Imperial Orders

♕The Boil-Over♕

Nexetra Serpis sat cross-legged on the floor of her Khaasian suite, feeling her hips sink into the decadent carpet as she pressed her fingers to her temples, thinking. Even her snake, Merede, seemed to sense her distress as he slithered comfortingly up her leg. It was nearly nighttime on the deserted world and the fading rays of its faraway sun left a heavy, gloomy atmosphere hanging around the room. The young Djareny overlord almost felt that the universe was mirroring her depressed mood. 

"How did we do it, Merede? How did we fail so miserably on Earth? Not only did we let the Hominans get what they wanted, but now they have their prince back! They will never again be as politically unstable as they were before Arafien's return in the near future. It is like starting all over again! We must make a new plan! It will be much more difficult now that the girl has the Armlets... " 

The snake's only response to her musings was a prolonged hiss. 

"Nexetra, dear, what are you doing?" 

Nexetra turned her head to see her father just outside the outer wall of her glass enclosure. He seemed to watch her with measured interest, silently eavesdropping on her conversation with Merede. She sighed with displeasure. Yet again, he intentionally violated her privacy even after she had made it so clear that she thought best alone. Vendyr's attempts to lord over her activities were becoming more stifling than helpful, and the tension between them seemed to grow every day. 

"I am holding a Council of War. A private Council of War." Once again, she alluded to her desire to be alone. Her father did not take the hint. 

He smirked, surveying the spacious living room before him, empty except for his daughter's rigid form. "With whom? I was under the impression that a Council of War involved discussion." 

"With my snake. Do you take issue with this?" 

She placed her hand on Merede's scaly skin, prompting him to slither up her shoulder so that his head was level with hers. His tongue flickered coolly in the air. 

"Yes. Yes, I do," Vendyr frowned. "You're driving yourself mad, just as I feared. Commiserating with a snake! Do not despair about Earth- you have not sunk so low!" 

"What if I have?" Nexetra laughed dryly. "What if the insanity that's been clawing at the edges of my brain my whole life is exactly what I need right now? The time for defensive measures is over! The Hominans have found their prince- a leader to rally behind. I need to be that kind of a leader for the First Legion and for all of Djara. Perhaps now it is time... " 

"Time for what?" Vendyr frowned. 

"You know..." Nexetra stood up, placing Merede on a nearby sofa, as she approached the glass divider. "For me to get over this. All of this." She ran her pale hand down the clear surface in front of her, her eyes filled with crazed longing. "The glass was never meant to be permanent. We both believed that someday I would be strong enough to control my mutation's urges. Strong enough to break free. Perhaps today is that day." 

Vendyr's face turned ashen as he stared at his daughter as if she'd sprouted a second set of horns. "Now I am truly starting to question your sanity! How could you suggest something so preposterous? You will devour your entire army! There will be no one left to fight for Djara!" 

"How do you know that?" Nexetra retorted. "Have I ever done such a thing in the past? I am sick of feeling like a prisoner in my own home! What if I had been free of my cage on Earth? Perhaps I would've been able to chase the Hominans down! This is what I need! This is what Djara needs!" 

She pressed her hand to the glass and concentrated until her Armlets rattled. Slowly but steadily, a tiny crack began to form just above her fingertips. 

"Nexetra, stop! Stop at once!" Vendyr cried desperately, abandoning his affected sophistication as he banged on the glass. "I did not give you permission to do this!" 

"I do not need your permission! I am the Prime Commander of the First Legion of Djara, and from this day onward I will be treated as such!" More cracks branched out from Nexetra's hand as she worked her Gift. 

Vendyr sank to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes as he pressed his whole body up against the glass as if his weight could protect it from the force of Nexetra's mind. "Please, Nexetra, stop this madness!" The look in his eyes was one of pure terror and when Nexetra glanced downward to see his face, the room fell silent. The sound of breaking glass ground to a halt as she flashed a twisted smile, shaking her head. 

"I can't believe it. I absolutely cannot believe it. You're afraid of me!" she laughed humorlessly. "Look at you on the squirming on the ground at the very thought of my freedom. You never wanted to protect me. You just wanted to keep me in my cage." 

Before Vendyr could react to her statement, she turned around, returning to the much more pleasing company of her snake. "Come, Merede. The young prince's coronation is happening as we speak. We must prepare for our next move..." she looked back at her still shocked father before completing her sentence. 

"Alone."