Randolph Lalonde - Spinward Fringe Broadcast 08 - Renegades (55 page)

“That makes sense,”
Ayan said. “She probably found a way to get into trouble after the
battle of Port Rush. We’ll have to keep our eyes on her people.”

“We scanned it,”
Carl Anderson said as he entered the room behind Lacey. “It’s a
dress, with a few auto-tailor mechanisms.”

“It’s not like
she’d send a bomb,” Lacey said. “Unless there’s something I
don’t know about.”

“No,” Ayan said,
recalling Patrizia’s very traditional language and her engaging
manner. “She’s tried to get close to me before. That lion head
ring you saw a while ago was from her.”

“Oh, so she’s after
a spot in your good graces. Well, in that case, open it up,” Lacey
told her. “I can’t wait to see what kind of dress requires a body
length box.”

Ayan glanced at her
father who was sitting down on the bare frame of a sofa. It was as
much of a reminder that Haven Shore still wasn’t quite finished as
the incomplete Council Chamber. “We’re waiting for Oz, anyway.”

Ayan pulled the edge of
the top flap covering the box. The cover became flexible and rolled
into the top of the box, revealing a full-length dress that was slit
up the sides, with ornately patterned, weaving cut outs that were
narrow and sparse along the sides. The pattern was wider and more
concentrated on the front and back of the dress, teasing obviously
with more bare sections. The white colour was accented by platinum
lines that climbed the length like tiny branches following the curves
the dress was made to celebrate, culminating in a high collar that
emanated a gentle warm glow from a hidden light source that would
compliment Ayan’s colouring. The long, ornate sleeves and underside
of the dress were all lit from the inside as well.

There were boots, a
neckpiece and tiara made of platinum branches as well, and Ayan was
struck speechless. The entire outfit was laid out with a hologram of
Ayan inside, her expression looping an inviting, sly wink.

“Oh, that’s
beautiful,” Lacey said.

“I feel like I’m on
display and I’m not even wearing it,” Ayan said, laughing
nervously.

Oz came through the
side door and gave Ayan a squeeze before looking into the box along
with everyone else. “That’s what Patrizia Salustri sent?” he
asked. To Ayan’s dismay, he seemed impressed.

“Yup, there’s a
message too,” Carl Anderson said as he stood up and took a small
card from the box. “I think you’d look stunning in that too, by
the way. You’re right though, it is revealing,” he said, clearing
his throat.

Ayan took the small
white card and unfolded it. A projection of Patrizia Salustri in a
long, slinky dress of her own appeared above the box. “Che piacere
vederti, I have great sorrow for the time I had to spend away from
Tamber, amongst the society of the spoiled on Kambis, but the
Carthans were not friends to me,” Patrizia Salustri said, her old
Italian accent stronger than ever. “I have so much gratitude for
how you removed them from our skies, and hope this gift brings you
and the people you love some joy. I am looking forward to the speech
you will give; many people around the Rega Gain star are too. I think
that seeing you dressed this way will be enchanting to them, and no
one will doubt that you are their Majestic Queen. If you do not wear
it, I will not hate you, but you must show it for me soon. Non vedo
l’ora di vederti.”

“Is there a
translation for that last bit?” Lacey asked as the image of
Patrizia Salustri faded.

“It means; I look
forward to seeing you,” Oz replied, looking at his comm unit. “But
the translator notes that her inflection is inferring affection and
insistence.”

“She mustn’t speak
common English much. But it sounds like she’s bringing her
organization back to Tamber. Looking forward to it, Ayan? I’ve
never seen you blush like this before,” Lacey teased.

Ayan pulled the box
cover down and cleared her throat. “She’s one of the most
dangerous people I’ve ever met. If we let her do whatever she likes
on Tamber, she’ll use it as a base for her criminal enterprise.
Jake has been sending me intelligence over the last few months about
how much money she’s making from this war already, and her
organization is bigger than ever.”

“She’s a crime
lord?” Lacey asked, surprised. “She looks like a high society
lady.”

“That’s one side of
her,” Carl said. “I’ve seen the reports Ayan’s talking about.
Her people have been raiding worlds that haven’t recovered from the
Holocaust Virus, taking ships, supplies, and running off before too
many bots get after them.”

