by S. H. Jucha
“His body has been clear of the gas for more than a day, Tacticnok, and, at present, his mind shows no indication of dark dreams,” Harbour reported. “We talked for a while before he fell asleep, and Drigtik was in good humor. Will he have bad dreams about the episode? I imagine he will. In time, those will fade.”
“Humans seem incredibly contradictory. David Yersh and those who employed him frighten us. In contrast, you and your individuals give us hope for a lasting alliance. Many lengthy arguments will follow our return to Na-Tikkook,” Tacticnok said, keeping her voice low.
“I would imagine the outcome wouldn’t be in our favor,” Harbour replied glumly. The insidiousness of the attack showed high disregard for the sanctity of life. David and those who hired him couldn’t have known whether the gas would have permanently incapacitated a Jatouche.
“Don’t be discouraged, Captain. You’ve many fine things to recommend you. Fruit juices, for one.” Tacticnok replied. She covered her mouth to lessen the high-pitched chortle she released, and Harbour smiled at her, sharing some of the emotional relief she felt.
* * * *
“Are we covered?” Lise asked Jordie.
Jordie chose his answers carefully. It was evident that the governor was not only annoyed, she was dangerously annoyed. “JOS security hasn’t reported any deaths. The plumerase gas didn’t kill anyone. Reports from the YIPS are that the empaths attenuated the hallucinogenic effects after they found the engineers.”
“What’s our exposure with David Yersh, now that security has him?” Lise asked.
Jordie watched the fire blaze in Lise’s eyes. He kept breathing calmly. “Minimal, Governor. I’ve used David for three years. I know what drives him. Since no one was killed, he’ll receive a light sentence, and he’ll do his time. He knows what will happen if he doesn’t. When he’s released, we’ll bring him downside. Then, we can either employ him or make him disappear.”
“And how did JOS security find him? Are you getting sloppy, Jordie?” Lise asked. She stood, with arms folded, which Jordie took as a bad sign.
“Security didn’t find him, Governor. According to my sources, the empaths did. Specifically, it was Aurelia who located him. How? I’ve no idea,” Jordie replied.
“I rue the day that Markos brought that dark-minded nephew of his, Dimitri, in contact with a powerful empath. Much of our standing has unraveled since that day,” Lise said. She unfolded her arms and turned to stare out her garden-facing window, and Jordie breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“Did David expose anyone?” Lise asked, without turning around.
“Two people, a longtime resident of the station, who we’ve used repeatedly in the past, and a new recruit in El cargo inspections,” Jordie replied.
“I trust they’ve been dealt with accordingly,” Lise demanded, turning around to face Jordie.
“Both of them suffered unfortunate accidents,” Jordie replied, offering Lise a conspiratorial grin.
“A clean exit, Jordie. You’ve turned a potential catastrophe into a successful operation,” Lise said, taking a seat behind her desk. “Dismissed,” she added perfunctorily.
Jordie hadn’t been so anxious to leave Lise’s sight in a long time, but he took the time to wish Lise a good day and stride calmly from the office.
When Jordie left, Lise eyed the open doorway and considered the possible repercussions of the attack. Then she reviewed the risks, as she had judged them prior to issuing the go ahead, and the steps Jordie had taken to execute them. In the end, she judged that her decision to undertake the action was the key problem, and the ensuing events weren’t Jordie’s fault.
Lise experienced momentary relief. It was an unpleasant thought, thinking she would have to remove Jordie from service. Recruiting and training a new security chief was a daunting task, and Lise was relieved that it appeared unnecessary.
* * * *
Two days later, Lise attended a unique meeting of the family heads. It was singular in that she hadn’t called the meeting, which had always been the exclusive purview of the governor.
When Lise arrived, she found eighteen family heads arrayed in two rows in front of her podium.
“Well, I’m here. Suppose someone tell me why,” Lise demanded.
Dorelyn Gaylan rose, as a courtesy, and said, “Those you see here have formed a council. There are also other family heads who have promised loyalty to the council. Together we represent more than eighty percent of the domes’ leaders.”
