THE VOGEL ESTATE
NEW EXETER, EMPORIA
FEDERATED SUNS
5 APRIL 3150
Nadine hid her nervousness as Baron Vogel led her to the dance floor. As much as she looked like she had it all together, it was an act. One she was good at, but an act nevertheless.
She never knew what to expect from her patron. As the pair of them stopped at the center of the room, she knew they both cut stunning figures in their dress uniforms. Her only concession to the party had been to braid her long red hair into a more intricate style than normal.
The music began. So did they. Baron Vogel swept her around the dance floor in a new-style waltz—a good dance to allow them to talk as they moved. “So, Lyric Hayton. Weren’t you dating Marcus Estbury last season?”
She kept her body in the rigid posture that allowed Vogel to move her through the turns and spins. “Yes, my lord. But it didn’t work out.”
“A woman is allowed to change her mind.”
Nadine smiled to one of the spectators. “Always.” Here it comes, she thought. He is angry.
But he surprised her again.
“You know I’ve always supported your hobby of information gathering. Indulged you, even. Some of my own servants won’t tell me if you’ve spoken to them, even when I know they have. You’re doing a good job of cultivating allies.”
“Thank you…” She side-eyed him. “But?”
“But nothing. I see what you’re doing. It’s admirable. I hope to put it to use someday.”
“No warning me to stop looking into adult business?”
Baron Vogel laughed. It was a genuine one. “Why would I do that? I have plans for you.”
Nadine didn’t know if she should be pleased or not. Adults always had plans for you without asking. They assumed you’d follow their orders no matter what you wanted.
“Tell me, Nadine, have you noticed anything about this particular dinner? Beyond Baron Frosig’s outburst, I mean. Something important is happening under your nose. Can you tell me what it is? Tell me something few here will realize.”
As they turned around the dance floor, Nadine looked over the watchers, searching for what stood out. Of course…the big guns. “The Dowager Countess Ritza is here. I was going to speak to her.” She paused. “Not that the term ‘dowager’ is correct, even though we use it. It traditionally meant that the countess gained her rank through marriage to her husband, and he is now dead. But Countess Ritza gained the title on her own. Still, we call her the dowager countess to distinguish her from her son and his wife…” Nadine considered the small group of people surrounding the old woman who had a keen gaze despite her age.
“Continue,” Baron Vogel commanded. He nodded, and two more couples joined them on the floor, indicating that the dance floor was open to all.
“I know everyone except the young man with the black hair. He’s not dressed as a page or a cadet, and he doesn’t stand out, but he hasn’t left the countess’s side. And she whispers to him.” Nadine gave the baron a look. “Is that Mason Ritza, the heir-apparent? He seems like the right age. Not old enough to be an upperclassman, but not too young to be trained.”
“Good.” He nodded. “Master Mason is privately schooled for now. When he turns fourteen, he’ll go to the Ritza Academy.”
“It’s not going to be hidden, is it? That sort of thing is found out at the speed of gossip.”
“No, it won’t be a secret. It’s why he will attend many of these functions from now on. This is his first. His grandmother is teaching him who everyone is.”
Nadine furrowed her brow. “Won’t he know kids at the academy already? The Blooded cadets?”
Baron Vogel gazed down at her. “Would you rather have a leader who knew only those of the blood and not the Sponsored? Or a leader who had friends within both groups?”
Nadine understood the baron’s plan in a flash of insight. There was already some contention within and outside the academy about the worthiness of the Sponsored as a fighting force. Only one class of Sponsored had graduated so far. She would be part of the next class, Jasper the third. For a border planet’s fighting force, such perceived flaws in the Sponsored could be deadly if the Blooded didn’t give the same consideration to the sponsored men and women as they did those with blood relatives on this planet. “How did you get House Ritza to agree to it?”
“I look forward to you figuring that one out on your own.”
She eyed the young, dark-haired teen. He would be very important someday. It was best that he learn of the Sponsored’s worthiness early on. It seemed that she really did need to go approach the big guns and get to know those in charge a bit better.
In the next spin, she caught a look on the baron’s face that pulled her up short. Was that relief? When she faced him again, the look was gone. “Wait, was all this to distract me from what’s going on with the JumpShips and whether or not we actually know who they are?”
“I don’t know what you speak of.” The look on Baron Vogel’s face was so neutral it could’ve been invisible.
“The more formal you speak, the more you don’t want to talk about the subject at hand. Why won’t you just tell me? If it’s a secret, I can keep it. Not telling me makes me dig all the more.”
