Authors: Kyra Anderson
However, she could not come up with any
plausible explanations.
She knew Isa was incredibly strong and
smart. It seemed impossible to have her so trapped and scared that she felt
that she had to kill someone just to escape them.
Then again, Kailynn remembered the
incident with Maki, how he provoked Isa into killing him by attacking Kailynn.
Perhaps that was how Colonel Amori
controlled Isa. Isa did not care what happened to her, but if anyone she loved
was harmed, or threatened, she was willing to do anything to keep them safe.
Kailynn spent a lot of the drive staring
at Isa’s pale, sleeping face, desperate to understand what had happened six
years previous.
They finally made it back into Anon in
the late morning. They went to Anon Tower and back to Isa’s home, Isa calling
the Syndicate and explaining that she was ill and could not go into work today,
but to keep her informed of everything that happened.
She also called Paul and Dr. Busen, being
sure that they were traveling safe, since they had left the safe house nearly
five hours after she and Kailynn.
Kailynn had only been out of Anon Tower
for a month and a half, but she hardly recognized the level when she walked in
the door. Nothing had changed, the furniture was exactly where it had always
been, but the feeling in the home was entirely different. It was colder, more
foreboding, as if reflecting the severity of the situation with Gihron and
Venus.
Remus wanted to stay with Isa. His duty
as Silver Elite was to protect the Golden Elite, and it was a duty he took very
seriously, even more so after previous dealings with Gihron. Isa agreed that he
should stay, but Kailynn was not as fond of the idea.
The realization that she knew nothing
about what had happened with Colonel Amori other than the fact that he had
upset Isa to the point that she had killed him became overwhelming when Isa
asked Remus to stay close.
Late in the afternoon, Isa received a
call from Anders. He told her that he was directing a video call to her home
NCB chair from the Gihron delegate ship.
She went back into the office, taking
several deep breaths to steady herself for the conversation.
She sat in the chair, Remus and Kailynn
standing near the door as she pressed several buttons, bringing the chair into
an upright position for the call. She straightened her shoulders, took another
deep breath, and accepted the call.
In front of her, the hologram of a man in
a chair appeared. He was wearing a heavy, dark-green military jacket, decorated
with various ribbons and metals. His face was thin and angular, with deep-set,
narrow, dark eyes and stubble on his jaw and upper lip. His black hair was
short, exposing his high forehead.
He had an aura of authority to him, and
the way he sat, with his broad shoulders squarely set against his chair,
exhibited his power.
“Elite Isa,” he greeted, his voice cold
and soft.
“General Decius.”
Isa’s voice was surprisingly steady as
she addressed the man—she even managed to smile a little. Kailynn quickly
turned to Remus, the question in her eyes of whether or not that was General
Decius—the older brother of Colonel Amori. However, the Silver Elite’s eyes
were fixed on the man’s hologram, dark and filled with anger.
“I hope I am not disturbing you,” General
Decius said.
“No, not at all.”
“We are approaching the Dani-Kahl Gate,”
he announced. “I wanted to let you know that we will be there in approximately
three days, but you know how travel like this can be.”
“We are, of course, prepared to receive
you whenever you arrive,” Isa said. “Am I correct in understanding that you are
joining your delegation here on Tiao?”
“Yes,” General Decius said with a small
smile. “I do hope that is not an inconvenience.”
“No, no inconvenience,” Isa said calmly.
“And we are to stay in Anon Tower?”
General Decius said expectantly.
“Yes,” Isa said. “I have your delegation
accommodated on one level of Anon Tower. However, if you wish to have quarters
separate from your men, I will arrange accordingly.”
“I do prefer to keep my men at a certain
distance,” General Decius said. “I’m sure you can understand that, when you let
people get too close, the dynamic changes.”
“Yes, I do understand,” Isa said, a cold
edge to her voice. “Very well, I will assure that you have quarters separate
from your men.”
“You are very generous, Elite Isa,” the
Gihoric leader said coldly. “I shall not keep you. I will transmit my ship
information to the Syndicate so that you will know of our arrival time.”
“Thank you, General Decius.”
The man’s hologram flickered out and Isa
quickly climbed out of the chair, darting out of the office, pushing past Kailynn
and Remus. However, she did not get far. She collapsed against the wall,
breathing hard, one hand over her mouth. Remus and Kailynn quickly went to her
side.
“Isa?” Kailynn whispered.
