Diplomatic Crisis (The Empress' Spy Book 2)

by S. E. Weir

  “What if those who tend to stay together longer have not just an attraction but shared interests, values, and views of the world? Some couples even start as friends with shared interests and end up falling in love with each other.”

  Phina licked the butter and salt off her fingers while she waited for ADAM but heard nothing.

  “ADAM?”

  After another moment, he finally responded. >>I’m sorry, Phina. I created a matrix using the preliminary criteria you mentioned and evaluated the top fifty couples I’m most familiar with.<<

  “You evaluated the top fifty couples in the space of a minute?”

  >>It was less than twenty seconds, but yes.<<

  “Okay, so what did you conclude?”

  >>There’s definitely something to what you are saying. The couples that shared more of the criteria you mentioned overall seem happier, which translates to staying together. I wonder, if I expand the criteria and add other markers, could I predict which couples might stay together, or even which people might fall in love with each other?<<

  Phina grinned as she settled back on the couch. “Once you have your solid list of criteria, you could start your own dating service. If Alina and Maxim weren’t so crazy about each other, Alina would have been your first customer.”

  Another pause. >>Phina, you are giving me ideas.<<

  “Of course! Ideas can be fun!”

  She smiled as she turned off the screen, collected her bowl, and rose to place it in the sink. After washing and drying the bowl, she realized ADAM had been very quiet.

  “Uh, ADAM? You know I was joking about that dating service, right? ADAM?”

  QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Diplomatic Institute

  The hallway echoed with voices coming from all directions. Students filled the space, mingling in groups, while some made their way to the exit after class or stayed to talk to a teacher. Phina should be used to it by now, but part of her still stiffened and shuddered at the onslaught of noise and activity between classes. She was used to being by herself, even in high school, aside from when she could be with Alina, that it was an adjustment to be around so many people who expected her to interact with them all the time.

  “Hey, Phina.”

  She nodded at the guy as she passed. She didn’t remember his name since it hadn’t been relevant before. Greg? George?

  “Hi, Phina!”

  A girl from her cultural studies class—Monica?—waved as she walked by. Phina gave her a quick smile before she moved out of view.

  This interaction had been the biggest change in the last few months. Her classmates actually talked to her now. Phina sighed, not sure if it was an improvement. Certainly, getting along with people was better for her school environment. She just wished it had been something she had done.

  “Hey, new girl.”

  Speak of the devil.

  No, what bothered her was that Jace had been the one to adjust the attitude of the students toward her. She still didn’t know why he had changed his mind, but instead of freezing her out and barely giving her the time of day, Jace now appeared to be trying to get along with her. As much as she would let him, anyway.

  Raising an eyebrow, Phina turned to view his eager face. A flashback of the day he followed her and threatened to hack her file if she didn’t give him her name filled her mind. He’d had the same expression on his face then. She resisted rolling her eyes and resigned herself to staring at him for a moment as they walked a few steps. She stopped in front of Anna Elizabeth’s door.

  “Yes?”

  Frustration flashed over his face before it returned to the same easy smile.

  “Just wondered how you’ve been.”

  Phina frowned as she considered him. “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?” His eyebrows drew up in confusion.

  “You cover up what you’re really thinking and pretend nothing is wrong when something obviously is bothering you. In a diplomatic situation when you have to be careful of your words, I understand, but why now?”

  He sighed and scratched his head through his dark hair. It had been spiked with some kind of product, so his fingers didn’t get very far, which brought a grimace of annoyance to his face before he dropped both hand and expression. He looked at her seriously and kept his voice low, even with all the students milling around and passing them.

  “Phina, we’re in the Diplomatic Institute. We need to be careful about anything we say here, as well as in those diplomatic situations you are referring to. These students and our teachers are our future colleagues. If things continue to go well with my internship with Dean Hauser, I’ll eventually be running the Institute. Diplomacy isn’t just something that happens with alien species, but within the Corps as well.”

