Reclamation (Book One of the Art of War Trilogy), page 17
‘Presumably, though, we’re not going to let them have the run of the place?’ Charlotte Asha pressed. ‘What if they continue to obliterate kaygryn targets?’
‘She’s right,’ Tanja Henrikson said, drawing everyone’s attention. ‘It’s all well and good saying that we should all talk about it and get along, but there are fuck-ups all the time, more often than not because no one can understand one another. What are we going to do if they continue to fire on Uvolon? Accidentally or not, we can’t let them keep shooting one of our worlds just because they feel like it.’
Yano and Codey traded a glance. Yano was starting to think he’d misjudged the room.
‘We’re prepared to meet the Ascendancy with military force if any UN citizens are killed or injured as a result of provar activity in the area,’ Codey said, addressing Tanja directly. ‘It’s in our position statement. I’m aware most of you haven’t seen it yet; that’s because it isn’t finished, but it will be this evening when we’ll distribute it. But essentially those will be the key tenets: condemn the violence, encourage a dialogue, warn them that we’ll use force if we have to. We are trying not to take sides in this.’
‘And the kaygryn? What about Hadan’s Reach?’ Tanja asked, not flinching from Codey’s attention as Yano suspected he’d banked on.
‘We’ve orders to lean towards the kaygryn if the situation permits it,’ Yano said before Codey lost his temper and shut her down completely. ‘We’re naturally more concerned about the people living in Anternis, of course, and if we can extricate ourselves from the mess and negotiate a ceasefire, we will.’
Tanja’s lip creased in distaste, but she merely nodded in reply. It was an unsatisfactory answer, but then it was an unsatisfactory position. Hadan’s Reach was fifty years old, and the ramifications of it were still being felt. They were unlikely to solve that political debacle in the next afternoon. Besides, it had been the kaygryn who had initiated the whole mess; it would be a cold day in hell before the UN paid for it with human blood. They needed peace with the provar much more than they needed a moral victory for the kaygryn.
‘What is the Ascendancy position on this?’ Andrea asked, neatly segueing to the next point on the agenda. ‘By the time we left for Gonvarion, we’d still had nothing through my office.’ Nods of agreement from Bennett and Tanja.
‘They’ve ignored all of our missives. Runners are turned away from the gates of five Telmun Square,’ Tanja concurred, referring to the well-known address of the provari embassy on Vargonroth. ‘We’ve had nothing since we landed either.’
‘Ascendancy networks are largely silent on the issue,’ Charlotte said, confirming what many already knew. ‘The networks our broadcast scanners have picked up, anyway – certainly not claiming that it’s comprehensive.’
‘All to be expected,’ Yano said dismissively. ‘The fact that the Ascendancy isn’t engaging anyone over the issues is nothing new. Provari attitudes to Tier-Three relations have been hardening for decades. Besides, they’ve sent two executors to this summit. Not the actions of the ignorant.’
Codey grunted his agreement. ‘We’ll have a chance to speak to the provari executors tomorrow morning before the summit. I’m not concerned about that. I’m more concerned about the kaygryn position – or lack thereof. Abena, you were canvassing this.’
Abena nodded and manipulated the central holo with her own IHD. The view transformed to a number of muted screens depicting violent clashes on kaygryn worlds and a number of kaygryn news and current events broadcasts.
‘The kaygryn position has been generally evasive and contradictory. There has been no official acknowledgement from any kaygryn worlds of the attack on the crusade fleet. It is possible that many of them simply aren’t aware of the attack.’ She shrugged. ‘It may even have been a rogue faction – we all know how fragmented the Kaygryn Federacy is. The point is, we can’t definitively say whether their political establishment is being deliberately obstructive or genuinely ignorant.’
‘Or presumably some combination of the two,’ Codey remarked.
