The Collective (14 page)

“I’m not your son.” Ralston’s words cut like a knife. “I
never have been. Never will be.”

“Purge your soul and power will find you Ralston. That is
what we believe.” Kasmine reminded.

Ralston responded shrugging off the enlightened words. “The
strength of your will is the source of your power.” The usurper recited. “That
is what my real father believed.”

“Ralston. Take a moment to think.” Kasmine reasoned. “Think
about what you are doing. What you are saying. The entirety of this House is
yours under my rule. You may still rule yet. My sons, your nephews are only
infants. You must find another way.”

“There is no other way.” Ralston’s eyes were cold black
orbs.

Kasmine knew then he was lost. “There is always another
way. Guards!”

The guards restrained Ralston. Kasmine approached and
placed his hands on the side of Ralston’s face. He could feel the defiance
radiating from him. Kasmine pulled his head forward and kissed him on the top
of his hair. The moment was tender as Kasmine stepped back and viewed his
protégé from head to toe. What could have been? He wondered, if not for the
impatience and greed of his mother. In his heart he always suspected he would
part with Ralston in this manner. Kasmine held him a while longer then slid his
hand down to his shoulders. He could feel the aggression slipping from
Ralston. 

The hold on the young detractor was loosened. Ralston’s
face grew calm. He too reflected on the blessed life in the house and how
everything changed on that one day many years ago. Ralston could fall in line
and accept his lineage in the House of Iossec. He could become a trusted aide to
Kasmine or eventually have his on family. Ralston looked up at Kasmine and for
a second contemplated rescinding his denouncement. What was he doing? He
thought. This man had treated him well. But the image of his mother being
dragged off haunted him. It covered over Ralston’s thoughts. The image was
crystal clear as if it occurred yesterday. It was seared into his brain and
could not be forgotten. The only way to erase it was to honor his mother and
fight for what she believed. The doubt passed and the strength welled in him as
he struggled to break free of the guards. Kasmine could see the subtle change
within Ralston. The inner turmoil he faced. But once again it was out of
Kasmine’s hands. He turned his back to Ralston and started towards the balcony.
“Strip him of everything save his clothes and throw him outside the wall. Hence
forth Ralston Kasmine is no longer a member of the Kasmine Family or the House
of Iossec. Ralston Transt will live out his days as a vagabond in the streets.”

Wisen leaned toward Kasmine and whispered. “Sir. Is that
wise? The boy has disrespected this council and…”

“It’s done. Guards you have your orders.” Kasmine stepped
onto the balcony and the glass slid closed behind him. Wisen looked back at
Ralston then back at the aides seated around the council. The guards were
holding Ralston and looked towards Kasmine’s back. Wisen walked toward the
guards. His lack of confidence in Kasmine’s decision was evident.

“You heard your orders. Throw him to the street, if he
tries to come into any House of Iossec…shoot him.”

“I expected more from you, Wisen.” Ralston scowled as he
was lead out.

Wisen returned the resentment. “As I of you, young
Ralston.”

The five guards barred Ralston’s hands and escorted him out
of the room. He was led to a service elevator where the group crowded in. Two
men positioned behind him, two on either side facing towards him and the squad
leader facing Ralston. Their uniforms were unchanged from the days his father
was the first of the House, stark white with a thick red stripe running down
the side of their arms and legs. Red helmets, gloves and boots with black
visors stopping at the bridge of their noses, covering their eyes. The distinct
difference was the white ‘K’ outlined in red instead of a ‘T’. How easily these
people changed their alliances, Ralston thought.  He looked from the letter on
the guard’s chest to his face. The guard in front of Ralston was the only one
without a helmet. He was an older man, clean-shaven with his years of service
clearly etched into his face.

“If you ask me they should have killed him.” The squad
leader said to his team.

“You still can.” The son of Milred challenged undaunted by
his current predicament.

       “You’ll
wish we did at the end…traitor.” As the word left his mouth the sergeant
punched the prisoner in the stomach. The other guards joined in, punching and
kicking Ralston to the floor of the elevator. Before the door opened they
composed themselves, straightening their helmets and wiping the red fluids from
their gloves. The door opened and Ralston was dragged down the corridor with a
guard under each arm, his legs dangling behind him. As the door closed servants
rushed in to clean up the elevator cab. The sergeant walked down the hall
acknowledging the guards positioned in the hallway. The exterior door was
pushed open and Ralston was thrown awkwardly into the back of a waiting truck.
A short drive to the opposite side of the city walls, the fallen prince was
kicked out of the truck bed onto the ground. He rolled over onto his chest. His
face was bludgeoned and his left eye swollen. The blood mixed with dirt,
painted shades of red and brown onto his black uniform. Two guards jumped from
the truck. One was armed, the other with a key in hand. The guard pulled
Ralston up by the arm restraint as he grunted in pain. She unlocked the device,
dropping Ralston back to the ground. Ralston’s head was down but he could hear
the footsteps coming towards him. The shiny black boots stopped near his face,
and then the tip of a boot moved under his chin pushing his head up. The sun
was behind the Sergeant and the glare caused Ralston to squint. 

“I was told to give you rations when we released you.”  The
Sergeant paused taking his foot from under Ralston’s face. He looked at Ralston
withering on the ground and the thought crossed him to put the man out of his
misery. How long would he last outside these walls?  Then again, he thought,
orders were orders. But maybe he would help speed up the process. “Here’s your
rations.”

