The Significant (86 page)

      
“
They
know that they need me, and they respect me as their leader
.”

      
“No, they do not!” Isa snapped. “If they
did, the Elites would not have been necessary for you to maintain your power.
But the Elites, and you, have not changed while society has. How can you expect
to grow stronger if you cannot come back from every challenge different than
you were when you started? Every challenge to your authority has been met with
violence and death. At the Academy, you almost had me killed because I was
getting out of hand, and your response was to exile my professor and kill one
of my closest friends, but I have also changed. And I refuse to bow to you when
I have been running this planet without your assistance for decades.”

      
The machines in the room began roaring as
Venus’ machines heated in anger.

      
“
You
believe you can defy me?!
” she bellowed, her beeps ear-piercing and causing
Isa to flinch. “
You bow to me because I
created you. I decide if you live or die, and when you will step down as Elite.
I will remove you from power now, if you continue with this behavior!”

      
“If you do that, you doom your existence,”
Isa said strongly. “Replace me if you wish, but the new Elite that comes in
will be a soft-shelled, obedient child and Gihron will destroy them. General
Decius is demanding that you be shut down, or he will find a way to attack your
core processors and destroy you.”

      
Venus’ hologram was flickering angrily as
her computer ran all algorithms it could, calculating risks and outcomes as Isa
straightened.

      
“Your time has come to an end, Venus,”
she declared.

      
Her legs buckled under her as the pain rocketed
through her chest from the processor in her chest reacting to Venus’ attack.
However, she bit back her cry of pain, her lip bleeding as her teeth sliced
into her flesh.

      
“
You
will yield!
” Venus ordered. “
The
people see me as their leader, and they will always see me as their leader!
”

      
Isa sat in her living room late that
night, a cold compress over her eyes as her headache throbbed behind them. Dr.
Busen had just left after checking up on her and giving her an update about his
research into shutting Venus down and keeping the Golden Elite alive. Remus sat
across from the Golden Elite as Kailynn sat next to her.

      
“You’re being extremely reckless about
this,” Remus whispered.

      
“I know.”

      
“It’s a miracle that she hasn’t killed
you yet,” Remus continued.

      
“At this moment, she needs me too much,”
Isa said. “As soon as this mess with Gihron clears up, I will not be able to
keep her at bay. She’ll either replace me or kill me and make it look like an
accident and then replace me.”

      
“You realize that we can’t handle her on
top of General Decius, right?”

      
“We can,” Isa assured.

      
“Isa,” Rayal said, poking his head out of
the kitchen, “there’s a broadcast on all frequencies. It’s even on the security
monitors. It’s from Venus.”

      
Groaning, the Golden Elite stood, walking
with her eyes half-closed into the kitchen and seeing the hologram of the
computer’s face on the twelve screens across the kitchen wall.

      
“—submit. There are those that would seek
to shut me down and destroy me, but I will never yield to such threats or
terrorist tactics. I am the life of this planet. If I am destroyed, all
communications will go down, defenses as well. All phones, NCB, NGS, and GAL
platforms will be rendered useless. The economy will collapse and the planet
will starve. Remember this and report all those that claim they will never
submit. There are those that would seek to shut me down…”

      
The computer repeated the message as
Remus groaned and rubbed his head.

      
“She clearly does not care about the
delicate nature of having Gihron
on-planet
while she’s making this broadcast on
all
frequencies
.” He closed his eyes. “We’re never going to get them to agree
to terms if they think we’re fighting with the artificial intelligence we
always claim as being our ruler.”

      
“I’m sure Gihron already knows that she’s
not really our leader,” Isa said. She closed her eyes and leaned her head
against Kailynn’s as the Significant put her arms around the Elite’s waist,
holding her upright as Isa tried to stay strong from the violent attack from
Venus earlier that day. It had now been a pattern for two days—Isa would be in
horrendous pain for the day apart from two hours before her scheduled meeting
time with Gihron, during the entire meeting with Gihron, and at night when
Venus wanted her rested for dealing with Gihron the next day.

      
They listened to the message several
times, thinking over the panic that would probably be running rampant through
the people.

      
Kailynn wondered if people were terrified
of losing their NCB, NGS, and GAL platforms because they would not know what to
do with themselves, or if they were worried about being unable to produce food
or keep the city clean with the incredible number of humans. She wondered if
those thoughts were even crossing the minds of the people, or if they were just
terrified of the thought of change.

      
“Come on,” Isa said, pulling Kailynn with
her as they walked out of the kitchen.

      
“Where are you going?” Remus asked,
following the Golden Elite. Tarah and Rayal followed behind the group, walking
with them through the guest hallway, pool area, and into Isa’s office.

