Cassielle's Future
1793 Words
Cassielle
Attendants came out of the palace and guided the family inside. Only Nate and Kevin remained, out of stubbornness. Nate refused to leave without Kevin, who refused to leave without Cassielle. She smiled and walked over to them.
“There are several apartments within the palace,” she said taking Kevin’s hand.
“Which one is ours?” Kevin asked casually.
“Unfortunately, we will not be sharing a room. You have to remain where you can be monitored, and I will not have my privacy compromised,” she said. “You and Nate will be staying in the apartment next to mine until further notice.”
Kevin tried to hide his disappointment. “This place is…,” words failed him. “You live here all by yourself?”
“I live in the west wing only. The rest of the estate has been turned into a museum. Although, for your safety, it has been shut down. I don’t spend a lot of time here. I usually stay at the High Rise.”
“That’s in the city, I take it?”
“Yup. The clothes are more ceremonial,” she indicated the jacket Nate wore. “You don’t have to wear it while you are here if you don’t want to. If you would like to hold a memorial service for Gideon, I have no objections,” Cassielle said.
“What if we don’t?” Kevin asked.
“That is your choice,” she responded as they walked into the building.
She left them at the door to their apartment before turning to her own. Her apartment had two main rooms as well as two closets and a washroom. The first room held a chaise lounge, sofa, ottoman, several bookcases, and a desk. She hardly ever used the desk in this room, preferring to use the one in her private office. The second room held a larger than king size four poster bed. Red patterned carpets from the Holis system with solid Gulla wood furniture decorated the room. Landscapes and still life paintings decorated the walls. Cassielle hated sleeping in rooms with portraits, and had ordered them removed when she moved in. Soft neutral-colored curtains gave a warm feeling as the morning sun shone through the floor to ceiling windows.
She changed from her formal attire to a black sleeveless tunic that she wore daily. The official mourning period for her would last two weeks. She recalled wearing this one other time, when High Council’s daughter had been killed in combat. All of Trident mourned with High Council.
The other closet contained his clothes. She forgot to have the attendants relocate him to another bedroom while her family stayed here. The need to monitor Kevin’s condition was not the only reason Cassielle could not share a room with her husband.
Cassielle exited her apartment and nearly tripped over Xander.
“Awight?” he asked as she steadied herself. “Sowwy.” He stood looking at his feet.
Cassielle knelt to his level.
“I’m ok. What are you doing here?” she asked.
He looked at her, his steel blue eyes glossy and cheeks turning red.
“Whar’s Giddin?”
Cassielle’s heart broke as she struggled to keep her emotions hidden.
“Gideon’s gone.” Her voice became soft.
“Comin back?” He looked down again and a tear slipped from his cheek.
“No.”
Behind him, she saw an attendant enter the hall and then walk swiftly towards the two. The attendant stopped when Cassielle held up her hand. She kept her eyes on the small child.
“Why not? Said won’t weave me.” Xander sniffled.
“Sometimes, adults have to go away. He didn’t want to go, but he had no choice.”
Behind her another door opened and she could hear Nate and Kevin leaving their room. They too stopped at the sight of the pair.
“I miss Giddin,” Xander said as another tear fell.
The attendant offered a handkerchief.
“I do too.” Cassielle took the offered item and wiped his tears.
She held out her arms and he ran to her, crying into her shoulder. She stood as the child wept in her arms. The attendant approached and offered to take him. Cassielle shook her head and sat on a chair in the hall. This instantly brought her back to the days when Nate would do the same thing. Her cheeks flushed and she could feel her own tears come. She had missed so much of their lives. She remained there until Xander calmed down.
“Are you feeling better?” she asked.
He nodded and slid out of her lap. The attendant extended her hand and together they left the hall. Cassielle wiped the tears from her own eyes and stood up. She looked at her son and husband. They changed into less formal attire, changing out of the white pants and boots to a black set. Nate also changed from the jacket to a vest. Cassielle thought they still looked handsome. Nodding a little, they continued down the hall and followed where Xander went.
