Authors: Kyra Anderson
Once they were in space, Kailynn felt the
ship stabilize and she felt steady enough to let go of the chair.
However, she did not move from her spot
at the window, looking over the impressive blue-grey color of Tiao. Her eyes
were wide, afraid to blink, should she miss something.
She did not realize it but, for over an
hour, she stood at the window and watched Tiao become smaller and smaller.
Finally, around what would be the middle
of the day on Tiao, everyone was called into the dining hall for lunch. Kailynn
spent most of the time staring at the black sea littered with white dust. She
had never thought that space could look so empty and vast, even with all the
stars, but there was something about looking into the void of space that had
her feel small. But it was not a frightening feeling—it filled her with peace.
After an afternoon of wandering around
the ship with Isa, Kailynn saw the first round of the game called Evolu. It was
a speed game, memory game, and a game of chance rolled into one.
Kailynn stood by Isa’s side as they
started the game at a very large interactive table in the back of the ship. The
screen lit up with symbols before shifting into boxes with pictures on them.
The pictures were very simple objects and shapes. The electronic table dealt
the “cards” to the Elites, each of them getting six different cards. There were
thirty different pictures on the cards, and the object of the game was to get
as many matches as possible, discarding unwanted cards to the person next to
them, allowing the cards to make an infinite loop around the table. However,
whenever one match was made, a virus card was released and the person who made
the match would have to send it to someone else at the table. If they got a
virus card and did not make a match in that turn, they would lose a card from
their hand.
This was all done at a very fast pace.
Tia, the new Bronze Elite, watched the
first game as well, not knowing the rules.
When the game started, Kailynn was
surprised at how fast and competitive the Elites became. Whenever one of them
was struck by a virus card and lost one of their cards, they would let out
agonized groans and make everyone around them laugh.
Not surprisingly, Isa was very good at
the game. Her hands moved very fast, swiping the cards around the table that
she did not need and quickly matching the ones that she could. When the virus
card hit her, she was able to make a match and did not lose a card.
When all cards had been matched or
destroyed by the virus card, the points were tallied and the next round began.
The Elites kept their own tally of the
points they each received and said they would add them all up at the end of the
trip to decide the winner, who would win the sum of the money they each put in
the electronic deposit box on the ship. They were required to make at least one
bet a day if they wanted to play, so the sum grew very quickly.
As Kailynn watched three rounds of the
Elites playing Evolu, she forgot that she was with the Elites of the Syndicate.
With the drinks going around the table and the amusing competitive nature of
the Elites, the evening felt like one spent among friends.
However, at the end of the night, when
most of the Elites were a little tipsy, and Kailynn was very close to being
too
drunk, the Elites retired.
Kailynn went to Isa’s room after
stumbling, lost, around the ship.
“Kailynn, you need to drink some water
and get some sleep,” Isa chuckled, sitting in the seating area with Remus as
Kailynn clumsily entered the room.
“I wanna drink with you,” she slurred,
stumbling to Isa and flopping with no grace at all on the couch and across
Isa’s lap.
“You have had plenty,” the Elite laughed.
Kailynn sat up, wrapping her arms around Isa’s neck and kissing her cheek
several times before biting her earlobe teasingly.
“I want you,” she cooed.
“Kailynn, Remus is sitting right here,”
Isa reminded her.
“No, he’s not,” Remus groaned, standing.
“I’ll go see if Anders wants to play a game of Evolu. I think he’s still
awake.”
Remus walked out of the room and Isa
watched him go apologetically.
“Kailynn…”
“What? He said he wanted to play,”
Kailynn said, pouting.
“You can’t ignore him like that.”
“He’s not your lover anymore. I am!”
Kailynn declared, her words merging as she spoke.
“Yes, you are.”
“I want you,” Kailynn repeated. “How many
people can say they’ve had sex in space?”
Isa chuckled as Kailynn climbed on her
lap.
“Have
you
had sex in space?” she asked, trying to focus on Isa’s face.
Isa chose not to speak, but Kailynn knew
the answer was yes.
“See! Now you have to have sex with me,”
Kailynn said. “You did it with Remus, now you have to do it with me.”
Twenty minutes later, Kailynn was laying
on Isa’s bed, trying to catch her breath as Isa settled next to her. The Elite
kissed her neck gently and Kailynn turned to look at the Elite, her eyes caught
something out the window behind the Elite.
“Whoa! What is that?!” she asked
excitedly, scrambling to her feet and darting to the window, not caring about
her naked state.
The ship was flying over a long platform
of metal on top of a space station. Around the platform were enormous rings,
twelve in total, that each rotated a different direction than the one in front
of it. The ship flew slowly through the rings, hovering above the constructed
runway.
“We’re already at the Gate,” Isa noted,
joining Kailynn at the windows. “This is the first Gate, Dani-Kahl.”
“What’s a gate?”
“It’s a bit like a jump in space. The
gate will launch us into a very fast pace through its route until we reach the
other side. Then we’ll have to go to the next gate for the next jump.”
Kailynn had no idea what Isa was talking
about, but she nodded, watching as they flew through another large, rotating
ring.
