"He’s just mad, Bianca. Don’t worry! In a few weeks, he’s going to forget all about it and be the loving son that you wanted.”
"And what if that doesn’t work?”
"What can Hector do? He doesn’t know how to be a king.”
Bianca got into Benedict’s face when she said that. It showed Benedict that in spite the anger, she was worried for her son.
Benedict apologized and said, “Look, if you want to right this wrong, then he has to step up. Do you know what the streets are saying? Hector is a wimp, a sissy boy hiding in his stadium with his musicals. And whatever Hector does reflect on you. You have to bring him together, or kiss everything you’ve worked for goodbye. And the last thing I want to see is you being killed for that.”
He kissed her on the cheek. However, Bianca did not respond with affection on her part. Since taking on the title of queen, there was no more lust between the two. Benedict blamed himself for that. In trying to make a leader out of her for Baptista’s sake, he killed the little compassion she had when they first came back to Crystal Metropolis.
She was a political machine. The sweet Bianca Stilicho was gone.
“I want the best political genius you can find and I want him to teach Hector how to be a leader.”
“And that writer? What are you going to do about him?"
Bianca took out her cellphone. "Issue a decree disbanding all theaters. The Lysander Stadium will not host anymore. All actors, writers, musicians, and artists will leave Crystal Metropolis immediately or they will face execution or exile."
****
Sure enough, Hector ran into his throne room and started throwing vases across the room.
How could she do this? He asked himself.
Democrat Guards were ordered by Bianca to arrest every artist and writer on the planet and send them to the dungeons of Hungaro. The true insult came when Hector tried to override the situation and bring the artists back.
However, Hector also had some people he could talk to about his mother.
The former Democrat Guard, Alonso Fonatine, was one. He had made a good impression in the political world, working with strators and lators on Ichiamo’s future plans and being a protector of Crystal Metropolis’ human rights.
Another was a mysterious newcomer in Crystal Metropolis, a former tribal warrior and chief from the Hallow Points named Barca Indus. Alonso kept a good eye on him due to his somewhat duplicitous nature and the fact he always had a tense look that showed contempt.
Since he couldn't go to the Santos Palace to talk out his frustrations, he used the old Nero Palace, equipped with food and necessities.
“My mother can’t get away with this,” he said. “Can she?”
“She’s the queen,” Alonso said. "What can you do? She has equal footing in the rule.”
“My mother has turned to some stubborn bitch since she became queen. I don’t like that. I don’t like that at all."
There was silence for a few minutes.
Then, the usual quiet Barca spoke. “Then there’s only one thing you can do.”
“What’s that?” Hector asked.
“You’re the king. You have to start acting like one. The only reason she’s doing this is because she thinks you’re not doing your duty to lead. Frankly, everyone in Crystal Metropolis see you as a pretender with no kind of leadership ability whatsoever. They see you as just your mother’s son, following her around like a dog.”
Hector shrugged. “So I’m a joke to the people? That’s what they’re saying?”
“That and more.” Barca said calmly.
Alonso saw Hector’s enflamed eyes. The king stood up and paced all around the room, mumbling to himself. Barca stood still. Alonso took a seat and covered his face.
“Okay,” Hector said. “I got it. Time to issue a decree. We’ll see how my mother likes this.”
****
Two days later, it was established. Hector issued the following decree to his court.
"My mother is no longer to dwell or come within a few feet by the Santos Palace and the other small palaces in Crystal Metropolis. She is forbidden to make any kind of deals or speak to the Strator Circle about laws or any political agenda."
Bianca didn't know about this until she tried to get inside the palace. Democrat Guards stopped her from entering. No amount of explaining helped.
Not taking no for an answer, she stormed into the main palace and to the throne room, where Hector conducted the rest of his business.
“What the hell is wrong with you, boy?” she screamed, pushing advisors and cursers out of the way. “What’s the meaning of this? What’s this I’m hearing about being forbidden to enter the palace?”
Hector was calmer than usual around her. “It’s over, Mother. You’re out.”
“What do you mean I’m out?”
“I’m going to take care of things from here on in.”
Bianca was steamed. “Are you out of your mind? There’s no way you can do that.”
Hector realized the eyes watching the argument. He told them calmly to leave, but Bianca screamed and cursed for them to get out. The throne room was heated with pure intensity between the two.
“What are you talking about?” Bianca asked.
“There’s going to be some changes around here. I’m taking over all operations. I’m bringing Isabella in as queen. You’re out. There’s no way I can operate with you around. I’ve set up a place for you where you can retire and live out your age.”
