The mood in the house over the last few days was, to put it mildly, very uncomfortable. Rhionne and Daz weren’t strictly avoiding each other, but it was painfully obvious every time they interacted that Daz was still very upset and Rhionne hadn’t found a way to mend the fence yet.

To their credit, neither of the girls was was willing to hold it against Pierce when he chose to spend time with the other. He’d appointed himself emissary between them and was trying his hardest to find a way for them to make peace.

And it wasn’t so much that either Daz or Rhionne was mad at the other… Daz just couldn’t seem to get past her own feelings of hurt, a fact which Pierce found both frustrating and tragically understandable, and Rhionne couldn’t seem to find an appropriate way to apologize.

Rhionne and Daz were sitting on opposite sides of the living room, noses buried in their data pads, and trying to pretend that they weren’t sneaking peeks at each other. Pierce, on the other hand, was over on the table watching Tylum and Fara play a board game version of Tol-bot. Functionally, it was similar to Risk or Stratego. Fara was losing soundly as she insisted on pursuing nonviolent solutions to the scenarios.

The depressed mood of the room was shattered with a loud thumping knock.

“Frak.” Daz muttered, as she watched Fara cross the room to open the door. “Is someone trying to break the door down?”

Fara undid the latch on the door and slowly pulled it open, peeking outside cautiously. She beheld a man and woman, both with stern faces, and both dressed in the uniform of the Special Investigative Branch.

She swallowed nervously. “Can… Can I help you with something, I-Imperators?”

The woman looked down on Fara, but her expression didn’t change. “Sorry to disturb you, but we’re looking for Daz Zakrov.”

“What’s this all about?” Rhionne said, coming up behind Fara and pulling the door all the way open.

“Your highness.” The male Imperator nodded deferentially. “Miss Zakrov is needed to answer some questions at the capital.”

Rhionne frowned and crossed her arms over her chest resolutely. “Well, I’m sorry Imperator-Deputandum, but I’m afraid I can’t allow you to take Daz with you.”

The woman bit her lip and looked very uncomfortable, the first emotion she’d shown since her arrival. “Apologies, your highness, but my partner and I have our orders.”

“Consider your orders countermanded, Imperator!” Rhionne snapped.

The senior officer sighed and shook her head. “Respectfully, your highness; you don’t have the authority to do that.”

“Imperator, I dislike playing the royalty card…” Rhionne began. “But you are aware who my-”

“Rhi, stop.” Daz said quietly. She turned to the two soldiers standing outside their home. “Am I under arrest?”

“No.” The senior of the Imperators said, as she turned to face Daz. “As of now, you have not been charged with any crimes. As such, you are well within your rights to refuse to accompany us.”

“You just said I couldn’t countermand your orders.” Rhionne said.

The barest hint of a smirk appeared on the woman’s face. “Respectfully; you couldn’t, your Highness. You are not Daz Zakrov.”

“Well, seeing as I am;” Daz sighed. “I will accompany you, officers.”

“Daz… don’t…” Rhionne started to place a hand on her shoulder, but stopped.

“Rhi, it’s okay.” Daz’s mouth twitched. “I’m not going to hide here like I’m guilty of something. I’ve been doing that for far too long.”

Rhionne bit her lip, and glanced over at the table where Pierce was watching the entire exchange. She caught the slightest movement from him as he shook his head. She knew he was telling her not to interfere, that this was Daz’s choice to make.

Rhionne agreed, though she wasn’t entirely happy about it.

“Let me just grab a few things, and we’ll be on our way.” Daz said softly. “I assume you’re taking me to Tuaut?”

“Of course.” The Deputandum replied. “Their Imperial Highnesses wish to have a word with you as well.”

“Very good.” Daz murmured. “I’ll return in a moment.”

*.*.*

The sound of Daz’s uncomfortable shoes echoed off the nearly bare walls of the corridor. The vaunted ceilings left her feeling suppressed and cold. She’d been summoned to the capital, as she suspected most of her family had, and questioned endlessly about every aspect of the Zakrov family business. She didn’t really know much, and what she had known had troubled her enough as it was.

