-Here, child,- Ara'lana said. Aria realized that they had stopped, and her mother had opened a door, gesturing with one hand for her to enter. Coming into the room beyond, she found herself in a small waiting area, marble floored and furnished with wooden chairs. -If you wouldn't mind waiting here just a minute or two, Aria, there is something I must attend to before we dine. Make yourself comfortable and I'll be back shortly.- Ara'lana crossed the room, pausing at the door opposite the one they entered and looking over one shoulder. -And I must insist you remain in this room. I trust you, my daughter, but there are always eyes watching. Please don't give my guards any cause for concern.- With that, the elder Ailian left Aria alone.
As the door closed, Aria dutifully took one of the seats placed in the room. She was unable to make herself comfortable, so disconcerted she was by the situation she was in, but at least sitting down meant that her head was spinning a little less. As casually as she could manage, she took a look around the room. Though it was bare except for the chairs like the one she was sitting, Aria saw at least five places where surveillance devices could be hidden. The cracks between the wood paneling in the walls could hide a small camera, or the chairs could contain concealed audio pickups. So whatever Aria was doing was probably being recorded, or even actively monitored by security personnel. Her best course of action right now would probably be to follow her mother's advice and remain where she was.
Now that she was alone with her thoughts, Aria found herself thinking of what was happening back where she had come from. She had no way of knowing where she was right now, or even how long she had been unconscious. Her mother told her that the meal they were about to eat was dinner, but really it could be any time of day. Aria hadn't seen a clock since she had woken up. Aria didn't even know what planet she was on. For all she knew, she could still be on Lirna, or she could be on any one of the hundreds of worlds that made up the Ascendancy, millions of kilometers from her father, or Sami, or Jack...
-
Jack!-
Aria thought to herself, coming to her feet with a sudden feeling of urgency. Her tail started whipping back and forth frantically as her fur stood on end.
-Where in the hell is he? Did my mother take him, too? Could he be here?-
More than anything, Aria was filled with a desire to find Jack, even if she had no way to know that he was even in the same place that she was. She was halfway to the door she'd come through before she remembered what her mother had warned her about. Aria had seen all of the soldiers during her brief walk through the base, and if she was being watched in the room then her leaving would probably summon someone to at least see what she was doing. Anyway, Jack probably wasn't anywhere near her, and even if he was Aria was completely unfamiliar with the base she was in. Looking around blindly would be somewhat less than useful.
-Dammit...,- Aria muttered to herself. She stopped short of the door, standing still and clenching her fists as tightly as she could manage to keep herself from shaking. When her wrists started throbbing near where she had cut herself, she relaxed, turning away from the door and starting to pace around the room. Her mind was being consumed by a flurry of conflicting thoughts. She didn't want to be here, but here was where her mother was, and ever since her mother's death Aria had longed to see her again. Aria wanted to get out of here and find Jack and her family, but she was in the middle of a secured military facility and she didn't even know what planet she was on. To a somewhat lesser degree, her sense of curiosity was aroused. She didn't want to leave without getting some answers, most of all how her mother could have been alive all this time without contacting anyone in the family.
******
The lieutenant led Sami and Jack away from the courtroom, to a conference room a few minutes' walk down a long hallway. After being shown inside the room, the pair was taken by surprise. Jack had expected that wherever they were going, Li'ren was going to be there, but he hadn't expected to see so many Ailians wearing uniforms bearing such high-ranking insignia. They were all sitting around a large table, a gigantic holographic space map projected in the air above it. And more than that, the Empress herself was in the room as well. For Jack, seeing her wasn't as big of a deal. He had met her once before, and had even shared lunch with her. For Sami, on the other hand, it was a much bigger thing to be in the same room as the Empress.
“A-Ah...Mi'ran ke rale solan re'olle!”
Sami said, hurriedly bowing as low as she could. Her tail was sticking straight back behind her, the fur bushed out so much that it looked like an orange raccoon's tail. After a short delay, Jack followed suit. Since he was a human he still didn't really feel right bowing to the Empress, but he also didn't want to get hit by a guard again, and so acquiescence to current social expectations was the order of the day. When they raised back up, the Empress nodded to Sami.
“Sa re-al,”
the Empress said, her voice as melodious as ever. She gestured to a pair of empty chairs at the table, next to where Li'ren was, and Jack and Sami both sat. The Empress offered a strained smile to both of them. “Jack Squier, I am pleased you have come as well. I do wish I had better news for you, but at least you can hear it now, right from me.”
“I don't like the sound of that,” Jack said warily. He looked around the room, then glanced at the map projected above the table. He could see the Milky Way galaxy, of course the home of the Solar system. He could also recognize the Andromeda galaxy, which contained the bulk of the Ailian Ascendancy, and the Triangulum galaxy, where the Ascendancy had a sizable presence as well. The map was painted with various colors, though Jack had no idea what the colors might have meant. “This all seems a little above my pay grade, Empress.”
The Empress pressed a button under the table, shutting off the display. “Ah, yes,” she said. “We were just discussing a few things.” She gestured to the collection of senior military officers seated around the table. Jack thought that he recognized one of the Ailians as Admiral Te'rou, the admiral presiding over the court martial, but all of the others just looked the same to him. He noticed that they were all staring at him, all with an expression that clearly stated they were incensed that a human slave would dare to speak to the Empress. “And I do regret that I must be the bearer of bad news. You seem to get nothing else, yes?”
From that point on, the Empress spoke in the Ailian language for the benefit of everyone else in the room, especially Sami, who had trouble enough keeping up with English when she
wasn't
completely stressed out. Luckily for Jack, Li'ren was there beside him, providing him with a near-instant translation to what was being said.
