Read Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga) Online
Authors: Terry Mixon
Tags: #Adventure, #Space Opera, #Military Science Fiction
He added a false glare at them for emphasis.
“Now that we’ve settled that, we need to discuss what you’ll be doing, Jared. I want you to get the supply ship intact this time. Preferably the escort, too, but definitely the freighter. Princess Kelsey has been hounding me about needing the supplies it has on board. She wants more raiders.
“If I decide that we can trust Commander Richards, you’ll need to scout the facility that made them. I not only want you to capture supplies, but to get the technology to make them. Her manuals only cover the use of Raider enhancements, not the construction of them. We need that knowledge if we’re to survive and fight effectively.”
Jared nodded. “You can count on me to do my best, Admiral.”
The older man smiled at Jared. “Also, I’ve spoken with His Majesty about the current situation on
Persephone
. He said it’s not acceptable to have a civilian in command of a Fleet or Marine Raider vessel.”
“Princess Kelsey isn’t going to be happy about that, and neither is the computer controlling the ship.”
“I know, so together we’ve decided it best to commission her as a colonel in Imperial Marines. She’ll find out later today that she’s the new commanding officer of the Marine Raiders. She’s going to fight, so we might as well get rid of the fiction she isn’t a warrior. We’re making it official.”
“It’s about time, sir. She’ll be really happy.”
“Major Talbot will be less so, I’m sure,” Yeats said. “Now, we have a lot more ground to cover before we can wrap up. I’ve got people waiting outside to brief us on the status of our remedial training on Old Empire technology, recruiting the new people we’ll need to man all the ships we’re planning on building and the ground forces, our transition to a wartime economy, and more. Get comfortable.”
Jared resisted the urge to check the time. This was going to be a really long day.
* * * * *
Kelsey Bandar, heir to the Imperial Throne, banged her head on the table in the Imperial library. She’d gone over everything they still had in electronic form from before the Fall and there was no mention of the “key” that Emperor Marcus had mentioned his son Lucien having.
It was infuriating. Surely, the words he’d used in his last transmission meant
something
.
She’d spent the last month going through the archives of old equipment. There were plenty of keys of one kind or another, but nothing that seemed to have any deeper meaning.
To help sort things out, she’d shanghaied the newly created Doctor Carl Owlet to help. Sir Carl when she was particularly cranky.
He’d examined everything with every tool he’d designed for things like this. Still nothing.
“Excuse me,” he said from behind her. “Are you alright?”
She raised her head and sighed. “Yes. I’m just frustrated. I was
sure
there was something here.”
He shrugged. “Apparently not. Is this all the hardware left over from before the Fall?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe we need to take a step back and look at the person rather than the gear. Emperor Lucien arrived as a boy. Perhaps he didn’t know what this key was. Or the person who’d been meant to tell him died in the attack.
“His implants had a lot of data, historically priceless, but not much use for finding this key. It’s as though he purged his storage of everything once he arrived.”
She rubbed her face. “His guards shoved him into an escape pod and blasted it free as soon as they made it close to Avalon. The rebels still almost killed him.
“He had people with him, but no advisors. There’s a list of names in one of my books. He basically arrived with the clothes on his back, I believe.”
Carl nodded. “Is the escape pod still in existence? Perhaps they hid something inside it. Or even dropped during the chaos.”
Her head came up. “That’s not a bad idea.”
The Imperial Library was now linked to an Old Empire computer, so searching the records wasn’t nearly as difficult as it would’ve been a year ago.
“Got it,” she said. “The escape pod is on permanent loan to the Imperial Air and Space Museum. Let’s go give it a look.”
Her guards formed up around her as they headed for the parking garage. She hadn’t wanted to accept the fact she needed them, but being heir was part theater. These men and women of the Imperial Guard were the price she paid for being one breath away from the Throne.
Of course, since they’d locked her up a month ago, she’d insisted they get implants and be questioned closely about their loyalty to the Throne and her. That had scared off a few applicants.
With reason, it seemed. Follow up investigations were still under way.
She knew the men and women guarding her were loyal. They wouldn’t turn on her. They also wouldn’t let her wander off unescorted. Dammit.
The trip to the museum entailed her grav limo and two follow cars. Officially. She knew for a fact that there were two Fleet fighters circling the area in case she needed heavy backup.
Hopefully, that wasn’t going to be a problem here at home anymore.
She checked her internal chronometer. “We don’t have a lot of time. I’m supposed to meet Senator Breckenridge for dinner. Probably something political and boring, but the man took a bullet for my father. When he asks for time, I owe it to him.”
Carl nodded. “That’s perfect, actually. Angela and I have a little getaway dinner planned. She rented a cabin up in the woods for us to spend some quality time at. I’m not supposed to know, but she has terrible computer security habits.”
Kelsey gave him a stern look. “Just because someone leaves their door open doesn’t mean you should walk in and look around.”
He made a dismissive noise. “It’s as though she left it laying on the counter. She knows I know. I’m not sure what that means, but it’s probably important.”
Carl sighed. “Relationships are hard.”
“Yes, they are. They take work on everyone’s part.”
Kelsey turned her head and smiled. He was right, as far as he knew. His girlfriend, Major Angela Ellis of the Imperial Marines, had arranged with Kelsey to borrow the Imperial getaway in the mountains. They’d plotted together to leave enough information to give him the wrong impression.
The grav limo landed outside the museum and her guards formed up around her as they went in.
The crowds were just as large as one might expect. Wide-eyed kids on tours. Equally interested families seeing the artifacts left over from the Old Empire. There was so much to see.
She’d come here as a kid herself. The thought darkened her mood. She’d had just as much fun as those people around her at her brother Ethan’s side. Now he was dead at her hand. Basically.
