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Alden remained lost in his thoughts right up until it was time to leave for the council meeting. A bleeping from Kairos’ computer drew his attention and he looked up in time to see the big tiger deactivating his holo-display. “Time to go.” He said and stood up. Quickly scrambling to his feet, Alden took a moment to straighten his clothing as Kairos stepped over to him and placed a paw on his shoulder. “Now, I understand this is going to be your first time attending a Council meeting, my pet.” He said. “But I have faith that you can handle it just fine. Remember to remain calm and collected.” Alden nodded, thoughtful. “Master, would you consider your office a place where we are alone together in private?” “Yes, why…?” The tiger’s question was cut off as the badger stepped forward and hugged him tightly. Kairos let out a low chuckle and hugged him back. “Ah, I see.” After a moment, Alden pulled out of the hug. “Thank you for believing in me, Master.” “You are most welcome, Alden.” Kairos gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Now, come along, the Council meeting awaits.” Alden followed his tiger owner out of the office. As they passed through the antechamber, Varquis stopped what he was doing and followed. The badger assumed this was so that he could be there if Kairos needed anything. They walked in silence through various halls and passageways, Kairos striding with determined purpose. After a short time, they arrived at a large grand doorway flanked by armed guards. It was here that Varquis stopped. “Good luck, my Lord.” He said. One of the guards stepped forward and opened the door for Kairos. The big tiger stepped through into the room beyond, Alden following close behind. The badger couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the meeting chamber as he trailed after his owner. It was a huge circular room edged with elaborate columns reaching up to a high, domed ceiling. The dome was covered by an intricate painted mural depicting heroic Apex defeating evil looking humans while protecting cowering Runts. Alden couldn’t help but frown at it’s inaccurate depiction of history. Humanity had been defeated long before there even were Apex. The centre of the chamber was taken up with a large circular table of polished wood, with a holo-display built into the centre, which was currently deactivated. Twelve large, high-backed chairs were spaced evenly around the table. Numerous other Apex were in the room already, all dressed in robes of state, standing in groups of two or three, talking in low voices. Some even had pets with them, standing respectfully beside their owners. Only one was by himself, already in his chair at the table. Alden saw it was Lord Councillor Ryford, the grizzly bear sitting with his arms folded across his chest, looking very unhappy. He also spotted the only other councillor he knew. Theron was stood off to one side, the lion talking with a black bear and a bull, with Hector lurking just behind him. As Kairos made his way across the chamber toward the table, he nodded greetings to the other councillors as he passed them. However, two stepped into his path, and the tiger stopped, smiling at them. Alden stopped beside him, looking up at these two curiously. One was a male fox, with glossy russet fur and a rakish grin. The other was a female panda, who had a more serious expression, but warmth in her eyes. “Good morning, Lord Councillor Carson.” Kairos said, nodding to the fox. “And Lady Councillor Renshi.” He nodded at the panda. They both returned the greeting. Then Kairos asked, eyes darting around the room. “So, how is the mood with everyone?” “Tense, as you might imagine.” Renshi said, folding her arms. “Everyone is unhappy the RFA haven’t been stamped out yet.” “Except for Provost and Marshall.” Carson said, with a snort of derision. “They must be happy for the help in pushing their agenda…” “Thank you for rebuking them with your statement.” Kairos said. The fox waved off his thanks. “It was no problem. Those two deserve all the rebukes in the world.” “Don’t get too distracted by those two idiots, Kairos.” Renshi interjected. “The Council as a whole needs reassurance and a plan of action to deal with the RFA. I hope you have one.” Carson chuckled, his whiskers twitching in amusement. “Did you forget who you are talking to, Renshi? Of course he has a plan! If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be Kairos!” His eyes flicked to Alden. “So, when were you planning on introducing your new pet?” “As soon as you acknowledged him.” Kairos replied with a slight smile. “You know protocol as well as I do, despite your tendency to ignore it whenever you think you can get away with it.” Renshi cracked a smile. “Indeed.” She nudged the fox with an elbow. “It’s an annoying habit of yours, but charming in it’s own way.” “Well, I do endeavour to be charming at all times!” Carson grinned at her. “Anyway,” Kairos said, placing a paw on Alden’s shoulder. “This is Alden.” The badger found himself shuffling nervously as Carson and Renshi studied him. But it was different from when Theron and Ryford had looked at him. Their expressions were much warmer and more welcoming. “Greetings, Alden.” Renshi said with a slight nod. “Hello, Alden.” Carson said. Alden bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Lady Councillor Renshi. Greetings, Lord Councillor Carson.” Renshi