The Mandala Maneuver

by Christine Pope

  “I’m well aware of that.”

  The half-smile Chima had been wearing abruptly disappeared. “Ah, fine. Be that way if you want, but remember, you’re the one who screwed up here, not me.” And she turned and stalked off back to her desk in the reception area.

  Maybe she shouldn’t have been so openly antagonistic toward Chima, but it couldn’t be helped now. She was just so damn tired. No, this wouldn’t be the first time she’d pulled an all-nighter, but she’d had days of inadequate sleep before this, and it all seemed to be piling up on her.

  The day before she’d discovered a discarded protein bar in one of her desk drawers, probably left there by Ms. Nguyen. Since going down to the commissary before the lunch hour probably wasn’t going to happen, Alexa figured it was the only thing that could help to prevent the unending cups of coffee from eating a hole in her stomach lining.

  She’d only eaten a few bites before she heard Ambassador Castillo bellow, “Ms. Craig! In here…now!”

  Oh, God, what is it this time? She halfway hoped he’d discovered something so heinous about her that he’d fire her. What that would mean, she had no idea, because the thought of being separated from Lirzhan wasn’t something she wanted to contemplate. On the other hand, spending the next three standard years with two coworkers who couldn’t stand her didn’t seem very appealing, either.

  With a sigh she rewrapped the half-eaten protein bar and set it down on her desktop, then headed into the ambassador’s office. He was reading something on the heads-up display over his desk, but because of the angle she couldn’t see precisely what it was.

  “What is it, sir?”

  “I just received a message summoning me to a special meeting of the Council this afternoon at fourteen hundred — ‘to discuss the disturbing intelligence uncovered on the world known as Mandala.’” If the frown he’d sent in her direction when berating her for her relationship with Lirzhan had been fierce, this one was truly formidable. “Do you know anything about this, Ms. Craig?”

  Somehow she managed to prevent herself from taking a step backward. In that moment she wished Lirzhan had not told her what he’d seen in the mining facility on Mandala, that she was still blissfully ignorant of the GEC’s latest subterfuge. Since she didn’t wish to lie, she settled for equivocation. “No, Ambassador, I know nothing about a special meeting.”

  But he hadn’t been made special envoy to the Galactic Council for nothing. “That is not what I asked, Ms. Craig.”

  All right, then she would lie. Unlike the Zhore, she was constitutionally able to do so, even if she didn’t like it very much. “No, sir. Perhaps Ambassador Lirzhan saw something that I did not — as I said in my report, we were separated once we reached the facility.”

  His scowl only deepened. “Very well. I suppose we will find out when we attend the hearing this afternoon.”

  “‘We,’ sir?”

  “Of course,” he snapped. “You’re the junior ambassador. You’ll be there as well, to hear exactly what this is all about.”

  Unfortunately, she knew all too well what it was probably about. Since she couldn’t say that, she only inclined her head and replied, “At fourteen hundred, sir?”

  “Yes.” His dark eyes might as well have been lasers for the way they seemed to bore into her. “Don’t be late.”

  No chance to get in contact with Alexa, unfortunately — Lirzhan had attempted to reach her through her handheld, since he knew messaging her directly through her computer was not a good idea, as the security-conscious Gaians no doubt would be able to read every word. But she wasn’t responding to calls or texts, and there was no way he could go see her in person before the hearing at fourteen hundred.

  This was the first time he’d had a chance to see the Council chambers, and he had to admit they were impressive. The vaulted space took up two levels, with one wall a vast viewscreen that looked out over the ringed gas giant that Targus Station orbited. Behind the dais where the councilmembers sat was a bank of monitors that cycled through a series of images from all the Council worlds — Eridani, Gaia, Stacia, Zhoraan.

  All the members of the Council already sat in their high-backed chairs, with a Stacian at one end and the Gaian representative at the other, and the Eridani and Zhore councilmembers sandwiched between them. Safer that way, Lirzhan supposed — they might sit on the Council together and pay lip service to that body’s supposed neutrality, but since the two governments were more or less at war, it was better that they be located as far apart as possible.

