A Galaxy Unknown 10: Azula Carver (6 page)

"This is serious, Christa. If what the Nordakian Intelligence Service heard is true, we're talking about sedition."

Christa nodded. "I understand. I can't imagine Madu being so foolish as to even entertain such a proposal."

"It may simply be a false report cooked up by an informant looking to get paid by the Nordakian Intelligence people."

"How many intelligence people do the Nordakians have on the planet?"

"I have no idea. Based on our conversations, I know Madu wants nothing to do with their distant relatives. How many Nordakians are on the planet?"

"Quite a few, actually. Many of the Dakistians don't harbor any ill will towards the Nordakians. They know the crimes committed here were perpetrated by ancestors long dead. And they appreciate the helping hand the Nordakians have extended."

"I don't like to meddle in the affairs of other commands, but I'm going to make an exception this time. I intend to send a Priority-One to Admiral Platt outlining everything I've heard and expressing my concerns. From that point it will be up to her to follow up because
I'm
going home. The king has asked me to coordinate the Clidepp refugee problem, so I'm going to be busy with that."

"Have any arrived in GA Space yet?"

"Not as far as I know, but it's only a matter of time. We know they're coming and we need to be prepared when they do arrive. Come home when you get a chance."

"I don't have transportation."

"Oh, I might be able to arrange that when you can get free here for a short time."

"Well, if the Admiral of the Fleet can't arrange for a ship then I don't know who can."

"Don't even joke about my holding that position."

Christa grinned. "Sorry."

When the computer announced a visitor at the door, both women looked in that direction.

"Must be Eliza," Christa said.

"Yes," Jenetta said, looking at the chronograph on the wall. The watch had just changed. "Computer, who is at the door?"

"Lt. Commander Eliza Carver is waiting in the corridor."

"Open the door to admit her."

"Christa, what are you doing here?" Eliza asked before she was halfway through the door.

"The Admiral of the Fleet requested my presence."

"You're not going to let that drop, are you?" Jenetta said.

Christa smiled. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. That was the last time."

Turning towards Eliza, Jenetta said "I had a few questions to ask about things on Dakistee."

Seeing the ice cream bowl that both of her sisters held, Eliza said, "Ice Cream? Chocolate? Any left?"

"It's Double Chocolate, and there's only about a gallon or two. You know where it is. Help yourself."

When Eliza returned with her bowl of ice cream, Jenetta and Christa were seated in the plush sitting-room chairs making small talk as they polished off their ice cream. Eliza selected one for herself and sat down to enjoy her own frozen confectionary dessert.

~

The three women, along with Cayla and Tayna, went down to see Thor once Eliza finished her ice cream. Thor had naturally met Eliza numerous times but had never met Christa. He approached her warily at first, even though she looked identical to the other two.

"Thor, this is my sister, Christa," Jenetta said.

Thor sniffed in her direction, then moved in closer and sniffed again. Finally, he walked right up to her and sniffed. Then he turned to look at Eliza before moving to her and sniffing. Lastly, he sniffed Jenetta. Cayla and Tayna made some mewling noises, to which Thor responded.

"Think he has us sorted out?" Christa asked.

"I'd love to know what Cayla and Tayna just said to him," Eliza said. "And what he said back."

"Since Thor was given to me by the Hudeerac Order, I've become convinced that Jumakas have a definite language. It's just physical limitations that prevent them from articulating speech we can understand. I don't know if that means
they're
limited or
we
are. But there has to be a way to communicate better. They seem to understand Amer, so it's not a matter of limited intelligence on their part. Cayla and Tayna have seemed to understand everything I've said since the first day I got them. I've always wondered if they've picked up any other languages since they were born. When I was at the royal palace on Nordakia we only spoke in Dakis, and my girls seemed to understand what was going on. Whether it was just their understanding of protocol or whether they actually understood what was said, we may never know. But perhaps one day we'll find out."

"So after you allow them to breed, who's getting the kittens?" Christa asked.

