A menu appeared on the table and everyone ordered. Luke recognized nothing on the menu. Aboard the Ultio his food had been simple, it had been fuel to keep him going, so now he picked something at random, trying to appear confident like the two ladies.
"How is your mother doing?" Luke asked.
"Doing good," Leonessa said. "She is an engineer in the Hippocrene Habitat, supervises the environmental systems and repair bots, so besides her job, she is helping get Neritum back online. They don't even have rotation yet in Neritum, so no gravity. It is a real mess."
Luke nodded and wondered how extensive the damage was. That would be a depressing line of conversation. What else did people talk about besides work?
"When are you getting a new ship?" Brita asked Luke.
Luke stared at his hands on the table.
"The Prime Minister didn't say. He said repairs are priority one, but as soon as a ship becomes available I will be reassigned," Luke said.
"You will be in the thick of it again won't you?" Brita asked with a predatory smile.
"That is where I end up," Luke said. "Not always by design."
"I think we are just going to say screw it, assemble a massive fleet and roll on Mars and Earth. Render the Caliphate extinct," Brita said.
Luke shrugged. The Caliphate wouldn't be a push over.
"Do you think the Topa will interfere?" Brita asked.
"I doubt it," Luke said. "As far as Conglomerate laws goes, these are dark systems. They might get pissed though if we resort to genocide, but I doubt the Prime Minister or the council would allow that."
"We need more ships," Brita said glancing around.
"Does New Alamo have a ship yard?" Leonessa asked.
Luke shook his head, "Not exactly. We can make smaller ships, frigates and such, but anything bigger than a light cruiser takes a lot of effort. There are a couple Conglomerate races we would purchase from if we can afford it."
"How did you afford the Leonis Ultio?" Leonessa asked.
"Mercenary work," Brita said for Luke. "That brings in most of the income for New Alamo. We also have mining operations, some courier operations, a couple diplomats and trade negotiators. If the truth be told we are the unskilled, near worthless barbarians of the Conglomerate. Most of the races are already established, with resources, licensed technologies, or niche markets. The only thing we've brought to the table is overall neutrality to all the different races and the ability to fight well. Most Conglom races are pacifists. The Topa have given us a few technologies to license but not much."
"What will the Jupiter Alliance, or Athena be able to offer?" Leonessa asked leaning back. Luke thought her relaxation looked forced, like his.
Luke shrugged. "I don't think so. I can't think of anything that humans can offer the Conglomerate that the Conglomerate races can't get more cheaply elsewhere. We are lucky the Topa throw jobs our way, and that helps a great deal, especially when those jobs get us credibility and recognition from the other races. Otherwise we would be desperate for trade. We owe a lot to the Topa."
"The Topa sound like benevolent demi-gods," Leonessa said.
"They have a high level of technology," Luke said. "They manage the interstellar banks, communications and they enforce a loose legal system. For example, slavery is allowed but genocide is not, sometimes their rules seem random, but they are aliens. War can only occur between consenting parties, and only if it doesn't spill over to kill non-participants. The Topa also have military force, the Tal, to enforce their edicts, although they usually 'license' agents to work on their behalf. It is bizarre, but it has worked for them for hundreds of thousands of years as I understand it."
The food arrived, and they ate. The conversation fell off as they concentrated on the food. It tasted good but Luke wasn't sure it was worth the cost. There wasn't much else he could spend his money on right now.
CHAPTER TEN
The Topa Returns
Luke looked at the green, lonely leaves on the plate, wondering if they were part of the meal or just for decoration. What was their nutritional value? Luke was about to query his InnerBuddy when a priority notification popped up. It was from "Prime Minister" Harrison. From the look on Brita's face she also got the same notification. Luke queued it to read by focusing on the message in his internal view. He tried to keep the annoyance off his face.
"Topa are in system, estimated four hours out. Topa Suresh wants a meeting with the Athena and New Alamo rulers. Your name and Lieutenant Ferraro's name was also mentioned. I'm letting the rest of your team know as well. You will have a shuttle waiting for you at Athena to bring you home."
"Interesting," Brita said and her eyes locked with Luke's.
