Within another four moves Outremin moved to deal Micah some major damage. After that carnage neither of them had any truly powerful pieces left but Micah had a couple more lesser ones.
"You'd like to know where we're going, wouldn't you, Stone?"
"Not particularly, sir. As long as there's air and the food and pay keep coming."
"Well, patience then. You'll know soon enough. I see you've been studying your Peerage and Precedence along with Crown history. What do you think so far?"
Micah shrugged. "There are worst ways to survive the Collapse and Interim, I suppose. I can think of one outstanding case in point."
Outremin nodded. "Understandable, Stone. I've read your... background. Most impressive that you survived it. That was not my question, though. What do you think of our Great Houses and their Nobility?"
Again Micah shrugged. "It works, sir. It seems a bit outdated but it survived the Interim basically intact. It gives consistency of governance and policy, unification, efficient concentration and use of resources and fairness to the population. That's a lot."
"That is very true, Stone. As to outdated... I disagree! It is a form of government whose time has come and should come again." Outremin's tone changed slightly. "What do you want from life, Stone?"
"Good food, good pay and a safe rack with a nice fresher at the end of the day."
"No, no, Stone. I mean afterward. What do you want when it's time for the old soldier to lay down his sword and take off his boots?"
Micah moved a piece absently.
"Same thing, plus or minus. A good home that's all mine. A decent place for my wife and kids."
"You're married, Stone?"
"Erm... Well, add that to the list, sir."
"I see." Outremin chuckled heartily. "Simple pleasures and a comfortable life without the constant need for vigilance and combat. Most admirable! Before here you traveled to many systems and many sectors. What do you think of the Star Crown worlds? I mean as a place to settle.
"Many tourists find us antiquated and droll. They come and cast holos and imagine themselves back in time to knights and their lords; a time when honor and courage meant more than today's complacent masses can possibly comprehend. But, at the end of the day, they want to return to their ordinary lives on their dull planets. Do you?"
Micah shrugged. "Not particularly, sir. This antiquated and droll society outlasted a lot of others. That says a lot."
"Indeed, Stone, and there lies the secret of its success. Do you know what that is?"
"No sir," said Micah after due thought.
"It's not complicated. Power, Stone, pure and simple. Our Houses have endured because they encourage vision and drive and reward those few who have them with power to match! Hermann Rene du'Varl understood that. He was a man of vision and wisdom and he conceived of a way to use them to transform a handful of planets abandoned by the Imperium into the Worlds of the Crown of Stars!
"Most of humanity is witless and weak. Its members may possess talent or skill but they lack the intelligence and drive to use them properly. Many can barely manage their own paltry lives, much less an enterprise of any depth or breadth. They must have leaders, Stone. They require leaders to tell them where to apply their skills. Leaders to care for them and protect them. They need men of vision and courage who will do what is needed to keep them snug and safe in their hovels. In turn they reward such men with power.
"Think on those toadies from Binkor-Sud and Snughblak. What did you think of them and their high titles and Noble blood?"
"Just fancier officers, sir," said Micah, "More concerned about spiffing their uniform than looking after their troops."
"Indeed! Learn this lesson, then. For all their titles and Houses, who between us do you think has the most power? It is I, Stone. True, I bowed and spoke courteous words and gave them due honor, but of the three of us I am the one holding the High Archon! My blood and my title might not match theirs but they know an I know that I and the Great House of Varl control their fate!
"Know this, Stone. Of all the possible paths for your feet, you have chosen the best possible one to follow! Ere long the Great House of Varl will take the Crown and rule all of its worlds. We shall be well and truly rid of those meddlesome Brightcrowns and all the lackeys that cling to their boots! My Laird Fadding will step into his rightful place and he will dispense his rewards and punishments when he does.
"When that happens, all the allies and loyal subjects of the true House of Rene du'Varl and any others who have cast their lot with us will receive wealth and power beyond that of simple dreams! Does that appeal to you, Stone?"
