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Cali ignored the stares they were getting as they walked through the Command Center. She knew they had to be quite a sight. A Coalition general and his datter, his security detail, the Base Commander, Sub Commander, and her; the Earthan wearing serpe-skin pants, a loose top, and over-the-knee boots... in restraints.
"Talla?" Jamis growled his question at his communications specialist, knowing he understood Jamis was asking about High Navarch Pergram's transmission.
"Not yet, Commander," the communications specialist replied.
"Transfer it to my conference room immediately."
"Yes, Commander."
Cali stopped as she entered what she knew was the Commander's Conference Room taking it all in. It wasn't that different from others she'd been in, except that you could destroy a small planet from this one.
"Move."
Cali stumbled forward when one of the guards shoved her in the back, and she would have fallen if Taarig hadn't instantly been at her side, steadying her. Once she was, he turned and gripped the guard by his throat, slamming him against the wall.
"Sub Commander!" Jamis’s harsh voice filled the room.
Instead of immediately releasing the guard, Taarig leaned forward and whispered in the male's ear. "Do that again, and I'll float you out an airlock." He then stepped away and took his place next to Jamis on the other side of the large, round table.
Jamis wanted to ream Taarig for what he'd just done, even though he'd wanted to do it himself, but they couldn't show any favoritism here. So instead of commenting further, he gestured to the chairs across from them. "General, if you'd sit, we'll get to the bottom of this."
"I'll remind you, Commander, I outrank you," General Masala said even as he pulled out a chair for his datter.
Jamis nodded his head slightly in acknowledgment. "And I'll remind you, General, that you broke protocol by not contacting me before arriving on my Star Base. You even went as far as to order the flight controller not to inform me or record your arrival." The general said nothing, just sat down.
Cali wanted to roll her eyes at all the male posturing. Instead, she pulled out a chair and sat down on the other side of the general, resting her still-restrained hands on the table.
Jamis glanced at the restraints for a moment before looking back to Masala. "Now explain to me why I shouldn't file a formal complaint against you with the High Navarch, General Masala."
"How dare you! My datter linked me and said she was attacked by her!!" The general's arm flung out and would have smacked Cali in the face if she hadn't quickly jerked out of the way. "And you did nothing about it!"
"General," Jamis growled warningly, but before Masala could respond, a pulse sounded in the room. Looking down at the interactive table, Jamis touched a lit icon, wondering why his communication specialist hadn't just used the link. "What is it, Talla?"
"Commander, I have an incoming transmission from Wik Corp," Talla told him stiffly.
"Tell them I'll comm them back."
"I already did, Commander," the specialist quickly replied, knowing Jamis was about to disconnect him. "It's the Supreme Chairman himself, Commander."
A shocked silence filled the room. Besides the Paramount, there was no one more powerful in the universe than the Supreme Chairman, not even a general in the Coalition.
"Commander?"
"Send the transmission through." In the time it took for Jamis to touch the table again, the Supreme Chairman, sitting behind a massive desk, appeared on the angled wall to the right of him and Taarig.
Cali leaned back in her chair and took in how aged her dad looked. Apparently, this version of the Supreme Chairman was nearing the end of his existence. Every four or five hundred years, the Supreme Chairman of Wik Corp 'retired' and his 'son' took his place. It was always her dad's favorite time to be Supreme Chairman. People openly challenged him, and he didn't have to alter his appearance. His brown gaze quickly scanned the room, taking in everything and everyone at once, including the visible restraints on Cali's wrists. Cali knew she was the only one who caught the anger that flashed through his gaze before settling on Jamis.
"I was notified The Brink’s owner was removed from it by the Coalition under armed guard, Commander Dexxirs. Why?"
"I was just beginning to investigate that, Supreme Chairman," Jamis replied.
"Beginning to..." the Supreme Chairman cut himself off, his brows drawing together. "You weren't the one who arrested my owner?"
"No, Supreme Chairman."
"Then who the ruk did?!"
"I did, Supreme Chairman," Masala spoke up smugly, pulling the Supreme Chairman's gaze.
"Who the ruk are you?" the Supreme Chairman demanded.
Everyone saw the general bristle that the Supreme Chairman didn't know who he was.
"I'm General Lalan Masala," Masala told him, puffing his chest out.
"Really? I contact the generals in the Coalition regularly but never you. What are you claiming to be the general of?"
