All That Glitters

All That Glitters - A Space Odyssey

Chapter Seventy-One:

Byandi mating ceremony part 2.

The Mylatrin claims her Caltan part 2.

© LACLarke 2025. This series 'All That Glitters - A Space Odyssey', in whole or in part, cannot be transferred to any other site without the prior authorizations in writing from the author and LAClarke must be credited for this work.

I claim sole responsibility for the story line. This story is a fantasy, with no basis in reality. Any similarity that you may perceive to current events, people, or situations real or imaginary is completely unintended. Look no further than the story line for its intent and purpose.

Point of reference:

Castada is a Byandi word that can carry different meanings dependant on how it is used. Castada de Mylatin, refers to Mylatin's Castle in the Sky (the Byandi phrase for heaven). Castada ne Mylatin, refers to the Grand Palace of the Byandi. Castada se Mylatin, refers to the Cathedral that is contained within the palace. Castada lat Mylatin, refers to the Citadelle or fortress that surrounds and protects the palace in Mylatin City.

'Nuff said...Enjoy.

Castada ne Mylatin, Mylatin City, Mylatinyl, The Byandi Realm, 550 Light Years from Terra

The palace maids were helping the Mylatrin to get ready for the early morning exercise session when the Brucomma Amitta rushed through the door into her apartment.

^Mylatrin! The great Seeket Tree has bloomed!^ she practically shouted.

The Mylatrin smiled and turned to one of the maids. ^Inform all of those who will be in the exercise session that it will be held at the front end of the Grand Hall this morning. Make sure the atrium doors are opened. I wish to revel in the scent of the blooms.^

************

The Mylatrin came into the Grand Hall and saw her Caltan-To-Be enter from another door. She smiled as she saw him. This morning, he wore no sash of office, only his Kettanet pants and boots. The Kettanet was a large, fast, and powerful fish hunted by the Byandi. Their small scales were as strong as steel and their skin was flexible, which made an excellent material for protective pants and boots. The Mylatrin too, was wearing much the same.

The Byandi had a thin but dense layer of subcutaneous fat that helped keep them warm in the sometimes cold oceans. For this reason, both males and females tended to go bare chested as a typical dress code. Especially so when they were exercising.

Corruun noted that the Mylatrin and Tullo both wore an air of authority around them like a living cloak. Anyone who saw them, even as dressed-down as they were, could not help to realize their importance.

Corruun was keeping a close watch on the other participants in this exercise session, especially so the Piscium family. She had been stunned by their capabilities the night before. Not only did many of them have strong empathic capacity, they were also well trained in self defence, even the Piscium Mallitana. Despite the Mylatrin's familiarity with the family, she considered them a serious threat to the Mylatrin and the Royal Family.

As she watched them perform, she noted that the members of the family also wore cloaks of authority. That made sense in a bizarre way: Fayad, the patriarch, was recognized as a Dragon and Sai-Rai by the Asocans and the Pod-Drran. He was also the Director of Liramor-23.

Hanalei Anar, the first wife, was designated Gurn by the Asocans and respected by all she had contact with. Junelliya, the second wife, was designated Atohan by the Pod-Drran and the Maha-Rrin, and Palda by the Asocans. Even the Mallitana carried themselves with obvious airs; though they had grown up in wealth, the parents ensured that the children remained grounded and the children made friends in the full gamut of the wealth spectrum from royalty to paupers. Even so, there was no question that these two were part of a powerful family. She had seen the same thing from the children of the Royal Family.

Not only the children, but the family's servants held airs of authority. And well deserved...Silvie Kinlo was one of the best aides that Corruun had ever encountered, easily matching the Mylatrin's aides Lafassa and Lauara, while the guardian Violletiya was possibly a match for any of her Brucomma! Krissiya, the children's nanny, was also a strong fighter, more than a match for most of the Brucomma. And both of them were strong Grand Master Empaths as they had displayed in last night's incident. The eight of them had easily subdued the majority of Fasso's coup.

Yesterday, it had been rather chilly and the great glass doors at the front of the Grand Hall had been closed and frosted, not allowing people to see into the atrium. Ergo, the participants had not seen the great tree.

