Just like that, the fire diminished and feeling returned to his leg. Michael opened his eyes.

  “Was it you? Did you stop the pain?”

  “If I say yes, will you listen to my proposal?”

  “What choice do I have?”

  “Thousands, Michael.”

  “But I die no matter what I choose?”

  “You were killed many years ago. You are living an epilogue. The quality of the final page has yet to be determined.”

  Michael told himself he wasn’t raising a white flag. Not yet.

  “OK. Fine. I have an open mind. What now?”

  21

  The Actuarium

  Sinto, Esperanza

  K ARA PASSED ON THE FOOD. The chopped fruit seemed edible, the assorted candies tempting, and her stomach begged her to explore the stacked meat sandwiches built on seeded black bread. Perhaps it would go down well, but she stuck to water.

  The amenities staff provided creature comforts while the team waited the Admin Council’s decision to resume. The holding suite featured comfortable furniture, pleasing music, a washroom, and a view of the city from four levels up. The setting sun cast an orange tint over the capital.

  They lacked one amenity: Comm access.

  Lt. Cambria, who shadowed them since departing Lightfoot, confiscated their personal devices. Policy, she claimed. Applied to all off-world visitors to the Actuarium.

  “It’s surprisingly good,” Rikard said after biting into his sandwich. “The meat tastes like chicken, but not quite. Otherwise, it’s no different than anything I’ve had from a good kiosk.”

  Henri tried a fruit bowl.

  “Sweet and reasonably fresh. Some familiar tastes.” He paused to consider the surroundings. “I find it remarkable, almost to the edge of impossible.”

  “What do you mean?” Kara said.

  “We’re in a different universe, yet humans have evolved identically, they speak our language, their technology is similar, they eat more or less the same food. Even the décor and the architecture shows limited variation from our own. I am not an anthropologist, but this outcome seems improbable.”

  Kara wasn’t interested in academic discussions. Yusef had not returned from his conference with Adm. Harkness, and the team waited in limbo for three hours, unable to update Lightfoot.

  “Cando used to talk about the similarities,” she said. “Engleshe, especially. For a while, he thought we weren’t separate universes, just alternate timelines. The more we learned about the Splinters and what Amayas did … well, Cando stopped trying to figure it out. His only concern was holding off the Swarm.”

  Rikard wiped his mouth with a napkin.

  “I doubt we’ll ever learn how it came to be this way. Certain matters lie beyond our grasp.” He held up his sandwich. “You really should have a bite to eat, Kara. It’s been a long day, and we don’t know when it will end.”

  “I can’t, Rikard. The meeting ended so badly.”

  “You must stop blaming yourself,” Henri said. “You took a wise strategy.”

  “They practically shouted us out of the Chamber.”

  “It wasn’t you. We entered with a flawed assumption. We believed they would leap at an opportunity to defeat the Swarm.”

  She focused on the Perons, who infuriated her.

  “They’re feeding off war. What we propose could end it.”

  Rikard talked while he chewed.

  “They’re a variation on the Chancellors.”

  Henri nodded. “I see the comparison.”

  “The Chancellors rose to power by conquering everyone. When there was no one left to fight, they built wealth by grabbing a cut of every colony’s natural resources. The Unification Guard silenced any objectors. Their scheme worked for a thousand years. These people here? The war is an endless vein of gold.”

  Henri picked through his fruit bowl.

  “Humans set aside shiny things least of all.”

  “Not quite.” Kara recalled the days after the Chancellors fell and terror gripped her parents, who feared reprisals. “Power, Henri. They can’t let go of it. They’ll kill to hold onto it.”

  “That part of the equation mystifies. From what we heard, the wealth they manage ties together twenty-one global economies. Why would it change if the war ends? Other industries would certainly rise in the absence of a grand war machine. Trade will flourish.”

  “Would it be their industry? Their trade?”

