(no subject)

[gone_byebye]

The mud of the River of the Serpent is persistent, nasty, sticky stuff that gets into places Ray doesn't want to talk about. He's managed to rid himself of the stuff, but his clothes are going to smell like the river for a while. Thank heaven his papers and boxes made it out of the muck unharmed.

Now if he can just survive Sthiss Tor...

Comments

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

Surviving Sthiss Tor may of may not be made easier by the fact that Ray, as a foreigner of interest, is being taken to Queen Salmissra. The Beloved of Issa had an unhealthy interest in the outside world, and any new diversions that it might provide. Ray, it would seem, is viewed as one of those diversions.

Eternal Salmissra is reclining on her divan, lazily watching as her toenails are gilded, each painstakingly set with precious stones that will inevitably be lost to the ground within a few days. But what does she care for that? They twinkle prettily.

She looks up as he is brought before her, the eunuch escorting him falling to his knees and pressing his forehead to the ground in obeisance.

[gone_byebye]

Huh boy. Ray swallows- this is really kind of an unusual experience for him, whether in this world or out of it- and bows, the way he would to his Chinese broadsword instructor. "Your Majesty," he says. "Allow me to apologize for intruding on your realm. I can assure you that it was completely an unintentional act on my part, and that neither I nor the nation of Riva intends, intended, or will intend any kind of challenge to Nyissan territorial integrity by it." Pause. "Ma'am."

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

"Indeed," she says languidly, flicking her fingers in elegant dismissal at the kneeling servant. "Nyissa appreciates your candour. As," and here her eyes slip slowly over him in a calculating manner, "do I."

What she sees would appear to please her, as she smiles and runs the tip of her tongue lightly over her upper lip.

[gone_byebye]

Ray isn't really used to women looking at him with that kind of candor. On the other hand, this is Salmissra. Garion told him what the Salmissra that'll be on the throne in 5371 or so's going to be like- and that all of them are like that. It's like some kind of extended diplomatic front, or something.

Only not, because it never really goes away.

So. Um.

"If there's, ah... any sort of question I can answer regarding, well-" He's not entirely sure the woman is blinking. It's disconcerting. "-my, I don't know, travel plans, or the world outside, or any of the articles on my person that the crew of the barge that brought me here had an interest in, I'd be more than happy to answer them, of course."

Nope. Still not blinking. Yeek.

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

The queen tilts her head to the side, which causes a mass of hair to slip off her shoulder and down one chalky-white arm. Yes, her dress is almost completely transparent.

"My people have told me that you carry articles associated with the alchemical arts." She blinks, finally, but it is very slow and deliberate, not an automatic reaction at all. This blink is meant. "Are you a scholar?"

[gone_byebye]

See, he's seen that kind of thing before. The dress, that is. The thing is that it's usually on somebody who's been dead for sixty years. And generally the person wearing it is marginally to moderately see-through themselves.

... nice hair, though.

"Oh, that?" Ray seizes gratefully upon the prospect. "Yes. Yes, as a matter of fact I am. I've spent the past forty years pursuing exactly those studies at the College of Applied Alchemy at the University of Melcene. I take it your Majesty has an interest in the topic?"

Kind of stupid, since Nyissans are the world's greatest experimental pharmacologists, but it's a conversational opening, right?

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

Salmissra is anything but see-through - she's very definitely all there. And a rather physical all there it is too.

"Forty years?" She asks, interested. He looks very youthful to have been studying for so long. "You must have made some interesting discoveries. You must talk with the Royal Apothecaries. You will have much to discuss. Unless, of course," and here her voice drops into a low, hissing purr that is disturbingly erotic, "you are wary of sharing secrets. . ."

[gone_byebye]

Yeeeeeeah. Yeah, that about sums up that purr. There are Bene Gesserit adepts of the Voice who can't get their vocal chords around a guy's hindbrain that way.

"Ma'am," he says, and concentrates really hard on that hair because it's probably the safest thing in the room to look at without being accused of not being properly appreciative, "I would be more than happy to share whatever information your people would find of interest. Understand that some of it's probably utterly useless- chemical reactions for the production of smokeless light, the development of a super-hard variety of glass- but-"

His expression brightens a moment as he remembers one of the packets stashed in the back of the steel box.

"If your Majesty has ever had a particular need to be awake and alert without the kinds of strain that some of the existing drugs place on the heart, I can definitely set your Apothecaries up with a procedure for producing one of my own personal favorite compounds. That's only for starters, of course. A mere beginner's exercise from the early years of my study."

Praise all seven Gods for C₈H₁₀N₄O₂.

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

Salmissra smiles. Oh, this one could be very useful. Perhaps she'll have to keep him. She just needs to find out what he wanted - or make him want something that only she can provide.

"I am sure that would be of great interest. You seem to be a fascinating man. . . . ?" Her voice trails off into a question, and she raises one perfect eyebrow at him.

[gone_byebye]

... like a research lab! A really good research lab! He could seriously go for one of those, and nobody but nobody makes a research lab like a Nyissan. So yeah!

"Raymond, ma'am. Your Majesty, I mean," Ray says. Then a tiny, woefully underdeveloped neuron fires, and he adds, "Although given the fact that I'm in Nyissa, I suspect that the Serpent People would probably find it a good deal easier on the ear to use my family name instead, which is Stantz."

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

"Stantz," she says, hissing the 's' and the 'z' and rolling the rest of the name in her mouth like a juicy fruit. "Yes, I like that." This Salmissra seems willing to over-look his incorrect use or address, although he is getting the evil eye from several of her attendants.

"You will work with my people then, Stantz?"

Yes, she likes that name. He sounds almost Nyissan.

