Triumphant Read online

  Donal Morgan glared at Lochan. “If necessary.”

  “What would that cost you? What if Benten simply blocked all traffic from continuing on to Eire? What would you do then?”

  “Bring it through Adowa, the longer way around!”

  “And if Adowa joined Benten?” Before Donal Morgan could answer, Lochan leaned forward, his hands planted on the front of the desk. “That’s what we’re facing at home. That’s what you’ll face if we lose. That’s what you will face someday even if we win. If there are no agreed-upon rules, then sooner or later everyone starts doing whatever they can get away with!”

  Yukino Nakamura spoke firmly. “Benten has no desire to aggress against any other star system.”

  “The people of Benten are human!” Lochan said. “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. Have you heard that? It was said long ago by a man named Madison who was arguing for a system of laws to govern both his country and the government itself to keep it from exceeding its given powers.” He’d been reading a lot about such things in recent months, trying to learn more about the difficult work of attempting to keep human beings from acting all too human toward each other. “None of us here are angels. All of our worlds were settled by men and women who wanted to be free. But the absence of rules isn’t freedom. It’s an anarchy waiting to be filled by the strongest arm and the most ruthless tactics. That is what Kosatka faces today, and what you’ll all face someday if we do not find a means to resolve any differences and support each other against common foes!”

  “You’re talking about more than a military alliance,” Lawrence Sato said.

  “Of course I am! What would be the purpose of an alliance? The same sort of thing that Apulu, Scatha, and Turan are doing? No, such an alliance would have to be based on principles, rules, and laws that we all agree upon. The military cart, the defense cart, should not be set before the horse of our interests and needs as free people!”

  Donal Morgan shook his head slowly. “Tell me, what was the situation in Kosatka when you left?”

  “When we jumped out?” Lochan took a deep breath, knowing that Morgan already knew the answer and wanted to see how the truth would be presented to him. “An invasion fleet was closing on our primary world. It was opposed by a single destroyer from Glenlyon while Kosatka worked to get its remaining destroyer back into fighting shape.”

  “Is Kosatka still free? Tell me that.”

  “I don’t know,” Lochan said. “I do know the people of Kosatka won’t stop fighting. Right now even a single warship can make a huge difference! Glenlyon’s destroyer is giving Kosatka a chance.”

  Another pause, Donal Morgan’s eyes on his desk, the others waiting.

  “There is no fate but what we make for ourselves,” Freya said. “Lochan has the right of it. We’re all out here pretending we don’t need anything to do with anyone else, but we’re as tied to what everyone does as if we were still on Old Earth. If we don’t talk,” she added, emphasizing her words with a look at the delegation from Benten, “then what happens won’t be to the advantage of any of us in the long run.”

  “What’s in it for Eire?” Donal Morgan demanded, each word falling with the weight of a hammer blow.

  “To be part of it,” Lochan said, “rather than being on the outside, looking in. We’ve got representatives of five star systems in this room. Those from four of those star systems are willing to talk about working together, about mutual defense and rules for trade. How would it benefit Eire if it’s on the outside when such deals are made? Doesn’t Eire want a voice when decisions are made?”

  Donal Morgan gazed at Lochan, his glare slowly changing to a thoughtful look. “Brigit Kelly didn’t tell me you were that good. You don’t even know if the world you represent still has its own government! But you come here, with me expecting you to beg for help, and instead you talk as if from a position of strength.” His eyes went across those facing his desk. “Without Eire, such an alliance would be much weakened. You all know that.”

  “That is why we seek your partnership in an agreement,” Lawrence Sato said.

  “It would’ve been better if you hadn’t come also threatening trade sanctions.”

  Sato and Yukino Nakamura exchanged looks. “Prime Minister,” Yukino said, “we have no knowledge of any such trade sanctions or tax discussions.”

  Donal Morgan narrowed his eyes at her. “You deny knowledge of such matters?”