“He looks exactly like him…” Isa gasped,
her eyes wide as she shook violently. She whirled around and pressed her back
to the wall, shaking her head quickly. “I can’t do this,” she whispered.
“Yes, you can,” Remus said strongly. “You
just did. You just spoke to him and you did wonderfully.”
“It was a transmission,” Isa hissed, her
eyes frantic. “How can I do this when he’s in the same room? He looks exactly
like his brother! He even speaks like him!”
“I know, I know,” Remus murmured. Isa
lowered her head, her hand covering her mouth once more.
“I can’t do this…”
Remus took a step forward and pulled Isa
into his arms, securing her in a hug as he rested his head on hers.
“You can do this,” he said. “I know you
can. You are very strong, Isa.”
Kailynn bit her tongue so hard it almost
bled.
Isa’s hands clenched in the fabric of
Remus’ uniform and she buried her face in his chest, her body violently
shuddering in fear. Kailynn wanted to be worried about General Decius coming to
negotiate. She wanted to comfort Isa and tell her that everything would be
fine. However, she could only feel the hot fire in her belly burn as she
watched Isa turn to Remus for comfort and support.
Remus turned his eyes to Kailynn and
motioned with his head for her to follow them.
With his arm secured around Isa’s
shoulders, he guided her down the hall and into the living room.
“Get her some water,” Remus said.
“I need to lie down…” Isa whispered.
Remus guided her into her bedroom as
Kailynn bitterly went to the bar and got Isa water. Rayal poked his head out of
the kitchen.
“Is everything alright?”
Kailynn shook her head.
“General Decius is coming here himself,”
she explained. “And apparently, he looks exactly like his brother.”
Kailynn turned away from Rayal’s stunned
and terrified face, walking to the bedroom.
Isa was on the bed, breathing slowly as
Remus told her when to inhale and when to exhale. He held her hand, his voice
quiet and calm. Kailynn took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm.
She climbed on the bed with Isa, holding
the water out to her.
The Golden Elite slowly sat up and took a
small sip of the water, forcing it down with a cringe.
Kailynn set the water aside and watched
as Remus continued to count Isa’s breathing with her, getting her to calm down
from the initial terror of seeing General Decius.
Isa fell asleep for twenty minutes, and
in that time Kailynn looked everywhere but at Remus.
Finally, the Silver Elite cleared his
throat.
“Do not think much of it, Kailynn,” he
said quietly. She turned to him, trying not to show her intense anger and jealousy.
“She loves you more than she ever loved me. This is just because she is
frightened and I know what happened with Colonel Amori.”
Isa stirred at the sound of the voices
and looked between the two faces above her.
She lifted a hand to her face and groaned
slightly.
“Isa,” Kailynn murmured. The Golden Elite
turned to her. “You are being extremely unfair right now.”
The Golden Elite was silent, looking at
the former Significant, waiting for her to continue.
“If General Decius is coming here, then I
think it’s only fair that those who are in danger of being victims of his
revenge know exactly what happened six years ago.” Kailynn glanced up at Remus.
“It hurts to see you turn to Remus just because I don’t know what happened.”
Isa closed her eyes.
Kailynn pressed a hand to the Elite’s
face.
“Please,” she whispered, “tell me.”
Six years earlier…
“What time is his ship arriving?” Remus
asked, leaning against Isa’s desk as she looked over several files.
She glanced at the clock.
“In about two hours,” she answered. “I
have a convoy taking him to his quarters in Anon Tower. We’ll meet for dinner
tonight.”
“You don’t think it’s suspicious that he
reached out to you?”
“No, not really,” Isa said, shrugging.
“Gihron is struggling. They’re at least twenty years behind in technology,
they’re broke, and their society is unbalanced. They’re trying to find a way to
stabilize the economy through trade. In the process, we can implement the rules
of the Alliance on them, which should make their people should be happier.”
“I don’t know,” Remus murmured. “The
entire Ninth Circle is territory everyone steers clear from for a reason.”
Isa chuckled, looking at Remus with a
teasing smile.
“Do they scare you?”
Remus smiled.
“No, but you do when you want something,”
he returned the teasing. Isa’s smile widened and she stood in front of him,
tapping her finger on the center of his chest.
“Are you coming over tonight?”
“Don’t I always?”
