Just a quick A/N:
Sorry to those of you that got the email about this and found a wall of coded text. There was an error in posting this that EmpressPyrus informed me of immediately after I pressed "publish chapter", so thank you EmpressPyrus!
Oh, and there are some OC's in this chapter; I'm not sure if you guys remember them from chapter 4(?), but Obsidian and Cassie are present in this chapter. Maron is as well, but I don't own Maron. But if you don't remember who they are, please check out chapter 4 and it's all explained there ^_^
Anyway, here you go!
"Never tell your problems to anyone...20% don't care and the other 80% are glad you have them."
― Lou Holtz
For the first time in the past week, both Shun and Marucho were asleep. For the first time in the past two weeks, they had both been asleep for more than two hours. So, this was the first time in nearly a month that the control room was devoid of either of their presences.
Frankly, she was surprised that they had fallen asleep on their own. Marucho had been surviving on Five Hour Energy, coffee, and some foul smelling herbal tea that he claimed helped wake him up even more than the coffee. He barely ingested anything that wasn't a protein bar, the aforementioned beverages, or a can of Red Bull. He practically had an I.V. pumping stimulants into his bloodstream. No matter what anyone said to him, he refused to lie down until they had Dan back with them.
Not even Shun could convince him to take a nap. Of course, the fact that Shun was doing the same thing wasn't helping his argument any. Shun, though, was living solely on tea, whatever food Cato brought him (which he rarely finished), and meditation. He said he slept, but no one believed him. The dark circles under his eyes called his bluff. When he wasn't meditating or drinking tea, he was off battling someone in Bakugan Interspace, or brooding out of sight.
At least, that was how it was until he and Taylean took a deadly hit in Interspace the other day. At that point, Fabia drew the line, but Shun only listened because there would have been no way he could defend himself against her with his entire torso wrapped in bandages. Only then did he agree to lie down and sleep. Marucho joined him soon after, but only because Ren locked him in the same room and stationed Paige outside with instructions to knock him out with her fists if he tried to leave.
Thankfully, this not only meant that their two strongest teammates were finally getting the rest they needed, but also that Mira didn't have to find another place to converse with the Council back on Vestal. At the moment, the already unstable situation on her planet was going to hell in a handbasket, and the last thing she wanted to worry about was finding a place to remotely attend the meeting.
At the moment, she was alone in the room. That wouldn't last for long, though; Ace would probably drop by sooner or later to make sure she hadn't sustained another concussion or something. In any case, the privacy made it a lot easier to hold a conversation—especially one with as much weight as the one she was having currently.
Cassie was clearly panicked; Mira could tell that much from the look on the young princess' face. She was trying to hide it for Mira's benefit, but she still was only eleven, and her large, innocent eyes betrayed her. She hadn't been raised in a castle; she had only assumed this position a year ago. Her mother had left her with a friend when she was five and never came back, and while her foster parents had been kind, they never invested as much effort in raising her as true parents should have. She didn't know how to deal with responsibility properly and often broke down in tense moments, and the lack of parental figures in her life was clearly having an effect on her. She was very insecure and did not react well to criticism, but it was something Mira was helping her through.
At the moment, though, most of Mira's advice was going right over her head, but that wasn't entirely Cassie's fault. Part of it might have had something to do with the shouting match taking place on the other side of the room, where Maron was telling off a member of the advising council for blaming Cassie for their troubles. Obsidian was rubbing her hand in circles on Cassie's back, while the princess was trying hard to keep her attention focused on both what Mira was saying and the accusations Maron was hurling at the advisor.
"Listen, Cassie, I need you to take a deep breath, okay?" Mira tried again. Cassie inhaled slowly, then expelled the air after holding it for a moment. Mira nodded encouragingly. "Good. Now, what exactly is he saying?"
"The guy from the Crimson League or Joel?" Cassie asked, glancing nervously at the councilman Maron was giving a verbal beatdown.
"The guy from the Crimson League."
"He says Keith is training me to be a dictator, like my father," she replied, hugging herself as if she were cold. For all Mira knew, she could be, since she was wearing a no-sleeved dress, but something told her the temperature of the room was the least of her worries. "Since Keith used to be Spectra, a lot of people are thinking he's teaching me to be power hungry, like he was when he was Spectra." Mira refused to let her exasperation show on her face. For goodness sakes, people, couldn't you give us a break? Keith's changed!
"Lady Mira, you cannot deny that these accusations have a root in reality," came the agitated voice of one of the older councilmen, Elias Gaunt. Mira was not particularly fond of him, but then again, she wasn't particularly fond of any of the councilmen. Maybe it was because they all behaved like pompous know-it-alls, but that was an issue for another day. "The protests will turn into full-fledged riots any day now!"
