Rebellion of Stars (Starship Blackbeard Book 4) by Michael Wallace Read Free Book Online

energy into the failed plan.
    “Not entirely, no,” he said. “I would like to consider another move on Hot Barsa.”
    “With all due respect,” Rutherford began, with an acidic edge to his voice that indicated a certain lack of respect, “Lord Malthorne’s main flaw as a commander was his insistence on pursuing unwise expeditions. It’s how the death fleet got through—Malthorne wasted time fighting pirates when he should have been returning to Albion with all haste.”
    “That is irrelevant,” Tolvern said.
    “Hardly irrelevant. That is precisely what Drake is proposing here. We had the element of surprise and failed anyway. Now, the enemy will be prepared. We would need a direct assault with all of our resources to take Hot Barsa. Even then, our chance of success is not assured.”
    “That much is true,” Drake agreed. “I wouldn’t expect it to be easy.”
    “And to what end?” Rutherford said. “We foment rebellion on Hot Barsa. That takes fruition in a year or two, as slaves become immune to sugar, flee the plantations, and join the slave revolt. Malthorne loses his source of revenue. Meanwhile, the war ends.”
    “Because while we’re at Hot Barsa, Malthorne seizes Saxony,” Caites said. “We disrupt his sugar plantations. He ends our entire rebellion.”
    Rutherford gestured at her with a short nod, as if her words were so obviously true that they didn’t even need a verbal agreement. “And even if it’s all a feint, if Dreadnought is incapable of jumping from Albion, what about Apex? The aliens will be at our throats, and we’ll be no closer to defeating Malthorne. Humans will be divided. Then destroyed.”
    “You are forgetting the psychological impact of attacking Hot Barsa,” Drake said. “Spreading rebellion was never a long-term plan. With Dreadnought back in the space lanes, it’s more likely than ever to have the desired effect.”
    He explained his strategy. They would gather whatever mercenary forces they could muster, pull the other ships away from Saxony, and bring everything at Hot Barsa. They’d drop a team to the surface, spread the antidote far and wide, and send taunting messages to Albion boasting of what they’d accomplished.
    Malthorne’s weakness was pride. He’d earlier let the Hroom death fleet slip through while he launched a punitive expedition against pirates. On another occasion, he’d arrested Drake’s parents and murdered Drake’s sister to retaliate for the burning of his manor house on Hot Barsa. He’d sent Rutherford far and wide to track down and kill Drake. The lord admiral was a man who acted out of anger and revenge.
    “What will he do when he learns we’ve all but abandoned Saxony?” Drake said. “Will he take Dreadnought and seize the planet? Or will he ignore it and come after us? I think he’ll come. With his sugar plantations threatened, I’m almost certain of it.”
    There was a long, full pause.
    “That is a terrible gamble,” Rutherford said at last.
    “We are reduced to such wagers,” Drake said. “We must defeat Malthorne and do so quickly. If not, Apex will arrive to find us weaker than the Hroom. Just another carcass to pick over.”
    “Then it will end at Hot Barsa,” Rutherford said. “A final naval battle. The winner leads the defense. The loser dies.”
    “I’d suggest surrender if I thought Malthorne would take it,” Drake said. “It would be worth it to save Albion.”
    “Oh, he would take our surrender,” Rutherford said. “Under generous terms, no doubt. But then he would renege on the arrangement and hang the lot of us, the defense of our home worlds be damned.”
    “Yes, exactly that.”
    Rutherford glanced at Caites. She raised her eyebrows and gave a little shrug. Drake looked to his own people. Nyb Pim seemed eager, while Brockett looked more circumspect. He would be imagining his own role in this; with Henry Jukes dead, there was nobody else who could fill the critical role on the away team. Capp