The door swung open, and Natre stepped inside, closing it behind herself. Natre threaded her way between stacks of equipment towards the voices near the back of the cavernous room. From the scent in the air, Natre could tell the conversation had already heated up. When she emerged into the central space, Natre saw the vid comm screen was already active, displaying the faces of members who hadn't been able to attend in person.
"I see you all began without me," Natre said, interrupting the conversation. "What's left to discuss?"
"We're all peers here, Matriarch," Somnu replied. He was covered in dirt and stank of horses. "Or have you forgotten?" He pointed at her veil.
Natre removed the veil covering her face, tucking it into her belt. What use was a veil in the Core, where everyone could quickly pick up on your emotions without even looking at your face? "Excuse me. I'm afraid I don't even notice that thing anymore. Sorry I'm late. It's taken me longer than expected to come up to speed on Temple affairs."
"Do let Aleta or myself know if we can be of assistance, Natre," offered Taessen. She was the Matriarch of Barrow's Grove, and Aleta was Matriarch of Resounding Cliffs.
"Thanks, Taessen, I'll take you up on that," Natre replied.
"Aleta, how soon do you think we might transition some of your Technicians to our facility?" Natre asked. "It's been cleaned up and restocked, so now all we're missing are the scientists."
"I've finished reviewing the rosters, and I have selected suitable candidates to rebuild your crew. The entire Guild at Resounding Cliffs wants to help, and I can tell you safety protocols have been the main focus, from specimen handling all the way through test subjects. We'll need to wait until the Hegemony ships leave, but once they do let's get your guild halls re-staffed," Aleta said.
"Speaking of the Hegemony," Natre said.
"Let's get back on topic, shall we?" Elder Rebea said. She must be the moderator-elect for this meeting, Natre reasoned. "Raza, you were about to give us an update on the Terem Zebio situation?"
Raza nodded. Flecks of mud stuck to her leather boots and cape, evidence of her hurried arrival. "For the past two days, Bauleel has been monitoring Terem at the Jonquin Sept farm. The situation sounds stable for the moment. Terem's destruction of the Northern Outpost near Raven's Call forced me to send reinforcements from the Eastern and Southern Outposts of Barrow's Grove. I expect they will arrive within two more days, depending on the roads after all the rain we've had."
"How many are you sending?" Natre asked.
"I've pulled four dozen from their regular duties, so enough to re-staff an entire outpost if needed. If Terem manages to infect others before he's taken down, then there should be sufficient personnel to handle the collateral damage. Any survivors will then help rebuild the Northern Outpost once the area is secured," Raza replied.
"Four dozen?" Rebea asked. "Is the situation that dangerous?"
"I believe so. In fact, after this meeting I'm planning to head north myself, and join with Bauleel to defeat Terem," Raza replied.
"Don't you think you're overreacting?" said Cerry, one of their more elderly-appearing Core members. His grave features reminded Natre of a hawk.
Natre reflected on the composition of the Core and how traveling here as the crew had brought them together. However, surviving the first plague had further cemented their relationships at an entirely deeper level. Protecting the colonists had transitioned from a long-term mission into an interminable calling. They'd lost members over the years to accidents and plague-related deaths, but the dedication of the Core crew meant no one would quit the task until the plague was cured.
In other words, effectively never.
"No," Raza replied with a frown. "I suppose everyone's forgotten the last stable mutation that got away? I know it's been close to three hundred years, but I seem to remember that's the reason Three Moons, that little fishing village south of Jeweled Cove, got wiped off the map."
"No one's forgotten that tragedy," Taessen replied. "Nor have we forgotten how bloodthirsty the plague's victim's become. I can only imagine how deranged Terem is, considering how long he's survived the mutation. I took part in the early studies, and I'm appalled the Technicians were allowed to maintain the experiment. The rare mutations that led to a stable presentation inevitably manifested the most violent behaviors. That said, do you require our assistance?"
Raza shrugged. "If you have Guardian training and you're not otherwise occupied, then I'd love the help. Hopefully, this situation will be resolved within another three days, one way or the other."
