"And very welcome so, my brother. Are we now allowed to know the fine details of your plan? Ted was less than inclined to speak much on them. What, exactly, was that despicable spice of yours?"
"A cure," said Micah, "in more ways than one. I asked Mike to splice me up a vaccine to counteract the mental affects of that wine. Rather, the bacteria-virus in it. Once he had a workable counter-virus he implanted it in a hardy, long-lived, highly contagious and compatible host. The carrier bacteria have an affinity for that particular spice. The actual infection is mild. Low-grade fever and sniffles for a couple of weeks."
Kidwell's expression sharpened. "So that's what we had! Mike told us not to worry about it, that he'd just boosted our inocs for what we might find on the Esavian worlds."
"He did," said Micah, "That's what you all and Katie got. I got the live version. He just added some fever and sniffles so I wouldn't stand out."
"Sorry," apologized Davies, "Ted swore me to secrecy."
"What about side effects," asked Kidwell.
"Possible but inconsequential," said Micah, "If combined with the wine it increases the possibility of a skin rash. If left untreated there's a high likelihood of scars."
"What about the canceling effect on the wine," asked Barstein, realization dawning on his face.
"That's permanent," said Micah, "Dhu won't be speaking to his kids any more when they drink to him. For truth, unless the Mekhajan manage to splice up another chemical mixture and sneak it past us Dhu won't be speaking ever again. He especially won't be giving his warriors and terrorists his blessing to go out and slaughter innocent folks."
Kidwell thought on that a long moment, then spoke softly. "Heaven's flames, Micah! That... That will break them! You've taken away the foundation and core of everything they believe. You've shattered their faith and taken away their comfort all at once. That's... That's..."
"That's no less than they deserve," said Ionoski harshly, "They still have their Lan'Quor and Dhu Lan. They will survive the cure, physically. Once things settle down we'll help them with the rest. It won't happen soon and it won't happen quickly but it will happen.
"Now we'll be able to infiltrate agents. Especially now that they've seen an ammi from outside their worlds. Now that those seeds of doubt are planted we'll nurture them and make sure they grow. I don't know for truth but bet me ten standing some of their more radical sects don't trace their roots back to a Mekhajan agent. Bet me another ten we won't have sects of our own in a few years."
"I know that, Ted, I just feel dirty right now."
"It will save countless lives," said Barstein, "Both theirs and ours. I, for one, can live with that and I can also take a shower. If it brings the Esavians kicking and screaming into modern civilization then so much the better!"
All truth and no blather!
Chapter 15. The Price Paid
Off in the distance, barely above the horizon, hovers and other aircraft swarmed small as bitemes. Micah wished a blessing on them as the worked diligently to cleanse Shalim City of the dangerous radioactive debris left from the Peace Spire bombing. Someone spoke not far from Micah but he found watching the aircraft less painful than listening to their words. A sadness sharper than any knife stabbed his heart, his very soul, worse than any wound he'd taken. Tears trickled down his face but he took no shame in them.
When Micah and the others arrived on Iarru he was amazed to find Joshua Orris, his sister Jilli and Trevor Maas there. Orris spoke words of Siffai, though he lamented that he hadn't known her as well as she deserved. He spoke words of calm certainty and comfort to her family and friends, and though his beliefs differed from theirs, still they found solace.
"... and so we commit Kate-Lynn Eleana Siffai to peace and blessed rest among the spires of Heaven," said the man speaking, "Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
Seven Semid soldiers standing at stiff attention brought concussion rifles to their shoulders. Three times they fired in perfect unison with a long pause between each. Four more soldiers stepped forward and lowered the casket containing Siffai reverently into the impersonal ground. They withdrew when they finished and an officer stepped forward to present Siffai's sister with a cased flag. He saluted, held it, then lowered his arm slowly. Micah and Ferrel both did likewise.
