MF Max Intel Ch. 01-05

This set of posts builds upon the fanfic written by my good friend known only as Recurve. She has since passed and, as her editor, she asked me to continue the work and submit it for publication here. It is actually a continuation of the first 30 chapters beginning with Melinoe Ch. 1-6. It is imperative to read those posts first as you will be lost completely if you begin with these.

This fanfic is based, with permission from all parties, both Recurve and Tefler, on Tefler's great work Three Square Meals (TSM) here on lit.

Max Intel: Jooniper

Chapter 1 - Secrets

Agatha listened closely to the interaction between Tom and Captain Virt.

The Ornalith Captain held onto his bravado for a few minutes in front of his crew but, once out of their sight and within the confines of the interview room, he folded quickly.

Moments after the bulk freighter Ghusmik Urr had docked with Depot03 it was locked down and swept. There was virtually no resistance as Agatha had forwarded all of the codes for the ship to Depot03 Security.

The Terran metal merchant persona Agatha had adopted was an excellent excuse to forward the contraband and illegally obtained goods to the Bract Security Personnel as evidence.

Agatha looked the part, a diligent employee of a reputable transteller. She had obtained a nice collection of appropriately sturdy trappings to enforce her appearance in the role. A stiff Denim jacket, heavy linen trousers, steel toed reinforced woven boots.

Just a law-abiding merchant doing her due diligence.

Tom allowed her to remotely observe the interview as a professional courtesy. In Agatha's estimation, Tom could learn a lot from Staverka Police Inspector Yzix. However, considering how soft a nut to crack Captain Virt turned out to be, it worked out well enough. Agatha wrote a report on her observations and forwarded them to Mary and Bob.

Mary screened her immediately afterwards and they chatted together for nearly an hour.

Galleon03 was roughly ten hours out, Mary was filled with nervous anticipation. Agatha reassured her, reporting on the health and spirits of the rescued.

"Are you going to contact their governments concerning repatriation?" Mary inquired.

Agatha had not considered that... Technically, as First Secretary of the Terran Federation Special Envoy to the Minor Empires, it certainly fell within her purview. However, there were also Trankaran citizens among the refugees.

Agatha was not sure of the protocols involved there, after all, the Trankaran Republic had their very own Terran Federation Ambassador, Vice Admiral Benjamin Elliot but going through the Foreign Office at this time might not be exceedingly wise... Things were rather tense in the TFN just now.

0o0

Joon had climbed into Max's lap, she held her wife's face in her hands. Her eyes were glowing green stars, her passion had ignited her Influence ability and Max was literally helpless in her hands.

"There is nothing in this universe that will change the way I feel about you. I fell in love with you, I proposed to you, and I will be by your side as long as I draw breath. Do you understand?" Joon asked in a soft voice, tears streaming.

"Yes, my love, I apologize for my lapse..." Max paused with a swallow, "I will need your and everyone's help sorting this bit out."

Joon smiled softly, that iconic elven smile was actually her genuine expression. "You don't need to apologize, but don't you dare think I could ever give up on you."

Max returned the smile, "Yes, M'lady."

Then they locked lips, kissing long and deeply.

While they kissed their five wives looked on with pure adoration, Max and Joon were the paragon example of understanding, acceptance and love.

Agatha refreshed everyone's beverages and a plate of shortbread magically appeared.

Joon sat back from the kiss on the Captain's lap. "Can we talk about this?" she asked her first love.

Max nodded.

Joon watched her eyes, "It sounds like Uncle Ira knew your name for a while, judging by our primary mission."

Joon was of course referring to Operation: Melinoe.

Max nodded, her brow creased in consternation. "He discovered it when he performed my IntOps background investigation, along with 'some' of the circumstances surrounding my abduction." Max informed. Ira was able to look in places Deirdre couldn't, but even he couldn't discover everything... Not until recently."

"It took my Grandmothers incarceration to reveal that information." Max sighed, "There is still a plethora of unanswered questions."

Paula cleared her throat, her own emotions running high, "Not unlike Vika and I, you have direct ties to Felmutter... We have a vested interest to learn as much as we can about that organization."

Everyone looked at Agatha, who nodded immediately.

Joon dismounted Max's lap, not releasing her captured hand she sat in her seat at the mess table while Agatha waited until everyone was settled in.

