by NB VanYoos
* * * *
When Tyler arrived at the designated location, two smartly dressed soldiers stood on either side of the door. As he approached, they snapped to attention and saluted in unison. He returned the salute before entering.
The room was filled with a large table in the center like many of the conference rooms in this facility. This one, however, had multiple viewers lined around the room’s inner walls, much like the one Tyler had met Nayllen in.
Tyler knew the viewers were designed to allow those inside to see outside, but he wondered who was outside looking in. He casually scanned the room but couldn’t tell if any spy devices were being employed. The Admiral had limited memories of spy equipment. Apparently he’d left that work for others.
Even alone, the Marshall sat at a seat on the side of the table rather than at the head. Clearly the head of the table was for someone in command, like the Admiral. Tyler nodded to the Marshall and walked to the other end of the table, taking the requisite seat.
“Good morning, Goolen,” Tyler began, “what news brings me here?”
“Good morning, sir, I have some disturbing news I must share with you before the conference.”
Tyler watched as the Marshall fiddled with his device, obviously deciding which news to give him first.
“Yes, what is it, Marshall?” Tyler switched to the formal title, hoping to get the Marshall out of what looked like an embarrassing conundrum.
“Uh, yes, sir, well, I’ll start with news about the conference first.” Tyler was glad to see the Marshal stopped wavering in indecision and returned to his usual, authoritative military demeanor.
“We have heard this morning, from a reliable source, that Secretary Geern is switching his support to Vice Admiral Teesen.”
The Marshall stopped to let that sink in. Tyler reviewed the Admiral’s memories of Secretary Geern and was impressed by the man’s obvious skills. He had held many posts in the Supreme Military Command and was currently in charge of military installations.
It was not a powerful position, but a position that required quality skills as an administrator. It was often a position given to those who would never achieve true command status, but were still an invaluable asset. His advice and guidance over the years had served the Command well.
What was the motivation? He was nearing retirement age and had never shown interest in power or position before now. He had always been a strong supporter of the Admiral’s. He was even a close friend of the Admiral’s father before the war. It didn’t make sense, and Tyler said as much to the Marshall.
“I agree, but the source is very reliable.” The Marshal said.
“Okay, so what does the staff think?”
Tyler knew that the Marshall would have run it past most of the staff before meeting with the Admiral. The Marshall may be out of the loop, but he was still a powerful asset.
“After postulating many theories, we settled on blackmail.”
The Marshall delivered it with a cold, blank face.
“Vice Admiral Teesen blackmailing a Secretary of the Supreme Military Command? I hardly think that is probable.”
It didn’t sound possible to Tyler, how desperate was Teesen?
Very desperate. Adanni’s voice held a chill.
“We do not believe the Vice Admiral is the one perpetrating this, sir.”
“You don’t, then who?” Tyler knew who before he had finished the question.
“We believe Regent Sneerd is behind it. We recently discovered Secretary Geern has battled a gambling problem for most of his life. Apparently, he got into trouble with a local thug named Siir Noos, and this in turn compromised his position on the facilities funding committee for lucrative contracts. Siir Noos has a front company that is the sole provider of chairs for all military facilities.”
“Chairs?” Tyler was incredulous.
“Yes, sir, chairs.”
“What a tangled web we weave.” Tyler could just imagine Geern quietly trying to push for Siir’s company in the meetings. He would never have been suspected. Tyler thought back to his previous life, and the many drug users who got themselves into trouble. Fortunately for Tyler, he had never been involved in the enforcement end of the business, but he knew it could be bad. Blackmail was common.
But someone had suspected Geern, and used his weakness against him. It had to be Sneerd.
“Weave a what, sir?” the Marshal asked.
Tyler saw the confusion on the Marshall’s face and quickly remembered that spiders were not part of the Poolto ecosystem. They had a similar creature on this world, but they used forest materials to build traps, not webs.
“Oh, sorry, just an old saying my grandmother once used. Not sure what web means.” Tyler lied.
The Marshall let it pass and moved on.
“Apparently, the abuse of his position was mysteriously overlooked by the Accounting Office audits, and that is why we believe Sneerd is behind it. No one but the Palace could wield so much control of the Accounting Office.”
Except maybe Nayllen. Tyler let the thought pass and focused on what it meant to their efforts.
“Damage?” He asked it simply, knowing the Marshal would give it to him simply.
“I believe this will spell our defeat. He was a staunch supporter and his betrayal will pull many over to Teesen’s side. At best, we can expect only twenty percent of the Command to side with you.”
“Defeat, is that all?” Tyler said it with more sarcasm than he intended.
“Well, sir, no. The current buzz indicates those who side with you may no longer even openly debate in the conference. Instead, they may simply remain quiet and let the clear majority take over.”
Tyler thought the Marshall appeared awfully calm considering his career was nearing its end. Perhaps he was resigned to his fate? Perhaps the Admiral should be, too.
Nonsense, you can stop this, you must stop this!
How? What can I do to stop this? Tyler threw his frustration at Adanni.
Good, you’ll need that anger. You must open the debate yourself by actively denouncing the plan. You must throw down the gauntlet and force them to openly choose sides. How many do you think will have the courage to choose against you to your face?
Eighty percent by current estimates. Tyler responded.
Funny, and I thought you were trying to save this world?
Fine, what do you think will happen? Tyler asked.
I think that many of the weak ones will fold under your pressure. If the Palace doesn’t have a strong hold on them, they can still choose you without major ramifications. Loyalty is a strong bargaining chip, and you better start playing them if you don’t want to be out of it today!
