Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga) (22 page)

“I lost my ship and more than half the people under my command. They have to seat a court. You can’t stop that.”

“Possibly not, but everything you say here will be testimony at that trial. You need to have someone skilled at spinning things to get the right tone on the matter.

“I’m not suggesting you shade the truth. Think of me as more of a truth whisperer. I’ll translate what you say and defend your actions. If they go too far, I’ll slap them down. You have rights and I’ll see them respected.”

He sighed. “I really appreciate this, but I’m not sure you can save me. I stuck my neck way out. They’re going to chop my head off.”

She grinned. “That’s not the combat commander I know. You need to think of this in Fleet terms. Outmaneuver the bastards and give them hell.

“I’ve read a summary of the actions you took. We can win this thing, but not if you let them bully you. Admiral Lancaster has a fair reputation, but we leave nothing to chance. If Senator Breckenridge doesn’t have someone on that board in his pocket, I’ll eat my rank tabs.

“And call me Alice. You’re the top dog now, so I get to use your rank while you get to be all familiar.”

“That feels wrong.”

Quinn laughed. “Get used to it. And, by the way, you really did us proud. Don’t let all this second-guessing get you in an uproar. These admirals would’ve failed at the same challenges you overcame. And rest assured, I’ll tell them that, too.

“Come on. Let’s get back in there.”

The two of them returned to the main conference room. Lancaster watched Quinn retrieve a chair from against the bulkhead and then started the recorder.

“This is the board of inquiry over the events that occurred during expedition fifteen into the Old Empire. I am Admiral Jack Lancaster, the presiding officer.” He introduced the other officers for the record.

“Also present are Admiral Jared Mertz and his counsel, Captain Alice Quinn. Admiral Mertz, please rise.”

He did so.

“The testimony you are about to give is under oath. Raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on your honor as a Fleet officer?”

“I do.”

“Please resume your seat and tell us in your own words what happened during your expedition. Leave nothing out and take as much time as you need.”

Jared took a deep breath and started at the very beginning. This was going to take a long, long time.

Chapter Twenty

Talbot set his drink on the bar and considered punching the smug bastard standing in front of him in the face. Yes, it would cost him his rank, but that seemed a fair exchange.

But Kelsey would be disappointed in him. He sighed and unclenched his fist.

“I think you should reevaluate what you just said to me before I turn your face into hamburger,” he said conversationally. “You don’t know Admiral Mertz and you weren’t there. What gives you the right to judge him?”

The man beside him, another marine, stepped into Talbot’s personal space. “I’ve seen the list of dead. The Bastard killed hundreds of our brothers and sisters. How can you defend what he did?”

Talbot heard the unspoken capitalization of the word “bastard” and knew how this was going to roll. This guy was one of the idiots that thought the admiral was out to use his birth as a lever to the top. Nothing Talbot said was going to change that.

“Is that all you see? The list of those who died? What about the things they gave their lives for? Those don’t matter? You think this was all for the admiral’s glory? I thought you were an idiot, but that’s being unfair to idiots. Someone help me out, here. What’s stupider than an idiot?”

“Someone who betrays his brothers for an officer’s berth.”

Talbot swung, but someone grabbed his arm, spoiling his aim. Other marines dragged them apart before he could shake free.

A grizzled command master chief planted himself in front of Talbot. “This isn’t the officer’s club, Major. You don’t get to come down here and throw your weight around.”

He raised a finger before Talbot could speak. “But, you were a senior sergeant when I last laid eyes on you, so you deserve the respect that carries. There won’t be any fight today. I want to hear why you’re defending this officer.”

The first man shouted something, but the new guy turned and bellowed at him. “Pipe down, Grayson. You’re a damned disgrace to the uniform, insulting an officer to his face. And for using words small enough that he can understand you. Sit down and shut up.”

The man turned back to Talbot. “I’m Command Master Chief Rex Santiago. I knew some of those men and women, too. Why did they die, Major?”

