The Phoenix Crisis (38 page)

“
I’ll get right down to it,”
she said, taking off her sunglasses and meeting his gaze with
vibrant chestnut eyes that matched her smooth, flawless skin. “I
know who you are, I know you’re looking for Rafael Te Santos, and I
know where you can find him.”

Calvin’s eyes scrutinized her. Wondering
just who she was and how she knew any of this. Perhaps she was a
Phoenix Ring operative who was trying to defect. “What do you
want?” he asked her.

“
Sanctuary,” she whispered.
“I’m tired of running. I want sanctuary, and I want to help you
take these bastards down.”

“
And who are you?” he asked.
Still not convinced of her good intentions.

“
My operating name is Ice—my
real name is Rosemarie—I work for the Organization.”

Things were beginning to make a lot more
sense. “Why come to me?” asked Calvin. “Can’t the Organization
protect you?”

“
I haven’t been able to
contact the Organization since I went dark, and—from what I can
tell—most of our operation on Capital World had been
removed
, possibly even
eliminated.”

Calvin knew that was true. The
Organization’s presence on Capital World was being excised by
someone, and the body count was not trivial. Even the rich and
influential, people like Yanal Kemmer, were turning up dead.

“
All right, I think a deal
can be made,” said Calvin. “But first you have to give me
something.”

“
Anything
,” she said.

“
A weapon was recently
deployed by the Organization on Cepheus, what can you tell me about
it?” In truth he wasn’t sure if this former Organization operative,
this Rosemarie, would know anything about it. It would make sense
for her to only have information relevant to her mission, but she
also struck Calvin as the type of person who made sure she
was
in the know
.
And he reasoned that there was about a half-chance that Rosemarie
knew
something
about it.

“
There is a weapon,” said
Rosemarie. “And I have been following the news. The weapon that was
deployed on Cepheus was definitely one of ours.”

“
One?”

“
Yes, one. There are at
least three others. They were originally made as a possible
response to a rumored super-weapon the Phoenix Ring was developing.
That is all I know. If we fired one, and I’m sure we did, that
could only mean they fired first.”

Calvin knew about the Phoenix Ring’s
super-weapon, it was the isotome weapons. And, aside from the test
firing that had resulted in the collapse of the TR-301 star, no
isotome weapons had been fired. Which meant this attack on Cepheus
was motivated by something else. He searched Rosemarie’s eyes,
trying to decide if she was holding something back, but ultimately
decided that she was being honest and forthcoming.

“
Consider yourself in my
protective custody,” said Calvin. A look of relief washed over
Rosemarie’s face. “We are going after Rafael first thing. You said
you knew where I could find him, so I’m going to hold you to
that.”

“
I don’t know exactly where
he is specifically,” she admitted. And then quickly added, “but I
know the locations of a series of secret prisons the Phoenix Ring
uses. He is likely in one of them… if he is still
alive.”

Her comments didn’t instill a lot of
confidence in Calvin but he had what he wanted, another lead. He
could finally resume the hunt.

“
I also know that the
Phoenix Ring has a primary bunker. A secure facility where they
will await their transition into power, once they believe the
government is about to fall into their hands. The easiest time to
catch them all is to corner them there, once they’re all
together.”

Now that was something Calvin could work
with. “Where is this bunker?”

“
Unfortunately I do not
know,” said Rosemarie. “Even when I had infiltrated the Phoenix
Ring at the very deepest I could go, they never trusted me with its
location. But I do know that it exists.”  

At least that was something. Perhaps Rafael
could tell them more.

“
There’s something else,”
said Rosemarie. Calvin looked at her curiously. “One of the top
members of the Phoenix Ring—I don’t know his real identity but his
seconds and thirds always called him Duke–I believe he could be
turned. If we separate him from all of the others, and make it
clear to him that they’ve lost, he’ll spill everything. I’m sure of
it.”

Calvin nodded. That man,
this
Duke
, was what
he could take to the Assembly. His testimony and Calvin’s evidence
should hopefully be enough to stop the vote against King Akira, if
such a motion ever got through.

 “
All units converge on
my position,” said Calvin to his earpiece. “I’m taking the
informant into protective custody immediately.”

***

“
I need you to get results.”
Though he couldn’t be sure through the comm display, Calvin thought
he saw fear in Kalila’s eyes as she spoke.

Every time that he’d seen her before, she’d
always been composed and in control, and even now she still
radiated a commanding presence, but there was something different
today. She looked exhausted, like she hadn’t slept in days, and he
saw something else too—dread.

“
Are you all right?” he
asked her, feeling warm concern. They’d had only occasional contact
since he’d started his investigation. Kalila had to see to the
needs of the Assembly, but Calvin still thought about her. And
still relished every moment he had with her.

“
I’m fine,” she said
abruptly. “But our time is running out. I cannot stress that
enough. I need you to complete your investigation—and
soon.
”

“
I’m getting there, My
Lady,” said Calvin. “My interrogations are making progress. I have
new leads I’m following. Even as we speak, I’m even planning a
mission to rescue my lost operative; I’m confident that we will get
to the bottom of this. I just need more time.”

“
I’ll give you what time I
can,” said Kalila. “But don’t count on much. A vote has been called
in the Assembly, they want to revoke my father’s crown.”

Calvin’s eyes widened. He’d
known this was coming, they all did, but
still
… speculating about something and
hearing it aloud were very different things.