Isa and the others of the Syndicate
greeted Colonel Amori with a dinner thrown in his honor. He had brought four of
his officers on the journey to Tiao, and they all enjoyed the best hospitality
the Syndicate could offer. Everyone was aware of Isa’s desire to incorporate
the Ninth Circle in the Crescent Alliance, so they were all very congenial and
showed their interest in learning more about Gihron in order to put the Gihoric
delegates at ease.
After the dinner, when they were enjoying
drinks around the large dining hall in the Syndicate Building, discussing
simple topics, one of the Gihoric delegates went to Remus and asked him to join
the conversation he had previously been a part of and explain something the
Silver Elite had said over dinner. Remus was led away from Isa, who smiled at
the enthusiasm of the delegates who was startled at the kind of technology on
Tiao.
Feeling eyes on her, Isa looked around
and saw Colonel Amori looking at her over the rim of his drink, ignoring what
Anders and Maki were discussing with him.
He excused himself from the conversation
and walked to her. Isa watched him approach, a soft smile taking over her face.
He was quite handsome in his own way, with a strong air of command to him.
“You have remarkable hospitality, Elite
Isa,” he said.
“Thank you,” Isa said. “I do hope
everything is to your liking. Are your quarters acceptable in Anon Tower?”
“Of course,” he said. “You are far too
kind. I understand that I asked to meet with you on short notice.”
“It is no trouble at all,” Isa assured,
lifting her glass to her mouth and finishing off the wine.
“To be perfectly honest,” the man said,
“I’ve never met an Elite before. You are not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?
“Cold,” he answered. “Machines, through
and through.” He looked her over quickly and then shook his head. “But you
appear human.”
Isa was not sure how to respond, so she
remained silent, watching his eyes pass over the other Elites in the room. He
turned back to her, extending his hand. “May I?”
Isa hesitated, not sure what the man was
asking, but she put her hand in his and his fingers closed around hers. He
stared at her hand, his thumb passing over the skin, pressing into the knuckles
gently.
“You’re warm,” he noted. “And you have a
pulse, and bones.”
“Physiologically, we are human,” Isa
said. “We have the same organs and bone structure as a human.”
“But that does not necessarily make you
human, does it?”
“I suppose that depends on how you define
human.”
“Do
you
think you’re human?”
Isa stared at Colonel Amori. His fingers
had not released her hand, even as he stared into her eyes. There was something
behind the question that concerned Isa, but she merely pulled her hand away
carefully.
“I am an Elite,” Isa responded.
Colonel Amori smiled broadly. “I see.”
The dinner wrapped up late at night and
Isa and Remus saw Colonel Amori and his excited, awed delegates to their
quarters in Anon Tower. The lower officers were walking around the rooms,
gasping, talking about how amazing the technology was on Tiao in Gihoric, too
excited to realize that they were acting like stunned children.
Colonel Amori, however, seemed
uninterested in everything except the Golden Elite. He turned to the Golden and
Silver Elites after they led him to his quarters.
“I greatly appreciate your hospitality,”
he said once more. “I believe that Tiao and Gihron can find an agreement that
is mutually beneficial.”
“I agree,” Remus said.
“I do hope that you will be comfortable,”
Isa added out of courtesy. “Please, do not hesitate to contact the property
Caretaker robot should you need anything.”
“And we will meet tomorrow at the
Syndicate Building?”
“Yes.”
“Good night, then.” He extended his hand
to Remus and shook the Silver Elite’s hand. He extended his hand to Isa and
bowed to kiss her hand, his lips lingering on the Golden Elite’s skin for one
second longer than she felt comfortable.
When Isa and Remus entered Isa’s level of
Anon Tower, the Golden Elite let out a soft groan and rolled her neck.
“The pleasantries do get old after a
while, don’t they?” Remus chuckled, following Isa into the living room. “Oh,
thank you so much for joining us—no, no, it’s our pleasure to have you
here—please, tell me again about your planet—we hope the accommodations are to
your liking,” the Silver Elite said with a mocking tone. “We all know we’re
trying to manipulate one another to get what we want, but we pretend we’re
genuinely pleased to see one another.”
“Politics,” Isa agreed. She grabbed
Remus’ collar and pulled him down, pressing their lips together. When they
parted, she smiled. “In contrast, I am
very
pleased to have you here tonight.”
“Not yet,” Remus teased as she bit her
lip, “but you
will
be.”
Remus swooped down for another kiss,
breaking the contact only long enough for Isa to lead him into her bedroom.
