The Winter War
Page 32
Aneka grinned at her. ‘You know, if you’re going to walk around in that body, you’re going to have to stop using long words and lighten up a little.’
Winter grinned back. ‘If the outfit wasn’t a clue...’ She was dressed in a bikini bra with a fishnet top over it, a micro-skirt, and some wedge-heeled trainers. Now she affected a vaguely blank expression and her voice shifted to more of a drawl. ‘When I’m not talking to quingren, I’m a lot more fridgy.’ She giggled. Aneka cringed.
‘Anyway, it wasn’t a conclusion, it was a thought. I needed to know it wasn’t you.’
‘So,’ Ella said, walking over with drinks, ‘it wasn’t you, Winter, but you seem to think it wasn’t the Knights. Aneka’s of the same opinion.’
‘It could be,’ Winter replied, her accent shifting back to normal, ‘but I find it unlikely.’
‘Too sophisticated for them,’ Aneka said. ‘Smuggling that laser in past the weapons detectors needed some planning.’
‘Indeed. That leaves us with the Herosians themselves,’ Winter stated.
‘Huh?’ Ella looked blankly at her. ‘The guy shot at D’Jarnis.’
‘And probably would have gone on to attack Aneka. She said a few nights ago that she was not designed to withstand laser fire.’
‘I was lucky, he was a crap shot and he was using a holdout weapon. If he’d had something more powerful…’
‘They only knew what you had told them. What I don’t think they anticipated was you jumping in front of the shot. If D’Jarnis had died, or even been severely injured, then there’s a political incident they could use for leverage. D’Jarnis is a pawn and always has been. The Herosians don’t post anyone they like to New Earth. He’s unmated and his chances of finding a suitable female here are next to nil. No, his death would serve more purpose than his life has.’
‘But I saved him,’ Aneka said. ‘It was reflex. I obviously didn’t give it any thought or I’d have been a second late.’
Winter laughed. ‘You did the right thing. Preliminary polls say that your approval rating has skyrocketed. Polls among the Herosian population in-system have actually shown a positive reaction. You took a laser hit for someone you have absolutely no reason to like. The Jenlay think that’s heroic and the Herosians find it hard to believe that a Xinti would save one of their own from a head cold, never mind an assassin.’
Aneka sighed and sat back on the couch. ‘I should really thank the guy for saving me from any more stupid questions. Maybe when they interrogate him they’ll get some information about who sent him.’
~~~
‘He’s dead,’ Sharissa said. ‘So are the two you knocked into submission when they hit Elaine.’ She was keeping her voice low so that the conversation did not disturb Ella and Janna who were cooking in the small kitchen.
‘How?’
‘The first two were poisoned in hospital. The one from last night was found dead in his cell this morning. So far there are no clues about how they were got to. The Peacekeepers are dealing with it.’
‘Not the Agency?’
‘They died in Peacekeeper custody…’
Aneka felt fingers stroke over the skin on the back of her neck and turned to see Janna standing there, smiling. ‘Not a mark,’ she said. ‘Quite amazing. I saw it live, of course. I was so worried.’
‘I’m well up to handling a weapon like that, Janna.’
‘So I see. Now you two stop talking shop. We’re supposed to be having a nice, family meal.’
‘I think we’re done anyway,’ Sharissa said. ‘Now hands off Ella’s blonde. You’ve got me to feel up if you want to do that.’
Janna smiled. ‘Is that an offer?’
‘After dinner,’ Sharissa replied. ‘I’m famished.’
16.10.527 FSC.
CFM’s evening news was on the wall screen and Aneka was watching it, still looking mildly shocked.
‘…was delivered to Miss Jansen by Senator Diana Ollander on behalf of the Herosian Ambassador who is said to be too shocked to make public appearances at this time.’
Aneka looked down at the sheet of bio-plastic in her hand. It had, indeed, been delivered by Ollander, who had worn a grin of malicious glee the entire time the cameras had been off her. The letter, actually printed on a permanent medium and signed, physically and digitally, was an official thank you from D’Jarnis and the Herosian Diplomatic Service for saving the Ambassador’s life.
‘Can you imagine what it cost him to sign that?’ Ollander had said.
‘I notice he didn’t deliver it himself,’ Ella had commented.
‘Apparently he’s in a state of shock after the attack.’ The Senator had looked Ella up and down and added, ‘You must both come to my place in The Islands. My boys would love to meet you.’
