Chapter 6
Daira, 9 Oraa, 4400 Orthodox Calendar
Friday, 19 December 2013, Terran Standard Calendar
Daira, 9 Oraa, year 1326 of the 97th Generation, Karinne Historical Reference Calendar
The Karinne Academy, Norfolk, Virginia, the United States of America, Terra
He really didn't feel like being here.
Jason sat at a desk in a conference room, in a converted Academy lecture auditorium, their largest such room. It had six tiers, and each tier would host two leaders, with a gallery shielded off from the main auditorium for spectators and those ambassadors and politicians not allowed in the main area. Jason had Kiaari to carefully arrange the tiers so governments at odds with each other didn't sit next to each other, nor did one leader pass the other on the way down to the lectern. There would be eleven leaders here for this summit. The Imperium and Alliance would be on the first tier, and the Skaa and Collective would be represented on the second tier. The Zyagya and the leader of the Nine Colonies would be on the third tier. A small government of four worlds on the far side of the Alliance known as the Federation of Shiovan, peopled by a remarkably humanoid species called the Shio, shared the fourth tier with the Moridon. The fifth tier was where an arctic yeti-looking race called the Jobodi would sit, who owned only three systems but populated planets within them, making them formidable enough not to be conquered… and they were near the Alliance who wasn't expansionist anyway. Beside the Jobodi would be a government of twelve systems on the far side of the Skaa that was also peopled by the Skaa. It was a breakaway government that came into being a thousand years ago, a compromise to prevent the entire empire from erupting into war between two clutchmates who both claimed the throne. One brother became Emperor, the other was exiled with all of his followers beyond the boundaries of the Empire with the solemn vow that neither he nor his descendents would be bothered by the Skaa. That brother forged his own empire out of uninhabited systems around his exiled home, and the Skaa Republic had been formed. The sixth and final tier was where Zaa would sit, alone, and by her own choice. Jason tried to put her closer, give her a more honored place, but she refused, preferring to stay in the background. Jason himself was afforded no place in this company, but he would be permitted to sit in an audience box to the side, among several other high-ranking officials that were too important to ignore, but denied a seat on those tiers because they were restricted to just the leader and one secretary. The other members of the Alliance Council, the advisors of Sk'Vrae, and other powerful dignitaries would be sharing that side box with Jason.
Jason was sitting at the desk rather than in the box because he was checking the acoustics of the room personally. He was sitting in Zaa's seat, the furthest, and Secretary Kim was standing at the podium reading off a paper in Korean, not using any microphones, so they could make sure that voices would carry. The rotund leader of the United Nations had been only too happy to do a little personal work on this summit, "to feel like I had a hand in history," he laughed in Faey when Jason talked to him this morning. The entire summit would be conducted in Faey, being the language of the host government, as was the long-standing tradition where inter-governmental summits of this kind were held. Were they holding this in the Alliance, they'd be speaking Alliance Common, the language used among the five races of their government.
His mind wasn't really here. Ever since the bomb Dahnai dropped on him, he'd been quite distracted. The debate they had afterwards among his family, Miaari, and Cybi, who attended using her little hovering camera, was long and thorough. The most important thing they did all agree on was that Dahnai, being the mother of a Generation, had to know. She had to know the truth, no matter what it might cost them in the long run, because if she did not understand, if they tried to control Raisha's upbringing without her understanding why, it would cause a rift between Jason and Dahnai, and the Karinnes and the Imperium, that may never be healed, that might even lead to war with the Imperium. There was also the fact that the Consortium already knew some of those secrets, so there wasn't as much damage here as there might have been a year ago. Dahnai may find out somehow from the Consortium, either directly or indirectly, and so he was willing to give her at least that much knowledge. So, the underlying, fundamental decision was that Dahnai had to be told at least part of the truth, enough truth to understand why Raisha was so important, and why she was going to be different. Jason would tell her, tell her what he had hoped never to tell her.
They also agreed that Raisha must be taught her heritage. She had to be trained as a Karinne, and as a Generation. She had to know her past, she had to understand her powers, and she had to know the responsibility that came with that bloodline, the most important of which was the absolute secrecy which must be maintained. She was very safe being the daughter of the Empress, but the political dangers of the Siann and the Imperium also made them agree that Raisha had to be protected not only by the Imperial Guard and Dahnai, but also by the Karinnes. Dahnai would keep her safe, but her Karinne guardian would protect her from the rest of the Imperium. She could not be allowed to be conditioned to be a threat to her own house.
It was after that where things broke down, not into argument, but into debate. Jason and Jyslin wanted Raisha, to raise her as the foster parents. If Imperial tradition was to foster the children until the age of ten, then why not foster the child with her birth father? Jyslin was more than happy to raise Raisha as her own, and Jason was certain that Raisha would never know anything but love with Jason and Jyslin. But Miaari saw value in Dahnai raising Raisha, for her to break tradition… for she'd be breaking tradition no matter what. She could also break the rest of tradition and just gather up all her children and live with them as a proper family. That argument was to woo Dahnai, for she loved her children and would love nothing better but to find some excuse to take them from their foster family and keep them herself. She argued that no matter how much Raisha was a Karinne, she was also a High Princess of the Imperium, and she had duties and responsibilities to her mother's side. Miaari saw Raisha as a Karinne in the ruling family, where she could directly influence Imperial policy and actions in the future, as their hold over Dahnai and Sirri as much as Shya and Rann were Dahnai's hold over Jason. With proper education, Raisha could be invaluable to the Karinnes for her presence in the Imperial family. Tim agreed with Miaari, but also saw value in something of a shared custody agreement, where Raisha spent half the year with Dahnai, and half the year with Jason and Jyslin. Cybi was strangely wishy-washy about the whole thing. She agreed with everyone and didn't offer any strong arguments one way or the other outside of the already agreed to stipulation that Raisha be taught her heritage and trained as a Karinne and a Generation.
He hated the idea of it. He was terrified of the idea of showing Dahnai the secret of the Karinnes, because no matter how much he loved her, she was still the Empress, and she was still Faey. He had no doubt she would try to use what she learned somehow to gain more power for the Imperium. He loved Dahnai, but he wasn't sure he could trust her.
Their reasoning for telling her at least part of the truth was simple. Dahnai would be armed with no more knowledge than the Consortium had, just enough for her to understand what was really going on between the Karinnes and the Consortium. She would know what a Generation was, but would have no access to the other half of what made a Generation so dangerous, the biogenic computers. A Generation was just an unusually strong telepath with telekinetic ability without a gestalt, without some biogenic device to augment those powers. That was the distinction they would most heavily ram into Dahnai's head, that they would explain why, but show her that any attempt to use Raisha, to use the Karinnes, to use the Generations, for her own ends would be futile. Jason was the one that controlled the biogenics, and that gave him the biggest trump card in the deck.
They had already decided that Dahnai would fully understand that if anything ever happened to Raisha, if Generations started mysteriously appearing in the Imperium, and if she ever tried to procure biogenic technology, then the Karinnes would declare war on the Imperium.
They had the viability to back up that threat. Dahnai already knew that he had went through the Imperium and found every single Karinne descendent, so she believed he had some ability to detect Karinnes from great distances, picking them out of the general population. He would foment that belief, tell her that he knew where every single Generation was at all times, so if he ever saw a Generation where there wasn't supposed to be one, he wouldn't even bother making any official announcement, he'd just jump his fleet to Draconis and lay waste to it. He would tell her he had similar control of biogenic technology, which actually wasn't a lie. Biogenic systems had a presence to both Kimdori and Generations, and it was detectable by sensors. The sensors on any KMS ship would detect a biogenic device on a planet it orbited, because the sensors were biogenic themselves and were able to sense other biogenic systems. He would make it clear to her that he would destroy any planet where he saw biogenic technology where it wasn't supposed to be.
He was going to make it abundantly clear to her that the Karinnes were willing to fight to the death over Karinne secrets.
Despite all that, he also hated the idea of his daughter being apart from him. Even though he had children with women other than Jyslin, his other sons and daughters were always near him, always just a minute from him. They were with him, and Raisha… she'd be halfway across the Imperium. He already felt exactly the way Dahnai had to feel about being separated from her own children, and it was a horrible feeling. That was why he wanted to raise Raisha, so she was with him, so she was there. He didn't want to be separated from her. But, that might be exactly what might happen, and he had to accept the fact. This is how Dahnai felt. She dealt with it, so could he.
But, he didn't doubt that Raisha would be well tended with Dahnai. She loved her children, and he knew Kellin would love Raisha as his own, just as a man would when his wife conceived outside of marriage. The child belonged to the mother, and the father was expected to treat all children as his own, whether it was his or not. That was what Vell did raising Aran, and Vell loved that boy like his own, the son he and Maya had never had themselves.
That fact was actually going to work against him here. By custom and by law, the child was the mother's child, and fathers had virtually no rights in Imperial law, not even nobles. Not even a noble father impregnating a commoner woman had any rights to the baby, though the child would be considered noble by Imperial law, and in such situations the woman was usually inducted into the house as a maderine, a noble in title only with no real benefits, almost a ceremonial position. By Imperial law, Raisha was a Merrane, not a Karinne. That was what was going to cause the Siann to have a meltdown, that a man was not only interfering in the rights a woman had to her baby, but he was interfering with the Empress, the paragon of Faey womanhood. Jason was interfering with a core tenet of Faey society, and it would be seen as an absolute scandal by the tabloids. That was why Jason, Jyslin, Dahnai, and Kellin had to sit down and talk. Dahnai would face tremendous backlash if she acted outside of tradition, and might even face challenges from the Siann if she allowed Jason and Jyslin to foster her. Faey were very open-minded and sociable in some ways, but when someone started threatening their fundamental beliefs, they became as conservative as one could get. And he hated to say it, but their sexist views were one of the strongest of those beliefs. Faey women respected men, revered men for their wisdom and education, and often put them on a pedestal, but men had strictly defined roles in society and women were adamantly opposed to them acting outside of those boundaries.
Jason would be fighting Faey prejudice both against humans and also against men in fighting for rights to have a say in the life of his daughter. If Dahnai decided to shut him out, he would be helpless. All he could do was threaten her at a personal level, threaten to break off their relationship, or threaten to declare war on her to get his daughter.
But, Dahnai was intelligent. When she knew the truth, he just prayed she'd see that Jason was right, and be accommodating. Raisha was a very special child, the product of two very unique families, and both her mother and her father were going to have to cooperate for her to be what both her parents wanted her to be. Dahnai would no doubt want a High Princess, a Merrane daughter, and there was a chance she was already considering which house had a son she could betroth to her in order to secure an alliance. Jason wanted Raisha to understand her heritage and be trained to appreciate it, and when she was of age, take her place in the Karinne noble house as a Generation, one of the rarest beings in the universe, one of only 283 Faey and humans who could commune with biogenic devices.
Jason was willing to compromise a little with Dahnai over Raisha in that regard. He didn't want to deny her her rights and privileges as an Imperial High Princess, which was as much her heritage as being a Karinne was. She would be the daughter of the Empress, for crying out loud. He didn't intrinsically object to her being an Imperial Princess, but he wouldn't budge in that she had to be a Karinne as well. She was his daughter, and he deserved as much right to teach her her heritage as Dahnai did.
He sighed as Kim finished and looked to him, and he waved his hand to assure him he had heard every word. There were just too many things here, too many questions, and nothing could be solved until he talked to Dahnai and Kellin. They were due tomorrow morning local time, the entire Imperial family, and would spend the day before the summit touring the Academy. Jason, however, was here alone, here only with his five usual guards. Jyslin and Rann were back home, Tim and Symone were home, to further maintain their story. They had no real reason to come, and they also didn't want to be tempted to talk about Raisha until after it was announced. But, and somewhat suspiciously, Kumi had just happened to have business here on Terra today. She was in London right now, and he had little doubt that she was going to wander over to Norfolk before the day was over and be rude and demanding again.
He'd welcome it. It would give him something else to think about, and Kumi could certainly wear him out to the point where he'd sleep tonight… because he certainly hadn't had much sleep the last couple of days.
"This is all so exciting, your Grace," Kim was saying happily as Jason came back down. "Our home in such a spotlight!"
