Ojbect (2 page)

She ignored the ominous tone in his voice and finished her meal, watching the others in the room to see what they were doing with the plates.

Everyone left the plates and trays on the table when they left.

When Tweff prepared to rise, Bella got up ahead of him and walked toward the door. He chuckled. “You do learn fast.”

Relief spilled through her. She had correctly guessed a meal, now what about her work?

It took her six months to rise from administrator to auditor. Bella was completely used to moving around in the mask and grey uniform, but she did occasionally startle herself when she saw a reflective surface.

Today, she was working for the court records and doing an audit of the expenditures of Lord Korkham. He had deducted a number of unusual items, and it was up to him to prove that they were expenses to benefit the court.

“Lord Korkham—”

“Yes, Auditor Banks?”

“The largest deduction in question is for a private club. The Face-to-Face Club
.
What benefit did this have to your negotiations or other transactions on the part of the court?”

He paused, his black suit and mask completely still. “You are an alien, Auditor Banks?”

“I am.”

“Have you been away from the court?”

“I have not.”

He jerked slightly. “Well, in that case, you might or might not understand that certain species find our lack of physical identifiers distressing. They enjoy meeting face to face, and the club is a means to accomplish that.”

Bella cocked her head. “I don’t understand.”

“We embraced the lack of physical identity to cease the issues caused by our ungovernable vanity. Other species depend on the physical cues offered by face-to-face negotiations. This club is a private environment in which I can do so, but not break our laws and customs.”

Bella didn’t know what to say to that. After six months here, exposing her face to someone seemed a bit perverse.

“I can take you there if you like. I am sure you would find the experience liberating and somewhat addicting.”

“It would not be appropriate.”

He reached into his suit and brought out a folded paper. “It would be very appropriate. This is a writ from the ruling body allowing me to bring alien guests to the club at my discretion. You qualify.”

She frowned. “When would this demonstration take place?”

“Now is acceptable to me. You are obviously on duty and there is a detachment of traders who have been taken there for ease of communication. It is an excellent time to meet face to face and see what I am referring to.”

Bella was conflicted, but she did have to determine that it was an appropriate expense. It was her duty.

“I will go.” She tidied up her work, locked it in her desk and rose to her feet.

Lord Korkham did the same.

Without a word, they exited the financial tower and made their way down to the transport pods. He ignored the pod in front of them and summoned a separate one.

“These pods forget. The moment that we are out of them, it will forget our destination.” They settled into the specially summoned pod.

He keyed in the club name and address, and they were off.

They cruised through the city, and she could see the folk who were not restricted in their display of their natural faces. The Kloa were nearly symmetrical in their features. For most species, that made them extremely attractive. Three hundred years earlier, they got a ruling class who was tired of the endless manoeuvering based on appearance and the coverage laws came into effect for all in public office or running for it.

When you decided to speak for someone else, you had to obfuscate your features. Your words had to matter.

She watched the pretty faces zoom past and chuckled softly at her own arrogance. On Terra, she had been stunning. Here, she was just a blank face in the crowd.

They left the city and skimmed through a private garden.

“We are on the property right now. As a member, I am one of the only ones with access to the land and house. You cannot access the facility without a membership.”

“And how do they know that you have a membership?”

“I used my code when I summoned the pod.” He chuckled.

A large house came into sight, and Bella kept her outer calm. It was an amazing house that belonged next to the palace. A huge structure on imposing grounds, it promised an experience like no other.

Bella sighed and focused on the audit. She was here to determine whether Lord Korkham was claiming a genuine expense. Nothing more.

The pod took a wide and lovely arc to the front entrance where an attendant emerged from the house to open the door of their conveyance. The attendant didn’t say anything, but helped her to her feet and preceded them to open the door.

A male attendant took Lord Korkham to one side and away from the elaborate entryway. A female attendant appeared and beckoned her to follow.

“I am simply here to observe. I do not need...whatever.”

The attendant was wearing a light drape in place of the standard thick mask. Bella could see the smile. The woman beckoned again.

Bella was so relieved to see the features that she followed the woman’s lead.

They walked for a few minutes through scented and bright hallways until they passed into a room that held long racks of gowns, vanity tables and a gathering of friendly women.

Her guide removed the drape on her head, and Bella was staring into vivid blue eyes.

“Welcome to the Face-to-Face Club. You are the guest of Lord Korkham?”

Bella inclined her head. “Yes and no. I am a court auditor, and I am investigating the work value of this facility.”

Her guide frowned. “Just a moment, please.”

The woman walked off, and the others milled around in mild confusion. Unable to stop herself, Bella walked to the dress racks and flicked through the designs, seeking one that would be flattering. She sighed longingly at the deep purple gown with emerald accents.

The blue-eyed woman returned, and Bella jerked her hand away from the gown. “The manager invites you to enjoy full access to the facilities. I am Yimra, I will be your guide through the property.”

“Thank you.”

“You must change clothing so as not to distress the other guests. Is there a gown that you liked?”

One of the quiet women came up and whispered in Yimra’s ear.

Yimra smiled and flicked through the racks until she pulled out the amethyst gown. “If you like it, we will try this one first. Once you have a gown, it will be yours anytime you visit here.”

Bella blinked and leaned away. “I do not plan on returning.”

“That will be your decision. Many become addicted to being able to speak face to face once again. Off-worlders are especially good members here.”

Bella sighed and followed the woman to a small changing area—folding screens that cut her off from prying eyes. With more curiosity than dedication to her job, she removed her headgear and the mask.

