Triplicity

Chapter 6 - VALERIE

In the hours before the meeting, I paced in my private quarters, nibbling on some plain, soft bread. I didn't have the appetite for much else. At fifteen-thirty, I arrived at the conference room and took a seat at the head of the table, looking at the twenty-five empty seats in front of me. There were no windows for security purposes, but I imagined the sun shining high outside. Of course, the large domes that covered the Triangle controlled the weather and sunlight, but I tried to believe it was all real.

Soon, the officers began to arrive and sit around the table. There were nearly equal numbers of men and women, all loyal followers to me. At least, I hoped they were. Two minutes before noon, as the last few officers were settling into their chairs, the door flew open and Isaac rushed in, panting from running. Normally I wouldn't have reacted differently, but the uncomfortable, nervous look on his face told me he didn't want to be here.

"You are almost late, Officer Wilborn," I said icily.

Isaac flinched. He hurriedly took his seat at the table, murmuring, "My apologies, Chancellor." Some part of the kinder me came back and I waited to catch his eye, trying to see what was wrong, but he wouldn't meet my gaze.

I forced myself to sustain my composure as harsh Chancellor and cleared my throat. "Thank you, officers, for joining me today." Polite words, although my gratitude was fake. Not showing up to a meeting would result in...consequences. "At this meeting," I continued, "we will be discussing some newly gained information about the traitorous intruders who attacked us recently."

I thought I saw some strange expression cross Isaac's face, but I decided to ignore it. I reached forward and pressed a button on the table. The faces of my audience lit up as the surface in front of them glowed to life. Seconds later, a holographic map of the Triangle flickered into existence. I tapped it to zoom in a little on Apex and the surrounding land. "The tracker on the rebels' ship transmitted for several hours. It seems that one of their engines malfunctioned, slowing them down. The signal went out here." I pointed at a blinking red dot.

One of the officers leaned in to get a closer look. "That's a long way out. It's in the middle of nowhere."

"Yes," I agreed, "but only because the tracker was destroyed." I moved my finger to another spot not too far away. "There's a crater here, covered in forest. Our satellites have been unable to get a clear picture of it. All images are fuzzy. There are other spots on E-2106 with the same problem, but here it's the worst and the most obvious. There's a possibility it could be the rebel base."

Another officer nodded. "It makes sense. They could be sending out a signal that messes with the satellites." The people around him murmured in agreement.

I held up my hand to quiet them. "Let's move along, please. We must decide on the best possible course of action."

"Wouldn't this be a question for the other Chancellors?" someone asks. Isaac raises an eyebrow at me as he sips from a glass of water.

I turned to look at the woman. "This issue is not to be discussed on such a high level. At least, not yet." I zoomed in farther on the crater, which was a blurry mess. "I have decided that there are two paths we could take: one, we give them a final chance to surrender. Otherwise, we send troops in and wipe them out."

Isaac choked on his water. The man next to him said, "I think we should just attack. More time for them to live is more time they have to infiltrate our city again."

"I agree."

"They brought this onto themselves. Why should we be kind to them?"

"Let them suffer!"

I raised my hand again and the officers settled back into silence. "All in favor of attacking, raise your hands," I said.

Twenty-four hands went up into the air.

"All in favor of a last chance, raise your hands."

Everyone in the room turned to look at Isaac, alone in his opinion. He put his hand down quickly. I looked at him, trying to figure out his thoughts without success. I smiled at everyone. "I respect everyone's opinions. The majority rules for an attack. We'll send troops to the crater in two months. If the rebels are willing to lose their lives for a foolhardy cause, then so be it. The safety of Apex is our top priority."

A man at the far end raised his hand. "Chancellor, should we take some prisoner? We could find some valuable information. The locations of the other bases, perhaps."

I paused, thinking. An image of a young Resalia floated into my mind, holding a cupcake and grinning. An impossibly wide grin was plastered across her face. I remembered that day; me, squatting to place the cupcake in her hands. Happy fifth birthday, little Res, I'd told her.

She'd looked up at me admiringly. I love you, Valerie.

"Chancellor?"

The memory disappeared and I snapped out of my reverie to find twenty-five faces staring expectantly at me. I pressed my lips together, quelling my churning emotions. "No survivors," I whispered. I squeezed my eyes shut. "No survivors. We don't need prisoners, and their weapons are not nearly as powerful as ours." I opened my eyes and realized I was gripping the folds of my cloak in my fists. I released the cloth and cleared my throat. "Meeting ended."

I heard the scraping of chairs against the floor as they were pushed back. I kept my gaze trained on the fuzzy crater hovering before me. I imagined Resalia sitting somewhere in there, looking up to the sky. The same look of determination in her eyes from when she'd faced my gun. You won't shoot me. We both know that.

I reached forward and pressed the button, shutting off the hologram. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding in. It wasn't until two minutes later that I realized Isaac was standing silently next to the door.

For a count of ten, we stared at each other. Then I straightened. "Officer Wilborn, you were uncharacteristically silent today."

Issac didn't respond. I lowered my gaze. "You don't approve of my decision."

"The approval of a lowly officer is of no matter to a—"

"Don't talk to me like that." I pressed my palms to my eyes, trying to calm my headache. I didn't want to feel the wall of stone he put up when he was angry, blocking me out. "Please. Just...tell me the truth. Tell me what you think."

I didn't hear him cross the room, but suddenly his fingers were around my wrists, pulling my hands away. I looked up into his startling blue eyes. I couldn't tell anymore if his expression was that of anger or sadness. He looked emotionless both ways. "Are you sure you made the right choice?" he asked quietly.

Hurt filled me. "You don't trust me," I said bitterly. "After all these years, you can never—"

"Hey." Isaac's arms moved to surround me. I allowed myself to relax for one blissful second as his chin rested on top of my head. "I just want you to be safe," he murmured into my hair.

"I know," I whispered back. "Please. Please trust me."

He pulled away and looked at me for a few moments, and I could see the concern in his face. He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Valerie."

He turned and walked out the door.