• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

"And which people might yours be?" replied the Praetor. His voice was high and slightly whiny, unfortunate for a man who spent so much time in public, but his people knew and respected what he did. "Your race is unknown to us. I can only surmise," he said, with a sidelong glance at Jekri, "that our Tal Shiar has learned something remarkable about you. At first meeting, I fear that I can see nothing remarkable."

Lhiau's smile remained, but his eyes went cold as chips of ice. "Perhaps when I am finished, you will think better of your Tal Shiar-and of me."

"Perhaps," said the Praetor. "But you had best continue, Ambassador, and not waste the time of the Senate or the Empress-or myself."

Now the smirk did fade, and Jekri thought curses. She hoped that Lhiau would not rise to the bait and would instead plainly state what he had come here to discuss. If this conversation degenerated into an exchange of insults, nothing Jekri said would convince the Empress to hold a second audience with him. The ruler of the Empire was a proud young woman, almost haughty, and during her reign it had become

obvious even to the most obtuse senator that she would brook no discourtesy to her royal personage.

"My people, as the estimable Jekri Kaleh has said, come from a faraway place. Very, very faraway. We call ourselves the Shepherds, and you may also use the term, if you like."

"How gracious," purred the Empress. The sarcasm in her voice was palpable. "A faraway place, beings who call themselves Shepherds. You did hot tell us that your friend was a spinner of tales, Little Dagger. We would have brought children."

Instead of the outburst of rage Jekri expected, Lhiau merely smiled. "Yes, a tale then, if you like. It's fantastical enough, as I'm sure you'll agree. What would you say, Excellency, Praetor, Proconsul, if you could make a wish and suddenly have a flawless cloaking device?"

That got their attention. The tightness in Jekri's abdomen eased a little as she saw the hungry interest spark to life on the faces of the Empress and the Praetor. Even the Proconsul and the senators leaned forward eagerly, probably unaware that they did so. Jekri sniffed. She had better control.

"A very special, very magical cloaking device," Lhiau continued, playing out the joke of a story being told. Jekri saw that the assembled senators were insulted at the condescension, but were too interested now to indulge their righteous indignation. As she had been....

"A cloak that placed no drain on the ship's energy sources. A cloak that never, ever needed to be re-

plenished. A cloak," Lhiau said, emphasizing this final point, "that did not require deactivation in order to attack?"

"Why, you are truly a teller of tales, Ambassador," said the Empress. "A good storyteller knows his audience-and you clearly know a great deal about our cloaking device. How came you by this knowledge?"

Lhiau wagged a finger at her. "Ah, ah, a good storyteller doesn't tell all his tales at one sitting. I see you remain unconvinced. Perhaps a demonstration?"

He turned to Jekri and nodded. She tapped the communication device on her wrist.

"Kaleh to the Tektral."

"This is the Tektral." It was Jekri's second-in-command, Subcommander Verrak, who answered. For the purposes of the demonstration, Jekri was willing to utilize her personal vessel.

"Prepare to engage the Shepherd's cloaking apparatus on my command." She turned to face the Triumvirate. "With your permission, I would like to activate the viewscreen."

Skeptical, the three most powerful individuals in the Empire exchanged glances.

"You may, Little Dagger," said the Empress.

Jekri bowed, then turned to face the screen that occupied a full wall of the council chamber. The image of the Tektral, small, green, and graceful, appeared against a backdrop of white stars and black space.

"The Tektral has been fitted with an apparatus given to us by the Shepherds." Jekri gestured, and