Wild is the Blue

by Cecilia Randell

Except he would be violating every order and protocol the Ministry had for its External Security agents.

  Then he recalled everything that could have been prevented if he’d had the freedom to operate outside those policies as needed. The deaths that could have been stopped. Derrick, Danny, Eric, Phillip, the two agents on Falass. He thought of Forrest, Levi, Annaliese, the cubs.

  He thought of Blue, and the grief that haunted her for months after they returned to Austin.

  If he’d just spoken up…

  Jason picked up the transponder and flicked it on. Then he grabbed his comm and made the call.

  “Ministry.” Trevon’s voice was tight, all mocking levity stripped away. “To what do I owe the pleasure.”

  Jason swallowed. This was it. If he spoke now, he couldn’t turn back. His stomach churned, though he knew he was making the correct decision. “I have some information for you.” Quickly he filled the Martikan Family head in on the incident behind the bar, his new job, and the second encounter with the homeless man. “I’ll send you the report,” he finished. Getting it all out was strangely comforting, even though he was debriefing to someone the Ministry usually considered an opponent.

  “You’re a fucking miracle, Jason Peterson.”

  Huh? “Umm, not the reaction I was expecting.”

  “Hang on, I have someone here who wants to speak with you.”

  “Jason?”

  His heart leapt. “Blue?”

  “How are you? How’s Earth? I got your letter. I miss you too. You know, you’re actually strangely comforting to be around, compared to the hooligans I’m sur—“

  A muffled “hey” came from Blue as the comm was taken from her.

  “She’s back to rambling, which means she’s done for now. Send what you have. Keep the transponder on, there’s more from our end that you need to know. And, Ministry, when I said you were a miracle, I fucking meant it. You’ll see.”

  The line disconnected before Jason could get another word in.

  A moment later his comm pinged. A new message and attachment had come through from Trevon Zeynar. Pulling his mind back to the task at hand, he sent his own message and attachments before diving into this new data.

  When he finally came up for air, it was three hours and four more cups of bad coffee later.

  Exactly what the fuck was going on?

  Chapter 35

  MO’ATA

  He’d appropriated Blue’s room as the unofficial meeting place for the team—which was also their family. Mira had ordered a table and additional chairs be set up in the room, at the general’s behest.

  Now, two days after the debacle that was Felix’s welcome home celebration, Mo’ata sat bent over all the information gathered: the Boss’s, Trevon’s, the general’s, and Jason’s. The latter two had already been forwarded to the Boss.

  Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything more they could use, not at this point. As disturbing as the reports from Jason were, nothing in them told Mo’ata where to go next in his investigation—not unless they were to all travel to Earth. The general had people finding and bringing in Trill Cranes and James Taggert. If Trill was the go-between for the freelancers, there was a strong chance she knew of any others hired out to facilities similar to Miyari’s. General Audal had also taken over the interrogation of Portia’s guards—the ones still alive, that was.

  That portion of the investigation was out of his hands.

  Portia herself was being held, but so far no charges had been filed against her. Mo’ata’s stomach turned at the thought that the woman could escape justice altogether, barring a few charges of buying illegal goods. Even her offense against Blue had been handled with the Challenge.

  There was one good thing out of all this, and that was gaining the General’s cooperation. Already, plans were in place to inspect various of the guild headquarters, in the guise of taking Blue on tours of Felix’s childhood memories and meeting his old acquaintances—most of which were now stationed in very high positions.

  In addition, invitations had begun pouring in for Felix and his new trial-partner. Again, many of these were from people in prominent positions, either in the guilds, or in the government and royal family.

  He didn’t think those were the kinds of adventures Blue had in mind when she spoke of her desire to see new worlds and cultures.

  Tapping the papers in front of him, he sighed in exasperation. There was nothing more he could do with this. He gathered them together and slotted them in their folders, then locked them in the cubby fitted to the underside of the table. He’d been assured that only he and whoever he told would have the combination to it. While Mo’ata didn’t necessarily trust that, nothing in these folders was now unknown to the general. And if some other spy was lurking around the residence, all the better.

  They could use a new lead.

  Now, though, he was off to find his shopa and the rest of his prida. They’d gone off an hour ago, something about target practice.

  He wanted as much time with them as he could get.

  Epilogue

  DEMIL

  Flipping through the images the Ministry agent had gathered from Earth, Demil allowed himself a small smile.

  He’d been right about this Blue. A troublemaker, an idealist, and someone who had the unique ability to win people over and get them working together, often before they even knew what had hit them. Hell, even that pompous General Audal was cooperating now, though the man surely didn’t like it.

  In the past and now, it was the circumstances that brought everyone together with the girl. Despite barely having a hand in the actual fighting, notwithstanding her quick actions at the Audal estate, she was the only common factor for how fast everything came together.

  She was a catalyst, for good and bad. And he could use that.

  Demil would admit she wasn’t the worst operative to have. Culan’s bones, she wasn’t the worst he had had on his rosters. In a decade or so, she could very well be on of the best, if she lost that wide-eyed innocence.

