“Where would First Mihos have learned about humans? Prisoners taken during the war?” Karen asked, now wishing she’d read that part of the report instead of spending so much time sparring in the gym and getting used to her new talents.
“Initially, yes, although for the first few years they massacred any Empire human they came across and didn’t take prisoners at all. However, once they discovered we were looking after their wounded and taking prisoners, they suddenly changed tactic and followed suit. Even Christine doesn’t know why. Given their total lack of empathy for aliens, it’s a big mystery. There are rumours of at least one human occupied planet in the Felidae Empire, but we have no proof and the IIS has been singularly unsuccessful in obtaining much information on what goes on within their borders.”
They didn’t have far to walk before being escorted to an open-topped ground vehicle that drove them through empty passageways which appeared wide and airy although Karen suspected it was illusory and the real dimensions were being hidden by holographic projections. The air was dry and warm, and Karen noticed a faint, but not unpleasant musky smell as they progressed further into the Flagship’s interior. Apart from warriors lining the numerous intersections, there were no Felidae to be seen and Karen could only assume they had either been instructed to stay away or were watching proceedings from somewhere else.
She noticed the ground car begin to slow down and saw in the distance a large doorway, carved with representations of Felidae. She used her lenses to zoom in so she could examine the doors in greater detail. In dozens of intricately carved panels, the carvings seemed to represent the Felidae’s evolution from primitive hunters on a savannah-like plain, through early industrialisation and then on to space flight, but most of the symbolism was lost on her. Strangely, these carvings were not static but moved around, adding motion to the story-telling in a way she had not seen demonstrated before.
The ground-car came to a halt close to the doors, the sides falling down to provide ramps for them to exit. Karen was surprised by the lack of attendants or courtiers, having become used to seeing them everywhere in the Palace, keeping everything clean and running it with a quiet efficiency. She sent a query to Vimes.
“I noticed a similar thing when last in their Empire, Karen,” came his reply, “but I don’t have the answer. My best guess would be one of two things. They either don’t have as many as we do or it is another sign of respect, insofar as to provide assistance to us on leaving the ground car would be to infer we needed it. Without far more information to go on, my guess is as good as yours.”
First Mihos waited for the group to reform, them guided them towards the massive doors, which became even more impressive the closer Karen got to them. Fine detail resolved itself and across one panel she could even see individual blades of grass waving in a non-existent breeze. In another panel, alien, yet almost familiar animals were being chased, the hunt obviously being controlled by a Felidae female who Karen assumed was the Matriarch. Vimes gave her a gentle mental nudge and she reluctantly drew herself away from watching the panels.
The Imperial Fanfare could be heard coming from inside the Hall, becoming louder as they opened inwards, replaced with the Felidae equivalent, to her ears a surprisingly pleasant sound. Her lenses compensated for the increased light levels as the crack in between the doors widened and the full extent of the Hall could be seen, the light somewhat brighter and shifted more towards the blue spectrum. In the middle of the vast hall, surrounded by what seemed to be thousands of warriors, Karen could see a raised dais on which the Empress sat. With the doors now fully open and the last echoes of the Fanfare fading from within the Hall, their small group advanced towards the dais. All of the warriors were standing, but as they passed by, the ones behind gracefully dropped down into a semi-crouch, giving the impression they could spring into action at any moment.
Reaching the dais, Mihos halted and in a loud voice, obviously amplified by hidden speakers throughout the Hall, first announced the presence of Empress Christine, Duke Gallagher, and then to her surprise, Karen, ignoring the rest of their party.
Without warning, Freyja leapt from her position on the dais and landed upright on the ground not far from Christine, her cloak trailing behind her like a sail caught in the wind. Although neither Christine or Gallagher flinched at this sudden development, the rest of the party did, especially Karen, who had to stifle an exclamation. The Marines, obviously chosen for nerves of steel, subtly changed their position, which drew a look from Freyja and sent a ripple through the forward ranks of Felidae warriors. Before turning back to Christine, Freyja’s eyes caught Karen’s and lingered for a few seconds before focusing again on the Imperial Empress.