“Live out my age? Are you crazy? You’re kicking me out of Crystal Metropolis?”
“That’s right!”
“Where do you get off? You don’t know what you’re doing. You need me to take care of this place. I’m the only reason you even became king and this is how you’re going to treat me? Since when do you care about being king anyway?”
Hector rubbed the legs of his throne chair. “Well, you’re right about that, Mother. I haven’t been taking my title seriously. Well, that ends now. For now on, I’ll become the king that you always wanted me to be."
“You don’t know how to be a leader. While you were out with your theater and prostitutes and eating everything in sight, I’ve been taking care of your business. Can you say the same? Without me, you’re nothing. These people won’t respect you. They don’t respect you now. They’re waiting for Ichiamo to come back from the dead.”
Bianca rambled. Hector knew that this was going to get to her. He stood his ground and held on to his statement; not only because he was trying to save his kingship, but he also wanted to prove that he could stand up to his mother. In listening to her, he could tell that she was getting into the role of a ruler more than she supposed to be.
Bianca took off the crown on her head and placed it on the steps leading to the throne. “You want me gone, fine! We’ll see how long you can last without me. If you can last even a few days, then I’ll stay away from the planet for the rest of my life.”
She stormed out of the palace and Hector breathed a sigh of relief.
****
Hector thought that getting rid of his mother was a good move, but he was more afraid than ever of her aura. There was no way he could shake it. A few days went by without his mother and Hector observed how the court felt about him. Bianca was right. Even though she was too much of a perfectionist, all of Crystal Metropolis were more content with Queen Bianca than they were about King Hector.
He talked with Barca about it, who seemed to know more about the role of power than most people because at one point, he was a tribal leader before he was forced to resign. Plus, he could trust him better than the strators and lators in Bianca’s pocket.
He would scream out his frustrations in his quarters and standing by, Barca stuck to his chill nature.
“Tell me something, Barca. Do you think that she could go up against me? Does she really have that kind of hold on this place?”
“Well, she does have some control,” Barca responded. “People wou
ld respond to her quicker than for you, even though you’re both are hated equally. If she could, she could get an army to go against you. You have to remember. She's a Lysander and has controlling interest in her father's businesses in Solaria."
“So what can I do?”
Barca paused for a few. He wanted to be sure of what he was going to say. He saw that there was potential in Hector to be a ruthless leader.
“Well, there’s one idea. If she’s interfering with the equation, then the best thing to do is to erase her from it.”
Hector paused. “Are you saying…?” He saw Barca’s eyes glared at him. “Is that even possible?”
“It could with the right men.”
“But that can’t be right. I can’t do that even if I wanted to.”
“Well, the only other way is to beg her forgiveness and give her back access.”
Hector beat his head trying to make sense out of it.
“Besides, I think she’s joking,” Hector said. "She just going to sulk and complain for a few weeks and she’ll get out of this power trip.”
He saw Barca’s eyes again. The weightiness was still there, telling him all he needed to know.
****
Bianca was back in space again and with her former mentor Benedict Biondello in her corner. She told him what happened with her son while Benedict was just pleased to be around Bianca again on another adventure.
"So that’s what this trip is for?” Benedict asked.
“Hector has to learn who’s brought him this far,” Bianca said. “There’s no way he’s going to make an embarrassment out of me.”
“So this is more about you than your son? He wants to become a king now. What’s wrong with that? Wasn’t that the purpose of going to Crystal Metropolis in the first place?
Bianca ignored the question. She kept on cursing her son for what she did.
"So where are we going?” Benedict asked.
Bianca stared out the window of the ship. "The only place I can go and to the only person I can trust to help me. I just hope he’s still there.”
She was taking a chance, but she didn’t want to go back. She was back at the last place she thought she would be:
The Hallow Points.
****
Bianca landed at Zestir at first and start asking some questions. There were many places she was given to receive information. Not able to find anything there, she ended up going to Baeum. She realized when she asked a few people about the planet that there was not much to it. It was not when she landed she found out the truth.
Baeum had become more industrialized thanks to the presence of the Second Renaissance. There were bases everywhere, along with the farmland that grew the special crop known as metine.
She went to a villa around heavily-guarded land. She wondered if her information was correct and the person she was looking for lived here.
She asked the question to the guards.
"Does Cassio Ramirez live here?”
One asked, “Who wants to know?”
"The Queen of the ATM. Who else, fool?”
