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  “Yes, sir,” Desjani said. “Lieutenant Yuon, send to Mistral and get their receipt for the signal.”

  “Yes, Captain. Mistral acknowledges and reports ready for the maneuver.”

  Geary tabbed his comm controls, comforted by the routine. “Dauntless, Mistral, this is Admiral Geary. Immediate execute, turn starboard zero one five degrees, down zero two zero degrees, velocity point two light. Over.” Space didn’t have an up or down, an east or a west, so humans made up standard directions based on the star. “Starboard” meant toward it, “port” meant away, while the plane in which the star’s planets orbited defined “up” as above it and “down” as below it.

  “Mistral, aye,” the reply came back.

  “Dauntless, aye.”

  Desjani moved her fingers lightly across her controls. Thrusters fired along the hull of the battle cruiser, pitching the vessel’s bow toward the star and down relative to the plane in which the star’s planets orbited. Moments later, as the bow lined up on the right vector, the main propulsion units aft kicked in, hurling the ship toward the star, Mistral matching Dauntless’s movement.

  Geary kept his eyes on the image of the world they were headed for. To the naked eye, it was a barely visible point of light, billions of kilometers distant. He was seeing where it had been five hours ago. At the speed of light, it would be five hours before the people on that world saw that Dauntless and Mistral had arrived. Against the size of space, even light seemed to move slowly.

  But he knew how people might react when they saw that Dauntless had arrived here. So he called up the status report he had carefully crafted during the trip from Unity Alternate, fully aware that the fate of the Alliance might rest on whether he used one word or another in any part of the report. The report had a huge attachment, containing what seemed to be the most important evidence collected at Unity Alternate.

  He tapped the send command, feeling as if he’d just pulled the trigger on a weapon.

  “Captain,” Lieutenant Castries said, “we’re receiving a challenge from Audacious.”

  Geary tried not to grimace as the name of the nearby battleship was announced. Since awakening a century after his supposed last battle, he hadn’t gotten used to the frequent reuse of the names of destroyed ships, which had become routine in a fleet that suffered appalling losses all too often. The last time he’d seen a battleship named Audacious it had been a badly battered hulk at a star named Lakota, where his fleet had fought the Syndics twice. The memories the name brought up weren’t happy ones. “Inform Audacious that I’m aboard and we’re heading to the primary world to deliver important individuals and documents to the government.”

  “Audacious is guarding the capital of the Alliance,” Tanya Desjani observed to him. “What orders do you think they might have in case you turned up?”

  “Hopefully nothing extreme. Can he intercept our track from where he is?”

  She frowned at her display, her fingers rapidly testing maneuvers. “Maybe. Mistral is a bit slower at acceleration than we are. I doubt you want to leave her behind.”

  “No,” Geary said. “Recommendation?”

  “Stall him. For . . . ten minutes. Then we’ll be far enough along that any intercept by him will be a stern chase. Even Mistral can outrun a battleship under those conditions.”

  “Fleet Headquarters should have known that,” Geary said. “Why put a single battleship in orbit here knowing my flagship could outrun it?”

  “Because it’s a battleship,” Tanya replied. “The biggest, most powerful type of ship the Alliance has. They put Audacious here because it looks like they’re using the strongest defense available.”

  “Does anyone at Fleet Headquarters ever do the right thing? Instead of doing what looks right to outside observers?”

  “Maybe by accident,” she said.

  Sometimes having light speed limiting communications speed was a good thing, especially if you wanted to stall. It took another couple of minutes for Dauntless’s reply to Audacious to be received and the battleship’s answer to cross the light minute between the ships. A window appeared on Geary’s display, showing the commanding officer of the battleship on his ship’s bridge. “This is Captain Zhao of the Audacious,” that officer began, his tone of voice and appearance seeming more nervous than welcoming. “Admiral Geary, I have standing orders that if you arrive at Unity your ship and any accompanying ships are to assume orbit near my ship and await orders from headquarters. Adjust . . . please adjust your course and speed to take up position one kilometer from Audacious. Zhao, over.”

  “He did say please,” Desjani commented, sounding amused.

  “Yeah.” Geary tapped reply, determined to try to keep the situation from escalating as he tried to stall. “This is Admiral Geary. Captain Zhao, the circumstances under which I arrived here are exceptions to your standing orders.” He didn’t know that, but Zhao would now have to check his orders for any exceptions, which would buy a little more time. “My flagship and the attack transport that we’re escorting will proceed onward to the primary world so that vital personnel and materiel can be delivered to the government. Once there and upon instructions from the government I will proceed to Fleet Headquarters for further orders. Geary, over.” He could’ve ended the message with an “out,” but instead wanted to encourage Zhao to keep talking, each exchange of messages requiring at least a couple of minutes.

  “Do you really think he’s going to be brushed off that easily?” Desjani asked.

  “No. How much longer do I need to stall him?”

  “Eight minutes.”

  “Eight? We’ve already stalled him for several minutes.”

  “And he’s maneuvering,” Desjani said, pointing. “Not full propulsion yet, though. He’s probably worried about scaring us into bolting at full acceleration and walking away from him.”

