“I’m sure it will come as a disappointment to you that she was relieved to come home. Her years in your barony are not remembered with fondness.”
“Was she mistreated by Ceriliseta?” Galek asked, an earnest look of concern on his face.
Daragor noticed the sincerity; an uncommon look for a man of royal bearing. He answered, “Not physically. But she never felt like she was a part of a family.”
Galek nodded understandingly. “That is my fault. It was my house she was entering. My responsibility to foster a nurturing home. Ceriliseta is the result of that mistake.”
“I need to regress to the battle.” Daragor began to return to his holographic battlefield.
“You’re going to lose, Daragor,” Galek blurted confidently. Daragor stalled, eyeing Galek with impatience, but giving him one more chance to interest him. Galek continued, “You’re a capable commander, and chances be you will hold this planet. You may even keep convincing your allies that it was Navarus who attacked them at the auction and not you.”
Daragor straightened, offended… or feigning offense. He had personally trained the soldiers who went on the attack dressed as Navarus soldiers. But he admitted nothing.
Galek continued, “But as the attacks on your interests at Gerhelm-Risi have shown, those alliances are only as far as they are profitable.”
“We will take those planets back,” Daragor insisted.
“I’m certain you will,” Galek said, but continued, “Meanwhile, Ceriliseta will use the time to neutralize the Poltox Barony with the help of those who have turned on you; then she will consolidate her deal with Granicus to cut through their territory.”
“Let them come. The Olumani Megacorp is a buffer, and their CEOs and directors are all loyal to their alliance with us. And while they waste their time with that, we swing around with Gerhelm-Risi and our allies at Barracuda.”
“Ceriliseta has set up a trade deal that greatly benefits the Parabur Partnership which they value more than getting revenge for the auction fiasco. They won’t risk losing that and will counter any moves from those directions. That will free up her navy to use their wormhole drives to come to the aid of Hedrix by hitting Olumani in the rear.”
Daragor was already smiling, ready to counter with the killing blow, but Galek interrupted him, stepping toward a star map that showed the positions of all the corporate empires they were discussing. “You’re about to say that Deltron is already prepared to help against that move, and they’ll send everything they have to finish off Navarus’s fleet, leaving them open to defeat.” Daragor’s expression was somewhere between pride in an unbeatable plan, and fear that Galek already knew it. The question was, which side would Galek be on?
But Galek interrupted his thoughts once again, pointing out a satellite barony; one so small it was easy to overlook. Hedrix-DOF sat to the side and below Granicus and Olumani at the edge of explored space. It was often overlooked. Galek continued, “And once all of your fleets, and your allies’ fleets, are tied up springing the trap to finish off Ceriliseta, in comes an entire allied fleet you’d forgotten all about. Directly toward your undefended home planets.”
Daragor went silent. He did not care to speculate any further, and did not know how he would counter that maneuver anyway. He asked, “Why are you telling me her plans?”
“I don’t sav her plans,” Galek said. “That is merely what I would guess she would do. But Ceriliseta has a much more devious mind than mine, and probably has a much more complex plan in mind.”
“So does my sister. Only she has more years and experience on your daughter…”
“All the more reason why I must speak with her,” Galek interrupted. “Two insidious minds in command of sizeable armies; not to mention the powers they’re harnessing through the alien artifacts. That equals more destruction on all the planets caught in the crossfire.” Daragor stared at him, unmoved, as if he still didn’t see the problem. So Galek added, “Think of what the destruction will do to the bottom line of your finances.”
Daragor considered, and saw Galek’s point. Galek went all in by stepping toward Daragor again, saying, “I know my daughter. And I know my wife. “I need to speak with her, and help bring an end to this unprofitable madness.”
* * *
Ceriliseta was indeed putting her plans into motion, though it wasn’t what Galek was predicting, or anything Daragor or even Rezia would have considered. Nor was she making any attempt to prove that she had not attacked the auction. It was more insidious than anyone imagined.
Rather than relying on allied baronies and promises that could be broken for the right price, she was targeting Gerhelm’s foundation. On the bottom rung of all corporate ladders were individual companies. Most corporations were made up of multiple companies, and multiple corporations made up baronies. As such, cracks in these smaller businesses shook the whole pyramid from the bottom up.
Ceriliseta had sent out spies to learn more about the owners of some of these organizations, finding out which ones were acutely ambitious, wanting to build their companies into something larger, and were willing to do anything to move up the ladder.
She then sent angel investors to offer financial backing and low-cost supplies with their returns being reinvested with further amounts. The source of the money and supplies was never traced back to Navarus, and most of the owners did not even ask. These companies grew, and as Ceriliseta expected, they kept their extra earnings off the books so their corporate overlords would not know.
The next step was to make these companies powerhouses, strong enough to rival their corporate overlords. It was also to make sure these companies were dependent upon the money and supplies Navarus was secretly sending them through their wormhole transportation systems; so much so that they may lose everything if they decided to cut any of them off.
