Inna stared at her mother, almost defiantly. She hated owning Ammer, even though she was proud – hell, awed – that he trusted her enough to place control of his life in her hands. And she was determined to be worthy of that trust.
She hadn’t told him, but she’d given Loona a signed, undated bill of sale transferring ownership back to her; she wanted to make sure that if Ammer ever wanted out, he could get out – and while she didn’t think that she’d ever succumb to the temptation of preventing him from leaving her, she didn’t want the temptation to even exist.
She wanted to make sure that her ownership of Ammer was neither shackles nor cage. It was morally repugnant that he required an “owner,” and though he did, she owed it to him to be as protective of his freedom as she possibly could, looking forward to the day that she didn’t have to serve as one anymore. No, she had no interest in owning Ammer, and she was disgusted that she had to.
But despite all that, there was exactly one good thing about it – it would infuriate her mother.
Xene fought to retain her composure; Inna took the brief flicker of a frown as a major victory. “Do you now?” was all Xene said, but there was ice behind the question.
“So how…how do you date someone you own?” Danae said. She looked back and forth between Ammer and Inna, realizing how awful it would be if she had been owned by, say, her boyfriend her first year in college. He’d taken their breakup hard; what if he’d just refused to let her go?
“It requires a lot of trust,” Ammer said. “And I trust Inna with everything I have. Nobody in all the galaxy I’d trust more.”
“And it requires me,” Inna said, “to ignore that I own him, to never treat him like I own him. To be worthy of that trust – as if anyone can be.”
“You can be, Inna,” Ammer said quietly, with his first genuine smile in some time.
“Nobody can,” she reiterated, shaking her head sadly. “But I always look at the people who’ve made it work – like the Freemans, or Rep. Armac and her family. They accept it as a necessary evil, but they refuse to believe it has moral force. They recognize that sentient beings shouldn’t own each other, that it’s simply and inconceivably wrong. They – and we – may follow the law. But only as far as we absolutely must.”
“But humans have been owned for centuries,” Xene said. “And many of them are quite content.”
“Many, sure,” Ammer said. “But many aren’t, and what recourse do they have? None. They have no choice in their lives. Technically, I don’t either – it’s only because I know Inna would never exercise her rights as my owner that I’m able to let her own me. I trust her – but that still doesn’t make it easy.”
Xene barely glanced at Ammer. “So you let him live with you?” she asked Inna.
“I have for some time now,” Inna said, defiantly. “Just like you and dad did, before you were engaged.”
“That was different,” Fortis said.
“Was it now?” Inna said with just the hint of a grin.
“Well…yes. We were both…I mean….”
“Both free people?” Inna asked.
“Yes,” Xene said. “And you cannot tell me that is not a difference.”
“Well, maybe it was,” Ammer said, quietly. “It’s a rather personal decision, and one that isn’t worth attacking each other about. People will just end up with hurt feelings, don’t you think?”
Xene raised an eyebrow at that. The little creep was smarter than she expected. She looked back at Inna, who smirked back at her.
“Well then. I believe the main course is ready; Fortis, would you care to bring it in? I’m sorry, Inna, it’s lelamin; I know humans don’t generally like spicy food.”
“Not an option if you work in the legislature, Ms. Lektas; in fact, I’m quite fond of lelamin. Nothing like a good dish from the Core.”
Barely acknowledging him, Xene rose to get the serving dishes – which had not happened in the Lektas household in many years.
* * *
“That was really quite excellent, not least because my brother’s paying,” Miguel said with a smile, raising a glass of wine in Ted’s direction.
“Which is why you chose simsteak, right?” Ted said with a grin.
“Yes, because my husband is awful,” Imani said, covering her eyes with her hand. “We’ll split this, Ted.”
“Naw, we’ll pay for this,” Miguel said. “I never thought I’d see you engaged, Ted, it’s worth it.”
“I think you said there wasn’t a girl alive dumb enough to marry me.”
“No, I said there wasn’t a girl on Earth who’d marry you. You were smart enough to branch out,” Miguel teased. “And then you managed to snag yourself a woman who was almost as amazing as my wife, which I absolutely didn’t see coming. I’d marry her fast, Ted, before she catches on.”
“You two never stop, do you?” Juan sighed. “And neither of you is getting this, I believe the father of the groom pays this check.”
