DIPLOMATIC EFFECTS / CH. 25:REPORTING BACK
DUCHESS OF MOSCOW COURT, 3PM, SUNDAY 23RD MARCH, 2279
“Nadiya! What have you been up to? You were going to be home last night!” Svetlana asked.
“Sorry, Lana. I should have let you know, but life has been busy busy, busy. Sebastian's back talking to his parents, and rather than coming straight back last night, we went home to talk to mine.”
“You took Sebastian to talk to your parents?”
“I did, yes.”
“That's a bit fast going.”
“Lana! He hasn't asked me to marry him or anything. But he didn't feel comfortable about not having met them. So I slept in my old room, which was really odd, and mum made him stay in a guest room.”
“Oh, OK,” Svetlana said, “and are you actually going to visit him at his home?”
“No. We've decided it was too much risk. But people there do know he's started going out with me, and apparently think it's a great joke.”
“If only they knew...” Svetlana said.
“Don't tell me, anything, OK? I know I recognised the voice of his leader, but... just don't tell me who it is.”
“OK, I won't.”
“You know, though?”
“My lips are sealed, cousin. You asked me not to say anything.”
“Hmm, I did didn't I? How did your revision go yesterday?”
“Not bad, considering,” Svetlana said.
“Considering what? You had a visitor?”
“I did, yes, not who you think though. Dad.”
“Problem?”
“Not immediately. Revision might not be a problem though, except for pride's sake.”
“Eh? But next year...”
“Next academic year, in one possible future, I go to Switzerland, with you know who. In another possible future, I don't, nor does you-know-who, and neither of us complete our degrees. In a third one, I bounce back and forth between here and there so much that there's not much point studying, but you know who finishes his studies.”
“What? Why not?”
“Duty,” Svetlana said. “Dad's been thinking about the importance of marriage, which he firmly blames on you, by the way. And Mum's health was vastly improved on Mars, as you know.”
“Your parents might go on tour?”
“Exactly. We're just past closest approach, so one option is that I take them before Mars gets too far away, and then they get met by the courier vessel, and continue their solar system tour. Another option is they wait two years, but by then Atlantis negotiations are going to be in full swing.”
“But you taking them wouldn't mean you don't stop university, surely.”
“It does if I demonstrate my commitment to Mars by getting married there. But anyway, that's all not settled. What is settled, is that we're hosting a guest lecturer in politico-economics and constitutional heresy. That's her official title for this tour, by the way. You are expected to attend her lectures, I'm assuming you're going to bring Sebastian, and I'm assuming that Sebastian will be inviting his friends to the entire lecture series.”
“When you say we're hosting her, what exactly do you mean?”
“I mean, she, her husband and her children will be staying in the court here as my personally invited guests.”
“What are you doing, Lana?”
“I am challenging the public perception of the status quo. By inviting her here I publicise the fact that there can be debate and discussion about the problems facing our country, and that this need not be automatically assumed to be criticising my father or the role of monarch. I allow a degree of respectful self-examination, and stop our greatest thinkers from shutting themselves away in case they accidentally give offence.”
“Wow. You don't fear the collapses that such moves have brought in the past?”
“I think that social tensions are not so great at the moment,” Svetlana replied.
“And if you're wrong?”
“If I'm wrong, then my imperial father has a simple solution, he tells me,” Svetlana said, grinning, “he and mother will simply decide to stay on Mars.”
“Lana, that's not funny!”
“Oh, it is. You see, if I bring about the total collapse of the Russian state, then I'm obviously unfit to rule such a big country, and I'll abdicate too. Then I'll just be princess Claire for the rest of my life, and we can toss a coin to see if you get the job of cleaning up the pieces or if it goes to Tatyana. Any thoughts while it's still theoretical?”
“Definitely not funny, your imperial highness,” Nadiya said. “You know how that'd end up. If you gave me the crown: Tatyana'd be in tears, Dad'd be saying it should have gone to mum...”
