A/n Thank you, Desert Lynx, for the reviewing. I praise you for it. Thank you also to Michael A Stackpole, writer of the "Star Wars (Trade Mark) X-wing Rogue Squadron" series for providing me with the name Ysanne Isard (Yiz-A ne Izard) and the sinister description of her.
"Thank you for taking the time to see us, King Dyne," the Yafutoman senator said smoothly. "This is a matter of rather high concern to us… And possibly you."
Now his voice was sounding slightly menacing. Beside Yafutoman delegate Suwong, stood a woman who would have been quite pretty were it not for her, eyes, one burning red, hotter than Nasser, the other a frigid blue, colder than the purple moon.
"You're quite welcome, Mr. Suwong, and Miss…?"
"Isard," the woman replied. ""Ysanne, Isard."
"Miss Isard, then. And I regret to inform you that, ah, you will have to remove any… Accessories from your eyes so that we may get a clear retinal scan of you upon entrance to the palace. It's standard security protocol."
Isard looked surprised when Vyse spoke of security. "Mr. Dyne," she said, abandoning the title of King and allowing an odd mixture of amusement and contempt to seep into her voice, "Shouldn't one of the guards be telling me this? Isn't it a little low and… unbecoming for a king?"
Vyse nodded, smiling. "For a king, yes, but for an Air Pirate, never. My father taught me you could never be too safe, and that when a professional did a job it was good- but when you double-checked him, it was better. So may I please have anything you may be… carrying in your eyes?"
"I assure you," Isard said, her voice becoming as frosty as her eye, "These are my natural eyes."
"Interesting as idle parley is," Suwong said, looking away from the artfully carved marble statue in the Foreign Quarters and Embassy Hanger, "I believe we have business to get to?"
"I wouldn't know," Vyse said, his tone polite enough that he couldn't be reprimanded for mocking, but still retaining an air of mockery. "You were the one that addressed me for this meeting. For all I know, you might have merely wished to exchange words with someone whom I was close to."
"It's rather odd that you have brought that matter up, Dyne. As a matter of-" Isard elbowed Suwong in the ribs in a matter that was almost, but not quite invisible. Vyse cataloged the occurrence away in the back of his mind.
Noticing that Vyse had seen her movement, Isard provided a smile that didn't reach her eyes, only making her look more sinister, like some twisted goddess of war. "My client precedes himself," she recovered flawlessly. "What we have come to discuss on this visit is the matters concerning the sky fishing in Yafutoma."
"Then perhaps we had best discuss this where we might sit down?"
"That would be rather nice," Isard said, turning away from the retinal scanner to face Vyse.
The trio walked in silence for a time, finally coming to rest at a conference room.
"Now then. As I have said already," Suwong began, taking up what he had already said in the foreign quarters, "We must discuss the matter of the sky fishing in Yafutoma."
Vyse replied. "As I recall, an agreement had been reached with former leader Enrique at one point. One regarding a trade of manufactured goods to the Yafutomans."
"That agreement has ended it's use to us," Suwong spoke, anger seething in his voice. "It is merely a ploy by you, giving us small luxuries, throwing the scales of our own fish to us to eat while you feast before our eye, taking our country's gifts. We refuse to stand by and watch such an indignant," he seemed to struggle, as though searching for the right words, all the while his face becoming redder and redder.
"Agreement? Treaty?" Vyse offered.
"RAPE!" Suwong finished, shouting the final word. "Yes, it is a rape of our country! We will not stand by and watch this! If you do not withdraw your fleets from our country's skies, we will be forced to declare war!"
As he screamed, guards entered the room, standing with weapons primed, aimed, sharpened, and at the ready.
"You will be now be silent," Isard said quietly and calmly. "You have blotched such communications enough for the time being."
Seeing the situation was under control, the guards left, returning to their posts.
"We would prefer, as my client has chosen to so artfully put it, that you end the sky fishing in our area." Isard said, her voice still quiet and calm, yet this time conveying a type of power and lust, one to make men succumb to her odd charm and cringe at an awesome power that she seemed to house.
"I'm afraid that would be rather difficult to perform," Vyse said, keeping his tone calm and diplomatic, a conscience effort that was driving him crazy. He had to keep from calling upon his desire to get up and hit the woman full across the face.
He could tell that she was a politician, or had once been. She had a sense of the ways to talk, the knowledge of how to have such things done, and a totally impossible goal to achieve that would ultimately result in both sides being far worse off than they currently were. Three key symbols of a politician.
If the Valuans were to lose the much needed sky fish from the skies above Yafutoma- everyone- not just the rich, not just the poor, everyone in Valua would suffer. With a shortage of fish, prices would soar up and beyond what they already were at, rather exuberant ones. Famine would strike, people would starve, and the Yafutomans would be left with not nearly so many buyers, and a loss of textile goods that they were capable of making by hand, but not by the industrial methods of the Valuans. Their technological advances would be slowed down, their armor that the Valuans were providing would be of poorer quality- it spelled disaster, plain and simple, and yet Isard desperately wanted to get rid of the Valuan fishing ships.
"When you say that it will be difficult, what you truly mean is that you will attempt to hide behind such a ploy for as long as possible before you step down from your seat of power and let another rule in your place. You, Dyne, are unfit for command." Isard was now rising, her eyes burning and freezing him, leaving gaping holes in his innards, or so it felt.
"You know, it's quite odd. I was under the impression that Mr. Suwong was the Yafutoman ambassador, and that you were merely an aid to him. And in answer to your remark, that is not my plan. Please tell me first what you would like to have happen, then I will tell you what the probably results are if I carry that plan out, and perhaps we can reach a compromise."
"You already know what we want," Suwong spoke; breaking the silence he had been in since Isard became angry with him. "We want your fishing vessels gone from Yafutoman air! We want the withdrawal of-"
"SILENCE!" Isard yelled, venom in her voice, fire and ice in her stare. "You are a fool and do not deserve your position. I showed you light, and you will do well to take all of my advice, not just that which you enjoy hearing!"
The guards once again opened the door to check and see if their king was in danger, saw that only the ambassador was, and shut the door.
She turned back to Vyse, not attempting to make up for all she had said to the ambassador. The fire stayed in her glare as she turned it on Vyse.
"When last I heard, aids did not silence superiors in such fashions in any part of Arcadia," Vyse said, arching an eyebrow at the woman. "As I have already said, we may well be able reach a compromise, but I would prefer to see, in writing from the Yafutoman ruler, something to convey proof that this treaty is not something hated by just two people, but by all of Yafutoma."
Isard sighed. "Now is, apparently, the time to give some information away. You will withdraw your ships from our nation, and you will get a piece of knowledge quite dear to you, I believe."
So, Vyse thought, Apparently I have two extremists that can pull enough strings to bring Yafutoman war ships with the Valua that are trying either to start a war or end our sky fishing. It is a legitimate concern, but they might have other methods of dealing with the over-fishing. Methods such as the war to make sure that there are fewer mouths to feed and more fish to feed them.
"What exactly is this information?" Vyse asked, prepared to simply have them arrested for… well, they technically had done nothing wrong, merely expressed a desire, but had threatened war on their whole country's behalf. There was probably some law somewhere against that. He'd just have to look it up.
"We know," Isard said, her voice becoming one of malicious delight, "who killed Enrique. We can help you bring them to justice."
A/n… again. Well, so endeth my chapter, so begginith Vyse's madness. Will Vyse keep his sanity? Will he ever find out who killed Enrique? Will Suwong and Isard lead Yafutoma to war? Find out next week, month, or year on another exciting chapter of: The Longest Fall!