Chapter Text
5th May 2150. In the Rule of Heda Lexa Yr 11. 4th Moon Waning Gibbous.
Polis Tower – Great Hall
The Tower’s kitchen is full of wonderful aromas as well as focused purpose, as breakfast is served to hundreds of hungry people, gonas, guests, bandronas (ambassadors), messengers, aides and wochas (chiefs). Sitting with his small party; Hannah Green, David Miller, Nathan Miller and Mila Kovich, Kane sneaks a look through the big serving hatch, watching the well drilled ‘army’ of cooks prepare the most delicious food he has ever tasted. Overseeing the meal is a striking woman, grey-haired and stern featured. She never raises her voice but her minions jump to obey her commands without question.
“How come our catering team doesn’t produce good food? Yesterday Commander Lexa introduced me to that woman there, she’s called Skaikrasha and apart from the bacon every ingredient in this magnificent breakfast is available to us. Skaikrasha made pancakes as I stood there, she showed me how it’s done and even I made some that were delicious, even if they were a weird shape.” Kane shakes his head as he fills his mouth with toasted bread, then chews for a while. “It’s so bad at home that it must be sabotage, Nygel has it in for me.”
Sgt David Miller’s known Marcus Kane for years, at times he’s cursed him as a rule obsessed asshole, then again, he’s seen Kane’s work ethic, courage and loyalty. This trip has shown another, completely unexpected, side to the man. Tasked as the Chancellor’s bodyguard the Sgt’s stuck close to him throughout the meetings, demonstrations and training that Kane’s attended and it’s been a revelation. Kane is actively looking for new ways of doing things, it’s as if living through a hard winter on the ground has shown him that the old rules don’t work down here and things must change. What worries Sgt Miller is that this new version of Kane has come too late to save his Chancellorship: well, that’s the case, if the rumours circulating through the Guard are anything to go by. There’s talk of the people of Arkadia wanting an election and Kane’s handling of everything is going to be questioned. Those sympathetic to Kane only muster faint praise. ‘He’s done his best in difficult circumstances.’ While the harsher critics speak of him being incompetent, treasonous and venal. That ‘Kane was Jaha’s puppet on the Ark and now he’s come down to the ground he’s grovelling to some warlord in return for a few sacks of grain, that he then allows to be eaten by mice!’ And this weary, hardworking man can’t see that the mood in Arkadia has turned so far against him. Can’t, or maybe even won’t, see that his Commander of the Guard Gru and some of the Councillors are orchestrating a coup. Fortunately for the Sgt, Hannah’s prepared to speak up even if he hesitates.
“Chancellor, I’ve no axe to grind with you now that I’ve found Monty well and happy here in Polis. In the past we’ve had our differences and I think some of the things you’ve done since we came to the ground are wrong and have driven people, like my Monty, away from Arkadia. But.” The Farm Station supervisor draws in a deep breath. “It’s not just Nygel and a few criminals that are your problem. Not all of Diana Sydney’s followers were on her dropship, they wasn’t enough room to take them all! She’s been gathering supporters for years on the Ark and had a real chance of toppling Jaha. She was that close,” Hannah’s fingers pinch together, “to calling for an election she knew she would win. Then the oxygen crisis and contacting the grounders must’ve changed her plans. She could see that Jaha was going to be the one leading our people back ‘home’, so she ‘executed’ him, telling her followers that not only was he abusing his power on the Ark but he was already ‘selling our birthright’ to some savage.”
Kane nods his head in tired acceptance; he did know that Sydney was closing in on Jaha. Jaha was paranoid but Sydney was ‘out to get him’. Hannah continues. “In Arkadia there are hundreds loyal to her and they are poisoning the whole place against you. Sydney is hundreds of miles away but many of her people are well placed in Arkadia. How can you not see that Gru, Tallus, Kaplan and others are briefing against you all the time? And if you’re relying on that fool Larry Grayling to keep you informed, forget it, he’s kept out of the loop because he’s known to be loyal to you.”
