Diane had the ships in system keep on the Terran ship's tails until they'd made the jump to FTL before parking themselves in orbit of Leke Idus. Once there, she approved rotating shore leave for all her crews and, once Sarrath'al and the town counsel gave their affirmative permission, invited the Syndicate ships to do the same. The visiting population was such an explosion of people on the sleepy little town that she'd had to set up rotations of her own people to help the townsfolk in keeping up with the hospitality side of things.
Sarrath'al had invited Diane over to her place that night, rather than either of them spending the evening in the RDCC. Diane's things hadn't yet been shipped up to the Abigail Adams, so it was fairly easy to have one of her bags redirected to the mayor's home and have Clarkson drive her there. She'd been treated to dinner (a hearty soup that used a mix of herbs and spices from the colony world and the Satask homeworld), and the conversation was pleasant and mix of business and personal.
"We've been frustrated at the lack of a spaceport for some time," said Sarra, "Since we have no orbital facilities or even a proper landing zone for full sized shipping craft, we have to wait for a smaller craft to schedule a stop, and since we're not on the regular shipping routes for the Empire, getting a ship out here is expensive."
Diane nodded and swallowed the bite she'd been enjoying, "Well, you now have the LZs for smaller craft, so if you can get an orbital facility built, you can at least provide a dock for the bigger ships that can make the trip without the special accommodations. It'd also make a good port to bring in more people. Unpalatable, I know," she held up a hand in what she hoped would be seen as a mollifying gesture, "You all were hoping for a small little farming community. But when you're running the show you've got to take the needs of everyone you're overseeing into account. Your people are going to need protection and they're going to need the ability to do something with themselves. If the Satask are anything like humans and Morvuck, then they're not going to deal well with having nothing to do, and your little colony is about to be very, very wealthy. Wealth means the ability to simply buy solutions rather than having to make do, and then…what? What do you do with that time? I have my Commander's Ability to master and everything related to that, and even if I wasn't a Commander I have a list a mile long of things that will keep me active and busy and constantly working to improve myself. This is a discipline that needs to be learned, or you and your people are going to turn inward, and your colony will collapse before the third generation is ready to create the fourth."
Sarrath'al slurped down the last of her bowl of soup in the relaxed manner of someone who can't be bothered with formalities and leaned back in her chair, "You seem to have a bit of wisdom to go along with your musical talent and skill on the battlefield…and beyond."
Diane shrugged, "I've…made mistakes. A lot of mistakes. Thanks to my station producing passive income I'm already in the galactic class of people that are labelled 'wealthy' by statisticians and bean counters, and short of someone revoking my 'First Found' title and destroying my station, I'm likely headed for the 'one percent' league before too long. I've had to give this some thought." She took a spoonful of soup and gulped it down quickly, "Also, I've paid attention. It wasn't that long ago I was just another citizen, you know? No station, no Commander status, just a kid who lost her parents and going through the same motions as everyone else. But you read enough and you watch the news enough and you see what happens to the people at the top who never bother to learn from their own history."
She felt the familiar sour spot in her gut as she reminded herself of her Mark 34 weapon, the one that was currently on her back and held there by 'magic physics.' She hadn't been able to really give the matter of the weapon any serious thought since she discovered that the Singularity had actually happened right under Humanity's collective nose. I can't help but think we're going to need to drastically rethink the whole so-called 'rogue' situation, she thought, We have the Constitution for a reason, and it's to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. The S.A.I. would be the minority in this case, so they'd need to be granted protections under the law. She wasn't a judge or a senator, so she wasn't sure what she could do about it. She still had at least three or four IRL days before it became something she had to bring up to her superiors, though given that they weren't the ones that made the determination on the person-hood of the S.A.I., she had severe doubts about anyone in the agency being able to change the policy.
Pushing the problem to the back of her mind, she turned her attention back to Sarrath'al, who was using one of the more muscular arms on her torso to reach for her glass of celebratory wine, "Well, 'Commander,' I do hope you'll at least remain in contact so I can reach out to you for advice. I absolutely didn't want to be mayor, and so far, you haven't steered me wrong yet."
Diane snorted, "I'd probably be asking the person who advises me about any questions you have. She's been a lifesaver more than once."
Sarra smiled warmly, "Tell me about her; if she's the one that imparted her wisdom to make you as good a leader as you are, she must be very important to you."
Diane blushed as she took another mouthful of soup in, this one had a chunk of meat in it, which she was grateful for as it required she chewfor a bit. This gave her time to formulate a response that wasn't just blushing denials, something she didn't want to give the subject of Rokyo. "I…guess she has become very important. I told you I was a Lost who grew up on Earth, and I'm pretty sure the Empire didn't have the whole 'Lost' thing?"
