“You’re welcome, I’m sure you would have thought of it eventually. Make sure you offer these things and give a little before the Priestess of the Order arrives. I cannot stop her from visiting your worlds, nor do I suggest you do. In the meantime, I have new orders for you.”
“Yes, Sir,” Governor Tate said, straightening.
“You will also officially take Doha, Myrrin, and Chunu for your own. These worlds are too well civilized and politically powerful to exist so near your territory without being owned by Regent Galactic or you. I have reviewed your assets. I know you can do this within the week.”
“Yes, Grand Admiral,” Governor Tate replied.
“One more thing. Keep forces from Rega Gain contained. My intelligence tells me that their forces are growing, ships flock to the Triton Fleet.”
“Let me be clear,” Overlord Patterson said, raising a finger. “Contained. You are not to take the solar system. Maintain a reasonable perimeter and keep them within it. I know you have the resources to accomplish this.”
“I will keep them contained, but leave the solar system itself alone. No bombardments or invasions,” Governor Tate replied.
“It has been good speaking with you, Governor Tate. I look forward to your next update.” The transmission ended.
Governor Tate was on his feet, pacing in the next instant.
Wheeler stepped into the room with a knowing grin on his face. “That went well, Governor.”
“I thought so,” Governor Tate said. “I can’t believe it, he even gave me useful advice when I thought I had everything here taken care of. You’ll earn that battle group yet, Lucious.”
“It won’t be long, you report to him again in three days, and you know what to do now.”
“Absolutely. I have the Overlord’s leave to purchase one of those planets, he as much told me to do it with my own funds. The other two can be squeezed through the supply line, I shut down all of Spacerwares operations for a week and people begin to starve. I blame their local governments and the people will look to me to solve the problem.”
“Be careful, if one of those worlds turns on you, there will be ports filled with ships and people ready to join Triton Fleet, or start a revolt all their own.”
The Governor dismissed his comment with a wave. “Don’t worry, I’ve been planning this for years, I just needed approval from the board. Now I don’t need to so much as send them a memo before the fact.”
“Don’t forget to appoint a few Order Knights and give them the right enhancements, the Overlord will be expecting that.”
“Of course, I’ll be happy to reward some lucky soul for great service,” Governor Tate said. “Publicly, there will be a parade somewhere.”
“Careful,” Wheeler said. “Work on it, find the right person, someone who has made sacrifices, obeyed the rules of the Order and has climbed the organization’s ladder, but still believes in you. Then propose your choice to the Overlord before you give them unlimited credit.”
“Near unlimited,” Governor Tate corrected, “The only person with unlimited credit in this sector is me. I see what you’re saying though. All this has to have an air of collaboration, like I need just a little of his approval.”
“Exactly,” Wheeler replied.
Chapter 8
Concerned Friends And Lovers
Minh-Chu was surprised when Ayan didn’t answer the door to her new quarters aboard the Triton right away. She was finally in the ship’s inner ring of quarters, surrounding the outside of the Botanical Gallery. There were a few larger Officer’s quarters that went unused for the first year they had the ship, but with the refit complete, the well protected Officer’s Quarters section was open. Despite a few whimpers about favouritism, Oz assigned them to his closest friends, who were all officers anyway, so there was no arguing with the decision. Minh-Chu and Ashley were supposed to occupy theirs two doors down, but after spending so much time in pilot berthing, neither of them were in a big hurry. Somehow all that space seemed strange, and living with Ashley was a little intimidating. There was no rush, however, the pair were busy trying to catch minutes together between their shifts and duties.
“Sure she’s home?” Ashley asked from his side. They both carried bottles from the Oota Galoona, the non-human themed dance club inside the Triton. In his hand was a blue coloured bottle of Sideslider, a beverage known for its relaxing qualities, and in Ashley’s hand was Paramour, one of her favourites. Minh-Chu liked it for the savoury smooth flavour, but had come to believe it was made for couples, not so much for parties, because of its tendency to make the drinkers much more affectionate than normal.
“Crewcast says she’s here,” Minh-Chu said, squeezing Ashley’s hand.
“Sure she’s not off doing shadowy stuff? Something no one’s supposed to know about?” she asked in a whisper.
“What do you think she does?” Minh-Chu asked with a chuckle.
She smiled back at him sheepishly. “Well, her dad’s some kind of former spy guy and the new Governor,” Ashley shrugged. “She could be anywhere now that she’s out of politics, she could do anything.”
The door opened, revealing Lacey, dark haired, taller, and a little older looking than Ayan. It looked like she had just been arguing with someone. “Come on in, Ayan’s just wrapping up.”
One of the newer District Representatives from Haven Shore, Doug Hamlin, was standing in the middle of Ayan's living room, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. "How can you expect me to sell that to my people? Two thirds of them are out there in the jungle harvesting on full shifts but my district’s food alottment is restricted? It doesn't make sense."
"Everything goes to the military branches first," Ayan replied, "even if your people were responsible for all the food we ate, that product would still be gathered by the military at the collection site then transported to our depots where it's distributed fairly. That's just how it works now."
"No one is happy down here, people are threatening to leave my district all together."
