Part 58 (1/2)

29. Arrival

The Columbus left as soon as Medart's s.h.i.+p, the Empress Lindner, entered orbit. Battle cruisers were far too large to land in a gravity field as strong as St. Thomas', so he came down in one of the bus-sized landers along with a single pilot/bodyguard. There was none of the pomp or ceremony Cortin would have expected when royalty from one realm visited another, but Colonel Bradford had decided to leave the Strike Force troops in place because of the Brotherhood, so she was able to have a proper military formation, at least. The Ranger had asked for informality, though, so she and Odeon were the only ones who approached to greet him when he emerged from the lander, followed by his bodyguard. They exchanged introductions, and Medart confirmed Cortin's guess that the small, dark-skinned blond was indeed one of the genetically engineered Sandeman warriors, Lieutenant Keith DarElwyn.

”I thought it might rea.s.sure you,” Medart said, ”if I brought along one of the people we were able to make friends with thirty years ago. I've got Traiti aboard as well, but I don't think you're quite ready for them.” Cortin, he thought, was more impressive in person than on screen. She was medium height and build, with straight brown hair not quite shoulder length, wearing a gray uniform with wide-brimmed hat--but it was her eyes that struck him. They were a light brown, with pupils that seemed blacker than s.p.a.ce, making them seem to look through you.

Even though he was familiar with Odeon from DeLayne's tapes, he found the scar-faced man more impressive in person, as well. He was a good twenty-five centis taller than his commander, strongly built without looking like a weight-lifter--and the nasty-looking scar that cut across his right cheek down across his mouth and into his chin seemed more a distinction than a disfigurement. Both officers reminded Medart irresistibly of predators, though he couldn't pinpoint the reason . . .

maybe that neither seemed to have any softness about @.

It had become almost a reflex for Medart to do a quick mental scan of anyone he met, and under the circ.u.mstances, he would've scanned Cortin and Odeon anyway. Mike Odeon was average, with no mind-screen or perceptible Talent other than very minor telepathy, but Cortin was an entirely different story. She had an incredible degree of Talent latent, though it wasn't like any he'd felt before. Still, three and a half years of experience didn't make him an expert in Talent varieties--especially human ones, since that had been discovered only the same three and a half years ago. Her mind-s.h.i.+eld had a potential strength even greater than a Sandeman warrior's, though she wasn't using it. She also had a strong telepathic potential, of which she was using a small, untrained portion--and there was another aspect, one he hadn't encountered before, that it felt like she was using fully, though unconsciously. It was a good thing, Medart thought, that he seemed to be immune to that particular aspect. His focus had to remain on the Empire as a whole; he couldn't afford--and had no desire--to fall in love. He was less sure about Keith's immunity, though; even in this brief a time, he could sense a sort of mellowing. He'd have to keep an eye on that, he thought; if Cortin could affect a Sandeman, even one of the rare uns.h.i.+elded warriors like Keith, it might be risky letting her around too many Imperials. On the other hand . . . He made a mental note to contact DeLayne when he was alone, and find out what effect she'd had on the Columbus' captain and crew. Probably none, since he hadn't said anything about it, but best to double-check.

Cortin nodded to the Sandeman. ”It would be interesting to get his reactions to the Empire first-hand.”

Keith bowed. ”I look forward to the opportunity, Excellency.”

”Let's go inside, then, and I'll introduce you to the rest of my Family. Did Captain DeLayne brief you about the satyr plague?”

Medart chuckled. ”And the Strike Force's . . . ah . . . 'enthusiastic use of their dispensation' was how he phrased it. We've both been immunized, just in case.”

”Yes. Well, one of the social changes it triggered, and I helped bring about, was an expanded family structure to allow for the variety it makes you want, while still providing stability for the family itself, particularly the children. Family Cortin began as Strike Force Team Azrael, and most of it still is, though we've added a civilian wife. I understand Sandemans have a strong privacy drive?”

”Very strong,” Medart agreed. ”Why?”