      
“Remus, can you piggyback her frequency?”
Isa asked.

      
“Probably.”

      
“Alright, let’s record our response.”

      
“We’re going to respond?” Kailynn asked,
surprised.

      
“Venus told me that the people see her as
the leader, and she’s trying to use fear to prove that to me,” Isa said,
walking to her NCB chair and sitting in it, activating it in safe mode so Venus
could not immediately find her. “I’m going to prove to her that the people
would rather follow me than her.”

      
“You don’t know that, though,” Kailynn
murmured.

      
“I know my people,” Isa said with a nod.
“And I have information she won’t like the people knowing.”

      
“I can set you to record on a backup and
work on the piggyback once you are clear of the chair,” Remus said, walking to
Isa’s chair and typing a few things into one of the control panels.

      
“That will work.”

      
Isa opened up her hologram recording and
took a deep breath, preparing herself, forcing her eyes to open past her
headache and her face to relax, while her eyes still shone with the intensity
of the Golden Elite.

      
“Start,” she commanded.

      
The chair let out a soft beep and Isa
began her message.

      
“People of Tiao, I come to you in
response to the message that has been circulating from Venus, discussing the
repercussions of shutting her down. It is true, if she were to be deactivated,
the planet would be without power for an unknown period of time. However, Venus
has failed to mention that there are many planets of the Crescent Alliance that
would support us if we were in need, and there are terms carved out among
several planets that, should something occur and Venus was no longer in power,
those planets would come to Tiao’s aid. Another thing Venus has failed to
mention is the dangers of keeping her in power. As she said, she is in control
of all our communications, but she also has access to our homes and our
businesses, and all electronics on our planet.

      
“Six years ago, this planet suffered a
terrible tragedy,” Isa continued. “Saera, our terraformed greenhouse site, was
destroyed by catastrophic failures in the generators for the city. These
generators were connected to Venus mainframe, and the catastrophic failures
were, in reality, another section of her system attacking and forcing the
generators into meltdown, eventually leading to the death of one-hundred
thousand citizens and the destruction of our food supply.

      
“Shortly after the destruction of Saera,
Venus was weaponized, and tricked into believing that certain members of the
Syndicate staff were a threat—a threat that she neutralized by poisoning those
members of her own Syndicate,” Isa said, her voice steady even though there was
a great deal of pain in her eyes at recalling the memories. “It is possible for
Venus to be weaponized. It has happened before, and it can very easily happen
again. The attacks six years ago were the result of a madman hacking into an
older section of her coding and reprogramming her. The Syndicate has currently
dismantled this part of her coding, but it would still be possible for her to
weaponize herself now that the codes have been in her system once before.

      
“Therefore, people of Tiao, I ask for
your support in considering shutting down Venus and shifting Tiao into a new
future away from artificial intelligence rule,” Isa completed. “If you will
unite behind me, I will dismantle Venus and help us move forward as a stronger,
cohesive Tiao.”

      
She was still for two seconds before she
stood carefully, her eyes sliding shut in exhaustion.

      
“Take it slow…” Kailynn murmured, helping
the Elite out of the chair. Isa sighed heavily and swayed a little on her feet.
Kailynn took the Elite’s shoulders, looking at her seriously. “Are you crazy?”
she chuckled brokenly. “You just declared war on Venus.”

      
“Yes,” Isa said. She leaned her head on
Kailynn’s. “But this has to happen. The people cannot live under the rule of
Venus. She is our greatest weakness, and I won’t let anything like what
happened to Saera or the Syndicate happen again.”

      
Kailynn smiled and placed her hands on both
sides of Isa’s face, her eyes welling with tears.

      
“I love you.”

      
“I love you, too,” Isa whispered.

      
The Elite bent down and gently captured
Kailynn’s lips in hers, kissing her tenderly before pressing her forehead to
Kailynn’s again, unaware that Remus had turned the camera on both of them to
catch the entire exchange for the broadcast to the people of Tiao.

Chapter
Forty

      
Isa was furious when she discovered that
Remus had allowed her exchange with Kailynn to be broadcast. They both began
arguing in Isa’s office at the Syndicate just before meeting with General
Decius. Several other Elites were also in the office, listening to the
argument, while others were preparing for the Gihron entourage to arrive.

      
“Do you have any idea of the danger you
put her in?!” Isa barked.

      
“The people are going to need more than
your word to stand behind you,” Remus said. “You need to relate to them. You
said the future would be away from artificial intelligence and the candid
moment showed that you were
not
the
typical Elite.”

      
“You put a target on her head for Gihron,
and for
any
planet that seeks to tear
me down.”

