All Enemies Foreign and Domestic (Kelly Blake series) (28 page)

      Penny said, “I don’t know anything about the award.
 
It must be so new it hasn’t made the protocol manual yet.
 
And to my knowledge, the K’Rang have never awarded anything to a non-K’Rang.”

      Smiling, she said, “Of course, you’ll need a new gown.
 
I’d just love to go with you and help you pick it out.”

      Candy logged into her pocket terminal, chose a merchant that could get her a dress in time, chose a dress, attached her current avatar with her measurements, and hit the purchase button.

      “No need, I’m all done.
 
The gown will be here day after tomorrow.”

      Crestfallen, Penny walked out of her office.

* * * * *

      Kelly met with the ambassador and laid out the K’Rang analysis and their request.
 
Ambassador Taylor saw the military logic instantly.
 
“This is a race that has never been attacked in their inner worlds.
 
The K’Rang never threatened their inner worlds in the last century’s conflict.
 
They just sparred over some fringe planets.
 

      “The home world appears to not have any space defense weapons.
 
I’m not convinced of that.
 
We need to EMP bomb them before we go in.

      “Go pack some overnight clothes.
 
We’ve been summoned before the Senate Defense Committee to talk about the new embassy’s security problems.
 
It seems Mr. Strange has been walking the halls of the Senate Office Building since he was fired over the embassy approved devices list.
 
He has some of the minority party leaders all stirred up.
 
So we get to go and placate them.

      “We’ll take the data with us and talk to the Department of Defense planners and see if they spin it differently.
 
You know they want to name the last two or three Orion class scouts after living minority party leaders to gain their support.
 
Hasselrode is being pressured to endorse it.”
 

      “Yes, sir, I heard.
 
It’s stupid to agree to it.
 
They’ll get the PR benefit from it and just kill the bill in a procedural vote down the road.
 
They know the Fleet will lobby for the bill.
 
If the PR is positive they take credit for being recognized as tough on defense.
 
If the PR is negative they blame it on Defense pandering for votes.
 
I know some people I can get some support from.”

      “Okay, we’ll leave here through the gate at 1000 local to get into our hotel by 2200 hours Geneva time.
 
Our testimony is at 0900 Geneva time.
 
See you in two hours.
 
Bring your full dress uniform with all the braid and cords.
 
Let’s wow them before we cut their feet out from under them.”

* * * * *

      Kelly and the Ambassador met outside the committee room.
 
They had both seeded several Senate offices with the data and images from the K’Rang analysis.
 
There was righteous indignation and anger at what the images showed.
 
Several staffers had to run for a restroom after understanding the implication of bipeds at the feedlots, even though they had been warned of what they would be seeing.

      Kelly hit all his friendly staffers, as did the ambassador.
 
Kelly was leery of making a wide distribution, but they cleared it with Kelly’s father-in-law, Admiral Craddock, head of the Republic Intelligence Agency.
 
He had been having trouble getting the administration to clear the information for release to the Congress.
 
They were a little squeamish about what the images implied.
 
Now that was out of their hands.
 
As with so many leaks in Geneva, most were the product of a political appointee being afraid to take responsibility for releasing data and preferring the hidden hand, keeping his own hands clean.

      Kelly and the Ambassador were called in for the hearing and sworn in to answer Mr. Strange’s serious allegations about them.
 
Kelly didn’t hold back and attacked Mr. Strange as a petty tyrant using his position for his own ego and forgetting that he was there to facilitate actions, not hinder them.

      When they asked Kelly about the disapproved security equipment installed in the embassy, Kelly launched back that the fact that the new approved equipment list removing the equipment used in the embassy was held back until the contractor had installed the previously approved security equipment was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the new embassy.
 
He recounted the meeting on Antares Base where Mr. Strange had attempted to block a compromise solution to the issue.
 
It was obvious that he was not interested in solving the problem, but actively interfering in a solution, even one partly authored by his own inspector.

      Kelly told how they had spent two days on Antares Base writing an exception to policy that would meet security requirements and be approved quickly.
 
With Mr. Strange out of contact with his own office, the request for exception to policy was approved in three days.

      The junior senator from Shepard, an Urban Party Senator, spoke into his microphone.
 
“Captain Blake, was this exception to policy the one negotiated while you held Mr. Strange a virtual prisoner on Antares Base?”

      “Senator, at no time was Mr. Strange a prisoner on Antares Base.
 
He was there during the annual fall thunderstorms that come up from the south.
 
His flight was only cancelled one day.
 
He stayed on two days and helped us to put the right language and security measures into the request.
 
He could have left at anytime.”

      The senior senator from Ride, an Agnostic Party Senator asked, “What about these charges of misappropriation to purchase and install the new equipment?”

      The ambassador took over at this point and said, “Senator, as you know, this was the first attempt to prefabricate a secure embassy building, transport it to G’Durin, and set it in place on a pre-installed foundation.
 
The K’Rang have an excellent intelligence service and we were denying them the opportunity to plant bugs in our embassy.
 
As a result, in the appropriations and authorization bill there was a small discretionary fund to quickly overcome problems like this.

      “The Construction Battalion on Antares Base has three Reserve Construction Companies that train for two weeks each year.
 
This year, their training mission was to install the new equipment in the embassy.
 
