by S. E. Weir
Diplomatic Crisis
The Empress’ Spy™ Book Two
S.E. Weir
Michael Anderle
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
Copyright © 2021 LMBPN Publishing
Cover by Mihaela Voicu http://www.mihaelavoicu.com/
Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing
This book is a Michael Anderle Production
LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
LMBPN Publishing
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Version 1.00, June, 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-1-64971-855-6
Print ISBN: 978-1-64971-856-3
The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2015-2021 by Michael T. Anderle and LMBPN Publishing.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
The Story Continues
Author Notes - S.E. Weir
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Connect with The Authors
Books by S.E. Weir
Books By Michael Anderle
The Diplomatic Crisis Team
Thanks to our Beta Readers:
Larry Omans, Jim Caplan, Micky Cocker, Rachel Beckford, John Ashmore, Kelly O’Donnell, Mary Heise, Rachel Heise, Ron Gailey
Thanks to the JIT Readers
Deb Mader
Daryl McDaniel
Dave Hicks
Wendy L Bonell
Jackey Hankard-Brodie
Misty Roa
Peter Manis
James Caplan
Dorothy Lloyd
Zacc Pelter
Diane L. Smith
Larry Omans
Jeff Goode
If we’ve missed anyone, please let us know!
Editor
Lynne Stiegler
Dedication
To all those who have supported and encouraged me every step of the way. This is as much your book as mine.
- S.E. Weir
To Family, Friends and
Those Who Love
To Read.
May We All Enjoy Grace
To Live The Life We Are
Called.
—Michael
Chapter One
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, R&D, Research Lab
Seraphina Water’s eighteenth birthday
Link strode down the long hallway, the light tap of his feet in no way matching the anger that made his heart beat furiously. He had long ago learned how to measure his blood pressure on the fly, and it was currently elevated. He took deep breaths to calm himself. It didn’t help.
Blasted devil-woman!
He had been gone not even ten days on this last mission, and what did he find when he returned? A miserly woman vomiting her vile prejudice and insecurities on the best and brightest recruit he’d seen in years. Seraphina had turned eighteen and no longer needed the woman around to put her down and berate her one minute, then smile and hug her the next. Time to eject the refuse!
He eyed the scanner next to his destination as he approached and pulled out his card. He growled at the inevitable rejection and used his implant to ping the being that could help.
>>You rang?<<
“ADAM, you can see where I am. I need you to unlock the door for me.”
The moment before the AI responded seemed to stretch out for too long, aggravating his maxed-out adrenaline. Perhaps he needed to do something to de-stress. Brief glimpses of exercise equipment and crafts flooded his memory, but he shook his head. Scratch that. What he was about to do would relieve his stress better than anything else.
>>You realize you are standing in front of a restricted door, correct?<<
“Of course! I know exactly where I am! Now please open the door.”
>>You could have just asked Meredith. She is the station EI. However, she would have denied the request since you are not listed as having access to this room. Why should I grant it to you?<<
Link gritted his teeth as he eyed the person whose footsteps he could hear approaching from his left. He nodded at the woman, who viewed him suspiciously but passed him and continued down the hall. He couldn’t stand here much longer. “ADAM, you know who works here?”
>>Yes. You seem to have an unreasonable fixation on this woman. There are doctors for that. I can make an appointment for you.<<
“ADAM! I know you’ve been monitoring Seraphina. I won’t believe you if you tell me otherwise.”
>>Of course.<<
“I’m about to make her aunt go away for good.”
A brief moment of silence. >>Telling me you are about to kill someone isn’t convincing me to let you inside.<<
“What?” Link looked at the cameras ADAM would be watching from, his eyebrows furrowed. “No! I’m not going to kill her.”
>>Your word on that?<<
Link drew himself up, then, with a sigh, he released his breath and let go of some anger. Just a smidge. A very teeny smidge. “I give you my word I will enter this door with no intention of killing the woman and will stick to that intention no matter how much she provokes me.”
>>Accepted.<<
The door in front of him clicked. “Thanks, ADAM.”
>>I was serious about that doctor, DS. But now that Phina is an adult, I really hope you are able to send her aunt away.<<
Link’s smile turned hard.
“Oh, you can count on that. I’ve got an offer she won’t be able to refuse.”
