by Robin Roseau
"Will my implant still reach you if you glide?"
"Yes, ma'am, if we stay close. Ma'am, do you require extraction?"
I made a decision.
"Yes, Colonel. I do. But I would prefer a diplomatic solution. No one has come to see me, so perhaps they didn't see you in your first pass. Could you really wake them up? I'm going to get you a place to land. I will have them indicate an obvious place for you to set down, or I will call you back. If you don't see activity in an hour, come get me. Diplomatically if possible, but it is your mission, Colonel."
"Yes, ma'am. Anything else?"
"No, Colonel. Thank you so much for coming for me."
"We don't leave our own, ma'am. Darkside out."
"Minerva, terminate link. Conserve your batteries."
* * * *
I went to the closet and began throwing my things onto the bed. I left every scrap of Indarthan clothing where it was. I did the same at the dresser, and then I pulled on the clothing I wanted.
I eyed the gown. Sartine hadn't seen me wear it. Her loss.
I was just about done collecting everything together when the windows rattled again. This time there was the unmistakable roar of a military fighter, and it sounded like the good Colonel Blue was being intentionally loud and exceedingly low. The sound dopplered a couple of times, and I thought she might be flying circles over the town. Then finally it became a steady roar. I moved to the window and looked up. She was hovering a hundred meters over the houses behind Sartine's. As soon as she saw me, she wagged the wings at me.
Maybe in space, wings were worthless, but this was also an atmospheric craft.
I waved at her and then offered a bow, then blew her a kiss. She wagged the wings again.
"I think I love you, Colonel Blue. Could I talk to you about something called a galatzi trade?" Of course, she couldn't hear me.
And then I moved to the door and waited.
It actually took Sartine longer than I thought. I wondered what they were doing out there, but finally the door burst open, and Sartine ran in, almost bouncing off of me.
"It's about time," I said. "Do I have your attention, Vendart?"
"There's a... there's a..." She ran to the window and looked out. "It's right there!"
"Calm down, Vendart. That is the imperial corvette Darkside, commanded by Colonel River Blue. She has come to pay a courtesy call on the imperial envoy, Cecilia Grace. Oh, that's me."
"How do you know all that?" Sartine said, turning to face me.
"I would have told you someday," I said. "Now it is moot. They need a place to land. You will provide one. If you do not, they will make one."
"Land? The marines are coming?"
"Calm down, Vendart," I said. "This ends diplomatically unless you are exceedingly foolish. And while you at times make poor choices, you aren't going to make choices that poor."
"Cecilia, please. Send them away. Please!"
"That would be rude. You wouldn't want to be rude. We need to invite them for tea. Although perhaps they are in a hurry. Now, that craft is very, very hot, and the engines are even hotter. If they set down in the square, they might set the entire town on fire. I don't want that. You don't want that. Where would you like them to set down?"
"They're coming here?"
I moved closer and took her by the shoulders. "Vendart!" I said firmly. "Look at me."
She looked around wildly.
"Sartine. Look at me," I said more gently. Slowly, her eyes settled to me. "You really didn't believe me. Did you believe me about anything? Or did you think I made it all up?"
"I-"
I sighed. "They need to set down. Somewhere close."
"The lake."
"They'll melt through."
"Um. There's a meadow at the other end of the valley."
"How far is it?"
"Two kilometers."
I spoke out loud, but in English. "Minerva, reestablish communications with Darkside."
"What?" asked Sartine. "I didn't understand."
I ignored her.
"Uplink established," Minerva reported. "Connection available.... now." And I could see the good Colonel again.
"Colonel Blue," I said. "Do you have any small, short range craft with you?"
"Of course, but we would prefer to set down to access them."
"Ground effect or a jumper?"
"Both, ma'am."
"Very good. I am told there is a meadow two kilometers away at the other end of the valley." I said all that in English. "Sartine, point towards the meadow."
Dully, she pointed.
"Colonel, my kidnapper is pointing towards the meadow. It appears... Hmm. If I stand at the house with my back into the doorway, about my ten o'clock or so."
"We have it, ma'am."
"Is it big enough?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Come get me, Colonel," I said. "I could use a duffel and some sort of flight suit."
"Five minutes, ma'am."
"Thank you, Colonel." I heard the corvette peel away, rattling a few windows, and then it grew quieter.
"Who were you talking to?" Sartine asked. "Cecilia, are my people going to die?"
"No, Sartine," I said. "You will do whatever I tell you to do, won't you?"
"Yes. Yes!"
I patted her cheek. "Good. You are going to go outside and order everyone to remain clear of the green. You are then going to show them into the house and be very, very polite. You will keep your hands where they can see them and move very slowly. Go."
She ran.
I waited in my room.
It was more like ten minutes before I heard a jumper circle the house, and then it was quiet. Then there were boots pounding up the stairs, and a moment later, my door burst open again. Two of the colonel's security officers burst into the room, rifles held at the ready. A moment later, the colonel herself strode in. She walked straight to me.
"Cecilia Grace?"
"Yes, Colonel. I am very, very pleased to see you."
"Of course, ma'am. I need to take a sample."
