Regenesis

He didn’t get caught this time. He smiled in a very controlled, patronizing way. “I never met your predecessor. Was she this full of questions?”

“Something major,” she answered her own question. “You lack something, and that makes you think you may lose this fight. You’re making your move as early as you can and as late as you dare. For one thing, you don’t control the Fleet, and the Fleet has been in power since Union began. You don’t think you can pry their hands off that power. You have to worry about assassination, for another thing…” She was watching his eyes as she ran through that shopping list, and saw reactions that said she was getting closer. “And you have about twenty‑four hours to make your bid good, which is why you came here looking for Council backing, because all the people currently backing you are going to be in a lot of trouble, real soon, if you don’t gain momentum fast, and you care about that. Good. That makes me feel better.”

He looked at her in some disquiet. “And do you have a conclusion to this observation, Sera? Or is it a fortune‑telling act?”

“Oh, it’s not that hard to say, you came here to get a Council directive, which will make you look a lot more legitimate, you know there’s not a special quorum here, but you doknow there’s an ordinary quorum, which is enough for a directive. You’d probably like a Council resolution to say definitively that there’s no way in hell they’ll seat Khalid, and they might do that, but I don’t think it would look good politically. I’d advise not, if you have that in mind. Better you act as Council’s enforcement, then let Council get together, vacate the Defense seat and appoint a pro tem…assuming Jacques is dead, which seems fairly likely; or in Khalid’s hands, as insurance, in which case Jacques can be gotten out alive, and he could appoint youas proxy–he’ll do what he’s told to do. Am I following this correctly? You’ve got your troops, you’ve got a few important people hanging back, waiting to see how this goes, and whether or not you can outmaneuver Khalid, who’s just taken the other continent this morning because he’s having to jump fast and you caught him a little by surprise. His being there makes logistics a lot more difficult for you to get at him, but you’re after Svetlansk, where possibly you can keep him defending.”

A slow, grim honesty arrived in those same eyes. “say Svetlansk won’t be a problem. Planys, however, is. He’s shifted certain of his assets across the water. He has time, there. He can politic with the station over our heads. Two warships up there, if you want the truth.”

“Reseune hasassets across the water,” she said. “I can getyou precise recon at any time you want it. It’ll be a snapshot, so only ask for it once, but I can deliver it.”

He was still for a moment–more than silent; still, controlled, wary. Then his eyes flicked aside, beyond her, about where Florian and Catlin would be standing.

“Numbers before this morning would be very useful, sera,” he said then. “Placement of forces likewise.”

“Catlin,” she said, knowing Catlin and Florian had heard every word, “provide the general with that information.”

“Yes, sera,” Catlin said.

The clock, meanwhile, had reached straight up, and their twenty‑minute recess was done. While she’d occupied the general, Councillors had been discussing, intensely, and now took their seats with a grim look.

Ari went up the table before deFranco, caught her for a moment for a quiet word before she took her seat. “I think he’s here without wider support in Defense, except his own branch. He’s looking for legitimacy. He’s got forces actively moving in or on Svetlansk. The directives he’s got will give him momentum… mightsway elements of the Fleet, but I didn’t get that from him, and I don’t think he’s remotely counting on it. Call on him to support the Council by armed force where needful. Call on all the armed services to support the Council and defend its premises.”

That happened to be Reseune–and they were in extraordinary danger at the moment, with that plane sitting on its runway, and unproven actions going on in Svetlansk.

DeFranco nodded, walked over, and spoke intensely to Harad, who then spoke at some length to Harogo.

And Harogo, once they were seated, made the motion to consider an amendment to the last‑proposed directive.

They passed the Council directive. The added portion read: support the Council, defend its premises and protect the premises of all Bureaus, cities, institutions and territories, by force of arms where need be.

Awei drew in a large breath, then–satisfied, it seemed.

“Sera,” Florian said. He’d left the room during the last of the session. He had a printout in hand, and handed it to her. “The Planys report.”

It was a single page. It gave a breakdown of Defense numbers at the airport, numbers inside Planys.

“That’s of this morning, sera, at the point we shut System down.”

“Good,” she said. “As far as we know, System remains intact?”

“Likely it does.”

It was earnest of what they could get, when they needed it. She went to the general, who was taking leave of the Councillors, and handed him the paper. “Numbers and locations of non‑Reseune individuals the hour of the takeover. You get Khalid to defend his airport, and his base, and let us know when you need it, ser.”

Awei looked past Ari, directly at Catlin and Florian, whose faces wouldn’t give him a thing.

And back to her, maybe wanting to know a lot more, wondering if he had credit enough to ask it.

“Right before the shutdown,” she said. “Best information we’ve got.”

“Sera, Reseune has air cover while I’m here. But best you get your people and essential operations underground over the next number of hours. We can’t defend against what may happen on the station.”

Up where the weathermakers were. When the atmospheric controls were, and the bulk of the power generation.

Not to mention hostile action from ships that might be in port.

She had the picture. Awei turned to the several Councillors, who wished him well.

So did she, and said so, before they took it to the media, outside, and provided the literal text of the resolutions.

The resolutions were going onto the airwaves.

The whole world was about to know for certain the Council was behind Klaus Awei’s actions, past and future.

BOOK THREE Section 6 Chapter vi

SEPT 8, 2424

1040H

The first message Justin got said, simply, as a flasher on the corner of the screen of his office computer: Wing Directors: red alert is in progress.

The second, popping up in quick succession, and overlaying it, said: Justin, you’re in charge of Alpha Wing. Call ReseuneSec if you have to find me.

Meanwhile their office vid, up on the wall, had started reru

It didn’t take much imagination to know it was no drill, some threat was imminent, and that meant prepare to head for the tu

“Better shut down the office,” Justin said, feeling a little queasy. “Damn, we’re not getting much outstanding work done, at this rate.”

“Better pack for this one,” Grant said. “Trigger the warning on the List?”

“You know, I hategetting used to this. Yes, fire it off. Our neighbors know the drill better than we do.” He tried to think of what he should pack, what it would take to keep his sanity if it came to several days in the tu

“Game, batteries, and motion charger, check,” Grant said. “Still in the briefcase from the last time. I hate getting used to it, too–just as a useful check on my sensibilities. I distinctly recall being told to appeal to my Supervisor if Ifeel stress coming on.”