Traitor's Sun (44 page)

“That is succinct and to the point,” Danilo replied crisply. “If we tell them that there is a plot to assassinate you, there is going to be hell to pay. Francisco Ridenow and Lady Javanne will demand proof, or action of some sort, and we all know it. And Nico’s absence must be explained soon. So far we have managed to keep it secret, but eventually one of the servants will let the cat out of the bag, and then we will be up to our hips in wild speculation.” He gave a narrow smile. “I confess I have even toyed with the idea of telling your meddlesome mother that he has been kidnapped by the Federation, just to see the expression on her face. If only she would keep out of things!”

Dani Hastur nodded. “Yes, exactly. Gareth was asking me this morning where Nico was, and I hardly knew how to answer him, since I realized we did not want this information to become common knowledge just yet.” He gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Life would be a great deal easier if everyone minded their own business, wouldn’t it?”

“Truer words were never spoken,” Mikhail answered.

“Let’s get on with this—the longer we remain here the more wild speculation we will create. I have no doubt that Francisco, Lady Marilla, and my dear mother are already imagining all manner of things. The floor is open to suggestions, information, and even jokes, so long as they are relevant.”

Rafe Scott shifted on his chair. “I have a little information that might be useful. I spent an hour in a tavern in the Trade City last evening, sipping beer and keeping my ears and mind open. I frequent the place enough to be taken for a regular, although the quality of the beer is not nearly as good as that of the gossip. Something is most assuredly up at HQ. There has been a veritable flood of messages going out for three days. What is most interesting is that, as far as I can gather, there has been no answer to them. The result is that the Terrans are becoming agitated, and are ready to jump at any shadow.”

“Do you have any idea what was in those messages?”

“Most of them were in code, and the people I eavesdropped on were too lowly placed to have access. It would be very useful if you or I could take a stroll through HQ, Lew, but that is out of the question, I suppose.”

“Perhaps. We’ve had several messages from Belfontaine, each one more shrill than the one before, and it seems clear from the most recent one that they now know that Regis is dead. He wants Herm Aldaran handed over to them, and an immediate interview with Mikhail, to discuss the future of the Federation on Darkover. It would be funny under other circumstances. It is a good thing I do not take offense easily, because the last message was extremely rude.”

Rafe Scott chuckled softly. “That’s Belfontaine all over. It sounds as if he thinks we are not aware that the Federation is planning to pull out—does he mention that?”

“No, he didn’t. Any more than we have told him of Regis’ passing. It is clear that his second, Miles Granfell, told him last night. It is a shame that we could not have kept Regis’ death secret just a little longer,” Lew answered.

“Why couldn’t you go to HQ and see him,” Dani asked.

“Oh, I could get in and speak to Belfontaine. The question is, could I then get out? Frankly, I am just a little too old to be a hostage. The same is true for Rafe.” If necessary he would die for Darkover, but he was not willing to waste his life in a futile exercise.

“Once you were on what is still Federation territory, they feel they could pretty much do as they wished.” Dani sounded uneasy at this idea.

“My information is that the port is shut down—is that right, Rafe?” Mikhail looked at the older man intently as he asked the question.

“Your information is correct. The port is closed, and there has not been an incoming ship for two days. Herm was lucky—his was the last Big Ship to come.” Scott shook his head. “I don’t like to think what this is doing to Federation trade, if this situation is occurring on planets closer to the hub.”

“That is the Federation’s problem, not ours,” snapped Mikhail impatiently.

“No, Mik, not entirely. Even though we are largely independent of the Federation, we can’t foresee how a large economic disruption within it might affect us. But that is for the future. What I observed is that low-ranking guards are still coming to the Trade City for recreation, and there is a certain quality of recklessness about them. They are aware that they will be leaving shortly, and act as if that gives them leave to do anything they wish. Already the City Guard have had to put down several brawls, and a few of the joy girls had bruises that were unusual. I popped in and called on
Mestra
MacIvan of the Red Sun House, and she said she was almost ready to close her doors, because things were getting ugly.”