"The information I have regarding Felmutter is a culmination of hundreds of sources and some of my own deductive reasoning."

Agatha tapped up another symbol on her datapad, a very old one. "In order to understand what Felmutter is, one must see the society that created and surrounds it."

The symbol was a circle divided into four equal parts by two bisecting crossed lines, the astronomical symbol for Terra. "The society known as Terra Familia has existed unofficially for well over a thousand years."

Paula's mouth became a thin line, but she did not interrupt, she just listened. Agatha continued, "This elite society, whose origins are rumored to be steeped in the occult, consists of hundreds of wealthy families from across the planet of Terra."

"At some point their political influence and material wealth met with extralegal organized resistance. In response they developed a militant branch, one capable of removing obstacles that impeded Terra Familia's power and prosperity."

Agatha glanced at Paula momentarily, the heterochromia eyed Witch nodded in affirmation of the Oneiran's summation. "This 'shadow-army' went unnamed for decades, then one moniker from an unknown witness managed to stick. Felmutter... a generous translation would be 'Hellspawn' a more literal one is 'Infernal Cunt'."

"Regardless of the descriptor, the organization had solidified a niche in the criminal underworld as a precision instrument in dealing with competition. As Humanity unified and then spread out into the stars, Terra Familia followed."

"The elite society made a comfortable home in the core worlds of the Federation, but did not venture much further. Investments into new worlds were plentiful, but loyal management began to thin, outsourcing became the new policy."

"This strategy allowed for other organizations to gain footholds in hundreds of small but growing populations. Felmutter's reputation began to fade into obscurity, Terra Familia no longer had the monopoly on shadowy influence."

Agatha paused then switched narrative gears.

"Twenty-four Kay also had it's root's in old earth as a regional triad. With the founding of the Federation and the vast expanse of humanity, 24K evolved into a different entity."

"Franchised criminality supporting community, including innovative concepts like unions and social media, 24k enveloped unclaimed territory with a relentless fervor. Where as Terra Familia relied upon established system's slow decay and corruption, 24K sponsored expansion directly."

"Often the old regime financed the new without actually recognizing it. Felmutter became fantastic stories told by old men, 24K was a tangible part of lower and middle class communities."

Agatha finished her lecture, "Any questions?"

Vika raised her hand.

Agatha nodded.

"So how was Felmutter so dominant before?" The freckled redhead asked.

Agatha smiled, "There seemed to be a supernatural element to them, something beyond basic criminal or unlawful behavior."

Joon pursed her lips, "Super?"

Agatha smiled, "The name Felmutter was originally given to an individual more than five hundred years ago. Genevieve Lennox." Agatha tapped up a hologram of the woman.

A statuesque blonde woman with a swarthy complexion, her eyes an unnatural brilliant green, her expression intimidating. "The report made was dismissed as fantasy, Ms. Lennox supposedly threatened to roast a man in emerald fire that emanated from her hands."

Everyone's eyebrows rose.

"Now the name Felmutter makes sense." Astrid said softly.

Paula cleared her throat.

Everyone's focus returned to Paula.

"I never had any dealings with Felmutter, but I know members of my old family did." Her words uncomfortable. "The 'talents' found in many of the oldest families were used to further the interests of that society..." Paula paused and sipped her tea.

She looked up again, "I can assure you, the quality of threat from Felmutter was much more than pedestrian violence. For a decade of my life, I attended an exclusive school for the children of those old families." Paula stared at the symbol of Terra.

"I saw many talents, though very few as developed and polished as my own. A few dozen of us rattled around that high mountain villa. We had the impression there was once a much larger pool of students, as the school itself seemed very expansive for so few of us." Paula sighed.

Vika put her hand into Paula's, they shared a somber expression.

"Could it be that Terra Familia's influence is waning?" Max asked, looking to Agatha.

Agatha shook her head, "I do not know, Max, I can only make logical deductions from the data found on the Terran Federation Holonet."

"Forgive me for saying this," Samira spoke up, "I think a good portion of Felmutter's talent is sitting at this table."

Max and Joon shared a surprised expression while Paula and Vika appeared to consider the statement.

Astrid nodded slowly.

Agatha only smiled softly.

0o0

Yellow eyes narrowed as the words in the report became a living thing to the Slarmian's imagination. Teffa was coiled down at her desk in her first floor office of the Terran Embassy in Staverka.

