“Sit down, please.”
Thitavee-En was visibly shaking. He’d had Itakay, the Vice General’s secretary, hand him the reports he wrote, but less than half an hour later, there he was, in the Vice General’s office. The knots in Thitavee’s stomach made it hard to concentrate on anything, let alone the angry Rethan in front of him.
“How long have you known about all this?” Elkay slammed several sheets of paper down on the desk. One of them was clearly the report Thitavee had written earlier.
“I… I mentioned it…”
“I want to hear you say it. How long have you known about all this?” Elkay repeated himself, demanding an answer. Thitavee hesitated, thinking back. He wasn’t really sure himself.
“I… I first heard about it two years ago…When the Dessaron popped back… I heard it was a rumour though, a joke, that the High General would… I didn’t think it was true until the High General got ill… And even then…”
He was still shaking. Thitavee tried holding his arms behind his back to hide his nerves, but it was clear as day what was going on in Thitavee’s mind.
“So let me get this straight, you have been unaware that our High General, the Hero of the Retha, was in fact sucking life forces out of his Ksa in order to keep himself alive, and he has been doing this for, what, five hundred years now?”
Thitavee cowered, unsure why he was so scared. Elkay sensed that and tried to lower his tone.
“I am not angry at you. I am angry at everyone who has been keeping this a secret. For all these damn years… He does this every thirty years and I’m completely in the dark about it all… This doesn’t KILL any Ksa, does it? Your report wasn’t exactly clear.”
“No, ser. There have been… a handful of deaths, but none in the last century…”
“But they become super defensive of the High General while he sucks the life out of them, before falling unconscious and left alone to recuperate, correct?”
“Yes, ser.”
“And he can use ANY Ksa, not just his Dedicates? I have yet another one of my Ksa in hospital because of this…”
“I am sor-”
“Shush. We have a High General who has been ruling the Rethans for six hundred years and is sucking life out of young Threan-types, against their will… You do realise how bad this all sounds…”
Elkay fell back into his chair, twiddling his thumbs like some sort of deranged scientist, plotting his next move.
“You do realise, Thitavee-En, that I am on your side here. Photeianos has always had… less than stellar thoughts about the Ksa. The way I see it, you are all still slaves. No matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to destroy the tradition of the Ksa, but I’ve always tried my best to make sure you get the same rights as everyone else…”
“So why can’t we vote yet?”
Elkay sighed, then nodded to a small folder on the edge of his desk. Thitavee peered at it. On the cover was a label, regarding various notes on how to pass a new bill.
“Tradition is a big part of the Rethans. Often, especially in regards to you, it is an uphill struggle, one I haven’t managed to win yet. I am one Rethan, I can only fight so many battles at once, and this… worrying new scenario…”
“What will you do, ser?”
The Vice General leaved back, still twiddling his thumbs. “I have to tell the Rethan population. In some form or another. Ideally, I should convince the High General to come out on his own. I think vok would appreciate us admitting the truth… After we’ve been torn apart… I’ll speak to Photeianos personally.”
“And what about me, ser?”
“Pardon?”
“I gave Itakay a letter informing you of my resignation…”
Elkay grunted. “I am denying your request to resign as a Ksa, even if Photeianos has fired you from the N-Class. If you want, you may join the K-Class Ksa. Bottom rank, answering to Teekay Theanon of course, but I am sure you would prefer that to border patrol.”
“… Really?”
“Yes. I am never one to waste somevok as useful as yourself.”
Thitavee’s eyes lit up. “I… I cannot thank you enough, ser!”
The Vice General smiled. “No need to thank me. I would not have been able to obtain this information without you. Now, I need time to work out how to approach Photeianos, and you need to get yourself re-equipped. Speak to Teekay and he will get you sorted out.”
Thitavee grinned as he leaped from his chair and quickly left the room, pausing only to pull the door shut behind him. Elkay tutted, wondering why anyone would want to suck the life forces out of such an innocent, angelic creature.