You don’t know how much it meant to those reservists to have a project that had real world impact.
 
They usually spend their two weeks answering broken toilet trouble tickets on a base not far from home.

      “With their help, the new embassy building on G’Durin came in on schedule and under budget.
 
I have recommended this method be used for the embassy on the Angaerry home world.
 
I recommend this not because of any security concerns, but for its efficiency and cost effectiveness.”

      With no blood in the water, the thwarted committee chief thanked them for their cooperation and gaveled the meeting to a close.

* * * * *

      Kelly returned in time to accompany Candy to her award ceremony.
 
He wore his dress uniform with all cords and she wore her brand new black velvet custom dress.
 
It looked ravishing on her and Kelly fell in love with her all over again.

      Ready, they walked out to the embassy groundcar sent for them, and stopped dead in their tracks.
 
Their driver was standing on the curb, holding the door for them.
 
This was so out of character they stared for a bit, shook it off, and boarded the ground car.
 
The driver carefully closed the door, moved into the driver’s compartment, and drove them to the Imperial Palace.

      At the Palace, the same petite K’Rang female that escorted them at J’Gon’s reception met them.
 
She welcomed them and guided them to a waiting lounge until the ceremony.
 
The Imperial protocol officer, an overly nervous female, joined them and filled them in on the details of the ceremony.

      “Mrs. Blake, Captain Blake, I am G’Tota.
 
You will be the only awardee tonight.
 
This ceremony will be broadcast to all K’Rang worlds and will be a major feature on news broadcasts.
 
You can expect many requests for interviews, especially with your excellent grasp of our language.
 
You’ll find our reporters are a bit more rough and tumble with their interviewees than you may be used to.
 
Here is a list of the more gentle networks.
 
You may choose to do all interviews or no interviews, or somewhere in between.

      “The ceremony will be moderately long.
 
Each Elder will give a short speech, followed by a song in your honor sung by the Blessings of T’Ganu Convent choir.
 
It is a great honor for them to sing about a non-K’Rang.
 
This will be the first time in recorded history.
 
After the singing ends, Elder J’Gon will present you with the award.
 
The award is a sash that will fit you from your right shoulder to your left hip.
 
The award itself is a large stone mounted in a B’Notil flower in full bloom.
 
It is a very striking award.
 
Yours being a first class award, it will have the flower cast in gold. Do you have any questions?”

      Candy asked, “What is a B’Notil?”

      G’Tota answered, “The B’Notil is a fragrant tree in our mid-latitudes, thought by many K’Rang to be the original tree that our ancestors climbed to gain advantage over a predecessor race, the K’Rug, much like your Neanderthals.
 
The B’Notil is considered the symbol of our ascendency.
 
We were able to gain the advantage of height over our prey, ate better, out-populated them, and drove them out of the better hunting grounds and into extinction.
 
It is a powerful symbol of our supremacy.
 
It identifies you as one having made a singular contribution to the Empire.
 
I must leave you and check on preparations for your reception.
 
Did I mention there would be a reception?
 
Oh, where has my mind gone?”

      Candy and Kelly were soon joined in the lounge by the ambassador and chargé.
 
Maurice was unusually informal and kissed Candy on the cheek.
 
The ambassador gave her a hug.

      The ambassador looked Candy in the eye and said, “I had misgivings about having a husband-wife team working in the embassy, especially where one was with Fleet.
 
There are so many divorces in Fleet, I thought of the effect on embassy efficiency if you two broke up.
 
I’m glad now I kept my mouth shut.
 
Candy, you have done more for Human-K’Rang relations than I thought possible.
 
I thought the Elders would shut me out after my history with them.
 
I still think they bear a slight grudge for my destroying their audience bench, but you have pushed us past that.”

      The ambassador was about to continue when a chamberlain in ceremonial robes knocked, entered, and asked them to please follow him.
 
They filed out with Candy on Kelly’s arm and the ambassador and chargé following behind.

      They were led to the Hall of Worlds, a large reception hall some 100 meters long by 50 meters wide.
 
The Chamberlain stopped at the entrance to the hall, tapped his staff for attention, and announced, “Mrs. Candy Blake and Captain Kelly Blake.”
 
Loud purring could be heard quite plainly through out the room, the K’Rang equivalent to applause.

      He tapped his staff again and announced, “His Excellency David Taylor, the Ambassador of the Galactic Republic, and the honorable Maurice LeGrand, Chargé d’Affaires of the Galactic Republic.”

      The ambassador and Maurice were greeted with polite purring, but not as intense as for Candy.

      Candy and her entourage walked down the red carpet and an usher showed them to their seats.
 
Candy was shown to a seat on the main raised area and the men to seats along the side.

      They sat while the K’Rang and other guests filed into their seats.
 
When all were seated and the murmurs had subsided, the chamberlain tapped his staff and announced all should stand for the Elders’ entrance.

      J’Gon led the three elders in and they proceeded to seats on the side opposite Candy.
 
The chamberlain retired and J’Kol stood and walked to the podium.
 
He gave a short speech about leaving their old animosities behind and Candy represented a shining example of that with her spirited defense of J’Gon at the coup’s tribunal.
 
She saw a wrong and put her own safety at risk to see it made right by defending, not just a former enemy, but also their senior leader.