Leonessa's eyes were also unfocused. She must have gotten a message.
"A summons to New Alamo?" she asked, her eyes focusing on Luke. "Why me? Did you get it too?"
Luke nodded, then shrugged.
"Looks like we don't have much time," Brita said. Luke did the math. It would be tight, getting back to quarters, dressed and then onto a shuttle to New Alamo.
"Damn Suresh," Luke muttered.
"The Topa are coming?" Leonessa said and Luke realized her message didn't have many details. Her chain of command had not seen fit to let her know, which irritated Luke.
"Topa Suresh will be here in about four hours," Luke said, filling her in.
"Fiddlesticks," Leonessa said. "My orders were to just to appear in dress uniform at shuttle lock Aeaea twelve in thirty minutes for transport to New Alamo, Admiral Wyatt said I will be briefed en route."
"Yea, the Topa expect people to jump through all sorts of hoops, but on a positive note, they don't linger and get right to business," Luke said authorizing everyone's dinner charges to his account.
"Thank you," Leonessa said when she tabbed to pay for her meal.
"Why did you do that?" Brita asked, sounding perplexed as she turned to the exit, her eyes lingering on Luke.
"That is what a gentleman does," Luke said as he stood and headed for the door.
"How quaint," Brita said sounding surprised. "Thank you. Does this mean I owe you sexual favors later?"
Luke stumbled on the smooth floor.
Brita laughed as Luke shook his head, his face almost red enough to light up the room.
* * * * *
Less than an hour later Luke arrived at the designed airlock, Aeaea-12. He was getting used to wearing his dress uniform and didn't like that feeling, weren't they designed to be uncomfortable and leave the wearer feeling vulnerable? Musashi and Gray were also with him and Luke was thinking of what he would say to the Topa when he met him. None of it was polite or appropriate. Who else would be present?
A pair of Athenian Marines stood at the lock, which seemed unusual to Luke until they waved him in and he saw the Athena Chief Executive Allison Perro there along with Admiral Wyatt. There were also a few politicians, whose names Luke didn't care to remember, so he didn't spare them more than a glance. Luke looked around, but he was the first from his team. He found it interesting the Marines did not stop Musashi or Gray who were both armed. Did that mean anything?
"Admiral Kishi," Allison said coming up to him as soon as she noticed he was here. Luke wanted to swear, but painted a smile on his face.
"Hello ma'am," Luke said. "It is a pleasure to see you."
The lie came automatically and Luke didn't care for how easy it had been. Like the dress uniform. He had to get out and back on a ship before he became someone he didn't want to be.
The Chief Executive of Athena smiled at Luke. She probably enjoyed the lies, and that bothered Luke. The door slid open behind him, and Brita, Jeremy, and Amanda walked in. Reinforcements, or more witnesses, if he said something offensive.
"Looks like I will get to meet one of the Topa," Allison said, her eyes holding a distant look. Luke wasn't sure if she was looking at her InnerBuddy or her eyes were turned inward. "Any recommendations? Things to say or not say? How to act?"
"
Don't kiss his ass like a typical brain-dead politician," Luke said and Allison's jaw dropped. "Don't lie, and don't assume he doesn't know, or does know. The Topa are not fools and get irritated if you aren't truthful. In my experience, they prefer honesty over tact and despise brown nosing, self-centered imbeciles. Be honest and don't waste his time. Be brief. If he wants clarification, he will ask for it."
Allison nodded and Luke wasn't sure how she took his informality and attitude. She seemed like a nice lady and was dressed in a more formal station jumpsuit, with full arms and legs. It was green and glittered with green sparkles. Her sparkling earrings seemed so out of place since most military personnel did not wear them on duty and Luke found them distracting, pulling his attention away from her eyes. Intentional?
"Any reason he is coming here to Josaka?" she asked once she digested Luke's behavior.
"No ma'am," Luke said, catching a glare from Admiral Wyatt. "It isn't to say 'hi' or welcome you to the neighborhood. He will probably show up, tell us the Caliphate is a human problem and if we don't deal with it, the Topa will eradicate humanity."
