Chapter 38
Jim Vassilakos
Following up on “Going to ask Masa if contacting the Countess via Jaqueline a better option.”
“Masa, is it better for me to contact the Countess via the Jaqueline?”
“No, you can use our direct channel from the Admiral’s Kinnuki.”
“No,” Karneticky objected. “You won’t be using my channel to convey the invocation of Section 678. That would indicate my support. Call her however you like, Plankwell, but leave me out of it.”
Conrad Rader
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Jim Vassilakos
Conrad Rader
Are you sure Gus would ask about her again? Karneticky already told him, “Physically, she’s in the green room sitting next to the Canon.”
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Jim Vassilakos
“Aye aye, sir,” I said, punching the call button for the elevator. “Gentlemen, I think we need to retire to the green room. My marines need to get moving, and frankly, discussing this where I can still smell the outside air is bad for everyone involved.”
“I’ll catch up to you,” Karneticky said as its doors opened. “Captain Masa, accompany Plankwell and see to it that he doesn’t drag us into his mess.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
One of Major Fa’Linto’s battle armored marines followed Masa and I into the elevator while the admiral headed deeper into VIP parking, probably looking for his Kinnuki. He was going somewhere. Or maybe he just didn’t want to answer questions about how Josefeen got drugged while he stood there watching it all go down.
It was stupid of her to tell him he was in trouble. That must have been why he snatched her diplomatic case. Fortunately, there appeared to be some sort of electronic lock just beneath the handle. He’d probably tried opening it. If he’d made it to the base, he would have had one of his people figure out how to open it, and then who knows what might have happened? It was a potential disaster narrowly avoided.
“The Admiral will come over to our side if the Countess is willing to do so,” Masa said. “So you’ll need to talk to her.” The elevator doors opened again and we headed back toward the green room.
“I will channel through my comm and the Jaqueline, but I half expect the Countess to be calling me before we have a chance to sit down.”
“Once the media gets wind of this, you’ll be inundated with interview requests. If you like, I can steer you toward friendly venues.”
(Gus’s response?)
Wheels were in motion. The tribunal would begin assembling evidence. The interdict made sure that my crew under its cover were secured, legally in any case. I began arranging in my head the standings I would employ. The Admiral would only come around if it looked like I was winning, so I needed to start assembling a response to the report that would surely be heading towards Vasilyev on the next dispatch courier. Well, I needed more time on the Jackie. And this ceremony still had to go forward because NavInt expected me to bag a zho infiltrator.
Hmmm. If the infiltrator was already in the area, I had them under interdict. No, mass checking of ID would be a massive tip-off, but I had assets to seize suspects, if I was able to identify them. I knew that Abbonette wanted a covert operation, but she’d apparently taken herself out of the equation. I would definitely be writing that up in my classified after action report.
My watch beeped. Priority message from Josefeen: Somebody took the orb.
She looked up from her wristcom as I entered the room, the couch cushions all over the floor like she’d been frantically looking for something. The Canon, meanwhile, was back at the liquor cabinet, already contemplating his next intoxicant.
Conrad Rader
“Aye aye, sir,” I said, punching the call button for the elevator. “Gentlemen, I think we need to retire to the green room. My marines need to get moving, and frankly, discussing this where I can still smell the outside air is bad for everyone involved.”
“I’ll catch up to you,” Karneticky said as its doors opened. “Captain Masa, accompany Plankwell and see to it that he doesn’t drag us into his mess.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
One of Major Fa’Linto’s battle armored marines followed Masa and I into the elevator while the admiral headed deeper into VIP parking, probably looking for his Kinnuki. He was going somewhere. Or maybe he just didn’t want to answer questions about how Josefeen got drugged while he stood there watching it all go down.
It was stupid of her to tell him he was in trouble. That must have been why he snatched her diplomatic case. Fortunately, there appeared to be some sort of electronic lock just beneath the handle. He’d probably tried opening it. If he’d made it to the base, he would have had one of his people figure out how to open it, and then who knows what might have happened? It was a potential disaster narrowly avoided.
“The Admiral will come over to our side if the Countess is willing to do so,” Masa said. “So you’ll need to talk to her.” The elevator doors opened again and we headed back toward the green room.
“I will channel through my comm and the Jaqueline, but I half expect the Countess to be calling me before we have a chance to sit down.”
“Once the media gets wind of this, you’ll be inundated with interview requests. If you like, I can steer you toward friendly venues.”
(Gus’s response?)
Wheels were in motion. The tribunal would begin assembling evidence. The interdict made sure that my crew under its cover were secured, legally in any case. I began arranging in my head the standings I would employ. The Admiral would only come around if it looked like I was winning, so I needed to start assembling a response to the report that would surely be heading towards Vasilyev on the next dispatch courier. Well, I needed more time on the Jackie. And this ceremony still had to go forward because NavInt expected me to bag a zho infiltrator.
Hmmm. If the infiltrator was already in the area, I had them under interdict. No, mass checking of ID would be a massive tip-off, but I had assets to seize suspects, if I was able to identify them. I knew that Abbonette wanted a covert operation, but she’d apparently taken herself out of the equation. I would definitely be writing that up in my classified after action report.
My watch beeped. Priority message from Josefeen: Somebody took the orb.
