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“You know,” Khalin muttered, “you could easily be forgiven for thinking the Minstrahn Empire didn’t exist. Talk about lifeless.”
“It’s a little different from the Federation, certainly,” Epcar agreed. The worlds of the Minstrahn were rather sparsely populated compared to most Federation and Frontier worlds but he knew what Khalin meant. The way they had passed through the entire sector without so much as a patrol asking them what they were doing in their territory was a little disconcerting. Although, they hadn’t exactly been taking the scenic route through.
“Well?” he asked. “Anything interesting?”
Khalin shook her head. “The admiral’s lost it. What does he want us to do, map out all the systems this side of the Minstrahn Empire?”
Epcar smiled. “I believe a cursory investigation is what he had in mind. We just have to pop into a handful of the nearby systems and see if there are any ships or orbital stations. That kind of thing. And don’t forget that Gamma-Four and Six are taking their share of the workload too.”
“I hadn’t forgotten,” Khalin replied. “However, I’m a little worried about fuel. We can’t go much further before we have to turn around.”
Epcar’s smile faded. That was a real concern. “True. Don’t worry. We’ll turn around as soon as you give the word. However, do we have enough to have a closer look at this system?”
Khalin checked the navigation display and the fuel gauges, and made some quick calculations. “Yeah. This’ll be okay. However, this’ll have to be the last one.”
Epcar shrugged. “Suits me.”
Khalin gave him a wry grin. “Oh, did that giant crustacean thing at the last place give you a scare?”
“Yeah, it kind of got the jump on me,” Epcar replied. “But I thought I handled myself all right. Besides, it was your precious scanners that confused it with some type of vehicle.”
Khalin glanced down. “Yeah, sorry about that. However, there seem to be a lot of nebulas and molecular clouds around these systems. They play hell with the equipment -” She broke off as something came up on her displays. “Speak of the blasted things.”
“There’s another one near here?” Epcar asked her.
“Yeah. A fraction of it stretches through this system. We’ll probably be able to see it soon.”
They didn’t have long to wait. It was as if a purple curtain of mist had fallen across their path, stretching light years away into the distance, filling up the viewscreen. However, suspended in the mist, they could also make out a small world. And they were nearly upon it.
“Khalin?” Epcar prompted.
“That’s the one and only world in this odd little system.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask this,” Epcar said, “but is it habitable?”
“Hard to tell,” Khalin told him. “Its proximity to the sun is promising. Some atmospheric readings are coming through now as well. Plenty of oxygen and nitrogen. And judging by its size, gravity should be pretty similar to most inhabited worlds back home. But again, I’m getting a lot of foggy readings from the scanners. That cloud’s playing hell with them.”
“Well,” Epcar said, adjusting their approach vector, “let’s see if we can ease our way in a little closer.”
The world soon filled a larger part of their view than the surrounding mist of the nebula.
“There are technological readings down there,” Khalin observed.
“Cities and things?” Epcar asked.
Khalin frowned. “No, too small. And the signals are weak and scattered.”
“Let’s have a look,” Epcar said, pulling them into an atmospheric descent. They came in on the night-side of the planet, as that was where the signals were coming from, and soared over dark forests and rocky mountains that jutted through them. Occasionally, they saw glimpses of light.
“Bring us around again,” Khalin said. “I’ll run the external cameras.”
“Sure.”
They passed as slowly as they dared, keeping their distance just in case whoever was down there wasn’t friendly. As they did, Khalin recorded it all and as they pulled away, she replayed the footage she had taken, slowing it down to get a better look at the details.
“Well?” Epcar asked. “Anything?”
“Ships in clearings, with temporary buildings around them. The lights come from camp fires and there were people around them too. Hard to tell what’s going on there. Although... Wait. All the ships show signs of damage like scorch marks.”
“As if the whole lot of them crash landed?” Epcar asked, frowning. That didn’t seem right to him.
Khalin shook her head. “No. As if the whole lot of them were on the ground already and someone flew overhead and bombed them all just enough to stop them from launching again. This looks like it was some kind of pirate or smuggler’s nest, with ships that were ready to launch at a moment’s notice. And then someone came along and sorted them out, stranding them here.”
“Well, we definitely don’t want to land then,” Epcar pointed out. “A group of marooned pirates? They’d be all over the first ship to touch down.”
“Agreed,” Khalin replied through tight lips. “I don’t know what’s going on here but I think we’d better tell the admiral. All right. Let’s get out of here. We’ll contact the other teams and head back.”
As they left the atmosphere, they fell silent for a few moments. There was something very strange about it all apart from the obvious unanswered questions.