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Secret Bar, Back Room
Two weeks after events on Vermott, Planet of the Baldere
Seraphina Grace Waters didn’t understand what lay in front of her face. She blinked to clear her vision, but what she saw remained the same. A feast for two had been laid out on one end of the long table, complete with cloth napkins and glasses filled with wine. Steam rose from a few dishes, wafting aromas toward her that caused her belly to rumble with hunger. Phina stared in confusion at the man standing next to the table.
“What’s all this?”
Link smiled, his brown eyes alight with amusement. “Dinner, of course.”
Her eyes moved between her mentor and the table, then she waggled her finger at each.
“Seriously, Link, what is this?”
Link’s face drooped, and he gave her puppy dog eyes. “I can’t have anything more in mind than a nice dinn
er?”
She raised her eyebrows and popped the word, “Nope.”
He grinned with satisfaction. “You know me so well already!”
Phina rolled her eyes, then she stared at him. He held her gaze for a minute before gesturing at the table. “Are we going to eat?”
“Are you going to talk?”
“Of course.”
“Then we’ll eat.”
She hesitantly moved forward, then sat down in the chair he indicated, feeling a little uncomfortable. This didn’t seem like a casual meal. She surveyed the spread. The selections included pasta with a red meat sauce, her favorite spicy chicken dish, fresh buttered rolls, and her favorite salad. In addition to those wonderful aromas, she turned toward the very welcome scent of either chocolate cake or brownies, which were probably under the covered tray in the middle of the table. Phina bet on brownies because they slightly edged out chocolate cake in her book, and that was the point.
All these were her favorites, which made her suspicious. This meal had been carefully planned, which meant Link either had something awful to tell her and the food was for consolation or comfort, or he was buttering her up because he wanted something. That he wouldn’t just come out and say what he wanted to as he normally did spoke volumes about how bad it would be.
Link had just settled down in his seat when she reached over and lifted the lid of the tray. Bingo. After snagging a brownie, she put the cover down and began to munch on the treat. Fudgy chocolate flooded her mouth, causing her to moan and close her eyes as she enjoyed it. All too soon, his voice broke the daze caused by the chocolaty goodness.
“Why am I not surprised you went for dessert first?”
Phina opened her eyes to see her mentor leaning back in his chair, looking at her with amusement. Ignoring Link for the moment, she closed her eyes again and slowly finished the delicious treat. Brownies were her favorite, but that didn’t mean she had them all that often. She finished by licking her fingers, then opened her eyes to find her napkin.
“Some days, you need to have dessert first. I have a feeling this is going to be one of them, and I wanted to enjoy it before my day got worse with whatever it is you want to tell me.”
Link smirked as he reached for the food in front of him, dishing himself some before passing it to her. “Look at you, smarty pants. Figuring it all out.”
“Uh-huh. So, what’s going on? I don’t really know how to take all of this.” She waved her hand at the table. She was certain Link wanted something; she just wasn’t sure what.
Or what it would cost her.
“If it makes you feel better, you could call it a date.” His eyebrows danced up and down as he grinned.
Phina stared at him and stopped scooping spicy chicken onto her plate, showing she was not amused before blinking and waiting. Finally, he rolled his eyes and grumbled. “Holy buckets of seriousness, Batman. Fine, I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
She suppressed a smile as she finished getting her food. Forking up a bite, she kept her eyes on him. “Does that mean you’re my sidekick?”
Link let out a laugh as he shook his head. “Maybe someday, kid.”
She looked him over, using the skills he had taught her to read his body language, and realized he was both nervous and a little reluctant to talk, as well as not sure if he wanted to be farther away or closer. Something must be really bothering him to forget to control his body language this much. Her heart beat faster, and she took deep breaths to calm herself.
“Link, please. What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?”
He paused to place his fork on the table and looked down for a moment to gather his thoughts, then back up. His expression went from slightly lost to resolved and determined.
“There are many things I haven’t told you, my dear. These past months have been just the beginning, with much to come. Before we discuss that, though, there is something you need to know.”
She looked at him with suspicion, but he ignored it, giving her a smirk. Back to normal then, no trace of his prior uneasiness. She let out a breath in relief. Perhaps his news wouldn’t be too bad.
“What’s that?”
“The Empress.”
Phina tried to swallow but found it difficult due to the sudden dryness in her throat. Her heart raced as she vacillated between nervous and excited.
“What about her?”
“She wants to meet you.”
