Méridien (The Silver Ships Book 3) (39 page)

Renée wore a smile that engulfed her face.

Geneviève began to chuckle softly and then covered her mouth to still her sound. “If I may say so, Ser President, I believe that Cordelia, Ser Delacroix, Terese, and I make an excellent design team,” Geneviève said.

“I helped too,” Eloise piped up.

“Yes, you did, little one,” Terese agreed.

Alex was regarding himself in the mirror when Eloise cried out, “Now my idea, Ser President.”

Terese laughed at Eloise’s enthusiasm and dug into the pile of clothes to pull out a long, heavy garment. Eloise raced over to her to take it, and as she took it in both arms, its length reached to the deck on both sides of her arms. She carried the garment to Alex, who opened it up. It was a beautiful cloak of deep purple. Subtle shoulder tabs displayed the Haraken design in gold, echoing the jacket’s buttons. When Alex donned the cloak, it swept almost to the deck, and its collar nestled against his jacket collar, closing with a gold clasp. The cloak added even more dimension to Alex’s silhouette. In the mirror, he appeared the size of three Méridiens.

Standing beside Alex, Renée observed the mirror’s reflection and softly uttered, “Oh my!”

“Ser President, I have a surprise for you. It’s my idea too!” Eloise said.

When Alex turned to look at Eloise, she was standing on the lounge for greater height and gesturing to him. Alex stepped up to her, and Eloise’s nimble fingers reached under the top of the clock, near the clasp, and pulled out a transparent tube with nostril plugs.

“I have learned the air of Haraken might challenge our Protector’s metabolism. This is to ensure his well-being.”

Eloise small fingers carefully placed the tube’s end against Alex’s nose, and the familiar nanites sealed against his nostrils. Pure oxygen flowed into Alex’s chest with his next breath.

Alex turned to show Renée, but Eloise, who had been leaning against him, fell forward. As Alex felt her slip, his hand shot forward, finding an arm slit in the cloak, and scooped Eloise up. He was rewarded with another giggle as Eloise found herself perched on Alex’s arm.

When Eloise wrapped her arms around the President’s neck for balance, she was reminded of her favorite tree limb, from which she spent hours watching Libre’s fauna. That diada tree had been her sanctuary, and the similarity between these two islands of safety sank deep into the young girl’s psyche.

Renée watched Alex, who easily balanced a smiling Eloise on one arm while he displayed the oxygen tube to her. The scene squeezed Renée’s heart with a fierceness that brought tears to her eyes. Alex was complimenting Eloise on her cleverness, and the child was blushing and chatting happily.

Terese sent a question to Renée.

Renée looked at Terese, one of her closest associates who had become an even closer friend, and smiled. Terese herself had never looked so content.

Renée replied.

Alex, attired in his new wardrobe, was accompanied by Renée, Tatia, and the twins for the slate of morning meetings that would be held aboard the
Unsere Menschen
. The route from cabin to shuttle bay was peppered with the whistles and applause of old and new crew, the latter having transferred in from the flotilla’s other ships.

Alex’s quick strides and forward-bent shoulders shifted. His pace slowed, his shoulders straightened, and he extended his arms, bent at the elbows, to Renée and Tatia. Each woman took an arm, and the three walked through
Rêveur
’s wide central corridor in procession, which only increased the volume of the crew members’ appreciation.

Alex sent the two women,

Tatia’s fears of her new admiralty position had crowded her mind for much of the last two days. Walking arm in arm with Alex brought a strange sense of calm.
Ah, black space
, she thought.
The worst that can happen is we die. If so, it will be in great company
.

Aboard the shuttle, Alex sat on the arm of an aisle seat so that he could speak with Alain and Étienne. “You two didn’t think that you would miss the onslaught of added responsibilities did you?” Alex said with mock seriousness.

His two escorts grinned back at him. “But, Ser President,” Alain said, “you’re such an immense target. It requires all our focus to secure you.”

