Art from: Rain Elegy
Previous Chapter 22: Imperfections Came Into Clear Focus: https://onthebeachatnightalone.com/2026/11/07/chapter-22-imperfections-came-into-clear-focus/
Anthony Maureau’s video unit hummed, loud enough to wake him. The AIC officer of the watch was onscreen. He announced that an Emissary had arrived at the London and requested to come aboard. Maureau was instantly fully awake. The Emissary had arrived alone.
Maureau felt uneasy allowing an Emissary aboard the ship. But how do you refuse an Emissary when you have been invited, no commanded, to meet them inside their Tower? “Notify Lieutenant Song to allow the Emissary on board and remain with them in Security.”
On his way to the airlock bay he took time to ask crew how the check-in was going and whether there were any problems. The crew responded briskly, with an enthusiasm that anticipated leave in Portal City. A few star sailors revealed problems they had found, a transparency to their captain that Maureau felt good over.
He climbed into the bay to find the blue aquamarine Emissary. A gouge in the side of the armor identified them as the injured Emissary whom Maureau had helped on the Plaza.
The Emissary briefly stood to attention and then bowed, slowly rising. On coming back up they assumed a casual posture. Noticing that Maureau looked at the gouge, the Emissary shrugged.
“Captain Maureau, I am here to accompany you to the Tower. The conclave will be awaiting us.”
“Is it safe after the mayhem on the Plaza?” Song said from behind the Emissary.
The Emissary turned around to address her. “I assure you, we have secured the route from here to the Tower. But if you like, you and your guard are welcome to accompany us. You may wait for the meeting to end in the entrance hall. The voice was light, like a soft breeze rustling leaves. Maureau detected a lilt of bemusement in the voice, again wonderfully clear and resonant despite the helmet. He looked over at Song who unexpectedly smiled. He had not seen her smile like this since before the collision of the Poseidon and Diomedes.
The Emissary turned back to Maureau. “Captain Maureau, you will meet the conclave alone, but any escort can stay and await your return to our entry hall.”
Maureau said, “Lieutenant Song, you will come with us. How may I address you?”
“I am Akari, Emissary of the Hidden Ones, Twenty-five. I would be pleased if you address me as ‘Akari’.”
Maureau felt relief like he had just grounded into the sand of a beach after being adrift for a long time. He looked at the Emissary, from head to toe, not feeling any self-consciousness. They nodded their head to the side and leaned forward. Maureau sighed and let his shoulders drop. He noted, to his surprise, that Song seemed to stand down.
“Captain, may I address you as Anthony?” the Emissary said.
Maureau had not thought he wanted to be this informal with an Emissary, not thought it was possible to be on a first name basis. Is this some sort of ploy by an Emissary, to diminish me in their presence?
“You do not need to maintain formality with me?” Maureau asked.
“Between you and me, I do not need formality. But if you need it, then you are ‘Captain Maureau,’ or ‘Captain Anthony Maureau.’ You will get your fill of formality in Conclave, as you most surely deserve.” Akari’s voice was playful and respectful at the same time.
“Let’s keep it at ‘Captain Maureau’ during this summons.”
The Emissary shrugged again. “As you prefer, Captain Maureau. You too may address me formally as ‘Akari, Emissary of the Hidden Ones, Twenty-five.’ Those who know me address me as just Akari. That is what I prefer.”
“What is the meaning of ‘Twenty-five?’” he said.
“It refers to the twenty-fifth function of an Emissary, the position as a Ranger. Emissaries are used to tabulating things. It is a trait that comes from the Hidden Ones. The ranger role is the twenty-fifth operational function we have.”
There was something comforting about this Emissary. “Oh well, Akari. Let’s keep it informal between us,” Maureau said.
“I am ready. Let’s go,” Maureau said, stepping back from the airlock port to let the Emissary lead.
The Emissary led the way through the gantry tunnel. Song at Maureau’s side smiled. “You have not looked this relaxed for a long while,” Maureau said.
“You too, Captain,” she said.
“Does not make sense, does it?” he said. “I do not know of any human facing a conclave of Emissaries alone. I should be tense with dread. But I am not.”
The Emissary seemed to skip up the stairs to the Plaza level. At the head of the stairway, Akari stopped and, with legs planted wide, lifted their hands up towards the Portal. “Isn’t it magnificent?” They stood there looking up at the Portal, bright enough to shed a soft light of dawn. It disoriented Maureau to time, like waking in the dark of night with a light on in the room. For some it could be the light of dusk, but there was no night or day in Portal City.
“This constant, soft light might be hard to deal with all of the time,” Maureau said.
“Think of the Portal as the sunrise, a time for renewal. This light is far better than your cloudy days on Earth. I have experienced them and I much prefer being in the Portal City.”
“Yes, I agree,” Song said. “Night is actually welcome on overcast days.”
