A Forest of Stars - Kevin J. Anderson [217]
Pellidor nodded. “Shall I put together the files of other candidates? We have many young men under consideration. Several of them seem to be quite acceptable.”
Basil agreed. “No doubt about it, King Peter is extremely popular, and that has worked to our advantage more often than not. If the people were to lose their King now, the blow to morale in the war could be devastating.” He narrowed his eyes. “Still, I want to have an extra ace up my sleeve.”
Three days later, everyone in the Hansa was surprised and delighted to read the announcement from the WhisperPalace. King Peter was even more surprised, though much less pleased.
In a “new spirit of openness,” the Hanseatic League was proud to introduce to its citizens King Peter’s beloved and competent younger brother, Prince Daniel, the second son of Old King Frederick, who—like Peter—had been raised in quiet anonymity inside the Palace grounds. Now, since everyone had watched Peter’s open marriage to Estarra, it was only fitting that the public should meet Prince Daniel, too. It was wartime, after all, and many things were uncertain.
Basil observed the public response. The “Daniel” recruit was a gem in the rough, barely trained, but he cleaned up well. He looked handsome, and the people could be convinced to adore him…if worse came to worst.
Peter needed to learn his true place in the government, instead of believing the propaganda they fed to the public. The King and Queen would return to their public duties, but under very close supervision. Surely Peter was smart enough to see that he had pushed the Chairman too far. The threat was clear enough: Behave, or you will be replaced. Basil was confident Peter would recognize his error and comport himself in an appropriate fashion henceforth.
Otherwise…the Hansa would just have to settle for Daniel.
113
ZHETT KELLUM
Viewed from the cometary halo high above Osquivel, the gas giant looked like little more than a spot of light, bright and peaceful. The girdling rings were a natural wonder that reflected golden sunshine and cast a dark belt of shadow across the equator. Sparkles and glitters reflected from icy moonlets. Activity lights shone from the industries, smelters, and dry docks of the restored shipyard facilities.
Zhett Kellum doubted the system could ever return fully to normal operations, but, as usual, the Roamers strode over obstacles and difficulties, always looking to the future instead of wallowing in past tragedies. By the Guiding Star, she knew that her people had enough cause for grief.
The cometary hydrogen-extraction facilities were the first to be put back into service. As soon as the Roamers emerged from their bolt-holes, Del Kellum dispatched an ambitious crew high up to the Kuiper Belt. Though an enormous amount of work remained to bring all of the shipyards back on-line, the comet breakdown activities generated much-needed stardrive fuel.
Carrying the first small load of ekti manufactured in the restarted comet facilities, Zhett descended toward the rings. It was a symbolic load, but it would cheer up the exhausted Roamer workers. Already, a cargo escort would be coming to pick up the stardrive fuel. In the war-torn Spiral Arm, every drop mattered.
Piloting her ship, Zhett eavesdropped on a main work frequency. Industrial crews chattered, sending overlapping messages, orders, and updates. The rings had become a swarm of activity. Girders and air locks were taken from where they had been stowed among the rocky debris, and the spacedocks were reassembled, piece by piece. Major components of partially completed starships were retrieved, and constructors worked around the clock to regain lost ground.
Some of the Roamers had spoken to her father about simply uprooting and relocating the shipyards elsewhere, finding another ringed planet or asteroid belt and starting from scratch.
Zhett had never seen him so angry. “Abandon everything?” he had roared. “After we scrambled for weeks with all the manpower we could put together, camouflaging every