Diltan gave Maf a level look. “If Dramok Rajhir is indeed a part of this, I must point out it would have been by the order of his emperor, Dramok Zarl. There is no way of knowing for certain if Rajhir realized where that order originated from. He has always maintained he was not aware of its author, only that it came with the official governmental seal.”
Maf waved him off. “Even if that is so, Rajhir was a councilman at the time as he is now. Such an anonymous decree should have been brought to our attention. And what of the recipient of this letter? Who would that have been? After all, this person is just as guilty, as he would have known it came from Zarl.” He looked at the two councilmen with the angriest expressions. “Gamas and Efo? Your Mataras came from the abducted group of women.”
It was the powerfully built Gamas who stood to glower at Maf. “My Matara was not kidnapped, Councilman, and I take offense to your suggestion I would do such a thing. She joined my clan willingly and will tell you so herself. Beyond that, I do not care for your characterization that she pollutes our race, Maf. Were you capable of defending yourself, I would demand a physical contest. If you had a Nobek, mine would challenge yours in your stead for your insult.”
Efo rose to stand next to Gamas. Usually a man with elegant features, he looked as savage as any Nobek in full rage. “The same stands for me. Though you cannot fight, you will hold your tongue or it will find itself cut out of your head.”
The situation was getting out of hand. Diltan slammed his fist to the tabletop. “Enough! This is an ethics meeting, not a fighting circle. Committee Chairman, do you wish to say something about the evidence rather than provoking other committee members?”
Maf wasn’t smiling, but he was damned close to it as he stared at Gamas and Efo. “I wish to ask these two who told them to fetch their females. Who told you to go out and capture your mates? Where did your orders come from? The summons didn’t just magically appear in your hands.”
The two men exchanged a look. Their lips pressed together, as if to refuse any words to escape. It had been so with all the affected councilmen these past few years. Without knowing who the power behind the abductions was, the majority of the Royal Council had voted time and again to block investigation into any middle men who had passed the orders along.
Diltan kept all emotion out of his tone. “The Committee Chairman has posed a fair and just question, my fellow councilmen. It is time all the answers be given. We now know Emperor Zarl originated the first wave of Earther Mataras to come to Kalquor. If you know who his go-between was, you must answer now.”
“Not doing so in the face of this evidence is grounds to dismiss you from this committee,” Maf added with relish.
As the two bristled, Diltan offered the only concession he could. “Telling us who it was only means further inquiry into the matter. It could be this person was simply following his emperor’s ruling. Perhaps he felt he had no choice. If that is found to be the case, he may yet avoid indictment and trial.”
“He will be indicted. The people will demand it,” Maf promised. His eyes were hectic with light.
Diltan managed to keep from scowling. He kept his attention on Gamas and Efo. “That remains to be seen. Still, we must have everything out in the open now that Zarl’s part in the affair is known. Once again, who issued you the order to claim your Mataras? Who contacted you with the official governmental command?”
Efo scowled, looking more savage than ever. Yet he nodded his acquiescence to Gamas, who outranked him.
Gamas gave Maf a dark look of hatred and then turned to Diltan. “My contact was the then ambassador to the Galactic Council, Dramok Ospar. He sent out the orders, which bore the official seal.”
Maf’s smile was as savage as Efo’s glower. “The same Ospar who is now governor of the mixed colony of Haven?”
Gamas snapped a nod. “Yes. However, he never claimed to know the contents of those closed orders.”
Before Maf could do any further damage, Diltan grasped at the one straw of hope he could find. “Gamas, Efo. You say your Mataras were willing to join your clans, and I prefer to believe you. However, that is not the issue here. Were you instructed to kidnap them or only to seduce in the hopes they would agree to be clanned?”
Again the two men exchanged looks. Gamas closed his eyes and shook his head. Efo’s shoulders sagged and most of the fight left his demeanor.
He said, “We were told timing was imperative. The orders said that if we didn’t move quickly, the women would be taken away by Earth.”
Gamas added, “Their lives were in danger, Diltan. We all know what Earth did to their women, how they were tortured and killed for the slightest offense to their religion. It wasn’t just a matter of saving our culture. We went along with it to save our beloveds.”
Terbal’s mild voice was as inoffensive as ever. “I’m sorry, councilmen, but that was not Diltan’s question. He asked you if you were told to kidnap or simply lure the women to the Empire? This is an emotional matter, but stick to the facts, please.”