"You've done magnificently given how little time I gave you, Mister Secretary," Jason told him honestly, and he had. The leaders of the sector would be in luxurious hotels, they would be treated like the royalty they were, and Kim had pulled out all the stops, even arranging greeting and departing ceremonies. Virtually the entire U.N. was down in Norfolk for the conference, eager to meet leaders and dignitaries beyond the Imperium and make such a good impression on the outside universe that tourists flocked to Terra and spent their money here.
And tourism was big here. Terra was now just as much a tourist destination as Menos, and Faey from all over the Imperium vacationed here in hordes, so much so that Terra was now the most popular tourist destination in the Imperium. Faey was now the common language all over the planet, taught in every school, not only to foster communication among the many peoples of Earth to serve as a common language, but also because there were so many Faey here now, far more than there had been during the Trillane occupation. And most of them were tourists. Traditional tourist destinations like New Orleans, Hawaii, Rio de Janiero, the Mediterranean, and Thailand were absolutely awash in money now, money brought in by Faey tourists, but they didn't just visit there. There were Faey tourists everywhere, even in places where one would never expect tourists such as Iceland, Antarctica, and the high desert areas of the Sahara and Gobi.
There was even tourism based on the Legion. The charred forests of eastern America were covered with temporary grass and saplings as the Surrales reclaimed the burn areas with native trees, restoring the forest to its original dimensions and condition. The crater that had once been Chesapeake was a tourist attraction now, as was Norad at Cheyenne Mountain. Charleston, Chesapeake, and Cheyenne Mountain had been declared historical sites and were left as the Legion left them, and there was even a museum in the nearby city of Denver about the Legion and the guerilla war it fought against House Trillane. Foxwood was also a tourist attraction, but only from the outside, as Jason had given the manor to Secretary Kim to serve as a retreat, much like the old Camp David had served the American President.
Amusing, but Jason had no home here on Earth now, since he'd officially given Foxwood to the U.N. He was staying at a hotel.
The integration of humans and Faey hadn't been entirely smooth, though. Faey women mixed with human men was something of an explosive combination, because neither of them would say no. Faey women on the average were attracted to human men, and most men had no qualms about taking a Faey up on any offers she made to him. Just as Thailand was once known as the "sex tourism" capitol of the world, Los Angeles had taken that title. It had started innocuously enough, since L.A. was already a huge tourist destination, and it started with Hollywood. Terran TV and movies were big hits in the Imperium, and that gave Hollywood status in the Imperium as much as it did on Earth. Large numbers of Faey moved to the L.A. area permanently to work in the film industry, both in front of and behind the camera, in Hollywood, in TV, and in the huge numbers of porn studios out in the San Fernando valley.
Porn was considered mainstream entertainment in the Imperium, available on public networks at any part of the day, and the big studios did not overlook this fact. Within two years, most of the little porn studios out in the valley were being bankrolled by the big moviemaking industries, flushed with cash backed from the studios to produce higher quality movies and videos, and each major studio opened divisions dedicated to what they called "Faey-Oriented" movies. In other words, big-budget movies either with porn in them, or just totally porn. The shift of Hollywood into multicultural production attracted even more Faey tourists, which attracted young men looking to have a little fun with the tourists, which attracted more and more money to the area, until the whole thing snowballed. The sex trade exploded in the city over three years, from hourly rate hotels to illegal prostitution to adult shops to sex clubs. The city, looking to cash in on the money pouring into the city, changed the city's laws so nudity was legal to mirror the hugely successful beaches in Europe, and they convinced the state of California to allow cities and counties the ability to legalize prostitution on a local basis, just as it was in Nevada. They succeeded, and not even a day later, prostitution was legalized in Los Angeles, making it a city-controlled industry, mirroring the legal prostitution systems in place on many planets in the Imperium. That made the money flood into city coffers. L.A. became known not only as Tinsel Town, but as the new Sin City, where the major movie studios were producing big-budget porn movies to market in the Imperium, and one couldn't go down any street near the beach or Hollywood without seeing a billboard of a naked man or woman.
The most controversial and dramatic action, though, was the city's changing of obscenity laws. Wanting to further enable the large studios in the production of Faey-oriented movies, and also wanting to increase the already huge revenues from the new sex trade in the city, they changed the city's obscenity laws in two ways. First, they made it legal for a studio to shoot sex scenes in the open, even in public areas, and their other action was to establish "red light" districts of the city where all obscenity laws within those districts were suspended, which would allow sex shops to display graphic materials in their public windows and visible to the public.
The backlash was quick and severe. The city's new nudity and obscenity laws were immediately challenged in court, going all the way to the Supreme Court. The results were mixed. The public nudity laws were upheld as legal, but the obscenity laws were shot down. There was nearly a fast track from City Hall to the Supreme Court for over a year, as the city passed rewrite after rewrite to get around it, and the Supreme Court shot it down again and again. Finally, the city got a referendum on the state ballot, the famous Proposition 4, that would alter California's constitution to give the city of L.A. the legal right to set its own laws concerning obscenity within its borders. The referendum caused massive electioneering both for and against, and miraculously, despite huge resistance from religious and conservative organizations, the proposition passed. The legality of it was immediately challenged in the Supreme Court, but the court upheld the referendum, calling it a matter of state's rights. So long as all activity was contained within the legal boundaries of Los Angeles and those counties who had applied for inclusion, and their local TV and radio stations did not violate federal obscenity laws on open airwaves, the federal government had its hands tied. They couldn't even threaten to withhold federal funds to coerce, since the city of L.A. was earning massive amounts of money through the sex trade and didn't need any federal funding. With that, the city of L.A. passed a new obscenity law that legalized public sex acts for the purpose of art or film, provided they gave 24 hour warning of the intent to film at a certain location, and established seven "red light" districts in the city where the public display of graphic sexual images or objects was legal.
Thus came the Second Exodus. Humans who refused to live in such a permissive environment, and those who were prejudiced against the large influx of permanent Faey residents, left the Los Angeles area in a great wave, settling in San Francisco, Arizona, and Nevada. The empty houses they left behind, though, were quickly filled, mainly with Faey who had immigrated to Earth looking for a fresh start, looking to break into the film industry, looking to start a new business on Earth, or wanting to live in a place more accepting of Faey culture. Little Dracora had bloomed in the San Fernando valley, and not too surprisingly, one of the six official red light districts was inside it. About one quarter of them were aspiring actors, working in the prodigious small-studio porn industry and hoping for that big break that would put them in one of the big studios, their names in lights and their faces famous across the entire Imperium.
Now, Los Angeles had the largest permanent Faey population on Earth, nearly 1,200,000 residents, and the city was often a hotbed of protest when religious and opposition organizations conducted "anti-sin" rallies in the city. There wasn't a weekend that went by that some protest group got arrested for civil disobedience or disturbing the peace in one of the red light districts, which seemed to amuse the Faey residents and tourists to no end.
It was a symbol of change on Earth, change wrought by the Imperium, but not forced on Earth. Change humans were making in response to an outside force of their own volition. Humans and Faey were starting to interact, and their differences in their cultures were starting to show… with a little friction.
"Would you like to take lunch with me, your Grace?" Kim asked. "It's been a long time since we sat and talked of trivial matters."
"It has indeed," Jason chuckled. "Let's shock the hell out of the students and eat at the north cafeteria. It's just a block from here."
Kim laughed. "I hope they make good food."
They didn't dine alone, though. Ayuma and Kiaari joined them in the cafeteria, where silent, nervous students watched on from their tables as the Grand Duke, the leader of Earth, and the dean of the Academy all sat having lunch, with five black-armored Imperial Guard watching over them. Many of them jumped when Ayuma used her telekinetic powers to fetch a napkin holder and the pepper shaker off a nearby table. "So, did my workers set it up to your satisfaction, Jason?" Ayuma asked before taking a bite of her cheese steak.
"It's perfect, Ayuma," Jason told her. "Is the Academy ready for their tour?"
"All ready," she answered. "As long as the furball did her job."
"Don't I always do my job, midget?" she retorted lightly, taking a bite of salad and swallowing it without really chewing. Kimdori biology was much different from anyone else's in that she really didn't have to eat her food. She could absorb it by touch, albeit much more slowly if she didn't want anyone to notice, she could consume virtually any carbon-based organism for food, and her body didn't digest food so much as it attacked it virally and broke it down. They could even cannibalize their own flesh as a food source, and could feed off the organic matter they expelled to change their mass during a shapechange. "There's not so much as a microbe in that auditorium that I don't know about, and our security forces have the Academy covered."
"So, we're all ready to go."
"Yup, we are," Kiaari nodded. "And tomorrow, sister Miaari comes and tells me everything I'm doing wrong."
Jason laughed. "She does it with love," he assured her.
"Yes, her love to nose in on my business," she said archly. "Is friend Jyslin and Rann coming?"
He shook his head. "You know she doesn't like official business, Kiaari. She's back home."
"I would have liked to see them."
"Come visit us after the summit," he offered. "I'm sure the Academy won't fall apart if you come spend a day with us."
"I think I will," she said with a toothy smile. "Want to come, friend Ayuma?"
"I think I could manage it," she said with a nod. "I haven't seen Rann since he was a baby."
Jason had little to do after lunch, if he didn't want to annoy everyone, so he went back to his hotel and brooded over Dahnai, the Consortium, Dahnai, the work they had to do, Dahnai, and, well, Dahnai. He wasn't sure how she was going to react to what he had to show her, what he had to tell her, and wasn't sure how much she'd bend for him. All he could do was wait, and he didn't like waiting. He tried to distract himself with television, then he surfed CivNet using his gestalt, his little Matrix game where he was in the network, surfing across CivNet with nothing but his mind, but his mind just wasn't there. He just wasn't sure what was going to happen with Dahnai. Would she reject Jason's arguments? Would she fight over Raisha? And how would she react when she learned what part of the truth he, Miaari, and Cybi had decided to tell her? Would she become an enemy as great as the Consortium when she realized just what the Karinnes were, and tried to use her position as the Empress to make them do what she wanted?
It was no use worrying. There was nothing he could do.
He couldn't concentrate. He couldn't really unwind. Where was his wife or Symone when he needed them, to take his mind off it, to wear him out like Jyslin did the night before he left? Some mindless sex would do him just fine right now. Or some mindless anything, really.
"You know how to play racquetball, Aya?" he asked spontaneously.
I'm sure you'll teach me, she told him.
"Hell, I've never played it either," he told her. "I just need something to do. Anything to do."
She gave him a sympathetic look. Dera.
Yes, Captain?
Go find Jason a piano and have it delivered to the room.
Yes ma'am, she responded.
Jason gave her a smile so grateful that it made Aya flush slightly.
Bliss. For hours, Jason sat at the piano and played, anything that crossed his mind, anything that touched his fancy. It occupied his mind, occupied his hands, and brought that special peace to him he often felt when at the piano. Memories of his gentle mother washed over him, speaking in musical French to him as she taught him her passion, putting her mark on him just as much as his father had with his love of flying and his passion for Aikido. His mother had been nothing like a Faey woman. She was feminine, modest, demure, and gentle. It made him wonder why he was so attracted to aggressive, blunt, demanding Faey women when his mother was nothing like them. He kept playing, reliving old memories always kindled by the sound, by the feel of the piano under his hands. The smell of Patty O's always seemed to fill his nose when he played at home, and it touched his nose for just a moment before being drowned out by the smell of his mother's perfume, and then the spicy smell of Jyslin's hair as it dried after a shower. The sound of his father's laugh seemed to echo through the music, then the sound of his mother singing in her beautiful voice blended with the notes of Chopin.
It was almost heartbreaking in a way to remember those things, and for a moment, he wondered why he was bringing up such old memories. He slowed and then stopped, looking down at the piano for a long moment, lost in though, lost in reverie. He just didn't feel… right. Something was off. There was something wrong. He didn't know what it was. He didn't know why he felt that way. But he did.
Was he just still upset over Dahnai's bombshell and getting more and more nervous as the hours rolled by, and she arrived tomorrow? Or was this something different?
[Cybi,] he communed, using the orbiting Dreamer to relay his call back to her.
