“Ah,” Laila nodded, following their gaze. “My chief engineer, Chaelak.”
“Welcome,” the Levarc said, turning away from his station to greet the newcomers.
As they said hello, Carla noticed that Maia was still tense. She didn’t know a lot about Maia’s history - the fact that her father had been Minstrahn was news to her - but she’d learned enough to know she’d harbor a stronger grudge against Chaelak’s people than most others would. However, Chaelak had probably put up with far more than his share of discrimination over the past twenty years already and she didn’t want Maia adding to his discomfort. She gave her companion an imploring look and a hopeful smile. Thankfully, Maia got the message and appeared to loosen up a bit.
“Both Captain Ah’ness and Chaelak served alongside me in the Resistance,” Laila explained. “Chaelak’s wife, Thaseil, and his nephew, Kalaer, are also part of the crew, working under him. Kalaer’s an orphan so Chaelak and Thaseil take care of him.”
“I see,” Carla said, nodding.
“Now,” Laila announced, “I think it’s probably time to get going.” She switched on the comm. “Harpy, do you read me?”
“Loud and clear,” came Selina’s voice.
“Our guests are on board and we’re ready to depart. Is everybody accounted for at your end?”
“Yes, we’ve just finished loading, and Sigma squadron are all on board. Ready when you are.”
Laila smiled. “Wonderful. We’ll see you outside the Narvashae system in seventeen hours.”
She had been adopted, Maia thought to herself. Again. And just as when she had been adopted into Selina’s family, a human woman with flowing red hair was her new mother this time as well. And one of her newly adopted sisters was also a redhead. She glanced at Carla, rapt in attention as she listened to Laila explaining interesting facts about the Minstrahn people.
“A love of art,” Laila continued, “in all its forms. And at the core of this, there has been an understanding of the importance of maintaining a harmony - a balance, if you will - between people and nature. So while the Minstrahn are a space-faring people, they haven’t eschewed things from simpler times.”
“Neither have we though,” Alia said. “We’ve still got paper books. We’ve got buildings made of bricks and timber. We’ve got...” She trailed off as she tried to think of some more examples. “Things.”
Laila smiled. “True. However...” She paused and reached into a bag on the floor and pulled out a piece of wood that seemed to be fashioned after some type of blade, with straps. “Do we use things like this, for instance?”
Alia shrugged. “Maybe. What is it?”
“Many things really,” Laila said, affixing it to her wrist like some kind of gauntlet and making a couple of thrusting and slicing motions. “You could use it as a weapon. You could use it to slice your way into a room.”
“Or you could use a blaster. Faster than a block of wood any day.”
“Yes,” Laila replied, trying not to play the disapproving mother. Sometimes she wondered if Alia tried to goad her into it.
“However,” she continued, “it’s an example of how an ancient concept still survives in the Empire. And they’re not made of wood. This is just a replica because I don’t have any on hand.”
“So how do the real ones work?” Lyla asked with more apparent interest than her sister.
“They project an energy shield in miniature,” her mother explained, waving her hand over the implement strapped to her wrist to indicate where it would be. “It’s the same concept as the shields we use on ships but at close quarters, the concentrated energy of a shield can cut right through things. Metal, armor, flesh... Although the Minstrahn aren’t too keen on that kind of thing. However, it could come in handy.”
“And,” she added, looking at Alia, “it’s a lot quieter than a blaster.”
Her daughter nodded, impressed. “Actually, that sounds pretty cool. Maybe we can get some while we’re there.”
Laila smiled. She could probably count that as a win. “Maybe.”
“So, they’ve taken something that was ancient even in the days before interstellar travel and have given it a bit of a make-over. And I suppose it looks all graceful and elegant as well.”
“You’ve actually touched on one of the tenets of the culture,” Laila replied, giving her a bit of encouragement, “that they value elegance as highly as practicality. You’ll probably see it as a fault but they try to give everything a bit of style, even when that would seem like a low priority. For example, it isn’t enough for body armor to protect you from stray blasts and ricochets. It has to glisten in the light and look splendid during important ceremonies. It’s the same for ships too. Even a cruiser has to be a work of aesthetically pleasing art.”
“Or a work of art, even,” Alia suggested. Lyla turned around and fixed her with her most fierce glare. Alia, for her part, didn’t seem to notice.
“What are the other tenets you were going to mention?” Carla asked, changing the subject before Lyla started having a go at Alia. She knew, of course, that if she didn’t get a shot at it now, her sister would simply postpone it until after the lesson but she figured everyone could do with the reprieve.
“Well, there’s an interest in philosophy,” Laila said, giving her a little smile of thanks. “And, importantly, there’s a concept among the Minstrahn that leaders are servants. And unlike many other cultures, this has actually been honored by our leaders on the whole. At least until recently.”
“Yes, we’ve heard Grandma and Grandpa’s stories about that,” Alia said. “What about the language?”
Laila shrugged. “I suppose we could talk about the language. Well, I guess from Grandpa’s stories, you know Minstrahn speech can sound a bit wordy and maybe old-fashioned. The Minstrahn like to decorate their speech with little metaphors, odd nuances and... chivalry, I suppose, for want of a better word.”
