by Gary Gibson
He watched as a balloon-wheeled truck came rolling up towards him, disgorging two passengers similarly swaddled in cold-weather gear. One he recognized as Marcus Kenley, the Senate's Speaker, a round-faced man with thin grey whiskers visible around the sides of his breather mask. The other was Lucius Hilgendorf, the head of State Security under the post-coup administration, and by far one of the most dangerous men Corso had ever encountered. Above his mask, his eyes glowered like a snake whose tail had just been trodden on.
'Lucas,' said Kenley, stepping forward and shaking his hand warmly.
Like Corso, Kenley was a moderate in the Senate. Hilgendorf, who was anything but moderate, merely nodded. Kenley's job here was to act as Corso's representative both inside and outside of the ring of combat, which essentially boiled down to making sure the other side did not cheat. Hilgendorf was there to play a similar role for Corso's opponent.
'Senator Jarret has asked me to make an offer,' said Hilgendorf, stepping up to Corso. 'He wants to know if you're willing to negotiate a non-lethal outcome.'
'What you mean is, you're willing to let me live if I agree to surrender without a fight and automatically relinquish my Senate seat and my vote.' Corso smiled grimly and shook his head. 'Please tell Senator Jarret that if he'd wanted a "non-lethal solution", he shouldn't have issued his challenge in the first place.'
Hilgendorf was anything but a patient man. 'Senator Jarret's a war veteran and a recognized Hero of the State. Maybe you should take some time to reconsider before making any snap decisions, Senator. You're standing on pretty thin ice these days.'
'Unless you've got a serious offer to make,' intervened Kenley, 'you should remain silent, Mr Hilgendorf
Corso raised one hand. 'It's okay, Marcus, it's only protocol. Mr Hilgendorf's just here on a formality, isn't that right?' he said, looking Hilgendorf directly in the eye.
'We're offering you an opportunity to step down before you get hurt,' Hilgendorf insisted. 'After all, none of your previous opponents possessed the… unique skills you and Senator Jarret both share.'
Corso frowned, momentarily thrown off-balance.
'Then I'll extend the same courtesy to Mr Jarret,' he replied, unsure exactly what Hilgendorf had meant. 'If he throws in his glove, I'll let him leave here alive. Otherwise, you can tell him I look forward to meeting him in combat.'
Behind his mask, Hilgendorf's expression seemed to freeze in place. 'Very well, then. I'll pass your decision back to him.'
'You can take the truck, Mr Hilgendorf,' said Kenley 'We'll walk to the meeting ground.' Kenley cast a questioning look at Corso, who nodded his assent.
Hilgendorf turned away without another word, and climbed back into the truck. A moment later the vehicle's caterpillar treads gripped the shattered stone beneath it, and headed back the way it had come.
'Fun ride on the way here?' asked Corso.
'How could you tell?' Kenley grumbled. 'Look… in all seriousness, Jarret isn't like anyone else you've been up against. He's got a hell of a reputation in the combat ring. You must know that, right?'
'And I don't, is that it?'
Kenley started to say something, then seemed to change his mind. He nodded along the frozen shore. 'Care to take a stroll?'
Corso glanced back at the tent, where Breisch was still resting. 'It'd be warmer inside.'
'Please,' Kenley insisted. 'Indulge an old man's intense paranoia.'
Corso shrugged, and they began to walk parallel to the waves beating against the shoreline. In the distance, a lighting rig was being set up at the combat ring, and soon sent beams of blazing brilliance slicing through the freezing mist that clung to the terrain further inland. The voices of the work teams racing to get everything ready in time carried to them across the still air.
Kenley stopped after a minute and turned to face Corso. 'There are rumours that Legislate forces are planning something at the Tierra cache.'
'I guess bad news gets about fast,' Corso replied, feeling weary. 'Okay, they're not just rumours. We found smuggled shipments of armaments being taken to the research base there. There's a new batch of technical and research staff just arrived there too, and I'm not sure I can even bring myself to tell you just how many of them I think are Legislate agents.'