Kane’s shoulders droop in resignation. His people are unhappy. He, sort of, knows that. He’s in charge and the buck stops with him for everything; a lack of preparedness for a very cold winter, cute little mice, terrible food, seasonal illnesses that Jackson can only treat with advice (stay hydrated, warm and rested), stock stampeding when some kids held a loud party and valuable Ark citizens refusing to become part of Arkadia; people like Abby Griffin, Raven Reyes and Monty Green. He’s made mistakes but he’s achieved things too. The treaty with Commander Lexa has brought them a place to call their own, supplies for the winter, breeding stock, a deal over electricity and peace! “What can Sydney offer that I can’t? She’s a murderer, a thief and from what Charles Pike said yesterday, if you believe him, is helping some grounders start a war. She’d take us into a war against the Coalition and I don’t think Commander Lexa loses wars.” He knows he sounds desperate; he is desperate. Sydney, like Charles Pike, thinks she has the right to rule the world, like she thought she should rule the Ark. Kane is very aware that to get herself into a position of power she’d sacrifice anything or anyone. He needs help to keep his people safe from her machinations. He’s got a meeting with Clarke this morning and another meeting with the Commander this afternoon, he can only hope that he can take back to Arkadia enough positives, including a good cook, to win him more time to show his people that a peaceful life on the ground is possible and desirable.
One Mark later. Polis Tower. The Red Room
“Duncan is dead?”
“Very.” Her wormana’s superfluous and deadpan response reminds Lexa of Raven’s sass; is her former fos back under the skai plana’s influence? She hopes so, when involved with Raven Anya seems to regain some of the humour and fire that had been dimmed through the years of conflict and losses against the Maunon. Hmm back to Duncan….
“Where and how?”
It’s Eva who responds this time. “On the Great Road south, about a day’s ride from Polis, Heda. An arrow to the back, its’ fletching anonymous but the construction is southern style. His pockets had been emptied but the nuggets of gold sewn into the seams of his coat, a garment of good quality that most bandits would take, were untouched. His horse was taken or lost.”
Windsong, standing by the samovar, pours a beaker of tea for herself and gestures to the others. She pours two more, one for Gustus, the second for Callie. As she walks back to the table she muses. “Sloop was prepared for the arrest. The poison she used to kill herself was well hidden; her quarters were stripped of anything valuable or informative and her closest aide Mac has vanished. They were likely prepared to get rid of Duncan too.”
“They have taken the initiative from the start. Attacking the wagon-trains, using the fayogun gonas from the skai; even when things started to go wrong, they moved fast.” Lexa stands and starts to pace, hands clasped behind her back. “We must take back control. The messengers I sent days ago, before we knew his army was on the move, will likely be killed. Their sacrifice must not be in vain. Callie, I hear that Raven has been able to listen to Sydney talking on the radio. Has this given us useful information?”
Callie replies in fluent but accented Trigedesleng. “Sha (Yes) Heda. Diana Sydney is using her people and their tek to gain power for herself and her ally Albion kom Yujleda. First, she spoke of her fayogun gonas; she has loaned thirty to Albion. They march with his wormana Kestor as part of the Yujleda army that comes north. Then her tek kru are going to the south coast to look under the sea for the city of New Orleans, they will search for a legendary treasure that they hope will fill Albion kom Yujleda’s war chest. Meanwhile Sydney is travelling to Arkadia. She has some powerful supporters there who are arranging for Chancellor Kane to be killed on his way home from Polis. Their ambush will be disguised as an attack by local gonas. You will be blamed Heda or perhaps Wocha Indra. Her plan is to arrive at Arkadia after Kane’s death, when the people will be frightened; ripe for her to talk her way into being seen as their ‘saviour’ and a ‘strong leader’ who can protect them. If her plan succeeds, she will have nearly all from the Ark under her command.” She sighs heavily and sips her tea. “That Albion kom Yujleda wants to destroy the Kongeda helps her cause, as without your leadership Heda it will be easier for her to use tek and fayoguns to secure land and power.”
Callie pauses. For hours yesterday she, Clarke, Raven and Grace had played and replayed Raven’s recordings of the transmissions between Sydney’s dropship (Ark Primary) and Arkadia. Much was innocuous talk between family members, divided by politics and/or miles, but then Sydney or Shumway would come on to talk with Gru, Kaplan or Edwards and what they said was dynamite.
