Chapter 22
“Commence salute.” Garret ordered in a quiet voice and closed his eyes for a brief moment while memories washed over him. He’d been just fourteen the last time he’d passed by this place, and it looked far different than the first time he’d seen the small moon. At his order, all the ships in the fleet began firing their lasers on continuous stream at low power. They formed arcs of red, blue and green in a pattern that resembled the flag of the Republic.
The command table showed a holo representation being recorded from a police corvette in high orbit over Braxix and Garret made a mental note to congratulate all those involved in planning and executing this display. It looked damn fine and was a fitting tribute to those who had died holding that moon. Aaron was standing to his left, and a quick glance showed tears in his eyes. The young man was wearing a dark blue suit made of levvin. Masako was on Garret’s right in a formal robe of Atrix colors while Garret wore his own midnight blue denim suit with a silver dress shirt.
Ghost images flittered across Garret’s mind as he remembered the sights, sounds, and smells of those horrible weeks on that moon. At first the chemical attacks hadn’t been that bad, but as the days progressed they had gotten worse until the only area left free of chemical residue had been the command bunker. Even the quarters Garret had shared with Aaron’s brother had become so contaminated that he’d slept in his chemical protection gear. Every time he ate something, drank something, or took a leak he’d been exposed to some of the chemical residue.
Thanks to the genetic engineering of his immune system, he was only mildly sick from the gas instead of dying, although that was just from small quantities of the residue. Large quantities without protective gear would have killed him much the same as it had killed the older Lewis boy. As un-engineered officers died or fled underground to the command bunker, the defense of Braxix had fallen on the shoulders of clone sergeants, the few junior officers who had been genetically enhanced, and of course Garret, then a cadet. He’d ended up in command of the ground forces for the last two weeks of the siege after all the senior enhanced officers had died.
When the fight was over, and the Imperials had fled the battlefield, Garret had been rushed onto a courier ship for three days of leave with his family before returning to his second year at the Academy. Billy had seen fighting too, but he’d been assigned to a unit near Galundon where the fighting had been less intense and less deadly. That was the first time he could ever remember feeling different from his brother. Billy still had a lot of the exuberance of a teenager, but Garret had grown up in those weeks on Braxix and he had left behind the last traces of his childhood on the stony ground of that moon.
“It looks like a dead moon.” Aaron said softly as the salute ended and the moon was the center of the holographic display of the command table.
“It is a dead moon, now.” Garret’s voice was soft and Masako gave him a worried frown as she put a comforting hand on his. “When I first saw it, there was a decent atmosphere, although you could see a trailing wisp of air where the gravity of the gas giant was drawing it in from the moon’s weaker gravity. Most of the air for the planet was generated by underground lichen that practically pumped it out in waves, matching the loss from the gas giant’s gravity. In fact, the lichen was able to be reproduced artificially and is now a key component in the terraforming of our colony worlds. It produces oxygen must faster than the old system.”
“What happened to the air on Braxix?” Aaron asked quietly.
“The lichen was killed by radiation from nuclear bombs dropped by the Imperials and by their chemical weapons.” Montagne answered in a voice tight with traces of anger.
“We also used chemical weapons.” Garret reminded the young Lieutenant. “I personally gave the order to use over three hundred rounds of forty-liter chemical canisters. Most of it was Dirubicnoxin, but some of it was the Corobunoxin that was mostly responsible for the death of the lichen, as well as twenty-thousand Imperial troops.”
“Most of them were clones, right?” Aaron asked as if that should make a difference.
“About half were clones.” Garret answered. “The Imperials never did like clones and only used them because they couldn’t breed new troops fast enough from their colonies. Half their forces attacking Braxix were clone troops, the other half were young men from their colonies conscripted against their will.”
“So you actually gave orders that would kill regular humans?” Aaron’s voice sounded shocked and Garret shook his head.
“Yes, and on the battlefield there are only two distinctions, our side and their side.” Garret responded.
“What about civilians?” Aaron asked.
“In urban combat environments, all citizens are classified as ‘our side’ unless they attempt to assault one of our troops.” Garret answered. “Then that individual becomes ‘their side’ and is eliminated. At least, that’s how the training goes in the G&E centers.”
“I’ve never understood that.” Aaron said and Garret nodded before giving a hand signal to Montagne, who interpreted it correctly and switched the display to show an image of Calos.
“Our new home.” Masako said with a sigh. “It is a pretty sight from orbit.”
“It looks cold.” Aaron commented.
“Calos has been in the tail-end of an ice age ever since it was first discovered.” Garret stated. “That’s why Peladon was chosen first for settlement even though they found Calos earlier. The planet has three continents with one about the size of Earth’s North America completely frozen over by massive glaciers. The largest continent, almost the size of old Asia was where the original settlements were started and by the time of the war started had several large cities. The third continent, named after early Calosian Explorer Charles Whitney, is mostly mountainous regions and has most of the planet’s extensive metal and mineral deposits.”
“Calos is a leading supplier of precious and semi-precious jewels, as well as more traditional iron and other ores important for the production of metals used in construction throughout the Republic, as well as uranium ore.” Masako added.
“During the war, most of Atlantia, the largest continent, was made uninhabitable by nuclear bombs and chemical weapons.” Garret stated.
“Like the Braxix moon.” Captain Melmaker observed.
“Yes.” Garret said. “When the Imperials occupied the planet, they nuked the old capitol on Atlantia as well as several of the larger manufacturing cities. They set up new cities on the eastern shore of the continent, including a new capitol city that was nuked thirty years later when the Republic re-took the world. Most of the continent was rendered uninhabitable by the use of such weapons and was evacuated. Now eight hundred million people live in the few flat places on the Whitney continent.”
“But the Republic is helping to reclaim the contaminated lands.” Captain Melmaker pointed out.
“Yes, so far nearly four million people have been able to move back to Atlantia and start up farms and small communities.” Garret responded. “It’s just going to take another two or three generations to clean up more of the continent. Meanwhile, the Calosian population grows at a rate that exceeds the number able to be supported by the poisoned continent, and overcrowding gets worse.”
“My family talks about the old farm we had on Atlantia all the time.” Montagne piped up and Garret was reminded the young man was a native of Calos. “I think they’d like to return there one day, but that’ll be at least twenty years before the reclamation efforts reach that point. “Now we help run a farm on the far western edge of Whitney. Thirty families live together there, toiling over a plot of land barely twice the size of what my family owned on Atlantia. Last year, the farms on Calos finally produced enough to feed our own people.”
