"I, Mengsk" - читать интересную книгу автора (McNeill Graham)

CHAPTER 5

GRADUATION DAY. ARCTURUS FELT A NERVOUS thrill of excitement coursing though him at the thought of finally escaping the confines of Styrling Academy. After the Marine Corps recruitment morning, Arcturus had found his thoughts returning more and more to the idea of joining up. He had even filled in the electronic application form, though he had not yet submitted it.

The idea of learning the skills of a prospector while being paid by the Confederacy appealed to him, as did the idea that it would drive his father up the wall. And given the current low level of threat in the Koprulu sector, it seemed likely that he would need to serve only a minimum of three years before he was eligible to resign his commission and begin his life as a prospector.

Yes, the idea had its merits, but in the back of his mind, he couldn't shut out the idea that his life would be at risk, and Arcturus hated the idea of placing himself in physical danger.

Wasn't that what the marines were for, to keep danger away?

He put the military from his mind and concentrated on the day at hand. He had enough to concentrate on without creating distractions.

Styrling Academy was bathed in sunlight, the gray granite shining like marble and imparting a sense of modernity to the building. A wide stage had been set up on the lawn before the main portico, with row upon row of seats facing it.

The hundred and fifty-six students of the senior year who were graduating (and that was all of them, for an institution of the stature of Styrling Academy did not allow its students to do anything so prosaic as fall) sat in these seats, dressed in long black capes edged with pale blue silk and wearing mortarboard hats.

Bleachers had been set up on either side of the seats in the center of the lawn, and proud parents sat watching their offspring finally graduate from school. Behind the lectern at which Principal Steegman handed out gold-edged scrolls containing diplomas sat the tutors and masters of the academy. Accompanying them were distinguished alumni of the academy. CEOs of major corporations, noted academics, patrons of the arts, senior marine commanders, and even the chief of the Styrling Police Force.

The principal of Slyrling Academy was dressed in his full ceremonial robes of black and gold, complete with scarlet chasuble and tall, conical hat—which made him look like a cockaded martinet—and Arcturus was sure he was concealing height augmenters beneath his robes.

The school band played rousing tunes as the students walked toward the stage one by one and accepted their diploma from Steegman to the hearty applause of their parents and the curl applause of those whose sons or daughters had already accepted their diplomas or had yet to receive them.

By virtue of his surname, Arcturus was in the middle of the list of names being called out by a lower school prefect, and he eagerly awaited his turn to take the walk to the stage. He glanced over at the bleachers, smiling as he saw his family watching with pride.

Dorothy saw him looking and waved enthusiastically. His mother gave a more restrained wave, and even his father gave him a proud nod of acknowledgment

Sitting next to his father was Ailin Pasteur and beside him was Juliana. It was the first time Arcturus had seen Juliana since the attack on the summer villa, and he was struck again by her stunning beauty. Aside from her being someone to write to, Arcturus hadn't thought of her much, but seeing her here in the flesh reminded him of the desire she had stirred in him upon their first meeting.

The student next to him, a panbrained moron by the name of Toby Mercurio, fallowed his gaze and said. "Who's the curve, Mengsk? Sweet looker."

Mercurio was from one of Styrling's nouveau riche families and had little in the way of breeding, still using slang imported from the Gutter of Tarsonis. Despite that, Arctunis couldn't fault his conclusion.

"Yes," agreed Arcturus, looking forward to the graduation ball that evening. "Sweet is exactly what she is."

"You taking her to the ball tonight?"

"I am indeed, Toby."

Arcturus tuned out Mercurio's nonsensical banter and concentrated on the names being called out. He smiled as he heard names beginning with К being called out.

Not long now...

The K's didn't last too long, and Arcturus felt his heart rate flutter as his own name was called. He rose from his seat, glancing over his shoulder to where his family watched, and strode out into the aisle between the two rows of seats. The clapping of the students was somewhat muted, but Arcturus knew they would soon be changing their tune.

