Center Worlds - Spark

by Tim Morrison

  Chapter 2.4

  Succession - Royal Palace, Tara -28 BA

  "Dangerous games you play here, Lord Camelin." Lya said as Ryo walked alongside her, their small group surrounded by palace guards as they moved along corridors towards the waiting shuttle.

  "I despise the palace, and all the politics. Tyo is the only reason I still set foot in this place, Lya." Ryo said, eyes alert for any sudden movement.

  “We never did get an answer to your charges or compensation request.” She said, watching him warily, he was very much on edge.

  “I never expected to. You saw how quickly it changed from my challenge to a general mess of politics? The Grand Council is political, they could not make a proper decision without talking it to death in committee. The only reason I did this was to make sure it was logged.” Ryo said, then paused before they got to a cross-corridor so the guards could make a wall to guide Lya through.

  Lya looked at him. "You expect an attack? Here?"

  "I do not expect us to be able to safely lift off. I have had two fighters descend from the TGX to escort us back to the ship, then we will leave orbit immediately and return to Clan space, My Lady."

  "But, this is Tara. What of the exclusion zone?"

  The discussion was interrupted by rapid gunfire erupting all around them, Ryo threw himself over Lya and knocked her out of the chair to end up on the floor as he covered her with his own body, weapon at the ready. The guards had all dropped into defensive positions and were prepared. No fire hit them, the reports were in other corridors.

  An eerie alarm filled the corridors, and one of the guards held his hand to his earpiece. "The Lord Emperor has been killed. Clan Michelab has killed the Lord Emperor. They are making their way through the palace now, using the south gate. Tyo Maselic is safe, Lord Camelin, he is at the northern battlements and is secure with a contingent of guards."

  "We wait until they depart. Are the palace defences armed?"

  "Yes, My Lord. Any attack upon the palace will be met with lethal retribution. Also, the TGX-2 acknowledges weapons ready and targeted at all vessels in orbit. Any hostile moves will be answered in kind."

  "Take us to Tyo, I need to speak with him." Ryo said, picking himself up off the ground and then lifting Lya up and gently depositing her back in the travel chair.

  The group made it's way through the palace corridors until they came across another group of guards who saluted and allowed them to pass into one of the many conference rooms. Tyo was sitting there, watching a bank of monitors and listening to harried reports from a whole group of adjutants who were all getting information from different sources.

  "Ryo, thank the Gods you are unharmed. Kyo was shot through the head by the Michelab bastards. The old man may have been demented, but he was loved by the people. There are already reports of unrest throughout the planet as the news is spreading."

  Ryo walked over to his cousin and took him by the shoulders, then gruffly hugged the smaller man. "We shall mourn the loss when it is time. In the mean, you are now the Emperor, and must lead the Clans. What is the state of affairs?"

  Tyo nodded, swallowing hard and then looked up at his older cousin. "Clan Michelab triggered the rite of succession by killing the Lord Emperor face-to-face. As such, honour is maintained. They also killed four guards, six Lari'Sota, and destroyed a ground shuttle. No vehicular weapons fire was detected, their vessel has left low orbit and has entered Vortex, direction looks to be Michelab space."

  "No other Clansmen were killed or injured?" Ryo asked.

  "No, they knew what they were doing. I'm in charge now, and there's nothing I can do about their actions." Tyo replied.

  “You will do fine, Tyo. This is what you were raised for.” Ryo said, then hugged the smaller man. “You have lived this all your life, it is now your time.”

  “I am only twelve cycles, Cousin. I do not think I am ready.” Tyo protested, but quietened as some of the advisers looked in his direction.

  “My Lord Emperor, apologies for overhearing. You may not be aware, but you have the right to choose Clansmen as advisers and guidance at your leave.” Came the quiet advice.

  Tyo looked at Ryo. “Stay with me, Cousin, please?”

  Ryo looked at Lya, and at her nod, he nodded at Tyo and held out his hands in a firm clasp.

  ...

  Six cycles. Ryo stayed with young Tyo, guiding him, watching him grow up. Lya shuttled back and forth on board the TGX, with Captain Kalen in command as she spent half a cycle on Tara, with her mate, and the other half on the Clanworld, with their quickly growing daughter and her foundling. Lyo.

