Horizon Storms - Kevin J. Anderson [191]
Thor’h turned to him in quick surprise. “How?”
The Imperator held up a finger that had once worn many jeweled rings. “We must lure them to Hyrillka. That is the next step.”
Thor’h imagined a Solar Navy fleet bristling with arms, rushing to Hyrillka and angry at Rusa’h‘s apparent rebellion.
The new Imperator continued to smile. “And I know exactly how to bring them running here.”
Chapter 96 — CESCA PERONI
On her way to Earth, Cesca had plenty of time to stew about what the Hansa had done. Leaving Theroc, she raced straight out to a meeting place where she’d arranged to intercept Nikko Chan Tylar. Jess’s volunteer water bearers were already delivering the news to many scattered clan outposts, but she needed to meet the young man in person to receive his tangible evidence. Cesca waited in the empty vastness, searching for the blip indicating the young Roamer’s approach. Finally the Aquarius arrived—almost on time.
Looking agitated and out of his element—exactly as when he’d found the EDF-blasted wreckage of Raven Kamarov’s ship—Nikko crossed over to the Speaker’s ship. He clutched his data packs that held the numerous stored images and recordings of all the Eddy transmissions he had intercepted at Hurricane Depot.
“This just keeps getting worse, Speaker,” he said, playing the images for her on the small screen in the cockpit of her diplomatic craft. Cesca stared at the wanton destruction, the brutal conquest that had captured hostages and matériel, then the callous annihilation of the equilibrium station. Her cockpit suddenly felt very cold.
“When they hit Raven’s ship, they were trying to be sneaky,” Cesca said. “Now—this is open warfare.” She held up the data packs. “The Big Goose thinks it can step all over us, but I guarantee that other colonies will remember what happened on Yreka, where the EDF hammered Hansa citizens because they kept a small ekti stockpile for their own uses.”
“But Roamers aren’t even Hansa citizens,” Nikko said. “The Goose doesn’t have any authority over us.”
“They have a large standing army. Some people think that’s all they need.”
The young Roamer still looked frazzled. “But what are you going to do, Speaker?”
Cesca gathered her strength and determination, wishing the clan leaders hadn’t forced her into the brash embargo in the first place. She’d known the Roamers would suffer scorn and discomfort because of it, but she hadn’t expected King Peter—or was it the Chairman?—to retaliate so aggressively.
“I’m going to make them understand the error of their ways, Nikko. Someone in the Terran Hanseatic League has to see reason.”
When her vessel finally reached Earth, Cesca set a course toward the Palace District. Instantly, space traffic control officers shouted at her to enter a holding orbit until her authorization could be cleared, but she ignored them. When EDF Remoras flew into the sky, threatening to shoot her down, she transmitted on a broad channel. “I am Cesca Peroni, the Speaker for all Roamer clans. I have urgent business with the Hansa.”
The transport control officer said, “I wasn’t notified that the Roamers were sending a diplomatic representative to Earth. You will have to go through regular ambassadorial channels if you want to speak to someone in the Hanseatic League.”
She answered in a cool, firm voice, “I don’t wish to speak to ‘someone.’ I need to see the King himself.”
The transport officer was brusque. “We don’t control the King’s appointment calendar, ma’am.”
“Cut off our ekti and now they think they own the Spiral Arm,” one of the Remora pilots grumbled, knowing Cesca could hear him.
Now that she was finally here, she wondered what she could accomplish by negotiating. The clans had already ceased all deliveries of stardrive fuel and resource materials. What more could she threaten or do? In all likelihood, the Hansa must think she was bluffing, that the Roamers depended on the commerce as much as the Big Goose did. But Roamers had numerous ways to tighten their belts and become self-sufficient.
What if the Hansa simply