The Testimony of Her Eminence and Most Puissant Sentience Tara del D’myn, Matriarch of Skarsia and All Humanity, Nuncio to the Combine of Sentients
In the end, we didn’t have to find the Staff. The Staff came to us. The mothman flew through the window of the War Cathedral, shattering it. The idiot forgot that the Staff couldn’t just pass through glass like he could.
He transformed into Loverbois and demanded, “As your Archon, I command you to send a message to the sublime Prophetess Nan-Zee!”
He had some fucking nerve. “Call her yourself,” I snapped.
“You know that I can’t,” he whined. “She’s on Shambhala. It has to go through an official message hub.” Zosim was giving me a look like he couldn’t believe what was happening. He was giving me a look which questioned whether the palace guards should try to cut the so-called Archon down where he stood. But then, he’d just transform into his mothman form and fly away with the Staff. I decided to keep him talking.
“Boy, it seems clear that the big tree in the sky left you a little short on gray matter. You’re the Archon. You control the communications grid.”
“I…I do?”
“Lord love a dobergator, you are pathetic,” I said, slamming my fist on the console. “Use the crystals to send your message to the colonial communications relay capsule. When it emerges from the wormhole, it will search for her using the nearest available terminal – usually her private datapad.”
Apparently, Lamark the Brilliant had a similar idea – but he was more competent. Now that Loverbois happened to be standing in front of a huge honking pile of surveillance and comm tech rather than hiding in the middle of a forest, a holographic image appeared in front of us. It was time-stamped six days ago. “Our plans have changed,” said Lamark. “I shall alter the genetic code of our Chosen so that she bears the Blood of the Matriarch. You are to keep the Staff away from that woman Venahalee until the delectable Nan-Zee arrives.”
My thoughts raced: could he do that? It was theoretically possible…Ailann can repair genetic diseases. I’d never considered the possibility before because the Cu’enashti are, in general, extremely lacking in ambition. In order to do it, he’d need to know what the Blood of the Matriarch was, the exact configuration of the genetic marker, which was an absolute state secret. That meant it was extremely doubtful Lamark could come through. But this kid had seen Venahalee. This kid had seen me. The secret was in his perfect branch memory, if he thought of it, and if he was good enough to analyze it. Fortunately, he didn’t have Nan-Zee.
Even if he had, it wasn’t too likely he could perform that level of modification, not at his age. Few Cu’enashti have the combination of power and skill to work at Ailann’s level. The vast majority of them eventually learn enough to extend their Chosen’s lifespan indefinitely, but it isn’t something they can master overnight.
Lamark scowled, and suddenly he looked more belligerent than brilliant. “If only I’d had the fortune to have grown on the homeworld, we wouldn’t need you at all, D’noe, you pathetic twig. And once I’ve established a second tree on Dolparessa, I’ll burn you, I swear it.” The hologram vanished.
“Glitter boy has a point, but he’s still an asshole,” I said to the clearly traumatized D’noe. The whole thing pissed me off. That kid was the greenest branch I’d ever seen, and those power mad pricks had completely fucked up his life. “Also, none of that is so easy. He hasn’t grown another tree yet, has he?”
Standing behind the so-called Archon, Zosim was desperately trying to get my attention without tipping him off. And I knew exactly what he wanted to say. It was time to get rid of this pain-in-the-roots, but I might as well try something desperate. “Look, kid, being Matriarch is not easy. Why not just give me the Staff and save your Chosen a lot of trouble?” I stepped forward, reaching out my hand.
“No!” shouted D’noe, yanking the Staff close to his body. He ran towards the window, flinging out his arms, and taking to the sky.
As he flew out the window, Zosim nodded. “Microcams launched,” confirmed a security officer.
“Did you get a trace on that holo?” he asked.
“Lamark is in the mountains about 17 kilometers from the Zone 3 farming community,” said another.
I congratulated them on their effective work. “Now we know where they are, plus we know what their plans are. So…let me be a wily old fox. Get Thoughtful 45 up here. Linked Quicknode apps can talk to each other much faster than our communication system permits.”
