Faba snorted. "Impossible!"
Duke Richard smiled. "For us, yes, quite impossible. But we have no idea of the limits of his technology. How are the Lieutenant's studies coming along?"
Faba shrugged. "From his reports, and those of the scientists helping him study our three landers,fine. We can't fly them much, though. The scientists still haven't figured out how to fuel the things, or even what the fuel is.
The Duke nodded. "Well, the first one we grabbed was what they called the 'duty' lander; I would think it would be fully fueled. Yes, yes, I know you took it to orbit and back, but from all reports, those things are capable of making over a dozen trips without refueling. At any rate, I'd like the Lieutenant to try an experiment; see if he can drive that thing under water."
"That could be a very dangerous experiment, your grace. It could cost the Lieutenant his life, and cost us one of our only landers."
Duke Richard frowned. "Take precautions. Take the thing out to the Navy shipyard. Hook a crane onto it, and lower it into the ocean, with the Lieutenant aboard. If anything goes wrong, he'll probably be able to get the thing to fly, and if not, the crane can lift him to safety."
Faba was frowning, but he nodded. "As you wish, your grace."
Duke Richard nodded. "And while you do that, I'm going to mount the biggest manhunt in Haven history. Every agent we have is going to be searching for him, and tracking down anyone associated with him." He frowned. "Speaking of that, have your intelligence people found Canva yet?"
Faba shook his head. "No, sire. That cursed Carver had the landers ground near small towns. It took several hours for even the Westin authorities to get there, and by the time they arrived, there was no trace of him, or the lander. I'd guess he's in hiding somewhere."
Duke Richard smiled grimly. "I'll bet George Cass is scouring Westin for him. Unless he's the one hiding him, of course. The problem is that Canva is a brilliant man, and he's apparently made preparations. He could be hiding anywhere in the nations. Even here.
Faba started. "Here? In Firstlanding?" he shook his head. "Surely not, sire. He's certain to know that he's wanted for treason and anti-New Home activities."
Duke Richard winced. "Don 't remind me. I told His Majesty that it was a mistake to make charges like that against Haven's most famous scientist. The dust still hasn't settled from that. He sighed. "And what about that Cellian killer bitch?"
"Same thing, sire," Faba replied. "By the time anyone could get to the landing site in Cellia, there was nothing there but a few dozen workers waiting for a train. The lander had gone too, of course."
He shrugged. "Some of the workers said Bauer stayed aboard, and lifted off with the lander, but others say they saw her after it lifted."
The Duke shook his head. "No. Cellia is her home territory; I assume that's why Carver had her aboard that lander. No, she's in Cellia somewhere, and I want every agent and Military Intelligence operative working full-time on tracking her down. The same with Canva. They're two of the people closest to Carver, and there's a good chance he'll try to contact at least one of them." He shrugged. "And even if they don't know where he is, they'll make good bait to draw him out of hiding, if we can catch them."
"Have our agents listen for any stories of strange flying objects, or airships well off the normal flight paths. Even rumors; no matter how silly they sound, they might contain a grain of truth.
"We don't have much time, General," he said with a huge sigh. "The pressure is building. Even that blasted International Zone has ended up with a line down the middle and armed guards on each side." He shook his head. "His Majesty and I never imagined that fool Tyree would push things that far. We think Runtz is pulling his strings. But they're tying down a lot of our strength. That damned Zone is an open door at our back."
Faba nodded. "And we don't have any strength to spare, sire. Colonel Trin calls every day asking for more forces. I gather it's getting rather hard to maintain control in East Brent. And with so much of the Grand Army made up of colonials, we have almost half the Grand Army watching the other half. This can't go on, sire."
"How long can we draw it out?"
Faba shrugged. "Perhaps six months, if everything stays stable, sire. But if there's an uprising in East Brent, or if that 'multinational force' attacks, I'd say three months or less."
Duke Richard nodded. "Well, so far it's mostly a standoff, with us making faces at each other while our armies dig fortifications." He sighed. "We've had no luck at all convincing the others of our good intentions."
