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The Cohen Clover

Caroline & The Chancellor D

copyright comidacomida 2025

Once the door to the carriage had opened and the guardsmen had shouted out their warning the entire world around Caroline erupted into chaos. More shouts sounded from outside and she heard the roaring sound of two loud retorts from human-made firearms; the sound was easily identified since it was a world apart from the pneumatic burst from a burst throwers that the Stewards used. Little of the mattered however as the Assassin clamored up into the carriage, transitioning the blade he'd held in his teeth to one paw, brandished in a stabbing position. He was intercepted by the Chancellor.

Holding one arm in the Alsatian's way, Calther spoke. "Listen, friend, you don't need to do this. You have so much to live for. Do not throw your life away for--"

The disheveled, dirty Oolou elbowed the Chancellor and roared out "FOR THE CREED!"

He didn't get much further as Calther, spinning away from the force of the impact used that momentum and his weight to swing the large, canvas bag that had been beneath the seat in as wide an arc as the interior of the carriage would allow, catching the would-be assassin right in the muzzle and sending him flying back into the wall, stunned, and slumping down into the seat where Calther had previously been sitting.

The Chancellor was not passive, quickly launching himself off of the seat beside Caroline and onto their attacker, forcing him back against the seat with his weight and the bulk of the bag he'd used as a bludgeon. Kalsur moved immediately to assist, calling for the guard, but the fight was already over; two large Oolou soldiers had the carriage open and quickly apprehended the dazed Alsatian.

Breathing heavily, Calther spoke in an authoritative tone. "Bring him to the constabulary and book him. He'll need to be interrogated." Turning back toward the other inhabitants of the carriage, the Chancellor began adjusting his disheveled sleeves. "Are you alright, Ashe? Kalsur?"

Rather than answer his question, Caroline's eyes went to where one of his paws was smoothing a section of the cream-colored sleeve, noticing that it had a large splotch of red on it. "Calther... have you been cut?"

Following her eyes, the Akita raised his arm up, bending it at the elbow so he could look at the cut section of sleeve on his forearm, ears up and brows furrowing as he inspected the bloody material. "Hmm... it appears that I was. I suppose the strike hadn't registered in the heat of the moment." He let out a hesitant chuckle. "It isn't life threatening, Ash... I will recover."

Kalsur, to the side, huffed, rolling his eyes as he reached into a storage compartment and pulled out a medical kit. Although Caroline hadn't really give it much thought in the past, all Unity Programme facilities practiced Human and Phin medicine and, incidentally, that apparently included the carriage. The younger Akita held the kit up. "Do you mean to say that you will be bleeding all over the place while walking Dr. Ashley around, father? Wouldn't that be unbecoming?"

The tone with which Kalsur spoke hinted that he was not so much being respectful or mindful as he was chiding the Chancellor, and Calsur must have noticed too since he looked up from his wound to offer a warning glance to his son. Caroline wasn't about to let it escalate since she had further concerns on her mind. Holding her hand out to Kalsur, she gestured for the kit. "Here. I'll handle it."

Rather than object, both father and son responded obediently: Kalsur handed over the kit while Calther slid his sleeve up and presented his arm. The younger Akita went back to looking out the window while the elder offered a sheepish smile, speaking in English. "At least I am in good hands."

Ignoring the ingratiating comment, Caroline took a careful look at the wound. "I'm not sure why you're so relaxed about this. Did anyone keep the blade? We may need to test it for toxins in case they were trying to poison you."

Calther released an easy laugh, otherwise holding still while the Human inspected him. "Ash, toxins are a weapon used by the higher castes... you would never see a low caste Oolou using any."

Kalsur spoke up from the side "It is too expensive."

The Chancellor inclined his head to his son. "That, and toxins are rarely if ever added to a blade-- they're made for subtle assassinations... nothing so overt as what we've just experienced."

Caroline sighed, rolling her eyes. "Either way, I just want to be safe. I'm going to clean this and then stitch you up."

Chuckling, Calther gestured with his free arm. "This is as good as any a time for me to see you at work, Ash. I suppose this is just one of many benefits of having a skilled doctor as a spouse?"

She tried not to smile at his good-humored statement. "Don't distract me."

He offered an easy grin in response. "My apologies, Doctor. I will strive to be a much more well-behaved patient."

