Sorry for the delay. Shame on me.
Thank you all for the reviews.
Special thanks, as usual, to Hellacre for the editing.
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Chapter 15 – Schemes, plans and plots.
Day 9 (cont.)
Almerac - City of Potentoris – Royal Palace
Hour of Exima
"Exalted One," Aleena's voice was little more than a whisper, "it's time. Please do wake up."
The Queen opened her eyes in a strange (yet familiar) bed, inside a chamber that was not hers. "What…?" The memories of last night's nightmare and her violent awakening came rushing to her, as a chilling sensation ran down her spine. Not a single crystal in the Royal Chambers had remained intact after her scream, and she had to spend the night in the chambers of her childhood.
She could almost hear her mother's steps moving around and her voice urging her to get out of bed. A bitter-sweet feeling filled her at the memory of her mother.
King Maximino and Queen Ealtha's marriage had been arranged by their parents, in order to continue with the carefully engineered genetic process that produced the royal lineage of super beings, of which Maxima was the latest and most powerful product. There had been no love between the monarchs. In fact, they could hardly tolerate each other. One thing they had in common, though, and that was the unquestionable love for their daughter, who was supposed to be followed by a male child, a brother, when the circumstances were right.
Unfortunately, the right moment never came, because the Queen escaped with one of the court advisors to another solar system. The King ordered their capture at any cost.
They were brought back to Almerac and executed for treason. The look on Ealtha's face when the blade fell was fresh in Maxima's memory as it had just happened moments ago.
Both, the King and Queen, enjoyed absolute freedom to have separate love lives, as long as they were kept a secret, but the Queen's romantic nature demanded her to live this ill-fated romance to its fullest, without hiding her feelings. It was that similar romantic nature, taken to a dangerously obsessive level, that now was causing Maxima so many problems.
"Have Our bath ready," she said dryly to Aleena. "Today I'm wearing the silver and red outfit to the conference."
"Yes, Exalted One," the chamber aid responded. "The preparations in the Royal Chambers are well underway and will be ready for you tonight."
"Excellent. We don't want to spend another night here. In fact, order the royal architects to re-decorate these chambers completely in a more adult fashion. No more pink. From now on it's going to be…green. Have the arrangements made for that to happen," ordered the Queen.
"Immediately, Exalted One. Anything else?" asked the aid, covering the Queen's nudity with a blue silk robe, as she came out of bed.
"Yes. Any messages for Us?" demanded the monarch.
"No messages, but Captain Sikaruss, of the Royal Honor Guard, requested a private audition," Aleena informed.
"Very well. Send him in with the breakfast, after the bath." And the Queen went into the bathroom.
Thirteen crons later Maxima was seated on the arm chair with an aid drying and combing her luxurious, red locks.
"Bring Captain Sikaruss in, Aleena," Maxima ordered.
The Captain entered the room holding a tray with the Queen's breakfast.
"With your permission, Exalted One," he stood by the door with his head inclined.
"Oh, Captain. Enter. You two: leave us," she said to the aids. The Queen had left the belt of her silken robe purposely loose to show some of her creamy white skin. "Please, leave the tray on the table."
Sikaruss did as told and began to pour some yellow tea into the Queen's exquisitely crafted cup, handling it to Maxima. When they were alone, the monarch asked: "Well?"
"It is done. They must be about to find the body as we speak," he said with an ice cold inflexion.
"How?" she asked again.
"Poison."
"Ah. The coward's way out. It suits him. Excellent." The Queen's amber gaze shined with malice.
"I thought it might please you." His face remained unexpressive.
When she bent to grab a bagel, a nipple sneaked out her robe. Pretending she hadn't noticed, Maxima took a bite of the pastry, chewing very slowly. "Any inconvenience to report? Did anybody see you?" The woman locked her eyes inquisitively on his. The Captain looked straight to her amber irises.
"No problems at all. My presence went absolutely unnoticed. There isn't even a single strand of DNA to connect me to last night's events." If Sikaruss was aware of her exposed bosom, he didn't show. This pleased and excited her greatly. The Captain was a tall and extremely handsome man, with a strong jaw, brown hair and icy grey eyes. Maxima found him utterly irresistible, especially because he seemed unaffected by her incredible beauty.
"We're pleased. Why don't you take advantage of your stealth skills to visit me tonight at the Royal Chambers, past the hour of Chanys? I want to reward you properly." She slowly covered her nipple with the robe as she spoke. The Captain knew all too well this wasn't a request, this was an order.
"As the Exalted One pleases. Your wishes are my command." He answered diplomatically, taking a bow.
"Off you go now! I have a busy Schedule. Tell Aleena to come in on your way out." A liability risk was averted; still Maxima knew Suupra's advice will be missed. He was an idiot, but a useful one. Yet he provided a greater service being the perfect scapegoat at this particular moment. This would deflect the Justice League's attention away from her.
