Competition
© 2021 by Walter Reimer


Thumbnail art by  faust1173


‘M’ studied the latest intelligence reports, the minkess frowning as she read through the various analyses. Yes, read; she eschewed the use of a dataport – there was no way of telling if someone might try to hack into her mind. It was how she killed her predecessor, after all.

The reports were unanimous. The Imperial Fleet was on the move through Colonial space, in force.

And that force was aimed at the Core worlds.

The minkess frowned again. The attack on the Imperial homeworld had failed, and Doren’s attempt to get the task force to destroy the planet itself had triggered the present response by the Kashlani. Naturally, the military was reading the same reports she was reading, and it was up to them to deal with the oncoming tide of ships.

‘M’ glanced at another report.

Now the minkess smiled, displaying the points of her teeth, and she glided a fingertip over her desktop. “McKennon.”

“Ma’am?”

“My office.” She shut the channel before he could reply. A summons to her office was not something to be put off, delayed, or refused; that is, not if the recipient wanted to stay whole and breathing.

The sensors in the hallway outside her office showed the slim form of the roebuck approaching her door. She opened it before he could reach for the annunciator, and noted with some satisfaction that he didn’t flinch. “Come in and sit down,” the minkess said, and the buck complied.

He was shorter than she was; slim, yes, but an athletic build. His ears didn’t swivel as the door closed behind him. “Relax,” she said. “This is to be a serious conference.”

“Yes, Ma’am?” McKennon asked.

“Yes. I have watched with some . . . let’s say amusement, as well as appreciation, for how you’ve managed to develop certain lines of information into areas that are very clearly not in your department. Those lines of information are efficient, however. You already know that I’m aware of you and your efforts.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” The deer’s voice was quiet. He hid his emotions well.

“That is the reason you are here now, and still alive.” ‘M’ smiled. “I approve of you. You have gotten much farther than anyone else, and I look forward to seeing how your plans to replace me develop.”

His ears dipped. “Really, Ma’am, I have no idea of supplanting you.”

“Not until you have a good opportunity,” she said bluntly. “I understand you thoroughly, and as I said before, I approve of you. Go ahead with all your plans. I’ve succeeded in staying a step or two ahead of you so far.” Her smile vanished. “If you do manage it, then it will mean that I am no longer worthy to hold this position. And remember that if you do succeed in pulling me down, there are always others behind you who are trying to do the same thing – to you.”

McKennon thought this over. “Understood, Ma’am.”

“Good. Now, your assessment of the latest military moves?”

The roebuck reached up – slowly – and scratched one antler. “The Empire’s been provoked.”

A sneer. “Obviously.”

“The revelation of their true military force is disquieting. Had the Lord P – I mean, the Emperor - known of this, it’s likely that he and his mother would have never tried to start a war with the Kashlani.”

“True.”

“The shlani will be uninterested in negotiations,” McKennon went on, “except to maintain a line of communication. They will begin probing deeply into the Core, from every vector, with Terra as their eventual goal.” His ears abruptly swiveled. “You’re not telling him.”

“No need. He can figure it out for himself,” ‘M’ said. “The al-Sakais were always good at calculating the likely outcomes before advancing one plan over another.” Again, the minkess smiled. “Still, one can influence his calculations.”