Chương 34: Chapter 133: The Aiden Theory

Once Serena had left Finella and the rest of the squad behind to fulfil their duties, Menes had led them back through the Ishaqian streets. Romulus had come along, of course. The peeka had settled down in Amelia's arms, nestling its head against her chest, where it seemed to enjoy her heartbeat. They arrived at their destination without issue.

"I can't believe we're back here," Serena said, shaking her head.

"Now, my sayyidah, wait here, and I'll send the children to my brother's." Menes peeked around the corner, and Amelia followed suit. If the soft glow of aetherlight leaking out of the Bastet family's windows wasn't enough evidence, then the noise of four, maybe five people inside was enough to determine that his wife and children had returned.

"Bahar?" Amelia asked.

"How's he doing?" She could still fondly remember the tremendous amount of skill Serena had displayed when she turned the bold Arakian into a demon pincushion. With her magic enhancements and game-boosted stats—or rather, shard-boosted stats—Amelia could rival Serena's speed but not her skill. And, as much as she was willing to heal Bahar in the moment, she was glad he was left to recover by himself. After all, he'd proposed to Serena! That was her job!

"Bahar is a great warrior," Menes replied, flicking his eyes to Serena.

"But all great warriors need rest after a great battle, my anisa."

"Wasn't much of a battle," Serena murmured.

"The children will go to my other brother, Azi," Menes said, ploughing straight through Serena's comment with his characteristic Southern stubbornness.

"He is good with the children, my anisa. They will be happy there until you contact your Intelligence."

"Will your family be safe?" Amelia asked. As much as she appreciated Menes' bravado and willingness to hide the black moon crystal in his family home, she feared what might happen if they were targeted.

"They wouldn't dare," Menes said, the faintest echo of a growl in his throat.

"No matter how powerful the council get, they would never touch a sayyid's family. It would be an attack on the Tasalsul. They know what that would mean."

"What would it mean?"

"Saladin the Mighty would come," Menes said, squeezing a fist tight.

"And then there would be no more Ishaq."

"Oh." Amelia exchanged a glance with Serena.

"Wait for just one minute," Menes said. He made a move to round the corner before stopping.

"Make that… two minutes. My wife might need some convincing. Haha…" He rubbed the back of his neck, giving them a grin. Menes turned, rounded the corner, only to return a moment later.

"Maybe… three minutes. She has been difficult recently. She is both thankful and angry about what happened in the Passage."

"Menes," said Serena.

"What did you tell your wife?"

"Only that I rescued the Indefatigable, and in turn…" Menes tilted his head and tapped his horns.

"That you rescued me, my sayyidah. She is very grateful for that."

"Did you mention that you mistook the Vengeance for the Chameleon?" Serena asked.

"That you fired upon an Imperial vessel?"

"Ha… I left that part out, my sayyidah." Menes scratched his chin, adding, "Try not to mention it. My wife does not like me fighting in the Passage."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"But I did tell her what you did to Bahar," Menes said quickly.

"She found that very funny. Now, wait here!" Without waiting for a reply, Menes darted around the corner and towards his home.

"His wife sounds wonderful," Amelia said, scratching Romulus behind the ears, prompting the peeka to purr like a lift engine. She'd heard countless stories about Nefertari, told by Menes as they sailed through the Passage, each one told with sincerity and admiration—as expected from a man who carved the image of his wife into the figurehead of his ship. Nefertari Bastet was a politician, frequently travelling to Centralis to represent the South in parliament.

She was also a mother of four children, if Amelia's enhanced perception didn't fail her.

"Just avoid difficult topics," Serena said.

"Such as?"

"Such as you."

"I am not a difficult topic," Amelia exclaimed. Unfortunately, she was unable to properly pout, given that one arm was dedicated to holding Romulus. Still, she did her best.

"I'm really rather simple, thank you very much! I'm just me, no more, no less!"

"Well, 'Just me' is a whole lot of you, isn't it?" Serena said, her mouth curling into a smile. While Amelia gave her girlfriend a cheeky wink, Serena continued, "You remember how Menes reacted when he caught you on that rock? The South thinks you stole Suijin from them. Greatlord Oshiro also mentioned how there were heated discussions in Parliament over the issue. Over you. His wife is no doubt in the centre of those discussions, so try not to react if you come up in conversation."

"Mmm." Amelia nodded, but she couldn't help but think about what a crazy situation had arisen before her. Here she was, the wonderful, adorable, and maybe slightly too powerful Amelia Thornheart, disguised as Lia Liona, about to socialise with a Southern politician who likely had a less than favourable opinion of her! Honestly, it was all rather exciting!

