The matriarch, p.32
The Matriarch, page 32
Ivan shook his head. “I don’t know, but I can tell you,” and he jutted out his chin and then relaxed, “that I told her that Achelous should be arrested, but she wasn’t interested. She said he wasn’t guilty of anything, at least not yet. That staying behind on Dianis after Lights Out was, technically, allowed by his IDB charter, which was never revoked because ULUP never rescinded its IDB sponsorship of the planet.”
“And you don’t like that?” she asked.
If it bothered Ivan that Mr. Eller heard the conversation, he didn’t show it. “No. He consorted with you, and that is strictly against both IDB regulations and ULUP.”
In a professional way, Marisa admired Ivan’s rational, resolute duty in enforcing ULUP and his simple black-and-white view of the world, but it also infuriated her. Life was not black and white. It was grey, full of irrational Human emotions like love, hate, and vengeance.
The cabin door shoved open, and Ogden stomped in. In one hand was a rifle, barrel pointed up. Taking in the scene, his gaze settled on Ivan. “Oi. You get around.”
“You know this man?” asked Eller.
“Oi. Split loglard skulls with him at Battle Park. Last time I’d seen you, you were guard captain for the high priestess. That was before that Ancient came to Murali’s...”
Ivan gave a subtle nod. “A sad day.”
“Ula. For us all.” Ogden sat heavily on the edge of Marisa’s bunk.
“Mr. Eller,” Marisa said, “you may return to your duties. Thank you for your attention. Should we need your help, I’ll call through the window.”
After the officer bowed and left, Ogden lowered the rifle and pointed it at Ivan. He had Buzz’s full attention. “I know what you can do,” said Ogden. “I saw Atch’s handiwork with that Scarlet Britcher in the study, and good riddance too. But, you should also know,” and he pulled back the hammer of the rifle,” that you can’t move fast enough to beat this bullet.”
“No, not yet. Hold on that.” When Ivan saw their confusion, he said, “Sorry, I’m talking to the Alexis. They are a bit alarmed up there and want to shift me out. Now.”
“That would be one way of getting rid of you.” Marisa gave him a sweet, nearly genuine smile.
“Hmm, can I assure the Alexis that you won’t have Ogden shoot me unless I do something stupid?”
Marisa answered, “Og?”
The weaponsmith wagged his head, “Depends on what stupid is.”
Marisa leaned forward; her gloss-black hair reflected the yellow lantern light, but her coal-black eyes reflected nothing. “I have my own proposal.” She glanced at Buzz, held out a finger, and the bot obligingly climbed on. She put her finger on her shoulder, and the bot, taking the hint, hopped off.
“Oi, I’ve seen those. You’ve a new pet?”
“I do,” she said, brightening. “If I had another, I could use them as earrings. Ivan, if you can shift onto the ‘Shore, you can shift me off?”
He cleared his throat. “We can, but it would be highly unusual.”
“Good. I like unusual. Here’s my proposal. I will help you find Achelous, and you can facilitate a meeting between him and the matriarch at a time and place of my choosing if and only if she grants him a pardon for any and all federation or ULUP transgressions that he may have incurred in, how did you say it, consorting with me. And, Clienen, his former boss, signs some sort of suitable warrant or attestment that Achelous’ behaviors on Dianis post-Lights Out were in the spirit of keeping Dianis safe from extrasolar incursions and he was acting on behalf of the IDB. And finally, ULUP, or whoever is in charge of it, signs a guarantee of surety that the federation will in no way attempt to abduct or otherwise remove Achelous, me, or my son from this planet.” She kept her leveled gaze on him. At that moment, those eyes were more intimidating than Ogden’s rifle.
“Well,” he hedged, attempting to parse her terms, “the federation can’t be—”
She began to rise from her desk. Placing both hands palms down on the chart, “You don’t get to negotiate. Those are my terms. Take them or leave them. Moreover, consider this: I know what the Matrincy wants. I know what Dianis has, and I know where it is. And you can’t have it.” She let the creak of the floorboards overhead fill the silence. “We can trade with the federation; we can barter in the future. There is aquamarine at stake; we know that. There is the cooperation of Timberkeep adepts at stake; we know that. And there is the cause of the Timber’s Curse and where that came from and why there are so many adepts on Isuelt, that part you don’t know. And for all those things, you will need our help, and you won’t be getting it until I get Achelous back.” She lifted her hands carefully off the chart so as not to smudge it and sat back down in her chair. “Og, please tell Ivan who you represent.”
