Read [05] Elite: Reclamation for Free Online

hands and waving them in frustration. ‘Corine, whose greatest ever concern has been the precise arrangement of her hair and the cut of her dress? Tala, whose greatest asset is that she has so little personality that none of the nobles find her in anyway objectionable? They’re not even vaguely credible.’
    ‘There is a third, as I recall,’ Gerrun prompted, with a mischievous grin.
    Zyair stopped in mid-flow. ‘Not Kahina. Please, anything but Kahina. I cannot abide that objectionable young woman.’
    ‘She has the virtue of intelligence,’ Dalk added.
    ‘Tactless, antagonising, self-assured, rude, arrogant, proud, scheming …’
    ‘A perfect Imperial daughter, one could argue cogently,’ Gerrun pointed out. ‘I’d imagine she could be housebroken, trained perhaps.’
    ‘Tempered and moulded …’ Dalk added.
    ‘Someone we could instruct and guide, influence and persuade,’ Gerrun mused.
    ‘In the best interests of stability and efficiency, naturally,’ Dalk replied.
    ‘Upholding the everlasting Imperial values. Peace and tranquillity. Don’t you agree?’ Gerrun completed with a wry grin.
     ‘I do not!’ Zyair was not amused. ‘Tell me you’re not taking this seriously …’
    ‘Our situation is grave. Perhaps graver than we realise,’ Dalk said.
    ‘And what of the Senator himself?’ Zyair said. ‘What do you intend to do about him?’
    ‘Why, nothing at all,’ Dalk replied. ‘Our patronage remains loyal as it ever has. There’s no question of our unfailing support.’
    ‘Then what was this conversation about?’ Zyair demanded.
    ‘The Reclamists of course,’ Dalk replied looking over to Gerrun.
    ‘They grow bolder every day,’ Gerrun said. ‘They’ve struck in the city, perhaps they might even strike at the Senator’s family. That would be truly tragic.’
    ‘Tragic indeed,’ Dalk agreed. ‘We must do everything to ensure the Loren Lineage is protected.’
    Zyair frowned as he looked from one to the other. Then his eyes widened in appreciation. ‘Ah …’
     
    ***
    The Imperial Palace, home of the Loren Family, had arguably the best view on the entire surface of Chione. It had been deliberately sited on the island of New Ithaca, itself part of an archipelago of islands in the otherwise empty Garian Sea. Its tropical latitude in the southern hemisphere of Chione afforded it a warm and pleasant climate at all times, with only occasional rainfall to mar the spectacle. Unlike the distant seas of old Earth, the water in the oceans was fresh and pure. Chione had been originally settled for its pastoral beauty and the aesthetics were not lost on the denizens of the Empire.
    Low in the northern sky, forever hanging in full view, its reflection sparkling in the bay, was the enormous blue orb of Daedalion, the ocean world. It was an enormous planet, with seas a hundred kilometres deep. It hosted, so rumour had it, marine life of extraordinary size and might. Chione was Daedalion’s only moon, forever locked to its parent, always facing it. The sun came and went, but Daedalion remained, marking the passage of time by its changing phases, going from crescent to full, back to crescent over the course of the day.
    Daedalion grew to its maximum brightness in the middle of the night, its full globe reflecting light back onto Chione, bathing the bay, plains and mountains in a fresh azure glow. Thus it was never truly dark, a feature that both entertained and confused visitors. It was a perfect setting for the frequent soirees organised by the Loren Lineage. Having one of the most stunning backdrops in the known galaxy ensured their gatherings were well attended by the cream of Imperial society should they so wish it.
    The palace and its gardens had been specifically designed to cater for this view and to augment it as effectively as possible. The palace was oriented north, directly towards Daedalion, with the gardens dropping through tiers downwards towards the beach that edged the bay.