“I’m impressed by the depth of your organization,” Lise replied with disdain. “Would you care to state your purpose or do I have to guess?”
“It’s simple,” Rufus said, rising. “The era of governors is effectively at an end, except as a figurehead.”
“And how do you propose to accomplish this?” Lise sneered. She was doing her best to throw the group emotionally off kilter but failing to do so, and that, more than anything, scared her.
“The council’s membership represents the vast majority of enterprise within the domes,” Idrian said, standing up between Rufus and Dorelyn. “You can either accept our terms or we can crush your businesses. If you choose the latter, you’ll be destitute in less than a year.”
“Commerce isn’t the only way to conduct business,” Lise threatened.
“Regarding that point, Lise, your security head and several key members of your security force have been relieved of duty … permanently,” Dorelyn said. “We will provide you with a new security chief and senior staff, who will report to the Council.”
“This is a coup, and I won’t tolerate it. I’ll bring JOS security down on all your heads,” Lise yelled in rage.
“We think not, Lise,” Idrian replied calmly. We know that Jordie MacKiernan, on your orders, orchestrated the gas attack at the YIPS.”
“That’s an incredulous lie,” Lise shot back.
“True, we can’t prove it,” Rufus said, “but the council members will swear to the Review Board that you told us of your plan. What do you think the Review Board will decide, under those circumstances?”
“Save it, Lise,” Dorelyn said acrimoniously. “The concept of governor, as leader, is dead. The families no longer wish to place their fate in the hand of one individual who can make a dangerous misstep, as in the YIPS attack on the engineers.”
“Well, I presume that someone will lead this council. Doesn’t that amount to the same thing?” Lise riposted.
“The council is led by a triumvirate, who will begin with term lengths of one, two, and three years. At the end of their terms, the positions will rotate to other family heads according to seniority,” Idrian explained.
“And who are these initial triumvirates that I must address for each and every decision?” Lise snarled.
“Dorelyn, Rufus, and me,” Idrian said.
“Well, well, you’re a surprise,” Lise sneered. “Rufus, I understand. Dorelyn, I might have suspected, but you, Idrian, I wouldn’t have guessed.”
“It’s not a matter of usurping your power, Lise, to be governor,” Idrian said. “It’s more a matter that the domes and Pyre itself have outgrown the need for the position. For the sake of continuity, we’ll keep you in place until the council is ready to reveal itself.”
“And if I choose to announce you first?” Lise asked. She gazed around at the stony faces that stared back at her. They were hard and unflinching. There wasn’t a weak member among them. “I see. So be it,” she said, accepting their conditions. “What’s the council’s first order of business?”
“The triumvirate and you, Lise, must meet with Captains Harbour and Cinders,” Dorelyn replied. “We need to be part of this operation to restore the planet, not attempting to sabotage it, as you’ve tried to do.”
-40-
Triumvirate
“Lise wants what?” Jessie yelled over his comm unit. He was at the YIPS assembly site for the intravertor, and the excessive noise compelled engineers, techs, and visitors to wear ear protection.
/> “Get to a place where you can hear me,” Harbour replied loudly, hoping the bridge pickup transmitted her voice sufficiently.
Birdie grinned and checked the audio gain on the comm panel. It was at maximum.
“Better?” Jessie asked, when he enclosed himself in a nearby office.
“Much,” Harbour replied. “I was saying that I’ve received a call from Lise Panoy. She wants to meet with you and me to discuss the Jatouche intravertor. She says it’s time that negotiations begin in earnest.”
“Does she?” Jessie queried. “Gassing our engineers didn’t stop the project, so she plans to cut the domes in on the new land, which will be available once the planet is healed. Did she say anything else?”
“She did,” Harbour replied. “And, now that I think about it, it was odd. She said that three other family heads would be attending with her.”
“Who?” Jessie asked.
“Idrian Tuttle, Rufus Stewart, and Dorelyn Gaylan,” Harbour replied. “I know the two men, but I’ve never met the woman.”
