"Likely not, but that won’t solve our manpower problems."
"Most of the Hestians will be more than ready to work in any fashion we ask them to," Tia said. "The only ones I can't speak for already are those still recovering from the device. If we get enough of the Sisters to join in, maybe we can make Captain Henry's idea work."
Kaiya's link activated before another word could be said. She fired off a rapid affirmation in Punjabi, receiving a report in the same language. "A ship entering orbit has asked to speak with the Shadow Wolf crew."
Tia felt wary at that development. "What kind of ship?"
"A cruiser yacht of some kind, a big one," replied Kaiya. "It identified itself as the Vesta. Apparently, the owner knows you by name."
"He would," Henry said, glancing uncomfortably at Tia. "In the ancient era on Earth, 'Vesta' was the Roman version of the goddess Hestia."
"So it's related with my…" Her words trailed off. She realized just who was likely waiting to speak with them.
Henry nodded. "That's Frank Lou's ship. It looks like he's getting mixed up on this now."
34
Kepper brought the Nimrod into Antoine's personal dock on the Rigault Lunar Station. He stepped out of the airlock to be greeted by two Rigault security guards with assault carbines. By instinct, he calculated the various approaches he could make to put them down if they posed a threat, but they offered no such need. Wordlessly, they guided him out of the dock and into the command sections of the station.
It was clear things were different. There were half again as many guards as usual walking patrols. Fewer corporate personnel of civilian nature were around. Rigault was on alert. This posed understandable concerns for Kepper, who always faced the prospect of employers deciding he knew too much, or that they didn't want to pay his contract after all.
He spoke nothing of these thoughts when they finally arrived at Antoine's office on the station. Antoine was turned away from the door to look out the window. Beyond was one of the station's "dry docks," essentially a gantry in a micro-G field where even now one of his cruisers was having its final fitting out completed. "They'll be done soon," he said. "The embodiment of Rigault's rise in Sagittarius. The fist of a new empire. What do you think, Mister Kepper? Honestly?"
"I think talking of empire isn't the usual thing for a megacorp exec," he answered. "Those ships cost a fortune. I could cripple governments for a fraction of the cost."
"Yes, and such is our usual way." Antoine's electronic eye reflected brilliantly off the window. "But the era of the megacorp will end in these spaces. If not at my hand, then at another's."
"Like the League?" Kepper crossed his arms. "I'm no fool, Rigault. The League doesn't sell destroyers to 'anti-Social capitalists,' peace treaty or no peace treaty. You've got them involved."
Antoine turned to face him. "Do you fear them?"
"I know they want me dead; it's reason enough to be careful around them. Especially when I fly a ship I took from one of their intel commanders."
"Ah. Well, rest assured that the League is unaware of your presence, and I intend to keep it that way. They are an ally of convenience for the moment, one I will set aside once their usefulness is at its end. You, on the other hand, I will always have a use for." He walked over to his desk and sat down.
Kepper, after a moment, took a chair across from him. "I'm listening," he said.
"All good rulers, whether they call themselves chiefs or presidents or emperors, even 'general secretaries,' must have men such as yourself in their employ. Threats to their power will always exist, and we need means to quietly deal with such threats. And I mean to have the best."
Kepper sensed he was getting flattered, even as he enjoyed said flattery. Yeah, you need men like me, until you don't, then you tend to betray us once we 'outlive our usefulness.' Aloud, he said, "I'm good for retainer work, if the retainer's right."
"It will be."
"Even with your financial woes? I read GalNet. I know how things are playing out."
"A temporary issue that will be resolved once everything is in place," Antoine assured him. "Although that brings me to why you are here."
"You want me to tag another mark."
"Two marks." Antoine frowned. "Tia Nguyen and Linh Khánh."
"I already bagged Nguyen."
"And her friends 'unbagged' her. So this time, I want her made into a corpse."
Explains the security increase, Kepper mused. "They must've had serious firepower to bring Nguyen out."
"Coalition Marines, according to our findings." Antoine drew his hands into fists. "They do not concern me. Their own government has disavowed them to protect the peace treaty."
Kepper kept his face neutral, but he didn't like the sound of that. The League was risking the peace to protect Antoine Rigault? "Any idea where they went?"
"The Majha was the ship they escaped the system in. It most likely jumped for the Coalition border, but their disavowal and the charges that are being leveled at Nguyen and her friends will undoubtedly keep them from entering Coalition space."
"I've got a few ideas where they might go." Kepper rose from his chair. "I'll go tag them and bring you the proof of death once the job's done."
"You'll be rewarded handsomely, Mr. Kepper. A sum worthy of your skill."
"The flattery's not necessary, Director," Kepper informed him. "This is a matter of professional pride, after all."
"Of course. I did not mean to sound patronizing. Good hunting, Mister Kepper."
Kepper accepted the well-wishes with a nod before standing and departing the room. He's an ambitious one. Maybe too ambitious… and if he thinks he can cast the League off so easily, a little deluded. It might be time soon to seek new employment.
Still, a job's a job. With that thought, he headed back to the Nimrod, already calculating the most likely locations of Nguyen and Khánh, and the best ways to end their lives.