"With your permission, Exalted One." Aleena and the other two aids came in carrying a beautiful gown of red and silver with matching boots. Maxima stood by the triptych mirrors as the women helped her get dressed.
As the Queen checked her image in the mirrors, she asked Aleena, "Had the Specialist in Interplanetary Law brought the preliminary draft as ordered?"
"Yes, Exalted One. It is waiting on your office's desk for you to read. So I've been told," the first aid said.
"Good. Have the Schedule Keeper meet me there." Taking a last, satisfied look at her reflection, Maxima abandoned the chambers in route to her office. Every guard posted along the wide corridors stood in at attention as she passed them. The Schedule Keeper was already waiting for her by her office door.
"Good morning, Exalted One. May Kloss smile upon you," he said, taking a bow.
"Manthus," she responded. A servant held the door open for them. "Activities for the day?"
"If I may, Exalted One. I have terrible news." The old man announced with a grave voice, " Lord Suupra was found dead in his chambers at the Eprion Center early this morning."
"Suupra? How…?" asked the ruler, pretending to be surprised.
"Suicide, apparently. Poisoned. No note, but considering the latest developments and the Darkseid situation, everything points in that direction. Reports of his state of mind indicate that he wasn't himself lately," informed Manthus.
"That's terrible! An announcement shall be made: by Royal decree, this day and the following will be of mourning in his honor. The yellow banner will be raised alongside with our flag in all masts of Potentoris and the provinces capitals," Maxima ordered. "Has his family been informed?"
"Not yet, Exalted One."
"I shall be the one to do so. Suupra was an outstanding advisor and a man of the state, but most importantly, he was a friend." By the surprised look on Manthus face, the Queen suspected she was overdoing it. "No. His family would be better informed by the usual channels, with a note with my condolences, as protocol demands. That's the proper way."
"Of course, Exalted One. Of course." The man's face regained its composure. "The Leaguers expected to have a talk with Lord Suupra…"
"Yes, yes. Let them know the actual situation at once, before we meet at Ancestral Hall." 'After all, this was done on their behalf and for their benefit, and I'm dying to see their faces,' thought the ruler. "Clear Our schedule for the day, except the inevitable activities and those regarding Suupra's demise. Surely We'll be busy enough with the discussions about the preliminary agreements with the representatives of Rahn and Thanagar. Now leave. We need to read these papers before the conference."
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Almerac - City of Potentoris – Ancestral Hall - Main entrance
Fourth day of negotiations.
Five crons to Hour of Tarin
"Am I the only one who sees this extremely convenient for the Queen?" Zatanna was turning her hat around her fingers nervously, over and over.
"Quit doing that!" Stewart spat at her.
"Why?" the magician shot an unfriendly look at him. "Does it bother you?" she teased.
"It makes me cranky. You don't wanna see me cranky, conjurer." GL raised his fist, showing her his ring.
"Stop you two!" J'onn didn't shout, but his tone was firm. "We have enough with the death of Lord Suupra to deal with. We, and when I say 'we', I mean myself, don't need an argument between the both of you.
If this is a move from Maxima's part, and that's yet to be proven, there's very little we can do now. We must concern ourselves with the conference's security."
"Yes, you're right," said a regretful sorceress. "What can Hawkgirl and Adam tell us about the delegations?"
"So far, nothing unusual. Today the representatives are going to read their proposals, and the Queen will present her government's draft. Let's be prepared for hostilities to arise afterwards. Zatanna, any ideas on how to uncover any foul play?" asked the Martian.
"Actually, it's just an idea John and I are developing," said Zatanna. "Since none of the delegates can be frisked directly in search for weaponry or explosives, I thought of casting a spell to highlight any suspicious device the attendees may carry in their briefcases and folders, or even inside their bodies…"
"A suicidal bomber?" interrupted the Martian.
"We can't discard any possibility," added John. "Zee's plan has merit, but discretion is mandatory, or what we're trying to prevent, meaning the interruption of the negotiations, will come to pass. My ring can transmit a neuro-signal directly to my optic nerve, so, if Zatanna launches her spell but on a frequency of the spectrum only my ring can handle, I may be able to see if the delegations have a saboteur among them."
"Sounds like a good plan," conceded J'onn. "How long until we can put things in motion?"
Stewart and Zatanna looked at each other. He shrugged and the magician said, "We were about to make a trial run today, if we all agree."
"Make the necessary preparations," ordered the Martian Manhunter. "We have little time before today's meeting begins."
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Ancestral Hall – Thanagarian Delegation seats.
Shayera was completely oblivious of what was going on around her. Her mind seemed unable to move away from last night. Due to their respective obligations, her encounter with Katar from three nights ago had to be postponed until the night before.
