The Shattered Empire (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  Lauren raised her eyebrows. “So where does that leave us?”

  Mason quirked a grin at her, “Have you ever heard of the Dread Pirate Roberts?”

  ***

  Faraday System

  United Colonies

  July 26, 2403

  Lucius walked into the meeting while he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

  “Late night?” Admiral Dreyfus asked. The older man looked tired himself.

  Lucius shrugged, “My daughter was up, on and off, through most of the night.”

  Admiral Dreyfus gave a slight smile, “Those times will pass. Though, later in life, children have other ways to keep their parents awake through the night.”

  Lucius nodded at that, suddenly reminded that the Admiral had grown children who had not accompanied him when his fleet departed. He wondered how the Admiral had coped with that separation. Something of his concern must have shown on his face.

  “My own children were adults,” Admiral Dreyfus said softly. “And though I wanted to bring them, it would have been too suspicious. To bring them, like some of the families of other senior members of the Fleet, would have drawn too much attention. I was able to warn them...” He shook his head, “In truth, I think I'd grown too distant from them. I spent their childhoods on campaign and they never grew to know me.”

  Lucius cleared his throat, “We could try to find out what happened to them...”

  “No,” Admiral Dreyfus looked suddenly much older. “Thank you, but Kandergain... did that for my wife and I. My two sons were killed in military action during the sacking of Earth by the Shadow Lords. My daughter still lives. I'm told she runs a ship refit facility in the Tannis system. She has two daughters of her own. I've no desire to reopen closed wounds. She made clear upon my departure that she wanted nothing to do with me.” There was pain in his voice, an old pain that he had come to terms with, but one that hurt, even so. “Perhaps I might feel differently, but my wife was killed in an accident during our time in hiding.” He shook his head, “A shuttle accident. I honestly don't think I could face my daughter without her at my side.”

  Lucius looked away. “Very well.” He crossed to the chair and took a seat. Lucius gave the Admiral some time to regain his composure. In that time he studied the wall of the office. The military awards and unit crests on his wall took on another level of importance with the revelation about his past. Dreyfus was a military figure on Nova Roma, one of their heroes. He had a distinguished military career and he had none of the corruption or scandals of most of the senior leaders of Amalgamated Worlds. Yet, in becoming that figure, he had sacrificed ties to his family... and that gave Lucius pause.

  He well knew the cost that ambition could have. Lucius's father had betrayed his Emperor, had led a military coup that had ended in failure and resulted in his execution. The coup was ultimately founded upon the fact that Lucius's grandmother had been the lover of Emperor Romulus I and Lucius's father was the product of that affair. Lucius's father had served his half brother, Emperor Romulus II, but upon his death, had sought to seize power from his son. The result for Lucius and his younger sister had been a childhood without parents and being a social pariah for most of his life. That heritage had also almost ended his military career multiple times.

  “I wanted to bring up a subject which I fear will be... tender for you,” Admiral Dreyfus said and broke the cycle of Lucius's memories.

  Lucius cocked an eyebrow, “Oh?”

  “We've continued analysis of logistics requirements for our various ships. Part of that was done as the Gebeynr left, the rest after I ordered a deeper analysis based off of those initial results,” Admiral Dreyfus said. The Admiral met Lucius's eyes. “The Nova Roma ships we're operating use a different set of technology as well as a vastly different set of parts and equipment.”

  “You're talking about my old ship, the War Shrike and her sister ship, the Peregrine, aren't you?” Lucius asked.

  “Indeed. The Nova Romans are operating the other vessels, predominantly, which means their labor and effort. Which is important, because the different requirements of those ships uses up an additional fifty percent over the equivalent hulls of my own vessels.”

  Lucius did the math. The closest equivalent to the two Desperado-class battleships were the Nagyr-class battlecruisers, which were half the size, but of similar speed and armor. If the Desperado-class battleships used half again the resources to maintain, then that meant the two ships used up almost the same resources as an entire squadron of battlecruisers. While the battleships mounted heavier energy weapons of greater range, they did not match the firepower of three battlecruisers, nor the versatility that three such vessels would provide. “I see.”

