“Come on,” Isa said, pulling Kailynn with her as they walked out of the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Remus asked, following the Golden Elite. Tarah and Rayal followed behind the group, walking with them through the guest hallway, pool area, and into Isa’s office.
“Remus, can you piggyback her frequency?” Isa asked.
“Probably.”
“Alright, let’s record our response.”
“We’re going to respond?” Kailynn asked, surprised.
“Venus told me that the people see her as the leader, and she’s trying to use fear to prove that to me,” Isa said, walking to her NCB chair and sitting in it, activating it in safe mode so Venus could not immediately find her. “I’m going to prove to her that the people would rather follow me than her.”
“You don’t know that, though,” Kailynn murmured.
“I know my people,” Isa said with a nod. “And I have information she won’t like the people knowing.”
“I can set you to record on a backup and work on the piggyback once you are clear of the chair,” Remus said, walking to Isa’s chair and typing a few things into one of the control panels.
“That will work.”
Isa opened up her hologram recording and took a deep breath, preparing herself, forcing her eyes to open past her headache and her face to relax, while her eyes still shone with the intensity of the Golden Elite.
“Start,” she commanded.
The chair let out a soft beep and Isa began her message.
“People of Tiao, I come to you in response to the message that has been circulating from Venus, discussing the repercussions of shutting her down. It is true, if she were to be deactivated, the planet would be without power for an unknown period of time. However, Venus has failed to mention that there are many planets of the Crescent Alliance that would support us if we were in need, and there are terms carved out among several planets that, should something occur and Venus was no longer in power, those planets would come to Tiao’s aid. Another thing Venus has failed to mention is the dangers of keeping her in power. As she said, she is in control of all our communications, but she also has access to our homes and our businesses, and all electronics on our planet.
“Six years ago, this planet suffered a terrible tragedy,” Isa continued. “Saera, our terraformed greenhouse site, was destroyed by catastrophic failures in the generators for the city. These generators were connected to Venus mainframe, and the catastrophic failures were, in reality, another section of her system attacking and forcing the generators into meltdown, eventually leading to the death of one-hundred thousand citizens and the destruction of our food supply.
“Shortly after the destruction of Saera, Venus was weaponized, and tricked into believing that certain members of the Syndicate staff were a threat—a threat that she neutralized by poisoning those members of her own Syndicate,” Isa said, her voice steady even though there was a great deal of pain in her eyes at recalling the memories. “It is possible for Venus to be weaponized. It has happened before, and it can very easily happen again. The attacks six years ago were the result of a madman hacking into an older section of her coding and reprogramming her. The Syndicate has currently dismantled this part of her coding, but it would still be possible for her to weaponize herself now that the codes have been in her system once before.
“Therefore, people of Tiao, I ask for your support in considering shutting down Venus and shifting Tiao into a new future away from artificial intelligence rule,” Isa completed. “If you will unite behind me, I will dismantle Venus and help us move forward as a stronger, cohesive Tiao.”
She was still for two seconds before she stood carefully, her eyes sliding shut in exhaustion.
“Take it slow…” Kailynn murmured, helping the Elite out of the chair. Isa sighed heavily and swayed a little on her feet. Kailynn took the Elite’s shoulders, looking at her seriously. “Are you crazy?” she chuckled brokenly. “You just declared war on Venus.”
“Yes,” Isa said. She leaned her head on Kailynn’s. “But this has to happen. The people cannot live under the rule of Venus. She is our greatest weakness, and I won’t let anything like what happened to Saera or the Syndicate happen again.”
Kailynn smiled and placed her hands on both sides of Isa’s face, her eyes welling with tears.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Isa whispered.
The Elite bent down and gently captured Kailynn’s lips in hers, kissing her tenderly before pressing her forehead to Kailynn’s again, unaware that Remus had turned the camera on both of them to catch the entire exchange for the broadcast to the people of Tiao.
Chapter Forty
Isa was furious when she discovered that Remus had allowed her exchange with Kailynn to be broadcast. They both began arguing in Isa’s office at the Syndicate just before meeting with General Decius. Several other Elites were also in the office, listening to the argument, while others were preparing for the Gihron entourage to arrive.
“Do you have any idea of the danger you put her in?!” Isa barked.
“The people are going to need more than your word to stand behind you,” Remus said. “You need to relate to them. You said the future would be away from artificial intelligence and the candid moment showed that you were not the typical Elite.”
“You put a target on her head for Gihron, and for any planet that seeks to tear me down.”
“You said yourself, we have planets more than willing to help us, planets run by leaders that know you. Seeing your defiance to Venus, and knowing what you are capable of, and that you have the human compassion and love to fall for someone, you will gain more support.”
“She is now a target!” Isa repeated. “How dare you do that to her? To me?”
Remus took a deep breath.
“Because you two deserve better than the relationship you had with me,” Remus said simply. “You should not have to hide your relationship.”
Isa heaved a sigh and turned to Kailynn. Kailynn smiled weakly. She was also nervous about being a political target, particularly with General Decius so near, but she was also a little relieved that their relationship was out in the open.
