“I never thought I’d hear you support Ms. Prescot,” David said to Ilse.
“No, that is usually your role, David. But this recent activity has me worried. We are blind to the world at large and have strained ties to our armed forces. Your little exploit to have Arinna framed for a coup didn’t help in that regard, Miralda. I thought we had agreed not to act without the consensus of the group?” Ilse replied.
Miralda sat stiffly. “It was an accident.”
“You don’t allow that sort of inattention, Miralda. You are more careful than that,” Renault said.
Miralda frowned. “Fine. I disagree with Ms. Boje. The Lady Grey has grown too powerful. How do we know what she is saying is true as Sabana suggested? Maybe she wants us to think there is a threat so that she can build the Guard. She has enough power she could unseat any of us. You heard her!”
“Build the Guard with what?” David said. “She hasn’t had new soldiers since we declared the war over and split the force into the Defensive Guard in Europe and the active force. Something we suggested, and she went along with if you remember?”
“I’d forgotten about that. What are the troop levels?” Ilse asked, worrying her lip. “How bad will it be if the fighting increases?”
“I don’t know the numbers. Arinna hasn’t asked for more troops,” David admitted.
“Could she get more troops unless we admitted the war is continuing?” le Marc asked.
The room fell silent. “Shit. We need to develop a contingency plan. If an attack happens in Europe or we need reinforcements, we will need a solid story on what is happening,” Ilse said.
“One that doesn’t implicate us,” Gilles pointed out.
“You’ve been silent on this,” David said to Gilles. “Where do you stand, and you too, Piero?”
Gilles frowned. “I don’t think the Lady Grey has lied about the recent attack. My son’s girlfriend in the Guard said it happened, and it was bad though she wasn’t aware of the level of planning that went into it that Arinna shared. I don’t like it, but we need to monitor what is happening. Hopefully, it will die down.”
Piero tapped a pencil against the tabletop. “I helped Miralda with leaking the documents. The Guard is not in our control and is a threat,” he finally admitted.
“The last time the Guard was in our control, we were losing a war,” Renault snapped, anger granting him a momentary return to the suave and powerful man that David remembered.
“And your actions have only further alienated the Guard just when we may need their help,” David concurred.
“Captain Vries is more than capable of commanding the Guard ... as he is supposed to!” Piero yelled.
“Do you have him in your pocket then?” Ilse asked. “No? I didn’t think so. Good luck getting him to turn on the Lady Grey. He follows her when he doesn’t have to. I doubt you’ll find a way to drive a wedge between them.”
Piero’s face was red, but he held his tongue. Which left David to guide the conversation onward.
“Then let’s have it out. Do we support the Lady Grey and repair the damage caused by Miralda and Piero’s actions or ... take other measures. God knows what they might be. Renault?”
“Support her.”
“Ilse?”
“I support her,” she said.
“Sabana?”
“She should be replaced,” Sabana replied.
“Gilles?”
“I support her. We wouldn’t be here without the Guard or her.”
“Piero?”
“Replace her,” he said.
“Miralda?”
“Though you seem to think you are our self-appointed leader, I will answer your question. She needs to be replaced or brought to heel. I am acceptable to either.”
“Thank you for that. My vote is the tiebreaker. I say we support her. She stays. The Guard receives whatever they need though we will ask they bring us news of what is beyond our borders other than battles and the FLF. At least, I hope there is more out there than that.”
Ilse looked smug that her suggestion was given weight. Miralda sat back in her chair, arms crossed. “That worked out well for you,” Miralda said to David. “No,” she continued as David opened his mouth to reply. “I am serious. It is more than time we appointed a new prime minister. Especially if, as you contend, problems beyond our border are picking up again.”
“Do you have a way of ‘appointing’ a prime minister without parliament getting wind that we are more than advisors, Ms. Gerschtein? They may be surprised to have someone, say you, walk into their midst and start telling them what needs to be done.”
Miralda slammed her hand against the table. “Oh no, you’d rather hold an election. Between you and le Marc how many senators have you bribed or selected who will vote for you, such as your son?”
“Actually, I think my son would be the last senator who will vote for me,” David replied. “But unless we take it to a vote from parliament, I don’t see how appointing or electing a new prime minister can be managed.”
Peiro had theories. Everyone had opinions. The meeting dissolved into arguments, shouting, and insults. An hour later, David rubbed his temples as he walked through the quiet hallways, thankful that parliament was on recess. The chaos of the meeting would have been difficult to disguise.
David went home, realizing he was waiting for company about the time he remembered le Marc’s apparent sickness. Perhaps he should pay Renault a visit for once. But no, the doorbell rang just as David was about to call for a horse. Some habits were difficult to break, despite ill health and questionable alliances.
“Tea,” David said to the girl who told him le Marc had arrived. “You didn’t have to come,” he remarked as Renault shuffled in. Renault waved the comment away.
“I needed to get out of the house,” Renault said as he settled in a chair. “Quite the meeting today. I think Miralda will be our undoing. Piero isn’t smart enough to jump unless she tells him to,” Renault added.
“Danielle with you?” David asked as he sat across from Renault.
