Doctor Lehani escorted Alex back out to the hallway just down from the waiting room, another bow after saying his final goodbye. Alex bowed in return and hustled his ass out of there, translator tucked under his arm and carrying the cane in his hand. Not bothering to affect a need for it anymore. The door slid open for him, and he did not wait to make sure it closed, breezed past the receptionist into the waiting room.
Alex distantly registered the fact the young Tsla’o was sitting very still at her workstation, staring intently at the holographic display with her hands resting just in front of the control surface. He almost froze mid-step when he saw Eleya was relaxing there in the waiting room. “Why are you still here?” Something was missing. He sniffed the air, notably lacking the smell of ozone that the cloaked armor generated. “Where’d your escort go?”
“So many questions.” Eleya had never looked so casual before, leaned back with her legs crossed, one ankle resting on her knee. Her foot tapping along to the quiet instrumental music being played from hidden speakers. She looked up from the tablet that she was picking away at, giving him something that looked a lot like a genuine smile. She produced a stack of clothes from under her tablet and held it out to him. “I cannot take an interest in my dearest nephew’s health?”
“Sure you can.” Like anyone would tell the Empress that she couldn’t. He received a clean shirt and a jacket in a particularly dark shade of red, decorated extensively with silver and gold thread in that sea-and-star motif. He had bled all over his current shirt, but whatever it was made of didn’t feel dirty at all. Didn’t even smell bad even though he’d been sweating profusely in it before he got his face smashed in.
He set all the stuff he was carrying down on the reception desk, peeled the old shirt off and pulled on the new one - apparently the exact same thing - and then donned the jacket. Perfect fit on both, which should have stopped being a surprise some time ago. Tailored clothes were a fact of his life now, whether he wanted them or not.
“I had hoped you would say that.” She clicked her tablet off, sitting up in her chair while maintaining that casual air. Eleya would have looked remarkably ordinary if not for the fancy jacket and jewelry. “How did you fare?”
“Fine.” Alex shrugged. It had gone well enough. The dentist was certainly capable, removing his remaining broken teeth and using a Human dermal generator brought over from the sickbay to plug the holes. A temporary fix, just until they had some implantable teeth for him made by the mediboard. That is not to say the whole visit was without issue, though. “The work was fine, but everything else was weird.”
That piqued her interest. “Oh? May I ask for specifics?”
Where to start. “Lehani’s office was, uh, I think the floors were dirt.” It looked like compacted dirt, and didn’t feel like any surface he was more used to walking on, at least. “The whole office was a facade of like retro pre-industrial buildings, maybe? Dark adobe and rough-hewn wood beams. It didn’t seem hygienic.” Knowing the Tsla’o, it probably was.
“Yes, that is a historic building style. Very pastoral. I can’t imagine the floors were actual dirt.” She shook her head then brightened, turning her attention to the receptionist. “Excuse me. Kataha, was it? Can you tell us what the flooring is made of in the doctor’s office?”
Wide brown eyes swiveled towards them before the rest of the receptionist followed. “I am sorry, Empress, I do not know what the floor is made of.”
“That’s not really her thing, right. Right?” He glanced back at Kataha, briefly making eye contact before she looked away. Who expected a receptionist to know what the floor was made of? “More of a customer service sort of job, less building materials?”
He hadn’t bothered translating any of that, so she had no idea what he had said.
“Ah, so it is. Having Tashen at my side has spoiled me, he has such a wide range of knowledge.” Eleya didn’t seem to notice or care that he’d been talking nonsense to the lady behind the desk. She stood and stretched, then tucked her tablet under her arm. “The doctor is not far, we can just ask him directly.”
“No.” Alex said that a little more forcefully than he needed to. Dressed in the same light purple surgical jacket the doctors in sickbay wore, Lehani had seemed perfectly competent, with a confident smile that was just too wide.
Eleya recoiled, eyebrow raised as she stepped up to him. She picked the translator up and slipped it into a pocket inside his jacket, then straightened it with a critical eye. “Very well. Is that all that troubled you?” It almost sounded like she was chiding him.
“Look, Lehani was weird. Did good work, but I’ve never seen anyone so interested in my mouth.” Alex briefly recalled the inquisitive noises and excited humming coming from Lehani as he worked and immediately tried to shut them out of his head. “I’m pretty sure my teeth stubs are going to end up on his mantle or something.”