He walked with his head held high, reaching the front of the stage and making his way to the steps at the side. The school photographer took a vidsnap and Arcturus lifted his gaze toward where he knew his mother and father would be recording the event on holocam.

Arcturus smiled for the photographer, then ascended the steps and walked casually across the stage to where Principal Steegman walled with a gold-rimmed diploma. Arcturus fixed his most ingratiating smile across his face and extended his hand to receive the scroll.

It was traditional for the principal to congratulate a graduating student and wish him well in his future endeavors, but Arcturus had no illusions that Steegman would make any such gesture. He was not to be disappointed.

"You'll come to a rotten end, Mengsk," said Steegman, handing him the diploma. "I can always tell the bad ones. And you're the worst of the lot."

Arcturus took the proffered scroll in his left hand and offered his right to Steegman. which, his being unwilling to appear ungracious before the parents and alumni, the principal shook.

"Thank you," said Arcturus. "I hope you enjoy your new residence."

Steegman's face registered confusion, but he quickly recovered and waved Arcturus off the stage. Arcturus swiftly made his way around the back of the seated students, holding his diploma up with a smile for his mother and father to see.

Juliana was on her feet, clapping and staring at him with rapt adoration, and Arcturus smiled. He walked back to his seat and quickly fished his remote terminal console from within his coat pocket.

Little more than a simple communications device with an optical reader, the console nevertheless had the capability to tap into computer networks remotely. So long as you had the connection key and authorization codes, you could get into pretty much any network without too much trouble.

Arcturus quickly tapped in the codes for Steegman's console, long since having memorized the details from the many times he had been summoned to the principal's office and seen them entered in the mirror behind the idiot's desk.

Numbers and letters flashed across the screen for several seconds until a small square appeared on the screen with a line of text beneath it.

DNA verification required.

Arcturus pressed a fingertip onto the optical reader and a green light flashed on the screen.

Identity Confirmed: Isaac Steegman.

He laid the console down on his knee and peeled off the thin, transparent coating he'd coated his right hand with before walking out onto the graduation field. The one-way bio-mimetic gel had been simplicity itself to create in the academy's chem-labs and would disintegrate in the sunlight within a few moments now that he'd removed it.

Arcturus picked up the console once more and opened Steegman's private directories. Using a linguistic algorithm based on a few well-chosen keywords, he quickly discovered the files he'd known he'd find.

"My God, he didn't even try and hide them," Arcturus laughed.

"What's that?" asked Toby Mercurio, sitting back down next to him with his diploma.

"You'll see," Arcturus said with a smile. "Just wait."

Quickly and methodically, he highlighted every file his algorithm had turned up, then set his console to scan the surrounding area for fones and other personal consoles. Hundreds of personal designations scrolled past on the screen, his father's and the SPF chiefs amongst them, and Arcturus set the console lo send the selected files to every one of them.

Arcturus's finger hovered over the Send icon and he hesitated for the briefest second, savoring the moment.

"To the victor go the spoils," he whispered, and pressed Send.

Angus rested his arms on the balcony of the Skyspire as he stared out over the nighttime cityscape of Styrling. During the day, the view was impressive, but at night it was something truly spectacular. An ocean of light spread across the hinterlands that sprawled from the mountains, a web of interconnected light that reflected on the underside of the clouds with a warm, golden glow.

Despite the turmoil engulfing Korhal, the bombings, the unrest, and the Confederate crackdowns, being up here at night always brought Angus peace. Looking over the city from the balcony gave him a sense of perspective he often lacked when dealing with the minutiae of the life he had chosen.

Sometimes it was good to step back from what you were doing and look at the larger picture. Yes, things were hard just now, but with every blow struck against the tyranny of the Confederacy, their hold on Korhal slipped a little further.

Angus scratched a long-ago-healed scar on his forearm, earned on a hunting trip with his father in the forests of Keresh Province to the east, which had taught him that there was no more dangerous a beast than a cornered one. Achton Feld had called Korhal the jewel in the Confederates' crown, which was an apt description, and the Council and the Old Families weren't going to give it up without a fight.

Well, they were going to find out just how much the people of Korhal wanted them gone.