[Yes, Jason?]
[Is… everything alright?] he asked. [I don't feel right. I feel… ] he trailed off.
[I will conduct a thorough scan for you, Jason,] she told him. [I will make sure that everything here is just fine.]
[Thank you, Cybi,] he told her gratefully.
He only had to wait about fifteen seconds. [I have conducted a complete scan, Jason. It is two seventeen in the afternoon in Karsa. Jyslin is with Rann back on the pool deck. She is giving him a lesson in sending. Tim is at work with Miaari in Kosigi, working on recording the written language within the ship. Symone is at the Karsa Barracks with Kyva. The Lieutenant is training Symone on the function of a Gladiator. Myri and the generals are at Central Command. Min, Sheleese, Lyn, Bryn, Ilia, and Yana are in Karsa, shopping. They all have their children with them except for Yana and Ilia. Maya and Vell are at school. They have Kyri, Aran, and Zachary with them, attending a piano recital given by Yuri. Zora is on the beach, giving Sora a lesson in sending. Kumi is currently off planet. Meya and Myra are helping Aura calculate food tonnage requirements for those who are returning to Exile. And Rahne is measuring her new house for curtains.]
That soothed him tremendously. Just hearing that, knowing what everyone was doing, it calmed him quickly and made him feel much better. He could imagine Jyslin and Rann sitting at the picnic table near the barbecue grill, a smile on Rann's face as Jyslin trained him in the art of sending, using her gentle manner to teach, a manner she almost never showed to anyone else. It was proof that maybe Jyslin was more like his mother than he thought, he supposed, for she was exquisitely tender and loving with her son, so gentle with him that it was so easy to forget that she was once a soldier, she had been trained to fight.
Symone… playing with Gladiators? Eh, why not? She needed something to do, and if she wanted to learn how to pilot a Gladiator, more power to her.
But, he was quite content. He took his hands from the keys of the piano, then put them back and started playing The Entertainer, which was one of Rann's favorites. He played it at double speed, which never failed to make Rann laugh even as his eyes watched Jason's fingers in wonder, then he was startled to hear a tamshan. He glanced back and saw Ryn standing there with the five-stringed, twangy instrument, which sounded like a cross between a banjo and an autoharp. Aya produced a kirta flute, Suri had produced a kiyo, which was a woodwind that sounded like a cross between a soprano oboe and a Japanese shakuhachi, Shen had a small pair of kera drums, and Dera had somehow scrounged up an acoustic Terran guitar, which she could play masterfully. Clearly, it was going to be another night of jazz music in the Karinne household, Faey jazz where four radically different-sounding instruments came together to create some rather interesting music.
"Alright, ladies, you asked for it," Jason laughed, playing the dramatic bar of the old Dragnet show.
God, he loved his guards.
They entertained him for the rest of the night, until he was able to go to sleep with a smile on his face and feeling very secure knowing that Ryn was in the next room, drawing the short straw for night duty. Several times during the night, he felt her mind brush over his lightly, as the guards liked to do in the night, assessing the location and condition of those they were charged to protect. Jason had found that sensation comforting over the years, knowing that the Imperial Guard was watching out for his family. Aya had been wise to assign the same four guards to his personal protection, for he had grown used to them, and they had grown used to him. Aya herself also spent most of her time with him, but as Captain of the Guard, her main duty was actually to Rann. But, since Rann was safely on Karis and Jason was often in far more danger than him, Aya spent most of her time with him. But as Rann aged, her focus would shift to him, and he would be left with Ryn, Shen, Dera, and Suri… and maybe not even Dera. Dera's power as a listener might cause Aya to pull her from Jason and assign her to Rann, but for now, just as Aya did, Dera went where she was needed most.
They also knew when to be discreet. They were in the other room, because Kumi was sprawled halfway over him in bed, respecting their privacy in case anything happened. And the amazing thing was, to him, that nothing had. She had not touched him. She got in late, came to see him, stayed a while to listen to them jam, and was too sleepy to go find her own room. So she slept over with him. She stirred as he sat up on his elbows, then she gave a protesting groan when he threw the covers off of them, revealing Kumi's white panties with a red heart on the backside and her slim, slender, shapely bare back. No, she protested. I wanna sleep more!
Then sleep, he told her mildly, but I gotta go pee. So either let me up or you're gonna get a warm feeling across your tits.
She laughed and rolled off of him, and he quickly slid out of bed and padded to the bathroom. What were you doing in London?
Securing a couple new clients for KMC, she answered. The Nine Colonies are in dire need of tungsten. I got a good deal out of them. And the Zyagya finally stopped being pricks and accepted my offer for laminated titanium. I undercut TrefCorp by two points. I'll bet Yila's peeling the paint of the walls with her teeth, she sent smugly. Trelle, I love selling things to others we can replicate. After he finished relieving himself, he wandered back into the bedroom and sat on the bed. Kumi sidled up to him, threw her arms around him, and kissed him on the cheek. Thanks for a wonderful night, babes.
We didn't do anything.
Sure we did. We slept. You let me sleep in your bed, which is more than you've ever given me before. Thank you.
If I could have trusted you, you could have had that.
But it's more fun knowing that I can than it woulda been to be in bed with you and know I couldn't, she sent teasingly, reaching down and cupping his genitals as if to make her point. Unlike her, Jason had slept nude, mainly because he had halfway expected her to want to have sex. I'm gonna kiss Aura when we get back home for setting you free.
I'm not that free, he protested.
Sure you are. Jyslin already gave you permission to stuff the pussy of any girl on the strip, and I live on the strip, she cooed mentally. But that's not what I meant. You're not being a stuck-up little prick, thinking your cock's too shiny to slide in my honey hole. Really, Jayce, five years with us and it took you that long to realize that we're your friends?
It took me five years to understand that you'd be my friends no matter what, Kumi, he answered her honestly. At first, it was because I was loyal to Jys, but she broke me of that. After that, there was nothing but the fear. I guess I got so used to the way things were, it didn't change even after I did. But I guess it was inevitable. Eventually, an Aura was gonna come along and show me that I was holding onto to a habit long after I should have discarded it. And not for me, but for those around me who love me.
Damn right, she agreed, pulling him with a giggle down onto the bed, leaning over him, and giving him a hard yet playful kiss on the lips. That was for coming to your senses, and this is for being one of my best friends over the years, you pain in the ass, she said with a grin, kissing him on the nose. Trelle, how far we've come.
From the forests of Beech Fork to a luxury hotel on the Academy grounds, Jason agreed, putting an arm around her waist. When Meya and Myra always outsmarted me, and you used to cheat me like a son of a bitch.
She laughed. We should really get those two, she winked.
Later. They're really busy right now, and we need to let them focus on helping the Exiled split up and return. But after that's all settled, well, we'll have to come up with something good, he sent conspiratorially.
I'm in. I owe those bitches for stealing my house.
You deserved it for ruining their stuff.
They deserved it for that fake sex viddy, she fumed.
You deserved it for annealing their armor together.
Well, they deserved it for putting my personal diary up on CivNet!
You deserved that just for not keeping it password protected.
I did! They guessed it!
Well, there's only so many ways to say sex before you stumble on the right word.
She flushed, then laughed. I guess that's what I get for being predictable, she winked. Thanks for letting me sleep over, babes.
Thanks for not being a demanding bitch, he answered. It was nice to just be with you, Kumi, without you going all grabby on me.
Well, now that I know I can have it whenever I want, there's not as much fun in it, she admitted with a wink. Girls have the most fun chasing the guys that are hardest to get. It makes victory that much sweeter. You're a has-been now, babes, she teased. I'll only come looking for you when I can't find anything better.
He laughed. Always the bitch.
Always, she winked, standing up. Now I gotta pee, she added, scurrying off to the bathroom. He could hear her doing her business in the bathroom, her legs visible around the sink cabinet and her panties around her knees, and he turned on the radio after first trying to use his gestalt, then realizing he wasn't at home and using his telekinesis, not bothering to get off the bed. Dahnai was supposed to arrive at 1:30pm local time, and it was 10:42am. That gave him about two hours to get ready, since they'd probably want him there early so they could rehearse the greeting. She was getting the same fanfare all the other leaders would get; a band, an honor guard, a company of Imperial Marines in their dress uniforms, and both Jason and Secretary Kim there to greet her. Jason hated ceremony, but it was going to be a short one, for Dahnai would be leaving Draconis late at night there, so she'd be tired and need to rest before the summit tomorrow.
Such were the pitfalls of ruling an empire of what was now 77 systems with the addition of Karis and the 4 Urumi systems, the fact that times were always different on every planet. Dahnai and the Grand Duchesses of many systems suffered from perpetual jet lag when they were on the move.
He leaned back on the bed, putting his hands down, and pondered the rest of the day. After greeting Dahnai, he was sure she'd retire to her room, and he may or may not be invited. This was the public area, the diplomatic zone, and she may not want to entertain her amu dorai outside of the palace. She might invite him to a semi-official dinner, but he was fairly sure that she'd maintain Imperial decorum.
Kumi flitted back in and stood in front of him. You okay?
Fine, he answered, looking her up and down thoroughly. Jason had to admit, Kumi had matured nicely from the young woman he'd first met. She was still thin and had smallish, almost teenager-like breasts, a little bigger than they were when they first met but not very much so, but on her they looked just right. Besides, it was Kumi's belly and legs that were her most attractive body features. She noticed his admiration and preened just a little bit, being typical Kumi. Wanna see more? she asked with a wink.
He gestured at her skimpy white silk panties lazily, and she gasped when they were pulled down by his telekinetic ability, revealing her very tightly trimmed strip of platinum blond pubic hair. There, that's better, he sent with a sly smile.
That is so cheating! she protested with a laugh.
Cheating? When were there rules? he asked in reply, twirling his finger imperiously.
She laughed, but obediently turned around for him, striking a model's pose as he admired her sexy back, backside, and her svelte legs. You are still a knockout, Kumi, he told her honestly. You just get sexier and sexier as you get older.
She beamed at him over her shoulder. You trying to talk me into bed or something?
Pft, he sounded mentally. I'm a has-been, remember? I'm just getting my look, since you had your hand all over my dick. Now bend over.
She laughed even as she flipped him off, but she did comply, showing him everything she had to offer. He unabashedly studied her charms for a long moment, then nodded and stood up. Okay, I'm done, he told her cheekily.
She turned and looked down, frowning slightly. You stare right up my butt and your dick didn't even wiggle? she sent, slightly disappointed.
I've had five years to learn control, Kumi, he told her blandly, which made her laugh.
Yeah, but, you shoulda had the common decency to give me at least semi hard, she protested. Come on, I'm sexy, right? Show me I'm sexy, you tease!
Jason grabbed her by the waist, turned and pushed her down onto the bed. She looked up at him with startled eyes as he pulled her butt up to the edge of the bed and spread her legs graphically, in what would usually be a sexual position, then pressed his hips against her, pressing his limp penis against her vulva, then gyrated his hips against her. Oh baby, he sent in a bland monotone. Oh. Yes. Yes. Oh, yes. Was it good for you, Kumi? he asked, letting go of her leg and slapping her butt.
Kumi glared murderously up at him, but then she burst out in helpless laughter. Trelle's garland, sometimes I forget about that quirky sense of humor you have, babes, she admitted. But I demand a kiss after I've been punished in your own special way for being grabby, she sent commandingly, crooking a finger at him.
He chuckled and gave her the kiss she wanted, then helped her up from the bed, slapping her fondly on the rump as she bent to pick up her panties. Such a cute ass, he complemented.
She wiggled it for him before coming back up with her panties.
After dressing, they had breakfast in the living room of the suite, chatting idly over scrambled eggs, oye fruit, some bitterfruit from Karis that Aya had brought with them, and wheat toast. Sometimes he was so grateful to Kumi. She could be a pain in the ass, but she was never boring, and it was hard not to have fun around her. She was so much like Symone in that regard. The two of them were like partners in crime sometimes. She kept him entertained and informed simultaneously as they caught up on her business ventures and the financial health of the house, which was good. Kumi was a pirate, and she was feared by other business leaders and business agents of other houses. The young spoiled noble he had first met who had a nose for business had matured into a savvy, intelligent, dangerous young woman who could make money no matter what was put in front of her, be it legal or illegal.
