CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Aiden

W hen we returned to the base at the end of the week, I tried my hardest to concentrate on work. We went on a supply run to a remote outpost, gunning down just one small band of Geshtoch on the way. We were sent to investigate a distress signal in the jungle, finding a downed cargo ship belonging to the Fortusians. They were one of the species who politely paid a toll every time they used our wormhole, so we escorted the crew to safety, and the Alliance agreed to repair the ship to send them on their way – for a fee, of course.

After that, we went on a mapping mission into the territory west of the city, to assess it for terraforming potential. Thankfully, the area was too far from the Geshtoch settlements to be at risk of much activity from them, so it was a relatively routine journey.

And through it all, the silence from the Rendol Parliament about the hearing for Kade’s case boomed deafeningly, consuming my every waking moment, and showing up in a number of dreams, as well. They had to schedule something soon, surely? How long could it take to prepare a few opening remarks and for the Eumadians to explain, in simple terms, why they’d decided to ask for this particular dimari back, after abandoning so many on our planet? I couldn’t think what could be causing the delay, and the longer it went on, the worse I felt about it.

Two days before the end of my rotation, Henderson called another meeting, this time, just for the officers at the base.

“The Nwandu’s security team will be arriving tomorrow,” he announced without preamble. Most of the base had been in a tizzy about the upcoming visit, with everyone on tenterhooks as we waited for confirmation of the ambassador’s arrival date and tour schedule. “I want everyone smiling and respectful when we meet them. They’ll let us know what the final tour schedule will be, and as mentioned before, all time off is being cancelled until the ambassador leaves. My apologies to those who were about to end their rotation, but you will all get extra time off later. The security team will give us a full briefing on their requirements from us, we’ll be going over their schedule and discussing any security risks we can identify in it, and then on Monday, the ambassador herself will be arriving. Let me make this perfectly clear: Any and all political opinions any of you have are to be left at the door. Our job is to escort the ambassador and her staff around Rendol in safety and comfort. It is the Parliament’s job to assess whether or not the Nwandu’s values align with those of the Alliance. Is that understood?”

A chorus of ‘Yes, sir’s rose from the group.

“Very good. Are there any questions?” No one said anything, so after a few moments, Henderson nodded decisively. “Very well. Dismissed. Lieutenant Hill, could I see you for a few minutes, please?”

Oh, fuck. My gut dropped, as I had a feeling I knew what this was about.

Sure enough, once we were alone, Henderson wasted no time in filling me in. “I got a message from the Rendol Parliament about an hour ago. The preliminary hearing as to Kade’s future is going to be held next Tuesday. I still want you to attend the security briefing with the Nwandu, but you’ll also be granted time off from active duty to attend the hearing. I’ll send the details to your comm. At the hearing itself, I want you in uniform, but not Kade. I trust you can get something suitably formal for him to wear?

“Would the suit he wore to the funeral be okay?”

Henderson nodded. “It’ll be fine.” He sighed. “I still can’t see the Parliament actually going along with the Eumadians’ request. But I know this is going to be stressful for you both, either way.”

I rubbed my face. “They couldn’t delay it until after the ambassador’s visit? He’s been here for nearly two months. Is one more week really going to make a difference?”

Henderson frowned sympathetically. “Like I’ve said before, Hill, I’m just the messenger. But if I can possibly wrangle the time, I’ll be coming to the hearing as well. And the good news, for what it’s worth, is that we’ve had a reply from Associate Nors. She’s been tearing strips off the Parliament for even considering this request, and she’s assured me that she’s going to be at the hearing, working closely with the defence team to put an end to this lunacy as quickly as possible.”

I managed a smile at that. “Tell her I’ll let her take Kade out to dinner if they succeed.”

Henderson chuckled. “I’m sure she’d like that.”

?? ?

At precisely oh-nine-hundred hours on Monday morning, the four designated security teams from the Alliance military were lined up in neat rows, awaiting the arrival of Ambassador Vendanu, High Chancellor of the Nwandu. In front of the Alliance soldiers, the Nwandu security team was lined up, looking just as tense and just as official.

The Nwandu were a remarkably beautiful species, their skin a light green, their bodies tall and lean, and they sported fins sprouting from the backs of their heads, creating a fan-like array, kind of like a miniature peacock’s tail. The security staff were dressed in combat-suitable shirts and trousers, with heavy boots on their feet. But when the ambassador strode into the room, she was clearly dressed for attention. She wore a shimmering purple bodice with a wide neck to display plenty of shoulder, and a crimson skirt that flared out at the back, creating a wide train behind her. The Nwandu certainly weren’t afraid of a bit of colour. She strode up to Colonel Henderson, a diplomatic smile on her face, and then, to my surprise, she curtseyed.

Henderson must have been briefed on the relevant customs, because he bowed, one hand placed reverently over his chest. “Ambassador Vendanu,” he greeted her. “It’s a pleasure to welcome you to Rendol 4 and to the Hon military base. I trust you had a pleasant journey?”

“It was delightful,” the ambassador said, her voice high and soft. “Though I was quite surprised to see some of your landscapes here. It’s been a long time since I visited a planet in such an early stage of terraforming.” There was a momentary pause, and then a look of dismay covered the ambassador’s face. “I’m so sorry,” she apologised immediately. “I fear that might have come across as insulting. I have the utmost respect for how difficult it can be to terraform a class six planet. I meant no offence.”

