Of Destruction

Part 3

The Chamber, said to be created by Emperor Tolvin himself, was built to impress. Lance knew Tolvin hadn't built it, the timeline didn't support that theory. He also knew that the station had been nearly destroyed at least twice in the past millennia, but the designs may indeed have come from Tolvin. The first Emperor's reach certainly extended well beyond his actual lifetime.

Lance's eyes trailed upward across a massive dome open to the stars beyond, though well fortified by solid shielding. The design and construction of the place set it as the highest pinnacle of the station. Every level of the station, and even the miniature planet they orbited, rotating at a perspective beneath this room. The flow of colors, from solid white at the base to the blackness of the stars at the top, was meant to intimate the beauty of a full darkin union. The dominant's solid base merged into a swirl of color meant to represent the keptisch, and then muted back into the laced lattice of the top. Before the last emperor passed on, he painted the Heart to remind those who led after him of the need for equality among the genders. The dominant provided a sure foundation. The keptisch and ishtera providing the balance and color to an otherwise bland world.

Despite the rumors about the place, its impressive impression could not be denied, nor could its honorable history. The room was designed to hold a council of fifty with petitioners by the hundreds. Segregated seating for the main leadership body sat in a semi-circular, tiered area in the right corner of the room. At its peak, the Council contained fifty dominants. Now they had but fifteen. The President had taken the emperor's old position as the central focus, and petitioner seating covered the remaining two-thirds of the open floor. The petitioner's wedge fit nicely between the council and the president's spot at the center of the hemisphere. A small open dais where a speaker could stand facing the two leadership bodies, their back to the other petitioners. Each council row had a thin table for documents, link-pad, or other materials. The President had no such area as it was presumed that he needed to write nothing.

When Lance slipped into the opulent room, ignoring the fine inlay of precious stone quarried from his dominai's own mines; he was one of the last. His dominai sat in his customary place on the second row of the grouping. Lance wanted to join him, as he often had in his younger years, but today he came in a different role. Rather than head toward the council seats, he sat with the petitioners, refusing to fidget as some of the others were.

For the first few hours of the day-long session, Lance felt himself drift into a state of boredom. Like some of the petitioners around him, he felt the muscles in his face and body relax and droop. Janie had once described it as 'melting' because the muscles of a darkin's body could utterly relax at will. Similarly, the mind could pause in thinking—at least on the surface. Lance allowed his mind a break from strategy and concern regarding his appearance here. He remained in this self-imposed stupor for several hours, until the basic petitioners said their piece and received the council they had come to seek. Forcing himself back to awareness, Lance berated himself with the reminder that once he sat among the Council, he must remain attentive for such droll proceedings.

Behind them, nearly hidden in the shadows, proven and trusted servants stood with stiff-backed posture. Some appeared enraptured by the events of the Council, obviously drinking in the proceedings. Others stared off into space. Only one fidgeted, probably new to his position and incapable of sustaining composure. The servant's movements disturbed a few of the council. The man would be dead or transferred by the end of the day.

As each petitioner finished, the Council chambers slowly emptied of all except a few. Lance grimaced as James entered through the far door, slipping into a spot near ker dominai's seat. It irritated Lance almost as much as it irritated the rest of the council to watch the Probe take that spot. There were a small few who agreed with ker right to be there despite darkin tradition and centuries of experience. The keptisch settled easily into ker seat, almost flaunting ker usurped position among the dominant leadership.