  Geary laughed despite the tension inside him. “So he’s trying to stall us?”

  “He’s trying to get us to stop accelerating.” She shook her head. “That’s his only real option. He’ll answer you again.”

  Sure enough, three minutes later another message arrived, Zhao now trying to project sincerity as he spoke.

  “This is Captain Zhao of the Audacious. I regret that I am unable to find the exception you speak of in my orders. But I don’t want to make any errors where another Alliance warship is involved. It won’t require much time for you to close on my ship so we can resolve any issues. Please do so. I’ve always wanted the opportunity to speak with you, sir. Zhao, over.”

  “Seriously?” Desjani grumbled.

  “How much more time do we need?”

  “Seven minutes.”

  “Three minutes ago we needed eight minutes!”

  “Do you want to be certain that he can’t catch Mistral, Admiral? He’s shifted vector slightly to intercept her instead of Dauntless.”

  “I shouldn’t have told him Mistral had valuable things aboard her,” Geary said, angry with himself. He composed his expression before tapping the reply command. “This is Admiral Geary. Captain Zhao, your interest in avoiding errors is commendable. In that regard, I suggest you review the top secret annex to your standing orders for the situations under which exceptions occur. As you say, we don’t want to make any mistakes that would reflect negatively on either of us. Geary, over.”

  “How do you know his standing orders have a top secret annex listing exceptions?” Desjani asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

  “I don’t,” Geary said. “But now he’s got to search for one, and be as certain as possible that no such annex exists. Otherwise, if such an annex existed and he violated orders, he’d see his chances of making admiral go spiraling into a black hole.”

  “That’s good,” she said approvingly. “Four more minutes and Mistral will be clear. He’ll never be able to catch us before we reach the primary world.”
>
  How long would Zhao spend searching for an annex that didn’t exist? Geary watched his display, where the tracks of the spacecraft slowly altered as they accelerated, and the intercept point for Audacious moved farther and farther away. A blinking alert drew his gaze to the battleship at the same time as Lieutenant Castries called out. “Audacious has lit off full propulsion. She’s accelerating at maximum.”

  “Audacious can still intercept Mistral at our closest point of approach,” Desjani said.

  Oh, hell. Geary touched another comm circuit to call Mistral. “Commander Young, can Mistral give us any more acceleration?”

  Commander Young appeared totally unruffled as she replied. That wasn’t surprising, since she’d shown few signs of worry even when things had seemed bleakest at Unity Alternate. “We’ve got some new mods. If ordered, we can boost at override for about thirty seconds max before the engineering controls mandate going back to normal levels to avoid blowing up the ship or having the inertial dampers fail. I can’t guarantee the extra boost will last that long, though. At those levels, main propulsion units don’t behave predictably.”

  “Consider yourself ordered to boost at override,” Geary said. “Hold it as long as you can, but don’t risk your ship.”

  “Understood, Admiral.”

  “Mistral’s propulsion has increased output,” Lieutenant Castries reported. “She’s accelerating at ten percent beyond safe parameters.”

  “If she holds that for thirty seconds, will we be clear of that battleship?” Geary asked Desjani.

  She frowned, then slowly nodded. “Twenty-five seconds at that rate will get Mistral beyond intercept. We are going to face other warships deeper in system, though.”

  “By that time the government will have received my arrival message, and hopefully sent out some orders of its own.”

  Desjani turned a slight smile his way. “You still believe in the government.”

  “I have to,” he said as another message came in from Audacious.

  Captain Zhao had now adopted a determined look to match the harsher tones of his voice. “Admiral, I must order you to comply with my instructions. Immediately adjust your course and speed to take up position one kilometer from Audacious. My orders authorize me to take all necessary measures to enforce my instructions. Zhao, over.”

  “How are we doing?” he asked Desjani.

  “Almost—”

  “Mistral is throttling back to one hundred percent acceleration,” Lieutenant Castries said.

  Desjani paused, eyeing her display while Geary waited, tense.

  She smiled.

  “That did it, Admiral. Audacious is in a stern chase. Intercept probability has gone to zero.”

  Geary sighed with relief before touching the reply command. “This is Admiral Geary. Captain Zhao, I regret to inform you that I judge my mission to be of extreme importance to the Alliance, such that delays would be inadvisable. I should also note that I am under no obligation to follow orders issued by an officer of lower rank. Dauntless and Mistral will proceed toward the primary world. Audacious is welcome to follow, but I strongly encourage you to check with Fleet Headquarters for further instructions before leaving your patrol orbit. Geary, out.”

  “You were easy on him,” Desjani complained.

  “He’s stuck in a bad place,” Geary said. “That’s not his fault. He can’t stop me, and if he keeps chasing us he can’t catch us, and he’ll leave the hypernet gate unguarded. I’ve given him a perfect out from that dilemma by recommending he call headquarters. Just calling in for instructions and getting an answer will take at least ten hours, and by then we’ll be almost halfway to the primary world.”

