41:03:18
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Taz applied the repulsors until they were flying slow enough to shut down the deflectors. At Reiko's suggestion, he switched to the secondary atmospheric turbines so she could monitor their performance after her latest tweaks.
They watched through the viewports as they broke through some high clouds. Akushima's landscape was full of tall wooded hills and deep valleys flowing with winding blue rivers. They branched frequently, and nearly all of them ended in carefully cultivated pools that varied in size from a few dozen to several hundred meters. The pools seemed to form the focal points of individual properties; nearly every one of them had a cluster of domestic-looking buildings close by.
Everywhere Taz looked was a new marvel. He'd reviewed holos of Inusagi's lush landscape, but seeing it laid out before him in such splendor made him laugh with delight. His own homeworld was mostly featureless desert, punctuated by glittering climate-controlled polidomes nestled between nearly barren mountains in the narrow, arid temperate zones. He'd seen plenty of green planets, but their power to amaze him hadn't diminished much, even years after leaving Filve.
Pratikaya, the seat of the Nimor clan, appeared to be a small, well-ordered city. A portion of it sat on the upland side of a sweeping escarpment, with the bulk of the city resting below. Buildings were plentiful, but there were none of the soaring towers that typified advanced, industrialized worlds.
Aerial traffic was steady but uncongested. Avenues covered in greenery described a spoke and ring pattern on the city's layout. At least a half-dozen waterways ran through the precinct, including a broad river that flowed over the escarpment in a long waterfall, then emptied into a semicircular basin surrounded by parkland. It all had a pastoral, even rustic quality, though everything he'd read confirmed Lyra's insistence that Inusagi was as developed as any Mid Rim world.
Oktos steered for Pratikaya's modest spaceport, passing by a handful of outbound vessels. One big starship hovered near the edge of the spaceport; some kind of luxury vehicle to judge by its size and its polished skin that reflected Inusagi's dazzling yellow sun.
Taz flew over the sunken landing area assigned to them and lowered the freighter, extending her struts a few meters above the permacrete. As the Skipjack Chimera settled, he shut down the engines and repulsors. Reiko hummed cheerily as she reviewed the performance data from the atmospheric turbines.
Lyra's face betrayed a thousand emotions all at once. Taz touched her hand. She smiled reflexively, but it was less casual than she'd hoped. "Welcome to Inusagi, everyone."
A circular platform elevator brought them up to the surface. Segmented doors slid into place, sealing the pit where the Chimera had landed. As the platform emerged on the surface they could see the gleaming chromium-clad ship hovering overhead. Its long hull had graceful, organic curves. A tall, sail-like foil extended from the dorsal surface and soared nearly 150 meters into the sky. At its apex was an elongated domed gallery, serviced by capsule-shaped transparent elevators with bright yellow bases. A similar foil extended toward the ground, but it was slender and far shorter, with two weapon turrets at its tip. Stout pylons behind the ship supported pairs of engine nacelles.
Taz let out an appreciative whistle. "That's some ship."
"That's the Navata. It's the clan's yacht."
"That's your yacht?" Reiko nearly squealed, drinking in the ship with eager, envious eyes.
Lyra cringed. "My aunt's. It's a show of... prestige."
"It's beautiful, like a work of art!"
"Gaudy thing," she mumbled. Around the landing pads moved eight or nine egg-shaped transparent vehicles. The size of a small bus, each one looked like it could hold about two dozen occupants.
"Don't think I've ever seen those," Sera mentioned.
"Zip ports. For public transportation."
"Hmm. Didn't see any of them on our way down."
"They stay on the ground." When Sera started toward one of them, she added, "They aren't for us."
"Oh?"
Lyra nodded in the other direction. "That's our ride."
They followed her gaze. A glossy white Azure Motorworks luxury speeder with curving body panels and a spacious enclosed cab glided to a halt. Two brown-skinned men hopped from the boot at the back of the vehicle. They wore identical off-white jackets with high collars and loose, silky-looking pants. The rotund one touched a control and a door slid aside, exposing a sumptuous interior of tan leather. The other strode toward them. Both men had black batons tucked into light green sashes that matched their shoes and tapered cylindrical caps. Pinned to the side of each man's cap was a small cluster of sakoola blossoms, their five delicate pale yellowish-pink petals edged in gold, attached to slender brown branches.
