ROMA

by R. A. Ender

  Robin was first out of the car and ran up to give her father a big hug. After straightening his uniform, which was a little crumpled after having sat in the gravlift so long, Richard climbed out as well and had a chance to survey the scene as Robin chatted with her father.

  Commanding Admiral Bradley Shelbus was not a tall man. His athletic figure, clearly visible in his casual clothing, stood only a couple of uncia above his daughter. His hair was a deep red color with only a few traces of gray to betray his age.

  As soon as Richard had stood up, the Admiral moved toward him with his hand outstretched. Expecting to have to give a proper salute, Richard was momentarily confused by the Admiral’s obvious desire to grasp his arm. For a brief moment, he was indecisive as to what to do. But before the Admiral came close, he thrust out his hand to match the approaching welcome. They grasped each other’s arms in a firm greeting.

  “Well, Captain, that was a bold choice,” The Admiral said with a hint of humor and respect. “I’ve had full Admirals of the Fleet not calm themselves quickly enough to grasp instead of salute. Congratulations!”

  And with that said, Shelbus retracted his hand, gave a smile and a nod of approval, before turning back to walk up the drive to where he had left his daughter.

  For a moment, Richard could only swallow and exhale his nerves slowly. Shelbus threw his hand around his daughter’s shoulders and walked with her into the home.

  “So, tell me all about this new commanding officer of yours?” Shelbus asked his daughter, more than loudly enough for Richard to hear. “Is he always that nervous around company?” The laugh that followed the gentle gibe echoed inside the foyer of the home.

  Before Richard could remember any more of their meeting, he felt the elevator come to a stop. One could never predict the elevator trip down. Designed to confuse the occupant, the trip always felt the same but the length of the trip was always random. It was a deliberate design to avoid anyone from being able to plan an attack or invasion of the chamber by knowing exactly how far down in the ground it was located.

  As the doors opened, Richard found himself in a short narrow hallway guarded, as usual, by members of the Commanding Admirals Council’s Praetorian Guards. This dedicated legion numbered in the thousands, not just for protection, but also to man the Commanding Admiral’s ship, the Senatus Populusque Romanus or SPQR for short. The Agamemnon Class ship was the only means of transport available to a Commanding Admiral, and it was entirely manned by members of the Praetorian Guard. The very public and noticeable nature of the SPQR was one of the leading reasons the CAC had decided to promote Richard to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet and give him the responsibility of acting in their place when they needed him to. It was far easier to direct some affairs in secret and through a middle man than flying the symbol and prestige of the Defense Force of the Confederacy all over the known universe.

  The guards at the end of the short hallway opened the double doors as he approached revealing the large council chamber to view.

  The chamber had three levels. The upper level, onto which the double doors opened, was a large circular walkway providing several places to descend to the lower two levels by stairs. The second level, again a large circle, had large sitting areas between staircases. Each seating area had three rows of chairs, though the number varied depending on the section. On one whole side of the second level stood a massive display screen, used during meetings, but otherwise showing the standard of the Defense Force.

  Hidden behind the display screen, on the upper level, was a doorway to access living quarters and a full survival shelter. The chamber was designed to house up to fifty people for over a year in the case of emergency. With communication equipment, a full armory, and logistics staff, the chamber would allow the CAC to manage the Defense Force even during a full planetary siege or occupation.

  The lowest level of the chamber was where the members of the CAC held their meetings. A large horseshoe-shaped table, with the open end facing the display screen, allowed each Admiral an unobstructed view of the screen, while still maintaining their ability to face each other. In the middle sat the largest chair, reserved for the Prefect of the Council.

  As Richard walked around the upper level, he could see that all of the Admirals were already seated and appeared to be waiting for something. A few of them were chatting among themselves, while others were speaking to their assistants.

  When Admiral Shelbus caught sight of Richard, he immediately waved him down to the lower level. “Gentlemen and Ladies, Admiral of the Fleet Hilbornus has arrived, let’s come to order,” Shelbus said aloud. A few of the Admirals looked up toward Richard, though most simply straightened up in their chairs and turned their focus toward the rostrum at the end of the horseshoe table, where Richard quickly moved to and stood behind.

  “Welcome Admiral Hilbornus, and thank you for joining us,” Boomed the loud voice of Admiral Dredmoore. His tall stature was clearly visible despite his seated position. In person, standing side by side, his stature was usually very imposing. Even when sitting, though, his strong features and raven black hair made a strong impression. It was of little surprise to anyone that he was descended from a royal blood line.

  “Had you thought about where your next training cruise would be going?” Dredmoore asked not waiting for Richard to reply to his welcome.

  Without hesitating, as he had indeed already planned their route, he answered. “My crew and I had planned on a cruise around the Old Colony region, first visiting New Earth,” and without pausing he added, “Do you have something specific in mind?”

  Dredmoore smiled at that, and Richard could see that Shelbus was smiling as well. He thought to himself, I’m definitely not nervous around Commanding Admirals anymore!

