Brothers and Blood Ties

[NDak 0]

“You were nearly compromised,” Chaelon tr’Naierth said imperiously. “You must be more careful.”

 

Savu N’Dak glowered, her soul full of fury and annoyance. “Perhaps,” she said, “if those veruuls from the Othan had been, I don’t know, a tiny bit more prudent, they would have everything they desire”

 

Leaning back in his chair, his countenance softening somewhat, Chaelon nodded. “I suppose,” he said. “You have a point. I warned the others that they were not to be trusted.”

 

“They are a pack of fools,” Savu said. “Not only have the compromised our operations there...”

 

Chaelon waved a hand. “I am more than aware of the implications of the failure of our allies. However, the Directors feel that we must continue our alliance with them … for now. They may have proverbial egg rhae their faces, but their wallets remain deep, and with the losses to our shipping networks...”

 

The female N’Dak frowned ever deeper. Elements, everything had been going so perfectly too. “I would still like to know exactly how that happened. I told au no good would come from putting that veruul in charge of such a key operation. Imagine, being out witted by a dog.”

 

“As if au have much room...”

 

The frown turned into a scowl and without thought, Savu glowered with fury of an exploding star. “Go to hell.”

 

Fortunately for her, Chaelon was mildly amused. “I have little doubt,” he said, “that I will find my way there, eventually, perhaps at au hands. However, au must face the facts. We have spent a large number of resources on au two operations and what do we have to show for them? The directors have given you a wide berth because the promised benefits of au efforts, but their patience will not last forever.

 

“Despite au best laid plains, au continued to be foiled by au brother and his little bad of misfits, who by the way, managed to help ruin na io but two operations on their last mission, and no doubt if au brother is even half as adept as au, might be on to a third and fourth. Meanwhile, na only has t’Rexan’s position grown stronger, but she is now bonded rhae io of the most powerful men in the empire and surrounded constantly by his personal d’heno.”

 

Looking away, trying her best to control the welling anger in her heart, Savu bit back a harsh, profanity laced diatribe and took a deep breath before speaking again in more measured lexicon. “I admit,” she said, “that I have perhaps underestimated the cunning of Destorie.”

 

“Ie,” he said, “and there those in the directorate who think perhaps we should simply remove him from the equation.”

 

“Na,” Savu said. “If anyone is going to kill him, it will be me and of a time of my choosing.”

 

“Au may na longer have that choice.”

 

“What are au saying,” she said, a touch of something Chaelon couldn’t entirely discern in her voice.

 

Surely, he though, it wasn’t concern for elder brother? “What I am saying, Savu, is that the directors are growing impatient. They’re worried. We have a number of assets in play, and our position is more venerable than they would like. You know as well as I do how important it is that we continued to secure resources free from the Senate’s purse strings. Your brother has gone from a mild nuisance to a priority target.

 

“We’ve had too many agents compromised. Too many people know that we’re involved.”

 

“I know,” Savu said, “but I do not see what I could have done differently. Had that veruul of a woman done what she said she would, this would not have happened...”

 

“Whatever happened to her, anyway? The report said she was...”

 

“Taken by the Daise’Khre’Riov, ie. I do na know,” Savu said honestly. “The Daise’Khre’Riov presumably had her killed. I don’t honestly care.”

 

“Is that so,” Chaelon said. “I would think...”

 

“Oh,” Savu retorted bitterly. “Do na misunderstand me. I hope she died the miserable, painful death due to such low form of Rihannsu, and a small part of me is disappointed that I did na get to carry out the task, but so long as she suffered, I am content.”

 

“Ahhh...”

 

“Elements,” she said, standing and walking towards a window before turning. “Can au imagine anything so perfect? There I stood, prepared to strike out na io, but three enemies with a single stone. I could have had everything with that io, Destorie, t’Rexan and the House S’Crahn. But naaaaaaaaa she was too weak willed to see her simple task through. What a veruul.”

 

“At least she weakened the bond between au brother and t’Rexan,” Chaelon offered, as he watched Savu pace frustratedly.

 

“Ie,” she said, marginally mollified. “There is that. And he has done na thing to repair that rift.”

 

“Na?”

 

“Ie. He hasn’t even apologized. He’s such a coward. I bet he didn’t even tell Issaha that he’d been transferred...”

 

“He had au younger brother transferred?”

 

Savu nodded, her frown mutating into a wicked grin. “Ie. He called in a favor with a friend of his -- though elements knows why anyio would be his friend -- and got Issaha assigned as the chief science officer on an expedition to the Corais Cluster.”

 

“Impressive.”

 

Rolling her eyes, Savu waved a hand. “Non-sense. Issaha is na nearly as dumb as everyone thinks he is,” she said. “It was a promotion longer overdue. Destorie has always held Issaha back, babying him.”

 

Chaelon was rather surprised at how protective she seemed of her younger brother. In fact, he noted, it was the first time she’d spoken well of any of her siblings. Mentally, he made a note for later. In all of the years he’d known Savu, he’d yet to find a weakness beyond her ego and ambition. Perhaps, he thought, Issaha could be used against her, should the situation call for a trump.

 

“But how do you know he didn’t tell him?”

 

With a scoff, Savu returned to the chair opposite of Chaelon. “Because I know him. My agents rhae the Talon reported that he did na even bother to go see him while he was rhae the Talon’s maenek bay, recovering from injuries.

 

“Hell, he didn’t even tell our parents till the Talon was on its way back to the homesun and when Issaha was nearly recovered.”

 

Surprised even more, Chaelon decided to pry. “Au are in contact with au family, then?”

 

“Of course na,” Savu said, deeply bitter. “I monitor their transmissions.”

 

“Ah.”

 

“Do na look at me like that. They do na wish to speak to me, nor I them, but if knowledge is power...”

 

“I am surprised, with au father’s skill...”

 

“Oh I did na say it was easy. It took me sometime to break the cipher they use for their personal communications...”

 

Wistfully, Chaelon considered that he was becoming more familiar with the inner workings of the House S’N’Dak than he was his own house. “So, Issaha does na know that he has been transferred,” Chaelon said. “Perhaps...”

 

“Oh,” Savu said, wicked grin returned. “I already took care of that.”

 

“Amusing.”

 

“I thought so. I am only sad I won’t be there to watch Destorie squirm, confronted with the consequences of his actions and his cowardice. I want to make him miserable.”

[KhreRiovtRex 0]

Ooooo, now it's getting good! Great log