”Because Family behavior on the private floors can best be described as uninhibited, particularly in the evening,” Cortin said. ”If open s.e.xuality disturbs him--either of you, for that matter--I'm not sure what to do. You want to learn about us by living with us, and that's part of our life. I certainly can't put one of your rank in a field shelter!”

Medart chuckled. ”It doesn't disturb me, but Keith would probably be seriously embarra.s.sed.” He enjoyed it, in fact, any time he was on one of the worlds where open s.e.xuality was the norm--particularly where outsiders were allowed or encouraged to partic.i.p.ate. That was a preference, though, that Sandemans definitely didn't share. He turned to Keith. ”Would you prefer staying in a shelter or the lander, Lieutenant? With this many troops around us, I don't think I need a full-time bodyguard.”

”I would, thank you, sir. The lander, by preference.”

”You will still eat with us, won't you?” Cortin asked. ”We don't generally relax to a degree that should make you uncomfortable until after supper, and the ground floor is always formal.”

”I intend no disrespect, Excellency. I will be honored to eat and visit with you.”

”Good. Let's go introduce you to my Family, then.” As they entered the Lodge and went upstairs to the common-room, she said, ”To spare you some confusion about our names: we're all Cortin, since Mike and Sis--the senior spouses--wanted me as head of the Family and named it after me. So Mike's full name is Michael Patrick Cortin-Odeon, but around the Lodge or people who know us well, he's Mike or Captain Odeon, depending on circ.u.mstances. Since he's also a priest, you'll sometimes hear adults calling him Father, too.”

They were in the living room by then, where the rest of Family Cortin was waiting; she introduced them to the visitors. ”Medic-Lieutenant Eleanor Chang, otherwise known as Piety or Sis, the Family's senior wife; Elizabeth Bain, our only non-military adult; Communications-Lieutenant Joseph Pritchett, generally called Tiny; Armorer-Lieutenant Anthony Degas; Demolitions-Lieutenant David Bain, who's also a priest like Mike and myself, and my backup Inquisitor; Lieutenant Charles Powell, who doesn't have a rated specialty but acts as my secretary; and our children--legally my grandchildren, though I can't have children of my own--Luke, Kateri, and George.”

The two Imperials bowed slightly, and Medart did the honors on that side. ”I appreciate your hospitality,” he said then. ”Before Colonel Cortin and I can do any productive negotiating, we have to get to know each other and each other's cultures. You got a bit of a head start with Columbus' crew, but I'm deliberately starting from scratch, except for the little Captain Odeon gave Captain DeLayne.”

”With first names,” Cortin said, ”since you're guests in our home; formality's for the ground floor and below. Unless that's considered rude in the Empire, which I doubt from the time Gwen spent with us.”

”In the Empire it'd be undue familiarity from anyone except my parents, other Rangers and the Sovereign, or the captain of my s.h.i.+p. But this isn't the Empire, so we go by your customs, not ours; I'm Jim.”

Cortin smiled. ”Joan--maybe Joanie, if you feel like joining our Family pleasures some evening.” She sobered. ”Now--I agreed to let you observe me, and I won't go back on that. But I do have to warn you that, based on people's reactions here, you'll probably find my work extremely unpleasant. I know Mike didn't go into detail about it with Captain DeLayne, because I told him not to.” She paused, using the brief silence for emphasis. ”I'm an Inquisitor, Jim. Normally, that would mean I question prisoners, and turn them over to a judge for sentencing if the evidence warrants it. But I'm the High King's Inquisitor, which means I deal only with capital crimes of the worst type; by the time a criminal gets to me, he's either proven too stubborn for other Inquisitors, or he's under sentence of prolonged death. So far, only one of the prisoners remanded to me has left Harmony Lodge alive, though with your help there may be a second.”

”That,” Medart said with considerable aversion, ”sounds like you torture people to death.”

Cortin nodded. ”If you restrict 'people' to 'heinous criminals', you're absolutely right. I have never gone beyond first stage interrogation--simple questioning--with an innocent, and truthsense lets me be sure the ones I kill are guilty of the crimes they're sent to me for.” She smiled, grimly. ”I don't even have to ask, since they all protest their innocence.”

”You said that if I help, a second prisoner may leave here alive. What help do you need?”