It seemed like an eternity before the doors were opened, and he was permitted to come into the chamber. The two guards he'd seen before, but they didn't acknowledge him in any way as he walked through.
He followed the worn stone path to the central point, like many other generations who walked over this floor. He reached the stopping point before the council of his father and others, and waited.
The Paragon of the Reach, Speaker Fowles, didn't say anything at first. He was known to keep people waiting for him to address them, just to keep others off-balance.
Stron expected it, and crossed his hands behind his back. Though, to his surprise, Fowles didn't wait long.
“Gol-Vett Stron. About time you answered our summons.”
“I have been busy, Speaker,” Stron said. “What with the Galactic Alliance's arrival, the presentation of the volunteers, and the explosions, it has kept me occupied.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his father glaring at him for taking a flippant tone with Fowles.
“What happened?” Fowles asked.
“We know what happened. We saw the holograms,” Representative Oleave interjected.
“We saw, yes. But we were not there,” Fowles said. He turned his glare back on Stron. “What happened?”
“The platform exploded and lost a repulsor lift, breaking it into two pieces. Just as we were getting everyone sorted, another explosion took out the Galactic Alliance's ship. Some died. Others are not accounted for yet.”
“Who is missing?” the Priestess of Light, Wyleigh, and Khalzin’s mother asked.
He turned to Khalzin's mother, though he expected she already knew. She seemed to always know everything. “One of the Galactic Alliance leaders, several of their volunteers, and Fiviel.”
A shift and soft gasps escaped some of the council members. They all knew who Fiviel was, the son of Hawn, the Head of Military.
His chair, however, was empty, during this meeting. Likely already looking for his child.
“Have we sent down teams to find them?” Another member asked.
Stron sighed. “My understanding is no. There are fires that are attempting to be controlled first before we can get down there.”
His father added a notation. “It is the dry season. Fires can quickly become out of control on the lower levels. Getting them under control would be the priority. We would not be able to find anyone if the fires are blazing.” As the representative of the Green, part of his job was to know the cyclic weather patterns of the areas. Unfortunately, this season was dryer than most, especially in that area. There had not been enough rain to keep the land moist.
“I see.” Fowles laced his fingers together. “You seem to be handling this situation well.”
“Someone has to,” Stron replied.
“Why isn't Khalzin?” Oleave asked.
There it was. That’s what this was about, Stron would bet. They were looking for a way to tear down Khalzin. Some way to call his idea foolish, and destroy this process before it even gets underway.
Stron glanced at the representative. “Khalzin has found a mate among the Galactic Alliance females. His primary goal is to keep her safe.”
“Is there an expected threat?” the Priestess of Light asked.
Stron glanced at her. Had the female gone daft, or was she obviously being obtuse about this?
“Her ship blew up, and the landing platform she was on exploded when she was walking over it. I think it's very likely there's a threat against her and the Galactic Alliance people. The true question is, who did this, and how did they get access?”
She nodded. “And how were they funded,” she added. “Nothing happens without funds to make it so.”
Stron agreed. Money was always a strong way to find anyone's origin point.
“Are you willing to investigate this?” his father asked from his own position.
“Am I being requested to do so?”