  Looking at the frustration on his face, which he tried to mask as something innocuous, Phina decided she didn’t envy the man one bit. She preferred being in the background and not having every word she said scrutinized by everyone. A Diplomat Spy could get away with a lot more than the head diplomat.

  “Well, you can just drop that stuff with me. I don’t care if you are politic or polite or swear up a storm. I would rather know what you really think than hear utter banality.”

  Jace’s mouth dropped. “But…”

  Now she did roll her eyes. “Come on, Jace. My role isn’t the normal run of the mill anyway, so what does it matter? Just say what you really think. If nothing else, it will keep me from rolling my eyes at you or envisioning punching you in the face.”

  He raised his eyebrows skeptically. “You did just roll your eyes at me.”

  “Because you were being stupid. Don’t be stupid, and I won’t roll my eyes.”

  Jace gave her a false concerned look. “Do you envision punching me in the face often?”

  Phina smirked. “Just be honest, and you won’t have to worry about it.”

  A genuine smile broke out on his face. “You’re sure about this?”

  “Yes.”

  Jace smirked and winked at her. “Does this mean we’re friends now?”

  She had turned to Anna Elizabeth’s door, but she shot him a quelling glance.

  “Don’t push it.”

  QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Diplomatic Institute, Anna Elizabeth’s Office

  After the door opened for them, Anna Elizabeth greeted the two of them with a frazzled smile. The normally elegant woman appeared unkempt, with a few flyaway strands around her face and her clothing twisted. Her graying hair and lightly wrinkled face gave her the mien of a kindly young and beautiful grandmother.

  “Phina, Jace. So pleased to see you both. How may I help you, Phina?”

  Phina nodded in greeting. Anna Elizabeth had not been surprised to see Jace in her office. As he moved to a chair to one side of the dean’s desk, she absently wondered how many hours he spent in his role as the woman’s mentee. Though she supposed she could call him her apprentice since the goal for their pairing had been for Jace to eventually replace Anna Elizabeth, just as Phina was Link’s apprentice. Yes, a much better and less awkward word.

  “I wondered if you had any news on when Braeden would be here?”

  The head diplomat clasped her hands in front of her and her gaze turned distant. “I believe he’s scheduled to be here in a couple of weeks, just in time to teach the new module on the Gleeks in Cultural Studies.”

  Phina inclined her head, gratitude and excitement filling her. Surprise as well since she realized how much she had missed the tall, gangly alien. She hoped he would stay for a while and that once Anna Elizabeth realized how much knowledge of the universe he contained, she wouldn’t want Braeden to leave either. “Thank you, Dean Hauser.”

  “You’re welcome, Phina.” Anna Elizabeth gave her a small smile, then it dropped and she sighed. “If only other issues and inquiries were solved so easily.”

  Taking a few steps forward, Phina fingered the pocket that held her tablet. “What kind of issues? Anything I could help with?”

  Frowning
, Anna shook her head. “I don’t think so, but thank you for offering.”

  Phina felt dismissed and knew just by looking at the woman that she needed help of some kind. She narrowed her eyes while she crossed her arms and cocked one hip. “Are you certain? Would a sounding board help? You might have responsibility for all the diplomats, but that doesn’t mean you need to carry the burden on your own. If it’s a matter of trust, that’s one thing, but if it’s about trying to generate ideas and figuring out the best path possible, why not accept help?”

  At first Anna Elizabeth had started in surprise at Phina’s words, then her surprise turned into amusement and acceptance. “Greyson would have said much the same, though far more bluntly. You are wise beyond your years, Phina. Thank you.”

  “Thank you. So, what’s the problem?”

  “It’s the aftermath of Charles Edwards. All the reports I received from you people stated that he described his reasons as an inability to have a family, meaningful relationships, or gain a reasonable retirement. We need to figure out if any other diplomats are harboring the same issues he did or have any issues we need to worry about. We don’t need any other disgruntled ambassadors causing problems on their assigned planets. Otherwise, we might find ourselves in a war of some kind.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad. How is this a problem?”

