Delphyne's recent investments in planetary defenses, sponsored by the Tailarons, is cause for immediate concern.
- CORDIA SENATE SESSIONS, a.d. XIV Kal. Apr. CDXXVII
The Lady Eilanna of the Houris made eye contact as she offered her hand to be lightly kissed, "What a joy to see you again, Hilom". The Commissioner held her gloved hand like it were glass, barely scraping his lips with the white velvet.
"The joy is mine. Your smirli drink is ready at the top of the Tower," he answered meekly, turning to face the man next to her. "Ambassador Keli, congratulations on finding quite the match."
The Lady's arm firmly held the Cordian Ambassador's the way a master would hold a leashed pet. "A two-year contract, Hilom," replied the Ambassador with pride.
"A stunning match," reiterated Hilom, "the first time the Lady accepted such a long engagement, I hear."
The Lady allowed herself to smile. A hot bath was waiting for her back at the embassy. But now, official business only in this ugly tower. To her surprise, the usual gloom of the place had given way to a cozy atmosphere. Potted hedge bushes lining up along the carpet? The few steps to the security check-point allowed her to take in the remodeled entrance: new furniture, new lights on the ceiling... She was startled by the sight of two sand hawks perching high above them in large metal cages. She squeezed the Ambassador's arm.
The Commissioner waved away the security team and moments later they filled the elevator car climbing up to the top of the Tower. That allowed them sixty seconds of privacy. "You could not find the attackers who planted the bomb outside our embassy, Hil, and the Triumvirs demand that I take our security in our own hands," erupted the Ambassador as the doors opened to spill the party onto a large platform lit by an ever-changing pattern of lights. A boy welcomed them holding a tray with four glasses - not the usual bar tender, the Lady noticed - then trailed after the Commissioner, who mumbled something about him being his new attaché. Now the famous Hilom was recruiting young boys? She made a mental note to background-check the Commissioner's sexual preferences in case there was leverage to be found.
With a studiedly boring expression on her face, the Lady royally sat down on the suspensor-powered divans. The view of the city of Lat enveloped in the heavenly blues of the evening took her breath away.
"Doubtless you will want permission to land a small force of praetorians," said Hilom as he picked up a glass of purple liquid. "Yet you will be happy to learn there is nothing to fear. My team dismantled a network of infiltrators just today."
"Infiltrators, not perpetrators?" remarked the Lady, guessing the Commissioner had only discovered some loose ends of the Cordian's own spy network. Her glass swirled with the gentle bubbles produced by the mood-lifting smirli particles that danced within like gold droplets. She smiled. Euphoria was a rare gift. Cordia planting false attacks to justify an gradual invasion for good for business.
"We are close. The top links, those with real connections to the foreign powers who attempted this, escaped minutes before capture. Two departing shuttles forced through... "
"You are a romantic, my dear Hilom," the Lady cut him short, "I could spend all day listening to your cat-and-mouse stories of spycraft."
"Indeed, my Lady Eilanna." he replied timidly and losing momentum.
"And rest assured the Commissioner is extraordinary in his track record to ensure the safety of his citizens on this planet, and incidentally ours," remarked the Ambassador, swiftly switching topic. "Despicably I am not much of a romantic; I am myself a man of more prosaic interests - commerce, farming..."
Hilom relaxed. The boy with the tray had disappeared.
"My beloved, since when is agriculture in your purview?" inquired the Lady with an innocent smile.
"My dear, since I made the acquaintance of a few Cornucopian merchants come here for the Festival from their awfully far planet."
"That gives me goosebumps. Did you hear the tales about their blood-sworn bodyguards? Are the stories about their watch bats real? And their intruder-detecting shrubs?"
"I can report they are very real. So real, I saw the very same shrubs in the entrance of this Tower, isn't that right Hilom?"
"A recent introduction."
"Must have been expensive," inquired the Ambassador, raising a finger.
"Our means are modest. Delphyne's planetary council is particularly parsimonious."
"Then you must have found a wealthy sponsor. But no matter," continued the Ambassador, "the Cornucopians are the thing."
"I have read all the popular love novels about them, Keli. Are they all true too?" asked the Lady Elianna, following the routine they had spent time crafting.
"I know better than to dispel the magic of the romantic tales about their bodyguards. But think of the potential for agriculture! The spidercotton our Cordian immigrants grow in the dry plains here on Delphyne,"
"...land that the Commissioner so generously offered to lease to Cordian's retired legionnaires a few decades ago as a token of friendship between the two governments..." continued the Lady.