Caroline took the next few minutes cleaning and suture the wound; it was a clean cut and would heal quickly for any race but, considering the metabolism and regenerative capabilities of creatures from Shattered Earth she was confident that she'd be able to remove the stitches by the end of the week. "You're lucky, Calthur. If the--"

Her admonishment for his brash reaction to the assassin was interrupted as her data pad beeped, identifying that she had an incoming communication. The Chancellor's did so at the same time and, considering her hands were full with the medical kit, he got to his first. Pressing the button to accept the incoming call, Calther spoke. "This is the Chancellor. My son and Dr. Ashley are with me."

Caroline recognized the voice of Seth, one of the leads of the security detail on Shattered Earth. She knew most of the higher ranked members of the team but Seth was an exception; other than his first name and that he was a Major she had very little detail about him. He didn't bother introducing himself. "Chancellor, the threats have been neutralized. What is the situation inside the carriage? Dr Ashley isn't answering."

She spoke up before Calther could. "My hands are full. I'm sewing up the Chancellor's arm right now."

Seth's follow up question wasn't entirely unexpected since most of the security team spent as much time filing reports as actually doing security work and the need for clarity was a big part of that. 'The Chancellor was injured in the attack?"

Caroline once again answered for the Oolou, who simply sat obediently with a bemused expression on his muzzle. "He's fine, Major... but he was very foolish and jumped up to meet his assailant before the guards could do anything."

The Major completely thew her for a loop when he countered her assessment. "Actually, Doctor, in all likelihood the assassin's target was not the Chancellor."

She wasn't sure at first that she heard him correctly. "He WASN'T here for the Chancellor?"

Seth didn't pull any punches. "Correct. General intel suggests that you were his likely target, Doctor."

"Me? What do you mean? Why me?"

Calther drew his arm back and began buttoning up the button at the end of his sleeve. "There is a rebel element in Ka Hoda that is not happy with the involvement of the Unity Programme and opposes the presence of the Unity Centre... you've been made aware of this, have you not, Doctor Ashley?"

Despite the Chancellor's earlier ease with using her nickname she did take note that he'd immediately defaulted back to professionalism since there was a third party listening in via the communication device. Rather than respond verbally she started with a nod, swallowing the developing knot in her throat before adding "All of the reports I've seen indicated that it was mostly demonstrations and fliers... not violence."

Seth spoke up at that point. "Correct, Doctor. The vast majority of objections have been peaceful, but it was only a matter of time until more volatile dissidents made a move. The Programme has installed assets around the city for circumstances just like these."

It continued to sink in. "So... the assassin was here for... me."

The Major's tone remained professional and perhaps that was why his follow up statement sounded like a joke to her. "I'll make sure administration has a talk with the Chancellor-- he's not expendable either, ma'am."

Calther remained all smiles as he leaned over the tablet. "I shall take that into advisement, of course, Major. Please give your team my regards and thank them for the assistance. Is there anything else?"

Caroline was surprised at how casual the Akita was about the whole ordeal but, then again, Seth's response was just as unaffected. "Just an update, Chancellor. Have plans changed or are they moving forward?"

Glancing toward her, the older Akita raised an eyebrow and both ears. "If you wish to call off the tour, Dr. Ashley, I would completely understand."

Although her hands had just started to shake as her mind busied itself with all the ramifications of what she was learning, the moment the question had left her muzzle the shaking came to a halt and her decision was made quickly. "No. Let's continue."

Seth had a final comment before he terminated the call. "Very good. Although we don't anticipate any further action on the part of dissidents we'll keep watch."

The moment the communication concluded Calther looked to Caroline, an expression of mild concern on his face. "Are you alright, Ash?"

She attempted to play off her concerns with a joke. "I should be asking you that question-- I'm not the one with blood on my sleeve."

His ears lowered slightly as he leaned forward, his uninjured arm reaching out so he could place his paw on the armrest beside her, smooth baritone coming out with soothing, empathetic tone. "And yet it is I, nevertheless, asking you."

Caroline wasn't sure why but she felt her cheeks blush at his insistence. She pushed through. "I've never had an attempt on my life before... but I'll be fine."

It was obvious in Calther's expression that he wasn't satisfied with her answer but, at the same time, he withdrew his paw and leaned back in his seat, apparently unwilling to push the issue. She almost jumped when the Chancellor barked out an order to the driver. "NIKAS! LET US CONTINUE!"

