by Neal Jones
"I can return, if you wish," Varis replied. "All I would tell Gabriel is that my absence was necessary to the fulfillment of my assignment."
"No, that won’t be necessary, brantar. Stay where you are for now. That is your new posting. I will contact you if I need you, and vice versa, should you learn any new information which might be relevant to our situation here."
"Understood. Varis out." She terminated the link, then sat back and sipped her tea as she pondered the recent events which had caused her delay in reporting for her new posting here on Exxar-One. She hoped that Connor was wrong, that he and his team had not risked exposure in the Emr system by sending one too many strike teams into the Kesghad sector which was inside the Jha'Drok border. On the other hand, if Connor's gambit paid off, and the Jha'Drok really were up to something, this was the only way to find proof. Such proof would give the Senior Director of FCI cause to act and thus prevent a threat to the security of the Interstellar Federation.
Varis shook her head, remembering how useless it was to worry about things over which one had no control. She thought instead of her new commanding officer, and, for the first time in a long while, a genuine smile touched Varis' lips as she thought of Gabriel's reaction to her initial introduction. It was a little game she liked to play with each new posting, just to see what kind of reaction it drew from her new superior. Most were so caught off guard that they didn't confront Varis until much later, if at all. Gabriel was one of the few who had stood up to her and immediately asserted his authority. Varis liked that very much, and she was certain that she and the commodore would have a fine working relationship. She annoyed him, that much was clear, but, as with a few others, he had also been intrigued by her cold exterior, by her professionalism which she wore as a mask. It was a veneer which Varis had carefully cultivated over the last several years, a part of the complex armor which she had used to protect herself since she was young. Because of her status as an FCI special agent, Varis had found it prudent never to form any lasting connections with her fellow officers. Life was better lived when one kept everyone else at a distance. Emotional attachments tended to cloud the mind, and the nature of Varis' work required that she keep a clear and sound mind at all times.
As far as the crew of this starbase was concerned, J'Soran Varis was its strategic operations officer. Nothing more.
Chapter 11
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( 1 )
"Commander Decev, thank you for meeting with me." Joshua's teacher, Mrs. Cassleman, was a tall, heavyset, human woman, with auburn hair that had a few streaks of gray at the temples. There was a general look of weariness about her whole being, as if she was one who endured the daily grind of teaching rather than celebrate its many joys. Of course, teaching on a starbase like Exxar-One meant that one wasn't dealing with just human children, but, instead, a variety of alien species, each with their own unique set of needs. Not only that, but Mrs. Cassleman's students were adolescents, which always muddied the waters, no matter what species one came from. Puberty always had a way of mucking with one's hormones and behavior. "This is our school counselor, Miss Tiath."
Ysi Tiath was an Orethian woman, and she smiled pleasantly as she stood to shake Decev's hand. Where Joshua's teacher appeared battle worn and exhausted, Ysi looked as though she genuinely enjoyed her profession, and she asked Mariah if she could get her a refreshment.
"No, thank you," the science officer replied.
"Let's get straight to the point," Mrs. Cassleman said. "While I am pleased with Joshua's overall work, I am unhappy with his behavior of late. Now, I realize that he's a new student, and it's only been two weeks since you arrived, but he seems to be having more trouble than most students when it comes to making friends and fitting in. This fight yesterday, for example..."
"Yes," Mariah said, "Joshua told me that he was fighting back against a bully, a Murdohn boy."
"That's right. As I'm sure you're aware, commander, it is the school's policy that there is no fighting allowed, regardless of the circumstances. I understand that Joshua was only defending himself, and we have had several problems with Tjase in the past. However, in the interest of fairness, I feel it necessary to give Joshua the minimum punishment which is a one day suspension and five demerits for a first offense."
Decev scowled but couldn't argue with Cassleman's reasoning. "All right. Now let's talk about Tjase. I would like to meet with his mother. Is she here now?"
