Queen of the Pirates Read Online Free

again. Well–rehearsed and important, but more than just conversation. Much more.
    “Jessica,” Nils said, leaning a little closer, “what my esteemed sidekick is wandering around without actually saying is that you are at a point in your career most people from your background never reach. It’s time for you to decide what you want to be.”
    Oh? Cards–on–the–table time? With two of the biggest power players in the Republic? Seriously?
    “What are my choices?” she replied, opting for Socrates rather than commitment.
    Both men smiled. Nils spoke.
    “You already have a reputation among the Fighting Lords as a tactical wizard, perhaps comparable to Emmerich Wachturm, your erstwhile opponent. That alone will eventually pave the way for you to be promoted to Fleet Lord.”
    Jessica eyed both men closely. “What if I want more?”
    She leaned forward and tented her hands to rest her chin. It was a pose she had picked up from the man seated next to her. He recognized it with a smile.
    “How much more?” Nils smiled at her.
    “How far could a scholarship student from the outskirts of Penmerth go, Nils? Tadej? On the strength of her own accomplishments, and not just as the spouse of someone far better bred?”
    She was careful with her tone. These men bled blue when pricked. But they had asked for it.
    “Could I take your job?” she continued at Nils with an honest appraisal.
    “That, Jessica Keller,” Tadej said seriously, “is why we are here, tonight.”
    “To answer that question?” She turned her tone on him, sounding like a tactics instructor, perhaps the man who had taught her, who sat beside her now.
    “To begin your education, young lady, that one day, you just might.” Nils smiled down at her. It was a warm smile, for all the cold implications in his words.
    Jessica kept her smile neutral.
    These men were serious. Very serious. Like they believed she might actually pull it off.
    Her Advanced Fleet Operations final exams had been less intimidating.
    Joshua returned to break up the scene, pouring wine and delivering hors d'oeuvres. Jessica used the space to gather her wits back together. As much as she could.
    First Lord Jessica Keller? Wow .
    She took a leap of faith.
    “So,” she began around a bite of cheese, “I presume my naval skills have been found acceptable. What is the next thing I should master, gentlemen?”
    Tadej blinked in surprise. Nils laughed outright.
    “I told you so, Tad,” Nils said, toasting his friend with a wine glass.
    “Yes,” Tadej replied with a wry smile. “Yes, you did. I will pay up tomorrow, you scamp.”
    Seriously, they had bet? On her? Was she predictable, or were they?
    “Jessica,” Tadej said with utter gravity, the levity gone from his voice, but still holding all the warmth, “what you need next is diplomacy.”
    “Diplomacy?” she said, one eyebrow creeping up in spite of her best efforts.
    “Not command, Command Centurion Keller,” Tadej replied. “You do that well. No, I mean going out as the senior officer and talking to diplomats and politicians. Fencing verbally with them. Spying on them. Out–maneuvering them at the dinner table.”
    “I see.” She did see. It was one of the things she detested most. Fleets were predictable. Battles as well, within limits.
    People, not so much.
    Still, if she wanted this future, she would have to master this task.
    Simple as that.
    “So what is the secret key to diplomacy, Tadej?” she asked, putting him on the spot to see how far he was prepared to go tonight.
    “Diplomacy is the art of the unsaid, as much as the said, Jessica,” he replied, suddenly very, very serious. Her reminded her of Father. “Politics is the art of perception, the shaping of minds with your words. Leading someone verbally to a place without ever taking them there, merely on the strength of your words alone. Never threatening. Never cowering. Hinting at ambiguities and repercussions, while letting their imaginations and