He could sense a change, though. She was much, well, happier now, it seemed. She smiled maybe a touch more, the hand she reached out and put on his forearm lingered maybe a half second longer than it used to. There was no unconscious awareness that Jason had a line they couldn't cross, but that line was gone now, as was the tension that line created. Yes, there were changes from his decision to be more open with the girls, and he saw that the girls were responding by being more intimate, but not more demanding. Any other night, there would have been a tension between him and Kumi sharing the same bed, would have not appreciated it when Kumi would be very forward and demanding, but now it was just Kumi being Kumi.
And he rather liked it.
Kumi headed home after helping Jason dress in court robes, his most formal set, blue brocade with the Karinne crest embroidered on the front in red thread, displaying the house colors of red and blue as well as the crest. He always felt like a peacock in court robes, and he was maybe just a little self-conscious as his guards walked with him through the Academy, heading for the landing pad so he could attend a rehearsal for Dahnai's arrival. Reporters were already gathering, and he had quite a few cameras on him when he arrived not in a luxury hovercar, but on foot, and looking decidedly uncomfortable in the cool December air. He met Secretary Kim and assorted dignitaries and members of the U.N. councils, shaking hands for a good half hour before they had their first and only rehearsal, where Jason basically just stood in one place as a band played and stand-ins for the Empress and her retinue walked down a red carpet.
By the time the rehearsal was done, Dahnai's ship had already come through the gate, and was approaching the planet. Jason and Secretary Kim just stayed in place as the reporters took footage of them, waiting as a bank of clouds rolled in from the west. CivNet weather radar showed that there was rain out in West Virginia, but they'd be done long before it got to them.
They only had to wait about twenty more minutes for Dahnai's large dropship, flanked by fighters, landed on the large pad, lining up the hatch so it would open to the carpet. When the hatch opened and Dahnai's guards, the band started playing… and Dahnai didn't send to him in greeting. That made him a little disconcerted, and it got even more disconcerting when she appeared in the hatchway, the Marines snapped to attention and saluted, and Jason saw the frosty, haughty look on her face.
She was angry… and she was angry with him. He could tell. What the hell did he do?
She swept regally down the carpet, and Jason did not miss the fact that she was alone. She had not brought Kellin and her children, or they had not come with her to the surface. When she reached them, Jason and Secretary Kim bowed to her, and as was custom, Jason offered his left hand to her, his bare hand. She didn't take it, which was a clear indicator to the reporters that Dahnai was unhappy with the Grand Duke Karinne… if her flashing eyes wasn't enough. He was sincerely confused by her display of anger, and was left dumbfounded as she swept past them with barely a word of greeting, pausing only to greet Secretary Kim with kind words before gliding off in a full display of Imperial authority and aloofness.
What the hell was her problem?
"I think the Empress is… distracted," Kim said hesitantly to him.
"She's righteously honked off about something," he said indelicately in reply. "And I'm why. But I have not the slightest idea why she would be angry with me. I haven't done anything!"
"Well, I would suggest you speak to her so you might discover the reason for her irksomeness," he said sagely.
He nodded, watching as Dahnai was helped into her hovercar by a guard. Dahnai, what's the matter? He asked, sending to her privately.
Come to my apartment, came a very terse and heated response. She was seething.
He decided to walk. She was being quartered in a luxury apartment in a high-security building on Academy grounds designed just for her, her private apartment for those rare times she came to the Academy. It was only a mile or so away, and he felt like he might want the time to think. So, with his guards, he walked along a pathway that led to her building, consumed in hesitancy and confusion. Why was she so angry? What did he do to earn that kind of anger? He racked his brain for anything that might have angered her, but he couldn't think of anything at all. His house really had no dealings with Merrane companies, so there wasn't any chance it was over them cheating them out of some contract. He had done everything she'd asked of him, so it couldn't be over some treaty or agreement. He was going to take in her family, for Pete's sake, so they wouldn't be in any danger! So what could she possibly be angry with him for?
The guards allowed him into the building and up to Dahnai's apartment, and then two grim-faced Imperial guards allowed him inside. Once in her parlor, with Faey furnishings that he didn't really notice, she kept him waiting for nearly five minutes before marching out of the bedroom, still in her formal robes. "Make yourself at home, love," she said in an entirely normal, even warm and welcoming, manner, which confused him to no end.
"Dahnai?" he asked uncertainly.
She gave him a look, then laughed delightedly. "I'm not really mad at you," she assured him with a wink. "But I want the Siann to think I am."
"Why?" he could only ask.
"It's very simple," she said with a light smile, urging him to sit, which he did, and then she took his hand so they could send, only between each other, so that not even Dera could hear them. It was totally internal, conveyed by touch, the most secure form of sending. I'm going to take a bath with the Siann over this, love. I'm having a child by another species, and if that's not bad enough, it's a daughter and that puts her in line for the throne. There's any number of Highborn Grand Duchesses that are gonna see that as some kind of betrayal of my paragon of Faeyness. The idea of a half-Faey on the throne if something disastrous happens to Sirri, Shya, and Miyai will make half the Siann go up in flames. It won't matter that she's fourth in line, they'll all immediately start seeing Karinne assassins around every corner trying to put the daughter of their Grand Duke on the throne. And I'm sure the tabloids will feel like I've handed them their new year's present early, she sent ruefully. I'm the first Empress in the entire history of my people to be pregnant with twins who have separate fathers, and one of them isn't Faey. That by itself is a scandal, but think of how much they're gonna get wet over the idea of Kellin's daughter sharing my womb with her half-breed sister, she sent sourly. I can imagine the headlines for the first couple of takirs after I make the announcement. So, instead of being all indignant about it, or defend it, I'm going to pretend to be pissed myself. I'll rage against the embarrassment of it, look suitably humiliated for a couple of days, then accept it and move on. But I'll adhere to sacred traditions and reject even a hint that I should do away with the baby. That's not only against our religion, it would be a scandal even worse than the scandal that would touch off to even suggest it, so I can muzzle at least a couple of Highborns by leaking it out that one of them privately demanded I terminate the pregnancy. Looking angry is about the only way I'm going to save face, and since you got me into this mess, I'd naturally be pissed off at you. So, one of the reasons I'll be visiting you for so long on Karis is to give you lots of time to soothe my fury… which will give Semoya and Emae all the time they need to start their war that never happens.
How are you going to handle Raisha? I mean, about her being in line?
I'm not entirely sure, she admitted. I don't want to deny her the title of Princess, but with that title comes the very real fact that she will be in line for the throne. And with that comes the meltdown from the Siann. It's entirely possible that I might be forced to remove Raisha from the line of progression by decree, but I don't want to do that. That would make my daughter less than what she is. I have to think about it, and thankfully, I'll have until the birth to really think it over. So, I'm sorry I upset you, love, but there's no telling who out among the reporters is a listener. The press, and specifically the tabloids, are famous for employing secret listeners that hide themselves from us, so I couldn't warn you. And if I took your hand, it wouldn't appear that I was angry. Did my sending summoning you here have enough anger in it? she winked.
He laughed. I thought you were going to shoot me on the tarmac.
Good. Now, you can't stay here long, love. So you should go ahead and go now, it doesn't take me long to say I'm pregnant, I'm in a world of shit, and it's all your fault, so I think you should go. Look suitably shaken when you leave, and don't talk to anyone about it.
Alright. Where are Kellin and the kids?
Up on the battleship, she answered. I'm angry, remember? I don't want them with me right now. An Empress doesn't fume and rage at the guy who got her into this mess with her husband and children with her, she winked. They'll transfer over to your ship later tonight, and they'll stay up in orbit and out of sight.
Okay. I hope they know you're not really angry.
Of course they do. That's the other reason I'm keeping them out of sight. Kellin is a terrible liar, she admitted with a frown. He's just too wonderful for politics.
God, I wish the same could be said for me, he sighed. I'm not entirely sure where I lost my morality.
The minute you realized that you're making decisions for more than just yourself, she answered immediately. Morality is for those who don't have fifty-nine billion mouths to feed.
He gave her an approving look. I'll see you at the summit, Dahnai.
See you then.
She released his hand, and he stood up. "Let's go," he told Aya and his guards, in an emotionless tone, like a man who had just been read the riot act. Dahnai nodded approvingly, and the guards let him and his guards out. He reached over and brushed Aya's face, since the rest of her body was armored. I'll explain in private, he sent through that touch.
She nodded simply.
Back in his hotel room, he explained the situation to his guards, all of which nodded in understanding. She's right, Aya said. The Siann will have tremendous difficulty accepting a half-breed in line for the throne.
Which gives me hope that I can convince Dahnai to allow me to foster Raisha, Jason told her. If our daughter is going to cause so much trouble, then she can come home with me, and I'll take care of her where she won't be seen by people who see her as nothing but a stain on the honor of the Empress.
That may not be easy, Shen warned. Empress Dahnai would not want to surrender a second daughter to you, your Grace. You already have Shya. She might even see Raisha as the replacement for the daughter you have taken from her. The Empress gave you Shya, and you give her Raisha in return.
I didn't take Shya, he protested.
You demanded that Shya come to your house, she reminded him. Because Rann is the heir. I have no doubt that the Siann didn't take too well to that, because they saw it as Dahnai making concessions. It's never good for an Empress to be seen as conciliatory.
But Shya isn't out of Dahnai's household, he pointed out. She's both a Karinne and a Merrane. She's still a princess, and still in line for the throne. That's what her being High Princess Duchess Consort Shya Merrane Karinne is all about!
Still, she'll live on Karis, and when she's fifteen, you take her from Dahnai. And since she's not being raised in the Imperial tradition, there may be some who don't accept her as the Empress if Sirri dies or abdicates.
Fuck, when did I get embroiled in Imperial politics? he demanded petulantly.
The minute Dahnai betrothed Rann to Shya, Aya answered.
Then this is all her fault, he accused. That bitch.
You know she loves it when you call her names, Aya sent cheekily.
I'm about to call you some names, he threatened, shaking a finger at her. Now find out why they haven't sent me my status report while I go take this crap off. That's your punishment for being a bitch.
She gave him a mocking little bow.
Ryn, Shen, come help me feel normal again.
Ooo, I do so love being a valet! Ryn sent excitedly, getting to put my hands on the Ducal person!
Take your gauntlets off this time, he warned. I had trouble explaining where the bruise came from.
Ryn laughed soundlessly.
Jason and Dahnai kept apart to further the illusion that they were angry with each other. Jason shut himself up in his room that day and night, while Dahnai took a brief tour of the Academy given by Ayuma. He watched it on INN, and she looked frosty, maintaining the illusion. The short Ayuma didn't pay her state much mind, showing her classrooms and labs and service buildings on the grounds, walking along beside her chatting animatedly, and blatantly exercising her telekinetic powers whenever it pleased her. Ayuma was the most flamboyant telekinetic in the Imperium, one of the few that violated long traditions of being modest about it.
He had to appreciate Dahnai's position. This pregnancy really was a problem for her, because of the resistance she'd suffer from her nobles. Many of them disapproved of Dahnai's relationship with Jason, though Jason had the feeling that was because it gave Jason an inside track to Dahnai where they couldn't do the same. But there were going to be those arch-conservatives who saw Raisha as a half-breed inferior to pure Faey, and would reject even the possibility that she might become Empress. Dahnai would have to dance in a minefield with this problem.
But it also gave him some hope. He'd offer her an option that solved all her problems and solved his as well, the option to allow Jason and Jyslin to foster Raisha—
No, it didn't, he saw. If Jason and Jyslin fostered Raisha, the Siann would see that as not just a half-Faey becoming Empress, but a half-Faey raised outside of the Merranes, all but putting a Karinne with the Merrane name on the throne. No, if Jason fostered Raisha, she'd have to be removed from the line of succession, which Dahnai seemed resistant to do. But hopefully, Dahnai would see the wisdom of doing just that. It would solve most of her problems with the Siann, and it would also serve Jason's interests as well. Raisha was a Generation, and she needed to be with the Karinnes, not the Merranes.
