Fleet Elements Read online

  Dedication

  For KATHY HEDGES

  Acknowledgments

  With thanks to Dr. Michael Wester for his tour of fractal dimensions, and to Oz Drummond for her astute critical reading of this work

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Dramatis Personae

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  About the Author

  Also by Walter Jon Williams

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Dramatis Personae

  Martinez Family and Dependents

  Marcus, Lord Martinez: Terran, patriarch of Clan Martinez, patron to Laredo, Chee, and Parkhurst.

  Lady Martinez: Terran, wife to Lord Martinez.

  Lord Roland Martinez: Terran, Lord Martinez’s eldest son and heir. Convocate.

  Girasole Martinez: Terran, Roland’s daughter.

  Senior Captain Lord Gareth Martinez: Terran, second son of Lord Martinez, awarded the Golden Orb for conduct during the Naxid War.

  Lady Terza Chen: Terran, daughter and heir of Lord Chen, wife of Gareth Martinez.

  Gareth the Younger (“Chai-chai”): Terran, son of Gareth Martinez and Terza Chen.

  Yaling (“Mei-mei”): Terran, daughter of Gareth Martinez and Terza Chen.

  Lady Vipsania Martinez: Terran, daughter of Lord and Lady Martinez, married to Lord Convocate Oda Yoshitoshi and head of Imperial Broadcasting.

  Lady Walpurga Martinez: Terran, daughter of Lord and Lady Martinez, widow of PJ Ngeni.

  Lady Sempronia Martinez: Terran, daughter of Lord and Lady Martinez, estranged from her family. Married to Nikkul Shankaracharya.

  Khalid Alikhan: Terran, weaponer first class (retired). Orderly to Gareth Martinez.

  Lieutenant Lalita Banerjee: Terran female, signals officer on Los Angeles.

  Aitor Santana: Terran male, signals officer on Los Angeles.

  Lady Sula, Her Dependents and Associates

  Senior Captain Caroline, Lady Sula: Terran, head of Clan Sula, Fleet officer and former head of the Secret Army. Former leader of Action Team 491.

  Constable First Class Gavin Macnamara: Terran, detailed as servant to Lady Sula, former member of the Secret Army and Action Team 491.

  Engineer First Class Shawna Spence: Terran, detailed as servant to Lady Sula, former member of the Secret Army and Action Team 491.

  Ming Lin: Terran, veteran of the Secret Army, graduate student in economics, and Sula’s economic adviser.

  The Fleet

  Lord Tork: Daimong male, Supreme Commander of the Fleet.

  Fleet Commander Lord Pa Do-faq: Lai-own male, commander of the Third Fleet at Felarus, Gareth Martinez’s former commander.

  Fleet Commander Pezzini: Terran male, member of the Fleet Control Board.

  Junior Fleet Commander Lady Michi Chen: Terran female, commanding Fourth Fleet at Harzapid. Sister of Lord Chen, aunt to Terza Chen, and Gareth Martinez’s former commander.

  Lieutenant Lord Prince Huang: Terran male, cousin to Michi Chen

  Sandra Yuen: Terran female, one of Michi Chen’s aides.

  Junior Fleet Commander Lord Altasz: Torminel, commander of Altasz Force during the Naxid War.

  Senior Squadron Commander Carmody: Terran male, Naxid war veteran, commands Heavy Squadron Eight in the Fourth Fleet.

  Senior Squadron Commander Nguyen: Terran, commanding a squadron under Do-faq at Felarus.

  Junior Captain Lord Jeremy Foote: Terran, commanding light cruiser Vigilant and Light Squadron Eight. Veteran of the Naxid War, the First and Second Battles of Magaria, and racing pilot for the Apogee Club.

  Lieutenant-Captain Lord Naaz Vijana: Terran, hero of the Yormak rebellion and commanding frigate stationed at Harzapid.

  Lieutenant-Captain Lady Elissa Dalkeith: Terran, commanding cruiser Bombardment of Los Angeles.

  Lieutenant-Captain Ari Abacha: Terran, a friend of Gareth Martinez, and a sporting enthusiast.

  Senior Captain Lord Harvey Conyngham: Terran male, former prisoner of the Naxids during the Naxid Rebellion.

