The Venasian Council was a panel made up of the heads of the 7 most powerful Venasian Houses. They were respected, distinguished, highly educated, dedicated solely to the Venasian people... and agonizingly boring.
It seemed to Celana they had spent the past couple hours rehashing details which had been covered numerous times already. Like any government seat, the Council had an insurmountable amount of red tape and annoyance involved with their "formal" inquiries. Celana wondered whether the peaceful government of Pacifica really knew all the head-knocking that happened beneath the surface of their oceans. An unauthorized use of Compulsion was not unheard of; the protocol was set, and Celana secretly wished the Council members would hurry up and let her return to Spacedock.
[We thank you for your patience in this inquiry, T'remea] said Council Leader Reyna of House Janaki, [We just have a few more questions regarding your Bond with the Renegade Selara, and then you may return to your shuttle. I believe your ship stands ready to return you to Earth.]
[Please proceed,] Celana replied, relieved to the end was in sight. Behind her, Salaar shifted ever so slightly, the only sign he gave towards his own relief.
[You know that Selara D'amondra has been wanted in several systems for some very severe crimes. Yet your Bonding her has made it near-impossible for us to arrest and put her on trial. What was...]
The doors to the Council chambers banged open, and with a speed which took Celana and the Council members completely off-guard, several armed men - armed *Venasians*, Celana realized as Salaar threw her to the floor - poured into the room, firing. Two Council guards toppled before they could even pull their weapons. Weapons continued to be discharged, people shouted everywhere, and through the smoke Celana could make out several bodies already on the floor. Celana tried to contact someone outside telepathically, but found there was a block surrounding the room, and more specifically, a Tolothan Barrier in place around her. Vaguely, almost comically considering the circumstances, she mused that it took a Venasian with special training to put that in place.
Within seconds, with a frightening effeciency, the Council chambers had been overtaken. As the smoke cleared, Celana and Salaar were pulled roughly to their feet and separated. She looked around, and saw that three of the seven Council members were also being pulled to their feet, and four - including Council Leader Reyna Janaki - lay still on the floor. Three of the six Council guards were dead, the other two groaning on their backs.
Celana recognized the Venasian who strode into the chambers just then. General A'amon, military adviser to the Council whose sympathies were known to lie with the extremist group L'mar, surveyed the carnage around him. [Pity] he commented unsympathetically. He looked at Celana, who, despite her calm exterior, was telepathically banging against the Tolothan Barrier.
"D'amondra T'remea," A'amon said vocally, "How pleasant it is to see you again."
"What do you think you've accomplished by this?" Celana asked.
"That's an easy enough question to answer," he replied. He addressed the entire room then. "There are certain groups who believe the restoration to a homeworld and our former glory is moving along too slowly. We are therefore instituting military control to expedite the process. Even as I speak, each Venasian House is quietly - or not so quietly - having this explained to them. You cannot contact your Houses, or any of the outlying colonies... but it would do you no good anyway."
"And you're installing yourself as a military dictator?" Salaar growled.
A'amon looked at him. "If it makes you feel better to think of it that way, yes," he said quite amicably. "Once our ships have taken complete control, we will being plans to launch an offensive."
"Against whom?" one of the Council members asked.
A'amon looked quite surprised. "Why, whoever stands in our way, of course." He nodded to his guards. "Take them away and lock them up for the time being."
As the Council leaders were being dragged out, A'amon came over to Celana. "And what shall we do with you, my dear?"
"It seems you already know," Celana replied coldly.
"Well, yes, I do," he admitted blandly, "I know the influence and power you hold with our people, and I do have plans for you. However, for right now, I am simply putting you under arrest." A'amon smiled quite wanly.
With that, Celana was escorted out, blindfolded, and taken to an unknown location which seemed to take several hours to reach. Without telepathic contact, she had no idea where she was, where Salaar was, or how she would warn her people.
(TBC...)
-S
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