The man stopped before Lyra and executed an elaborate bow with his hands crossed over his chest. Rising, he touched his forehead and lips, then spoke in Inusago. "Mantiyaka Daigol do sey, Lyra hima—"
Lyra held up her hand. "Speak Basic, for everyone's sake."
He tilted his head ever so slightly and shifted to Galactic Standard. "As you command. Blessings of the Chieftess be upon you, Lady Lyra." His brown eyes were bright and a smile lit his bearded face for an instant. "I am Seelam, speaking for the most honored Lady Nimor. She welcomes your return after so many years away."
Lyra responded with the expected words, if not much enthusiasm. "I have returned, Seelam."
Seelam motioned toward the other man. "Panil will arrange a zip port for your servants."
Here we go. "They're not servants, Seelam." She touched Taz's arm, then turned to indicate Sera and Rei. "This is Tazbarada Oktos, Serasana Rendix, and Reiko Hudson. They're my guests."
"Of course, my lady," Seelam gave them a perfunctory nod, his gaze lingering for a moment on Reiko. "And your droid?"
"Kallista, this is Seelam."
Kalli stepped smoothly forward and made an elegant bow to match his. In perfectly cultured Inusago, she said, «Greetings, Seelam of Clan Nimor. I am Kallista, Lady Lyra's protocol and human-cyborg relations assistant.» She repeated the greeting in Basic for the rest of them.
"Excellent," answered Seelam, sweeping an arm toward the speeder. He crooked his other, holding it at waist height. "If you'll come this way, Lady Nimor is most eager to welcome you herself."
Lyra laid her hand on his arm with a quick glance at Taz, who looked amused. He's enjoying this, dammit.
They strode toward the waiting car. Seelam saw them seated on the deeply upholstered bench seats that wrapped around the cab, then he and Panil stepped onto the footmen's platform at the rear of the car. The door closed and the speeder glided forward so smoothly that the passengers barely swayed in their seats.
Sera leaned into the luxurious padding. "Looks like you're gonna have to up your chivalry game, Doc."
Taz smirked at her before turning to Lyra. "Will we need Kallista to translate for us?"
"No," Lyra scowled, then turned to Kallista. "Thanks, Kalli, but please restrict yourself to Basic. I don't want my family thinking there's any excuse for not addressing everyone when they speak." Then to all of them: "I told you they're insular, but everyone on Inusagi speaks Basic. Once the Empire showed up it was practically mandated. They allowed Inusago to be taught in schools though, and the clans have used it in their home territories all along." She looked chagrined. "Sorry."
Sera leaned forward. "Listen, if you keep apologizing for every little thing you're gonna wear out that sharp tongue of yours."
Lyra gave her a scowl. "I just feel like—" she uttered a frustrated sound. "See why I wasn't eager to come back?"
Taz squeezed her hand. "You can relax, Lyra. You don't need to worry about us, truly."
"How far to your home?" asked Reiko, settling against Sera. The speeder joined sparse traffic on a broad grassy thoroughfare. A few of the clear zip ports ran alongside. She noticed that they moved on magnetic rails cleverly hidden by thick, manicured vegetation.
"Twenty klicks, give or take," Lyra answered.
"Not a lot of tall buildings," Sera observed as they passed through a commercial district festooned with ribbons and bright silky hangings. "Festive, though."
"Believe it or not, there's a cultural... humility here. Building upward is a sign of hubris. Besides being insular, Inusagians cling to traditions." she made a little scowl. "Things here rarely change." She fiddled with her hands until Taz took one of them.
She put on a smile. "As for the decorations, that's the festival getting started. The merchants will be setting up their stalls around the sakoola groves. The festival is a big four-day party. There'll be parades and processions, games, and tons of food. And in the evenings, invocations, music, and dramatic recitals. And skyshows." She smiled at the memories of the bursting coruscations that filled the night sky with color and sound, and how she'd grab Allegra's hand when the deep booms shook the ground.
Allegra, and mum, and dad. Her smile faltered. "Anyway, I hope you brought your appetites and comfortable shoes. There's a lot to see and do."
She shifted on the seat so she could watch the passing scenes. Everywhere she looked she saw something familiar; the dark wooden facades of the buildings, signs for businesses she remembered, people clad in short jackets and light trousers gathered at the ankles, or billowy robes that fell in long folds and brushed the ground.