But he couldn't deny one thing. Given her parents, Raisha would be a powerful telepath and a powerful telekinetic. Dahnai was a top-tier telepath, deceptively powerful because she spoke as a matter of custom, and she was also in the elite among telekinetics, able to lift very heavy weights, nearly her own body weight. For a Faey telepath, that was immense telepathic power. About half of telekinetics could barely move a postage stamp without fainting from the effort, and the median power among those with measurable power was the ability to move about ten pounds of weight. Dahnai could lift nearly one hundred and fifty pounds, able to pick up one of her children easily, and if she were a shorter, slimmer woman, she could lift her own body weight. Jason, without his gestalt, could pick up about two hundred and fifty pounds, because he was a Generation and his telekinetic power was engineered to be abnormally powerful, just like his telepathy, but Jason wasn't restricted by his being male in telekinetic power. In that regard, there was little difference between male and female among the Faey. But with his gestalt, he could pick up around four hundred pounds; that was just how much the gestalt amplified his ability.
And when the tactical unit was finished, he'd be able to pick up five tons.
With parents like that, Raisha was almost guaranteed to express young and be powerful. He expected Raisha would be stronger than Sora, but not as strong as Kyri.
Unfortunately, he only had a day's respite from court robes. Ryn and Dera helped him dress the next morning, again in his best robes. Thankfully, he didn't have to be there to greet every leader at the landing pad, though each would be received by a ceremony, their ambassador, and Secretary Kim, since Kim was the real ruler of Earth as Secretary General of the United Nations. The first day of the conference was going to be speeches in the afternoon, after all leaders had arrived and they had a couple of hours to rest. After the speeches, they'd adjourn for the night and get down to the meat of the conference tomorrow, where they'd talk about the Consortium, quite a few deals would be made that had nothing to do with the Consortium, and Zaa would have the opportunity to get at every other leader in the vicinity, all in one room, and available for her communal touch. That was the part Jason was waiting for, finding out from Zaa what she would discover. He would make a very short speech today, at the very end. Dahnai would speak first because she was the host, and then it would go in order of which government had the most systems. Jason would therefore speak after the Zyagyan High Patriarch. Then he'd sit there and listen to ten other speeches the rest of the day, probably surf CivNet with his gestalt while keeping only half an ear on the droning.
He did have to look his best, though. He woke up early enough to take a long, thorough bath, and then allowed Shen to give him a fresh haircut; she was actually quite an accomplished stylist, one of her many talents. The Imperial Guards had to fill almost any role for the Empress, and one of Shen's tertiary skills was hairstyling. After eating a light late breakfast, Dera and Ryn helped him back into his formal robes as he watched the arrival of the leaders of the sector in a nearly continuous train on INN, CNN, and many other channels. The High Staff and the Council of the Alliance arrived first, then the Zyagyan High Patriarch, then Brood Queen Sk'Vrae. About fifteen minutes after she was greeted and escorted to quarters where she could rest and prepare, Denmother Zaa arrived. Zaa was never one for ceremony, but she was by far the most regal of the leaders who had arrived so far, tall and stately and looking every inch the ruler as she strode down the carpet, wearing nothing but a memory band and proudly displaying the white band of fur that ran up her body, which flared into a triangular patch over her breasts that went up and over each shoulder. Zaa was one of the few Kimdori he'd known that wore clothing in her normal form and not in a social situation where clothes were demanded, but for this occasion, she was reverting to the traditions of her people. She was also wearing her "royal" fur, with the white band and flared white patch that marked her as Denmother. This fur coloration pattern she did not wear in normal circumstances, but this was a formal occasion, and that required formal fur color. That flared white band was Zaa's crown just as much as Dahnai's tiara was.
It was amazing that Zaa could accomplish a groomed, elegant aire that blew the doors off those who wore expensive clothing.
After her, Emperor Assaba of the Skaa arrived. He was about nine feet tall, strangely hunched because of his tail, standing somewhere between erect and like a velociraptor, his scales fiery red and his eyes gold. He wore only a kilt-like wrap and a crossed pair of golden chains over his scaly torso that were his crown, though he also had gems embedded into his scaly hide, wedged into his scales to make his hide glitter and sparkle in the light. After him, the Mugru of the Jobodi arrived, and after him, the green-skinned human-like High Prince of the Shio arrived. The Shio were a constitutional monarchy, where the ancestral ruler, the High Prince, was basically a diplomatic position that dealt with the outside world. He handled affairs of state while his parliament handled all domestic matters. This High Prince Grayhawk was actually an attractive man, very attractive, looking almost completely human except for his dark green skin, which was colored by his green blood. He was human in appearance only; underneath that human visage was an entirely different species.
The Shio were probably one of the cornerstones of Gora's Law of parallel development, since the Shio and the Faey and the humans all looked almost exactly alike outside of tiny cosmetic differences, anatomically identical, but were actually different species. Shio and Faey and humanity all shared the same physiology, but only humans and Faey were genetically similar enough to reproduce. This High Prince would certainly set some Faey and human women's hearts aflutter with his good looks, though.
After Grayhawk arrived, the Grand Master of the Nine Colonies arrived. The Nine Colonies were just that, colonies. Just who they were colonies of had been lost over the millennia, for their parent civilization died out long ago, or vanished, or something, for all that was left of them was the Nine Colonies. The race of the Nine Colonies was probably what all the U.F.O. hype was all about early in Earth's history, for they were small gray-skinned creatures with long fingers and large black eyes. But unlike the myths, the race, which simply called themselves The Colonists because they long ago forgot their proper name, had black hair on their heads where all the old stories said the aliens they resembled were bald. Though not inherently telepathic, telepathy was quite common among their race, with nearly half of their race having some kind of telepathic or empathic ability. Outside of the Faey, they were the most telepathic race known. Jason knew for a fact that the Grand Master was a telepath, and quite a strong one, because Zaa had briefed him about the various rulers of the immediate governments and empires in the sector, those Jason might contact fairly often. Arriving almost immediately after the Grand Master was the Skaa ruler of the Republic, the Empress Grizza, which was a female Skaa that was about eight feet long and with similar red scales as her male counterpart. After her came the last of the arrivals, the huge, demonic-looking Overseer of the Moridon, which was a lifetime executive post appointed by a legislative body called, literally translated, the Mob. That made the Overseer akin to a prime minister.
And they were only eleven of 34 races and 23 governments represented at the Academy… and outside of Zaa and the Kimdori, they were just those closest to the Imperium, the ones that would be near the focal point of the war to come. The ones that had the most to lose.
"What a pack of nobility," Jason sighed. "And I got dressed way too early."
No, you need to get down there, Aya told him. Don't leave Secretary Kim in the lurch.
That was exactly what he did. While the leaders rested, Jason and Secretary Kim met with the lower ranking dignitaries that came with them, advisors and councilors, relatives and aides, in the conference room near the auditorium. Jason had to rely on his gestalt to file all their names and faces into its memory so he could recall them if his own memory failed him.
Thus was one of the many advantages of a gestalt. Having a computer with massive amounts of memory backing up his own mind with its ability to record virtually anything, even his own sensory input, was incredibly useful.
Jason spent almost all the resting time of the leaders in discussion with the lower dignitaries, including 14 Grand Duchesses from the Siann who had come to attend the summit personally, and actually had a pretty good time. The lower dignitaries didn't have the same stuck-up attitude as their leaders, and he found speaking with the Shio particularly pleasant. They looked and acted like humans, though green-skinned ones, and a couple of Grayhawk's aides had wicked senses of humor. Jason felt much more at home among the flunkies than he did with the rules, and they were more comfortable with each other. Several friendships were made in that conference room before the first gathering of their leaders.
But then came the time for the summit itself. Jason was just one of many who were seated in the side boxes flanking the sides of the auditorium, denied the opportunity to sit on the tiers with the leaders. Jason found himself sitting between Councilor Eudox of the Alliance and an old friend, Grand Duchess Anya Surrale. Quite exciting, isn't it? she asked as they were settled in.
Exciting is an overrated word, Jason answered.
I wonder what they're going to talk about.
Cooperation, good will, all that bullshit, Jason answered.
She glanced at him. Aren't you giving a speech?
At the very end, he answered. No doubt after all the leaders leave, and I'll only have five minutes.
Harsh.
It suits me.
The speeches were as Jason expected. Dahnai started them off, resplendent in her red and gold robes. She spoke first of the attack of the Consortium on her empire, but glossed over the involvement of the Urumi, then made it abundantly clear that the Imperium considered itself at war with the Consortium. "Nobody attacks the Imperium and does not suffer immediate and severe retaliation," she declared adamantly. Emperor Assaba of the Skaa spoke next, speaking of the graciousness of Dahnai for holding the summit and also for sharing all information gleaned from the Consortium with all local parties, and how it fostered understanding and good will through the sector, but he made no mention of the Skaa's feeling towards the Consortium. The High Staff's speech was almost exactly like Assaba's, flattering of Dahnai but politically vague on their intent, only speaking of "external threats" to the harmony of the sector. Sk'Vrae, bless her scaly soul, made no bones about it. Her very first words were "we were betrayed by the Consssortium, and for thisss we ssshall tear them apart." She raged against them for nearly ten minutes, how they had made an honorable agreement and had backstabbed them. But, to Jason's discomfort, she also explained more deeply why the Consortium attacked. "They promisssed usss a ssshare in the sssecretsss of the ancient Karinnesss, which was their goal. But I do not know if, after all thisss time, there are any sssecretsss left." But, she quickly went on to admit that she had been in the wrong, she had apologized to the Karinnes, and were now pledged to battle at their side against the Consortium. No doubt that sentiment came from the fact that Jason was now in control of the Urumi border systems.
As they went down the line, the speeches were less about the Consortium and more about the gratitude of the lesser governments at being included in the technology-sharing agreement. "Truly, our small government shall benefit from the tremendous generosity of Empress Dahnai of the Imperium, and we shall be forever in your debt," High Prince Grayhawk said with an elegant bow to where Dahnai was sitting. "This one act has done more to bring the various governments of our sector together than has all diplomacy tendered over the last hundred years. It is truly an historic event."
The most startling speech, at least to the others, was the Denmother's. She stood up at the lectern for nearly a minute before speaking, and her speech lasted fifteen seconds. "The Kimdori do not approve of the Consortium operating in this sector. We will employ to the Imperium and the Collective to gather information of the Consortium, if they so wish to hire us. We offer our services, at a minimal fee. We will not hire out to the Consortium."
And then she sat back down, leaving stunned looks. The Kimdori never took sides, but yet Zaa was clearly telling them that this time, they were taking sides. The Kimdori weren't pledging to fight, but the offer to hire out their services to the combatants was a blatant declaration that they were taking sides.
After the last of the leaders gave their speeches, Jason fully expected the leaders to file out and leave Jason to addresses the minor potentates, but they did not. When he came up to the lectern, he found himself looking up at eleven interested faces. "I'll be to the point, noble rulers, because I know you are tired and I am holding us here.
"I have ever been known as a blunt man," he began. "Ask any dignitary that interacts with me on a regular basis. I speak my mind, and I speak plainly. So I will speak with honesty and candor now. As all of you know, the Consortium attacked my planet with the aid of the Collective in a plot to plunge the Imperium into civil war, destroy my house, and destabilize the entire sector. Their goals and intentions are their own, and we still don't entirely understand it. It may be as the revered Brood Queen stated, that they sought some ancient technology left over from my ancestors. That's entirely possible, but what none of should overlook was the casual brutality of their methods. They lied to the Collective, used them, then betrayed them at the first available opportunity."
Jason excised a few comments about what terrible things might happen if the Imperium was at civil war, mainly because soon it would appear that it was about to happen, and he didn't want his frank words about it ringing in the heads of the other leaders. "I'm sure that many of you are here expect me to try to persuade you to fight against the Consortium. Well, I'm not," he said calmly. "I won't try to persuade anyone to do any such thing. I won't even try. All I ask, esteemed leaders of the sector, is that in exchange for the technology Empress Dahnai is allowing House Karinne to make available to all who participate in the Academy, what we recovered from the wreckage after the battle, that you don't use it against us. No one here can say that the Consortium acted honorably to the Collective, or to the Imperium. I will not ask you to join against the Consortium, but I will humbly ask that you refuse to join them. We will gladly give you what they would offer to entice you to side against us. So, if they approach you with offers of alliance, offering you their technology, know that they will offer you nothing that we will not have already given you. Besides, now that you have seen what they do to their allies, I'm rather inclined to think that few here would be willing to enter into an agreement with them.
