The Lexal Affair
Copyright© 2026 by D M Arnold
Chapter 8: The Intruder
Nyk sat in Janna’s private office. He could see the moon hanging low in the western sky. Daya walked in. “Chancellor has offered you and Andra the use of Princess’s chamber. We’d like the palace routine to be disrupted as little as possible by our ploy. We’ve informed the personal guards of our subterfuge, but the fewer that know the better.” Nyk turned and gazed out the window again. “Of course, the door adjoining the chamber to Chancellor’s will be locked.”
Nyk faced her and smiled. “Daya, are you ever off duty?”
“I receive free time two days out of ten. It is an honor to be Princess’s assistant. Do you require anything?”
“No. How long do you think this Gamma-5 reception will last?”
“It should be wrapping up shortly.”
“I think you may call it a night, Daya.” She snapped her head in acknowledgement, turned and left. Nyk paced around the room.
The door slid open and Andra entered. “I’m exhausted. All the concentration and watching Mykko for cues.” She removed the tiara and began unpinning her hair.
Wygann entered the office. “Well done. Tomorrow should be a lighter day.”
“What’s on the schedule for tomorrow?”
“My press conference. Janna was scheduled for some charity work, but that’s been cancelled for security reasons.” He stood and looked out the window. The moon had set and only the sweep of the searchlight illuminated the courtyard below. “Nykkyo and Andra ... If you’d like, you can have transit off this world via my personal shuttle. It wouldn’t be without risk. Vadima’s transcript indicates Vellod has an old deep-space shuttle, and several Deltan and Altian shuttles are at his disposal. We’re assuming they’re armed.”
“Might he regard an attempt to take the princess offworld as a signal to begin an attack?” Nyk asked.
“He might. I believe you’re safer in the palace. I’ll be spending the afternoon tomorrow meeting with our security planners. Perhaps by then we’ll have a prognosis. Did Daya offer you Janna’s chamber?”
“She certainly did.”
“Please come with me.”
Nyk looked over Janna’s bedchamber. The walls were draped with brocaded curtains. Ambient light emanated from fixtures dripping with iridescent baubles.
“I recognize this room,” he said. “Janna answered my vidphone call from here.” He approached the wide, canopy bed, sat on it and bounced up and down. “It’ll be quite an experience sleeping in a princess’s bed. I wonder if this is where Mykkoin was conceived.”
“That I don’t know,” Andra replied. “I do know Janna and Mykko are devoted to each other. Daya tells me they sleep together every night without fail.”
“So, no swapping bedpartners for them.”
“I wasn’t invited to spend the night with either of them,” she replied.
“Were you expecting to?”
“Janna and I used to make love at Vebinad.”
“I had surmised as much.”
“Their sort of fidelity reminds me of Earth practices,” Andra observed. She unclasped the buckle, slipped out of the shield-belt and stepped into a private lavatory.
Nyk turned down the covers and slid in. Andra stepped from the lavatory and lay beside him. He rolled to face her and stroked her white eyebrows. “My kindred spirit and friend- for-life,” he said. He leaned toward her and kissed her lips. Then he took her hand and placed it upon his chest.
She shook her head. “We shouldn’t.”
“You’re not in the mood?”
“How would Sukiko feel?”
“She and I have talked about the differences between Earth and Floran attitudes.”
“Does she understand?”
“I don’t know for sure.”
“Nykkyo, as much as I love you and want you, I want your happiness more. Your happiness depends upon a loving relationship with your Earth woman. You and I dare not do anything to jeopardize that.” She stroked his cheek. “I spent time on Earth -- enough time to pick up a bit of the language and some of the customs. Some day, Sukiko will understand the Floran way -- and, she will do so with her heart. Until then, we mustn’t.”
“Of course, you’re right.” Nyk slipped his arm around her and she cuddled against him. “What if something happens to either of us and we’re unable to reach that day?”
“If that’s the path Destiny is tracing for us -- so be it.” She kissed his cheek. We’ll forever have those days in Sudal.”
Daya pinned Andra’s hair back and handed her the tiara. “We must hurry -- the press conference is about to begin.”