Newer buildings crowded in with the traditional edifices. Square, solid duracrete structures with circular imprints over the lintels where an Imperial crest had hung not so long ago; women and men walking along the streets in uniforms that reminded her of the one she used to wear. She wondered how much Clan Nimor had given itself over to the distinct culture of the Empire's New Order.
The speeder slowed before turning onto another parkway. On the corner sat one of the drab Imperial buildings. Lyra stiffened involuntarily. "It's still here."
"What is?" asked Taz.
She indicated the building with a raised chin. "The recruiting center where I took the academy entrance exams."
Taz looked thoughtful as the speeder passed by. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Regrets?"
Stolen story; please report.
"I don't know. If I hadn't..." Ambivalence flickered across her face. She'd spent most of a decade in service to the Imperial regime, and almost three years before that nursing a hatred of the Rebels that had destroyed her life and everything she loved. What if I'd never signed on? Where would I be now?
"I'd probably never have met you," Taz said quietly. "I'm glad you did, Lyra."
"Me too," added Reiko, smiling fondly.
"Same," Sera pronounced.
Their goodwill was nearly more than she could bear. "Alright, knock it off, all of you." She shook off the gloom, but she couldn't stop the flushing of her cheeks as the car sped along.
Pratikaya's buildings thinned along with the traffic until theirs was the only vehicle ascending a switchback to surmount the escarpment. They passed under a weighty wooden archway covered in bright red lacquer. A big sigil was carved into the broad lintel, a circle with a five-petaled sakoola blossom flanked by stylized bamboo stalks. Just beyond lay a glassy pool that had been artfully shaped to mimic a single sakoola petal. Water flowed over its apex into a bright spraying cascade that splashed into Pratikaya's municipal lagoon along with the bigger falls from the river.
A complex of buildings arced around the pool. The speeder turned left and crossed over an ancient-looking wooden bridge to a parallel pathway that led to the compound. Brown stone stele lined each side, bearing the sigil from the arch and any number of other symbols.
What could only be the manor house extended for over a hundred meters. It was only two stories tall, with square turrets that jutted higher at the corners. Thousands of arched silver-gray tiles covered the rafters. The whole structure was framed with heavy, square-hewn beams of wood so brown that it was nearly black. Intricate carvings crowded the beams; dragons, giants, great eagles with four legs and four wings, and a menagerie that could only belong to some complex, ancient mythology. Wooden panels formed the walls, pierced all over by rectangular vents and windows with translucent glazing. Outbuildings fell to either side and behind the manor house. The grassy driveway transitioned to smooth, round river cobbles.
Upon the broad portico stood dozens of expectant-looking men and women. All wore uniforms like Seelam's, though their sashes had different colors. The darker-skinned servants were centermost, flanked by the more lightly-complected staff.
The speeder slowed to a halt. Stones crunching underfoot, Seelam and his fellow footman took positions on either side of the door which slid open with a bare hum of actuators.
Seelam leaned in. "Lady Lyra, the household insisted on welcoming you."
"Sure they did," she grumbled. Damn this spectacle. Across from her Reiko buzzed with anticipation.
Seelam reached inside but Taz jumped out, surprising the footman. With a gleam in his cool blue eyes he executed a passable imitation of Seelam's bow, then held out his hand. "Permit me to escort you from the carriage, Lady Lyra." His smile was full of affection and just enough mischief to make her chuckle.
"Stop showing off, Oktos," she chided him and scowled before taking his hand. As she stepped out of the car the staff arrayed on the portico bowed, their arms crossed over their chests. In unison they exclaimed: "Savogairi sey, Lyra hima'anu!"
Behind them, Kalli translated. "Welcome home, Lady Lyra."
For the first time in years she felt the kind of affection she remembered as a girl. Her throat tightened and for just a moment, tears threatened before she banished them. She made a short bow of acknowledgment. "I have returned. Tada'eyo sey."
The staff erupted into applause and Lyra couldn't stop the tear that escaped her eye.
Sera squeezed her shoulder. "Welcome home, Nimor."
"Dammit, Rendix," she complained as more tears traced their way over her blushing cheeks.
Seelam looked askance at Taz but he nevertheless swept an outstretched arm toward the building. "Please briefly greet the staff if you would, my lady. Then Lady Nimor would like to extend her personal welcome to you and... your guests." He barely hesitated at the last words though his dark eyes settled again on Taz, who gave him a very toothy grin in response.