"I think it's bit premature to make any decisions in that regard. First, we don't know if my girls can produce healthy offspring. They appear healthy, but we know very little about Jumaka physiology. I've been fortunate to have access to some of the finest medical people in GA space, and a few have even had some veterinary experience. In any event, most are familiar with alien species anatomy and welcomed an opportunity to examine Cayla and Tayna. They tell me Jumakas, while having a physiology similar to other animals from Taurentlus-Thur, aren't that radically different from Earth feline species but none could tell me if my girls could bear young. And until Thor joined us, there seemed little likelihood the opportunity for procreation would present itself.

"Second, we don't know if Jumakas are monogamous. Thor, Cayla, and Tayna love to romp and nuzzle, but when it comes time to procreate will Thor select— or have to select— just one of my girls? We have no idea.

"Third, we don't know about litter sizes.

"Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, the pair has to bond. It's not just a matter of the human selecting the kitten, but of the kitten also selecting the human. The kitten must accept the human as
their
own."

Jenetta stopped and looked down when she realized Tayna and Cayla seemed to be hanging on every word she spoke. "Do you agree?" she said to them. Both of them stepped closer and licked her hand.

"I'd say that means they agree," Eliza said.

"Okay, you're right," Christa said. "We'll have to wait until the kittens are born and weaned before any decisions are made. But I'm certainly going to hope at least one of them bonds with me."

~ August 25
^th
, 2288 ~

The
Ares
left Dakistee orbit a few hours after Christa returned to the planet. There were no more stops planned, and Obotymot was just one day away at Light-9790.

~     ~     ~

Jenetta had forbidden Captain Gavin to perform the ritual normally conducted for retiring admirals leaving their command because she didn't want it to appear as if she wasn't returning, even if she wasn't. Instead she had hosted a small party during second watch for all senior officers aboard ship. Those on duty were able to briefly drop by because the party lasted several hours. When asked what her future plans were, she was always noncommittal, saying only that she was seeking a period of rest and relaxation after so many years of turmoil and war. Still, most of the officers acted as if it was the last time they would see their respected and beloved leader.

As the last of the crew left the party and Jenetta was alone, she felt terribly depressed. She hadn't thought her departure would affect her that way. She had been looking at her leave as her chance to get away from a job she didn't want, but she knew that a career in Space Command had been the only job she'd ever wanted since entering the academy thirty-six years earlier. She wondered if she was throwing away her only chance for future happiness because she feared being locked into a boring job on the Admiralty Board. She suddenly felt very lost.

~

When it was time to leave the
Ares
, Jenetta, with her three Jumakas, began the long trek to the shuttle bay where a small ship was waiting to take her to the surface. As she rounded the first bend in the corridor, she saw it was lined with crewmembers standing shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the corridor. All were wearing their dress uniforms, and the sight made her pause for a second. She took a deep breath and continued. As she did, the crewmembers braced sharply to attention.

For the rest of her walk to the shuttle bay, the corridors were likewise lined with crewmembers standing shoulder to shoulder at attention. It took all of her willpower to maintain a staid expression.

Jenetta was relieved to see that the shuttle bay appeared almost deserted when she entered. If there had been something more planned, she feared she might not be able to maintain her stoic appearance. As it was, tears began streaming down her cheeks as she took her seat in the small ship. She was glad there had been no one else in the cabin to see and wondered if the pilots had noticed on their cabin monitors.

~

As the shuttle carrying Jenetta and her three cats slowly settled towards the pad outside the palace on the Family Carver Estate, Jenetta sighed. She knew that when she stepped from the shuttle ramp she would effectively be detached from Space Command. The
Ares
would leave Obotymot orbit soon after her luggage and personal effects were brought to the surface and return to Region Two. There would be no ship waiting overhead to take her wherever she wished to go, whenever she wished to go there.

