Araminta grinned. 'I missed you.
'Sure you did. Out there enjoying yourself every night, I bet you thought of me the whole time. She gave the twins a critical look. 'I swore I'd never have any kids again this life around, this one would be for me, but what the hell… A girl doesn't stand a chance with a Love God like Marty.
Araminta started laughing. Then stopped, casting a guilty look at the kitchen archway.
'That's better, Tandra said. 'You have the world's greatest smile, honey, that's why the rest of us always insisted on pooling the tips on your shifts. She ruffled both of the children as she went past. They gave her an adoring look. 'I just love the sleepless nights, the worry, losing my figure, no money, and lack of sex. It's character building.
'I'm going to find out myself one day.
'Sure you will. And your introduction starts today. Her voice rose a couple of levels. 'Guess what, Aunty Araminta is on dinner duty tonight. Then she's going to give you both a bath and wash your hair.
'Yes! the twins yelled jubilantly.
'Still want to stay?
'Oh yes, Araminta said. This house, Tandra, the twins: it felt like an oasis of decency amid the madness raging outside. After the last two days, she badly needed to remind herself what normal was. Then I might be able to work out how to get back there myself.
Seven hundred years ago, Wilson Kime had officially handed over control of the Commonwealth Navy to Kazimir. It was the fifth time Wilson had held the role of Supreme Commander, on that occasion it was essentially a ceremonial appointment, lasting a single year before he downloaded into ANA. His final farewell to the physical.
After the formal hand over for the benefit of the President, senior Senators, and Unisphere reporters, the two of them had gone up to the Admiral's office on the top floor of the thirty-storey Pentagon II tower. Wilson had given Kazimir two pieces of advice as they stood looking across the agreeable parkland of the Babuyan Atoll dome.
'Don't ever give in to political pressure, Wilson had said. 'I've been President myself, so I know the convenience of a military who'll snap to and say yes to every dark instruction you issue. Resist them. Stick to the fundamentals. We have two roles as ordained by the Senate in more honourable times: protecting the human race in all its forms against alien aggressors, and peaceful scientific exploration of the galaxy. That's all. Don't let the Executive wear that down. The general population must have faith in us.
'I can hold the line, Kazimir assured him.
'And second, feel free to change this goddamn office. I always hated it; never got round to redecorating, so now every crappy white molecule qualifies as tradition because this is the way it was when we gained our victory over MorningLightMountain. Every other admiral from Rafael onwards just rolled over and accepted that. I want you to give the conservation fascists a good kicking and bring in your own furniture.
Kazimir smiled at the man's strange passion. They shook hands. 'I will, he promised.
To date, he'd proudly held that line through some extraordinary difficult political events. The second promise hadn't been broken, exactly. Like Wilson, he just hadn't got round to changing things yet.
Today he looked out of the office to see a circular habitat that also hadn't changed that much in the last seven centuries. Pentagon II was still the same (which was more than could be said of the original back on Earth that ANA had decided wasn't significant enough to maintain); several buildings had been reshaped, High Angel adapting their growing-stone material in accordance to each new set of human requirements. It was the living parkland itself which had seen the most alteration, the average level of the tree canopy had risen by over fifty metres since the day Kazimir had assumed command. Under the protective dome of the Raiel arkship, the organic environment was perfect. Every species of tree prospered in a way they could never do on a planet with variable seasons and winds and fires and earthquakes and diseases and parasites and bark-eating creatures. Here there was no real reason for them to die, so they just kept on growing, nurtured by their flawless climate. There were some monster arboreals out there, twenty or so had even reached the same height as Pentagon II, their osmosis now assisted by High Angel which had reduced the gravity field around them, allowing nutrients to flow unhindered all the way to the topmost branches. It was a forest which could never exist on a planet, and all the more alluring because of it.
When he glanced up, Kazimir saw Icalanise was a slim tawny crescent overhead. The New Storm seemed to bulge out of the Great Northern cloudband. He'd been watching the moon-sized storm growing for two centuries now, absorbing all the smaller storms it clashed with to become the largest of all the gas-giant's cyclonic swirls. Human starships flittered around the orbital cluster of stations and micro-gee factories like a metallic shoal, mostly Navy craft, with a few commercial freighters and passenger ships. High Angel was still the largest navy port in the Greater Commonwealth. Its residents took a lot of pride in that, supplying a disproportionate amount of officers.
Kazimir gathered his thoughts and returned to his big white desk. The office's ancient tragwood furniture really was aesthetically awful, made worse by the clinical glowing walls and ceiling. But he did concede it was comfortable as he sank back into the cushioning.
'Convene the ExoProtectorate Council, he told his u-shadow. The office dissolved from his natural vision, leaving him in the perceptual conference room with its white and orange furniture (not much of an improvement on his own, he reflected sadly) looking out over the tempestuous furore of the Millavian plains.
Gore and Ilanthe appeared first, sitting next to each other. The Accelerator faction representative had changed her appearance since the last meeting, allowing her dark hair to hang down to her waist in a single tail wrapped with red leather bands; she wore a stylish black dress of horizontal pleats. She nodded politely to Gore, who was in his golden incarnation, dressed in a perfectly tailored tuxedo.
'Any news of Justine? Ilanthe asked.
Gore's gaze flicked to the chair Justine had occupied last time the Council convened. 'Nothing. I guess we'll have to wait to see if the Second Dreamer deigns to reveal anything to us.
Crispin Goldreich arrived. The ancient Senator gave Justine's chair a look. 'Gore. Kazimir, he said formally. 'My sympathies to both of you.
'Yeah, thanks, Gore said.
'I prefer to consider her successfully positioned to assist us further, Kazimir said. 'She has achieved something remarkable, after all.
'Yes, Crispin said sheepishly.
Creewan materialised in his chair, to the left of Kazimir. The Custodian faction member gave the Admiral a formal bow. He hadn't completed the motion when the Darwinist faction representative, John Thelwell, arrived in a seat on the opposite side of the table. The two of them always seemed to appear at the same time. Kazimir wondered idly if there was some kind of alliance involved, though how such diverse factions could find any common ground was a mystery.
'Aren't you going to activate Justine's ANA personality? John Thelwell asked in some surprise.
'Why? Gore asked. 'Her actual is still alive. Duplication is still our biggest anathema, isn't it? Or have you converted to that pervert multiple philosophy.
Thelwell threw up his hands. 'Fine. If that's how you want to play it.
'If you're ready, Kazimir said. 'I have the secure link to the Yenisey available.
'All right, Gore said. 'Let's take a look and see what the Ocisens have come up with.
Captain Lucian was proud of his small crew. For nine days the Yenisey had flown in pursuit of the greatest fleet of warships the Ocisens had ever assembled. If intelligence summaries about the Starslayer class ships was correct, then not even MorningLightMountain had enjoyed this level of firepower to deploy against the Commonwealth. Unsurprisingly, then, tension on board had been building as they closed on the fleet. Yet he considered they'd coped remarkably well. This mission wasn't anything they'd expected or trained for, however as one they had risen to the challenge. Toi, the systems officer, actually relished the chance to confront the Ocisens.