Cyprus

  Psyatic output = Not Avaible

  Synaptik = Not Avaible

  It was aneous day on Gasaan. The light filtered beautifully through the leaves of the massive trees. The atmosphere was warm and smelled like fresh soil. There was a faint breeze—just enough to lift the stagnation and humidity from the air, but not enough t a chill.

  Gasaan was known as the Jewel of Dromedar for a reason. This kind of weather was experienced year-round. It had a perfect climate that allowed its trees to grow to heights beyond anything seen iar system.

  Cyprus found the weather infuriatingly perfect, as it made life here feel predictable and mundane. She had visited Titulon ahe sheer elemental power. Now that she khe capability of Mother Nature, Gasaan’s perfect weather seemed b.

  It wasn’t like she wao live on Titulon—she wasn’t a fool. She had a life here; an important one. She was the you person to ever acquire a seat on the Dromedar Union cil, and that alone made the ordinary worth it.

  She gnced around the sun-filtered forest floor and took a deep breath. Gasaan even smelled perfect. The dirt road she walked on was littered with leaves, small pnts, and moss.

  The union tried to keep Gasaan as untouched by civilization as possible—an agreement that was made with the locals. They were gracious enough to offer their home world as a sanctuary to the cil. Iurn, Gasaan’s autonomy would be their own without any fear of industrial development.

  Not that they could even be industrialized.

  Gasaan was home to dangerous beasts—murderous prowlers that preyed from the forest’s shadows. It would take nothing short of genocide to ehe safety of any workers.

  Today, she didn’t care about the dahe ptformed city above was often gested, and she needed space to clear her head.

  If a prowler caught her st, she was fident she could outrun it. The woodehat led to safety weren’t far.

  She stepped onto the first pnk a close to the trunk as she began her climb. She ran her hands along the smooth bark of the tree and focused oexture. The feeli her grounded and distracted her from the dizzying ast.

  She refused to let her irrational fear best her. She was a cil member—not a little girl.

  Before long, she reached the ptformed city. It spanned several miles, eg hundreds of titan trees with smooth, polished wood. There were tless structures scattered across the ptform, but their size paled in parison to the Union cil headquarters. It was a beautifully crafted building, led in the crook of two titan trees.

  The location was a strategic decision. The trees offered a natural defense against any of the prowlers attempting to make the climb.

  She set her pace to a brisk walk, nodding at some of the locals who sat enjoying the weather.

  “an, Cyprus! an, Cyprus! I thought that was you,” a voice called.

  Cyprus turned and suppressed a groan with a forced smile. “Maggie. I would love to chat, but I have to prepare for the meeting today.”

  Maggie pushed her wide-rimmed gsses back up on her face. Mousey brown hair framed her face, falling past her shoulders in a tangled mess of frizzy curls. Cyprus couldn’t help but ge at the hero-worship shine in her eyes, magnified by the thick lenses of her gsses.

  “Oh, was there another meeting scheduled today? Outer-yer representatives, maybe?” Maggie inquired.

  What in Drom’s name is this helpless woman talking about now?

  “Saturdays are reserved for Dromedar-wide business and major events only,” Cyprus replied with strained patience.

  Maggie bed at her u hair in an unsuccessful attempt to tame it. Cyprus fought the unnecessary urge to smooth her own blonde hair in respo was ly tied away in a tight braid.

  The woman chewed at chapped lips. “Well, I know that. It’s just that there’s a meeting happening right now.”

  “What? No. You’re mistaken.”

  Maggie shifted awkwardly, “The publiou on my s says 8:00 am.”

  Cyprus gred at the s clutched in Maggie’s hands, and she reached for the bck leather satchel slung across her shoulder. Maggie was right. The publiou said 8:00.

  She flipped to her own messages—the official ohat came directly from the other cil members. Meeting starts at 9:00.

  She gripped the s until her knuckles whitened and cursed through ched teeth. “That dick!”

  She thought it had been weird that he was sending the message this week.