“I could intervene,” Tig said with a grin. “I don’t think any of you will argue with me if I offer to pay.”
“Like fun,” Miguel said. “You may be tall, but you aren’t fast enough to steal the check.”
“I’ve already got an account here,” Ted said. “You’re all out of luck.”
“Fine, fine,” Miguel said. “But don’t say I didn’t try.”
“Never would,” Ted said. “Now, what would you all like to do next? I was going to take you on a quick tour of the embassy, at least the parts human visitors can go to. We just need to get a holoemitter for Tig.”
“There is another option,” Tig said.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, we could rent a viewbox. Is anyone afraid of heights?”
Ted chuckled, as Dora said, “No, but…what’s a viewbox?”
“I thought you said they made you feel like a pack mule,” Ted said.
“Pack seltam, and yeah, well, it’s family. You do for family, that’s what my parents always said.” Tig looked over at Dora. “A viewbox – it’s basically an observation deck for humans that Titans can wear around their neck. It’s nicely stabilized, and very safe, as long as you aren’t a daredevil like my fiancé.”
“No, he got all the daredevil in the family,” Mike said. “So you’re saying you could take us all over the embassy grounds?”
“Well…I would cover ground quicker….”
“I think it’s a fine idea,” Dora said, “but not if it makes you feel self-conscious, chiquita.”
“No,” Tig said. “I’m starting to get over the self-consciousness. You’ve…you’ve really been kind.”
“It’s easy to be kind to someone who’s kind,” Juan said with a grin. “And I think I can say with certainty that my grandson – indeed, any grandsons – will have good luck with whomever they marry; it’s a family gift. After all, every Martínez in this room seems to have done very well with his partner, far better than any of us deserve.”
“Amen,” Mike said.
“Damn right,” Ted agreed.
“Well,” Imani said, “I can’t speak for mamá or Tig, but I’m always grateful for my husband.”
“You can speak for me, chula.”
“And me,” Tigoni said. “I think we all should just consider ourselves lucky, frankly.”
“To our wives, our husbands, present and future,” Juan said, raising a glass. When they all had finished, Tig punched a few lines into her pad. She did feel self-conscious, still, but she was determined to work through it, because she wasn’t going to let a little bit of self-consciousness prevent her from treating her new family to a nice tour.
* * *
Dinner was complete, and Fodis and Danae were busy clearing the table. Inna looked at Ammer with a half-smile; her mother wasn’t fooling anyone, and Inna was pretty well done with her. Through dinner and dessert, Ammer had chatted amiably, even deferentially. And her father and sister had at least attempted to engage him.
Her mother had not addressed him once. Not directly.
It was very Xene Lektas, the passive-aggressive nature of the attack. She turned to her mother, and shook her head just a bit, as if to say, not good enough, mom. Not even close.
Xene stared back at her daughter, a disgusted look briefly flashing across her face. When the last dishes had been cleared, as Inna was about to grab her boyfriend and take her leave, Xene made her move.
“Inna, dear,” she said, smooth as satin. “Why don’t you go help your father and sister wash up. I’d like a chance to talk to Mr. Smit alone.”
Alarm bells went off in Inna’s mind. Huge, red warning sirens that told her she should get out, now, and take Ammer with. But before she could communicate that to Ammer, he had said, evenly, “What a lovely invitation, Ms. Lektas.”
“Yes,” Inna said, staring daggers at her mother. “It is, isn’t it? I’ll be right through that door if anyone needs me,” Inna said, in the same silky smooth tone her mother had used.
When the door was securely closed, Xene looked at Ammer, her bathetic smile not wavering. “So, Mr. Smit, shall we stop pretending?”
Ammer leaned back, folded his arms, and smiled his most insincere smile in response. “Ms. Lektas, I thought you’d never ask.”
“There is a colony of free humans on Avalon. I know, it may be difficult for you to get there on your own. But I will guarantee safe passage to there for you, if you promise never to see my daughter again.”
Ammer couldn’t help it. He laughed out loud.
“Something funny about that? It’s a generous offer, much more generous than my next one will be.”
Ammer rubbed his eyes. “I’ve been to Avalon, Ms. Lektas. Many, many times. Spent much of my life there. Could go back any time I wanted, in a private, luxury shuttle.”
Xene scoffed. “And who would fly a human around in a luxury shuttle?”