“What if I gave it to Tatyana?” Svetlana suggested.
“I love her like a sister, Lana.” Nadiya said about her cousin. It wasn't that she was stupid, or vain, but Tatyana just wasn't born to rule Russia.
“But we both love her and our country too much, I know,” Svetlana said. Tatyana was excellent at making people feel they were the centre of her attention, but her capacity for compassion meant she struggled to remember what her priorities had been at the beginning of the meeting, and before she could reach a decision she needed time to think things through logically, without people around her. Volvograd had some good administrators, and they knew this, and were able to give her the space she needed. But she just couldn't detach herself if there were people around her.
Svetlana added, “You're just demonstrating how you can set aside your feelings for the greater good, I'm not sure she'll ever be able to.”
“Speaking of the greater good... He's absolutely terrified of meeting you.”
“He's met me already.”
“Not the Tsarevna, he hasn't.”
“Oh. Right,” Svetlana acknowledged. “Any particular reason? Or just titles?”
“Mostly I think he's worried about having given mortal offence at running away from your birthday, way back when. But there's also the fear of quite what that does to his status.”
“Puts him on a watch-list you mean?”
“Yes.”
“Presumably telling him he's already well watched won't reassure him?”
“Urm, I think might actually. If we let him know he was watched before I ever met him...” Nadiya said.
“So, what's the plan?”
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DUCHESS OF MOSCOW COURT, 8PM, SUNDAY 23RD MARCH, 2279
“Come in, make yourselves at home,” Nadiya urged the students she'd invited from Church.
“Nice place, Nadiya,” one commented, looking around the room.
“Thank you. Don't look too closely, or you'll see where I messed up the painting.”
“You decorated yourself?” Sebastian asked.
“Yes. It was a hideous beige before,” Nadiya said.
“It must be costing your parents a lot,” another friend commented.
“I have two options,” Nadiya said, “I stay here, or I stay at home and commute an hour and a half each way, with bodyguards. It's actually cheaper here. And I'm not the one who pays, well, not me personally, but the Duchee.”
“How does that work?” Sebastian asked.
“Just like a business account. If I can legitimately say it's to do with the Duchee, like, say, body-guards, official meetings, with or without meals involved, that sort of thing, then the Duchee pays. If I decide to throw a party, or redecorate, or buy books, I pay, out of my official stipend.”
“Can we ask how much?”
“Let's just say that if I hadn't had savings I wouldn't have been able to afford all my course books last term without getting a loan or just not eating.” That started a general discussion of how expensive books were, just as she'd hoped. “While I put the kettle on, can I ask you to count up teas and coffees, Sebastian?”
“Of course,” he agreed. That job done, he followed Nadiya to what he hoped was the kitchen. It was, but it wasn't just Nadiya there.
“Sebastian of Smolensk,” Svetlana said, “I think officially you owe me a dance, but I'll let Nadiya collect that debt.”
“Imperial highness, I apologise if I've given offense...”
“Oh, stop it. Just don't forget to add me to the count of teas, and then I'd like to talk to him for a bit, Nadiya.”
“OK. So, how many teas and coffees?”
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DUCHESS OF MOSCOW COURT, ANTE-ROOM, 8.15PM, SUNDAY 23RD MARCH.
“In private, you may call me Svetlana,” she said. “In public, as you know the correct form is Tsarevna, Imperial Highness, etcetera. Nadiya has called me Lana since before she could say Svetlana, so she can get away with it.”
“You honour me, Imperial Highness,”
“I love my cousin, Sebastian of Smolensk, and she loves you. She tells me you have a rare ability of being able to see through disguises, however well contrived.”
“Urm, that's not the way I'd put it, Tsarevna.”
