Queen of the Pirates (23 page)

Jessica eyed her carefully.

“Desianna, I’m
Aquitaine
,” Jessica said bluntly. The conversation suddenly seemed to demand it. “I’m not sure we aren’t better off fostering that sort of civil strife here. A weak
Corynthe
is less trouble for the neighbors.”

Her reward was a look of pain that quickly turned hard.

“Without Arnulf,” Desianna replied, “the wolves will run wild. Study your history. What was it like fifty years ago? A hundred? He’s trying to make
Petron
a place, and not just a bar and a brothel and a skid row.”

Inside, Jessica shrugged. Should she tell this woman that all of
Corynthe
barely rated more that
Here there be dragons
in most history books of the galactic fringes, or the
Fleet’s
Gazette
?
Lincolnshire
might have been able to tell her more, but it had seemed more important to strike the pirates hard and fast, before they could prepare. At
Sarmarsh
, she had even caught an Imperial Admiral with his hand in the cookie jar.

Jessica’s blood went cold. Several pieces of a puzzle clicked, all at once, into an entirely new configuration from what she had been seeing before.

Admiral Wachturm really
had
had his hand in the cookie jar. Doing just exactly the opposite of what she was trying to do, as was entirely appropriate from where he stood.

She had envisioned an Imperial plot to help
Corynthe
invade
Lincolnshire
. And that might still be the case.

But what if the plot was against Arnulf? Bring back the wolves, let them run wild over
Lincolnshire
, blooding
Ramsey
and other places. Draw
Aquitaine
farther out onto the frontier, since the
Fribourg Empire
ran closer to the fringes than
Aquitaine
, bordered directly by
Lincolnshire
, and then
Corynthe
beyond it. The Republic would have to respond.

“You begin to see?” Desianna said quietly, apparently noting the change in Jessica’s eyes.

“At
Sarmarsh
, when Ian Zhao fled, we captured an Imperial Admiral, Emmerich Wachturm. He claimed diplomatic immunity, so I can’t just throw him in the brig, but he was most certainly meeting with Zhao and Daneel Ishikura.”

“The Red Admiral?”

Jessica was impressed, but the man’s reputation was spectacular. It was possible he was known this far out.

“Zhao is Jing Du’s man,” Desianna breathed, leaning forward.

“And Daneel?”

Desianna was silent for a moment. “He was always loyal to Arnulf. After he killed Willem Agano, Arnulf sent him to
Sarmarsh
, partly as a punishment, and partly to keep him away from Rory and the rest of the clan.”

“Did he know that?”

Desianna shrugged.

“Better, was he mad enough about it to listen to promises from Jing Du?” Jessica could see a thread binding all the bits together, like popcorn on a thread.

She blinked. This room really did remind her of home. She hadn’t done something silly like make a popcorn necklace since she was a little girl.

“That I could believe,” Desianna said. “But why assassinate him now?”

Jessica was far enough ahead in her logic to guess. It was not a pretty sight.

“They wanted him isolated out there, Desianna,” she said. “Him here, with my fleet, suggests that he might have turned loyal again. Or it might be to keep him from revealing their plans to Arnulf in order to buy his life.”

“Or,” Desianna said, “they don’t need him anymore, since you destroyed the base that was his reason for being involved in the first place. Du is a cut–throat son of a bitch.”

Jessica considered the angles. They were all bad.

“Could we turn him loyal again?” Desianna asked.

Jessica felt her face harden. Her shoulders came up all by themselves. And she had suggested he learn how to court her? “Why would we care?”

Desianna blinked at her and leaned back. She started to speak, stopped herself, and looked closely at Jessica.

Jessica felt like grinding her teeth, but managed not to. Barely.

“He can be a very charismatic man,” Desianna said obliquely, a vague smile painting her lips.

Jessica let both of her eyebrows rise, although she kept her sarcastic, caustic comment to herself.

“He owes you his life twice now,” Desianna continued. “Contrary to what you might think, he can be an honorable man.”

“He’s a pirate,” Jessica growled back.