  “an?” Maggie said.

  She shoved her s bato her satchel and stormed toward the Hall. She didn’t bother to say goodbye.

  She hoped the look of fury on her face would be an effective deterrent for anyone who might try and stop her.

  “Matteo better have chosen a seat far from mioday,” she muttered darkly.

  That pigheaded idiot doesn’t know what he’s messed with! We’re not cssmates anymore—I’m not my sister. I’m a an!

  Her sister had always been more lighthearted—quiile and share a ugh. But she wasn’t there anymore to calm her down.

  Her sister, Brianna, was dead.

  It was a fact that didn’t seem real. Cyprus was still processing the news seven years ter. The woman had beehing she was and more—a true inspiration to humans everywhere.

  She never should have been on that list. Powerful families were exempt from the sve pledge. Everyone khat.

  Everyone except the Hokkonians.

  It wasn’t long before news of her death travelled to Gasaan, along with some nasty rumors about the nature of her demise—rumors that shattered her family to pieces.

  Cyprus was still rec, and most days, her mind was filled with darkness. The Hokkonians would pay for what they did, and revenge would be delivered by her hand.

  The Dromedar Union cil was the logical target. If she could gain enough support among the other representatives, she could reverse the treaty and abolish the sve pledge. Though, that roving more difficult than she expected. The Hokku Snty elicited fear, and there was no she of terror here.

  They’re all cowards!

  Still fuming, she reached the massive structure. It had been made entirely from the wood of Gasaan’s titan trees. Its two doors were built to aodate the rgest se species in Dromedar. There were twe pilrs oher side of the doors, extending from the base of the structure all the way to the roof. Every inch of the polished hardwood had been hand-carved into beautifully intricate symbols aions of local history.

  “Uhch Gra’ ta Cyprus,” a guttural voice said.

  A hulking, bestial figure stood in the dimly lit hall. grey fur glowed from the light of the torches illuminating the inner halls of the wooden pace. Small bck eyes peered at her with warmth over a stubby snout. The beast’s limbs were armored by ptes of metal, while its curved cws were tipped with sharpeeel. The creature was holding a fishing spear—a tribal on carried only by members of the Raldazar’ad, the ke dwellers.

  Cyprus smiled when she reized the facial markings inked beh the alien’s eyes. It was the only true way to dis between the Skaal.

  “Unch Gra’ ta Darhoki,” she replied in her best Skaar.

  She either blessed the currents of his river travel or wished for strong swimming. It was impossible to tell the two phrases apart. To her, all of it sounded like guttural grunting.

  heless, Darhoki looked pleased at the response. She had practiced forever to perfect the greeting. She was so proud of herself that she almost fot her anger.

  Almost.

  Her smile faded and she dipped her head in farewell. The Skaal waved a massive paw in response, and the steel-tipped talons ked together with audible menace. She had half a mind t Darhoki into the meeting with her. Maybe then Matteo would think twice about sabotaging her.

  She dismissed the idea and headed down the hall toward the chamber room. Darhoki was there to protect against Prowlers—not to serve as her personal bodyguard.

  When she reached the chamber doors, she smmed her shoulder into the sb of wood and forced it open with a grunt of exertion.

  It was an aggressive entrance, but that was the point.

  Twenty-two heads at the great oval table swung in unison to stare at her, as did the eleven that sat behind the raised table a few meters away.

  Yeah, that’s right. Stare. I don’t care.

  She marched toward the empty seat with as much fidence as she could muster, trying hard to ighe excruciating silenbsp;

  “Nice of you to finally join us, Miss Atik,” came the disapproving tone from Headmaster Giantis.

  “There was an error in my timetable. Please five my tardiness, Headmaster.” Cyprus faked an apologetic smile through ched teeth.

  She settled herself in the unfortable wooden chair and shot daggers at Matteo who sat on the opposite end of the table.

  He was a tall, nky man, with ly trimmed brown hair. His colred shirt was te for him, and the colr ed loosely around his neck. He returned her gre with one of his own, his mischievous grin vanishing.

