Some Things Transcend (Fiction)

First Edition Cover

The second book of the 6-book Princes' Game series covering the Chatcaavan War.

Publication Data

Series: Princes' Game
Book: 2
Publication Date: July 2014
Editions: Ebook, Paperback, Audio
Revisions: several

Blurb

Given a choice, Lisinthir Nase Galare would have stayed in the Chatcaavan Empire to help its reformed Emperor and Queen remake the worlds in their image. But when his presence proved a threat to the Emperor’s attempts, he bowed to necessity and accepted an exile that he thought would kill him… for what was left, without duty and the company of the beloved? Adding insult to injury, his escort home included two psychiatrists, as if he were something broken and in need of therapy… and one of them was another Eldritch. Did they expect him to spill his soul to anyone without the courage to make his sacrifices, and to a member of a species he now considered completely craven? And would he even have the chance, when the Emperor’s enemies had a vested interest in never letting him see the other side of the border?

Xenotherapists Jahir and Vasiht’h of the novels _Mindtouch_ and _Mindline_ make a guest appearance in this second book of the Princes’ Game, and the game is as large as the fate of three nations and millions of worlds. Perhaps there’s a role for an additional prince on the playing field….

Tags and Content Notes

Tags: psychology, high stakes politics, asexual, kink, furries, elves (space)
Rating: R for violence, sexual situations

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Synopsis

In a Nutshell

Having been sent away due to his very presence being a threat to the Emperor's power, Lisinthir bows to the necessity of leaving, but he isn't happy about it. What's worse, he's being pursued by factions hostile to the Emperor, and his ride contains two xenotherapists, the very last kind of people he wants to see.

Chapter One

Vasiht'h and Jahir are awoken in the middle of the night by a comm request. It's the Eldritch Queen. She brushes off concerns about them being ill-attired and submits a request: go to meet the former Alliance Ambassador ad'Chatcaavan Empire at the border. He's carrying critical information that may help the Alliance win the inevitable confrontation with the Chatcaava. Vasiht'h guesses he needs therapy as well, and the Queen elaborates that he's been in the Empire for almost a year. Shocked, since their last communication with said Ambassador was right before he freed the slaves, refusing to leave. Then, the Queen names him: Lisinthir Nase Galare. She implores them to go with all speed and will count it as a personal favor if they do. Jahir accepts, and the Queen signs off with an invocation to the Goddess and Lord. It takes them a moment to recover from the shock, but Jahir moves to pack and Vasiht'h moves with him. The Glaseah makes a joke that Jahir doesn't laugh at, reflecting the seriousness of the situation.

The ship taking them to the border runs at Well's Deep, and Jahir senses the strain the ship is under, getting them to the station in under a day. They disembark and are met nearly immediately by Admiral Alon Levy, who guides them to the Quicklance while speculating on why the Chatcaava sent the Ambassador back. When they get on, they are met by Healer-assist Borden, the senior and only medical officer on board, who guides them to their cabin and leaves. They settle in, and after briefly inquiring about Levy, Vasiht'h asks if Jahir ever knew Lisinthir. Both had assumed that the Ambassador left after freeing the slaves, but now they wonder why he stayed and how he survived. Vasiht'h decides to see about tea, and Jahir gets started on the information on data tablets left for them, which calms them. The information is from the Ambassadorial Service, detailing that not only did Lisinthir stay and not be punished, but he also freed another, larger group of slaves several months later and negotiated several treaty amendments, but was either silent or bland as to his methods. Appended to the end was a curt statement from a Fleet Intelligence agent trapped in the court harem: that he had befriended the Chatcaavan Slave Queen, and through her learned a lot of how politics operated. She warns that he won't come back the same, and to prepare for that. Noting a lot of talking around subjects, Vasiht'h notes that the appropriate security clearances will become meaningless once they lay a hand on Lisinthir.