“None taken,” Henderson said, with another bow. “We’re working very hard on the terraforming, but as you say, it comes with its share of challenges. Shall I introduce you to our security teams?” he volunteered, and she nodded, with another polite smile. At the instructions of the Nwandu security personnel, Henderson had selected four teams of ten soldiers each, who would be working on rotating shifts to accompany the Nwandu security on any excursions the ambassador took. I was leading a team that included Kade, Vosh and Nichols, while Commander Preswood, Lieutenant Kent and a Denzogal woman named Commander Martoni headed up the other teams.

“Please do,” Ambassador Vendanu said, turning to face us. Henderson led her along the first row of soldiers – Bryce’s team – and she beamed at them, making a few comments about not having met a Derelian before, and complimenting the Wasop’s bright colouring. The second team’s introductions went much the same way, with Commander Martoni unable to stop her ears twitching at the ambassador’s praise.

And then it was our turn. “This is Lieutenant Hill,” Henderson introduced me. “Roughly a quarter of our force are human, as we’ve found them to be extremely well equipped for missions that require significant endurance. On prolonged missions, they can outperform everyone but the Denzogals.”

“How fascinating,” the ambassador said. “I’ve been doing some reading on the various physiological differences of the Alliance species. You have an intriguingly varied array of physical strengths and weaknesses amongst your members. It would be interesting to find out where the Nwandu fit into that spectrum.”

“If you would like some physical demonstrations over the week, I’m sure that could be arranged,” Henderson offered. “But moving on for now, next we have Sergeant Kade Hill.”

Ambassador Vendanu moved down the line… but her polite smile vanished the instant she set her eyes on Kade. She looked him up and down once, slowly, looking almost stricken as her skin paled. She actually seemed to sway on her feet, and the attendant behind her took a cautious step closer, as if to catch her if she should faint.

“Ma’am?” Henderson prompted her, at seeing her distraught expression.

The ambassador seemed to visibly pull herself together, turning to face Henderson. “I had been informed that the Alliance does not condoned slavery,” she said, her tone sharp. “Why is there a Vangravian in your military?”

I was a little surprised that she would recognise what he was so quickly. Kade was once again brown all over, and neither his hair nor his eyes were anything that couldn’t have been human. It was only his ears that gave him away, pointed as they were, along with the very fine details of his scales.

“We most certainly do not condone slavery,” Henderson responded immediately. “And deliberately purchasing a slave is illegal, according to Alliance law, with heavy penalties for those who disregard those restrictions. However, it sometimes happens that the Eumadians abandon cargo on Rendol 4, and in those cases, we take on the care of the dimari they leave here. Sergeant Hill is such a case. And given that he had combat training, we saw fit to make use of his skills in the military. He is being given all of the same provisions and protections as any other soldier.”

“And may I ask who his master is?” the ambassador said, in that same imperious tone. “The Nwandu do not deal in slaves, but we are well aware of the Eumadians’ practices.”

“Lieutenant Hill is his master,” Henderson said, nodding to me.

I watched the Ambassador, determined not to say anything unless she addressed me directly. Henderson, too, seemed to be waiting for her reaction, rather than volunteering any further information. I half expected her to request that both of us be removed from the team. But in the end, she simply nodded, then moved on down the line. Perhaps it wouldn’t do much for the negotiations to have her so upset about Kade’s presence. But at the end of the day, this was a part of the reality of Alliance life. We accepted the dimari – for all that we were failing to care for most of them particularly well – and if the Nwandu joined the Alliance, they would have to come to terms with the presence of slaves, albeit that none of them had been deliberately purchased.

A half an hour later, all of the introductions and the briefing for the day’s activities were complete, and Martoni’s team set off with the ambassador to take her and a number of the Parliament’s Associates on a tour of the terraforming project to the north-west of the city. The rest of us were on standby, not allowed to leave the base, while the rest of the base’s personnel were filling in for those of us taken out of rotation, continuing to run the never-ending stream of missions that kept the Alliance operating and the city of Hon safe.

At eighteen-hundred hours, Kent’s team were called up to escort the ambassador to her hotel for the night, where her own security team would ensure her safety until the following morning… but once they had left, Henderson pulled me and Bryce aside. I was beginning to dread these little interludes. They never came with any good news.

“Ambassador Vendanu has made a request which runs outside the schedule we had planned for her visit,” Henderson said, sounding like he was dreading every word. “The Parliament has apparently informed her that they won’t be available to meet with her tomorrow, due to an important court hearing; your case with Kade. We didn’t think there would be any problem, since there are plenty more activities she can do tomorrow, and then she can meet with the Parliament later in the week. But she’s asked if she can sit in and watch the hearing tomorrow. She’s promised not to interfere with the case at all, but she says it would be an ideal way to see Alliance politics in action. Which is true,” he admitted ruefully. “But at the same time, this case is going to be messy enough without politically sensitive spectators. Either way, the Parliament have cleared her request, so Preswood, your team is going to be in charge of security outside the courthouse, and Hill… Well, I just wanted to give you the heads up, really.”

I groaned. “Yeah, ‘cos that’s all we need. Fucking up an entire treaty negotiation because we’re pissed off with the Eumadians. Do you know how many ways this could go horribly wrong?”

“Aiden,” Bryce cautioned me, and I realised I was doing it again; letting my mouth run before my brain could catch up.

“It’s all right,” Henderson said, in as soothing a voice as he could manage. Which, given that he was an eight-foot-tall mountain of fur and muscle, wasn’t particularly soothing. “This is bound to be stressful for everyone. The timing is terrible, but if the Parliament really wants to tackle both these issues at once, that’s their problem. You’re going to have to stay on base while the Nwandu are here, but for the rest of the evening, you’re off duty. Try to get some rest, and make sure Kade does the same. Tomorrow’s going to be bad enough without you falling asleep into your coffee.”