Cassielle crossed the hall and entered her private office. A large desk took up much of the floor space. She purposely kept the space dark to help her see the screens better. Dark wood paneled the walls, and the floor had a black, glass tile that helped keep the room dark, even when the lighting went to full power. Black screens hung on each wall, with two screens on the walls to the left and right of her desk.
She sat in the chair and several screens appeared. Giving her credentials, the screens filled with various bits of information. More screens appeared as she sorted through her messages, deciding none were important.
Jacobee contacted her with most current update on the soldiers from the Lillian. The soldiers were approved to return to service, having gone through the vetting process again. They were reassigned to other ships and notes left on their files keeping them from ever serving under Cassielle or High Council. Governor Thyn reported the capture and execution of three Polasi agents, putting their entire investigation on hold while the other agents were extracted.
Cassielle sighed and changed her focus to the report of the hack attempt on the Lillian. A message popped up from The Kalli’s Seat broadcast and publication bureau. She opened it to find Chief Editor Hulo wanted to publish the names of her family. She could not allow this to happen. She pressed her right thumb to the second knuckle of her right forefinger to activate her com, an implant that had been placed deep within her right ear canal.
“Jacobee,” she said.
“Yes, High Command.”
“I need you to stop the publication of my family’s names. We don’t know who is behind these attacks and we cannot compromise their safety.”
“Yes, High Command. What if they cite the right to know policy?”
“Allow them to publish Kevin’s and Nate’s names only,” she said after considering his question. “They should be satisfied with that.”
“Yes, High Command,” he said.
She released the conversation and turned back to the tech report. The apprentice had been assigned to the Lillian right before the mission on Earth. With further investigation, Masa discovered his academy training had not been completed and the documents forged. He hailed from the Federation/Trident boarder planet Benzi, meaning he was not supposed to be anywhere near Cassielle or High Council. His family had been informed of his death but refused to claim the body. The enhancement had been removed and scanned. Being implanted right before the mission, little information was gained.
Cassielle received a message from Governor Chasta demanding a meeting. All but two of her screens cleared with Chasta appearing on one of them and High Council on the other.
“I do hope there is a good reason for this,” High Council said.
Cassielle could tell High Council was suffering from one of her headaches. Regeneration units were supposed to prevent headaches, but a small portion of those who had a unit suffered from this side effect.
“The board of governors wants to depose you,” Governor Chasta said hastily.
“Me?” Cassielle asked, feeling a shock run through her.
“No. High Council,” Governor Chasta said.
“Why?” High Council asked.
“With the proof Liana’a paid the human poachers to abduct Cassielle and her brother all those years ago, the Federation has released an official statement stating the treaty had been broken by one a Federation agent and that we were free to have her become High Council. And if she doesn’t want it, the board has plenty of other Kallis to choose from now.”
“The citizens won’t like this change,” High Council said.
“They want the Kallis in charge,” Governor Chasta retorted. “It is no secret that Trident is starting to crack. This great empire of ours has existed for thousands of years. The board believes if a Kalli resumes the High Council position, Trident will become even greater. Governor Thyn even believes we could finally rid ourselves of the Federation.”
“That needs to be postponed. I don’t want the position and I don’t want any of my family approached. They don’t want to be here. Many of them have their own lives they want to get back to on Earth. High Council is still in charge and has made no mention of wanting to retire,” Cassielle said. “Let the board know a move like that at this time will backfire on them. Let them know I would be willing to approach the subject AFTER my family is back on Earth. Even then, I can promise they will have a fight.”
“I agree with High Command, and I also agree with the board,” High Council said.
This admission caught the Cassielle and Governor Chasta by surprise.
“Care to explain?” Cassielle asked.
“We need a new ruler. I’ve been in power since Ryl. The people are tired of having the second best in charge. Now the first choice is available. It will be only a short time before they start demonstrating for the change.”
Cassielle did not want to hear this. She never wanted the position of High Council, and barely agreed to High Command.
“I will tell the board this will need to wait. Your family’s safety is priority at this time. We will discuss this further upon their return to Earth.” Governor Chasta said.
- Writer