“No. It's not the way she put it either, actually. She said something like 'You told me about the girl on Mars who said “Princess sick, really sick!” Sebastian told me about something he can do and that I'm beautiful on the inside too.' The bit about disguises was the way the Secret Service report put it a year ago, which shows how little they know really, doesn't it? The Mer would call you a seer. Do you speak English?”
“Urm, yes, Tsarevna, some.”
“Svetlana, please. I'm guessing you've not had much training in using the gift the Spirit has given you.”
“Training?” he asked, his mind whirling in confusion.
“Training, becoming more proficient with your gift. Some time, get Nadiya to take you to the Mer Embassy, and try to work out when and where you can meet Emilia Knifeteacher. The crown will probably end up giving you an all-expenses paid trip to Atlantis, but anyway, you should assume you don't know everything about using your gift.”
“But why should the crown send me to Atlantis?”
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“As far as I know, there are less seers than there are people with the thought-hearing gift, Sebastian. While you can use it to find run-away children, that's probably not the only reason the Lord God gave it to you. I am not so foolish as to think I don't need any help the Lord God puts in my way, nor so proud that I will force you to make an appointment if you want to bring me some matter of concern.”
“I think the guards surrounding you might not agree, Svetlana.”
“Tell them who you are, and that you have been given the right to seek an unplanned interview. They'll want to establish your identity of course, but they'll know you're on the list. Oh, and when I say matter of concern, that includes things like if you're worried about Nadiya being upset about something or overdoing it. Along with that right you automatically get the right of refuge, too, by the way. You know about that one, yes?”
“As in I can just walk up to some palace and demand a bed?”
“You can demand protection if you think your life is in danger. That includes food and a bed, but it also means that, for instance, you don't get dragged off to some police cell, no mater who's after you. Of course, you'd need to give an account for why you did it — either to me or my father, and you get in deep trouble if you abuse it.”
“Wow. You're trusting me with a lot, Imperial Highness,” Sebastian said.
“I doubt you're going to make a habit of midnight visits.”
“No, probably not. That would start rumours, wouldn't it?”
“Unfounded ones. But it does raise the problem of where you'd find me if you needed to.”
“The palace, I presume?”
“Or here. I'm told you should be able to find which from your gift, but calling my lady in waiting would be a less presumptuous way, wouldn't it?”
“It would.”
Svetlana wrote the number on a piece of paper and handed it to him. As she did so, he noticed her ring-finger. There was a slight mark on it, as though she'd been wearing a ring there not long before. It was significant, he was sure it was significant.
She noticed his stare, and smiled. “It still shows, doesn't it? C'est la vie, I only realised I was still wearing it just before you arrived. Young Heather on Mars tells me I didn't fool her for more than five seconds, But I guess she's not learned it's not good to go around knowing everything about everyone all the time.”
“Imperial Highness?”
“I do not fear you using your gift, Sebastian. You are already presumed to know a lot of secrets by it. Let us get some of them into the open.” She reached into her pocket and put her engagement ring back on.
“You are engaged, Imperial Highness?”
“Of course. You really haven't seen through my disguise?”
“You're not in disguise, highness.” Sebastian protested.
“Well, keep a tight reign on your mouth when you do. Perhaps you should go and help deliver the teas and coffees. Don't tell anyone about this little chat, please. Except Nadiya. Oh, you can tell Yuri about your rights if it's at all relevant to anything.”
“You know about Yuri?”
“I know Yuri and Natasha, Sebastian. So does Nadiya. She's just trying not to work out how she recognises Yuri's voice.”
“He has rank, I've seen that.”
“He does.”
“But I'm not convinced... surely....”
“Trust what God tells you by your gift, Sebastian,” Svetlana said.
“But I see exaggerations! Him I see with a general's rank, and I see princess Claire wearing ...” he ground to a halt looking at her face, her ring and in the silence that followed he eventually forced himself to whisper “your imperial robes and crown.”
