The Parliament of Rooks (Part One)

May 23 - Al Raqis

Today, I returned to the Laandsrat, but today, I was not alone.

We gathered on the main street near where Commander William Faith once had his offices -  Major Aodhfionn Muricastle, Sgt. Gage Macarthur and myself.

Zenobia is the state government of Albion. Consult the star charts and you will see that Albion circles the White Sun, 34 Tauri A, between the orbits of Ariel and Persephone.

Like many others, Zenobia arrived here under the banner of trade and commerce. After some time, an embassy was established, and later still, after much negotiation, the status of a Great House was granted by the local aristocracy.

However, Zenobians were not the first people from 34 Tauri to operate on Araxes. Merchants and companions, shepherds and traders, all had walked these streets, and explored these sands.

To assist the many people from 34 Tauri that were based on Araxes, Zenobia offered full consular services to any Alliance citizen. This included medical and legal assistance, security and, in the case of emergency, evacuation. Naturally, the embassy cooperated with the UAP Central Government and was in turn supported in its good works.

However, with the increased dangers in the region an administrative restructuring of the Araxian mission was required. It was no longer appropriate for representatives from a state government to be solely responsible for the interests of both state and federal governments in the Mu Draco zone.

Direct oversight from the federal level was necessary and Major Muircastle was the logical choice.


 
He was Zenobian. Military academy educated, with a proven track record. A decorated officer during the War of Unification. His postwar assignments were primarily in Monitor Division, and included sensitive duties in the Border and Rim areas. He had been the commander of the Turrent's Moon Listening Station near the Alliance's largest shipyards, and of Deucalion Station on Zenobia's moon, Avalon. Currently, he was in charge of UAP security forces on Araxes.

And so, for the benefit of our great Alliance, and the security of its people, it had been decided that Major Muircastle would take the Zenobian chair on the Laandsrat.

And a further matter: a request had been made through diplomatic channels for my input on the activities on the Jade Revolution. This was the reason for my attendance.

-----

It was Lady Rashad of House Morloch that first noticed us as we entered the hall.

"Ah, a different kind of invasion, it appears," she said.

LilyBell, sitting in the gallery, turned and started to wave, then put her hand down and looked concerned.

At the council table, Khan Jubilynn Lane of House Hengeyokai was speaking. "The rangers are .. special," she said, "Perhaps you will visit Nova Gaia, and we shall talk on this, not to bore the people's time with such matters."

"Oh," answered the Magistrate, "Then I will send them an invitation. I will inform the caterers. Yes. Indeed. We have a full agenda."

"As always," said the Khan, "our home is open to all who wish to visit and learn."

The Magistrate addressed the council. "Our next item.  Amendments to the Arbitrary Arrest Law...."

Other people began to notice us.

Major Muricastle walked up the center isle to the front of the room. Gage and I remained behind.

"...The Beit Dawla has passed a bill concerning the Arbitrary Arrest Law," continued the Magistrate.

"Oh?" said Lady Rashad of House Morloch, responding to the Magistrate's remark.

The Magistrate stopped, looked up and addressed Major Muircastle. "Can I help you sir?"

The Major mounted the step to the left of the bench and, without a word, settled into the seat reserved for the Zenobian representative.

The deed was not received well.

The Magistrate raised her voice in alarm. "That seat belongs to House Zenobia Sir!"

"Yes it does," replied the Major succinctly.

"Who are you that you would dare take that seat?!" she demanded.



LilyBell spoke out from the gallery, "Him House Zenobia of course," and she shook her head.

The Magistrate glanced at her guards.

"Perhaps, if you present your credentials, sir?" suggested Lady Rashad.

"Yes," echoed the Magistrate, "your credentials sir."

The Major spoke, "I am Major Aodhfionn Muircastle. For the time being, I am representing Zenobia in these matters."

Lady Rashad leaned forward, "Has Lady Baxton been arrested?"

"House Zenobia has not notified me of such a change," declared the Magistrate. She looked around the room. "Where is Lady Baxton?"

"Lady Baxton is otherwise unavailable," explained the Major.

"That, sir, is unacceptable," stated the Magistrate.