"I'm not claiming anything," Masala spat out. "I'm the General of the Coalition's Supply and Distribution System."
"Supply and Distribution..." the Supreme Chairman trailed off, his disbelief and derision easily heard for the position Masala thought so necessary. "And you think that gives you the power to enter one of my establishments and arrest one of my ch...Corporation Owners?"
Cali’s eyes widened at her dad's near slip, and she quickly glanced around the room, grateful to see no one else had caught it. No one threatened one of Paul Baker-Wik'ax's children. Especially not Cali, who was not only his youngest but his only female.
"When it affects a member of my family? Yes," Masala fired back.
"Explain," the Supreme Chairman demanded.
"This...," one corner of Masala's upper lip curled up as he looked at Cali, "being attacked my datter for no reason."
"Lie," Cali spoke up for the first time, looking straight at her dad.
"How dare you! My datter has told me how you harassed her because a male found her more attractive than you. As if any being would be attracted to an Earthan." Masala missed the way both Commanders stiffened, but the Supreme Chairman didn't and ran a more assessing eye over the pair.
"I never harassed your datter, General Masala," Cali ignored the derision in Masala's voice and refused to let herself blush even though Masala was discussing her sex life in front of her dad. "She was treated the same way as everyone who accompanied Nox as he ran up debt at The Brink. Now they are required to pay for any drink or food before served, personally. Your datter is the only one who continually tries to find a way around that."
"You banned her from your establishment." The general slammed his fist down on the table.
"Only after she attacked me," Cali calmly replied.
"How dare you!" Vaine could no longer contain herself. This meeting was supposed to be about her and what had happened to her. People were supposed to be looking at and focusing on her, not some stupid Earthan. Flipping her fur back, she revealed her bruised face. "There's no way I could have done this to myself?"
"And yet you did," Cali needled.
"Liar!" Vaine instantly fired back, leaning forward to glare at Cali.
"Silence! Both of you!" Cali immediately obeyed the Supreme Chairman's order, but not Vaine. She didn't seem to realize who she was dealing with or just didn't care.
"Tad!" Vaine's eyes shot to her father. "He can't speak to me that way!"
"Vaine," Masala hissed.
"What? You're a general in the Coalition. A powerful general. Make him," she flung an arm out, pointing the finger at the screen, "apologize to me."
Shocked silence filled the room, and Cali watched General Masala turn a sickly shade of green. Something she hadn't thought possible for an orange-skinned Phoc. Cautiously, she looked toward her dad and saw that while his expression remained impassive, his eyes had begun to glow. That was never a good sign because her dad zealously controlled his Zagreus traits. She straightened when his gaze locked with hers.
"This is one of the females from your report banning the pilot?"
"Yes, Supreme Chairman."
"You reported my datter to the Supreme Chairman?!" Masala's indignation quickly returned as he glared at her.
Cali looked at the general unfazed by his outburst. After all, she'd grown up around males that indeed were powerful, unlike this general. "Every being, involved with Nox's attempt to defraud Wik Corp, was reported."
"I did no such thing," Vaine immediately denied.
"There are visual recordings of all the food and drink you ordered while with Nox." Cali looked back at the Supreme Chairman. "I included it with my report on the incident."
"Nox paid for that!" Vaine exclaimed.
"With a worker's chip that wasn't his," Cali stated what Vaine already knew.
"Which has nothing to do with me."
"Did you receive benefit from the use of those ill-gotten credits or not?" the Supreme Chairman asked in a deceptively neutral tone.
"I..." Vaine glanced at her tad, seemingly for guidance, yet when he subtly shook his head, telling her to remain silent, she ignored him and continued. "While I did eat and drink what he provided, I was unaware of his deceit; therefore, I shouldn't be held responsible for it. Which is what she is doing!" Vaine swung her arm out toward Cali, striking her tad in the chest.
"Ruk!" Masala cursed.
"Are you saying that when a member of the Coalition runs up a debt in a Wik Corp establishment that the Coalition shouldn't be held responsible?"
"I'm not a member of the Coalition," Vaine replied smugly.
"Neither is my owner. And yet, a Coalition general removed her from our establishment under restraint and armed guard, because of you."
"She is my datter," Masala responded defensively. "As such, I will do whatever's necessary to ensure her safety. Even if that means opposing Wik Corp."