  “I tell you that none of us have been informed of such matters.”

  “You do not carry a list of demands?” Donal Morgan leaned back in his chair, his eyes hooded in thought. “So. There are people responsible for keeping me informed of the secrets of others. It seems those people have failed in their task. I was told that such was your mission.”

  “Perhaps,” Leigh Camagan said, “someone fed your people that information, and sought to sway your actions with lies aimed at potential allies.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Eire has already been attacked,” Freya said, as if sensing that her father was wavering. “An assassination attempt against us, which I’m sure you’ve been told of, that took place on the orbital station that is legally part of Eire. And a shuttle destroyed. When last I checked, a shuttle was a valuable resource. And if not for the wisdom of your security chief on that facility, a good number of Eire’s citizens might have died on that shuttle. Yet our enemies did not hesitate to attack Eire in their attempt to get at us. Those enemies respect no borders. They respect no other worlds. And their attacks on Eire are a slap in the face to Eire’s government, are they not?”

  Lochan watched Freya’s words strike home in the prime minister and realized she was hitting Donal Morgan in the one place he was most vulnerable, his own pride.

  The prime minister’s face darkened with anger, his breaths coming deeper and faster like a man preparing for a fight. Donal Morgan snorted, bringing to Lochan’s mind an angry bull facing a challenge. “I already know of spending from mysterious sources flowing to a couple of minor political parties on Eire,” the prime minister said. “And now this. Eire will not be treated in such a way! Not as long as I am the leader of this world.” His gaze focused on Freya, fierce and demanding. “Say it, then.”

  “I was right,” Freya said. “Eire needs allies. It shouldn’t stand apart.”

  “And I didn’t listen, accepting the reassurances of those doing business with Scatha and Apulu that those star systems would respect us out of desire not to cause trouble with trade. They let their greed taint their advice to me. As for Turan, I’ve not dealt with the leaders of that star system directly, but it seems they’ve already tried to deal with me by means of a knife in my back. Destroying one of Eire’s shuttles and endangering her people! Who would be held to blame? Me! I’ll not stand for it! But how can I know your star systems will not do the same if given the chance? Why should I make deals with you?”

  “Because we’re not them,” Lochan said. “Worlds sometimes make deals with dictators, because they must. But they make common cause, alliance, with those who share the same interests and values, because it’s smart.”

  He wondered for a moment, as the prime minister glared at him, whether his point had been too subtle. Whether Donal Morgan would pick up on the implication that someone who was smart would make deals with other star systems like Kosatka, while someone who wasn’t smart would refuse such opportunities.

  After a long moment, Donal Morgan nodded to the delegation from Benten, and then to Lochan. “Yes. That’s what those who are smart will do. I’ll call a cabinet meeting for tomorrow. There’s much for us to discuss, and many details to work out.”

  “I can’t stay long,” Leigh Camagan said. “I must continue on to Earth without delay. However, Lochan Nakamura can speak for me and Glenlyon.”

  “Can he? Why does Glenlyon trust this man so?”

  Leigh smile
d slightly. “A Marine vouched for him.”

  Donal Morgan nodded a bit in return. “I’ve risked more on less. You stand with Catalan, though. Glenlyon and Kosatka would have a better chance of closing a deal if they stood apart from Catalan.”

  “I have my faults,” Lochan said. “But abandoning my friends isn’t one of them.”

  “You call yourself a diplomat?” Donal Morgan asked. “You apparently don’t know the first rule of diplomacy. Countries and worlds don’t have friends. They have interests. If interests coincide, countries and worlds can make deals to their mutual benefit. But everywhere those interests diverge, those same governments have a duty to look after their own.”

  Leigh Camagan shook her head. “Just how much could you trust Glenlyon or Kosatka if we so quickly abandoned another star system in need? If you’re talking about interests, it seems to me your best interests are served by making deals with those who stand by them rather than breaking faith at the first opportunity.”

