I had to make a couple of edits to the last chapter after one of my collaborators, namely the one who made Meredith, told me I was spelling her surname wrong. For anyone who was wondering, the pronounciation is the same (AIR-whinny). Also, I had the wrong number of ships in each unit, so I fixed that. I also forgot to refer to Jade by her LAST name when she was introduced. I've corrected those. Also, PLEASE review. I NEED reviewers so I know that I'm writing good stories. Word of warning, this chapter will be the first that contains actual text from the original novel, but that won't last long, thanks to the Butterflies of Doom. There will also be profanity.
She was certainly a big woman.
That was Benjamin Mayhew's first thought as Captain Harrington was ushered into the sitting room, but he changed it almost instantly. She wasn't so much "big" as "tall." The man that accompanied her was of a much more reasonable height, at least for a Grayson. Still, Benjamin was a bit surprised that the man was with her, as the late Admiral Yanakov had told him that Admiral Corvousier said she didn't need a protector, and the man was in a different uniform, so who was he?
Captain Fox, the head of his personal Security detachment, was irked by Harrington's size, as well as the fact that she had brought some six-legged, cream-and-grey creature completely undiscussed. Benjamin had used the Palace surveillance system to view her arrival, and she'd simply shown up with the beast on her shoulder, along with the man. He hadn't quite been able to suppress a grin as she ignored Fox's hints that they might be unwelcome, and she'd simply given Fox a look much like the one nannies reserved for rambunctious boys not yet out of the nursery.
Benjamin rose from his chair as his guards escorted the duo across the room to him, and they paused. Harrington removed her beret, and he recognized the respect in the gesture, but many of his guards flinched as her close-cropped hair was exposed. Even with all the freedoms women had today, at least compared those from Masada, they were still forbidden by tradition from having uncovered heads in the presence of men. Besides, no Grayson woman would wear her hair that short!
Her companion was older. He looked around forty, so Benjamin estimated him to be around ninety, with a likely premature streak of silver hair over his left ear. He gave a bow of respect, along with a "Your Grace" in a penetrating baritone.
"Good evening, Captain Harrington. And guest," Benjamin quickly added, nodding to the stranger. He allowed himself an ironic smile. "So kind of you to come."
"Thank you, Protector Mayhew," Harrington replied, giving Benjamin a firm handshake, although he got the impression her grip was carefully restrained. "May I introduce Admiral Mare Luna of the... Ungulan Space Navy, I believe you said?"
"Yes, that's right, Captain Harrington," her companion said,surprising Benjamin with his deference to her, despite his rank. "Protector... Mayhew, I believe it was, I thank you for allowing me to attend. To tell the truth, this is my world's first excursion beyond its system limit, and as our hyper generators seem to have malfunctioned and locked themselves up, we're stuck here, so I'm trying very hard not to screw up. May any relationship we create be a happy one." He gave a short bow, and Benjamin nodded back.
"And the same to you, Admiral Luna." Benjamin turned and headed down the hall, gesturing for the two to accompany him. "I thought I'd introduce my family to you before we dine, Captain Harrington, Admiral Luna," he continued as they paced down the hallway. "My younger brother Michael is particularly interested in meeting you. He holds a bachelor's degree from Anderman University on New Berlin, and is hoping to pursue graduate work on Manticore if negotiations go well."
"I certainly hope he'll be able to, Protector," Harrington replied, using her tone to indicate that she'd caught the clue.
The group entered the dining room, and two of the guard detachment took station outside the door while the rest unobtrusively positioned themselves in the four corners of the room. Harrington didn't seem to pay much attention, but Admiral Luna noticed and nodded respectfully to them. Captain Fox took up his usual position next to Benjamin's chair, and then the rest of the Mayhews arrived.
"Allow me to introduce my wives, Admiral Luna, Captain Harrington," he said. "My first wife, Katherine."
"Madam Mayhew," Mare said, bowing. "A pleasure."
"My second wife, Elaine."