  “Point well taken,” Rikard said. “The Actuarium makes nothing. These people manage money. Without the threat of war, off-worlders might not feel compelled to follow the old ways. I doubt the problem is limited to the Council. It’s Esperanza.”

  “Hmm.” Henri scratched his chin. “You speak from experience. No one challenged Earth’s supremacy under the Chancellors.”

  Rikard chuckled, his tone ironic.

  “When that changed, look what happened to us? At some level, I think these people are genuinely frightened. They’re in a box. If they defeat the Swarm, they’ll lose their grip on the free worlds. If they don’t, they’ll face a reckoning from the Swarm. A slow drip either way, but they see the inevitable.”

  Kara sighed long and deep.

  “And we want them as allies?”

  “If we go home with our tails between our legs, we’ll still have the UNF and a fighting chance. The losses will be larger, but we won’t be sitting around waiting for the drip, drip, drip. Not like these people.”

  Rikard set half a sandwich on a plate and handed it to Kara.

  “Eat. We have a tough fight ahead, either way.”

  She complied. The sandwich wasn’t bad, though she didn’t pay much attention to her taste buds. To her surprise, she held down her food and felt a tad rejuvenated when Yusef returned later.

  He entered with Lt. Cambria at his side. Kara, Rikard, and Henri leaped from their chairs. Before he spoke to the team, Yusef whispered to the officer, who nodded and left.

  “The Lieutenant confirmed the room is not being monitored,” he said. “She verified it on the Admiral’s orders.”

  “Do you trust her?” Kara asked.

  “As well as anyone in this place.” He noticed the food. “Have they treated you well?”

  “It’s been fine, Yusef. Tell us what happened. Will Harkness recommend our proposal?”

  “He likes it. So do his aides. It might not matter.”

  “Why? He’s the authority.”

  Yusef motioned to the chairs.

  “Let’s have a seat. If you don’t mind, I’ll grab a sandwich. I was so nervous this morning, I passed on breakfast.”

  The team watched him take a bite and wash it down before he said another word. Kara tried to unknot her stomach.

  “He needs five votes for military authorization,” Yusef said. “He’s confident he’ll secure the Duma twins. He thinks the head of the Shipping Guild is a flip of the coin. The other four? He says they’re aligned with the Perons. He can’t remember the last time those four didn’t vote as a bloc.”

  “Will we have a chance to sway them?” Rikard asked.

  “Yes. The Council will open it for debate. But I need to warn you: Harkness said Council debates are stagecraft. The votes are baked in before the arguing begins.”

  “Are you saying we’ve lost?”

  “I’ll put it to you this way. The Perons have already sought a delay until at least tomorrow.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “It gets worse.” Yusef was calm, eating his sandwich as if he were chatting about routine matters. “Remember the empty seat?”

  “Yes,” Kara said. “It was another Peron. They said he was off world conducting business.”

  “Right. Alazar. Garruth’s son. He jumped to the Rally Fournos system. Recall that name?”

  Rikard did. “It was something one of the Dumas said about your proposal. He said they never entered that system because it was sacred to the Risen Ch …” Rikard’s eyes ballooned.

  “Exactly.” Yusef smiled. “Alazar Peron went to see the Empress herself, and not for the first time.”

  “What are you saying? They’re conspiring with the Swarm?”

  “Harkness avoided the details, but he wanted me to know how committed the Perons are to the status quo.” He gritted his teeth as if restraining a pent-up rage. “It’s so strange. When I was young, I heard about these fringe groups who claimed Orzed and Swarm worked together. They said every invasion was managed. I never believed it. No one I fought alongside did either. We accepted the propaganda.”

  “Allies. I can’t imagine.”

  “No, Rikard. That’s where you’re wrong. Orzed and the Risen Church are not allies. They send millions into combat to kill each other. The problem isn’t the Confederation. It’s the Council. Most of it, anyway.”

  “Yusef,” Henri said, shaking his head. “Do we have any hope?”

  “Strangely, we do, but it’s a dangerous course. We’d be better off boarding Argo and tethering home. If that was an option.”

