"Alright, thanks."
Tahlm pressed the button that turned off the phone. It was a modification specific to the phone in the Mildendo home. He looked back at his two guests who stared back at him, blankly. They'd both been listening to his conversation with Shiver. The news was not good.
"The Corporations must have been tracking us," Tiyes muttered. "I thought the rain would have wiped out our trail but they must have found us some other way."
Neo sharply turned around and walked to the other side of the living room, arms crossed, mantle rippling with dark reds and whites. She stopped and stared at the wall, as if it reflected her own inner thoughts.
"I'm sure Shiver will come up with something," Tahlm said, trying to be reassuring. He felt anxious and he honestly had his doubts, but if anyone could do anything about it, it would be Shiver. Surely, this was something the clans couldn't ignore.
"I don't know if there's anything she can do." Tiyes trod over to the couch and sat, picking up a book but not opening it. He just stared blankly at the cover. "The Big Three's authority and power falls sharply outside the city. The Onaga Clan controls the riverbanks and farmland but not Crater's Edge."
"Even if they did, what difference would it make?" Neo grumbled. "All anyone in Crater's Edge does it let themselves get run over by the Corpos."
Tiyes mantle flashed burgundy. "You always say that but what exactly do you expect anyone to do? You expect them to fight the Scrap Corporations? The three of them would just roll over the town like it was nothing. They'd just crash through the walls and run over every house and building with their fleet of landships."
Neo turned and looked at him sharply. "If they dig up the vault then that's going to happen anyway. Don't you get it? If they get in that vault it could be over for Splatsville too"
Tiyes wasn't looking at her, he was still staring at the cover of his book, gliding his thumb down the fabric edge.
Annoyed, Neo marched towards him and put her own hand on the book, forcing it down and causing him to look up at her.
"Are you even listening to me?"
He looked back at her with upturned eyes, his mantle rippled once but Tahlm couldn't tell what colour they were.
"I've heard it before, Neo. You always talk about fighting back and making a difference but you never actually do anything more than getting in trouble."
"I don't see you coming up with any ideas!"
"Why should I? It's not like I can actually do anything about it so why should I waste the effort? Deep Cut at least had enough of a plan that it might actually matter but if the Scrap Corporations are already digging then unless the clans combine all their strength it's not going to change anything and I'm not sure even that would work."
"Why not? The clans are strong."
"But we don't know how strong the Scrap Corporations are in comparison. If the Scrap Corporations were actually afraid of the clans do you think they'd–."
"Stop it already!" Neo's shout was loud enough to reverberate around the room and wake up Lil' Buddy from his sleeping spot on the couch.
Neo and Tiyes stared at each other unblinkingly and Tahlm could only watch as their mantles both turned red.
"Why is it whenever a situation comes up you try your hardest to say we can't do anything about it? Look what happened when we actually did try to do something! We found ruins, we had an adventure, we were on a journey to fight evil, we still are! We need to give Deep Cut time to come up with an idea. If we just let 'em dig then they'll get into the vault and then things are going to get a lot worse! We have to go out there and do something!"
Tiyes jerked the book away but his eyes never left Neo's. "There's no 'we' in this Neo, you're the one that always has to go out and get in trouble. We've been lucky until now but trying to mess up their digging site, we're not going to get away with anything that happens there. They'll catch anyone that tries and then what will happen? Will they throw you in prison? Hold you hostage? Ransom you to your parents? Maybe worse?"
"That's a risk we have to take!"
"You're not listening!" Tiyes shouted. "You never listen. Let me put this in simple words so you might actually understand: if you want to go and get yourself in trouble then go, but I am not going. Is that clear enough for you?"
Tahlm's mouth felt suddenly dry. It was as if he were watching a disaster unfold, unable to do anything to stop the inevitable.
Neo's mantle flashed white and turned a bright orange before it began pulsing a bloody blue colour with splotches of deeper blue as it rippled. He didn't need to understand tuk'yan to know what Neo was feeling was pain and betrayal. He could see it written all over her face, see the deep hurt in her eyes, her stunned silence. Even Lil' Buddy sat perfectly still, one eye pointed at each of the inklings.
After a painfully silent ten seconds, Neo's mantle turned a dark red, anger contorting her face into something awful.
"Fine then, I'll go by myself and be the hero, myself. Don't come crying to me because you missed your chance on showing everyone else you could be a hero. Maybe then everyone wouldn't have made fun of you anymore, but maybe they were right all along."
