by M. D. Cooper
As she spoke, Martimus’s eyes grew so wide that Jessica wondered if he was going to have some sort of panic attack.
She lowered her face to his. “Just to be clear, I don’t really expect them to fix you, you seem like a lost cause to me. But you never know. They might just pull it off. However, given the fact that you tried to rape me within a day of knowing me, I bet you’ll be dead inside of a week.”
Jessica rose, dusted herself off, and began to walk away. Then she turned and looked back at Martimus. “Oh, and if you mention anything that happened back here, be it truth or lie, you’ll also die. If anyone asks what we did, just shake your head and remain silent. Understood?”
Martimus nodded frantically.
“Bet you wish you’d left well enough alone,” Jessica added, before she walked back around the building.
In her mind, Iris was silent, but Jessica could all but feel the words she knew Iris was thinking.
Iris didn’t reply immediately, but after a few seconds which seemed to stretch for hours, she replied,
Jessica knew what it was.
Jessica walked in silence along the edge of the forest lining the estate for several minutes before she let out a long sigh.
* * * * *
An hour later, after taking a rather circuitous route to reach the underground shuttle bay, Jessica crouched at its edge. Along the way she had stopped in her quarters to change her outfit and shoes.
Now, dressed from head to toe in matte black, the thick fabric hiding the glow of her skin—thankfully diminished this late into the day—she peered down at the unmarked shuttle on the far side of the shaft from her.
Jessica gauged the distance and the drop, then walked back to the edge of the trees, and took a deep breath.
Her heart was still racing from the confrontation with Martimus. She kept replaying the scene over and over again in her mind, wondering what she could have done differently, what she could have said to attain a better outcome.
She knew there was both nothing, and a thousand things she could have done. But none of that mattered now. Now, she had to calm her breathing, still her heart, and clear her mind.
Deep breaths, Jessica. Let it wash out of you. Your heart is a river of purity, that man’s filth and the memories it brought back…they cannot change you. You are in control of who you are. Now concentrate. You have work to do.
She stood silently for a moment, and then took off at full speed feeling the exhilarating rush as she sailed across the pit, falling toward the rack the unmarked shuttle rested on.
A dull thud reverberated through the shaft as Jessica landed on the nose of the shuttle, the sticky pads on her hands and feet aiding in her grip as she carefully climbed atop the craft and then slid down the side onto the catwalk.
While Iris examined the results of the spectrographic analysis of the shuttle, Jessica walked around to the far side, where the cargo conveyers connected to the shuttles.
Nothing looked out of place, until she walked past one of the safety skids alongside an a-grav unit. A small piece of blue plas was stuck to the skid. Jessica picked it out and rubbed it between her fingers. It had the same texture as the label on Addie’s crate.
“Freeze!”
Jessica raised her hands and turned slowly to see Terry standing behind her with a ballistic handgun aimed at Jessica’s head.
“Who are you? What are you doing?” Terry yelled.
Jessica could see Terry was scared, yet resolute, and she raised her hands slowly into the air. “Terry, please don’t shoot. It’s me, Jessica.”
Terry cocked her head and the gun dipped, now pointed at Jessica’s chest. “Jessica?”
“Is it OK if I pull the hood off?” Jessica asked.
“Umm…yeah,” came Terry’s hesitant reply.
Jessica slowly pulled her hood off and Terry visibly relaxed, lowering the gun entirely.
“Jessica! I thought I told you that you can’t come down here!”
Jessica shrugged. “Well, I needed to check this ship out, but I didn’t want to get you in trouble, so…here I am”
Terry holstered her weapon. “I have to admit, I was curious about this ship too after you left. I learned something pretty interesting. It’s not from Serenity at all!”
“I know,” Jessica nodded. “It’s last port of call was Kidron.”
“Jessica! How did you know?”
Jessica approached Terry, a kind smile on her lips. “Terry, there’s something really trustworthy about you. Can you keep a secret?”
UNVEILING
STELLAR DATE: 10.27.8938 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: House Charlemis Shuttle, Gallas, Serenity Primus
REGION: Serenity Ordus, Orion Freedom Alliance, Perseus Arm
Cheeky stretched as she rose from Pharis’s bed in the back of the shuttle. The trip from Mesophis to Gallas had been short, and the shuttle would touch down on the pad outside of House Charlemis’ sprawling estate in just five minutes.
