“What do you want to do?” she asked him.
“Skylaar and I were thinking of going to Nemesis. I’d like to visit the Fighting School again,” Jeena said, unconsciously touching his tattoo. “Would you like that? Skylaar told me that you enjoyed working with the sword.”
The prospect of seeing the jungle world and the Shadow Lake Lodge again didn’t bring a smile to Maya’s face.
For most visitors, the Lodge represented the chance for an exotic vacation, spiced up with the dangers of the great forest that surrounded it. And a visit to the Fighting School was something that any serious martial artist dreamt about.
For her though, all that Nemesis signified was Felecia, and the fact that she had nearly been killed on an imaging safari while accompanying her.
“How long do we have to stay at the Lodge?” she asked, not bothering to hide her reluctance.
“I’ll only need a day to get what we’ll need for the trip,” the neoman assured her. Thanks to Skylaar, he knew all about her history with the Shadow Lake Lodge and understood the reason for her hesitation.
“Once we’re at the School we’ll be about as far away from the Conversâzi as anyone can get,” he added. “They won’t think of looking for you there, and even if they do, the Forest itself will keep them away.”
He didn’t have to mention the fact that the local clans also protected the area—and didn’t need to. Visits to the Fighting School were by invitation only, and trespassing in the Great Mother Forest was something that the Nemesians tended to view very dimly. If Angelique and her comrades were foolish enough to search for her there, they would have to contend with the clans and the Forest itself.
Maya considered his proposition carefully. Spending her time concentrating on nothing but the ka’na, was just what she needed, she finally decided. “Nemesis it is,” she agreed.
The Apex Office, The Golden Pyramid, Thermadon Val, Thermadon, Myrene System, Thalestris Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1049.02|13|08:34:76
Assassination is not always a dramatic, public event. Sometimes world leaders die without their people ever even realizing that their passing had been deliberately engineered. This was certainly the case for Chairwoman Marina bel Rayna and Director Susa ben Paula.
A month after their visit to the Concordance magnorail station, the nanites which had been a component of Angelique’s custom-made perfume, activated themselves. The portable sniffers at the station, and the units installed in the Chairwoman’s hoverlimo, had not detected them. This was because the nanites had been specially manufactured to mimic the safe and healthful microbots that the Transit Authority and other agencies routinely dispersed into public places to control the spread of communicable diseases.
They had also been preprogrammed to seek out specific DNA signatures, supplied to them through samples that Angelique had carefully gathered at previous public events. When they found their targets in Bel Rayna and Ben Paula’s bodies, they migrated into their respiratory systems, and waited until the time came to strike.
For Bel Rayna, this occurred in her sleep. The miniature assassins left their hiding places and travelled swiftly through her bloodstream until they arrived at a cerebral artery. Right away, they went to work weakening its walls. When it finally ruptured, her death was instantaneous.
Then, in another part of the city, the nanobots inside of Ben Paula came alive. They attacked her heart, blocking up a key vessel with fat cells that they had gathered from other locations within her body. The embolism that they created, was just as lethal as the stroke that had killed the Chairwoman.
The news of their deaths, coming as they did so soon after the Concordance bombing, hit the Sisterhood hard. Both women were mourned and buried with all the honors that the nation could bestow upon them. Then the machinery of government rolled on, and chose their successors.
After decades of coveting the highest office in her star-nation, Layna n’Calysher was appointed to serve as the 106th Chairwoman, and Angelique bel Thana was chosen to lead the Regila da Securité par Estat as its Director. Following the formal swearing-in ceremonies, Angelique paid a visit to the new Chairwoman.
In addition to donning her full dress uniform, she had taken the added step of wearing more ‘Lucrezia’. She had also been careful to leak information about its true nature to a woman that spied for both herself, and for Layna n’Calysher. As a result, when she entered the Chairwoman’s office, she was gratified to see N’Calysher stiffen visibly the moment that she caught Lucrezia’s scent in the air.
“My condolences,” Angelique said, bowing formally, “and my best wishes for your new administration, Madame Chairwoman.”
“Thank you, Angelique,” N’Calysher replied. Although her tone was even enough, there was a slight tremor in her voice and a single bead of sweat was rolling down her forehead.
For the moment however, she had no reason to be afraid. None of the nanites suspended in the perfume were meant for her. Angelique had simply wanted to remind the woman, from the outset, of the importance of keeping her new RSE Commander-in-Chief content.
“Tell me,” she asked her pleasantly. “How fares the Lady Felecia?”
N’Calysher, grasping the implied threat, responded with an aplomb that would have done a realie star proud. “Thank you so much for asking, General. She is quite well and I heard from her just yesterday. She is still aboard the Star of Aphrodite and I understand that they are taking her on a tour of the T'baari Nebula and the Ring Worlds.”
“That is wonderful news,” Angelique answered. “It really is quite lovely there. Please, if you would, send her all of my love.”
Then she took on a more serious tone. “I know that your office is probably quite busy with more pressing issues, but I would like to discuss the omniplex with you. As you know, your late predecessor and I had spoken about this at great length.”