* * *
Antoine waited in the office for some time after Kepper left. Having Kepper learn of his League connections was not an optimal matter, certainly, but he'd at least been convinced of the importance he rated them.
After all, Antoine was no fool. The League was as long term a threat, and enemy, as the Coalition. This alliance was truly one of convenience, and they would turn on him as soon as it was in their interest. He didn't entirely blame them for this, as he had the same plan. Such was the nature of those in the game.
His eyes were drifting back to the window, and his superb sight of the Conquérant, when his guards brought Aristide and Breivik into the office. He brought his eyes back over and stood. "Commander, Doctor. I trust the facilities are to your liking?"
"We at least have sufficient room for work," Breivik said. "And confinement for the prisoners is working well enough. I would still prefer a planetside lab space, though."
"Perhaps, once the implantation is finished, we will be secure enough to allow it." Antoine folded his hands together in front of him. "I would like a report from you, Doctor, on our progress with the device, and its ability to physically control workers to keep them on task. I will find it useful in presenting to the HBC and the planetary government."
"I can do so," Breivik said with the air of a man who very much did not want to do so. "It will take time from my work. I've lost enough time getting my wounds treated."
"It is necessary," Antoine insisted.
"Then it will be done." Aristide gave Breivik a look that promised she would book no further dissent and he sighed. "On other matters, we have received some intelligence that a group of mercenaries attached to the Coalition are gathering in nearby systems."
"Which mercenaries? Is this something to be concerned with?"
"Possibly, but we are not certain," she replied. "These 'Little Sisters of the Divine Recompense' are superstitious fanatics, and their role in the Coalition-backed overthrow of our allied government on Monrovia has ensured their eventual liquidation by our security services. It is possi
ble they could be reacting to what has happened here, but we have no firm intelligence."
Antoine chuckled. "I have heard of these mercenary nuns. They refuse to kill in combat, and besides, they will never work for an atheist, socialist revolution."
"Likely not," Aristide agreed. She stood. "I have work planetside, and Doctor Breivik has duties to attend to. We shall meet again later."
"That we shall. Take care, Commander."
There was a final nod from the cold woman before she and Breivik left. Antoine leaned back in his chair and considered what she spoke of. Does she truly fear the intervention of these "Little Sisters"? Or is she seeking to justify something due to their presence? He stood. I may have to make sure more of the fleet is ready sooner than I anticipated.
* * *
After a private shuttle ride back to Thyssenbourg, Aristide took a helicar to the housing for the planet's National Assembly. A provided security code gave her entry and she swiftly followed a route she'd long memorized.
She arrived at an apartment toward the end of a hall. The door opened for her. Felipe Xiu, of the Hestian Social Solidarity Party, stood to receive her and let her in. Once she was inside the door, he closed it and turned to face her. "Commander, what may I do for the revolution today?"
"Nothing yet," she said. "Things are still progressing, and our options must remain flexible."
"I understand. I am ready to do whatever is necessary, and I've made all the preparations."
She nodded in approval. "Antoine Rigault will introduce the implant to the National Assembly in two weeks. You will lead the party to vote for the measure."
He nodded. "I see. An accelerationist measure?"
"Potentially. There are many factors we must account for in the near future, Xiu. Hestia's liberation may come more quickly than either of us expect. Your role will continue to be leading those of your planet who stand for enlightened Social rule. So far, you have done well, and as it stands, you will be recorded as the champion who brought Social rule to Hestia. No matter how that is brought about, or what you must do to attain it."
Her compliment hit its mark. Xiu's face showed his determination to fulfill that end regardless of the cost. "Whatever comes, we will be ready, Commander. I stand ready to work with the League in liberating the workers of all of Sagittarius from capitalist and religious oppression. I pledge my life to the victory of Society."
"I would expect nothing less from you," Aristide said to him. "Be ready for all contingencies. If I must, I will call in my ships, but it is important they remain unseen for the time being. As such, I must go now."
"I will be waiting for further instructions, Comrade Commander," he promised before leading her from the room. After she was gone, she mused on the shame that so many other revolutionaries in Sagittarius failed to see the League as the liberators they were. So many were in the grip of nationalist aspirations or outdated "leftist" economic and social concepts. They failed to recognize that only the absolute control of Society would provide the liberation they sought.
It was something all would recognize one day, of course, whether it was in the confines of a Socialization camp or with the aid of Breivik's device.
35
The transfer tube locked into place at the port-side airlock of the Majha. Tia and Henry waited quietly with Kaiya behind them. "Will you be okay?" she asked. "This man is one of the wealthiest in all of Sagittarius. What could he want with you?"
It was a question Tia was wondering herself. Francois "Frank" Lou always irked her for what he represented: a Hestian becoming the same as the people who exploited and oppressed their world.
"Normally, I'd imagine he wanted us to do a job," Henry said, "since we've worked for him before. But he has to know the Wolf's gone."
"He'll be up to something. He's a capitalist schemer just as sharp as the other megacorp types." Tia couldn't keep the harshness from her voice.
