Kine sat in his office with his most trusted individuals. It’s wasn’t so long ago that there would only have been one other person here with him but he was glad for the change. As soon as the Drake delegation closed the doors of their embassy, Thane, Mathias and Sierra had followed him without question, despite the urgent tone of his voice which he was sure had sparked concerned curiosity. But they’d had to wait; only here in his office did Kine feel it was secure enough to speak openly with them.

“Something is very wrong.” Kine commented into the silence. “I’ve never known any Drake to be so hurried or flustered. It almost bordered on rude and that is not like them.”

The others were arrayed around him, just watching and waiting, happy to let him explain his reasoning. Thane and Mathias looked suitably worried, having the same understanding of inter-species politics as he did but Sierra, as usual, kept a calm mask. No doubt she knew more than anyone would expect, but just how much he wasn’t sure. Still, she was intelligent and most likely understood the seriousness of the situation.

It was Thane who spoke first. “Kine, we knew things would probably be serious when the idea of a delegation first arose. It would have to be for any of the other Kingdoms to initiate contact. What has you so concerned now?”

“Because,” Sierra said, her eyes fixed on Kine, watching him as she continued. Kine wasn’t sure what she would see. “Something changed. I don’t know what the original purpose of this delegation was but something changed along the way and now, they’re scared.”

Thane looked between her and Kine. “You think these debris falls are happening in the Drake kingdom?”

“It stands to reason, they’re our closest neighbours. If it’s happening here, it could be happening there. Or are we just jumping at shadows, projecting our own fears and recent trauma onto them?” Kine frowned as he tried to take a mental step back and assess the situation objectively. When dealing with the other races, he couldn’t afford to make mistakes. “What do you think?” He asked the room.

Thane was the first to speak up, he and Kine used to bouncing ideas off of each other.

“We don’t know enough to be able to give an estimate. Our interactions with the other races is limited to luxury trade, and information is closely guarded. We need to know more and I don’t see any way to get that apart from talking to the delegation. Any speculation about what else it could be would just be guesses. Especially as it’s probably local to their Kingdom. I’m sorry Kine, I’m not sure what else we can do right now.”

“Why just there?” Kine murmured to himself.

Kine caught Sierra look at him sharply and realised he’d spoken out loud. The others were watching him too questioningly.

“What do you mean Kine?” Thane asked.

“Well, if it is the debris fall, why do we assume it only happened there when it happened here in our Kingdom too? What if it’s bigger than that? It could be happening everywhere.”

“Weeeell, it could I guess but-” Thane trailed off, confused.

“I know, we don’t have enough information but I think we need to know if it’s possible. What is the likelihood that this is bigger than our two Kingdoms?” This was why he’d brought them together. He needed them to probe every possibility and plan for the worst, even though he hoped with all his heart that it wasn’t true. Maybe the Drakes were having trouble with their food production and needed equipment or experts to fix it. Maybe a short term trade deal...

Sierra shifted and frowned as she stared off into nothing, thoughts almost visibly whizzing behind her eyes. Slowly, she spoke, biting her lips each time she paused, “I’ve heard news... Just snippets here and there about different problems that keep popping up. Floods near the coast where waters still haven’t receded. Unexpected weather. Unexplained damage to buildings. That sort of thing.”

That was news to Kine and, by the looks of it, Thane was surprised too. Surely it would have been in his daily reports. Had he not seen them or where they missing?

“GASTON, search all data for coastal flooding and other environmental anomalies.” Kine asked, waiting as patiently as he could as his stomach twisted. He did not feel good about all this.

Mathias’ deep voice rumbled as he scrutinised Sierra. “What else?”

Sierra looked pained as she answered him. “I’m not sure Mathias. There are only a few confirmed facts, the rest is all hearsay. I only got word of the flood a few moons ago, right before Kine found me. One of the Myath...” She cut herself off ruthlessly and Kine restrained himself from pushing for more information. Sierra was dedicated to protecting the Myath and keeping their secrets safe, even when he could see she struggled. “Give me a moment, I need to make some requests.”

Sierra walked to a quiet corner, and turned away as she closed her eyes. Kine didn’t know what she was doing, but he trusted her and left her to it. He tried not to get his hopes up about learning much more and instead focused on his closest friends.

“Alright, let’s assume these environmental anomalies are more widespread than we thought and perhaps of greater magnitude too. What do we do? Why are the Drakes desperate to talk to us and can we even help? We don’t have much information to go off of.”

“GASTON, please display world map.” Mathias moved to focus his attention on the map he requested.