In reality, this had been the very reason for Bel Rayna’s assassination. Despite her support for the RSE, she had not been a member of the Conversâzi, nor had she known of its existence. She had also steadfastly refused to hand over administration of the huge information network to Angelique. Now, she was gone.
“I anticipated your request,” N’Calysher told her, “and I want to assure you that I strongly support your Agencies’ program of aggressively reforming and safeguarding the omniplex. I signed the authorization just this morning, and the network will now be completely under the auspices of the RSE.”
Angelique smiled broadly. No matter how the rest of their business went, she had just won herself a great victory, and she would have raised her arms and cheered had it not been crude and inelegant to do so. It was enough that she finally had what she wanted, and she said a tiny prayer of thanks to Ellen n’Elemay for making it possible.
Powerful though it was, she had always known that the Secret would never be the sole key for achieving the future that she dreamed of for herself. In order to fully realize that vision, the populace would also have to be controlled, and the omniplex would enable her to accomplish this. At last, she would have the means she needed to stifle the irksome protests that had been cropping up, and guide the Sisterhood’s diverse population in the proper direction.
In time, Womankind would not only come to accept the government that she intended for them, but even come to love it—and her, as their absolute ruler. Knowledge, had always been the pairmate of power, and controlling both was the key to political supremacy. Now, all that remained was to take possession of the Secret and control the User. After that, everything else would fall neatly into place.
“I knew that you would see the wisdom of this, Madame Chairwoman,” she said aloud. “Bel Rayna was a great stateswoman, but she never grasped the importance of taking this simple step to secure our daughter’s futures. In their name, I thank you and I assure you that we will not betray your trust.”
“Yes, of course,” N’Calysher agreed. ”I’ll rely completely on your judgment.”
You will at
that, Angelique thought. In this, and in many other things.
***
Kaly waved farewell to the hovertruck’s driver before she turned and started down the long dirt track that wound its way to Enggredsdaater’s farm. A few yards in, a raven landed on one of the fence posts lining the road, and issued a challenging caw.
She stopped and smiled at the bird. She had dressed herself in a spare uniform to ease the process of travelling to the agriworld.
“You know--you’re right”, she said removing the peaked cap, and setting it carefully on the post nearest her. Her uniform tunic came off next, and she hung this neatly on a strand of barbed wire, right alongside the cap.
“They’re yours if you want them,” she told the creature. “I don’t need them anymore.”
The raven seemed to regard them appraisingly, and without looking back, Kaly walked away, leaving the clothing, and the part of her life that they had once represented, for the raven, or anyone else who came along, to do as they wished with them.
The suns were just setting, and as she moved along, she drank in their golden light, feeling a sense of total freedom and peace. It was shaping up to be a fine evening.
Ki’a’ska Garden, Shadow Lake Lodge, Nemesis, Rahdwa System, Thalestris Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1049.02|20|04:58:33
When Maya entered the Ki’a’ska Garden and saw Jeena taur K’aut’sha, her mouth dropped open. He had his pack on and his clothing seemed well-suited for the journey that they were about to take. It was his accessories that had caught her completely by surprise.
Strapped securely to his hips was a long, articulated tail made of metal, and his hands and feet sported skeletal devices constructed of the same material. These, she saw, were equipped with retractable claws. As for the artificial tail, it quivered and whipped in the air as if it were a living part of him. Jeena grinned, thoroughly enjoying her surprise.
“It’s the only way to get where we’re going,” he said, nodding up at the nearest tree. “We’re taking the Green Road”.
He went on, telling her what the Green Road was, and what it had to do with the trees all around them. Only then, did Maya put it all together—and finally understand something that had happened to her on her previous visit to the place.
When she had been there with Felecia, they had encountered two of the local women. At the end of their conversation, the Nemesians had used their claws and foot talons to clamber up the very same tree, and disappear. His prosthetic copies were obviously what outsiders like themselves were expected to use to accomplish the same feat.
Maya looked at the tree doubtfully. It went up. And up. And up. She didn’t care for heights.
As she wrestled with this, Skylaar joined them, and gave them both a friendly shrug. She had also changed her garments. In her case, she was attired in the leather breast strap and the long, multi-pocketed shorts most Nemesians favored. She also had a satchel in hand and she set this down at Maya’s feet. Inside, was another set of the prosthetics.
“These are for you, Cho-sena,” she said. She inclined her head towards Jeena. “Help her with them, please.”
Still smiling, Jeena came over and began to assist Maya with her gear, belting her up and attaching everything with obvious familiarity.
“The tail and claws respond to our movements,” he said, “and they work off their own software to calculate the correct response. Result? When we jump, or need our balance, they can do everything the natural ones can do. We can travel the Road just as well as the locals can. Unfortunately, some of us just aren’t blessed with the same equipment as others.” he said, his grin widening.
Maya blushed at the double meaning. Sometimes, it was hard for her to remember that he was a ‘he’. Or, that he had an impish sense of humor.
Skylaar raised an eyebrow at Jeena, clearly of a different opinion, but she didn’t challenge him. “We must be going,” she said instead. “It will be dark soon and I wish for us to be at our first Nest before then.”
