by Amy DuBoff
“You spoke your truth.” The presence of the voices vanished.
A moment later, the door to the hallway slid open and Jason felt a shock behind him, driving him toward the door. He took the hint and followed the corridor to the lift up to the exit.
No Oracles were to be seen.
If I messed this up for us… He took a shaky breath. “Be well,” Jason said in parting and left the ship.
He descended the gangway slowly, thinking through how to recount the events to his parents. They would no doubt be eager for a full report of good news from him about precise plans for defeating the Priesthood and all the answers to the questions that had gone unanswered for the last four years. Instead, he had nothing but some vague feelings and very well may have ruined the one alliance that could save them if it came down to a full-on firefight.
Wil was waiting for him on a bench midway down the concourse, but Saera must have gone back into Headquarters.
“How’d it go?” his father asked.
“I’m sorry. I think I pissed them off,” Jason replied.
“What makes you say that?”
“I questioned their motives. Dad, something isn’t right. They’re keeping something from us.”
“What?”
Jason shook his head. “I don’t know, exactly. It had something to do with the dimensional tear. We can’t trust them with it.”
“I don’t know that there’s anything we can do about it. My instinct tells me that closing it is beyond my capability.”
“Maybe yours alone, but with Raena and me…”
His father nodded. “Maybe.”
“I dunno. I can’t point to a specific vision, but there was this feeling… If we hand over the rift to the Aesir, something bad will happen.”
“All the same, things might be ugly if we cross them,” Wil said. “Maybe there’s some compromise that will rise to the surface and we just can’t see it at the present.”
“I hope so.” Jason took a calming breath. “I should have just kept my mouth shut. If this makes them back out from helping us with the Priesthood…”
Wil’s face paled. “I can’t even consider that possibility.”
“Me either.” Jason groaned. “Now I get what Raena meant when she said it would take time to process the visions. I always expected it to be one, clear image.”
“Well, what did you see?”
Jason explained his series of visions as best he could while Wil listened silently, nodding on occasion. When he was finished, Jason let out a long sigh. “I’ve let everyone down.”
“This test of the Aesir’s is hardly an exact science. It was a shot in the dark to think you’d be able to give us all the answers,” his father replied.
“Now I’ve just raised more questions.”
“You alerted us to a potential concern,” Wil assured him. “If Dahl said it was something they’d think about, I have to trust that they will reflect on it with good intentions.”
“And if they don’t show up to help us when we need them?”
“Then it wasn’t a very strong alliance to begin with. I’d rather be on our own and need to work out a solution than find ourselves in a more dangerous situation long-term. Whatever you saw when looking into the void, you saw it because it’s what needed to be seen.”
It doesn’t feel that way. Jason only shook his head in response.
“The most important thing is you made it back unscathed,” his father continued. “We’ll take the rest as it comes.”
“You’re surprisingly calm, considering what I just said.”
Wil chuckled. “When you’ve been through what I have, it’s easy to keep things in perspective.”
Jason shrugged. “I’d guess you’d have to.”
“And with that said,” Wil crossed his arms and eyed Jason, “there’s the matter of what to do about your graduation.”
“There are standard procedures…”
“Yeah, for typical Agents. You may have noticed, but you’re not exactly at the same level as everyone else.”
“Well, you went through standard CR testing,” Jason pointed out.
“And I broke the testing sphere in the process—and let me tell you, those things are expensive to repair. I’ve always felt a little badly about that.” He paused. “We have two options. One, you can go through the testing and I’ll stop you at a 12.0 so the sphere doesn’t break. Or two, we can agree on a number and you can skip testing.”
“What are you doing for Raena?” Jason asked. “At least, I assume she’s still getting a rank since she never officially left the TSS.”
“The Lead Agent and I agreed she and Ryan will both receive 9.3s. Raw strength aside, they haven’t been through the training program to justify senior placement in the command ranks,” his father said. “You, however, have.”
“So, what, you’d just assign me a… 12?”
Wil smiled. “I was thinking more like 13.7, same as me. Near as I can tell, we’re evenly matched—I know that number isn’t exactly accurate for me, but comparable is comparable.”
Jason eyed him with skepticism. “So, if I don’t get tested, I’ll actually have a higher score on record?”
“Correct.”
“Fine, I’ll take it.” No one else will be happy about it, but whatever.
“You get automatic seniority regardless, so this way is safer and easier for everyone.”
Jason nodded. “I don’t want to usurp you and Mom, though.”
“Well that’s good, because we’re not quite ready to retire.”
“Have at it.”
“Very well.” Wil extended his hand. “Congratulations, Agent Sietinen.”
CHAPTER 14
Stepping into the council chambers of the Taran Citizenship Council may as well have been walking into another world. Ryan sensed the elders’ eyes on him, wondering about the reason behind this secretive after-hours meeting called by the Head of Sietinen.
Cris and Kate appeared calm as ever, but Raena at Ryan’s side emanated nervous energy.
