Freedom, Humanity, and Other Delusions (Death's Handmaiden Book 3) Read online

  Mitsuko’s grin was broader. ‘Of course, we’re the best.’

  Nava reappeared carrying a tray, this time with a coffee pot and a jug of lemonade on it: it was warmer outside than it had been on their last visit. She lifted her head. ‘Kyle, put her down, your drinks are here.’

  A few seconds later, Kyle and Courtney came in from the hall. Kyle headed straight for the back to dump his bag. ‘You know, it’s natural for a woman to miss her fiancé,’ Courtney commented.

  ‘Of course it is,’ Nava replied. ‘We’re just naturally concerned about brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.’

  ‘That’s not even logical!’

  ‘So you say,’ Mitsuko replied.

  Then Kyle returned, a puzzled frown on his face. ‘Courtney, why’s the bed in the middle of the room?’

  ~~~

  ‘Somehow,’ Mitsuko said, ‘I don’t think it’s really right for me to welcome our new captain of the SSF to the council,’ Mitsuko said.

  ‘Allow me to deputise,’ Darius said. ‘Nava Greyling, welcome to the student council. I’m sure we all wish you the best of luck in your new role.’

  It was not the first time Nava had sat in on a council meeting, but it was the first time she had done so as an official member. It did not really feel any different, but she did get to sit in a different position, on Mitsuko’s left rather than the end of the table. ‘Thank you, Darius. Things are off to a good start. Hopefully, they will continue in that fashion.’

  ‘I think Courtney made a good choice as her successor,’ Francis said, smiling broadly. ‘I can’t wait to see what your plans are.’

  ‘Suki hasn’t mentioned them?’

  ‘In broad strokes, I guess. The training idea is pretty big.’

  ‘Have you thought of opening that up to other students?’ Marie asked. ‘I bet more than just the SSF members would be interested.’

  ‘We’ll see how it goes,’ Nava replied. ‘There may be some issues with conflicts between what the ASF teach and what the school wants taught, but we’ll see. Maybe next year we could offer it to additional students.’ Marie nodded at that; it seemed like a reasonable plan. ‘So, Madam President, what do we have planned for this meeting?’

  Mitsuko grimaced. ‘You’re going to call me that a lot, aren’t you?’

  ‘As long as you keep reacting to it.’

  ‘Hm. Esteemed Secretary, what’s on the agenda today?’

  Melissa grimaced. ‘This isn’t going to become a thing, is it? Uh, welcoming the new captain. Check. We have fourteen weeks until summer break, so it’s time for the interim report from the chairman of the EAC on progress toward the competition teams.’ Melissa looked at Francis. ‘Revered Chairman?’

  Francis grimaced. ‘That makes me sound like some ancient priest. Or a monk. Do I have to shave my head?’

  ‘I don’t believe there’s a shaver that could handle your hair,’ Mitsuko said. ‘How are the teams going? Aside from anything, Naomi’s visiting and he’s bound to ask.’

  ‘Okay. Well, things seem to be going pretty well. We’ve got a strong MagiTag team…’

  Nava settled back in her seat and let Francis’s words float in by osmosis. She had enough processing power to handle listening while she worked on her plans for the SSF. Maybe attending these meetings would even turn out to be productive. Well, hope springs eternal.

  ~~~

  Naomi was standing outside the student council room when they exited after the meeting. There was the usual round of greetings, as would be expected of a group of friends who have not seen a member for a while. They were all expecting him to walk off with Francis to discuss the summer games teams. Instead…

  ‘I was wondering whether I could have a quick word, Melissa,’ Naomi said.

  Melissa blinked. ‘With me? I mean, yes. Of course you can.’ She moved to one side with him. Behind her, Nava and Mitsuko moved to a safe distance before coming to a stop with their back to Naomi and Melissa. ‘What was it you wanted?’ Melissa asked.