“Ula, represent?”
“Your role in the Clan at New Ungern.”
He cheered, his ruddy complexion even redder in the lamplight. “I am the duly elected senior elder for New Ungern for Clan Mearsbirch.”
“And is Tivor allied with the Timberkeep clans?” she asked.
“Oi, mutual defense it is.”
“And if I were to ask you to ask Woodwern to block all access to Mount Mars to anyone other than the clan?”
He chuckled. “We may already have.”
“And if I asked you, as part of a potential strategic alliance with the Avarian Federation, to allow a select few people to speak with your adepts?”
He scratched his beard with his free hand, the other hovering on the trigger. “Hmm, we’d talk about it.”
She smiled at Ivan. “When I get Atch back, with my attestments rightfully authorized, then the Matrincy can negotiate with us.”
“And why would you want us to shift you off the ship?”
“I need to talk to someone. She’s in Wedgewood.”
Chapter 36
The Mill
Wedgewood
“What?” asked Marisa.
Outish gawked at Marisa’s new surveillance bot. The Seasheel parrot perched on her shoulder, watching the intern as he squinted to get a better look. “I’ve never seen a Seasheel parrot; I’ve heard of them.”
The mother in her tempered Marisa’s tone, “Outish, it’s a bot.”
“I know, but it looks so real. Field Outfitting did a really good job on this one.”
“Jeremy located it in the Central Station inventory. It was a prototype slated for testing in the Warkenvaal before Lights Out. As cute as Buzz was, I was tired of flap, flap, scratch, scratch. I needed a bot that could talk.” It had been a day since the Alexis shifted her off the Far Shore to Wedgewood. Jeremy was, somehow, uniquely tuned to her moods and had immediately responded with a substantially more capable bot when she made the smallest complaint.
“Awk,” squawked the parrot, “Outy is a goof nut, Outy is a goof nut.”
“Whaaaat?” Outish said.
“He squawks like a parrot, too,” the parrot added.
Outish looked at Marisa.
She covered her mouth, concealing a laugh. “I’m sorry, Outish. It’s just that life is so sad without Atch,” her humor faded. “I’m always worried about where he is and what is happening to him. I told Jeremy I needed Buzz Too to have a sense of humor. The more irreverent, the better.”
Buzz Too chimed at Outish, “That’s right, my IQ makes yours look like a pine nut.”
Marisa started snickering.
Lettern shook her head when Buzz Too turned its beak at her, “Oh, no, you don’t bird brain. You give me any lip, there won’t be enough feathers left to dust an ant.”
The four of them, including Meridia, were at the rendezvous point near the Twistynook mill.
Serene and reticent, the Ungerngerists stood like pillars of a god’s cathedral. The sun had sunk behind Mount Mars; it was the glorious time of long summer days where dusk stretched on and on.
Meridia, sitting on a mill wagon, had not met Marisa until today. He liked what he saw.
Lettern caught him appraising Marisa and gave him the evil eye. Unabashed, he shrugged. A beeping signaled the proximity alarm on his multi-func. Activating the display, he saw the two opposing teams – one of them theirs—of nanobots and recon drones engage and inspect each other. Passing clearance codes, the two swarms melded into one larger, multi-tiered surveillance system. “Hmm.” He stood up. “Our guests are here. A platoon of them.”
Ivan came down the trail from behind the mill, crossed the footbridge, and approached.
Meridia tracked the movements of the troopers. He sighed at their designators, bloody Special Forces. He caught the brush moving upslope to his left. The Special Forces were wearing chameleon armor, so they were effectively invisible to the naked eye. Checking the emanations read out, he grunted. Sure enough, they were all packing fully charged plasma rifles.
“Buzz,” Marisa said, watching Ivan approach, “Go find a branch.”
