Heart of a Traitor

by Aaron Lee Yeager

  “What happened to you?” Don Kielter asked stupidly.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The Dance of the Ariels

  In a brilliant move, the Revolutionary Army destroyed the Hrană facilities, forcing the Imperialist forces to forage from the citizens of the Remiză Sector, which, until that time had been Emperor Neîndoios’ staunchest supporters.

  -Excerpt from The Fall of the Ashtari, suppressed by the Marshals 22.03.4112rl

  A week later was the unofficial holiday of Fulles-mond, when all three moons were at their fullest, bathing the city in a gentle blue light. It was considered to be the most romantic night of the year and the people of the city changed their usual routines of indulgence and opulence and instead basked in obscene levels of indulgence and opulence.

  The Dirne house Zehn Nächte had replaced the normal candlelight with oil-burning torches, which glowed and flickered from their mountings on the walls filling the room with sweet incense. Dirne houses were more than just simple pleasure huts. They were gentleman’s clubs, where noblemen would relax from their pressing schedules of business and politics so that they could leisurely discuss more business and politics. Despite all of the advances of holo-communication and legal insurance, there would never be any substitute for shaking a person’s hand and looking into their eyes before signing the deal.

  It was always easier to do business in a less formal setting among friends, so anyone unable to enter a Dirne house could never be on the same footing as those who were members. Sometimes entire treaties or even corporations could change hands in the space of a single night and occasionally a lesser noble somewhere else in the city would wake up the next morning and find that his hereditary lands were no longer his.

  Nariko had been meeting with Louie Faust for several days now, after being introduced by Don Kielter’s brother-in-law, who was relieved to have his gambling debts generously paid off in return for the favor. The Faust family was in the middle of moving its core family members to Gobiern, far from the capital in the western fringes of the Confederacy and Nariko’s cover as a former member of the merchant guild gave her the opportunity for Louie to get accustomed to her while they negotiated the sale of several un-marked transport vessels and passage authority through the communal archway.

  Tonight their strategy would change, however. All that was left to do was sign the paperwork and there was no better night than Fulles-mond to change the relationship from business to romantic. From their vantage point in the upper levels of the Stufenleiter starport traffic control tower, which was currently under renovation, Keiko and Don Kielter had a good view of Louie Faust and his bodyguards as they sat at their private table in the velvet lounge. This level of the Dirne house was reserved for distinguished guests and the vaulted ceiling was made of a transparent material that allowed the guests an uninterrupted view of all three moons. The other members of Shiro squad mulled around inconspicuously near all of the entrances and exits, their ceramic weapons concealed under their civilian attire in case they were needed.

  Nariko held herself high as she stood on the extravagant moving walkway that took her from the main hall into the velvet lounge entrance. Her outfit had been chosen quite carefully after some heated debate between Keiko and Ami. A tight-fitting black velvet blouse with matching black skirt, accented with a royal-red jacket. It was somewhere in-between business attire and courtship dress. A visual message designed to tell Herr Faust that she was ready for their relationship to become passionate. It was amazing to Nariko how many ways there were to dress the female body. So many styles and cuts, each with their own subtle meaning and tone. It was like an entire language unto itself. The only thing more amazing than the sheer magnitude of its complexity was the fact that Herr Faust probably wouldn’t notice any of it.

  Nariko stepped off of the walkway and handed her ident-card to the high-nosed maître d’, who hid his contempt behind a tight smile as his data slate beeped in recognition of her invitation. The process of making a new false identity had been fairly rushed, since the police had her first set in their possession, so her false name and much of the core data remained the same, to save Nariko the trouble of having to re-memorize too much.

  In the center of the room, a company of star-kin were performing, fully-dressed in traditional vagabond robes slit at the arms and legs to reveal their dark skin, their silent dance telling the stories of the history of their nomadic people.

