A resounding silence descended upon the Elders in the wake of what had just happened. Maraz and Darros were still coming to grips with the sudden blindside Orryn and Cirrus had sprung on them. Kaius’ sudden absence left everyone uneasy.
It was Darros who spoke up first. “So you finally managed to get rid of him,” he said, eyeing Cirrus. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”
Cirrus’ expression darkened. “I didn’t do this as a power grab, contrary to popular belief.” She’d known that sanctioning a War Arbiter had never been done before. The thought was ludicrous in most situations. But they were not in most situations. “In fact,” she continued, “we find ourselves in need of an Interim War Arbiter.”
Darros snorted. “Let me guess,” he said, “you nominate yourself?” He found Cirrus’ actions far more telling than her empty, meaningless words. Nothing changed the fact that she had instigated the removal of the highest seat of authority in their faction. Even worse, she’d been successful. He had to hand it to her, it was a masterful stroke that even he hadn’t seen coming.
“No,” Cirrus said sternly. “In fact, none of us should be nominated as the Interim War Arbiter,” she explained. “We’re all too biased to properly be a neutral party with only our faction’s best interests in mind. We’re all responsible for the decisions that brought us here. Our diversity in opinions and beliefs, while normally an asset, could very well spell our doom.”
“What do you propose then?” Darros asked, surprised that Cirrus wasn’t entertaining the idea of taking the top seat in their faction for herself. He narrowed his eyes. “Whoever takes Kaius’ place needs to already be fully aware of what’s truly led us to this point without having influenced it. They need to have a firm understanding of the stakes at play. I do not believe that person exists.”
“But that person does,” Cirrus countered. “General Nessah meets every criteria you just listed. She has been involved since the very beginning. She’s removed enough from us to be able to fairly weigh each of our opinions in the event of a tie and is the person with the most knowledge on the battles actively being fought around Verilia as we speak.”
Darros frowned. “If we appoint our General as Interim War Arbiter, who will direct the army in her absence? You can’t possibly expect War Commander Cyrix to suddenly take charge of what’s happening in space and on the ground at the same time.”
“General Nessah would act as leader of ground operations while assuming her new duties and Commander Cyrix would keep control of space operations,” Cirrus proposed. “Rather than give Nessah the final decision in both spheres, split the authority between Commander and General for the duration of the war. That would liberate Nessah to participate in our discussions as well as make more informed decisions to better protect our populace from the gru’ul invasion since she would understand the motivations behind each vote that would otherwise impact her directly. Furthermore, she’s already witnessed the inner workings of the Tribunal by being present for a vote.”
Darros hummed in thought. “Even if we do as you propose,” he said, “I fear that splitting Nessah’s attention between directing ground operations and assuming the responsibilities of an Arbiter would divide her attention too much. It may result in suboptimal performance in both of her duties rather than be synergistic. Can we really afford to take such a risk?”
“We’ve been taking measured risks since we first discovered the research facility,” Cirrus said. “This is merely another. I believe that General Nessah is the best person for the role, and I officially nominate her candidacy. Take some time to discuss it amongst yourselves and then we can vote.”
The Elders did exactly that. Brief though the exchanges were, they were intense. Various profiles were scrutinized down to the smallest details and new candidates were proposed. Finally, after an hour, Cirrus called another vote and couldn’t help but smile when Nessah was ultimately the chosen candidate.
“I believe that settles it,” Cirrus said. “General Nessah shall be the Interim War Arbiter, effective immediately.” She typed away on her data slate. “I’ve sent her an emergency summons.” It took only a minute before Nessah appeared before them. Cirrus proceeded to tell Nessah her new title without delving into the details.
Nessah was almost too stunned to speak, finding the entire scenario too sudden. A small part of her felt that the Elders were playing a cruel joke on her. That very same part was promptly silenced when Cirrus invited her to take Kaius’ empty seat. Nessah reluctantly stepped down from her current position in front of the Elders and did as instructed. Kaius’ chair, though perfectly sized, felt too large for her to fill. Nessah looked around, unsure what to say now that she was faced with the expectant gazes of the other Elders.
“Most Honourable Elders,” Nessah started, only to pause. She was now one of those Elders, even if only a temporary one. “Earlier today, I stood before you a mere General. Now, I assume my place amongst you at your behest, short though that may be. I find myself humbled by the trust you have chosen to place in me, and I will do my best to live up to your expectations.” Regaining her confidence, she continued. “I swear to keep the faction’s best interests in mind and ensure our continued survival.” She looked around the room and stared each Elder in the eye, her gaze turning firm and resolute. “Now then,” War Arbiter Nessah said, her newly assumed gravitas weighing down on the Elders and turning the atmosphere heavy. “Explain.”
“And then you were summoned,” Cirrus finished. She did the best she could to keep the series of events as honest as possible and without bias. “While we understand the suddenness of it all, this was the opportune moment to expose Kaius. In what we need to discuss next, his opinion would have been inherently compromised.”
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Nessah arched a brow. “And now you need a War Arbiter present for what you clearly believe will be a topic where a tiebreaker would be necessary,” she summed up. “Out with it then, what do you want to discuss?” she prompted Cirrus brusquely. Nessah had no times for games when she still had an army to run. People were dying and it was her job to remove the threat. She knew it might sound harsh, but time was running short.