  ‘Well…’

  ~~~

  ‘So, how was it?’ Melissa was barely in the door before Mitsuko was asking. It was not yet nine o’clock, not very late at all, and everyone was there. Somewhat to Melissa’s surprise, even Courtney and Kyle were waiting for her return before making it an early night.

  ‘It was… good,’ Melissa said. She was still a little in shock. Naomi Himura Sonkei, the taciturn giant Melissa had said was intimidating to his face, had asked her out for dinner. He had asked her out for dinner! She had said yes before she had really thought about it.

  ‘Just good?’

  Melissa walked over to the sofa and sat down. ‘Well… Yes. The meal was nice. Naomi had a steak. Somehow, that wasn’t surprising.’

  ‘He does like beef,’ Kyle commented. ‘I mean, he probably needs it to keep up all that muscle.’

  ‘You’re one to talk,’ Courtney said.

  ‘He’s not great at small talk,’ Melissa went on, ‘but we managed to have a conversation that wasn’t all about work. It… I think… It was quite nice, actually. I still don’t understand why he did it. Why would Naomi Himura want to take me out for dinner?’

  ‘I should have thought that was obvious,’ Mitsuko said.

  Nava lifted a hand and started ticking off points on her fingers. ‘One, you’re stacked and that’s far from your only attractive feature. Two, you’re smart and I believe Naomi would value a woman who is somewhere in the same league as him on that measure.’

  ‘Three,’ Courtney said, ‘you’re quite small and a lot of big men have a thing for smaller women. Believe me on this, height is not always an advantage.’ Kyle grinned and patted Courtney’s head gently.

  ‘Four, you’ve demonstrated that you have courage,’ Nava continued. ‘I believe that would be another factor Naomi would value. Five, you’ve spent a lot of the last year working together, so he’s familiar with you. I think he may be a little shy of women, or unused to dealing with them in a social capacity anyway, so having the opportunity to get to know you is likely to be an advantage.’

  ‘Four B,’ Mitsuko said, ‘you’ve actually stood up to him. You’ve made jokes about him being intimidating while admitting you’re intimidated by him. That takes courage. And five B, I don’t think he was especially happy that you were intimidated by him. Especially after he stepped down as chairman.’

  ‘Now I think about it,’ Kyle said, ‘he has mentioned your name more than I’d expect. He asked a couple of times if Courtney mentioned you in any of her messages. Made it out like he was just interested in council business. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.’

  Courtney rolled her eyes. ‘Men.’

  ‘About the only thing standing in your way right now,’ Mitsuko said, ‘is that you’re still sixteen, but that changes in the summer. And there’s nothing to really stop you dating before then, so long as you both control yourselves.’

  ‘Sixth of August, right?’ Kyle asked, getting a nod from Melissa in reply. ‘About four weeks after our training finishes. Naomi’s sure to be posted on Shinden, given that he’s a Sonkei, so by the time he’s settled into his new position, you’ll be able to take things any way you like.’

  No one else seemed to be about to add anything, so Melissa said, ‘Oh. I guess, when you put it like that, maybe it’s not so strange.’

  ‘And the signs have been there,’ Mitsuko said. ‘I admit that I didn’t notice until the last time he was here, but in retrospect… Did you notice sooner, Nava?’

  ‘Perhaps,’ Nava replied. ‘I was only sure he was interested on his last visit. Then again, I didn’t get to see them interacting as much as you did.’ She turned her attention to Melissa. ‘You can rest assured that this is not entirely out of the blue, Mel, and that there are logical reasons why Naomi would be interested in you. I don’t think logic is required – just look at me and Suki.’

  ‘Or me and Kyle,’ Courtney added.

  ‘However, there is logic ther
e if you need it.’

  ‘More importantly,’ Mitsuko said, ‘did he get a goodnight kiss?’

  Melissa’s cheeks coloured. That almost certainly meant a positive answer. ‘It wasn’t, you know, a big kiss.’

  ‘Well, at least it seems to be a mutual attraction.’

  ‘Well, yeah. Who wouldn’t be interested in a big, strong man who’s into you?’

  ‘Me,’ Mitsuko said.

  ‘And me,’ Nava added.

  ‘Oh, well, you’re in love so it doesn’t count.’

  236/5/12.

  ‘Why don’t you look particularly happy?’ Mitsuko asked. ‘Aside from the fact that you’ve just seen Kyle off on the train again.’

