The Shattered Empire (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 2) (9 page)

“Admiral Collae is on his way up,” Lauren said.

“I know, I saw him come in the lobby,” Mason said softly.  He stepped up to a mirror and ran a comb through his dark brown hair.

“Find who you were looking for?” Lauren asked.

“My friend was right where I left him,” Mason said and turned to give her a crooked smile.  He settled his long, lanky form into a comfortable chair.  “Better yet, he didn't take much persuasion to talk into helping.  It seems the hotel business isn't as satisfying as he expected.”

There was a sharp knock at the door.  Lauren popped to her feet and drew her submachine gun.  She cocked an eye at Mason, who gave a languid gesture, “Of course, Miss Kelly.  Please, do show our guests in.”  His voice was pitched just loud enough to reach into the hallway and he had adopted an even stronger lilt to his voice than normal.

Lauren grimaced and moved to the door.  She held her gun ready as she twisted the knob and jerked it open.

The two beefy men in uniform in the corridor didn't so much as flinch at the sight of her weapon aimed at them.  They both wore the gray uniforms of the Republic Liberation Fleet, but the insignia on their collars marked them as special forces.

“I need to check the room,” one of the gorillas spoke.

Lauren jerked her head to him and he lifted up a complex sensor device.  Lauren recognized the model from her training, though she hadn't ever used one since.  It was made by Tannis's Proximity Defense Incorporated.  From what she remembered it could 'smell' explosive compounds and sense electromagnetic waves from bugs and a variety of detonators and initiators for bombs.  She thought that the adapter she saw attached to it was the one that sensed nanotechnology, but she wasn't sure.

The goon made a circuit of the room while Mason sat at his ease.  After a complete circuit, he paused and spoke into his comm unit.  A moment later, Admiral Collae stepped into the room.

“Ah, Admiral, good to see you,” Mason said.  “Sorry that I don't rise, but I've been indulging a bit, charged it to the room tab, I'm afraid.”

“You've a habit of that,” Admiral Collae said, his harsh voice lacked any amusement.  “But if you seek to get under my skin, I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that, Captain King.”

“You keep calling me that,” Mason said.  “But you keep naming me wrong.”

“You can't have it both ways, Tommy King,” Admiral Collae said, his voice calm and measured.  “Either you're playing with the big boys and you acknowledge who you are or you're a two-bit petty smuggler dicking around on a decrepit freighter.”

Mason's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, “Say, for just a moment, that I'm not a two-bit petty smuggler... what message would you have for Tommy King?”  Lauren could see that, despite his appearance of relaxation, Mason was tense, his whip-cord muscles ready to snap into motion.

Admiral Collae took a seat in the chair across from him.  “I've stated before, Lucretta Mannetti is a threat. More than that I could give you details of her operations.”

“You're doing this out of your benevolence and kindhearted nature, of course,” Mason said, his voice sardonic.

“No.  Enlightened self interest would be a more apt description,” Collae said.  “She blames me for her imprisonment, even though we both know full well that she planned to betray me as soon as she thought she could take the upper hand.  She also thinks that she deserved a share of the Chxor vessels I acquired at Faraday.”

“So you want us to knock her out before she comes for you,” Mason said, eyebrow quirked.  “Yet I can't help but think this whole situation is a bit too convenient for you.  Set one pirate to fight another and then swoop in to seize the credit.”

Admiral Collae shrugged, “It makes little difference to me who gets the credit.  I need Mannetti neutralized.  If your associate Baron Giovanni would trust me long enough to hear me out, I would go directly to him with the information.”  His harsh voice showed no sign of nervousness or any other particular emotion.

“Amazing, how a little bit of betrayal goes such a long way,” Lauren said.  She felt her knuckles clench on the grips for her submachine gun as she thought of how the rogue Admiral had betrayed her mentor.  For that matter, the memory of her dead friend, Jessi Toria left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“He betrayed me before I even had the opportunity to betray him,” Admiral Collae said.  “He had additional ships positioned to capitalize on the victory and to cut Mannetti and I out, even if I hadn't planned to take advantage of the situation.  Your Baron is not nearly so forthright as he pretends.”