  The dean wore an expression of distaste Phina hadn’t seen on the woman’s face very often. “Logistics. We need Barnabas to search their minds for treachery—which you will keep to yourselves, understood?” At their nods, she continued, “However, if he traveled from one diplomat to the other, it could take him a few months, which he doesn’t have, given his Ranger duties. It would be much easier for the demand on his time to bring the ambassadors in from the planets. However, we can’t do that since it leaves those posts with no ambassador, and everyone would know we have a problem. It’s maddening, and I keep moving in circles with no end in sight.”

  Phina paced. Jace frowned as he contemplated the situation, then asked, “How many ambassadors that need to come in are posted at consulates?”

  Anna turned to look at the two of them. “Twenty-three, I believe. We were about to assign someone to replace Charles on Vermott when we realized we could have a similar problem anywhere. Barnabas has already checked those currently posted on the MR, so we know everyone here is safe to send out.”

  They all thought for a moment. Phina had stopped pacing and whirled to point at Jace, standing only a few feet away with her eyes alight.

  “Dean Hauser, I’m remembering that ambassadors at these posts need to have achieved a certain level of seniority. Would their replacements need to have that as well?”

  With an uncharacteristic frustrated huff, Anna Elizabeth pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. “Yes, for a permanent post, but for a temporary situation, it would be fine without. However, we don’t have enough ambassadors free, regardless of seniority. We wouldn’t even be able to cover half of them.”

  Phina slowly grinned at the both of them, causing a wary expression to cross Jace’s face. Anna Elizabeth looked hopeful.

  “What? You’ve thought of something?”

  She spread her hands, though she retained the smile. “How many students do we have at the Institute who are under the supervision of a mentor and are a few months away from graduation?”

  Jace and Anna Elizabeth straightened and looked at each other, and the dean caught her breath.

  “Twenty-two! Twenty-three if we count Jace, but he would need to stay here for when the ambassadors come back in. I can do without a diplomat in one location with little problem.”

  “Do you think it would work?” Though his eyes reflected disappointment at not being sent out, Jace appeared more concerned about the logistics and figuring out how to do the job.

  Good for him. Phina nodded, thinking he had been through quite an attitude adjustment in the last few months.

  Anna brought her fingers up to rest under her chin as she thought. “I think it could. Those mentors have duties here, but they can handle most of them remotely. The planets where we have consulates are spread out over ten systems, but we can send out a ship to each system to drop off the mentor pairings and pick up the ambassadors for the meeting, then reverse the trip to pick up the students when they drop off the ambassadors.”

  Phina thought she caught a look of calculation crossing the dean’s face, but it was gone so fast it could have been a trick of the light. Anna shoved another loose strand behind her ear and frowned. “We just need a good reason to give them as to why we are going through all this effort. We don’t want anyone to know the real reason right now.”

  The three of them thought for a few moments. Phina resumed pacing, then leaned against the wall with her foot braced. Finally, Jace stirred.

  “If we don’t want them to know, then why don’t we give them a reason that has to do with their temporary replacement? Like, a senior project or something?”

  Anna beamed at the younger man. “Excellent, Jace. Now we just need a reason for why they can’t stay, even with a replacement. Some of them are stubborn.”

  Phina thought about the issues Charles Edwards had mentioned when he spewed out why he had decided to betray everything the Diplomatic Corps stood for. “Charles also told us he felt like he had given everything to the Corps and the Empire and hadn’t had the opportunity to find love, enjoy life, or create any sort of sense of self aside from his job.”

  Anna’s face fell in distress, concern showing in her voice when she spoke. “I know we ask a lot of our people. It’s hard to be alone, but it takes a lot of time to manage diplomatic relations, and most diplomats wouldn’t have time for a family anyway.”