They were hungry for each other's touch, to the point that, when their bodies finally met, their caresses had an almost electrical feeling to them.
After an intense love making session, they started talking about their plans to run away together.
"Magpie! That…that was…," Katar began.
"I…know…" She needed a moment to return to the here and now. They both did. After they caught their breaths, Hawkgirl turned to face him "So, Big Guy, you tell me what your idea is, and I'll tell you mine…"
"Alright. In one of my solo missions to the far side of this galaxy, I had to stop to rest and replenish my reserves of fuel and food. I stumbled upon a backwater planet in an uncharted section of the quadrant, far from every known commercial or military route. Because of that, a refueling station had been established there to provide attention to pirate ships and all sort of illegal activities. No need to tell you how they reacted when they saw a Thanagarian officer. I had to fight my way in, killing a couple of scum bags, and making a mess to the place to convince the owner that I wasn't there in an official capacity, that all I needed was fuel and supplies and was willing to pay for them.
She turned out to be a reasonable business woman. After making me swear I won't reveal the location of the station, which I had no intention to do, anyway, we traded to a mutual satisfaction. I offered to pay for the damages to the place, but she said that was something that happened at least once a week in her establishment. The main reason for not disclosing their whereabouts was that I've learned, after many missions gone bad, is always safe to have a secret place to lick your wounds when you're on the run from the enemy and unable to reach your comrades.
In spite of the colorful costumers, the planet is a beautiful place, with a bright, yellow sun, green oceans and extensive prairies of the most intense purple. I had time to roam and do some scouting and sightseeing. There's a particular spot on the antipodes of the station I found really beautiful: a lake surrounded by a forest where we can build our home, if you find it adequate."
'A home. Our home' Shayera thought. "Sounds very tempting. And what will we make a living of, hunting and fishing?"
"And love making," he teased. "Hunting is right, only not fauna. Since we both have the necessary training and skills, and we are used to deal with dangerous and evil people, I say we become bounty hunters. You already do the job with the League for free."
"Yes, but I never caught somebody unless all the evidence backs me up," she warned.
"Neither did I. We can agree on only going after proven criminals and, maybe, some rescue missions. This way, we also provide a valuable service to the whole galaxy at large."
"You seem to have thought this thoroughly," Shayera said.
"Magpie, even though we've known each other for a short time, I feel this inescapable pull towards you. Our visions, our physical connection. It's like you're the missing part of my soul, and, now that we're whole again, I don't want to let go. This is it, for me." His dark eyes spoke of sincerity. Hawkgirl felt deeply moved by his words. Nevertheless, she had to say.
"My proposal still stands: if what we feel is authentic, it can endure a short separation…say, a year." Her heart shrank at the sole mention of being apart that long. "I say we meet in that lovely place of yours a year from now. If things are still the same between us, I swear I'll never leave your side again."
"A…year? Okay. Deal. I strongly protest, but you have a deal. If the physical pain I felt this past three days for not having you is any indication, it will be a year of hell," the Commander reluctantly said, and he added, "What if anything happens to one of us and can't keep our…appointment? What then?"
An image of another redhead in a wheel chair appear in Shayera's head. "Right. We have to take precautions to prevent any misunderstanding. In that case, a messenger will meet the other part to inform."
"Mmmm. Not good enough. I have a counterproposal: every Creerebyan cycle (AN: Creerebys being the larger of Thanagar moons) we'll contact one another to check everything's alright. It doesn't need to be an extended chat, just 'hello, how are you' will suffice, just to keep in touch," responded Katar.
"Good. We have to commit on keep calling the other even if our feelings cooled down, and inform the change of situation. This way, the only reason to stop calling will be that something went wrong," she said.
"And if one of us should go on an undercover mission, unable to make contact with the other?" he asked.
"Mmmm. In that case, before going below the radar, an emergency call should be made with a code word..."
"Hawkeye!" he exclaimed.
"Perfect!" Hawkgirl put a big smile on her face."It is set, then. A year from the end of the Peace Negotiations. Whatever the outcome of these. Agreed?"
"Agreed, under protest. Now…what can I do to make you remember me for as long as a year…?" Katar pulled her on top of himself.
Shayera had barely slept last night. It seemed hard to remain alert. Seated at the sector reserved for Thanagarian aids, she waited for the delegation to arrive. Her communicator beeped and, touching her ear, she responded:
"Hawkgirl here."
"Hawkgirl, this is Green Lantern. Stay alert. When all the delegations are in place, Zatanna and I will try something to uncover any attempt to sabotage the conference. If we're successful, things can get out of hand fast. Keep your eyes open. Your priority is to protect the heads of Thanagarian ambassadors. Acknowledge."
