by Terry Mixon
She turned her gaze back to Brad. “Keep it brief, but you’re allowed to respond to that statement.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Arbiter. The Commonwealth has plenty of indisputable evidence that the Phoenix is a pirate and the leader of the Cadre. I personally saw him working with the Terror and have no doubts.
“As for him being a pirate or a freedom fighter, I think his tactics speak for themselves. He was in league with the former President of the Commonwealth to overthrow it and has killed more innocent people than we can possibly comprehend. Actions speak louder than words. You’ve seen who I am by what I’ve done. Judge Jack Mantruso by his own actions.”
He could see that his words had swayed some of the opinions in the room, but with them being quiet, it was hard to guess at how much. The only thing he could clearly see was the rage in Youden’s eyes.
Good.
The Arbiter nodded. “Thank you for clarifying the matter, Admiral Madrid. Now, since we’ve all gathered to hear what you have to say, I think you should begin.”
She turned her gaze to Youden. “If anyone has any objections or questions, that can wait until the Admiral completes his statement. Further interruptions will not be tolerated from anyone. That includes you, Mr. Youden.”
With her control reasserted, Arbiter Blaze gestured for Brad to begin.
“Many of you are aware of the attacks at Saturn, Mars, and Earth,” he said evenly. “What you might not realize is how badly the Cadre and the conspiracy they were part of changed the playing field.
“The Cadre, and when they changed their names, Outer World Intelligence and the Outer Worlds Navy, used everything from bribery to compulsion by holding families hostage to destroy or capture a lot of ships. Our fighting force is damaged right when Jack Mantruso is making his move, which is no coincidence. The bottom line is that Fleet can no longer protect you or the Commonwealth. Not alone.”
He paused to once again look around the room. “Mutineers captured Task Group Immortal. It and all the ships Fleet contractors built for the Cadre are at Saturn, fueling to come in and conquer humanity.
“You’ve declared your neutrality, and I’ll tell you that means nothing to pirates like these. They’ll tell you it does until they’re ready to deal with you. They want an empire with no one outside their control. My brother told me so himself to try and convince me to join him.”
Brad could see that Youden was itching to break in, but Arbiter Blaze’s warning was keeping him in his seat. Barely.
“I’ll provide what data we have, but the bottom line is that First Fleet is going to fight for your freedom, and for the rest of humanity as well, but we cannot win alone. You’re going to have to fight in your own defense or you’ll become slaves to the likes of the Terror and the Phoenix.
“Those of you who don’t know me personally have heard of me and know my reputation. If you hadn’t before I came here with First Fleet, you certainly did so before this meeting.
“Am I the kind of man who wants to betray you into becoming serfs to the Commonwealth or slaves to the OWA? Compare me to the Phoenix and I’ll win every single time. Thank you all, and thank you, Arbiter Blaze.”
He sat and waited to hear what Youden had to say. This was going to be interesting, considering everyone out here knew what kind of bastards the Terror and the Phoenix had been.
“Mr. Youden,” Blaze said. “I suspect you have a rather different point of view. State it succinctly, please.”
Youden rose to his feet and smiled. “Admiral Mantruso misstates just about everything. What would one expect of a tool of the oligarchy of the Inner Worlds? We all know how they’ve used and abandoned us over the years. If anyone wants to hold you under its heel, it is them. And him.
“The Outer Worlds Alliance has come together to throw off the yoke of oppression. We’re freedom fighters and I reject the label of pirates. The Lord Protector has been maligned. Many of the acts attributed to the Cadre have actually been carried out by the willing hands that support the oligarchs and want to keep us their slaves.”
He turned his smiled on the crowd. “Have we called on freedom-loving members of Fleet to fight against the oppressors? Yes. Have we gathered a secret force to end the corrupt and tyrannical rule of the rich and powerful? Yes.
“But I remind you all that we have given our word that the Jovian system will remain under its own control. We respect and honor your neutrality. Don’t be fooled by this embittered and deluded man. Eject the Commonwealth forces and be free.”
To his shock, Brad heard murmurs of agreement in the crowd. How could they be so blind?
He had to hope that Arbiter Blaze was made of sturdier stuff. He thought she was, but only time would tell.
Arbiter Blaze nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Youden. Ladies and gentlemen, I will now open the floor to a few, select questions. If I feel any of the questions are repetitive, I’ll shut you down. If I feel you’re making a personal attack, I’ll shut you down.”
After a long look around the room, she made a gesture to begin. Almost every hand went up.
Blaze pointed at Ilene Johnson. “Governor Johnson.”
The tall blonde woman rose. “I have a question for each, if I may.”
“Proceed.”
She turned to Brad. “I was unaware of your identity, but it doesn’t really concern me one way or another. I knew Jack Mader for years, which means I’ve known you a far shorter time than the Lord Protector and trust you far more. I know both your characters and can tell the heroes and villains of the tale.
“Yet that doesn’t excuse everything the Inner System have done to us. The Jovian system is done being the lapdogs for those who seek to control us. Those days are done. What say you to that?”
