The Lexal Affair by DM Arnold (grave mercy TXT) 📖

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The agent looked down, then up at Janna. Her jaw dropped. Janna put her finger to her lips.

“This is very delicate,” Nyk whispered. “She and the boy must board that shuttle -- as inconspicuously as possible. You have two reservations for Kyhana and Baxa -- they're to fill those seats.”

The agent poked her vidisplay. “Certainly -- two seats confirmed. You may wait over there.”

Nyk took a seat beside Janna. She held Mykkoin on her lap. The child grabbed for her hair. Nyk pointed to a young man standing near the rear wall. “I'll bet that's one of Vellod's men,” he whispered to her. “It's a suspicious bulge under his jacket.”

“Perhaps we should put on a little performance for his benefit.” Janna threw her arms around Nyk. “Oh, I'll miss you so much!”

“Please, Lydda -- don't fret. I'll be all right. Have a good trip and give my regards to your mother.”

“I shall. I'll call when we arrive on Floran.” The agent made an announcement the shuttle was ready for boarding. “Good bye,” she said and wiped tears from her face. She gave Nyk a long and passionate kiss. Nyk kissed Mykkoin's forehead. Janna arose and stood in line for the shuttle.

Nyk watched as the passengers paraded onto the polymer concrete landing apron and climbed into the shuttle. The door slid shut, the shuttle pulled from the terminal, nosed up and shot skyward. He watched it disappear, then headed to the parking lot and climbed into the groundcar.

He scrolled through the list of destinations on the groundcar vidisplay and picked the shopping mall. The car pulled from the lot and headed away from the shuttleport. After he had ridden a distance he cancelled the destination and selected the palace. The car turned around, drove up the roadway to the palace and parked. Nyk walked to the guard station. Soon Daya was escorting him into the living quarters.

“I didn't expect to see you again. What are you doing here?”

“No seat for me on the packet,” he replied. “I think our subterfuge worked. Janna had no problem getting on board.”

Nyk walked into Janna's drawing room. Andra was sitting at her desk. “Being a princess is hard work,” she said. “Mykko's asked me to greet a delegation from Gamma-5 tonight.” She adjusted the tiara.

“You do look the part. You're absolutely stunning.”

Andra smiled. “This belt is so heavy.”

“I think that belt conceals a shield generator.”

“Really? How does it work?”

“Try pressing the large black gem.”

Andra pressed the gem and a shimmer surrounded her. Nyk picked up an object from the desk and tossed it at her. She began to duck, but it encountered the shield, slowed and dropped to the floor. Andra laughed. “That's good to know,” she said and pressed the gem again.

Nyk stretched out on the bed in his guestroom. The doorchime sounded. “Come,” Nyk said.

Daya entered. “Dinner is served.”

Nyk followed her to the dining room. Andra was standing beside Mykko. “So far, so good,” Wygann said.

An attendant entered and handed a datacel to Daya. “Via courier, m'am.”

She slipped it into a handheld vidisplay and scanned the text. “For you, Chancellor.” She handed it to Wygann.

He glanced at it. “Janna is safe on Floran.” He buried his face in his hands, then turned to Nyk. “Thank you for your help getting her offworld.”

Wygann turned to Andra and took her hand. “It's such a relief to know she's safe. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her or to my boy. I don't know what Janna's told you about me, but be assured I do love her very much. She joined me out of duty, but we quickly learned we love each other, and I've never been happier in my life than the day Mykkoin was born. I never forced myself on her, Andra. She had my assurances when she joined me I would never do that. She came into my bed willingly and eagerly. Mykkoin's a natural child -- we wouldn't have him any other way. You're a very good friend. I can see Vebinad Academy turns out consistently good work. I had thought maybe Janna was an aberration -- that I had been lucky with her. Now I see how very much alike the two of you are.”

“Vebinad starts with the finest raw material,” Nyk replied. “Both would still be remarkable women if neither had set foot inside that school.”

“I'm afraid there's more, Chancellor,” Daya interrupted.

Wygann continued to scan the document. He looked up at Nyk and Andra. “Janna presented Vadima's transcript at the HL committee. It's contents are being disputed by the Altian and Deltan delegates. They're rebutting it point- by-point, and they've produced our news report of Vadima's coma. They're asking how a comatose man could yield such an interrogation.”

“So, the transcript's been neutralized.”

Wygann nodded. “It means we can't count on the HL for help. No matter -- I hadn't counted on them in the first place. What does matter is -- Janna and Mykkoin are out of harm's way.”

8 -- The Intruder

Nyk sat in Janna's private office. He could see the moon hanging low in the western sky. Daya walked in. “Chancellor has offered you and Andra the use of Princess's chamber. We'd like the palace routine to be disrupted as little as possible by our ploy. We've informed the personal guards of our subterfuge, but the fewer that know the better.” Nyk turned and gazed out the window again. “Of course, the door adjoining the chamber to Chancellor's will be locked.”

Nyk faced her and smiled. “Daya, are you ever off duty?”

“I receive free time two days out of ten. It is an honor to be Princess's assistant. Do you require anything?”

“No. How long do you think this Gamma-5 reception will last?”

“It should be wrapping up shortly.”

“I think you may call it a night, Daya.” She snapped her head in acknowledgement, turned and left. Nyk paced around the room.

The door slid open and Andra entered. “I'm exhausted. All the concentration and watching Mykko for cues.” She removed the tiara and began unpinning her hair.