"The strikes are also causing worldwide economic stalemates," the financial advisor added. "This year's GDP is at it's lowest in the past two hundred years, and even Klaus Industries is suffering severe budget cuts and is being forced to lay off workers! The unemployment rate is at twenty five percent! One quarter of the population is without work! More than sixteen percent of the nation's youth lives on the street and the expenditures to keep youth shelters open are—"
"Thank you, Nethaniel," Mira cut him off tersely, already well aware that the economic train had long since derailed. "How are the efforts for colonization of New Vestroia coming along?"
"They are also at an all time low," Nethaniel replied, his words clipped. Clearly, he did not appreciate having been interrupted in the middle of his report. "Only two thousand civilians took part in the most recent trip. Do you have any idea how much this effort is bruising our economy? New Vestroia is lacking in goods and, honest to goodness, the only thing keeping our economy afloat right now are the tournaments in the cities."
"They're also the only thing keeping Vestals on New Vestroia from overthrowing the governors and caretakers in Alpha, Beta and Gama cities," Joel spat. Maron visibly bristled, and Obsidian discreetly tugged on her cape to encourage her to keep quiet.
"Why aren't they having the same effect on Vestal?" Mira questioned. Obsidian decided to speak this time.
"The godforsaken Crimson League is to blame for that one," she growled, crossing her arms. "They took over most of the arenas in the area. Those outside the Capital are still open, but participation has slowed down a lot ever since the bomb in Tridium." Mira sighed, tugging on her ponytail to try to keep her wits about her.
The Crimson League was, as far as Mira was concerned, a terrorist organization. It had started a few years back, when she, Keith, Gus, Ace, and Baron returned from their excursion battling the Alternative. Very few people were enthusiastic about allowing Keith—who, as far as they were concerned, was the infamous Spectra Phantom—to take such a position of power. Very few people supported a monarchy at all, actually. After Zenoheld, they all had become rather wary of allowing power to be held in the hands of one single person.
In the absence of authority, riots and looting quickly overcame any semblance of a judicial system. Politicians were found dead in their homes, children were kidnapped and held for ransom that was rarely paid, and many people starved due to the already unstable economy made worse by failed colonization of New Vestroia and the lack of governmental stability. Gangs with decent Bakugan battling ability were the ones in charge, and most of their leadership skills were severely lacking. As such, the whole planet was in chaos.
Keith, Mira and the others managed to get things under control through their use of the Bakugan. They gained support from former supporters of the Resistance, along with some Vexos fans, although Keith made it clear that the Vexos no longer existed by battling without his mask. They found Cassie and quickly publicized her status as the heir to the throne. However, her association with Zenoheld and Hydron immediately earned her public dislike. Vandalism of her former home forced her foster family into protective custody. Friends ostracized her, family members turned their backs on her, and most people wanted nothing more than to keep her from the throne. They didn't want a repeat of what they had just been through.
The Crimson League had been the first to start an uprising against Keith, and, once his favor of Cassie was made public, against her as well. They were behind the majority of the protests that took place, unafraid of the violence they frequently stirred up. They were cruel to those unfortunate enough to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, often beating them until they were unrecognizable, dead, or a combination thereof. So far, riots had been uncommon, but a few had broken out.
Their leader was one who stayed in the shadows; no one knew who he was or even his gender. Anyone who claimed to have any association with him usually turned up dead the next day, and the leads that the law enforcement received from them always turned out to be false trails. It was looking like it wasn't just an organization opposed to Cassie and Spectra, but rather, a hate group that wanted nothing more than to destroy any and all power held by the royal family. Sure, there had been incidents involving protests of the monarchy in the past, but never to this scale. And usually, the perpetrator was quick to show his face and take credit for his handiwork. Not this time.
Mira dropped her hands to her lap, thinking. This was complicated, and the councilmen were giving her little time to consider her options. She hadn't thought that this position would be this difficult when Keith first suggested it; she didn't have the necessary background in order to be successful in politics. Sure, she made it a priority to study up on it once she discovered the issue with the Bakugan on New Vestroia, but once their fight began, it took a back seat in the grand scheme of things. Once that fight was over and they took on the problem of the Crimson League and all the other gangs running rampant on Vestal, she had begun to study more, often late into the night. Book smarts were doing little to help her right now, though.