Abena nodded. ‘Precisely. All we have on that is conjecture. What we do know, however, is that kaygryn skarls across the Federacy have actively called for intervention from other Tier-Three players. There is a kaygryn legation here which, as far as we can tell, speaks authoritatively for all kaygryn nations, so tread carefully. They’re going to want us to take an active and unified stance against the provar. They are savvy enough to know that Hadan’s Reach is still a hot topic in UN politics, and our analysis strongly suggests they’ll play heavily on this tomorrow.’
‘Okay,’ Codey said, nodding. ‘Excellent work, thank you, Abena. Kaivan,’ he said, turning to the other junior envoy. ‘The Old Colonies and Kansubashi Empire.’
‘Yes,’ Kaivan said, clearing his throat. ‘Well, I can be fairly quick on this one. The Old Colonies will be sending a legation, and since we are their biggest trading partner, they are naturally on side. The Kansubashi Empire will also be here under Isao Hasato, and we can count on their full support.’ He paused. ‘Do you need me to go on?’
Yano shook his head. ‘No.’ He knew Hasato. The man was a former Griffin pilot, decorated for bravery after the Tauran Industrial incident two decades before. They’d met at a number of diplomatic functions and Yano considered him a good friend. He made a note to ensure he met with him personally over the next few days.
‘Golgron Alliance,’ Codey said. He cancelled the holo in the middle of the room, still displaying the scenes of kaygryn unrest which had come to distract the room. ‘They’re actually already here, which is surprising. Neutral, of course. We expect them to be withdrawn and unhelpful, though not obstructive. They certainly don’t owe the provar any favours, particularly following their dispute with the Ascendancy over the Perseus ore belt, and political relations between the golgron and the UN are nominal. If we can get them onside, more’s the better, but they have a track record of non-intervention and we won’t be concerned if they remain impartial.
‘Xenos that are onside or we are actively seeking support from. This is for everyone, all right? When you’re out doing whatever it is you came here to do, these are the people we want.’ He reactivated the holo to a portrait of a pair of zhahassi males, both dressed in the traditional white and crimson robes of the Commonwealth political elite. ‘The successful anti-piracy operations on Tranquillity and in the Coriolanus and Volscian Sectors have earned the UN “Trusted Friend” status in the Commonwealth. This has given us a lot of currency within the establishment. I’ve already started lobbying zhahassi diplomats to take a more active stance against the Ascendancy, so we are all to try to have them condemn provari aggression as much as possible. The provar know that they can probably defeat the UN militarily, but an alliance of Tier-Three partners will be a much harder pill to swallow.’ He gestured to the holo. ‘These two are our key points of contact. The one on the left is Illiris Fhalco. The chap on the right, that’s Gendremar Zvell. They are both young, highly popular reformist politicians who are eating up huge swathes of formerly conservative, non-interventionist heartland. They are the rising stars, and we have their ear. If you see them, introduce yourselves, flatter them, take them out for a drink, reassure them that the UN is keen to work with them in the future. Understand?’
The usual murmurs of assent.
‘Outstanding. The quorl. Rash, unsubtle, aggressive insects. Merisgard still hangs over them. We all have to be aware that, although they’ve been brought back into the fold, the war crimes tribunal has discredited them. We don’t want to be discredited by association, all right?’
‘Still, probably the only Tier-Three player who can actually be counted on to provide military support,’ Constance said. To Yano’s amazement, Codey actually agreed with a thoughtful nod.
‘Their man goes by the name Aks-sta – he’s a personal friend of McKone. Zavian, you don’t need to worry about him.’
‘Fine,’ Yano said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
‘Last on the list, the Xhevega Enclaves.’
‘What?’ at least three people said among a collective intake of breath. Even Yano, who was supposed to be the most intelligent and well informed of the lot of them, couldn’t help a brief ripple of surprise playing across his features – and with good reason. The Xhevega Enclaves were formed of provar exiles, political pariahs and designated apostates who, under provari law, had been excised from both the Ascendancy and, in theory, Tier Three altogether – though in practice participated from the fringe of most diplomatic and trade dialogues. They existed as a collection of nation states on the planet Xhevega, on the edge of Ascendancy-controlled space, where their ships were regularly impounded by local forces and where they were routinely invaded and killed wantonly. The UN had historically lobbied on their behalf, as they had for the kaygryn, but in recent years relations had faded after a general lack of interest from the other major players.