That softened the guarded look in his eyes. “Someday you will understand that not all information should be given out as soon as it is discovered. It’s not a question of trust, it’s a question of validity…and context.” He glanced around. “Does that make sense?”
It didn’t, not all of it, but Nadine knew it was the best she was going to get for the moment. Also, her patron had inadvertently confirmed some of the details of what she already knew. “In a way it does,” she allowed. “But not really.”
“I’m not going to stop you from being you. I would like you to have a bit more thought about discretion, though.” He glanced over her shoulder. “Our dance is done. You may go rescue your brother from the clutches of Lady Charlotte.” He spun her until she could see Baroness Estbury and Jasper walking out to the dance floor as the music shifted for the next dance.
“He’s on his own.”
“Aren’t we all?”
Baron Vogel stopped the dance at the edge of the floor. The two of them bowed to each other with proper grace. He nodded to her then turned away, greeting someone nearby. Nadine watched him go, then turned back to the dance floor to watch her brother.
As everyone split off, Jasper remained where he was. He knew he needed to talk to Baroness Estbury. He’d even volunteered to do so. Now he regretted it. He could imagine the awkwardness of the forthcoming conversation. How the hell would he turn it toward getting information about what was going on?
Do what I always do, he thought. Improvise.
With a quick grimace and a breath, Jasper settled his shoulders, then headed toward the Estbury crowd. He’d rather gouge his eyes out than ask Baroness Estbury to dance, but he could make himself available to be asked. Especially if what Nadine said was true. He caught Mia Dencourt’s eye as he settled in place near the dance floor. He’d forgotten House Estbury had sponsored her. She smirked at him, her dark eyes laughing and her brightly colored curls—a teal not found in nature—bouncing as she turned back to her group. Probably to tell them of his utter failure in the afternoon’s mission, no doubt.
Flushing, he watched Baron Vogel and Nadine on the dance floor. The new style waltz wasn’t difficult, and it was pretty. Bouncing between watching their faces and their feet, he wondered how Nadine could concentrate on the dance steps as the myriad of emotions crossed her face. Wariness, surprise, contemplation, irritation…his sister was an open book. I should tell her that, he thought. If she wants to continue to play spymaster, she needs to keep her face under control when she dances. I’ll bet she doesn’t know. The mere fact that he had something useful to tell Nadine raised his spirits.
It took a moment too long for him to realize he was no longer alone. Glancing to his side, he saw Baroness Estbury at his left. “Lady Charlotte, good evening. I was lost in thought.”
The polished blond woman gave him a slight smile and a speculative glance. “Thinking about dancing or…?”
It was an open invitation. Jasper knew it, but he couldn’t make the words come. “It was a bad afternoon. Bad mission. Bad.” He groaned inwardly. He sounded like an idiot.
They stood there in awkward silence for a moment longer. The music shifted to the next dance.
The baroness tilted her head, listening, then nodded toward the dance floor. “This is the point when you ask me to dance, Cadet Roux.”
“Yes. Sorry.” Jasper turned to her and offered his hand. “Lady Charlotte, would you do me the honor of this dance?”
“I would love to.”
Hand-in-hand, they walked to the floor. Jasper counted the beats. He could lead a slow foxtrot and still talk at the same time. Taking the proper dance stance as taught, he began, leading the baroness. In truth, once she figured out which dance they were doing, Baroness Estbury kept the lead as much as he did. The traveling steps were easy enough, but her gown flapping around his legs was distracting, and he kicked her foot once.
He froze, forcing the baroness to keep the pace for them. “I’m so sorry.”
“Relax, Cadet…Jasper, I may call you Jasper, yes?”
Nodding, he forced himself back into the proper stance, one hand high, the other hand cupping her shoulder blade.
“Good. I did hear about your very bad afternoon,” the baroness all but purred. “Were you perhaps distracted by your opponent?”
Jasper frowned. “No…? I knew where the Quasimodo was. I just messed up.”
“Mia was in one of the Hitotsumes, yes?”
The memory of the Hitotsume’s battle-ax coming down on his ’Mech cockpit bubbled up to the surface. “Oh. No, Lady Charlotte. I wasn’t distracted by her, just killed.”
She chuckled. “Some of the best matches come from those who fight well.”
He played dumb. “Matches? I don’t know. The missions are much longer now, with the realistic approach Dame Emma is taking.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She gave him another speculative look. “Or perhaps it isn’t Mia who’s distracting you. Could it be Benjamin or Hugh?”
Jasper almost kicked her again, but the baroness’s dance skill saved her from his misstep. “Oh, no. No. Not that there’s anything wrong with them. Just no.”
