Stun batons all around us flared to life as the guards activated them.
“You’re all under arrest. If you resist we are authorized to use physical force!” snapped the lead guard, shoving me aside and starting to swing her baton.
“You’re not going to touch me. I’m the representative for Tracto in the Grand Assembly,” said Akantha scoffed, looking down her nose at the security guard.
The security guard’s face turned hard and the other of my two unarmored armsmen thrust himself between my wife and the over eager security guard.
Seeing the way this was heading, I motioned for my quad of power-armored Lancers to step forward.
“Instruct your protective detail to step back, I’m notifying the master-at-arms and our Marine detachment of your aggressive posture,” the Security Guard barked, stepping around me and putting herself between the reporter and myself and Akantha.
Her jaw jutted belligerently. “You may think you’re hot stuff on your home world or because you’re a Grand Assemblyperson, but that means squat here,” the Security guard glared at us while the reporter finally seemed to recover from her shock. With a hand on her side where she’d been body checked, the reporter glared spitefully at us as her hover-cams started moving once again to get better angles of the altercation.
“Attacking hover-cams and physically assaulting a member of the press,” she looked at me and then Akantha and shook her head balefully, “diplomatic immunity doesn’t cover members of the Grand Assembly attacking the press. Your world waived that right when it joined the Confederation, they agreed to the primacy of Confederation law,” the lead guard sneered, “place your hands on the top of your heads and prepare to be restrained. If your security detail refuses to stand down they will be put down by the master-at-arms.”
“As a provisional member of this Assembly we’ve been asked to waive nothing. I am also both a sovereign individual and head of state representing her people. Touching me outside a challenge circle is the same as laying hands on every one of my citizens and will result in an appropriate response,” Akantha said icily, looking down at the security guard like she was a worm, “touching me and crying attack is the same as initiating a challenge or declaring war. Your press member can consider herself as having gotten off light.”
“Lay on the floor with your hands behind your head. I won’t say it again,” ordered the Guard.
“You will not be so lucky. Touch me, guardswoman, and I can assure you I will not be lenient with you as I was with her,” Akantha said.
In the background I could hear the reporter illustrating the situation for her viewers. “Confronted with his crimes, the Tyrant and his wife lashed out in rage, attacking the associated press whose only goal was to expose their lies and speak truth to power,” the reporter said in a low but urgent tone, “this reporter has to ask: if they’ll attack the press simply for asking questions, what will they do next?”
“You slander a Hold Mistress?” Akantha’s head shot around and she took a step towards the other woman.
“Stand back. The master-at-arms is on his way to settle this,” the security guard said sternly.
Almost as soon as she’d finished speaking, two quads of Marines in powered armor, alongside a serious looking man with a vibro-sword and a pot belly, came striding down the hall.
“Here is the master-at-arms,” said the Security Guard nodding to the man with the pot belly.
“All parties are to stand aside,” the master-at-arms instructed, stepping between us. “You there, what happened here?” he asked the Guard.
The Media person immediately started speaking. “I was assaulted in public!” she shrilled. “I have holo-vid to back it up.”
“Your turn will come,” the master-at-arms held up a hand, “in the meantime I want all records of the altercation sent to my office. But I was speaking to you,” he said turning back to the Security Guard.
“The reporter got pushy. The Grand Admiral swatted away one of her toys, she cried foul and then ran into his lady’s arm when she tried to chase him down. After that the lady,” she jerked her thumb at Akantha, “started a fight and her guard body checked the reporter, which is when I broke things up,” she reported.
“Is that how it went down?” asked the Master-at-Arms looking at me.
“Close enough,” I agreed.
He looked over at Akantha, who said matter-of-factly, “She issued a challenge and I accepted it. Now she can’t handle the results and wants to cry about it like a small child.” My lovely lady frowned, a bit theatrically for her norm, and it was this expression she now turned toward the reporter as she silently now promised violence.
“There’ll be none of that now,” the pot bellied man said with authority.
Akantha nodded. “In the interest of diplomatic relations, an admission of wrongdoing followed by a simple apology will be enough to end the matter,” Akantha nodded to the master-at-arms.
“You want a member of the press, a person who was just doing her job and updating the people of the Spineward Sectors as to the actions of their so called leaders, to apologize for being physically attacked and having her equipment nearly destroyed?” the reporter snapped, still holding her side. “For all you know I have a cracked or broken rib. You’re a vicious female brute every bit a match for your tyrannical ‘husband’ here!”
“Why is it that almost every woman I run into lately seems bound and determined to tell me what she thinks of me?” I asked, shaking my head. I mean did she honestly think insulting me to my face was going to succeed in causing me to act out on camera one feeding directly into the galactic evening news?
My wife, on the other hand, was not as shy.
“Yet another insult! Has your press been given orders to start a war? It makes a woman wonder just who is pulling this news reporter’s strings,” Akantha glared.
“No one is looking to start a war,” the master-at-arms said patiently, “please, this is a safe space, let’s all try to tone down the rhetoric,” he paused, “now at this time I’m going to ask each of the parties involved to take one step back and away from each other. That includes bodyguards and floating holo-cams. And please understand that you really don’t want to cross me on this.”
