Twin Stars 1: Ascension (32 page)

“Well Al,” Kip said, slapping his friend on the shoulder. “You tried your best. At least we’re free of the old bat.”

“Count our blessings?” Tysen said, frowning.

“Something like that,” the second officer answered. Then his grin turned into a look of concern. “What’s wrong, Al? You look like someone stepped on your grave.”

“Something’s bothering me.” Then he stopped and looked at his first officer. “How good are the sensors on this ship?”

Kip shrugged. “Well, it’s a special forces ship, so I guess first rate. Why?”

Tysen considered this, then said- “I need you to do something for me.”

* * *

The Ares Hammer Refinement Station was a large, fifty-four level labyrinth carved out of three million tonnes of nickel-iron and silicates. During its peak, it had a standing staff of nearly a hundred thousand personnel and nearly twice that number in visitors and merchants. It was the center of commerce in the system, and the hub of all commercial traffic.

Those days, however, were long past, and now except for occasional maintenance staff or researchers the complex saw few, if any, visitors. Progress in mining techniques allowed the system’s few miners to do most of the processing aboard their own ships, and most avoided the costs associated with using the station’s services. So now it sat, a dark, empty testament to mankind’s desire to squeeze every resource it could from the stars.

The station had thirty-seven hanger bays of various sizes for use by visitors, most of which were currently sealed or otherwise shut down. Of the eight that remained active, only one was currently in use, and it was this one that opened to admit the cylindrical black shuttle pod as it approached.

As the other pilots loitering around the hanger watched, the incoming shuttle spun as it entered, and then slowly backed into a spot next to the other five similar craft already present. Once it had settled in, a ramp extruded from its side, and the shuttle’s skin split to produce an exit.

Lady Whitcombe stepped from the hole, pausing to adjust the purple shawl she wore in the cool dry air of the open hanger. Then she looked at the base of the ramp and gave a derisive smile.

“I see you spared no expense in my welcoming committee- is this old lady only worth two old men now?” She declared as she walked down to the pair waiting for her.

The balding man in the resplendent admiral’s uniform bowed from the waist to her as she stepped from the ramp. “Of course not, my lady.” Admiral Veers offered. “However, the others are still discussing terms.”

“I trust no decisions have been made without me?” She asked, then let her gaze fall upon the other, taller man. He hadn’t bowed to her as the other hand, but then she’d have been disappointed if he did. “Hello Bannon.” She said cordially.

“Hello Clarice.” Sir Fawn’s manner was friendly, but in his eyes she could see deep suspicion. “Nothing important, I assure you.”

Or nothing you want me involved in, old fox
. Lady Whitcombe thought as she looked at him. Well, she’d deal with him soon enough.

“Then we has best go,” she said to Veers. “I understand we’re short of time.”

The Admiral extended a hand, inviting her to walk. “Very short, my lady. The transport car is this way, please.”

As they walked, Sir Fawn fell in beside her.

“I have to say, Clarice, I am most amazed you came. I didn’t think you’d be interested in this type of endeavor.” He said, watching her carefully. “It doesn’t seem like you at all.”

The lady let herself smile at that.

“Oh, you know me, Bannon.” She answered. “I’m always full of surprises.”

* * *

“Ping An, we’re halfway through the asteroid cluster. So far, so good.”

The Captain could hear the strain in Betsey’s voice- this place was a navigator’s nightmare, but she was holding up well.

“Just keep at it. Leederman, any issues with the other ships?” Ping An asked, looking back at the operations man.

“You mean besides a lot of whining and complaining about this being crazy?” He grinned.

“Yes, besides that.”

Leederman shook his head. “Nothing worth talking about. A few little bangs here and there. They don’t have an ace pilot like we do.”

“You’re still dead when we’re done, Leederman.” Betsey called back. “Don’t bother trying to make up for it now.”

Ping An suppressed a smile as she saw the operations man make a sour face and turn back to his work, then she looked back the main display.

Twenty-four minutes to position.

* * *

Tysen stood alone on his bridge, watching a three dimensional holographic map of the asteroid cluster slowly form. It was being generated from datastreams shared between the ships, which were just far enough apart to offer slightly different angles on the field.

“I am still not sure why we are doing this.” Esther stated.

“Call it me being cautious.” Tysen said absentmindedly.

“That is not much of an answer.”

Tysen smiled, every day he spent with Esther revealed new depths to her personality. He found he rather enjoyed it. “I see patience is not one of your virtues Esther.” He teased, then when she didn’t reply he continued. “No, it just occurred to me that if the Home Guard knew we were coming here, they might have sent some ships in advance to prevent our escaping.”

“The asteroid cluster would provide optimal cover them to hide within.”

“Exactly, and since we’re stuck waiting here, there’s no harm in making good use of our time.” Tysen answered watching more detail appear on the model with each passing moment. “I just wish we could do it faster.”

* * *

It was the concerted opinion of Star Guard High Admiral Ferris Veers that the reason people sought out power was so that they could act as childishly as they liked without anyone being able to correct them for it. For some reason, people who had achieved high status always seemed to act in ways that wouldn’t be tolerated from young children under the age of 30.

Take the current situation, for instance, where of the seventeen people around the polished quartz meeting table, twelve were on their feet arguing loudly and heatedly in the manner he was used to seeing from first year cadets. No, he decided as he watched one of them throw a drunken punch at another- first year cadets had more decorum.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, Veers stood up and raised his hands, “People! People! Please! This arguing isn’t accomplishing anything- we don’t have time to worry about the small details. Yes, it’s important we decide on how the votes will be distributed, but do we need to do it now?”

