Matriarchs of War
an excerpt

Aung Sung locked his fingers together, "That is the only decidable reason for such impudence... this I was told by the work of my own hands. Though the very fact that their disobedience came so very unexpectedly, certainly says something for the skills of our spies, and other vortals in and throughout Hyino territory and claimants.” And he returned the benign smile back to the matriarch.
Lets suppose, He thought, If she is a proctor, then I will know now. I doubt they would accept any downplay of their own work. Yes, they train the spies, and the spies have failed. If she isn’t, then I wont how to deal with her.

All members at the council table either looked at Aung Sung or this woman. It was a completely unpredictable situation, was she close to rage? Was she sanguine and drawing, measuring and collecting all the information she could get? It was certain that the enigma she was caused the majority of the council to also ponder her identity. All curiosities aside, her appearance betrayed her inner dynamics; the control and training she knew went beyond most people’s imaginations.

“Or that the training of the said spies is inefficient, not the spies themselves. You are the one who uses spies, Aung Sung.” She replied. “I am, however not interested in spy games, and find it confusing why the subject has found itself centred on this.” She did not take the bait, but she continued, “You need to explain further. Elicit this, HUIGA continues to defy our edicts, but that the multitudes of lesser corporations snap like twigs under our treads. Perhaps HUIGA has found another source of liberation?”

"Such blasphemy this is!" Hierarch Dyanendra shouted from opposite Aung Sung, his heart in majestic anger. He exclaimed righteously, "The Emperor of Andromeda IS liberation!" his breathing deep and harsh, he almost slammed his palms on the table at the woman. "Without Cruxis..." He uttered venomously, his Cruxian crown glinting in the shaft-light, " Without us, Andromeda would consist of mere meian licking dogs! Godless, mediocre infidel content in pigsties of instinct..." his eyes flared up at Kai'Droma who rose his hand slightly. Dyanendra immediately froze, and lowered his head automatically, apologising profusely through his silence.

Aung Sung ignored Hierarch Dyanendra, he was puzzled at her question, and still her person; she gave an unsatisfactory reply to his mention of the Gennesrie spies, and he darent spout too great a slander in council. He said, “It is unclear why HUIGA has become so defiant, as far we have been able to detect, there is no involvement with any Syciothor influence.”
“So far.” She said drawlingly, almost mocking his tone.
Aung Sung flustered. He was confused now and he knew she sensed it. “Should there ever be such a malign influence it will be rooted out.”
“You are sure? Your faith in our vectors seem misplaced, judging your last comment…”
“The truth will stand whilst my comment will pass, sera.”
“You confess you do not entirely comprehend the situation that has lead to HUIGA’s defiance?” She added slyly, Yustaxia heard clearly the tone of subtle surety in her voice. The edge you use when you know you are right, when the other person is wrong.
“It is not a thing to confess, but that is right. We do not know, entirely.” And he sat back in his throne, evidently frustrated.
“Information is not as exclusive as is believed then.”
“Stop now with this charade.” Aung Sung heatedly spat, griping the edge of table and peering at the woman, “Whoever you are, prove your worth by your words, not your aura and mystique! You tell me why HUIGA has done what is has done.”

She looked suddenly abashed, her cheeks flushed and she partially withdrew herself, though everyone saw this was just another manipulation, the elegance and rhyme of it was a mechanism of pure precise power, something to awe at. Comparatively controlling her every muscle and nuance of mind, she played her emotions like a puppet, to the wonder of all. She knew however, despite her control over her own self, she did not have control of the council. Nor could she ever control any of the other hierarchs or matriarchs, many of whom (she had distinctively noted) had been examining her intensively as her dialogue with Aung Sung continued.

She had been pushed into corner by Aung Sung, and a certain degree of revelation was more than necessary. Kai’Droma’s apparent silence thus far was also disconcerting to her, but she did not let this concern her too much. His time was not yet, and her mission was far from over.