Lady Rashad raised both eyebrows.

"It is an internal matter," continued the Major.

"I must see some documentation," demanded the Magistrate, again glancing at her guards.

Lady Rashad quietly added, "It would appear that she is either under arrest, or in hiding."

The Reverend Mother Ariadne, sitting next to the Major, looked at him with an almost bored expression, and said "And you can prove that by proper presentation of credentials from House Zenobia or you can sit on the roof."

The Khan Jubilynn Lane of House Hengeyokai chuckled.

"Nothing for you to concern yourselves with," said Major Muircastle, brushing the matter aside. "You can carry on." He elaborated, "If she is under arrest, it would be a state matter; if she were in hiding it would also be a state matter."

This remark drew comments from the council.

"Magistrate," said Lady Rashad. "it would appear that this UAP bears some resemblance to a police state."

Calina Tereshchenko looked over to her and said, "You have no idea...."

Khan Jubilynn Lane added, "I do enjoy how those in uniform enjoy giving orders."

The Magistrate was not deterred. "But your posterior in that seat is a local matter sir," she exclaimed.

"Your observation of my buttocks is noted," countered the Major.

This exchange brought a giggle and a snort from the gallery. This time, they were laughing with him.



Meanwhile, Lily made her way to the back of the room. Sgt. Macarthur smiled at her slightly then returned his gaze forward.

Lily drew closer and whispered something to him. Gage frowned then looked at her oddly.

Lily nodded excitedly. She then returned to her seat in the gallery. "I sit back here in case shootin' starts," she said, nodding to the girl next to her.

The Magistrate turned to the Companion beside her. "Lady Calina, this man is wearing a UAP Uniform. Do you know him?" She indicated the Major.

Calina shook her head, "No, Magistrate. I've heard his name, but I do not know him."

"So he is infamous..." remarked the Magistrate.

"That man, him Mister Gage," said Lily helpfully, "Got a cute friend, name Mister Pete. Always in the jail on Alliance ship. I go there. Sneak." Lily turned to smile at Sgt. Macarthur.

Sgt. Macarthur leaned towards me and whispered, "LilyBell says she found a sign written in blood upstairs." He looked at me to see my response.

I nodded then began to drift to the back of the room. With a quick movement, I turned and headed up the stairs.

As I climbed the steps, I heard the Magistrate call out, "Where did the Major go? I believe I saw her in the chambers? Major Siamendes?"

The Scent of Jasmine

May 11 - Al Raqis

The local government of Araxes was comprised of two distinct chambers or political bodies, in a juxtaposition of aristocratic and democratic elements.



The upper chamber, or Laandsrat, presided over by the Magistrate – The Esteemed Lady Joan al Jofar of House al Jofar - consisted primarily of representatives of the Great Houses (such as Hengeyokai, Hoto Nagi, Morloch,and Zenobia), and the Orders (such as the Myrmidon and the Sinisterhood).  Each member had to have been able to prove an ability to govern within their own sphere of influence before being allowed on the council. In theory, these representatives were the political elite charged to shepherd Araxes with sound wisdom and wide experience. The reality, however, was somewhat more ... disappointing.

The lower chamber, or Beit Dawla, presided over by an appointed chair - Baronetess Jai Raghilda Lordhunter of House Zenobia - was an elected body and delegates were largely independents traders, soldiers and miners. Elections were scheduled for each season of the year, designed almost certainly to guarantee a rapid turnover of delegates. However in recent elections, all four candidates had run unopposed, lending for the first time some stability to the process.  Further, some past delegates had found positions in the civil service, inadvertently expanding the influence of the lower chamber throughout the government.

Jade Moonkill had been sitting on the Beit Dawla when she issued the warrant that lead to the arrest of the members of the Laandsrat last year. 



Council meetings were held on a weekly basis in the capital city of Al Raqis.  Legislation was drafted, discussed and voted on by either chamber. What passed in one house had to be agreed to by the other house for the proposal to become the law. Sessions were open to the public. Transcripts were distributed through diplomatic and government channels. Later, these were posted for public consumption.

My first stop therefore, upon returning to Araxes, was the council chambers to review a section of the Laandsrat capture and documents from two days prior.