  “We're not to the point that our resources are down to picking between one or the other, but maintaining an entirely separate class of vessels with a completely different stream of parts and equipment is an additional stresser on our logistics.”

  Lucius closed his eyes. The decision was an obvious one. The two ships were, technically speaking, not even property of the United Colonies. They were built in Nova Roma shipyards and had never been decommissioned from the Nova Roma Imperial Fleet. It only made sense to give them back to the Nova Roma Emperor in Exile, Emperor Romulus IV. The young Emperor was their ally and giving them the ships would be a gesture of good faith as well as a way to let them deal with refitting and repairing the vessels after the battle against the Balor.

  And yet... Lucius had served aboard the War Shrike for over twenty years. In that time, he had risen from XO to Captain. He had commanded that ship against various odds, at times aware that his demise was a certainty... yet his ship and crew had pulled victory out in the end. That single ship had allowed him to possibly turn the course of humanity back from the brink of destruction. Giving her up, even knowing he would never command her again as Captain, was a heavy task. Yet, making those kinds of calls were necessary. He didn't want to see the last of her, but he could at least ensure that the next commander was worthy of the task. For that matter, the Peregrine had served as the rogue Lady Kail's flagship. Lucretta Mannetti, the self-styled Admiral Mannetti, had commanded the ship for almost fifteen years after her own failed plot to seize power in Nova Roma... until Lucius finally got the upper hand when she tried to betray him again here at Faraday. He quirked a smile at Admiral Dreyfus. “I assume the plan is to give both vessels to the Nova Romans and let them crew and equip them?”

  Admiral Dreyfus nodded. “From what I understand, they've a wealth of experienced military officers and enlisted from the Melcer raid. Admiral Mund is coordinating their rehabilitation and getting them spun up.” Admiral Dreyfus smiled slightly, “From what I understand, the Emperor is very pleased with some of the personnel they've received.”

  Lucius thought of Daniel Beeson and Anthony Doko, who commanded both vessels, “Do we have commands for their officers and positions for their enlisted and junior officers?”

  Admiral Dreyfus nodded slowly, “Yes, Baron. We've had extensive casualties from the fight with the Balor. We haven't yet assigned commanders to a pair of our recently repaired battlecruisers, I'm sure we could make the move there.”

  Lucius nodded slightly. “Very well. I think...” He sighed and tried again, “I think that the cost of the Desperadoes is such that we should transfer them over to the Nova Roma contingent. They'll be able to crew and maintain them more easily.”

  “Thank you, Baron,” Admiral Dreyfus responded.

  Lucius sat back in his chair. “Now then, what else did you want to bring up, since you have me by myself for once?”

  “What makes you think this isn't all?” Admiral Dreyfus asked, his eyes narrow.

  Lucius cocked his head, “While I appreciate you wanting to get me alone for that discussion, you could have done it remotely. There's nothing sensitive in the information about our logistics situation. So that means that you had an ulterior motive, in turn, that suggests that it's both something I won't want
to hear... and also something sensitive that you don't want getting spread around.” Lucius kept his voice level, but there were only a handful of things that he thought qualified for this discussion. None of them were topics that he particularly liked to think about.

  Admiral Dreyfus smiled grimly, “Well, I guess I'm not quite as smooth as I'd hoped.” He sighed and slid a folder across his desk to Lucius. “We have finished the initial vetting of personnel who might have been behind the escape of your rogue Admiral Mannetti. As you know, whoever was behind it needed access to our codes, uniforms, and schedules.”

  Lucius nodded impatiently, yet he didn't allow himself to flip open the folder. He wanted to hear Admiral Dreyfus's explanation before he did so. He was already inclined to disbelieve that any of his people would so betray him. Yet at the same time, there seemed to be no other explanation.

