Chapter 2
Chiira, 12 Shiaa, 4400 Orthodox Calendar
Saturday, 9 November 2013, Terran Standard Calendar
Chiira, 12 Shiaa, year 1326 of the 97th Generation, Karinne Historical Reference Calendar
The Academy of Terra, Norfolk, Virginia, The United States, Terra
It was just good luck that the Academy was in Saturday session, since that meant that the campus wasn't quite as crowded as usual.
Oh, the Academy wasn't ever totally quiet. Even on Sundays, when no classes were held, the boarded students were here, creatures of 37 different races. They studied, exercised, mingled, and did all the things that students do… including party and get in trouble. But, since this was Saturday, at least Jason didn't have to elbow his way through the crowd on the way to Kiaari's office. Despite the fact that it was a Saturday and many offices in the Administration building were closed, there were many students in the building attending to this or that business, since all the official liaison offices with all governments and races were in this building, and they were open seven days a week.
Most of them had no idea who he was, but a few could at least mark him as a Karinne. Only one in the whole throng recognized him, a huge nine foot tall simean creature called a Bari-Bari. It bowed to him with a flourish but didn't call his name, which was something for which Jason was grateful. Many in the Imperium knew from watching Courtwatch and other viddy shows that the Grand Duke Karinne was a very private, introverted person as far as nobility went, never wanting the attention that came with his title. Thank God for small favors, the Bari-Bari didn't announce him to the others in the hallway as he waited for he elevator.
At least he didn't have to go far to get from his Raptor to the building. There was a personal landing pad right by the building that was reserved especially for him and Ayuma… though it didn't say it. It only said [Reserved] and made no mention of just who it was reserved for. Ayuma had set it up for him. If any ship other than the ship broadcasting the Karinne Friend Or Foe code for the Grand Dean Ayuma or Karinne One, which was whichever ship that was carrying the Grand Duke, security was automatically summoned to tow the offendor's ship out of the space.
Ayuma was here. Her personal dropship was also on the pad, which was large enough for two large dropships to park side by side. He hadn't called her, but he had the feeling that Kiaari had told her he was coming, and she'd decided to show up and see what was going on. Ayuma was a very hands-on president, but that was one of the reasons why the Academy ran as smoothly as it did. Everyone who worked there knew that though the dean's staff handled many matters, virtually nothing escaped the dean's personal attention.
Ayuma and Kiaari weren't the only close friends here right now. Temika was also at the Academy, but instead of working here, she was going to school here. She was in her third year in the Intergalactic Business and Accounting major, working to learn how business worked so she could help Kumi. Jason felt that Temika would be very good at it, since she'd spent much of her time in the preserve running messages and bartering back and forth between squatter groups. She had a nose for business, and she'd be an effective addition to Kumi's staff. She and Mike had moved back to Terra, with Mike also in the Academy in his second year of a two year program for plasma technicians. Mike was training to be a plasma tech, with plans to apprentice with Myleena once he got his degree in the basics. Myleena basically demanded that anyone that wanted to work with her in the technical arm of the house had to have, at a bare minimum, the two year program certificate so she had a good foundation to build on when she trained them. Mike wasn't the only Karinne at the Academy doing that very same thing.
They were just two examples of how the founders of the house, the Marines and the survivors of the Legion and the Generations, were starting to adapt, evolve, to see needs within the house and training to fill them, though all the others except Temika and Mike were on Karis, taking satellite classes transmitted to Karis from the Academy via CivNet, where the teacher showed up in the classroom as a hologram and at the Academy the classroom and its students also appeared as a hologram to the teacher, in rooms that were absolutely identical. That allowed the teacher to walk around and check things, and interact with the students via sight and sound. It worked rather well, actually, but Temika's schooling couldn't really utilize the satellite system, and besides, she admitted she wanted the chance to come back to college and finish. She, like Jason, was pulled out of college at the beginning of the subjugation, and she wanted to experience college life at a college with multiple species, so Jason permitted it. Temika and Mike made Jason both proud and humble, that they would work so hard to fill needs in the house, and also that they were so devoted to the house that they would do such a thing.
The satellite program was only one reason why Karis had to be connected to CivNet.
Kiaari's office was within the "core cluster" of the offices of the highest-ranking officials in the Academy. In the cluster, the offices of Ayuma and the members of the Board of Advisors also resided, as well as offices for liaisons for other nations and races for direct interaction between the governors of the Academy and the rest of the galaxy. It also contained satellite cubicles the deans of the various colleges used when coming to see Ayuma; their offices were in their college buildings. He nodded silently to the human secretary that sat behind a desk facing the door into the reception area, and she smiled at him and said nothing as he passed by and went back towards the two doors holding the offices of Ayuma and Kiaari, side by side. Both doors were open, and he found both of them in Kiaari's office, talking about something, Kiaari sitting behind her desk and Ayuma in one of the two chairs facing it.
Kiaari's office was a spartan affair. It had the two chairs, the white stone desk, Kiaari's chair, a panel on the desk, and that was it. The walls were bare, the desk clear, and that was the way Kiaari liked it, because she was almost never in this office. She had another office, her real office, deep in the bowels of the Engineering building. That office over there was the office of the Gamekeeper of Terra. This office was the office of the Kimdori Liaison to the Academy, and Kiaari occupied both positions. In the rare instances when Jason came to see Kiaari face to face, they always met here, in this office.
"Jason," she said warmly, smiling that toothy grin at him, showing her canine teeth. "Close the door please."
He closed the door, and as soon as he did so, Kiaari reached over and punched a few keys on the holograhpic keyboard of her panel, which caused the window behind her to shimmer, and then go dark. She had just isolated the office from any surveillance.
You're looking a bit haggard, Jason, Ayuma noted as he came in and put his helmet on the desk.
"I feel haggard," he said, flopping down in the other chair, speaking for Kiaari's benfit. "I came in from Draconis."
"Ah, so the Empress got her claws into you," Ayuma said with a slight, mischievous smile.
"Just about," he admitted blandly, looking to Kiaari. "Did the Denmother or Miaari talk to you?"
She nodded. "Both of them did," she answered. "The short answer is no, I haven't heard anything unusual. The long answer is I haven't heard anything unusual yet, but now I'm going to start actively digging," she added. "I've already put the clan on it. They're digging through the Academy as we speak, focusing mainly on the Urumi."
"Have you got Ayuma up to speed on things?" he asked.
"Yes, she already explained what's going on," Ayuma answered. "I can't believe that the Trillanes are going to push things this far."
"Me either, but if the Denmother's right, then it's gonna get ugly in a little under a week."
"The Denmother is almost never wrong," Kiaari said adamantly, clearly defending her leader.
"I know, that's why I'm preparing for the worst," he grunted.
"I wish you would have explained things a little better the first time, Jason," Ayuma complained. "I got this order in from you to increase security at the Academy, but I didn't get any reason for it. I've done it, of course, but that order left me a bit confused."
"Sorry about that, but I was in a hurry," he apologized.
"How do things look for us?"
"How do you mean?"
"Are we ready to fight if the Empress declares war?" Ayuma asked.
He nodded. "Myri's mobilizing the fleet, and Myleena's got the Shimmer Dome on triple-manned shifts to get the Gladiators done as fast as they can. It's still going to take months to do them all, but they can crank out a hundred refitted Gladiators a day now, and that'll give us a good regiment of Mark II's to put in service by the time they're needed, and hell, we can just use the old ones to fill the gaps. They're still good units. The training for the pilots to fly the mark II's only takes about twenty log hours, so they can get their ratings done on them before they have to do any real fighting."
"Any problems?"
"None I've heard about so far," he answered. "Kosiningi's also in overdrive to get the shakedowns done on that last destroyer they finished, the Steadfast. I haven't heard that they won't be ready. I even have a captain in mind for it."
"Who?" Kiaari asked.
"Lieutenant Jeya."
"I thought she already had a flag."
He shook his head. "She's still first officer on the Liberty."
"We need to fix that."
"We just did," Jason answered.
"Jeya, Jeya… pink hair? Tall?" Ayuma asked.
"That's her," Jason said. "I didn't know you knew her."
"I don't, but I sat in on a couple of satellite classes back when they were shaking the bugs out of the program, and one of them was one of those officer classes we had going. You know, the naval tactical training classes you had them take. It was funny to see the holograms of fifty Ensigns and JG's sitting in the rows as the instructor lectured at the vidboard. I remember her because she was one of the ones that didn't look bored," Ayuma laughed.