Cirrus nodded. “We need to discuss what we do with Kaius’ research,” she said, addressing everybody. “In light of what we’ve learned, we know now why and how certain things happened since we discovered the research facility. Events that made little sense yet occurred when by all means they shouldn’t have.” She took a breath and brought up a topic that truly disgusted her. Cirrus resisted the urge to be sick and forced herself to speak. “The gru’ul have weaponized the orange chemical against us. They did so knowingly and fully cognizant of the misery their actions would entail. We now have the ability to return the favour and take revenge. Do we weaponize the orange chemical as well and turn it against them?”
An immediate uproar occurred from every other Elder. The mere suggestion of enabling such suffering sickened everyone. Nessah remained silent, listening to the discussion carefully. She understood now why Cirrus had done what she’d done and the true reason she’d been appointed as War Arbiter.
“How could you even think of such a thing?” Orryn said, aghast. She couldn’t believe they were even entertaining the possibility. Dead was dead when it came to eliminating their enemy. She couldn’t bear the thought of inflicting such cruelty to achieve the same result. “That would make us no worse than them! You’ve seen what that chemical does — we all have! You want to proliferate the knowledge to do so?”
“No,” Cirrus said firmly. “But it doesn’t change the fact that Kaius has already done exactly that without our consent. This knowledge already exists. Nothing will change that. What of the researchers and personnel who conducted the research and worked at Kaius’ secret facility? Do we incarcerate them for following direct orders from the highest power in our faction? They had no way to refuse and no way of knowing what Kaius was truly instructing them to do. Should we kill them for their knowledge and eradicate all traces of it? That would be a blatant disregard for the lives of our fellow a’vaare who were only following orders. What we need is to contain this before others learn such awful secrets. It is imperative we decide what to do as soon as possible. I knew this would be a problem the moment I became aware of Kaius’ actions and so I ensured he face consequences.”
“While I understand the necessity to ensure Kaius could not continue his research,” Nessah spoke up, “if we continue it, wouldn’t that make us exactly like him? In that case, we have no grounds to punish him.”
Cirrus shook her head. “Originally, it was decided that a unanimous Tribunal vote would be needed to access the chemical and manipulate it, with a firm understanding of why such a proposal was necessary. We cannot do that without an Arbiter, who must also vote in favour. If we decide not to weaponize the orange chemical or advance our knowledge of it, our discussion then becomes about how to remove this danger safely. However, a vote to access the chemical and a vote to weaponize it are two separate things. It would inevitably come up as a topic, and I chose to bring it up today.”
“How are you even entertaining this idea?” Orryn asked, disgusted with her colleague. She should’ve known that Cirrus had a hidden agenda the moment she’d become involved in deposing Kaius. “These chemicals are a crime against nature! I am firmly against studying them more.”
“Even if that means we get wiped out?” Cirrus asked. “Morals are the least of our concern if we’re not alive to have them.” Orryn hesitated for the briefest moment and Cirrus capitalized on it. “If we take the high road and die for our beliefs, nothing prevents the gru’ul from using the chemical again on other people, meaning we’ll have died for nothing. Right now, I propose we vote on how to handle the knowledge Kaius has gracefully dropped in our laps. Only then should we discuss if or how to use it.”
“While I find the very notion of using the orange chemical disgusting,” Nessah said, “Cirrus does have a good point. Let’s discuss what to do with our research into the chemical.” She stared down the Elders. “And within a reasonable amount of time,” she ordered pointedly.
Every Elder started speaking at once, each with their own nuanced view on the situation. Tempers flared and more than once Nessah was forced to bring order back to the bickering Elders. Eventually, she noticed that their arguments were going in circles and so she spoke up once more. “I believe we’ve all heard enough,” Nessah said, interrupting the heated debate. “We’re wasting valuable time. I’m calling a vote. Should we keep a record of Kaius’ research and access it? We can decide what to do with it once we’ve seen the extent of what he’s learned. This vote must be unanimous.”
Immediately, a vote appeared above Maraz and Darros’ heads. The other two Elders also voted in favour. Cirrus looked at Orryn with an apologetic expression and cast her vote as well. With five votes for, all that was missing were Orryn and Nessah’s decisions.
Nessah waited patiently for Orryn to come to a conclusion and, in a breach of decorum, cast her vote first. An orb appeared above Nessah’s head, surprising the rest of the Tribunal. She saw the look on their faces. “This is not a vote with a tiebreaker,” she said. “After hearing everybody’s arguments, I’m of the opinion that unless we know exactly what was researched, we will be unable to properly proceed. I want to make an informed decision on what to do with the chemicals, and for that, I need to read the notes with my own eyes. Orryn, I’m giving you one minute to vote or declare your decision.”
Orryn looked around the room sullenly. “I don’t want this,” she said quietly. “History will look back on our decision today and hate us for it. They will wonder how we could’ve condoned such a thing and believe us to be monsters for even considering it.” Tears formed in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “Yet, in order to have a history beyond this moment we must first survive, even if that means becoming the very monsters that seek to eliminate us. I want the record to show that on a personal level, I am deeply against this. I believe this is one of the biggest mistakes we will ever make.” She looked down and made her decision. An orb appeared above her head, matching the others. “But as a leader of our faction, it must be done to ensure we live to see tomorrow. So I vote in favour.”
With a unanimous vote, Nessah delivered her first edict. “By the power vested in me as War Arbiter, I hereby declare that former War Arbiter Kaius’ illegal research shall be retained and classified at the highest level. The Tribunal shall learn this terrible secret and bear its burden. All Elders will receive a copy of everything Kaius has learned, and we will report in two days’ time to decide what to do with it. We shall become the monsters we fear if that means our loved ones can know peace once more.”