The trip continued as if the attack had never happen; the carriage continued along the street, swaying ever so slightly, the rumbling over the wheels going over the cobblestone almost soothing... if not for the stain on the Chancellor's sleeve and a few errant drops of red staining the lacy window covering. Eventually Caroline decided that she needed something else to focus on and she addressed a question she hadn't realized was on her mind until she was reaching for a topic to discuss. "I'm curious: what will become of the man apprehended by the guards?"

Calther, who had been glancing out the window immediately turned to address her question. "As an aggrieved party, I suppose you may have some say in that... why do you ask?"

Caroline recalled that a portion of law within Ka Hoda is that a victim would often have a say in a criminal's sentencing. Him turning the question back on her didn't help much. "In general, I mean. Let's say I didn't go to the sentencing."

The Chancellor was quiet for a moment, ultimately reaching up to stroke the end of his muzzle in thought. "Well... all things being equal, if you did not speak up, any other affected party would have the opportunity to speak on their own behalf. I could speak up, or the council, or one of your superiors at the Unity Programme."

Kalsur interjected. "He'll probably end up serving some time at the processing center for rehabilitation."

Calther leaned back in his seat, letting out a long sigh. "That would seem like the normal result, although I have a feeling the council will step in. Events like this will not be well-received among the upper caste and they would not want to risk the goodwill of the Humans. I believe they will push for death considering the charge."

Caroline was struck dumb by the matter of fact statement, the Chancellor's weary tone giving her the impression that it was a foregone conclusion. That alone caused her to bristle. "Then maybe I SHOULD speak up. He was obviously misguided; Humans aren't here to cause problems for your people, Calther."

The older Akita nodded. "Of course not, Ash. I know this; you know this; our entire council knows this, but there a few individuals within Ka Hoda who simply do not have the faith that our people can coexist without Humanity overtaking Oolounity and eclipsing us. Sadly, the lower caste is heavily pressed and desperation may end up blinding them to the positive sides of the Unity Programme and Human involvement."

Although she wanted to continue the discussion, her train of thought was derailed as the carriage began slowing and she was struck by so powerful a stench that it was almost like a physical slap. Kalsur's nose was raised slightly and it worked the air. "Ah... we must have arrived."

Calther must have noticed Caroline's glance toward his son as he spoke up to clarify. "The processing center is located on the north side of town where the wind off the mountains can take the scent away from the main part of the city... what you smell is the peripheral odor of the charnel sluice."

Kalsur reiterated with an alternate choice of words. "The byproducts of the slaughter are carried away to a treatment pond."

Covering her nose, Caroline nodded. "I read about it... but it's different being here in person."

Considering that an average Oolou's sense of smell was thousands of times stronger than that of a Human she had trouble coming to terms with the fact that neither Calther nor Kalsur seemed to be having a trouble with the stench but, she had to remind herself, the complexity of what they were able to pick up likely meant that the knee-jerk reaction a Human might have wouldn't apply; the could process it so much better. As she was reasoning through the problem she was consoled as Kalther held out a cloth face mask.

Smiling, the younger Akita offered it up. "Emma used to say that a perfumed face covering helped."

Nodding to Kalsur for the foresight, she accepted it and affixed it around her mouth and nose; hazarding a shallow breath she was relieved to discover that it worked surprisingly well. "That's a LOT better. Thank you."

Kalsur offered a succinct dip of his muzzle but, Caroline noticed, his tail wagged freely. He moved to the door. "The smell is definitely not as bad as the sounds, but the sounds do not travel quite as far."

Although she wasn't entirely sure what he meant, Caroline realized she was going to find out before long. Accepting the comment at face value, she waited for the carriage to come to a complete stop and, once it had, she moved to the door, which opened before her thanks to an attendant on the other side. She accepted the assistance of a gloved paw from the tan-furred Samoyed doorman and he helped her to the street. She was about to turn back to address Calther and his son but her eyes locked onto a black-furred Oolou making his way toward them.