"Where's Graeber?" Cerry asked gruffly. "He's the best fighter we've got."
"He and I arrived in town this morning," Somnu replied. "He said he didn't want to waste time chatting with us when there was something to kill." Cerry nodded in stoic agreement.
Raza laughed mirthlessly. "That sounds like my brother. Funny, he hasn't sent me any messages saying he's heading up there." Raza pulled out her roaming comm unit, activated it and checked, then frowned and shook her head as she put the device back into her pocket.
"I'm not surprised. Graeber seemed pretty angry when we parted," Somnu replied.
Raza didn't say a thing, nor could Natre read a thing off of her. Raza must be shielding, but why?
"Who cares?" Cerry replied. "He's helping out as best he can, that's all that matters. Now, it seems to me we've talked the Terem situation to death, and I'd like to report on my progress."
"Of course," Rebea replied. "How goes your investigation into the thallium poisoning in the Luna berry farms?"
"During an audit of the storehouses, I identified eight total missing aqueous dispersal units. I was able to modify a sensor unit and track down the other seven units, which had been placed in various swamps throughout the Barrow's Grove farmlands. I'm transmitting the list of locations now, along with the products grown at each," Cerry said.
Rebea brought the list up on the screen for everyone to read.
"Wait a minute, those are the exact ingredients contained in the plague medicinal," Taessen said. "Someone's trying to destroy our ability to fight the plague!"
Natre wasn't the only one who was visibly shocked by this revelation.
"Could you identify who removed the units from the storehouses?" Aleta asked.
"No, those log entries were erased. In my opinion, this was a direct attack, not just against the survival of Az'Un society, but against the Core itself," Cerry explained.
"Who would do such a thing?" Natre asked.
"I think the bigger question is: who would want to destroy everything we've worked for?" Somnu asked.
"What are you implying?" Rebea asked.
"Think about it. Who would have the codes to access the storehouses? Who would know how to operate the aqueous dispersal units? Who would know how to modify the access logs to the storehouses? And, who would know which farms to target for maximum destruction to the plague medicinal?" Somnu asked. "I'm telling you, all of you, it's one of us. Only one of the Core could have the means necessary." Cerry, a well-known close friend of Somnu, nodded ruefully in agreement during this exposition.
"That's impossible!" Aleta cried. Many others echoed her sentiment, but Natre held her tongue. Feelings of anger and betrayal flooded her senses.
"No, Somnu is on the mark in his suspicions," Cerry said. "No Az'Un citizen has the knowledge or capability to pull this off."
"Do you have any leads?" Raza asked.
"Of course not, if I had I would have shared my suspicions," Somnu spat out. "But now I believe Kilawren is to blame."
"Kilawren has been dead for some time now, Somnu," Raza replied. "Many years have passed."
"No, it's a possibility," Cerry replied. "The devices had been in place for a while, possibly before her death. She could have planted them there long ago."
"I disagree," Raza replied. "The crimes she committed weren't treasonous in nature--what you're suggesting now is. As misguided as she was, Kilawren claimed to be looking for a
cure."
Somnu frowned, holding his hands up. "I didn't mean to imply Kilawren planted the devices. I feel her misdeeds divided us deeply, and I think we need to consider and research all of the options. As we all know, her death sentence caused ill will with notable members of the Core, and perhaps that led to some rash and ill-conceived reactions? However, Cerry has a solid point, Kilawren certainly could have planted the devices years ago. "
Everyone knew whom he meant: Graeber and Bauleel. Natre felt waves of sadness and anger pass through the group; Kilawren's treachery had heralded a loss of trust between them all, and this was still a palpable sensation.
"Choose your words carefully!" Raza said. Her anger flared like a torch. "I won't hear more of your baseless accusations!"
Somnu smirked. "Dear Raza, surely Graeber can defend himself without his big sister's protection?"
"Oh, he doesn't need my help. But you know, I find it a cowardly act to accuse friends when they aren't present and able to defend themselves," Raza replied.