She smiled and said, “You are, as I said, assumed to know various secrets by your gift. You're also assumed to know how to keep those secrets secret. You may say that you've just been granted various rights by the Tsarevna if you need to explain your shocked appearance. Sadly, the Tsarevna's not allowed to socialise much at the moment, for all sorts of security reasons; Princess Claire will probably be along soon, but you don't need to say that.”
“Imperial Highness...”
“Svetlana,” she corrected, “At least until I've changed my disguise.”
“You are also princess Claire du Basse-Monaco, and Yuri is also a general?”
“He got a promotion around the time Yelena joined your little branch. You should talk to him about your future. Yelena too, I guess, if you go to Atlantis soon. I imagine it'll be risky whatever you choose, deep cover or leaving. Yuri is likely to retire soon, it's not a job for an old man, after all... then there are some different options: alternative trusted leadership, natural dispersal, or perhaps a raid. It would be very good if you weren't there, during a raid. No matter how well planned, things can go wrong, the wrong people get shot.”
“You're talking about killing members of my adopted family, Tsarevna.”
“I'm letting you know the harsh reality of some alternatives, Sebastian. Consider your adopted family, your natural family, your future wife and probable children, and plan accordingly. I'm not going to tell you what to do; but remember that I'm quite good at keeping secrets, and I'm happy to talk. God's even better at keeping secrets, of course, and much much wiser. Can I pray for you?”
“Please do.”
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“That took a long time. What happened?” Nadiya asked as a rather stunned looking Sebastian entered the room.
“Her Imperial highness granted me some rights, told me some disturbing things, and prayed for me.”
“Disturbing things?” Nadiya asked.
“Her Imperial highness?” someone else remarked.
“Her imperial highness the Tsarevna is not allowed to socialise much, for security reasons, but apparently she has had me checked over thoroughly by the Secret Service, has such high hopes for me and Nadiya that I've been granted the right to go and talk to her if I think Nadiya's over-doing it, and she also thinks I'll need to go to Atlantis some time.”
“Wow. I know they call it the Imperial university, but... wow. You know the Tsarevna, Nadiya? Like... that well?” one of the students asked.
“Svetlana's a cousin of mine,” Nadiya said simply, bringing an awed hush to the room and not a few worried glances. Sebastian recognised them.
“Aristocrats, Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, hairy and mostly hairless apes,” he said, standing. “I hope you know that there are very strict laws against corruption by claiming a connection to the royal house. The reason that my dear friend Nadiya invited you here was not to emphasize her relationship to her uncle the Tsar, but so that we could have a time of fellowship and prayer. Do be careful that you don't 'casually' tell your lecturers that you were in the Grand Duchess's flat for a prayer meeting, or even in a flat in the Duchess of Moscow court. The law is clear: you may not use your personal contacts for advancement. Of course if someone asks if you have any contacts they should be aware of, you can tell them that you're sorry, you can't run the risk of using your contacts for personal advancement. And of course you can also quietly point out to any classmates who might not have contacts that they can't run the risk of using their contacts for personal advancement, either.”
“And if anyone does ask you or a friend that question,” Nadiya said, “then they urgently need to have a little chat with someone before the new anti-corruption law comes into force. If you don't feel able to suggest that to them in person, let me know. It's not to your personal advantage if someone is reminded of the law, after all.”
“I don't want to get anyone in trouble,” one of the second year students said.
“But you've been asked?” Nadiya asked her.
“Just last week, during what was supposed to be a revision tutorial.”
“What did you say?” Sebastian queried.
“Urm, I said no one of importance, like I've always done. Sorry... I didn't think about your title, Nadiya. And even then, I wouldn't want to suddenly get better treatment because of someone I know.”
“But you get worse treatment because you can't name someone, Anna,” her boyfriend said, angry at the injustice.
“What happened in the tutorial?” Sebastian probed.
“I got equipment that didn't work.”