Khalin got it first. “You know, I thought the admiral said there weren’t any pirates operating in the Minstrahn Empire.”
“Hard to imagine an entire sector without pirate activity though,” Epcar pointed out. “But yeah, that’s what he said.” He paused. “Maybe he was wrong.”
“The admiral?” Khalin asked. “I doubt it.”
“But where did he get his facts from? We sure as hell haven’t been out this way before.”
“We haven’t, no,” Khalin said. “But we were checking out the Harskan Sector, weren’t we? If he had us checking that out, it stands to reason that he’d have had another team or two checking this sector out.”
“Makes me wonder what he wants with that Casdan woman and her extended family of tag-alongs,” Epcar muttered.
“Not to mention the crew of the Lady Hawk,” Khalin added. “I spent days cramped in their engine compartment trying to work out what they were doing in the Harskan Sector and now we’re supposedly on the same side.”
Epcar smiled. “That’s politics for you. Anyway, we were all on the same side with respect to Corinthe though.”
“True,” Khalin said. “But sharing a common enemy with someone doesn’t necessarily make them a friend.”
“Also true,” Epcar agreed. “However, the point is that the admiral asked resident Minstrahn for any assistance they could provide him and that Casdan woman offered to help. So we’re on the same side and that’s the end of it. Let bygones be bygones and all that.”
“They must have some private agenda of their own though,” Khalin muttered, as if determined to get one last word in on the matter.
Epcar shook his head. “You’re a suspicious woman. Now, let’s see if we can give the admiral something a little more concrete. Run that footage of yours again and see if there are any markings on those ships. Pirates occasionally like to scrawl their own insignia over their hulls for various stupid reasons.”
Khalin replayed the footage. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Ah ha.”
“Yes?”
“They have,” Khalin said, smiling. “And they’re old friends of ours.”
“Who?” Epcar asked.
“The Basilisks” Khalin replied. “I wondered why we hadn’t seen them for a while.”
Epcar laughed. “So after they were chased out of Marno, they decided to try their luck outside the Federation altogether and got themselves marooned on the far side of the Minstrahn Empire? That’s brilliant.”
“Good riddance too,” Khalin said. “So I suppose the Minstrahn sorted them out then.”
“That’s the question,” Epcar said. “However, we’re not going to find the answer on an empty fuel tank. Now let’s see if we can raise the other teams.”
––––––––
The bridge of the Sentinel was quiet as the crew finally saw Minstrah on the viewscreen.
“Radar?” Admiral Roth asked from his command chair.
“The Harpy no longer appears on our scopes,” came the reply.
Standing behind the admiral’s chair, Laila frowned. She hadn’t been keen on all this subterfuge but this request from her people had been made to the Federation, not to her. And as the designated head of the Federation’s delegation, Admiral Roth was in charge here. However, that didn’t mean she had to be happy about it.
“Remember, these people aren’t enemies,” she murmured.
“Not all of them, certainly,” Roth replied without turning around. She wondered what he meant by that but before she could ask, he had moved onto the next order of business. “Comm, what word from our forward scouts?”
Two small Wasp fighters that had gone ahead of the envoy, Laila reflected. Not the same ‘forward scouts’ that had discovered the crippled civilian ship. Somehow, she doubted those individuals were officially part of the navy. She wondered what they were doing for the admiral now.
“There is a single Minstrahn assault cruiser,” an officer replied from the communication station. “And six patrol cruisers. A few Chargers are out. They appear to be on maneuvers.”
“Perhaps,” Roth replied. “We’ll see.”
Laila tried not to grimace. She was getting tired of all this distrust.
“Most likely, there’s nothing wrong, Ms. Casdan,” Roth told her, possibly sensing her discomfort. “However, we have no idea what to expect here. You yourself told me that you haven’t come back here in thirty years. A lot could have changed in that time.”
Laila sighed. She realized now that she had been clouding her perception with sentimentality. She would never have been overly trusting of strangers during her time in the Resistance.
“You’re right,” she said. “I just don’t like it, that’s all.”
Roth smiled. “Perfectly understandable. Comm, recall the Wasps. Then contact the Titan and the Magnanimous, and tell them to stand by. Relay to the Deliverance.”
He waited while his instructions were carried out.
“The Wasps are on their way.”
“Good.” Roth smiled. “Now send out a hailing signal. We don’t want to startle our hosts.”
There was a moment’s pause.
“We’re hailing,” the head communications officer announced.
Roth turned on his own communicator. “This is Admiral Roth, speaking on behalf of the Federation. We have come at the request of the Empress Tenenial. Does anybody read?”
