Day 333, Friday. Hub Station System.
Jamie caught up with Jannisett at the Ranger Station. Shortly thereafter James Grey arrived and tried to convince the two ladies to return to the ship and let him handle the expected Imperial representatives. Jamie said, "Absolutely not." (Why did James feel the ladies should avoid the Imperials? Why did he wish to throw himself "into the breech?" Why did he twice try to send Jannisett back to the ship? Why did he - if he did? -- take the beeper?)
The man who looked like a clean-cut Shepherd arrived. He was an Imperial Captain ostensibly on vacation. His name was Charles Winslette. Somehow he (?) revealed to Our Heroes various facts:
Jamie agreed to be part of such a team and asked, "What about the people who've been trying to kill me." The friendly captain blanched and insisted on housing Our Heroes on the top floor of a secured hotel. He took the 2nd-to-top floor for his security staff. There was, apparently, at least one member of that staff (a Private) who was formidably augmented as a guard/soldier/MP - complete down to mechanical eyes. Eddie seemed to find said Private very intimidating.
Eddie spent the time in protective custody designing "crawling bugs" for Shepherd. Jamie spent nearly a third of her net worth on supplies for the tinkerer, figuring there would be a good return on her investment in the sale of whatever gadget or plans therefor he produced.
Over the course of a day, the Captain Winslette questioned Eddie, then Banker (and Jamie and Shepherd?). Banker refused to talk about certain things (the Sorcerer, the Other Galaxy, where he'd been for the last year, Art's origins, etc.) but Eddie, apparently, said enough that the Captain knew the Imperial Military would insist on a probe of Our Heroes. He'd managed to let Shepherd know that someone Bigger and Badder than he was due in to conduct the rest of the questioning.
Shepherd managed to fast talk Captain Winslette into the notion that he (Shepherd) was an Imperial Agent on a high-level, top secret, eyes-only mission. The Captain apparently had covert operations training/experience and Understood Completely. The two men, apparently, fairly quickly developed a mutual respect (insofar as Shepherd was capable of respecting someone else) and/or rapport.
The Captain indicated that, to top it off, someone very high up in the ranks of the Imperial Family who had been involved with the Benevolent Faction had a strong interest in interviewing a native survivor from Jannisett's home planet. That Imperial Family representative was willing to come to Hub Station.
As well, (somehow the Imps determined) the data recorded by Glen Grey in the computer of the ship that he willed Jannisett was a vital link in the legal prosecution of IEE for their actions against Jannisett's people. James Grey volunteered to go fetch Jannisett's ship, Keats. (How did the Imps know about the ship's log?)
Our Heroes discussed the situation. Jamie wanted Our Heroes to be part of her Team, which could mean going into the Core, particularly as she needed to get information on past contacts with alien races from the University's main data library. However, neither Jannisett nor Art would be accepted as citizens in the Core, and Banker, by virtue of refusing to talk, was also persona non-gratis. Shepherd suggested that those who would not (Banker) or should not (Jannisett - being too honest; Art - being a candidate for xenobiology experiments) talk to the Imps, should sign the legal processes that would make him their guardian, thus empowering him to lie for them as necessary and to cover their silence under the umbrella of his Secret Mission. Jannisett initially refused, equating such guardianship with the control her former Owners had had over her and her people. As each of the crew lent his or her voice to the task of persuading the former slave, she finally agreed - with obvious reluctance - to sign the necessary forms.
She also agreed to the interview with the Imperial Family's representative and to the (again reluctant) loan of "her" ship to the Imperial prosecutors.
Jamie realized that, if the Empire valued her so greatly, she need not go to the University for the books she needed. They could be shipped out along with one of the out-bound Imperial representatives. Shepherd agreed that that was an excellent solution and would put off the problems inherent in Our Heroes visiting the Core any time soon.
