A Hop, Skip and a Jump (Family Law Book 4)

by Mackey Chandler

  "Yes, and a volunteer," Lee added, then turned to Ha-bob-bob-brie and continued, "May I share your name?"

  "To a queen?" he asked. "Of course, I have read of her with approval."

  "Sovereign of Central, meet Ha-bob-bob-brie," Lee said.

  "Oh good, you speak and read Standard. Thanks for the kind words."

  "I speak Standard English, understand several variations, Hin of course, middling Derf, Badger about as well as anyone seems able right now, and I am trying to make sense of Japanese, but it is difficult. The New Japan dialect is diverging already. I also have had some success with Caterpillar word grids."

  "Good, because I want to ask a question," Heather said.

  "Honored One, it is your home and your nation. You may ask anything you wish."

  "Polite isn't he? OK, Feathered One. Why are you standing with your back to me?"

  "If that is against custom I apologize. You said 'why' with a little burr to your voice, that humans sometimes adapt to express irritation. I turned toward the other entry and the serving people because that seems the likeliest threat axis towards my Lady. I have my left side to her because that is my natural direction to strike. My back to you because any threat to her has to come across you, and would be met by at least a half dozen armed responses. The eyes in the crowd coming back and scanning around you repeatedly guarantee it. My right side, which is my weak side, is to the gentleman who sat behind us. He looks capable of stopping anything short of a main battle tank," Ha-bob-bob-brie answered.

  Gordon twisted in his seat to see who Ha-bob-bob-brie would describe that way.

  "Sweet Goddess, you're real!" Gordon blurted out. It was the fellow who snapped steel hand cuffs like they were gift box ribbons. April was beside him, and she thought this was hilarious. "Gunny, you have reached a new level of fame when a half ton carnivore with claws like steak knives is in awe of you."

  "I saw you . . ." Gordon said, and then instead of continuing he just crossed his true hands at the wrist and jerked them apart with his fiercest expression.

  "Oh, that damn video," Gunny said, and did a face palm.

  "Gunny is my bodyguard," April informed them smugly.

  Ha-bob-bob-brie regarded him, head cocked over. He either adapted that exaggerated mannerism way back from humans or it was natural to his race.

  "What you thinking?" Lee asked in the terse abbreviated way she did sometimes.

  "I'm thinking that on top of natural physical ability shown and training, this Human has over a hundred years experience being a body guard. Do not underestimate him."

  "Yeah, they don't look old, so it's easy to forget that," Lee agreed. They all gave her a very bland look and didn't protest, which just reinforced the inconvenient truth of it.

  "That is perhaps at the core of why I am here," Lee said, looking at Heather and seizing the opportunity to start talking business. "All my friends with me are cleared to hear anything I have to say. If you have anyone here who shouldn't hear matters of state I suggest you excuse them or tell me this isn't a business session. If it isn't, I want to know when that will happen. You, all your people, have displayed a talent at obfuscation, side-tracking conversations when they approach areas you don't want to deal with. Well we've seen that pattern and are serving notice we aren't going to be managed and guided. You have the advantage of experience on us, but we're not going to be jollied and led around like little kids who can be distracted from a cookie they want. We are going to have some answers, and if those answers aren't forthcoming, it's going to mark a rift between us. So it's up to you which fork in this road you want to take."

  The room was silent, stunned by an opening statement with such a blunt warning and the obvious depth of anger behind it.

  "Shashi, do you mind the burden of possibly hearing things you will have to keep secret?" Heather asked.

  "No, but Priya isn't of an age to be sworn to you. I'll remove her if you wish."

  Priya looked indignant, but to her credit said nothing.

  Heather looked thoughtful. "No need. You might have to be careful, but she simply won't have the same circumstances, where you might to need to exercise caution."

  She looked back at Lee, and hesitated again. "Though I suddenly suspect whatever we work out is going to be very public in a short time anyway."