  “We've selected ten suspects, based upon their seniority, prior service or contact with Lucretta Mannetti, and a basic background screening of them all,” Admiral Dreyfus said. “Captain Wu has done an excellent and very thorough job. She has not been able to further develop his investigation without authorization to interrogate–”

  “No,” Lucius said softly. “There will be no interrogation of suspects. For one thing, if her theory is correct, then this individual fooled the best of Imperial Intelligence and fooled my entire crew and I for the past fifteen years.” He looked down at his feet, “And furthermore, without further proof of betrayal, I won't subject loyal officers to the shadow of disgrace on nothing more than suspicions and conjecture.”

  Admiral Dreyfus cleared his throat, “If we have a sleeper agent within our organization...”

  “Then he still can do no more damage than if we destroy the trust of our own officers and citizens by detaining them without evidence and of holding and interrogating them without trial,” Lucius said calmly. He was certain of that. He had seen the Imperial Security Bureau transform into an organization of terror in their hunt for Chxor collaborators and rebellious elements. He did not wish to see his own nation's security and military forces do the same.

  “Very well,” Admiral Dreyfus nodded. “I can't say I wouldn't chose differently, but that is your prerogative. The names are contained in the list before you, I just ask that it doesn't leave this office.” Lucius flipped back the cover to the folder, not once tempted to push that knowledge off on someone else. If he did have a traitor in his ranks, he needed to know, if only so that he could compartmentalize information more efficiently. He frowned at the list. All of the men and women on that list were people he trusted implicitly. The fact that his sister's name was on the list didn't surprise him, though the very thought of Alanis betraying him for some shadowy cabal made him snort. She was smart and devious, but almost painfully honest. She was on the list because of her access to her husband, Reese Giovanni-Leone who was also on the list. Sadly enough, Lucius could imagine Reese betraying him, if only in regards to their current disagreement over Alanis. After his name was that of Anthony Doko, his longtime XO and now the husband to Princess Lizmadie, Emperor Romulus IV's half sister. A quick glance confirmed part of the reason for his inclusion was his prior service with Lucius under Lucretta Mannetti as Captain of the War Shrike. There was also a note that his marriage to the Princess showed social ambition. Lucius could agree that someone without knowledge of the Princess's personal history might judge the same, but he had seen the affection they developed before her identity was established... before, indeed, she even knew her relation to the Emperor.

  Of course, that put Princess Lizmadie on the list, with a note that she could access the information through her relationship with Anthony Doko. Thus far, the implicated suspects were either very close personal friends or family. Hell, Lucius thought, Tony practically is family. The next names on the list were less surprising, but also just as hard to picture. There was Chief Petty Officer Winslow, who had apparently served aboard ship with a young Lieutenant Mannetti. Then there was Captain Naeveus, the former fighter squadron commander for the War Shrike. He hadn't served aboard the ship with her, but he was her distant cousin, a fact which Lucius hadn't even known. Given the... proclivity of some of the Nova Roma elite and nobility, that didn't necessarily mean much. He was distant cousin to the Emperor, yet that hadn't exactly helped him very much.

  The last four names were just as unlikely, yet Lucius read through them. Colonel William Proscia, his former Marine Commander had access to the codes, but his only contact was he'd been at a base that Lucretta attacked after she went pirate, long before he served with Lucius. Ensign Tascon was another one of her cousins and was also a communications officer, so might have been able to access the right information. While I'd love for it to be him, Lucius thought, I wouldn't be that lucky. Tascon was a snide, superior ass and his arrogance had received him multiple reprimands from the commanders Lucius put him under. Tascon had applied for a transfer to the Nova Roma contingent just before the Third Battle of Faraday. That transfer had been denied by the Nova Romans rather than United Colonies personnel. From what he'd heard, the young man had already gained something of a reputation.

  Lucius was very surprised to see Kate Bueller's name on the list. She was the former leader of the Faraday colony, which had been independent and virtually unknown by most of human space. With the arrival of the Chxor, she'd fled with Lucius along with some sixteen thousand other refugees. Apparently, in her tenure as the Contractor, she'd had approved military sales of weapons which were matched to equipment found aboard the Peregrine after they captured her from Lucretta Mannetti. That seemed extremely tenuous, especially given the rogue officer's history of piracy. Yet it still seemed more concrete than the last. “Seriously, you put Kandergain on here? She was with me when Mannetti escaped.”

