project for a long time. How did you know that?”
Miisan smiled. “We are the Cabal. For centuries we existed in secret, forming and shaping Latharian society from the shadows. Our numbers were countless, and our reach wide. Our seers knew all and saw all… even the coming of the plague—a virus that would wipe out our species. We built this place…” She spread her arms indicating the window behind them. “But the plague progressed faster than even we foresaw.”
“Why? Was one of them blind or something?” Stephens broke in.
“Please ignore him.” Gracie sighed. “The male of the human species is, for all intents and purposes, a complete idiot.”
Miisan chuckled. “I am sure in time, you will discover that the fate of humanity and the Lathar are intertwined. To answer your question, Jay Stephens, yes, one of our seers was blind but that did not stop her visions. The fault was entirely the Cabal’s. We did not have the correct pieces in play and were forced to adapt our plans at the last moment. A decision had to be made and I alone was left to pass on the knowledge of the Cabal that it might save both our species.”
“You’re talking about the coding discovered in humanity’s genome?” Nyek asked. “Your son decrypted your notes.”
“Indeed.” Miisan smiled and her hologram flickered again. She looked up, a mild look of concern on her face. “My apologies. This base has been abandoned for many years and the generators need time to spool and buffer power. We will talk again. Meanwhile, please enjoy the hospitality of the base. Stay within the lit areas and avoid Sector Four.” An odd expression crossed her face, just for a second, but it was gone before Indra could work it out. “That sector has sustained some damage and may not be safe.”
She disappeared, winking out of existence like she’d never been. Indra couldn’t even see where her hologram had been emitted from.
“Well,” she said with a laughing sigh. “That was heavy. Wasn’t it? Secret societies and prophesies. I feel like I’m in some epic fantasy novel in space or something.”
“Indeed.” The look on Nyek’s face was thoughtful. “I had heard rumors of the existence of such a Cabal but thought they were just stories told in back rooms and taverns. I have never met a member, nor have I met anyone who had claimed to come across a member.”
“There are no confirmed sightings in any of the historical databases,” Keris confirmed, which, given her nature, was not a claim anyone was going to argue with. “There were suspicions that one of the Lady Miisan’s ladies-in-waiting was a Cabal member but nothing about the emperor’s sister herself. Although, a lot of her records were expunged for the year before her mating. Of course, recent evidence says that is due to a son born out of mating that was covered up.”
“Oooh, scandal at court!” Indra grinned. “I bet there’s some right juicy gossip you can dig up in those historical databanks.”
Lights on the other side of the command deck had illuminated and the group headed that way. They hadn’t seen anything that looked like accommodation the way they had come, so she was relieved to see the double doors that opened in front of them led out into a long corridor. Doors led off it, each opening into luxurious rooms.
“Command level accommodation,” Nyek said. “I suggest we remain in pairs for the duration. No one goes anywhere alone.”
13
“So, do you want to tell me what all that was about with Stephens?”
Indra watched Nyek carefully from across their new room. How the place wasn’t covered in dust she had no idea, but right now she had more important things to think about. Like why Mr. Stick-up-his-ass here had snapped and nearly killed a man.
“You are more than aware of what happened. He called you by a term of endearment and you are not his female.”
He paused in his study of the rooms to look at her. His gaze was implacable, and difficult to read. She’d noted he did that, retreated into that formal manner of his, like it was armor he pulled around himself when needed.
She lifted an eyebrow.
“You almost killed him because he called me ‘sweetheart’?” She chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. She knew he had a bit of a problem with Stephens, but still… “Isn’t that a little… extreme?”
He stalked toward her, danger written in every line of his body. Refusing to be cowed, she lifted her chin.
“The