They’d debated who should be told what, about this eavesdropping. What is best for Konopkru? And what about those living in Arkadia? Friends as well as enemies are there, the Millers, Fox, Atom, Monty’s mum (if she goes back); nearly two thousand Arkers, many of them good people just trying to live. How will Commander Lexa respond to Diana Sydney, ally of Albion kom Yujleda, taking over in Arkadia? Will Heda Lexa turn against all who are from the sky?
Callie’s spent months learning about the Coalition and its’ short history. She knows the Articles of its Constitution by heart, including the possibility of Heda being deposed and killed if all krus vote against her in a vote of ‘no confidence’ and while Callie knows the Coalition, Clarke has come to know Lexa. All four of them talk it through, at length, and eventually they agree on two things: “1. Konopkru are Heda’s people, she cannot and will not treat us as enemies unless we betray the Coalition and 2. Diana Sydney must not be allowed to take over the Chancellorship of Arkadia.”
“If we don’t tell Heda everything about these transmissions, are we betraying the Coalition?” It’s Raven who asks the awkward question. “Or must we go for full disclosure?”
In the Red Room Callie takes a sip of water. “It gets worse Heda. Diana Sydney has at her side the escaped Maunon, Emerson.” Full disclosure.
In silence the leaders of the ground listen to these grim words. Some of it they already knew. Albion’s army, including fayogun gonas, entered Louwoda Kilron four days ago and Wocha Callum kom Louwoda Kilron sent word to Polis immediately by pigeon. His peace loving people will not be able to expel Yujleda from their land, they are weavers more than gonas, but they will hold out behind the great stone walls of their capital Bilt for as long as possible. Lexa had immediately sent Indra south with Tristan’s Rangers and the Delphikru gonas who were still training in Polis. Contacted by radio, Lincoln and Octavia were diverted south from their visit to Ingranronakru and they will take with them five hundred of Windsong’s gonas, led by her most senior wormana Dark-Reed. The Ingranronakru Buffalo Council will muster from the plains a second gonakru that will camp on the southern border they share with Trishanakru. Ostensibly this force is ‘reserves’ for any battle with Yujleda, but it is also a message to Fenrir kom Trishanakru that Heda is watching him.
While Callie is in the Red Room with Lexa and her closest advisors; Clarke, Dax and Raven meet with Kane and the Millers in one of the first floor rooms of Konopkru’s home, the ‘Office.’ The furniture in this meeting room was made by Finn, whose skills have greatly improved over the last couple of months and none of the tables and chairs are wobbly rejects, though furs are needed to make them comfortable for longer meetings.
How to warn Kane about Diana’s plots, including the one against him, without revealing that Raven has been eavesdropping on what Sinclair and his technicians believe are encrypted channels is the tricky bit. Clarke spoke with Lexa about the whole thing last night and the Commander agreed that she can use her ‘scouts / spies’ as cover for Clarke’s knowledge of Sydney’s plans.
Unfortunately, the meeting doesn’t start well; Clarke is tense, the last time she saw Marcus Kane in the flesh was when he, Grace and Gru came to arrest her dad. And although Clarke passed out before her dad died from Gru’s tasering of Jake and then Abby (as she tried to help Jake when he started to fit), seeing the Ark’s former Head of Security brings it all back. Clarke greets Kane stiffly, doesn’t return his smile and turns away, gesturing for him to sit, at the very moment he extends his hand to shake.
She sits at the head of the small dining table and looks at him coolly. “Chancellor Kane how can Konopkru, the smallest kru in the Coalition, help Arkadia?”
He knows why the air is glacial, Clarke Griffin doesn’t owe him shit and thinks he killed her dad, or best case scenario that he was just Jaha’s minion, the one who was arresting her father when he died. More surprising to him is why she and not one of the older women, leads this ‘kru’, but he’s just got to roll with it.
“Clarke thank-you for agreeing to this meeting.” He sits and shuffles on his chair. “I hope you can see past our own difficult history and if not, that you still have sympathy for the people of the Ark, a people you used to be a part of. I know I’ve made mistakes. Maybe I’m not the best Chancellor but everything I’ve ever done has been to help the Ark and now Arkadia.” He glares at Raven, who’s scoff is audible.