As a Chairman, Dughl Eskon was usually immaculately presented but, that morning the Husky was slightly disheveled, approaching the carriage with a distressed expression on his muzzle that he couldn't quite manage to hide. She hailed him as he approached. "Chairman Eskon, what a surpri--"

She was cut short in her greeting as the Chairman, in a very unorthodox greeting picked her up, pulling her close to him to give her a strong embrace. "Doctor Ashley, I--" he froze mid sentence, slowly disengaging after setting her onto the street. He looked away, insides of his drooping ears reddening greatly as he cleared his throat. "... we received reports that the Chancellor's carriage had been attacked."

The Chancellor stepped up beside her, eyeing the Husky critically, holding out a gloved paw to Caroline as his tail remained eerily still and erect. She accepted his offered grasp as he addressed the black-furred Chairman. "You had nothing to fear, Chairman. Fortunately the Unity Programme's gunmen were as good as the Programme had suggested and, as you can see, Doctor Ashley is unharmed. Bad news travels quickly, as they say, and I presume any reports reaching you were devoid of casualties."

Chairman Eskon cleared his throat, touching his sternum with an open paw as he offered a stiff bow to the Akita. "But of course, Chancellor. Nevertheless, as the Chairman of the Inter-Earths Relations Board you can understand my distress when I heard there was an attack. I am thankful that there was--- your arm!"

Calther nodded, folding Caroline's arm into the crook of his uninjured one. "Completely reasonable, of course, Chairman. I am, naturally, pleased that you should have the welfare of my fiance high on your priority list. As for my damaged shirt, it is nothing that cannot be mended, just like the arm beneath." The Chancellor offered a warm smile to Caroline, winking at her mirthfully.

If she hadn't known better she was almost certain that the two men were posturing over her but she was well aware that it wasn't the case for a number of reasons: first was the fact that she was affianced to the Chancellor already and everyone knew it; second was the history she and Dughl Eskon shared in a professional capacity for a month and in that he'd never 'made a move'; finally, the Chairman was happily married with a puppy on the way. If none of those reasons were sufficient, during the time she'd come to know Calther he'd never come across as the jealous type (despite his jesting after the dinner party). Regardless, she gave his arm a little squeeze. "So... shall we begin the inspection, future husband of mine?"

The faintest hint of a blush showed on the Akita's ears as they raised at the title, and his muzzle spread into an almost goofy grin. "The pleasure would be all mine, my dear."

As Calther and Caroline passed by the Husky she noticed that the Chairman stepped into line beside Kalsur. "Good morning, young Master Kalsur. I trust you are enjoying your stay with your father?"

Caroline had known that Kalsur wasn't the most social Oolou, but his rather flat response still manged to speak volumes. "This morning's excitement was a significant shift in the tone of my visit. Thank you for asking, Chairman."

The Husky, to his credit, took the dismissive statement in stride. "My retinue and I will be joining the three of you and your attendants in the processing center. Although there is low risk of any future threat today, I would feel better knowing that Doctor Ashl--"

Calther interjected. "Everything is well, Chairman, and the issue has been resolved. I know you're a busy man and there is no need to rearrange your schedule when everything is already well in paw."

Dughl quickened his step so that he could take up a spot beside Calther. "Nonsense. I am here already, and the least I could do is make a good showing. As the Chairman of the Inter-Earth Relations Board I've had the privilege of joining Doctor Ashley in many other outings and I am quite interested in what she has to say with regard to the processing center."

Calther and Dughl continued a verbal joust as the group proceeded into the processing center's entryway. Although they were definitely having an argument, the entire tone remained cordial despite being heated and Caroline was surprised at how amicable both seemed in their attempt to outmaneuver one another. Kalsur stepped up beside her. "They do this a lot."

His rather dour tone made her smile, and she drew a little closer to the younger Akita, even going so far as to place her hand on his forearm; he immediately slid his arm further out so that they could walk arm-in-arm, his tail swaying happily back-and-forth behind him as they did so. She wrote off the two older Oolou and spoke to Kalsur instead. "So... tell me more about the processing center, Kalsur... this is my first time here, after all."

With the continued argument ahead of them, Kalsur spent the walk through the complex explaining the processing center and the different chambers they passed through. Although Caroline already knew that the proteins consumed by the Seekers included avian and porcine meats, she'd never actually had the opportunity to see the animals themselves, but that was remedied within the first fifteen minutes when they entered a holding room that holding bins for both. The birds, called tarna, she noticed, were flightless and resembled a mix between a chicken and a turkey; the skusyl, boar-like animals, were not as pig-like as they were pony-like, far larger and incredibly hairy compared to the pigs raised for meat on Land Earth.

