Starbound (23 page)

I stepped in here. “Perhaps, when I get back to Quantar, I can ask Serosian for a review of Gracel's background,” I offered.

“That would be helpful,” said Dobrina, “if not a bit untimely.
Impulse
II
should be in service by then.”

“I understand your reticence, Captain Kierkopf, but all precautions have been taken against a repeat of the
Impulse
incident. Now
to your other concerns?” said Von Zimmerman. Dobrina hesitated a moment, then continued.

“I will report directly to you in all matters?”

“Yes.”

“I can pick my own command crew?”

“Of course.”

Dobrina nodded, then turned back to me. “I'd like to have Colonel Babayan as my XO,” she said. I was surprised by this request. I didn't think the two of them were particularly close.

“She's a marine colonel,” I said by way of argument, though I wasn't really prepared to disagree with her about it one way or the other. “I'd like to keep her for my own team. And besides, her commission is still with the Union Navy.”

“It would be a bit unusual,” interjected Von Zimmerman. Dobrina got that hard, steadfast look in her eyes that let me know she was going to be insistent on this.

“Nonetheless, I think she's the best choice for the role. She's efficient, I know her, and I trust her. Plus you have John Marker to command your marine units. The rest of the command crew can be assigned as you wish, Air Marshal,” she said.

Von Zimmerman shrugged. “I have no objection,” he said, then looked to me for final disposition of the matter.

I didn't want to argue with Dobrina, but I also felt I couldn't give in. “I don't want to pull diplomatic rank,” I said. “But I'm afraid I must. Colonel Babayan is too valuable to the Union, and to me, to allow it. I understand your desire to have a familiar face around, Captain Kierkopf, but I'm afraid I must decline your request.”

“Don't,” she replied abruptly. I watched her face for a moment and saw that she was determined to have her way, as I was determined to have mine.

“I'm afraid there's no arguing about it, Captain,” I said. “She's too
valuable to me at the moment. I haven't even secured safe transport off of Carinthia yet. I can't spare her right now.”

She gave me a hard stare. I wanted to help her, wanted to grant her request, but I couldn't spare Lena under these circumstances, not with all the potential skullduggery involving the grand duke.

“I can see that arguing with you about this will be pointless,” she finally said.

“It is.”

She nodded reluctantly. “Then I withdraw my request. But you will owe me a favor, Commander,” Dobrina said.

“That I will.”

At that moment Prince Benn and his advisors came into the room and the somber group started gathering around a large 3-D strategy projection table.

“And so we begin,” said Von Zimmerman with a sweep of his hand toward the table. We took our places next to him.

There were about thirty Carinthian officers, men and women, gathered around the table, all standing, all with worried looks on their faces. I wondered absently how many of them would be here if they were given a free choice of which side to support in this conflict. None of them though, seemed the type to violate their oaths.

The prince started in.

“Good afternoon,” he said, then immediately paused. I looked up to see the Lady Karina and her attendant guards come into the room and then stop a few feet back from the table. She was dressed in her full navy duty uniform. Some of the officers made room for her and she stepped up to the table, just a few feet from me. We exchanged a glance of recognition as Prince Benn started again, seemingly unfazed by her arrival, which was no doubt unexpected.

“Thank you for joining us,
Lieutenant
,” he said to his sister, emphasizing her low rank for his own purposes, no doubt. Then he lit up
the 3-D graphics on the table. It showed the city of New Vienna with the vicinity surrounding the New Hofburg palace in the center in green, the rest of the area controlled by the Loyalists in light blue, a buffer zone in pale yellow, and finally the vast holdings of the Regency forces in red.

