Venus Rising

by Speer, Flora

  “You are my true mate,” he said as they came together. `’I want to live with you for all of my life. I want you to bear my child. I love you, Narisa …love you … love you.

  She held him in the pearly rose light of dawn, while he slept deeply and she sent silent prayers to every ancient god whose name she could remember, pleading that they might be allowed to remain together, and knowing deep in her heart the danger of their mission and how unlikely it was that her prayers would be answered.

  Chapter Fourteen

  They were ushered into the Red Room through the door at the lowest level, the same way Tarik and Narisa had entered once before with Gaidar. They reached the square meeting room at precisely the hour of mid morning, with two of Halvo’s personal guards, all he was permitted to take with him of the dozen who had accompanied them to the Assembly chambers. Halvo had accepted with quiet dignity the insulting manner of the ushers when they stopped the other ten.

  “An admiral deserves a better escort,” insisted one of his people.

  “Let it be,” Halvo responded. “Remain here in the anteroom in case I need you. Now, let us get on with this.” He stood before the door to the Red Room, waiting until it was opened for him, then strode boldly forward, the others following.

  All of them wore full dress uniform. Halvo’s dark blue jacket glistened with gold and silver braid on collar and cuffs, and his wide belt was heavily trimmed with silver. Both sides of his chest were covered with medals, with Service ribbons in every possible color, and with an almost unbelievable number of honorary decorations from the planets of the Jurisdiction and beyond. His dark blue cape had been tossed back over each shoulder to show its shimmering red lining, and to make the sixteen-pointed admiral’s star on his left arm easily visible to the Members. His ornate silver helmet rested in the crook of his left arm. He was calm, composed, and regal in his bearing. Narisa had no doubt he would impress the Members favorably, recalling to them his almost legendary exploits in the Service of the Jurisdiction, thus inclining them to listen willingly to what he had to say to them.

  She and Tarik walked close to Halvo, where he had ordered them to be regardless of Service protocol. Tarik was one pace behind and slightly to his brother’s right, Narisa a similar distance to his left. Their uniforms were less resplendent than his, trimmed with red and silver braid. Their belts were simply ornamented, their plain silver helmets, carried in the left arm like Halvo’s, were decorated only with their stars of rank. Both wore the formal cape thrown back only over the left shoulder so that the insignia on the left uniform sleeve could be seen.

  Tarik wore several medals and ribbons fastened to his left chest. Narisa wore only her Top-of-the-Class Navigator’s silver bar and the new medal Halvo had conferred on her that morning, the small, five-pointed gold star given to those injured in battle. She had protested that her concussion was accidental and was hardly serious enough for commendation, but Halvo had overridden her. She understood that he wanted her to make the most imposing appearance possible, so she finally accepted the award.

  Halvo marched across the chamber with his head high, the silver streaks of hair at his temples shining as he passed beneath a glowing light fixture. He stopped at the exact center of the open square in the middle of the Red Room. Out of the corner of her eye Narisa saw the young guard on her left stop one pace behind her, as she had done behind Halvo.

  They waited while Leader Tyre sat in his chair one level above them and directly across the open space from Halvo. Tyre could not have been happy about this meeting. The issuing of his personal warrant for Narisa’s arrest meant that he had planned to deal with her as his private prisoner. Halvo’s politically adroit maneuver in making Narisa his own prisoner and then demanding that she be brought before the full Assembly had circumvented Tyre’s intentions and would open his actions to question and debate. If Tyre was worried about that possibility he showed no sign of it. He looked supremely confident, his pale, heavily jeweled hands resting across his abdomen, his posture relaxed yet alert. When the Members had finally hushed to complete silence, Tyre lifted his right hand.

  “Let the proceedings begin,” he said. “You, Admiral Halvo Gibal of Demaria, have promised on your word as an officer to present here for trial Lieutenant Navigator Narisa raDon of Belta. Have you fulfilled your promise?”

  “I have, Leader Tyre.”

  “Then step forward, Narisa raDon, and hear the formal charges against you.”