"A lasting friendship!" echoed Hilom.
"And certainly the real thing" continued the Lady; "well." she continued taking over from the Ambassador, "that cotton is finer than the best synthetic fibers and yet so strong." She paused to accept a mooncake offered by the same young boy with the tray. Lifting her gaze from the mooncake, she found deep brown eyes observing her. Eyes older than the land. She looked away instinctively as the Ambassador muttered with a definitive tone: "Strong! You could hang a deserter on it".
"Their skill in husbandry is as compelling, Keli" continued the Lady. "Their aurochs are the most durable solution for moving goods on this planet already."
"You seem quite versed in this subject, my Lady," observed the Commissioner.
"What devilish science allows them to manipulate animals in this way? I always thought it is against all ethical concerns," murmured the Ambassador.
"They breed and cross species from a thousand planets, my dear," the Lady Eilanna responded, "direct genetic manipulation is not allowed by their credo, I am told, and for good reason, for they would be wiped out by Cordia and another dozen smaller nations."
"Indeed," replied the Commissioner with scorn.
"Certainly," continued the Ambassador, "though exceptions here and there could be tolerated if a greater need arose, isn't that true, Hilom?"
The Commissioner shook his head, "I am not following you, Ambassador."
"Rumor has it that Delphyne officials recruited several women from local hospitals recently, all of them in irreversible coma. Curious! Not something I would care to take an interest in, of course; for I only care, as we Cordians say, of the State and Estate. But the rumor mill is a source of all sorts of news. It must have been relatively cheap to win their families' silence, I imagine. As a thought experiment. One experiments with crops, you may say, but a foray into experiments with people would seem uncharacteristic of you, Hilom. After all, this is a holy planet and holy ground we stand on, right?"
"I don't know what you are referring to," said the Commissioner, staring back in a confused look.
"No matter, my dear friend. Rumors are just rumors, after all - not something to care too much about lest counterproductive news get to be known by regular people on the streets. After all, why would you need to import dangerous foreign practices... Cornucopians, and the other lot, the Niners; these new groups are good to keep at arm's length, if you know what I mean. Pick and choose what to use; do not be used."
"I do not follow your line of reasoning. Speak plainly, friend."
"It makes no matter," said the Ambassador while accepting from the boy two vials of transparent liquid with blue dots floating within. He pocketed one without looking at it directly, and offered the second to the Lady. She moved casually, hiding it somewhere in the folds of her dress; but her eyes blinked for a moment. This other rumor was true then, that Delphyne now offered spice bribes. Her head spun round for a moment. A droplet worth a moonlet, the old saying went. Vertigo took over her briefly. The Delphynians have spice!
"Now for the Cordians," continued the Ambassador as nothing had happened. "We have known each other for quite some time, Hilom." He paused. "Stopping short of breaking international laws, a Cordian frigate is already en route to us but will stay at distance - a parsec, per convention. But you know the Triumvirs, do you? They are where the people are, and with billions of Cordians coming for the Decennial Festival, their safety is a paramount concern to them. Allow us to land a peace-keeping contingent to reinforce your security."
"And how large would it be?" said Hilom soberly. He is already caving in, thought the Lady Eilanna.
"Ten thousand. Do not worry, their wage, room and board will be on us. It is to protect Cordian pilgrims, after all."
"Ten battalions? I regret to inform you that it will not be possible, after all," replied Hilom holding his ground. "As I said, we have made major progress in dismantling illegal operations by foreign agents and the presence of foreign, albeit friendly, armies..."
"Not armies, peacekeepers. Security consultants to your independent government."
"The difference will be too slight for anybody to tell in the international arena!"
"The Triumvirs will not abide..."
"The independence of Delphyne's Entente..."
"... If even one more accident happened to show the growing risk of terrorism..."
"Keli!" boomed the frustrated Commissioner, "I would not be so impolite as to remind you of the obligations that our long-standing consideration for you entails..." The Lady thought: the Commissioner is reminding Keli of years of bribes. He must feel backed into a corner.
The Ambassador waited for the anger to subside. Then he murmured: "Your consideration I will continue to honor. We have known each other for two decades, Hilom. Yet in this conjuncture, as a government official, I am but a conduit. I cannot overrule Cordia for you. I am sorry. I do not see other options."