  They had been friends at one point, and in a different life, that friendship might have remained intact. In this life, her sister was dead.

  “Of course, Miss Atik. I trust you’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again?” The weariness was evident in his voice.

  She dipped her head, “Absolutely.”

  Thank you for not making it worse, Grandad.

  She let out a low breath. The good news was that she already missed a good k of the b stuff. It was the final portion that she was there for anyway.

  The meeting tinued for another 45 minutes, c primary s that had been brought forth by civilians. The Supreme Panel did most of the talking. They carried most of the weight when it came to making decisions, which was why Cyprus had been trying for the st two years to secure a position there. There was only room for one human on the pahe ht positions were reserved for alien representatives of the other unios.

  That final hurdle had proven more difficult than she first expected.

  She had no problem gaining favor from the citizens, but it was the vote of her peers that she o win. Unfortunately for her, burning bridges was her specialty, and that political strategy didn’t foodwill.

  “All in favor of the desalination pod stru?” the headmaster asked.

  Cyprus put up a zy hand as she traced circles on the polished dark wood with the other. The Titulonists first put the bid in for desalination pods over five months ago. It made sense given the sodium crisis their neighbors were currently dealing with and had been dealing with for close to a year. That was the problem with the Union. It took too long to make any meaningful decisions.

  There was a majority showing of hands, which meant the Union approved.

  Now we finally stop discussing financials over damn salt makers. There are bigger problems!

  “I will now open the floor to any members. Please speak freely,” Giantis said.

  Finally!

  She stood up immediately, scraping her chair on the floor loudly as she did so. The a caught everyone’s attention. She saw some members roll their eyes while others waited ily for what she had to say. She spped her hands oable and leaned in, keeping her expression fierbsp;

  “We have a year left until The Snty requests more pledged sves. That’s one million more souls that we’re ning.” She surveyed the room, daring ao deny her cim.

  “Not this again,” someotered.

  A few roaned. Giantis’ tired eyes never left hers, and weariness settled on his shoulders.

  “When was the st time you saw a Hokku patrol in the inner yers? Ordan is as far as they e these days. What are we paying them for?” she demanded.

  “The Unio require Hokkonian assistan the inner yer,” a male Titulonist said in a watery voice. “We have our own navy for those sorts of patrols.”

  The Titulonist’s bck scaled body was covered in a thick yer of mucus. It used to bother Cyprus, but she’d been around the aquatic species long enough to ig—evehe substance dripped onto the floor with an audible thwip.

  What she couldn’t ignore were the murmurs of agreement that circuted the table.

  Cyprus gave her head an angry shake, “That’s exactly my point. Their jurisdi has shrunk, but their demand remains the same. The Union ot develop if we pledge a million citizens every three years. How many of you have lost loved ones? Or know people who have?”

  The chamber grew quiet, and she knew she had hooked a few more.

  “We hem,” someotered across the table.

  Cyprus scoffed, “They need us! How much of the Snty has been built by the hands of sves? We send off our people in ship loads, and iur ‘prote.’ The st time I checked, we could protect ourselves. They’re choking life out of this system and we are enabling them to do so! Don’t you ever wonder what’s beyond our borders? The resources and trade we’re missing out on?”

  “She’s right,” someone called out.

  “Why else did rove the funding for a Union Navy?” another asked.

  The human on the supreme panel cleared her throat to quiet the growing ramble. “It is not the inner yer that needs prote, but the outer yer. We do heir patrols along the border. Resources outside our perimeter mean nothing if pirates destroy our ships before they return.”

  Joy Sretep—a woman who anded authority with an ease that made her jealous. In the world of politics, she was as vicious as the Prowlers. She was the you cilor ever to be o the supreme panel, and she had held her seat for the st thirty years.

  Cyprus pnned oing that record.