"Oh yeah. You have a good memory, Ayuma."
"That's what you pay me for, Jason," she winked. "This Jeya must be good if you're gonna put her in a chair."
"You should see her scores. She is very good," Jason said with a nod.
Kiaari's panel beeped, and she touched the keyboard. "Kiaari," she called.
"Gamekeeper, I have information," a voice called in Kimdori. "I'm out in the reception room. Might I enter?"
"Come in," she said, disabling the security in the room. A short Kimdori male came in immediately, with golden fur and amber eyes. He closed the door and waited for security to reactivate, then bowed to them. "I am Jeram Threxst, your Grace," he introduced.
"He's my age," Kiaari noted to Jason with a light smile. "One of the youngers."
"I can only hope to make our parents proud, sister," Jeram said evenly. "You and Miaari have risen our father's expectations for the rest of the clan."
"I know, I'm sorry about that," she grinned. "What did you discover?" He glanced at Ayuma, and gave Kiaari an inquisitive look. "It's alright, Jeram," she said in measured words. "You can report what you discovered. Ayuma's been briefed on the situation."
Jason didn't miss the quiet command in Kiaari's words not to say exactly how he might have come by that information. Jason and Myleena were still the only non-Kimdori who knew the Kimdori's greatest secret.
"Yes. As you ordered, I investigated the Urumi for the possibility they're trying to get the Alliance and the Faey into a war, and I found no evidence of such a plot. But," he stressed, "I did come across some information that hints that the Urumi are indeed working to destabilize the Faey Imperium. The missive I intercepted to the Urumi ambassador from the Collective ordered him to try to get an agent they're sending into the Imperium through Terra. Milady, it's a Terran they're sending, and this Terran is one of the telepaths."
Jason almost stood up. "How did they get him?" he demanded.
"This telepath is one of the Terrans abducted by the Trillanes during their occupation. It was before the Faey discovered that certain Terrans have talent. I can only conclude they discovered the Terran's talent after taking him and trained him."
"That would explain it," Ayuma nodded.
"Go on," Kiaari ordered.
"Yes. The missive made no mention of this agent's orders, but the missive told the ambassador to get the agent onto a transport to Draconis within four hours of his arrival from Uruma. There's a timetable at work here, one we don't know."
"That's all?"
"No. The missive itself didn't explain what the spy was up to, but almost immediately afterward, the ambassador ordered a hireling to pick up the agent at the Academy spaceport and then put him on a train to the Imperial Starport in Washington, with orders to help the agent get a transport ticket to Prius."
"When is the agent due to arrive?"
"Tomorrow morning, local time, Gamekeeper," he answered. "I would have investigated more to give a more detailed report, but given the urgency involved, I have our brothers and sisters still working on it while I brought what we have. It seemed quite important."
"It was the proper decision," Kiaari told him with a nod. "Return to the pack and dig up anything you can find. Bring anything you discover to me immediately, even if it's imcomplete."
He nodded. "It will be done, Gamekeeper," he affirmed, then Kiaari disabled security and he left.
"Well," Kiaari said quietly as she reactivated security. "Well, well, well, well, well. Isn't that interesting?"
"What is this agent supposed to do?"
"A human telepath sent into the Imperium? I think this might be aimed at Karinne," Kiaari said absently, tapping her fingertips together rhythmically. "Isn't the Empress slated to leave for Prius today?"
Jason nodded. "She said she's going to visit Kellin. He's at a dig there."
"It sounds like the Urumi are going to try to drive a wedge between Merrane and Karinne," Kiaari said quickly. "After all, the only Terran telepaths are Karinne, and they're sending one to Prius. They're either going after the Empress or the Prince Consort, or both."
"They'd never get anywhere near them," Ayuma snorted.
"Who said the telepath has to succeed, Ayuma?" Kiaari said simply. "Actually, the agent needs to fail for this to work. They'll never know the Terran was a telepath unless they capture him," she said pointedly. "If they don't, well, the Terran could just be some disgruntled Terran commoner with a grudge against the Empress, and tries to do something about it. But if a Terran telepath takes a swipe at the Empress, well, then that means that the Karinnes have to be involved, doesn't it?"
"Dahnai would never believe I'd try something like that," Jason snorted.
"Yes, she knows, Jason. But does the Imperium have the same inside knowledge she does? Sure, she could calm things down, but it would come at a critical time, when she's dealing with the Trillanes… and it would make calling in the Karinne ships to help quell a Trillane rebellion rather hard if her own Navy starts shooting at the Karinnes because they tried to assassinate the Empress, wouldn't it?"
Jason opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He leaned back in his chair, which squeaked slightly from his armor, then leaned forward and put his chin in his palm. After a moment of silence, he blew out his breath. "I think you might have something there, Kiaari," he agreed. "It would fit, and getting Karinne on the bad side of the Imperium would only benefit Trillane."
"Yeah. One way to avoid facing Karinne ships in battle is to try to ensure they're not part of the fleet," Ayuma agreed.
"I need to relay this to Denmother," Kiaari said. "She wants any information involving this matter on her desk as soon as it's collected. We'll see if she thinks the same as we do." She gave Ayuma a slight smile. "Ayuma, dear, I'm afraid this is where I have to ask you to leave. I'm very sorry, but this is a very secret matter between the Grand Duke and the Denmother."
"I'm not offended, dear," she grinned. "I do understand that sometimes only those at the top of the ladder can be privy to certain things. Mind opening the door for me, hon?"
"Certainly. We still on for lunch?"
"Of course."
After Ayuma left the office, Kiaari contacted Zaa and gave her her report. But to Jason's surprise, Zaa's conclusion was much different from theirs. "I see," she said evenly after Kiaari finished. "Kiaari, intercept the agent before he leaves Terra," she ordered.
"It will be as you will, Denmother, but might I ask why I'm going to do this? Forgive my ignorance, but it seems more prudent to me to intercept the agent on Draconis or Prius, where the Urumi won't see it and know they've been found out."
"The idea that they would use a Terran telepath to attack the Empress seems an obvious conclusion on its face, but the conclusion beneath is that the attempt on the Empress as a means to instill derision into the Imperium is flawed. I believe there is something more going on here, something we don't see. This telepath is being sent to Prius for some other reason, some reason unknown to us, but it is logical to assume that the Empress is in some way involved as a target or fulcrum of this plot. To ferret out that reason, I want the Urumi to see their agent intercepted and know their plan is exposed. It might shake loose that piece of information that will make this operation make sense to us."
"What shall I do with this agent?" Kiaari asked.
"After you have learned all he knows, he must be turned over to Karinne," she answered. "He is one of them, and they must undo the programming and try to restore him."
"I think Yana or Jyslin could do it," Jason said.
"Then be ready to pick up this agent after Kiaari shares his knowledge with her," Zaa told him.
"I'll take care of it," Kiaari told him. "I'll give you a call when he's all yours."
"Works for me," Jason nodded. "You can fill me in on what you find out when I come get him."
"How are your defenses?" Zaa asked.
Jason knew what she wanted. "We should be ready," he answered. "I haven't gotten any reports, but I know my people. The only issue I see is getting all the pilots trained on the upgraded Gladiators in time, but we should manage it. We've got that one new destroyer in shakedown that we'll have to man, but that's about it."
"No, Jason. How are your defenses?"
"Around Karis? Fine," he said. "The inner ring is up, and as far as I know the automated defense grid doesn't have any problems."
"That is good. Keep them up, Jason. I have the unsettling feeling that somehow, in some manner, Karis is in danger."
"Information we haven't seen yet, Denmother?" Kiaari asked.
"No. A… feeling," she said, closing her eyes for a moment.
"I'll have Myleena go over things with Myri," Jason said immediately.
"It would soothe my mind," she said gratefully. "I will leave you now. Carry out your tasks, child, and it would please me for you to contact me later, Jason, to appraise me of your defense status."
"I'll take care of it, Denmother," Jason told her.
"It will be as you command, Denmother," Kiaari said respectfully.
Zaa's image vanished, and Kiaari sighed. "I've got a bad feeling about this, Jason."
"I've had one since I got wind of it," he grunted in reply, shifting his attention slightly. [Open a channel to the Liberty.]
[This is the Liberty, Yoeman Erra, go ahead, your Grace.]
[Get ready to pick me up, we're going home.]
