Ambasadora (Book 1 of Ambasadora) by Heidi Ruby Miller

soon. She and Mikail
had Sasha three years ago. Hailey is now six. I just thought we’d be planning
for another of our own by now.”
    Sean almost felt sorry for Kenon.
Trapped in the tenets of a society and trying to make the best of it because it
was the right thing to do . He couldn’t blame him for that. Misery was
always the side-effect of any ideology. Sean sniffed at the scotch and gave it
a swirl.
    On the screen, the image of
gossip-mongering hosts gave way to the sharp features and pale skin of the most
recognizable man in the system, Sovereign Simon Prollixer.
    Sean’s mood darkened further. He
put the glass to his lips, but thought better of it. Mixing alcohol with double
dosers could produce debilitating side effects. Too bad he’d taken that last
batch of stims before they left.
    Bubbles with video clips from the
day’s headliners bounced along the screen’s edge, expanding and contracting. A
clip of a particularly beautiful, redheaded woman bounced by, the word AMBASADORAS rotating within it. Sean used his implanted reporter to expand the window. It
manipulated all of the systems in Giselle’s residence just like Kenon’s did,
though the couple didn’t know this.
    When the redhead began to speak,
Sean turned up the volume. She proved more interesting than Mikail’s whining
from the other room.
    “…can’t tell you what an
honor it is to be a Face of the Embassy. I’m sure you’ll be hearing good things
about the ambasadoras. The Sovereign was wonderful to give us this opportunity.
I think all the women will agree he has been like a father to us. He is a very
generous man with a wonderful heart.”
    Sean wanted to hurl his untouched
drink through the screen. Naïve bitch. All the ambasadoras were being used to
redirect attention away from the true intentions of the Embassy.
    The woman’s light green eyes were
almost as shiny as her glossed lips. She played up to her audience by angling
her head and smiling, techniques that wooed only the weakest of men.
    “Isn’t she incredible?”
Kenon stared transfixed at the screen as the ambasadora sang another round of
praises for the Sovereign. “So much beauty, so much poise.”
    The camera pulled back to a
half-body shot to show a glimpse of violet lights pulsing up one of her shapely
biceps, then the angle returned to her laughing face.
    “This whole ambasadora
business is nothing more than a publicity stunt by the Embassy,” Giselle
said from behind them. She slid past Sean in an orchid-colored silk robe.
“I don’t know how the Sovereign found sixty Socialite women willing to
demean themselves that way.”
    Giselle attempted to hide the
jealousy in her voice with a nonchalant posture. Sean knew better. Anything
that placed one Upper above another in societal standing was always a cause for
envy.
    “I agree,” Sean said
under his breath, but Giselle had picked up on it.
    “Hello, Scientist
Cryer.” Giselle winked.
    Kenon pretended not to notice her
flirting and poured another scotch.
    “You can skip the title. It
means nothing.” Sean finally swallowed the smooth liquid, no longer caring
about the consequences.
    “Then how about mech tech?
Isn’t that what you all call him aboard ship, Kenon?” The term was meant
as an insult, but Sean had found many more mech techs he liked than Socialites.
    “Just Sean. If you have to
talk to me at all.”
    She had already lost interest in
him anyway, nuzzling up to Kenon and telling him she had something to discuss.
    Sean made to leave, but Sovereign
Prollixer’s reappearance on the Media pulled his attention back.
    “The ambasadoras will
fill the roles of our once cherished archivists, sharing information about our
projects and bringing back wonderful news of success within the system.”
    All of which could be
accomplished faster and with less expense via the Media or virtually. That
tingling feeling inside Sean that said he was right made him angry because the
situation was actually worse than he