Chapter 4

The Arrest of von Wilmenhorst

After pausing a few minutes to collect his wits and his courage, Admiral Trejas put in a

call to his own superior, Lord Admiral Cesare Benevenuto, the chief military officer of Her

Imperial Majesty's Navy. Benevenuto listened to the report with a cold feeling in his heart.

Grand Duke Zander was an old and respected acquaintance, but the evidence came

from an impeccable source. Benevenuto promised Trejas a quick decision on the matter

and promptly placed another call to move the information further up the line.

Except during time of war or Imperial emergency, the Lord Admiral did not report directly

to the Empress; instead, protocol demanded that he inform Duke Mosi Burr'uk, currently

serving as Prime Councilor of the Imperial Council under Empress Stanley Eleven, just as

he had served under her father until her accession to the Imperial Throne six months ago.

Although the Empress held full authority, it was the P.C.'s job to screen those items that

required her immediate attention and to handle those matters that could be dealt with on

a lower level.

The Duke was a small black man in his late fifties. He listened to Benevenuto's report

with the same sense of impending fear that the two admirals had felt before him. As

Head of SOTE, Zander von Wilmenhorst was also a member of the Imperial Council; he

and Duke Mosi had often disagreed on matters of policy, sometimes violently. It galled

Burr'uk that Stanley Ten, and now his daughter Edna, seemed to side with von

Wilmenhorst more often than with him. Even so, this news hurt him. If it were true that

von Wilmenhorst was the mysterious C, it meant there were no Imperial secrets or

matters of policy that the conspiracy had not known or shaped. It made him shiver at the

thought of how utterly the Empire might have been betrayed.

With no little trepidation, then, Duke Mosi called for an urgent personal meeting with Her

Imperial Majesty. Because of the importance of the subject, she agreed to cancel other

appointments and see him in half an hour.

The meeting took place in the private conference chamber of the Imperial Palace in

Moscow. It was a room designed for work, devoid of the splendor of the more public

rooms. Heavy gold and brown velvet tapestries with designs of unicorns and griffins

covered the soundproofed walls, dampening noise in here still further. Gilded wooden

chairs circled a leather-topped oval conference table that dominated the chamber. It was

a coldly majestic place, reflecting the mood of its owner. The Prime Councilor, true to his

nature, had arrived early and was waiting respectfully as Edna Stanley, ruler of the

Empire of Earth, entered the room.

The Empress, supreme ruler of an empire more vast than any other in human history,

was barely twenty-six years old. She was not beautiful, but there was a charm about her

appearance that caused most of her subjects to love her on sight. She wore a

cream-colored suede jumpsuit and carried herself with royal confidence and pride. If her

face was set in severe lines, it was because she bore the heaviest burden mankind had

ever devised-total and absolute control over an entire Galaxy.

Edna Stanley took her accustomed seat at the head of the oval table. "Well, my lord,"

she said to her Prime Councilor, "what have you to say that's so important?"

Duke Mosi made his presentation as simple and understated as he could. The facts were

horrifying enough; they needed no elaboration. The Empress listened without once

interrupting-a trait she'd picked up from her fatheralthough her face became increasingly

drawn and grave as the story unfolded.

She was silent for more than a minute after the Duke had finished his report. The calm

expression on her face gave no indication of the war raging within her soul. At last she

looked squarely at Burr'uk and said, "You realize, I presume, the seriousness of your

accusations."

"No one more so than I, Your Majesty. But I am only repeating what others have

reported."

"You've frequently disagreed with Zander at Council meetings. I'm sure you'd appreciate

the removal of his opposition."

The Duke's reaction was instantaneous. He approached the Empress' chair and knelt

before, it with his head bowed. "Your Majesty, our disagreements, while often loud and

volatile, have always been honest ones over the best ways to preserve the peace and

safety of the Empire. If you think I take any joy in this news, I assure you you are

mistaken. Quite the contrary-I'd hate to think our worst enemy has been privy to so many

of our secrets. If you think I had some hand in fabricating evidence against Grand Duke

Zander, then I hope you'll accept my resignation right now, for a Prime Councilor cannot

function without the trust of his sovereign."

"Get up, Mosi," the Empress said. "My father wouldn't have chosen you as Prime

Councilor if he wasn't convinced of your integrity, and I wouldn't have reaffirmed you in

the position if I had any doubts. I know you'd never stoop to tactics like these just to get

rid of someone you disagree with."