“Regardless,” Mason said, “I'm sorry, but I don't think this has much to do with myself and my associate.”  He reached over and clenched Lauren's hand before she could speak.  “Thank you for your time, Admiral, but Miss Kelly and I will have to decline to get involved... this looks to be a bit too cutthroat for a two-bit petty smuggler with a decrepit ship.”

Admiral Collae grimaced, “Very well.”  Lauren could see irritation in his dark eyes.  He stood up and stalked out of the room.  His two security goons followed.

Lauren moved over and shut the door.  She turned back towards Mason, “What was that about?  We have to stop her or at least warn the Baron!”

“I know,” Mason said calmly.  He sat forward and straightened.  “But anything Collae gives us will be a double edged sword.  He could guide us away from his own interests while ensuring we attack those of Mannetti or his other allies.”

“Other allies?” Lauren asked.

“She's allied to Collae,” Mason said.  “While I'd estimate they hold no real affection for one another, they aren't yet at one another's throats.”  He met Lauren's gaze with his own pale blue eyes.  “From what my source was able to ascertain, Admiral Mannetti utilizes his resources and contacts within the Colonial Republic, he's her gateway to more legitimate figures within the there... and also to fences who can sell stolen goods further abroad.  Admiral Collae uses her as access to more advanced munitions as well as for technology and engineers to refit his ships.”

“Then why is Collae sending us against her?” Lauren shook her head.  She'd heard that Admiral Collae was a devious man, yet she couldn't see his angle in betraying an ally.  “Is he trying to cut her out of their partnership?”

“They need each other too much, as yet,” Mason said.  “Against the value of something like the Dreyfus Fleet, I could see that, but there's nothing near those stakes.”  Mason shook his head, “No, there's got to be something else going on here... which is why I don't want to go into this on Admiral Collae's guidance... especially not as Tommy King.”

Lauren nodded slowly, “Why send a broken down old pirate after his own ally...”

“Thanks,” Mason said dryly.  “You may have a chance to see if you can keep up with this broken down old pirate.”  He let out a sigh, “I just don't trust this... especially how easily he left.  But he knows that Tommy King wouldn't go straight at an enemy... not when he could pick them apart.”  Mason's gaze went distant and his voice changed in pitch as he spoke, “The handful of times that Tommy King did that it was for good reason.”

“Maybe that's it?” Lauren asked.  “Maybe he wants to set you up to go straight at her...”  She felt the blood drain from her face.  “Maybe you're the prize?”

Mason snorted, “That might be it... but I doubt it.  Tommy King hasn't been active enough, of late.  He's legendary, but so are a dozen others, and if anything, Mannetti and Collae are seen as bigger scourges these days.”  He shook his head, “That might be a piece, but only a piece of a larger puzzle.  We'll dig deeper and see what it is... but not as Mason McGann... and not as Tommy King.”

Lauren raised her eyebrows.  “So where does that leave us?”

Mason quirked a grin at her, “Have you ever heard of the Dread Pirate Roberts?”

***

Faraday System

United Colonies

July 26, 2403

Lucius walked into the meeting while he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“Late night?” Admiral Dreyfus asked.  The older man looked tired himself.

Lucius shrugged, “My daughter was up, on and off, through most of the night.”

Admiral Dreyfus gave a slight smile, “Those times will pass.  Though, later in life, children have other ways to keep their parents awake through the night.”

Lucius nodded at that, suddenly reminded that the Admiral had grown children who had not accompanied him when his fleet departed.  He wondered how the Admiral had coped with that separation.  Something of his concern must have shown on his face.