-----

The Magistrate, Joan al Jofar, addressed the council, "Our next item for discussion: the Jadist Terrorists. I have received threats from this vile group as have members of the Dawla," she added, "Have any of you been harassed by these degenerates?"

A series of requests to be recognized flashed around the chamber.

The Chair recognizes the delegate from House Morloch, whispered the system.

"I have not," said Lady Rashad, the Khalifa of House Morloch, "What do these threats consist of? Done."

"I have placed the threat in the documents box," said the Magistrate.

A chorus of gasps and murmurs filled the hall as representatives of the Great Houses and Orders received and reviewed copies of the letter.

The Chair recognizes the delegate from House Shanjian, whispered the system.

"Thank you, Magistrate," replied Registered Companion, Calina Tereshchenko of House Shanjian, "I met with one of their followers yesterday. It seems that my relationship with Jade has granted me ... a special status."

"You met one of their followers?" asked the Magistrate, "And you didn't contact the authorities immediately and have them arrested?"

"No."

"Why?" continued the Magistrate, "Were they holding you hostage? Were you afraid for your life? I will assign extra security for you," she declared.

Calina leaned back in her chair "No. We talked over a glass of water."

The Magistrate looked shocked."And what did they tell you as you were cavorting with these beasts?"

This drew smiles from Lily and the Myrmidon representative.

"They are of no threat to me," added Calina, "I cannot say the same for anyone else. However, I believe I was able to stay any violence by the Revolution ...for the time being at least."

Lady Rashad chuckled, "How rapidly the message becomes twisted."

Lily began chattering in the desert tongue to someone near her in the gallery, "I niishin qwit ghaqis arzi qabi. ghi tiiqn ar saah qsann qwi nqsiiq. taraki ishir qwisi ragh, ghaqqwirni."

The woman replied,"Ghi ghar'q qiyy qwit, Lily."

Calina pressed on, "The Adherent believes that Jade speaks to her.. giving her special counsel and wisdom. She also firmly believes in the work that Jade began to save the people... to protect them."

"Protect them?" cried the Magistrate, "That is what we are here for?"

Lady Rashad commented on the letter, expanding on her earlier comment, "Yes, I see that where Jade would spill neither water nor blood, this writer threatens to spill both."

"Yes," agreed the Magistrate, "Deluded as are most terrorists."

Calina had more to add, "Clearly Jade did not think we protected them or she would not have had us arrested. They also believe that both the Laandsrat and Dawla failed Jade - that they did not protect her, violating their oath to do so. That the investigation into her death has been swept under the rug and deliberately ignored. That even the UAP would have a hand in such a cover-up." She glanced at the representative of House Zenobia.

Khan Jubilynn Lane of House Hengeyokai spoke, "Since when is the implication that blood will be spilled an affront to this council?"

Lady Rashad grinned, "We are not affronted. We are amused."

Calina addressed the woman from Botany Bay, "Khan, Jade's campaign slogan was that she would not spill water and she would not spill blood. It garnered her much support among the common folk."

"Please excuse me for not acting on her death," said the Magistrate, "I was confined at the time and was unable to do much. Too bad. After an investigation, her death was declared an accident."

"Magistrate," corrected Calina, "we were released at the time of her death. You were locked up by choice in a spa."

"Oh yes," recalled the Magistrate, "My confinement took a heavy toll on me. It took me weeks of massage therapy to recover."

Lady Rashad smiled.

"Given the fact that she was a high profile member of this government," said Calina, "and that the present administration has released no statements, no investigative reports, held no inquests or hearings, it gives the appearance of a cover-up."

Suddenly, from the back of the hall, a solitary voice cried out, "Jade died for our sins!" The figure, dressed in tan coloured robes then fled the chamber. Only Lily and the Zenobian representative seemed to have heard. Only they reacted. Lily with a blink and the Zenobian by reaching instinctively for a missing sidearm.

Calina must not have heard, for she continued talking, "What I was not able to tease out of the follower was what exactly they believe our... well ... your... sins to be."



"Yes," remarked the Magistrate, "That is why I find these claims that the spice miners are working to capacity so ridiculous. If they have time to weave conspiracy theories they have time to mine more spice. And this threatening letter is proof of that," she exclaimed.

