The stage lights masked the individual faces of the seated audience, but that did not stop him being acutely aware of the thousand or so eyes directly upon him, plus the several million more watching from across the five systems through the wonders of holovid broadcast technology, all awaiting his response. Yet the carefully-prepared closing speech on the rostrum before him was now worthless. His cunning plan had come to nothing, leaving him all alone before all the worlds with nothing to say. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Yaksha speaking into her headset as she watched from the wings to his left. Her voice in Kartikeya’s earpiece once again whispered the words that had rooted him to the spot. “I repeat, Fenris is not coming,” said Yaksha. Governor Jaggarneth leaned forward upon his own rostrum and regarded Kartikeya with a smug, self-satisfied smile. His secretary had eavesdropped upon the hushed backstage conversation amongst Kartikeya’s entourage and relayed the news to him also.