“I wouldn’t care,”
Ayan started, trying to shake off the lingering feeling of being put
on the spot. “I wouldn’t care, except that she doesn’t see any
difference between looting abandoned cities or survivors, leaving
them with nothing to live on once she’s gone. We have to bulk up
our fleet, fast, so we can keep people like her in check.”

“Working on it,” Oz
said. “Eager to get your help with the mobile shipyard.”

“Oh, that reminds
me,” Ayan said. “Time to switch to my Triton Fleet uniform.”
With a few taps on her military style arm-length command and control
unit, she changed the colour of her light body-vacsuit uniform from
white to black, set her full name – Ayan Anderson – to appear on
her collar, and changed the emblem on her chest from Haven Shore to
the Triton skull. Above was still printed: Deploy, Dominate,
Disappear. The name of their flagship, TRITON, still served as the
silver death’s head’s teeth. Her rank was marked as Commodore, an
advancement in the fleet that she noticed but didn’t necessarily
feel she was worthy of yet. Still, she knew why she was upgraded to
the rank, and didn’t fight it.

“Welcome back,” Oz
said proudly. “Everyone in the fleet is looking forward to seeing
you around Triton.”

“You have to remember
to visit down here,” Lacey reminded her.

“I will,” Ayan
said. She took a moment to look at the people around the table with
the long white box atop it. They were most of her favourite people in
the universe, and having them there made her feel so much better
about the announcements she had to make. “It really looked like we
could create a civilized pocket without the military for a few weeks,
didn’t it?” she asked no one in particular.

“It’ll happen
someday,” her father replied. “We just haven’t earned it yet.”

“I know. I’d like
all of you to stand behind me out there, if you don’t mind,” she
said.

“Absolutely,” Lacey
said. Oz and Carl both agreed without hesitation.

Without another word,
Ayan turned towards the door leading out to the Council Chamber dais.
Her heart was pounding, and her palms started sweating as soon as she
saw that empty chamber. The semicircle of graduated steps for tables
and seating were in place, but they were still bare of furniture.
Another thing the fabrication shop had on their list.

The high dais made for
the presiding officer for Haven Shore’s parliament was bare of
furniture as well, just a set of steps leading to a platform that
everyone in the large room could see. The transparent hull behind and
above the seating overlooked a fantastic view of falling snow and
black waters. They were at the coldest phase of Tamber’s long
night, and jungle creatures were hiding in burrows, under limbs, and
in caves. Ayan looked across the hundreds of Haven Shore residents
who packed the government chamber and wished she could join them.

She stopped in the
middle of the dais and was comforted by the feeling of Lacey, Oz, and
her father behind her. “Thank you for coming,” she said. Her
voice was picked up by the invisible broadcasting system and
projected across the hall evenly with perfect clarity. Everything she
was saying was being transmitted across the solar system as well;
there were millions watching. “Peace,” she started, looking at
her comm unit just long enough to see that she was shaking and to
activate its projection system. The tiny projector sent a faint
scroll of text directly into her eyes so no one could see she was
reading it.

“The first steps
towards peace are the most difficult, and the road leading to lasting
harmony is not clearly marked here. This week has been a frightening
and sometimes violent time. We lost twenty-eight people during our
fight with the Carthans who didn’t believe that Haven Shore would
survive, and I don’t blame them. During our efforts to form an
effective democratic government and separate Haven Shore from the
impending war, the Council has utterly failed to bring stability to
the people they govern. I include myself in that statement. As a
Council member, I was desperate to see Haven Shore sovereign and
safe. As the owner of Haven Shore, I feel ultimately accountable for
what has happened here.”

Ayan took a deep breath
and continued, knowing she was headed into the most controversial
section of her speech. “There is a lot to consider going forward.
The Carthans are leaving, Haven Shore’s territory is expanding
exponentially.”

“You mean your
territory!” shouted someone in the crowd.

