A Line in the Sand

by Ryk Brown

  “I doubt that anyone here disagrees with you, Captain,” General Telles assured him.

  “Damn straight,” Jessica agreed. “Let’s go kick Galiardi’s ass.”

  * * *

  “Sasha just returned,” Igor reported as he entered Aleksi’s office. “A comm-drone has arrived.”

  “I take it the capture system worked correctly.”

  “Perfectly,” Igor replied. “Sasha said the cavern filled with blue-white light and a thunder that scared the hell out of them. Before they realized what had happened, there was a comm-drone hanging in the capture net at the end of the track run.” Igor handed his data pad to Aleksi.

  Aleksi read the message on the data pad. It had not been what he had expected. “Crowds? That’s all?”

  “That’s enough,” Igor insisted. “They need hundreds at every net-hub. Perhaps thousands. How are we going to get that many people to show up at the hubs at precisely the right moment in twelve different locations all over the world?”

  “We will pay them,” Aleksi replied.

  “What do we tell them we are paying them to do?” Igor wondered.

  “We tell them they are being hired to protest something. People always like a good protest, especially the young.”

  “What do we tell them they are protesting?”

  “Whatever works best for each area,” Aleksi insisted. “But we do not tell them it has anything to do with the net-hubs.”

  “Then how do we get them to the hubs?”

  “We load them into leased buses and take them to the hubs at just the right time.”

  “How do we know when that time is?” Igor wondered.

  “I’m sure Captain Scott will find a way to let us know.”

  Igor sighed. “Do you know how many buses we will have to lease? It will be very expensive.”

  Aleksi smiled. “We will worry about the cost later, Igor. I have a feeling it will be the least of our worries.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Kor-Dom Borrol stood on the observation deck at the summit of Mount Lona, gazing down at the city. Lights twinkled as far as the eye could see. His world was beautiful in its own way. No other human civilization had ever created such a wonder. He could not help but wonder if they would be able to build it all again.

  A clap of thunder and a flash of blue-white light briefly illuminated the summit park, followed by a wash of displaced air at the kor-dom’s back. He turned around to see the Voss hovering three meters above the grassy summit, its landing struts deploying as it descended.

  Kor-Dom Borrol was amazed at the precision of their arrival, as well as the fact that there was no thrust wash keeping the ship in the air.

  The Voss rotated around so that her aft end faced the kor-dom and his guards as the cargo ramp came down. As the ship touched down, its shields glowed and sparkled along the bottom edge.

  Four soldiers in black combat armor jumped down from the ramp as it passed the horizontal position, quickly taking up positions on either side. Nathan was next, heading down the ramp as it touched the grassy surface.

  Kor-Dom Borrol and his men moved toward the Voss, stopping a meter from its still-glowing shield. A moment later, the aft shield section disappeared, and they continued forward.

  Nathan stopped at the bottom of the ramp, waiting for the Jung leader. “Kor-Dom.”

  “Captain,” the kor-dom greeted. He looked at one of his men, signaling for them to hold position, after which he continued toward Nathan.

  “Would you like to come inside?”

  “We can talk here,” the kor-dom replied.

  “Are you certain?” Nathan wondered, looking around.

  “The area has been evacuated out to ten kilometers,” the kor-dom explained. “It seems there has been a hazardous materials leak in the area. A transport accident, I believe.”

  “As you wish. Have you reached a decision?”

  “The leadership council has agreed to proceed with your plan under certain conditions,” the kor-dom replied.

  “What conditions?” Nathan asked.

  “First, I need to know how you plan to remove Galiardi from power.”

  “I’m afraid I cannot discuss the details for security reasons,” Nathan replied. “For all we know, someone on your council could be feeding intel to Galiardi.”

  “The council has already approved your proposal. The decision now rests with me alone. Perhaps that will assuage your concerns.”

  “Not fully, no,” Nathan admitted.

  “I’m afraid I must insist.”

  Nathan thought for a moment. “Let’s just say there is a legal claim on the office of president that we intend to enforce.”

  “And you believe Admiral Galiardi will honor this claim,” the kor-dom surmised.

  “We weren’t planning on giving him a choice,” Nathan assured him.

  “Then you believe you have enough firepower to force him to comply?”

  “Sometimes it’s better to be clever than strong,” Nathan replied.

  “As long as you have the strength to back your play, yes.”

  “We do,” Nathan told him.

  “Interesting.”

  “What are the other conditions?” Nathan asked.

  “We will require jump drive technology prior to making you a caste leader.”

  Nathan smiled. Even with the fate of trillions of people in his hands, the kor-dom was trying to haggle. “The deal was that we get rid of Galiardi and put an end to the attacks on your forces, and you create a new caste, so that its leader can challenge Lord Dusahn.”

  “Unseating Galiardi serves your interests as much as it does ours,” Kor-Dom Borrol insisted. “It will be difficult enough to stop the current Tonba-Hon-Venar, let alone the one that will be called for once the general population learns that you are alive. The only thing that can prevent that is for both sides to be on equal footing. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to destroy your world.”

