Witch Nebula (Starcaster Book 4)

by J. N. Chaney

  A germ of an idea flickered into existence.

  “That would be quite the achievement, yes,” the High Shaman said. “Yes, it would indeed.”

  21

  Kira couldn’t believe how much she’d missed these quarters. The new, shitty ones she’d been assigned had always been either too hot or too cold. On top of being too cramped. And too noisy with the hiss and swish of fluids and gases flowing through pipes and conduits that seemed to snake along behind every bulkhead. Too uncomfortable for it to be accidental. It was as though they were specifically designed to be as discomfiting as possible—which they probably were. After all, if you were going to try to leverage some advantage during negotiations, what better way than to make sure your opposition was tired and cranky?

  She got it. On the battlefield of diplomacy, coarse sheets and noisy claustrophobic compartments were weapons. After all, it would be rude to decline the hospitality of your hosts. That was why Kira had resolved to actually live in the quarters to which the Danzur had downgraded her, instead of staying aboard the Venture in much more comfort.

  So what had changed? Why had the Danzur suddenly and without explanation moved her back to her original, much more pleasant quarters?

  For a moment, she didn’t care. She dropped her small amount of baggage on the bed—which now by itself seemed as large as the crappy quarters she’d just vacated—and luxuriated in the palatial surroundings.

  Her indulgent enjoyment only lasted a moment, though, until the question reasserted itself. What had changed? Why had the Danzur relented?

  For that matter, did this mean negotiations were back on, or were they still on a deadline for having their diplomatic credentials revoked in—she checked the time—less than twelve hours?

  She needed to talk to Damien.

  The door chime sounded, and she answered.

  “Well, speak of the devil,” Kira said, as Damien stepped into the compartment. “I was just thinking about you.”

  He smiled. “I’m flattered, Kira. Is this the start of something beautiful?”

  “Kind of full of yourself, aren’t you?,” she said, grinning back at him as she flopped into a chair as soft as a cloud. “Oh yeah, that’s the stuff.” She closed her eyes and stretched out.

  “A diplomat, full of himself? Say it ain’t so,” Damien said, and Kira laughed. He sat down across from her. “What have you heard?”

  She opened an eye. “Nothing. All I know is that there I was either sweating or freezing, I don’t remember which—all the discomfort kind of blurs together. Then a Danzur showed up, all obsequious-like, and told me I was moving back in here.” She glared. “Oh, thanks for that sojourn in accommodation hell, by the way.”

  “This is technically an ON mission and you’re the head of it. It would have been rude not to use the quarters you’re offered. It’s essentially saying ‘oh, by the way, you’re terrible hosts’ and that their hospitality sucks.”

  “But they do suck, and they are terrible hosts.”

  “You do realize we’re probably being bugged?”

  Kira sat up, then looked at the ceiling and raised her voice. “Good! I’ve had more than my fill of bullshit diplomatic head games anyway.”

  Damien smirked. “Well, that should help our cause.”

  “Do we even still have a cause, though?” Kira asked.

  “Well, here you are,” Damien replied, gesturing around. “You’re back in the nice diplomatic digs. There must be a reason for that.”

  Kira sat back again. “Yeah, well, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s just some bureaucratic foul up. You can’t have as much officious crap going on as the Danzur do without some of it occasionally screwing up.”

  Damien’s lip twisted a notch. “Sure, why not? Let’s insult their institutions on top of it.”

  Kira waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t think it matters. I think the Danzur have made it very clear that they’re not actually interested in—”

  The door chimed again. Kira exchanged a look with Damien, then stood and answered it.

  It was Tadrup.

  Kira started to assemble something suitably diplomatic to say, but she suddenly thought to hell with it. “Hello, Tadrup. Come to throw me back out of these quarters and into something else? Maybe a bed stuck in an airlock this time?”