"Tell them that it's the same everywhere, even up here, in the fleet. In fact, Fleet personnel are even more closely monitored."
"I'll believe that when I see it, and I'm sure no one down here will believe that either."
"That says more about your ineptitude than it does about how fair or unfair this situation is," Ayan replied. “The Fleet are providing more fairly for your people than the Council was, there are plenty of points about the system going into place tomorrow that you could focus on that your people can understand and appreciate. Supplies, infrastructure, and medical services are all going to improve for your district. In other districts they may see a drop in some things that they had in over abundance, but you’ll find this is fair on balance, like those representatives have.”
"So you admit that, while this policy is fair on balance, it may be unfair to some," replied Hamlin.
"No," Ayan replied flatly. "Let's talk about fair, shall we? Right now all of Haven Shore is allotted an extra seventeen dietary points. By the old British system, that's an extra twelve hundred calories a day, and the majority of them don't come anywhere close to eating that. What you're asking me to do is to influence the military chain of command so that so-called limit is removed. Are you trying to get control over other districts by having more influence on the food your people provide? Is this a power play? If it is, I’ll have you removed tonight. Reaching for power outside of your district is no longer legal, now you are in service to your district. The law prevents representatives from making a district serve them."
"Your accusation is baseless and hypocritical. If anyone is manipulating a system, it is you. The military is the ultimate system of control, and right now it's a helping hand, but at any time you can change the allotment and it will become a rod you can use to punish or flog my constituents. It doesn't matter that you're over-alotting Haven Shore's people now, I worry about-"
"You’re talking about a situation that does not exist, and about a si
tuation no one in this solar system has the power to change. I own Tamber in name, and I have placed it into the care of Triton Fleet to be overseen by the Governor. The laws that will govern resources are not up for debate. You go back to your people and tell them that the system is there to enforce fairness, so the people who service buildings, and build infrastructure are just as well fed as the people who grow and harvest our food. Tell them that they're doing such a good job right now that they're not only feeding the fleet that protects them well, but providing almost double the daily requirement of the population in Haven Shore while giving us enough to store away in case we have a short harvest later. Your people are to be congratulated, reassured, not represented by a reactionist idiot."
"You can't talk to me like that!"
"I'm not part of your council or who you should be lodging your complaint with, so I can tell you that you're a spoiled blow-hard, and that you’re on the verge of being exiled from the solar system because it sounds like you’re trying to take control of an essential supply of food on Tamber, and there’s no room for a power hungry beurocrat in the new government. Don't call my ident again," Ayan told him before slapping the bracelet style command and control unit on her wrist.
Lacey applauded lightly, chuckling a little. “That’s the last one.”
“Finally,” Ayan said, a smile appearing as soon as she saw Minh-Chu and Ashley. The Ayan Minh-Chu knew and called friend was back in an instant, the strained diplomat was gone. She crossed the room and pushed herself between Minh-Chu and Ashley, pulling them into a three person hug. “This is a nice surprise.”
“What was all that about?” Minh-Chu asked.
“I thought it would be a good idea to speak to each Council Member individually, an opportunity to thank them for their service and answer a few questions now that my father is officially the Governor.”
“Best of intentions, most of them were receptive,” Lacey said. “But a lot of them were like that, still fighting for rights they had no right to. It’s as though they can’t accept the Equal Priviledge laws that put them in the same conditions as the average citizen in their district.”
“Oh, hon,” Ashley cooed sympathetically as she gave Ayan an extra squeeze.
“I’m all right, it’s the last time I have to speak to anyone on the Haven Shore Council, unless I want to,” Ayan said as the trio split.
“We thought you’d like some company now that things are settling down and you’re officially assigned to the Triton,” Minh-Chu said, offering his bottle.
“And on your last night without Captain Valent,” Ashley said with an impish grin. “Here’s something for your first night with him, because I hear things are going well.”
Ayan handed Minh-Chu’s bottle to Lacey, who took it and said; “oh, we’re opening this now. A nice big bottle of relaxer is just what this room needs.”
“Thank you both, Lacey wanted to have a gathering tonight because my schedule is clear, but I convinced her to hold off at least a night, so Jake can be here,” Ayan said as she received the smaller bottle from Ashley. “Speaking of Jake…” Ayan put the bottle on a side table set under an interior opening looking through to the kitchen. She activated a program on her transparent blue command and control unit and the blue material of her uniform turned green. The shape shifted into a dress with a plunging U-shaped neckline and a loose skirt that ended well above her bare knees. Ayan pulled the ring holding her curly red hair in a bun, letting it fall down just past her shoulders. “That’s better.”
Ashley whistled appreciatively, “You’re definitely giving him something worth running to, nevermind walking.”
“I couldn’t have said it better,” Lacey said, “He better know how lucky he is.”
