“Here we go...,” Aria whispered, taking a deep breath. She put a hand on the small of Jack's back, urging him forward and jolting him out of his awed reverie. With palace servants on either side of them, the pair was escorted up the steps to the doors. They opened as they approached, revealing an interior which was finished in polished white stone which had been buffed until it was smooth and shiny as glass. Gold sculptures and trickling water features decorated the reception hall just inside the doors, and a scarlet-carpeted staircase led up to a second floor at the top of which was a wide landing and another set of double doors.
Just as Jack was coming to terms with the sight, and was starting to realize that he was standing in the very last place that any human should have wanted to be standing in, the front doors closed and the doors at the top of the stairs opened up. From within, a single slenderly-built Ailian female emerged and descended the stairs towards Jack and Aria. She had royal blue fur with golden stripes, and wore flowing white robes. Golden jewelry, simple but elegant, adorned her ears, neck, and wrists. With a start, Jack realized it was the Ailian who had questioned him on the ship on his trip back from the uncharted planet, Li'ren.
“Good day, Lieutenant Me'lia,” Li'ren said pleasantly in exotically accented English, approaching her. She took one of Aria's hands, grasping it lightly in her own. “How nice to see you again.”
“Ah...,” Aria said, apparently taken aback at being spoken to in that language by one of her own people. She made a hasty bow to the Ailian noblewoman, bending at the waist until her head was low. “Yes, m'lady. Is nice see you, too.”
Li'ren smiled at her, and then turned her attention to Jack. “And Jack Squier. You're looking much more...polished than the last time we met.” She took one of his hands as well, and Jack clumsily imitated Aria's bow. “I am pleased to be able to introduce myself properly to you, now. I am Lady Li'ren Amani, Consort to Her Majesty, Empress Kri'a Solan the Fourth. We are so very glad that you and Lieutenant Me'lia could accept the invitation to meet with us today.”
“Of...Of course...Lady Amani,” Jack said. He, too, was taken aback by Li'ren's use of English in speaking with Aria.
Li'ren could perhaps tell that they were feeling uneasy and a little confused. “Please, be at ease,” she urged them, smiling as serenely as she could. “Jack, everyone in this palace can speak at least some of the human language. They have been instructed to use it whenever possible so long as you are our guest, in order to make you more comfortable.” She looked to Aria. “And Lieutenant Me'lia, you are among friends here. Take heart, and do not worry. This is an informal meeting, not an affair of state. There will be no nobles, no officers, no lofty representatives of business. Just us, and Her Majesty, of course.”
“Yes...Alright,” Aria said. She still sounded stiff, but Jack could see her relax noticeably.
“And you, Jack,” Li'ren said, returning her attention to him, “may call me Li'ren as you did before. You are not used to royalty, I imagine.”
Jack grinned just a little. “You're right about that, I guess.”
“Well, then.” Li'ren waved to the footmen who had accompanied them, and they went back outside, leaving the three of them alone. “If you will follow me, I will take you to see Her Majesty. She has been most interested to meet you both.”
Following Li'ren's lead, Jack and Aria both walked up the scarlet-carpeted stairs to the landing. Servants inside of the double doors at the top opened the way for them, and they entered a long hallway carpeted in the same scarlet color as the stairs. The walls in this hallway were gilded and lined with large framed portraits. Jack guessed that the pictures depicted Empresses and other nobles from centuries past. He looked up at the ceiling occasionally, amazed at how high it was. Even with how much taller Ailians were than humans, the ceiling towered above them, and colorful murals were painted on it. The noblewoman showed them down the hall to a doorway that was relatively simple when compared to the rest of the palace. She opened this door herself, showing them inside with a smile and casual wave of her tail. They both entered, looking around the room, as Li'ren came in behind them.
“Mistress, I wish to present to you Lieutenant Aria Me'lia and Jack Squier, appearing as you requested.”