  She smmed her fists onto the table. “With all due respect, Ms. Sretep, we didn’t ask for that. We’ll never know what’s waiting for us beyond this star if Hokku keeps us boxed in. Think of the retionships we could build. If we expand, with Kleth’altho’s help, we could easily patrol our own borders.”

  “I think the ade it very clear what they think of over. They would never help,” Joy replied coolly.

  Cyprus shrugged, “You never know until you ask.”

  Someotered in agreement, and she couldn’t help but smile. Maybe today was the day she finally won the majority.

  Giantis brought a hush to the chamber as he spoke up. “It’s not that simple, and I’m sure you all uand that. We ot just refuse the pledge. It is a tragedy we lose so many, but sacrifices must be made to save the lives of billions more. That was the basis of our treaty. It doesn’t matter h you think it is, Miss Atik. It is what this cil agreed upon, and we did so to end a war that nearly ruined us all.”

  “That was 300 hundred years ago! We almost wohink about what we could do now!” Cyprus growled.

  “They have the HWNDs now,” an Ordanian said in a bleak tone.

  Cyprus faltered. The mechs were a problem, though she’d spent a long time thinking of a solution.

  “We still have our numbers. HWNDs or not, as a collective group, the Union could overwhelm them.”

  “What are you suggesting, Atik?” a Myrd rasped, his six yellow eyes narrowed with i, and his bulbous lips pulled ba an intrigued smile.

  Cyprus had to repress a shiver at his predataze. The Myrd’s affinity for violence was an evolutionary side effect. Their taur-like bodies were prised entirely of lean muscle, and all six of their limbs had equal power and coordination. They were natural born killers, but intelligent enough to see the value in democracy. Still, Cyprus was only partially vinced by their political facade. She had a gut feeling that the union would eventually lose Asho and the Myrds from the pary alliance.

  She matched his energy with her own feral grin. “We build an army—ohat could withstand the might of the Snty. We could use it to persuade Kleth’altho.”

  The Myrd tilted his head, and his eyes gleamed. Around the table, she saw others nod and whisper with their neighbors.

  This is good. I have them!

  “And the HWNDs?” Giantis asked. “You still don’t have an answer for the Snty’s Dragoons.”

  She made a lih her mouth. There was only one ao that problem—one she was hoping she could avoid until after she woe. “We have to make our own.”

  Giantis didn’t react. His tired eyes only drooped further. The rest of the chamber seemed to sigh as a collective. It was an impossible task. Even the engineers on Titulon couldn’t figure it out in their uer bs.

  A Sk’reah spoke up, his eyestalks bobbing subsciously from the excitement of the versation. “You think Hokku maes be replicated? We not good. We not smart.”

  Cyprus suppressed her distaste, and not for the first time, wished that it was the Skaal chosen to represent Gasaan. Why the Unioled on the ioid species was beyond her prehension.

  “We don’t o match them in quality; we just need something to fight those things,” she insisted.

  Headmaster Giantis held up his hand and slowly stood up out of his chair. “This meeting has gone on long enough. We will take it to a vote.”

  “But I’m not do!” Cyprus stamped her feet.

  She was ag like a child, but she didn’t care. She almost had them! She was this close!

  “Yes, you are. Those in favor of breaking the treaty with a military for preparation for war?” The old ma his gaze around the table.

  You old goat!

  A few hands were raised, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The other cil members were too afraid. Cyprus couldn’t bme them, but it angered her all the same. Sure, it was scary, but so was the thought of sending another million people to their deaths.

  “Those against?” Giantis’ voice was quiet.

  The rest of the cil raised their hands, including every member of the supreme panel. Cyprus frowned and gritted her teeth. She needed more time to vihem. She pushed herself out of the chair and stormed out of the chamber, not g about the looks of disapproval she received from the panel.

  She stepped outside of the pad onto the wooden ptform. The faint breeze was a wele fort. An armored cw rested on her shoulder, and she turned around to see Darhoki t over her, his small bck eyes filled with .

  “Ufff Unch?” the grey-furred Skaal asked.

