- 8 -
Ara'lana relished the feeling of being back in her old palace office again. For so long she had been robbed of that which she had earned, and now she had taken it back once more. As she sat behind her desk, the massive, heavy wooden desk which held so many memories, she ran her claws lightly over the surface. She looked around the office. For the last few years, this place had been occupied by Admiral Jin Te'rou. Traces of him were still there, though in the month since her forces had taken Lirna, she'd had most of what he'd left in the office purged. Some of the things she liked, like the new bookshelf against the wall next to the large, thick doors. That was some real quality, made from the trees of a distant Ascendancy world. That she just couldn't have parted with, even if it reeked of Te'rou's inadequacy. He and his fleets had put up a hard fight, but they had really been no match for the combination of her forces and the Pteryd, not to mention the humans who were under her influence. The battle had almost been a disappointment to her, but not enough of one to quash the feeling of triumph she'd felt upon stepping off the shuttle into the fierce Lirnan sun.
One other thing that Ara'lana enjoyed about her office was what was hanging on the paneled wall across from her desk. A common enough sight in any Ailian government office, it was a large portrait of the late Empress. When Ara'lana had occupied this office, she'd had a portrait of Kri'a's mother on the wall. When Kri'a had ascended to the throne, the portrait had been switched out, much to Ara'lana's displeasure. The elder Solan had been an Empress that she could respect; her daughter had been a disappointment, in more ways than one. But having a portrait of Kri'a in her office now gave her a sort of dark pleasure.
Ara'lana allowed herself a tight, satisfied smile.
-Nothing I have ever done was so satisfying as looking that woman in the face, and pulling that trigger,-
she thought.
-Ailians have long memories. They will remember what I have done. It will be spoken of for centuries, long after my time. A fitting legacy for the freer of our people.-
Her soldiers had done their jobs well. Taking the palace had been their top priority once landing on Lirna, and all of them, she was sure, would have been sorely tempted by the desire to take all the glory for themselves. All of them, on the other hand, knew that the prospect of what Ara'lana would have done to them for disobeying was something not to be contemplated. So they had taken the Empress alive, keeping her until Ara'lana could arrive, allowing her to take the task which was rightfully hers.
Ara'lana had been surprised by how much courage Kri'a had shown. An admiral to the end, she had been in her uniform when she'd been taken. Her soldiers had told her that Kri'a had personally killed three of them before the rest of her Royal Guards had fallen. She would not have expected such ferocity from a person like her. Even when Ara'lana had held the gun to her head, there was no pleading, neither was there fury or despair. There had just been a steady stare, and no betrayal of thought except for a slight increase in her rate of breathing. Then the words came.
-This wins you nothing,- Kri'a had said, her voice maddeningly calm. -Nothing at all.- And then she'd had the audacity to smile. Not a smile of triumph, or of confidence, or even of sarcasm.
-She pitied me,-
Ara'lana thought.
-That was a smile of pity...Well, I need the pity of no one. Not now that I am so close to realizing what I've dreamed of my entire life.-
She let her smile widen.
-She can keep all of the pity for herself.-
A knock came at the office door, bringing Admiral Me'lia out of her introspection. She stood up from her chair. -Come.- The door opened, and a slender, orange-furred Ailian walked into the room. She was older than Ara'lana, and she had an air of royalty about her that came from decades of service with the upper classes of Ailian society. She was followed by a black-furred female, younger than her companion, dressed in a crimson admiral's uniform. She carried a reader and a collection of data cards in her hands. Finally, a large, green, insectoid creature entered, the Pteryd representative Seirin-143. Its bulbous red eyes caught the lights in the room, making them flash and glimmer. -Tara. Selina. Seirin-143. Thank you for coming so quickly. I'm eager to hear your status reports.-
-Of course, Admiral.- Tara Shi'ala, the former chief adviser to the Empress' mother, closed the door as Admiral Selina Kris took a seat in front of Ara'lana's desk. Shi'ala sat down next to Admiral Kris, folding her hands in her lap. Seirin-143 preferred to stand, finding chairs far too uncomfortable for its hard-carapaced body. Ara'lana found it amusing how Lady Shi'ala and Admiral Kris were so uncomfortable in the Pteryd's presence, their feelings betrayed by the subtle way in which their fur stood on end and their pointed ears turned back. Old prejudices were as powerful as ever. When they were all settled, Ara'lana resumed her seat.