“Is the ship going to jolt?” Kailynn
asked.
“No,” Isa assured, wrapping her arms
around Kailynn’s waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “You won’t even
notice.”
The two watched as each ring passed over
the ship. When they reached the last one, the stars seen beyond the station
were blurred into streaks across the window, shooting by them in the blink of
an eye. Kailynn gasped in amazement as Isa leaned her head on the
Significant’s, both of them watching the stars streak past them.
The thrill of traveling in space lost its
effect after the third night in the ship. Kailynn became stir-crazy and bored,
as did almost everyone else. The only two who seemed not to be bothered by the
long travel time in the ship were Isa and Remus. Most of the time, the two were
sleeping or sitting quietly.
At first, Kailynn was irritated by the
behavior, until she realized that there was no one to disturb Isa on the long
trip, allowing her time to rest.
After that, she left Isa alone until she
could no longer stand it.
The sleeping arrangements also got on her
nerves. She wanted to continue sleeping next to the Golden Elite, but Rayal
refused to share a room with Remus, even when Kailynn begged. Therefore,
Kailynn would go to Isa’s room and climb into bed with her. When he was too
exhausted to put it off any longer, Remus would go back to the room and sleep
in his separate bed.
Isa did nothing to change the situation,
either.
Therefore when they finally reached
Fortunea, Kailynn was eager to get off the ship.
Once again, Kailynn’s face was glued to
the window, watching the ship approach the large blue and green planet. The
flames that licked the ship as they entered the atmosphere startled her at
first, but Isa assured her that everything was alright, which eased Kailynn’s
mind, but she did not press her face to the glass until the flames were gone.
The ship flew toward a large, grand city,
passing over the buildings and streets. There were people walking through the
city and the cars were not in underground tunnels, but next to the buildings, causing
a lot of movement on the surface of the planet.
Once they landed at the docking station,
the entourage was escorted by an enormous security detail to a caravan of cars.
Kailynn, Rayal, Remus, and Isa shared a car in the middle of the convoy. As soon
as the door closed and they began moving, Kailynn pressed her face to the
window and watched the city pass.
Remus reached into his pocket and pulled
out a small device, setting it against the side of the car and turning the
scrambler on.
“This is not going to be a pleasant
meeting,” Remus said seriously.
“I am aware,” Isa agreed.
“I need to know your intensions.”
Every eye in the car turned to the Golden
Elite. Isa stared at Remus silently for a few moments before sighing.
“I’m not backing down,” she said simply.
“I will not submit to threats and terrorism from the Ninth Circle. Anything I
do after their threat has been neutralized will be my decision and the Alliance
need not know of it.”
Kailynn was unsure exactly what Isa was
saying, but there was something about the words that caused a feeling of
anticipation to pool in her belly.
“You will need their support if you plan
to go through with it,” Remus corrected.
“There is no reason for them to know
about that now,” Isa said. “The Ninth Circle is a bigger threat.”
The rest of the car ride was silent.
Kailynn was surprisingly tired by the
time they got to Leadership Square, which held the heavily-guarded, stunning
palace of the Queen of Fortunea. Kailynn’s tired eyes tried to take in the stone
walls and the incredible carved statues of beasts and humans alike, flanking
the large staircase that led up to the columns in front of the grand entrance
adorned with gold.
Compared to the metal and glass
structures of Tiao, the light stone buildings felt warm and opulent.
Kailynn was swept up with the rest of the
crowd, Rayal keeping a close eye on her as the entourage, surrounded by droves
of security, were swarmed at the gates of Leadership Square by reporters,
cameras, and people curious about the commotion. The Elites did not seem
phased, but Kailynn was overwhelmed and tried to hide her face as much as
possible, walking quickly to get to the steps of the palace, where security
prevented spectators from coming further.
Inside the palace, everyone in the group
was scanned for security purposes and then admitted and led toward one of the
living quarter areas. As they walked through the marble-floored halls, a woman
dressed entirely in black quickly approached the group, walking alongside them
until Isa motioned for her to approach.
“Seventeen leaders are here. We are
expecting the remaining twelve through the day. The rest will be connecting
remotely,” she relayed quietly to Isa. “The dinner tonight has been postponed
due to an emergency and the meeting is set for tomorrow morning at eleven,” she
continued.
“Red flags?” Isa asked.
“Several,” the woman said. “Orille is
here and he brought that Syna with him.”
Isa groaned quietly.
“Fine,” she said. “What else?”
“Juren was seen speaking with Lynn and
Ralphia alone last night at dinner,” the informant continued, even as they
walked around the corner. “The rumor is that there was an assassination attempt
on Kren last night and that is the reason for the emergency postponement.
Everyone, of course, suspects Lynn.”
“Kren is still breathing, though?”
“Barely,” the woman groaned. Isa
chuckled.
“Alright,” she said. “Are there any
representatives from Hyun?”
“Yuta is here with some of her advisors.”
“She’s quite bold,” Isa muttered. “Are
Shane and Urya here as well?”
“Yes, they arrived late last night.”
