by M. D. Cooper
“Holy shit, Jess, you’re making that up!” Cheeky said around a mouthful of bagel.
“I think I have it right,” Jessica said. “But all that happened ten thousand years ago—back before there were many written records, so who really knows what went on. But there used to be a lot of weird fertility rites back then. Either way, if you were a man, and women were going to kill you and till you into the soil, you’d favor a patriarchal society too.”
“I suspect I would,” Cheeky agreed.
Jessica took a gulp of her coffee and rose. “Let’s get back to our rooms. If I stay in here much longer, Addie is going to have to let out all the dresses she just made.”
“Go for it,” Cheeky said. “I’m going to grab another few bites before I see how far I can wander around on this ship before someone tells me to get back where I belong.”
Jessica rose and shook her head. “Just don’t piss off our hosts, kay?”
“Jess, it’s me!”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
MEETING ANASTASIA
STELLAR DATE: 10.22.8938 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Approaching Acadia, Serenity Primus
REGION: Serenity Ordus, Orion Freedom Alliance, Perseus Arm
Night was falling as the shuttle dropped out of space toward one of Acadia’s vast oceans. The craft aerobraked through the skies, and then continued to race over the dark waves toward the setting sun which slowly became obscured by a low smudge on the horizon.
After a minute, the smudge resolved into a tall cliff, and then the lights of a sprawling villa came into view.
The shuttle touched down on a landing pad that rested on an outcropping of rock midway up the cliff. Through her window, Jessica watched the spray from the churning waves rise into the air as the craft settled onto the pad.
She wondered about the placement of the pad; it must have been purely for show as landing the shuttles atop the cliff would have been far safer—and would have kept the craft further from salt water.
Antaris opened the shuttle’s door and stepped out into the brisk evening air. He walked partway down the ramp and extended a hand. “My ladies, welcome to Acadia. Fairest of all Serenity’s moons.”
Jessica stepped onto the ramp, and walked onto the landing pad before turning to watch Cheeky exit. She smiled at Antaris, who then followed her to the landing pad.
Addie came out after them, carrying their four cases with no trouble and setting them down on the landing pad once she reached the bottom of the ramp.
“It is a place of true beauty,” Jessica said and walked to the edge of the pad to look down at the pounding surf crashing into the rocks below.
“Your morning breakfast view on the Acadian Light. It’s from one of those rooms atop the cliff, isn’t it?” Cheeky asked Antaris.
“It is, indeed. I cannot help but take a little bit of home with me when I go out into space. The view from the dinner last night was out of one of the rooms on the far side of the villa. It looks over our family’s pasture lands.”
“How much of Acadia does House Laurentia own?” Cheeky asked.
“Not too much; just over a third of the world belongs to our house. Minor houses—all sworn to Laurentia—own the rest,” Antaris replied.
A pair of porters emerged from a set of doors in the cliff face and bowed at the waist as the trio walked past.
“The porters will make sure your automaton and luggage reaches your rooms. I would let you stop to freshen up, but my mother is waiting, and I would hate to keep her waiting long,” Antaris said over his shoulder as he strode through the doorway.
Jessica didn’t want to wait either. She was interested to see what this matriarch was like. Though he seemed to respect his mother, Jessica was certain Antaris was a little afraid of dear old mom as well.
From her research, Jessica had learned that Anastasia had ruled House Laurentia for over four hundred years, though from recent images in the records, she didn’t look a day over thirty.
Though Sera had spoken about how people in the Transcend had achieved immortality, they had seen no evidence of it in Orion space—although some of the elite must have learned how to entirely cheat death. Praetor Kirkland, for example, was over seven thousand years old.
However, Anastasia’s mother had only lived six-hundred years before succumbing to the rapid cellular and cognitive decline that often hit right at the end of a much-rejuvenated life span.
As they walked through the long corridor leading deep into the cliffside, Jessica wondered if she would ever avail herself of whatever immortality tech the Transcend had developed. Would she want to live forever? What if there was an afterlife, and many of her loved ones from the past were waiting for her there?
She shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to the present as they reached a lift and Antaris gestured for the ladies to enter first.
“You’re going to spoil us for when we leave Serenity,” Cheeky said. “I don’t think Cargo has ever held a door open for me in my life—unless I was carrying something expensive.”
“Who is Cargo?” Antaris asked.
“A friend of ours who captains a freighter,” Jessica replied casually.
“A fool, I am,” Antaris said as the lift doors closed and he pressed a button—a mechanical button of all things—to bring the elevator to a floor simply labeled ‘3’. “It has occurred to me that so fixated was I on learning of your possession of the weapons, and your purpose drifting at a Charlemis-controlled jump point, that it never occurred to me to ask what occupations with which you while away your time.”
