Page 2 of House Divided
“What about you two?” Madeline asked Cornelius and Marc, who looked more doubtful than angry.
“Certainly unexpected, ma’am,” observed Cornelius.
Marc said slowly, “If we put aside the Lord Immanuel’s colorful reputation, it is possible that we see a man who is worried and angry over the safety of his daughter.”
“The daughter he abandoned,” snapped Jack.
“The daughter he spent a fortune monitoring from a distance,” returned Marc.
Jack turned to Madeline. “You need to understand that whatever you and this war criminal might agree upon, Aria stays with me. I pledge my life to it. Aria has my heart, Madeline, and I will not let her go.”
Madeline closed her eyes, rubbed her hands against them, and opened them again. “Jack, I hear you and I understand. I told you we would face things together, and that has not changed. You need to go and tell Aria about what has happened, and that her father is coming to see her. I rather imagine that she is going to need your support right now. Corbus”—she turned to her head of security—“I want crisis squads available for my deployment as needed. As many as we can get. Put your teams together and notify me as they become available. First priorities are the landing pad and Aria’s room.”
Her security chief saluted and left the room at a jog, speaking rapidly into his wrist comm.
“Aurelian, I want you on rumor control,” Madeline continued. “A lot of important people on this planet are going to be asking about what the hell just happened. However, our conversation was encrypted, and I’ll be surprised if the cutter making planetfall isn’t screened. That means everyone’s just guessing. Your job is to keep them guessing. Cornelius, give him whatever assistance you can.”
“Ma’am.” Aurelian nodded. He looked at Cornelius, and the two of them left the room together.
“Marc, you stay with me,” Madeline ordered. “You’re the only one who’s looking at Enoch Immanuel with clear eyes. I want your perspective firsthand.”
“Oui, mam’selle,” replied the intelligence agent cheerfully. “I would be a liar if I did not admit the man fascinates me.”
“Truly?” asked Madeline, surprised.
“Bien sur, mam’selle,” Marc replied. “Always remember the old saw that history is written by the victors. Enoch Immanuel was on the losing side of a bitter rebellion. Who can say what his side of the story might be? I have certainly heard enough from people I know to inform me that our side was not exactly lily-white, if you see what I mean. He always struck me as a remarkable leader. I look forward to having the chance to see for myself.”
“We should go to meet them at the landing pad,” said Madeline. “But I must say, Marc Duchesne, that you never cease to amaze me.”
“Don’t tell my wife,s’il vous plait. She’s jealous enough as it is.”
Madeline laughed. It felt good, as if the laughter could drive some of the grimness away from an utterly shocking day.
Within minutes, the pair had reached the landing pad. Madeline’s head of security had moved with commendable speed, and a fully armed crisis squad was there to meet them.
“All weapons on lock, sergeant,” ordered Madeline. “There must be no provocations.”
“Yes, ma’am,” came the response via helmet speaker. The security guards were heavily armored. “Commander Reinach gave us very specific orders on rules of engagement, ma’am.”
“Good.” Madeline turned to Marc, who was lighting a cigarette. “Really?” she asked, an eyebrow raised.
“I can put it out if you like”—shrugged Marc—“but it helps me think; and right now,je pense, you want me thinking at my best.”
Madeline eyed the sleek gunmetal gray cutter as it descended from the skies. “Sometimes you seem almost excessively French, Marc,” she said wryly.
“There is no such thing,ma’amselle,” he replied easily, taking a deep drag.
As the cutter came to land, Madeline noted the differences in design from any craft she had seen before. None of the design distinctions were major—a wing swept back here, an access port placed there-but together, they gave a subtle impression of otherworldliness. The cutter could just as easily be an alien craft as a human one.
I’ve always heard rumors that the technology of the Onin Rebels took a radically different turn,she thought to herself.First, Aria’s tracker, now this. What have they learned that the rest of us have not?
Then the hatch opened, and all of the wandering thoughts in Madeline Marx’s head were driven away.
Enoch Immanuel did not wait behind a protective screen of his men. He was the first to march down the platform, and his presence immediately dwarfed that of everyone else on the landing pad. It was impossible to guess at his age, but years of battle had given his face a hardened look, and his hair was a shock of frost white. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and however old he might be, it was obvious that he had taken care of himself over the years. Enoch Immanuel did not walk like a man of middle or even older years. If anything, he walked like a lion.
The most notorious man in the galaxy strode forward to stand in front of Madeline Marx, and for the first time in her adult life, the mere presence of a man left her speechless. His blue eyes pierced her and fixed her to the spot. Although Madeline was not a short woman, Enoch Immanuel loomed over her and made her feel incredibly small. She looked up at him and could find nothing to say.
This made for a difficult moment, as it appeared that Enoch was not inclined to say anything, either. He simply stared. He seemed to be measuring her soul with the intensity of his gaze.
