Travel the depths of space, beyond our own system, and many distant light years later; arrive on the planet of Kapria. Here takes place the next chapter in our story.
Princess Aurora paced the enclosed waiting area outside the Chamber of Elders. Her father, Lord Phoebus, had long been a member of the Kaprian senate, the governing body that answered only to the Chamber of Elders.
The Kaprian Senate was made up of 48 senators, or in Kaprian, heiese, who represented his or her given area. The planet of Kapria was made up of 24 different constituent sectors, and each of the sectors was represented in the Senate by 2 heiese. The heiese were chosen by birthright, that is, the status was passed down through generation in the given bloodline. The family was bred into the role and they were thought to have the best blood type for the job than any other families, until proven otherwise. Other bloodlines were considered for the role of carrying the heiese status, but only one was chosen. The rejected bloodlines could, after a generation – that is, after the person that was chosen as heiese had served and passed away – challenge the chosen bloodline for the status of heiese.
Princess Aurora's family, House Boraeliese, had held the status of heiese for six generations, the longest that any family of ruling blood type has held the position. Therefore, House Boraeliese was considered the best ruling house in Kapria, and Lord Phoebus, the alpha male of the House and heiese of Kaprian sector 3, was considered mostly likely to be inducted into the Chamber of Elders to replace the residing Kaprian Elder.
Eight other planets made up the Kaprian system, and each of the planets chose one Elder from their respective senate, making for a total of 9 Elders in the Kaprian senate.
Being chosen to be an Elder was a difficult and careful process and birthright provided no guarantee. The selection process would start when one of the Elders began nearing an age when he was expected to retire. When the time came, the process would begin in the planet from which the Elder originated. First, each heiese of the senate had an opportunity to make a case for his or her nomination as the next Elder. Each application was reviewed by a separate electoral college – which was made up of various prominent scholars – and the five best candidates were chosen and submitted, to now be reviewed by the retiring Elder. The Elder sponsored one of the 5 candidates. The candidate then made his case again in the Chamber, and the sponsoring Elder made his supporting case. After the 8 others reviewed the candidate, and came to a decision (the candidate only needed to do better than a 3 out of the 8 vote), the candidate was then subjected to a final initiation. The initiation consisted of several tests, but it was largely ceremonial and none of the candidates who got that far failed to complete the exam.
Should the candidate be rejected by the Elders, or fail the initiation tests – however unlikely either of those cases were – then Elder would sponsor the next of the 4 remaining, and so on and so forth. Never had all 5 candidates failed in the final stages, but should they have failed, the process would start again, but the initial five were no longer allowed to participate.
Aurora's father, Lord Phoebus, was a lock to be chosen as Elder. All politicians, whether they are bred for the role or not, have connection and owe favors or are owed favors. Phoebus, through his own connections, and of the connections and the prominence of his predecessors, was able to gain some crucial votes in the Electoral College and in the Chamber itself. Phoebus would make a great leader and do great things for Kapria in his new position. Aurora, however, was a problem.
At birth, all Kaprian, of royal blood or not, have their genetic coding tested. Of the ruling house, Aurora had the weakest genetic predisposition to being a ruler and a politician. She didn't need to worry, however, about being challenged, because her transition to heiese following her father would be natural. Because her father was being moved up to the higher ruling class, it was natural for Aurora to step into the heiese role; thus, her position could not be challenged.
However, the problem remained, she had lost the respect of many of the members of the senate even before she got a chance. She could, with a two-thirds majority of the senate, be replaced as heiese after 2 Kaprian years of office. This scenario was becoming more and more likely because of her genetic test results.
Which lead to the main reason for her being here. Father wanted me to be here to present our case to the Elders so he could show his own faith in me. The senate considered new issues at the bi-weekly meetings. One of them was the Trade Tariff and Route Agreement imposed by Kold's Empire. While Kapria lay on the fringes of Kold's Empire, they increasingly influenced by the growing empire. The Agreement would not only restrict the trade routes so that the Empire could monitor and regulate trade, it would also impose a tariff on all trade goods leaving the Kaprian system. The Empire would provide the work force through slave labor, there by reducing production prices, and via the tariff, increase the gross income, but giving that much control to Kold's Empire meant that the Kaprians would lose much of their economic autonomy and with it, their political sovereignty. It also limited the various markets that the Kaprians relied on.