“I’m sorry, Kailynn.”
“Hey,” Kailynn started, walking to the Golden Elite, “you may have tamed me a little, but I am still the Wild Child of Trid. I can sure as hell take care of myself if I need to. And I’m not as smart as you, so I won’t care if I have to break a few noses if someone’s coming after me.”
Isa let out a soft chuckle.
“Perhaps it is you who is wise,” she murmured.
The chair in Isa’s office beeped with an incoming transmission from Fortunea. Isa accepted the message and a brief light passed over the entire room before projecting the Queen of Fortunea, still ornately-dressed, in stunning clarity, two large men behind her in military uniforms, their dark faces half-covered by an ornate black headdress.
“Your Majesty,” Isa said, bowing her head.
“Elite Isa,” Glynna said, glancing around the room as if she were standing with them. “I see you have many visitors. Did I interrupt a strategy meeting?”
“I suppose you could call it that,” Isa said with a smile. “You received my message, I presume.”
“Yes,” Glynna said. “As I have always stated, I will support you and Tiao to the best of my abilities. Should Gihron get out of hand and try to attack you, I will have troops standing at the ready. Do they have permission to enter your airspace?”
“They do.”
“Perhaps I should double my aid?” Glynna asked with a smile. “Considering the message you were sending out after Venus’ poor attempt at controlling Tiao’s people.”
Isa took a deep breath, forcing a smile.
“I assume the entire Altereye System has seen that message by now.”
“Indeed,” Glynna said. “I cannot tell you the number of calls I have received since last night. Everyone is talking about the renegad
e Golden Elite declaring war on Venus.” Glynna glanced at Kailynn and her smile widened. “You have my full support,” Glynna said. “Both of you.”
Isa visibly relaxed.
“Isa,” Glynna said, turning to her, “in celebration of your victory over Gihron, I would like to supply your planet with some of our bountiful crop this year,” she said, her smile widening. “My troops will be at Tiao within the week to secure the planet and protect it, and the produce ships will arrive over the next month to be sure that your people are well-cared for.”
Isa closed her eyes and swallowed hard, placing her hand over her heart and bowing her head deeply to the queen.
“You are far too generous, Your Majesty.”
“I have already spoken with several other members of the Alliance and called on those able to assist to prepare for the change on Tiao. Once you secure peace terms with Gihron, we will immediately declare a State for Relief for Tiao.”
“Do you believe that the Alliance can remain strong without its cornerstone?”
“My dear friend,” Glynna smiled gently, “everyone is rallying for you. I have never seen the Alliance so united on one issue.” She bowed her head. “Golden Elite Isa, Fortunea is at your service.”
“I am in your debt, Your Majesty.”
Glynna’s hologram faded and Isa turned to the Syndicate members in her office. Several of them were staring at Isa in surprise.
“It’s really happening,” Aolee murmured.
“What is the status on the Aren System?” Isa asked.
“We have seven-hundred generators set up over the planet,” Chronus said. “While that will not give us much, it will allow us to start reprogramming in the larger cities, which will get us up and running again quicker than anticipated.”
“And has anyone spoken to Dr. Busen?” Isa asked, her voice straining.
“Yes,” Anders said. “He believes that, should removal cause problems with the organs, it would be best to be ready to replace it, that includes lung, heart, and esophagus and would mean extensive reconstruction.”
“Marvelous,” Isa groaned.
“If anyone can do it, he can,” Remus said strongly. “After all, he performed your previous reconstruction and you are the only surviving patient with a reconstructed cranium.”
Isa took a deep breath, closing her eyes and nodding.
“Alright,” she said. “I want everyone prepared to execute Plan Maki at the nearest opportunity. As soon as General Decius has left the planet, we move.”
“Understood,” Chronus said, followed by several affirmatives.
“Should things with the General take the same turn that they did with his brother, I don’t want anyone to hesitate,” Isa said strongly. “His delegates are terrified of him, and if we have evidence of any tampering with the Syndicate, we can bring up charged against Gihron through the Alliance. Therefore, if you see anything suspicious, interfere, but not before they successfully incriminate themselves.”
Isa did not want Kailynn in the meeting with Gihron, worried that her message that had been playing continuously had given General Decius the idea to use Kailynn as a way to weaken Isa’s stance on some of the terms of the peace. However, she opened the cameras from the conference room so that Kailynn could watch what was going on from the Golden Elite’s office. While Kailynn was not thrilled about the idea, she did not protest.
She sat nervously, watching the Elites file into the room and prepare for the Gihron delegation.
Remus glanced at Isa and offered a small smile. The Golden Elite took a deep breath and closed her eyes, preparing herself for what she knew would be a very stressful meeting.
When the door opened, Isa opened her eyes and straightened her shoulders.
“Good morning, General Decius.”
“Elite Isa,” he greeted, walking to his seat. Now on the fifth day of negotiation, the formalities had been dropped on both sides. The tension had been building between Isa and General Decius for days, and they both knew there was no reason to put forth false pleasantries.
