Patty Jansen - Ambassador 10: Lost Forest Secrets

Ambassador 10: Lost Forest Secrets

Patty Jansen

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AS LEADER OF ASTO and the most influential person at gamra, Ezhya Palayi was not known to show a lot of emotion, but his face oozed curiosity as he walked around the aircraft.

We were on the roof of the second tallest building in Eighth Circle in Athyl, under the overhang of the awning that sheltered the entrance of my brand new office apartment. Emi wriggled in my arms. She wanted to play with this visitor and was getting bothered about my not letting her.

But it was midday. The light of Astos two suns beat down on the roof and the paving radiated heat. I was sure it was hot enough to leave nice burn marks on Emis unblemished, eight-month-old skin. Not that she was receptive to that argument.

The glaring light reflected off the surface of the two aircraft that basked in the sunlight, one of them the familiar Asto-built craft that Ezhya used so often. In fact, I now knew exactly where it had been built and by whom, because Id visited the workshop, walked around their models, sat in their pilot seats and spoken to their sales assistants.

The second craft, the subject of Ezhyas curiosity, was a brand-new gleaming craft that had been built in Damarq and delivered to the apartment yesterday by two employees in spiffy uniforms who had polished it to its current gleaming state on arrival.

It was the same size as Ezhyaswhich was considered large by private craft standardsbut had an elegant ground-hugging shape that made it look smaller.

Its surface shimmered with a bronze sheen, overlaid with a green-tinged clear resin like lacquer. The windows were darkened now, to allow for more efficient cooling, but could be made lighter at night or when in orbit. It carried sixteen people, with ease, and a few more as long as they didnt need to sleep on board.

It was mine.

Ezhya was as fascinated as a ten-year-old boy. Hed bounded from his craft and had gone straight to this one. He walked around it several times, looking into the window and into the propulsion outlets. He studied the Damarcian text on the recharge panel and lifted the cover to the tube where you dropped charged pearls so that they rolled into the reservoir.

He now looked over the wing of the craft to me. Interesting choice, he said. Im wondering why you made it.

I bet he thought that we should have chosen a locally built craft, like his. We weighed up all the possibilities, and this was the best option.

Initially, I too had assumed that we would get a craft that had been built in Asto. They were reliable, easy to fix, not terribly expensive, and offered jobs and business to the local people, a good all-round solution.

But when we started looking at all the situations where we would use the craft, I didnt think a standard model would do the job, and while Ezhyas craft was pretty and definitely not bog standard, it still battled the same design restrictions.

The Asto craft were not known to be good at cold temperatures. While Barresh was hot and humid, most of Ceren was not. Asto-built craft had issues travelling to Miran where it was very cold. Moreover, when the Tamer Collective got off the ground with their secondary Exchange, Id be travelling to Tamer. I did not want to do that while leaving the ability to get back off that damned snowball in the hands of a machine that required blasting hot air onto the engineshot air that I would have to carry aboard that craft, not to mention the fuel for it, too.

I wanted a craft that would handle those temperatures.

Barresh, where we lived most of the year, was surrounded by marshland and water. Asto craft could land on waterin the hands of a skilled pilot. I didnt judge my developing skills in piloting anywhere near skilled enough to attempt a water landing.

Damarq-built craft glided over water like a boat. It was an amazing thing to behold. They didnt need engine heating for cold starts, and the internal control module, considered fairly clunky by snobbish pilots, had enough spare room to add in whatever equipment we were going to need when the second Exchange came online and wed need two sets of Exchange trackers.

The craft was bigger and more cumbersome than I had wanted. It was more expensive. But it did a better job.

I explained my choice to Ezhya. He hid his disappointment under the guise of curiosity. I think hed been planning to teach me some tricks, and was disappointed that now he couldnt do this.

Emi gave a squeal and protested loudly about not being allowed to crawl. I had to distract her with a bunch of keys in my pocket. They were attached with a chain and were for letting out air and water in several parts of the craft, something thataccording to the delivery pilotwas likely to be an issue for the first few weeks due to its newness.

Emi grabbed the keys with both hands and put the chain in her mouth. Ew, small children were disgusting. I tried to pull the chain, but she wouldnt let go, so I let her chew it, knowing that Thayu would probably say something about it the moment she saw it.

I do like the position of this apartment, though, Ezhya said.

He peered at the horizon, oblivious to me and my struggles to keep Emi from screaming, over the massive city that was Athyl, and its little pockets of high-rise buildings that started to spring up everywhere, especially here in Eighth Circle.

The apartment was another recent acquisition made necessary now that I had business in Athyl representing those in the outer circles of the city previously unreachable for the regime in the Inner Circle.

I like it. I feel Im useful.

He laughed. That only took you the best part of ten years.

When you first started talking about a residence for me in Athyl, I assumed that it would be in the Inner Circle.

You knew us poorly when you thought that.

Yes.

In Coldi society, one kept enemies close and sent friends out to make sure that no civil wars or interplanetary conflicts erupted in areas out of ones control.

Ezhya had been about to lose control of the Eighth Circle because his loyalty networks grew so vast that they frayed at the edges.

He had used me to regain control, by putting me forward as someone the people in Eighth Circle could trust, an outsider. Except now I was no longer an outsider. The vast Omi clan of the Eighth Circle was loyal to me. Therefore, my Athyl residence was in Eighth Circle.

Made perfect sense.

Do you want a drink? I asked him.

I really wanted to let Emi loose, because she was squirming and was starting to sound unhappy. We both walked through the airy open reception room of the office that was attached to my top floor residence.

The housekeeper had just cleaned the floor, so I put Emi down, and she made a beeline for the table, where the cook had put her little sippy cup that she grabbed with both hands, squirting water in her face.

We laughed at her surprised expression.

Ezhya and I sat down on the couches. I poured tea. We made some small talk.

Its been awhile since I made a friendly visit, Ezhya said. Much has happened.