Ambassador For Mars (Starship's Mage Book 15) by Glynn Stewart

Author:Glynn Stewart [Stewart, Glynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Faolan's Pen Publishing Inc
Published: 2024-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

“Half the galactic arm” was a gross exaggeration, but Thorn was over four hundred light-years from Sol. Even when Kiera had first ascended the throne of Mars, contacting an individual ship across that distance would have been impossible. Only the most critical of planets had possessed the massive runic transceiver arrays that had allowed voice-only communication between systems.

No ship could possibly carry an RTA. Even if the size of the runic artefact didn’t render it impossible, the runes couldn’t be updated to match the ship’s changing location.

The Link was a very different tool and had changed the nature of communication for humanity. Kiera could connect with Thorn from four hundred–plus light-years away instantly—the largest delay being the need for Chambers to get into a private office.

“Your Majesty!” the Mage-Captain greeted her—for once managing to look like she was as young as she was. Chambers had half a decade on her Queen, but Kiera understood perfectly well how the other woman felt about the authority thrust on her.

“Roslyn,” Kiera greeted her friend. “Do I need to tell you not to call me that in private?”

“An unexpected Link connection from Mars isn’t… certain to be private, Kiera,” Chambers replied after a moment. “We have our scheduled personal chats, but I expect calls outside of that to be official.”

“This one is about half-and-half,” Kiera admitted. “You finished your last scouting mission, right?”

“We did,” Chambers confirmed. “My team is just about done with their analysis—but it doesn’t look like we were detected there. Something strange about Ordin. Still debating whether to proceed to Kutchan. It’s an extra day, but I have the day to spare and a lot of questions.”

Kiera nodded and sighed.

“Your impression of the Primes so far?” she asked. “Before we get into the favor I need.”

“I work for you,” Chambers reminded her. “Though I suppose actual instructions are supposed to go through Command.”

“They are,” Kiera agreed. “Which is why I’m asking a favor. The first part of which is for you to tell me what you’ve found in reezh space.”

Her friend paused, coordinating her thoughts.

“Of the three systems closest to Chimera, one appears to be clearly neutral and two are aligned with the Kazh,” Chambers laid out flatly. “Both Ordin and Azha are irrelevant in their own ways. Ordin is determined to be neutral—paranoid and well defended but clearly not looking for a fight.

“Azha, on the other hand, is so performatively loyal to the Kazh that my people suspect they were reconquered in living memory,” she continued. “That would explain the limited military forces present in the system, too. While there are the same kind of fortresses and monitors as in the other two, they seem more limited in number, and there is only a single real fleet formation, which lacks any of the big Type One ships.”

“Which leaves Cozhan, which our data suggests was always the most important Prime, as the main factor?” Kiera asked.

“Exactly. They’re aligned with the Kazh, and there may well be more ships there than in the Nine,” Chambers noted.

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