  “Are you suggesting they won’t allow us to leave?”

  Yusef laid out everything he knew about a plot among a fifth of the Admirals to break away from the Orzed fleet and engage the Swarm directly. He cursed when he reached the part about them using Lightfoot and the UNF proposal as leverage to defy the Council and mount what was, effectively, a military coup.

  “Some time ago, Harkness won the Council’s approval to redeploy the fleet here. Officially, he said it was a safety measure. In truth, he used it as cover for his real plans. He knew he couldn’t gather a breakaway force by leaping from one system to the next. It had to happen at once, and every Captain needed to be put to the test. Will you turn and fire on your own people, or will you join the righteous cause of blasting the Swarm to hell? That’s the choice Harkness will give them when he makes his move.”

  Rikard said, “Will he show them our proposal at least?”

  “Oh, yes. Assuming he’s able to reach his own ship safely.”

  “Why wouldn’t he?” Kara asked.

  “He’s concerned about the Perons. He’s afraid their delay is a stall tactic. The longer this drags out, the more likely they’ll uncover the plot. He says the Perons control the city’s security apparatus. He also believes they’ll turn on the four of us and Lightfoot. Accuse us of being Swarm infiltrators. Order the fleet to destroy Lightfoot. Timing will be crucial.”

  “Yusef, this is insane. They’re forcing us into the middle of their fight. We’re not the enemy.”

  “Harkness and his people understand. He has many allies. Lt. Cambria is one. The delegation he planted on Lightfoot is another. He’s in direct contact with his man up there. If things go wrong, Capt. Woolsey knows to tether home rather than risk his crew.”

  “You spoke to him?”

  “I did. I ordered him not to come for us.” Yusef stared at the remains of his sandwich and then his team. “I wanted you to know all the angles, but hear me: We stand a good chance. Harkness knows his people well. He’s more complex than the man you saw in the Chamber. He said what the Perons needed to hear. He believes we’ll receive a visit from an ally before long.”

  “What do we do in the meantime?” She pointed outside. “Talk about the pretty sunset over Sinto?”

  He glanced out the window.

  “I’ve seen better on a dozen different planets.”

  Kara wasn’t buying his calm demeanor. They came here with the noblest of intentions and walked into a den of cutthroats on a par with the cruelest Chancellors or seamasters.

  Or worse.

  Why didn’t Yusef pound the walls? He gave a decade of his life to the Confederation, believed in the honor and glory of fighting the Swarm. To see behind the veil must have been humiliating.

  The quiet tension, interrupted by occasional chatter or reflection, ended an hour later when the door opened. Lt. Cambria peeked in, then nodded to someone in the corridor. When the new visitor entered, Cambria shut the door and remained inside.

  The middle-aged woman with short black hair and a pearl in each ear stood firm, hands clasped behind her back. Kara thought she exuded a lifetime of breeding. Unlike at the Council meeting, she did not wear the white ruffle around her neck.

  “I-um …” She hesitated, cracking the veneer at once. “I trust they’re keeping you comfortable?”

  “They are,” Kara said.

  “Good to know. By the way, I am Abby Duma. I’m sure you remember. It hasn’t been long.”

  Abby scanned the room with a nervous demeanor. Was she expecting someone to pop out of hiding?

  “Council Duma,” Yusef said. “We’re pleased to see you. Do you have news for us? When will the Council resume?”

  “I fear I lack an answer. The Perons are asking for morning, but we’re working to expedite. The Admiral says he’s ready to proceed.” She pointed to an empty chair. “May I join you?”

  “Please.”

  Kara didn’t know why Abby was here, but the tension dropped the moment she took a seat.

  “I do apologize for the poor communication. Also for the Council’s behavior. You came here open-handed. We treated you with disdain.”

  “First contact between cultures is bound to be fraught with misunderstandings,” Henri said. “We’ve moved beyond it.”