“A remarkable achievement, and a testament to the abilities pf the people of Calos.” Garret said with a nod for the young officer. “I understand the growing fishing fleets have also helped to keep the people fed. Aaron, I hope you have a lot of fish recipes.”
“I do.” Aaron said with a smile. “Actually Calosian fish are becoming quite a delicacy in some of the Republic Markets.”
“Really?” Garret said, surprised that Aaron knew something about their home that he had not yet learned. “You know, I remember seeing several applications in the latest batch of grant requests for fishing businesses. Several companies want to expand their fleet and export their product to other Republic worlds. I thought that was a waste, especially considering how Melos has long dominated the seafood export markets.”
“Melos is still having problems with reliable distribution.” Aaron said with a shrug and a half-smile. “Calos has better access to ships to carry their fish to other markets, and the ships carry them in vacuum so there’s no risk of the fish going bad. Some of the companies have come up with a way of vacuum packing the fish so that it loses none of its freshness. Right now it’s terribly expensive, but if there were more shippers, and better cargo service, they could really dominate the market for the middle-class consumers.”
“I’ll have to remember that when I review the grant and loan applications next week.” Garret said with a nod. It would be good for his new home to benefit that way, even if it did hurt the Melosian export business. This was part of the core meaning for what a Great House brought to its planet: more and better businesses. It wasn’t as if Melos hadn’t been given the chance for that benefit.
“How long until we make orbit?” Garret asked. He knew the schedule, but it was always good to ask and make sure there had been no changes.
“We’re beginning deceleration now.” Montagne replied while he called up the information on a console. “No changes to our planned arrival at thirteen hundred hours, local time.”
“That’s good.” Garret said in response. That means just over three hours until arrival, and a business lunch with his House staff instead of his military staff.
“Speaking of time, I should get going so lunch is ready.” Aaron said softly before turning to Garret. “Thank you sir, for letting me watch this in here.”
“You’re welcome, Aaron.” Garret said with a nod before the young man left the CIC. There were looks of puzzlement on the faces of a few officers there. “His brother died during the defense of Braxix.”
“I see.” Melmaker said with a nod. “Shall we review the deployment plans before your lunch?”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Garret said.
“Allow me to take my leave now as well.” Masako said. “The details of military deployments always put me to sleep.”
“I will see you later.” Garret said as farewell before she exited. He knew she was lonely since Lelaine had gone to the planet as part of the forward group along with Devin and Davin.
Calos wasn’t exactly a defenseless planet, and there were still some issues regarding the integration of forces already here with Garret’s fleet. A Republic heavy cruiser, four destroyers, six frigates, sixteen military corvettes, twelve police corvettes, and nearly two hundred planetary-based fighters were already part of the planet’s defensive structure. Defensive satellites ringed the shipyards in polar orbits, and the medium-sized space station in equatorial orbit sported enough weaponry to take on a battle cruiser and fifty fighters. There were also another thirty defensive satellites similar in capabilities to Peladon’s in various orbits. Braxix, still devoid of ground troops, also retained some functioning lunar-based defenses that would seriously damage any invading force.
Add to that, eighteen thousand ground troops placed in twelve bases on the planet itself, and there was a lot of work to do integrating all these forces with Garret’s. The current officer in charge of Calosian defenses was Brigadier General Monteith. Technically Monteith and Garret were the same rank, but Monteith had seniority based on time in rank while Garret had seniority based on being a Speaker as well as a flag officer. Monteith, though, was nearing retirement and knew he’d probably retire before getting another promotion.
A quiet agreement had been reached where Garret would be overall in command of Calosian defenses, but Monteith would command the ground forces and planetary-based defenses. All the ships would be under Garret’s direct command. Monteith would also oversee the day-to-day operations through Captain Melmaker, who would only object when something conflicted with one of Garret’s standing orders. This agreement allowed Garret to focus mostly on his House duties while not giving up overall control of the military forces.
That didn’t mean it would be a cakewalk for him. Melmaker was preparing standing orders to cover just about every situation that could arise from a surprise attack by Leonev’s forces to an all-out invasion by the Sol Empire. These orders included how the chain of command would work, who would issue what orders and similar issues.
Then there was the changeover in command. The ships would be divided into three battle groups, with the two escort carriers each leading one battle group. The Tarawa would command the third battle group, designated as a Planet Assault group. One carrier battle group would be ‘underway’ at any given time with the other on stand down. The Planet Assault group would spend half of its time patrolling the system and conducting exercises.
There were more details, and as it came time for lunch, Garret set up a meeting time in two days to go over the final details. He’d have a meeting the day after that with Brigadier Monteith to finalize the standing orders and to get to know the man a little better. Garret knew the next few weeks were extremely busy, and sleep would become a very precious commodity.
Aaron had a fairly substantial lunch prepared because they knew the dinner tonight would likely be one of those tasteless affairs common to large parties like what was planned. Marja had called them ‘convention’ meals, usually lukewarm chicken or similar animal, and equally tasteless vegetables. After lunch came a meeting with his household staff, led by Mika Melstein, the grandson of the Atrix conservator. Mika was in his late thirties, somewhat overweight, and had a hooked nose that seemed to dominate his face.
He was every bit as devoted to House Atrix as his grandfather, and another master of minute details. The site for House Atrix official residence had been chosen, a plateau above the capital of Calos, New Edinburgh. New Edinburgh was a city of over twenty-six million people, and almost nothing but skyscrapers. With limited land, most of the Calosian cities reached upwards, high into the sky with massive buildings made from steel, refined from ore dug out of the Calosian Mountains.
The Calosian government operated out of the largest of those skyscrapers, with over one hundred and fifty floors filled with all the government bureaucrats one could ever want to see. The building even held four hundred apartments for the most senior of the government employees. All told, the capitol city had over four hundred skyscrapers at least fifty stories high, with most coming in just short of one hundred stories in height.