Pain flashed in Tiyes eyes but only briefly. He said nothing, he just averted his gaze from Neo. The girl turned sharply away and marched to the front door. Lil' Buddy squeaked and hopped off the couch after her.
Tahlm started to panic. He didn't want Neo to go off alone, and he felt that Tiyes had gone too far. Neo might be a little reckless but he had no right to stomp on her spirit like that, especially when she was trying to include him for his own sake. He had to do something. He couldn't explain exactly why, but he just couldn't let her go alone.
As Neo worked to put her shoes and gear on at the door, Tahlm hurried to the couch. Tiyes was still staring at the book cover, his face wore a dark scowl.
"Tiyes, can you look after the place for a while?"
Tiyes slowly turned to look at him, confused for a moment until his eyes widened with understanding. "Are you crazy?"
"Probably," Tahlm admitted. His head felt unusually foggy, his body restless as Neo finished tying up one boot and moved onto the next. He had to get to her before she left. "I just can't let her go alone."
Tiyes grunted and looked away. "Fine, but if she gets you in trouble, I told you so."
"Understood."
Tahlm still had his bag next to the doorway, including his glider. He wasn't sure he would need it but he would prefer to hold onto it just in case.
Neo stood up and grabbed her backpack, Lil' Buddy already sitting inside. She was reaching for the doorknob as Tahlm called out to her.
"Neo, wait for me!"
Neo paused and slowly turned her head, looking down at him as he grabbed his own bag, frowning.
"I'm coming with you."
Neo blinked then her eyes widened, her mantle transitioning through several colours and patterns. Then, the corners of her lips curled upwards, that shadow over her eyes lifting.
She knelt and offered him her hand to climb into. He hopped onto her palm and brought him up to eye level. "Thanks, Tahlm." Then her eyes narrowed, swivelling towards the living room without her head turning. In a louder voice she said, "it'll be nice travelling with a real male for a change." Then she gently deposited him on her shoulder and left the apartment with a huff.
They stepped into the elevator and Neo hit the button for the main floor.
"That was kind of a low blow," he said.
"Don't care. I gave him every chance to prove himself, even took a lot of flack for him just for being his friend, and then all of a sudden he ditches me. He probably thinks he doesn't need me anymore with Shiver as his boss to protect him."
Tahlm inhaled deeply, thinking that over in his head, but somehow, he couldn't imagine Shiver being that type. She was more likely to leave Tiyes to look after himself, though she might help him out here or there, she wasn't going to hover protectively over him like Neo apparently had. He told Neo as much as they stepped onto the street.
"Yeah, but he's too blind to see it, thinking all about the job he's going to have in the city and probably dreaming of Shiver naked or something."
Tahlm sputtered with both laughter and incredulity. "Wait, are you serious? I don't think it's like that."
Neo huffed. "Oh, trust me, she has him charmed like one of the Onaga clan's eels. She plays a tune and he'll dance to it."
Tahlm wasn't convinced. He just couldn't see it. "I don't think she's his type, and vice versa. Shiver is strong-willed, driven, ambitious. Good qualities in a mate but…"
"He wouldn't be able to keep up with her," Neo finished for him. "I know. He can't even keep up an average person. That's why he is where he is."
Neo found the bus stop and waited, looking at the sights around them. "The city's still really new to me. It's crazy how different everything is. Everything's more organized and everyone lives so differently. You even live above ground even though it's hot and you can afford things like air conditioning."
"I guess it does seem luxurious," Tahlm admitted. "I didn't see much of Crater's Edge when we went through it but it does look like the kind of place you'd have to be tough to survive."
"Yeah." Neo's voice became little more than a murmur, her eyes unfocused. "Most guys like Tiyes don't live long enough to get to his age. If his parents hadn't babied him he'd have probably died a long time ago."
Tahlm swallowed, wondering if he was about to regret his next few words. "It sounds like there was a lot to worry about with him. How might that have happened?"
Neo sighed and stared up at clear, blue sky. "Lots of ways. Might have gotten eaten by a sand lizard, hurt himself working the scrap piles, dehydration, taken out by a rival. There's lot of ways."
Tahlm stared at her. "Taken out by a rival?"
Neo smiled grimly. "Well, you know, males – inkling males are really competitive, especially when it comes to girls. Guys our age, that's where a lot of their injuries come from. And out in the desert, doing scrap runs…" she shook her head. "Well, there are so many ways to die, even strong males can have accidents happen to them."
