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Certainty
© 2020 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
baroncoon
The first news reports of the Confed assault on Imperial-held Terran space caused a brief closure of the blast doors separating the two halves of Station NZh-2238 while the Terran and Kashlanin commanders conferred with their respective headquarters. It was decided that the two sides would remain apart for the duration of the “emergency.”
The talks between the Empire and the Confederacy, however, would continue.
A sinuous length of brindle dark gray fur about half as long as her own tail reared up and chirped as its mistress scratched between its ears. Its bright brown eyes blinked up at her as Navot said, “I’ll see you later, Nak. No climbing up on my bed, please.” The vir gave her pet morzin a quick pet down its length that made it wriggle happily before the vir straightened up and left her room.
Her staff were waiting for her. “Aka, what’s the latest news?” she asked.
“Nothing to add from the briefing notes received this morning,” her senior aide replied. “Sleep well, ma’am?”
“Yes, thank you. I always sleep better when Nak is near me,” and smiled as two of her aides chuckled.
There were two security scans before the blast door opened and they stepped through into Terran-controlled territory. “I believe I’m starting to get used to the higher gravity,” Navot said, “or at least I’m not minding it as much.”
“As the commander said,” one kam said, and the others agreed.
Station security, both Terran and Kashlanin, had completed their daily screening of the room for listening devices, explosives, poisons or pathogens, and the vir and the mel assigned to maintain a watch on the door checked their credentials and opened the door. “With respect, k’Ven-vī,” the fallow buck said, “Balakrishnan-jih has not yet arrived.”
Navot’s tail twitched upward, the equivalent of a raised eyebrow. “Aka? We will wait for her, of course. Thank you,” and she led her escorts inside.
The vir had barely finished opening and activating her padd when the canine femme and her entourage entered the room from the opposite side. Balakrishnan’s curly tail was thrashing back and forth, her ears were straight back, and her lips had curled back to expose her teeth.
I think she appears angry, Navot thought.
“You’ve been negotiating in bad faith, k’Ven-vī,” Balakrishnan said in an accusatory tone before she took her seat facing her Kashlanin counterpart. As the vir’s ears perked the canine added, “We know that you’ve been talking behind our backs with the Colonials.” Three star maps flickered into existence overhead; two smaller ones depicting the rival proposals and a larger one showing the current state of affairs.
Navot smiled pleasantly. “Of course, Balakrishnan-jih. The Colonies are a sovereign entity, and an interested party. Why should we – “
“They are part of the Confederacy!” the canine snarled, slapping one paw on the table for emphasis. “There should be no negotiations with them, and they will be made to rejoin their own kind.”
“Ernnh, yes. One of your preliminary demands was to enlist our help in that regard.”
“Yes, after you withdraw from Terran space.” She smiled. It was an unpleasant expression. “Which may be sooner than you think, vevek.”
One of her aides stirred at the insult, but Navot let the word bitch (female form) pass and looked up at the largest of the three star maps. “The Confed Fleet does appear to have made some progress,” the vir said.
“Yes, it has,” Balakrishnan sneered, but her military attaché looked slightly uncertain about Navot’s nonchalant manner. The raven leaned in close and whispered in the canine’s ear, and she nodded. “You don’t seem worried about this.”
“No, I’m not,” the vir admitted. “You may be aware of the word Zherkōmlēshjir. It is a guiding principle in the Empire.”
“Oh, that. I’ve heard of it, of course. The so-called ‘Holy Certainty.’”
“You speak rather flippantly about something the Savior himself gave us before he died.”
“Hmmph. I’ve read about your first Emperor. He was insane and senile when he finally died.”
“True,” Navot said equably. “Yet he gave us the Certainty, and it has guided our expansion through the galaxy ever since. There’ve been setbacks,” and she smiled, “but never for very long.”
“Enough. This is getting us nowhere,” Balakrishnan said. “So, you’re talking to the Colonies. Where? Aboard that ship they’re hiding on?”
“Yes, they are aboard the Satan. And before you ask, no shlan will tell you where it’s located. Since the destruction of New Horizon, they are safer in motion.”
“The destruction of New Horizon was the fault of former Admiral-General al-Sakai – “
“Who is now dead.” Navot’s tail rose and draped over her shoulders. “One might consider that convenient.”
“She died by suicide,” Balakrishnan said curtly.
“Of course.” The vir’s tail snaked out and the bony spur at the tip tapped at her padd. The star map expanded, and Navot said, “Shall we resume?”
© 2020 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
baroncoonThe first news reports of the Confed assault on Imperial-held Terran space caused a brief closure of the blast doors separating the two halves of Station NZh-2238 while the Terran and Kashlanin commanders conferred with their respective headquarters. It was decided that the two sides would remain apart for the duration of the “emergency.”
The talks between the Empire and the Confederacy, however, would continue.
