Second Born

"I respectfully submit, sir, that this is an opportunity to get what you want here, a permanent outpost to protect the system and an alliance with the Dyaks. But if I may say so, you need to act quickly, Cap'n. They won't stay this shocked and pliable for long."

"Princess Kinthia and I will be down as quickly as we can. How badly is the local spaceport torn up?"

"There weren't any ships there, only landing craft and workboats. There are at least a couple of intact berths. I'll send someone to meet you."

"That will be fine, Major. Come yourself, and bring your GSO-2 with you. Wellesley out." I turned to Thia.

"Change into something suitable and add a coronet, Your Highness. This just became a diplomatic mission and you're senior. Meet me at Peregrine's airlock as soon as you can."

"Of course, darling Admiral." She left the flag bridge, and I spoke to Tubby.

"Get Captain Vamana up here." Turning to the display, I said, "Grafin Ilse, Diana, please come in." A second later, Diana and the Grafin, both in service uniform, winked into view. I held up a hand to forestall questions. A minute later, Vamana appeared.

"Princess Thia and I are going down to the planet to see about arranging an alliance. Vamana, you're in charge up here until we return. Excellency, there is a Marine landing boat due here soon with a Demon computer core aboard. I presume your language skills include Alphan?"

"Of course," she sniffed. "I did work with them during the war, you know."

"I presumed as much, but it is polite to ask. Go over it and extract anything you can find that will tell us about the ships and units that spaced out of here for Medusa. Print hard copies for me, Flag Captain Vamana, and the Fleet Intelligence Officer, and make the data available in both English and Alphan under the security classification 'Most Secret -- Carmania.' Captain, you decide who has the Need To Know this information. When we return, I'll hold a staff conference and see what we have learned and what can be done with it.

"Diana, contact Second Battalion headquarters and get any information on the port's current condition you can. Excellency, be so kind as to forward the extracts as soon as they are available to Diana so we can work on them on the way back. That will be all. Dismissed." The two avatars saluted and winked out. I looked at Vamana.

"Continue with the mopping up and get me a status report. Whether we can arrange an alliance with the Dyaks or not, the fleet will be jumping out of here within 24 hours."

"Good luck, sir." I gave his shoulder a squeeze and headed for Peregrine's berth.

Mudgeon and two of his staffers, along with a squad of battle-stained Marines, were waiting when we landed. It gave me no small pleasure to replace his captain's boards with the two and a half stripe boards of a major. As the aircar took us to the Council House, he added a little more to what he had already told us. The Rajah had been beaten repeatedly, dosed with drugs meant to induce complaisance and obedience, and endured at least one session with a Demon knife artist, a fate devoutly to be avoided. The medics had flushed his system, sealed his wounds, and given him painkillers; and there was a regenn berth waiting for him aboard the Edward Jenner. He would be restored to full health quickly, a day or two at most. We set down on the plaza in front of the seat of government and went inside.

Rajah Gilbert Ali Brooke of Sarawak was waiting on a leather couch in the Chief Minister's office. His distant ancestors on Terra had first annexed, then ruled, later ceded, and remained involved in the government of the state, from the Classical Period right up to the Great Exodus. They had taken command on a new world as if by right, and the Dyaks had accepted it. After settling on their new planet, the people had petitioned the existing government to reestablish the sultanate, with the Rajah installed as a ruling constitutional monarch governing with the cooperation of the Council Negri. The Chief Minister, selected from the majority party, ran the government on a day-to-day basis but took his orders from the Rajah. It was a setup familiar to anyone from Novalbion. Dressed in a flowing white spider-silk shirt and the traditional sarong, his woven with elaborately embroidered gold edges, twinges of pain paled his face from time to time despite the meds administered by the Marine medics who hovered close by. He attempted to stand; I waved him to remain seated. This instinctively sat beside him, taking his hand and looking at him with concern.

"There is no need for ceremony, Highness," she said. "I am Princess Kinthia of Medusa; this is my husband, Admiral Prince Edward, First Space Lord of the Royal Medusan Navy. We would speak to you about the security of the Sarawak system, and the safety of your people."