nodded approval before looking back at Kairos with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve had him a day and you believe him ready to accompany you here? He must be as adaptable and intelligent as you were hoping…” “And he is rather cute as well!” Carson added, causing Alden to blush slightly. “If I’d known you were bringing him today, I’d have brought Galen. He loves meeting other pets.” “That meeting will have to wait for another day…” Kairos glanced about the room. “It appears everyone is here now. We should get started.” The big tiger led Alden to the table. The badger couldn’t see any difference between the chairs, but Kairos headed straight for a particular one, apparently knowing it was his. He stood beside it and called out, his voice cutting through the hushed conversations. “My fellow councillors! If you will take your seats, we can proceed!” All the Apex in the room shuffled towards the table and their respective seats. Kairos sat down and glanced to Alden, pointing to the large comfortable cushion that had been placed beside his chair. The badger knelt down on it, a position that allowed him a view across the table, allowing him to observe the meeting. “The first order of business is to discuss yesterday’s terrorist attack.” Kairos began. “And discuss how to proceed with…” Lord Theron interrupted. “A terrorist attack which is the latest in a series of bombings by Runts. A series which you have failed to bring to an end.” The lion councillor glared at Kairos. “I feel it important that be on record and not forgotten.” Renshi spoke up and added. “In that case, it should be added to the record that the bombings are being perpetrated by a group calling themselves the Runt Freedom Alliance. Your choice of words implies blame lies with all Runts, which is both unfair and inaccurate.” Theron narrowed his eyes at her. “Thank you, Lady Renshi, for your dedication to accuracy.” His tone made it clear it was not actually grateful in any way. He then returned his attention to Kairos. “But the base point remains valid. This group has been permitted to commit another terrorist atrocity due to Lord Kairos’s lack of strong action. I think I speak for the majority of the council in wanting answers! Why have you failed to impose stronger restrictions on the Runts and taken more direct action to make things more difficult for this RFA?” “Because as Head of the Council, I am charged with upholding justice.” Kairos explained, his voice both calm and commanding. “For Apex and Runts. Heavy-handed action in response to the RFA would only serve to make life difficult for all Runts, and punishing all of them for the criminal actions of a rogue group is not just. In fact, overreacting to the situation would likely make matters worse…” “You cannot possibly be certain of that!” Another councillor spoke up, a grim-looking heavily built Apex bull. “Nothing is ever completely certain, Lord Provost.” Kairos admitted, with a wry smile. “But the historical evidence backs up my view of the likely outcome.” “What evidence?” The bull seemed surprised by the tiger’s claim. “For that, I shall have to turn to Lord Isaacson.” Kairos said. “Before this meeting, I sent him a message and asked him to check the historical archives for me.” All eyes at the table turned to a tall, lean looking Apex owl, who seemed unhappy to be the centre of attention, his feathers ruffling nervously. “Well…” He said. “Lord Kairos did indeed request information from the archives this morning. Specifically regarding past instances of unrest among the Runts where the response was of a strong all-encompassing nature. And information on the resulting long term consequences…” Another councillor spoke up, a demure tigress with a sly grin. “I suspect Lord Kairos would not have made the request unless he was confident the result would support his position. But still, please enlighten us, Lord Isaacson.” The owl took a deep breath, smoothing down his feathers, before replying. “There have been many instances of Runt unrest since the Schism. And several major incidents saw aggressive responses from the Apex of the time. The infamous Rationing Riots, for example, resulted in Apex security forces swarming the Lower City and the implementing of a strict curfew.” The Apex owl seemed more relaxed now, as he continued, his hand gestures becoming more and more animated the more he talked. “Then there were the extensive protests over the Enforced Labour Charter, which were answered with extensive arrests and charges of sedition for large numbers of Runts, accompanied by the extreme step of stripping all Runts of some of their rights…” Alden listened with fascination. This historical information was all new to him. His instincts told him he hadn’t known this stuff at all, and it hadn’t just been lost in the memory wipe. Apparently, whatever education he’d had in his old life had some major gaps. But the badger noticed several of the other councillors looking bored, and others sighing or rolling their eyes, but no surprise at the lengthy response. He wondered if perhaps long-winded historical explanations were just usual for Lord Isaacson. The owl councillor himself seemed completely oblivious, carrying on with increasing confidence. “And then of course, several centuries back, there was the situation with the Runt arenas. There was understandably a lot of ill will from the Runts over the revelation that several high ranking