Local Star Aimee Ogden (the lemonade war series txt) š
- Author: Aimee Ogden
Book online Ā«Local Star Aimee Ogden (the lemonade war series txt) šĀ». Author Aimee Ogden
A sedate pallor hung over the hearings, absent of the usual theatrics from the Advocates. Four civilians and two Fleet officers had been killed by the Ceebee plot. And then there was Lanniq.
The crowds did not boo or jeer when the Ceebees explained the placement of undetonated missiles in the destroyed Arcology at Hedgehome, as an insurance technique against the expected Fleet reprisal. Only a few angry murmurs cut through as the junior Ceebee officer demonstrated the advanced techniques used to falsify the firing solution Casne had allegedly programmed. Finally, the Ceebeeās Advocate instructed them to demonstrate the final component in their confession: the backdoor exploit into Fleet personnel files the Ceebees used to find the best candidates to cause mayhem to the Fleet.
Lanniq had been one such candidate, of course. Originally targeted for his wifeās position in Counterintelligence, theyād been able to wield his stray Ceebee nephew as a lever against him. The boyās life in exchange for Rocanās freedom and Casneās honor: a trade he had chosen, however painfully, to make.
And of course, Casne Vivik Veling herself had been a gold mine of a find for them: not only was her father the only high-ranking civilian tribune in the nearest several systems, but they also shared an unstable family psych profile to boot. Casne and Quelian sat, mirror images of stone-faced statues, as the Ceebee witnesses and Justice questioners dissected their relationship. Of course, Casne wasnāt the only one who had been affected; two more earlier Interior Watch investigations were set to be reopened immediately based on the new evidence at hand as well.
āThorough,ā noted Quelian, who looked odd to Triz in his red Justice robes rather than a stained jumpsuit. She wasnāt sure whether he meant the Ceebeesā work or that of the questioners. He didnāt look at his daughter, who sat just inside the ring of spectators. But her hard, dark eyes bored holes through the fabric over his heart. Triz, forced to watch from the distance of the spectator circle, opened and closed a valve clip from the Tiresh that she still needed to fix, to make her hands forget they werenāt holding Casneās. She checked the back of the gallery from time to time, too, but Kalo never did manage to put in an appearance. In fact, Triz hadnāt seen him since she deposited him at the medical bay. As if she wasnāt worried enough already.
Earlier, in private, the Ceebees had testified about Lanniq, and provided details on the location of his family to be passed on to those in the Fleet who could do something about the situation. His Ceebee nephew was still alive, they swore. The Fleet assured Casne that the young man would be retrieved and returned to his family in due course; that Lanniq had not died for nothing. That loyalty to family over Fleet was not an offense to be paid out in the boyās blood. Triz had heard about that part of the deal only in passing, a few terse words between Casne and her father on the way into the hearing. For now, in public, they kept to the matter at hand, and finally, the three tribunes voted unanimously to void the charges against Casne. Beside Triz, Veling burst into tears, and the other quadparents were unable to contain a gleeful whoop. Casne looked up at the three quadparents, a half-grin splitting her face as the Fleet tribune told her to go join them. She didnāt wait for the guard to open the gate around the spectatorsā ring, but leaped it with a one-handed boost and flung herself into her motherās waiting arms. Trizās face warmed watching them and she turned to go, to let Casne and her family celebrate together.
But Veling caught her sleeve before she could retreat. āWhere do you think youāre going? This family has a lot of celebrating to catch up on.ā
Now the warm flush in Trizās cheeks felt close to superheating. Too bad she didnāt have a deft mechanic around to manually input some coolant. āI should let you have some time to yourselves,ā she protested, tugging her arm free of Velingās grasp.
āāTo ourselvesā is supposed to include you, woman, so stop trying to wriggle out of it. Youāre not a guttergirl anymore, and weāre not a churnpit you have to escape from before it crushes you.ā
āArenāt we?ā said Casne, and picked Triz up in a black hole of a hug. The sensation was not unlike struggling for air in the vented Tiresh cockpit, except warmer and with a much stronger sense of up and down. āTea at Miredeās. Come on.ā
āOur treat!ā Veling insisted.
The crowd thinned around them, and they started picking their way toward the nearest entrance. But Casne stopped and looked over her shoulder at the empty dais. Trizās hand found her waist, and Casne turned back to her with a small, taut smile. āIāll tell you what, Mama,ā she said. āYou and Dad and Damu go on ahead. Weāll meet you there in a little while.ā
Velingās hands stretched out to squeeze one of Casneās shoulders and one of Trizās. āWeāre a family, you know that, donāt you? All of us, and
Comments (0)