"Madam Mayhew."
"My children are all in bed, I'm afraid, but I can introduce you to my brother and heir, Michael, Steadholder Mayhew."
"Steadholder...?" Mare seemed confused, and Harrington cleared her throat.
"Think of it like a duke," she explained.
"Ah," Mare said in realization. "Well, then, Lord Mayhew, it's a pleasure to meet you. I certainly hope cordial relations can be established between my world and others, starting with yours. From what I've seen so far, this is a beautiful world. I'd hate to be at war with anyone."
"Of course, Admiral. I hope so too. Captain Harrington," Michael Mayhew spoke, grinning like a young boy, "I certainly hope you'll be kind enough to let me tour your ship before you return to Manticore, if that would be permissable?"
Harrington's eyes gleamed. "I'm sure something could be arranged," she said, and Benjamin shook his head as servants began to arrive.
"I see you've made at least one convert, Captain Harrington. I'm certain that if Bernard were in my brother's position, he would say the same thing," he said, eyes narrowing in sadness as he remembered the cousin who gave his life to save their fleet.
Harrington bowed her head in rememberance. "I regret I didn't get the chance to get to know High Admiral Yanakov very well. Lord Mayhew, but from what Ambassador Langtry's told me, he and Admiral Courvosier were quite close. I believe Admiral Courvosier had the greatest respect for him, and I hope to have the chance to let you evaluate Fearless's abilities for yourself."
The Protector leaned back in his chair as he allowed servants to pour wine, amiling inside. Harrington seemed nothing like the challenging woman he'd thought she was when she issued her "ultimatum". He'd suspected - or hoped, really - that the Council's fears were exaggerated; now, he was certain of it. He blinked in surprise when Admiral Luna politely declined the wine, but the feeling didn't last long once he explained that he abstained from most alcoholic beverages due to personal philosophy.
As the servants placed the final appetizers before the diners, Benjamin Mayhew bowed his head in thanks... and not just for the meal, alone.
Mare smiled as the meal progressed. He had expected somethin like a formal dinner, with all of the protocol, diplomatic niceties, proper expression, and all the rest of the bits of diplomacy he disliked, but to his surprise, the atmosphere mas much mre like some of the private dinners he had with Aunt Celestia or Lord Aerowynne. It was quite relaxed, aside form the unobtrusive bodyguards in the corners, but they were not entirely unexpected. After all, if this "Protector" position was that of a head of state, it had to be quite important. Harrington ate politely but ravenously; her ability to pack food into her mouth was surprising, though not astonishing - he had seen Pinkie eat more in a shorter time (though Pinkie's abilities still defied logic and explanation).
And yet, despite the lighthearted atmosphere, Mare felt a tension in his gut. That felling warned of disaster, and it had never been wrong. The further the meal progressed, the stronger the tension got, up until the point where Mare had put all of his senses on high alert. His ears were tuned to the slightest of sounds, and his eyes flickered around the room, searching for the smallest hint of danger. If anything happened, he would know.
After some time, the meal wound to a close. Servants removed the empty dessert dishes (Honor had taken thirds to fill her up), then withdrew, leaving the guests alone with the family and guards. Benjamin leaned back in his chair and regarded his guests thoughtfully.
"Why do I expect, Captain Harrington, that the, um, persuasion you used to 'request' this meeting was a bit... overstated, shall we say?"
Mare was slightly surprised. "Overstated? What did you do, issue an ultimatum?"
Honor chuckled. "Yes, actually. To be fair, I figured I would need an argument to catch his attention."
"Well, you found one, I assure you," Mayhew said dryly. "Now that you have it, however, what, precisely, can I do for you?"
"My request is twofold. First, I need the cooperation of your high command if I am to employ my squadron effectively in the defense of Grayson. I have been denied that cooperation, and however able and determined your commanders are - and I am certain they are quite competent - they aren't sufficiently familiar with my ships' capabilities to make the best use of them. Commander Brentworth is a fine liason officer, but Admiral Garret has issued orders that make very poor use of my vessels, and he refuses to discuss them with me."