Looking at the other man, I could see he was serious—or at least he thought he was, I honestly couldn’t tell the difference at this point, having just met the man but I wasn’t here to create an incident. At least not this incident, I thought stepping back with a faint smile.
“You may think it fiery rhetoric,” I pointed to the reporter, “but although I disagree with my wife on the matter of this challenge or even wars, I’m afraid the Matriarchy is still quite strong on her home world. When personal insults are involved my wife is almost impossible to sway by a mere male,” I said regretfully.
“Another blatant attempt to shift the issue,” scoffed the reporter.
“Hopefully her world’s culture can slowly transition to a more gender equal, or at least gender neutral society, if not in my lifetime, then in those of my sons or grandsons. I look forward to the day when the advice of a mere male is of greater value,” I finished piously.
The master-at-arms looked unconvinced but the reporter was visibly outraged.
“Careful, Husband, you wouldn’t want to ruin my reputation in front of these outsiders,” Akantha smiled sweetly, the twinkle in her eye promising I’d be hearing more about this later.
“Apologies, my dear,” I said with a courtly bow.
“I want to press charges. You’re the person to speak with correct?” asked the reporter of the master-at-arms.
“This way, ma’am,” motioned the potbellied man.
“There is still the issue of her duel,” Akantha cut in.
“Duel?” asked the master-at-arms.
“Indeed,” Akantha nodded, “I’m prepared meet her with blades at dawn unless she designates a defender to take her place, else I expect her to hand over her forfeit as both custom and la
w demand.”
“Blades at dawn? Are you insane? I don’t know what barbaric hovel you crawled out from but you might as well just crawl back inside it. This is the known galaxy not your own personal hovel, Crazy Person,” scoffed the Reporter.
“In which case I am prepared to declare your government in breach of their treaty obligations and withdraw our representative and ambassador to the Confederation immediately. You can expect a declaration of war to follow. A Hold Mistress’s person is inviolate outside of carefully regulated challenges and duels. This action of your government in helping a woman to successfully avoid paying her forfeit or alternately demand a match with blades in the circle, as custom dictates, is a deadly insult,” Akantha said.
I just stood back arms folded, hiding a smile.
Even if I was still too easily pushed around, my wife was a different story entirely.
The master-at-arm’s lips thinned. “Wars are beyond the purview of this office. My mandate is to maintain the peace and security of these Assembly halls,” the man replied, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Akantha placed a hand on the hilt of her own sword and eyed the master-at-arms challengingly.
Looking at the line of her jaw I decided it was time to intervene.
“Then I would say that by allowing independent media reporters free run of the halls while your security stands by and does nothing as they accost random officials, you most clearly have failed in that duty,” I cut in, stepping between my wife and the swordsman breaking the visual deadlock.
The master-at-arms gave his guards an angry look before turning back to me. “That’s your interpretation. My people are my own concern and I will deal with it, and them, in due course. In the meantime there are allegations on all sides. Please continue about your duties.” he said flatly.
I shrugged. “Good enough for me…for now,” I added with an edge in my voice, “but just to be clear: if I physically assaulted her hover-bots it was only because she falsely imprisoned me in order to slander and libel both myself and the office of Grand Admiral in front of the public. I think any kidnap victim has the right to escape their captors, or do you not agree?”
“A kidnap victim? You! Ha!” the reporter laughed stridently. “You had a quad of Marines here to protect you while I am unarmed.”
“We were informed these halls were cleared of all non-Assembly personnel. When an unidentified individual pointed random electronic devices at my person, blocking my way with potential explosive self-tracking devices, how were my people to know that you weren’t simply another random upjumped terrorist? For all they knew, I was in a potential hostage situation and any move on their part to free me from the situation you’d created would have led to your hover-cams exploding!” I declared, my voice rising. “Which entirely ignores their naturally law-abiding nature, which essentially neuters their ability to do anything except block you and take a bullet for me, if a member of the fourth estate such as yourself became violent.”
“This is preposterous!” cried the reporter.
“My wife merely feared for my life while my bodyguard stood by paralyzed with indecision until she acted, bravely forcing the situation. And as for her heroism in the face of a potential terrorist attack, you now have the gall to insult her on intra-galactic news? How could you miss,” I scolded the reporter.
“I’ll show you what I can do,” the reporter said furiously, raising a fist.
“Please see here, Mrs. Starbuster. Please step away from the Grand Admiral,” instructed the master-at-arms as the reporter was all but literally dragged away yelling and fuming.
“If that’s all done, we’ll be on our way. We have a meeting with a very important sub-committee,” I said, looking at the potbellied man with lifted brow.
“Get out of here and go see to your committee,” he said, shaking his head.
After we were out of earshot, Akantha leaned toward me looking upset. “I’m sorry if I helped that little bimbo tarnish your reputation,” my wife said.
“It would have been better if you hadn’t touched her, they get concerned about things like that here,” I said seriously, before breaking out into a grin, “but it’s not like we were ever going to get a fair shake in the media anyway, so she can just go fly a kite for all I care.”