“My own children were adults,” Admiral Dreyfus said softly.  “And though I wanted to bring them, it would have been too suspicious.  To bring them, like some of the families of other senior members of the Fleet, would have drawn too much attention.  I was able to warn them...”  He shook his head, “In truth, I think I'd grown too distant from them.  I spent their childhoods on campaign and they never grew to know me.”

Lucius cleared his throat, “We could try to find out what happened to them...”

“No,” Admiral Dreyfus looked suddenly much older.  “Thank you, but Kandergain... did that for my wife and I.  My two sons were killed in military action during the sacking of Earth by the Shadow Lords.  My daughter still lives.  I'm told she runs a ship refit facility in the Tannis system.  She has two daughters of her own.  I've no desire to reopen closed wounds.  She made clear upon my departure that she wanted nothing to do with me.”  There was pain in his voice, an old pain that he had come to terms with, but one that hurt, even so.  “Perhaps I might feel differently, but my wife was killed in an accident during our time in hiding.”  He shook his head, “A shuttle accident.  I honestly don't think I could face my daughter without her at my side.”

Lucius looked away.  “Very well.”  He crossed to the chair and took a seat.  Lucius gave the Admiral some time to regain his composure.  In that time he studied the wall of the office.  The military awards and unit crests on his wall took on another level of importance with the revelation about his past.  Dreyfus was a military figure on Nova Roma, one of their heroes.  He had a distinguished military career and he had none of the corruption or scandals of most of the senior leaders of Amalgamated Worlds.  Yet, in becoming that figure, he had sacrificed ties to his family... and that gave Lucius pause.

He well knew the cost that ambition could have.  Lucius's father had betrayed his Emperor, had led a military coup that had ended in failure and resulted in his execution.  The coup was ultimately founded upon the fact that Lucius's grandmother had been the lover of Emperor Romulus I and Lucius's father was the product of that affair.  Lucius's father had served his half brother, Emperor Romulus II, but upon his death, had sought to seize power from his son.  The result for Lucius and his younger sister had been a childhood without parents and being a social pariah for most of his life.  That heritage had also almost ended his military career multiple times.

“I wanted to bring up a subject which I fear will be... tender for you,” Admiral Dreyfus said and broke the cycle of Lucius's memories.

Lucius cocked an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“We've continued analysis of logistics requirements for our various ships.  Part of that was done as the
Gebeynr
left, the rest after I ordered a deeper analysis based off of those initial results,” Admiral Dreyfus said.  The Admiral met Lucius's eyes.  “The Nova Roma ships we're operating use a different set of technology as well as a vastly different set of parts and equipment.”

“You're talking about my old ship, the
War Shrike
and her sister ship, the
Peregrine
, aren't you?” Lucius asked.

“Indeed.  The Nova Romans are operating the other vessels, predominantly, which means their labor and effort.  Which is important, because the different requirements of those ships uses up an additional fifty percent over the equivalent hulls of my own vessels.”

Lucius did the math.  The closest equivalent to the two Desperado-class battleships were the Nagyr-class battlecruisers, which were half the size, but of similar speed and armor.  If the Desperado-class battleships used half again the resources to maintain, then that meant the two ships used up almost the same resources as an entire
squadron
of battlecruisers.  While the battleships mounted heavier energy weapons of greater range, they did not match the firepower of three battlecruisers, nor the versatility that three such vessels would provide.  “I see.”

“We're not to the point that our resources are down to picking between one or the other, but maintaining an entirely separate class of vessels with a completely different stream of parts and equipment is an additional stresser on our logistics.”

Lucius closed his eyes.  The decision was an obvious one.  The two ships were, technically speaking, not even property of the United Colonies.  They were built in Nova Roma shipyards and had never been decommissioned from the Nova Roma Imperial Fleet.  It only made sense to give them back to the Nova Roma Emperor in Exile, Emperor Romulus IV.  The young Emperor was their ally and giving them the ships would be a gesture of good faith as well as a way to let them deal with refitting and repairing the vessels after the battle against the Balor.