by Tim Morrison
Chapter 1
Taking Command - Clanworld Camelin -32 BA (Before Adhara)
"Father? What lies at the heart of the Oxymax Nebula?" Ryo asked his ageing patriarch as he helped the older man from his bed to the travel chair.
Gyo Camelin looked at his eldest and only surviving son through bushy eyebrows. "Is that a trick question, my lad?"
"No, Father. I have been reading the archives again. There may be a misinterpretation."
Gyo sighed and leaned back as his aching body began to be massaged by the chair. Manipulating the controls with his one good hand, the chair rose on a cushion of air and silently drifted towards the room spanning windows that showed a view of the Camelin Clanworld from 5 kims in the air, allowing him to see the entirety of the capital city and the lands surrounding it.
"The Clan Desinlo took control of the Confederacy fifteen hundred cycles ago, in a night of blood and fire. You know this, this is all part of our history. Our Clan aided them, initially."
Ryo nodded, "I know, father."
"Then after three hundred cycles of draconian rule, Clan Masilec contacted our forefathers and showed us how the Desinlo had used deceit and treachery to wrest military control from them. Clan Camelin agreed to switch sides, and after a brief but brutal uprising, Clan Desinlo was swept from power and driven back to their Clanworld. All of their colonies were assigned to other Clans, and they were stricken from the Confederacy records."
"Father, that is where I found a discrepancy." Ryo asked. "May I discuss it with you?"
Gyo nodded. "By all means, my lad. You have always had a good head for going through the records and finding jewels amidst all that ancient detritus."
"I found a note at the bottom of the original directive, that said it was to be reviewed after a period of 12 Grand Cycles. Nothing more has ever been entered into the records. Do you know if our records may be out of sync with Tara?"
Gyo seemed lost in thought, and paused for so long that Ryo felt he had gone to sleep, and carefully rose to let the old man rest. "I think a mistake has been made, my Son."
"Father?" Ryo said, turning back to the ageing patriarch.
"The Clanworld Desinlo was a low mass planet, my boy. The people had been expert at low-G manufacturing, and they are also the ones who began the Lari'Sota process. Control through pleasure, was what they were called. That is the real reason why the rebellion against them started. Not the night of blood. That was caused by Clan Jasinlo, not Desinlo."
Ryo pulled up a chair and paid his Father his full attention.
"Like you, I enjoyed looking up the history of the Clans. I recall looking through the records, however I never dug as deeply as you do, my boy. You have become better than our archivists. Do you know, that Desinlo is rumoured to have an entire sea that vaporizes every morning into a veil of multicoloured mist, only to reform every evening?" Gyo said, lost in thought.
"It certainly sounds like a nice place to explore, Father." Ryo said.
"That is what you will then do, Ryo. Go find the lost Clanworld. See if anybody still survives. Explore it, see what can be seen. If they are still a proper clan, bring them into Camelin. The nebula they live in is in the heart of our space. We need them as an ally, not an unknown, and certainly not a hostile." Gyo said, tapping his fingers on the chair.
"Father, I'm not to leave you. The radiation is draining your life, I must be with you now."
"No, my lad. You need to take control of our clan. You are the only son I have left, and Camelin has always been a patriarchal clan, you are ready to lead. It is time. My days grow short, and I wish to spend them looking down on the world I love the most. Take the ship – lead the clan, solve the mysteries you feel that need to be solved."
Gyo reached up and gripped his son's arm with surprising strength.
"Be prepared, my lad. There is much treachery in these dark times. Keep your family honour strong, stand for what you believe in, and keep the Confederacy together. Help to ensure we don't dissolve."
Ryo nodded even as he sighed and stepped backward then bowed to his father. He then turned and walked to the door, which upon opening, was presented with the figure of Vis Macelon, his father's Commercial advisor and the holder of the Camelin funds.
"Lord Camelin." Vis Macelon said deferentially.
"Vis Macelon. Can I assist you, or do you require my father?" Ryo asked.
"Your father is growing far too weak for matters of this nature, my Lord. You will do nicely, if it please you."
Ryo nodded. "Walk with me, Vis."
As they strode down the corridors towards the sweeping ramps that spiralled down towards the main block at the 5 kim level of the tower, Vis Macelon brought the young lord up to speed on the financial matters that were worrying him.
"Our imports are not exceeding our export levels, my Lord. We are generating massive amounts of credit with the central banks, and Regals flow into our coffers daily. Our exports to the United Suns and the Frontier continue to grow at about 4% per cycle, but I am seeing a disturbing trend towards the Confederacy central hub."
"What do you mean?" Ryo asked.
"The Central governance, which demands we pay Clan tribute in the amount of 1/12 our gross, have begun to ask for advances. Your father allowed this as we are on good terms with Clan Maselic, but the drain is becoming pronounced, and it is beginning to effect the balance of funds."
Ryo stopped and looked at the Vis. "How much?" He asked.
"We are currently owed more than three and a half million Regals by the Governance, my Lord. My sources within the other Clans also tell me that Clans Michelab, Veritas, and Guylian have also loaned additional funds to the Governance. If my sources are correct, the Lord Emperor owes the combined Clans more than ten million Regals at this time."