She looked up from her wristcom as I entered the room, the couch cushions all over the floor like she’d been frantically looking for something. The Canon, meanwhile, was back at the liquor cabinet, already contemplating his next intoxicant.
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Jim Vassilakos
Jim Vassilakos
I held up the bag.
“Admiral Karneticky was kind enough to secure our dispatches while you were occupied.” «Are you okay?»
«I saw her, Sir. I saw Lt. Jaamzon.»
(Gus’s reply)
I turned and checked the nameplate of the marine guarding me. I tapped my comm.
“Jaqueline; add Corporal Hoskins to my detail, full comm access and list as active bodyguard. Any requests from the HPSS or civ authorities I need to know about?”
"Sir, I've got an Ms. Locos of the HDTC who insists on speaking with you about the interdiction."
Timothy Collinson
I'm going out of town for a week. I'll try to post updates as time allows, but I'm not sure how much time I'll be allowed.
Timothy Collinson
[OOC I love how I keep walking in on people when they call me]
It was stupid of her to tell him he was in trouble.
That must have been why he snatched her diplomatic case. Fortunately, there appeared to be some sort of electronic lock just beneath the handle. He’d probably tried opening it. If he’d made it to the base, he would have had one of his people figure out how to open it, and then who knows what might have happened? It was a potential disaster narrowly avoided.
Conrad Rader
I held up the bag.
“Admiral Karneticky was kind enough to secure our dispatches while you were occupied.” «Are you okay?»
«I saw her, Sir. I saw Lt. Jaamzon.»
(Gus’s reply)
I turned and checked the nameplate of the marine guarding me. I tapped my comm.
“Jaqueline; add Corporal Hoskins to my detail, full comm access and list as active bodyguard. Any requests from the HPSS or civ authorities I need to know about?”
"Sir, I've got an Ms. Locos of the HDTC who insists on speaking with you about the interdiction."
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Jim Vassilakos
«I saw her, Sir. I saw Lt. Jaamzon.»
«OK. Wow. All right. Are you still high?»
As she winced and glanced toward the Canon, frowning, I extended a psionic tendril into her mind. Our bond had been broken, but I'd been in her head long enough to have a sense of the basic layout, and so it only took me a moment before I was confronted with Jaamzon's voice: “Tell the Captain thank you.”
(Any reaction from Gus?)
I turned and checked the nameplate of the marine guarding me. I tapped my comm.
“Jaqueline; add Corporal Hoskins to my detail, full comm access and list as active bodyguard. Any requests from the HPSS or civ authorities I need to know about?”
“Sir, I've got a Ms. Locos of the HDTC who insists on speaking with you about the interdiction.”
“HDTC? Traffic Control?”
“Heron Downport Traffic Control,” Blodder said.
“I can't imagine what they would want.” I smiled thinly as I could almost hear Blodder's brain trying to figure out how to answer command sarcasm. "Never mind. She can insist all she wants, but the Code is pretty clear. Route her to whoever got assigned to zone security. If she insists on escalating, tell her I am unavailable at the moment and will get back to her as time allows. Has there been any comms from the Countess or the rest of the nobility?"
“No, sir, but I can whitelist them if you'd like.” (To whitelist someone means that their call automatically goes through to Gus's wristcom.)
(Gus's reply?)
“Please secure a channel to the Countess's staff, and let them know that Captain Plankwell is asking for a consultation. Be sure you are logging this for the evidentiary record.”
“Aye-aye, sir.”
One did not call the nobility directly, after all, I did not have the personal standing nor the connections for a direct call, so I started the normal channels of going through her staff. It would be interesting to see how far I got.
“I don't suppose I could interest anyone in a drink?” the Canon asked.
“No!” Josefeen replied a bit too loudly.
My wristcom beeped.
“Sir, I have a Guri Maakhiriin on the line.”
“Hello, Gus,” Guri said. “My sources tell me you just invoked Article 678 for the kilometer around Heron Stadium. If this is some sort of publicity stunt…”
Conrad Rader
«I saw her, Sir. I saw Lt. Jaamzon.»
«OK. Wow. All right. Are you still high?»
As she winced and glanced toward the Canon, frowning, I extended a psionic tendril into her mind. Our bond had been broken, but I'd been in her head long enough to have a sense of the basic layout, and so it only took me a moment before I was confronted with Jaamzon's voice: “Tell the Captain thank you.”
(Any reaction from Gus?)
I turned and checked the nameplate of the marine guarding me. I tapped my comm.
“Jaqueline; add Corporal Hoskins to my detail, full comm access and list as active bodyguard. Any requests from the HPSS or civ authorities I need to know about?”
“Sir, I've got a Ms. Locos of the HDTC who insists on speaking with you about the interdiction.”
“HDTC? Traffic Control?”
“Heron Downport Traffic Control,” Blodder said.
“I can't imagine what they would want.” I smiled thinly as I could almost hear Blodder's brain trying to figure out how to answer command sarcasm. "Never mind. She can insist all she wants, but the Code is pretty clear. Route her to whoever got assigned to zone security. If she insists on escalating, tell her I am unavailable at the moment and will get back to her as time allows. Has there been any comms from the Countess or the rest of the nobility?"
“No, sir, but I can whitelist them if you'd like.” (To whitelist someone means that their call automatically goes through to Gus's wristcom.)
(Gus's reply?)