Once these companies were bulked up enough, Navarus would make its move. If any of the company owners refused to turn against their corporations, Bela would blackmail them with records of the shipments they had received; giving the business owners a choice between taking the place of those corporations, and being executed by their CEOs.
Ceriliseta had bought her empire some time when she redirected the neighboring baronies toward systems within Gerhelm-Risi. She had even gained some allies… or at least, stopped them from being enemies.
This was only a temporary reprieve, however, and her plan to undermine Gerhelm would take time. So she used all the money that was not going into building up companies into making deals that greatly benefitted the most strategically located baronies. Though their CEOs were still sore about the attack they believed Navarus had committed, their desire for higher profits far outweighed this loss; and as long as she was giving them more than they returned, they would not attack; in fact, they would help defend her empire.
The entire operation that affected billions of people across myriad star systems was being conducted from a large, plush chair in front of a computer console with more than a dozen screens splayed out across the wall. Some had messages, others had stock reports, troop numbers, intelligence on enemy forces, and every other piece of information necessary.
Ceriliseta’s eyes scanned the ones that were necessary, her mind putting together the pieces. Bela stepped up behind her and began to rub her back. “Milady looks tense. You carry the weight of the universe on your back.”
Ceriliseta leaned into the massage, but continued to work. “I am literally going for broke, Bela,” she said. “The plan will go into action soon, and we’ll either make my mother’s barony crumble beneath her, or I’ll bankrupt what my father spent a lifetime building.”
“And what you built, Donna Navarus,” Bela reminded her.
Ceriliseta nodded and patted his hand. He lived for those tiny endearments. Then she had a thought and she pressed a couple buttons. Photo-holos of several men appeared across her desk, and she studied them.
“Are those the owners of some of the Gerhelm companies?”
Bela asked.
“No, they’re potential husbands… Ow! Don’t pinch.”
“I did not realize you were searching for a husband, ma’am.”
“A political partner,” Ceriliseta said. “Gerhelm and Navarus united with the unification of my mother and father. Perhaps that is what I need to avoid the destruction of my empire. These men are all available and part of potential allies.”
“Could not allies still turn against you?” Bela asked.
“Ostensibly,” she said.
“I have always been of the mindset that personal strength is more reliable than any outside party.”
“We have mustered all of our current strength,” Ceriliseta said. “If you know of more…”
Bela stopped the massage, then said, “Don Galek Navarus spoke often of many ancient wonders. Some seemed farfetched to be unbelievable. I could investigate to aprend if there was validity.”
“Then you should not hesitate,” she said, turning off the men’s holographic heads and twisting her head toward Bela.. “Report what you learn.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Bela said, and he marched out the door as swiftly as he could without showing how quickly he wanted to go. He wished to prove himself to Ceriliseta before she took seriously any notion of marrying someone. The occasional nights she ordered him to keep her company until dawn were the happiest of his life. He waited up for them like an ancient pet, prepared and ready for any summons.
After he’d left and the door had closed, Ceriliseta pushed a button and brought up the holographic heads of possible suitors once again.
Chapter
Ten
Heritage
For centuries, slug throwers were the primary design of firearms. Metallic ammunition was loaded into weapons and propelled at their targets by the discharging of a controlled blast within the chamber. Just after impact, following penetration of the body, the bullet would explode. The expanding pressure would immediately fracture bones and rupture organs. Fragments of the slug followed, stabbing the same organs like hundreds of tiny daggers, tearing apart the innards. If the victim survived this initial hit, they had internal bleeding and lead poisoning draining away their life.
Laser blasts were less crude, and more efficient. Made of concentrated heat and energy contained within an electrical charge, a hit from a laser blast caused a severe burn that would melt the skin and irradiate the organs beyond. It was like being hit with the intensity of sunlight through a magnifying glass for a handful of minutes all in an instant. The electrical burst shocked the system, sometimes stopping the heart or other vitals. If the victim survived, the part of the body that was hit often went numb, or even paralyzed. This paralysis could last indefinitely; and the radiation could often cause lasting effects.
All of these elements, and the fact that laser blasts were not dependent on a slug exploding while in the body, (and the fact that they were lighter than weapons carrying ammunition,) made laser weapons preferable to slug throwers. This was the reason they took prominence from the late 21st century onward.
However, the one piece of good news for the victim of a laser blast was that treatment for damage from it was more effective than it had ever been against slug throwers. Burns left a scar, but they could be healed, and internal damage, though disrupted, was not torn apart, and could more easily be restored. All of this was possible if you had the right equipment.
Mika had been hit in the back of the right shoulder. The electrical shock and the blunt force of the hit had knocked her unconscious. The blast damage past the skin had missed vital organs, but it had caused internal bleeding and life threatening burns that were still threatening the lungs.
The medical chamber Lancaster had put Mika into had monitored her vital signs and gotten to work stabilizing her. But he had not managed to flip the third switch, which would have started the repairing process. Without this, stabilization could only do so much; merely slowing the inevitable. Time was running out for Mika once again, and Lancaster was lying unconscious on the other side of the room.