  Lee didn't agree or contradict her yet. If she was implying Lee would feel no need to hide their negotiations if they couldn't come to terms, she was right.

  "Very well, let us make sure everyone is known, all around, and we can proceed," Heather said. "I am Sovereign here. Except for Priya everyone here is sworn to me or my peer. We shall talk informally, the royal plural silliness is fine to make a legal point, but you have to stop and think how to frame it.

  "April you know. She is my peer and longstanding partner. Jeff," she pointed to a handsome coppery skinned fellow, "is a peer and an equal partner in business to both of us. Our relationship predates all others outside family. All three of us have interests and businesses and indeed political obligations that are distinct even if they overlap. We are all three citizens of Central, Home, and several other nations, of which you aren't aware.

  "Gabriel, who some of you have met, is sworn to me." Gabriel stood briefly, so people could see him.

  "Shashi, who you've all met, is sworn.

  "Eileen Foy and her husband Victor Foy are sworn to me." Victor gave a little wave.

  "Dakota is my secretary and much more, sworn to me on the first day of our nation.

  "Gunny is the most recently sworn. Necessity made him do so, to do a job for me.

  "All my sworn subjects tend to multitask and change jobs at need. The door is not open for just anyone to swear to me. I must see them as an asset and have confidence in them."

  Heather nodded at Lee that it was her turn.

  "You all heard the Hin is my bodyguard. If you heard his name be aware that doesn't give you leave to use it casually. The Hinth regard being known to each other, and formally sharing names, as a special relationship."

  "Then how may we address him?" April reasonably asked.

  Lee looked a question at Ha-bob-bob-brie."

  "This is a new thing. I have only walked among my brothers of the Little Fleet and those tied to Lee. I don't think I'm ready to be known to humanity at large, Talker I can easily acknowledge as known since he served the fleet well, and is Lee's friend, if I may use his Badger name?"

  "Of course, Brother," Talker said.

  "If I go to town on Derfhome I'm with Derf or Humans and I'm the only Hin. It's easy to talk around me. The shopkeeps don't need a name and the barmaids all assign one, or ask the others what the Hin will have like I'm deaf."

  "If one may suggest," Gordon offered. "Perhaps you should have a customary name for dealing with Humans, the same as I do. Gordon serves as well and saves a lot of time."

  "I like that," Ha-bob-bob-brie said. "To those to whom I am not formally known, please call me Phoenix."

  "Does that have significance to you?" April asked.

  "Indeed, I've had two distinct lives," Ha-bob-bob-brie said. "Consider it settled."

  "I'm curious if you don't mind saying," Gunny asked him. "What do barmaids call you?"

  "It's really odd. They almost all walk up and ask: What will you have, Honey?"

  The Humans all found that funny. There's no explaining Human humor.

  Lee considered that closure and forged ahead.

  "Gordon is my adoptive father. We're partners in claims on a class 'A' living planet. We're also partners in the High Hopes Exploratory Association. I'm a member of his clan, Red Tree. We both recently gained Fargone citizenship. Also, Gordon conducted the space war against North America on behalf of Red Tree.

  "Talker is spox and ambassador to the Derf and our allies for his race. He also sees to the interests of the associated races in their star spanning civilization. They have pledged to use and support our claims system since the Claims Commission on Earth balked at trying
to administer claims at the great distance the Little Fleet went. He is my friend.

  "Sally," Lee pointed out, "represents our bank and is along to establish our claims as securities we hope Earth financial institutions may trade. She wears a double hat, being in charge of creating the functional part of our claims commission, the record keeping and personal share accounts."

  "When you say our bank, do you mean you have an ownership interest?" Jeff Singh asked.

  "No, we use them," Lee said. "None of us have experience in banking, and I have enough on my plate without trying to learn another complex profession."

  Sally spoke up. "To clarify, the Bank of Derfhome has many clients. We have managed accounts for the Red Tree clan for generations, from before Human contact. However, the reality is the High Hopes Exploratory Association and the personal accounts of Gordon and Lee now amount to the majority of our business, and will only increase."

