Chapter Twenty-One
Benson cued his orchestra of ambassadors like a maestro, flying from one end of the general assembly oval to the other. In formal dress, with flourishing gestures, he cut an impressive figure, commanding and authoritative in a way Beth hadn’t expected. When she’d met him before, he’d been charming and personable, but she hadn’t seen him in action.
Protocols for speaking and voting, entering or leaving the area ruled, and Benson directed all of it. Only ambassadors, necessary staff members, scheduled speakers, and preapproved dignitaries were allowed on the floor during the Summit itself. She and other watchers were relegated to the cordoned observation area. Beth herself had suggested keeping visitors, observers, and nonessential people off the assembly floor. Carter had liked the idea immediately, and even Benson had agreed. She had a hunch the fact that the suggestion had come from her had given it some weight with the secretary general.
It filled her with pride that two important men respected her opinion. If I do remain in logistics, it won’t be that bad. I’ll still be able to contribute in a meaningful way.
Would it be enough to satisfy her, though? Her growing ambition had come as a surprise. Once she’d longed for nothing more than to escape the O’Shea space station. Now that she had her freedom, she craved more. Not wealth or power, but adventure, excitement. In some strange way, being blasted had awakened her to life’s possibilities. She desired to do more, see more, be more. Becoming an Aym-Sec officer would be a step in the right direction.
If Carter agreed.
An Aym-Sec guard stood outside the cordoned area, assuring observers didn’t slip past the barrier. Other officers circulated on the assembly floor and patrolled the tiers. Recognizable by maroon braided gray uniforms, their visible presence served as a deterrent. If prevention failed, they were armed.
Not so recognizable, despite their size, were the cyber operatives. Amazing how such big men managed to blend. They’d been placed as low-level staffers, gofers to junior ambassadors who were thrilled to get temp support, as ushers who escorted the ambassadors and staff to and from their designated seats, and as researchers, historians, and government “observers.”
Even Benson didn’t know of the duality of the security.
When she’d arrived at Luna Center, he had sought her out to inquire about her health. She’d thanked him for the flowers. Nothing in his manner or actions had indicated he harbored a romantic interest, for which she was relieved. She felt silly for worrying. Then again, maybe he had been a little interested, but Carter had scared him off with his dark scowls. Poor Benson. Beth giggled.
“What’s so funny?” Carter slipped in beside her.
“Nothing much. I was thinking about you and Benson.”
“Has he said anything more to you?” he growled in her ear.
“No. He’s been very professional.” The jealousy was flattering, but unnecessary. “Don’t worry. He’s not interested in me, and if he is, I’m not interested in him.”
He muttered something she didn’t catch, but then he said, “You did a great job today. Everything got where it needed to be, and your suggestion for an observation section was excellent. It was better received than if we’d just barred people from the floor.”
“Thank you.” She glowed under his approval.
She’d recommended the “observers” be treated as VIPs. Refreshments had been provided. Temporary seating had been constructed with holo projectors beaming in the speeches so they could watch as if they were ambassadors themselves. If they preferred, they could stand behind the cordon to watch as she was doing.
She half turned to peer up at him. “I’m thrilled to be part of all this. I’m glad you decided to let me attend.”
“This isn’t easy for me, but I understand your feelings. I don’t wish to hold you back. You’re an asset to Aym-Sec and Cyber Operations.”
She considered using his praise as ammunition to press her advantage and lobby for a security officer position, but it wouldn’t be fair. Carter had too much going on. This wasn’t the right time.
“I reviewed the data you sent,” he said.
Bioscanners had detected a few weapons, and the persons carrying them had been detained and hustled away by Aym-Sec. After the screening had been completed, she’d forwarded a report to him. “What happened to the people who had brought weapons?” she asked.