[We're in low orbit over the Academy already, your Grace. We're ready at your convenience,] Captain Meri's voice joined in, obviously supplanting the communications yoeman.
[I'll be up in a few minutes.]
"I'll send you anything else we get," Kiaari told him. "And you'd better call Mika and apologize for not coming to see her. You know she's gonna take it personally."
"She'll get over it," Jason grunted.
It had been a while, and to be honest, Jason needed a little distraction.
Adjusting to the new Gladiator gave it to him.
Skimming over the calm seas off Karsa, Jason was entombed in the chest of a hulking black monstrosity of compressed Neutronium, Adamantium, datalines, and enough raw energy to vaporize a small island were it to be all released at once. It was one of the new Gladiators, and after downloading the changes into his gestalt, he was going through the changes to the unit, giving himself a "crash course" in getting his rating updated on the new mecha. Since the ship was flown via interface, there were no new controls to adjust to, but there were some computer changes that altered the way the computer presented data to the pilot on the blackglass screens arrayed before the pilot in the cockpit. This Gladiator was stock, not especially fitted for a Generation, so he had to rely on those displays for his data, but being a Generation did help in that he had a computer literally attached to his brain that allowed him to adapt almost instantaneously to the changes. When he didn't understand what he was seeing, his gestalt filled in the gaps and explained things to his brain and allowed him to operate the mecha as if he'd already been rated for it.
Damn, but Myleena had scored a touchdown on this one. She upgraded the armor and stuck one of the weapons that they'd pulled out of Cybi's memory on it, a Teryon Pulse Cannon, or just what the Karinnes now called a pulse weapon. It was a small-arms version of the Teryon cannons used on the naval vessels, their short-range weaponry, and this one worked exactly the same. It fired a pulse of white Teryon energy, which then ripped through whatever it hit and then exploded with extreme violence. Its operation was curiously similar to an MPAC in theory; the teryon pulse existed in higher dimensions when fired, which caused it to pass through the surface of its target, its passing through dimensional matter literally tearing space apart and disintigrating all matter within the spatial distortion, leaving a nasty hole where it made contact. But that contact with lower-dimensional matter destabilized the teryon field and then caused it to be released into the lower dimensions inside the target, and that caused a high-energy explosion.
The result was a round with a similar operational behavior to an MPAC round, which penetrated and then detonated, but what made pulse weaponry so deadly was the fact that no amount of armor could stop them. The spatial distortion had absolutely nothing to do with the armor, it had to do with space. The armor occupying that space made no difference whatsoever. It could be compressed Neutronium or it could be cotton candy, it made no difference at all as the pulse weapon disintegrated it on the way inside, where it then exploded.
The pulse weapon was utterly lethal, but its drawbacks were a short range and major power requirements. Myleena had had to upgrade the power plants on the Gladiators using another design in Cybi's memory, a prototype singularity power plant that had been developed just before the Third Civil War. It took Myleena nearly a year to work the bugs out of it, but it worked, and it was the only power plant they could have used to power the new Gladiators. The pulse weapon only had a range of about two miles in the atmosphere, but in space they had an effective range of about fifteen miles, since contact with the air didn't prematurely destablize the teryon matrix. The atmospheric range of the pulses could actually be around three miles, but to prevent them from exploding on a miss, the teryon pulses were arranged so that the kind of degradation caused by contact with the air would cause a cascading implosion rather than an explosion, once the teryon matrix reached a certain critical decay state. The trick to it, Myleena had showed him, was how long it stayed at that critical state. If it came into contact with dense matter, as in anything but a gas, the matrix decayed past that threshold so fast that it caused an explosion. But if it remained in that critical threshold for a certain amount of time, some number of microseconds according to the specs he'd read, then the high-energy teryons caught up in the matrix escaped back into hyperspace, which caused a minor implosion as the breach into hyperspace formed and then collapsed.
Hyperspace physics in action.
For long range combat, the Mark II's utilized the same weapons as the Mark I's and most Faey exomechs, plasma cannons. But, both variants of the Gladiator carried an external weapon of Jason's own design, a Gladiator-sized Railgun. The projectiles it fired were very large, and the weapon was just as powerful and devastating as the infantry version, capable of punching through just about any armor except the Imperium's newest armor, crystalized Neutronium, but that armor took major damage when struck. The railguns were self-contained external equipment, a rifle attaching to the armor over the shoulder when not in use, which could easily be discarded or reseated to use the plasma cannon or pulse weapons in short-range combat. The Railguns carried ammunition in clips of 15, and a Gladiator carried 10 extra clips in storage nooks on the upper legs, 5 to each side. The military service, called the KMS, figured that 165 shots was about all a Gladiator would need at long range before using its pulse weapons, and Jason had to agree. The fact that the weapon was external and could be lost didn't really mean much either, since Gladiators still had integrated plasma cannons for long range combat, they just weren't as powerful at long range as the railgun. It felt oddly… satisfying, somehow, that one of his own inventions was present on a Gladiator, his own little contribution to protecting the house, and it just made him relieved that his railguns were considered good enough for use in combat. They were powerful yet self contained, not draining power off the Gladiator, cheap to build, cheap to use, and very easy to manufacture ammunition for them. It took his army a bit to get used to the idea of such a primitive concept in a modern weapon, a weapon that actually fired a solid round and was limited by the amount of rounds one carried, but even they were impressed by the railgun's raw power and ease of use.
The shields were just as ingenious as the weapons, another Myleena miracle. She had found a way to miniaturize the teryon shield generators on the cruisers enough to stick them on the Gladiator, which gave it the ability to at least partially shield against MPAC weaponry. They still hadn't found a way to make the shields really hold against MPACS, they didn't last long, but protection from even a few shots made a difference in the long run.
What was amusing irony was that teryon shields were the only shields that could protect against pulse weapons, since they existed in the same higher dimensions as the pulse projectile, and protected much better than against MPACS. Even against Karinne shields, MPACS were damned effective, one of the most effective shield-piercing weapons ever devised. Myleena still hadn't found a way to stop MPACS from overloading the shield generators… but at least their armor could stop MPAC rounds, and all Karinne ships had fearsome teryon shields installed despite the MPAC issue. After all, only the Faey used MPACs, and there were lots of other governments out there that the Karinnes may have to defend themselves against someday.
That was why the Gladiators had shields too, really. Myleena hadn't designed them with only the Faey in mind. She designed it so the Gladiator could fight any foe, anywhere, and shields made the Gladiator much harder to kill.
Outside of that, there weren't many noticeable changes. The mecha had better computers installed, but they were designed to feel like the older computer, both in their responses and in how they processed data for the pilot, so the mecha had the same feel to the pilot. The engines were also an upgrade, but they still operated with the same parameters as the old ones, they just had more power and a higher top speed and more agility when flying, that was all. Myleena had done a good job to minimize the amount of training it would require to acclimate a pilot to the Mark II, it was really just a matter of adjusting to the new displays, getting a feel for how the new engines changed aerial and space combat, and learning how to incorporate shield use in battle.
He put the mecha through its paces, executing a series of high-G turns on the water's surface, weaving it back and forth, then plunged it under the surface. He dove it straight down nearly two thousand shakra, saw the pressure readings on the hull, then turned around and vaulted it back out of the water and into the sky in a matter of seconds, feeling the inertial dampers struggle to protect him from the crushing G-force. He rotated in the air and brought the pulse cannon mounted on the forearms to bear, firing a series of angry white orbs of energy towards the water's surface, hearing it inside the mecha as a series of ka-THUK ka-THUK ka-THUK sounds. They struck it and disappeared beneath the waves, then violent detonations of white-frothed water blasted hundreds of feet into the air behind the mecha. The unit came over land, and Jason had it land, then ran across the grassy plain abutting the sea at full speed, this seventeen foot tall mecha running at nearly ninety kathra and hour, or almost seventy miles an hour. He lunged to the left and the right, feeling the agility of the unit when on the ground and moving like a humanoid, then ran out onto a battle simulation field used to train Gladiators. He dove behind a large cement pillar, then lunged around so only the unit's head and arm were visible and fired on a practice target nearly a mile downrange. Three pulses sizzled down the range and hit the metal cube, causing it to explode violently, sending smoking shrapnel flying hundreds of feet in every direction. He then ran it through the obstacle course, jumping over obstacles, weaving between pillars, even crawling it through a tubular tunnel before flying up to the top of a sturdy pyramid and striking a metal plate set into the floor of its flat top.
