Chsensera sat looking at llhaesa, her anger evident, not quite believing she was in the throes of reality, instead of ensconced in some nightmare that would end on waking.
“And if I do not tell my mum of this incident, what then, ‘essa?”
“Defiance now, Chsen? You act like a nascent adolescent in the moment, instead of an adult. Shall breath holding be next?
Here are the facts, as I understand them: you committed to live a monogamous lifetime with Jesnsera; you wilfully violated your vow in this regard, in the process gravely hurting her.
Along with this, you hurt me and place me at financial risk, as well as create an issue that will likely surface in Arrhazonan media – with my name attached. Now I can deal with that particular shit; I will also deal with you.
You challenge me because I ask you to do the heavy lifting to clean up the detritus you spewed over Jesn, over your relationship, and over the Arrhazonan team.
Your statement of defiance suggests to me you are not of a place yet where you take responsibility for what happened and begin to apologise, ask for forgiveness, and piece things back together, responsibly.
I will not make you share what happened with your mum if you get it right from this moment going forward; but if you continue your bumptious and onerous conduct, I will tell her myself; count on it.
Lose the ‘tude, Chsen, or you will see the next level of intimidation in my repertoire.
What bothers you that you would lash out at me in this way? This is unlike you, and I know if Jahrae were here, she would be rather shocked at what you say and how you act. She would be shocked that you – you, who worked for her as part of the Equality team that searched for me – and now by your very presence on this world, continue to do so – would act in this manner.”
“What do you mean, ‘continue to do so’?”
“When you signed on to find me, you signed on as an employee of the Arrhazonan government. There are monthly deposits into your Arrhazonan account, Chsen; you work for the Arrhazonan government, and you report to Jahrae until the mission ends upon return to Arrhazon.
Are you now also denying that you are part of Jahrae’s team?”
Llhaesa could tell Chsen was angry and defensive, but this attitude had to break now, the flaws in her outlook pointed out before it could fester and build up an elaborate framework of defence. Something more was at work as well, she could sense it, and so she decided to keep pushing.
“I was part of a team that set out to find you;” Chsen rebutted; “I never expected that I would be on this world for close to eighteen months. I figured once we were here, the team stuff was over.”
“You have no awareness that the government still compensates you?”
“No, I do not.”
“You never check your records via the Athenaeum?”
“No.”
A sigh of exasperation left llhaesa; she did not attempt to hold it back. She sensed this was an outright lie, a lie with a purpose. It was time to confront this directly. “I sense something else is afoot here, Chsen, something you are not sharing with me. Are you going to share what winds its way through your mind, or are you going to sit back and let me lose all respect for you?”
Llhaesa watched as Chsen ran out of the room, apparently heading down the hall to her bedroom. Sure enough, she heard the door slam shut.
Deciding she would outwait the young woman, llhaesa realised she had no choice but to make the sofa her next place of refuge, so she shifted to it and stretched out, her long legs overreaching the arm, while resting upon it.
She picked up her mobile and rang Jahrae, sharing what unfolded. Jahrae was aghast, and now shared llhaesa’s exasperation, as well as her suspicion something else was going on.
While they chatted, Chsen re-emerged from her room and sheepishly slinked into the living room, taking the chair vacated by llhaesa when she shifted to the sofa. “I’ve got to go, Jahrae, Chsen has come back out. I love you, and will see you tomorrow. Bye bye.”
Llhaesa said nothing to Chsen, this time it was up to her to start sharing, though she pulled herself up, signalling she was ready to listen.
Chsen looked at llhaesa, reluctance – and now fear, llhaesa realised – evident in her body gestures and in her eyes. She looked down and fiddled with her hands, pondering. After three minutes of surreal silence, Chsen spoke, softly.
“I am sorry for my conduct, ‘essa.
Yes, there is something else. When was the last time you talked to my mum?”
“I would guess about two months ago. Why?”
“My dad showed up, probably right after you last talked with mum; he somehow found her, though I know not how.”
“Oh, shit. Why didn’t you tell me, or tell Jahrae? Does Jesn know?”
