“How dare you think me foolish enough to believe your word when you abandoned Caroie and left them to the mercy of the Ninth Circle?” Isa challenged, her voice even. “Because of your inaction, the death toll is already over eighty thousand civilians, and those numbers continue to rise by the minute as more casualties are discovered.”
“I am not alone on Caroie’s protection front!” Yuta cried.
“You’re correct,” Isa said. “However, you are the only one who has met with any member of the Ninth Circle ruling class in the last year, and your troop numbers are soaring, even more so since Colonel Ikan’s visit.”
“I am not consorting with those barbarians in the Ninth Circle!” Yuka barked.
“We will see if that is true,” Isa said. “I am ordering, under Title Four of the Crescent Alliance Peace Act, that an investigation shall take place in order to discover any evidence of treason and consorting to overthrow the Alliance.”
“How dare you?!”
“You are innocent until proven guilty. However, under Title Four, trade with your planet will be halted and all transmissions will be monitored. Anything found during conduct of the investigation will be brought to the Courts and will be admitted into evidence without question.”
“You cannot do this!” the woman bellowed.
“I will program your monitoring system and it will go into effect today,” Isa completed. “As for the rest of you, I ask that you submit your schedules to me as well as the last three months of your trade numbers, and the number of troops you have in your possession. Should any of these orders be ignored, I have full authority from Venus to place all of your planets under investigation.”
“You bitch!” Yuta snarled.
“Good day,” Isa said simply, turning to her NCB chair and pressing her right ring finger to the steel ring around the top of the chair.
The holograms vanished and the ring slowly lowered to the resting position Kailynn had seen it in when she had first seen the chair.
Isa took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly before she turned to the three others in the room.
“Forgive me,” she said. “I did not mean to ignore your entrance.” Isa smiled at Rayal, her face brightening a little. “Rayal.”
“Isa,” Rayal greeted, his smile equally warm. “Hyun is going to suffer with their trade being monitored so closely. I’m sure you’ll find many things that are against the laws of the Alliance.”
“I figured that she was in illegal markets,” Isa said with a nod. “At least now I have a reason to bring her under investigation.” Her expression dropped. “How many are dead?”
“The final count I received was ninety-thousand and eleven,” Rayal said. “The capital was ransacked. Their communications are destroyed.”
“I don’t understand why no one responded to the distress signals,” Isa murmured, shaking her head. “It is very troublesome to think that four of the planets with the largest troop numbers refused to help the planet that provides them with over forty percent of their food.” The Elite rubbed her forehead, sighing. “I don’t think I ever mended the Alliance as well as I believed.”
“That area of the system has always been a mess,” Rayal said with a broken laugh. “Pride and greed are the only things that drive those planets.”
“I think that Yuta, Shane, and Urya are conspiring with the Ninth Circle,” Isa said seriously. “It seems that everywhere I turn, another planet has joined the Ninth Circle to conspire against Tiao.”
“Repairing relations with Caroie will be exceptionally difficult,” Rayal added, shaking his head. “They will not easily forgive being abandoned and their people being slaughtered.”
Isa nodded slowly, her eyes briefly falling to the ground.
“Isa,” Rayal started, opening his briefcase and handing her a file, “I’m afraid there is more bad news.”
“That’s alright,” Isa said with a thin smile. “That’s all I’ve received today anyway.”
She took the file and clicked the screen into life, looking over the information on the tablet.
“These are the transmissions that we were able to salvage from the security mainframe before the shutdown,” Rayal said carefully.
Isa closed her eyes, her expression changing to something between irritation and pain.
“These are in Gihoric,” she whispered. She looked at Rayal seriously, something brimming behind her eyes. “Gihron is involved?”
Kailynn noticed the way Tarah tensed, looking between Rayal and Isa.
“It would appear so.”
Isa sighed heavily, handing the file back to Rayal.
