Kaltia knew that she had opposition to her position on the council; more than that she was aware that her being a woman made it harder for some to take her seriously. Tempted to touch Na'a, Kaltia stopped her hand from reaching out for the muscles that rippled as her protector used the shadows to make them less visible; instead, she shifted her position to see who he was glaring at.

  Two men stood with their backs to her; one was tall and trim, his blond hair catching the light and the other short and round with a mustache that looked like whiskers. The stature of the taller man gave Kaltia a clear impression of strength and power. She would bet he was accustomed to obedience.

  The other man appeared to be more like an oversized rodent. It amused her that he seemed more like a rat on two legs then a member of the council. Before her stood two of her biggest opposition to completing the task given her by the emperor. That he had neglected to inform the council of his will was not surprising. Kaltia knew that her father expected each of his children to succeed on their own merits. Sighing, she watched as the short man hunched his shoulders.

  “There has to be a way to stop her! If she gets a seat on the Council of War…” hissed General Amariou as lifted his face to the taller man.

  “Relax, General it is simply a tradition that is being followed. It’s not like she will have any power.”

  “Asta we both know that she will not sit quietly.”

  “That is Commander to you, General,” Commander Asta clasped his hands behind his back. “The emperor expects his children to learn every aspect of leadership. Let us be thankful that it is not Prince Mikael. If it were him then we would have no chance of controlling the position.”

  “At least he would have enough understanding of this council’s purpose not to be a nuisance,” Amariou whined.

  Princess Kaltia watched as general Amariou and commander Asta continued their conversation. Their ignorance amused her greatly. Having already failed the emperor once there was little room for them to dictate the conditions of their survival. They had been given one task: to find another candidate for the AlphaOne program. The simple fact that the council had fulfilled their other responsibilities by quarter’s end and neglected the task the emperor expected of them had her crossing her arms and narrowing her almond eyes.

  They had had their chance, now it was hers. She felt Na’a shift behind her, even as the shadows withdrew and smiled. He knew her thoughts better than she did sometimes. She handed the files in her hand to Na'a and moved to join them. She fell in step. Kaltia purred harmlessly, “Gentlemen, what a pleasant surprise! I was just thinking it was time that I introduced myself.”

  Both men paused midstride. The general startled nearly stumbling. While the commander gave nothing away aside for the tensing of his shoulders and the clamping of his jaw. Princess Kaltia watched as General Amariou tensed and stood up straight. Turning, both men plastered smiles on their faces.

  It was obvious that Commander Asta was a man accustomed to his position. It was also easy to see that he had learned that standing straight drew the attention of people around him, drawing their eyes up to him. Kaltia, however, was not most people. Power was one of the first things her father had taught her to understand.

  Standing next to Commander Asta, she considered the potential of not of playing his game. Deciding to play the vapid princess she shifted fractionally in his direction. Kaltia tilted her head minutely. Used to playing coy, she knew the second he noted the shift of her face. She could see him waiting, assessing her.

  Standing next to her, commander Asta tilted his chin toward her instinctively. Eyes the color of green grass and spun gold considered the princess. They were nearly the same height with her being the shorter. Commander Asta’s skill as a gentleman and as a tactician was well known. It was not hard to see why he was considered a strong ally.

  Gauging both men, Kaltia was aware that they were dangerous, but her research had told her that if commander Asta was convinced then he would freely change his position and the General would follow the commander’s position which made him a minor threat. Kaltia never took her eyes off Asta, nor did she drop her guard.

  “Princess, what a pleasant surprise to find you here. Was there something we could assist you with?” Commander Asta bowed slightly, continuing the appearance of the perfect gentleman.

  Kaltia lifted her hand to her cheek and purred. “What a charming man. It always pleases me to find myself in the company of an attractive gentleman. One as charming as you simply makes my day. It would seem that there is a seat that has become available on the Council of War," Kaltia creased her pretty brow as if in thought. “Since the Emperor has withdrawn his position in order to focus on other matters, I have heard that it is necessary for a member of the empiric family to hold a seat; otherwise, you are unable to meet to discuss matters of import to the council," the princess touched her chin. "I believe that I have the perfect solution,” She hummed.

