by D. R. Rosier
Jervistad frowned, “Perhaps, unless they’ve discovered they’re being watched. What if they cloak their fleets, and you don’t know where they’re going until they’re in orbit around one of our planets?”
Vik sighed, “We hope that won’t happen, but at the same time we are working on a counter to that. A new kind of sensor that will see past a cloak. If their fleet does disappear, we may also need to reconsider waiting to respond. It might make them pull back, if we send ships directly into their orbit. At the very least we’ll split up the fleet and put them closer to the five worlds if the new sensor isn’t ready by then. My hope is that they only cloaked their scouts to avoid detection, but they won’t see the need to cloak a whole fleet. We aren’t depending on that.”
Jervistad asked, “How will you deploy the new sensors so quickly?”
Vik looked at me. Oh… great.
“As you suspect, it would take weeks to update the ships in the fleet, and of course the new ships would have them incorporated during the build. However, we should be able to make a temporary and limited detection nets around the planets if it works, using the multi-function orbs and dimension ports. We can tie that into the secure data-net so the whole fleet will be able to see if an enemy fleet is getting close to one of the planets. We can also use our scout-destroyer to open a quick response wormhole, and have the fleet go through directly to the world in the most danger. It shouldn’t take longer than a few hours to build five of the things, and tie them into the system.”
Wow, that even sounded good. Totally off the top of my head.
Vik nodded, “The problem is timing, it all depends on when the enemy attacks and how fast our scientists can make a prototype. At a guess, we’re at less than a week before the enemy moves. Those cloaked scouts must be in our systems by now, and it won’t take long for the Suateran’s military leaders to make a plan of attack. If we’re lucky, the Stolavii won’t move at the same time.”
There was that word again, luck.
Jervistad nodded, “Very well. Safe trip.”
We all stood, and Vik replied, “Thank you for your hospitality.”
The goodbyes seemed a bit stilted to me, but we packed up and headed for the shuttle…
Chapter Twenty-Eight
We exited the wormhole just two light seconds away from Isyth, and headed toward the planet.
Vik said, “Record this, and send it to Xulia. I’ve decided to modify the plan, since Tek knows we know what he’s done and planning, let’s hold off on the assault for now. Maybe we can avoid a battle and losing any of our ships, or theirs. I doubt it, but it’s worth the effort.”
Jillintara said, “Recording.”
Vik took a deep breath.
“People of Xulia. My brother’s betrayal of our society and ways, and his murderous actions, was a blow to our society and identity as a people. Upon taking up the crown, I urged my governors to pull together, and look to a shared future. The terrible actions of my brother, have also stimulated a great number of technological advancements. Advancements we needed to get an evil man off the throne, but which will also lead our worlds into a booming economy.
“I am aware of the stories, the many misrepresentations of me on your world, and hope that this message is met with logical consideration. I have proof, you see. Proof that Tek’s ambition saw my brother’s evil actions as not something to be put behind us, but an opportunity to gain more power for himself. He has been lying to you, and at the end of this message I will append proof of his betrayals of not only the royal family, but his abuse of your trust, the very people he has sworn to protect and defend.
“There is no doubt or question of his guilt. Tek could have urged you to secede, instead he turned to treachery, treason, and sedition. He has attempted to assassinate me several times over the last few days. No matter what course of action your world takes, Tek’s life is forfeit, and he is no longer governor of your world by my word and authority. He is now a convicted felon.
“Your choice is simple. You can either vote to stay in the empire, or you can vote to leave it. I am initiating a secession vote, if after reviewing the evidence you find me lacking, you can leave the empire. I will not force you to remain my subjects. However, I will demand justice, and Tek is no longer the head of your government. Either way you vote, you will turn him over to me. You can be empire, you can be an independent world in good standing with the empire, or you can choose to protect a murdering treasonous fool and be an enemy to the empire.
“Things aren’t simple, far from it, and I am attempting to preserve lives. The Suaterans and Stolavii threaten all of us from without. If you choose secession you can’t afford to lose any of the hundred ships that Tek illegally built, you’ll need them to defend your new independent planet. If on the other hand, you move forward with the Isyth empire to a brighter future, you can’t afford to let Tek destroy those ships and ours when we are threatened from the outside.
“I urge the royal guards and police of your world to apprehend Tek. He has already lost his access to the secure government data-net, and the palace protections will not hinder you, but support you. I leave the choice in your hands, I have no wish to rule over you if you do not want my protection and rule of law, but I will not allow Tek to rule your world anymore either.
“The decision is yours. The empire, should we survive our external enemies, is positioned for growth and prosperity. For the first time, the average citizen and companies can compete and flourish in space. New technologies are being developed almost every day. I urge you to remain in the empire, but will accede to your decision save in regard to Tek. He must be brought to justice. I urge you to take the time to observe the evidence, and decide for yourselves. You’ve been lied to and manipulated long enough, don’t take my word for it, verify it, and then vote.
“Whatever you decide, it is my wish that you are blessed, and flourish in these exciting times and in the future.”
He turned toward Jillintara and nodded, and she stopped recording.
