{"product_id":"the-lost-stars-imperfect-sword-isbn-9780425272268","title":"The Lost Stars: Imperfect Sword","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe stellar spin-off to the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling The Lost Fleet series continues as the Syndicate’s civil war threatens to spread even farther into the final frontier…\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePresident Gwen Iceni and General Artur Drakon have successfully liberated the Midway Star System—but the dictatorial former rulers of the Syndicate Worlds won’t surrender the region without a fight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOutnumbered and led by junior officers hastily promoted in the wake of the uprising, Midway’s warships are no match for the fleet massing and preparing to strike. But the Syndicate isn’t the only threat facing Iceni and Drakon. Another former CEO has taken control of the Ulindi Star System, the first calculated move toward establishing his own little empire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith Drakon’s ground forces dispatched to Ulindi, Midway erupts in violence as Syndicate agents and other, unknown enemies stoke a renewed revolt against Iceni’s power—leaving both her and Drakon vulnerable to trusted officers just waiting for an opportune moment to betray them… | “A fast-paced thrill ride that leaps nimbly from harrowing to heartbreaking to heroic.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The ride is worth it. Fans of the numerous military science fiction will find something to like here.”—\u003ci\u003eSFRevu\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A wonderful action-packed installment…This is the kind of book that leaves me hungering for another helping of Campbell’s space combat.”—\u003ci\u003eFantasy Literature\u003c\/i\u003e | \u003cb\u003e“Jack Campbell”\u003c\/b\u003e is the pen name of John G. Hemry, a retired naval officer who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis before serving with the surface fleet and in a variety of other assignments. He is the author of The Lost Fleet series as well as the Stark’s War series and the Paul Sinclair series. His short fiction appears frequently in \u003ci\u003eAnalog\u003c\/i\u003e magazine. | \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eACKNOWLEDGMENTS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTHE MIDWAY FLOTILLA\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKommodor Asima Marphissa, commanding\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(all ships are former Syndicate Worlds mobile forces units)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eONE BATTLESHIP\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMidway\u003c\/i\u003e (not yet operational)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eONE BATTLE CRUISER\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePele\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFOUR HEAVY CRUISERS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eManticore\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGryphon\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBasilisk\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eKraken\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSIX LIGHT CRUISERS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFalcon\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOsprey\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHawk\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarrier\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eKite\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eEagle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTWELVE HUNTER-KILLERS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSentry\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSentinel\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eScout\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDefender\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePathfinder\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eProtector\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePatrol\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGuide\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVanguard\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePicket\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWatch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRanks in the Midway Flotilla (in descending order), as established by President Iceni\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKommodor\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKapitan First Rank\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKapitan Second Rank\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKapitan Third Rank\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKapitan-Leytenant\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeytenant\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeytenant Second Rank\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShips Officer\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLIKE a pack of immense sharks, warships of the rebellious Free and Independent Midway Star System roamed the dark emptiness of space, patrolling against any threats. At other stars, the crumbling but still-powerful and predacious empire of the Syndicate Worlds gathered forces and tried to stamp out revolution wherever it flared into existence. Midway, strategically positioned and a leader among the rebel star systems, knew it was only a matter of time until the Syndicate attacked again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I almost wish something would ha—”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eDon’t\u003c\/i\u003e say it.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I’m sorry, Kommodor. It’s just that there are few tasks more boring than standing sentry,” Kapitan Diaz said. “Especially deep in space far from any planet or orbiting facility.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“And few things more dangerous than becoming bored or distracted as a sentry,” Kommodor Marphissa reminded him, her voice sharp. “Let alone jinxing us with careless wishes!