  Commander Asta considered the woman before him. She was most definitely pleasant to look at and he was also aware that she was far more competent than her appearance. He had watched her manipulate people and situations before but had never actually spoken to her himself.

  As a member of the Council of Research and Planning the bending of wills had been minor. he was not certain she was skilled enough to take a seat on the Council of War and Peace. He, however, was not a novice and was capable of looking passed her looks. Clasping his hands tighter behind his back to avoid temptation, he nodded. “By all means, your eminence, tell me what you would suggest?”

  Smiling the way she did when she wanted to appear harmless, she let her eyes glitter with her amusement. “Please, there is no need for so much formality. The emperor expects his children to grasp the aspects of leading an empire and you need a member of the royal family to convene. Surely, such a wise man would be capable of teaching me the tasks of the council?”

  General Amariou watched as the commander and the Princess sparred; confident he knew who would win. Sneering, he silently cheered for Commander Asta. It irritated him that the royals assumed that they could have whatever they wanted. It was that arrogance that would ruin them.

  “Well, Princess deciding matters that could come down to life or death for whole planets is no light matter. Perhaps someone as delicate as you might prefer to sit as a matter of honor so that you would be exempt from having to make such harsh decisions,” general Amariou nodded solemnly.

  Steel flashed like lightening even as she purred, “Perhaps.” She paused, frowning delicately, “Since I have the attention of two very clever and capable gentlemen… perhaps you could help clear up some confusion?”

  General Amariou nodded sedately, “Of course Princess.” Waving to a set of benches he continued, “What can we assist you with?”

  Lifting her hand, Kaltia felt Na’a pass her two folders. “Silly of me really, but I thought that I might try and grasp the matters before the council right now, in the hopes of being ready to join you, when I came across these. Now," she batted her eyelashes gently. "It says that there is a seven-man team…I thought that all teams required a minimum of nine?” Frowning prettily, she continued not giving either the chance to respond. “As I was saying, this small team seems to be causing trouble within the imperial army's militia and that the council is...attempting...to deal with it harshly, which is understandable. What I don’t understand is why this team has been given every suicide mission for the last three years?” she touched a slender finger to her pouting lips.

  “Yes, I can see why this could be difficult to grasp,” Sneering, Amariou clasped his hands on his knee as he set his foot on the bench, “The problem that has arisen is that the team leader is a human female and is constantly rebelling. You see, princess, if she were more willing to abide by the rules, then we could overlook the oddity of her team." his implication of obedience evident to Kaltia. "However, she is constantly refusing to obey her commanding officers. She has blatantly given warning against any interference with her team and actually attacked a superior officer when he tried to remove her from the team. She is dangerous and out of control.” the general gave a decisive nod.

  “That I can see," the princess stated blandly. Narrowing his eyes, the commander kept his silence. "What I am not understanding is why she is being driven to destruction?” Kaltia asked prettily. Closing the folder, she set the second one on top.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “Princess,” General Amariou’s let out a long sigh, “you must understand that the military often mimics the Alphas. As such teams are subject to power struggles. Her team has been clearly warned to remove her from her position or they would continue to be punished; the choice is theirs.” giving a greasy smile he spread his upturned hands wide.

  Princess Kaltia clasped her hands in her lap and touched her chin to her chest. She had expected a similar response to her question. “Gentleman, would you say that the emperor demands that his leaders be capable of success?”

  Commander Asta nodded, “That goes without saying.”

  “And it also can be said that the emperor expects those same leaders to succeed at any task given to them?”

  General Amariou huffed, “Of course. Please, princess, would you kindly get to the point.”

  Princess Kaltia opened the second folder, “Since we agree on both of these questions would you explain to me why this person is still doing menial tasks when there is evidence of high success? It would seem that every task given has been completed. On top of that this person seems to be completing tasks beyond the scope of his capabilities. Gentlemen, I am certain that we can also agree that the one thing that truly irritates the emperor is wasting effective resources, yes?” Kaltia held the file up to the commander.

  Commander Asta said nothing as he read over the file. Carefully, he read over each page and examined the statistics. The statistics for success was mindboggling. If the file was accurate the team was completing S-rank missions and only qualified as F-rank or D-rank. Turning back to the first page, he looked for the name of the candidate and found it missing. He was going to have to hope that the princess remembered who the warrior was.