“Send that, append all the proof we’ve mounted, from the scans of his system, assassination attempts, and any other evidence we’ve gathered.”
She nodded, “How about his involvement in destabilizing Kaprorix?”
He frowned, “Consult Jervistad about that, if he is reluctant leave it out.”
She said, “Yes sir. Orbit in four minutes sir.”
He nodded absently, and looked deep in thought.
“What will we do if they pick the third option? Secede and leave Tek in power I mean.”
He looked over at me, “Then we destroy their fleet, bring him to justice ourselves, and leave them to their reward.”
“Reward?”
He shrugged, “The Stolavii and Suaterans. I won’t risk one ship or Isyth life to protect them if they take that treacherous course.”
That was cold, but fair enough. They’d been warned, and he had to keep his word.
He added, “I won’t be surprised if they secede, but I’d be shocked if they try to protect a manipulative murderer.”
I didn’t argue, at least not out loud, but I knew when it came to politics emotions ran high, and logic was a rare commodity. Of course, that was on Earth, the citizens of the Isyth empire were far more independent. Still, people were people no matter the race, or so it seemed to me, and they’d fallen hard for Tek’s misinformation tactics. What had Jervistad said? Time will tell. At least we didn’t have to worry about Kaprorix anymore.
I squeaked, “Good to see you too. Can’t breathe.”
Solyra snickered, and released me from a very tight hug and moved on to Jillintara. We were back in the palace, and in the private royal wing where formality was thrown out the window.
Cyntariel gave me an unsure look, but I smiled and held my arms out. Why the hell not, I’d missed her too. I also enjoyed the hug a little too much, she was a tall blue, curvaceous, and a gorgeous woman, generous of spirit, as well as sweet. As usual she was dressed to the ni
nes, looked perfect, and sophisticated, but somehow managed to come across as open instead of arrogant. Vik’s question seemed to float in the back of my mind as I held her tightly. I should have been jealous of her, but I wasn’t, not anymore.
It wasn’t a surprise that Dessia didn’t greet me similarly, but she did acknowledge me with a tilt of her head. Progress. Maybe she’d even spit on me if I was on fire.
Dessia said, “I got your message to Xulia, an interesting approach.”
“Maybe, but it destroyed Tek’s plan. He’ll never rule more than his planet. At worst, we’ll have another untrusting and aggressive independent world, but without any teeth when we’re done with them. The other worlds would never submit to his rule, even if by some quirk of fate he managed to avoid his sentence and stayed in control.”
I frowned, “Worse come to worse, I can take him out without engaging the fleet.”
Solyra shook her head, “That would make it worse. He’d be a martyr, and they’d still have a fleet of ships and be keen to use it. No, if Xulia decides to be an enemy of the empire by leaving a convicted felon in charge, far better if we remove their ability to attack us. I imagine the vote will be done by tomorrow, and we’ll know.”
I nodded slowly, that made sense. Still, it wouldn’t be hard, I wouldn’t even have to leave Isyth to kill him. I didn’t create the multi-function orbs for that purpose, but I was a trained assassin, and a cloaked orb of death was the ultimate remote-controlled sniper rifle. The idea was just that obvious to me. But… just because I could see it, didn’t mean I would use it for that purpose.
Telidur asked, “What’s the plan for today, or are we just holding? We seem to be waiting for everyone, Xulia, Stolavii, and Suateran.”
Vik nodded, “Exactly. It’s their move, I sent the message now they have to decide. Same with the other two, I’ve sent messages of peace, but have been ignored so far. I can’t say I blame them, but we’ll defend ourselves and our empire.
“I’d ask the four of you to leave me with my mother and sister tonight, there are some things I need to discuss with them privately. Please join us at breakfast tomorrow.”
I felt a surge of annoyance being cut out of things, but didn’t let that show on my face. It wasn’t all about me after all, and he had a kingdom to run. Jillintara was another advisor, and Telidur was his best friend. Cyntariel was one of his oldest friends and lovers as well, so I didn’t think it was a matter of trust. Operational security, or something personal.
I turned to Cyntariel, “Cyn, if you aren’t busy, join us for dinner?”
She nodded a bit shyly, “If you tell me about your trip.”
I nodded, and the four of us walked toward my quarters. My mind nagged at me, what could Vik want to talk to his mother and sister about, and need privacy for? I couldn’t think of a damned thing, and that worried me, but what else was new? I couldn’t seem to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop, my life was far too amazing and wonderful, minus the danger of course.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cyntariel smiled, her eyes looked far away.
“You’ll have to take me to Earth, it sounds like an exciting place.”
Despite myself, she’d drawn me out, not only had the four of us discussed the missions beyond the reports we’d put on the data-net, which she’d already seen, but she’d gotten me to talk about my life and describe the Earth in general. My life wasn’t typical, but I did the best I could to describe it.
Jillintara said, “It is an interesting place, but you’d have to disguise yourself I think. We used holograms with the ship suits.”
Cyntariel tilted her head, “Don’t they all know about us now though?”
That was true, between the press catching the ship on the ground, and Earth having a fifty-ship fleet they were in the process of reverse engineering, it was impossible to cover up.
