The Shadow of Saganami

absolutely truthful statement that not one of your superiors knew what you were planning to do and that your actions, in their entirety, were unauthorized.'

'Possibly.'

'Well, you're not doing it without me.'

'Why not?' For the first time there was more than a little exasperation in Terekhov's voice, and Van Dort smiled thinly.

'Partly because I refuse to pretend you pulled the wool over my eyes, as well. I don't intend to look that stupid to the rest of the galaxy. And partly because if both of us go along on this idiot's errand of yours, the Queen will have two loose warheads to blame it on. But mostly?' He held Terekhov's gaze with a fiery, unflinching eye. 'Mostly because I started this entire mess when I came up with the brilliant notion of organizing the plebiscite. If you want to come right down to it, Aivars, everything that's happened, including Nordbrandt and Westman and Monica is my fault. So if someone's going to get his idiot self killed, and possibly quite a few other people along with him, I'm going along for the ride.'

'Bernardus, that has to be the most arrogant thing I've ever heard anyone say in my entire life. One man, no matter who he is, can't possibly take the entire credit-or blame-for the actions of everyone in an entire cluster the size of Talbott!'

'Maybe not.' Van Dort's voice dropped, and he looked away at last. 'Maybe not. But I've spent my entire adult life trying to keep Frontier Security's claws off of my planet, and I've supped with the Devil to do it. I've connived, and I've pressured people, and I've extorted concessions to squeeze the last stellar out of entire planets. Whether I meant to or not, I've given my obsession my wife and my daughters. Fifteen days ago I gave it Ragnhild Pavletic and your Marines. I fed all of them into the furnace, and the absolute hell of it is that I'd do it all again. So if those Frontier Security bastards-or anyone else-think they're going to come charging in at this point and take over everything I care about, everything I've mortgaged my soul and poured out my life and the lives of the people I love to keep out of the Sollies' clutches, I'm damned well going to be there when they find out they're wrong!'

There was a moment of silence. Then Terekhov cleared his throat.

'All right,' he said finally. 'You're a bigger idiot than you seem to think I am, but if you're going to be this whiny about it, I suppose you can come along.'

'Thanks,' Van Dort said. He inhaled deeply, then turned back to face his friend again, and Terekhov gave him an off-center smile.

'Even if my suspicions are confirmed,' he said quietly, 'it's not such a sure thing Frontier Security's wrong, you know.'

'I've come to know you and your people better than that, Aivars,' Van Dort said, equally quietly. 'You may not survive, but they will be wrong.'

Chapter Fifty-One

'No, Samiha, the news from Split doesn't sound very good, does it?' Andrieaux Yvernau agreed. His tone was grave, but he couldn't quite hide the gleam in his eye... assuming he'd made the effort in the first place. He seemed poised on a needlepoint of strange excitement and defiance, midway between exhilaration and bitterness.

'I'm worried about what this may mean for the CLP, Andrieaux,' Lababibi said with a concern that was only partly feigned. 'Aleksandra's been the heart and soul of the Liberals from the very beginning. Now that she's been recalled, even her own delegation is beginning to slip away. And I don't think the example has been lost on a couple of the other delegation heads.'

'The more fools they for not having secured the full, informed approval of their own governments,' Yvernau said scornfully. 'Did they think the respectable classes wouldn't understand? Ptahhhh! ' He actually spat on the expensive carpet, his features twisted with disdain. 'Now look what they've done to themselves! Every one of them, sitting in his expensive office every night, wondering when the hounds baying at his heels will drag him down. And it'll happen to more than a few of them, Samiha. You mark my words! When the implications of Medusa's insolent time limit sink home, the fact that the idiots didn't get clear, unequivocal approval for their positions will give their opponents-and possibly their 'friends,' as well-back home the excuse to make the entire delay their fault. They'll find themselves sacrificed by the gutless wonders who can't wait to scramble onto Alquezar's wagon and fawn all over Medusa, whining 'It wasn't our fault! We didn't know what they were doing !''

Lababibi frowned ever so slightly. Even that was more expression than she'd intended to show, but the scalding venom of Yvernau's angry contempt surprised her. The New Tuscan had always prided himself on his self- control, his detached amusement at the inept maneuvers of the lesser mortals around him. He'd known he was far superior to any of them, that it was only a matter of biding his time until destiny inevitably handed him the opportunity for which he waited.

Unfortunately, the idiot never counted on Elizabeth losing her patience with all the irritating pygmies-like him-buzzing around the Convention like so many gnats. And my own Cabinet wants me to go on cooperating with this fool? She shook her head mentally. Talk about riding the ship down in flames!

Lababibi's problem was, in many ways, the opposite of Aleksandra Tonkovic's. Since the Convention was being held on her own homeworld, every single member of the Spindle System -government-not to mention every semi-literate in the street-knew every detail of what was happening. Well, every public detail, at any rate. There were still some things which were thankfully confidential. God bless smoke-filled rooms and their spiritual descendants!

But more than enough was known to prevent Lababibi from exercising anything remotely resembling the freedom Tonkovic had enjoyed... until she was yanked back to Split. Which had its upside, of course. At least no one could drag her home and accuse her of concealing critical information or formulating her own policies. The bad news was that she had no choice but to execute the policies dictated to her, whether she thought they were insane or not.

'If you think so many of the Liberal delegates are going to be recalled, what do you propose we do about it?' she asked Yvernau.

'I propose that we see how many of the stupid sheep are still willing to stand up like men-at least until they get dragged home by the scruff of their fleece.'

'That sounds very poetic,' she said tartly. 'Now, would you care to be just a bit more specific?'

'The basic situation is very simple, Samiha.' Yvernau's voice took on the lecturing note Lababibi most detested. 'In essence, Medusa's informed all of us that we're under the gun. That we face a time limit, imposed by Manticore, within which we must yield to the Star Kingdom's demand for a complete surrender of our sovereignty. If we decline to lick Queen Elizabeth's hand like proper little lap dogs, then she'll kick us aside and leave us to languish in the outer dark. Where, as the final element of her threat runs, we'll undoubtedly be devoured by Frontier Security.'

He paused, and while Lababibi would have disputed the tone and purpose of the Manticorans' statement, he'd certainly summed up the consequences accurately enough in his own, viciously angry way.

'However,' he continued, 'the truth isn't quite that cut and dried, because Aleksandra had a point. If they carry their threat through, and if Frontier Security does scoop us up, Manticore's prestige and diplomatic reliability will suffer severe damage. Possibly even irreparable damage, given how much dispute there is over the Manties' and Haven's versions of their prewar diplomatic exchanges. They're in a worse position to afford damage to their credibility than anyone else I can possibly think of.'

'So you still think, despite the formal communique from Prime Minister Alexander in the Queen's name, that it's really a bluff?' Lababibi managed to keep the incredulity out of her voice somehow.

'More than a bluff, but far short of an irrevocable policy statement. They may be threatening to do it, but it's the last thing they really want to do.'

You flaming idiot. Just what, Lababibi thought scathingly, makes you think this Cluster is important enough