Akantha relaxed slightly, no longer looking upset. “So long as you’re sure I didn’t ruin things for you,” she said.
“Yep,” I said and that was actually true. Making things more difficult? That she’d undoubtedly done. But ruin it for me? Sir Isaak had already done that back when he branded me the Tyrant of Cold Space and tried to railroad me in the courts. Planetary Piracy indeed!
“She did deserve it though, and a lot more,” Akantha said with a scowl, “how dare she call you a Tyrant? I know an insult when I hear one, even if the word in my language for that title isn’t necessarily considered as serious as it is in yours.”
“Ah yes, the glorious culture of Tracto,” I said dryly, “a place where a nickname like a 'tyrant' might actually get you more mileage with the public not less, and in some quarters could be considered a potential boost to your reputation.”
“I’m glad to see you’re beginning to understand our ways,” Akantha said, giving a squeeze to the arm she was holding while we walked.
My face stiffened and then I smiled wryly. “Ah yes, I believe I’m starting to understand your people better and better by the day,” I said finally.
She nodded and we continued in silence as we bypassed a number of committee rooms, both those currently in session as well as those rooms still empty, before reaching the hall of the Grand Assembly itself. Or in this case the Sector Assembly hall which had been taken over by the Grand Assembly.
“I thought you said you were needed in one of the committees?” Akantha asked.
“A white lie,” I said with a smirk, “I am needed in a committee a couple hours from now, or at least they’ve requested I join them, which means we have plenty of time for a chivalrous Protector to show his lady love around the Grand Assembly building. Like he originally promised,” I added pointedly.
“There you go again, trying to be considerate,” Akantha sighed, almost unhappily if I was any judge.
I looked at her questioningly.
“It almost makes what I need to do…” she trailed off and I immediately felt a flash of concern.
“Now-now, my love, let’s not be hasty,” I said quickly.
She patted my arm. “I promise,” she said sweetly.
I closed my eyes. “Akantha,” I warned.
“Let’s go this way. I think I see someone I’m familiar with,” Akantha said, hand still locked on my elbow as she started to forcibly drag me to one side of the room.
I flushed red with embarrassment as I subtly attempted and then failed to resist.
It was one thing to be manhandled by your wife in private, but to be all but dragged around in public was embarrassing. Some ‘Grand Admiral’ I was turning out to be. One genetically engineered super wife later and here I was, reduced to arm candy at a meeting I’d been summoned to attend.
I plastered a well-trained smile onto my face as she forced us over to a small group of new minted Grand-Assemblymen and women.
“I’m telling you that ever since our ethnic group fell below 49% of our world’s population, and became a legally recognized minority, our world’s been rocked with sectarian strife,” a Grand Assemblyman I recognized as being an ambassador from the Border Worlds Alliance was speaking passionately.
“Well your people need to realize that they just don’t have a lock on power any longer and get over themselves. Its time to attend to the majority voter’s bottom line,” drawled another Border Alliance ambassador, this one quite fat, “in my experience I’ve found that producing a great deal of wealth very quickly is the fastest way to silence your critics. Whining and complaining that you’ve lost power doesn’t get you very far.”
“That’s not it at all!” cri
ed the first assemblyman, whose voice was filled with frustration. “Yes we still control the largest voting bloc in both the upper and lower houses of local planetary government, but a coalition minority government has been running our world for the past decade and yet still, even after becoming a legally recognized minority, nothing has changed!”
“Then I fail to see the problem,” drawled the obese ambassador.
“What I’m trying to tell you is we were fine being literally spat on in the streets when we were the majority population, but now that we’re a minority we want our rights to be recognized too, blast it all! The illegal discrimination we’ve experienced since the population shift has shot through the roof—the roof, I tell you! I mean we firmly believe in the right to legally discriminate against the majority, even if you’re not actually in power, but as a newly protected minority class we too deserve the same rights as every other minority. We demand equal rights!”
“If your party’s out of power back home, and for several years now,” asked another ambassador with a turban on his head, “how is it that you’ve been appointed to this post, both here and back in the Border Alliance?”
“I’m almost sure they expected things to blow up spectacularly a long time before now, in which case they'd be able to blame me for everything that’s gone wrong,” he admitted in disgust.
“You should have put a stop to all that protected class nonsense back when you were still in power, that sort of thing never works out well,” opined the fat, capitalist ambassador, “it sounds to me you waited too long and now you’re stuck.”
“But we’re finally a minority too!” shouted the first Ambassador. “I don’t believe in institutionalized majority heritage. Just because you were born into a majority group doesn’t matter if you’re not now part of a minority grouping. Will our sins only end when our children grow up?”
“Look, it’s just the sort of discrimination lots of minorities have to deal with. Man up and move on, guy,” the fat man said, popping a grape into his mouth, “it looks like you screwed the pooch and now you’re paying for it. Live and learn the lesson, which is: if you’re ever back in power don’t do this again.”
Admiral's Nemesis Part II Page 18