“Welcome to my home and the Felidae, sister Christine. You are your companions are most welcome and are my honoured guests,” she said, extending her right paw towards her in a very human fashion, claws safely sheathed.
“I accept your hospitality, sister Freyja,” Christine replied, shaking the extended paw and appreciating the gesture, “It’s been far too long. My husband, Emperor Alexander, apologises for not being here to honour you with me, but he is away fighting.”
“It is of no matter, Christine, it is in men's nature to fight as ours is to nurture.” She turned to Duke Gallagher. “Your Grace, it is pleasing to finally meet you. I know you and First Mihos will have many matters to discuss.”
Duke Patrick bowed deeply, “Your Majesty honours me with her notice. I am sure First Mihos and I have many stories to tell each other.”
Freyja moved over, golden eyes fixing firmly onto Karen’s brown, making her believe she could sense the fierce intelligence hidden behind them. Remembering her etiquette, she slowly closed her eyes then opened them again. It was impossible to read Freyja’s alien features, but something told her the Empress was pleased by her action.
“Welcome, friend Karen, please join us if Christine doesn’t object?” Freyja said, turning to look at Christine, who simply nodded in agreement.
With that, Freyja quickly turned and began walking away from the dais and towards a side door, currently hidden by ranks of warriors who silently moved out of the way as the group approached, Freyja pausing only slightly to ensure Christine walked alongside. Behind them, the Marines stayed behind with Gallagher, who was already standing next to Mihos and engrossed in conversation.
“I didn’t expect this, Karen, I think she’s curious about you,” Christine spoke in Karen’s mind, “I thought it would just be the two of us at the start. Now be careful and speak only when you feel it appropriate.”
“How on Earth am I expected to know when that is?” she retorted, “I’m scared stiff I’ll accidentally start an interstellar war. No, you can do all the talking, don’t worry.”
Aboard the Imperial ship and watching from the comfort of his own small room, Lt Collinson watched the live feed of events being transmitted by the Felidae, in between working on the intricately designed gift he was assembling which he was going to present to Christine when she returned from her initial meeting with the Felidae. He wasn’t alone in watching the proceedings, with most of the crew doing the same, taking in this historic event. The ship was alive with gossip and speculation as to what the Felidae would do, but Collinson had no doubts. Unless something unexpected happened, Christine would accomplish her mission and return to Capital with secure borders. Despite his training, Collinson’s jaw had almost dropped when the Felidae Empress had acknowledged Karen and invited her to accompany Christine into her private quarters. To say he was envious would be an understatement, but he masked his disappointment well, even from himself, but this mystery woman intrigued him.
He had already interrogated both the main database from the Jump Point in Capital’s system and this ship’s AI for any details of who this Karen Mcleod was, but to his growing annoyance, every avenue had drawn a blank. He’d run a parallel search for any information in other parts of the Empire, but these too had drawn a blank. It was only when Vime
s had spoken to him personally and told him in no uncertain terms that he was wasting his time, that he’d admitted defeat. However, he intended to find out more before this mission ended. He expected Christine and her party to return within a few hours, so hastened to have everything ready before then.
Christine and Freyja had already worked out and agreed on the sequence of events between themselves before the audience took place, but she had been taken by surprise when Freyja unexpectedly invited Karen to join them, for this hadn’t been on the original schedule, making her wonder if there was any way in which she had guessed at Karen’s potential relationship within the Imperial family or perhaps had a very good spy in the Palace staff.
“I’ll have to play this by ear,” she thought to herself, smiling inwardly as she looked at Freyja’s, “So far, this is all going to plan.”
