by J. Naomi Ay
Senya’s eyes flashed upon my father.
“You may also inform Merakoma that should he continue to condone this charade, he will condemn his own people to death. The sole reason that Akan does not attack Karupatani today is because he is afraid of my response. Akan would dearly love to return to the days of periodically decimating Karupatani villages. His popularity was quite high among the Saintists then. If the economy in Mishnah fails, he will attack Karupatani as a means to deflect the blame from himself. This will work for a time but ultimately, even the Saintists will turn on him. However, thousands of Karupta lives will be lost before that happens. Do you doubt me in this, Loman?”
“You own fourteen trillion Mishnese dollars?” my father repeated.
“Give or take a billion or two. Who the hell did you think was buying up all the debt you fools were creating?”
“How?” My father shook his head.
“Through SdK Investment Services,” I said quietly and peered at my father. He turned to me with shock on his face.
“You knew about this?”
“Senya's been propping up the Mishnese economy for several years now,” I admitted.
“But why?” my father gasped.
“Had I not, there would be no Mishnah to banish me from.” Senya breathed smoke into the air like a dragon.
My father nodded. “I will deliver your messages, Sir.”
“Very good,” Senya replied. “You may stay tonight at the campus in Kalika-hahr, if you like. Berkan, I hope you have business with Thad otherwise I shall expect you to charge the Mishnese government for the use of my spaceplane.”
“Yes, Sir,” I said. “I will, Sir.”
“You may see yourselves out.” Senya lit a fresh cigarette and turned his face back toward the windows. My father and I rose and this time we both bowed as we left the room. Katie rose too and walked us to the front door.
“I'm not sure I understood what that was about,” she said. “Most of the time you were speaking Mishnese.”
“Well,” I summarized. “Either the banishment is rescinded or Senya's going to close down SdK Rehnor and then collapse the Mishnese economy which will put the whole planet in peril.”
“Sounds like he's got you,” she replied.
“Check and mate,” I said.
She nodded thoughtfully. “Senya always wins at chess. You guys need to learn not to play against him anymore.”
“I think we just learned that,” my father mumbled and we bid her goodnight.
The banishment was rescinded two days later upon our return to Mishnah. Akan was furious. SdK continued to flourish and a short time after that, Senya sent me a confidential email asking me to secure the rights to build a multi-ship spacedock in orbit above Rehnor.
Chapter 20
Senya
Senya sat at his desk in his office in the far corner of the second floor of his house. He had plans spread out in front of him. Each bore detailed descriptions, drawings and calculations for a host of new medical devices to be produced by SdK. He thumbed through them, initialing on the bottom when he approved them, marking them with notes and revisions when he did not. They were all good though. Each one of them could be used in a variety of surgical settings. Every device would save thousands if not millions of lives by the time they were distributed throughout the galaxy. He would make money on them too and that would help finance his next big project.
He tossed the drawings aside and leaned back in his chair for a smoke, relishing the pungent tobacco as it filled his lungs. He was pleased with his company, with his work here on Rozari, with his life now. The planet was healing nicely, though his work was far from done. The largest obstacle that remained was the Karupatani Continent. Until that land was healed, until it began to grow again, the planet’s ecosystem would never truly be in balance. He would have to fix it, but not now, not yet. It could wait a little longer, until he was ready.
His vid rang just then and interrupted his thoughts. He exhaled the smoke he had been holding in his lungs and willed the vid to connect.
“Sir?” Kinar called across the stars. “Might I speak with you, Sir?”
“Go ahead,” Senya replied and put his feet up on the desk, leaning back as far as his leather chair would allow. He willed himself a bottle of beer from the fridge and popped the top as Kinar spoke.
“His Majesty is requesting your presence for the Saint’s Day celebration next week. Will you come, Sir?”
“Sorry,” Senya replied. “I don’t do Saint’s Day.”
“Yes, Sir. I told Lord Dickon that. I reminded him in fact, but he requested that I invite you anyway. Perhaps, Madame would like to attend?”
Senya chuckled and took a long pull on his beer. “Madame does not do Saint’s Day either. Is there anything else, Kinar? How are you and Berkan coming on the space dock lease?”
“We are still negotiating, Sir. Mr. Berkan said he would ring you in the morning with his report. Lord Dickon is asking when you might again grace us with your presence. Shall I tell him you will be attending Mr. Berkan’s board meeting next month?”
“No,” Senya replied. “I’ll decide later if I wish to make an appearance. Thank you, Kinar.” He was about to ring off. “Oh, Kinar?”
“Yes, Sir?”
“What time is the Raven’s game?”
“It’s about to start, Sir. They are playing the Bobcats. They will probably lose.”
“Very good, Kinar. Thank you.”
The vid went dark as Senya heard the faint hiss of the underground garage door sliding open. A few moments later, he heard the clicking sound of Katie’s heels in the foyer followed by her soft padded steps as she abandoned her shoes and walked in stocking feet. She came up the stairs and pushed open the door to his office.
