Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 13

Chapter 13

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 14:03

* * *

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 14:03

"...and concluding, I want to say that we will never forget the sacrifice of the people who died for the sake of unity, to bring us all life and prosperity. They paid for our happiness with their lives! Eternal memory to them!"

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 16:02

"Eternal memory!" the audience responded.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 16:01

Alex was silent because he was absorbed in looking at his neighbor on the right. The neighbor was also silent, but judging by the expression on her face, there was a storm of emotions behind the silence... Negative emotions. Not towards Alex, but - in general - towards what was happening.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 16:03

The noble crowd was surrounded by a flock of stewards as they disembarked from the platforms and entered the palace. They quickly sorted the arrivals into a column, the place in the column being, according to the Taer, determined by the antiquity and nobility of the clan. Alex found himself in the front rows, which were not crowded at all. Lord Cassard with "Lieutenant Diltar," a lone girl, escorted by two beasts in the scarlet ceremonial cloaks of House Fyron, and a small group of men with azure ribbons over their shoulders who were careful to pretend not to notice Alex and the strange girl.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 17:27

"The Pell clan of House Peltar," Taer commented in a barely audible whisper. "The oldest surviving clan in the Sector."

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 17:28

//Oh, yes, I remember! House Fyron and his allies beat the Peltars, who had previously been 'sector watchers', and they've been mortally offended ever since - they weren't beaten by... by the rules! Alex mentally chuckled. He genuinely believed that the word 'rules' did not apply to wars. And the local aristocrats, who were passionately poisoning each other in political struggles, must understand that very well.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 17:29

Meanwhile, the convoy moved on. At the head, to Alex's surprise, was the girl with the beasts, followed by the "group in the azure swimsuits," as Alex called them, and behind them were Lord Cassard and Taer. Behind them began the tight order of the less ancient and noble aristocracy. And so, in line, they went to lay wreaths of remembrance at the "Monument of the Fallen". There were no joyful crowds in the palace, but they were successfully replaced by journalists and reporters, who settled near the walls along the route of the column. The thought of being filmed by thousands of cameras and most likely many of them broadcasting live added to the unpleasant feeling of nervousness, and Alex mentally cursed those who had persuaded him to come here. He walked on full automatic, thinking only of how not to embarrass himself. Next to him, pale with excitement but with a completely impenetrable face, walked Taer, holding the wreath that was to be "laid".

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 17:32

Fortunately, it was a short walk, less than five minutes. After entering the strikingly large internal garden, the procession approached the monument in the center. A large and slightly battered metal plaque with a concise inscription reading "To those fallen in action at Toliara".

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 17:33

//A modest monument - with the giganto mania around here, you could count on something the size of the pyramid of Cheops. The giganto mania is understandable, given the crowd that has gathered, Alex thought as Taer ceremoniously handed the wreath to two guardsmen in the dark gold uniform of House Bentar.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 17:34

After the laying of the wreaths, a series of speeches began. A representative from each house, and sometimes the ruling lord himself, came out and spoke briefly, for about ten minutes, about "no one is forgotten, and nothing is forgotten". There was little variety in the speeches. That would have been half the trouble. But, firstly, the speeches were heard standing up, and, secondly, the speeches lasted ten minutes, given that there were eight Great Houses. Almost an hour and a half of speeches. During that time one might have been completely dumbfounded, were it not for the fact that the neighbor on the right was the strange girl and her no less strange attendants.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 17:39

The girl was standing about three meters away from Alex, and for the first time, he was able to see her up close. She was a particular character: She was tall, about six feet tall, broader in the shoulders than Alex, and muscular - a real "Grenadier woman". She was incredibly tanned, which made her stand out from the other aristocrats present - they had perfect white skin. Her dark bronze tan contrasted with her short, boyish platinum hair and gray eyes. Her outfit also stood out from the surrounding ladies - dark brown leather-look trousers tucked into high boots, a wide belt laden with two blasters, and a light-colored long-sleeved shirt. The collar was wide open, revealing a powerful chest on which rested a massive gold chain.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 18:02

The image was completed by a two-finger-wide gray metal hoop, without any sign of adornment, that encircled the girl's head and two massive bracelets of the same gray metal. Her face, especially compared to the local ladies, did not look sophisticated-it was not pretty, but rather pretty, and the contempt in her eyes was not nice.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 18:04

The companions were also colorful. A very furry "something" as tall as Alex's chest, looking like a six-legged raccoon with a huge tail like a squirrel. And a chitin-covered monster displaying magnificent claws on all eight limbs. The limbs were disproportionately long and had lots of joints. The creature must have kept its arms and legs half-bent, which made it difficult to tell where anything was in this tangle. Eight eyes gleamed red at the back of the tangle. The creature was intelligent, as indicated by the handles of its phasers that protruded from beneath its ceremonial cloak.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 18:06

