Ephemeral: Chapter 24
The hovercraft ride back to Agilis was quiet, but not peaceful. Raven sat on the back bench behind Clara and Aaric in cold silence for the first several miles. Clara gave up trying to lighten the mood and watched the green pastures and yellow fields whisk by instead. The truck-like agribots cruised slowly up and down the rows collecting ripe cucurbits from their vines or mowing down cereal grains. Animals chewed their cuds contentedly completely oblivious to the threat of impending war. Clara's own emotions muddled together in a confusing mass of disappointment, frustration, and fear, but at least the mission provided a point of focus.
While Clara watched the passing scenery, Aaric carefully measured out the sedative into three glass vials.
“Three sedatives?” Clara asked.
“I'm hedging our bets,” Aaric said as he snapped the medical bag shut. “Each one of us should be prepared to administer the dose in case we get separated. Why limit ourselves unnecessarily?” He handed a vial to each of the women.
Raven pocketed it and spoke to Aaric. “The porter usually brings the protein shake to Eden around one hundred and sixty-five degrees. Then she puts it on His Eminence's desk.”
“Should we try to sedate the porter in order to get the drink?” Clara asked.
“That might arouse suspicion,” Aaric said, turning in his seat. “What do you think, Raven?”
Raven fingered the end of her black braid. “I think the easiest thing would be for me to chat it up with Eden. I could distract her while one of you spike the drink or even offer to bring it into the office where I could spike it myself.”
Clara considered. “That's one piece of the puzzle, but how do we get the Fire Stone after Karnak's out cold? I mean, we can't just stand outside his office waiting for him to drop unconscious. What do we do until then?”
“We could set up a diversion,” Aaric suggested. “Before Karnak is due back at court, I could pretend to trip on something and twist an ankle. I have a very convincing limp.” He smiled briefly. “While Eden's helping me with Raven, you could slip into the office, hide somewhere, and pocket the Fire Stone when His Eminence hits the deck.”
“Me?!” Clara's stiffened; she'd assumed one of the other two would nab the prize. “Where would I hide? And how do I slip out of the office again if Eden returns to her desk? She's bound to check on Karnak and raise the alarm.”
“There's a large walk-in closet next to His Eminence's private restroom,” Raven said. “Just stay there until Eden leaves to get the guards. If the coast is clear, you can take the stairs at the end of the hall and meet us outside the building. But if not, just wait until the guards take His Eminence to the hospital. I doubt Eden will stick around the office after that, and we'll meet up afterward. Easy-peasy.”
Clara gulped. Everything sounds easy in theory. “Why can't I help Aaric while you nip into the office?” she asked.
“Because,” Raven explained, “Eden knows me but basically ignores you. Trust me, it's a good thing.”
Clara exhaled slowly and studied the small glass vial in her hand.
“Alright,” Aaric said. “Raven converses with Eden, and we spike the drink when it arrives. I pretend to twist my ankle while Clara sneaks into the office, and she hides until Karnak goes unconscious. Then Clara grabs the stone and hides again until the coast is clear. Finally, we meet outside the building and bring the Fire Stone back to Almitas.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Raven said.
“Yes,” Clara concurred. Though when does life go exactly to plan?
Satisfied her input was no longer required, Raven returned to staring at the fields.
Clara felt slightly nauseous – as if she were about to take a final exam without studying beforehand. But if she failed this test, it would damage far more than her GPA. She glanced over at Aaric. He'd put Mother Alden's medical bag away and now sat beside her clasping and unclasping his hands, shifting in his seat, and generally looking antsy.
“How are you doing?” she asked quietly.
Aaric glanced behind them at Raven, but she seemed fully focused on the scenery to the right. He took a deep breath. “I fear for my grandmother,” he said softly. “His Eminence will do everything in his power to convict her of treason. I'm not sure I could stand that. Mother Alden treats me like a whole person – makes me forget my handicap. She always said there's nothing more crippling than self-pity.” Aaric looked away and wiped an eye on his shoulder.
Clara flushed at her own first impression when she'd initially seen Aaric limp. Oddly, she barely noticed it now. “Your leg hasn't stopped you from taming stallions or hitting spy drones,” she said.
Aaric smiled slightly. “True, but it doesn't make you first choice for sports teams. That's why I became a crack shot; I'm too slow to reach the target otherwise.”