When etch arrived with her husband, I told him that I wanted to contact the Southern Coriolis Directorate.
“Your Eminence?” asked Zosim, worried.
“I know what I’m doing.”
etch shrugged, then indicated that I should start recording. “To the Most Puissant Sentients of the Southern Coriolis Directorate, Nuncio to the Combine of Sentients, greetings. I apologize for my delay in responding to your inquiry; the situation has been unfolding quickly, and I wished to give you the most accurate information possible. There is no truth to the rumor that there has been a change in government. I and Archon Tielo are firmly in control. However, the Staff of the Matriarch has been stolen by a rogue Cu’enashti. We have learned that it is his intent to alter the genome of a rebel leader named Nan-Zee so that she may access the practical powers controlled by the Staff. Although in theory this is possible, it is not a legally recognized means of succession. It is an act of terrorism which would create havoc in our society if it were to come to pass, but no aristo in the Domha’vei would ever recognize a member of the commercial class as a legitimate ruler. Fortunately, our intelligence informs us that this Nan-Zee is not in the Domha’vei system, and her chance of carrying out this desperate plan is slim. We expect to retrieve the Staff within a matter of hours. Once the situation normalizes, we will be in communication.”
“That was…an exaggeration,” said Lord Danak, entering the room.
“SCD supports us, but I’m banking on them reporting back to PAF as requested. PAF knows the real truth, but they don’t dare divulge it because if it were revealed openly, SCD, OVDG, and the now disgraced CSS will use them to carbonate colas.”
“So you were stalling?”
“More than that. I wanted PAF to know what the two loverbois were up to because it’s a deviation from their plan. They’ll certainly warn Venahalee. Now my next move is to send a message to Nan-Zee. Colonel Graysal is running a Quicknode App, isn’t he?”
“He is,” said Zosim. “Thoughtful 45 should be able to forward it to her.”
“Actually, I want it forwarded to the origin of Lamark’s transmission. It’s a message to Nan-Zee, but I want Lamark to hear it.”
When etch indicated that the transmission was ready, I began. “Greetings to the Prophetess Nan-Zee. I, Her Eminence Tara del D’myn, rightful Matriarch of Skarsia, wish to discuss matters impacting the fate of the realm. The Archon Ashtara has expressed his personal belief that you would desire, as we do, for the current situation to reach a solution resulting in the least disruption for the innocent citizenry of the Domha’vei. To that end, His Holiness wishes to meet with you personally, as soon as possible. He is willing to travel to Shambhala Colony immediately. Unfortunately, as he will be using the wormhole connections established by his grove, I will be unable to accompany him. If you agree, notify Colonel Graysal of SSOps, who is capable of getting a message to us in a fraction of the time needed by normal channels.”
“There’s no way she’ll be stupid enough to fall for that,” said Danak.
“She might – she has a major crush on my husband, remember? Her behavior is naïve and delusional enough that she might be hoping against hope to win Ash away from me. But even if she doesn’t, it won’t matter. The message was really for Lamark. The fact that Ash can feel nothing for her doesn’t matter to him. He knows she feels something for Ash, and it’s got to be killing him. Ash might be a worse gadfly than D’noe, because I’m betting Lamark knows she doesn’t feel much for D’noe, either.”
“So basically, you’ve tried to turn them all against each other,” said etch. “That is wily. But what happens if Nan-Zee does agree to meet Dad? Tielo isn’t in any shape to go.”
“We’ll deal with that when it happens.”
“If I send the message through Quicknode apps, only Lamark will get it,” said Thoughtful 45. “Perhaps you should send a redundant copy through your normal communications system for the purpose of D’noe being able to eavesdrop.”
“No, I don’t want that at all. Emo-bois is a loose cannon, and he happens to be in control of the power grid. The last thing we need is to freak him out. For the time being, I just want him tracked. Let me know immediately if he goes back to his nau’gsh. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have something I need to do – in private.”