Part 58 (2/2)
”Better make it thirty minutes from now,” Kosta told her. ”We want to make sure we've got enough time to get everything else ready.”
”Right, but we don't want to crunch things the other direction, either,” Chandris reminded him as the hatch popped up. ”We've only got forty-five minutes until Angelma.s.s gets close enough to cook us, and that only if it doesn't speed up any more. Forty-five minutes minus your thirty gives us only a fifteen-minute margin for error. That's not very much.”
”We'll make it,” Kosta a.s.sured her, pulling off the next canister. ”Don't forget, we'll be all the way at the other end of the station when they go off. The extra s.h.i.+elding should be enough.”
”If you say so,” she said, sitting down on the edge of the opening and finding the ladder with her feet. ”Just remember you promised to have enough time to apologize if this doesn't work. I'm going to hold you to that.”
None of the summaries of Pax governmental procedure had mentioned the full honor guard and fanfare that was waiting as Forsythe stepped through the shuttle door onto the cold gray docking bay deck. Slowly, automatically matching his pace to the beat of the extended trumpet flourish, he walked between the two lines of men, his eyes flicking from their black-and-red dress uniforms to their expressionless faces to the deadly-looking flash rifles held rigidly in front of them. It was a wonderfully balanced display of ritual pomp, official recognition, and implied threat, and he wondered if this was standard military procedure or something laid on specifically for his benefit.
Ronyon, walking at his side, clearly had no such thoughts or reservations. His eyes were s.h.i.+ning as he looked around, his face lit up with a wide childlike grin as he gazed delightedly at the spectacle. Even with all the ceremonies Ronyon had attended through the years, he never seemed to tire of them.
There were several men and women waiting at the far end of the honor guard lines, with two of their number standing a pace in front of the others. A study in contrasts, Forsythe thought as he approached them, and not just because of their age or their garb. The elder of the two stood straight and tall in his dress uniform, his eyes brightly aware, his face calmly expressionless as he studied the approaching Empyreals. The other man, shorter and dressed in a drab gray suit, was also studying Forsythe; but his eyes and face were hostile and restive and vaguely frustrated. If the soldier standing beside him was a lion watching his approaching prey, the image flashed through Forsythe's mind, this man was a vulture waiting impatiently for something to die.
The musicians were good, timing their flourish to a dramatic finale just as Forsythe came to a halt three paces from the soldier and the vulture. ”I'm High Senator Arkin Forsythe of Lorelei,” he identified himself, his voice sounding oddly weak after the echoing bra.s.s. A nice little added bonus, he thought distantly, to the rest of the ceremony's psychological manipulation. ”Currently representing the Seraph government. Do I have the honor of addressing Commodore Vars Lles.h.i.+?”
”I am Commodore Lles.h.i.+,” the older man acknowledged, his voice as measured and intelligent as his eyes and face. He was older than he had seemed from a distance, Forsythe saw now, but he carried the years well. ”Welcome aboard the Komitadji, High Senator. May I present my senior staff-” he gestured to the line of men and women behind him-”and our s.h.i.+p's Adjutor, Mr. Samunel Telthorst.”
”Mr. Telthorst,” Forsythe said, looking at the other with new interest. So this was one of the shadow-power group that allegedly kept Pax politics focused on the bottom line. ”Officers,” he added, letting his eyes sweep the group behind Lles.h.i.+. ”This is my aide, Ronyon.”
Ronyon touched his sleeve to get his attention. Can you tell them I really liked the men with the guns and the fancy clothes? he signed, his eyes still glowing with pleasure. They were really neat!
”What's he doing?” Telthorst demanded. He had, Forsythe noted, taken a hasty step back when Ronyon's big hands began their intricate dance. ”Tell him to stop.”
”He's just talking to me,” Forsythe said. ”Ronyon is deaf and mute. He communicates through sign language.”
”What did he say just now?” Lles.h.i.+ asked.
”He said to thank you for the honor guard,” Forsythe said. ”He very much enjoyed it.”
”I thought you said he was deaf,” Telthorst said, his voice dark and accusing. ”How could he hear the fanfare?”
”He couldn't,” Forsythe told him. ”But he can see. He happens to like fancy uniforms and ceremonial guns.”