There was some strong support for the Agreement in the senate and the privately owned enterprises, but the Anti-Empire factions proved to be stronger in this case. Now, it was up to Aurora to present their case to the Chamber of Elders. Father pulled a lot of strings to get me audience with the Chamber. It's been done, using a proxy to present a case, but never on an issue of this magnitude. There's a lot riding on this opportunity. If I can sway the Elders in my favor, than not only will we began a direct defiance of the Empire, I'll also gain a lot of support for my future. Aurora knew, that failing here meant that Kapria would ultimately fall under the Empires rules. Not only that, both she and her father would lose face in the political landscape; Aurora would only reinforce her apparent incompetence as a politician, and Phoebus would seem foolish in making such a poor judgment in such an important issue. Succeeding, however, would mean that she was gaining respect from her political peers.
Aurora continued to pace the waiting room. She was resplendently dressed in a verdant green dress with gold trims, following the color scheme of House Boraeliese. The silky garment was modestly cut, sleeveless down her right arm, but covering her left arm from shoulder to wrist. The dress was slim-fitting, hugging her figure gently. She donned her golden tiara, embedded in the center with the Coruscan emerald. The scintillating jewel produced its own light, sparkling with electrifying green that mirrored the green eyes of the princess. Vibrant red hair cascaded down over Aurora's shoulders and Aurora absent-mindedly tucked her hair behind her ears. She looked every bit the beautiful and confident princess that the media made her out to be, but inside, she was anything but.
She glanced over at her two guardians. Their facial expressions were stoic and unchanging, but their calm gray eyes followed her every movements, keeping a constant vigil. Tall and broad shouldered, they exuded an aura of safety and that normally comforted Aurora, but now it bothered her.
"You know you don't have to stay here," Aurora suggested to her guards.
The first guard, sharply dressed in a white uniform of the royal guards, with a green cape over his left shoulder, spoke in a soothing bass. "It is our duty to protect you, Princess."
Aurora smiled warmly at her faithful companion. "I know that, Jeice, but you're making me nervous by being in here. This is really a lot for me to handle, and if you're here, I'll feel even more pressured."
There was a hint of hesitation in Jeice's granite eyes before he replied. "If our watching you makes you uncomfortable, we could face the wall," he offered.
You are loyal to a fault, my friend. Aurora chuckled quietly. "You don't have to do that. One of your duties is also to obey my orders. Now, I order you to leave. The both of you."
Jeice contemplated this for a moment then nodded. "We will be right outside the door, Princess, if you need us."
"I know, Jeice, thank you." She reached up and gave the tall guard a hug around his neck. He glanced down at her face and responded with the smallest smile before gesturing to his partner and heading out the door.
Aurora sighed. Jeice and his companion weren't average guards. They were of the warrior caste, and bred specifically for the role of eijai, or guardian. Jeice and his partner, Breen, were actually twins. They were genetically engineered to be eijai type, and were very powerful fighters. Eijai were known specifically for their martial skills and fierce dedication. Stories of the eijai sacrificing themselves for their masters were common among the Kaprians. Aurora knew that the twins would not hesitate a second before throwing themselves into space to die a cold hard death if it meant the survival of the princess. While she found that comforting, it also bothered her. That's just two more people depending on me, and that's more pressure than I need right now.
Her reveries were interrupted by the opening of the huge doors that led to the Chambers of the Elders. A tall woman dressed in a simple white gown walked out.
"The Elders are expecting you, princess."
Aurora nodded politely and took a deep breath before entering.
The chamber was shaped in a large circle, and the nine Elders occupied half of it, facing the door. Aurora stepped up to the podium in the center and bowed respectfully. She straightened up and began speaking with confidence that she did not feel.
"Distinguished Elders, I come to you with an issue of great importance, and I am honored by your allowing me audience." She paused for a moment and looked around the chamber before continuing.
"As you all know, King Kold's empire is expanding quickly. In almost no time at all, he has reached our Kaprian Sector and now demands that we sign a preposterous agreement of which we see no benefit.
