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‘So, how are you reaching me?’
We still have some tight beam access. It’s constrained.’
‘I see. I’ll wait to hear from you then.’
‘Your Highness.’
The secure comm link winked out. And Selene’s screen blackened, then flashed on again to show her standing once more in Kainan’s study.
Selene pushed her hair back with a huge sigh. ‘That was intense.’
Kainan pushed off the wall he’d been leaning on and moved towards her. ‘Certainly was. He wasn’t alone, you know.’
‘He wasn’t?’
‘Nada. I detected a shadow to his left. Perhaps an advisor. No matter, he now knows. Not sure what that means for you.’
‘Not much,’ Selene sighed. ‘By the time the King organises anything, if anything, we’ll be well into executing our plans.’
‘I still don’t understand why the Rhesians need to know anything about your sovereign actions,’ Kainan said low and quiet.
‘My father signed a pact with them. He would have loathed it if I had ignored it. Plus, every planet in this System, except for Eden II, owes Rhesia. They were the first humans to settle the System. They helped each new generation ship and population settle on the different planets. They gave us the technology and resources to kickstart our habitats. They made peace and cooperation pacts and honoured them through the years. But, most importantly, King Auban and his father, King Bastian, were great friends of my father. The honour code between them was robust.’
‘If you say so.’
‘Why do you say that?’
The Edenite pursed his lips. ‘I happen to think the Rhesians can be ruthless. And underhanded. Rumour has it that they funded the civil war in Alloria, providing endless resources to Rhesia to prop up its economy. I like Auban, but he seems a tad naive. While he might have had nothing to do with Alloria, he’s let control slip away. His extended Royal house is in some disarray, with a series of dangerous power moves being made against him that he doesn’t seem to be a step ahead of. The fact that members of his own family have it in for him is a major concern. So I’m not entirely convinced of the Rhesians’ honourable nature.’
Selene cocked an eyebrow at Kainan. ‘Sounds like you’ve got intel that I don’t.’
‘Maybe so. But it won’t affect our plans. So let’s focus on those for now and leave Rhesia’s sob stories for another day.’
‘Agreed.’
King Auban - Rhesus
Back on Rhesus, the head of the System’s oldest empire rose to his feet and paced the Ghuxian fur-lined floor of his ornate office. Despite the heat of summer outside, he felt cold to his bones.
‘You heard what she said?’
The man he spoke to nodded. ‘Very concerning indeed.’
‘Can you reach out to Prime Minister Terion to see what we can spare to help the Dunians, please?’
‘Certainly. I’ll get to it now.’
The man exited the luxurious royal offices and walked swiftly through the palace. Until he reached an office on the opposite end of the great building. He rushed inside, past a secretary’s desk and into an inner office. He slammed its door and sank onto a couch.
He tapped a command into a comm tab and spoke urgently.
‘The Dunians have reached out. But, unfortunately, they’re not surrendering as we’d hoped, damn them! Instead, they intend to fight the crats.’
A laugh emanated through the comm tab’s speakers. ‘Like they’ll ever have a chance of winning!’
‘I don’t know about that. The Prime’s daughter seemed very confident. Also, she reached us via Auban’s direct line, which I am sure no one on Dunia had.’
‘Maybe Auban gave it to her father; may he rest in peace.’