[Map]

The map was an odd mix of precise data and guesswork. The areas that were known were well documented and highly detailed. Unfortunately, they only made up a small fraction of the globe, usually focussed around the Kingdom capitals and their immediate surrounding areas. The area of the map was general guesswork, usually consisting of large, untouched forests. The little they knew of these areas came from the wandering Illofra who occasionally spoke of their travels.

The Icanthie Kingdom was probably the most northerly, sandwiched between two mountain ranges and surrounded by forests. The Drake Kingdom was to the East occupying that mountain range and the open plains that sat at their feet. Though grav-line travel made it feel close, the Kingdoms were in fact colossally large.

“What could cause the same phenomenon in both Kingdoms? The areas are so large...” Thane muttered to himself.

“I don’t know.” Kine answered. “That’s our biggest problem, we lack so much information, especially anything going on outside our own Kingdom.”

“Kine...”

***

I kept one ear on the conversation going on on the other side of the room as I composed my message and sent it off. I’d marked it as top priority on the secret Myath network s0 it should be seen immediately, but I wasn’t sure how much help they could, or would give. In the two, or was it three moons, since I’d been in The Capital, my contact with the Myath had gone from almost daily check ins to barely anything, including the visits from the little bird.

Some of the more belligerent Myath would take umbrage at my presence with the Icanthie. They see it as either a betrayal or that I’d been taken against my wil1, held as some sort of prisoner. Some may even think that I was captured because my position among the Myath is known and the Icanthie are trying to get information from me. Those types were so afraid that they couldn’t even dream of the possibility that a Myath could be accepted among the races.

Still I had to try and I knew some that would trust me enough to answer. I needed as much information on the odd occurrences as possible and my Network was the best option for gathering it so, as wel1 as contacting my own agents, I asked each of the group leaders for a report, making it clear that I intended to share the basic data with my Icanthie kin. I suspected some would refuse to respond, but I’d take what I could get.

~RE: Top Priority - Request for data. Flooding North of Icanthie Kingdom. Two settlements destroyed.~

~RE: Top Priority - Request for data. Flooding East of Drake Kingdom. Debris fall.~

~RE: Top Priority - Request for data. Flooding East and South of Igidoe Kingdom. Minor debris fall.~

~RE: Top Priority - Request for data. Unexpected precipitation in the Fae lands. Aquartii spotted West coast.~

~RE: Top Priority - Request for data. Debris fall South of Fae Forest.~

~RE: Top Priority - Request for data. No change in the Subterranean Cities.~

~RE: Top Priority - Request for data. Illofra seen on different routes. Rumours of Avaness in the mainland.~

Great Oceans! That was fast... they must have been collating the data already but... I hadn’t expected this. I copied all the data, decrypting it as I did and sent it to Kine, Mathias and Thane. There were so many of them...

“It’s everywhere.” I almost whispered as I tried to absorb all the reports. “Alm0st everyone I contacted responded. It’s over the whole continent...”

No one spoke as we read the reports and I stared at the map, imagining each event, each odd little snippet. I couldn’t see a pattern. What the heck was going on? Thane swore, presumably at a particularly bad report, but we ignored him, lost in our own thoughts. Well, we had a bit more information but I was strugg1ing to understand it.

It was just too much all at once so I gave up l0oking for the answer and turned my attention to the others. Kine rubbed his hands over his face and rested his chin in his palm, staring off and he became lost in his thoughts. Thane was still reading over reports and Mathias seemed to be fiddling with his screen and I peeked over his arm to see him annotating the map with coloured splotches. He glanced briefly at me before returning to his screen, answering my questions before I could even ask them.

“We need to track these events as much as possible. If they get worse, we need a way to respond. Planning now saves time later.”

I nodded, “Go0d idea.” We watched the map light up, the coasts turning blue and random grey spots for debris fall. “We’re going to need to involve the other races aren’t we?” I asked quietly, knowing how difficult that would be. Mathias grunted an affirmation. “The problem is, we can’t tell them where we got this information.”

Kine snapped out of his introspection to look at me. “Why not?”

Sighing, both a little happy and a little exasperated, I answered him with a smile. “Kine, I love that you see me and not just a Myath, but change comes slowly. Most of the Drakes will see a Myath and wonder why I’m even there. The Myath leader agreed to sharing this with the Icanthie and only then because of my ties to you. When I tel1 the other races that I can’t reveal my sources, they're going to scoff at me and dismiss this information. If they knew it was from my community, they’d probably question its accuracy.”

