An Indecent Proposal

by Jaleta Clegg

  "That depends on which side you are on." His smile was bland.

  I leaned back in the chair, rubbing absently at the itch in my side. I considered my answer very carefully.

  "I don't know where my loyalties lie," I admitted. "Most of the worlds I've ever known are part of the Federation now." That was impossible to escape. Though the news vids were mostly full of social gossip there was always an update on the current state of the war. At least the current update the Patrol wanted the population at large to believe. I was certain there was a lot of information not being aired.

  "You are in a position to destroy everything," Olin said. "If you choose to support other factions."

  "I hadn't thought of that. But, considering most of the people involved probably want me dead, I don't think I would switch sides at this point."

  He looked startled. "They want you dead? How do they even know you exist?" I'd surprised that question out of him.

  "Because they were most likely behind Roderick's misguided attempt at usurpation. And because they are probably involved with the crime syndicates. You were there when the Speaker accessed my records. Don't pretend you didn't read them."

  "I was rather busy keeping you from sliding off the bed at the time. I was respecting your privacy."

  I used an engineering term that basically meant I didn't believe him. It wasn't used in polite company.

  He blinked. "You, Miss Dace, are full of surprises."

  "And so are you, Olin."

  "I have to warn you," he said, looking down at the table. "My loyalties lie to Iniuri Shiropi. I will do whatever is necessary to keep you from harming him. Even if he is guilty."

  "You think he is?"

  "It would be easier to believe he was a raving lunatic than that he was plotting treason against Maximillius. They've been friends since childhood."

  "I don't think he's involved, either."

  "Good. Then perhaps I can be of assistance."

  I pulled a two from my hand and played it, destroying my triple comet. He glanced down at the card and then back at me, his forehead wrinkling in thought.

  "I wouldn't ask you to betray anyone, Olin."

  "And I think I respect you, Admiral Dace." He swept the cards up and shuffled them. "Another hand, perhaps?"

  "I think I've had enough for today, thank you." I pushed myself out of the chair.

  "Perhaps another time," Olin said, rising to escort me back to my room. "I've enjoyed our game this afternoon."

  "I enjoyed playing cards," I said. "I've never liked the other game."

  "I never have, either," Olin said.

  Chapter 15

  Iniuri Shiropi invited me to dinner that evening. Hester was still absent so I chose my own set of clothes to wear. I ended up with a dress in deep green. The sleeves were long, the neck high, and the hem brushed the floor around my feet. It was a simple dress but expensive, it showed in the way it draped around me. It was soft and I liked it. The green reminded me of the Phoenix shipsuits. Another reason for me to act decisively and get Lee what he wanted, I wanted to go home to my ship. The sooner I untangled this mess, the sooner I could leave. And the fewer social calls I'd be required to make.

  Olin came to get me. He was silent as we walked through the halls of the mansion. The afternoon of card playing and veiled messages may as well never have happened to judge by his bland look and blank silence.

  He left me at the entrance to an indoor garden. I caught his warning glance as he turned away. I pushed open the door to the garden and stepped inside.

  It was almost like crossing into another world. An artificial breeze ruffled my hair. The projected sky overhead was blue, though the sun was low. The hint of sunset colors showed to one side. Underfoot was a tangle of grass and flowers and mossy stones. It was almost random enough to be wild, but not quite. I walked down a path which meandered past a flowering hedge. The garden opened in front of me, a wide sweep of lawn that dipped down to a pond at the center. The lawn was carefully planted with weeds.

  The pond was also designed to look natural. The edges were soft, the grass grew right into the water in a few places. Tall stands of rushes and reeds spread across other parts of the bank and shallow water. A finger of raised stone pointed into the water, ending in a circular island paved with stone. Green plants crept between the stones, softening their rough edges. Iniuri Shiropi, Speaker to the Council of Worlds, was on the island, balanced on one foot in a pose known as position twelve to anyone familiar with the Academy's regimen of physical exercises. He had one foot behind his calf, his knee bent away from his body. His arms were not out in the beginner's pose, reaching for balance. They were tucked in close to his body, his hands interlaced in front of his chest, his eyes closed. He wore simple clothes, dark gray tunic and leggings suited for the exercises he was doing.

