Defect

The negotiations took two months, but the Chancellor finally agreed to host ambassadors from Chimaera. The story would go that it was a new planet that had only just been discovered. Thor watched as the transport was loaded. Tiz had already hugged him goodbye and boarded with Rada. Kayia was saying goodbye to Savva. He turned his head when they kissed, feeling as though he were ripping them apart.

"Don't worry, Thor," Kayia said as she climbed the ladder to the ship. "We'll be okay."

He managed a smile, and waved them off.


Tiz opened her eyes to dazzling sunlight. The transport had flown for two days and two nights. Now on the morning of the third day, she could see buildings as they sped through the Juno system. She jumped out of bed and began getting ready for the day. She moved slowly and with care, trying to calm her nerves. Thor was counting on them – she couldn't be scared now.

Rada and Kayia were already in the main cabin having breakfast by the time she came out of her room. "Are we almost there?" she asked, sitting down.

"Almost," Rada said. "Now Tiz, when we get there, there's going to be a lot of fanfare. As Thor explained it, the story the government has given the people is that we were a recently discovered planet at the edge of the Juno system – the Miracle Planet, they're calling us. There will be some sort of event to honor us, I'm sure, to keep up appearances. It's important that the three of us stick close together at first – until we know if it's safe to split up."

"Yes, Rada," she said, nodding. She reached for a scone and paused. "When we land," she said slowly. "Is there anything I should be watching for? Like…specifically?"

"The Chancellor," Kayia said.

"Kayia," Rada muttered, throwing a nervous glance at Tiz.

"She's in this, Rada," Kayia said. "She's already in as much danger as we are, however little or much that might be. And she knows this isn't a game, and what she's expected to do. Tiz," she continued, "we don't know how things will play out, but the Chancellor is arrogant. He'll drop his guard because we're not a numerical or powerful threat. You don't have to do anything – just watch."

Tiz nodded, and began eating her breakfast. It stuck in her throat, but she forced herself to eat a scone, two pieces of fruit, and a bit of breakfast mash (a mixture of fruit and starchy tuber).

The transport finally began to slow as it reached the main city. Through the windows, they could see hundreds, maybe thousands, of people crowding the railings, cheering as they flew overhead. They landed on top of a tall building and stood before the transport doors. It opened with a few loud pops and let in the warm, fragrant air of Hecate.

Rada descended first, followed by Tiz, and finally Kayia. There were met by a party of ten smiling people. A large man at the front of the group strode forward and grasped Rada firmly by the hand.

"Welcome!" he boomed. "You are all so very welcome! I am Chancellor Arcturus. This is my wife, Lea, and our son, Zanu. As you can see, your presence has made quite the splash!" he said as they made their way to the elevator. Once on board, he looked them over properly. "You must be Miss Kayia Noire, and Mister Rada Blanc. I believe you take the names of your…tribe?"

"Ring, and yes," Kayia confirmed, shaking his hand.

"Yes, your Ring. And you," he said, looking down at Tiz. "You must be young Tiz Chimaera – daughter of the King."

"How do you do?" she said in a quiet, nervous voice. The man was, fankly, alarming. He was handsome and muscular, but a bit squishy looking in places. His smile was all teeth, and he had the oily sheen of rotten fruit. He gave the overwhelming impression of someone who, having come up short in physical speed, has devoted his life to speed of the mind. He was intelligent – the dangerous kind. She could see it in his movements.

The son was another story entirely. After the formal introductions had been made, Arcturus ushered the two kids into their own transport so the adults could talk. They would be flown through the city and then taken to the arena to watch a parade. Through the course of the conversation, during which Zanu called her a savage at least three times, Tiz learned a few things. First, he was an idiot. Second, he was an idiot with information. And third, he was definitely her mark if she needed to know things. He was the sort who wanted to look older, smarter, than he was, but didn't know the true value of the information he had. She took to smiling and waving at the crowds as Zanu continued to gripe.

"I don't see what the fuss is about," he whined. "New planets are discovered all the time. Just because we found one full of savages doesn't mean…."

He wouldn't last five minutes on Chimaera, Tiz thought with a little grin.