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I was about to say how important it was to stay alert,” Diaz added quickly. He raised his voice for the benefit of the specialists on the bridge of the heavy cruiser \u003ci\u003eManticore\u003c\/i\u003e. “If you’re on sentry and not paying attention, some enemy might sneak up and stick a knife in you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Or one of your superiors might catch you napping,” Marphissa said. “If that happens, you’ll probably wish an enemy had killed you quickly instead.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“That’s the Syndicate way,” Diaz agreed. “But we rebelled against the Syndicate.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“And that’s why we’re on sentry duty,” Marphissa said. “The Syndicate wants this star system back under their control.” Her gaze shifted to the display before her command seat. The huge hypernet gate that helped make Midway Star System very important hung in space only ten light-minutes away, the massive structure seeming small and insignificant against a backdrop of endless stars. Space had a tendency to dwarf the mightiest human creations. The nearest ship traffic was almost a light-hour distant, a boxy freighter plodding steadily along toward the inner star system. President Iceni, the only one whose orders Marphissa would respect, was four light-hours away, on a planet orbiting only several light-minutes from the star. Marphissa’s warships were on their own out here, as was she.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“How long do you think it will be before they attack again?” Diaz wondered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarphissa shifted irritably in her own seat. How many times had they had this conversation? “Maybe next week, maybe next month, maybe in the next minute. The only thing we know for certain is that the Syndicate will be back, and they will be bringing a large enough flotilla to make us fight for our lives.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The battle cruiser should be operational again soon.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It needs to be operational \u003ci\u003enow\u003c\/i\u003e, along with our battleship,” Marphissa grumbled, lowering her voice so only Diaz could hear. There were some things the specialists should not listen to. “We’ll be sitting ducks if the Syndicate returns with a battleship of their own, and all we still have in fighting condition are these cruisers and Hunter-Killers—”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn alert blared, causing everyone on the bridge to jerk to full alertness and frantically focus on their displays as a new symbol sprang to life near the hypernet gate. Ten minutes ago, something had arrived at the gate, the light from that event one hundred eighty million kilometers away only now reaching Marphissa’s own flotilla. Boredom and irritation vanished in a flare of excitement and fear as Marphissa waited for \u003ci\u003eManticore\u003c\/i\u003e’s combat systems to identify the new arrival.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“We’re getting a Syndicate ID on it,” the senior watch specialist reported, drawing a curse from Kapitan Diaz.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarphissa had once envied those who commanded flotillas, imagining them free of the day-to-day responsibilities that kept lesser souls in constant labor and worry. But she had already learned that the burdens of being in charge, of having no one else to turn to for orders and guidance, were as heavy as a neutron star and as unforgiving as the pull of gravity from a black hole.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd Marphissa would have to make all of the decisions. It would be almost four more hours before President Iceni even saw that a new Syndicate ship had arrived in this star system.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTHERE were times when President Gwen Iceni regretted having learned that not every problem could be solved by ordering someone to be killed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis was one of those times.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause at this moment she really, really wanted to kill someone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“We know that the next Syndicate attack could come at any time,” she told General Artur Drakon in what Iceni thought a remarkably well-controlled voice. The way his defensive glower deepened at her words led her to suspect that her voice might not be as controlled as she thought. “There are unknown forces moving against us within this star system, though we’ve managed to keep the citizens quiet for now by giving them some voice in their own affairs. Supreme CEO Haris at Ulindi might try attacking us again. And, of course, we never know when the enigmas might return and wipe us all out. Did I forget any problems we currently face?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe met her eyes, defiant despite the obvious guilt he felt. “We can’t entirely trust each other.” Drakon paused, then added more in even darker tones. “We can’t entirely trust our own closest subordinates.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Then you agree we had more than enough things to worry about before this.” Gwen sat back, sighing heavily. “Why do I trust you at all, Artur Drakon?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Because you have to. The same reason that’s always been there.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No. I could have tried to have you killed. Where is she now?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Colonel Morgan? In her quarters.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Her quarters.” Iceni let the two words hang for a long moment. “After she exploited her position as one of your closest aides to betray you, that’s all you’re going to do?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrakon ran one hand through his hair, looking away. “I haven’t decided. I told you. There are complications—”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhatever Drakon had been about to say was interrupted by a high-priority alarm. Iceni tapped acknowledge, hoping her jerk of surprise hadn’t been apparent to Drakon. “What is it?” she snapped as the image of her personal aide\/bodyguard\/assassin Mehmet Togo appeared beside her desk.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A ship has arrived at the hypernet gate—” Togo began, his voice and expression both as placid as if nothing could ever unnerve or even annoy him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“One ship? Why is that so critical?