"We scheduled her meeting right after yours," Tiath said before Mrs. Cassleman could reply. "If you'd like to wait for a few minutes, we can certainly talk about this together."
"Thank you. Mrs. Cassleman –"
"Please. Call me Alice."
"Alice. I know that what Josh did was wrong, but as I said, he was defending himself. He's had it very rough for these last few years, well, for most of his life actually. Ever since Paul died – that's my husband, Josh's father – I've been doing the best I can, but it's been difficult to balance my career and raise him. Especially now, since he's gotten older and, well, you know how teenagers are. And, of course, there's the fact that I move every two or three years with each new assignment, so Josh naturally has trouble fitting in and making new friends. It didn't use to be this bad, but lately..."
Mariah trailed off, blinking, as she realized that she was rambling to these two strangers. Ysi looked genuinely interested, but Alice appeared to be enduring the commander's speech, probably because this was the hundredth performance. Only the name and face of the speaker was different.
As if reading her mind, Ysi leaned forward. "Commander, if you don't mind my asking, have you and Josh seen a family therapist?"
Mariah sighed. "No. But I've begun to wonder lately if maybe I should. Can you recommend someone?"
"Certainly." She picked up a nearby compad, entered a few commands, and then handed it to Decev. "I think Doctor Ousko is the best, but Aldgh is also good. Ousko specializes in these types of situations – single parenting, military families, children who have trouble with relocating so often. I think you'll like him."
"Thank you."
Alice's comm terminal beeped, and she tapped a key. "Yes, Tainyi?"
"Miss Kalverr is here."
"Thank you. Send her in, please."
Tiath stood to pull up an extra chair as Tjase's mother entered. She glanced at Mariah as she walked to her seat, and there was a sneer in her gaze which instantly put the commander on the defensive. She'd seen that look before. It said, My son would never do anything of which you are accusing him, and I resent your implications. Your son is obviously to blame for all of this. She was also wearing a military uniform.
"Thank you for joining us," Alice said. "Commander, this is Siyri Kalverr, Tjase's mother. Siyri –"
"Thank you, Alice. Let me start by saying that my son was the one defending himself. It was your son, Commander, who attacked him, with the help of two other boys." She turned to Mrs. Cassleman. "Are their parents going to be here as well?"
"No. I have already met with them, and I didn't feel it was necessary for them to be present here. The heart of this conflict seems to lie with Joshua and Tjase."
Miss Kalverr turned to Decev. "I didn't raise my son to be a bully, commander. It's true that he hasn't adjusted as well to this new posting as some of the others, and he has had problems here at school. But he told me that he was only defending himself. Joshua was the one who started the fight."
"Well, that's interesting. Joshua said he was the one defending himself and that Tjase was the instigator."
The other woman opened her mouth to return fire, but Ysi quickly stepped in. "Ladies, perhaps this could be solved by bringing the boys together, getting them involved in some kind of after school activity."
"A play date?" Mariah was both aghast and intrigued.
"What?" Siyri snapped.
"Both of you have just stated that Joshua and Tjase have had trouble adjusting to your new assignments. Both of them are at that age w
hen friendships and fitting in are important, but because of your respective careers, they're constantly having to uproot and move to a new place and make new friends all over again. It sounds to me as if these two boys have more in common than they realize."
"I agree," Alice said, looking just as surprised as the two mothers. "I think it's a wonderful idea. In fact, I have just assigned the class a science project which will come due at the end of this quarter. I haven't yet paired everyone up, but I think Joshua and Tjase will be a good fit. If nothing else, they'll at least understand the need to work together to get a passing grade."
Decev and Siyri glanced at one another, and while the Murdohn looked more unhappy at this prospect than the commander did, neither of them could find fault with the suggestion.
"Very well," Siyri said at last. "Is Joshua free on Friday afternoon?"
"My place or yours?"
"Yours. I have a prior engagement. I'll pick Tjase up at seven."
"Sounds good. You both can stay for dinner if you'd like."