"Thank you, Tad." Vaine looked up at her tad adoringly. "I always knew I could count on you."
"I see."
Cali didn't like the way her dad said that. Something in his tone told her something significant had just occurred, but she couldn't figure out what. She quickly found out.
"So you are invoking Article 89 of the Coalition's agreement with Wik Corp."
The defense agreement was between the Coalition and Wik Corp, and only those who held the highest and most powerful positions in the Coalition and at Wik Corp knew what was in it. Because of her dad's position in Wik Corp, Cali had read it growing up. Now she searched her memory to figure out exactly what her dad was referencing. When she did, her eyes widened, and she couldn't help exclaiming.
"No!"
"What's Article 89?" Jamis asked at the same time.
"If that's what it takes...," Masala began only to trail off when High Navarch Pergram's image suddenly appeared on the wall opposite the Supreme Chairman.
"Star Base Commander Dexxirs, what's the meaning of this!?!" The High Navarch took in everyone in the room then stiffened when he noticed the Supreme Chairman on the opposite wall. "Supreme Chairman, I wasn't informed you would be involved in this meeting." He shot an accusatory gaze at Jamis.
"With everything that's happening on Star Base Twelve, someone had to be involved," the Supreme Chairman informed him.
"What do you mean?" the High Navarch demanded.
"One of your generals decided to enter a Wik Corp establishment, with armed security, and remove one of our owners." He gestured to where Cali sat.
"What?!" Pergram's gaze instantly shot to Masala. "What have you done?"
"I was enforcing Coalition law. Something the Commanders of this Star Base failed to do," Masala responded, although his voice didn't hold the same assurance it had a moment ago.
"Explain!" the High Navarch ordered.
"High Navarch Pergram, if I may?" Jamis spoke and, when the High Navarch nodded, continued. "The reason I sent you an urgent comm is that General Masala arrived on Star Base Twelve shortly before the dark shift ended. He ordered the flight controller not to register his ship or notify me of his arrival. He then entered The Brink, the Wik Corp establishment in question, with armed security, and removed Khatun Baker, its owner. When we discovered this, Sub Commander Ynn and I intercepted General Masala on his way back to his ship."
"You were abducting her?!" Pergram's disbelieving gaze shot back to Masala.
"I was bringing her to Vavis Prime to answer for her crimes!" Masala denied. "She has been harassing my datter, then attacked her without cause, and these Commanders did nothing about it!"
"I did none of those things," Cali stated in a quiet but firm voice, "and I can prove it."
The High Navarch's gaze centered on her, "What?"
"I have visual proof that I didn't attack Khatun Masala. As for harassing her," Cali just shrugged her shoulders. "I have no clue why she thinks differently. I treated her the same as anyone else on The Brink's restricted list."
"Restricted because?" the High Navarch inquired.
"One of your pilots used a worker’s chip that wasn't his in The Brink. Khatun Masala, along with several others, benefited from this. Star Base Commander Dexxirs chose to side with your pilot when I brought the matter before them, as the Coalition always does." Cali's tone told the High Navarch precisely what she thought of that. "So, I banned the pilot until he repaid the credits, and those that were with him were restricted to personally paying for their food and drink before receiving it."
"That sounds reasonable," the High Navarch said, nodding his agreement.
"Reasonable?!" Vaine shrieked at the High Navarch then gestured to her face. "Does this look reasonable? I'm a general's datter! I'm entitled to justice!"
The High Navarch looked to Vaine, silently taking in the bruise on her face, then looked back to Cali. "You said you have proof you didn't do that?" He gestured to Vaine's face.
"Yes, there's a visual recording."
"She's lying!" Vaine insisted.
"You make visual recordings within your establishments?" Masala's eyes widened with shock.
"Of course!" Cali couldn't believe he would think she didn't.
"Then show it to me," High Navarch Pergram ordered.
Cali lifted her wrists, reminding them all that she was still restrained.
"Remove those!" the High Navarch spit out. The guard that had shoved Cali instantly moved to obey the High Navarch.
Cali rubbed her wrists for a moment before she looked to Jamis and gestured to the dark surface before her. "I'll need to access your system."
Jamis leaned forward, and after touching a few spots, the area in front of Cali lit up. His eyebrows shot up when the talented fingers she'd run over his body just a few dark shifts ago began to fly over the table's smooth surface, accessing the Star Base's system without him telling her how. Soon the wall behind her became the interior of The Brink.