When his new house was completed on the mountain plateau, the residence wing on the third floor would be exactly the same height as the government tower’s top floor where the President of the Congress traditionally resided. That had been one of the reasons that the plateau had been chosen, as well as relative closeness to the city, yet still being remote enough to be easily defended. Years ago it had been a ski resort, but that business had folded in the last few months. It had an eight-story resort hotel as well as many buildings for shops and restaurants, but the development company had failed to bring in all the extra businesses needed to make it work, and a poor economy had limited the number of people who could afford to spend time there.
The ski resort had built a large set of gondolas for transporting people up the mountain side, and Garret’s people planned to put that back into service. Masako wanted to re-open the resort section using some of the economic development money to entice businesses. Already plans were being put into motion to reactivate the hotel since that was where Garret and his House would stay until the actual building that would be his house was completed. It would be a massive, sprawling structure modeled after the Lars Manor, complete with its own landing pad capable of handling up to six large transport shuttles.
“It’ll take us about three to six months to get the resort back into operation.” Mika said as the discussion ended with details of the location for their home and the neighboring resorts. “Your security people really like the location since it can be so easily secured just by shutting down the gondola system.”
“I like it because it’s both remote and easily accessible.” Masako added. “We can make sure that school children are able to take school trips up there easily, and we are also able to interact with guests at the resort without having to worry too much about security. We still need to win over the hearts of the Calosian people, and us being very accessible is important.”
“There are also military considerations that your military advisors will discuss with you in deeper detail.” Melstein added. “They have plans of a military nature for the site and the fewer who know the details, the better security will be.”
“What about the customs issues raised by the Calosian Secretary of Trade?” Garret asked.
“We’ve reached a compromise.” Mika answered with a smile. “Only goods to be used directly by the household will be allowed through the private landing pad. All other goods coming from outside Calos will go through planetary customs at one of the four star ports, or in the future any other star port built on the planet. House Atrix agrees to not import any item to be used or sold outside the immediate household, and to not import any item that violates local laws. No duties will be paid for any items imported under these rules.”
“That’s pretty much what I asked for on that issue.” Garret acknowledged with an approving look. “What else do we have to deal with before we arrive?”
“There have been a few changes to the itinerary, all of them relatively minor.” Mika said before launching into a litany of the changes. Every second of the next twenty-four hours was accounted for, and Garret repressed a shudder at how closely his life was now being planned out.
“Any word on Davlan?” Garret asked. Tremere had gone to sickbay early this morning with an upset stomach.
“He has a bad case of indigestion.” Mika said with a smirk. “The ship’s doctor gave him an antacid and told him to go relax. He’ll be joining you when the shuttle’s ready to depart.”
“Okay.” Garret said, not sure what else to say to that.
“Is there anything else?” Masako asked and Mika shook his head no.
“Then we thank you, Monsieur Melstein for all of your hard work.” She said, using the form of address most common on Calos instead of ‘Gospedene’ as was common elsewhere in the Republic. Mika Melstein gave them both a nod of his head before leaving the conference room along with the four assistants he’d hired on Peladon. He’d hire another six, he’d told them, when things were set up on Calos.
“This is going to be fun.” Masako said with barely suppressed glee while Garret tried to not feel overwhelmed by everything. He’d been trained for these types of situations, raised for them by Marja and Timat. He couldn’t understand why he was more scared than he would be before a big battle.
“Shut up.” He snapped at her, earning a round of bright, happy laughter.
“The man is a publicity seeking pig.” Masako growled in Garret’s ear nearly seven hours later as they climbed up the steps to the Calosian government building. Around them thousands upon thousands of locals were cheering, and Garret’s hands throbbed with all the times they’d been squeezed by locals trying to get a ‘feel’ for him by the way they shook, or squeezed, his hand. Certainly the parade had been both exhilarating and terrifying as they traveled by slow ground car, with no top, through the streets of Calos. Millions of people had lined the streets from the star port to the government building, and both Garret and Masako had gotten out of their cars several times to shake hands.
After the third time, Garret considered stopping because his hands hurt, but the look of pure terror on the faces of Davin and Devin had convinced him it was worth the pain.
The ride through the midst of all the skyscrapers had made him feel like they were truly surrounded by huge mountains, much more than he’d felt in downtown New Prejat. Now at least, the ride was over, and all he had left was the dinner he was heading towards now. That would go on for two and a half hours before he could escape to the series of apartments they had rented in a nearby skyscraper.
“This is amazing.” Tremere said from behind Garret and Garret turned to smile at the older man. Davlan looked just fine after his bout with a nervous stomach earlier in the day. “It’s almost like the sun doesn’t reach down this far.”
“The plaza is only in direct sunlight for an hour before and after noon, Speaker Tremere.” President Hosiah Cartwright, the leader of the Calosian Congress said as if he was speaking to a schoolchild. He was the man Masako had been referring to a moment ago. Somehow he’d managed to position himself perfectly for every camera. A chill wind was blowing down from the mountains now, and Garret was quite glad for the warm clothing he’d worn today. Good strong denim in a midnight blue, with a silver and blue sweater of the finest Calosian wool, and a local scarf of silver and blue that had actually been handed to him by several school children at the star port.
“Some parts of the city’s lower streets are said to never receive sunlight.” Lieutenant Montagne said softly. He was in his full military dress uniform, and Garret had included him in his initial party because he was from this planet. When he’d been introduced to the President, including his home province, Cartwright had caught the political move behind Montagne’s presence and latched onto the young officer for the cameras.
“Yes, well most of those areas are still overrun with refugees who haven’t found good jobs yet.” Cartwright’s voice held a hint of disdain.
“Have a visit to them added to my schedule for next week.” Garret ordered Montagne, who just nodded in reply. Cartwright looked upset at hearing that, but wisely said nothing.
“My, how beautiful.” Masako’s voice sounded like she was a ditzy airhead as they walked into the main lobby of the government building. She’d chosen to play the role of an unintelligent stereotypical spoiled elitist woman for this first meeting with the Calosian leadership. Garret was even taken aback at first site of the entrance to the government building.
The main lobby was five stories high, filled with columns of plated gold (or at least he hoped they were merely plated instead of solid gold) and each column was studded with more precious gems than Garret had ever imagined seeing at one time. Sunlight poured in from central tube that seemed to run through the center of the building and caused the entire lobby to gleam and glitter with refracted light of every color imaginable. Reading about this lobby and seeing it in person were two totally different animals.
“This is amazing.” Garret said.
“Yes, it represents the rich resources our planet provides for us.” Cartwright said with pride in his voice.
