Convergence/Chapter 11

11
               Admiral Sakantos had always considered himself a meticulous individual. Since his captivity, he’d done his best to keep track of the time spent—if for no other reason than as a touchstone to his former life. Unfortunately, his captors had done their best to disorient him. The time he had spent on Whisper’s ship had passed in a blur, but he guessed it had been about a week. Now, he guessed he had passed three additional standard days or so in the hands of Lord Tierno, but it was hard to tell. After his initial interview, he had been escorted by a pair of red-and-black robed guards to a cell. It was a comfortable cell, to be fair—there was a desk, table, and chair along with a bed and several lamps—but it was still a cell. The indications were subtle but visible reminders of his captivity.

             The table, for one, was made of solid granite and firmly anchored to the floor with legs thirty centimeters in diameter. There was no chance he could break one off as a crude weapon. The rest of the furniture was similarly constructed and anchored; the small refresher station was likewise unassailable. While they had seen fit to provide him with a refrigeration unit filled with small bottles of water and flimsy packages of nuts and dried fruit, the controls were locked away behind a panel that resisted all attempts to access it. The sinks and refresher would only dispense so much water at a time—not that he could see any value of flooding the cell. The door and walls were featureless gray metal decorated here and there with some abstract art. All of the pieces seemed to have some kind of hand motif, distorted and abstracted into different contours and representations. One seemed vaguely oceanic, with what looked like red seaweed contorted into the shape of a grasping hand closing around dark. Another took one the appearance of a stained-glassine window, with a red hand clasping a swirl of color that might have been a galaxy. The motif was obvious: the Grasp liked to depict itself in conquering form. Sakantos was not much of an art student; he had tried to see if he could break or remove the art pieces from the wall, but to his disappointment found they were protected inside sturdy transparisteel cases. There were no windows. He wondered what occasion had led the Grasp to construct such sturdy yet seemingly genteel confinement. Did they often capture and imprison dignitaries?

             He waited for what seemed like several hours, using the time to rest on the bed they provided him. The mattress was firmly attached to the bed and there were no blankets, but the temperature was mild and he slept well. The Grasp clearly weren’t trying to make him suffer, and he suspected that was part of Tierno’s approach. Why make a captive suffer needlessly when he could simply be reminded of the Grasp’s thoroughness and capability to control him while inuring him to captivity with simple creature comforts. Still, if he had a choice between this and a festering dungeon with torture devices and pestilence. . .well, it wasn’t much of a choice.

             The sound of the door chime awoke him. Of all the things for the Grasp to put in a VIP cell, they had a door chime. He rose to his feet as the door opened a few seconds later. Two guards in the identical feature-obscuring red-and-black attire as the last set who’d escorted him stood there, flanking an Umbaran woman dressed in less militaristic finery. Her clothes were elegant without being ostentatious, and a silver clasp at the shoulder wrought in the shape of a Grasp icon indicated her allegiance. Her pale skin and bald head were in stark contrast with all the blacks, reds, and grays here. The admiral gave the new individual a derisive look, then snorted gently. Toadies and scheming underlings existed in virtually every government—and thus were just as easy to spot.

             “Admiral Sakantos, Lord Tierno requests your presence,” the Umbaran said, sibilantly drawing out each ‘s’.

             “Do I have a choice?” the admiral asked.

             The Umbaran gave him an unfriendly smile.

             “Lord Tierno would be most disappointed in your rejection of his hostility,” the Umbaran informed him. “He is a busy man, yet he has chosen to offer a meeting with you which he believes will provide mutual benefits. It would be most unwise to refuse.”

             The admiral knew a veiled threat when he heard one.

             “All right,” he said.

             He was walked along a dizzying series of corridors, all decorated in the same bland décor as his room, complete with the abstract hand-motif artwork interspersed throughout the corridors. They finally reached a fully enclosed lift, which he was ushered into. The admiral suspected it was the same one he’d used when first arriving here. It rose for several minutes—longer than his earlier trip with Whisper. Made sense that the detention level would be below a hangar. His guards were silent.

 The lift finally stopped and the door slid open, admitting them to a large operations center. The admiral was sure of it; he’d been in enough of them to recognize the sight. Various holos and repeaters seemed to show complex operations and dispositions across multiple holo screens. Banks of consoles were manned by attendants in nondescript military uniforms. The admiral felt strangely at home here—it reminded him of the Five Worlds Defense Force Command Center. A central aisle carpeted in red ran through the majority of the center, and he was escorted along it up to a dais at the end, where Lord Tierno sat in a giant chair. An enormous holo table flanked by two smaller angled displays were in front of him, allowing him to see and access whatever he wanted from the rest of the room’s myriad displays. The admiral tried to commit as much as he could to memory, though the script was unfamiliar to him, making it difficult to glean much intelligence.

