The image of her old boss Loren Yeresh gazed at her. “You’re needed, Carmen.”
Carmen glared at him. “I’m needed? In the middle of the night after the day I finally got back to Lodz again? Has another invasion fleet arrived? Because if it’s anything less than that, I’m not going to be happy.” She glanced over to the other side of the bed, seeing Dominic watching her with concern mingled with curiosity.
“Sorry!” Yeresh said, not looking the least bit contrite. “But when the office of the First Minister tells me to find you and get you to a meeting there right now, I have to do what I’m told.”
“The First Minister’s office? Right now?” She felt a chill that didn’t come from the night air. “Another attack really has arrived?”
“Something big is up, but nobody is saying anything.” Yeresh grimaced. “For what it’s worth, no military alert has been sent out. But I can’t access space status reports. No one can. They’re blocked.”
Carmen tried to fight off a wave of despair. Again? So soon? “What about Shark? What’s our destroyer saying?”
“I tried pinging her,” Yeresh said, “but Shark’s gone silent. I assume she’s still up there because there wasn’t anything that could take her out, but nobody’s saying anything to me or anybody else except get Carmen Ochoa to the First Minister’s office now.”
“What about Redman?”
Yeresh shook his head. “She gave me the ‘shut up you’ll be told anything you need to know when you need to know it.’ That’s all I’ve got. Are you going to get to the First Minister? Because I think if I say you’re not heading that way they’ll send the cops for you.”
“It’s that bad?” Carmen took a moment to breathe in and out slowly, trying to quell panic before it rose in her. Another invasion? Already? Some of the signs seemed to be pointing to that, but others didn’t. Why alert her personally and not the entire defense system? “You tell them that I’ll be at the First Minister’s office as soon as I can.”
CHAPTER 10
Carmen jumped out of bed, hesitated as she reached for her camos, reluctant to don the garments of war again, then grabbed the uniform and started getting dressed while Dominic watched her with somber eyes.
“Any idea what it is?” Dominic asked her.
Carmen managed to shrug while getting her outfit on. “It might be another invasion. But if it was another invasion arriving, the military should’ve been alerted first off. Why else would access to information about the space in this star system be blocked, though? Something has arrived, I think, but what I don’t know.”
“Maybe Nakamura is back.”
She paused to stare at Dominic. “Lochan? But why would that scare the First Minister’s office? Domi, I’m sorry I have to—”
“Let’s just hope it turns out to be good news for once.” He forced a smile. “It’s about time for good news, right? Let me know what you can when you can.”
“I will.” Leaning over the bed, she kissed him. “Thanks.”
“I knew what I was getting. Fix your hair before you go.”
“Right.”
The streets of Lodz were eerily quiet at this hour, long after midnight but well before dawn. The nighttime curfew on movement had been lifted only yesterday, so even workers who in normal times would be on the streets were still absent. She snagged a parked drop car, her ID overriding the curfew limits still in its software. The drive to the government complex was swift, going from an undamaged section of the city to a badly torn-up area in just a few blocks.
One of the sentries recognized her and waved Carmen through.
Palmer was at his desk. Of course Palmer was at his desk. The sheer normalcy of that calmed Carmen a bit. “What’s up?”
“An important event,” Palmer said. “I don’t believe that it’s bad news, but that’s for the First Minister to speak of.”
Carmen entered the office to find First Minister Hofer at his desk. Minister of Public Security Kowalski was standing, gazing at one of the office display screens even though it was showing nothing. The sight of him still jarred Carmen. The former Public Security Minister, Sarkozy, had been assassinated a year ago, not long after the title of her job was changed to that more assertive name from the previous peacetime title of Safety Coordinator, but somehow Carmen still always expected to see her. Seated on the office couch was the Leader of the House of the People’s Representatives, Lisa Nowak, who’d replaced Ottone after the last election.
Carmen moved to one side as Jayne Redman hustled in, giving Carmen a glare before smiling politely to Hofer.
“We’re all here,” Hofer said, neither his face nor his voice revealing anything about his feelings. “There’s one more participant, though. Palmer! Link in Derian!” One of the display screens on the wall flared to life, showing the bridge of a ship and an officer in the command seat. “You all know Commander Derian on the Shark,” Hofer added. “Do we have a good link?”
Derian nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Something very important has happened,” Hofer told the others. “Commander Derian notified me of it. I need a read from the rest of you on this before it becomes public. Commander?”
Derian gestured to one side of where he sat. “Three warships have arrived at the jump point from Tantalus. Two are destroyers of the same type as Shark. The other is a slightly larger destroyer of a different class.”
“Warships? Destroyers?” Nowak asked, shocked.
“From Tantalus?” Kowalski said. “Why would our enemies be coming from there?”
“Apparently they’re not enemies,” Hofer said. “At least, that’s what we’re being told.” He touched a control on a repaired section of his desk.
The display lit up, showing what was identified as a message received half an hour ago.
Carmen gasped as Lochan Nakamura’s image appeared. His face bore signs of long-term strain, but otherwise he looked all right.
