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"Broken Loyalties" by Lady Rainbow
Rating: PG-13 You finally get to find out what Travis’s mom has been up to. Japanese words: Doozo means “please”. German: “Ach, Du arme” means “You poor thing.” Five Tanaka’s servants cleared the Inner Sanctum for the meeting. They installed a low cherrywood table over a layer of soft tatami mats. Malcolm’s unexpected arrival meant that the seating arrangement had to be changed at the last minute, much to the servants’ chagrin. Tanaka added another one of her junior shareholders to even out the number of guests. Symmetry in numbers was necessary for an important meeting. When all was finally ready, Tanaka invited her guests into the room. Travis noticed how the tone of the entire room had changed. Green and blue draperies adorned the walls, yellow water lilies floated in the fountain and the lighting was adequate, but not harsh. Tanaka gestured for Travis to take a seat on the cushion to her right. One by one, they all assumed their places. The black cat perched on the table between Hoshi and Malcolm. Travis caught Bernhard’s questioning look and thought, Doesn’t anyone else see this cat? Even Tanaka doesn’t seem aware it’s here. The only ones who were aware of the cat were himself, Hoshi and Bernhard. Even Malcolm and Captain Archer seemed oblivious. Travis couldn’t remember if Malcolm was allergic to cats, but if Malcolm was, his allergies didn’t bother him. Where did this cat come from? Who has sent it? Her, Travis reminded himself. Oneko, as he had named her, gazed unblinking at Tanaka, one huntress to another. If Oneko was wary, then Travis would take her lead. “Doozo,” Tanaka said. “Reed-san, you have messages from Philippe-chan?” Malcolm nodded. “Indeed I do, madam.” He passed data cards to her, then turned to Travis and Captain Archer. Travis accepted his and plugged it into his PADD. His message was text only, which was actually a good thing, for Travis didn’t want to imagine Philippe’s expression when he wrote this message. Travis, as my Steward, you are one of my best advisors. I ask you, this time, to withhold any criticism or judgment for what I am about to propose to Lady Tanaka. Events here at EdML have forced me to do this; if we want to preserve some kind of balance between the Consortiums, Starfleet and the Boomers, this is the best out of many poor options. Consult with your fellow Steward. Malcolm knows what to do. Trust no one from Tanaka Enterprises. It ended on that ominous note. Travis opened the attachment and scanned the information. It was so startling that his mouth dropped open before he could stop it. Captain Archer’s eyebrows knitted in concern, while Hoshi gave Malcolm a worried look. Oneko seemed to sense her discomfort and rubbed against the sleeve of her kimono. Travis raised his eyes to meet Tanaka’s. The woman had a puzzled look on her face; she gazed at a point above Travis’s head, as if deep in thought. Then a slow smile came across her lips, a smile of cunning and triumph. “This is an unexpected development,” she said softly. “I did not expect Philippe-chan to extend the hand of friendship, especially after the conflict between our Consortiums. He wishes to declare a truce between EdML and Tanaka Enterprises, a trade agreement with Earth and a sizable employment option for any Boomer who would work for our joint operations.” “For anyone who works for EdML or Tanaka Enterprises?” Paul asked sharply. “Is he asking to combine operations? Form a merger?” Travis frowned as he read Philippe’s information again. “No, I don’t think so, Paul. If I’m reading this right, Philippe’s thinking more of a coalition. He’s also been talking with Altair, Aldeberan and Draylax and they seem to be agreeable to the idea. Strength in numbers, Tanaka-sama.” “But more enemies and more liabilities,” put in one of Tanaka’s elder shareholders. “We cannot afford to risk that.” She raised a hand and the room fell silent. “As I said, this is an unexpected development, but I would like to remind you all that the reason why we are here is to negotiate on an agreement with Starfleet. Whatever Philippe-chan proposes is a separate matter. So we must concentrate on our primary goal, and not allow anything to distract us.” Tanaka paused and glanced at Malcolm. “Thank you for relaying this important message, Reed-san. Trieste-sama trusts you implicitly and I’m confident that trust is not misplaced.” In response, Malcolm inclined his head at her. Both he and Travis noticed the switch to formality. He said, “I live by a personal code as well, Lady.” She turned to Travis with hooded eyes. “Now, Travis-san, I would like to hear the proposal from Admiral Forrest and Starfleet. Please, proceed.” Travis met her gaze squarely, refusing to grant her even a millimeter. The challenge in her eyes only strengthened his resolve. He nodded and said, “Of course, Tanaka-sama. If I may direct your attention to your PADD, Lady, I’ll start with the basic goals of this meeting—“ Hours later, Travis sat in his room in the southern side of the fortress, yawning his way through another revision to his list of proposals. Tanaka had consulted with everyone at the table for every detail, Her shareholders, to Paul, to Sandosh, to Captain Archer and Hoshi. Travis was surprised that she hadn’t asked Bernhard’s opinion on the matter too. While Travis appreciated her efforts at consensus-building and the fact that she made him a key person in the talks, it made for a painfully long day. There was a discreet knock on his door and Travis called, “Enter!” “Thought you’d want to see someone, Big Brother,” called Paul. He stepped aside from the thin rice paper shoji door and a smiling woman stepped into the room. Travis dropped hi PADD and caught her in a bear hug. “Mom! How are you? You okay?” Rhianna Mayweather laughed and returned the hug. “I’m fine, Travis. Quite fine, in fact. I’ve been very comfortable in my new