"That didn't take you long," Myleena's voice came in over the comm, highly amused. An image of her appeared on his right monitor, and he looked at her and grinned inside his helmet. "So, how do you like it?"
"I think the pilots that don't get a Mark II are gonna sulk," he answered. "Damn fine piece of work Myleena. How's production?"
"I managed to get it up to hundred thirty a day," she answered. "I had to go out and steal a bunch of commoners and put them on the line and in the bay doing the more menial jobs, but they didn't complain too much. Everyone knows what's going on now, so they know it's important. Given we have five more days before it's all official, and maybe two or three days after that before we really have to mobilize, that'll let us get about eight hundred Mark II's into service."
"Will the pilots be ready?"
"Shit yeah, Jayce, they don't need the mecha to rate. I sent Myri the simulator software a good week before the first Mark II came off the line,we had rated pilots before I even had the first Mark II, thanks to the simulators. You're the only one that's getting rated on the real thing."
"Yeah well, I have certain advantages they don't," he said dryly. "I'm keeping this one."
"Why do you think I had it painted black? That was yours as soon as it came off the line, but you might have to let someone borrow it for a while."
"Oh, that's no problem. If we're gonna be short on these, I can't very well have one sitting in my garage while one of my pilots is flying a Mark I. They'd kill me."
"I had Myri get our best Gladiator pilot for it, so the Dukal Gladiator keeps its prestige," Myleena grinned.
"Our best, eh? I'm sorry, but I'll be too busy on the command ship," he said lightly.
"Push off, Jason. As if you were our best," she teased. "You've had your fun, now bring it back."
"Yes, mommy."
"Jason, dear," she called in a sweet voice.
"Yes?"
"Fuck you."
Jason laughed so hard he almost made the Gladiator fall over, since he hadn't disengaged his interface to control its actions.
He brought the Gladiator back to the barracks, and his helmet filtered out the bright light of the afternoon sun as the Gladator's chest armor opened, revealing the very tight cockpit, where the pilot literally was encased in armor and had absolutely no room to move. Then again, inside the Gladiator, where everything was controlled by interface, the pilot didn't have to be able to move. It took a pilot a little to get used to that, but that was just part of being a Gladiator pilot. A complement of five Faey awaited him. Four officers in the blue Karinne uniform stood on the pad along with a lone armored Faey who was very tall and had flaming red hair, cut very short. Jason didn't know this woman, but she had Sergeant's stripes on the arms of her armor. They all saluted as he floated down to them and took off his helmet. The others he did know, for it was Myri and four members of the command staff, two of them ex-mercenaries and the other two were retired Imperial Marine Generals who had been lured by the Kimdori to come to Karis and help build the house military from the ground up.
"Did you have fun, your Grace?" Myri asked with a wink.
"Stuff it, Myri," Jason told her. You piloting it back to the armory? he asked the armored sergeant.
"Yes, your Grace," she said in a surprisingly soft voice. "I've been told he's going to be my rig for a while, so I'm here to get used to him."
What's your name, Sergeant?
Sergeant Myka Doyalle Karinne, your Grace, she answered, and Jason was impressed. There was a very strong power lurking behind her soft, gentle sending. This woman was a strong telepath.
Karinne? Where's the noble crest on your armor?
I'm married to one of your nobles, she sent shyly. Iaren Karinne. I haven't really bothered to go in and have them put the crest on. It's really not important to me.
"Really? Congratulations!" he said sincerely. I just signed that marriage form last month! How was the honeymoon?
Too short, your Grace, she smiled. I just got back last week and they put me right into a sim to get rated on the Mark II.
"She's the best exomech pilot I've ever seen," General Juma said with an approving nod.
"Merc?" he asked curiously.
"Aye, your Grace. Not anymore, though," she added with a shy smile. "I was an exomech rigger back then. They just put me where I do the best."
I'm surprised you didn't go for the officer program.
I thought about it, but I'm happy being a grunt, your Grace. Iaren thinks it's a scandal, but he doesn't understand. I don't like all the shit that comes with a commission.
The generals laughed, and Jason smiled. "Well, she's smart, I'll give her that," Myri agreed. "Sometimes I wonder why the hell I took this job."
"Because you love me," Jason told her blandly as Myka put her helmet on.
"With your permission, your Grace, I've been ordered to return your rig to the barracks," Myka said, her voice tinny through her helmet speaker.
"Go ahead. And don't you dare scratch my paint!" he called after her.
"I'll treat him like he was you, your Grace. I'll even pinch his butt."
Jason did laugh then as she floated up into the formed depression where the pilot stayed, and then the armor folded in around her. The bowed head of the Gladiator raised as the lights of its eyes blinked on, and then the unit rose up off the ground and skimmed off the the south, towards the large exomech hangar on the edge of the training field.
How good is she? Jason asked curiously.
"She was the most feared rigger among the mercs," General Sioa told him, who was herself once a commander of one of the mercenary companies that now formed the core of the house military. "I hired her some six years ago after she finished her conscription with the army. I never saw anyone who could pilot a mech with the sublety she could, but she has incredible combat instincts. She was almost fuckin' psychic about sensing danger and predicting how her opponent was gonna move, and she's got some bloody strong talent to boot, so the enemy couldn't even get her with mindstrikers. They had to fight her, and that's her domain. And now that she's using an interface, it's like she is the fuckin' machine. Nobody's so much as landed a shot on her in wargames, and she rips through the entire enemy team by herself."
Damn. Why haven't you sent me a report on her?
"Because she doesn't wanna be an officer, so why bother? Just put her in a rig and let her do her thing, that's what I say."
"Hell, if she's that good, she can borrow my rig any time she wants."
"Myleena wanted the best for that rig, so I brought the best."
"That sounds like the best to me."
"Yeah, that's why I paid her nearly three times what I paid the other pilots back then."
"Now, since you're done playing, Jason, let's go talk about where we are in mobilizing," Myri said. She turned her head and sent for the driver of their car, which immediately raced up and came to a stop, hovering before them as the door opened. It was a limosine, and though Jason wasn't the kind to indulge in that kind of luxury, he did have to admit that it was about the only way to carry the General staff in the same vehicle. He piled in and sat beside Myri, with Sioa, Juma, and the elderly and almost legendary General Navii facing him. Navii had been a major coup for Karinne, as they lured her out of retirement to come help build the KMS, and she was the true mastermind behind the military. Myri was the officer in charge of the KMS, but Navii was the quiet mind that advised Myri, and actually made most of the decisions. She was training Myri, though, and Navii had confided to him that in five more years, she would retire with complete confidence that Myri would be just fine.
As the limo skimmed over the lush grass of the Karsa plain, Jason was thoroughly briefed about the operational readiness of the KMS. Sioa was the commander of all ground forces and fighters attached to army units, Juma was the commander of the Naval forces and fighters attached to the naval units, Navii was assistant to Myri, and Myri was the overall commander. He heard Sioa first as she laid out the mobility status of the army, and was pleased to hear that the entire army was more or less ready to go. From Juma he got a slightly less rosy report, for the destroyers Merrimack and Luna were in dock for repairs, but the Steadfast had finished its shakedown and was ready to enter active service.
You have the crew manifest ready for the Steadfast?
Yes, your Grace. I've already sent down the orders. I've put Jeya Berinne in command. She was next in line.
I was going to suggest her anyway, Jason noted.
I thought you might. Didn't you go to Draconis on the Liberty?
He nodded. I hope we're ready for this.
We're ready, your Grace, Navii sent reassuringly. Remember, over half of the KMS already has combat experience. The only thing different is that this will be their first action in Karinne ships.
That reminds me, ladies. I want the automated defenses thoroughly tested and kept on standby at all times. I also want the inner ring tightened, and, he sighed, I want any probes on the edge of the system destroyed.
Why, your Grace? Wouldn't destroying those probes tip them off that there's more here than there appears?
A feeling, he sent, his discomfort bleeding through. A feeling from a friend I trust. And as to Karis being a secret, I've found out we're not as secret as I hoped we'd be. We all knew it was just a matter of time before they found us, and Dahnai came right out and told me that she does know where we are. And if she knows, it's no stretch to guess that the rest of the Highborns and a few minor houses do as well.
Well, shit, Myri sent with an audible sigh. This is the mother of all bad timing.
Tell me about it, Jason growled. I'm going to go over to see Myleena right now. Last night we had a long talk about the problem, and I asked her to see if we can't find a way to stop ships from jumping into the system, or deter them somehow.