Talbot took a deep breath and tossed back his drink. “Because they were goddamned heroes. Because they cared more about the Empire than their own lives. Because they were marines and that’s what marines do.”

The crowd shouted almost as one. “Oorah!”

“Bartender,” Talbot said. “This is going to be thirsty work. Drinks for everyone, on me. Except for that asshole. He can buy his own drink.”

Everyone laughed. Even the asshole.

Talbot launched into the unclassified part of the story. He told them what they’d found. He told them what the stakes were. And he laid out the odds stacked against them.

“If you want to know why so many people died,” he wrapped up, “you should look at Captain Breckenridge. That’s why he’s in the brig.”

That set them all to talking.

In a way, Talbot had known this would happen. He’d come here expecting to have a fight. And to tell this story. Technically, this was against regulations. He’d badmouthed an officer. But, he was also an officer, though lower ranking.

These men and women wouldn’t turn him in. They’d chew over what he’d said and make up their own minds.

And that’s why he’d come here looking for the fight. Hell, he still wanted to punch that idiot.

Santiago drank some of his beer. “I’d heard some of this through the grapevine,” he admitted. “Wasn’t sure I believed it. I guess I do now.”

He raised his voice in a way that only the best noncoms could, so that it cut through everything going on in the bar.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Imperial Marines. To our lost brothers and sisters.”

Every one of the marines shouted at the top of their lungs and drank.

Well, maybe this was going to work after all.

The command master chief stepped closer to him. “So, what’s this I hear about you dating Princess Kelsey?”

Well, maybe not quite as well as he’d hoped.

* * * * *

Elise accepted a ride to the Imperial Senate building with a growing sense of doom. Of course that idiot Breckenridge was going to use his uncle to stymie the good they were trying to do.

The senate building wasn’t as impressive as the parliament back on Pentagar, she decided. It was too new and the designers had gone more for a sleek, modern look. It lacked the gravitas of history.

The grav car set down on a pad outside the entrance and her guards stepped out. A young woman in a dark burgundy, knee-length dress was waiting for her.

“Crown Princess Elise? I’m Jean Trouville. If you’ll come with me, I’ll see you to Senator Breckenridge’s office.”

“Are you his assistant?”

“No ma’am. I’m an aide to the Imperial Affairs committee. I work for whichever senator needs me. This way, please.”

Trouville led Elise into the building and past the guards. Those men and women didn’t look pleased at seeing the Royal Guard moving by with their weapons, but they kept their peace.

This was going to take some getting used to for everyone.

Two of them did fall in place behind the group and joined them in the lift. That was fine by her. The senator deserved the protection his office afforded.

The senator’s office was on the top floor of the building, speaking to his place in the hierarchy. He probably had a magnificent view.

The man’s assistant stood when the group arrived. “Crown Princess Elise. Welcome to Avalon. If your guards will wait out here, the senator will see you right away.”

She smiled and shook her head. “I’m afraid that isn’t how this works. Until my guard commander knows the senator better, he’s insisted he remain in my presence. The senator won’t even notice him there and he can have his own protection. I don’t mind.”

The man bowed his head with an expression that hinted he’d suspected this was how it would play out. “Of course. This way, please.”

She turned on the recording feature in her implants before the man opened the dark wooden doors. She wanted to capture the senator’s every word and expression. That might not be strictly according to the law here, but she could plead ignorance.

Senator Nathaniel Breckenridge stood and came around his desk as soon as she came in, a wide smile that seemed eerily genuine on his face.

“Crown Princess Elise. Welcome to Avalon. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”

She allowed herself a smile. At least he wasn’t the boor his nephew was. “Anything I can do to speed the process of our alliance along is time and effort well spent.”

One of her guards waited in the outer office while the commander of her protection detail took up a position off to the side.

Breckenridge waved the senatorial guard back out. “I’m perfectly safe. I’ll call out if I need you.”

He gestured toward the bar. “May I offer you refreshment? I have a selection of the finest the Terran Empire has to offer, both alcoholic and non. The fruit juices are quite good.”