  She could hear Damien wince behind her. Again, she didn’t care. Either the mission was a failure and they’d be boarding the Venture to get clear of Danzur space before the deadline of losing their credentials, or they wouldn’t. Short of unleashing a tirade of bitter vitriol on Tadrup, or actually trying to insult him—two things she wasn’t far off doing—she couldn’t imagine that the situation could really get much worse.

  Tadrup laughed.

  “My most profuse apologies,” Tadrup said. “I’m afraid we acted precipitously. May I come in?”

  Kira stepped aside and gestured the Danzur in. Damien greeted him, then shot Kira a look as Tadrup took a seat.

  She returned an ambiguous smile. “So, Tadrup, you say you acted precipitously. What does that mean, exactly?”

  “It means that we based our actions on old information. Since then, new information has come to light.”

  “About what?”

  “About this entire situation. We regret our rashness. Therefore, I would like to formally apologize to you.”

  Kira narrowed her eyes. So this wasn’t just a screw-up. The Danzur had suddenly swung from hostile, back to friendly, and now they were apparently interested in continuing negotiations.

  “And we are happy to accept your apology, Tadrup,” Damien said, then stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some things to attend to in preparation for our departure.”

  “You’re leaving us?” Tadrup asked.

  Kira rolled her eyes.

  Damien just gave a nod. “Well, of course. Our diplomatic credentials are to be revoked in a few hours so we want to be clear of your space by then. We believe that the integrity of sovereign territory is very important.”

  Kira hid a smile. Damien was good, she had to admit. In one sentence, he’d managed to both show respect for the Danzur and admonish them for seizing the two Allied Stars planets. He’d also effectively objected to the loss of their credentials and generally shabby treatment as a bonus.

  Tadrup clearly got it, too. “We could not agree more. Which is why I am pleased to inform you that, once more, because of incomplete information, you were done an injustice. We no longer have an intention of revoking your diplomatic status, and we are pleased to invite you to remain in Danzur space as our honored guests.”

  Kira could have waited for Damien to offer a suitably diplomatic reply, but impatience over the whole ridiculous diplomatic dance made her speak up. Being tired and grouchy blunted her interest in subtlety and finesse.

  “I don’t think so, Tadrup,” she said. “I think you made your position pretty clear regarding our relations with you. I think we’ll just be on our way, taking the news of your rejection of our good faith offers back with us.”

  “No, please. As I said, new information has come to light that makes it clear our previous stance was incorrect. I did apologize.”

  Kira glanced at Damien, who’d just sat back down, apparently content to see where Kira was taking this. She caught a glimmer of worry from him that she might yet screw this up, but once more, she simply didn’t care.

  “And an apology is a big deal in diplomatic circles, I know,” she replied. “But let’s be clear on something here, Tadrup. If we are going to restart our negotiations, then we need an assurance that you’re not going to suddenly reverse course on us again and demand that we leave your space—oh, and no, I will not move back into those awful quarters you apparently repurposed out of a greasy machinery locker.”

  Tadrup tilted his head. “I am prepared to agree in principle, of course, but we must retain the discretion to protect our interests.”

  “Fine,” Kira said, activating her comm. “Wixcombe to
Venture. Prepare to get underway. We’ll be leaving within the hour.”

  “No!” Tadrup’s voice was filled with genuine alarm, a true error in diplomatic practices.

  Kira stopped. “Venture, stand by.”

  “Standing by.”

  “It is not necessary for you to leave, Kira. We will stipulate to maintaining a positive negotiating environment with you.”

  “I’m curious, Tadrup,” Damien said. “What changed? What new information did you come into?”

  While Damien talked, Kira brushed her awareness against Tadrup’s. She didn’t want to probe too far, but she could readily sense his surface thoughts. They revolved around Kira not leaving, and negotiations not ceasing.

  Tadrup fired up his bureaucratic double-speak. “The new information is related to matters that had originally prompted us to seek to break off negotiations, but which, when combined with new information—”

  “You called us a pox, Tadrup,” Kira said. “You said you were going to ally with the squids to—how did you put it? To take up arms against us?”