Angus could feel his anger growing as he turned the many injustices inflicted upon the people of the Koprulu sector over in his mind.

On Tyrador X, Confederate meddling and illegal financial dealings had caused the planetary economy to collapse, resulting in mass unemployment on a global scale. Only extensive loans (complete with ruinous rates of interest) and economic restructuring that placed the entire system in the hands of the Old Families had prevented entire comments of people from starving to death.

Another favorite tactic was to set up loss-leading businesses on the fringe worlds— where the Old Families' monopolies were not ironclad—to run local competitors out of business. Once any competition was eliminated, those same businesses would begin charging extortionate prices for basic necessities.

While the use of corrupt business stratagems was the Confederacy's preferred modus operandi, the Old Families were not above using force to take what they wanted.

A prospecting team from the Kel-Morian Combine exploiting the Paladino Belt, an asteroid field containing huge mineral reserves within the larger rocks, had been eliminated when CMC forces launched an assault to capture its leader, a man apparently wanted for murder on Tarsonis. The deaths were described as a tragedy, but within days, a Confederate mining team was working the field, complete with marine garrison and battlecruiser support.

Hundreds of similar stories were the common currency of the Confederacy, tales of greed, bribery, corruption, and nepotism told over a drink with a resigned shrug and a shake of the head. The injustice of it all screamed out for someone to fix the problem, but the scale of the Confederacy was such that no one could do anything. It was the way of things, said people.

Angus Mengsk was going to prove that belief wrong.

He did not relish the thought that he had brought violence to the streets and cities of Korhal, but he knew that it was the only way to wake people up to what was going on around them.

Already things were beginning to change here. Angus was bringing the flagrant abuses of power perpetuated by the Confederacy to light, and the people were finally opening their eyes.

And they did not like what they were seeing.

When you watched a tale of misuse of power on the UNN, it was far away and thus easily forgotten, but when trouble hit close to home it was harder to ignore.

And when those misuses of power began to threaten your livelihood and the future of your family, even the most torpid of viewers would be forced to take a stand.

Angus did not want power for himself and he had no desire to replace the faceless, conscienceless Council with a tyrant of his own making. No, when the Confederacy fell, he would become part of the process of creating a democratic government that sought to benefit all mankind, not one that served the will of one man.

He sensed a presence behind him and smiled as he caught the fragrance of Epiphany, his wife's perfume. Angus turned to see Katherine standing in the green dress of shimmering taffeta with navy bodice she had worn to Arcturus's graduation ceremony earlier that day.

"You look beautiful, Kat," said Angus, accepting one of the thin-stemmed wineglasses his wife carried.

"You've told me that already today, but don't let that stop you," Katherine smiled.

"Never," said Angus. "How did I ever convince you to marry me?"

"You didn't. I asked you, remember?"

Angus sipped his wine. "I maneuvered you into a position where you had no choice."

"You keep on thinking that."

It was a familiar pantomime, one he and his wife often played out in the few moments they had together in private, away from prying eyes and the needs of business and revolution. Theirs had been a tempestuous courtship, for both were passionate, independent individuals who did not like to be overshadowed by another.

But through it all, they had felt a shared need for companionship, recognizing that being one half of a couple could be as liberating as freedom.

Their wedding had been the most glorious day of his life, and throughout their entire married life they had been pillars of strength for one another, supporting each other through times of bliss and despair, and never wavering in their love.

Katherine leaned her head on his shoulder, and Angus kissed the top of her head.

"Dorothy asleep?" he asked.

"Out like a light," said Katherine. "Today really took it out of her, bless her."

"I'm not surprised."

"Yes, it was quite a day, wasn't it?" said Katherine, and Angus laughed so hard tears rolled down his cheeks.

When he had composed himself, he said. "You always did have a knack for understatement, dear."

It had indeed been quite a day, a day that had seen his son finally graduate and the principal of Styrling Academy hauled off to jail by a former student.

When Angus's fone had trilled in his pocket, he had been irritated at the interruption of his son's graduation day, for he had left strict instructions with all his subordinates that he was not to be disturbed.

