A King's Ship (Empire Rising Book 2) Read online

  “We like to show our appreciation,” Maximilian shouted over the noise before he turned to the crowd and waved for them to bring their clapping to an end.

  As the noise died down a number of servants appeared and directed the naval officers to their arranged seats. Maximilian directed James to a seat beside the head of the table and then sat at the head himself. As James sat he shook hands with Admiral Harris who was seated to his right, “Good to meet you face to face Admiral,” he said.

  “And you,” Harris replied, “For a while I didn’t think I’d be meeting anyone again. Your stunt with Haven’s gravity saved our bacon.”

  “I was just doing my duty,” James said as the servants brought out the first course of the meal, “a British naval officer is expected to put his life on the line for others. I’m just glad we were able to get here in time.”

  “About that, how exactly did you manage to get here?” Harris asked.

  At that James noticed Maximilian pause mid-sentence in his conversation with the councilor who sat opposite James and turn to hear his answer.

  “Well,” he began choosing his words carefully. “You have probably noticed that Endeavour isn’t your typical cruiser. She may be the size of a medium cruiser but she doesn’t have the armaments of one. Instead she is equipped with extra cargo space and a few other things even I don’t have clearance to know about. She is designed to be able to carry out long survey missions. Endeavour is an exploration cruiser you see, the first of her class. We had been testing her long range survey capabilities when we stumbled across your system.”

  “An interesting concept. Even so,” Harris said just as carefully, “you are still a long way from British space. We expected to bump into an Indian or a French ship sooner or later. Not a British one.”

  “That I can understand,” James said, “but as you know, we are in direct competition with the Indians for new colonial systems. My mission was to go beyond Indian space and see if we could beat them to a new system. It seems I have succeeded.”

  “That you did,” Harris said. “And I bet you found far more than you were expecting.”

  “Certainly,” James chuckled without having to fake anything. “That brings me to a few questions of my own. You know it has been more than a hundred years since any Earth power made contact with a pre-shift drive colony? You certainly gave us a surprise finding you all the way out here.”

  Before Harris could formulate an answer Maximilian interrupted the verbal sparring. “Come now Captain, there will be plenty of time later for discussing all that stuff. You are here to enjoy a good meal. Let me introduce you to Councilor Pennington. She is one of the most powerful people on Haven.”

  Sensing that he would get nowhere if he pressed the issue James turned to smile at the councilor. “My pleasure Councilwoman,” he said.

  In what followed the Councilwoman sought to impress him with the extent of her family’s businesses and her own personal wealth. Certainly the various industries her family owned and run were significant but to James they were just possessions, not overly important in the grand scheme of things. Growing up he had been surrounded by wealth and fame. His father, now dead, had been the Duke of Beaufort and one of the wealthiest Lords in the British Star Kingdom. He could have bought everything in the Haven system combined and still had plenty of credits left over.

  Despite his youth James had learnt the fleeting nature of such things for his father had committed suicide and in the aftershocks it had been revealed that he had lost most of the family fortune in bad business deals and gambling. As the younger of two sons James had always known his brother would take over the family Dukedom and business. James had been enrolled in the RSN by his father instead. Initially hating it, he had slowly come to love the navy, but in a cruel twist of fate his father had left the Dukedom to him rather than his drunk of a brother. James had always suspected his father had done it out of spite. Being landed with an almost bankrupt Dukedom hadn’t done James’ career or social life any favors. Yet, with the help of a friend from the naval academy and some good investments in the Void, his finances were starting to look very healthy. James wasn’t sure as he didn’t check such things regularly but he suspected he could give Pennington a run for her money if it came to comparing assets.

  Not that he was going to tell her that. He wanted Haven’s council dealing with him as a naval captain, not as a Duke with potential political connections and clout. Things were complicated enough as it was, besides, he thought, it is not as if I have any sway with the King or parliament.

  The meal and conversation continued on for over an hour before the servants removed the last course and two large doors were opened at the far end of the room. Taking it as a signal, the guests got up and made their way into a large reception room. A jazz band was playing and the group split as some made their way to the bar, others went to the tables that lined the room, and a few made their way onto the dance floor.

  As James paused to watch he saw Major Johnston and Agent Bell were mingling like experts with a number of the military personnel who had been invited to the reception. Johnston was actually laughing and James was delighted at seeing the change that was slowly coming over the Major. It seemed that whatever had happened with Chang on the planet had broken the anger and self-recrimination Johnston had been dealing with. James had been disappointed they hadn’t been able to recover Chang, or at least his body. Yet events had taken on a life of their own and Chang had become the least of his worries.