“That complicates things. Over ninety thousand dead so far, easily over a dozen planetary relations in ruin, and Gihron has decided to rear their ugly head again,” Isa muttered. “Have you sent this to Remus?”
“I sent it just before I came here.”
“Thank you.” Isa said. She rubbed her forehead again. “This is a disaster.” She turned back to Rayal and forced a smile. “I assume you have met Kailynn.”
“Yes,” Rayal said, turning to the Significant. “I hope that you have not been overwhelmed,” Rayal said, still addressing Isa.
“No, not at all,” Isa assured. “I have quite enjoyed Kailynn’s stay.”
The smile that was directed at Kailynn sent her heart fluttering in her chest.
Rayal glanced between Kailynn and Isa, his eyes already unnerving because of the mismatched color, but even more so when Kailynn saw that there was a look of acute realization in the former caretaker’s expression. He quickly looked between the two again, then turned to Isa.
“I’m happy to hear it,” Rayal said. “We won’t keep you. Tarah, you and I should plan when to have lunch,” he said, placing a hand on Tarah’s shoulder and leading her out of the room. Tarah’s cheeks were immediately flushed again and she followed his guide without noticing that he was leading her out to discuss something far more important than lunch.
Kailynn’s eyes turned back to Isa.
The two were silent for several long moments before Kailynn glanced back at the chair and her expression fell.
“Are…are you okay?” she asked stupidly. Isa smiled thinly, her eyes falling to the ground.
“Not really,” she admitted. “This has been a very trying morning, and there is still much about this situation that I do not know.”
“…who is Gihron?”
“One of the most powerful planets in the Ninth Circle,” Isa said vaguely. “They have been against Tiao for hundreds of years. They do not approve of the Elites or Venus.”
Kailynn remained silent, not sure what to say.
“Why was that planet attacked?” Kailynn asked finally.
Isa shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know,” she admitted. “Nor do I know why it took us so long to learn of the attack.” Isa took a deep breath. “Questions I will be trying to find answers to all day. Not that it matters.”
“Why doesn’t it matter?” Kailynn hissed, horrified at the statement.
“Because over ninety thousand civilians have already lost their lives,” Isa said quietly. “There is no answer to these questions that will explain away their deaths.”
Kailynn was surprised at the Elite’s statement. Isa was taking the attack on the people of Caroie as though those people were under her care. The Significant could only stare at the Elite, wondering how someone who had stated that they had no human emotions could care for people they had never met.
“I’m sorry, Isa,” Kailynn whispered before she could stop the words or figure out why she had said them.
“There is no reason to be sorry,” Isa assured. “I am the one who is sorry.”
Isa turned back to her chair to return to work, but Kailynn’s voice stopped her.
“Isa.”
The Elite turned and was surprised to find Kailynn right in front of her. The Significant wrapped her arms around Isa and hugged her tightly. The Elite was still for several momen
ts, surprised—Kailynn was also surprised at her actions.
“I can tell this attack has upset you,” Kailynn murmured. “But the fact that you’re angry and hurt over the deaths of the civilians proves that you’re more human than those who killed them.”
Isa could not move for several moments, stunned into silence as the words sunk into her brain. A small part of her that had been forgotten five years previous slowly pushed closer to the surface.
For the first time in years, Isa felt like herself.
She wrapped her arms around Kailynn, tightening the hug.
When Isa came out of her office, she looked older and tired, her face drawn in confusion and irritation. Tarah had prepared dinner, but she had been absent-minded most of the day, which meant dinner was later than usual. Isa did not seem to notice.
The Elite pushed the food around on her plate, her eyes distant. Kailynn stopped eating when she saw the look on Isa’s face. She could tell that the Elite was greatly disturbed and upset by what had happened on Caroie.
After dinner, when Isa had barely eaten, Kailynn went with the Elite to the sitting area.
“Do you want to swim for a bit?” she tried to suggest lightly, though the question was clearly forced.
