showed it well supplied with Imperial and Lemurian Marines.
“Yer highness,” Sean began softly, his own eyes red. News had finally come. “I wanted ta say, I must say, yer father an’ mother… they were…”
“You will address me as Your Majesty, from this moment on, so there will be no misunderstanding, no possibility that any might doubt my legitimacy or intent!” Rebecca said sharply.
“Of course, Your Majesty… Of course,” Sean replied, forcing a formal tone. “The coronation’ll make it official… after the funeral, of course, but there’s certainly precedent for a direct transition of Imperial power through inheritance…” He nodded harshly. “An’ I advise ye ta seize that power immediately, or everything we-and your parents-so recently accomplished might still be undone. The primacy o’ the Governor-Emperor could still be subverted, particularly since…” Bates stopped and lowered his eyes.
“Particularly since I am a woman-and not only that! A child!” Rebecca interjected.
“There’s the issue o’ lawful age,” Bates conceded. “An’ with today’s discovery of both yer father’s and mother’s remains in the ruins o’ the Court o’ Directors… Even many who support ye will insist on the namin’ of a guardian. That cry has already begun.”
“Then you will be my guardian!” Rebecca insisted.
“You cannot name me thus, Yer Majesty. Only the courts o’ Directors or Proprietors can do so. With the one disbanded an’ the other extinct, that leaves only…”
“Who?”
“The High Admiral o’ the Imperial Navy. In this case, Lord High Admiral James McClain. Jenks’s authority ta relieve him came directly from the Governor-Emperor, but he wasn’t dismissed the service, or even reduced in grade! McClain is still high admiral.”
“Never!” Rebecca cried. “The man is a coward and a military imbecile, and if poor Bigelow’s suspicions were correct, a murderer as well! His dying words could only have meant that McClain suggested the traitorous beaters! Now McClain will surely name himself as guardian!”
Petey finally stirred and raised his toothy snout from Rebecca’s breast. “Never!” he shrieked, approximating Rebecca’s indignant tone. “Goddam!”
Realization suddenly dawned, and Courtney bolted to his feet. “At last!” he cried. “We have a true motive for this damnable atrocity! I suspected the insidious fiend all along! No one opposed the treaty reforms more, and he certainly had the opportunity! Now the proof is laid bare at last!”
“Perhaps not proof yet, Your Excellency,” Ruik tactfully interjected, “but I believe you say… the evidence of circumstance? And it does make sense. The attacker we captured conveniently-and rather oddly-died in the Navy hospital before we were able to interrogate him. If the man was murdered, who might have arranged it most easily?” He paused. “As I think on it, to call what the Lord High Admiral did in the east mishandled or incompetent is a weak understatement. Not all were convinced he did mishandle the situation, as far as he was concerned.” Ruik blinked resentment. “I was there when he was relieved for cause, and he objected, of course. Cap-i-taan Reddy and Commodore Jenks did not believe he was a traitor or that he was in league with the Doms, or they would have hanged him then, I’m sure. Perhaps they were right, but in his disgrace, he could have turned traitor since, I suppose.” He blinked consideration. “Or… It did strike others with greater understanding of human face moving than I, that even disgraced, the high ahd-mi-raal did not act… defeated?”
“Most interestin’,” Bates mused; then he looked at Rebecca. “Mr. Bradford’s right: the motive’s clear. But we ha’ nae proof his military blunders were deliberate. His actions showed incompetence, p’raps, but no more than many o’ our other commanders ha’ shown in this war! He made no bones about his disagreement wi’ the strategy either.” He glowered. “An’ ta be honest, I don’t meself believe him in league with the Doms, regardless how his actions er inactions may ha’ aided ’em. But this terrible murder… I cannot put beyond him. I stand wi’ Mr. Bradford on that.” He sighed roughly. “An’ McClain’s neither a coward nor an imbecile, Yer Majesty,” he added. “More’s the pity.”
“But how may we prove it?” Rebecca asked almost desperately. “We must at least give reason for our suspicion. How could he have arranged the murders? It is already known that those who attacked Lieutenant Ruik, Factor Bates, and myself were Dominion zealots.”