"After all Admiral Courvosier and Madrigal did for us?" Lord Mayhew exploded, glaring at his brother. "I told you Garret didn't know his ass from his elbow, Ben! He's not going to admit we need those ships if it means he has to take orders from a woman! Cousin Bernie always said-"
"Yes, Mike, I know," Benjamin interrupted his brother, and Mare tasted the spike of sorrow in the brothers. They and Bernard Yanakov must have been very close to produce such profound grief, he reasoned, for the emotion struck a chord in him. Benjamin's gaze settled squarely and unwaveringly on Honor. "I take it one of the reasons for this meeting was to ask me to order Admiral Garret to cooperate with you?"
"Moer or less, although the other reason didn't appear until after I made the request, Sir," she replied.
"You mean 'more' more than 'less', I suspect. If I direct him to cooperate, he'll listen, at least officially, but he's not going to forget you went over his head to get it, Captain. He's not prepared to work with you; my impetuous, big-mouthed brother's right about that-" Mare tasted the brotherly annoyance between the two, and smiled internally as he was reminded of his own brother. "-which means I'll have to relieve him."
Honor spoke quietly. "You know the Admiral better than I, Sir."
"Yes, I do, and it's a pity he's so set in his ways," Benjamin murmured, then stroked his cheek and nodded. "Very well, Captain. Admiral Garret will cease to be a problem." He looked at his brother. "You're the one who's so informed on naval affairs, Mike. Who's the next most senior officer we've got left?"
"With command experience, or on the staff?"
"Command experience."
"Commodore Matthews, unless you want to bring someone out of retirement," Lord Mayhew said without hesitation, "and he's a good one, Ben." He smiled almost shyly at Honor. "You won't have any problems working with him, Ma'am."
Honor sighed in relief, and Benjamin smiled at her.
"I gather you're not accustomed to high-stakes diplomacy?"
"No, sir, I certainly am not," she replied with feeling, and Mare boggled at her.
"What? You're kidding." At her answering shake of the head, his eyes grew even wider, if that was possible. "That was better than some of my best moments, and I've been doing this sort of thing for years!"
"Which is especially surprising, considering the political climate here on Grayson. Have either of you heard of Commodore Perry?"
Mare blinked at the apparent non sequitur, but responded anyway. "Commodore Matthew Perry? The guy that began the Meiji Restoration that pulled Japan into modern culture around the mid eighteen hundreds Common Era? Oliver Perry's cousin? Yeah, I know him. Why?"
Benjamin looked at him. "You see, Grayson is much like Japan was then, except we've been looking for someone - anyone! - to drag us into the present for two centuries, now, but the Council is trying to keep their power base intact, including domestic policies - treatment of women included."
Mare frowned. From what he'd heard, women were treated exceptionally well here on Grayson, aside from naval officers, at least. "What do you mean by 'the treatment of women'? From what I can tell, women are treated with the utmost respect here. Why would they think you want to change that?"
Mayhew's eyes bored into Mare's, and Mare recognized the gaze of a ruler's judgement, having felt it countless times before. "I know you likely had only a short briefing, so I'll fill you in on this. Women on Grayson have no political rights. They aren't allowed to vote, take a job other than wife, maid, or housekeeper, attend school, or serve in the military. No matter how respectful the treatment, I know better. That is why I invited Captain Harrington to dinner - to show that women are strong enough to do things that most anyone on Grayson would consider 'too harsh' for them to bear. To be Grayson's-"
Mare's attention wavered as two pairs of uniformed Security men entered the room. He held up a hand as the men began to cross. "Benjamin..." he began to speak, but trailed off as one of the men in the first pair held out a dispatch case to Captain Fox.