Clara's heart stirred. “Were you lonely growing up?”
Aaric shrugged. “What child doesn't feel lonely now and then? But in reality, I'm never truly alone; I've been well-loved. That's why I'm concerned not just for Mother Alden, but for my father and the Eldership too. I don't like them all being together in the same place at the same time. It feels too ... convenient.”
Clara's ears perked up. “Shouldn't you share that concern with your father?”
Aaric shook his head. “I'm sure he's already thought of it. But the Eldership is probably arguing Mother Alden's case by now. All we can do is do all we can. And pray – hard.” Aaric leaned his left elbow on the hovercraft's side, put his hand to his forehead, and shut his eyes. His shoulders relaxed as his lips moved silently.
Clara watched Aaric for a few moments, then turned wistfully toward the passing fields on the right. God help us all.
#
The Grand Assembly Hall's curved, black walls looked no less imposing for this being Clara's second visit to His Eminence's headquarters. True, no guards now marched her to an uncertain fate, but she felt no more assured about her future. She plodded behind Raven up the white stone steps toward the building's nearly-invisible entrance denoted by two visored guards standing the door's width apart. With each footfall, Clara felt her heart rate accelerate. This doesn't bode well … she thought. I haven't even set foot in the building, and I'm already sweating!
The guards had apparently become accustomed to Raven's comings and goings; they nodded to her in greeting.
“Here to witness the grand trial?” The guard on the right asked.
“Treason case,” informed the other. “Standing-room only.”
Raven feigned ignorance. “Really? I just dropped by to get something I left at the office.”
“Pity,” said the first guard. “It might be the biggest case of this revolution!”
“Possibly of our lifetimes!” chimed in the other. “But we're out here, guarding against who knows what ...”
Raven smiled winsomely “But if it wasn't for you two protecting the trial from rabble-rousers, justice might not be done. You have a very important job.”
“True, true,” mused guard one as he stood a little taller.
“They couldn't do without us,” echoed guard two. “Plus, we'll know the outcome before most.”
“That's the spirit!” Raven said.
“And who are these two visitors?” the first guard indicated with a nod to Clara and Aaric.
We're doomed! Clara froze, but Raven went on to introduce them. “Clara is another interstellar intern from Earth, and this is her mentor's relative, Aaric. We were supposed to go out to dinner tonight, but I fear I may have left my scan-stone at the office. I thought I could show them both where I worked while I looked for it – if that's alright with you two, that is.”
The guards looked at one another. “I suppose that would be fine ...” said the first guard as he tapped something on his arm band.
WHOOSH!
Clara and Aaric both stepped backward as the hidden door flew upward, allowing entry through the thick stone wall. Raven confidently strode through the bright open space toward a lift at the far end of the reception area. Her steps echoed through the great room. Relieved to have gotten past their first obstacle, Clara and Aaric followed. With his orthodic, one could barely perceive Aaric's limp. Clara had to lengthen her stride to keep up and hoped her deodorant would hold out for the evening.
“His Eminence's office is on the top floor,” Raven said as she pushed the lift's boarding button. Its solid black doors opened from side to side, just like the elevators back on Earth.
Clara stepped inside the curved compartment after Aaric and gasped as the lift shot upwards a second after the doors closed. From this angle, the photopetrium wall appeared as transparent as glass both around her and underneath her feet. That's when she remembered her fear of heights with rising conviction as one level after the next passed below. She scrunched her eyes shut. Please don't puke, please don't puke … Her hands trembled by her sides. Then she felt Aaric's warm, reassuring fingers grasp her own in a gesture which both thrilled and calmed her. He released her hand with a gentle squeeze only when the lift came to a complete stop.
“Come on,” Raven said as she led them through a curving corridor toward the back of the building. Clara slowed when it appeared that the left wall had given way to the Grand Assembly Room without so much as a guard rail. From this great height, the Silexian Assembly looked tiny, like an athletic team when viewed from a stadium's nosebleed section. “Raven!” she hissed, “won't they see us?”
Raven turned back and frowned. “The wall's still there, Clara. We can see into the hall, but they can't see us. Just don't make any noise. Sound still carries.”
Aaric tentatively reached out his hand until he felt the smooth, cool rock. “It's here!” he said as he leaned forward to get a better view. He squinted at the ant-like figures below. “They've got Mother Alden in the dock!”