There's several ways, Navii sent. The Imperium uses hyperspace mines during wartime.
Yeah, but I'm looking for something a little more dependable, he grinned. I'm gonna go see where she's at so far.
Myleena's house was an extension of Myleena herself. It wasn't overly large, done in the Faey architecture, but inside it was both clean and cluttered. There was equipment everywhere, stored in every room, but that equipment was neatly stacked and organized, and the rooms were kept spotlessly clean. She had three floors in her house. The first floor was mainly for guests, and was almost never used… and had evolved into a storage area. The second floor was her personal living space, and the basement, which was huge, was her workshop and office. Usually, Myleena could be found in that basement, working on something, and today was no different. What made today a little more unusual than the norm was that when he came in, Myleena was laying on the floor underneath a piece of equipment floating in midair, on a skimboard, and she was naked from the waist down, which was all he could see of her. Given the fact she had her feet on the floor to steady the skimboard, it left her legs open and showed him all kinds of interesting things that got him thinking about a little conjugal visit with his wife in a hurry.
Well, that's one hell of a way to greet me, Myleena, he sent with mild amusement.
Myleena laughed, but didn't bother to do much about it. She even opened her legs a little wider. Sorry. I was about to take a shower, but had to take a shit. I was on the can, then I realized what I was doing wrong and rushed in here to see if I was right. Can you check and make sure I wiped?
Jason laughed, but he also blushed just a little bit. You look clean to me.
Good. I hate bleaching skid marks out of my panties. She slid out from under the unit, and he saw that she was in fact totally naked, her skin almost chalky from lack of sunshine, her freckles even more pronounced. The only thing she had on was her gestalt, which neither of them ever took off.
"Good God, get some sun, girl," he told her adamantly.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," she grunted, sitting up. [I think I found a solution to our problem,] she sent via communion, which was one of the most secure means they could communicate. Not even people like Symone could understand them when they sent thusly, only another Generation could. [I had a long talk with Cybi after last night, and she opened some of the secure files for me. I don't know if she told you.]
[No, but she has the option to do it without my consent if it's important.]
[Good, at least she won't get in trouble.] He felt her uplink to her panel, a panel modified to allow her to commune with it through the gestalt, then she reached out for him in a manner that told him it was a gestalt connection request. He permitted his gestalt to link to hers, and she downloaded a very large file holding specs and schematics into his gestalt. [That's one of the research projects left over from our ancestors,] she told him. [It's called a Hyperspace Interdictor. It's almost exactly what we're looking for. It destabilizes hyperspace in a huge area around a star system and makes it impossible for ships to jump into a system. The ships are forced out of hyperspace when they hit the edge of the effect, which is a whole light-year away from the focal point. That's way too far for any ship to get here, but it has a fatal flaw that made our ancestors abandon it.]
[Let me guess… it can't be controlled.]
[Well, that's half of it. When it's on, no ship can jump in or out of hyperspace while it's running. The other half is it takes nearly two days to build up to full power. It can't just turn on and immediately protect the system. We'd have to turn it on and leave it on. But, there's a workaround for that.]
[I figured, or you wouldn't be recommending it. Let me guess again. The interdictor doesn't interfere with Stargates.]
[Bingo,] she sent with a nod. [They designed the interdictor before stargate technology was developed, so they scrapped the idea. But I did some sims and yeah, the interdictor won't interfere with a Stargate. That's what I suggest, Jayce. We build the interdictor and buy two Stargates. We put one here, and the other somewhere that's totally secure. Someplace like, maybe, Kimdori Prime. Not only does that give us access to and from Karis, it gives us a direct fast-access link to our strongest allies. We'll just have to take some special precautions because of the radiation. You and me and the other Generations can stand up to it because of who we are, but the Faey and human elements of our house are vulnerable.]
[I think that's our horse,] Jason agreed.
[Good, because I have Kosigi building it right now. It's a fairly complex unit, about the size of a corvette, and it's gonna take them about two months to get it done, given they've got sixteen ships on the board to finish building..]
[We don't have that long. How long would it take if we put the entire lunar base to work on it?]
[Dunno, maybe three weeks, if they do it right.]
[Do it. There aren't any ships in dock that will get finished before this insanity begins, so pull every single fuckin' worker off the shipyard and get them to work on that interdictor. We're going to need it. I'll go talk to Zaa and see if she'll permit us to link a stargate to Kimdori Prime. If she refuses, we'll have to think of something else.]
[I don't see why she would. It only helps both of us.]
[The Kimdori have been very kind to us, Myleena, but I don't want to push their hospitality. Let me go call her.] He looked her up and down boldly. [And for God's sake, girl, go outside. There's a beach not a hundred shakra from your front door.]
[Admit it, babe, seeing me all pale makes your dick wiggle. I can sense a little lust lurking in your sending,] she sent with a naughty wink.
[It's not being pale doing that,] he sent with a chuckle. [It was the presentation. I've probably seen every woman's better half in a five kathra radius, Myli, but that was a new way to see a girl's equipment. I guess only techheads like us would see someone naked on a skimboard to be sexy.]
[Oh,] she sent, then she giggled. [Want to borrow my board? You can put Jyslin on it and have her slide halfway under the bed.]
[I have my own board,] he sent with a grin.
[I'll call Kosigi and get them on the interdictor. You gonna be free for dinner?]
[We should be, come on over.]
[Good, I'm gonna be busy and I don't think I'm gonna have time to cook tonight. Trelle knows, I'm surprised they haven't come and taken Danelle away from me. The poor girl.]
Jason laughed. Danelle was Myleena's daughter, her first of the three she needed to bear as part of the breeding program. Myleena was very much unlike the others in that she wasn't quite as involved with the raising of her daughter as the Marines and other Generations were. She hired a nanny, named Sevi, and Sevi was the one that handled the major day-to-day chores caring for Myleena's daughter. But Sevi was on a short vacation with her husband this week, requiring Myleena to care for Danelle herself. It wasn't really that hard, though. Danelle was three years old, and she was surprisingly intelligent and mature. She didn't cause much trouble, and despite Myleena's distance, she loved her daughter very much, and Danelle adored her mother.
[Where is she now?]
[Lyn and Bryn took her down to Karsa. They should be back soon.]
[That's why you were gonna take a shower, eh?]
She nodded. [But I got sidetracked.]
[You always do.]
[I know, it's a bitch,] she laughed.
Calling Zaa was both a little letdown and a little relieving. When he asked about the stargate, she flatly refused. "Impossible," she told him. "The radiation here would cause more problems than you realize, cousin, because your efforts to protect your people against the radiation would upset our ecosystem, which depends on it," she told him. "It would be much more efficient and easier for both of us to choose a different site."
"Where can I put it that's as secure as Kimdori Prime?" he asked, in a bit of consternation.
"Approach this from a tactical viewpoint, cousin. You want the stargate to be close to Karis, but invisible to sensors and heavily defended." She touched something under her, out of view of the screen, and the screen split between her image and a graphical representation of the galaxy holding both Karis and Kimdori Prime. "Here," she said, as a blinking light highlighted a star system about one quarter of the way between Karis and Kimdori. "This is a quasar in unclaimed space between the Alliance and the Nine Colonies, in a dead zone. It's the only system within twenty parsecs of any border, and the quasar's radiation will hide it from long range sensors. It is also in a line with Karis from the rest of the Imperium," she pointed out. "The Faey will not be able to use simple headings when watching your ships jump to try to triangulate their destination using multiple jump points. They will all seem to be pointing to Karis. The minor angular differences when dealing with distances of this size will be ignored by the mathematicians when they try to calculate just where your ships are going. As far as they'll reason, Karinne ships are immune to the effect of your defenses and are simply jumping home."
"Zaa, that's brilliant!" he said in admiration.
"I find your complement flattering, cousin," she said with a modest smile. "Given this is a high radiation area, I would suggest you allow us to construct the Stargate and install the radiation shielding for you," she offered. "Only the Generations are resistant to radiation among the species in your house."
"If you don't mind doing it, I'd accept your help gladly," he told her gratefully. "Let me track down Kumi and get her to work buying what we'll need."
"There is no need. We already have the equipment. We will simply send you a bill for it."
"That's fine with me," he agreed. "In the meantime, I still need to have her buy the Stargate for this side. Man, this is gonna be expensive," he grunted.
