by M. D. Cooper
“More’s the pity you’re so well-traveled, then,” Jessica said.
Antaris laughed, a rueful chuckle that he cut short as he locked eyes with Jessica. “Did you smuggle these weapons into Serenity for Charlemis?”
“No, we did not. We had no idea who the weapons were for. And we were not willing participants in this venture,” Jessica replied evenly.
“Then why did you mislead us?” Antaris asked.
“Because we had no idea who the weapons were for. Best to play dumb and hope for the best,” Jessica replied.
“You seem to like your women dumb,” Cheeky added caustically.
Antaris turned his gaze to her and was silent for a moment before showing a small smile.
“Our society here in Serenity has a lot of rules. However, the highest rule is never to underestimate women. Our navies are crewed only by men, yes, but only because the women consider it beneath them. Each of the Houses of Serenity is ruled by a woman. My mother, Anastasia, is the head of House Laurentia, currently the most powerful of all the Houses of Serenity.”
“Huh...” Cheeky said, her tone apologetic. “OK, I may have misinterpreted all of this. I thought you were a bunch of misogynistic assholes.”
Antaris smiled. “Well, the navy is where the bulk of such individuals end up, but mostly they’re just trying to impress women to marry into a better family.”
“So where does that leave us?” Jessica asked. “Do you believe we’re complicit?”
Antaris sighed. “I do not know. That will be for my mother to decide.”
“I suppose we’d best return to our ship then,” Jessica said.
“No,” Antaris shook his head, returning his gaze to the card with the three stars. “It would not be seemly for you to remain on your ship while it is undergoing repairs. You’ve been given quarters on this deck. Your things, including your automaton have been moved to those quarters, which are down this hall on the right. Perry is waiting outside. He’ll escort you there.”
Jessica took the dismissal for what it was, and resisted the urge to groan as she stood. She took her small steps to the door where Cheeky waited for her.
Commander Perry was waiting in the hall, solemn smile on his lips. “It was a pleasure dining with you this evening.”
“And you as well,” Cheeky replied.
“If you’ll follow me,” Perry said, and led the women down the hall to another ornately carved wooden door, which he opened before stepping aside. “Your automaton packed all your belongings and brought them here. Breakfast is at oh-eight hundred, but if you wish to dine in your quarters, you may let the porter know.”
“Thank you, Commander Perry,” Jessica said as she and Cheeky entered the room.
Cheeky closed the door and leaned against it. “What have we gotten ourselves into, Jess?”
“I don’t know.” Jessica looked around the suite at the large sitting room with doors on either side through which she could see what appeared to be private rooms. “But this suite may be bigger than the Sexy.”
“This is the weirdest warship I’ve ever been on,” Cheeky said.
“Been on a lot?” Jessica asked as she walked to one of the sofas and collapsed on it.
“Uhhh… no. Just the Andromeda I guess. The Intrepid too, if it counts…but I guess the Intrepid makes for an even stranger warship than this.”
Jessica flopped onto her back and stuck her feet over the arm of the sofa. “I can’t reach my feet, Cheeky. I demand that you take my boots off in punishment for not letting me put a slit in this skirt.”
Cheeky had just sat down on one of the other sofas. “Seriously? You think I can get back up? After how much I just ate? Where’s Addie? Have her do it.”
“I am here,” Addie said as she walked out of one of the bedrooms. “I was just organizing your wardrobes. I researched the styles women wear on Serenity and was using the fab unit to alter your clothing to match.”
Addie had reverted to her default appearance, though she had retained the red hair. She wore one of Cheeky’s longer shirts…or maybe it was a dress, and a pair of grey leggings that Jessica didn’t recall either her or Cheeky owning.
“Oh great,” Jessica replied. “Now that you’re done being our seamstress, can you get my boots off? And what happened on the Sexy? How did they find you?”
“I heard them talking in the passageway that they were to get the porter and collect your things. I decided it would be best if I packed your clothing and passed myself off as your servant. Better than hiding,” Addie said as she pulled the fastener down on the back of Jessica’s right boot and slid it off.