“Already?” Clara walked as close as she dared toward the invisible wall and gazed downward.
Mother Alden stood at the podium before members of the Grand Assembly in handcuffs with Commander Ballitor at her elbow, staff bared. She looked older and more hunched than Clara remembered. Behind her, the Almitas Eldership sat in a long pew flanked on either side by guards wielding blue-pulsing staffs of their own. Behind them sat thousands of Silexians with a contingent of armed soldiers monitoring the perimeter. They're surrounded! Clara thought uncomfortably. Meanwhile, Captain Karnak paced back and forth before the accused, gesticulating with his hands in animated fashion.
Clara swallowed hard. If things went south (which in fact they seemed to be going based on the Eldership's facial expressions), the entire governing body of the Almitas tribe would be at the mercy of His Eminence; His Eminence was not known for his mercy.
“What are they saying?” Clara whispered.
Aaric put his ear to the wall. Clara did the same. They could hear His Eminence surprisingly well.
“Do you persist in denying your treason against one of the oldest amendments to our charter?” he demanded, his voice resounding through the towering hall.
Mother Alden spoke firmly. “The original Interstellar Charter allows each colonist the right to self-expression, and the Triad Agreement allows each clan to govern itself. I have not committed treason, nor have I violated a statute as the Almitas Clan never ratified Silexian limitations on free speech.”
His Eminence grinned unpleasantly. “The Interstellar Charter does not protect slander, however. Nor are you to violate Silexian statutes when entertaining Silexian guests. These visitors are residing in Agilis and are directly under our jurisdiction as per the educational exchange clause.”
Mother Alden frowned. “The visitors are not Silexian citizens, they're from Earth and are under the colony's jurisdiction as a whole – not just one clan's. Do you wish them to inform the Vitae Conglomerate you have violated the original charter's right to free self-expression?”
“Do not threaten me, old woman.” His Eminence growled.
The Silexian crowd grew restless. “Off with her head!” a tasteless person shouted to the laughter and applause of many.
The Eldership shifted uncomfortably in their pew.
“We will have order in this assembly!” Governor Solidus stood from his seat in the Grand Assembly box to his full six feet three inches. “There is no need to badger the defendant, Captain Karnak.”
His Eminence ignored Solidus and turned his back on the Assembly to address the crowd directly. “Citizens of Agilis! You have heard the paltry excuses of the defense. But you have witnessed with your own ears and eyes the recorded, indisputable evidence of a violation of Silexian Law – a law intended to protect people from having their reputations ravaged by unfounded, malicious lies. How often have people maligned you without cause? How often have your children come home heartbroken over the accusations of others?”
The crowd murmured in commiseration.
His Eminence continued, “Our world cannot be truly free if people are free to attack others with hate. This is why we passed the “Spread no Harm” amendment to improve the original Interstellar Charter and protect all our citizens from prejudice, discrimination, and insensitivity. Those tribes who refuse to affirm this crucial Silexian policy are unkind, unenlightened, and unwelcome in our fair city.” He glowered at Mother Alden and the Almitas Eldership.
“Guys!” Raven interrupted in a low voice. “If we're going to do this, we need to go ...”
“Wait!” Aaric held up his hand. He could not tear himself from the proceedings below.
Mother Alden was talking, but it was difficult to hear her over the crowd's applause.
Again, Governor Solidus stood and motioned for order.
Mother Alden began again, louder. “Members of the Grand Assembly! It is you – and not Captain Karnak – who have been elected to uphold colonial law. Can you honestly say I have broken it? Our colonial charter guarantees the right to self-expression to every Elpis 7 citizen – regardless of tribe. Why should His Eminence fear free speech if what I conveyed to our interstellar guest was baseless? Freedom without the right to free expression is fragile indeed. He who is truthful need not fear truth!”
Clara expected at least one member of the Eldership to shout, “Hear, hear!” But the woman in question hung her head in fear as she sat next to her Eldership counterparts on the long, wooden bench.
A red fire blazed in His Eminence's eyes. He strode next to Mother Alden. “Know this truth, then!” He let the back of his hand fly and connected with Mother Alden's jaw. She fell backwards from the podium and hit her head on the stone ground.
“Noooo!” Aaric roared with righteous indignation, noticeably drawing the gaze of both Captain Karnak and Commander Ballitor.