He’d tried to kill their father, take the Throne for himself, and blame her. She’d had no choice.
It still hurt. It was like cutting off her own arm. She knew the pain would never fully go away.
A man in a dark suit walked toward her, but her guards stopped him. After a moment, they let him through, though they kept a close eye on him.
“Princess Kelsey, welcome to the Imperial Air and Space Museum. I’m Director Chandra. How can I be of assistance?”
“Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to meet me, Director. This is my associate, Doctor Owlet. We need to examine Lucien’s escape pod.”
He looked a bit confused at that, but bowed slightly. “Of course. It’s in the main space wing. This way, please.”
It only took a few minutes to get there. She remembered coming here as a girl. It had artifacts from before the Fall and from their slow climb back into space. She imagined it would have a number of new exhibits before long.
The escape pod had no doubt seen better days, but it had been painstakingly restored. It sat in a display that looked like a hillside. The hatch was open and a bold-faced youth stood there looking out. The mannequin was very lifelike, though she knew the boy must’ve been terrified during the real events.
She started to step over the rope, but the director stopped her.
“You can’t go inside. It’s a delicate relic.”
Kelsey smiled at him. “I assure you it’s sturdier than it looks, Director. The Old Empire build to last. We believe there might be something inside that the Empire needs.”
The poor man looked of two minds, but he nodded. “Please be careful. I cannot overstate how historically important this relic is.”
“Doctor Owlet is our most respected expert in Old Empire technology. I realize this is an unusual situation, but I happen to know we have a number of things we’ve brought back during the expedition that are in need of a good home.”
She could see in his eyes that made a difference, but didn’t entirely ease his worry. He let them in, though.
When the guards made to follow her, Kelsey stopped them. “There isn’t room in there. Why don’t you focus on crowd control?”
She and Carl stepped past the false Lucien and into the pod. It was a standard Old Empire model that held two dozen people in zero comfort. Much like a marine pinnace, the passengers were strapped to the walls and packed like fish in a tin. There wasn’t even a control panel.
“Do you suppose the power is still on?” she asked.
“Not a chance,” Carl said as he walked deeper into the pod. “The power packs wouldn’t have lasted a month.”
He set his bag down on the floor in front of a large access panel. “The power connections are behind here. I have a small fusion pack in my bag for emergencies.”
She knew it wasn’t the hammer he’d built for her. Mjölnir was safely locked away in her personal armory.
“Why do you need a fusion pack in your bag?”
He grinned at her. “Why do you need the arsenal you carry around? Because it might come in really handy in a pinch.”
It only took a few moments to open the panel. The power packs were obvious and marked. Their indicators were dark.
Carl pulled out a fusion power pack the size of his fist and started connecting it to the ports. The lights began coming on.
Once she was sure the on board computer had come online, she linked with it. It wasn’t much more than a basic interface, but it had what she was looking for. Records of the descent and landing, both interior and exterior. It also had an encrypted copy of the ship’s logs. Those might be invaluable.
If nothing else, these records were historically priceless. Now the people of the Empire could see for themselves the moment everything changed for Avalon.
The recording started as soon as the escape pod jettisoned. That made sense. Why waste space on non-critical times?
The interior view showed the pod packed with more people than it’s designers had ever intended. Mostly women and children. Lucien was easy to spot.
Someone—probably a guard—had strapped him in. The boy struggled free as the pod fell, awkwardly helping a woman with a baby into his place.
Kelsey swelled with pride. That was the man he’d become one day shining through.
The external view captured her attention at that point. The pod was rapidly fleeing its mother ship, but not before Kelsey recognized what it was. A battlecruiser much like
Courageous
. The computer labeled it as
Lancelot
.
She was already wreathed in explosions. She returned fire at unseen enemies, shielding the escape pods with her own hull and battle screens. Other pods continued to flood from her until she exploded without warning.
The pod containing Lucien was far enough away to survive, but tumbled badly. A piece of shrapnel from the ship must’ve struck it. The people inside were thrown around like leaves in a whirlwind. Some died. Kelsey could see that as her heart flew into her throat.
Lucien smashed into the wall and somehow hung onto a harness. The woman inside it clutched him desperately. He looked as though his arm were broken.
The pod straightened moments later and entered the atmosphere at what could be charitably called an unsafe speed. The external cameras went offline almost at once.
Kelsey imagined anyone on the ground who happened to be looking up saw it as a finger of fire racing across the sky.
The pod could still sense the surface, and it braked hard just before impact. That ripped Lucien free from his hold and slammed him into the front bulkhead.
Once it was safely on the ground, the hatch slid open and people started trying to get free. They had to be afraid death was still coming for them.
Lucien staggered to his feet and cradled his arm. Yeah, that was an ugly break. In that moment, he looked so much like the mannequin it was spooky. His determination steamed off him. It made her proud.
The woman who’d held onto him tried to help him, but he shook his head. Kelsey wished there was sound, but she was good at reading lips. Good enough to see he said he needed to get something.
The boy-emperor leaned against the wall and opened a storage compartment. He dug inside and pulled out a pack. He opened it and partially extracted something, obviously examining it for damage. It was an object she was very familiar with. Understanding flooded her.
“Isn’t that…” Carl started.
“The Imperial Scepter,” Kelsey said breathlessly. “It must be the key Emperor Marcus was talking about.”
About Terry
Terry Mixon is author of The Empire of Bones Saga and The Humanity Unlimited Saga. He served as a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army 101st Airborne Division. He also worked alongside the flight controllers in the Mission Control Center at the NASA Johnson Space Center for almost two decades, supporting the Space Shuttle program, the International Space Station, and other human spaceflight projects during his tenure there. He lives in Texas with his lovely wife and a pounce of cats.
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