  I hesitated at the edge of the pond. I didn't want to interrupt his meditations. I watched the fish in the pond, large ones in bright colors of red, gold, white and black. They nosed around the finger of stone.

  He stayed planted on one foot for a long time, his balance never wavering.

  He slowly lowered his foot, breathing out in a long sigh at the same time. He opened his eyes, turning to face me without the slightest hint of surprise. He had been aware of me all along. I wondered if he was telepathic. He watched me for a long moment while the sky faded to crimson and orange. His slanted eyes gave his face an exotic cast.

  "You invited me," I finally said when his searching silence grew too intense.

  "So I did. You appear much better."

  "I am feeling much better. Thank you."

  "I am sorry to keep you waiting so long."

  "You had urgent business."

  "So I did," he said for the second time. This time there was a hint of a smile on his face. "Pardon my intrusion, but your personal file contained some very interesting reports."

  "Are you going to ask me if they're true? If they really happened?" I didn't wait for him to answer. "You'd have to ask Lowell to verify them."

  "Perhaps I will. Someday. My sources say there was quite the scene at the Patrol headquarters the other day. It seems a certain Admiral turned in her resignation with a very loud protest about the treatment she had received from certain commanding officers of the Patrol." He waited for my response as the artificial sky slowly darkened overhead.

  I kept my face neutral, hiding my feelings. Did I dare trust him? After Olin's veiled warnings? I had to play it safe, keep the innuendoes subtle and see how he reacted.

  "You read my file. You know what Lowell has put me through. I had every right to react the way I did when his people asked me to withdraw my medical discharge request."

  "Yes, it made perfect sense."

  Was he fishing for information? Did he suspect things weren't the way they appeared to be? Was I being paranoid? Or was I being too careful?

  "I am most curious about the woman my son declared he will marry. You do understand my curiosity about you. It is only natural for a father to be concerned his son is making the best choice. More so for a father in my position."

  "You can't be too careful," I said and allowed a small smile on my face.

  Iniuri Shiropi looked around his garden. The light faded to dusky lavender. There were even a few stars twinkling overhead. The flowers closed for the night. Another set opened, releasing a soft perfume into the air. The fish jumped and splashed in the pond.

  "It is a rare evening that I can spend here," he said. "I do enjoy my garden."

  "It's beautiful. Almost wild enough to be convincing."

  He frowned. "I spent years researching and planting. What did I miss?"

  "You planted it yourself? I am impressed." And I was. The garden was not as large as I first thought, but it was still quite an undertaking. The walls were holograms, stretching the garden into the distance on two sides. The other two sides showed the mansion walls, covered with twining vines drooping with purple flowers.

  "So wh
ere did I go wrong? I was trying for a less manicured, almost wild look. It is considered my one vice, that I'm too attached to my garden and its many imperfections."

  "It's still too planned. There are a lot of things missing. Like stickers, and biting insects, and all the nasty things real nature provides."

  "You've had a lot of experience with real nature?" He smiled, amused.

  "More than I ever wanted."

  "I tried to create a balanced system."

  "I noticed the fish."

  "There's more." He held up one finger, motioning me to be quiet.

  I stood still, listening. A faint hum rose from the bushes. Large white petals that I'd assumed were flowers suddenly took flight, fluttering across the pond and into the artificial moonlight that now flooded the garden.

  "Night moths. I have at least sixty varieties of insects living here. None of them are of the biting variety," he added with a smile. "And besides the fish, there are seven different animal species. I haven't been successful at introducing birds yet, but I'm still working on that problem."

  "It's beautiful, but why?"