"Of course." I held out my right arm. She took a blood sample and held it behind her. Someone took it. Then she stepped closer, holding a swab. I opened my mouth, and she took a sample from the inside of my cheek.
I tried not to gag. I always hated that part.
She handed that to the person behind her, too. I waited patiently, and a minute later, the technician said, "Identity confirmed, Colonel. Cecilia Grace of Centos Four, imperial envoy on Talmon."
"Very good, thank you," the colonel said. "Shall we go, ma'am?"
"Did you bring a duffle and something for me to wear?"
"Yes, ma'am, but all we have is a flight suit. It will be big on you?"
"I don't care." She gestured, and someone came forward with the flight suit. I glanced over and didn't see any insignia, but I thanked the woman. Then I pointed to the bed. "Everything I am taking is on the bed or we'll collect it on the way out the door."
The colonel gestured, and one of her men began packing my things in the pack. "Be careful of the smart gown," I said.
"Yes, ma'am. My mother has one of these. No creases."
"Thank you, soldier."
"You're welcome, ma'am."
I pulled the flight suit on over the clothes I was wearing. I looked a little ridiculous, but I closed it up. It would do for the short walk.
"Footwear, ma'am?" she asked. "There's a lot of snow. Or we can carry you."
"I have boots near the front door," I said. I faced the woman. "Colonel, would you be offended if I broke protocol."
"No, ma'am."
I pulled her into a tight hug, and she immediately wrapped her arms around me, squeezing back. "Thank you, River."
"You're welcome, Cecilia."
We held each other for a minute, then the soldier packing my things said he had everything. I released the colonel and headed for the door. The soldiers filed out ahead of me, forming an honor guard. Sartine was in the
hallway. She tried to rush to me, but two of the soldiers stepped in her way, their weapons leveled at her face.
"Don't hurt her," I said. I stepped forward, peering between the two soldiers and switched to Talmonese. Sartine looked terrified.
"Do you know what they are pointing at you?"
"Weapons. Terrible weapons."
"Weapons. Not remotely as terrible as if they were marines. But I asked them not to bring marines."
"How did you do that? When did you do that?"
"It doesn't matter. Sartine, don't do anything stupid. They'll kill you in a heartbeat, and no one wants that. Now, back off. I won't hold anything you've done against Talmon, but I am leaving. You had your chance. You didn't want me."
"Please don't go. Please, Cecilia. Don't go!"
I shook my head. "You had months to make up your mind. Goodbye, Sartine."
I switched to English. "Leave her alone. I can handle her. If she turns physical, let me handle her. But keep anyone else off of me."
"Yes, ma'am," said the colonel. "You heard the envoy."
"Yes, Sir!" said the men. They backed away, and then I brushed past Sartine, heading for the stairs. A moment later, I heard her running.
"Leave her," I said again, and they didn't interfere as she ran ahead and tried to block the stairs.
"Please, Cecilia," she said. "Please."
"You're insane," I said. I brushed past her again, but she ran down the stairs, and she got to the front door well in front of me. More soldiers were guarding it, but I thought the colonel had already told them to leave Sartine alone. They ignored her.
I walked to the closet, ignoring her pleas. I found one pair of boots and pulled them on. I collected everything else that was mine, and one of the soldiers stepped forward and took it all from me.
But then Sartine said, "Cecilia Grace!"
I stood up and faced her.
"I am your Vendart. You are on Talmon and standing in my village, and thus you are subject to my rule. You are my galatzi prisoner, and I do not authorize you to leave. You are staying."
I was impressed. I really was. Her terror was palpable, but she stood up to me.
I took the three steps towards her. Behind and around me, the men shifted, but I said, "Colonel, let me handle this."
"Of course, ma'am."
"Sartine, it has been very interesting. I'm glad we met. You are going to be a good Vendart. But maybe you would be happier with a woman a little closer to your own age, one that doesn't disgust you when she kisses you."
"It was a mistake! Please, Cecilia, send them away. We can talk. I won't lock you in. We can talk. Please, send them away. I've been trying to talk to you for three weeks, but it was like you didn't understand."
"I understood enough, Sartine."
"You didn't understand this!" she said. And then she threw her arms around my neck and pulled me into a kiss. I opened my mouth in surprise, and her tongue invaded instantly.
She had caught me by surprise, but my body began to respond immediately. I raised my hands to her shoulders, and I let her kiss me.
I may even have kissed her back.
But then I firmly pushed her away, breaking the kiss.
She stared into my eyes, her face pleading with me.
"If you had kissed me like that three weeks ago, you could have had me, Sartine. Goodbye."
And then I pushed her to the side, and I never looked back.
* * * *
Thirty minutes later, while a medic fussed over me, I asked Colonel Blue, "Colonel, do you think The Empire would mind if I took a little trip to Centos Four. My implant needs servicing."
"Let us just drop off your assistants, and we'll see you right on home, ma'am."
Part Three
Three Years
Three years passed.
The trip to Centos Four was faster than I could have imagined. I told the colonel I liked her ship. She told me it was at my disposal. And so, several weeks later, she carried me to my next destination, and then the one after that as well. We became friends.
