Chapter Text
Aly couldn't quite stifle a knot of worry as she made her way through HQ hallways. An unscheduled summons to the office of the Whisper Man, head of the Tortallan National Intelligence Service, probably meant nothing good - even if the Whisper Man was her father.
She knocked briskly on the unmarked door, paused, and entered to face her father and - of all people - Taybur Sibigat.
"Ah, Aly," her Da said pleasantly, before she could do anything but stare. "Thank you for coming." He turned to Taybur. "Captain Sibigat, I believe you've already met agent Aly Cooper?" Polite words, but his eyes held both amusement and a challenge aimed in Aly's direction.
"Indeed," Taybur said. He rose courteously to his feet, and inclined his head toward her. "Though the last time we met was under rather different circumstances." His voice was rich with irony. She'd seen his eyes widen in surprise as she entered the room, but no more than that. The man was good - and oh, how she'd missed this.
"How wonderful to see you again!" she exclaimed, as though she'd just run into an old friend on the street. She took Taybur's hand in greeting, and shot a sunny smile over at her Da. "Taybur and I were good friends back in Rajmuat, you know," she told him confidingly. The skin of Taybur's hand was warm, but dry and chapped. Several days at sea in rough quarters, she guessed, her brain already whirring along at its normal rapid pace.
"Oh, indeed," Taybur agreed, bowing over her hand with exaggerated gallantry. "Truly, Rajmuat has been a shadow of itself since you left." His words and smile might have been double-edged - since you fled right after half the city was razed in the riots, he could easily have added. She could see no blame in his face, though; his remark was wry rather than cutting.
What is he doing here? she wondered as she sat down in the second chair across from her father. She was careful to slouch a little, lounging as though she owned the place. Her guess would be that Taybur had been smuggled into Tortall from the Copper Isles by boat. He had no scrapes or injuries that she could see - no sign of a struggle. More than that, he'd been alone in an office with her father when she'd entered. He must be here willingly, she concluded, and Da must trust him for some reason.
"Agent Cooper is one of our brightest young officers," her father continued, giving no hint at all that he was introducing his own daughter. "She works closely with the head of the Service. In fact, she was the one to suggest that you be approached as an intelligence asset."
Aly just smiled mysteriously. It wasn't surprising that Taybur was unaware that the man he was speaking to was actually the head of the NIS. Even within the Service, only his inner circle knew who the 'Master of Whispers' really was. She hadn't known for sure that Taybur had been recruited as an agent - her Da had set her on the Tyran desk when she'd joined the Service, and she didn't have access to many of the secret reports from any other country, including the Copper Isles. Not an accident, she was sure - her Da didn't want her emotions or her loyalties muddled.
Her father turned to face Aly. "Unfortunately, we had to pull Captain Sibigat out of the Isles a little over a week ago, when we had reason to suspect that his identity was compromised. He's been debriefed, and has kindly agreed to join our ranks as an intelligence officer." Her Da, bless him, gave no sign that any of this information might be surprising to her. "I expect that his knowledge of the Copper Isles will be invaluable in the future. However, for the time being, I want him on your team, for a Tyran operation that you'll be running."
Aly glanced at Taybur, who met her gaze with a lack of surprise - this wasn't news to him. At a nod from her father, he explained further.
"The Rittevons have viewed Tortall as an enemy since the uprising," Taybur said, his tone admirably even. When Tortall cut off trade after the regents murdered King Dunevon went unsaid. "I recently began to suspect that they've allied with the Scanrans, when my agents reported that they were meeting Scanran representatives in secret. Just before my extraction, I broke into Sevmire's office and found documents that confirmed my suspicions." He gestured toward a folder of photographic negatives sitting on her father's desk. "I brought photos of the schematics that Sevmire kept on file. They all reference an engineer named Blayse Dekkarsra, who we believe is leading the Scanran weapon development program."