  “No. I’m not, Darhoki. Things are very bad,” she muttered.

  The Skaal dropped to his haunches, causing the pnks to squeak under his weight. He motiooward the titan trees with a rge paw.

  “Fi ack tuh Ga’a gohl Darhoki nn Cyprus. Ga’a unch.”

  Cyprus nodded. She didn’t fully uand, but she got the gist. The Skaal worshiped the pself: Ga’a, the Great Mother. It was all they really cared about.

  “We are blessed to have Ga’a watg over us, but there is more to this star system than Ga’a,” she murmured.

  Darhoki rested his spear oform and sat down, his armor king together as he did so. His broad nose wrinkled as he looked at Cyprus.

  “Ga’a unch, Daz unch.”

  Sometimes, she ehe simple life of the Skaals. She wasn’t even sure they were aware of Hokku’s existehree hundred years ago, the Hokkonian crusades ended before it could reach Gasaan. The Skaal had no cept of the evil that floated on the edge of the star system. The Prowlers paled in parison to the meized suits of armor.

  She gave her furry friend a sad smile. “You’re right, Darhoki. Ga’a is good.”

  Darhoki looked pleased, and if she wasn’t mistaken, she thought she reized a knowing smile hidden in his bestial features.

  Something vibrated ichel on her back. She reached into the leather poud pulled out her s. A message appeared, floating a few inches off the s of the tab.

  “e see me.” It was from Giantis.

  She let out an annoyed sigh. “I’ll see you ter, Dar. I’ve got someoo yell at.”

  She got up and stalked back toward the wooden hall. Someone called her name, and she turo see Maggie chasing after her, clutg a satchel that looked suspiciously like a replica of her own.

  This woma know how to take a hint!

  There was a narrow passage that trailed between the Union cil headquarters and a titan tree. She ran for it. If she could just slip into the corridor, Maggie would leave her alone. Everyone k was off limits.

  Except for Cyprus of course.

  She slipped past an old wooden gate, and Maggie’s calls silenced instantly. The alley followed the natural bend of the titan tree’s trunk, and it led te courtyard hidden from the rest of the city.

  Three titan trees naturally clustered in a triangur pattered the walls of the area. The open gaps betweerees were filled with wooden pnks, creating a sanctuary against the Prowlers and other nasty beasts.

  In the middle of the courtyard was a basiion cruiser, rge enough for a single navigator and living quarters. It was drical in shape, with a pointed nose and three fins—one on top and one oher side of the dull green hull.

  Leaning against the nose was the headmaster.

  Cyprus frow the cruiser. “A little early for a joyride. Or were you on your way to a dinner date with a Hokkonian?”

  The old man grimaced. “Funny, my dear. Very funny. Not even those grey-skinned animals would care for an old man’s pany, I’m afraid.”

  Cyprus sighed and walked up to him, kissing him gently on the cheek. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much, Granddad.”

  He waved a wrinkled hand, “Don’t apologize. You’re a woman now. You don’t o be hanging around an old man like me, though I still wouldn’t mind a little more unication. I had no idea you were going to be te today.”

  She ched her fists. “her did I! That prick, Matteo, set me up.”

  Giantis winced, “Language, please.”

  Cyprus muttered an apology and rubbed her temple with a forefinger. “It was Matteo’s turn to send out the messages, and for my timetable, he scheduled the meeting for nine instead of eight. On purpose.”

  “I see. I’ll deal with him right away–”

  Cyprus sighed, “No, you ’t interfere. He’ll know I told you and then everyone will find out. I won’t be able to get the pao listen to me if they think I’m engaging in childish games.”

  The old man hacked a cough into the crook of his elbow. “Yes, about that. It’s actually why I called you over here.”

  Cyprus narrowed her eyes; he had never coughed like that before. “Hey, are you doing okay?”

  He wiped his mouth on the loose sleeves of his green robe and shook off her hand. “Stop it, I’m fi’s nothing.”