“You’re right,”
Ayan said. “My territory is expanding. The Warlord is returning
soon, most likely with much needed equipment and supplies. They will
be welcome in Haven Shore when they arrive. War looms, and the
Council will be ill-equipped to handle the larger issues facing us.
Over the next few days, you’ll hear about a treaty I’ve made with
an Issyrian House that has fled Order of Eden territory and is
settling here, bringing even more change to Haven Shore. You’ll
also hear that those negotiations bore even more fruit in the form of
a Lorander presence in the solar system as well as a new shipbuilding
and repair facility. We are at a critical juncture, and I am not
willing to allow dissent from a poorly qualified council to
jeopardize the network of allies and assets that Triton Fleet and
Haven Shore are gathering. As owner of Haven Shore and associated
properties, I will allow the civilians of Haven Shore to have a
representative body that will run the day-to-day affairs of the city,
but Triton Fleet will have the ultimate authority. Furthermore, I
won’t be serving as your solitary sovereign, or your White Queen.
As of today, all of my assets belong to Triton Fleet, and the focus
of overall development will be defence and the support of the war.”

The crowd surprised
Ayan with a mixed reaction. Mischa Konev and Tyra Kim both left the
council chamber, the former shaking her head and the latter looking
furious. Much of the crowd was hushed, hanging on her every word,
while a few others cried, “oppressive military complex!” or
“dictator!” Overall, there was much less outrage than Ayan
expected, and it interrupted her pace for a moment. “Triton Fleet’s
goal with Haven Shore is to provide a safe place for our vetted
civilian population of workers, children, and elderly people, but
that doesn’t mean that it should not be armed, or that portions of
it will not serve as a military base until we expand elsewhere. Our
clash with the Carthans has taught us that Haven Shore should be able
to defend itself, and the fastest way to make that a reality is to
relocate some military assets to this site. Most people will maintain
the same jobs here, and your lifestyle will not change much. As for
governing, all Triton Fleet assets will be ultimately controlled by
military officers. If you want to serve in the military arm of Triton
Fleet, you are welcome to apply. If you wish to leave one of our
territories, report to the nearest security officer and they will
help you begin that process.”

Ayan was relieved to
see the last paragraph of her speech and actually found herself
smiling a little at the quieted crowd. “I wanted to bring democracy
and peace to Haven Shore, but it was too soon. There is a war yet to
fight, and I beg you to join me. I will use all of my energy to
defend you and win this war, whether it is through diplomacy or
through the application of force. That is how your military will
serve you, and the civilians here can help us by being patient,
productive people. Nominations for council representatives will be
accepted by Lacey Rosedale starting tomorrow morning. Thank you for
listening, and thank you for your support in these dangerous times.”

Ayan stepped aside and
allowed Lacey to take her place. “I will accept nominations for
twenty hours, starting tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred. Each block of
one thousand Haven Shore residents will read their nominees’
statements then vote. You will have two days to consider who you will
vote for. The Council will convene three days later, chaired by
Commander Carl Anderson or any military representative he chooses as
his proxy. Partisanship is banned, laws against bribery, unlawful
collusion, and personal misconduct are in place and must be
understood by any council member or they will be removed from their
position. We have a plan for civilian growth and leadership –
please take a moment to review it so you understand your government.
Thank you for your attention.”

It was Ayan’s last
chance to speak to the solar system, and more importantly, the
residents of Haven Shore, as a solitary owner. She took the central
position of the dais again, seeing a sea of people who looked
uncertain staring back at her. “I –” she started, and stopped
as she noticed a mobile litter carrying Illoona, her latest brood,
and her eldest daughter.

Lee Romita stood
several metres behind them with his wife, Trina, at his side. She had
short brown hair, and a rounded friendly looking face. “Haven Shore
is my most beautiful dream.” That was when her bottom lip quivered,
and she saw beyond the speech. All at once the months of work she put
in to Haven Shore, the Everin Building, and creating a community came
back to her. The disappointment at being disliked by so many people,
many of whom were staring at her in that room, and frustration at not
making the progress she wanted were in her thoughts as well, along
with the realization that she’d really be leaving. Back to space,
back to living on ships, being in a military structure, and being
accountable for technicians and soldiers alike. Her time as a
civilian was over as well, and she didn’t realize she wanted it
until she felt it slipping away. Ayan cleared her throat, determined
to finish with a stiff upper lip. “I want people to feel safe and
welcome here, I want it to be home to a culture of peace and harmony.
Those things are worth fighting for, and I’ll defend them. As long
as there is one family making a life here with food on their table,
shelter overhead, and a fulfilling place in their community, the
dream is still alive.”