  With a wave of his hand he motioned Mallory and Ferguson away, both had been about to come to his side after the meal but James wanted them to continue to mingle. Whilst Mallory came from an important family in Chester it appeared that neither of the Lieutenants were comfortable among such distinguished guests. So far James had only met a few of them but it seemed everybody who was anyone had been invited to meet the British officers.

  Sighing, he stepped away from the wall and began to mingle. After sharing pleasantries with a number of people a stunningly beautiful woman in a fiery red dress stepped in front of him.

  “Hello there Captain,” she began, “or should I say Duke,” she added with a mischievous smile as she held up her hand for James to kiss in the tradition of the British aristocracy. As he lent in James took a moment to take in her beauty. Sparkling brown eyes sat wonderfully against her lightly browned skin and long dark hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back. Her red dress accentuated the rest of her body in all the right places without being too revealing. James couldn’t help it and, despite his alarm at being recognized, as he kissed the back of her hand he inhaled deeply, drinking in her perfume.

  “Don’t worry,” she whispered, waggling a finger at the look of concern that had crossed James’ face. “Your secret is safe with me. Though if I can do my homework properly it is only a matter of time before others figure it out.”

  “I guess you have me at an impasse, may I ask who you are?” James said.

  “Of course you can,” she said resting a hand on James arm. “I am Councilor Suzanna Rodriguez, I have been serving on the council for the last five years. And I might add, doing everything I can to keep this colony from falling into the hands of an aggressive Earth nation.

  “I wonder,” she said as she linked her arm through James’ and directed him to the side of the room. “May I pick the brains of one of the heroes of the Void War and an ex-consort of a princess of Britain?”

  “Of course you can, that is why I’m here,” James began. “Although I think hero is going too far, and if you know my background you’ll know I don’t exactly have much sway in British politics. I’m out here after all, as far as the Admiralty is concerned, in the middle of nowhere. That being said, I’d be happy to help you any way I can. Though I might want something in return,” he hastily added, trying to stay on top of the situation.

  “I’m sure we can come to a satisfactory arrangement,” Suzanna said with a smile. “Let me be honest though. I am
a business woman first and a politician second. Councilors are only allowed to remain in office for one term. Then we have to return to public life. I stood for election because I thought the council needed a different voice in their debates, not because I love all the political maneuvering. There may be some here who love to play the game of politics but I like to say it straight and come to the point.

  “And my point for the last five years has been this. We on Haven need to reveal ourselves to the Earth nations and the UN. We settled this colony without any help from any Earth government and we have built it up for the last two hundred years.”

  “And yes, I know,” Suzanna said, “I’m sharing details with you that we have been forbidden to share with you, but you will figure it out eventually, as will the rest of mankind now that you have discovered our home.

  “So answer me this,” she pressed on, “if we were to return to Earth with you, officially reveal ourselves, open full political dialogue and request that the UN recognize our planet and the surrounding space as a sovereign state. How do you think it would go?”

  James was taken aback by Suzanna’s openness. She meant it when she said she liked straight talking. Already she had confirmed a number of Lieutenant Scott’s guesses.

  “I’m not sure I have the experience to answer that. Though I can make a few educated guesses,” he began. “The UN Interplanetary Committee are the ones you would have to convince. They would have the power to recognize your planet as an independent planet. Yet nothing gets through the Committee without multinational support. From time to time the majority of the representatives overrules the wishes of the minority but the Earth powers are so fractured it rarely happens. No one wants to give an advantage to one of their competitors and so even if one or two nations sided with you, they would be outnumbered.

  “But even that is unlikely, if you do go to the UN, you will be going alone, without any backers. In such a scenario I’m not sure how you would get your way. Even if you had not just been attacked by an alien fleet.

  “You want me to be honest,” James said. “Well your government will have to face facts. Your defenses have been decimated. There is nothing stopping the Indians, the French or even the Canadians from coming here and forcing their wishes on you. And you know I can’t speak for my government either. Once they find out about Haven they might set their sights on you as well.”

  “So you are saying our position is hopeless,” Suzanna said in frustration. “Even if we had of come to you five years ago?”

  “Not hopeless,” James corrected, noting she had admitted that Haven had learnt of the Earth powers before the contact with the French cruiser two years ago. “Just difficult. If you had of come to the Earth powers on your own, when you rediscovered us, things might have been different. You could have made friends and alliances and worked the system until you were ready to play your cards and make a bid for independence. Now, with no navy and no defenses, you don’t have many cards left.”

  “Damn that Maximilian,” Suzanna said and James got a glimpse through her outward exterior to the inner frustration and weariness she carried around with her. “He has been so terrified that the Earth powers would come and steal his little kingdom that he has endangered our future.”

  “Maybe,” James said, not wanting to totally disagree with her. “But your First Councilor isn’t completely wrong. There are many Earth powers who would jump at the chance to add another colony to their empires. Even if it came with twenty million unruly colonists.”