"Same to you," Amelia shot back.

"Try not to react if I come up in conversation. Menes might not be happy if you poke his wife full of holes." Serena huffed in that cute way she did sometimes when they were alone." My control isn't an issue. But, I did want to say… thank you." Amelia tilted her head, and Serena continued, "For being here, being around. I'm being pulled in so many different directions. Dragged from the East to the South, in search of this damn shard that I have no leads on, waiting for Intelligence to contact me.

Wrestling with a city fearing its own destruction. A corrupt council. A pirate lord, and the missing crew of the Indefatigable …" Serena took a breath.

"Korvus appearing out of nowhere. My upcoming commodoreship. Mysterious dreams forced upon me by the ship. Somehow we have a peeka now"—as if on cue, Romulus gave a soft mew —"and Empress only knows how this situation with the crystal is going to end. I don't think I could handle it all without you being here, grounding me."

"You're welcome!" Amelia leaned in and gave her girlfriend a friendly elbow.

"I'll always be here."

"I know."

"Sorry for causing even more problems," Amelia said quietly, kicking the safe.

"With this."

"No need." Serena shook her head.

"You did the right thing."

"I was worried you were going to say I should have done it differently."

"All things considered, it was done quietly, considering the stakes."

"Is cutting off a bunch of arms, 'Doing it quietly?'""If Korvus had detected that crystal, he would've invoked his Word and blasted away the entire gambling den." Serena smiled at her.

"So again, all things considered, it was done quietly. Once Finella and the squad find Aiden, we can move this along." As Serena spoke, a sudden question popped into Amelia's head.

"Why don't you have a direct line to Intelligence? Why do you have to go through Aiden in the first place?" Now she thought about it, it seemed a little strange that her amazing girlfriend, Speaker, and, did she mention, the amazing girlfriend that Serena was, wouldn't be trusted with Intelligence contacts.

"Captain commands the ship, Intelligence commands the information," Serena explained.

"It's how they like to do things. Separation of responsibilities. It's my job to command the Vengeance in pursuit of Intelligence goals, but not run the operation myself. Technically, Aiden is outside my chain of command. He can, in theory, refuse any order I give him, even on the ship, if it contradicts what he's been told by his superiors. Although I'd like to see him try …" Serena trailed off and tapped the hilt of her sword.

Amelia didn't need to be a genius to know what kind of pincushion future Aiden would have ahead of him if he did just that.

"It's Aiden's job to communicate with Intelligence, filter out what I need to know and what I don't need to know, and work with me so I have everything I need to do whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing." Serena shifted, moving slightly so they were leaning against each other, the warmth of their bodies, through their clothing, providing a soft comfort.

"Remember when we talked about Words, and you mentioned you knew the names of all kinds of demon Second- and Third-Words?" You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"I remember," Amelia said, idly stroking Romulus. And powers beyond, she added silently. She hadn't mentioned them to Serena, not seeing any need to concern her with something Amelia wasn't even sure was a real thing in this world and not just a game mechanic. There wasn't really a Fourth-Word in the game, but she and her guildmates of the Blacksteel Crusaders were masters of the meta-builds and the end-game powers they invoked.

Amelia had looked through some history books in the Asamaywa Library, only half-seriously investigating the possibility of their existence. But she'd never seen a single reference or mention regarding the Primordial Words.

"I'm a decent warrior," Serena continued, unaware of Amelia's inner thoughts.

"A capable First-Word Speaker, but I'm not so powerful that I can't be overwhelmed and interrogated. This is why I told you not to share with me all the demonic words you know. No doubt, some of them are unknown to the humans, and are considered Cascadian strategic assets. As a mere captain… It's risky for me to know such things."

"Captain," Amelia said slyly, "Soon to be commodore! Hey, speaking of Aiden"—she turned and channelled her inner gossip—"do you want to hear my theory about him?"

"You have a theory?"

"Mmm!" She leaned in, bringing her voice low.

"My theory is that all his drinking is a calculated act, and part of his cover!" Seeing her girlfriend raise an eyebrow, Amelia surged forward, saying, "Think about it! He has his little book where he wants to travel the Empire to record all the different beers and ales and whatnot, it's the perfect excuse to hide the fact he's actually been doing top-secret, clandestine missions!" As Amelia continued, she grew increasingly excited.

"Think how important our mission is. Do you really think they would pluck just a random logistics officer to be the all-important bridge between the captain of the Vengeance and Intelligence? What was the explanation he gave? That he was chosen because he knew you at the academy? That's just a handy excuse! I bet he isn't drinking right now! Well, I bet he is, but that's just covering up what he's really doing!"