In front of her marched an escort. Not a military or legal escort, thankfully. After her lengthy interview with the Imperators, it had been clear she was innocent of any actual wrong doing. She’d been reprimanded for withholding information previously, but as she’d cooperated with law enforcement without coercion, they’d called it a wash.

Now, however, Daz was being escorted by a silver-haired aide to the office of the Emperor himself. For what purpose, she wasn’t entirely certain. But, she’d put on a full court gown of light blue and her uncomfortable heels. She could feel the weight of the dress’s train behind her. She had even dyed her hair in the Aementi fashion; in stripes of red, blue, yellow and green.

Eventually, they reached the surprisingly plain looking door to the Emperor’s office. The aide stepped forward and opened the door, before stepping to the side and gesturing for Daz to enter.

But it wasn’t the Emperor who was waiting for her behind the large desk at the back of the room. Rather it was Rhionne’s mother, Empress Rajenlif.

“Your Majesty.” Daz murmured respectfully, dipping into a quick bow.

“Lady Zakrov.” Rajenlif gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk. “Please sit.”

Daz started at being addressed by the title. It was the first time anybody had called her that, and she found she wasn’t really keen on it.

“Please, your majesty… Just call me Daz.” Daz mumbled as she crossed the room and sat in the chair on the other side of the Empress’s desk.

“Very well.” Rajenlif said. “I’ve called you here today to talk to you about your family. My husband says that you want to rescind your title as a Guardian of the Empire.”

Daz fidgeted in her chair and nodded. “I do your majesty. I haven’t done anything to earn the rank, and my family has certainly done more than enough to lose it. I’m not interested in titles or nobility or anything like that.”

Rajenlif smiled serenely. “My dear, that is precisely the type of person we need heading the noble families.”

Daz sighed. “I’m sorry your majesty… I just can’t.”

“Well… think it over.” Rajenlif said. “You are still dealing with a lot of emotional turmoil. Take some time, and give yourself a chance to consider everything rationally when things calm down. If, at that point, you still wish to give up the title, I will recommend to my husband that he allow it.”

Daz nodded. That really was good advice. “I will do that, your majesty.”

“Good.” Rajenlif folded her hands in front of her on the desktop and leaned forward. “Now, there is one other matter I wish to discuss with you: My daughter.”

Daz stiffened and unconsciously gripped her dress in her fists. “What about her, your majesty?” Daz mumbled evasively.

“I understand the two of you are having some… difficulties.”

“If by that you mean that we’re fighting… yeah.” Daz sighed. “And I know what you’re going to say, that we should make up and get over it or whatever, because we’ll be getting married soon.”

Much to Daz’s surprise, the Empress chuckled sympathetically. “Actually, that’s not what I was going to say at all. Look Daz, I know that my daughter can be headstrong, and that she has a temper. She gets that from me, in many ways. But the truth is that if I understand the situation correctly, you have a right to be upset. She should have given you the chance to explain.”

Daz was dumbstruck. “I um… I really wasn’t expecting you to say that, your majesty.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t have.” Rajenlif smiled. “Now, to be fair, I don’t believe you are blameless either. You did lie to her and your friends.”

“I did.” Daz nodded. “And I’m sorry about it.”

“Just be patient.” The Empress advised. “Rhionne’s temper burns hot, but it doesn’t burn for very long. She’ll see reason, soon enough.”

The Empress smiled again. “Especially with Pierce around to keep her on track.”

Daz laughed. “Yeah, he’s good at that.”

*.*.*

Once again, Daz found herself walking through a corridor. This time, her escort was an officer of the law, but Daz wasn’t the one who would be interrogated. She was in the Imperial Dungeon, like so many members of her family now were, but unlike them she was merely a visitor, not a prisoner.