[gone_byebye]

And these people are poisoners. Just because nothing managed to kill Ray at the University doesn't mean these guys won't come up with something that can. Mental note: no getting the Queen's title wrong, ever.

Unicron's gonna seem like a walk in the park after this.

"Gladly, your Majesty," Ray says.

At least until he can figure out how to get to the Vale from here, anyway.

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

"I am pleased," she says, regally. Then she favours him with a smile that is more. . . personal.

"I look forward to getting to know you better. . ."

[gone_byebye]

Ray was sweating before. Sthiss Tor is, after all, hot and muggy. That's rather a different sort of sweat breaking out now, though.

"Um. Okay," he says. "When's good for you?"

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

"All times are good for me," she says, swinging her feet down onto the ground and standing, arching her back into a sinuous stretch. She snaps her head back down and fixes him with an unblinking stare.

"How about right. . . now?"

[gone_byebye]

"You know, your Majesty," says Ray, "somehow I thought you'd say that." He rubs at his face with one hand. "I suppose privacy is probably out of the question, huh?"

The last time he was pinned in the sights of a woman who scared him this much it was Blodwen Rowlands. He's pretty sure blithering isn't going to save him this time. The only other option he's seeing is straightforward bluntness, and that's kind of hard to do with swarms of eunuchs in the vicinity.

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

"Not at all," she tells him as she. . . slinks across the floor. Slinking is the only word that fits the way she moves. She waves a hand, the same gesture she had used earlier - but this time, all of her attendants fall to their bellies and crawl backwards out of the throne room.

"There," she says. "Now we are alone."

Aside from the spies behind the hangings and so on, of course, but he can't see them, and really, it wouldn't be safe not to have guards of some kind.

[gone_byebye]

Of course. He'd be amazed if there weren't some sort of spy on hand. Garion's told him all kinds of stories about other kingdoms. Why should Nyissa be any different?

Ray nods. "Thank you," he says. "I asked because I have a confession to make, your Majesty. Namely, I would make an absolutely lousy companion in that regard, at least in comparison to anybody that you might have in mind in the past. I'm, um, not nearly as... I'm a much better scholar than I am a, um, a playmate, to be as blunt as I can get without blowing a few dozen blood vessels in my face. It's nothing to do with you!" he hastily adds. "I mean, wow. Seriously. If I were in slightly different circumstances, like possibly being another man entirely or something along those lines, I'd be totally and utterly overwhelmed. As a matter of fact I'm pretty close to that condition as it stands- but that's not the important thing, except in that it means I'm, um, thinking that I really need to make you a significantly better offer than what I can do myself."

Pause.

"That didn't sound right. Can I have three minutes to explain exactly what I mean before you decide that I'm a waste of your time and send the snakes after me?"

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

The snake queen draws herself up to her full height and hoods her eyes, watching him through slitted eyelids.

"Continue," she says, coldly. Perhaps he will be allowed to live.

[gone_byebye]

Ray nods. "Okay. Okay."

Never in his life did he think he would be grateful for that bust at a certain museum at 233 Fifth Avenue. And never has he more fervently wished that the Doctor not come to this particular wing of this particular universe. He'll never be able to live this down if word gets back to Gallifrey.

"I told you at the start of our audience that some of my research was aimed at producing light without smoke. The same chemically-derived power that I use to produce that light can be used to power devices that'll perform as admirably as you could ever ask for in that regard, without growing tired or needing to stop for any reason other than your own whim. I can provide evidence of the power cells and the smokeless light right now if your Majesty wishes. The devices themselves are going to have to be designed and built to your specifications, but I can draw up the plans and you can see for yourself."

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

Salmissra is nothing if not predictable.

"A. . . device. . . that will not tire?" She thinks that she can guess at what sort of 'device' he is talking about.

She purses her lips, then smiles.

"That would be a. . . more than adequate substitute." She drops him a wink that, shockingly, contains more humour than seduction. Of course, she is Salmissra, so the seduction is still there, but that's not the point.

[gone_byebye]

Ray nods. "All right, then," he says. "As a token of good faith, this is what I mean about the light-"

At least this isn't the Galaxy Far Far Away. Lord, the stories they'd start circulating...

The throne room at Sthiss Tor has always been on the dimly lit side. It can't be helped; it's the construction. But as Salmissra watches, Ray detaches his 'saber from his belt (they left it with him because it looked about as weaponlike as a large shiny stick) and rests his thumb on the switch.

Snap-hisssss goes the blade, and the throne room flares with sudden green light.

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

"Oh," and it's a soft little gasp. There's a muttering from behind the curtains, which start twitching. No-one steps out though. They don't need to - that's what poisoned darts are for.

[gone_byebye]

Ray smiles. "Pretty, isn't it?" he says, looking at the blade. Then he switches it off and hangs it back on his belt again. "I'm sorry, your Majesty, I didn't mean to startle you. But if I can build one of those, given some time and the right materials I'm sure I can work up some appropriate toys for you to select from."

So not what he attended the Fu Foundation School of Engineering for, but he's pretty sure that survival kind of supercedes the reputation of Columbia's degree programs.

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

"I like the idea of your toys, Stanz," she chuckles. "You could be a great asset, I think." If he would consent to stay. That's the problem with creative geniuses - they tend to lose their gifts if you chain them down. She's tried it.

[gone_byebye]

"I appreciate the compliment, your Majesty, but let's save it until I've produced something you can actually use," Ray says. "Then you can judge for yourself. I'll start as soon as I can get set up somewhere appropriate, if that's all right with you?"

[salmissras.livejournal.com]

"My people will have orders to provide you with anything you require," she says. She expects him to have side projects - his type always does.

[gone_byebye]

"Terrific," Ray says. "Thank you very much, your Majesty. You won't regret it."

And, hopefully, neither will he.