He didn’t have to wait long for a reply.
“Greetings, Admiral Roth,” a rich clear voice responded. “I am Lord Admiral Arathea and on behalf of the Empress Tenenial, the Ariadi family and the Minstrah fleet, I welcome you and your companions.”
A moment later, the lord admiral appeared on the viewscreen. Whatever differences existed between the Minstrahn’s communication technology and their own, the two were compatible.
The man appeared to be about ten years Roth’s junior and wore a white uniform of a notably different style to familiar military conventions, a thin tunic with a deep V-neck and a gold colored sash over his right shoulder. The gold didn’t signify his rank but rather that he served in the Minstrah fleet and not one of the larger fleets of the four quadrants.
“Greetings, Lord Admiral Arathea,” Roth replied. “It is an honor to meet a representative of the Minstrahn at last.” He emphasized the last two words only slightly but it was enough to prompt the other.
“Ah. My apologies. We had sentries posted but you must have slipped through. Our network of patrols, while sufficient for our needs - such as they are - is perhaps less extensive than what you are accustomed to.”
“Perfectly understandable,” Roth said, waving the apology away. “I am given to understand that your people have not experienced the growth of large and formidable pirate organizations and you missed the worst of the Levarc War. It is logical then that you would not have developed your armada to the same extent that we have.”
There was no reaction from the lord admiral at the mention of the Levarc that betrayed any hint that he might have known about the Levarc technology that was used in the attack on the farmers.
“No,” Arathea said. “We have not experienced any trouble like that... Not until now.” His gaze altered. For a moment, there was a mixture of grief and anger in his expression but it soon passed. “However, the Empress will be better able to satisfy your curiosity on that matter,” he continued. “If you would like, I shall send launch a shuttle to escort you - and any companions you wish to accompany you - to the surface, where the Empress awaits the pleasure of your company.”
––––––––
Two vessels followed Lord Admiral Arathea’s shuttle down to the surface. One was a standard Federation shuttle from the Sentinel, carrying Admiral Roth and Laila. The other was the Goddess, Alia’s personal ship, with Alia naturally at the helm, bringing Maia and her sisters down from the Deliverance. It was a little tight, but it wasn’t a long journey so no one minded.
As they entered the atmosphere, it occurred to several of them that while Minstrah had been selected for its central position, the place had an incredible beauty to it as well, whether natural or as the result of generations of terraforming.
It was also sparsely populated, with its major cities spread far apart and its central administration district located within a very small area - albeit a rather scenic one - with airy buildings placed around a bluff overlooking a glistening lake, set against a backdrop of clumps of rainforest, with small mountains in the distance.
When they disembarked on their landing platform, they saw Admiral Arathea already out of his shuttle and waiting for them.
“I bid you welcome to Minstrah,” he said, clasping Admiral Roth’s hand. “If you and your companions will follow me, I shall lead you to the Empress.”
The others followed, flanked by six guards in gold-beige cloth, with splendid cloaks trailing behind them and carrying long rifles fashioned like ceremonial spears. Elegance perhaps superseded practicality in this instance.
They followed a wide path that wound its way up a hill, passing clumps of palms and ferns, and came out onto an elevated promenade with small buildings evenly spaced along each side, utilizing a mix of traditional and modern construction materials. Between them, there was an excellent view of the lake and a little stream that wound its way to an ocean in the distance. Overhead, the midday sun was warm but not hot. The air was a little humid but the elevation, combined with a fresh breeze blowing in from the ocean, prevented everyone’s clothes sticking to them. However, it was now apparent why the Minstrahn around them wore those thin tunics of theirs.
Finally, they entered a large rotunda with wide open windows. An enormous skylight allowed plenty of sunshine to fill the interior, and wicker furniture lent it an air of relaxation. It would have come as a surprise to learn that this was the residence of the Empress of the Minstrahn if Laila hadn’t told the others what to expect earlier. However, while the room was neither grand nor overwhelmingly formal, it still embodied the elegance that the Minstrahn valued so highly.
In the center, the Empress stood alone. She was a young woman with long dark hair, the same high cheekbones that accentuated the natural beauty of Laila and her daughters and, surprisingly, she was only the age of the latter. Like the room, her dress was also simple but elegant, a slightly translucent thin white gown that seemed to both hug her figure and billow in the breeze coming through the windows.
“Your Imperial Highness,” Lord Admiral Arathea greeted her. He took her hand and swooped into a graceful bow before kissing it, all in one smooth movement. He rose to his feet just as elegantly, releasing her hand as he did so to indicate the visitors behind him. “Our esteemed visitors from the Federation have arrived.”