  Narisa took three steps toward Leader Tyre. She stood at strict attention, her chin up, her eyes fixed forward. Tyre made a motion with one hand. A secretary rose and began to read so rapidly that Narisa could not catch all his words.

  “High treason …escape …Gaidar of Ceta…” She did not have to hear it now; she knew all the charges, thanks to Halvo’s information gatherers. There would be no surprises in what the secretary read. She had only to think of what she and Halvo and Tarik had agreed she would say when her turn came. The secretary stopped reading and sat down again.

  “How do you plead, Narisa raDon?” asked Leader Tyre.

  Narisa found she had to swallow hard twice before she could answer him.

  “Leader Tyre, Members of the Assembly, I plead guilty with extenuating circumstances. I ask for an immediate trial before the Assembly so those circumstances can be made public. Admiral Halvo has agreed to act as my advocate.”

  There were whispers of shock and surprise from the Members at this last statement. Even Tyre looked startled out of his complacency.

  “Admiral Halvo, how say you?” Tyre asked, using the ancient formula for advocates.

  “I believe Narisa raDon will be exonerated of all charges against her. She had just cause for what she did. I am honored to be her advocate,” Halvo said.

  For a moment Narisa thought Tyre would make some objection. Those brought to trial usually had professional advocates to speak for them. The use of an admiral of the Service was highly irregular. Tyre could have refused on grounds of lack of precedent. He did not. He assented graciously. Narisa saw his eyes sparkle and knew Halvo had been correct in his judgment of the man. Tyre, Halvo had told her, would see his chance to entrap the famous Admiral Halvo along with Narisa and Tarik. Once Halvo had lost his power, Almaric, Tyre’s chief opponent in the Assembly, would be easier prey.

  A three-sided, railed structure was now carried out and set down near Narisa. A chair was put into it.

  “Narisa raDon, take your place in the witness chair,” Tyre ordered. Narisa saw him smiling as he sat back and smoothed his black Member’s jacket over his ample paunch. She wondered at that. She thought he ought to have been more worried about what she would say. She would have been worried had she been in his place.

  She walked to the witness box, but she did not sit, she stood in it. Halvo’s guard, who had been standing to her left, took her helmet and cape, placing them on a bench at one side of the room before returning to perform the same service for Halvo. Across the open space, Halvo’s second guard took Tarik’s helmet and cape and escorted him to a seat on a nearby bench. Above and around them the Members rustled and murmured, settling themselves more comfortably while they waited for the drama to unfold.

  Narisa knew the court procedure. Under Halvo’s questioning she would tell her story, after which Tyre would question her, trying to catch her lying. Then it would be Tarik’s turn as witness to tell his story and be questioned by Tyre. Next, Halvo would make a speech in her favor, followed by Tyre’s response demanding that she be convicted of the charges against her. Finally, the Members would vote on her fate.

  “Lieutenant Narisa.” Halvo turned from contemplation of the Members’ faces to look directly at her. “Remember that we are all bound to speak the truth while in this chamber, with death as punishment for lying.”

  “I will remember, sir.” She was surprised at the steadiness of her voice. Now that the moment to speak had come, all nervousness had fled. She smiled a little, looking back at Halvo, and saw appro
val in his eyes.

  “Tell us how you rescued Gaidar of Ceta and your reasons for doing so,” Halvo ordered.

  “I object,” Tyre interrupted, “to your use of the word ‘rescued.’ The correct term according to the charges is ‘escape.’”

  “I accept your objection, sir.” Halvo bowed in Tyre’s direction, a slight smile curving his lips. He turned back to Narisa.

  “Tell us why you released Gaidar of Ceta,” he said.

  “It was because I had received information that Gaidar had secretly been removed from the Assembly chambers and taken to a cell in Leader Tyre’s own house. I was told by a person close to Tyre that he planned to kill Gaidar that night. Gaidar’s death was to be the first step in a plot to destroy Member Almaric and all his family so that Leader Tyre would have no more opposition left to his rule.”