‘The President and senior military and intelligence figures from Vargonroth have issued direct orders on this matter,’ Codey said, unperturbed by the reaction. ‘We are to privately treat with the Enclaves’ representative, a provar called Faunix Siun. The orders were light on detail and I expect they shall remain that way, but let me be clear: this is UN-wide security we are dealing with, and this Xhevegan is very precious to SOC. He’s been granted special diplomatic immunity and will attend the summit as an observer. He’ll be accompanied by a small team, all travelling under falsified details. All of them are staying here in the Voscmark, on the floor below. Under no circumstances are any of you to go down there or introduce yourselves to anyone other than Siun. Have I made myself clear, or do I need to repeat anything?’
Silence claimed the room.
‘Good.’ Codey checked the time. ‘Right, I think that concludes the introductions. Unless anyone has anything else to say, I suggest we break there.’
*
Yano spent the rest of the day in and out of briefings with Codey, the team, Velsze or some combination thereof. Occasionally he would take a break to wander around the huge open spaces of the Voscmark, revising xeno ticks, tells, vocal inflections and gestures, practising them in the echoing hallways and in front of the silent, sentinel-like ZENs. Over the course of the afternoon, he watched as more and more ships arrived in the distance, disgorging alien ambassadors and diplomats in preparation for the summit. Some would be staying in the Voscmark with them, notably the provar and the kaygryn, which Yano felt was ridiculous. The rest had their own bases in and around Vhalyssia.
When he wasn’t in briefings or ambling through the cavernous hallways, he was watching the news, reading the latest diplomatic missives and finalising their position statement, which he would give to Velsze that evening for filing and distribution. Most of this was done in the recuperation chamber on their floor, which was filled with plush couches and cushions, had a dedicated serving ZEN and a huge, five-metre holo taking up the entire southern wall. Thankfully, since Andrea Constance and her retinue had their own suite, and since Charlotte Asha had already left for the spaceport with her little entourage of pressbots, ready to clamour like a madwoman against the steel barriers for a statement, he was left in relative solitude, with only Kaivan, Abena and Codey flitting in and out when they wanted him for something specific.
As the afternoon wore into evening, the whole team regrouped in an open-air courtyard, largely talking shop as they ate dinner. Yano managed to mutter a few semi-flirtatious remarks to Tanja, though she was less receptive than he would have liked. He would have to try a different tack, probably when the whole team wasn’t present, though he grudgingly accepted in the back of his mind that his attentions would be better focussed on the impending summit.
After dinner most of them retired to the recuperation room to watch the late-night UI broadcast. Yano found it amusing to watch Asha standing in front of the spaceport talking about the arriving diplomats. He and Codey loudly shared opinions on the arriving ambassadors and discussed the war crimes tribunal on Merisgard, while Kaivan, Abena and Tanja sat quietly, occasionally laughing at their jokes and rude remarks. They all sank a few potent zhahassi beers over the course of a few hours of good-natured conversation, then Yano took his leave and made for bed, drinking in the First Contact murals on his way one last time.
His bedchamber was a large, cool and well-appointed room, with a bed big enough for a pair of zhahassi to sleep in and an en-suite bathroom retrofitted for human use. He shed his clothes and collapsed heavily onto the bed, considerably more exhausted than he realised. More missives and cables had filled his IHD inbox over the course of the evening, though none seemed particularly important and he ignored them all.
He ordered the lights off and lay spread-eagled in the dark for a few moments, adrenaline coursing through his body as he thought about the summit tomorrow, and then, predictably, Tanja. There were downloadable IHD Ultraporn programs that could impose someone’s likeness from the memory of the user onto an otherwise blank body, though he had always found the software to be tasteless and, more importantly, cheating.
He sighed loudly. He knew he would be unable to sleep naturally and was in the process of having his IHD knock him out when the door opened.