“I received a message from President Barnes before I came in, telling me to do what was best for humanity rather than the Inner System,” Brad said. “No matter how this plays out, the military might of the Commonwealth is going to be spent for decades. Your forces here could assert their independence without a strong Commonwealth or the OWA breathing down your necks, if that’s what you want.
“Do what you need to do—but keep a firm eye on the facts and the personalities. You’ve known President Barnes for a long time. Will he try to keep you in the Commonwealth if you’re determined to forge your own path?”
Governor Johnson nodded. “You’ve chosen a wise course in how you phrased that question. I don’t believe that President Barnes would try to keep the Jovian system in the Commonwealth if we decide to leave it. He might wish things were different, but he’s a good man.”
She turned her attention to Youden. “I’ve known your Lord Protector for over twenty years. He betrayed my son to slavers and worked for the Cadre to bring piracy into the Jovian system and across the Solar System. Those aren’t anything more than facts.
“Why should I believe your words when I’ve seen his actions? In other words, was he lying about who he was then or is he lying now?”
Youden spread his hands. “I can’t control what you’ve been told, but I can say with absolute certainty that the Lord Protector has only the best of intentions toward the Jovian system. If you maintain your neutrality, this drama will play itself out and you will keep your freedom.”
His expression hardened. “If you decide to fight with the oppressors of humanity, though, all that changes. The Outer Worlds Alliance will stamp out the corrupt oligarchy and free humanity. If you attempt to impede us, then we’ll be forced to free your citizens as well.
“We’d see that you get fair representation in the Outer Worlds Alliance, but no one would ever trust any of you in leadership positions again. I’d also be afraid of what they might find when the OWA started auditing the finances of those opposed to freedom, if I were you.”
Governor Johnson’s expression became cold. “They say a leopard can’t change its spots, and I say a bully can’t change either. The Commonwealth and Admiral Madrid aren’t threatening us, but you are.”
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br /> She looked out over the crowd. “I’ve heard enough. We know what each of them wants and we’ve already chosen in our own hearts who we will individually support. Everything else is posturing. I say we ask them both to leave and get down to shouting at one another.”
That earned a surprisingly agreeable rumble from the crowd.
“I also agree,” Arbiter Blaze said. “If we have any other questions of merit, we can call them back in. If you agree with this course of action, raise your hands.”
Slightly more than half agreed to end the questioning. Brad wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not, but he rose gratefully when he was asked to leave.
Youden also walked out of the conference room. He smiled at Brad as he and his guards made their way toward the front of the hall.
“No matter how this plays out, you’re going to die,” Youden said smugly. “You really should’ve stayed on Earth.”
“Everyone dies, Mr. Youden,” Brad said as he stopped to let the man leave without him. “What matters is how we live and what hill we chose to die upon. If I can take my brother down with me while saving humanity from the ‘Lord Protector’, I’ll die a happy man.”
Chapter Nineteen
Major Papadakis was waiting for Brad when he came out of the hall. “Factor Kernsky sent someone for you. The mercenaries here confirmed this was someone they knew, but I’m still suspicious.”
“Considering how well the Cadre and OWA have everyone penetrated, I’m not going to call that paranoia,” Brad conceded. “Where are they?”
She gestured for two of her Marines to escort a short man up. He looked vaguely familiar.
“Admiral Madrid,” the man said. “You don’t know me, but I’m Samuel Juras. We met briefly, but I’m sure you don’t remember me. I was Factor Kernsky’s receptionist back in those days.”
That jarred Brad’s memory enough and he did remember the man. They’d barely exchanged a dozen words, but he’d met him the second time he’d gone to Kernsky’s office.
“I do remember you, Mr. Juras, though only just,” Brad said as he extended his hand. “What can I do for you?”
“She’s currently meeting with the directors and sent a recording for you. I’m not privy to the contents, but she wanted me to make sure that you knew it really comes from her.”
“As I said, I barely know you,” Brad countered. “How can I be sure of that?”
The man smiled. “She told me to tell you something that she said would mean something to you. It was something you talked about when you first met. She said, ‘Tell him that midsummer may once again take wing.’”
Brad immediately nodded. Sara Kernsky had commanded the frigate Midsummer for the Red Wings Mercenary Company when the Mercenary Guild issued the last overriding contract and took out the Cadre cruiser Black Skull. The ship had never flown again, and the Red Wings had died as a mercenary company that day.
The message in and of itself proved nothing, but along with his knowledge of the man, he was provisionally willing to grant this was a genuine message from Kernsky.
“I’ll take the recording, then. Why didn’t she just send something over the com?”
“Because she has her doubts that it would remain solely between the two of you,” the man said as he pulled out a small slate and extended it. “She said the password was your darkest secret, Admiral. One word.”
That hardly took much guessing. He entered Mantruso and the lock screen went away. At the time she’d recorded that message, his identity had been a closely guarded secret. Now? Not so much.
Her image appeared on the screen. “Admiral Madrid, you need to hear this in relative privacy. Please pause this recording and send Samuel on his way.”
The man obviously heard that. He bowed slightly and took his leave.