Minh-Chu couldn’t help but recongize that Lacey complimented Ayan’s civillian side. For all the training and the soldierly tendencies Ayan had, the second Ayan always knew how to relax as a civilian when she had the chance, something Minh-Chu never mastered. Lacey, in a skirt that was loosely stretched down the length of her from shoulders to shins, was entirely civillian. While she seemed to support the military, her point of view was that of a civilian, something that was easily apparent from his first conversation with her months before. She didn’t have any experience in the military, but she had plenty of opinions. He realized that Ashley wanted him to compliment Ayan when he felt her nudge him with her elbow. “A lily is prettiest when her roots are planted deeply, and her petals are open to the sun,” he said, realizing immediately that his witty declaration was more than a little miscalculated when Ayan began blushing, Lacey chuckled and Ashley’s jaw dropped. “That didn’t come out right,” Minh-Chu said in a rush. “I meant to say you work hard to look the way you do, not that you have to work hard, the way you are, and there’s more to you than how you look, and that dress-“
“You should quit while you’re ahead,” Ashley whispered.
“Very pretty,” Minh-Chu said, “Jake’s very lucky. Are you visiting him soon?”
Lacey’s sudden outburst of laughter came as a short shriek, while Ayan blushed and laughed along. “Better,” Ashley snickered.
Ayan cleared her throat and nodded. “I’m going to see him in about an hour. Otherwise Lacey would be having a Thank Goodness It’s Over party for me tonight.”
“Why before Jake can be here?” Ashley asked Lacey.
“If being friends with Ayan has taught me anything, it’s that you take full advantage of openings in her schedule when they appear,” Lacey said, uncapping the blue bottle of Sideslider. “I have a feeling those openings will become even harder to reserve once Jake’s free from captivity.”
“Recovery,” Ashley corrected.
“Oh, I call it captivity. When your information, the people you’re allowed to see and your range of movement are controlled, I call it captivity.”
“That’s not happening, is it?” Ashley asked. “I mean, Doctor Messana told me and Minh that we should wait to visit until he’s off the Solar Forge, and it made sense. She didn’t want him too distracted. He still snuck in without any questions, too.”
“You’re on a list of hundreds of people who were told the same thing, dear,” Lacey said as she touched the wall and used the simple interface that appeared to request a drawer from the kitchen just behind the wall. An opening appeared half a metre to her left and a drawer filled with fluted glasses slid open just above the sideboard table she put the bottle down on. “That Doctor’s controlling what level of information he gets from the fleet, who can visit, pretty much everything. She even has the Solar Forge’s artificial gravity systems pushing down on him all the time. Just him, it’s completely localized, so he can come out being accustomed to one point four times standard gravity. It’s no wonder he’s covered in bruises. When he gets out tomorrow and realizes what’s been going on without his knowledge, there may be a reckoning.”
Minh-Chu had no idea that was happening, and immediately felt guilty for listening to Doctor Messana’s request to only visit during group events. His only visit was an eventful, significant one two days before. A repeat visit probably would have been a real relief to his old friend. He was busy flying missions for Triton Fleet and for the British Alliance. He’d rarely been as busy, but he could have stopped in. Judging from Ayan’s non-reaction, he could tell she knew exactly what Lacey was talking about. “He realizes he’s not seeing the whole picture,” Minh-Chu said. “I had to access some files for him the other day when he wanted some of the gaps in his memory filled in. He didn’t take what he did on that bridge well.”
“You showed him what happened on the Barricade?” Ayan asked.
“He wanted to know,” Minh-Chu said. Ashley was quiet, she didn’t like talking about it.
“We were told not to do that,” Ayan said, “How did it go over.”
“He had trouble,” Min-Chu said. “We got through it.” He made the decision not to tell Ayan, or anyone else, that he stayed for four hours after Jake broke down at th
e sight of the murder on that bridge. “It was hard, but I think he believes that he isn’t that person anymore. There was something going on while he was a framework, I didn’t see it as clearly as I do now, but there was something missing, something held back. Now he’s all there, and this Jake wouldn’t have done what he did on the bridge of the Barricade for anything.”
Ayan still looked irritated, put off. “Doctor Marcelles told me there could be differences. Parts of his brain were rebuilt. How is he now?”
“He regrets what he did on the Barricade, more than I’ve regretted anything,” Minh-Chu replied.
“Well that’s something,” Lacey said. “We can’t have Captains running around murdering young officers, even if they are brainwashed.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ayan said. “I don’t like what he did either, but it has made a real difference in the Order, one that might give us a chance.”
“Yes, but the ends can’t justify-“ Lacey started.
“I don’t have time to have this argument with you again,” Ayan said. “I’m going to see him. Thank you both for coming, Minh, Ashley.” Ayan said, leaving the room.
Minh-Chu was glad Ayan was going to see him, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he should be asking for her forgiveness for breaking a rule he wasn’t told about.
“Why would they hide that from him?” Ashley asked. “What he did, I mean. People are going to tell him as soon as he gets out, gets back to work.”
“One recovery at a time, maybe?” Lacey said, putting the glasses away.
“Maybe,” Minh-Chu said. He made a promise to himself then, to stay close to Jake and provide an extra set of eyes and ears. For the first time since he knew him, he had a feeling that his old friend might need protection.
Chapter 9
Open and Closure
Jake could not help but stare in awe as he watched the Lorander fabrication ship complete work on one of their new heavy gunships. It truly was a child of the Clever Dream.
Warpath Page 7