      
“You said yourself, we have planets more
than willing to help us, planets run by leaders that
know
you. Seeing your defiance to Venus, and knowing what you are
capable of,
and
that you have the
human compassion and love to fall for someone, you will gain more support.”

      
“She is now a target!” Isa repeated. “How
dare you do that to her? To
me
?”

      
Remus took a deep breath.

      
“Because you two deserve better than the
relationship you had with me,” Remus said simply. “You should not have to hide
your relationship.”

      
Isa heaved a sigh and turned to Kailynn.
Kailynn smiled weakly. She was also nervous about being a political target,
particularly with General Decius so near, but she was also a little relieved
that their relationship was out in the open.

      
“I’m sorry, Kailynn.”

      
“Hey,” Kailynn started, walking to the
Golden Elite, “you may have tamed me a little, but I am still the Wild Child of
Trid. I can sure as hell take care of myself if I need to. And I’m not as smart
as you, so I won’t care if I have to break a few noses if someone’s coming
after me.”

      
Isa let out a soft chuckle.

      
“Perhaps it is you who is wise,” she
murmured.

      
The chair in Isa’s office beeped with an
incoming transmission from Fortunea. Isa accepted the message and a brief light
passed over the entire room before projecting the Queen of Fortunea, still
ornately-dressed, in stunning clarity, two large men behind her in military
uniforms, their dark faces half-covered by an ornate black headdress.

      
“Your Majesty,” Isa said, bowing her
head.

      
“Elite Isa,” Glynna said, glancing around
the room as if she were standing with them. “I see you have many visitors. Did
I interrupt a strategy meeting?”

      
“I suppose you could call it that,” Isa
said with a smile. “You received my message, I presume.”

      
“Yes,” Glynna said. “As I have always
stated, I will support you and Tiao to the best of my abilities. Should Gihron
get out of hand and try to attack you, I will have troops standing at the
ready. Do they have permission to enter your airspace?”

      
“They do.”

      
“Perhaps I should double my aid?” Glynna
asked with a smile. “Considering the message you were sending out after Venus’
poor attempt at controlling Tiao’s people.”

      
Isa took a deep breath, forcing a smile.

      
“I assume the entire Altereye System has
seen that message by now.”

      
“Indeed,” Glynna said. “I cannot tell you
the number of calls I have received since last night. Everyone is talking about
the renegade Golden Elite declaring war on Venus.” Glynna glanced at Kailynn
and her smile widened. “You have my full support,” Glynna said. “
Both
of you.”

      
Isa visibly relaxed.

      
“Isa,” Glynna said, turning to her, “in
celebration of your victory over Gihron, I would like to supply your planet
with some of our bountiful crop this year,” she said, her smile widening. “My
troops will be at Tiao within the week to secure the planet and protect it, and
the produce ships will arrive over the next month to be sure that your people
are well-cared for.”

      
Isa closed her eyes and swallowed hard,
placing her hand over her heart and bowing her head deeply to the queen.

      
“You are far too generous, Your Majesty.”

      
“I have already spoken with several other
members of the Alliance and called on those able to assist to prepare for the
change on Tiao. Once you secure peace terms with Gihron, we will immediately
declare a State for Relief for Tiao.”

      
“Do you believe that the Alliance can
remain strong without its cornerstone?”

      
“My dear friend,” Glynna smiled gently,
“everyone is rallying for you. I have never seen the Alliance so united on one
issue.” She bowed her head. “Golden Elite Isa, Fortunea is at your service.”

      
“I am in your debt, Your Majesty.”

      
Glynna’s hologram faded and Isa turned to
the Syndicate members in her office. Several of them were staring at Isa in
surprise.

      
“It’s really happening,” Aolee murmured.

      
“What is the status on the Aren System?”
Isa asked.

      
“We have seven-hundred generators set up
over the planet,” Chronus said. “While that will not give us much, it will
allow us to start reprogramming in the larger cities, which will get us up and
running again quicker than anticipated.”

      
“And has anyone spoken to Dr. Busen?” Isa
asked, her voice straining.

      
“Yes,” Anders said. “He believes that,
should removal cause problems with the organs, it would be best to be ready to
replace it, that includes lung, heart, and esophagus and would mean extensive
reconstruction.”

      
“Marvelous,” Isa groaned.

      
“If anyone can do it, he can,” Remus said
strongly. “After all, he performed your previous reconstruction and you are the
only surviving patient with a reconstructed cranium.”

      
Isa took a deep breath, closing her eyes
and nodding.

      
“Alright,” she said. “I want everyone
prepared to execute Plan Maki at the nearest opportunity. As soon as General
Decius has left the planet, we move.”

      
“Understood,” Chronus said, followed by
several affirmatives.