“Four were cleared for entry after interrogation. Their weapons will be returned when they depart. Five were ejected from Luna Center. The other three turned out to be wanted criminals. They were arrested and handed over to galactic police. One of those arrested had an MED,” he said grimly. “It was a low-charge device, and the damage would have been localized, but the chaos would have been extensive. I was happy to see it.”
“You were? Why?”
“Because the scanners detected it, and that gives me more confidence we have everything under control.”
“You don’t trust the scanners?” She frowned.
“I do, inasmuch as I can. They’re 99.999 percent accurate. Given the high number of attendees, somebody could have slipped through with a weapon. With your scanners, the prescreening Vincere agreed to, and the security staff, the Summit is as protected as it can be. This is going much better than I ever anticipated. But, I’ll be glad when it’s all over.” He shot her a lascivious look. “Then we’ll take that trip to Darius 4.”
“I was enjoying the proceedings, but now I hope they hurry it up.”
Carter laughed.
On the floor, an amber light flashed in an ambassador’s box to her left. On his dais, Benson zoomed to the location to acknowledge the speaker. Different colored lights helped to communicate what was happening. Yellow was a request to speak. Green and red were used for actual voting, respectively signaling approval or disapproval. Pink denoted applause, and blue registered a delegate’s disapproval, the luminary equivalent of a boo or a hiss.
“Mr. Secretary, esteemed members of the AOP, I urge a no vote on the motion to terraform DeltaNu 9084. We cannot afford to do everything.” The ambassador waved his tentacles. He was close enough for Beth to see him, but others farther out watched on their screens. “With so many urgent priorities, we cannot justify the expense of terraforming a hostile planet.”
More blue than pink lights flashed indicating most delegates disagreed with what the speaker said.
“Isn’t DeltaNu 9084 uninhabited?” she whispered.
“At the moment,” he replied. “The Jugonian ambassador isn’t referring to a hostile people, but to the planet’s geology. The core secretes acid, which bubbles up to the surface—that’s what makes it uninhabitable. The acid is localized in ponds and lakes. Theoretically, you’re fine as long as you don’t drink the ‘water’—or if you’re not around when it rains.”
She wrinkled her nose. “But is it worth the effort to terraform?”
“Until recently, no, but Lamis-Odg has issued a declaration of ownership. It may be worth terraforming and colonizing to prevent them from getting it.”
“Why not let them have it?”
“Because of its strategic location. It’s close to Malodonia, one of their allies, and would serve as a good jumping-off point to another sector of the galaxy. If they were successful in colonizing it—or even just establishing a military base—they’d be that much closer.”
“You seem to be aware of everything.” The man’s reach and intelligence never ceased to amaze her. Of course, he did head an intelligence agency.
“If I knew everything, I’d have caught Lamani by now.”
Benson’s dais zoomed by the observation area on the way to another section. As he passed, he winked, surprising her that he’d noticed her. Could she be wrong about him? Maybe he did have romantic intentions. It’s a wink. A hello. He’s being friendly. She chided herself for being so suspicious.
But Carter’s grimace of disapproval was as obvious as a flashing blue light.
“Mikala’s speech will be next,” she said to distract him. “I’m looking forward to hearing her.” Looking forward to it? This was history in the making. How many ordinary citizens got to be there when the president of Terra United addressed the Association of Planets? This was a huge fringe benefit of the job. Maybe the uber wealthy like the O’Sheas could have bought their way into a VIP seat with a large donation to an AOP pet project, but for a nobody like her, this was a once-in-a-lifetime event.
She’d even played an accidental cameo role. Though she hadn’t intended to, she’d taken the hit intended for the president.
Carter folded his arms, and a big smile played on his lips. “Yeah, and Vincere won’t be happy about Mikala’s speech.”
“Why? What is she going to say?”
“Her opinion hasn’t changed. The big issue this year is whether the AOP takes formal military action against Lamis-Odg. The AOP has been adamant about avoiding war at all costs. Terra has been one of the few who opposed that position, and until recently, it had appeared the membership would continue to vote the way Vincere recommended. However, Mikala’s intense lobbying has changed some minds.”