"…and something about how you have a king. How primitive! I expect he's some bullying brute who kills to gain obedience and –"

"He is not a brute!" Tiz snapped, whipping around. "He's kind, and fair, and he doesn't kill anyone." She was careful to keep that in the present tense, because by all accounts, her father had had to crack a few heads in the past….

Zanu sneered at her, but folded his arms and fell silent.

"If you're so interested in acting all superior, make yourself useful."

"How so?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Tell me what those are," she said, pointing to shoebox sized blue orbs on the eastern edge of each building's roof.

"You could try asking nicely," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, good Zanu, would you please be so kind as to educate this poor savage girl as to the exact function of the mysterious blue globes?"

He sniggered, then caught himself when he heard the guards doing the same. He scowled at her. "They're cameras," he said after a pause. "Special cameras that show high detail. They can also project their images directly onto the sky panel. They're showing us now, probably, so the people far back from the front and the people at home can see."

Tiz nodded. That would've been the end of the conversation if she'd had her way, but it seemed Zanu wanted to talk now.

"So why's your father king, then?"

"He brought all the rings together," she explained. "A ring is sort of like…a city, I guess. There are four – Blanc, Ochre, Noire and Sun – and they used to all be at war. He stopped the fighting and brought them all together. So now he's king." It was the highly abridged version, but she couldn't be bothered to waste the full story on Zanu.

The older teen looked impressed. "Then…you'll be queen one day?"

"If I'm worthy and I want to. Otherwise it might go to my brother, Rai. Or it could go to Kayia – she's the Second in our ring. Second in command," she explained, seeing his confusion.

"How old are you?"

She quirked an eyebrow at the random question. "I just turned twelve when spring started again. How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

The hover car came to a halt then, and one of the guards opened the door for them. They stepped out into a long hall and were ushered through a curtain to their seats.


When the parade was over, Arcturus pulled them aside to talk to them.

"I expect all of the travel and excitement has worn you out," he said. "You will have an honor guard to show you to your apartment, and dinner will be sent up. Relax and enjoy yourselves tonight. Tomorrow we will have a tour of the Capitol – where you're staying – and talk more."

They knew better than to talk while in the presence of the guards. However when they were settled in to the apartment, Rada turned to Tiz.

"So what –" He broke off when the girl gave a loud, fake sneeze.

Luckily, Kayia got the hint as well. "So…uh…did you have fun with Zanu?"

"I guess. He told me a lot about Hecate. Like those blue orbs," she said, pointedly nodding behind them. There was one in the corner. You couldn't even see it unless you closed the front door and turned around. "They're really high tech cameras."

"Neat," Rada said flatly.

"Let's order dinner and get some sleep," Kayia said with a sigh. "We can talk tomorrow."


Thor had barely slept since the trio had left. He was up now, reading, when he heard the door to his chambers creak open. "Go to bed, Rai," he said wearily.

"It's me."

Thor turned to find Kenzo standing there. "Kenzo? What are you –"

"You sent them to Hecate, didn't you?"

Thor paused. "Yes, that's right."

"I hope they come back," the boy whispered.

Thor walked over and hugged him.


The tour was boring, but Tiz forced herself to pay attention. Not only to what their tour guide was pointing out, but to other things as well – blind spots, guard placement, things like that. Zanu was a changed man today. Downright friendly, he was whispering little tidbits of information. Most of it was useless, but said with a conspiratorial air that was supposed to mean he knew a lot more, but couldn't tell her. That is, until they got to the top floor….

The building was circular, with rooms alternating positions as you went down the levels – so if a room was at the one o'clock position on level six, there would be a room at two o'clock on level five. As they were passing the twelve o'clock room on this floor, and the tour guide blathered on about research and development, Tiz noticed an inordinate amount of guards around.

"There sure are a lot of guards," she whispered.

"This floor's rooms are top secret, they are," Zanu whispered back.

"It must be terribly exciting then, working up here and being a part of it all."

"Not really. Being a guard is dull work. And there's only three rooms up here anyway. The one ahead – I think it's called the Baroque room or something – only one guard knows what's in it even. And he only works in the early morning."

Tiz nodded. As they passed, she smiled and waved at the guards, glancing casually around. She spotted what she was looking for – a plastic plaque next to the door that read "Baroque Initiative 2".

It was a match to the one found on the children's transport.