by Taki Drake
Going into her tutoring and orientation session with the older man, the Mage was concerned that he might hold back. Evidently, Harril was smart enough to realize that she needed all the information and was impressively unconcerned with her reaction to being flooded with data on history and possible strategy.
Even by comparison with the messy political setup on Earth, politics on Arkken were very complicated. At least, the line between federal and state Earth governments was somewhat defined on a consistent basis. Not so much on this planet.
Here on Arkken, Dukes held the right of high and low justice within their lands. Each one of them controlled more area than any state in Ruth’s birth country. However, none of them had a staff to administer all of the services that was larger than a good-sized Earth City Council.
There was an informal group of Pawlik’s level of nobility. While not strictly limited by gender, the current group of high nobles was all male. The position was hereditary, but not automatically based on inheritance being awarded to the oldest child.
Ruth found it somewhat interesting in that it reminded her of a feudal setup on the lower levels with more of a clan alliance at the higher ones. What made her brain hurt a bit was trying to understand how the independent cities fit into the matrix.
One source of amusement for Ruth was that she finally was told the name of the city that they had visited after they landed. While the planet was named Arkken, the city’s official name was Arkken Port. The people in the city referred to it by the first word only, implying it was the capital of the entire planet. The woman could see how that was a useful conceit, but that misrepresentation sat poorly with her.
The main reason for the existence of the city was to service the spaceport and the visitors that came on the ships. With the lack of extended industry or any other forms of income, the most significant portion of the revenue that flowed into the city stemmed from the monies that were obtained through traffic visiting from the broader, settled galaxy.
Likewise, the spaceport and its revenues were the unacknowledged basis of the power of the City Council. Harril told her that he believed that the Council had forgotten how tenuous was their grip on control.
The reduction of protection levels for their mercantile efforts through the dissolution of the naval forces, Harril believed would, over the next decade or so, destroy the economic basis of the entire planet.
When Ruth asked, “Why would they eliminate their military protection?” the steward responded, “All they could see was the expense of the ships and forces that were deployed on them. They chose to ignore the fact that the safety offered by those forces was why Arkken’s trade network was so dense and packed with ships coming and going.”
“I could see where that was very shortsighted of them, but I have a bigger concern.”
A strange smile grew on Harril’s face, but all he said was, “Please tell me what you think.”
“The City Council dissolved its military arm, effectively the regime forces. We have offered employment to many of the people that were released from that. We are even planning on a hiring fair to acquire more, since, in our adventures, Pawlik and I acquired quite a few ships that need staffing.”
“Yes. Although acquired seems to be an inadequate word.”
Acknowledging his response like it was the touch of a blade in a formal fencing contest, the Mage continued, “That means that the military might of the regime forces are now being transferred to our control and if we so chose, we could turn those forces to subduing the city itself.”
Harril stared at her for a long moment, his face blank and his eyes staring off into the distance. Ruth wasn’t sure what she had said to set him off, but she waited patiently for the man to respond.
Coming to with a start, the steward apologized, saying, “I am so sorry. I had to think that through and you have given me some new things to fit into the strategies that Lord Pawlik and I have been discussing.”
Motioning her hand in a cyclical “continue” gesture, Ruth waited as he finished.
“My Lady Mage, I had not fully appreciated the change in the power structure. Furthermore, I believe that the City Council has not thought this out either. We should expect that as you display more of your ship strength, the Council will be more aggressive about trying to counter Borachland’s growing influence.”
“I was afraid of that,” Ruth murmured unhappily.
The steward rang for a tea tray, insisting that they take a break in their discussion. The woman appreciated the pause in his dump of such dense and complicated information, although she couldn’t totally ignore the way her thoughts bounced around inside her head like ping-pong balls in a confined room.
There were so many different aspects to this whole mess that she couldn’t begin to isolate a single one separately. All she had was an overall impression of dread. The anxiety of the possible or probable responses from a variety of sources added to her confusion and clouded her judgment.
After a short break, Ruth started off the next session by setting her cup down rather firmly and placing both hands on the top of the table at which she and Harril were both sitting.
Staring deeply into Harril’s eyes, Ruth stated, “Let me make my understanding of this very clear. What you are telling me is that we need to plan for increased pressure from the City Council.
“It is an organization that has no right to govern us or tell us what to do. They will do this because they were stupid enough to release their protection forces, and we were smart enough to grab those people to fill positions that we already had.”
“Yes, exactly. And we should plan for some of them to attempt more subtle pressure by calling in favors from the other high nobles.”
“Oh, joy. I suppose you’re going to be informing me about all of the interactions with that group also, right?”
Harril performed an abbreviated bow on the other side of the table and responded, “Yes, Lord Pawlik has requested that I do so.”
Ruth muttered in an undertone, “That man is turning out to be a coward when it comes to things like this. I am so going to make sure that he is sorry about that.”
Harril looked surprised, even frightened. He relaxed a little bit when the sound of choked amusement came from Jenna, Ruth’s bodyguard for the day. He offered a tentative smile, and the Mage relaxed enough to grin back at him.