“As any of you can plainly see, we here in the city are now surrounded by potentially hostile forces. Arin has systematically enclosed us in his net and now controls almost every major military facility outside of the green zone. We have two infantry divisions. He has twenty-eight. We have two hundred and forty armored units, he has seventeen hundred. The only area in which we can even compete with him is the air. We have three hundred and forty fixed-wing aircraft and one hundred sixty VTOLs. He has roughly the same amount, but our pilots are the best of the best, so we have a small advantage there. The High Ground is a problem. We have forty space-ready craft and he has about sixty, but again ours are a bit better outfitted, both in displacement and pilot capability. The Regency holds High Stations One and Two along with most of the low-orbit defense platforms, and we hold High Station Three, the most distant from Carinthia. Our only clear advantage is that
Impulse II
is ready to launch under the command of Captain Kierkopf,” he nodded at Dobrina, “and
Vixis
and
Avenger
are still ten or so days out to completion. We do still hold our airspace corridor and the spaceport at Aspern, but our window is narrow. To state it plainly, gentlemen, if it comes to civil war, we can probably hold out for a week, perhaps more, with our air forces, but eventually his ground superiority will grind us to dust if that's what he wants to do.” He looked around the table. “Options?”

A gray-haired female air commander spoke up first. “A preemptive strike on his air units would force him to the ground, and we could do serious damage to his ground forces if we have full air superiority,” she said. “Plus, we have the heavier armored units.”

“Yes, but they could break our supply corridor by attacking the spaceport and bring down their space-based platforms on you from above,” said the prince. There were quiet nods all around. “Other ideas?”

“Use the air corridor to evacuate the green zone, protect the royal family and Loyalist forces,” said an older, balding army general. “Give the city to the Regency.”

“Evacuate to where?” asked the prince.

“High Station Three, of course,” he replied. Prince Benn nodded.

“And then what?” he said, hands on hips. I sensed he was growing angry. “Perhaps young Duke Peter here can find us a home in exile on Quantar.” I looked at him from across the table but said nothing. The implication that humiliating exile on my world was worse than defeat on Carinthia was clear, and I didn't much care for it. He switched his gaze from me to Von Zimmerman. “Air Marshal?” he said.

Von Zimmerman surveyed the map, then pushed out the view from the city to the region, then the continent, then the whole planet. The display glittered with hundreds of communications and defensive weapons platforms in orbit over Carinthia. “Only one plan that can lead to victory, Sire. Activate
Impul
se II
. Use her impeller speed to bypass High Stations One and Two and the forces there and bring her into orbit. From there she destroys the Regency's low-orbit warships and communications network. Simultaneously we use an all-out airborne assault to take out Arin's atmosphere-based aircraft. This is followed by a takeover of the space-based defensive weapons platforms by marines from
Impulse II
. We then turn the platforms on Arin's ground forces and take them out from above with our missiles and coil cannon batteries. We clean up with our heavy armored units on the ground,” he said. There was no emotion in it, just pure military tactics.

The prince rubbed at his face. “Use atomic missiles and coil
cannons on ground-based military units? What would the casualties be in the city? I'm sure you have that number,” he demanded. Von Zimmerman stiffened.

“We estimate three million dead, mostly within in the city region of New Vienna,” he said.

“Half the city killed? A tenth of the entire population? Unacceptable,” said the prince, smashing his fist on the table and causing the display to waver before resetting. “I demand another option!” He went around the table from face to face. There was none.

“Very well,” he said. “Then I've made my decision.” Heads around the table snapped from the tactical display to focus on the prince. He waited until he had all of his commanders' attention. “We will open negotiations immediately with the Regency command to initiate a peaceful transition of the city into their hands at the earliest opportunity. The green zone will be emptied of all Loyalist troops. All of our units will be returned to barracks. The royal family will agree to stay within the green zone. There will be no bloodshed if I can avoid it. My first priority is the protection of the royal family, followed by the people of the city. All other considerations,” he looked at me here, “are secondary. I will not allow a bloodbath in my city over membership in the Union. The transition will begin as soon as I have negotiated terms,” he finished.

“Transition?” It was the Lady Karina. “You mean surrender! You have no idea what you're doing, Benn. If you think we will be safe, if you think Father will be safe, you're gravely mistaken. Arin is in league with the old empire, and they will not stop until they control everything on Carinthia, and they will allow nothing or no one to get in their way.”