“You're studying electronics, aren't you?” Sebastian asked, “I have a good friend, called Yelena Petrichna, who studied electronics and thought she had no friends or relatives of any importance. I think she'd be very very happy, assuming you really don't want to name names, for someone to say something like 'It looks like Anna's getting the same equipment Yelena Petrichna did. Some people won't be impressed.' Do tell me how the staff react.”
From the doorway, Princess Claire said “Sebastian, I think you're just about within the law for suggesting that, as all you're really suggesting is that Yelena's story isn't a long-forgotten secret. And I agree, she'd be in favour of striking fear into the hearts of corrupt staff once more. But Sebastian, what do you think of asking Yelena to contact the electronics faculty herself?”
Sebastian grinned, “In time-honoured fashion?”
“In whatever way seems appropriate to her.”
“That sounds like a wonderful plan. Shame messages to her have been vanishing into the aether.”
“Just because she doesn't reply, doesn't mean she doesn't read them or respond,” Nadiya said, suddenly realizing how Sebastian had come to Karella's attention.
“Who is this you're talking about?” Anna asked.
“Former electronics student, whose friends were more influential than she thought. Now she's the wife of His Imperial Majesty's ambassador to Atlantis.” Claire said. Then added, “Which is where I met her. What she did between those two public roles is not a matter for discussion, but as a student most people thought she had no connections, but then the university staff discovered otherwise, and once they gave her equipment that actually worked, she was able to show her talent.”
“Those with connections get what's best,” Anna said.
“It should not be so, Anna,” Nadiya said. “And by 'not wanting to cause trouble' you're allowing people to continue to trample the poor and defenseless under-foot. Perhaps you can cope with being trampled, but others can't.”
“This year,” Sebastian said, “they'll get a formal warning in their personnel file, and if they get enough warnings they lose their job. Next year it is a prison sentence.”
“I can't prove anything,” Anna said, “It's their word against mine.”
“Anna, you can take a legal oath in front of a truthsayer,” Nadiya pointed out. “Your name would not be known to any but the investigating judge.”
“For instance, you, Nadiya?” Sebastian asked.
“Probably not,” she shook her head, “not unless it's the head of department or someone of similar status.”
“It's the whole department,” Anna's boyfriend said, bitterly.
“Almost, or absolutely?” Svetlana asked.
“Urm, hard to tell,” he admitted.
“OK, any other departments that need to be reminded of the law?” Nadiya asked.
“Certain staff in the law department,” someone said.
“Recently, or is this old news?” Nadiya asked.
“Recently... I've noticed some improvement, but not total.”
“Complaints concerning the law department or university administration can be handled directly by a judge of the royal court, via the Imperial Truthsayers branch on campus or if you prefer the truthsayer office in town. In other words, if you want to talk to me later, you may. I'll then say if the evidence demands a conversation with the Secret Service or warrants prosecution in which case it'd need a truthsayer's testimony.”
“This is weird,” the law student said. “We're using our connections to enforce a law about not using connections.”
“Non,” Claire said, “Your connections are reminding you about the law, and reassuring you that you can report people without fear. It's a very significant difference. Anyone could approach Nadiya privately, or go to a truthsayer office.”
“In fact, please encourage friends to,” Nadiya said. “The law will not be able to stamp out corruption at the University if it just relies on a few dozen Secret Service agents listening out for rumours.”
“Can I ask, what did everyone here think when you heard about the new law?” Sebastian asked.
Anna spoke first, “I thought, who's going to listen to a student with no connections against a senior lecture?”
“It doesn't help that the Student's Union is just as corrupt,” a first year student called Adam said, “Everyone who gets elected to it is some relative of some politician. Being a relative of political prisoners doesn't count.”
“Political prisoner?” Svetlana asked, surprised. “I wasn't aware Russia had political prisoners.”
“What do you call people who are in prison for speaking up against Tsarist rule, then, your highness?” he said with some bitterness.
