Grim snickered. “You mean they have social media?”
Huh? John’s attention was on the screen. “What is social media?”
“Zuifra doesn’t have anything like this? It’s pretty common.”
John shook his head. “No, not really. We have media, obviously, but it’s mostly for public service announcements.” He turned back to the screen, speaking over the comm to avoid drawing attention with his rant. Look at this, it’s ridiculous. These people are ranked in order of their popularity. Look at this—it gets worse. He selected the photo of a carefree young man. He’s groomed to within an inch of his life. All of his archived entries have to do with one party or another, what woman he’s dating, or his latest purchase. I get no sense that he does anything for anyone other than himself.
Grim had seen it all before. He even recalled his own time of idealistic outrage, although his had been beaten out of him in training after Nickie’s grandfather had shown the adolescent him mercy on Revolution Day. “They do appear to be singularly focused on the pursuit of pleasure.”
“I don’t get it.” John frowned. “How they can party like there’s no tomorrow while their whole world is hurting? I know I’m a little spoiled, but I recognize that I have a responsibility to others. Wealth is power, and those with power shouldn’t waste it on frivolity like this.” John’s agitation grew with each profile he looked at, and he was beginning to draw attention to them.
Grim laid a hand on John’s shoulder. “Let it go. We’re not here to pass judgment on the nobility’s children. Search for the queen, and then we can get back to Nickie and the others and get on with this mission.”
John made a small sound of consternation when he found the queen’s profile. He stood up and pointed at the screen. “She’s the worst of them all!”
The man at the next screen took exception to that. He stood up without warning and shoved John off his stool. “You shut your filthy mouth!” He waited for John to get to his feet and lunged at him again.
Grim caught the guy’s hand mid-punch. “Sorry, can’t allow any damage to the prince.”
The disturbance caught the attention of a nearby table full of rowdy young men and women. “What’s this?” one called.
Grim let the man go. “Just a misunderstanding, nothing to be concerned about.”
“What misunderstanding?” the man demanded. “He fucking insulted Queen Cynthia!”
The reception to that was mixed. The twenty-somethings at the table all got up and began shouting at John, but the older patrons jumped to John’s defense.
Pretty soon the bar was in an uproar as the two sides edged closer to physical violence. Grim rubbed his temples to ease the deep throbbing in his skull. “John, just apologize so we can get out of here.”
“I’m not going to apologize for speaking the truth!” John shouted over the racket.
“Then you can get the fuck out of here!” someone yelled.
“How about you do the same?” another returned snappily.
“Yeah,” a woman sneered. “Take your pampered queen with you! We want Jolie!”
Grim raised an eyebrow at the last. He saw this descending into the worst kind of fight of all: the one where both sides totally believed that they were right. Grim didn’t know who was right and who was wrong. He just knew he didn’t want to be in the bar when the fight broke out.
The drunken woman threw her glass at the queen’s supporters, and it smashed at the feet of the closest one. As if it were the cue for a brawl to begin, the two sides launched themselves at each other.
Grim grabbed John by the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the melee. John twisted out of Grim’s grip and jumped straight back in.
Grim stood to the side and waited for John to work the frustration out of his system. Unfortunately, the prince was knocked out cold before that happened, and Grim decided that enough was enough. He shouldered his way over to John and picked him up off the floor.
He draped the unconscious human over his armored shoulder and shoved toward the bar exit. A pair of bulky humans blocked his way, security guards for one of the noble kids, maybe.
Grim didn’t care.
He strode out of the security-guard-shaped hole in the bar door a few seconds later and hailed a cab to take them back to the Granddaughter.
John came to in the back of the cab and stared groggily at Grim as his senses returned. “What happened? Did I win?”
“Yeah, sure. You okay?” Grim asked.
John nodded and winced. “Yeah. This place, though—definitely not okay. Barnabas was right. This society is going to crumble if this isn’t resolved soon.” He lay back against the seat and closed his eyes.
Grim checked John’s pulse to make sure that he had just fallen asleep, then sat back to think about what they’d discovered. This planet was a hot mess. A disaster waiting to erupt. Grim had to wonder if his mother would ever see her favorite son again if Nickie took any more missions like this.
Chapter Nine
System of the Six, Planet Vietania, Plomerilia, City Square
Addie and Keen moved with the current of the crowds. The city square was jam-packed with thousands of protesters, all present to support the illegitimate princess speaking on their behalf there today.
The buzz over the square was one of anger mixed with hope. Adelaide was concerned by the snatches of conversations they overheard as they worked their way to the center of the square where Jolie was slated to speak.
There was a disturbance in the crowd to the far left of them. The woman herself had arrived, but not in the center of an entourage as Keen had told Adelaide to expect.
Adelaide craned to see. “Keen, let me up on your shoulders!”
Keen bent so she could scramble up, and she relayed what she saw to him.
“The crowd is moving to let someone through. It must be Jolie! She’s so beautiful, Keen. She’s stopping; they all want to speak to her.”
