Boundless Page 4

  “It’s that bad?”

  “I think so. That newscast I showed you is very middle of the road, and you heard the questions they posed. Some of the other reporting out there is . . . very speculative and seems designed to incite trouble.” Charban sounded regretful as he continued. “Admiral, sometimes you have to bend the rules a little for important reasons, as long as those reasons aren’t for your personal benefit.”

  Geary sat thinking, frowning down at his coffee, trying to find reasons to debate Charban, and realizing he had none except for his own distrust of stretching the rules because he could. “I’ll assess the situation on the ground when I land,” he finally said. “I’ll make a decision then.”

  “I can’t ask for more than that,” Charban said. He took another drink of coffee, grimacing only a little this time at the taste. “What do you need from me? I’m supposed to make a report based on my status as an observer with you.”

  That one was easier to answer. “I don’t think you should get involved in any aspect of the political drama,” Geary said. “You’re the person who’s had the most contact with the Dancers. Communicated with them most frequently. It’s important that whatever you say be listened to. If you get identified with one political faction or another, a lot of people might not listen. I know you were thinking of going into politics yourself, but for the time being there’s a more critical need for you to be perceived as completely nonpartisan.”

  Charban looked at the small table, running one finger along the twisting gold line where the break had been repaired. “It looks like we’re both giving the other advice we’d rather not hear. I’m not the sort to keep my head down when others are charging into danger. It’s not in me.”

  “How’d you survive this long?” Geary asked.

  “The living stars may know, but I have no idea.” Charban raised his gaze, meeting Geary’s eyes, and smiled a bit. “Maybe to do something important, like improving communications with the first alien species that will willingly talk to us. I won’t lie in my report. I saw too many lies in official reporting and too many lives lost as a result of such lies. I will be truthful as to what I saw and what I experienced. If anyone takes truth as a partisan political issue, then I doubt anything I said would make a difference to them.”

  “Fair enough.” Geary stood, feeling tired. “I should try to get a little rest before we reach the planet.”

  “Remember what I said, Admiral.”

  “I will.”

  * * *

  FROM near orbit, the world called Unity looked like many other planets. Patches of darker and lighter land, green where vegetation bloomed, white where ice or snow lay, a very broad ocean and some slender seas, and rafts of cloud cover sailing between the surface and space. The native vegetation on the planet was lighter in shade than species from Old Earth, with a silvery sheen, so the forests and grassy plains bore a strange gloss where the light of the star fell upon them. One city bore the name Unity as well, but there were other cities, and many citizens whose work and lives weren’t directly tied to the fact that this planet held the capital of the Alliance.

  Tanya Desjani walked him to Dauntless’s shuttle dock. “Be careful.”

  “You, too. Keep an eye on Mistral. There are people who’d love to see all of that evidence destroyed.”

  “I’ll be watching.” They walked into the dock, where a large display showed the planet below. She nodded toward it. “I read that once this star had another name. The first colony planted here was bombarded from space, though. They never did find out who was responsible.”

  He looked at the planet, imagining it as it must have been on that long ago day when death fell upon it from orbit. “Why mention that now?”

  “Because even at the time a few people speculated aliens might’ve been responsible.” Tanya gave him her most serious look. “We’ve learned some alien species were making tentative moves into this part of space when humanity came flooding in. And we’ve learned that one of those alien species, the enigmas, wouldn’t have hesitated to try to stop the human expansion. And we know they had malware hidden in all of our fleet’s systems. There might still be some hidden dangers down there, because the enigmas still don’t want us at peace and we don’t know what else they might have planted before we discovered them. Don’t assume all of your dangers will come from known sources.”

  “Good point. I’ll contact you as soon as I can.”

  “Yes, Admiral.” She saluted him, still solemn. “We might develop some comm problems of the blind eye to the scope variety, though. Depending on events.”

  “I understand.” He returned the salute, praying that everything would be fine and he’d see her again, before turning to walk up the ramp into the shuttle.

  Orbital space was busy, filled with maneuvering traffic and satellites of many kinds as well as human habitats and stations. But the shuttle was given a clean path down, other spacecraft scattering to clear the way.

  “We’ve got company,” the pilot announced, her voice echoing in the passenger compartment where Geary sat. The display on the forward bulkhead shifted to highlight several contacts swerving in to match vectors with the shuttle. Aerospace craft, deadly and swift. Hopefully an escort to protect the shuttle, and not guards with orders to keep the shuttle from deviating from its trajectory.

  The shuttle swooped down, coming to rest on the surface with the unnecessary but graceful élan of a human pilot showing off their skills.

  The VIP landing field was clear, security barriers and what seemed to be hundreds of police holding back a crowd of spectators that appeared to number in the tens of thousands, filling the open public areas that ringed the landing field.