“You could probably feed every last person on this planet for ten years just from the sale of the gems, much less the gold.” Garret noted in a voice little more than a hoarse whisper. He was certain that the nearby cameras picked up his comment though, and he knew Cartwright was aware of that.
“Yes, well it’s a symbol of hope for the people.” He mumbled and Garret nodded briefly before letting the man lead him deeper into the building. Even here their path was lined with people, although these were obviously members of the bureaucracy. His hand got more abuse as he was introduced to various ‘Secretaries’ which were equivalent in rank to the Minister-level appointees he knew from Peladon, only there were far more of them than he had expected.
He was starting to wonder if he was seeing why Calos had a forty percent unemployment rate while the grand lobby of their government building contained enough gold and gems to feed hundreds of millions of people for years. While they rode the lift, or elevator as the locals called it, up to the top floor where dinner was to be held, Garret did the mental math necessary to do a rough calculation of the wealth in that lobby.
His results were staggering since they accounted for nearly a third of the wealth he had inherited when he claimed Atrix.
“When the Republic gave us funds for rebuilding after their invasion…” Cartwright said as the lift’s doors closed and it began the long climb upwards but Garret cut him off.
“Invasion?” Garret’s tone was harsh.
“Sorry, I meant liberation.” Cartwright stammered. “Please excuse the slip, many of us grew up under the…occupation of the Terran Imperials and it is hard sometimes to forget the things they taught.”
“You were fifteen when they invaded, were you not?” Garret asked, doing some much easier math in his head.
“I had just turned fifteen, yes.” Cartwright said uncomfortably. “What I was trying to say is that when we received funds for helping rebuild, many of our best mining companies were economically devastated. During the war there wasn’t much of a demand for gold and precious gems except in military markets and the rates they were paying weren’t enough to keep our companies afloat. The Terrans, they have a voracious appetite for gold, silver, platinum, and precious gems that the Republic mostly uses for military systems. Our businesses were faltering under the sudden loss of demand for their products, so we helped them to stay afloat by making a tribute to the People while we built this building.”
“I see.” Garret said softly, not wanting to continue arguing this point with the man. He would have used those funds to help the affected companies switch to more profitable markets. He did have a point in that the Republic had more resources for those type of metals and jewels on various planets, and while some people used them for decorative moldings or jewelry, they did not guild all their temples with it the way the Jordanites of Earth did.
“Yes, well, I thought you should understand why we haven’t tried to use it to help our people out.” Cartwright huffed. “The Republic uses the metals for things like communication coils, and many of our jewels are used in different laser systems, but even with the war on, the markets were nowhere near as lucrative as it had been under Earth.”
“Thank you for your explanation, Monsieur President.” Garret said using the man’s formal title. He nodded as the lift stopped and they exited onto a rather empty floor.
“We have to take another elevator the rest of the way to the top floor.” He said with a smile. “Have you ever been in a building as tall as this one?”
“No, this building still holds the record for being the tallest in the Republic.” Garret assured him with a nod.
“Calos has many unique things about it when compared to other Republic worlds.” Cartwright said with a strong sense of pride. “How many Republic worlds have you visited?”
“I’ve been to every world in the Republic.” Garret said with his own pride. “I must say that I will enjoy residing here, though.”
“It’s much colder than you’re use to on Peladon.” Cartwright said as the… elevator they stepped into began its rapid ascent.
“Every world has its own beauty, its own attractions.” Garret said. “Calos, I’m finding, has a very cold exterior but inside it is warm and comfortable. Besides, I’ve always liked being inside near a roaring fire, sipping hot chocolate while it snowed outside. Unfortunately, it rarely snowed in the region of Peladon where I was raised.”
“You’ll get to see plenty of snow here, if you stay long enough.” Cartwright said as the lift ended its climb and the doors opened.
“Impressive.” Garret said as they exited the lift into a domed reception hall. The sun was approaching the far horizon and Calos’s gray-blue sky was turning into a midnight blue similar to the colors of his house. The view outside the clear steel dome showed a city just beginning to twinkle with lights as dusk approached. From below, he’d barely noticed them, but from above he could see the various skywalks that connected all the taller skyscrapers at their mid-points and upper levels.
“These walkways, one could imagine that you could go from building to building without ever touching the ground.” Masako said in a breathy voice as they walked to the edge of the dome and stared down.
“That’s true for about half the city right now.” Cartwright said proudly, totally missing the hidden meanings of her words. Despite all the crowds in the parade, they had noticed that the streets seemed rarely used, the ground car they had ridden in was an antique and had the look of a vehicle only used on special occasions. Above them, many hover cars had flittered around. “Most of the rest of the city has garages for hover cars and the like in their upper levels. In fact, we’ve recommended several reliable models for your staff to acquire while you are here.”
“You make it sound like we are only here for a short time, Monsieur President.” Masako said continuing her breathy voice. “Why is that?”
“I only mean until your ship is repaired and you go back up there, to sail among the stars, or to the next meeting of the Deliberatorium.” Cartwright said a little too quickly. “We are at war again, and the Republic will need its newest Speaker and budding military genius.”
“The Republic has plenty of more experienced officers, and my proxy vote has been given to the appropriate people.” Garret replied with a smile. “The Republic has survived for over three hundred years without me, and will get by for a few more. I believe it is more important to be here, and to learn about the people I will spend the rest of my life, and my House fortunes with.”
“Naturally.” Cartwright said and a very brief frown crossed his face before he smiled again. “I’m sure your presence here will be uplifting for all our people.”
“Yes.” Garret said as a lift, no he must get use to calling them elevators, arrived and several more people entered the domed hall. Davlan Tremere entered, pausing to take in the view as Garret and Masako had. With him were Hyram Jagersmith, the Majority Leader of the Liberty Party, the same political party Cartwright belonged to, and Jean Vierre, the Minority Leader from the Equality Party. Before Davlan had crossed to where Garret was standing with the President and Masako, another lift opened to divulge the wives of the politicians, as well as both Davin and Devin, who looked upset that Garret had slipped past them again.
“Speaker Tremere, is this not a wonderful sight?” Garret asked the older man who looked out for a long moment before responding.
“It is indeed, Speaker Atrix.” He replied. “I only hope Collier’s Point offers a comparable view, although I doubt it will be quite as splendid as this.”