“Who owns Avalon?” Ammer said, with a grin. “Give you a hint: your daughter works for her.”
“Please. Pryvani Tarsuss? You expect me to believe….”
Ammer didn’t answer. He pulled out his pad, and moved over to contacts. “I can call her, or call the Floor Leader, or a half-dozen other people slightly below her level. Which one would you like to talk to? Oh, hey, there’s Rep. Florga. He’s the chair of the Judiciary committee – but you know that.”
“You’re lying. They’d take a call from a human?”
“Yes,” Ammer said, his smile fading, and his fury bubbling to the surface. “All of them. And the only reason I haven’t dialed them is that I have too much self-respect to abuse my relationship with them for personal gain. But rest assured, Ms. Lektas, any deal you offer me to leave Inna? I can do better. And that ignores the fact that I would quit my job and live in penury, give up every shred of power and dignity I have, if it would allow me to stay with Inna.”
“You little insect,” Xene said, her smile evaporating in turn. “You’re nothing. You’re a pet. A tupp. A worm. You are not good enough for my daughter.”
“I’m not a pet, nor a tupp, nor a worm, but you’re right. I don’t see how I’m good enough for Inna. That said, it’s really her decision,” Ammer said.
“No,” Xene said, rising. “It’s mine.” She rose from the table, and walked toward Ammer. It was remarkable, he thought, how much she resembled Inna. Not just physically – though the only real difference there was age, a bit of weight, and blonde hair.
No, it was in her mannerisms, her bearing. He could see what she was thinking, see what wheels were turning in her head. He knew she was furious – he’d seen Inna there, though only occasionally at him.
But then he saw her expression change, change to something utterly alien. And he suddenly, for the first time all night, began to really worry.
He dropped the pad as she wrenched him from his seat.
* * *
“So, Ted…how on Earth do you convince a girl the size of a building to fall for you?” Miguel said.
“I can hear you, you know,” a mirthful voice drifted down from a few stories above.
Mike looked up at the chin of the woman above him, and said, “Don’t worry, dear, I’m getting to you next.”
“Look,” Ted said, “I will freely admit there is no good reason Tig should be marrying me when she could pretty much pick from the whole universe, but then, Imani married you, and that’s no less unlikely.”
“You’ll find,” Imani called up, “that they do actually love each other. I think if they saw each other more they might even express it.”
“Oh, I can tell,” Tig said with a chuckle. “They sound a lot like my sister and me. Incidentally, Mike, you should know that Simene asked me how a human could ignore all my many flaws, given that they were enormous to him.”
“And as I told Simene, I haven’t actually noticed any flaws. At which point she asked how many planets I’d crashed into by mistake.”
Tig chuckled; they were walking through the link between the visitors’ area and the embassy proper. Well, to be precise, she was walking, Ted and his family were riding. It certainly was quicker; she was moving somewhat faster than the automated trams.
“So chiquita, have your parents met Ted yet?”
“My parents adore Ted,” Tig said. “My dad’s a commercial pilot, he keeps going on about how brave you’d have to be to be the first captain of a warp vessel. If anything, they’re not sure how I’m good enough for him.”
“And the species thing? They don’t mind?” Mike said.
“My mom’s an activist and a bit of an iconoclast, and my dad…well, he married her; they’re kind of thrilled that I was able to look past size and species to the person I loved. They always told me they didn’t care if I fell for a boy or a girl, someone rich or poor, an Avartle or Ler or Dunnermac — the only thing they wanted for me in a partner was someone who loved me and treated me well and made me happy, and Ted does that better than anyone else possibly could.”
“Damn it, don’t make me find you and my brother adorable!” Mike said with a laugh.
“Sorry, your brother is adorable. Nothing can be done about that,” Tig said
She paused as she entered the embassy proper; she knew from experience that the main causeway for her fellow giants tended to be busy, especially at this time of day; she didn’t want to be blindsided by someone coming through, not with the cargo she was carrying.
She was glad of her decision; as she reached the hallway, she saw a Titan moving double-time down the hall, completely distracted by something on his pad. “Slow down, eyes low and forward,” Tig barked out of habit; it was practically a mantra on Titan Station for those of her height, one Tig took the lead in enforcing.
