"Smith, E E Doc - D'alembert 09 - Omicron Invasion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

"This could be a trap, that's what I'm afraid of. What if she just wants to lure you someplace to kill you?"
"She won't kill me," the Head chuckled. "I'm too valuable to her where I am."
The Empress looked startled. "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing sinister, I assure you. It's just that she's had a couple of decades, now, to study my way of thinking. She knows-or thinks she knows-how I'll react in most circumstances. It's like two old chess partners; after playing against one another so long, they become familiar with all the moves. If she killed me, you'd appoint someone new to run the Service, and she'd have to take a while to learn what he's like. I think she's comfortable with me."
"If that's so," the Empress mused, "perhaps I should replace you. It would certainly spoil some of her plans."
Von Wilmenhorst, noting her rueful half-smile, nodded gravely. "I'm always at Your Majesty's disposal. If you need recommendations for a possible successor, I could . . ."
"Don't bother," Edna said with a shake of her head. "That was half in jest. I can't think of anyone I'd trust in your job a fraction as much as I trust you, whether you're predictable or not. But I still worry about you."
"I'm glad you do."
Edna's face became more serious as she continued, "I can give you the first permission you asked for, to meet with Lady A and find out what her deal is. Much as I hate doing business with her, we'll have to find out what she knows and what she's up to. But as for the second-it's not that I don't trust you, Zander, but I have to keep my finger on that one personally. It's just too important. I'll listen to your recommendation, of course, but I'll reserve final authority on whether to accept her terms or not. Listen to her offer, pry as much information out of her as you can, and then come back to me and I'll make the decision."
"I understand," the Head said. "In dealing with your worst enemy, you should have the ultimate say. I'll get back to you as soon as possible."
Edna Stanley signed off, took one deep breath, and returned to her reception. Her polite social mask was firmly in place; not a single guest at the gathering had the faintest suspicion that matters affecting the entire fate of the Galaxy were being discussed and decided while they were chatting pleasantly in the Reception Hall.
***
The instructions Lady A had left were quite explicit. The Head called a given number and spoke to an answering machine, stating the time he wished the meeting to take place. The Service routinely traced the vidicom number back, and found it had been assigned to a fictitious identity. The machine was one that could be called from anywhere else and have the message repeated. Lady A could not be traced back this way-not that anyone had expected to.
At five o'clock that evening, Miami time, Zander von Wilmenhorst was waiting alone at slot 36 of the Miami Heliport, just as the instructions said. He was unarmed, and the nearest people were over a hundred meters away. There was a slight whirring as a copter set gently down on the pad in front of him. Von Wilmenhorst was disappointed, but not surprised, that the pilot was not Lady A herself, but some man in her employ. At the pilot's signal, von Wilmenhorst climbed into the passenger's side and the copter took off once more.
They headed north along the Florida coast. "Nice day for flying, isn't it?" von Wilmenhorst said conversationally. The pilot made no response, and after a few other gambits von Wilmenhorst gave up. The man had obviously been instructed to have no intercourse with his passenger; he was paid to fly, not talk.
They continued to fly north, past the beach communities that were part of the metropolitan Miami complex. After a while, they reached an almost deserted stretch of beach, and the helicopter set down once more. Von Wilmenhorst got out and the copter took off again. The Head watched it go, wondering what would happen next.
"He'll be back when I signal for him," said Lady A as she stepped from behind a large boulder. She wore a green silk caftan -- loose, flowing, totally demure and innocent. There was nothing innocent, though, about the stunning beauty of her face and the cold, merciless depth of her eyes.
"I thought we'd want to be alone," she continued. "By the way, since I assume you'll check, he's not part of my conspiracy, just a legitimate pilot I hired to do a job. I wouldn't expose any of my regulars to your scrutiny."
Von Wilmenhorst approached the woman who'd caused so much grief for the Empire. "It's a relief to finally meet you, Gospozha Amorat," he said politely.
"We've actually met several times before, Gospodin von Wilmenhorst," the woman said, ignoring his official title as casually as he'd ignored hers. "That was long before you'd ever heard of me, of course. You go to so many official functions, I thought it would be amusing to be introduced to the man whose agency was chasing me so frantically. I was careful to disguise myself, of course, so I never looked the same twice."
If she'd hope to fluster him by her admission, she miscalculated. The Grand Duke simply nodded slightly and said, "I stand somewhat corrected. At least I am now meeting you in what passes for your true identity these days. I believe you wanted to see me about some urgent business."
"Let's walk along the beach a little way," she said, starting northward. Beside her, von Wilmenhorst easily kept pace. The heat of the day was fading as the cool sea breeze began to come in.