  Admiral Dreyfus shrugged, “Yes, but she is a psychic. She also had full access to all of us as well as a number of... questionable activities.”

  “I'm not considering the mother of my child as a suspect,” Lucius said dryly. “Even if I would... she's not here, so I don't think she's still a viable suspect.”

  Admiral Dreyfus shrugged, “I'd agree, but as I said, Captain Wu is thorough.” He sighed, “With your permission, I'd like to authorize her to do some data-mining. She'll focus on off world activities, especially any accounts we can identify as Mannetti's against her records we captured aboard the Peregrine. It's unlikely that we'll turn up any direct connections, but if nothing else, we might gain a bit of forewarning if she starts making a move in our direction again.”

  Lucius pursed his lips. “Agreed, that sounds like a good idea.” He stood from the chair and pushed the folder back. “Thank you and as much as I don't like thinking about my friends and family as possible traitors... well, thank you for having someone do the work. As long as we keep this professional and, above all, quiet, I think we might figure out what happened without tearing ourselves apart in the process.”

  “Agreed,” Admiral Dreyfus gave him a nod. “Thank you for your time, Baron.”

  ***

  Chapter III

  Faraday System

  United Colonies

  August 1, 2403

  Lucius stepped into his office and froze. He knew that there should not be a man seated across from his desk at his ease. For one thing, Lucius knew he had cleared his afternoon of appointments. For that matter, he was certain that the Marine security contingent who secured the apartment complex would have kept any unauthorized personnel away.

  For that matter, the man in question wore the oddest attire that Lucius could imagine. His white pants, tall, black leather boots, and red overcoat were all of the style of the ancient British Empire. He had a tri-cornered hat on the small table next to his chair. To top it off, he wore what looked like a flintlock pistol and a saber or sword of some kind on his hip. Lucius stared at him for a long time, certain that he should call in the Marines or something, yet too bemused to do more than stare.

  “Oh, hello,” the man sai
d. He stood and extended his hand. “I'm Reginald. It is an honor to finally meet you, Baron Giovanni.” He said it with such a tone of certainty, as if he belonged here, rather than the opposite.

  Lucius took the other man's hand. “Why are you in my office?” Lucius couldn't quite find it in him to make it a demand. The other man was far too polite. That didn't mean he wasn't dangerous... it just meant that Lucius felt uncomfortable violating the societal norms by having Marines come in and tackle him to the ground.

  “Oh, yes,” Reginald said. “Sorry that I wasn't able to make an appointment with you directly. Your secretary, Miss Cindy, was very polite in informing me that you couldn't possibly see me. A charming young woman, very dedicated. It took quite a bit of effort to get her to clear your afternoon meetings.”

  Lucius felt his eyes narrow, “What exactly do you mean by that?” Had this odd fellow found some leverage against his secretary? For that matter, how had he bypassed the layers of security that surrounded him?

  “Oh, yes, right,” Reginald said. “Quite understandable, your curiosity. General Mira and Miss Kandergain sent me.”

  Lucius felt a shock, “You're a psychic.” That made sense. They had some security precautions against psychic infiltration aboard ship and at other facilities planet-side. Lucius had actually discouraged that kind of paranoia at his own apartments and offices. Probably a sign that I should rethink that, he thought. His eyes narrowed at a sudden thought, “Shaden said he couldn't spare anyone and Kandergain never mentioned you. How can I know to trust you?”

  “Well, to be honest, I don't work for General Mira and I answer, more or less, to Miss Kandergain,” Reginald said. He gestured at Lucius's chair behind the desk. “This will take some time to explain, perhaps we could continue this seated comfortably, rather than standing awkwardly?”

  Lucius crossed cautiously to his chair and took a seat without taking his eyes off the psychic. “So, you've talked with Kandergain?” Lucius asked. His heart twisted a bit that she hadn't called him or made contact in any fashion. She'd claimed, in her letter, that the Shadow Lords would see her continued presence as a threat... but Lucius wondered that she hadn't contacted him at all.