The man drew up short, looked at her, and blinked. “Quite right, sorry,” he said. “Get excited about something and forget my gorram self. Hurrian Six – it’s Forsangwu t’Nikkla! I can’t believe…anyhow, again, sorry. Oh, I see you’re bringing humans for a visit?”
“I am,” Tig said.
“Sorry to you all as well,” the man said, addressing them directly. “Honestly, just impressed by your species. Yet again.”
“No harm, no foul,” Ted said. He frowned. “I’m sorry, have we met?” he asked. The man was eerily familiar; he could swear he’d seen him before.
The man laughed. “No, I don’t think so, but – have you been to Titan Station?”
“Tig and I are stationed there,” Ted said. “Well, actually, my ship flies out of there. Ted Martínez. This is my fiancée, Tigoni Belfsec, and my family.”
“Captain Martínez and Decanus Belfsec! Well! Nice to meet you both. I’m Berosus Bass, Navarchos Bass’s brother.”
“And Dr. Freeman’s as well! Of course,” Ted said, reaching out a hand, and shaking Berosus’s finger. Tigoni grabbed his wrist.
“I was actually on my way to see the Ambassador, would you like to come with me? Aerti told me you actually beat up Rixie Tam, Tig? I find that hard to believe.”
Tig laughed. “Officially, I was never there. Besides, you’d have to have at least two stun prods to beat up Rixie. I think my chances against her one-on-one are about zero. Ted? Mamá? You want to meet the Ambassador?”
“We should definitely go see Dr. Bass,” Ted said to his family. “You’ll like her.”“We’re just along for the ride,” Dora laughed. “It’s Tigoni’s call.”
“Not at all, mamá,” Tig said. “I’ve been here before. It’s up to you guys.”
“Well, I’d love to meet the Ambassador,” Mike said.
“And that’s that,” Dora said. “Let’s go!”
* * *
Xene plucked Ammer from his seat, and held him between two fingers, holding him right up in front of her face. She was not taking care to make sure he was unharmed; indeed, the pressure her two soft fingers exerted on his ribs seemed quite intentional.
“I have worked very hard to put my family in this position, you little bug. I wasn’t born wealthy. I grew up on a small colony, few thousand people. Won a scholarship to Senedj I University, studied my ass off, worked two jobs through law school, and worked three hundred hours a week until I was made a senior partner at my firm. My daughters have opportunities I could only have dreamed of, worm. Because I sacrificed for them. And now…now my daughter’s going to throw that status away by…by partnering….”
Xene looked down at Ammer in cold fury. “I won’t let that happen.”
Ammer gasped for air, but stared into Xene’s enormous eyes (the exact same shade of green as Inna’s, he thought), and kept his fear from his face. “You’re going to have to kill me,” he said.
She dropped him, and caught him with her other hand. Leaving just his head free, she closed it around him, slowly tightening her grip like a boa constrictor. “Do you really think I won’t? That I won’t destroy an animal to protect my daughter?”
Ammer gasped. He was pushing back against his slowly tightening prison, purely out of instinct. There was nothing he could do. If Xene Lektas tightened her hand just a bit more….
Still, Ammer looked up at her, defiantly. Even as his right arm began to transmit screaming pain, even as his left arm and ribs joined them. “I think you will,” Ammer said, finally. “But that’s what you’re going to have to do. So fucking do it already.”
The grip tightened a bit more, and Ammer felt his head swim, and saw a bit of red flash into his vision, and then there was nothing.
Something I just thought of: In Titan: Exile it was mentioned that Tapp had a high end implanted chip that also tracked her vitals. Depending on how costly those are Ammer might have a similar chip, in which case it could have been programmed to give a medical alert if he gets hurt badly enough.
I imagine Pryvanni would equip him with only the best before escorting him to Archavia. I bet Alex’s is the same.
Wow, these two “meet the family”s are pretty much complete opposites. With Tig and Ted the whole thing is almost sickeningly sweet, while Inna’s family is almost certainly going to break over this.
Gotta admire Ammer’s courage, but I do think he’d have been better off keeping his mouth shut rather than practically daring Xene to actually kill him instead of just threatening to do so.
And nice to see Berossus finally making an appearance. As a historian he must find the current times very interesting.