Faba took a deep breath. It was always risky to tell people as powerful as Duke Richard something they don't want to hear. "Yes, sire. Uh, you know that if they hit us from all sides, we don't have a chance. We have no reserves."
Duke Richard's face hardened. "I know. I'm busy trying to convince Tyree to change sides; but Runtz is keeping him on a short leash. And with Cellia and Westin making up most of that 'International Force' and outnumbering his own army, Tyree is afraid to even look in our direction. I've got a number of my agents training trustworthy people in guerilla warfare, if it comes to that. We've even discussed abandoning East Brent; granting them independence and bringing those forces home."
Faba shook his head. "I'm sorry, your grace, but that wouldn't work. The way things are there, now, it would take almost a fighting retreat to get our forces clear, and weeks to get them home on a steamer. We could bring them home in an airship lift, but even so, almost a third of the Grand Army would suddenly become foreigners, with who knows what loyalties. I'm sorry, sire," he said sourly, "but that would just hasten our defeat."
Duke Richard nodded. "Well then, General, we have less than three months to catch one of Carver's assistants and convince them to reveal Carver's whereabouts." He sighed. "It seems that Adventurer is our only lifeline. We must have control, or at least access to her. Find those people, General. Find them!" his fist slammed onto his desk, precipitating a cascade of papers. It was the first time Faba had ever seen the urbane Duke under less than total control.
********
If it hadn't been for the fact that Haven was on the brink of war, those months on the island alone with Ellie would have been the most pleasant I'd ever spent. No, that's not right. Those months on the island alone with Ellie were the most pleasant I've ever spent, despite the fact that Haven was on the brink of war.
Actually, it was the first time I'd felt reasonably secure on Haven. Yes, Duke Richard was undoubtedly beating the bushes for me, but more than 2/3 of Haven was unexplored. The chance that his searchers would stumble upon us was virtually nil.
Without that pressure, and the stress of trying to help Ollie get the university up and running, I could put my full attention to my business; no, make that 'businesses'. I'd spent much of the last year working on the university, and my business matters were in the women's hands perhaps more than was advisable. Still, I had no doubts about their trustworthiness; after all, I was already trusting them with my life.
And Heidi and Ellie hadn't let me down, nor had Res. I now owned stock in more than half a dozen companies, two of which were 'holding companies' that didn't produce anything; they just owned things. I also had over a dozen identities, covering every nation. And I discovered that I actually liked taking on the challenges of business! Me! Slum rat and dumb cargo muscle! I dove into my business matters enthusiastically. Of course, since I was 'dead', all the orders had to come from Res or Ellie, both of whom had power of attorney. And the sleepy pace of business on Haven was speeding up, with each development producing another.
Westin Mining was about to announce the availability of refined aluminum, and their offer to tailor aluminum alloys to a customer's needs.
Ralf Jemson reported that the choc plants were growing well, and had already produced a crop. Dr. Aram's was rushing to complete renovation of an empty tea bottling plant in Cornwell, and it appeared that Star Drinks would be able to introduce its first product within three months.
Universa
l Chemical was putting the finishing touches on a plant for the production of the stretchable synthetic bra material. Jane had contained quite a lot of information relating to the creation and processing required, and Universal's techs were frantically trying to adapt the techniques to Haven's technological level.
As with Westin Mining and Dr. Aram's, Universal was discovering the bonus in dealing with "the star man"; the new products, equipment and procedures that they were learning from our books and their own experimentation was producing advances in Haven's technology that they could spin off into subsidiaries, or even patent and sell themselves. They were developing the tools to make the tools that would drive Haven up the technological ladder. And they, and I, and the entire planet were profiting from it.
Universal, cautious and nervous at first, was even talking about merging with Pretty Woman, the lingerie firm that was champing at the bit to introduce the "star bra". The merger would, Kesh Boter explained, give the resulting firm end-to-end control of the 'star bra' and the hundreds of other products the new synthetic.
