Jenny drew in a long breath as she crossed her arms. “So what do we do now?”
Mace shrugged. “I think we have to go back and consult with the others. I could stay here and try to find her, I suppose. But what do I do when I do? Do we try to free her? Do we let her sit where she is and try to expose the conspiracy? Do we instead grab the general and admiral or maybe even the entire war council? And how do we stop Stark without getting Earth in trouble?”
Jenny half smiled. “You sure are asking me a lot of questions. If it was up to me, I think I’d find where she is and I’d just grab her. At least then she would be safe.”
Mace again shook his head. “We do that and those in charge of all this might take some other action. I think we go back and get the counsel of the others. It’s gonna take time for the Hoorka to work their way through the Karthian worlds. We should at least have a few days to decide.”
Jenny frowned. “Not that I have any love for them, but isn’t that at the expense of the Karthians? They can’t all be bad, and genocide is irreversible once it’s been done.”
Mace winced. “It is. And I can’t say that I like it. But I don’t think we have a choice. If I went in and found where she was, freed her, and exposed the conspiracy, who’s to say the Hoorka people wouldn’t approve of it?
“They stand to benefit from this tremendously. The Karthian Empire, the United Front, and the former Galactic Union would all fall under their control. And who knows how many systems the Dedrus have? The Hoorka Dominion would span hundreds of star systems. If Favia was in control of that, I might not worry. But these others… I have a feeling they would want to wipe out all potential competition.”
The shuttle began the climb up through the atmosphere.
Mace said, “Where are you going?”
Jenny smiled. “Back to Gellos. You just said we have to go.”
Mace replied, “I’m just thinking out loud.”
Jenny said, “Well, in a bit you can think out loud with the others.”
The shuttle settled and the ramp lowered. The others were waiting in the conference room.
Mace stood at the head of the conference table. “We need ideas… and from that… decisions. We can’t let this stand. Our people will again be used as soldiers to fight someone else’s war. Now… the Karthians are no longer a threat. They have no fleets. The UF… they’ve been hurt. With pressure from the Hoorka I would bet they could be persuaded to back away and focus their energies elsewhere. The Hoorka themselves… I don’t think they want war, but the people in charge at the moment do.
“So what are our options? Do we try to restore Favia and stop the wars? Do we just capture the Hoorka war council and stop the war? Do we let this play out until the Hoorka have the UF on the ropes?”
Johnny said, “Option one. We get Favia. That at least gives us some leverage with these people. We can always take the war council hostage if need be.”
Jane nodded. “I’d go with that one as well. She has been nothing but an ally to us. It’s time we returned the favor.”
The remainder of the room agreed, except for Jasper. “I say we let them continue on their run. As soon as they’re done mopping up the UF fleets, we go in and kill Stark. Then we grab Favia and expose the rest of them. That solves our Stark problem right along with the others.”
Jenny said, “I think the one big unknown for that scenario is what will the UF and Stark do when the Hoorka attack the UF. They might load everyone up on transports and ship them to Promexa. They would get slaughtered, but if some made it through they could devastate that planet. And the Hoorka people wouldn’t be all too happy about that. I think option one offers the least risk for Earth.”
Johnny said, “The only problem I see with it is… will Stark be giving them the means to see through our holo-projectors? If he’s already negotiating he might be doing that right now.”
Jane said, “I would agree. If we do this, we need to do it now.”
“OK,” said Mace. “I’ll take General Keona. Johnny, you take Blogue. The rest of you will work to find the war council. Infiltrate and listen for signs of the conspiracy. One of these people will lead us to Favia.”
Jenny said, “If we find her and free her, what’s the plan from there?”
Jasper said, “Since I got overruled, I say we then grab the impostor and make a swap. We can handle her safety as the others are exposed and rounded up.”
A comm came into Jasper. “What do you have, Lieutenant?”
The lieutenant replied, “The Hoorka fleet has jumped to UF space. A fierce fight is going on around the UF world called Bonnihue. Two of the warstations and the bulk of the remaining UF fleet is defending. It appears the Hoorka have a slight advantage.”
Jasper nodded. “Thank you, Lieutenant. Keep me informed.”
Mace said, “They must have accomplished what they wanted to do in the Karthian territories. They’re going after the one threat they have left.”
Jane said, “Let’s pack up and move, then. Is the Royal back in operation?”
Jasper replied, “I’ve been informed it will take another week. Take shuttles three and five. I’ll park our remaining ships in high orbit above Promexa. Call us in if we’re needed.”
The shuttles were packed with supplies and headed for Promexa. Jenny piloted shuttle three. Jordan Crawford, Jane, and Fatso Geerok were dropped in the courtyard to keep an eye on the false queen. Any visitors she might have that would be worth tailing would take Jordan’s or Fatso’s attention.
Liam Hobbs took the controls of shuttle five. Humphrey Mallot, Hans Mueller, and two others were dropped at the military base to search out the war council. Johnny and Mace hopped out at the offices of the general and admiral.