Siyri feigned a smile as she rose. "I'll get back to you on that." She threw a glance at Alice and Ysi. "Until next time."
"Have a nice day, Siyri." Alice pushed her chair back and stood as well. "I have another meeting which I am already late for, commander. Thank you for taking this time to meet with me."
"Thank you, actually," Decev said, rising and thrusting out her hand. "I look forward to working with you."
Mrs. Cassleman nodded and attempted a smile, but her handshake was limp and hurried. She was gone almost as fast as Siyri. Decev folded her arms over chest, frowning, as she looked at the closed door.
"Don't take it personal," Tiath said. "Alice is one of those teachers who should have retired ten years ago, but, unfortunately, this is all she has. She wouldn't know what to do with herself if she didn't get up every morning and come to school. Plus, there's a lot more species diversity among her students, and she's having a hard time adjusting to that."
Decev's mouth quirked as she sank back into her chair. "I can imagine."
"You look exhausted, commander."
Mariah laughed. "I am. The last two weeks have been..."
"Busy?"
"To say the least." She heaved a sigh and she pulled herself to her feet. "It was nice meeting you, Ysi, and thanks for the referrals." She held up the compad.
"You're welcome. Joshua's a good kid. He'll be okay."
"I know."
( 2 )
"Mrs. Rosenberg?"
"Yes?"
"Mister Drate will see you now."
Jennifer stood and walked into the office of the employee resources director for Exxar-One's elementary school district. The man behind the desk was humanoid, and Jennifer couldn't immediately recall his species.
"Mrs. Rosenberg." He shook her hand, then motioned for her to sit. "I apologize for keeping you waiting. I had a last minute phone call which I couldn't refuse."
"It's all right. I understand. I appreciate you taking the time to see me."
Drate pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on, then tapped a couple notations into his computer keypad. He took a moment to glance over the résumé on his screen before looking up at Jennifer. "You have an impressive résumé, Mrs. Rosenberg."
"Please, call me Jennifer."
"Jennifer, then. I see you have a lot of administrative and clerical experience."
"That's right."
"A Bachelor's degree in English, literature emphasis."
"Yes," Jennifer replied, blushing a little. "At one time, I wanted to be a teacher. That's actually why I applied for this position."
"Do you have any experience working with children?"
"No, I don't, aside from raising my own daughter. But I'm confident that that won't be a problem. That's why I requested to sub for only elementary teachers, as a way of getting my feet wet. Perhaps later on I'll try the junior high and high school levels."
"I see." Mister Drate took another few moments to peruse the résumé, then nodded. "I notice that all of your work thus far has been part time. Why seek a full time position with us?"
"My daughter, Emalie, is now in preschool, and I'd like to find something that might actually lead to a career. For the last several years I've been a homemaker, and now I'd like to broaden my horizons, so to speak. If I like my work here, I think I'll go back to school to get my certificate."
"I see. I see." He bobbed his head, then removed his glasses. "To be honest, Jennifer, you're one of the best applicants that I've interviewed for this position. I'm going to say yes. Welcome aboard. How soon do you think you can start?"
"Whenever you need me."
"Good." The director put his glasses back on and tapped several commands into his keypad. "We need a sub for third grade on Friday. I'll download our employee manual, school schedule, and a list of the faculty for you to review in the meantime. Can you stay for a few minutes to fill out some paperwork?"
"Absolutely."
"Excellent." He slid a compad across the desk, then rose. "When you've finished filling everything out, turn it in to my secretary. I'll see you on Friday."
"Thank you so much!" Jennifer gushed, before backing out of Drate's office.
( 3 )
"Joshua! Dinner's ready!" Mariah filled her mug with tea, before pouring her son a glass of juice, and then she sat at the table. Josh took his usual ten minutes to come to the kitchen, and he slumped into his seat, looking as if he was about to have his last meal before execution.
"How was your day?" Mariah nudged the bowl of mashed potatoes toward her son's plate.
"Same as always." Josh ignored the potatoes and reached for the platter of roast chicken.