“That’s why she was at Luna Center before,” she recalled.
“Yes, and it went even better after we left. She’s been tireless in her lobbying.” He looked at her. “She was able to leverage the attempted assassination to make her case. If you’ve ever wondered if one person can make a difference—Mikala is proof she can.”
“Her daughter, Penelope, an AOP ambassador, polled the membership, and right now, they’re split fifty-fifty on going to war. The vote could go either way, and her speech just might swing it. Vincere granted her request to address the assembly back when she didn’t have a quark’s chance of swaying the vote. Now she does.”
A Faria with iridescent wings and silver skin landed next to them. Beth tried not to stare, but the alien woman’s beauty was mesmerizing.
“Beth, I’d like you to meet Solia. She works for Cyber Operations. Solia, this is Beth. She’s in logistics for Aym-Sec but has been cleared for Cy-Ops as well.” Carter introduced them.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. This woman was a cyborg?
“Pleasure to meet you.” Solia smiled. “I’m not a cyborg.”
“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
Tinkling laughter floated on the air like a misty shower. “I’m a bit of an empath, but your expression gave you away.”
“Solia is a linguist, involved with a special language project for Cy-Ops, but she also has a good degree of empathic ability,” Carter said. “She’s attending the Summit to get a read on people, to sense ill intent, maliciousness, etc. Another way to head off any problems before they occur.”
“And you’re going to read the crowd’s reaction to Mikala’s speech?” she guessed.
“I’m going to try. Sensing emotion is easier one-on-one. Picking out an individual’s emotions in a crowd is much more difficult.”
Carter touched her elbow. “I’ll leave you two to talk while I patrol.” Like the other cyborgs and the Aym-Sec officers, he kept moving, watching, listening. He strode out of the cordoned area onto the assembly floor.
Beth turned to Solia, fascinated by the woman’s ability. “Are all Faria empathetic?”
She shook her head. “No, but we all have unique natural gifts. My primary gift is my ear for languages, but my mother was an empath, so I inherited a moderate amount. Some Faria are mathematical geniuses, others can sing with perfect pitch, some are eidetikers with photographic memories. Have you met Illumina yet?”
“No, who is she?”
“She works for Cy-Ops, too. She’s a computer sensate with the ability to mentally integrate into any computer code.”
That kind of skill would be a tremendous asset to an intelligence agency like Cyber Operations, but Solia’s empathic ability interested her more. Dare she ask? “What can you read about me?”
Her expression serious, the Faria surveyed Beth. “I can tell you’re excited to be here at the Summit, you’re unsettled about something, and you care for Carter Aymes very much.” Solia’s silvery face seemed to take on a glow. “He loves you, too, and worries about your safety.” The Faria touched her arm. “That’s the way cyborgs are. They’re very protective of their women.” Her gaze shifted to the arena, and back to Beth. She motioned. “It looks like President Aaron’s address is about to begin.”
Benson’s dais hovered in the center of the arena. “Ambassadors of the general assembly, President Mikala Aaron of Terra United has requested to speak on the initiative to employ military action against Lamis-Odg. Please give her your ear and your respect.”
The dais lowered to the floor near the observation area, and Benson opened the protective gate so Mikala could board.
The president emerged through one of the tall doors and strode toward it. In the tiers, pink lights of approval and blue lights of disapproval blended to a purple haze, but the color skewed pink, suggesting Mikala had slight majority support of the voting membership. Could her speech really influence the declaration of war against Lamis-Odg?
Beth shoved Solia out of the way and vaulted over the cordon. She disabled the Aym-Sec guard with a chokehold and relieved him of his blaster before dropping his unconscious body to the floor.
Grabbing Mikala by the throat, she thrust the blaster to her temple. “You’re…n-not…going…to…deliver…that…sp…sp…speech.”