  The response to this speech was shocked silence at first, followed by cries of protest from at least half the Members. Glancing at Tyre, Narisa saw by his white, hard face that he had not known she was aware of his plans. He had known that Suria had helped in Gaidar’s escape - his warrant for Suria’s arrest issued along with the one for Narisa was proof of that - but he must not have realized until this moment just how much Suria knew. Narisa half expected him to make some objection to what she had said. Instead he sat staring at her with an expression of hatred so intense she began to tremble. Tyre tore his gaze from her face to look at Halvo and at Tarik. Then he settled back into his chair again, folding his hands over his belly and smiling.

  “Will you continue, please, Admiral Halvo?” Tyre said in a silky voice that sent fear to Narisa’s heart. Before she could think of what might make him so confident, the Members quieted and Halvo approached her once more.

  “Were you not aware, Lieutenant Narisa,” Halvo asked, forestalling a question Tyre would surely ask if he did not, “that by leaving Member Almaric’s house you were breaking the agreement he had made with this Assembly to keep you confined?”

  “I was,” Narisa answered. “Sir, officers of the Jurisdiction Service are trained to follow orders, and under normal circumstances I would never have dreamed of doing what I did. However, we are also taught to use our own judgment in the absence of superior officers during time of crisis. It seemed to me this was such a situation. Member Almaric and Commander Tarik were away from the house and not expected to return until very late, so I could not consult with them. Time seemed most important. Therefore, I made my decision quickly, and acted on it.

  “I wish to emphasize,” she continued, “that neither Member Almaric nor Commander Tarik was aware of what I was doing until well after the rescue was completed. Neither should be held responsible for something I did without their knowledge. They had no part in it at all.”

  She then went on to tell the whole story, dwelling in detail on the terrible conditions under which Gaidar had been held, speaking briefly about the mistreatment Suria had suffered at Tyre’s hands, and pointing out that although she, Suria and Gaidar had knocked several people unconscious during their flight from Tyre’s house, they had not caused serious injury to anyone.

  “And so,” Halvo summed up when she had finished, “you do truthfully believe your actions were necessary, both to save Gaidar’s life and to force Leader Tyre to abort his plan to kill Almaric and his family that same night?”

  “I do truthfully so believe,” Narisa stated firmly.

  “I now invite Leader Tyre to question you.” Halvo moved to stand behind the witness box.

  Tyre did not rise. He sat smiling benignly at Narisa for a long moment before he spoke.

  “First,” he said, “I would make a statement. I have no need to justify myself before this Assembly, but an explanation will alleviate any concern about some of my actions. I did indeed move the Cetan to my own house, not to murder him, but to keep him safe. I had reason to fear an attempt would be made to kill him before he could tell us all he knew about the Cetan attack plans or their new device called Starthruster.”

  “As I recall, Leader Tyre,” Narisa interrupted, despising the man and unwilling to tolerate his self-serving speech without objection, “in this very chamber you professed complete disbelief in everything Gaidar had to say. Either you were lying then, or you are lying now.”

  Voices filled with disapproval rose from the Members, most of whom had agreed with Leader Tyre on that previous occasion. From behind her Halvo placed a restraining hand on her shoulder, while across the room Tarik frowned at her.

  Tyre seemed unperturbed by the uproar. He raised one ring-encrusted hand for silence. Narisa thought of that hand clutching Suria, bruising her. She could equally well imagine the same hand thrusting a dagger into Gaidar. Or herself. She wanted to tell Halvo she understood what his touch on her shoulder meant; she knew how dangerous Tyre was, and she would not deviate again from the plan they had made for this trial.

  When the Members had quieted except for a few whispers, Tyre began to speak once more.

  “I will excuse your improper comments, Lieutenant Narisa, because I know you are unaccustomed to the way in which great ruling bodies must function. I am certain the other Members will agree with me, though we have all found your overly emotional outburst most distressing.

  “As I was saying, I ordered Gaidar taken to my house for his own safety. There was no need for you to help him to leave that safe place. Everything the woman Suria told you was a lie. Since both she and Gaidar are missing, I think we may rightly suspect her real reason for wanting him freed was a perverted and lascivious one.