With that, she bunched herself up and leapt upwards. Her claws bit into the wood, and in seconds, she had ascended the trunk and vanished in the leafy canopy.
“Come on,” Jeena urged. “The best way to learn is by doing!” Copying their teacher, he sprang at the tree and climbed up and away from her at an astounding speed. He was also laughing at her.
“Okay,” she said to herself. “I guess I learn the hard way.” Certain that she would wind up spending her entire time on Nemesis recuperating in a local hospital, she summoned up her courage, and jumped. To her surprise, the claws came out of their own accord and held fast to the wood.
She quickly discovered that climbing and moving along the branches was actually quite easy with the devices. Just as long as she didn’t look down.
That night, they camped in a Nest. Like the process of traveling high above the forest floor, it took Maya a while to fully accept that the shelter was safe, and even longer to get comfortable enough to sleep in it. The eerie noises of the predators hunting each other below them didn’t help, but eventually her exhaustion won out and she drifted off.
Incredibly, there were no nightmares that night, and she awoke just after dawn to a breathtaking tableau. The sun had just risen, and the sky was filled with some kind of iridescent insect with wings that resembled colored glass. Things that were a cross between birds, reptiles and something utterly alien, were chasing these swarms. Far from being a savage scene, the hunt seemed more like a graceful aerial dance, gilded by the rays of the Nemesian primary. The air that this took place in was fresher than anything that her lungs had ever experienced, and she took in great breaths of it, half certain that it was providing her with some form of nourishment. The jungle was alive.
After a time, she turned to see what her companions were about, and suddenly realized that Skylaar was missing. Jeena, who was in the process of preparing their breakfast, noticed her consternation.
“What is it, Maya?”
“Where’s Skylaar?” Maya had simply assumed that they would be travelling with her to the Fighting School.
“She left before sunrise. She is going out ahead of us,” Jeena replied. “She said that she wanted to scout the trail in case we had anyone waiting for us along the way. But she’ll catch up when we get closer to the school, maybe in a day or two.”
Maya shrugged in acceptance. The trip had been estimated to take five days by the Green Road and this would mean that she and Jeena would be on their own (more or less) for two thirds of that time. Having watched him as he had travelled through the trees, she had no doubt that he would be a capable enough guide.
It was the possibility of a fight that concerned her. If it came to one, the odds were a lot better with two fighters and one non-combatant, rather than what she had; just herself and with Jeena to worry about.
She wasn’t about to question her teacher’s judgment though. Skylaar was a professional, and knew what she was doing. If it came down to it, she decided that she would just order Jeena to stay out of the way. He might have been a Fighting School graduate, but so far, she hadn’t seen anything that indicated that he was of any use in a real battle. She would have to be the one to keep them both safe.
“Okay,” she said. “Lead on.”
Jeena grinned at her, almost as if he had heard her thoughts--and for some reason, found them quite amusing.
The further that they travelled from the Lodge, the more that Maya was able to push back all of her concerns, and her regrets, about what had happened on Thermadon. She didn’t want to think about what Sarah had done to her, or might have done to her fellow citizens, and she definitely didn’t want to worry about the Agency. Or Angelique, or anything at all about Felecia’s betrayal. Instead, she simply concentrated on keeping up with her companion.
That, and marveling at his appearance. It was still hard for her to believe that he wasn’t actually a woman. The illusion was so perfect that a part of her had trouble fully accepting the truth, and she had to r
emind herself constantly of what that was.
Of course, this had been the point, she realized. The Adam-16 generation of neomen had been specifically created to appeal to the aesthetics of the women of the Sisterhood. Anything more masculine than what she was seeing, would have been instantly rejected—just as the previous generations had been. He, and his kind, were the perfect solution.
She also couldn’t deny the attraction that she had felt towards him since their first meeting, and had finally decided to stop trying. It was there, and it obviously wouldn’t go away.
Any physical liaison was completely out of the question of course. She was definite on this point. Even though her exposure to the Sisterhood’s mores was limited, she knew what the rules were, and she had every intention of following them.
This didn’t banish her curiosity though. What would it be like, she finally allowed herself to wonder. For that matter, what had it been like, before the MARS Plague, when such an attraction would have been considered commonplace, and even acceptable? The ‘vids she’d seen had explained the physical part well enough, but they hadn’t managed to convey the emotional component at all.
She also wondered at how Sarah, with all her lofty ideals, would react to such a thing if she ever actually carried it out. She would probably burst a blood vessel, Maya concluded with a depreciative smirk. When it came to men, the woman was so straight-laced it was a wonder that she didn’t strangle to death on her own conservatism.
Then a delicious, and extremely wicked idea, reared its ugly little head.
What if I just made her think that Jeena and I ‘did it’, she mused. The explosion would be spectacular—and it would serve Sarah right. She deserved a good hard shock after what she had done.
A darker notion immediately followed this and she almost rejected it out of hand. Almost.
Sisterhood of Suns: Daughters of Eve Page 57