“Not Mia or Hugh or Benjamin…Is there any of my Sponsored you would consider?”
“For what?”
She scoffed. “An alliance, of course. What do you think we are talking about?”
“A ’Mech battle.” He gave her a weak smile as she rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry, my lady, all my focus is on my training. I want to be the best.”
“I can help you with that, you know.” She gave him a winning grin. “I know people and things. I know how to get you the training you want, so the likes of Ethan Goodryke won’t catch you unawares again.”
Ignoring all thoughts of Ethan’s smug face, Jasper seized upon her words. “You know things? Like what Baron Frosig was talking about earlier?”
The baroness stiffened. “No.”
“But, of all the people here, you’re the one in the know. At least, that’s what I’d heard. If something was going on, you would have a handle on it.” He gave her his most angelic smile. “I mean…that’s what Mia said.”
She relaxed just a little. “Perhaps I do know something, but it is not for you to know, Cadet.”
“Oh.” He let his shoulders droop.
“But, should you become one of my…” She paused, considering her words. “Should it happen that one day you become close with one of my Sponsored, perhaps you would join my circle of those in the know.”
Jasper smiled. “Of course, my lady.” He gave Mia a deliberate look, thankful she was looking the other way. “I’ll consider it.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.” Her smile was a knife blade in the back.
You don’t know a darned thing, he thought. If you do, I’m not playing your game of selling your Sponsored to get it. He would have to let Nadine know he’d struck out. Or, he’d run up against a wall he was unwilling to scale. She could deal with it however she wanted.
Jasper led Baroness Estbury to the edge of the dance floor as the music shifted to something more upbeat. He bowed. “Thank you for the dance, my lady.”
“You’re most welcome. Do remember what we talked about, Jasper.”
“I won’t be able to forget it.” He gave Mia another glance, then turned away before the baroness saw the pity in his eyes.
The drive home was quiet, despite the packed car. All six of the House Vogel Sponsored had chosen, by tacit agreement, to come home in Lyric’s borrowed academy car.
Nadine broke the silence once, to gather everyone’s information. It was the same across the board.
“Right. What we know is this…” She ticked points off as she spoke. “One, there has been a report from someone untrustworthy that at least one JumpShip in orbit isn’t who they say they are. Two, there are DropShips from that JumpShip headed our way, and should be here soon. Three, people are worried, but no one seems to know enough to actually raise the alarm. Four, New Exeter traffic control has confirmed that the incoming DropShips’ IFF transponders are coded as Federated Suns with the correct codes. Five, everyone is taking a wait and see tactic.”
Jasper watched the dark landscape go by with vague reflections of the car’s inhabitants in the window. “In other words, we don’t know anything new.”
“Yes and no. Baron Vogel is worried. From the looks of it, so is House Ritza. Neither the count nor the countess was there, but the heir-apparent and his grandmother were. Vogel says it’s so Mason can get to know the Sponsored. He wants the kid to see for himself who we are and what we’re like.”
“And?”
Nadine tucked escaped wisps of hair behind her ear. “You’d think…” She paused and shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s just that it’s the first time I’ve seen him, and Vogel pointed him out to me. He wanted me to get to know them. I did get to talk briefly with Her Ladyship, but not Mason. As far as I know, he was under orders not to talk.” She shrugged. “Maybe it was just Vogel’s way of distracting me from my interest in the JumpShips. He did confirm they were there. But that’s all.”
“What do we do now?” Gemma asked. She held hands with Darrell, who smiled a stunned but pleased smile at no one. They’d mingled fingers and glances the whole trip back.
“Nothing I suppose.” Nadine looked at her hands. “We don’t have enough information. We don’t even know if the suspect IFF is actually a danger. I think they think it is. The nobles. They’re all retired MechWarriors. Probably wondering if they’re being paranoid. I think that’s why they’re keeping it to themselves.”
“Nope,” Lyric interrupted as she kept the car moving at speed around a corner, causing all of them to either slide or hold on to a front or side bar. “Your hunches have always played out. Now we go to the Blooded cadets. We find out what their parents have said. We do it tonight and tomorrow. If we have to, we go after our favorite professors at school. Someone knows what’s going on. We’ve just got to find out who and get them to talk to us.”
No one answered Lyric to agree or disagree. Nadine and Jasper’s eyes met in the window reflection. He nodded at her. She gave him a brief smile. They both felt the sword of Damocles hanging over them. Things had been going too good for too long. “Family” dinners were usually tense and awkward. Tonight’s had been worse than normal, even with the professors they were used to.
Tensions were running high. Something was wrong. Jasper knew they had to figure out what it was before it was too late.