“Chivalry?” Alia asked, raising an eyebrow. “You mean like knights and honor and all that ancient stuff?”
“Well, I’d like to think that honor is something that time doesn’t wear away,” Laila told her pointedly. She’d certainly tried to impart a belief in honor and integrity in her and her sisters. “But yes, and they actually have knights too. After a fashion.”
“Are you kidding?”
Laila laughed. “Kidding? I’m serious. A commodore or a fleet captain in the Minstrahn Empire, for example, is called a Knight Commander and, to give you another one, a full admiral would be called a Lord Admiral.”
“Well, the Phalamkians use ‘lord’ for that position,” Maia pointed out. “So it’s not really an alien concept.”
It was the first thing she had said during the lesson so far, Carla noticed. However, interjecting in the middle of a game of back and forth between Mom and Alia was probably a little daunting for a newcomer.
“True enough,” Laila said. “But that type of thing isn’t common among space-faring human cultures.”
“Right,” Maia agreed. “Now, how about the political situation? I suppose you’re going to have to explain this to Admiral Roth later, right?”
Laila smiled. “So I should run it by you lot first and see if you get it?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“What a good idea. Well... the Empire’s governed by representatives from five ruling families. The Ilian, the Ariadi, the Kamais, the Eras and the Valinski. However, it’s slightly complicated.”
For once, Alia didn’t say anything.
“The Empire has one appointed leader at any given stage who rules over all its people, and this is the Empress.”
“Or the Emperor,” Alia added.
Laila shook her head. “There is only ever an Empress. Now, as I said, she rules the entire Empire but her position is one of, shall we say, final authority.”
“How does this thing with the five families work?”
“Well, the Empress is the eldest worthy daughter from the five familie
s at the time the previous Empress steps down.”
“Okay. So you don’t wait until they die?”
“So elegantly put. No, the Minstrahn believe the Empress shouldn’t wait until old age dulls her judgment before stepping down. They also believe the Empress should be able to enjoy the autumn and winter years of her life without the burden of responsibility that final authority over the Empire carries. They think that after serving the Empire for an appropriate period of time, she deserves a rest.” She then raised a hand in emphasis. “Also, I hope you all noticed that I didn’t say the eldest daughter of the five families becomes Empress but the eldest worthy daughter. It’s an important distinction and this is something the families decide upon. If the eldest daughter in the families, for instance, has absolutely no concept of responsibility -”
“Why are you looking at me?” Alia asked in mock-offence. This got a few chuckles. Even Lyla smiled.
Laila shook her head. “Just for the sake of the argument, Alia. Anyway, if the eldest daughter had no concept of responsibility, the next oldest daughter would come into consideration.”
“And if they ran out of daughters, they’d look at cousins and those who weren’t in the direct family lines?”
“Yes,” Laila replied. “And it has happened before. However, leadership tends to return to those in the direct lines over time.”
“I see,” Alia said. “So the families are always rotating. The most powerful family at any given moment may not be the most powerful when the next Empress comes round. And, I guess, since the Empress is the final authority in the Empire, the remaining families have more direct rule over parts of the Empire. The remaining four families. A quadrant each?”
“That’s right. A lady or lord from each of the remaining families governs a quadrant. Basically, this is how it works. When a new Empress emerges, her family withdraws any direct claim over a quadrant and the family of the previous Empress then take their place. In this way, not only do the Empresses come from different families over time but one quadrant isn’t governed by a single family indefinitely. All the families rotate positions, as you said. As Mom and Dad explained it to me, the Minstrahn feel it brings balance and prevents the Empire from stagnating.”
“It sounds ideal,” Alia said. “So why isn’t it working? What’s gone wrong in paradise?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Laila agreed.
“What about the current Empress?” Alia asked. “Do we know anything about her?”
“Nothing, I’m afraid. The delegates who came to the Federation referred to her as the Empress Tenenial Ariadi, but that’s just a name and a family to me.”
“She wasn’t the Empress when you left then?”
“No. And since that Empress was fairly young at the time, she’s probably only very recently stood down. So this current Empress would most likely be fairly young too. But it’s hard to tell for sure and I have no idea what she’ll be like. I’ve told you before, I left with Mom and Dad when I was seventeen and I haven’t been back since. Who knows what’s going on there now?”
“Would you stop doing that?” Alia asked, trying to get Lyla to put down a pad.
“Well, if Carla and Maia are going to join up with Selina and the others at the rendezvous, then it might be useful for them to have a record of all this information.”
“Yeah,” Alia muttered, “because they’re going to be handling all the diplomatic stuff, aren’t they?”
“Alia, shut up. Honestly, I don’t know why Mom insisted on bringing you along.”
“You and me both, sister,” Alia said, sitting down on her bunk. “But Mom wanted us all to come on this thing, and I wasn’t going to let her down.”
“Well, aren’t you the perfect daughter?” Lyla told her and went back to typing her information up.