“We’re all pirates, Jessica. These are poor worlds on the fringe. And only eleven are loyal enough to Arnulf as king to pay their taxes regularly. There are dozens of others determined to go their own way.”

“And what does Daneel have to do with that?”

Desianna smiled a private smile. “Let me talk to him, Jessica. He might confide in me. We have been friends for a long time.”

“Lovers?” The world came out before Jessica could stop it. She clamped her jaws tight. Not grinding. Crushing, perhaps.

Desianna shook her head. “Never with Daneel. Contrary to palace rumor, I am not a wanton slut bedding every virile young man I see.” She shrugged. “If I have occasional needs, Arnulf knows of those affairs. Many have been political, tools of statecraft.”

Jessica found herself silently mouthing the words. “Tools of statecraft.” They didn’t make any more sense the second time she heard them.

“But I have never taken Daneel into my bed, Jessica. He is a dear friend, and nothing more.”

That seemed to help her relax.

Where did all this anger come from? Especially over a man? One she barely knew? A pirate?

Grrrrr
.

Jessica drew in a breath, held it, let it escape. Some of the energy went with it. Fleet maneuvers in three dimensional gravity fields made more sense. And made her less angry.

“So
Lincolnshire
’s security relies on Arnulf’s staying in power?” Jessica said.

Who knew interstellar politics would provide welcome conversational respite?

“I believe so,” Desianna said, relief creeping into her voice as she relaxed as well.

“How do we convince him to bother other people?” Jessica said. The King of the Pirates wasn’t about to just lie down with the lamb.

Desianna thought for a second, eyes darting back and forth, staring at an invisible horizon. For a moment, it was just like watching Moirrey at work. That made Jessica smile.

“Isolate the main players,” Desianna said abruptly.

“Huh?” Jessica felt like she was back in Introductory Fleet Tactics class on the first day, trying to learn the vocabulary, the ships, and the vectors in real time, all while being graded.

That actually made it feel better.

She could learn this. Future First Lord Nils Kasum had been her instructor then. Perhaps she could learn what she needed from Desianna. The woman was obviously just as serious an expert in her chosen field.

“We need to get Arnulf, the chancellor, Ian Zhao, and Daneel Ishikura away from
Petron
. If the plot centers on them, we derail it by being elsewhere. Certainly, we can’t leave the others here without adult supervision.”

Jessica could follow that line of logic.

Just like maneuvering fleets
.

She laughed to herself.

“What?” Desianna said.

“My aide, Marcelle, uses the phrase
adult supervision
occasionally, usually to describe my pilots on
Auberon
.”

“Pilots are pilots.” Desianna laughed back.

“So what would you suggest, Desianna? How do we isolate the key people and work on them?”

“A Promenade.”

“A what?” Jessica felt the ground shift under her again.

“Would you be willing to take a tour of several
Corynthian
worlds, Jessica? Take your squadron and several Motherships and be seen by the locals?”

“Would that help solidify Arnulf’s hold on power, by showing them that he has a new ally in
Aquitaine
?”

“Yes,” Desianna said. “Meanwhile, we can work on the others and see if we can find out what they have planned. I’m sure whatever it is it will happen when we get back. Without Du and Zhao here, no coup could succeed.”

“There is one thing you will have to do for me, Desianna Indah–Rodriguez.”

The woman stared at her closely for a moment, her eyes suddenly serious, though she remained silent.

“You will also need to convince Arnulf and Jing Du to fly in state aboard my ship, aboard
Auberon
, while the others escort us.”

“So, hostages?” Desianna concluded.

“Your lives will be in my hands, yes. Will Arnulf accept those conditions?”

Desianna smiled slyly. “I have known the man for three decades, Jessica. I can convince him.”

Jessica nodded. It would be interesting to have Arnulf and the Red Admiral, together for dinner. She held out her hand to this woman who was apparently now her co–conspirator.

Desianna took it, held it.

Jessica tried to relax.

“Now,” Desianna said, rising and pulling Jessica to her feet. “I have a young man I would like to introduce you to. You may not seduce him, Jessica Keller.”