  He followed Ambassador Trazhar to the Zhoraani delegation’s assigned seating area, and watched as the various entourages made their way to their own sections. Then he saw Ambassador Castillo enter the chamber, followed by Alexa, and his breath seemed to catch in his throat.

  For while he’d enjoyed a restful sleep after she’d gone back to her apartment, it did not seem as if Alexa had done the same. Although her hair was sleek as ever and her face artfully made up, he could see the shadows under her eyes, the taut look to her mouth and jaw, as if she were propelling herself forward through sheer force of will. Waves of exhaustion seemed to emanate from her.

  What exactly was the matter? What had happened after she left his apartment?

  It required his own force of will to remain in his seat, to have his gaze continue to sweep the room without lingering too long on the junior ambassador from Gaia. What he really wanted was to get up and take her in his arms, hold her close and ask her what was wrong. But of course that would be impossible.

  The delegation from Eridani was the last to arrive. In a mirror of the Council’s seating arrangements, they took their place next to the Zhore, with the Stacians on their other side. Because this was a closed session, no spectators were allowed beyond the members of the various delegations, and the rest of the seats in the chamber remained empty.

  After everyone had more or less settled themselves, the Eridani councilmember stood, addressing the company. This was a role that alternated amongst those on the Council; Lirzhan wondered whether it was happy accident or design that had a neutral party conducting the proceedings today.

  “We are here today to hear a complaint brought by the Zhoraani Assembly against the Gaian Consortium. Ambassador Trazhar, do your assemblypeople understand the ramifications of this complaint, that once it is brought it cannot be retracted, and that they must abide by the decision of this Council?”

  Ambassador Trazhar rose from her seat. “They do, Your Honor.”

  The Eridani, a man called Lir Danos, inclined his head. He was older, his purple hair streaked with lavender the way a Gaian’s hair might be streaked with gray. “Then proceed.”

  “Your Honor, it is our wish to present the testimony of Ambassador Lirzhan, a member of our delegation. He witnessed firsthand the conditions that precipitated the Zhoraani Assembly’s complaint.”

  “Step forward, Ambassador Lirzhan,” said Lir Danos.

  The weight of all those watching eyes seemed to settle upon Lirzhan. As much as he wished to glance in Alexa’s direction, he knew he did not dare do such a thing. So he got to his feet and went to stand in the empty space in front of the dais, then inclined his head.

  “Good members of the Council, I assert that what I am about to say is the complete truth as I know it, and as I experienced it.” Formal words, the ones he was expected to use as a preface to his statement.

  “We hear this assertion,” they echoed in unison.

  Now that custom was satisfied, he knew he could do nothing else but continue. He recounted their escape and crash landing on Mandala, the journey through the forest, the attack by the mercenaries in the skimmer, and his and Alexa’s subsequent flight underground. He purposely left out any mention of the intimate nature of his relationship with Alexa Craig. The members of the Council did not need to know that she was his heartmate, the center of his soul. Such information had no bearing on the operations at the mining facility, or the experiments the GEC was performing there.

/>   “…and it was when I went in search of Ambassador Craig, fearing she had been taken prisoner or worse, that I discovered exactly what was being mined on Mandala, and what it was being used for.”

  “And what was that, Ambassador Lirzhan?” asked Councilor sen Barthran, the Stacian. He was a fearsome-looking individual with heavy brow ridges and an impressive mass of knotted hair, all bound in silver and gold, hanging down his back.

  Lirzhan guessed that the Stacian’s interest was not wholly academic. Anything that made the Gaians look bad was a welcome gift to the Stacians, even though members of the Council were supposed to be above the squabbles of their individual home worlds.