Then he had heard a multitude of clicks, bleeps, and whistles of hundreds of fones and personal consoles receiving incoming data streams. A ripple of consternation spread throughout the crowd and Angus felt his stomach lurch as he saw that the originating signal belonged to Arcturus's console.

"Oh Cod, what's he done now?" Angus whispered as his fone's screen lit up and a number of files opened. His practiced eye quickly scanned the contents and his anger built as he flipped though the various statements and account records.

"The thieving little bastard...” hissed Angus, looking up and seeing that same anger on scores of other faces now staring in fury at the principal of Styrling Academy. "I told you he was nothing more than a damn crook!"

"Who?" asked Katherine, puzzled at the suddenly tense atmosphere.

"Steegman," barked Angus, making Dorothy flinch. "These are his private accounts. The little toad's siphoned millions from the school treasury and fund-raisers over the years."

People were getting to their feet now, an angry hubbub of voices cutting through the sound of the band and the shouted names of graduating students.

Onstage, Steegman looked puzzled and angry at the disruption, calling for quiet and order. But as an irate school governor marched over and thrust a portable console in front of him, his face blanched in horror as he realized what the entire audience had just read.

Looking back over the day, Angus chuckled as he remembered Steegman's halfhearted attempts to calm the situation. Violence had been averted only by the chief of the SPF's hauling the principal away and bundling him into his groundcar, to the uproarious cheers and applause of the entire student body.

The news had traveled fast, for Arcturus had been thorough in his dissemination of Steegman's files, and within the hour the scandal was being reported on the UNN. Steegman was not connected to anyone of influence, and a great deal of the money he had stolen had come from some very wealthy, very powerful families.

They would throw Steegman to the wolves, and the courts were sure to show him no mercy.

In the aftermath of Steegman's arrest, the vice principal had tried to calm the situation, but gave up in the face of a horde of angry parents and jubilant students, who cheered and hurled their mortarboards into the air.

A near riot had only been avoided by the contagious glee of the students, who danced and laughed and sang as Steegman was driven away in disgrace. Recriminations and a thorough investigation of the depths of the principal's corruption were sure to follow.

With Steegman's departure, the staff and parents milled around in confusion until the vice principal led them off into the main administration block like a marching mob, leaving the jubilant students to continue the party on the main lawn.

Some of the academy's masters had wanted to cancel the graduation ball planned for the evening, but after the day's amusements, it was clear the students weren't going to allow this day of festivities lo end so quickly.

Now, with the day behind them, Angus and Katherine stood and drank wine as the architect of the day's mischief enjoyed his graduation ball.

"I should be angry at him," said Angus.

"Who?"' asked Katherine.

"Arcturus, who else?"

Katherine chuckled. "I know, but it's hard to be angry with him for today. After all, he's graduated now, and you can't say Steegman didn't deserve what happened."

"Oh, he deserved it all right," agreed Angus with a smile. "And to get his just desserts so publicly... I almost don't mind losing the money to have been there to see it."

Katherine leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

"Do I need a reason to kiss my husband?"

"No. Never."

"Good. I'm proud of you," said Katherine. "You know that, don't you?"

Angus nodded. "I know that."

"I'm proud of you both, you and Arcturus. You're very alike, you know?"

Angus furrowed his brow and turned to face his wife. "The boy is willful."

"He's his father's son," Katherine pointed out, laughing.

Angus grunted, unwilling to concede the point. "He has a fine mind and the capacity to achieve anything. And he wants to waste that talent on prospecting, flying around the fringe worlds, and associating with backwater hicks and Kel-Morian pirates? It's no life for a Mengsk. We're made for bigger and better things than that."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say that was arrogance speaking," said Katherine.

"You know it's not, though," countered Angus. "I know you see it too—you've told the boy often enough that he can be great if he wants to be.”

"That's just it, isn't it? It has to be if he wants it. You should know by now you can't make Arcturus do anything he doesn't want to. The more you try and force him down a path, the more he'll resist you."