A white swirl entered the Lady's field of vision. "The Sayyadina!" she exclaimed, standing up above the two sparring men. "Come to save me from the boring squabbles of diplomacy!" she cried out, and the two women embraced. A new light seemed to shine through the nun of Dur compared to the usual dullness. The fierce contours of her face had softened a bit. "What is that I see, sister? Is that finally happiness?" the Lady inquired. "Finally a lover? I have to tell you, I almost lost hope for you my darling."
The Sayyadina smiled. "Love forever triumphs, my Lady. How is your village? Your parents' cows and mud huts are well, I hope? I see that Keli scored big," the Sayyadina said pointing to the Ambassador, "or wait, is it the other way around? Is this your retirement? I never thought you would throw in the towel so easily," she continued, not allowing the Lady to interrupt her, "he must be so good in bed!"
"Love does surprise us all," was the Lady Eilanna's impersonal response, as her sarcasm died in its tracks.
Unfazed by the exchange, the Sayyadina grabbed her arm to keep her close and murmured: "You must tell me, how does it feel to hold it in your hands?"
"What twisted..."
She whispered, close to her ear. "The spice. Brogallo can't keep the faithful out of the cathedral. The poor man is so scared somebody will steal the spice cruet that he has convinced Hilom to surround the building at all times. I am telling him, the Tailarons and the Cordians will be receiving litrejons, so you should really not worry, but you know, the old man..."
The Lady blinked, taken aback by the untold wealth the words implied. "Provided Delphyne's spice source remains available and untouched."
"Somehow I feel there will be a request coming next, sister," protested the Lady while finding support on the divan.
"And so it comes to the conclusion: Delphyne must remain free from international interference while we - and by that I include you, my dear, not the Houris, of course!, not, this is going to be a closely-knit, personal partnership, need-to-know basis, the Ambassador is not in it."
"I am but a servant of the Goddess," said the Lady, feigning embarrassment for the first time.
"But you must see, Lady Eilanna, that the Ambassador holds back the Cordian intervention until you have had the time to assess the potential for personal wealth. You would not want our sources to be inadvertently destroyed?"
"How would the Sayyadina come to be so self-interested?" attacked the Lady, but the greed in her eyes showed that a personal arrangement was indeed the desirable state while matters were assessed. And I must warn the Ambassador...
"But the Ambassador will play a secondary role, Eilanna," said the Sayyadina, calling the Lady by name. Eilanna's arm trembled at the affront until she stilled it. "You just heard him, he is following orders. It's up to you how much spice to provide him and his spies as a way to entrust his services. We would not trust anyone to be more expert on the matter."
We? The Lady eyed the Commissioner, connecting the meaning to the Sayyadina's words. Pride kicked in, as yes, she was the absolute master of the Ambassador now and that arrangement was going to be the most obvious, even to the virgin Sayyadina and the slow-witted Commissioner.
No betrayal of my order is necessary today. The Houris will know when I decide.
"Agreed?"
She hesitated. "Agreed." And yet, the Lady was terrified. With one word, they are turning Delphyne from a religious backwater to a cosmic tinderbox!
"Well done. And now, the price."
"What?" she replied, arching her delicately pencilated eyebrows.
"Tell me what you know about the Commissioner, Eilanna!"
"But,"
"Tell me now! To seal the bargain! I am covering you in gold, my dear, don't you see? But I need to know what you know. I could still arrange things with the Ambassador directly, do you understand? Just, tell me. What dirt do you have on him?"
The Lady could not know, but the Sayyadina's use of Voice, her one true acolyte skill, would have been the source of great envy on Chapterhouse.
Convinced and compelled, the Lady erupted: "We have in our hands witnesses who can testify that twenty years ago, the Commissioner overthrew Esau illegally. The previous Commissioner was exiled for sedition, based on proof that Hilom fabricated."
"Good Lady, now shut up," the Sayyadina caressed the shocked houris. "Welcome to the partnership. Who knows, with the resources we will unlock for you, you may one day make a bid to become First Houris."
The Lady, shook from inside but curiously happy of it, finished her smirli drink. White noise rang in her ears. She had to talk to the Ambassador promptly.
From the other side of the room came the grave voice of the Commissioner: "It is my last word: no military will be allowed on the planet, Keli." There was tension, and silence. Even the boy with the tray jumped at attention.
"Keli," moaned the Lady, pleading.