"Kold seeks to take control of our sector by controlling the flow of resources therein. There are factions within the sector that are supportive of the agreement, but in their short-sightedness and greed for more money, they fail to realize that we will ultimately lose our governmental autonomy if we do agree.
"Which is why I stand here before you today, speaking for all of my colleagues who say that we will not submit to Kold and his demands. We will take a stand here, and even though King Kold may soon take over the whole galaxy, he will not take our sector while we still breathe."
Aurora took some heart in the emphatic nods amongst some of the elders. They seemed in almost unanimous agreement except for one of them.
"You are foolish, child, if you think that by rejecting this treaty, it will deter Kold in any way from taking over our sector."
Aurora turned to look at the hatchet faced man that had spoken. He was Eliad of House Poulsaer. The white haired man was the sole opposition to her father's becoming an Elder. No doubt he seeks to embarrass me here today so he can hurt my father's standing. I'll give him no chance to do so.
Aurora shot the old man a icy glare. "I am not a child, nor am I foolish. I know full well that rejecting the treaty may very well accomplish nothing. But from what I know of Kaprian tradition, we do not run from the face of imminent doom."
The subtle reference to Eliad's past history as general of the Kaprian Army drew some chuckles from the others. Before Eliad could sputter another word, Aurora continued the verbal abuse.
"I, for one, am not content to sit back and watch as Kapria becomes one of Kold's lapdogs. Signing the treaty goes against the Kaprian pride that is inherent in all of us." She smirked. "Correction," she added as she glanced again at Eliad, "in most of us."
Eliad was incensed by the young princess and the reaction from the Elders that she drew. "You will remember you place, girl. I am…"
"I know who you are, Eliad." Aurora cut him off. "But what I didn't know was what you are. You are little more than a coward. You know full well that becoming one of Kold's subjects may cause more suffering for our people. You hope that, by supporting Kold's army, that he'll grant you some sort of high standing. You are a traitor."
Before anyone else could speak, a loud explosion shook the walls of the chamber. The doors burst open and a number of soldiers dressed in dark blue and white uniforms flooded in through the doors. Blue and white? Poulsaer colors? She shot a glance at where Eliad had sat, but he was no longer there. Eliad, you son of a bitch.
She turned, desperately looking around for an escape. Her eyes caught movement and she turned to it, only to see a giant ki-blast hurtling towards her.
Aurora shut her eyes and threw up her hands. She expected the blast's horrible energy to burn her hands, but the pain never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw Jeice, standing gallantly in front of her, protecting her from her assailant.
Jeice reached over his shoulder and drew his broadsword from its scabbard. Aurora had once tried to pick up the sword, but failed to even budge it. However, from the numerous times that she had watched Jeice train with it, she knew that to him, the sword weighed little more than a pen.
An assassin leapt at Aurora with a dagger in his hand but he was sliced out of the air by Jeice's broadsword.
"Princess, come. We must leave right now," Jeice urged. His voice betrayed no emotion.
Aurora looked up at him. "Jeice, what about my father?"
For a moment, Jeice seemed genuinely apologetic. That emotion quickly disappeared however, when he spoke.
"He's dead."
Aurora's eyes widened in shock. "What? How could…"
"Princess, there is no time. We must go. The Palace was destroyed. Soon, more will come." There was a hint of urgency in Jeice's gray eyes.
Not knowing how to respond, Aurora stood there dumbly. Her mind told her feet furiously to start running, but her body refused to move.
Jeice frowned in frustration and simply picked her up by the waist, throwing her over her shoulder. He quickly dispatched two more assassins and ran out through the door.
Breen joined them only moments later, his cloak torn to pieces from the battle. Together they headed towards the hangar bay. On the way, they met more assassins, but between Breen and Jeice, the would-be killers were quickly disposed of.
They reached the hangar and found an old freighter that had not been destroyed. Jeice, moving with calm efficiency, opened the door, secured the princess in a chair and sat down in the pilot's chair himself. Breen took his spot in the co-pilot's seat.
As they cleared the hangar, the ship shook from the blasts fired from the ground. Jeice quietly increased the rear shields and accelerated. As soon as they cleared the atmosphere, he made the jump into hyperspace, leaving the Kapria system behind, and into the unknown.