- The Lucky Regiment -[]
<<Next Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter>>
- Chapter 51 -
Trouble Ahead[]
Palace Gardens
Sian, Capellan Confederation
September 23rd, 3029
15:00hrs Local Time
"I'm sorry about Alexei, Justin." Candace was strapped in behind him as he took his 'mech for a walk. There was the reassuring noise of the 'mech as it plodded along the familiar route to the firing range. Being in the 'mech reminded him of simpler times, days when didn't have to watch his back.
"He saved my life."
"It's unfortunate, even if he is a spy, I rather like him." Candace had been shocked when he was arrested at a dinner to celebrate his ennoblement at her hands. Ironically it had saved Alexei's life as he gained a few basic rights at that point, including one to some sort of trial, summary execution was theoretically no longer an option.
"I fear in trying to protect him I have endangered you."
"How much does he know?"
"Too much, yet nothing concrete."
The Capellan thing to do would have been to instantly sacrifice him to protect himself and Candace. It still might need to come to that, only now it would arouse suspicion. He'd made an impulsive decision to keep Alexei alive that now threatened to blow his cover, and even worse endanger Candace.
"Alright, Justin, it's time for you come clean on a few things."
"What do you mean?" An icy feeling of dread crept us his back.
"Well let's put it this way, I was going to ask these questions with a gun pointed at your back, but because I knew I couldn't pull the trigger I'm not."
"Oh."
"Why don't we stop the 'mech to admire the view, and you'll explain a few things."
"Of course." He realized there wouldn't be a good way to explain the mysterious death of either of them. Candace would find it a lot easier if she was the survivor, but only because her family were a mix of evil and insane.
"As far as I can see you have only really trusted two people since you arrived here, me, which is obviously appropriate, and Alexei."
"He did save my life."
"I know, and I figured you guys had some sort of male bonding thing going on, brothers in arms, or a 'Bromance' as I believe they call it in the Concordat."
"I've done my best to look out for everyone who is supposed to be loyal to you." Which was true, they were generally relatively sensible people who in stable times might even steer the Confederation down a happier path.
"I know, and I admire it, indeed I still admire the fact that when Alexei was accused you instinctively tried to protect him, unwise though it was." Evidently it had been completely out of keeping with his cover story.
"I guess it's a compliment." It's the little things the give one away he thought ruefully.
"That loyalty is why we are having this discussion here and not somewhere with my bodyguards strapping you to a table and holding a blowtorch."
"I appreciate it."
There was a note of triumph in her voice. "So I thought about it long and hard, and finally I realized that you knew you could trust him because you were certain he was loyal to your father, and thus wasn't answering to anybody else on Sian."
"Okay, but why do you think he wouldn't try to target me to eliminate a known traitor?"
"He's not stupid, and he realized you were using him as a conduit and an asset, and were probably a 'colleague'." Candace was a little too observant at times, the product of being brought up in a den of vipers.
"Hmmm." She was mostly there.
"How close am I?"
"I don't know for certain what he thinks about me, so you could be right. I hope he sees me as a friend, but I think he is very well trained, in fact exceptionally so." The calm execution of Ling had stuck in his mind.
"As opposed to you?"
"I was a serving officer in a combat role, believe me it was a full time job."
"And yet you managed to take over a spy network, and are highly regarded here for your advice." The court and senior ranks were weirdly dysfunctional, protecting one's reputation was a far higher priority than delivering long term results. He worried he had done more harm than good to the Federated Suns by providing and encouraging a professional level of service.
"My father taught me a fair bit as I growing up, and I guess I absorbed something as a youngster when he was stationed here at the embassy."
She nodded "It's in your blood, yet your emotions are too unguarded, it's why I didn't think you could be a spy." There was a shift from triumph to sadness. "It hit me pretty hard when I realized that your inner decency and loyalty were a weakness and gave you away."
He was silent for nearly a minute, unsure what he should say, Candace was nice enough to let him stew in his thoughts. "I'd do the same for you, rather more in fact."
"I realized that, when my sister's assassins come for me, I won't be lying there bleeding out alone." There was a deep bitterness in her voice, Romano's mere existence did that to people.
"I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, I promise I'll go down hard."
"That I also believe, and once again why my heart is deeply troubled."
"What now?" He had a bad feeling about where this would end.
"You tell me what your mission was and where I fit in."
"I was supposed to keep eye on Maximilian from the court, and try and report in if he did something reckless."
"I need more detail, both our lives depend on this." Trust, he mused, it wasn't just his life on the line. And now he was in a complicated position, blind adherence to orders might even be counterproductive for the Federated Suns.
"I was also supposed to acquire the myomer, I'm not sure to what end."
"Well it sounds like it's not an upgrade to request for my forces on St Ives." Suddenly fully appreciated the danger for Candace from his actions, his focus on his job had ignored the risks completion carried. "So you've somehow screwed up a few regiments, what else do I need to watch out for?"
"Malenkov didn't pass on the intel about the raid, or at least he didn't need to, my message contained the details." She paused, he'd evidently just filled in a missing piece of the puzzle for her.
"Which is why Hanse knew my messages were genuine and acted on them, it wasn't just residual parental love, you authenticated them."
He nodded.
"What else did you tell them about me?"
"I told my father I wanted to be with you, and asked for his support for us."
"Presumptuous, but long term we do need a friend on New Avalon."
"Now what?"
"You have confirmed my suspicion that we will be toast once Alexei starts talking."
"I'm sorry, you can try and sacrifice me to protect yourself." He still hadn't looked back to see her face, or whether there was a gun pointed at him.
"No need for that yet, but it is time for you to explain how our relationship fits into your orders."
"I was supposed to hang around the court for a few years, steer Maximilian away from breaching the Ares convention, make my fortune and probably head back to Solaris for a bit before getting a land grant somewhere."
"It wasn't an elaborate honeypot scheme?"
"I'm told that sort of thing requires training and even better looks than mine."
"Don't sell yourself short, but I'm proud to say I did take the lead." It was true, whilst he'd gone with the flow, it had started fairly innocently with him trying to help her heal the damage he had inflicted years earlier to her shoulder.
"Fate can be strange." Like many couples in the holovids, and especially in the Immortal Warrior series, the first time they had met had been in combat on opposing sides.
"It's ironic, I finally meet the man of my dreams and it turns out he's an enemy spy."
"If it makes you feel any better, it's been tearing me apart."
"I noticed, I thought it was the stress of us losing the war, I guess this is more noble." Or evidence he wasn't quite the field agent he thought he had been.
"Candace, I'm relieved you finally know the truth, even if it's not so good for my survival prospects."
"Me too, and in truth I was braced for worse news from you." He heard the sound of a gun going back into its holster. "Now I need your help. I have a plan to get us off world, my bodyguards can temporarily shut down the air defense, and a Dropship and waiting JumpShip will get us to St Ives."
"What about your role here?"
"I'd rather be somewhere I like, with the person I love." He felt his right shoulder being squeezed affectionately. "Don't make me regret saying that." He knew she'd been negotiating an exit strategy from the war, but hadn't expected it to be so sudden or drastic.
"I'm yours."
"We'll make our relationship work, but first I need you to work out a means to get Malenkov and young Hasek-Davion offworld with us." An interesting goal, stealing two of her father's most valuable diplomatic assets. The Tau Ceti Rangers were en route with Morgan in chains as a consolation prize after the debacle on Kathil.
"He hasn't arrived yet."
"No, but he will tomorrow, and then he'll be the leverage we need to negotiate a good peace deal with the First Prince." It was workable, and it seemed Candace's earlier overtures to New Avalon had been well received.