"Crown Prince Forrest is at the Imperial Palace on Terra," Kainor said.
"So are Kennard and Menshikov; all three are covered in Valla's assault
plan. Fenn and Szolacz are in the new Traiti Sector, assisting in its
integration; they must be disregarded for the present, since we have no
Order members there. Ellman and Steinhauer are still in hospital, and
my agents are in position to kill them as soon as the strike time is
set. Wang has just been sent to Sector Twelve to take over its
administration, since its Duke died with no heir; being aboard a battle
cruiser, she is presently out of reach and will have to be dealt with
later. Tarlac, of course, is already dead; we have all seen the tapes
of his assassination. Medart is the only one in a position where he
might be an immediate danger. If Losinj got this location when she
probed you, Thark--"
"She did not," Thark assured him. "She did no real probing, in fact.
She was far too upset by her simple discovery of the Crusade's
existence to check any more deeply."
Kainor nodded. "Good. Despite that, our first strike will not only
have to be decisive, it will have to be swift. The fact that a
powerful Imperial officer has become aware of the Crusade means their
forces will be mobilizing. We must act before they can be fully
alerted and deployed. Even led by Rangers, that will take them a
certain amount of time which we can put to good use."
Thark agreed. "Speed is certainly essential. I will adjourn this
meeting shortly; I want the various operational group leaders to meet
separately and determine exactly how soon you can be ready to move.
Report to me as soon as you can. The Seniors will remain here with me.
Are there any questions?"
"The Traiti, Master," a graying female said. "They have pledged
loyalty to the Empire. What threat do they pose?"
"Little as yet," Thark replied. "Their casualties in the war were far
heavier than the Empire's, and their military has barely begun the
changeover to Imperial service; for the moment they are too
disorganized to pose a true threat. Is there anything else?"
There was nothing. "One final detail before we adjourn," Thark said.
"We will be operating on Palace Standard Time from this point on, so
adjust your chronos accordingly. This meeting is adjourned until 1600
hours, that time."
* * * * *
By 1600, when the full council reconvened, Thark and the Seniors had
received reports from all the operational groups and had finalized
their plans. Thark rose and addressed the group.
"This is the most important turning point in both human and Irschchan
history," he told them, trying to project his solemnity. "What we are
planning here, what we will soon accomplish, will determine the course
of civilization for centuries to come. We dare not fail, for if we do,
the galaxy will continue under human rule, their lack of Talent causing
them to stumble from crisis to crisis, a whisker's width from disaster
and complete chaos at any moment. Worse, they will drag us along with
them. It is symptomatic that except for Irschcha itself, our people
have no voice in Imperial government.
"I am the highest Irschchan official, its Baron in their terms--the
lowest of the Imperial nobility. All other nobles outside the Traiti
Sector are human. There has never been an Irschchan Ranger, so we
cannot hope for an Irschchan Sovereign unless we succeed."
He paused and scanned the group lightly, sensing their approval of his
words. "If we succeed, however--when we succeed--we will bring the
Empire the same peace and stability the White Order has brought
Irschcha since its triumph. The humans may find it difficult to accept
at first--they seem to actually enjoy disorder--but they will soon come
to realize the superiority of rule by the Talented. The change may in
fact be difficult for our own people as well, but in the long range,
things will be better for all three races."
He paused again, then spoke in a more matter-of-fact tone. "These are
the final plans. The last operational group can be in position by 0145
two days from now. Allowing an hour for the inevitable delays, I am
setting the strike for 0245. It is vitally important that no warnings
be given. Since Losinj got no details of the Crusade from me, any
alert that Medart puts out will have to be a general one. Losinj may
be able to make some guesses, since she does know me, but the Empire
will not dare depend on those. Except for the Palace itself, then, our
objectives should be no more heavily defended than any others unless we
ourselves attract attention to them in some way.
"The Seniors and I, together with thirty-six Sanctioners, will take
Prowler to Terra, leaving here in time to attack the Palace in
coordination with the rest of you, at 0245. I wish the assault force
could be larger, but anything more would certainly be stopped by the
primary defense satellites. Therefore, we must use the strongest
Talents available, and those Sanctioners who are most proficient with
weapons, to compensate for the greater number of Palace Guards."
An elderly Irschchan in a dark blue plaid kilt rose. "Will that be
sufficient if Losinj is there and opposes you?"
"Yes," Thark replied without hesitation. "Admittedly she is strong,
but she is only one person; she will, at worst, slow me somewhat."
He returned to the original subject. "Once we eliminate the Emperor
and any Rangers there, we should have no major problems. We will have
enough telepaths on hand to screen any humans in positions to cause
trouble, and any of those who plan to do so we will kill. Afterward,
we can replace the nobility with our own initiates, on the basis of
strength of Talent. That is far more logical, and will insure far more
stability, than the hereditary system now in use."
"One more question, if I may, Master?" That came from a young male in
scarlet.
"Go ahead," Thark said. "We have time."
"I have heard rumors that some humans have developed Talent."
Thark projected amusement, was joined by several others. "It has been
rumored indeed," he said. "Stories from long ago, before the Empire,
do hint at some, but the strongest of those legendary humans would be
about equivalent to a first-year student. There are not even rumors
from more recent times."
"With respect, Master, what of the Narvonese Dragon-Kindred and their
ability to project emotion?"
"An intriguing novelty," Thark acknowledged, "but hardly either Talent
or useful, except in a very limited sense."
"Still, if there are any--"
"We can worry about hypothetical situations later," Thark said in mild
reproof. He didn't blame the youngster for asking, but facts were
facts: humans just were not Talented!
"Enough discussion," he said finally. "You all have your assignments
and you know the schedule." He briefly considered dismissing them with
the final lines of an old battle chant, but decided against it. It
translated poorly, and few of the younger ones here used anything but
Imperial English. He settled for, "Go, and fight well."