by S. E. Weir
He nodded at Anna. “All yours.” He and his cigar left the room, the door swishing shut behind him. Phina stared blankly after the man, wondering what had come up with the Leath. There hadn’t been anything serious on her intelligence radar, but she supposed she could have missed something. Her fingers itched to take out her tablet and check.
“This isn’t the first time you’ve been in this office, is it, Phina?”
Her head whipped back to the woman who had taken the General’s seat. Her breath caught as Anna’s words sank in, and she let it out very slowly. She had heard the General was a very smart and crafty man, but she had not heard much about Anna Elizabeth Hauser. She didn’t know what to think. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“By all accounts, you are very intelligent and clever, but there’s one thing you forgot when you were doing your research, practicing your skills, and having your adventures.”
Phina swallowed. It was possible, especially considering where she currently sat—not that she liked to think about failure. It irritated her, causing her to work harder so she didn’t fail again.
“What did I forget?”
Anna smiled gently. “That Reynolds, Meredith, and of course, ADAM, are always watching.”
Phina blinked. Meredith had been the station’s Electronic Intelligence, or EI, since the station was built shortly before Empress Bethany Anne had taken the best and brightest people from Earth into unknown space to fight the Kurtherians. Unknown space for humans, at least. She knew from her privately sourced— read, “hacked”— documents that Reynolds was the EI handling all of the station’s defensive capabilities. ADAM she had only heard rumors about, although she had found stray pieces of information while she moved through the systems that made her wonder if the entity was a badly kept secret. She felt stupid, though, for not having taken into account that Meredith might have noticed. She had thought the EI would be too busy running the rest of the station to pay attention to someone as small and unimportant as Phina. How very short-sighted of her.
“ADAM?” Phina asked warily. Perhaps she could find out more about the elusive being.
“Hello, Phina.” The familiar voice came through the speakers. Hold on. ADAM’s was the voice she had heard early that morning when she was acquiring the passes and official workout gear! That meant the AI had known what she was doing all along.
Phina sighed as she began absently answering the questions the sharp and elegant woman asked her. Being a spy was a lot harder than her dad’s stories had led her to believe.
Chapter One
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Lance Reynolds’ Office
“So,” Anna Elizabeth Hauser finished, “the question, Seraphina Waters, is what should we do with you?” She lightly tapped her fingertips on the desk as she watched Phina closely.
Phina didn’t know what the elegant woman expected to see revealed on her face. She never thought of herself as anything special in appearance, being more concerned about her skills instead. Her mid-length, dark, wavy hair was easy to brush or pull back into a braid when needed. Her startling green eyes, dusky skin, and the chin her aunt had told her often was far too stubborn for her own good gave her character, in her own opinion.
She cleared her throat as Anna clasped her hands together. “Just call me Phina, please. What are you going to do with me…uh…ma’am?”
She expected it to be bad news. After all she had only hacked into the system for information, stolen…ahem, borrowed the workout clothes she currently wore, created a fake key pass, and broken into the Marine and Guardian workout room with her best friend before being escorted to General Lance Reynold’s office by John Grimes for the serious conversation that had just taken place. And that was just in the last twenty-four hours.
Anna winced. Was it something she had said? All right, Phina thought. No calling Anna “ma’am.” That’s good to know.
“I thought that answer would be obvious, as smart as you are, Phina. You are a bored hyper-intelligent woman in need of a challenge. You exhibit compassion, loyalty, ethics, and morality in quantities unusual for your age. You obviously know how to hack a system since you did it to ours, you catch on to other languages quickly and in an interesting way and have learned to sneak into various secure places with your skills. You will need to join classes and train hard in several different areas, particularly hand-to-hand and weapons.” The woman tilted her head before she went on, spreading her hands as she smiled. “Phina, we are going to give you a job.”
“May I ask what kind of job?” Phina’s eyes widened, and her heart began to race. She was afraid to hope she could continue to fulfill the vow she had made to her parents’ memory.
Anna raised her eyebrows, though Phina saw a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. “I am looking to put together a small diplomatic and intelligence team. With your language skills, I think you would be a perfect fit.” She leaned forward expectantly.
“Diplomatic team?” Phina’s heart sank. Diplomacy, as in talking to people she didn’t know? That wasn’t the kind of work she wanted, but it was better than being arrested—or thrown out an airlock. She had heard stories of Empress Bethany Anne’s temper and what she did to those who went against the needs of the Empire. Phina shuddered, then let out a breath.
“And intelligence.” Anna Elizabeth smiled as if she had read the thoughts floating through Phina’s head. “The job comes with some side work that will keep you from being bored.”
Hmm, diplomacy and intelligence didn’t sound too bad. “What kind of side work?”
Anna grinned. “What else? Stealthy information acquisitions. When the team isn’t being used for diplomacy, it will gather intelligence for the Empire. Often it will be both.”
Phina’s eyes lit as she heard her favorite term for being a spy, and she grinned back.
Anna assessed her. “There is a catch.”
Her hope withered and her smile dimmed. Phina knew the offer had been too good to be true. “What kind of catch?”