Isa nodded to the woman. “Thank you.”
The woman turned away from the group and
walked away. Kailynn took a few quick steps to catch up to Isa.
“Does she work for you?”
“Yes.”
“You have a
spy
here?” she hissed.
“Several,” Isa confirmed. “Knowledge is
power. I must stay informed, or I’ll be killed.”
“What if the queen finds out?”
“She knows about all but one of them,”
Isa assured. She smiled. “We may be good friends, but I need to keep an eye on her
as well.”
Kailynn could only blink at the back of
Isa’s head as they turned into the wing of the palace dedicated for the
entourage from Tiao. For some reason, the former Significant was startled by
Isa saying so calmly that she was spying on everyone in the Alliance.
The rooms were divided among the
Elites—two to a room, as usual—and Rayal and Kailynn shared a room next to the
two other advisors of the Syndicate. Once they were settled, Kailynn poked her
head into the hallway to be sure that no one was there and went to Isa’s room,
Rayal with her.
“—don’t trust her,” Remus said. “That is
an extremely bold move to come here herself.”
“It’s only going to harm her in the end,”
Isa assured, turning to Rayal and Kailynn as they closed the door behind them.
“We have to be patient. Right now, we have information that gives us power over
her. We need to remember that.”
“And Shane and Urya? We haven’t been
watching their planets as we should.”
“We have enough,” Isa assured gently.
“All will be well.”
“It is dangerous to have traitors in your
midst,” Rayal agreed, approaching.
“We have little information on Gihron.
You know they abandoned Caroie, which means they’re waiting to see what we do.
If Yuta is working with Gihron, then she is a very valuable source of
information,” Isa explained. “We have the upper hand, but we can only keep that
if we are very careful about how we proceed. We need to let her convict
herself.”
“But if you let her get out of hand, then
you’re going to have a larger war on your hands,” Remus warned.
“I agree,” Rayal seconded. “The Ninth
Circle is using obsolete technology, but if they’ve managed to swing Hyun,
Imala, and Tepian to their side, we are going to be fighting with armies that
match our own.”
Isa sighed heavily and turned to Kailynn.
The Significant was silent, knowing she could not offer any advice to the
Elite.
“Let us see how the meeting goes
tomorrow,” Isa said. “They are not the only planets I am concerned about.” She
smiled at Kailynn. “What do you think of the palace?”
“It’s…huge.”
Isa laughed. “It is.”
“I didn’t know you could make buildings
out of rock,” Kailynn continued.
“This palace has—”
“Isa,” Remus interrupted, “this is a very
dangerous situation for us. We do not have time to talk about the palace.”
“Remus, you are getting yourself worked
up.”
“And, for once in your life, you’re too
damn calm,” Remus hissed. “The Alliance is crumbling, and the Ninth Circle has
already gotten to Tiao and managed to attack the Syndicate Building. The
situation is already out of hand. We need to remind them that we are the
hegemon of the system.”
“If we start exerting power and dominance
over these planets in this fragile state, we will not be hegemon for long,” Isa
said darkly. “We need to make them feel it on their own. The only way to do
that is to remain calm and stay secure in the knowledge that we have the upper
hand.”
“We
don’t
,”
Remus near-growled.
“They do not need to know that.”
“They already know it,” Remus said. “They
know that our past relations with Gihron are riddled with blood, and anyone who
wants to tear you down will use that as a means to pull you out of power and
destroy Tiao.”
“Only if they gain something out of it,”
Isa said. “And, as long as Venus is still operational, no one will gain anything
from Gihron’s victory.”
“That is not true. Remember, you—”
A knock from the door stopped him and the
door opened as a steward walked into the room and bowed his head.
“I heard that my palace had become
infested with Elites,” a voice said with a laugh.
Kailynn was surprised to be meeting the
queen of the planet in such an informal setting. She was dressed in rich
clothes of gold and red, ornaments in her hair and heavy makeup on her face,
accenting her soft, dark skin. Despite the incredible difference in her
appearance from anyone Kailynn had seen before, she was enthralled by the
queen’s beauty.
“Glynna,” Isa said with a warm smile,
walking forward and taking the queen’s shoulders as the queen did the same to
Isa, both kissing each other cheeks. “It has been far too long,” she said.
“Indeed it has,” Glynna said. She turned
to Remus. “Elite Remus,” she said, bowing her head with a teasing smile. He
bowed deeply.
“Your Majesty,” he said with same teasing
tone.
When he straightened, he also kissed both
her cheeks. “It is wonderful to see you again,” he said, his smile sincere.
“I have missed you both. Isa, Remus,
welcome back.”
“Thank you,” Isa said. “I hope you are
well.”
“Of course, I always am,” Glynna said,
glancing at the other two in the room. “You brought your caretakers?” she
asked, confused.
“No,” Isa said, turning to Kailynn and
Rayal. “Rayal works as head of the Intelligence Agency. He’s here as an
advisor. This is Jacyleen, his assistant.”
“Oh, I see.” Glynna said.
“I heard there was an emergency that
postponed the dinner,” Isa asked, her face becoming concerned.