Tahlm felt a chill, understanding Neo's implication. "That still happens?"
Neo flashed grey. "It's rare but it's been known to happen. 'Course, so many real accidents and stuff happens it's hard to say for sure. Didn't you know Frye's own granddad was almost done in three times by rivals?"
"What? Wait, did she say that?"
Neo chuckled. "No, everyone in the Outlands knows about that. He's kind of the image of what most boys in the Outlands try to by like so everyone grows up knowing the stories."
Tahlm's stomach started tying itself into a knot, feeling a sudden pressure he couldn't explain. The bus arrived and Neo boarded, taking a seat near the back where it was less crowded. As the bus started off again, Tahlm couldn't help but ask her the rather loaded question that had gone from the back of his mind to the fore following the end of Neo and Tiyes' argument.
"And is that what inkling girls in the Outlands look for in a mate?"
Neo flashed grey. "Kinda', I guess. I mean, if you're gonna' get married you want it to be to a guy more likely to survive to keep putting food on the table, until your kids are all grown up at least."
She turned her head just enough to look at him, a knowing smile on her face. "I guess things are a little different for octoling families."
"Considerably," Tahlm said through a deep exhale. "Takevir are expected to use their brains to attain positions either in government or in businesses. Some are able to do it through science or art though. I'll be going into the same profession as my dad, taking notes for special meetings and stuff. Discretion is our strength."
Neo hummed, arching an eyebrow. "So, I'm guessing you look for different things in girls than our guys do, huh?"
Tahlm sighed, his shoulders sagging. "I don't know. Most guys at my age already have their first wife, but I have had to keep it in mind."
Neo gaped, her mantle flaring orange. "What? I thought you were seventeen!"
"I am, but by my age we normally have our kaaslan already. Remember when we talked about that?"
Neo bit her lower lip and flashed green. "I remember, but I didn't think it would happen when you're so young."
"It's kind of important. Normally it's a girl you grow up with but I was never able to make friends growing up so that wasn't an option for me. That's why I was so glad to meet Tiyes and you. That's why I didn't want you to go alone." There were reasons octoling males got married so young but he didn't want to bring up such a sensitive and frankly embarrassing topic in that moment.
Neo's eyes clouded and they stared straight ahead, through the bus' windshield at the other end of the vehicle. "Right… 'cause that's what friends do."
"As far as I know. But my father once told me that like a good wife, friends tell you things you need to hear, not just what you want to hear. Sometimes you don't always agree."
Neo didn't respond to that, she just kept staring forward. Tahlm wondered if she was reviewing that argument with Tiyes in her head. Did she regret how she handled it? Would she decide he might have had a point and she had acted too rashly?
No, she's too stubborn and hotheaded for that. Seems like the kind of person who'd rather get in trouble than admit the mistake.
Tahlm cleared his throat. "So, what's the plan to actually get to the dig site? The landship doesn't have enough fuel left to make it there."
Neo grinned. "No, but it has more than enough for a motor sled to make it. We'll take one of them and siphon fuel from the landship's tanks, put some fuel cans in the pannier, and that should give us enough to get there. If we need more to get back, we'll take from the digging site."
Tahlm's breath hitched in his throat. "You'll just steal it right from the Scrap Corporations?"
"Why not? It's so little they probably won't even notice."
Tahlm wasn't so sure it was going to be as easy as all that. Deep Cut had a hard time just taking the landship despite the element of surprise they had. They hadn't expected an attack at the land port. Those who would be digging up the vault would be the opposite; they would be expecting trouble. He wanted to point that out to Neo but decided against it, at least for now.
With all the negativity and criticism that had led to her taking this bold step, she might take offence and he didn't want to risk that at the moment. He would have to bring it up later. In the meantime, he would have to hope and pray that she would reconsider; though he found it more likely that it would snow in Splatsville first.
Rak Balt Ralok absently scratched at his gills. He hadn't used them in a little while so they were a little uncomfortable as they worked to absorb oxygen from the water around him. He decided that, in future, he should correct that. At his age, being in the water was far more pleasant and relaxing. And so it was for their host, Pretto Manta.
The old ray sat at the far end of the pool, two metres of water above his head. He sat on a small cushion, flanked by two sculptures each depicting one of his predecessors. He tended to have the sculptures in those positions changed from time to time, sometimes with those that had a meaning pertinent to the meeting at hand or sometimes sculptures whose meaning was known only to their artist.