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A Syndicate ship.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIceni felt a chill at odds with the earlier heat of her anger at Drakon and Morgan. “Just one? Did the Syndicate send an unescorted battleship to attack us this time?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The ship is a courier vessel,” Togo continued. “It informs us that it carries one passenger, CEO Jason Boyens. The courier ship is en route this planet. Even though it is identifying itself as under official Syndicate control, it claims to be operating independently.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Boyens? Alone?” She looked at Drakon, who frowned again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“What the hell does he want?” Drakon growled. Boyens was known to both of them from his long service with the old Reserve Flotilla, but after going to the Syndicate supposedly to negotiate an end of hostilities, he had instead returned to Midway in command of a Syndicate flotilla attacking this star system. Timely assistance to Midway from Black Jack’s Alliance fleet had forced Boyens to flee that time, but now he was back without any warships.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Whatever it is, he’s putting himself into our hands.” She sat back, pushing aside her anger at Morgan and at Drakon, letting Boyens’s sudden reappearance filter through the Machiavellian paths that experience in the Syndicate system had worn in her mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Do you want to kill him?” Drakon asked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Do you?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrakon grinned ferociously. “Not right away.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Agreed. Let’s see what he can tell us, first,” Iceni said. She didn’t want to pursue further the topic of Morgan’s treachery at this moment, so did not object when Drakon made a quick departure to make his own preparations for dealing with whatever news Boyens was bringing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFIVE minutes after Drakon returned to his headquarters, Iceni forwarded a message from Boyens that she had just received.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eColonel Bran Malin began backing out of Drakon’s private office. “I will leave you to discuss the matter with President Iceni, General.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Hold it.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“General,” Malin said, “I fully understand that your confidence in me has been damaged and that I cannot expect to be given the same access to critical issues until your concerns regarding me have been resolved.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“You’re right that I’m going to be watching you more in days to come,” Drakon said. “But recent revelations about you and Morgan do not alter the fact that I have come to value your insight and opinions. Let’s both see what Boyens has to say.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEven Malin could not help a very brief smile at Drakon’s words, but all he said was, “Yes, sir. You won’t regret it, sir.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe image of CEO Jason Boyens appeared, looking confident but also regretful. “I won’t insult you,” Boyens began, “by pretending I don’t realize that I am now the one who needs to make a deal for my own survival. I want you to realize how much I can do for you. The last time I was in this star system, I may have looked like I was in charge of that Syndicate flotilla, but I wasn’t. There was a snake CEO at my back, literally at my back, almost every moment. The slightest misstep would have resulted in my death, and you at the mercy of a snake CEO instead of a friend like me.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA friend?\u003c\/i\u003e Drakon thought. \u003ci\u003eDoes he expect me to believe that he’s now a friend?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I have information that you need,” Boyens continued. “I could have gone to a lot of different places when I escaped from Prime. I came here. Give me a chance to show you how I can help you. Boyens, out.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrakon glanced at Malin. “Well?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalin considered the question, his head tilted slightly to one side. “His story is plausible, General. Having a senior Internal Security Service agent monitoring his every move would have been a reasonable precaution for the current Syndicate government.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Because they couldn’t trust Boyens, either.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Yes, sir. But he may know some very important things if he has been at all aware of what the Syndicate is planning.” Malin nodded toward where Boyens’s image had been. “He appears to have intended that message solely for President Iceni.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I noticed.” Iceni was clearly telling him that they remained allies despite recent discoveries about problems among Drakon’s closest aides. “All right. We’ve seen that message and talked about it. Now, let’s talk about you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrakon drummed the fingers of his left hand on his desk as he eyed Malin. He had been granted very little time to absorb the news of Malin’s true relationship to Morgan, the huge secret Malin had kept from him and everyone else. \u003ci\u003eOn the other hand, if my mother was Roh Morgan, I doubt that I would want anyone knowing, either.\u003c\/i\u003e “Never mind CEO Boyens. Can I still trust \u003ci\u003eyou\u003c\/i\u003e?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalin usually struck people as reserved to the point of coldness, but now he seemed frozen inside at the question. “I . . . General, I will not betray you. I never have.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Are there any more secrets that I should know?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No, sir.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe multitude of hidden sensors focused on Malin provided their verdict on the surface of Drakon’s desk, the words polarized so as to be invisible to Malin himself. \u003ci\u003eNo deception noted.