“
I have rallied my
supporters and managed to block the motion… for now. But I know I
can’t stall the Assembly forever, especially as the endless tides
of bad news keep pouring out of Renora. If I lose the support of
even one House—one—then my power in the Assembly is finished and
the Martels, the Conroys, the Sabels, and all the rest of them will
have their way. I need to bring allegations of my own before the
Assembly. I have to
expose
this conspiracy, Calvin. And I have to do it
soon.”

He understood now. She wasn’t ordering him
to accelerate his investigation, she was pleading with him. Begging
him to do all he could. Time really was of the essence, then, he
realized. He’d always known that it would be better for everyone if
he unraveled the conspiracy as fast as he could, but he never would
have guessed the Akiran position would become so frail so soon.

“
I promise you,” he said,
trying to sound reassuring. “I will get to the bottom of this as
fast as I possibly can. I won’t let them steal your father’s
throne.” If King Akira lost his throne, Calvin was sure it would
spell doom for the Empire as it split into weakened factions while
the Rotham and Polarians would sweep in and claim what they liked.
A chilling thought. And one that didn’t seem so impossible
anymore.

“
Thank you,” said Kalila. “I
cannot stress the urgency enough.”

The call terminated.

Chapter 27

“
She has blocked my motion
in the Assembly, and so long as she retains her supporters, there
will be
no
Ascension,” said Caerwyn. As usual his pudgy face flushed red
and he could not hide his frustration.

“
All things are moving along
according to plan,” said Zane in his most reassuring tone.
“Patience.”

“
Not good enough,” said
Caerwyn. “I need to know that there is some kind of plan, some kind
of action you are going to take, to make certain my challenge to
the Akiran throne becomes effectual. If we wait too long and the
situation on Renora were to stabilize, for instance, that might
backfire and demonstrate to the Assembly members that the King is a
capable leader. I might be the one losing support from my political
faction!”

“
You have nothing to fear,”
said Zane. His older brother was able to manage himself in public
but in private, especially when he was only among family, Caerwyn
could be an emotional loose cannon. It was one of many weaknesses
he had, but Zane was grateful for those weaknesses—despite the
liability they sometimes presented. Because manipulation of those
weaknesses would be how Zane would control the Empire after his
brother had assumed the throne.

“
It is a simple thing to
tell me I have no cause for fear—but it does nothing to reassure
me.”

“
Renora is going to get
worse, not better. Already the planet is in a total state of
rebellion and the King’s troops are on the retreat. My people will
continue their efforts and soon the King’s soldiers and his Prefect
will be forced to abandon the planet. It will be seen as a
spectacular failure.”

Caerwyn looked pleased to
hear this, but not entirely reassured. “Who knows how long that
will take. We need something else,
something more
. We must strike while
the iron is hot. All I must do is convince one House to abandon the
Akiras.”

Zane agreed with his
brother, though for slightly more complex reasons. Caerwyn did not
know how close the Executor was to uncovering all of their plans
and unraveling all their hard work. Therefore Ascension could not
be postponed or delayed. If anything, it needed to be accelerated.
Fortunately Zane had planned for this, and had an ace up his
sleeve—
two
aces,
really.

“
I was thinking you could
create another incident,” said Caerwyn. “Something to further shake
support from the King. Possibly a terrorist attack on Capital World
itself—”

“
No,” said Zane. He did not
usually interrupt his older brother, but he had no time to humor
fruitless plans of terrorist attacks on Capital World. “The wheels
are already in motion,” he said. “You will have the Assembly
dancing on your palm very soon.”

Caerwyn looked at him curiously. “How?”

“
There are two
ships—two
very
important ships—they have been ‘missing’ but they’re about to
be found. Even now they are on their way to Capital World. When
they arrive, you must summon their captains before the Assembly to
testify.”

“
What for? I don’t want to
distract the Assembly with an investigation into missing
ships.”

“
Trust me,” said Zane,
flashing a crooked smile, “you’re going to like what they have to
say.”

***

The comm panel beeped multiple times,
indicated a secure, encrypted, high-priority source was hailing him
over kataspace. Raidan tapped the panel and input the command
prefix and security codes to connect the call.

Tristan’s face appeared on the small
display, he still wore the uniform of a navy captain.

“
Did you do it?” asked
Raidan. It was the first he’d heard from Tristan since he’d
dispatched the Arcane Storm to the deadspace
coordinates.

“
We trawled every cubic inch
of the coordinates you gave us, like you asked,” said
Tristan.

“
And?”

“
No isotome weapons,” he
said.

Raidan wasn’t sure whether to feel relief or
panic at this news. Hopefully his information had been wrong and
there hadn’t been more isotome weapons—but more than likely they
did exist, and they had been hidden in the region like his people
suspected, and had since been retrieved.

As if reading his mind, Tristan confirmed
Raidan’s suspicion. “We did find something though. Jump signatures.
Pretty faded but not so faded that we didn’t see them. Between the
time that the Nighthawk and the Arcane Storm left and my return to
the region, someone was here. My guess is they came, took
possession of the isotome weapons, and then left.”

“
How long ago?” asked
Raidan.

“
A day or two at the most,”
said Tristan. “We just missed them.”

“
Were you able to identify
the ships?”

“
We took the best scans we
could but the computer on the Arcane Storm isn’t good at that kind
of thing. I suggest we send the data over to the Nighthawk and let
its computer crunch the math.”

“
I agree,” said Raidan.
“Send everything you have to the Harbinger and I’ll see that it
gets distributed to the Nighthawk. I’ll also forward it to White
Rook and she can get one of the other groups working on this. As
far as I’m concerned, those missing isotome weapons are threat
number one.”