“Dominion assassins were used.” Ruik considered. “That has been confirmed by our own observations, the marshals, and Imperial Intelligence-but the high admiral is chief of Imperial Intelligence. Is he not? Who is better placed to mislead and use such creatures, particularly amid all the confusion after the revolt?” He suddenly stood even more rigid. “I am personally convinced of his guilt,” he stated, “and am certain that Cap-i-taan Reddy, Chairman Adar, and Ahd-mi-raal Lelaa-Tal-Cleraan would desire me, and all our forces currently in the vicinity of the New Britain Isles, to offer you any assistance you may require for any reason, Your Majesty.”
“Your offer goes without saying, Lieutenant,” Courtney said with a wave. “But I think you have just connected a most significant dot. Suddenly, means matches step with motive and opportunity. Who better than Imperial Intelligence to leak the plans of our campaign on New Ireland? We now know the enemy anticipated our every move there, and only courage and divine providence prevented a most… distracting disaster.” Courtney drifted with his thoughts a moment. “I have it! Perhaps the lord high admiral was not in league with the Doms, but he did use them most effectively to distract the Governor-Emperor with domestic battles. This not only weakened our thrust against the Doms-a unifying enemy, if there ever was one-but delayed the implementation of the reforms that the high admiral opposed. Reforms that once made, could not be undone.”
He looked around at the others. “I propose that he laid the egg for his plot in this very room, when we discussed the campaigns both to recapture New Ireland and to secure the continental colonies! He and those loyal to him in Imperial Intelligence then hatched the scheme to supply the Doms and rebels with information that would cause a more lengthy, costly campaign on the island, while preserving the Doms in the east as a unifying foe that he could use to consolidate his power once the Governor-Emperor and his wife were out of the way.” He looked sadly at Rebecca. “And your own demise, my dear, which was so nearly achieved. What would that have gained him?”
“With both courts an’ the entire Imperial family disposed of, the high admiral would step directly into the Governor-Emperor’s office!” Bates declared, aghast.
“No wonder he did not seem defeated when he was relieved,” Ruik said with sudden certainty. “He wanted to be relieved, to be sent back here!”
“Well. Then Admiral McClain is clearly the most likely culprit. Isn’t he?” Courtney asked, a trifle smug.
“Yes, he is, and that does constitute sufficient cause to prevent his guardianship,” Rebecca stated icily, “and hopefully get him hanged. In the meantime, I am Governor-Empress, by inheritance, and Sean Bates will be my guardian if one is required! We will see to”-her voice cracked-“my parents’ funeral and the coronation, at which I shall crush McClain’s agenda of stopping the reforms and fulfill my parents’ legacy!”
“What will you do, my dear?” Courtney asked, focusing on the girl again.
“This very instant, I command the arrest of Lord High Admiral McClain and his particular associates,” Rebecca said darkly. “We must get ahead of this plot. Initially, he will be charged with gross dereliction of duty, and face a martial court to determine whether he should be dismissed the service. That should allow us time to investigate those associates and the Imperial Intelligence Service as a whole. Remember, the ‘Honorable’ New Britain Company virtually ruled New Ireland, and I sense the hand of its remnants in this. Look more closely for connections there as well.” She considered. “We should not even mention our other suspicions just yet, I think. We do not want to frighten unknown conspirators into flight.”
“Unknown conspirators. Particular associates. Hmm.” Courtney made a face. “As your first act as Governor- Empress, I think you should be careful, my dear, not to arrest people solely because they know the admiral. I know him, you know. Besides, Captain Reddy and his Americans-human and Lemurian-are quite taken with the Constitution they all swore to defend. It contains various tedious guidelines about having actual reasons to arrest anyone, not just important traitors such as the admiral. As the somewhat reluctant representative of the powers growing attached to that Constitution, I should warn you that they take it quite seriously indeed, to the point that their articles of war-based upon what they occasionally refer to as ‘Rocks and Shoals’-also reflect those individual protections. I think they will be impressed if your first commands set the precedent that you also value individual liberties.”
“Very well,” Rebecca said, reflecting that there’d been a time when Bradford’s ironic tact would have had her laughing. “Factor Bates, please see that the lord high admiral is arrested on the charge I specified-and do find legitimate reasons to arrest any of his associates who might have knowledge of a conspiracy. I will leave the