  “In fact we do, Admiral Hilbornus.” This time the speaker was to Richard’s left. It was Admiral Westscott, head of the Defense Force Intelligence Service.

  “What do you know about General Espartero, now Emperor of the Imperial Alliance of Empires?” Westscott asked.

  “Well, I know that he emerged from the Imperial Navy quite unexpectedly to become Governor of the North West Province. During one of the IAE’s suppressions of the F’lwoka on Tineo, he managed to become Governor of the South Central Province as well. And ten years ago he led a coup against the Imperial Supreme Council and deposed its ruling oligarchy in favor of a restoration of the Imperial crown, which he placed on his own head.”

  Westscott nodded throughout Richard’s quick synopsis. Another speaker, this time to Richard’s right, spoke next.

  “Have you ever been made aware of any further information, even secret information, from your contact in the IAE?” The speaker was Admiral Julius.

  Richard looked at Admiral Julius for a moment. He digested the implication of a Commanding Admiral suggesting that he had information that he had not passed along. The implication was quite harsh.

  Before Richard could even answer Shelbus spoke up, directing his comment to Dredmoore instead of Julius. “Nathan, if you want to accuse Hilbornus of treason, do it yourself! Don’t plant a question with your lackey.” Shelbus spit out the charge with sufficient venom that Admiral Julius quickly looked down at his station.

  Dredmoore, though, was not shamed or intimidated by Shelbus’ rebuke. “The question is absolutely valid, especially now with the threat! So don’t get so defensive for your own lackey!” Dredmoore said with equal venom.

  “The question is asked, Admiral Hilbornus. What is your answer?” Dredmoore asked pointedly at Richard.

  “Well, first, I include all information in my reports, period. And second, no, I have no additional information. Since the coup, I have only rarely had an opportunity to meet with my contact.”

  Dredmoore huffed out a disgruntled noise before moving forward. “I had little doubt that was true. So, Admiral here is the situation.

  “You are correct, General Espartero rose into the governorship rather quickly. We don’t know why or how. We do k
now how he obtained multiple governorships, though. During one of the many revolts that have occurred on Tineo against Imperial rule, the Governor of the South Central Province was killed. Intelligence suggests that his ship in orbit was sabotaged and destroyed. The oligarchs in the Supreme Council were convinced, by Espartero, that he could crush the revolt and revenge the death, he asked only to be given a second province. Indications are that the Supreme Council had a faction which backed Espartero.”

  Dredmoore paused to take a drink while also using his station to launch the main display. “With control of the North West and South Central province, Espartero held two key provinces. The North West province has long been the heart of the Imperial Navy, containing two of its three shipyards, and a wealth of raw materials for construction. It also has completely secure external borders with the B’taliyx Hive on one side, who don’t give a damn about anyone except beating up on the Bxtozil every century or so, and the Dead Empire on the other. With the addition of the South Central province, he obtained a direct supply line to the Imperial Province from his secure base.”

  Flipping off the map display of the IAE provinces, Dredmoore brought up some annalese copies from IAE sources.

  “After the suppression of the F’lwoka on Tineo, Espartero became a national hero. He was on every annalese source across the empire for over a month. No surprise, the Supreme Council made his governorship of two provinces permanent.”

  “After the celebration quieted down, though, we know that some factions in the Supreme Council were working to remove him from power. But, he was too high profile and had many supporters, so they failed.”

  At this point, the cover of the latest book by Tacitanus, the subject of the last question during the public meeting popped up on the display screen. Dredmoore pointed to the display as he continued to speak.

  “As much as I despise the author and his book, a couple facts in an otherwise over the top, opinionated fiction, have been known to our intelligence service for some time.”

  “First, ten years ago the Supreme Council of the Imperial Alliance of Empires voted to invade the Confederated Union of Worlds. They put a plan of invasion in place, put that plan into action, and awaited the glory they hoped would follow.”

  Flipping picture, the silhouette of a ship popped onto the screen. “Unfortunately, you actually know what happened, even if you didn’t realize it. Do you recognize this silhouette?”

  Richard looked at the silhouette very carefully. For a moment, he tried to figure out which kind of ship it was. The silhouette was unusually clear and details were very visible, but the ship looked like nothing he’d seen before. And with that thought, he remembered.

  “That is the ship my crew and I encountered ten years ago onboard the Churchill,” he answered with authority.

  “Correct!” Dredmoore said. “And you will recall that ten years ago you were recalled moments after that ship exploded.”

  “Well, that ship was part of an invasion plan of the Confederacy. We have never managed to get a lot of detail, but it appears that that ship was designed to temporarily cripple the Telegod network to permit the IAE fleets to slip through the Apollo sensor network.”

  The display flipped to a detailed schematic of the unknown ship. “None of the ships survived once they began to jam the network. We have to assume that there was a serious design flaw. In either case, the failed invasion produced a serious political crisis in the IAE. General Espartero, commanding the forces of his two provincial fleets, invaded and conquered the Imperial Province, laying siege to their home planet of Imperialis.”