The world around her sprang back into sharp relief as she slowly removed all of her uniform and handed it over to the women on the other side of the screen. She slipped the gown on and it hung in place, hugging her curves with the biased-cut silk showing her off to full advantage.

“Are shoes available?” She stepped out, holding the gown up slightly so she could walk without tripping.

The women stared at her and smiled. One left to get some shoes while another beckoned her to sit.

Yimra watched with a delighted expression. “Tima will arrange your hair, and then, you will be able to join the gathering. Yinsa is getting you some shoes. We needed to get your boots to match the size.”

The woman in question came in wielding a pair of slightly heeled sandals. While Tima brushed out her hair, Yinsa put her shoes on.

It was startling to see her own face in a mirror. Mirrors were not used in the court. Even in the private chambers, she was dependant on her reflection in trays and pitchers. Her photo identification on Kloa was a picture of her genetic signature; she hadn’t realized how much she missed the sight of her own features until now.

When Tima was done arranging her hair, Bella got to her feet. She wavered in the heels, but managed a few steps without tripping on the gown before she was able to stand with her shoulders back and smile at Yimra. “Ready when you are.”

“This way, please.”

Yimra led the way down a hall painted with trees and flowers. The door at the end was abrupt as it disgorged them into a large space where a number of people were sitting in conversational groups and enjoying cocktails.

Bella identified nine different species in play, including the Kloa. The foreigners were relaxed and enjoying a polite social moment.

To her surprise, Yimra tugged her forward and introduced her around as Madame Banks.

The people she met were ambassadors, trade masters, lords, ladies and none were here for anything other than meeting face to face.

Lord Korkham smiled at her with his lovely features exposed and the silvery brown skin of the Kloa looking very attractive on him. He appeared surprised by her own features, but Yimra nodded politely and continued her introductions. She was being a hostess, and she was very good at it.

The conversations that they had interrupted were all casual trade conversations. Bella nodded. “Thank you for the introduction. I can leave now.”

Yimra looked surprised. “You have only just arrived here.”

“I am here in my work capacity. I have gained the information I needed to complete the audit. Any lingering on my part would not serve the court, it would only serve myself.”

A male voice spoke from behind her. “But you have not yet seen all the facilities. It would be a shame to miss out.”

She turned slowly to face a man whose bearing indicated that he was in command of all he surveyed. Unfortunately, he was surveying her at the moment.

“My job is satisfied, and to remain would taunt me with things I cannot have. I will have to leave and file my report before I can release Lord Korkham from investigation.”

The man smiled, his nearly perfect features glowed. “I will complete your tour myself.”

Yimra inclined her upper body and disappeared around the corner.

“Allow me to introduce myself, I am Lord Akking. I own this club and the grounds.”

To her shock, he took her hand and raised it to his lips; she felt the warmth of his skin on her knuckles, but his mouth didn’t touch her.

“You know of me already, but I am Auditor Banks.”

“Bella Banks of Terra. I was not expecting your features to be so much like ours.”

She quirked her lips and cocked her head. “Neither was I. The Kloa have sharper features, but the symmetry is apparent.”

He straightened and offered her his arm. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, and she smiled. “If you feel there is more I need to see, please, lead on.”

His posture settled as she curled her fingers around the elegant black of his tunic sleeve. His dress was nearly military. A black tunic, with matte black buttons off set from the left shoulder down, was belted snugly, and his trousers and slick black boots were in keeping with the precise attitude his upper body depicted.

His hair was a deep purple and his eyes a shadowy plum. Lord Akking would be striking on any world, but here, he was lost on the sea of masks. It was a shame.

He smiled as she looked at a few of the Kloa and understanding came to her eyes. She watched the smile spread.

“The reason that everyone wears a mask is now understandable.” Bella continued to walk with him, but her mind was spinning.

She was on a world of genetically engineered beings. All the lords were identical but with variations in hair and eye colour. The features were all the same.

She cleared her throat. “The lower classes are still beautiful, but no longer so clearly stamped.”

“As with most societies, they have more children, the children blend, the genes blur. I am impressed. It usually takes more than thirty minutes uncovered before folk realize what we are.”

“It is a pet interest of mine. Research into symmetry was something I started at home, but here, it has become a passion. So many species designed what they considered to be the perfect being, it is surprising to see that you could thrive and spread across the world.”

“It was not our choice. Our society was initially not very attractive; in fact, repulsive was a word frequently used. Our forefathers decided that to be successful, we needed to be more physically appealing, so they designed a template for an attractive species based on the most successful races in our sector. Four classes of being were designed, and all four exist today. In the base classes, they interbreed frequently, but are still easy to determine when you know what to look for.”

“Do they ever make it to the court?”

“Frequently, and if they make alliances or marriages, the spouse they end up with is always of the Social imprint and the features breed true.”

“Social?”

“One of the four imprints that our ancestors created. These faces and bodies were designed to make us pleasant to those we interacted with. When we realized that they also stopped us from focusing on the day-to-day necessities, the masks came into play. Eventually, they expanded to cover the entire body.”

He walked with her through wide halls covered with portraits and then out through a set of double doors that led to a stone deck and, from there, a garden with a hedge maze.

“Yimra said you picked out the gown yourself.”

Bella nodded. “I used to have an eye for what flattered me.”

“You still do. Once a guest has chosen a gown, it is theirs forever. It will be stored in a locker with your name on it.”

She ran a hand down the gown. “Thank you, though I cannot imagine a scenario in which I would return; I thank you for the offer.”

“I think you would not turn down a direct invitation.”

“I think I would have to. This is not in my allowed job activities. I could be sent to Janial for being here.”