"... And that would be?"

"Meeting his top-secret superior in some establishment, secretly run by Intelligence!"

"I don't—""Think back to the academy," Amelia pushed onwards. Nothing could stop her now.

"He was good enough to get into Asamaywa Academy, one of the most prestigious officer schools in the entire Empire! Remember how he said he got to red, and then grew tired of the sword and found more purpose in exploring all the different kinds of alcohol? Bah!" Amelia dramatically waved a dismissive hand.

"I don't think so! I bet he was poached by Intelligence early on, and it's all been planned since. After all, the best Intelligence Officers would be the ones that can blend in, right? If he became too strong a warrior, other aether users could detect that instinctively. But, if he stopped at a low red, then he'll have enough ability for basic self-defence and endurance, while being able to stay under the radar!" Amelia stopped then, finally taking a much-needed breath.

Even as she spoke, so many of the pieces fell into place. It seemed so obvious now she said it out loud. Or was she just making connections too easily? She looked at Serena, who opened her mouth to respond, before closing it. She opened it again, her forehead furrowing, before closing it once again. Then, in a pained voice, she opened her mouth for the third time and finally said, "I refuse to believe it. I admit he's more competent than he lets on, but he's a drunken idiot."

"Has his drinking ever affected him at Sensors?" Amelia asked. Seeing the hesitation in Serena, she couldn't help but grin.

"See? It's calculated. Deep down, your instincts know it. If he really were just a drunken idiot, you would never have allowed him onto the crew."

"When we met in Kenhoro, the last time I saw him before that was years ago. He was so drunk he flirted with me, thinking I was Nina. He embarrassed himself in front of my family and other highborn. Publicly. I don't think…" Serena trailed off, raising a finger to her chin.

"Assuming it was intentional, it would have been an easy way to make everyone dismiss him, to not give him a second thought. Could it have been planned…?" Serena clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"I still refuse to believe it. There's no solid evidence, only circumstantial. My pride might only just be able to survive Menes Bastet, a Cascadian Lord, playing down his own intelligence. But if I were to find out that Aiden the Drunk has been deceiving me all these years…" Serena's voice grew quiet as she continued, "I'd shave my head in shame, and then take his head." They looked at each other for a tense second before both bursting out laughing.

"Fun theory, eh?" Amelia asked.

"Fun indeed."" Mew," added Romulus, annoyed at being jolted by the laughter. A natural lull developed between them. Serena broke it by clicking her tongue and saying, "It's been far longer than three minutes. I don't intend to wait any more. Before we go…" She turned to Amelia and said, "Under the radar." Amelia tilted her head.

"Under the radar. When you get excited, you still let slip idioms from your world. Barely anyone knows what a radar is. Try to say under the 'scope from now on. That one is used, often by Centralis captains." Ah, that was right. Her amazingly sharp and perceptive girlfriend had caught even that little mistake!

From her research at the academy, Amelia had discovered that prototype radars had been made in Cascadia, their bulky and primitive electronic components heavily shielded from aetherfield fluctuations by expensive ferrocrystal alloy plates. While electrical circuits could work, the radars themselves had such a short range—effective only for a dozen metres or so—that they were outclassed by aetherscopes entirely. The aetherfield produced too much noise for a non-crystal-based solution to prosper.

Serena had been amazed when Amelia had told her about how radars from her old world could reliably detect things hundreds of kilometres away on the ground, and millions of kilometres in space. However, even if they could put a radar in space here, it still wouldn't work. Demon aetherphysicists had long observed the existence of a homogenous aetherfield throughout the solar system. Discovering that nugget of information had prompted Amelia to wonder exactly how her world had been 'cut off' from aether itself.

Well, it was yet another mystery to explore in the future! After confirming with Serena that she'd be more careful with her idioms, they approached the door to the Bastet family home. Amelia carried the disguised safe in her right hand, propped up on her right shoulder, and Romulus in her left. They stopped at the entrance, both trying to pretend they couldn't hear the hushed argument going on inside.

"Moons save me…" Serena muttered before raising a hand and giving the door a hard knock. The noise caused the argument to cease, as if a spell were cast over them. Then footsteps sounded, not the heavy tread of Menes, but someone lighter. They approached the door and opened it, bathing them both in the soft, warm light of the Menes family home. Although no one could ever compare to Serena, Amelia was momentarily stunned by the exotic beauty of the woman before them.