"Willful," said Angus again, though his tone was mellow this time.

"Just as you were," pointed out Katherine. "Until you met me."

Angus took a drink of wine and leaned down lo kiss her. "Then let's just hope that the women in his life are as wise and calming as you."

Katherine smiled at him, and Angus Mengsk knew he was the luckiest man alive.

The assembly hall had been transformed.

On every other day, it was an austere, cold place of announcements, the news of sports results, and dull speeches, but now it was a place of festivities. Hundreds of students filled the hall, drinking, dancing, and reveling in the sheer fun of the day. Of course, the only topic of conversation was Steegman's arrest and Arcturus's part in his downfall.

Music pounded from the stage, colorful lights flashed from the ceiling, streamers trailed from every wall, and even the portraits had been hung with fake beards and noses.

The ball's theme was aliens from another world, and a floating banner of light shone with the words: "Class of ‘78! They Came From the Stars!"

Papier-mache creatures of all descriptions hung from the roof beams on wires, reared from punch bowls, or emerged from lovingly detailed lairs set against the walls.

The students' imaginations had run riot and the past week had seen a frenzy of creation in the art classes. A carnival of grotesque creatures filled the assembly hall: giant lizards, bulbous floating jellyfish with multiple eyes, snakelike creatures with whipping tails and tentacles for mouths. At the edge of the stage, sharklike creatures mingled with hairy, multilegged spiders with long necks and terrifying mandibles.

Arcturus knew the subject of alien life had been an obsession with mankind ever since it had first looked up into the night sky In fear and wonder. Thus the abject failure of the Confederacy's science and exploration vessels to find any sign of surviving intelligent alien life was a source of constant frustration to those who believed that the human race was not alone in the galaxy.

Of course, a few explorers were said to have unearthed ancient ruins they claimed were the remnants of alien civilizations, but most people believed these to be elaborate hoaxes. Then there were the big insect creatures on Umoja, which had been domesticated by the people of that world, but they hardly counted as intelligent life.

Even the band was dressed in alien costumes, made up with latex prosthetics to look like fearsome creatures with gnarled foreheads, long hair, and jagged, spiky armor. The effect was more comic than frightening—something Arcturus suspected was half the point.

He normally detested such events, but had to admit he was enjoying himself immensely.

Perhaps he was still on a high from this afternoon's unmasking of Steegman's crimes. After all, it had been deeply satisfying to see the odious little man led away, and he had made sure the principal knew exactly who'd uncovered his crimes and destroyed his life.

It might also have been due to the attractive girl on his arm, for Juliana Pasteur was without fear of contradiction, the most beautiful creature in the room.

But, if he was honest, Arcturus knew it was none of these things—it was the acclaim accorded him by his fellow students and the near worship in which he was now held. His former status of pariah had been forgotten now that Steegman was gone, and Arcturus suddenly occupied a position more akin to a war hero.

It was quite intoxicating.

"Arcturus?" said Juliana as the volume of the music dropped.

"Hmmm?" he said.

"You looked miles away," she said, offering him a glass of punch.

"Sorry," he said with a winning smile, accepting the glass as he returned his attention to the beautiful girl standing next to him.

Juliana Pasteur wore an ankle-length gown of ivory silk with a velveteen bodice that hugged her budding figure and which accentuated her delicate features. Blonde hair spilled around her bare shoulders in golden ringlets and a fine silver necklace set with an Umojan sapphire hung down her neck.

He took a sip of the punch and raised an eyebrow. "There's alcohol in this."

Juliana nodded. "I saw some students emptying some bottles in earlier, but I don't think anyone's going to mind. Not after today."

"No," Arcturus grinned. "I suppose not."

Juliana took his hand and smiled at him. Over the months they had corresponded, he had reveled in the power he seemed to have over her, but with her here next to him, he now fully appreciated the reality of what he had done.

Everything in Juliana's body language told Arcturus that she had fallen for him, which was ridiculous given the few times they had actually met. Truth be told, he didn't know quite what to do with that, for, while he liked her and found her engaging company, he certainly didn't reciprocate the strength of her feelings.

