The Far Bank of the Rubicon (The Pax Imperium Wars: Volume 1) (36 page)

Randall took a careful sip of his virtual coffee, and setting it on the table, he stood. “Good. Then bring him in. We have need of his help in one more task.”

Summers pinged the operator and asked it to send in Bruno Malek.

In short order, the end of the conference room ripped open, and Duke Malek stepped through the void. The contrast between him and Randall couldn’t have been any more startling.

The huge Malek entered the room dressed in a green military uniform with blue breeches and white stockings underneath. The vest of the uniform had been decked with medal after medal. He wore a long, jeweled sword at his side and a large, eight-sided black hat with a matching green tassel erupting from the top. He looked all the royal his bloodline afforded him, which is to say, in Elijah Summers’ eyes, he looked ridiculous.

As he took a knee, bowing his great bulk to his new lord and master, Timothy Randall suppressed a chuckle.

In contrast, Randall was dressed in his trademark efficient, blue, pinstriped business suit, with a white dress shirt and a red tie. Handsome, fit, and healthy, he had little need to express his power with finery and medals. He just exuded a confidence which drew people to him.

Randall looked back at Summers who now stood a little behind him and gave him a look which told Summers that the CEO also thought Malek ridiculous.

As Malek showed no signs of moving without a command, Randall turned and said, a little condescendingly, “Rise?”

Malek stood.

Randall held out his hand. “Duke Malek, I am CEO Timothy Randall.”

Still trying to look serious and formal, Malek took the CEO’s hand and shook it. “My Lord,” he said.

Randall gestured to the third seat around the conference table. When all three had been seated, he started without pleasantries. “Let’s not beat around the bush, Bruno.” Randall looked up. “May I call you Bruno?”

Malek was taken aback at the use of his given name. A hint of frustration crossed his face, but he answered calmly, “Yes.”

“Good, and you can call me CEO Randall, or just CEO.”

Now Malek’s face flushed with the insult.

Having established the hierarchy in the room, Randall refused to notice his new subordinate’s anger. “I want to thank you for your assistance with the Bleeders’ fleet at Apollos…”

The use of the epithet “bleeders” was too much for Malek. He interrupted. “Excuse me?”

In the same way that the word “Korpi” was an insult Allied forces used to refer to Unity forces, based on the corporate structure of their governance, “bleeders” referred to the fact that many Allied governments insisted on some form of blood succession.

Randall pretended to be surprised that Malek took umbrage with the remark. “I’m sorry? Was that offensive?”

Seeing the rage on Malek’s face, Randall gave Malek a kind of tut-tut and continued forward, apparently unperturbed. “My dear Bruno, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, your world is at an end, and a new order is beginning. Let’s just keep that in mind as we go forward…” As Randall continued, his voice grew in menace. “You will get nothing based on your heritage. As far as I am concerned, the blood that flows in your veins is nothing more than what keeps you alive. It’s as easily spilt as another man’s.”

Summers gave Malek credit for refusing to back down from the threat. He looked Randall in the eye and said calmly, his face still flushed with anger, “Thank you. I understand perfectly.”

Randall smiled like a wolf whose prey had sensed the danger, only after it was in mid-spring. “Good. Then we understand each other.”

He took a sip of his coffee. “As I said, Bruno, I want to thank you for your help with the fleets at Apollos. Without your information, things might have turned out quite differently, and the galaxy might be looking at an unfortunately long conflict. With the quick destruction of the Allied fleets, we have saved many lives.”

Malek started to answer and then thought better of it. He closed his mouth and sat, sullenly watching Randall. His swollen face reminded Summers of a housecat which had been cornered by a large dog—bitter and dangerous in the knowledge of its defeat.

“Of course, I will be true to my word. You will be well-rewarded. When this unfortunate conflict ends, you shall have control over all the territory once held by the House of Athena. Would you be willing to take an executive vice-president’s position?”

Still petulantly refusing to answer, Malek nodded his assent.

“Good. Good. I thought that might suit you.”

Summers recognized it to be a ridiculously low offer for leading such a vast swath of territory. He now had no doubt that Randall intended to give Malek control in name only. Someone else would wield the real power over the kingdom of Athena.

