Sebastian of Mars by Al Sarrantonio Page A

Senator
Rella?”
    Lieutenant Jift’s smirk was in good form
today. “She has been detained. I have proof that she is a spy,
Sire.”
    “ What! ” I thundered.
    Jift sat down, sated in his furnishing of
surprise.
    Thomas put a hand on my arm. “We will speak
of these things.”
    “Speak of them now!”
    Jift took a deep breath, and stood. “Very
well, Sire. It is not on the top of our agenda, but I would be
happy to clear this up now. Quite simply, Rella of Hellas is a
spy.”
    My glare must have told him to continue,
because he did so.
    “She was caught with a message receiver in
her chambers. Apparently she had been trying to contact her cohorts
in Wells and give away our position.”
    “How do you know that’s what she was doing?”
I demanded.
    “It is obvious. She is F’rar, and so must be
a traitor –”
    “She pledged an oath to me!”
    The commander looked down at me as if I was
still a kit. He slowly spread his paws. “Sire, the evidence is
clear. She sought your destruction, and the destruction of the
republic.”
    I held my tongue, and Jift took his seat,
smiling with satisfaction.
    “Is there more business?” I snapped, my mind
still on this revelation.
    “Indeed,” Thomas said.
    At that moment old general Xarr entered the
room, blustering.
    “Xarr!” I shouted, leaving my seat to embrace
him. It was not good form, but I didn’t care.
    He returned my embrace, but his features were
grim. “Perhaps you will not be so content to see me when you hear
my report.”
    I retook my seat and Xarr went to an empty
place and stood.
    “The war is going badly for us, I’m afraid,”
he reported. “Frane’s treachery was incredibly well planned and her
influence widespread. In every city and town there were F’rar
traitors just waiting for her word.”
    I thought of Rella as the general went
on.
    “After Wells was lost, then Bradbury, the
twin cities of Sagan and Shliovski quickly fell, despite Newton’s
best efforts.”
    Before I could interject, Xarr added quickly,
looking in my direction, “Newton and his people are safe.
Preparations had been made. But I’m afraid that the main facilities
of the Science Guild have been lost to the enemy – even if few of
Newton’s secrets were left to take.”
    “He –”
    Xarr nodded curtly. “Newton destroyed most of
the labs and underground bunkers, rather than have them fall into
Frane’s hands. But there were even a few F’rar spies in his midst,
and some of the facilities are now in Frane’s hands.”
    A small gasp went up around the room, and
Xarr nodded. “Among them were some . . . sensitive material, I’m
afraid. One of the Newton’s closest advisors turned out to be a
traitor.” He took a deep breath and continued. “In other cities and
towns . . .”
    Xarr went on for another fifteen minutes, but
I barely heard him until his summation: “So there we have it. We
have been pushed from the major centers of commerce and technology,
into the hills and dunes. We have become a desert army once more.
And . . .”
    He looked at me with his one good eye.
    “. . . Frane is now heading this way.”
    Another collective gasp, and I saw Jift’s
smile widen ever so slightly, as if to say, ‘I told you so.’”
    “How long before she arrives?”
    “Weeks yet. She has headed out from Wells on
foot, gathering her army to her as she goes. I would guess she knew
of this fortress all along. When she gets here she will have
amassed forty thousand troops at a minimum. Perhaps many more.”
    “Then we will be ready for her!” I said.
    Even as I uttered the words I knew they were
foolish. It was Xarr who saved me from having to admit it.
    “Sire,” he said, his voice a somber rumble,
“we have barely three thousand at present. Another four can get
here in the next two weeks when the call goes out – as, indeed, it
already has. We have certain defenses, but they are not
impenetrable. True, we are built to withstand siege . . .”
    “Continue,