"Dance with me," said Juliana as the band struck up the opening bars of a song with a more relaxed tempo that saw couples all over the room make their way to the dance floor. With no chaperones present, the students of Styrling Academy weren't about to waste this opportunity for some dancing that involved full body contact.

"Dance?" said Arcturus. "I don't think that—"

Juliana took his drink from him before he could protest, then put her own down as well.

"That wasn't a request," she said, leading him onto the dance floor.

Arcturus followed her, nervous at the prospect of making a fool of himself, but pleased at the attention he and Juliana were garnering. Arcturus had to admit they made an attractive couple. Juliana in her ivory gown and he in his exquisitely cut tuxedo and golden cummerbund.

The idea of kissing her leapt to the forefront of his mind and suddenly the idea of dancing close to Juliana didn't seem nearly so bad.

She turned to face him, holding up her arms. "You do dance, don't you?"

"Not for a long time,” he admitted, taking her left hand and placing his right hand on her hip. "My mother made me take lessons when I was young, in preparation for my entrance into soclely. I always haled them."

"Don't worry," promised Juliana, moving his hand lo her backside. "You'll be fine.”

"I fear I may not be the dancer you hope for.”

"Trust me, Arcturus, it'll all come back."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you if I trample those expensive shoes."

Juliana smiled, and they began to move in time with the music. Arcturus thought he'd forgotten the steps of those long-ago lessons, but, sure enough, after his first faltering steps, he began to move with the music instead of against it. He and Juliana flowed naturally into the rhythm of their shared movement, and he felt like he'd just stepped out of dance class.

A series of dancers spun past them, the girls offering compliments to Juliana on her outfit and the boys hearty congratulations to Arcturus for having Steegman sent down.

"They really like you here," said Juliana, looking up at him. "You must be sad to leave."

Arcturus laughed and shook his head. "Not even a little bit," he said.

"Really? I think I'm going to be sad when I leave the Umoja Institute next year."

"That's because you are well liked and don't have a troublesome, embarrassing father."

"Well, since you're so glad to get out of school, what are you going to do with yourself?"

Arcturus didn't answer at first, wondering how much he should tell her of his plans for the future, for she clearly wanted to be part of them.

"I still want to be a prospector," he said. "But I don't think that's what I'll do first."

"No? Then what?" said Juliana, pressing herself closer to him.

"I think I might join the Marine Corps."

Juliana looked up sharply at him. "The Marine Corps?"

"Yes. I think it would be good to have some military service on my record," said Arcturus.

Arcturus could see she was uncomfortable about his joining the Marines, but whether it was from any concern for his safety or through moral objections, he couldn't yet tell. "What do you think?" he asked.

"I...I'm not sure," said Juliana. "It sounds dangerous, but if it's what you want to do..."

"It's a stepping-stone, nothing more," said Arcturus. "It's not like I plan to stay in the military. Once I'm done I'll muster out and be a prospector, just like I always planned."

"Your father won't like it."

"I don't give a damn if he likes it or not," snapped Arcturus. "It's my life and I'll do what I want, not what he thinks I ought to do. I'll be eighteen next week and there's nothing he can do to stop me."

Juliana looked into his eyes, seeing the steely determination there, and nodded. "Then I think it's wonderful. I just know you'll be the best soldier they've ever had."

Arcturus wanted to laugh at how easily Juliana had come around to his way of thinking, despite the anti-Confederate propaganda her father was no doubt feeding her.

"You'll be a general within six months," she said. "My hero."

Sensing a moment of opportunity, Arcturus let go of Juliana's hand and tilted her chin upward with a light touch of his fingertips. She guessed what he was doing and closed her eyes, her lips parting slightly as he leaned in.

Their lips met, and they kissed.

Juliana's skin was warm to the touch and her lips were soft. She held him lightly, as though afraid to let him go, and the students closest to them cheered at the sight.

Arcturus felt a surge of vindication at the sound, understanding exactly what it meant. It meant he could have anything he wanted.