She was reading one of the dozen memorandum she needed to understand to interpret current Terran Federation policies. Her office was nicely appointed with just enough decoration to add personality to the work space, but not so much to distract her focus.

She'd had a restful night and a lovely breakfast with her family... where she learned something important.

A Terran Federation Navy Battlecruiser was en route to Mu Cygni, the information was strictly need to know. Teffa felt honored that Agatha had qualified Zuki, Lakita and herself privy to that information.

Agatha would occasionally apprise her Staverka family of occurrences and updates, usually when they gathered for meals or tea breaks. Teffa now knew a number of closely held data points... Secrets.

It hadn't occurred to Teffa that any of this information was of value to others. That data concerned her family, and it's knowledge bound her even closer to them.

They trusted her, and she felt honored to have that trust, indeed, she knew that Agatha thought quite highly of her. Teffa recalled with pride the ceremony her Terran friends had performed before their departure, and she was only a transitory associate at the time.

Yet they pledged in her own language an affection and friendship with her...

As it turned out, those words were not the least bit hollow; they not only hired her to help Lieutenant Gonzalez establish a consulate... She became a pivotal member of the Embassy staff on Staverka.

Teffa was Slarmian and she happened to feel a great love for and loyalty to House Staverka and the Grand Slarmian Dynasty. But she was also a part of something else, something larger.

She gave her Oath of Service to Jooniper Smith, the Terran Ambassador. That was an Oath that could only be legally given to one employer at a time. It allowed her to request diplomatic privilege of her employer and refuse to answer specific questions under any national judicial procedure.

That Oath wasn't just a factor under law within the Grand Slarmian Dynasty, it was written into the Trankaran-Minor Empires Judicial Concordat: the same Interstellar agreement that protected all diplomats and embassy employees within the Trankaran Republic and Minor Empires.

The Major-domo of an Embassy was quite often the highest-ranking civilian in employ of foreign nations all over the Minor Empires. While the Terran Federation was not a signatory of the T-ME-JC, the Terran Embassy of Staverka still had to follow many of those rules.

The particular variables pertaining to the T-Fed Embassy was in these memoranda, thus the dire need to know and understand them.

Teffa looked up, thinking of Agatha, wondering if she could feel her at this moment. She knew Agatha was working on the floor above, she and the two Embassy Engineers were replacing some of the second-floor bathroom fixtures with human compatible ones.

All of the toilets were being replaced in the Terran designated apartments. The Major-domo had argued it was beneath the First Secretary... a clever call-back to how Teffa was talked out of piloting on girls night.

But, Agatha simply smiled and said 'Una' would be in charge... Teffa couldn't think of any way to refute that. 'Una' had done a lot of work in the past few days, again that useful fiction...

Three Hands of Agatha had assembled the triple-stack bunks and shelving for Marine personnel. Each of the five apartments had a pair of bedrooms, a foyer and a generously sized bath.

There would be six Marines to a bedroom for a possible total of twenty-four, two Navy clerical specialists per room for a possible total of eight, each Lieutenant would have their own room a possible total of two.

With enough room to house thirty-four Terrans, Agatha was hedging her bets on the minimal compliment the Embassy was likely to receive Officers quarters were located between the Marine and regular Navy quarters.

The arrangement seemed odd to Teffa, but Agatha said it was the preferred arrangement within the TFN. Something about Terran Navy and Terran Marines needing a buffer zone.

Teffa just shrugged her shoulders.

The second-floor common room was furnished with four standard holo projectors, Agatha added Terran style furniture including two large comfortable couches, two medium sized tables and a dozen chairs.

The kitchen adjacent was adorned with Terran style necessities, including flatware, cooking utensils, a variety of pots and pans and a high-capacity coffee maker.

The TFN BattleCrusier Skuld was due to arrive in twenty-eight hours, earlier than expected, Agatha easily adjusted and helped the rest of the Embassy do the same.

Teffa finished reading over the memorandum, blinked at it and started over...Her Terran really had gotten much better over the weeks, but the language used in the memorandum was a specific dialect... Agatha called it 'Bureaucratic' Terran.

