FSE

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-Ninth Life-

Chapter Seven: A Return

by Havoc

“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."

• Oscar Wilde

******

The roar of the engine was almost deafening, and the landscape outside was a golden blur. Even if Deirdre had wanted to pay attention to the view out of the passenger windows, she wouldn't have been able to see much, but her eyes were glued squarely front as the Ailian naval soldiers sped furiously down the road. They were in hot pursuit of the armored vehicle carrying a squad of human troops, who for some reason as yet unknown had opened fire on the vehicle carrying General Adolpho Ramus and his staff, which was further ahead and fleeing. Whether the general was still alive was anyone's guess, but whoever was driving the car seemed to be in good health, because they were going as fast as they could and handling the driving fairly well. Meanwhile, Commander Aria Me'lia was on her communicator and giving updates on the pursuit to whoever was listening, while Deirdre and her partner, the Ailian captain Mari Ayalis, had their weapons out in preparation for when the chase came to a stop.

If she was being perfectly honest with herself, Deirdre had to admit that the pursuit was thrilling. A good few years had passed since she was in the street patrol division of the Cerelan Federal Police, so it had been a while since she'd had a really good car chase. One tended not to do much of that in the tactical and plainclothes divisions. Despite having been shot at and nearly having her shoulder dislocated by Mari pulling her back into their car, the adrenaline thrill was rushing through Deirdre's veins. She'd almost forgotten what this kind of hunt could be like, having spent the last several years doing desk work and only occasionally getting into the field with the uniformed agents of her organization.

“We're headed towards th' city, yeah?" Deirdre asked Mari. She got a curt nod in return. “How far are we? Any idea how long 'til backup intercepts us?"

“We should nearly be there," Mari replied. Deirdre noticed that the black-furred Ailian was nibbling her bottom lip nervously. “As for our reinforcements...I do not know. There is a quick response unit of Royal Guards at the palace, but they have strict orders to remain close to the Empress. I believe the palace is already on lockdown, so they will not be coming to our aid."

“Who, then?"

“The closest Guard unit will be back at Mat'aar Airbase, but they will require a few minutes to mobilize," Mari said. “There are municipal police forces in Hayikwiir City, but they are not equipped to deal with this sort of threat. A military unit, maybe...We shall have to wait and see. But I hope they arrive before we get too far into the city. A gunfight on the streets would not be good. At this time of day, there will be many civilians about."

Deirdre suppressed an ironic laugh. That was something that she knew all too well, having been in an urban gunfight herself back on Cerelis only a few days prior. With civilians milling around, all that was needed was one stray shot to turn a catastrophe into a tragedy.

Up ahead, the looming buildings of the city were growing closer and closer. The single, straight road that they were traveling on began to branch off as crossroads left and joined it. Now that they were closer to the urban center, outbuilding were flashing by and there was beginning to be some traffic. Deirdre braced her arm against the side of their car as their driver was forced to dodge around the slower-moving civilian vehicles. Up ahead, she saw the enemy armored vehicle scrape against a smaller, red passenger car, sending it spinning off the road. The red car struck a low rock about ten feet off the side of the road and flipped onto its side.

Deirdre muttered a curse to herself. “We need t' end this," she said. “More innocent people are goin' t' get hurt." But there didn't seem to be anything they could do about that right now. They couldn't terminate their pursuit while the rogue soldiers were chasing the general, and it didn't look like they cared about collateral damage. They were going to keep going until their target was destroyed.

As she said that, Aria's communicator chirped and she raised it to her ear. Deirdre and Mari could hear the muffled sound of someone on the other end of the line talking, and Aria listened for a few moments before giving a short reply and tucking it back into her pocket. “Crossroads up ahead," she said. “Help will be there. Be ready. Air cover here."

Almost before the words were even finished leaving her mouth, their car was buffeted by an air current. Looking ahead through the front window of their vehicle, Deirdre could see a large, bulky aircraft flying over the road, passing their vehicle and going ahead to overtake the enemy car. The slate gray craft bore markings that identified it as an Ascendancy military transport. While they watched, the craft swung to the side and began flying laterally, pacing the general's car. A side hatch slid open and Deirdre saw a soldier in dark gray fatigues move into view, bracing one leg against the front edge of the hatch while leaning out of the speeding aircraft with a long gun in their arms.