  The prime minister frowned in a manner calculated to quail the stoutest political opponent. “So you stand with Catalan regardless?”

  The implication was clear. The potential deal might be canceled here and now unless he disowned any ties with Catalan. Donal Morgan was just the sort of man to place his dislike of an individual ahead of the good of many, and he didn’t want to deal with his daughter. A lot of lives rested on whatever Lochan said and did. Could he risk the fates of his friends on taking a stand now?

  But if he caved, if he tossed away Catalan as a matter of expediency when the people of Catalan needed help as well, wouldn’t he poison everything? Sacrificing innocents to protect his own? What kind of bargain would that be?

  He wouldn’t pay such a price. Perhaps he couldn’t. Some things mattered more than self-interest. If that wasn’t true, the likes of Apulu and Scatha had already won. “Yes,” Lochan said, “Kosatka stands with Catalan.”

  “As does Glenlyon,” Leigh added.

  The prime minister’s frown deepened. Perhaps he was angered by the stand made by Lochan Nakamura and Leigh Camagan. Or perhaps he had trouble understanding why they wouldn’t trade Freya and Catalan for the help they so desperately needed. “And what of you?” Donal Morgan asked Freya. “Would you step aside if I demanded it as a condition of aid to Catalan?”

  Freya nodded without hesitation. “In a heartbeat.”

  “You’ve found something you’ll fight for, have you? Something you won’t run away from?”

  Lochan saw the anger that flared in Freya’s eyes but her voice stayed level. “That’s right.”

  “I see.”

  Lochan watched Donal Morgan, seeing the hooded eyes and tight jaw that spoke of the prime minister’s internal debate. Morgan knew that Eire needed to be part of this group, but he didn’t want to appear to have caved to the demands of others. Which left only one option.

  To pretend that his demands had been only tests. Tests that the others had passed, making them worthy to deal with.

  Prime Minister Morgan stood again, smiling approvingly at Lochan and the others. “Despite appearances, and my error regarding our friends from Benten, I’m not a fool. Nor, Lochan Nakamura, am I eager to find Eire begging for help against enemies who’ve grown stronger while we watched them conquer others. You cut to the heart of it with your first words. The day might come when it’s us facing bad odds. Our trade is already being hurt, because the traffic beyond Eire to star systems such as your own has already fallen, and what remains are monopolies controlled by the likes of Turan. There are many on this world who argue for neutrality, because the people of Eire have no wish to surrender their fates to foreigners. But if you can offer proposals that do not compromise that, that respect Eire, and that other star systems will sign on to, we may be able to reach agreement. My own trade office has been urging an agreement with nearby star systems, for just the reasons you cited. Madison, was it? No, none of us are angels. I ask the patience of all of you for a short while longer while the cabinet meeting is arranged. You’ll be notified soon.”

  Lochan nodded politely, trying to hide his elation. He knew full well that when Donal Morgan spoke of “respecting Eire,” the prime minister really meant “respecting me.” Freya had shown him that weak spot in Donal Morgan’s armor. Lochan had every intention of exploiting it by framing his arguments in ways that flattered the prime minister without sounding servile, and by letting the prime minister claim victory for himself when the result had been what others wanted.

  As they left the office, Lawrence Sato and Yukino Nakamura stopped Lochan and offered quick bows from the waist. “Thank you,” Sato said. “You’ve helped Benten with a crisis we did not realize existed.”

  “There are people who don’t want us talking to each other,” Yukino said, her eyes dark with anger. “We must bend every effort to find common ground.”

  “I agree,” Lochan said.

  “There’s a representative from Adowa on this world. We’ll try to get him added to the cabinet meeting.”

  Donal Morgan’s secretary Kyna harrumphed loudly, plainly still put out by having been outmaneuvered by Lochan. “Citizen Camagan, I’ve been asked to expedite your return to the orbital station for transport onward toward Earth. An escort for you is assembling to ensure your safe departure from Eire.”