Once he was gone, Brad moved himself and his guards to where no one would be able to overhear the recording. Then he started it playing again.
“As we discussed,” she said, “I’m meeting with the directors. Four of them, anyway. The fifth is refusing to attend. At this point, we need him. The OWA has gotten to him somehow. If you could bring him with you to the Mercenary Guild offices—not the ones at the Hiring Hall but the ones at the city center—then we at least have a chance to get that contract.
“We’ll probably be here arguing all day, but if you could make something happen a little sooner, that would be better than hearing these people expel hot air. I’m attaching a pass to get into his gated community; otherwise, the guards won’t let you in. Don’t dawdle.”
The recording concluded with an address for the missing director and for the offices.
“Major, verify both addresses,” Brad said. “I doubt this is manufactured, but I want to be sure. Saburo, I want you to take point and scout the director’s home. If we need to rescue him, I want to be sure that we have a good exit strategy.”
Time was wasting and he needed to get the politicians from both the Jovian system and the Mercenary Guild on his side before the sky fell on them all.
Director Gustave Kutschinski lived in an exclusive neighborhood, just as one might expect of someone with wealth and influence. Brad, having been raised in space, couldn’t see the attraction, but he supposed others might feel the same way about how he lived.
When he arrived at the gate, Brad presented the pass Kernsky had given him. That seemed acceptable, though they gave the size of his escort an unfavorable look and demanded to see IDs.
“I’m here on Mercenary Guild business,” Brad said, presenting his wrist-comp. “That’s why my escort is mixed.”
The two guards had a brief discussion and opened the gates. “You’re free to go in, Admiral. Please check in on your way out.”
Saburo took one vehicle ahead once they were inside. Five minutes later, he called Brad and told him to come ahead. The Colonel had set up just around the corner from the address they’d been given.
“How do we want to handle this, Admiral?” Major Papadakis asked briskly. “If he’s under compulsion, he won’t open the door.”
“If he sees the size of your escort, he won’t open the door, either,” Saburo added.
“You two are with me,” Brad decided. “We’ll go right up and keep buzzing until he lets us in.”
That said, he marched up to the director’s home and pressed the buzzer. Rather to his shock, the door opened almost immediately. A tall, fit woman dressed in casual clothes sporting bright colors smiled at him.
“Yes?” she asked.
“My name is Brad Madrid and I’m looking for Director Kutschinski. It’s urgent.”
Her face took on a sad expression. “I thought he already told the office he was sick today. I’m afraid that—”
“Is that someone from the Guild, honey? Let them in.”
The woman’s expression took on a disproving air. “You’re sick, baby,” she called over her shoulder. “They can come back later.”
“It will only take a moment,” Brad lied, sticking his foot in the door.
From the look she gave the offending appendage, she was considering slamming the door on it. He hoped Fleet uniform shoes were half as tough as the boots his Vikings wore.
A large man came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay.”
The woman—his wife, Brad assumed—sighed and stepped back. “Keep it short, Gus. I want them gone before I take the kids out to the park. I’ll make tea. The hot liquid will do you good.”
He led the three of them back into a luxurious living room. An open counter allowed Brad to see the man’s wife bustling around the kitchen and setting up to make tea.
Rather than taking a seat in the most comfortable-looking chair, Director Kutschinski gestured for Brad to take it and sat in the one set away from it. Saburo stepped over to the fireplace with its cheery false flames, and Major Papadakis remained near the hall leading back to the front door.
“Director Kutschinski,” Brad started, “we need you to come in
for the meeting of the directors. It’s extremely important.”
“So Factor Kernsky said,” he rumbled. “She has a quorum, so they can do business without me. As my wife said, I’m not feeling at all well.”
Brad started to respond but hesitated when Kutschinski started blinking at him strangely. While he did so, he continued speaking.
“I understand that she’s seeking something very important to her, but if she can’t convince the other four directors, I doubt she can convince me. I tried to be polite when she called, but I really must insist that she stop.”
He’d almost finished speaking when Brad realized what he was seeing. Morse code. SOS. An old Earth code that Saburo had insisted he learn. This repeating code meant someone was in distress.
He almost said something but realized the other man believed he was under observation. Brad’s gaze flicked over the wife, but she didn’t seem like a threat. There could be someone else in the house.
The man had small children. Were they being used as a lever against him? Kernsky said that the wife and kids had been seen out and about, and the wife had just indicated they were going to the park soon. It didn’t make sense.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck sort of thing, Director,” Brad said. “They need to have your vote, even if you end up saying no.”
As he spoke, Brad tapped his knee in response to the man’s silent message. “What threat? Kids?” his code asked.
Kutschinski’s eyes caught the exchange and he inclined his head slightly.
“I don’t understand why you people can’t get it through your heads. I’m not going in to vote today.”
The man’s eyes said, “My wife and nanny are Cadre.”
His wife came into the room with a tray holding a tea pot and three cups. “Here we go. Why aren’t you in your chair, dear?”
As she stepped up beside them and set the tray onto a side table, Brad punched her hard in the solar plexus, hoping to Everlit he wasn’t making a terrible mistake.