Deception by Glynn Stewart

Author:Glynn Stewart [Stewart, Glynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Faolan's Pen Publishing
Published: 2020-07-20T16:00:00+00:00

They mostly followed the Queen’s instructions through dinner, helped by the fact that the food was incredible. The one thing that was missing, and it wasn’t really a surprise to Kira, was alcohol. A new drink came out with each of the four courses, but all of the drinks were either fruit juice mixes or delicately flavored iced teas.

As the last plates were cleared, the waiters delivered coffees. Leaving a carafe by each of the guests’ left hands, they then withdrew as silently as they’d worked all along.

“My compliments to your chef and your staff,” Kira said before taking a sip of the coffee. She looked down at the cup after tasting the drink and blinked. She’d thought the Astonishing Orange coffee she’d made sure was stocked on Conviction was good.

Sonia’s grin suggested she’d been expecting the reaction.

“The coffee is the Redward Royal Reserve,” she told them. “Grown on South Tangerine on very carefully positioned farms for the exclusive use of the royal family. It’s…” The Queen chuckled. “The Redward Royal Family actually has very few privileges that wealth alone couldn’t purchase. Military-grade security…and our own coffee varietal.”

Kira wasn’t entirely clear on where the Redward Royal Family’s money came from, but her impression was that even their security was only partly funded by tax kroners. There’d probably been government influence used to build Solitary Lodge in the middle of a park, but it would have been paid for from the Stewarts’ private money.

“I will pass your compliments on to the Lodge’s staff, Kira,” Sonia assured her. “This room is now locked down; even the staff won’t be entering for the next bit. Your headware couldn’t reach the main network from here anyway, but a Faraday field is being activated.”

Kira felt the field wrap around them. As Sonia had said, they’d lost a lot of the usual back-and-forth with the main planetary network just from how far out the Lodge was, but Kira had been relaying anything she needed up to Conviction via the shuttle. Now she was truly cut off.

Which was normal for high-security meetings, she supposed.

“You are all here because I value your diverse points of view. Dr. Talos and Colonel Temitope have been subjected to my soirees before and are very much part of the network of competent women I have stretched across the surface of this planet.

“The rest of our conversation tonight, however, will be classified Top Secret Scarlet Topaz,” the Queen told them, her voice suddenly noticeably more formal. “You are all aware of the criteria in your contracts and commissions around the violation of top-secret classifications, so I won’t belabor them.”

Kira leaned back in her chair with her coffee and studied the room.

“A nova ship engineer, a special forces commander, and a nova pilot,” she observed. “You’re planning something clever, Your Majesty, and you’re planning on using us all to pull it off.”

“Not bad, Kira,” Sonia told her. “You’re fundamentally correct. As I’m sure you made clear to our military when you briefed them earlier today, there is no way our conventional forces can engage K79-L in open battle.

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