  This was the moment he dreaded, when all would be laid bare before the Council and the watching delegations, but he had no choice but to continue. “Your Honors, they were mining a crystal that I believe is unique to Mandala, that has a peculiar property which allows it to be refined and used to pull a ship out of subspace. How they have managed this, I do not know, as I am not a scientist. I — ”

  He got no further than that, because as soon as that bombshell escaped his lips, all the members of the various delegations began murmuring amongst themselves, and even the Eridani councilmember looked shocked. Sen Barthran pushed himself up out of his chair, exclaiming, “You see how the Gaians once more attempt to take the upper hand over all of us? Will you once again allow this sort of behavior to stand?”

  “Councilor sen Barthran, I must ask you to take your seat. We are here to listen and observe, not hurl insults and accusations. You do your position no justice.”

  Scowling, the Stacian reclaimed his chair, but not before he shot a look of such ire at the Gaian councilmember that the man couldn’t help shrinking back in his own seat. He did look quite relieved that the Eridani and Zhore representatives sat between him and Councilor sen Barthran.

  Impartial observers? Obviously not.

  The Eridani moderator stared down at Lirzhan, clearly perturbed by both the secrets he had revealed and the observers’ reactions to them. He hesitated, then asked, “And did you see anything else?”

  What else was he supposed to have seen? Lirzhan shook his head. “No, Your Honor. I saw the facility, and I saw the refined crystals being brought to the laboratory, as well as the final product being used in some sort of experiment. I thought that was enough.”

  For a long second Lir Danos stared down at him, as if by doing so he could somehow see into Lirzhan’s thoughts. But he knew that was not a gift the Eridanis possessed, even though they were certainly skilled in many other areas.

  “Thank you, Ambassador Lirzhan.”

  He bowed, then took his seat next to Ambassador Trazhar, glad that his part in these proceedings was now over. Risking a quick glance toward the Gaian delegation, Lirzhan saw that Alexa sat very still and calm, her face betraying no reaction he could see, although even from this distance he felt the pulses of worry and fatigue coming from her direction. In the seat next to her, Ambassador Castillo was practically throbbing with anger, although his expression was equally impassive.

  The ambassador stood then, saying, “Permission to address the Council?”

  A nod from Lir Danos. “Of course, Ambassador Castillo.”

  “With no disrespect intended toward the junior ambassador from Zhoraan, I must protest that his accusations of intent are baseless. Yes, we admit that there is an unregulated mine located on Mandala, but its purpose is entirely benign, as the crystals mined there are simple quartz, used in millions of applications throughout the galaxy. The ambassador himself has admitted that he is not a scientist. How, then, is he able to be so certain as to the purpose of what he saw, or thinks he saw, in that facility? It is unfortunate that his shuttle malfunctioned, and I assure this body that an investigation is being made into the cause of that malfunction. But to assign such malignant intentions to the Gaian Consortium on the base of such flimsy evidence is not something we would have expected from the Zhore.”

  The ambassador settled heavily back into his chair. Lirzhan wished he could be surprised by such bald-faced falsehoods, but he knew the Gaians had used such tactics before, and it was perhaps logical that they should use them again. Especially now, with so much at stake.

  Lir Danos turned and appeared to confer with his colleagues, then addressed the assembly. “We will take the matter under advisement. In the meantime, it should go without saying that nothing discussed here should leave this chamber. Also, we ask that all parties involved be available for further questioning, should the need arise. That is all.”

  Since the dismissal was clear, all the delegates rose and began to exit the chamber as they murmured amongst themselves. Lirzhan followed Ambassador Trazhar out into the corridor, although he wanted nothing more than to stay behind, to exchange even a few whispered words with Alexa. But he knew that was impossible. She must stay with her delegation. Indeed, it would look highly suspicious for them to speak at all at this point.

  So he ignored the whispers and the curious gazes that followed him as he and the ambassador and her assistant made their way to the lifts. Thank Irzhaan that his robes blocked most of the bombardment of suspicion and wariness and downright hostility which followed him as he made his escape. Enough seeped through, however, that it effectively drowned out whatever emotions might be coming from Alexa Craig.