-Well, Selina,- she said. -You first. How is the progress with repairing our fleets, and what of the progress we are making in other areas of the Ascendancy?-
Admiral Kris nodded. -Repairs to our fleets were completed yesterday, a week earlier than my original estimates said they would have taken. We've shifted our focus in that area to replacing the ships and fighters which were lost in the battle to take Lirna, as well as in engagements in other sectors. All shipbuilding facilities in the Outer Colonies, civilian and military, have been devoted to the rebuilding efforts. Ships are being dispatched to their respective fleets as they are completed, with a priority placed on the fleets stationed here.- She lifted the data reader in her hand, checking it for a moment. -The battle brought us down to ninety percent strength, taking into account the damaged vessels. Between the repairs that have been completed and ships which were already under construction and were finished, we're up to ninety-two percent. In another month or two we should be back to full strength.-
-Marvelous,- Ara'lana purred, leaning back in her chair. -Much better than I had anticipated.- She reached up with one hand, stroking the white, striped fur on her cheeks. -Once we are up to full strength, we will begin combat operations against the Nuretan Empire. Small ones, at first. By committing their forces to this conflict, they have inserted themselves into an internal matter of the Ascendancy. I will punish them for this error in judgment-
Admiral Kris looked a bit uncertain. -I would caution against that, Admiral,- she said carefully. -Until the rest of the Ascendancy is fully pacified, we will be taking a huge risk in opening up additional theaters of operation. We should wait until we can devote our full attention to the Nuretans.-
Resisting the urge to growl, Ara'lana made herself appear thoughtful. -Well...I shall take your advice into consideration, Selina, of course,- she said diplomatically. Inwardly, she thought she would do nothing of the sort. You could not show mercy to your enemies and expect anyone to respect you. Ara'lana turned to Seirin-143. -And what of your people?-
Clacking its mandibles, the Pteryd envoy flicked its antennae towards the rebel leader.
~Our ships sustained negligible damage in the battle, since you relegated us to support roles.~
If the alien insect felt any insult at its forces being given that job, it did not show. Seirin-143's telepathic voice was just as lacking in inflection as ever.
~I have sent word back to the Combine in regards to your victory. They are most pleased, and willing to send whatever additional reinforcements you require. We, as you, are also eager to show the Nuretan Empire the folly of their ways.~
-Thank you,- Ara'lana said, nodding her head. -And don't worry. Your people will see their share of battle soon enough, I am sure.- The Pteryd clacked its mandibles again, its forearms twitching slightly. -Selina, what about our human allies?-
-They sustained no damage in the battle,- Admiral Kris reported. -Those who have joined us seem very capable. Some of their ground forces have been brought to the planet's surface, to assist with maintaining control over the larger cities. The populace is naturally rather opposed to our presence, but once the turmoil has settled and essential services begin running smoothly again, I believe that will cease to be a concern.-
-Very good,- Ara'lana said. -Tara? Your political assessment?-
-Our hold over the Outer Colonies is solid,- Lady Shi'ala said. -That has always been the case. The ruling elite are devoted to our cause, and the common people won't dare to go against them. There will be no issues. We are making significant progress in the Inner Colonies as well. Along with our military victories, we have begun receiving overtures through back channels from various planetary governments in the Inner Colonies. No doubt they are wishing to avoid the devastation which has been waged on some of their neighbors.- She hesitated, then she pressed on. -However, there are some problems that I did not foresee.-
Ara'lana frowned, her eyes narrowing. -What problems?-
-We overestimated the effect that the death of the Empress would have,- Shi'ala explained. -There was some initial turmoil, but the recovery was fairly quick. I did not foresee how effective the change in leadership would be.-
Ara'lana snarled, her tail lashing the back of her chair. -You mean that damned little deviant that Kri'a wasted her life with? What could she hope to do against us?-
Slightly over a week after the taking of Lirna, the news had hit the networks that Lady Li'ren Amani had been declared the Empress of the Ascendancy. In a highly-publicized ceremony on Arbaros, she'd sworn the oath that all new Empresses took when they ascended to the throne. Ara'lana's blood had boiled at seeing that happen. In her opinion, Li'ren had no claims to royalty. Her family was from a minor noble line that had risen to prominence by accident, by a fluke. Because one Empress, after the hundreds of Empresses that had come before her, couldn't control her urges enough to do what duty required of her.