I'll bet she would, thought Lyra as they stepped onto the portico and the household surrounded them, pouring forth effusive greetings to her and making polite salutations to the rest as she introduced them. Lyra made sure to stress that they were honored guests and the staff bowed when she repeated her instructions in Inusago.
Amid the hubbub and ebullience, a flash of light off the pool's gently rippling surface caught Reiko's attention. She looked over and saw humanoid shapes, white and thin, standing at the edge of the groomed pond, watching the spectacle with apparent interest. Some of the staff noticed the creatures too but they said nothing and quickly returned to their greetings.
Lyra was obliged to offer her hand to the servants who kissed it reverently. There were a lot of new faces among them, but many she remembered, too. A man stepped forward, grey-headed, with a vigorous bearing and a sober mien that was gentled by the hint of a welcoming smile.
"Uncle Shin!" Her heart swelled as Lyra threw her arms around him, letting out a joyful sob.
The man returned her embrace, but backed away after a moment and bowed to her in a most formal manner. "Lady Lyra, we are overjoyed that you have returned to your beloved family. We've had no word for nearly a year and we feared for your welfare, indeed."
Lyra grasped his hands. "Uncle Shin, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to all of you," she spoke up, wiping at her tears and turning to address the assembled staff. "The last months have been... chaotic, and I regret to say, perilous. I offer sincere apologies for causing you distress." The assembly hummed with gratitude and she quieted them again with a raised hand. "I truly appreciate your warm welcome. I take my leave now to greet Lady Nimor but I'll find time to speak to you all, I promise."
The servants seemed placated by her response. She squeezed Uncle Shin's hand then ascended the steps, followed by her crewmates.
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The entry vestibule looked exactly as she remembered it. But then, she expected nothing else; the Inusagian reverence for the traditional meant that things changed little, even with the passing of decades.
Gentle light filtered through rectangular panels above the lintel, though it did little to ameliorate the subdued atmosphere. They were pierced with skillfully incised scenes that depicted waterways, trees, flowers, birds, and animals. A matched pair of long silk tapestries hung from the walls to her left and right, subtly lit by concealed lamps. A low platform ended at a pair of sliding wooden doors that led to the interior of the huge Nimor manor. Lyra stood near the foot of the platform, the others at her shoulders. Behind them, Seelam and Panil took positions on either side of the entry door and bowed deeply.
The interior doors slid aside. A woman seemed to glide in, stopping atop the platform.
Where's Aunt Semma? Lyra tried not to let her surprise show as she stepped forward. Her cousin stood there instead of the chieftess.
The woman's expression was a blank mask, though her dark eyes were quick with a cunning acuity that took in every detail of the new arrivals. Her thick black hair was permeated with gray and drawn tightly back. Fine lines by her eyes and across her clear, brown forehead bespoke refined elegance rather than age. Her long, straight nose sniffed the air almost imperceptibly, as if she could divine something about the off-worlders before her by smell alone. Her mouth, small and meticulously decorated with a bloom of rosy color, hovered over a round chin with the slightest dimple. The woman's gaze lingered on Reiko a few instants longer than the others before she turned back to Lyra.
She was dressed in a long silk robe, pale green with blushes of yellow, and hemmed in gold. Subtle patterns woven into the fabric illustrated the ever-present sakoola blossoms amid clusters of bamboo. Her clasped hands had expensive-looking rings on every finger. At her neck she wore a pendant of aurodium disks, each set with a deep red cabochon gemstone. A fine chain headdress was pinned into her hair, with teardrop-shaped gems dangling from it.
Lyra kept her expression neutral, but inwardly she was scowling. Guess I'd better get this over with. She crossed her arms over her chest, lowered her head and bowed at the waist, not quite as deeply as the footmen. As one, the three Inusagians dropped to one knee. Lyra lowered her arms, palms facing out, then she rose, touching her fingertips to her forehead, followed by her lips, finally clasping them before her at her waist. "Honored Lady Senna, I greet you in the fullness of familial comity. I pray for your continued good health and the prosperity of the clan."
"The errant child returns," responded Senna Nimor without preamble, her elegant tone laced with steely remonstration.
I'll bathe in bantha spit before I let her get the better of me. "Errant is an interesting term, Cousin Senna. The Lyra who left was indeed aimless, but nine years of service in the Imperial military burned that out of me." She decided to push just a little more. "It's how I thrived all these years without spongeing off the fortunes of my forebears." Like you do, she added to herself. Behind her, Seelam and Panil nearly gasped in unison.