"His message mentioned me and Admiral Wyatt by name," she said. "Is New Alamo in contact with him? Why now?"
Luke shrugged. There would be no way to explain to Allison.
"How much do you think he knows about the Caliphate, the Jupiter Alliance and our war?" she asked when Luke said nothing else.
Luke shrugged again, ignoring Admiral Wyatt's glare. "He knows your name and position. My guess is he knows a lot, he knows a lot more than he will tell us too. The Topa's intelligence service is unrivaled. I haven't been able to figure out how they get their information and I've been trying for close to forty years."
"Will he give us any intelligence information on the Caliphate?" Admiral Wyatt asked seeking an advantage. "Would they even have information on the Caliphate?"
"Maybe Admiral," Luke said. "Hard to say. The Topa always act like they are busy or you are busy. They also prefer others believe they do not interfere in the affairs of others."
"But they do," Allison said.
"Well," Luke said. "Sort of. When they hire others, they don't say 'do this', instead they say, 'go help this person,' or 'go resolve this issue' or 'go keep this person safe'. They don't tell you how, they leave that up to you, and I've never had them question my judgment or actions. They like to throw people together and include a problem solver while they sit back and watch."
"Doesn't sound so bad," Allison said.
"If they take exception to your behavior, they can be lethal about it," Luke said. "I once had a powerful Broma family complain about my behavior and they demanded the Topa revoke my license. The Topa investigated, claimed I had not violated my contract or license, then sent their enforcers, the Tal, to kill most of that family, and that bankrupted the rest. Getting the Topa involved in disputes is a very dangerous proposition and never goes the way you expect it will."
"Thank you for the warning," the Chief Executive said and glanced at the Admiral. The hatch opened for the shuttle as Leonessa arrived. Everyone filed in behind the Chief Executive.
The shuttle was one of the luxury ones for transporting wealthy dignitaries and politicians. It had all the amenities, but Luke found a quiet corner. This toy was built for appearances, not speed and Luke didn't want to continue the conversation. Leonessa slipped into a chair near him while Brita sat with Amanda and Jeremy. Gray and Musashi stood nearby watching everything.
"Why do the Topa want to see me?" Leonessa asked, glancing toward the Admiral and Chief Executive were now in deep conversation.
Luke shrugged. "I don't know, maybe because he knows you? I've learned if you try to second guess the Topa, you could go crazy. Don't worry about it. Be polite but don't kiss up to him or tell a lie."
Leonessa nodded, Luke could see in her eyes his advice had not helped. She had met Suresh before so she shouldn't be so nervous. She had some of the most influential members of her chain of command present so any screw ups would end her career.
"He will be here in three hours?" Leonessa asked. "They must have fast ships."
Luke grinned. "No, he could be here almost an hour ago I'm sure. He is being nice by giving us time to assemble and prepare."
"That's absurd," Admiral Wyatt said overhearing Luke. "That would mean he has found a way to go faster than the Brant-Meyer limit."
"I've seen them do it far too many times," Luke said. "Ask Admiral Harrison if you don't believe me. Topa Suresh is being nice and their ships are that fast."
Luke sent the Admiral some data he had recorded showing how fast they were and the Admiral accepted the data.
The Admiral stared at Luke for several seconds before Luke leaned back and closed his eyes. There had to be a way to get a ship and get away from these political peacocks. Even with his eyes closed he could feel Leonessa nearby.
"Don't worry about it," Luke said to her. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"I anger one of the most powerful politicians in the galaxy and get our race erased," Leonessa said.
"Suresh isn't a prick," Luke said. "He is okay. I can relate to him more than most of the political hacks I've been forced to deal with. Including Prime Minister Harrison.
"You will be fine. He probably just wants to say 'hi'."
"I hope so," Leonessa said.
Luke wasn't sure how else to put her at ease. The Topa would be unlikely to be hiring him with only two frigates in his fleet, but maybe Suresh didn't know about the destruction of the Leonis Ultio.
The shuttle ride would be about an hour and a half since New Alamo and Athena were trying to put more distance between themselves. Distant neighbors were peaceful neighbors and Luke agreed. He wanted to put more distance between himself and both colonies.