Anna straightened and looked Phina in the eye. “This team needs time to develop, and you need time to learn and train. I see the team coming together sometime after you graduate.”
Phina’s eyes widened. “Graduate?”
The elegant woman smiled as she nodded, but her face showed the seriousness of the situation. “From the Diplomatic Institute. I would like you to join the Diplomatic Corps prior to joining the team. The Institute is newly revamped as of last year to train our diplomats. The first semester of the new year begins in three weeks.”
Anna Elizabeth searched Phina’s face. “What do you think? Would you like to join our Diplomatic Corps?”
Phina wondered what would happen if she said no. Would the woman just tell her, “Off you go, angel.” as her mother had often done when she was alive? A deep pang twinged in her chest at the thought. Or would Anna get the disappointed look on her face that Phina often saw on her Aunt Faith? Not so fun, but Phina had grown used to it. Or would Anna Elizabeth forget all about being nice and have security escort her to the nearest airlock? That option guaranteed pain as well as death.
Diplomacy still didn’t sound like much fun—she envisioned people sitting around an elaborate table, using fancy words she would never use in normal conversation—but if gathering intelligence would still be in the picture, even in the future, it might be worth it.
“What happens if I say no?”
Anna looked thoughtful a moment before she responded. “What do you see yourself doing for the rest of your life, Phina? Finding some way to earn money while you travel around gathering information that might be compromising for the Empire, then sending a warning to us?”
Since that had been more or less what Phina had envisioned, her eyes widened in surprise. Still watching Anna, she slowly nodded.
Anna gave her a small smile as she leaned forward. “I understand the Corps isn’t exactly what you envisioned. However, if you agree, I think you will find yourself pleasantly surprised, and
before too long, you will have a satisfying career ahead of you.”
Phina’s gaze fell to her fidgeting fingers as she tried to process her disappointment and this new direction. If she wasn’t in any avenue related to spying now, how would she have time to search out information harmful to the Empire? Would she still have time around doing all these new diplomatic courses Anna wanted her to learn?
“I’ll make a deal with you.” Phina started at Anna’s words and glanced up to meet the woman’s serious eyes. “If you agree and join the Corps, in six months, you can go and do whatever you like with the Empire’s full support, if that’s what you still want.”
Phina’s eyes grew huge as she realized that Anna basically offered her a blank check. She just needed to suffer through six months of boring diplomat school, and she would be more than free. She would be set for the life she had dreamed about.
Taking a deep breath, Phina nodded. “All right, I’ll give it a try.”
Anna’s eyes warmed as she smiled. Was that relief in her eyes? Her shoulders did seem to relax. That sent Phina’s thoughts whirling until the woman spoke again.
“I’m happy to hear it. Welcome to the Corps, Phina.”
Phina blinked, then straightened in her chair. “You are part of the Corps, too?”
The woman nodded, appearing every bit as poised and put together as the first moment Phina had seen her well over an hour ago. “Yes, I’m the Dean of the Diplomatic Institute and the Head Diplomat of the Diplomatic Corp.” When she saw Phina still frowning in confusion, she clarified, “Basically, I’m in charge of everything related to diplomacy. You are on the young side compared to most of our students, but I have full confidence you will fit into the Corps just fine.”
Phina considered while she absently rubbed her sore stomach, then her arms. Todd certainly punched hard, or maybe her muscles were just soft. Though it didn’t hurt as much as it had earlier. Anna’s words pulled Phina from her musings. “Which brings me to my next question. How do you think your aunt will react to this news?”
The question caused Phina’s arms to drop as she gave a loud sigh. “Honestly? I’m not sure. She responds differently every time I approach her about something. It’s like an extreme case of moodiness. Also, even if she initially approves something, she could very easily change her mind later.”
Anna’s blue eyes showed a sympathy Phina wasn’t expecting. How much did this woman know about her and Aunt Faith? She thought back to the General’s comment when he’d introduced Anna Elizabeth before he left the room. “She now knows everything I know.” Crumbs. Does the General know? If the General knew, then from what they said earlier, ADAM knew. If ADAM knew… Phina stopped that line of thinking. If Empress Bethany Anne knew every tiny factoid about her life, Phina didn’t want to know. The Empress had been far too intimidating at her last appearance for Phina to feel comfortable completing the thought.
Her attention was pulled back when Anna sighed. “Unfortunately, I’m not surprised. However, classes are three weeks away, so you will have time to acclimate her to the idea. You can decide when it’s best to inform her.”
Phina nodded. With her eighteenth birthday only thirty-six hours away, the smartest move might be to wait until then. That way, Phina would be an adult and her aunt couldn’t legally ship her off to Estaria, the rumored new home for those humans who wanted life on an established planet, or somewhere equally in the middle of nowhere and away from everything Phina wanted to accomplish. She could come right back after her birthday, but why create unnecessary expense and headache when it was easily avoided just by being patient?
“I’ll send you a message on your tablet so you know when and where your classes begin.” Anna smiled encouragingly. “Until then, you have time to reassure your friend Alina, break the news to your aunt, and get yourself ready.”