  Tyo dealt with Clan Michelab swiftly and legally, bringing much honour to the Palace and impressing everybody when he declared them inviolate to stand on the Grand Council due to their violent acts towards a fellow Clansman. The rite of succession having thrust him into power, Tyo Masilec now used that power to protect himself. Clan Michelab was barred from setting foot on Tara until Tyo was of Majority. They had representation in the Grand Council by Proxy, another Clan could make decisions that governed Clan Michelab, but no member of Michelab was allowed on the planet or in the palace.

  He worked tirelessly, strengthening his body and mind. Reading everything there was about governance, and learning from the archivists and Advisors, with Ryo as a constant companion to ensure he was not pulled astray, Tyo learned how to be an Emperor.

  They sparred daily, Ryo teaching Tyo everything he knew about hand to hand combat and bladed combat. As well as teaching the young Emperor how to hold and use a handgun. Tyo quickly outpaced his Cousin in battle, becoming an expert marksman before he turned fourteen, and being able to bring down opponents twice his size unarmed swiftly and effectively. Tyo grew under the tutelage of Ryo Camelin mindful of the dangers of being the leader of the disparate Clans, but also mindful of loyalty and what the Confederacy stood for.

  Back on the Clanworld, young Gya grew also, with her mother there for half her years, and House staff always around her, the girl was safe. With Lyo being a constant body that she did not initially understand, but grew to enjoy his presence and began to enjoy spending time with him.

  She developed an aptitude for flight, and began learning how to parasail, then fly a flitter, and then to dance in zero-g at the top of the skyhook. Lyo was right along with her, and he learned also, eager to match her and be there for her in case she needed help.

  Gya was always eager to spend time with her Father, and spent many days on the TGX bridge, watching the crew doing their duties, enjoying flying down the grav chutes, and spending time playing in a Superiority fighter, tethered to a tractor field, but learning how to fly in zero-g. She learned the corridors of the ship like the back of her hand, and many times managed to sneak up on her father and surprise him by leaping out of a cross-corridor as he walked, then dash off giggling as he mock-thundered after her.

  ...

  During the last journey back to Malis, Kalen was overjoyed to learn that Jalena was pregnant again, this time it was a girl. The only sad thing was, her expected birth date would be a month after the TGX would be back on Tara obit, so he would miss the birth of this child. Even Regent Lya seemed overly pleased with the news and had many discussions with the young mother to be over her condition, her care, and the manner in which the staff were making her comfortable.

  As he recalled later to both Ryo and Lya, it seemed tragedy followed him like a bad scent. Jalena had died during her second childbirth. Doctor Solonae had worked feverishly, even going so far as to manually operate on her, doing his best to stop the internal bleeding that had occured, chasing down blood vessels and trying to stop the rapid deterioration of her vital organs.

  His second child had died during the birth, being trapped as her mother died, it's tiny body not able to handle the sudden shock of loss, she had faded as well. Both mother and child had been incinerated, and their ashes sent to be spread over the skies of Desinlo, as per Jalena's last wishes.

  It took
Viktor a month to recover from his loss, but he did recover, taking solace in the support of his Commander, and the rest of the TGX bridge crew, who supported and helped him through his loss.

  The truth of the matter, which Doctor Solonae did not report, was that the tiny baby had survived, and was fine. Jalena had died as described, that was verified by a number of surgical staff and the birth maidens. Those same maidens were now dead, at Doctor Solonae's hand. He had to ensure that the tiny baby survived, without the influence of Lya Desinlo. As they could confirm the child had lived, he had to kill them, and although it pained him to break his oath, for the memory of Jalena, he did so without hesitation.

  Hektor arranged for the girl to be given to an orphanage to be raised, and he gave her the name of Kya, as the next name in line from his Jalena. He also was determined that she have a heritage, so her proper name of Kiara was registered, but her Clan name of Kya was what she would be known by.

  He also transferred to Tara, so that his medical knowledge could be used. He used the death of Jalena as an excuse, and it was a very big part of the reason. Hektor was deathly afraid that somehow, somebody might learn the truth of what he had done, and so to save young Kya, and to protect himself, he distanced them both from the world that had accepted them both, and transferred him and the young girl to Tara, where she was put into the care of the Lari'Sota order while he became the Palace Chief Physician.