23

[maderr]

Chapter Twenty-three


Planet 00000000 (Zero), Palace of Eternity


"Well," the Grand Chancellor glared at Pyotr. "You're certainly getting your wish. Rumors have barely begun flying and already I sense half the primary seats will be forced to resign at the end of the Term. I guess we'll know for sure when the formal inquiry begins in an hour."

"Shouldn't you be happier about having so many untrustworthy individuals expunged, Uncle?"

"No. Because it means I have to work three times as hard to find worthy replacements."

"Grand Chancellor…" Cyan began.

"Ugh, please. All I've heard since Pyotr stepped out of line is 'Grand Chancellor this, Grand Chancellor that' - about a thousand times more than I already hear it. Arkadii will work just fine, thanks."

"…Arkadii - what happens to us now?"

"Off the hook, for the most part." Arkadii looked at Pyotr. "I don't really have a choice in the matter. I can't make it public knowledge that Pyotr is an Agent for Internal Affairs."

"Something he neglected to tell us," Karmikel interjected.

"It wasn't necessary to tell you," Pyotr said apologetically. "Jundel only asked for my help because I once helped to solve a minor problem on Conis, concerning an IG official, and I owed her a favor. My help has always been mine, not that of an IA agent."

Karmikel waved his words away. "Hey, I don't care. I just found it interesting."

"What's the plan, exactly? All this political mumbo-jumbo gives me a headache," Einn asked from where he leaned against the far wall, frowning into his drink. "We're holed up in here, twiddling our thumbs, while outside everyone is going nuts. The Conis representatives are up in arms, the Lower Chancellors are doing their best to be invisible - minus Jade who is still locked up - and the Higher Chancellor has yet to put in an appearance."

Arkadii looked as if he's swallowed something sour. "It's rather quite simple. You lot have no part in any of this. The only evidence I possess that my Chancellors have been up to something are the words of the scientists we unearthed on Rehab, the Guards who were bought by persons unnamed, a ship full of pirates all too willing to blame whomever, and the Lady Jundel, who has been in contact with an unknown person within the IG," he glared at Pyotr. All that combined is not enough to convict anyone, but it is enough that they'll have to resign their offices. And then of course there are the Draconis and mates who were held against their will in lab - together with this Lorraine woman, that should be enough to stir up the issue of the Draconis. I'll bet you an early retirement that the next Collective revolves entirely around settling the matter of the Conis. And if I have my way about it, we'll vote to dump the problem entirely on the Conis and tell them to leave us the hell out of it. But we'll see." The Chancellor scrubbed his face, looking tired. "I'm getting too old for this."

"Hardly." Pyotr said with a trace of fondness. "And it's what you get for slacking off anyway."

"Shut up, Pyotr."

"Yes, sir."

"Do you have any idea how annoying this inquiry is going to be?" Arkadii groused. "I have no help whatsoever, because all of my Lower Chancellors are under suspicion for illegal experimentation - concerning magics! Even you, Pyotr."

"You could just out me," Pyotr said calmly. "If it's known that I'm an agent, it would make things much more simple."

Arkadii paused, frowning at him. "That would cost you your job as an agent."

Pyotr smiled weakly, "You'd finally have found a way to keep me out of trouble, right? And it's the easiest way - because then I could pull in Einn, Faller, and Karmikel - if I claim they've been working for me the entire time, that solves several problems at once. I'd still get in trouble for conducting an unofficial investigation but it would be enough to 'generate substantial suspicion' that you could open an official investigation. And together with Jundel and Lorraine, we'd have enough to make a good if not strong case."

"What about Sean and Mendel?" Cyan asked.

"No good," Arkadii said. "I can't change cold hard fact, and the fact of the matter is that Mendel is convicted murderer - one who murdered a prominent member of the IG. Even if it wasn't intentional, and his father was working to destroy the Draconis, he's still a killer." His voice softened as he looked at the dismayed Cyan, "But the matter of Sean is a big one - and part of the reason the Draconis issue will become a much bigger issue than it has been. I will see to it that they are not locked up in Rehab - but I can't promise more than that."

"I know," Cyan said.

"The inquiry is beginning shortly," Arkadii said in an abrupt shift of topic. "Pyotr, fetch Jade and see to it that Cohen is located and made to present himself. It's not speaking well of him that he's hiding away while these rumors fly." He rose to his feet, "I'm going to go get dressed. Damn it, I hate formal robes."

"Umm…Arkadii?" Cyan spoke up, reluctance heavy in his voice.

"Yes?" the Grand Chancellor asked impatiently.

"Will I have to speak against Jade?"

The Chancellor stilled, staring at him intently for several seconds, gaze lingering on the marks on Cyan's throat and cheek. "You are not currently required to stand as witness, unless you want to state that he did in fact kidnap and abuse you. Otherwise, you have no active role in this - other than illegal contact with Mendel Ekard, which is not part of this inquiry. And so far as I'm concerned, that meeting did not occur. If you do not want to speak against your brother, that is your decision to make. To be honest, your words would not hold much credibility anyway - not with it rather well known that the two you had a falling out years ago."