Jessica tilted her head and gave Antaris a slight smile. “We’re just travelling right now. Eventually we’ll have to take up our family businesses, but with luck we can stave that off for a decade or two more.”
“What business is that?” Antaris asked as the doors opened to reveal a wide corridor featuring marble columns, gleaming onyx floors, and a high, vaulted ceiling. Lights were affixed to the tops of silver poles, and shadows danced around the column capitals and the arches of the roof.
“Oh, wow!” Cheeky exclaimed. “This is beautiful!”
“You really like your natural lighting,” Jessica said as she admired the lights on the poles which consisted of a blue-white flame.
“Mother does, especially. I’ve grown to appreciate them too. You can simulate natural light, but it’s never quite the same.”
Cheeky made several other exclamations about the art and décor, saving Jessica from a conversation about their families’ businesses. Any acceptable answer would invite more questions, and she would rather not have to expand on her rough fiction if at all possible.
Half way down the corridor, stood a pair of double doors, black and banded with silver. Antaris pushed them open without hesitation, revealing a large sitting room with several deep sofas, and chairs arranged around a low pit filled with more of the blue-white flame.
The floors here were also onyx, and white marble walls rose up to a flat ceiling made of natural rock—or what appeared to be natural rock.
Tall windows on the west side of the wall looked out over the ocean, where it was already growing dark. Based on the distance to the water, Jessica guessed they were still within the cliff, though close to the top.
There were only two women present, both seated on a black sofa on the far side of the fire. Jessica recognized them from her research as Anastasia and her daughter, Kristina.
Anastasia had a narrow face, framed in dark hair falling from her temples in twin curls. The rest of her black locks were wrapped into a long conical shape on
her head, and then fell from the top down her back like oil pouring from a spout. Her gleaming green eyes were narrow and unblinking as she watched the group approach.
Her daughter’s features were nearly identical, though the younger woman’s hair was a dark red and swept up into two well-teased fohawks that flowed down the back of her head. They almost looked as though they were blowing in an invisible breeze. Her dark auburn eyes were fixed on her brother, and Jessica assumed they were discussing a matter over the Link.
Both women wore short black dresses as was the style on Acadia—a style Jessica had learned was entirely determined by what the head of the most powerful house on the moon chose to wear at any given time.
The dresses themselves were relatively unadorned, though Anastasia’s was trimmed in silver. But the remainder of the two women’s bodies were covered in rings, bracelets, necklaces, earnings, and bands around their upper arms, above their knees, and even their foreheads.
The silver of Anastasia’s jewelry contrasted with the bright copper of her daughter’s adornments, and both colors were enhanced by the silver-blue flames within the fire pit before them.
The two women rose as Antaris led Jessica and Cheeky into the room. Antaris strode forward—both arms wide—and embraced first his mother, and then Kristina. Once he had placed a chaste kiss on each of their cheeks, he turned to introduce Jessica and Cheeky.
“Mother, Kristina, these are the two women we rescued near House Charlemis’ jump point, the ladies Jessica and Cherrie.”
Jessica and Cheeky walked around the fire pit, and Jessica couldn’t help but notice that although it threw off light, almost no heat emanated from the flames.
Anastasia held out her hand and Jessica took it in hers, leant over and touched her forehead to the house leader’s large signet ring. Cheeky followed suit as Jessica shook Kristina’s hand, the mode of greeting for two equals.
She noticed Kristina’s eyes narrow at the gesture, but she shook Jessica’s hand without further visible hesitation.
Once the formal greetings were complete, Anastasia resumed her seat, followed by Kristina.
Jessica sat on a couch adjacent to theirs with Cheeky, while Antaris pulled a chair next to the fire and took a seat.
“So,” Anastasia began without preamble. “You’re the two women who were attempting to smuggle illegal weapons into Serenity.”
Anastasia’s expression was almost unreadable—bar the small arch of one eyebrow—while Kristina seemed more visibly upset.
“Weapons which we were nearly coerced into smuggling into Serenity,” Jessica corrected. “We readily, and happily, turned over the cache to Antaris.”
“Mother, do you always have to be so antagonistic?” Antaris asked. “I have already voiced all these questions and provided the answers to you.”
“You have, indeed,” Anastasia said to Antaris without taking her eyes from Jessica. “But I like to look into someone’s eyes and see their true answers for myself.”
“So you often say,” Antaris replied.
Anastasia ignored his response and resumed her questioning. “And you would have me believe that someone in the Kidron system was using you and your ship to smuggle weapons into Serenity, yet the pair of you managed to escape? How did you do this?”
Jessica inclined her head. “Yes, the man’s name was Derrick. We had never laid eyes upon him before, though his foul accomplices had crossed our paths in the past. My dear friend, Cherrie and I were enjoying the delightful mineral spas on Olvives, when they barged in, took us back to our ship and forced us to load the cargo which we promptly, and without equivocation rendered unto Antaris.”
