Alien Indiscretions Read Online Free PDF

immediately. Iris had confirmed the boy cried each night that only three of his four parents put him to bed.
    The thought that he caused Thomas any pain devastated Ospar as nothing else could. That he might have to cause the boy more hurt had kept him from sleeping these past nights.
    Ospar had the weight of an empire on his shoulders. In the end, his clan and Thomas would persevere. It still made his guts twist to know they would pay with him for his crimes.
    He could still keep the others out of trouble, however. Men like Rajhir need never damage their clans the way Ospar was forced to damage his.
    With this in mind, he told his friend, “If the Ethics Committee goes after you, they’ll have to indict over half the council too. Trust me, plenty of men lost their concerns over coerced clannings when I called on them to do so. There is no reason you should sacrifice yourself and your clan’s well-being.”
    “The more of us there are to shoulder the blame, the less gets shifted to the Imperial Clans, present and past. The rebellion loses traction that way.”
    “No. The Basma’s new tactic is pointing out how it’s the high ranking clans getting most of the Mataras. He’s claiming elite privilege now.”
    “Ridiculous. The lottery is random. Clans from all walks of success are getting their chance to attract female mates,” Rajhir fumed.
    “The ones with money and prestige aren’t afraid to wave that in the women’s faces. They pull out all the stops to dazzle the Mataras with gifts and promises of gilded futures. Out of all the clans, they are almost certain to win lifebringers. Then there are the men without clans, the ones with no hope at all of winning Mataras. Jealousy is driving them to the Basma’s call.”
    “They are traitors, then. There is no excuse for such nonsense.” Rajhir’s purple eyes sparked with fury. “Honor and Empire. For that, I will defend Kalquor no matter what the cost to me.”
    Ospar sighed. Rajhir was being stubborn. However, given time to consider the situation properly, he thought his friend would be reasonable.
    If they had time.
    Ospar asked, “What of this Councilman Diltan? What can we expect from him should he be chosen over Maf to examine the records?”
    Rajhir looked at the blue-robed men still waiting in line to greet the empress’ cousins. “I can’t be sure. With him we might have a slightly better chance. He’s loyal to the current Imperial Clan.”
    “How loyal?”
    “There was a time when he went to great lengths to curry favor. When Diltan first came to council, it was almost embarrassing how determined he was to get close to them. He wore ambition like a badge on his chest.”
    Rajhir’s assessment gave Ospar a glimpse of hope. “That could help us.”
    “Don’t bet on it. These days, Diltan is a competent councilman. He’s settled into duty in the last couple of years. He has issued challenges to a few things the royals have wanted. The empress can’t shout him down when they disagree, something many can’t claim.”
    “So he went from sycophant to honorable.”
    “To the point that his appointment to the Ethics Committee last year did not receive one single challenge.”
    The dim hope died. Nominations to important committees like the one that policed government ethics were always challenged. That Dramok Diltan had assumed his duties without dispute spoke volumes for a principled reputation ... and trouble for Zarl’s legacy along with Ospar’s future.
    “Such moral standing is good for the Empire, not so good for us.” Ospar managed a wry chuckle that hinted only slightly of the nausea in his belly. “I could soon be choking on the folly of my ways, old friend. There are a great many people who will enjoy seeing that.”
    Rajhir gave him bleak eyes. “I won’t be one of them, Ospar. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it all pans out.”
    They looked at each other, their grimaces mirror images.
    * * * *
    Half an hour ticked