  “Be careful, Leigh,” Freya said. “We’re going to need every warship you can acquire.”

  “We need them now,” Leigh said, sighing. “But time and space won’t yield to our needs. Glenlyon, Kosatka, and Catalan must hold out a little longer.”

  Lochan nodded, not trusting himself to speak as he thought of what might be happening right now at those other stars. Was his home still free? Was Glenlyon? And, if so, how much longer could they hold out?

  * * *

  • • •

  The three ships approaching the world of Glenlyon all claimed to be from Hesta, a supposedly still-independent star system that had in fact been taken over by the Scatha-Apulu-Turan coalition. Hesta’s puppet government answered to its foreign masters, not its own people.

  Hesta had lacked any warships before surrendering. Of course the days were long past when the origin of a warship or its crew could be determined by sight. Everyone was using warships cast off by Earth Fleet or the Old Colonies, and humanity had moved and mixed enough that even places like Eire and Kosatka had a blend of ethnicities and origins in their people. But Rob Geary felt confident that these warships and their crews had no real ties to Hesta.

  The commander of “Hesta’s” flotilla, in fact, had the look of the sort of bland bureaucrat who’d be at home in any place where obedience to the demands of the boss took priority over lesser matters like justice and humanity. His attitude carried the confidence of the uncaring who was certain of superior muscle at his back to protect against personal consequences for his actions.

  “As a result of its unprovoked and repeated, unjustified aggression against its neighbors, we have a legal order requiring Glenlyon to surrender control of its orbital facility to independent monitors who will ensure that no further violations occur. Your warship is required to power down all weapons and reduce shields to minimum, and all forces aboard Glenlyon’s orbital facility are required to surrender all weapons to our peacekeepers. Failure to comply with our diplomatic and humanitarian measures to avoid further conflict will force us to employ any necessary means to ensure a lawful resolution to this situation. You are directed to communicate your compliance immediately upon receipt of this message.”

  Lieutenant Commander Vicki Shen shook her head in disbelief as the message from the commander of the enemy force ended. “It’s like one of those distortion fields that flips everything inside out. Do you think they actually believe what they’re saying?”

  “I doubt it.” Rob Geary rubbed his forehead, feeling the furrows that anger had carved into it. “They’re playing a game,
lying as if truth doesn’t matter, as if this is some stage play to impress outside observers and not something that will decide the freedom of others, and the deaths of any who oppose them. We can’t let people like that win.”

  He reached for the reply command. Saber had moved away from the orbital facility and the world it served, heading to intercept the oncoming foes, but the enemy ships were still more than two light hours distant. The enemy demand that had just arrived had been sent over two hours before, and Rob’s reply would take more than another two hours to be received. There wasn’t any need for a quick response, and maybe he should wait until the government sent its own formal answer. At the least, maybe he should take time to craft a careful response of his own.

  Or not.

  Rob tapped the reply command. “We’ll see you in hell first.”

  Bold words. They’d help inspire the crew of Saber. Maybe they’d even inspire others. But they were no substitute for the firepower Glenlyon needed. And words alone wouldn’t stop those enemy ships from reaching the orbital facility with their no doubt heavily armed “peacekeepers.”

  * * *

  • • •

  “You saved Kosatka’s orbital facility! If anyone can save ours, it’s you!”

  Mele Darcy stifled a sigh of resignation as the message from President Chisholm ended. “The problem with overachieving,” she said to Gunnery Sergeant Moon, “is that everyone expects you to keep doing it.”

  “Your life would be a lot easier right now if you’d just died at Kosatka, Captain,” Moon said sympathetically.

  “Thanks, Gunny. Why didn’t that occur to me at the time?” Mele called up on her display the schematics of the orbital facility. “How are the preps going?”

  “Everybody’s working like mad. I understand,” Sergeant Moon said, “that we have to assume the attackers will have close-in heavy fire support.”