“Is this about me not joining up with the Resistance?” Alia asked her, lying down with her arms folded behind her head. “Because I think that’s a little unfair. Carla told me she sort of more or less wound up in it because she and her friends got hired to do a job. And well, you and Mom were basically drawn into it since you were both there when Laonist got overrun.”
“You could have come back and helped,” Lyla suggested, but it was more an absent-minded rebuke than a serious suggestion.
“What was one girl going to do?”
“Hey, I’m...” Lyla sighed. “I’m sorry, Alia. I shouldn’t be down on you all the time. It’s just that, well... I know this isn’t really something you want to do. But it’s important for Mom. And if it’s important for her, it’s important for me too.”
“Well, actually, I’m trying to take it seriously, which was what I was trying to say. I kind of get the impression that Mom’s bringing along a lot of dead weight by getting us to come too. I mean, what’s the point? What are we going to do when we get there? What are Carla’s friends going to do? Or that group of pilots they brought with them?”
“Maybe nothing,” Lyla said, putting the pad away. “But Mom’s worried, and so’s Admiral Roth. Think about it. These guys haven’t contacted the Federation or the nations of the Frontier in living memory. Even when the Levarc were running rife through our worlds, the Minstrahn were silent. Compared to these people, the Harskans seem positively neighborly. You get what I mean?”
“Yeah, they’re a hermit kingdom, using old-fashioned lingo and calling their generals and commanders prissy names to make them sound more chivalrous.”
“You seem to have extrapolated a bit more from that than what I put in, but yes. That’s kind of the general thrust of it. Anyway, it’s like Mom told you. The fact these people are suddenly asking for outsiders to intervene in an internal affair means there’s probably something quite serious going on there. So Mom’s just trying to prepare for all eventualities. That’s why we’re here. We’re back-up, in case anything goes wrong.”
This seemed to satisfy Alia. “All right. Oh, and sis?”
“Yeah, Alia?”
“Sorry for being a pain. You know I don’t mean to be.”
Lyla smiled. “It’s all right. Why don’t you take a nap? We’ve got another fourteen hours to go before we reach the rendezvous.” She nodded to the wall separating them from the next cabin. “And I’m pretty sure Carla and Maia have already turned in.”
“Yeah. Not a bad idea. Goodnight, sis.”
“Goodnight, Alia.”
5. A Grim Discovery
Two cruisers dropped out of lightspeed and, with the three that were waiting, the envoy was now ready to depart.
“The Deliverance and the Harpy have arrived,” the radar officer informed the captain.
“Thank you,” Merrick replied. “Communications, hail the Deliverance and inform Captain Ah’ness that we await the pleasure of Laila Casdan’s arrival. Ask him if he would like us to send a shuttle.”
“Sir.”
Merrick turned to Admiral Roth. “Well, Admiral. It appears that they are here.”
“Yes.”
“I must say, sir, that I’m somewhat curious about the lengths that our friends have gone to in preparation for this trip.”
Roth smiled. “Somewhat extreme perhaps?”
“Why do they need two cruisers?”
“Indeed. And why is the Harpy carrying a flight of Harskan Corteks?”
“Really?”
“According to Gamma-Five, they are.”
Captain Merrick gave his superior a sideways glance. “I didn’t know we were spying on our newfound friends,” he said quietly enough that only the admiral could hear, “or that the private intelligence network was back in operation.”
“It required a complete overhaul after that security breach with Corinthe,” Roth said. “However, it’s now operating just as smoothly, if not more, than it was beforehand. As for our newfound friends, I’m sure they are planning to tell us that they’re bringing Commander Materson and the members of Sigma Squadron with them on this trip. It’s certainly not a case of subterfuge on the
ir part. However, I don’t care much for surprises.”
Merrick smiled. “Understandable. Now, should Commander Materson’s name, or Sigma Squadron for that matter, mean anything to me?”
“Perhaps the names won’t, no. However, you’ve seen the commander and his squadron before. They were the pilots we saw outside the Adari refueling station when the Resistance received those same Corteks they’re flying now.”
“I wonder how they managed to keep them.”
“They’re on good terms with one Drackson fei Araujion, a Harskan who played a major role in orchestrating that transfer. And he had the final say in the matter.”
Captain Merrick tried to remember the details of that transfer, and that ship that had gone into the Harskan Sector and set the whole thing in motion. “He was on the Lady Hawk then.”
“Correct,” Admiral Roth replied. “A most interesting individual from what I’ve been able to ascertain. Over a hundred and twenty years old by our count, which makes him... ?”
A Harskan year was the equivalent to three human years so it was a rather simple calculation. “Around forty years of age for his people,” Merrick said. “But what makes you think he’s here?”
“Because I now know all about the Harpy, Captain,” the admiral explained. “The ship belongs to the younger Lady Erama. That’s Lord Erama’s blood daughter Selina, not his adopted daughter. And she’s currently entangled with one Asten Korr, the captain of the Lady Hawk. Wherever the Harpy goes, he goes too, and his ship is always stowed on board.”
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