"Or time to slip poison into your lunch," the Khan mused aloud.

"Poison is a fact of life in the Concordat," said Lady Rashad.

"They obviously do not know," said Calina, "of your layers of poison sniffers after that most... tragic... incident with Lord Faith."

Lady Rashad smiled, "That was an amusing incident. Few here remember it. A family squabble, I believe."

The Khan of House Hengeyokai continued, "My point, Magistrate, is with the recent measure passed in this very house, would handicap any ... heavy handed measures you may wish to pass."

The Magistrate addressed the chamber, "Back to my original query. None of you received a threatening letter?"

"No, Magistrate," said Lady Rashad.

"No, Magistrate," said Lady Baxton of House Zenobia

"Apparently just you, Magistrate," remarked the Khan.

"I believe the Beit Dawla asked for the honor of investigating the death," added Lady Rashad, "and the honor was granted."

From the gallery, Lily chattered away, "Khaf ukhar raau Taniinqsaqi in qwit naizi. I nii qwit ir qwi nqsiiq."

"I received a letter with this..." Calina set a jade rabbit on the desk in front of her. "That is how I communicated with them. They attempted to threaten me," she added, "I told them they knew where to find me, if they wanted to kill me but it was against Jade's beliefs. After that, one of the followers came to visit and was in awe."

"Lady Calina," the Magistrate said, "I am assuming your visitor was male then. I would think you would know the difference between awe and lust?"

The Khan of House Hengeyokia addressed the Magistrate, "You have the opportunity to parley with your foe, though Lady Tereschchenko and her companion house.... One would be remiss to not use that opportunity to mitigate this issue with out further waste of resources by either side."

"Mitigate? How so?" asked the Magistrate absently.

The Chair recognizes the delegate from House Myrimidon, whispered the system.

Calina leaned over to the Magistrate and smiled, "It was a female. Yes, I do know the difference."

Chuckles erupted from the gallery.

"The delegate from the Myrimidons has the floor," declared the Magistrate.

Lord Taharqa Pryxis of the Myrmidon Order spoke, "I address the House Companion... My Lady, who or whom, came to your premises and made such hostile gestures?"

"Who are you addressing Lord Pryxis?" asked the Magistrate, "Me or the Lady Calina?"

"Lady Calina," replied the Myrmidon.

"She called herself Jasmine," answered Calina, "My guess that is not her given name. I also believe she had her skin treated to look more like Jade's and she wore a mask."

Lord Taharqa Pryxis tapped his data link, "Jasmine," he said.

The Magistrate again addressed the chamber, "Besides hunting these Jadists down and bringing them to justice, does anyone else have any suggestions?"

"They are focused at present on writing... scriptures," added Calina.

"Writing is fine," condescended the Magistrate, "I was quite fond of comics when I was a young girl."

"As I said Magistrate," repeated the Khan, "you have the opportunity now, to enter into discussion with them though Lady Calina."

"Yes," agreed the Magistrate, "You did suggest that. If Lady Calina is willing to deal with these terrorists, I would be happy to assist."

The Chair recognizes the delegate from House Myrimidon, whispered the system.

Lord Pryxis spoke, "Not knowing your tedious agenda.. allow me some time to convey a few communiques... that we feel will be of interest to this body..."

"Are they on the matter of the Jadists?" asked the Magistrate.

"They are not..." replied the Myrmidon, "however, I am patience. As I said, not fully aware of the agenda before me...."

"The agenda is written above my head," answered the Magistrate indicating the text projected over the head of the table.

"Ah...." replied the Myrmidon, "then I shall wait for the following." He sat back with a contented smile.

"So Lady Calina," said the Magistrate, "You will negotiate with the Jadist Terrorists on the Laandsrat's behalf. Is there anything else on this topic?"

There were no further remarks, save those of Lily chattering away in the gallery. "Nishisizi wiazi," she said ominously.

"Our next item on the agenda," said the Magistrate, "is the Ta"seti. The Dawla discussed them at length...."

At that point, Calina shrugged her shoulders, picked up the small green rabbit and put it back into her bag.