\u003c\/i\u003e But Malin was as well trained as anyone could be in fooling the sensors that measured signs of dishonesty. “I want the simple truth out of you, Colonel. Where does your loyalty lie?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe question puzzled Malin. “With you, General. I am loyal to you above all others.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNo deception noted.\u003c\/i\u003e “Have you been working with Colonel Morgan in any way I am not aware of? Engaged in any projects I did not order you to pursue?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No, sir.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNo deception noted.\u003c\/i\u003e “Any other person in my position would have you shot. You know that, don’t you?” Drakon demanded. “You’ve been one of my closest assistants, you know just about everything about my forces and contingency plans, and you kept that kind of secret from me. You know too much for someone who misled me.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The same could be said of Colonel Morgan, sir,” Malin said, his words coming out as carefully as if they were footsteps through a minefield.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I agree. Why shouldn’t I have \u003ci\u003eboth\u003c\/i\u003e of you shot?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalin gazed at him, his face rigid. “You have always been able to count on me, sir. Give me any task, and it will be done.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“That much is true,” Drakon admitted. “And I will admit that is also one of the reasons I’m wondering if I can afford to trust you any longer. You’re too damned good at getting things done. I need to be sure you’re only acting for me.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I am, General. At this moment, you have a very important task facing you. If you are going to let Morgan live, then you need me to protect you from her.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“You’re no match for Morgan. You couldn’t stop her if she tried to kill me.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalin made a self-deprecating gesture. “Not if it was a direct attack, no. But she won’t do that, General. She is intensely loyal to you even though that loyalty is warped. Morgan won’t try to physically harm you, but that doesn’t mean she won’t do other things. I can monitor her, watch for schemes, plots, and unauthorized activities. I can identify anyone who contacts her, no matter the means.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrakon considered the alternatives, then nodded. Until he knew more about what Morgan was up to, there was no one better suited for discovering her secrets than Malin. “Do not make me sorry for giving you another chance,” Drakon said, his own words as cold as Malin’s eyes. “There will not be any more chances after this.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I understand, sir. Thank you for the opportunity to prove my continued loyalty to you.” Malin saluted, then left.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrakon sat watching the sealed door after Malin had departed, wondering if he had just made a deal with one devil in order to frustrate the plans of another. But Malin had been invaluable in the past and, aside from the secret regarding his real mother, had never shown any signs of disloyalty or unreliability. In all ways, Malin had always appeared to be bedrock stable and unflappable, which, given that his mother was Roh Morgan, was an impressive achievement.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe called Iceni. “I recommend that we tell Boyens to prove his good faith by telling us everything he knows about the next Syndicate attack. When it will get here, what forces it will consist of, who will be in command, and anything else that can help us prepare to defeat it.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIceni nodded, her eyes hooded. “I agree. I will inform Boyens that he must provide that information right now, before any negotiations begin, to ensure his own safety. Kommodor Marphissa has detached \u003ci\u003eFalcon\u003c\/i\u003e to ‘escort’ the courier ship carrying Boyens to this planet. If Boyens betrays us again, or tries to flee, even a courier ship won’t be able to outrun a light cruiser quickly enough to avoid being destroyed.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Boyens will know that,” Drakon said.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I have had the transmissions from CEO Boyens during his last visit to this star system analyzed,” Iceni added. An image popped up next to her own, showing Boyens on the bridge of a Syndicate battleship. The image zoomed in on a woman standing a few feet behind Boyens. “She can be seen in the same place relative to Boyens in every transmission. Do you recognize her?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrakon studied the broad, cheerful face of the woman, trying to remember if he had ever seen her. A chill ran down his back as her possible identity came to him. “Happy Hua? Is that her?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Have you met her?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No. I’ve just heard about her.” Drakon gazed at the woman again. “Or rather, I was warned about her. Before her reputation became known, she fooled an awful lot of victims with that façade of hers.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Hua is a CEO in the Internal Security Service, now,” Iceni said. “She has climbed high on the ladder formed by the bodies of the victims who mistakenly thought her external appearance was a reflection of internal goodwill. If that is the minder that Boyens had at his back, then I am inclined to believe that his words and actions were seriously constrained.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“We don’t know how much, though,” Drakon argued. “Boyens may have wanted to do some of the same things that Hua was insisting upon. And, for all we know, he didn’t really escape to come here but was sent as a double agent.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“General Drakon, I have no intention of trusting the man.” Iceni leveled a stern look at him. “I sometimes wonder if any man can be counted upon.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe suppressed the surge of anger those words created because he knew it was a guilty reaction. “I didn’t try to hide anything from you, Madam President. Can you say the same?