Iris said, her voice barely holding back a laugh in Jessica’s mind.
“And your escape?” Anastasia asked.
“There was only one guard on the ship with us. The others were on the dock. We drugged him and I pushed him off the ship as Cherrie flew us out of the bay.”
Anastasia smiled. “Sounds reckless. Who fired on you?”
Jessica gave a long and troubled sigh. She didn’t know how long they’d be on Serenity, and a round trip to Kidron was only fifteen days. It would be best not to lie to this woman. “Olvives station, followed by a Kidron patrol cruiser. We were not the definition of cautious as we exited the station.”
“I may have burned a hole in their bay,” Cheeky added.
“You two just traipse amongst the stars in your little ship?” Kristina asked. “I find this unlikely.”
“We are well able to care for ourselves,” Jessica replied. “As I’d mentioned to Antaris, I used to work in a government’s investigative arm.”
“Which could merely mean you sorted reports into databases,” Anastasia replied with a dismissive wave of her hand before a smile crept onto her black lips. “Why don’t you show us how you can take care of yourself. Spar with Antaris here. Show me how you could disable a soldier.”
Antaris wasn’t looking at Jessica, his eyes were fixed on Anastasia. “Mother, seriously. I cannot fight a woman, especially not a guest. It would be the pinnacle of unseemly behavior.”
“Are you afraid, Brother?” Kristina asked.
Antaris’s eyes darted to his sister. “I am not afraid of Jessica, other than of hurting her. But that is not the issue. Men and women do not fight.”
Anastasia waved her hand. “There is no one else here. No one will know of this.”
Jessica walked to the clear space near the windows. “Come Antaris, it is just a sparring match. We are not fighting. I am curious to know how well a man who has never fought a woman will stand up to me.”
Anastasia nodded and waved her hand at Antaris. He sighed and rose from his seat. “Very well, Mother.”
Jessica settled into a low stance and pulled her dress up to the tops of her thighs, grateful the local custom allowed underwear.
“I’ll do my best not to hurt you,” Antaris said as he brought up his fists in a classic boxer’s pose.
“And I you,” Jessica replied, keeping her hands closer to her waist, fists loose, ready to block the first strike as the pair began to circle one another.
They made two full rotations before Jessica realized Antaris wasn’t going to initiate the attack. As he took his next step in their slow circling, she took two, darted in low and delivered a solid kidney shot under his guard.
“I’m only a few centimeters shorter than you,” Jessica said as Antaris stepped back, a look of surprise on his face. “But I’m certainly more limber. You’d best alter your guard. I have no intention of punching your arms.”
To his credit, Antaris did alter his guard and blocked the next three punches Jessica delivered to his abdomen.
“You’re quite strong for a woman,” Antaris said after he caught his breath.
“Looks can be deceiving,” Jessica replied, then threw another punch at Antaris’s abdomen—which he blocked— Jessica followed the attack with a blow to his face. His reaction was too slow and her fist hit his jaw. Antaris’s teeth snapped together loudly and he staggered backward.
“That was…unexpected…” he said as he rubbed his chin.
“That’s because you’re not trying,” Jessica replied, unable to keep a small sneer from her lips. “Show me your true mettle, or don’t. Either way I’ll win this contest.”
Her attempt at riling Antaris up worked and he delivered a series of tight, controlled jabs, all of which Jessica avoided before pivoting and catching Antaris’s left arm on his final punch.
She spun so they were hip to hip, her right arm wrapped around his, while her left held his wrist.
“Fight me for real, Antaris,” she said.
“I am,” he grunted and swung his right fist beneath their outstretched arms, into her side.
Jessica felt the breath leave her and she spun away, but not before delivering a kick to the back of Antaris’s right leg, causing him to fall to one knee.
She took a deep breath and came back at him, ready to plant a foot in his back and send him sprawling, but he was faster than she expected—finally. His two hands clamped around her ankle and he swung his arms around attempting to fling her across the open space.
Jessica twisted in mid-air, her foot slipping free from his grasp. Antaris’s arms continued their swing while Jessica’s right foot met the ground. Her left foot flashed out, toes bent back, and the ball of her foot struck his side directly under his right shoulder.
Her ears caught a soft snap, and she stepped back as he grunted in pain and grabbed his side.
“Shit, Antaris,” Jessica said, truly apologetic. “I think I just cracked one of your ribs.”
Antaris’s eyes met hers and he gave a soft smile. “I think it’s two ribs. This will impede my dancing, methinks.”
Jessica was surprised at his reaction. He didn’t seem angry at all, more pleased than anything—even though she had clearly beaten him before his mother and sister.
Antaris looked over at the other three women who had watched the contest from the sofas. “Are you satisfied, Mother? It would seem that Jessica can hold her own. I imagine the lady Cherrie can as well.”