Mari:

  Assessments. That was the term Alynne had used when she informed Mari earlier that morning of the exact schedule.

  They weren’t tests.

  “Thank you for joining us, Mari.” Karin sat at the head of a long table where all of Mari’s teachers were seated, with an open seat for Mari herself at the opposite end.

  “Happy to be here, Ma’am.” Mari gave a firm salute with rigid posture before taking her seat.

  Karin smiled at her, but the teachers, in most cases, just glared or scowled with open disdain. The least offensive in the room ignored her presence entirely.

  “Let’s get this over with.” Her physics teacher acted like he couldn’t wait to be rid of her.

  “What are your goals, Mari? Tell me what you want to accomplish for your own future, short or long term.” Karin asked, completely ignoring the man who’d cut into the conversation.

  Her answer barely needed a moment's hesitation.

  “For one thing, I’ve learned that Marielle, my predecessor, still lives. My most immediate personal goal is to find her. A broader goal would be to help you with that confidential matter we spoke of in that council meeting.” Mari replied coolly.

  Karin regarded her closely, eyes narrowed. “And what about that message regarding potential outbreaks from the bio weapon in other parts of the world? Are they something you’d take an interest in helping with?”

  Mari took a second to consider that. Her gut reaction was to say she would. It was that impulse Marielle had towards saving the lives of people in a broader sense. And even when she truly considered it… “I would save lives if it was within my power. No matter the personal cost.”

  Another smile. Karin turned to the teachers, eyes sweeping over where they flanked the table. “Esteemed instructors of our school. I did not bring Mari here to reassess her knowledge. I brought you all here to convey an understanding. None of the cloned humans are to be mistreated. They are not targets for hatred. They are guests from beyond our world, and are to be treated with diplomatic regard at all times.”

  “Lady Councilor, you cannot expect us all to forget the horrors of humanity towards our forebears, can you?” The physics teacher piped up, sounding offended by the very notion.

  Karin’s expression turned sour. “Would you lay the blame for crimes committed by native humans of Sylpharia at the feet of humans who came from another planet entirely? Surely you are not an irrational fool. Mari was a commander of a foreign vessel who was cloned and experimented on by the empire. She is not only a victim, but a foreign dignitary as well. I suggest you find some compassion in your cold, dead heart before she decides to lay the blame for her own capture and mistreatment at the feet of all of us. A rather ironic outcome, given your lack of sense for nuance.”

  The room seemed to chill at the words. Mari hadn’t given that line of thought any consideration, but it made sense.

  “Furthermore,” Karin continued, “she is agreeing to assist us with potential mass casualty events despite how she has been treated. If Mari is not benevolent and gracious beyond any resident of our planet, I am not sure who the terms could define properly.”

  “Ma’am.” Mari interjected politely. At a nod, she continued, “I was wondering if you could explain the real reason for this meeting?”

  A smile returned to Karin’s face, and she warmed a bit. “Originally, the plan was for you to be assessed for the skills and knowledge you gained from your memories being restored. Instead, it came to my attention that my methods in handling the school have been lacking. I chose to attend today in order to correct that failing.”

  One of the teachers opened her mouth, about to protest, but was cut off by Karin continuing unimpeded.

  “I have left things be in order to maintain support for my position. I apologize for this. And, in light of the foreign diplomatic status of every cloned human in the city, I needed to make it clear how humans should be treated within the city as a whole going forward. If I hear word that any teacher or student attempts to harm that diplomatic envoy, I will expel them from the city, and have them delivered to Hallitheen.”

  Every face in the room paled.

  “You can’t be serious!”

  Karin glared at the physics teacher, silencing him.

  “Just because it is a penal colony of sorts does not mean you are immune to being relocated there. I want to believe that after winning our freedom, we can rise above the way the empire treated us. I am sorely disappointed in how many of you have treated our guests. We’ve acted like the monsters we deposed for far too long.”

  Mari felt a bit of admiration welling up in her. Karin was really willing to risk the support of the city to push for change. Marking her fellow clones as diplomats was the best way to make an official move that Mari could think of.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The question was whether it would stick.

  She had a sour feeling that there would still be humans being jumped in alleys or excluded from certain portions of society. The attempt mattered, though. It would just put Karin’s reputation to the test.

  “As for Mari’s education, I cannot allow her to remain in school. She has too many things occupying her time. Consider this official notice that she will no longer be attending your courses as a student. Do not be surprised if she serves as a guest instructor on occasion, either. You all are dismissed.” Karin stood and buttoned the jacket of her suit-like outfit.

  Mari waited as the teachers filed out, each grumbling to one another in hushed tones.

  Then Constance entered the room and gestured something that Mari didn’t quite see.

  “Thank you, dear. Mari, join me, if you would.” Karin didn’t wait, striding out the door.

  Mari hurried to follow along, and finally strode side-by-side with her mother-in-law. “What do you need?”