The morning, the weather was much better and the doors were open, creating a feel of a much larger space. The glass over the doors was electronically cleared at the push of a button. This allowed people to see the tree and let the most exquisite perfume enter the hall.

^Aunty Adriné, what is that smell?^ Zarreniya asked before the exercises started.

^That is the smell of the flowers of the great Seeket Tree. It only blooms once every ten years and the fruit it produces has known rejuvenation and medicinal properties for Byandi. I will show it to you after our session,^ Adriné replied.

^It smell really nice,^ Ikekiya stated. She was prevented from saying more as Kim called the group together. They went through their physical exercises and then started up the emphatic and telepathic exercises afterward. However, all of the empaths were distracted and it clearly showed during the practice sessions.

Ikekiya and Zarreniya kept looking over their shoulders to the open doors throughout the empathic and telepathic exercises. And they were not alone.

"Mamma, do you feel it?" Zarreniya asked her mother.

"It is the same feeling we have when we become Palda," Ikekiya added.

"I do feel it," Junelliya answered, giving a significant look to Councillors Petronellaya and Elliya.

"The girls are not the only ones to have noticed, Junelliya," Krissiya interjected. She had noted the Byandi children being somewhat distracted during their training.

"What do you feel, Mylatrin?" Petronellaya asked, curious as to how potent the feelings from the tree were.

^I feel something tugging at me from the other side of the door,^ Tullo answered for his Mate-To-Be. She, her children, and Vellda all nodded in agreement. The Mylatrin moved, and all those who were sensitive to empathy followed her through the open doors into the roofless atrium, where the great Seeket Tree was rooted.

^This Seeket Tree is the oldest living thing on Mylatinyl. It was planted here more than five thousand years ago,^ the Mylatrin explained.

The tree was massive, more than ten meters wide and forty meters tall. Despite its purported age, it was filled with life. The tree's bark was a silvery colour while the greenish/blue leaves were large, leathery in nature, and seemed to have a wax coating on them similar to a rubber fig from Terra.

A plethora of large, very colourful flowers, bloomed directly from the tree's bark. There were hundreds of them. A most delightful scent cascaded from the blooms to assail the noses of all present, the scent being almost overwhelming inside the atrium. But, for those who could sense it, there was another presence...It was empathy on a grand scale!

"This tree is rooted on a three-way magnetic node," Councillor Elliya stated. She had found herself to be sensitive to planetary magnetic lines after the Palda incident on AsocAR.

The Mylatrin nodded to her. ^You do know that we Byandi have a line of sensors on our body called Utressenti, that allow us to sense the bio-electric output of our prey?^

"Yes, it's similar to what is called the ampullae of Lorenzini in Terran sharks," Elliya admitted.

^My Utressenti is going crazy at all the magnetic responses going on near this tree. Add to that, my increased empathy from all of our recent trainings over the last year, and all of my senses are responding heavily to what is going on.^

^This tree is connected to all other trees,^ Zarreniya stated. ^Can you not feel it?^

Zarreniya touched her mother and the Mylatrin, who could then sense the underlying 'conversation'.

^What do you mean, 'connected'?^ Mylat Errlla demanded, a shiver running up her spine as she looked strangely at Zarreniya.

^There are other trees on nodes all over Mylatinyl,^ Ikekiya informed them.

"This is like the Palda incident!" Junelliya burst out. "It is not the trees that are talking but the Byandi Gods! They are speaking to each other through the magnetic lines! The trees just happen to be at the nodes."

^What does that mean, Junelliya?^ Adriné demanded, suddenly wary. ^Are the gods going to make us do things too?^

"I'm not sure, Mylatrin. It is certain that there is communication going on here. But it is not like during the Palda incident. There, the Asocan Gods needed us to help them reset the magnetic lines of the planet in order to make it healthy again. Here, the planet is already healthy. Your Gods do not need our help nor does it appear they have any direct demands. The ongoing conversation is between them and is not directed to us."

^Not now, but soon, someone will talk to them,^ Ikekiya said in the hollow sounding voice that indicated she was in prophecy mode. ^One will come that can speak to the Gods. That person is already among the Granla.^

Halitez Astalla, being next to Ikekiya, got a sense of the prophecy and looked to Adriné. ^Mylatrin, neither the person's name nor their image is available in this prophecy.^

^Why would that be?^ a vexed Adriné demanded.