  Lieutenant-Captain Lady Alana Haz: Terran, former premiere lieutenant on Sula’s frigate Confidence.

  Lieutenant Lady Rebecca Giove: Terran, former second lieutenant on Sula’s frigate Confidence.

  Lord Pavel Ikuhara: Terran, former third officer on Sula’s frigate Confidence.

  Lieutenant Lady Chandra Prasad: Terran, formerly of Martinez’s command Illustrious.

  Lieutenant Lord Sabir Mersenne: Terran, formerly of Martinez’s command Illustrious.

  Lord Nishkad: Naxid male, senior squadron commander (retired), now businessman on Harzapid.

  Senior Fleet Commander Surang: Daimong male, former commander of the Fourth Fleet, now deposed.

  Captain Hui: Terran female, captain of Staunch.

  Junior Squadron Leader Khali: Terran male, commands Heavy Squadron Twenty in the Fourth Fleet.

  Senior Squadron Commander Wei Jian: Terran female, commanding defectors from the Second Fleet.

  Paivo and Ranssu Kangas: Terran males, twin sons of the late Fleet Commander Eino Kangas.

  Lieutenant Lord Ahmad Husayn: Terran male, formerly of Martinez’s command Illustrious.

  Lieutenant Vonderheydte: Terran male, formerly of Martinez’s command Corona.

  Lieutenant Garcia: Terran female, former prisoner of the Naxids.

  Squadron Commander Rukmin: Torminel female, commanding two heavy cruiser squadrons out of Zarafan.

  Senior Squadron Commander Kung: Terran male, commanding defecting Terran squadrons from the Home Fleet.

  Ricci (male) and Viswan (female): Sula’s signals lieutenants.

  Marivic Mangahas: Terran female, Martinez’s chef.

  Lady Xia Gao: Terran female, second officer on cruiser Defense.

  Senior Squadron Leader Rivven: Daimong male, commands a squadron of heavy cruisers in the Home Fleet.

  Squadron Leader An-dar: Lai-own male, commands a squadron of heavy cruisers in the Home Fleet.

  Exploration Service

  Captain Shushanik Severin (“Nikki”): Terran, captain of Expedition and puppeteer.

  Lieutenant Lord Chungsun Cleghorne: Terran, premiere lieutenant of Expedition.

  Lieutenant Cressida Toupal: Terran, second lieutenant of Expedition.

  Pilot First Class Liu: Terran, crew on Expedition.

  Warrant Officer Falyaz: Terran, crew on Expedition.

  Lihua, Lady Starkey: Terran female, captain of cruiser Explorer.

  Lieutenant Moreno: Terran male, premiere lieutenant on Explorer.

  Peers

  Maurice, Lord Chen: Terran. A convocate, member of the Fleet Control Board, and father-in-law of Gareth Martinez.

  Lord Saïd: Terran male, head of Clan Saïd and former Lord Senior of the Convocation.

  Lord Mehrang: Terran, patron to Esley, home planet of the Yormaks.

  Lady Koridun: Torminel, the young head of the Koridun clan.

  Lady Distchin: Torminel, absentee patron to Spannan.

  Lady Gruum: Daimong, former patron to the newly settled world Rol-mar, now Lady Senior of the Convocation.

  Lady Tu-hon: Lai-own, presiding judge of the Court of Honor in the Conv
ocation and member of the Zanshaa government.

  Lord Minno: Cree, a banker, heading the Treasury.

  Lord Oda Yoshitoshi: Terran, heir to Yoshitoshi clan and husband of Vipsania Martinez.

  Lord Durward Li: Terran, former client of the Sulas, now client of the Chens.

  Lady Amita: Terran, Lord Durward’s first wife.

  Lady Marietta: Terran, Lord Durward’s second wife, a runaway.

  Lord Ngeni: Terran, member of the Convocation, former patron to the Martinez clan.

  Lord Pierre Ngeni: Terran, Lord Ngeni’s son, member of the Convocation.

  Lady Cassilda Zykov: Terran, former wife of Roland Martinez and mother of Girasole.

  Lord Zykov: Terran, Lady Cassilda’s father.