“Christ, what th' hell are they doin'?" she wondered with no small amount of amazement. The question was rhetorical, since the answer was obvious, but even so what the soldier was about to do seemed impossible.

The soldier in the transport took careful aim and fired at the fast-moving armored vehicle. Deirdre couldn't hear the shot, but even over the sound of their car's straining engine she could hear a loud, metallic boom as the round from the soldier's weapon struck the enemy vehicle. A few belches of smoke erupted from the front of the armored car, and the front end dipped as their speed decreased a bit. The general's car started to slowly gain ground on their pursuers, but the rogue soldiers didn't stop. Up ahead, they could all see the crossroads that Commander Me'lia had mentioned. Whatever help she had spoken of was not to be seen just yet.

“Almost there," Aria said. She had a maddening grin on her face as she drew her own sidearm. If Deirdre didn't know any better, she would have almost thought that the Ailian commander was eager for a fight.

The general's car passed the crossroads, and the enemy vehicle seemed to be struggling to keep up with it. The air transport was keeping pace, while the soldier who had fired from the air kept them covered with their weapon. Finally, just as the vehicle in front of theirs was about to reach the intersection, Deirdre and Mari saw a big, six-wheeled personnel carrier coming in from the left side. Before the soldier's vehicle could safely pass, the carrier entered the intersection and turned slightly to the side, glancing against the front of the car to knock it askew. The armored car swerved and spun around until it was facing the opposite direction, tires screeching terribly against the pavement before it came to a jostling stop. The naval trooper operating the car they were in jammed on his brakes and brought them to a stop as well.

They'd barely halted before Aria was out of the car, with Deirdre and Mari close behind her. In front of them, smoke was rising from the engine compartment of the rogue soldiers' car. The personnel carrier's doors slid open and what looked to be Ascendancy naval commandos poured out and surrounded the immobilized car with weapons raised. One of the commandos began shouting orders in English to the occupants, yelling at them to toss out their weapons and get out. The air transport was flying in a wide circle around the group of vehicles, the open hatch always facing towards them. Startled civilians in their cars in front of and behind the road blockage looked on in amazement at the spectacle.

For a few tense moments, Deirdre thought the soldiers might try and make a fight of it. She had her weapon, which looked comically small compared to those that the Ailian soldiers were carrying, aimed right at the front windshield of the enemy's car. Then, just when it looked like the commandos were ready to open fire, the doors swung open and several rifles were tossed out onto the street. While the commandos kept their weapons trained on them, the human soldiers began to exit, one-by-one, until they were all on their knees on the street around their vehicle.

Deirdre let out the breath that she'd been holding, relieved that the encounter was ending in a much more peaceful manner than it had started. She and Mari both put away their weapons while the commandos closed in and took the humans into custody. Aria looked almost disappointed that things had ended so quickly, but she still had a satisfied smile on her face.

“Good," she said. “All alive. Mostly. Good information to get. I hope." She put her weapon away and retrieved her communicator again, turning to face Mari and Deirdre. She pressed a button and raised the device to her mouth. “Cha, na'a'lani ne rezh'na olan ke hara?" She paused for a few moments while she listened to the reply, and then she gave another satisfied smile. “Is all clear. General Ramus safe. Everyone else, too. Minor injuries. Nothing serious. Is very fortunate."

“I wonder what that was all about," Mari said. She stepped forward to the front of their vehicle to look at the human soldiers, who were being led to the air transport, which had set down a few feet away from the roadside. “I suppose we may find out later..."

“Seems like someone doesn' want General Ramus tellin' us anythin'," Deirdre said. “That was obviously a hit. Whoever's involved in this whole conspiracy mus' have enough resources that they were able t' get some of their people close t' th' general."

Aria nodded in agreement. “Yes. Commandos take them back to airbase. My people interrogate them. Find what they know." The feline gave a slightly vicious grin. “Be very convincing if they not feel like talking. Will get something. You see. Terrorism very serious on Lirna. In they best interest to talk."

Deirdre tugged at her collar, suddenly very aware of the intense heat under the harsh desert sun. “Meanwhile, how's about we go somewhere indoors? Not much more t' do here, yeah? I'm roastin'."

