The Day of the Battle of Tau Ceti

“You don’t need the restraints. I’m not running back out there.”

Baeus Thalo smiled as she sat down next to her nephew’s bed. “I’m glad to hear it. You know I had to strip you of your commission, and that you’ll be in detention as soon as you’re out of care.”

“I know. I made my decision. After Felida got shot…well…we panicked, to be honest. Those of us who’d talked about it – we thought we had the whole guard on our side. Didn’t expect Lil to go the other way.”

Baeus sighed. “It was the hardest thing she’s ever done, you know.”

“She could tell me that to my face,” Jolu said.

“I asked her not to tell you, when she came to me. I….”

“No, I get that,” Jolu said. “Just…I know she hates me. She could come see me and tell me, though.”

Baeus smiled, slightly. “I believe she thinks you’d rather not see her. She did betray you, after all.”

Jolu laughed. “Betray me? No. She wasn’t the one planning a coup. Or counter-coup. Or whatever it was we thought we were doing. She took an oath, and she didn’t betray it. Can’t hate her for that. We made our decision. If she’d come with us….”

Jolu sobered. “If she’d come with us, maybe you’re dead, or maybe the others rally and she’s in drift with us, and if she was…took a miracle for me to make it back alive. I hate that I’m the only one. But if I was the only one, and the others included her…I wouldn’t have come back. I wouldn’t have wanted to.”

Chairwoman Thalo nodded. “Jolu, the council decided, after you and the others went into drift, on a plan of action. You will be placed in confinement for the rest of the crisis. In your apartment, not in the brig. This depends on your cooperation, of course, but I expect you’ll give it. Afterward…well, much will depend on whether the Empire or the Block wins the war.”

“The Empire will,” Jolu said. “I hope they do. Honestly. Cesil is a frakking moron.”

“You can’t say you didn’t learn something out there,” Baeus sighed. “If the Empire wins the war, and the Kembror Council maintains its leadership, we intend to pardon all of you, including the three we picked up in the colony. We will allow you to return to service, though you will have your rank reduced and a demerit entered on your record. And the families of the dead will receive their pensions. We understand, Jolu. This hasn’t been an easy decision for any of us. We blame the traitors in Walak. It sounds as if you do as well.”

Jolu nodded. “Twenty-one of my people are dead, because we thought the Federation stood for something…we were fools.”

“No,” Thalo said. “You were decent people who made a bad decision. We are all Kembrorans here. We all live and die together. And when we make mistakes…we forgive.”

Thalo leaned down and hugged her nephew. “I’m sorry, Jo.”

“I’m sorry, Aunt Baeus. I really am.”

It was some time later that another visitor came, wearing a crisply-pressed peacekeeper’s outfit, rank pin precisely oriented, not a mark on it.

“Decanus Ikno,” Jolu said, evenly.

“Mr. Ikno,” Lil said, quietly.

They looked at each other a long moment.

“I’m sorry,” Lil said, finally.

“No, you aren’t. You shouldn’t be. Lil, you were right. All the stuff you’ve been saying, for two years, that I’ve been laughing off…you were right. I still…I still am not sure whether I dreamed it, or whether it was real. But I almost died out there. I was saved….”

“What, some wandering hermit saved you?” Lil said, rolling her eyes. “Jolu….”

“They were humans.”

Lil stopped. “What?”

“Humans, Lil. I collapsed in a cave. They came to help me, gave me water, gave me directions toward the colony.”

Lil took a step forward. “Humans. In drift.”

“They live underground, Lil. Five hundred something of them. There’s an underground stream, through a crack in the cave wall – hells, to them it’s probably a nice extension of the cave. Pipidu said they forage during the temperate times, then ride out the extremes underground, like we do in the colony.”

“Pipidu?”

“An old woman. I think she was their healer.”

“You’re making this up.”

“I am not!”

“Where did they come from? Magic?”

“The colony!” Jolu said. “They’re pets. They ran away. I don’t know how they made it there. Maybe there’s a tunnel system from here. Maybe they brave the outdoors. I don’t know. All I know is that they made it. Pipidu said it’s a hard life, but they’re free. Like we do, here – Kembror’s harder than Diona. But we’re here. It’s ours. I don’t…I still barely believe it. But you said they were smarter than we thought. They are, Lil. They are.”

“Jolu Thalo Ikno, if you are making this up….”