“Jesn does not know. My dad called me a week or so later; he forced my mum to ring me over the secure government channel.
I know the government pays me, ‘essa, I know all too well. My dad now has all of that money, demanded I release it and all of my mum’s money or he would hurt her.
As you know, he is a rabid misogynist, my mum’s parents forced her to marry him because quote ‘he was from a good family’, and it went predictably bad. He never cared about either of us. Eventually we had to hide from him, which is how we first moved into the condominium building in Old City where you and Jahrae live.”
Llhaesa felt an alarm signal inside go off, a feeling that Khaehala was in mortal danger. “I suspect there is more. Where do things stand now?”
“He sweeps my account each month after the government deposit. I do not give a shit about that, it is only money, and if it helps my mum stay safe, I will do this.
My dad stays in her flat and keeps close watch; she cannot do a thing without his permission. But what really has him riled is our team – those of us here, on Arrkarhara.”
“Us? Oh oh, let me guess. Our team consists of all women, and we are trailblazers into the future. Women should not be in such a role in his view; we should be meekly submissive and devoted to domestic duties.”
“Exactly, ‘essa; but there is still more – he hates you worst of all. He apparently went into a rage when Gl’nsiel revealed you were alive and that a rescue mission was underway. He claims the government has wasted billions of dollars to rescue ‘a mere musician’, a musician who is ‘a feminist anarchist troublemaker’.”
Llhaesa was shocked at this turn of events, and her mind worked in a thousand different ways sorting through all she learned since Jesnsera first arrived at her home.
“I have more to share, ‘essa.”
“More? Goddess, it gets yet worse.”
“It does. As much as he raged when he learned of your well-being, when he found out I was part of the team, well, that is when he tracked down mum, threatened and beat her.”
“Damn, I need to speak with Khaehala.”
“You cannot, ‘essa. He would kill her.”
“Why didn’t you tell us, Chsen?” llhaesa asked, suddenly annoyed that Chsen kept she and Jahrae in the dark.
“I could not; I could not take that chance. If the government were to get involved, he would kill my mum. As it is, I stalled; ‘essa, his last request to me was for me to find a way to kill you or he would kill mum.”
“Whaaaat? When did he ask this?”
“The day Jesn left for Buenos Aires.”
“You should have come to me or Jahrae immediately.”
“He is using mum’s interface and monitoring all communication from Arrkarhara to Arrhazon. If anyone else mentioned this, he would kill mum.”
“Chsen, there are other ways to do this – your mum does not have high level clearance, her interface only accesses open communication, not highly encrypted. And even if he could access encrypted information, I can write it into a song and send it to Arrhazon; he would never find it in a music file.”
“My dad is a communications engineer, ‘essa. He might well find such encryption.”
“He would find it in an innocuous music file sent to say…Jahrae’s parents?”
“I do not know.”
“Damn, poor Khaehala; this situation is obviously now priority, Chsen, and not the issues between you and Jesn. For the record, I understand the pressure, but that still happened and we will still need to work through it, though understanding the big picture helps some.
I am heading back home first thing in the morning. Jahrae and I will sort through how to proceed, and once we do, will advise you of our intent so that you may share your thoughts.
For now, I will call Jahrae once again to let her know this development. Stay right there.”
Llhaesa grabbed her mobile and rang Jahrae. After Jahrae answered, llhaesa began to outline the new turn of events. “J’har, we have another issue to contend with, and this is priority.”
“What now, ‘essa? I have had enough surprises to last me a year.”
“Chsen is under a huge amount of stress.”
“So aren’t we all, llhaesa. I suspect that is not all you’ve got, though.”
“You are correct. Chsen’s dad holds Khaehala hostage, and has for two months. He confiscates Chsen’s monthly salary, has access to the Athenaeum connection to our communications, and apparently is a huge misogynist who hates me.
He ordered Chsen to kill me, or else he would kill Khaehala.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, another idiot crawls out of time and harasses people.
