"Debra Doyle & James MacDonald - Mageworlds 03 - By Honor Betray'd" - читать интересную книгу автора (Doyle Debra)

an intercept, one of high interest.тАЭ
тАЬWhat is it, Criaal?тАЭ
тАЬThis, my lord,тАЭ the runner said, handing over a message tablet.
sus-Airaalin glanced at the display, noting that the style of the intercept was that of the RepublicтАЩs
Space Force, with an indicator in the header showing a point of origin in the Gyfferan system. The
message itself was written in the Standard Galcenian that the Adept-worlders used in their dealings with
one another:
View all traffic from COMREPSPAFOR INFABEDE with suspicion. Ari Rosselin-Metadi,
LCDR, SFMS, sends.
 тАЬThe sender is on the watch list,тАЭ said Criaal.
тАЬI know,тАЭ sus-Airaalin said. тАЬI put him there. Please summon Mid-Commander Taleion.тАЭ
The trooper departed, and sus-Airaalin looked again at the tablet. According to the intercept log,
this particular message had been acquired by the force sent to secure Cashel, found there in hardcopy at
the General Delivery transshipment point.
тАЬMy lord sus-Airaalin.тАЭ
The Grand Admiral looked up. Mid-Commander Mael Taleion stood in the open doorway.
sus-AiraalinтАЩs aide, and the Second of his Circle, was a small, unremarkable man of common Eraasian
stock. Like Trooper Criaal, he carried neither the lesser nor the greater honorifics in either mother-line or
father-line, and in the old days would have been fortunate to rise any higher in the officer corps than
under-lieutenant.
To the shame of our ancestors, sus-Airaalin thought. How much talent did we waste that
way, over the years? In one thing, at least, our defeat forced us to change for the better.
He gestured at the officeтАЩs other chair. тАЬEnter and sit, Mael. We have something here which
disturbs me greatly.тАЭ
Taleion sat, and regarded the message tablet curiously. тАЬIs that it?тАЭ
тАЬIt is.тАЭ sus-Airaalin pushed the tablet across the desktop for closer inspection. тАЬWhat do you
make of it?тАЭ
The mid-commander picked up the tablet and studied the message, his lips moving as he worked
to translate the Galcenian text. After a minute, he looked up.
тАЬThe obvious conclusion, my lord, is that General MetadiтАЩs eldest son is somewhere on Gyffer.тАЭ
sus-Airaalin nodded. тАЬExactly. And I distrust obvious conclusions. Consider the date this
message was sent-three days, perhaps four, after the earliest on which a courier ship fleeing the attack on
Galcen could have brought word to Gyffer of our success.тАЭ
тАЬI . . . see.тАЭ But Taleion still looked doubtful.
тАЬThink, Mael,тАЭ sus-Airaalin urged. тАЬThe Adept-worlders are not fools; theyтАЩll be expecting us to
intercept and scan their message traffic. So when a system-a conveniently nearby system-lets slip in plain
text that one of the persons we are most likely to be seeking is there . . . then, Mael, I begin to suspect
weтАЩre looking at a trap.тАЭ
тАЬA trap. Maybe youтАЩre right, my lord-but whose?тАЭ
тАЬMetadi,тАЭ said sus-Airaalin at once. тАЬIt has to be. Who else in the Adept-worlds would dare use
their commanding generalтАЩs children like counters on a gaming board? And Metadi was not on Galcen
when it fell.тАЭ
тАЬTrue, my lord. But weтАЩve also heard from the daughter, the one that was supposed to be
dead-this could be her work.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt think so,тАЭ sus-Airaalin said. тАЬFrom what we know of Beka Rosselin-Metadi, sheтАЩd
never attempt anything this indirect.тАЭ He smiled in spite of the gravity of the situation. тАЬFrom that one, IтАЩd
expect nothing short of a frontal assault.тАЭ
тАЬAssuming itтАЩs Metadi weтАЩre dealing with,тАЭ said Taleion, тАЬwhat do we do?тАЭ
The Grand Admiral rose to his feet. The tiny office, with its mountains and snowdrifts of
paperwork, felt more confining than ever. In spite of himself, he began to pace.