My heart began pounding quicker and quicker in anxiety. My former companions had been found! I wanted to jump for joy and shout out loud, which is what I did. Not embarrassed by the many people surprised with the stormy outburst of joy from the normally composed Crown Prince, I calmed down a bit, got myself together and said:
"Yes, lieutenant, this really is that very special case. I'll call the observers from the Himora system right away. If our cloakers confirm that there are no Alien ships ready to jump to Hnelle, turn on the beacon for half a second to let Ghost-5 through..."
I went silent as my attention was suddenly grabbed by a very strange gesticulation from the Admiral who was sitting in the armchair beside me. Mike ton Akad was placing several fingers on his shoulder, clearly trying to communicate something. I spent several seconds watching his pantomime before I realized what exactly the admiral wanted to tell me:
"And I congratulate you on the promotion, Lieutenant Commander Yarith Kahv! The matter of your promotion has already been settled with the Unatari Fleet's admiral."
* * *
"Tuki-tuka-de-sa, here are her children!" Popori de Cacha led me to a long ditch full of water separated into a great many sections with a single mesh covering, and pointed his flexible finger downward toward the surface, shining back in the light of the midday sun.
I took a closer look. It was a really shallow ditch. It wasn't even a foot deep. In the warm sun-heated water, which was drawn into the system of canals and lakes by a pump directly from the Unatari Ocean, there was a herd of lively foot-long black newts swimming around.
"Eleven children. Not so long ago, it was thirteen, but they ate the two weakest ones."
"Do they not have enough food?" I asked, surprised and disturbed.
"That's not it at all, my Prince. It’s just the law of nature. The strongest, most dexterous, and capable survive. The weak must be eliminated and not allowed to multiply, otherwise the species as a whole will begin to decline. Usually, by the second metamorphosis stage, when they start climbing out onto dry land, only around half are still alive."
Strict rules, especially if you consider how extremely low-numbered a race the Ravaash is.
"Popori de Cacha, don't you ever feel sad when you think that one of your own children was eaten by his own brothers and sisters?"
My bodyguard went silent. An opaque film went down over his eyes. "Thinking mode" again. It can't have been that my question had so seriously affected the Chameleon that it had forced him to enter a state of intense thought, right? The head of my guard finally opened his eyes.
"My Prince, you have touched upon a very delicate topic for me. All sixteen of my children are still alive, even though they have passed the first stage of metamorphosis. My compatriots have already started shooting me sideways glances. Some even call my children inadequate to their faces. Hatchlings must kill the weak. That is the law of nature. But, for some reason, they just won’t..."
"Come now. Chin up, old friend. Maybe it's just that they're all good enough to reach adulthood. Have you checked what happens if you put a weak hatching from another brood in there?"
"What are you saying, Crown Prince?! Who would ever agree to sacrifice their own child for such an experiment?! My children are one-third larger than normal and twice as active. They'd rip these other babies in half. Even the nanny that feeds the hatchlings in the canals was seriously bitten by my children when she carelessly left her arm into the water for too long."
Well then... I spent some time in silence watching the totally inoffensive looking newts as they frolicked in the water, then asked:
"And when will they become intelligent and begin their Chameleon education?"
"My Prince, they are already intelligent and studying actively. All the babies in this bunch already understand Ravaash language perfectly, and some even know human. The captain of Surprise-1 taught them herself. Watch. Belly up!" My bodyguard said the last sentence in a louder voice than usual.
Eight of the newts immediately turned over in the water, revealing their light yellow bellies. The other three repeated the same trick with a short delay.
"These three didn't understand the command in human language. They were just watching their brothers," the head of my guard explained.
The yellow-bellied newts, flailing their arms and legs awkwardly, really did look hilarious. My cousin would certainly have liked it. But Katerina ton Mesfelle, and the other humans were not allowed by the vigilant Chameleons to get near their nursery, only I had that privilege as "elder female." I turned to a group of people standing far away and suggested to Popori de Cacha that we start slowly making our way back.
As we walked, I decided to discuss the main issue I'd come to the Chameleon island for:
"Popori de Cacha, I did not see you among the guards that left the room before my talk with the Emperor. Were you present for that conversation?"
"Yes, my Prince. I was, in fact, in the room at that time." The huge lizard stopped and turned both of his mobile eyes toward me.
"I suspect that the information on the Emperor's secret offer has already been sent to your elders then?"
Colorful splotches ran over the Chameleon's gray skin. It must have meant repentance or shame. After that, the head of my bodyguard bent down on one knee and, bowing his head, extended his blade toward me.
"I entrust my life to your Highness's judgment. Yes, I really have divulged that fact to the leaders of my kind."
I very carefully ran the tip of my thumb over the extremely sharp, curved blade. No matter how softly I did it, though, the skin on my finger split and started bleeding. The micron-width cutting edge must have been made of ceramic or composite to keep metal detectors from finding it along with its invisible owner.
