STORM FROM THE SHADOWS – snippet 84:
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aldona Anisimovna had never expected to be back in the Talbott Cluster this quickly, and for more than one reason.
The mere thought of how disastrously the Monica operation had failed was enough to send cold chills down anyone’s spine — even that of a Mesan alpha line. She’d been more than a little astonished that she and Isabel Bardasano had survived the catastrophic unraveling of the Strategy Council’s carefully crafted plans.
But even allowing for her unanticipated survival, she wouldn’t have imagined she could make the trip back to the Cluster so quickly. Then again, she hadn’t known about the top-secret “streak drive,” either. She was going to have to remember that it had taken her much longer — officially, at least — to make the voyage than it actually had.
And she supposed she might as well go ahead and admit there was another reason for her surprise; she’d never imagined it might be possible to mount a replacement for the disastrous failure in Monica this quickly.
It would have helped if Albrecht — and Isabel — had told me just what we’d really been supposed to achieve last time. Or how many resources were really available, for that matter, she thought as she and her new bodyguard rode the luxurious, if old-fashioned, elevator towards the upcoming meeting. Of course, I’m not sure exactly what else I could have done to make use of them, even if I’d known they were there. And I don’t suppose they could tell me about them . . . not without telling me everything else, at least.
It was amazing how completely her galaxy had shifted with Albrecht’s explanation of what was really going on. A part of her was absolutely stunned that the entire Mesan Strategy Council and all of its deep laid plans and machinations had really been only a part — and not the largest part — of the real strategy she’d served, albeit unknowingly, for so many decades. Another part of her was more than a little irked to discover just how much of what she’d thought she knew, even in an operational sense, had been less than complete or even deliberately falsified. Like the “fact” that the Congo Wormhole hadn’t been properly surveyed before those Audubon Ballroom fanatics took the system away from Mesa, for example, or who’d really been in charge of “her” operation in Monica. Discovering that someone else could manage her puppet strings as well as she’d always prided herself on managing others’ strings hadn’t been especially reassuring. But her irritation over lack of complete information and need-to-know compartmentalization of knowledge was as nothing compared to the sheer shock of what was really happening. Aldona Anisimovna was a hardy soul, yet she was both awed and more than a little terrified by the grand, sweeping scope of the Mesan Alignment’s true objectives and resources.
I thought it was just the usual dogfight over political power, she admitted to herself. And, to be honest, I always thought the political aspects were purely self-defense, a way to protect our operations and our economic power. I never dreamed anyone could be thinking on such a . . . grand scale.
Or that so much of the groundwork could already have been in place.
The elevator stopped. Kyrillos Taliadoros — the newly assigned bodyguard from the same gamma line which had produced Albrecht Detweiler’s bodyguard — stepped through the opening doors first, glancing up and down the corridor. Taliadoros’ physical senses had been sharply enhanced as part of his genotype’s modifications, and Anisimovna knew additional odd bits and pieces of hardware had been surgically implanted to help suit him for his present function. She’d discovered that even Detweiler’s bodyguard’s fearsome reputation actually understated what he was capable of, and the same was true of Taliadoros. Which, in some ways, was almost as frightening as it was comforting.
Then again, a lot of the things she’d had to wrap her mind around in the past couple of weeks were almost as frightening as they were comforting.
She pushed that thought aside and followed Taliadoros out of the elevator when his tiny gesture indicated his satisfaction with their immediate surroundings. He fell back into his properly deferential position at her heels as she led the way down the short corridor, and the ornate secretary seated behind the desk at its far end looked up with a professional smile at her approach.
My, she’s a pretty one, Anisimovna thought appreciatively, taking in the young woman’s flowing raven hair, striking blue eyes, and near-perfect complexion. She’d almost do for one of the pleasure lines without any modification at all. Of course, there is that little mole. And I think her left eyebrow may be just a tad higher than the right. But in her case, that actually helps. I think she’d look . . . too perfect without those little flaws.
“Aldona Anisimovna,” she said aloud. “I believe President Boutin is expecting me.”
“Of course, Ms. Anisimovna.” The secretary’s voice was exactly the right melodious contralto to match her striking appearance, Anisimovna thought appreciatively. “Just a moment.”
She pressed a button on her panel.
“Ms. Anisimovna is here, Mr. President,” she said, and listened to her earbug for a moment. “Yes, Sir,” she said then, and looked back up at Anisimovna. “President Boutin is ready to see you now, Ma’am.” She pressed another button and a rather splendidly decorated door slid open. “Right through that door, Ma’am.”
“Thank you.” Anisimovna smiled a bit more warmly than she normally smiled at servants, then nodded to Taliadoros and the two of them stepped through the open door.
