26 Realignments
REALIGNMENTS
THE REST OF my time at the hot springs was considerably less relaxing. Despite the idyllic surroundings, discussions about Fall devices tended to put me on edge.
Astrid did not know much more about the device than she’d already said.
It was a Molecular Disintegration Engine, a device which ripped apart planets at the atomic level, dissolving the strong nuclear force of anything within its field, every dissolved bond causing a chain reaction.
There were dozens of hyperweapons classified as Fall devices, each powerful enough to destroy life on a planetary scale or more.
Everyone knew they existed, but specific details were sketchy, lost to time and kept hidden by top secret research teams in the major surviving governments.
All Fall devices were terrible, but the MDE was one of the most thorough, destroying an entire planet, everything on it, even ships in low orbit, leaving behind a slowly dispersing cloud of ionized gas.
In raw destructive power, MDEs were only exceeded by solar core bombs.
Then again, there could easily be something worse hidden in Fallspace.
The worst feature of Fall devices was how completely they destroyed everything.
That was one reason the Fall was so devastating – the devices left nothing behind.
Astrid’s space forces had confirmed the planet’s destruction, but in terms of the tactical situation, I was actually more informed than her – possibly the most informed person alive about New Melbourne’s battlefields at the time the device was activated.
However, my knowledge of how many magma shells each army used in a week and how many ground shuttles were lost in each operational theater did not give me any insight as to who would have detonated a Fall device.
Or why. I hadn’t even known there was one on the planet.
“Damn. Someone must know who detonated the device,” Astrid said.
“It would have been useful for me to know this was all due to a Fall device in the first place,” I said.
“I thought you knew,” Astrid said.
“Bullshit. That’s not the sort of thing you forget to talk about,” I said.
“It’s also not something which comes up in casual conversation,” Astrid replied. “When exactly did you expect me to bring it up? When we were in bed together? At a public event? Over dinner? When would it have been a good time to confirm you knew why we are all here?”
“I still don’t think I know,” I said.
“Because somebody willfully tripped a Fall device.” Astrid’s voice was incredulous.
“You rule a huge empire, dozens of star systems, hundreds of worlds. One of them goes away, what does it matter to you? You’re still winning.”
“I’m afraid!” Astrid shouted. “What use is victory if you Allies destroy the galaxy rather than let me rule it? I’d rather make peace now than face extinction, even if it leads to my assassination.
” Another silence followed. “Of course, I’d much rather live and reign victorious, reforging the Empire with my Consort by my side. ”
“Of course,” I confirmed. “And as long as we’re dreaming, I’d like the Royal Commonwealth restored and a lasting alliance forged between our two nations.”
“And our smaller allies, like Yezhidia,” Astrid added.
“And Stelsylvania,” I finished.
“Sounds lovely,” Astrid said as she set the skycar down on the roof of her private tower on the Crystal Palace. “Think there’s a Fall’s chance of it ever happening?”
I shrugged. “Well, I am dating the Emperor. That gives us some clout.”
“Less than you’d imagine,” Astrid said with a grimace. “The Empire elects its Emperors by assassination. I make too many unpopular moves, then there’ll be a new Emperor in charge.”
“Well then,” I said, levering myself out of my seat. “Guess I better go talk to the other royal I know who’s currently in this castle.”
Half an hour later, Ingvar showed me into one of the Crystal Palace’s famous gambling parlors. I thanked him, and he gracefully vanished. Meanwhile, I walked up to the green baize table where the Duke of Lynwyzc sat with a handful of cards and a tidy pile of plates and chips.
“Your Highness,” I said, committing a slight breach of protocol by addressing him unannounced, but this was important. I bowed, then asked, “May we speak somewhere private?”
The prince looked at me with distaste as he folded his cards.
“Yes, I guess we’d better.” He stood and indicated for me to follow him.
Boleslaw rose from another table as we passed and joined our little group.
Prince Aureli led us into a private card room and shut the door.
Boleslaw produced a small bug stomper from her pocket and unfolded it, setting it on the table.
The prince sat and fished a cigar out of his waistcoat.
“Well, what is it you wanted to talk about, Captain? Or should I call you Consort?”
“Both. Neither. It doesn’t matter. Why didn’t I know about the Fall device?” I asked.
“So you know,” Boleslaw said grimly.