When the shuttle had fully settled onto the pad, Jenetta stood and moved to the hatch. Cayla and Tayna were at her sides, and Thor was following. The welcome at the palace was like the parting moments at the ship in reverse. The entire palace staff, including the security staff, had turned out to greet her. It was like a small town welcome for a returning hero. Jenetta recognized a number of people from her previous time at the palace, but there were many new faces.

Nordakians were usually able to control the chromaticity of their skin color, which was sort of aqua when no effort was being made to alter it. When meeting an alien whom they respected or wanted to honor, they tried to match the skin coloration of that individual. But when excited, they lost control of their ability to hold one color. So as Jenetta appeared in the hatchway of the shuttle, the palace staff, which had all matched the skin color of the Azula Mum in preparation for greeting Jenetta, lost control and suddenly resembled spinning rainbows gone amuck.

Jenetta smiled and waved to the assembled staff as she walked down the ramp. As she stepped to the ground, all Nordakian males in the crowd except Chamberlain Yaghutol dropped to one knee, lowered their heads, and pressed their hands against their chest, while the women lowered their heads and pressed their hands against their chest. Jenetta's first royal command of the day was for everyone to raise their heads and for the males to stand up.

The first ones to reach her as she stood at the base of the ramp were her mother, two sisters-in-law, and two young boys who closely resembled their Carver fathers. At first the boys were a little intimidated by the large Jumakas, but they quickly lost their fear as Jenetta picked one of the boys up and placed him on Cayla's back. To the large Jumaka, roughly a hundred sixty pounds of bone and muscle, the weight of the thirty-pound child was insignificant. Once the other child saw this, he wanted a ride also, so Jenetta placed him on Tayna's back. Thor was definitely the larger and stronger of the three Jumakas, but Jenetta was unsure how he would react to being cast in the role of a beast of burden. Jenetta knew that neither Tayna nor Cayla would buck the child off or harm him in any way.

After Jenetta and her relatives had exchanged an initial greeting of hugs and kisses, they moved towards the palace. Marisa and Regina each walked alongside the Jumaka carrying their son in case he started to slip off, but the Jumakas were careful not to make any quick movements.

As the small party approached the throng of greeters, Jenetta's chamberlain stepped forward, pressed his hand to his chest, then dropped to one knee and stared at the ground.

"Chamberlain Yaghutol, please raise your head and stand up," Jenetta said.

The Nordakian smiled as he rose. "Greetings, Your Grace. It's wonderful to be able to welcome you home again."

"Thank you, Chamberlain. I'm delighted to be here. You've done a wonderful job here. The palace and grounds look magnificent."

"Thank you, Your Grace. It's been my honor to represent you during your absence."

Raising her voice to address the servants, Jenetta said, "Thank you for this wonderful greeting. I'm delighted to be here among you again. I see a lot of familiar faces but also a lot of new ones. I shall welcome the opportunity to renew my acquaintance with the long-term household staff and to become acquainted with the new members."

To the sounds of more clapping and cheering, Jenetta led the small family procession into the palace.

The Family Carver palace was, in the tradition of palaces everywhere, beautiful. It sat on a slight elevation overlooking a picturesque, sparkling clear lake, and had splendiferous gardens. Originally built for the royal family of Nordakia and their court when they visited Obotymot, the upper floors contained a hundred suites. A suite intended for a member of the lower peerage consisted of a bedroom about half the size of a small ballroom, a similarly-sized sitting room where visitors could be entertained, and two large bedrooms to house the noble's handmaidens and servants. An upper peerage noble would have a master bedroom twice the size of that occupied by lower peerage royalty, a larger sitting room, and four enormous bedrooms for their staff. From the outside, the palace had a slightly trapezoidal appearance, and every suite had a balcony. From above, the courtyard, gardens, and pools in the center were visible. Like a modern hotel with high-speed elevators, the palace had been built upwards so as to have a smaller footprint than palaces built on Earth prior to the twentieth century. From the penthouse floor, originally reserved exclusively for the king and queen, and now for the Azula and her family, one had a magnificent view of the breathtaking snow-capped peaks rising up from the mountain range that bordered the northern edge of the estate.