“No, thank you,” Isa said. The Elite sat down on the couch and rubbed her forehead, lost in deep thought. Tarah continued to clean up, throwing worried looks at Isa. Kailynn took a deep breath and sat on the arm of the sofa next to the Elite, tapping her arm gently.
“Hey.”
The Elite looked up.
“What can I do to help you get your mind off this?”
Isa tried to smile, though her expression just became more tired.
“I don’t think anything will help.”
“The more you think about it, the more you’re going to think yourself in circles,” Kailynn said. “You need to step away from work for a while.”
“I’m an Elite,” Isa pointed out with a smile. “I don’t know how.”
Kailynn tried to think of something, glancing around the room. When her eyes rested on the bar, she smiled.
“Alcohol helps,” she said, standing. “What do you like?” she asked, walking to the bar as the Elite chuckled.
“Anything is fine,” she assured. Kailynn grabbed some glasses, trying to remember where everything was from the few times she had seen the Elite help herself to a drink late in the day. Kailynn poured two glasses and picked them up when Isa chuckled.
“You better bring the bottle.”
Kailynn laughed, tucking the bottle under her arm and walking over with the two glasses.
“You speak my language.”
The two downed several drinks together, Isa silent as Kailynn tried to strike up any conversation. The Elite would answer with a few sentences and then fall silent once more, letting the conversation die. Kailynn would fill the quiet with another drink, causing her head to be spinning by the time Tarah wished them both goodnight. The caretaker was clearly worried about the Elite, but she did not know how to help.
Kailynn was not sure she could help, either.
Isa was leaning against the arm of the couch, her head in one hand as the other lightly held the small, now-empty glass. The Elite’s eyes were not closed, but they were half-lidded.
Kailynn took a chance and stood, walking around the coffee table and sitting next to Isa. The Elite turned to her and smiled, leaning to the coffee table and pulling the bottle closer to her, refilling her glass.
“Damn, you’re a strong drinker,” Kailynn muttered.
Isa smiled in response, but did not speak, bringing the glass to her lips. She took a sip, her eyes going distant again.
Kailynn knew that Isa would not be able to get her mind off the attack, so she no longer avoided the subject.
“Have you ever dealt with a situation like this before?”
Isa tuned to Kailynn, her expression genuinely confused.
“What kind of situation?”
“A planet being taken over,” Kailynn clarified.
Isa sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead.
“Yes, this will be my fourth hostage planet negotiation,” Isa said. “However, I have never had to negotiate for a special-class planet like Caroie.” She groaned and closed her eyes. “Those morons have destroyed a large part of the Alliance.”
“I didn’t even know we were in an alliance…” Kailynn said slowly, nervous about her ignorance.
“That does not surprise me,” Isa said. “You were born in Trid. There would be no reason for you to know.” Isa closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the sofa. “The Alliance had disbanded when I came into power. Poor political decisions by my predecessors made the Crescent Alliance collapse. I spent years and years trying to fix the mess they left, but it appears that it was not as strong as I had believed.”
“How long have you been in power?”
“Seventeen years,” Isa murmured.
Kailynn could not help but gawk at the number.
“How old are you?!” she gasped. Isa turned to the Significant, surprised at the younger woman’s shock.
“Thirty-four.”
Kailynn’s eyes were wide.
“You don’t look thirty-four.”
“I look older?” Isa chuckled lightly.
“No, you look…I mean, you look amazing…”
Kailynn quickly grabbed her drink again, gulping the strong liquor, hoping to somehow swallow the words that had just escaped her lips.
Isa smiled gently.
“Thank you.”
Kailynn let out a long breath, setting her empty glass down, though moving made her feel dizzy. She knew she had had too much three drinks previous. Yet, the Elite seemed to barely be tipsy.
“I wish I knew what to say to help you feel better.”
Isa’s eyes went distant yet again and a small smile took over her mouth.
“You’ve done more for me than you realize.”