"Admiral Marshall, how many active troops are in the area at the moment?" Mira asked. The view on the monitor before her shifted so that she could look at the whole table—more than ten men, all over the age of fifty, and three women, two of which were in their sixties. Cassie sat at the far head, Maron (who had abandoned her shouting match with Joel) and Obsidian standing behind her, and the two seats beside the princess were empty. That was usually where Spectra and Mira sat. Cassie looked highly uncomfortable without her mentors by her sides, even though this wasn't the only instance where she had to face the council alone.
Admiral Marshall, one of the younger men on the council (though still sporting gray hair and a balding scalp) and the representative of the Commandant, tapped a few keys on the tabletop in front of him. A few screens appeared in front of his face. "Lady Mira, sixteen thousand men currently have residencies in the Capital Military Base."
"And the Air Force base?"
"Fourteen thousand."
"What about the B Striking unit?"
"Four hundred men, Milady."
Mira considered this for a moment. The B Striking unit (shamelessly named for Bee Striker, a Bakugan commonly used by Ventus battlers on Earth during the battles against Naga) was a newly implemented military branch. Battlers that were gifted but showed little to no interest in tournaments (a surprisingly common occurrence) were given the opportunity to enlist in this special branch of the military, organized by Keith and Gus. The groups were sorted depending on Bakugan attribute; most Ventus Bakugan were a part of the Air Force, Aquos the Navy, Sub-Terra the ground forces. Haos, Darkus and Pyrus were split up depending on their ability to work with others and their physical limitations.
"Alright, make sure they are all prepared to intervene in the event of a riot," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. This job was going to make her go gray before she turned twenty. "Yes, I know that Reflection Act 16 prevents the military from intervening in a domestic setting, but if the police cannot handle this, priority one is to remove Her Highness from the violence, and then quell any aggression as peacefully as possible."
"I believe that it would be best to remove Cassandra from the situation all together," snapped an irritated councilman whose name Mira had had difficulty remembering since she first met him. She instantly caught his lack of Cassie's title and grit her teeth in anger. He was the most petulant on the council, one of the elders. Twenty years ago he had been tried for supposedly stealing money from the state, but the judge declared a mistrial after the courtroom was blown up and all the lawyers, jurors, and witnesses were killed. The councilman was in the hospital for three years, his position filled in by a multitude of replacements that all had no idea what they were doing. He took the spot again once he recovered enough, though not by popular demand. Zenoheld himself placed him in that position of power, and the money started disappearing again. Everyone knew who was responsible, but he was never tried again. The only reason he was still there was because he was the most experience with foreign affairs. He had been the secretary of state for over thirty five years, and with all the other chaos in the government, replacing him for embezzlement at a time like this would have been a ridiculously stupid move. Even so, Mira hated him.
Cassie shifted in her seat, her cheeks flaming. "All of these problems are because of her!" he continued. "Not only is she a descendant of that traitor Zenoheld, but her blood is stained! The bloodline of the royal family is soiled thanks to her prostitute of a mother!"
His outburst shocked everyone in the room into silence. Mira's mouth dropped open, and Cassie looked to be on the verge of tears. Maron was enraged, her cheeks pink and her eyes beady with hate. The only reason she hadn't leapt at him was because Obsidian, despite her own shock and anger, had taken a fistful of her cape and refused to let go.
For a moment, no one spoke, but then murmurs of agreement had started to circulate around the table. Cassie looked around helplessly, clearly struggling to keep her emotions under control. Mira struggled to get her own under wraps, quickly feeling herself become blinded by rage but understanding the danger of it's fire. How dare they say such things! This was treason!
She was about to open her mouth to say such when Obsidian started to speak. In a perfectly level voice that Mira was sure she herself wouldn't be able to emulate, she said, "Up until the moment Zenoheld betrayed us, I had absolute faith in the monarchy and the council that advised it. I was proud to be a Vestal. I was proud to live under such wise, just leaders. But now I see that that faith was just childhood naiveté. The system was corrupt back then, and it's still corrupt now. You, councilman"—she pointed to the secretary of state, whose death glare was reddening—"are a disgrace. To our families, to our kingdom, to our planet. You should be ashamed of yourself.
"And yeah, we all know that you were embezzling the state. You should be in prison right now, but instead, you're here.
"Cassie has nothing to do with her blood. That issue comes from her parents. I'd be ashamed to be related to Zenoheld at all, and no one even knows who her mother was, so stop assuming that she was a prostitute just because she had an affair with the king. She is the only heir, and you should count yourselves lucky we have an heir at all. You saw all the gangs fighting for leadership just two years ago. How would you like it if we had some power crazy dictator in charge, moving drugs and all sorts of other contraband through the kingdom? You would have any say in anything he tried to do; in fact, you'd probably all be dead."
