by Jean Johnson
Li’eth stepped forward and bowed to Rosa. “Honorable McCrary,” he stated, getting her name out the Terran way rather than the V’Dan version. “I hope you will enjoy the delights of the Imperial kitchens. One of your staff members said he thought you enjoyed dark chocolate. I hope our dark klahsa version will please you.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Rosa said, smiling. She let her gaze drop a little down the front of his uniform to his clenched hands, then returned to his eyes. Switching to Terranglo, she asked, “Are you experiencing separation anxiety? How bad has it grown since I left for our tour of the system?”
He had a choice. Her polite question no doubt had been phrased in Terranglo to allow him to save face since the only other person who could understand it at the moment was his holy partner. Li’eth chose to answer in V’Dan, however. “I thank you for the kindness of your inquiry. The separation anxiety Jackie and I feel has been growing quite strong. If you have noticed it after only ten days of absence, then it will soon grow noticeable to those who have been here all along, and thus would not notice more gradual changes.”
“Separation anxiety?” Hana’ka asked, her tone half-mother, half-Empress.
“Allow me to explain,” Rosa offered to Li’eth and Jackie. “You have your Gestalt partner to greet. Eternity, Highness, when a holy pairing such as the one your son and our Ambassador have is deliberately restricted and restrained from progressing, both sides often start displaying some of the following stress-related symptoms . . .”
Li’eth didn’t bother to listen to the rest of it. He didn’t even greet Jackie verbally. He just stepped up to her, wrapped his uniformed arms around her black-and-flower-clad body, and pressed his cheek to her temple. It wasn’t quite enough, even though she stood as close as she could, arms wrapped around his waist.
They stood like that, bodies as close as they could get, absorbing each other’s warmth. It was not enough, but it was all they had for the moment. He heard his mother attempt to get his attention, her tone an impending chastisement, only to have her cut off politely by the ex-Premiere.
“To be blunt, Empress, the only way to get these two comfortable enough in their Gestalt is to let them be intimate,” Rosa stated. “If they spend their nights together, it would recharge the batteries, so to speak, and do so strongly enough that they could get through each day. We have no problem with this concept, we Terrans,” she added. “We understand the phenomenon. We know it is as necessary as drinking clean water and breathing clean air.”
Jackie held him closer, not wanting to let him go. Li’eth rubbed his cheek against hers, feeling her breath against his ear.
“The only thing stopping them from doing so is a lack of support from your government. Open, accepting support. Give your son and our representative your support, let everyone know that you believe them when they say they are a holy pair, that they are bound in a Gestalt, and they will be free to be remarkably calm and happy all day long.
“And yes, I know it’s your precious, grown-up baby boy cuddling with a strange woman who has no jungen marks. I realize you have conflicting opinions on this matter,” Rosa added, not unkindly. “But there isn’t anything we can do to change what they are to each other, other than accept it and give them our support. If you love your son, it will be easier to support him if you remind yourself that you love him.”
Li’eth could not let that one go. “It is not considered proper for an Emperor or an Empress to show love in public.”
“It has had a bad habit of turning the recipient into a target, in the past,” Te-los added.
“Well, you don’t have to say how much you love your son in giving his relationship your seal of approval,” Rosa returned with a hint of tartness before softening her tone. “You could even claim it is a purely political move, in the hopes of influencing the Terran Grand High Ambassador to look upon you and your people all the more favorably, giving you an advantage in negotiations with us. Your other offspring, Imperial Princess Ah’nan, is almost to our home system, but the reports we’ve been getting whenever they slow to sublight to do a navigation check say she’s been using our hyperrelay via the escort shuttle almost nonstop, making a lot of arrangements in advance of her arrival. Apparently, she has been quite polite and charming while doing so, and is doing a good job representing your interests to our people . . . but that’s not quite the same thing as swaying our representative here to like you even more.”
“And would it?” Te-los asked, curious.
“Not really, as I am quite careful to separate my feelings for His Highness from my opinions of V’Dan . . . but that wouldn’t stop any of us from presenting it as such,” Jackie stated. She had to adjust her head so that her lips weren’t pressed into the curve of Li’eth’s neck in order to speak. “I do understand how the actions, words, and deeds of one man do not represent an entire people, but that is not the important point to consider. What it will do instead is convince your people to take our bond seriously, and thus our other assertions by extension, increasing cooperation as well as understanding through your acceptance of our claims.”
“I would take this conversation more seriously if you stopped embracing my son and faced me,” Hana’ka told them.
“Mother, I do appreciate your concern,” Li’eth replied, holding on to Jackie. “But while I am younger than the Grand High Ambassador, I am a fully grown man, and she is a fully grown woman. We are both long past our impetuous youth. We embrace because it is calming. If you would rather have us remain agitated . . .”
“She does have a point, though,” Jackie told him. Aloud, for the benefit of the other three in the room. Easing back, she looked up at him. “We do have a mo’klah to attend, before the careful effort and timing of the chefs are ruined.”
He cupped her face before she could fully step back. Li’eth felt the subtle pressure from her cheek when she leaned into his palm. (I don’t want to wait anymore. I will come to you tonight . . . if that is acceptable?)