“My friends,” he said, addressing Admiral Roth and the others. “Her Imperial Highness, the Empress Tenenial, heir to the Ariadi and ruler of the Minstrahn people.”
In a flawless imitation of Arathea’s actions, Admiral Roth knelt down and kissed her hand as well. “Your Imperial Highness,” he said as he climbed back to his feet, “it is an honor.”
“Likewise, Admiral Roth,” the Empress replied. “My emissaries to the Federation tell me that your leaders speak of you in high esteem. You averted war and disaster for your people and countless others. And I could not have asked your people to send a better candidate to help my own.”
“Thank you.”
She then approached the others, extending her hand to Laila first.
Laila curtsied. “Your Imperial Highness.”
“And to whom do I owe this pleasure?” Tenenial asked.
“I am Laila Casdan of the Ereiana family.”
Tenenial smiled. “I do not know the Ereiana family name but I take your mentioning them to mean you are Minstrahn yourself.” She paused. “Or were. Why did you leave the Empire?”
“The decision was my family’s, not mine,” Laila replied. “The greed and corruption of people who were in positions of power almost ruined them.”
Tenenial nodded. “I am sorry.” She then turned to the Casdan sisters. “Now, who are your companions here?”
“My daughters,” Laila told her. “Lyla, Carla and Alia.”
Tenenial greeted each of them in turn and they responded in kind. Lyla was the most formal, Carla did a reasonable job and Alia, while maintaining her cool air was at least still respectful.
The Empress then turned her gaze to Maia. “Ember eyes,” she exclaimed. “You are one of the Felariam, are you not?”
Maia raised an eyebrow in mild surprise at the Empress’s description but was polite enough not to comment on it. “My mother was, but my father was Minstrahn. Of the Kaleilae family.”
“Really? And what did he say of our people?”
“Nothing to me,” Maia told her. “I never knew him. He died defending my mother’s people from the Levarc before I was born.”
“I am sorry,” Tenenial told her, clasping her hand in a gesture of sympathy. “As all Minstrahn were sorry to learn of the fate of the Felariam. We did not have many dealings with them but there were some Minstrahn who travelled to their world. The Felariam were a peaceful and honorable people.”
“Thank you.”
“So, what name did your mother and father bestow upon you?”
“Oh, sorry... Maia.”
“Maia. It is a lovely name. Welcome to Minstrah.”
The Empress then met the remainder of Admiral Roth’s entourage and although this consisted of two soldiers and a communications officer, she welcomed each of them individually. Then it was time for the discussions to begin.
––––––––
“The Empire is unaccustomed to war, terrorism and dissidence,” Tenenial said, seated with her guests across from her. “The lord admirals of the four quadrants have never been tested in the trials of combat and the ships of our navy are largely symbolic, a reassurance to our people that they are under our protection rather than the harbingers of war and destruction your people are more accustomed to.”
“They are capable of combat however,” Admiral Roth pointed out. “They have heavy cannons and carry fighters, just as ours do.”
“This is true,” the Empress replied. “However, we have far fewer of them than you do. And although I am not a warrior, I am fairly certain that their... firepower...” She paused as if she were trying the word for the first time, which in all probability she was. “... is incomparable to that of your own cruisers. Furthermore, we do not have many large ships. The assault cruiser you saw in orbit on your approach is not a common sight in the skies of our worlds, being simply a precaution to be called on only in an hour of great need.”
“An hour such as this?” Roth suggested, a subtle yet polite prompt in the question.
“Yes.” The Empress sighed. “The balance of power that has been so integral to the harmony of our Empire has been threatened. Recently, an orbital station was sabotaged in the Kyrias quadrant, which is currently under the governance of the Ilian family. One of our knight commanders went to investigate but when he arrived, it was discovered to be a ruse. In going to the station’s aid, he abandoned the ruler of that quadrant, Lord Ilian. And in his absence, Lord Ilian was kidnapped.”
“How?” Admiral Roth asked.
“Dissidents boarded his ship and stole it, with Lord Ilian still aboard.”
“I see,” Roth said, leaning back with a thoughtful expression. “Tell me, who is presently in charge of the other quadrants? The Limasi, the Chara and the Daeispa quadrants?”
“Well, the Ilian family, as I said, governs the Kyrias quadrant. The Kamais govern the Limasi, the Eras the Chara and the Valinski the Daeispa.”
“Now tell me,” Roth continued, “why it is that you requested the aid of my people?”
