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Esther returned the kitchen an hour later. She let out a breath as she set down the tray piled with dirty dishes. It was then she noticed both Father Nightroad and Saint Sahl had left. She glanced around. Not even their glasses of blood remained. The only others there were the servants from Albion. They were working on cleaning the dinner dishes from their soldiers and queen.
The head servant stood watching the other three and directing them for tomorrow's tasks.
Another of sisters entered the room, she carried the dishes from the guards they had brought.
"Did you see Saint Sahl?" Esther asked the other sister.
The woman nodded. "She was in the room shared with the other female guard and us," the sister stated. "Why?"
"No reason." Esther turned back to the task at hand. So, Lilith had returned her rooms. Esther shook her head. She was being silly. Just because Lilith and Father Nightroad had been talking didn't mean it had anything to do with the peace meeting in general. Father Nightroad would never use them.
The sound of more people entering, made Esther look back at the entrance. The head of the imperial servants entered the room. He carried a tray much like the rest in the room had. Only there was just one plate on his tray. Another servant followed behind him.
Alain moved towards where he had been earlier and set down the tray. He was speaking in the imperial language to the other servant. The woman responded and Alain nodded before he set to work on the dishes next to Esther at one of the two sinks in the room.
Esther watched him out of the corner of her eye. Questions pricked at her mind. She knew how the empire ran under Seth in their time. Yet, nothing other what little she had learned in history about the empire pre-Empress Augusta Vladika. There were so many rumors about the empire pre-Vladika being a lie and not real history.
Now, she knew it was truth. Yet, history painted it as the empire treating the "terran" poorly, especially in this time. There was no coexistence like the empire had under Seth. But, it was Father Nightroad who ran the empire. She couldn't imagine him being cruel, even after all she had learned from Saint Sahl about the war.
Esther took a deep breath. "I'm Sister Esther Blanchett," she started and held up a soapy hand to the imperial servant.
He looked at her before he took it. "Alain Weber, head of his imperial majesty's servants." He returned to his work, taking dishes and scrubbing them clean.
Esther bit her lip. She hadn't expected for him to just return to work. She did the same, keeping her eyes on him.
Alain let out a breath. "What is it?" he asked.
"W-what?"
"You're watching me, Sister Blanchett. Do you think I am going to attack you?" He looked at her, his gaze intense and amused all at once. "I'm not a returner."
"What?" Esther frowned. "What is a 'returner'?"
"What people outside the empire would call 'vampire,'" Alain explained.
"Oh." Esther felt her cheeks warm. She looked away from him. "I was just wondering something," she started.
"Yes?" Alain pressed.
"Well, I know how the empire is under Seth, but not under Father – I mean, Emperor Nightlord. How are humans treated? Matters like that."
"You're one of the ones from the future." Alain let out another long breath.
Esther looked at him. "H-how did you know that?"
Both of Alain's eyebrows rose at this. "It wasn't hard to assume."
"I mean, how do you know there are people from the future here?"
"Is she mocking us?" the woman on Alain's other side asked.
"Ilka," Alain started, "I doubt it." He passed Ilka wet dish. "What do you mean when you ask 'how are we treated'?"
"I mean," Esther broke off and bit her lip. How did she say this? There were so many questions. Perhaps she should just ask all of them. "Are you from captured nations? Were you forced to serve the empire? Are you slaves?"
Alain held up a hand. "Slow down." He frowned. "First off, no our nations weren't captured by the empire during the war. Each group around where the empire started to build were too small and feared their neighbor starting a war with us to take us over.
"Where I grew up, there was a constant feeling of fear. The larger nations taxed us in something they called 'protection taxes.' It was allowed because we didn't have the military strength to fight them off or enough food to do so either.
"Then on day, we see something which shouldn't be possible. A craft shoots over our village and heads for the ruins all of us had been warned about."
Ilka laughed. "I remember that day. Everyone scattered out of fear. All but you."
Alain flushed and coughed. "I wasn't alone," he stated.
"What did you do?" Esther asked. She couldn't picture how an airship would be frightening, but she guessed if someone had never seen one it would.
"I followed it to the ruins and hid until I saw it land. Only once I saw three people exit and learned they were human, not monsters, I returned to my village. I told the village about it."
"It wasn't long after that the three came to the village," Ilka continued. She smiled. "It was Lady Seth, Lord Solomon, and Admiral Barvon. They explained why they were there. Just about everyone wanted a new nation, a strong nation with what we believed to be magic at the time start up."
"Our village and other villages for miles around joined the empire willingly," Alain continued. "It's how the empire has the territory it does now." He looked at her. "As for how we're treated, we're his majesties people as much as the returners are. He doesn't see as the 'terran' who forced the war on us or in any bad light."