Her cheek warmed, turning a little pink under her natural tan. (We should wait . . . but I don’t want to, either. I am tired of waiting.)
Looking into her brown eyes, Li’eth felt his own face grow hot at the thought of finally . . . A delicate throat-clearing dragged his attention back to the others in the room. Rosa was looking up at the frescoes painted on the ceiling off to one side. His father had a brow arched, and his mother had hers drawn down a little in a thoughtful frown. Releasing his partner’s cheek, he turned to face the older trio, his near hand instinctively seeking Jackie’s.
“We have just now decided that we have waited long enough,” Li’eth stated.
“But we will be discreet,” Jackie promised.
“I will visit her at the embassy, where her people will not be upset by such things,” he continued.
“Which they will not,” Jackie confirmed. She tipped her head slightly. “Technically, there will be some upset bettors in the Gestalt pool as to the exact timing of it, but they will not be upset that we have chosen to progress our bond.”
“You will not do so,” Hana’ka stated, her frown deepening.
Jackie arched her brow. “With respect, Empress, unless you are one of the people participating, you have no right to say anything about what two fully grown adults choose to do in mutually consensual privacy.”
Faint pink spots appeared on the Empress’ cheeks. “I did not mean that. I meant being responsible.”
“. . . If you are referring to avoiding reproduction, all members of the Terran military are required to undergo birth-control shots. My last set of beecees were just before leaving Earth,” Jackie stated.
“And I requested the male version,” Li’eth told his mother. “We did think about that in advance. We are not thoughtless children.”
His mother glared at him. It was subtle, but it was a glare. She flicked her gaze to her husband, who was sta
nding there with a faint, calm smile on his peach-and-brown-marked face. The picture of serenity. “Why are you happy about this?”
“Actually, I was thinking we should banish Superior Priest De’arth from the area,” Te-los stated out of the blue. His wife blinked at him, confused. So did Li’eth, and both Rosa and Jackie looked equally confused. He raised his hand, palm toward himself. “Nothing overly blatant, of course. Just give him an assignment that will take him away from the Court and the Terrans for a good . . . two, three years?”
“Why would you want to do that?” Rosa asked, voicing Li’eth’s own concern. From the way his mother nodded, it was Hana’ka’s as well.
“Because the more I learn the Terran ways of holy gifts, the more he complains about its being unnatural, how I shouldn’t allow these foreigners to influence me . . . and yet how diligently he seems to be studying their techniques,” Te-los stated.
“How is that related to the conversation about our son and the Ambassador?” his wife asked.
“All of us who have been attending Master Clees’ classes in mastering our abilities have been mastering them. We have a long way to go, still,” he allowed, dipping his head toward Jackie, “but our improvements are quite tangible. Because of that expertise, I have been able to see him attempting to probe my thoughts in those few times he has been nearby while the Terrans were not around to slap his mental hands . . . and I have been able to keep him out of my head.
“My topic is related to their topic,” he asserted calmly. “They are experts in all matters of our holy gifts. They understand how holy gifts work. If they can wrest such changes in not only our son, but in me and those others they have offered to teach, then it is quite possible De’arth will grow strong enough in these new techniques to resume reading my mind. The Terrans have stopped him from doing so when in his presence, and at the same time, they have very carefully not done so themselves.
“So I recommend to you, Empress, to have the Superior Priest relocated elsewhere and denied access to these lessons. I do not think he has the Imperial Family’s best interests at heart, and as a result, I can no longer trust him in my presence,” Te-los told them. He glanced at his wife again. “Nor can I trust him in yours. At the same time, I do trust Ja’ki and her fellow holy ones to be honorable and ethical. I trust her to know what she is doing with our son. I recommend that you believe in their bond and allow it to proceed at a pace which is comfortable for them—a pace their own experts in such things would recommend, according to Assistant Ambassador M’crari—rather than at a speed more convenient for us.
“As the Grand High Ambassador has rightfully pointed out, we are not going to be in that bed with them,” he finished lightly, if bluntly.
(I like your father,) Jackie quipped lightly.
Li’eth squeezed her fingers, pleased she was happy with the thought of his father’s being on their side, but waited for his mother to make up her mind. She eyed the Terran at his side a long moment, then asked, “Do you think Superior Priest De’arth is acting unethically around the Imperial Family?”
“Te-los . . . has he attempted to read your mind after receiving instruction in Terran techniques, including our strict ethics versus expediency guidelines?” Jackie asked the older male.
“He has. Two days ago, in fact,” the Imperial Consort added.
“Then by Terran law, he is doing so deliberately and needs to be contained and corrected,” Jackie told her.
“However, he is a V’Dan citizen, and our laws have no authority outside the bounds of our embassy zone,” Rosa added. The spotless blonde shrugged. “We are, by our own ethical code, unable to do anything to him outside of that zone. Aside from blocking him from reaching toward other’s minds without clearly expressed permission.”
“That, we can do,” Jackie agreed. “If we can catch it when it actually happens around us.”