'But surely there must be something you can do,' Kenley protested. 'You're in charge of the Peacekeeper Authority.'
'Yeah, but nobody elected me. And I was only accepted at first because everyone I dealt with was shit-scared of so much as sneezing in Dakota Merrick's direction. Everything went downhill once she left. And now we've managed to speed up the production of new superluminal drives, it's just a matter of time before someone decides to make a grab for the cache.'
'You make it sound like there's going to be a war.'
There already is a war, Corso thought. Yet most people seemed unable to grasp the notion that a conflict happening thousands of light-years away could possibly impinge upon them. Far fewer seemed to appreciate the enormous danger they were all facing.
'The way things are looking, it's going to be a pretty one-sided war.' He lowered his voice, even though there was no one nearby who could possibly hear them over the crashing of the surf. 'Did you find out who ordered the arrest of Martinez and his senior officers?'
Kenley nodded. 'It was Jarret, after he arranged a quorum of senators through a series of back-room deals. I don't have any hard evidence, but I'm very, very sure he's got his hands deep in the Legislate's pockets. More than that, he has someone working for him on board the Mjollnir.'
Corso stopped and stared at him. 'Who?'
'His name's Simenon. Martinez's second in command.'
Corso's mask made a harsh metallic sound as he sucked in his breath. 'Damn.'
They started walking again. 'We have people on the frigate, too,' Kenley continued, 'so we have some idea what happened. The quorum sent Simenon a directive that put him in charge and gave him the authority to throw Martinez, and any of his senior officers who didn't comply, in the brig, as well as putting the remains your man Driscoll discovered under lock and key until the Mjollnir got back to Redstone.'
'And you think the Legislate is secretly backing Jarret?'
'I picked up a rumour that the Mjollnir's next stop after here is Sol. A military R amp;D base on Earth's moon went silent a week back, and there's good reason to believe that's where they're going to take the remains of the Atn. They're stopping here first so they can replace the crew with more of their own people.'
'Under Simenon's command, I presume.'
Kenley nodded.
'Idiots, fucking idiots. All this time wasted, and we could have cracked that damn Atn open to see what's inside.'
'The thing I don't understand is why Jarret would get into bed with the Legislate like this,' said Kenley. 'He despises them and everything they stand for. It just doesn't make sense.'
'Look, we're still losing territory to the Uchidans. The whole reason for the expedition to Nova Arctis was because of pressure to found a new Freehold colony. With the whole galaxy potentially open to us, there's now an even bigger pressure to try again somewhere a lot farther away. My commandeering the Mjollnir gave Jarret the perfect excuse to call me out, and, if he wins, jurisdiction over the frigate then passes across to his side of the Senate House. That means control over the terms of settlement, once a new system is located, stays on their side.'
Kenley nodded, understanding. 'And then we'd be out in the cold, wouldn't we? But that still doesn't explain his connection with the Legislate.'
'The Legislate wants the remains Driscoll found, right? With me out of the way, Jarret's going to be within his rights to hand them over. And founding a colony is a very expensive business, remember. Lots of motivation there to climb right into bed with the Legislate and get busy.'
This was assuming Whitecloud had really found something significant, and not just a pile of million-year-old junk. But Corso tried not to think about that possibility too much.
&n
bsp; 'And you really think the other side of the House is going to just roll over and play dead if you win tonight?'
Corso breathed hard. 'I don't know. Maybe not. But at least, with Jarret out of the way, they're going to have to figure out some other strategy that doesn't make it so damn obvious they're in cahoots with the Legislate.'
'I think you'd better be prepared for the worst, Lucas. Things could get very ugly, even with Jarret dead.'
Corso studied Kenley's face. 'You have something in mind?'
'I think at the very least we should set up safe-houses around Unity. As somewhere we can retreat to if necessary.'
'You really think it'll come to that?'
'Worse things have happened.'
Corso nodded. 'You're talking about another coup?'
Kenley's expression was grim. 'Just tell me one thing. Are you absolutely certain whatever Driscoll found out there wouldn't actually be safer in the Legislate's hands?'