  Kaltia watched as his face revealed his hunger at the prospect of setting a candidate before the emperor and smiled with the steel imprinted from her father. Commander Asta looked up at Kaltia with a steely look, “Are you certain this information is accurate? I have not seen or heard tell of a warrior this qualified. Princess, I must apologize. Had I known, I would have seen he be given proper training with the intentions of seeing him move towards the AlphaOne protocol.”

  Regally, Princess Kaltia sneered, the look in her eyes deadly sharp. “What do you suppose would happen if I took 7 copper pieces and hammered them together?" eyes reflecting her displeasure. “The emperor expects the members of the council to be his eyes, you seem to think that makes him blind. The council has already failed his eminence once. Now you think to fool him? What the council has is a bunch of bumbling old fools.” She shook her head. “The council allowed their arrogance to colour their vision. Now they have left their highest priority neglected.”

  General Amariou, stunned by the sudden attack, stuttered, “Wai-wait a minute!”

  “No General! You… will… be… silent!” Princess Kaltia sibilate, predatorily. “The emperor has been expecting new candidates for the AlphOne protocol for the last thirty-odd years and you have failed to find a single one! I have spent two weeks… two weeks… catching up on the War Councils tasks and have already found one,” she snarled. “How many more are ignored because they do not fit the council's will?” Anger flashed and Kaltia turned to Commander Asta, “What reason could possibly satisfy the emperor for this gross failure of the Council?”

  “I can offer no excuses for my behavior. I can only apologize and make haste to rectify the oversight.” Caught by the tail, Commander Asta bowed, “If you would be so kind as to give me his name, I will see to it immediately.”

  Holding the first folder up, Princess Kaltia stated, “You had the name for the last six years. I will see that she is brought to the attention of the emperor. In the meantime, I think it is time that the members of The Council of War and Peace be re-examined, and those who have grown weak and foolish be weeded out. I have already forwarded my report to Prince Mikael and he agrees. The question is, whether either of you is capable of change?”

  Elsewhere in the Galactic Empire

  Micha Bailey watched the ready-to-drop light flash and felt her team tense. Without hesitation she undid her harness and moved to the rear door; helmet in hand she checked that each of their medium weight high-altitude armour suits, made for drops from orbit to surface landing, was all in lock mode and that her team was ready to drop.

  Bracing her legs she shifted her weight and turned to face the operator. Receiver to his ear the operator hit a second button. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the orange glow of the holding pattern. Motioning to her team to be ready, she felt them brace for the drop. When the operator set down the receiver he had been speaking into and turned to face her, he shook his head and started to lock the door; the droplight flashed red. Reaching for his arm, Micha forced him to look at her.

  The window for success was narrow to begin with; Micha had no time to waste. Either he dropped them or they would lose the opportunity. Micha refused to allow Command to send them with no hope of success. Looking the operator directly in the eyes she spoke to her team, “My team, suit up! We’re dropping!”

  “Sir!? You have been ordered to return to command central. You have been recalled sir.” The operator yelled over the hum of the engines.

  Dread rolled through her. Feeling her team tense behind her, she motioned for the door to drop. The Operator shook his head, “I can’t sir.”

  No one saw Micha reach passed him to flip the switch. Without flinching, she spoke, “I’d rather not lose any of my men and I am not going to be sent back to achieve the impossible. We will be at the LZ in three days you can take us wherever then.”

  Shaking, the operator started sweating. Over the whine of the door’s winch, Micha heard the operator mutter, “This is why I hate dealing with alphas…think they can bully everyone.”

  Lifting her helmet to lock it back in place, Micha smiled wryly, “I’m not an alpha. I'm just not willing to sacrifice my family for anyone.” Locking her helmet, she turned to double-check her crew; especially the newest member of their team. Holten fidgeted nervously. That was fine. It was his first drop.

  Seeing that each of them was ready, she closed her visor. Double-checking the gear in her harness, Micha stepped to the edge and spoke into her comm. “All teams drop. We’ve got time to makeup and the delay will have put us off our drop mark. Stick with your partner, Holten stick with Max and Mitah for now. Be quick as you can to reconnect with the team as soon as you can.”