I shrugged, “Humans fear what they don’t understand. Aliens… give them a couple of hundred years to get used to the idea.”
Telidur snickered.
Cyntariel tilted her head suspiciously, “You’re teasing me.”
Telidur shook his head, “Look at our history, when we first entered space and found our first alien race. We weren’t all that different, our culture is just older, our planet is united. Our instincts can be similar, but we also never displayed severe xenophobic tendencies as the humans do. I’m not too worried, if the rest are anything like Lori it will work out. Eventually.”
I couldn’t disagree, it wasn’t the average citizen on Earth that worried me, it was the ones in power. Really, it all depended on if they were afraid or not, and being victimized by the Stolavii wasn’t the best introduction Earth could have had to the wider universe. Though, the Isyth did make a good first impression. They’d probably wet their pants if they found out about how powerful the Alirann empire was, but then they kind of scared the shit out of me too.
“I’d be happy to take you though. Maybe I can get a few days off once the two crises have passed, assuming the universe gives us a break and space to breathe before the next one.”
Cyntariel smiled, “I’d like that.”
Telidur said, “It’s getting late, I’m going to turn in.”
Jillintara stood, “I think I’ll join you.”
“Good night you two,” I said, trying to suppress a smirk.
Cyntariel said, “See you in the morning.”
They both walked out and Cyntariel and I exchanged a look. She actually looked nervous, which made me feel a little better, not that being alone with her didn’t have my stomach filled with butterflies. She was gorgeous, and our conversation had been more filled with light banter rather than true flirting, but I wasn’t sure if this was all too soon. I’d only known her a short time, but I did know her angelic face and beautiful body was just the icing on the cake so to speak.
“So, you’ve had me yapping about myself and my world all night, tell me something about Cyn.”
She smirked, “I’m not that deep. You already know I work with my parent’s companies, and am set to inherit. My skillset is business. You on the other hand are quite intimidating.”
“Intimidating?” I asked, a little surprised. I intimidated her? She was gorgeous, put together, and seemed fearless about life. Graceful, and… way out of my league. But then, I’d thought the same of Vik, still did truth be told. He was the damned emperor. What was I? A former slave assassin with a touch of genius, but not enough creativity?
She smiled, “Maybe that’s the wrong word. I don’t fear you. I admire you. You’ve overcome a lot, and don’t complain. My life hasn’t seen much adversity. I don’t believe I would have coped nearly as well in your place, and you not only overcome, but shine while doing so.”
I blushed.
She continued, “It’s obviously what Vik sees you, besides your beauty. You are his equal in a way I could never be.”
I replied, “And you complement him in a way I never could. I admire you too, very much.”
She looked a bit startled, perhaps because I came to her defense, or perhaps because of the second thing I said.
She smiled slightly, a self-deprecating thing.
“So, hobbies? What do you do when you aren’t amassing your family fortune?”
I felt a little cowardly backing off and changing the subject, when what I really wanted to do is kiss her. I couldn’t deny the sexual tension in the room was growing.
She replied, “Shopping,” and then giggled. “More than that, this dress is my design, and I like to decorate and redecorate rooms as much as myself.”
“You look beautiful.”
And she did, in a creamy dress that clung tightly in enough places, but also left much to the imagination.
She asked, “What about you?”
I frowned, “I guess building weapons and more advanced ships doesn’t count? I read, meditate, and I’m addicted to a few TV shows back on Earth. Though, I haven’t had time for much of that recently. I have a conf
ession to make.”
My heart was beating like a hammer, I felt out of breath, and it all felt a little surreal as she got up and walked over to join me on the couch. Just a few inches apart, she smelled like flowers, but it was impossible to describe. The floral scent didn’t originate on Earth, but I liked it, immensely. I could practically feel the heat from her body.
Being in a battle felt safer, but in battle my heart wasn’t at risk. Matters of the heart were the most dangerous things, but also the most rewarding. I didn’t have all that much experience, and all of that in the last year, but I’d learned that much.
“A confession?” she asked. Had her voice been breathless too?
Did I want to risk this, make an impossibly complicated set of relationships even more complicated. Yes, yes I did. Very much.
“I was insanely jealous of you, I guess that would be hard to understand, it’s a human thing.”
She tilted her head, her vivid blue eyes were captivating, her lips and the gentle curve of her neck distracting, and I had the urge to caress her cheek and feel her hair. It looked like spun golden silk.
“Was?”
I nodded, “Not anymore. Now that I know you, my feelings are quite different, and have nothing at all to do with Vik.”
I almost snorted at my dodging words.
She smiled and took my hand, it was soft, and felt right as she entwined her fingers through mine. She leaned a little closer, and spoke softly as she looked directly into my eyes.
“Are you trying to seduce me Lori?”
“Is it working?”
She giggled, and bit her lip, then leaned a little closer.
I took that as a yes, and leaned forward myself. My stomach was fluttering, I felt awkward and nervous, but at the same time I felt like I’d never been truly alive before that moment. Of course, I had felt that way before, but memories would always pale in comparison to the intimate and immediate moment of a first kiss with a new lover.