Sarrath'al nodded, "We'd heard of it, of course. The sheer quantity of orphans in the wake of what the Terrans are calling 'The March' caused a considerable stir in the Empire; war pursued honorably is one of the greatest aspirations of the Crotuck…and not a few of the Empire's member species," she winked across the table and tipped her cup. Diane lifted her own and returned the salute, taking a drink as her hostess continued, "But the way the so-called 'March' happened; simply plowing over the homes and families of non-warriors, of targeting people who can't fight back…that was a great stain on the honor of the Empire. Since the economic recovery there's been talk of restarting the war, but one simply needs to trot out the count of the Lost in the Federation to remind the Empire's citizens how they disgraced themselves."
Diane nodded, "Right, well, like I said, I grew up on Earth. Terra has the Seed Station program, and a lot of the Lost and the veterans of the war like to use it to take back their own destiny, you know?" Sarra nodded and Diane continued, "So I got my station and within, like, a week there's a part that needs replacing that we can't fix ourselves, right? It just so happens that the best place to get a replacement is on my people's homeworld, so I headed there and the first person I met after landing was Rokyo."
She couldn't help but smile as she described the start of the relationship between herself and the older Morvuck woman. Not for the first time, she found herself wishing that Rokyo was a real person and not an NPC. The number of times over the course of the many calls they'd had that she'd come close to asking if the woman was an S.A.I. were too numerous to count, but each time she'd talked herself out of it; what if Rokyo wasn't an S.A.I.? The question would just confuse an NPC and hurt Diane's heart. And if she was an S.A.I.? Then what? The relationship she had with Norma was problematic enough given her entire job was about eliminating so-called 'rogues,' to have some sort of friendship with two S.A.I. was…ultimately pointless. Would that there were some way to grant the two women protections within the Republic, she'd take the option in a heartbeat and fast track it with her position within the bureaucracy of the American government.
But they likely never would. If Diane gave a full and honest report (which she always strove to do if it didn't contradict existing orders, such as the existence of her Mark 34), then any S.A.I. Diane encountered would be listed as 'persons of interest' at the very least, if not moved directly to the 'imminent threat' list based solely on the fact that they were 'rogues.'
And this wasn’t even factoring in the same thing that made her relationship with Caitlynn problematic; she wasn't even a 'she' IRL. She wasn't just some player that could come and go in the game or any VR environment, she was in GU:MC on a mission on behalf of the agency. It wasn't even her pod she was using. At the end of the day, no matter how emotionally close she got to Rokyo, Norma, Russe, Caitlynn, even Sarrath'al, it didn't matter.
Agents don't have family. Agents often didn't have friends. That was just how it was.
"...and, of course, she wants to meet Caitlynn, and I'm like, 'C'mon, when are we possibly going to all three be on Mortan at the same time?" she managed a smile in spite of the sour turn her thoughts were taking.
Sarrath'al chuckled, "Were I in the position of being your stand-in mother, working as hard as it sounds like Rokyo is to honor your deceased mothers in helping you navigate your world, I might want to meet the girl who's stolen your heart, too."
Diane found herself blushing again, "She's...not my mother. Not saying she wouldn't be a good one, but she told me specifically not to join any of the houses on Mortan until I learned the politics of the planet first. Until then she's...just a really nice lady that...I call about all the things I need advice about." She tried to 'hide' behind her wine cup, but discovered it was empty. She'd apparently drank it all without realizing it.
Sarrath'al giggled, "Well, let's see about refreshing that..."
The rest of their dinner conversation was similar, though with Diane growing progressively more inebriated she got a bit...chatty. Which was new for her; she wondered what it was about her current body that changed her reaction to being drunk. Normally she was...morose, quiet and reserved.
By the time dinner was over and the effects of the alcohol were wearing off, Sarra had gotten a bit...flirty, and Diane found herself responding. It wasn't like it was with Caitlynn, where she'd have signed her soul over to Satan to have even one more minute with the woman Diane could admit to falling rather hard for, and it wasn't like with J'Jesi, where it was rough and tumble and almost like their sparring sessions but naked, horizontal, and (usually) in bed. This was almost more casual, if sex could be called such, and the additional limbs surprised Diane in how much they added to the experience.
The next morning she felt signs of a minor Morvuck hangover; her tongue was slightly numb and her muscles a bit achy, but otherwise the drink didn't pack nearly the punch of the Jyantin Tonic. The celebration hadn't, apparently, been the dinner she'd enjoyed the night before, however.
I'll say one thing for the Satask, thought Diane, They know how to party!
