Their guide stopped in front of a door that looked like any other and waited for them to precede him. Eleanor calmed herself and with as much grace as she could summon, strode inside.
Warm red wood-paneled walls enclosed a spacious area. A set of datascreens over a long desk switched off as they entered. A woman rose from a chair of tan quilted leather and approached them. Eleanor stepped forward, uncertain if this was the same woman she vaguely remembered from that long-ago afternoon at the inn. The woman seemed different somehow. Smaller, thinner perhaps. But then the older woman smiled, pleasantries stretched sharp over secrets, and the memory snapped back into sharp focus.
Eleanor bowed, perhaps not as deeply as she would to a Tamkeri Lord, but she couldn’t bring herself to give the older woman heartfelt respect. “My apologies, I find that I am uncertain how to address you. What title should I use?”
The old woman laughed, the sound warm. “Just Olympia, child. I feel like we’ve known each other for so long, really.” She sat back behind the desk, waved at the other chairs in the room then nodded to Shivuk. “I’m sorry, dear. I suppose I shouldn’t call you child. Not if these,” she hesitated, seemed to search for a word. “these strangers have asked you to speak for them. Very clever of them, don’t you think?” She settled back, her back straight, legs pressed together, hands resting in her lap.
This woman would be at home with grandmothers Eleanor had known back in Prime as they chattered and gossiped the afternoon away in the sun. And no one would suspect she smothered infants as they napped.
Eleanor gathered her thoughts. “Olympia, many thanks for meeting with our party. We would like to speak before the full Council as soon as possible. When would that be likely?”
Olympia pursed her lips, shook her head slightly.
“I’m sure I couldn’t say. The Council is terribly busy right now.”
Eleanor saw Adam start to move from the corner of her vision and brushed her fingers towards him, hoped he’d take the hint and let her handle this.
“Olympia, this is most distressing for us. It is very likely that happenings of great unpleasantness will occur if we are not allowed to speak with the Council at the earliest opportunity.”
Olympia looked around the room, light eyes, bright as a bird’s, above her wrinkled cheeks. “I’m sure this is all a matter of a simple misunderstanding. I can let them know that you’d like to speak with them, but really, they have a planned agenda and as a matter of policy they stick to that agenda very tightly.”
Eleanor wondered if Olympia had encouraged that policy. “Perhaps it is not clear. The Tamkeri are prepared to attack the human settlements, including Claro. This is a last effort at peace. Perhaps we could meet with members of the Council individually. It is vitally important that we convey our message to them.”
“Certainly, my dear, I’ll do my best. But really,” she flicked open a datascreen, “the soonest your party will be able to present their claim before the Council is in three days.”
“Present our claim?” Eleanor sputtered.
Adam interrupted Eleanor. “Why three days?”
Olympia turned her bright eyes to him. “I’m surprised to see you taking their side. I was under the impression that you had been removed from your ship under some duress.”
“It’s not a matter of sides anymore. It’s a matter of answers. So, why not now?”
“Because now isn’t convenient, Mr. Cole.”
“Is this all you have to say to us?” Eleanor said.
Olympia blinked, tilted her head to the side. “Yes, did you expect more?”
“Not really.” Eleanor turned to leave.
On the way out the door Adam paused. “Where’s Sullivan at, anyhow?”
Olympia’s eyes slid from Adam to Shivuk. “Oh, he’s taking care of another matter for me. He’s a very busy man, you know.”
She smiled again, and Eleanor shuddered.
The empty hallways seemed even more sinister as Eleanor turned over Olympia’s words, and when they stepped back through the door, she let out a breath of relief.
Jake stepped towards them. “Did Mikka find you alright?”
Eleanor gaped at him. “What?” She spun and searched the room. “Where’s Mikka?”
She felt light, unable to focus. Jake put his arm around her back, the other held her wrist, and he guided her to the sofa. “You hadn’t been out for more than ten minutes when someone came to the door. The same man in a blue uniform, said you’d asked Mikka to join you.”
“No. I didn’t ask for her, and she wasn’t there.” Eleanor’s tongue felt thick.
We have to go look for her, have to find her.
She ran to the door, but the escort was no longer there.
Shivuk pulled her back into the room. “I know you are concerned. And this trickery does not bode well. But remember, Mikka is well trained. She would not welcome you running after her like an errant hatchling.”
Eleanor wrapped her hands around her head and squeezed. The pressure did nothing to slow the whirl of mind. “I just don’t know. I just want Mikka safe.” Her back shuddered, then she straightened. “But there’s nothing we can do now, is there?”
Shivuk stood near her. “We can carry on with our own mission.”
Jake nodded. “How did it go?”
“It did not seem to be what we would consider a successful meeting,” Shivuk answered.
Adam stared at the ceiling. “Did you notice how calm she was?”
Jake snorted. “The day we see Olympia ruffled is the day Claro falls.”
Adam shook his head. “Not just about our being here, but about meeting Shivuk, seeing the Tamkeri.”
Eleanor frowned. “Your grandfather was pretty calm, went right up and started talking.”
