The Testimony of Admiral Suzanna Noviik of PLOT/Twist
I was so bored. I was in another galaxy, on a planet I’d never seen before, and I couldn’t believe how bored I was. Three days of the SongLuminants dancing around each other, and nobody else saying anything. Even the Floatfish nuncios were silent, and that was just weird.
It seemed like the Panoply of the Ancient Foam wanted to throw the OVDG into the antimatter emission stream. That being the case, every time they proposed it, the Southern Coriolis Directorate did something to block it. And since SCD are the combine nuncios, PAF couldn’t force the issue, even though back home, PAF are the big kahunas.
Neliit kept watching, all four of her eyes searching the room, as if some secret were going to crawl out from under the rattan chairs. And every hour or two, we got interrupted by another Eer-gaaani ritual designed to make us appreciate the preciousness of life. You know what would really have made me appreciate the preciousness of life? A luxury shopping concourse. That, or getting laid.
Danak was a hard nut to crack. I knew I was having an effect, though, since my eyes had been scanning his trousers, waiting for some secret to crawl out.
“Got it,” said Thoughtful 45. “Finally.”
“The Nau’gsh nuncio asks for the floor,” said etch. Relieved that there was something to break from the endless circle of dodging and weaving, SCD gave it to her.
“I regret to inform the nuncios of the combine that I and the human nuncio will be departing soon. We have internal matters to settle, namely the discovery of a cabal of telepathic operatives connected to a rebellious plot. Fortunately, the telepathic plot has been discovered by my father, who, by feigning to succumb, has entrapped the conspirators, and the treacherous Christolea has been executed by her own troops.”
“How shocking,” said the PAF representative, nonetheless looking rather blasé.
“It’s fortunate that such treachery was discovered,” said CSS, twitching its Floatfish tail nervously. “However, such intrigues are unworthy of Advanced Sentients.”
“Really?” asked Thoughtful 45. “How odd, considering your accusations against the Outer Vent Defense Guild. Especially considering that we’ve traced the telepathic plot back to SongLuminant interference – but not by the OVDG.”
“Did you imagine that my father, the Great Ashtara, prodigy among sentients, would be so easily fooled?” asked etch.
Danak looked ready to shit himself. He obviously didn’t know this was coming – and neither did I. But something about it was making him very nervous.
“It was their idea,” hissed the CSS representative.
PAF gave him the hairy fish eyeball. “I fail to understand your meaning.”
“It’s over,” said CSS. “Ashtara knows everything. And without the woman Christolea…”
“It appears that the Champions of the Skylight Spin have admitted their guilt. This being their third offense against fellow Advanced Sentients, we hereby strip their order of its rank and privileges.”
“Hah! As if you weren’t involved.”
“Southern Coriolis Directorate, please eject them from the meeting. They have no further right to speak here, and this pathetic attempt to implicate their rulers in their crime serves but to humiliate them further.”
“Maybe you think you can shut us up, but you won’t shut Ashtara up. He’ll drag you down into the algae just like us.”
Neliit’s four eyes narrowed into slits. “It’s time for the celebration of clouds,” she announced.
“It must be exhausting, having all these rituals to remember,” I said to Spiiicel on our way out.
Fmee grinned, covering fmis tiny mouth with enormous, clawlike fingers. “Neliit is making half of that stuff up,” fmee giggled. “We figured that since you wouldn’t know the difference, it could buy us some time.”
*****
That night, back at the ship, etch filled us in on the details. “Thoughtful received information from his app on Tara’s datapad. It was Lady Lorma, telling us about Christolea, and also that Ta’al Erich uncovered a telepathic plot. But Ashtara is still comatose, and we haven’t found the telepaths. Still, we had enough to bluff, and it worked.”
“Neliit is totally convinced that the PAF are behind the whole thing,” said Thoughtful 45. “But they wouldn’t admit to it. First of all, since the CSS didn’t know that the telepaths weren’t neutralized, it means the PAF are running the telepaths. Secondly, the game isn’t played out yet. Despite the fact that Christolea is dead, PAF are still aiming for some objective. It’s possible that the two incidents are completely unrelated, but…”
“That’s not my intuition,” I replied. “I think that Ash has been a pain in the bubbles to the SongLuminants, and PAF wants to put its own tree on the throne. Maybe they think this new tree on the block can win Tara’s heart after Ash is so much kindling?”
“That can’t be true,” said Danak. “They know damn well that the CSS had her assassinated, and the only reason she’s still alive is that she’s being emanated by Ashtara’s grove. If he dies, she dies with him.”
“It’s pointless,” said etch. “Unless there’s another candidate for Matriarch.”
“There isn’t,” said Danak. “But you’re assuming that they want to rule the Domha’vei. What if they’ve decided if they can’t rule it, they’ll just destroy it?”
“Well, that would suck,” said etch perkily.