Striker (33 page)

Vidscreens rose out of the top of the desks at a forty-five degree angle before the council members, and the wall behind and above the galactic emperors illuminated, showing a mirror image of what the prime chancellor reviewed:  the formal letter of request.

"I call forward Timsah Gadrius of House Cordyl."

Rathmar's father straightened his robes and crossed to the raised square block. A device was placed on his right wrist that would signal when Timsah spoke a falsehood. An attendant led Timsah through the vow before stepping away.

The prime chancellor zoomed and tapped the document, changing the view on the screen, and allowing the audience to read along with him. "In your petition, you claim House Vondorian has brought a human into their household and gave him a position of power and a title, which the human used to have four houses exiled. He corrupted the youth of the Houses, and you have evidence to present that details his efforts to gain Atlainticia's secrets as a spy for the Terren corporations. Is all I have read here correct?"

Timsah clasped his hands behind his back. "Yes, to the best of my knowledge."

"It is your claim that House Vondorian refuses to consider your evidence of the spying by Prince Zeus Vondorian. And when you heard of the Terren attack on Valespia, you suspected Prince Zeus’s involvement.

"Lies,"
Alpha hissed.
"We did not know the Terrens had cut Valespia off until we arrived."

The prime chancellor glanced to where Zeus stood in the circle of Monticore, his brow furrowed as if he heard Alpha's snarls.

"Why is his bracelet not sending out an alarm?"
Dargon asked through their connection.

His scowl deepening, the prime chancellor tapped his screen a couple of times. The council members on either side of Bram leaned over to view his screen before turning and adjusting their own and the screens of their neighbors. Whatever they viewed was not added to the audience's overhead display.

"You have evidence of the spying?" The prime chancellor turned his gaze back to Timsah.

The head of House Cordyl gestured to his assistant who stepped forward with a data disc. "It is well-known on Atlainticia that Prince Zeus did not become a warlord to the heir apparent, Prince Azaes, as is custom of the royal family. He instead went to university and graduated with high honors. His schematics for warship designs and energy-efficient engines are used by our military. He also engineered new, and supposedly better, shielding systems for star ships and for our planetary defense. These schematics were discovered on the Terren battleships that slipped past the Valespian shields and were brought down by the brave crew of the Oethra 7."

If Zeus had not been as shocked as he was, he would have laughed aloud.
"Those are my drawings. They are classified."

Alpha seethed while Dargon soothed his hand down Zeus’s back.

"How did you come by this information?" the prime chancellor asked, leaning back in his chair.

"We traced the security breech, where the schematics were copied two years ago. We were able to track them over to the psi-net to the address where the documents were set, but we were unable to identify the receiver until recently, and received confirmation yesterday from Galactic Patrol."

The prime chancellor's eyes narrowed, a cold expression washing over his face. Zeus was very happy not to be on the receiving end of that look. "Assuming this information can be verified, and House Vondorian is harboring a Terren spy who is working against the galactic welfare, what is your proposal?"

"With the threat of the Terrens aligning with the V'Saar, we Atlainticians need someone that the military respects, a person who has proved themselves in battle, and already commands the admiration of those who have followed him into battle. He is an elite warrior, a male who embodies everything we Mar'Sani value."

"No, he cannot mean ..."

Dargon chuffed, his amusement clear.
"It would serve him right."

"I believe he has removed his wristband. Why has the council allowed this to go on?"
Zeus agreed with Alpha. Something else went on here.

"Does this male have a name?" the prime chancellor asked as he accepted the data disk from Timsah's assistant.

"The Elite Royal Honor guards call him Striker, and I believe he is one of their number." Quietly the Monticore around Zeus tightened their ranks, blocking Zeus’s view. "I have been told he is here today, in this room."

"You have met him?" Zeus recognized the prime chancellor's voice.

"No, Prime Chancellor, I have not. I sent a trusted assistant to speak with him."

"Then your attendant has laid eyes on this mysterious male?"

"No, he did not." For the first time, Timsah sounded unsure.

"Why ever not?"

"We decided that ... the inquiry ..." Zeus wished he could see what was going on, why Bram sounded angry, and why Timsah suddenly could not complete a sentence.