The commander laughed, shaking her head as her tail flicked in amusement. “Humans. Very well. Is getting late in day anyway, yes? Like you say, not much more we do. Come. You guests in my home for tonight, get back to investigation in morning." She walked back to their car while some of the commandos began clearing the road, and Deirdre and Mari followed her. The doors were closed, and they drove around the still-smoking armored car to continue on the road into the city.

******

The drive from the incident site took half an hour, and Deirdre took the time to try to process everything that had happened since she and Mari had arrived on Lirna. The meeting with General Ramus had been interesting enough. Learning about the fate, or what was increasingly appeared to be the non-fate, of Colonel Rogers had been illuminating, and Deirdre was starting to piece together what might be a motive for the events of the past few weeks. First, Marcus Remy resurfaces on Mars, willing to trade information for leniency. The criminal is assassinated, with a parallel assassination attempt on the CFP agent in charge of his case. Analysis of the data secreted away on the dead man's body reveals what would appear to be an arms purchasing ring, and what little information Remy had managed to give before his death implied the involvement of the Pteryd, the feared enemy who was narrowly defeated during the war ten years prior. Which suggested the Pteryd were involved in his assassination as well, and...Deirdre wasn't what that might mean just yet. But add in the fact that Colonel Rogers had expressed strong misgivings about the truce with the Ascendancy, and it seemed likely that he was part of what was shaping up to be a twisted conspiracy. The only trouble was, what was this conspiracy after? What was their goal?

Whatever it is, they must be afraid that General Ramus knows something that can expose them..., Deirdre thought to herself. She looked out the window of their car, noticing that they seemed to be leaving the city once more. The rows of tall buildings were giving away to open desert. They traveled perhaps a few kilometers from the outskirts of the city, finally pulling up to their destination as the car came to a stop.

“We here," Aria said. She opened the door on her side and stepped out, and Mari and Deirdre followed her. “Welcome to my home."

Coming around the two Ailians, Deirdre felt her eyes widen slightly in surprise. Whatever she had been expecting, this hadn't been it. Mansion would have been the conservative term to describe the residence before her, but palatial would have been more accurate. Rising up from the desert were four buildings, each set on a higher tier than the other. Built from what looked like a kind of sandy stone, the largest structures were on the first two tiers, with a smaller one on the third and a little circular structure on the fourth. On all of the four tiers grew plants of many colors, artfully arranged and landscaped, with a real rarity for the desert planet, a running stream of water, cascading down until in crashed into a pool at the very bottom. Though Deirdre was impressed, Mari seemed not to be as enthralled as she was. Doubtlessly the Ailian captain had been here a fair number of times before.

“Bloody hell...," Deirdre muttered, as she looked over the expansive residence. For someone who was used to staying in cheap hotels when she wasn't in her own small apartment, this was like moving from a box in a storm drain to the Taj Mahal. And, of course, it was all built on a scale with Ailians in mind, so it was even more dramatic for a human.

Aria noticed Deirdre's stare, and she turned to the human police officer. “You like?"

“'S very nice," Deirdre said. “Forgive me for sayin', but...I didn' figure an officer could afford a place like this on a military salary."

Mari shushed her and elbowed her hard enough to make the human wince, but Aria merely laughed. “No, Royal Guards pay well, but not that well," the one-eyed Ailian agreed. If anything, she seemed flattered by the roundabout compliment. “My father build this for my mother when they start family. Father very successful in business. Is mine now."

That confused Deirdre. “Sorry, but...I thought your father was still livin'? You mentioned somethin' 'bout him earlier, yeah?"

“Now, Agent Flynn, surely you know our society better than that," Mari chided her, as they began to walk up the path leading to the first building. “Family possessions always belong to the eldest living direct female relative. When Commander Me'lia's father took his mate, everything he personally owned became her property. And when her mother passed, everything became hers."

Deirdre smirked. “That's an arrangement I could live with," she said. “Sorta tough on her dad, though."

Aria scoffed as she arrived at the front door to the home. “I am fine with owning home, but father welcome to business. Not my thing." She reached for the door, which had an old-fashioned knob rather than an automatic mechanism, and she opened it. “Please, enter. Make youself at home."