She smiled broadly and clasped his upper arm. “That is wonderful!”
“What.” He had intended for that to be a question but didn’t quite manage to get all the way there, the enthusiasm Eleya had for his teeth bits ending up in this guy’s pocket more than a little startling.
Eleya was beaming with pride, not making this revelation less unsettling. “Doctors and medics sometimes keep tokens from Royals they have worked on, it is an honor. If he kept something, it clearly must have value to him. They may become an heirloom in time.”
Alex had never seen her this enthusiastic, so he was sure she wasn’t putting him on. He really didn’t like the idea of someone coveting his teeth even if they had already been removed. Now he really needed to check on what had happened to his heart and lung. “Great.”
“Yes. It has been an auspicious day for you, young prince.” She gestured toward the door and took his arm, apparently tired of standing around listening to him complain.
“Oh yeah. Found out my father-in-law actually does hate me, got my face smashed in, bled all over the place, met the creepiest dentist in the whole of the universe.” He gestured widely with the cane and bloody shirt as he stepped into the corridor, empty in both directions as far as he could see. “Superb.”
“Your ability to see the negative is astonishing.” She rolled her eyes as they walked down the wide hallway, opposite the direction they had originally come from.
Alex stepped away and tossed his old, disgusting shirt into a recycler built into an intersection. “Well it’s been kind of a shitty day, for all those reasons I just listed.”
“And that is no reason to ignore the positives that have arrived in turn.” She gave him a glance as he returned to her side, the chains on her piercings swaying with each step. “Master Tenaha sided with you. This may seem insignificant, but I assure you it will be noticed. You handled being assaulted very well. A fantastically tempered response, given what you were within your right to do and what some would expect from Humanity. Carbon’s interest in you becomes more and more clear! I only wish there had been more people present to witness it.”
“Okay, you got me with one of those. I didn’t expect Tenaha to step in, it was a pleasant surprise.” The rather theatrical framing of Carbon’s interest in him being tied to his ability to exercise restraint in hard situations was… less of a pleasant surprise. Not entirely inaccurate, but he didn’t like having it laid out like that. “Not enamored with the idea of a bunch of people having been there. Dad might be on my shit list right now but I don’t think it’s a great idea to put crosshairs on him. You will recall: he is my wife’s father.”
She waved a hand dismissively at him. “That information will eventually get out. I have requested that all involved treat it as secret, but there are already too many people involved for it to remain that way for long. If Sharadi did not want this to be known, he should not have embarked on this path. If you did not want it getting out, you should have killed them. Cadaver teams do not speak as widely as medical personnel.”
“Right. I guess I’ll keep that in mind for the future.” Alex found himself gritting his teeth again. Why was death always presented as a viable solution for everything?
“I am sure.” She turned down a side corridor, towards the center of the deck. “Your actions have made some impression with the Captain of the Royal Guard as well.”
“No shit?” Despite the knowledge that Eleya should have excellent guards, he wasn’t sure how much of a compliment that was supposed to be given how easily Carbon overcame them.
“No shit.” The Empress was very amused by that turn of phrase. “You asked once but have not enquired again. Do you still wonder where my escort has gone?”
He gave the air in the passageway a deep sniff, this area lacking the ozone smell as well. They had been out of the office for at least a few minutes already. “Yeah. Where did they get off to? Not gonna lie, this feels somewhat dangerous.”
“You are my escort, young Prince.” That information came with a sublime smile.
“Is that good?” It wasn’t the most reassuring bit of information he’d ever been given. Being able to take a couple of hits from someone who clearly wasn’t a good fighter before breaking their nose was not what Alex would consider great qualifications. Particularly not when including how things went when a weapon got added to the mix. “Is that safe?
“Indeed it is, on both counts.” Eleya nodded in agreement as the clean white walls of the medical complex gave way to the standard red and gray of the rest of the ship. “I did not hear a single note of disapproval when I gave him orders that included leaving my security in your hands. I have rather missed that.”
“Yeah but how is that safe?” Alex was not entirely convinced. He did allow himself the thought that a hint of pride was justified at being accepted as not just safe, but capable. That was good.