Jolie slowly crossed the distance to the stage. She kissed every proffered infant and hugged every man and woman who stepped forward to thank her. There was one person with her, a small, wiry woman with a recording device. She stayed at an exact ten-foot distance at all times and kept her camera drones on Jolie.
Adelaide climbed down when every screen around the square suddenly came to life with the woman’s drone footage. They watched the screens in silence.
Jolie eventually took the stage, to rapturous applause. She waved it down immediately and leaned over to speak into the microphone on the podium. “Save that for yourselves,” she began. Silence fell across the square at her first word. “Thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of everyone here today, we have cut childhood fatalities from preventable diseases globally by more than we could ever have hoped possible. Today, thanks to the credits raised, the hours and goods donated, and the sheer damn relentlessness of everyone who got involved in the campaign, we are closer than ever to realizing our goal of ensuring adequate health care for everyone on this planet.”
She gave the audience a bright smile. “A society which denies resources based on social status will always fail in the end. The imbalance in the system only damages us as a people. A healthy society is a happy and productive one. A society that works to lift everyone is a society that will be welcomed into the Federation.”
The crowds cheered wildly.
Jolie raised her hands for quiet. “Which is why I’m so happy to make this announcement today!” She stepped back from the podium and gestured around. “Thanks to the hard work of everyone here and everyone watching, construction on the Plomerilia children’s hospital will begin next week!”
The crowd erupted again. This time Jolie waited for the cheers to die down before speaking. “I would like to add my personal thanks to the good ministers who assisted the project during the planning stage. Without them, this hospital would not have been approved so quickly.”
The camera feed switched to a still image of Jolie shaking hands with a se
ries of people in ceremonial robes.
“We are better than we have become. As long as we work together, we have a chance to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. The Federation represents much more than the trade deals and technological advantages the Council of the Six have negotiated.” Her voice rose with passion. “They are the shining example of what working for a common cause can achieve, and they want us to join them!”
They love her, Adelaide remarked over their comm link. Hell, I love her!
Keen nodded without taking it in, too enchanted by Jolie.
Adelaide shook her head. This just got waaay more complicated than court politics.
System of the Six, Planet Vietania, Plomerilia, Shipyard, Aboard the Penitent Granddaughter
Nickie sat back from the screen and rubbed her eyes. Fuck my life! This shit’s complicated. So, the older one was raised as the heir apparent until King Dad married Blondie and produced the younger one?
Pretty much.
That kind of sucks. So when Dad and the step-monster died, the sisters went at it?
Not exactly, Meredith told her. Jolie—
That’s the older one, right?
Yes. She’s the one who works on behalf of others. She has no desire to oust her sister. By all accounts, her motivations lie in taking care of the people.
But the younger one, whatshername—Cynthia. She just wants to party hard and leaves everything to whoever is around to pick up the pieces? What about the council or whatever? They can’t resolve it?
It isn’t that simple. The council is split on who should lead.
Huh. Politics are some seriously headache-inducing shit.
You can take a break from it, but I can’t promise it will be a welcome one.
Why?
Grim just arrived back at the ship. He is sort of carrying John.
Sort of? Nickie spun her captain’s chair to face the bridge door. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” she snarked when they came through it a few minutes later.
Grim looked miserable, and John looked to have had seven shades of shit beaten out of him.
She gave the two of them a stern look. “Fuck. What did I tell you two about getting into fights?”
“Do it if I’m defending my honor?” John slurred around his split lip.
Nickie got up and came over to poke at his swollen left eye. “Yeah, go and get some first aid. Meredith, call Durq to take care of him.”
“I’m fine!” John protested. “It’s just a couple of bruises.” He staggered a little as he spoke.
Nickie and Grim each grabbed an arm and steered him toward the nearest chair. Nickie checked him over for injuries and found a fair few bruises and lumps. “Did he get hit a lot?”
Grim nodded. “I pulled him out once, and he jumped straight back in. After that, I just waited until he got knocked out and threw him over my shoulder.”
Nickie sighed at John. “This is the last time I allow you to go to a bar. Seriously, I can’t take you anywhere.”
Durq arrived with Bradley and Lefty, and between them all, they got John up onto the gurney the house bots had brought. Durq instructed them to take the prince to the infirmary on the Briar Rose since it had the best tech.
“I should have thought about that,” Grim admitted glumly. “I was too wrapped up in what we saw today.”
“It’s been a little weird here too, I won’t lie.” Nickie flopped back into her chair and put her feet up in their usual place on the console. “What did you guys find out?”
Grim dropped into his chair and sighed. “It’s madness out there.” He rubbed his temples. “The fight would have happened whether or not John opened his mouth.”
Nickie raised an eyebrow. “So he did start it.”
Grim ignored her accusation. “This is going to be harder than we thought. The people are split on which sister they want on the throne.”
“So we need to remove the opposition.” Nickie shrugged. “No rival, no unrest.”
“It’s not going to be that simple.”
Nickie glanced up as Adelaide strode purposefully onto the bridge. Keen followed her a moment later, looking similarly fired-up. “What’s got you two so worked up?”