  “Kira, I—”

  “No,” she snapped. “It’s time for the diplomatic, bureaucratic bullshit to take a break. I’m a soldier, so I’m used to speaking like a soldier.” She really was fed up and didn’t care if she insulted Tadrup, or anyone else, in the process of venting about it. “And this soldier has this to say—you threatened us with war, implied an imminent threat if we didn’t leave your space according to a deadline you arbitrarily set—oh, and you stuck me in that miserable little closet that you laughingly call quarters.”

  Damien gave a thin smile. “Not how I would have put it, Tadrup, but you have to admit, Kira’s right. You’re asking us to overlook some egregious issues.” Tadrup opened his mouth, but Damien held up a hand. “Having said all of that, though, we aren’t opposed to reopening negotiations. But only, as Kira says, if they’re going to be conducted in good faith.”

  “Which means,” Kira said, “no more of the officious crap, the requests and forms and applications.”

  “But it’s how we do things,” Tadrup protested. “To just set it all aside—”

  “You don’t have to set it all aside,” Damien put in. “We’re prepared to conform to your systems, your way of doing things, but only as long as you’re prepared to accommodate us more than you have been.”

  Tadrup nodded. “That’s agreeable, of course.”

  Kira had turned to look out the big viewport. A Danzur ship was passing slowly by, thrusters puffing, apparently about to dock somewhere further along the platform. She ignored it, though, and kept her focus on Tadrup.

  He wasn’t happy about this. He’d been instructed to be accommodating, to mend relations with the humans, and wasn’t pleased by it. He was just following orders—but those orders had obviously been a pretty abrupt and comprehensive reversal of the hardline position they’d previously taken.

  A stance Tadrup himself had enthusiastically endorsed.

  Kira turned. “Tadrup, what have you got against us?”

  The Danzur stared. “What? Why, I’ve got nothing against you.”

  “Bullshit,” Kira snapped. “I can tell you don’t like us. It’s written all over your face. Why?”

  Kira felt Damien tense but ignored it and kept her full attention on Tadrup. She was a little embarrassed by how much pleasure she took in seeing the Danzur diplomat actually starting to squirm.

  She could see him sorting through possible replies. Kira just waited.

  Tadrup finally gave up and spoke plainly. “I had extensive commercial investments in our trade with the Nyctus. When your Orbital Navy destroyed their planet, I lost everything.” He drew himself up. “So, yes, I admit it. That definitely doesn’t make me favorably disposed to you.”

  “Why would your government assign someone with such an obvious—and, I’ll grant you, understandable—bias against us to negotiate?” Damien asked. “And why did you agree to it?”

  “I don’t pretend to relish this task, conducting these negotiations,” Tadrup said. “But it was assigned to me, and it is therefore my duty to carry it out. As a soldier, Kira, I’m sure you understand that.”

  She nodded. “I do. And thank you for being honest—finally.” She nodded again. “I get it. We’re given things to do that we don’t particularly want to do. But then we do them to the best of our ability, and in good faith—don’t we, Tadrup?”

  He nodded. “Yes, we do.”

  “So why the change of heart? What is the new information you received?” Damien asked.

  “And what about the reparations you were so determined to have us pay to you?” Kira added.

  “Reparations have been made,” Tadrup replied. “Generous reparations, at that.”

  Damien smiled. “In other words, your losses were made good. You got your money back.”

  “In essence, yes.”

  Kira was frowning, though. “Generous reparations were made? When? By whom?”

  “I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say,” Tadrup replied, then held up both paws. “And before you react badly to that, I hasten to add that that’s not some arbitrary position or bureaucratic—what was the word you used, Kira? Bullshit?”

  Kira almost smiled at that. The word sounded strange coming from the Danzur, even through the translator. It shouldn’t be a surprise, though. It was likely every race had the concept of bullshit in their culture and language. It was, Kira thought, pretty much inevitable that any species that became sentient probably developed the idea of bullshit pretty early on.

