Bridget Bundy - The Secret Weapon

She’d heard of Erato officials travelling around the world, taking items after the population had decreased significantly. She’d heard rumors that the Mona Lisa painting was taken and was presently in the palace somewhere. The Hope Diamond that was once in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC was rumored to be in the personal vault of the deceased Chancellor Katherine Erato.

“You recognize history when you see it.” Sekai stated as she entered the office.

“Maybe,” Coraset answered with an untrusting look.

“At one time that piece was considered priceless. Now and days, nobody wants a tablet of a long deceased civilization.” Sekai went to stand next to Coraset and asked as she peered at the stone tablet, “You know what it is, don’t you?”

Coraset answered guardedly, “I’ve seen pictures. I’m not quite sure.”

Sekai looked at Coraset knowing full well she knew. She moved away with a wave of her hand directing Coraset to the nearest chair, “Please, have a seat.”

Coraset slid into the high back wooden chair, and Sekai took her place behind her desk. The view behind her was of a raised pond with a rock formation waterfall. Ducks waddled around the foliage and sometimes dipped into the water. Coraset hadn’t noticed it before, but she thought it was beautiful, a wonderful change to the steel and cement structures of Erato.

“I’ve been reading through your history, Coraset. It seems as though it doesn’t quite add up.” Sekai began typing on the computer, and Coraset could see her picture pop up on the screen.

Coraset kept her cool as she continued to listen.

“You graduated from the University of Maryland in 2009. If my calculations are correct, you’d have to be around 21 or 22 years old to graduate from college. Then you were employed with Erato Biotrade soon afterwards, and you were the Director of the International Humanitarian Aid Division. That means you were probably close to 23 years old at that point. That would make you close to 40 years old today.”

Coraset swallowed hard. She was pissed. Malie was supposed to handle her background, and now Sekai was picking it apart. Coraset’s heart was pounding hard in her chest. There was no fixing this. No lies to explain it all away. Coraset looked away unable to make eye contact.

Sekai continued, “Chancellor Erato hired me as his assistant because I am very thorough in my work. Nothing gets passed me. Now, it says here on your file that you’re 25 years old. In 2009, you would have been 8 years old when you graduated from college. These are the kinds of lies that will place you square in front of the firing squad.”

Coraset rubbed at her forehead, unable to come up with anything. Her entire face felt flushed as she angrily thought about Malie and her carelessness. She wondered if there was a way out if she had to run. Was there any chance she could make it to an exit out of the palace?

“How old are you, Coraset?” Sekai plainly asked.

She took her chances on the truth and answered, “I’m thirty-nine years old.”

Sekai nodded and commented, “Why are you here? You are aware of the Chancellor’s qualifications for the harem.”

“I’m here because I want to be with him.”

She stared at Coraset considering her answer but not believing it. Sekai exhaled and remarked calmly, “In order for you to stay, I will have to take out the college and the job you held at Erato Biotrade.”

Coraset held her breath. She couldn’t believe what she heard. She looked back at the door and turned back around and asked, “You’re helping me?”

“He choose you, and I don’t want the Chancellor to think he made a decision based on erroneous information. He won’t be very pleased if he finds out he was fooled or lied to. If he ever questions you, I would recommend you simply telling him that you are a horticulturist, and you were Federation trained. Before then, you were just a kid. Your parents are dead because of the virus. You start telling anything more complicated than that, it’ll be more difficult to keep up with, and you don’t want the Chancellor to be suspicious of you.”

“Why are you helping me? You could get into trouble, too?”

“I’m helping you because I’m interested in the real reason why you’re here. I don’t believe it when you say you want to be with him. I have a feeling you have alternative motives, and I want to see what they are.”

This was not what Coraset wanted. Was this woman going to be watching her? Coraset knew she had to watch her back.

“I have no alternative motives. I am here to be with Chancellor Erato.”

Sekai didn’t comment, but she began changing Coraset’s history in the computer completely to reflect what she told her to say. She brought up another screen and read the results of her pap smear and physical.

“Since you’ve passed all of your testing, Hanako will take you to wait with the other women.”

Coraset stood. She walked to the door, but then she stopped before turning the knob. She asked, “The doctor that gave me the examination gave me a shot. What was in it?”

“A vaccination,” Sekai answered flatly.

Coraset didn’t push the issue. She opened the door and saw Hanako waiting in the hallway. She was taken down the hallway to another room. This time, the room was filled with tables of food and sofas. Sheer curtains hung from archways that led outside. The sun was beginning to set, and a warm breeze was drifting through the room.

The women who passed their medical were in there. Some were standing at the tables and fixing their plates. Others were already seated, and they were drinking and eating, as well. At the most were ten women, and they all wore the same outfit as Coraset, a red tunic with a gold rope decorative trim attached and a red skirt. Everyone’s hair was down, and everyone was relaxed and in a better mood.

Coraset glanced around for Katarin. She wondered if she was checked out yet, or if she was turned away because she failed the medical. Deep down inside, Coraset wanted her to be turned away, but she didn’t want Katarin to go back home disappointed. She sat down on an empty settee and waited to see what would happen with the young woman.

A total of eleven women passed their medical exams and were led to the harem, their new home. They were taken through winding corridors and up five marble steep steps to a final marble landing. In front of them was an arch opening showcasing the growing skyline of the Selatan Region set against a blazing sky about to turn to darkness.

Sekai swung the double doors inward on the right side, and all of the women flowed into a large space. The walls were a peach granite marble with gold trim across the top. The floor had paintings of cherubs and clouds. Four pillars were anchored in the main room, two on each side, and burgundy sheer curtains hung from the ceiling around the pillars. On the left was another extension, and it had tables and chairs where the women could dine comfortably. An entryway was on the far side of that room that led to the kitchen where their food would be prepared for them.

In the main room, there were more couches and large plush pillows big enough to sit on. Near the back was a long banquet table with fruits, vegetables, cheese, and crackers. There was a silver fountain with a red liquid spilling from the spouts. Back behind the table were two openings, one on each end of the wall that lead to the sleeping quarters. To the right was a huge arch opening that led to the harem’s private gardens and pool. Torches brightened the area around the pool where lounge chairs and tables were set up for the girls.

Coraset had to admit the place was spacious and beautiful, but it wasn’t near big enough for the different personalities of eleven women. She didn’t really care for nonsense. She didn’t like drama that could easily be spurred by a bunch of women living together.