Wygann entered the office. “Well done. Tomorrow should be a lighter day.”

“What's on the schedule for tomorrow?”

“My press conference. Janna was scheduled for some charity work, but that's been cancelled for security reasons.” He stood and looked out the window. The moon had set and only the sweep of the searchlight illuminated the courtyard below. “Nykkyo and Andra ... If you'd like, you can have transit off this world via my personal shuttle. It wouldn't be without risk. Vadima's transcript indicates Vellod has an old deep-space shuttle, and several Deltan and Altian shuttles are at his disposal. We're assuming they're armed.”

“Might he regard an attempt to take the princess offworld as a signal to begin an attack?” Nyk asked.

“He might. I believe you're safer in the palace. I'll be spending the afternoon tomorrow meeting with our security planners. Perhaps by then we'll have a prognosis. Did Daya offer you Janna's chamber?”

“She certainly did.”

“Please come with me.”

Nyk looked over Janna's bedchamber. The walls were draped with brocaded curtains. Ambient light emanated from fixtures dripping with iridescent baubles.

“I recognize this room,” he said. “Janna answered my vidphone call from here.” He approached the wide, canopy bed, sat on it and bounced up and down. “It'll be quite an experience sleeping in a princess's bed. I wonder if this is where Mykkoin was conceived.”

“That I don't know,” Andra replied. “I do know Janna and Mykko are devoted to each other. Daya tells me they sleep together every night without fail.”

“So, no swapping bedpartners for them.”

“I wasn't invited to spend the night with either of them,” she replied.

“Were you expecting to?”

“Janna and I used to make love at Vebinad.”

“I had surmised as much.”

“Their sort of fidelity reminds me of Earth practices,” Andra observed. She unclasped the buckle, slipped out of the shield-belt and stepped into a private lavatory.

Nyk turned down the covers and slid in. Andra stepped from the lavatory and lay beside him. He rolled to face her and stroked her white eyebrows. “My kindred spirit and friend- for-life,” he said. He leaned toward her and kissed her lips. Then he took her hand and placed it upon his chest.

She shook her head. “We shouldn't.”

“You're not in the mood?”

“How would Sukiko feel?”

“She and I have talked about the differences between Earth and Floran attitudes.”

“Does she understand?”

“I don't know for sure.”

“Nykkyo, as much as I love you and want you, I want your happiness more. Your happiness depends upon a loving relationship with your Earth woman. You and I dare not do anything to jeopardize that.” She stroked his cheek. “I spent time on Earth -- enough time to pick up a bit of the language and some of the customs. Some day, Sukiko will understand the Floran way -- and, she will do so with her heart. Until then, we mustn't.”

“Of course, you're right.” Nyk slipped his arm around her and she cuddled against him. “What if something happens to either of us and we're unable to reach that day?”

“If that's the path Destiny is tracing for us -- so be it.” She kissed his cheek. We'll forever have those days in Sudal.”

Daya pinned Andra's hair back and handed her the tiara. “We must hurry - - the press conference is about to begin.”

Nyk followed Andra and Daya to the auditorium where they had heard the schoolchildren. A pair of chairs had been set on the stage. The seats were filled. Wygann was standing on the stage behind a curtain. “The conference will be broadcast colony-wide. I've instructed the cameraman not to dwell on my consort, but to make it clear she's by my side.” He crooked his arm and Andra slid hers through. An aide parted the curtains and the two stepped onto the stage.

Nyk stood beside Daya and watched the proceedings on a vidisplay. The camera held a medium shot on the two of them engaging in small talk. Wygann patted Andra's forearm and she looked ahead, sitting straight with her hands folded in her lap. The camera zoomed to a tight shot of Wygann.

“The poise they're taught,” Nyk said. “It's amazing.”

“She's so convincing,” Daya replied. “I must keep reminding myself it's not Janna.”

Wygann began fielding questions from members of the audience. The image in the vidisplay cut back and forth between the tight shot of Wygann and shots of the audience.

“Who's the one who seems to be trying to get Andra's attention?” Nyk asked, gesturing toward a disheveled-looking older man with long, unkempt grey hair.

“That's Zygon Vellod.”

“That's Vellod? You let him into the palace?”

“Vellod's still a member of the colonial senate, and a citizen of this colony. Until we can prove he's involved in something illegal, we can't touch him. He's been cautious not to do anything that can be directly tied to himself. Even the threats he delivers are constructed so he can credibly deny them.”

“At least as long as he's in the palace, an assault is unlikely.”

“That's some comfort, I guess.”

“Andra's ignoring him. Was she briefed he might be here?”

“No. I think she knows instinctively how to deal with someone who's trying to be disruptive.”

“I've always hated the finishing schools,” Nyk said. “I had a poor opinion of the ax'amfinen. Now that I know Andra, I see how wrong I was.”

“I felt the same way. After Mykko won the chancellorhood and we heard he was looking for a consort, I felt he was making a big mistake. Then, notices were posted that Janna needed an assistant. I needed work, so I interviewed and was awarded the job. I fell in love with her almost immediately. She's strong but kind -- so beautiful and so gracious...”

Wygann took the last question. The image on the vidisplay cut to the colonial emblem. Nyk could hear the hub-bub of the audience filing out of the hall.

“Mykko!” From his vantage behind the curtain, Nyk heard a voice. He stood close so he could hear. “I have a proposal for you.”

“What now, Zygon?” he heard Wygann answer.

“A plebiscite! Turn the question over to the people.”

“Zygon, I'm not about to