Laila almost felt sorry for the Empress. She was the leader of her people but she was still very young, while Admiral Roth was hardened by age and experiences that the young Empress had no way of comprehending. It was impossible that she wouldn’t be intimidated by him.
“This is a delicate matter,” the Empress replied, hesitating. “I need someone who is not tied by loyalty to any of the families to investigate this matter. Someone with no vested interest in the outcome, no matter what it may turn out to be.”
“In that event,” Admiral Roth told her, “you may have chosen the wrong person to assist you in this matter. I am very interested in the outcome of this investigation.” He then smiled. “I can assure you though that I have no loyalty to any of the families.”
“That is what matters most” Tenenial said. “You see, the families doubt each other and I am beginning to doubt them in turn. There is something they are not telling me, which is why I requested the presence of the heads of all the families here the moment I learned of your arrival.” She shook her head. “It is an ugly affair. Several prominent members of the families have been discussing who could benefit from the Lord Ilian’s disappearance and a handful have accused the younger Lord Kamais of being behind the incident. As long as his older brother is Lord, he cannot govern the Limasi quadrant, and by the time his brother steps down, a younger heir may well have stepped up to take his place. It has been suggested that by removing the only eligible ruler of the Kyrias quadrant -”
“There is no one who can take Lord Ilian’s place?” Laila asked, the gravity of the situation startling her.
“His elders are too old,” the Empress replied. “And his youngers... well, too young. Anyway, the suggestion is that by removing the only eligible ruler of that quadrant, the younger Lord Kamais could govern it as an interim leader. Now the fact that Lord Ilian has disappeared rather than been killed is crucial in this, of course. As his family does not know whether the lord is dead or not, and so there is a possibility he may return, they cannot appoint a permanent leader. An interim leader from another family may therefore seem a less upsetting prospect than it might otherwise.”
“If Lord Ilian were dead,” Laila said, turning around in her chair to explain it to the others, “a permanent leader would be selected from a more distant branch of the Ilian family. However, such a person would need years of tutelage before they could independently govern. Whereas the younger Lord Kamais would have already been taught all that is necessary as it’s part of the upbringing of all potential heirs, whether they are likely to succeed their forebears or not.”
“I see,” Admiral Roth nodded. “It certainly sounds like a much more attractive proposition though to have the younger Lord Kamais as an interim leader in the Kyrias quadrant until either Lord Ilian returns or the next in his line is ready to take his place. Very well, we have one possible suspect in this crime. What else have we got?”
“As I said, it is an ugly affair,” the Empress said. “And already, it is spiraling out of control. Someone attacked another station as well. In the Limasi quadrant.”
“The Kamais family’s quadrant?” Alia asked, trying to keep up.
“Yes. And a station was destroyed, with several cruisers damaged as well.”
Laila glanced at Admiral Roth and their eyes briefly met, but she said nothing. She remembered all too clearly what the admiral had said on board that stricken vessel.
“Lady Valinski, who is not the present head of her family but is extremely influential, suggested that Lady Eras orchestrated it as some act of retaliation or a pre-emptive attack to warn the younger Lord Kamais off any further acts of aggression.” The Empress shook her head again. “It is difficult to fathom this sudden madness. There is no evidence to prove the allegations that have been laid against the younger Lord Kamais, nor is there any against Lady Eras for that matter. And she has of course denied Lady Valinski’s allegations outright. Yet, it seems that all the families are poised to strike out against each other and I am uncertain how far my influence stretches over them. It seems now as if they will do whatever they wish.”
“Well, their leaders have agreed at least to come here,” Admiral Roth pointed out. “So you still have some influence left. However, before we can proceed any further with this, there is something that I must make very clear to you.”
“Please,” the Empress replied.
“If you wish my aid, I will do what I can within my power to assist you and your people in resolving this matter. However, you must understand that at all times, I serve the Federation and the interests of its people. We cannot know with certainty at this point in time, but it is possible that a situation may arise where my interests conflict with your own. And you must understand that if you accept our help, then you accept the fact that there may be consequences that are hard for you to bear.”
The Empress considered this for a few moments. “I will accept whatever consequences may come of this arrangement,” she said at last, “and the responsibility for such consequences.”
“Very well,” Admiral Roth replied, rising to his feet. “Now, how soon will the heads of the families be here?”
“Another day or two,” Tenenial replied, also standing. “Three at the most. There are rooms prepared if you would like to wait here but I suspect you wish to return to your ships.”
“There are matters I need to attend to,” Admiral Roth explained.
“I understand.”
“However, I will not leave the system,” he promised. “We will speak again soon.”