  Nariko approached the table carefully, pausing at the outer ring of six paces. She stated her name and gave thanks for her continued invitation, as she was taught. Louie smartly tapped his jeweled family ring on the table and she continued forward, pausing at the middle ring of four paces. Lucius, the largest of the three bodyguards, stood up and spoke their names and gave thanks for her arrival. Louie raised his hand and made the sign of grüben and Nariko continued forward before pausing at the inner ring of two paces, bowing slightly and offering out her right hand, recounting the names of the seven heads of the Faust Family by memory. Lucius stepped forward and took her hand and led her to her seat at the table, for one can only be led into confidence.

  After kissing the hands of each man at the table, Nariko settled herself into the exquisite material of her chair. It was only then that she saw the bodyguards slowly release their hands from the weapons concealed beneath their clothes.

  These guys are professionals, Nariko noted. They did not slacken their watch, even after so many meetings with her. Nariko knew she would have to be very careful.

  Papers were produced and the process of proofreading, validation, and signing was begun. Nariko had become quite comfortable with the role of a shrewd courtesan. She made it a point to handle each task quickly and efficiently. It was so easy for her now that it felt effortless. Hidden underneath the surface, however, she was increasingly anxious about the role she was about to adopt. Her uneasiness bubbled to the surface when she nearly dropped the pen she was using. At Don Kielter’s bidding, she suggested that drinks and food be served while an aide corrected a small error that had been detected in the paperwork.

  The women of Ardura traditionally wore their fingernails long only during times when they were not involved in Feierliche, the ten nights of courtship. It was a quick visual indicator of her status to other singles. Very long nails were considered to be quite a statement, because it meant that the woman was affluent enough that she could afford to be picky. This had led to quite a booming industry of products that claimed to grow nails quickly, only a few of which actually worked. Extremely long nails made it difficult for women to use utensils properly, so it was considered quite fashionable for the nail of each index finger to be filed into a point, allowing women to use it like a fork and spear the portions of food. This also had been refined into an art form of its own and most men found it quite alluring for a woman to eat her food with only the tips of her fingernails.

  Nariko’s hands were decorated with long artificial fingernails, painted to match her jacket. Using fake nails was a bit of a gamble if anyone was to notice, but it couldn’t be helped. Nariko had found it difficult to get used to and had stabbed herself several times until she learned to hold her hands loosely.

  The headwaiter and his assistants arrived at the table and began explaining the foods being set before them. Surely finer foods could not be found anywhere else in the galaxy, but Nariko didn’t listen to any of it. She focused her mind on the goal, imagined herself winning her duel with Inami, and let out a long quiet breath.

  “Okay, remember your training,” Keiko coached over the comm-line. “Tilt your head and arch your eyebrow. Look at him wantonly. Giggle at jokes even if they are not funny. Speak softly so that he’ll have to get closer to hear you. If the conversation turns to anything serious, twirl your hair.”

  “But, my hair is fine; we spent two hours on it.”

  “Just do it. Any time the subject turns to something complicated, start focusing on your appearance. It gives the illusion that you
don’t understand.”

  Nariko brought her hand up to the nape of her neck and attempted to seductively flip her long platinum blonde hair back behind her, only managing to hit the bodyguard at her side squarely in the face.

  Apologizing, she reached out to the fine crystal goblet in front of her and took a sip, subtly puckering her lips as she did so.

  Louie watched her lips, then received the revised stack of paperwork from his returning aide and began to look through it.

  “It appears that the bartender has made your drink far too sour. I’m afraid that he prefers the older style of Silber. I’ll have him make you another one.”

  Nariko suppressed a huff. It was one thing to humiliate herself; it was another thing entirely to be ignored while doing it.

  “Bat your eyelashes at him,” Don Kielter suggested through the vox. “That’s a good one.”

  Nariko leaned forward as she delicately nibbled on a small piece of food on her nail as she batted her eyelashes. Much to her satisfaction, Louie looked up from the document and noticed her this time.