In between, I stayed with my parents for a while. I went through rejuvenation therapy. I told the technicians to fix Minerva, and I bought most of the available upgrades while I was at it. I told Mom to decide everything else. "Change everything," I told her. "I don't care what you do. Change everything but my voice. Just leave me with great hair."
"Are you sure, Honey?"
"Drastic, but not comical," I said. "You decide. You have better taste than I do." Then I paused. "Mama, I need you to take care of me for a while."
I hadn't called her that in at least eight decades.
And so I had gone to sleep not knowing what she would do.
She made me short with a face one might call elfin. When I saw it, I asked if she'd thought about pointed ears, and she admitted she had. I had the palest of skin, but with all the protections from solar rays I could manage. She gave me the deepest purple eyes and silky white hair most of the way down my back.
I could cut it if I wanted, but I kept it.
My body was small but strong, athletic, and very healthy. It was, if anything, the body of a dancer.
I loved it.
* * * *
Colonel Blue handled my travel arrangements. I visited Tarriton, the regional imperial seat, and spent two weeks in debriefings with my bosses in the diplomatic corps. I told them I was the worst diplomat they had ever seen, and they told me flat out I was wrong.
Anna White was the Regional Secretary of State for this section of space. Like me, Anna was from Centos Four, and we had known each other forever. She sat in on the meetings, never saying anything. But finally she grew weary.
"We're done," she said. She had hardly said anything. "Cecilia, attend me." And she swept from the conference. Puzzled, I followed after her. She led me first to her office only long enough to collect her wrap, and then moments later, we were in her lander together. She refused to answer my questions but didn't ask any, either. All she would say was, "We're going to talk, Cecilia."
She took me to her own home. It was a beautiful tower in the mountains overlooking Westhome, the capital of Tarriton. The view from her living room was deeply, deeply impressive.
She sat me down on a sofa staring out over the stunning view, a thousand feet over the valley floor, and set a glass of red wine on the coffee table in front of me. She took a seat next to me and clinked her glass against mine. We sipped.
"What's going on, Anna?"
She didn't answer right away. But then she pulled a small, red vial from her pocket and set it on the coffee table, halfway between us. I stared at it.
"What's that?"
She smiled. "There is a planet, not all that different from Talmon, called Tresjolie. There is a flower, and the locals make an extract from the flower. It is called Margeaux's Dream." She smiled again. "You and I are going to talk. You are going to tell me the rest of what happened. And then you are going to decide."
"What am I going to decide?"
"You are going to decide if you wish to open that vial and poor half of it into my glass, and the other half into yours."
"What does it do?"
"You'll have to decide if you are sufficiently curious -- and daring -- enough to discover that for yourself. I promise only that you and I will both enjoy it a great deal. But first, you must tell me everything."
And so I did. I told her about Sartine and galatzi trades. And then I told her what I'd said to Sartine. I finished and hung my head.
"All right. So she couldn't handle it. Her loss. Tell me why you refuse to take any of the positions we offered you."
I stared. "I'm a horrible diplomat!"
"Because the people on the planet loved you so much they kidnapped you?"
"Weren't you just listening? I gave up an imperial secret."
She laughed. Loudly.
"Hey!"
"It is hardly a secret if there are ten billion imperial citizens who already know," she said
.
"But... they told me... during training..."
She sighed. "They told you to hold your cards close to your chest. They told you not to tell the locals about your age. Didn't they tell you why?"
"It's... Um..."
"A guideline because the locals tend to not believe us. If we make fantastical claims, then they believe we are lying. Do you know how hard your job would be if they thought you lied to them from the beginning?" She shook her head. "What idiot only did half his job? Never mind. I'll find out. Is that the only reason you won't take another posting."
"I'm not in trouble?"
"Of course not. Haven't you been listening? It sounds like you had a difficult time, but not entirely horrible, not in the scheme of things, and you spent the entire time learning more about the planet. Now, you have a choice to make."
"Oh?"
"Yes." She nudged the red vial closer to me, but I didn't take it.
"The Empire needs people to take these jobs, Cecilia," Anna said. "The Empire needs people who take these jobs not because they want them, or because they covet the authority or the eminence. The Empire needs people who take these jobs because the jobs must be done, and done well. The Empire needs people who take these jobs to serve the places they are posted." She reached over and set her hand on mine. "Cecilia, The Empire needs you. I need you." She smiled and patted my hand.
"Tomorrow, we can talk about where you're going next. Or you can divide the vial between our glasses, and maybe we'll talk about it on Monday."
Monday was four days away. "Monday? What is it, Anna?"
"An opportunity to heal."
I stared at the vial. "It's an aphrodisiac, isn't it?"
"It sure is."
"Have you sampled it?"
"No. I was saving it for someone special."
"I work for you."
"Is there someone else you'd rather divide it with?"
I picked it up and stared at it. "No," I said.
On Monday, Anna offered me any position I wanted, within limits, and she dangled several ambassador positions at me. I checked the list of available postings and pointed. "I want this one."
She smiled and said, "I thought you might."
She was right. The vial contained healing.
And so there were three women who took care of me after Sartine: River Blue, my mother, and then Anna White. I owed all of them.