Cyan nodded, but said nothing. The Chancellor left to change.

A silence fell across the room, and Cyan pointedly ignored the stares directed at him. Einn crossed the room and pulled him close, almost idly reaching up to stroke his hair. If anyone had something they wanted to ask or say, they opted to keep it to themselves.

Several minutes later three sharp, short chimes spilled from the intercom system, and Pyotr rose to his feet. "I had better get going, if I am going to fetch Jade in time for the inquiry. I will be back shortly. You had all best make your way to the primary hall and get settled in - it's going to last a long time and anything could happen. Inquiries this tense have a tendency to turn quite…colorful." Nodding politely to them, he departed.

"Come on then," Einn reluctantly loosened his arms from around Cyan. "Let's get going. No point in sitting here." He sighed, "I think I already miss being a pirate."

"You think?" Faller echoed. "I know I miss it. Being blatantly illegal is a hell of a lot easier then whatever the hell it is these legal types think they're doing."

Einn blinked, "That reminds me. What's to keep Jade from telling everyone we worked for him?"

"Who knows? I guess we'll just see what happens. If push comes to shove, I'm sure we can make a spectacular break for it."

Karmikel glared at them both, "I suppose I'm just along for the ride then, if you two decide on such a ridiculous stunt?"

"Naturally," Faller smirked. "You are his battery - and as the owner of the ship we're going to hijack naturally we'll have to take you hostage."

"Would you three please not discuss breaking the law in front of me? In the Palace of Eternity?" Cyan asked, torn between annoyance and amusement. "Seeing as I'm shortly going to be back from vacation, I'd really prefer you not put in an awkward--"

"Cyan?! Is that really you?"

Freezing in place, smile faltering, Cyan turned around to face the man who had called his name. He opened his mouth to return the greetings, but could not manage to force anything out.

The man walking towards him looked tired, weighed down, his brown and gray hair looking neat in a hurried sort of way, his formal black and silver robes not as neat or precise as they would normally be for an inquiry. His eyes were dark brown, deep set and sort of hidden under bushy eyebrows. Once he must have been tall and slender, but age had added a thickness to his middle, and his normally fair skin was pale with stress. But his expression had lightened a bit upon sighting Cyan. "How long it's been! I wish you were here under more pleasant circumstances - I'd heard you were here. I'd imagine on behalf of your brother? Are you all right? Rumors have started flying that you were kidnapped by pirates. How are you?"

Cyan just shook his head, stumbling back awkwardly as the man reached out a hand, the color draining from his face. "G-Gory…"

"What's wrong?" Gory frowned. "You look like you've seen a ghost?"

Einn caught Cyan as he continued to step back away from the High Chancellor, steadying him with hands at his hips. "Cy…are you okay?"

Though he barely heard the Fornarian, he unconsciously relaxed a bit at the feel of his hands. He shook his head, and frowned at Gory. "Is it true?"

Gory blinked, "Is what true?"

"What…what my brother said about you?" Cyan examined Gory's face, searching for something there.

"Jade? We've not spoken in ages, beyond business matters. So I have no idea what he might have said about me. Perhaps if you explained?"

On some level, Cyan knew this was neither the time nor the place for such a discussion. But…seeing Gory, with his brother's words echoing in his head, he found he could not simply 'let it go' as he had hoped he'd be able to upon seeing the man that had once been his parents' best friend. Jade just had to be wrong - and he'd find out now, he didn't give a damn where they were or who was witness. He shook his head, some of his color returning as determination took over the sickening dismay he'd felt before. "Jade said you killed mom and dad. Did you?"

As his words registered, he could feel a heavy silence fall around him, the result of complete and utter shock. At his hips, he felt Einn's hands tighten, a hiss of surprise coming from above him. He looked up briefly at Einn, taking some comfort in the concern he saw there, and then returned his attention to Gory.

"That-"Gory had paled just a bit, though Cyan could not tell why. "That's preposterous. How could either of you even think to suggest such a thing? Don't you think I have enough problems with these accusations flying around, and now the children of my best friends are accusing me of murdering them? Blue, you know me better than that."

"Don't call me that!" Cyan exploded. Even Einn jumped briefly at the unexpected outburst. He glared at Gory, "Did you kill them?"

"Where are you getting such absurd ideas? You storm off because of a spat with your brother, never send me any sort of letter or call, and now that I finally see you again, your idea of a greeting is to accuse me of murdering my best friends?" The beginning of anger tightened his mouth, flared in his eyes. "How dare you?"

"He dares because he's a fool," a smooth voice replied from behind Gory. The High Chancellor spun around, startled, to glare into Jade's pretty, frozen face. "Though in this case he's also correct."