Imperium's Demise, page 37
Kreus replied.
Immediately, Kreus sent Cremsylon instructions for his new passengers.
While the launch date and time counted down, Shoya sought a conversation with Cremsylon. She met him in the privacy of his stateroom.
Shoya returned.
The SADE’s response hurt, but Shoya had expected it. she admitted.
Then Cremsylon connected to a Trident captain, concealing Shoya’s bio ID.
The captain chuckled. Then he said,
Shoya admitted.
Cremsylon regarded the young Naiad.
Shoya shook her head.
Shoya shrugged her shoulders.
Shoya’s laugh was self-deprecating. she replied.
Cremsylon smiled.
Cremsylon manufactured a sigh. From his older-appearing avatar, it seemed to have issued from a biological.
Cremsylon stood and received the most-endearing hug he’d had in many decades.
Shoya released Cremsylon only to kiss his cheek.
The centuries-old SADE watched a young Naiad leave his stateroom with a far lighter step than when she entered.
Gat’r waited for Shoya to return. When she came into the cabin, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on. It had been his suggestion that she talk to Cremsylon before she made a decision.
Shoya replied. As she nuzzled Gat’r’s ear, she added,
Shoya replied.
Shoya chuckled softly.
For Gat’r, Shoya’s laughter was the best thing he might have heard. The love of his life was centered again.
Soon, Cremsylon’s Alexander, the freighters, and the escorts set sail and made for Darmian.
Not long afterward, the Nyslara and its escorts launched for Imperium.
25: We’ve Bad News
IMPERIUM, KRACKUS HOME WORLD
PALTUR SYSTEM
Nira and Sossdest read Cordelia’s message, and they grinned at each other.
On Tarbar’s request, Sossdest transferred the conversation to Feythal’s device.
“What’s the subject that the admiral wishes to present?” Gaketork requested.
Nira and Sossdest waited, but there was silence from the six Krackus.
“It’s a mineral that underpins all our communication systems,” Jaffderg replied.
“Captain Racine, we should communicate to the populace about the admiral’s intended arrival and her desire to meet with the assembly,” Tarbar suggested.
“That might drive the citizens to descend on the assembly building,” Basquot warned.
“It just might,” Tarbar replied, gurgling, which irked Basquot.
“Captain Racine, how do you see this action by the admiral?” Gaketork asked.
The conference ended, and each attendee had their thoughts, while they worked and waited for two more cycles to pass.
The following morning, Tarbar linked Parvelt, Nira, and Sossdest, while Parvelt and he still lay in their makeshift nests.
Parvelt uttered a subdued squawk.
Through their private link, Sossdest sent,
Parvelt interceded.
Tarbar admitted.
Parvelt sent. He heard Nira’s chuckle, Sossdest’s deep cough, and Tarbar’s gurgle. Those reactions were ironic as his suggestion was meant to be serious.
Late the next evening, Sossdest and the other SADEs detected the exit of the admiral’s flotilla from the dark.
Many peacekeeper telemetry officers on third duty rotation noted the arrival of conclave ships too. First officers followed their standing orders, which meant no engines were lit.
Senior Captain Dominique D’Arcy was on a conference link with every Trident captain. She waited anxiously for word of peacekeepers moving to intercept them.
Hearing that the battleships were quiet, Cordelia signaled the flotilla to halt outside the system. Her ships held station far above Imperium. She waited until early morning when the rays of the Paltur star spread across the capital. Then she dropped to the first bay level. Kreus and other SADEs joined her for the trip planetside.
As Cordelia exited the Nyslara, she linked to Nira and Sossdest and requested they connect her to Gaketork’s device.
A SADE aboard Nira’s Trident accessed Imperium’s satellite ring and sent a notice that a critical conversation would take place with Presiding Executor Gaketork. Then he provided a link to be able to listen.
Across the Imperium capital, the fledglings, who typically were up early, woke their patriarchs and matriarchs. They warned of the impending conversation.
Having been accustomed to critical broadcasts and various group announcements of upcoming events, the parents struggled out of their nests, collected hot drinks, and crowded close to their young to listen.
In the meantime, Sossdest connected the Trident’s controller to Gaketork’s device.
Despite the early morning hour, Gaketork had woken already. Jaffderg had picked him up, and the pair sat around the planning foursome’s small table.
When the connections were in place, Gaketork’s device hummed. He tapped the call icon and said, “This is Executor Gaketork. Who is this?”
“Many executors will want to hear what you want to tell us, Admiral,” Gaketork said. “But you must understand that there is little action we can take from your presentation.”
“Recently, eleven executors tried to flee our system,” Gaketork replied. “They were returned by the action of one of your Tridents, which has been operating around our home world.”
“We’ve experienced executor attrition,” Gaketork replied, as if he were following a script, which was exactly what he was doing. “Four executors no longer occupy assembly positions. If the eleven who fled don’t attend our meeting, as I suspect will be the case, the assembly won’t achieve a quorum. We can listen to you, but we can’t act on it.”
“I’ll make the arrangements, Admiral. We’ll await you in the assembly hall,” Gaketork replied.
With a quick signal from Gaketork, Dojjdret, his senior admin, messaged every other senior admin that an emergency meeting of the assembly was required.
As it was, many fledglings had disturbed their patriarchs and matriarchs to listen to the important call with Gaketork. However, thirty executors had remained deep asleep in their nests.
Now ten of them were conferencing with Dakargk.
“We can’t attend,” Dakargk said. “It would give the assembly a quorum. Then the majority of executors could take action after hearing the admiral, and it would be broadcast across Imperium. We can’t hand that kind of victory to Gaketork.”
Unfortunately, the ten accepted Dakargk’s pronouncement.
As for nineteen other executors, they were quickly dressing and summoning their private transports.
Gaketork, Jaffderg, Feythal, and Basquot climbed into a transport that had been protected beneath Jaffderg’s building. Then they headed for the assembly building.
Tarbar and Parvelt maintained links to Nira and Sossdest, who monitored the progress of the admiral’s traveler.
However, these weren’t the only individuals on the move. Many of the protest groups were hurrying to dress and order transports.
Ex-imperator Jadlevt was one of the first to mobilize. He received requests from members of his group, who had trouble ordering transports. He gurgled quietly at their requests. It told him that citizens were on the move. Then he agreed to pick up as many members as his transport could accommodate.
As Jadlevt worked to reach the members, he saw numerous transports servicing residents along the way. When he finally turned for the major roadway that headed toward the capital’s center, he and his passengers found lines of transports headed in the same direction.
When Tarbar and Parvelt heard that Sossdest was on his way, they gazed around at what had been their hideaway.
They rode the elevator to the building’s top floor, exited, to the surprise of agents, and headed up the stairs to access the rooftop.
The Hyronzy SADE who left Sossdest’s traveler canceled the warning that the roof door was being opened. When the Krackus pair stepped through, he headed downstairs.
If the top floor agents were surprised by the two Krackus, the main floor agents were flabbergasted to see the huge brown furred entity with the heavy fangs exit the elevator. That feeling of being gobsmacked continued when the entity said, “Greetings, employees of Jaffderg. You’ll excuse me while I collect something we left behind.”