Together, the room watched as Vaine Masala walked into The Brink. She paused for a moment, her gaze scanning the room, then she smirked and headed toward the large, glowing bar. Nearing the bar, she shouldered her way between two males and placed herself in front of Cali.
"Phoc wine."
Cali's only action was to slide a chip reader in front of Vaine.
Vaine glanced down at it and sneered, "Start a tab."
"No."
"Listen, you Earthan bitch, I'm General Masala's oldest datter. If you don't serve me, he will destroy you."
Taarig knew what happened next; he'd been in The Brink when all this had occurred. So instead, he watched Vaine and her tad. While Vaine sat up straighter and seemed to have no problem with others witnessing her conduct that night, her tad flinched and seemed to sink lower into his chair.
"I don't care if you're the datter of the rukking High Navarch. You're on the restricted list. You pay, or you don't drink."
Vaine, whose tail was already angrily swishing from side-to-side, pulled her fist back and swung at Cali. Everyone in the room gasped in shock when Cali ducked then swung out with her arm connecting with the outside of Vaine's, sending it back into the Phoc's face.
"Ruk!" Vaine said.
Before she could recover, the massive green arms of one of The Brink's Protectors wrapped around Vaine and lifted her off her feet.
"Cali, you okay?" the Protector asked.
"I'm good."
"Let me the ruk go, you Galaian bastard!" Vaine cursed as she struggled in the Protector’s arms.
"What do you want me to do?" the Protector asked.
"That's it, Vaine. You just got yourself banned. Good luck getting a drink on any Star Base from now on. Get her out of here."
Cali froze the screen with Tay carrying Vaine away, an ugly snarl on her face.
Silence reigned in the room as every eye focused on Vaine, who still sat ramrod straight, a defiant expression on her face. "What?!"
"I would say that answers the question as to who assaulted who," the Supreme Chairman's gaze bored into Vaine.
"How could you lie to me about something like this?" Masala hissed at his datter.
"I didn't lie! You saw what happened. She caused me to be injured."
"You injured yourself," the High Navarch said in disgust, then looked to Cali. "You are cleared of all charges, Khatun Baker, and have my deepest of apologies that any of this occurred." His gaze shifted around the room. "Now, if that's all."
"Your general invoked Article 89," the Supreme Chairman said quietly.
"He what?!!" Cali watched the High Navarch swallow hard as if there were something lodged in his throat before croaking out. "Clear the room. Everyone out except the Commanders and Masala."
"Khatun Baker will also remain," the Supreme Chairman's words had Cali slowly lowering herself back into her chair, her gaze going from him to the High Navarch, who she could tell was displeased.
"Why does she get to stay and not me?!" Vaine openly whined.
"Vaine, for once in your rukking life, just shut up and do what you are told!" Masala ground out, glaring at his datter.
Vaine stared at her tad in shock. Obviously, he'd never talked to her that way before, but she quickly recovered and, with a huff, spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, followed by the general's security detail.
Once the door slid closed, the High Navarch spoke again. "Now, what's this nonsense about invoking Article 89."
"It's not nonsense," the Supreme Chairman replied calmly. "Your general invoked it."
"Only after you suggested it," Cali said quietly, then quickly added, "Supreme Chairman," when he gave her a hard stare with eyes identical to her own.
"So General Masala didn't actually invoke Article 89." While the High Navarch's expression didn't change, Cali saw his shoulders relax slightly.
"He agreed that was what he was doing," the Supreme Chairman argued back, "and now we will address it."
"He doesn't even know what it is!" Pergram nearly shouted.
"Then inform him, and your Base Commanders, since this affects them too."
Pergram's gaze went to Cali, "She doesn't need to know."
"She already does. Unlike the Coalition, Wik Corp doesn't keep important information from our high-level personnel."
That had the High Navarch stiffening again, and Jamis’s and Taarig's gazes were sharpening on Cali. She hadn’t been The Brink’s owner that long, so how was she one of Wik Corp's high-level personnel?
"Inform them, or I'll choose which section to enforce," the Supreme Chairman growled at the High Navarch.
"Article 89 deals with the ownership of the Star Bases,” the High Navarch began while glaring at the Supreme Chairman. It was rare that anyone dared give him an order anymore and even rarer that he obeyed, but he had no choice in this with the Supreme Chairman.
