Garaam and her group believed that the Elders never raised a Dai Sha to the mantle, but instead someone who they molded for the spot from birth. Their theory had some holes, though. For instance, the Elders didn’t die at the rate they were supposed to; it was usually anywhere between ninety and one hundred and fifty years between the deaths of an Elder. The Shara Daim lifespan was around four hundred years, and coupled that the youngest Dai Sha ‘raised’ to the mantle was three hundred and twenty, the Elders should have been changing their members much more often. Garaam had told her that they believed the Elders had something that allowed them to extend their lives, but now with what they had learned from Axull Darr, there was another explanation: the Elders didn’t die at all. Everything about them was a farce, their old appearance only one of their lies. They didn’t even know how old they were. Anessa remembered them talking about how the Shara Daim had lost the device. She remembered their tone of voice, the conviction in their words. Almost like they had been there to see it.
Now with the knowledge that Shara Daim shouldn’t age and die, there was too much evidence to support the theory that the Elders had been lying all along. Everything that had once seemed perfectly normal now made Anessa suspicious. The fact that there was no information on the Elders, that they never left Shara Radum, that they had doctored history, kept their people in the dark—it all pointed to the conclusion that Garaam and her group were right. The Elders had been manipulating the Shara Daim in order to keep themselves in power.
Now Anessa and Garaam were going to find out the truth, even if it meant destroying what the Shara Daim were. Anessa opened a channel to Garaam, and a moment later, her friend appeared in front of her, her expression furious.
“The Seventh Legion, are they a part of your group?” Anessa asked.
“Yes, but we have a problem. I just spoke with Barask. The Erasi have attacked the Har Aras, Har Kaleras, and Har Nara sectors. We have already lost six systems.”
“What?” Anessa demanded, caught off guard.
“The system guards were overwhelmed; the Erasi invasion force is believed to be around sixty Legions strong. Our Legions are out of position; the closest ten Legions are months away, the trans-routes back would take longer. And the Elders have ordered twenty Legions assigned to the invasion of the Empire to go back to defend,” Garaam said, and Anessa understood from where the anger came.
“Only twenty? With those numbers, they can do nothing but slow them down!” Anessa said.
“Yes, the Elders have made clear that the priority is the capture of the Human homeworld and the device,” Garaam said.
“Even if our people are dying in the meantime?” Anessa asked incredulously.
“They believe that taking the Human homeworld is more important.”
Anessa didn’t really want to believe it; even if the Elders had lied, they had still guided Shara Daim for a long time. But their reaction to the Erasi invasion only served to push her over the edge, convince her that they didn’t really care as long as they got what they wanted. “What are the other Dai Sha saying?” Anessa asked. “I can’t believe that they are happy with those orders.”
“They are split. Some believe it is a wrong call but accept the Elders’ orders; others want to disobey the Elders but they don’t dare. It is all they know.”
“We need all the Legions to defend our people, Garaam.”
“I know, but there is nothing we can do. We should go to Shara Radum and find out the truth about the Elders. If we get proof, we might be able to remove them from power,” Garaam said.
Getting the proof would be hard. If they were right, the Elders had had millennia to cover their tracks. And Anessa knew that they didn’t have the time to be stealthy, to gather information and proof to show her people. No, they couldn’t wait. Even if most of what she knew was a lie, there was one thing that was still the truth. Shara Daim were warriors at their core; they lived for a fight, for war and conquest and honor. Something in Anessa cracked; all that she had believed in had been shattered. But there was one thing that Anessa couldn’t allow; out of all of her beliefs, there was one that still held true. Anessa was supposed to protect the people. And to do that, Anessa knew exactly what she needed to do.
“No. I am going to send a message to all Legions through the net, ordering them to gather for the defense against the Erasi. I’m the first among the Dai Sha; in emergencies, I command all of the Legions,” Anessa said authoritatively.
Garaam frowned. “That is true, technically. You are the first because you are the strongest, but I don’t know how many would defy the Elders to listen to you.”
“Enough will. They already want to go, I will just give them a little push.”
“The Elders will countermand your orders as soon as they learn of them,” Garaam added.
“By then I will have reached Shara Radum,” Anessa said.
“We don’t have enough proof to remove them from power, Anessa,” Garaam said. “Going there will only get you imprisoned for ignoring their authority.”
“No, we have proof. The Elders are ignoring our people; they are leaving our territory vulnerable to invaders, just because they want more power. They are willing to sacrifice millions for greed. Their actions are all the proof I need. Send me everything that you and your group have discovered, and take yours and Barask’s Legions and go to the Har Aras sector. I’m going to order the Legions to go to the closest invaded sectors. Once you are there, take over command for the defense,” Anessa said.
“What are you planning to do, Anessa?” Garaam asked uneasily.
“What I was raised to do: protect the Shara Daim.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
One month later — January; Year 56 of the Empire — Sanctuary
“I can’t believe that you got him to tell you,” Seo-yun said.
“I think that it had to do with the fact he met someone from the Shara Daim. I think that there are still things that he is keeping from us,” Adrian said.
He, Seo-yun, and Tomas were in their study, the two of them sitting on the couch and Adrian in the chair across from them. He had arrived in Sanctuary only a few hours ago, and had already returned the sphere to Seo-yun’s research department.
“Why do you think that?” Tomas asked.
“Just a feeling. Some things just don’t align perfectly with his story. I can’t point anything out, I just feel like there is something that he is holding back. And then there is the other thing that I have been wondering for a while,” Adrian said.
“What?” Seo-yun asked.
“Have you ever wondered where the remains of their civilization are?” Adrian asked. “They were living in this galaxy for a great chunk of its existence; there should be something left.”
“Axull Darr said that they had been dismantling and destroying everything as their population dropped, only keeping enough to sustain the current population,” Seo-yun answered.
“I think that there is more to it; they couldn’t have possibly destroyed everything. They built things to last. But it doesn’t really matter right now, what does matter now is this enemy.”
“Axull Darr said that it will take a long time for us to encounter them,” Tomas said.
“Yes, but we need to start preparing now. I told you everything that he said. They have the technology of the People, in addition to whatever they’ve discovered since then, and their biotech,” Adrian said, “We can’t rely on the technology from the sphere; we need to start researching in different directions, revise every technology they have and try to improve.”