All he needed was time and rest—the two things that, despite his considerable fortune, he could not now afford. He resolved to push himself on, through force of will if necessary. Damn the medical consequences; he’d deal with them later.
He rubbed the whiskers on his chin. He was still toying with the idea of letting the beard grow, or at least of shaving it into a Vandyke. It would cover the jagged, still-red scar on his chin, and perhaps a few others, depending on how full he kept it. He tried to decide whether it would make him look distinguished, or merely sinister.
The door bell rang. “Lord Governor,” said Paxton from outside, “Ms. Onan has returned.”
He quickly buzzed her in. He was eager to hear her news, of course, but he was also glad to again have her services. He was feeling well enough to move around the ship, and being properly groomed and dressed would make him feel human again. He had to prepare himself. The day was quickly approaching when he would have to make public appearances again, no matter how he was feeling.
Deena floated through the door and clung to a grab-iron near the foot of his bed. She smiled at him as she entered. “You’re looking stronger, Lord Governor.”
He grinned weakly. “You lie,” he said, “but you lie well.”
His quip seemed to bother her. “It is what you pay me for, I suppose.”
“You’re back far sooner than I expected.” He’d used his considerable resources to expedite her return trip, even holding a charged JumpShip for her at Styk, but her outbound travel arrangements from Liao had necessarily been haphazard. Still, amazing things could happen if you threw enough money at a problem.
“I made excellent connections to Second Try, Lord Governor, and as it happened, an outbound St. Cyr’s carrier DropShip was waiting at the jump point as I arrived. In fact, it’s likely the ship they’ll use for our assignment. I was able to negotiate the deal with the mercenaries at the jump point, without actually traveling to the planet.”
He studied her face and frowned slightly. Deena was normally a cheerful person. She seemed somehow disturbed—not like someone celebrating a difficult job well done. “No trouble, I take it?”
“No, my Lord. I successfully negotiated a hit-and-run surprise air attack on the capital city on Shensi. The arrangements and timing are as we’d planned, and it was only necessary to give them the smaller two of the three numbered accounts you provided to me. I believe they’ll actually try billing House Liao for the attack as well.”
Aaron laughed. “It’s even possible they’ll collect. There’s something to be said for hiring your enemy’s mercenaries. You’re sure they don’t know who is hiring them?”
“I gave them the distinct impression I represented Capellan business interests who wish to bring Shensi mineral rights into their sphere of influence. I implied an early attack might lead them to capitulate with their production infrastructure undamaged.
“They’ll arrive at a pirate point in the system in fifteen days. The DropShip will immediately deploy toward the planet. Once in a close orbit, several wings of fighters will stage a lightning raid on the capital city, targeting primarily monuments, government buildings, and infrastructure: power, communications, water, sewer—creating as much public disruption as possible. Then they’ll rejoin their carrier DropShip, rendezvous with their JumpShip and be out of the system before Shensi has a chance to react, and they’ll be sure the Shensi people know who is attacking them. The leadership there will have no reason to suppose it’s anything more than a Capellan advance attack.”
He smiled at her. “Well done, Deena. Once again you’ve proven what an asset you are to me, and how clever I was to rescue you from that DropShip.”
She looked away, frowning.
“Is there something you aren’t telling me?”
She hesitated before speaking. “I encountered Commander Sandoval in the bay as I was arriving. I didn’t know if I should be providing him details on the timing of the attack on Shensi. He’ll need to make provisions for his own safety.”
Aaron stared at the wall for a moment. “You didn’t tell him anything, did you?”
“Tell him, Lord Governor? I told him I’d made the arrangements for his trip. Nothing more. The meeting was far too public to talk about such an important matter freely.”
He was relieved. He hadn’t expected her to return before Erik left, and therefore hadn’t briefed her on the possibility. It was the sort of mistake he didn’t intend to repeat. “Good, good; I was worried for a moment.”
She blinked rapidly, unconsciously bobbing her head. “Lord Governor, if you don’t mind my asking—Commander Sandoval does know about the attack, doesn’t he?”
Aaron took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “In order for this ruse to work, Erik must be as genuinely surprised by the attack as anyone.”
“My Lord, the danger—”
“Erik is a big boy, Deena, capable of taking care of himself. This is no different than any other battle I’ve sent him into, and I’ve sent him into plenty.”
“With respect, my Lord, the people shooting at him in those battles weren’t working for the SwordSworn.”
“You’ve never questioned my activities before.”
“I’m sorry, my Lord, I’ve never had cause to.” She immediately seemed to regret her words. “Apologies, Lord Governor. That was inappropriate. I’m merely concerned for his safety.”
“He’s a Sandoval, Deena. You should know, better than most anyone, that we’re born survivors, hard to kill. Erik will be fine.”
She still looked very unhappy. “If you don’t mind, my Lord, it’s been a long and tiring trip. I’d like to rest up for a few hours before resuming my duties.”
He nodded. “Of course. Take as much time as you’d like. I’ll see you in the morning. I’d like to work on getting back to my regular routines. It’s time to start looking like a Duke again.”
“Very good, Lord Governor. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He watched her leave. She had doubts, but she’d come around. He was doing the right thing, the only right thing. This was the only way to bring the Shensi into their coalition.
In time, even Erik would tell her that.
Deena floated into the hall, cursing the zero gravity. There were times when a person just wanted to lean against the wall, to feel the cool metal against her forehead, and be alone with her thoughts for a minute. That didn’t work when a person was bobbing around like an escaped balloon.
Instead, she just hung there, a hand loosely covering her eyes. Had she just arranged for Erik’s death? Could she forgive herself if he didn’t return?
Paxton waited at his post by the Duke’s cabin door, but watched her with concern. “Deena, is there anything I can do?”
“No,” she said, “nothing.” But she didn’t move or try to escape his attention. “You knew about my mission, and the attack I arranged?”
He nodded. “The Duke keeps very few secrets from me. Or from you, for that matter.”
“Were you aware that Erik doesn’t know about the plan—that he has no idea what he’s walking into?”
Paxton considered the question for a moment. “I didn’t know the specifics. It doesn’t, however, surprise me.”
“I just don’t… How could the Duke do this?”
He smiled grimly. “Deena, you’ve been employed by Duke Sandoval long enough not to be surprised at this sort of thing. You know he can be ruthless when the occasion calls for it.”
She chewed her lip.
He tilted his head, trying to look into her eyes. “It isn’t what he’s doing that’s bothering you, so much as the fact that he’s made us culpable.”