The pool itself was austere but elegant, decorated with simple mosaic patterns depicting flowers and pieces of Manta iconography, such as the clan emblem: the grey silhouette of a ray with a band tied to its tail.
Rak lightly pushed down on the rod of his drink bottle, releasing the liquid inside and letting it squirt lightly into his mouth.
"Good vintage," he said, complimenting his host's choice of drink.
Pretto bowed his head. "Given the subject at hand I thought it was appropriate. The dawn of a new age is approaching but we stand at a fork in the road to decide what this new age may bring."
Salasa took a longer drink from her own bottle. She was the biggest drinker of the three of them and she was probably trying to avoid doing it at home too much.
"So, let us see if we understand things correctly," she said. "We have confirmed that the Octarians in Inkadia have indeed returned but they are still rebuilding their civilization?"
Rak nodded. "Yes. To say I'm relieved is an understatement. A century of anxiety has finally lifted off my shoulders. They've even restored the monarchy, at least in some fashion."
"They are no longer the Octarian Empire," Pretto reminded him, continuing Salasa's train of dialogue. "They are part of the Soren Ascendancy, a merging of three countries into one, and their head of state is a very young empress."
"Too young," Salasa sighed. "Twenty years old and leading an entire nation in this modern age, that's just madness. A girl that age should be worrying about her next date, not her next trade agreement. It shows in what she's offering us."
"It does seem rather generous in some ways," Rak agreed. "But I think you might be assuming things, Salasa. She may technically be head of state, but she's likely just a figurehead. Maximinus didn't get into too much dialogue with her. I get the feeling she was just delivering a message."
"It's hard to tell exactly what's happening when we're thousands of kilometres away." Salasa flashed red and took another drink. "Still, a chance for each of us to have representation at the highest level of government, that sounds almost too good to be true."
"They will expect a greater degree of control in exchange," Pretto cautioned. He helped himself to a piece of shrimp from his bowl. "We won't be running the city administration anymore, that's something they want to control. That's how they will recoup their investment. According to the report, the Empress herself said they were not doing this out of the goodness of their souls."
Rak nodded. "The problem is that, ironically, we know less about the Ascendancy than we do the other three we're trying to prevent taking us over. We don't know their motives, their objectives, their political situation, other than their conflict with the Grand Consortium."
"Which makes them an enemy of Birgus by default," Salasa agreed. "Still, if the capital of the Ascendancy is Inkopolis and the empress and queen are both inklings, we can probably guess that Calachora's former policies and relationships will continue, at least in the short term."
But Pretto waved his fin. "No. In my experience, a change in government like that only comes because the previous government's policies needed to be changed, for one reason or another. A few might remain but we should not assume that the Ascendancy is merely a Calachoran Empire."
Rak scratched his head. There was so much to consider before making the decision yet so many unknowns. They just didn't have enough where he was comfortable with making a final decision, maybe he never would be.
"We need to be clear on what we want," he said. "If they want to take over administration of the city and everything else that's fine, as long as we are the ones who remain to govern and set local policy."
Salasa looked between the two of them. "I think that is what they want anyway. Rezni said that both the queen and empress have expressed concerns about the people's willingness to accept them as their rulers. There is no existing relationship other than with your clan, Rak."
"Even that is a bit tenuous," he admitted. "There may be plenty of us here who still remember the homeland but things have changed over there since. Apparently, you can count on one hand the number of octolings who survived to reach my age. Even Octavio was killed, though his grandchildren still survive. Who knows what cultural differences will have happened in that time too."
Pretto stroked his face with his fin, thoughtfully. "We may have no choice but to go with our instincts. This is the sort of thing that should take years not weeks but we don't have that time. It may be hard for the people to accept but they will trust us. If the Ascendancy can make a good first impression, then they'll swallow it more easily.
"We know we cannot trust the other three nations, yet we hesitate to accept the Ascendancy despite what we do know because there is more we do not know, and the unknown is what's most frightening of all."
The Oamo's words couldn't be more true. Rak wished he were more honest with himself to have such self-reflection. "We can't hesitate anymore. We have to decide here whether we'll take our chances on our own or accept the Ascendancy's help in return for giving them control and making ourselves subservient to them."
"Which may result in the worst outcome of all," Salasa said.