"You may stand, Popori de Cacha." I returned the blade to its owner. "While speaking with August, I knew perfectly well that you were in the room. I trust you as I would myself, which is why I didn't demand that you leave. I also didn't ask you to keep the secret, because I needed you to send the message to your kind. And now, I need to know what exactly your elders have decided. It's been six hours after all. You must have come to some kind of decision."
Standing change. Chameleon race opinion of you has improved.
Chameleon race opinion of you: +36 (respect)
Popori de Cacha gave a deep bow and pointed his flexible appendage at the many artificial canals filled with her species’ young:
"There are around three hundred young females of my race here on Unatari, and over two thousand hatchlings being raised. Every year, our numbers will grow. This place is the future of my race and its greatest treasure. The Ravaash will join the side of Unatari in any conflict with no reservations. But here we get the question of guarding my home world, Sss, which also needs to be taken into account..."
"That is precisely why I began this conversation. After all, if Unatari declares that it is leaving the Orange House, Duke Avalle's wrath may be directed at allies of the new government and, above all else, the Chameleons. The Orange House has been licking their lips at the strategically important tantalum ore deposits on your home world, and the beginning of a conflict would simply be an excellent reason for Duke Avalle to capture the rich prize. As such, before beginning any activity, I'll have to provide safety to your people in the Sss star system..."
Standing change. Chameleon race opinion of you has improved.
Chameleon race opinion of you: +39 (respect)
I interrupted my own speech to familiarize myself with the popup message. Popori de Cacha clearly was now speaking for his whole race, and fully supported my idea that it was necessary to guarantee the safety of the Sss star system. It wasn't surprising. Practically all the Chameleons lived in one system, which an Orange House fleet could destroy in a matter of hours.
"So then, Popori de Cacha, I'm describing the situation as it stands. The Li Colony and Sss system warp beacons are currently under the control of Orange House soldiers. The beacon divisio
ns are quite small, ten or fifteen men, but the problem is that my starships cannot pass through Forepost-12 unnoticed. As such, I lay out your mission as clearly as possible: can your kind land two assault groups of Chameleons at one time and take the Li Colony and Sss stations under control? There is no need for combat ships here whatsoever. In fact, the least suspicion of all would be aroused by ore freighters docking simply to charge energy. Invisible Chameleon soldiers can get into the warp beacon and... if possible, capture it without any human casualties."
"After such an open act of aggression, there would be going back..." the head of my guard said thoughtfully. "The Orange House would never forgive the Ravaash race for such an attack."
"I know. That is why my landing ships from the Sigur system will capture the Forepost-12 beacon at the same time. Forepost-13 will be attacked from the Oort system. And a fleet from Hnelle will capture another two systems: Forepost-11 and Tialla. Only that way can the three isolated territories that will be part of the future government unite and provide for travel and transit between one another. This is very important."
The Chameleon thought for a very long time, and even went into "thinking mode" again, but I didn't hurry him at all, understanding the weight of the decision before him. Finally, the head of my guard answered:
"My Prince, you can count on us. The Chameleons will capture the Sss and Li Colony warp beacons and turn them off."
"Excellent, my friend. In that case, let's go to the others. Now is the time to announce our grandiose plans to our old friends."
Conspirators' Assembly
We were sitting on large soft pillows in a spacious circular hall with no windows. The only source of light was the sun coming through the transparent ceiling, which made the room somewhat dim even in the middle of a sunny day. In Popori de Cacha's words, it had been built by Chameleons just today from aerated concrete, and would be a museum in honor of the captain of Surprise-1. But today, this room would serve as the location of a historic meeting of "conspirators," all gathered with the goal of leaving the Orange House. I had already declared my intention to my subordinates to create an independent Unatari State, and explained my reasons for doing so. The reaction of those gathered was one of measured approval. There weren't any shouts of joy, but there wasn’t strenuous objection either. The general opinion of the captains that had come over to my side was voiced by Oorast Pohl:
"My Prince, this is the best way out your Highness could possibly suggest. My friends and I have worked honestly our whole lives, fighting for the good of the Empire, which is why the prospect of being punished on false pretenses for treason was making us very upset. You can count on us all the way, Crown Prince!"
Admiral Mike ton Akad didn't take any time to think about it either:
"Your Highness has long been famous for doing things that seem unusual at first glance, but turn out to have been right after some time has passed. Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, I am with you!"
Colonel Gor ton Vulf simply raised his hand, showing his agreement with the previous speakers as well. Everyone present was staring at Ayna, who was the only one present not to have stated her own opinion. My assistant thought for a long time, then said:
"I am completely on Crown Prince Georg's side, but before the beginning of active measures, I want to be sure that no one close to us will suffer. I, like many of those here, have relatives and close friends in Orange House territory. There can be no doubt that they might suffer or be used for blackmail or political games by our enemies."