“No. Surprised me too. I know she likes you ... or at least tries to play you against me,” Renault said with a smile. “But she wasn’t interested. I think there is a boy she is seeing ... it won’t last. No need to tell your son.”
“Hah. I’d be lucky to tell Derrick ‘good day’ before he hung up on me,” David said as the tea was brought in. “I certainly won’t bring up that his fiancée is seeing another boy, serious or not. Danielle is a good girl. I know she will do what is expected, and she seems to believe a connection with Derrick is the best future available to her.”
“You should stop fighting with him,” Renault said after the maid left.
“I’m not fighting with my son.”
Renault offered a sad smile. “Yes, you are. You are both fighting. You just fight by not talking to each other. You don’t know how long you have together. Did you ever tell Derrick how much you worried when he was a soldier in the war?”
“No,” David admitted. “No, we don’t talk about things like that.”
“You should.” Renault stared into his teacup.
“You’re ill,” David said after a moment.
“Hah. Did you notice that? Yes. Dying most likely. If it were a decade ago ... before the war and before how scrambled everything has become, maybe I wouldn’t be. Money is not enough to pay for technology and training lost.”
“There are drugs—”
“Depleted stocks or outdated. Chemotherapy isn’t enough to halt the tumors growing in me. We found them too late. I have months. Maybe a year. And then there will be one less member of MOTHER, and you will have one less to stand against Miralda and Piero. Mon Dieu, did you ever think she would be your biggest rival? It is almost embarrassing.”
David didn’t know what to say. So for a moment, he said nothing. Renault didn’t appear to notice but sat staring into the dark. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he finally asked.
&n
bsp; “Talk to Danielle if you would. She has always been more willing to listen to you. She doesn’t know how serious my illness is, and, despite everything, I’d prefer she didn’t. If she cannot forgive me without the pressing matter of my impending death, then so be it. It feels false otherwise.”
“Then what would you have me discuss with her?” David asked when Renault’s pause stretched on.
“Marriage. I would see her married while I’m still alive. Silly, I know. Illness has made an old fool of me. I cry for my lost boys. I cry because I’d love to have had a grandson again to hold before I pass. Can you imagine the child our children would produce? But there are practical reasons here too. She listens to you, yes, but that is because she thinks we are rivals. When I am gone, you will have less control. And you need her because Derrick listens to her. If you cannot repair your relationship with your son, then you will need Danielle. You will need both of their support to be prime minister and the network of friends and allies they have built. So we need them to marry before I die.”
“They could still divorce after,” David argued.
“So they need to marry as soon as possible to grow accustomed to the bargain they’ve made. Our families, united. We have enough power and influence to rule Europe between the two of us. But there will only be one soon. Miralda is right, God help me. We need a leader. Our fighting between ourselves has gotten worse. It needs to go to a vote, and when it does, I will support you. We just need to move quickly.”
David stared at his longtime rival who sat across from him like an old friend. “I would have thought you exaggerating your illness, but for this request. You are serious.”
“Yes, though do not look so shocked. I respect you, which is more than I can say for Miralda and her clumsy attempts at control. That and I would see Danielle tied to your son for selfish reasons too. The girl has never been what her brothers were. I fear for my family legacy left in her hands. But she is the only one left to claim it. Your son though ... except for his caving in to agree to marry Danielle, you raised a boy I can respect. He would have been a rival as worthy as you have been. Even you thought you’d had him backed into a corner, only to have him slip north to his estate. You are too alike. No wonder you don’t get along. He’ll make a good prime minister after you. I’ll just have to be content that I spawned the prime minister’s devious little wife.”
“I’ll speak to her soon,” David said, hating to admit that Renault had his mind spinning. “How long do we have to put this all together?”
“Within six months. I’d like to see them married this fall if we can’t get them to agree to it sooner. They’ve been engaged for four years now. The parliamentary vote to select a prime minister should happen as soon as parliament reconvenes in Prague, within the first few weeks at least.”
“This boyfriend of your daughter’s ... you’re certain it won’t be a problem?” David asked.
“If she seems to hesitate over ending it, let me know. The problem will be dealt with,” Renault replied, a desperate gleam lighting his aged eyes.
Chapter 13
CAPTAIN JARED VRIES
BUILDING CONFRONTATIONS
“I know we agreed to see what was going on in the world,” Arinna said over Jared’s comm line. “But I’m really, really hoping that the GPS is reading an error. South America?”
“You didn’t put any limits on the mission,” Jared pointed out. “And this beauty doesn’t need fuel.”
The dactyl, named for its odd shape, flew on batteries made of spent nuclear waste: strange fuel that powered all sorts of gizmos, including lasers instead of missiles. The Guard had stumbled on the FLF removing the planes from a secret US base in Sophia. That had been just after the loss of most of the Guard, along with most of their planes, in Kiev. Stealing the dactyls had been Arinna’s idea, the first crazy one of many that had led to her becoming his commander despite her lack of European military status. She’d been an army tactician in the US before it fell, and she knew how to win. That was good enough for him.
“Yes, well you need sleep ... which means, I hope, setting down someplace safe. Any plans for that, Captain?” Arinna asked.