"Likely because that person needs to complete some special set of conditions before the Gods will speak to him or her," Hanalei answered.

Her answer both surprised and awed the Mylatrin.

At the Mylatrin's order, the empaths all formed a circle around the great tree. Their hands connected each other to Zarreniya, who was the strongest of the telepath/empaths among the young.

Junelliya had found that she could not initially get a sense of the underlying conversation until Zarreniya had touched her. This was indeed what had initially occurred during the Palda event on AsocAR. In that instance, it had been Prakeshya who had connected her to the event. The children seemed to be more capable of the initial contact than adults but then could not understand things on the level of the adults.

^Zarreniya is correct, they are talking,^ the Mylatrin stated reveling in the level of empathic feelings that came with more Granla touching each other. ^The Seeket Trees are all planted in the Castada (cathedrals) of the twelve Goddesses/Gods of Mylatinyl. All of them are on magnetic nodes. It is a pity that no one can understand this conversation.^

"The Palda incident was an unusual event where the Goddesses/Gods of the Asocans needed to communicate with us for our help. Here, the gods do not need our help. Nor do they currently wish to communicate with us. It is amazing that we are even able to understand that this is a form of communication." Junelliya speculated.

^Aunty Adriné, this be part of graduation ceremony,^ Zarreniya said, looking up at Adriné.

^Graduation ceremony?^

^When Granla go from Granla-Itan to Granla-Ishell. They should come here and 'hear' conversation. It 'root' them to Mylatinyl, and to the people,^ Zarreniya punned getting a smile from Adriné.

"I think that would be a wonderful ceremony," Elliya commented, eying the Mylatrin.

Tullo and Adriné looked at each other and smiled. They understood that this would give them the opportunity to find the one who would be able to speak to the Gods, but more importantly, it would indeed provide for an important ceremony to mark the milestone of personal growth to Granla-Ishell. The Piscium family were making such amazing suggestions for the Granla Byandi Shollsen and the people of the Byandi realm.

Breakfast was served immediately afterward and the empaths all took the opportunity to eat in the atrium, basking in the feeling of being surrounded by the Byandi Gods. It made for a surreal moment in their lives.

Situation Room, Castada ne Mylatin, Mylatin City

Corruun came into the Situation Room for an emergency briefing immediately after the morning exercise session. The Mylatrin and Minister Tullo, now wearing their sashes of office, were already in place as senior members of the Cabinet slid into their seats. The Mylatrin did not stand on protocol during ad-hoc sessions of the Cabinet. You came when you could though most were expected to be seated before or shortly after the Mylatrin.

^Ministers,^ Adriné began. ^The head of our Brucomma has a report on an incident that happened overnight...Corruun...^

^Mylatrin, Ministers. This report is in reference to an ongoing investigation into the supporters of Fasso. He was deliberately placed into the jail cells he previously controlled below the Castada se Mylatin as it was expected that his people would know how to get into and out of those cells without being seen. We wanted to capture his people without having to fund an extensive investigation searching for them. For this reason, it was decided to let them come to us.

^We Brucomma placed several of these miniaturized cameras that we acquired from human sources in and around the cells before placing Fasso and his people there.^ Here Corruun showed the cameras and their specs to the ministers.

^Properly placed, they are virtually invisible. With these cameras, we were able to identify the people entering the jail cells to visit, talk to, and plan things with Fasso since his arrest last week. This has allowed us to identify around thirty of Fasso's senior people and fifty or so of his underlings.

^According to his own testimony, provided at Junelliya's compulsion, Fasso had been planning to attack today's Royal Mating Ceremony. His plan was to execute the members of the Royal Family, and arrest or execute many of the ministers sitting here at this table, replacing all with his own people.

^He had also planned to hold to ransom the members of the various Royal Houses of the Greater Community, with the expressed purpose of gaining 'a better political position for the Byandi government within the Greater Community'. Read into that gaining recognition for himself and his people and saving their hides from retaliation by the Greater Community.