“So, Harril, we not only have to meld the people that we're hiring into effective organizations and protection forces, but we will have to fend off shortsighted opponents that have already made a major misstep. They will ascribe our actions to venality, rather than stupidity on their part. Do I have that correct?”
“I am very sorry, my Lady, but I believe that you are right. There are other complications. You are not what the other noble households of this planet are expecting. Most of our population thinks that Mages are a myth, let alone the fantastic description of an Unfettered Mage. The rarity of your talent is going to provide some additional obstacles.”
“In other words, they would better understand if Pawlik had bonded with me because of the ships I own or if I were a stupendous beauty.”
Jenna exploded into laughter, unable to stifle her response. Ruth swung around and stared at her, asking, “What on earth is so funny?”
Wordlessly, still convulsed with her mirth, Ruth’s bodyguard motioned toward Harril. Ruth turned back and saw that the old steward was likewise shaken with torrents of laughter.
“What is so funny?” the Mage repeated in exasperation.
Jenna managed to get control of herself enough to be semi-coherent. “Ruth, you are that gorgeous. Your looks are unusual, you carry yourself with almost royal posture yet you still are real and approachable.”
Harril added, his voice still trembling with the echoes of his laughing reaction, “Some of them will see a man bespelled by an attractive woman. Others will look at you and think that you must have manipulated him and will try to either cut you down or make an alliance with y
ou. Very few of them will see who and what you are.”
Suddenly sober, Ruth asked him in a quiet voice, “I wonder what will happen when they realize that I’m not just a pretty face and that Pawlik and I are together because we choose to be, not because either one of us is forced into it.”
Harril responded in an equally somber tone, “I do not know. It is so far outside of my experience that all we can do is plan for the worst.”
Grimly, Jenna added, “And make sure you’re protected at all times.”
Grimacing in acknowledgment of the foresight of her Anchor and security group, Ruth said dryly, “Bodyguards, it always comes back to bodyguards.”
Chapter 7 – Foray
Private Landing Field, Outside Arkken Port
I used to think I carried my own crowd with me when I was pregnant, Ruth thought to herself. It is evident that I didn’t really understand what traveling with a group meant. Everywhere I go these days, a full entourage of personnel gets swept in my wake. Visions of a mother duckling with waddling yellow babies fanned out around her popped into the Mage’s mind and made her smile.
The shuttle was large, but the number of passengers strained its capacity. In addition to the pilot, Michal Berrett, Ruth had a protection detail of four, Harril’s assistant, Keven Zavaleta, and Gerian, one of their inner keep guards.
Keven had errands to run for the steward, and Gerian hoped to visit his aged parents. The guard wanted to take advantage of the time that they were going to spend in Arkken Port to pay a visit to both his own parents and those of his deceased wife. He wanted to reassure both sets of grandparents that his three children were doing well and that he was happy and content in his job.
Margot had shared that Gerian hoped to convince the children’s grandparents to move to Borachville, the village that supported the Castle. Privately, Ruth didn’t think there was much chance of the four old people moving. On the other hand, the girls were the only grandchildren on either side, and the woman who had survived slave ships and a traumatic Mage transition could see where that was a powerful motivation for change.
Ruth had no objection to bringing in the extra people, and her security detail seemed quite pleased to have another guard with them. That response both amused and irritated the Mage.
You would think I was a problem to guard. I don’t think I’m that much of a challenge, but maybe something about the situation is causing them concern. None of the security personnel have yet learned that they need to keep me informed. How am I going to be able to help them if I don’t know what might be coming up?
Realizing that type of mindset was going to take a while to change, Ruth relaxed as best she could and watch the scenery. When they had left Arkken Port the first time, she had not been capable of really looking at the countryside that they were passing through. For a while, the woman just took in the sights, not analyzing or pulling apart, instead, just observing.
The Mage was sitting in the back of the Borachland shuttle that would carry them from Borachland Castle to the outskirts of Arkken Port. She knew that they would have to either make their way by foot or get some of the local transport to take them to their destination.
No air traffic was allowed anywhere close to the spaceport. Ruth thought it was strange that they could not isolate the two types of traffic, but she wasn’t under the impression that the spaceport at Arkken Port was sophisticated in any way. Although she had not spent a lot of time there, the overall sense of disuse and missing repairs had lingered.
Everything had seemed a little bit dingy when the Mage had come down from orbit with Pawlik such a short time ago. Of course, it may have been that she didn’t understand precisely how a bustling port was supposed to appear. However, Ruth realized she had been picking up clues from the way that Pawlik and the crew of her ship had reacted when they landed.
Interrupting her reverie, the communicator blasted a squeal that hurt the ears and followed that horrendous noise by words that pulled everybody’s attention. The abrupt assault of the communication had some of Ruth’s bodyguards grabbing for their weapons. Some of them seemed embarrassed by their own reaction, but Ruth noted that Jenna was unapologetic and held her AI gun steady.
