by Jacen Aster
Areina looked like she wasn't quite sure if she believed him, but ultimately shrugged it off. “Fine, be that way. At any rate, someone needs to go look over the final adjustments to the ship’s reactors in the morning. Which means a trip to engineering. Since we both know that Teva here will find a way to keep me out of there, you'll have to do it.”
Henry nodded. “That's the final systems check before we declare operational, right?”
“Yep. Technically operational at least. It'll be another six months before we manage to transfer company HQ here wholesale.”
Henry grinned as he stood up. “Then I shall leave you to Teva's tender mercies. She looks like she's up for another debate about you bailing out before the civies start pouring in.”
Areina shifted to look at Teva. She had perked up and did indeed look like she was waiting to pounce. “Oh, lovely. Sure you won't stay, Henry?”
“And get involved in that? No way. Well, not unless you install a mud wrestling pit first.”
He had to dodge a barrage of pillows as he made an escape from their quarters.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Henry had his head inside the reactor housing, offline of course, when the lockdown alarms went off again. Banging his head on the housing as he jerked in surprise, he let loose a litany of expletives in a remarkable number of languages.
Adams, the chief engineer, looked impressed. “Huh. I've got a good translator, and I've been adding curses to it for a decade, but it only knew about half of those.”
Henry ignored him for a moment, darting a hand out for his portable. A quick glance reassured him and he turned back to the engineer, grinning. “I've got a decade on you, at least, and I've been to a lot of strange places.”
The engineer, one of the few humans aboard aside from Henry, snorted. “I'll believe that one. Half the shit you pull out of your ass screams alien, even if the parts you use aren't. More alien than the Arabuli stuff I mean.”
Henry shrugged, still mostly distracted.
Seeing this, the chief tried another subject. Looking to the lockdown lights on the door seal, he half-questioned, “I wonder what it was this time? I hope it wasn't another nut with a gun.”
Still looking at his portable, Henry absentmindedly informed the man, “It wasn't. Someone tried to blow her up.”
Adams suddenly looked worried. “They didn't get her, did they? She's nice. A great boss too. It's not right, these people trying to kill her.”
Henry finally looked up, meeting the man's eyes as he reassured him. “No, it was an improvised explosive in the officer's gym. The gym is a wreck but she's unharmed.”
“Oh, that's good then. I wonder how they got it in there though?”
“I only wish I knew, then we could grab them.”
The lockdown lights blinked off and Henry quickly took his leave. He reached Areina's quarters in less than ten minutes. His muscles lost a bit of tension he hadn't realized was there when he saw that they were, indeed, both fine. Though Teva look ever so slightly singed and had a small cut on her cheek. His relief didn't last long. Areina pounced the moment she laid eyes on him.
“Henry Harper. I demand you tell me what the hell is going on!”
Henry tried to look innocent. Actually, he succeeded at looking innocent. He had a lot of experience.
Areina wasn't having it. “Now Henry! The bomb was ripped from where it was and thrown into the pool by careful manipulation of the ship’s artificial gravity. You were not there, and no automated program you could have installed should be capable of that! What the hell is going on?”
Teva raised a hand. “I kinda want to know that too. Not that I don't appreciate the save.”
Henry looked from one determined expression to the other then, with a small sigh, caved. “Fine. I admit I cheated a bit. After the attempt on the bridge, I realized that I might not be able to react in time if it happened again. So I installed an A.I. into the ship’s main systems. It's been keeping an eye on all three of us, using whatever is at hand to save us when an attempt is made.”
Both of them looked stunned. Surprisingly it was Teva who managed to find her voice first, though it was uncharacteristically weak. “An A.I.? Where did you even get an A.I., or meet one, or however it is that works?”
“Meet, you meet an A.I. They're just like people. Mostly. As for where, well, I was aboard the Chimera back when Valkyrie became the first proper artificial intelligence known to exist. I've kept in touch with Valkyrie herself, as well as several people who became founding members of the Valkyrie Project.”
Teva gave a low whistle, and Areina found her voice. “I hope it's not her, Henry. The outcry if you have the galaxy's first A.I. pulling bodyguard duty...” she trailed off.
Henry chuckled. “No, it isn't Valkyrie. Though she actually wanted to come, she was originally intended for this sort of experimental work after all. Pushing the boundaries of the possible and all that.” He sank into a seat across from Teva. Areina had joined her bodyguard on the couch again. “No, she'd be missed pretty quick. It's one of the others that eventually came out of the Valkyrie Project, named Tim. He wanted a chance to get out of the lab for a while, so he jumped at the opportunity when I asked Val if she could find me a volunteer.” Henry have a sardonic grin. “Apparently, he had to pretty much beat two dozen others off with a stick. Everyone is so concerned with safety, either for them or from them, that they almost never get to have 'adventures.'”
They were silent a moment, processing the revelations he had laid on them. Finally, Areina spoke up again. “Okay, I guess I owe Tim a pretty big thanks. I don't suppose he's been able to find out anything, what with the access he’s had to the systems?”
Henry nodded. “He's been trying to track down the source, but I didn't want to mention what he's concluded until we were sure. It's...a bit uncomfortable. We also don't know exactly who it is, just that it's one of a rather select group.”