With that invitation, Deirdre stepped past the commander and entered what seemed to be a rather large front hall. Looking at her feet, she saw that the floor was made of some sort of polished, white stone that was slightly reflective. The walls, though they appeared to be composed of the same sandy stone as the exterior of the building, looked like they were rubbed down to be just as smooth. The walls were adorned sparingly but beautifully with artwork, much of which seemed to be traditionally painted rather than digital. Most welcome of all, and a great relief to Deirdre, the inside was much, much cooler than the outside. Though the temperature was probably still a balmy eighty-five or so degrees, it was like jumping into a cold swimming pool compared to the environment outdoors. The hallway in front of Deirdre stretched for a good ways, and she saw a few doors branching off to the sides and one at the very end. This door stood open, though she couldn't see very far into whatever lay beyond.

From within the room past the open door, however, Deirdre heard a voice calling. “That you, Aria?" The voice was male, and to Deirdre's ears it sounded decidedly un-Ailian.

Aria walked in, closing the door behind her and Mari, and she stepped past the human. “It is I," she affirmed. “And I bring guests."

“Oh?" There came the sounds of footsteps, and then a man stepped out of the door and began walking down the hall towards them. Deirdre saw that her ears had been correct, because the person to whom the voice had belonged was human. Looking to be in his mid-forties and a touch taller than she was, the man had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, and a few-days-old scruff of beard that would have suggested carelessness for his appearance if he hadn't been so fit. As he got closer, Deirdre saw his lips spread into a friendly smile. “Hey, Mari, good to see you! Wasn't expecting you back so soon. You were just on Lirna a few weeks ago." Looking away from Mari, the human looked right at Deirdre. “You I don't recognize. I'm Jack." The man extended a hand to her.

“Jack Squier?" Deirdre said, taking it. She kicked herself privately for not realizing sooner. Of course, as soon as she heard a human's voice in Commander Me'lia's home, she should have known who it would be. His name was down in history books, after all, and his association with the Ailian was a matter of common knowledge. “It's a pleasure t' meet ye, Mr. Squier. I'm SSA Deirdre Flynn, Cerelan Federal Police. I'm workin' with Mari on an assignment here."

“Oh, you're Agent Flynn," Jack said. He shook her hand firmly. “Just Jack is fine, please. Aria mentioned your name. I heard you might be coming here soon." He waved a hand as he saw the look of concern blooming on Deirdre's face. “Don't worry, I'm used to keeping secrets for Aria. Mum's the word, I promise." He looked at Aria. “I thought you'd be home earlier than now, Aria. What gives?"

Aria smiled and knelt down to give the human a powerful squeeze. “Work. I tell later, yes? Tired and hungry now."

“Heh." Jack pried himself out of Aria's grip. “You should come to the dining room, then. Tea will be ready soon, and after that the kitchen staff should have something we can all enjoy together. I assume Mari and Deirdre are staying the night? Mari, Melina is in the kitchen helping get things ready. I bet you'd like a chance to say hi."

Mari's mismatched eyes lit up when she heard that, and she nodded her head. “I would like that very much."

The three women followed Jack down the hall and through the door he'd come from. Inside, Deirdre saw a long dining table which was set with dishes for a meal, and she could smell the aroma of something cooking coming from a door on the far side, which must have been where the kitchen was. Though the table was obviously built at a height with Ailians in mind, there were several chairs that were at a height for humans to sit comfortably, and it was in one of these that Deirdre sat. While Aria took a seat at the chair at the head of the table, Mari stood behind one of the other chairs, and Deirdre could see that her hands were tapping the back of the chair impatiently as Jack went into the kitchen.

A few moments later, he came back out carrying a tray with a steaming tea pot and mugs on it, and another person followed him. Much taller than the human, this person was an Ailian girl, covered in a coat of fur of black-striped rusty red and dressed casually. Though her height was somewhere between that of Aria and Mari, she looked much younger than either of them. She had eyes of deep blue, and she smiled when she saw who was in the room.

“Ah, mare'ta!" the young Ailian exclaimed, hurrying around Jack and coming to where Mari was. She was about a head higher than the Ailian captain, and she wrapped her arms around her warmly.