“I should be the nervous one, not you,” he said to her.
“You were at least born on this planet. They still have legal authority to refute my claim.”
Ryan tried not to think about the fact that the council was technically an extension of the Priesthood—the section of the government outside of and superseding the High Dynasties, which was intended to serve as a neutral third party in disputes. Regardless of their failure to act in that capacity, they still held the power to stop any motion in its tracks if they deemed it prudent.
“Thank you for granting us audience,” Cris spoke to the council.
“Your request was quite unusual,” the council leader at the center of the semicircle of the five members replied. They sat behind a raised podium, faced with dark-stained wood. She eyed Cris with interest. “We have gathered, as you wished, without public notice. What is the business you bring?”
“There are two matters,” Cris began. “The first entails the ratification of my granddaughter as my legal heir to Sietinen.”
The man on the right end of the semicircle raised an eyebrow. “You have already named your son, Williame, as your heir.”
“That was before Raena’s birth,” Cris replied. “Raena is now twenty-one years of age, old enough to be legally confirmed.”
“This act would bypass Williame’s rights to be named Dynastic Head,” the lead councilwoman stated. “Are all parties in agreement on this?”
“I have spoken with my father,” Raena jumped in, “and he has expressed a desire to focus on the TSS. I came to Tararia four years ago to begin learning about the Taran people and how I might be an honorable and worthy leader for them. I wish to commit to that path.”
“And you would name her as your sole heir?” the councilwoman asked Cris.
“Yes,” he replied.
The councilwoman looked down at her desktop. “The official filing is in order. My only reservation regarding
this revised succession plan is if it’s in the Taran civilization’s best interest.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” the councilman to her left chimed in. “There is no doubt about Raena’s legitimacy as a Sietinen heir, only her readiness to be in direct line for succession. She’s of legal age, yes, but still highly inexperienced—both in terms of leadership and our culture.”
“While her upbringing may have been unconventional, she’s proven herself in the last few years. She has shadowed me for hours every day for the last four years, and I feel confident she has the knowledge and aptitude to be successful in that role, should she unexpectedly need to assume the position,” Cris countered.
“A moving testimony, but it does not change the facts of the matter,” the lead councilwoman stated.
“Then how must I prove myself?” Raena asked.
The councilwoman was silent for several seconds. “It is not a matter of proving worth, in my mind, but rather a question of why—why do you seek this change now, so formally? Is it connected to your other secret business?”
Ryan swallowed. Having Raena confirmed before presenting my case was always the crux of our plan. Without that, everything will fall apart if they try to deny me.
“I would rather address the two matters independently,” Cris replied on Raena’s behalf.
“This is all rather suspicious,” the councilman on the right said. “I move to withhold vote of Raena’s confirmation until all pending business has been openly stated to the council.”
“Seconded,” the women on the left end said.
The two other council members cast their affirmative vote.
“The motion passes,” the councilman declared. “Now, what is your second order of business?”
“We don’t have a choice,” Kate told everyone. “We have a solid case. Just state the facts.”
Cris cleared his throat. “Several years ago, before I assumed the position of Head of Sietinen, I came across some information with the potential to dramatically change the course of the Taran political system.”
“Such as?” the councilman on the right prompted.
Cris fixed him in a level stare, then swept his gaze across the council. “That the Dainetris Dynasty has a living heir.”
The woman on the left audibly gasped, and the others’ eyes widened with bewildered shock.
“That’s hearsay without physical evidence,” the lead councilwoman said after taking several seconds to recover.
Ryan’s heart raced. If they’re questioning Raena’s readiness to lead, what will they have to say about me?
“We have all the evidence we need,” Cris replied. He gestured to Ryan for him to step forward. “Ryan Pernelli, as he’s been known, was born to Marie Pernelli and a traveling merchant almost twenty-five years ago. At the age of five, the Priesthood took him from his mother and he was assigned as a Ward of the Sietinen estate. However, when we met five years ago, his genetic analysis told a very different story. Ryan’s father was, in fact, Jason Bankris, and Marie Pernelli was a direct descendant of the Dainetris Dynasty.”
The council members looked to one another.
“Step forward,” the councilwoman said. “We must verify these claims.”
I have nothing to worry about. I’m exactly who I claim to be. All the same, Ryan’s gut clenched. Ever since he had been informed of his true birthright, part of him had still held onto his old identity. Through this formal presentation of himself as a Dainetris heir, that entire past would truly become a distant memory—no more moments of being an anonymous former Ward who could blend into the background. He’d be front and center, both as the Head of his own High Dynasty and soon-to-be husband to the heiress of another.
His knees felt like they were about to buckle as he stepped forward to address the council. “I…” The word was barely audible. He took a deep breath. “I present myself to you as Ryan Dainetris, heir to the seventh High Dynasty and rightful executive of DGE and all its assets.”
Under the intense gaze of the council members, Ryan held out his right hand, palm up.