Efo’s gaze lowered to the table before him. “The order stated that if the women would not come with us willingly, to abduct them.”
Maf sat down in his chair. His gloating smile made Diltan feel sick. “I move we call for a council vote at the next open session to file indictments against surviving Imperial fathers Yuder and Tidro, along with Dramoks Rajhir and Ospar. Councilmen involved in spiriting away Earther women to Kalquor against their will to be determined and indicted as well.”
Gamas’ face lit with fresh fury. Efo’s shoulders drooped. Diltan’s heart was heavy, but he knew protocol had to be followed. “A motion has been made by the committee chairman. All in favor?”
Terbal and Councilman Osem, who was known to oppose Earthers breeding with Kalquorians, readily called out their agreements. Two other members more hesitantly added their voices.
Diltan shook his head at himself, but also said, “I must also vote affirmative as to Imperial Fathers Yuder and Tidro. I dissent as to voting to indict Dramoks Rajhir, Ospar, and others who gained Mataras due to those first Earther clannings until more information is forthcoming. Computer, note my dissent.”
“Noted,” the computer confirmed.
“Those opposed to the motion to order a vote for indictment?” Diltan asked.
Not surprisingly, Gamas and Efo opposed.
Diltan sighed. “Motion carried. At the next open council meeting three days from now, Imperial Father Nobek Yuder, Imperial Father Imdiko Tidro, Dramok Rajhir, and Dramok Ospar will be named as conspirators to abduct Earther women, leading to the destruction of planet Earth. An investigation will be launched against those councilmen who participated in the abductions of said Earther women to determine if they too are to be indicted.”
Maf’s hateful smile had dimmed to something a little more dignified. “Heard and affirmed by Committee Chairman Dramok Maf.”
Diltan stared at the damning letter floating in front of him. Wrong or not, he wished he had erased the awful thing the instant he had laid eyes on it. Unfortunately, it was too late.
If Maf had his way, it could very well be too late for the whole Empire.
* * * *
Three days later
With her sister at her side, Cissy stepped into the private viewing gallery overlooking the Royal Council’s chambers. The glassed-in enclosure already had two nervous women pacing within its small space: Lindsey and Aunt Tara.
The twins exchanged hugs with their kin. “Nice digs,” Cissy kidded in a weak voice. A couple of Royal Guards stood at the door; big, silent Nobeks in red armored uniforms. Several hover chairs took up most of the space, along with a table that offered coffee, water, mela, fruit, and vegetables.
Outside the glass walls, Cissy could see another larger gallery across the space that hovered over the council chambers. It filled with Kalquorian citizens; mostly men, but a few Earthers and even fewer Kalquorian women crowded inside.
After greeting her cousin and aunt, Cissy stepped up to the glass wall and looked down on the chamber itself. The floor below was a great round circle made of the cliff’s polished stone. Surrounding half of it in a divided semi-circle were carved tiers that looked like steps, but seemed to serve as seating. Many blue-robed councilmen were huddled in groups in that area, talking intently.
On the other side of the floor were two daises, one above the other. Chairs that could only be described as thrones, four on each tier, sat over the floor. Men that Cissy supposed were aides busied themselves setting up computers and vids before the uppermost thrones. More Royal Guards were stationed behind the chairs and on either side of the dais.
A large vid flashed to life over the chamber, showing a view of the currently empty floor at about eye-level. Then smaller vids came online, covering the top third of the gallery’s glass wall. Cissy goggled at the different views showing the council tiers, the upper dais where the Imperial Clan would sit, and multiple angles of the floor. She was impressed.
“Wow. This is better than most sports venues back home. Do you think a boxing match will break out in the middle of the meeting?”
Lindsey managed a small smile at her jest. “Considering what’s about to happen, I wouldn’t be surprised. Are you all right, Mom?”
Tara McInness looked as serene as ever, though her mouth was slightly drawn. “I think so. Yuder has prepared me for this as best he can. I don’t pretend it will be easy to hear him accused of treachery, especially not in front of this crowd. Kalquorians are passionate about their politics.”
Tasha sighed. “I hope our being here will give you the support you need to get through this.”