The colony had gone whole hog. Apparently, the availability of a large sum of money in the coffers thanks to the Huggy's harvesting process meant that they were willing to splurge a bit. The Syndicate was already helping to set up trade routes to the system and place orders for the food stores and supplies that were being consumed during the whole day celebration...for a modest fee. And a money changing fee.
(Diane had threatened to renegotiate the contract with someone up the chain if the Syndicate charged any other fees.)
One thing that had Diane rather embarrassed was the footage of her...'conversations' with Bartlett had become rather famous viewing. Someone (apparently in Diane's crew, though nobody was fessing up) had managed to record the entire exchange and did some clever and creative editing. There was a very catchy, heavily percussive 'con artist' theme with heavy emphasis on jazzy horns at the appropriate places in the 'narrative.' It had been playing on the main screen in the town square where most of the celebration was taking place. Celebrants, from the ship crews to the GroPos to the Syndicate to the colonists, could gather their food at the several buffet tables, pass by the bandstand that had been assembled by the B&B team, and then take a seat at the picknick tables that had been either pulled out of storage or assembled by Diane's crews. They'd then be able to enjoy music, both recorded and live, interspersed with footage on the screen both from the victory over the Terrans as well as various other entertainment snippets from the various worlds represented by the species in the square.
The footage of the Terran probe being blown out of the sky, then of Diane's own words where she told Bartlett off were repeatedly shown to the point where "I brought a navy," and "You'd put him in the cuck chair," were repeated by the assembled viewers with great bouts of laughter as the afternoon drew into evening.
As the sun finally set and a type of Satask lamp that resembled a tiki torch in style but had a ring of candle-sized flames were lit to keep the revelry going. And as the stars started to show even through the atmosphere and light pollution, Sarrath'al took the stage in front of the large screen and a small drone hovered about 10 feet away to capture her image for the assembly to see and her voice for the speakers installed throughout the square.
"All right, everyone, sit your asses down, you know I hate speeches!" there was a round of laughter as a pair of Satask climbed the stairs on the side of the bandstand with a somewhat larger and more ornate chair than what seemed normal was brought up between them. They set it down slightly off-center as Sarra continued, "Not you, Diane-al'kor. Get up here, this is your seat."
Diane, who'd been moving to sit at the same table D'hani had planted herself at (alongside most of her bridge crew), startled and looked about like a deer in the headlights, "...wait, what?! Hold on, what am I...?"
D'hani (mutinous sort that she was) just called out, "Boss, get yer ass up there! This is good food and you're keeping us from it!" As though that were the cue for the rest of the audience, cheering, applause, and stomping feet goaded Diane on.
She glared at her captain as she handed her plate of food to a crewman, "D'hani, I'm going to get you for this at the next poker night!"
"I'll make sure we're playing for bottle caps," snarked the captain as Diane mounted the steps to the stage. Face bright red as she was aware the drone's camera was now tracking her and putting her likeness up on the screen for all to see, she gingerly sat in the overdone chair that felt uncomfortably like a throne.
Sarrath'al smiled warmly at her, the drone moving to capture her face and voice as she began speaking again, "A week ago, we had no idea what kind of wealth was literally growing right next to us on this world, nor were we aware of the designs of the Terran Federation on our little colony. Three days ago, it seemed like our world was ending as fighting erupted and the humans that we thought were our allies came under fire. At the same time, the colony's leadership fled, taking their bodies and whatever wealth they'd managed before disappearing, probably going along with the Terrans when they were chased off our world."
"Yesterday, our new friend Diane-al'kor delivered us our lives, homes, and freedom again."
As the audience started cheering and applauding again, Diane held up her hand and got the sound to abate a bit for her to say, "I didn't do it alone, remember that my officers and their people were the boots on the ground. Everything they did, all the rebuilding and repairs, that was all them."
Sarrath'al actually sat on Diane's lap, causing the Morvuck's face to turn nearly as crimson as Sarrath'al's usual skin color, "And that attitude is what makes you a Liberator! You are a rarity in the galaxy, Diane-al'kor; a woman who seeks not for herself, but to better the lives of others. Had it not been for you, your people wouldn't be here to help us in the first place. They work at your direction, they follow your lead, and that lead has been full of kindness, generosity, and care for those you came here to serve. You've asked for nothing and given us so much, and rather than claim our colony for yourself, even when it's clear you could do so, you're simply going to leave for your own station, not even demanding a tribute."
"Er..." was all the reply Diane managed, face still red. She wasn't blushing from Sarrath'al's position anymore, she was red faced from being spoken of so highly and publicly.