“What about the other priests?” Hana’ka asked, frowning softly.
“As far as we have been able to tell, they are sticking to Terran guidelines . . . but we don’t mingle with them very much outside those classes,” Jackie cautioned her.
“I’ve not caught any of them reaching toward our minds other than De’arth,” Li’eth stated. “The rest seem to be enthralled enough by what they are learning to follow the spirit as well as the letter of their teachings. We have no laws, no rules or guidelines, on how the holy ones should behave, other than an expectation that they will behave in a Saintly manner.”
“And that—” Te-los started to say.
“That’s hardly—sorry,” Rosa apologized.
“You first,” he offered politely.
She nodded and restated what she had been about to say. “Saintly behavior is hardly a concrete set of rules, since from what little I’ve studied of your many different saints, they themselves behaved in a wide variety of ways. Some of them seemed less than perfectly ethical beings.”
“Which is more or less what I would say,” Te-los agreed.
“Then I shall find a way to exile him without offending the Winter Temple. In the season of their power,” she added wryly, almost sardonically. “In a way where he will not try to pervert his holy gifts by reaching into my head to alter my thoughts, either to make me change my mind or merely to make me forget why I summoned him.”
“That’s odd,” Rosa observed. “Why would you have to have him in front of you, within mind-reading reach? Why not just send him an order?”
“Because the law is that high-ranking priests, particularly from the current ruling Temple, cannot be dismissed from the Imperial Court without a chance to petition the . . . yes. I see how long and deep this goes,” Te-los stated grimly. “This will not be an easy task.”
“If you like, I could loan you the use of a telepath. All of us are strong enough to sense and block any attempt he might make,” Jackie offered. “Clees and I may be busy, and Aixa is helping him with the lessons since she has the most experience in teaching next to him. But aside from language transfers, Darian and Min are at a loose end until we can get her some Salik computer equipment to investigate in a link with him so that he can decode and write out whatever she finds.”
“We already know what their technology can do,” Hana’ka said, eyeing Jackie askance. “It is the exact same as ours.”
“She means the two of them have a way to extract coded information,” Li’eth clarified. “I think this is a conversation that would taste better when spoken over a cup of hot mo’klah at this point.”
Hana’ka considered his point, and gestured at the table. “Then be seated. We will have the first course served, then continue this conversation. At least it will not be one revolving around military needs or economic equivalents.”
Jackie moved toward the indicated table, set with delicate dishes and four lesser chairs arranged around the table, along with a fifth fanciful enough that it was clear who would be seated there. Li’eth let her go, facing his mother. “And the subject of her and I pursuing our comfort and health over your convenience?”
For a moment, he received the mask of the Empress in reply, a bland, slightly stern look that had made many hesitate through the years on whether or not to press further for an answer. Li’eth merely raised an eyebrow, the one bisected by his jungen mark. His mother stared back, then sighed.
“Be. Discreet. Do not stay all night,” Hana’ka ordered. “And I do not want to hear a hint of gossip about it. Not because I don’t want to hear such things—which I do not—but because I will have to juggle the Temples into a more favorable alignment for revealing such things. Exiling the Superior Priest will not simplify that task.”
“We will be very discreet,” he pledged, following her to the table.
CHAPTER 14
MAY 31, 2287 C.E.
JANVA 23, 9508 V.D.S.
Halfway to the last elevator that led to her quarters, Jackie and
Li’eth were startled by an insistent, rapid, patterned beeping. Rattled, it took her a few seconds to identify the source, the thick, ornamental-looking bracelet circling her left wrist. Stopping, she stared at it while her mind caught up with the meaning behind the patterns of rhythm and tone.
Li’eth, holding hands with her, felt her shock resonate through their fingers. Without a contrary thought, he turned and bolted along with her, matching her stride for running stride. He hit the stairwell door—the lift would be too slow—and let her hop over the railing, twisting to land with a touch of telekinetic cushioning. His own skill was weaker, less well trained; he jumped only a few steps, falling behind a bit.
The running didn’t sit too well on a full stomach, not when both were full of tasty Terran food from their late-evening meal. After their mo’klah get-to-know-you meal with his parents and Rosa, Jackie and Li’eth had sat through hours of comm conferences with the Choya about how the placement of the new hyperrelay units were going. There wasn’t supposed to be anything scheduled.
That particular alert had not only the two of them charging down the stairwells, but others as well, most of them Marines. At least two of the Humans on the stairs were members of the crew for the Embassy 2. Emerging on the main floor in a stream of bodies, they were joined by Rosa McCrary, who was being hustled toward the lifts to the hangar bays.
An aide came hurrying up. “McCrary! Here’s the data dump!”
“Thank you, Jules.” Rosa accepted the block from the man with a nod. She eyed Jackie, who was approaching from the other side, headed in the direction the aide had turned and fled. “I’m on my way outsystem, Jackie. We’re going to take the first jump of the new shortcut route—I’ll see you when I see you.”
“Take care,” Jackie agreed, having to speak over her shoulder as the two women swept past each other. “I’ll send you the all clear as soon as we know they’re out of the system!”