"Considering my people have been under the heels of the Demons for a year, I am more than ready to listen. But mine is a poor world of fisherfolk, farmers, and flower-growers. We've nothing with which to build planetary defenses." Gilbert Ali shifted position, grimacing with pain; with her free hand Thia waved to the nearest medic, who pointed a mediscanner at the Rajah, frowned, and pressed a hypospray to the Rajah's neck. The lord of Sarawak sighed and the lines of pain in his face smoothed.

"Admiral, whatever it is you intend, I suggest you do quickly. The Rajah is in need of hospitalization. I am afraid I must insist."

One thing I learned as a young officer was never to overrule a medical officer without a damned good reason. "Very well, Doctor, to business then.

"Highness, Medusa is prepared to offer alliance with Sarawak. We will deal with the mills and reactors planted on Dyak by the Demons if it pleases you for us to do so. I think they did not do irreparable damage to the ecology here. We can discuss that when you are feeling better.

"I have the entire Medusan fleet with me. With your permission, I will station a squadron consisting of two pocket battleships, a cruiser division, and enough destroyers and scoutships to patrol the system and defend it and your people. I'll add some support ships to that, and we'll take over the spacedocks of course. I'll establish a base on the moon so it will be clear Dyak still belongs to you and your people, and we will not land on the planet unless we are invited."

The Rajah frowned. "It sounds to me as if you are annexing Sarawak, sir, without Our giving you so much as a by-your-leave. We must say We are disturbed by that."

"No, Your Highness," Thia interjected smoothly, taking control of the Medusan side of the conversation. "My husband, being a space officer, is thinking only of protecting Sarawak from the depredations of other planets and species as you experienced under the Demons. Your star is a waypoint to many other star systems, not all of which are friendly.

"Speaking for my father the King of Medusa and its government, I state that while we would welcome an alliance with Sarawak, we have no interest in your internal affairs. All we wish is your permission to insure the safety of your planet, its people, and your system so you can live in peace.

"Can you agree to that, Your Highness?"

The Rajah winced, whether from pain or from the realization that Sarawak not being a spacefaring world he was being presented with a fait accompli I could not tell.

"Yes, We can. We can work out the details such as compensation for your security force and shore leave rights later. If you would be so kind as to bring that large box on top of the liquor cabinet, we can write and sign the agreement here and now."

The box turned out to contain a voicewriter of the same sort as the one in my study at Surbiton Manor. It did not take long for Thia and Gilbert Ali to put together a draft agreement, mark it up, re-record it, and print out two copies of what later would become known as the Kinthia-Gilbert Treaty of Alliance. Thia laid them side by side on the Rajah's desk and turned to him.

"Highness, we need witnesses to our signatures. Have you government officials you would like to honor by witnessing the document?"

"When your Marines freed us, I advised my ministers and everyone else in the Council House to go home and see to their families. So far as I know, I am the only Dyak present."

I looked at the Marines Mudgeon had assigned to us. "Are you in communication with the Major, Corporal?"

"Yes, sir."

"Give him my compliments and tell him to sweep the building. I'd like him to find any Dyaks who are still here, give them the Rajah's compliments, and ask them to attend the Rajah in the Chief Minister's office. I'd like three or four of them."

"Aye aye, sir."

A short time later, there was a knock at the office door. The corporal opened it and admitted Mudgeon and three Dyaks. One was a man of a type I pegged as a minor bureaucrat, someone who filled in the details of agreements and contracts drawn up by his superiors. The two women were support staff of some kind. The important thing was they were citizens.

"Your Highness, we have our witnesses. Three of your people, and three of mine. Shall we proceed, so I can get you up to the Edward Jenner?"

Thia helped the Rajah to the chair and placed the papers on the desk in front of him. He signed, bracing his right hand with his left so his signature would not look shaky. My princess signed on the opposite side on the line with her name and rank beneath it. I turned to the three Dyaks and the three Medusan Royal Marines watching the least formal treaty-signing I'd ever heard about.

"Your turns, ladies, gentlemen. Pick a line, sign, and print your names and ranks or positions under it. Go ahead, if you please."