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe laughed. “Oh, General, you will never know how many things I have kept hidden from you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer image disappeared, leaving Drakon gazing at nothing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEVEN a courier ship boosting in-system at point two light speed required twenty hours to cover the billions of kilometers between the hypernet gate and the world where Iceni and Drakon waited. But at least it covered the distance fairly rapidly, constantly shrinking the time required for a message to travel between the ship and the planet at the speed of light.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoyens did not look as confident in this message as he had in the last. “I’ll tell you what I know about the impending Syndicate attack, just to show my good faith,” he said, as if Iceni had not demanded the information of him. “I estimate you have about a week before it gets here. They could be delayed past that, but I don’t think they can possibly arrive in less than five days at the earliest. The flotilla is supposed to once again include a battleship, as well as two heavy cruisers, six light cruisers, and ten Hunter-Killers.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe hesitated. “Here are the important parts. I am certain that command of the flotilla will be given to CEO Hua Boucher. If you don’t know the name, she’s a snake, and a particularly deadly one. I have no idea how good a mobile forces commander she is. From what I saw, she has no real experience at it, but she will be ruthless. Except in one way. I know the Syndicate government won’t permit her to bombard Midway. They need everything here, all of the facilities, intact. But that won’t stop Hua Boucher from killing by any other means at her disposal if she gets the chance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“That’s all I know. But I gave it to you freely! And there are other things, information that you need to have. If we work together, if you are willing to deal, you can have what you need, and I can get what I want. Boyens, out.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA snake in command. Iceni rubbed her eyes as she thought, then called Togo. “What do you know about CEO Hua Boucher?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogo’s expression did not change, but thoughts could be seen moving behind his eyes. “She is Internal Security Service. Very dangerous, Madam President. I met CEO Boucher when she was an executive.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Oh?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“My training unit was interrogated regarding some shortfalls in food supplies at the unit cafeteria. I was the only member not arrested.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIceni raised an appreciative eyebrow. “The others were taken in by Hua’s happy appearance?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“As if she were friendly, sympathetic, yes, Madam President,” Togo said.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“How did you know better? You must have been pretty young and inexperienced at that point.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogo paused, and for one of the few times in Iceni’s experience, he gave the appearance of being upset. “I was emboldened by her pleasant appearance, so I stole a look into her eyes.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIceni leaned forward, intrigued. “What did you see there?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Nothing, Madam President.” Togo gazed steadily back at her, now betraying no emotion, his words flat. “There was nothing in her eyes. It was as if I were gazing into a patch of space devoid of stars; no light, no life, nothing but cold and emptiness.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I see.” Iceni sat back, eyeing Togo. “What are her vulnerabilities?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“She . . . is very confident in herself. I remember that. It did not bother her that I had looked directly in the eyes of a supervisor.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Can you tell me anything else about her?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogo made a throwing-away gesture with one hand. “She will show no mercy at all to you and honor no agreement.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIceni smiled. “I assumed both of those were true. Thank you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDespite the dismissal, Togo paused. “Madam President, I have heard rumors concerning General Drakon’s staff.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Yes,” Iceni said, still smiling. “You missed some very important information about Colonel Morgan.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogo hesitated, thrown off by that announcement. “I have been told that Morgan is under arrest.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Not technically correct. She remains off-limits. Do you understand?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“She is a threat,” Togo said. Did she only imagine a tinge of weariness in his voice as he repeated that warning for perhaps the twentieth time? “Eliminating her would remove a serious danger to you and send a powerful message.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It would send the wrong message.” Iceni waved one flattened hand in a cutting motion to signify the subject was closed. “Have you learned anything else about whoever is trying to stir up trouble among the citizens of this star system?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No, Madam President. But I will find them.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe waved again, this time in clear dismissal, and Togo left.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIceni sighed, wishing again that her problems could be solved by simply having Morgan killed. But she had seen too many CEOs fall because they had thought they could kill their way out of any difficulty. It was a simple solution that rarely solved the problem, instead usually generating new enemies faster than they could be killed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe faced a bigger and more urgent problem at the moment, anyway.