Between Darkness and Light by Lisanne Norman Page A

Raiban’s stylus breaking filled the silence. “I will not tolerate aliens in Stronghold,” said Raiban, her voice brittle with anger.
    â€œI wasn’t aware our charter as a Guild depended on your allowing us anything, Commander,” said Rhyaz calmly, taking the crystal Alex handed him.
    â€œYou’ll find Stronghold much reduced these days, Rhyaz, should you and your people come to call on us as you once threatened my wife you would,” said Lijou. “Apart from my priests and the juniors that is.”
    â€œExplain yourself,” said Raiban harshly as Rhyaz activated the comm recessed into the table in front of him and inserted the crystal into the reader slot.
    â€œSurely you noticed that rather than pay your exorbitant charges, our people have been withdrawn from the Forces.” Rhyaz punched a command into the comm before looking up at her. “Stronghold is no longer entirely based on Shola. We have risen beyond the surface of our world, and as well as our mandate to protect Shola, which you have done your best to prevent, we now have other contracts to fulfill.”
    â€œYou threatened to march on Stronghold?” asked Rilgho, turning on the President. “You fool! If I’d known that, I’d have interfered sooner in your petty games against them! I warned you what the outcome would be, Raiban!”
    â€œBe silent!” she hissed. “This is treason, Rhyaz!”
    â€œNo, Commander Raiban,” said Governor Nesul quietly. “It isn’t. He did it with my knowledge and permission. When the yearly budget allocations were made, I had a separate contract drawn up between Shola and the Brotherhood. It restates the Brotherhood’s Charter and stipulates that they are an independent force and must always remain so. Never again can they be manipulated by private political interests on Shola. It’s on the statute books now.”
    â€œYou forced us into this, Raiban,” said Konis. “You refused to let them have the funding they needed. As the government, we had no choice but to make them independent. Now be silent and hear what they have to say.”
    A holographic image of a fleet hovering over an alien planet began to form in the center of the table. Raiban, face frozen in a silent snarl of anger, sat back, defeated for now.
    â€œWith our alien allies,” said Rhyaz, “we have formed a small unit of ships to patrol the borders of Prime and M’zullian space. Called Watchers , their crews are made up of our own Brothers and Sisters as well as their U’Churian, Cabbaran, and Sumaan colleagues, and they do just that, watch. When, several days ago, a fleet was seen gathering around M’zull, we were alerted and followed them to their destination at J’kirtikk. We received this transmission yesterday. If you watch, I think you’ll see how our two colonies were destroyed.”
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    When the images stopped playing, the silence continued for several minutes until Rhyaz broke it.
    â€œAs you can see, what appears to be the ship controlling the weapon they used to destroy J’kirtikk is itself destroyed. Current intelligence,” Rhyaz said, giving Raiban a long look, “tells us that the M’zullians are now landing unopposed on J’kirtikk. Vessels have been seen leaving orbit towing large cargo containers, presumably heading back to M’zull. We believe they are looting the planet for weapons and other resources. They’re too busy to worry about us for the time being, even if they were aware of our existence, which we’ve every reason to believe they aren’t.”
    â€œWar is imminent,” Raiban repeated pedantically. “With or without that weapon. We must prepare for it now. We don’t know that this was their only one.”
    â€œAssuredly,” Rhyaz agreed. “And I have some proposals to put before you.”
    â€œYou? What do you know about warfare?”