"The Consortium attacked my planet," he said strongly. "They killed over a thousand of my people in the assault, and they were beaten back. But we strongly believe that they are not done, they will return. And when they do, we will be waiting for them. Even now, House Karinne has bent its every resource into preparing for their return, though those resources are modest. And when they do return, we will be ready for them," he said in a harsh tone. "We are aware of them now, and they will not surprise us again. Empress Dahnai and the revered Brood Queen Sk'Vrae have both contacted me and promised to stand with House Karinne against the Consortium when they do return, and we of Karinne are humbled by their support. When the Consortium returns, House Karinne will fight."
He didn't have to say the rest of it. They already knew. And since they did, he stepped away from the podium and returned to his seat.
The summit was adjourned by Dahnai quickly after, so the leaders could absorb the main news meant for them today. The Imperium and the Collective were going to war against the Consortium, and the Kimdori were going to help them. They'd need the rest of the day to think about that, discuss it with their staffs and advisors, and then be ready for the conference tomorrow. That was when the real work would begin.
He returned to his room with his guards and read the reports from home, and found everything right on schedule. The Exiled would be ready to go as soon as the interdictor was protecting their planet, and the interdictor would be ready in four days. It would be three days after that, and then, after a one day delay for Christmas, they'd be heading back to Exile on 26 December. Kosigi was focused on interdictors, working damn hard to get the Imperium fully protected from Consortium attack, as well as Sk'Vrae and the Collective, if she so wished it.
He relaxed with a long, soaking bath, and allowed Suri to wash his hair from behind the tub. One of Suri's tertiary skills was being a personal attendant. She had soft, sensitive hands, and he had always enjoyed how they soothed. A Suri massage was as much a reward as anything, for she'd been trained in massage techniques. He let her wash his hair, rinse it, then her long, sensitive fingers slid down to his shoulders and started working out the knots. God, you're spoiling me, Suri, he sent languidly.
She gave that voiceless, wheezing laugh common to the Imperial Guard, patting him on the shoulders. We serve in all roles, your Grace, not just as your bodyguards. It's nice to be able to do for you without Ayama and Surin here browbeating us for encroaching on their domain.
Ayama's never given me a massage before.
She would in a second of you asked it of her.
True, he admitted, tilting his head back and looking up at her. Suri was one of the most physically fit of the guards in his service, with developed shoulders and strong arms, not bulky as much as she was toned and defined, though it was so easy to forget that since she spent so much time in her armor. She was out of her armor now, serving in a role other than a bodyguard, nude and with his towel draped over her long legs as she massaged his shoulders. Her being nude was a simple matter of custom. Suri wasn't there as a guard, she was there as an attendant, and an attendant might be required to enter the bath of the person being attended. Jason had gotten used to it over the years. He had seen every one of his guards naked too many times for it to really matter anymore, for they had all the rights as any other resident of the strip when off duty, and they too enjoyed the beach.
But, the upside of living in a society where clothes was optional was that he almost always had something very nice to look at. And if he didn't, just one remark would often cause a girl to give him something nice to look at.
Ah, the joys of living among the Faey.
I've never asked, Suri, where are you from?
She gave him a slight smile. I come from the palace, your Grace, she said simply. Who we were before we took the oath is nothing compared to who we become.
Well dodged, he teased.
Thank you, she answered, pressing her fingers into his shoulders.
I've always wondered one thing, though.
What is that?
If Dahnai breaks the betrothal, what happens?
We remain with you, she told him simply. The duty we were given is never rescinded, even if Rann never marries Shya.
Dahnai wasn't too forthcoming about that little fact. She just said that Rann would always be protected.
And so he will, as will you and Jyslin, she answered calmly. We weren't assigned to you, your Grace, we were dispatched to your family. That is not a temporary situation. Even if the Empress annuls the betrothal, Rann will always be tied to the Imperial family by the fact that he was betrothed, and thus he will always be afforded protection by the Guard. That's the official version.
The unofficial version?
The Empress wants her amu dorai well defended, she said simply. That's why we serve you as much as we serve Rann, and why her Majesty dispatched nearly three times the number of Guard she would have otherwise. We are defending your entire family, not just Rann, so we need many more to accomplish that mission. We were given explicit orders in the matter. And that itself is also not unusual. Love interests of the Empress have often been given protection by the Guard. All who are connected intimately to her Majesty must be protected.
So, you belong to me, do you? he asked teasingly.
No, your Grace. You belong to us, she corrected him with a slow smile.
Well, Aya certainly shares your viewpoint, he teased, looking up at her.
The Captain is a wise woman who sees the reality of the situation, she answered impishly.
[Jason, Jyslin is calling you,] Cybi's voice came to him, relayed through the Dreamer.
Your Grace, Duchess Jyslin is on the comm, Aya called from the living room of his suite.
Tell her I'll be there in a sec, he answered, which he knew Aya could accomplish. On Karis, the interfaces the guards wore could translate thought into words, which could then be transmitted over gravband, exactly the same way his gestalt could take his communion and transmit it over gravband as audio. The interfaces accomplished the same thing, though it was not in their own voices, it was in a computer-generated voice they selected when they developed the software for it. Here, however, there were no interface receivers, so Aya would use a holographic keyboard to type a text response.
Suri dried him off with the towel after he stepped out of the bathtub, and he threw it over his shoulder and filed into the living room through the bedroom with Suri following behind him. Jyslin's face was already on the monitor, chatting idly with Aya, who typed responses. "Hey, my love," she said, giving him a smile when he got in front of the monitor. "My, what a wonderful way to greet me," she said with a grin.
"I was in the bathtub," he answered. "How are things going?"
"Just fine. I'm calling because we've reached a milestone."
"Oh really?"
She nodded. "Rann is starting to lose his first baby tooth," she said proudly. "He showed me today. One of his incisors is definitely loose."
"Well, we'll have to do something about that," he chuckled.
"None of that tooth fairy nonsense you humans put in your child's head."
"Your people just take all the fun out of childhood, Jys," he complained. "How about on the other front?"
"I've bought Rann's presents," she answered with a smile. "Are you going to buy one on Terra before coming home?"
"Here? Hell no," he snorted. "It's expensive here. I'll buy them at home, where I can get the same thing for half the price."
"Miser," she teased.
"Every day," he said unashamedly. Suri took his towel from his shoulder and started drying his back for him.
Jyslin took note of Suri's condition and gave Jason a sly smile. "So, I give you a long leash, and you're already pulling on it," she teased lightly.
Jason glanced back at Suri, then laughed. "No, love, she was attending me in the bathroom. I had a rough day, and she was kind enough to offer to give me a massage. I'd do her in a heartbeat because she's so lovely and sexy, but I guess I'm just not man enough for her."
Suri's cheeks flushed slightly, and she slapped him on the backside. Don't make idle threats if you're not ready to carry them out, she warned, which made him laugh.
"What did she say?" Jyslin asked. When he repeated it, she giggled. "That's right, girls, don't let him get away with any crap! Remember, he can't hide behind my panties anymore."
Ryn, Shen, Dera, and Aya gave Jason stern looks, which made Jyslin laugh earnestly. "Alright, tell me all about what happened outside of what we didn't see on INN, love," she prompted.
Jason didn't dress, he stood there holding the towel in his hands and over his shoulders as he told her about his day, and how it was both boring and went exactly as he expected. "Tomorrow will be the telling day," he told her. "They now know that the Imperium is going to go to war, and both the Collective and the Kimdori are going to support them. How they interpret that is going to determine what happens tomorrow."
"What do you think will happen?"
"Honestly? Nobody will commit to anything," he answered. "They'll give us encouraging speeches and promise to help with logistics, but they won't commit militarily. For the Skaa and the Alliance, neutrality is all benefit and no risk. For the smaller governments, well, that's gonna depend on if they believe they can get some monetary assistance out of it, which will let them rapidly refit their ships with Consortium weaponry. But I can't wait until two months from now, when Myli finishes the little project I gave her," he said with a wolfish smile.
She knew that they might not be on a secure connection, so she just nodded and smiled. "I'm gonna go ahead and go, love," she told him. "I'm a little tired, and I need to walk Rann over to Maya's. She's hosting a slumber party for all the children. I think they'll have fun," she smiled.
"Oh, that sounds nice."
"Yes, and I'm spending tonight with Tim and Symone," she purred.
"Hush," he told her.
She laughed. "I'll give you a detailed thrust by lick accounting of the night when you get home," she said with a teasing smile. "Or would you rather hear all about what I'm planning to do tonight?"
"Jyslin, stop being mean," he warned.
"Mean? Mean would be describing how I intend to suck Tim's cock while Symone eats me out, then how I'm gonna kneel down and lick Symone off while Tim pounds me from behind, then how I'm gonna sit on Symone's face while Tim spreads her legs wide and I watch him pump that big dick of his up between her pussy lips."
"Jyslin!" he said, almost groaningly.
"He's all yours, Suri," Jyslin said with a wink, then she blew a kiss to him before cutting the communication.
"God, she's such a bitch!" Jason growled, but the damage was done. His penis had been awakened by his wife's nasty language, and it was threatening to stand at attention. "Why did I ever marry her?"
Because she makes you horny, most likely, Aya sent with a wicked tilt to her thoughts and a mean little smirk, looking down. Well girls, do we take care of his little problem? She asked clinically as his rebellious member carried out its threat.
I think I'd classify that as a big problem there, Captain, Ryn sent with a teasing smile.
We might have to call in a professional, Shen noted. I'm not sure we're qualified to deal with this. You know, he might have certain delicate issues because he's a human.
I suppose we can let him handle the problem himself, Dera sent with a grin. One of us should go out for some baby oil.
"Oh, push off, the lot of ya!" he said, turning and marching with as much dignity as a naked man with an erection can muster as he went back to his bedroom, being chased by their silent laughter.
Jason knew their customs and tradition, and knew that the Imperial Guard would do something like that. They served in any capacity, and he'd heard all kinds of stories about Dahnai's mother, who had taken tremendous liberty with her guards. Aura wasn't being silly when she thought that Jason had an assigned consort among his guards, there to satisfy the Grand Duke's physical needs if he was apart from his wife and amu dozei. But, he also knew that they knew that he wasn't truly in the mood, that it was just Jyslin teasing him, so they would most likely take no action… because unlike most Faey women, they wouldn't initiate that action. If Jason truly wanted release, he would come to them. They knew it, and in a way, he knew it. It was comforting in one way to know they were there, but on another level, he didn't like the idea of it. If he became so weak that he couldn't wait until he got home, well, then there was something wrong with him.
The second day of the conference was, quite simply, a bitter disappointment.
Jason had approached this day hopeful that he could make several deals that would further his goal to completely insulate the sector from Consortium invasion, to spread interdictors across the sector and make it virtually impossible to jump in nearly anywhere. But, his problem was, that fleet of 3400 ships had to remain a secret, and their plan to protect the Imperium relied on secrecy. The Consortium could not know that his house had devised a means to stop the Consortium from jumping in, not when they had a sizable attack fleet in position to invade the sector at any time. Without being able to spell out exactly how he was going to do it, when Jason approached leaders and tried to bargain some kind of agreement out of them to help them protect themselves, they scoffed him. He could only relate vague ideas, offer to work with them to secure "a defense against the Consortium's ability to jump hyperspace in real time," but when pressed on it, he could only hint at possibilities. The leaders were not in the mood to listen to possibilities, and besides, Jason had the feeling that they were not going to take the Consortium as a real threat to them until the Consortium actively moved. They were all waiting to see what would happen, exactly the same way that the Skaa and Alliance did when the Consortium and Collective attacked Karis. They wanted the most benefit with the least risk, and as yesterday had proved, in this case neutrality cost them nothing.
