“I’m in a lot of trouble, aren’t I?”
Gideon had been reading the full report on my activities since going on my “vacation”. He hadn’t said a word since I had received the official summons to Inquisition headquarters on Kamadhenu. Now, here we were, sat in his office with the door closed.
He looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Do you mean to say that you fear losing your position with the Chapterhouse?”
I squirmed a little in my seat. I had never heard him speak this way, or look at anyone like this. Gentle, yet menacing. Soft, yet you knew you were in for it.
“Something like that, I would reckon. It’s been a pretty good source of pay dirt for me.”
He smiled, in the smug way that only Gideon could. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, commander. Only inquisitors need fear losing their jobs as inquisitors.”
Ouch.
“So- is that a really slick way of saying ‘you’re fired?’”
Gideon chuckled. “Indeed it is, commander. But I still need just a moment of your time. There are some things you will be interested in hearing about.”
I was already fired, so what the hell?
“Sure. Why not?”
Gideon reached under his desk and produced two crystal glasses and a container of brandy. He poured both glasses half full and slid one over to me.
Well, at least I’m getting a drink out the deal.
“It turns out that in your reckless eagerness to play the part of the hero, you set off a chain of events that helped our lady Arissa ascend to the throne.”
Wait, what?
Gideon must have seen the confused look on my face, because he smiled before continuing.
“When you persuaded Denton’s little viceroy- Fink, if I recall correctly- to hand over the archive files concerning the Senator’s wartime enslavement practices, he naturally reported everything to the senator himself. This, of course, led Denton to believe that we really were investigating him.”
He took a drink, and continued. “We were as surprised as you might expect when Denton’s people unexpectedly contacted us with a request to neither expose him publicly nor investigate further. In return, he would release every political prisoner he had unlawfully enslaved, as well as support Arissa’a claim to the throne.”
I nodded. “He did seem to change his mind rather quickly.”
Gideon got up and walked to the window of his office, sipping his brandy. “Of course, that wasn’t the end of it. Zemina Torval caught wind of the supposed “investigations”, and quickly followed up with a similar offer: her political support in exchange for the release of questionably- acquired slaves.”
Huh. I guess my little fetch quest had some pretty crazy consequences. “Well, what about Aisling Duval? That little blue-haired girl never liked Arissa much.”
Gideon turned to face me, shaking his head. “No, and she still doesn’t. But- when you chose to contact your friend Cassius, he in turn involved Aisling’s Angels. We at the Chapterhouse were only too happy to allow full media credit to the Angels for that daring little rescue. Aisling increased her standing in the senate and the people, and Arissa secured her public endorsement.”
Jesus. No wonder he poured me a drink. He knew I’d need one.
I leaned forward. “So, if I’m reading this right, my little adventure ended up securing the throne for our patron? And you’re firing me?”
Once again, Gideon smiled. “Quite right. We can’t have inquisitors going rogue, flashing their IDs as leverage for whatever mad little quest they’ve undertaken on their own. And don’t give yourself too much credit. Your role in securing the support of these senators was minor, at best. It was one of many, many factors- senatorial politics is labyrinthine at best. But yes, you did play a role.”
He took another drink. “…which is why our lady has decided that, although you are to be stripped of the title of inquisitor, your bonuses to bounty vouchers and the like are to remain intact indefinitely. Consider it a gesture of appreciation to a reckless, but well-intentioned agent.”
Son of a b*tch. All the cash, and none of the bullsh*t. Suddenly, getting fired was a good deal.
I raised my glass. “Well, in that case, long live the Emperor!”
Gideon smiled. “I hope so. At any rate, just because you are no longer an inquisitor doesn’t mean that we shall never have any more work for you. Keep an eye on your messages.”
He checked his watch. “Now- I do believe we’ve kept that tattooed, comely friend of yours waiting for long enough. Have a pleasant day, commander, and fly safe.”
Outside the office, Kyndi sat up from a bench and walked up to me. “So? How did it go?”
I smiled and shrugged. “Got fired.”
She cocked her head to the side. “So why does your breath smell like alcohol?”
Taking her hand, I started to lead us toward the shuttle lifts. The ship bays were a long ways away, and I wanted the hell off of this planet. “It was a good kind of firing.”
Kyndi nodded slowly, not quite understanding. “So- what now?”
Still walking, I held her close and gestured out the window. “Well, there ain't no shortage of bad guys with prices on their heads.”
She laughed. “Yeah, and there’s always merchandise that needs to appear someplace it shouldn’t.”
I sighed, and tried my best to smile. “We could try to make it work, you know. It’s just a matter of whose ship to use.”
Kyndi stopped and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, you can't haul much in a Vulture.”
I smiled and shook my head. “And Cobras ain't exactly meant for reaping.”
We looked into each other’s eyes. The shuttle was approaching.
“Well, maybe when we get tired of all the bullsh*t, we’ll pool our money, buy some lux Fer-de-Lance, and finally cause trouble in style.”
Kyndi smiled. “But until then-“
I took her hands in mine. “Yeah. Until then-“
She guided our hands up to my face, and pulled me towards her for one last kiss. Then, she turned and boarded the shuttle ramp to head back to her ship. Midway up, Kyndi spun around, still smiling. “It’s a big universe, Matty. Anything can happen!”