Freyja led them both into the room, the door opening and closing behind them automatically. It was sparsely furnished, the two human designed chairs looking incongruous, set as they were amidst a pile of cushions and soft furnishings, under a clear, blue sky. The hologrammatic displays concealing the walls and ceiling were perfect, even more so than on Empire ships.
With the door closed, Freya reached to her neck and undid the molecular ties holding the neck-piece together, letting it fall unceremoniously to the floor, then bounded over to the cushions and turned to face them.
“Please, sit and make yourselves at home, which I believe is the correct thing to say,” said Freyja, gesturing to the chairs, her ears swivelling towards them. “If you would prefer the cushions, use them. We have a lot to talk about so make yourselves comfortable.”
Scene 33, All good things…
Safely back on board their ship, Christine and Karen were discussing the day's events over a light meal designed around their favourite Earth recipes, both having jointly decided to have a treat after such a good start to the negotiations. Duke Frederick was busy writing his own report for the IIS with the help of Carmen, having said goodnight to them once they had reached the suite of rooms where they were staying, citing his age and “frailty” as a good enough reason. Before leaving for his suite at the end of the corridor, he’d kissed Christine lightly on her cheek and had given Karen a hug, before telling Carmen to liaise with Vimes over arrangements for the following day, as Freyja had indicated a willingness to begin limited trading between their Empires, an important development.
“So, what did you make of Freyja?” asked Christine, in between mouthfuls of spaghetti bolognese, trying unsuccessfully to avoid spattering her white silk shirt with flecks of sauce.
Karen thought for several long moments before answering slowly.
“I thought she was making an effort to make us welcome, despite textbooks saying the Felidae being aloof and distant from humans. She was also remarkably well informed about what was going on in the Empire and the rebellion. Maybe the two are linked and she realises a strong, friendly Empire as a neighbour is in her best interests, rather than one run by an unknown quantity such as Frederick or worse still, a split Empire at war with itself.” Karen sat back in her chair with her dessert, a bowl of sweet, black cherries. She picked a large one and popped it in her mouth, biting through to get at the stone, using her tongue to quickly dislodge it and then dropped it into the bowl.
“Oh, they look nice, can I try one?” said Christine, leaning over and taking one from the bowl when Karen nodded. “I think you are spot on, Karen. Freyja does what’s best for the Felidae and having Alexander and me on the border instead of an unknown is obviously in her best interests. She also took a shine to you.”
“I know, but I have a theory on that,” responded Karen, looking thoughtful. “Scent plays a large part in their lives, as it does for dogs back on Earth. Just as we have genetically improved our bodies over the millennia, extending our lifespans, improving resistance to disease etc, why wouldn’t the Felidae have done the same? Who knows how powerful Freyja’s sense of smell is. I think it’s possible she could detect that you and I aren’t one-hundred percent “normal” humans. Alternatively, she might have been able to smell Adam on me and somehow made the link that we were a couple and therefore I was worth cultivating as a potential future Empress. Maybe even both?”
Christine sat silently once Karen had finished, thinking through her two theories. She quickly reviewed the recordings of the day's events and her keen eye picked up that Mihos had also reacted strangely to Karen when they had first been introduced in the hanger. She sent the recording to Karen.
“See this, Karen?” Christine pointed out as the recording was sent, “Mihos also reacted differently to you. I think you are right, at least the bit about their being able to detect genetic changes from scent alone. This might explain how they instinctively know who are in their family Gathering. It’s therefore also possible they could smell Adam on you, but I think the jump to you being in a relationship is perhaps one too far.”
Karen nodded, then proffered the bowl to Christine. “Take a few more, go on.”
Just as Christine reached across to take a few more, Vimes announced a visitor at the door. The door opened and Collinson entered, carrying a small box, tied carefully with a ribbon. Christine gestured for him to approach. He stayed by the door for a few moments, then moved forward as instructed.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty, I hope you don’t mind but I have made you a little present as a memento of today’s momentous meeting with the Felidae,” Collinson said, handing the box over with a smile. “I hope you like it.”