Here Randall paused and looked as if he were thinking. “There’s really only one problem left to solve, Bruno, and as luck would have it, you may be in exactly the perfect position to solve it. As you know, we’ve been repositioning our forces to appear as if we will be invading your beloved Pontus soon. The last remnants of the Allied fleets have gathered nearby, ready to pounce. I hear that the young Prince Jonas is set to lead them.”

This time Malek answered, but still without any feeling. “Yes, my Lord, what you say is true.”

Without any change of expression, Randall continued. “Going forward, the prince could pose a serious problem for us. From what my sources tell me, he has become a bit of touchstone for those who want to continue the fight.”

Now seeing the direction the conversation was headed, Malek roused himself slightly. “That is so, my Lor… CEO. His reputation has grown quite high with the war, however undeserved that reputation might seem to those with an objective eye.”

Randall furrowed his brow a little, nodding thoughtfully as Malek spoke, appearing to take him seriously. “That creates a bit of a dilemma for me. You see, if he lives, there will always be a symbol of rebellion, waiting in the wings to find the right time to emerge anew. Of course, this won’t be good for you or me at all. On the one hand, you will be in control of the territory he will believe rightly his, and I can’t afford to have such a symbol of hope around after the war. On the other hand, if I simply execute him, we end up with a martyr—a symbol of hope which never dies. That won’t do for us, either.”

Randall paused, appearing to think for a minute. Then he looked straight at Malek’s eyes. “It really would be best for all concerned if he died in battle, wouldn’t it?”

Once Jonas agreed to the plan, it didn’t take long to put things in motion. Forty-eight hours later, he was back in a conference room on the Seventh Fleet, Dmitri at his side. Brennen was there, also. Stephen and Dora joined them on the holi.

Dora was speaking. She and Jonas had shared an emotional goodbye, full of family pride as she reminded Jonas that the hopes of the House of Athena went with him. The pressure didn’t help. “So are we agreed that this problem must be solved before we surrender?”

Stephen spoke up. “The only thing I don’t like is putting Jonas in this much danger. It seems a bit risky. Couldn’t we just send the fleet to take care of Malek without sending him?”

Seeing Jonas starting to object, Brennen quietly put her hand on his wrist and answered, “Your Majesty, Prince Athena will be well cared for. We will keep a close watch on him. He will be safe.”

Dmitri followed. “As we have already discussed, Your Majesty, we have no evidence that Malek has betrayed us, however much we believe it to be true. If we approach Malek with our concerns, he would simply alert the spy and that would be the end of it. Our best bet is to try to flush the spy out by putting a team on the ground. Seeming to defend Pontus against the gathering hordes of Unity warships should be our next strategic move. If we do anything else, it will look suspicious.”

Stephen argued with his former tutor. “But it’s clearly an ambush!”

Here Admiral Brennen intervened. “Yes, your Majesty, undoubtedly the enemy will try to take advantage of the situation, but they don’t know that we know of Malek’s betrayal. We have the upper hand, and my fleet will be ready for them.

Seeing that no one else shared his point of view, Stephen sighed and looked at the table. In a sullen voice, he said, “I agree to the plan.”

No one in the room felt like it was a victory. For a moment, the discussion lapsed into silence, as each person dealt with their personal thoughts.

Dora spoke next. “I just have one concern. Jonas, what are your plans for Sophia Malek?”

Jonas’ throat constricted a little, and he had to clear it before he spoke. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He hadn’t expected to have to speak about his relationship in front of so many people. “If we’re right and her father has sold us out, then our surrender will put her in a bad situation; even more so, since I will be on the run. It will be better for her to return home to her brothers than remain with us. She should try to get as far away from the House of Athena as possible. It would be best if no one knew of her former connection to me.”

Dora looked thoughtful for a moment. Jonas thought she might say something like “I’m sorry.” He didn’t want that. He wasn’t sure he might not end up in tears.

In the end, she didn’t. She simply looked sad and said, “I think you’re right.”

Dora paused. “I see that you were unable to convince Jack Halloway to leave Josephine Lutnear in our care.”