  Phina felt a twinge that made her want to comfort the dean. She quickly walked over to sit in the chair in front of Anna’s desk and leaned forward, catching the woman’s attention.

  “I understand, Dean Hauser. I do. A lot is required because a lot is needed. It’s easier when a person is younger because they still feel like they have the rest of their lives ahead of them. These ambassadors are older and are feeling their time running out. My intent wasn’t to criticize so much as point out a need.

  “What if instead of a stuffy meeting that for all intents and purposes is pointless aside from Barnabas’ need to scan, we create an event they want to be there for? The school manual states that senior diplomats are allowed to have families, which all in question would be since those posted at the consulates are required to be senior diplomats.

  “We could have some sort of event to celebrate the service of all the senior diplomats, so they feel appreciated, and they could bring their families if they have them. We could also provide opportunities for those diplomats who haven’t any families to meet someone.”

  The dean’s face lit up. “Your plan sounds intriguing! An annual gala for the diplomats?”

  Phina nodded thoughtfully. “That way, we not only are ascertaining if there is a current problem, we help mitigate future problems by taking away the reasons Charles had to create issues.”

  Anna spread her hands in front of her, and her eyes sparked in excitement and satisfaction. “Phina and Jace, this sounds wonderful! Combining an appreciation weekend for the senior diplomats with a senior project for the mentor pairings is perfect.”

  She grabbed a hand from both of them and squeezed. “Thank you! This is such a relief.”

  Her reaction seemed overdone, causing her discrepancies in behavior to coalesce in Phina’s head. Ah! The tricky dean had been guiding their conversation the whole time. Phina wouldn’t be surprised if this whole conversation had been a test. She glanced at Jace to see if he had noticed, only to find him with a rather nice smile on his face. Huh. Apparently, he had let go of his jealousy as well since she couldn’t find any trace of it. Perhaps he could even become a friend.

  Eventually.

  Turning back to Anna, Phina squeezed her hand gently before letting go. “You’re welcome.
I’ve thought about it a lot the last few months.” She hesitated but figured this might be the best time for her thoughts to be heard since Anna appeared to be in a good mood. Phina wondered how far she could push the seemingly open conversation.

  “You might also consider that Charles felt like he had nowhere to go with his concerns and frustrations. Perhaps once you confirm whether they all are trustworthy, you can come clean about what happened? Letting them know the situation and the steps you are taking to resolve it would help them see you as more approachable.”

  She shrugged. “It also wouldn’t hurt to tell them you want them to come to you with their concerns. It might cause more difficulties in the short term with an increase in communications, but in the long run, they will feel more satisfied and connected, which makes for a decrease in issues.”

  At first, Anna showed a flash of frustration and denial, but as Phina finished speaking, the dean closed her eyes, then took a deep breath and sighed. Her blue eyes opened to show both resignation and resolve.

  “You’re right. We need to be more approachable and be seen that way. I don’t know how much what I have or haven’t done impacted Charles’ decisions, but doing what we can to show appreciation and listen to concerns is a small action that will have a big impact on the future.”

  She gave Phina a look of affection. “When did you get so people-wise?”

  Phina shrugged but smiled easily in return. “I’ve always been on the outside of everyone. It is often easier to see patterns, and cause and effect that way.” Seeing Anna’s compassion and Jace’s flash of understanding made her move to a less serious answer as she smirked. “Besides, I’ve already read all the texts for classes, so to relieve my boredom, I began reading the materials that had to do with relationships and how people work together. Since it fit with communications and that’s my weakest area, it made sense.”

  Anna Elizabeth gave her a look of exasperation. “You’ve read all the textbooks and notes?”

  Phina shrugged and nodded, happy Anna had accepted her change of subject. Also that she could avoid mentioning she had searched until she’d found all the materials available on those topics in the Diplomatic Institute’s server. She wouldn’t acknowledge that those materials had told her that what she had just done was considered “deflection from topics you don’t want to dwell on.” Nope. Not going there.