Diplomatic Crisis (The Empress' Spy Book 2)

by S. E. Weir

  Her mind turned to what that life after the Corps might be like. A picture of a small house on a lake rose in her mind, the house she had grown up in with her grandmother back on Earth. A pang of longing filled her. If such a place existed in the Empire, she would happily retire and live in peace. It might be lonely after so much activity, but living in a house in such a peaceful setting sounded like a little piece of paradise.

  “Where have you gone off to now, Anna?”

  Dan’s voice snagged her back to the present. She let go of that vision with a sigh and pasted a polite smile on her face, then focused on the man to see him shaking his head with a frown, his blue eyes both gentle and weary. “Don’t do that. You don’t need to hide from me, Anna Elizabeth. We’ve known each other long enough that we don’t need any pretenses, don’t you think?”

  Anna Elizabeth stared at him in confusion as the diplomats, their family members, and their dates moved around them, laughing and chatting. No one seemed to need her at the moment. She took time to really see Dan: his body language, his words, his expression, and what was in his eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out before quietly responding.

  “What brought you here tonight?”

  He assessed her carefully and apparently saw what he was looking for since he nodded. “You, Anna. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  “Me? I wasn’t delayed long with Jace.” Her brow furrowed in concern as she began looking around, seeing people she had meant to speak to and noting that the food needed to be refreshed.

  Dan stopped her with a hand to her shoulder, drawing her attention back to him immediately. Her eyes were wide as they met his. They had known each other for almost thirty years, and he had never touched her before, not even to shake hands. His grip softened as he watched her, eyes searching.

  “I don’t mean just tonight, Anna. You’ve had important work to do and didn’t seem to have room in your life for anything else. I’ve been waiting for you to feel ready to move to the next thing. I had about given up hope that there might be a time, but when I heard from ADAM, it seemed to be a sign.”

  Anna’s eyes widen. “Heard from ADAM? What did he contact you about?”

  Dan gestured around him with a small smile. “It isn’t obvious? He matched us.”

  She only was able to control her surprise by drawing on her experience, though she had a feeling she wasn’t fooling Dan. “I…I see. And our age difference doesn’t bother you? Even the appearance of it?”

  “Six years isn’t such a gap after all this time, Anna.” Dan eyed her carefully, and Anna could tell he was bracing himself for disappointment. “Are you even a tiny bit glad about ADAM matching us?”

  Anna thought for a moment, shifting the pieces of her current and future life in her head. Could she fit someone within it? She remembered the view of the lake from the porch she longed for and how alone she’d thought she would be when she finally reached it. Would Dan fit there with her? Did she want him to?

  She looked up to focus on his watchful eyes, which spoke volumes even though he stood silently. Her mouth twitched into a small smile. “How do you feel about porches and lakes?”

  Dan’s eyes lit up, warmth spreading as he smiled. The fingers on his glass relaxed, as did his body. “Is there fishing?”

  Anna’s smile stretched wider and her cheeks flushed, which hadn’t happened in years. “I think we can figure something out.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Etheric Empire, Scientific Research Facility

  Faith was standing at the table with a tablet in her hand when the door opened with a swoosh. Four armed guards walked in one at a time to secure the room and hold a weapon on the woman. Her eyes darted between them, her anger growing. She barked her words, irritated. “What is the meaning of this? I demand an explanation!”

  Once the formation was complete, one guard advanced toward the woman, handcuffs in one hand. “Ma’am, I need you to come with us.”

  The woman’s eyes glowed a deep red as her face sharpened, and she leaned forward with a snarl. The guard held his hands up, handcuffs dangling, to show he meant no harm. “Ma’am, I need you to calm down.”

  She snarled again and shifted her weight, then threw her tablet at him. His eyes widened and he ducked, not attempting to catch anything thrown with that much force. It clipped him on the shoulder, giving him a deep bruise. He moved his arm, cringing at the pain of a possible fracture.

  When the woman turned, her eyes fixed on him, about to attack, the other guards opened fire. She took another step forward, even with several projectiles in her, and was taking a third step when they shot her again. She shuddered, then dropped to the floor, her head making a cracking sound on impact.

  The first guard winced as he viewed her heavily sedated body. His fellow guard walked up behind him. “I don’t think she liked you calling her ‘ma’am.’”

  Wincing again and rubbing his shoulder, he nodded. “Yeah.” He scanned Faith Rochelle’s body again. “I don’t think she did either.”

  Etheric Empire, QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Clinic

  Doctor Keelson turned from the Pod-doc to the group that had crowded into the room behind her, gripping her tablet in one hand and putting the other on her hip. She edged back to give herself more room, but it didn’t help. She glanced at the Pod-doc and its occupant and sighed.

  “Basically, we have done everything we can: Pod-doc adjustments, genetic alterations thanks to our resident expert, and nanocyte coding changes. Her body is fixed and will be completely healthy—more than that, actually—for some time to come.”