Jessica’s confusion felt evident on her face.

Desianna opened the door to let the outside world in.

“I asked my son, David, Arnulf’s oldest child, to join us this afternoon, but that will be nothing more than idle chatter.”

Jessica smiled at the implied compliment and followed the woman out into the outer chamber. Hopefully, there would be no more marriage proposals from pirates.

At least today.

PROMENADE

Chapter XXX

Date of the Republic November 21, 393 Walea System

Desianna waited as Intan closed the door to her salon and departed. Technically, it was verging on inappropriate to entertain a man privately, but this was a conversation she didn’t wish to share even with her maid, a woman who had been with her for over a decade.

Back home, there were a few people she might invite, mostly to provide camouflage, but they were many light years away right now. So she would settle for whatever whispers might start.

It would all be moot soon, anyway, one way or another.

Daneel Ishikura sat nervously across from her, as though called to the principal’s office and about to get in trouble with his parents. Desianna could only imagine what thoughts were going through his head, what guilt.

She poured tea and handed him a mug before pouring her own.

“Daneel,” she began, quiet but firm, “how have you been faring?”

Best to put him at ease, especially considering what was coming next.

“Well enough,” he replied neutrally. “The effects of the poison were flushed out of my system within a few days. There are still occasional moments of weakness, like phantom pain in a joint, and my dreams are a bit more vivid than before.”

“Nightmares?”

“Sometimes,” he shrugged. “Other times…”

She felt the uncertainty in his voice, this man she had known for better than a decade. But she also heard other tones. Deeper, for lack of a better term. From a man well known for his embrace of the pirate lifestyle.

As with Jessica Keller, it felt like time to take a gamble.

“Daneel,” she said, “I need your help.”

One eyebrow rose and spoke silent volumes about the man. Two years ago, he would have said something. Anything. Just to fill the silence.

Being exiled to
Sarmarsh
had changed him. Nearly dying twice had as well. Hopefully, for the better.

“What’s Jing Du up to?” Desianna asked bluntly. Better to get it out into the open early, like tearing a bandage off. Quick pain, and then relief.

Daneel squinted at her carefully. Unlike with other men, there was nothing of an eye wandering about her bosom and curves.

This felt like a man measuring her for a blow. Which said a great deal all by itself.
Warlock
used to be about as shallow as a mud puddle.

“
We
know.” She emphasized the parties unknown to make him understand that this was bigger than just the two of them, “We know that he has gone well beyond his usual posturing and triple–crossing. This isn’t about him retaining his power in the palace, Daneel. He is becoming a threat to Arnulf.”

“And?” Daneel asked her back, just as bluntly.

Desianna stared closely. She could barely discern the old
Warlock
in this new person sitting across the small salon from her. That man had been gruff and loud.

Now he was turning subtle.

“I would like to think,” Desianna replied, “that they wouldn’t have tried to assassinate you in open Court, if you were working with
them
. Arnulf tends to agree. Jessica Keller isn’t so sure.”

She watched his eyes growl and his nostrils flare. Interestingly, not at the mention of Arnulf, his king, but at Jessica.

“That woman…” he growled under his breath.

“Is deeper and more dangerous than you realize, Daneel Ishikura. She’s had three opportunities to see you dead. So far. And yet, here you are.”

“Three?”

She watched his anger morph into a vague confusion.

“At
Sarmarsh
, you should have been dead. She stood your Second when
Hellhound
tried to kill you. And you only survived because her marines are that good and she brow–beat the royal surgeon into putting you in Arnulf’s personal clinic. Anywhere else and the poison would have done you in before you arrived.”

His eyes were unfocused, his whole body language vague.

“Three,” she heard him whisper.

“So, again,” Desianna pressed, “whose side are you on, Daneel?”

She watched him come back to himself with a start. For a moment, he stared at her as if she had appeared out of thin air, before he blinked and centered.

“My side, Desi,” he said. “Always my side. Ask anyone. Loyal to the throne. A good little minion, doing what he’s told. What more could you ask?”