The officer walked away and the crowd rose in ragged order. They began filing past the grave, each dropping a small flower into it. Some spoke, others didn't.
"Goodbye." That was all Micah could say.
As Iarru's sun dropped toward setting the hover carrying Micah and the other League members approached a building Micah didn't want to enter. Kidwell on one arm and Ferrel on the other left him little choice, and Barstein and Orris waited there.
"This is our way," explained Barstein, "To celebrate the life and love and happiness of the one who has departed."
"No different from ours," said Orris, "She is gone, Brother Micah, and her soul has found peace. Come and find yours among those also seeking it."
Again Orris spoke with certainty and calm assurance, but this time personally to Micah. He couldn't help but admire the man he'd seen become First of the Circle, and to feel grateful for it.
The majority of the men and women in the large room wore military uniforms, and not all of them Semid. Holos and flat pictures of Siffai adorned the tables there and a holovee played images and anims of her through her years. Wherever he looked Micah saw her smile, even in the ones where she was being obviously silly.
"Will you speak to her family," asked Barstein.
For truth Micah wanted anything else but he let the other man lead him through the crowd.
"You were the one with her when she died." Melanie Eleana Siffai-Longstein looked so much like her sister it made Micah's heart ache.
"Yes. I... I tried to save her." Micah swallowed hard. "I tried..."
"Of course you did, dosha'kin." Melanie smiled with only a tinge of sadness. "You were truly her friend and such friendship leaves its mark. Katie was very particular in whom she offered true friendship. She honored you with hers."
Micah tried hard to speak but no words came out.
"Grieve over her, Micah Shale, then let it crumple with the leaves. Do not let her death poison you. She lived. She lived her life as though each day was her last. Our lives are measured by those we touch and hers was better for touching yours."
"Mine too." He finally managed those words.
"Then go and live! Go and live and honor her memory so."
Micah hugged her long and hard, and though grief still tore him he felt the truth in her words.
***
Micah watched Azure grow in the monitor. His thoughts whirled in a tempest but he had no desire to calm them. After departing Iarru they stopped in the Unity of Triumph to drop off Orris, Adarra and Maas. Orris spoke to Micah many times on the way. It helped. They also found news waiting for them on Triumph.
Based on the information Ionoski's team gathered, Strategy and Planning had developed plans to infiltrate the Esavian worlds and to neutralize their threat completely. The report's author opined that, given time and patience, the Esavians might just civilize into a group of decent neighbors. It also noted that the League planned to increase its monitoring of the Mekhajan and their activities. Micah saw turbulence and trouble on that horizon, but not his problem. Not yet.
That left Jenn. The tempest whirled strongest there. Once Micah completed his recovery Ionoski returned Micah's letter to her. After considerable thought Micah blanked the cube. Then he melted it.
"You look lost in thought." Ionoski sat down beside Micah.
"Rough mission."
"All truth and no blather there. But that isn't what has your brain in linkdrive. Jennifer?"
"Yeah."
Ionoski remained silent a moment. "Talk to her."
"You know I can't do that, Ted. Everything we do is..."
"Necessary," interrupted Ionoski, "We have the harshest, meanest, nastiest and dirtiest j
ob the League has to offer. You know any mission can be your last. Talk to her. I know you, Micah. You're the strongest man I know and I'm not talking about those lumps on your arms. Trust me. Trust yourself. Talk to her. I know you'll find the right words to say."
With that Ionoski rose and walked away.
***
Micah opened his door and entered his apartment quietly. He knew Jenn would be asleep and he didn't want to wake her.
Foolishness. No sooner had he unbuttoned his coat when the lights came on.
"Micah. Micah! You're home! Finally."
He barely had time to open his arms before she swept him into a long, hard, warm and wonderful embrace. Any coherent thoughts he might have had fled as soon as she started kissing him. She felt so good, looked so good, smelled so good...
"I'm so glad you're back, baby!"