“This is Lochan Nakamura, special representative of the government of Kosatka,” he said, “calling for First Minister Hofer and the House of the People’s Representatives. I need to—excuse me. Straight off, these warships are not here to attack Kosatka. They are friends.”
Tension that had suddenly ramped up in the office subsided just as quickly. Nowak gasped with relief, but everyone else stayed silent as Nakamura continued.
“The star systems of Eire, Benten, and Adowa have provisionally agreed to form a protective alliance with Kosatka, Catalan, and Glenlyon. These warships are from Eire and Benten. Eire made the final decision to commit both of its warships because agents linked to our enemies tried to destroy both of them with malware, an attack that came close to succeeding. That also helped convince Benten to act now. They’re here to deal with the invasion fleet, which we discovered upon arrival has apparently already been defeated. The commander of this force, Captain Miko Sori on this ship, the Asahi, wants permission to proceed through Kosatka’s space. She and the other commanders are currently discussing whether to proceed onward to Glenlyon to ensure that star system isn’t being attacked.”
Lochan Nakamura sharpened his gaze as if he were actually looking at those viewing this message. “I understand that this is a sudden development, but I strongly urge the government of Kosatka to formally embrace this new alliance. The more who join it, the stronger it will be, and the less chance that anyone will risk messing with any star system who’s a part of it. But, at the least, this group of ships needs approval from the government to transit this star system. Unless I receive orders to the contrary, I intend accompanying them to Glenlyon if they go there. In about six hours you should be seeing a freighter also arriving from the jump point for Tantalus. That freighter is from Adowa. Adowa did not have a warship to contribute, but did redirect a freighter whose cargo was intended to be sold at Eire. That cargo will be donated to Kosatka as a sign of Adowa’s commitment to the all
iance.” Lochan paused, squinting as he read something slightly to one side. “The cargo . . . Adowa has a lot of land suitable for farming luxury crops like coffee and chocolate, so much of the cargo will be made up of that and similar products. I’m sorry it’s not something more useful under current circumstances. Please advise me of the government’s preferred course of action from here on. Nakamura, out.”
Carmen sat back, realizing that her jaw was hanging loose. “He brought three destroyers to help us. He got Eire, and Benten, and Adowa, and Catalan, to ally with us and Glenlyon. And he’s showing up with a freighter full of coffee and chocolate.”
First Minister Hofer nodded. “If he runs for my job he’ll probably win.”
“Lochan doesn’t want your job,” Carmen said.
“Good thing,” Nowak said, her voice still a little faint. “Can we trust this? Is Nakamura telling the truth? Or is he a hostage reciting lines designed to lull us into complacency before they pounce on Shark and eliminate our last defense in space?”
All eyes went to Carmen.
She nodded. “Yes, we can trust it. I could tell if Nakamura was lying or under duress.”
“He looks stressed,” Nowak said.
“I agree. But not fearful or worried. If he was under duress, he’d communicate that somehow. There are things he could have said that would’ve tipped me off.”
Redman spoke up, her voice sharp. “That personal judgment is a very thin reed to cling to under these circumstances. The security and safety of the entire star system is at stake.”
Minister of Public Security Kowalski’s voice sounded harsh. “What are you suggesting, Citizen Redman?”
“That Nakamura could’ve been drugged, or might’ve made some sign that Citizen Ochoa did not spot, or—”
“I know Lochan Nakamura,” First Minister Hofer broke in. “I agree with Carmen. He looks like himself, and gives no sign of duress. If he’s been fooled, he hasn’t realized it yet.”
“It’s not as if we could fight them even if Nakamura is lying,” Kowalski said. “Commander Derian, what would be our chances against that force?”
“If we fought them?” Derian asked. He shook his head. “Three-to-one odds, and the one identifying itself as Asahi is a bit stronger than Shark. It’s an Island Class destroyer. Shark still needs a full overhaul after the damage we sustained earlier, but even if my ship was in top shape I wouldn’t see any chance of beating them.”
“Why are we even discussing fighting them?” Nowak asked. “They’re here as allies!”
“Are they?” Jayne Redman asked. “Or is this a Trojan Horse situation?”
“It’s not,” Carmen said, directing her answer to Hofer rather than Redman. “Lochan Nakamura wouldn’t be a part of that.”
Commander Derian spoke up again. “If I’m given permission to speak directly with the new ships, I can see if I know any of their commanding officers from my time in Earth Fleet. If we talk, I can probably get a feel for their sincerity, even if we’re not acquainted from our earlier careers.”
“Two of those warships are from Eire!” Redman pointed out. “Who here is prepared to accept the good intentions of Prime Minister Donal Morgan? It’s not like him to act unless he expects to gain from it.”
“What could he get from Kosatka?” Nowak asked.
“The same thing the earlier attackers want. Another star system whose population and resources are at their disposal.”
“Lochan Nakamura would not be a part of that!” Carmen said.
“Could they have promised one thing to Nakamura while intending to betray him, and us?” Nowak said, looking about anxiously.
“Why would Benten assist in that?” Kowalski asked. “Or Adowa?”
“Why would they ally with us?” Redman demanded.
“We can ask,” Carmen said. “Lochan can tell us the details of whatever negotiations went on.”