“Collier’s Point has a splendid view of the ocean.” Vierre offered in his slightly accented voice. In his home region, they spoke a dialect of old Earth French as their first language. Collier’s Point was where Tremere would be setting up his house, nearly as far from New Edinburgh as it was possible to go.
“From New Edinburgh you can see a sliver of the ocean on the horizon, as well as the towers of Harbor Bay.” Hyram Jagersmith said in a proud tone. Garret knew he came from that city.
“Towers?” Masako inquired as the other wives approached. She would soon be whisked off with them to discuss more ‘womanly’ matters like stage productions, charity events, and grand balls that the ladies wanted to throw to welcome her to their planet.
She would pay him back later, she’d promised when they’d landed.
“Yes, my dear lady.” Jean Vierre said with a stoop of his head and clatter as his heels clicked together. “Many of the locals refer to these tall buildings as ‘towers’ now. I fear it is a colloquialism that is here to stay.”
“Ah, I see.” Masako said with a flutter of her eyelids and a slight blush. All three of the government leaders of Calos towered over both Masako and Garret. He guessed both Vierre and Jagersmith with six foot three while Cartwright was an inch taller. With Davlan now on his right side, he felt almost like he had when he’d stood in the middle of the road with these ‘towers’ all around him.
“Our guests, shall be arriving soon.” Cartwright said. “Would you care to take a few minutes to freshen up before we form the receiving line?”
“That would be wonderful.” Masako said, and an aide appeared from around some corner to show her to a refresher.
“How about you, Speaker Atrix?” Cartwright asked Garret, who nodded.
“That would be a good idea for me as well, Monsieur President.” Garret replied and was soon being led to a separate refresher. Davlan joined him a few moments later, and both men shared a look that they would want to talk later, away from any prying ears.
“How are you holding up?” Davlan asked Garret after the silence had gone on too long. Both of them were washing their faces, very much aware of the attendant at the end of the long counter. Even here the decorations were ostentatious with gold bathroom fixtures.
“I’m doing fine.” Garret assured him. “Mother didn’t have many formal functions but when she did they were even longer than these.”
“Yes, those functions can be just as tiring.” Davlan said. “I for one hope to have very few of these. I’m getting too old for them.”
“How is your daughter?” Garret asked. She’d chosen not to participate in the celebratory events.
“My chief of staff informs me she’s settling in at the Collier’s Point apartment without a hitch.” Davlan answered with a smile. “Tell me, do you know if the name of that city has any connection to the Collier sect of Christianity?”
“Yes, it does.” Garret answered. “It’s named after the grandson of Collier who settled on Calos and founded the place with about twenty families from Peladon.”
“Interesting.” Davlan said while they dried their hands. Garret took one last look in the mirror. He looked a little better with the dust washed off, and nodded before leading the way out. As soon as they were back in the main room, they formed in the receiving line, and Garret regretted not having soaked his aching hand in cold water for a bit.
Too late now.
Fortunately, Garret had uploaded a data disk of all the elected and appointed officials on Calos, with their vital information, pictures, and information about their families. As nearly every member of the Calosian Congress came forward to shake his hand, Garret greeted them and the spouses of those who had brought them. Next through the line were the Provincial Governors, and then the local elected and appointed officials. By the time the line was nearly done, Garret’s hand was aching, but there still another ten people to go. These were more interesting to him as he did not have any information on them.
“This is Isaiah Thompson.” Cartwright seemed to take great pleasure in having to introduce the man. “He is the pastor at New Edinburgh Patriot’s Church and Chair of the Calosian Minister’s Council.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Pastor.” Garret said with a slight bow of his head as he held out his aching hand. The man looked him up and down for a long moment before hesitantly reaching out to clasp Garret’s hand. Garret winced as the man squeezed, and he wished once again that this form of greeting was out of style on Calos like it was with the rest of the Republic.
“Greetings, Speaker Atrix.” The Pastor said as he stopped squeezing, a half-smile on his face. He dropped his hand and moved to greet the Calosian President. It seemed the top religious leaders had been invited as Cartwright introduced each of them. The last made Garret wince when he first saw the man dressed in purple and black robes with the dangling emblem combining the Christian cross, Judaic star, and Islamic crescent. He realized he shouldn’t be surprised at the presence of such a religious leader since there was still a sizable Jordanite population on Calos.
“Speaker, I have the tremendous honor to present his Excellency, the right Bishop Philippe Torrellini of the Followers of Jordan.” Cartwright introduced this one with a greater flare than he had the others. “The good bishop has recently arrived to oversee the believers of his faith who reside on our planet.”
“Greetings, Bishop.” Garret said, locking his hand to his side as the import of Cartwright’s words sank in. Tremere, on the other side of the Calosian President hissed as he realized the import, and Garret could see Masako blanch slightly as she withdrew her hand from the bishop’s direction. The Earther was older, maybe in his early sixties, with a bare fringe of white hair surrounding his otherwise bald head. There was a purple cap on the back of that head, and he was rotund, one of the fattest men Garret could remember ever seeing.
“Greetings, abomination.” The bishop said in a voice that sounded amused at the game that was now being played. His tone was at odds with his words, being light and friendly.
“How was your journey from Earth?” Garret asked, knowing full well that people only attained such a high rank if they were Earth-born.
“It was long, and tiring.” The Bishop said with a sigh as he placed his hands on his ample belly. Every finger had a gold ring, and most of those had gaudy stones. Cartwright’s words about the appetite of Imperials for gold and jewels hung in his head for a long moment.
“I must admit I was unaware that the Empire was sending an ambassadorial delegation after all these years.” Garret said and was treated to a laugh by the priest.
“I’m afraid our only delegation is myself and two junior priests, a rabbi and an iman, who will work with me on guiding our Calosian flock. I have nothing to do with the government or any diplomatic mission. If you must know, I am here simply as a leader of my religion, the one true faith.”
“Welcome then, Bishop, to the Republic.” Garret said with a slight bow of his head. Damn the man! He knew Republic law well enough to know that while it was technically a violation of the law for him to be here, it was also arguably protected by the Republic’s laws regarding freedom of worship. So long as the man stuck to that, worshipping his religion and did not advocate anything seditious, then Garret could not have him deported without raising a fuss he did not need. “We welcome people of all faith, knowing that it is not the place of those who serve to pass judgment on how the people worship.”
