When the Guns Roar

by Eric Thomson

  “Since we are all here, it is time to decide. There can be no hesitation and no prevarication once we assemble in the Jakrang. The vote must be swift, it must command a vast majority, and it must be decisive. Any delays will give Mishtak time to act against us. Though he does not command the loyalty of every ground forces officer in and around Shredar, he can count on a number sufficient to make those still uncommitted hesitate.”

  “The Fourth Imperial Assault Regiment is ours,” General of the Third Rank Vagh said. “Its new commander was whelped in my clan. He will deploy around the Jakrang on a training exercise at short notice.”

  “What about the First, Second, and Third Guards Regiments?” Another of the lords, also a retired ground forces general asked. “Their loyalty to the child emperor and his regent remains beyond reproach.”

  “So long as we oppose only Mishtak and the council, they will not threaten us,” Vagh replied. “Their commanders look to the regent for direction, not the council. Besides, I believe Brakal already let Lady Kembri know we will preserve the dynasty from Mishtak’s incompetence, or worse yet, an uprising of the people, should they believe the empire’s honor is wounded by our defeats at human hands.”

  “She knows,” Brakal said, recalling his veiled visitor. “Though it would be good if we had ears in the barracks of the Guards Regiments, Vagh.”

  “I shall endeavor to find some, but hear me. Even Guards soldiers will not fire upon their Assault Regiment brothers unless placed under extreme duress. So long as we stay utterly loyal to the child emperor and his mother, we need not fear them.”

  “So long as we are also clearly seen to be utterly loyal,” Admiral of the Third Rank Edronh growled. “We know our goal is ensuring the dynasty’s continued welfare, so the empire does not dissolve in fire and blood from within, but some might claim otherwise to brand us as traitors and discredit the Kraal.”

  “True.” Brakal made a gesture of assent. “And therefore, the Kraal will vote on taking a public oath of fealty to Emperor Tumek. That vote will pass by four hundred voices in favor and none against. No one could ask for better.”

  “It would set an unusual precedent,” one of the civilian lords said. He was already sitting in the Kraal when Brakal still ran wild on the Makkar country estate with the other younglings of the clan and was, therefore, the group’s wise elder. “The empire is balanced on three quasi-equal legs, with one slightly more powerful than the other two — the emperor. Our swearing a public oath to Tumek, let alone his mother, could make the Kraal seem inferior to Tumek’s hand, the governing council.”

  “Again, true.” Brakal acknowledged the ancient lord’s intervention with a polite gesture. “But once we achieve our goal, a kho’sahra will supplant the governing council, so perhaps the point is moot. No one will consider a dictator named by the Kraal superior to the Kraal.”

  The ancient graciously indicated his acceptance of Brakal’s response.

  “Does anyone object to the Kraal taking an oath so we may prove our loyalty?” When no one demurred, he asked, “How many can we count on as of today?”

  Brakal turned his eyes on Vagh, who replied, “The forty with whom I spoke will vote with you, but of those, a quarter could still waver if Mishtak threatens their lives or those of their principal clan members.”

  “They understand Mishtak knows threats against clan lords and their kin will most assuredly precipitate the bloody unrest we fear, and therefore he will not go to such lengths?”

  “They understand up here.” Vagh tapped his thick skull. “But not with their souls, and as with most of our race, the soul still rules.”

  “We will strengthen those timid spirits.” Brakal turned to Vagh’s neighbor. “You.”

  “The same. Of the thirty-two I brought in, six or seven are not particularly solid, though none demurred outright.”

  And thus it went around the table until they accounted for all lords of the Kraal. If those who swore to vote as Brakal wished kept their promise, the motion would pass, though not overwhelmingly. Still, if Trage had not removed so many senior officers who were also clan lords from their posts on spurious grounds, Brakal could not have hoped for even that majority. He would take what he could, and if it was insufficient, he would find another way to impose his will.