“I'm forced to agree with the princess,” I said, then instantly regretted speaking out. Prince Benn looked at me with a fire in his eyes that could bore holes in granite. Since the damage was already done, I continued. “Surrender is no guarantee of safety for your father. He
is the icon of the family, the one everyone else in the Union looks to as your leader. If you allow him, and Carinthia, to fall into Imperial hands, he will quickly become an inconvenience. And then how long until you and the princess become inconveniences as well? I have seen the empire at work firsthand, seen their merciless actions in turning the crew of
Impulse
against their own through the use of nanites. They are not the kind of people you can negotiate a peaceful surrender with.”

“So what do you suggest?” snapped Prince Benn at me, obviously seething inside.

“Retreat to High Station Three
and
activate
Impu
lse II
under Captain Kierkopf, as the Air Marshal proposed. I will return to High Station Candle and call personally for
Starbound
to be deployed to Carinthia. When she arrives, and it may be several days as she is still undergoing refit and repair, we can take out High Stations One and Two and disable the new Lightships before they can become active. The fighting will stay away from Carinthia. Once that operation is complete, the Loyalists and the Union will control all air and space above Carinthia. We can then combine Union and Loyalist units to deal with the prince regent on the ground,” I said. I wasn't really sure if it would work, but Von Zimmerman, Dobrina, and the princess seemed buoyed by my plan. Prince Benn, though, merely shook his head.

“Foreign troops on our world, especially Quantar troops, is completely unacceptable. The people would never accept it and half the military still loyal to us wouldn't either. It's a nonstarter,” he said.

“But your other options—”

“Are really none of your business, Duke Peter. Thank you for your input, but this matter is finished. We will proceed as I have outlined.”

“I will not allow this, Benn!” said the Princess Karina, angry.

“You are not in command here, Lady!” he bellowed at her, his face flushing red with anger. “The decision is made. May I suggest that you focus on getting your young Quantar friend here off of Carinthia as
soon as possible? Otherwise I might see fit to use him as a bargaining chip in the negotiations. This meeting is ended.” And with that he turned and strode out of the room followed by a host of commanders. Von Zimmerman was not among them. He came up to me.

“Please attend the reception tonight for the commercial traders as planned. At that meeting we will try to negotiate a deal to get you off Carinthia, Sire,” he said to me before following the prince out the door. At that moment, getting off of Carinthia was all I wanted to do.

“
Did I make a mistake? Opening my mouth like that?” I was asking the question of Dobrina in my stateroom, a small space with a single bed, lav, and sitting area. Dobrina, Lena, and I were waiting for the reception and the opportunity it presented to get me off of Carinthia, and none too soon for me. Outside the window tiny snowflakes were falling against the panes as a winter night closed in. I was reminded of how cold this world had been to me, in more ways than one.

I sat on one of a set of matching sofas facing the two women across a coffee table. Our dinners sat on the table between us, mostly untouched. I found that under stress, I didn't eat much. Neither did they.

“Protocol-wise, of course you made a mistake,” said Dobrina. “Strategically though, what you proposed was sound. The politics of it, however, are another matter.”

“And in politics we are not likely to win,” I said, then rubbed at my face. We were all tired, but our beds had gone unused. None of us could sleep, even though we had all been up through most of a grueling day. A bit over twelve hours ago I was about to be executed.

“So what's our next move?” asked Colonel Babayan. I looked at my watch.

“The reception starts in thirty minutes. You and I need to make our deal to get off of Carinthia, and that's going to be the best place to catch our ride,” I said. Lena looked uncomfortable with this.

“And what about the princess's request?” she asked. I sat back to consider this.

“I don't see how we can help her now. Perhaps when I get back to Candle I can consult with Wesley and we can work out some sort of plan, but I'll be the first to admit I'm not good at the covert operations game,” I said.