The one thing the bureaucrat, the staffers and the three Marines had in common was the expression of fear mixed with awe on their faces. Ordinary people simply don't sign important treaties, even as witnesses; that privilege is reserved for senior ministers and those of nobiliary or flag rank. Yet here they were, putting their names to a treaty binding Medusa and Sarawak together in mutual defense and amity. It was understandable that their hands trembled a bit as they signed.

"On behalf of Rajah Gilbert Ali and Princess Kinthia, thank you, ladies, gentlemen. Now, let's see the Rajah to the spaceport where we can get him up to the hospital ship. We have work to do and little time in which to do it."

The medics replaced the staffers and the bodyguards who had accompanied us into town. Diana was watching for us and opened the main hatch to ease Gilbert Ali's boarding the ship.

"Take him to the captain's cabin. I'll show you the way," Thia said, motioning to the two medics. I turned to my former batman.

"Sam, you're not going to like this. I'm about to steal a company of your Marines, or what's left of it. Lieutenant Regneld's company. Issue the necessary orders."

Major Mudgeon's expression did not change. "I take it you have one of your hunches, sir?"

Marines gossip worse than Palermosi grandmothers trying to arrange marriages for their granddaughters. According to the stories that filtered back to the officers from the enlisted messrooms, when Buccaneer Wellesley had a hunch you could take it to the bank. On a couple of occasions when I'd had the David Stirling, I'd changed the plan for an operation at the last moment without being able to explain why. Each time, the after-action reports had revealed if we had launched the op as planned, we'd have walked into a trap that could have cost us the battalion or the ship. Soldiers and sailors are a superstitious lot who believe in luck, even when common sense tells you that's silly.

"Yes. I'll set them up in the Peregrine and take them with me when we go in at Medusa. We're going to be far enough behind the Demons that they will have had time to launch their assault. I expect we'll be heading into a contested planetary landing at best."

"I can have the battalion loaded up and ready to board ship in four hours, Admiral. I'd feel better if I -- I mean, if we were coming with you. You might need me."

I smiled at this simple statement of loyalty. "You can do more good for Medusa here, Major. You know how to deal with high-ranking civilians better than any officer in the Corps with the possible exception of Captain Regneld. I'm expecting to come back and find you've dealt with the Demons who escaped our attack, arranged shore leave rights for the Fleet, and are on good terms with the Rajah and his government."

Mudgeon dug in his breast pocket and came out with the two stripe subdued field shoulder boards he'd worn as a captain. "Give Regneld these from me along with my congratulations. He deserves his promotion. Take care, Skipper." I gripped his shoulder for a moment and went up the ramp.

I made the lift as gentle as possible to as not to hurt Gilbert Ali, waiting until we were well aloft before feeding more power to the normal-space drive and heading for the Jenner. Diana had plotted the course and cleared the approaches. There was a medical team waiting at the lock.

"Goodbye, Your Highness. We'll be back when we can for a state visit."

"I look forward to seeing both of you again, Princess, Admiral, under more civilized conditions." Thia leaned over the medifloat that had been brought aboard and kissed the Rajah's cheek, watching as the doctor, nurses, and medics took him away. I hit the lock closure button and returned to the bridge with Thia's arm around my waist.

As we walked onto the bridge, Diana looked up from the communications console where she had chosen to manifest and said, "Admiral, I have the Grafin waiting to talk to you." I signed approval as I cut loose from the hospital ship and headed for the flagship. Her avatar winked in next to Diana and looked at us, me in the captain's chair and Thia in the gunner's seat.

"Admiral, Diana and I have been analyzing the Carmania data and what was sent up from the surface by the Marines. Captain Vamana is also looking at it -- "

"He said he was hitting the high spots," interjected Diana. "Humans can't read as fast as we can, of course."

" -- and has reached the same conclusion Diana and I have," Grafin Ilse finished, giving Diana's avatar a dirty look worthy of a grand duchess in an opera. "The Dominion ships that hypered out of here 18 hours ago are indeed an invasion force. Sonellion is the Force Commander. The Captain was not at all amused by that. He cursed for almost a minute before he ran down, and some of the words he used are not in my memory."