Apex security officials had been running an illicit club where kidnapped Runts were forced to fight, often to the death, for their amusement.” He paused and shuddered at what he was describing. Alden was shocked that such a thing had actually happened. The owl then continued. “Truly a dark stain on Apex history. And made even worse by the poor decisions of the Apex of the day. There were feeble attempts to placate the families of those Runts who were killed that ultimately came off as insulting. And then the Apex responsible were given very lenient sentences for their crimes, triggering widespread riots and violent protests. Which in turn led to martial law in the Lower City and new draconian laws restricting…” One of the councillors, an exasperated looking brown-furred wolf, had finally had enough and interrupted him. “Lord Isaacson. While the whole Council appreciates and respects your... diligent attention to detail, for the sake of expediency, perhaps you might summarise your findings?” Isaacson huffed a little in frustration. “Very well, Lord Harcourt. In all the cases I mentioned, as well as several others, extreme and aggressive action did nothing to solve the problems. It merely made things worse, causing increased resentment and defiance from the Runts as a whole, and leading to extensive damage to Apex/Runt relations that took many years to rectify.” “Can you be certain of that?” The bull who spoken earlier, Lord Provost, demanded. “Perhaps you are misreading the records or have missed some other examples…” The owl councillor fixed him with a pointed glare. “I would remind you that I have served as Chief Archivist of the Council for thirty-four years. I was an apprentice in the Archives before you were even born. I do NOT make large mistakes or omissions such as you are suggesting!” Glancing about, Alden noticed many of the Council were looking at Provost in varying degrees of disgust and displeasure at his comments. Alden surmised that if Isaacson had been in his position for so long, he must be very good at the job, and had probably earned a great deal of respect. So, to disrespectfully imply a degree of incompetence like that had probably turned the mood of the Council against Provost. Even Lord Theron had his face buried in his paws, looking annoyed and frustrated. “Let us set aside Lord Provost’s disrespectful remarks for the moment.” Kairos said. “And try to remain focused. The point of all this is that history teaches us that in situations such as these, aggressive and heavy-handed tactics are more likely to worsen problems rather than solve them. Does anyone here think we Apex are not intelligent enough to learn from the mistakes of the past?” Alden noticed that he looked directly at Theron, as if silently challenging him to say something. But the lion councillor remained quiet. The whole council did, none wanting to suggest that their kind were not intelligent. Kairos’ gaze swept around the table, the tiger subjecting every councillor to his glare. “And beyond historical precedent, the fact is that the RFA likes to claim that we Apex are tyrants and monsters. I will NOT aid their cause by overreacting and proving such claims to be correct!” There was silence in the chamber for several seconds, until finally, Lord Ryford spoke up. The bear fixed Kairos with an intense glare and said. “That is all very well. But then what exactly DO you plan to do about the RFA? Allow them free reign so as to avoid upsetting your beloved Runts?” All the other councillors looked awkwardly at Ryford, a few wide-eyed with surprise. But Kairos simply glared back at him, calm and collected. “Your disrespectful tone and ridiculous implications are not appreciated, Lord Ryford.” He said, evenly. Ryford stayed silent, but the bear continued to glare hatefully at Kairos. But the tiger simply ignored him, addressing the rest of the councillors around the table. “The RFA situation will be dealt with, I assure you all of that. But it will be done with intelligence, logic and level-headedness.” Kairos gave that a moment to sink in before continuing. “That being said, it appears the situation is more complicated than any of us realised. The initial report from the investigators into yesterday’s bombing, which I only received this morning, says that there is evidence that the RFA is being assisted by someone in the Upper City. By an Apex.” The entire council sat in stunned silence for several moments. It was finally broken by the wolf, Lord Harcourt, who stammered. “That is preposterous!” “Unfortunately not.” Kairos said, sadly. “As this bomb was larger than the previous ones, it left behind more residue and the investigators were able to perform an extensive chemical analysis. One of the compounds used to make the explosive is dangerous and restricted, not available to Runts in the Lower City. Therefore, an Apex here in the Upper City must have given it to them.” The tiger gave that a few seconds to sink in before he continued. “Furthermore, the techs are working to track the source of the message from the RFA claiming responsibility. So far, they have found it was diverted through many data servers to hide its origin point. Some of those servers are restricted Upper City servers that could only be accessed with authorisation from an Apex. They are now also working to track down the source of that authorisation.” “This revelation is… disturbing.” A ferret councillor with streaks