“No, how is he?”
“He’s a little withdrawn, which isn’t like him at all.” Malie answered.
“Did he say if there was anything wrong?”
“Of course, not. He’s not going to tell anyone his problems. You know that.”
Coraset affirmed, “He is very private.”
“I just hope he’s okay.”
“Maybe, I’ll try to speak to him tomorrow.”
Malie exhaled and spoke with hesitation, “Coraset, we have to talk. I know you don’t want to get involved in the Federation, especially after the news you got this afternoon, but we need your help. What I’m about to ask you to do is truly off the wall, but it is necessary.”
“Malie-”
She cut Coraset off, “We have an opportunity to change the government.”
“What do you mean by changing the government?”
“Dominic Erato is the new Chancellor. Like I said before, he believes in the same policies as his mother. Our society can’t continue down the same path.”
“Just say what you mean,” Coraset demanded impatiently.
“We need to get rid of him.”
Coraset stared at her in disbelief.
“We want you to get close to him and kill him,” Malie revealed.
Coraset laughed and said, “You two are crazy. I’m not doing it.”
“It can work, Coraset.”
“Then you do it!”
“I won’t be able to get close enough.”
“And how do you expect me to get close to him?”
“There is a Chancellor Ball tomorrow in his honor. During this ball, he will be choosing women for his harem, and he’s going to pick a wife, as well.”
Coraset shook her head and said, “No.”
“You are a beautiful woman. He’ll choose you for sure, and when you’re in-”
“Are you serious?” Coraset stared at Malie like she was crazy. “You can’t be serious.”
“Once you’re in, that’s all you have to do is complete your mission.”
“Okay, lets back up for a minute. You are not considering a few things. I have a criminal record and a prison record. I won’t be allowed anywhere near the Chancellor Ball.”
“Your criminal and prison records have been scrubbed. They no longer exist.”
“Fine, well then I’m not invited to the ball.”
“You already have an invitation.”
“You are serious.” Coraset stated in a stunned manner.
“We have to get Sergei into office.”
“We,” Coraset laughed at her statement.
“You won’t be in this alone.”
“Malie, you have to get real. You’re asking me to kill the Chancellor of Erato. If I’m caught, which I’m sure I will be, I’ll be put to death without so much as a trial. He will have Elite Guards protecting him at all times. I don’t stand any kind of chance to get to him, much less being alone with him.”
“If you’re a part of the harem, you will be. That’s when you can make your move.”
“I don’t callously kill people, Malie.”
“But you have killed before.” She added with a point of her forefinger.
“I was defending myself each time. Plus, I am a horticulturist! I’m not some secret agent.”
“I know. It’s a brilliant cover, don’t you think?” Malie laughed at the sheer thought of it.
Coraset leaned back in her seat and looked away. She didn’t think it was funny at all.
Malie remarked as she tried to ease Coraset’s mind, “We have the prefect plan. You just need to execute it, and more than likely, no one will ever know you were involved.”
Coraset listened, even though, just being there and hearing Malie’s plan was scaring her to death.
“Dominic Erato is diabetic. He needs insulin shots. That’s all you have to do is switch one of the dosages.”
“With what,” Coraset asked.
“Brecco will give you potassium hydrochloride.”
“You got my stepfather involved in this!” She was incredulous and angry. “Why would you do that?”
“He believes in the cause, Coraset.”
She sighed impatiently and said, “Lets get one thing straight. This isn’t a cause. What you and Xavier are trying to do is assassinate a Chancellor for your own political gains.”
“His demise will be for the greater good of Erato.” Malie thought for a minute and then offered, “What if I give you a way out of this society?”
“There is no way out,” Coraset stated. “This whole idea is absurd.”
Malie asked completely ignoring her statement, “Have you ever heard of Barbados?”
“It’s an island in the Caribbean.”
“The Senator has a home out there. You can live the rest of your life on that island. You’ll have a staff, and they will be at your every beck and call.”
“It sounds too good to be true.”
Malie remarked with confidence, “It’s very real.”
“Okay, if it’s so real, why aren’t you living there? Why isn’t Xavier living on the island?”
“The Senator and I are committed to changing things here. We can’t do that from Barbados. You complete this assignment successfully, without anyone being compromised, including yourself, and I will have you flown to Barbados to live for the rest of your life. All existing records of you will be expunged. You will be able to live in privacy, without the worry of the Federation, and if you ever wanted to come back, I can make that happen, as well.”
Coraset was now seriously considering her the task. “So, let me get this straight. You want me to go to the Chancellor Ball, and try to get into Dominic’s harem. If that happens, you want me to switch his insulin dosage with something my stepfather is supposed to give me. Once Dominic takes it, he should die, right?”
“Yes,” Malie answered with a nod.
She thought about it for a moment. She tried to find the good in the plan and concluded there was nothing good about it. Then Coraset considered her escape if she in fact agreed to infiltrate the harem. How would she leave?
She asked Malie, “How do I get out of there after he dies?”
“I doubt if the Erato family will allow Dominic’s harem to remain. Once he’s gone, they should let you go.”
“But you’re not sure if that will happen,” Coraset asked.
“No, I’m not completely sure,” Malie admitted.
“What exactly are you expecting Sergei Erato to do if he becomes Chancellor? Is he even involved in this plan?”
“Sergei is not involved. He has no idea what we’re doing. But once he’s in power, he’ll change the current government. We’ll become a democratic nation like the United States.”
“Malie, you make this plan sound so easy to pull off, but it won’t be. You’re trying to change an entire government, and there are people who prefer for it to stay like it is.”
“The Senator will be able-”
“You will meet resistance. It won’t go down the way you think.”
“That’s all I need to know is whether you are willing to do the job.”
The stakes were too high. If Coraset got caught, she’d be put to death. The Elite Guard will kill her immediately. Was it worth the risk? The only thing she could gain from accomplishing the mission was getting out of Erato and living outside the dominant society, living beyond the rules and the political iron hand.
But on the other hand, Coraset couldn’t think of one bad thing in her life because of the totalitarian state.
