Antagonist - Childe Cycle 11 (126 page)

"What
I
hope
we
can
do,"
he
said,
"is
put
a
big
fleet
in
Old Earth's
sky
before
they
know
we're
coming,
leaving
them
no
choice but
to
surrender.
When
that's
taken
care
of,
we
can
handle
the
Exotics
and
the
Dorsai
at
our
leisure."
His
smile
this
time
was
a
little sad.
"I
may
be
indulging
in
fantasy."

"You're
giving
up
on
using
the
political
approach
to
Old
Earth?"

"It
may
have
some
value
as
an
adjunct
to
military
moves,"
he said,
"but
I
can't
stake
my
mission
on
it."

"Pre
-
emption
would
certainly
save
a
lot
of
lives,"
she
said.

"It
would
also
keep
Old
Earth's
assets
and
resources
whole,"
he said.
"That'll
be
important
when
we
move
there
and
cut
off
contact with
the
Younger
Worlds—but
Hal
Mayne
will
have
something
to say
about
it,
too,
unless
I
can
show
him
there's
no
hope
for
his
side."

He
stopped,
seeing
that
Toni's
attention
had
shifted
inward. Messages
from
the
staff
were
relayed
to
her
ears
by
bone
conduction
from
her
wristpad,
and
she
sometimes
appeared
distracted
as she
listened
to
a
report.

"The
Marshal's
on
his
way
up,"
she
said.

Bleys
rose,
heading
for
the
door.

"No,"
Toni
said.
"I
know
you're
eager
to
get
started,
but
you should
follow
protocol—you're
still
the
First
Elder,
and
he
should come
to
you."

"I
know,
I
know,"
Bleys
said.
"Sometimes
the
rules—well,
anyway,
what
do
you
suggest?
I
want
to
see
him
quickly."

"Go
into
the
room
beyond
the
conference
room,"
she
said.
"I'll meet
him
and
bring
his
party
there,
and
you
can
come
in
right
after they
sit
down
.
.
.
you
fret
too
much;
having
to
wait
for
superiors
is part
of
their
lives,
and
they'll
feel
more
comfortable
if
you
don't blur
the
lines
of
authority
they've
always
lived
by."

"All
right,"
Bleys
said.
"I'll
come
in
from
the
far
door
as
soon
as he
arrives,
then—he's
a
good
man
and
I
don't
want
to
make
him wait."

"You
don't
want
to
make
yourself
wait,
either,"
she
said. He
left.

The
Marshal,
a
middle-aged
man
in
the
black
uniform
of
the Friendly
Worlds'
professional
military
force,
was
still
on
his
feet when
Bleys
entered
the
conference
room.
Beside
him,
Toni
silently raised
an
eyebrow
as
she
traded
glances
with
Bleys.

"Marshal,
it's
good
to
see
you
again,"
Bley
s
said.
"I
thought
you were
bringing
some
of
your
staff?"

"They're
waiting
outside,"
the
Marshal
said.
He
looked
tired, Bleys
thought;
his
normally
round,
calm
face
seemed
to
be
lined and
pale.

"I
have
something
I
wanted
to
report
to
the
First
Elder
in
private,"
the
Marshal
went
on,
not
looking
at
Toni.

"Proceed,
please,"
Bleys
said,
looking
directly
into
the
Marshal's pale
blue
eyes.

"It
shames
me,"
the
Marshal
said,
"but
I
must
report
that
our
security
has
been
breached."

"Details,
please,
Marshal,"
Bleys
said.
The
officer
reached
into
a small
pocket
below
the
waistline
of
his
uniform
tunic,
to
pull
out
a small
case.
He
handed
it
to
Bleys.

"Details
are
on
this
chip,"
he
said.
"Shall
I
summarize?"

"Please."

"It
appears
that
a
small,
fast
vessel
managed
to
enter
New Earth's
space
without
being
observed,"
the
Marshal
said.
"I
have
to report
we
didn't
notice
it
until
it
left—which
it
did
by
shifting
out while
still
in
atmosphere.
We
were
unable
to
stop
it."

"Shifting
in
the
atmosphere?"
Bleys
said.
"That
suggests
a
Dorsai
vessel,
does
it
not?"

"I
think
so,
First
Elder."
The
Marshal's
face
displayed
pain.

"Have
you
any
idea
what
it
was
doing
here?"

"Analyses
of
the
sensors
at
four
training
facilities,
the
Colon
shipyard,
and
seven
armament
manufactories
have
revealed
anomalous readings,"
the
Marshal
said.
"Our
technician-analysts
say
the
readings
are
the
sort
of
traces
one
might
get
if
someone
were
using
personal
suppressor
fields
while
infiltrating
the
facilities."

"So
someone
came
in,"
Bleys
said.
"And
presumably
out.
To look?
Was
there
any
sabotage?"

"None."

"What's
the
time
frame?"

"The
twelve
incursions
occurred
over
a
sixteen-day
period,"
the Marshal
said.
"We're
still
checking
the
sensor
logs
from
other
installations."

"What's
your
personal
reading
on
this,
Marshal?"
Bleys
asked. The
skin
around
the
older
man's
eyes
relaxed
a
little,
and
his
face regained
its
normal
calmness.