Kine looked sad and downtrodden and I felt awful. Thane was nodding as if he agreed with everything I’d said and Mathias frowned. I’m not sure if he was upset with me or the situation.

“I don’t want to think that everyone will react poorly to me, but I have to be prepared for that possibility. We can’t takes risks with this situation, it’s too volatile and dangerous. People have died. I know that some people accept the Myath, even support them, I’ve seen it in my own life. But I’ve also seen that people completely forget we exist or remember us with indifference and even hate or anger. The problem is, I don’t know how they’ll react, so I prepare for the worst. It’s getting harder to hope for the best but I still try. And you’ve kept that alive in me Kine. You give me hope.”

“Alright. I’m not naive, I know the reaction to you may not be favourable. But I can and will protect you Sierra and I’m going to try to protect the Myath as much as possible. So here’s what we’ll do, we’ll gauge their response to you. I don’t want you to hide who you are and I don’t want to hide you but I don’t particularly like using you as bait either. It’s your choice, but the entire Icanthie Council and most of the Houses know you’re a Myath. It will be common knowledge through the Kingdom soon so I’d like to casually inform the Drake delegation when we meet them. If the response is not overwhelmingly negative, we’ll give them the basics of your intel. They’ll just have to trust us.”

I wanted to sigh but I knew what life would entail if I chose to stay among the races. And I knew Kine was fighting his protective instincts to give me a choice. Some things were bigger than us individuals. “Okay. I don’t want to hide either and I know you’ll do everything you can. What do we do if they react poorly?”

Kine tilted his head as he thought out loud. “It’s not as if we’ll turn them away based on how they react. I suspect they’re in real trouble and no one should suffer if we can help. Still, you’re our best hope of figuring this out. It seems the Myath are a valuable resource that only you have access to. You need to be involved despite the fact it puts you at risk. And I refuse to hide you away and take credit for your contributions, even if I want to keep you within the relative safety of the Icanthie Kingdom.” Kine smiled at me, one eyebrow quirked up before the weight of the situation caused his shoulders to slump again. “I don’t know. We need somewhere to gather the races that will be safe for everyone.”

“Like neutral territory!” Thane exclaimed, his face lighting up as he worked on his idea. “Kine, we can use the Last Lake. No one has claimed it and it’s fairly central. A safe, neutral place to discuss the phenomenon and share information.”

“Hmm, a neutral territory. See if the System has any laws on it, is it enforceable? It may work. Good job Thane.” Kine looked at the time. “It’s almost time to eat. Let’s see what the Drakes have to say, then plan this meeting on Neutral territory. We need a speedy solution or, I feel, we may face a disaster we cannot overcome.”

***

We made our way to the Heart and I waited with Kine, Mathias and Thane in the official dinning hall. I was coming to think of us as Kine’s inner circle as we seemed to end up in the same small group with increasing frequency. It was noon meal, the food was laid out beautifully, kept warm until we were ready and the Drakes were due to arrive for their “blunt” discussions at any moment. I’d not had much interaction with the upper Echelons of Drake society so it was with interest that I anticipated this meeting. I would be observing closely.

Kine had been taken aback by the urgent, almost flustered manner of the lead Drake Thespenia and I had watched his concern eat at him ever since. If this was about the moon debris I’d identified, then his concern was well placed. The need to collaborate among the races to address this would be a difficult and potentially dangerous feat. The races had separated themselves a long time ago and I wasn’t convinced a global disaster was enough to overcome that. Secretly, in the most hidden corner of my heart, I made plans for what to do if cooperation was impossible to acquire. I hoped my skills hadn’t become rusty.

The doors opened and a small alert in my head told me the Drake delegation had arrived. Thespenia walked in looking much calmer with her two chosen Dragas, all in their resting forms. It was expected that all participants in any delegation, both visitors and those receiving would maintain a Resting form as a show of non-aggression. It showed that no one intended to threaten or bully the other party and helped reduce the amount of damage inflicted if they had a slip-up. Actually, I was a little desperate to spend more time in my new forms but, diplomacy came first.

Kine welcomed the small group and we all sat, relaxed enough to help ourselves and begin to eat. Small talk was non-existent, it felt a little callous to try considering the urgency the Drakes has shown, so we waited for them to start the talks. We didn’t have to wait long.

“A great calamity has befallen the Drake Kingdom.” Thespenia spoke into the silence causing everyone to still and look at her.

When it was clear that she was waiting for a response before she continued, Kine was swift to put on his diplomatic mask and tend to the delegation. It was clear that Thespenia had regained some of her composure and, though eager to speak swiftly and gain the aid she needed, was willing to devote some time to the formality the Drake favoured. I watched from the side, fascinated to observe Kine’s diplomatic skills.

