Cluster Command: Crisis of Empire II

by David Drake

  Because that would amount to rebellion and there was a long list of dead governors who’d tried that.

  But there were more immediate problems as well. Kalbrand had committed most but not all of his fleet to the Strya operation. Once he got home, the Apex governor might gather the rest of his force and return. To defend against that possibility, Yamaguchi had assumed command of the surviving ships and positioned them to defend Strya.

  With a fleet of damaged ships, hundreds of casualties, and a planet full of accused murderers to deal with, Yamaguchi didn’t need crews of doubtful loyalty as well. Therefore, all of the Apex naval personnel were loaded aboard the troop ships and sent home with Kalbrand.

  The battleships were in orbit around Strya where they could serve as weapons platforms while Yamaguchi’s personnel carried out temporary repairs. What was left of the Bremerton supplied spare parts and hull metal.

  Meanwhile, the battleships, damaged though they were, plus Merikur’s carrier and one of his destroyers, would be more than equal to any ships Kalbrand might have in reserve.

  Jomu had agreed to stay on Strya’s surface and conduct a murder investigation. Even with a large contingent of marines at his disposal, it would be no easy task.

  Windsor was adamant: murder was murder, no matter how well-deserved, and those responsible must be brought to justice.

  The problem was that the entire population of Strya had the motive, the opportunity, and the means. Jomu would have to sift through five million suspects to find those responsible.

  Fortunately, he had the help of Strya’s leadership. They were so pleased to have a neutral third party conduct the investigation that two regional governors confessed immediately, and the rest promised to help in any way they could. Jomu hoped that between the leaders’ help and the temporary suspension of capital punishment, others would step forward as well.

  Merikur didn’t envy Jomu his task and he didn’t much care for his own, either. He and Eitor were supposed to hold things together while Windsor traveled to Earth. By going there of his own volition, Windsor hoped to preempt the inevitable summons and any appearance of sedition. The combination victory and going-away party was now in full swing.

  The governor’s mansion was full to overflowing with uniformed men and gowned women once again, but this time there was an even larger number of aliens than before. They were clad either in exotic finery or utilitarian atmospheric support suits.

  One enterprising soul, an envoy from Lavorian III if Merikur remembered correctly, had combined the two by covering his four-armed environment suit with sequins. Bethany had greeted the alien in its own tongue while Merikur’s AID provided him with a translation.

  “Fellow sentients . . . I could talk for hours about this man’s accomplishments . . . but unlike most politicians, his actions speak louder than words. So without further ado, it is my pleasure to present Governor Anthony Windsor!”

  There was loud applause followed by cries of “Speech! Speech!”

  Windsor raised his hands and waited for the applause to die down. When he spoke, his voice easily filled the room. “Fellow sentients . . . thank you. To those of you who have supported me through the last few months, I offer my heartfelt gratitude. I truly could not have accomplished anything without you. But please, don’t rest on your laurels, the journey has just begun and a rough road lies ahead.

  “As you know, I leave for Terra in the morning. Once there, I will plead Strya’s case and the case for alien equality in general. I wish I could assure you that the senate will accept my arguments, that justice will be forthcoming, that no further lives will be lost in our cause. But I can’t. I know only that the journey must be made, that our voices must be heard, that the senate must be given an opportunity to decide.

  “Many of you have asked what I’ll do if they refuse me and, in all truth, I’m not sure. But this I do know. I will never renounce the concept of equality, I will never act in the interest of tyranny, and I will never betray your trust.”

  And the Lavorian wasn’t alone. Word of Windsor’s accomplishments had leaked from system to system and cluster to cluster. All sorts of governments, both human and alien, had sent representatives to pay their respects and get a feel for where Windsor was headed.

  Who was the man? A crackpot with a few lucky wins or the leader many were waiting for, the man who could take the crumbling Pact and breathe new life into it?

  Laughter exploded on the other side of the room as Windsor cracked a joke. The crowd swirled and parted, allowing him to mount a low platform. He would deliver a short speech and then invite the crowd to eat.

  Merikur was worried about security, but wherever he looked he saw members of the Governor’s Hundred, shielding Windsor with their armored bodies and scanning the crowd for any signs of trouble.

  Good. There must be no repeat of the last party. A critical eye could still see where blood had seeped into and stained the marble floor.

  Merikur ran a finger around the inside of his collar and drifted towards the speaker’s platform. It was hot and crowded. Bethany was a short distance away. He caught her eye and pointed towards the platform. She nodded, made her excuses to an elderly dowager, and eased her way through the crowd. Tenly called for silence as the two of them arrived at the platform.

  The applause was so loud that Merikur didn’t even hear the shot.

  Windsor was falling with a hole through his chest.

  The body was still in motion when Tenly jumped to the platform and threw down this repulsor. “You have just witnessed an official execution by the Kona Tatsu,” he shouted. “This action was considered and approved by the full senate. Any attempt to harm me will be interpreted as an attack on the senate itself.”

  A lot of things happened at once. The Governor’s Hundred closed in on Tenly, one of them scooping up the repulsor as they looked towards Merikur for instructions. Someone shouted for a medic. Bethany and Eitor knelt beside Windsor’s body.

  The crowd surged forward to get a better view.

  A combination of anger and sadness flooded through Merikur as he met Tenly’s eyes. Of course. A backup.

  Merikur had assumed that he was the backup, the safety, the Kona Tatsu’s final check on Windsor. But he should have known there would be others. Tenly to watch him, someone to watch Tenly, on and on without end. All to maintain the status quo.

  They were afraid of equality, afraid that they might lose their power . . . so they had tried and convicted Windsor in secret. Word of the public execution would spread quickly and anyone who had sympathized with Windsor would have second thoughts.

  The ideals Windsor had died for would die with him. They were sure of that.

  Tenly ignored the guards, his eyes on Merikur alone. “Ladies and gentlemen, by order of the senate, I give you Governor pro-tem, Anson Merikur. Governor Merikur will accept responsibility for governing Harmony Cluster until a suitable replacement has been chosen. Though a member of Windsor’s staff, General Merikur opposed Windsor’s insane attack on the Apex Cluster but was bound to follow the Governor’s orders. Governor Merikur, would you care to say a few words?”

  It was clever. Merikur had to hand them that. They knew he’d supported Windsor in the end but were giving him a way out. They were afraid of him, too. Even dead, Windsor had some loyal followers. They might rebel against the Pact . . .

  . . . But they wouldn’t rebel against Anson Merikur.

  Merikur felt the weight of their stares as he stepped up onto the stage. The Governor’s Hundred waiting for orders to kill, Bethany and Eitor waiting to see what he’d do, the crowd waiting for some sort of catharsis.

  Tenly smiled.

  The repulsor was light as a feather and seemed to streak upwards on its own. The glass beads erased Tenly’s arrogant smile and the rest of his face as well.

  Eitor was on his left and Bethany on his right as Merikur looked out over the sea of shocked and curious faces. They wanted him to say something profound. Wanted him to
explain what it meant, tell them what to do, offer them some sort of consolation.

  Words wouldn’t come. Words were for politicians, not soldiers like Anson Merikur. But as the tears ran down his cheeks, Merikur remembered what Governor Kalbrand had said.

  Facing the crowd that was only a blur of color to him, Merikur said, “This is just the beginning. From here it will spread. Planet after planet, cluster after cluster, until the Pact exists no more. I pray to God we’ll build something better.”