“I’ve heard of her,” Jessie said. “She’s one of the tough, silent types. Now, why would Lise Panoy need to have three family heads on the calls with her?”
“Let me correct your assumption,” Harbour said. “Lise Panoy wants to meet in person, aboard the JOS.”
“This gets more and more interesting. Lise coming to us and bringing help,” Jessie replied.
“I assume that by negotiations Lise means she intends to hold up the project coming through the domes until she has what she wants,” Harbour said. “It sounds like the intravertor’s deployment method is still unknown to her.”
When Jessie didn’t reply, Harbour glanced at Birdie, who indicated with a thumbs up that the comm link was active.
Finally, Jessie responded, saying, “It’s the three family heads that’s puzzling me. There’s something odd about that.”
“I think the more immediate question is: What are we going to do about Lise’s offer?” Harbour asked.
“Why, I’m going to listen to the woman’s proposal and try to figure out what the attendance of the other family heads mean,” Jessie replied.
“You? Don’t you mean we, Captain?” Harbour asked.
“What do you think will be the purpose of one or both of us attending the negotiations?” Jessie asked.
Harbour had to admit to herself that this was where Jessie excelled. He had spent a lifetime negotiating deals for the purchase of a new ship, contracts with the YIPS, and interviewing crew. “Okay, Captain, educate me,” Harbour replied, wishing she’d made the call from the privacy of her quarters.
“To stall,” Jessie simply replied. “I intend to draw the negotiations out for as long as I can.”
“And buy the engineers time to get to the deployment stage,” Harbour concluded.
“Exactly,” Jessie replied. “Besides, Captain, the Jatouche, and by that I mean Tacticnok, trust you. You have to remain available to her.”
“Understood,” Harbour replied. “Shall I tell Lise that you’re available?”
“Negative,” Jessie replied. “Ask Lise for dates when she would like to begin negotiations and take your time choosing one.”
Harbour grinned, “I understand. My schedule is incredibly impacted lately.”
The bridge crew could hear Jessie’s chuckle. “That’s the idea,” he said.
* * * *
Harbour managed to stall Lise and the family heads for nearly two weeks before the first negotiations meeting took place in a JOS security conference room. In addition to Lise and the three family heads, Emerson, Henry, and Liam were present. The fact that the major had been invited by the captains irked the commandant, especially since he had to persuade Lise to ensure he was included.
“Apologies for my lateness,” Jessie said, hurrying to join the meeting. “Problems with the intravertor. Engineers are having to rethink some assembly issues.”
“Understandable, Captain,” Lise replied diplomatically. “I would presume mating alien technology with our own to be a daunting task. Do you expect it to delay the completion by a little or a long time?”
“Hard to say, right now,” Jessie said, taking a seat on the other side of the table from the governor and the family heads. “They just discovered the issue, but I don’t think it’s going to be an easy fix based on the discussion I heard.”
“Dorelyn Gaylan,” a woman announced, extending her hand across the table to Jessie. “I believe I’m the only one who hasn’t met you personally, Captain Cinders.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Jessie replied, taking Dorelyn’s hand.
“Forgive me,” Lise said, “I thought the two of you had met.”
So that’s the game we’re going to play, Dorelyn thought, giving Lise a polite smile.
These were the sort of conditions that had Jessie regretting Harbour’s absence. He would love to have her whispering the emotional reactions of the family heads in his ear. When he thought of Harbour’s breath in his ear, a tingling sensation threaded through him.
“Are we waiting for Captain Harbour?” Lise asked.
“No, we’re not,” Jessie replied. “She’s playing arbiter for the Jatouche and Pyrean engineers.”
“Fine,” Lise said, exuding a touch of annoyance at the stumbling start to negotiations. “Let’s begin. On the table is the division of land, if and when, the planet is healed.”
Henry Stamerson coughed at Lise’s presumption and took a swallow of his water. Even Emerson was taken aback by the boldness of the statement.