“Yes, I know. And so did you. This whole time, you’ve been trying to use me to manipulate the Emperor, to discover why she called us here, but you already knew.”
“We knew the Emperor was reacting to the Fall device, but we didn’t know her end goals. For all we knew, she set off the device herself to make an opening in our defense perimeter,” the prince said.
“It’s still a possibility,” Boleslaw added.
“No, it’s not,” I said with vehemence. “Astrid, the Emperor, is terrified of another Fall, and she’d rather give up everything than risk that.”
“So she’s said,” the prince said.
“And if so, it gives us leverage,” Boleslaw said.
I was so flabbergasted, I had no choice but to chuckle. “You care about leverage? We’re talking about a Fall.”
“A possible Fall,” Boleslaw clarified. “This could be the singular action of a panicked officer or rogue Imperial lord.”
“And you’re willing to risk all transhumanity on that chance?” I asked.
“Those in charge must make difficult choices,” the prince said.
“Who else knows? The Federation? The Despotate? The rest of the Commonwealth delegation?”
“Colonel Boleslaw and I are the only Commonwealth representatives here who know. This information is highly privileged. Very few people, all at the highest levels, even know at all. As for our allies, we believe many Federation delegates know, but as far as we can tell, no Despotate officers are aware of New Melbourne’s Fall.
They’re wondering why we’re asking them to analyze radiation signatures of undetonated MDEs,” the prince said.
“And we’d like to keep it that way. Don’t want them getting any ideas,” Boleslaw said with emphasis.
“Is that why you didn’t tell me? You didn’t want me getting any ideas?” I said, trying to keep my anger out of my voice.
“You lack the necessary clearance for that information…” Boleslaw said.
Before I could stop myself, I was shouting. “I was there, on that planet, hours before the device went off. If you’d told me, I might’ve helped you discover who detonated the damned device. Now we’re a week behind where we ought to be, and we might not ever figure out what happened.”
“To be honest, Captain, we couldn’t trust you.
In the first place, there’s your rank, but the moment we learned the Emperor was an old flame of yours, your loyalty became suspect,” the prince said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Now that you’ve managed to re-entangle yourself with the Emperor, your position is even more questionable.
But it seems now we have no choice but to trust you. ”
“We thought we might be able to negotiate a peace in order to investigate the Fall event, but since the Emperor made her position so abundantly clear today, we must resolve the mystery if we hope to survive this war,” Boleslaw said.
“And so, it falls to you,” the prince growled around his cigar.
“What falls to me?” I asked.
Boleslaw put her hand on my shoulder. “You’re the one everyone’s interested in now.
Lady d’Lyre, Princess Marie, even Archduke Darius and some of those demon lords.
Heck, if the Urgans had an iota of diplomatic sense, they would have sent someone to amorously entrap you rather than accusing you of treason.
We need to use your position to help find who detonated the device. ”
“And how do you expect me to do that?” I demanded.
Prince Aureli leaned over the table and blew a line of blue smoke up towards the ceiling. “The same way you got into the Emperor’s good graces. Seduce them.”
* * *
WIKTOR HAD A new outfit for me, a green dress tunic enhanced with a wide leather girdle, steel bracers, and chainmail epaulets.
“You know none of this will protect me against a zeroblade,” I commented.
“Oh hush, it makes you look fearsome,” he said as he fastened the waistbelt’s three buckles. “Besides, you can hang all your weapons from the girdle. It will distribute the weight nicely.”
“There aren’t any pockets,” I replied. I normally wore no fewer than six large pockets between my tunic and trousers. Since accepting this mission, I’d worn practically zero.
“You’re going to a fancy dinner party. You don’t need pockets,” Wiktor replied, and that was that.
When he delivered me to the Emperor so we could enter the dining hall together, she smiled appreciatively. “Well, don’t you look nice.”
I glanced back at my valet, who managed to look pleased to the gills without expressing any sort of emotion. “Yes, but don’t say so in front of my valet. He’s hard enough to deal with as it is.”
“I understand. Shall we?” Astrid offered me her arm, and we walked into the hall.
I was quiet throughout the meal, nursing a glass of wine while I pondered my conflicting orders.
Even Astrid grabbing my leg under the table garnered little response from me.
Frustrated, Astrid hissed under her breath, “For Fall’s sake, what’s the matter with you?
You’re supposed to be my willing Consort, but you’re acting like a beaten prisoner. ”