-----



Jasmine.

We now had a name.

I turned my attention to the letter the Magistrate that had placed in the documents box.

-----

To the Unholy Magistrate, who sits in her castle upon the rocks of damnation.

Do you feel safe within the walls of your keep Magistrate?
How must it feel to be surrounded by stones masoned by the peasants upon which you govern?
How much water and blood was spilt to build your castle upon the rocks of fiery damnation?
What will history say of the great Joan al Jofar? Your rise to power is important enough to be listed in the Libraries of the Concordat. Pray tell, what will they write of your downfall?

The Blood Cure was an evil abomination inspired by the sinful souls of the greedy. Was it not righteous for the prosecutors of this licentious act to be promulgated across Araxes and the known universe?! Did you silence the Messiah, Magistrate? Did you act to save yourself, your power, your position, your wealth?

Alas, it has been said that if you put away those who report accurately, you'll keep only those who know what you want to hear.

But Magistrate, supplication only goes so far...
How well do you know your own courtiers and servants?
How easy would it be for a servant girl or a member of the Imperial Guard to smuggle a hunter-killer within your bed chamber?
How easy would it be for your cook to drop poison within your food and drink?
How easy would it be for a poison dart to be administered in a crowded room, Magistrate?

You sit upon the throne of the Land of Rats and blaspheme. You call us terrorists. You try to hide your own sinful deeds behind a web of lies and treachery.

We pray to our Messiah that she will deliver us a flood of water upon this desert land that we may drown the rats.

For the sequence of events that will lead to your downfall have already been set in motion.
The Great Messiah in her eternal wisdom knew that she would be struck down by sinful belligerent forces.
She foretold this.

She died for our sins so that she could be reborn in spirit and be impervious to those that would wish her harm. She speaks to us. She guides us.

"Water is precious"
"Blood is precious"

We will spill neither unless the need is just. Do not force our hand for the blood that will be spilt will be your doing. We came in peace to seek retribution for the Messiah and in turn you belittle us and call us criminals. Do not persist in this escalation Magistrate.

Know then, Magistrate, that a great movement has begun. We are everywhere. We are in the highest chambers in the land. We are within the Great Houses. We are within the markets and on the landing pads.  We are in the peasant chambers. We are in city. We are in the desert.  We are Araxians. We are star-born.

The Land of Rats fell once. It will fall again.

Praise Jade.

---The Jade Revolution

New Lafayette

May 5

I sent Consulari Raghilda a private message:

*** Consulari. What do you know about the Jade Revolution? ***

She replied:

*** Secured Encrypted Channel ***

USD citizen and officer Ito Naminosaki witnessed a desert robed albino by the name of "Jade Died For Our Sins". Another witness spotted a more casually garbed albino named "Jade Died for Your Sins" A person wearing a bunny mask was witnessed by several people including LilyBell Snoodle.

Soon thereafter, I received a threatening note. Apparently Serendipity Undercroft and Doctor Issacs received one also.

*** End transmission ***

-----

May 9 - New Lafayette

The Consulari was kind enough to forward me the original of the letter she had received. I decided to intercept the item on my way to Araxes. One call and it was waiting for me in a sealed evidence bag at the UAP District Office on New Lafayette. 



New Lafayette was one of the three moons orbiting the planet Three Hills in the Georgia system. Of Border world moons, it was a pearl.



The architecture breathed style and wealth. Buildings boasted a blend of French and Spanish colonial styles. Flat tile roofs and stucco walls. Cast iron galleries and walled, shaded courtyards. Fashionable houses that lined narrow, flagstone streets.


 

Like its fellow moon, Conrad, New Lafayette was a favorite vacation spot for travellers from across the Verse, largely due to its pleasant climate, a wealth of lush green islands and clear waters.

 

If Ceasar and I ever get a chance for a holiday, I will suggest we spend it here on a riverboat on the Vermilion River.


-----

To the Consulari Jai Raghilda Lordhunter, nee Oyl.

There is a time for action and a time for words. You have shown aptitude for neither.
Like the Companion, Calina, you have betrayed the Albino Messiah and sit in the Government of the Unholy Sovereign, a poodle of the blasphemous Magistrate.