“I’m fine for the moment,” she said as she took her seat. “I think it’s best if we get right down to business. They tell me your committee has some concerns about the alliance between the Empire and the Kingdom of Pentagar. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to outline your objections for me.”

“The problem isn’t me, I’m afraid. More the Imperial Charter. It doesn’t recognize the validity of secession and I’m loath to toy with its long understood meaning. By strict reading of the provisions, it doesn’t allow for withdrawal of any member world for any reason.”

“That seems to me to be somewhat shortsighted considering the rebellion,” she said dryly. “You see, we didn’t leave the Empire. The Empire left us. We’ve fended for ourselves since the Fall and we’re going to go right on doing so.

“And, I’ve done this dance before, so forgive me if I move us along. You wouldn’t have called me over if you didn’t have a counteroffer to make. One where we can both get something we want. I’m interested in hearing it.”

He smiled. “You’re very astute. Yes, I’m willing to compromise. Frankly, I’m not an idiot. The Rebel Empire is dangerous. Their ignorance is all that is keeping us safe. But I don’t want to cross my party without receiving something in return.”

“Why am I left with the feeling that your price revolves around Captain Wallace Breckenridge? He’s your nephew, is he not? And, also for the record, he’s an ass.”

The senator smiled sadly. “I’m forced to agree. Make no mistake, I’ll do everything I can to minimize the damage he’s done to my family name, but he’s crossed several lines that I cannot and will not shield him from the consequences of.

“He’s going to be court martialed and thrown out of Fleet. He’ll also spend many years in the brig. So be it. That need not have anything to do with the alliance between our peoples. I’m willing to throw my support behind your cause and bring as many of my compatriots as I can.”

“I see. And what are the goals of your compatriots? Is it in their interest to support the division? If so, how will you sway them?”

“They’ll almost certainly bow to the inevitable, but not until they make the Throne suffer. Our stated goals in this matter are that the Imperial Charter doesn’t allow Pentagar to be separate, rebellion be damned. They hold that your world is still subject to the Empire.”

She shook her head. “How would you enforce that? This might come as a shock to you, but we have powerful ships, too. Ones given to us by my close friend Kelsey under the treaty between our worlds. Would you go to war with us in the face of the Rebel Empire?”

Breckenridge stood and walked slowly over to the bar. “I’m going to make a drink for myself. Call out if you change your mind.” He poured something dark into a tumbler over ice.

She considered him for a moment before responding. “What’s the price of your assistance in navigating this obstacle?”

He sat back down and sipped his drink. “I know where some figurative bodies are buried and I’m willing to twist arms, but I want your help in the matter of my nephew.”

Elise raised an eyebrow. “I’m at a loss as to how I can help him, even were I were inclined to do so. The man is a menace.”

“You and Princess Kelsey are friends. She’ll listen to you. I know that I can’t save Wallace from his madness, but I have an obligation to shield my family from as much of the disgrace as I can. If you can convince her to intervene with her father to leave treason off the table, I’ll work tirelessly to keep the Kingdom of Pentagar a sovereign state, precisely as you’ve negotiated.

“You can ask around,” he said with a smile. “I’m a good politician. I stay bought.”

This kind of deal making wasn’t unknown to her. She could see how it would help him. His nephew would still be a disgrace, but the family wouldn’t have spawned a traitor. For a powerful senator, that had to be worth a lot.

“I’m willing to talk with her about it,” Elise said, “but I can only promise to be as persuasive as possible. Ultimately, she might decide to say no. Or her father might.”

“Then I suggest you be very persuasive. We have the votes to enforce the Imperial Charter and without my influence, your treaty will never be ratified.” He raised his glass in salute to her. “I’m looking forward to seeing another professional at work. Good luck.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Karl Bandar stopped the video report he was reviewing when he heard his son at the door. He’d left instructions not to be disturbed, but that wasn’t how his son worked. As much as he’d tried to temper his son’s…enthusiasm, it hadn’t really taken. Ethan always expected immediate results.