”Really,” Telthorst said, looking Ronyon up and down suspiciously. ”So you're saying he's r.e.t.a.r.ded, too?”
There was insult in the words, and for a moment Forsythe teetered on the brink of verbally blistering the man for it. But there was too much at stake here to allow personal feelings to intrude. ”His mental development has been arrested, yes,” he said instead, forcing his voice to stay calm. ”But he's a good and conscientious worker, and an a.s.set to my staff.” He paused. ”And, I might add, more pleasant company than many of those I meet in my daily activities.”
Telthorst drew himself up-”We have a conference room set up over here,” Lles.h.i.+ said before the other could speak, gesturing to the side. Telthorst shot him an annoyed look, which the commodore ignored. ”If you'll follow me, we'll begin the discussions.”
The ”conference room” was little more than a pilots' briefing room, plainly decorated and relatively small. The table was big enough to handle the group, though, and the chairs were reasonably comfortable. Lles.h.i.+ took the chair at the end closest to the door, gesturing to Forsythe to take the far end. Telthorst rather pointedly sat down at Lles.h.i.+'s right. Ronyon sat down at Forsythe's left, still gazing admiringly at the two guards who had stepped inside the room and now stood at attention flanking the door.
”Before we begin the negotiations,” Forsythe said when everyone was settled, ”I'd like to ask what exactly you've done to Lorelei and the Lorelei system.”
”These are not 'negotiations,' High Senator-” Telthorst began.
”We destroyed the four nets in the asteroid belt,” Lles.h.i.+ told him. ”Along, I'm afraid, with those defending them and manning the a.s.sociated catapults. We also neutralized the small kick-pod catapult in Lorelei orbit and commandeered the liner Harmonic. Oh, and we were forced to neutralize several armed mining s.h.i.+ps that launched suicide attacks on us during our trip inward. Aside from that, to my knowledge, we have harmed no one and caused no damage.”
Forsythe felt his throat tighten. Mining s.h.i.+ps. The ones he personally had ordered to be armed. ”To your knowledge?”
”My task force commanders had orders to hold, not destroy,” Lles.h.i.+ said. ”Up to the point where the Komitadji arrived at Seraph they had complied with those orders. Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing what has happened since then.”
”I see,” Forsythe murmured. It wasn't a very satisfying answer, but it was clear it was the best he was going to get for now.
Ronyon touched his sleeve. Has something happened at home? he signed, his forehead furrowed with concern.
”What did he say?” Telthorst demanded.
”He asked if something had happened at home,” Forsythe translated, feeling a sudden flicker of guilt. In all the activity over the past few days, it hadn't even occurred to him that Ronyon had been left completely out of the information loop regarding the Pax invasion of Lorelei. ”These gentlemen have sent wars.h.i.+ps to Lorelei, Ronyon. They've taken control of the system, but I don't think they've hurt too many people.”
Ronyon looked over at Lles.h.i.+, a look of stunned betrayal on his face. Why did you do that? he signed. We weren't bothering anybody.
”Tell him to stop that,” Telthorst snapped. ”This is a surrender conference, not a children's tea party.”
”That's enough, Mr. Telthorst,” Lles.h.i.+ said. ”High Senator, will you translate?”
”He wanted to know why you invaded Lorelei,” Forsythe said. ”He asked if we were doing anything to bother you. Or anyone else.”
”I see.” Lles.h.i.+ s.h.i.+fted his gaze to Ronyon. ”I'm sorry, Ronyon, for whatever we're doing to your worlds. But we're soldiers, and our duty is to obey the orders we're given. I give you my promise that we will not hurt any more people than absolutely necessary.”
”All of which depends on how much the High Senator is willing to cooperate,” Telthorst added. ”Which brings me to a question, High Senator. What exactly is that s.h.i.+p doing out at Angelma.s.s?”
”They're doing a quick emergency study of the black hole,” Forsythe said.
”What kind of emergency study?”
”Angelma.s.s has been exhibiting strange behavior over the past few weeks,” Forsythe said. ”It started
with radiation bursts, and has progressed to where it's actually changing its...o...b..t.”
”How?”
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