“So,” Gaunt said, coming to a halt right in front of Adeeba. “Tell me why we should listen to you?”
Adeeba sighed and started to tell the entire story, once again.
“We have sources in the High City,” Gaunt said, when she had finished. “We can confirm most of what you’ve told us.”
Adeeba wasn’t too surprised. Admiral Percival had worked hard to keep news from leaking outside Sector 117 — he’d known he would get the blame for the whole incident, if he failed to stop the rebels before the news got out — but the fall of Camelot had definitely broken the media blockade. Earth might well have received bits and pieces before the first complete report actually arrived. But had they taken the isolated fragments seriously?
“We can also confirm that the Imperial Navy has dispatched a task force to Morrison,” Gaunt added, coldly. “If you wished to delay its departure, you have failed.”
“That wasn’t all we had in mind,” Adeeba said. She explained, briefly, what she’d told the Big Man. “We would like to coordinate your efforts with ours. This is the one chance we will have to bring down the Empire. If you can make it easier to take down Earth itself…”
“My superiors might question the wisdom of involving ourselves,” Gaunt said. “We would certainly require more proof of your good faith — and your willingness to keep promises.”
Adeeba kept her face expressionless, but she knew she’d found at least one ally. There was an odd… carelessness about Gaunt that suggested she would be happy with the thought of action, even if it carried immense risks. She hadn’t had them strip-searched and scanned thoroughly as soon as they entered the meeting place, after all. Either that, Adeeba decided, or she was sure she could escape the security forces, if they were shadowing her visitors.
“Rebel starships will start operating within this sector soon,” Adeeba said, hoping that Colin hadn’t had reason to change the plans. They’d both known that operational requirements might force him to hold back. “For the moment, all we really ask from you is intelligence — and that you prepare an uprising in conjunction with our invasion of the system.”
“If it happens,” Gaunt observed. “Your forces are an awful long way away.”
“I’m here,” Adeeba said. “The others are on their way.”
Frandsen leaned forward. “I understand a reluctance to show yourselves,” he said. “But this is likely to be the best chance you have to actually win. Your superiors should also understand that if they don’t take part, they will have little say in how the post-Empire universe develops. I suggest you make that clear to them.”
Gaunt studied him for a long cold moment, then nodded. “I assume you have a pipeline set up to get intelligence out of the system?”
“Yes,” Adeeba said, shortly. If all went to plan, the pipeline should lead to the raiding fleet when it finally arrived. But the plan itself was imprecise. There were just too many factors that might delay matters, too many things that might go wrong. “If worst comes to worst, we can send a ship all the way to Jackson’s Folly.”
“Then we will discuss matters and get back to you,” Gaunt said. “You will be escorted to one of the chambers we use to hide people from the Blackshirts. I suggest that you stay there until we come for you. The lower levels are not as closely observed as the higher levels, but you might still be noticed. If we choose to work with you, we will teach you how to get around Earth undetected.”
“Understood,” Adeeba said, shortly. There was no point in arguing. She might have been born on Earth, but she knew little about getting around without being observed. And Earth was the most heavily-wired planet in the galaxy. “Can we get some reading material this time?”
Gaunt laughed, but there was no humour in the sound. “Maybe you would like the statements issued by Public Information on their special paper,” she said. “It’s ideal for wiping your ass.”
“That’s the latest report from Luna Base,” Sharon said. “And Lady Gwendolyn has requested to speak with you at your earliest convenience.”
Tiberius sighed. There was really far too many reports for him to read, as Family Head, but he didn’t dare pass too many of them down to his subordinates. His uncles and cousins would be delighted to take the responsibility from his hands, knowing that it would give them control over part of the family’s interests — and eventually enough leverage to render him a figurehead. He didn’t dare allow that to happen, not when the family’s very survival was at risk.
“Tell her I’ll see her in an hour,” Tiberius said, wearily. He didn’t know how his father and grandfather had managed to keep an iron grip on the family’s affairs. But then, they’d been old enough to know where all the bodies were buried, sometimes literally. “Do you have a report from the security office?”
“Nothing since the last report,” Sharon said. “Do you want me to request a progress report?”
Tiberius shook his head. It would make him feel like he was doing something, but it wouldn’t really be helpful. The security officers would fall over themselves to give him a progress report, instead of doing something actually useful. It had taken him several months to realise that micromanaging his handful of trusted subordinates was pointless at best, dangerous at worst. Some of his fellows had never understood it.
“No, thank you,” he said. “But if you could tell Marie to attend me after Gwen, I would be very grateful.”
Sharon bobbled a curtsey to him and withdrew, leaving him to read through the report from Luna Base. As Wachter had warned, in his last message before the fleet had flickered out, corruption had actually worn down Home Fleet’s ability to fight. Indeed, the report suggested, if the rebels had set out for Earth just after the Battle of Camelot, they might well have won. Home Fleet was in no condition for a fight. Wachter had added a strong suggestion that they appoint another CO, one who had the ability to kick ass and take names, then sort out the mess. He hadn’t realised that the political struggle over appointing a commander at Morrison would pall compared to the struggle over Home Fleet’s CO.
The Empress used Home Fleet against us, despite all of our precautions, Tiberius thought. He was unique among the Family Heads, simply because he hadn’t been born when the Empress had seized power for herself, only to lose it scant months later. No one knew what had happened to her, merely that she’d vanished when the patronage networks had united against a common foe. We have good reason to fear handing someone else the same power.
But Wachter was right too. The Empire had been safe. There was no alien power capable of threatening the Empire, while the various underground movements couldn’t do more than harass the Empire’s forces. The occasional mutiny or rogue starship couldn’t do any real damage either, even united with the exiles along the Rim. Everyone had known there was no reason for Home Fleet to be in top condition.
And now there was a genuine threat, political games would make it harder to assemble a defence force.
He scowled. The Empire was sluggish, slow to realise that there was a threat and slow to react, taking comfort in its overwhelming firepower to make up for any delay in its response. But now there was a threat with enough firepower not to be intimidated by superdreadnaughts — and the determination to take advantage of delays in the Empire’s response.
We can supervise Home Fleet, he thought, grimly. We couldn’t do that for Morrison.
He was so wrapped in his thoughts that he almost didn’t hear Sharon calling him until she repeated herself, telling him that Gwendolyn was waiting to see him. Tiberius sighed, then invited Gwendolyn to enter the room. This time, she was wearing a long white gown that set her blonde hair off nicely, hinting at her attributes rather than revealing them. Tiberius wondered, absently, who she was planning to seduce… or if she was simply trying to look the part of an Ambassador. After all, she would have to impress the rebels…