Heirs of Empire

“Apparently Mister X takes the adage about dead men telling no tales to heart,” Ninhursag observed now.

“True. Yet eliminating his agents, however much it may contribute to his security, also deprives him of their future services. That would seem somewhat premature of him—unless he has acquired all the access his plans, whatever they may be, require.”

“Yeah.” Ninhursag frowned at that unpalatable thought. “Of course, he may have been a bit too smart for his own good. We know about him now, and knowing he doesn’t have a military conduit frees us up a lot.”

“Yet by the same token, it deprives us of potential access into his own network. We have exhausted all leads available to us, Ninhursag.”

“Yeah,” she sighed again. “Damn. How I wish I knew what he was after! Just sitting here waiting for him to take another shot doesn’t appeal to me at all. He’s got too good a track record.”

“Agreed.” Dahak paused, then spoke rather carefully, even for him. “It has occurred to me, however, that our concentration on the military, while logical, may have had the unfortunate consequence of narrowing our vision.”

“How so?”

“We have proceeded on the assumption that he himself was of or closely co

“That’s an endemic security concern, Dahak. We have to start someplace where we can establish a ‘clear zone,’ and we’ve got one now—physically, as well as in an investigative sense. We can be fairly confident the entire Bia System is clear, now, so we can assume Colin and ’Ta

Dahak made a soft electronic sound of agreement. Entry level positions for civilian politicians and bureaucrats were subject to less intensive background scrutinies, and civilian careers seldom included the periodic security checks military men and women took for granted. When it came to civilians, he and Ninhursag lacked anything remotely approaching Battle Fleet’s central databases, and their ability to vet suspects was enormously reduced.

“Even worse,” the admiral said after a moment, “Mister X knows what he’s after, and that gives him the initiative. Until we figure out what he wants, we can’t even predict what he’s likely to do. Every security chief in history’s worried about what he may have overlooked.”

“Granted. I only raise the point because I feel it is important that we maintain our guard against all contingencies to the best of our ability.”

“Point taken. And that’s precisely why I see more reason than ever to keep this on a need-to-know basis. Especially since we don’t know who in the civil service might have been suborned. Or who’s vulnerable in the same way Vincente Cruz was.”

“A wise precaution. But may this not create problems when your ONI agents begin operations on Earth? They will inevitably be seen as interlopers, and the decision not to inform even the highest levels of the civilian security forces as to why their presence is necessary will exacerbate that perception. Indeed, it may even lead to a certain degree of institutional obstructionism in what humans call ‘turf wars.’ ”

“If there are any turf wars, I guarantee they’ll be short. Ultimate responsibility for the Imperium’s security rests right here, in my office. ONI’s the senior service, and if anybody thinks different, I’ll just have to show him the error of his ways, won’t I?”

Admiral MacMahan’s smile was cold. Which suited Dahak very well indeed.

Lawrence Jefferson’s pleasant expression masked a most unpleasant mood as he and Horus walked together to the Shepard Center mat-trans. Alert bodyguards watched over the Governor, and knowing his own actions had made them inevitable was irritating. Yet he’d had no choice. He’d known having Gus van Gelder killed would almost have to shake the Imperium’s leadership into a fundamental reassessment of its security needs, but it had been essential to unmask Gus’ mole. And, having done so, the only man who knew he’d had access to those briefing notes had to be removed, as well.

He rather regretted the deaths of Erika, Hans, and Jochaim van Gelder. Gus, of course, would have had to go eventually, but it had offended Jefferson’s i

No, Jefferson’s true unhappiness had less to do with defenses which couldn’t, in the end, really matter than with the news from Birhat. The last thing he needed was for the imperial family to produce another heir! He’d already been forced to dispose of one pair, and now he might have to do the whole job over again—especially since Jiltanith had already a

Of course, he reminded himself as he and Horus stepped up onto the mat-trans platform, pregnancy wasn’t something whose timing even Imperial bioscience could predict with absolute accuracy. But if the doctors were right, Jiltanith would not give birth, after all, for she—and her unborn children—would die two weeks before she did.

The Planetary Duke of Terra gri

Horus watched Narkhana collapse as Tinker Bell leapt upon him and wrestled him to the floor. He rolled on the rug, thrusting back at her with all four feet while their happy growls mingled. For a dog well into her third decade, Tinker Bell was remarkably spry, thanks to her own limited biotechnics, yet she had no conception of the tremendous strength Narkhana was reining in to let her win, nor of just how far her son’s intellect surpassed her own. Even if she’d been able to conceptualize such things, she would never have known, for her children would never tell her, and there was something both hilarious and poignant in watching them revert to utter doggishness in her presence.

Hector looked up and saw the late arrivals, and a whistle brought Tinker Bell instantly to his side. She flopped down at his feet, panting cheerfully as she prepared to put up with another of the incomprehensible human things her person did. Horus raised a sardonic eyebrow at his grandson, and Hector looked back with a bland i

“Horus, Lawrence. Glad you could make it,” Colin said, standing to shake hands. Horus squeezed back, then opened his arms to his daughter’s embrace and slid into the chair beside Jefferson’s.

“Now that you’re here,” Colin went on, “let me introduce someone very special. Horus, you’ve already met, but it’s been a while since you’ve seen her. Gentlemen, this is Eve.”