of grey in his fur spoke up. “And it raises questions of motive. Why would an Apex aid these terrorists? Why would these anti-Apex terrorists accept aid from one of us?” “Good questions, Lord Dylan.” Kairos nodded. “Unfortunately, all we have at this stage is speculation. It is possible the RFA are unaware the help is coming from an Apex, the perpetrator could have remained anonymous to them. As for this mysterious Apex assistant of theirs, well, it is entirely possible they hope to cause unrest that they can then take advantage of…” The tiger looked at the bull councillor, Lord Provost, and a black bear councillor in the chair next to him. “Lord Provost, Lord Marshall, wouldn’t you agree?” Provost simply scowled back at him. But the black bear, Lord Marshall, snarled. “Are you implying something, Kairos?” “I am merely asking a question.” Kairos narrowed his eyes at him, fixing with with an intense stare. “My apologies if you find that uncomfortable.” The tiger returned to addressing everyone. “Suffice to say, this development is disturbing and makes the situation more complex. However, as we speak, the investigators are making use of these new leads, scouring the relevant records to track down who authorised the chemicals and the server access. They will be found. As will the criminals of the RFA.” He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “The best thing we can do is allow the investigators to do their jobs and not make things more difficult for them by inflaming tensions with the Runts.” Kairos paused again and seemed unhappy to say what he said next. “But that said, I recognise the necessity of stricter security measures, for the time being. But they will be carefully measured.” He paused and sighed deeply. “And what exactly are these measures?” A bulky looking rhino councillor said, his voice a deep rumble dripping with impatience. “I was just getting to that, Lord Jarus.” Kairos responded. Alden was able to detect the edge of annoyance in the tiger’s tone. “I have authorised the deployment of additional security personnel, enough to allow an increase in foot patrols throughout the Lower City. I have also ordered an increase in surveillance, including the installation of additional scanning and monitoring devices across the Lower City. And, on the recommendation from my security advisors, I am permitting the random stop and search of Runts by security personnel.” Alden couldn’t help but notice that Lord Theron seemed pleased by this, and Ryford was nodding his approval. The badger knew those could not be good signs. “I want to make something clear.” Kairos added, firmly. “These are temporary measures only, and will be revoked once the RFA have been dealt with. Have no doubt about that.” “Of course, Lord Kairos.” Theron spoke up, a smug grin plastered on his muzzle. “I am certain that will be the case.” Kairos glared at the lion councillor with a fiery intensity that could have melted steel. “If there are no further questions or issues regarding the RFA or the security situation anyone wishes to discuss, perhaps we should move on to other matters…” The meeting moved on to other topics. Crop yields in the eastern agricultural settlements. The latest round of scientific research grants. The current economic projections. Various bills and charters that were in the process of being ratified. And assorted other things. But Alden didn’t really pay much attention. Partly because most of it went over his head, but mostly because his focus was on Kairos. For the entire rest of the meeting, his tiger owner was very tense, he could see it practically radiating from him. He really wanted to give him a warm hug, but of course, that would have to wait until they were in private. Instead, the badger tried to figure out why Kairos was unhappy. Sure, the new security measures he was implementing weren’t very pleasant. But the RFA was dangerous and needed to be stopped. And they were just temporary, Kairos himself had said so. So what was the problem? He wondered. He had to be missing something. After all, he was a pet, not a politician. As intelligent as Kairos believed him to be, there were idiosyncrasies and details here he just wasn’t grasping. He’d have to ask Kairos when he got the chance. After a few hours, the meeting came to an end and the various councillors stood and departed. Kairos remained seated, gripping the edge of the table, staring down at the wooden surface in silence. Soon, the only councillors who remained were Renshi and Carson, who approached the tiger solemnly. “I know that was tough for you, Kairos.” Carson said. “But it was necessary.” The fox placed a reassuring paw on the tiger’s shoulder. “Indeed.” Renshi agreed, crossing her arms across her chest. “I confess I’m surprised the security advisors didn’t ask for more.” Kairos looked up at her. “They did. They wanted a curfew in the Lower City. And the power to raid the homes of Runts without a warrant.” Carson let out a gasp of shock, while Renshi raised her eyebrows. “I had to… force a compromise.” Kairos said, simply. “And what the hell did that cost you?” Carson wondered. Kairos glare at him silently and the fox winced. “Ah, I know that face. That’s your ‘none of your business’ face.” Carson said. “Indeed.” Kairos said, flatly. “Now, if you’ll both excuse me.” The tiger stood and headed for the door, gesturing for Alden to follow. The badger got to his feet, gave Renshi and Carson a bow