The Mandala Maneuver (25 page)

“If I’d known you were calling down for some clothes, I would have put in an order for some mascara and lipstick while you were at it,” she said with a smile. “But in the meantime I stole some of the lip balm you had in your cupboard.”

“What is mine is yours,” he said formally.

She paused then and gazed up at him, as if understanding that the words were not merely a casual comment. Finally, “You mean that? I’m afraid it’s not a very equitable arrangement, considering I’ve been cast out with nothing.”

“Oh, yes, I mean it.” He went to her and kissed her on the cheek, willing her to understand. “The greatest gift you can give me is yourself. I don’t care that you have come to me now with only the clothes on your back.”

“Not even that, really,” she said with a small laugh as she glanced down at the wadded fabric of her suit, shoved into a trash bin that was far too small for it. “Sorry about that. It was rather a childish gesture, I suppose.”

“No, it wasn’t. You wanted to free yourself. It makes perfect sense to me.”

Her smile faded. “Thank you, Lirzhan.”

“For what?”

“For…you. For being you.” She pulled in a breath and seemed to steel herself. “Let’s get this over with.”

He was only too glad to comply. For once they had cleared this last hurdle, there would be nothing else standing in their way.

T
he Zhoraani
consular bureau was set up in much the same way as the Consortium’s suite, with a large conference room located past the individual ambassadors’ offices. Alexa followed Lirzhan into the chamber, past the hooded Zhore who sat in the reception area, and past the open doors of rooms that were usually occupied by Lirzhan and the senior ambassador. This conference room, however, was not sterile and cold, the way the Consortium’s chamber was, and instead was faced with polished stone, with plants everywhere and another of the ubiquitous water features sending cascading water down the far wall of the space.

Ambassador Trazhar was already there, as were Councilor Stolz and Ambassador Castillo. Alexa could not see Trazhar’s face, of course, and she found herself wishing Stolz’s and Castillo’s expressions were equally hidden. At the moment the two of them were staring at her with a mixture of outrage and disgust.

As soon as she and Lirzhan entered, Castillo took a step forward. Ambassador Trazhar’s calm voice halted him immediately. “Ambassador, please keep in mind that Ms. Craig has asked for diplomatic immunity and that it has been granted to her. She is now under the protection of the Zhoraani Assembly.”

“Hiding behind your robes, is that it? Ms. Craig — ”

At this Gerhard Stolz laid a hand on Castillo’s arm, and the ambassador subsided. Stolz paused for a second or two, staring at Alexa in rather the same way she thought he might stare at a cockroach that had hitched a ride on his pant leg. Then he said, “Ms. Craig, you are aware that your actions have put you in direct violation of Consortium codes of conduct, are you not?”

“I am,” she said, her tone clear and firm. “That is, I decided that I would not lie for you — or rather, the corporate operative who’s pulling your strings. If telling the truth is against the Consortium’s code of conduct, then I’m afraid I want nothing to do with the Consortium.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Ms. Craig, are you sure you know what you are saying? I might venture to say that your emotions are clouding your judgment.”

Lirzhan shifted beside her, as if forcing himself to remain silent. She wanted to reach out and lay a reassuring hand on his arm, but something told her that to do so would only provoke Councilor Stolz even further. Instead she stood quite still and met Stolz’s angry blue gaze. “No, Councilor, I’d venture to say that my emotions have clarified my judgment. I’m seeing for the first time so many things I should have noticed years ago. Or maybe I did notice them, but I pushed that awareness aside, made myself ignore everything that was wrong with my government, with the way it operated. I love Gaia, sir, but it hurts to think of what it could be and isn’t, simply because somewhere along the line the people running things forgot that they were supposed to serve their people, instead of having their people serve them.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about — ”

“Oh, I think I do. I almost wish I didn’t. Sometimes it’s easier to go through life with blinders on.” She looked past him to Ambassador Castillo, who was frowning at her as if he’d never seen her before. “If I hadn’t crashed on Mandala, maybe I would have gone along being the unquestioning drone you wanted me to be. If I hadn’t seen with my own eyes what the Consortium is willing to do to gain an advantage, then maybe I would have believed all the propaganda about Gaian superiority. But I did go there, and I have seen all that. I can’t unsee it. I can’t turn who I am now into who I was then. I don’t think I’d even recognize her anymore.”

Stolz made an impatient gesture with one hand, as if trying to wave away everything she had just said. “That sounds very noble, Ms. Craig. So you’re willing to go into permanent exile just because you’ve had your idealistic little bubble burst?”