Those in the hall began to think. Their faces grew gloomy. Before their determination was totally extinguished, I said:
"Thank you, Ayna, for bringing up such an important issue. As quickly as possible, I expect each of you to compose a list of individuals to be evacuated to systems that will be under our control. If they cannot all be evacuated, they should at least be warned. We must protect our relatives and friends."
Katerina ton Mesfelle shook her head:
"Georg, it's hardly possible to get so many people out unnoticed. Many of them are probably under observation as it is. Our enemies are sure to notice the preparations and come to their own conclusions."
"If we cannot evacuate them secretly, then we'll have to do the exact opposite: evacuate them right out in the open. Information can be a weapon in the modern world, and there are those that can wield it very skillfully. Katerina, today I need a huge report, as scandalous as possible, about how the Orange House is threatening those close to the Unatari military, even civilians and young children. Cobble together a whole series of interviews with different soldiers, and overlay that with facts about how their families are under threat. Well, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how to do that."
Katerina nodded, confirming that there wouldn't be a problem with the material.
"Afterwards, make sure the story is picked up by news channels the Empire over. I'll earmark some funds for just that purpose so the reports can be shown in prime time on several Imperial planets. The howling and indignation will be frightening! For the next two or three days, the Orange House won't be able to do anything but rebut the accusations coming in from all sides and declare that they are not party to the persecution, so you can be sure that they won't dare detain anyone. We will show these scandalous news reports to all ships of our Star Fleet, including to those not currently in Unatari. After that, I will sign an official order as fleet commander saying, 'In light of the possible threats to the life and or freedom of those close to Unatari Fleet crew members, I order you to go make sure all your relatives and close friends are safe.' If anyone needs, I will even officially provide the funds to take their families somewhere secure. What do you say?"
Everyone kept silent for a long time, quite shaken-up by what they had heard. Obviously, the experienced military officers had not spent much time around journalism types, so they had a weak notion of how these kind of "breaking stories" could be simply concocted from thin air. Finally, the graying captain of Bride of Chaos raised his hand like a schoolboy at his desk.
"Yes, I think it'll work. But there's another important issue... Prince, you alluded to potentially fairly large expenses. What do you see in the financial future for this new government? I mean, we'll have to pay upkeep on five battleships, fifteen heavy and almost eighty light cruisers. It's not a small amount of money. Won't the fleet be paralyzed simply because there's nowhere to buy any fuel for the reactors or rounds for the cannons?"
"There are actually two questions there, and they're both important," I noted approvingly. "Repairing damaged starships, and manufacturing ammunition, drones, armor plates and even light ships will all be capabilities we will have in the Unatari State. My assistant Ayna can tell you more about the present financial situation of the future government."
The tall muscular girl stood up, turned on her palm-top and brought up a table with rows of numbers on the wide touch-screen table we were sitting at. Then, Ayna delved into our financials:
"Before you is this month’s net income report. The first line of income is the sale of valuables from Queen of Sin. All the auctions went through, the payments have come in, and the items have been given to commercial courier services for shipment to buyers. Insurance and all required documents have already been filled out by me, so delivering them is no longer our problem. Net profit, after considering commissions and other expenses came to seven hundred twenty-five million credits."
One of the captains gave a surprised whistle, and the others clearly found it funny. Ayna, though, waited out the brief interruption and continued:
"Another thirty-five million for monthly taxes from Unatari. A bit from the other systems too, a total of two million per month. There haven't yet been any production deliveries from the ice processing facilities, so there's a bit more there too. You need to also consider the fact that on top of all this, we're sending seven million to the Orange House tomorrow, and another three to the Throne World."
My assista
nt grew silent, waiting for my reaction. I thought for a bit, and approved:
"We won't stop paying taxes to the Empire, given that Unatari will remain part of the Empire. And we'll have to pay all the taxes for this month to the Orange House, otherwise Duke Avalle will perk his ears up a bit too soon, and that might interfere with our plans."
My assistant nodded in agreement and continued:
"The main part of the expenses column is maintaining two fleets. We also need to include buying necessary materials for docks and maintaining scientific laboratories in planned expenses. After paying all the taxes and expenses, our total monthly income will be four hundred seventy-two million credits."
Here I took a word:
"In this month, our main income was from selling valuables. Obviously, that is was a one-time windfall. But we can add income from the ice factories to next month, as well as ore production in the Sss system, and we'll also have to figure out taxes in the insect systems. I suspect that there should be a great deal more there as well. So, we have enough money to maintain the fleet, even considering the fact that our main ships are not here in Unatari at all."
Seeing by their faces that they weren't understanding, I began laughing and told them about my three-hundred-starship reserve fleet, currently in the Fia system. When I revealed that we still had the Uukresh, and a second that was practically already built, functioning production lines for manufacturing new drones with Alien technology and a research complex, smiles began lighting up on the captains' faces.
"My Prince, with such forces at our disposal, we could even take the Orange House Capital!" Oorast Pohl grew happy.
New Contract (Perimeter Defense Book #3) Page 11