house on the fortress grounds, right by one of the man-made streams. Very relaxing.” She held him out at arm’s length and her face grew sober. “You’re tired, son.” “Yeah, well, I’ve been Colony-hopping for the past three months, Mom,” Travis said. “First Centauri, then the other Colonies, now Vega.” She nodded. “Paul’s been telling me about your adventures. I know the life of a Starfleet officer isn’t a walk in the park, but I’ve been concerned about your welfare.” Travis caught Paul’s unreadable look and kept his tone light. “Well, after this is done, I should be safely back on Enterprise. It’s been an interesting trip, but I’d much rather keep my day job.” Rhianna smiled, but it trembled at the edges. “I’m glad to hear that, so glad. Lady Tanaka’s offered us a generous settlement, so you don’t have to worry about us. If Paul does as well as he has been,” she turned her smile to her younger son, “then we won’t have to worry about needing anything.” “That’s the goal, Mom. I wanna take care of you,” Paul said. He sighed heavily and added, “That’s why I gotta go over to Aetosoka in the morning. There’s a huge delay in the loading of one of our shipments. Lady Tanaka wants me to see what’s wrong.” “Oh, Paul, I thought we’d be attending Hiromi’s banquet like we planned.” Rhianna’s smile completely vanished, and there was a slight edge to her voice. Travis suddenly realized this hadn’t been the first time this had happened. He felt a surge of anger and irritation at Paul for abandoning their mother when she needed him. “I wish I didn’t have to go, Mom, but I’ve got to. Lady Tanaka didn’t give me a choice. Maybe Travis could go with you to the banquet; I’m sure Hiromi would like to meet your Starfleet son.” Rhianna opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. There was a hard line to her jaw that Travis knew well; she didn’t appreciate Paul’s description of his brother. “Would you, Travis?” “I’d be happy to, Mom, if I can.” Travis managed a smile. He didn’t want to deepen the rift between himself and Paul, and definitely not in front of their mother. “I’m sure Lady Tanaka will understand if I want to spend some time with my mother. Family is important.” “Thank you, Travis.” Rhianna caught sight of the chronometer by Travis’s bed. “I’d like to meet you both for breakfast at the Cherry Blossom Gardens. Seven?” Travis glanced at Paul, who nodded. “Fine with us, Mom. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” “Sleep well, son. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Rhianna touched his cheek, like she did when he was a little boy, then she turned and stepped back through the shoji. Paul followed her, but turned back to face Travis. “Take care of Mom, okay?” Paul gave him a sad smile. “I really wish I could be with her this time. Lady Tanaka doesn’t take no for an answer when business is concerned.” After seeing how Tanaka ran her consortium, Travis’s resentment melted. When Paul accepted Tanaka’s offer, he’d inadvertently trapped the Mayweathers in a contract that they couldn’t get out of anytime soon. Travis wished he could feel more sorry for Paul, but as their father would have said, he’d “made his bed; now he has to sleep in it.” “I’ll do my best, Paul. You do what you need to, then come back when you can.” Travis smiled and extended his hand. “Let’s get through this in one piece, okay?” “Sorry for being such an ass, bro.” Paul sounded abashed. “All in the past, Little Brother. I’m not gonna horn in on your territory; learned my lesson with that. Just give me a chance to be your annoying Big Brother, not Mister Starfleet Mayweather.” Paul laughed aloud and shook Travis’s hand. “Deal. Just don’t try to upgrade my engines again and we’ll call it even. See ya in the morning.” He opened the shoji and Travis caught a glimpse of Rhianna’s face. His mother smiled broadly and he returned the smile. Then Paul and Rhianna were gone. Travis sighed and sat on his futon. It had taken him a few days to get used to the cushion after the huge feather bed at Philippe’s estate. The whisper of another shoji at the far end of the room startled him. Bernhard Mueller stuck his head in and asked, “Is everything all right, Travis?” He grinned and replied, “Yeah, Bernhard, everything’s all right.” They both felt a slight tremble through the walls, but before either of them could say anything, they both heard a plaintive meow from the door. Travis frowned and slid the door again, and Oneko walked in and sat on Travis’s futon. Her meows sounded both irritated and exasperated, as if she was complaining about some horrible offense. Travis glanced at Bernhard, who seemed to be listening to her rant. “Ach, du Arme,” he said, “You poor thing. Some people can be so discourteous, nicht wahr? I suppose you can stay here with us for the night, eh? You most probably won’t have a peaceful night if you go back there. So, will you be so kind as to share my night’s watch with me, Oneko-chan?” Oneko purred and jumped into Bernhard’s arms. Travis watched, stunned, as Bernhard started to scratch the cat under the chin. “I don’t mind her staying here with us, but how did you know why she was upset? Someone basically kicked her out?” Bernhard smirked. “The cat was staying with Hoshi. Malcolm surprised her by arriving early after being on Centauri for an extra three weeks. Can you really blame Oneko for being rather put out for being kicked out of her room?” He shook his head. “If you need anything, Travis, be sure to let me and Oneko know.” “I will. Good night, you two.” After they retreated into Bernhard’s room, just off Travis’s, Travis lay back on his futon with a grin. Tomorrow promised to have a good start, even if the rest of it was going to be mired in political maneuvering. He and Paul were on better terms, and he was going to see his mother. It’ll be easier from here, he thought. I hope. He couldn’t have been more wrong. |
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