Business was beginning to boom on Haven, but no one was noticing due to the pervasive threat of planet-wide war.
I know this all sounds like I was obsessed with business matters, but actually, we only spent a few hours a day at the radio. Most of our days (and nights) were spent getting to know each other, and developing what promised to be a wonderful relationship.
Together we explored our island, whose wild variety of plant and animal life required that we be armed. We lazed on the beach to watch sunsets, and sometimes even sunrises. We swam in the large tidal pool created by tides and the local equivalent of corals, after we made certain there were no surviving threats in it. We fished, we sunbathed, and of course listened to music. A lot of music. While music was not quite the obsession for me that it was for Ellie, it was one of my passions. We tapped into commercial broadcasts and our tablets, and endlessly discussed the evolution of music in both Haven and mainstream .galactic cultures. This, naturally, touched off discussions on the effect of the hundreds of galactic planetary cultures on their musical evolution, which led to research in Lisa's nearly endless archives.
I suppose if anyone had been around, we'd have made an almost ridiculous sight; Me, almost two meters tall, and Ellie, barely breaking one and a half. But we were alone, and I didn't care, and apparently, neither did she. I tried to be sensitive to her cultural mores and to take Heidi's advice seriously. So I made swimming attire by cutting most of the legs out of an old pair of trousers. Ellie also created a bathing suit that seemed to meet her needs. I made it a policy that I would not compromise her morals with casual nudity or aggressive advances.
Still, apparently her experience with decontam aboard Startrader had an effect, and within a month, both of us were swimming nude, though we stayed clothed at all other times.
Within another month we were touching and kissing. Still, I was wary; I hadn't been raised on Haven, and hadn't really managed to become familiar with its mating customs.
Perhaps I was too wary. One evening, after a moonlight swim, we were sitting and talking on the beach in front of a fire. Ellie was still nude, unusual for her.
She took a deep breath, and though I couldn't be sure in the firelight, I think she blushed. Then she put on a determined expression. "Jerd," she began, "Do you remember when we were talking and you mentioned that birth control was 'cheap and easy' among the stars? Heidi and I asked about it, and you suggested we talk to Lisa.
"Well," she continued uncomfortably, "we did ask Lisa. And she told us a lot. When we had these communication implants put in, Heidi and I also got con…con…contraceptive implants. Heidi's been making plans to introduce them to Haven. She thinks we can make money with them." she straightened. "They'd be available only by doctor's prescription, of course," she said primly. "But…" Suddenly she jumped to her feet and ran for the cave.
I followed more slowly after extinguishing the fire, trying to analyze her remarkable statement. Ellie? With a contraceptive implant? And Heidi? There could be only one reason they would get implants…
My thoughts were interrupted by an emergency signal from my comm implant.
"Jerd!" Came Heidi's voice. It sounded strange, distorted and whispery. I suspected she was subvocalizing. "I don't know if you can hear me, or if you can help me. I don't know if you're even alive. But they've caught me, Jerd. I'm on an airship, and I think they're taking me to Firstlanding. If you can, please help me. But do not risk yourself. You're too important to Haven. I'll try to keep from telling them anything important."
Ellie came running from the lander; apparently she'd decided to spend the night hiding there after her amazing admission earlier. She'd heard Heidi's call for help, of course, and she was shaking with tension, her eyes wide.
The knock on the door was hurried, excited. Duke Richard called out a gruff "Come in", and General Hunto hurried in. "We have her, your grace. We have Bauer! She's on her way here now, on a military airship."
Duke Richard produced one of his rare, thin smiles. "Excellent. About time, too. Bring her here."
Faba started. "Here? You want to bring her to the palace?"
The duke shook his head. "Of course here. I'll want to question her myself, and so will you. Besides, there's no more secure prison on Haven than the lower levels of the palace."
He rose to his feet. "Bauer is the most important prisoner we have; she's also the first sign of light at the end of a disastrous tunnel." He sighed. "I'm afraid his Majesty's impatience has brought us to the brink of ruin. Bauer may be our best hope."