Pretto held his bottle between his fins, staring at the dark liquid inside. "I don't believe so and I don't think any of you do either. As deep into the unknown as we are with this, I think we all believe we are choosing the lesser of two evils. I dare even to hope that with their help, things will actually get better."
Rak smiled. "Oh how I wish I had your optimism, my friend."
"So do I," Salasa agreed. "I've made so many mistakes, all too many of them hurtful to my family. I hope this isn't one of them."
"As do we all," Rak said softly. "As do we all."
"Then we are agreed?"
Rak nodded. "I'll send Maxi instructions on your behalf. I would still like to give him final say though and I would like to add that our agreement is dependent on their immediate action. I think for what they'll be demanding, we should demand as much in return."
Pretto chuckled. "I wish I had your audacity, my friend."
"Well, I think I can handle the queen, but it will be up to you two to handle the empress."
"Count on it." Salasa's mantle turned violet. "I'm not letting someone young enough to be my grandchild boss me around so easily."
"Don't dismiss her so quickly," Pretto warned. "If what Maxi's report said about her earning the position is true, then she will be made of sterner stuff than you think, figurehead or no."
"She'll have to be if this whole thing is going to work. I guess now all we can do is pray."
"Indeed," Rak agreed. "Pray and hope we aren't making a mistake."
Shiver carefully adjusted the sash on her robes, checking her reflection in the mirror to ensure her ensemble was properly adjusted. A formal clan meeting had been called for tonight and everyone was expected to dress formally.
Shiver had kept her outfit simple. Her robes were the same blue as her tentacles and decorated with a pattern of luscious, red orchids. Her feet were dressed in black socks instead of the usual white, just to mix it up, and she would be wearing her platform sandals. She was just putting the latter on when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in, Mama."
She knew it was her mother because one of the others would have called out to her instead. Talyana was the only one who simply knocked.
Her mother walked in, also wearing a traditional robe, white with dark-blue flower petals scattered across the fabric and a red sash that matched her eyes.
She smiled sweetly at Shiver and looked her up and down. "You're not wearing a decoration?"
"I thought it unnecessary. It's a clan meeting and there is no need to flaunt in front of family." Though they were both well aware certain others would use the opportunity to do exactly that anyway.
Her mother let out a tiny huff of amusement then walked to one of Shiver's drawers, opening it and taking a moment to search the contents before pulling out a red flower decoration, mimicking a rhododendron.
"It isn't just that. Your grandparents will be there and they want to see their granddaughters all dressed up and pretty. You can do that for them, can't you?"
Without waiting for her reply, she began to attach the decoration, slipping it among Shiver's tentacles to hold it in place then adjusting it until it was at the perfect angle.
"If you insist, Mama."
Her mother gently touched her cheek, a gesture of reassurance. Shiver leaned her head into her hand, grateful for the contact, for the warmth. With all that was happening she needed that.
"Alright, lets go."
Downstairs, the rest of the family already waited. In addition to her sisters and mothers, her brothers and their kaaslan were there; as was her father.
Vak Balt Ralok was in his mid-sixties, barely middle-aged for an octoling. His tentacles were the same blue as Shiver's and his eyes matched. He only came up to her mothers' chests though Shiver was less than a head taller than him, being the shortest among her sisters.
Her father smiled at her and she smiled back. "Alright," he said. "Let's go everyone."
Clan meetings were always held in the innermost sanctum of the estate, a cave deep within the island's interior. It was accessible only by two routes: a tunnel leading from the main house, and an undersea passageway guarded by the family's collection of sharks.
A servant walked ahead of them down the tunnel, holding a lamp. The air gradually became more humid even as the pressure increased, and the giggles of slightly disturbed water echoed up the passage.
The sanctum itself was well lit by caged lamps mounted in the rock. A long wooden platform had been built atop a series of rock formations roughly in the middle of the cavern, putting the top just ten centimetres above the water. That usually wasn't an issue since it was so undisturbed, but whenever these meetings took place, at least a few sharks would be let inside. Even their most trusted guards were not permitted in the sanctum during a clan meeting so the sharks would be their only security inside the sanctum.
Many people were already present. Her grandfather and grandmothers sat on plush cushions with a handful of lamps on the floor among them, facing everyone. Her uncles and their wives sat along their left side, facing perpendicular to the clan head. Shiver's father, as heir to the clan, took his position on the right side, followed by his wives and then his daughters. Shiver's brothers sat at the end of their line with their wives.