  His printer beeped, signaling that the rest of the images were ready. He spun his chair and pushed off. Grabbing the images, he was halfway back to his desk when he spotted it.

  He froze. Ignoring the tremble in his fingers, he studied the grainy face captured by the inadequate Earth technology. The Ministry really would do better to provide their agents with higher quality equipment. There were resources out there that would…

  Demil flipped to the next image, then the next. He didn’t find the face again, but there were two more photos, and the build was right.

  He flipped back to the first photo. Only a partial profile, but the similarities were remarkable.

  It may not be him. He would be foolish to keep his original face.

  Like you did?

  Gritting his teeth, he placed the images on his desk, the edges aligned in precise lines.

  He couldn’t ignore this, as much as he wanted to. If this was truly Raiken…

  Well, he did say that this Blue had a way of pulling all the pieces together.

  He just hoped she, and the rest of her men, were ready for this. That they all were.

  History was about to come back and punch them in the face. His history, and the Alliance’s history.

  Looked like they were all going to Denver, Colorado.

  Demil included.

  Glossary

  WORLDS

  Cularna – An open world of the Alliance. Also has space travel capabilities, traveling to Martika separately from portal travel. It is the home world of the Order of Terril and is where their headquarters are maintained, though this is known only to a few. Most think the Order is stationed on Karran, and it is to a certain extent—at the least the overt agents are. Cularna has a philosophical and ethical overlap with the peoples of Martika. Cularna is known as a world of mercenaries, and they have a very strict code of honor. Like any society, they have different classes of citizens: farmers, artists, lawyers, and healers. All are a
fforded their own respect and honor for the roles they play in the society and what they contribute. Though mercenaries and soldiers are the world’s main “export,” all are respected. Cularna is ruled by not only a monarchy but also a parliament consisting of the heads of each guild as well as representatives of each city-state, allowing for an even representation.

  Earth – Currently considered a closed world—limited travel, restricted to agencies only for the purpose of monitoring.

  Falass – A closed world. Known for its exotic plants and scents.

  Karran – Main world, where all portals lead to and from. Capitol: Tremmir. Governed by a Council of representatives from each region: Tremmir, Filiri, Seradnes, Semina, and the Clan Territories. The head of the Council is appointed on a ten-year rotation and is selected from each region in turn. Karran serves as the hub of trade for the Alliance; the Ministry holds a tight monopoly on trade between the worlds, and though not technically part of the government, has much influence.

  Martika – An open world governed by the Families, many of whom dabble in smuggling. The Families are structured like large clans, with smaller clans pledging allegiance to larger ones. Although the Families’ version of morality isn’t what most people would consider “moral,” they still have a strong sense of honor. Generally, the Families are left to their own devices unless their activities spill into other worlds. Additionally, Martika has space travel, and through this is able to trade directly with Cularna, another open world of the Alliance. Because of this, there is a cultural and philosophical overlap that doesn’t exist with other worlds.

  Padilra – An open world, but only in the last 100 years or so. Padilra is generally governed by an elected president, who serves a 7-year term, and a council, whose terms are for life. One of their main populations are the Prizzoli [see below for further information]. Their main exports are crystals of various kinds used in electronics and manufacturing. They also provide cloth and dyes of a hue found nowhere else. They have only very recently formally joined the Alliance.

  Sturi – A closed world.

  Turamm – Another open world; member of the Alliance. Little is known of them, as they keep mostly to themselves. There are rumors a small population possess mental abilities, such as telepathy. Their main export are metals and alloys used in some of the higher technologies.

  CULTURES

  Clans of Karran – Live in western Karran. They have a matriarchal and polyandrous society and seek to minimize technological use in day-to-day life, only allowing advanced healing and bathing facilities, recognizing these as important for the health of their society. Much of their culture still revolves around training for and practicing the art of war, though most clans now live in peace in their own territories under the central government of Karran. Most clansmen stay within their own clan, though some marry into another, but rarely does a clansman leave. When one does, they are usually accepted readily into any of the enforcement branches for their weapons and protection skills.

  Doaki – tribes that reside in the jungles of Falass.

  Prizzoli – Ethnic and cultural group on Padilra. They are governed by a council of Elders and are strongly religious. Though they will defer to the government of Padilra, they consider themselves separate. Generally nomadic, they control a large portion of the land on Padilra. They are the guardians of the Crystals of Shardon. The Council of Elders consists of those who have achieved a high level of skill in the use of the crystals and have proven a resistance to the corrupting influence of the power. The women are considered the “saviors” of the Prizzoli, and the men the protectors. However, unlike the clans of Karran, the women are not in positions of power or authority, barring Elders. They consider any outside of their lands to be “unclean”, calling them Formangi and restricting contact.

  Mercenary Guild – A highly respected group on Cularna. Many of their members are also part of the Order of Terril. They have control of much of the military technology of Cularna, giving them a distinct advantage over other worlds. Though they are separate, they are considered to be the military branch of their government on a permanent retainer.