“So we're refusing her request?” asked Lena, clarifying.

“Not directly, no,” I said. “Any action will have to be initiated by the princess. I will give her the courtesy of letting her know when I'm departing, but beyond that . . .” I spread my arms open.

“Understood,” said Lena. She was clearly not pleased, but we were trapped in our current circumstances, as far as I was concerned.

I looked to Dobrina. “What has Von Zimmerman told you about your assignment to
Impulse II
?”

“We're heading out within the hour, a military shuttle,” Dobrina said, then looked to Babayan. “This will be our last meeting together.”

I stood then and they both stood with me. “I think that you are very brave, taking command of
Impulse II
. No matter what Prince Benn thinks, this is going to be very dangerous business for you, but I wouldn't want anyone else in command of a friendly Lightship right now,” I said to her. Colonel Babayan cleared her throat then.

“I need a moment, if you don't mind,” she said. And with that she disappeared into the bedroom and shut the door behind her, a gesture designed to give Dobrina and me a final, private moment. I pulled her close to me.

“You're doing the right thing,” I said. She leaned in and rested her head on my chest.

“I know. But what guarantees are there? Everything is coming apart. We aren't even in the same navy anymore,” she said. I said nothing but instead just held her close, the rhythm of our breathing slowing breath by breath until we were in unison. I was getting experienced in saying goodbye to women I cared about, far too experienced for my taste. Whether I liked it or not, Dobrina was leaving my life, and it hurt me more than I could express, so I shared my feelings the only way I could, with a kiss, the kind only lovers share.

She pulled away from the kiss and returned to resting her head on me as we gently embraced. She spoke in a whisper.

“When I was a little girl, I dreamed of marrying a handsome young prince and riding off to some magic land together, to live and love,” she said.

“Happily ever after?”

“Of course. But as I've grown up I realized what a foolish dream that was. Princes don't marry the daughters of military men, common girls. They marry princesses and ladies and women so far above my station that I couldn't even imagine. And then I met you, and all of that changed. I'm going to miss you Peter. Miss the hopes and dreams that I had when we were together. If we were different people, not committed to our oaths, we could be together. But we both always knew that could never happen,” she said.

“Dobrina—”

“No,” she said, raising her voice just a bit. “It's been enough to be here with you these last months, to taste what the dream could be like. I loved it, and I'm certain I love you. But now it's time for us both to move on.” With that she kissed me again, then pulled away a final time, and I felt her emotional walls go up. “I promise I will miss you, Peter, when I have the time,” she said.

She called to Babayan, the two of them joining me at the stateroom door. There we shared a salute and some muted goodbyes, and
I watched another former lover walk slowly out of my life, to her duties. Babayan went with her, to see her to her waiting ground car.

When they were gone, I shut the door behind me and poured myself a drink, then sat down heavily on the couch, checking my watch one more time. Then I drank, feeling completely alone for the first time on an alien world.

My companion guards accompanied Lena and me on our way to the reception, but they discreetly disappeared into the crowd once we arrived. The reception hall was ornate, as was seemingly everything involving the Carinthians. Their love of rich, baroque architecture and furnishings was expressed in everything they did, down to the last detail. I marveled a bit as we both took an offered drink of champagne in a crystal glass, then made our way through the crowd, not really sure what our most promising contact, Admar Harrington of Pendax, looked like, or when he might arrive.

We agreed to split up to work the crowded room more efficiently, and I engaged several traders in conversation, gently inquiring about transport to High Station Three and just as gently being rebuffed. From my best guess there were at least fifty merchants in the room, not counting their attendant ladies and assistants, enjoying drinks and hors d'oeuvres courtesy of the Carinthian royal family. There were several conversations about the political situation in New Vienna, and many available trade officers in military garb were there to soothe the nerves of the merchants. All would be resolved soon, they said repeatedly, with more than a glimmer of enthusiasm. Prince Benn, it appeared, would have his peaceful resolution. The question was, at what cost?

