Then, he started and looked at the niece again. He knew the girl. She had been taken to the Keeper and he had performed the Ceremony on her. He wondered if the Keeper knew more about this girl and her family than he had shared. He recalled she had escaped and had killed several of the Klopph in the process. “I imagine the Keeper would like to have her back.”
It was the middle of the night but he made the call to round up the family (night operations were not unusual for the Klopph). An hour later, the professor and his family were in the facility. He didn’t have a current address on the niece – it seemed she had recently moved and her new address was not yet registered – but he knew she would soon be found.
Shortly after the sun rose, the niece joined the rest of her family in the facility. “Where did you find her?” he asked the Klopph who brought her in.
“She was at the market on the riverfront.”
The Cancellarrii nodded. Now that everyone was gathered, he ordered them moved to the questioning chamber located three floors below the building. There, would be no prying eyes or noises escaping to the outside world.
The eight of them were fastened to the wall that had formerly been a research lab under the Chokka palace. The Cancellarrii looked at Quentin and knew he would not talk without some assistance. The Cancellarrii had dealt with men such as him before and knew how to offer that assistance. He smiled briefly at Quentin and then ordered the youngest child to be shot in front of him. The ordered Klopph obliged without hesitation.
Over the next hour, all of the members of Quentin’s family were executed in front of him with the exception of Triana. During that time, Quentin told the Cancellarrii everything he knew.
Quentin looked at the Cancellarrii with deep hatred as he turned the gun on Triana. “Perhaps I’ll torture her for a while as we talk further.”
Triana was in shock and barely noticed the gun being aimed at her or the words of the Cancellarrii. She had just witnessed her family murdered. The fear on their faces was burned into her soul. Her ears were ringing from the gunshots and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
The Cancellarrii knew she was in shock but he had questions that he needed her to answer. The gun would not be enough to attract her attention; he knew he would need another measure. So he ordered the Klopph to take her pinky finger. The Klopph did as he was ordered, removing the knife from his boot and making short work of the appendage. The Cancellarrii was right, her focus returned.
He questioned both of them for another hour until he was certain that he understood everything. Then, he ordered Quentin killed and Triana to be returned to the Keeper. As he left, the sound of the gun echoed behind him.
He walked back upstairs to his living quarters and took a shower and changed his clothing. It wouldn’t do to walk around with blood on him. When he was clean, he sat down at his desk and reviewed the recording of the interview with the professor and his family. He listened to the recording twice, taking notes through both reviews. At the conclusion of the second time, he set his pen down and placed his hands in his face. It had been a long day already and it wasn’t even lunch yet. He was mentally exhausted from the questioning.
He picked up his notepad and studied his notes. It was a lot to take in – that an organized rebellion was being planned and that the son of the Chokka who had returned and been killed was to lead the rebellion.
He would need to find this Chokka. But if what the professor had told him was true, he would not be able to do it by following the energy. He would, of course check the niece’s apartment first, but didn’t expect to find him there. The world was a large place and he could be anywhere. Plus, the description of his appearance was not very helpful. The details that the professor and his niece had given him were of those that could have matched any thousands of men.
The Cancellarrii knew the Keeper would expect a full report. News would travel fast that they had collected Quentin and his family. Before he spoke with the Keeper, however, he wanted to make sure he had a good plan of action. He spent the next hour sorting through the steps he would take over the next twenty-four hours. A knock on the door at the end of that hour presented the expected summons from the Keeper.
On his way out, told the Klopph responsible for media relations to call a press conference. The Keeper controlled the media which made his message clear and without question. The Cancellarrii once asked the Keeper why he let the media continue and the Keeper responded by saying that it gave an illusion of independence, plus it was cheaper than hiring his own people. Once in a while, rogue media personnel would challenge the Keeper but those people were handled and never given an opportunity to question the Keeper again (or to breathe again, for that matter).
The Cancellarrii would begin the hunt for the Chokka’s son with the press conference. During the press conference, he would confirm that the professor and his family had been brought in and had been found guilty of treason and therefore given swift justice. The way the niece spoke of the Chokka, the two had some feelings for each other. He knew the Chokka would come looking for vengeance. First for his father, and