Distant commanders were respected commanders.
Luke listened to Allison and Wyatt discussing briefings and reports that Mark Harrison had sent them. They would learn soon enough. The Jupiter Alliance was planning an offensive against the Caliphate within the month and it sounded like the Admiral was worried the Topa might impact the time table with some rules about genocide. Luke doubted it, but they hadn't asked him so he remained silent. It was unlikely the Topa cared too much about what happened in systems outside the Conglomerate unless it impacted the Conglomerate and with New Alamo acting as a buffer, chances were good the Conglomerate would not be bothered by the religious fanatics.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Topa Suresh
Luke followed Chief Executive Perro into the large council chamber. It was like so many other meeting rooms though, with plenty of comfortable chairs, a drink dispenser and too many people for Luke to feel comfortable. Besides the people, and the chairs against the wall, there was nothing else of significance. One display on the wall showed an image of the Topa's vessel approaching and a graph showing speed and arrival time. Luke smiled. New Alamo was already in range of the Topa's teleporter.
Scanning the people Luke saw Prime Minister Harrison. He looked sharp in a formal black civilian jumpsuit and glancing up at the display. The Prime Minister couldn't sit down and steeple his fingers so they were dancing around, into the pockets, out of the pockets, smooth his short, in the pockets. The Prime Minister knew the Topa was in range too and was waiting for the Topa to appear at any moment. Luke walked up to the Prime Minister, maybe he could have a little fun.
"Why are you nervous Admiral?" Luke asked him, preferring to use the shorter name 'Admiral' than 'Prime Minister'. Leonessa stood close to Luke, along with Musashi and Gray but the rest of his team was mingling, talking with others. Chief Executive Perro was deep in conversation with Brita from the looks of it and Admiral Wyatt was listening almost on Perro's shoulder.
"The last time I spoke to the Topa it led to us being here, where we have rejoined humanity. I'm not sure I'm happy with that," Mark said, glancing at the display again, his hands going into his pockets. "The Topa never visit to just say hi and let's say I think there is a lo
t of bad news he can deliver, but I can't imagine any good news."
Mark's hands came out of his pockets to rest at his side.
Luke shrugged, "Don't stress it."
Mark stared at Luke. "Don't stress it? You are telling me not to stress it? Topa Suresh could decide he doesn't like humanity and can personally wipe us out. I have historical documents from certified Conglomerate sources that show, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the Topa have eradicated species before, stronger ones than us, and for such petty reasons. The Graffan were eradicated because they refused to accept Conglomerate license regulations or accept Conglomerate rules of war. It took Topa Suresh less than a week to wipe out the Graffan empire which consisted of twelve worlds in three different star systems and it was Topa Suresh, not anyone else. He led the fleet. He can be a blood thirsty son of a bitch."
Luke remembered hearing something about that but his gut told him there was more to it than that, something probably not in official transcripts. Mark's hands went into his pocket.
"I won't bring up the fact that the Topa have protected New Alamo from aggression since we got here," Mark continued. "Topa Suresh has also supported us with jobs and license rights. What if that is revoked? Don't you think the Bronkaw might want to wipe us out for what you did to them? Or the Srakka, or maybe the Fasak? Dammit, we have a lot of enemies with big powerful fleets and they could request a license to hunt us to extinction. If we aren't on the Topa's good side, then they could grant it. We have no representation besides the Topa in Conglomerate politics. None. We are in a very bad position and if the Topa decide we are outside the Conglomerate rules of law? We are now in a dark system and our legal standing within the Conglomerate is very shaky. Anybody with a big fleet could come knocking, they wouldn't have to bother asking the Topa for permission. So yes. I'm going to stress it. I have the fate of the entire human race resting on my shoulders and now I must worry about the Jupiter Alliance, or maybe Athena, saying something stupid and getting us eradicated like cockroaches. We can't even petition to join the Conglomerate unless Athena agrees. This doesn't concern you?"
The Darkness: The Conglomerate Trilogy (Volume 2) Page 8