  Lord Eldey: Torminel, a convocate and former governor of Zanshaa.

  Legion of Diligence

  Captain Voday: Torminel officer in Legion of Diligence.

  Colonel Dai-por: Lai-own officer in Legion of Diligence, commanding in Harzapid system at outset of Accidental War.

  Linkmen

  Hector Braga (“Lamey”): Terran, sometime gangster from Spannan, now lobbyist.

  Gredel (“Earthgirl”): Terran, a street girl from Spannan.

  Others

  Chesko: Daimong, clothes designer in Petty Mount.

  Chapter 1

  His nerves seemed scorched by fire. His ribs had tightened their grip on his lungs, and his heart lurched in his chest. Martinez paused for a moment in the boarding tube, took several breaths, and then opened the top buttons on his uniform tunic.

  Caroline, Lady Sula had just marched back into his life.

  She and her crew had come off their captured ship, Striver, taken after killing over forty black-clad Legion fanatics in pitched battle. Sula and her companions had been beaten to hell by weeks of hard deceleration, and the exhaustion clearly showed, but still there was a swagger in their walk, the strut of victors on parade. Sula had carried a homebuilt machine pistol over her shoulder on its strap, and the rest were armed with pistols, rifles, and shotguns. Most were officers in the Fleet but only one wore uniform, for the rest had boarded Striver disguised as travelers and immigrants.

  All but one were human, and that other was a young Torminel female who wore an exquisite Chesko gown shining with mirrors and silver thread, accessorized with a Legion sidearm and gun belt.

  Martinez remembered that it was with this sort of army that Sula had stormed the High City of Zanshaa. And now it looked as if they were ready to storm the High City all over again.

  Even though his relationship with Sula had blown up years ago, he still dreamed about her, conjured old memories of the warm white-gold hair brushing his shoulder, the eyes that burned with jade-green fire as they gazed into his, the pale skin that flushed at his touch. When he woke lying next to his wife, it was with Sula’s Sandama Twilight perfume singing in his senses.

  The Sula who appeared in his dreams was a synthesis of his own tangled desires, and now these fantasies were torn to shreds by the appearance of the real thing. Sula was exhausted from days of high gee, pain lined her face, she wore an old gray jumpsuit, and she had chopped her pale blond hair short so that she could hide it under a wig while traveling in disguise. But still she was the most beautiful thing Martinez had ever seen, and the sight of her buried itself like an arrow in his heart. The pale, bone-tired woman in the worn jumpsuit set a fire running in his blood, and now, panting for breath in the boarding tube, he had no idea how he could survive the next few meetings.

  When Sula’s gang of pirates came swaggering from the Striver, Martinez had been one of a party waiting to welcome them. Fortunately he hadn’t been expected to do or say anything: the honor of welcoming Sula’s party went to Michi Chen, who commanded the Fourth Fleet here at Harzapid.

  Sula marched up to Michi and braced at the salute. “Lady Fleetcom,” she said. “Here I am.”

  “You are very welcome,” Michi said. “I’ve scheduled a meeting with you and some of the others for tomorrow, but I know you all must be exhausted, so I’ll show you to your new assigned quarters, and then I’ll leave you alone. If you want food or other refreshment, please send for it, and if any of you need medical attention, that’s available too.”

  “What I most want,” Sula said, “is the strongest massage therapist on the station.”

  Michi nodded. “I can find that for you. But please introduce me to your . . . your crew.”

  Martinez stood in silence while the introductions went on. Sula had brought eighteen officers, cadets, and enlisted, along with a few civilians. The Torminel in the Chesko gown turned out to be none other than Lady Koridun, the young head of a family lately notorious for the number of its clan leaders who had died in implausible accidents. Michi introduced her own party, and when she mentioned Martinez’s name, he gave a brisk nod and made his eyes go unfocused, so that he wouldn’t see Sula’s expression.

  Michi led her guests to the line of open-topped cars, identical boxy vehicles made by Sun Ray and painted in the viridian green of the Fleet. Sula joined Michi in the lead car. Martinez took the second car along with Lieutenant-Captain Naaz Vijana, who had made his name suppressing the Yormak Rebellion on Esley. They made polite conversation as the party sped with a whir of electric motors through the busy Fleet dockyard, past the warships of the Fourth Fleet moored nose-in to the planet’s antimatter ring, past the work crews hustling supplies and equipment through the cargo airlocks, past wary guards in the red belts and armbands of the Military Constabulary.