"Yes, but it's a justifiable expense," she noted. "Stargates are dreadfully expensive, and you lack the time to simply build one yourself."
"I know," he groaned. "I might have to pay you back in installments, Denmother."
"That is perfectly acceptable," she told him with a gentle smile.
He called Kumi to his house while on the way back, and she reached him as he was in his bedroom, starting to take off his armor. She was wearing one of her swimsuits, either preparing for her daily swim or already done with it. "What you need, babes?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"I need you to do something big," he told her. "We're installing a new defense at Karis, but it's going to require us to go to using a Stargate."
She winced. Jayce, babe, those things are expensive.
"I know," he grunted, taking off his greave. "But we don't have much choice. We don't have much time here, Kumi. We can't build one ourselves, we need one now."
"Alright," she sighed. "But it's gonna break us."
"I know," he said grimly.
"What size?"
Big enough to handle the capital ship.
I was afraid you were gonna say that, she growled as he separated the chestplate from the backplate and pulled the breastplate off as the backplate flopped to the bed. I'm sure that 2M probably has one to sell, but they'll charge us through the nose for it.
That's alright, we'll get it back. Like I said, Kumi, we can build them. Kosigi can easily crank out a Stargate. Once the ship backlog is cleared, that is what Kosigi's gonna build in the spare cruiser bay. We'll get our money back.
Kumi's eyes brightened. "That's a fuckin' brilliant idea!" she said. Vultech could undercut 2M and Seyalle Spatial and make a killing!
"Good, so don't wince too much when you're paying for the one we're buying," he said as he unlatched his legplates. The main thing is, Kumi, we need it quick. So you're gonna have to pull some strings and call in some favors. You know there's not many spare Stargates laying around big enough for us.
Yeah, I might have to lick some pussies to get what we need, she sent crudely, then she gave him a slightly predatory smile as he wriggled free of the codpiece of his armor and stood naked before her. Years of exposure to the Faey had deadened him to certain concepts of modesty where his close friends were concerned. You're looking a little thick there, Jayce, she teased. What, me talking about giving some arrogant supply clerk a little head get you horny? I can fix that for you, you know.
So can my wife, who's downstairs, he sent cooly.
The lucky bitch. I'll get to work on this. I think I can track down something by tomorrow. After I'm done, we'll talk about that little problem there. Or I should say that big problem, she sent with a wink, then sauntered out of the room.
God. Five years, and Kumi still kept trying. She had her chance, though. There was a point about four years ago when he gave in, because he realized that he was jeopardizing their relationship by refusing. It was a fun night, he couldn't deny that, and since then she'd really backed off. There were times, though, when she teased him, propositioned him, and acted like the Kumi of old. But thankfully, those times were few and far between, usually only after she'd dumped whatever boyfriend she had at the time. She tended to go through a boyfriend every couple of months. But they were great friends, and probably always would be.
Kumi was never a girl that disappointed.
While Jason was having dinner with Myleena, Danelle, Zora, Sora, and his family, she rushed into the dining room. "I got it!" she screamed happily, almost running the wrong way, then coming a hair from bowling Surin over as he came out of the kitchen holding a plate of croissants and butter. "Jason!"
"Turn around, you nit," Jason said mildly, which made Rann giggle.
"Aunt Kumi's being silly," he declared between bites of roast beef.
"Don't ever doubt the pirate, babes!" she said with a laugh. "One Senalle Spatial MXK-378D Spatial Bridge!" she announced, throwing a handpanel onto the table. "Fully operational! We have to pick it up tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow?" Jason asked in surprise.
"You said you wanted it now," she told him. "It's being held on Menos IV."
"Dorrane? Why would a Highborn house be selling a Stargate?" Jason asked curiously.
"Got me, but I got a decent price for it, given how big it is," she winked. "We got it as-is, babes. It's operational, but it's assembled. We'll have to send a team to break it down and move it."
"That's the hard way," Myleena snorted. "Just send out the Aegis and tow it."
"You think it can tow something that big through hyperspace?" Jason asked her in surprise.
"Easily," she said scathingly.
"It means we'd have to reveal the Aegis, though," Jesmind said seriously. "Nobody off Karis has seen him."
"That time woulda been coming soon anyway," Jason said. "May as well let Trillane get some pics of it to give them an idea what's coming." He accessed his gestalt to link it to the planetary comm system, but spoke aloud. "Bring up the Aegis," he ordered, then activated the holgraphic vidlink projector on the far side of the room. He had one of those in every room, so he could have face-to-face consultations in an emergency.
A holographic image appeared in the open space near the door to the living room, which Ayama almost stepped through on her way in. A sleek, busy bridge appeared, bustling with Faey and human naval personnel, but the focus of the image was a white-haired Faey woman in a class A uniform standing in front of the helm. "This is Admiral Lyra," she intoned. "Go ahead, your Grace."
"What are you doing over there, Lyra?" he asked curiously. "Where's Captain Bren?"
"Just looking over her shoulder," she winked. "With the mobilization order, I decided to come aboard and observe. This is the command ship, after all. These sailors had better get things right. They have the honor of the entire KMS on them."
Captain Bren appeared beside her. "Your Grace," she said with a salute. "I was on my way back to the bridge when your call came in, so the Admiral was kind enough to stall til I could get here," she said in a deadpan voice which made Jyslin laugh.
Now that was Bren.
"Captain, I have a question for you."
"Sure, your Grace."
"You think the Aegis could tow something with nearly as much mass as itself through hyperspace?"
She didn't even blink. "Easily," she answered.
"Don't doubt me again, Jayce," Myleena chuckled.
"Alright then. Tomorrow, your ship is going to go out and tow a Stargate back to Karis. I'll have Myri send down the official orders in a little bit, but this way you know they're coming."
"He can handle that kind of job, your Grace. I take it you're not concerned with showing him off?"
He shook his head. "It's not an issue, Captain."
"Good. I hate having the biggest toy on the block but can't show him off and make the other kids jealous," she said in that deadpan voice.
"Why did we give her the command ship?" Myleena asked Jason casually.
"Because she's that good," the Admiral answered before Jason could say a word. "Don't let her insubordinate manner fool you, Duchess. Bren is the best captain in the KMS."
"I guess I'll find out. After I finish dinner, I'll be coming aboard with the engineering staff so we can work out how we're gonna tow that gate."
"I'll have quarters prepared for you, Duchess, and my engineering team put at your immediate disposal," Bren nodded.
"Well then, Myli can explain things to you when she gets there," Jason noted.
"Are you coming to oversee things, your Grace?"
He shook his head. "I'll be going to the Academy tomorrow. I'm sure you can pull it off, though."
"Of course we can," Bren murmured.
"I'll get on the line to Myri and get things arranged," Jason told them. "You can pass the word down off the record through your regular task force. I'll order all of them to go."
"That's prudent, your Grace," Bren nodded.
"What's a task force, Daddy?" Rann asked.
"It's a group of Navy ships," he answered with a smile. "I'm ordering our Navy to go out and do something, and it's always best for ships to travel in groups."
"Oh. Okay."
"Would my Lady and your son like to come watch?" Bren asked. "Since the Grand Duke will be busy tomorrow. We'd love to have you. I haven't seen Rann since he was a baby."
"Sure, I'd like that," Jyslin answered. "What do you say, Rann? Want to go up to the ship and go with them?"
"Yeah!" he said with excitement.
"Oooh, can I go, mommy?" Danelle asked excitedly.
"Sure, kidlet," she smiled. "I'm sure Ayama won't mind watching after you while I'm busy with the engineers."
"Not at all, my Lady," Ayama said gently.
"I'll make sure you have the best quarters and what you need for the children," Bren assured them.
Jason rather liked the idea of Jyslin and Rann going along. Rann needed more exposure to the workings of the house, and it gave the house members and commoners a chance to get to know their future Grand Duke. It did remind him, though, that he had a very important appointment tomorrow, and he was going to need some help. "You're going to be herding more than just two kids, Ayama," he warned. "You think you can handle Kyri for a day or two?"
"Of course I can, your Grace," Ayama said with a negligent wave of her hand. "Me and that little lady have something of an understanding."
"Ayama spanks her if she misbehaves," Jyslin giggled. "Yana won't do that."
"Good, because I need Yana."
"What for?"
"Something I can't explain at the dinner table," he said pointedly. "It's a serious matter, that's all I can really say."
"Uh oh, sounds serious."
"It is fairly serious, yes," he agreed.
