Noble Lies

by Gary Inbinder

Chapter 13
Chapter 14, part 1, part 2
appear in this issue.

Chapter 15

The morning after Claudia left the lodge, Ludwig, Aurelia, Slim and Dax sat at the table in the main hall, finishing their breakfast and discussing strategy.

After taking a sip of strong, black coffee, Ludwig said, “Within the next three weeks we need to firm up our support in the Republican Guard and the I.S.P. Dax, now’s the time to start pulling strings with those family connections of yours.”

Carefully spreading butter and strawberry preserves on his toasted muffin, Dax stopped for a moment, looked at Ludwig, smiled, and replied, “No problem, Luddy. The new commander of the Republican Guard, Capitol Regiment, is my uncle, Colonel Dax. He despises Finn and Zack, and he’ll be happy to support us, in exchange for your friendship. Your promise of a Division would be a welcome gesture.” Pleased with his response, Dax returned to his muffin.

“If he performs well, once we’ve taken control of the government, Colonel Dax will have his Division. However, I also need you to work your influence on the rank and file.”

After swallowing a mouthful of crisp muffin, Dax answered, “The Guard adores you, Luddy. With my uncle backing your cause, we can’t fail. Nevertheless, I’ve taken the precaution of drawing up a list of key people who’ll expect little things: a promotion here, a better posting there. Do I have permission to begin making promises in your name?”

Ludwig rubbed his chin, turned to look at Aurelia for a moment, and then nodded. “Alright, Dax. I’ll go over your list with you, to get a better idea of who you must bribe and how much I think each of them is worth.”

Dax took his napkin, wiped some crumbs from his lip, and commented, “No offense, old man, but the word bribe is considered somewhat vulgar. Token of appreciation for valuable services rendered has a much nicer ring to it, don’t you think?”

Ludwig laughed softly. “Call it whatever you want, Dax. Your assignment is to bring the Guard over to our side before the pre-election games, and I’m counting on you to do your part. Handle this well and you may rest assured your own ‘token of appreciation’ will be considerable.”

Smiling broadly, Dax boasted, “My Lord Ludwig, with Dax on your side, you’re as good as crowned.”

Satisfied with Dax’s response, Ludwig next turned to Aurelia and Slim. “With Dax working on the Guard, I’m counting on you both to deliver the I.S.P. Have either of you any thoughts on that subject?”

Aurelia spoke first. “The Deputy Director is worthless. My father and Zack frighten him. At best he’ll sit on the fence until he feels it’s safe to jump off one way or the other.

“Our best chance is with some friends of mine: lean and hungry young colonels and majors. If Slim agrees, I believe we can bring these people over, and the remainder of the I.S.P. will follow. But, as Dax said, it will require the usual tokens of appreciation. What do you think, Slim?”

Finishing his last bit of bacon and eggs, and cleaning the plate with a piece of toast, Slim replied, “I’m in total agreement, Colonel, and I believe I know those ‘lean and hungry’ folks to whom you’re referring.” Glancing at Ludwig, before returning to the remains of his breakfast, he added, “Don’t worry, Luddy, we’ll deliver the I.S.P. to you on a golden platter.”

Ludwig took his final sip of coffee, wiped his lips on his napkin, and leaned back in his chair. “Thank you, all. I trust we’ll have the Guard and the I.S.P. securely on our side, when I put the final phase of my plan into effect. It’s been my impression for some time now that popular support is moving away from Consul Finn. Moreover, certain important corporate and financial interests, and, of course, the Algolians and a large android spy network will follow Consul Cato. To confirm this, I intend to meet with him in the alternate world. If all goes well, in less than a month from today we’ll begin a new era in the history of our Republic.”

Hearing no disagreement, Ludwig called for the androids to clear the table. He bid his friends good morning and then accompanied Aurelia back to their room, where they continued to discuss their next steps in private.

