Bunch, Chris & Cole, Allan - Sten 5 by Bunch Chris

Author:Bunch, Chris
Language: eng
Format: epub

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

S

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ten glowered his way up the ramp to the Normandie, saluted the OOD, snarled at Kim as she tried to say good-bye, and stomped off, following, as requested, a snappily uniformed aide.

He barely noticed the interesting fact that there were eight Gurkhas at the salute as he boarded, other than that they looked inordinately dumb wearing white gloves.

As the aide led him into a paneled conference room, the Normandie's Yukawa drive hissed, and the ship lifted.

Sten was not all that surprised to find Warrant Officer Alex Kilgour in the room. Alex was grunting—loudly.

"Clottin' Emperor. Clottin' hae me, ae Ah'm supervisin't thae unloadin't ae cargo ae marble f'r my dinin't chambers. Clottin' lairds wi' nae clottin'

understandin't ae naught.

"Clottin' chop m' leave wi'out clottin' sayin't ae word, an' next week wae the openin't ae shootin't season!"

He paused in his diatribe long enough to register Sten.

"Boss. Sorry the clottin' pismire scragged you, ae well. Clottin' Emperor.

Whae w' need't here is ae some sanity an' nae a little anarchy."

That was a little much. Sten's fingers flashed in Mantis sign language: Shaddup, clot. The room's bugged!

Kilgour sneered. "Clot him, clot his snoops an aye th' Empire! Ah'll speakit ae Ah wan'. Wha'es the clot't' do? Send us back twa Heath?"

"That, in fact, is very much what I had in mind."

The dry voice, of course, came from the Eternal Emperor.

Fleet Marshal Ian Mahoney let the outrage from the babble of politicians die into silence. He walked to the conference room's window and looked pointedly overhead.

Twelve Imperial superbattleships hung over the capital city of Gorj, their screens ringing the ships.

Mahoney turned back to the assembled rulers of Gorj.

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"I shall reiterate the situation. Gorj determined to stand neutral in this war.

The Emperor respects that decision.

"However, under the original treaty signed between the Emperor and Gorj, your world requested our support and aid if, at any time in the future, Gorj was threatened with attack.

"You agreed in that treaty that Gorj would provide any necessary logistical aid to that support.

"The Empire has determined that Gorj is imminently in danger of being seized by the Tahn. This shall not be allowed to happen.

"In exchange for our securing your independence, all we are requesting is access to three of your primary spaceports and the necessary real estate to develop basing for Imperial maintenance crews."

"And if we don't willingly let you take over those ports?"

"There is," Mahoney went on, "recognized by Imperial law, either the rights of force majeure or eminent domain. The Empire will, of course, make proper restitution."

"The Tahn have made no signs of attacking us!"

"They are very subtle," Mahoney said. He was starting to feel most diplomatic, even though he had wanted to start the meeting with: Look, guys.

You clowns are sitting here, right on the edges of the Tahn Empire. You've gotten all the goodies from staying neutral. Too bad you've got the only populated and developed worlds handy for us to grab.

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