Systems In Chaos: Dissention

Chapter 16

He found himself curious about what had happened to him during the times that he had disappeared. Both the first and second time. The reports that he had given the Zeuti about them were so scant in information and so vague it could hardly have been called a detailed report.  I’ll ask him about it one day, if I ever find him in a good mood. I wonder if it is because of what happened he always seems angry.

Galvin shook his head and wondered over to the small water sink that he had in the corner of his office and splashed a two handfuls of fresh, cold water on his face. His office was quite big, as befitted a member of the Titans. His quarters had three rooms. The first was his office, this was the place people entered first. It was spacious enough to have four guest chairs, his desk and his own chair. The chairs were big, pear looking things with a cut on one side where the cushioning was so that someone could sit in it. They swivelled around on their small base and were comfortable enough. They were Carbonite Plastic; a pearl coloured material that was as strong as steel and as cheap as dirt to make. He had bought them chrome painted and with blue cushioning on their seats. His desk was made out of real steel itself. It had five holographic terminals and two holo-pads to type on. He had drawers in the desk, an old custom of when paper and printed documents were still used, but they were empty; empty, except for the few flasks and bottles of vintage bourbon and whisky and a few glasses. The walls of his office were plain enough; all chrome, black and white coloured steel with a few blue and green neon lights. On one wall he had a large holo-strip, a T.V it was commonly called, which had access to a thousand different channels but lately he kept it on GWN. GWN, or Galactic Wide News, had proven to be the best reporter for the happenings of the war. On the opposite wall he had a 3D picture frame which stood blank. It did have the 3D image of himself next to his prodigy, but had since changed it to nothing after their falling out.

Looking at it made him feel a pang of guilt. He strode over to it, hit a few buttons on the panel and reactivated his picture. Seeing Teran’s face made him swallow hard. Tec had his head held high and a smug grin across his face. He had just passed the trials to graduate from a Learner to a Lord. Galvin looked happy as well, he had a smile on his face and a glint in his eyes; a feeling that he had not had the pleasure of having again since. He could still visualise the day; behind them stook Lord Varko Kinn and his old Learner, and week old Lord, Vrik Bane and Lord Dana Gor and her Learner Sasha Fen. Sasha Fen was to take her trials a week from Teran’s. He could remember the smiles on their faces, Teran’s two closest friends, he reminisced. Vrik’s Mentor was a very close friend to Galvin, and had been for many years. He knew how strong and capable he was and he was looking forward to telling him that he was the new Ninth Seat of the Titan Council. Dana had been a good friend as well, but she had died on Fathom, the same as Sasha. Though she died by her wounds she had received in the battle afterwards, not in the fight itself. Galvin’s throat still tightened and knotted with pain as he recalled her dying in front of him as they fled to Europa on a transport.

Behind his desk, on the back wall, the door to go to his private room was closed. In there he had his bed, his clothes, his small assortment of little keepsakes and, the best items of all, silence and solitude. Titans’ rooms were mostly soundproof, but there would always be people making their way through the tower and as they would slip by his door he would always hear them. Not that he really minded all that much, there weren’t many instances that he heard someone after all. As a Titan his quarters were at the top of one of the three towers. He shared his tower with the Second Seat and the Ninth Seat and they stayed in the North East Tower: the Spire of Wisdom. The First, Third and Fourth Seats stayed in the South Tower: the Spire of Power. And, finally, the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Tenth Seats were in the North West Tower: the Spire of Vision.  Power to protect, wisdom to govern and vision to lead. Though the Zeuti did not actually govern anyone but themselves they did have a lot of political influence. In the past the Fifth Seat and the Sixth Seat used to stay in each other’s towers, but after Galvin and Foust started their rivalry they switched the two seats to keep them apart.