“We are proceeding to a specific destination and I am taking a specific path that, you might have noticed, is currently secure.” She gestured widely at the corridor, which had been entirely empty so far. “This is my ship. My guards are not far, but they do not cling to me like a shadow for a moment. It is nice to pretend I have actual freedom.”
“Don’t you have freedom? You literally changed laws to make it legal for Carbon to marry me.” Seemed like it, at least.
Eleya laughed and patted his arm. “You have so much to learn, young Prince. Do you have freedom?”
He started to say that yeah, of course he did. Alex only managed to get out “Ye...” before he fell silent again. There were many expectations laid upon him right now, from a variety of people who could end his life, be it literal or metaphorical. Some of them probably didn’t even view him as anything but military hardware to be expended. Could he even leave the ship without asking for permission? He probably couldn’t return to Earth without permission from the Confederate government because there were no Confed registered ships on board. “Not really.”
“Oh, is it so?” She was so aggressively smug about that, a toothy smile directed his way, blue eyes alive with mirth. They softened before she continued, as did her attitude. “It is a hard revelation the first time. I gambled on that law, dear nephew. It was not freedom that allowed me to act, but power. All of the aid Humanity has sent and rendered is still widely viewed with suspicion. People set in the old ways have hindered that aid at nearly every step, trying to brush fur over a gaping wound while our people suffer for it. As they stand in the way of aid, they stand in the way of evidence that Humans act in earnest. That they came to assist us with joy in their hearts at the prospect of helping, and sincerely do not wish to see their distant allies suffer. The incident on Zeshela began to crack that, but it became clear that a much more visible example was needed.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Eleya huffed, annoyed at the series of events that had led here. “This gambit is just beginning to show signs that it may pay dividends, but it may yet fail. So I would recommend you continue to impress those you meet, for our sake. I believe that you are capable of rising to that challenge, or I would not have made that bet.”
They arrived at a bank of elevators, one sitting open and waiting for them. Eleya didn’t slow down, just walked in and waited for Alex to follow.
This was turning out to be a rather chilling conversation. He was on autopilot as he boarded the lift behind her, processing this information. That feeling that there was more going on than just being a token to get Carbon to come around was now feeling extremely concrete. This was a calculated risk, he was part of those calculations, and even Eleya thought that they were not guaranteed to succeed. “Well.” He laughed, a little nervous now. “With any luck, I’ll live up to those expectations.”
“I would appreciate it if you did.” She typed a deck into the control panel and the doors closed behind them and the lift began to rise. “Our people will appreciate it, though they do not yet realize that.”
Alex had just been thinking about the expectations laid upon his shoulders and here was probably the biggest one yet. Ironic that it had been there since he had come aboard, he had even sort of understood it was there. He simply hadn’t comprehended the scope of it until now.
All he had to do was get the Tsla’o people to trust Humanity. Easy. Just rise to the challenge. Simple. Just so crushingly vast in scope it was giving him a headache despite the pair of painkiller patches on his arms.
Alex wasn’t going to think about that for now. Dwelling wouldn’t help him, he knew that and he was going to use that knowledge to his advantage. He would maintain some forward momentum, keep his head clear and do right by himself and those he cared about. It was so easy to think all that, at least. “Where are we going, anyway?” He was going to have some real shit to talk to the therapist about. At least she probably understood the scope of what he might be dealing with before he tossed something like this at her.
The Empress didn’t look away from the display, decks clicking by about one per second. “Dinner.”
Oh, come on. Assistance with the forward momentum would be nice. “Where at?”
“The Hidden Bloom.”
“Is it good?” He was pretty sure he hadn’t heard about that one.
“I consider it the best on board. It has private rooms.” The lift drew to a stop on deck 80, the doors opening automatically. Eleya stepped off and turned towards the aft again. “I will be hosting you, as well as Carbon, Neya, and Kaleta.”
That seemed unwise. “Oh, we’re just jumping into this?”
“There are times when waiting is prudent. This is not one of them.” She unlocked the tablet and brought up a report, handing it to him. “Machine analysis of the communications to and from the Starbound indicate that Sharadi clearly insisted that you not be harmed to all involved parties. He wanted you gone, but feared reprisals from the Confederacy. Interestingly he did not fear reprisal from myself. Only a fraction of the communications have been reviewed by living eyes so far, but as of yet the analysts agree with that. He was angry, sometimes furious, and prone to long rants about you, how he felt about you, and the multitude of ways you were... harming Carbon.”
