His words touched a raw, bleeding wound in her heart, and she whispered, “Yes.”
“Then I think we have a common goal: ending Carik’s reign. You’ll forgive me if I speak vaguely. I’m not at liberty to disclose much, but everything will be explained in due time?—”
“No.” Kalie leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. The table’s stiffedge dug into her arms. “I’ve waited long enough. Tell me now. If you want to end Carik’s reign, I’m guessing you want my help. So stop dancing around an explanation and tell me what’s going on here.”
The shifting screens produced a steady buzz, punctuated every few seconds by a muted chirp. Footsteps thudded against the floor outside, accompanied by hushed voices.
Akron regarded her impassively. Kalie looked to Mira to back her up, but she was leaning against the spotless wall, watching with a hawk’s focus.
The General tapped his earpiece. “You can come in, sir. She’s committed.”
Frigid air blasted from the vents above Kalie’s seat, piercing through her thick sweater. She buried her arms in her sleeves, but she didn’t relax her posture or her glare.
The door swished open. As Kalie turned, she nearly fell out of her chair.
The Dynarian man who strode through the door, dressed in military fatigues, was as familiar a face on the news as Marcus. Since his first appearance on the campaign trail six cycles ago, his pale green face had become more lined, his hair more gray. Still, there was no mistaking Carik’s opponent from the last election: the planet Dynar’s radical head of state, who controlled most of Sector Eight.
Minister Gar.
Kalie’s wide eyes shot to Mira. “He’syour client?”
Mira nodded.
The chair’s wheels rattled against the chambray carpet as Minister Gar seated himself beside the general.
“My apologies for the secrecy, Duchissa,” Gar rasped, “but surely you understand how compromising it would be if word of my operations got back to Carik’s ears.”
Kalie’s jaw dropped as it all clicked—the rebel attack on a Sector Eight outpost that had cost Krii his prestige, the silence from Dynar ever since the last election, the rumors of militarization in Sector Eight.
“You’re planning to usurp Carik’s title. The rebels answer to you.”
“Indeed.”
Gar’s voice was brittle, his breaths heavy and ragged. It was a result of the mysterious, near-fatal illness that had preceded his withdrawal from the election three cycles ago. Everyone said poison, but Gar had been tight-lipped about the matter.
“You want my help.”
Akron sighed. “If Marcus Pool still lived… we wouldn’t be here, would we? But as it stands, you’ll be crowned Duchissa of Dali. Sector Four will follow you. The public is outraged, so allies will come easily. We have fleets, but our technology is outdated, and our resources are nothing compared to what the Federation has. With the wealth Dali could bring…”
Sweat beaded on Kalie’s forehead. “You want war.”
“Yes.” Gar cleared his throat and winced. “You’ve seen the damage Carik’s done. It’s already getting worse, and we have at least another three cycles with him in office. We have to make a move now, while the people are angry enough to follow.”
Kalie swallowed. The Dalian civil war twenty cycles ago had been catastrophic, and that was just one planet. “There’s no telling what damage would ensue. Entire civilizations could be wiped out?—”
“We’ve been preparing for war for three cycles. If we don’t strike now, we won’t get a chance like this again.”
She pursed her lips. If they’d been preparing for war for three cycles, that put the beginning of their preparations shortly after Gar had dropped out of the election of 814. They hadn’t stopped preparing since, even when it looked like Marcus would win.
“If a war was fought, and Carik was removed, who would take his place?”
“It would come down to an election.” Gar’s green lips curved into a smile. “The people should decide. It’s how the system ought to work.”
“He’s a suit,”Wells had warned her.“At the end of the day, he only has his interests at heart.”
Akron pressed a button. The holoscreen honed in on the map of the Federation. “We’ve been monitoring reactions to the aftermath of the election. Based on our intel, five hundred and twenty-one planets are opposed to Carik’s continued reign.”
“The ones in green,” Gar clarified.