Areina's voice was dead as she spoke two words. “My family.”
Teva gave an exclamation, but Henry just slowly nodded yes. “You suspected them then?”
Areina seemed to shrink a bit. “Yes, Vairc has been digging since the beginning. By the time he was injured, we suspected it had to be someone pretty close. Probably a noble. Possibly family. He's kept looking, mostly through others, while he's been recovering.”
She and Henry grew silent, but Teva pointed out something important. “Uh guys? If you both came to the same conclusion from two different directions, what happens if you combine what you both have?”
They both straightened quickly before looking at each other. Maybe they already had him or her and just didn't know it.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Areina drooped noticeably where she was pouring over the data. “So it's my older brother. I had hoped that we were wrong, even if I knew in my heart we were not.”
Henry looked surprised. “Tegan? You're sure? I don't see anything indicating that.”
Tim, now known to those present, spoke from the room’s entertainment speakers. “I believe Ms. Areina is correct, Henry. I too have spotted a correlation between several of our files and the new material provided by Mr. Teelian. I had not mentioned it yet as I was seeking further confirmation. The connection is somewhat tenuous.”
Areina nodded and picked up the thread of conversation. “If you found what I did, I can see that. He sold majority control of a lucrative company about five years ago, but the money seems to have vanished. He's not the only case of that happening. My younger sister did something similar, but it would certainly have provided the necessary funds needed for this. If that was all, it would be nothing. However, your and Tim's investigation found something Vairc's did not. Namely, information on Tegan spending large amounts of money through sources in that same company. One he now has only minimal involvement with. Moreover, there's no sign of where the money came from, or where it is going. The company has reported nothing that would explain that kind of money f
low, and neither has he.”
Teva stirred. “Couldn't that just mean he's taken a mistress or something? I mean, that's a pretty big leap with no direct evidence. He wasn't even in the running for the crown, so I'm not sure I can see it.”
Areina's head was shaking even before Teva finished. “No, I'm sure I'm right. More a feeling than anything, I guess. I know Tegan isn't a fan of my ideology, though he hasn't spoken out against it like some have. As for not being in the running for the crown, that actually makes it more likely, not less. Whoever took my place would be scrutinized closely as related to my death, but he'd escape notice and still get what he wanted, since none of the others would push for reforms. Assuming that is what this is all about.”
Teva grimaced. “Princess, we're going to need a lot more than that to accuse him. He's a member of the royal family, same as you. Hell, he has a cleaner record than you!”
Tim chimed in again, “I believe I have found it. I polled a few of your contacts again Henry. One of them came back with a hit for a purchase of twenty unmarked koliati pistols, identical to the one used in the bridge incident. It was purchased by the company in question, Ringway Power, which supplies power capacitors and regulators to several Ring manufacturers. I have downloaded the information into the portables.”
Teva grabbed a portable, read for a few moments, then made a face. “Better, but not enough. Particularly since you didn't exactly get the information legally.”
“That applies to almost everything we have!” Areina's voice was exasperated. Her face twisted, displaying her frustration and anger clearly. Not that either of the others could blame her. To be certain that a member of your own family had tried to kill you, but to be equally certain you could not prove it in a court of law, could only be infuriating.
They were all silent for a moment, then Teva sighed. “So I guess this is another bust then.”
Areina looked ready to burst, but quickly subsided and let herself fall forward, resting her head on the cool surface of the glass table with a defeated sigh. Henry, however, was unchanged. Silent and clearly thinking.
Teva opened her mouth, likely to suggest her favorite solution, alcohol, but Henry spoke first.
“Maybe not.”
Areina half raised her head to look at him hopefully, but he took a few more moments to think it through completely. Just when she looked about ready to demand what he meant, he continued. “It occurs to me that we've been too reactive. That just waiting for the assassins to come is stupid. We have enough information now…. What if we bait a trap?”
They both looked intrigued, but it was a wary looking Teva who voiced the question. “What do you have in mind, exactly?”
Henry settled back in his chair as he explained. “The reactor tests went well, at least until the lockdown. We could probably go operational today, but if we don't it gives us an opportunity. I say we delay labeling the ship operational and arrange to throw a big official shindig for the occasion. Pull the politics card, put the ship in orbit around your homeworld and invite all the bigwigs. Lots of nobles, your entire family, hell, even get your father in on it if you can. Maybe invite the press and leak that he'll make an official announcement of his choice. It even makes some nice symbolism for your reforms. The press will lap it up.”
Teva at least had seen where this was going. “Wait a minute! You want to use the party as bait? Set it up so that her brother has a shot at killing her while making it look like an accident, right?”
Henry nodded. “We can use the assassination attempts to control his options. Have tight security in place to catch any weapons or poisons, that sort of thing. Then get him alone with Areina, separated from Teva and I, and give him a perfect opportunity at an accident. I'm sure we can come up with something in that regard.”
