Timothy Zahn - Angelmass

Perhaps even Seraph itself.

Was Angelmass intelligent? Kruyrov's data certainly pointed that direction. Was it evil? They had only Ronyon's terrified reaction to go by, plus the vicious attacks on the various hunterships. But if the angels were influences for good, even imperfect ones, what else could a mass of anti-angels be?

He didn't have any answers. But there was one thing that was certain, and that was that they didn't have much time. Not with Angelmass only four days from Central. Not with the bureaucratic delays that would inevitably slow down any solutions even once the anti-angel's existence had been proven.

Not with the Pax war machine already at Lorelei.

No one else at the Institute could come up with an experimental procedure fast enough. It had to be Kosta's equipment, and the Daviees' huntership. And he could certainly not run any experiments from an EmDef prison cell.

Forsythe was reaching for the door now. "You're not wearing an angel, High Senator," Kosta said.

Forsythe turned back, a puzzled frown on his face. "What are you talking about?" he asked, tapping the gold chain and pendant around his neck. "What do you think this is?"

"It's a fake," Kosta said, studying Forsythe's face. The man was good, all right, every bit as competent an actor as he'd earlier accused Kosta of being. "Ronyon has the real one."

For a long moment the puzzlement persisted. Kosta held the other's gaze steadily, waiting for him to make his decision. "That's nonsense," Forsythe said at last. "You're grabbing at dust."

"I don't want to expose you, High Senator," Kosta said quietly. "I imagine this is something they can impeach you for, or whatever it is they do to elected officials here. But I don't care about that. All I want is to be allowed to go to Angelmass and find out what's happened to it. Let me go, and I give you my word that I'll come back and turn myself in."

Forsythe's mouth twisted. "Of course you will."

"It's the truth," Kosta insisted. To his mild surprise, he realized it really was. "We have to find out what Angelmass is doing—"

"All you want is to get free so you can bring me down," Forsythe cut him off harshly. "I'm the only one who can still function through this sheep-like fog the angels have everyone else buried in. If you can destroy me, there won't be anyone left to oppose the Pax."

"High Senator—"

"Forget it," Forsythe said. "It won't work. I won't let it work."

Behind him the door opened, and Pirbazari stepped inside, the two guards visible behind him.

"Central's evacuation has begun, sir," he told Forsythe. "And we're ready to take Mr. Kosta."

"I've changed my mind," Forsythe said, his voice betraying none of the rage and paranoia that had been there five seconds earlier. "I'm going to keep him locked up in here for the night."

Pirbazari blinked. "Excuse me?"

"It'll give him time to think about cooperating with us," Forsythe said. "Tomorrow morning will be soon enough to turn him over to EmDef if he decides not to."

Pirbazari shot a look at Kosta, turned his eyes back to Forsythe. "Yes, sir," he said, still clearly confused. "Ah... you going to leave him cuffed to that chair?"

Forsythe glanced at his watch; automatically, Kosta glanced at his. It was nearly ten o'clock. "Have someone bring in a cot," Forsythe said. "Then disconnect or disable all the computer and communications systems, and pull everything out of the desk safe. Have someone reverse the door lock so that it locks the room from the outside, and post a couple of guards in the outer office area."

He looked at Kosta. "After that, go ahead and unlock him. There's nothing in here he can bother."

Kosta took a careful breath. "High Senator—"

"You have until morning, Mr. Kosta," Forsythe said softly. "I'd advise you sleep on it."

The entire command deck crew was cheering as Commodore Lleshi crossed to the lift platform at the rear of the balcony. He acknowledged their acclamation with quiet nods and an occasional half smile, recognizing their psychological need for celebration but at the same time knowing full well that the war was far from over. Like all the other rebellious colonies that had defied Pax rule over the years, the Empyrean would resist to the end.

It was his job as commander to bring them to that end as quickly as possible.

Telthorst, as expected, was waiting for him as the lift platform reached the balcony. "The plan worked as you predicted, Commodore," he said as the memory-metal cage unwrapped itself. His voice and expression, Lleshi noted, were utterly neutral. "My congratulations."

"Thank you," Lleshi said, as if the other had actually meant it. "Campbell?"

"The Empyreal ships have scattered, sir," Campbell reported briskly. "Most of them are retreating toward Seraph. A few of the more damaged are heading off toward a small solar observation platform that's a few hours closer."

"The Harmonic?"

"Took off toward Seraph as soon as your boarding party left," Campbell said.

"I presume we can catch it again if we need to," Telthorst rumbled.

"I'm sure we can," Lleshi said, stepping past the Adjutor toward the tactical display, deliberately turning his back on the man. Telthorst had fought bitterly against Lleshi's Trojan Horse plan; and once it had succeeded, he had been just as vehemently opposed to Lleshi turning the liner and its shipful of potential hostages loose again. The man was never satisfied with anything. "Any signs of resistance?"

"Not yet," Campbell said. "There's a lot of communications traffic going on around the planet, but so far nothing in the way of ship movements."

"Except that one," Telthorst said pointedly.

"Which one was that?" Lleshi asked.

Campbell shot a look at Telthorst. "The system's main catapult is on the far side of Seraph," he said, touching a key. A flashing yellow light appeared on the tactical, trailing Seraph in its orbit. "So far, we haven't spotted any serious activity there."

"That will certainly change in the next few hours," Telthorst put in. "They'll surely try to evacuate some of their leaders and assets from the system. I strongly recommend we send a squadron of fighters ahead to try to cut off any such move."

"Recommendation noted," Lleshi said, mentally sending the suggestion straight to the shredder. He'd seen what Empyreal Defense warships could do, and he had no intention of putting any of his fighters outside the Komitadji's defense zone on such a foolish mission. As far as he was concerned, if Seraph's leaders wanted to cut and run they were welcome to do so.

And if they wanted to stuff their pockets on their way out, they were welcome to do that, too. There were few things that demoralized a populace more than having their leaders run out on them in a crisis, particularly leaders who looted the public treasury before taking to the hills. In Lleshi's experience, a demoralized populace usually meant a quicker and more stable surrender. "Continue."

"That's the main catapult," Campbell went on, tapping more keys. The flashing yellow light vanished and was replaced by two flashing green ones: the first right beside the circle representing Seraph, the second much farther out in the system. "Again, no activity there. But we've also got a second, smaller net/catapult system in close Seraph orbit. We're not absolutely sure—the readings are odd—but Theory Group thinks it's hooked up in a binary link to a similar net/catapult out at Angelmass."

A binary link between net and catapult? That was a neat trick. "And you saw a ship head out from there?"

"Yes, sir, about fifteen minutes ago," Campbell said. "Angelmass is twenty-two light-minutes from our current position, so if the ship did indeed go there we'll be able to see its arrival about seven minutes from now. I've got a telescope watching."