This is a little how Clarke imagines an ‘out of the body’ experience feels like. She hears his words; inside her head she’s screaming ‘Bastard, you unfeeling bastard!”, while her face remains expressionless and she says nothing. Lexa’s taught Clarke, through example and explanation, many things about being a leader including: - how to look aloof, unconcerned and strong, while internally combusting; the power of silence, so effective at getting someone to speak and another thing - the most useful thing to do in a meeting is listen. She’s doing all this while Kane keeps talking, firstly apologising for her father’s death (no excuses just an apology for a death that should not have happened) and then admitting that on coming to the ground he held on too long to the ‘old’ ways of the Ark. “I should have just welcomed you all back to Arkadia, not tried to pick out a few outstanding individuals. Is there any chance of some or all of you coming back ‘home’?”
Kane’s attitude is almost humble; she’s not taken in by that, but neither will she let her personal animosity (still alive and burning bright) against the man prejudice her people. “I will ask. I won’t force anyone to stay as part of Konopkru, but don’t hold your breath Kane, we are doing well here and putting down roots. But let’s talk of Arkadia and how you are faring on the ground. Konopkru is a valued part of Heda Lexa’s Coalition, we supply her tek services. Yesterday Callie and I were made aware that the Commander’s scouts have picked up disturbing intelligence about what is happening in Arkadia.”
She tries to pass it off, maybe she gets away with it maybe not, as Indra and Heda’s scouts keeping a careful eye on the people who fell from the sky onto Trikru land yet refuse to join the Kongeda. The hunters and Guards of Arkadia are talkers, she says, who naively imagine they are alone when in the forest and they speak, very loudly, about everything including plans and imminent arrivals. By the time she has spun her story of Diana Sydney and her plots Kane is visibly sweating. He turns to Sgt Miller. “This is worse than I thought. Sydney as Chancellor would be a disaster for Arkadia, for everyone if she pushes for war. What can we do?”
“We can speak of this with the Commander when you meet with her in private this afternoon. I will come with you; the people of Arkadia do not deserve Diana Sydney as Chancellor.”
Raven manages not to scoff this time. Clarke has Kane exactly where she wants him.
Guest Quarters – Polis Tower
Kane thought that as the Ark fell to earth, he had felt the greatest fear he would ever experience in his life. Fear of the cold floating death that would follow rupture of the metal structure that surrounded him, fear of a burning death as they travelled through the earth’s atmosphere, fear of being splattered on the hard surface that is the earth if the thrusters or parachutes failed. That three and a half hours of gut clenching fear now feels like nothing; nothing, compared to the medley of unpleasant sensations he is undergoing and will continue to suffer for the two, nearly three, days it will take for him to return to Arkadia because somebody; probably a Guard or Guards, will wait in ambush, their sole purpose, his death. He puts his head in his hands; he’d held it together in-front of the Commander, her advisors and Clarke, but now his composure is in tatters. Tears leak from his eyes; will he survive and what about his mother, if he dies will they kill her? Even if he does live, could he end up an invalid like Charles Pike, who’s only capable of walking a few yards, has a diet that consists entirely of soup or mush and will shit into a bag for the rest of his days.
He leaves for Arkadia tomorrow, the Commander has said she will do her best to keep him alive and, in a few days, she will send Skaikrasha to Arkadia to run his kitchens. If he does survive, at least he’ll have something decent to eat.
Handmaids’ Quarters – Polis Tower
Grace wakes too easily, she’s on night shift this rotation and sleeping in the daytime is a *****. Her mentor Strik Selene needs only to tap her foot and she’s wide awake. “Riding practice today, Grace.”
“Fuck, my ass has only just recovered from the last lesson.” But she’s up, washed and dressed, with a pasty in her belly within a few minutes. “This one of Bella’s?” Grace practices her Trigedesleng. Strik nods. Bella’s pasties are the best and Grace is about to have a hard afternoon of training followed by guard duty late that night, so the handmaid feels merciful.