“Good evening, lady,” Ivan said, holding out his hand. She looked refreshed. Her hair was done up; he noticed it was pinned in place with a stiletto. Are those care-lines at the corner of her eyes? He’d not seen them in the light of the cabin.
“Evening, Ivan.” She shook his hand, Timberkeep fashion.
“I wouldn’t get too attached to that parrot. That’s IDB property and expensive, too.”
Her countenance softened. “Oh, I’m sure it's paying for itself with all the intel it is collecting.”
“Yes, well, I’ve brought a special visitor. She has the documents that you requested.” He inclined his head and moved to stand with Meridia.
“How you doing, chief?” Meridia asked quietly.
“Tired. I was on Dominicus this morning. Running Ready Reaction for two systems is a grind.”
The black-robed figure crossed the footbridge; Meridia saw another half-dozen Special Forces appear on the surveillance grid, plus— “Nice, a Phantom aerial battle drone. No in-country camo. You can tell Ready Reaction is not running this little soiree.”
Ivan said, “No.”
The Phantom swooped silently into the clearing, scanned each of the members of Marisa’s party, and then took station above Marisa.
Unfazed, Marisa watched the Auro Na high priestess approach.
Pulling the hood of her Auro Na cloak back, the matriarch exposed her black hair.
Outish started, “Black dreadlocks? I thought her hair was blonde?”
Lettern elbowed Outish. “Shush. Never comment on a woman’s hair unless it’s a compliment.”
“Lettern Stouttree,” the matriarch removed her glove and held out her bare right hand. “It is good to see you again.” Lettern shook her hand but looked to Ivan, “The high priestess of the Auro Na?”
A corner of the matriarch’s mouth curled up, and Ivan cleared his throat. “My apologies, your Matrincy, I should make your introduction. Lettern, Marisa, Outish, this is the matriarch, Grand Counselor of the Matrincy, Senator li Ianata of the Avarian Federation Senate, Judge Jurisdictia of the Federation Executive, and Rights and Honors Representative for non-aligned worlds.”
“Oh,” said Lettern.
Ignoring the accolades, the matriarch said, “I read the after-action report of the battle with the shuttle, as did my staff. The experts tell me it was extreme folly for an unarmored provincial to attack, in the open, an armed shuttle and that you were amazingly lucky.” She held the gaze of the branch warden while holding her hand. “Personally, I think it is typical of us galactics to underestimate the skill, cunning, and courage of provincials when they are defending their home.”
She let go of Lettern’s hand and reached out to Outish. “And the famous Outish Byrear, Loch Norim discoverer extraordinaire.” At which Outish turned a deep shade of red, deeper than Human because of his metamorphosis. “You know, of course, you have caused a substantial stir with your filing of a Loch Norim Historical Registry claim.”
Tongue-tied, he finally said, “I just wanted to get the word out.”
She laughed. “Well, you certainly did that. And, by the way, this is my natural hair color.” She glanced to Marisa, whose own hair was close to the same shade. “The blonde was more to challenge Ivan’s skills at managing his special package.”
Marisa glanced to Ivan, who stood stony-faced.
“And Agent Illian Meridia, former Assault Brigade Marine. Now of IDB Ready Reaction, Dianis.” She held out her hand. When Meridia grasped it, the matriarch held his hand firm, not letting go. “I am so pleased you are here, agent.” She felt his pulse, life force, and aura. “Dianis will have great need of you before this is all over.” Appreciating Lettern, while holding Meridia’s grasp, “Two kindred souls who, across the wide timeless gulf of the galaxy, have found each other in mind, body, and spirit. The randomness of the universe is but a cosmic illusion. You were drawn together by forces, by the threads of fate that can be followed like yarn through the forest. It is not by random chance that Humanity faces the Turboii. Nor is it random chance that you two have met.”
“I cannot condone one of my agents consorting with a provincial,” said Ivan.
Before Marisa could react, the matriarch let Meridia’s hand go and said, “Then make it legal, Ivan. Recruit Lettern into Ready Reaction. Spirits know you are woefully understaffed here. I know of provincials serving as undercover IDB Civilization Monitoring agents. Clienen has said that he may need to go that route here on Dianis. Clienen is willing to do the same with Ready Reaction.” She anticipated Ivan’s rebuttal and added just as he was about to deliver it, “It’s too late, Ivan. For better or worse, Lettern is being credited for thwarting the extrasolar incursion here in Wedgewood. Word is spreading through the mining contractors that the federation armed the provincials on Dianis. The ULUP board of control has been informed of the true events, and the IDB lawyers have successfully presented Meridia’s defense to the board, and through the preponderance of the evidence, the board has decided to exonerate Meridia.”