Phina dropped her fork on her plate. “I don’t think so.”
“What?” Link appeared genuinely surprised. “Why not?”
“Because she’s the Empress, and I’m…well, me! I don’t know the first thing about talking to the Empress.”
She glanced up to and saw his undecipherable look. When Phina raised an eyebrow in question, he responded with a sigh, and his shoulders relaxed.
“She’s a person too, you know. She has needs just like everyone else.”
Her eyes widened in alarm, and she shook her head vigorously. “Oh no, no, no! I completely draw the line at talking about, or even thinking about, the Empress’ sex life! Absolutely not!”
She waved her hands to get her point across. His jaw had dropped in astonishment, then clicked shut. His face contorted, and he let out a snort that turned into a laugh. Phina’s mouth twitched in response, then she broke into sniggers.
Granted, at least half of it was releasing tension, but still. Her brain just didn’t want to go there. Everyone talked about the Empress, but there were some things you didn’t do. Her laughter died.
“I’m serious, you know.”
His eyes still showed amusement, though his face was serious. “I know. And for the record, I was referring to the need to have friends. Conversation and companionship, that sort of thing.”
“Oh. I guess I hadn’t really thought of it that way. Alina always uses that phrase for…the other one.”
He let out another snort. “Understandable, then. Are you going to flip out if Bethany Anne comes now?”
“Yes. Err, no.” Phina thought about it, then shrugged. “I’ll try not to?”
“Good enough. Eat your food before it gets cold. I’ll ask ADAM to let her know.”
Phina ate, but she barely tasted the food, which had begun to cool. Though she tried to keep her mind blank, she failed miserably. She just couldn’t help feeling nervous. Why did the Empress want to meet her? Was it just a social call, as Link had seemed to suggest?
Only two bites remained by the time Phina heard a light pop and whoosh of air. The Empress appeared on her right. Phina was surprised and jerked to the side. Her fork slipped out of her hand, flying off to the left of her chair.
Link had barely twitched, though he turned to face the woman quickly enough. Phina did the same and found the Empress trying to speak around a fit of laughter.
“I never get tired of the faces you all make!”
Phina glanced at the revered and feared Empress Bethany Anne, who stood chortling with her hand over her belly, then at Link, wondering how she should respond. Link wore an amused expression. After a few more chuckles, Bethany Anne patted her chest as she walked over to the chair on the opposite side of the table from Phina. After unceremoniously plopping herself on it, she leaned forward and sniffed.
The Empress’ eyes lit up. “Are those brownies?”
She reached over to the covered tray and removed the lid.
“Don’t mind if I do.” The Empress spoke around her large mouthful. “Mmmm.” She closed her eyes and ignored them, much as Phina had earlier, and she devoured the brownie as fast as the young woman could blink. She snagged another one as her mouth worked to get all the chocolate and swallow.
“Ok. Where were we?”
Link opened his mouth to answer, only to shut it again when Bethany Anne answered herself.
“Right. Why I’m here.” She turned her sharp gaze to Phina, whose eyes widened in concern.
Bethany Anne waved her off. “Oh, don’t worry so much! You’re
not in trouble. In fact, I believe congratulations on a job well done are in order. You handled the situation between the Gleeks and the Baldere well despite your inexperience. Your actions have caused the Gleeks to change their minds and petition to join the Empire. I’m told reversals in their decisions don’t happen very often. Their knowledge will be a huge asset to the Empire, so congratulations for both of those highly impressive achievements.”
Phina nodded. “Thank you.”
Bethany Anne smiled. “You’re welcome. The other reason I’m here is to meet you.”
“To meet me?” Phina’s shocked eyes turned to Link’s amused face before moving back to Bethany Anne.
“Of course.” The Empress’ eyebrow rose, and she turned so serious that her eyes flashed red. “You might not realize this since we’ve just met, but I’ve known about you since before you were born. You’re mine, and I take care of those who are mine.”
Phina stopped breathing as she stared at the Empress. In general terms, the woman could have been anyone with her clear, pale skin, jet-black eyes and hair, and greater than average height. However, with Bethany Anne, average was not in the dictionary. She was one of the most beautiful women Phina had ever seen, glowing with vitality and power, and she possessed an attitude, awareness, and focus that categorized her as someone both extraordinary and extraordinarily dangerous. Definitely not someone you wanted to mess with.