“I don't think that's always a crime,” she said gently. “But if you think there has been an injustice done... Basse-Monaco is not as powerful as Russia but my word is law there just as his Imperial Majesty's word is here, and I am aware of the potential for underlings to overreact, and for the possibilities for clemency. Come next door, I'll listen and if you can convince me there should be some doubt about the conviction then I'll do all I can to arrange an unbiased review, ruler to ruler.”
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ROYAL PALACE, ST PETERSBURG, 8AM, MONDAY
“Father, do you recognise the name Pyotr Yureivich?” Svetlana asked over breakfast.
“I do. Political philosopher, a bit of a radical thinker. You'd probably like him. What's he done now?”
“Been in prison for the last year, according to his son. Apparently he said that you'd lost control of whatever general it was who'd ruined relationships with the Mer.”
“And then went onto his normal diatribe about me having too much power?”
“Quite possibly. I heard that he said it proved what he'd said all along, and before he could finish his sentence he got bundled off stage by the event
organisers, and rather than being sent home with a warning like he expected he found himself being tried for sedition.”
“And the judge was bribed?”
“Vastly out of his depth, I think. And it was supposed to be the inaugural debate in some philosophy group, but it never met again and the organisers demanded he be tried. In other words, it was a set-up, with the state as perceived bully.”
“You'd better give him and his son a royal pardon then, hadn't you?”
“His son told Clare, not Svetlana. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have dared tell Svetlana, actually.”
“Is he a trustworthy young man?”
“Christian, but I don't know him well enough to judge.”
“I know his father. A very principled man, so we'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He's a student?”
“Yes, first year.”
“In university accommodation?”
“Yes,” Svetlana said. “What are you planning father?”
“You and I are going to use your wonderful flying machine to right a wrong in person, and his wife and son — any children, in fact — will be going with us. The joy of being absolute ruler is I can cancel plans. Start with all lectures for the day.”
“All of them?
“Can't have students around during a security sweep, prior to a grand lecture, can we?”
“You're going to replace them by a grand lecture this evening?”
“An Imperial grand lecture, yes. How's the anti-corruption thing going?”
“Students are afraid to come forward.”
“Right. We'll start with decrying the wrong uses for contacts, point out the protections for people who want to bring lawlessness to our attention and then you'll talk about the right uses, and then, assuming Pyotr feels up to it we'll let him have his say on the matter. Let's see if your mother wants to be involved. He's her ex-boyfriend, after all.”
“What?”
“Oh, he ended it as soon as he learned she was an aristocrat. I absolutely didn't poach her. Like I said, he's a very principled man, he's probably going to refuse a royal pardon, for that matter.”
“So we need to fit in a hearing for miscarriage of justice too?”
“Almost certainly. So, let's not jump the gun, first we'll confirm that his son isn't totally misinformed. Do you want to nominate someone to pre-warn the university that pending confirmation, all lectures might well be cancelled, or shall I designate Tatyana?”
“I think that's an excellent nomination, Father,” Svetlana said.
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UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, ST PETERSBURG, 8.30AM
“Hello,” Tatyana said to the security guard, with a bright cheery smile. She liked having nice simple tasks, where she didn't need to make decisions herself, “I'm not quite sure who I need to talk to. Who would be the person to cancel today's lectures?”
“Only the lecturer or head of faculty can cancel a lecture.”
“I think you'll find his Imperial Majesty the Tsar can as well. But who gets the message?”
“Very funny,” the guard said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.
“Very serious,” growled one of Tatyana's body guards. “The Grand Duchess just asked you a serious question.”
“Just take me to the person who can overrule heads of faculty, whoever has his emergency contact number or whoever you'd contact on receipt of a bomb threat.”
“Bomb threat?” That got his brain working.
“Bombs are relatively harmless compared to an irate Tsar, now stop wasting my time, or I'll bring some tanks of my own. Subject to confirmation, all lecture halls are to be shut for a security sweep.”
The guard made a phone call.