On the Ark Grace didn’t need to look up to anyone. Not a person and certainly not an animal, that they had no animals in space helped, but whenever she goes to the stables, she feels small. Nearly all the horses are enormously tall, whether they are heavily muscled war-horses or more gracile, built for speed and distance. They look down their long noses at the nervous skaiplana (sky woman) and show her their fearsomely large, yellowing teeth. Then there’s Strik, who’s only slightly taller than Grace but somehow it feels like she towers over the ex-Guard. The dark skinned handmaid reminds Grace of Melissa Jaha who was as almost as tall as Grace, long limbed and graceful. Melissa had always said it was her Dinka roots. Maybe Strik has similar heritage and she wears her hair like Melissa, cut very short into a curly cap, but unlike Melissa Strik is a trained gona and even after she lost her left hand to a ripa (reaper) kept her place as one of Heda’s Handmaids, she is a very dangerous woman. As Grace’s mentor she’s a mix of the merciless trainer; wanting ten more push-ups, for Grace to run, climb, jump - faster / higher, or master this new weapon and this one and here’s another; and good friend. The two have found common ground in being single, Strik’s houmon died of the Winter Cough three years ago and enjoying football. As handmaids they don’t have time to play the game, instead they support the local team, the Polis Bleironas (Swords). Who if you listen to the two of them dissecting the Bleironas’ most recent performance, are a group of talentless wasters who don’t know how to kick a ball.
They saddle two heavy horses and walk them out into the streets, where the great beasts majestically ignore the noise and hurly burly of the city. Once through the gates they mount up and ride steadily west. Trying her hardest not to gawp at the constant changes to Polis and the countryside around it brought about by Spring, Grace scans the mix of woodland and grazing they pass through. “Not too harsh on the reins, swing them gently don’t tug. You’re doing well. Oh, look who’s ahead. Hei Windsong!”
Grace swallows a grin as Windsong, mounted on Bezer (Favourite), trots towards them, then turns to walk her horse besides Grace and her borrowed horse Spona (Worker). They talk as they ride, Strik contributing now and then, but soon she quietly guides her horse further away, to give the two a chance to speak more privately. Strik’s no third wheel, she knows Grace admires the wocha kom Ingranronakru as Grace knows Strik has feelings for Abby Griffin.
As they ride and talk Windsong makes her decision, Grace kom skai (Grace of the sky) would be an interesting lover and maybe more and with war coming, the Handmaid will leave with Heda when she goes south, there is no sense in wating. She has thought about the tall skai-gona for some months, seen her adjust physically and mentally to life on the ground. Watched as with her kru she fought the Maunon, both to protect her own and to stop a wrong to others. Remembers that as they smoked the pipes and started the negotiations with Jaha, before the skai leader was killed, Windsong had briefly touched the souls of the three planas who were smoking with her. Abby, grieving so deeply the love she had lost and fearful for her goufa (child); Callie openminded, brilliant and adventurous and Grace a gona at heart, searching for a leader worth following and lonely, so very lonely. The wocha observes that Strik has moved away and makes her play, turning the conversation to her own ends.
“You are meizen (beautiful) when you smile Grace! I want to kiss you but now is not the time. Shall we meet later?”
Grace almost falls over her horse’s head when the shock of Windsong’s words has her simultaneously clenching her legs and pulling back on the reins. Spona, receiving mixed messages from his rider, decides to stop abruptly and Grace lurches forward. Windsong grabs the flustered plana’s jacket and hauls her back into the saddle.
Strik a few feet away smirks at her lukot’s (friend’s) idiocy and decides that Windsong’s boldness is admirable, perhaps it is time for her to be brave and ask the meizen fisa (healer) out for a meal or an entertainment. Sha (Yes), Eva is to play her harp at Freda’s Bar tomorrow, she will ask Abby to come with her. Should she be as bold as Windsong and say she wants to kiss Abby?
Meanwhile Grace recovers the ability to speak. “Chof (Thanks) Windsong and sha, I would like to meet later but I am on guard duty from midnight.”
“We could share an evening meal at Bos Grila before then. See you there at eight bells?”
Grace couldn’t hide her grin if she tried and Windsong gets to see those fabulous dimples.
