by Neely Dobbs
CHAPTER 27: Coalition
In the murky warren of the Tunnel Rats Pub, in a shadowed corner well removed from the bustle and confusion emanating from the well-inebriated cast of raucous regulars, sat— private and secure— two high-born and note-worthy personages, V.I.P.'s of the Coalition.
Normally, business of such import as theirs would not be conducted in such a public, plebeian place. (Some might have said it was notoriously nefarious…or even downright dark, dismal and disreputable. All that was true. But it was far from the worst tavern in town… and the cooks charred a wicked aaxlotl steak.)
Fortunately for the cozy couple, a back entrance— made available exclusively to those possessing power and prestige— had allowed them relative obscurity on entry. Then, availing themselves of the deep corner shadows and an opaqued privacy field, they had settled in to savor the enticing aroma and rich flavor of that legendary steak.
Dinner completed and her third glass of wine in hand, Eebri glowed with warm contentment. It wasn't merely that she had savored a precisely rare tenderloin of aaxlotl— difficult to find anywhere— or that she had enjoyed it during a lingering private dinner with Briin. Those were fabulous, of course, she thought. In fact, it was so delicious I'd like a bit more steak…and , she giggled, Briin for dessert.
She leaned enticingly into the embracing support of the maroon satin cushions and thought pleasantly, somewhat dreamily, that they were home free. Enough time had passed for her to be reasonably certain that any repercussions from the afternoon's contentious session of the MAC meeting already would have surfaced. She felt it unnecessary— and contrary to her giddy mood— to raise the subject with Briin.
Briin, however— not yet so completely at ease as Eebri— found his mind drifting back to business. Then came an amazingly distracting, exotically sinuous shifting of Eebri's supple form. Briin moaned almost inaudibly. Struggling to control his reactions, he squirmed, shifted in his seat, and decided that it was unquestionably time to request her update on the afternoon's MAC meeting.
Catching her eye through the wavering candlelight, he paused, tilted his head, and nodded— hoping she would begin the report. Finally, realizing he had become lost in the shimmering depths of her eyes, he broke through his paralysis and said, “Well, Eebri? I'm all ears.”
She frowned. “Briin, that's a terrible thing to say about our Chief of State, especially when he's reasonably attractive.”
“Admirable diplomacy, Officer Laytonn,” he chuckled. “And displays of such loyalty could result in your being assigned to close support duty under your Commander-in-Chief.”
Her less than innocent laugh was sufficient response for Briin, so he was unnerved by her throaty purr of a response, “Oooh... does that mean you're currently considering possible positions for me?”
Briin flushed and realized he was seriously overmatched in this linguistic duel of double-entendres. He awkwardly beat a hasty, but revealing, retreat. “Uh… perhaps… later... but don't you have a report for me about the MAC meeting?”
Eebri beamed triumphantly, refocused her thoughts for a moment and said, “I think we pulled it off magnificently. As we expected, Cjorll and Vstoch led the opposition. But even their strongest complaints about Eidolon became flimsy and faded in light of our report. Of course, they were often frustrated by the fact that your First Science Officer…” she looked down demurely, as if embarrassed by her key role, “continually responded to their requests for more specific information with, 'I'm sorry, noble Lord, but we are unable to provide you with that information at this time…' or, ‘An excellent question my Lord, and be assured we will provide you with further facts, once we have researched it thoroughly'.” She giggled again. “Actually, Briin, they were more poorly prepared and more woefully witless than even I could have imagined.
“Of course, they resorted to febrile filibustering,” she said, excitedly warming to recounting the day's success. “But it all amounted to nothing more than puerile posturing and bombastic bluster. The fact that they only raised issues about Eidolon indicates they feared that picking on this most recent appearance, Chaattel Menkondra, would yield no ripe political fruit. We entered the session extremely well prepared and more adequately armed than they could have imagined!”
Eebri paused, emitting another low thrumming purr— almost a growl— that sent an electric tingle through Briin. Attempting to hide the effect her growl had on him, he rubbed his eyes, then scratched his ear.
“We ate them up, Briin! They didn't stand a chance, and they knew it. By the time the meeting was complete, they were utterly unctuous. Of course, they did make some noisy and unsupported accusations, for which they probably should be promptly prosecuted.”
Briin winked at her. “Do you really think I should sue?”
She laughed without hesitation. “What? And give them a platform from which to plead the abuse of The Mighty Chief trampling on cadet-sized committeemen’s rights?”
He winced and said nothing for a moment. Then he spoke very seriously, almost angrily. “Eebri, men were lost. They may have no facts to support their allegations…but what if they're right?”
Scornful denial distorted her face. “Not in a thousand years, and you know it! Cjorll and Vstoch are merely petulant little boys following doggedly in their daddies' footsteps, hoping to place their own hand-selected servile sycophants in office. The idiots idealize inordinate incompetency!"
She rushed on, her volume and tone still rising, “Ptoriil, as sad as the reality is, when unplanned military operations are conducted in unknown locations, men sometimes will be lost. Even seemingly simple reconnaissance operations occasionally lose expert observers. These men were volunteers, as the record clearly shows. Besides, the second two men— by attempting a dangerous rescue mission of the missing crew— directly violated orders. Their loss was unquestionably a result of their own disobedience!” Eebri raced to a finish, face livid, arms flailing, almost shouting, “You are Not to blame!”
Lord Ptoriil, jaw muscles flexing and knuckles white, responded in unmistakably commanding tones, “Officer Laytonn, you must remember that, as Commander-in-Chief, I am responsible for what happens to everyone under my command. No matter who is ‘to blame,' the responsibility falls on my shoulders. Our opponents won't let me forget that. Nor would I want to.”
FSO Laytonn suddenly quieted and nodded tersely. “Sir, I stand corrected— and I must confess that you are correct.” Then, with the hint of a pout, Eebri added, “But I don't have to like it.”
Briin smiled at her ready acceptance of his reprimand and beamed at her implied support. “Eebri, I regret having taken such a formal tone in such informal surroundings. Of course, my point was real, but I was also concerned about discretion. You were becoming a bit loud and demonstrative. Although these privacy fields are good, I'm not sure they can block out such loud and shrill histrionics. We don't want to draw unnecessary attention to our being here together.”
Eebri’s reply carried an icy edge. “Well! A girl could take offense at that! Loud? Shrill? Given to histrionics?” Her chin trembled and her eyes misted. “I take it that you would rather not be seen with me in public!”
Briin was taken aback completely by this unaccustomed display of emotion from her. She seemed to be twisting his words intentionally. What should I say? Hurriedly, he attempted to save what had— until now— been such an enjoyable evening.
“Eebri, I'm so sorry if I upset you. That’s not at all what I meant! It's just that this isn't the most reputable place around, and people might talk.” He paused, watching her flushed face soften as a single tear trickled a path down her cheek. “Oh, Brie, don't you know I'd like being with you whether it was alone in my private quarters or where we would be seen together in the most public place in the Coalition?”
A tinge of smile lifted one side of her frown and a misc
hievous sparkle lit her eye as Eebri responded, “If you ask nicely, Briinie, at least one of those might be arranged.”