  Link turned away from the Pod-doc. His eyes and face appeared weary, and stubble was visible along his jaw. His clothes were rumpled and creased as if he had spent far too long in them. When he spoke, his voice was agitated. “Why hasn’t she woken up if everything is fine?”

  Doctor Keelson pressed her lips together as she scanned the group. Red splotches and tears covered Alina’s cheeks as she held on to Maxim, whose mouth was turned down grimly. He kept an arm around the young woman. Drk-vaen and Sis’tael stood in the back, both showing signs of distress as they fidgeted.

  Link and Braeden stood closest to her. One was rumpled and weary but refused to leave to take care of himself. The other stood tall and silent as he focused on the Pod-doc, his gaze intent. She thought she saw someone in the outer room, but when she glanced that way, it was empty. She sighed again and rubbed the back of her neck with her hand.

  “The problem is her mind. As far as we can determine, her brain is fine, functioning at peak capacity, yet she seems to be in a self-induced coma. We could force her body to wake, but without knowing what happened to cause her to put herself out, doing so might cause her lasting harm, or possibly even brain damage.”

  Sis’tael spoke up, her mandibles clicking. “None of us wants that.”

  The rest shook their heads, though Alina and Link had similar expressions of agony. Link just hid his a little better. It was always in the eyes. No matter how many times she gave good or bad news to family members, April always paid attention to the eyes since they showed the truth.

  Braeden stirred, then turned to speak to the group at large, his movement less graceful than they had formerly been. “It is as the doctor says. I can reach Phina’s mind, and it is present, with no brain damage. Everything has healed, and she has strengthened her mental pathways. I can even speak into her mind. However, it is as though she is both present and absent. Some part of her conscious self is missing from her body.” He looked at the Pod-doc again thoughtfully.

  “So, we just wait.” Link spoke heavily.

  Doctor Keelson and Braedon nodded slowly.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “However long it takes.”

  Etheric Empire, QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Bar

  The waitress dropped a large mug of beer on the table and slid it over to Link, a few drops splashing over the side. She paused a moment as if waiting for something, her chest pushed for
ward to show off her tightly clothed body. Her efforts were wasted, though, since Link barely gave her a glance, not even handing over the usual tip. Realizing she would get nothing, she pursed her lips sourly and rolled her eyes as she stomped off.

  Link’s bloodshot eyes were only paying attention to his beer and the doorway, where he hoped to see his contact enter soon. He wouldn’t have spared even this time, except that this person was one of his most trusted, and she never contacted him unless it would be of interest to one of his personas, she being one of the few to know about them. The only thing this contact didn’t know was that Greyson Wells was just as much a persona as the rest.

  Only Phina knew that.

  He smacked his forehead twice with the heel of his hand. He had to get in gear. This was no time to be lazy or complacent, just because he was worried. He was running his hands through his hair when he heard a voice beside him.

  “My, my, Greyson. This doesn’t look good at all.”

  He turned to see Dorothy King and gave her his first genuine smile since Phina’s collapse. He stood and bowed over the older lady’s hand, kissing it. She blushed and pulled it away to lightly smack him in the chest. “Don’t tell me you haven’t found a girl who will look twice at you.”

  Link sighed with the same lightness. “Alas, fair lady, no one can compare with you.”

  She shook her head and stepped to the other side of the table to sit, her expression concerned. “I realize I’m old enough to be your mother, but really, Greyson. Don’t put me in the position of having to chastise you for not taking care of yourself.”

  Link shrugged and looked mulish. “It can’t be helped right now.”

  Dorothy’s eyes narrowed as she nodded. “So, there is a girl.”

  He attempted a bland look but quickly relented since he didn’t have the energy for it—a sign that he needed to take care of himself better. “My recruit. But not the way you’re thinking.”

  She nodded as she assessed him. “I see. Something is wrong?”

  Link barked a sarcastic laugh and took a drink of his beer before answering. “She’s in a coma.”

  Dorothy’s expression turned sorrowful. “I’m sorry to hear that, Greyson. I’ll say a prayer for her.”

  He nodded, then cleared his throat and moved on to what had brought them here in an attempt to deflect the warmth he felt at her concern. He hadn’t yet admitted to her that he regarded her as more his mother than his own had been. “You have something for me?”

  Her eyes cleared and sharpened as she leaned forward, her hands resting on the table. “Yes, and let me tell you, young man, this will throw you for a loop. It definitely threw me for one.”

  Link straightened his shoulders and leaned toward her, as alert as it was possible for him to be. “Tell me.”

  Dorothy nodded. “I usually pretend to be almost deaf so those I work around will speak more freely. This time it didn’t matter. They either didn’t know or didn’t care that I was there. I was cleaning the dock manager’s office, the person who oversees all the spaceships passing through Ekeled station. As I cleaned the inner office, I overheard two males conversing about sending someone out for a job. I didn’t hear much, only that it was religious in nature to the native species. What brought me to take the first transport over to see you was what he said as they left.”