The fluffy creature acted so naturally that Alex could not tell whether it was a representative of an intelligent race or a tame animal. The mysterious beast, as if sensing his gaze, turned its head and stared at Alex with its almost round brown eyes. It must have recognized nothing of interest and turned away, yawning widely, showing a long pink tongue and an enormous mouth full of tiny needle-like teeth in three rows. This was accompanied by incredibly mobile triangular ears, which swiveled to indicate the source of the sound.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 18:08

//Yeah, the girl obviously likes to go against public opinion, well, probably to draw attention to herself. Or maybe it's the ceremonial clothes and the no less ceremonial beasts she's entitled to as a noblewoman, Alex thought, and asked in a whisper, almost without moving his lips:

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 18:09

"Taer, who is that on our right? And why did she go first if the Pell family is the oldest?"

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 18:09

"Baroness Istar and her squires. The first to go was because if the nobility and antiquity are the same, the older one goes first."

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 18:10

Alex found the Pell family with his eyes - there were a few people 'over fifty' and looked at the girl again, //Well, twenty-eight, maybe thirty-something at most.

Camrad_RIP 23.02.23 в 18:11

He was about to ask how old she was, but it was the turn of the party's hosts, the House of Bentar, to speak. His potential "bride", Lady Valerie Bellar, stood on the podium of the monument. Green-eyed and golden-haired, wearing a lavish dress with cleavage and what appeared to be a corset. A tiara gleamed in her hair.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:39

//Well, just like a Barbie princess. However, it could have been much worse - an ugly old damsel, for example.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:39

The Ruling Lady did not take too long, quickly saying all the necessary words for such an occasion. She ended her speech by reminding them that "we will not forget this fateful moment that determined the fate of the sector and those who gave their lives to win the battle of Toliara".

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:42

With her last words, the sky above the inner garden began to darken rapidly. Soon the sparse stars appeared and grew brighter, the yellow ball of the sun flashed to the left, and the black disk of the night side of some planet came into view. Just above Alex's head a spindle-shaped spaceship floated by, followed by another and another. Above the garden, two star fleets were approaching, preparing for battle.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:44

//Yes, the special effects are top-notch, Alex thought admiringly as he watched the battle unfold.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:49

It was unclear who was for whom - almost all the emblems on the ships were different - there was simply no uniform insignia. So Alex mentally named the fleets - Left and Right. The Right hovered near the planet while the Left was rapidly approaching it, firing some sort of minutiae - fighters, it must be. A few minutes later, the battle was brewing. A swarm of Left fighters, backed by smaller ships, struck a wide arc into the flank of the Right fleet while the heavy ships, moving in a straight line, aimed for the center of the enemy formation. After that, Alex stopped understanding what was going on and who was who. And began to simply admire the action, mesmerized by the beauty of the battle. Bright beams sliced through space, clots of shots smashed into the mirrored haze of shields, and missiles exploded in dazzling flashes, blasting fighters and smaller ships to shreds. The fleets fought with no clear advantage, no large ships were destroyed, and the losses of the smaller ones were roughly equal...

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:51

As a dozen medium-sized ships appeared out of nowhere behind the Right-wing fleet, the hulls flashed with blue light, and the fleet sped towards the Right-wing fleet. Alex thought it was the Right's reinforcements arriving, but he was wrong. The ships that emerged in a single group attacked the Right's heavy ships one by one, attacking from behind. In a matter of minutes, there was a decent-sized gap in the Right's formation, and two of their ships were slowly falling apart, illuminated by the flashes of explosions.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:53

But then, for some reason, the largest ship of the Left exploded must have been the flagship, followed by another heavy ship and another. No longer bound to fight with equal opponents, the battleships of the Right slowly turned around and engaged the ships that had attacked them from behind. After a few more minutes it was all over - the 'Right' had won. The sky took on its natural color, the ships became translucent and froze in place, and the audience present erupted in thunderous applause. Alex joined in - it really was an amazing sight.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:54

"Well, that's the end of the official part. We can go to the rest area of House Fyron and tidy ourselves up," Taer sighed with relief.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:54

The noble crowd was in motion: some reached the garden exits, and small groups were forming - people were greeting their acquaintances and chatting animatedly. The journalists huddled along the walls and went out into the street.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:55

One journalistic "squad" was moving purposefully towards Lord Cassard. He had no desire to be interviewed, so when it became clear that they were not aiming at him but at Baroness Istar and her menagerie, Alex was relieved.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:56

"Lady Faith! Lady Faith! The audience wants to know what you think of the Unification Festival and the simulation just shown." The red-haired journalist swooped down on the baroness with questions and seeing that she seemed in no hurry to resist the 'fifth estate' she introduced herself. "Azuri Terbala. Free Worlds News."