The room exploded into a flurry of motion, so many things happening almost at once that it would've been impossible for any normal human to process. Mare thrust himself out of his chair at the man with the case, hurling him into a wall with a palm strike, just as Nimitz catapulted from his stool with a sound like tearing canvas, burying his claws knuckle-deep into the other man's eyes after sinking the rest of his centimetre-long claws bone-deep into the "guard"'s shoulder blades. The real bodyguards, though reacting slower than usual from surprise, due both to Mare's actions and the treecat's size, still worked quickly, bone-deep reactions set in stone by training driving them. Captain Fox shoved his charge under the table with one hand and went for his pistol with the other, and Michael pushed his sisters-in-law under the table, shielding them with his own body. Mare only peripherally noticed, because he was focused entirely on the emotions and thoughts of the impostors; the tension in his gut had spiked the moment the "guard" had reached out with the case. To his surprise, Honor had lashed out as well, striking the impostor closest to Benjamin, though her blows were much more forceful. The fourth newcomer had enough time to draw his weapon, and he fired at point-blank range into Fox's chest.
The handgun the "guard" was holding whined and then let out an axelike thud, sending the Security captain flying across the room, his weapon half-drawn, until he slammed into Benjamin, limp as a ragdoll. Mare flinched from the percussive aftershock, then Shouted at the killer.
"FUS... RO DAH!"
A wave of pure force crashed up out of his throat, hurling the killer through the air until he slammed into a wall, where he slumped to the ground, dazed. More whining shots sounded in the hall, with a single explosive crack from a normal pistol mixed in. A horde of fresh "Security" men charged in, all armed with those odd pistols, and Honor snatched a heavy, circular metal tray from the table and hurled it like a frisbee at the lead man. Mare belatedly sent several bolts of force at the other men with a flick of his own wrist, aiming to disarm or incapacitate the newcomers, but the confused tangle that occurred after the lead man fell caused several of the bolts to miss their intended targets and strike more dangerous areas, and chaos became total as the Protectors bodyguards finally realized who the real enemy was.
Gunfire tore across the room, bullets crisscrossing the "bolts" from the impostors. Bodies fell on both sides, and Mare had to be careful not to accidentally kill a real guard, even with his unique abilities. He cursed to himself as the last of the Protector's guards fell, despite his best efforts, and unleashed a flurry of strikes on another imposter, leaving him for later as he wheeled to face the main body of the enemy. Honor was surrounded by the intruders, somehow nearly unhurt despite the bolts of sound filling the air around her, but Mare could tell that they would be overwhelmed eventually, unless he did something to even the odds.
Let's see how much you like unarmed combat, he thought, then Shouted once more. "ZUN... HAAL VIIK!" he cried, then grinned as the weapons were torn from the assassins' hands, leaving the would-be killers helpless against the off-worlders. He coughed a few times, as Shouting twice in quick succession was asking for trouble, unless you were a dragon or had decades' worth of training, and Mare was still working on the latter. Fortunately for him, the worst he was looking at was a sore throat for the next few hours, thanks to the previous training he had undertaken. Disarm normally affected allies just as much as enemies, but it couldn't strip natural weapons, and martial artists were effectively immune to the effects, given that they tended to be good at fighting without weapons.
At last, almost all of the assassins were either dead, blinded, or unconscious, and the real guards broke past the barricade at the door. Mare relaxed his guard slightly and turned to look at Honor, then stiffened.
"Look out!"
Honor reflexively turned to follow his gaze, and was struck in the face with a bolt of solid sound, crumpling to the floor in pain. The last remaining assassin had retrieved a weapon from the floor and fired it at the Naval officer. He swung the pistol towards her chest, and then his own chest erupted into a bloody mess as Benjamin discharged the entire magazine of Fox's autopistol into him.
The man collapsed onto Honor, and Mare slumped into a chair that was miraculously both upright and free of any debris. Honor was in stable condition - he could tell that much, thank the Divines - and nobody else was trying to shoot at anybody important. As the adrenaline rush left him, Mare sank into a dreamless sleep to wash away his exhaustion.