  “Are you okay?” He asked concerned, “If there something in your eye I can have one of the aides bring you some warm water.”

  Nariko politely declined, biting a curse under her breath.

  Inside the traffic control tower, Keiko swatted Don Kielter on the back of the head, which made a horrible thump through the comm-line that almost made Nariko jump in her seat.

  “Bat your eyelashes?” Keiko criticized, her hair a dark red. “What kind of a suggestion is that? Go make yourself useful and get me a drink or something.”

  It would’ve worked on me,” Don Kielter grumbled as he reached into the cooler.

  “Okay, Nari-chan,” Keiko said picking up the comm-mike again, “Flirting is a different kind of battlefield, but the same principles apply. Make sure to keep the initiative. It’s time to bring out the big guns.”

  Nariko knew what Keiko meant and appreciated that she hadn’t said it out loud. It helped ease the tension. Underneath the table, Nariko grabbed the heel of her high-heeled shoe with her toe and pulled her foot out. Slowly she inched her foot along the floor until it found Louie’s shoe. First she stroked along the side of the foot and ankle and then began wiggling her delicate foot under the cuff of his pants. Above the table, Louie showed no response and continued signing the documents. Keiko had warned her about this. Men in power were used to having women throw themselves at them and not much ruffled their feathers. Nariko would have to shock him.

  Nariko leaned forward and pushed her elbows toward one another, emphasizing her ample curves and slid her foot up his leg to his knee. Suddenly the bodyguard Lucius jumped in his chair and looked at her, shocked. Realizing her mistake, Nariko snapped her foot back and, with a thump, kicked the ankle of the bodyguard at her side, who yelped in surprise.

  The commotion caused Louie to look up and survey the table. He smiled coldly and then continued to sign the papers. Nariko buried her face in her hand in shame.

  How could my aim have been that poor? She could feel her face burning and she knew that she must have been blushing. When she looked up again, to her horror, Lucius was winking at her and smiling wantonly. She could tell from the twitch in his shoulders that he was trying to pluck his own shoe off under the table so that he could return the favor.

  This is a nightmare. She would have stood up and run away right then, but Keiko managed to calm her down.

  Louie set down the papers and announced that the deal was concluded. Spirited drinks arrived at the table and they prepared for the traditional toast. This was the moment they had been waiting for. Being the only woman at the table, it was Nariko’s job to add together the three spirits that made up finsternëss into each goblet, stirring each one gently with the nail of her ring finger, as was the custom. She did so expertly. When she stirred Louie’s drink, a small hollow duct hidden underneath her artificial nail released the smallest drop of clear liquid into the dark beverage.

  Nariko smiled warmly as she handed Louie his goblet.

  “Nai heba du kabist eine ulfeist,” Nariko said, repeating phonetically what Don Kielter instructed through the comm-line. The men at the table nodded in esteem and praised her for learning their customs so well. Nariko thanked all of them in turn except Lucius, and the men drank deeply.

  Up in the tower, Keiko turned off the comm-mike and chuckled to herself maniacally.

  “Oh, we got him now. With all that synthetic arkotocin and oxigan in there he’ll be absolutely swooning over her.”

  “What are you talking about?” Don Kielter asked as he took another draw on his bottle.

  “It’s an artificial protein that mimics the effects of the hormones released into the brain when people feel in love. Normally the presence of testosterone cancels out most of the effect in men, so this’ll feel like forty times the normal levels to him.”

  “You didn’t tell me that you were going to drug his drink,” Don Kielter accused.

  “What? You didn’t think we were going to rely solely on her awkward charms, did you?” Keiko said, her hair a bright orange with amusement.

  Don Kielter’s face turned white.

  “Oh no,” he breathed.

  Back in the Velvet lounge, Louie finished the long draw from his goblet and then held out the rest to Nariko, whose smile dropped from her face. Sensing her apprehension, Louie held out the goblet a little farther and the bodyguards became visibly tense.