"My Lady, I heard enough," interrupted the Ambassador. "And if I cannot convince our Commissioner, then, in the spirit of our friendship, we must renounce our demands. This is sacred land, and we must seek harmony on behalf of our citizens. A brotherhood of man, that's what Priest Brogallo talked about during the rites today. May we all rest comfortably knowing that Commissioner Hilom and his force have our safety as their mission." and with that the Ambassador stood up, looking for the exit. He raised a finger as a warning: "That said, any news that the safety of Cordian people is at risk here, the Triumvirs will force my hand."
The Lady sighed. Then, a things happened so fast, only in retrospective was she able to recount the facts.
A blinding flash erupted outside, from the ground, to the clouds like a lightning in reverse, bathing in light the entire vault of the night sky.
In the after-images, the Lady made sense of an infinitely-thin, yellow straight line perforating the clouds.
As a response, burgundy and gray halos splashed in the clouds.
The Sayyadina turned to Hilom.
The boy sped toward the exit.
The Ambassador, as the experienced actor he was, let go of the glass, which crashed on the ground.
"What was that?" she asked in startled surprise, knowing something inevitable had happened.
There was a moment of silence. The Commissioner's face darkened. "That was a ground laser shooting into the sky toward our orbital stations," he replied, "and hitting."
"Hitting what?" asked the Sayyadina with the arrogance of a stupid cleric. The Lady stood up. Didn't she get it?
Smoke-enveloped specks of black pierced the clouds, dropping somewhere on the landscape out there bangs whose force shook the Tower.
The Cordians feigned a false flag attack. Why did Keli pretend to withdraw his demands, if he had planned an attack all along?
"That was a station, or worse, the spaceships anchored there," continued Hilom holding back the panic, "if you would excuse me now..." he said, walking toward the elevator; then paused and walked back hurriedly. "We will be going now," pre-empted the Lady. She took the ambassador under her arm, the moment Hilom crashed into the Ambassador.
"Hilom, get your hands off of me!" the Ambassador cried out outraged while retreating. But instead of a punch, the well-set, tall Commissioner thrust a hand in the Ambassador's pocket to retrieve a spice vial; then turned and walked disgruntled toward the door.
The top of the tower remained deserted. The Lady and her Ambassador descended alone via the next elevator, and did not speak until safely in their diplomatic ground car.
"You planned the attack all along!" she raged. "You told me you would have withdrawn the triumvirs' demands! Why didn't you tell me?"
The Ambassador whispered softly, gesturing to "The triumvirs cannot be defied. I didn't tell you. I needed a genuine reaction from you."
"So you faked your acquiescence while knowing your spies were planting a false flag attack? Do you think Hilom can't see through this?"
"The attack is to one orbital station. Untraceable to us. Hilom likes to entertain doubts. We will blame it on the terrorists, like the bomb at the embassy. That's all we need to justify the landing of our peacekeeping force. There are half a billion Cordians on the planet. Their protection is paramount."
"You lost your spice."
"It's not the first nor the last the Delphynians will pay me. In time Hilom will come to understand that Cordian rule is a better prospect than Tailaron rule."
Resignation and anger flashed in the Lady's eyes. "Our partnership can't continue if you don't make me privy to your plans," she said with venom in her voice. "This ends now. Promise me!"
"I promise," he replied meekly.
"Failure to uphold this promise will be cause for termination. Is this the value you put on my services?" The Ambassador shivered. After finding ecstasy, the dullness of normal life was a hellish prospect. Content, the Lady embraced him and whispered: "You did well, my dear. Flawless execution. The triumvirs will be pleased."
"The first battalion is landing as we speak," he replied in a sour mood.
"War? Occupation?"
"Not that," he replied, "not that. It's all going to be gradual, and peaceful. Our force will police the land our veterans administrate. And Hilom can't possibly deny us."
"No he cannot," said the Lady Eilanna muttering a curse under her breath. She had to reach out to the Sayyadina. It was not to late to keep the source of the melange out of the Cordians' hands. And yet, the wrinkled priestess had one-upped her - forcing her to reveal information at no cost. No cost? She was aware of the vial in her pocket.
The Ambassador's warm body was pressing on her, getting close. A sturdy insistence in his movements was calling her, demanding. "I need you," he said. She sensed a hint of fright, for she knew the Ambassador was scared.
"Not tonight, not after what you hid from me," she replied, pushing him against the car door.
"It's in our agreement, I need you. You won't deny yourself."
"I won't deny myself, but you will wait until we are home," she replied. Furiously, she tried to focus on the hot bath that awaited her not a mile away.