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIceni called up a display above her desk, one centered on the star Midway. Planets and numerous other objects whirled slowly about the star. Bright symbols indicated the warships she had to defend everything here. Four heavy cruisers, six light cruisers, twelve Hunter-Killers. A dangerous force in areas where Syndicate authority had collapsed or was tottering, but not adequate to defend against the battleship that CEO Boucher would be bringing. Iceni didn’t trust Boyens, but she had no doubt he was telling the truth about that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn order to defend this star system, Iceni needed her own battleship, but newly constructed \u003ci\u003eMidway\u003c\/i\u003e still had a lot of work that needed to be done before she could engage in combat. The battle cruiser recently acquired from Ulindi was much closer to being ready to fight, once the damage inflicted on the renamed \u003ci\u003ePele\u003c\/i\u003e when it was captured from so-called Supreme CEO Haris’s forces was repaired. \u003ci\u003ePele\u003c\/i\u003e might be ready before CEO Hua Boucher arrived here. But what could a single battle cruiser do to stop a battleship?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI have no idea how to do that. But I know someone who can do it if anyone can.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis only involved mobile forces, so it wasn’t a matter that required consultations with Drakon even if she wasn’t still more than annoyed at him. Iceni checked her appearance, sat up straight, composed her expression with the ease of long practice in looking like she was in charge and able to handle anything that came at her, then tapped the control to send a message. “Kommodor Marphissa, there is another Syndicate flotilla en route here, one equivalent in strength to the previous attack. I have been told that it could arrive as soon as five days from now, but you should assume it could show up in only four days. We have strong reason to believe the flotilla will be commanded by a snake CEO named Hua Boucher who lacks experience in commanding mobile forces but is certain to be intensely loyal to the Syndicate. She may be overconfident, she will not care about losses among her workers, but it is likely she will have orders to minimize damage to her warships while trying to retake this star system. She will also have orders not to bombard this star system.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“You have proven your skill at command. I give you no specific orders beyond what you know, that you must defend this star system. We must prevent the Syndicate warships from succeeding in their mission and do so while protecting the people of this star system to the maximum extent possible. I trust in your skill and your judgment to deal with this threat as effectively as you have done in the past.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis was the point at which traditional Syndicate communications would add some motivational threats about the consequences of failure. But Iceni had already dispensed with another time-honored Syndicate practice (detailed orders spelling out exactly what Marphissa should do, since micromanagement was as much a part of the Syndicate way of doing things as paranoia, corruption, and backstabbing) and had found that she got much better results.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There are a few other matters,” Iceni continued. “I will be sending orders to Kapitan Kontos to assume command of \u003ci\u003ePele\u003c\/i\u003e and make every effort to make her ready to fight within the next few days. I am sending \u003ci\u003eFalcon\u003c\/i\u003e back to you along with Captain Bradamont. Place Captain Bradamont wherever you want to make use of her abilities, but you are to remain aboard \u003ci\u003eManticore\u003c\/i\u003e as your flagship. I don’t want you and Kontos both on \u003ci\u003ePele\u003c\/i\u003e because I can’t afford to lose both of you if the worst happens.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Good luck, Kommodor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“For the people, Iceni, out.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIceni sighed, then sent a message to Kapitan Kontos, conveying her orders for him to leave command of the \u003ci\u003eMidway\u003c\/i\u003e and move to the \u003ci\u003ePele\u003c\/i\u003e. She grimaced before sending a third message, to Kapitan Freya Mercia, ordering her to take command of the battleship \u003ci\u003eMidway\u003c\/i\u003e in place of Kontos. That left only the need to copy Drakon on her last three messages, then inform him that Captain Bradamont needed to be lifted up to \u003ci\u003eFalcon\u003c\/i\u003e as soon as possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd that was pretty much all she would be able to do to prepare the defense of Midway against the latest Syndicate attack. No one in their right mind tried to dictate the details of time-critical activity across four light-hours’ distance, though Iceni had known (and a few times had to work for) people who thought such a thing could work. Everything else would now be up to Marphissa, Kontos, the workers trying to get \u003ci\u003ePele\u003c\/i\u003e ready for battle, and Captain Bradamont. Twice before, Admiral Geary’s Alliance fleet had saved Midway Star System, an odd thing given the only recently concluded and century-long war that had nurtured generations of hatred between the Syndicate Worlds and the Alliance. But Midway was no longer Syndicate, Black Jack Geary was no average officer of the Alliance, and now perhaps Captain Bradamont, left here by Black Jack as an adviser and liaison officer, could help Midway’s warships save this star system a third time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIceni gazed morosely at her calendar, knowing that the next few days would pass very slowly as everyone waited for the axe to fall.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt least the prospect of interrogating CEO Jason Boyens offered the promise of some distraction during that time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDRAKON\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48338552520933,"sku":"NP9780425272268","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780425272268.jpg?v=1769572660","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-lost-stars-imperfect-sword-isbn-9780425272268","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}