Do you not remember the days on Eavesdown Docks when you would collect your gowns from the dress-shop? So difficult to find your size. Calina and Sweet Jade would work for hours to tailor for you.
Always red for the Consulari. Was there any other colour? No greens or blues or yellows for the Consulari.

Only red.
The colour of blood.
A colour so befitting of you.

Do you rest easily Consulari knowing you let the investigation into your friend evaporate into the moist desert air?

You have the opportunity of salvation. We offer it to you now.

Know then, that choosing to go against us will lead to question the value of your life. We, the Jade Revolution, will not rest until the Messiah is avenged. She would not spill water so she would not spill blood.

We are not so forgiving.

We will be in touch.

----The Jade Revolution

The Second Letter

May 4



It was more of a private club than a public gathering place.

A heavy wooden bar to one side as you walked in. Well-stocked with expensive spirits and brandies. Decorated with marzipan and delicate pastries. A dining area and cuisine to satiate the appetites of the most jaded epicurean.

To the immediate right, a small comfortable lounge was situated. It was here I came to meet the Companion, Calina Tereshchenko.



"Ms. Tereshchenko," I greeted her with a smile.

Calina twisted around, "Major! A pleasure to see you again. How are you?"

"I am well thank you."

"Please join me," she invited, "Would you like a drink?"

"Yes please," I said as I settled into the chair across from her, "a coffee would be fine."

From where I sat, I had a good view of the door and a commanding view of the room itself. The window was wide and I could see the approach from the street. In the event of emergency, the room at the back of the establishment was lit only with candles. The darkness and shadow would provide temporary cover.

"A delightful place this," I remarked.



The Companion leaned over the arm of the chair and called out an order for a coffee and another glass of wine in a mix of Chinese and Russian. "Yes, it is," she replied as she turned her attention back to our table.

"I must say I was not surprised when you contacted me..." I began and produced the communique I had received from the Jade Revolution. I reached across the table and passed it to Calina.

Our drinks arrived promptly.

Calina nodded to the barkeep as he brought a tray. "Spasiba," she said, handing him a few credits with a look letting him know that privacy is to be expected. She then skimmed the communique. "Your letter is nicer than the one I received," she remarked. "I almost threw the rabbit across the room. Not very Companion-like of me."

In turn, Calina handed me a note of her own.



----

Dearest Calina,

Do you remember the days of Eavesdown Docks? A little dress-shop, yes?
Do you remember the chickens?
The cats?
Ishkin?
Lynx?
The golden buddha?
The innocent albino girl who came to you with a note she couldn't read?
The Doctor who wanted to harvest her organs?
You took her in.
You worked together for so many happy hours, you and that young albino woman.
You were like sisters.
How you must have grieved when she left that on that fateful day.
   
Tell me, dearest Calina, how do you sleep at night?

The Laandsrat is tainted by evil. Sweet Jade knew this to be true.
The Blood Cure was evil. Sweet Jade knew this to be true.
Her death would be to their advantage. Sweet Jade knew this to be true.

Tell me, dearest Calina, how does your conscience feel sitting alongside those people?

The time has come for your salvation, dearest Calina. I know the guilt must sit heavily upon your heart. You have the chance to put right your sins and be a beacon of the new dawn. I believe you will help us.  To believe you would betray the memory of your dearest friend - I can not think it of you.

I have left a small token. [a small jade rabbit]

The choice rests in your hands, dearest Calina.
To contact us : leave a message in the Rabbit and place it in the alcove to the right of the bridge facing entrance.

----The Jade Revolution

-----



I centered on one fact. "You have a way to contact these people...."

"Yes," replied Calina, "it would seem that I do. I have not contacted them yet because every time I start to write, only anger and hurt spills onto the page."

I nodded slowly.

The Companion picked up her wine glass, "Jade's gangster handler visited me the week before she was killed."

"Do you think there is a connection?" I asked.

"He was sitting in the tea room like he owned it," she said, "That... hwun dan. Somehow, yes. But, I don't think he killed her. He seemed to genuinely care for her. Not just seeing her as an organ incubator."