A sinuous length of brindle dark gray fur about half as long as her own tail reared up and chirped as its mistress scratched between its ears. Its bright brown eyes blinked up at her as Navot said, “I’ll see you later, Nak. No climbing up on my bed, please.” The vir gave her pet morzin a quick pet down its length that made it wriggle happily before the vir straightened up and left her room.
Her staff were waiting for her. “Aka, what’s the latest news?” she asked.
“Nothing to add from the briefing notes received this morning,” her senior aide replied. “Sleep well, ma’am?”
“Yes, thank you. I always sleep better when Nak is near me,” and smiled as two of her aides chuckled.
There were two security scans before the blast door opened and they stepped through into Terran-controlled territory. “I believe I’m starting to get used to the higher gravity,” Navot said, “or at least I’m not minding it as much.”
“As the commander said,” one kam said, and the others agreed.
Station security, both Terran and Kashlanin, had completed their daily screening of the room for listening devices, explosives, poisons or pathogens, and the vir and the mel assigned to maintain a watch on the door checked their credentials and opened the door. “With respect, k’Ven-vī,” the fallow buck said, “Balakrishnan-jih has not yet arrived.”
Navot’s tail twitched upward, the equivalent of a raised eyebrow. “Aka? We will wait for her, of course. Thank you,” and she led her escorts inside.
The vir had barely finished opening and activating her padd when the canine femme and her entourage entered the room from the opposite side. Balakrishnan’s curly tail was thrashing back and forth, her ears were straight back, and her lips had curled back to expose her teeth.
I think she appears angry, Navot thought.
“You’ve been negotiating in bad faith, k’Ven-vī,” Balakrishnan said in an accusatory tone before she took her seat facing her Kashlanin counterpart. As the vir’s ears perked the canine added, “We know that you’ve been talking behind our backs with the Colonials.” Three star maps flickered into existence overhead; two smaller ones depicting the rival proposals and a larger one showing the current state of affairs.
Navot smiled pleasantly. “Of course, Balakrishnan-jih. The Colonies are a sovereign entity, and an interested party. Why should we – “
“They are part of the Confederacy!” the canine snarled, slapping one paw on the table for emphasis. “There should be no negotiations with them, and they will be made to rejoin their own kind.”
“Ernnh, yes. One of your preliminary demands was to enlist our help in that regard.”
“Yes, after you withdraw from Terran space.” She smiled. It was an unpleasant expression. “Which may be sooner than you think, vevek.”
One of her aides stirred at the insult, but Navot let the word bitch (female form) pass and looked up at the largest of the three star maps. “The Confed Fleet does appear to have made some progress,” the vir said.
“Yes, it has,” Balakrishnan sneered, but her military attaché looked slightly uncertain about Navot’s nonchalant manner. The raven leaned in close and whispered in the canine’s ear, and she nodded. “You don’t seem worried about this.”
“No, I’m not,” the vir admitted. “You may be aware of the word Zherkōmlēshjir. It is a guiding principle in the Empire.”
“Oh, that. I’ve heard of it, of course. The so-called ‘Holy Certainty.’”
“You speak rather flippantly about something the Savior himself gave us before he died.”
“Hmmph. I’ve read about your first Emperor. He was insane and senile when he finally died.”
“True,” Navot said equably. “Yet he gave us the Certainty, and it has guided our expansion through the galaxy ever since. There’ve been setbacks,” and she smiled, “but never for very long.”
“Enough. This is getting us nowhere,” Balakrishnan said. “So, you’re talking to the Colonies. Where? Aboard that ship they’re hiding on?”
“Yes, they are aboard the Satan. And before you ask, no shlan will tell you where it’s located. Since the destruction of New Horizon, they are safer in motion.”
“The destruction of New Horizon was the fault of former Admiral-General al-Sakai – “
“Who is now dead.” Navot’s tail rose and draped over her shoulders. “One might consider that convenient.”
“She died by suicide,” Balakrishnan said curtly.
“Of course.” The vir’s tail snaked out and the bony spur at the tip tapped at her padd. The star map expanded, and Navot said, “Shall we resume?”
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Alien (Other)
Size 99 x 120px
File Size 42.2 kB
Suicide, I don't think they know the real meaning of that word ...
“We know that you’ve been talking behind our backs with the Colonials.”
“Yes, of your two groups they seem the more able to see reason ...”
...
“Yes, after you withdraw from Terran space.”
“Why withdraw from what is clearly no longer Terran space? And how much more Terran space we acquire will depend on how long you continue being stupid.”
“We know that you’ve been talking behind our backs with the Colonials.”
“Yes, of your two groups they seem the more able to see reason ...”
...
“Yes, after you withdraw from Terran space.”
“Why withdraw from what is clearly no longer Terran space? And how much more Terran space we acquire will depend on how long you continue being stupid.”
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