By the way, that viewbox does indeed look like it’d be embarrassing to wear. I think it’d look better if instead of one cable/wire/thingy coming from the collar’s throat, there’d be two coming from the neck and attaching to the left and right of the box. That way the whole contraption would look kinda like a front pack, while right now it reminds me of the collar and leash that pets wear. I also thing that the seats should have seatbelts, in case the humans and titan need to go somewhere in a hurry.
My preference would be for two shoulder pads with railings.
that viewbox is awkward and ridiculous for titans.
Xene is pretty hot tempered geez. I applause Ammer’s stand.
Yes, Ammer should have kept his mouth shut…. like a good little pet.
He’s defending himself from a Titan in the only way he can: Verbally.
A good little pet would have done what Xene told him to do.
My point is that saying “you’re going to have to kill me” to the person who is doing the equivalent of holding a gun to your head followed by “so fucking do it already” is a good way to, well, get yourself killed. There are verbal tactics with a bigger chance of survival.
That view box looks kind of awkward for the titan. I see why the apprehension. And the last of Nas’s brothers finally makes it on screen.
By the way, I assume the human pet thing hasn’t been exposed still, and that Ted’s family doesn’t know about it yet. I keep expecting it to slip out with some of the topics being discussed. For those who know the dark secret, it has to weigh on them keeping it from love ones.
No way the secret is kept for long. Even 6 months (at the end of Contact) is “miraculous”…
By the way, “TV” from the Empire probably doesn’t reach Earth (if for no other reason to keep the secret) but what about the other way around ? I would think that Ambassador Bass would make sure as much of news and shows from Earth get to the Empire, to show free humans in their natural environment : not animals but people.
I’d really like to see Titans’ reaction to that. (how about watching the Olympic Games from Archavia ?)
Sure just include a sampling of our ‘reality’ TV in that packet. After watching a few (dozen) or so episodes of “Housewives of ____” they might start to have second thoughts on this whole C1 thing 🙂
Nah, remember some time back (was it in Sovereign ? I don’t remember) there was a Jottun drama show that seemed a lot like the stuff we have.
Sovereign? dude.. I don’t even remember what I had for breakfast….
would havta strain my brain for that.. (that makes it hurtz)
🙂
O_o Ammer, nooo!
I’ve known DX to kill off charaters in his stories, though this being JS’s universe I’m not sure what the rules are. I uneasily note, as we reach the climax of the class 1 struggle, that the series doesn’t have a martyr for that struggle. Luke’s death certainly had an impact on the Tol-Bot world, but few knew who he was outside the extended cast. Ammer would be a somewhat public figure, being the first human chief of staff.
Of course if he does die, the headlines will be Inna charged with manslaughter. So let’s hope for both his and Xene’s sake he lives. The question then is, do they try and sweep it under the rug, like Niall with Keeran, or do Ammer’s friends make Xene regret it like Vash? It is a double edge sword, respect earned by a human in the titan world. There’s this fear that the respect becomes pity, and freedom diminished for protection sake, all because they couldn’t protect themselves from a random titan.
The rules pretty much are: You can’t kill off my characters w/o permission (presumably this applies across the board for the other three and their characters, but that’s up to them.) Otherwise, you can do whatever you like with your own characters. Except turn humans into Titans.
Well Ammer is DX’s isn’t he.
That’s a curious rule. Most humans being 97% titan and several we know being a little more.
What about turning titans into humans? There are certainly enough storylines out there now where that could be the end result.
Or both into something completely different? I think the last is the most realistic possibility for both species as they expand into ever more hostile environments because truth is it’ll be far easier to modify themselves than to replicate Earth or Archavia across the galaxy.
That all sounds like “jumping the shark”.
It’s not a matter of whether they should do it. Rather it’s the principle of imposing that sort of restriction that they can’t do it in a work of speculative fiction just to constrain the characters potential course of action. It was far more fun watching Niall get his hopes up and dashed not knowing Lachesis had already decreed the thread would be 4.4 cu tall.
Nope, “no actual size-changing” is basically rule numero uno for the Titan universe and it’s one of the (very few, really) hard rules that I have. Holographic tricks was the compromise.
Makes sense too since it would be too easy for humans to be treated equally. Harder to look down on them when they’re the same sense as you and physically stronger thanks to a denser skeleton.
Good decision and it makes the whole series even more engaging knowing that the humans have to fight to be seen as equals despite the size difference. Plus then we could just shrink Lyroo, Synon, Kiri and all the villains down to human size or smaller and have someone step on them.