  “We are in agreement? The Kraal can meet whenever I call for it?” None of the lords present dissented. “So it will be done. The precise day and time shall stay secret, even from you, my friends, until the very last moment.”

  “You will find the Fourth Imperial Assault Regiment ready to move at a few hours’ notice,” Vagh said. “Issue the call early in the morning and fix the time for midday. When we and our fellow lords enter the Jakrang, it shall be secure against Mishtak’s Tai Kan minions.”

  “Then we must ensure all of us live long enough to take our places on the old stone seats and vote.” Grunts of approval greeted Brakal’s closing declaration. “Ale and other libations are served in the reception room through the door at my back. Join me while I offer the gods a few drops and demand their support.”

  **

  “Satisfied?” Brakal asked Regar when the latter joined him in the reception room after his visitors were gone. Regar had watched the meeting and subsequent reception from the estate’s security office.

  “Since I do not believe you could have done better in the time available, my answer must be yes. Though I found Lord Unagroth of Clan Ruktah shifty.”

  “Explain.”

  Brakal kept his gaze on Regar while the Tai Kan officer searched for the right words. Unagroth was an old civilian lord, one who never served the empire other than in the Kraal. His clan, from the hard-scrabble, cold southern continent, was well known for avoiding any activity that did not enrich it.

  But because of Unagroth’s longevity in the legislature and apparent political neutrality, he could influence over two dozen civilian lords who were of the same mind, hence his presence among a group of mostly military lords anxious for the empire’s future across the stars. Convincing him the government’s current course led to a disaster which would impoverish everyone proved to be the key. That he and his closest allies cared more about their wealth than the empire’s honor, however, made them less reliable.

  “An impression, Lord. Nothing more. The others appeared forthright, and even those who might feel apprehension at taking such an irreversible step seemed convinced it must be done. Unagroth? He could still be weighing the risks and rewards, as a true member of Clan Ruktah would.”

  “We need his vote and those of his allies. They represent a large proportion of the civilian lords and might influence the rest. An outcome which might split us military lords from those who never served will harm the kho’sahra’s legitimacy.”

  “Indeed.” Regar tilted his head to one side. “There may be a way of ensuring Unagroth sees the greater risk in sitting on his hands instead of voting with you.”

  “Speak.”

  “Did you ever meet First Deputy Director Kroesh?”

  “The Tai Kan’s second in command? No.”

  “Then perhaps it might be useful if you invite him here and discuss your intentions. Remember I once mentioned he does not see things the same way as his superior, Director Yatron?”

  “I do. Yatron is Mishtak’s creature. Kroesh is not.”

  “Just so. I could arrange for such an invitation. Perhaps even for tomorrow’s evening meal.”

  Brakal studied Regar through suspicious eyes.

  “You seem to enjoy extraordinary connections with those surrounding the high and mighty in Shredar. I cannot help but wonder, and not for the first time, why your loyalty to me is greater than the loyalty you give your employer. A Tai Kan officer working so wholeheartedly in support of the Kraal’s desire to replace the governing council with a kho’sahra is unheard of. Do you seek control of the Tai Kan as your prize once we remove Mishtak and his allies?”

  Regar’s upper lip curled back in amusement.

&n
bsp; “No. That prize must be offered to Kroesh when you meet with him.”

  “Then what are your motivations?”

  “Turning an idea that has been with me for a long time into reality.”

  Brakal, suddenly eager to hear what could make a Tai Kan officer abandon his service in favor of an admiral dismissed by the council’s pet, Trage, gestured at the collection of bottles on a side table, then at the deep, hide-covered chair in front of him.

  “Take what you wish and sit. I will hear about this idea of yours if only so I might better understand a warrior I thought to know well already.”

  Regar took a bottle of ale, uncapped it, and dropped into the seat with a sound of contentment.

  “I was wondering when I might finally broach the subject with you.” He took a healthy sip of the foaming, purplish liquid. “Ah. You always serve the finest, Lord. That is almost enough to earn anyone’s loyalty.”

  “Do not toy with me, spy.”