"If they weren't both absent..." Somnu began.
"Silence!" Rebea shouted. "I think we've all had enough of your bickering!"
"Indeed, but the concerns raised bear investigation," Cerry replied, predictably rising to the defense of Somnu's argument. "I'd like to ask for volunteers to assist me with flesh-to-flesh investigations of all Core members, so we can flush out who may or may not be involved in the poisoning."
Natre scanned the crowd, focused on reactions to Cerry's invasive suggestion. Curiously, Raza alone paled slightly. Were Cerry and Somnu on the mark with their suspicions? If so, offering to lead the investigation would have deflected focus away from those in charge. Or was she being paranoid?
"That's a sound course of action, Cerry," Rebea replied. "I'm sure we're all willing to submit to such questioning to find those involved. Who is available to help him?"
Somnu raised his hand, as did Lillien and Kaed. Raza raised her hand after another moment, her jaw clenched.
"Five of us should be enough," Cerry said. "Although I thought you were heading north after this meeting, Raza?"
"I'd like to assist with the interrogation of my brother and Bauleel, to make sure they are treated fairly," Raza replied. Natre recalled how vehemently Raza had defended Kilawren, likely on her brother's behalf, during the trial. Was Raza just being a protective sister at the moment, or did she suspect, or worse know, something was amiss?
Cerry nodded. "Then we'll head to the Jonquin Sept with you first, and kill two birds with one stone that way."
Natre almost smiled, wondering if he'd meant that as a joke, but then thought better of it.
"With that item resolved, we have one final order of business to attend to. Let me reread the Hegemony's request, so it's fresh in our minds," Rebea said. She pulled up the text of the communiqué on the screen, and then read it in its entirety. She then displayed the image of Rai and Ponar Durmah on the screen.
A contemplative silence followed, into which Natre was happy to take the lead. "There is only one solution with the Hegemony: complete and total compliance with the Juggernaut demands." Natre saw many nods of agreement. "We should give them what they want, as soon as possible. Has anyone been able to identify the girl or her location?"
"I have," Somnu replied. "She's Rai Durmah, and that's her brother Ponar in the background. But her name alone isn't going to satisfy them. She's dead."
"What?" Raza exclaimed.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Natre asked.
"I watched her jump off a cliff, so yeah you could say I'm pretty sure," Somnu replied.
"Was her body ... recovered?" Raza asked.
Somnu shook his head. "No. With the undertow there, I guess the Guardians won't find it either."
"That's a shame," Natre replied. "We could have turned over Rai's corpse--that would have been something."
"I think this outcome is much preferable to the Juggernaut getting their hands on that girl," Somnu replied.
Cerry chuckled. "Going soft in your old age, Somnu? It may have been a few years since we were stationed together, but you're a big picture man. I'm surprised to hear you concerned over a single citizen."
Somnu clapped Cerry on the shoulder. "For the record, I'm not going soft. I'd been checking into Rai's situation, and from what I'd seen, I'm not surprised the Juggernaut had an interest in her."
"What do you think they're looking for?" Rebea asked.
"The girl was altered, somehow. She's not one of the Core, yet she appeared sensitive to the emotions of others," Somnu explained. "The Juggernaut might have keyed into that, and want to know how it happened."
"Was she perhaps a stable mutation, like Terem?" Lillien asked.
"That's possible, but I don't think so. We know the plague follows two models: quick and sudden devolution or a relatively stable mutation where the victim is able to partially maintain for a short period of time, usually a period of days to weeks but never more than a Latne. Well, at least until Terem's case presented. Still, Graeber spent some time around Rai, and I'm confident he would have eliminated her if she posed any sort of threat. However, his continued interest led me to wonder whether she might be the product of one of Kilawren's illegal experiments."
"All of those subjects were destroyed," Taessen said. "I can vouch for that personally."
"I do not doubt your word, Taessen," Somnu replied. "But I have no other explanation for Rai's gifts. It's also possible that Graeber continued Kilawren's experiments on his own ..."
"Enough!" Raza cried. "I'll not hear any more of your baseless allegations against my brother!"