“Please secure a channel to the Countess's staff, and let them know that Captain Plankwell is asking for a consultation. Be sure you are logging this for the evidentiary record.”
“Aye-aye, sir.”
One did not call the nobility directly, after all, I did not have the personal standing nor the connections for a direct call, so I started the normal channels of going through her staff. It would be interesting to see how far I got.
“I don't suppose I could interest anyone in a drink?” the Canon asked.
“No!” Josefeen replied a bit too loudly.
My wristcom beeped.
“Sir, I have a Guri Maakhiriin on the line.”
“Hello, Gus,” Guri said. “My sources tell me you just invoked Article 678 for the kilometer around Heron Stadium. If this is some sort of publicity stunt…”
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Jim Vassilakos
“Not unless you explain to me what this is all about.”
Conrad Rader
"Captain Maakhiriin. Your sources are correct. As to why you would think the imposition of an Imperial Interdict a stunt, I cannot help you there. I have a request in process for an audience with the Countess. Any way you could expedite that?"“Not unless you explain to me what this is all about.”
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Jim Vassilakos
“Be advised that this conversation is being recorded for the evidentiary tribunal. Are you, in your role as military attache, refusing to expedite a request from the Imperial Navy to inform the planetary nobility that they may be harboring revolutionaries, as the prevailing reason behind a 678 interdict?”
I waited for Guri. He really had no standing not to expedite or otherwise facilitate contact between the Navy and the local nobility. Colonial navy attaches do not overrule active duty Imperial Captains. Everyone thought I was overreacting, but the sheer panic of trying to get me to stand down or explain myself said to me there was something else going on that would not easily withstand scrutiny. Yes, it was irregular, and yes, people were having a rough time wrapping their heads around it, but this was the first time in my entire career that I had taken fire from supposedly friendly forces for what amounted to a clerical error. I had the right to invoke it, and with either the Admiral’s or the Countess’s support, I’d have the right to prosecute it. Karneticky had refused, which meant the Countess was essentially my last shot at getting this properly redressed.
“Revolutionaries, you say? I’ll convey your concerns to the Countess and get back to you with what she expects of you.”
There was a click followed by silence.
“Sir, I think he hung-up,” Blodder said.
Conrad Rader
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Jim Vassilakos
“Sir, I think he hung-up,” Blodder said.
Indeed, he had. For some reason, an image flashed to mind, of an historical dramatization, a mad captain bringing his battleship into the atmosphere of a world to intimidate the planetary government into surrender.
«Oh, dear Cleon.» Josefeen frowned. «I do hope you’re not serious.»
“Remember, Blodder, no more direct connections. Screen whoever is asking for contact, and I’ll let you know who to pass through. I will check in again in five minutes.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
“Lieutenant Abbonette. Who’s our best PR person on the ship?”
“Sir, with all due respect to the crew, the best PR person on the planet is standing right next to you.”
“That’s very kind of you to say,” Masa said. “Captain, how can I be of service?”
“I need something to broadcast to people being turned away from the interdict to keep things calm, and we need to get our view out before whoever kicked off shooting officers takes the heavy silence from the Navy as something sinister. Well, more sinister.”
“Sinister.” He smiled. “I rather like the sound of that word. Perhaps you should bring the Jaqueline down to thousand meters to underscore the seriousness of their offense.”
«What are you doing to that poor man’s brain?»
Conrad Rader
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Timothy Collinson
>>“No!” Josefeen replied a bit too loudly.
>[[I wanted a drink, but the optics would be bad.]]
I’m pretty sure that wasn’t intended as a job, but I did laugh at the wanting a drink but the optics being bad!
(see meaning 2 if this is more British than I realized! https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/optic)
>>«Oh, dear Cleon.» Josefeen frowned. «I do hope you’re not serious.»
>“Remember, Blodder, no more direct connections. Screen whoever is asking for contact,
>and I’ll let you know who to pass through. I will check in again in five minutes.”
The juxtaposition of this also amused me. “No direct connections.” he says with the directest connection of all!
>“Sir, with all due respect to the crew, the best PR person on the planet is standing right next to you.”
>“That’s very kind of you to say,” Masa said. “Captain, how can I be of service?”
Excellent!
>“Sinister.” He smiled. “I rather like the sound of that word. Perhaps you should bring
> the Jaqueline down to thousand meters to underscore the seriousness of their offense.”
LOL!
You guys have cheered me up on a dull day back to work!
cheers and well done.
tc
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PO1 2ST
Jim Vassilakos
«What are you doing to that poor man’s brain?»
«Me? I’m not doing anything.» “I think that is a touch too heavy, considering the circumstances. Perhaps something more along the lines of ‘We apologize for the routing inconvenience and hope to resume normal operations shortly. We appreciate your patience.’”
“Ah… kill them with a kindness so false it’s dripping with sarcasm.” Masa grinned, puffing out his chest. “I like the way you think, Captain Plankwell. It’s downright devious.”
«You must be doing something,» Josefeen’s voice echoed in the back of my mind as Masa sat down on one of the purple couches and punched some buttons on his wristcom. «He repeated your thoughts as if they were his own.»
Indeed he had, just as he’d started shouting at the guards what I’d merely been thinking. Apparently, I was some kind of psionic influencer. As if I didn’t have enough to worry about.
«Any ideas, Lieutenant?»