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:58

The Baroness smiled sweetly at the journalist. And suddenly, without a swing, but clearly hard, she hit her in the face! The girl was just beginning to fall, and the Baroness's right hand hit the cameraman's solar plexus. He dropped the camera from his hands and bent down, gulping for air, at which point Lady Faith grabbed him by the hair and hit him in the face with her knee. The operator collapsed to the floor and was immediately kicked in the groin. It all happened in literally a second - here was Lady Faith listening to the question with a sweet smile, and now an enraged Baroness Istar was kicking the defeated journalists with hatred.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 19:59

The men in black uniforms appeared from out of nowhere and surrounded the battlefield, shielding the scene from prying eyes. They began to exhort Lady Faith to stop. But no attempt was made to stop the beating by force. The Baroness's "squires" did not intervene either. At last, the Baroness yielded to their entreaties and left, surrounded by men in black, while the journalists were picked up by the guards of the House of Bentar.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:05

There was an unnatural silence in the hall, which, after Lady Faith had left the garden, was replaced by the usual hubbub of the nobility discussing what was going on without looking at the victims. Azuri Terbal's face was splotched with blood, her nose smashed by a blow, and she was sobbing and moaning muffled. The cameraman, by the look of him, was more badly hurt. The blow of the knee shattered his lips, and the massive opaque glasses that covered his eyes cracked open, exposing the electronic stuffing. They left the garden, supported by the Bentar Guards. In a minute, nothing reminded them of the incident - the stewards had wiped off the blood, and several men in black uniforms were talking demandingly to the journalists.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:08

"Is beating up reporters who ask inconvenient questions a regular thing?" Alex asked Taer, shocked by what he saw.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:09

"Of course not, Lord Cassard! Such behavior is unacceptable, unworthy, and unacceptable to any civilized man, much less a nobleman!" A low male voice, coming from somewhere behind him, preceded the Taer.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:10

The "specialist" who was standing sideways and so could see the speaker froze and made a statue of herself. //It must have been the big bosses who spoke," concluded Alex, who had already studied the Guardsman's habits.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:12

He turned around and looked carefully at the speaker: a short, trim man in his sixties with a slightly distracted face, which was adorned by a small neat beard, graying with gray. His brown eyes were slightly squinted, and his short-cropped hair was completely white.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:13

"How will she pay for it?" Lord Cassard asked, nodding in the direction Lady Faith had gone.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:13

"Absolutely nothing, most likely," his companion shrugged. "She could have shot that poor woman on the spot, and even then the case would probably not have gone to trial."

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:14

"Is that in the order of things too?" Alex asked. "And, you know, unfortunately, I've completely forgotten your name..."

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:16

"No, it isn't," the stranger smiled. "But this is a unique case. Lord Sargo Athand, at your service!" He introduced himself with a barely perceptible bow.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:16

"Nice to meet you," Alex replied with a bow of his head. "What makes this case unique?"

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:17

"By the magnitude of the participant's personality, Lord Cassard, by the magnitude! The Baroness Istar is legendary in every sense of the word! And renowned for her badass temper. So this journalist should have thought before asking provocative questions. Anyway, she got the story anyway," Lord Athand added with a smile.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:18

"What was the provocation?" asked Alex, to whom the question seemed quite innocent.

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:18

Lord Sargo Athand glanced at Alex in surprise, then, as if remembering something, gave him a smile:

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:19

"Your partial amnesia has completely slipped my mind. Look," he held up his hand and pointed to one of the surviving ships that had so successfully attacked the Right wing fleet from behind. "This is the Cusaka, Baroness Istar's attack frigate, and this," the lord's hand pointed to the mangled hull of the Left's flagship. "The heavy cruiser Black Spear, flagship of the Outcasts, Baron Lormir Cassard's ship. They say he was her lover. Your distant ancestor, by the way. According to the official version, the Black Spear was destroyed due to a cascading overload of the shield modulators caused by a lucky hit. As demonstrated to us in today's simulation of that battle."

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:28

"And in reality?"

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:28

"In reality," Lord Athand grinned. "The Black Spear was shot almost point-blank from the direction where the shields were nullified by its allies, who had decided that being a Great House within the Tail Empire was far more interesting than being barons in the Kingdom of Fyron. This treachery brought victory to the Imperial forces. Everyone knows this, but it is not customary to talk about it. Now, do you understand the Baroness' reaction?"

Camrad_RIP 25.02.23 в 20:30