"I had some of our engineers look at the plans," her Da said. "They say that it appears to be designs for some kind of long-range missile, with guidance systems more advanced than any they've ever heard of. The Scanrans call it the Tötungsmaskin - the "killing device". Notes on the documents indicate a theoretical range of up to two hundred miles."
Aly's eyes widened. "They could bomb Corus without even leaving their borders," she said. Her father nodded, grim.
"That's our concern. Fortunately, they don't appear to have the rockets in production yet. We think that Scanra is using Tyran engineers and factories to build the guidance systems. They don't have the expertise, the facilities or the raw supplies in Scanra itself."
"What do the Tyrans get out of it?" Aly asked, wrinkling her nose. Slippery and amoral they might be as a nation, she couldn't see what rocky, impoverished Scanra would have to convince Tyran merchants and craftsmen to help.
"They get the designs for the rockets, for one. They're worth money to the right buyer," Taybur answered. "That's why Sevmire had the detailed schematics - he's acting as the middle-man between the Scanrans and their friends in Tyra. But from what I understand, the Tyrans are primarily interested in mining rights in Scanra, after the Tortallan blockade is broken. They're counting on the Tortallan front falling apart once their rear is under fire."
"And without a strong offence from us, the trade embargo will fall apart as well," her Da added, a wry twist to his mouth. "Our neighbors are far less committed to this war than we are."
Aly nodded, slowly. Things were starting to come together. "I've had reports of Tyran merchants discussing Scanran mining rights," she said. "It didn't make much sense until now, because of the embargo. But if a merchanter house is counting on the blockade and embargo breaking in the near future, that would explain it. I'll have a list of houses who might be involved ready by tomorrow." She glanced at her father, who nodded.
"Do that," he told her. "In addition, I want you on the ground in Tyra by the end of the week. Not involved in any field operations," he added quickly, before she could say anything. He handed her a file stamped "SECRET", and she opened it - it was an intelligence profile of a Tyran businessman.
"Gregoire Poli," her Da continued. "Owner and primary inventor for a manufacturer of ship stabilizing mechanisms. Started out as an engineer for a naval architecture firm, but did well enough to start his own company."
Aly raised an eyebrow. "And...?" she prompted. Always a dramatic, her father smiled.
"And he's the world's foremost expert on gyroscopic stabilizers." He tapped the stack of schematics. "That's the guidance technique that makes these rockets so dangerous. His name appears on several of the designs. We're reasonably sure that he is the one designing and manufacturing the guidance systems for these rockets."
"Sounds like a nice guy," Aly muttered.
"Nice enough for us," her Da said cheerfully. "For now, he's our best lead outside Scanra or the Isles. I have other agents working on getting more information in Scanra, and in Rajmuat." He inclined his head in acknowledgement toward Taybur, and received a rueful sort of grimace in response.
It couldn't be pleasant for Taybur to have suddenly become an outcast to all his old networks and operations - an exile from everything and everyone he knew. He could never return while Imajane and Rubinyan held power. It must burn that his cover had been blown before he managed to bring them down.
Aly could sympathize.
"Spend the next couple days familiarizing yourselves with the details. Your goal is to discover how close the Scanrans are to firing one of these rockets at us - and how to keep them from getting there," her father said. His face was once again hard - not an expression she was used to seeing on him. This business had him truly worried. "Once you're in Tyra, I want every detail you can get on these rockets and their manufacturing process: locations, names, materials, shipping routes, specifications. Once you obtain more information, we can decide the best method of… intervention."
That could mean either diplomatic pressure, threats, sabotage, or murder - or a combination of 'all of the above'. Aly couldn't say she'd object to any of those options.
"Who makes the decision on what method of 'intervention' we use?" asked Taybur, evidently thinking along similar lines as she.
"Agent Cooper will be in command of the operation. Before taking action, she'll report to me. I'll report to… well." Her Da gestured airily in an upwards direction. "Whoever needs to know. I expect that decisions about any actions to be taken will be made at the highest level." The 'highest level', barring the king himself, was sitting right in front of them - but Taybur didn't need to know that.