  “Audacious is reducing propulsion,” Lieutenant Castries reported. “She’s firing thrusters. Estimate the battleship is returning to her patrol orbit.”

  “And there’s our answer,” Geary said. “He’s taking the only approach left that covers his butt.”

  Desjani shrugged. “He probably already worked his butt off to get that command by kissing up to everyone with higher rank than him. Who else do you think Fleet Headquarters would choose to protect it?”

  “You’re an awful cynic,” Geary said, watching his display to see if Audacious would continue back to her orbit and leave off the now-futile pursuit of Dauntless and Mistral.

  “War does that to you,” Desjani said.

  * * *

  SWEATING out the next ten hours wasn’t easy, wondering what the Alliance government would do with the information he’d provided. There were some senators who wouldn’t be surprised by the news of what had been going on outside normal channels (though unpleasantly surprised to see it uncovered), but hopefully most of them had remained ignorant of the malfeasance and would act to deal with those who’d decided that laws and rules were things for other people to worry about.

  He called Commander Young on Mistral for an update on the status of her ship. He took the call in his stateroom, both for privacy and to give the bridge crew a break from having the admiral underfoot. “No problems to report with the ship, sir,” Young said. “My only real problem is that most of the former prisoners we liberated at Unity Alternate are mad as hell because I’m still treating them as security risks.”

  “You have to,” Geary said. “Once we release them to the authorities on Unity, the government is going to have to decide whether to charge them with crimes or let them go.”

  Young gestured toward a display to one side of her. “I’ve looked over the files of a few of the people who were disappeared to Unity Alternate cells on suspicion of being terrorists or traitors during the war with the Syndicate Worlds. I’m no lawyer, but there doesn’t seem to be very much there. I guess that’s why they disappeared them, because they didn’t have enough evidence to charge them.”

  “Meaning they didn’t have enough evidence to know whether they really were guilty of the crimes they were suspected of,” Geary said. “That’ll be the government’s job to figure out, how to handle the former disappeared, and how to handle the people in the government who approved and ran a program like that contrary to the laws of the Alliance.” The idea of building a secret, alternate capital for the Alliance government to flee to if necessary had probably seemed wise as the war dragged on for decade after decade, but in retrospect those secret facilities had also been the perfect place to hide things from even the Alliance government itself.

  “I’m glad that’s above my pay grade, Admiral,” Commander Young said. “Colonel Rico is standing by to give you an update on the Marines aboard Mistral.”

  Rico reported that all was well with his Marines, aside from complaints about their having to act as prison guards. “That’s good, though, Admiral,” Rico said. “As long as they’re grumbling about little stuff like that, it means nothing big is wearing at them.”

  “Are the prisoners giving you any trouble?”

  “No, sir. Nothing to speak of. The mercenaries who were being employed as security guards at Unity Alternate are very unhappy about having been abandoned to their fates by the people running Unity Alternate. They’ve been spilling their guts to my interrogation specialists, telling us everything they can.” Rico paused. “My Marines will ensure all the evidence we have is turned over to the authorities. Some of my people have asked me about what we found at Unity Alternate.”

  “What have you told them?” Geary asked.

  “I’ve told them that we’re upholding our oaths to defend the Alliance. That what we’re guarding and delivering is the truth, and the truth matters. We’re Alliance, not Syndics. I understand ‘truth’ in the Syndicate Worlds is whatever the people in charge declare it to be.”

  “That’s right,” Geary said. “That’s why we fought the Syndics, because we believed in things like the truth. Thank you, Colonel.”

  “Admiral, can I ask about those aliens? The ones who helped us a
t Unity Alternate?”

  “The Dancers,” Geary said, using the name sailors had given the species because of the grace with which they maneuvered their spacecraft. “What about them?”

  “They’re our friends, right?” Rico asked.

  That was a question Geary himself had spent considerable time wondering about. “They’ve helped us more than once,” he said. “Whatever their reasons, the Dancers have helped us.”

  Rico nodded, his expression as serious as if Geary’s vague answer had been detailed and complete. “They were going home, right, Admiral? Do you suppose the Dancers made it home safely?”

  “They said they could make a jump that far,” Geary said. “Why does that worry you, Colonel?”

  “Well . . .” Rico hesitated. “They’re sort of comrades-in-arms, right? They fought alongside us. You know Marines never leave any of our own behind. I just think the Dancers deserve the same kind of consideration, to know they made it back safely from battle.”

  “I have every reason to believe they will make it home safely,” Geary said. “They seem to have been a step or two ahead of us ever since we first encountered them.”

  The link ended, Geary’s primary display shifted to a view of local space, the projected track for Dauntless and Mistral curving through the star system until it intercepted the primary inhabited world on its orbit about the star. Audacious, steadily getting more distant, had remained in its orbit, but a pair of heavy cruisers lingering near the primary world could pose a danger if things went wrong.

  He sat in his cabin, gazing at the tracks showing all of the other space traffic in this star system, trying not to speculate in endless circles about what would happen when the evidence was delivered. About how the message he’d sent on arrival would be received. About whether after all was said and done he was really doing the right thing.