Micah tried to speak but she pushed him to arm's length. She finished removing his coat, tossed it at the rack, missed and began unbuttoning his shirt. Words failed again. He knew what she saw. She touched him here, and there, and there, all the while finding and tracing.
"These are new, darling. Did those diplomats have a suborbital food fight?"
The concern behind the smile in her eyes melted his heart. Again. And his resolve. Again.
"I... Baby, we need to talk."
She pulled him to her table - too big for the room but exactly what she wanted so how could he refuse? - and sat.
"So talk to me, pumpkin," she said. Then she leaned over, kissed him again and waited.
Micah tried mightily to gather his thoughts.
"Sweetie, do you remember what I said on Caustik? About how you helped me?"
"You said a lot there, baby. More ways than one." Her smile returned and brightened. Then it faded. "Sweetie, before you torture yourself too much... I know about the 113th. I know the real stories. Not the ones they brag about there or even what LNN and ENW reported. I know the real ones."
"But... How..."
"The day we left Caustik behind," she said, "Ted gave me a couple of cubes to read. I know he's your friend and you work close with him but sometimes he scares me. He said 'Signora Harling, Micah has been through a lot since you two were together. I know you said you love him but you need to read these. Try to finish them before we hit Azure and then decide whether you want to be with him or not.'
"I said 'I do love him! He's the kindest, sweetest most wonderful man inside the League or anywhere else! If you think for one milli I'm going to leave him just because I can you are no-blather insane!' 'Fine,' he said, 'Humor me. He's ruddy good at what he does and what he does is dangerous. He's also my friend and I no-blather do not want to see him hurt.'
"I guess you know what was on those cubes." She lit a drugstick, took a long draw and a tear trickled down her cheek. "Baby, I don't see how... how you made it. I always knew you were way more than you thought but that... that was horrible. Horrible! I don't know how you... Then I remembered 'You don't know it but you kept me sane.' I knew you loved me, baby, but until that I didn't know just how much. I wanted to go down to the equator and rip those sorry bastards to pieces."
Jenn wiped her eyes. "All of that. All of that and you still loved me. I knew it the second you came back. I knew it but I was afraid. I was too scared, baby. Caustik was all I ever knew and it wasn't good or nice and it didn't care about anything but itself. Except you. Except for you, my darling Micah.
"Then when you walked out of my billet I realized just how much that hurt you. How much I hurt you. I never said I was sorry for that but I was. I was, baby, but I couldn't tell you. After I learned... that... I knew I could never tell you enough and I just had to show you."
"All this time... you knew?"
"Yes! Yes, my dear, darling, sweet, precious, Micah. That's not all, either. Ted also showed me your service record. I knew it would be perfect but what happened at Ceto didn't make sense. Protocol? I knew that wasn't you, baby, even though you were flawless at it. I knew that person wasn't my pumpkin."
Micah tried to speak but she put her finger on his lips.
"Don't, baby. You don't have to tell me. I know whatever you do is deadly dangerous. I also know you're the best at whatever it is and you're the only one who can do it right. I know, sweetie. I know." She crushed out her 'stick. "Baby, every time you leave me I know you might not come back. I know it and it hurts like hades every time, but I know it's something you have to do."
Micah looked through the water in his eyes and saw the truth in hers.
"You deserve better, Jenn. You're right. Every time I leave might be... might be the last. You deserve better than that. You deserve..."
"Hush!" She reached up and grabbed his ears. "You listen to me with both of these, Micah James Stone! I love you! I. Love. You. You! Nobody else anywhere or anyhow! You!
"Every time you leave I'm afraid, but I know with all my heart and soul that a planet full of armies won't stop you from coming back to me! If all of you doesn't make it then I'll love whatever does just as much." She cupped his face in her hands. "If you don't bring back anything but your head I'll sew a special pack and carry it with me wherever I go. I'll feed you and love you and kiss you from the time I wake up till the next time I wake up, then I'll start all over again!"