«Try pulling the curtain.»
Conrad Rader
Hi there,Just getting back into things after the best part of a week off sick (quite nasty pains and, ummm, other things). So reading through the last few days now. Comments below:>>“No!” Josefeen replied a bit too loudly.
>[[I wanted a drink, but the optics would be bad.]]
I’m pretty sure that wasn’t intended as a job, but I did laugh at the wanting a drink but the optics being bad!
(see meaning 2 if this is more British than I realized! https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/optic)
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Conrad Rader
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Timothy Collinson
On Fri, Jan 12, 2024 at 12:10 PM 'Timothy Collinson' via plankwell-pbem-s1 <plankwel...@googlegroups.com> wrote:>>“No!” Josefeen replied a bit too loudly.
>[[I wanted a drink, but the optics would be bad.]]
I’m pretty sure that wasn’t intended as a job,
but I did laugh at the wanting a drink but the optics being bad!
(see meaning 2 if this is more British than I realized! https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/optic)
[[I think my Canadian-ness sometimes comes across as secondhand Brit-isms. I meant it would look bad to be seen drinking in a crisis, but also I like the drinking (ala beer goggles, or looking through the glass0, being funny too.
Side note: Frank Herbert in The White Plague
used a line when an Irishman was trying to cross a blockade line and he called them damn [something insulting to the Brits]. The ship responded that they were South African, and the Irishman responded with "good for you, second-hand limeys."
It's been my goto for all Commonwealth countries for over 30 years...
Jim Vassilakos
Closing my eyes, I withdrew my consciousness into that ethereal realm within my mind wherein the secrets of psionic perception and communication unfold. Slowly drawing the veil of what I now took to be my natural shield, I sought the elusive thread of this influencer connection which I apparently emanated, trying to discern its form and it’s point of attachment. Meanwhile, a deep crimson hue enveloped me, intensifying as the protective barrier tightened. Could this somehow be the elusive link? With delicate effort, I endeavored to discern its shape, probing for its tether and assessing its susceptibility to manipulation.
I could see him, Captain Masa, as a younger man, coming to Jewell and learning its ways.
“The media is controlled ultimately by the Department of Information Approval and Dissemination,” Karneticky’s predecessor, Admiral Mtume, once told him. “They supervise essentially all media on Jewell.”
“What about the Countess?” Masa asked.
“She represents Imperial interests, of course. Anything to do with the Imperium, she gets her way. Goes straight to the subcommittees and twists arms until she gets whatever she wants. In return, she defers to the PAA when it comes to local matters.”
“The PAA?”
“The Planetary Administrative Authority. They’re the push-back, but when push comes to shove, they tend to let the Countess have her way, although there’s a bit of mutual back rubbing, which is what ultimately sustains the relationship, I suppose.”
“Back rubbing?”
“Bribery. Since the focus of the local media is almost entirely on local affairs, the PAA controls who gets on DIAD’s board… the aforementioned Department of Information Approval and Dissemination. They hire and fire the directors of every meaningful local outlet and sieve through the collected output of the interstellar news agencies, selecting stories for public consumption. The Countess, of course, can veto anything having to do with the Imperium, which, of course, encompasses those pieces of journalism potentially affecting Imperial interests, but she does not control the subnet. That’s where DIAD holds essentially absolute sway. But not forever,” he added, somewhat cryptically, but then went on about how the Navy injected stories into the local news cycle.
Somewhere during this talk, a peculiar memory was triggered. It was something I would have skipped past, as there was no need to know why he’d broken up with his upper school girlfriend, but this one was tagged with a seven-digit alphanumeric. It was a Vilani alphanumeric, to be more precise, and it was sitting there on the memory’s dust jacket, so to speak, like something scrawled in red and underlined twice for good measure.
“Don’t you want your life to be about something more than just following orders?” she’d asked.
Masa grew up in a conservative home. She was from a broken one. They’d met at a gravskating rink called the Labyrinth. A few weeks later, she was pregnant. By then, he already knew they were wrong for each other. She was an Ine Givar sympathizer, unwilling to recognize them as the Zhodani-financed terrorist organization they obviously were. The rest of her politics followed suit. He liked her energy but not her opinions. But it didn’t matter. She was headed for college with a full scholarship. They’d soon each be in very different worlds, and they both knew it. So when she said, “I tested positive,” he was fairly sure he’d turned a pale shade of white.
She had to put together some number of credits to pay for a private abortion, unless they wanted their parents to find out. So they never discussed whether or not to do it. It was just assumed. He told her he’d pay for half and drive her to the appointment. This was how they would handle it so they could both continue to go about their lives with minimal interruption, effectively sacrificing their unborn child to whatever deity represents personal convenience.
“Maybe I’ll join the Ine Givar,” she’d said on the day they parted ways. He was pretty sure it was a joke, her way of sticking a fork in him so he wouldn’t forget her too soon.
“We’ll be enemies if you do,” he’d replied.
They kissed goodbye one last time, then left in opposite directions, and like some love-struck idiot, he’d wept bitterly all the way home.
“Are you quite sure none of you are drinking?” Canon Forklinbrass asked with a bottle in one hand and a shot glass in the other. “Because he looks like maybe he’s already had one too many. No offense.”