This only served to direct several of the delegates to yell at him instead- questioning how he could possibly try to stifle such an important issue and if he was in league with the other side. Veers just stared at them, dumbfounded, and wondered how these could possibly be some of the richest and most important people in an civilization that numbered over a trillion souls.

“Admiral, may I speak?” Came a soft voice next to him, and he lowered himself down into his chair as he looked at her.

“Of course, your Ladyship.” He said tiredly. “I know you said you wanted to address the members right away, but nothing happens quickly in these situations, I’m afraid.”

The old woman smiled at him knowingly. “That’s quite all right, Admiral.” Then she stood up and without raising her voice simply said- “Attention”.

The whole room almost instantly came to a stop, and silence reigned, as all the delegates turned to look at the oldest among them. Then they quietly shuffled back to their cold stone seats and sat down, watching her warily. There were few among them who weren’t afraid of this old woman, and none wished to cross her.

“I know everyone here has their concerns.” She continued in a cordial tone once they were seated. “In fact, the reason I asked to speak to all of you is that I believe I have a way to solve all of them.”

“Here it comes,” sighed Sir Fawn, sitting to the other side of the Admiral.

The lady looked over and fixed him with her gaze, “Did you say something, Bannon?” She said in a grandmotherly tone. “My hearing isn’t quite what it was.”

But Fawn just smiled back pleasantly. “No, my dear.” He answered. “I was just clearing my throat.”

“Very well then.” She gave him a look that warned him not to try that again, and turned to the assembled. “Gentlemen and Ladies, what is it that you’re really arguing over? Is it how power will be divided among the people? Please! Don’t make me laugh- since when are any of you public reformers?

“Do you really believe that over a trillion people can govern themselves in an orderly fashion? Especially a trillion who haven’t known democracy in half a millennia? And you, all of you, do you really want to give up the power you wield for some notion of freedom and democratic rule? Nonsense! Pure Nonsense! All of you are there because you’re afraid of Saint Rail, and you want allies against him- nothing more.”

She paused, her face drawing back into a sneer. “Somewhere along the lines you started to lie to yourselves and say it was for the greater good, that it was for changes to make the Empire work for the people. If that’s what lets you sleep at night then fine, but I’ll have none of it!”

“You see gentle people,” she said, returning to a more pleasant tone. “I am honest in my ways -I’m too old to lie anymore- and I too see the coming storm. I came here today not because I believe that the people need a voice, but because I believe they need wisdom and guidance that doesn’t come at the end of a gun.”

“Every one of us here has proven ourselves,” she began to gesture towards individual delegates. “In business, in organization, in leadership- we are all leaders, every one of us. Let us join together to make a new government based on those who have proven themselves capable in the universe, as opposed to those who see themselves born to it. This idea of democracy as a goal is a compromise to keep you from fighting each other for control- a compromise that will satisfy no-one and please no-one.

“Can we not forget it and move towards something realistic that will do us good in this time of trouble?”

* * *

“All units in position.” Leederman confirmed.

Ping An’s squadron could see the Imperial ships now, sitting just beyond the edge of the field. Barriers down, unprepared, they were outgunned and vulnerable, all she needed to do was give the word and her people would wipe them from space.

“Charge the plasma cannons, and prepare to attack on my word.”

* * *

“Survey complete.”

“Good,” Tysen stood up, stepping closer to the map of the field. “Now, run a trace for any gravitic anomalies that would come from anything larger than a shuttle recently entering the field.”

* * *

“Lady Whitcombe! This…this…” Admiral Veers stared at the old woman in shock, his jaw moving but unable to find the words. Everything they had just spent so much time working on, and this woman had nearly undone all of it with her speech!

Movement caught his eye, and Veers turned to see Sir Fawn rising up to his feet beside him. “If I may speak, sir.” Fawn said calmly, looking across the table. “Lady Whitcombe, just who would be in charge of this new grand council of yours? You?”

“If the council elected me, then I would be happy to do so, yes.” She said with an innocent smile.

Fawn shook his head. “You never change, do you? Always looking for the angle, some way to wrest power. How long before the other members of the council were replaced by people you found more agreeable? Would it be years? Months? Weeks perhaps? How long before this council became as disposable as everything else that you’ve ever found useful?”

“No,” he continued, looking around the room. “Those are pretty words you just gave, and the idea is sound, but we’d just be replacing one set of autocratic rulers with another set of plutocrats. What we need now is change and reform, but real change and reform isn’t going to come from more paternalistic nobles trying to play god.” Then finally Fawn looked at the lady again, dropping his voice as he made an almost personal plea. “I chose this place for our meeting to remind everyone here that this Empire was built on a mistake- a mistake we finally have the chance to correct. When the Empire was just a few systems, we could regulate things and keep the peace, but now- can’t you see, my dear, the days of our kind ruling are over? Let them go, and join us in making humanity rise again as one united voice.”

All around the room there were murmurs of agreement as the different delegates looked at each other and nodded.

Whitcombe watched them, clearly unhappy.

“So, that is your final answer then? Do you all stand with him?”

“I’m sorry, your Ladyship, but we do.” Veers answered. “It’s time for a change.”

Lady Whitcombe took a deep breath, then sighed. “Well gentlemen, I guess my part here is done then. Is there nothing I can say to convince you?”

She searched the group for sympathy, but found none. Power gained through fear was often fleeting in the face of unity.

“I believe not.” The High Admiral declared after looking at the membership.

“Fine then,” Lady Whitcombe said, and sat down with her arms crossed. “It’s on your heads, then. Good luck to you all.”