“I am distressed to hear of it. Please accept the condolences of the Icanthie Kingdom.” She nodded cordially and Kine continued. “What has befallen the Drake Kingdom?”

“Thank you King Kine. Debris has fallen all across the Drake Kingdom. We had no warnings and many Dragons and Dragas suffered when the debris hit whilst they were flying. Many died. We’ve also had word of flooding and tremors across the whole Kingdom. We can’t explain it. There’s no sign of why it’s happening or when it will end. We need help.”

The room took on a somber feel at the news of so many deaths. So far, the Icanthie had had only one fatal incident, as far as I knew. The debris that hit the wall killed dozens of Icanthie but it sounded like many more Drakes had died.

“I am so sorry for all you have suffered Ambassador. We have heard of similar events and have had similar events across the Icanthie Kingdom in the last two moons.”

“Do you know what has caused it?” Thespenia asked, a little too rushed.

“No, we don’t know the cause. All we know is that the weather control technology has undergone significant autocorrections in that same time period and analysis of the debris matches samples found in historical archives.”

Kine watched Thespenia closely as he delivered the news and she seemed to brighten.

“You have found references in your archives. What did it tell you? Can you find anything to help prevent this?”

“No, I’m afraid not, we had very little to work with. Additionally, we’ve had intelligence that this sort of thing is happening all over the globe.”

“You have? Who has reached out to you? We’ve not heard anything from the other races.” Thespenia asked sceptically. It would have been difficult for her people to admit they needed help and the Drakes were one of the more reasonable races. It’s hard to imagine any of the others reaching out before now.

“My Cousin, Sierra, has gathered information from her fellow Myath. It seems this is happening everywhere and it may be escalating.”

Thespenia had turned to stare at me but I wasn’t sure what I am in her eyes. Shock, certainly, but was that doubt or perhaps disappointment? At me or the news?

“Myath?” She asked turning back to Kine.

He nodded and a stilted silence fell on the room. I took the opportunity to reflect on just how many awkward or incredulous silences I had experienced in the last few moons. I wasn’t a stranger to silence, it was necessary on occasion in my life among the Myath, hiding or fleeing. And I enjoyed a peaceful silence to indulge my love of reading and exploring. But I felt that among the Icanthie, I inspired a different kind of silence. They seemed not to know what to say to me or would rather not try. Was it just me or was it the same with anything new or different? Well whatever the reason, I’d quickly learned to ignore it and continue as I normally would. I liked silence. It said so much more than most people thought, you just had to listen.

“Forgive me, I had no idea. King Kine, do you trust this information?”

Kine smiled politely but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was so protective but I think he knew she wasn’t being deliberately rude. The question was valid considering what was at stake, but asking it after she found out it came from the Myath was a little insensitive.

“Of course Ambassador. I wouldn’t have presented it to you if I had any doubts.”

“Of course.” She sipped her drink, gathering her thoughts. “History is long and convoluted, yet it still holds us in its tight grasp. It’s hard to shake free of it sometimes.” Turning to me she continued. “I admire your bravery, taking a place among those so different from you. It must be hard. We Drakes have never condoned the persecution of the Myath but I must admit, we do not often encounter them and don’t really know much of them. All we have are our histories. Do you know why most individuals dislike the humans and the Myath?”

I smiled at her backhanded compliment. I’d encountered much worse but it still stung a little. Still, she was trying. “The Myath are different. We don’t fit comfortably into any existing role so we are shunned and feared. Some even find us dangerous. We’re accused of having no way to control ourselves or even know what we are capable of.”

“Yes, that’s close. And humans?” She asked.

“Humans are a scape goat. An excuse to blame others and avoid introspection. They are hated for what is seen as their reckless use of technology, and need to push the boundaries which endangered the Planet, our only home, and nearly causing it’s destruction in what we now call the Calamity despite the fact that no calamity occurred. They were able to avert it. More recently, the humans are hated for leaving their kingdom and fleeing to their neighbours. No one seems to care that they are refugees from an insane monarch...”

Everyone at the table was suddenly looking at me with sharp, interested eyes. I may have let a little too much slip.

“What do you know about the human monarch?” Ambassador Thespenia asked quietly.

I was reluctant to answer and decided to stall by taking a bite of the meal I had mostly ignored until now. The meat really was delicious. As I chewed, Kine caught my eyes and gave the tiniest nod, but I still struggled to decide what to say. By the time I swallowed, I had an answer for them.

