Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 30

Chapter 30

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 07:52

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Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 08:21

The yachts jumped to Сopeira and plunged into the calm blue of hyperspace. Thanks to the hacking of the station's navigation system, the jump went smoothly, and there was no need to worry about its results. Rescued slept, under the watchful eye of medics, recovering from numerous paralyzes and injuries. According to the navigators' calculations, the jump should have lasted eleven hours.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 08:22

There was nothing to do and Taer, like most of the crew, languished in her cabin, thinking for a change about the possible failure of the remaining "saboteurs" and blaming herself for her foolishness.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 08:23

The mental self-eating session was interrupted by a nasty beep from her communicator:

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 08:43

"I finished cracking open the blocks and sticks handed in by His Lordship." Dudo's voice was somewhat strained.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 08:43

"So fast? - Taer wondered, glancing furtively at the little blue screen on the back of the communicator. //Less than two hours," she wondered again.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 08:44

"Nothing complicated, just password-protected. Not even physical access to the memory is blocked directly. The owners didn't seem to expect it to fall into the wrong hands."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 08:47

"So what's in there?"

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 08:47

"That's exactly what I wanted to discuss. Can you come over? It would be more convenient," he added. "The info blocks are gutted, and it would be very inconvenient to drag them."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 09:30

//You let it slacken and then it starts," Taer thought unhappily as she buttoned her tunic. "Already I have to go to them. A bit further in that direction and it's finished with Hey, you, run and get the Teymar.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 09:31

Thaer was about to give Dudo a good disciplinary thrashing, but when she opened the door of his quarters, she had to give up the idea. " Lance" sat surrounded by gutted machinery with three suppressors turned on and pale as a Carpathian:

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 09:32

"What happened?" she asked, waiting for the door to close behind her.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 09:32

"Well, the information the lord gave me..." Dudo began, removing some spare parts from the seat beside him and gesturing for her to sit down. "It does relate to the assassination attempts, but it's more than that. It's a whole elaborate plan to destabilize the entire Sector. The assassination attempt on Lord Cassard is just one episode."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 09:33

"Let's say." Taer nodded, sitting down and looking at him with interest. "But why all the panic? They've never been secretive about wanting to destabilize, not just the region, but the whole Empire."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 09:34

"So they're a curtain. It's all here..." He jabbed a finger at the dark tap of the disassembled infoblock. "The PVD is just a tool behind them, the Melatians and the SS."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 09:34

"Imperial Security?" she interjected, raising an eyebrow. "Sponsoring a PVD?!"
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Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 09:35

"Yes, according to the records, they organized all this unrest on Tallana!"

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 09:36

"This is insane. Why would sb make a commotion?"

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 10:01

"To impose a State of Emergency and then Direct Imperial Rule."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 10:01

"But..." Taer started but stopped talking and leaned her elbow on the table to think, reflexively trying to wrap a non-existent curl around her finger.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 10:02

There was definitely a point to the hypothesis expressed, twisted and bizarre, but there was one. The Teil sector received its privileges in exchange for the service of the nobles to the Emperor during and after the War of Orders. But the irony was that it was only the nobles of the Great Houses who served, and the entire Sector, including the Free Worlds, got the privileges. It came out by accident and was not exactly fair. But the Emperor didn't take back what he had given from Tallana and the others. Perhaps he simply decided to put things back the way they were...

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 10:03

"But why do it like that?" Taer exclaimed aloud. "That's a whole sector of problems out of thin air. It would have been easier to revoke privileges by direct edict or by Senate resolution... And then what did Tallana and Lord Cassard have to do with it? And the Melatians?"

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 10:04

"I don't know," Dudo said. "Maybe there were some reasons. I'm not a great politician to know all the ins and outs. I'll tell you what I've read. About the Melatians, I never understood what their interest was, but they're involved. And Lord Cassard is not a simple story there." He's got his infoblock to it. "Here, read it."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:06

The infoblock screen shimmered in every shade of white:

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:06

"Turn your suppressors off then, paranoid."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:06

"Oh, sorry, I forgot." He reached for the suppressors and started to disable them one by one. "I just realized Imperial Security was involved, and I panicked."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:07

"I know what you mean," Taer murmured as she read.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:07

"Anyway, the attempt on the lord's life is only the first stage," Dudo commented. - They were going to take advantage of it and make a riot on Cassard. The Cholanians would have taken credit for it..."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:10

"And the outraged commoners would just burn them," Taer finished for him. "They're not liked as it is, to say the least."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:10

"But they wouldn't watch them get burned, would they? It's Cassard who's all armed. Statistically, 12 guns per person."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:28

"They don't stand a chance anyway," she objected. "Cholanians, just over fifty million, and that is on a planet of fourteen billion."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:29

"Perhaps," Dudo agreed. "But it's not an instant process."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:29

"Exactly. The Guards would have cleaned it up in no time. All it would have taken was a couple of Triumphs and a few hundred paratrooper bots with paralyzers."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:30

"I understand they had some kind of plan to divert our Fleet. I haven't had time to read everything. There are a lot of unconnected blocks, and I don't even have an analysis droid. But from what I understand, something is going on with the Bentars and House Kilret at the same time. Fleet would have been scattered over these points. Someone in the Municipality of Cassard is involved. Amid the unrest, they would have had to appeal to the Emperor for protection and direct control."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:32

"And since Lord Cassard has no direct heirs, the emperor must take care of the domain. Dammit." She looked at Dudo. "Do you think the lord knows about this?

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:33

"I have no idea. But if he doesn't know, he should find out as soon as possible."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:33

//And Countess Durlurl, and the Ruling Lord, and the Council of Pryvies. The great shadows, practically all of them." -Taer grimaced in her mind as she realized the enormity of what was happening. Someone, even an SS, wanted to reclaim the jewel of House Fyron. - Cassard. The second most important planet after Fyron itself, and perhaps first in value.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:34

"I'll go wake up the lord," she concluded. "He should look into it."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:34

* * *

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:35

As Alex read the data, he grew darker and darker. Taer and Dudo sat next to each other, quiet as mice, casting wary glances at the lord. Finally, he finished reading, and, throwing the infoblock back on the table, leaned back on the sofa:

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:37

"Did I understand correctly that Cassard is actually a planet, not a domain?" He asked, glaring unkindly at the Taer.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:37

"Erm... Yes..." Taer was a little taken aback by this question. She had expected him to be more concerned with the role of Imperial Security than with the intricacies of property rights. "I mean, not really." She corrected herself. "The planet Cassard is part of the domain of Cassard, which is, of course, bigger than one planet."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:39

"Bigger?" Alex interjected, swallowing nervously. "How much bigger?!"

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:39

"Well, actually the whole Cassard System and the light year of the surrounding area."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:40

"Pipec," cursed the lord, in an unknown language, in a dropped voice. "And what is there in this light-year?"

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:40

"More than three dozen planetoids..." Taer began to list, trying hard to remember her lessons in navigation. "Two small gas and dust clouds. And the Cassard System itself, which in addition to the planet Cassard, includes six other planets, as well as two dense asteroid belts. But they're not inhabited, so they're not usually mentioned," the specialist added with a bewildered look.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:41

The lord was obviously shocked, but what shocked him, she could not understand.

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:43

"Well, really, three dozen planetoids and six planets. Why mention them?" The lord smiled nervously. "There is no population there. And where there is, how much population?"

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:44

"About fourteen billion."

Camrad_RIP 27.03.23 в 11:45