Faba frowned. "You think she knows that much? That she can get us aboard Adventurer?"
"Not really. Bodyguards overhear a lot, though. She may know more than we think. What I'm really counting on is the hope that she will draw Carver out of hiding. So, in the morning we will trumpet the news of her arrest using every outlet we have. When she gets here, in what, two days' time?" He glanced at Faba, who nodded. Duke Richard returned his nod as he continued, "Well, when she gets here, we'll have reporters and photographers packing the courtyard. A real circus. I want Carver to know we have her, and know she's here. He's bound to try to rescue her, and we'll be waiting."
Faba nodded. "As you wish, your grace. Uh, do you want her questioned, uh, rigorously?'
Duke Richard shook his head. "Not immediately. I dislike torture; the results are unreliable, even with torturers as skilled as ours. No, I don't think we'll use torture for at least a few weeks. There's always time for that. Besides, if Carter is dead, it would be a waste of time. At the moment, I think that interrogation will be sufficient. See that she's treated well, but make sure your peoples' manner is threatening. If she thinks we might ruin that beautiful face or body, it may loosen her tongue."
Faba nodded. "Of course, your grace. They should arrive day after tomorrow, in the early afternoon."
The Duke jerked a nod. "Very well. Now I must go inform his Majesty. We may survive this yet!"
********
Of course, I answered Heidi immediately. "Heidi, this is Jerd. I hear you. We'll do whatever it takes to rescue you, but it may take a while. Do you have any idea where they're taking you?"
"Jerd! Thank all the gods!" her whispery voice replied. "All they've said so far is 'Firstlanding'. But there aren't any prisons there; only the cells under the palace."
I nodded, before realizing that Heidi couldn't see it. "Then I'll plan on that being the location," I replied. "Did they get your tablet?" Heidi's tablet was one of Startrader's new models, and it probably contained a lot of information about our safe houses and business dealings.
"No," she replied. "I haven't been carrying it since I went underground. I assumed you'd call me on my implant. It's hidden in my home in Cellia." She gave me the address. It wasn't one of our safe houses. "Don't worry, Jerd. They won't find it; and if they do, it's boobytrapped."
"Okay," I replied. My thoughts were racing. "We'll have to take some time to t
hink about this, come up with a plan, and get things arranged. How long before you get to Firstlanding?"
"The guards are talking about day after tomorrow."
"All right, Heidi. Try not to worry too much. We'll do our best, no matter what it costs."
"I know you will, Jerd." There was a pause. "I have to go; they just brought me a meal, and mealtimes is when I can overhear things the guards don't want me to know."
"Right. Good luck, Heidi." I clicked off.
"What are we going to do?" Ellie demanded. She'd heard both side of the conversation, of course.
I shook my head. "I don't know yet. Whatever we do, we're going to need money. Get on to Res, and tell him I want to cash out at least a million crowns."
Her brows rose. "A million? Why in the world do you need that much?"
I shrugged. "I don't know that I will. But I expect whatever we do, we're going to need to hire people and pay bribes. The palace is even more heavily-guarded than the International Zone; and the radio says they have several hundred troops in their half of the Zone, facing the International Force troops." I shook my head. "No, it's not going to be easy, or cheap!"
"So, what are we going to do?" She repeated.
I shook my head. "I don't know yet, Ellie. " We discussed and discarded ideas for another half-hour. Finally I called a halt. "We're getting nowhere, Ellie. We both need time to think about this. You get that message off to Res. I'll check with the ships and see if I can come up with any ideas."
Before anything else, I decided, I needed to know how much freedom of movement I had. I called Jane to find out how much the New Homers had been flying the landers they'd seized in the zone.
"They have only flown two more orbital missions, Captain. Both of those appeared to be experimental in nature, and neither approached me closely. They have made a series of suborbital atmospheric flights, in all three landers. These were also apparently experimental in nature. When one approached the New Home border and was fired upon, it quickly retired to its base."
Stranded on Haven Page 38