Esther listened to the two of them. She had never considered people just willing joining the empire. She knew now not all vampires were bad people, but it didn't explain how they were viewed in the empire at all.
"But you still serve them," Esther stated. "It's terrans who serve under the," she paused, "returners."
Alain sighed. "In many ways we do take the harder jobs, but some of us are ship captains or farmers." He frowned. "Are you meaning how his majesty employs us as servants?" he asked.
"Yes."
Alain looked at her. "Understand all of us volunteered to become servants. It is some of the best pay in the empire with the highest education offered. We have to learn language, culture, and edict. His majesty is a fair, modest, and kind man."
"After you gain his trust," Ilka pointed out. "The first day he wasn't too happy about having servants." She laughed at the memory.
Alain smiled. "I remember. I also remember Sir Barack vetting all us to see which should be allowed in as the first servants." He laughed. "Anyway, my point is his majesty doesn't treat us like we're his servants. He's more," Alain frowned and then nodded, "like a father figure than our boss."
Ilka laughed. "I wouldn't go around saying that to everyone."
"Not everyone could make it as a servant," Alain pointed out.
Esther looked at the dish she was cleaning. Father Nightroad was kind to the humans in the empire, but not all outside of it. Still, was it really equality? "It's still not equality," Esther whispered to herself.
Alain laughed. "It is. We have opportunity to learn and be productive members of the empire. We will ever achieve the head science possessions? Only if someone works for it. I know one young woman who has worked into the science groups. She's well respected by Lady Thema."
It was their choice. But still… Esther couldn't shake the feeling their lives weren't all they were making it out to be.
"Look, I mean this in the nicest sense possible," Alain started, "but your views on the empire are rather ignorant. The people we serve might appear as monsters to those outside of the empire, those who don't understand them, but they are just people to me. I would give my life in service to his majesty and the princes."
Esther looked at Alain. His eyes were kind but face determined as he spoke.
"It's even more ignorant to believe we are subjugated just because we're not 'vampires.'" Alain took a deep breath. A soft beep stopped him from continuing. Alain slipped a small device Esther had never seen from his pocket. "I have to go see to his majesty. Ilka?"
"I'm fine finishing the dishes."
Alain nodded. He moved off.
Questions whirled around Esther's mind. She didn't know what to think. Was it really ignorant to believe humans weren't equal in the empire?
x – Lilith – x
Lilith sat awake in her bed. A small candle light helped her as she thought on what had been discussed yesterday and as well as where they should go from here. It wasn't her job to advise Gregory, but still, she couldn't shake the way the queen had been acting.
There was something more going on with Albion. Lilith stood. She needed to speak with Wilson over this. Perhaps it wasn't wise going to him, but he was an old friend. She could at the very least use this as an excuse to meet with him.
Lilith stood and left the rooms she shared with the other women who had come from the Vatican.
It didn't take her long to find Wilson. He was in the hall between the Albion and Vatican wings of the palace they had been given for use in the peace talks. There were no guards around him.
"Wilson," Lilith greeted him. "Why are you without a guard?"
"Her majesty doesn't believe the empire would attack," he hesitated, "me." Though the way he stressed the word pointed to something else. He smiled at Lilith as if to take his bitterness from the word. "To her credit, I doubt any of them would. Not without upsetting Abel over the matter."
Lilith felt her lip twitch with the barest hint of amusement. Wilson Walsh had been the representative from the United Kingdom assigned to the Red Mars Project. The empire would remember him with fondness for having helped keep them calm through the civil war and for serving as the vice president under Abel after in the years before the empire had been founded. Abel would never harm him as Wilson was a friend.
"I was looking for you."
Wilson bowed his head before gesturing her into a near room.
Lilith entered to find it empty and dark.
Wilson followed her and closed the door. "It's about her majesty, isn't it?"
"It is."
"Understand, I can't act on anything I am going to tell you or tell you too much." Pain glittered in Wilson's eyes. He had always been loyal to his home. Yet, she could see the tear in him. There was no taking back the eight years all of them had spent together on Mars or the deep bonds of friendship forged during that time. "The queen knows."
"What?" Lilith pressed when Wilson didn't continue.
"Abel, when we first returned to Earth, stated we were descended from the first group sent to Mars in order to avoid questions. I agreed it was for the best instead of trying to explain why all of us looked so young." Wilson took a deep breath. "I informed her majesty of the truth some time ago."
"I don't see," Lilith started before her eyes widened. "Did you tell her the group consisted of the best minds pre-Armageddon?"
Wilson gave the slightest bow of his head.
"So, she wants to use this in the negations to force the emperor in to giving her nation an edge with technology."
"More than the little she gained when my group returned home." Wilson let out a small breath. "Lilith, there is more." Wilson looked her in the eye. He took a deep breath, but didn't speak.