The lead council woman inclined her head, and a compartment in the front of the podium opened. The metal implement had a sharp, gleaming tip, which Ryan recognized as a mechanism to extract a blood sample for genetic analysis.
He placed his hand on the device. It pricked his finger and drew a drop of blood, then a cool tingle replaced the sting and the wound was instantly healed.
Ryan removed his hand. “Once you receive confirmation, I wish to receive an official Mark.”
“Two minutes,” the councilwoman replied.
The seconds passed by at an excruciatingly slow pace. Behind Ryan, the three Sietinens stood rigid and alert, ready to take defensive action should the council turn against them for any reason. On paper, duty as a neutral third party was one thing, but these individuals could have more loyalty to the Priesthood than the moral good.
Finally, a soft tone sounded and the council members all turned their attention to the desktop displays in front of their stations.
The lead councilwoman looked from her desktop to Ryan slowly, her face painted with wonder and confusion. “It appears you do speak the truth.”
“How is this possible?” the man on the left exclaimed. “Trickery!”
“The test is infallible,” the previously silent man next to him countered. “Despite the odds, this young man is genuinely a rightful Dainetris heir. Since his mother has not put forth an official claim for the title, all rights of ascension pass to him as the first claimant.”
“The laws are clear,” the lead councilwoman concurred. “Ryan Dainetris, you are hereby entitled to all rights afforded as a Head to one of the Taran High Dynast—”
“I object!” the man on the right shouted. He bolted to his feet and leaned forward on the desktop, glaring at Ryan. “Dainetris fell for a reason. Living heir or not, that Dynasty no longer exists.”
“Councilman, that is not the way of the law,” the woman in the center said in a calm but firm tone. “Return to your seat.”
“I answer to a higher order.” The man began to reach inside his robe.
Before he’d moved more than an inch, he flew up into the air, his arms and legs spread to the sides. A pulse gun fell from a hidden holster within his robes.
Members of the council looked on with slack jaws as the man struggled against invisible telekinetic bonds. “Put me down!” he demanded.
Raena stepped forward to stand next to Ryan. “What orders are higher than Taran law?”
“You shouldn’t be using abilities like this!” Ryan exclaimed in her mind. “It’s illegal.”
“Regulations state that any TSS Agent trainees facing physical threat may legally take defensive action,” she replied. “You’re welcome.”
The councilman squirmed in the air but made no attempt to reply.
Raena took another step toward him. “What orders do you follow?” she repeated.
“I only serve the Priesthood,” the man said at last.
The other council members studied him for several seconds, and the man closest to him leaned over in his chair to pick up the dropped weapon. He handed it to the lead councilwoman.
She stared at the object with distaste. “Our duty is to answer to no one but the law,” the councilwoman declared. “If you are unable to remain an objective interpreter of the law, then you have no place on this council.” The woman turned to Raena. “Please lower him. I will have him escorted from the premises.”
“Before that,” Cris interjected, “we must present some other critical information regarding the Priesthood. I fear the corruption we have just witnessed on this very council extends throughout our government and traces back centuries.”
The councilwoman looked to her counterparts and they nodded. “You have spoken nothing but truth to us thus far. Please, present your evidence,” she stated, then looked at the former councilman still floating awkwardly in the air. “Could you detain him
elsewhere?”
Raena levitated the man from the central dais and gently set his feet on the ground in the front corner where it would be easy to keep an eye on him. “Each of the four of us could stop you in a millisecond, so don’t try anything,” she said.
He glared at her but remained motionless.
Ryan released an unsteady breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Thanks,” he told Raena.
She flashed a smile back at him. “Anytime.”
“Now, your evidence?” the councilwoman prompted Cris.
“Right. I have a list of charges and documentation of the acts for you here.” Cris produced four of the five small-scale tablets he’d brought in a travel bag and handed one to each of the council members.
They spent five minutes scrolling through the information before the councilwoman on the left broke the silence. “These are very serious charges of subterfuge.”
“Indeed, and charges I do not take lightly,” Cris replied. “However, as Head of Sietinen, I have a responsibility to care for my people’s best interests. Restoring the voting rights of Dainetris will remove the Priesthood’s position as a tie-breaking vote and offer a chance for addressing these persistent issues.”
“We can restore the Dainetris name,” the lead councilwoman said, “but the assets are a matter for the High Dynasty’s corporations to address. This council has no power to demand redistribution.”
“SiNavTech is prepared to hand over our ship manufacturing division to the rightful ownership of DGE,” Cris stated.
“And I have authority to speak on behalf of my brother, Head of Vaenetri,” Kate added, “VComm has committed to return the assets gained through capital sale of DGE holdings—with interest. The current cash value of those assets is approximately twelve percent of VComm.”
“Those are significant contributions,” the lead councilwoman replied. “Are these agreements in writing?”
“They will be as soon as this council affirms there’s a Dainetris heir to receive them,” Kate assured.
The councilwoman nodded. “Very well. Ryan Dainetris, step forward to receive your Mark.”