“I’m not. The effects I had…was there, like, a tiny cup in there?”

Lil blinked. “There was a small hard-mushroom container.”

“They use them to store water,” he said. “It’s a lot at their size.”

Lil covered her mouth in shock. “You aren’t…you aren’t just saying this…to get me to come back?”

“I don’t deserve you to come back,” Jolu said. “Lil, you’re a better person than I am. If I’ve Iost you, I’m the idiot. But I at least want you to know that I get it now. I didn’t before, but…they’re just like us. They want to live life on their terms. They aren’t making the Federation weak. They’re what made the Federation worth defending. And if defending it means fighting them…or frak, the others, if humans are this smart, Ler and Avartle must be, right? I mean….”

Lil walked over, and leaned down, and kissed her husband’s forehead. “You could have come to this epiphany without all of this.”

“You’re the smart one, Lil.”

Lil laughed though tears. “So you…forgive me?”

“Nothing to forgive. Told Aunt Baeus that. You did your duty. I frakked mine up.”

Lil sighed. “Yes, you did. But I still love you, idiot. Just please…next time I try to tell you something….”

“I promise, Lil,” Jolu said. “I’ve learned the hard way…you’re always right.”

 

* * *

Business had concluded for the day, a brisk, three-hour session that had only just managed to completely transform the government of Federation Province.

Servant-Leader Palsa Temis smiled widely. They’d managed to tie things up quickly. He wasn’t sure who’d hit on the idea that Cesil had resigned as Poron the second he proclaimed the New Archavian Empire, but it made it easy – the council had simply voted to accept the resignations of Cesil and all his conspirators. They’d elected Temis unanimously, changed his title unanimously, and unanimously voted to petition the Empire for assistance in fighting the rebels led by the former Poron.

“Legatus-Imperator Tam, I would think you’d be happier,” he said, walking over to the young woman, who was currently staring, frustrated, at a communications beacon, listening carefully to the earpiece she wore.

“Just frustrated, Servant-Leader. Waiting for the Dodecahedron. Only a major turning point in the war, nothing…Tam, Yrusa, Legatus-Imperator, Null-Yohn-Penku-Sigma-Lama. Affirm. Affirm,” she said, sitting forward. “We have a report, but…understood. I…wait…say again?”

Temis watched the woman, who’d been frustrated, then focused…and now was suddenly…shocked?

Yrusa’s face grew more ashen as she listened on. “You can’t…a one-Ishaytan? Are they sure? I suppose not….Gods, Emperor protect them. Emperor protect them all. No, no, we will hold for further instructions. May the Emperor protect you, sir. Affirm. Tam out.”

She set down the receiver, and stared for a hard moment. “Servant-Leader, the Dodecahedron acknowledges your request for assistance. However…and I must stress, this is at the moment an issue of Imperial security….”

Temis looked at her carefully. “Whatever happened has shaken you, Yrusa. Gods help us. And I will keep it in confidence. And if you cannot share….”

“The Insectoids have invaded, and attacked the colony of humans at Tau Ceti.”

“What!?!”

Yrusa and Temis both turned their head toward the two people who had shouted that, one riding upon the other’s shoulder.

“Gods no,” Aezhay said. “Sorcha Freeman’s there. Lessy Nonahsdottir. Gods, Thurfrit….”

“You cannot tell anyone. Not yet,” Temis said. “This is still a matter of security.”

“Gama Fleet has moved to intercept them, but…if what they said is right, it’s a suicide mission.”

“Oh, Gods,” Thurfrit said. “Gama Fleet…that’s the Gyfjon. Eyrn’s with them…and Aerti.”

“And Loona,” Aezhay said. She suddenly felt very, very weak. “Oh, frak.”

Temis wished more of him was still biological. He knew he should feel a churning in his gut. He turned to the Imperator. “If they ask…no, they won’t ask, they won’t have a choice, but if they inform you that the fleets massed on our border must turn to fight this attack…tell them that we will hold Diona until the day they can liberate the rest of the province,” Temis said. “Tell them that we are with them, no matter what.”

“I will,” Yrusa said.

“Is there anything we can do?” Aezhay asked.

“No,” Yrusa said, miserably. “There’s nothing we can do but wait.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Palsa said. “Aezhay…can you get Councilor Vilam, please?”

Five minutes later, Xele Vilam was being filled in on what had happened, and Temis watched as her rage built in a way that was, in fact, genetic.