After telling Myri about what had to be done, Myleena left alone to fetch her team and go up to the command ship, leaving Danelle to stay the night at Jason's. After putting Rann and Danelle to bed, which involved a great deal of tickling and giggling, Jason sat on the couch and explained what was going on in greater detail to Jyslin. You know Yana doesn't like doing that. It's why she washed out of the secret police, she reminded him.
I know, that's why I'm going to do it, he answered. I know how it's done. You taught me well.
I don't much like the idea of you exposing yourself like that,, love, she warned. Remember, your patient will have talent, and doing that will leave you open.
And that's why Yana is going, he sent reassuringly. Her job is to protect me while I try to undo the conditioning.
Jyslin pondered that for a moment, then finally nodded. I think you should be okay, then, she declared.
The ships on standby the next day were old friends of his, in a way. A standby rotation was always two destroyers and a cruiser, and that day, the cruiser on standby was none other than the Defiant.
Jason had a special attachment to that ship. He had sat in the captain's chair of the Defiant for four months, as Myri and his generals had organized the KMS, and the Kimdori recruited people for the house to flesh out the military's command positions; most of the middle and upper officers in the KMS were transplants, Faey, humans, and Makati recruited specifically for those tasks, people like Sioa and Bren. Once the Kimdori started bringing military people in, eventually Jason relenquished his captain's chair, and nine captains had sat in that chair since then. The Defiant was something of the launchpad for a captain to move up to one of the larger ships, since Jason had such an attachment to it… only the best captains were put on the Defiant, and they tended to get promoted up to the battleships and heavy cruisers once they were built.
Jason and Yana stepped onto the bridge, and found the bridge crew standing in respect, with the captain standing on his chair. The current captain of the Defiant was a Makati, a diminutive fellow with red skin, white hair cut in a crew cut, and small red horns over his temples. His name was Lieutenant Commander Travka Grumait, and he was the shining example that one couldn't judge everyone of a race by that race. Travka was a terrible engineer, couldn't build a lego castle even with instructions, but he was one hell of a military tactician, he understood Faey and humans, and did damn well as the captain of a naval vessel. This was his calling in life, not building things, and he had the wisdom to understand that and follow his dreams.
Travka was one of a handful of non-Faey upper-level officers in the KMS, and they kept the Faey on their toes. There were 9 Makati, 17 humans, and 3 Kizzik nobles who had the rank of major or lietuenant commander or above, and those were command ranks for the larger ships. Most of them were on Karis itself, part of the Karis Guard, the military arm devoted to the defense of the planet itself, but he had 3 non-Faey ship captains and one human officer on the command staff. Like the others, Travka wouldn't be on the Defiant for long. The next large-scale ship slated for completion was a heavy cruiser, scheduled for delivery in two weeks from the Kimdori shipyards, and Travka was already on the board to take command of it. In his place the current first officer would take command, a Faey woman with raven-black hair named Saiya.
As was the tradition in the KMS, the first captain of a ship had the right to name her. And for some odd reason, most of them had dug through Terran history and geography to find names for their ships, most likely because they thought that Jason would like that. Nearly two thirds of the ships in the KMS had Terran-origin names. Travka would be the first non-Faey captain with the chance to name his own ship, and Jason was curious as to what he was going to pick.
"Welcome aboard, your Grace," Travka said in his gravelly voice, as Jason ran a hand along a rail fondly. "We're glad to have you."
"I'm glad to be here," he said absently. "Me and this ship go way back."
"We know, your Grace," he smiled. "Duchess Yana," he said with a nod to her.
"You're looking well, Travka. Do you have my twenty credits?"
He laughed. "Not on me, but I'll send someone to my quarters and get it," he grinned.
Credits?
He lost a bet with me, she explained.
Ah.
"We have a Terra jump already plotted, your Grace. Whenever you're ready."
"Here, he can pay me back," Saiya called, handing Yana a twenty-credit note.
"Thanks," Yana laughed.
"No time like now, Travka," Jason said.
Travka jumped down from his chair. "I'd be happy to let you sit in the big chair for the jump, your Grace," he said. "After all, we all know we only keep it warm for you on this ship. This is your ship."
"Thanks, Travka," he said. "I do miss this old beast sometimes."
"A captain never forgets his first command," Travka grinned. "Mistress Saiya, if you'd be so kind."
"Prepare for hyperspace jump!" she boomed in a barking voice, then sent throughout the entire ship. All sections prepare for hyperspace jump, and report readiness!
That was one of the little things that required a little difference for Travka. Since he couldn't send, he relied on his first officer to handle some of the duties usually required for a captain on a Faey vessel. He had an intercom on his chair to address the ship directly, but sending was an integral part of military operations on a ship, so he had to have a subordinate handle that aspect of the way things worked. Despite that minor handicap in relation to Faey captains, Travka had managed to work around it quite well. There were absolutely no differences in his performance logs compared to other ships. His ship did not suffer in performance at all because her captain couldn't send.
Jason listened as he took the captain's chair, having to spread his legs around the booster step Travka needed to get up into it, and as the others on the bridge took seats and began strapping in. Each ship section sent in to Saiya that they were ready, and once all sections reported in, she turned to the helm. "Take us out, Ensign."
"Aye, ma'am. Jumping in thirty seconds," she called as she used her interface to urge the ship to turn.
Jumping in thirty seconds! Saiya sent across the ship.
After a dizzying hyperspace jump, the Defiant made way for Earth, smaller ships getting out of her way as they crossed a main lane leading to the Stargate. Jason drummed his fingers on the armrest as he thought about what was going to happen today. The Kimdori were going to pick up this agent and bring him to the Academy, and then Jason and Yana were going to do what they could to reverse the mental conditioning after Kiaari used her abilities to get at absolutely every scrap of useful information out of her. It wasn't going to be pleasant trying to undo that damage, and there was a little risk involved, but that's why he brought Yana. She was one of the most powerful telepaths in the entire Imperium, and if she couldn't protect him, nobody could.
"Huh, your Grace," the communications officer called. "I think you should see this. I'll put it up on the screen."
She did so, and one side of the main screen showed a different angle of the forward image, which immediately zoomed in. Sitting in orbit over the eastern seaboard was a small Kimdori ship bearing the two pawprint insignia of the Kimdori.
That was Zaa's personal transport. The Denmother was on Terra.
She didn't tell him she was coming, but clearly she felt the interrogation of this agent was important enough for her to be here in person.
"The Denmother? I had no reports she was going to be here," Travka said worriedly.
"She knew I was going to be here, I guess she wanted to surprise me," Jason said. "I don't mind. I haven't seen her face to face in two years."
Once they were in orbit, Jason launched from the Defiant in one of the special dropships that they kept for high-risk people. It was an original Karinne design dropship, sloped and wingless, looking like a flying rectangle with its front end squashed down into a wedge, but it was heavily armored, had Teryon shields, and was armed with pulse weaponry. It was more than capable of blowing massive holes in anything that attacked it, but nothing would ever get that close to it, for the Defiant hung in low orbit like a protective mother as the dropship descended towards the surface. On board the dropship were Yana, Jason, and four Dukal guards, but as was normal when Jason was on a dropship, he was the one who was flying it. The guards were here for only one reason, and that was because of the human they would be bringing back. Both Jyslin and Myri had demanded that Jason take additional protection, just in case, and he caved in. These four were very professional, very thorough… and very quiet. Sometimes Jason didn't like bringing them into public, for one might see the scars on their necks if they took off their helmets. All four were Imperial Guards, part of the arrangements between Jason and Dahnai. Rann was the future husband of a member of the Imperial Family, and that required that he and all other members of his family be protected. Jason had 36 Imperial Guards on his Dukal Guard retinue, the guards that defended his house and the grounds immediately surrounding it. Whenever they felt he was going to be going into a dangerous situation, he always had Imperial Guards with him for additonal protection… and this was something even he admitted might be a dangerous situation. But, simply put, there wasn't really anyone else he'd let do this. The only telepaths with the power and training to do something like this were Jason, Jyslin, and Yana, and he wouldn't force the girls to do something like this, for it was something that both of them despised doing with all their hearts.
Of course it wasn't a secret that Jason had Imperial Guards, because the laws about protecting the Imperial Family were well known, but Jason didn't like to advertise it.
