Including making all the evidence go away, he thought. If he’d still had his navy access codes, he might have linked into the datanet and tried to look for clues, but they’d been canceled when he resigned. It might be interesting to see who issued the orders to dispose of the captured supplies . . .
His wristcom bleeped. “William, can you and Tanya meet me in my quarters?” Kat sounded tired. “It’s important.”
“We’re on our way,” William said.
He knocked on Tanya’s door, passed on the message, and headed for the hatch. Tanya followed him, looking every inch the professional lawyer. She’d been downloading brochures from all over the system as soon as Violence slid out of hyperspace, trying to see who might have ships they could buy. William was more than a little disturbed to notice that prices had quadrupled in the last few months. Clearly someone was investing in a great deal of military hardware.
Maybe it’s the Jorlem Sector, he thought as they picked their way through the superdreadnought’s corridors. The worlds there are richer, and they have every reason to want to buy ships . . .
The hatch opened as they approached, allowing them to step into Kat’s quarters. William had seen them before, of course, but Tanya looked a little disdainful at the bare bulkheads and bland surroundings. An experienced officer would have recognized it as a sign of another experienced officer, one who knew better than to allow herself to get surrounded by junk. It was good, he supposed, that a couple of years as a flag officer hadn’t blunted Kat’s edge. Admiral Morrison had been an indolent man long before he’d found himself on the front lines.
“William,” Kat said. She looked tired too. “And Tanya. Thank you for coming.”
“You are more than welcome,” Tanya said. “However, I have requested permission to leave this vessel . . .”
“That’s what we need to discuss,” Kat said. She nodded towards the sofa. William sat down, gently pulling Tanya with him. “Martial law has been declared on Tyre.”
William cursed. “That’s not a good sign.”
“No,” Kat agreed. “The news channels are full of hysterical raving. I’ve requested a formal sitrep from both the Admiralty and my family’s intelligence staff, but so far neither of them has arrived. The only thing that has arrived is a strict warning that neither of you are to go down to the planet.”
“This is outrageous,” Tanya snapped. She made to stand up. “I’m a citizen of Tyre, and he’s a respected naval officer . . .”
“Right now, all normal civil liberties have been suspended,” Kat said. “If you arrive at the orbital tower, you will probably be arrested.”
“I’ll file a complaint,” Tanya said. “I . . .”
“Sit down,” Kat snapped. “This isn’t anything personal. Everyone on this ship, everyone in the squadron, has been denied the same permission. Fortunately, for better or worse, you do have permission to visit the scrapyards. I was able to swing it as a favor for an allied world, as you’ll be purchasing ships here. That said”—she met William’s eyes—“you are to stay away from the media and return to the ship when you’re done.”
“They can’t do that,” Tanya said.
“It’s martial law,” Kat told her. “As I said, all civil liberties have been suspended.”
“Which will really do wonders for the economy,” William muttered. Martial law had also been declared when the war broke out, making life much harder for the average citizen. Something as simple as getting to work became a great deal more difficult when aircars were grounded and public transport shut down. “Kat . . . how long is this going to last?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “And the news reports are so vague as to be unreadable.”
Tanya huffed rudely. “We’ll leave immediately, if you don’t mind,” she said. “And we’ll find a hotel . . .”
“We’ll return to the ship,” William said. He ignored the betrayed look she sent him, as if she’d expected him to back her up. She’d been on Tyre during the war. She should know not to play games during martial law. They were lucky they were even being allowed off the ship. “Thank you for your assistance, Kat.”
She gave him a wan smile. “You’re welcome, William,” she said. “Your shuttle is already waiting for you. Good luck.”
Tanya spluttered in outrage as they left Kat’s quarters and headed down to the airlock. William ignored her, taking his datapad from his belt and checking for updates. There was no outgoing channel—it seemed that no one on the ship was permitted to talk to anyone—but a whole collection of messages from various news services crashed into his datapad as soon as he identified himself. The news was wholly bad. Mass unemployment, riots on the streets, rumors of everything from treason to alien invasions . . . He shook his head in disbelief. Had the whole world gone crazy?
He undocked from Violence, set the autopilot to take them to the nearest shipyard, and started to read the reports more carefully. Almost nothing seemed to be confirmed, not even the destruction of the Theocratic Navy, but so many contradictory rumors abounded that it was impossible to tell what was true. Was the king going to be impeached? Or were his political supporters going to push back hard? Or . . . It was madness. Protest marches right across the Commonwealth, for and against the king; rioters on the streets of Tyre, despite the best efforts of the planetary police. Some in Parliament were even calling to send in the army.
This is not going to end well, he thought. He had the uneasy feeling about the whole crisis. And where will it end?
Kat paced the CIC, torn between relief and irritation that no one had tried to get in touch with her. Violence and her crew, and the entire squadron, seemed to be hanging in limbo, neither part