“But why? I don’t understand that,” Dani wondered.

Rafe shifted in his chair. “My guess is that they think they can get away with anything, perhaps even murder, and not have to worry about any consequences.”

“Yes,” said Danilo. “The Commandant of the City Guards sent word this morning, wondering what to do with the Terranan he has already arrested, because his lock-up is getting rather full. And Belfontaine demanded, in another of his messages, that they be released immediately. His errand boys must be getting footsore, running back and forth between the castle and HQ.” He gave a wry grin. “I answered that they had destroyed property, and would not be let go until it was paid for, which should give him something to chew on for an hour or two. Still, I don’t quite know what to do about the problem. We can’t build another jail overnight, and if we let these men go back onto Federation territory, they will likely just return and cause more trouble.”

“What about the orphanage?” Donal asked this, then looked self-conscious.

“The John Reade Orphanage? What about it, Donal?” Mikhail asked.

“It has been standing empty since the Federation shut it down two years ago, and it is built like a fortress. It has lots of rooms, and from what
Domna
Marguerida has told me about it, it was little better than a prison to start with.” His cheeks were rosy, but he was standing his ground, and Lew gave him an approving nod.

A slow grin crept across Mikhail’s tired face, and years dropped away, leaving him looking very youthful instead of middle-aged. “A very elegant solution, which will no doubt amuse Marguerida greatly. Danilo, tell Belfontaine that his men are going to remain in our custody until payment is made, or until the Federation leaves. That should put him off-balance for a few minutes, since he does not yet know that we know they are pulling out. It will give him something to think about other than trying to kill me. Is there more, Rafe?”

“A bit. Most of the people I watched are low level, without any access to really sensitive information. They are worried, I would say, and what they seem to be worried about is that the Federation will not send ships to remove them at the appointed time, but will instead abandon them here. It has happened on other worlds, and even though it was not common knowledge when I left, it seems to be that now. The overall impression I got was that no one knows what is going on or what is going to happen. This has left them anxious, and reckless as well.”

“Interesting,” Lew said, leaning forward, so he could look at Scott around Dani. “It sounds as if those at the top are keeping those at the bottom in the dark, doesn’t it?”

“Exactly. The rank and file are clearly uneasy, and I did not see any officers.”

“Is that good or bad?” Mikhail asked.

“Bad, I suspect. If Emmet Grayson still had any authority, we could approach him. But since the reorganization of the Federation bureaucracy, most of the real power has been in Belfontaine’s hands, and we know him to be our enemy.”

“How many trained fighters can Belfontaine muster in Thendara?” Mikhail leaned forward across the desk as he spoke, his eyes intent.

“Now, that is a very good question, and one I cannot answer accurately. When I retired, there were about two hundred, but I don’t know if this number has been added to or reduced. Then there are those up in Aldaran territory. I tried to get a count the last time I took a party into the Hellers, and I wold guess that there are between seventy-five and a hundred men there, many of them no better than raw recruits. But there are some veterans of the Pali Uprising, marines and soldiers both, and they know their business. There might be a few more, since I suspect that some of the technicians are actually combat trained.”

“What is your opinion of Belfontaine, Rafe? You have had more contact with him than anyone except Lew and myself.” Danilo spoke the question before anyone else could.

“He is shrewd and ambitious, and he has long wanted to advance his position. He got into some sort of trouble when he was Adjutant on Lein III, and was sent to Darkover in disgrace. He has been chafing to find some action for years now, and he will see Regis’ death as an opportunity to end Darkover’s Protected status, by claiming that the Federation needs to step in and keep order, or some other fabrication. It would not be the first time a Terran official acted in his own best interest. The Federation usually doesn’t interfere with this sort of adventurism, since bringing all the planets into the fold is their aim anyhow.”

“Is this Belfontaine an Expansionist?” Dani asked the question, wrinkling his brow with concentration. He had never had much interest in the problems of governance, and his years in the Elhalyn Domain had put him out of touch with current information.