“Sa re ke'la ma, melina," Mari said in greeting. She hugged her back and kissed the girl on both cheeks, her tail waving slowly behind her. Placing her hands on both of the girl's shoulder, she looked her up and down appraisingly, and then looked to Deirdre. “Agent Flynn, this is Melina Ayalis. My daughter."

Deirdre nodded to the girl. “Hello, Melina. Nice t' meet th' person Mari spoke so fondly of." She smiled at her. “Y' can call me Dee, if'n y' want. Agent Flynn is kinda formal. 'S funny t' think you're her daughter, tho', bein' yer already taller 'n her." She laughed.

Melina raised a hand and waved shyly, smiling back at Deirdre. “My daughter speaks very little human," Mari explained. “It is one of the areas of her schooling that leaves some room for improvement. But I am otherwise proud of her."

“Hey, Melina tries her best," Jack said, chuckling as he placed the tea tray on the table and took a seat. “I help her out where I can. It would help if my Ailian wasn't so bad, myself. But hey, the tea's getting cold. Let me pour everyone a cup, and then we can get all caught up."

******

Later in the evening, Deirdre stepped outside of the mansion, in desperate need of a cigarette by now. Dinner had been amazing, and the conversation had been interesting, though she'd been out of it for the most part. Mari had dominated most of it, talking with her daughter, and while Deirdre had been perfectly pleased to relax and get a good meal she'd quickly grown tired of listening to a back-and-forth of the Ailian language. She knew how to ask where the bathroom was and what the time of day was, and that was about the extent of her knowledge of the tongue.

Away from the rest of the group, Deirdre leaned against the outside wall of the home, fishing her hand into her pocket. She came out with her pack of cigarettes and her phone. The first thing she did was to tap a cigarette out of the pack and light it, placing the little cardboard box back into her jacket and taking a long, deep drag. Then she checked her phone. She'd felt it vibrate in her pocket during the meal but had been too polite to check it at the time. The redhead saw several messages from her mother, and one from her father. She realized that she was a little late for her weekly phone call home, and knowing her parents and how they worried about the line of work she was in, they were probably making assumptions that she was hurt or worse. Deirdre hadn't made mention of how she'd been shot recently, and she knew that bringing that topic up was going to be tough. As much as she found talking with her parents exasperating at times, she didn't like causing them grief.

As she blew out a thick cloud of smoke, Deirdre pondered what to do. She really ought to call her parents. As long as she didn't mention where she was now and what she was doing, a quick call home wouldn't cause any issues. She began to type in her parents' home number, but just as she was about to hit the “send" button, she stopped and backed out of it.

“Damn," she muttered, taking another puff of her cigarette as she lowered the hand holding her phone. “I don't want another bloody chat about mum tryin' t' play matchmaker...Why's she have t' be so bloody difficult all th' time..."

Deirdre tapped her foot angrily on the ground, the memory of her last call home buzzing about in her brain. If she hadn't ever had the courage to tell any of her friends or coworkers that she was a lesbian, she sure wasn't ready to have that conversation with her devoutly Catholic folks. Human society as a whole might have progressed miles ahead in the past few centuries, but the Church was intransigent about that matter as it ever had been. Never mind that even Deirdre, who considered herself a woman of faith, struggled with that matter from time to time.

Tapping her phone against her temple in thought, Deirdre puffed on her cigarette for a few minutes, and then she started over. This time, she began typing in the number for Alice. Even if she was just putting off the hard call, she didn't really care, and she felt that she'd earned a moment of foolish weakness. Speaking with Alice always made her feel better, even if she usually paid for the privilege, and she could use the chance to relieve her stress talking to someone who wouldn't grill her for an hour or more. Before she could complete the call, however, the door leading from inside opened and someone stepped out.

“You slipped out kinda quick," Jack said, a smirk on his face as he stepped over to where she was standing.

“Yeah, sorry...," Deirdre said. “No offense meant. I jus' needed a moment o' quiet." She quickly tucked her phone away and withdrew her pack of cigarettes, offering it to Jack. “You smoke?"