Micah wanted to speak but he could only hold her. And hold her, and hold her some more. When the mountain in his throat finally gave him his voice back he slid down on one knee and took her hand.
"Will you marry me, Jenn?"
She slid down in front of him and took his other hand.
"Of course I will, silly. I was just waiting for you to ask." Her smile turned impish. "But I will have a proper wedding! I want your family there and Charlie and Vera and Ted, and we will have it in proper time. I will not be hurried along like some pregged-up highcarder tart."
She pulled him in for a years-long kiss. Then, after two more, she stood and pulled him up and they sat again.
"Now that I've bared my soul, my love, tell me why this happened now."
"I... I lost a friend." Micah recounted what he could, heavily edited, and finished with Siffai's death. "She... She died in my arms, baby. I couldn't save her. I tried... I tried... Th-the last thing she said... was to kiss you for her. As hard as I tried I couldn't save her!"
Arms around him. Arms holding him as he wept like a child. Soft lips kissing his face while he calmed down.
"Then we'll visit her family on our honeymoon, baby. She sounds like a friend I'd love."
"I love you, Jenn."
"I love you too, baby. Now why don't you take a shower and finish up what she asked you to start."
Then she smiled and the last of Micah's burdens dropped away.
* * * The End * * *
Chapter X: Afterword
Thanks for reading my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If so please consider giving me a review at the retailer where you purchased it.
If you're interested in more information concerning the League please check out my blog and Facebook pages. In addition to notes about writing, life and programming you will find data about the League, its Guilds and general comments on an average citizen's life there. These were kindly provided by Dr. Ferdinand Kincaid, a noted and well-published League archivist and member of the Artisan's Guild.
In addition to writing books I'm also an open-source Java developer. My magnum opus in this world is Matt's MathTools, a Java application designed to help design and format mathematical things for written (or HTML-based) tests or worksheets. If you find that interesting please visit the site and grab the software. Several tutorials are provided and all of it is FREE!
About the Author
James Matthew Cox, Jr. was born in Texarkana, Arkansas and he grew up on a farm seven miles outside of it. His mother made sure he learned to enjoy reading at an early age and his father made sure he learned to enjoy science fiction, also at an early age. Growing up, his heroes had names like Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke and (E.E.) Smith.
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After graduating high school James completed a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Mathematics. He then spent many years as a college math and computer instructor. His writing career began in junior high school and, after many years of practice, he finally decided to do something about it.
Blog: http://themoldyripegrape.wordpress.com/
Facebook Book Page: https://www.facebook.com/NewStarsTradeLeagueArchive
Facebook Personal: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005061257303
Twitter: @moldyripegrape
Matt's MathTools: http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/mattsmathtools
Cover Artist: http://www.viladesign.net
Chapter Y: Preview
This is an excerpt from my next book, working title A Crown of Stars. Enjoy!
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Thompson sat beside Kidwell, both of them in Fallstar Lines' main office. Ostensibly Kidwell was checking the shipping status of some merchandise she expected soon. In reality Thompson had no idea what she wanted, but she cackled gleefully over several of the items Stone furnished them.
"This is odd," she said.
"Odd?!"
"Odd, lover. Don't go suborbital on me, hon. It's nothing I did or that can be traced here. There's already a compromising factor in the 'net here and I've no idea how it got there. This is seriously more Charlie's orbit than mine."
"What exactly do you want," he asked.
"I'm looking for any information concerning the defective parts. We know at least two shipments came through this company. I've already located most of the rest, now I'm just digging."
"Ruddy dangerous digging here."
"Less so than you think, dear," she assured, "The information I want isn't public but it's a long way from highly confidential. Besides, we're inside their outer security and that's the tough one."
Thompson eyed the lobby crowds warily. She might think the security lax but the long time he'd spent with Ferrel told him otherwise.
The Radical Factor (Stone Blade Book 3) Page 31