"Yes sir!"
Outremin smiled at the eagerness he thought Micah tried to hide.
"This path does have its dangers, Stone. Are you prepared for them?"
This time Stone's gaze chilled Outremin's spine. In it he saw not the slightest trace of pity, mercy, compassion, sympathy, empathy or indeed any other emotion!
"Just tell me who you want dead, sir."
Chapter 7. The Tragic Schism
Thompson closed his eyes, rubbed his temples and tried not to think of the stack of datacubes in front of him. When he opened his eyes, though, they were still there. He gathered them into his case, tidied his carrel and headed out to the plaza where Kidwell messaged him to meet her. She sat on a shaded bench and sketched on her datapad. When Thompson looked he saw a picture of the plaza and the library building behind it with idealized people scattered about it.
"That's good," he said.
"Thanks." She added a few touches and powered down. "Well?"
"I got all of what you wanted. Most of it, at least. I think. Maybe."
"Polar. I'm tired of sketching, anyway."
Back at their rooms Kidwell tore into the data eagerly. When she said nothing immediately, Thompson fetched food and chog. She hadn't moved when he returned.
"Oh! Thanks, John. Good job with the data and correlations, too."
He smiled, portioned out the food and began eating.
"I have some for you, too," she said, chewing, "Did you know Brightcrown and Varl don't like each other at all?"
Thompson scowled. He could have told her that and more besides. The trees in front of the library knew that!
"I don't mean simple dislike, dear," she said, "It's so much more and so much deeper than that. I'm talking about total enmity at any level. Even the poorest subjects of either House won't have anything to do with the other. There's plenty of dislike between plenty of Houses but all of it together pales to nothing against theirs."
"That's because estranged brothers tend to make the fiercest enemies. Brightcrown and Varl used to be one and the same: the House descended from Hermann Rene du'Varl, the principal founder of the Star Crown worlds. Not long after the Crown established itself, two du'Varl brothers came in line for it. Neither was absolutely direct but one of them, Terrance the Younger, thought he should be higher in the precedence.
"Both brothers had the same father and his was the line back to du'Varl, but Terrance's mother was, he thought, closer to it than his brother Thieberin's. Thieberin was polar with it and he really didn't care because he knew, barring some monumental catastrophe, neither of them would be called to wear the crown. He was a lot more interested in consolidating the worlds and establishing a good, strong defense against pirates and tech raiders."
"Let me guess," said Kidwell, "Terrance wouldn't let things lie and the two fought over it."
"Not quite so simple, dear," said Thompson, "They were both Navy officers in the Elder Guard and both assigned to protect and defend against the aforementioned pirates. A massive pirate fleet attacked the far spinward systems and both of the brothers' ships were called to defend. Thieberin's ship was in the front wave and it took a shellacking, as did a lot of the others. Terrance's was on the edge of things and her captain withdrew to call reinforcements. By the time they arrived, led by Terrance's captain, it was too late for more ships than just Thieberin's.<
br />
"The Crown fleet managed to destroy and disperse the pirates but when the initial reports reached the Hausmoot, some hotheaded cousin accused Terrance of deserting his brother and leaving him to die, just to clench his path to the Crown. Terrance truly loved his brother and he really didn't care for this particular cousin so a duel soon ensued."
"Not good."
"Very not good. The high-tempered cousin knew a lot more about Moot politics and petty maneuvering than he did actual fighting and Terrance dispatched him rather messily. That stirred up a lot of trouble and dissent within House Varl, just when they needed strength and unity the most. The pirates weren't all dead and everybody knew they'd be back as soon as they could consolidate and recruit more ships.
"None of the political crowd wanted to let things lie so the current Laird Varl ordered them back to their homeworld in order to allow the rest to protect the Crown. They complied, Terrance was vindicated and the Moot turned its attention to defending its citizenry. Sadly, they turned their attention away from the political maneuverers and those blokes began plotting and planning against Terrance and his fellows. Even in absentia they caused a lot of trouble and finally, after a few years of it, House Brightcrown split away from House Varl.
