Tenacious

44

The admiral’s barge landed in a river and was promptly surrounded by police boats and led to a pier. Kris exited into a wharf, covered against the rain and even heated against the damp chill.

On a gallery above her, cameras rolled and lights flashed. There were a lot of shouts to look this way, and Kris did. She remembered how to do the princess thing and smiled and waved as was necessary to the role.

Jack let her stand there, but there was a large black limo waiting for her. And farther back, several large SUV-type rigs with an ambulance at the rear.

“You really do have this all prepared,” Kris said through her wide smile.

“It’s been a while,” Jack answered through a tight smile, “but it’s like a bicycle. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you always know how to fall off again.”

Kris had to chuckle at that.

“This is your allotted time for waving,” a furry female with a sleek black coat and interesting silver harness said. “It is time to be going,” and she entered the limo.

Kris gave one last wave and slipped inside. Jack, in dress blue and reds did the same. In a moment, the cavalcade was on its way.

“You speak our language very well,” Kris said, settling into her place.

“I am a professional translator. I have mastered twelve languages and can read eighteen. Your language is moderately easy. I have been studying it since we started picking up your communications.”

Kris eyed Jack.

“When you talked to the kids, you’d talk and Nelly would translate. Both seemed to have gotten through. It also appears that Nelly included several of the original copies of our reports as well as the translations.”

“I thought they might come in handy,” Nelly said.

“I found them most helpful. Now, about your schedule,” the female said.

“I am Kris Longknife,” Kris said, offering her hand.

“Oh. I am sorry if I have violated greetings protocol. I am Zarra ak Torina. At your server.”

“At your service,” Nelly said.

“At your service,” Zarra corrected. “And this is?” she said, staring at Kris’s collarbone.

“My personal computer,” Kris said. “She is also my translator.”

“Computer?”

“You have computational machines,” Kris said.

“Yes, for weapons design and some other things. Businesses are starting to use them for billing and inventory.”

“Very primitive,” Nelly said.

NELLY, SHUSH. I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP YOU OUT OF THIS.

SPOILSPORT.

“We use computers for much more. And ours are much smaller. Have you landed a person on your moon?”

Zarra shook her head. “There is talk of doing that, but many think it is just talk.”

“On our first planet, the race to put a man on the moon sparked all kinds of improvements in life and technology. I will suggest that your leaders undertake that challenge if they want to expand their horizons.”

“Just your being here is a major expansion of our horizons,” the translator said.

“No doubt,” Kris said before Nelly could.

“We are driving to the Tower of the Associated Peoples Grand Assembly. Almost every country has chosen to send its leader to this meeting, so you will be seen by most everyone. There will also be private meetings so you can talk face-to-face with President of Columm Almar, President Almar, and Prime Minister of the Bizalt Kingdom, Madame Gerrot. They represent the two most powerful zones now that President for Life Solzen seems to have departed this life.”

“Is she the one that fired on us?”

“Yes.”

“Foolish to do it once. Stupid to do it twice.”

“Many of us agree with you. Apparently, what you did to her mountain redoubt has also taken out most of those who implemented her rule. The country is in disorder. All wonder what will come of that chaos.”

Kris chose not to remark on that.

The ride was smooth, attesting to the weight of the car, and, no doubt, the thickness of the armor. Here and there along the drive, people on the sidewalks paused to wave. They seemed dressed for the wet weather in substantially more than the interpreter, leaving Kris to wonder what the attitudes were toward clothes.

YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED ME SOONER, OR WATCHED A FEW OF THE SOAP OPERAS, Nelly growled in Kris’s head. THEY DON’T MUCH CARE FOR CLOTHES, BUT THEY LIKE TO BE WET EVEN LESS. YOU HAIRLESS APES MAY HAVE TO GET USED TO A MORE OPEN ATTITUDE.

THANK YOU, NELLY.

YOU’RE WELCOME, KRIS.

They drove into a basement and directly to a wide-open entrance. The interpreter exited first, then stepped aside to allow Jack to step out. From the following black rigs, Musashi Marines in bright red dress uniforms rushed to form a defensive perimeter, all eyes out. Only when they had taken up station did Jack motion Kris out.

He offered her a hand, and she stood.

Again, a wall well away from them was taken up by cameras and their crews. Kris smiled and waved like a good princess, then went where her guides led.

The Marines fell in on both sides of her.

“They don’t mind having armed Marines in their halls of power?” Kris said through another wide smile.

“These aren’t their halls of power,” Jack answered through tight lips. “And they like a parade as much as the next. Although, I got the impression they wanted the Marines buck naked. That would spoil everything, though. Most of them think our Marines are female.”

“How’s it feel to be a guy in a gal’s world?”

“No different than it ever does, Mrs. Montoya.”

That almost broke Kris up.

Zarra led them to a large foyer with high walls on two sides but open to the next floor up on the other two. Again, there were camera crews recording everything. The rails on the upper floors were lined with people who watched and waved. Kris spotted two young ones, only about half the height of grown-ups waving madly. She waved back. Zeth and her young boyfriend had made it just as they had planned. They’d even managed to ship a picture of themselves up to the Wasp so Kris could recognize them.

But their time would be later. Zarra led Kris to a female who might have once had a lovely gold-and-black-striped coat but which now showed much gray in place of black.

“May I present to you, the Elected Speaker of the Associated Assembly, Von ak N’tire.”

Kris held out her hand. The elderly female held out her paw, but, no sooner had Kris and she touched palms than the Elected Speaker pulled Kris into a wide hug. Kris suspected she could have been crushed in the hug, but it was pro forma at best.

Quickly, it was over, and Kris stepped back.

YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME ABOUT THAT, JACK, she said on Nelly Net.

WHAT, AND TAKE ALL THE FUN OUT OF IT?

Then a slug slammed into Kris’s back before she even heard the shot fired.