“How quaint, such a belief.” The bishop said with a shake of his head before moving on. Tremere did not even bother greeting him and the older man simply stepped out of the reception line.
“President Cartwright, you will please excuse us for a moment.” Garret said as he walked away from the Calosian. His anger was simmering, as Tremere joined him. Masako almost joined them, but a shake of Garret’s head sent her to Cartwright’s side, where she had him escort her to the main table.
“We have to kick him out.” Tremere growled as Garret gave a hand signal that would summon one of his bodyguard/assistants. He could see Devin moving away from the wall at the signal and heading discreetly towards them.
“We can’t, so long as he sticks to just being a religious leader.” Garret reminded the older man who growled.
“Damn your ethics.” Tremere’s growl was almost scary, Garret reflected as Devin finally reached his side.
“Yes, milord?” Devin’s voice was very soft, barely loud enough for Tremere to hear.
“The last religious leader in the line, did you see him?” Garret asked.
“The Jordanite, yes milord.” Devin answered.
“He’s from the Empire, not just a local.” Garret said and Devin’s eyes narrowed as he reached for a weapon he wasn’t carrying. “I want you to get a holo-picture of him tonight, and have Colonel Barovich send it to Intelligence. Get as much information as possible. Also, I want a full surveillance team, nab them from the teams that came with our fleet, not the locals. Put him and the two other earther priests that are here with him under full surveillance. I want visual and voice recordings of all activities, including how many times they take a shit per day, and I especially want recordings of everyone they meet in government and their conversations. Tap the networks, everything. This falls under the premise of the Republic Security Act of 328 and I am authorizing both as Speaker Atrix and as Commodore Lars-Atrix. Is that understood?”
“Sir, yes sir.” Devin said smartly with a gleam in his eye as he snapped to attention before turning and heading back over to his post. Garret had full confidence that when the Bishop left tonight, he’d be under full surveillance. More than likely, Earth sent one of their brightest men, so he’d know Garret would have him watched, but Garret hoped the man did not know how fully he was going to be observed.
“So you’re not being totally stupid about this.” Davlan said softly. “I wouldn’t have thought to use the Security Act, especially since it is so old. It gives you, as senior Speaker on the planet, and a military officer, a lot of power.”
“Only when it comes to the earthers.” Garret reminded the man. “Shall we sit and eat?”
“I… I think I will have a hard time digesting with the earther at the same table, but I will put on the appropriate smiles.” Davlan said softly and Garret nodded briefly. Say what you will about the man’s tactics, but Davlan Tremere had lost two sons to the war with the Empire, and the third to a senseless accident.
Together they made their way to the main table where Garret sat with Cartwright on one side and Masako on the other. On the other side of Masako was the Calosian President’s wife, effectively boxing Garret and Masako within the President’s direct sphere of influence. That was fine by him, as he began to sip the soup that was waiting for him.
“The soup is made from a shellfish native to Calos.” Cartwright began to chatter about the food, effectively delaying anything Garret might have to say about the Bishop from Earth. That was fine by Garret, he had a good idea that the President had purposely not told him about the visitor from the Sol Empire because of his personal religious beliefs. He’d had more than one warning that there were elements of the Calosian government that were sympathetic to the Empire, and he had more than enough evidence now to comfortably put Cartwright into that category. Officially it was not his place to interfere in the governance of the planet by its rightful leaders, but as the Speaker of a Great House on the planet, there would be other tools of influence to wield.
It was after the soup course was finished that Cartwright went to the podium in the center of the table, really just on the side opposite from Garret. Different planets had different protocols for events like this, and Garret was just glad that he wouldn’t have to speak until after the meal was complete.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of Calos, welcome to the welcoming feast for Speakers Tremere and Atrix.” Cartwright began and Garret repressed a frown because he knew the cameras were now activated and recording. Cartwright’s speech continued, and Garret paid close attention to how circumspect his words were as he spoke, mostly for the benefit of the audience watching over the networks. His intentions with his speech were hidden carefully, and nothing he said could really be objected to, but he left little doubt he intended to paint Garret and Davlan as outsiders, come to change the Calosian way of life so that it conformed more to some nebulous, almost threatening, ‘Republic’ way of life.
“Interesting speech, Monsieur President.” Garret said as Cartwright sat back down and waiters appeared to present another course.
“Thank you, Speaker.” Cartwright said before launching into an explanation of the vegetable platter. As they ate course after course, Garret pretended to enjoy the inane drivel about where all the food they were eating originated. Masako was deep into conversation with Madame Cartwright about wedding plans, and he almost found himself envying Masako for having a somewhat productive conversation. As dessert was served, an interesting pudding of local chocolate, something Garret had only had a few times in his life, Jean Vierre stood up to introduce Davlan Tremere.
That was an interesting political maneuver, Garret realized as Jean looked uncomfortable when he began. Vierre’s party was more supportive of Republic ideology, and by having him directly introduce the two of them, Cartwright was tying Vierre and his party closer to the two Great Houses in the minds of his people. Cartwright would be remembered for performing the strictly ceremonial functions that were absolutely necessary, but it would be the Minority Leader who would be remembered as having been up here right before the two speakers.
“Thank you for your warm welcome, Monsieur Vierre, Monsieur President, and honored guests.” Davlan said with a friendly smile as he took the podium. His outfit, like Garret’s was the ceremonial formal attire common to the Great Houses and was in the green, brown, and scarlet colors of his House. Somehow the old-fashioned formal attire managed to look regal on him. “House Tremere first ascended to Great House status nearly two hundred years ago on the Planet Peladon, and I am honored to bring my House here, with House Atrix, to establish roots that I hope will grow as deep into the Calosian soil as they did the soil of Peladon.
“I thank the people of Calos for this opportunity.” Tremere prepared to end his speech, having agreed to keep it very short. “Before I turn to introduce my esteemed brother, let me announce that Tremere mining has received a commission from the Republic to resume mining at the Arlan Heights and Scrolta Basin mines. Experienced miners will be desperately needed to begin production as soon as possible. Over the next few days, agencies throughout Calos will begin announcing hiring drives to fill all the positions that will be needed for this work. I ask all those who are able-bodied to sign up, Calos and the Republic will need your help.