The guards looked at each other confused. Then, one of them went inside while the other asked her to wait.
Seconds later, the guard came back and invited her inside.
The inside of the villa was almost like the old villa her father owned in the Cyprun Valley when they disguised themselves as different people.
"This is beautiful,” she whispered to Benedict.
Then, a short, somewhat portly man came before them. He bowed to her and said, “Welcome, my queen! What is it I can do for you?”
"I need to know where Cassio Ramirez is.”
"Why you ask? What can he do for you that I can’t?”
"And who are you?”
Before he could answer, a handsome man came inside. Bianca turned around and locked eyes immediately.
Bianca smiled. “Hello, Cassio!”
This time, there was no smile or big hug. He was more traumatized than blissful.
"What do you want?” Cassio asked.
"Cassio, it’s me.”
He took a deep breath. “Come outside.”
Bianca and Cassio went out into the land, far away from his villa. Benedict was a distance away. Bianca viewed how beautiful the land was and how hard the people worked on it.
"Has this land always been beautiful?” she asked, trying to break some of the ice.
"Metine has to be if it’s going to be good to sell.”
This was the first time she heard of the mysterious drug that made him wealthy like a king. She asked Cassio if she could try the stuff. Cassio did it anyway, just to get his thoughts together while she was distracted. Bianca took a look and a taste. It was a sweet and satisfying taste Bianca savored.
"What are you doing here?” Cassio asked. “How did you know where I was?”
Bianca shook herself off from the chill of the taste and stared into an intense Cassio. “Well… I came here to see you. I wanted to know how things were.”
"You need my help. That’s what it is. You need to get to your son and you need someone to help you do it.”
"How did you know—?”
"I know things as well. Like Hector kicked you out and you want to get back in. I find it ironic, but then again, it doesn’t matter to me. The only question I want to know is why me? Why do you need me to help you?”
"Hector’s out of control. And I don’t want to go to war with him. I just want to--”
"Get back into the seat of power,” Cassio finished. “I guess in the end, that’s what you’re reduced to. That was why you left in the first place, wasn’t it? I can’t believe you fooled me for a second time. Well, I’ll admit the second time was my fault. I should have known better.”
"Cassio, I’m sorry,” Bianca pleaded. “Believe me, I wanted to tell you. I wanted to find you to tell you.”
"Please! You had SEVEN years to tell me that. SEVEN YEARS!” Cassio paused. Then, he came out with a wild laugh. “I see what this is. You were waiting for it, weren’t you? You had no intentions of coming back to make something happen between us again. You were hoping that I would be that same, sorry boy who worshipped the ground you walked on. That way, I would just help you and then you leave again. Well, I guess hanging with the Santos family has done wonders on your deception skills. Well, you won’t fool me for a third time.”
"Cassio, just let me—”
"You’re wasting your time here. The answer’s no.”
Cassio walked away from her. Bianca ran to him and grabbed his arm. Cassio shook it off as if she attacked him.
Bianca poured on the grief. “Cassio, if you care about me at all, help me. I mean, there was a time when you cared about Hector. You wanted to be a father to him. If you won’t do it for me, do it for Hector.”
Cassio turned around and grabbed his nose. Suddenly, it was in pain. He thought to himself that it was the effect of the metine he had gotten addicted to during his time here. Then, he turned around again. He went closely to her and stared deeply into her eyes. He nodded his head and made hissing sounds.
"I was right. There’s nothing there. And you almost had me there.”
Then, Cassio turned around again and left. This time, he kept going.
"I’m the queen of the ATM,” Bianca shouted. “You will listen to me, Cassio Ramirez. You understand me?”
Cassio stopped. “You’re going to pull rank on me here in my land? Don’t forget where you are. And if I were you, I would leave without bringing attention to yourself.” Then, he walked on again, and didn't stop anymore until he was inside the villa.
Bianca formed tears for real, but it was no use. Cassio, her last hope and the only person who cared about her for her, was gone.
Gone forever.
****
Bianca was back into space with Benedict, getting nowhere. Benedict asked what she was going to do, but she for the first time in her life, she had no clue of the next step.
Throughout the entire trip, she was silent.
Coming back to Crystal Metropolis fill Bianca’s heart with darkness. Already, Hector changed the course of palace life; small fixtures, but a change nevertheless. Everyone that she observed didn’t even want to know who she was.
That was when she found out the truth. Thanks to Hector's declaration to be king, she became an outlaw in a land that she was trying to help.
INIQUITOUS DOMINION: The Galactic Classic Page 41