“Why, Stephen, this is most unexpected and thoughtful of you. What is it?” she asked, taking the box and unwrapping it slowly on her lap, taking care to preserve the paper, a habit from her distant childhood.
“Just something I made on the journey. I wanted you to have it now before negotiations were completed.”
Karen smiled at his thoughtfulness and leaned forward to get a good look as Christine set the paper aside and looked at the box in her hand.
“Press the two buttons on each side simultaneously, Ma’am,” Collinson instructed, stepping back and moving closer to Karen.
Christine did as instructed, then let out a startled “Ow” as two needles pierced her skin and injected her with a bespoke binary neuro-toxin. She threw the box away and tried to stand up, then fell heavily to the floor as the toxin mixed in her bloodstream and set about destroying her nervous system.
Karen sensed, rather than saw, Collinson’s left-hand sweep towards her throat in a killing blow meant to crush her throat and render her helpless. Instinctively, she dropped her head to protect her neck, taking the blow on the thickest part of her forehead, stunning her for a few moments. Collinson moved in and grabbed her in a headlock, intending to break her neck and complete his mission. He pulled her off the seat and adjusted his grip for the killing twist, but as he did so, Karen reached up with her left hand to his face at the same time as she pinched the rear of his thigh really hard, causing him to instinctively lift his leg off the floor to escape the sharp pain, making himself off-balance for an instant.
Karen lifted his raised leg further and with her left arm pushed the off-balance assassin backwards and to the floor. To cushion his fall to the floor he let go of her, his arms slapping the deck to slow his fall. Karen, still a little dazed and working purely on instinct and her new muscle memories, moved back, putting distance between them, all the while calling out to Vimes for help.
“I’m blocked, defend Christine’s body. Help will be here soon,” came the response and an instant later Karen could hear the two Marines outside her quarters try to break down the door. “Break the box, break the box, NOW,” he urged in her head.
Collinson, clearly not expecting her resistance, leapt towards her, his face a blank mask of concentration as he focused on killing. She was about to fight back when Vimes shouted again in her mind, sounding almost frantic, “Break the box, Karen, the box!” so she threw herself to the left towards where Christine lay, rollin
g and coming to her feet. The discarded box was almost underfoot so she stamped down on it with all of her strength, feeling it shatter and break.
Unfortunately, her attention distracted by breaking the box, she didn’t see Collinson’s open-handed blow that struck her to the side of the jaw, almost knocking her unconscious, the force of it spinning her around before falling across Christine’s inert body. She looked up and saw Collinson draw his foot back to deliver a roundhouse kick towards her head.
Duke Gallagher was sitting at his desk, his report almost finished. Once done he would then order himself a light evening meal before listening to some music. His mind wandered for a moment as he mused on what to order.
“Patrick, suit up and get to Christine’s room, now,” Vimes voice suddenly thundered in Gallagher’s head. Before the words had even finished, he’d reached down to the side of his desk and grasped the handle of his briefcase which immediately began to flow around his body.
“What’s the matter, what do I need to do?” he asked Vimes urgently.
“I’ve lost contact with Christine’s room and my avatar in her head. The blocking is an improved version of the one used on Capital but on a far more localised scale. She’s obviously in danger.”
Patrick noted how worried Vimes sounded and called up a display of what was happening in the corridor as his suit took a few more moments before it was ready for him to move. In the ten seconds it would take him to get to Christine’s suite from here, his armour would be sufficiently formed for limited action. Lifting the still merging case in his right hand, he ran towards the door and into the corridor, noting the two, lightly armoured Marine guards outside Christine’s room, frantically trying to gain entry.
Gallagher could sense through his implant that alarms were going off all over the ship and Carmen was blocking calls from his courtiers as to what was happening, allowing him to focus.
Imperium: Revelation: Book Two in the Imperium Trilogy Page 38