Her father took two slim files from his desk and handed one to her, and the other to Taybur. "Here are your new identities," he said. "They'll check out with the Ministry of Interior if need be. Look them over tonight, and submit any changes you find necessary as soon as possible." His tone made it clear that any changes had better be absolutely necessary.
Aly's file contained a small booklet - her new passport. She flipped through the pages, pleased with what she saw. It was a perfect fake. Delora Aminleigh, née Gottry, she read. Aged 21 years old. Married. She glanced over and saw that Taybur's eyebrows had risen in surprise as well. His own sideways look at her held mingled humor and trepidation.
"I'm sending you undercover as newlyweds, so you'll have a clear excuse to be sneakin' off into dark corners." Her Da's tone was dry with suppressed amusement as he glanced between Aly and Taybur. Aly smirked; he obviously knew exactly how much fun she was going to have with this. "Other than that, Agent Cooper will be in charge of the arrangements. Any questions?"
"No, sir," Taybur said. Aly shook her head.
"Good." He turned to Aly. "Agent Cooper, I'll need a short word with you," he said. At the clear dismissal, Taybur rose, bowed to Aly, and left the room.
As the door closed behind him, Aly scowled at her father. "What was that supposed to be, exactly?" she asked irritably.
Her Da blinked. "A mission briefing, I believe," he said with a certain amount of wariness. Aly snorted derisively.
"Not a single threat? No, 'You treat my daughter right or they'll never find your body'? A girl could think that her father doesn't care at all who she marries!"
Her Da reached forward and took both her hands in his. "My dearest Aly," he said, staring earnestly into her eyes. "I have every confidence in your judgement, and in your ability to stick him full of knives if he mistreats you. If this is the man you've chosen as your husband, then I am more than willing to clasp your bridegroom to our family bosom." He pressed their entangled hands to his chest to demonstrate.
Aly's giggles finally escaped her, and she pulled her hands free to stop herself from sprawling across his desk.
"Your mother, on the other hand…" Her Da shook his head, still perfectly serious. "I'd keep him away from her until she has time to get used to the idea. I happen to know she's been working on her threat speech since she got pregnant with your brother Thom." Aly winced. Her mother's threats were terrifying. "It might be safe to introduce them, say, five years after the wedding." He sighed. "Too bad you won't be married to him for longer than a month or two."
"You like him," Aly said, suppressing laughter. "I can tell."
Her father waved a dismissive hand. "He's a fine agent. I've had a chance to see him at work; he's been advising me and my analysts on this business for a week now. Shame to lose him as our man in Rajmuat, but he's already well on his way to making up the cost of his extraction."
"As a person, Da," she said, rolling her eyes. "You know you enjoyed that conversation with him just as much as I did."
His lips quirked. "Maybe not quite as much as you did," he said. Aly barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes again. Her father never missed a chance to tease her about boys.
"I won't deny he's likeable," her father admitted, serious. "He's been remarkably reliable for a foreign agent. But don't confuse a man's pursuit of revenge for loyalty to his allies." There was no levity at all to their conversation now. "We've been his tool just as much as he's been ours. Set him against an enemy other than the Rittevons, and you can't know which way he'll jump when your backs are up against the wall - or when he gets a better offer."
Aly swallowed the first words that leapt to her lips - defenses of Taybur Sibigat, of a vehemence that surprised her. Taybur was a good man. She'd never known him to show anything but kindness to her and the other servants in Rajmuat, though he'd outranked them by far. Even the raka worked with had liked and respected him, though he'd been a full-blood luarin who worked for the Rittevons. He'd loved poor Dunevon like his own son, though it must have made his job as captain of the King's Guard a thousand times harder.
And yet - her father was right. She might have trusted Taybur's love for Dunevon, but the boy was dead. She might trust his need for revenge against Imajane and Rubinyan - but what if he decided that serving the Tortallans was now not his best path to getting it? She didn't even know whether he had family or friends back in the Isles who could be used as leverage against him. She didn't, she realized, really know him at all.