Towards the center of the room, rising from where she had been sitting on a low, plushly cushioned couch, was an Ailian female robed in blue and gold. Jack's eyes widened as he saw her. She was not what he had been expecting to see in the Empress of the Ailian Ascendancy. Jack had been expecting a slightly built woman rather like Li'ren, but the Empress was built much more like Aria, athletic and strong from what he could tell through the flowing robes that she was wearing. She had dark blue fur, with no discernible striping, and sparkling ruby red eyes. The Empress seemed older than Aria and Li'ren, though only by perhaps ten years.
Aria's eyes widened and she immediately bowed lower than she had bowed to Li'ren, and Jack did the same. As the door closed behind them, a musical sound of laughter hit their ears. They both looked up to find the Empress covering her mouth with one hand, her eyes turned up in mirth.
“Please, both of you,” the Empress said, getting control of herself and smoothing her face into a neutral expression. “You may rise. I am Empress Kri'a Solan. It is quite a pleasure to meet the both of you. Please be at ease. I intended for this to be the most informal of affairs. Do not stand on ceremony.”
Jack found himself entranced by the Empress. Though he, of course, considered Aria to be the most beautiful woman he had ever met, Kri'a Solan was a very lovely female as well. Like Li'ren, she spoke perfect English with a very light, vaguely Gaelic accent, with her words having a slight upward lilt at the ends.
“Sit, please,” the Empress said to them. She gestured to cushioned chairs arranged in a semicircle in the center of the room, in front of the couch. Jack and Aria both sat down, and the Empress smiled again. “Li'ren, something to drink would be most appropriate, I think.”
Li'ren inclined her head slightly. “Of course.” She walked towards the Empress, pausing as she passed her on the way to a door on the far side of the room. “I'll be right back, my dear.” She placed her hand briefly on the ruler's shoulder, her tail brushing along hers as she walked past. She disappeared through the far doorway.
The Empress watched after her a moment, and then sat back down on her couch in front of Jack and Aria. “Well, now...” She looked at Aria, and her expression turned to one of pity. “Lieutenant Me'lia, I do wish to extend my most sincere condolences to your family. Your mother was a favored acquaintance of my mother, and I was very saddened to hear of the death of your sister.”
Aria looked down at the floor, unable to meet the Empress' gaze. “Thank you, m'lady. Is good to hear you say. And thank you for invite us here.”
“Of course,” the Empress said, nodding to her. “We have much to discuss, after all. And you, Jack Squier.” The Empress turned her attention to him, favoring him with a smile and a light wave of her tail. “Li'ren has told me about you. I must say, you are taller than I expected.”
That, at least, finally earned a small laugh from Aria, and from Jack as well. “Thanks, I guess,” Jack said. “Though it's a little hard for me to think of myself as tall around Ailians. Ah...Your Highness.”
“Well-mannered,” the Empress said, half-approvingly and half-jokingly. She looked Jack up and down in an appraising manner. “A shame you're forced to wear that bothersome slave collar. It does mar your appearance, somewhat.”
Jack brought a hand to his throat, touching the collar that he had all but forgotten about by now. “Right...Um...I was curious about something, if I can ask you, Your Highness.”
“Ask.”
“Well...This might seem like an odd question, but I noticed you don't seem to have any human slaves here in the palace, at least none that I've seen.” Jack cleared his throat slightly as Aria shot him a look that suggested she wished he hadn't opened his mouth. “But human slaves seem to be common elsewhere on Lirn
a. I haven't seen any humans here, let alone anyone wearing a collar like mine. Why is that?”
“Ah...,” the Empress said, looking surprised that he would ask that particular question. Perhaps she had been expecting him to ask about something else. “Well, considering that you would be visiting us, I felt it would be...unpleasant for you to see human slaves. Normally, we do have them here in the palace. I requested that they be placed on other duties today, so that you might be more comfortable.”
Jack rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit awkward. “If it's all the same to you, your highness, I actually wouldn't mind if they were around while I was here. I've only seen a few other humans since I left Earth, and most of them have been trying to kill me...It wouldn't offend me to see more of my own kind, as long as they aren't trying to do the same.”