She wished she could remain beside Pharis a bit longer. The prior night had been a whirlwind, beginning with the briefest of token appearances at the Dance before disappearing into the depths of House Nebacken’s tall fortress.
As they had traipsed through private rooms, laughing at their impertinence, Piya had slipped evidence into various systems linking ‘Kerstin’ to House Nebacken. When the time came to play Nebacken against Charlemis, Jessica would present that evidence when attempting to break apart the house’s alliance.
Piya had said at one point.
Although she enjoyed the games she was playing with Pharis, it was on the whole, rather exhausting. At the very least she was glad she wasn’t in Addie’s shoes, or corsets. That would have been a fate worse than death.
The AHAP, for her part, was performing very well. Cheeky was unnerved by how well the Addie could imitate Jessica. Seeing Jessica—the real Jessica—once more, was something Cheeky
looked forward to greatly.
She dressed silently while staring down at Pharis’s sleeping form. She was a nice young woman, not really deserving of what they were putting her in the middle of, but the ultimate goal was to try and stop an outside group from… well…something bad.
In the shuttle’s main cabin, Pharis’s various sycophants were stretched out on chairs and couches, catching what rest they could before the second-to-last night of celebrations began.
Few of the men and women in Pharis’s entourage liked Cheeky, not because she had done anything to slight anyone in particular, but because she had inserted herself so well into Pharis’s affections.
One or two peered at her as she passed, but none spoke or stirred more than an eye in her direction.
She wanted to tell them all would revert back to normal soon, though that wasn’t entirely true. While Cheeky—or Kerstin as they knew her—would soon be gone, events would soon unfold on the moons of Serenity that would disrupt ‘normal’ for some time.
“In a rush?” Vicky, the shuttle’s attendant asked as Cheeky approached the forward door.
“Pharis asked me to get a few things ready for her, but not to disturb her. We had a busy night and she needs her rest.”
Vicky gave a soft laugh. “Yes, I would assume so. Especially given our need to shift our departure time twice while we waited for you two. While you were doing whatever it is you do….”
Cheeky grinned seductively. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Uhuh!” Vicky nodded emphatically. “I really would! Here’s my token,” she passed her contact information across the Link to Cheeky. “Any time you want to show me any of what you showed Pharis, I’d be more than happy to join you.”
“Vicky, you’re a sweet woman. Should the chance ever arise, I’ll do just that.”
As Cheeky finished speaking, the shuttle touched down onto the pad and Vicky leaned across Cheeky, brushing her arm against her. “Pardon, just need to open this.”
Cheeky laughed, “Of course you do, Vicky.”
A minute later she was out of the shuttle and in the bright mid-morning light. A dense forest began at the edge of the pad to her left and right, and ahead lay the Charlemis estate.
She Linked into the general net and searched for the private channel she and Jessica used.
Vicky handed Cheeky her luggage, and Cheeky thanked her with a peck on the check. “Be seeing you.”
“Oh stars, I hope so.”
* * * * *
Three hours later, Jessica stood with Cheeky in Anastasia’s quarters, with Antaris and Kristina also in attendance. The siblings appeared tired, or unhappy. Or perhaps both. Anastasia was her usual implacable self.
Over the last three days she had plumbed the depths in which the twisted, tangled web of lies and deceit that the Houses of Serenity operated. Jessica had uncovered so many schemes, that it was almost impossible to discern which nefarious plot was instigated by which house.
But all of that was secondary to what she assumed would be an assassination, one which was about to be attempted within the next few minutes—provided she played her cards right.
“I’m pleased that you have met with such excellent success insinuating yourselves into the inner circles of the Nebacken and Charlemis scions,” Anastasia said from where she stood near one of the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows.
She was dressed very similarly to the first night they had met her, except this time her black dress had long sleeves and a high neck.
“It wasn’t that hard,” Cheeky said. “They’re young, they’re bored. Give them something even marginally exotic, and they’re enthralled.”