Tara hugged her niece, looking tiny and vulnerable next to the taller, curvier Tasha. “There is a season for everything. The past couple of years with Yuder have been wonderful, but change is the only constant of life. We enjoy the good times and accept the challenges that must come.”
“Do you think Jessica is ready for what is to come?” Cissy asked.
Lindsey shrugged. “As ready as she’ll ever be. Usually, she likes a good fight. I don’t think she’s looking forward to this one, not with those she loves in the mix.”
The door behind them opened, and they and the guards turned to see a dark-haired woman with a cherubic face walk in.
Tara opened her arms to the new arrival. “Michaela, how good to see you.”
Jessica’s best friend wasted no time in accepting the embrace. Orphaned in her teens, Michaela had been accepted as a part of the family. “Hello, Mom. Jessica said I might join you in here rather than jostling in the public gallery.”
“Of course. You don’t ever have to ask.”
Lindsey gave Michaela a peck on the cheek. “Serena’s uncles, particularly Japohn, want to know when she’s coming to visit us again. Between your daughter and Noelle, I think my clanmates are finally coming around to having children of their own.”
Michaela laughed, the sound throaty and deeper than one might imagine coming from a woman. “My little girl has your Nobek wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she? Japohn will be impossible if you give him a daughter. He’ll never let her clan.”
That got them all laughing. Lindsey’s Nobek was a fierce creature, but he was quick to play silly games to make Jessica and Michaela’s daughters laugh. The brute turned into goo around the girls.
Michaela turned her grin to Cissy and Tasha. “Okay, which is which? Neither one of you is in sweats or jeans, so I can’t tell you apart.”
“We’re going to make you guess,” Tasha teased.
Cissy had decided today’s proceedings deserved a nicer than usual outfit, so she had raided Tasha’s closet for a simple white blouse and a green skirt. She’d put on makeup and had laughingly called herself Tasha Two.
Michaela’s dark eyes sparkled. “Cissy, whichever one of you is you, you look great in a skirt. I’m mad at you though. You’ve got nerve missing the last two dance lessons. Explain yourself.”
Faced with Michaela’s gentle censure, Cissy held her hands up in mock surrender. “I’ve been ... busy. Distracted.”
“Good for you. What are the names of these distractions?” Michaela’s eyebrows waggled knowingly.
Tasha was the one who supplied the answer. “Clan Diltan. Ridiculously rich men with rank, including a Royal Councilman. Can you imagine?”
Cissy didn’t miss the face Lindsey made. She would have to discuss the matter of her relationship with her cousin. Things these last few days with Clan Diltan had gone well. Extremely well. Cissy hadn’t been back to the Matara Complex in the last two days until this morning to get ready for the council session.
Sorry, Linds. As much as it shocks me too, you may have to deal with a lot of contact with Diltan in the coming years. Hopefully you’ll see he’s not the same idiot who made that awful proposal to you a few years ago.
Michaela took Tara to one side, speaking to her in low tones. Lindsey and Tasha had their heads together too, allowing Cissy to ruminate over the past few days.
There had been sex. Lots of sex. Tons and tons of sex. Cissy thought about all the ways she’d had sex with Clan Diltan, and her body warmed. She had it bad all right, when just the thought of Diltan, Rolat, and Wal made her wet.
In between the sex, Cissy was getting to know the men on a deeper level, good and bad characteristics alike. Quiet Wal was sensitive, empathetic to the extreme. He took an interest in the people who had been brought into his court, victims and perpetrators alike. Cissy had found out that many years ago, a young man who had a drug problem accidentally killed another man in a shuttle accident. The victim, an unclanned Nobek, had been raising his younger Dramok brother who had not quite reached his teens. Wal had kept tabs on the boy, making sure he was placed with good foster parents. When the Dramok finished his basic schooling, Wal had paid for the young man’s continued education. The Dramok had gone on to become a legal representative in the military.
Wal had not focused merely on the victim of the case. In the case of the drug addicted Nobek whose actions had cost the life of another, Wal made it a point to get to know the young man after sentencing him to a work camp term. Discovering that the perpetrator had been essentially abandoned to training camp by his parent clan and left to fend for himself once his training was done had upset the Imdiko judge. Wal had kept in contact with the Nobek throughout his prison stay, encouraging him to enter rehabilitation and psychiatric counseling. Determined to save the Nobek’s future, Wal had pushed Rolat to mentor the young man.