He needed his brothers' cooperation.
In theory, they were all the sons of Navuh, all serving the same cause and fulfilling their father's command to cooperate. In practice, the council meeting was a battlefield where alliances shifted, and ambitions clashed.
Losham arrived precisely on time, but the others were already there, their faces arranged in various expressions of hostility, anticipation, or both.
"Brothers," he said as he took his seat, and the word sounded almost mocking because there was nothing brotherly between them. "I understand there are concerns you wish to discuss."
"Concerns?" Kolhood's voice was a low rumble, like a distant thunder. "Five of my warriors are dead, killed by your pet monsters. Those are notconcerns.This is an emergency."
Hazok leaned forward. "Your creatures tore five hearts out in public executions. What was that about, Losham? Was that your way of flexing your muscles? Of showing that your monsters can overcome any trained warrior? Is that why you left them on display like a warning?"
"It was a warning," Losham said calmly.
The room erupted.
"You admit it!" Kolhood slammed his fist on the table. "You admit that you ordered?—"
"I didn't order the killings." Losham's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and cold. "I said that those deaths served as a warning."
"Then who did?" Hazok demanded. The commander of the Dormant enclosure was usually content to stay out of squabbles that concerned the military, but even he seemed agitated today. "Someone gave those creatures permission to kill."
"The enhanced soldiers operate under standing orders to protect critical Brotherhood assets," Losham said. "And the scientists running the enhancement program are classified as critical assets. Tarik and his associates attacked one of those scientists. The enhanced soldiers responded to the threat."
That wasn't entirely accurate. Tarik and his friends had not been killed at the same time. Tarik had been eliminated first with no witnesses present, so Losham had no idea what the provocation had been, and his four friends had been killed the day after with plenty of witnesses and in response to clear provocation. But he doubted the particulars mattered to his brothers. This wasn't about Dave eliminating five warriors. It was about undermining Losham and making him look either incompetent or irresponsible.
"They responded by ripping out hearts!" Hazok was on his feet now, his chair scraping against the floor. "A warning should have been issued, maybe a hearing with a superior commander, and if they were deemed a threat to the scientist, they could have been shipped abroad. Why waste five capable warriors?"
"They were acting out of line. Repeatedly." Losham met Hazok's fury with deliberate calm. "To let it slide would have sent the wrong message to the rest of our army. They need to know that disobedience carries immediate and brutal consequences. Ifthey sniff weakness, we will have a much worse rebellion on our hands than what we had with the enhanced soldiers. As military men, you three should know that better than I do."
The brothers had no response to that, and Losham continued. "The Eight eliminated a threat with almost no collateral damage. No bystanders were harmed. No property was destroyed. The threat was neutralized, and the scientist remains mostly unharmed. From a tactical perspective, it was a textbook operation."
"Textbook?" Hocken's voice dripped with contempt. "What textbook are you referring to?"
"The textbook of common sense. Tarik's friends ambushed two unarmed humans in broad daylight. They intended to kill them. The Eight intervened."
"What about Tarik?" Hocken asked. "He was found dead next to the fountain, his heart missing from his chest, and there was no report of an altercation."
So, the particulars mattered after all.
"There were also no witnesses, so we don't know who did it or why."
"Right," Kolhood sneered. "Same method of execution two days in a row, against the same group of soldiers. I don't think there is any confusion here. Have you questioned your pets about it?"
"No, I haven't."
"You're scared of them," Hazok said.
That was truer than Losham was willing to admit, and he never would. "The Eight answer to me, and they are completely loyal. They owe their lives to me."
The room fell into a seething silence. Losham could feel the hostility pressing against him from all sides.
Kolhood broke the silence first. "This isn't about one or two incidents, Losham. This is about the abomination that this enhancement project is. Instead of reinforcing the Brotherhood, it threatens its existence."
Losham raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"
"This program has been in trouble since its inception. It started with the losses we suffered just from the experimentation. How many young, promising warriors have we lost to insanity? How many had to be put down like rabid dogs? And then they rebelled and destroyed half the island. We are still rebuilding, and we are not accepting guests because the resort still bears signs of that rebellion."
Losham leaned back in his chair. "That happened before I returned to the island and got the program under control. Have you voiced your concerns to Father?"