She heard a clinking sound as Jack shuffled something in his hands, and he reached over and took one of the little white sticks. “Why the hell not? I quit back before I left the service, but I remember how." He leaned in as Deirdre held her lighter for him, and coughed a bit as he took the first puff. “Damn...This dry desert air makes it hit harsh. Speaking of dry..." He held up a bottle and a pair of small glasses, explaining the clinking sound. “Whiskey?"

Deirdre gladly took one of the glasses and Jack poured a few splashes of the light amber liquid for both of them. “You're a fuckin' saint!" she said enthusiastically. “I've been needin' a proper drop o' th' creature since yesterday."

That drew a laugh from Jack, who raised his glass in salute. “Thought you might. Cheers, then." They clinked their glasses and downed the drink in one gulp, with a refill soon after. “I keep some on hand for myself. Aria doesn't care for it. Ailians can't handle alcohol too well. Makes them a little silly."

“I have th' same problem after two or three good drinks," Deirdre said.

“Right." Jack sipped at the second glass, taking his time with this one. “It's not great stuff, but it gets the job done. I figured the tea wasn't doing much for you. I don't care much for Ailian tea myself."

“It's not bad," Deirdre allowed. “But I'm glad t' get somethin' a lil' stronger. It's been a rough week."

Jack nodded, gesturing at her with the hand holding his glass. “I heard. How's the arm? I know that can't be good. I've taken a bullet before, must have been hell."

“I'm doin' alright," Deirdre said. She shrugged, feeling a little twinge in her shoulder. “First time I actually got hurt, but nothing too serious. Coulda been worse, yeah?" She savored the next sip of her whiskey, allowing the smoky liquid to burn its way slowly down to her belly. The air outside had gotten slightly chilled with the setting of the sun, and the warming sensation was extremely pleasant.

“Could have been worse," Jack agreed with her. He leaned back against the wall of the building, and looked up at the night sky. “Lots of stars tonight. I always like looking up at the stars. So, I hear you're on a mission. Probably can't say much about it. Not that I don't already know. Aria confides a lot of her work to me."

“Does she, now? I imagine ye've both got a fair bit o' trust in each other." Deirdre crossed her arms over her chest and swirled her glass around slowly. “Don't wanna be comin' across like a gigglin' fan, but I've read your book. Fine piece o' work."

“Have you? Thanks." She could hear a small amount of embarrassment in Jack's voice. “It was edited a little liberally by the publisher. Sensationalized a few things a bit. They said it would sell better that way. Most of it wasn't as dramatic as they made it out to be in the final cut."

Deidre chuckled. “Sure, an' I can believe it. Journalists love getting' their slimy paws on a story. But readin' between th' lines it still seemed like a fairly excitin' tale." She dropped the butt of her cigarette and squished it out under the heel of her shoe. “Y'know my partner fairly well, it seems. Didn' see her name mentioned much in those pages."

“Mari? Yeah, we're friends, I suppose. Good acquaintances, at least. I know her daughter far better, but that's just because she spends so much time here. It's hell for her, with her mom being away all the time."

“I bet." Deirdre looked down for a moment, and she thought about how little she saw of her own parents. Being separated by multiple solar systems from her family was something she didn't think about too often. She missed her folks from time to time, but mostly she kept herself occupied with work. “What's th' story with that, anyway? Haven't heard mention of...what was her name...Melina? Haven't heard much 'bout her dad."

Jack glanced sidelong at Deirdre. “Probably ought to ask Mari about that. Dunno if it's my place to tell stories."

“Mari doesn' talk much about her family life. Didn' even know she had a daughter 'til now, and we been partnerin' for a few years. She keeps her cards close to th' table, that one."

“True enough." Jack tipped his glass back, refilling it and topping Deirdre's off. “Well, Mari had a bond mate years ago. They got together shortly after the Battle of Lirna. I don't wanna spill too many secrets, but...it didn't work out. They split soon after Melina was born. He's not too involved in her life. I don't know that he's spoken much with his daughter since then, or Mari for that matter." He shrugged his shoulders. “Don't know too much about him, but I do know it was a rough relationship. Mari's always been kind of a loner. I got the impression she was more interested in starting a family than anything else. Having children is really, really important to Ailians. Almost expected, I'd say. And she really loves Melina."