Alone in their bedroom, Aurelia and Ludwig sat facing one another across a small, plain wooden table. Slim would soon make contact with their I.S.P. comrades; Dax was going to link up with his influential relatives and friends in the Republican Guard. Ludwig was about to attempt a crucial telepathic contact with Consul Cato.

Their lives, and the future of the Republic, depended upon the outcome of their missions. Failure would mean death for them all; success would place the future government of the Republican Federation in Ludwig and Aurelia’s hands.

Following her escape from Finn’s prison, Aurelia noticed a transformation in Ludwig, increasing his strength and resolve. His blue eyes now gleamed with confidence; star sapphires outshining her emerald eyes.

Taking her hands in his and speaking softly, Ludwig said, “Aurelia, I’ve never been as self-assured and hopeful as I am at this moment. The power within me seems to grow with each passing day. The might of the Aureus defends me; it’s the source of my strength, and my shield. Now, there’s no limit to my dreams and ambition. The golden age of a New Imperium is coming. We’ll rule it together.”

Frightened by Ludwig’s presumption, Aurelia pulled away her hands, laughed nervously, and replied, “Come back to earth, Luddy, you’re beginning to sound like my father. I thought our mission was to save the Republic, not create a new Imperial dynasty.”

Ludwig’s eyes flashed; he muttered, “I don’t like that sort of talk, Aurelia. Now, more than ever, I need your loyalty and support, not your sarcasm.”

Aurelia stared back at him. Curbing her temper, she moderated her tone. “I’m sorry Luddy, you’re right. We’re both under a great deal of strain. It’s just that hearing you talk as though you’ve already been chosen as ruler of some grand new intergalactic Imperium is a bit much; it scares me.”

Controlling himself, Ludwig smiled. “It’s just that the feeling of power inside me is a bit overwhelming, at times. I recall my lessons at the Academy about the consequences of hubris. I won’t fall into that trap, however. If you hear me lapsing into god-speak, please take me down a peg. Just make sure you don’t do it in front of others.”

Her anxiety relieved, Aurelia decided to broach a difficult subject. “Have you considered what you’re going to do with Berenice? There is, after all, a possibility she’s carrying your child.”

Ludwig shook his head, and answered, “Assuming we win, I want to avoid bloodshed, if possible. I’d even prefer exile to execution for your father, and I’d allow Berenice to go with him. However, I believe we should keep the child and raise it, with the understanding that our own children would take precedence of descent.”

Aurelia’s anxiety returned. “Do you think that’s wise, Luddy? Our enemies could rally around the child in future.”

Ludwig frowned, and muttered, “What do you want me to do? It’s better to keep the child close, where we can watch it, rather than send it into exile, where enemies could raise it to plot against us. Or are you suggesting I should kill it?”

Aurelia’s eyes widened; she coughed nervously and the timbre of her voice went up a tone. “I didn’t say that, Luddy. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought up the matter at this time. We have other things to think about.”

Ludwig’s response seemed oddly bland. “Yes, of course. First things first. Let’s concentrate on achieving our immediate goals; the rest will fall into place.”

Ludwig and Aurelia rejoined their companions in the main hall. They found Slim and Dax seated at a table, concentrating on a chessboard. Ludwig approached them and interrupted, just as Dax, playing white, was about to make his next move.

“Sorry to spoil your game, but don’t you both think you’d better get moving on your assignments?”

Dax stopped the chess clock and looked up at Ludwig. “Don’t worry, sport. Slim and I are way ahead of you. We’ve both sent secure, encrypted signals to our respective contacts, and we’ll each get our responses at pre-arranged wireless dead drops within twenty-four hours.”

Slim turned to Aurelia, adding, “I signaled Valerian, at the I.S.P. As you know, he’s the leader of the anti-Zack faction. If he’s with us, I recommend offering him the Directorship to seal the bargain.”

Colonel Valerian was the number three person in the I.S.P. hierarchy, and Aurelia’s immediate superior. Both Aurelia and Slim trusted him implicitly. “Slim, I’d love to have Valerian on our side,” Aurelia answered, “but frankly, Luddy and I were going to offer you the Directorship.”