Alex heard Tatia’s chuckle under her breath, but before he could return fire at Alain, Étienne added, “Then there is your penchant for putting yourself in harm’s way, Ser President, when prudent individuals would not venture in the directions you often choose.”

“You know one of the good things about being President?” Alex said. “I get the last say.” As the grins disappeared from the faces of the twins, Alex added, “You two are now the Directors of Government Security—my Ministers, the Assembly Representatives, and my Ambassadors, our ex-Directors, who will be traveling extensively … keep them all safe and secure.”

“We presume that includes you and the First Lady,” Étienne said, adding to the list.

“Yes, it does, Sers,” Alex said. “Get your house in order now. As we grow, you will find your jobs even more challenging. An independent, open society increases the potential for chaos among certain quarters.”

Alex’s words reminded everyone of the events at New Terra and the treachery unleashed on them by their adversaries
.

Aboard the
Unsere Menschen
in a large conference room, a group of people assembled and exchanged bio-IDs. While Tomas and Eric were known to everyone, their new responsibilities had not been announced. The others present were the new Assembly Representatives and Alex’s recently appointed Ministers.

While they waited for Alex, the Representatives conversed with one another. The people’s consensus had winnowed a long list of volunteers down to ten members, but not without help. Implant comms were insufficient to manage the complexity, and the SADEs had stepped in to support the process. In the end, five Independents had been chosen: Bibi Haraken, Guillermo De Laurent, Helena Bartlett, Lina Monti, and Deter Schonberg. To this group of Independents were added Pia Sabine, Robert Dorian, Stanley Peterson, Asu Azasdau, and Katie Racine—a lost Méridien, two New Terran crew members, an ex-Bergfalk associate, and a pioneer.

The four new Ministers had already been in contact and held themselves apart to allow the Representatives an opportunity to get acquainted.

Alex and his people exited their shuttle and made their way through the
Unsere Menschen
’s long corridors and lifts. Aboard this city-ship, Alex was not seen so much as their President, but as the man who had worked feverishly to ensure the launch of their ship. He had been seen running while others walked, and he had worked while most slept. Alex might have been Haraken’s first President, but it did not stop the city-ship’s people from honoring the man with their greetings and polite touches on his arm or shoulder as he passed.

On reaching the conference room, Alex sought to enter when Tatia stepped in front of him, signaled the door open, stepped inside, and announced, “President Racine and First Lady Ser de Guirnon.”

She stepped aside as the room’s occupants stood up, and Alex and Renée swept inside. There were several smiles and appreciative nods over Alex’s appearance.

“Good morning, everyone,” Alex said. “Please be seated. I would ask you to record this meeting. There are several items that you will wish to refer to later. As of today, all of our previous titles and duties no longer exist. We have new jobs.” Alex walked to the head of the conference table. “As you can see, I am no longer your Admiral. I’m your President, and I would like to introduce Admiral Tatia Tachenko.”

No one had missed the four stars on Tatia’s collars. Her House Alexander patch had been replaced by an “H” glyph, which was a stylized letter emblazoned over rings and dots, representing Hellébore’s planets. Tatia nodded stiffly to the group. If it weren’t for the exquisite fit of the Méridien fabric, she might have tried to blame her stiffness on the uniform.

Alex regarded the new Representatives, pleased by many of the faces he saw. “A great responsibility has been handed to the ten of you, our first Assembly Representatives,” he said. “As your President, I will work together with you to weave the framework of our new society.” He offered Helena a smile, who nodded graciously at his reference to her work.

It was Lina who was quick to speak her mind. “As our leader, Ser President, is it not your privilege to direct us?”

“No, Ser Monti, it is not,” Alex replied. “The Assembly is independent of the President. We share power, if you will, always operating with the best interests of our people in mind. Our first duty will be to draft a constitution that defines the rights of our citizens and our government’s organization, including its powers. If our constitution defines a different structure than we have created, we may be out of jobs.”

“But, Ser,” Bibi said, “have we not chosen you as President for life?”