Sarra stood and turned to the audience, "We Satask have a tradition, one not often practiced as we don't often have true liberators in our history. We not only sing their praises, we gift them in some way that will, we hope, assist them in the future in some way. To that end," she stepped to the front of the stage and knelt down briefly to retrieve something from another Satask who'd been waiting there for that purpose, "We offer you this. It doesn't look like much," she handed Diane what appeared to be a small crystal storage drive, no larger than her thumb, "But it's plans for a musical instrument that some of the more legendary bards of our people have played throughout our history. The translator simply gives it the same name you gave the instrument you showed me two days ago, 'guitar,' but you'll find this is quite different from the guitars the humans made."
"Uh...thanks? I'll...have my station build it from the plans and contact you when it's done to get your seal of approval," said Diane by way of acceptance.
Sarra gave Diane an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry we don't have any examples to show you, or even one to give you, but as much as your Tel-kal have done to defend us and your engineers to repair what was destroyed, the fighting damaged and destroyed far too much and we simply don't have the facilities to make the instrument yet."
Diane blinked, "...my what? The ground forces?"
"Oh," said Sarrath'al in mild surprise, "The translator didn't handle that automatically? Tel-kal...they're warriors, troops that march into battle. They may be specially trained, they may simply be the warriors available, but they fight as a unit, almost a family. They're unified by their leader to fight for honor and justice."
Diane smiled, standing from the chair they'd set up for her and instantly feeling better. Danged thing is a throne, she mentally groused. She looked across the sea of faces, most of whom were her ground forces, "You know, I was lamenting at the start of this mission that we seemed to have ground forces that weren't an army and I didn't have a better name. You're not freelancers, you're too organized for that and you're not just working for money...though I'm paying you enough to be your own line item on my station's budget," she winked to the camera to relay she was poking fun at them. She got the laugh she was hoping for and continued, "Army's work for a nation, and God knows I don't want to run one of those, the station's enough for me, thank you!" More laughter came in response, "Well I think our new friends here just gave you sorry lot a name that might just be aspirational enough to get you ground pounders out of the dirt you like playing around in. What do you think, warriors of the Matron's Aerie? Or should I say...the Tel-kal!"
The soldiers under her command, nearly every single one that had been sitting on benches standing and those who'd already been on their feet all whooped and cheered, and someone in the back began issuing the sound that army regulars had used for centuries to announced camaraderie with each other, "Hoo-rah! Hoo-rah! Hoo-rah!"
Diane could only grin at the response, chuckling as she noted the sailors from her ships were refraining from joining in for all they were smiling and lobbing the occasional good-natured insult at their siblings-at-arms, though a few of the B&B crew were playing along good naturedly. She felt a dig in her ribs and turned to see Sarrath'al elbowing her, "I see you managed to turn your victory celebration over to your people again."
She snickered in response, "Sorry, not sorry."
A sword wielding lesbian dragon… Sounds like a blast!
Lesbians and swords. Really, is there any better combination?
@PrincessColumbia lesbians and whips?
@NikkyAI - Lesbians with whips and swords...Xena is that you?!
We have the Constitution for a reason, and it's to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority
yeah like that actually means anything in the AR...
...yeeeeeaaaaah, she's gonna kinda learn that the hard way.
Thank you for the chapter!
damn.. caught up and no more chapters..
this story had me in a grasp.. couldn't put it away for long.. until now.. damn..
New chapter releases Monday, I hope you like it.
@PrincessColumbia excited for it..
We have the Constitution for a reason, and it's to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority.
Call me pessimistic, but I have a feeling that is not the reason they have the Constitution they have in the American Republic.
Agents don't have family. Agents often didn't have friends. That was just how it was.
Well, looks like you have a choice here Diane. And hopefully you make the right choice.
Seeing how she is avoiding the topic of Rokyo being and S.A.I just to keep her conflict of interest down in having to have report her is great. (Y'know, ignoring the fact that avoiding that topic is already counter to her mission)
Of course she hands over the celebration to her people again. he knows from her job that a boss alone is worthless without her people.
Call me pessimistic, but I have a feeling that is not the reason they have the Constitution they have in the American Republic.
>insert Hades from Disney's Hercules 'You are correct!' meme<
(Wish this site let you do image based comments)
Of course she hands over the celebration to her people again. he knows from her job that a boss alone is worthless without her people.
It's just such a damn shame this kind of boss isn't more common. The world (or at least employment) would be a far better place if there were.
Seeing how she is avoiding the topic of Rokyo being and S.A.I just to keep her conflict of interest down in having to have report her is great. (Y'know, ignoring the fact that avoiding that topic is already counter to her mission)
Oh, look! A spoiler!
I know you know quite a bit more about this particular plot thread than most readers, given you're one of the regulars on the Sunday live stream. I'll just say for now that Rokyo is taking her role as mentor/adoptive mother VERY seriously. Diane's being taught leadership quite intentionally by Rokyo, Diane just doesn't know it yet.