  “And that is the origin of my idea. Everyone calls Tai Kan officers spies, though truly we are not. We are the imperial police, entrusted with ferreting out traitors, suppressing disloyalty and banned political movements, of protecting the Forbidden Quarter and more.”

  Brakal grunted.

  “Matters related to the empire’s internal security.”

  “Precisely. And yet, shortly before the start of the war, the council also tasked us with intelligence gathering on matters other than internal security. Such as painting an accurate picture of human capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, intentions, and anything else that might help the empire’s military forces win.”

  “A task the Tai Kan singularly failed at, hence our slowly losing to the thrice-damned hairless apes from Earth.”

  “Therein lies the issue. An internal security agency is ill-equipped to spy on anything but its own citizens. The empire needs a separate intelligence service, one dedicated to ferreting out what it can on our external foes.”

  “A Tai Zohl,” Brakal replied in a thoughtful tone, using the ancient term for Kan’s opposite. “An outward eye, to complement the inward eye instead of the latter looking in every direction without seeing a thing. Interesting, and well overdue. Strange that a Tai Kan spy would come up with the idea.”

  “I am hardly the only one, Lord. Many of us see what is necessary but are unable or unwilling to speak for fear of punishment. The Tai Kan will never voluntarily relinquish its outward intelligence-gathering functions, even though it cannot perform them with any success. But I am fortunate I now serve an admiral known for his open mind and who will soon claim enormous influence within the imperial government. With the council supplanted by a dictator and the Tai Kan led by one of the dictator’s allies, implementation will be much easier.”

  “It would indeed take a kho’sahra to order its creation. Though a bit late for the war effort.”

  “This war, yes. But there will be more wars and conflicts we would avoid if we knew about the enemy’s strength and dispositions instead of relying on prejudice and wishful thinking. And even when we are at peace with the humans, we will need an outward eye on their activities, so they do not threaten our interests on non-violent battlefields. Commerce, for example.”

  “True.”

  Sensing his lord’s growing approval, Regar said, “Many good minds serve the Tai Kan today which would be better used creating and building a Tai Zohl.”

  “Minds such as yours?” Brakal asked, a sardonic grin baring his fangs.

  “It would honor me to help create a new intelligence service.”

  “And become its first director, no doubt.”

  “If the kho’sahra calls upon me to serve as such, I would scarcely refuse.”

  “No promises.”

  Regar made a submissive gesture.

  “Of course not.”

  “It is good you finally spoke of this, spy. I prefer knowing my retainers’ motivations beyond selfless service to Clan Makkar. Now that I know yours and approve of them, I can be sure of your loyalty.”

  “And First Deputy Director Kroesh?”

  “I would offer him my hospitality at his earliest convenience.”

  “Which he will accept. Kroesh has no doubt been following your work to reassemble the Kraal with great interest.”

  — Twenty-Eight —

  To Brakal’s surprise, First Deputy Director Kroesh did not resemble a conniving, devious bureaucrat at all. Dress him in an Imperial Ground Forces uniform, and he would pass for a senior combat commander, right down to the Warrior Caste ruff of fur on top of his angular, bony skull.

  “Lord of Clan Makkar. Or do you prefer Admiral? Or perhaps Speaker of the Kraal?” Kroesh raised his fist in salute as he entered the manor’s reception room where Brakal waited for his guest.

  “Brakal will suffice, First Deputy Director. Those who hide behind titles, especially in private, are often hiding something else.”

  A rumble of amusement rose up Kroesh’s broad chest.

  “There is truth in what you say. And if I am to address you by name, then I ask that you do me the same honor.”

  Brakal made a gesture of respectful assent, then indicated the sideboard.

  “Would you take a libation before the meal, Kroesh?”

  “I would.” The muscular Tai Kan official turned toward the extensive display of bottles. “Your house serves a fine vintage of the best ale, Brakal. I shall sample it with pleasure.”

  At Brakal’s nod, Toralk, who led the visitor in and now stood silently by the open doorway, stirred into motion and served Kroesh.