  Geary stood up, straightened his uniform, and nodded to the two members of Dauntless’s crew who’d come down in the shuttle with him. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Orvis and Master Chief Gioninni, both resplendent in dress uniforms, nodded back. Tanya Desjani had suggested sending down Dauntless’s entire Marine contingent in full battle armor as escorts, but the impression that sort of show of force would create would send precisely the wrong message. Aside from displaying professional background, Gunny Orvis would spot any open threats being aimed at the shuttle, while an expert schemer like Master Chief Gioninni should be able to detect any covert dangers. Geary didn’t think anyone would be authorized to take steps against him, but he had to worry about those who might be worried enough about protecting themselves that they might try something.

  The shuttle ramp dropped, letting in the air of Unity’s atmosphere, as well as the distant rumble of thousands of voices. As Orvis and Gioninni walked down the ramp and took position on either side of the bottom, the noise dwindled rapidly, not even the sound of wind rising over the silence, as if the entire planet were holding its breath.

  Geary walked down the ramp, trying to look calm and professional despite the worries filling him.

  As his right foot touched the surface of the planet, noise erupted from the watching crowds. He nearly froze as the sheer mass of sound from so many people rolled past.

  But he did pause, looking out across the landing field, nerving himself for what was to come.

  It was one of those moments that he knew would be forever branded in his memory, the smallest details clear no matter how many years passed. On this part of the planet, the sun was just rising, its rays lighting up the bottom of a swath of clouds so that they looked like a sheet of molten gold flung across the sky. The air smelled of cut grass and distant flowers and the thousand faint scents put off by people and their machines and their buildings. A flock of something birdlike was circling the landing field, repelled by the measures used to keep wildlife off the field, but stubbornly still trying to find a way in.

  There was something else in the air, something indefinable, that made him want to back away. The same feeling the air got before a huge storm, the same sense that immense dange
r hovered just out of sight but was bearing down and would soon strike with overwhelming force. These crowds held a terrible potential, which if unleashed would rage against anything and everything in its path. In that moment he knew with absolute certainty that Charban had been right.

  “At least they’re cheering, Admiral,” Master Chief Gioninni remarked as he and Gunny Orvis saluted. But the way Gioninni said it, the way he ran wary eyes across the crowds, made it obvious that he, too, could feel the ominous atmosphere. A good con artist had to be able to read their audience, and Gioninni was a very good con artist. “Sir, you might want to watch your step.”

  Gunnery Sergeant Orvis nodded in agreement with Gioninni’s words, his eyes scanning the crowd as if they were a threatening enemy force. “I think they’re cheering you, sir.”

  “Let’s hope you’re right, and that they don’t change their minds,” Geary replied. “You two wait in the shuttle and keep an eye on things until I get word about how long I’ll be on the planet.”

  “Yes, sir,” Orvis said. “Should we seal the shuttle and remain ready to lift?”

  “Yes. If a mass of people comes charging onto this field, you’re authorized to lift.”

  “What about you, sir?”

  “I will hopefully be in a more secure area than this.”

  Orvis nodded. “Light off your beacon and get to the top of a building, and we can lift you off. If you can’t get to the top, get to a window and we can get close enough to get you. The pilots flying this bird are the best in the fleet.”

  “Thanks, Gunny.” Geary tried a smile he hoped looked reassuring. “I doubt that it’ll come to that. Those are all citizens of the Alliance,” he added, waving to indicate the crowd.

  Gunnery Sergeant Orvis shook his head, his expression grim. “Admiral, with all due respect, if things go to hell, we won’t be dealing with citizens of the Alliance. We’ll be facing a mob. Mobs are people who’ve forgotten they’re human, and forgotten that other people are human. A mob will do things none of them would imagine doing in other circumstances, because they’ve forgotten they’re human. I’ve seen it, and wish I hadn’t. Even disciplined military units can turn into a mob if they have poor leadership or are pushed too hard for too long. Civilians . . . hell, Admiral, you know as well as I do that there are politicians who’ve been encouraging these people to turn into mobs.”

  “Not all of the politicians,” Geary said. “A great many are doing their best.”

  “I concur, Admiral,” Orvis said. “But it only takes one match that doesn’t care what gets burned in the blaze it sets off for its own profit.”

  He couldn’t think of any words to answer that, because everything Orvis said was true, so Geary just nodded wordlessly before turning to walk to the waiting ground vehicle, an armored limousine. A single guard waited at the door, another Marine, who saluted as Geary approached.

  He got in, finding a single occupant waiting. “General Carabali. It’s nice to see you again.” Nice and reassuring. He’d been working with her since Carabali had been the senior surviving Marine in the fleet he’d assumed command of deep inside Syndic space, and knew he could trust Carabali in any matter. The government knew that as well. Had sending her to meet him been a subtle sign of encouragement?

  “And you, Admiral.” Carabali gestured to the guard. “Seal us in and get this thing moving.”

  “Yes, General.” The heavy door sealed with a reassuring thunk, cutting off the sustained roar of the crowds. The display screen on the front end of the passenger compartment gave a view of the guard getting in next to the driver, who was also a Marine.

