Justin was furious. "This is no time for games of face and honor, Shang. What she did could damn us all. If ComStar denies us service, we'll be more helpless than a blind, deaf man in a room full of cutthroats." Justin rubbed his eyes. "Do I have to draw the big picture for you? Our job is to preserve the Capellan Confederation. Even as we speak, the forces of House Davion are gathering for another series of Galahad military exercises. If ComStar cuts us off, I can guarantee you that Davion will strike—and strike hard."
With much of his anger spent, Justin sighed. "I need to hear from your lips what my heart and head tell me is true. I need to hear you deny any knowledge of this plot."
Tsen Shang nodded slowly. "Had I known of it, Justin, I would have told you."
A weak smile tugged at the corners of Justin's mouth. It died, however, as the silhouette of a man ran down the path toward Tsen's back. Justin moved to the side and dropped into a low crouch. Tsen spun, brandishing the long nails on his left hand like razor-edged daggers.
Alexi Malenkov raised his hands as he slowed to join the other two members of the crisis team. "Thank God I found you two together, and away from the building . . ."
Justin frowned. "Where the hell have you been? And you smell like a distillery. How could you be drinking while you're supposed to be watching Ridzik?" Justin raised his face to the sky. "What have I done to deserve this plague of idiots?"
Alexi's face closed immediately. "I don't know what you're talking about, Citizen Xiang, but I'm not drunk. As it was, I had to share a bottle with a couple of men from the Davion contingent here. It was the only way to keep an eye on Ridzik without drawing suspicion to myself. Onerous duty, to be sure, but at least they had the sense to steal a bottle of good Scotch from the Archon's reception." Alexi allowed himself a guarded grin. "And an effort well worth the information gained by it."
Justin folded his arms across his chest. "We've neither the time nor the patience for guessing games. What's Ridzik doing? Selling out the Tikonov Commonality?"
Alexi flicked a cautionary glance toward Tsen's shadowed face, but Justin waved away his concern. "Speak freely, Alexi. What is said here will go no further, and I doubt it will either improve or worsen the present situation."
Alexi took a deep breath. "Colonel Pavel Ridzik had a tryst this evening with Elizabeth Jordan Liao."
Justin felt his stomach somersault. Has the whole court gone mad?He glanced over at Tsen Shang, ruefully noting that his expression had taken on a look of determination. No, Tsen. Don't go rogue on me now.Justin grabbed Tsen's arm. "Hold it, Tsen. We don't need to stir up more trouble."
Justin turned to Alexi. "Why do you think he's after the Chancellor's wife?"
Alexi shrugged uneasily. "Ridzik is a womanizer, so it could simply be a case of lust. Though I'll wager it's more than that. I think Ridzik wants to use Lady Liz to influence the Chancellor. Ridzik bristles publicly at the preferential treatment given to the Warrior House regiments. If the Chancellor drops his support of those units, the bulk of new supplies will go to Ridzik's troops."
Justin nodded. "Interesting. Tsen?"
Shang nodded stiffly, as though hearing only distant echoes of Malenkov's words. "The motivation runs true. Elizabeth Liao has lately been caught in the crossfire of Candace and Romano's battling. Romano has hinted that her stepmother has taken lovers before to spite the Chancellor, but Maximilian either knows nothing of the affairs or he simply does not care. His preoccupation with forging a new Star League makes him oblivious to many things."
Alexi nodded in agreement with Tsen's assessment. "Now what else has happened?"
Anger smoldered in Justin's eyes. "Romano used one of her Thugee assassins to try to kill my father this evening!"
"What!" Alexei stepped closer and looked hard at Justin. "Believe me, Justin. I had no idea. I continued to check on Romano's dealings with the cultists, as you asked, but I heard nothing about this..."
Tsen angrily turned to face Justin. "You've been checking on Romano Liao?"
Justin's face hardened. "I check on all threats to Liao security."
Tsen glowered at him. "I suppose that includes me."
Justin shook his head curtly. "Not yet. You're not a problem."
Muscles bunched at Tsen's jaws. "Why do I sense some sort of hidden agenda here, Justin? Do you work for House Liao, or just one member of it?"
Justin's eyes narrowed to thin black slits. "I work to preserve House Liao in spite of itself. Imagine, Tsen, what would happen if we were not here to act as control rods in an old fission reactor! ComStar would cut House Liao off. Maximilian would try to kill Ridzik, which, in the best case, would leave him minus his most competent military commander and, in the worst case, would start an outright revolt in the Tikonov Commonality. Romano would provoke a war between the Federated Suns and the St. Ives Commonality just to spite her sister, then she'd use her influence with the Chancellor to get him to attack the Free Worlds League again."
"You are correct to characterize it as a nuclear meltdown," Tsen said.
Justin's face darkened. "And you are correct in noting I have a hidden agenda. I need a healthy and strong Capellan Confederation so that I can exact my revenge upon Hanse Davion and my father. In the coming months, I will locate their hidden research base and use the fruits of their labors against them. I would hope my success would be House Liao's success as well. Until that time, I will do anything I can to hold this insane band of rulers together."
35
ComStar First Circuit Compound
Hilton Head Island, North America, Terra
20 August 3028
Unabated fury blazed in Myndo Waterly's blue eyes. "I cannot understand this, Primus. How can you call a near assassination of a Davion Minister a 'minor incident?' " Golden hair washed across the shoulders of her red robe as she shook her head in dismay. "By now, most of the guests have heard the tale. What action will you take against House Liao?"
Julian Tiepolo looked around at the First Circuit. "Why, Precentor Dieron, we will take no action against House Liao for this disturbance. It's true the assassin managed to slip between our ROM patrols, but we killed him before he could spill anyone's blood."
That ploy will not work, Primus.Myndo narrowed her eyes. "I was unaware we had issued laser rifles to our patrols. That would denote the existence of a Stage Three emergency in our Compound."
Precentor Tharkad threw his head back, barking a harsh laugh. "This is truly absurd, Precentor Dieron. Not two days ago, you rebuked the Primus for not taking enough security precautions because Jaime Wolf arrived here armed with two swords. Now, it seems, you complain when we hear and comply with your own urgent demands."
Myndo's stare silenced Precentor Tharkad. "What I wish to know, Ulthar Everson, is whether the laser rifles were issued before three ROM agents died Thursday night, before the assassin attacked Quintus Allard and his son, or after both of those most serious incidents."
Ulthar stiffened, turning mechanically to face the Primus. "Three ROM agents dead?"
Myndo smiled slyly. Yes, Ulthar, your mentor has deemed you unworthy of trust in that matter."Well, Primus, what is the answer?"
Anger smoldered in Julian Tiepolo's slender frame, filling it out with almost palpable energy. Yet when he rebuked her, it was in a voice that he managed to keep calm through near superhuman effort. "I gave the order, Precentor Dieron, when I felt it prudent to do so. The deaths of three ROM agents were put down to misadventure. You know as well as I that the preservation of Blake's Will forces us to employ many unsavory individuals. Disputes among them break out and sometimes prove fatal, as in this case. The investigation revealed no breach of security."