  “Upon hearing of the threat of afflicted creatures spreading elsewhere, I deployed teams of investigators to find anything they could on the whereabouts of the risk areas. Stacy just informed me that the first teams arrived at their destinations. I want to create a working relationship with you, given your talents. I’ll help you find Marielle, for example. In return, when I have information on any risks, I’ll keep you in the loop, hopefully you can help where you have time.”

  Mari considered the request for a few moments, then nodded. “I can do that.”

  “Thank you.” Karin glanced at her as they walked, heading down a set of stairs that led towards the first sublevel. “How much of a lead do you have on Marielle’s location?”

  “Not much. Just a place I’ve never heard of. Uriel Point? Some sort of special facility there.” Mari shrugged, but quietly hoped for more from Karin.

  Instead, the footsteps behind them stopped.

  Both Karin and Mari paused and looked back in unison, seeing Constance looking more than a little shocked.

  “Something wrong?” Karin inquired, sounding concerned.

  ‘I know where that is.’ Constance responded, signing fluidly.

  “Really?” Mari only received a nod in reply, then Constance hesitated before sighing and striding out ahead of them, descending quickly to the deeper sublevels as they followed. Within a few minutes, they’d arrived in the meeting room where Marielle had done her linguistic analysis of the warship headed their way.

  Instead of her usual sign language, Constance began using one of the room’s terminals to manipulate the screen at one side of the room. It filled with text as she typed what she wanted to say.

  [Uriel Point is where a secret experimental research facility was built. It started as a genetic research site, but later was adapted for other uses.]

  The display finally loaded a global map, which homed in on the continent north of Elitheen, just across the equator from their home. Some distance north and east of them was a small peninsula that displayed nothing but craggy rocks and sparse vegetation.

  “Doesn’t look like much.” Mari grumbled as she tried to spot any entrances to underground bunkers or anything.

  [Uriel is the name of the Archmage who placed the suggestion over our world that compels us to cure and root out the bio plague.]

  That had her pause. Karin leaned into the table as she studied the map. “So that is where he cast his grand spell from?”

  [No.]

  They both paused to let her elaborate.

  Instead, Constance began drawing something on the map with something oddly similar to a paint tool from Earth’s computers.

  In the ocean off the coast of Uriel Point was a roughly triangular shape about half the size of Elitheen’s entire continental mass.

  [Hidden from detection is an elven space cruiser. An abandoned one. Uriel Point’s secret facility is the only way to access that ship. The emperor believed the diagram for the compulsion spell was somewhere aboard the abandoned ship, but all who enter perish from an unknown condition.]

  “How do you know about the place?” Mari asked, shocked by the wealth of information.

  [It is where my tongue was cut out. The emperor brought me there and decided he didn’t want me to tell anyone what I had seen there.]

  That was depressing enough. The emperor was a real monster. It was little surprise if Constance had killed him over the awful things he had done to her. Mari was sure she’d have done the same.

  “I appreciate you telling me. Did you see Marielle there, possibly?”

  Constance shook her head.

  [There were a lot of experimental labs. I doubt I saw all of them.]

  Karin turned towards Mari. “Get ready to investigate for yourself. You can even bring a team, if you want. If you handle that quickly, I should have information about any areas at risk by the time you return. Any ideas who you’d like to bring?”

  Mari settled into a chair and considered the question.

  “Kris wouldn’t let me go without her. Vilke won’t let me go without him, either. Barclay is an easy choice to ask. Anise would be a huge help. That means we’d have my long-range skills, Kris’ magic catalysts, Vilke’s general infantry experience, Barclay as an explosives expert, and Anise as a completely bullshit force of nature.”

  [You’ll need someone experienced with Sylpharien technology.]

  That was a frustrating requirement to try to meet. Except… Mari smirked as she had a thought. There had been something about her being given the same level of authorization as the emperor himself.

  “I think I’ll be able to get by just fine. The real question is how we can keep in touch with all of you while we’re away. I have a few ideas, but I’ll need time to work them out. I’ll look into it while gearing up the team.”

  Karin finished considering whatever was on her mind. “Out of your group suggestions, I do not have any major concerns, though Anise is teaching a course at the school right now. Mister Brooks will hopefully be able to manage without her for a while, I suppose. Barclay is injured, so it will delay your departure. Otherwise, I suppose there aren’t any real issues.”

  Mari nodded, then saluted before turning to leave. “I should go see about getting the gear I’ll need.”

  “Mari.” Karin made her pause briefly. “Keep Kris safe. I know you said you would, but really, I mean it.”

  Mari turned around, approached the woman, and hugged her. “I’ll be right by her side every step of the way. I’ll do everything I can to keep her safe. She means as much to me as she does to you.”

  When they separated, Karin had actual tears in her eyes. A rare break in her placid facade. Next to her, Constance had approached, and stepped in close to console her wife. The blonde woman gave Mari a firm nod before the couple shared a moment, and she let them be alone together.

  Mari had preparations to make, after all. And she would need a lot of affliction to craft the gear she would be using. Her first destination was the stored blood samples at the hospital.

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