“I was a young man when the forces of the Empire marched on Calos.” Davlan Tremere began his introduction of me with a history lesson. He also went a little bit further than I had expected. “I remember when Speaker Richter charged into the Deliberatorium’s central chamber and called all of us cowards because we didn’t commit every last ship we had to the defense of Calos. He stormed out that day, vowing that he would do everything he could for his people.
“All the Great Houses are supposed to be committed to the Republic as a whole, as well as to the people of their planets.” Davlan’s voice almost trembled, and Garret could see tears rimming the edges of his eyes. He was pretty sure they were fake, but he had to admire the man for speaking on this subject. “We all know what happened after that day. Speaker Richter led a fleet of poorly armed ships past the Imperial blockade, bringing out nearly a million people from Calos.
“When he went back for another run, his ship was destroyed along with all the others in his small fleet. History also reminds us that House Milamber and House Detrienne stayed on Calos, refusing space reserved for them on Richter’s first run. When Imperial troops breached the outer defense and landed on Calos proper, they were at the front lines, leading the troops resisting the invasion. Richter’s wife died at the footsteps to her home, a blaster in her hand as she led the household staff in defending that house. The Imperials, unable to execute her, demolished the home and left the ground charred and barren for decades.
“Calos has been honored by the Great Houses that have served it throughout the years.” Tremere began his wrap up. “I can only hope that Tremere will continue that fine tradition, because I have no doubt that House Atrix is more than up to the challenge.
“Speaker Garret Atrix is a young man, but he has already proven his mettle several times. He was raised in House Lars, and at the age of fourteen was admitted to the Colonial Elite Forces Academy. The Academy was founded in the year 48 after colonization to train soldiers and sailors to take on the growing pirate threat of those days. Since then, they have trained the best officers to ever serve the Republic. All the Great Houses contribute to the funding of the Academy, but the Academy refuses to accept any student who does not meet their rigorous standards, even if they are scions of a Great House. The Academy also accepts any candidate, even from the poorest of families on the furthest world, so long as they meet the entrance requirements. The current Supreme Commander of Republic Forces, Admiral Lumbardon, was born on Tagon, the son of a baker and a housewife, but he graduated near the top of his class from the Academy.
“Like the Admiral, Garret Atrix joined the ranks of the Academy at a young age, and excelled in their intensive training programs. After his first year, he entered the summer cadet program and was assigned to a squad on Braxix. That summer he survived when more senior officers fell to the awful weapons used in that battle, until he was the senior ground commander. He lived through that battle, and was credited with exceptional valor for his efforts in keeping the command bunker from being overrun by Imperial ground troops.
“During his summer program after his second year at the Academy, he was assigned to a patrol corvette on the outer edge of the Republic. During that time, the corvette he was assigned engaged several pirate ships successfully, and he returned to the Academy ready for his third year of training.
“After his third year, he was assigned to the command staff of Rear Admiral Lumbardon. The Admiral, who now serves as our Supreme Commander, was in command of a planetary assault group defending Galundon. Admiral Lumbardon developed strategy to trick the Imperial fleet into thinking he was retreating before he closed the pincers of a trap. As the luck of battle would have it, the Admiral was wounded before he could give the rest of his orders, but again Garret Atrix stepped up to the challenge and issued the Admiral’s orders, making sure the trap was set and the Imperials were roundly defeated before they could land a single soldier on Republic soil.
“Since then he has started his own business, striving to re-establish the first regular interstellar passenger service since the death of House Richter, and he has again defended the Republic when the Traitor Leonev attempted to take Peladon. In the finest traditions of the Republic’s greatest heroes, like Richter, and all the others our history honors, he has put the needs of the Republic, and of others in front of his own desires or needs. I am honored to stand by him now, and I believe all of us on Calos will be better off for him being here.”
The room erupted into applause as Garret stood up and gave Tremere a proper hug. Garret resisted the urge to whisper something about overdoing things to Tremere. He didn’t know how sensitive the microphone was, but then he looked back at Cartwright who was looking slightly unsettled and decided maybe Tremere had a good reason for overdoing the introduction. While Tremere sat back down, Garret stood at the podium and raised his hands in a motion for people to sit down. At first it had little effect as they applauded, but eventually they did and he decided to throw out his prepared speech, or at least most of it.
“People of Calos, I thank you for your warm welcome.” Garret said in the silence that followed the applause. “The Republic owes Calos much since the very beginning. After the initial colonization of planets like Peladon and Shinawa, more waves of immigrants came, fleeing the intolerance and burning fires of old Earth. As the Republic struggled to provide homes for the first millions of original colonists, they became inundated with millions more. After a century, Calos was established to be the gateway between the Empire and the Republic. As the flood of immigrants became a trickle, exploration by the likes of Whitney proved that Calos had greater treasures to offer, and Calos became a vital part of the Republic. Beautiful starships were built here, that carried passengers to all the worlds of the Republic. Some of the most beautiful pieces of art were created here, and viewed in awe throughout the Republic. Winter enthusiasts flocked to the mountains of Calos for skiing and other winter sports that weren’t readily available at their home worlds.
“As with so many other things, the invasion by the Sol Empire brought the glory days of Calos to a tragic end.” Garret said and let out a light sigh, looking around the room for a moment of silence. He was pleased to note that he was at least holding people’s attention. “Fortunately for all of us, that war is now over, and while a war of a different nature now looms, it does not carry the same danger as the last. Now is the time for Calos to reclaim its place amongst the shining jewels of the Republic, and I am honored to be able to be a part of that.
“Speaker Tremere made mention of my military history, but I am not here just as a military officer.” Garret continued. “Although I am proud my blood has been spilled on the soil of Braxix, along with the blood of many native Calosians, it is my hope that neither I, nor any other Calosian, will be called on again to fight for our world.
“Rather, I pray that together we will be able to rebuild Calos to its glory days, and maybe even beyond. Four months ago, Calos had an unemployment rate of forty percent, the highest of any world in the Republic. When I asked that Calos accept the founding of my house on this planet, I saw a world I cared about already in need, and the tools to address those needs within my hands. Immediately after the acceptance by Calos, I authorized the first round of economic development grants and loans. Since then, the unemployment rate on Calos has dropped to twenty-seven percent. The wages of the average person has risen over one and a half credits per hour, and inflation on the planet has dropped by sixty-two percent.