“We have more than enough to turn Justina against Lena,” Jessica added. “Nebacken will become despised amongst the Houses of Serenity.”
Kristina coughed. “Well, more despised, I should imagine.”
“Will it be enough to shatter their alliances?” Anastasia asked.
Jessica nodded. “We have evidence proving Lena of Nebacken planted Cherrie here to subvert Pharis and ultimately convince her to murder her mother. We also have evidence to show that Lena was secretly forging alliances with House Teros with the intent of undermining exports from Gallas. And that’s just the beginning. Suffice it to say by the end of the night, there will be no alignment between Charlemis and Nebacken. Except…”
“Except what?” Anastasia asked, her brow raised quizzically.
“Except neither house Charlemis, nor house Nebacken was behind the smuggling of the weapons,” Jessica replied.
“Pray tell then, which of the houses is responsible?” Anastasia asked.
Jessica drew herself up, her eyes on Kristina. “House Laurentia of Acadia.”
“What?” Anastasia exclaimed, her eyes following Jessica’s gaze and settling on her daughter. “Kristina. What is she talking about? Did you have something to do with this?”
A smile played at the edges of Kristina’s mouth. “Yes, mother, it was I who sought out weapons from the Kidron system. Not that it matters, right, Mother?”
Jessica sent an affirmation across the link to Addie, and Anastasia nodded before speaking. “You’re right, it doesn’t matter.”
What Jessica wanted to see in this exchange was the look in Antaris’s eyes. She wanted to see if it was surprise, or if he was expecting his mother to give that answer. When he gave a short nod was all Jessica needed.
Antaris was in on it.
“Now, then,” Kristina said as she turned back to Jessica. “Be on your way. Tonight, you will resume your subterfuge with the Nebacken and Charlemis scions, and tomorrow night, when the Dance is at House Acadia, we shall reveal all these truths to our own glorification.”
Jessica shook her head. “No. I don’t think that is how this will play out.”
Behind Jessica, the door opened and Anastasia entered the room, four guards at her back.
“Kristina, daughter mine, you wound me deeply,” she said.
“What is this?” the Anastasia standing by the window cried out. “Imposter! Guards, seize her!”
The guards didn’t move, they stood flanking the new Anastasia rifles held ready, though not aiming at anyone yet.
“You heard her!” Antaris bellowed. “The woman you’re with is an imposter. Arrest her.”
Jessica sent Addie another signal, and the Anastasia by the window turned to Kristina and Antaris, a smile on her lips. “No, she is the real Lady Anastasia of House Laurentia. I am the imposter. As she spoke, her features shifted, until, at last she was once again Addie, complete with red hair, standing by the window in one of Anastasia’s dresses.
“What?! No…” Kristina’s voice fell into a whisper as she turned to Jessica. “How did you do that? This AHAP is imprinted on me.”
“That’s not your AHAP,” Jessica replied. “That is ours. The one we had brought onto our ship before we left Olvives station at Kidron. Impressive how well they can fool a person, isn’t it? I have to admit, I was surprised any had survived our departure from the station, but that is why you had your ‘mother’ wearing long sleeves. Part of your AHAP’s arm was burned and couldn’t shif
t properly to mimic skin.”
“To think you were going to have me killed and then use a machine like that to replace me,” the real Anastasia said as she walked around Jessica. “And you, Antaris…you would betray me too? For this ungrateful wretch?”
“Only because you betrayed us first,” Antaris replied.
Jessica sent the equivalent of a mental shrug.
“Guards. Arrest my son and daughter for treason against their Head of House,” Anastasia said with a sorrowful voice. Jessica wondered how much anguish the woman really felt. Little of what Anastasia said seemed to come from the heart.
“No,” Kristina replied. “It does not end like this.”
As she spoke, a dozen men and women rushed into the room from two other entrances, and through the open windows—the assassins which had come on the second shuttle.
“I prepared well, Mother,” Kristina said. “I knew I had just one chance, and I was not going to squander it.”
Antaris approached the four guards standing with his mother. “Good men, lower your arms and your actions here will not be held against you when my sister comes into her power.”
“I’d prefer you four not to,” Jessica said, glancing back at the four men standing behind her. “It’s not like the assassin’s weapons work anyway.”