Where are we landing, your Grace? one of the four guards sent, the squad sergeant, whose name was Aya. Aya was a very professional woman, like Meya and Myra back when they were Kumi's bodyguards, but she was highly educated and refined, and he'd never won a single debate with her. Imperial Guards had to have the equivalent of Master's degrees before they could even apply to be Imperial Guards, for they often served as conversationalists, entertainers, tutors, and company for the Imperial family. Aya played the tamorin in addition to her two degrees in philosophy and history, and she was very good. Though Jason forbade them from posting guards inside his house, Aya kept eternal watch on the Dukal family from an office in the garage, and she was one of the official tutors of Rann, educating him in history and one of the women who would help shape the future Grand Duke to take the throne when Jason either died or retired.
These four were what one might consider his standard retinue of guards. Aya, the Captain of the Guard, who commanded the Dukal Guard, and her three best. Lovely Suri, with her gold hair and her violet eyes, who was the deadliest marksman he had ever seen. He had never seen her miss, with any weapon, at any range. Ever. Willowy Dera, the youngest of the Imperial Guard stationed with him, who could hear private sendings just like Symone. Tall, tall Shen, who was strong as an ox because she was born and raised on a heavy gravity planet, and crafty Ryn, who was the Guard's resident mechanic, technician, and general dabbler in all things mechanical. Ryn had been quietly soaking up a great deal of knowledge about Karinne technology just by hanging around when him and Myleena were talking or taking things apart, but he wasn't all that worried about it. Ryn was sworn to secrecy about what she knew about him, just as they were sworn to secrecy about what they knew of the Empress, and not even the Empress could make her divulge that knowledge. Besides, these four, and the Imperial Guards that were on Karis, were Rann's guards, and they would never return to the Imperial Palace unless the marriage between Karinne and Merrane ended somehow, by death or divorce.
That vow of secrecy was the only reason he brought them to Karis in the first place.
Where I always land, Aya, he answered.
You will let us disembark first?
This isn't a security risk area, Aya, he chided. I've come here alone before.
Yes, we haven't talked to you about that yet, but we will, she sent darkly, which made him wince.
They like to mother you, don't they? Yana sent privately.
Yes, and don't do that, he sent openly. Dera can pick private sendings out of the air. It's one of her tricks.
It helps keep the Grand Duke safe, Dera sent simply.
It also makes you the center of the Guard rumor mill, Jason added slyly.
Yes, well, someone has to know what's going on, she sent with a smile.
I didn't know you could do that, Dera, Yana sent in surprise.
How can I defend the Grand Duke if people know I can hear them? she asked simply. And we would appreciate it if you kept that knowledge to yourself. For others to know about me threatens the security of the Grand Duke and his family.
I'm part of that family, Dera. It won't ever go past me.
You can trust Yana, Dera, Jason told her as he descended towards the private landing pad he shared with Ayuma. She's not the kind to blab. Not with all the dirt I have on her.
"Jason!" Yana gasped aloud, which made the four guards laugh silently, for they had no voices.
Jason landed on the pad with a light touch, and the four guards immediately put on their helmets of their Crusader armor and stood up. Giving them Crusader armor was only logical, given they were the defenders of his person and his family. He wanted them in the best, and their armor was the best there was. It was the cutting edge, the prototype, even better than standard Crusader armor. The Guards helped Myleena by betatesting the armor as she made changes, helping her work out the bugs, make improvements, and produce a better armor system. At any time, 6 of the Dukal Guards were wearing Myleena's experimental armor, testing it for her, while the rest wore the armor designs that would be the next production line once the manufacturing plant was retooled to produce the upgraded armor. What made their armor so much better was their Crusader armor was the first armor to carry pulse weaponry integrated into the weapon system. It had taken Myleena and Cybi four years to work out a way to miniaturize a pulse weapon to where it would fit on armor, part of the work she did when she miniaturized pulse weapons for the Gladiators, but the pulse weapons on their armor were much different. They couldn't generate a teryon charge strong enough to explode, so instead what they fired was a tiny pellet of teryons, the size of a pencil eraser, that basically disintegrated their way through anything they struck. Just like standard pulse weapons, the composition if the target made absolutely no difference to the charge, for it ripped apart the matter contained in the space that matter occupied, not attacking the matter itself. The pulse weapons had a very short range, only about 2,000 shakra, but given they only fought at close quarters, that limited range was a moot point for them. They, like the Gladiators, also had plasma weaponry on their armor for medium range, and could carry railguns or other external weapons for long range combat if necessary.
Jason sometimes felt jealous. Even he didn't wear their armor. His own armor was specially made for him to give maximum protection at a cost to offensive ability. It was armor much more than it was a weapon system for Jason, because Myleena felt that his protection mattered much more, and he wouldn't be doing any active fighting.
[Jason.]
[What is it, Cybi?]
[I have completed my search of CivNet as you requested. I found nothing unusual concerning Trillane or the Urumi, but I did unearth something unusual.]
[What is it?]
[I invaded the Collective's computer network to investigate from their side,] she told him, which surprised him a little bit. [I was unable to penetrate their top-secret systems, but I did manage to break into their medium security layer. It seems that the Urumi are preparing for war, my friend, and what is more, they are buying military equipment from a third party, the identity of which I cannot locate. That information must be in the top secret layer. What I have uncovered are large shipments of ground-based weapons, armor, and ship-mounted weaponry to place on their ships. The type and function of these weapons are also top secret, but the records of their deliveries are within the security layer I penetrated.]
Jason considered that a moment. [Get in touch with Miaari and give her that. If the Urumi are buying weapons, I want to know what they are and where they're getting them from. Miaari can dig that data up. How did you manage that, anyway?]
[I sent a probe to Collective space and used it as a relay,] she answered.
Jason's eyes lit up. [You think you could get a probe to where they're building up their fleet?]
[I already have, Jason,] she told him modestly. [Miaari ordered surveillance, and I dispatched probes to collect that intelligence for her. She is going through that data as we speak, and will most likely be presenting her report to you soon.]
[Why didn't she say something?] he fretted.
[You know Miaari, my friend. When she has all the information she needs, she will bring it to you. You know how thorough she is.]
[Yeah.]
Yana prodded him in the ribs. Wake up, she sent. Yana could hear it when he communed, though she couldn't understand what he said. He blinked and saw that the four guards were looking back at him from the hatchway, waiting for him to get out of the pilot's chair.
"Sorry," he said, standing up. "Let's go find Kiaari."
Kiaari was in her other office when they arrived, deep in the basement of the Engineering building. Ayuma directed him there before he even got into the administration building, and the six of them navigated confusing, dark passages deep in the bowels of the huge building. The office was palatial, nearly a hundred feet to a side, and it was filled with Kimdori. They sat at monitors, grouped together to share information, and scurried to and fro. This was the heart of the Kimdori intelligence network on Terra, where Kiaari kept tabs on everything going on in her back yard. Kiaari's desk was in the back, not separated from the other Kimdori, but it was on a raised dais so it was visible across the entire chamber.
"Nice," Yana said as they climbed up to Kiaari's desk.
"Just a little something I call the office," she winked in reply. "Yana here to try to deprogram the agent?"
"No, I am," he said. "Yana doesn't like doing that. She's here to protect me while I do it."
Yana nodded. "I can keep him safe."
"That's just as well, Yana," Kiaari said seriously. "Well, my people should be picking up the agent in about twenty minutes. It's a woman, and she's currently on a train to Washington. We're going to pick her up on the platform. She'll be back here half an hour after we got her." She gave Jason a look. "Jason. The Denmother needs to speak to you in private. There's something you need to know."
"Where is she? We saw her transport as we came in, I figured she'd be here with you."
"Come with me," she said, standing up. "I'm afraid the rest of you have to wait here," she added.
"We'll be fine," Yana told her.
Kiaari led him to a conference room with a black table and ten chairs around it, and standing in front of a monitor was Zaa, the Denmother. She was very tall and had charcoal gray fur, and when she turned around he saw the white band of fur that ran from under her chin to her crotch, the white band of station that only she and the Handservants were permitted to wear. "Denmother," Jason said fondly. "What brings you here?"
She said nothing. She reached out when he approached, and put her large hand on his neck. He felt her reach into him, merge with his mind in the way they did, that feeling of expansion, but instead of reading from him, she instead left something behind.
Her touch on his neck became a grip to keep him from unlocking his knees.
She conveyed to him through that touch that the human female that arrived in the Academy, and then was put onto a train by the Urumi consulate, was not just a human telepath.
She was a Generation.