He didn't see Melia the next day. In fact, Dunban didn't see her until the town hall three days later. He was mildly disappointed that he had not had the chance to discuss with her the things he had learned on his first day in the city, but he knew, now reflecting on this knowledge that Melia was extremely busy. Besides, the days didnt pass uneventfully for him. 't wasn't as though he had been lounging around as it were. Dunban had spent his time with Kiefer the past two days. He much preferred the company of the laconic Entia than that of the arrogant Camar. Kiefer's work was very hands on: repairing plumbing pipes and messing with electricity wires among other things. While Dunban had done a large amount of managing the rebuilding efforts of Colonies 6 & 9, he hadn't been able to be as hands on as he would've liked. Working with Kiefer allowed him to be. Working with his hands was comforting, especially since he felt out of place in this new environment.
The sun was high in the sky as he walked towards the site of the town hall. Entia filed past him into the large auditorium, whispering amongst themselves in tones of anticipation and concern. The announcement of the town hall had provoked curiosity from the Entia; Dunban had heard many Entia musing over the past few days about the topics of the city-wide meeting. When he walked into the Great Hall, Dunban saw the cabinet members seated in a row on a small stage to the left. A chair in the center of their row was empty. He supposed this would be for Melia. She was probably preparing her remarks as people arrived. Sidestepping the entrance, the man watched as people began to file and sit in the rows of the auditorium. If Dunban estimated correctly, only about sixty percent of the seats were filled. Had the High Entia lost that many to Zanza's terrorism?
People were still taking their seats as Dunban found a spot along the wall to stand and watch. He sandwiched himself between two High Entia guards, who stood silently and stoically against the wall. The murmur of the crowd slowly died as the last few took their seats. Anticipation hung in the air as everyone awaited the arrival of the Empress. Moments passed, which seemed like forever. Then she appeared, dressed in a lavender blouse and gray pants, her hair tied up in a tight bun. Melia walked onto the stage from the right wing and took the empty seat in the middle of the table. As she greeted the cabinet members, he found himself reminiscing of the town halls he himself had hosted in the Colonies.
What kind of questions would the High Entia pose to their makeshift government? Only time would tell.
As Melia rose to her feet and began her speech, the audience leaned forward, eager to hear what she was going to say. "Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming today. A lot has happened in the past eight months, and the cabinet and I wanted to bring the community together for a discussion. The intention of this town hall is to provide a forum where you can voice your suggestions, opinions, concerns and questions about the restoration project and any upcoming plans. Before we open the floor to a Q&A, I would like to provide an update on the progress we have made, as well as lay out future plans."
She looked very regal, sitting before the congregation, her hands clasped on the table as she looked out into the audience as she spoke. He could detect no waver of fear in her voice. Frankly, Dunban was impressed. It was no easy feat to speak in front of a large group of people, much less voluntarily subject oneself to potential criticism in a public forum.
"Eight months ago, we as a people were scattered across the remains of the Bionis. Now, we have been united back in our city, Alcamoth. When we began rebuilding, the city's basic infrastructure had been destroyed by Sanza and his carelessness for the High Entia and other races of the Bionis." Dunban noticed how she artfully avoided placing any blame on the Entia who had transformed into Telethia and had occupied and destroyed much of the city. "Now we have our basic systems up and running. All our people have access to shelter and clean water. Electricity has brought light to our city once more. While our food and water must be rationed, we are making strides that will lead to abundance once more." She took a breath before continuing. "Our people have always felt the protection of the lighthouse against any outside antagonistic creatures. I'm happy to announce that we have re established this connection, and we can monitor any powerful enemies coming our way. And soon, the city's main defense capabilities will be online."
She paused once more. There was no applause. The silence was deafening. The faces in the audience were all morose and grim.
"We have plenty of work still ahead of us, and it will not be easy. But the High Entia have been a race that has thrived for thousands of years. We have many plans to make Alcamoth a great city once more. But we need your help to do it. I will now open the floor to you." She fell silent, sitting back in her chair.
Dunban turned his eyes from the stage to the audience. At first, no one made a move to speak. It seemed no one wanted to be the first to address the Empress and the cabinet. Then slowly, one woman stood and asked, "Your majesty, are there plans to focus on building more parks and replacing the trees and greenery that was once by the fountains in the main square? I want my son to be able to have somewhere to play."
Melia nodded and responded, "Yes, we do have a plan to reintroduce parks and other greenery back into Alcamoth. We plan to move ahead with this project shortly after we are comfortably set up with the farms on the higher plain. I know personally I'd like to add a flower garden to the main square. If you'd like to speak more on this subject, please come find either myself or Camar."
"Thank you your grace." The woman gave a small curtesy and took her seat. Well done. Dunban thought about Melia's answer.
A man stood this time, fidgeting with his hands as he spoke. "Your grave. When will be able to resume our livelihood? I mean…when can I start up my business once more?"
"We are currently working on generating a commerce integration plan. We hope to implement that after the defense main frame is up and running and the debris has been cleared from the commercial district. I would estimate that to be in a month, maximum." Melia said.
He bowed and sat. Dunban raised his eyebrows, and nodded to himself, inwardly pleased to see that Melia had full control of the situation. The next few questions, Melia deferred to the cabinet members to answer. He observed how Shalen and Miriall were happy to dive into detail, while Kiefer remained as succinct as ever and Camar oozed his smug superiority. Overall though, the audience seemed to be pleased with the answers that were being provided.
A woman in the middle of the crowd took a stand, her voice wavering as she spoke: "How do you expect us to forget what happened? How you expect us to go on with our lives as if everything is fine? We have murderers in our midst! My husband and son-" She broke off into sobs, unable to finish her thought.
"Do you think we wanted to do any of that?" A younger male Entia shouted vehemently as if the questions had been a personal attack on him.
"You should've just killed yourselves." An elderly male Entia spat.
And before he knew it, everyone was on their feet, yelling, shouting, cursing. The room erupted in noise as anger filled the air. Dunban looked around, alarmed. The faces on the Entia were filled with intense frustration and anguish. The guards at the sides of the hall assumed an offensive stance. Was there going to be a riot? He looked to the stage to see two guards encircling Melia, ready to pull her out at a moment's notice. He watched her try to shout and command the crowd's attention, but her voice was lost in the sea of sound. No one turned their heads to the Empress. They kept arguing. Those on opposite sides advanced on each other menacingly. Dunban could see hands curling into fists and jaws locking in place.
A flare burst in the air and all eyes turned back to the stage. Melia stood with her staff in hand, ready to call upon another element if needed. But the tide of emotions ebbed away and the crowd quieted. Shakily, she said, "I know that the events of the past year have been traumatic. But we must move forward. If we do not, there will be no future for us." But her words fell on deaf ears. The Entia began to exit the great hall in droves, too tired to hear the wisdom of her words and the plea in her voice. He looked at her, and saw her the color had drained from her face. He felt a pit in his stomach as he watched her turn to the cabinet members, erasing the expression from her face. This had not gone as he had expected.