“Grandfather was more together than most, but he still had to brace himself, just a bit. There was just a moment of surprise, then he moved past it.” Adam pushed himself out of the chair and began pacing. “The officers and crew who met you on our ship, pretty much everyone has had at least a second of being startled.” He stopped in front of where Shivuk stood. “But not Olympia, she just looked you over like a piece of meat. I’d bet she’s seen Tamkeri before. And that means Olympia must have seen the other messengers you sent.”
Shivuk cut the air with his hands. “Then why did she say nothing?”
Eleanor raised a hand to her scalp, realized the hair she had meant to twist was long gone. “I don’t know, but every word she spoke, every gesture she made, all of it struck me as a lie. And I don’t know what she has to gain from it.”
A soft rap came from the door. “She’s back!” Eleanor rushed to open it, Adam close behind her. She opened the door to find a slim young woman who fidgeted with a long dark braid. The stranger’s smile lit up when she looked over Eleanor’s shoulder.
Chapter Twenty-three
Adam tugged Rebecca into the room and gave her a brief hug. He started to speak, but she rested a finger over her lips. “Huh,” Adam watched her carefully. “I thought I heard something, but nothing’s there.”
She nodded, and stepped further into the room. With a mumble of satisfaction she pulled out what looked to Adam like a twist of wire attached to a small black cube. She pushed a button and waited as the cube cycled from red to yellow to green.
“We’ve got about eight minutes of static, but keep an eye on that. When it pulses yellow again, it’s going to cycle back out.”
Adam saw Jake’s eyebrows rise. “Won’t they find static just as suspicious?”
Rebecca shook her head, braid flying. “They put you guys deep in one of the old bunkers left over from the civil war. Didn’t think that through very well. We’ve been having a hell of a time getting a clear signal.”
Adam decided this was a
good time for a quick introduction. “Everyone, this is Rebecca Chan. We were in training together, until they took her.”
Jake nodded. Adam was oddly pleased that his grandfather seemed impressed with Rebecca’s planning, and decided to follow that train of thought later.
Rebecca started again. “We don’t have a lot of time. You don’t know me, but Adam does. I need to talk to you. Will you take his word for me?”
Adam broke in. “What are you doing here?”
Shivuk answered for her. “I think she has just told us. Your friend works with one of the intelligence agencies. And I would suspect she is quite good at her job.”
Rebecca thrust her hands into her pockets and stared over their heads. “A large part of what we do is to play out as many possible future paths with the information we have, so that the Council can make decisions. Except it’s not always the Council that uses our information, we’ve learned. Often the recipient is Olympia alone.
“Right now, when I path forward, every way I look, something terrible is going to happen, unless the current circumstances are radically changed. I’ve talked with a few others in my department. We’ve agreed. None of the futures we’ve forecasted are acceptable. So we need to change something.”
She drew another breath. What, he thought, could shake her so much?
“Once you arrived I realized this was our chance. My department would like to trade information with you, if possible, and help any way we can.” She looked down. “Even with the recent elections, all that talk of change and openness, Olympia plays the game too well. She’s kept factions isolated and her own position secure for decades. We’re hoping you have information we can use against her.” She shrugged. “We’re not heroes, just data analysts. And, as a gesture of trust, as an opening gift, I have this for you.” She brought forth a datacrystal from the pocket of her uniform.
Adam turned the tiny item over in his hand. Like a long shard of pale blue glass, it twinkled in the light, no different from the thousands of crystals he’d handled. He nodded to Jake. “I’ll be right back.”
When Adam returned, he carried a small box that, compared to Rebecca’s elegant device, looked soldered together by drunken children. Slots for crystals ran down one side.
Rebecca continued talking, addressing Eleanor and the Tamkeri. “If you decide to believe me, would you tell me the history of the conflict as you know it? Even the dates of events, so we can compare to our records, would be invaluable.”
Eleanor glanced at Shivuk, fingers moving silently then turned to Rebecca. “The Tamkeri are pleased to accept. In truth, we’ve been trying to get someone to listen to our side of things for quite a while anyway. No matter what is on that crystal, we will tell you what we know. We also hope that you may be able to approach the other members of the Council on our behalf, as we seem to be unable to get a hearing with them.”
Adam finished setting up the box and reached for the crystal Jake still held.
“Couldn’t we have used the player in the room?” Eleanor waved towards the dataslot in the wall.
“It’s better if we don’t trust their equipment any more than we need to.” Jake smiled at her. “Besides, I figured I brought all this, may as well put it to use.”
“What does it do?”
Adam answered. “It’ll verify time and date and who created the original information on the crystal, no matter how it’s been copied. Information is easy to spoof,” Adam shrugged apologetically to Rebecca. “Best to make sure we know where it’s coming from.”
Adam and Jake watched the box for a few moments. Jake nodded. “It’s clear.” Adam glanced at Rebecca. “You understand.”
She nodded. “Glad you can check, maybe it’ll make trusting us easier.”
