{Enki | Tritan Residences}

Tameka stood with her hands on her hips and tapped her boot, replaying her life for any other mentions of Ishkur. Why was she the key to it? Would Celindria hurt her son for it? How much of this was a trap?

Their plan was risky, and it started with Eminent Lance.

Hence all four of them standing in his apartments, waiting for him to return from his shift on the Tribunal. That’s right. Enki continued to function despite chaos reigning throughout the galaxy. Fucking Imminent—

“How long do you plan on doing that?”

Tameka’s back was to the rest of them as she ruminated, but there was no mistaking the irritatingly smooth cadence. Should she stop tapping her boot or should she turn around and pick a fight? What was more productive, and what would make her feel better in the interim?

Childish.

The boot tapping stopped. Taking a deep breath, Tameka inhaled more than oxygen. She sipped of Enki’s star and fed it to herself. Too late, she considered more energy might not help with the fidgeting. Some part of Tameka wanted to confess to the room how she was feeling, but everything she’d felt was expected of her circumstance. Airing it and compounding their anxieties with her weakness wouldn’t make them feel better about her as their leader. Neither would nervously tapping her boot.

Another deep breath. Another sip. Tameka glanced over her shoulder where Korac perched on an empty pedestal in the room like some bird of prey. It suited his battle gear. Captivating and unnerving—and he was staring right at her.

“What?” Without a trace of irritation or frustration, Tameka managed to keep her voice steady and kept her nerves to herself.

Tumu looked up then and glanced between the two while Sagan went through all the strange things in Lance’s room. Lots of empty furniture. Bureaus with no clothes. Cases with no shelves or mementos. Outlines of frames on the walls, but nothing there.

Korac gave a cavalier shrug to Tameka’s question, but kept staring at her.

Confused, she frowned. “Are you trying to provoke me?”

Sagan quit taking in the room and inched toward them. Tumu shook his head at her.

After another moment hanging between them, Korac abruptly stood on the pedestal, clocking the ceiling at sixteen feet or higher. Balanced with one motorcycle boot on the slender column, he made for a majestic and intimidating sight. Yet he showed no strain. Even his voice was fluid as he said, “Only months ago, I was in a similar position as you—part of Imminent’s designs, unbeknown to myself. A wealth of unlucky significance which rained down on me all at once. Atheneum. Savior of the Aegis. Half Ancient. It was… devastating. It took a Verse and Sagan’s kindness to breach the surface. Now look at you, your majesty.”

Sagan looked ready to intervene, but Tumu leaned all the way down to whisper in her ear. Whatever he said was reassurance enough because she stopped approaching.

Which left Tameka staring at Korac, trying to see his point. “What about me?”

“I can see it.” Korac hopped off the column and strode over to her with a certainty in his eyes. “Even with Pax missing and all this extra weight, you’re keeping your composure and building strategies to approach the problem from a place of calm and intelligence.” He stopped only a step outside of her personal space.

Tameka frowned in confusion and searched his strange eyes. “What can you see?”

As if this were an appropriate time for it, Korac smirked. The next he said so quiet only Tameka could hear. “I can see why he likes you.”

Korac. Icarean General, the Aegis Atheneum, and the love of her best friend’s life was giving Tameka shit to distract her. There was no other explanation for this mess, and the longer she stared at him, the wider his smirk spread as if he knew she’d figured it out—

“Ow!”

“You’ll get another swat if you ever come at me like that again. We are in the middle of some real shit, and you are fucking with me.”

Sagan snickered and said, “You deserved it, babe!”

Tumu sighed. Heavily.

Korac went into a block stance and mused, “It stopped you from tapping your boot for another hour—”

The nacre barrier released on a sigh and the door opened.

Before Lance could step into his apartments and get on with this mission, Tameka glared once more at Korac and mouthed, “I’m. Telling. Xelan.”

Did he—Did he just stick his tongue out at her?!

Lance, the shortest Tritan Tameka had ever seen, swept into the room with a surprise in his wake.

“Lucy!” Sagan cried before Seamswalking across the expansive space and throwing her arms around the blond guest.

The unknown Tritan beside Lucy blinked the film over his voids in utter confusion at the crowd waiting for Lance in his home. A famous crowd at that.

Warily, Tameka gestured at the three new arrivals. “What’s going on here?”

Lance shook off his heavy ceremonial Tribunal robes to reveal a carbon fiber jumpsuit fit for battle. “We’re organizing. What are you doing here? Officer Tumu—”

“I think you can refer to me as Primary from hereon.” Tumu didn’t sound angry, more matter of fact. “We both know I never left my responsibilities behind.”