Nyk followed Andra and Daya to the auditorium where they had heard the schoolchildren. A pair of chairs had been set on the stage. The seats were filled. Wygann was standing on the stage behind a curtain. “The conference will be broadcast colony-wide. I’ve instructed the cameraman not to dwell on my consort, but to make it clear she’s by my side.” He crooked his arm and Andra slid hers through. An aide parted the curtains and the two stepped onto the stage.
Nyk stood beside Daya and watched the proceedings on a vidisplay. The camera held a medium shot on the two of them engaging in small talk. Wygann patted Andra’s forearm and she looked ahead, sitting straight with her hands folded in her lap. The camera zoomed to a tight shot of Wygann.
“The poise they’re taught,” Nyk said. “It’s amazing.”
“She’s so convincing,” Daya replied. “I must keep reminding myself it’s not Janna.”
Wygann began fielding questions from members of the audience. The image in the vidisplay cut back and forth between the tight shot of Wygann and shots of the audience.
“Who’s the one who seems to be trying to get Andra’s attention?” Nyk asked, gesturing toward a disheveled-looking older man with long, unkempt grey hair.
“That’s Zygon Vellod.”
“That’s Vellod? You let him into the palace?”
“Vellod’s still a member of the colonial senate, and a citizen of this colony. Until we can prove he’s involved in something illegal, we can’t touch him. He’s been cautious not to do anything that can be directly tied to himself. Even the threats he delivers are constructed so he can credibly deny them.”
“At least as long as he’s in the palace, an assault is unlikely.”
“That’s some comfort, I guess.”
“Andra’s ignoring him. Was she briefed he might be here?”
“No. I think she knows instinctively how to deal with someone who’s trying to be disruptive.”
“I’ve always hated the finishing schools,” Nyk said. “I had a poor opinion of the ax’amfinen. Now that I know Andra, I see how wrong I was.”
“I felt the same way. After Mykko won the chancellorhood and we heard he was looking for a consort, I felt he was making a big mistake. Then, notices were posted that Janna needed an assistant. I needed work, so I interviewed and was awarded the job. I fell in love with her almost immediately. She’s strong but kind -- so beautiful and so gracious...”
Wygann took the last question. The image on the vidisplay cut to the colonial emblem. Nyk could hear the hub-bub of the audience filing out of the hall.
“Mykko!” From his vantage behind the curtain, Nyk heard a voice. He stood close so he could hear. “I have a proposal for you.”
“What now, Zygon?” he heard Wygann answer.
“A plebiscite! Turn the question over to the people.”
“Zygon, I’m not about to subject the population to another election.”
“You fear the results.”
“I know the outcome. There’s no need to subject Lexal to the expense and inconvenience of an election when the outcome is clearly predictable. We’ve already had two elections on the issue.”
“But, not one with observers.”
“What do you mean?”
“Outside observers to monitor the fairness of the vote. We could enlist the services of impartial third parties.”
“Parties from where?” Nyk heard Wygann ask.
“From wherever. I’m sure some other colonies would be more than happy to provide monitoring teams.”
Nyk peeked through the curtains. Andra was still seated with her hands in her lap. Wygann was standing at the edge of the stage, bent over speaking with someone on the floor below.
“Fair enough,” Wygann said. “We’ll call another plebiscite.”
“I’ll make arrangements for impartial observers.”
“And, I’ll make arrangements for observers to watch the observers,” Wygann replied. “To make sure the watchers are as impartial as the election will be. Now, Zygon, if you’ll excuse us.”
Nyk watched as the old man turned and headed down the aisle toward the door. Andra stood and walked with Wygann through the curtains.
“In a way, I wish he’d try something,” Wygann said. “It would give us an excuse to detain him or at least ban him from the palace.”
Nyk followed Andra and Daya as they headed back to the chancellor’s quarters in the palace. “I’ll order lunch,” Daya said.
“I don’t understand why Wygann doesn’t simply haul Vellod in,” Nyk said.
“Mykko’s not a monarch,” Andra replied. “This colony is still governed by the rule of law. One reason the people are so solidly behind Mykko is his respect for their rights.”
Nyk looked out the dining room window. A dense fog was settling around the palace.
“Looks like a spell of dirty weather.”
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