“Not what I expected, but I guess he hasn’t gone off the deep end at least.” He turned the visual translator on and scrolled through the report. There were dozens of hours of video calls to be reviewed, roughly as many emails, and thousands of instant messages. Common themes scraped by the machine included the savagery, filth, and degeneracy of Humans. Those sounded familiar for reasons he did not care for. Also a concern was the lack of Human culture, and the potential damage Humans could do to Tsla’o culture.
Alex did think that last one was kind of fair for reasons that Sharadi was likely not aware of. All of this was pretty rich for a guy he’d seen introducing his child to Human ambassadors, and having a laugh with. Had a real hard time working with the barbarians back then, huh Dad? Then Alex got to a few choice quotes that were specifically about him. “Damn. Maybe a little bit off the deep end.”
“Yes, his analysis of you is inaccurate and remarkably unkind.” She was reading over his shoulder, watching how far into the document he got until he had scrolled several pages in. Eleya set a dark furred hand on it, thumb on the screen to keep it from going further, and lifted it from his grasp. “There are more inflammatory things you do not need to read right now. You will be furnished with a copy if you desire, but at this moment I need you sharpened into a proper weapon for the task.”
That turn of phrase got her a quizzical look. “What do you mean by that?”
“Sharadi’s idiocy has stranded his Zeshen here, with us. She has been tainted by his prejudice, and now she will bathe in the truth and be cleansed.” She stopped and looked him over, nodding to herself. “You may not be Tsla’o, but you embody many things we consider positive and slip into our ways with ease. Too casual for someone of your station, yes, but considering you were a commoner... Your growth has been nothing short of exceptional.”
Were those real compliments? They sure felt real. “Making her sit at a table and share a meal so she can see how badly Sharadi missed the mark?” It seemed like a reasonable plan. Exposure therapy worked, he had heard.
“Yes, and she will do it in front of people who she cares about. She adores Carbon, she learned that from Nova. I see her in Kaleta sometimes.” She exhaled a sigh loaded with regret. “I do not care how bitter it makes her food. She will be a witness to the truth of your relationship with Carbon. The smile it puts on her face when she looks at you, how easily her words come when you talk. If she truly carries Nova, and Sharadi before he became lost, there will only be one outcome here. She will understand that this is not a falsehood. This is what Carbon wanted.”
That was a nice thought. “And if she doesn’t?”
“You build a bridge when you need to cross a river.” She shrugged, and stopped in front of a nondescript door.
There was ozone in the air here, her guard nearby. It only took a moment for Alex to spot the telltale wavey form a few meters down the hall. “This it?”
“It is.” She held out a hand and a much closer guard he hadn’t spotted set a small case in it, and her tablet disappeared in turn. “Kaleta was escorted here and is in the gathering lounge. She does not have a translator and is not wearing wireless connections. It is fortunate that you normally have both on hand because you are very considerate of others and wish to ensure that you always communicate clearly.” Eleya smiled at the reasoning she had forged and held it out to him.
“You know, that’s actually a good idea. I’m going to start doing that. The translator at least.” He flipped the container open, a pair of connections just like what Neya wore resting inside, though this unit had a white shell that matched the translator tucked in his pocket.
“Good, I will ensure you have a few on hand.” She reached out and waved a hand over the control panel, the door shushing open for her.
Standing in the corridor it looked surreal, almost disorienting, as plain military bulkheads gave way to a heavily decorated hallway. The walls were gloss black, painted over in glittering gold and the occasional small detail in red. A detailed repeating pattern ran from the floor to about halfway up the wall, giving way to a vibrant city at night. The ceiling was the only major source of color, a rich red with indirect lights every meter or so above a polished wood floor.
Eleya walked in like she’d been here before. She probably had. He followed and didn’t even let the ferrule on the end of the cane touch the finish on that floor.
Alex lingered, taking in the work of art adorning nearly five meters of wall. He wasn’t really an art guy, but it was captivating. It looked like it was actually painted, or someone had gone to a lot of effort to make it look that way. “Is this a real city?”