Given what you say, I presume any communication to Gl’nsiel – or anyone in government – will be intercepted?”
“According to Chsen, her dad is a communications engineer.”
“Damn.”
“Jahrae, I wish to develop a music file to send to your mum and dad. We can use it to get their attention, use it as a harmless decoy and point them elsewhere via something related to the children we post on our site. Once they have that information, mum and dad will act on it. This is the only chance we have of assisting Khaehala.”
“I like that idea, ‘essa. Will you be home straightaway?”
“I planned to wait until morning as we have another matter still to work on, though in light of this it does introduce an added element to consider.
In light of things, we will leave now. See in you a few minutes.”
Llhaesa ended the call without having to say a word to Chsen. She hurried down the hall, gathered clothing in a bag and returned in five minutes.
Arriving back in Henna, Jesn, made aware of what happened by Jahrae yet still skittish, stayed in the room but remained silent and huddled close to Jahrae, even as Chsen said hello.
Chsen decided to settle safely into a chair further away from the sofa, while llhaesa decided to remain standing and initiate the discussion by setting priorities.
“For the time being, the marital issues are set aside here. I know for you Jesn that is a big hurt, but Chsen’s mum is in danger, and we need to resolve that issue before we can tackle what happened earlier today. Agreed?”
Llhaesa looked toward Jesn and then Chsen, already knowing Jahrae was with her on this. Both nodded but said nothing.
“Good and thank you. My plan is to send a music file to mum and dad, a music file they should recognise as a message. I have thought about how, and it must be through a song that is unknown to Arrhazon – but is a song Hrilleae and Djellrin will readily know.
Their first inclination will be ‘why did ‘essa send us this file, while if played by your dad, Chsen, he will simply dismiss it as more ‘mere music’. “
“What song could possibly convey a message?” Chsen inquired, sceptical.
Llhaesa smiled in a way that suggested she had the answer, and indeed, she did.
I will send a song that I used to play when fooling around, I never recorded it, and so no one except family knows of it. Jahrae, remember The Ewohla Song?”
“The butterfly one with the huge chain of cascading results?”
“Yes. I will send that to mum and dad, along with notes that clearly state is a brand new song I have written for kids. We sang it so many times around them, and they probably are sick of it now… remember when we sang it with Chsen and Khaehala, up on the roof?”
“I…remember that ‘essa, believe it or not, and I loved that song!” Chsen reached back seventeen years for that memory.
Llhaesa smiled at Chsen, the first kindness she extended Chsen’s way all day.
“Chsen,” llhaesa asked, “do you believe your dad can crack the encryption of an Athenaeum site?”
“Not a highly encrypted site, not immediately. In say… two weeks he might, but immediately. No.”
“Jahrae, write to your parents, and be all gushy over this song and that you cannot wait to share it with your mum and dad.
The real message will not be in the song, the real message will be on the special website we set up last year – and on which we gave the code to Hrilleae when she left on Equality. With the code given in person, there is nothing to find electronically.
They do not go to the site often, so the song is the reason – we tell them the girls developed animation to go with the song and placed it on the site, that the girls need them to go look at it and let us know what they think.
Jahrae, can you handle the message on the site and the initial email? I will record the song and send it along.”
“Absolutely, ‘essa; I will take care to specify that this is a hostage situation involving a communications expert, that they physically should go to the police and not ring them.”
Within an hour, everything was complete, the emails from Jahrae and llhaesa sent. Now they had to wait to see if Hrilleae and Djellrin got the message.
The group decided to retire for the night, with Chsen and Jesn in separate bedrooms.
They woke with the rising sun seven hours later, a message from Arrhazon waiting in their communications queue.
Jahrae read it to the four gathered. “It is from mum. They received the message and immediately signed on to look at animation, finding our urgent message and explanation. I quote:
‘We immediately printed off your message and went to the local police station. They realised how delicate a matter this was, and took extra care to hide their approach and presence.
Fortunately, we received your message late at night. When they moved in, both Khaehala and Chsen’s dad were asleep. They captured him without incident and he is now in custody’.”