Mace released Johnny’s shoulder as he whispered, “This is it. You know where the shuttle is. If you have any news, take it there. Rap on the hull three times, and if it’s clear, the ramp will open. Let Liam know what you know and what you’re planning. We might be sitting here for days, so be patient. If you hear anything unusual or important, go tell Liam. And if you don’t, well, it won’t hurt to check in periodically, maybe every three or four hours. That way we each stay as informed as possible.”
Johnny replied, “Got it.”
The hallway outside the general’s office went silent as Johnny moved down around a corner. Mace turned to face the door going into the general’s reception area. He turned the handle and opened it slowly. As Mace slipped inside, an administrative assistant stared at the mysterious happening in front of him.
“Torvil? Did you just see that? The door opened by itself.”
Torvil never looked up from his work, but replied, “Probably wasn’t closed all the way. Get back to work, Glenni. There is too much to do. The general needs this finished by this evening.”
Glenni stood, walking to the door and closing it, checking the handle to be certain it latched. The general came over an office comm. “Major… where is that system report?”
Glenni reached for a paper on his desk. “Right here, sir. And can I ask why we aren’t doing this in electronic form? Paper is archaic.”
The general sighed. “Paper can easily be destroyed. When entered into the system, everything is redundantly backed up. It’s nearly impossible to have any communication that is private. These reports are meant for the war council’s eyes only. We can’t allow it to fall into the hands of spies.”
Glenni bowed as he laid the paper on the general’s desk. “Has there been a spy problem, sir?”
Keona shook his head. “No, and if you follow my orders precisely, there won’t be one.”
Mace moved over to the desk, looking down at the report to get it recorded with his helmet camera. The assistant walked back to the office door, closing it behind as he returned to his station.
The general browsed through a number of papers as Mace looked over his shoulder. A comm came in from the impostor.
“General, is this a secure channel?”
The fake queen replied, “They have been insisting. I don’t know how much longer I can refuse. Not talking to two of my most trusted war council members will raise suspicion. They have been quizzing my new advisors constantly. I don’t have anything to report that concerns me other than they are asking questions about my health.”
Keona scowled. “Ceola, we only need to make this work for another two days. Our fleets are in UF space. We expect their capital to fall overnight. And you and I better hope it does. Our losses today have been horrendous. We need the momentum to push this to completion.”
“Halfus… you’ve been training me for this for a year. I know what to say to Agok, Pran, and the others. You’ve taught me… intimately. Even as prying as Blogue is, he doesn’t have a clue about us.”
Keona replied, “And he shouldn’t. It would only make us look weak. He thinks the real queen will be returned to the throne when this is over. That won’t happen. You will be our queen… my queen. And together we will make the Dominion more powerful and wealthier than ever before. Our people will worship us for our accomplishments. History will define us as the greatest Hoorka leaders of all time.”
The two Hoorka rapidly blinked their eyes at one another for several seconds before the comm ended.
The general signaled his assistants. “Ready my shuttle. I’ll be having lunch with Admiral Blogue.”
The general completed work at his desk. Papers were placed in a folder, which was then shut. The general walked with the folder into the outer office.
“The shuttle will be waiting downstairs, sir.”
A short walk had Mace following the general onto the shuttle. Several minutes later, the Hoorka admiral joined them. Johnny, following the admiral aboard, stepped on Mace’s boot, falling forward onto an open couch seat.
The admiral looked down toward the noise with curiosity.
The general held out the folder. “Guard these with your life. They outline our short term plan. When you’ve read through them completely, make certain they are fully destroyed. This is the type of evidence that would certainly convict us.”
As the admiral reached out for the folder, Johnny rolled onto the floor and out of the admiral’s way. As the admiral sat, he ran his hand over the still open expanse of the couch, feeling for whatever had made the noise.
The general asked, “What are you doing?”
The admiral looked up. “Going crazy, I suppose. I heard a noise.”
Keona scowled. “You better get it together, Admiral. This next week or two is crucial. Should we manage to control all the known systems except the Dedrus, we will be well on our way to cementing our rule.”
Blogue replied, “Convince me again that the queen will follow our lead once she is returned.”
Keona smiled. “Simple. Her popularity with the people will be stronger than ever. The victories will have already happened and the benefits will be easily apparent. She would be a fool to not accept the result and move on. Besides, the threat of another kidnapping will remain. And she has no idea of who is behind any of this.”
“Her new advisors… they know who we are.”
Keona nodded. “And they are well paid and will disappear as soon as she comes back. Our tracks have been well covered, Admiral. In a few weeks we’ll be riding in parades and giving speeches in celebration of our great victories.”
Blogue looked over the contents of the folder. “The queen, where are you keeping her? Are you certain it is safe and secure?”
The general pointed at the folder. “Just look over the information. The queen is in good hands and safe. And it’s better that you not know where. The fewer possibilities of a leak, the better off we are.”
The shuttle landed on the roof of an exclusive dining hall. After a quick meal, the two Hoorka leaders returned to the command building and their respective offices. Blogue set the folder on his desk and took a seat in his private restroom.