  “I agree,” Nathan replied, “but I will not hand over jump drive technology until Lord Dusahn is defeated.”

  “You mean when Lord Dusahn accepts your challenge,” the kor-dom corrected.

  “You believe Griogair Dusahn will be victorious. That’s why you want the jump drive technology first.”

  “If you die, how do I know that your subordinates will honor your word?” the kor-dom wondered.

  “If I give you jump drive technology, you could destroy Takara with ease, no matter who wins.”

  “If you lose, the Dusahn will become even more powerful. Without jump drive technology, we will not be able to stop them ourselves.”

  Nathan’s brow furrowed. “How will they become more powerful?”

  “If you lose, all the assets of your clan become the property of the Dusahn.” Kor-Dom Borrel noticed the surprised look on Nathan’s face. “You were not aware of this?”

  “No I was not, but I guess I should have expected it.”

  “If you wish this plan to happen, you will need to act soon, before it is too late,” Kor-Dom Borrol warned.

  “Why the hurry?”

  “With every day that passes, we lose more assets to Galiardi’s attacks. It is only a matter of time before he attacks Nor-Patri directly. Once he does, I will be unable to cancel the Tonba-Hon-Venar.”

  Nathan thought for a moment, remembering the kor-dom’s earlier words. “You said the current Tonba-Hon-Venar will be difficult to stop.”

  “A slip of the tongue.”

  “Politicians at your level don’t make such errors,” Nathan insisted. “There is already a Tonba-Hon-Venar in progress.” When the kor-dom did not reply, Nathan pressed further. “For how long? Weeks? Months? Years?”

  “As I said, you must act quickly.”

  “If you want jump drive technology before we defeat
the Dusahn, I’ve got conditions,” Nathan told him.

  “Such as?”

  “First you must join our alliance.”

  “To what end?”

  “The Jung Empire values honor. If your empire expects to thrive in the interstellar political arena, your word will need to be golden. If you join our alliance, you cannot attack us. Not without going back on your word and ruining your standing with all other worlds.”

  “Is that all?”

  “You must also tell me how long the current Tonba-Hon-Venar has been in progress.”

  It was the kor-dom’s turn to think a moment. “It began the moment you destroyed Zhu-Anok. Ships were recalled from all over the empire and put on a course for Sol, with orders to travel covertly and penetrate as deeply into Sol Alliance territory as possible.”

  “How close are they?” Nathan wondered.

  “I have no way of knowing, but seven years is more than enough time for even our slowest warships to traverse our empire and travel to Earth.”

  “The Sol Alliance would detect them,” Nathan insisted.

  “Space is vast,” Kor-Dom Borrol replied, “and our captains are both clever and patient.”

  Nathan was confident that Kor-Dom Borrol was not being forthright, but there was little he could do about it at the moment. “Can the Tonba-Hon-Venar be stopped?”

  “Before or after the council learns that you are still alive?”

  “You didn’t tell them?” Nathan wondered, surprised.

  “It would have complicated matters.”

  “Then both I guess,” Nathan stated.

  “That is also complicated.” Kor-Dom Borrol took a breath before continuing. “There is much hatred toward your people, especially in the warrior caste. They shouldered much of the blame for the failure to defeat the Sol Alliance. Had you not surrendered, the empire might have collapsed from within by now. Since the destruction of Zhu-Anok, it has been a constant struggle to control them. The Tonba-Hon-Venar has been the only thing preventing them from turning on the leadership and seizing control for themselves. It is how they will restore their honor, and without that honor, the people will not see them as fit to lead.”

  “Then honor is important to the Jung,” Nathan surmised.

  “Honor is everything to us. The honor of one’s words, the honor of one’s actions, and the honor of responsibility. They are hallmarks of the empire.”

  “Yet your empire has committed countless atrocities.”

  “For which we are willing to be judged by our maker.”

  “I’ve heard that excuse before,” Nathan replied.

  “There are many definitions of honor, Captain,” Kor-Dom Borrol stated, “just as there are many definitions of truth.”

  “You still haven’t answered my question,” Nathan reminded him.

  “The warrior castes have given their word. They will abandon the Tonba-Hon-Venar if ordered to do so.”

  “But what about their honor?”

  “There is just as much honor in accepting disgrace for the sake of your people as there is in avenging the fallen, perhaps more so,” Kor-Dom Borrol assured him. “The Jung Empire was built on the conquering of those who had what we needed. But that practice should have ended when our homeworld became self-sufficient. Instead, the warrior castes, which were in power at the time, used it as an excuse to expand the empire further. Their conquests provided for the people of Nor-Patri, allowing our population to grow to unimaginable heights. That is why our world is what it is.”

  “Surely your people had to realize that Nor-Patri was becoming overpopulated and dependent upon other worlds to survive.”

  “You’d be surprised how much a life of luxury and excess can influence the average person. The warrior castes knew this. They built a utopian society where the people were happy and fulfilled. In exchange, they were free to build countless warships to protect the opulence that is Nor-Patri. When questioned about their conquests, they vowed that they had sought to bring the same to all humanity.”