One of the guards stepped forward and flung a bag onto the
ground then proceeded to stomp and mash the bag until it was flat. He opened it
and dumped the contents over Ralston.  He then handed a bottle of water to the
sergeant. The sergeant kicked Ralston to turn him over on his back and poured
the water into his face. “I’ve followed my orders.  Now you know how the scum
feels outside these walls.”

The Sergeant spat on Ralston, then climbed into the truck
as it headed back. Ralston laid flat on his back in the dirt. He wiped away the
food and water turned into sludge across his face.  Looking to his right he
could see the city walls and the guards positioned at the entry. They would
surely shoot him if he attempted to go into the city now. He had no food, no
water and some would say little hope of survival. He turned his head to look up
at the sky and slowly whispered the Transt motto. 

“The strength of your will is the source of your power.” A
smile spread across his beaten face.

CHAPTER 13

RALSTON

Kasmine sat in his personal study reviewing the inner
workings of the House of Iossec. He went there to retreat away from all his
responsibility and look at the House with a critical eye. There were two rooms;
the first was off a side hall from his main room. Two L-shaped couches lined
the walls. In the middle of the room sitting on a pedestal was a bust of
Kasmine, sculpted just last year, his stone bust etched into a Romanesque pose
and harkened to the days of their generals. The walls contained a painting of
the Kasmine family on one side with him positioned in a chair with the family
around him. The other wall held a picture of Transt and his family.  Kasmine
always showed respect to his predecessor. Hardwood floors ran from the entry
door to the secondary door with two guards on either side. More guards milled
around in the hall. Behind the metal door Kasmine stood in front of the
computer screen which covered the entire west wall. On the opposite side was a
table with six chairs. To the north was a glass wall with the sun screened by
an exterior structure. Kasmine held a long solid black stylus in his hand
roughly two feet long. He touched the top right corner of the screen with the
edge of the stylus.

“Eye level”. He said. The document slid down in front of
him.  He looked at a word on the screen. “Enlarge”. 

The words began to enlarge from that point. Kasmine had
studied these figures for a few days and he needed to find a way to propel
Iossec to one of the upper Houses if he ever hoped to gain power. The
efficiency with which he ran the House allowed for the rapid ascent. Now he
poured over data trying to figure out how to cut anything that was not
absolutely necessary while increasing the production.  The door slid up and
Wisen walked in. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“You are.” Kasmine responded without looking at his aide. 

Wisen knew what he had to say trumped Kasmine’s displeasure
with the imposition. “I have urgent news sir.” Kasmine continued to study the
data, unfazed by his intrusion. “The Water Facility was attacked.”

Kasmine stopped and slowly turned towards Wisen. His eyes
were noticeably larger. A major production loss at the Water Facility could be
catastrophic to his data. He composed himself as Wisen continued. “The rebel
attacks have grown more fierce and coordinated over the last few days. It’s as
if someone is leading them.”

“What was the damage at the Facility?” Wisen asked,
calculating what loss they could absorb, if any.

“It was minimal.” His aide stated. “Production is down by
fifteen percent, but will be back to full capacity in a few days. The rebels
are ill-equipped to cause any major damage, let alone hold the Facility. My
concern is who’s leading them?”

“Your concern should be getting that Facility back to
one-hundred percent operation.”  Kasmine’s tone was sharp. “We need that
facility if we have any hope of surpassing the House of Diera. That is our main
concern. These rebels are nothing more than an annoyance.”

Wisen was similarly perturbed by the rebels, but they had
grown from more than a small irritation. “I agree Kasmine. But we need to be
more aggressive about stomping them out. If rats take over an area we don’t
just wait until they’ve run out of food and starve. We find the nest and
exterminate them. That is what you’ve proposed.”

“Are you saying we have traitors in our midst?” Kasmine
questioned.

“No…maybe…my main point is you have to rule in a way that
inspires terror and lets these aggressors know they will be stamped out.” The
aide hastened to make his thoughts plain.

The first of the House of Iossec held the stylus in his
hands considering his most trusted confidant’s words. “I don’t want to shed
innocent blood to root out this evil.”

Wisen reminded him of their position.  “Sometimes blood,
innocent or otherwise, has to be spilled for the greater good of the House. You
of all people know that Kasmine.”

“That’s enough Wisen.” The point was made and Kasmine
needed to act swiftly.  “I’m sending patrols door to door in the city. We’ll
round up any survivors of the Facility attack and make sure they are questioned
before they are executed. That is all.”

“As you command Kasmine.”  Wisen bowed his head and backed
out of the room.  If he had not known before he realized now, Kasmine had no
idea what was ahead. If he thought this rebellion would be easily squashed, he
would be sadly mistaken. For now Wisen acquiesced, but he knew he needed to
prepare for the danger to come.

Two nights later, Kasmine was awakened by Wisen and asked
to meet in the personal study. Wisen seemed to be in a bit of a panic, which
was out of character. Kasmine sleepily sat down in his chair. He looked out the
window and he could see smoke billowing from the house of his second in
command, Giless Lenfree. Kasmine sat up in his seat as the computer screen
flickered on showing images of rebels being killed outside his home and inside
on the main floor.  “What the hell is happening?”

His aide rapidly brought him up to speed. “There was a
full-scale attack by the rebels early this morning. Every home in Iossec is
under siege. Just through superior force they are being kept at bay on the main
level here, but the under houses are not faring so well. Some of the men who
are part of the attack are former guards. The underlying theme is they are
discontent with the current conditions, lack of water, how they live, what they
eat, what they wear.