Shadow of Freedom

“Agreed, Ma’am,” Lecter said. “And there’s no question that we’ve clearly established that both Hongbo and Verrocchio have been squarely—and knowingly—in somebody’s pocket from the very beginning. I think we’ve also established that Hongbo was really the primary contact point between Mesa and everything else going on in the Madras Sector. That was worthwhile in its own right, and it’s going to help steer the investigators to the evidence they need. And I’ll concede that Hongbo, at least, is coming to the conclusion the Alignment actually exists. But he wasn’t able to give us a smoking gun. There’s nothing in any of his responses, whether they were truthful or lies, that demonstrates any actual knowledge on his part that the Alignment is a reality and not just a figment of our imaginations.”

“No, there isn’t,” Michelle acknowledged. “There is clear confirmation, though, that somebody in Mesa was pulling the strings out here. That everything we’ve been saying about outside involvement was justified, and that it was coming out of Mesa. Whether it was the Alignment or not is really beside the point, in that regard. Personally, I’m pretty damn sure it was the Alignment. But whether I’m right about that or not, I don’t see any reason to think the string-pullers in Mesa are going to suddenly stop acting against our interests. And it’s occurred to me that there’s one place in the galaxy where we can probably find proof whether or not the Alignment exists.”

Lecter’s eyes widened with what might have been a touch of alarm, and Michelle smiled thinly.

“In my opinion, what we’ve already established from the files we’ve cracked, completely exclusive of anything Hongbo may have said to me or Alfredo may have picked up from his mind-glow is that some group in the Mesa System was directly behind the actions leading to the deaths of our personnel in New Tuscany. Moreover, Ottweiler’s involvement means the Mesan government was involved. There’s a phrase that describes an official government action hostile to the interests of and to the safety of the citizens of another government, people. It’s called ‘an act of war,’ and that’s precisely what the Mesa System has perpetrated against the Star Empire of Manticore.”

Silence hovered for a moment. Then Lecter cleared her throat.

“I can’t disagree with anything you just said, Ma’am,” she said very carefully. “Can I ask where you’re going with it, though?”

“Instead of just asking me whether or not I’ve lost my mind, you mean?” Michelle inquired with a smile which looked oddly impish.

“Far be it from me to put it in those terms, Ma’am.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” Michelle chuckled, but then her expression sobered.

“This isn’t some impulsive decision on my part, Cindy.” She let her gaze circle the table, meeting each of her staffers’ eyes in turn. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since the Yawata Strike, and especially since Cachat and Zilwicki got home from Mesa. The Solarian League and the Star Empire are at war, and we got there because of someone else’s machinations. And while those idiots in Old Terra appear unwilling or unable to admit the possibility, whoever’s behind all this obviously doesn’t have the League’s best interests at heart any more than she’s looking out for ours. We’ve done our best to suggest that possibility to the Mandarins, but they’ve been too busy spinning the confrontation to consider our suggestions seriously. Of course, that’s the best-case explanation for their actions. The worst-case explanation is that the bureaucrats calling the shots in Old Chicago know exactly what’s going on and they’re in the Alignment’s pocket. I’m not quite paranoid enough to buy into that theory, though. If for no other reason because if they already controlled Kolokoltsov and his buddies that thoroughly, they’d have no need to set the League on a collision course with the Star Empire and the Republic.”

She paused for a moment, as if allowing that to settle in, then shrugged.

“There’s an old, old story about Alexander the Great back on old Earth, when he was a young man. When he was confronted by the Gordian knot that no one could untie, he solved the problem with a sword. I’m coming to the conclusion that what we have here isn’t the Gordian knot, but a Mesan knot. And Tenth Fleet makes a pretty good sword when you think about it.”

* * *

Michelle Henke sat in her quarters once again, facing her com pickup. It was very quiet, quiet enough that Dicey’s purring came clearly from under her desk where the enormous cat lay curled across her feet. She thought about moving the feet in question, but not very hard, and she smiled ruefully. The damned cat was finally establishing his ownership over her, as well as Billingsley, she realized.

She shook her head. Then the smile faded, and she considered the last couple of days.