She smiled. “He was just some flavor-of-the-week the production company sent along. It was supposed to help his career. Maybe it did, but he left early.”
“How unfortunate. Will you be needing a ride?”
She leaned into him. “Maybe later.”
He carried her through the door, paused, and looked around to find the big oval canopy bed against the wall to his left. He dropped her on the bed playfully and fell down next to her. He glanced at the open window and wondered if they should close the drapes. Then he realized sheepishly that it was only a holoprojection—the skyline view taken from a camera outside the ship.
She laughed and touched his face. “Aaron, you’d think you’d never seen your own bedroom before.”
He smiled. “You’d think.”
The starlet snored softly, though pleasantly. It reminded Aaron of a cat he’d once had.
He felt good, and why shouldn’t he? Diplomatic victory, and its rewards, were his. Yet he couldn’t sleep.
Why? Not the snoring; even the sounds of battle had never kept Aaron awake when he determined it was time to rest. He had no worries about tomorrow’s council session. What then?
The bed seemed very large, even with two people in it. The sheets were satin and gently perfumed. The room was lovely—everything he had hoped for.
He thought of Shensi.
He slipped quietly out of bed, careful not to wake his sleeping companion. He checked the closet, and found that Deena had already moved his clothing in—both the small amount that had fit in his old quarters, and the rest, which had been stored in an adjacent cabin. He selected a silk robe, embroidered above the pocket with the SwordSworn shield, and a pair of leather slippers.
He left the room quietly and wandered down the hall, through a butler’s pantry, and out through a rear door that took him into the ship proper. He felt better, seeing the gray metal walls and exposed pipes. The show was over now. It was good to be backstage.
He startled a maintenance crewman working the late shift, as he shuffled past and found the door to his old quarters. Gratefully, he found it hadn’t been reassigned. His name was still on the placard above the number. He punched in the lock code and slipped inside.
The bunk had been made with standard ship’s-issue sheets, coarse and common. There was a single foam pillow; the mattress was hard. He took off his robe, hung it on the hook on the wall. He slipped under the sheets and put his head on the pillow.
Almost immediately, he was asleep.
14
Actress Ginger Li’s career took a stunning leap today as she was signed to headline Ningchow Studios’ big-budget holoproduction of The MechWarrior’s Mistress.The holo is the first major ’Mecher to be produced on Ningpo since the genre fell out of favor two decades ago—but, given the current rumblings of war, it’s sure not to be the last.
Insiders report that executives first considered Li for the role only after reports connected her romantically with Duke Aaron Sandoval during his just-concluded diplomatic visit. Li’s agent reports that she and the Duke are just “dear friends,” and that she “supports him in his epic battle for freedom, not unlike the one to be portrayed in the upcoming production.”
SwordSworn Flagship, Tyrannos Rex
Outbound to Ningpo jump point
Prefecture V, The Republic
5 December 3134
Aaron sat in his newly completed office on the Tyrannos Rex. enjoying the last hour or so of normal gravity. They had already arranged passage to Poznan on a Merchant JumpShip currently recharging at the star’s zenith jump point, but the ship would not be fully charged for another seventy hours.
Until then, the ship would float there, its unfurled sail absorbing solar energy for the trip. The Tyrannos Rex would have to wait in free fall. It was then that the practicality—or lack thereof—of his new quarters would be revealed.
Already the servants and workers swarmed over the place, double-checking the bolts that held the furniture to the floor, securing loose objects, retracting the chandeliers into their storage nooks. Even then, the space would be largely useless—devoid of handholds where they were needed, sharp corners everywhere waiting to catch the unwary, the furnishings largely useless. Aaron expected to retreat to his original quarters until after the jump, when they were again under one-G acceleration for the nine-day journey from the jump point to Poznan.
There was a knock at the open door. Paxton leaned in. “Lord Governor, do you have time to brief the new press secretary?”
“Now’s as good a time as any, I suppose.”
He’d only met Joan Cisco briefly after she’d come aboard. He hadn’t even read her credentials, and was simply trusting Ulysses’ judgment. In any case, her hiring was probationary.
If she didn’t work out, he’d simply write her a termination check and try again. He didn’t think it would be necessary, though.
According to Ulysses, she had been working in the Ningpo branch of a Tikonov farm machinery company. She’d been remarkably successful in selling unwanted tractors and AgroMechs to skeptical Ningpo farmers.
To Aaron’s mind one product—and he did consider himself a product—was much the same as another. Moreover, as a Tikonov native, she would be likely to understand his politics and methods better than any off-worlder.
Cisco walked in. She was a tall, graceful woman, who carried herself with a poise and confidence that he admired. Though her crisply tailored business suit was tasteful, she had long legs that she obviously enjoyed showing, as the skirt was cut accordingly. Her blond hair was worn pinned high on her head, and black, horn-rimmed glasses took the edge off a face that was almost too beautiful. Her tan suggested that she spent a great deal of time outdoors, and her muscular calves and thighs supported this assumption.
“Lord Governor, thank you for making time for me. I’m running to catch up here, and I understand our next jump is less than three days away. I’d like to leave the jump point with a steady stream of press and publicity material traveling in front of us.”
Aaron smiled. Send in the advance forces to soften them up and feel them out, before the main assault begins. The woman’s way of thinking was to his liking. “There’s time to talk about Poznan later. First, I assume Ulysses and Deena have brought you up to speed with what we’ve been doing?”
“I’ve been given copies of everything that was sent out, and all the local press coverage you were able to record or acquire on your previous stops.”
“And?”
She took a deep breath. “How frank would you like me to be, Lord Governor?”
“I need an honest assessment. That is what I will always require from you. You need not coddle my ego, nor those of any of my staff.”
She nodded. “Very well.” She licked her lips, thinking. “First, to some extent, results speak for themselves. Ningpo was a huge victory for you, and that creates a momentum that will greatly assist your future endeavors. Your handling of the press arrangements was very good. Considering their lack of experience in such matters, Mr. Paxton showed outstanding organizational skills, and Ms. Onan wrote some surprisingly good releases. In fact, if she ever wants to consider an alternate line of work, I could introduce her to some people.”
Aaron smiled, but without much humor. “Deena is an educated woman, with quite a few hidden talents. I warn you, however, that I very much wish to keep my valued employees in my employ.” The smile was gone. “Don’t ever talk about such matters, even in jest. I won’t look kindly on it.”