They walked across the Plaza. It was busy with the benches full and groups walking briskly across the tiles. Everyone looked up to look at Akari. Song stepped behind Maureau. Turning to look at her, Maureau saw intense eyes scanning past him.
He looked ahead fascinated with Akari’s movement. Dynamic, fluid, like dance. The imposing figure of an Emissary flowed across the Plaza in sensuous movement that hinted at restraint to keep from springing forward. He felt like Akari would erupt into flame. He wished he could see the person beneath the helmet.
Akari did get ahead of them and had to stop to let them catch up.
“We will need to jog to keep up with you,” Maureau said. “It is like you are dancing ahead of us.”
Akari remained motionless. “Funny you should say that. My name means ‘Dances with Starlight.’ You are perceptive, Anthony. As for my speed, Rangers move quickly unless surveilling under a cloak of invisibility. I will slow my pace to allow you to walk with me.
“Lieutenant Song, I see you are at high alert. You can stand down if you want to. Everyone in this sector, inside and outside the buildings, is being monitored. I am getting the analytic output on my heads-up display.”
“That is a lot of people to monitor,” Maureau said.
“We can do it,” Akari said.
“Were you monitoring everyone during the demonstration?” she asked.
With their entire body, Akari mimed an apology before saying, “Unfortunately, no. With our security force present we only monitored the general crowd. If we had applied individual surveillance, we could have responded quicker to the attack. We underestimated the capacity of the Progressive Nationalists to bring trouble with them.”
Maureau wanted to explore this comment further but decided to keep from interrogating his escort. Instead, he turned his attention to the throng of people that filled the lanes leading to the looming citadel. He had been to Portal City before and wandered the hotel and restaurant districts. They were nowhere as densely packed with people as the neighborhood at the foot of the Citadel. It was ironic that so many shops thrived at the foot of the Emissary fortress which stood menacingly over the .
Like the Emissaries, their Citadel elicited awe and a sense of mystery. Because trying to keep the top of its central spires in view relentlessly bent your head back as you approached it, the Citadel grew more formidable the closer one got to it. The mountainous hexagon humbled all who approached it. Maureau had never walked to the causeways leading to it.
It appeared to hang suspended by six causeways supporting a platform upon which the structure rose. A virtual moat of sorts surrounded the Citadel with the deepness of space below the causeways. The only way up to the Citadel on foot was to cross a causeway. Maureau wondered how many causeways needed to be destroyed to send the entire Citadel hurling into space by the centripetal forces generated by the Gateway. It seemed a highly perilous position for defense. Their design takes a large degree of hubris over security. There must be something else supporting the mass off this citadel. But it is not apparent.
There were four levels rising upon each other, each set back from the one beneath it. The tiers rose like a medieval castle towards an inner keep. The innermost level contrasted with the lower levels as intricate spires sat upon what appeared as block buildings. Maureau knew each roof was recessed from the outer wall so that one could not see the laser weapon systems. Ships never flew over the Citadel as it would be necessary to move past the Portal into the interior of the Gateway. No one knew what would happen if it was tried.
The first level contained office space where thousands of people worked for the Emissaries and the nations they shepherded through the Portal. The ring around the Citadel was a crowded carnival of rows of stalls with food and goods. Since there was no night or day, the space was always full of workers from the administration offices and visitors to Portal City. Everyone who visited the city came to the concourse around the moat. The churning mass of humanity contrasted with the scattering of people moving across the causeways.
There were no Emissaries in sight. This made the reaction to Akari so striking as people cleared a path for them, the only clear space until arriving at the entrance to the one of the causeways. “How do you control access?” Maureau.
“We are watched. If you try to cross and do not belong, you will rapidly feel very ill as you proceed. Many people start to cross and then after thirty meters back rapidly away.” Akari stopped. “May I recommend you have something to drink before your audience?”
The concern in Akari’s voice, sounding so natural despite their helmet, resonated with Maureau. Unrecognized mounting physical tension had made his mouth like cotton. The smell of grilled meats and vegetables, along with the aroma of baking breads, made him hungry and thirsty.
“We can make sure any personal needs are taken care before meeting the Master and conclave.”
Song nodded and they both went over to a stall selling dumplings and cold tea. The woman behind the counter bowed while looking past them at the Emissary. She started to scoop some dumplings into a carton. “No, no. Just tea,” Maureau said. She continued to prepare orders of dumplings.
Akari spoke in a foreign language to the nervous woman. She excitedly stopped snatching dumplings with her tongs, turned and pulled a selection of tea bottles out of an ice tub. Maureau and Song made their selection and started to pay when she waved “no” to them all the time bowing to Akari.
“Accept her gift,” Akari said, stepping up and selecting a bottle for themself. They opened a slot beneath the chin of their helmet and started to drink using a straw picked up from the counter.