I looked at Calina's note again. The wheels began to turn...

She continued speaking, "It's been so long, I don't remember the whole conversation I had with him. He spoke of making sure she was safe. But, then again, she being the stubborn good-hearted girl she was, he could have killed or had someone else do it because she would have been bad for his illegal activities. But to the Jadists, I don't know what they are planning. For the Magistrate to call them terrorists is antithetical to everything Jade believed in. That girl wouldn't have hurt a fly."

"The writer of this note," I observed, "despite signing it 'The Jade Revolution'... writes in first person."



"A movement of one," remarked the Companion.

"Or the leader of a movement," I suggested. "Whoever he or she is... the writer knows details."

Calina nodded. "It would have to be someone Jade confided in." She chuckled, "Which would have been nearly everyone she met."

I inclined my head acknowledging the point, then frowned. "Leave a message in the Rabbit and place it in the alcove to the right of the bridge facing entrance.... which bridge?"

"I believe they are referring to an alcove," she replied, "near the Shanjian Manor."

"On Araxes."

Calina continued, "It is the last house before the bridge to the Magistrate's Keep. Yes, on Araxes."

I nodded, "Do you intend to contact this person?"



"When I can write without wanting to shatter things, yes," she replied.

I turned my attention to the note I had received. Written using the plural, except for one instance:

Tell me Ms. Major: who looks after the little chicks now?

A rhetorical question perhaps, but I had to ask. "What did happen to Jade's chickens?"

"She sold them all. Used the credits to buy a kitten once she got on Araxes. I think she missed the chickens, though." Calina leaned back "I'm not entirely sure what to draw out of the Jade Revolution."

"Perhaps they intend to continue her work," I offered, "Perhaps it is something more. Both our letter speak of us finding salvation. Mine goes further... identifying the Consulari as The Betrayer."

A religious reference?

Calina raised an eyebrow and then grinned, "She did put you in red."

I smiled, "Yes, I remember it well"

She continued, "And given the Consulari's recent behavior with the Dawla and Laandsrat, I am not certain that statement is far from truth. I wouldn't necessarily call it treason but it was certainly a disrespect to the Laandstrat for her to do and end run around and get votes for that legislation in secret."

"Could this comment be a reference to that incident?" I asked.

The Companion replied, "Perhaps the writer knows something we do not. These letters were delivered well before that vote as far as I know. Perhaps the Consulari has other... dealings."

It was possible, of course.



"Or perhaps they are referring to the pledge to protect Jade. In that sense," she added, "all of us betrayed her." Calina continued, "That person has no idea how I grieved... that is what makes me angry."

I turned my attention back to Calina's letter and read, "'You have the chance to put right your sins and be a beacon of the new dawn.'... It sounds like they have plans," I remarked.

She met my gaze and in a moment of uncharacteristic emotion declared, "Part of me died with her. That despite the charges and being arrested, she was like a mei mei to me. This beautiful, sweet girl who saw the good in everything and everyone... who could draw smiley faces on the armor of a soldier and they just stand there. Who was entirely unafraid of the consequences of her actions because - at her core - she still believed her life had no value and was thus free to give. I hate Araxes. I hate being there. Everything there reminds me of her."

I nodded.

Calina continued, "If the 'forms didn't need to be followed' as a condition of my release... that I have to stay on with the Laandstrat, I would leave. Then the Magistrate would probably hunt me down because someone in the 'Verse must know how to get the silverware set up for a banquet."

I smiled.

The Companion sighed, "I apologize, Major. There is just ... really no one else to share this with."

I made a decision. A proto-messianic movement threatening Alliance citizens and promising a glorious future. It was worth a deeper look. Glory never comes without blood.

"If you choose to contact these people, I will offer what assistance I can ...which is considerable. In the meantime, I will contact 'the Betrayer' and see if she knows anything."



Calina chuckled, "Tell her if she doesn't talk, I am going to make her wear yellow."

I grinned. "Why Ms. Tereshchenko... I never realized you had such a mean streak!"

She laughed.

We both stood.



"Be well, Ms. Tereshchenko," I said, "we will see who dares to cast a shadow upon Jade's name."

"Safe travels, Major."