Why are you using so many sayings from my world? Tyler was curious about Adanni’s choice of words.
When in Rome. Was the only response.
Tyler noticed a look of concern on the Marshall’s face.
“Okay, Marshall,” he began, “I have some ideas for what we can do, but first tell me the other news.”
“Well, sir, I took the liberty of pursuing additional information about Nayllen Hooss.”
The Marshall stopped as if trying to read the Admiral’s reaction. Tyler was certain he showed no reaction despite his real interest.
“Go on,” Tyler urged, “what did you find?”
“I contacted a source within the Palace,” he started, “a source that I usually never contact. However, I felt this was a particularly important issue that warranted a deeper investigation.”
The Marshall took a breath, once again searching for reactions Tyler refused to give him.
“My source reported Nayllen is a necessary evil to the Imperial Palace. Although he is welcomed and used by Regent Sneerd and the Emperor, the reality is no one trusts him.”
He took another breath before continuing.
“They even say he has contacts on Krildon that make him both valuable, for intelligence, but dangerous as a traitor.”
The Marshall finished with a look of great relief at sharing the dirty details. Unfortunately, it only confirmed what Nayllen had already told Tyler. However, it was interesting the Palace did not trust him, especially Regent Sneerd.
Perhaps this isn’t an Imperial trap after all? Adanni interjected.
Perhaps not an ‘Imperial’ trap. Tyler corrected.
Adanni fell silent and Tyler noticed the Marshall fidgeted during the pauses with Adanni. Obviously, the Marshall didn’t want the Admiral to have anything to do with Nayllen, but he deferred to the Admiral’s position before offering this opinion. The Marshall finally broke the silence.
“Sir,” he said with hesitation, “do you intend on seeing Nayllen again?”
The look of concern on his face was genuine. Tyler could only imagine how desperate the Marshall was to know what had happened the night before.
“Marshall, I realize your concern is real and I know that you have been waiting patiently for me to share details of my meeting.” Tyler watched as his words took effect. “However, I feel that it may be dangerous for me to share details of the meeting with you.”
“But, sir,” the Marshall blurted sounding less than commanding, “I fear for your safety, especially if you sense danger.”
“I sense danger,” Tyler said in a calm and soothing voice, “but the danger I fear is for your safety.” He lied, but needed time to sort this out. He had a strong feeling Nayllen was listening to the conversation.
“I have never feared anything or anyone, especially a potential traitor.”
The Marshall put on his strongest military demeanor as he said this, and Tyler truly believed him. The Marshall had been in many campaigns with no signs of fear. His loyalty and dedication were remarkable.
Before the Admiral had met Marshall Sliss, it was rumored the Marshall, just a communications officer at the time, had left a fortified compound to adjust a faulty communication dish during a Krildon raid on a mining asteroid. His fearlessness had been noted by his commander at the time, but no commendation was given to the young officer since the raid had been caused by a military blunder.
At the time, the Imperial Palace and the Supreme Military Command had hushed up the incident to hide serious flaws in the military so early in the war.
Not unlike today, Tyler thought, have they learned nothing since this started?
Of course not, they are as stubborn as they are stupid. Adanni finished Tyler’s thoughts.
“Your courage is not in question. It is a thin line I walk with Nayllen and I must walk it alone. If things were to go bad, I, too, could be marked as a traitor. My position would likely save me from such a fate, but I fear you would not be spared.”
Tyler thought it sounded convincing, but the look on the Marshall’s face didn’t match this conclusion.
“Sir, I would face any jury if it meant standing with you.”
“I know,” Tyler said, “that is why I must ask you to step back from this.”
Tyler saw the pain and frustration it was causing the Marshall. The Admiral and the Marshall had been together a long time, and seeing the Admiral push him away was probably hard to accept. Tyler felt a pang of guilt.
“As you wish, sir.” The Marshall finally conceded.
“Please, Goolen, I know what I am doing, and I know that I must do it alone.” Tyler said it warmly, using the familiar first name of the Marshall. “I need you here, working with my staff to help us in our battle with Teesen.”
The Marshall perked slightly.
“You have an idea, sir?” the Marshall asked.
“Yes, if you are finished sharing great news?”
The Marshall smiled at the remark. “Yes, sir, I am finished. What are you thinking?”
“Marshall, I believe it is time for us to mount an all out offensive. It is a do or die situation, and I do not intend on dying just yet.”
Tyler put all of the Admiral’s essence into the statement and watched the effect on the Marshall. Tyler couldn’t tell what emotion showed on the Marshall’s face, but he was willing to call it pride.
“Yes, sir, we are ready and willing.”
Tyler outlined Adanni’s plan to the Marshall who soaked it in quietly while jotting notes. He nodded throughout Tyler’s narration of what was to surely be a historical moment in the Supreme Military Command, if not Poolto. When he finished, Tyler headed off to the conference while the Marshall headed back to brief the staff. The Marshall assured Tyler he would be at the conference in time for the showdown.
As Tyler made his way through the corridors, he thought about Nayllen and wondered when the man would try to make contact. If the Palace wasn’t backing Nayllen, who was? He thought about what Nayllen had said about the Admiral’s father. Was it all true, had the Admiral been named after this man?
Tyler had to concede the Admiral’s childhood memories of Krildon did not contain much intrigue. It was easy to imagine the Admiral’s parents were more than ambassadors to Krildon. But spies?
What a tangled web we weave. Adanni said.
Indeed. Tyler agreed.