Ryo thought for a moment. "Michelab and Veritas I can understand, they are producers, like us. Guylian though – they are a production Clan, not a primary producer. Their funds fluctuate based on supply and demand."
"Agreed, my Lord. However, Glimmerpearls and the waste products from their refinement are in very high demand. Guylian holds one of the top production facilities for glimmerpearls and as such, in recent cycles, their profits have risen a hundredfold."
"Vis, you are trusted to keep the Clan financially balanced. I have been entrusted to command the TGX and seek out the remnants of Clan Desinlo, by my father. He wishes me to find this out before he goes to Pangea. I would recommend that if Clan Masilec continues to ask for loans, we do so, but coordinate with the other three clans and make sure our contributions meet or exceed theirs. I have no problem with the central governance being indebted to us. Our military strength is part of what is holding the Confederacy together at this time." Ryo said as they reached the transport pods.
"Of course, my Lord. My loyalty is to the clan, and to the Clan leaders foremost. I will maintain our balance until you return." Vis Macelon said as he bowed.
Ryo stepped into the travel pod and tapped the control to ascend to the top of the tower, nearly 20,000 kims above him.
"My father is still in control, Vis. Follow his wishes foremost." He said as the door slid shut, then he sat down as the pod began to accelerate in the evacuated tube until it reached transit speed and flew upwards, travelling towards the massive skyhook that was anchored to the planet and at which the TGX-2, Battlecruiser for Clan Camelin, was currently moored.
...
Vis Macelon watched the young Lord's pod until it flew upwards out of sight, then turned and walked back to the downshaft pods which took him to the 3 kim level, where the main offices were. He walked into his expansive chambers, where his immediate staff of twenty were hard at work coordinating the income and outflow of Regals that ensured Clan Camelin could pay and be paid for it's expenses and requirements. On the wall was a map of the entire Confederacy, and beyond that, the frontier, showing the worlds that traded with the Clan, glowing in brilliant green. The green illuminated perhaps a quarter of the map, mostly in a region close t
o the Camelin borders. Some worlds were a much more brilliant green han others, and then some worlds were a more sickly yellowish tinge, indicating lesser trade value. The map was almost realtime, being updated hourly as trade reports came in from every exchange.
Macelon went to his desk, in an office with no door, so he could always see what was going on, and thumbed a control.
"Get me the other Vis of the Camelin Governance, we need a meeting." He instructed.
In less than the span of an hour, the other members of the Camelin Governance had assembled in the Council chamber to meet Vis Macelon and discuss the latest developments. He walked into the chamber and greeted them all before they took seats to begin the meeting.
Vis Akelos was a thin hawkish man who was in charge of Announcement. His job was to release the public documents, speeches, laws, and info drops that kept the billions of citizens of Clan Camelin informed of the Clan Leadership and the direction the Clan wished the populace to go in.
Vis Waldorphi was a rotund but large man who was in charge of Social Reinforcement. His role was to ensure the billions of members of the clan were kept in line and happy by medical, social, education, quality of life, and any other means he and his staff could use to ensure there was no real threat of public revolt due to dissatisfaction with the leadership.
Vis Adelpha was a tall thin woman who was in charge of Relations. Her role was to keep tabs on everything that went on inside and outside the borders of the Clan, be it the other Clans, the Taran Governance, the Frontier, or the T'Ressi themselves. She and her staff tried to predict issues before they happened so they could be countered or reduced before they became a threat to people or materials.
Finally, there was Vis Pteria, a small round woman who was in overall military charge whenever young Lord Camelin was not present. Her role was to oversee the internal and external military affairs. She commanded the troops, outposts, and warships that patrolled Camelin space, keeping the peace.
They all sat at the round table that had spaces and controls for each of them, and for a few minutes, each one worked, bringing up reports and overviews of their departments to display for the rest when requested or needed to illuminate a point.
"Thank you all for coming on short notice." Macelon began.
"Short notice, you mean no notice. Normally, Macelon, these meetings are planned. What is so important to bring us all here now?" Adelpha snorted.
Macelon nodded his head in acknowledgement of the short-tempered Relations Vis. He was nominally in charge of the Council when no Lord or Lady of the Clan was present, but in reality, all of them held equal rank. None of them held particular favour with the leaders of the Clan, so each of them worked studiously to try and win favour or to quietly discredit the others without causing undue embarassment. Such was politics.
"Lord Ryo Camelin prepares the TGX-2 for flight. He is departing orbit to explore the Oxymax Nebula for the lost Clanworld Desinlo. Lord Gyo Camelin weakens more each day, so it leaves us to run the affairs of the Clan until the young Lord returns." Macelon explained.
Vis Pteria nodded. "As we have been running the Clan for the past three cycles. Lord Ryo has no interest in leading the Clan. He is a battleship Commander first, and a Clan Lord second, in his mind."
"Agreed," added Vis Akelos. "Ryo has very little interest in the day-to-day affairs. He trusts us to keep the Clan together while he explores the realms and guards the frontier against aggression. At least, that is what my latest press bursts say."
"Excellent. What is our state of affairs, can everybody report?" Macelon asked.