Although I remember Niall flirted with it but ultimately it failed.
Pretty sure he’ll be fine. Seeing as the only “protagonist” that has ever died in the series was Kir. Think about that one.
Oh I don’t know, the Smit Equality Act has a nice ring to it and there is precedent for the legislature to honor the martyrs of Titan racisim. The way the Titanverse fits neatly together someday Archos Amelia E. Xanthopolous might find herself in command of TBA Ammer Smit while Ryan & Thallia’s son is winning the Smit award for negotiating a peace settlement with the Drazari. As I said if Ammer didn’t dream the whole thing up the authors might have set him up to be the sacrificial lamb.
Pretty sure you mean ‘killed’ rather than ‘died’, otherwise Luke’s the obvious one.
*Reads over Hybrid*
Well the lack of deaths came to an end…
Its been pretty bloodless so far when it comes to our main heroes, guess its time to thin the herd in Hybrid. The question is, one death or many?
Throw in sex, drugs, rock n roll and I’m in…………
On a side note, i think this is a perfect example of why even though I love this fetish, i don’t think i could live in a world like this.
Part of the thrill of it is that complete lack of control you have being the smaller party, and that can be exciting when it’s someone who cares about you. But in a situation like Ammer’s that’s utterly horrifying to have no control over the situation.
I’d live to dabble in a world where size differences are possible but I’m not sure i could ever want to permanently live in one…
Especially this one where its clear that no matter how much goodwill there is from Titans, the reality is that humans are always one pinch away from dying because of some anti-human Titan or even their loved one losing it and giving them the backhand.
The collar thing though looks pretty ridiculous, a hat might be better although it would mean no eye contact. Would you guys really kill Ammer? I think you would but this doesn’t seem like the story to have him die.
I just want to see what happens to see Xene, its lose-lose ever since she went down this path. Do nothing and she can stew away while her daughter marries a human. Do what she did now and succeed and she will know how well connected Ammer is and how painful they can make her life.
Hats of to Ammer by the way, for having balls bigger than the Gyfijon.
Soo Tig has a human collar on hmmmm? She could carry them on her head with a specially made hat ala statue of liberty.. give em’ a bird’s eye view..(ok a bigger bird then..)
Tsk tsk Ms Xene loosing our temper aren’t we? That is not what a good hostess does…
Hmmm she could make Ammer ‘disappear’ make him her personal slave convince him that way to stay away from her daughter. That would make things that much more interesting…
Or perhaps decide to keep him.. Bwaaahahahahahahahahaaa
Unfortunately we’ve learned Xene is way beyond losing her temper, and is anything but a good hostess.
I hope I don’t have to wait as long as I did between the last chapter and this one….
Also DX, not everything has to be a cliffhanger!
I like ammer… While I have a hard time seeing this be the first major protagonist fatality, I still am worried 🙁
Unless… Holy shit do you think they used a holo for ammer?
I doubt it. That seems like exactly the kind of Deus Ex Machina DX Machina isn’t likely to pull. Still, considering this isn’t a major novel, I can only assume Ammer will survive somehow.
“Yes,” Inna said, staring daggers at her mother. “It is, isn’t it? I’ll be right through that door if anyone needs me,” Inna said, in the same silky smooth tone her mother had used.
My guess is Inna’s right outside and will jump in.
My guess would be that she wouldn’t be in time to save him from an injury of some sort.
He’s probably injured already, and the question is, will he survive or not?
Holograms come with safeties. Ammer wouldn’t be in pain if Xene was just holding a hologram.
In that case…
“Ammer felt his head swim, and saw a bit of red flash into his vision, and then there was nothing.”
Could that be the holosuite safeties kicking in? And then Ammer finds himself in a holosuite miles away thinking, “Hmm, that didn’t go so well”
Inna came out of the kitchen to find her mother with a puzzled look on her face. “Where’s Ammer,” she asked. “I don’t know,” her mother said, “That worm of yours just vanished.”
I just feel like he was a little to eager to die. Ammer is smart enough to know there wasn’t s bluff to call. And I don’t think he’s considerate enough to realize the impact it would have on his friends and loved ones if he threw his life away.