  Yusef did not dispute Henri’s exaggeration.

  “Adm. Harkness filled me in on the Council’s dynamic. We know what you and your brother are up against. Realistically, can you convince a majority to expedite the meeting?”

  “Doubtful.”

  “Then might I make a request?”

  “Of course.”

  “We are a one-minute worm jump from our warship. We’d like a full night’s sleep in our own beds, if that’s acceptable.”

  She crossed her legs. The lack of an immediate response told Kara everything she needed to know.

  “It’s complicated, you see. If you leave, even with a promise to return, the Perons will says it’s proof you’re not serious. They’ll use the insult as an excuse to cancel further talks.”

  They’ll also lose leverage, Kara thought, but no one made the accusation. At least they were on the same page: Let’s see what the woman really wants before pissing her off.

  “Then might we at least have beds for the night?” Henri asked.

  “There’s nothing available in the Actuarium. Only residences for executives. Sinto has many lodgings, but the timing is poor. We’re in the midst of Festus Bonaire. It’s our annual celebration. People migrate to Sinto from all over. I was attending a fair in Gaston Precinct when you arrived. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you,” Yusef said. “Council Duma …”

  “Abby will do.”

  “Abby, why are you here? You’re taking a huge risk.”

  She rubbed behind her neck. Kara recognized the reflex; her mother did the same thing in tense moments.

  “My brother warned me to stay away. He’s usually right about these things. Essentially, I need your help.”

  “I’m not sure what we can offer while we’re confined.”

  “Adm. Matook, your arrival today was a miracle on two counts. I’m convinced of it, and I’m not the only one.”

  “Explain.”

  “You fought on Hokkaido in the Fifth Battalion. Yes?”

  “I did.”

  “My brother Aden fought in the Seventh. He was killed during your tour on Hokkaido. I realize the battalions fought far from each other, but I’m sure stories circulate through the Talons. Did you ever hear about a Colonel and his team whose shuttle was destroyed by an Orzed ship that misidentified them as Swarm?”

  Yusef’s grimace said her question hit him broadside.

  “That was your brother?”

  “So, you heard the story?”

  “Everyone did. It was the first time in history a Talon ship was brought down by friendlies. The transponders and silhouettes are so different, we couldn’t believe anyone would make the mistake.”

  “Neither could his family.”

  “I heard the gunner who made the mistake was sent to the front lines. They say he was killed in combat.”

  Abby leaned back in her chair and uncrossed her legs.

  “He never made it that far. Not even to an inquisition.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, but how does it affect us?”

  “More ways than you realize. The Admiral told you the Perons have the largest voting bloc. Now. Before Aden died, the Dumas held three seats. Aden was destined to join the Council when his uncle retired. He was very popular. But he wanted to know more about our military effort. Frankly, he believed the Admiralty was doing the free worlds a disservice with their strategy.

  “He joined the Talons. He found a home there. He rose to Colonel on his own merit. He was killed five days before his discharge and appointment to the Council. Aden’s uncle had retired, and the Perons had been working to groom their own candidate. Garruth’s son Alazar, the one you did not see today.”

  Kara grew impatient.

  “I have some experience with this sort of thing,” she said. “I assume a Council position isn’t hereditary?”

  “Usually, it is. Few people realize there are many competing forces behind each of those nine seats. We present ourselves as this all-powerful entity, but we are beholden to our extended families and their allies. If they lose faith, they’ll conspire against us. I wasn’t pleasant with you today. When I sit behind the bench, I have to be strong and toe a careful line. Every vote I cast is subject to scrutiny.”

  It's the same old story.

  “You’re afraid you’ll lose whatever power you have left.”

  Kara didn’t like the tone in her reply, but she couldn’t take it back if she wanted to.

  “You’re not wrong, Miss Aleksanyan.”

  “Kara.”

  “I need to hold my seat. So does my brother. You don’t understand what’s at stake.”

  “Other than loss of wealth, no I don’t. Please explain.”