"First," she continued after a moment, "we must establish some ground rules. I'm assuming you're a man of your word, and that you're unarmed: I am, too. If you have any transmitting devices on your person, they're currently being jammed by some of my equipment. If any of your people try to interrupt us during our conference, I won't be responsible for the consequences. I am also assuming you've got some recording devices on you; that is acceptable. All intelligent people keep notes of important meetings, and I won't be telling you more than you need to know to work effectively with me if you choose to do so. Are we agreed on those principles?"
"They seem fair," von Wilmenhorst nodded. "I'd still like to know, though, why I should work with you, effectively or otherwise."
"Humanity has been exploring space for the past five centuries," Lady A began, "and has been seriously expanding into the Galaxy for the last four. During that time, our supremacy has remained unquestioned. Man has been the dominant species everywhere he went. Nowhere have we found creatures smarter than, say, monkeys were on Earth.
"Suddenly, on Omicron, I think they've found us."
The Head continued to walk beside her, silent except for the crunch of his leather-soled boots on the sand. When it became clear she expected some comment from him, he said, "What makes you think the events on Omicron are the result of alien contact?"
Lady A found an outcropping of rock and sat down facing out to sea. The sky was darkening as the sun set behind her, and streaks of colored clouds adorned the twilight sky. "An invading force came in and decimated the planet," she said. "I know it wasn't mine, and I think I can safely assume it wasn't yours."
With some trepidation, von Wilmenhorst eyed the rock on which she sat. There was room enough for another person to sit there, but that would force him into uncomfortably close contact. There was no place else to sit except the bare sand, and that would place him in an inferior position below her line of sight. He decided to stand. "Do you think you have a monopoly on treason?" he asked quietly.
"Of course not. But if there were any other group in the Empire that could act on this scale, I'd know about them. Taking over an entire planet is no small task, we both know that; this force did it in a matter of hours. I happen to have a firsthand account."
"Indeed? I'd like to hear it."
"I'll summarize it for you. One of my operatives was working on Omicron when the invasion occurred. He tells me that an enormous fleet appeared out of nowhere, wiped out the naval base and bombed the cities into submission. They seemed to have some device that jammed all subcom transmissions, so no word could be sent out. After wiping out the token opposition that was left, the ships-which, by the way, were built in a style no one's ever seen-landed and began taking control."
"If the subcoms weren't working, how did your operative contact you?" the Head interjected.
"He had a small, one-man ship stashed away in the countryside. He was away from it when the invasion occurred, which was a lucky thing; if he'd tried to escape while all the alien ships were in the sky, he'd probably have been shot down. As it was, most of them were on the ground when he took off; he eluded the few that chased him and escaped into subspace. As soon as he was free of them, he called me and reported what had happened."
"And he says he definitely saw these alien invaders?"
"Not personally, no. There was still a lot of chaos all around him, and people were fleeing the cities and towns in large numbers. Some of the people who passed him said they saw aliens coming out of the ships. He left before he had a chance to see any for himself."
"What did these aliens look like?" the Head persisted with his gentle questioning.
"The reports were garbled; panicked people don't make the most reliable witnesses. In general, they seemed to be shorter than we are, humanoid in shape, with green skins, looking very strange. That was the most comprehensive description my man could get."
"I see," the Head replied slowly. "And you believe this single sketchy report?"
"I'd be a fool to base my plans on anything that inexact. This report indicates there's something that requires immediate investigation, nothing more. That's why I thought we might want to work together on this matter."
"Nothing unites people like a common enemy."
"Precisely. Whatever the nature of this invading force, it's clearly hostile and a potential threat to the Empire. You'd want to find out what happened on Omicron anyway, correct?"
"Of course."
"So do I," Lady A nodded. "If I sent out a team of my own and offered to share the data with you, you might not believe them. If you sent out your own team, you might hide some crucial facts from me. So since we both have to send out an investigative party, I'm merely suggesting that a joint venture with shared resources and information would be the most efficient action."
"To what purpose?"
"That depends on what we find. We both have to assume the worst possible case. Suppose there is a race of alien creatures intent on invading the Empire by force and seizing our planets. Suppose they have an armada of their own. Is the Empire prepared to wage a long, costly war to defend itself?"
"We'd do what's necessary. Are you offering to help?"
"Of course. I have a navy of my own, as you're well aware. I won't divulge its size right now, but it could make a significant addition to the imperial fleet if it's needed."
"Excuse me for doubting, but your trustworthiness has never been high. Why should I believe your offer?"
Lady A looked up, staring him straight in the face. "I've never been modest about my desires. I intend to rule the Empire, and I'll do whatever I must to achieve that. But that presupposes there'll be an Empire left to rule. If there are aliens and if they attack us, they'll be attacking the territory I consider rightfully mine. If you won't trust my word, you can certainly trust my instinct for enlightened self-interest. I don't want the Empire torn apart any more than you do."