A Dark and Hungry God Arises
Page 53
Holt ignored this protest. Still sharply, he ordered, “Demote Hannish. Tell her it was temporary—you’ve found someone better.”
Warden tightened his grip on himself. “I can do that,” he replied, resolutely mild. “But don’t you think you’re being a little obvious? Her promotion is already on record. She’s already presented her credentials to the Council.” Despite his determination to remain calm, however, Holt’s implicit threat galled him. Goaded by loss and anger, he began to speak more strongly. “You predict PR is going to be crucial. Are you sure you want to let the Council see you meddle in UMCP internal affairs at a time like this?”
The Dragon braced his hands on his desk as if he wanted to prevent them from shaking. His emissions curdled like sour milk.
“You know, Ward, when I look at you these days I sometimes wonder if I haven’t created a monster.”
Warden swallowed a retort. Stay calm. He disliked being called Ward.
“What about me seems monstrous to you?”
Holt put equanimity aside. “That video conference,” he articulated trenchantly.
Stay clear.
“What about it?”
“What about it? My God, Ward, if I didn’t have so many reasons to trust you, I would turn you into dog food. Don’t think I’m not tempted in spite of your record.” He meant, Don’t think I can’t do it. “Do you have any idea what kind of hornet’s nest you’ve stirred up among the votes? Did you do it on purpose, or did you just not consider how they would react?” His breathing was shallow and flurried. “You should have listened to Godsen. I’m sure he would have warned you. He was damn near frothing at the mouth when he told me about it.”
Warden faced Holt stolidly. “You’ve seen the recordings,” he answered. “I’m sure you’ve talked to people—I mean people besides Godsen. You know as much about it as I do.”
“Oh, I’ve seen the recordings,” Holt sneered. “I know them by heart. They’re full of gems. Here’s one.”
Glaring at the UMCP director, he quoted, “‘It appears that Captain Thermopyle has left our solar system for forbidden space. If he does not alter his course, he is headed toward a planetoid called Thanatos Minor, which we believe to be the location of a bootleg shipyard catering to the needs and transactions of pirates.’
“Or how about this one? ‘Com-Mine Security allowed Ensign Hyland to depart with Captain Succorso on your orders.’
“But those aren’t the best. I especially enjoyed it when Hashi said Succorso was sent ‘to Thanatos Minor armed with a drug which he would claim supplied an immunity to Amnion mutagens.’ And I practically had an orgasm when he admitted you gave Hyland to Succorso ‘so that he would have something to sell if he were trapped or caught.’
“I know about the video conference. I know how the votes are reacting. What I don’t know is what possessed you to tell them things like that.
“Who are you trying to sabotage here, Ward? Who is this aimed at?”
“Stay calm,” Warden said aloud. Slowly a smile softened the clenched expressionlessness of his features. He raised one hand to the patch over his left eye. “You look like you’re about to have an infarction.”
Blinking spasmodically, Holt leaned back in his chair. A sting of apprehension shaded his aura.
“As you say,” Warden went on, “it’s sabotage. Smoke. It’s aimed at Special Counsel Maxim Igensard.”
He’d prepared for this as well as he could. Now he had to put himself to the test.
“The Council has been debating us for years,” he explained. “All the issues are old and familiar. Only Igensard is new. But he’s already made up his mind about us. Hashi and I just confirmed what he thinks. And we did it without quite telling him the truth.
“Complete lies are too easily uncovered. Almost-truths are much more effective.”
Holding down his self-disgust with the strength of his arms, he went on, “The risk, of course, is that I’ve cut the ground out from under my supporters. But I’m willing to take that chance for the sake of blowing smoke in Igensard’s eyes.
“Holt, that man is dangerous. If anyone is capable of pushing and prying hard enough to get at the facts, he is. I know his brand of outraged righteousness. He’s so sure he’s right and pure that he’ll relish bringing both of us down and opening the borders of forbidden space to prove it.
“I can stand tarnishing my reputation a little to stop him.
“I know you don’t like that. Your whole empire rests on the UMCP. If we don’t at least look like our integrity is unimpeachable, you’re in trouble. But before you decide I’ve gone into meltdown, think about what that conference accomplished.”
“Which is?” Holt demanded shortly.
Warden didn’t hesitate. He’d gone too far to falter now.
“I gave Igensard lies so accurate he won’t be able to distinguish them from the truth. From his point of View, if we really let Succorso have Morn Hyland just for the insurance, the last thing we would do is say so. From his point of view, if we actually released Thermopyle and sent him against Thanatos Minor, the last thing we would do is reveal his destination.
“From his point of view, if we truly had a mutagen immunity drug which we decided to keep secret, the very last thing we would do is call attention to it by saying we’ve faked a drug to use against Billingate.
“And that’s not all. In addition I’ve set things up so that if anything goes wrong nobody gets the blame but me. If I look culpable enough, you’re in the clear. You can always protect your interests by letting Igensard have me.”
At last he stopped. For better or worse, he’d said what he came to say. Now he had to face the outcome.
Holt regarded him sourly for a long moment before rasping, “Is that supposed to reassure me?”
Warden shrugged. “I don’t know how you feel,” he replied despite the fact that his IR sight read Holt’s concern, anger, and fear plainly. “I’m just doing my job.
“What else would you like to chat about?”
That was the wrong thing to say. It set Holt off like the spark of a magnesium lighter.
Surging forward in his seat, he snapped, “Don’t mess with me, Ward. I’ll have your balls for truffles.
“You planned all this before you ordered Godsen to admit publicly that Thermopyle was gone, but you didn’t bother to mention it. You decided to climb out on this limb without consulting me. Now I’m going to tell you what it means if you fall. Then you’re going to go back to UMCPHQ and leave the rest to me.
“If anything goes wrong on Thanatos Minor—anything at all—your precious Joshua is finished. Morn Hyland is finished. Nick Succorso is finished. Milos Taverner is finished. Do you hear me? I want them dead. I want them and their ships and every scrap of information about them extirpated from the universe.
“That includes the immunity drug. Especially the immunity drug. If I’d known you were going to give the votes any hint it exists, I would never have let you talk me into preserving it.
“Have I made myself clear? You’ve already sent Min Donner out that way. I assume you want her in position to intercept what comes out of forbidden space. Give her this job. If anything goes wrong out there”—his hands knotted into fists and pounded each word onto the desktop—“you make goddamn sure she kills them all!”
Warden found it unexpectedly easy to remain calm. He’d done what he came for. And the result didn’t surprise him. He’d helped create this problem: now he meant to solve it; meant to reap the consequences.
Releasing his arms, he rose to his feet.
“It’s clear, all right,” he said quietly. “I think it will stay that way from now on.
“I’ll report as soon as I know what’s happening.”
Holt growled a dismissal and keyed the door seals so that Warden could leave.
As he walked out of the Dragon’s lair, Warden closed the door distinctly behind him.
It’s time, he thought. This has got to stop.
Please, Angus. Don’t fail.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
STEPHEN R. DONALDSON is the bestselling author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever; The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant; The Gap Cycle; Daughter of Regals and Other Tales; The Mirror of Her Dreams; and other works, including a mystery series under the pseudonym Reed Stephens. He is the recipient of the first prize of the British Science Fiction Society and John W. Campbell Memorial Award.
A DARK AND HUNGRY GOD ARISES
A Bantam Book
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1992 by Stephen R. Donaldson.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 92-11668.
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eISBN: 978-0-307-57331-5
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