  After a healthy sip, the latter said, “As if brewed by the gods themselves. Did you know the humans can not only consume this without ill effects, they apparently prize it above many of their own concoctions?”

  “Do they now? Fascinating. And does it affect their metabolism in the same way as it does ours?” Brakal accepted a bottle of ale from Toralk.

  “So I understand. Perhaps sentient species which evolved to breathe the same gas mixtures and live under similar climatic conditions share more in common than we think. The humans developed a theory they call panspermia,” Kroesh mangled the unfamiliar word beyond recognition. “It posits that life at a microscopic level was distributed throughout the galaxy by space dust, meteoroids, asteroids, comets and such things over incalculable periods, seeding planets hospitable to life everywhere. Some even believe an elder race might have seeded planets such as ours, Earth, Arkanna, and more, deliberately with the very building blocks of life. Or if you believe in the legends of the L’Taung civilization, perhaps not our present home world but that which gave birth to the imperial race eons ago, far from here. In any case, the humans also formulated several related theories attempting to explain why our part of the galaxy has such a prevalence of bipedal, bilateral sapient species able to survive in each other’s environments and to a certain extent, consume each other’s food and drink.”

  When he sensed Brakal’s interest, Kroesh added, “I can ask my aide to send you what we culled from human databases on the subject, if you wish.”

  “Please do so. Anything that gives me knowledge about our foe is always welcome.”

  Brakal felt strangely pleased with his guest’s display of esoteric knowledge about humans. It made a pleasant change from the average bureaucrat, both military and civilian, infesting Shredar. And, as with Kroesh’s warrior-like demeanor, made a lie of the notion all senior Tai Kan officers were deceitful, weak creatures who used fear to gain respect.

  “Ah, yes. Knowledge about our foe.” Kroesh took another sip and studied Brakal for a few moments. “Something that has lacked from the start. When Mishtak first raised the idea of attacking the human empire and thereby gain glory for the child emperor Tumek, my superior, Director Yatron immediately sensed an opportunity to enlarge the Tai Kan and his own power. As a result, he demanded we become the empire’s outward-facing eyes on top of our traditional duties. A failure, I should think.”

  “Ver
y much so.”

  “It also weakened the Tai Kan’s internal security capability to the point where those who oppose Mishtak and the ruling council operate with impunity. And I do not speak merely of the Kraal, you understand. That challenge is new. No, there is more happening beneath the surface on the homeworld and on every imperial planet than meets the senses and has been for a long time. Things that could trigger enough unrest to weaken us further in our fight against the humans. Discontent. Feelings of alienation among subject races. Criminal elements. Corruption.” Kroesh paused to take a sip. “The sooner we can shed our ill-conceived intelligence-gathering duties, the sooner we can refocus on internal security.”

  “Will Director Yatron see reason and relinquish them to a new service created just for such a purpose?”

  Kroesh’s lips peeled back.

  “No. It would take someone strong, a Shrehari with the entire power of government in his hand to force such a change.”

  “One starting with Director Yatron’s removal.”

  “Just so. You are perceptive, precisely as Regar claims.”

  Something in Kroesh’s manner suddenly felt strange, and Brakal tilted his head to one side, studying him with impassive eyes.

  “How is Regar known to you?”

  “The whelp of a family friend, one whose career I helped along because he is both honorable and intelligent. When you were given command of Tol Vehar, he was my choice as your political officer.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you struck me as one of the few Deep Space Fleet commanders who beheld the universe, the humans, and this damnable war with a clear, unsentimental gaze. And it appears my impression was correct.”

  “So you know about Regar’s dreams for a Tai Zohl, an outward-looking eye, and you approve.”

  “Of course.”

  For a moment, the horrifying notion a faction within the Tai Kan was manipulating him overcame Brakal. But they could not have foreseen the human battleship destroying Khorsan Base, which led to his dismissal and his subsequent return home intent on reviving the Kraal.