She immediately understood why Menes would ramble on about his wife so much. Nefertari Bastet was a slender demon with slender, antelope-style horns. Her hair was black and silky, and it shone, as if it had been treated with modern beauty products. Her skin—an even bronze—seemed to glow under the warm doorway aetherlight. Her facial features were somehow soft and hard at the same time, feminine, but with a prominent nose that only brought out her beauty rather than suppressing it.

She had brilliant yellow eyes, more yellow than any demon she'd seen before. Nefertari opened her mouth, speaking in a rich, exotic accent that tickled Amelia's ears, as she said…

"No, thank you!" And shut the door in their faces.

"... What?" Serena mumbled.

"Uh…" Amelia didn't know what to say.

"Nefi, you must not do that!" Amelia heard Menes say from inside.

"She is a sayyidah. You know this!"

"What I know, husband," Nefertari hissed back, "is how much grief Stanislaw will give me once he finds out I hosted her! Aisha will twist my horns; she's after my position! And, husband, you'd better pray to the Red Moon that Tadashi doesn't find out. Oh, Moons, I can't imagine how much fun he'd have in parliament over this! I'd be laughed out of my seat!"

"This is an important matter, Nefi!"

"So important you won't tell me!?"

"It is a matter for sayyids and sayyidahs. This is our duty! It is not a social visit!"

"Oh, I understand that, husband. The children were so excited to show you their arcwhales, and then when you come back, you pack them off to Azi's! They spent all day hoping to impress you! I spent all day hoping to impress you!" Nefertari's voice suddenly became low and soft.

"I've barely had time with you since you got back, Meni." Amelia and Serena exchanged a look. She was pretty sure her eyes were as wide as her girlfriend's as they both mouthed 'Meni?' to each other.

"It's been so difficult by myself, without you," Nefertari continued, her voice taking on that sly feminine charm both Amelia and Serena had used against each other on multiple occasions.

"I've had to go to Madam Sakina's to distract myself. Now you're here, and I don't want to wait any longer. I was hoping that tonight we could—" Serena knocked again, this time a little faster and a little more aggressively. Although she would never admit it, Amelia could see the slight flushing of her girlfriend's cheeks. Doing her best to suppress a giggle, she wondered just how awkward her proper and highborn girlfriend felt right now.

There was loud silence from the other side of the door, and then another hushed series of discussion as they both hissed variations of 'Let me go!' and 'No, I'll go!' before the door was opened for a second time, revealing both Menes and Nefertari Bastet.

"Evening," Serena intoned.

"A pleasure to meet the wife of Sayyid Bastet." Serena gave a short, Samino bow before continuing, "And my apologies for intruding on you so suddenly and without notice. If there were another option, I would have taken it." Serena gestured to Amelia.

"This is Lia Liona, a close confidante and contracted mage serving on the Vengeance. I am Captain—""I know who you are, Speaker Halen," Nefertari intoned.

"Your name and face have crossed my desk more times than you might think in the last six months. Normally, I would be honoured to host a war hero, Speaker, and newly sanctioned Cascadian Lord, but your presence, the connections you represent, brings great trouble into my home." Amelia didn't need to think long to know that she herself was the connection Nefertari was referring to.

"I understand and apologise for any difficulties, Nefertari Bastet." Serena bowed again.

"I have looked forward to meeting you for some time. I have longed to talk with the woman who tamed Sayyid Bastet."

"Tamed?" Menes grumbled.

"Oh?" Nefertari intoned, smiling for the first time.

"You are polite, but that is expected, of course. And kindly refrain from bowing, Speaker Halen. I am a citizen. I feel uneasy when a Speaker shows such deference. I suppose…" Nefertari sighed, glancing at her husband.

"I can put up with honoured guests for one night. Now, while I've heard so much of you, Speaker Halen…" The demon turned, looking Amelia up and down.

"You, I have never heard of. What's so important about you that had you knocking on the door of a Sayyid with a Speaker? Are you in trouble?"

"Nothing I—we—can't handle," Amelia replied. Then, to quickly establish a rapport with the woman, she used her most reliable let's-be-friends line.

"I like your horns," she chirped.

"They're really pretty!"

"You like my horns…?" Nefertari's hand went up to her antelope-style horns before stopping, as if she'd moved without realising. Bringing her hand down, she crossed her arms and sighed once more.

"You're rather blunt, aren't you?"

"Mmm!"

"You'll fit right in, in the South," Nefertari said, moving to the side.

"Come on in then. We were about to have dinner. I had prepared a small hog for the children, but I guess it's just us now. I'll have to make them something special tomorrow. Quickly now, Speaker Halen, Miss Liona."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Serena intoned, stepping through the entranceway. Amelia followed shortly after. With a peeka in one hand, in she went. Into the den of a bronze shawa.