The entire confrontation was forced. Xene certainly didn’t give any evidence she’s a polished professional litigator even allowing for her daughter being the object. Ammer had the winning arguments and yet offered Lektas without even the opportunity for a graceful retreat even if she’d been smart enough to seek a way out.
This is a strategy not worthy of any of Smit’s junior gophers, let alone himself. Especially when he’s dealing with his hopefully future mother-in-law and mother’s-in-law allways get more graceful exits than they may ever deserve.
Inna allowing herself to be maneuvered out of the room doesn’t quite ring true either. She’s a professional who doesn’t let things go to confrontation and this would have been an ugly result even if Xene had not resorted to violence.
Ammer as a holo-image doesn’t quite play either since that means he and Inna planned on goading her mother into something like this but to what purpose? Blackmail?
Sitting aside the authors forcing the issue wanting a high profile murder/assault case by a titan against a human, I think the most likely result we see in the next chapter is Ammer waking up from what turned out to be a pre-dinner nightmare.
Oh, my. Dream sequence is an even more corny plot device than hologram.
Ya, I’m not buying it either. Audience deception just isn’t the style of these guys.
A hologram would defeat the purpose of having dinner with Inna’s parents. He has to physically be there so they can see who he really is.
That being said, it was very foolish on Ammers part to goad Xene like that. He has failed to read her properly and being the (purported) skilled political operative he is, I’m surprised he didn’t do that. If he did he would have backed down gracefully and given Xene a decent non-committal answer on her ‘offer’
Also…Xene escalating things like that is slightly short (pardon da pun) of ……………wacked out nutzo… she could have verbally threatened him or insinuate something sinister, but to physically assault him??
This is pretty much what I was thinking, although I can see why Ammer would react the way he did: he’s so furious that it’s overriding his common sense.
He may also be too proud to do anything that might remotely resemble pleading or giving ground.
Well that got intense. Xene couldn’t out smart him, couldn’t bribe him, so relied on good old fashioned force.
“And now…now my daughter’s going to throw that status away by…by partnering….”
Sums up Xene right there. Happiness? Oh no, status is where it’s at! Xene also seems oblivious to the fact that her daughter is gaining higher status than her fighting for those ‘bugs’.
On the other side hah the mysterious Berosus Bass finally appears! We have the full set now…well barring all the new kids we haven’t seen.
She was glad of her decision; as she reached the hallway, she saw a Titan moving double-time down the hall, completely distracted by something on his pad.
Uh-huh, I wonder who in the name of William of Occam could be calling Berosus 😉
I doubt it. Berossus mentioned Hurrian Six (Earth’s oldest known notated music), so most likely that was what was on his pad.
I suspect that for Xene happiness and status are more or less synonymous. From her point of view she’s doing something that Inna will be thankful for later, once Inna realizes what it’s like to have a relationship with someone of status.
Xene’s attitude about status makes me wonder what she thinks of her own husband in that regard.
Fodis at least went to the right schools…..
Well perhaps if she had proof that Ammer knows a lot of powerful people then she might just suffer in silence although at this point if he lives then she will be on Rura Penth.
You’d think someone who wants status would jump at the chance to be a friend of a friend of Pryvani Tarsuss. But nooooo, bigotry.
Wow, if Ammer is killed, and with the contacts Inna knows, she might be able to get her mother thrown in prison for life.
Not just that; Ammer has a lot of powerful friends in high places. He could probably get a direct line to the emperor if he really wanted one.
Probably, but he kinda has to not be dead first. And right now, that’s not looking too good.
The point I was making, and never got around to, is that it wouldn’t just be Inna seeking justice.
Ammer didn’t answer. He pulled out his pad, and moved over to contacts. “I can call her, or call the Floor Leader, or a half-dozen other people slightly below her level. Which one would you like to talk to? Oh, hey, there’s Rep. Florga. He’s the chair of the Judiciary committee – but you know that.”
I bet we’re about to see that followed up.
Like an accidental dialing of someone on his contacts list? Well that would go over well for Xene’s “status”.
Aside from an accidental dialing there is also the chance that Ammer set his pad to ‘record’ on purpose. While he didn’t anticipate Xene to go so far as to try to kill him, he could have expected Xene to start making threats.
And the plot thickens !
Is it wrong that I still find Ammer’s dinner more interesting than the other ? 😛
Nope, while I’m enjoying the other dinner Ammer’s is where the action is right now.