  “Suria’s claims of violence on my part are unfounded. I have never hurt anyone. Indeed, my fellow Members have often admonished me for too lenient treatment of convicted criminals. I can see I will have to change my ways at once.”

  There was no doubt in Narisa’s mind that Tyre’s last words had been meant as a direct threat.

  “You have insisted,” Tyre went on, “that neither Member Almaric nor Commander Tarik knew what you were doing. Yet there was one important family member who did know. Mistress Kalina helped you, did she not?”

  “She agreed with me that under the circumstances Gaidar should be released in order to save his life.”

  “I understand that at that same time Service guards were at Almaric’s house.”

  “Yes,” Narisa said. “They had been sent to guard Tarik and me.”

  “Why did you not tell these trustworthy guards of your fears for Gaidar’s safety and let them handle the matter?”

  “Because we believed they were under your direct and personal orders, not under command of the Assembly,” Narisa replied. There was another murmur from the Members at that, and Tyre’s eyebrows went up, as though he was surprised at this point of view. He made no comment, however, and appeared to drop the subject.

  “So, under Mistress Kalina’s guidance you and the woman Suria slipped out of Almaric’s house?”

  “Yes.”

  “And while you were gone on your illegal venture, Mistress Kalina disguised your absence by telling the guards you were exhausted and sleeping in your bedroom?”

  “I - yes, that’s true.”

  “A Demarian woman, wife to a high-ranking Member, told a direct lie to protect you and to protect the Cetan?”

  There was no sound at all in the Red Room. Narisa made no answer. There was none she could make that would not harm Kalina, and by association, Almaric. Demaria was influential in the Jurisdiction, its leaders valued as negotiators in disputes, because they could be believed. Narisa recalled with pain how distressed Kalina had been by the need to tell a lie.

  “Will you not answer, Lieutenant Narisa?” Tyre pressed her. “Will you not tell us by what means you forced a Demarian woman to resort to falsehood?”

  “I didn’t force her,” Narisa cried, using the best answer she could think of - the truth. “I wasn’t even there. She understood how desperate the situation was, and she did what she thought was best.”

  “What she thought, or wh
at you thought?” Tyre’s glittering eyes narrowed. He reminded Narisa of the snake that had once threatened her. Tyre was poised to strike. She had to wait only a second or two before she felt the full force of his venom. “Is it not true that you have recently been consorting with telepathic creatures? Were you not able to call them to you silently? Could you not also have influenced Kalina to do your bidding whether she wished it or not? Did you not, in fact, use Mistress Kalina for your own ends?”

  “I’m not a telepath!” But she knew where he had acquired that idea. From Jon Tanon, whose mind he had drained. Jon knew all about the birds and Dulan and the lost settlement.

  Tyre must have believed she would be so frightened by his accusations that she would give up and admit anything he wanted. She almost did, until she thought of Dulan and the birds. After her experience with them she knew that not all telepaths were evil. She told herself she could not let Tyre twist the beautiful creatures she had found on Dulan’s planet into something vile and ugly.

  “Telepath! Telepath!”

  She clung to the railing of the witness box while the outraged fury of the Assembly washed over her. She heard Halvo swearing softly behind her. She saw Tarik struggling to rise and being held down by Halvo’s guard. She shook her head at him to make him stay where he was, and watched him relax, trusting her. Then she drew herself up and waited until the tumult had ended. She knew what she had to do even if it violated Halvo’s carefully laid plans.

  ‘‘Leader Tyre, Members of the Assembly,” she said when she could again be heard, “I am not a telepath. I was recently forced to spend time on a planet where telepathic birds reside, after Cetans had destroyed the Jurisdiction ship Reliance. No one knew about those birds except Commander Tarik, Gaidar of Ceta, myself, and one other person. We told Jon Tanon, a respected scholar, whom many of you know. Jon was captured by Leader Tyre’s personal guards and later returned to Almaric’s house by those same guards. His mind had been drained. We believed then that it was done by Leader Tyre’s orders, and we have just heard proof of our belief. That is why Leader Tyre speaks of telepaths now. He knows the contents of Jon Tanon’s mind. He also knows that those birds are harmless and that I am not a telepath.