Part 39 (1/2)

'Yeah,' she said.

'Don't.'

She was about to reply when Chris said. 'Oooooh. That That sucked. sucked. ' '

Leabie was waiting for them in the docking bay. She was dressed in a simple black pants suit, the house's blue and red log glittering on her shoulder.

The Doctor popped out of the Model Citizen Model Citizen like a cork out of a champagne bottle. 'Lady Forrester!' he said. 'I have urgent news. like a cork out of a champagne bottle. 'Lady Forrester!' he said. 'I have urgent news.

I need to borrow another s.h.i.+p. Something that can defend itself this time. Chris can pilot it.'

Leabie looked past him. 'Roslyn,' she said. 'I need your help.'

'Now's the time to strike,' said Leabie. 'Walid's away from the palace and no one knows where the h.e.l.l he is.'

'Jesus,' said Roz. She sat the opposite end of a long meeting table, in a room full of historical portraits. The lights were low.

'How long have you been planning this?'

'Forever,' said Leabie. 'Forever.' She stared at Roz down the table. The message DataStream she carried with her pipped every few seconds. 'Don't tell me that you disapprove, because that's not going to stop anything.'

'h.e.l.l, no,' said Roz. 'Walid's a conspirator and probably a loon. The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds he's got working for him killed Mantsebo and Somezi trying to get to you. All I want to know is how many people you're willing to kill to become Empress.'

'As many as it takes, darling,' said Leabie. 'This isn't like choosing a new carpet. It isn't the sort of project you go into with one eye open. It's taken ten years to create a fleet and an army that's up to the task.'

272.

Roz nodded to herself. She got up, wandering down the table, and poured herself a gla.s.s of water.

'The plan was designed to keep casualties to a minimum,' said her sister. 'We don't have the Emperor's resources. What we have is strategy and surprise. A lot of surprise. The Landsknechte have been caught with their pants down twice. First at Purgatory, next on Mars.'

'Mars?' Roz sat on the table, a few chairs away from Leabie, drinking the water and wis.h.i.+ng for some serious alcohol. 'What's happening on Mars?'

'It hasn't hit the newsfeeds yet. But they deployed something like a quarter of their troops to suppress the rioting on Earth.'

'Riots you started,' said Roz.

'As I said. Strategy and surprise.'

's.h.i.+t.' Roz found a very evil grin wandering across her face.

'You old b.i.t.c.h.'

'Fancy a little treason, little sister?'

Roz sat in the seat next to her sister, watching the urgent messages flas.h.i.+ng on her DataStream.

'One thing I have to know first,' she said. 'How do I know the new boss isn't going to be just the same as the old boss?'

Leabie looked at her.

'How do I know you're not going to be another Empress?' said Roz. 'Or another Walid? How do I know you're going to be better?'

'That's easy,' said Leabie. 'Because you'll be there.'

Roz folded her arms. 'You've been making a lot of people a lot of promises, Leabie. You've professed a lot of beliefs I know you don't have. The Ogrons and the Earth Reptiles, and the resistance, they're all expecting you to make their world better.

They're dying because you've promised to make it worth their while.'

Leabie said nothing. 'You see,' said Roz, 'it's going to be my job to make sure you keep your word, whether you believe in the causes or not. Fair's fair.'

Leabie smiled ruefully. 'You never used to let me get away with anything.'

273.

Roz took a good, hard look at her sister. 'True,' she said at last.

'You said there was something you wanted me to do.'

The Doctor paced. It made Chris feel exhausted to watch him.

'You're certain you're up to this flight?' said the Doctor, glancing at him as he paced the ready room. 'Just say the word, and I'll fly the thing myself as soon as it's ready.'

'I'm fine,' said Chris. He was watching EmpireGold. 'Can you believe this, they're fighting in Achebe Gorge. There hasn't been fighting on Mars for centuries. Not since the Ice Warriors.'

The Doctor walked back and forth, back and forth. His clothes were crumpled again, his brown velvet waistcoat unb.u.t.toned. He flipped out his pocket watch, looked at it, flipped it back.

'There's not much information,' said Chris. 'I might try one of the other newsfeeds. Either nothing's getting out or they're censoring it.'

An engineer walked into the ready room. A young man, he couldn't be twenty. He saw the shots of Mars on the screen. 'Any news?' he asked, in a thin voice.

'Nothing new, really,' said Chris. 'Not for the last hour.'

'I've got family there,' he said. 'My mum runs a kiosk on the Olympus Mons ski slope.'

'I'm sure she's OK,' said Chris. 'Right now all the fighting's around Achebe.'

'Thanks. Sorry,' said the young engineer. 'That wasn't what I came in to say. Your shuttle's ready, sir.'

'Great!' Chris bounced to his feet. 'Doctor! Let's go!'

'Go and warm her up,' said the Doctor. 'I'll be there in a minute.'

Roz walked out of the meeting room, feeling lightheaded. The Doctor came out of nowhere and grabbed her arm.

'If you're a party to this madness, Roz, then the friends.h.i.+p between us is finished.'

'Not a chance,' said Roz.

He looked at her, astonished. 'Do you think I'm joking?'