“Is it exile if you want to go?” At last she did move closer to Lirzhan, and took his gloved hand in hers. “Because I want this, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. I don’t expect you to understand. I certainly don’t
need
you to understand.” Lirzhan’s fingers tightened around her hand, and she smiled then as she shifted her gaze toward Ambassador Trazhar’s robed form. “Ambassador, I don’t think I need to say anything else. I’ll sign whatever paperwork is required to formally resign my commission and my citizenship — ”

“Resign!” Ambassador Castillo thundered. “You are dismissed, summarily and with no further discussion! You will be publicly branded a traitor, and your friends and family will have nothing further to do with you!”

“I have no friends,” she said clearly, head held high. “And, thanks to the Consortium’s policies, I have no family, either. So believe me when I tell you that I care very little for your threats.” A deep breath, and she looked up at Lirzhan, thought she saw the glint of his green eyes in the depths of the hood. “I think we’re done here, Lirzhan. Shall we go?”

“Of course,” he replied. A brief nod in Ambassador Trazhar’s direction, and he and Alexa exited the room, hands still grasping one another’s.

Alexa did not envy the ambassador the mess they had left behind. But then she felt the warmth of Lirzhan’s fingers against hers, felt the comforting strength of him, and realized now, for the first time in her life, she was truly free.

I
t had rained earlier
, but now the skies were a serene blue-green once again, the pale white edges of trailing clouds painting the horizon beyond the dark trees that bordered their property. A few meters away a stream burbled, full again after the afternoon’s downpour.

Lirzhan came out onto the patio of paved pale gray stone holding two glasses of
zhir
, a mildly alcoholic drink similar to a very light white wine. Since it was only the two of them here, he wore just the usual tunic and pants, his hooded robes hanging in the closet against the time when he might have to leave their quiet little corner of Zhoraan for the greater world.

“Thank you,” she said as he handed her the drink before sitting down next to her on the padded bench.

He smiled and leaned over to kiss her gently on the cheek. “What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” she replied. “And believe me, that is a welcome relief.” A relief, indeed, after the years of studying and planning and scraping by, followed by more years of always looking ahead and looking behind, pondering her next step up the ladder while simultaneously looking over her shoulder to see who might be trying to tip her off that precarious rung. Here on Zhoraan, Lirzhan was slowly teaching her how to be, how to breathe in and accept the beauties of the universe for the gift they truly were.

A laugh and a shake of his head. He raised his glass to her, then took a sip. “And perhaps that is the beginning of wisdom.”

She regarded his clean profile for a few seconds before turning to look out over the green vista before her once again. The property was large, as were all Zhore homesteads. They needed their buffers of fields and streams and tall, wide-branched trees.

“When I see how beautiful Zhoraan is, I wonder how any of you could ever leave it to go into the diplomatic service. If Gaia were like this, I would never have left.”

“I will admit that there are not so many of us who choose to go. I was considered something of an oddity for wanting to go into space, to see other worlds and meet those of other races.” He fell silent, gaze fixed on a vista only a slightly darker green than his eyes. “And I am very glad of it, for if I had not wanted to leave Zhoraan, I would never have met you.”

Her hand touched his, and a quiet thrill went through her at the feel of those delicate scales against her skin. No need of gloves here, of course, or any other concealment. Although it had rained, the day was mild, and his tunic was open at the throat, showing the strong lines of his neck. A soft, fragrant breeze touched the long strands of his loose black hair.

“I’m glad, too.” If someone had told her that she would be happy on an alien world, living a life of quiet retirement, she would have laughed. And yet once she was here, she’d fallen in love with Zhoraan much as she’d fallen in love with Lirzhan, almost without understanding how it had happened. “So what’s happening out there? I saw that you had a communiqué from Councilor Nelazhar.”

“She sends her best wishes, and hopes that you are settling in well here. As for the rest….” He lifted his shoulders, and a few strands of gleaming blue-black hair slipped forward over the smooth fabric of his tunic. “Councilor sen Barthran has had his way, and the Council is opening a full investigation into the facility on Mandala. Not that they are going to find much, apparently, as it seems your Melinda Ono had the place dismantled as soon as she saw which way the wind was blowing.”

“I’m not surprised,” Alexa replied, not bothering to keep the rueful annoyance out of her voice. So typical; when things went south, it was standard procedure to remove as much of the evidence as possible, and then lie and obfuscate to cover up the rest. “So they’re getting away with it.”

“Not precisely, for at least the other governments are now aware of what the Consortium was plotting, and are watching their movements even more closely than before. And as no one wants a war, I believe your government — ”

“Former government,” she corrected him, and he smiled.

“Yes, I believe your former government will be on its best behavior, if perhaps only for a while. Still, it gives everyone else some breathing space.”