The Tek Floor – Polis Tower – early evening
Clarke and Lexa step out of the elevator on the 45th floor, handmaids Eris and Bigas are waiting for them, along with Clarke’s bodyguard Ryder. After she recovered from the assassination attempt Lexa turned her mind to her own and Clarke’s security. For some moons Bigas had been asking Lexa for permission to recruit replacements for handmaids lost to death (Hellen) and other duties (Eva and Barb) and for all the handmaids to be trained to use fayoguns. The assassination attempt gave weight to that request and new recruits Grace and Kik, the latter a former scout already trained by Grace to use fayoguns, are settling in well. Lexa also managed to persuade Clarke that, as a wocha and as Heda’s niron (they have had the ‘girlfriend’ conversation) she needs her own bodyguards. Grace is a handmaid and Clarke will not compromise Lexa’s security to enhance her own but that leaves the problem that no-one else in Konopkru, has any experience of being a Guard or bodyguard (Bellamy doesn’t count as his injured leg hinders his ability to run and ride) and a wocha should be protected by her own kru, shouldn’t she? Up step Octavia, Dax and Mbege. Octavia is out west with Lincoln and as Indra’s seken has a home base in Ton DC. The two boys enjoy their jobs as drivers but really want to be gonas. They need supervision and training and Lexa picks one of her best Ryder kom Trikru as their fos. Dax and Mbege agreed and are being trained like they’ve never dreamed (or had nightmares) of, but they’ve stuck it for nearly two weeks now, taking everything that the stone hard Trikru gona has put them through. Both boys sleep like the dead and walk like old men, but as Ryder grudgingly accepts, they are improving. Indra has agreed to Octavia being available as back up if needed.
The corridor curves to the right and Lexa leans slightly into her niron, this earns her a grin and a brushing of hands. They come to the entrance to Raven’s workshop. “Okay, don’t say hello to your genius friend! Just ignore me.”
“Hei Raven!” The Commander pulls Clarke into the roomy space and closes the door, while their guards post outside. In the privacy of the workshop, there’s only Monty and Raven, Lexa leans more into Clarke and steals a kiss.
“Enough of the PDA. Monty’s still a virgin and sensitive!” The boy blushes and starts to splutter.
“Knock it off Rae, you’re embarrassing him. Any news on Sydney?” Clarke comes to sit on one of the high stools and Lexa stands behind her, chin on her niron’s shoulder and an arm around her waist.
“La Sydney is in a baad, bad mood. Her rover broke down last night and as all her engineers and mechanics are looking for treasure under the sea somewhere down south, it took a full day for her to get moving again. Eventually Byron Edwards, Head of Fabrication in Arkadia talked Shumway through repairs, it took a while, Shumway’s a bit of a klutz.”
“Sinclair didn’t help?”
“No, he didn’t.” Raven grins. “I know he’s a good guy but it’s reassuring that he’s not in on Sydney’s dirty little plans.”
“Do we know where she is, how soon she’ll get to Arkadia?”
“Not exactly no, our telemetry’s a bit off. Using dead reckoning and guessing that she’s travelling roughly a hundred miles a day, because even the best road is slow going, I’d say she’s still in Louwoda Kilron. Looking at your maps Heda she’s somewhere near the village of Dub. It will take her about three, maybe four days to get to Arkadia. That’s if they don’t break down again.”
Wells walks in from the next room, he stumbles slightly. “Are you still seasick Wells?”
“No, but I’m being a bit slow getting used to walking on a surface that’s not moving.”
Lexa’s delighted to get news from Wells about Luna and the younger natblidas. “You can speak to them on the radio if you want Heda, we’ve got a good signal out to the rig now, but I warn you that two of them will talk of nothing but fish. Luce and Tenson are obsessed with fishing and boats and Camilla will just ask when she can come home, like me she gets seasick.”
Lexa nods, she’s pleased that the younger natblidas are experiencing life outside Polis, but she wants them to stay on the rig a little longer. Eva’s reports on Titus have been mixed. The defeated Fleimkepa (Flame keeper) has not approached any bandronas or wochas to press his arguments about the conclave, but he is spending much of his time in the library, the spies say he is looking for something.
“Are you well enough to travel Wells?” The young man nods. “Good I want to surprise Albion kom Yujleda.”