"I spoke to your teacher today. I also met with Tjase's mother, as well as the school counselor. We had a very productive conversation."
Josh was doing his best to look disinterested, but he wasn't succeeding. "And?"
"You've just made a new friend. After school on Friday, you and Tjase will come here and spend the afternoon."
"What?? Mom! That's so unfair!"
"How so?"
"I hate that kid! He's mean, he's stupid, and he always calls me names. He broke my Zune, and he stole my pad one day and erased all my homework."
"I understand how you feel, and Tjase will apologize for all that. I'm also going to talk with his mother, and you'll get a new Zune. In the meantime, however, you'll do what's necessary to get along with Tjase, and you never know. You might just have more in common than you think."
"Not likely," Josh muttered.
"Joshua, look at me." Mariah waited until her son complied before she continued. "I know how hard it's been for you these last few years - all the moving, the new schools, having to make new friends. Tjase's mom said that he's been having the same trouble. She's in the military as well, and she and Tjase arrived here about the same time we did. You boys are also about the same age, so this could be an excellent opportunity for you to make a new friend."
"What's the point?" Josh retorted. "We're leaving in a couple years, so why should I bother to make any new friends?" he shoved his plate aside. "I'm not hungry. I'll be in my room."
"Sit down!"
Mariah's voice was a whip crack, and the volume of her tone resonated in the confined space, echoing like thunder. Josh obeyed, slinking back to his seat and glaring at his mother.
"I love you, Joshua, but I will tolerate this disrespect no longer. You will change your attitude, and you will start showing me some respect, or I will ground you until you're eighteen. You will not leave your room. You will have no music, no computer games, no interweb access, and no TV. You will do nothing but school work, and I'll put a bucket in the corner for you to use when you need to pee. I swear on the Gods, Joshua, I am not joking. One way or another, you will lose this chip on your shoulder and stop resenting me as if I'm the one who's responsible for all your misery. Is all that understood?"
Josh nodded.
"I said, is a
ll that understood?"
"Yes, ma'am." The words were barely audible.
Mariah smiled, her face softening as she put on her best motherly expression. "Good. Now, you will not leave this table until your plate is empty. So dig in. You have homework to finish, and then I will help you select your science project. Oh, by the way, you'll be paired with Tjase. You two can start on it on Friday."
Josh muttered something, but Mariah ignored it. She continued to smile at her son as they ate in silence. She wondered briefly why it had taken her this long to lay down the law. It was about time for things to change, and this was an excellent start. Why hadn't she thought of it before?
( 4 )
Gabriel sighed as he straightened the front of his dress uniform, wondering just how many more times he was going to have to stand in front of this same airlock, and greet yet one more high-ranking foreign dignitary. He had decided this morning that he might as well start wearing his dress uniform every day, just in case. At least with High Chancellor Kroth there was a good chance he wouldn't ask for a tour of the station. The only reason the leader of the Chrisarii Alliance was here was because of Vorik's murder and Isaac Blacke. From what Saveck had told Gabriel about Kroth, the chancellor didn't seem the type of man who bothered with unnecessary pleasantries, and that was just fine with the commodore. The sooner that Kroth assessed the situation and announced his verdict, the sooner that Blacke could be deported to the Chrisarii homeworld, and the sooner Gabriel could get back to damage control.
Three months. That was how long Gabriel figured it would take for all this furor to die down. At the end of three months he was taking his shore leave, and after that he would find a way to either transfer or resign. There had to be a loophole somewhere, and he damned well was going to find it. Someone else could deal with this bullshit.
The chime sounded and the honor guard came to attention. As before, Saveck was standing at Gabriel's right and Decev to his left, and all three were pros at this by now. There would be the usual greetings and salutations, of which only Gabriel and Kroth would participate, and which would be spoken in native Chrisarii. Then the dismissal of the honor guard, and a meeting with Kroth. But when the doors slid aside, only a male military officer was one the other side. A major, according to his rank. There was no one behind him.