She shook her head. "It's just that . . . Zander! He's been like a dear uncle to me all my

life. It's hard to believe he could be plotting against me."

The Duke rose and straightened his gold-rimmed glasses. "The source is Captain Fortier,

whom I believe you personally decorated for saving the Empire at your coronation. He

emphasized to his superiors that he believes the evidence is unassailable, obtained from

the Grand Duke's own files."

The Empress nodded. "Perhaps I'm having trouble believing it because I don't want to

believe it. If Zander is C, that means he knows everything about us, all our weak points,

all our problems. It also means he has the power to mislead and misdirect us. The

Service of the Empire is one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal. It's our eyes and

ears. Without it, we'd drift helplessly and the Empire would probably crumble in a matter

of months. SOTE is what makes an empire this large possible. . . ."

She shivered and looked directly at the man before her. "Well, that's peripheral to our

problem at the moment. We have a situation that must be dealt with. As my Prime

Councilor, what do you recommend we do'?"

"I think prudence dictates we operate on the worst possible assumption for the

moment-that is, we must assume the information is true and Grand Duke Zander is your

archenemy. If so, steps must be taken to neutralize him immediately."

"I will not condemn him without seeing the evidence firsthand," the Empress insisted.

"Of course not, Your Majesty," Duke Mosi hastily assured her. "I wouldn't do that, either.

Arrangements will be made to obtain copies of the incriminating files for our examination

as soon as possible. But in the meantime, Grand Duke Zander has intelligence sources

of his own, and he is bound to hear what has happened at his own estate. If he is the

man behind the conspiracy, he may have some contingency plans that he can set into

effect. Since he knows all our weak points, he would know precisely where to act to

cripple us most severely. We must put him under arrest immediately and hope to isolate

him from his organization. If the evidence later turns out to be false-and I wish it no less

than you do-we can release him with our apologies, and no permanent harm is done. If

the information is correct, we'll have done what we could to keep him from causing

further damage to the Empire. "

"No permanent harm,"' the Empress mused, echoing Duke Mosi's phrase. "I wonder

about that. Zander is someone whose trust and friendship I value; there aren't many

people I can say that about. How can I accuse him of the highest crimes in the Galaxy,

then release him later and expect to keep his loyalty and trust?"

"The Zander von Wilmenhorst I know would understand your position perfectly," the

Prime Councilor said. "Were he in my position, he'd be the first to say that Imperial

security must rank ahead of friendship."

"You're right about that. But if he is guilty . . ." She paused to consider the ramifications.

"If he is guilty, how much of SOTE is in this with him? Helena is his chief assistant; she

may be part of the same conspiracy. But the rest of the Service-has he been selecting

people who are loyal to him, or to me? If they turn against me, the stability of the

Imperial Throne is in serious jeopardy. The matter must be handled with the utmost

delicacy." "There is another question, Your Majesty," Duke Mosi said. "We could not

allow the Grand Duke the luxury of a trial, not in a matter this sensitive. If you preside

over a High Court of Justice with the other Grand Dukes rendering a verdict, von

Wilmenhorst's role as Head of SOTS will have to be revealed. If he is condemned-even if

he's the only member of SOTE involved-the organization will have to be completely

overhauled. If nothing else, its headquarters will have to be moved out of the Hall of

State for Sector Four, where it is now. There will be a period of inevitable turmoil, and

there are entirely too many people who'd be willing to take advantage of that. A trial,

even in camera, would bring out too many things we'd want to keep hidden. You and you

alone must decide the case and pronounce sentence."

The Empress accepted her adviser's opinion thoughtfully, making no immediate

comment. Her face was a mask of regal solemnity that gave no indication of the thoughts

behind it. "Khorosho, my lord. Here are my instructions, which are to be carried out to

the letter. Grand Duke Zander von Wilmenhorst and the Duchess Helena are to be

placed under house arrest as quickly as possible. There is to be no force used unless

they resist arrest, and then only the minimum force needed to carry out orders. They are

to be held totally incommunicado, and the case against them must be spelled out to them

in detail so they'll have a chance to explain. They are to be treated at all times with the

deference and courtesy befitting their ranks. Find out who is number three at SOTE

Headquarters. I'll contact that person myself and explain that Zander and Helena are

indisposed, and that he is to be in charge until further notice. If we can keep SOTE in the

dark about this, at least for a while, it may minimize any threat from that direction.