^Last night, the vids I reviewed showed twenty-five members of the conspiracy in the jail preparing for their raid. I had planned to arrest Fasso and his group around 02:00 hrs this morning so I took a short nap. However, my nap was interrupted by the insight of a known Halitez, Soona-Patek, the prophet of the Piscium family. She contacted the Brucomma on duty outside of the Piscium family apartments at roughly 23:30 hrs, indicating that there were now fifty or more people wanting to 'hurt Aunty Adriné'.^ That got some giggles from the ministers who looked warily at the Mylatrin.

^If she wishes to call me 'Aunty' I will not object to that,^ the Mylatrin reflected with a smile.

Corruun continued. ^The new numbers caused me to amend my plans and, with the help of the Piscium family, we went after the conspirators. The numbers were higher than anticipated. In fact, we captured seventy-eight conspirators with little or no effort on our part and with little injury to either side. Mostly bruises to Fasso's people.

^With the Piscium family's help, the capture was rather anticlimactic.^ Here, Corruun showed how the Piscium family and their retainers helped to capture Fasso's people. He then showed Fasso's planner being interrogated under a compulsion from Junelliya.

^That is one formidable person,^ one of the ministers commented on seeing Junelliya's capabilities.

^Lady Junelliya is the strongest known empath of any species,^ the Mylatrin stated. ^She is slated to be inducted into the ranks of the Master Class Empaths possibly as early as this summer. There are currently only five known MCEs. Petronellaya, the current head of the Council of Empaths, is scheduled to be inducted as an MCE this summer. That will bring the total up to seven of these very formidable empaths once Lady Junelliya is inducted.^

^Only humans have MCEs?^ another minister asked.

^Other races, including we Byandi, have only just recognized our empaths,^ the Mylatrin noted with a proud smile on her face. ^It will take time to train our people to the necessary standards. But, a time will come when we too will have our Master Class Empaths or whatever name we shall call them.^ She indicated for Corruun to continue.

^More conspirators came in overnight. By 04:30 hrs, we had more than 230 in custody. We know of another eighty conspirators according to our interrogations. Arrest warrants have been sent out for the outstanding people. That concludes my report. There will be a follow-up report in a couple of weeks once we have completed our investigations.

^However, I wish to note that we could not have done all of this without the help of the Piscium family. All of them, including their support staff, helped in taking down the conspirators. Even the two Mallitana helped take down two of the criminals.

^As the Piscium family prevented a potentially deadly attack, not only against the Royal Family and senior Ministers but also the members of the ruling families of the Greater Community, I would personally request they all be awarded the Brucomma Urdo Semetess (Brucomma Gold Award - Similar to the Union Citizens Meritorious Gold Police Services Medal but only awarded at the behest of the Mylatrin).^

^Would there be any objections from my ministers to the Piscium family being awarded this medal at tomorrow's award ceremony?^ the Mylatrin asked. There were no objections.

^Lauara, ensure that the Piscium family is included in the awards ceremony and that the appropriate numbers of medals are available. Include the new medal as well. The Piscium's have earned it.

^There is a new issue that this council should be aware of. This occurred less than one hour ago. Halitez Astella was present and can explain what happened...Astella...^

Astella appraised the ministers of what had just occurred in front of the Great Seeket Tree, shocking the council.

^Is there no way to find this person ahead of time?^ a minister demanded.

^That would break the rules of prophecy, minister,^ Astella warned. ^What kind of disaster would that bring? At the very least, it could deter the Gods from speaking to us. Personally, I would not like that to happen.^

The ministers all looked around at each other but had nothing further to add.

The Mylatrin rose and all the ministers rose with her. She turned and bowed to Tullo.

^Senior Minister Tullo. Today is your last official function as Senior Minister. You have served me and the Realm in an exemplary manner. We are grateful for your efforts on the people's behalf.^ That garnered a round of applause from the attendees before they ended the emergency session.

************

Corruun called together her lieutenants immediately after the ministerial brief, in order to cover their responsibilities for the upcoming ceremony. It didn't take her long to go through the review.

^Very well, we all know our assignments. There are still some eighty of Fasso's conspirators unaccounted for though that number is dwindling by the hour. Their IDs have been sent to all of you.

^Ensure your people are aware of them. However, these are the known conspirators. There may be other conspirators we are unaware of, so we will have to be vigilant during today's event. And that is only Fasso's conspirators. Who knows how many other idiots are out there who may wish to spoil the Mylatrin's ceremony.