Corso laughed. 'You weren't there in Ocean's Deep, Marcus. It was a total travesty. I don't think the Legislate could have botched it more if they'd tried.'
Kenley reached out and put a hand on Corso's arm, halting him. 'Lucas… were you aware Jarret was trained by Breisch?'
Corso stared at him and remembered what Hilgendorf had said. 'You're certain about this?'
'Very.'
'But Breisch never…' he paused. Breisch never told me. Corso's hands curled into fists at his sides.
'Jarret is the kind of man who prefers not to pick on people his own size, if you follow me, Senator,' Kenley explained. 'He has a reputation for treachery.'
'I know that. But Breisch…'
'The old man has a strong sense of personal ethics, and he was deeply offended by the way Jarret misused the skills he'd learned. He finds people with influence in the Senate and first arranges for the murder of someone very close to them,' Kenley continued. 'Then he leaves just enough clues to show he was responsible, so the target winds up calling him out for a fight. Sound familiar?'
Corso heard a whine like the jaws of a trap shutting tight around him. Bull Northcutt had murdered Corso's fiancee years before, for the exact same reason.
'But why didn't Breisch warn me?'
'Maybe,' Kenley suggested, 'he's hoping you'll kill Jarret for him.'
Harsh, pumping music floated through the air towards them from the direction of the combat ring, and Corso recognized the call. He stared back towards the tent, standing further around the curve of the bay, and decided now was not the time to confront Breisch. Anyway, by now he would be waiting at the combat ring with the rest.
He turned back to Kenley. 'Come on, Marcus. Let's get this over with.' They turned from the shore and headed inland, finding their way along a narrow path trodden through hardy grasses and spiny plants by decades of fighters and their audiences. Corso mentally reviewed his training as they walked. There were certain tricks Breisch had taught him; now he would have to watch out for Jarret using those same ploys against him.
They ascended a steep incline and were dazzled by an eruption of light and music as they reached the crest. A casual observer, with no knowledge of Freehold customs or laws, might have concluded there was a party taking place here; in a sense there was, albeit with a deadly conclusion.
Wagers would be made, small fortunes won and lost. None of it was strictly legal, of course, but old habits died hard, and everyone knew what refusing a challenge entailed.
Huge portable heating units, scattered here and there, pumped out heat, while a speaker system filled the air with crunching martial pop; tales of the Freehold's legendary warriors and their excesses bellowed over a monotonous beat.
The audience for this challenge was sixty to seventy strong. The few women present were either wives and mistresses, or more likely whores flown in for the pleasure of the senators, military officers and hard-faced bureaucrats standing around in anticipation swilling hot beer.
The combat ring itself was a circle of open ground marked by a perimeter of hissing flares pushed deep into the soil. It extended a little over eight metres in diameter, more than enough room for two men to try their damnedest to kill each other.
A muffled cheer went up from dozens of breather-equipped throats when they saw Corso and Kenley approaching. Jarret's entourage considerably outnumbered his own, which comprised a dozen or so of his advisers and various Senate staff gathered together over to one side, a few looking distinctly uneasy. They knew what they would face if Corso died today and there was no one left to protect them in the Senate.
Corso scanned the rest of the crowd until he saw Jarret himself, standing with the bearing of a king returned from a victorious campaign, his arrogance barely masked by the tan-and-silver breather he wore over his lower face.
Corso's own senior Senate staff approached him and he was glad to see Nastazi, Velardo and Griffith all present. These three were the men Corso trusted. The rest were good enough at their jobs, but one or two of them were probably spies.
'McDade's your marshal for the challenge,' declared Nastazi. 'There's even a rumour he pulled strings in order to get the job.'
Corso nodded. 'Well, the man hates my guts, so that's hardly surprising. Anything else I should know before I murder his nephew?'
'There was a move within the Senate to block us from flying out here to witness the fight,' said Griffith, behind whom the flares hissed and spat sparks into the night. 'They cited security measures: a report that the Uchidans had got wind of the fight, and might try a strike against the Aaron peninsula while it's taking place. Be warned, they mean to fight dirty, Senator.'