“The current human monarch, who is chosen a little differently from all the other kingdoms, tried to extend his life span approximately sixty four orbits ago. No one knows what he attempted or how many time he tried but it seems to have partially worked in that he is not dead yet despite being one hundred and forty four orbits old. Well beyond the life span of most humans. Unfortunately, the process sent him completely insane. He believes that he is besieged by some foe that he must protect his kingdom from. He also believes that his lords are frequently either enslaved or bribed by these foes to turn against him so he often attacks them. He conscripts all able bodied individuals for his armies and they are frequently set against each other to satisfy the mad king's fears and paranoia. It has gotten so bad that there’s no maintenance of food production or sanitation. Buildings have fallen into disrepair and the population dwindles. The humans are starving, afraid and dying in droves at the hands of the man who is supposed to protect them. No one can overthrow him because the law doesn’t account for his insanity and he’s used old technology to create deadly and difficult to destroy bodyguards. I’m not even sure their Systems are functioning...”

Thespenia gaped at me, struggling to find words. “... How do you know all this? No one would want to go to the human kingdom let alone worry about the state of it.”

“...”

When I refused to answer, and she didn’t get any support when she looked to Kine, she appeared to drop the subject. “Very well. Still, perhaps this goes somewhat to explaining why the Myath and the humans are kept apart from the civil races.”

“Not really, no.” I answered her. “I don’t think it very civil to label those different from you as savage or uncivil, especially when you refuse to learn the truth about them. I think that the races are blind not to see the incivility of hunting down sapient beings for whatever reason. I think it uncivil to ignore the desperation of any race in need of help. You speak of being in the grasp of history. I must agree, the races are stuck in the past, living in fear of that which they don’t understand whilst standing on the shoulders and achievements of the very races they defame and revile.” I finished.

I may have gone a little too far. This was supposed to be a diplomatic meeting. Still, I don’t think what I said was wrong. I just didn’t know a better way to say it. Perhaps Kine could help me improve my communication skills. The Drake bristled but Ambassador Thespenia waved them off and answered me.

“You accuse us of generalising and refusing to see the real individuals but you have just done the same.” Thespenia answered a little defensively.

I wasn’t trying to attack her or any of the races. I just wanted to give my perspective, one that many may not have heard before. I really needed to work on my communication...

“Not at all. Though what I have said is true for large numbers of the various populations, I also know not to go into any meeting with preconceived notions and judgement. I know many individuals from many races who are kind and who have put aside popular thought to learn their own truth. But unfortunately, the leaders of the races have done little to change or discourage this prejudicial thinking.”

Thespenia opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. She frowned a little and just sat there thinking. Kine took the opportunity to step in.

“I trust Sierra completely and I am working to make changes that should have happened a long time ago. I think we are all guilty of complacency but that is not the issue for today. You have come to us for help and I believe we are all in need. Will you put your trust in us and commit to finding a solution? It will mean working together with everyone, Sierra and the Myath included. The decision is yours.”

Mathias spoke quietly but firmly from his seat. I’d almost forgotten the others at the table. Thane and the others from the Drake delegation had been mute the entire meal.

“Challenging your thinking is never easy but it’s an important practice to maintain. The Drakes are renowned Scholars, you have much to bring in solving this crisis.”

We waited.

Thespenia put down her utensils and folded her hands in her lap. Looking me in the eye, she spoke in a low, sincere voice.

“My apologies Sierra. I seem to have fallen into the same trap as others before me, thinking I am more progressive than I am. May we begin again? We are in grave need of help and I refuse to allow histories grasp to be the noose around my throat. It won’t be easy, I’m sure I’ll make mistakes again and others will fight this, but I want to try and do better. I want to save my people.”

I smiled briefly, pleased at the effort she was making and deliberately fighting that little voice that said she’s only doing this to save her own people. Maybe she was, but maybe she’d come to believe her own words at the end of all this too. I wasn’t one to slap away a hand offered in sincerity.

“Of course ThespeniatianNaj. And... thank you.”

I had barley finished speaking when a loud siren pierced my eardrums, attempting to deafen me. The whole table stood in alarm, ready to do address the threat. I thought I saw claws grow from the nails of one of the drakes but they were gone again before I could be sure. Maintaining a Resting Form in a dangerous situation was difficult. I turned to watch Kine.

“Has debris hit the wall again?” I shouted over the alarm that did not seem familiar to me. But what else could it be?

Kine ignored it all as he tried to read his screen but quickly gave up. Instead he called the Dedicated Security System to find out what had happened.

“DESS! Report!”