Ivan, surprised, said, “I didn’t know Meridia’s assignment of an IDB plasma rifle to Lettern would need to go to ULUP. I thought we could handle that internally.”
To Meridia, this was all news.
“The Matrincy decided it was best to preempt any possible legal actions and proactively explain the entire situation to the board. While the viability of the sting operation has indeed been placed into question, as long as the contractor community believes we purposely armed the provincials here on Mount Mars out of desperation to thwart further attacks, then we might still be able to obtain some success through the operation.” She let Ivan chew through the implications.
Ivan remembered Lieutenant Hearter pleading with him to intercede with Clienen to allow the Shields to launch its assault lander. There would be factions in the IDB that would support Meridia’s apparent foresight, and when Meridia had refused to leave Wedgewood and had instead decided to engage the corsair shuttle, Ivan himself had cited the IDB rule of the agent on the ground has the discretion to interpret orders. Giving a plasma rifle to a provincial was an extreme interpretation.
The matriarch saw him struggle with the notion. “Yes, I know, Ivan. It’s messy. And will continue to be messy until we find who is contracting with these miners. Whoever that is, it is most likely the same entity that conspired to have the IDB pulled in the first place.” The matriarch hoped her reasoning would sway the recalcitrant chief. She needed him on their side, at least on the side of Wedgewood.
Ivan stared at her flatly and said, “You know that Achelous thinks it was the Matrincy that caused the IDB to be withdrawn.”
She nodded and looked to Marisa. “You and I have much to speak of.” Turning fully to face the trader princess, she held out her bare hand. “I have long sought this day. I have dreamed of you.”
Marisa slowly lifted her hand, not knowing what to expect other than prescients and voyants preferred skin-to-skin contact to share auras. It was a way they communicated. Marisa didn’t know if she wanted to share her aura with the matriarch. As their hands came close, a spark snapped between them. They both flinched, eyes wide.
“Whoa, that’s aura-connectivity-overload,” gushed Outish. “You need to short out.”
Marisa rubbed her hand, staring at the matriarch as if she’d been bitten by a snake. She worried what aura-something overload was.
The matriarch, flustered, apologized, “I’m sorry. Don’t worry; I’ll put my glove on.” She did so, and reaching into her cloak, she removed three transparent sheets of polyacrylic laced with circuitry that shimmered depending on how the sheet was held. Each sheet could fit comfortably in Marisa’s artist’s satchel. “I have the documents you requested. First, an award for Ultimate Cause for Chief Inspector Achelous Forushen, in acknowledgment of his actions, whatever they may be, in defense of Planet Dianis, ULUP Class E, for a period of one year prior to yesterday. Duly approved by the Matrincy and by Director Clienen Hor, IDB Margel Damansk.” She handed it to Marisa. “You should know, awards for Ultimate Cause are rare, very. Laws are not made to be broken, and we do not encourage willful behavior where a person is allowed to second guess the nature of what is intended.”
Marisa gave a slight nod.
“The chief inspector did what he believed was right to defend this planet. We acknowledge that. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that he was particularly sanguine in his interpretations of the facts and the potential future course of history here on Dianis. But, we shall let Fate expose that to us as it will.” The Matriarch pointed at the polyacrylic holding the Award for Ultimate Cause. “That is the physical manifestation of the attestment, which you requested. It has, of course, been registered in the ULUP Board of Control archives. Jeremy,” and the matriarch looked up to where Buzz Too perched on a branch overhead. “Please confirm that the judgment has indeed been posted by ULUP.”
“Brawk, always making me work. Yes, it’s there.”
Surprised, the matriarch’s black eyes started to harden.
Marisa wanted to laugh but offered a hurried explanation, “My apologies. The insolence was my idea. I wanted a bit of humor to make the bot feel more real.”