“What are you doing home already?” she asked, as a faint breath of wind washed over him, bathing him in her scent. There was a trace of the gardenia perfume she had sprayed on in the morning, mixed with a bit of sweat, and lilac from her shampoo. He loved her scent and the sound of her thighs in their stockings, barely brushing against each other as she walked toward him. “Didn’t you have a meeting this afternoon?” She came to him and leaned down to kiss him, noting the open beer bottle on his desk, the cigarette half-finished in his hand.
“I finished early.” He pulled her down on to his lap and reached up in her hair for the pin that kept her curls bound in the Spaceforce regulation bun. They cascaded down into his hand. He unbuttoned her uniform at the collar and worked it down until he could get his hand inside and grasp her warm soft flesh.
“How many beers have you had already?” she asked, though she didn’t push him away.
“Only this one,” he mumbled, putting his mouth upon her neck.
“Good boy,” she said.
“I am a good boy,” he agreed. His days revolved around his work, his wife and since Thad introduced him to the sport, now his team. The Mishnese Raven’s game was about to begin and even though they were going to lose, he would watch them while he ate dinner. He was starting to accomplish that which he had been sent here to do while living the life of an almost normal man.
“Hey,” his wife said, drawing his attention back to her. “What are you so busy thinking about?”
“Football,” he replied.
“Football?” she sighed. “Gosh, that honeymoon ended quick.”
He laughed and unfastened the rest of her buttons. Ay yah, he would watch the football game whilst he ate whatever creation she would make for him this night. Afterward, he would pray. He would thank his Lord for the gifts that he had been given. He would thank Him for the strength and abilities he had been granted to accomplish his tasks. And, he would thank Him for the peace and happiness that he was feeling now for the first time in his life. But first, before all that, Senya would love his wife for as long as she would let him. Everything else, the company, the planet, the Empire that was to be, would have to wait.
A Preview of Book 3
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It smelled of decay and the air was thick with the dust. There were no droppings of any sort, just tiny skeletal remains of insects scattered about. The windows and doors were long gone but the lamp was still there swinging above the altar on a rusted chain. He approached the altar and the lamp cautiously, his bare feet disturbing that which had been untouched for ten millenniums, kicking it up into clouds behind him. Then he turned and surveyed the cathedral, hearing the songs of the ancient people who had worshipped here, who had celebrated their lives and rituals here. He heard the whispered voices of those who had died here too, their bodies and bones vaporized, their molecules joining together in the dust.
He knelt down before the altar and he prayed. This was a tremendous task. This was more than anything he had done before. His resolution faltered.
“I don’t want to,” he said aloud. “I don’t want to do this!”
“You must,” a voice said. “This is why you are here.”
“This is your mission,” another voice added. “This is why you are as you are.”
“You have become too attached to your mortal being,” a third chastised him. “You have forgotten.”
“I haven’t!” Senya protested. “I know, I remember. I want…”
Senya felt the warmth of his companions surrounding him and filling him with their light and their strength. His body surged with the power they bestowed upon him. He would accomplish the tasks that he had been set down to achieve. He would do as he had been bid. He would not want nor would he ask again for his freedom. All would be as it should be. He prostrated himself beneath the lamp and begged forgiveness for his selfishness.
“Goodbye, brother,” the voices called and disappeared into the oblivion.
Senya rose slowly to his feet and dusted himself off. He would start here. He scanned the decrepit ruins of the building once again and then raised his hands. He willed the dust to form into the stained glass panes that had once filled this room with multi-colored light. He willed water to rain down upon the walls and floors and wash away the remnants of insects and cobwebs and to polish the floors until the smooth granite stones glowed with lustre. He willed the holes in the roof to close and clay tiles to form in the ridges where they had gone missing. Lastly, he willed the sacred lamp to shine again and he called upon the flame within it to burn forever more. When that was accomplished, he held up his wrist and brought forth his knife to consecrate the sacred Temple with his blood. His cell rang, interrupting him. He sent the knife away and reached in his back pocket for his phone.
“Hi!” his wife’s voice called. “Where are you? Are you still at the office?”
“No,” he replied softly.
“Ok. Are you coming home soon? I’m leaving the Landbase right now. I was just wondering what you felt like for dinner. Shall I pick up something or do you want to go out?”
“I don’t want to go out,” he whispered, leaving the cathedral. “I want to stay home.”
“Ok, I guess I’ll figure out something. Why are you whispering? Did I interrupt a meeting?”
“No. My meeting is over,” he replied, swinging shut and then locking the newly created door. “I will come home now too.”
“Good,” she said. “I’ve missed you all day. Love you!”
“I love you,” Senya replied as the call disconnected. He held the cell in the palm of his hand for a moment, as he turned back to the Temple which glowed in the twilight of the coming evening. He could feel the warmth of the sun reflecting off the newly clean granite walls. He would consecrate it another time. His brothers were right, he was too attached to his mortal being. He was too happy in this life, too in love with his wife. Though he said he would not want, he still did.
“Let me be free,” he whispered. “If only for a little while, please let me be free.”
