Read Excelsior for Free Online Page B

camera. He looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, Chancellor. I’ve just confirmed that we received no such data. I’m not sure what you are talking about.”
     
    Wang Ping’s unsmiling face disappeared, and a few seconds later a slow parade of star maps, sensor scans, and other data replaced his hologram. Alexander recognized fully half of those images from his briefing with Admiral Flores. The jig was up. Operation Alice had been blown wide open.
     
    The Chancellor’s face reappeared, and this time he was smiling. “Did you recognize any of that, President Baker?”
     
    “Where did you get those images?”
     
    “Do you think we are blind?”
     
    The president’s lips formed a grim line. “If you want to begin a peaceful exchange of information, then you need to start by telling us how you have access to our classified documents.”
     
    “We are enemies, President Baker, and enemies do not disclose their secrets lightly.”
     
    “Then you will understand when I say we cannot share our knowledge of wormholes with you.”
     
    Wang Ping shrugged. “You do not have such knowledge, so it does not matter.”
     
    “We do have it,” the president insisted, “and that wormhole is Alliance property, in Alliance space. If you continue on your present course, you will be in direct violation of our sovereignty, and that will be a declaration of war. Is that what you are threatening, Ping?”
     
    “We leave that up to you, Baker. Our fleet merely goes to emphasize our equal rights to a unique and naturally occurring part of the cosmos. What you do about that is for you to decide.”
     
    “At the risk of repeating myself, that wormhole is not a naturally occurring—”
     
    “Save your lies for someone who believes them, Baker. We are no fools.”
     
    President Baker looked ready to say something else, but he stopped himself. “Then you will not recall your fleet?”
     
    “That is correct.”
     
    “Earth won’t survive this war,” the president warned.
     
    “War requires violence. We will not fire the first shot. If you are wise, then neither will you. Good day, Mr. Baker.”
     
    With that, the transmission ended on the Confederacy’s end. President Baker scowled, and his face disappeared a split second later. Silence fell on the bridge. The implications of what they’d witnessed were staggering.
     
    “Admiral Flores is on the comm, Captain!”
     
    Alexander blinked. “Put her through.”
     
    The admiral appeared back on screen looking even more furious than before. “Damn those red ants!” she spat. “Operation Alice is compromised.”
     
    Alexander nodded. “It would seem so, ma’am,” he croaked, his tongue rasping like sandpaper against the roof of his mouth.
     
    “Look alive, Captain! We are at DEFCON One, and I need all my captains in this with their eyes wide open! The Confederacy is threatening to take control of the Looking Glass. We can’t allow that to happen. The President sent you the recording of his negotiations with the Confederate Chancellor because you and your crew are the only ones who can beat them to Lewis Station, and you need to know the score.”
     
    Alexander blinked. So it hadn’t been a mistake. That also explained the long delay with the Alliance and Confederate waiting screens. The transmissions had been sent to them after the fact, not during.
     
    Admiral Flores went on. “Captain, you are to get to Lewis Station with all possible speed and join their defensive screen. The reds planned their launch at just the right moment. Our fleet is still half an orbit away, and it’s going to take a while before we can catch up.”
     
    “I understand. We’ll be ready, ma’am.”
     
    “I doubt that, Captain. Odds are forty-seven to one against you being ready.”
     
    Alexander set his jaw. “Then we’ll slow them down.”
     
    “Fleet Command thinks you can do better than that. We’re going to fire a warning shot across their bows. You are to fly ahead