Opening the folder, Johnny recorded its information as he flipped through the pages. The folder was returned to its original position and format just before the admiral returned to the room, collected it, and dropped it into a machine in the corner of the office, incinerating it.
After an hour of sitting in wait, the admiral’s assistant knocked on the door. “Sir, you have a visitor. It’s Admiral Pran.”
Blogue took a deep breath. “Let him in.”
Admiral Matia Pran, the oldest veteran on the war council, walked into the room bobbing from side to side as his hip joints lacked the flexibility they had once had. “Blogue… have you been able to talk to the queen?”
Blogue shook his head. “She doesn’t want an audience, Matia. I believe she is waiting for the results of our first engagement with the UF ships. She indicated such to my assistants when they requested a conversation.”
Pran placed his fists knuckle-down on Blogue’s desk. “Same runaround she gave me. It’s not like her. She generally demands counsel during events like this.”
Blogue shrugged. “This is an unusual path she has chosen, Matia. Perhaps she fears we will talk her out of achieving the goals she set forth.”
Pran scowled. “Just not her usual operating mode, that’s all. You have actually seen her, right?”
Blogue nodded. “This morning, at the palace, when she told me she did not want to be bothered. She said she had her reasons. Frankly, I believe she may have some on the council who are helping her. Of whom, I could not be certain.”
Pran sniffed. “Is that the incinerator?”
Blogue pursed his lips and nodded. “I’m afraid I had a personal note given to me by an admirer. Not the sort of thing you want others to read, if you understand what I mean. Some females will stop at nothing to climb the ladder to leadership. Not to knock myself, but I am getting old. My skin is already getting that greenish hue like yours and I’m thirty cycles your junior. I say that because I fully realize it is power that she is after and not this aging mess I call my body.”
Pran chuckled. “Yes, I’ve had a few of those offers over the years. Aggressive, cunning females can find a good home in the intelligence corps. The regular service does not benefit from their relational prowess. They tend to seek self-justice if they feel they have been wronged, rather than allowing the system to handle those matters.”
Blogue replied, “Perhaps our lack of aggression is detrimental to the regular service in its own way. An aggressive female might just be helpful during a time of war.”
Pran sighed. “You are talking of the queen now. Her leadership and decisiveness should not be confused with aggression. Up until now she has relied heavily on our counsel.”
Blogue nodded. “Perhaps that counsel has been heeded and this war is the result of it. If all goes well against the UF, we will be far better off and safer than we have been in centuries. Our full efforts could once again be turned toward the Dedrus, ensuring they cannot harm us.”
Pran tapped his knuckles on the desktop before standing up straight. “Continue to ask for an audience, Blogue. I don’t like being kept in the dark.”
The veteran admiral turned and walked back to the doorway, again bobbing from side to side as he moved. After the door closed, Blogue slumped in his chair with a sigh of relief, proud of his response.
The admiral opened a comm to his outer office. “Lieutenant, prepare my shuttle. I will be heading home for the afternoon to prepare for the gala tonight.”
As the admiral left, Johnny followed him out into the hall. After hurrying down the stairs to the main floor, he slipped out into the landing lot beside the building and then behind a wooded area where shuttle three was hovering. A rap with his knuckles had the ramp lowering and Johnny quickly aboard.
Mace Hardy was sitting in the copilot’s seat. “You pick up anything?”
Johnny nodded. “I think those two are the leaders of this coup. If there’s anyone else beside the general, the phony queen, and her advisors involved, Blogue doesn’t know anything about them. He just got a visit from Admiral Pran. The old guy looks like a straight shooter. Blogue was lying to him up and down with a straight face. Pran knows something is going on but I don’t think he suspects Blogue of being a part of it.”
Mace said, “Keona and the fake are intimate. They plan on never returning Favia to the throne. We need to find her, and soon. If the UF campaign goes well I think Keona plans on doing away with her. He would then become the queen’s most trusted advisor. My guess is that Blogue would not be long for this world if that happens. He seems concerned that Favia may not accept just being placed back in power. I think his concern is for her actual safety. The general appears to be the leader in this whole affair.”
Johnny said, “The admiral just left to get prepared for tonight’s gala.”
Mace nodded. “Keona did the same about a half hour ago.”
“What do we do now?”
“We get ready for the gala. You bring a tie?”
Johnny chuckled. “A tie… haven’t even thought about a tie for years now. The old Human tie might have finally seen its last days.”
Mace half smiled. “Can’t say I’ll miss it.”
Liam shook his head. “You chaps just don’t have much refinement, do you?”
Johnny laughed. “Hey, I keep my battlesuit clean. What else is there? We know you Brits still carry on about your royalty.”
Liam shook his head. “Still the crown’s rebellious children.”
Johnny half frowned. “I’d be happy to go back to that if we could. Sad, all that history will likely die off with the next generation or two. Our kids’ kids will be trying to run translators on us to figure out what we’re talking about.”
HADRON Emergent Page 5