“First of all, I want to say that I admire your family for being able to remain as one through such trying times,”
the Empress said to Sami, spreading her hands on the table. She looked around the table, giving each of the admirals a very pointed expression, especially Admiral Te'rou, before looking back to Aria's sister.
“You and your siblings truly represent the best that can be expected of loyal subjects of the Ascendancy.”
Doing her best to keep her composure, Sami gave a tight nod.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. It has been difficult...I have been doing my best to keep the family together. Aria's trial has been very difficult for all of us.”
The Empress waved a hand.
“From what Li'ren tells me, you have been doing splendidly. I am certain that your mother would be proud of the young woman you have become.”
As much as Jack knew that he shouldn't be opening his mouth too much in this room, the suspense was killing him. He wanted the Empress to come out and say it, instead of this beating around the bush. “Look, it's obvious that Aria's trial has been delayed for some reason,” he blurted out, drawing some fearsome snarls from the military officers in the room. “If the trial isn't going to be held today, can't we just take her home for tonight?”
“Jack!” Sami hissed, nudging him with her foot underneath the table. “Please...” Li'ren looked similarly uncomfortable, though she was looking at the admirals and seemed to be more worried about their reaction to Jack than what Jack was actually saying.
The Empress, however, seemed sympathetic. “I wish you could, Jack, truly I do.” She switched back to Ailian before continuing.
“I'm afraid I have to tell you something unfortunate. Lieutenant Me'lia is nowhere to be found. As a matter of fact, we have reason to believe that she may have been abducted.”
“What?”
Sami gasped. Her ears flattened to her head, one hand coming up to cover her muzzle.
“Abducted? By who? Why?”
“How could this happen?” Jack demanded. He was livid, so much so that he could feel the heat rising in his face. More than that, he was starting to feel scared for Aria. While he was glad that, for the moment at least, she wouldn't be facing a trial with death as a possible outcome, he wasn't sure she would be that better off in the custody of persons unknown. “This is
supposed
to be a military base. Are people just allowed to waltz in and out? Is that what passes for security with you people?”
“Ke're sa me son?”
Admiral Te'rou snapped, looking to Li'ren, presumably for a translation of what Jack had just said. After hesitating for a few moments, she reluctantly provided it. Admiral Te'rou shot up from his seat, baring his teeth at Jack and growling.
“If you open your mouth one more time, slave, I will rip your tongue out and feed it to you!”
After staring at Li'ren until she finally sighed and told him what the admiral had said, Jack slammed a fist on the table and stood up as well. He would have come around the table and made for the Ailian officer if Sami and Li'ren both hadn't put a hand on each of his shoulders and forced him back into his seat. “If you'd show some goddamned competence, this wouldn't have happened. If you're supposed to be the best the Ascendancy has, we shouldn't have any problems kicking your ass,
cat!
”
“I am
not
translating that!” Li'ren muttered to Jack, glaring at him.
“Sala'a re kre'na te nai!”
the Empress roared, rising from her seat. “Both of you!” She narrowed her red eyes, staring lasers at Admiral Te'rou until he sat back down. As soon as she was certain that the situation was back under control, she nodded to Li'ren, who began translating for Jack again.
“We don't know all the details yet, I'm afraid. We have some leads, but nothing substantial. Rest assured, as soon as we know something definite, you will be the first people to know.”
Though that wasn't very helpful to Jack at all, he had to acknowledge that it was the best he could expect, especially since it had only been hours since Aria had been taken. Sami, on the other hand, appeared much more grateful. She stood up from her chair, bowing to the Empress.
“Thank you so much, Your Majesty. For your kind words, and for the support you have offered to our family.”
“You're quite welcome, child,”
the Empress said. She waved to a guard, who came forward.
“Now, I must ask you to leave. Please go home, and I promise that someone will contact you as soon as we have something to tell you.”
The Ailian ruler looked down at the surface of the table, clenching her fists tightly, and then she spoke again, in a quieter voice this time.
“I am terribly sorry that this has happened. I vow that once I find out who is responsible for this crime, I will show them why it is foolish to cross me...”
******
Though Aria was still uneasy about where she was, she did have to admit that the meal her mother had ordered to be prepared was just what she needed. Ara'lana seemed to have done her best to try to make things feel easier for Aria, arranging for a staggering repast of many savory meat dishes, always a heavy presence in an Ailian meal, and for good reason as far as Aria was concerned. As hungry as she was, she was able to ignore the situation she was in, at least for a little while. The atmosphere wasn't too bad either. Her mother's private dining room reminded her a lot of the one at their home, even though it was a bit smaller.
Privately, Aria thought that the dinner company left something to be desired. Besides her mother, there were three other Ailian women around the table. And these three were intimidating, sufficiently enough so that the meal was made more awkward than it ought to have been.
The first Ailian was a face recognizable to Aria, Admiral Selina Kris of the Ascendancy's Navy. With fur of jet black and eyes to match, Admiral Kris had gotten her start in the Lirnan Royal Guards nearly thirty years ago, recruited from her home planet of Sorra in the Outer Colonies. The Royal Guards were the elite fighting force of the Ascendancy, drawn from across the empire and trained to ferocious standards. Their primary duty was the security and protection of the Empress and the royal family, though during times of war they also participated in operations with the rest of the Ascendancy's military. In peace time, in addition to their protective duties, they served as a sort of investigative arm of the government, looking into crimes and other matters which had the potential to affect the security of the Ascendancy. Five years of guarding the royal palace on Lirna had given way to a lengthy spaceborne deployment, where Kris had excelled. Aria knew that Admiral Kris had once been the current Empress' commanding officer. Currently, the admiral was assigned as the sector commander for all of the Outer Colonies. Though as Aria remembered it, Empress Solan had told her that many of the Outer Colony fleets were no longer reporting to Lirna, so perhaps Admiral Kris had moved on to other duties now.