  There is one other problem with your plan,” James added as it came to him. “At the moment there are no independent colonies. Every colonized planet is ruled from Earth. If Haven were allowed to keep its independence it would set a precedent. Other colonies may begin to think they can rule themselves too. I don’t think Britain would be too worried by the idea but others would. They would stop at nothing to prevent you from keeping your independence.

  “Did I hear my name being mentioned,” Maximilian said as he approached James and Suzanna.

  “Yes Sir,” James said, “but I was only speaking of how impressed I am at the job you have done here.”

  “Good, good. I must be doing something right if I can impress a naval captain with your experience. I’m sure you have visited colonies all over the Human Sphere,” Maximilian said as he rested a hand on James shoulder and gently turned him away from Suzanna.

  “I have some people I want you to meet,” he added as he beckoned the two people who had followed him over to step forward. “This is councilor Farks and my youngest daughter, Elena. Farks is one of the newest councilors elected to our planetary council and my daughter and he are engaged.”

  “Congratulations,” James said as he shook their hands.

  As he stood back Maximilian leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I wouldn’t waste your time with Ms. Rodriguez. Her family own the smaller gas mining station I’m sure your sensors picked out. They made a lot of important contributions to our colony in the past but now they have fallen back in the pecking order. If you want to make some friends with influence in the council, I suggest you get to know my soon to be son in law.”

  Raising his voice slightly so everyone could hear him Maximilian said, “He was elected with the highest majority in fifty years,” as he clasped the younger man on the back.

  James took the opportunity to glance back at Suzanna and tried to make his disappointment at being interrupted evident. Before Maximilian stepped over to block his view she simply shrugged at him and mouthed one word, politics.

  With an inward sigh James turned his attention back to Farks and his fiancée, “And what are your responsibilities in the council?” he asked.

  He was thrown into another meaningless conversation and it took all of his patience and limited acting skills to feign interest as both Farks and Maximilian alternated from trying to impress him and catching him off guard with a sensitive question.

  Finally, he thought as his COM unit buzzed. Julius was letting him know that she was beginning Endeavour’s maneuvers. For five more minutes the conversation dragged on but then, out of the corner of his eye, James saw three men in military uniforms walk into the reception. They made their way over to Admiral Harris who came over to the group that had surrounded James.

  “If you don’t mind Captain, I need to borrow the First Councilor,” Harris said as he broke into the conversation.

  “Certainly,” James said as he looked at the Admiral with a lot less respect than he had earlier in the evening. As they both walked away James saw Suzanna stalk off after them. He felt more than a little disappointed at the prospect that she too was involved in the pirated freighters.

  *

  Suzanna had stomped her feet a number of times as she had waited to get another chance to talk to James but each time an opening came Maximilian brought in another guest to introduce. More than once he had given her a very dirty look. She knew in no uncertain terms that the First Councilor didn’t want her anywhere near the British Captain.

  When Admiral Harris had suddenly interrupted them and taken Maximilian away she followed to see what all the commotion was about. When the three military personnel approached Maximilian and the Admiral she carefully latched herself onto a nearby conversation in a way that allowed her to keep an ear on Maximilian.

  “We may have an issue developing Sir,” one of the naval officers said. “The British Warship has broken orbit and is circling the planet. I have ordered the freighters to keep their distance from Endeavour but her acceleration profile is just too great. Sooner or later she is likely to come across them.”

  “Did you ask them what they are doing?” Maximilian asked with concern. “They are supposed to be staying put in orbit.”

  “They said they are testing some repairs they just completed. We asked them to return to their assigned orbit but they refused,” the officer answered. “I think whoever was left in charge up there is a bit of a hot head. She told me that if I didn’t like it I co
uld go invite the Vestarians back.”

  “I see,” Maximilian said, trying to control his anger. “Admiral, what do you suggest?”

  Harris took a moment to respond as he thought through his options. “We still have a few frigates fully functional. I suggest we hold an impromptu training exercise. We can fly the frigates into Endeavour’s path and request that they alter course. That should give the freighters some time to get out of their sensor range. They will know we are up to something but they won’t know exactly what.”

  “Very well, I want you to see to it personally. If the British learn that we were the ones who captured their freighters they will not be pleased.”

  Captured their freighters? Suzanna thought to herself. Captured their freighters? Then it hit her. For more than a year now a question had been niggling at the back of her mind. Her family’s company specialized in inner system trade and owned one of the gas mining stations. For the last few years a couple of her competitors had been making a remarkable number of breakthroughs in freighter design and propulsion. It was now obvious, the discoveries hadn’t been made by Haven scientists at all.