Daz had not been looking forward to this meeting, but she knew it was inevitable. At some point, she would have to face Vasha. It was better to get it over with.

Her guide stopped in front of a large black metal door. He reached into his pocket and retrieved an electronic pass key, which he then placed over the small receiver pad by the door. The padd buzzed electronically and the door thudded heavily as the lock slid open. The officer pulled the door open and gestured for Daz to enter.

“I’ll be waiting just out here, Lady Zakrov.” The man murmured quietly as she passed. “If you need anything, the comm is just there.”

“Thank you, officer.” Daz replied as she stepped into the dimly lit room.

Inside the room was a young woman. Far from being the well-dressed socialite of her past, Vasha Zakrov looked like a mere wraith of the woman she had been. Her face was stripped of all makeup, and she looked emaciated and thin. Prison, it seemed, did not agree with her.

“I’m surprised you came in person.”

Daz turned to face her sister who was sitting on the other side of the table that was situated between them.

“Honestly I am too.” Daz shrugged and lowered herself into the chair on her side of the table. “Part of me wanted to see it for myself. Hard to believe it’s real, frankly. The mighty Vasha Zakrov, sitting here before me in prisoner’s yellow. You’ve certainly fallen a long way.”

Vasha’s eyes narrowed and she leaned forward. “Rumor has it that I have you to thank for that.” The elder Zakrov sister growled.

Daz snorted contemptuously. “You have you to thank for that, Vasha. You had the opportunity to put our House on a better path when you took over the hotels and the rest of our family affairs. You didn’t. And now? You, and practically every other relative of ours, have lost everything.”

“Every relative except you, that is.” Vasha smirked. “Very shrewd, dear sister. I didn’t think you had it in you, but it appears I underestimated your ambition.”

A disgusted noise escaped Daz’s mouth and she practically recoiled. “You think I told the Imperators where to find the evidence against you because of money? Because of a stupid title? No, Vasha, I did it because it was the right thing to do. Because what you were doing was beyond reprehensible. I can’t believe you were making humans fight each other, for nothing more than to amuse yourself and your pathetic cronies.”

“Well there was money involved too.” Vasha said with a shrug. “But please do spare me the self-righteous condemnation. You knew full well what I and my ‘pathetic cronies’ were doing.”

“I didn’t!” Daz protested. “I almost vomited when I heard about this… arena you had.”

“You might not have known about the arena.” Vasha conceded, even as her face split into a smug smile. “But you certainly knew about the genetic research we were doing which was certainly not HOS approved.”

Daz felt like she’d been punched in the gut. There was no denying it. Daz might not have known the depths to which her sister had been willing to sink, but she had known that something illegal was going on with humans. Something which she’d made no effort to stop.

“I tried to warn you.” Daz hissed. “I told you that if you kept down the path you were going, you’d end up in a bad way. And now look where you are.”

Vasha shrugged. “A temporary setback.”

“Was it worth it?” Daz asked acidly. “Why did you do it?”

“I couldn’t tell you.” Vasha sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Syon Fand needed some information, so I put some people I know on the trail of figuring it out for her. Frankly, I have no idea why she needed to know about human genetics, and I don’t really care. She paid well enough.”

“She’s also been placed under arrest.” Daz observed.

“Well, I think I deserve the credit for that one.” Vasha laughed. “That data cache you thought was going to land me in here? It was nothing more than an insurance policy I had against her. Unfortunately, it slipped out of my hands and that slag turned on me.”

Daz found her sister’s bitter tone to be incredibly ironic. “Yes, how dare she betray you like that before you could betray her.” She deadpanned.

Vasha snorted. “Well Daz, it was lovely visiting with you, but I daresay there’s not much else for us to say to each other, now is there?”

Daz rose to her feet with a sigh. “No, I suppose there isn’t. Goodbye Vasha, I sincerely hope that everything you did end up in here was worth it for you.”

“And more.” Vasha purred.

Daz shook her head ruefully and pressed the comm button on the wall.

“I’m done here.”