by RJ Johnson
Sinjakama sighed. "Fine. I will be there."
"Eight bells. Don't be late." Meade said. He turned to leave before the man had a chance to change his mind. But before he did, he grabbed the container of Osmium, if Sinjakama didn't want it, he sure as hell wasn't gonna let it go to waste.
"Mr. Meade!" Sinjakama called out, "You may leave the Osmium with me. Just because it isn't much, doesn't mean I'm allowing you to leave with it."
"It's a clue, Sinjakama. I want to hang onto it and examine it a bit closer before you toss it in your pile of money."
Sinjakama paused, considering his request before nodding in agreement. "Fine, but I want it back before we leave."
Meade shook his head. "Ain't no one trusts me anymore. Don't worry. It'll be all yours."
Meade pocketed the Osmium and Sinjakama called out after him. "Mr. Meade, please consider this, just because you don't have a compliance chip doesn't mean I won't install one manually if you fail to return my property."
Meade seethed with anger and decided not to respond. He let the door slide shut behind him and moved to go change for their dinner with Koschei. Hopefully he could get some sort of clue from the Russian and wrap up this case before he killed Sinjakama out of frustration.
Chapter Fourteen
Meade wasn't sure what he expected as he approached Koschei's private home in the forest on Rosetta. It was strangely normal and not as ostentatious as he had expected. It had a rustic feel, reminiscent of the old cabins found in the backwoods of the Homeworld.
He approached the door wondering if he should knock, or wait for the eight bells to ring on the dot. He had arrived early as he had been taught and was clearly the first. Suresh approached the door and grappled with the enormous knocker Koschei had installed, raising it and dropping it on the thick wood door with a loud KLUNK.
"Quaint." Meade said with a half-smile on his lips. All this technology to get humanity to the stars, build a mining colony unlike anything before it and here was Koschei using centuries old technology to let him know when his guests had arrived. Meade was sure at every minute, cameras were watching their every move on the station.
The door swung open and Yanxiong stood bowing deeply saluting. "Master Koschei welcomes you and your party to the great estate."
"Uhh... thanks." Meade still hadn't quite mastered the Consortium salute yet, and he clumsily dropped his fist against his chest. To be honest, he didn't really care, but it was their custom and when in Rome as the saying went.
"The rest of our party has yet to arrive." Suresh apologized quickly. "Madame Hunan and Master Sinjakama were still preparing themselves when we left."
"You are early, Master Koschei takes no offense of course." Yanxiong replied showing the disgusting smile Meade had seen on the flight deck. "Appetizers and drinks are being served in the library, if you will follow me."
"Drinks. Now you're speaking my language." Meade commented and he followed Yanxiong into the deep recesses of Koschei's home.
The interior of Koschei's homestead was much larger than it appeared from the outside. Meade couldn't tell for sure, but it felt as if they were walking into the depths of the asteroid. The hallways were adorned with paintings from quite a few Homeworld masters from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as well as some more modern fair. Meade paused, staring at one of his favorite paintings of all time.
It was a depiction by a modern Martian artist Jeanie DeRecroiux of the Last War. The image was graphic, containing several menacing mushroom clouds from exploded nuclear weapons and despairing mother watching the oncoming destruction as she clutched her child before the impact of the shock wave. It was a powerful image, one, critics say, was based on DeRecroiux's real life experiences during the Last War.
"Powerful stuff isn't it?" Koschei's voice called from the library as he approached his first guests to arrive for the evening. "DeRecroiux has always been my favorite modern artist. The old masters are good," he waved his scotch spilling some of the amber liquid on the thick white rug beneath their feet, "But, I'm a sucker for postwar period art. Some of the most brutal and defining images of the century came from that period."
"Odd how war inspires man to create isn't it?" Meade remarked staring at the painting. It always bothered him how much the woman in the picture reminded him of his mother. Perhaps, that was just what the artist wanted everyone to see.
