commission?”
Bolack’s smile took on a tinge of mischief.
“That’s where you come in. The Colonial Service will have an Inspector General Branch whose personnel will be drawn from the Commission. However, the IG will not report to the Chief Commissioner but to both the Regent and the Colonial Service’s supreme commander.”
When he saw Torma’s expression, Bolack let out a bark of laughter.
“This didn’t pop into the Regent’s brain overnight, Colonel. She and I developed a long-range plan over the last few months. Part of the upset in New Draconis is because some people are figuring that out and believe she deliberately sandbagged the Council, the Conclave, and everyone who’s been profiting from the status quo. Which, of course, is true. The decree creating a Colonial Service upset even those who stand behind her, such as Admiral Benes and General Sarkis, but they’ll come around, I’m sure, if only because they’d rather keep their jobs.”
“With the help of your silver tongue, no doubt, sir.”
“I do enjoy good relationships will all the players in this drama.”
“One might almost think you’ve been orchestrating the whole affair.”
Bolack snorted in a most non-monastic manner.
“The Almighty forbid, but no. Still, I live by the motto that victories result from opportunities clearly seen and swiftly seized. Your discovering the Lyonesse-manufactured goods among Jan Keter’s cargo gave the impetus. But back to the Colonial Service. I recommended you become its first IG, with Sister Ardrix as the Order’s senior representative in the inspectorate general. Your career in the Commission is essentially over anyhow, and limited though it may be, you have the most experience with humans beyond the Hegemony’s sphere. Oh, and it comes with a promotion to brigadier general.”
Torma and Ardrix exchanged a glance.
“I suppose I have no choice.”
“You always have choices, Colonel. You can become a brigadier general and play an instrumental role in ensuring the changes you unleashed help rather than harm the Hegemony. Or you can stand on the sidelines, carrying out increasingly futile investigations until you retire as a colonel. Neither the Chief Commissioner nor your Group commander will ever trust you again, and there’s only so much General Robbins can do.”
“I’d already figured that out, sir. Who will head the Colonial Service?”
“Rear Admiral Johannes Godfrey, on promotion to vice admiral. If everything goes well and the service prospers, he’ll receive his fourth star, and you could be in line for a second one.”
Torma thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Makes sense. Godfrey takes a broad view of things, knows where skeletons are buried, and is skilled enough to navigate the worst of the New Draconis shoals. But most importantly, he believes in acting on the Oath of Reunification instead of simply mouthing platitudes. I think I can work for him.”
“As do I,” Ardrix said.
“Good. You’ll stay here for now. Showing up in the capital at this juncture would be a distraction the Regent and her team doesn’t need. Use your time in these peaceful surroundings to learn from Ardrix. The skills she can teach will stand you in good stead over the coming months and years.” Bolack climbed to his feet, swiftly imitated by Torma and Ardrix. “If one of you would be so kind as to warn the prioress that I’m ready for our Lyonesse Brethren?”
Ardrix bowed her head.
“I’ll go.”
She vanished down the corridor while Bolack and Torma followed at a more leisurely pace.
“I guess the old saying that things happen slowly until they happen all at once applies to the current situation in spades,” Torma remarked as they stepped back out into the late morning sun.
“Certainly, but that was the only way we could succeed. Giving the naysayers on the Council time to regroup and form a front against the Regent would have meant failure. Now that they’re cowed into cooperation and a sizeable plurality of the Conclave support the Regent’s call for action, she can deal with the more intractable and less overt opposition.” Bolack stopped to look at Torma. “One of your biggest jobs as Colonial Service IG initially will be looking for the latter who’ll no doubt try their hand at sabotaging its efforts.”
“Then I’ll want a final say on who from the Commission I get, in case General Bucco sends me the lazy, the incompetent, the venal, and his very own spies.”
“That goes without saying. Admiral Godfrey will also be allowed his pick from the other services and the civilian bureaucracy, at least for the senior ranks.” Bolack spotted Ardrix at the Chapter House door, right hand raised in signal. “Ah, our guests are assembled. I shall speak with them alone if you don’t mind.”
“This is your house, sir.” Torma inclined his head. “May the Almighty keep you.”
“And you.”