  She raised an eyebrow and stooped in front of his face, f him to make eye tact. “You look tired.”

  He snorted, “G Dromedar will do that to you. It’s been a long day.”

  The sun filtered through the leaves, and the birds sang from somewhere in the branches.

  Cyprus frowned, “It’s not even eleven.”

  “Enough,” he snapped, and Cyprus’ eyes widened. “I didn’t call you for a checkup. This is for you.”

  What’s with him?

  He spped his hand on the hull of the ship, and Cyprus tried to ighe sting of his raised voice. She gave the ship an appraising look.

  “I already have one,” she said.

  Giantis shook his head. “Not ed for outer-yer travel.”

  “Why would I need something like that?”

  The old man blinked weary eyes. “Because it’s time you spent more time ier yers before you get this ear system thrown into a civil war.”

  He wouldn’t.

  “An assig out there might show you how beneficial the Hokkonians are,” Giantis tinued.

  “Granddad.”

  She could feel her goal slipping away, just out of reach. He couldn’t be serious. He wouldn’t do this.

  “Besides, you’ve always said we would have to vince Kleth’altho to join the cause,” Giantis offered weakly.

  Any progress I’ve made here will be gohey’ll fet about me in a month.

  Giantis made a hard lih his mouth and pced a strong hand on her shoulder. “I’m assigning you to Terminus 14.”

  The worst possible answer.

  “The sation? No. No way. I’m not going out there. It’s the farthest possible Union outpost from Gasaan. I would never be able to–” The words died oongue when she saw the look of guilt on the wrinkled face of the headmaster. “You’re trying to get rid of me.”

  “Of course not, Cyprus,” he croaked.

  “No. You don’t want me here because you’re worried I might actually vine people of the truth.” She shook her head in disbelief.

  Giantis scoffed, and his frustratiourned. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t uand the truth—not all of it at least.”

  “I uand enough,” Cyprus said defiantly.

  How could he be justifying the sves? What about my sister?

  Giantis sighed and walked a few steps away, shaking his head and staring at his hands. “This will be good for you. Everyone needs a little time out in the field.”

  She stared at him, wrestling with the differeions boiling inside of her. She was supposed to be the Union’s prodigy, but now she was being swept away to a backwater outpost like a shameful mistake.

  “Whatever you think I’ll see out there, it’s not going to ge what I think about the Hokkonians. I know who they are and what they’re capable of. I don’t care if they’re proteg us from giant ping spas. What they did to Brianna–” her voice broke.

  Giantis pced a f arm on her shoulder, but she shook it away with an angry jerk of her body.

  “She’s gone because of them,” she whispered.

  “I don’t want you tive them. I only want you to experience more than just the tranquility of the inner yer. There is a reason we agreed to the treaty. At one point, we hem. Whether that is true now, I don’t know. You are not the only one asking questions these days, Cyprus. Don’t give me that look. I’m not saying I agree with you. But I will say this: necessary evil weighs just as heavy on the scale, and I am starting to feel that weight every m I walk down those stairs.”

  She took a moment to really look at the old man. His regal gracefulness was fractured by the sequences of age. He stooped a little lower, and the skin drooping on his face looked like melting wax. There was still a bright light in his eyes, but they were sunken in his gauures. Giantis was getting old. Too old.

  Despite her frustration, she gave him a hug, ing her arms around his shoulders like she used to when she was a girl. He was boha time she had embraced him.

  “Is this an official request?” Her words were muffled by the folds of his robe.

  He gently pried himself away from her embrad gave her a sad smile. “Yes. You leave tomorrow m. They are expeg you.”

  She had no choice but to accept the order. He was family, but he was also the grand headmaster. His word was w.

  She turned her attention to the cruiser. From the outside, it looked identical to her own ship. On the inside, she k would be rigged with a bunk, a fort station, and whatever other essentials she would need for the long journey. P hopping in the inner yers would be fast, but traversing Dromedar’s belt would take several days.

  “Okay, I’ll do it,” she said.