Yeah… right…
‘The letter of apology comes ahead of tomorrow’s vote in the Senate,’ the presenter went on, ‘which could reassign Miss Jansen’s status from Jenlay citizen to artificial intelligence.’
‘You notice they don’t mention you’d still be a citizen,’ Ella commented as she walked over with drinks.
‘I noticed. Not sure what it means, but I noticed.’
‘Speculation regarding the effect Miss Jansen’s selfless act will have on the vote is running rife on private news sites. A petition has been launched on the Trudor Federal Breakers site for the public to express their opinion that the vote should go against a change of status. As of sixteen hundred hours, the petition had thirty-seven million signatures.’
‘That’s more than the population of the planet,’ Aneka commented, turning off the sound.
‘Well, I signed it a few million times,’ Ella replied, giggling.
‘You didn’t.’
‘Well no, you can’t, but I did flick over the signatories list. There are a lot of names on it from Harriamon and several of the closer worlds. And quite a few from naval ship crews. It’s been open for a few weeks.’
‘Oh… It’s, uh, nice to be appreciated.’
‘You’re a hero, love,’ Ella said. ‘Live with it.’
Tristar Township, 18.10.527 FSC.
‘One of those “toasts,”’ Drake said, raising his glass. ‘To Aneka, who remains a Jenlay.’
It had taken a day for the result of the Senate vote to come through but the debate had been a short one. The vote had been taken after an hour of speeches; one of the shortest discussions of a controversial subject ever. The news channel pundits had suggested that this was more the result of entrenched positions than anything else. There had been a few surprises, with several of the Representatives from Herosian border worlds voting against the proposition. Even without them, the change of status would have been vetoed since the Jenlay and Torem all voted against.
Aneka smiled. ‘Thanks, all of you, and it’s nice to be with all of you again.’ It was a full house. Janna, Sharissa, Cassandra, and Abraham Wallace were there, as well as the Garnet Hyde’s crew. Truelove had said she would drop by when she got out of the office, and that meant Janine would be joining them. ‘So what happens next?’
‘Back to work,’ Bashford replied.
‘The Dean actually stood up to the board before the vote result came through,’ Gillian added. ‘He told them you were a valuable resource for the university to have, in whatever form the Senate decided to give you. I think the fact that you saved D’Jarnis on a live news feed helped with his courage, but still…’
‘I’ll have to remember to thank him,’ Aneka replied. ‘Any plans on what I’m going to be doing?’
‘We’re taking a class into the Shadri Forest in three weeks,’ Monkey said, ‘and you’re the one with the most jungle survival training.’
‘You’ve actually been trained in it,’ Delta added.
‘So you’re leading,’ Bashford told her. ‘It’s a two-week familiarisation exercise, not a full course.’
‘Swell,’ Aneka replied. ‘Two weeks of mud everywhere and bugs crawling in all the cracks.’
/>
‘After what’s happened recently,’ Ella said, ‘all this political gopi, I’d have thought you’d have jumped at it?’
Aneka looked at her for a second and then grinned, raising her glass. ‘Bring on the mud!’
###
About the Author
I was born in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall so perhaps a bit of history rubbed off. Ancient history obviously, and border history, right on the edge of the Empire. I always preferred the Dark Ages anyway; there’s so much more room for imagination when people aren’t writing down every last detail. So my idea of a good fantasy novel involved dirt and leather, not shining plate armour and Hollywood-medieval manners. The same applies to my sci-fi, really; I prefer gritty over shiny.
Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few miles to the north around Tywyn.
I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote science fiction when I was playing Traveller. I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing City of Heroes. I still love the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.
Writing, sadly, is not my main source of income. By day, I’m a computer programmer. I work for a telecommunications company in Manchester, England. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, and (recently) Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.
For More Information
The Thaumatology Blog: http://thaumatology.wordpress.com
The Steel Beneath the Skin Blog: http://steelbeneaththeskin.wordpress.com
Other Books by this Author
The Thaumatology Series
Thaumatology 101 - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/93217
Demon’s Moon - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/102265
Legacy - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/116370
Dragon’s Blood - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/127324
Disturbia - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/138316
Hammer of Witches - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/156491
Eagle’s Shadow - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/174874
Ancient - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/219739
Dragonfall - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/263192
The Other Side of Hell - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/267691
For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/291222
Anthologies in the Thaumatology Universe
Tales from High Towers’ Study - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/124026
Tales from the Dubh Linn - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159144
The Aneka Jansen Books
Steel Beneath The Skin - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/321789
The Cold Steel Mind - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/362961
Steel Heart - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/383183