Breathing space. That sounded like an excellent idea. She knew that here on Zhoraan, she’d finally found a way to breathe…and so much more. It was time to leave Gaia behind, and make this place truly her home, now and forever.

“And are you still thinking of nothing?” Lirzhan asked softly. “For your eyes have taken on a rather wicked sparkle.”

“Have they?” she replied, and helped herself to a largish swallow of
zhir
. “I suppose it’s because I was thinking it’s been three months, so the last of my contraceptive shots has worn off. And I was thinking of finishing this drink…and going back into the house…and seeing if we can do something about Zhoraan’s population problem.”

It was hard to say who finished their drink more quickly. Laughing, they ran through the house, hurrying to the bedroom and falling into each other, with no thought of Gaian and Zhore, no thought of anything but one another, and the future they would make together.

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A
series set
in the far future, where Gaia (Earth) has aggressively colonized a significant section of the galaxy. The Gaians are not the only humanoid race in the galaxy, however, and humanity's interactions with the other races range from peaceful to openly hostile. The Gaian Consortium seeks to continue its outward expansion...sometimes with less than positive results. These books are connected by setting rather than by characters (though characters from some books may make cameos in later novels).

Although these books are written as standalone titles and are listed in order of publication, here is a chronological listing as well:

B
LOOD WILL TELL

BREATH OF LIFE

THE GAIA GAMBIT

THE MANDALA MANEUVER

THE TITAN TRAP (est. publication date 10/2014)

If you'd like to learn more about the history of the Consortium and its worlds and tech, visit
the Gaian Consortium website
!

B
REATH OF LIFE

Anika Jespers, a homesteader’s daughter on a Gaian colony, thinks she’s destined for a dull existence on her family’s farm. But when her father makes an impossible bargain with their neighbor, one of the alien Zhore, she faces a future different from anything she could have possibly imagined. The familiar story of Beauty and the Beast takes on new life in this inventive SF romance novella, with the Beauty a homesteader's daughter and the Beast an alien on a faraway colony world.

B
LOOD WILL TELL

Welcome to Iradia, where the Gaian Consortium looks the other way if enough money changes hands, and the best way to ensure a long life is to secure passage off-world…

When Miala Fels’ father is murdered by a vicious crime lord, she decides the best way to get her revenge is to hack the accounts of the man responsible and bleed his hoard of ill-gotten loot dry. Her plans go awry when Mast is killed by a rival, and she ends up nursing one of his men, the notorious mercenary Eryk Thorn, back to health. Her only thought is to have Thorn help her get off-world in exchange for half of Mast’s treasure. The last thing she expects is to lose her heart to him…or to have the consequences of that love change her life forever.

T
HE GAIA GAMBIT

Humans and Stacians have been sworn enemies for centuries, so Gaian Captain Lira Jannholm has no reason to trust Stacian starship commander Rast sen Drenthan when he proposes a bargain that will end a dangerous confrontation over a resource-rich planet. When Lira finds herself disgraced and discharged from duty through no fault of her own, she joins forces with Rast to discover the truth behind her reversal of fortune.

Running from rapidly multiplying enemies in a ship stolen from one of the most powerful criminals in the sector, Rast and Lira discover they are pawns in a conspiracy that reaches into the highest levels of government and has put them in mortal danger. The secret they uncover could change the balance of power in the galaxy forever…not to mention destroy their own future together.

This book contains sensual scenes intended for adult readers.

T
HE MANDALA MANEUVER

Alexa Craig is well aware she’s known as “The Ice Queen”—and not out of admiration—but her reputation has served her well in her diplomatic career. Alien ambassador Lirzhan understands his people are viewed with suspicion and curiosity by the members of the Gaian Consortium, but the Zhore do not casually reveal themselves to outsiders—not even to someone as intriguing as Alexa Craig.

But after their ship is attacked during a routine flight, the two strangers must rely on each other to survive on the supposedly uninhabited world where their escape pod has crashed. When Alexa and Lirzhan discover the secret hidden behind Mandala’s wild beauty, they must put duty before desire and risk everything to warn the Galactic Council of a conspiracy that could endanger their lives, their worlds, and the future they have begun to imagine together.

T
HE TITAN TRAP

Cassidy Evans is less than thrilled to inherit her father's outdated cargo transport, especially since his regular route involves hauling supplies to the maximum security prison on Titan. But things go from bad to worse when a prisoner escapes and hijacks her ship — and has the gall to ask her assistance in clearing his name!

Running from the authorities, they head to the heart of Gaia to unearth a conspiracy so far-reaching that exposing it could rock the Consortium to its very foundation.

Coming in October 2014!

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of new releases by Christine Pope, including future titles in the Gaian Consortium series, please sign up
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