Senna Nimor sniffed. "Your time away from the clan has dulled the quality of your courtesy."
"I have plenty of courtesy for those who've earned it, Cousin. Speaking of which, I see that the chieftess cannot be stirred to greet her grand-niece."
"My honored mother has taken ill and she has little stomach for itinerants."
Lyra ignored the jab. "I was unaware of my honored aunt's decline. My apologies," She regretted her icy tone despite her antipathy for the bitter old crone. "I wish fervently for her swift recovery."
The older woman flicked a choleric finger. "Thus it is with you, child. You declare when you should ask. You speak when you should listen. It has always been one of your... several faults."
Lyra fought hard not to let her anger show. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to let the windbag have her way unchallenged. "I suppose my faults still include my father's blood?"
"Will they not forever?" Her tone was taunting and clipped. "Or did the Imperial military somehow burn the Chokokara from your veins?"
Lyra seethed at the insult but kept her tone as mild as she could bear. "My father's tavit is an honorable one. His work was treasured by the Chieftess of Inusagi herself." She pointed a strident finger on a stiff arm toward the royal capital in the north.
"His work, yes," droned Senna. "The mean work of one who earns a living by their hands, rough and calloused." She rubbed her soft fingers together, perhaps reminding herself of the vast gulf that separated her from the Tavit-wey.
Behind her, Lyra's crewmates said nothing but she could feel their tension and uncertainty. Lyra's every nerve and muscle tensed, crying out to fly across the short space and beat some sense into the scornful, hidebound woman who seemed to lead Clan Nimor in fact, if not in name. But she knew she wouldn't get within arm's length of her cousin before the footmen were on her. She probably has guards on the other side of that door, too.
Despite her fury, Lyra knew how to play this game; she'd watched her mother do it all of her childhood years. She kept her tone carefully moderated though it took all the will she could muster. "Without the works of the Chokokara artists, the Shokri crafters, the Abhijin engineers, you'd have none of this—" her arm swept around the room— "or that garish eyesore floating over the spaceport, or those baubles around your neck and fingers. You, with your soft Sajoku hands would be living under the roof of the heavens, shivering at night, or burning under the sun. Your scorn for the very ones who supply your daily comfort, your every need, your luxury, remind me why I was so grateful to leave this place."
Senna gave no hint that Lyra's words had any impact. "And why have you returned, our dear cousin?" She dripped condescension, all pretense of courtesy abandoned.
"For the sake of my companions, Cousin. To honor my mother, my sister, and my father whom I long to see. And to put to rest the ghosts of my past."
Senna blinked. Lyra's words might have made some impact, if only a little. Ancestral worship was supremely important; it was one of the few things nearly all the seven hundred Tavits, from highest noble to lowest menial, had in common. "I see," Senna stated without affect, pursing her lips. "And your... companions." She gave them all a cursory look bordering on derision. "Did they serve with you in the Imperial military?"
Taz cocked an adamantine smile. "No, madam. We were Rebels."
He twisted the knife for me. Good. Lyra smiled inside.
Senna might have grown paler by a few shades. "You bring enemies to our lands?" she hissed in a tight voice.
"Enemies," Lyra scoffed, letting her bitterness permeate her tone. "I gave the Empire nine years of loyal service and they betrayed me. They used me for bait in their ambush and left me to die on the sands of a hellish world. These are the people who saved my life and offered me a place with them." She looked over her shoulder for a moment. "They are my honored guests, my friends, and I won't brook any disrespect toward them, even from you, honored Cousin." Her tone resounded with barely veiled hostility. Her coppery eyes bored into Senna's, daring her to respond. After a long pause, she adopted a tone that was a shade less confrontational and introduced them.
"I see," Senna pronounced when the introductions had concluded. "You have brought them so hospitality will be given." She didn't sound the least bit happy about it but she was a prisoner of her own traditionalism. "Rooms will be arranged. Make it so, Panil."
"As you command, Lady Senna," said the man in a light voice that didn't match his burgeoning frame.
Senna made the barest dismissive nod toward Lyra, signaling the end of the audience. If she was lucky it would be the last time any of them would see the cousin she despised. Lyra crossed her arms over her chest and bowed as unseen hands opened the doors. Stiff-faced, Senna turned her back and shuffled out in a rustle of her heavy silk robes.