“I see you are not taking any risks either, General!” Ver welcomed Photeianos, his arms open to embrace the Rethan. Photeianos hugged Ver back. Since he had been in power, relationships between Vrekans and Rethans had been at an all time high. Photeianos tapped the gas mask that he’d been wearing for several days now and sighed. Around them were small armies of guards – the N-Class Ksa on Photeianos’s side, and the Myst on Ver’s.
“Nope, no risks. It is one thing for the common Rethan to lose his mind, but for me? Or you?”
Ver nodded. “I agree. But we have been lucky. I think my scientists are getting close. Hence why I wanted to meet you here, physically. With the information both your medics and the Lanex have sent to us, I genuinely think we can have something out in maybe fifteen days.”
“What about Cassid assistance?”
“We haven’t had any assistance from them. I have had more communication with the Vohra than the Cassids. I think they are embarrassed.”
Photeianos’s eyes widened. “None at all? I specifically called them to assist us in this matter.”
“Well… One phone call, asking for what we knew already. We requested an electronic mail address to send the information to them but had no reply.”
“That is… worrying.”
Ver seemed to perk up though. “It isn’t. We are close. Real close. Once we have it working, you can get your scientists to get the cure in a gas form and start mass-producing it, and everything will be alright.”
“I like your optimism…” Photeianos didn’t seem as pleased as Ver was. “But we have a bigger problem than just curing this. The Cassids are rightly scared of us. Feral Rethans, feral Vrekans, feral everyvok have been killing Cassids all over the place. My discussions with the Prime Minister the other day did not include any repercussions or compensation, but I worry they might become… aggressive towards us. There are talks among them that they want to break away from the Maza…”
“Are you suggesting they might declare war on us?”
“It is possible.”
Ver’s optimism quickly faded. “As powerful as I like to think the Vreka are, we would be unable to fight off the Cassids and their automated war machines.”
“You would have us by your side, as well as the rest of the Maza.”
“Still…” Ver took a deep breath, trying to hide his insecurity. “That is worrying. But we need to fix this issue first before worrying about ifs and maybes.”
“For a young, new king, you are quite wise.” Photeianos was being genuine, despite Ver’s uncertainty. During his short time in power, and despite the insane goings on of this year, things were finally looking up for the Vreka.
“I… I appreciate that.”
“When all this is over, we should meet up properly. Go to a bar and have a few drinks!” Photeianos smiled. “I think that would be good for both of us.”
“On a more social level?”
“Yes.”
Ver’s optimism returned. “That sounds good.”