She took a small, but strong breath and said, “HUIGA defies the command of the emperor, because HUIGA no longer takes command from the emperor. HUIGA has found a new source of liberation.”
“As you have said, already.” Aung Sung replied, “Who is this new source? It cannot be Syciothor, Murthoth’Nen is disposed, and Hyinoa is more than content to…”
“Stop your focusing on the who, but on the what of this new instantiate. I have heard little talk of the Hyino way of conducting business during an interregnum, yet it is one of the most important times of a Hyinoan business. This, I daresay Aung Sung is where your spies are failing."

There was an interesting silence, which Aung Sung did not like. Knowing now that his spies had failed him, and she was of an order far beyond him, and one that he probably never would hear of in his tenure, he withdrew himself from the discussion. “Please continue, sera. Address the emperor now, I am no longer of use.” And he bowed his head.

With hidden reluctance, she turned her head and looked at Kai’Droma, sat serenely attentive to her almost immediate left. For some deep, demanding, unexpected reason, she almost refused. Something in her didn’t want to look into his eyes, fearing her identity, or the memories she hid, or her mission would be unravelled by those holy eyes that pieced both soul and flesh. Who is he, this man? He who walked out of the desert with eyes that burnt like emerald lightning. She thought as she turned her head towards him, mindful of Yustaxia who was closer to her than anyone at the council. Kai’Droma was looking at her now, and as usual he made eye contact, locking his eyes onto hers.

“I did not know that HUIGA was experiencing an interregnum. From when did it begin?” Kai’Droma said.
“I do not know exactly, communication between the vortals in Hyinoa is slow, even with the spacer’s treaties in effect. What is known is that the former… leader, for lack of better word of HUIGA’s counsellor level, died. It was unexpected, and caused much unrest in the capital, because of the jihad.”
“Who was he?”
“He was Hou Siloon, Kai’Droma. The brother of the emperor’s daughter’s husband.” She replied, hearing the quite noticeable gasps for her using Kai’Droma’s name nakedly.

Kai’Droma immediately envisioned Kel’Saula at Haiijia. The multitudes of memories flashed back to him in a instant. Kai’Droma had never forgotten the events that lead to his ascendance to the Zhengaixian, but he never remembered them fondly. Kel’Saula was burned forever in his mind as his darkest and brightest of memories, and nothing could stop the thoughts and demands that this conversation brought up. He was certain Kel’Saula was in trouble, or had been in trouble and had already suffered a fate Kai’Droma could only guess. The abrupt end of communication from Hyinoa was more than disturbing. Why did I play along with that charade. I knew Kel’Saula couldn’t control the people of the seat. What has happened to him?

Kai’Droma clenched his fist, a deadening and infuriating path opened in his mind; that the O’Kais probably had something to do with this. Manipulators and deceivers. Temptresses. Whether one is here or not. He then said blankly, “How did he die? Who do they think kill him?”
“They don’t know yet. But, of course my lord it could be any number of possibilities. Murder in wartime is little more than a game for many. It is so hard to pinpoint an assassin in war, especially in your jihad It’s even easier to justify a murder in such chaotic times.”

Immediately Kai’Droma felt uneasy with the way she said that... He knew she emphasised that is was HIS jihad, and not the result of years of suppression and cruelty from an elitist and brutal tyranny. That was true. He realized also impossibility in trying to track a murderer during a war, with an almost infinite supply of aliases, and motives, and potential vectors ad proxies, a murderer would be harder to find than a needle in a haystack. That was certain. The universe hath no fury than an empire scorned. Kai'Droma's mind touched the horizons of Hyinoa; an empire whose harbinger has died.

“There is an interregnum then, who is in control of HUIGA right now?” Kai'Droma asked slowly, fully ignorant of the storm ahead.

“The AI Array, Ascendant controls HUIGA. In it‘s entirety, every single function of it. ” She replied carefully.

There was a disparate gasp across the table. The ancient fears and superstitions against the artificial intelligences of the past suddenly erupted, everyone could sense it, and they abandoned themselves to it.