Part 21 (1/2)
She was unfamiliar with Terran geography, but everyone knew about the fabulous Imperial Palace. Isolated in the heart of a frozen continent, it was the center of the Palace Complex, a hundred-kilometer-diameter circle of parklike city. She didn't understand the physics of the modified defense screen that allowed it to exist in spite of Antarctica's climate, but the politics Davis had mentioned were clear enough.
The Solar Federation's capital had been in Ceres, but when Nannstein's discovery of hyperdrive had triggered the necessary change from Federation to Empire, that had been abandoned. The Empire needed a center on Terra itself as a symbol of unity, yet squabbling about its location among the planetary powers had made that unity a mockery until Emperor Chang stepped in.
It was his decision that, since the Empire was not concerned with local politics--it couldn't be and still govern the Empire as a whole properly--the Palace would not be located on any individual nation's territory. That made Antarctica the only possible place. Covered by multinational treaties and with no permanent inhabitants, it had no national ident.i.ty.
And she would be going there, going to the Palace itself . . . as a Ranger. What would her parents think? Corina hoped they would be proud--
Medart interrupted her musing. ”How about breakfast? I don't know about you, but I'm hungry.”
”So am I,” Corina agreed. ”And we have plans to make.”
”Correction,” Medart said. ”You have plans to make. All I'm going to do is listen and critique.”
They took an intras.h.i.+p shuttle to Mess One, intended for senior officers and at this hour quite empty, unlike the always-busy Mess Three. They got their meals and ate silently while Corina decided on her plans.
”The first thing, I think,” she finally said, ”is to find anyone else aboard with mind s.h.i.+elds, to make a combat group. I have met surprisingly many--four out of perhaps three hundred--yet five of us will accomplish little against Thark and the Seniors of the Prime Chapter.”
”Right,” Medart agreed, ”since uns.h.i.+elded ones wouldn't last long. Who else have you found?”
”Besides yourself, there is Colonel Greggson, as you know from the conference. Also Captain Hobison, and the small Marine from the demonstration, Lieutenant DarLeras.”
”That one somehow doesn't surprise me,” Medart commented.
Corina purred briefly. ”He is the first Sandeman warrior I have met, but from my reading and your memories of the warrior Gaelan, I am also not surprised. An enthusiastic fighter, of course, and even s.h.i.+elded, I sense great potential in him.”
”He's got that, all right,” Medart agreed. ”First in last summer's graduating cla.s.s at the Academy in the Complex, and if he'd fit the psych profile better, he would've been approached about the Rangers.
But he can't help thinking of combat as a preferred option rather than a last resort.” Medart paused. ”It might interest you, and supports your theory, that Captain Hobison was asked. He refused, but that doesn't change his abilities.”
”Four out of the first five either Rangers or Ranger-level,” Corina said thoughtfully. ”Colonel Greggson is not?”
”What do you think? No--too inflexible, not enough regard for others, too narrow an orientation. He's at the top of his field or he wouldn't be on an IBC, but he's definitely not Ranger material. Go on.”
”Once we have found any s.h.i.+elded people, we must develop your Talent, in particular your s.h.i.+eld and darlas. You do have the ability, but it will be of little use without better control than you have yet achieved. And greater power, as well. Admittedly, you did knock me out yesterday; that, however, was in part because I had partially lowered my own s.h.i.+eld, trying to feel any trace of your darlas. That is one mistake I do not plan to repeat.”
”I should hope not!” Medart said emphatically. ”You gave me quite a scare, and I'd rather not 'be' any more people than I have to.”
”It is imperative that we find out about the aspect of your Talent I have, for lack of a better term, called reverse darlas. A thing not understood may be a help or a hindrance. We must discover which this is, and if it is a help, how best to use it.”
”Yeah, and if it's a hindrance, how not to use it. What about timing?”
”I am concerned about that,” Corina admitted. ”I hope to have the week to ten days you need for even minimal training, but I must plan on less. I am almost positive of another four days, though, which will help.”
”So what are you going to do with the s.h.i.+p in the meantime? Our Terra ETA is 0330 tomorrow. Chang's too big to land, and we'd be pretty conspicuous in orbit.”
”Urrr.” Corina hadn't thought about that. ”Does that system not have a band of debris? Between the fourth and fifth planets, I believe.”
Medart nodded. ”The asteroid belt.”
”Then instead of going into orbit, we stay there. I will give the defense satellites instructions to call us when Thark lands. The delay between our getting that message and our arrival in orbit, plus the time to land, should take perhaps twenty minutes, from the theory I remember. That will allow him to attack the Palace and provide the evidence His Majesty wishes.”
”You're a.s.suming Chang's navigator can plot that short a hypers.p.a.ce flight with a lot of precision.”