  He wished he knew what she was thinking.

  Sixteen

  Alexa supposed she should have expected that counter-attack from Castillo. After all, the claims that Lirzhan had made were not exactly the type that the Consortium would take lying down. On the surface, Castillo’s arguments even made some sense.

  Except she knew better. Lirzhan would never lie, and although he wasn’t a scientist, he was certainly very intelligent. He knew what he had seen.

  Mind churning, she was glad to retreat to their offices. Neither the ambassador nor Chima said anything to her as she resumed her seat after pushing the door to her office almost but not all the way closed. Alexa was doubly glad the Council had not required her testimony. Yes, they’d said they might call in any of the parties involved for additional questioning, but perhaps they wouldn’t wish to speak with her at all. She hadn’t been the one to see those labs, so any input she could provide would be limited at best.

  That was a specious argument, though, and felt a little too much like throwing Lirzhan under the aircar. She should be defending him, not looking for a way to stay out of the whole mess.

  At the moment she was so tired she could barely put one foot in front of the other, so it was no wonder her thoughts weren’t making any sense. At least she’d been allowed to eat a decent lunch, so she thought if she just tipped another cup of coffee or five down her throat, she might be able to last until the end of her shift. And then —

  Well, then she’d go to her apartment and sleep for about twelve hours straight. Not a chance of sneaking off to see Lirzhan, that was for sure. As much as part of her craved him now, wanted his touch, wanted to feel his arms around her, she knew that even if she did somehow manage to give the bloodhounds the slip, she’d only end up passing out the second her head hit his shoulder. There wouldn’t be a repeat of last night’s activities, that was for sure.

  Castillo had disappeared into his office, and Chima had taken up her place at the reception desk. On the surface, everything in the Gaian delegation’s offices looked more or less normal. Alexa knew better, though. She could practically feel the tension simmering in the air around her, and thought then that maybe the Zhore had the right idea with those hooded robes that could somehow block other people’s emotions so they wouldn’t intrude.

  But since draping herself in Zhoraani robes didn’t seem too likely at the moment, she pulled up the documents on the Lathvin IV dispute once again and pretended to be studying them, even though she could feel her eyelids beginning to droop despite that fresh cup of coffee she’d poured for herself. She took an extra-large swallow, telling herself, Just a few more hours
…just a few more hours….

  Her computer beeped, and a window with Chima’s face in it popped up on the screen. “Ambassador Craig, Ambassador Castillo would like you to meet him in the conference room.”

  Wonderful. Since she couldn’t decline the invitation, Alexa said, “I’ll be there directly.”

  “I’ll let him know.”

  The window disappeared, and she tried not to sigh. Conference room? That didn’t sound good. If he wanted to speak to her alone, he’d have simply called her into his office. Had the members of the Council decided that they wanted to interview her after all? Maybe, but one would think she’d be called back to their chambers instead of having them come here.

  She drained the last of the coffee and hoped it would be enough to keep her alert for whatever was about to come next. Then she got up from her seat, picked up her tablet, and headed for the conference room.

  Although she had never been there, Alexa knew the conference room was the largest space in the delegation’s suite, and was located just past Castillo’s office. The door had been shut since she’d come to work here a few days earlier, as they’d had no need to use it before this.

  But now that door stood partway open, although Alexa couldn’t see clearly inside, since the ambassador’s tall form blocked most of the opening. He must have heard her approach, for he turned and shot a smile at her that only increased her wariness, then said, “Ah, Ambassador Craig. There’s someone here who would like to speak to you.”

  And he moved out of the way, revealing a dark-haired woman sitting at the shining polished granite conference table.

  “Hello, Ambassador Craig,” said Melinda Ono.

  He had expected to be called in to speak with the members of the Council again. Lirzhan just hadn’t thought it would be so soon.