  “Meanwhile, his faction was working to have the Supreme Council surrender with the promise of amnesty. Some deal was reached, and when Espartero came to the capital of Imperialis, the Supreme Council voted him Emperor of the United Peoples of the Imperial Alliance of Empires.”

  Dredmoore took another drink, but before he could continue his description, Shelbus began to speak.

  “The second fact that came out of the book was more personal, about Espartero. His rise in the military was quite rapid. The narrative being told to the people of the IAE through the state annalese’s suggests that through force of will and courage, the Emperor set a goal for himself to achieve the Governorship in his first five years with the military. The story even speaks to the Supreme Council approving a delay in assigning the Governorship to match his five-year graduation date.”

  “Next, his personal narrative tells that he foretold the date that the F’lwoka revolt would come to an end, the same date that the original conquer of Tineo began. He also foretold the surrender of the Supreme Council would occur on the date that they had previously overthrown the last Emperor.

  “Needless to say, this obsession with dates and anniversaries seems to be a personal trait of Espartero. The state annalese’s constantly speaks about dates and anniversaries. He has named at least twenty historic date celebrations since becoming Emperor.”

  “Therefore, as the ten year anniversary of the failed invasion of the Confederacy approaches, we have some concern. Some on this council,” and with that Shelbus nodded toward some Admirals to Richard’s left, “feel that no threat exists. They point to the IAE state annalese’s which constantly speak of rebuilding and improving the empire hurt by decades of rape and pillage by the Supreme Council Oligarchs. They never discuss outward ambitions, even the usual fear mongering about the Confederacy has been muted.”

  Shelbus turned and nodded toward Dredmoore as he continued. “However, this time I agree with Admiral Dredmoore. The threat to the Confederacy is heightened due to a pair of anniversaries coming up. The ten year anniversary of the failed invasion is less than a month away. Before that anniversary passes, though, two other dates of failed invasions by the IAE will pass, as well as the date we stood with and protected F’lwok from reconquering by the IAE after the F’lwoka successfully revolted. So we are legitimately concerned that despite the lack of propaganda, that the IAE will move decisively against us.”

  Dredmoore now straightened and injected himself back into the discussion. “We have an assignment for you and your ship, Admiral. We are assigning you to patrol the border with the IAE along their South West Province. We hope that while patrolling you will have an opportunity to speak with or meet with your contact and obtain some additional information. We also need you to be on the border to track any invading fleets. If you receive any information you are to report it back personally as soon as possible. Do not use communication networks unless time is of the essence.”

  Dredmoore sat back in his chair after issuing the order. Shelbus added one final comment, though. “Admiral, for this mission you carry the CAC authority with you. For now, this is a verbal authority, but if it becomes necessary, we will send that authority in writing. Use any tool at your disposal to protect the Confederacy.”

  And with that, all members of the council rose to their feet, faced the standard now visible again on the main display and they all saluted.

  CHAPTER 8

  “Is there anything else, gentlemen?”

  In the small office, seated in a row in front of her desk, five veteran military men in full dress uniform all shook their head “No” in the most precise military way. Looking at each one in order to acknowledge she had understood, she nodded her understanding.

  “Alright, thank you. If you have anything further, do not hesitate to let my assistant know so we can schedule a meeting. Have a good rest of your day.” And with that, the Praetor Imperator Legatus of the New Earth Defense Alliance stood up, saluted her Senior Staff of Legates, each in command of one of the five branches of N.E.D.A. They, in turn, rose in unison, saluted, and immediately left the office.

  As the last Legate left, softly closing the door behind himself, Heather sat back in her chair. She knew in a few moments her assistant would shuffle into the room with more work, but he was dutifully trained to leave her alone for five minutes after each meeting. It was always important to take a fe
w minutes alone to digest meetings with her senior staff before issuing orders. Sometimes a moment of reflection made all the difference.

  The good news is that likely nothing needs to be done. For the first time since she was chosen for the top position in N.E.D.A. three years ago, everything appeared to have finally been settled after the major reforms she initiated.

  What a mess this organization was! She thought to herself. But, look at it now.

  Smiling, she thought back to the day she had been ordered to attend a meeting in Roma. She had walked into a small conference room in the Roma Senate House and been surprised to see the leaders of all the nation states of New Earth sitting together at a round table, with only one empty seat waiting for her. She was at first shocked to be in the same room with all these leaders of high office, especially since she was only a Tribune of a base. Then she reflected upon the fact that she hadn’t heard anything about a meeting in Roma and was even more surprised that they had all managed to assemble without ceremony or public knowledge.

  As the meeting progressed, she realized why. It became clear that they had all come together because the state of N.E.D.A. was in crisis. Funding requests continued to mount, but the defense product they were fielding did not even meet its stated goal of planetary defense. Though Defense Force was relied upon to defend New Earth’s nearspace, inner system and outer systems worlds, N.E.D.A. was assigned the task of planetary defense. Specifically, it carried a mandate to make New Earth siege and invasion proof.