She stopped and turned back. “Ama’o.”
Ah, the first city. “May it rest.”
Eleya made a curious noise, something between surprise and approval. “May it rest.” She echoed before she stepped out of the far end of the hallway.
He could hear them talking already, so he hurried along. He knew this place existed now, he could come back and gawk at it any time. Would they really tell the Prince that their hallway was off limits?
The lounge was more of the same, though the detailed cityscape was replaced with a simple geometric design. Chairs and low tables were scattered around the small room, with a few benches filling out the corners. All the furniture retained the black and gold motif, the only exception being a gleaming silver cart laden with what Alex assumed was booze.
Eleya and Kaleta were standing in the middle of the room. Kaleta had changed into something that Alex thought was a dress at first, though it was clearly just a jacket that was very long upon further inspection. Almost emerald green and not heavily decorated. Curious choice of color. She was apologizing to Eleya again and stopped as Alex approached, violet eyes shifting towards him with no small amount of suspicion.
He was feeling the mission here, though. Had a simple greeting queued up just for her. “Kaleta! It is good to see you again.” Alex followed that up with a bow that was a lot more than he thought he should be giving her, because she was on his shit list so she shouldn’t get any bow at all.
Now she was suspicious and surprised.
“The young Prince stopped to admire the artwork in the hall.” Eleya explained, an easy smile on her graying muzzle as she turned, waving him over to join them. “He has thrown himself into understanding our culture with a delightful vigor.”
The Empress being social like this was weird, but he appreciated it because Kaleta clearly found it even stranger. He returned that smile and leaned into the schmooze. “It is so.” He stopped himself in what was, to him, an overly dramatic manner. Back stiffening as he pretended to realize his error, Alex held up a hand to indicate they should wait. He stayed silent as he made a big show of setting the cane aside and retrieving the translator and wireless from his jacket, holding them out to the Zeshen with an apologetic bow.
Neither of them spoke as she took the equipment from him. Eleya gestured for her to use what he had given her, letting Kaleta sit in the spotlight between them while she put them on and paired them to the translator and tucked all of it into her coat. “Thank you, Prince.”
She sure didn’t sound happy, but it wasn’t openly hostile. He’d take that for now. Just to make sure he was sufficiently formal sounding, he kept the usual contractions out of his voice for now, too. “Of course, it is my honor to provide it. I apologize for not having one earlier - I had been training with my security team and was not carrying my usual set of equipment. I will ensure that someone keeps a spare unit at all times in the future.”
“Oh, it is... It is fine. I am sure I was unexpected.” She stammered out what Alex thought was the understatement of the year, all of that overwrought apology he didn’t really mean enough to throw her off.
Eleya had repositioned herself facing Alex at Kaleta’s side, about half a step back. Close enough to be in her peripheral vision, but as she was focused on Alex she didn’t notice that little smirk or the approving nod.
“You were. It is unfortunate that we were not notified, I understand that Carbon cares for you quite deeply. She would have been overjoyed to be there for your arrival when the Starbound docked.” Fuck it, he was going for the heart. “You were involved in selecting Neya for her as well, were you not?”
“Ah, yes. Yes, she does.” Kaleta nodded, unsure what to make of this version of Alex. “I did assist in Neya’s selection. I interviewed several Zeshen at the request of the agent.”
“Well, I must thank you for that!” He smiled wide as he stepped up and gave her a big hug. “Neya is a delight. Very much a curious sort, which has helped so much. She’s just wonderful to be around, the perfect foil to Carbon and I both.”
Kaleta flinched and squeaked, likely expecting retribution for the assault earlier. Once she realized what he was actually doing it didn’t make her any more comfortable.
Alex let her go and leaned in close, his voice low but retaining that friendly tone. “I am sure you and I are on the same side when it comes to Carbon’s happiness, even if we might not have the same views. Am I right about that?”
“Yes, of course.” She agreed, though remained wary of him.
“Good. I just want you to know that if you do anything to hurt her, I will do everything in my power to make you and Sharadi suffer for the rest of your natural lives. I might not know how to do that, but I know someone who does.” Alex tilted his head and his eyes darted towards Eleya. “Are we clear?”