The men became quiet for a moment, looking grim at thethought. Poppy sat silent, her mind absorbing all this new information. Therewas still one question that was bothering her though. “Okay, let’s get back toDemascus. What does he have to do with the Verge?” Poppy asked when nobodyshowed signs of continuing the story.
“Demascus had a clone brother who was the originator, or ‘father’,to the Verge warriors. When the Verge decided to split off from the Phaetonworld, we understood their need to do so and respected them. They did notrecognize the advances our race needed to make and we did not agree with theirideals. Deciding we wanted no war between warrior brothers, it was a peacefulseparation. Many expected Demascus to follow his brother…” Dathrow trailed offand shot Wheaton a glance.
Wheaton nodded at Dathrow, turning toward Poppy.
“What was that about, guys?” Poppy asked, trying to figureout what was going on.
“The Council is comprised of our strongest warriors fromeach breed. They are what humans would call politicians. The Verge have adopteda similar caste system for their own Council. Demascus would not be automaticallyguaranteed a Council position with the Verge. A politician of his standingwould be unwilling to give up the power he has over our Council. If he defectedthen he would have to work to regain a position of such importance. We havetalked about it and have come to the conclusion that he may have also stayed tosway the Phaeton Council to the Verge way of thinking,” Wheaton said to thewomen. Looking at the men, he said, “They need to know what we may have aheadof us.”
With a grim nod from Thorne to continue, Wheaton tookPoppy’s hand in his again. Holding her hand seemed to calm him and he paused asif he’d take what peace he could for the moment.
“We have no idea how far Demascus’s reach extends. He mayhave a majority of the Council convinced that the breeding contracts are a badidea after the matches came back flawed. Most Council members keep quiet whenhe speaks. Since he has been a member of the Council for years, he holds quitea bit of power…his name alone holds leverage during our meetings. Many areafraid to go against him for fear of retaliation. Those who oppose himgenerally do so quietly as to not cause trouble for their own standing.”
Noticeably uncomfortable, Wheaton continued on, “When Iinitially had doubts, Demascus asked quite a few questions. He already hadaccess to your profile and fueled my concerns when it came to how you would fitinto being a Councilman’s wife.”
Wheaton cringed, waiting for Poppy to say something.Anything.
Poppy thought for a moment and chewed her bottom lip. Sheadmitted she herself had had the same doubts when she’d found out she’d beenmatched to a politician. She couldn’t throw stones when she’d been in the sameplace, could she?
“Why did the Council approve the matching in the first placeif he is anti-human and has so much pull?” she asked.
Dathrow chose that moment to share his views. “We havesearched for many cycles…years…for a species compatible for breeding mates.Most warriors understand the lack of females cannot go on much longer. We haveother species we can mate with but none that we can breed with. And even thoseare limited. Humans are the closest we have found to match our biology. Thediscovery of humans was so well received it forced Demascus to maneuver quietlyinstead of openly opposing the idea. He did not want to be the one who stood inthe way of us having women for our own and children from those unions. Hisopinion was not a popular one on the Council so he remained quiet but warnedthat the pact with Earth would lead to our downfall. If the pact worked then hewould be able to say that he voted in favor of it. If it failed then he couldremind members of the concerns he had against it.”
“Ever the politician,” Val said with a wry smile.
“I get it. So how do we go about letting the Council knowI’m not going anywhere? This Demascus person has no idea who he is dealing withif he thinks he can bully us for his own agenda.” By this time, Poppy had herhands on her hips and was ready to go to battle.
“I would call for a Council meeting immediately, Wheaton. Itwould be better for you to call the Council meeting before you are summoned andneed to defend yourself,” Thorne said with a nod.
“I agree,” Wheaton said.
Flashing green lights suddenly lit up their bands. The menexchanged startled glances, each of them seeming surprised.
“Ummm, guys, what does that mean?” Valerie asked.
“It means the ship has been called home and we will leaveEarth’s orbit immediately,” Wheaton said with a questioning glance at Thorne.
“I was not aware we were going to depart today,” Thorne saidwith a frown then smiled at Poppy. “However, this means that you will not beable to go to Earth regardless of the Council ruling. We are only able toshuttle between certain distances and the trip home will be too far to transportyou back to Earth. Once the ship is mobilized, nothing except mechanical issueswill stop our voyage. Our planet is three weeks away according to Earthtimetables so we know for certain we now have more time until you canphysically leave.”
“Well hell, that’s good to know. Are you still going to calla meeting ASAP or wait a bit?” Poppy asked, relieved that she would have moretime regardless of what the Council ruled.
“I am unsure what time ‘ASAP’ is, but I will still call oneimmediately. It is better to get