Slim laughed good-naturedly. “No, thank you both. I’d much rather take my pension and retire to a mountain lodge like this one.”

Ludwig smiled and put his hand on Slim’s shoulder. “It will be a General’s pension and a place just as good as this or better.”

Slim grinned broadly. “Thanks, Luddy, you’ve made this rusty old cyborg very happy.”

Dax interjected, “But what do I get, sport?”

Ludwig replied, “How about your life, old man?”

Dax stared in bewilderment until Ludwig burst out laughing and slapped him on the shoulder. Slim and Aurelia joined in the fun.

After a minute of bantering, at Dax’s expense, Ludwig said, “I’m sure your uncle will need a competent young field grade officer on his staff, and I’m certain no one will object if his name is Major Dax.”

Dax smiled, a bit sheepishly, and said, “Thanks, sport, Major Dax does have a nice sound to it.” Looking around the lodge, he added, “You know, I’ve always wanted one of these mountain getaways. Not quite as big and fancy as this one, of course.”

Dax’s comment resulted in another round of laughter. Ludwig replied, “Alright, Dax, but you must promise to invite me and Aurelia over once in a while.”

* * *

The following morning, at dawn, Slim and Dax flew to their dead drops on one-seat hover cycles that Cato’s agents kept garaged at the lodge.

Aurelia and Ludwig took a walk around the grounds, enjoying the crisp, clear mountain air. Stopping near the edge of the snow-crusted plateau, they watched as the sun rose over purple, white-capped mountain peaks. The rising star tinted the azure sky and wispy white clouds with dazzling streaks of crimson and yellow-gold.

Aurelia looked at Ludwig; she noticed how the rising sun shone upon his face and made his blue eyes sparkle like two lapis lazuli orbs set in an antique statue.

Hearing a piercing cry from above, they both gazed upward at a majestic golden eagle circling in the thermals. The eagle dropped something from its beak. The small object drifted in the mild morning winds and then fell at Ludwig’s feet.

Aurelia bent down and retrieved the object from the snow. Her face beaming with awe and wonder, she exclaimed, “Look, Luddy, it’s a sprig of laurel — a good omen.”

They returned to the lodge, ate a light breakfast, and then spent the rest of the morning discussing their plans for the future while considering the implications of the portentous sign they’d both witnessed earlier.

Twirling the laurel in her hand, Aurelia recalled something she’d read while researching the Ludovicus legend. “Luddy, I remember reading that the god of the ancient cult sent his eagle as a messenger to Ludovicus. The eagle dropped a small branch of laurel at the hero’s feet signifying that heaven favored his victory.”

Smiling, Ludwig took the laurel from Aurelia, and held it in the light. “You see, Aurelia, our destiny is certain.”

At that moment, Slim entered the door, carrying Dax over his shoulder. “Help me. Dax has been wounded. I think he’s unconscious.”

Ludwig and Aurelia ran to Slim, and helped move Dax to the couch. Opening Dax’s blood-soaked shirt, Ludwig saw a severe blaster wound. “He’s lost a lot of blood and may be in shock. I’m going to use the Aureus.” Taking the medal from his neck, Ludwig held it against the oozing blaster hole; Dax’s chest glowed with a green-gold aura, white wisps of smoke rising above the closing scar.

Dax groaned. Opening his eyes, he mumbled, “Where am I?”

“You’re with us, Dax,” Ludwig replied. “Don’t worry, sport, you’re going to be alright.”

Trying to smile, Dax whispered, “Thanks, Luddy, but I feel like I’ve just been branded with a red-hot iron.”

Turning to Slim, Ludwig said, “Take him to his room and then come back and tell us what happened.”

After taking Dax to his bed, and leaving him in the care of an android, Slim returned to the main hall. Exhausted, Slim slumped into a chair facing Ludwig and Aurelia, who were sitting on the couch. Between them, there was a small coffee table with a whiskey decanter and glasses on a tray. Aurelia poured three drinks, handing one to Slim.