"We have been able to construct an order of battle for the Demons, Admiral. The heaviest ships in it are the old cruiser Orpermial and a ship named the Sarrgetunnis, which according to legend refers to a hero so strong he could carry thousands of Demons at a time across any obstacle. I judge with 90% probability this name has been given to the old Raffaelo, because that ship was built with 12 detachable sections that can go from orbit to surface and be hotels on the ground for tourists in remote areas. Each one of those could carry a battalion of troops, all their heavy equipment, and enough supplies for a week's hard fighting," said Diana.

"Sonellion has four 'recently retired' Demon Navy Irrillkam-class heavy destroyers, the ones they built with missile batteries replacing the 125mm guns. Diana and I believe he will use those for fleet defense. He also has the Vepahr, and enough scoutships to transform two merchant ships into schifftraegers. I think he'll use the scouts as pickets; Diana thinks he will use the Vepahr's scouts to patrol the approaches, and the ones from the converted ships to attack Medusa.

"There are also three standard freighters that seem to have been refitted to carry armed aircars, though I think they are transports only, that they cannot launch them while in flight. Plus, of course, two troop transports from Narstavietta the Demons appear to be using to transport shock troops. The data says those two ships are carrying two 'disestablished' regular infantry regiments. Captain Vamana said that is just a cover story to allow the Alpha Dominion to disavow them if something goes wrong."

"So you are saying, ladies, Sonellion's plan will be to strike with his Demon regular assault troops to open a hole into which he will inject anywhere from 3 to 5 Demon mercenary regiments. They will have air cover in the form of armed aircars and possibly atmospheric fightercraft, scoutships that can be used for air support or for smash-and-grabs, and at least two destroyers for in-atmosphere fire support. Any indication of ground artillery or armor?"

"Not according to the documentation from the Carmania, but the files captured on the surface refer to an exercise with light armored vehicles. The Force Commander appears to think that light armor is all he will need against a culture with nothing more potent than fieldpieces."

I chuckled without humor. "Let's leave him his delusions. Colonel Andrews has dealt with Demon patrol vehicles before this. I think Sonellion's armored light infantry will be disagreeably surprised at what Royal Marines can improvise to deal with their enemies.

"Is there any sign where he plans to make his landing?" I eased Peregrine into her berth and the docking lights turned green as the clamshell closed. We exited the ship and found Captain Vamana, Grafin Ilse, and Diana waiting.

"We are set up for an intelligence meeting in the conference room, sir," he said, falling in with us. "I presume the Grafin and Diana have brought you up to date?"

"We were just speculating where the Demons might land first," I said, walking into the lift and punching the button for the deck where the big conference room was located. "I haven't read the files yet, but I do know how the Demons think. If I were Sonellion, I would strike at Aytont first. Take the capitol, possibly capture the Royal Family and hold them prisoner to keep the people in line, or force the King to sign a treaty of alliance with him as a figurehead while the Demons ran things. Or maybe just execute him and as many of the high nobles as I could catch and annex the planet." The elevator doors opened and we crossed the passageway into the conference room. The captains of the Grafins, Commodore Ohndebul, and the fleet's intelligence staff rose to attention; I waved them back to their seats.

"We will be in order. The good news is we have signed a treaty with the Dyaks that gives us a safe harbor at Sarawak. I intend to leave a squadron of warships and the Support Squadron here; orders will be issued following this meeting saying who stays behind. The rest of the fleet will hyper out with me. I will not entertain any arguments, so save them.

"The bad news is the Alphans have a full day's start on us and weapons superior to those of the Medusan Army. While we know where they are heading, we do not know where they plan to land.

"Where do you believe the Demons are going to strike on Medusa?"

The discussion that followed was sharp, but amicable. Most of my officers were veterans of the Junker War. Vamana had been studying Sonellion longer than anyone in the room. Ohndebul had been to the Demons' homeworld in his voyaging and had the best grasp of their culture of any of us, including me. Before being stranded in the Canis System, Grafin Ilse had been a silent observer at a couple of command conferences held aboard between Demon commanders and the Junker Kommandogruppe-Hauptquartier and of course remembered all that had been discussed. The members of the intelligence staff were career professionals skilled at separating the wheat from the chaff.