Captain Masa was on the couch, asleep. Sometime during that deep dive into his brain, which I hadn’t even planned, he must have passed out. Either that or I’d somehow killed him.
Conrad Rader
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Timothy Collinson
[[Apologies for the gap, the new responsibilities of managing both libraries on campus are taking a toll. Will try to pick up the pace]]
Jim Vassilakos
I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead where a headache was developing.
Please don’t be dead, I thought toward the reclining body on the couch and was rewarded with a small snore.
“Canon, as usual, your gift of insight is spot on.”
I lowered myself onto the couch next to the slumbering Masa and looked to Abbonette.
“Not going exactly to plan.”
Masa’s eyes opened quite suddenly, and he let out a little burp.
“Wha…?” he burbled, wiping his mouth. “Oh, I had the most atrocious dream. We’d been tased by the police, and then you declared martial law.” He grinned. “Oh, and here’s the best part. I’d started the whole thing by yelling at them and then egged you on with the whole martial…” His voice trailed off as his fingers found the little taser holes in his uniform. “Oh… oh dear.”
Jim Vassilakos
“Wha…?” he burbled, then wiped his mouth. “I had the most atrocious dream. We’d been tased by the police, and then you declared martial law.” He grinned. “Oh, and here’s the best part. I’d started the whole thing by yelling at them and then egged you on, and there was this flying baby — actually, it looked more like a flying fetus — and it was telling me to grow up. What do you think it…” His voice trailed off as his fingers found the little taser holes in his uniform. “Oh… oh dear.”
Timothy Collinson
Let me amend that last paragraph as follows:“Wha…?” he burbled, then wiped his mouth. “I had the most atrocious dream. We’d been tased by the police, and then you declared martial law.” He grinned. “Oh, and here’s the best part. I’d started the whole thing by yelling at them and then egged you on, and there was this flying baby — actually, it looked more like a flying fetus — and it was telling me to grow up. What do you think it…” His voice trailed off as his fingers found the little taser holes in his uniform. “Oh… oh dear.”
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Conrad Rader
Let me amend that last paragraph as follows:“Wha…?” he burbled, then wiped his mouth. “I had the most atrocious dream. We’d been tased by the police, and then you declared martial law.” He grinned. “Oh, and here’s the best part. I’d started the whole thing by yelling at them and then egged you on, and there was this flying baby — actually, it looked more like a flying fetus — and it was telling me to grow up. What do you think it…” His voice trailed off as his fingers found the little taser holes in his uniform. “Oh… oh dear.”
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Timothy Collinson
"I very much appreciated your support when you were yelling at the police."I paused."I'm pretty sure the flying fetus was actually a dream."
"Pankwell to Jaqueline. Status report."
Jim Vassilakos
“I’m pretty sure the flying fetus part was a dream,” I said. “As for the rest… I did very much appreciate your support when you were yelling at the police.”
His nostrils flared and he looked away, eyes bulging.
“Oh Cleon’s flaming cornhole.” he whispered. “How could I be so stupid? How could I have been so cleonsfeltchingly stupid?” He thumbed the screen of his wristcom. “Search Section 678, most recent, go.”
Since he was busy with his wristcom, I figured I’d use mine to check upstairs.
“Plankwell to Jaqueline. Status report.”
“CO requests status report,” Blodder said.
“Uh… status operational, sir.” It was Marshalsea’s voice. He was obviously the present Officer of the Watch. “We are at General Operations, Condition 2 as per your orders.”
Jim Vassilakos
Some more stuff that may come up during the ensuing exchange:
“Cmdr. Wang wants clarification as to Blue and Green Squadrons’ flyby. Is it canceled due to the declaration of Section 678?”
Also:
“Sir, we’re receiving a lot of messages from various locals wanting to know how long the interdiction will be in effect. Also, the HPSS says they don’t have sufficient personnel to enforce it. The Imperial Army garrison has offered to send troops to quell active resistance, but they’re asking why we’re declaring martial law and not Admiral Karneticky.”
Conrad, if you want to take an extended break, just let me know. We can hit pause for a while (or indefinitely for that matter).
Conrad Rader
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Jim Vassilakos
“Cmdr. Wang wants clarification as to Blue and Green Squadrons’ flyby. Is it canceled due to the declaration of Section 678?”
“No. Inform Commander Wang that we are continuing with the ceremony unless otherwise directed by planetary authorities.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
“Sir,” Blodder said, “we’re receiving a lot of messages from various locals wanting to know how long the interdiction will be in effect.”
“Refer all the local inquiries to the office of the Countess, as they have not seen fit to contact us with a means to resolve the issue.” That might light a fire under Guri, who I imagined was probably enjoying all of this immensely. “In fact, you can use that language in the referral.”
“Aye aye, sir. Also, the HPSS says they don’t have sufficient personnel to enforce the interdiction. The Imperial Army garrison has offered to send troops to quell active resistance, but they’re asking why we’re declaring martial law and not Admiral Karneticky.”
“Kindly thank the Army for their offer of assistance but decline. We will handle this ourselves. Note the instances that the HPSS say they can’t enforce and have Marine fireteams on standby drop. Observe and record for the evidentiary tribunal. Failure of the HPSS to fulfill their commitments is useful to our case, as they are apparently learning to shoot Navy officers but not keep their house in order. Plankwell out.”
I turned back to the Canon. “How likely is the Countess to push this to the limit?”