For an instant, Slim stared at his drink with vacant, tired eyes, then downed it in one gulp, and said, “I got my response from Colonel Valerian. He’s with us, but he also gave me bad news. Yesterday evening, Zack’s men arrested Colonel Dax and took him to Consul Finn’s hidden fortress. Zack also discovered the location of Dax’s dead drop. I rushed over there just in time to see Dax ambushed by three of Zack’s men. Together, we killed them all. One of them zapped Dax with his blaster before going down.”

Without any hesitation, Ludwig said, “Dax will be fine, but we need to get his uncle out of the fortress as soon as possible.”

“That’s what Finn and Zack want, Luddy,” Slim replied. “They’re using him as bait.”

“I’m fully aware of that, Slim.” Turning to Aurelia, Ludwig added, “I’m getting him out, and this job requires the three of us. Do you agree?”

After pausing a moment before responding, Aurelia answered cautiously. “Slim’s right; father and Zack are setting a trap. Rescuing Colonel Dax is very risky; your plan could still go forward without him.”

Turning from Aurelia to Slim, Ludwig replied, “The Republican Guard would never follow me if I abandoned their Colonel. Besides, I don’t leave my comrades to the enemy.”

Remembering how Ludwig once carried him to safety, Slim said, “That’s right, Luddy. You call the shots. I’m with you all the way.”

Ludwig waited for Aurelia to speak.

After taking a sip of her drink, Aurelia calmly declared, “Slim and I know that fortress inside and out, Luddy. We’ll free the Colonel: father, Zack and their ’droid guards can’t stop us.”

* * *

Consul Finn sat behind a steel desk in the fortress commander’s office; Zack sat across from him.

Finn toyed with a letter opener, jabbing the point of the little dagger into a pile of paperwork, while the General anxiously waited for him to speak. Eventually, the Consul broke the tension. “Well, Zack, have you gotten anything useful out of the Colonel?”

“Yes, Excellency, he’s given us the names of all the key Guard personnel who will join Cato and Ludwig’s faction. Should we begin a purge?”

Finn stopped attacking his stack of papers and stared at Zack with steely eyes. A wry smile curled his lips. “Who do you think is more popular among the rank and file: Ludwig, Colonel Dax, and the officers you propose purging, or you and me?” Pausing a moment and hearing no response, Finn continued, “The Guard will be missing their Colonel. Therefore I’ve arranged for his replacement, a virtually identical android. He’ll be on the job in a day or two. In the meantime, tell your Guard contact that Colonel Dax is on a special ISP assignment, and will return to his regular duties shortly.”

“Yes, Excellency, I’ll notify his adjutant, at once. What should we do with the real Colonel Dax? I think we’ve gotten all the useful information from him that we’re going to get.”

“Keep him alive. I expect Ludwig will send a rescue party, and I want you to kill or capture them. And please don’t bungle the way you did in that pathetic ambush of Lieutenant Dax.” Smiling at the General’s obvious discomfort, Finn continued, “Returning to the matter of the Colonel, I consider the android a temporary replacement. Once I’ve had time to psychologically re-program Colonel Dax, he may prove useful to me.”

Zack hesitated a moment, and then asked, “Does the kill order apply to your daughter?”

Finn’s eyes narrowed in contempt; he growled, “If you mean the thing that betrayed me, it most particularly applies to her.”

Temporarily averting his eyes from the Consul, the General stammered, “What... what do you think Ludwig will do? Do you think he’ll come with the rescue team?”

Finn returned to playing with his dagger, and said, “No, General, Ludwig is coming for me.” Suddenly, the Consul rammed the point of the little blade through a thick stack of papers, thrusting deep into the steel desktop, where the letter opener stuck, quivering and emitting a faint, high-pitched hum. Glaring at Zack, the Consul added, “When he does come, I’ll be ready for him.”

To be continued...