Bibi’s question chilled Alex to the bone. In his implant, he heard Renée’s thoughts,

Alex returned to his role as teacher. “The President’s term will be defined by the constitution. Each President will be elected from those who wish to serve.”

“Ser President,” Asu said, “can you guide us as to the elements of a government that we must consider?”

“Certainly, Captain Azasdau,” Alex replied. “To aid you, Julien will provide you with a copy of New Terra’s constitution, its government organization, and the powers exercised by the various groups. The purpose of a constitution, elected Representatives, and President is to create an elastic framework that can be adapted to accommodate a changing society.”

“Elastic in what manner, Ser President?” Lazlo asked. He was Alex’s new Minister of Transportation and would manage Haraken’s first terminal and the planet’s shuttle flights. Someday that would include Haraken’s first orbital station.

“Today, we are all human,” Alex said. “But what rights would you allow nonhuman, intelligent entities?”

“Who might they be?” asked Lina, incredulity on her face.

“The flotilla’s SADEs, for instance,” Alex replied calmly.

“The SADEs have rights, Ser President,” Deter stated, confused by Alex’s line of reasoning.

“And if those SADEs walked among you in human guise, Ser Schonberg?” Alex asked.

“Your point is well taken, Ser President,” Lazlo replied. “It appears our group considers only our present situation, and our President is focused on our world many years from now. Elastic …” he said, nodding his head in understanding. As Lazlo regarded his colleagues, it dawned on him the value of the three New Terrans.
And Pia as well
, Lazlo thought.
She straddles both worlds
. He was caught staring in thought at Pia when she leveled her cool gray eyes on him and returned his stare. Lazlo offered an apology with a nod of his head.

“What I wish you to do as our Representatives is study the histories of New Terra, the Confederation, and even Earth. There is much to learn from each society. Ours will not be perfect, but we will work together to protect all our citizens, whoever they may be.”

As Alex carefully observed the thoughts reflected in the Representatives’ faces, his gaze fell on Katie. His mother wore a beatific smile. Alex received her comm link but no message. He opened a comm to her.

Alex sent politely.

Katie managed to send.

Alex walked around the conference table to stand behind Tomas and Eric. “We are starting a new society and settling our first colony. We are alone in this system, but not in this corner of the galaxy. We must develop our own economy. No one will do it for us. But if we are successful, others will want what we produce and that will bring immigrants to Haraken.”

Alex laid a hand on each shoulder of his ex-Directors. “These Sers have served you well as your Leaders and then as my Directors. Now they have new jobs. They are your Ambassadors to New Terra and the Confederation, and will work to build relationships with those societies that will enhance ours. The agreements they broker and that I approve must be ratified by you in the Assembly.”

Alex’s next stop around the conference table was to stand behind his Ministers. “These individuals are extensions of my office. As my Ministers, they have the responsibilities for building the infrastructure of our world. The Assembly defines how our society operates. The Ministers manage the government’s efforts, and my Ambassadors build our alliances.”

Heads around the table were nodding in understanding, except for Lina, who now wore a scowl.

“Ser President, if the Assembly is independent of your office, who is our leader?” Lina asked.

“In the future, Ser Monti,” Alex replied, “when your numbers have grown, you may elect an Assembly Speaker who will meet regularly with the Ministers and me. You will also form committees to study various issues and propose solutions. But for now, you ten are equal.”

A reminder from Alex’s scheduling application popped to the top of his implant’s hierarchy list.

“Allow me to update this group on something I’ve already initiated,” Alex said. “I’ve formed our first major enterprise, the Central Exchange of Haraken. The Directors, who are also the owners of the bank, are the flotilla’s SADEs. I’m the bank’s first and only depositor and investor at this time.”

Alex regarded his Ambassadors, who wore bewildered expressions. “Sers, you need to catch up with the SADEs, who have already transmitted a request to New Terra to establish a currency relationship.”

Eric stared at Alex. “Do you never sleep, Ser?” he murmured.