Kai offered her a thin smile. “I understand your concerns. We know they are monitoring all of our actions and key personnel. We are on New Avalon, after all. Your General Christifori will be meeting with a number of other regimental commanders and other leaders. News of this meeting here will reach them. We already have double agents that have reported that they have already taken note of the fact that your units are undergoing major refit right now. In fact, we’re going to spread counterintelligence that states the General is definitely not leading the attack, knowing full well that Katherine’s people will suspect that it is false.
“There’s more. Katherine knows that for Prince Victor to claim a true victory, he must be true to this cause in the eyes of his people. General Christifori is the perfect tool for that. He is from the Lyran Alliance, making this less than an internal fight. He’s been harmed by Katherine and has sought out justice—and made it public. Our own public relations people have played him up. It’s an easy story to buy, and one we deny if asked—adding credibility to it.”
“I guess,” Chaffee added. “The only real question is, will it work?”
“It had better,” a new voice added from the doorway. Entering the inner tent dome was the short figure of Victor Steiner-Davion. The air seemed to jump five degrees in temperature at the sight of the Prince. Most of the officers had never seen him, or if they had, only from a distance. The abrupt Kraff slowly pulled the cigar from his mouth, the closest he got to a salute. “I trust fully that the Avengers are up to the job we’re giving them. I assume you all agree?”
There was a chorus of yes sir’s, barked out in unison. Victor gave them a smile. He warmly patted several of the officers on the shoulder as he made his way to the holotable. “We are going to go out of our way to play up the minor role of the Avengers. But we’ve made sure the supplies and gear you’ve received are the kind of stuff we’d ship to a front line assault-unit. We know there are spies in our logistics chain. They’ll get the word out to Katherine.
“As far as anyone outside of this room knows, this operation is not happening. You are to tell your personnel that your role in the invasion will be as a strategic reserve. Their spies will pick that up as well and will assume that we are trying to deceive them.”
Katya smiled. “Oldest trick in the book. Get someone to believe what you want by denying it.”
“We’re counting on it working,” Victor added. “Even my visiting here today to speak with you is something that is likely to have been observed and reported. Don’t kid yourselves, there are enemies watching everything we do. We just have to learn to turn that to our advantage. And trust me when I tell you, there is more that we are going to do to convince my sister that this is indeed the primary assault. By the time we are done, she will think of Portsmouth as the most important target on the island.”
Archer smiled. I’m counting on it too. All of us are counting on this being successful. If it’s not, we’re dead. “So there you have it—our role. You have the backing and support of everyone on the staff of the Prince and of the Prince himself. Is there anyone here that believes we cannot pull this off? Anyone here that doesn’t want to jerk Katherine’s chain just one more time?”
“No. We’re behind you, sir…Sire,” Kraff added, giving the prince a glance. There were nods all around, confident nods. Even the usually reserved Katya seemed to grasp the eloquence of the plan.
“Excellent. Well then, it is New Years and we’re on New Avalon. Next year, it and all of the Alliance and Suns will be free!” he added. There was a cheer around the holotable, one that even Prince Victor joined.
• • •
Field Marshal Simon Gallagher was Champion for Katrina Steiner-Davion, Archon-Princess of the Federated Commonwealth. He wielded incredible power but at the same time served at her whim, and there wasn’t a moment that they were together that she did not remind him of that.
Despite his loyalty, he knew that he was always one mistake away from termination. He had wanted many times to correct her use of her own title; the Federated Commonwealth was gone—a memory—but he said nothing. Best not to make waves. Men like Gallagher were not allowed to retire or walk away from their mistakes; they took them to their graves.
The conference room was dark, lights dimmed so that his holographic slide show in the center of the briefing table would show up better. It made reading Katrina’s face difficult at best. It was just another ploy on her part to keep him off balance, this much he was sure of.
“What is Victor planning?” Katrina asked from her seat, elevated slightly higher than the others in the room. “And don’t rattle off facts and figures, Simon, I want your assessment.” There was a hint of bitterness in her voice.
“Highness,” he said, clearing his throat, “W\we cannot ascertain for sure what your brother’s plans are. But our experts in military analysis believe that he will strike at the Portsmouth region, perhaps at the city itself.”
“Why do you think that?” queried a smoother voice, that of Jackson Davion, the leader of Katrina’s military forces.
“Distance and facilities-wise, it is the most logical location for establishment of a beachhead.”
“And Victor will lead the assault,” Katrina added.
“Not necessarily, Highness,” Simon replied. He saw her eyebrow cock at his words. Yes, this was something she had not planned. “Remember my reports a few days ago about the Outland Legion being reinforced?”
She nodded curtly.
“Well, it appears your brother was attempting to mislead