The prime chancellor's voice became hard. "Is it true that it is against Atlaintician law to approach an individual with the purpose of offering them the throne before the current emperor has been adjudicated by the Council of Neighn? If you or your proxy did such a thing, you and any who conspire with you would be arrested for treason."

"We did no such thing!" Timsah sounded indignant.

The council began to question Timsah about the military schematics, but Zeus was not listening because all his energy went to calming Dargon. Azaes and Mestor pinned his quietly-snarling lover between them, holding him firmly in place.

"Dargon,"
Alpha softly chastised.
"You must be patient. This is not the time or the place to make a challenge. You have kits to protect. Zeus and I will handle this."

Dargon's body shuddered, and Zeus did not know if it was from rage or from attempting to pull back from the violence Dargon wanted to unleash. He glanced around and found Amlyn close by. He had not had the chance to speak with her privately, but she seemed to understand her duty was to Dargon, and she nodded, stepping closer.

A loud voice echoed through the chamber. "Would someone explain to me who is disrupting these proceedings?"

"My sincerest apologies, Prime Chancellor." Zeus indicated the Monticore should allow him through and he stepped out of their protective circle. Timsah lifted his lip in disgust upon seeing him.

"Step forward, Prince Zeus," the prime chancellor commanded, openly staring at Alpha, his gaze then moving to the dot on Zeus’s forehead. "Where is your Dar Massaga?"

"He is here with me ... cooling his temper." Zeus managed to hide his smile, but could not stop his lips from twitching in amusement.

The prime chancellor nodded as if he understood. "We Dar Massaga's become upset when our Marked are placed in harm's way." Zeus did not confirm or deny. The evidence was clear on his brow for those who understood. "Am I to assume the commotion within your circle was him 'cooling his temper'? What part of these proceedings has him upset?"

"The lies being told to this council by House Cordyl."

Timsah exploded off the pedestal, leaping towards Zeus, only to be caught by the Monticore. They must have been expecting the move to get past Zeus so quickly.

"Please show the councilmen Timsah's right wrist." Zeus commanded his guard.

The Monticore wasted no time in revealing the wrist where the bracelet should have been. Timsah sputtered, claiming Zeus’s guards had removed the device when they grabbed him. Zeus held still and feigned confidence he did not possess. He was sickened by the coiled fear in his belly, attempting to get his emotions under control, because more than half the councilmen had the ability to scent his emotions. He took comfort from Alpha's whisperings.

"Timsah Gadrius, do you believe us so inept we would not notice the device's removal?" Bram's fingers moved over his vidscreen and the overhead switched to the view of two meters. One tracking the meeting time and the other how long the wristband had been deactivated. "We have known for some time what you have been doing."

"It does not change the facts or the evidence," Timsah snapped. "Prince Zeus is a spy who gave classified information to the Terrens, who most assuredly shared the information with the V'Saar, placing all Atlainticians in danger. Look at what the humans have done. They came through Valespia's shield because he let them. Only through the brave deeds of the Striker has he been thwarted!"

Zeus took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "Councilmen, if I may?" He held out his hand to the attendant who had retrieved the wristband from Timsah's pocket.

"You will only cheat to make people believe your lies," Timsah snorted.

Zeus ignored the jeer and removed his formal jacket. Underneath he wore a black sleeveless V-neck shirt. Alpha was fully revealed, covering the whole of Zeus’s neck, down across his pectorals and shoulders. He held up his hands so all could see his unadorned arms before the attendant snapped the cuff around his right wrist.

The councilmen took turns questioning Zeus, unraveling everything Timsah had built until it came to how the schematics came to be on the Terren battleships.

"Yes, Sir, I recognize the schematics. I created the designs for our military before I went offworld. I believe your question should be whether they actually came off the Terren battleship database. The files Timsah gave you are encoded to specific individuals’ translator chips. If one of those key people are not in close proximity, then a protection protocol will activate. If the Terrens opened the file, they would have only had a scrambled data disk and their system would have downloaded a virus. As it is, you are in luck that Emperor Valdor is in the room."

Timsah sputtered when all the council members turned their angry gazes on him.

