The virtual conference was centered on Iceni and Imallye, apparently facing each other across a table at which only Iceni was actually seated. To either side of Iceni were Kommodor Marphissa and Colonel Rogero. Imallye was alone. She still wore the black skin suit, the weapons, and the glittering insignia, but Imallye had added a long jacket that made the tight bodysuit less revealing. She lounged back in her seat, one elbow resting on the table, her chin lying on the palm of that arm’s hand.
Iceni studied Imallye for a long moment, then nodded to her. “Granaile Imallye. Or Grace O’Malley, as you called yourself when I knew you.”
“When you knew my father,” Imallye replied. “We’ve both changed our names, haven’t we, Madam President?”
“I was always Gwen Iceni, but now I have a different title.” Iceni clasped her hands before her. “I have a pretty good idea of what happened, but I would appreciate your confirming it.”
“I already told you,” Imallye said. “The Syndicate was worried about suppressing your rebellion, and about more star systems around here following you out of the Syndicate. I suggested a false-flag operation, where I would pretend to be a pirate warlord who had rapidly taken over a few star systems and acquired some powerful Syndicate mobile forces. That would fool rebellious elements in those star systems into thinking they already had a new master and fool you into thinking I wasn’t working hand in hand with the Syndicate. Having failed to take you down, and having put in place what it considered to be adequate safeguards against my betraying them, the Syndicate agreed to the idea.”
Iceni could not resist shaking her head. “The same basic concept as the Syndicate tried at Ulindi, only bigger. Faced with one defeat, the Syndicate tried the same tactic but on a larger scale, hoping that the result would be different. But the Syndicate’s safeguards against you were not adequate because you were not the CEO at Ulindi. You always intended to betray the Syndicate.”
“Of course I did.” Imallye waved toward the portion of space where the bulk of what remained of the Syndicate Worlds was located. “That’s what they taught us, isn’t it? Rules are for suckers. The strong do what they will, and the weak endure what they must. Do you know how old that quote is? Never mind. The point is, I owe you, because you created the opportunity I could exploit. Once I had those star systems under my nominal control, my agents could start setting things up for me to actually wrest control from the Syndicate. Same for the mobile forces that I had ‘captured.’ A lot of snakes died in a fairly short period of time. I don’t know where the Syndicate has been getting so many fanatics, but they must be running short.”
“You owe me.” Iceni made it a statement and a question.
Imallye fixed a dark gaze on her. “Yes. Not as much as you owe me, though.”
Colonel Rogero cleared his throat to break the resulting silence. “Granaile Imallye, are any of your people among those we brought off the planet?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’d like to transfer them to you.”
“You would?” Imallye grimaced. “None are mine. The Syndicate brought that ground forces unit, and the mobile forces, and the families of those people, from another region. No ties around here. How bad was it?”
“On the surface?” Rogero inhaled, exhaled, then shook his head. “Pretty bad. At the current time, I think we, humanity that is, are outclassed by enigma ground defenses. We did recover some expended enigma weaponry that should help us identify their targeting mechanisms and other information. But we’ll need to work out new tactics and get some new systems fielded before we can successfully take them on the ground.”
“Interesting.” Imallye looked at Iceni again. “I didn’t know how this part would work out. I knew the Syndicate was planning to reoccupy Iwa, to lure you in, and I was supposed to hit you in the back while you were dealing with that. I came through Iwa so I could react to whatever happened, not to destroy you, even though you made such a major production of leaking your intention to also come to Iwa so I’d show up thirsting for your blood.”
“You were very convincing,” Iceni said.
“I’m always very convincing. Sincere? That’s another matter.”
“You say you did not intend attacking me, but there is the other matter of what happened when my ship Manticore visited Moorea Star System,” Iceni said.
“Oh, that?” Imallye looked mildly regretful. “I had to maintain the illusion. The Syndicate expected me to offer no quarter to any of your followers. If I had let Manticore go the snakes would have suspected that I might be faking, and I was not prepared to make my move yet. I really was happy when your ship instead escaped, and in such a clever way.” She smiled.
Iceni raised an eyebrow at her. “But if Kommodor Marphissa had not come up with a way to escape, you would have destroyed Manticore?”
“Of course I would have. You can’t make a stew without gutting a few fish.” Imallye grinned at Marphissa, and she smiled back, both of them looking like tigers baring their teeth at an opponent.
“What a lovely metaphor,” Iceni observed, glad that the two other women weren’t actually within physical reach of each other.
Marphissa spoke warily. “Mahadhevan commanding the HuK Mahadhevan was a fake? Not a real worker who had helped kill the officers and snakes on that ship?”
“Isn’t he a brilliant actor?” Imallye said. “The Syndicate ordered him to pretend to be a worker who had led a mutiny on that unit and killed all the snakes aboard, and as things worked out, he really did turn out to be the leader of a mutiny who killed all of the snakes aboard. After you had met him, of course. Wheels within wheels, Kommodor. Never believe the first level of whatever you see.”
“What are we to believe of what we see now?” Iceni asked. “What are your plans?”
Imallye gestured slightly with one hand. “The Syndicate is going to be a little upset. I need to defend against counterattacks by them. I also need to consolidate control of the three star systems that I actually do have charge of now and begin making some changes from the Syndicate way of doing things. I can’t afford that much corruption and inefficiency, and I’d like to know that my star systems aren’t likely to revolt against me the first time they see a good opportunity the way they would have against the Syndicate. What are we going to do with Iwa?”
“Neutral ground?”
“We need to keep an eye on it,” Imallye insisted.
“I suppose we do,” Iceni said, glad that she had manipulated Imallye into suggesting it. “We could alternate providing picket ships to watch the star system. I’m not enthusiastic about the idea of setting up any sort of orbiting or planetary base here.”
Imallye shook her head. “A base would just be a target. What about the Syndicate ground forces and citizens you picked up?”
Iceni gestured to Rogero to answer.
He met Imallye’s gaze. “We can’t leave them at Iwa. Everything they brought to establish a new base on that planet was destroyed, and the planet itself isn’t in too good a shape.”
“It’s going to be in a lot worse shape when that megarock hits it,” Imallye said.
“Yes. As in the past when we have captured Syndicate personnel or found ourselves with Syndicate citizens, we are going to give them a choice. Join our forces or emigrate to one of the star systems associated with Midway if they agree to full security screening, or return to the Syndicate if they want to risk that.”
“I don’t get a shot at them?”
“That depends on how you mean get a shot at them,” Rogero said.
Imallye bared her teeth in another grin. “I know about you, Colonel. What kind of man could get an Alliance fleet battle cruiser captain to give up her command for him? The sort of man who could survive that mess on the surface and rescue a lot of citizens as well, I think. I’ll be blunt with you. I’m willing to offer them the same deal. The right to move to a star system under my control, or join my ground forces, if they agree to a full screening to ensure they aren’t Syndicate agents.”