"If I hear of any unwarranted mistreatment of either Zander or Helena, someone will wish

he hadn't been born. I'll take what steps I must to protect the security of the Empire, but

I will not hurt two people I love unless the charges against them can be thoroughly

proved."

"Yes, Your Majesty. And I'll pray fervently that our worst assumption turns out to be

wrong." The Prime Councilor bowed deeply to his sovereign and left the room.

You and I both, Mosi, the Empress thought as she watched him depart.

Edna Stanley had been trained since birth to keep her emotions well hidden in public.

First as Crown Princess, and now as Empress, she had known she would be the center

of attention. In any difficult situation, people would look to her for a reaction. If she was

weepy or hysterical, the fear would be contagious. If she, as focal point of the Empire,

was calm and confident, morale would remain high. The Empire would ultimately have

only as much strength as she, its symbol, could project. And fortunately for the Empire,

she had the inner resources to keep it strong.

But the private Edna Stanley, seen by only a privileged few, was tossed into a sea of

turmoil over this revelation of possible treachery by her most trusted advisor, ally, and

friend. The doubts and fears gnawed at her innards. Had she done the right thing? How

secure was the Imperial Throne-and, for that matter, her very life? Who could be trusted

if Zander turned out to be a traitor?

In a crisis like this, there was only one person with whom she could be totally at ease:

her husband Liu. The Emperor-Consort was a man of quiet strength and dignity more

than a match for her own. He was a fully ordained priest of the mystical religion of his

native planet, Antares, and a philosopher of no mean talents. Because he did not bear

the responsibility of the Empire on his shoulders, he could be strong when she herself felt

weak, and she had drawn on that strength many times in the past.

It was not precisely love that had drawn her to him out of her many possible suitors; love

had little room in the life of a person who would rule the Galaxy. To be sure, love of a

fashion had bloomed between them since their meeting; she cared about him, she felt

comfortable in his presence, she knew she could depend on him to support her in her

times of need. To the extent that these factors constituted love, then love was present.

But to the extent that love encompassed passion, it was never there. Edna knew that,

and at odd moments she felt the loss-but then she herself was hardly what anyone would

call a woman of passions, and those moments passed quickly. She had picked Liu as her

consort because of his wisdom and his strength, and she had never regretted her choice.

The Empress' private bedchamber was decorated to look like the inside of a comfortable

cave. The walls were carved of volcanic rock with lush ferns growing in niches around the

room. Brightly colored silk pillows were scattered about the polished obsidian floor and

the bed was a raised platform covered by futon mats. Covering the back wall behind the

bed, a sisal macrame hanging held hundreds of crystal globes filled with glowing votive

candles.

Alone there with Liu that evening, Edna unburdened her troubles to him. The

Emperor-Consort listened as impassively as Edna had listened to the Prime Councilor

earlier that day. The Empress paced the room as she talked, her tone becoming more

uncertain as she speculated on the consequences. "I've known Zander since I was a

baby. My father knew him and trusted him even before that. If he wanted the throne,

there are many easier ways he could have gotten it. He's third in line of succession

himself now. All he'd have had to do was arrange three 'accidental' deaths-that would

have been child's play for someone with his brains and resources. It doesn't make sense

for him to act this way."

"Sense is not an inherent quality of isolated facts," Liu said quietly. "Only when all things

are known can the patterns be sorted out. Even then, consistency is rare." He walked

over to his wife and put his hands gently around her shoulders. "When dealing with

human beings, sense is the last thing anyone should expect."

"And yet I keep thinking that, in a way, it does make sense," Edna said with a slight

sniffle. "The conspiracy knows almost everything SOTE does, and we've never been able

to trace the leaks. Zander's people have filled up the holes when we've come into

danger, but the margin seems to get thinner each time. At my coronation, his strategy

seemed sound, but it came damned close to backfiring on us. Is he playing some subtle

game`? Does he enjoy moving us all around for some perverted thrill of his own'?"

"I have long suspected he could play a three-dimensional chess game on a

two-dimensional board," Liu said. "But capability should not be confused with actuality. If

we executed everyone with a potential for outwitting us, we'd end up first on our own

list."

Edna turned around and buried her face in his chest. "What can I do about this?"