Maureau had never seen an Emissary open their helmet. He realized he was staring, but this glimpse of an Emissary stunned him in surprise. There was an elegant, angular jaw with full lips visible. Perfectly human.
“What did you expect?” Akari said. Maureau was speechless. “You knew we were recruited from humans.”
“I just did not think you ever showed yourself.” He thought he saw a smile. “You are a female?”
The Emissary remained silent while finishing their drink. Maureau thought they were not going to answer his question. When done, the Emissary set the bottle on the counter of the dumpling stand and slid the panel of their helmet’s port closed. Maureau could not see any seam where the opening had been. “A complex question indeed. See what happens when we show ourselves?” Again, a long pause. Akari finally said. “People make assumptions.” The Emissary laughed lightly. “But you can make me female.”
They stood together in awkward silence. “Do not rush. This hydration is important for you, and you need it all.”
“Let’s walk,” Song said. “I’m uncomfortable just standing still.”
Akari started off towards the nearest causeway. They followed carrying their drinks. “I feel like a tourist with a drink, following a guide,” Song said.
“And I have to do a very tourist-like thing,” Maureau said. He walked over to the edge of the causeway and looked down. Below him spread the Milky Way and the barest glimpse of a restraining net preventing a suicide from spacing oneself.
“You would be surprised how many people we catch,” Akari said, stepping up behind him.
“How many? Do people accidentally fall?” Maureau said.
“You have to try pretty hard to get over the rail. We have an attempt every hundred and forty hours.”
“Painful way to go,” Maureau said.
“You would think that would have prevented the jumps,” Akari said.
“I guess Portal City is not Paradise,” Song said.
Maureau studied the rim of the Citadel. “You have a propulsion system in place.”
“Yes, Captain. It’s a backup in case the causeway system was to, ‘fail.’ Its engineering is more than sufficient to hold the Citadel in place. But, well, for instance yesterday’s attack on us demonstrates that there are people who would like to send us back into space.”
“I think you still have many enemies, even though things are peaceful and prosperous,” Maureau said.
They continued up the causeway towards the Citadel. Halfway across the causeway, no further people came out of the Citadel. Maureau looked behind them and no one was on the bridge following them. He felt increasingly isolated as they closed the distance to the Citadel.
The facade of the Citadel’s first level consisted of a lattice of high, pointed arches in rows that fronted a bright platinum-colored wall. Inexplicable dark shadows gaped at them through the arches on the level of the causeway. At the mouth of the central arch a formation of ten Emissaries had just stepped out. Like the Emissaries on the Plaza of Nations, they emanated a brighter glow than the quiet, dawn-like light should have provided in reflection.
The formation opened up as Akari led Maureau and Song into the shadows. The Emissaries then closed up to silently march behind them.
“I feel like a prisoner being escorted,” Song said.
“Actually, they are closer to an honor guard. It would have been too much to meet you with it at the London.” Song flinched as Akari reached back and touched her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. The Emissary held her shoulder after Song eased her fight reaction.
“There you go,” Akari said, giving Song a gentle shake before letting go. Song turned and checked the Emissaries.
A curtain of silence hung from the arches except for a distant rumble of voices from the concourse sounding like the thunder of a receding storm. Looking up, Maureau saw absolute blackness. No light penetrated through the upper arches even though there had appeared to be a reflective platinum wall through the facade. They walked through a span of absolute darkness where he could not see his hand held before him.
Suddenly they stepped into a brightly lit atrium with a high vaulted ceiling. Behind them the inner wall of the Citadel’s lower level rose many stories. Maureau turned and looked up at the inner face of the level. It was filled with offices. “You must have thousands of workers in here,” he said.
“At any one time, ten thousand work in the Citadel. Our offices monitor the activity of all the League’s governments, along with the Federation of Mars.”
“How many are Emissaries?”
“Only five hundred,” Akari answered.
“Would the Portal Command Center be part of this?” Song said.
“That is on the third level.”
No office workers were clearing the security gate in front of them. The security entrance was empty, the gate wide open with no guard seen. Interested office workers on the atrium floor formed a corridor through which the contingent walked. Reaching a bank of lifts on the far side of the atrium, Akari said to Song, “Here is where you will need to part with the captain.”
“I go with the captain.”
“You are not part of the meeting with the Master. Surely, you understood that?”
“Lieutenant Song. I think we are in way too deep to consider any sort of fight. We need to trust them.”
“Captain, very few humans have met the Master. The meeting. The escort. I want you to recognize these are honors given.” Looking to Song, Akari said, “We will grant you access to our database for researching anything you desire while you wait. I think you will be surprised with the depth we will make available to you.”
Maureau nodded to her and entered the lift with Akari, followed by half of the escort. The other half of the escort surrounded Song and started to move back across the atrium towards the offices. The door closed.