The secretary of state's face was turning purple, but Obsidian either didn't notice or didn't care. Probably the latter.
"The only reason any of you are even here is because of Keith and Mira Fermin, who chased all of you cowards out of hiding and dragged you back here, provided you with protection, a warm bed, and even found you the rightful heir to this throne. They saved your lives, gave you a say in what the government will do at all, and even made sure that you got a decent salary. Not a single one of you deserves to be on this council; you're all a bunch of power hungry pigs who are loyal to nobody but yourselves.
"Get your freaking act together, you morons," she snapped. "You have an entire planet and a half depending on your decisions. You have over nine billion people's and millions of Bakugan's fates in your grubby hands, and you had better get your heads out of your butts—" "Obsidian!" Mira cried—"and start shaping up to deal with the problem. Princess Cassie is the heir. Get over your issues with that and start working towards solutions."
The room was silent for all of ten seconds, all of which Mira spent dealing with conflicting emotions. A huge part of her agreed with what Obsidian said, another part wanted to throttle her for using so many disrespectful terms, another was wondering what the hell they were going to do now that they'd managed to tick off most of the council, and another just wanted to curl up in a ball and let someone else deal with the problem. Of course, none of those would be acceptable responses to the situation, but before she could even come up with one, the door to her room slammed open. She jumped about a foot in the air, knocking Wilda, who had been perched, silent, on her shoulder, to the ground, before she whirled around to face the newcomer.
Much to her surprise, it was Baron, whose eyes were wide with excitement. Mira stared at him in shock, trying to process what he was doing. He was breathing hard, his cheeks pink, and his forehead glistened with sweat, as if he had been either working out, battling or running.
"Baron, what are you doing here?" Mira stammered as soon as she found her voice. "I'm in the middle of a meeting—"
"Forget that!" Baron interrupted. "You've gotta come see this!"
"See what, Baron?" Mira demanded. "I'm having a meeting with the council! What could possibly be so important—"
"They traced the gate!" he cried, and Mira froze. They found Dan? Baron shook his head, guessing what she was thinking. "No, not Dan's—the one from the death bomb!"
"But they traced that weeks—"
"We weren't certain, remember? And the track was so unstable before, that's why we couldn't just follow them in another black portal! Come on! The Gate's all ready to go; you're going to go find Mylene and Shadow!"
"Wait, let me get this straight." Mira had heard everything he said, and suddenly felt overcome with excitement, but was trying to make sure she had heard correctly. "You opened a Gate to Displatis?"
"Yeah, yeah! Come on, you've gotta see this!" The sound of a throat clearing from the communicator behind her brought her attention back. She glanced at the monitor, taking in the angry face of the nearest councilman. Mira blanched.
"Baron, I can't—I'm in the middle of a meeting!" she repeated.
"I actually think we should adjourn for the day," Cassie said sharply, exercising her authority for the first time during the meeting. Mira blinked, surprised that she had actually spoken up. Cassie didn't usually take control, preferring to let Mira and Keith keep charge during the meetings. This time, though, she appeared to have had enough.
Apparently, the other councilmen weren't as impressed by her newfound leadership skills at Mira was. "But, Cassandra—"
"You will address me by my title, Councilman," Cassie replied curtly, the fire in her eyes wavering. Mira caught a glimpse of Obsidian's hand rest on her shoulder, realizing that it was Obsidian who was egging her on. Someone owes that girl a party, Mira thought, resisting the urge to shake her head in wonder.
Cassie steeled herself once again. "Obsidian is right. I am the only heir to the throne. I wish to be clear: I do value your input, as you have much more experience in running a country than I do. Despite this, I will not allow you to insult my family or abuse your authority as senior members of the government." She took a deep breath before she continued. "I believe that it would be a very wise decision to adjourn for the time being. The problems that this planet has will not be solved by arguing or flinging insults. We will return to this meeting tomorrow and all further discussions will be conducted in a civil manner. Have I made myself clear?"
Agitated mumblings were her reply. She gritted her teeth. "Have I made myself clear?" she repeated.
"Yes, your Highness," came the reply of the head councilman. Cassie nodded, satisfied, and stood. Everyone else at the table rose and remained standing until she, Maron, and Obsidian left the room. The guards standing before the main doors opened them for the trio, and closed them as they passed, leaving Mira with the rest of the council. She let out a breath of relief that Cassie had finally been able to stand up to the council, something that the terrified little girl they had found on a street corner two years ago would never have been able to do. However, the good mood was shattered by the vicious glares cast her way by the councilmen as soon as the doors shut behind the princess.