"It wasn't until a few years later, when Terrance's captain died and his private journals were published that the truth came out. Terrance tried to mutiny against him in order to stay and help his brother and the rest of the fleet. The man put Terrance and a couple of others in the brig until they were away from the fray. Ordinarily that would lead to summary execution and the captain would have been justified in it. He knew, though, that the Crown would need all of its best in order to survive so he elected not to end Terrance's life or ruin his future. Terrance even tried to adopt the man into his blood but the captain refused.
"When the dust from that revelation settled, both Lairds and a lot of the high blood from both Houses tried to reconcile, but even then the enmity was too strong. After a time the King, who was of Edders blood, decreed the split irrevocable and declared that both Houses shared the blood of Rene du'Varl equally."
"Hence the term 'Tragic Schism.' I heard it more than once and now it makes sense," said Kidwell.
"Dead on the beam. The one good thing that came out of the mess was that it focused Moot attention on dueling. Until then it could happen whenever one party got torqued at another. Not all duels went to the death but enough did. Terrance's actions formalized things. The Moot and King decided that, from that day forward, duels must only be fought over matters critical to the Crown. Any person spilling Noble blood outside those bounds is deemed a traitor and must be executed as such."
"Heaven's flames! It looks like the Esavians aren't the only barbarians."
"They lived in different times, Vera. The Collapse and the Interim cost a lot of worlds a lot of things. Civilization was a luxury they couldn't always afford." Thompson let the silence stretch before speaking again. "So what did you find out today?"
"I found out the society here is split a lot more ways than just into Houses. Think of that as vertical division. They're also divided horizontally into Halls. They're organized a lot like the Guilds, by profession, training, skill or talent. It's possible for someone to belong to both, in which case the House takes precedence if the two come into conflict. It's also possible to belong to neither House nor Hall but that is exceptionally rare. Almost every single Crown citizen belongs to a House, Hall or Order, and there are a few of those not associated with either.
"Every citizen belongs somewhere and there is great vertical mobility, up to a point. Then Peerage kicks in for the Houses and mastery for the Halls. Still, between them all, every demographic is represented and everybody has a chance at something better."
"So," opined Thompson, "Not that much different from the rest of the League."
"I guess not. Except for House membership. Once you join it can be difficult to leave. Brightcrown doesn't make much fuss about it, so long as it's voluntary and the receiving House won't punish them for changing. Leaving Varl is a lot harder and the only way most folks get away from it is through the Elder Guard. Binkor-Sud is only about wealth and Larner has a cargo ton of paperwork either way.
"House, Hall and Order of Lore is one of the hardest to join but easiest to leave; they're only interested in the gathering and dissemination of knowledge and learning. They actually have a lot of noble blood from all the other Houses there but they don't care feces about that, only how smart you are. The Hall of Minstrels isn't just about music, either." Kidwell consulted her notes. "Flames, John. I could go on for hours about them. I could teach an entire curriculum on just this and still have material for graduate work!"
"So how does all that help us?"
"Immensely!! Plus-plus! Lanniver Industries traced the components to a single contractor here on Faircoast. It encompasses multisystem subcontractors, all domiciled here. All we have to do is trace them and drill down until we find what we need."
"Pyronic," said Thompson, totally without conviction, "Nothing hard about that."
"It's easier now," she countered, "Bet me ten standing we don't find a relationship between the faulty components and one or more Houses here! We just need to find out which House is where and who stands to benefit from it. These Houses may not like each other but with this kind of profit at stake they will all join hands in a nanosecond. They may squabble over who does what and who gets how much, but none of them will jeopardize the contract itself."
"Except that someone did exactly that," said Thompson, "Why don't we just bring in a corps of Guild Arbiters and auditors?"
"Later," she said, "Once we have a solid target for them."