"Then you are welcome to leave," Rebea spoke quietly, and none dissented.
Raza fumed, and Natre swore she could hear Raza's teeth grinding. "I would like to see some evidence against my brother to accompany Somnu's deluge of innuendo," Raza demanded, her Guardian bearing apparent in the hard lines of her stance.
"I don't have any evidence, but not for lack of trying," Somnu replied. "I could never get close enough to the girl for a DNA sample, so I can't prove genetic tampering. Yet I'm sure she was altered, perhaps even similar to the Methuselah tampering done to all of us within the Core. If she's not somehow transformed, then how else can you explain her ability to read emotions? And I'm glad the Juggernaut won't have her, so they won't discover those few benefits we've gleaned from exposure the plague."
"Raza," Cerry began, "This is something we can investigate in person with your brother. You will be there and can affirm that the questioning is handled fairly and humanely. Until that time, there is no further need to speculate."
Raza nodded, and by the acrid odor of her mood, Natre surmised she was not appeased. From what Natre knew of Raza, her anger had shifted into slow-banked embers, biding its time for a final eruption. Raza and Somnu had never been close, but after the Kilawren incident neither had been able to see eye to eye on any issue. Natre was glad both she and Somnu would be leaving town soon, so she wouldn't have to endure further quarrels between the two.
"Then it seems we have only one thing which might appease the Juggernaut," Natre said. "And I'm sure no one here will argue the necessity of my solution."
Natre explained her proposal, and true to her prediction, no one dissented.
Matriarch Natre hesitated before hitting the send key, her fingers hovering in midair above the communications terminal. Deliberately choosing to contact a Juggernaut wasn't something she'd ever thought she'd do. After all, what human in their right mind would bring undue attention from a race who could exterminate them on a whim? Then again, choice wasn't an element in this conversation. When the Juggernaut realized the girl they wanted was dead...Natre cringed at the thought.
"Is there a problem?" Journeywoman Camille asked, ever helpful.
"Nothing is wrong with the terminal," Natre replied. She hit the send key, and then took a step back from the screen and waited. Camille stood near the door, poised to record the outcome of this meeting for po
sterity. Natre fought her nerves, forcing herself to stand still. As the voice apparent for the Az'Un people, she couldn't appear weak. Of course, being draped from head to toe in her white Matriarch's robes didn't hurt, not that her privileged position would impress the Assessor. However, the Juggernaut would hear her voice but wouldn't be able to see her expressions or read her scent, which definitely bolstered her confidence.
Natre heard Camille's sharp intake of breath as the screen came to life, filling the four foot high by three feet wide screen with the visage of a Juggernaut against a pale gray background.
"State your request," the Juggernaut asked, his level voice gravelly and deep-toned.
"I am Matriarch Natre, speaker for the colonists of Az'Unda. I humbly request an audience with your Arbiter of Sentience, Assessor Brague."
"I will inform the honored Assessor of your request," he replied. "Stand by."
A few minutes later the screen flickered, now displaying a Juggernaut who, except for the intricate yellow patterns on the carapace behind his head, looked just like the one before. Natre wondered if humans appeared as homogenized as a species to the Juggernaut as well.
"You would be the esteemed Matriarch Natre, I presume?" This male's voice was downright melodic in comparison to the others but just as deep.
Natre nodded assent. "That is correct, honored Assessor Brague."
"I appreciate your timely reply to my request," Brague replied.
"The Az'Un people wish to comply in every way possible with the Hegemonic Emissaries."
After all, what other choice do we have? So far they've managed to evade Juggernaut notice simply by being one of the few human colonies with longevity and the one far from the Hegemony's main shipping lines. From Natre's perspective, this amounted to a combination of luck mixed with Juggernaut disinterest. She knew some of the Core felt emboldened because the colony had been trending towards long-term success, which usually ensured Hegemonic disinterest. Now that the Juggernaut focus had turned their way, Natre was hard pressed to understand how they could avoid whatever consequence the aliens chose to mete out.
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