What all but made him tear out his hair was that he could provide something better than neutrality, but he couldn't announce it until after the Imperium was safe, since the Consortium would be after the Imperium far more than the other empires. But all he could do was keep darkly silent and try to bargain deals with leaders who saw nothing to gain out of it. He couldn't begrudge them not wanting to put their people in unnecessary risk, but damn it all, couldn't they see that the Consortium were ruthless? They'd walked all over the Collective, made a deal and then betrayed them at the first convenient opportunity. Wasn't that proof enough that the Consortium was not going to be honest?
The other side of it, talking about the danger the Consortium posed, was even more disappointing. All he got from the Skaa, the Alliance, and the Nine Colonies was how they were a threat, but there was no immediate threat, so why worry about them? Wait and see what happened. The Shio and the Skaa Republic were even more ambivalent, not feeling like the Consortium was any particular threat to them, but were willing to entertain assisting if they returned… for a healthy fee. The Moridon were, predictably, neutral in the matter. They never took sides, and Jason could respect that. The Overseer was there mainly to listen to what others had to say first hand.
So, after spending nearly five hours trying to talk to them about making deals and listen to vague insistence that the Consortium was a threat, but not particularly dangerous at this particular moment, he left the conference room in disgust. But there was nothing he could do. His hands were tied by his duty to the Imperium, the need to protect the Faey because they were a target of the Consortium just as much as House Karinne. His hope, his dream, was to unify the entire sector not under a single government, but under a single understanding, that they were all neighbors and that peace was far more lucrative than war. With the Imperium's Stargate technology and the Karinne interdictors, they could protect themselves from the Consortium by a one year barrier and open trade relations that would foster cooperation between the empires, that cooperation would instill trust, and that trust would bring everyone closer together. But at the root, it was really all about money, about every empire getting an economic boom out of the open trade the Stargates could provide, an era of economic prosperity that would foster peace in the sector.
God, he hated politics.
He wasn't simple enough to think that there could be peace in the sector, but if every empire had too much of a financial stake in other empires, pure self interest would discourage warfare. Empires heavily engaged in trade with each other were less likely to go to war.
He returned to his rooms and had his guards help him get his robes off, and went back to jeans and a tee shirt. He sat in the living room and went over the day, replayed several conversations in his mind, but he saw no way he could have made them turn out any differently. They had all come with their positions locked in their own minds, and he just couldn't offer enough for anyone to change that position. If he could have demonstrated the interdictor and offered it to any who feared a Consortium invasion, it would have gone much differently. But he couldn't tell them about the interdictor. He couldn't tell them why the Consortium was focusing on Karinne and the Faey, because to do so would be to reveal a secret that could never be revealed. If the other empires truly understood just what the Karinnes were, then they'd be joining with the Consortium to conquer the Karinnes.
The hope was to make the sector too happy to care, by offering the sector technology, filtered through the Academy, that they could never get anywhere else. The giving of the Consortium technology was going to be just the first step, the foundation of a stream of the many technologies locked within Cybi's memory to be released to the sector. The empires would see it as a boom of scientific advancement, offered to all, and that would also foster cooperation and openness among the empires of the sector.
And it was also the culmination of his duties as a Karinne. The Karinnes had been wrong to sit on everything they knew. They had become too arrogant, too believing in the Program, and Jason was of the firm belief that had the Seditionists not destroyed Karinne in the Third Civil War, then the Karinnes would have finally taken that last step into believing that they were far superior to the rest of life in the universe and moved out to conquer. After all, to him, that was what Kosigi was about. The Karinnes were about to militarize, and were destroyed before it could come to pass. It was an unavoidable side effect of trying to create "the Master Race." That master race would demand to rule all those who were inferior. Germany proved that back in the early 20th century. Jason would never permit that. He would remember that he may be engineered to be superior in powers, but that in no way made him superior in morality. He had a duty to repay the Karinne debt to the rest of the universe, a debt they didn't even know about, and he would begin by releasing technologies that would enrich the lives of everyone, but never technologies that would allow one empire to make war on another. The Consortium weapon technologies would be the only ones ever released, which would effectively create a level playing field for everyone. Huge empires would have a numerical advantage over smaller empires in fleet strengths, but the weapons were actually small and mobile, and that meant that any attack on a small empire would pose tremendous risk to the attacker, where a single planet's defenses could annihilate a huge enemy fleet. A single Torsion weapon could destroy an attacking vessel, and while there may be 300 vessels attacking, the defenders might have 500 small orbital weapon platforms on top of orbital stations and naval vessels. The new paradigm in the sector now favored the defender, and favored him heavily. That alone would foment peaceful coexistence, if only because war would be far too costly to wage than peace was to maintain.
Such hopes… and he'd truly thought that they could start today, that the Consortium would be a perfect excuse to start moving forward.
But, there was always later. After the Imperium was protected by the interdictors, after the rest of the sector saw what protection the Karinnes could offer, and would offer, maybe that would get things going. The survival of Karinne and the Imperium and the denial to the Consortium the secrets of the Generations were the highest priority right now.
Zaa came to him about an hour after Jason left, striding into the room with Miaari and Kiaari in tow. Miaari had arrived that morning both to see Zaa and attend the conference. The opportunity to pick up juicy information from the minds of the leaders themselves, all gathered in one room, was just too important for Zaa to leave to a single Kimdori, even herself, so she and Miaari had systematically worked the room. The Denmother and her Handmaiden were the only ones that had the rank to attend the conference. When neither of them sat, he stood and approached them. "Denmother," he greeted fondly, offering his neck to her hand. She put her hand on him in ritual greeting, but her eyes were grim, and her expression stony.
"Aya," she called, looking to his captain. "We depart. Prepare the Grand Duke to return to Karis immediately."
She knew better than to argue. She nodded and started issuing commands for possessions to be packed and the Grand Duke returned to Dreamer.
"What's wrong, Denmother?" he asked in concern.
"I will explain when we are moving," she told him. "I have given orders to Kiaari and prepared a course of action for Ayuma, your Grace. Do not countermand them."
That made him tense. Zaa knew something, and she didn't want to explain it until they were safely away from Earth. He reached out and took her hand meaningfully, offering for her to impart it to him in the Kimdori way, but she shook her head and gently pulled her clawed hand from his grasp. "What about Dahnai?"
"She is already en route to Dreamer, and her family is aboard."
Within five minutes, they were ready to go. His guards escorted him and the Kimdori down to the landing pad, where they climbed into his Karinne dropship. Jason moved to sit in the pilot's chair, but Zaa stopped him with a hand and motioned Aya to take his place. She had him sit back in the passenger cabin, and she kept them silent until they were well airborne. After nearly five minutes, when the dropship was on the edge of space and approaching the battleship, Zaa finally spoke. "We are betrayed," she said simply.
"Betrayed? By who?"
"By our allies," she snorted. "The Skaa and the Alliance both have already been approached by the Consortium. The High Staff and the Emperor both have had personal dealings with them. In both cases, the Consortium attempted to secure alliances against us, promising to share the technology they all know you conceal should they assist. In both cases, the empires did not commit, but also did not reject, and now, after yesterday's speeches, they feel they made the wise move. They see the Imperium as allied with the Collective. The Alliance has been quite cunning in this. They have made overtures to both sides, giving bits of information to both sides so they might gain without making a solid commitment either way. They supplied us with the location of the Consortium base, and have supplied the Consortium with detailed information about the Academy, and particularly, Ayuma Karinne."
"Ayuma?"
"She is going home, Jason," Zaa stated bluntly. "She is in danger on Terra. So she is going home. The Academy is well set up now. She can oversee it from Karis, by video and missive."
"Is it that serious?"
She nodded grimly. "Emperor Assaba was in negotiations to kidnap Ayuma, as was the High Staff. The Consortium did not tell them the truth of Ayuma, they only told them that as the head of the Academy, she would know all the Karinne secrets. In reality, they want her because they know she is a Generation, and seek to capture her. The Emperor Assaba is very nervous now, because they have heard that the Kimdori reject the presence of the Consortium in this sector and will work to oppose them. The Emperor Assaba intends to break off contact with the Consortium when he returns, but the High Staff sees the potential to make gains through neutrality and careful clandestine action. He foresees an aftermath when the Imperium and the Skaa have all but destroyed each other, and can move in and claim much of their territory. The Skaa are worried and seek to take a neutral position, fearful of the Imperium doing to them what they did to the Urumi. The High Staff and Alliance, however, will actively oppose us. They want war, so they may expand without having to fight that war themselves. Expect the Alliance to try to start a war between the Imperium and the Skaa."
"What of Sk'Vrae?" he had to ask.
"She is enraged by the Consortium. Her dedication to our alliance against them is absolute, even to the point where she will ally to the Imperium. She sees the Consortium as the greater threat, and the enemy of her enemy is her friend. She knows of the Generations, Jason," she said seriously. "But her dedication to assist us against them, and your generous and kind treatment of her after the battle of Karis, has stayed her hand. It is not information for any to hear in her mind. She fears what you may become, but she feels that you have acted in honor. She will be your ally so long as you continue to treat the Urumi with respect."
Jason put his head in his hands. All his hopes… gone. Just like that. And that bastard, the High Staff, smiled in his face talking of cooperation, and all the while he intended to backstab him! He was going to take everything he could get out of the Academy, start a war, let them destroy each other, then sweep in and take over the majority of the sector!
"I know, Jason," she said gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I wish I could have learned this sooner, but never before have I had the opportunity available at this summit, and I have curtailed operations in what I considered to be neutral or friendly empires to focus more fully on the Consortium. But the winds blowing are clear, my cousin. The Consortium has already infiltrated the sector, and so we must pull back and protect our position. The Alliance is looking to start a war, Jason, then step back and let the two largest empires in the sector destroy each other. We cannot allow them to accomplish this goal.
"The Consortium is not our only enemy, Jason. We must guard against the perfidy of those who will profess friendship but act against us. Not because of the Karinnes, but for acquiring territory."
Jason sighed. "I… I don't know what to say. And I thought the Alliance would be the best ones to start with," he said morosely. "I… we'll have to stop the program," he sighed.
"No. Leave it," Zaa said. "To back out would be to reveal that you know that which you cannot possibly know. What I learned from them they have not passed to others, specifically by request of the Consortium. To reveal what you know would cause many more problems. The Alliance wants to start a war without fighting in that war. Allow them to partake in the technology you offer, for it is no threat to us. Besides, the smaller empires do need our help. The Imperium, Skaa, and Alliance will be afraid to make war on them if they are armed with Consortium weaponry."
"I will be guided by you, Denmother," he said immediately. "Denmother, I need a favor of you."
"Speak."
"I think you see that the construction of interdictors is the most important thing now."
She nodded. "I will send you extra workers to Kosigi so they might increase your output. I want to see two interdictors a day coming off the assembly lines."
"Thank you. I know you must be stretched thin."
"I will have to pull workers from the shipyards, but you are right. A single interdictor is more important than ten warships at this time. To deny the Consortium the ability to attack gives us extra time to build more ships."
On board Dreamer, Jason met a frightened and out of sorts Ayuma in the landing bay. She had arrived mere moments before him. "Jason, what's going on?" she asked fearfully. "A bloody pack of Kimdori all but abducted me and cleaned out both my office and my house! They said you recalled me to Karis!"
"I support their actions," he told her wearily. "You were in danger, Ayuma. There was a plot afoot to kidnap you."
"Me? Me? Why would they want to kidnap me? I'm just an administrator!"
In answer, he reached out and tapped her gestalt, and said not one more word.
Aya, stony-faced, escorted him to his guest cabin, and not to Dahnai. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk to her right now. He wanted a little while to think, think about this before he had to face her. Dahnai represented an entirely different set of problems, and he didn't want to mix them at the moment.
Fuck. And he had been so hopeful! He felt like someone stomped on his chest. He hoped to come out of this summit with at least some hopeful news that they would be amenable to standing up together against the Consortium, and that would be the springboard that would open the doors between the empires and foster more trade and cooperation. But the reality wasn't even close. The Skaa and the Alliance scheming, the smaller empires watchful, with only the Collective declaring its open intentions. How ironic that his former enemy was now his strongest ally, and the one empire he thought would be his strongest ally had turned out to be the most dangerous of his enemies.