The second Mother Alden's body struck the ground, the Almitian Eldership stood and rushed toward the podium where their beloved heirloom keeper lay unconscious.
“Stop them!” Captain Karnak shouted. “They're trying to attack the Assembly!”
Clara's jaw dropped as absolute chaos broke loose.
The Silexian crowd rushed down the aisles and over the benches to lay hands on the Eldership. Several called for their deaths. Soldiers who had been standing at the periphery surrounded the Almitians, their staffs flashing malice. They commanded the Almitians to drop to their knees with their hands behind their heads.
“Karnak! You are out of line!” Governor Solidus shouted above the riot. “The Almitians meant no harm to the Assembly! This is madness!”
His Eminence pointed a finger at the governor. “The only madness I see,” he said loud enough for the crowd to hear, “is in a governor who cares more for foreigners than for his own laws and people! You have disgraced your office by siding with an enemy who would pervert our good public policy. You have failed to protect the rights and reputations of all within our tribe. I say you are no longer worthy to be governor of Agilis! What say you, Silexians?”
The crowd concurred with wild shouts.
“Enough!” Solidus shot back. “Such dismissal is not according to protocol. The Assembly must go to recess! There is too much disorder. Guards! Escort the crowd out of the hall!”
The guards hesitated and turned toward their commander. Ballitor, in turn, looked to His Eminence.
Karnak grinned wickedly. “We have no need of recess. We can have a verdict now. I dare say, we've seen enough to convict all these Almitians of treason against our tribe – as well as anyone who is on their side. What say you, members of the Assembly?”
The members of the Assembly looked positively frightened and as the mob started chanting, “Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!”
Captain Karnak pressed his advantage. “What say you, Assembly Member Jones? Guilty or not guilty? And please remember your reelection is fast approaching.”
Member Jones glanced from Commander Ballitor to the raucous citizens. Then she lowered her eyes to the ground. “Guilty,” she murmured.
“Member Jones said, 'guilty'!” Karnak shouted to the crowd. The mob cheered.
“Member Ivan?”
The old man wiped the sweat from his brow with a pocket handkerchief. “G-guilty.”
“Hurrah!” shouted the crowd.
And so it went down the line. When it was the governor's turn, he gazed sternly at the rest of the Assembly and shouted, “Not guilty!”
The crowd booed.
“The majority vote is guilty overall!” His Eminence shouted in triumph. “And how shall the Assembly sentence the guilty? With the death penalty?”
“Agreed,” said Member Jones. She smiled at the crowd's ensuing applause. The others followed suit until the vote reached Solidus.
The (former?) governor pointed to the crowd. “This is an unlawful assembly,” he pronounced with gravity. “The verdict has no basis. If you murder your fellow colonists, their blood will be on your heads!”
“We can add yours to it,” Captain Karnak said with a shrug. “You've lost your office, Solidus. Want to lose your life, too?”
Solidus looked grim. “I'd rather lose it with the innocent than face my Maker with blood on my hands.”
“I am a self-made man,” His Eminence said. “I do not fear your maker.” Captain Karnak nodded to Commander Ballitor who escorted the noble governor from the Grand Assembly box to join the terrified Almitians.
Captain Karnak checked his wristband and addressed the crowd. “Thank you all for supporting our clan! You will soon witness the demise of all who would oppose us. For justice! For Agilis!” He raised his forearm over his head.
“For justice! For Agilis!” The crowd's cry was nearly deafening.
“You are dismissed, good citizens of Silex!”
“Hurrah! Hurrah!” Men and women raised their forearms over their heads and yelled in triumph. Then they obediently headed toward the door.
“Lead these criminals to cells!” commanded His Eminence.
“Yes, your Eminence.” Ballitor bowed and nodded to his soldiers. They each grabbed a prisoner by the tricep and started marching them toward the exit opposite the crowd.
“And Ballitor?” added His Eminence.
“Sir?”
“Please see to that earlier disturbance. I would hate any Almitian sympathizers to be running loose in my headquarters.”
“Yes, your Eminence.” The commander bowed again, then exited the hall.
What do you think?
Ah, the power of persuasion. Have you ever heard a persuasive speech that truly changed your perspective? (It can be for the good, not for evil as in His Eminence’s case.) Tell me about it in the comments below!
The logic employed by "His Eminence" was chillingly familiar. I'm loving this story!