  "Because nothing on Linas-Drias is natural anymore. Nature has been tamed. Even the weather follows strict schedules." He walked off the stone island. I fell into step with him when he reached the path. "I spent most of my youth on Dyslia. It's partially terraformed, nature being subdued. But it had nature preserves where life was allowed to follow its natural course. I loved those islands of wildness. I wanted my own space here."

  "You've done a marvelous job."

  "Thank you."

  He turned onto a side path, one that led into a stand of lacy trees. Tiny lights flickered among the leaves.

  "What do you crave?" he asked. "Everyone has their secret place, like my garden."

  I thought about my answer while we walked into the trees. Two chairs sat next to a small table in a space between the trees. Food waited on the table. It smelled delicious.

  "Do you mind?" he asked as he indicated a chair. "It's more personal out here. And I needed the peace of my garden."

  "I don't mind at all." I really didn't. It was more private out here, at least we had the illusion of privacy. I had no doubts that Olin and possibly Hester were listening in to our conversation.

  He helped me seat myself on the chair. He sat in the other chair and lifted the cover from the dishes on the table.

  "There's no need to be formal here," he told me. "Please, serve yourself whatever you wish."

  I didn't need a second invitation. The food smelled wonderful and looked just as good. The soft light in the leaves slowly increased until the whole area was bathed in a yellow glow. I served myself a sampling of every dish.

  We ate in silence for a while.

  "You never answered my question," he said as I reached for seconds.

  "Which one?"

  "What do you crave, Dace? What do you want more than anything?"

  "I want the stars. I want to fly." I smiled, making it a joke.

  He laughed. "That was you flying from Piy'Luin, wasn't it? I had a hard time believing Max would be that adventurous with his father's yacht."

  "Guilty," I admitted. "It's a beautiful ship, if you removed the dummy controls."

  "So, tell me, Dace, how did you meet my son?"

  I stopped with my fork partly raised. My appetite was suddenly gone.

  "You read my files." I made myself eat the last bite before I set my fork down again. I chewed slowly while Iniuri watched me over the rim of his glass.

  He set the glass down, a delicate globe on a slender stem. The ruby liquid inside was dark, glinting with light as it swirled around the glass.

  "I want you to tell me. I want to understand you. After all, you will soon be family."

  I looked down at my own glass. Did I lie or tell the truth? How much acting did I need to do? How much had Iniuri already guessed?

  "We met on the way to Serrimonia," I said.

  He raised one eyebrow and waited.

  "He started by insulting me and my qualifications. I returned the favor. And, as they say, love blossomed."

  He leaned forward over the table. "I don't believe you," he said with a toothy smile.

  "So, it wasn't love at first sight. We were shot down. I was in too much pain to care about much of anything for quite a while. And by then, the Sessimoniss had us and were threatening to kill us both. I didn't have time for distractions."

  "Vance was sent as an ambassador to the Sessimoniss," Iniuri said.

  "He was underprepared. They would have killed him, sacrificed him to their god, Sekkitass."

  "Why didn't they?" He leaned back in his chair swirling the liquid in his glass.

  "Because I'm still their high priestess and I had the Eggstone with me. And I can speak their language. Vance used the form their immature children use."

  "It's the language they use with the traders," Iniuri said.

  "They consider humans less than animals."

  "Are you suggesting I name you to the post of ambassador to the Sessimoniss?"

  "I'd turn you down."

  "Most people would consider it a great honor."

  "Most people don't know how primitive their world is."

  He laughed, a deep chuckle of amusement. "I did read your reports. At least the ones concerning my son. I was curious how much Lowell edited out."

  "All the good parts, I'm sure."

  "Tell me about Trythia."

  I wasn't ready for that question. I coughed, trying to cover my dismay. It was past pain. And Tayvis was alive, though he had walked out on me. I shook my head.

  "Then tell me why you agreed to marry my son."

  "I haven't agreed," I said.