of respect, and quickly scampered after his owner. Kairos remained silent all the way back to his office. Varquis was waiting at his desk in the antechamber, but took one look at the tiger’s expression and said nothing as he passed, slamming through the doors into the privacy of his office. Alden followed his owner anxiously, stepping through the doors and letting them close behind him. The big tiger strode to his desk and leaned against it, head bowed, sighing deeply. Alden took a few steps toward him. He knew what he had to do. “Master?” “Yes, Alden?” Kairos turned to the badger and immediately found himself being hugged fiercely by his pet. It was only a second before he hugged back, tightly embracing the badger. After a few moments, Alden felt some of the tension drain from the tiger’s body, his big muscles relaxing. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips. “Thank you, Alden.” Kairos rumbled. “I think I really needed this. I am very glad you are here with me today…” “You’re welcome, Master.” Alden felt an enormous surge of pride that he had the ability to make the tiger feel better. As they pulled apart, Kairos patted the badger’s head and smiled down at him. “And now, there is still more work to be done. But it will soon be time for lunch, and we can have a nice meal together…” The tiger was about to turn back to his desk, but Alden stopped him. “Master? May I ask about something?” Kairos stopped and raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Go ahead, my pet.” “In the meeting.” Alden said. “You seemed to be… unhappy at the security measures you had to implement. I wanted to understand why. To me, they seemed necessary.” He sighed. “And I know I’m merely a Runt and so there’s probably a lot about the situation I don’t understand…” “Don’t say that, Alden.” Kairos said, firmly. “Do not ever describe yourself as ‘merely’ a Runt. That implies something small and unimportant and inadequate, and you are not. Understand?” “Very well, Master.” Alden nodded. “I’ll try to remember that…” “Good.” Kairos leaned back against the edge of his desk. “As for your question… I am unhappy because the new measures represent a complete betrayal of everything I have been trying to do throughout my entire political career. To improve Apex/Runt relations. To make things better for Runts, because we have spent far too long treating them far too badly.” “But Master… They’re only temporary…” Alden pointed out. “Are they?” Said Kairos. “Oh, that’s what we like to say, what we intend… But in politics, intention and reality rarely align. Once the RFA are dealt with, I fully expect many to claim these measures are still necessary, for there to be significant resistance to their removal. I shall have to fight tooth and claw just to get things back to the way they were. Effort that could have been spent on other political fights that need to be fought.” He sighed and shook his head sadly. “When I think of all that could have been done if this mess hadn’t happened…” Alden frowned. “Then why did you go ahead with them if they’re going to cause so much trouble later?” “Because, as much as I hate these new security measures…” Kairos explained. “I can recognise their necessity. The RFA have made them necessary. To try and curb their activities and prevent further loss of life. And also not implementing them would have cost me politically. They already HAVE cost me politically, promising favours and concessions, to ensure they were not worse...” “I see, Master.” Alden said. It all sounded so needlessly complicated, and the badger felt glad that he wasn’t a politician, so dealing with such things wasn’t his responsibility. However, it was the responsibility of his owner, and he could see how heavily it weighed on the tiger. He really wanted to give him another hug then and there. But if he did he might not stop hugging him. Grasping for some other way to comfort the tiger, he opted to speak of something else. “You work hard to try and help us Runts, Master.” The badger said. “That is very admirable.” Kairos let out a mirthless laugh. “I know many Apex whom would strongly disagree with that assessment! But thank you, Alden. I try to do what I can…” He looked at the badger, thoughtful. Then he seemed to reach a decision. “Over lunch, I would like to share a story with you, Alden. I think it will help you get to know me better, give you an idea of why I do what I do.” Alden couldn’t help but smile at that prospect. “I’d like that, Master.” The tiger smiled warmly, and moved to sit down at his desk. “I still have a few things to deal with first, but it shouldn’t be much longer. Feel free to sit for now…” As Kairos sat down at his desk at got back to work, his computer’s holo-display flaring into life, Alden returned to the cushion beside the desk and sat down, thinking. It had been an interesting day so far, getting to observe his owner at work. And he found that the more he saw of the tiger, the more he got to know him, the greater his affection for the tiger grew, and the pride he felt in belonging to him grew stronger. The badger looked at the tiger hard at work, and couldn’t help but smile, revelling in the wonderful warm feeling that blossomed in his heart and eagerly looking forward to learning more of his owner’s story... To Be Continued... |
Raging Tiger/Kuman the Barbarian/Mitchell and Michael/Going Under/Beware the Transformer/That Day/Working Bears/Heart of a Hero/Apex