  But she didn’t smile, because Tadrup’s words had some disturbing implications. If the Allied Stars had made reparations, then how? And when? And why wouldn’t they involve or even inform their own diplomatic mission here? One glance at Damien showed that he was obviously wondering the same thing.

  But who else could have made reparations on the Allied Stars’ behalf?

  “Well, this is all very positive news, Tadrup,” Damien said, standing. “Kira and I have some things to discuss, now that we’re talking to you again, and—”

  “Yes, of course,” Tadrup replied, also standing. “I will make arrangements to get our meeting schedule reactivated and brought up-to-date. Until then . . .”

  Tadrup turned for the door.

  “Tadrup, wait,” Kira said. She caught a sharp, warning glance from Damien out of the corner of her eye, but there was something she wanted to try.

  The Danzur turned back. His attitude was genuinely tense. Despite having had his losses apparently made good, Tadrup obviously still wasn’t happy about these events. She needed to try probing his thoughts more deeply, but not right now. She was still pretty pissed off herself and couldn’t be sure that none of that would leak across a Joining and alert the Danzur.

  “You want to show us that you’re going to deal in good faith, right?” Kira asked.

  Tadrup nodded. “Of course.”

  “And you’re saying that full—I think you even said generous—reparations have been made, correct?”

  Suspicion crept into Tadrup’s manner, but he nodded again. “Yes. All is forgiven.”

  “I’m so glad. However, I think a true demonstration of good faith is in order.”

  “What would you suggest?” Tadrup asked, his wariness even more acute.

  “Relinquish your claim to the two planets you seized from us,” Kira replied flatly. “Renounce whatever designs you might have had on them and formally recognize them as Allied Stars territory.”

  Damien stiffened. Kira knew this was a blunt way of approaching diplomacy, insofar as she wasn’t really being diplomatic at all. Once more, she didn’t give a shit. But there was more to it than that. She wanted to see what Tadrup’s reaction would be.

  “I—” Tadrup began, then he stopped and shook his head. “It’s not my place to commit to such a thing. I will, however—”

  “Raise the matter immediately with your Central Council in order to get this particular bit
of unpleasantness resolved?” Damien said, jumping aboard Kira’s train of thought.

  “After all,” Kira added, “you’ve had generous reparations made so you no longer have a reason to keep up your incursion into our space, right?”

  “I will bring the matter to the attention of my superiors immediately upon leaving here,” Tadrup said, doing everything short of actually sighing out loud in frustration. “I will have an answer for you.”

  “Within twelve hours?” Kira said. “That would be wonderful, thanks.”

  Tadrup’s bland stare, the all-purpose expression of a diplomat, slipped for a moment. Kira saw anger, bordering on outrage, but it vanished like a light flicked off. “I will do my best to have an answer for you shortly.”

  Kira was tempted to push, to see if she could provoke Tadrup into saying something he didn’t intend or otherwise reveal something useful, but Damien cut her off.

  “Thank you, Tadrup. We look forward to resuming our negotiations with you very soon.”

  Tadrup nodded and left.

  When he was gone, Damien looked at Kira. “Well, I have to return to the Venture. Would you care to join me?”

  She nodded. “Right behind you.”

  “I am just not cut out for this diplomacy stuff,” Kira said, dropping into a seat aboard the Venture and stretching out her legs. “I definitely prefer looking at my enemies through a gunsight, not across a meeting table.”

  “Um, not so fast, Kira,” Damien said. “I wouldn’t write off your skills as a diplomat too quickly.”

  “You’re kidding, right? I was anything but diplomatic with Tadrup.”

  “Believe it or not, diplomacy isn’t just endless compromises and insincerely flattering words. Sometimes, you have to be firm. And you were definitely firm.”

  Kira leaned her head back and sighed heavily. “Let me put it this way. I don’t like this diplomatic stuff. It’s just not how my mind works. I’ve been taught to solve problems as tactical challenges—maneuver, firepower, countermeasures, that sort of thing. This verbal sparring just wears me down.”