  Closing her eyes, Micha fell forward. Tucking her arms to her sides, she removed as much resistance as possible. Letting her helmet locate the position of her teammates as she continued her speedy descent through the planet's upper atmosphere, she controlled her breathing. Her heat shield holding steady. She didn’t have to open her eyes to know that her boys had kept the formation tight; neither did she need her display to know who was where. Their team was broken into three two-man teams and two solo units.

  The first solo unit was alpha-team and the leader of the team. The second solo unit was the comms specialist known as Epsilon; he was rapidly keeping to her left. She was going to have to find a teammate for Holten, but that was going to have to wait. Beta-team was Ni'yell and Rennick; they were the closest to her right as they fell. Charlie-team was Ipino and Desohta and was falling just to the right of Beta-team and Delta-team, Max and Mitah, was the last team out the back of the ship and were to the left and back of Beta-team.

  Feeling a change in the air she opened her eyes and her implant noted the distance to the ground. Confirming the distance on her display, Micha started her count down. Hitting one she pulled the cord. Seconds after she pulled, she felt someone brush her chute. The tiny chute caused enough resistance to slow her speed without increasing the risk to her or the members of her team. The moment she was less than ten feet off the ground she hit the release and held on to the chute briefly; relaxing she let go and hit the ground, rolling. Coming to a halt, she got quickly to her feet.

  Squatting, she waited for the rest of her team to catch up. With little time to spare, she calculated their location on her visor's terrain map. From their locations, she was at the epicenter. Pulling her rifle to the front, she felt the ocular implant link with her scope and the terrain map as she sought as direct a path to their location. Seemingly relaxed, Micha lifted her head and watched the sky. The clouds seemed to drift closer. Their dark colour ominous. She was not going to be surprised to see rain before the night was over, but she would leave the reading of clouds to God. If it held off until they were done, even better.

  Surrounded by brush, Rennick dusted off the clinging bits of brush as Ni’yell quickly located Alpha's coordinates and quickly assessed their surroundings. Certain that they were alone, Ni’yell started off to his left; Rennick looked behind them then followed. Ni’yell always seemed able to find Micha, ever since they nearly lost her four years ago. He didn’t fully understand the connection between Ni’yell and Micha, but he knew that the shawling would be agitated until he caught up with her.

  Rennick smiled. It was easy to gauge the degree of trouble their team leader was in by the way that Ni’yell behaved. At the moment he seemed relaxed. Keeping to Ni’yell’s right, Rennick pulled his rifle to the front and engaged his ocular scope. From the pace the shawling had set she was near and unharmed. The brisk walk served as a quick warm-up and with the view, the walk was almost enjoyable. According to the map locator she was approximately fifteen minutes away. A rustle to their right caused them to halt as Holten stepped through the brush. With a nod to Ni’yell, Holten fell in behind Rennick.

  Reaching the clearing, where she was waiting, Ni’yell took his place behind Micha. Coming to a halt, Rennick squatted down with his back to her, and waited. Holten checked his comms, then his weapon as he squatted between Ni’yell and Rennick. Out of the brush to his left stepped Desohta with his brother, the pair of wolf shifters joining them at an easy pace; their supernatural senses alerting them to movement they could not see. They took up the patrol of the clearing edge. Just behind them appeared Mitah and Max, who circled about to take up their place on the right side of Rennick.

  Rennick was aware of the team’s motley status. Most team leaders chose species that were easy to control and effective for their given tasks. They rarely mixed too many species. Not Micha, she seemed to have a penchant for the unwanted or undesirable. What’s more she drove them to identify some task to engage in independently.

  Sensitive to Micha, Rennick stood; ready to go anywhere even as he considered his teammates. Gathered unquestioningly around Micha were six different species. It was odd to see the mixing of shawling, were-cat, wolf shifters, were-fox, renshaw and dragon shifter all working effectively on the same team. Added to that, Micha was always calling herself human, which amused him as they were all humanoid. It was as if she wore the label as some kind of honor system. Feeling the others take up their positions Rennick stayed where he was. He would guard the rear.