To lessen the risk from the B&B Imperial Military representative, Banker agreed to ship out with Art and James Grey. The plan was that they'd StarGate-Jump out of system, then Sorcerer-Gate to Neon Pig where Grey could pick up the Ranger ship. Then he'd fly that craft back to Hub Station through normal channels. The Sorcerer would Gate back as well, but should not return to the Hub Station for at least a week, to "keep up appearances." Banker noted that he could not estimate power usage the way Eddie could, but they could manage. Jannisett confided to Art that she found it difficult to have some of her friends leave without the rest.
The Sorcerer left port two days before the B&B Imperial Military representative was due. Shepherd noted that he lost contact with all communication systems including chips aboard the Sorcerer when it Gated out, but that his mental link with Art remained despite the stellar distances involved. The Sorcerer returned within 24 hours. Jamie insisted that it stay out of range for the allotted time. Unlike the star at Neon Pig, the star at Hub Station was useless to Art for recharging the ship. Art decided not to waste his time recharging, but he would work on his experiments.
The conversation included a re-telling of the tale of Jannisett's escape with Ranger Grey and her little sister, and his subsequent death. Jamie noted that both Jannisett and Lady Juri were affected by this tale (or the memories produced thereby). (It is possible that the lady is as much a romantic as the blue girl.)
Jamie made it clear that she did not necessarily trust Lady Juri who, in turn, agreed that it was right and proper to be wary of the unknown and untested. Her ladyship indicated a strong interest in finding Jannisett's little sister and putting her in protective custody. Jamie made sure that no planets were mentioned and that Our Heroes should see to Jinan's safety. Lady Juri seemed unconvinced, pointing out:
The dinner was comfortably elegant. Shepherd suggested dancing and, shortly, a dance band set up in an adjacent room. When Shepherd took Lady Juri out onto the dance floor, he discovered that she figured he'd set up this as a cover to talk. He said, "How's the family." She teased, "Yours or mine." It almost seemed as though she knew who he was as a secret agent and that he might have something appropriate to pass on to her. She did tell him that she had been the one to get the B&B Imp Mil rep reassigned because "I was pretty certain you didn't want Admiral Altair questioning you group". Shepherd managed to get through the dance and suggested another. Juri escaped smoothly with, "Maybe after some lessons."
Lady Juri danced with Eddie (who had already noted the banks of electronics woven into her accoutrements and the fact that she had absolutely no augmentation at all) and managed to make him feel almost grateful.
Eddie: "So you're Lady Juri and I know you're very important in the Empire."
Juri, fluttering: "I'm not very important... but thank you."
Eddie, persisting: "You're part of the Emperor's family."
Juri: "I'm part of the Imperial family which it so large it is almost a plague on the Empire."
Eddie: "There are really a lot of you?"
Juri: "A lot of family, only one of me. Not like him," her airy gesture included various guards near Shepherd. "There's four of him."
Shortly Shepherd took his leave of the party. (Checking the bugs he put on himself, he found that anything that might have recorded when he had been within two feet of Lady Juri was blank.) He joined Captain Winslette in the monitor room and tried to probe for information. Neutrally the Captain replied, "If there's an officer you want to discuss, I'm happy to talk to you. I really did expect to be relieved by now. I expected some sort of flag officer and I apologize - and extend the apology to your entire group - for the delay. I can send word to find out if there are any more vacationing officers headed this way." Shepherd asked that he do so.
Having assessed the danger level as acceptable, Jannisett managed to invite each bodyguard in turn to dance. Eventually Lady Juri danced with Jannisett and, then, with Jamie. She commented on Shepherd's lack of manners and Jamie excused his disappearance with, "I think he has spent far too much time alone."
Jamie confided to Lady Juri that she did not trust her family's interest in her and asked that the lady suggest appropriate legal counsel for the negotiations that would eventually ensue about contracting the alien diplomat's services to the Empire. Lady Juri, counseled:
( EPs: 0, total: 6; Art: 0, total 5)
Next Run: Language & Negotiations?
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