 “Welcome to my usual working place,” he said. “We have much to discuss.”

 “Very well,” the admiral replied. “But I want something first.”

 Tierno gave him a thin, condescending smile.

 “Admiral, please, do you really think you have leverage here?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It doesn’t matter. You want to talk about a potential agreement or annexation—fine, I’m willing to negotiate—but only if you forestall any attacks on the Five Worlds or their outposts while we’re discussing.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Lord Tierno rubbed two fingers of his non-gloved hand together, musing, then nodded slowly.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It’s a bold request, Admiral, but I am inclined to grant it,” he said. “I gain nothing from destroying a potential vassal—but I won’t halt any ongoing operations. I will neither expand current operations nor start any new military action against the Five Worlds.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Tierno leaned closer, his red eyes malevolent, his tone tinged with threat.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Don’t think I can’t see you’re trying to stall me,” he added. “I’ll accommodate for now, but my patience has limits.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> The admiral was about to reply, when Tierno looked up and past him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Ah, I almost forgot. Forgive me, Admiral. A piece of unfinished business.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> The admiral turned to see Whisper advancing down the carpet, flanked by another pair of guards, and shuddered. Tierno merely sat back and waited.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I always try and deal with my most loyal associates in person,” he said. “Helps foster trust. I’m sure you can appreciate that.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Sakantos frowned.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “He works for you?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Tierno let the trace of a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Whisper is far too effective as a freelancer. He wouldn’t come into the fold unless there was no other option. We have a. . . mutually beneficial arrangement.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> The armored bounty hunter stalked forward silently, coming to a halt only a meter behind the admiral. Tierno did not wait for him to speak.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I trust the refit to your ship is complete? And your payment processed?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It has.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Whisper’s voice was flat, neutral, utterly devoid of emotion—and quiet.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Do you wish for anything else? You’ve completed your end of our arrangement, as we can all see—do I owe you anything?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “No,” Whisper answered. “You know how to reach me if you have future employment.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Of course,” Tierno said. “And you are still uninterested in a more permanent arrangement?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Correct.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Very well. Our contract is fulfilled. Thank you for your services.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Whisper inclined his head slightly, then turned and strode away.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “A pity,” Lord Tierno lamented. “The most effective hunter in the galaxy, but too fiercely independent to join our cause. The effort it would take to hold and break that independence is—for the moment—not worth the cost, and the process would likely ruin his effectiveness anyway.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> The admiral was more than ready to move on from subjects less discomfiting than Whisper.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “You mentioned ongoing operations earlier. What ongoing operations? How are you attacking my people?” “Just one, and it’s all but concluded,” Lord Tierno replied. “A probing attack on a remote world called Yanibar. There was a battalion of Five Worlds Defense Force naval infantry there.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I’m familiar with it,” the admiral admitted begrudgingly. “You attacked it?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I’m afraid so,” Tierno told him. “It was a. . . demonstration. Certain political interests have been attempting to use archaeological finds to rally for political unity. One of the lead agitators was connected with the dig site your naval infantry were protecting. Your soldiers were unfortunate collateral damage.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> The admiral gritted his teeth.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “What do you mean by ‘all-but-concluded’?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Lord Tierno shrugged nonchalantly.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “The camp site was overrun four days ago; the battalion was wiped out. There should be no further action needed since I doubt the Five Worlds Defense Force will be interested in sending any more soldiers to die to protect a bunch of archaeologists with more politics and imagination than common sense.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “And I’m just supposed to accept that?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Tierno gave him a sharp look.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Casualties happen in war, Admiral. Don’t be distracted from the bigger issue at hand. If you want to prevent further loss of life, then let’s discuss terms.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Lord Tierno looked over the admiral’s shoulder for a second, then settled back into his chair with only an almost imperceptible scowl. The admiral just barely caught it, but Tierno’s attention soon shifted back and his features smoothed, hiding whatever had disturbed him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Perhaps I’ve been too heavy-handed,” he said. “Your situation, this room. . . it can all seem so intimidating. It’s time to show you the benefits of Grasp rule.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He touched a control and a holo of a temperate world appeared above the holo table. The green and brown land and blue oceans were swathed in mild bands of white clouds. The admiral didn’t recognize it, but there were billions of planets in the galaxy.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Are you familiar with the world of Adumar?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “No,” Sakantos said slowly after a few seconds of studying the world.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Then it’s time you were,” Lord Tierno told him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He turned to the Umbaran aide.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Prepare my ship. The admiral and I are going to visit Adumar. It should be quite eye-opening.”