"Ma'am?" a tech called for her attention.
"Yes?"
"We have the QMT long range up and have Admiral Maximillian on the line," the tech said.
"Great. Put him through here on this screen." She nodded to the man. He turned and punched in some commands on a console across the room, and her screen faded out to solid blue briefly. She could see the reflection of the red, white, and blue ski mask in the screen. Then it blinked on, and there was Max.
"Admiral Maximillian." She smiled at her commanding general, or admiral in this case. "How is the battle going there?"
"Not as good as we hoped, ma'am. There were four U.S. supercarriers originally, and we were winning. We actually totally destroyed one of them. Seconds ago, four more U.S. ships QMTed into the system and have reinvigorated the U.S. fighting spirit." The admiral looked a bit haggard. Elle didn't like the sound of his voice, either. He sounded nervous.
"And the ground forces? How is the governor holding out?"
"They are holding their own for now, but the tide seems to be turning. The numbers are almost even here, ma'am. It could go either way," Admiral Maximillian replied.
"Not good, Max." Elle thought to her AIC for moment and discussed through her mindvoice some alternatives until she settled on a course of action. "Max. Tell the governor he'll just have to make do on his own. Ares is under attack. From the numbers you are telling me, we have split the U.S. fleet. The other half of it is here in the Tau Ceti system now. There are seven supercarriers here. I need you here. Now!"
"Understood, ma'am. We'll jaunt to the QMT gate and jump immediately."
"Great. Hurry, Max. Hurry," Elle said and motioned to the tech to cut the transmission. "Get me Captain Tangiers, now!"
"Yes, ma'am."
A second or two later, Elise Tangiers appeared on the screen. Elise had helped Elle fund the Separatist movement for decades. Her family had owned one of the largest shipping companies in the Sol System, and they had used those ships—the so-called Seppy haulers—for more than just cargo on a number of ocassions.
"Elise, Ares is under attack! I need you to scramble whatever ships you can muster to hold them off until our fleet returns from Ross 128," Elle ordered her.
"I seem to recall telling you that I didn't think we were ready to spread ourselves so thin just yet. We can't protect ourselves and the Ross 128 system," Tangiers said smugly.
"Stow it, Elise. Now is not the time. We couldn't have expected the U.S. to actually mount an offensive only minutes after the Arcadians joined us." Elle gritted her teeth. Saying I told you so never helped anybody and wasted time. She slammed her black leather–gloved fist into her hand and shouted back into the screen. "Elise! Get your troops moving! I want some ships in the air now! I don't care if they only have three people flying them, I want them in the air!"
"Yes, Elle. We're scrambling now."
"Good." She cut the transmission. Then she turned to the tech. "Put me on a systemwide broadcast channel. Make it fast!"
"Yes, ma'am. Ten seconds . . ." The tech fiddled at his console and then waved a hand at her. "You're on, ma'am."
"People of the United Separatist Republic, the Americans are attacking the Tau Ceti system as I speak. They presently have seven U.S. supercarriers over New Tharsis. We must fight them! We haven't had to fight like this in over a decade, and never here on our own soil. But this will be no different than our days on the Reservation on Mars or at Triton. We will fight, and we will prevail. Take up arms and defend your way of life against the evil oppressor! Defend your home!" She cut the feed.
Elle thought for a moment, trying to decide what her next move should be. Deanna was down there in her penthouse. Since those U.S. fleet ships attacked the city, they might hit the Capitol Building and Dee could be in danger. She needed Dee alive. Dee was the only thing she could use to bargain with Moore. She had to have Dee alive. There was something deeper down, she wasn't sure quite what it was. A memory or a feeling she hadn't had in years that compelled her to want Dee alive. It was the same she had felt about Scotty when she had to kill him. She loved Scotty more than any man she'd ever met. But something, logic, had forced her to kill him for betraying her plans. Dee made her question the plans as well. She felt strongly for her granddaughter. But quickly those feelings were squashed by heartless logic and cold calculation. She needed Dee as a bargaining chip, nothing more.
Copernicus, we have to go get Dee and take her to safety.
Well, where do you want to take her?
Probably to our safe house in the outer-system moons.
In that case we will have to deactivate the snap-back alogorithm for her beacon. She can't leave the atmosphere of Ares or it triggers. The only place to deactivate it is the Capitol Building.
I know. Let's go.
Elle tapped her watchband, triggering her own snap-back, and vanished from the QMT facility. She reappeared a tenth of an AU away on the second floor of the Capitol Building in New Tharsis, where her personal QMT pad was.
The building shook from the explosions outside, and she could hear missile launches and some AA fire coming from the ground. There were no visible guards around the QMT pad, which was normal. The Capitol Building from the second floor up was hers anyway. Only the occasional VIP visitor or particularly strategically important pieces of her plan, like Dee, were allowed to pass through her personal pad. Otherwise, they used one farther out in the city or shuttled in. She often met with her generals on this floor, but they should be out defending her empire from the Americans. Another blast wave made the building tremble, and the windows rattled.
Elle? General Fink wants to talk to you.
Put him through.
"What can I do for you, General Fink?" she said as she walked toward the elevator.
"I'm on the first floor, ma'am. I need access to the military protocols so I can help you defend your city. I came back as soon as I saw the mecha crashing into the penthouse."
"What? Mecha in the penthouse?"
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I thought you knew."
"I'm bringing you up now."
Copernicus, give Fink access to whatever he needs. But keep an eye on him. He's a slimy one. And teleport him up to my pad now.
Yes, ma'am.
Elle stopped and turned around. If there was mecha hitting the penthouse, then she might be outnumbered up there. She wanted to know what happened to her defense systems and SIFs, but that would have to wait.
Are we going back for Fink? Copernicus asked her.