Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [231]
Basil looked up at her with a sudden, uncomprehending glare. “You’re interrupting me right now.”
“Hello to you, too, Basil. I hoped my arrival would be a pleasant surprise.”
He looked at her like a scientist inspecting a specimen. His gray eyes were cold, and she felt a shiver. “A pleasant surprise would’ve been for you to stay on Theroc and become their leader. We discussed this. What are you doing here?”
With all the strength and confidence she possessed, Sarein strolled toward where he sat at his projection desk. She refused to show how his reaction had stung her. “And plans change, Basil.” She smiled triumphantly, anxious to please him. “But I still accomplished the most important part of the job. I’ve enlisted dozens of new green priests. Several have already been stationed on Hansa colonies, and more are waiting for transport aboard any of our ships that will take them from Theroc.”
Reserving judgment, Basil stared at her, unwilling to let his mood crack. “Continue.”
“The Therons are convinced, with good reason, that the hydrogues will attack what’s left of the worldforest again. Considering the extent of the devastation last time, they’re afraid the worldtrees will all be destroyed. They need the Hansa’s help implementing an exhaustive program to disperse treelings as widely as possible—in exchange for which the Hansa will get green priests on world after world, ship after ship.” She beamed. “It’s exactly what you wanted.”
“I suppose it’s not a total disaster.”
She came around the desk and began to massage his tense shoulders, but she might as well have been trying to knead a statue. “Now, after that extremely lukewarm welcome, are you going to tell me what’s got you so furious?”
“Which of the thousand things? The Roamers? The destroyed colony on Corribus? Klikiss robots disappearing? The possibility that our Soldier compies are ticking time bombs throughout the EDF? Hydrogues attacking our planets again?”
Sarein drew a deep breath, buffeted by news of all the emergencies she hadn’t known about. “All right, which one made Eldred Cain slink out of here like a whipped puppy a few minutes ago?”
Basil moved his fingers across the desktop and displayed newsnet reports with media images. “The rumor is unverified but rampant. We can’t possibly deny it—nor can I figure out how the hell it leaked!”
Sarein scanned the notices. “Estarra is pregnant?” She was thrilled for her sister, and their parents would be delighted. It was the first child of the next generation. “That’s wonderful—”
Basil lurched to his feet, jarring his lukewarm cup of cardamom coffee. “Peter defied me! I instructed him and the Queen not to have children until I gave them permission. They tried to keep the pregnancy secret from me, but I found out—and ordered Estarra to have an abortion.”
“Basil! That is uncalled for.” Then Sarein narrowed her eyes. Not long ago, something terrible had passed between the Chairman and the King. Estarra had even suggested that Basil had planned to assassinate the two of them; when Sarein queried the Chairman about it, he had denied—rather, dismissed—the idea. And now this absurd suggestion...
He continued to talk, moving like a steamroller back and forth behind his desk. “After I showed Peter what I had done to Daniel, I thought he’d cause less trouble. I already had the abortion doctors lined up for later today, and we could have covered the Queen’s visit as a routine medical exam—”
Growing more and more disturbed, Sarein had trouble following everything. “What did you do to Prince Daniel?”
“Somehow the story got loose among the media this morning! After laying out my threat, I kept Peter under close surveillance. He had no outside contact. None! So where did this rumor come from?” Basil’s shoulders were hunched. “And now I have to find some way to respond. Peter cannot be allowed to defy me like