Corso paused, staring out into the darkness. He was thinking of Dakota, but why had she popped into his head just now? She had already disappeared, swallowed up by the mystery of the Maker, leaving him alone and defenceless as head of the Peacekeeper Authority.
The music peaked, and he listened carefully as the address system was handed over to McDade, who began to list both parties' grievances as a precursor to the challenge itself. The next step would be to offer both himself and Jarret one last chance to back out of the contest.
'Is there any truth to that report?' Corso replied quietly to Griffith. 'Is it likely the Uchidans would use a high-profile challenge like this as an opportunity to carry out a tactical strike while everyone's looking the other way?'
'There are a dozen reports of suspected offensives every day, Senator. I imagine they just picked one of them and blew it up out of proportion. They're trying to make it look like you're disrupting the normal process of Senate business, by making a nuisance of yourself
'I am making a nuisance of myself,' Corso replied. 'That's the whole point.'
Breisch approached, moving with the kind of casual, easy grace that came from years of intensive physical training. Corso drew in a breath, forcing himself to keep calm.
'I gather Mr Kenley's spoken to you about my connection with Jarret,' said Breisch. 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you before.'
Corso couldn't keep the mixture of confusion and anger out of his voice. 'So why didn't you?'
'I made you work harder than you ever have before, Lucas. There's a part of you that always stands back, that refuses to wholly engage with the fight. You've learned, over the past few days, to put that part of yourself to one side and fight without distraction. I cannot emphasize how important a step forward that is. If I'd told you about Jarret, you would have likely fallen into a false belief system, and concluded that Jarret might be more than an even match for you.'
Breisch shook his head. 'Besides, I only trained him for a short while, and he's never picked fights he can't win. But this time is different. He's undoubtedly more skilled than most of those you've faced, but you're more than capable of defeating him.'
Corso took a moment before replying. 'I think I might have done the same in your position, but I need to know I can trust the people around me implicitly.' He reached out and took Breisch's hand and shook it. 'I want to thank you for eve
rything you've taught me, but I won't be requiring your services any more.'
Breisch didn't seem surprised, merely nodded his head fractionally. 'I wish you well, Lucas. You exceeded my expectations.' Then he turned and walked back to join the crowds waiting for the contest to start.
McDade, now finished with his preliminary announcements, jumped down from the marshal's platform and headed over to Corso.
'Senator,' he acknowledged with a nod.
'Mr McDade, I hear you worked quite hard for the chance to be marshal tonight.'
McDade met Corso's gaze easily. 'We may not agree on many things, Senator, but you still deserve the same chance to fight for what you believe in as do any of the rest of us. I can't say I'll be sorry if you lose, but any man prepared to walk into a combat ring deserves respect, whether or not he walks back out of it.'
'Jarret's a known killer. He's murdered people who didn't have a chance of beating him. Are you sure he deserves that level of respect?'
Corso watched as McDade fought to control his temper. 'The Senate floor's the place for debate, Mr Corso,' he replied tautly, his manner suddenly much more formal. 'I'm here in my official capacity as judge and marshal of this challenge, to offer you your final opportunity to back down.'
Corso listened as McDade continued with the familiar litany: 'You may stand down from this challenge, with honour, while waiving your rights to your Senate seat and your family's inheritance. If you decline to do so, the challenge will not end until either yourself or Senator Jarret is formally pronounced deceased. Do you agree to such terms of challenge?'
'I agree to the stated terms, Mr McDade. I am both willing and of sound mind, and wish to challenge Senator Jarret to a duel to the death.'
McDade looked over at Kenley. 'Will you attest that you have heard and witnessed Senator Corso's decision?'
'I attest to the Senator's decision, and uphold his right to participate,' Kenley responded.
McDade nodded. 'Good luck, Senator,' he said finally to Corso, then glanced briefly over at Jarret, with a small smile curling up the corners of his mouth. 'Because you're going to need it this time.'