"The ownership?" While Jamis and Taarig were smart enough not to interrupt the High Navarch, Masala was obviously a lot like his datter, which had Cali again wondering how he ever attained the rank of general. "What do you mean? The Coalition owns the Star Bases, Wik Corp just maintains them."
"No, we don't!" the High Navarch gritted out through clenched teeth. "Do you know how much one of these rukking things costs to build and maintain, let alone the time? The Coalition doesn't have the time, skill, or credits to do that. We rent them from Wik Corp. Article 89 was part of the original agreement because the High Navarch at the time refused to have the safety of those in the Coalition forever dependent on the leadership of Wik Corp. He believed other and better options would eventually present themselves."
"He was wrong. There's no better option than Wik Corp," the Supreme Chairman told them smugly.
"There are three actions the Coalition can take if it ever invokes Article 89," the High Navarch continued, ignoring the Supreme Chairman's comment. "Option one, the Coalition repays all the credits it took to build each and every Star Base, of which there are currently twelve with the thirteenth still one hundred standard-years away from being completed. That option would be impossible as it would take every credit the Coalition earns for the next thousand years." He ignored the way Masala's mouth dropped open.
"Option two, the Coalition turns all the Star Bases over to Wik Corp, minus the Coalition's personnel and ships, of course, and we find a different way to protect those species that are part of the Coalition. Something that would be impossible without first building our own Star Bases, which I just explained we couldn't do.
Or option three, in which Wik Corp turns over the Star Bases to the Coalition, taking with it all that is theirs, meaning the businesses, maintenance personnel, and all the mechanicals that aren't Coalition. In other words, we'd get Star Bases on which we'd have to live in survival suits until we were able to make them operational, which again..."
"We would be unable to do," Jamis finished quietly.
"Correct, Commander Dexxirs. Which is why General Masala will be retracting his request to invoke Article 89."
All eyes turned to Masala, who seemed to have shrunk under the weight of what he had done. "I... I was only trying to protect my datter," he whispered brokenly.
"And put the rest of the universe in peril in the process. Retract your request, General Masala," the High Navarch ordered.
Masala looked at the High Navarch, then pulling down on his uniform jacket, straightened in his chair, and looked to the Supreme Chairman. "Supreme Chairman, I retract my wish to invoke Article 89 of the Wik Corp/Coalition Defense Agreement."
The Supreme Chairman's lack of response had the room's tension ratcheting up as everyone waited for his response. Finally, after what seemed to be an Apreian lifetime, he did.
"Wik Corp accepts the Coalition's retraction." Just as everyone began to relax, the Supreme Commander looked at the High Navarch and continued, "But there will be consequences."
"Consequences?" the High Navarch asked, trying to maintain a neutral expression.
"Yes, your general and his datter have caused a great deal of inconvenience today. Right now, I am supposed to be meeting with the Paramount."
"The...the Paramount?" Cali saw the High Navarch blanch. It seemed even the Coalition's most powerful official was scared to upset the Paramount of the Zagreus.
"Yes. The Paramount will want an explanation, and he isn't as forgiving as I am. Therefore, because of the general’s and his datter's actions, he and his entire family shall face the same consequences as his datter."
"You mean we're all going to be on Wik Corp's restricted list?" Masala looked at him in disbelief, his mind racing at how that would affect him and the rest of his family.
"No. Your datter isn’t on the restricted list; she has been banned from all Wik Corp establishments everywhere. So, the rest of you shall be, too, but not just until Pilot First Class Trudo's debt is satisfied, but until I’m satisfied."
"What?" Masala wasn’t the only one who gasped in shock. Cali did too. Why was her dad doing this? Yes, Masala had hugely overstepped his authority, and yes, his datter was a spoiled pain in the ass, but to ban an entire family because of the actions of two. In one way or another, Wik Corp owned most of the universe.
"But to show that Wik Corp isn’t entirely heartless, I will allow General Masala to leave on the ship he arrived. His datter, on the other hand, will have to find other transportation."
"What are you talking about?" Masala questioned, "My ship belongs to the Coalition."
The Supreme Chairman looked to the High Navarch, who, through tight lips, finally said, "So that the upper ranks of the Coalition always have the most advanced ships, we lease them from Wik Corp."
The Supreme Chairman drove the point home, "Which means you are banned from using them also."