To Tameka’s surprise, Lance let out a massive sigh of relief, easing his tense shoulders and took the frown off his face. “Thank, Elden.”

Now the entire room went quiet. Tritans thanked Eternity; never the Icarean martyr made famous across the Vast Collective. “What the hell is happening here?” Korac took the words out of Tameka’s mouth.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Lucy and Sagan beamed at each other before the blond with the empty blue eyes stepped forward. “I’ve enlisted these fine gentlemen to help with our assignment.”

Lance’s face filled with black blood as he flushed, and the new Tritan beamed down at Lucy.

Ahh. So they were in on it now. Tameka smiled. “How resourceful of you.”

Tumu took the floor. “So you’ve chosen a side?”

Sagan returned to Korac, and Tameka took up leaning against the wall. The unknown Tritan watched his two elders interact like it was a tennis match.

Lance ignored their concentrated gazes and returned his robe to a rack with a casual air. “You know I’ve no tolerance for injustice, Primary Tumu. Now I prepare for an existence without my home. The one we destroyed a species to obtain—I will pay for my crimes.”

The next, Tumu said without an ounce of surprise. “You’re the one who suggested they give Rayne a Weaponized nacre, aren’t you?”

Okay, this escalated quickly. “You what?” Tameka tried to keep her voice calm, but the energy of a star welled in her. She stepped away from the wall and in Lance’s direction.

Sagan touched her shoulder to stave her. Korac watched with his piercing gaze, and Lucy’s empty eyes scanned the room.

Lance turned around and faced them, a man defeated. He ran a hand over his bald head and blew the air from his lipless mouth. “We meant for the shortened fuse to end her life before she destroyed Enki. We were trying to reduce the number of Probabilities, to uncomplicate the Matrix. To save the Dyson’s Sphere for our people. All of our research…”

Tameka was grateful for the fed up tone of Tumu’s voice when addressing one of the few supposedly good Tritans. “You arrogant hypocrite. How many times did the Exalted tell you? Only the Eternal Bind can—”

“That is a fairytale.” Lance dismissed Tumu’s reprimand with a wave of his hand. Tameka imagined he was frowning with all the demoralization in his voice, but his back was to her, facing only his accuser.

Tameka tapped on his shoulder. “Hey Lance.” He turned and faced her with the exact expression she pictured. But this interrogation wasn’t over for Tameka. “Let’s get back to you intentionally harming Rayne to save your precious Matrix.” She kept her eyes on him while gaining some confirmation. “Did you know anything about the Weapon, Tumu?”

Lance stood eye-to-eye with Tameka.

Tumu answered, “No, Peaches. I knew only of the Gargantuan source.”

Tired and haggard, Lance said, “I confess. It was me. Primary Rem suggested I scour Prince Xelan’s lab for powerful upgrades to infuse into the Gargantuan nacre. I infused her with the Weapon created by her mentor.”

Tameka winced.

While the Eminent Tritan gazed at her, he missed the person walking up behind him. Korac placed both hands on Lance’s shoulders, startling him. Either he didn’t put up a fight or Korac used an impressive amount of force—either way, Lance went to his knees at Tameka’s feet. Korac nodded at Tameka.

“Eminent Lance, you’ve committed atrocious crimes against the Vast Collective, unleashing a weapon of mass destruction with no hope of recovering it—her—Rayne.” Tameka swallowed back the sudden overwhelming emotion. She knew her eyes shifted into Atramentous in her pause when Lance gasped, staring into them. “How do you plead to your crimes and what punishment do you suggest?”

As Lance lowered his head as if heavy with a burden, Tumu, Sagan, and Lucy crossed the room to stand at Tameka’s side. The unknown Tritan stared in quiet fascination, but not in defense of his Eminent.

In his brilliant blue shade of Tritan complexion, Lance returned his gaze to Tameka with black tears. She’d never seen a Tritan cry, nor imagined their voice filled with so much regret. “I am guilty, and I accept death as punishment for my cowardice and abuse of my Eminence.”

Something flashed in Korac’s eyes across from Tameka. She barely glimpsed it, but… it left an impression. She understood. That’s when Tumu leaned forward and whispered in her ear with his impossibly deep voice. “Remember the Verses, Peaches.”

Yes.

Those lessons helped Tameka forgive Kyle. Allowed her to keep her heart open to Silence. Let her save all this concern about Xelan’s involvement with the nacre Weapon until he was ready to talk about it.