Gideon had been reading the full report on my activities since going on my “vacation”. He hadn’t said a word since I had received the official summons to Inquisition headquarters on Kamadhenu. Now, here we were, sat in his office with the door closed.
He looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Do you mean to say that you fear losing your position with the Chapterhouse?”
I squirmed a little in my seat. I had never heard him speak this way, or look at anyone like this. Gentle, yet menacing. Soft, yet you knew you were in for it.
“Something like that, I would reckon. It’s been a pretty good source of pay dirt for me.”
He smiled, in the smug way that only Gideon could. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, commander. Only inquisitors need fear losing their jobs as inquisitors.”
Ouch.
“So- is that a really slick way of saying ‘you’re fired?’”
Gideon chuckled. “Indeed it is, commander. But I still need just a moment of your time. There are some things you will be interested in hearing about.”
I was already fired, so what the hell?
“Sure. Why not?”
Gideon reached under his desk and produced two crystal glasses and a container of brandy. He poured both glasses half full and slid one over to me.
Well, at least I’m getting a drink out the deal.
“It turns out that in your reckless eagerness to play the part of the hero, you set off a chain of events that helped our lady Arissa ascend to the throne.”
Wait, what?
Gideon must have seen the confused look on my face, because he smiled before continuing.
“When you persuaded Denton’s little viceroy- Fink, if I recall correctly- to hand over the archive files concerning the Senator’s wartime enslavement practices, he naturally reported everything to the senator himself. This, of course, led Denton to believe that we really were investigating him.”
He took a drink, and continued. “We were as surprised as you might expect when Denton’s people unexpectedly contacted us with a request to neither expose him publicly nor investigate further. In return, he would release every political prisoner he had unlawfully enslaved, as well as support Arissa’a claim to the throne.”
I nodded. “He did seem to change his mind rather quickly.”
Gideon got up and walked to the window of his office, sipping his brandy. “Of course, that wasn’t the end of it. Zemina Torval caught wind of the supposed “investigations”, and quickly followed up with a similar offer: her political support in exchange for the release of questionably- acquired slaves.”
Huh. I guess my little fetch quest had some pretty crazy consequences. “Well, what about Aisling Duval? That little blue-haired girl never liked Arissa much.”
Gideon turned to face me, shaking his head. “No, and she still doesn’t. But- when you chose to contact your friend Cassius, he in turn involved Aisling’s Angels. We at the Chapterhouse were only too happy to allow full media credit to the Angels for that daring little rescue. Aisling increased her standing in the senate and the people, and Arissa secured her public endorsement.”
Jesus. No wonder he poured me a drink. He knew I’d need one.
I leaned forward. “So, if I’m reading this right, my little adventure ended up securing the throne for our patron? And you’re firing me?”
Once again, Gideon smiled. “Quite right. We can’t have inquisitors going rogue, flashing their IDs as leverage for whatever mad little quest they’ve undertaken on their own. And don’t give yourself too much credit. Your role in securing the support of these senators was minor, at best. It was one of many, many factors- senatorial politics is labyrinthine at best. But yes, you did play a role.”
He took another drink. “…which is why our lady has decided that, although you are to be stripped of the title of inquisitor, your bonuses to bounty vouchers and the like are to remain intact indefinitely. Consider it a gesture of appreciation to a reckless, but well-intentioned agent.”
Son of a b*tch. All the cash, and none of the bullsh*t. Suddenly, getting fired was a good deal.
I raised my glass. “Well, in that case, long live the Emperor!”
Gideon smiled. “I hope so. At any rate, just because you are no longer an inquisitor doesn’t mean that we shall never have any more work for you. Keep an eye on your messages.”
He checked his watch. “Now- I do believe we’ve kept that tattooed, comely friend of yours waiting for long enough. Have a pleasant day, commander, and fly safe.”
*************************
Outside the office, Kyndi sat up from a bench and walked up to me. “So? How did it go?”
I smiled and shrugged. “Got fired.”
She cocked her head to the side. “So why does your breath smell like alcohol?”
Taking her hand, I started to lead us toward the shuttle lifts. The ship bays were a long ways away, and I wanted the hell off of this planet. “It was a good kind of firing.”
Kyndi nodded slowly, not quite understanding. “So- what now?”
Still walking, I held her close and gestured out the window. “Well, there ain't no shortage of bad guys with prices on their heads.”
She laughed. “Yeah, and there’s always merchandise that needs to appear someplace it shouldn’t.”
I sighed, and tried my best to smile. “We could try to make it work, you know. It’s just a matter of whose ship to use.”
Kyndi stopped and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, you can't haul much in a Vulture.”
I smiled and shook my head. “And Cobras ain't exactly meant for reaping.”
We looked into each other’s eyes. The shuttle was approaching.
“Well, maybe when we get tired of all the bullsh*t, we’ll pool our money, buy some lux Fer-de-Lance, and finally cause trouble in style.”
Kyndi smiled. “But until then-“
I took her hands in mine. “Yeah. Until then-“
She guided our hands up to my face, and pulled me towards her for one last kiss. Then, she turned and boarded the shuttle ramp to head back to her ship. Midway up, Kyndi spun around, still smiling. “It’s a big universe, Matty. Anything can happen!”
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