“Are we in that much danger? All of you seem more than a little on edge,” Ruth asked.
Jenna answered, although her eyes were continually darting about. In between checking all directions and holding her weapon at the ready, the bodyguard’s voice was calm and clear, “All of us feel exposed. This is really a very small party to take you into what is turning out to be possible enemy territory. Our job is to keep you safe, and at this point, we don’t know what that is going to take.”
“Stop thinking of me as a fragile piece of glass that has to be protected all of the time. Talk to me like an adult and let me know what you’re thinking, even what you’re fearing. There are times I will be able to assist, but knowledge is never wasted.”
<< She’s right, Jenna. Stop thinking she’s a child. It has been demonstrated enough that she has power, and leaving her in ignorance could be a fatal error. >>
Jenna sighed and stopped looking for threats long enough to look straight at Ruth and respond, “I am sorry. We are so used to viewing civilians as people that need protection that we forget to treat you as someone with the power to get all of us out of trouble.”
“I understand that, but you do all of us a disservice when you start to treat me like an object, rather than a human being. You will make the wrong responses if you think that way and those missteps may get all of us killed. Jack is right. Communicate with me just like you would with the rest of your team.”
<< Yay! Finally, somebody is treating me as more than a dumb weapon. Thank you, Lady Mage. That mindset is something we have been trying to change in our mobile units for a long time. >>
The head bodyguard looked stricken, her eyes dilated in her face with slack surprise. Stumbling into speech, she stuttered, “Jack, I don’t think that you are nothing more than a weapon. You’re my best friend.”
<< I know, dear heart. However, very few of the others see us as anything but guns. >>
Before the conversation could continue, the shuttle set down at a small field. Apparently, the garbled sound that had interrupted Ruth’s sightseeing had been instructions on where to land. Shaking her head at such unprofessional and slapdash procedures, Ruth realized that some of Pawlik’s expectation of military protocol had rubbed off. Laughing to herself, the Mage wondered what had changed in the focused Lord of Borachland from his association with her.
Acceding to intense “suggestions” from Jenna, Ruth waited until her security team had checked out the landing area. Given the all-clear, Ruth stepped down from the shuttle and walked over to the land transport sitting just outside of the landing circles. The vehicle that waited for them was not a general transit. Instead, it was polished and clean, looking like a high-quality limousine would have on Earth.
As she got closer to the land transport that Ruth had come to know was called a “Portoo,” the woman noticed that it had a subtle badge on the doors that looked like the Borachland coat of arms. She also saw that it was flying a small flag with a similar image. I wonder if this is like a diplomatic envoy would have on Earth?
Two other vehicles also waited, but these looked like the normal commercial ones. When Ruth looked at Jenna with a raised eyebrow, Jenna responded with a smile, “We ordered two conveyances to take Gerian and Zev to their destinations. This way, we can make sure that they can get their errands run and be ready to go when we are.”
The two men got into separate vehicles and were taken toward Arkken Port. Ruth got into the larger one and let her security detail take positions around her. One of them ran up to the front passenger door and got in beside the driver.
As the vehicles pulled away, Ruth thought with amusement, I guess this is what it feels like to be important. It’s not half as comfortable as I thought it would be.
Chapter 8 – Connections
Force X
ForceX Bar, Arkken Port
It had been a short drive to the Marine bar known as ForceX. The drinking establishment had been the first place that Ruth had planned on visiting when she landed on the planet. It was here that she had returned the effects of Sarge Brandark, the man who had sacrificed himself on the slave ship to allow her to live.
Holding Sarge’s wake there had led to other significant events in the short time that the Mage had been on the planet Arkken. If Ruth could’ve called anyone on the world an ally, she would’ve used that term to describe the bartender at the ForceX Bar.
Luka Grission was not just the bartender, he was part-owner of the drinking establishment itself. Tied tightly into both active and former military circles, he was a good source of information, and both Pawlik and Ruth valued him as a person of honor.
That was why Ruth was there.
Pawlik had gone out to another meeting with some of his political contacts, leaving the Mage at loose ends. While the nobleman was gone, a message had been brought in tagged for Ruth’s attention. It was a note from Luka, saying that he had some crucial topics to discuss with her and hoped that she would be able to stop by within the next day or so.
Of course, she’d been ready to take off immediately. Her security detail put their collective foot down and insisted that she wait for them to prepare. Jenna resisted all blandishments and took the time to assemble a security detail. Ruth fussed and fumed, but the delay wasn’t that long. By the time they took off from Borachland Castle, it was still less than an hour between Ruth getting the message and their shuttle leaving.
The big hurry may have increased their discomfort, Ruth thought to herself. However, it’s good for them to stop thinking of me as a package that needs to be moved around. This package has legs, and they can lead, follow, or get out of the blasted way.
Walking through the doors of the ForceX Bar still gave Ruth the shock of going from full light to almost complete darkness. At least at this point, it was a known feeling. Pausing for a short moment to get her bearings, Ruth was nearly overrun by one of her security detail.