  “You’ve got to take it, Nari,” Don Kielter shouted over the vox. “The toast is the final signature for the contract. If you don’t take it, the whole deal will be void and they’ll have you thrown out of the Dirne.”

  Faking a smile, Nariko took the goblet in her hand and held it up to her lips. Her eyes pleaded with Louie and she looked for some sort of indication that this part of the ceremony she didn’t know about might be omitted, but she found none. Closing her eyes, Nariko allowed the burning liquid to pour down her throat. The drink itself was quite delicious, but the fact that she knew what was in it made it the most unpleasant thing she had ever quaffed and she had been forced to drink sewer water at one point in her life.

  When she put down the empty goblet, the men at the table clapped their hands and visibly relaxed. Cigars and wine were called for and several of the star-kin were called over to the table for private dances.

  Back in the control tower, Keiko and Don Kielter were almost in a full panic as they attempted to setup a relay from the vox-comm to the long range ether system on the shuttle. After a couple of minutes of running cables and wires and screaming at each other, they managed to get a line through to Forgemaster Nori on the Onikano. Explaining the situation to Nori was difficult over the static and the noises of her robots, but after some yelling and threats they were able to make her understand.

  “What we need to know is what it’s going to do to her,” Keiko asked, her hair turning white.

  “You’re really asking the wrong person,” came Nori’s voice out of the speaker. “It was designed for normal humans. Her endocrine system is quite different. I can’t predict what it might do to her.”

  “Well, you must have done tests when you were developing the hormone for this mission,” Keiko insisted. The sound of Nori scratching her head came through the line.

  “Well, extended exposure would sometimes induce hallucinations in the mice, but she’s much larger than they are. She should be okay.”

  Back in the Velvet lounge, the star-kin had brought up a pair of specially trained Ariels who were performing to the music played by a live band while suspended on wires, creating twirling patterns and loops as they swung and flipped. To Nariko their images seemed to blur and stretch and she began having trouble keeping her balance as she sat in a chair next to Louie. She unfolded her hands from her lap and used one to grab the side of her chair. If Louie was feeling any similar effects, he certainly wasn’t showing any signs of it. As they chatted, Nariko had moved from sending out subtle sign
s and hints to sending out such blatantly obvious advances that she felt like she risked appearing desperate. Louie was a pleasant enough person to talk to, but there was an unavoidable coldness in the way he regarded her. She felt like she was beating her fists against a boulder.

  Just when Nariko felt like she was finally making some headway with Louie, their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a short little woman who was so delicate and thin that she looked like she’d just shatter into pieces if she were to ever fall over.

  She pretended not to notice Nariko’s hand on Louie’s knee and then made a point to ignore her completely as she asked Louie for some more money for the gambling machines. When Louie remembered to introduce them, the woman put out her hand for Nariko to take, holding it out much farther than was necessary, nearly jamming it in Nariko’s face, in fact. It almost seemed like the woman was trying to show off the short trimmed fingernails on her slim little hands, although Nariko couldn’t guess why.

  Nariko took Carmen’s hand and gave the traditional greeting. From the woman’s accent, she could tell she was an off-worlder as well.

  “I love your ensemble, Betti dear,” Carmen praised. “It is a beautiful winter look.”

  “But it’s the summer,” Nariko mentioned blankly.

  “I know,” the woman said, pulling her hand away from Nariko’s grip. “Most women wouldn’t dare to wear something so out of season, but you pull it off quite well,” she quipped venomously.

  Nariko’s mind felt fuzzy, but she had the distinct impression that she had just been insulted. She felt the desire to insult the woman in return, but fought back the urge. The mission always came first and starting a fight here and now would only jeopardize it.

  “And your outfit is lovely as well; it covers your flaws so perfectly that they are barely even noticeable.” Nariko was so surprised that she nearly covered her mouth with her hands.