“Oh, stars above…” Jessica moaned as she stretched her foot out. A process she repeated moments later with the other foot after Addie removed the second boot.
“Quick thinking, Addie,” Cheeky said. “Did they suspect anything?”
“They were very suspicious, but I believe it had more to do with the weapons than anything else. I was able to secret your pulse pistols into your luggage well enough that they missed them when they scanned the cases—or they just didn’t care. I’m not sure which.”
“I think these folks are savvier than we first thought. I suspect they know about our pistols,” Jessica said as she reached behind herself and pulled the fastener on her skirt down. “Oh, that’s so much better. I won’t need to eat for a week.”
“So, what now?” Cheeky asked.
“I don’t know about you,” Jessica said, “But I could really use some sleep. From what I can see on their general shipnet we’re going to arrive at Acadia, House Laurentia’s moon, late in the day tomorrow. We may not get another chance to sleep for a while.”
“Wiser words were never spoken,” Cheeky said as she stretched out on the sofa and kicked off her heels. “And when I’m ready to move again in an hour or two, I’ll see if I can make it to my bed.”
“Addie, make yourself useful, and organize my wardrobe too,” Jessica asked. “I want to have something more appropriate to wear tomorrow.”
“Of course,” Addie nodded.
BREAKING FAST
STELLAR DATE: 10.22.8938 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Approaching Acadia, Serenity Primus
REGION: Serenity Ordus, Orion Freedom Alliance, Perseus Arm
Jessica woke at seven hundred hours the next morning and moaned softly. I can’t believe I’m still full. How do those guys do that every day?
She stumbled into her room’s san unit and took a long shower before emerging, feeling greatly refreshed, and opened the wardrobe to see what sort of clothing Addie had created.
“Huh…”
“Not at all,” Jessica said. “Given all the starchy suits the men wear on this ship, I kinda expected the women to wear flowing dresses and corsets or something…not your standard little black dress—though at least they don’t always restrict themselves to black.”
“Yay for variety,” Jessica said as she reached into the closet and pulled out a sleeveless purple dress. She pulled it over her head and into place. “Simple at least.”
Jessica walked to the mirror and examined the dress’s fit. “Addie’s not a bad seamstress. I’m not an easy person to cut cloth for.”
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Jessica stared at herself in the mirror for several moments, trying to think of how to say what needed to be said.
Jessica considered Iris’s words, wondering why her AI was willing to change who she was if it meant saving the team, but Jessica was not.
Jessica said.
Jessica stared at herself in the mirror, willing herself not to see the thing she’d once been on High Terra. The vision of that time did not often come up in her mind, but when it did, it was hard to push aside.
I am not a monster.
She stepped away from the mirror and pushed open the door in to the suite’s main room.
Cheeky was not out of her room yet, but Addie stood at the sideboard upon which rested a pot of coffee and a tea kettle.
“Addie, coffee! You’re the best. I thought you AHAPs were all about assimilation and infiltration. Yet here you are being our concierge in all things,” Jessica exclaimed.
Iris chuckled.
If Jessica could have given a double take, she would have.
Jessica shook her head as she poured a cup of coffee.
Jessica thought back to their initial conversation with Addie—and several since. She had said that to the AHAP.
The certainty behind Iris’s words hit Jessica like an asteroid.
Jessica let Iris’s words sink in, uncertain whether or not to be impressed by AI’s dedication to humanity, or angered by their deliberate manipulation.
Instead, she sipped her coffee, staring into Addie’s vacant, unblinking eyes.
“Huh,” Jessica said aloud.
“Jess!” Cheeky called out from the far side of the room as she opened her door. “Look what they wear! I had nightmares—not figurative ones either—of petticoats and crinoline and stars know what other horrors. But it’s just a world of sexy bitches!”
“It is the current style on Acadia,” Addie said. “Although they wear their hair up, and accent with many articles of jewelry. My understanding is the simplicity of the dress is intended to highlight the jewels and accent items.”
