King Toal'Dius - A sacred responsibility
Jania Nis
((Royal Board Chambers, Royal HQ, Koreli IV))
The Zet made a lot of noise. Incessant gossiping, explosive construction, ever-buzzing advertisements.
They weren’t exactly noisy creatures on their own, though. Supreme Director Toal’Dius sat in the gold-plated board room in silence, as he preferred, alone. He watched computer-displayed schematics of the USS Octavia E. Butler, full of the data they’d collected since the ship arrived in orbit. It was significant, and showed they’d been having some strange computer problems over the last hour or so.
But he knew the records they'd collected were primitive compared to the information the Federation could collect with a single scan. The UDP could supposedly get him tech of that level, but they’d been silent since the death of his brother.
It made no sense. They had hated Ma’det’ain’ths’ng’in’Grend. His hedonism had been a weak spot in their plans. That’s why they favored Toal’Dius. That’s why he’d taken on this sacred responsibility in the first place. That’s why he’s committed the Great Sin. He twisted the bracelets on his wrists, the frayed metal digging into the meat between his chiton.
Chief Reeve: My director.
Toal’Dius glanced up, surprised that anyone had entered without his notice.
Toal’Dius: Yes, what is it?
Chief Reeve: A message from the Danni’s chairman. She asked it be delivered directly to you.
Toal’Dius flared his nostrils and slammed his hand on the table.
Toal’Dius: Under -what conditions- did I ask you to interrupt me?
The chief reeve leapt backward in fear, and Toal’Dius sighed in disgust.
Toal’Dius: My apologies. Only, there is some stress at the moment, is there not? Now we are on the knife’s edge. But in a few days, this will all be behind us, and you, me, and the board will be relaxing in the Gessygrass baths together.
Chief Reeve: ::still nervous :: Yes, my director.
Toal’Dius: Well? Then, what news?
Chief Reeve: We have been … so far unable to locate him.
Toal’Dius scoffed. This was becoming ridiculous. The boy was too busy moping and brooding to create the kind of alliances he would need to hide for long from a planetary king.
Toal’Dius: The planet is only so big. Hasn’t he posted his daily ‘motivational’ quotes to TidBitter today?
Chief Reeve: Some members of the investigations department have suggested he may somehow be offworld.
Toal’Dius straightened, then tilted his head. That was certainly an interesting development. It was good if he was gone. Better work could be done without him lurking around.
Toal’Dius: But how? No ships have left the system since—
Suddenly a thought occurred to him. If the elder Grend had been foolish enough to trust the Federation, maybe the younger would too.
And if Grend was on that ship, he was undoubtedly poisoning their minds. This was a thorny problem.
Chief Reeve: My director, the message from the chairman—
Toal’Dius: By the Holy Pyramid, I don’t care about her message. Watch it and provide me with a 5-second reaction. There are bigger concerns here.
Chief Reeve: Yes, my director.
Toal’Dius: And get the prisoners those false documents. They may no longer believe that I didn’t kill Grend, but at least we can be honest about one thing: the danger we all face if Guildmasters show up.
Chief Reeve: Yes, my director.
Toal’Dius: You are dismissed. ::pauses :: I sincerely apologize for my outburst. I’m not my brother.
The chief reeve was not put at ease by this comment, but he nodded.
Chief Reeve: Yes, my director.
He left the king alone once more.
oO I’m the collected one. That’s why I was suggested. That’s why I did this. Oo
He had the evidence of his success. He had taken the sacraments. He wore the pectoral metal. He had the TidBitter admin account.
Even if he were caught at this point, he would be a legend among his own people. It had been millennia since Deathless killed Deathless. Even the legality of his actions was unclear, as long as he could prove he was the best man for the job. And he knew he was.
So why did he feel so unsure?
[TBC]
King Toal'Dius
Supreme Director
Koreli IV
O240108JN2