From there they passed into the slaughter rooms where the holding pens were connected by long chutes and gates that allowed one animal through at a time. Most of the workers looked up from their work, ears and eyes on those traveling through but some just stuck to their labor, allowing Caroline to see them at work. Those addressing the poultry had long blades; when an animal moved down the line and into the gate where they worked they reached through the bars, grabbed hold of the animal just below the head, and cut it clean off with a slash from the serrated blade. The first time Caroline saw them in action she looked away; Kalsur's paw gave her arm a comforting squeeze.

The younger Akita spoke to her, helping to drown out the sounds of the cries of both kinds of animals. "Violent criminals are given a sentence here based on the severity of their crime. Low level violent crimes may be here for a week working with the tarna, while particularly violent or those guilty of multiple murderers have to work with the skusyl... which are a much more... difficult animal."

Despite her interest in experiencing the processing plant personally, Caroline spent most of her time focused on Kalsur, completely enveloping herself in his words and keeping her attention on his explanations. Apparently there were better and worse jobs at the plant and, once most criminals finished their term employed there they learned to detest violence and death; according to Kalsur the sound of a dying skusyl heard upclose was lifechanging to anyone, let alone its killer.

Fortunately the walk through didn't include the skusyl kill floor for them but, even so, the sound traveled far enough that, by the time the group was heading toward the back of the plant she'd started to hear it overpower the death cries of the tarna and, even on the periphery, she already knew she would happily avoid a first-hand up-close experience. Finally moving further from the cries of the animals, Kalsur concluded his statements with another tidbit. "There are some violent offenders who find their place in the processing center and choose to remain since it provides them an outlet for their blood lust-- they usually become shift leads in the skusyk harvesting."

She hadn't realized that the ongoing argument between Calther and Dughl had ended until the Husky spoke up, expanding on Kalsur's words. "It is far from a perfect system but it works for the most part as there is little recidivism."

The Chancellor nodded, resting an elbow on the Chairman's shoulder casually. "It also serves well as a deterrent as all young are brought to the plant at the completion of their education as they transition into adulthood. Usually a single trip through is more than enough to keep them on the right path."

Caroline glanced to Kalsur. "Ah... and that was when YOU came through here?"

The younger Akita's ears drooped slightly and he slowly released her arm as he shook his head. "No-- I came separate from the graduates because I never took my klouha noah."

The term 'klouha noah' meant literally 'pack mate proof' but the actual definition was a series of tests that all Stewards took when they were ready to graduate to being full members of the society and considered over the age of majority. Among the Oolou, being an adult was not so much about age as it was when a youth was able to successfully complete their test. She was struck dumb by that reveal considering he was at least two years older than most youth who'd graduated. "You haven't taken your tests yet?"

Her surprise seemed to make him draw even further into himself, taking another step back from her as the insides of his ears blazed red. "No. My father forbade me from taking them."

By that point, Calther and Dughl had gone on several paces ahead, talking to one another more like old friends than their earlier bickering suggested. Glancing at the two older Dogs before looking back to Kalsur, she couldn't resist the temptation to gain understanding. "Why did he do that?"

The younger Akita let out a long sigh and he fidgeted with the signet ring on his paw in a self-soothing gesture. "My mother wanted me to take the test as soon as I was eligible... she said she wanted me to be a man, but father insists that she just wanted me to fail so that I would be culled."

It was the dark side to the Oolou education system; despite it being an incredibly well-funded and well-run program, the public education services offered in Ka Hoda were designed to help young Oolou learn what they needed to know to be successful and contributing members of the city. Since there was not a lot of room for population and due to to the extreme population control methods used, if a member of the society could not contribute to it then they were considered unfit to be a part of it and put to death or, as they put it, 'culled'. It was a harsh reality: there was no room for failure in Ka Hoda.

Caroline had heard about the practice numerous times but had never directly encountered anything even close to the realization that it was actually done rather than just a standing order to scare pups into giving it their all. Part of her knew that she was being naive, but that part was finally laid to rest, especially when coupled with the realization that Kalsur's mother actively wanted him to take the test and fail. She'd wanted to maintain a neutral impression of Calther's ex, but that epiphany made it a lot more difficult.