Jonas sighed. “Yes, when I asked he and Anna to come with me, he insisted that Jo come as well. I will be looking for a place to get her off the fleet as soon as possible, and I made clear to Jack that I will take no responsibility for her safety.”

Dora nodded her understanding. “I will have your four guests headed your way within the hour. After they arrive, you may get underway. From this point forward, we give you no orders. The Ghost Fleet is released from its service to the Admiralty but not from its loyalty to the House of Athena. All of you have our thoughts and prayers. Our blessing and our hopes go with you.”

The connection ended without even a chance for them to say goodbye. Jonas wondered if it might be the last time he talked with his aunt.

Still looking absently at the empty table, Dmitri spoke into the sullen room. “Your Highness, I wonder if you have given any thought to who might serve in your government.”

Jonas looked up, stunned. “I don’t think that I heard you say that, Dmitri.”

Jonas turned to Brennen for support. She refused to look him in the eye. Clearly she didn’t think Dmitri’s statement was as outrageous as Jonas found it. His brother still held the throne. He was King. He held the powers of government—to suggest otherwise was treason.

Dmitri answered, this time more boldly. “At some point in the near future, it will become important to form a government in exile, and I wondered if you might have given it any thought.”

Stunned, Jonas stuttered. “I…I… we are not going to discuss this now, Dmitri, and I want you to call me Jonas. If you were anyone else, I wouldn’t even be listening to you.”

This time, Dmitri took a firm and almost fatherly tone with Jonas. “Prince Athena, in the not too distant future, you will be the sole free member of the House of Athena. The rest will be subject to the whims of Timothy Randall and the Unity. If you are to be the beacon of hope that we all desire you to become, you must give some thought to governing your people, even if, in fact, others control them. As your friend and mentor, I ask you to give me the order. Tell me to create a plan for such a government.”

Jonas couldn’t process this. Although part of the royal house, he had always been second fiddle to someone, but now, the truth was he would be the only member of the royal house with a free hand. He would be the leader. Jonas turned to Admiral Brennen. “Admiral, what do you say to this? Isn’t it treason?”

The Admiral answered cautiously. Eventually, she shook her head no, although she continued to stare blankly at the table in front of her. “Only if you put your government in place before your brother surrenders.” Now she looked up, with nothing but compassion in her eyes. “Your tutor is right, Your Highness. We are yours to command. What are your orders?”

In the blink of an eye, Jonas felt as if the world had tipped upside down. A loneliness which he had never known engulfed him. At least in the Ghost Fleet, his word was now law. He didn’t like it at all.
I’m sorry
, Stephen, he thought.
I never understood the weight of your burden.

As the Ares and the rest of the Seventh Fleet prepared to transit the gate into the Pontus system, Jonas stood on the command deck of the ship with Admiral Brennen. The fleet was entering at ready stations, which functioned almost as a general quarters alarm. The only difference being that while the crew of the fleet had been outfitted in pressure suits, the ships themselves had not been depressurized.

Tucked in a conference room somewhere below, Dmitri and Jonas’ four guests, Anna Prindle, Jack Halloway, Josephine Lutnear, and Sophia Malek, had also been outfitted into pressure suits.

He still hadn’t been able to tell Sophia of his plan to run. For now, he put off that day, trying to wring a last few drops of happiness from their fleeting moments together.

Brennen clicked in her heads-up. “Gregory, do you have anything?”

“No, sir. Our listening posts still show clean. We’ve got nothing.”

Brennen raised her eyebrows and then shrugged her shoulders. “I guess there’s nothing for it. Let me know if you get anything at all. The board is green, so we are heading in. Get your people ready to go. If we can hack it without drawing any attention to ourselves, I want it hacked. I don’t care if it’s a kid’s toy.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

“Great. I know you’ll do us proud. If this goes like we think it could, we will be depending on your abilities to get us out of the system.”

Gregory’s voice showed just a little hint of irritation with the Admiral. “I am aware of my mission, Admiral.”

Brennen smiled. “Sorry, Adrian. I’ll stop nagging.”

Brennen switched off her com. She hesitated for a second, getting ready to click her com back in but instead she stepped back and saluted Jonas. “Your Highness, the fleet is prepared to enter the Pontus system. What are your orders?”