  Courtney frowned as she flopped onto the sofa. Melissa, who had been out to see Naomi off, settled down beside her. ‘Kyle was telling me about his plans for after his training,’ Courtney said. ‘He thinks he’s likely to spend his first year on Beherbergen.’

  ‘Oh,’ Mitsuko said. ‘I see why you might be a little displeased.’

  ‘I’m not displeased. He feels like he needs to give something back to his home world, even if he leaves for good afterward. It’s just… Beherbergen is a hundred and thirty-four light years away. I probably won’t see him at all for over a year.’

  ‘Then again,’ Nava said, ‘you’ll graduate here and almost certainly end up doing the same training he’s doing. Then they’ll put you through law enforcement training. If Kyle requests a transfer back here after Beherbergen, you could end up on the same law enforcement course. If I recall correctly, basic training is normally carried out where you’re recruited, but officer and law enforcement training is only done on Shinden.’

  ‘Are you trying to cheer me up?’

  ‘Not especially. Just providing perspective. Though, I was thinking of retiring to the sento with a cold drink, and you being excessively dismal won’t make for a pleasant bath.’

  ‘Huh.’ Courtney got to her feet again. ‘Sounds like a plan. I’ll try not to be too dismal then.’

  236/5/21.

  They were not using one of the larger lecture theatres, so the small audience did not look too small. Still, all of the members of the SSF – twenty students plus Nava – a couple of members of faculty who had asked to attend, the VP, Fawn Tyrell, Courtney, and Mitsuko were there for the first lecture from an ASF instructor on policing. Courtney was there by special dispensation; as the ex-captain, she was interested, and the course would be useful to her. Mitsuko was there as student president to welcome the ASF officer. Technically, Joslyn Harris was there as VP to do the same, but there was a suggestion that she wanted to keep tabs on things too.

  Fawn, of course, was there as the liaison officer who had set it all up. ‘Let me introduce Captain Takuma Ishikawa Sonkei,’ she said, indicating the man standing to her right. ‘He’s an instructor in police procedure and law.’

  Takuma was a tall, slim man with the suggestion of muscle hiding under his ASF uniform. He was an Ishikawa, so his Japanese ancestry was probably fairly pure. He had a rather intense, shrewd look about him. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you all,’ he said.

  ‘Captain, this is Joslyn Harris Daison, the school’s vice principal, Nava Greyling Sonkei, captain of the SSF, Mitsuko Trenton Sonkei, student president, and Courtney Martell Garavain, who led the SSF until Nava took over recently.’

  ‘Welcome to SAS-squared, Captain Takuma Ishikawa,’ Joslyn said. ‘Or, welcome back, I think.’

  Takuma smiled slightly. ‘Yes, I graduated from here seven years ago. Is the principal still…’

  ‘Whatever phrase you’re looking for, I’m sure he is.’ Joslyn’s smile was a little tight, but she was smiling.

  ‘Thank you for doing this, Captain Takuma Ishikawa,’ Nava said, before that conversation could go further.

  ‘The ASF thanks you, Captain Nava Greyling, for this opportunity,’ Takuma said. ‘If this experiment is successful, we’ll possibly see more better-quality recruits entering our ranks.’

  ‘I guess we’ll see how it goes. Shall we get started?’

  ‘This is going to be basic police procedures, right?’ Courtney asked before Takuma could reply.

  ‘That’s correct, Courtney Martell,’ Takuma said. ‘It’s the kind of thing you’d normally learn in the basic policing course and you may already know it all, but I will also be providing some of the legal framework behind the procedures to explain them.’

  ‘Sounds great. Like Nava said, let’s get going.’

  Takuma gave a nod. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing how the students react. Let’s find out.’

  236/5/22.

  ‘All in all,’ Mitsuko said, ‘I thought it went rather well. No one fell asleep. That’s a good sign.’

  ‘That’s a fairly low bar you’re setting, Suki,’ Darius pointed out.

  ‘Maybe, but we passed it.’

  A lunchtime meeting of the student council was in session, mainly to discuss the previous night’s lecture. It was not theoretically council business, but it did affect the school’s relationship with the ASF, so it had been deemed appropriate that Nava give progress reports. Nava was happy with that since it got her impressions written up by Melissa, rather than her having to compile a report herself.

  ‘As Suki said,’ Nava said, ‘it seemed to go down well with most of the audience.’