The Empress studied him carefully for a few moments, and then nodded slowly in understanding. “Well, then, I shall ask Li'ren to make that known to the rest of the palace. Your ease in this matter is most welcome, Mr. Squier.”
About that time, Li'ren returned with a silver tray containing a steaming pot of some fragrant liquid and cups for all of them. She set it down on a low table in the center of their gathering, and stood at the Empress's side.
“Now, Lieutenant Me'lia,” the Empress said, taking her attention away from Jack for the moment. “There are certain things I wish to discuss with you alone for the moment. Li'ren?” She looked at the noblewoman, reaching a hand out and touching her side. “We have time before lunch. Perhaps you might show Mr. Squier around the palace?” Her hand lingered on the noblewoman's waist for a moment.
Li'ren nodded. “Of course, mistress. I would be happy to. If you'll follow me?”
“Oh...” Jack looked at Aria, and she gazed back, nodding fractionally to show that he should do as Li'ren had instructed. Curious about what the Empress had to say to Aria, but not wishing to make an issue of it, he stood and allowed himself to be led out of the room.
******
Empress Solan waited for the other two to leave the room, and then she looked to the tea tray. She lifted the pot, starting to pour the steaming liquid into two cups. -Allow me, won't you, Aria?- she said pleasantly, smiling at her. Now that they were alone together, she'd switched back to her native Ailian tongue.
Aria was a little confused by the entire situation, but she nodded a bit. -Of course, m'lady,- she agreed. What else could she say to the Empress but to agree with her. -You're most kind.-
-Not at all,- Kri'a said, waving off her thanks. She offered a cup to Aria, and then picked up her own. -Li'ren does make the most wonderful tea. A little strong, perhaps, but just the thing to improve your mood. And we could always use that sort of improvement in these times.-
-Yes...Yes we could...,- Aria agreed quietly. She tasted the tea in her cup. The drink was very strong, indeed, but just as delicious as the Empress had claimed. She sipped again, letting the tingle of the drink spread across the her lips and tongue. -Excuse me for trying to get to the point, m'lady, but why did you ask me here today?-
The Empress set her cup down on the table between them and folded her hands in her lap. Her fur fluffed up a little in a manner that suggested she was mildly annoyed, but she smoothed it down quickly and hid her emotion well. Aria felt her face warm. She knew she shouldn't speak in such a way to the Empress, but her already frayed nerves were nearly at their breaking point. She was letting her stress get the better of her.
-Well...I suppose that's fair,- Kri'a said. She reclined on her couch, watching Aria carefully. -Of course this is not merely a social call. I will be getting to the point shortly, but I beg your indulgence because there are some other matters that I must speak of to you before I do so. I will try to be as brief as possible, of course.
-I wish to speak of the war with you, Lieutenant. You know we have been at war with the humans now for over ten years. This war was begun by my mother and has continued under my rule. I assume that I don't have to tell you that, by all public accounts, the war has been going uncommonly well for us. We have not even had to call on our friends in the Nuretan Empire for their allegiance, so swimmingly things have gone.-
-That's true, m'lady.-
-I must tell you something that has so far not been reported by our news agencies.- The Empress picked up her cup of tea, taking a long sip. -I am telling you this because of your...friendship with the human. One week ago our seventh and twelfth fleets mobilized and moved to the Sol system. The invasion of Earth has begun.-
Aria nearly dropped her tea cup in her shock, and her jaw hung open for long seconds before she managed to close it again. -It...What?- The fur on the back of her neck was stiff as needles, and her ears nearly flattened to her head. The words out of her mouth next were even more uninhibited than her earlier outburst. -M'lady, how could you do that? We've only ever acted defensively, to push humans out of and away from our territory. Escalating the war like this...-
-Lieutenant, I gave no such order.-
-No such...,- Aria began, but her voice faltered. She closed her mouth again, staring at her ruler. Then she spoke again. -I don't understand, Empress.-