‘Codey?’ he asked into the darkness. He couldn’t be bothered to activate his corneal night-vision implants.
‘Christ, you’re quite the charmer aren’t you,’ Charlotte Asha said as she strode into the room, her clothes smelling of outdoors and sweaty alien reporters. She quickly stripped off to reveal a naked body which the Exigency Corps and all its cosmetic meddling would have been proud of. ‘Let’s just get on with it, shall we?’
Yano nodded, hiding his disappointment quite expertly as she climbed onto his artificially erected cock and screwed him aggressively.
*
The second time the door opened, it was Codey.
‘What time is it?’ Yano asked, noting somewhere in the back of his mind that Asha had left. It was still dark.
‘Get up,’ Codey said, his voice strained with anxiety. ‘Get showered and changed. We’re leaving.’
‘Christ, Bal, it’s four a.m.!’ Yano said, checking the local time on his IHD.
‘Yano, the quick-reaction force was destroyed an hour ago. We’ve just received word from Vargonroth. Jacob Rynn and thirty men are dead. The UN is preparing for war.’
FIREWALL
‘I prefer enemies to allies. Allies are fickle, treacherous, manipulative; enemies can be killed at any time without censure.’
Attributed to Commander Ingram Mack, three days before his assassination by quorl mercenaries
On dumb optics from four thousand metres up, Anternis was a latticework of glowing lines, arrow-straight capillaries of luminescent blood welling up from where the orbital construction rigs had cut into the bedrock centuries before. It was as if someone had branded the planet and the wound was still fresh, kilometres of thick tropical jungle burned away by uncaring mechanical hands and replaced with a stamp of high-tech infrastructure.
Behind them, Vos’Shan, already considerably darker despite housing seventy-five times the population of its tiny human neighbour, faded into the distance, melting before the advance of the deep blue morning haze like a tablet effervescing in water. After thirty seconds of flight, the country was blocked from view entirely by the cold peaks of the Tiberean borderlands, and on looking ahead Vondur was left staring at the vast stretch of the Bayscillic Ocean, a decommissioned orbital pylon representing the only scrap of civilisation for tens of thousands of kilometres. The thought of that vast, deep ocean made him shiver inside the thick nanogel matrix ensconcing him in the Goliath’s control capsule.
A chime in his ear informed him that he was less than a minute from their target. Anternis General Hospital was currently marked on his HUD by a pulsing turquoise chevron, hovering over a trio of architecturally impressive towers located in the densely packed centre of the city’s commercial and financial district. Surrounding it were dozens of branded skyscrapers, planetary headquarters of the many banks and corporations which had set up on Anternis in its heady days as a tax haven. A constellation of red and white altitude warning lights pulsed dissonantly up and down the length of them.
He performed a targeted topographical scan of the local area, which quickly revealed several suitable landing zones. The first was the wide, tree-lined hexagonal plaza situated in the centre of the three hospital towers; the second was the boulevard which segregated them from the surrounding buildings. The plaza was fed by five roads, one of which was a dedicated emergency access road, the rest open either exclusively to pedestrians or both pedestrians and ground traffic. He wasn’t anticipating much in the way of either.
He assigned waypoint markers to each member of the squadron, then keyed in the wideband. ‘All right,’ he said, nudging the attitude thrusters on his Goliath for a steeper descent angle. ‘Jarvin, August, I want you on the boulevard south of the xenopathology lab, at the junction of accessways five and eleven. Sergeant Cox, you take the roof of the global IHD med-uplink. Vandemarr, north-east, on the ground, junction sixteen. Syoba, Elyan, drop short, I want you both on the north-west corner of the traumatic injuries ward. I’ll be in the plaza. Watch your sectors for civilians and civilian air traffic, especially medical priority traffic. This is a functioning hospital; let’s try and keep out of the way as much as possible. Any questions?’ A chorus of negatives. ‘Good. We’re open comms so talk to each other. Any problems, you know where I am.’