“Stars know you love a good accessory,” Jessica said to Cheeky.
“Yeah, but do we have any? I don’t want to be underdressed,” Cheeky said.
Addie gestured to the end table next to Cheeky, which was covered in bangles, bracelets, belts, and rings.
Jessica looked to Addie. “Uh oh, too many choices. Now we’ll never get out of here.”
* * * * *
The room in which they took their breakfast was not the same one they had dined in the night before. It was smaller, for starters, and had walls made from a light beige and ivory stone. Its broad windows looked over a holographic ocean complete with large breakers crashing into rocks below. Every so often spray would fill the air and the smell of the briny sea would assault them.
Their only companion was Captain Antaris, who was already seated when the two women arrived.
“Ladies, it is good to see you again. I see you’ve availed yourself of our fabrication units and properly attired yourselves. Last night it looked as though you, Cherrie, were from Teros, and you Jessica, were from Yucana. Luckily, both are close allies of house Laurentia, so it was not an issue.”
“I’m glad for that,” Jessica said as she sat and surveyed the spread before her. “What do the women wear on the other two moons…Mesophis and Gallas?”
Antaris had taken a bite of his bread and chewed it carefully before swallowing. The women on Mesophis all wear these horribly restricting dresses, floor length, long sleeves, it’s quite awful. Their heads look almost lost in all the fabric.”
“And Gallas? That’s the moon of House Charlemis, right?” Cheeky asked.
“Correct. House Charlemis is not our enemy per se, but they are certainly not a house that we are on good terms with. Not for the last thousand years at least.”
“Yes,” Cheeky smiled sweetly. “But what do the women of house Charlemis wear?”
“Oh, yes,” Antaris nodded. “They wear these skin-tight one-piece outfits that cover their whole bodies—excepting their heads of course. They’re always gloved as well. It’s really quite strange.”
“I must say again,” Jessica said aloud to Antaris, “how lucky it is that we found you here. Imagine if we had encountered a ship of House Charlemis when we jumped in. Why is it, do you think, Captain, that they
were not present?”
Antaris leaned back in his chair and stroked his thin beard.
“I thought over this for many hours last night, and into this morning. I sent a missive to my mother as well, and she relayed a suspicion to me that confirmed my own musings.”
“Which was?” Jessica prodded.
“That you exited the dark layer too close to Serenity Primus. It is likely your pirate friends intended to arrive further out, near the heliopause, so they could make their exchange undetected. The Charlemis patrol ship is probably out there, several AU closer to the edge of the system.”
Jessica nodded. “That’s certainly plausible. I must ask, however. How is it that a House of Serenity even needs weapons such as these? Surely you must be able to make them yourselves.”
Antaris shook his head. “We have treaties limiting personal weaponry to pulse rifles and ballistic weapons only, and even those have maximums placed on them. The weapons you brought into Serenity are entirely illegal.”
“So, a crew of armored individuals with these weapons could do serious damage in Serenity,” Jessica mused.
“Absolutely,” Antaris nodded. “And with the Dance of the Moons of Serenity coming up, it would be the perfect time to strike.”
“A dance?” Cheeky asked. “Tell me more.”
Antaris smiled at Cheeky. “It comes only once every few decades, when the Star of Serenity eclipses the distant light of Sol.”
“But you can’t see Sol from here,” Jessica said. “Well, I suppose that with a very large array you could.”
Antaris nodded. “Yes, it is symbolic, but we do it nonetheless. The eclipse lasts five days, and each day there is a celebration on one of the moons of Serenity. Each house holds a great ball on their night, and all the other houses attend.”
“I can see your concern,” Jessica said. “I should warn you, there was no ammunition in any of the crates put on our ship. From what lay upon the dock, I do not believe any was allocated for it.”
Antaris stopped his hand, which was holding a fork laden with bacon, midway to his mouth. “You believe there were more ships coming to Serenity.”