“That frakking traitor!” she shouted. “He had…he had to know. This had…he had…frak him! Frak!”

“That’s what I think, too,” Palsa said. “The Empire will want proof, though.”

Xele frowned, and turned around, and took a few steps. She had hated her father – well, the father she was currently furious at, her other dad was fine – for most of her life. But she couldn’t have imagined him working with the frakking bugs.

But the timing…it couldn’t be a coincidence.

“There will be evidence, you know,” Temis said.

“You’re right. Rimosi isn’t that bright,” Xele said. “He will have left a trail of slime that runs from Walak to Hive Prime.”

She looked into the distance for a hard moment. “It will take a few hours to hack in,” she said, not looking back. “But I’ll get it. Just please…when they ask….”

“We do not have to say that it was you that found the evidence of your father’s guilt, Xele.”

“No,” she said. “I frakking well want you to credit me with finding it. I want them to know…I’m not him. Outside the Federation, they don’t even know me like that, but here…I’m not him.”

“No,” Temis said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You aren’t. You are, near as I can tell, the best thing Jota ever did. If he was half the person you are, we would be a safe and secure people.”

“I’m a criminal,” she said. “Even if I’ve had a good patron…I’m not exactly pure.”

“We don’t need purity right now, Xele,” Temis said, with a nod. “We need a criminal to catch a traitor.”

“Well then,” Xele said, with a half-smile, “I’m your girl.”

* * *

“The attack has commenced,” Scylane said. “And it appears the Empire is aware. Our intelligence reports that the Imperial attack force appears to be making ready for a long-distance warp jump.”

“Good, good,” Cesil said. “Once the Imperials withdraw, I want you to move half the fleet to Diona. We are going to destroy the frakking traitors there.”

“Of course, sir,” Scylane said. “I assume we’ll prepare for a ground assault?”

“We will drop rubble on them until the planet is sterilized,” Cesil said, downing his drink. “We will demonstrate what happens to those who defy the New Archavian Empire.”

Scylane counted to five. “You are wise indeed, Poron, but given Diona’s agriculture…I believe it may be in our best interest to go with a less…uh…overwhelming attack.”

“You aren’t going soft, are you, Rimosi?” Cesil growled.

“Of course not, my guide. Your will shall be done. I simply wish to suggest courses of action to you, that you in your wisdom may consider them.”

“Hmm. Right, all right. Well, we can destroy Anola, yes?”

“Of course, Poron. I will begin planning at once.”

“You know, they said that Perol is on Diona, not dead.”

Scylane nodded. “Propaganda, my guide. Nothing more.”

“Ah. I see,” he said, pouring another drink. “Let me know when the Imperial fleet has withdrawn.”

“Of course, my leader,” Scylane said, with a salute.

* * *

Vanser paced in the conference room of the Sea of Icouse. They were currently making best speed for Archavia; he had half a mind to order Commander Lecyr to turn and head for Tau Ceti, but that would be suicide. That he had too damn many friends currently en route to that suicide…well, that was why he paced, while on the screens in the room, FleetComms displays and secure links danced on the screens.

“Sir,” the intercom buzzed, “we have a communication from Induperator-Imperator Zeraus.”

“Send it through, Ms. Aiaiaus. Usti, please tell me we have good news.”

“For a certain value of good, chief,” said Nix’s most senior deputy. “We just got a communication from the Federation.”

“Yeah, you said – they formed a government-in-exile, petitioned for help – sucks, Yrusa Tam did fantastic work, and it won’t pay off.”

“Maybe, maybe not. You’d communicated that your target on Vorsha said this was coordinated, right?”

“Right,” Vanser said. “The exact nature of the Federation’s involvement…that’ll take some time to figure out.”

“Maybe not,” Usti said. “Take a look.”

 

One of Vanser’s screens lit up with a series of documents. He flipped through them, idly, and then slowly, and then he stopped dead.

“Those frakking traitors…those pieces of tuppshaka…where did we get this? Is this authentic?”

“The Federation’s legitimate government, or rebel government…whatever you want to call the folks on Diona – they pulled this from Federation government archives. Not sure exactly how they got access, but Xele Vilum was with them. Vanser, we ever going to….”

“We don’t have enough evidence, and the people protecting her are much, much more important than you and me, Usti. And frankly, if Dizmona’s going to spend her time hacking into the archives of traitors, we’ll let her be. You know what this means.”