"Your options are limitless. If you want to know what you should do, however, I suggest

waiting." "Waiting?" She gave a bitter laugh. "It seems that's all I've been doing. We've

known for years that they're out there somewhere, an entire conspiracy aimed at me,

and all I've been able to do is wait and see where they'll try to hit me next. They tried at

our wedding, they tried at my coronation, who knows when they'll try again? Maybe I

should call my father, ask his advice . . . "

"He had sixty-some years of the anxiety you have now, knowing that your Uncle Banian

was somewhere out there waiting for him to slip. The six months since his abdication has

been the only vacation he's ever really had. Do you feel it's proper to interrupt it with your

troubles?"

Edna kissed him lightly on the neck. "You're right, as usual. The responsibility is mine

now, not his. He had to live forty-five years making decisions like these. Now I have to

get used to it. He may not always be around to help me; I must learn to do without a

crutch." She sighed, and added, "What did you mean about waiting?"

"It seems to me that our enemy's forte is patience. He remains hidden in shadows and

occasionally throws something at us to see how we react. So far, our reflexes have been

excellent, and we have intercepted all his attempts. But if ever we should overreact, if we

lean over too far unbalanced, I am sure our enemy will be happy to push us the rest of

the way."

"Are you suggesting we do nothing? I can't take that chance. If, by some incredible

misfortune, Zander really is C, I can't just let him go free. With everything he knows, he

might destroy us."

"You have given much thought to the possibility of Zander's being guilty. Have you

considered the alternative'?" Edna moved away from her husband and faced the

macrame wall. One away Liu's greatest-and at the same time most infuriating-qualities

was that he never handed her the answers she wanted. He viewed his role in her life as

one of teacher, and he kept trying to make her reach for the answers herself, to stretch

her mental capacity beyond the safe, normal limits. In the long run she was grateful to

him for it, but at times like this, when he obviously had a suggestion, it was frustrating to

have to guess at it herself. "Of course it's something I'd like very much," she mused

aloud. "But you're talking about more than my personal feelings, aren't you? Khorosho,

let's assume Zander is innocent for a moment. What does that tell us?"

She paused and stared at the glowing candles. "It tells us," she continued, "that there is

something wrong with the case against him. Either the source of the information, or the

information itself-or both-is not to be trusted. Now the source is Captain Fortier. we know

he's a smart, honest, and dedicated officer. He wouldn't deliberately mislead us. For the

moment, I'll assume Captain Fortier is giving us the situation precisely as he sees it.

"That would leave the information itself. Fortier got it directly from the computer in

Zander's own office at home. If that's wrong, it means the conspiracy went to great

trouble to plant it there, because Zander's security is very tight. Why would they go to

such trouble? Well, they know Zander is Head of SOTE, and they know I'd have to

suspend him on the basis of this evidence. Without Zander, SOTE's operations will be

seriously impaired, which means the conspiracy will be able to move much more freely. I

see what you mean; assuming Zander's innocence leads to very interesting conclusions."

She sat down on the edge of the bed and continued to think aloud. "The trouble is, I'm

caught in a fork. I can't take the chance that he's innocent, because if he isn't he can use

SOTE to destroy me. But if he is innocent I'm needlessly taking him away from his duties

and SOTE will suffer anyway. Either way, I lose. I wish I were able to consult Zander on

this; he's so good at figuring a way out of such tricky situations. But I'm cut off from him,

so I must do the thinking on my own."

She was quiet for a long while, staring vacantly into

space. Liu sat cross-legged on a pillow in the corner of the room, not wanting to disturb

her meditation. His expression showed his confidence in his wife's abilities.

"I think I see what you meant by patience," Edna said at last. "If Zander's guilty, just

holding him may force his organization to do something to free him-and they'll be the

ones extending themselves for a change. If Zander's innocent, then it figures they've set

him up and they'll be waiting to see how we react. If we only take minimum action, they

may try to push things a little further, and again they may tip their hand." She turned and

looked gratefully at her husband. "Thank you, Liu."

The Emperor-Consort merely shrugged. "I was but the signpost. You walked the road

yourself. I have learned to trust your ability to make the right decision. I hope someday

you will learn to have the same faith in yourself."

"Maybe I will yet," Edna said. "After all, I've got a wonderful teacher."

Meanwhile, the instructions the Empress had given earlier that day were being carried

out with the typical efficiency of the Imperial Navy. Orders were relayed from the Prime

Councilor to Admiral Benevenuto; from Benevenuto to Admiral Trejas; and from Trejas all

the way back to Preis and the anxiously waiting Captain Fortier, who lost no time in

seeing they were carried out.