Tameka inhaled a deep breath and let it out. “Eminent Lance, I won’t kill you. Not when you can be of use to the Vast Collective.” He looked up at her, shocked, and Tameka continued. “I can’t promise you a path to redemption. That’s really up to you and Rayne, but I’ll give you an avenue to seek it. The Shadow need your help. Imminent permeates Enki. Did you know that?”

Lance frowned and glanced at Tumu.

The Primary said, “Yes, the organization is real and very close to home.”

The Eminent on his knees turned back to Tameka with his eyes so wide they spilled tears. They smelled of coconut and pineapple. Lance guessed, “Eminent Abresson?”

Korac chuffed from behind him, startling the rattled man.

Sagan answered, “Yes. And Eminent Celindria and Primary Rem.”

“They had Eminent Wiw killed, and they physically control Eminent Karter.” Tumu knelt in front of his frightened brethren. “Haven’t you noticed lately that they’ve outvoted you three to one?”

The puzzle worked itself out in Lance’s voids. “On every issue.”

Lucy finally said something, “They voted to construct a colossal Tantamount, but Celindria and Remorse already stole ours.”

The quiet Tritan raised a hand. “Hi. I’m Yito. I work on the Gait demolition project. That’s how I met Lucy. We came here to discuss the latest ruling with Lance and how it affects Lucy’s assignment.”

Tameka held her hands up to stop them. “Before we go much further, Lance, do you choose to serve the Vast Collective properly? To fight alongside those dedicated to freeing it from Imminent?”

Lance met the eyes of everyone in the room and settled on Tameka’s. He nodded. “I swear I’ll do whatever I can to rid the Vast Collective of Imminent until such time Rayne has her revenge.”

Korac patted his shoulder. “Attaboy Lancey.”

The Tritan jumped out of his skin. His voice was shaky. “Lance, please.”

Korac’s voice was icy, but his irritating smirk at Tameka belied the humor. “Nope. Your name is Lancey now.”

Tumu looked a question at Tameka, ready to reach out to his kinsman.

“Stand, former Eminent.” Tameka backed up a step. “Welcome to the resistance.”

“To the Empire!” Sagan called with conviction.

“The empire!” Tumu and Korac joined.

Lance stood looking as bewildered as Tameka felt.

She blinked. What Empire? No. Her sanity told her to ignore that rabbit hole. Instead, she said, “Uhm… Yito… you mentioned the latest ruling.”

Tameka wasn’t sure why, but something about Yito’s complexion or the sharpness of his eyes gave away his youth compared to the other, more seasoned Tritans. Even his voice carried a healthy ring. “First, I just want to say how cool it is to meet all of you. The guys would be so stoked to hear about this—”

“All right, number one fan.” Why was Korac such a… Well, Tameka didn’t have a word for his brand of charisma which oozed from him as he continued saying, “We get it. If you want to join the super cool Shadow club, get to the point.”

Tameka rolled her eyes, but mostly because he said what was on her mind. And she really hated that. “He’s right—”

“Bet that hurt to admit,” Korac mused.

Sagan kindly suppressed a giggle.

“—We don’t have a lot of time. What do you have for us?”

Lucy touched one of the azure striations in Yito’s forearm. “Like we talked about.”

“Yeah, but who knew you were Shadow?” Yito stared down at her, nervous. When Lucy shone a radiant smile at him, her eyes still didn’t light up, but it had the intended effect. He faced Tameka once more. “Sorry. You’re right. The other three Eminents voted against Lance to pay the demolition team on Gait. Instead, I heard Abresson boast they planned to eliminate them.”

Lance gaped. “I knew nothing of this. Sometimes we have repairs done around the Dyson’s Sphere. Remorse says the experience and the addition to their vitae is more than payment enough. I don’t agree with that. But… No…” Both his hands covered his mouth as horror lined his face.

Tumu’s voice sounded lost when he said, “You’ve never heard from the employees after they completed a project. Yes. The nightmare I’ve lived with since I was ruling Primary: our people are not great. They are deeply flawed. Ever since we murdered our females.”

Tameka couldn’t stop herself from gasping and staring with the same horrified expression as on Lance’s face. Korac and Sagan echoed her.

Yito took a step forward. “What… what did you say, Primary Tumu?”

Tumu sighed and touched his ear. “Xelan, are you listening?”

“I’m here, old friend. Are you finally prepared to tell me?”

Weary, the old Tritan looked as if he carried bones of lead under soaked muscle. “Make sure everyone is on their earpieces. I want to tell this story only once.”