“I can see that," Deirdre said. She looked over at Jack. “I don't suppose you an' yours have any kids, though."

“None of our own," Jack said with a nod. “I have an adopted daughter, Brooke. I'm lucky she took a shine to Aria, considering her upbringing." Deirdre saw a faint shadow pass over his face before he shook his head slightly and returned to his normal self. “She's grown now. She lives on Cerelis. Just retired from the Navy after about ten years flying helicopters. A major. Did better than her dad did, I can tell you." The human smirked into his glass as he raised it to his lips. “Not to say Aria and I haven't tried to have kids of our own. There's not a lot of research into that kind of biology. Doesn't seem like it'll ever take, but you know...we have a good time trying."

Deirdre barked out a laugh. “Cheeky bastard!" She continued chuckling as she took a long drink of the whiskey. She'd be ready for bed, soon, at this rate.

“What about you, Agent Flynn?"

“Deirdre, please. Or Dee, if'n ya like. Anyone who gives away free drinks is a good friend t' me. And what about me, what?"

“Dee, then. I mean, do you have kids? Or at least a special someone?" Jack flicked away the burnt-down cigarette he'd largely ignored.

“Kids?" With a little smile, the redheaded cop waved a hand dismissively. “Not me, no. I don' see kids in my future anytime soon. Prob'ly never. As for someone special? That's...complicated." She looked away. “There's someone, but...I dunno if sh-...I mean..." Deirdre quickly looked back at Jack, hoping he hadn't noticed her slip of the tongue. “What I mean t' say is, I dunno if they really think o' me th' same way I do."

“Hm..." If Jack had taken note of what Deirdre had almost said, he didn't show it in his expression. “Well, often these things take time. Take my bond-sister, for example, Sami. I don't think she ever expected to find someone to spend her life with, but now she's got quite the match for herself. You find that sort of thing in unexpected places, I've noticed."

“Oh, right," Deirdre said. “Your gal's sister, she's married t' th' Empress. S'pose I should be callin' ye Prince Jack, then."

“Now who's the cheeky one?" Jack asked with a laugh.

******

The next morning, Deirdre and Mari rose early and had a light breakfast, as they went over their notes from the previous day's interview with General Ramus. Aria joined them, and informed them that the general would be meeting them first thing for another session. It seemed that after the first interview, the general had developed some new leads that might be of use to them. Deirdre was keen to hear what they were. The questions they'd asked General Ramus had seemed to lead only to further questions, and any answers they could get would be valuable.

“Agent Flynn," Aria said as they all sat in the car that came to pick them up. “Mari. Good morning. Sleep well?"

“Well enough," Deirdre said. Mari nodded in agreement. Truth be told, Deirdre was harboring a slight hangover, along with the requisite headache. The whiskey Jack had shared with her hadn't been the highest of quality, but it had been strong as all hell, and she'd had quite a bit of it. “Thanks for your hospitality, Commander."

Aria smiled, leaning back in her seat as the driver headed off, a datapad tucked between her legs. “You come back when you can enjoy it," she suggested. “Only see main house, yes? Should see gardens, and the baths. Have proper visit."

“I'd like that. When all this mess is sorted out, yeah?"

Mari folded her hands in her lap. “Commander Me'lia, what have we learned from the soldiers who were captured? Has there been any useful information obtained?"

The one-eyed commander nodded, her ears pricking forward. “Yes. Some." She picked up the datapad she'd brought with her and tapped the screen. “Soldiers not know many specifics. They say they contacted by anonymous person over private channel. Ask them to assassinate general. They paid a lot of money each for task."

“Musta been a lot," Deirdre mused. “They had t've known they'd not be havin' much of a chance o' makin' it away afterwards."

“Small fortune." Aria grinned. “Contact not tell them money not exist. Bank information false. Sneaky. Even if they escape, nowhere to run."

“Were they able to say who hired them?" Mari asked. Aria shook her head in reply. “I thought not. So that is another dead end."

“Maybe not," Deirdre thought. “Could trace th' messages they sent an' received, couldn' we?"

“Working on that." Aria looked out the window of the car. “Is difficult. Many relays, hard to trace source. But with enough time, is possible. We see, yes?"