Addie stopped by Nickie’s chair and bent to type on her console. “This. Jolie isn’t the one we should be removing. Cynthia is.” She punched a final key, and the video from Jolie’s speech played for Nickie and Grim.
“See?” Adelaide exclaimed when it was over. “She’s the one who cares about the people.”
“We spoke to a lot of people at that rally,” Keen added. “They all agreed that Cynthia is a terrible leader.”
Nickie shrugged. “It’s nothing to do with us. All we’re here for is to remove the obstacle to this place joining the Federation.”
Grim gave her a thoughtful glance. “This woman might not be the legal heir, but she behaves in a more queenly fashion than the woman John and I saw plastered all over this planet’s social media.”
Nickie wrinkled her nose in thought. “We need to meet them both before deciding which to take out. We’ll start with Cynthia since we have an audience tomorrow. In the meantime, everyone should hit the sack and get some rest.”
Nickie crawled into her bed a short time later.
She was just drifting off to sleep when Meredith woke her.
Nickie? The next entry of your aunt’s diary has just become available. It can wait until morning.
Nickie lay on her back and folded her arms behind her head. No way, Mere. Sleep can wait. Show me the diary.
Chapter Ten
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Rangers’ Offices, One Week Later
Tabitha flounced into Barnabas’ office and dropped into the chair in front of his desk. “You wanted to see me? Please tell me you have a mission for me. I feel like I want to go to work just to get a break.”
Barnabas raised an eyebrow when she didn’t put her feet on his desk. “Are you feeling okay?”
Tabitha shrugged. “Yeah, I’ve just got some things on my mind. Why?”
“You have been here for two whole minutes, and you haven’t been even a bit disrespectful.” He continued to eye her with mild concern. “I have to say it’s a little disconcerting, Tabitha.”
Tabitha shrugged. “I just don’t have the motivation. I’m trying to work out how to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped, and I miss my Tontos. They’ve been gone so long I’ve almost forgotten what they look like. I can make an effort to sass you if it would make you feel better?”
Barnabas appeared to actually consider that. “You know, I think it would. But don’t. We have business to take care of.” He smiled. “If it makes you feel better, your Tontos will be back tomorrow. I recalled them from Zaphod a couple of days ago.”
Tabitha grinned. “That’s fantastic!”
Barnabas “Why didn’t you go with them?”
“Lillian is going through it at the moment. I’ve been helping Jean and John out a lot with Merry. I didn’t want to leave the munchkin for weeks unless it was necessary.” Tabitha smiled, remembering how sweet Merry had been at bedtime last night.
She had read almost every story on Merry’s bedside bookshelf, giving in each time to her pleas for “Just one more!” Tabitha had kept reading even after Merry had dozed off with a sleepy smile on her face.
Tabitha didn’t consider herself mother material, but this child had stolen her heart when she came into the world and used her first breath to rage about it. Tabitha would have read her a thousand bedtime stories just to see that smile. “Don’t tell anyone, but that kid is my favorite kid ever. I’d have stayed behind even if it had been a trip to Larkatia on offer. Besides, the guys are enough to help Abbot Scroat around their contemplation. They didn’t need me for this visit.”
“The abbot will have been sorry you did not visit this time. I know he looks forward to the rare opportunities the two of you have to spend time together.”
Tabitha tilted her head a
nd pointed at Barnabas. “Are you reading my mind?”
The corner of Barnabas’ mouth quirked slightly. “No, just my communications from the abbot.”
Tabitha wondered when that had started happening.
“We’ve been in contact for the last thirty years or so—since his father passed away and he was voted in by the rest of the order.” He grinned when she narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay, that time I was reading your mind.”
“I knew it.” Tabitha sat back and folded her hands behind her head. “I can go to Zaphod next time. Lillian needs support more than I need a vacation.”
Barnabas nodded. “That young woman has been through so much these last few years. It’s so sad how resilient she has had to become.”
“How do you know?” Tabitha demanded. “Did you read her mind?”
Barnabas reddened slightly. “Only out of a desire to make sure she was okay.”
“Do you know who Merry’s dad is?” Tabitha chuckled when Barnabas reddened further. “Of course, you do. I don’t even know half of what she’s been through. She doesn’t talk about it to anyone.”
Barnabas sighed. “Maybe one day she will, but it’s not our place to open old wounds before she is ready to deal with them.”
Tabitha didn’t have to like what Barnabas was saying to know it was the truth. “I know. All I can do is be there for her and Merry. So, what business do we have?”
Barnabas brightened. “Your wish is my command. I have a mission for you.”
Tabitha grinned. “Achronyx will be pleased.”
Barnabas tilted his head and did that annoying thing where he put his hands together wisely. “He’s still not talking to you?”
Tabitha shrugged. “He’ll be fine once I get us off-station. He’s bored.”
“He won’t be bored for long.”
She leaned in and paid attention. “Where are you sending us?”
Barnabas’s demeanor became serious. “There’s a colony group in the Arista system in need of Ranger assistance.”
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