Zeus continued. "I created those devices for our military, Timsah. Do you really believe I would have left them unguarded?" He did not need to glance at Timsah to see the hate-filled stare. He could feel it on his skin. "I know you despise me, but why attack Father?"

"You are nothing but an animal, a human monkey brainwashing our youth. The emperor has let it go on too long. You make us weak and vulnerable to those who wish to take what we have. Someone must put a stop to it." Timsah moved as close as the Monticore allowed, and spit at Zeus. His flat U-shaped snout snapped in agitation, revealing jagged crocodile teeth. The bulbous, amber eyes sitting on top of his head narrowed with his undisguised loathing.

Zeus noticed the Galactic Emperors had sat quietly observing the proceedings. Until that moment. It was as if the audience took a collective breath when Emperor Cyprian, the current Fal'Amoric Bespoken, rose from his throne. His silvery gaze roamed the audience, stopping briefly where Dargon was hidden behind his assigned bodyguards before continuing, finally coming to rest on Zeus.

"Tell me, Timsah Gadrius of House Cordyl, what do you see when you look upon me?" Cyprian's robes were made of stiff, black brocade edged in red and gold, matching the crown framing his eyes banded by crimson paint. His bearing was regal, but not stiff. Cyprian's blue-black hair hung in silky waves almost to his knees, with white strands lightly streaked throughout. From a distance, he looked as young as Zeus, but standing so close, Zeus could see the fine lines of age about his mouth and chin. But Zeus knew differently. All three Galactic Emperors were closer to seven times sixty.

"You are Galactic Emperor Cyprian of the Fal'Amorics, husband to Galactic Emperors Goth tut de Luuk and Volnah des de Vorn." Timsah haltingly went to one knee, the members of his house following his lead.

Standing on the pedestal, Zeus was not quite as tall as Cyprian. He could not help himself from looking down to gauge the differences between them. He had never been self-conscious about his stature before.

Cyprian chuckled softly. "You are the same blood as I. You will continue to grow over the years, albeit slowly." Zeus met his gaze, wondering what he meant. "Those rescued from the Terren imprisonment are relatively young by Fal'Amoric standards. From what we have learned, many of the elders were murdered to keep the younger generations more compliant." A deep sorrow crossed Cyprian's expression. The horrors the Fal'Amorics endured at the hands of the human’s experiments curdled Zeus’s blood when he thought about it.

In a low voice that only Zeus and his closest bodyguards heard, Cyprian asked, "They do not know?"

Zeus did not answer right away. Cyprian could mean any number of things but Zeus, stuck to the issue at hand. "Only those who travelled on The Gorgon know of my heritage, as recently discovered as it is. I was not aware until after I had been taken aboard the Oethra 7."

Cyprian's gaze flicked down to Alpha. "Why do you hide your Dar Massaga?”

He could not answer the question without giving away Dargon's condition. His enemies were close and he would not endanger Dargon with a whispered confession—for anyone.

Cyprian's brow rose steadily up his forehead until it almost touched the band of his crown. "Oh." The exhalation was short and sounded almost shocked. "Well, that changes many things."

Had Cyprian guessed? Did he give something away that screamed 'I protect my mates and younglings'? What did he mean that changed many things? What things? Zeus decided he did not want to know, when Cyprian turned and met the gazes of the crown princes, shaking his head infinitesimally. When he turned back to Zeus, a heavy weight seemed to bear Cyprian down.

"I am sorry I have not met your expectations." The wristband beeped at Zeus’s first lie, polite though it was. A tiny smile twisted Cyprian's lips. Zeus pushed on. "I believe I know who can tell you where to find the Bespoken, Prometheus."

Cyprian's eyes widened and he glanced down at the bracelet that remained silent at Zeus’s honest statement. "Truly, that is the best news I have heard in months."

Cyprian's head dropped and he seemed to concentrate on breathing. Zeus’s heart clenched as he watched Cyprian struggle for calm. He had learned from his father that rulers could never afford to appear weak. Although Cyprian was at odds with himself, Zeus knew he could not break the carefully-constructed facade by giving into his compulsion to embrace Cyprian. His meme, though, had taught him how to lend support without making Cyprian appear weak in front of others.