Key'Ya'Nosh was a cold moon orbiting a barren planet. Its sun was a cool star, emanating radiant blue hues. Yet the moon of KYN had life. It had been seeded two centuries ago by one of the original seedships that had traversed the galaxy, searching for candidates to continue human existence. The particular seedship, name long lost to time, collided with a passing space asteroid. Its life support systems damaged, and hit off course, its only option was to make a forced landing on the local KYN moon, with minimal remaining power and life support. Yet the hardiness of the original human engineering showed their determination to carry on their legacy.
Assyna observed the crater. It was rumoured to be the site where the first humans awoke from cryosleep to the hellish reality of a cold and unbreathable atmosphere, far from the verdant landscape promised by the seedship. "And yet they managed to fertilize the planet, they found deposits of minerals critical to the survival of the first pioneers, and they made do with what they had." Asserted Assyna, speaking elegantly to her companion.
"Your point ?" Was the response of the disinterested woman by her side. Da'la never appreciated Assyna's long tangents. She just stared at Assyna's hair loops, enjoying their dangling motion.
Assyna, while pulling up the sleeves of her long robes, explained "Azonis is rightfully ours, yet this runaway colony pretends it has autonomy. It will not be the easiest to retake, yet we are not out of options, there is plenty for us to exploit - like the first pioneers did. We make do with what we have."
"We've been 'making do' for the past decade sister." emphasized Da'la - frustration clear in her voice. "The agent's plans risk to jeopardize our entire situation." Da'la and Assyna started pacing the sleek corridor again. Both women were older but copious subdermal cybernetics made them more spry than most of their more youthful servants.
"You hold the chair of national intelligence sister, but you can not be in Azonis. Have faith in the reports." replied Assyna.
"I hate the long waiting period between correspondence. I have no clue what is happening on Azonis, and for any question I ask, I will receive a response four years later, by which time it will be two years out of date. How can I possibly trust that everything will go according to plan sister?"
" My Da, you were there in the council meeting when we agreed on the plan. Everything in the fourteen years has gone to hoped so far. You have done your duty, trust in the rest of us to do ours."
"You are right. How good to have our smart matriarch, so wise with words, as my dear sister." replied Da'la, with a soft smile spreading across her face, her sister always knew how to reassure her in her many episodes of worry. The creases from her worrying revealed that she appeared thirty or maybe forty. This was however a cunning deception of the medical procedures she had undertaken.
A group of men approached them. Four bald or very short haired muscular males, wearing iron collars and dressed in tight black skinsuits, followed the fifth, a slender younger guy with long blonde hair. Body modification had altered his cheekbones to present more feminine. He wore a robe similar to the two women but his was a deep crimson with no hood and shorter sleeves unlike theirs, and a black military cap. He cleared his throat and bowed, announcing "Your graces, your dinner is ready."
"Alright, we'll be just over Lia" replied Assyna, then, turning to her sister, quipped "it is good to be the matriarch. Let's have dinner dear."
The chef turned to his followers, shouting "Alright servants, go prepare the table. You two bring out the entree, you two light the candles." before turning and jogging towards one end of the corridor, with the four of them running in sync.
As they had sat down for dinner, the sisters enjoyed much of the great cooking. A servant awaited at each of their sides in case anything was not to their liking.
"I happen to need a footstool" hummed Assyna to the room.
"Yes your grace," came a response behind her as a servant immediately got on all fours, presenting himself in front of her next to the table. Her legs now stretched over him, she turned her attention back to her sister, who was pouring them both the second bottle of wine they had just opened.
"You know sister," started Da'la, "Our contact in the privy council assured us their navy was infiltrated."
"Yes you have said this my Da, last year, when the report arrived" came the tipsy voice of Assyna.
Da'la cut in with "Let me finish!". She took a swig of the wine. "Delicious, anyway do you remember what Mako told mother all those years ago?"
Assyna's interest was piqued. "What could that sniffling rat of a planetary administrator possibly have told mother?"
"He said, ahem" she cleared her throat, then put on some impression of a macho man, loudly proclaiming " We will wipe out any sentiment of KYN loyalties, and you will never again step foot on this planet and then he said something like And I'm the greatest manliest man ever I don't need any women in my life." The last bit, Assyna was pretty sure was not actually what planad Mako had said.
They both laughed heartily. Each one's laughter egging the other on to enjoy the reminiscing more.
"Have you any thoughts on what to do with Mako's child, that new planad, what's his name? was it Tyu?" queried Assyna.
"When this is over we'll parade him around Azonis Central and smack his face into building windows and ask him are there any sentiments of KYN loyalties here misterplanad? Did your daddy crush all of them?" quipped Da'la.
Assyna chuckled and retorted "Are you sure those savages have the societal development to use windows dear sister?" ending her sentence with a coy smile.
Da'la spit her drink laughing. Assyna enjoyed her own joke too, in laughter, she kicked the floor with her leg but both of her legs were stretched over the servant and instead hit him in the back, her boots leaving a bruise. She might've had a little too much to drink. A wince of pain from below followed her actions.
Da'la responded "What was it you said earlier sister? If there's no windows, we make do with what we have"