  "We three do have our own bank," Jeff said. "Banking in this system is not limited to Earth or Ceres. We would talk business with Sally if she wishes."

  "Of course," Sally said, and Lee nodded agreement.

  "So, are you representing Red Tree or the Exploratory Association?" Heather asked.

  "Both, and myself," Lee answered. "But what we do will touch much more. Talker's entire multi-race civilization, because of his people's relationship to the Human sphere of influence, balances on their agreements with Gordon and the Little Fleet. It touches upon Fargone since their nationals, including Gordon and I now, have a deep interest in our claim shares. In time it will interest all the traditional Derf clans, because Red Tree just happens to be the leader in space now. However, when the Mothers make law it is accepted or challenged by all the clans. They will all see to their own best interests, and have no custom of moderation.

  "It involves New Japan now, even though they probably aren't aware I'm here, because we sent Talker's people to them to buy arms. You know how they are. They won't have outsiders say what they can do or not any more than clan Mothers.

  "There is already a complex web of interests and agreements both economic and cultural between millions of sapients, that won't be swept aside because some Earthmen don't like them. We see potential conflict of the sort you've said you've tried to restrain and avoid. I'm here to give you the opportunity to do what you are already committed to doing, protecting Earth from their own stupidity."

  That produced a momentary pause and visible shuffling of positions, as if people suddenly found their seats uncomfortable.

  "They doubt you are worthy," Ha-bob-bob-brie accused.

  "That's their problem," Lee said. "Nobody said that. Please remember, I've never found any joy in having people die for me."

  "I suspect that's part of why they do," Talker said quietly.

  "You read us wrong," April claimed. "I've fought that sort of arrogance myself. I've warned people to back off and had them describe me as a child with a pocket phone. Jeff desperately pleaded with them to return his stolen property or he'd make war on them. They could only see we didn't have a flag and lines on a map, or fancy uniforms with medals and high sounding titles. It's been damn frustrating. I swear these ground dwellers have a hard time thinking in 3D. We've been lucky that the L1 limit seems to be easy to visualize for them."

  "All that said, you did claim more than we expected," Heather admitted. "You have got ahead of us, and we didn't see the full pattern you cite. Frankly, you personally could go away, and all these problems would still remain."

  "The Hin and the Badger are as bound to her as any of your sworn men are to you," Gunny told Heather. "I can see it plain as day. It doesn't matter if they never had their hands covered and were solemnly sworn."

  "My own father chastised me over that very thing," Talker admitted.

  "Would you explain?" Gunny asked.

  "There is what you might call a morality play in our culture, a very old lesson from our pre-space history. It makes a pointed lesson about the nature of friendship. Friendship among us has a scope English may not encompass, anymore than it explains what being 'known' means to the Hinth. The play teaches that real friendship isn't a matter of formalities, also not a matter of class, which was more a problem a thousand years ago than today, but still a factor. When I admitted I failed at first to recognize Lee had befriended me until I was told, Father said. 'Did the Traveler and the Farmer stand and swear friendship or just do it?' Being asked softly didn't lessen the sting of that question."

  "What did she do?" Gunny demanded.

  "She offered to lie before my door to protect me with her body as I slept, without condition, so that I might sleep without night terrors."

  Gunny looked at Lee, and didn't say anything, but his doubt was obvious.

  "You have not seen what she can do with an auto pistol," Talker cautioned.

  "I don't think I want to," Gunny decided.

  "The Little One is fearless," Ha-bob-bob-brie said. "I am told you have unknown powers and superior technology. I have no authority here, but I'll tell you for myself if no others speak. Do not think to ally with her if you are fickle."

  "Doubt runs both ways," Gunny observed.

  "You do not know our culture," Jeff insisted. "We are a very high trust society where one's word is precious. Where a business person will take a loss to keep trust rather than follow the letter of a contract to their advantage, where someone who is 'fickle' finds himself shunned, and sometimes physically expelled from either Central or Home."