But what did he come home with now? The support of a weakened Collective and the treachery of those who would take all they could from him before throwing him to the wolves.
God, maybe his ancestors did have the right idea. Maybe he had been the stupid one. It was clear the empires in this sector were only interested in themselves. It was time to accept that and move on. If it was going to be the Imperium and the Collective against the Consortium, then so be it.
They would be united against a common foe.
Jaiya, take me home, he sent wearily. I need to be back where I belong.
We'll be under way in just a few moments, your Grace, the Admiral replied. In an hour, you will be home.
It took him nearly a full day to get over the crushing disappointment of the summit, where he and Zaa closeted themselves off, even from Dahnai, and discussed matters thoroughly.
With it clear now that the Skaa and the Alliance would be playing their own games, they had to change their plans and move forward with the grim understanding that they could trust no one, and any attempts to bring the empires together in any manner would be useless. The empires would smile and take what the Academy gave, and then spit on the intent of it, the attempt to foster more cooperation and understanding, and take as much as they could manage. He would have no doubt that the first thing the Alliance and Skaa would do would be to arm their ships with the new weapons as fast as possible, and in a grim moment of clarity, he saw them attacking their smaller neighbors before they could do the same, perverting the entire intent of what giving them that technology was supposed to mean.
The reason he would not arm Dahnai was going to be proven true with the other empires.
But they would fix that little problem, for they had working models of those weapons already. Myleena could rip one of them apart in about two hours and backwards engineer a production model to build the weapons. They would engage Sk'Vrae in their private duplication of those weapons, then the industrial might of the 77 systems of the Imperium and the 30 systems of the Collective would bend to the task of cranking those weapons out, which would then be sold in huge quantities, at dirt-cheap prices, to the smaller empires. When the Alliance and Skaa got their ships armed, they'd find their small prey already bristling with Imperium-built weaponry and ready for them.
And when the Alliance and the Skaa dared to approach the Imperium to buy the weapons themselves, they'd get the door slammed in their faces.
The plan Jason and Zaa formed was to defend the Imperium and the Collective with interdictors, build an impenetrable wall around their two empires through which nobody could pass. The Collective's navy would be rebuilt and rearmed, and the Imperium would rearm and produce as many new ships as possible in that time. Jason would continue to build interdictors until he had a large stockpile of them in reserve, then devote the resources of the house into both expanding Kosigi and producing ships, Gladiators, and the new Wolf fighters, a purely Karinne design.
That was the plan. But now they had to convince Dahnai and Sk'Vrae of it. And before they could do that, Jason had to sit Dahnai down and explain some things to her.
And he couldn't avoid that any longer.
He hated doing it. He hated it with every fiber of his being, and he felt like he was putting his head in a noose every time he thought about it. But the baby that would grow within Dahnai made it absolutely imperative that she understand the outrageous demands that he would place on her, or their relationship would be destroyed.
The setting he chose to do this was a place of peace and quiet for him, and a place of absolute privacy and isolation… Kosiningi.
She was quite curious when he separated her from her family and flew her out here not in a dropship, but in a two-seater Raptor, over the vociferous objections of her guards, which required a direct order from Dahnai to prevent armed conflict on the strip. The island was currently deserted of workers, a wooded island with a sandy beach, an empty emergency response center, and Cybi nearby in case he needed her. She walked along with him on the beach, watching him intently as he kept quiet, lost in thought, carrying her shoes in her hand and wearing a pair of shorts and a half-shirt. He walked along in silence for nearly half an hour, his face sober, almost grim, and his eyes weary and defeated.
He stopped and looked out towards the sunset. "I love the blue sun here," Dahnai said, putting her hand on his upper arm.
"I have something to tell you, Dahnai," he finally said, in a dead voice.
"I know. I'm listening."
He was silent a long moment. "Miaari agreed with me that this is something that you must know, regardless of the fact that you're carrying Raisha," he began. "It comes to the core of exactly why the Consortium attacked Karis, and it involves our daughter."
She looked at him, but said nothing.
"Before the Third Civil War, the Karinnes were heavily engaged in experiments and research," he began.
"Yes, their attempts to build a machine that could understand telepathy," she noted casually, reminding him that she knew much more than most others.
"They succeeded," Jason said simply. "But not in the way they hoped. They built a computer that was telepathically aware, Dahnai, but they couldn't understand it. It could communicate with other computers of its kind, but not with the Karinnes. The Karinnes could not overcome the problem, no matter how hard they tried. So, they simply attacked the problem from the other direction."
He blew out his breath. "Dahnai, when the Karinnes couldn't build a computer that could understand them, they created Karinnes who could understand the computer," he said intensely. "Me, my children, my father, and ninety-six generations of Faey behind my Faey ancestor that came to Earth were all part of those Karinnes. They called them the Generations. And they, we, and I, descended from the first Generation, which was genetically engineered, engineered to be able to understand the telepathic computers. Every Grand Duchess since Sora Karinne has been a Generation, has been the product of genetic engineering, and every Generation after her was the product of a very strict program of selective breeding, which developed our telepathy to the strength it is now and caused all of us to be telekinetics. The traits were bred into us."
He didn't give her a chance to respond. "When the Third Civil War destroyed Karis, my ancestors scattered. Some fled to Earth. Some fled to Exile. Some, we don't know what happened to them. But the Consortium happened to come across the Karinnes who fled to Exile over a thousand years ago. From them, they discovered the secret of the Karinnes. They captured some Karinne technology, kidnapped some of the survivors, and took them… somewhere. We don't know where. Much of the Consortium's technology is based on Karinne technology," he told her. "They took my ancestors' technology and took it apart, learned how it worked, then developed it in their own way. The Torsion weapons, the dark matter weapons, their power systems, even their gravometric and hyperspace engines, they're all based on Karinne technology.
"That's why they've come back, Dahnai," he told her quietly, looking out over the water. "When I restored the house, they realized that there was more to take, but what they want most is us. The Generations. When they attacked Karis, they went after the last of the telepathic computers, and they also came after me. They know I'm a Generation, Dahnai. They know what I am, and they want me. And now you carry a Generation inside you," he told her, looking at her with penetrating eyes. "And since you're carrying my child, they'll know that Raisha is a Generation."
She was quiet a long moment, her hand on her bare, flat belly. "You can really send to a computer?"
"A very special kind of computer, yes," he said simply. "They did eventually create a device that can hear thoughts rather than sending, but it can only receive, not send," he explained. "Those are the interfaces."
"But you call yours a gestalt," she said pointedly. "That thing on your face is a telepathic computer, isn't it?"
He nodded. "I can send to this, and it can send back," he said, tapping the gestalt over his ear. "So, that's what you need to know, Dahnai," he told her. "That's why the Consortium is after us… and why they'll be after you and every Faey they can get their hands on."
"Why? What—ohhhhhhh," she said, nodding. "If you were engineered, they'll need Faey to engineer if they want to make more of you!"
"They might make a grab for humans too, but I'm not sure about that," he said. "They had access to humans when the Urumi were holding the ones the Trillanes abducted, but they didn't take them. Or we don't think they did. So we don't think they believe humans can be Generations unless they're like me, part Faey. So, understand it when I say this, Dahnai. I want to foster Raisha," he told her. "Not because I'm pissing on Imperial tradition, but because she is a Generation. She has abilities that you do not, Dahnai, and she has to learn how to master those abilities. What I have to teach her, she can only learn here. And here, she will be safe. We had to pull Ayuma from Terra because the Kimdori ferreted out a plot to kidnap her. She's a Generation, too. The Consortium will be after anyone they think is a Generation, Dahnai, and Raisha will be safest here, on Karis, where they cannot touch her."
Dahnai was silent a long while, then she sat down in the sand. Jason sat beside her, and she blew out her breath. "I don't want to give her up, Jason," she said honestly. "If I let you foster her, I'll have to strip her of her title. It's just not fair to her," she complained. "She would feel like she was less than her sisters, and she would be ridiculed by the nobles. But I also can't deny what you're saying. If she is one of these Generations, then she needs to honor that part of herself. And she'll be safe with me, love. I am the most protected person in the Imperium. They'll never take her."
He blew out his breath. "She belongs here, Dahnai."
"She is an Imperial Princess. She belongs in the palace."
"She's a Karinne."
"She is a Merrane," she said bluntly, looking at him. "She has ties to your house that must be honored, but she is an Imperial Princess," she declared adamantly.
"But, if you let me foster her, you won't have to deal with the Siann."
"You let me handle the Siann," she told him.
"Dahnai, please," he said, nearly begging, looking at her with sincere eyes. "You don't understand."
"I do understand," she told him. "My empire is about to go to war for your benefit, Jason," she told him bluntly. "And I will do so gladly. The Karinnes may have been betrayed by the Imperium long ago, but the Imperium will not abandon the Karinnes again. The Consortium came back to our sector because of the Karinnes. I could throw you to them and save us a lot of trouble, but I will not. You need us, and we will be there for you. I'm not going to lose a part of my Imperium, no matter who is trying to take it from me. I'm putting a great deal of trust and faith in you, Jason. Can you do the same for me?" she asked with simple elegance. "I promise, I will do what's right for Raisha. If she's a Generation, she'll be given ample opportunity to learn her history and master the powers it gives her. I understand that she's not just an Imperial Princess, Jason. She's also your daughter, and I know how much you love your children. I think she'll be a very lucky girl," she told him, putting her hand on his knee. "She'll have two fathers that love her very much. I won't keep you out of her life. You'll be given plenty of time with her, and the opportunity to both visit her and bring her here, just as you're letting Shya come here to see Rann. But you must understand, Jason, she is my daughter. No matter how much I love you, or how important you think it is to be here on Karis, you have to trust me. I'll do everything I can to give Raisha what you think she needs, but I will not give her up, and I won't take anything away from her either. She is going to be an Imperial Princess. That doesn't mean that she can't also be one of your Generations. She will be both, Jason, and get the best of both worlds."
He knew that tone. He knew she wasn't going to budge, and that no amount of argument was going to move her. She had made up her mind, probably long before she came to Karis, and that was that, despite what she had just learned.
For the second time in as many days, Jason had been beaten. He sighed, slumped his shoulders, and looked down.
"I'm sorry, Jason," she said softly, leaning close to him. "I know what it means to you, and I hope you won't be too angry with me. I still love you, and this won't change that. Learning the truth won't change it. I don't care if your ancestors were genetically engineered, Jason. I don't care that the Consortium is here because they want to capture you because of it. You are one of us, Jason. You are a subject of the Imperium, and the entire Imperium will fight to protect you, even though I'm absolutely positive what you've told me probably isn't even half of the real truth. You just told me enough to understand what was going on without giving away your true secrets. No more, no less. I can appreciate that, and for that much, thank you. It does make what's going on much more clear. The Consortium is after the real secret you're hiding from me, but I'll fight to protect that secret, even if you don't trust me enough to reveal it to me.
"You once asked me to trust you, Jason, with only your word. All I can ask is for you to do the same for me now, my love. Trust me with Raisha. I swear to you that I won't dishonor her heritage as a Karinne."
"Do I have a choice?" he asked quietly.
"You do have a choice, Jason, but I really wish you would trust me," she told him. "Have I ever turned my back on you?"
His silence was all the answer she needed.
"Can you show me a telepathic computer?" she asked. "I read reports on it from the Imperial history. Did the technology really survive?"
"It did," he told her. "And you're already looking at one of them," he noted, tapping his gestalt.
"No, Jason. The real telepathic computer. The one you said survived the destruction of Karis."
"I can't show it to you. If I did that, Dahnai, you would never leave this planet. To learn that secret would bind you heart and soul to my house, and we would never allow you to leave. And I mean that with absolute sincerity."
She looked out over the water a long moment. "Fair enough," she finally declared, standing up and offering her hand to him. "Let's go back before it gets dark, Jason. Your Ayama is making pizza, and I don't want to miss it."
He looked up at her, then chuckled ruefully. "And we'll talk more about this later."
"Yes. But not tonight," she told him.
"Not tonight," he agreed as they turned to walk back to the Raptor.