Ghosts of Empire (Book 4 of The Empire of Bones Saga) by Terry Mixon Page A

supposed the woman’s threats were better than listening to her scream.
    “I gave ground because they weren’t going to agree to your hardline terms. The lords hold the power to release us. We can’t continue to delude ourselves that we can force them to do that. We have to bargain in a more nuanced manner. If you think differently, you’re mistaken.”
    “That’s crap. We have their people. If we hold out they’ll—”
    “They’ll leave them and get more. It’s a miracle that Admiral Mertz is willing to negotiate for them at all. He told me in no uncertain terms that they couldn’t release us without the approval of the Imperial lords.”
    “And you believed him?” Abigail shook her head. “I thought you were smarter than that. He wouldn’t bargain for them if they weren’t worth his time. They know some secret he doesn’t want us to have. Rather than giving in, we should be questioning the prisoners.”
    That was unusually adept for Abigail, Olivia mused. The other woman was usually more of a blunt instrument.
    “And if they know some secret, then what?” she asked. “Are you planning to blackmail the man in command of the bombardment stations?”
    Abigail showed her teeth. “Yes, I am. They took out the system lord. That means there are events happening that we need to know about. That’s not just me speaking, Olivia. That’s the conservative leadership.
    “If you don’t address their concerns, they’ll call for a vote of no confidence. They might not control an outright majority, but there are enough others who dislike what you’ve done to remove you.”
    Olivia shot the other woman a predatory smile. “I’ve heard that before, yet here I sit. More than enough council members will want to see what I’m up to before they allow the conservatives back into power. After all, you rebelled against the lords. Do you really think the other council members have forgotten how their predecessors died?”
    That was certain to infuriate Abigail, she knew. The conservatives had been in power since the rebellion. They couldn’t understand why any of their leadership from a decade ago would support a coup.
    Yet, that’s what the system lord told them was the reason it blasted the capital and spaceports to oblivion. And every outpost that had existed in the system.
    The other ruling parties had formed a coalition to strip the conservatives of their rule, but theirs wasn’t a strong majority. While Olivia was certain she could bring them around to her point of view, she couldn’t afford to appear weak.
    Olivia leaned forward in her chair. “You need to go back and consult with your political masters, because I don’t think they were quite so strenuous in their instructions to you. If you push this matter now, it might be you who is out of a job.”
    She let her words hang between them for a moment before she stood. “I intend to bring Admiral Mertz down to the planet’s surface and continue the negotiations in a more cordial environment. It remains to be seen exactly what we can achieve, but I assure you that I’m working tirelessly for the people of Harrison’s World. I’ll get the best deal possible for all of us.”
    Abigail spun on her heel without a word and strode out of Olivia’s office.
    It never ceased to amaze Olivia. If Abigail’s father hadn’t been a powerhouse in the conservative movement before his death, the woman would never have reached her current position as Olivia’s primary deputy. Abigail was a time bomb waiting for an inappropriate moment to explode.
     
    * * * * *
     
    After his visit into the city the previous day, Sean had decided a scouting mission to the other side of the island was in order. He’d spoken that night with Ross and Newland. They’d agreed that some discreet intelligence gathering would be helpful. They’d said they’d take care of it.
    Now it was almost lunch and Sean was getting antsy. There hadn’t been any sign of trouble, but he hadn’t