where he and his Raiders could fight back against the enemies of the Empire. It just wasn’t today.
* * * * *
Kelsey sat bolt upright in her bed, breathing heavily. The final view of the man in the console hung in her mind. It was the dead man from the stasis chamber.
What the hell?
Chapter Nine
Olivia focused on her duties for the first few hours after she returned to Harrison’s World. There were too many eyes on her to dig into the mystery. She needed to document what she’d officially seen and what she’d discussed for the ruling council.
They wouldn’t be happy that she hadn’t secured the planet’s release into space. They’d be even unhappier when they found out she’d decided not to even try for it.
The more conservative elements of the council believed that they controlled every aspect of life on Harrison’s World. They hadn’t truly accepted that the situation had changed, even after a decade. They were of the higher orders and that was that. The military would bow to their will.
Even if “Admiral” Mertz and his people had truly been Fleet officers, that stance wouldn’t have worked. They’d have had the full might of the Empire behind them. The lords had decreed they’d remain in isolation for daring to consider rebellion. They wouldn’t be releasing them any time soon.
Ironically, those same conservatives would never have pondered fighting the lords to regain true human control over the Empire. They liked their position in society. Thus, her conundrum.
Olivia suspected the people in orbit didn’t want to let the people of Harrison’s World loose because it would ruin their charade. How they’d managed to take out the AI and gain control of the system, she had no idea.
And that’s what she needed to know. The resistance might be able to deal with these people, even if the coordinator couldn’t.
The buzzer on her desk went off.
Yes, her assistant could just ping her implants, but that wasn’t the way the higher orders worked. The advanced technology of the Empire seemed to inspire them to avoid using it to interface with one another. They’d be more likely to send a hand written note on matters of import than to ping someone.
She pressed the accept button. “Yes?”
“Deputy Coordinator King is here to see you, ma’am. She says it’s quite urgent.”
No doubt, that diplospeak meant Abigail was pissed. She must’ve seen the preliminary report Olivia had filed with the council. Well, this fight had been inevitable. She might as well get it over with. She could use it as a pretext to leave early and get to digging for the answers she needed.
The door burst open and Abigail stormed into Olivia’s office. She didn’t even wait for it to fully close before she started.
“What the hell did you think you were doing up there?” Abigail snarled. “You gave up everything worth fighting for in less than two hours. Everything I’ve worked so hard to accomplish is ruined.”
“Come in, Abigail,” Olivia said with a false smile. “Sit down and tell me what brings you over.”
The other woman stopped in front of Olivia’s desk and glared at her. “Don’t even start that nonsense with me. I demand an explanation.”
After giving Abigail a long look, Olivia leaned back in her seat. “You’re on the wrong side of this desk to be demanding anything. You can calm down or leave. The choice is yours.”
The other woman took a deep breath, and then three more just like it. The flashing anger hadn’t left her eyes, but she was under a little more control.
“Those circumstances could change faster than you might think,” Abigail said in a low, dangerous tone. “The coalition that appointed you coordinator can choose someone else if you fail to lead the way they expect. And right now, I’m certain your actions have a number of the council members reconsidering their support. Perhaps you’d care to explain why you gave ground in the negotiations?”
Olivia
* * * * *
Kelsey sat bolt upright in her bed, breathing heavily. The final view of the man in the console hung in her mind. It was the dead man from the stasis chamber.
What the hell?
Chapter Nine
Olivia focused on her duties for the first few hours after she returned to Harrison’s World. There were too many eyes on her to dig into the mystery. She needed to document what she’d officially seen and what she’d discussed for the ruling council.
They wouldn’t be happy that she hadn’t secured the planet’s release into space. They’d be even unhappier when they found out she’d decided not to even try for it.
The more conservative elements of the council believed that they controlled every aspect of life on Harrison’s World. They hadn’t truly accepted that the situation had changed, even after a decade. They were of the higher orders and that was that. The military would bow to their will.
Even if “Admiral” Mertz and his people had truly been Fleet officers, that stance wouldn’t have worked. They’d have had the full might of the Empire behind them. The lords had decreed they’d remain in isolation for daring to consider rebellion. They wouldn’t be releasing them any time soon.
Ironically, those same conservatives would never have pondered fighting the lords to regain true human control over the Empire. They liked their position in society. Thus, her conundrum.
Olivia suspected the people in orbit didn’t want to let the people of Harrison’s World loose because it would ruin their charade. How they’d managed to take out the AI and gain control of the system, she had no idea.
And that’s what she needed to know. The resistance might be able to deal with these people, even if the coordinator couldn’t.
The buzzer on her desk went off.
Yes, her assistant could just ping her implants, but that wasn’t the way the higher orders worked. The advanced technology of the Empire seemed to inspire them to avoid using it to interface with one another. They’d be more likely to send a hand written note on matters of import than to ping someone.
She pressed the accept button. “Yes?”
“Deputy Coordinator King is here to see you, ma’am. She says it’s quite urgent.”
No doubt, that diplospeak meant Abigail was pissed. She must’ve seen the preliminary report Olivia had filed with the council. Well, this fight had been inevitable. She might as well get it over with. She could use it as a pretext to leave early and get to digging for the answers she needed.
The door burst open and Abigail stormed into Olivia’s office. She didn’t even wait for it to fully close before she started.
“What the hell did you think you were doing up there?” Abigail snarled. “You gave up everything worth fighting for in less than two hours. Everything I’ve worked so hard to accomplish is ruined.”
“Come in, Abigail,” Olivia said with a false smile. “Sit down and tell me what brings you over.”
The other woman stopped in front of Olivia’s desk and glared at her. “Don’t even start that nonsense with me. I demand an explanation.”
After giving Abigail a long look, Olivia leaned back in her seat. “You’re on the wrong side of this desk to be demanding anything. You can calm down or leave. The choice is yours.”
The other woman took a deep breath, and then three more just like it. The flashing anger hadn’t left her eyes, but she was under a little more control.
“Those circumstances could change faster than you might think,” Abigail said in a low, dangerous tone. “The coalition that appointed you coordinator can choose someone else if you fail to lead the way they expect. And right now, I’m certain your actions have a number of the council members reconsidering their support. Perhaps you’d care to explain why you gave ground in the negotiations?”
Olivia
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