Kailynn found herself staring at the Elite again. Isa’s expression was complex, a mixture between pain and happiness, as though she found something that had once filled her with joy, but no longer did so—lost in memories of happier times.
Isa’s eyes turned to Kailynn and everything stopped.
Kailynn found herself intrigued by the secrets behind the piercing blue eyes. Kailynn could see that there was pain hidden somewhere deep inside the Golden Elite but, for a being with no emotions, Kailynn was not sure how such pain was possible. Everything she had heard over the previous weeks had only increased her curiosity, seeing the Elite in a manner that she was sure almost no one else had was an overwhelming realization for Kailynn.
But Isa had told her that she had been happy to have the Significant with her. The words meant something to Kailynn, but she was not sure one what level they resonated.
The words came out before she could stop them. As far as Kailynn was concerned, the alcohol spoke.
“Can I ask something? It’s going to sound crazy…”
“What?”
Kailynn leaned forward.
“Can I touch your face?”
“Pardon?”
“I just…I wanna touch you…” Kailynn reached both hands out to Isa, clumsily pressing both her hands to each side of the Elite’s face. Her face turned serious as the pads of her fingers moved over the smooth skin, her eyes studying every line in the Elite’s face. Kailynn turned her eyes to her fingers, trying to understand the sensation of perfection under her fingers. The Elite’s skin was impossibly smooth.
Kailynn still could not understand how one could be so perfect.
Isa stared calmly back at Kailynn. After a few moments looking at Kailynn’s flushed and awe-stricken expression, Isa lifted one hand and gently pushed some hair away from Kailynn’s face.
“You’re incredible,” Kailynn breathed.
Isa hesitated only a moment before she forced what little reasons he had left aside and leaned forward, bringing her face closer to Kailynn’
s. She would let Kailynn close the gap between them if she wanted. She would not force the Significant, knowing the steep punishment for anyone that became intimate with Elites.
However, Kailynn took the opening and her lips locked with Isa’s.
Once their lips met, everything became electric. Kailynn’s hands wrapped around Isa’s head and she pulled the Elite even closer, desperate, her reason gone. Isa allowed Kailynn to control the kiss, not sure that it would last long before Kailynn remembered where she was and who she was with and stop.
Kailynn pulled away far too fast for Isa. But one of her hands swept over Isa’s high cheekbones as she stared into the Elite’s eyes. Isa studied Kailynn’s expression.
She pushed upward slightly and reached out, setting her glass on the coffee table, her hand quickly wrapping around Kailynn’s neck and bringing their lips together for another fiery kiss. Kailynn eagerly locked lips with the Golden Elite again, her hands holding Isa, pushing her down so that she was on top of the older woman, kissing her passionately. Isa did not seem to mind their shift of positions.
Kailynn was not sure how long they were kissing, but time had no meaning then. It was only her and Isa. Nothing else existed—including consequences.
Kailynn grabbed the front of Isa’s shirt and pulled her upright, her lips never leaving the Elite’s, sure that she would collapse and die if she had to part with Isa. Isa followed the Significant’s guide and found herself standing, her arms finally free to wrap around the younger woman, allowing her to intensify the kiss.
Kailynn made a sound somewhere between a whimper and a groan when Isa pulled away and the Elite was excited by the noise. Her lips hovered over Kailynn’s as she looked over the Significant’s expression. Her hand left Kailynn’s back and she cradled her jaw tenderly, causing Kailynn’s eyes to finally flutter open.
Gently moving her thumb over Kailynn’s cheek, Isa went in for another kiss.
Kailynn found her head spinning again. She was not sure if it was the alcohol or the way Isa took her breath away as they kissed.
Isa ended the kiss shortly, backing further away and looking at Kailynn seriously. She did not need to speak for the Significant to understand what she was asking. Kailynn took a deep breath and laced her fingers with Isa’s, pulling the Golden Elite behind her to the door she knew led to the Golden Elite’s room.
The Significant Page 12