  “A fully armored limo?” Geary asked as the ground car surged into motion. The side screens, positioned as if they were windows instead of panels inside strong armor plate, showed the crowd waving and shouting, the sound still blocked. “But no other ground escort?”

  “No, Admiral,” Carabali replied, her eyes studying the outside view. “I was told they didn’t want to create the appearance of you being detained by force, or the appearance of you coming in to take over, and a lightly armed honor guard also acting as an escort would’ve been too exposed if the crowds erupted. They don’t want anything happening to you, but they can’t do anything that might trigger unpleasant reactions.”

  “At least they’re thinking things through. Are there any specific concerns?”

  Carabali gave him a startled look. “They didn’t provide you with that information, Admiral?”

  “No.” Geary tried to sit back and relax a little. “All I’ve been told is to come down here in the shuttle and report to the Grand Council.”

  “I see.” Carabali gritted her teeth, clearly unhappy. “There’ve been reports of plans to harm you to create a distraction. Nothing specific as to time and place and means, but credible enough to cause concern.”

  “A distraction?”

  “Sir, if the Alliance is dealing with massive mobs rampaging through its capital, things like following up on what you found at Unity Alternate will go way down the priority list, giving the guilty parties a lot more time to work up their strategies, and making anything they did look minor compared to what the mobs might be doing.”

  Geary gave up trying to appear relaxed and sat straight, fighting a feeling of despair. “It feels like I’m dealing with Syndic CEOs again.”

  He looked at the crowds outside again as the limo left the field and began moving down a broad boulevard, empty except for the car, but the sides lined with more guards and security vehicles. Beyond security stood a swarm of spectators, craning their heads to look at the limo as it passed.

  “Do you have any idea what they expect?” Geary asked, indicating the crowds on either side.

  “Each of them expects you to give them what they want,” General Carabali said. “And they all want different things. But there’ve been a lot of stories circulating in the last few days. Stories about your loyalty to the Alliance, and statements you’ve made about following orders from the government. Measured against that are stories claiming you’re coming to finally clean out the government. And some really crazy stories that you’ve sold out humanity to the aliens.”

  “Which aliens?” Geary asked, his eyes on the faces in the crowds, trying to read their moods and feelings. “The enigmas, the Dancers, or the Kicks?”

  “The Dancers. Of course. They’re the ugly ones so they must be evil, right? You can’t argue with some people about that. My Marines, who fought the Kicks face-to-face, have been really surprised to see how popular the Kicks are. Nobody wants to hear how dangerous the cute little Kicks were.” Carabali shook her head in disgust. “We finally find truly alien intelligences and people just want to plug them into our own little human categories, as if they were some kind of toy or exotic animal. Are we going to screw up alien contact that badly?”

  “I hope not.” Geary looked back at her. “Any problems with security in the government?”

  “Lots of baskets being turned over and lots of people expressing shock at what was under them. No one’s tried anything obvious, though. The special agencies are almost paralyzed because most of their people didn’t know what was going on in the hidden programs, and now they have no idea who to trust with anything.” Carabali shrugged. “But no open threats,” she repeated. “Everyone seems to have thought they were being loyal, even the ones who deliberately worked around the rules.”

  Geary shook his head. “The road to hell is still paved with good intentions, isn’t it?”

  “I can’t judge intentions, Admiral.” Carabali shifted her gaze to look to the west. “Also, some senior officers at Fleet Headquarters are on house arrest since your arrival message was received. Admiral Otropa is one of them, as is Admiral Tosic. There are others.”

  “Who’s enforcing the house arrest?”

  “My Marines.”

  That was simultaneously reassuring
and worrisome. What had it come to that Marines had to be used as prison guards for senior officers?

  “How far is it to where we’re going?” Geary asked.

  “You’ve never been to Unity, Admiral?” Carabali gestured ahead. “Not much farther.”

  The landing field hadn’t been far from the seat of government. Geary saw the street they were on end at the plaza outside the soaring building that housed the Alliance Senate. Every image Geary had seen of that plaza showed many people entering and leaving, but as the armored limo came to a halt no one else could be seen between the car and the entrance. More security forces and police formed lines keeping the crowds clear of what was formally known as the Plaza of the People of the Alliance. He gazed somberly at the empty Plaza of the People, no people allowed on it at the moment, thinking there was no better metaphor for the problems facing the Alliance.

  Carabali got out of the car with him and gestured toward the entry. “I’m supposed to let you enter alone, Admiral.”

  “All right. I’d be the last to tell you not to follow orders.” Geary smiled at Carabali. “But there’s something else I should do next.”

  Instead of walking straight to the building, Geary walked at an angle toward a large fenced-off area crowded with people bearing press badges and cameras. Cameras hadn’t had to be large enough to be easily seen for a long, long time, but after privacy violations got bad enough and frequent enough the laws had been changed to require any recording of others to use equipment that was clearly visible.