“That’s a good start, but it’s not success yet.” Garret said as people began to applaud the recital of statistics. “Another round of grants and loans in the same amount as the first set will be approved for distribution in the coming weeks.”
That did get a lot of applause, although Garret noticed that the loudest came from the provincial government leaders, and from the minority party congress members. Well, that was about what he expected. What he didn’t expect were the members of the clergy who were also applauding. While the earther bishop was frowning and pointedly not looking at Garret, the other clergy members who had been invited were among the more animated of the applauders.
“Thank you for the applause, but I remind you that it will be the people of Calos who make this work.” Garret continued. “The entrepreneurs who accept these loans or grants, who start up new businesses, sell new products, and who hire others, giving them the means to put a roof over the heads of their family, food on the table for their family, and who do their own part to contribute through buying products and saving some of their earnings are the true heroes of an economic turnaround.
“I know my harshest critics, and I am not naïve enough to assume there will be none here on Calos, will worry that I am trying to buy the hearts of the Calosian people with the money of House Atrix. Most certainly, a casual look at the situation will make their words sound true, but citizens of Calos, and the Republic, will know what is really happening.
“Forgive me if this sounds too much like a history lesson, but here is the truth of why House Atrix is doing what we are doing.” Garret continued, hoping that this part wouldn’t put people to sleep. “On old Earth, democratic republics were the majority of governments for the nation-states of those days. Elected representatives were chosen every few years. That system of government found itself easily manipulated by those with money and the ability to disguise themselves as champions of whatever issue people thought might be important. While some still sought office with the intent to serve, for most it was a game of power where those with money bought influence. Eventually it fell prey to those who used it to assume power, and our forebears fled the planet.
“In the early days of the Republic, distrusting the old forms of government they’d known, the early colonists attempted to use a government made up of a true democracy, where every citizen voted on the issues of the day. What they found, though was that once again those with money or those with the ability to make trivial issues seem important gained much influence. While people focused on the issue of pets defecating on the sidewalk, authorizing funds to stop the early stages of a dangerous plague were ignored.
“As a result, the streets of the Republic were clean of animal feces, but filled with those dying from the plague. Five families, all of whom had helped fund the purchase of the great ships that carried us from old Earth to the Empire, pooled their resources and began funding the research that stopped the plague, but not before it killed more than thirty-two percent of the population.
“It was this display of the weakness in their full democracy that caused the people of the Republic to re-think how their government should work.” Garret continued as he noticed the winces from a few people at the images his words had called up in their minds. He was exaggerating slightly, but only a little. There had been bodies in the streets, just not that many. “A convention was called to come up with a new form of government, and what emerged is the government we have today, a government that has now lasted for over three hundred years.
“The Convention recommended several principles that still lie at the core of the Republic today. First, the role of government be it planetary or Republic-wide, should be limited. Government shall provide for the common defense, shall create and enforce those laws necessary for the functioning of society, it shall only regulate business inasmuch as is necessary to prevent fraud, gouging, theft or similar activity, and it shall provide for the common health and retirement of its citizens. Next, the Convention declared that those who would seek to serve in government must give back to the people.
“What we call today ‘Great Houses’ were those families that committed, in perpetuity, to give half of their income to the needs of the Republic and their planets. In return, they were allowed a vote in the Deliberatorium of the people. To insure that the Deliberatorium did not become an autocratic institution for the privileged, the Voices were created, each chosen by the people of their planet. For those who could not commit half off their income for all time, the Minor Houses were created. By committing a third of their income, these Minor Houses are granted a voice in the Deliberatorium, and a vote on the sub-committees of that body. Together, the voices and Minor Houses may override any law passed by the full Deliberatorium by a vote of eighty percent of their number present.
“Sorry, got a little long-winded there.” Garret said with a chuckle that was answered by a good many people. “Grade school children know these facts about how the government of the Republic is run. What a lot of people don’t think about is where the fifty-percent of Great House monies go. Great Houses, like any individual or company pay taxes on their income. That’s not included in the fifty-percent. The fifty comes from what most businesses would call ‘profit’. It’s the money left over after taxes are paid, bills are paid, so on and so forth.
“Over time, the system for the disbursement of these funds has evolved. They are used for critical research into medicine, or during times of war to help research weapons and defenses, or build more ships. They are also used for another thing that government is not charged with: the development of a better economy. These monies are used to help fund small business, or to assist existing businesses in transitioning to new fields, or many other similar purposes. Over the years, the Houses have funded many businesses that have later come to dominate the market place, or have raised the economy of the Republic out of the gutters.
“Many of you will note that the amount now being distributed by House Atrix is far more than fifty percent. I have done that because while the House was in conservatorship following the death of Laura Atrix, the Republic was at war. Fifty percent of House Atrix’s profits were still distributed each and every year, but it did not share the burden of the other Houses in supporting the war. During those years, each House gave more, far more than the required fifty percent in order to reduce the need to raise taxes on the people of the Republic. Following the purest intentions of our forebears, the Great Houses assumed much of the financial burden for the war with the Empire. Because it was in conservatorship, Atrix could not contribute any additional funds. When my claim to the House was recognized, I realized that we had not contributed as we should have to the war. In response, I decided that since we could not contribute during the Great War against the Imperials, we should contribute to the recovery of the Republic from that war. Hence, I have authorized the release of nearly all Atrix funds into this economic development program.
“Now that I have explained the real reason why these funds are being released like this, let me close by assuring you that House Atrix and House Tremere are not coming to Calos so that we can take over. The Calosian Congress is the rightful government of Calos. As Speakers in the Deliberatorium, we do take part in deciding things for the Republic, but here on Calos we have little power. If called upon, the senior House will act as Chief Magistrate and the Court of Final Appeal, but we do not have the power to create laws, or to veto laws. Those powers are reserved for your chosen representatives in the Calosian Congress and in your provincial and city governments.
“Over the next few months, we look forward to getting to know our new home better, and to learning more about our new brothers and sisters, the people of Calos. For now, let me close by thanking you for this wonderful day, this excellent dinner, and for this most amazing opportunity.”
There, Garret smiled as people rose from their seats to applaud, the first battle in the war for the hearts of Calos was done.
As with all my stories, E provides immeasurable input, grammar checking, and all those other lovely editing thingies that make the story so much better!
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