“Yeah. The Federation and the frakking bugs. Who could have imagined.”

“We should have,” Vanser sighed. “You, and me, and the rest of the Imperators. When this is done…in seven, eight years or so…we’re going to have to account for that.”

Usti nodded. “I wish that wasn’t true, chief.”

“Get this information in the hands of the Praetor-Imperii and the Minister of Defense. This changes the game. The insectoid attack is gonna have to be stopped…but when it has been….”

“Have to imagine there will be a line to string the bastards up,” Usti said, with a smile. Then, he paused. “Frak, sir…we have handshake with Gama Fleet.”

Vanser turned, and watched the understated statement of victory from Lemm Tam, and the initial horror of its cost. He did so quietly, then turned back to the screen.

“Amend the warrants,” he said, calmly. “Conspiring with an external enemy during time of war. Wanted dead or alive.”

Usti raised his eyebrows; no Imperator had issued a dead-or-alive warrant in two centuries. Then again…if ever the situation called for it….

“We’ll issue them within the hour, chief. Can’t…can’t believe it, can you? They did it.”

Vanser ventured the slightest of smiles. “It was Aerti Bass’s fleet, Usti,” Vanser said. “Of course I can believe.”

* * *

Scylane sat in his command center, trying to sort out a way to plan for an invasion of Diona that didn’t end in titanocide, without simultaneously alerting Cesil to the fact that they planned it. He decided, after consideration, that it would be best if he simply killed Cesil and declared himself the new Poron. It had been useful to leave Jota in charge, officially, but he had reached the point where Cesil was causing more problems than he was solving.

No, he would kill Cesil, declare himself Poron, and then enter into negotiations with the Empire. They were weak, they wouldn’t attack if he could give them a fig leaf. Let the Sol Federation and Sol Diaca systems go independent, give up Diona, Kembror, and the rest of the Federation. It made sense, but Cesil would never go for it if he was alive….

“Lord Rimosi, we have a communication from our allies.”

“Excellent news,” Rimosi said, walking forward and grabbing a pad from the watch officer. He glanced down at it.

Rimosi stared at it, unmoving, for a full two minutes. His face betrayed no emotion. His posture didn’t shift in the slightest. When he finally spoke, he did so with the same bored tone he generally used.

“Ms. Lenen,” he said, “I had mentioned before that I intended to visit our troops on Diaca.”

“I…don’t think you did, Lord Rimosi.”

Scylane rolled his eyes. “Why are you all so incapable of listening? The flagship of the local defense fleet, the Garba Gleebo, is it fueled and ready?”

“Of course, sir, per your orders. But….”

“Very good. Oh, and this is partly about the propaganda…call my mother, she’s staying at my house, helping my wife out, you know, we just became grandparents last year? Time just keeps moving. Anyhow, ask her to bring my wife and family with her – I want to make a show of it, you know?”

Lenen stared a long moment. “Lord Rimosi…you know, my husband and I just became parents last year. And we’ve always wanted to see Diaca.”

“You have pilot training, do you not, Ms. Lenen?”

“Yes, Lord Rimosi.”

Scylane nodded. “Well. Self-interest is something I can certainly respect. We will have room. But let me warn you, Ms. Lenen….”

“You know, Lord Rimosi, I do recall your plan now. The entire visit. I will file the flight plan immediately.”

Scylane nodded. “That’s more like it, Praetor Lenen. That’s more like it.”

Five minutes later, he was in the office of the Poron of the New Archavian Empire. “My guide, I have told you that we have significant reserve forces on Diaca.”

“Hmm?” Cesil said. “Have you?”

“Yes, yes, my leader. We have a battle plan to take Diona, it is ready to go. I am going to take the Gleebo to Diaca, and personally lead these troops into battle.”

“You think? I mean, Rimosi, look….”

“Here,” Scylane said, pouring a drink for Cesil, and grabbing one for himself. “When I see you again, we will be masters of all the Federation, and soon, the Empire itself.”

Cesil picked up the glass, and aimed it in Rimosi’s direction. “To the New Empire, long may it last.”

“To Poron Cesil, long may you lead us, sir,” Scylane said. He downed his drink in one swift motion, and shook Jota’s wrist, and left for the starbase.

He didn’t pause to grab anything, not so much as a change of clothes.