A quick headcount was made then the servants were dismissed. As they walked away, her grandfather broke the near silence of the cavern.
"Shiver, call him."
Shiver stood from her seiza position and walked towards her grandparents, making sure her posture and walk was absolutely perfect, ignoring the glares cast in her direction. They could do nothing, because while her father might be the heir to the clan itself, she was heir to the clan's shark taming tradition. On paper, that should have made her higher in status than most of her family, but shark taming had dramatically fallen in importance since the clan had moved to Splatsville, seen a little more than a hobby by the others. Even so, they saw her appointment to that position as an affront.
Her grandmothers let her pass through them and she stood on the back of the platform, knelt then brought her fingers to her lips and whistled a particular tune. A minute or so later, a huge, dark shape came in from the seaward caverns and a fin poked out of the water as it neared her. Shiver extended her hand and gently patted Master Mega as he passed then whistled a short series of notes, telling him to assume a guard stance. He obeyed and began circling the platform with the other sharks.
Once Shiver had returned to her spot, her grandfather began the meeting.
"The Big Three have reached a decision. I'm sure you've heard by now some of the rumours about us seeking help from outside the Splatlands. Needless to say, none of us want to become stooges of the same nations supporting the companies trying to run us out of our own city. Fortunately, we found an alternative, though it too carries some risk."
Shiver curled her fingers into fists with anticipation, half afraid, half excited.
"To confirm the rumours," her grandfather continued, "we did send Maximinus Rezni and a few others to the Octarian homeland in Inkadia. It took them about a week but they did arrive there safely, met with our fellow Octarians, and relayed to them our plea for help."
There was a distinct pause, and Shiver braced herself for some kind of bad or shocking news.
"Apparently, we have a queen now, but she's an inkling."
Like everyone else in the family, Shiver had been strictly trained in proper manners and etiquette from the time she could walk. When attending formal meetings of this nature, they were expected to sit still and listen quietly. It took a lot for them to break that well drilled behaviour, but that news certainly did, earning a series of surprised jerks, flinches, and enunciations. Fortunately, their discipline was enough to stop them from speaking and they gradually collected themselves.
"It was a shock to me as well," her grandfather admitted with a wry smile. "It's almost unthinkable. It made me want to refuse their help on principle."
He inhaled then exhaled deeply. "But, that's just the old takevir in me talking. We've had good relations with the Onaga and despite how it seems from here, Maximinus informs me that the homeland was not conquered but, in fact, the queen was critical in ensuring that didn't happen. The people of the homeland trust her implicitly so we must do the same."
Shiver had chills. Was this really happening? They had found the homeland? The homeland was now recovering? Reunification was really going to come to them? It was a long held dream. She could hardly believe it was finally coming true.
"But there is a complication."
Her grandfather's words dumped ice water on her excitement, making it shrivel. Of course there is. But she made sure her displeasure didn't show on her face.
"While the homeland is being revitalized, it isn't the Octarian Empire anymore. They have merged with Calachora and Perlugen – a jellyfish nation, to form the Soren Ascendancy, and it is ruled by an empress. The queen would be able to help our clan, but in order for Splatsville to be saved we have to be able to save the other clans too, and that requires the approval of the Empress.
"In order to receive the help we need, all three clans must pledge fealty. Our clan need only pledge to the queen since we are Octarain and thus under her protection, but the Onaga and Manta clans must pledge to the Empress directly and we must do so with all sincerity."
Her grandfather met each of their gazes, his eyes hard and stern. "That is why I have called this meeting. The biggest concern of our people back home, the queen, and the empress is that we might be a source of instability. Suddenly asking the people of Splatsville to accept a foreign government they've never even heard of as their rulers is also asking a great deal.
"I take the fact that they realize or even care about that as a good sign. They have also offered all three clans a seat in their highest governing body, giving us authority to govern as we need and a voice in government. So, in that regard, things won't change much, but there will be a lot of change in other ways and it will come in suddenly from the people's perspective. I will be relying on all of you to ensure this transition happens as smoothly as possible."
Shiver saw her father lean forward. "Does this mean they have agreed to help us?"
"Not technically. I have just sent our reply to Maximinus. Within the next couple of days he will meet with the Empress again and then they will decide. Of course, there's no guarantee they will act but he strongly believes they will. The question is if they will arrive in time and what they will demand in return for such prompt action."
One of Shiver's uncles spoke next. "By ship, it would take them at least two weeks to get here with their own security. Do we have that time? Once the local countries hear about what's happening they'll strike. I'm not sure we could hold out that long."