Nodding, Deirdre looked out the window as well, trying not to feel too impatient about things. After all, there wasn't much that could be done for now. The Ailian commander was correct. These sorts of things took time. The problem was that time was increasingly beginning to look like something they did not have. The deputy director had given her a very strict order before she and Mari had left for Lirna: get this done quickly. The agent knew why he was on her about it all too well. In just a few short weeks, the tenth anniversary celebration of the end of the civil war would be marked on Cerelis. With all the huge security concerns that an event like that entailed, the possibility of some sinister activity involving unknown actors couldn't be dismissed. The pair of investigators needed to get to the bottom of what was going on, and they needed to do it soon. Or at least get enough of an idea that reasonable precautions could be taken.

Mari yawned widely, her sharp teeth flashing, before she caught herself and embarrassedly brushed her ears back with one hand. “Pardon me," she murmured. “I was up late talking with Melina."

“S'fine," Deirdre assured her with a smile. “Didn' get th' most sleep I ever had, m'self." As the cityscape flashed by their car, she started to realize that something didn't seem quite right. “I don' remember this bein' th' way to th' airbase."

“Is not," Aria affirmed. “Change of plan. Meeting general at palace."

Her eye widened quite a bit at that, and the human looked over at her Ailian partner. From the expression on Mari's face, this seemed to be news to her as well. “Th' palace?"

“Yes. Empress insist. Very curious about investigation." Aria leaned back in her seat and closed her remaining yellow eye. She seemed as though she was a bit weary as well, but she still had an easygoing expression on her face. “You like Empress, I think, Agent Flynn. Seem like your kind of person."

******

“Agent Flynn, you seem nervous."

With a slow look to the side at Mari, Deirdre gave the black-furred Ailian just about the best “are you serious" expression that she could manage. For the last ten minutes, the two of them had been sitting in a small waiting room, doing just that. The butterflies had started in Deirdre's stomach as soon as their vehicle had pulled up to the royal palace. She had seen pictures of it before, but had never been there in person. She had known that the building was majestic and huge, but being in front of it was a whole other thing. The exterior was made of a rich, white stone, with a very wide set of steps leading up to huge wooden double doors. Even an Ailian must have felt dwarfed by the scale of it. Going inside had just made the feeling worse. The welcoming hall inside those double doors was huge, and the floor was covered in a luxurious red carpet that made her feel like she needed to wipe her shoes about a hundred times before stepping on it. Add to that the paintings, actual real paintings, of royalty past and present, and she felt like she was in something like a museum, only a museum much richer and more impressive than any that could be found in human space.

Commander Me'lia had led her and Mari through the halls, passing by numerous rooms and frequent pairs of Royal Guards, until they were deep inside the palace. They had been taken to the room they were currently in, showed to seats, and then the commander left them to wait to be shown in to where their meeting would take place. The suspense was absolutely killing Deirdre. She wasn't sure she would even be able to find her voice when it was time to begin.

“Y'might say that, Mari," Deirdre said, with no small amount of sarcasm in her voice. “Might say that."

“You need not be. Empress Amani is very informal with non-Ailians. I do not think you have anything to worry about."

Deirdre let out a snort. “Easy for you t' say, yeah?" she said with a wave of one hand. “You've been 'round this sort o' thing for your whole career. I've never met royalty b'fore."

“That is not entirely true, Agent Flynn," Mari pointed out. “Commander Me'lia is technically a part of the royal family. As is her mate, Jack Squier. So that is two people."

“Not th' same thing, Mari..." The human police agent shook her head. “For me, meetin' th' commander is more like meetin' th' deputy director. An' Jack just seems like a regular fella. This's a wee bit diff'rent."

“If you really want to get technical, I am a captain in the Royal Guards. That places me near the bottom of the line of ascension, even if I am not royalty by birth. So that makes three people."

“Y'ain't helpin', luv..." But at least that drew a smile from her.

A few minutes later, the door opposite the one they'd come in through opened and Commander Me'lia stepped through. “Captain, Agent Flynn," she said. “We ready. This way."

Steeling herself, Deirdre got to her feet. She took a few deep breaths, trying to make her anxiety go away. “Well, here we go, Mari. 'Bout t' meet th' Empress."

“I shall try to contain myself, Agent Flynn..."