***
Micah ground his teeth and applied careful vector correction. He and Outremin sat on the bridge with Micah behind the controls. Wygnan Amal, the astrogator and main pilot, locked the nav unit and went to his cabin for some overdue rest.
The instruments gave Micah all the information he needed except the name of the system in which the small boat now drifted. All he knew for certain was that the system had a dim red star, no planets within midrange scanner distance and a massive asteroid belt through which they now traveled.
After they dropped out of linkspace Outremin sent a coded message over the comm, and now Micah had an intermittent wire to follow. Every two minutes brought ten seconds of signal, which made for a nerve-twitching journey. At first Micah thought to check the nav unit but Amal locked and isolated it. With Outremin present Micah dared not try to unlock it or activate it. Amal locked and powered down the long-range sensors, the boat had no sophisticated survey gear and the star had no LINC beacon Micah could detect. Still, neither Outremin nor Amal appeared troubled over any of this so Micah assumed they'd made the trip many times. It still frustrated him that he had no way of pinpointing its astrographic location!
"You're wondering where we are, Stone." Outremin made that a question. Micah suspected telepathy.
"No sir. Not particularly."
"Ahh, don't lie to me, Stone. You're very concerned about it now."
"That I am, sir. There's no LINC beacon and I don't want to be here for the rest of my life."
Outremin laughed heartily at this.
"Not to worry, Stone. This location is very well surveyed and documented. Master Amal will be well able to bring us back to Fallstar. He is, after all, just as much the master of his craft as you are yours. Will you admit the least curiosity as to where exactly we're headed?"
"Not as long as I have a wire, sir. I would like a solid one, though!"
At this Outremin merely smiled. Their course led closer and closer to a giant asteroid, so Micah assumed it their eventual destination. His final, short wire confirmed it. When he vectored close enough he saw a giant cave, well-illuminated and beckoning them toward it.
Micah guided his ship into the asteroid, carefully not scraping the hull during the process. He did have clearance to spare, though not a lot, so
he ran a quick mental calculation as to the maximum ship size it could accommodate comfortably. Before long the rocky, irregular cave smoothed out into a large landing bay. Two other ships sat docked but they had no markings and no transponder signals. Most interesting! GC wired him toward a smaller dock and soon he had the small vessel locked into place. A boarding tube snaked out and attached itself to their airlock and Outremin stood and stretched.
"Come, Stone. The facilities here are limited but much more comfortable than the ship's cabins."
As Micah and the others traversed the tube and into the station proper, Micah observed critically but not obviously. The installation felt like a megafac, an asteroid-based or free-floating self-contained factory designed to process asteroids for common metals and minerals, but something told Micah this particular station did more than that. As they walked he noticed several guards noticing them. Deep-pitched machine noise, more felt than heard, permeated the place. Whenever he touched a guide-rail or wall he felt a faint vibration. The air also had a slight scent of sealant, lubricant and machinery. Whenever Micah walked through a pressure-door he felt a slight change in ambient temperature and moisture. Their path finally ended in a small suite of rooms. Small, but almost luxurious by starship standards.
Amal and Zaba headed for their billet gratefully and with a minimal bow to Outremin. Micah thought to take the other but Outremin shook his head and motioned him to follow. They walked past a gaudily-painted door bearing the sign 'Recreation Room' and through another leading to a conference room. The opposite wall held another door. When Outremin sat at the head of the table, Micah dropped into a relaxed attention beside the door.
"Sit, Stone," said Outremin with some amusement, "We shall be here a while." He waved his arm casually. "What do you think of our small station?"
"It's vulnerable, sir," said Micah instantly, "There are plenty of P-doors and segments but I didn't see any structural reinforcement or armoring. It wouldn't take too many shots from a cruiser spinal to pierce the rock buffering and I don't even want to think about a fifty-nail swarm hitting."
The Burning Crown (Stone Blade Book 4) Page 11