The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight

“Then should there be limits on our ability to make those kinds of mistakes?”

Drakon stared at her this time. “Is this tied in with what you were saying about changing the courts?”

“Partly.”

“What is it, exactly, that you are asking me?”

Iceni took a deep breath. “Will you agree to order no more executions or assassinations? Not unless we both decide that is necessary in each individual case?”

Another pause. “Did you discover who tried to kill Rogero?”

“No. But I’m wondering if someone else, someone who thinks that sort of tactic is run-of-the-mill business, someone who might work for you or for me, might have made that decision on their own.”

“Because that’s how things are done.” Drakon made it a statement, not a question.

“And who knows who their next target might be?” Iceni added. “I want to know, if someone goes after me, that you did not order it. We’ve got the start of something here. We’ve kept this star system stable, we have the potential for alliances with two other star systems, and we can keep growing if we aren’t destroyed. External threats are one thing. We have little control over that. But internal threats can destroy us, too. You and I have to place real trust in each other, and mutually agreeing to cease extralegal killings can be an important part of establishing such trust.”

“Why should you believe me if I say I won’t order killings?” Drakon demanded.

“Because I think you’re worth a damn, General Drakon.”

Why the hell did I say that?

But after a moment he smiled. “I’ll make you a deal, then. I will agree not to order any more executions or assassinations without your specific approval, and I’ll reemphasize to my people that they are not to conduct such operations on their own. In exchange . . .”

“Yes?”

“Call me Artur instead of General Drakon. When we’re alone, at least.”

“I don’t know. That’s a big concession,” Iceni said. “Who else calls you Artur?”

“No one. Not for a long time.”

“Then I will agree.” But if you sleep with that female again, you’re going to be “General Drakon” full-time.

Before she could say anything else, her comm unit pulsed urgently. She could hear Drakon’s doing the same. “What is it?” Iceni snapped. “This had better be an emergency.”

“It is,” Togo said. “Update your system display.”

Drakon, having listened to his own message, was already entering the command.

The image of the Midway Star System that hung above the table flickered for a moment.

“Hell,” Drakon said.

At the hypernet gate, new ships had arrived. Iceni read the identifications glowing next to them. “A Syndicate flotilla.”

“And they’ve got a battleship,” Drakon said.

“So do we,” Iceni replied.

“Their battleship probably works.”

Iceni couldn’t think of an answer to that. “Six heavy cruisers, too. How many light cruisers? Four. And ten HuKs.” Even without the Syndicate battleship, that would present a tough problem for Iceni’s warships since she lacked an operational battleship of her own. “They want this star system back badly.”

“We’re receiving a message from the flotilla,” Drakon said, tapping another control.

A window opened before them, showing a familiar person in Syndicate CEO garb. “This is CEO Boyens,” he announced. “To former CEOs Iceni and Drakon. I have been sent here to return this star system to Syndicate Worlds’ control.

“You’re both guilty of treason. If you want to make a deal, you’d better make me a very good offer and make it soon.” Boyens offered them a standard CEO smile with a visible trace of smugness, then the brief message ended.

After a long moment of silence, Drakon glanced at Iceni. “Any suggestions?”

She shook her head. “Appealing to the better nature of CEO Boyens is unlikely to accomplish anything. He’s far from the worst Syndicate official I ever dealt with, but he’s very ambitious. What do we have to offer him?”

“As a bribe?” Drakon asked. “The most valuable things in this star system are you and me. If you want, we can flip a coin to see which of us offers up the other.”

“He doesn’t need to settle for one of us,” Iceni said. “Not with a force of that size. What we need—” She broke off as a new alarm sounded, this with a different note, a special note engraved in her memory. “No.”

Drakon was eyeing the display, his expression even grimmer than before. “Yes. The enigmas are back.”

The Syndicate force had arrived hours ago at the hypernet gate. The enigma force, coming in at the jump point from Pele, had also been in-system for a few hours, the light from its arrival only just reaching this planet. Boyens would be seeing them at about the same time, and realizing that his plans for reconquering the star system would have to change.

Iceni watched the symbols marking alien warships multiplying rapidly. “It’s a strong assault force,” she said, surprised that her voice sounded so steady. “They’re not here to just hit-and-run.”