His first priority, to which he'd been attending while awaiting further orders, was to make

copies of all the incriminating records and have them transmitted back to Luna Base.

That task completed, he had begun interrogating the Grand Duke's house staff when the

orders came in.

At this particular time, Grand Duke Zander von Wilmenhorst happened to be traveling in

the Preis system. While he spent most of his life on Earth near the center of activity at

the Imperial Court, von Wilmenhorst made periodic trips back to his capital to deal with

government functions that could not easily be delegated to others. His private space

cruiser, the Anna Libeling, was even now calmly approaching the planet Preis, its

occupants unaware that they were at the eye of a transgalactic storm.

Captain Fortier, leading a small fleet of naval gunships, approached the Anna Libeling

just two days after Zander von Wilmenhorst had given the assignment to the d'Alemberts

and the Bavols. The order was given to the Anna Libeling's Captain Hetsko to halt the

cruiser's motion and permit boarders. The ship offered no resistance and Captain Fortier

boarded it with a stun-gun in his holster but prepared for any trouble that might develop.

The Anna Libeling was a large ship, basically a giant rectangular box a hundred and

twenty-five meters long by fifty meters wide and deep. It was never intended to land;

there were small auxiliary boats for that which were even capable of interstellar flight in

an emergency. The private ship dwarfed the naval vessels that swarmed around it; it was

also better-armed than they were, though Fortier did not know that. In a fight, the Anna

Libeling could hold its own against anything but the largest naval destroyers. But there

was no such fight now. The personnel within the Anna Libeling followed the Navy's

orders graciously.

For personal comfort, the ship's ultragrav had been set at one gee. Captain Fortier and a

few of his officers were escorted down the crowded, art-lined corridors into the main

salon. This was a large room of stark Scandinavian design. The sofas and chairs were of

teakwood with straight, utilitarian lines, covered in blue and white tweed fabric. The walls

were of glazed shades of smoke-gray. From the ceiling, as a chandelier, hung a

modernistic metal sculpture of a Viking ship.

Grand Duke Zander von Wilmenhorst and his daughter, Duchess Helena, were waiting to

greet the officers. The Grand Duke was wearing a conservatively tailored gray leather

jumpsuit; his daughter, an attractive young lady in her mid-twenties, had on a pair of

black velvet lounging trousers and a white silk shirt. "Welcome to my ship, Captain," the

Grand Duke said. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

Fortier had orders to show proper deference, and he knew enough court etiquette not to

embarrass the Navy. "I fear, Your Grace, I have the duty to inform you that you must

consider yourself under arrest."

Duchess Helena exploded out of her chair. "What? That's utterly ridiculous! Do you

know-?"

The Grand Duke raised a hand and his daughter stopped her harangue abruptly. Von

Wilmenhorst looked slightly amused. "Indeed? May I ask the charge?"

"The charge, sir, is treason."

"Are you certain your orders are correct, Captain?" There was no longer amusement in

von Wilmenhorst's tone.

"Yes, sir. They come directly from the Empress herself. You and Her Grace, the

Duchess Helena, are to be held incommunicado until further notice."

"I see." The Grand Duke took the news philosophically. "Well, I've never known Her

Majesty to act rashly, so I'll have to assume she has good reason for this, but I'd

certainly like to know what it is."

"I'm empowered to explain it in detail, Your Grace," Fortier said. "But first I must ask you

and your daughter to submit to searches to make sure you have no weapons on your

persons. I've brought some female officers along to ensure your daughter's dignity."

"Very considerate of you, Captain," von Wilmenhorst nodded.

Duchess Helena, though, was not nearly so calm about the situation. "Father, there's got

to be some mistake.

They can't mean us! We can't just sit here and let them do this. If we could only call her. .

. ."

"The orders said incommunicado," Fortier repeated firmly.

The Grand Duke turned to face his daughter. "Just six months ago at the coronation, you

and I knelt before the Empress and pledged her our allegiance and obedience in all

matters. Despite the charges, I never have and never will violate that pledge. We will

accede to these orders, Helena, and wait for the Empress' good judgment to assert

itself. "

He stood up and held his arms out to his sides. "I am ready to be searched, Captain. I

hope you'll be quick about it; I'm most anxious to hear that explanation you promised."