-As you are no doubt aware, our various fleets are drawn and centered in the areas of the Ascendancy from which they draw their personnel, though they are still centrally commanded from Lirna. The first, second, fourth, fifth, and sixth fleets come from the Central Worlds, the third, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh fleets from the Inner Colonies, and the seventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth fleets from the Outer Colonies.- The Empress set down her cup again, looking at Aria with a very serious expression on her face. -I never ordered the seventh and twelfth fleets away from their assignments. As a matter of fact, I have been unable to contact any of the Outer Colony fleets, and that is worrisome. All the more worrisome are the reports I hear from Fleet Intelligence that the Pteryd are massing their forces near our borders. My orders to the Outer Colony fleets were to maintain their posts for just that eventuality. Those worlds are vital to the strength of the Ascendancy and they need to be protected.-
Aria was still recovering from her shock, but she had enough wits to think things through. -Then...Admiral Te'rou must have disobeyed your commands and given those orders. Is Admiral Te'rou capable of that kind of treason?- Aria had good reason to dislike the admiral. He was the supreme commander, under the Empress, of all of the Ascendancy's military forces. It had been Admiral Jin Te'rou who had instated the treason charges against Aria, and he had been the presiding officer over her initial court martial appearance. He came from an Outer Colony world, and was the first male officer to ever rise to so high a rank in the Ascendancy, which was overwhelmingly matriarchal.
-Te'rou?- The Empress laughed loudly, covering her mouth with one hand. She took a while to overcome her mirth. -Certainly not. As a matter of fact, it was Admiral Te'rou who alerted me to the disruption in communications.- Kri'a shook her head. -No...However much of a buffoon the admiral can be in his personal interactions, he is a capable commander and his loyalty to me has proven time and again to be beyond question. Whatever orders the seventh and twelfth fleets are operating on, they were not given by him. Admiral Te'rou has been tireless in trying to get to the bottom of this matter for me.-
-I see...,- Aria said, though she would be the first to admit that all of this was way above her head. -Then if it wasn't the admiral, who was it?-
-Truthfully, it could have been anyone with the authority to make those kinds of decisions on their own. That could be any number of suspects throughout all of the fleets. Besides that, our people are growing increasingly divided on the war. While many, including myself, wish for it to come to an end, others want to ramp up the offensive and overwhelm the humans. The loudest of these voices come from the noble families of the Outer Colonies.- The Empress sighed, and she drained her tea cup, pouring a second. -I have not been as skillful as past rulers in holding down the dissent of our outer worlds, mainly because I
don't see the benefit in using military force against my own people. The Outer Colonies have grown more vocal during the five years of my rule. I find myself wondering if this may have something to do with the actions of our quiet fleets.-
Aria leaned forward in her seat, speaking cautiously now. -Your Highness...You speak as though you feel like another rebellion may be developing.-
-I fear that very much, Aria,- the Empress said, her voice barely a whisper. -Indeed, that is what I believe may be happening, though I have little to prove that. But I fear it all the same.-
Aria leaned back again, more than a little scared by what the Empress was saying. Many centuries ago, the Outer Colony worlds had rebelled against the rule of the Ascendancy. The resulting war had enveloped much of the known galaxy, causing an unprecedented number of casualties and throwing the Ailian Ascendancy into chaos for generations. The war had lasted for almost a hundred years, until the Inner Colonies and Central Worlds had brokered a treaty with the nearby Nuretan Empire, adding the strength of their fleets to their own and pushing back the rebel forces. The conflict had finally ended, though sacrifices and compromises had been made to keep the peace. For one, laws which had for many years served to keep the ranks of the nobility closed to citizens of the Outer Colonies had been lifted. Aria knew that Empress Solan's mother had been born on an Outer Colony world, as had Aria's own mother. The Outer Colonies were now more fully integrated into Ailian society than they had ever been, though they were still much poorer and weaker in political power than the rest of the Ascendancy. And in the last two centuries, the divide had again begun to widen.
Transmission Lost Page 30