“I don’t think he has any politics, or even political alliance, just a driving ambition to become a general before he is sixty,” Scott answered dryly. “He comes from an industrial family, one that owns entire planets, and essentially even the people who live on them, which gives him a particular way of seeing things that is incomprehensible to me. In the usual circumstances, he would have gone into the business, but from something he let slip once, it seems they did not think him suitable, and he ended up in the service of the Federation instead. I have the impression that in his family, working for the Federation is regarded as a step down, something that is only for people who are not sharp enough to survive the corporate environment. I think that gives him something to prove. What I am certain of is that he hates Darkover, has a very low opinion of our people, and sincerely believes that we would be much better off under the dominion of the Federation, rather than continuing on as we have for centuries.”

“Then it is safe to assume that if someone came to him and suggested that it would be possible to assassinate me on the way to the
rhu fead,
he would jump at the chance.” Mikhail said the words slowly, as if they were sour in his mouth.

“Possibly.”

“Only that?”

“He is not a stupid man, Mikhail. He has to step with a little care, because the last thing the Federation would want is some ambitious fellow setting himself up as a warlord. He might succeed in killing you, and then find himself facing a firing squad for treason.”

“In other words, he needs to make it appear that he is acting in the best interests of the Federation, not his own?”

“Yes, Dani, exactly. He has enough trained men to attack the funeral train—but I can’t guess if he would do it. I suspect that some of these unanswered messages he has been sending are an attempt to get some sort of authorization for intervening in Darkover’s affairs, and that he has also asked for reinforcements. It must be very frustrating for him to have no reply. Lew, do you agree?”

“I do. I assume that since disbanding the Legislature, the Federation has been in too much of a turmoil to worry about some little backwater like Darkover—for which we should be very grateful.”

Mikhail gave a grunt. “I don’t like this, but I can’t think of anything to do to change it. Lew, have you had any further word from Nico and Herm?”

“I know they joined up with Rafaella this morning, and headed toward Carcosa. If there have been developments beyond that, I have not been informed of them.”

“That was a good idea of Marguerida’s,” Scott offered. “Rafi was thrilled to get out on the road.”

“Does anyone have any ideas to propose?” Mikhail asked.

Young Donal cleared his throat and everyone looked at him with surprise. The paxman turned slightly pink with embarrassment at being the center of attention. “I don’t want to talk out of turn, but ever since Nico left, I have been thinking, and I’ve spent some time looking at maps of the route to the
rhu fead.
”

“There is no need to be hesitant, Donal,” Danilo said kindly. “You will have to learn to advise Mikhail as I have done for Regis for all these years. It is one of the more interesting duties of the paxman, you know.” He grinned wryly, but his eyes were filled with memory and sorrow. “You are even permitted to offer unpleasant thoughts to Mikhail, without fear of censure.”

“That’s right, Donal,” Mikhail said. “I remember a night, right here in this room, over sixteen years ago, when Danilo told my uncle that he must abandon any hope of me marrying Gisela Aldaran. He did not like it, but he took it well enough.” Mikhail and Danilo both chuckled at the memory. “Go on.”

Instead of speaking, Donal reached into his beltpouch and took out a folded piece of very thin paper. He opened it out and laid it on the desk in front of Mikhail, smoothing it carefully. “I traced this out last evening, using one of the old maps that the Terranan did years ago, and another that Rafaella gave to
Domna
Marguerida.”

“Why did you use two?” Dani wondered.

“The map from the Terranan is what is called a contour map, which means it shows the shape of the land, but does not have a lot of information about towns and farms. It is pretty old, but since the land remains the same, it should still be accurate.”

“It must be something done from one of their geosynchronous satellites, when they could get the infernal things to function,” Scott suggested. “It used to drive their people almost mad, for just when they got one up and running, they would have peculiar failures, and go off-line again. It gave me a poor notion of their technology at first. But someone explained to me that our sun gives off a strange radiation that bolluxes up the readings or something. Personally, I think Aldones doesn’t want strangers taking pictures of Darkover.”