Mira ended her call abruptly, not wanting to start another argument. She sighed, resting her elbows on the desk in front of her and putting her head in her hands. Baron was silent, as if he were unsure how to respond to what he had just witnessed.
"Are you alright, Mira?" Wilda asked.
"Yeah," she replied breathily, rubbing her eyes. She turned to face Baron tiredly. "Where's the gate?"
"Mira, is everything okay?" Baron asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine." She stood up, tucking a small communicator into her pocket. "Where is the Gate?"
"It's…it's in Russia, with Dr. Michael," Baron replied tentatively, following her to the door. "The others are all meeting downstairs, by the fountain. Alice is gonna transport us there."
"How many of us?"
"I don't know; I know Master Shun is going, and Ace, maybe. It's mostly recon, Alice said." Mira nodded in understanding as they headed for the elevator that would take them to that floor.
"What about Keith?" she asked softly.
"…I don't know," Baron murmured.
They were silent for a few moments while they waited for it to arrive, but Mira didn't mind the silence. She had a lot to think about, knowing that the meeting should take precedence, but instead focusing on Mylene and Shadow. It had been so long since she'd seen them, and that last meeting hadn't gone well. Her memories flashed back to that last, horrible battle in Bakugan Interspace, how angry Mylene had been, and so proud, too. No matter what Spectra or Mira said, nothing could convince her to join them.
Not even impending death.
As they stepped into the elevator, Mira covered her right hand with her left. Her fingers tingled from the afterimage of Mylene's hand grasped between them. Even though it had been three years, she still couldn't shake it. She remembered those last moments more clearly than anything except those with her father; the cold hate of Mylene's icy gaze, the bundle of fingers she desperately clung to. She remember how it felt when the ground beneath her shuddered and they slipped. She remembered the horrible despair that came after. That blank screen, the silence of that room after the chaos of Interspace.
It still gave her the chills.
"Mira, are you sure you're okay?" Nemus asked. Mira blinked, glancing at him.
"You're being awfully quiet," Baron agreed, concern in his blue eyes. "And you have goosebumps." Mira hid her surprise and forced a smile.
"Really, it's nothing. I'm just nervous about seeing Mylene and Shadow after so long." The lie came effortlessly, but Baron wasn't fooled.
"Mira, I've known you too long to fall for that," he said, turning to face her instead of the elevator door. Mira avoided his gaze. "Come on. We're friends; I promise I won't tell if you don't want me to."
"Baron, there's nothing wrong," Mira insisted, fixing her gaze on the changing floor numbers. Three floors until their level, then she could avoid this conversation.
"Then what was that whole thing with the council?" he questioned. Mira's fists clenched.
"Something like that happens every time," she replied, keeping her voice level. Two more floors. "It's really nothing new." Baron was silent, and though Mira wondered why, she didn't want to attract his attention by moving. One more floor.
The door opened without Baron saying anything else, and Mira immediately moved to exit, but Baron caught her wrist. Mira started, surprised, but was thrown off even more by the serious look in his eyes. "Mira, I can't make you tell me what's wrong," he said, "or even make you admit that there's something wrong. That's you; the headstrong leader of the Resistance."
The elevator door started to close, but Baron stopped it with his free hand. The doors retracted into the wall, and he stepped out. He didn't let go of her, though.
"We all admire you for that. The whole planet admires you for that. But that time when you had to shoulder every burden that came our way is over. Ace and I—and Keith and Gus, too—we're more than willing to help you, Mira."
She looked away—not out of shame this time, but because she didn't want him to see the tears in her eyes. She couldn't let him see…he couldn't know that she was scared and unsure and helpless and hurting. She had to protect him—it was her job as stand in queen.
Queens didn't cry.
It took a considerable effort, but she prevented the tears from spilling out. She smiled sadly. "Thank you, Baron." Her voice conveyed her sincerity far more powerfully than any additional words could. Even so, he studied her for a moment, and Mira was struck by how grown up he had become in just three years. When had he started to notice these things? When had he learned how to give advice like that?
When did he change?
Apparently, he wasn't thinking the same things about her. Or if he was, he didn't show it. He released her, satisfied, and smiled briefly. "Come on, Alice and the others are waiting!" And just like that, he took off down the hall, running like the twelve year old he had been back then.
Mira stared after him, momentarily surprised by the transformation, before she chuckled. That was Baron; just as quirky as she remembered. "Come on, wait up!" she cried, hurrying after him.
Dunno where the heck this came from…To be honest, I didn't expect to spend so much time on the politics of Vestal, but hey; comes into play later. I think. I hope. If I do this right, that is.