      
“Should things with the General take the
same turn that they did with his brother, I don’t want anyone to hesitate,” Isa
said strongly. “His delegates are terrified of him, and if we have evidence of
any tampering with the Syndicate, we can bring up charged against Gihron
through the Alliance. Therefore, if you see anything suspicious, interfere, but
not before they successfully incriminate themselves.”

      
Isa did not want Kailynn in the meeting
with Gihron, worried that her message that had been playing continuously had
given General Decius the idea to use Kailynn as a way to weaken Isa’s stance on
some of the terms of the peace. However, she opened the cameras from the
conference room so that Kailynn could watch what was going on from the Golden
Elite’s office. While Kailynn was not thrilled about the idea, she did not
protest.

      
She sat nervously, watching the Elites
file into the room and prepare for the Gihron delegation.

      
Remus glanced at Isa and offered a small
smile. The Golden Elite took a deep breath and closed her eyes, preparing
herself for what she knew would be a very stressful meeting.

      
When the door opened, Isa opened her eyes
and straightened her shoulders.

      
“Good morning, General Decius.”

      
“Elite Isa,” he greeted, walking to his
seat. Now on the fifth day of negotiation, the formalities had been dropped on
both sides. The tension had been building between Isa and General Decius for
days, and they both knew there was no reason to put forth false pleasantries.

      
General Decius sighed and looked at Isa,
his position relaxed, his eyes showing his annoyance.

      
“I saw your message to your people last
night,” he said. “As far as I’m aware, it’s still on repeat, playing after
Venus’ message.”

      
Isa did not speak, looking at General
Decius with stoic eyes.

      
The Gihoric leader drummed his fingers
along the arm of the chair, glancing around the room.

      
“There is much about that message
that…piques my curiosity.” He looked at her seriously. “You said that you
wanted to unite your people to take down Venus, but those terms were
preposterous six years ago, and I knew that they would not be entertained had I
put them in our surrender.”

      
“If we decide to overthrow Venus, it will
be a decision made by the people of Tiao and the Syndicate,” Isa explained. “I
will not be bullied into changing the structure of Tiao’s society to end a war
where we clearly have the advantage.”

      
General Decius let out an exasperated
snort.

      
“But you would ask me to change the
structure of Gihron’s society.”

      
“If you wish to have your planet join the
Crescent Alliance, then the structure of Gihron’s society will be changed,” Isa
said. “Joining the Alliance was something that you placed in your terms for
surrender. I did not demand that you join. Therefore, it is your choice if you
wish to change Gihron’s society and join the Alliance.”

      
“There is no choice at all,” General
Decius scoffed. “With the state of the Altereye System, any planet not in the
Alliance is crushed under the weight of having to support their planets without
aid from wealthier planets. Gihron’s economy cannot hold its own, therefore I
have no choice but to bow to the Alliance.”

      
“No, you have a choice,” Isa corrected.
“You either change your planet and make it stronger, or you turn your back on
your people, choosing to maintain the society that is clearly not working for
your planet if it cannot support itself.”

      
While General Decius’ eyes narrowed in
anger, two of the other delegates blinked, their eyes going distant, thinking
over Isa’s words.

      
“Our planet is the strongest in the Ninth
Circle,” General Decius growled.

      
“But you are eager for help from the
Alliance,” Isa pointed out. “General Decius, if the Alliance were to make an
exception for Gihron it would not solve the problems on Gihron, and it would
breed discord among the members of the Alliance, weakening it and causing
damage to all the planets in the Altereye System.” The Golden Elite looked at
the Gihoric leader strongly. “Times are changing, and as leaders, we must
change with them.”

      
“Is that what you call your affair? A
change for the better?” General Decius challenged.

      
“My personal life has no bearing on our
discussions, General Decius.”

      
“But it does,” General Decius corrected.
“You are changing things on your planet, and you are breaking the rules set by
Venus, rules that you hold to the highest regard, by having a lover. Yet
we
are supposed to herald you as a true
leader? You are not human, you cannot have the same compassion as a human, and
you will never have the respect of humans. You have no regard for the structure
of the way things are. You are a machine. You could never understand.”

      
“Perhaps, it is
you
who misunderstands,” Isa said. “Because understanding and
respecting a societal structure is one thing, but understanding it and
respecting it enough to see where it is weak, and finding a means to strengthen
it,
that
is what a leader does, and
that is what I have done. I have the respect of my people and of the other
planets in the Alliance. I respect that you wish to preserve your planet while
still reaping the benefits that come with being part of the Crescent Alliance,
but the system works because everyone adheres or they are punished. No
exceptions can be made. As a military man, I’m sure you understand that dissent
in the ranks is dangerous to the unity of the army.”