56. Kian

56

KIAN

K ian glanced at his watch while Onegus delivered his report, hoping the chief hadn't noticed. As usual, he was pressed for time, and even more so now because of his back-and-forth trips to the keep.

But it wasn't as if he could delegate the task of escorting his mother to see her half-brother. He had to do it himself and ensure she didn't reveal every possible secret in her excitement over finding her siblings.

The guy seemed pretty harmless, but Kian wasn't taking chances, especially when his mother was involved.

"William's crew installed two surveillance cameras in the mailroom overnight," Onegus said. "They made sure that no one saw them even enter the building, and the cameras they installed are tiny. The pranksters won't suspect a thing."

"You think it's just pranks?"

Onegus shrugged. "I judge things by the harm done, not by their moral implications, and the stolen items are cosmetics, some clothing items, and a jewelry box. None of the items is worth more than fifty bucks."

"So, our culprit is a female." Kian leaned back in his chair. "A male wouldn't have stolen such items."

Onegus lifted a brow. "Are you sure about that? Maybe a guy is collecting items to gift a female, or he wants to try them on himself. It seems to be in vogue now."

Kian shrugged. "I still remember when men wore wigs, stockings, and heeled shoes, painted blush on their cheeks, and used pomade to make their skin look whiter. Things come and go. This too shall pass."

"I don't know about that." Onegus rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Not that I care about who wears what and why, but it seems to me like a big, noisy smokescreen, so people focus on this and not that. You know what I mean?"

"I do, and I'm worried, but I can only deal with so many things at the same time, and right now, we need to find out what's happening under our noses because these small thefts and acts of sabotage could be a smokescreen too, or rather a smoking gun."

Onegus nodded. "William's crew is working on the malfunctioning shutters. They're checking every unit to determine if it's a design flaw or tampering."

"It can't be a design flaw." Kian sighed. "Too many going bad at the same time."

"My money's on the Kra-ell teenagers," Onegus said bluntly. "They're bored out of their minds. People that age with no structure and no purpose, it's a recipe for trouble."

"What do you suggest we do with them?" Kian asked.

Onegus leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Enroll them in the Guardian training program. Everyone sixteen and older who is not pursuing academic education should enroll. Give them something to work toward, a sense of accomplishment, pride, and belonging."

Kian's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You think that's wise? Sixteen is young."

Onegus lifted his hands. "Most of them are not interested in higher education, and fighting is in their blood. The older ones who joined are doing very well. I'm already using them to assist our rescue teams. We put them in tactical gear that hides their alien features and keep them in backup positions so they are not in direct contact with the victims we rescue. Our Guardians feel much safer having them defending their backs."

It might work, provided that the young Kra-ell wanted in. Forcing them would make them more resentful.

"Let's do it. But we need to be smart about this. We need to hype up the force so they will want to join, supervise them closely and have a zero-tolerance policy for any hint of trouble."

The Chief nodded. "I'll speak with Jade. She knows how to keep them in line."

"Apparently not, if they are running around perpetrating petty crimes."

Onegus leaned back in his chair. "Jade has one deputy, Kagra. It was enough when all she needed was to police her tribe, but now she has a whole community, and she's not set up for that. She needs to deputize more people."

Kian smiled. "You are welcome to suggest that to her."

"I will. Looking forward, we could expand our rescue operations once they graduate, which will not take them as long as it takes our people. Shoring up our defenses is also a huge benefit."

"I agree. What about the pay? Do we pay them the same as our people?"

Onegus sighed. "That's somewhat complicated. While in training, they should get paid the same as our trainees, but once they graduate, we might want to introduce a new pay structure that rewards seniority and the types of positions people hold. We don't want to upset our people who have been serving for years, and we don't want to appear as if we are discriminating against the newcomers. There needs to be a balance."

"I will leave it up to you to figure this out. When you have the pay structure ready, bring it to me for review."

"Of course." Onegus rose to his feet. "I'll let you know what William's crew finds out about the shutters."

"Thank you, Onegus."

After the chief left, Kian swiveled his chair toward the window and looked at the peaceful scene outside. The village green was bathed in sunlight, with immortals, Kra-ell, and humans alike passing by.

Who was the culprit?

Immortals showing their displeasure about the changing nature of their village? The Kra-ell fertility rate was higher than the immortals', and there were whispers about them one day taking over.

It was a valid concern, and even though they seemed to coexist peacefully with their hosts, they weren't really integrating. The two groups kept to themselves, with Jade, Phinas, Vanessa, and Mo-red being the exception, not the rule.

Had he made a mistake by inviting the Kra-ell to join their community?

The surveillance cameras and the Guardian training program were all just stopgap measures, temporary solutions to a deeper problem. The real challenge lay in bridging the divide between their peoples and finding a way to coexist while maintaining the balance of power.

After all, the village belonged first and foremost to the clan. It was not fair to expect them to share it, or worse, fear that they would be outnumbered and driven out of their homes one day.

No one had said that, not to him anyway, but if he was thinking that, others were too.