He looked dazed for a moment, but then arched an eyebrow and stroked his chin. “Let me give you a little hint about life, son. Everybody’s just making it up as they go along. Even canons and countesses. We’re all just roleplaying who we imagine ourselves to be.”
(Any response and/or internal thoughts?)
I looked over to where Masa was furiously scanning his newsfeed. Abonnette, meanwhile, still had a dreamy look on her face, and I contemplated dropping my psi-shield and compelling some cooperation, but I still needed to have all this on my level at least.
(I’m not sure what this last part means.)
I really wanted a drink.
“You look like you could use a drink,” Forklinbrass said, “preferably a stiff one.”
(He seems to be offering.)
Conrad Rader
“Cmdr. Wang wants clarification as to Blue and Green Squadrons’ flyby. Is it canceled due to the declaration of Section 678?”
“No. Inform Commander Wang that we are continuing with the ceremony unless otherwise directed by planetary authorities.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
“Sir,” Blodder said, “we’re receiving a lot of messages from various locals wanting to know how long the interdiction will be in effect.”
“Refer all the local inquiries to the office of the Countess, as they have not seen fit to contact us with a means to resolve the issue.” That might light a fire under Guri, who I imagined was probably enjoying all of this immensely. “In fact, you can use that language in the referral.”
“Aye aye, sir. Also, the HPSS says they don’t have sufficient personnel to enforce the interdiction. The Imperial Army garrison has offered to send troops to quell active resistance, but they’re asking why we’re declaring martial law and not Admiral Karneticky.”
“Kindly thank the Army for their offer of assistance but decline. We will handle this ourselves. Note the instances that the HPSS say they can’t enforce and have Marine fireteams on standby drop. Observe and record for the evidentiary tribunal. Failure of the HPSS to fulfill their commitments is useful to our case, as they are apparently learning to shoot Navy officers but not keep their house in order. Plankwell out.”
I turned back to the Canon. “How likely is the Countess to push this to the limit?”
He looked dazed for a moment, but then arched an eyebrow and stroked his chin. “Let me give you a little hint about life, son. Everybody’s just making it up as they go along. Even canons and countesses. We’re all just roleplaying who we imagine ourselves to be.”
(Any response and/or internal thoughts?)
I looked over to where Masa was furiously scanning his newsfeed. Abonnette, meanwhile, still had a dreamy look on her face, and I contemplated dropping my psi-shield and compelling some cooperation, but I still needed to have all this on my level at least.
(I’m not sure what this last part means.)
I really wanted a drink.
“You look like you could use a drink,” Forklinbrass said, “preferably a stiff one.”
(He seems to be offering.)
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Jim Vassilakos
That was probably the most accurate thing anyone had said to me all day, and I couldn’t help but smile a little and nod toward the Canon.
“Very right, sir. Very right indeed.”
I looked over to where Masa was furiously scanning his newsfeed. Abonnette, meanwhile, still had a somewhat dreamy look on her face, and I momentarily contemplated dropping my natural psi-shield and compelling some cooperation, but more than anything, what I really wanted was a drink.
I glanced toward the liquor cabinet. No. Bad idea.
“You look like you could use a drink,” Forklinbrass said, “preferably a stiff one.”
“Canon, given your predilections, I think I need to stay focused.” I gestured to the dreamy lieutenant. “I mean, really? Did you have to take out my aide? I kind of need some assistance here.”
“Oh, she’s perfectly fine. You’re fine,” he said to her, “right?”
“Too fine for you, old man.”
“There,” he nodded, “she’s fine. I mean, she’s warped and arrogant and more than a little jaded, but other than that she’s fine.”
She looked at me with eyes wide and nostrils flaring, but, of course, I couldn’t hear whatever she was no doubt telepathically shouting, because my curtain was still drawn. Perhaps it was that relative quiet that allowed the Canon’s earlier words to slowly sink in.
I was stirring up a big nest of players by invoking Imperial authority. We act and react as we imagine ourselves to be. If I were the Countess, it would be a long pull to come to a captain to explain the actions of an agency she may barely pay attention to. Judging from that committee I sat in on, she wanted results that she agreed with. How might I go about getting her to want what I wanted?
“Masa, can you get me a direct access override to the Countess? There should be something in the local comm-protocols in case of invasion or a surprise visit from the Emperor.”
“Oh dear Cleon, are you perfectly insane?”
“I guess it worked,” Josefeen said, making a motion of drawing a curtain in front of her face.
“Huh?” Masa asked.
“Would you like a drink?” the Canon asked him.
“I expect I’ll be needing one soon,” he said, turning back to his wristcom. “Only the admiral has a direct line.” Then he made the sort of face one makes when some light bulb switches on inside the brain, but of course, I had no idea what that was all about, as my curtain was still drawn.
“I’ll make you something soothing… or would you prefer numbing?”
“I don’t care. All I want is for this day to start over again.”
“I know exactly what you need,” the Canon said, heading back toward the liquor cabinet. Josefeen, meanwhile, made that pulling motion in front of her face again, only this time in the opposite direction, and all while glaring at me.
Timothy Collinson
Conrad Rader
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Jim Vassilakos
“I know exactly what you need,” the Canon said, heading back toward the liquor cabinet.
