Yes. He told them to listen. It made her grimace. Made the moment feel less impressive.
"Hmm," she murmured.
"It is good that you are strong enough to give an order."
"Is that what that was?" she asked.
"It takes time to master the art of giving an order. You will learn. It is something you will need to do here regularly."
"It felt powerful." For a moment, anyway. Until she knew that Khalzin was there.
"My lady, you will be feeling much more power than that before this is through." His voice was lower, and he leaned into her more.
"I don't expect it."
He put his hand on her shoulder, and warmth radiated from him into her.
"Expect it," he said, his voice low in her ear.
She gasped because he wasn't talking about giving orders.
9
"We are under orders to keep you safe," one of the guards mumbled to Khalzin.
"We'll be fine," he replied. He had no doubt he was being protected--his mother likely the one pulling the strings to make sure he was kept safe during whatever this situation was. No one seemed to know just yet.
While he was cleaning and changing, he'd reached out to a few associates that were outside the usual channels. He may have had a certain kind of position and lineage on Kantenan, but he also knew that sometimes the most resourceful were the ones who weren't always given the best resources. As part of the mining ritual, he met those he wouldn’t usually be around, and it gave him a different perspective and a stronger appreciation for all the Kantenan people. Not just those he knew. He maintained those friendships if only to keep an ear on the true pulse of the people.
Those friends were not ones that his mother, or father for that matter, fostered relationships with. Even more reason he kept in contact with them. They remained important to him when it came to finding details that ran outside the Coalition's reach.
Like if someone had been looking to hire saboteurs.
Janae's comment about the workers and maintenance staff kept running around in his mind. She was correct; it would be very easy for someone pretending to be maintenance to reprogram or otherwise damage the landing platform. It had been easily acquired knowledge to know where the Galactic Alliance ship would land. While the program was yet being revealed to the Kantenan public, those who knew about it would easily access the location and the time.
They flew in a shuttle over the wilderness that surrounded the platforms, and he noticed Janae staring out as they went by.
"This is not how I wanted to show you my world," he said.
"I know," she said. "It is still beautiful and bright and green. I like it."
"I am pleased," he replied.
They came around the edge of the mountain to the landing platform.
Janae gasped and covered her eyes.
He put his arm around her, and she curled into him.
There was minimal left of the landing platform and the ones on either side. Smoke hovered in the air, and drones battled the blazing remains of the Galactic Alliance's ship. The charred edges of the platforms hovered, and the repulsors below them sparked as they attempted to work overtime to hold what was left in place.
Janae raised her head. "Where?" she whispered. "Where did they go?"
This time a guard answered her.
"They have been moved. They were being moved to a separate location when the second explosion hit."
Janae nodded and looked out the window again at the wreckage. "Have you confirmed any deaths?"