“That’s true,” Hofer said.
“We have no chance of success if they choose to attack,” Kowalski said, “but if these new ships are here for the reason Nakamura gave, what will we do? How will we respond?”
Hofer looked around the room. “It’s an offer to join an alliance that already includes at least three other star systems. Can we afford to say no?”
“Is it an offer, though?” Kowalski said. “Or is it an offer we can’t refuse? Perhaps an offer made in good faith, but one that will require us to relinquish more rights and sovereignty than we care to?”
“That’s a good question,” Redman agreed.
“Excuse me,” Carmen said. “We’re on the verge of losing all rights and all sovereignty, and there’s concern that agreeing to this alliance might cost us too much?”
“We came out here to be free,” Kowalski said.
Carmen heard the silence stretching in response to that statement, and realized she had another answer. “They’re requesting permission to travel through our star system,” she pointed out. “They don’t have to do that.”
“They’re supposed to request such permission,” Kowalski said.
“But they don’t have to. If they wanted to send a message that we’d better play along, that we had to agree to whatever deal they offered, then they could have just told us they were going to pass through Kosatka’s star system. We’d understand what that meant, wouldn’t we?”
“That’s right,” Commander Derian said. “They could’ve flexed their muscles just by acting as if they had every right to do whatever they wanted. The message sent by that action would’ve been unmistakable. Instead, they’re acting like someone who wants to work with us.”
“They’re playing by the rules, even though they don’t have to,” Carmen said.
The First Minister slowly nodded, then fixed his gaze on Nowak. “Actions, not words. As Citizen Ochoa pointed out, these new warships are showing us their intentions toward Kosatka. If I call a vote on formally agreeing to join this alliance, what will the House of the People’s Representatives do?”
Nowak laughed in disbelief. “I can’t be certain! It’s not a question I’ve canvassed anyone on because it’s not a question anyone thought we’d need an answer to.” She lowered her head in thought. “There’ll be some questions. What motivated these other star systems to help us? Did Nakamura make promises that the government won’t want to honor? Um . . . how did Catalan agree? What does Eire expect from this? Things like that, which we’ve already brought up here.”
“We can ask Kelly about Eire’s motivations,” Kowalski said. “It’s Brigit Kelly, right?”
“A coded diplomatic message was sent from one of those ships to Kelly,” Redman said, checking her comm. “She should have received it already.”
“There’s nothing suspicious about that,” Carmen said. “Kelly is Eire’s representative to Kosatka, and these ships are the first contact from Eire in a while. It’s natural that they’d carry any diplomatic communications for her.”
“Not suspicious, no,” Hofer agreed. “But we should find out what we can about it. Palmer! Please send someone to invite Brigit Kelly to this office. I’d like her here as soon as possible. Make sure whoever is sent knows this is an invitation, not an order for her to appear.”
“We should make sure she comes here,” Kowalski said.
“There are two warships from Eire in this star system,” Hofer replied. “We’ll fight them if we have to, hopeless or not, but I’m not going to go out of my way to offend Eire if they’ve truly come to help us. Palmer! Ensure Kelly receives an invitation.”
“I’ll word the request to ensure that’s clear, First Minister,” Palmer called back.
“We can break Eire’s diplomatic code,” Redman said.
“Maybe,” Kowalski said with a skeptical snort. “Unless they’re using a book code or something similar.”
“Wouldn’t breaking that di
plomatic message be an unfriendly act?” Nowak asked.
“Let’s wait and see what Kelly tells us,” First Minister Hofer ordered. “I’m going to respond to Nakamura, asking for whatever he can tell us about the agreement for this alliance and what demands it may make of Kosatka. But I want everyone to understand that we may not have the luxury of turning down this opportunity. Not if those other star systems can help prevent another attack on us.”
“Sir,” Carmen said, “we know what the governments of Eire, Benten, and Adowa are like. Unless they’ve changed radically, none of them would’ve agreed to a deal that would infringe too much on their own rights to govern themselves.”
“That’s true,” Kowalski said. “The same goes for Catalan.”
“Eire could’ve strong-armed the others,” Redman said. “I wouldn’t put it past their prime minister from what we know of him.”
“Eire doesn’t have that much power,” Kowalski said. “Unless they’ve picked up a lot of new military capability since our last reports from there.”
Carmen looked at the display where Lochan Nakamura’s message had played. “Lochan said the overall commander of the force was the captain of the warship from Benten.”
Kowalski ran one hand through his hair, appearing frustrated. “That would imply either Benten is the senior partner, or that Eire is treating this as an alliance of equals. I don’t see how Benten could’ve forced its will on Eire that way.”
“An alliance of equals,” Nowak said. “That I could sell to the House of the People’s Representatives. If that’s what we’re dealing with and being offered a part of.”
First Minister Hofer glanced at the display that showed Commander Derian. “If these ships represent a hostile force, one aimed at dominating Kosatka, that would mean we’re trapped between Scatha, Apulu, and Turan on one side and Eire, Benten, and Adowa on the other. Our only meaningful action would be deciding which side to surrender to.”
“But why would they go on to Glenlyon?” Redman asked. “Do they know something we don’t?”
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