New Contract (Perimeter Defense Book #3) by Michael Atamanov Read Free Book Online

all out later.
    "Admiral, my second question is: why the hell did you order the heavy assault cruisers and Crown Princess Likanna re-equipped?! The original setup I had them in pretty much spoke for itself in my campaign against the Aliens. Recharging allied ship shields proved nearly unbeatable. Why break something that's working well?"
    "Crown Prince, after being hired, I asked your Highness to explain the concept behind the fleet three times, but I never got an answer. That was why I asked permission to re-outfit them in the common way. I also did not receive an answer to any of my four requests to that effect. After that, I acted at my own peril."
    What is wrong with you, Mr. G.I.?! It can't have been so hard to answer your subject just the one time! And now, I'm paying the price of your laziness and indifference... I tried to make a face of measured surprise.
    "Admiral, I would swear to anyone that I didn't see any of your requests. I really practically didn't look at incoming messages and gave an order to have almost all incoming calls dismissed. It's hard to explain... Though alright, I'll tell you directly. In a crystal dream, I saw a new Alien invasion. I couldn't figure out when it would be, but I unmistakably saw the capture of Hnelle, Unatari, Tesse, and the Orange House Capital... Since then, I've been seeking out a way to change the situation, and haven't had much time to think about anything else. And now, that invasion has truly begun. Hnelle has already fallen. Next in line are Himora, Tesse, Unatari, the Orange House Capital and beyond. Now we have no more time. We must change the situation."
    "And how exactly can we change it?" The man’s eyes lit up with interest.
    I shrugged my shoulders ambiguously.
    "It would be impossible for us to defeat the Alien fleet currently in Hnelle with just the ships we have here. At the very least, I don't see any way of doing it. But I do see a way for us to emerge victorious from an extended stand-off. For that, our fleet needs to get out into the recently captured former Swarm systems. There should be reinforcements waiting there."
    The admiral rubbed his chin with his fingers in thought.
    "It won't look good. That's for sure! It'll look like we're throwing the people of Unatari to the wolves, as we ourselves flee. The people of Unatari are quite afraid as it is. Their mood is near panic, in fact. I have overheard several conversations about how your Highness is supposedly planning to flee on Queen of Sin , leaving the rest to fate. And, if the fleet really does leave Unatari, I'm concerned that residents here would actually come to prefer it that way. There are even rumors that some government officials are buying themselves places on Queen of Sin in order to escape with your Highness."
    I raised my eyebrows in surprise and asked him to explain everything he'd heard about that.
    "Everyone knows that Queen of Sin can make two warp jumps in a row. Only a ship such as yours would be capable of escaping through the Alien-controlled Hnelle system. I've heard insistent rumors in recent days that yacht officers are trading places on the starship at prices of around one million credits per seat and up."
    "Let’s get to the bottom of this at once!" I declared. I got on the loudspeaker and asked the yacht captain to come to my office.
    A minute later the yacht captain arrived, and I recognized him right away. It was Tarik ton Miro, who had once been second assistant to Captain Oorast Pohl. He was one of the few people who had accompanied me the whole way, from my first day in the Perimeter Defense world, all the way to the end of the contract. He must have worked his way up to the rank of captain. I greeted my old acquaintance and asked a direct question about the veracity of the rumors that seats on my yacht were being sold.
    "Many truly have come with such requests, your Highness. Especially Unatari government officials, but also Astorimma deputies, and people from other large