  ‘Most?’ Darius asked.

  ‘I’m keeping an eye on one. I’d rather not give a name at this point. It may simply be a matter of that one being a little bored. Otherwise, I learned something. The feedback I’ve had from several other members is similar.’

  ‘I learned something,’ Mitsuko said. ‘I’m not sure I’ll go into policing after graduation, but it was interesting learning about it.’

  ‘You’re welcome to sit in on other lectures if you wish. No one had trouble with the content. Captain Takuma Ishikawa seems to have understood the level needed for his audience well. I’ll be sending him some feedback over the weekend to let him adjust things as he thinks he needs to, but I think we can go ahead with the two additional lectures planned for next week without delays. We’ll also be kicking off the forensic analysis course next week, beginning with an introductory lecture and planning to introduce lab work by week three.’

  ‘Uh, the school has indicated they can make lab space available as required,’ Melissa said, ‘but there will need to be a faculty member from the school present. It’s health and safety. No way around it.’

  ‘I don’t suppose they gave us a list of teachers willing to handle that?’ Nava asked.

  ‘No such luck. I think Hoshi might be a suitable candidate, though. If it’s once a week, for a good cause, and especially if it was temporary until we could get others involved, I bet we could persuade her to do it.’

  ‘We’ll see how things work out. I’ll contact Joslyn Harris tomorrow and ask who might be available. It’s Chess’s birthday soon.’

  ‘What’s that got to do with– Oh, he’ll be seventeen. Right. Yes. They might be busy in the evenings.’

  Mitsuko giggled. ‘I’m sure she could spare a couple of hours a week.’

  Nava looked at her girlfriend. ‘I remember you when we first hooked up. I am not discounting them vanishing into a room and not coming out until winter.’

  ‘I was not that bad! Not… quite… that bad. I think it’s time we moved on to another subject.’

  Francis grinned. ‘I don’t know. I could stand to hear more.’

  ‘I’m president. I get to say when the subject gets changed.’ Pause. ‘I’ll pout, you know. Don’t think I won’t!’

  236/5/25.

  ‘What’s up with you?’ Melissa asked, keeping her voice fairly low. She was walking beside Rochester after lunch. There would be a council meeting sometime soon, but she had a few minutes. ‘It’s your birthday. You’ve just turned seventeen. You look like someone drowned your puppy.’

  ‘There’s nothing–’ Rochester began. Then he gave up on the ridiculous de
nial and tried a different way. ‘It’s nothing you need to worry about.’

  ‘Chess, we’re friends. If you’re worried about something, you can talk to me.’

  ‘It’s… private.’

  Melissa’s eyes widened. ‘You’re worried about being with Hoshi tonight.’ The strangling noise she got in reply was a definite indication that she had hit the nail squarely on the head. ‘I assume you’re going out. Or are you just staying–’

  ‘We’re going out. I-I am to have my first alcoholic b-beverage. Hoshi claims she’ll need one t-too. Then we’ll be returning to her apartment. I will be spending the n-night for the f-f-first t-time.’

  ‘Breathe. You’re getting incoherent.’ Melissa sighed and came to a stop, turning to face her ex-lover. Rochester stopped out of habit. ‘Look, Chess, you don’t have anything to worry about. Unless you go a bit far with the Dutch courage. Don’t get drunk before your first time with her. You never had any trouble satisfying me. Why should Hoshi be any different? I don’t get the feeling that she’s enormously experienced and we got up to a few fairly kinky things while we were together. You’ve got stamina and a good recovery time. She’s willing. Hell, she’s waited this long, so she’s patient. I hope the two of you have a really wild night and wake up with sore heads. And other sore parts. But you don’t need to worry. Just do what comes naturally.’

  Rochester regarded her for a second or two and then nodded. ‘You’re right, of course. I shouldn’t be nervous. Thank you, Mel. Thank you very much for that.’

  Nodding in return, Melissa turned and set off again after Nava and Mitsuko. That had been a lot easier than she had expected. Giving your first boyfriend away to another woman. Encouraging him to go to someone else. That seemed like it should have been harder. Maybe it would have been before Nava and Mitsuko, and now Naomi’s interest. She was, she realised, over the failure of her first love affair. That was a revelation she could live with.