Innes in Command
Copyright© 2026 by Lumpy
Chapter 16
“Your Grace, Lord Gervais is at the gate with a small retinue requesting an audience,” Mercer said over the comm system.
Rainier did not look up from reading the latest trade report, noting the choice of words Mercer had used and the tone in which he’d used them. “Requesting.”
“His exact words were that he requires an immediate meeting about our House’s inability to uphold its obligations.”
So not just a request then, Rainier thought.
“How many in his party?”
“The lord and two senior advisors.”
That was interesting. Gervais was a pompous man from a lesser House who always felt he had to show everyone how important he thought he was by bringing a large entourage everywhere he went. If he’d only come with two advisors, then he must have moved very quickly indeed.
The question was, what would cause him to be in such a hurry, and what did he think House Kingsford could do for them? House Gervais was one of the Centrist party houses and had generally supported Kingsford initiatives for generations, although always with a caveat or a cost. As loyalty went, they were less dependable than the Houses that understood connections ran deeper than what could be garnered from a given situation. That it was better to cultivate deep bonds than always requiring a tangible benefit before doing any service.
It was one of the reasons they had remained a minor House, and probably always would be so. Yes, they’d gained some wealth and secured themselves as one of the larger shipping interests, but they would never receive the kind of political favor they would need to transition to the next level if they didn’t learn to play the game better.
They were too crass and transactional for Rainier’s liking. Not that they could be ignored, especially right now when he needed every member of the Coalition voting in step to contain the pressure from the Nationalists, who were bent on throwing their entire civilization into war because they thought they could come out stronger on the other side.
“Conduct them to the formal reception room and see that refreshments are provided. I shall attend them shortly.”
The formal reception room, rather than his private study, was a deliberate choice that established distance and reminded visitors they were guests rather than equals. The room’s proportions were designed to make supplicants feel small, and its furnishings were arranged to ensure Rainier controlled the conversation’s geography.
Rainier returned to the report, though the numbers no longer held his attention, but he made an effort to read it anyway. If someone demanded an audience, and this was a demand no matter how it had been framed, he would not just come running as if he were a lackey. Better they wait so they understood their place in things.
He allowed twelve minutes to pass before rising, straightening his jacket, and making his way through the estate’s corridors at an unhurried pace.
The Gervais party had not seated themselves. Lord Gervais stood near the windows overlooking the formal gardens, and it was clear from his posture that he was not happy.
Impatient as ever, Gervais began speaking before Rainier finished crossing the room.
“Do you know what your son has done? He has seized one of our vessels, detained the crew, and is now filing charges against them alleging conspiracy to support piracy. At this moment, he has the ship labeled as a prize and the crew being flown here for formal prosecution. These charges are baseless, a fabricated pretext, and I want to know why. What has House Gervais done to warrant such treatment from an ally?”
This caught Rainier off guard. He prided himself on always knowing the details of what he was dealing with before he entered a meeting, but he had no idea what Gervais was talking about, except clearly it had to do with Kumo and Innes.
“What are you talking about?”
“I know you, Rainier. You would not have your son at Shiro Station without having put him there for a reason. So it follows that his claims to have discovered military salvage misidentified as industrial equipment are incorrect. Clearly a clerical error. The captain and his crew are loyal employees with decades of service to House Gervais, and it is absurd that they should be accused of piracy, of all things.”
One of Gervais’s advisors, a solicitor named Dumont, if Rainier remembered clearly, stepped forward and said, “These are serious charges, Your Grace. If the Admiralty successfully tries these charges, these men could face decades on the penal colonies and hundreds of millions of credits will be lost if the ship is sold at auction.”
“House Gervais cannot and will not pay these costs,” Lord Gervais said.
“And you believe I orchestrated these charges against you?”
“What other conclusion is there? That your son is going against your wishes and doing this all on his own? I know everyone says that the two of you don’t get along well, but there is a difference between that and him making decisions that could affect entire House alliances. House Gervais has been a staunch supporter of House Kingsford for generations and we have voted with the Coalition on every significant measure for the last decade. We contributed resources to campaigns and provided political cover during difficult votes. If we have somehow failed in our obligations, I would know how. If there is some grievance we are unaware of, I would have it stated plainly rather than play these games.”
Gervais wasn’t bluffing, or at least he wasn’t padding his complaints any more than he normally did. He was genuinely bewildered, which didn’t mean his people weren’t carrying contraband or assisting pirates. Gervais had always played fast and loose with shipping regulations, and thought that, as long as they were getting paid, it didn’t matter what the merchandise was.
More likely, the thing Gervais was surprised by was that an ally didn’t give his ship a pass. Which also wasn’t without precedent. Rainier had, at times, pulled strings to help Gervais out of unfortunate situations his avarice had gotten him into, usually as part of an agreement to get their vote on something. He could see how the man could interpret that as some kind of blanket offer of assistance.
Still, if this was true, Innes had gone far beyond what Rainier would have thought him foolish enough to do. Large fines were one thing. While they wouldn’t stop the smuggling, they would help the Republic’s finances and show that House Kingsford was beholden to none, without going so far as to poison the well.
Had Innes done that, Rainier would have congratulated the boy on good thinking. Conspiracy to aid piracy, however, was something else altogether.
“What precisely do you expect of me, Lord Gervais?”
“An explanation, for one. House Gervais has operated in good faith. If that faith has been misplaced, if House Kingsford now considers us adversaries rather than allies, we are entitled to know it. We would rather hear it from you directly than learn it through the prosecution of our personnel. And what you intend to do about this situation, for another. We will not stand idly by while our people are treated this way. We have heard from others who have assured us that, if they were in your place, we would not be treated so.”
Rainier heard the threat clearly. It wasn’t the first time they had made it. Every time negotiations got close, they would threaten a move to the Nationalist Coalition, which was always trying to pick off the smaller houses to give them a few more votes in the House of Lords.
The problem was that they had been successful in several instances over the last several years, and the votes in the House of Lords were getting tighter. Combined with the Progressive Coalition having a lock on the House of Commons, if they were to lose enough votes for the Nationalists to flip the House of Lords, his coalition would cease to have any power in the Republic.
“I can tell you no such orders were given to my son and, until this moment, I was unaware you have ships in Kumo, let alone one under suspicion. I, however, stand by my obligations and will look into this matter personally.”
“And what will you do once you investigate? What will you do about our people and property?”
“It depends on what I find. If they are truly innocent, then of course I will ensure they are treated fairly and your House suffers no penalty under the law. If not, then I will exert what pressure I can, but know that the Admiralty takes matters like this very seriously, and there will be little I can do to effect change.”
That did not seem to mollify Lord Gervais.
“We will not wait for a resolution indefinitely, Kingsford. If this is the beginning of some campaign against us, we will act accordingly.”
With that, he and his aides left in a huff. Rainier remained in the reception room, considering. What had Innes done, and why would he act so recklessly? While he had made his feelings about his House and noble politics plain, he apparently still cared very much for the Republic, and Rainier had raised him to be no fool. He would understand, as well as anyone, the cost to the Republic if an affront like this stood.
Rainier turned and marched back to his office, activating the secure terminal. Aria was currently out of system, so this would take some time to get to her, but he trusted no one else to do this task correctly.
Especially since it would possibly require talking to the boy directly, and she was one of the few in Rainier’s orbit he would speak to.
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