Josefeen, meanwhile, made that pulling motion in front of her face again, only this time in the opposite direction, and all while glaring at me. I shot back with my best superior officer stink-eye but drew open the curtain.
“Canon,” I said, “I appreciate the ecumenical outreach, but I need my companions to be functional. Maybe after the ceremony?”
“Oh… functional, you say? Well, that rather limits the possibilities.”
«Sir, do you read me?»
«Yes, Lieutenant.»
«Finally. With all due respect, sir, you need to learn this stuff ASAP, and I can’t teach with you all hunkered down.»
“Emergency call,” Blodder’s voice chirped from my wristcom.
“Sir, gravcar violating our perimeter.” It was Major Fa’Linto. “Requesting permission to open fire.”
Conrad Rader
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Jim Vassilakos
“Emergency call,” Blodder’s voice chirped from my wristcom. <Click> “Sir, gravcar violating our perimeter.” It was Major Fa’Linto. “Requesting permission to open fire.”
“Negative. Do we have an ID?”
“Hold your fire! No, sir.” What’s the point of being here if we can’t blow anything up?!
I couldn’t help but blink, as though I was pretty sure I’d heard that last part with my mind rather than my ears, it gave me an unvarnished picture of the major’s thought process.
“Track and let them know they’ve been targeted. Blodder, is there anything else?”
“Yessir, we just received a message from the Imperial Palace warning us of the impending arrival of the Olav Robot and asking us to allow it through the interdiction zone.”
Olav Robot?
Conrad Rader
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Jim Vassilakos
Olav Robot? They furnished the AI with a physical body? The Countess was up to something. Either that or Agidda was behind it.
“Acknowledge Imperial Palace and permit transit. I assume they sent a vehicle identifier. Route them to my location.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
I looked over to Masa. “Know anything about an autonomous vehicle for the Olav AI?”
He shook his head. “I assumed they’d just bring a holo-projector.”
“Apparently not.”
No doubt, the Olav robot was in that aircar that just violated the interdiction zone. If I’d given Major Fa’Linto permission to engage, I’d have been screwed. Perhaps it was merely my suspicious mind, but the whole thing felt like someone had made a very big play for some kind of embarrassing photo-op: the twisted remains of an aircar with the figure of Olav Plankwell scorched by plasma fire.
The message to the public would have been crystal clear. This newly minted Imperial captain who’d declared martial law had a heavy trigger finger. I’d have been painted as being out of control, and the Countess would have likely extended an invitation to Admiral Karneticky to arrest and detain this rogue captain for crimes against the Imperium. Sadly for whoever was behind this and to the frustration of my Marines, they underestimated me. I wasn’t about to put holes in the city skyline, regardless of my invocation of Section 678.
But who exactly was behind this?
I opened my mental curtain as wide as I could, but no answers came, so I looked toward Abbonette. My Intel lieutenant wasn’t doing much in the way of continuing my training. It was time to prod the beast.
«Lieutenant, how strong am I that I caught some thoughts from the other end of a comm line?»
«Sir, this psi-enhancer is no joke. I swear I saw a ghost.»
«Shake it off. We’re on the clock!»
«Sir, there might still be time — if we can do it quickly, before the psi-enhancer wears off — to re-initiate our durable psychic link.»
Conrad Rader
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Jim Vassilakos
«If I have to kiss you again, you better teach me how to do memory wipes next.»
«However distasteful this might be for you, sir, trust me when I say it is no less distasteful for me.»
I recalled how it felt getting dream-molested. If she’d truly found it so distasteful, she’d hid it rather well.
«Do what you need to do, and if we need to be in physical contact, do me a favor and look like you’re about to be sick. I’ll need a reason to care about you that looks at least somewhat rational to the rest of the people in the room.»
“I feel woozy,” Josefeen announced, staggering toward me like a drunk woman with an overfull bladder. “I do believe I’m going to faint.” «If you don’t catch me, I will kill you.» Then she fake-fainted in my general direction.
Timothy Collinson
“I feel woozy,” Josefeen announced, staggering toward me like a drunk woman with an overfull bladder. “I do believe I’m going to faint.” «If you don’t catch me, I will kill you.» Then she fake-fainted in my general direction.
Conrad Rader
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Timothy Collinson
<<You better not puke on me. This is a new uniform and it already has holes in it.>>
Jim Vassilakos
“I feel woozy,” Josefeen announced, staggering toward me like a drunk woman with an overfull bladder. “I do believe I’m going to faint.” «If you don’t catch me, I’ll hurt you in ways you can’t even imagine!» Then she fake-fainted in my general direction.
It was all very dramatic and some of the worst acting I’d ever had the misfortune to witness. Nonetheless, I dashed forward, catching my falling lieutenant. Would she carry out her threat if I’d refused? I was tempted to let her drop just to find out, but my reflexes kicked in. I was apparently too finely-honed a man to let a woman fall, and so her bathykolpian physique once more filled my arms, and I slowly laid her down on the floor, putting my face close to hers, as though to check if she was breathing. With her eyes closed, we couldn’t communicate telepathically, so I opened one of her eyelids with my thumb.
«You better not puke on me,» I warned. «This is a new uniform, and it already has holes in it.»
«Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. And then open wide like before.»
(Gus’s response? For the rest, I’ll assume he complies.)
Though I assiduously avoided any appearance of impropriety, a memory from my night with Kaz flashed to mind, a memory of us coupling.