"Point taken," she said at last. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Her father, thankfully, knew not to push her any further. "Just to remind you of our agreement," he said, accepting her change of the subject.
"I remember," Aly said stiffly. "I won't put myself in danger."
"No unnecessary risks," he said, forceful. "We have agents in Tyra to do the field work for you. What we do not have are enough people who can be trusted with the complete picture. If anything happens to you, I'll have to pull someone off another critical operation. That's not an acceptable outcome." He was speaking as her commander now, not as her Da.
"Understood," Aly said.
"Don't be fooled by the fact that we're at peace with Tyra. If the authorities there catch you and bring you up on charges of espionage, there will be nothing we can do. You'll be outside our official protection. And keep in mind that we don't know how far this conspiracy goes. As far as you're concerned, everyone there is a potential enemy."
Her father's eyes bored into hers as though trying to impress the importance of his orders on her by sheer will. Aly nodded her understanding.
After a moment her Da's face softened. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "All right, I'll try not to worry," he said. "I trust your abilities and your judgement. Just please promise your old Da that you'll do your best to come back in one piece?"
Aly circled his desk to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll be back here to bother you before you know it," she said. "I promise." He pulled her into a quick hug.
"Well, off with you," he said after he released her. "I'll see you again before you leave. Time to get to work."
********
Aly's Da had never wanted her to enter the world of espionage. It couldn't be easy for him to know he had only himself to blame for the fact that she'd chosen it. Aly had spent a time being angry at him for perceived hypocrisy: he'd been willing to train her, as one would give a child a shiny toy, but refused to let her use her training in the field just because she was his daughter. Since then, her anger had cooled. She'd realized that it had never been in his nature to deny knowledge from a child who begged for it, even if he'd known in advance that he wouldn't like the consequences.
Since Aly had returned from the Copper Isles and began her apprenticeship in earnest, she had been forced to accept the condition that she would never work in the field as an agent again. It didn't mean she was happy about being ordered to stay in a safehouse while other agents did the hands-on work. Her father may have complimented the skill she'd displayed as an inadvertent agent in not-so-friendly territory, but his main condition to letting her join the NIS had been that she'd never see action or do fieldwork again.
"It's a bad thing when the agent is worth more than the whole mission, Aly," he'd told her, months earlier. "Whether you like it or not, you are important - were born important. I know you don't think it's fair, but that's the truth of it."
Aly had stiffened her back, clenched her jaw as he spoke, perhaps in unconscious echo of her mother's military stance. A soldier wouldn't have to deal with this, she'd thought bitterly. No one would ever dare tell Mother to stay out of the field, no matter that she's a general and the King's friend to boot.
"You can treat me like any other agent," she'd said. "I don't need special treatment just because of who my parents are."
"They would hurt you because of who your parents are," her father had said, all humor gone from his eyes. "They would demand things far beyond anything we'd give for an ordinary agent - concessions the kingdom cannot afford to give. If we refused their ransom or demands, they would send you back to us in pieces. They'd take their time with you, bring in a real artist to do it right. Do you know how long a skilled torturer can keep a person alive?"
"Da-"
"No," he'd said, cutting her off, as grim as she'd ever seen him. "If you're fool enough to want to put yourself in that position, you'll stand there and listen to me tell you the consequences of your decision - in as much detail as necessary." He'd grimaced, shaken his head as though to shake it free of images of Aly being tortured to death. "Do you honestly think that your mother or I could stand to just leave you in enemy hands, like you're asking? That's a cruel thing to ask of any parent."
The pain in his voice had cut her heart, even though she'd known he wasn't playing fair, was doing it on purpose. Just because a person deliberately said a thing to affect your emotions didn't mean it wasn't true.
So she'd agreed. It was the only way she could get back in the game, to play it on a level she knew she was already addicted to. Even Aly wasn't stubborn enough to strike out on her own on purpose. She'd been lucky with her work in the Isles, had fallen straight into a cause and an existing network. She wouldn't be that lucky a second time.