  Heather jumped in. "And this colors our desire or ability to make any pact with you. Because we do intend to do anything we say. That makes us reluctant to commit."

  "Fair enough," Lee said. "I'd be happy to walk away with an agreement of all negatives if that's all we can do."

  "I hope we might do better, but to be sure I understand, elaborate what you mean by that, please," Heather asked Lee.

  "Instead of a mutual defense treaty, just a non-interference agreement. Instead of a trade pact, simply an agreement not to influence our respective economic spheres. No exchange, no travel offered, just strict neutrality. When we find you among the stars we would politely back off and mark it on our charts not to come back. You would agree to stay out of our parts of the heavens too. We're not as secretive as you, so we'd even give you charts of what is ours.

  "I've seen these other races. If you don't think there is benefit to knowing them you are short sighted, but if you wish to be isolationist we can at least try not to end up enemies."

  "You can't reach us," Jeff insisted. "It's a meaningless offer. We've moved away until our closest world we will absolutely retain is over three hundred light years away."

  "I'm sure that's just a hop skip and a jump for you. Gabriel there gave me a ride in one of your ships you know. It was very impressive. So we can't reach you, today. But when we have quantum drives based on gravitational gradients we will be able to, or even bypass you. Why would we need to encumber ourselves with agreements with you then? There are more of us on many more worlds. We already have enough physical assets, metals and living room, mapped out to carry us for centuries. We have assets in diverse cultures with different points of view and skills to play off each other and build a greater whole.

  "Shopping for friends based on what they can do for you and avoiding anyone who might need help isn't very attractive. Even worse, suddenly seeking friends with those who've improved their fortunes would look . . . insincere.

  "Conflict is not just a theoretical possibility. I'm here because the Mothers of Red Tree are already peeved at you, and feel they have been treated dishonestly."

  "On what basis?" Jeff demanded. "What dealing have we ever had with your Mothers?"

  "The Mothers sat and negotiated a treaty with North America thinking they were dealing with an independent and sovereign nation. Now we've found out the North Americans are restricted and limited by the Lunar powers. The Mothers take the responsibility of governance seriously, and expect it to be done hon
estly. I actually spoke to your defense, to say the Earthies were in denial, and would insist they are sovereign. However, if they had bought that view entirely I wouldn't be here. They feel you are overlords and their treaty is basically worthless if you could abrogate it at will. I doubt they would speak with a North American spox again. They'd tell them to send their Masters to speak for them."

  "Oh God . . . wouldn't that be a mess?" Heather said, horrified. When Lee looked visibly perplexed she explained. "There are billions of them. You don't live with them a couple light seconds away like us. We figure if push comes to shove we could kill the vast majority of them and still lose. And talk about responsible governance, we don't want to govern them. It would take more people than we have, and I mean all of us. There's no way they would accept our rules. Our philosophies are simply too divergent. We have more customs than law. They have more laws than any person can know, until they are simply ignored or it would all collapse. A statement like that from the Mothers might inflame them to attack us . . . again."

  "You can't govern, down there," Lee agreed. "But you've already imposed rules off Earth. The L1 limit alone was a major intervention. We aren't interested in telling them how to live down there either. Off planet is another matter. We're headed for conflict with them. If you can't see that you haven't been paying attention. They lost a war, were forced into a treaty, and then broke it. They've already been arrogant enough since to send show the flag naval visits to Derfhome to see if we'd exclude them.

  "One of the few things the Earthies did well was the Claims Commission, and then they turned us away from using it. I expect after we've gone to all the trouble to make our own they will announce they've changed their minds, like we'll just undo everything for their convenience. I can see war over that alone."

  "We have intervened beyond L1," April said. "We insisted they couldn't mine the outer systems of the aboriginal races, so those are preserved for them. Every time we take a stand on something has risks. We choose carefully."

  "What happened that the Hinth weren't worth protecting?" Ha-bob-bob-brie asked.