"Understood." 'Yeah. The icing of the cake: protect those pigheaded morons', she thought. Nevertheless, she took a deep breath and sipped her purple tea, a strong mix of a slightly bitter flavor, which was supposed to help her stay awake.
The last to enter the Conference Room was Queen Maxima followed by her cortege. J'onzz and Stewart occupied their seats, but Zatanna stayed behind, standing by a wall facing the room. Closing her eyes she whispered:
"Here goes nothing: Ekam yreve nopaew, evisolpxe ecived ro oidar detavitca sutarappa time a langis ylno ni eht net ot eht sunim htneethgie rewop ycneuqerf fo eht citengamortcele murtceps." She'd been practicing that the whole night. Her only hope was that it came out right. Tapping her com, she called, "Zatanna here. Green Lantern, if everything went well you might be able to see something now. Acknowledge."
"Understood. Activating enhanced vision now," said GL. Turning his head slowly he scanned the whole room, searching for a sign. Anything suspicious would be glowing green. Nothing. That was actually good news, but only if Zee's little trick was effective. Suddenly something he perceived with the corner of his eye caught his attention: among the Thanagarians, the eyes of a very tall officer, with raven black wings, were emitting a soft green glow.
"Hawkgirl, this is Green Lantern. Come in," he said in a very low voice, touching his ear.
"Hawkgirl here. Hold, Green Lantern." She moved away from her seat, towards the rest rooms exit. On the central table, Queen Maxima was opening the negotiations of the day. "Yes, GL, what's happening?" Shayera asked.
"Thanagarian sector. Second row. Seat number 12. Get to that officer and make him follow you discretely to the rest rooms corridor. Acknowledge," John said.
"Underst…" Hawkgirls eyes followed the indications. Her pale face got ivory white in horror when she saw it was Katar the occupant of that seat.
"Hawkgirl, is there anything wrong? Shayera?" Green Lantern asked.
"N-nothing wrong. Please, repeat subject's location." After GL confirmed, Shayera whispered "Understood. Moving to subject's position." Folding her wings very close to her body, she moved through the third row of seats. When she was behind him, gently touching his shoulder she whispered "Commander Hol. Excuse me, sir, but there is something of the utmost importance we need you to see."
Feigning contempt, Katar asked "Can't it wait? We're in the middle of something here, in case you didn't notice, Leaguer."
"Very sorry, sir, but no. There's a security matter we need to solve right now, and we need you," Hawkgirl said impatiently.
Sighing heavily, for everyone to see, the Commander apologized with one of the delegates and followed her. In the corridor Zatanna and John, who excused himself from the negotiations table, were waiting.
"Shayera? What's happening? What can I do for the Justice League?" Katar asked surprised.
"Cut the crap, Thanagarian. Where do you have it?" said GL pointing his ring to him. He could see the thanagarian's eyes like two green embers now.
"Where is what, Lantern? Shayera, what is he talking about? Explain immediately what's going on!" the Commander's hand went instinctively to the hilt of his sword. Giving Hawkgirl a supplicant look, "Magpie?"
"I have this, Shay." Seeing the confused desperation in her friend's face, Zatanna explained, "Commander, we are looking for a weapon or bomb hidden among the delegations. Everything points in your direction."
"Peacock! If you have something to tell me, please do it now! We are trying to save the negotiations!" Hawkgirl begged.
"I don't know what you are all talking about, damn it! I'm working for the good of the peace conference too! What is happening! I have no weapon, other than my sword, and it is permitted by protocol, as is your mace!" shouted Katar. To Shayera he sounded sincere, but the evidence pointed to the contrary.
"John, are you positive about this?" asked Hawkgirl to GL.
All eyes turned to him "As positive as I'll ever be. I can see it clearly now."
Taking advantage of the fact that Katar was looking in Green Lantern's direction, Hawkgirl rose her mace and hit him hard in the head, rendering him unconscious. She immediately knelt beside him and, taking his helmet off, cradled his head in her lap. "Nobody touches him!" she said with a strangled voice. "Where can I take him for safety, until we can figure this out? John?"
"The Javelin is the safest place. We'll put him inside a stasis pod. At almost absolute zero, no signal can trigger the explosive he is carrying," responded GL. Looking to his ex-girlfriend's concerned face, he added "And he will be safe there."
Shayera took Katar in her arms and quietly sneaked to the back of Ancestral Hall, followed by John. Zatanna went to the negotiations table, where she informed the Martian about the mission status. "Situation is contained. Subject is being moved to the Javelin and will be put in a stasis pod, for the moment."
"Understood. We'll go there when today's session finishes," said J'onn. Zatanna nodded.
Maxima couldn't help but notice strange movements coming from the Justice League table with a frown of preoccupation. Damn the hour she got those pests involved. The Queen needed to know what it was all about. Did they find out what really happened to Suupra? She was reading her proposal, so her concerns will have to wait.