“Excuse me a moment, Ma’am,” a broad shouldered young man said as they entered the anteroom of the luxurious office suite.
“Yes?” Anisimovna gave him a rather cool glance, and he smiled with just a touch of apology.
“I’m afraid some of your bodyguard’s implants have flashed several alarms on our security scans. I’m sorry, but security regulations prohibit allowing someone with unidentified implanted hardware into the President’s presence.”
“I see.” Anisimovna considered him for a moment, then turned to Taliadoros.
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait here for me, Kyrillos,” she said.
“Ma’am, under the regulations, I’m not supposed –” he began, exactly as if they hadn’t already rehearsed this moment.
“I realize it’s against the rules,” her own tone mingled patience with just a touch of brusqueness, “but at the moment, we’re guests on someone else’s planet. It’s only polite of us to abide by their rules and customs.”
“I know that, Ma’am, but –”
“This discussion is finished, Kyrillos,” she said firmly, then smiled. “I’ll take full responsibility, but this time good manners trump the regulations. Anyway, I’m sure the President’s security team is up to the task of protecting me, right along with him, if it comes to that. And I really don’t expect anyone to try to assassinate me in the middle of a meeting with him, anyway.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Taliadoros said with manifest unwillingness, and Anisimovna turned back to the broad shouldered young man.
“I believe that’s settled,” she said crisply.
“Yes, Ma’am. Thank you for being so understanding. If you’ll follow me, please?”
Streak drive, again.
I do hope we get some better explanation on how that works. If it goes as fast as they say it does, I don't think it operates on the same principle as the other drives out there.
The best guess is that the Streak ships are able to reach the Iota hyperspace band.
It works because the author imagined it. What more explanation is necessary?
Let me guess: it tunnels its own portable wormhole. Does it matter?
New drive = whole new ship design. :)
We don't know if it is a replacement for impeller drive (n-space), the Warshawski sail (hyperspace), or neither (stream space?).
I guess the name quantum slipstream drive was taken. :p
So was "infinite improbability drive", even though that's probably the best name ever for one of these FTL plot devices.
Earlier it's said that the streak drive can't be detected by external visual inspection. Therefore it's not a substitute for regular impeller drives – that would be obvious the very first time the ship started moving without impellers! Etc.
The drive is interesting in its our right, but the staged disagreement hsa more potential. Obviously they know he will not be allowed into the President's presense, but is there more? Is he being posted outside to do something? Is this the first time in a coming pattern, so that he will be unremarked later? Clearly they anticipate violence, or at least potential for violence.
J
Anisimovna is from a Mesan Alpha line. She's probably capable of taking everyone in the room out without breaking a sweat. The byplay is to keep other people from noticing. At least, that's what I'm getting out of it.
Streak Drive – It's like Larry Niven's Mark II hyperdrive…
Except drive physics are different here… perhaps it lets them easily translate into the zeta bands? Or rho bands, or omega bands…
Well, we know from Honor of the Queen that Truman bounced her ship off the iota band.
===
"How high did you take her, Commander?"
"Too high. We bounced off the iota wall a day out of Yeltsin."
Despite himself, Alexander flinched. Dear God, she must have taken out all the interlocks. No ship had ever crossed into the iota bands and survived—no one even knew if a ship could survive there.
===
My guess would be that the streak drive simply allows travel in the next band. I recall earlier that the drive would be easily replicated by others. Therefore, it is probably an incrimental improvement of existing technology, rather than something completly new.
Probably get hit with multiple shoes for this, but can't someone please off the (to me) extremely annoying Anisimovna character? Out of all the characters in the entire freaking series she is the only one that fills me with just copious amounts of concentrated bleah… The Detweilers are collectively doing a creditable impersonation of an Evil Overlord(TM) – complete with super-secret weapons / technology (streak drive), programmed uber-henchmen, and what smells like a Glorious Plan for Total Known Space Domination – all fantastic! But Anisimovna… I'm going to have to get the EARC just to find out if she manages to get away yet again when whatever she's up to this time falls apart – yet again. Please DW, surprise me pleasantly with her falling down some stairs or something equally stupid & fatal! <LOL>
I think it would be much more satisfying if it were some completely different technology – especially one that played havoc with 'normal' detection / operations / expectations! (think about what a PITA that could be…) The 'good guys' (basically anyone non-Mesan!) would have to figure out how to deal with it before Really Bad Things happened…
Depends on what characteristics Mesa wants for its Alpha lines. I seem to remember a DW comment that Anisimovna would not want to meet Honor or Thandi Palane in a dark alley. I'd comment that she has shown a healthy fear of taking on bodyguards of this gamma line.
The byplay is more likely to impress on them her importance.