After nearly thirty minutes of this I had mingled and conversed with several merchants but had yet to meet Admar Harrington, my
former captain Zander's new employer. Lena and I regrouped near the center of the hall.

“Any luck?” I asked.

“No,” Babayan replied. “Those who know Harrington say he's not here, and no one else seems interested in cargo or passengers bound for High Station Three. I guess fear of retribution is the best type of blockade.”

“Word of the negotiations between the two princes has gotten out, I'm afraid. No merchant trader in his right mind would want to be on the wrong side of a new planetary government,” I said.

“Except, we hope, a certain Admar Harrington.” I nodded at that and finished my champagne.

Precisely at the bottom of the hour the Lady Karina made an unexpected appearance with a portly gentleman sporting an enormous handlebar mustache and dressed in gray formal military garb, complete with a red sash. I knew little of Pendax, but I knew her flag's colors and could recognize a ceremonial uniform when I saw one. This must be Admar Harrington. He practically reeked of frontier garishness and crude manners.

As I watched the Lady Karina float through the room in a black evening gown, escorting Harrington from merchant to merchant, I patiently waited for my chance. Once he got close, I stepped in and introduced myself as Duke Peter Cochrane of Quantar. Harrington, for his part, was charming and bowed as he shook my hand.

“Honored, Sire,” he said in a clipped colonial accent.

“As am I to meet you, sir,” I replied. This was one occasion where I thought my rank as a royal could be more useful than my rank in the navy, so I decided to use it to my advantage and not discourage the use of my honoraria. I introduced Lena to both Harrington and the princess, and then we got down to business.

“I understand I may be of some service to you, Sire?” he said. I nodded.

“Colonel Babayan and I need to buy passage off of Carinthia, and quickly,” I said in a quiet voice. At this the Lady Karina stepped in.

“No need to buy your way off our world, Duke Peter. The royal family will gladly pay your freight as recompense for what those Regency thugs tried to do to you,” she said in a voice loud enough to arouse strained looks from nearby traders. Obviously any show of discord with the current government line was regarded as disturbing to the merchants. The attendant Carinthian trade officers quickly reassured their clients and another round of drinks came by quickly, which I declined.

“Just so you know, Sire, travel to High Station Three is fraught with potential trouble. I've had my ships interdicted at either One or Two, or both for that matter, several times in the last few weeks. Everyone out there is on edge,” said Harrington.

“Is there some danger I could be taken captive again?” I asked.

“I've made sure that your safe passage is part of any agreement with the Regency government my brother negotiates,” Karina said. That was somewhat, but not altogether, reassuring.

“Can Prince Benn be trusted to keep that agreement? He has no love for me,” I replied.

“He can be trusted in this regard,” said Karina.

“But—”

“Please Peter, don't ask me to elaborate,” she said.

I nodded acknowledgment. I had to trust someone on this planet. I turned back to Harrington.

“As for your ship—”

“Cargo run,” he said, “Nova class, slow and steady, but she should get you to Three in half a day.”

I nodded. “When does she leave?” I asked.

“Midnight. You both need to be at the spaceport at Leopoldsdorf an hour before. The accommodations won't be what you're used to, I
gather, but they'll do. We'll rendezvous with your friend Zander at Three and he'll zip you home,” Harrington said. I checked my watch. Lena and I had about three hours.

“We'll be there,” I said. With that Harrington said his goodbyes and trundled off, leaving me with the Lady Karina. “Will we be able to get ground transport to Leopoldsdorf?”

“Of course,” she said. “It takes about thirty minutes, so plan for that. I'll make sure you have a proper escort.”

I looked to Lena and she nodded. “That should do,” I said, then hesitated. “Lady, about your other request—”

“No matter,” she said, interrupting me. “The grand duke is safe, for now. I just hope that someday you and I can meet under very different circumstances, and that I can thank you properly for your good intentions.”

“What you're doing for us now is more than enough,” I said.

And with that she turned and departed the room without another word.