Teva looked like she had swallowed a lemon whole, but Areina looked hopeful. She seemed to be quickly regaining her spirit as she latched onto the idea. “We'll have to put the party a couple of months out if we want a decent attendance. We'll need to bring a bunch of the civie crew on board too, to run the event. Might have to weather a few more attempts with that much time between then and now, but with Tim's help that shouldn't be a problem. No one knows about him yet but us.”
Tim cleared his throat, or was that speakers? “I will do my best, Miss Areina, but you still need to be cautious.”
Teva, face clearly showing how little she liked this idea, snorted. “Well, at least the freaking A.I. has some common sense left!” Turning a scowl on her boss, she added, “You're not seriously going to do this? Even if you survive to the party, the whole thing is asking for trouble. I'm not talking just the insane bit of you playing bait either. Half the nobles don't like the idea of you in general. Let alone the idea of you assuming the throne. Putting them all on the same ship with you, when you're already certain at least one person there wants you dead, that's just plain stupid talking. I mean, how do you know the security will even be trustworthy enough to keep all the other murderous backstabbing bastards attending in line?”
Areina grinned. “Oh, but my dear Teva, there's an important piece missing from the board. One of the few pieces I can completely call my own. I rather think it's time I played it.”
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
It had taken three months to set up the party, during which they had suffered four additional assassination attempts, though none had gotten very close to succeeding. Indeed, they seemed somewhat weaker attempts than what they had seen previously, something that concerned all involved.
Regardless, the party was now in full swing, with a very posh turnout. Areina's father, King Rellis, had been positively delighted to move up his official announcement, and had supported their plan to flush out the assassin. Though he had not yet been told just who it was they suspected. He had even seen fit to quietly loan a squad of the Royal Guard, from the numbers of his personal team in fact, to their plans. Nobles had trickled in with their retinues, many of them off the homeworld for the first time in their lives, even if they were still in orbit around said world. All of Areina's siblings had shown up, and she had made a point to whisk each one, save Tegan, off at some point or another.
A whistle from a ceremonial kredish, a sort of pipe that Henry knew little about, brought the attention of all and sundry to the main stage. It was time for the announcement. Henry motioned to Teva. He would keep an eye on Tegan while she watched the crowd as a whole. Not that she was even remotely close to being the only eyes doing so. With this much of the nobility, not to mention the king, in one place, there was heavy security everywhere.
It didn’t take long for the crowd to finish trickling in from the side rooms, they knew what that whistle meant. Indeed, there was King Rellis now. He was clearly aged, but as he took the stage, his presence filled the room in a way not even Areina could yet match. Areina took the stage beside him, an unhappy looking Teva falling back with the king's guards.
“Greetings, my fellow nobles, honored guests, and most especially family. Each one of you here tonight are the very best and brightest lights of our people, or in the case of the young, those who will undoubtedly become such.”
Indeed, even the reporters of this crowd bore a very dark shading. The foremost members of their kind, some of them even minor nobility themselves.
The king placed a weathered hand on Areina's shoulder. He was tall, nearly as tall as she, but he still had to reach up ever so slightly. “We have all come here today at the invitation of my lovely daughter, and I suspect you all know why.” He paused a moment to let that process. In truth, most probably suspected, but few had truly known. “Tonight, I confirm what you have all known in your hearts since I announced my intention to step down. Tonight, this very moment! I announce to you all my chosen successor. My imminently capable daughter, who I have faith will lead us into a new golden age. All hail the heir apparent to the throne, Areina Aerablast!” He thrust his daughter’s hand in the air to a cheer and applause from the crowd, then stepp
ed back, seeming to diminish by some trick of his body language as Areina stepped forward, projecting her own powerful presence onto the crowd. Fire to her father's ice.
Henry already knew what she was going to say, so he tuned out her acceptance speech in favor of watching Tegan and his posse. Henry had to admit, the man was a consummate actor. He cheered with the others and gave enthusiastic applause. Yet, to Henry, who had been looking directly into the man's eyes when the announcement was made, it rang more than merely false. There was rage there, and disgust. If he hadn't been sure before that this was their man, those eyes would have done much to persuade him. More, some of his companions were not so well able to hide their reactions. Though none failed to clap or cheer, most did so with clearly false smiles and strained expressions. Henry committed their faces to memory, just in case.
Areina's speech wound down and she slipped away before she could be accosted. She would have to mingle a bit more once the crowd had broken up, but for now her father took the brunt of the attention. An attendant slid towards Tegan with an invitation. That was Henry's cue.
Eyes finally leaving the murderous brother, Henry quietly left through the hatch he had been leaning against. He made his way to a small maintenance node and brought it out of hibernation, just in time for the display to show Areina, Tegan and Teva making their way towards the observation point above the ship's gardens.
Several stories above the gardens themselves, the overlook was a hidden balcony that opened up to give a picturesque view of the gardens spreading out below. The group reached the access hatch, which was clearly marked as closed by red lights and a sign. Areina punched her private override into the hatch's access panel, allowing them through. She turned and ordered Teva to stand watch at the door. Her bodyguard likely didn't have to fake her look of recrimination. She still wasn't happy about this.
Tegan and Areina ascended in a small lift, and when they exited onto the balcony Henry flicked on the audio just in time to catch Tegan speaking as he looked out over the gardens.