  Busy though the dockyard was, it also glittered with ornament. Harzapid’s antimatter-generation ring had circled the planet for thousands of years, and during that time there was little public space that had not been embellished with a fresco, a slogan, a bas-relief, or an allegory. Walls were covered with artwork of the Shaa conquerors directing their subject species in developing science and industry, in placing the antimatter ring in the sky, in sending fleets out to populate new systems. The other species bustled to follow the Great Masters’ instructions or gaped in awe as the Shaa proclaimed the Praxis in all its majesty. The antimatter generated on the ring was shown powering merchant vessels, lighting cities, providing energy for heavy industry. Slogans urged the ring’s staff to Labor for the Benefit of All, to Work Cheerfully, and Let the Praxis Guide Your Life.

  The ring’s deck was divided by seventeen avenues that stretched the full length of the inhabited areas—seventeen to reflect the Great Masters’ preference for prime numbers. Cross streets intersected the avenues at regular intervals. There were trees, green spaces, statues, and fountains. The buildings looked much the same as buildings on the surface, if perhaps a little more bland and uniform, and none rose above eight stories because there was a ceiling above, a ceiling nearly invisible behind regularly spaced lighting strips. Suspended monorail transport raced in efficient silence between the arrays of lights.

  The civilian areas were filled with a thriving middle class. If you were rich, you lived on the planet below, and the Shaa had been wary about allowing the urban poor to inhabit such a vulnerable installation. Families of the middling sort were lured to the ring by the promise of affordable housing, good public schools, available universities, employment opportunities, and material comfort.

  Necessarily the Fleet dockyard was arranged differently, with docking ports and sprawling warehouses and workshops, but the areas where Fleet personnel and contractors lived looked much like its civilian equivalent.

  The convoy left the dockyard and entered the Fleet’s residential section, where they stopped at an officers’ hostel covered with gold-on-brown abstract designs and brass medallions embellished with reliefs of celebrated fleet commanders of the past. The cars stopped, and one of Michi’s aides stepped out with a list of those to be quartered here. Sula’s name headed the list, and she turned to thank Michi for her hospitality, left the car with some care, as if wary of an injury, and then walked straight-backed to the hostel entrance.
r />   Watching Sula stride to the door, Martinez remembered her walking away from him in Zanshaa’s Lower Town, her heels rapping on the pavement next to the canal.

  The echo of those heels had seemed to pursue him into Corona’s docking tube. He took another breath.

  He had not realized he was so vulnerable. He had seen Sula on only a very few occasions since the end of the Naxid War, and over time he thought he’d manage a meeting well enough as long as he wasn’t caught by surprise. And here he wasn’t surprised—everyone on the station had known she was coming for weeks—and he still felt as if an expert street fighter had just walloped him in the solar plexus.

  The echo of the heels grew louder, and then were accompanied by a tinkling laugh. Martinez turned in surprise to see a handsome couple, a young blond woman in a canary-yellow dress, with freckles spread across her snub nose, accompanied by a small uniformed man with pale hair and delicate features. Vonderheydte, who Martinez had promoted lieutenant in his first command, and Lady Marietta Li, the stowaway who had left her husband and twin daughters to fly into exile with her lover. Martinez suppressed a sneeze as he was engulfed by Marietta’s floral perfume.

  “My lord,” Vonderheydte said. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, of course,” said Martinez. He patted the pockets of his tunic. “For a moment I had the impression that I’d forgotten something, but apparently I haven’t.”

  “Didn’t Lady Sula look dreadful?” said Marietta. “I’d always thought she was so beautiful, but now I see her in person, and . . . well.”

  Suddenly Martinez found himself wanting to defend her. “She’s been in battle,” he pointed out. “She hasn’t had a lot of time to attend to personal grooming.”

  “Yet Lady Koridun looked wonderful,” Marietta said, “and someone told me she killed the enemy commander.”