********
Taybur was loitering in the hallway outside her Da's office, waiting for her. Aly wasn't surprised.
"I suppose I shouldn't bother asking how a girl named 'Cooper' is apparently part of the Whisper Man's inner circle," he said, tone thoughtful. He was fishing, and not even bothering to hide it.
She smiled prettily at him, aware that 'Aly Cooper' sounded even more false than the name "Aly Homewood". It would be obvious to him by now that she was probably not a commoner, but 'Cooper' was a plain name, a common name - just the kind of name any spy would choose as their alias. There had been a reason she'd selected the name 'Homewood' when she'd had a choice: it was a commoner name, but a halfway unusual one. Choose a name like 'Cooper' or 'Smith', and you might as well paint a sign on you that read "Suspicious!". The fact that it really was her real name didn't matter.
It wasn't a secret, precisely, that Alanna of Trebond had married a man named George Cooper, but neither was it a well-known fact. When the press talked about her mother, they usually called her by titles, or simply as "The Lioness". And, of course, as far as they knew they had no reason to write about her father at all. Taybur should have no reason to associate the name Cooper with espionage.
"If you want to waste your breath, go right ahead," she said airily, laughing on the inside. It tickled her a fair bit that even after being told her real name, he was even more suspicious of it that he'd been of her fake one. It was fun to play games with a man who knew her well! She reckoned it would take him a little while to make the connection between Aly and her mother, and she planned on making the most of that time while it lasted. As for her connection with her father - well, he wasn't cleared to know about that.
"I confess I'm surprised," Taybur continued, tone light, then paused to give the conversation appropriate suspense: another game that Aly knew.
"Oh?" she prompted archly, and looked up at him through artfully fluttering eyelashes.
"I'm surprised that you've been working for the Whisper Man all this time," Taybur said. "I mean, it was the obvious answer: you are from here, after all. That's why I ruled it out - his spies are usually more subtle than that, and you - you are anything but obvious."
Aly knew it was - mostly - a compliment, but she felt as though lead weights had dropped into the pit of her stomach. Even though there was no overt judgement in his stance or tone, Aly swallowed her reflexive anger at what he was implying - that she'd been spying on the Balitangs instead of for them. That she had betrayed the trust of the family she'd fought so hard to protect. She raised her chin and met his eyes squarely, ignoring the ridiculous amount of height he had on her. She imagined her mother, or Queen Thayet, facing down a challenge or a slight.
This wasn't the fun conversation she'd wanted to have. He was looking at her differently than he had in Rajmuat, she realized. They worked for the same people now, but she got the sense that he trusted her even less than he had back in the Isles.
"Last year, I worked for the Balitangs and for no one else," she said. "Now I work for Tortall, and only for Tortall. That's all you need to know about me."
I am trusted here, her iron gaze added, louder than words, and you are not.
Taybur raised his eyebrows. "You don't honestly expect me to believe that someone of your clearance was working for an outside group just a year ago."
"Believe what you want," Aly said. She wiped the scowl from her face and turned away, smothering any further conversation on the subject. He didn't need any more clues to the fact that he'd touched a nerve.
It wasn't like Taybur's logic was wrong. With almost any other agent, he'd have been correct. Without her family connections, she'd not have access or a position anywhere near as high in the Intelligence Service. Maybe it wasn't entirely fair - but trained agents who could be trusted were few and far between. Even the fact that she'd given her loyalty to foreigners for over a year didn't matter against the fact that her Da, and Their Majesties, had known her from birth.
It was a well-kept secret that her father was the Whisper Man, a secret that only his personal staff were privy to. Most agents in headquarters knew that Aly Cooper, daughter of the famous Lioness, was on that staff - though outside the NIS, very few people knew she was involved in espionage. Taybur would find out that second secret soon enough, and she hoped that would answer his questions about her loyalties and her rapid promotion.
Aly took a breath. She'd reacted too strongly, revealed perhaps too much. Nothing to do about that now.
"Come on. I'll show you where my office is," she said - a peace offering. "We have an operation to plan."