  “And no one noticed how many people they were slaughtering to do so?”

  “Having only linear FTL made it easy to control what the people of Nor-Patri actually knew,” the kor-dom explained.

  “Your people cannot be that blind.”

  “They are not,” the kor-dom assured him. “However, opulence tends to reduce the number of questions asked.”

  Nathan sighed. “And still I have no answer.”

  “You needed the proper context. As a student of history, you should understand this.”

  “Forgive me, Kor-Dom, but standing in the open on top of a hill, on a world where everyone sees me as the devil himself, makes me a bit anxious.”

  “The jump drive technology is the key to stopping the Tonba-Hon-Venar,” the kor-dom explained. “The honor of the warrior castes will be restored by swallowing their pride, as their sacrifice will open the galaxy to us.”

  “Then it can be stopped,” Nathan surmised.

  “I believe so.”

  Nathan didn’t find his response entirely reassuring. “But you cannot promise it.”

  “Humans are fickle creatures, Captain. This is precisely why honor is so valued in Jung society.”

  The kor-dom’s words reminded Nathan of those times he had listened to his father giving speeches. Politicians could talk for what seemed like hours while never actually saying anything of substance. “I’m not sure your assurances are enough, Kor-Dom,” Nathan warned.

  “Then let us return to opulence,” the kor-dom suggested. “Members of the warrior castes are human, just like the rest of us. They have wives, families, and careers, all of which they would like to keep. For most, the promise of being able to continue practicing for war with their toys will be enough. Only a perverse few still seek glory through conquest.”

  “The proposition remains unchanged,” Nathan insisted, standing his ground. “You get jump drive technology once the Tonba-Hon-Venar has been stopped and after the Dusahn have been dealt with, and then only if the Jung Empire joins our alliance.”

  “You expect us to trust you at your word, despite the fact that you somehow managed to avoid death at your execution?”

  “You and I both know that I committed no crime,” Nathan insisted. “My execution was to appease your public and buy you time to covertly position your forces to destroy my world. Besides, when I surrendered, I had no plans of escape. That came later and not by my request. You, on the other hand, have intended to go back on your word to honor a cease-fire for seven years now. By your own admission, your ships are already in Sol Alliance space, which is a violation of that agreement. Technically, Galiardi has the right to attack you. He just happens to be doing it for the wrong reasons at the moment.”

  “I made no such admission,” Kor-Dom Borrol insisted. “I only implied.”

  “Call it what you like, Kor-Dom. The point is that neither of us has any reason to trust the other. What we do have, however, is a shared motivation. You wish your empire to survive, and we wish all of humanity to survive. Now, we can continue to live with the barrels of guns pointed at one another, or we can move beyond our mutual hatred and distrust, and find a way to coexist in peace. But the deal stands as originally offered.”

  Kor-Dom Borrol eyed Nathan a moment. “Striking a deal with us is the only way you can save your world, let alone these Takarans you care so much for.”

  Nathan sighed again, growing tired of the conversation. Like every other negotiation, it seemed more of an attempt to wear down one’s opponent than to reach a reasonable compromise. “Have you ever heard of a doomsday ship?” he asked the kor-dom.

  “I have not.”

  “It’s a simple concept, really,” Nathan explained. “It’s a big, ugly-looking ship. Slow, poorly defended, and not very maneuverable. At first glance, you’d think it was just
a massive cargo ship. But the truth is, it’s an insurance policy. You see, it’s full of one thing: jump-capable kinetic kill vehicles designed specifically to destroy your entire empire. These ships jump to a new location every few hours, and twice a day, they send a jump comm-drone back to fleet command requesting permission not to launch their weapons. If their request is granted, they carry on. If not, they launch, and then they find some quiet little corner of the galaxy to start their own colony.”

  Although he was trying to hide it, Nathan could tell that his little story had affected the kor-dom in the way he had hoped.

  “We suspected that such ships existed,” Kor-Dom Borrol finally admitted.

  “Then you know that the Tonba-Hon-Venar is a no-win scenario.”

  Kor-Dom Borrol looked at Nathan. “It is not about winning, Captain, it is about sacrifice. When the people call for the Venar, they know the risk they are taking.”

  “And you are comfortable with that risk?”

  “If I was, you would not be alive,” Kor-Dom Borrol replied. “The question is, are you willing to take that risk?”

  “If I must.”

  “You are an impetuous young man, aren’t you?”

  “It’s part of my charm,” Nathan replied, smiling.

  “I know your type,” Kor-Dom Borrol stated. “We have people like you on our world as well. Children of the wealthy and powerful, believing that charm and an enchanting smile will get them out of trouble, only to fall back on their father’s name when it fails.”

  “My father’s dead,” Nathan replied, not amused. “He and all but one of my sisters were assassinated by Galiardi.”

  Again, the kor-dom’s expression revealed his state of mind. The fact that he did not know about the assassination of Nathan’s father told him that the Jung Empire’s current intelligence about Earth was weak, if not non-existent. “It’s time for you to decide the fate of your empire, Kor-Dom.”