“I brought along Kieren and five other soldiers. We’ll scout out a place to set down.” Jared smiled as Arinna sighed.
“You brought the Lieutenant of the Defensive Guard. Not a seasoned field lieutenant, but the one in charge of protecting Europe?” Arinna asked. He could hear the consternation as well as hope for a very good answer in her voice.
“Lieutenant O’Dell is seasoned,” Jared pointed out. “She fought well enough in the war to get promoted to lieutenant. Besides, she hasn’t been out of Europe since the war ended, and she was placed in command of the home troops. With the way things are going, I thought it would be good to get her back in the swing of things. This is just a recon mission.”
“Fine,” Arinna said grudgingly. “Just tell me the other soldiers aren’t Defensive Guard. I don’t care if they are her soldiers. Most of them are unseasoned, and I don’t need them hearing that there are actually two branches of the armed forces, and one of them is still fighting a war that supposedly ended three years ago.”
“Nah, they’re regular. I didn’t want to have to explain too much. We told the Defensive Guard that Lieutenant O’Dell is on special assignment and named an acting for a bit. I felt bad enough taking five soldiers away from Lieutenants Assad and Faronelli. I couldn’t pull one of them from the field too. You can’t be that annoyed?”
“No,” she said, tone serious. “I got the reports on troop numbers you left me. They were ... distressing.”
“Worse than I thought,” Jared admitted. “Gabriella and Farrak have been making do with less than they should. No wonder some of the fights have been close calls lately. We are outnumbered half the time, even if not by much.”
“We’re gonna have to solve this, but not while you are on a mission. Farrak and Gabriella can manage another month, I think. They need a real break, though,” Arinna said, sounding as worried and tired as he felt. “Well, have you seen anything useful at all?” she asked in a more conversational tone.
“Not much. Two sailboats crossing the Atlantic. Looked big enough to be carrying shipments. One might have had engines and sails. We’re over the remains of a jungle now with the sun setting. Won’t really get to look around until morning. You said you’d known someone from Brazil before the war?”
“Yes,” Arinna replied, voice distant. “He was against his government’s treaty with the FLF. Hard to say what you are going to find over there. Be careful, Jared.”
“Ah, you’re just jealous. All those fancy balls and dinner parties have you missing dirt and bullets. Speaking of which, how did your date go?”
“This line better be secure, Captain,” Arinna snapped, making Jared grin. He’d never gotten to pick on her for having dates before.
“Of course, it is. They’re in the back without comm access unless they need something. Come on, someone has to keep me awake.”
“It wasn’t half bad, actually,” Arinna replied. He could tell she was smiling from the warmth in her voice.
“Seriously, Baron Vasquez?” Jared asked. “I really wouldn’t think he was your type.”
“We’re friends, Jared. Old friends. And my date was actually the Earl of Kesmere.”
“Oh, this is getting more interesting. I forgot you had a backup guy.”
Arinna laughed. “You’ll be happy to know they both dissed me to dance.”
“They deserted you for other women? Some dates.”
“No, to dance with each other. It was ... amusing.” Jared opened his mouth to answer and then closed it again. Arinna chuckled as the silence grew. “That was pretty much everyone else’s reaction too,” she said.
“Why?” he asked, knowing there was a lot more to the story that she wasn’t mentioning. He was sure of that when she sighed.
“Rumors. Byran and me. Derrick and me. Now Derrick and Byran,” sh
e added with a laugh. “You are right about Byran, Jared. I can’t afford to have people watching my every move. The Guard can’t afford it. He draws too much attention.”
“You are old friends. You deserve to have friends. We’ll figure something out.”
“Sure. Let’s end the war for real. Though goodness knows with what. We’ll talk about that later. Why don’t you find a place to settle down, Captain. Satellite shows a few likely places coming up.”
The screen in front of him flashed as Arinna sent the two sites she’d selected to his dactyl’s computer. “Got them. Will check them out and settle in for the night, my lady.”
“Report in at twelve hundred my time.”
“Gonna be busy in the morning?” Jared asked.
“Shut up, Captain.”
Jared chose the higher of the two landing sites. An infrared search showed life, but nothing that looked human. He wouldn’t have admitted it to Arinna, but it had been a long day and a long flight. As much as he loved flying, especially the futuristic warbird of the dactyl, he wasn’t used to this many hours in the cockpit. Despite cramped quarters in the back of the dactyl, designed to carry six soldiers on two bench seats lining both sides of the plane, Jared fell asleep quickly after assigning guard duty rotations.
“Captain, there is a message coming for you,” Kieren O’Dell said as she woke him with a touch on his shoulder.
Even in the dim light of the cabin, her bright blue-green eyes stood out above a dusky smattering of freckles. Stray locks of her dark reddish hair curled around her face despite pins meant to hold it back. Which added to the fact she looked barely eighteen and not her true age or status as the Lieutenant of the Defensive Guard.
Jared rolled off his cot, worried first that he’d forgotten the time zone difference and slept past his required noon report. But the call wasn’t from Arinna.
After the War: Military Dystopian Thriller (Friends of my Enemy Book 2) Page 9