  He waited for me to explain. I tried to gather my thoughts. Was Iniuri Shiropi part of the conspiracy? Could I trust him? And what part did Vance play in this whole mess?

  "He didn't ask me first," I said lamely. "It was a surprise."

  "Considering the shape you were in, Vance is lucky. You couldn't have hurt him, though I think you would have tried." He set his glass on the table again, swirling it and watching the liquid inside. "Why did he feel he needed to announce his engagement to you?" This time he lifted his eyes to me, dark and questioning and dangerous.

  "Because he wanted to shock everyone?" I hazarded a guess.

  "What game are you playing, Admiral Dace?"

  Decision time. "A very dangerous one, Speaker."

  He lifted one eyebrow again and waited.

  "I don't know why Vance announced our engagement. Lowell's people want to use it to their advantage."

  "The conspiracy again?"

  "Someone is trying to destroy the Empire."

  "They're doing a good job of it," Iniuri said with a tired sigh. He allowed his pleasant mask to drop. I saw the weariness in his face, the haunted look in his eyes. "The Empire has lost more than half of its systems. And almost half of the Patrol. It's a war we can't possibly win. It's only a matter of time until someone fires the first shot. Once that happens, nothing will stop it until the Empire is reduced to barbarism. I trust what you are doing is for the good of the Empire."

  "Lowell has never had anything else as his goal."

  "Some would question that."

  "They don't know him. They'd move Lowell out of the way, keep him so busy he can't deal with the real crisis."

  "And wait for him to send in his most trusted, if unconventional, agent."

  Was he threatening me? My hands balled into fists, hidden by the delicate lace of the tablecloth.

  "It's a very good thing," he continued, "that you aren't that agent. That your only interest is in my son."

  I let out my breath slowly and forced my hands to relax.

  "Have you heard the rumors? Of course you haven't. Vance is hinting that you may be expecting a child. Which is why you've been out of sight."

  "What?" I was going to kill him. Forget that I was supposed to be using him. How dare he say such things abo
ut me?

  "I assume by your reaction that he's lying. Why would he do that?"

  "Because your son is a scheming, rude, arrogant…" I trailed off. This wasn't helping my cover story. I pasted a bright smile on my face. "And the most charming, if misguided, man I know," I lied through my teeth.

  "You were alone with him on the yacht for at least a week," he said.

  "I lived in a cave with him for over a month. He never touched me. I would have broken his arms if he tried."

  Iniuri laughed. "It has tongues wagging. I assume there is no truth to the stories that you are his mystery lover."

  "Not yet," I said blandly. "I'm the type to wait until after the wedding." My face was hot. This was not the topic of discussion I was hoping for. It was embarrassing.

  "So, Vance isn't marrying you to preserve your reputation."

  "What reputation do I have to protect? What stories has Lowell spread about me?"

  "That depends on who you talk to."

  I raised my eyebrow. Iniuri laughed. I was beginning to really like him.

  "So, how long do you need me to act as your chaperone?" he asked.

  "Isn't your reputation suffering, having me stay here with you?"

  "I'm old enough to be your father, you are engaged to my son, and my reputation is above reproach. It's good of you to be concerned about it, though."

  It was my turn to laugh. I relaxed, feeling as if I'd successfully navigated the dangerous parts of the conversation.

  "Are you really going to marry him?" Iniuri asked.

  That was the real question. How far was I willing to take this farce? What if Tayvis wouldn't forgive me? Could I love Vance enough to give him the rest of my life? Maybe. I didn't know. I didn't want to know until after I'd talked to Tayvis. Would he wait? Did he still love me?

  "I can see that question has a difficult answer," Iniuri said.

  "I'm sorry, it is complicated." I ducked my head, knowing my thoughts would be plain to see in my eyes.

  "Dace," Iniuri said. He waited until I looked up at him. "Olin keeps me informed. Of everything. You are welcome here for as long as you need."

  "Thank you," I said. And meant it.

  Chapter 16