Jake hit another button and sat back. Voices spilled from the box, caught mid-sentence, background noise spilling all around. Adam’s eyes widened as he recognized the speakers. Sullivan. Definitely Sullivan and Olympia.
Jake paused the recording and looked at Rebecca.
She nodded. “Usually they’re careful about not speaking outside her office. We caught this by chance in a corridor. I found the conversation when I was reviewing the previous day’s records.” She looked down. “It’s the morning before our fleet attacked.”
Jake began the recording again and Sullivan’s growl, like steel on gravel, filled the air. “You don’t really think our ships can pull it off, do you?”
Olympia’s clipped tones, so different from her grandmotherly appearance. “Honestly, Dick, it doesn’t matter. The same purpose is served. Everyone’s attention is faced outward.”
Sullivan again. “We’ll take a heavy loss in ships.”
Olympia laughed, sugar over steel. “We’ll salvage the hulks, rebuild. We did it time and again during the civil war. Most of the engines will still be intact. After phase two is complete, there won’t be an enemy to interfere with the recovery. And there will always be more soldiers.”
A delicate cough broke the conversation. “Stop fussing over me. I’m fine. I just need a little more time.”
The voices faded.
The recording stopped, but no one moved.
Rebecca’s voice was very quiet. “We don’t know what phase two is. But I’m afraid.”
Adam thought about the explosion of the Knute, Doug’s death. And none of that meant anything. He looked across the room. Tears streamed down Eleanor’s face, leaving tracks in the face paint. At least she’s still a little human, he thought. And then remembered her shock at Doug’s death.
“She sent them out to die.” Jake spat the words out. “It’s just like last time.”
Last time. Adam turned to Jake. “You told me you still had contacts, that you were all waiting to find out what was happening. I think now’s the time to act.”
Jake stood up. “I need to make a call.” He grabbed a bundle from the corner and stalked towards of the side rooms, rage simmering off of him. Adam followed, but his grandfather snapped a hand. “No. Stay here.”
Adam turned back to the common room. Rebecca looked as stunned as the rest.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve heard it before, analyzed it, but I didn’t think about how much it would upset you.” She forced a smile. “I think sometimes it’s easier to get caught up in the data and not think about the people.”
Adam hugged her. “You did the right thing. It’s more information than we had, and right now that’s all we have to go on.” He frowned. “But I wish we had some idea as to what the rest of the plan is. Anything Olympia feels happy about has got to be a bad thing.”
Shivuk spoke to Rebecca. “I want to be sure my understanding is correct. Your government would sacrifice their ships, their soldiers, all of them so casually?”
Rebecca shook her head. “No, not the government. Just one woman and her followers.”
Shivuk’s voice was hard. “Why do you allow her to act so? Do not the other people of your Council have more power?”
Eleanor turned to Shivuk, eyes now dry. “Sometimes one person can lead many others astray. Haven’t you found that to be so?”
Adam wondered why the Tamkeri jerked away from her. Eleanor crossed the room to where Rebecca and Adam stood. “There’s more. We suspect Olympia has one of our number. One of the Tamkeri.”
She started to say more, but Adam pointed to the device on the table, pulsing yellow, then shifted to red. The minutes of mindless chatter while Rebecca stood silent crept by, and when the light changed back to green, Rebecca spoke first.
“I haven’t heard anything about your friend. There’s a lot of space down here, but there’s always a trail in the data.” She smiled and reached out to Eleanor. “We’ll find her.”
They were still speculating why Mikka had been taken when Jake emerged from the back room.
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He walked over to Rebecca, shoulders set. “Miss, I need a few things.”
Rebecca nodded. “I’ll certainly do anything I can. What do you need?”
“Spare clothes for me and her.” He nodded at Eleanor. “And a hat if you can get it. And a map showing the closest comm enabled room.” His grandfather cut Adam off. “Sorry, son. Just the girl this time. I need you here to start digging. There’s something else going on, and we don’t know what it is.”
Adam locked his teeth against the flash of anger that burned in his throat. Complaining wouldn’t change his grandfather’s mind, and he was right. If Rebecca could get him access, it was time to do some research.
Jake bowed to Eleanor. “We’re going out, Madam Ambassador. There’s some people you need to meet.”
Chapter Twenty-four
“Are you sure it is safe?” Shivuk said, his fingers showing the undercurrent of worry. “After Mikka’s departure, I do not believe we should be separated further.”
“I’m not so sure anywhere is safe.” Eleanor said. “But if Jake thinks he can take me someplace with more answers, I have to go.”
“Then I will come with you.”
Jake laughed. “I’m not sure how I’m going to get her around without being noticed. There’s no way I can even try to hide a seven-foot tall bug.”
When Rebecca returned with clothing, all had been settled. She laid two bundles down on the metal table. “I borrowed these from the laundry hall. No civilians here, but we have more general staff than anything else. I don’t think anyone will wonder who you are, just figure they haven’t seen you before now.”
Rebecca turned to Adam. “I can get you into the system, but if I’m gone much longer, they’ll notice.”
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