A small sigh escaped Lilith and she rubbed her eyes. "Her majesty wants to use this information to make certain the Empire is weakened as well by having the Vatican also want more from them."
Wilson didn't speak, he only blinked, once.
"Thank you, Wilson, but you know I can't tell Abel – Emperor Nightlord," she corrected herself, "any of this without it appearing the Vatican is making a deal with the empire behind your queen's back."
"I know." He looked her in the eye. "But it would be for the best his Holiness heard from you who the returners really are."
"I will." Lilith held up her hand. "Still, thank you, Wilson."
Wilson took her head hand.
"Your friendship has meant the world to me since the start of the civil war."
"I will always consider you a friend, Lilith. You and Abel." Wilson nodded to her. He left the room first.
Lilith knew it was close enough to dawn the Pope would be in a meeting with Caterina before the second day started. It would be for the best she told them both at once.
Sure enough, when she entered the hall where the two were staying, it was to find Caterina was crossing towards the Pope's chambers. The cardinal stopped and looked at Lilith, a small frown on her lips.
"What is it?" Caterina asked in polite tones.
"A matter which has been brought to my attention and you and his Holiness need to be made aware of."
Caterina nodded. She moved to the Pope's rooms with Lilith in toe.
Gregory was seated in of the soft chairs of the room. He looked up as they entered. "Saint Sahl, I wasn't excepting to see you this morning."
"I apologies, Holiness. A matter was just brought to my attention related to the talks today."
The Pope gestured for her to continue.
Lilith took a deep breath. "As your Holiness is well aware, I've known Wilson Walsh for years. He gave me a warning on a matter which could damage the talks or make it so the empire would be unwilling to sign treats if your Holiness and Eminence sided with the queen."
Caterina settled herself in one of the chairs in the room, her gaze sharp and calculating behind her monocle.
"It's come to my attention her majesty was made aware of the past of the empire. The full past."
"You mean how all of you were descendants of a group sent to another world?" Gregory asked.
"No, the emperor didn't want to explain how we lived so long and thus this was the story passed to yourself and the queen.
"The group which makes up the largest parts of the returners were in fact the original group sent to Mars. They were the brightest mind and best soldiers of Earth."
A small smile appeared on Gregory's face. "Yes, this explains quite a bit. It wouldn't, however, make me try and end this treaty with the empire. The treaty is needed. It also wouldn't make it so I would try to suppress the emperor's people. This would result in the treaty not happening as well."
"There is something about the project which has been lost to time," Lilith started. She agreed with him which could only mean one thing, the truth about her family had also been revealed to the queen. "It's about the existence of myself and the Nightlord siblings."
Caterina frowned. "Other than all of you being crusniks?" she asked.
Lilith felt her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth. She forced herself to breath and listen passed the thumping of her heart. "We weren't born crusniks, any more than the rest of the returners were born as they are now.
"The four of us, the commander staff of the Red Mars Project, were made for it." It was out. Lilith forced herself to breath.
"Made?" Gregory asked.
"We were genetically enhanced humans, enhanced to the point we have no birth parents or DNA from others who lived from the time outside of Seth, Abel, and Cain being related. We were modified to be what was considered prefect. Stronger, faster, smarter, and to age at a slowed rate as well as other physical enhancements which allow for the four of us to have greater chances for survival on Mars.
"In the eyes of many, pre-Armageddon we were soulless beings made from science in order to lead humanity to Mars." She kept her eyes on them. "I believe her majesty will have this information about us at this point."
Caterina glanced at his Holiness. "I've worked with Abel, in my time, for thirteen years. This might change only how I viewed his past, but not how I viewed him as a person. He wants peace. Should we profit from it? No. Our people are being released. If trade starts up with the empire, we will be able to advance in lost technology as well."
Gregory nodded. "Thank you for telling me about this matter, Lilith. I would rather hear it from you than from the queen."
Caterina leaned forward, fingers interwinded. "Now, on a matter related to this, I also gain some information from one of my agents. The queen is up to something. And I doubt the emperor is sitting on his hands in the meetings no matter his desire for peace. We need more information on what both nations are planning."
"Agreed." The pope nodded.
"Then, I ask you, Saint Sahl, take Professor Wordsworth and one of the servants other than Sister Blanchett, to investigate what is being planned."
"Nihilum will be able to stand in for you during the meeting," Gregory put in. "Given what you brought to us, we need to more information more we can proceed."
Lilith bowed. "Very well."
"Report back to us during the midday break."
"It will be done, your Holiness, your Eminence."
"Thank you, Saint Sahl. God bless you." The pope dismissed her.
(Author's Note: I had to come up with a surname for Alain… yeah.
Also, updates are slow again, sorry.)