Jessie appeared unfazed and replied, “I believe that this idea of land sharing, as you’ve phrased it, is not within my purview to discuss. If that’s the question on the table, I think negotiations are at an end.”
“Perhaps, we should start with a lesser subject,” Idrian said. “After you move the intravertor through the domes, how far out do you think you’ll proceed before you plant and activate the device?”
“That’s a difficult question, Idrian,” Jessie replied. “While I don’t have the safe operating distance for the intravertor, I can tell you that some of the limitations would be vac suit air, a shelter with tank-recharging capabilities, personnel rovers, and a mobile vehicle capable of carrying six tons … at least, I think that’s the smallest section, but I’ll have to check on it.”
Jessie watched the family heads lean back, contemplating what they’d heard.
“I take it none of you have any experience with space mining operations?” Henry asked the governor and the family heads. When he received blank expressions, he added, “Pyre’s surface is, for the purposes of this discussion, a hostile place. It requires the transport and assembly of the intravertor to be treated similarly to a mining operation on a moon or asteroid. What Captain Cinders is asking you is: What portion of the installation equipment can the domes supply?”
The family heads glanced at Jessie, and he nodded his agreement.
“We don’t have rovers and heavy transporters that will function on Pyre’s surface,” Rufus protested.
“Well, for certain, those types of vehicles won’t fit in the cargo hold of the El. You’d have to dismantle them, cart the pieces through the dome, and reassemble them outside an airlock,” Liam explained.
“Speaking of which, we’ll need the dimensions of both interlock and exterior surface airlocks,” Jessie said. He could see Idrian taking notes in his comm device and inwardly smiled. I’m keeping them busy, Harbour, he thought.
“I don’t hear resolutions to these technical questions,” Dorelyn said.
Jessie upgraded his estimation of the family leader. The woman had a keen mind and wasn’t sidetracked by minutiae, but, then again, Jessie wasn’t a novice at negotiations either.
“I haven’t either,” Jessie said, gazing at Lise.
“These must be tabled for later discussions,” Lise replied, looking toward Idrian, who nodded as he entered a note in his device.
“I want to address a
concern of mine,” Rufus said, sidetracking the discussion. “Who will be in charge of the transport and assembly?”
Two things struck Jessie as interesting. The first was the tiny flicker of annoyance across the faces of Dorelyn and Idrian, when Rufus brought up this subject, and the second was it was an odd question.
“Generally, engineers and techs,” Jessie replied, deciding to play dumb.
“That’s not what I mean,” Rufus replied firmly.
“Then I suggest that you phrase your questions in specific terms if you’re looking for a more detailed response,” Jessie said, locking eyes with Rufus.
“Will the Jatouche need to visit the domes?” Rufus asked.
“How else do you expect them to get to the surface?” Jessie replied. Within minutes of the meeting, he’d identified the weak link in the group. Idrian was thoughtful and detailed; Dorelyn was quiet but a dominant personality; Lise was Lise; but Rufus was hot-headed, opinionated, and xenophobic. The last word was a new one for Jessie. Harbour had taught it to him, when he’d struggled for a means of describing the individuals who might have paid David Yersh.
“Can’t human engineers do the job?” Rufus asked.
Idrian leaned forward on the table to address Rufus, but Jessie waved him off. “The intravertor is a Jatouche device. Humans built the support structure: shells, ring connections, microwave receiver, and a bunch of other sundry items, but the exotic parts are all Jatouche. It will take Pyreans and Jatouche working together to make this successful. Now, if our furry friends make you nervous, I suggest you find a far dome to hide in while the important tasks get done.”
Jessie had sat unnervingly still while he spoke, but his eyes were hard.
“Sirs,” Henry said into the stillness that followed Jessie’s comments, “we’ve a long way to go in these negotiations. I suggest you pace yourselves.”
“Many of us don’t share the opinions that have just been expressed,” Dorelyn said, staring fixedly at Rufus before she turned to Jessie, “and we appreciate the support of these furry friends.” She ended her statement with a suggestion of a smile.