Phina understood the first two things. Alina had been sent back to her apartment while Phina had been brought here to meet the General, and she would be a nervous wreck until she knew Phina wasn’t in trouble for their adventure this morning. Her Aunt Faith would need some time to get used to the idea, but… “Get ready? Is there something I need to do to prepare?” Visions of new workouts, tests, and acquiring new skills flew through her head.
She received a grin. “Get ready for your life to change. Trust me, Phina, you won’t be the same person by the end of your time in the Corps. Better to brace yourself now.”
Phina nodded slowly, her thoughts reeling as she wondered just how the woman expected things to be different by the end. She heard a light cough and looked up.
Anna raised her eyebrows, eyes amused, then held out a hand toward the door.
“Oh. Right. Okay, I’ll see you later.” Phina pushed herself up and headed for the door. With one last glance at Anna Elizabeth, who still looked elegant and beautiful as she sat in the General’s chair, she left the room.
Though Phina remained lost in thought as she walked back down the hallway to the more public areas, she couldn’t help noticing John Grimes, the personal guard of the Empress, with his large frame in front of one of the doors, eyes tracking her movements. Her heart began to pound. The Empress must be behind that door.
As she passed him, looking everywhere except at him in her nervousness, she heard his deep voice. “Happy Birthday, Phina.” She paused, then turned just in time to see his wink. “Try to stay out of trouble.”
Surprised by the whole situation, Phina could only nod and say thank you. She felt dazed. These important and famous people in the Empire all seemed to know about her. She was now joining a group of people that would be pivotal to the future of the Empire. Though not enamored of the idea of diplomatic talks, Phina was aware of how strategically important the Corps could be. No matter what she thought of the work they did when it came to her personally, she knew if the diplomats did their job right, they could shape the future of the Empire, even though most people might never know their names.
Who was Phina to become part of that? Still, she hoped there would be some real spying in the near future, or she might space herself to escape.
She left the office area, and instead of heading straight home, she meandered toward the main deck. The ache in her stomach and arms was easing, and Phina liked to walk around when she had things on her mind and needed to clear her head. As of this morning, Phina had more on her mind than she knew what to do with.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Lance Reynolds’ Office
Anna Elizabeth looked up at the quiet knock that preceded the opening door. Her visitor stepped in and viewed her with a face devoid of expression.
“Is it done?”
She nodded. “It’s done.”
“What did she say?”
“She explained her thoughts and the motivations behind her decisions, which didn’t deviate far from what you suspected. She also didn’t admit to anything right away, just as you thought.”
The visitor snorted. “Of course not. She’s not a cursed idiot.”
“No, she isn’t. She did forget that ADAM and Meredith watch just about everything that happens on the station.” Anna raised her eyebrows, waiting.
She received a wave to continue and watched as her visitor began to pace within the confines of the office. She didn’t think the space worked all that well for the activity, though it didn’t seem to bother the nondescript person in front of her. “That doesn’t concern me since she’s not interacted with the digital entities much at all, ADAM especially. It’s easy to forget.”
Anna nodded in agreement. “She was honestly shocked that we knew everything she had done since she began to learn her spy skills, including everything about her parents’ unfortunate deaths and her vow to her parents’ memory. Also that she showed the wisdom to see the larger picture instead of casting blame.”
“The picture that she knows about, anyway. ”
Anna had to strain to hear the mumbled words but decided not to comment on them. “You were also right about why she st
arted spying and sneaking around, the reasons she purposely got Bs in her high school classes as well as failed the Etheric Academy entrance exam—so that she would sneak under the radar of recruitment—and…”
Brown eyes narrowed. “And what?”
“She expected to get caught.” Anna’s face looked slightly sour as she watched her visitor stop with their head thrown back to laugh. She rolled her eyes.
“How much was it again?”
“Ten.” She reached for her tablet to complete the transaction.
“Wasn’t it fifteen?”
“It was ten.” She spoke firmly as she shook her blonde- and gray-haired head at the familiar interaction.
“So, old friend, what did I get wrong?”
“For heaven’s sake, I am not old!” Anna glared at her “old friend” as she set the tablet down harder than warranted.
“I’m old, and you’re…what, twenty years older than I am?”
Anna disliked that she so easily reacted to the visitor’s taunt since it felt like a loss of control. She much preferred to be in control of herself at all times. Anna took a moment to relax the tension in her shoulders before smiling as sweetly as she could manage. “And you know I had help.”
“It’s a good gig if you can get it. Having Bethany Anne give you her blood to regenerate cells and become younger—”
“It was an emergency since I was shot, and as I’ve told you before, I don’t remember any of it.” Her eyes narrowed as if daring her friend to say more about it. Anna Elizabeth had been caught by a bullet at a diplomatic event before the Empire had left Earth, and only Bethany Anne’s nanocyte-rich blood had saved her. Not only had the blood healed her wounds, but it had also taken twenty years off her body. Years that, in the time since, had been slowly making themselves known again.