Unfortunately, Ara'lana's opinion was not shared by many analysts among the Ascendancy. There seemed to be a certain amount of precedent for picking Li'ren as the successor to the Empress. In the past, whenever an Empress died and left behind no direct successors in the way of children, it had fallen to sisters, aunts, or cousins to fill the role. And since none of Kri'a's living relatives could be considered part of the Ascendancy during an open rebellion, all of them being from the Outer Colonies, the prevailing opinion among the royalist factions was that Li'ren could ascend to the throne. She and Kri'a had, after all, been bonded, as grossly unconventional as it might have been. For Ara'lana, it was a sickening reminder of how far the Ascendancy had fallen that an exclusively female bonding could be considered legitimate in any way.
-I'll remind you,- Lady Shi'ala said patiently, -as I have before, Admiral, that Li'ren Amani is not a woman to underestimate. She is a very accomplished politician for someone of twenty-five years. For five years, the entirety of Empress Solan's reign, she was her top adviser and confidant and quite frequently her personal representative in high-level diplomatic matters. For the two years prior to that she was a resident agent on Lirna for the diplomatic corps, and for three years before that she was her own mother's assistant, and I need hardly remind you how skillful and experienced a diplomat Miri Amani is. That's not to mention the intensive legal education that she received in her formative years.- Shi'ala's ears twitched forward, seeing the displeasure on Ara'lana's face. -I'm only telling you this because it's something you need to know. She may not be a soldier or an inherently threatening person, but she is a dangerous enemy to have.-
Ara'lana had to grudgingly nod, knowing that Shi'ala was making good sense, no matter how much she didn't want to agree with her. -I have watched some of the speeches she has given since the battle,- she admitted. -She does show a certain...poise.- The white-furred female looked off to one side, thinking. -She has supporters, then.-
-Many of them,- Shi'ala said. -You should know that as well as I do. Though her relationship with Kri'a was fairly well-known among the upper elite of our society, among the common people it was virtually unknown. She was publicly visible only as a prominent diplomat and politician. Now, naturally, her peculiar...ah...lifestyle has become far more public in the wake of Kri'a's death and her ascension to the throne, but I think you know how the public reaction has been to your own daughter in that regard. It is perhaps not surprising that Li'ren is enjoying a significant amount of popular support.-
~It is something that my people find quite curious,~
Seirin-143 interjected. Its head swiveled from side to side, looking at the Ailians in the room.
~So much importance placed on this matter of whom you choose to mate with. My people have no such dynamics to consider. Quite curious, indeed.~
Ara'lana eyed Seirin-143 for several long moments, contemplating how best to tell it that she didn't much need lessons on Pteryd culture and physiology at the moment, but she decided it didn't matter anyway. -In any case...I find it clear that I must do something about this new...- Ara'lana paused, her mouth souring as the next word hovered on her tongue. -...Empress.-
-And soon,- Admiral Kris agreed. -Our intelligence assets on Arbaros and elsewhere in the royalist sectors of the Ascendancy inform me that the Inner Colony and Central fleets have regrouped and repaired. They are also receiving constant reinforcements from the Nuretan fleets. In a few days, they may be in a position to begin attempting to retake territory.-