The three weeks of negotiation were very
difficult for Isa and Remus. They were startled that someone who had contacted
them to form an agreement refused to bend to any of their terms. Colonel Amori
was very eloquent and spoke very well, which meant that he could turn any words
the Elites said around, trying to poke holes in the entire structure of the
Alliance to justify not joining.
Unfortunately for him, Isa was just as
well spoken and, in Remus’ opinion, far more brilliant than the Gihoric
Colonel.
For three weeks, the negotiations went
absolutely nowhere.
On the fourth week, Isa suggested that
they include the leader of the planet, Colonel Amori’s older brother, General
Decius, in the negotiations. However, days passed with all transmissions
receiving interference between Tiao and Gihron. Finally, Colonel Amori met with
Isa on one of her days off, meeting with her in Anon Tower.
“Apparently our main transmitter suffered
a catastrophic failure,” he explained. “My brother said that they are working
day and night to fix it but, until then, all communications are down.”
Isa was irritated, but said she
understood.
“Actually, Elite Isa, may I ask you a few
things?”
“Of course,” Isa said with a nod,
motioning for him to sit in her living room.
“I’m trying to understand a few things
about how Tiao has managed to stay in power for so long. After all, not
twenty-five years ago, everyone was waiting for this planet to collapse. The
Crescent Alliance had completely disbanded and everyone was sitting back, watching
Tiao destroy itself.” He smiled at the Elite as she sat across from him. “And
then
you
came along.”
“I do not see fit to dictate everything
about every planet in the Altereye System,” Isa said. “The alliance was meant
to provide support to the planets, not change their societies.”
“Yet, you would seek to dictate the level
of our military if we were to sign even a trade agreement with you,” Colonel
Amori continued. “Our society is militaristic, which I’m sure you already knew.
It is the very foundation of our planet.”
“Yes, I understand that,” Isa said. “But
the Crescent Alliance seeks to put everyone on equal ground when it comes to
military force. As soon as one planet has a larger army, fear of invasion
begins to take hold. If I were to allow Gihron access to Alliance trade routes
without regulating your military force, I would insight great fear in the other
planets.”
“You don’t seem to understand Gihron’s
position here,” Colonel Amori said. “We are the Tiao of the Ninth Circle. We
are the most powerful planet in your so-called outlier planets, and we are the
only ones that keep those other planets from waging war on the Alliance.”
“I must disagree with you,” Isa said.
“Jakra attacked Pirian just last year.”
Colonel Amori went quiet, staring at the
Golden Elite with a cocky expression. He was not thrown off by Isa’s
information. If anything, it seemed to excite him.
“How powerful do you consider yourself,
Elite Isa?”
“As powerful as I need to be for the
situation,” Isa answered.
“A very good answer,” Colonel Amori said,
leaning forward. “Gihron is not looking to bow to Venus or the Elites. In fact,
if Venus were not the cornerstone of the Crescent Alliance, we would have
considered joining decades ago, before your predecessors fucked up everything.”
Isa’s expression was carefully
controlled, veiling her annoyance. She felt that Colonel Amori was in no
position to be making demands on her. She was the Golden Elite of Tiao, she was
the leader of the Crescent Alliance, and she held more political power than he.
She would not give in to his demands. If he was unwilling to yield, she would
not allow the trade agreement. She had nothing to lose from not solidifying the
agreement.
“But, as such, we are not part of the
Alliance,” Colonel Amori continued. “Nor will we ever be if Venus is the law of
the Alliance.”
“Perhaps I have misunderstood you this
entire time,” Isa said coldly. “I did not realize that you were discussing
terms on joining the Crescent Alliance. I have not fully informed you of all
the terms for joining, including taxes and war agreements.”
Colonel Amori chuckled coldly.
“We are getting off-track, aren’t we?”
“Indeed,” Isa agreed. “I know that you do
not wish to join the Alliance, and as such, it is optional to join for all
planets. However, I am bound by the rules of the Alliance as well. These trade
routes that you want access to are not mine. They belong to all planets that
have sighed with, and complied with the terms of, the Alliance. Because I alone
do not hold the power to give access to these routes, I must insist you comply
with trade and military terms.”
“I thought you were as powerful as the
situation required?” Colonel Amori challenged.
“I am,” Isa agreed. “And I am firm in my
position that I will not grant access to the trade routes unless you comply
with my terms. I suffer no loss from you walking away from this trade
agreement.”