The clans had established a city security force that guarded and policed the city. Combined, that might amount to a little over a hundred, but they were not soldiers and they couldn't cover the whole city, nor could their modest coast guard defend the port. They couldn't even handle the ships already coming in.
"We'll just have to do the best we can and pray. Even if most of the city is taken, as long as the clans hold out, we'll be fine and the Ascendancy can retake the city."
"That's a big 'if', Father."
"I know but we have little choice. We've already been uprooted from our homes once, I don't want that to happen again."
Shiver's father commented, "It would be nice if the Ascendancy had a representative here too to answer our questions. It would give us more to work with and help us prepare."
"Indeed, but as far as I know, they've sent no one. In the meantime, let us think about how we can ease the people into this new reality we're facing. We also have to keep close watch on any movements from the Scrap Corporations or we might find ourselves outmanoeuvred. They've been unusually quiet lately and I don't like it."
Shiver stiffened. He didn't know about the landships? Had the Onaga Clan not informed him? Of all the times, why did communication have to break down now?
She debated within herself, wondering if she should mention the landship's movements. He would probably learn soon anyway, but time was of the essence and her revealing it now might spur the clan into action.
On the other hand, it would also reveal the location of the vault to them and she would lose her chance at the prestige that would come with finding the vault and keeping it from their enemies, and now that the Ascendancy was coming to help them, she had a potential buyer for the artifacts and she'd be able to sell them for a much higher price. It would get Deep Cut into their good graces too.
But that won't matter if I can't get to them. We don't have the digging equipment, we don't have the strength to force our way in, we don't have the strength and support to hold onto the vault even if we did manage to force them away!
Gritting her beak behind her lips, Shiver made her decision, raising her hand to ask permission to speak, much to the annoyance of some of the others.
Her grandfather arched an eyebrow at her. She normally said nothing at family meetings, more of a decoration than a participant, and now she suddenly had something to say? Doubtless it would raise suspicion but she went on anyway.
"Yes, Shiver?"
"Grandfather, were you made aware that the Scrap Corporations sent a large expedition into the desert? Their landships all had digging equipment. It seems they've found something valuable."
Her uncle looked at her doubtfully. "So what? They find large or valuable finds all the time. It's hardly relevant to Splatsville itself."
Shiver looked at him, arching an eyebrow and adopting as regal and dignified a pose as she could. "Really? Even if it's all three of the big Scrap Corporations at exactly the same time?"
That generated a reaction from everyone, looks of surprise visible on their faces.
Her grandfather asked, "How do you know this?"
"Frye told me the other day. Forgive me, Grandfather, but I thought you would have been told."
"I would have thought so too," he muttered. "I will look into it."
Her uncle sighed. "Even if you do there isn't anything we can do about it."
It was her father that answered next. "Maybe, maybe not. If it's gotten all three companies to move at the same time, I highly doubt they'll be fighting over whatever they found, not at this critical time. Showing such weakness would only encourage us. Whatever they've found, it's valuable enough they feel the need to work together to obtain it and keep it out of the hands of the independent scrappers."
Bravo Papa! Shiver's chest swelled with pride. Her father had figured that out all on his own without her having to feed them clues.
Her grandfather wondered out loud, "what could they possibly find that's that valuable?"
Her father replied, "I think we should make it a point of finding out."
Her grandfather agreed. "Very well, I'll ask the Onaga to look into the matter. We need to focus on the port. Next, let's discuss how we might spread the word about the Ascendancy to the people and try to keep them from getting too excited.
The meeting went on and Shiver wondered if she'd done the right thing. She knew what it was they were digging up and she knew where they were, but if she told them it would reveal too much. The clan had to believe she wasn't directly involved or she they would do everything in their power to restrict her movements. Later they would punish her.
She was playing a dangerous game, but the stakes were too high for her to not assume any risk. If she could get there first or perhaps lead the Ascendancy there before anyone else, she could profit greatly and Deep Cut would as well. It would give them a door into the Ascendancy's society she would be able to exploit.
I've already rolled the dice. Now I have to see where they land.
Author's Notes:
Things are getting a little tense with our heroes, aren't they? Do you agree with what Shiver did? Do you think cutting her losses is the right move here?
Tiyes finally exploded, Neo is off to have the adventure and glorious heroic quest she's always wanted. How well do you think she'll do?