She awoke suddenly to the sound of a loud, beeping alarm. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings and understand where she was. The last thing she had remembered, she was in a cave, then she remembered glimpses of being helped – carried maybe – out of the hotel and across the landing bay. She remembered hitting the ground by the landing gear… Now she had a transparent dome over her with bright lights bearing down from every direction, and metallic instruments curled up like snakes ready to strike.
Mika tried to peek out of the dome. She couldn’t see any people in the room, but she spotted groups of digits on the translucent bubble that kept adjusting. She recognized them as vital signs; her vital signs, and they were not looking good. A blinking yellow light next to her seemed to be connected to the alarm going off, and it was not a good sign.
Mika determined that she needed to get out of the bubble. She could take a look at the medical chamber settings and adjust them if that would help. She would at least be able to see if she stood a chance of survival. She reached up… or tried to reach up. She found that her hands were bound to the machine, and she was unable to move them. She tried to shake them loose, but to no avail. She tried to kick, but found that her feet were bound as well. She struggled as hard as she could, but doing so brought serious pain to her torso, and she quickly ran out of energy.
Panting for breath, and realizing the struggle was hopeless, Mika began to look over the machine for what it was; her coffin. What an ironic place for a woman with the title “doctor” to die, in a medical chamber.
Then two round, white orbs surrounded by black frames bobbed up over the edge of the dome. A hand followed, and pressed a couple buttons, then turned a knob. The machine seemed to stabilize. The alarm subsided, as did the blinking light. Mika felt the temperature in the enclosure drop, and a bump in the bed rolled across her wound, sending a tingling sensation into her skin.
“Thank you, Little Jack,” Mika said.
One finger rose up into view, followed by clanging sounds like items were being moved around in the room. Little Jack then stepped up into full view over the dome. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
Mika took a moment before answering. She wanted to be accurate. She realized that she was hurting where she hadn’t expected. “Honestly, my chest hurts more than my wound.”
“Makes sense. You fell on your face. I wouldn’t have been surprised if you lost some teeth,” Little Jack said in a tone that was far too dry for what he was implying.
“Did I?” Mika asked, opening her mouth for him to see.
Little Jack leaned over and studied her closely. “No. But you had a bloody nose.”
Mika wiggled the top of her lip. She hadn’t noticed until now the crusty feeling of dried blood that was there. She tried to wipe it away, but again was reminded that her hands were bound. She looked to Little Jack. “Do you register you could release my binds?”
“I don’t know. Lancaster put you in there. Maybe he thinks you’re dangerous.”
“Where is he?” Mika asked.
“On the floor over there. Unconscious. I got us into Spectrum drive and came back here to find he’d missed a couple of the switches, so I turned them on.”
“He knocked himself out putting me into here, didn’t he?” Mika said.
“Yep,” Little Jack answered.
“Does he need this chamber?” Mika asked.
Little Jack opened the lid and began releasing Mika’s binds as he said, “He’ll be fine. He needs a nap anyway.”
“Has he not been sleeping?”
“Between expeditions, he’s like a snoring rock. But when we’re on the trail of something, he runs himself to where he hardly savs which way’s up. Lay back down.”
Mika laid down again, watching the dome close so the machine could continue to work on healing her. “He’s always been that way,” she said. “In college, he didn’t sleep the entire week of finals. He just pushed through with
energy as though he’d been struck by lightning. Then when they were done, he collapsed for several days. And I mean collapsed. He did not wake up the entire time.”
“Did he always lose his hat back then also?” Little Jack asked.
“He didn’t really wear a hat all the time. I guess during his senior year he did. He was in love with the idea of living the adventure. He loves playing the part. That’s not to say he isn’t sincere about it, though. He’s always wanted to find life out there. He’s memorized every known aspect of every alien civilization.”
“And he’s repeated the information whether I want to hear it or not,” Little Jack said.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Mika agreed. “He wants to share his excitement with whoever will listen. Frankly, what he really wants is to share his excitement with the aliens themselves, but they just can’t be found. That’s why he settles for finding their artifacts instead.” They were both silent for a moment, reflective. Then Mika asked, “Why do you stay with him?”
Silence again for a moment while Little Jack’s frosted over glasses stared at her. “He has purpose. I didn’t. Why did you not stay with him?”
Silence again. Then Mika said, “I surm it was because of that purpose. I’ve been nove with putting the pieces of the puzzle together once they’re safely in a museum.”
Lancaster lurched awake, a loud gasp emerging from his lips. Catching his breath, he found Little Jack in the room. He reached his hand around and felt the pain in the back of his head.
Then it all came back to him – what had happened before he fell unconscious – and tears began to swell in his eyes. “I couldn’t save her, Jack,” he said. “The ship was tossing around too much. I couldn’t stay steady…”
“Are you criticizing my flying?” Little Jack said.
“No. No. I… I didn’t get all the switches before I fell. I couldn’t stabilize her.”
Relic Worlds - Lancaster James & the Salient Seed of the Galaxy, Part 2 Page 8