General Decius sighed and looked at Isa, his position relaxed, his eyes showing his annoyance.
“I saw your message to your people last night,” he said. “As far as I’m aware, it’s still on repeat, playing after Venus’ message.”
Isa did not speak, looking at General Decius with stoic eyes.
The Gihoric leader drummed his fingers along the arm of the chair, glancing around the room.
“There is much about that message that…piques my curiosity.” He looked at her seriously. “You said that you wanted to unite your people to take down Venus, but those terms were preposterous six years ago, and I knew that they would not be entertained had I put them in our surrender.”
“If we decide to overthrow Venus, it will be a decision made by the people of Tiao and the Syndicate,” Isa explained. “I will not be bullied into changing the structure of Tiao’s society to end a war where we clearly have the advantage.”
General Decius let out an exasperated snort.
“But you would ask me to change the structure of Gihron’s society.”
“If you wish to have your planet join the Crescent Alliance, then the structure of Gihron’s society will be changed,” Isa said. “Joining the Alliance was something that you placed in your terms for surrender. I did not demand that you join. Therefore, it is your choice if you wish to change Gihron’s society and join the Alliance.”
“There is no choice at all,” General Decius scoffed. “With the state of the Altereye System, any planet not in the Alliance is crushed under the weight of having to support their planets without aid from wealthier planets. Gihron’s economy cannot hold its own, therefore I have no choice but to bow to the Alliance.”
“No, you have a choice,” Isa corrected. “You either change your planet and make it stronger, or you turn your back on your people, choosing to maintain the society that is clearly not working for your planet if it cannot support itself.”
While General Decius’ eyes narrowed in anger, two of the other delegates blinked, their eyes going distant, thinking over Isa’s words.
“Our planet is the strongest in the Ninth Circle,” General Decius growled.
“But you are eager for help from the Alliance,” Isa pointed out. “General Decius, if the Alliance were to make an exception for Gihron it would not solve the problems on Gihron, and it would breed discord among the members of the Alliance, weakening it and causing damage to all the planets in the Altereye System.” The Golden Elite looked at the Gihoric leader strongly. “Times are changing, and as leaders, we must change with them.”
“Is that what you call your affair? A change for the better?” General Decius challenged.
“My personal life has no bearing on our discussions, General Decius.”
“But it does,” General Decius corrected. “You are changing things on your planet, and you are breaking the rules set by Venus, rules that you hold to the highest regard, by having a lover. Yet we are supposed to herald you as a true leader? You are not human, you cannot have the same compassion as a human, and you will never have the respect of humans. You have no regard for the structure of the way things are. You are a machine. You could never understand.”
“Perhaps, it is you who misunderstands,” Isa said. “Because understanding and respecting a societal structure is one thing, but understanding it and respecting it enough to see where it is weak, and finding a means to strengthen it, that is what a leader does, and that is what I have done. I have the respect of my people and of the other planets in the Alliance. I respect that you wish to preserve your planet while still reaping the benefits that come with being part of the Crescent Alliance, but the system works because everyone adheres or they are punished. No exceptions can be made. As a military man, I’m sure you understand that dissent in the ranks is dangerous to the unity of the army.”
General Decius’ eyes were bright with anger, his hands gripping the arms of the ch
air.
“I wish to speak with Elite Isa alone,” he said darkly.
The shiver that ran through the room was felt by everyone.
“That is out of the question,” Remus said strongly. “It is against our customs to leave Elites alone with other planetary leaders.”
“No, it is not,” General Decius snapped. “My brother was alone with her often.”
Remus’ nostrils flared and his body tensed. However, Isa quickly put a hand on Remus’ arm.
“Wait outside.”
Remus hesitated, his eyes locked on General Decius, but he obeyed, standing with the other Elites. General Decius nodded to his men and they, too, walking out the conference room.
When the door was closed, General Decius turned back to Isa, who sat silently at the opposing head of the table, her eyes cold.
“I was raised hating Venus and the Elites,” he stated, his eyes dark as he stared at the other leader. “And it was something I never questioned. Now that I have had the opportunity to meet with you and work in person, I realize that there is a reason for that hatred.”
“You hate me because I tell you that you have a choice on how to run your planet?”
“You have no respect for humanity and the way it operates,” General Decius growled. He was silent for several long moments, his eyes going to his hand as he drummed his fingers along the arm of the chair. “Let’s cut the bullshit right here,” he said, leaning forward and clasping his hands on the table as he looked at Isa seriously. “You understand that everything Gihron did to you and your planet was under my order. I was the one who ordered the Pulse Virus be put on your chair, but I was only able to do so once our best coders and programmers were able to discern the information my brother left us about what he had done to your NCB chair.”
Isa was able to keep her face straight, staring at General Decius coolly.
“When Amori was murdered, I started to do my research on what was going on here in the months before he died. Your planet was under a great deal of stress, with the catastrophic failures of so many systems that resulted in many deaths. You even were involved in a horrific accident the day my brother was found dead.” He raised his eyebrows. “How do you think that looks?”
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