"Still, he's no friend of the HBC, so he could be useful," Henry reminded her. "We need more allies, after all, and I can't imagine he'll be happy with what Rigault's doing, either the neural device or the fleet."
He'd spoken with a gentle tone, one he'd rarely spoken with before. It made her wonder all the more just what happened to him in San Tomas. She also had to admit he was right. It galled her to think of Lou as a potential ally like that, but Mother Sarno's messages made clear just how much this was going to cost, and it was far more than the Party had available in funds.
The two ventured down the tube. Halfway across the gray interior of the Majha's transfer tube gave way to a light, sky-tinted blue. Transtanium viewing ports allowed them to look out into the void and the ships they were passing between, the wide, functional Majha a contrast to the sleek aesthetics of the Vesta. Upon closer inspection, the yacht had ports for what were likely concealed auto-turrets, meaning it had at least some self-defense capability. Tia wondered if its form also hid a powerful deflector system or fusion drives, letting such a ship escape from the kind of threats it might face jumping around Neutral Space.
The airlock on the other end slid open effortlessly, with barely a second passing between the closing of the outer door behind them and the inner door opening ahead.
Carpeted splendor greeted them. The walls were the same sky blue and resembled a high class hotel's interior more than a spaceship's. The ventilation system vents were built into the lower walls, usually out of immediate sight, and the bulkhead partitions were cleverly disguised as the inward curve of the walls to mark the sections of the hall.
The material wealth on display was bad enough. Tia forced herself not to snarl at the sight of the servant in blue and gold livery who awaited them. He had the same coloration as Tia and the accent confirmed that he was Hestian as well. "Mr. Lou is expecting you. This way, please."
They followed. Tia glared at the costly display that Lou funded by the labor of his work force. The liveried servant being a fellow Hestian was almost something the megacorps would do, although few megacorp officials back home would ever trust a native Hestian with more than menial work.
The hall gave way to a large pool deck. The pool was something like fifty meters long and twenty wide, with marked depths as low as half a meter at one end all the way to a 2.5-meter depth on the far end. The sound of splashing came to them, all from the shallow end. A gaggle of children were playing in the water. The youngest couldn't be more than three and was in the arms of a smiling young woman of olive-yellow coloration. A few other women and two men loitered around the pool, as did several servants, including another man in livery and a woman with a paramedic's insignia on her armband. Tia glanced upward to see that the ceiling of the pool area was a liquid crystal display, much as the forward wall of the Shadow Wolf's bridge had been. It showed a cloudless sky at noon-time with a yellow sun.
Who are the children? Lou's family? She supposed it made sense for him to bring them on a yacht like this, especially if it gave cover for leaving his corporate HQ at this time. She remembered he had a wife who was a fellow exile. Had his children married Hestian as well? Or could their spouses be from New Luzon in the Coalition, or Cochin, or any of the other worlds that contributed the initial settlers of Hestia?
On the far side of the deck, a large window looked out over the scene. Across the distance, Tia could see there was a figure standing there in some sort of blue or gray suit. Probably Lou. Looking out at his luxury yacht as if he sweated to build it himself. She noted Henry glancing toward her and said nothing, but she did try to restore neutrality to her expression.
On the far side of the pool deck led to more halls. The servant brought them around to a spiral stairwell and led them to the deck above. They were brought to a pair of wooden double doors that the servant pulled open. "Mr. Lou, sir, Captain James Henry and First Mate Tia Nguyen."
"Thank you, Ninh." The voice that spoke lacked Henry's baritone, but it had a commanding firmness to it, and matched Tia's accent exactly. Across the room, Frank Lou turned from
the window overlooking the pool deck to face them. His suit and vest were gray with the business shirt under it white. The gray matched his eyes and hair, which was now whitening at the temples.
Despite his reputation, Lou was not of imposing size, at least, not any longer. He easily stood to Henry's height, and his shoulders were broad enough to indicate how formidable he'd been in his youth.
The room itself was a conference room. It was spacious, with a few fine sculptures and pieces that included a Saurian stone-hewn tablet and a hand-sewn Tal'mayan tapestry. The chairs were plush leather pieces of beige and the table was a tropical hardwood. The ideographic insignia of Lou's company—Chinese ideographs, Tia thought—was carved into it, framing a holoprojector.
Lou gestured to the seats. "Please, feel at home." He noted her expression and grinned slightly. "I'm sure your comrades would understand, Miss Nguyen. In these times, we Hestians must stick together."
She fought to keep her expression neutral. Her mind flashed back to her dead comrades, to Nhung and Quang and the others. How would they consider this if they were here?
She settled into the chair, visibly uncomfortable. Henry sat beside her. He clearly didn't share her disdain of the opulence, so he let himself enjoy the comfort of the chair.
Lou slid into the chair opposite from them. "You have made quite the name for yourselves since I last employed you," he noted. "Your reputation is certainly more formidable than ever. It contributes to the frenzy your actions have provoked throughout the neutral systems."
"The news media seems to mostly be reporting on Rigault's claims of terrorism," Henry said. "And nobody's bringing up the League connection."
Breach of Trust: Breach of Faith Book Four Page 28