  Link raised his eyebrows as she paused, looking down at her hands. “Well?”

  She raised troubled eyes. “’Wouldn’t that big shot of a spy get a kick in the pants to know the source of his headache is so close to him?’”

  Link leaned back, his eyes blanking and his hands slack on his mug. “He’s right. It’s a kick.”

  She reached over and squeezed his hand, then let go and stood up. She lingered for another moment, considering him before speaking. “There’s something else.”

  He looked up, confused. “What?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “It might just be these old eyes failing, but I could have sworn I saw a flash of green skin.”

  He stilled, his eyes fixed on hers as she nodded knowingly. Then she walked out. He took a deep breath to deal with the bombshell that had just fallen on him.

  Damn it. This was gonna be bad.

  Etheric Empire, QBS Stark

  Braeden was watching a screen showing the planet below. It had taken time, but the Aurians had finally completed their re-terraforming process with the help of Gleek and Empire tech fused into a one-of-a-kind delivery system. The process had resulted in a beautiful and unique planet that appeared to be perfect for the Aurians.

  It was habitable for humans as well.

  That had gotten many on the upper levels of the Empire interested, Braeden had noted. After several meetings, She-Who-Mourns and her people had agreed to share their planet with a colony of humans. Since there were so few Aurians left, it would take a while to repopulate, so the two species would grow side by side.

  Ryan Wagner turned with a grin. “It looks awesome! Why aren’t we down there? What’s the holdup?”

  A laugh in a voice rich with age came from the other viewing screen. “Patience, Grasshopper.” Addison Stone turned to the young man with a pleased smile. She had gotten to know the Aurians quite well and was very fond of them, even considering putting in for a transfer to the new human colony. “Good things come to those who wait.”

  “But there’s nothing to wait for. The planet’s been cooked and cooled and now has a sustainable atmosphere, so what’s the holdup?” Ryan turned his palms up and shrugged at the look she gave him. “What? I listen. I can understand big words.”

  She shook her head with a wry smile. “The holdup, I think, is a name.” She turned to the Aurians on the deck. They were looking at the viewing screens with awe and amazement. “So, have you chosen a name for the planet? Is it the same as before?”

  She-Who-Mourns gave her a brilliant smile, the ancient look in her eyes now the only sign of the grief she had gone through. “Yes and no. We couldn’t have done any of this without you and the others who could not come today.”

  Braeden nodded but remained silent, thinking about Phina with a heavy heart. She would have wanted to be here.

  She-Who-Mourns continued, “Because of you, we have our home again. Because of Phina discovering and Stark giving us the location of a cavern filled with minerals you value for jewelry and decoration, we have a resource to trade with the Empire while we get back on our feet. You gave us renewed hope, so…” She turned back to the screen, her eyes filled with longing. “Our planet used to be named Lyria, ‘planet of song.’ It had become Lyriem, ‘song of sorrow.’ Now it will be Lyriasha, ‘song of hope.’”

  All the Aurians in the room nod solemnly. “Lyriasha.”

  “And along with the planet’s name change, I am changing mine,” She-Who-Mourns continued, her eyes were fixated on the screen. “My name will no longer be She-Who-Mourns, but She-Who-Hopes.”

  “She-Who-Hopes,” the Aurians chanted. He-Who-Thinks stood in the back, watching her with conflicted eyes. The Aurians hadn’t quite forgiven him, and he’d had to agree to strict oversight for any future experiments, but the Aurian people had decided there had been enough death. His life was now devoted to finding ways to help the Aurians grow as a people and a culture.

  The bond he had with his former pledgemate was strained too. She-Who-Hopes still had difficulty, but at least she was speaking to him now, which was more than he could have hoped for.

  She-Who-Hopes nodded. “We will remember the past and mourn for those lost, but looking toward the future is what we need to do now.”

  Braeden gave an imperceptible sigh and turned to view the planet. Song of hope. Phina could use a song of hope just now. As the Aurians began singing and chanting in their language, Braeden turned off the translator and let the melody wash over him. It filled him with hope and made him realize he needed to share it.

  He reached out to Phina, who was halfway across the Empire, with his powerful mind. As he connecte
d, he recognized the curious present but absent state of her mind. So, nothing had changed since he had left weeks ago to facilitate the terraforming process between his brothers and the two volunteers from the Empire. That was both a relief and a worry. He took a mental step out of the way in the connection, allowing her to hear the song without his interpretation overlaying it.

  After a few minutes of listening to the complex song, he tuned in to Phina again and almost dropped his staff in his surprise.

  Half an empire away, Phina opened her eyes.

  FINIS

  The Story Continues

  Seraphina’s story continues with Diplomatic Resurgence, coming soon to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

  Claim your copy today!

  Author Notes - S.E. Weir

  June 13, 2021

  We meet again!