«No!» Josefeen’s voice, green and fury-tinged, shot through my mind.
Mindful of the potential vengeance of Intelligence officers, I promptly banished the image.
«Yes, yes. Sorry, I’m just a man after all.»
«See into me, Gus, and let me see into you.»
(The ball’s back in your court. Last time they made this connection was in Chapter 35, and there was no audience. They could actually kiss. This time, there’s a trade off between doing it like before and trying to make it appear like some innocent, life-saving maneuver. The latter will necessarily detract from the former, so Gus has a choice to make. Does he play it safe or does he go for it? And if so, to what extent?)
Conrad Rader
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Jim Vassilakos
«Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. And then open wide like before.»
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? She wanted me to kiss her again? While pretending to do mouth-to-mouth?
Masa grimaced, casting his stern gaze upon the Canon. “You killed her!”
“No! No!” Forklinbrass suddenly looked like he might need an adult diaper. “Does she have a weak heart? Let me hit her with something. Where’s my kit?”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll save her.” Oh, the things I do for the Emperor.
Situating my body so as to screen most of what was going on, I leaned down and kissed her, firmly and with intention, and though I assiduously avoided any appearance of impropriety, a memory from my night with Kaz flashed to mind, a memory of us coupling.
«No!» Josefeen’s voice, green and fury-tinged, shot through my mind.
Mindful of the potential vengeance of Intelligence officers, I promptly banished the image.
«Yes, yes. Sorry, I’m just a man after all.»
«See into me, Gus, and let me see into you.»
“There it is,” the Canon said. “This should do the trick.”
“No need,” I said. “Thanks be to Cleon, she’s still breathing.” Which meant she wouldn’t need anymore mouth-to-mouth. “Let me just make sure.”
I went in again, kissing her once more but this time trying to open my mind to hers. We’d managed it before. Where were those psychic tendrils?
"Mmm..."
Her lips, pressed upon mine, parted slightly, and in came her tongue. Her tongue? I thought she said no tongue!
“That doesn’t look like any CPR I ever saw,” Masa mumbled.
“Holy shmoley,” the Canon agreed. I could picture them both staring, bug-eyed.
(OOC: So far it’s not working. Gus can either try even harder or he can give up. Either way, he may have some explaining to do. :-)
Conrad Rader
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Jim Vassilakos
This wasn’t going to work. Either I had to try a lot harder and with an audience, which wasn’t going to help, or we needed to give up.
Then it hit me. The psionic globe. If that couldn’t give me a boost, nothing would. Where was that damn diplomatic case? I spotted it resting on the floor where I’d absentmindedly set it down to fiddle with my wristcom.
“Give me that,” I said.
Masa fetched it and handed it over.
“Sirs, do you mind giving the lieutenant a little privacy?” I dragged every last scrap of authority I had into that request. “She has a condition.”
“What sort of condition,” Masa asked, backing up a step.
(Gus’s reply.)
The electronic lock beneath the handle consisted of four buttons marked 1 through 4 with a little LCD display. I didn’t have the code, so I leaned into Josefeen and again thumbed open one of her eyelids.
«What now?» Her eye looked somewhat bloodshot.
«What’s the code for the globe?»
«The psi orb? In the diplomatic case?»
«Yeah.»
«One two three four.»
«One two three four? What kind of code is that?»
«One I can remember.»
I
let go of her eyelid, entered the code, and opened the case. The
little black pouch sat within.
Jim Vassilakos
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u6osnAghZWAOFWQ3hfN2blk88wGYIyKL/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113687616933633107445&rtpof=true&sd=true
PLEASE REMEMBER to change "EDITING" to "SUGGESTING" (near the upper right-hand corner) before doing any edits.
Conrad Rader
This wasn’t going to work. Either I had to try a lot harder and with an audience, which wasn’t going to help, or we needed to give up.
Then it hit me. The psionic globe. If that couldn’t give me a boost, nothing would. Where was that damn diplomatic case? I spotted it resting on the floor where I’d absentmindedly set it down to fiddle with my wristcom.
“Give me that,” I said.
Masa fetched it and handed it over.
“Sirs, do you mind giving the lieutenant a little privacy?” I dragged every last scrap of authority I had into that request. “She has a condition.”
“What sort of condition,” Masa asked, backing up a step.
(Gus’s reply.)
The electronic lock beneath the handle consisted of four buttons marked 1 through 4 with a little LCD display. I didn’t have the code, so I leaned into Josefeen and again thumbed open one of her eyelids.
«What now?» Her eye looked somewhat bloodshot.
«What’s the code for the globe?»
«The psi orb? In the diplomatic case?»
«Yeah.»
«One two three four.»
«One two three four? What kind of code is that?»
«One I can remember.»
I let go of her eyelid, entered the code, and opened the case. The little black pouch sat within.
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Jim Vassilakos
«One two three four.»
«One two three four? What kind of code is that?»
«One I can remember.»
«I cannot believe you used a sequential code.»
«It worked, didn’t it?»
I let go of her eyelid, entered the code, and opened the case. As promised, the little black pouch rested within like some miniature slumbering dragon, one that I was about to reawaken.
Here goes nothing.
Bracing myself, I trepidatiously slipped my hand inside the pouch but felt nothing. Is it even in here?