Cobra Alliance

The abrupt ring from the phone made them all jump. Getting carefully to his feet, Jonny went to his desk and flipped the instrument on. 'Yes?'

It was Stiggur. 'Sorry, Jonny, but no go. Wrey steadfastly refuses to clutter his ship with useless colonial officials. His words.'

Jonny exhaled slowly. 'Did you explain how important it could be?'

'Loudly enough to scare a gantua. He simply refuses to consider anything even marginally outside his orders.'

'Then maybe I'd better talk to him again myself. Do I still have your authorization to go?'

'I guess so. But it's all academic now.'

'Perhaps. I'll get back to you.'

He disconnected and started to punch for the starfield... but halfway through the motion he paused and turned to look at Chrys.

Her eyes gazed at his, and through them to whatever pain she saw in the future. But though her lips seemed made of wood, her voice was firm enough. 'Yes. Try.'

He held her eyes another second, then turned back to the phone. A few moments later Wrey's face appeared. 'Yes? Oh, it's you. Look, Governor—'

'Mr. Wrey, I'm not going to repeat Governor-General Stiggur's arguments,' Jonny interrupted him. 'I don't care whether you can't see past your own nose and understand why this is important. The fact of the matter is that I'm coming with you to Asgard, and you can like it or not.'

Wrey snorted. 'Oh, really? They call that a Titan complex back in Dome, Moreau—the belief that you can go ahead and defy authority any time you want to. I suggest you check on my status here and consider what would happen if you tried to barge past my Marines against my orders.'

Jonny shook his head. 'I'm afraid it is you, sir, who's misunderstanding the legal situation here. Our charter clearly states that the governor-general may requisition a berth on any outgoing ship for purposes of consultation with Dominion officials. The charter makes no provision for exceptions.'

'I claim an exception anyway. If you don't like it, you can file a grievance with the Central Committee when the war's over.'

'I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. If you want to claim a legitimate exception, you'll have to present your case here, to Aventine's Council of Syndics.'

Wrey's eyes narrowed. 'What does that entail?'

Which meant the other had been on Asgard so long he'd forgotten how planet-level politics worked. For an instant Jonny was tempted to spin a genuine horror story, but quickly decided against it. Playing it straight was safer, and the truth was bad enough. 'We'll first need to assemble all the Syndics—that's the easy part; they're all on the way here already. Then you'll present your credentials and your case and Governor-General Stiggur will present his. The council will discuss the situation and probably recess to make individual studies of the charter and try to find precedents in whatever Dominion records we have on file. Then they'll reassemble for a full debate, and when that's finished they'll vote. If the law seems to allow both sides of the case, a simple majority will suffice; but if the charter regulation I mentioned seems unopposed, then you'll need a three-quarters vote to grant you a one- time exception. The whole process will take—oh, maybe three to five days, minimum.'

From the look on Wrey's face, the other had already added up the times. 'Suppose I refuse to cooperate with this little delaying tactic?'

'You're free not to cooperate... but your ship doesn't lift until all this is resolved.'

'How are you going to stop me?'

Reaching to the phone, Jonny tapped some keys, and a second later a new voice joined the circuit. 'Pyre here.'

'Almo, this is Jonny Moreau. How's security setup going?'

'All locked down, Governor,' the younger Cobra told him.

'Good. Please inform the night manager that there's no longer any rush to service the Dominion ship. It won't be leaving for a few more days.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Hold it, soldier,' Wrey snapped. 'I am a direct representative of the Central Committee, and on that authority I'm countermanding that order. Understand?'

There was a short pause. 'Governor, is his claim legitimate?'

'Yes, but this specific action seems to violate a clear charter provision. It looks like it'll be going to the council.'

'Understood, sir. Servicing operations will be suspended immediately.'

'What?' Wrey barked. 'Just a damned—'

'Out, sir.'

A click signaled Pyre's departure, leaving the rest of Wrey's outburst to expend itself in thin air. He broke off, fixing Jonny with a furious glare. 'You're not going to get away with this, Moreau. You can throw your Cobras against my armored Marines all day without—'

'Are you suggesting a firefight in the vicinity of your ship, sir?' Jonny asked mildly.

Wrey fell suddenly silent. 'You won't get away with it,' he repeated mechanically.