It wasn't its own language per se, but a style of twisting cadence and difficult word choice that seemed purposefully designed to confuse. Using any language as its base, bureaucratic was an arranged expression of specific definitions without bothering to explain them in any way.

Agatha's advice was: If something doesn't make sense, reread it. If it still doesn't make sense, bring it to my attention, I will give it a try. She insisted that Teffa learn the dialect as most academic, legal and diplomatic documents employed a form of it.

Teffa remembered Paula being skilled in bureaucracy, Agatha said she couldn't think of a better role model for Teffa. So, the Major-domo of the Terran Embassy to the Grand Slarmian Dynasty settled back into her data work, her mind reacquiring the sense of taming a wild creature.

She glanced at the the time... Only two more hours until lunch.

0o0

Paula stood over the three-gallon stew pot. The Galley felt very comfortable to her, it was infinitely larger than the kitchen she had on Megara station. Most officers' quarters on Megara had an abbreviated kitchenette, enough to squirrel away and heat up take away leftovers.

Paula had managed to expand hers somewhat over the two decades she had lived there. What she really lacked was someone to cook for... Now she had a wonderful family with plenty of room to prepare meals.

Today's lunch menu was comfort food, Zharkoye: fall-apart braised beef and potatoes in an aromatic tomato sauce with a sprinkle of dill. Freshly baked brioche and cinnamon pear compote. Her intent was to smother her family's worries in deliciousness... Paula now knew that they could eat as much as they wanted and not gain an ounce.

That fact alone would be the only reason she would need to prepare the richest and most extravagant meals she had avoided most of her life. But there was also something else...

Since she started cooking in the galley and essentially laid claim to it, she had an itch slowly building in the back of her mind. Paula recognized the Fantasy Class System signs easily enough but didn't know how it could possibly apply to Deirdre's galley.

She pondered the mystery further and the circumstances surrounding it. Producing delicious and nutritious meals were a kind of domestic magic, Paula admitted to herself that kitchens were 'Witchy' places...

They had evolved from olde earth hearths after all and were the very foundations of a household, much of daily life revolved around them. Hearth and Home were what most people in those days fought and died to defend.

Something huge twitched in Paula's mind with those thoughts, her mismatched eyes grew in surprise Paula stirred the big stew pot, her eyes now unfocused, studying the subtle but immense power she had just detected.

*Psst, Hey Sam.* Paula thought.

*Mmmyes?* Samira replied with humor.

*Do you remember that little explanation of the 'Witch class' you gave me when I first came aboard?* Paula inquired.

*Sure I do, I wanted you to understand just how valuable your role was.*

 Samira replied.

*Yea, so, you rattled off a bunch of stuff, some of them were spells, do you remember them?*

*Hex and Hearth...* Samira responded, *You've pretty much got Hex nailed down.*

*Yes...* Paula's thought seemed distracted, *What does Hearth do in Fantasy Lore?*

*It's a recall spell.* Samira explained, *Magical travel to a predetermined location.*

*Seriously?*

*Yea, like Hex, it is exclusive to Witch.*

 Samira replied.

Paula thought about those words and the implications. *How would one predetermine a location?* Paula inquired.

*I don't know, I imagine some kind of ritual.*

*Thank you, Sam, that gives me a lot to think about.* Paula thought.

They shared a mental hug over the family network.

Paula then pondered the concept of magical travel over her stew pot The Witch knew she was on the right track but had no idea where it would eventually lead.

0o0

The Dauzakai Ambassador, Zess, sipped tea from an ornate teacup. Her eyes never left Agatha's face.

The Terran First Secretary, a powerful entity known to the Bolon as Starchild, sat adjacent to the Dauzakai Ambassador sipping hot delicious tea from an identical teacup. After the customary moment of appreciation of the flavorful Wunai moon tea, they both nodded to the other.

"How is everyone?" Zess inquired.

Agatha tilted her head slightly, "I assume your inquiry regards the crew of Deirdre?"

Zess blinked, "Ah! yes, I meant your wives... Upon further reflection, I suppose 'everyone' was rather vague."

Agatha smiled softly, "They are well and good."

"My dear friend, I have to confess, I can't stop thinking about the..." Zess blinked again seemingly searching for the correct term.

"Dream party?" Agatha finished with a grin.

Zess beamed, "Incredible experience... simply amazing, I am so honored to have had the opportunity to meet the others."