  TERMS

  The Academy – A sister organization to the Ministry, where those with potential in portals, as well as those who desire to become agents of the Ministry, are trained and educated. Different from the university.

  Aipin – a citrus fruit, similar to an orange, but pink.

  Alfacc – a type of mild pepper.

  The Alliance of Cormant – An alliance of worlds connected by portals, made up of all those who have been opened to trade. Also includes some worlds not connected by portals but with close ties via space travel to those that do.

  Bota – the vote conducted by a prida to accept new members.

  Canob – A delicacy on Karran, similar to bacon

  Chuka – An insult in clan dialect. Means someone who is not to be trusted, with a side meaning of asshole.

  Clakak – A sport that originated on Padilra and has become popular through the Alliance. Consists of any number of teams, whose goal is to capture the ball and eliminate the other members of the team by tagging them.

  Closed World – Used to designate a world that has been discovered or has naturally occurring portals, but that has not yet been brought into the Alliance. These are usually worlds that are too primitive to understand the ramifications or who have been shown to be too warlike to play nice with others. Earth is considered both. The tipping point for inclusion in the Alliance is usually when a cohesive world government has evolved.

  Corin – In Alliance currency, equivalent to about $100 Earth U.S. dollars.

  Cruadium – an element found on Cularna and used in manufacture of spaceships, armor, weapons and a few other components of the infrastructure. It is extremely hard while still being lightweight. Most deposits are actually found on the moon or in an orbiting asteroid belt.

  Crystals of Shardon – A rare, naturally occurring crystal on Padilra that, when properly prepared, are able to store life-healing energies. Used exclusively in religious ceremonies or by those who are members of the Prizzoli, they are really a last resort because, in order to charge the crystal, someone must give up a portion of their life force. Traditionally, the life force is given by the elders once they have decided to leave this life. The years remaining to them are then stored in the crystals, where it remains until used. Similar to the Portals on Karran, the ability to manipulate the crystals requires an affinity for their energy that not all Prizzoli have.

  Culan’s Bones – an exclamation used on Cularna. Ties in with legends of Culan, the original founder of the Mercenary Guild.

  Dakash – a pastry food, stuffed with fruit and cream, or more savory ingredients.

  Draga – Title for the war chief of a clan of Karran

  Druada – Means “blue” in the clan dialect.

  Elilio – flower of Cularna. Similar to cornflowers.

  Ensiam – a type of cabbage.

  Fela – a small animal similar to a goat, raised for both its milk and meat, as well as its wool, which is often used in clothing.

  Fodilia – a flower found on Cularna. It has fragrant blooms and its petals are often used in perfumes.

  Fogan silk – A silk only available from Falass. Highly sought after from collectors though it is from a closed world and therefor illegal.

  Foka – an alcoholic drink on Karran, similar to beer.

  Formangi – The portion of the population of Padilra who are not Prizzoli, considered to be the “Unclean” by the Prizzoli.

  Gimou – Distant cousins of the grimal, they are used as guard animals on Cularna. Similar to a cross between a dog and a bear.

  Grimal – A bear-like creature found on Cularna. A cunning predator, it is considered at the top of its food chain.

  Haas – a mushroom common in Karran.

  Ichi – Means “clever woman” but depending on the tone of voice can be admiring or derogatory.

  Ikpul – Cul
arnian slang for bastard. Basically, asshole

  Illi – a bird of prey on Padilra. Its coloring allows it to blend in with the sky and nearly disappear when it hunts.

  Kiki – a medium sized insect found in Semina. Their venom affects the nervous system, slowly halting basic functions until their prey falls unconscious. In a person the effect is reduced, but if left untreated can cause permanent damage.

  Kiti – translates to “way of moving” in Prizzoli. It is the basic exercise for increasing balance and grace of movement, and is used as a dynamic meditation in training guards and crystal users.

  Kulce – Southern Tremmir slang for bitch.

  Lama – throwing blades used by the Prizzoli

  Latuc – A type of lettuce.

  Leitis – a tart fruit similar to a purple tomato and often used in salads and sauces.

  Life-Debt – Used among the clansmen of Karran. If a clansman owes a life-debt to another, this means that he must take on the burdens of the one to whom his debt is owed until such time as the debt is discharged. The one owed determines when this is. It is not something given or stated lightly. Usually, a life-debt only occurs when the Heart of the prida is protected or defended by someone not of her prida, as it is a point of shame when the priden fail at her protection, no matter the circumstances.

  Malut – A stringed instrument from Cularna.

  Mamanna – The title for the matriarch of a clan of Karran.

  Marule – a leafy green similar to spinach.

  The Ministry – An organization appointed by the Karran government to train those who operate the portals, as well as monitor and regulate their use. Those who have a natural aptitude can be trained to recognize and manipulate the energies needed. The Ministry has their own agency to handle issues with portal abuse.

  Miriski – a colorful bird found on Falass, prized for its feathers.

  Noafa – a bloom, cousin to the plumar, found in the jungles of Falass. The natives consider it to be sacred.