The next day, they try to do what research they could, with Vasiht'h trying to find Chatcaavan culture information on the u-banks while Jahir re-reads correspondence with the Ambassador. Jahir laments that they didn't say much to each other, and can't get much of Lisinthir's personality. They pour over the words and phrases used. Jahir reflects on the idea of sending a Glaseah to the Chatcaava, but Vasiht'h accidentally provokes a defensive posture from Jahir when he remarks offhand that he wouldn't want to go. When pressed, Jahir first remarks that Vasiht'h was afraid to go, and Vasiht'h expounds on the possibilities of the Ambassador's state as to why. When Vasiht'h asks again, Jahir remarks simply that he's an Eldritch, only explaining (under further questioning) that the "bad business" with the Imthereli lands would make Lisinthir have something to prove or be resentful, plus he's a touch-telepath among violent people. Further, he emphasizes that Lisinthir's observation about the Chatcaava may have been through touching and therefore taking something of the Chatcaava into himself. Finally, in contrast to Jahir himself, Lisinthir went into the Empire alone, and is therefore most likely to have significant psychic trauma. Jahir then reveals that he has a touch of the Galare pattern-sense so that he can say that his own pattern-sense had kicked in the moment when Vasiht'h involved them in a Fleet case long ago. It's possible that the Queen offered Lisinthir to the Alliance as the best opportunity to effect a positive outcome in a conflict to come. It's also possible that they may be sacrificed to effect this outcome.

The two meet Captain Raynor, and Vasiht'h asks him if he knows anything about the politics among Chatcaava and the past ambassadors. Jahir asks who sent the Ambassador back and why, and Raynor guesses he got too good. Both Jahir and Vasiht'h wonder how, but before they can speculate too much, there is an alarm: They are in range of the escort, and it's under attack.

Chapter Two

Lisinthir wants to be alone, since he's exiled from the one thing he'd unexpectedly found, and that may aid his recuperation from alcohol and hekkret addiction and not eating enough to keep himself healthy. He's having withdrawal symptoms and generally feels horrible when the floor drops out from under him, and he eventually deduces the ship is under attack. After grabbing some weapons, he heads to the bridge. Entering unnoticed, he's able to discern some information before being directly addressed by the ship's captain, who admonishes him for not being below. Lisinthir, however, asks why the vessel is under attack: presumably to kill him, but to what end? Especially since the people who he knows would, Second and Third, are both dead. After an officer reports that they're aiming to breach, Lisinthir offers to find someone to question and is dismissed. With a purpose, Lisinthir draws his sword and goes hunting.

Judging by how their ship is now involved in the battle, Jahir judges that the Ambassador is still in play to the Chatcaava. He and Vasiht'h are called to go with a boarding party to fetch the Ambassador, and Vasiht'h goes with him. Jahir is given a weapon and the two go over the Pad to the cramped Chatcaavan vessel, with the fight in progress. They don't attract much attention, but they do take some wounds as they run into Chatcaava. In the cargo hold they find Lisinthir, savagely fighting Chatcaava. During the fight, Jahir notices that Lisinthir is talking to his enemies, and possibly torturing them by cutting off wings and hands. Jahir calls for him, and Lisinthir grabs him by the shirt, and makes as if to kiss him, but stops, refocuses, and asks who Jahir is with an accent. Vasiht'h implores them to go before the Chatcaava take an interest in the Fleet ship they came on.

Disoriented, Lisinthir tries to figure out who this strange Eldritch was since he hadn't extracted the information he needs. Seeing a Glaseah pulls him from his narrow focus, and he sees all the Alliance citizens. Duty bids him go with the uniforms, though he finds himself chafing at using Universal again. Taking the rear, he notices this strange Eldritch and the Glaseah moving together as if tied together. When they finally reach the Pad, Lisinthir hesitates, since that would mean he is exiled for good. He crosses over into the impersonally clean and wrong Fleet vessel, and demands to be taken to the bridge, though he has to say it twice since the first time he defaulted to Chatcaavan. Once there, he asks who they're fighting, then how many fighters there are, noting briefly that the other Eldritch and his Glaseahn companion followed him. When he figures out the ship configuration, he orders the Captain to flee, since there are too many fighters for that vessel, so there must be another hidden one. The ship rocks, and as he tries to warn them of the coming danger, he loses consciousness.

Jahir ignores Vasiht'h's panic as he helps the Seersa load the Ambassador onto a pallet, following her out of the bridge. He notes that Lisinthir is borderline emaciated, skin an unhealthy grey, and his hair growing brittle near the roots. Getting to the clinic, he helps the Seersa load Lisinthir into a halo-arch. The readings indicate multiple drugs coursing through the Ambassador's body, something the Healer-assist was not trained for. Jahir flips through the medical test results as he, Jahir, and Borden discuss Lisinthir's horrid condition and Jahir asks for some additional tests, asking the others to expose the Ambassador's wounds. He notes the alcohol abuse and some strange lung damage along with his digestion being damaged. Suddenly, the lights fail, then switch to emergency lighting. Borden exits, and Vasiht'h implores Jahir to sit. When he does, they try to make sense of Lisinthir's condition, then Vasiht'h asks for and receives a hug.