"Not just create my dear boy, but also innovate!" Koschei's voice boomed in the hallway. "The only reason Humanity ever made it to the Moon, Mars and beyond was because of the terrifying destruction we inflicted on each other's cultures. War is necessary. It is as natural as breathing and we'd be fools to deny the benefits of it to our species."
"Over four billion people lost their lives in that war." Meade hotly contested. "I doubt they'd care we were able to make it to Mars just cause a few ego maniacal politicians got pissed off and decided the big red button was too big to resist."
"Oh, you know just as much as I that there was far more to the Last War than that." Koschei remarked, dismissing Meade's argument. "Men fighting over resources that were dwindling fast on a dying planet. That's why the Consortium took the first initiative to move our people into space and on the orbital cities and Luna colonies."
"I 'spose you got me there Koschei." Meade remarked, "But it ain't as if the Coalition are slouches in the space exploration department."
Koschei laughed, "You refer to their pathetic colony on Mars? The multiple failed expeditions to Jupiter's moons? The Enceladus disaster? Twenty of your brightest minds perished in a foolish accident easily prevented by a piece of material that cost less than five credits. The mission to Titan had to be canceled because no one was suicidal enough to ride on the Coalition's colony ships. Your people have mastered the Martian cycles for transporting your people I'll grant you that. But long term exploration?" He snorted. "Please. Consortium technology is light years ahead of your people in that department."
"I wouldn't count the Coalition out just yet. And besides, need I remind you, I don't have a dog in that fight." Meade said as he accepted a scotch from Suresh. He sipped it and felt the bite of true scotch, not the bathtub shotgun moonshine Emeline made. And while he missed her stuff, drinking the real thing was a true privilege.
The door thundered and Yanxiong quickly exited the library to receive the arriving guests. Koschei lowered his voice and beckoned Meade to lean closer to him.
"Tell me Mr. Meade, have you found anything on Dr. Sinjakama's death yet?"
Meade debated what to say. On the one hand, it might be an excellent opportunity to pump the man for information. Koschei looked to be three deep into his drinks and was already unsteady on his feet. Perhaps this was a good moment to try and knock the man off balance to see what he could learn.
"Nothing too concrete just yet, but I do believe the man was murdered and wasn't suicidal."
Koschei raised an eyebrow. "What evidence do you have that has helped you reach this conclusion?"
Meade chewed on his bottom lip, something he often did when he was deep in thought. "The thing that's bothered me the most is how Sinjakama's body wasn't exploded all over the ground of the pit. I've seen men fall from lower heights than that and there wasn't much left of their body besides what you could fit in a plastic bag. It's a puzzle to me that his body only showed multiple fractures and blunt force trauma."
"What does that mean?" Koschei asked.
"I'm not entirely sure yet. But my gut tells me you got yourself a mole in your operation who edited the footage to make it appear like Sinjakama committed suicide instead of what really happened."
Koschei remained stone faced and Meade studied the man realizing, "You believe the same don't you?"
Koschei sighed heavily and nodded. "I've been afraid my operation here on Rosetta has been beset by infiltrators on all sides."
"By who?" Meade asked getting excited. He was close to his first real clue.
Koschei cleared his throat and turned a
way from Meade to greet his guests who were being escorted into the library by Yanxiong.
"Madame Hunan, Master Sinjakama, welcome to my humble abode." Koschei bowed deeply and offered the Consortium salute to Sinjakama. Sinjakama nodded and Koschei lowered his hand and strode up to Emeline.
"Madame, you are a sight more beautiful than Venus herself." He said bowing gallantly as he took her hand kissing it. Emeline giggled at the old world charm and blushed. Meade rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.
"May I offer you anything to drink Master Sinjakama?" Yanxiong asked his eyes looking to the ground.
"I hear good things about your wine selection on board. Impress me with something and pair it with our dinner." Sinjakama replied.
"As you wish." Yanxiong bowed and quickly exited the room to fetch Sinjakama's drink order. Koschei harrumphed and shook his head apologetically towards Emeline.
"You'll have to forgive Yanxiong." Koschei said. "He is sometimes blinded by the presence of a beautiful woman and is at times forgetful that they appreciate a good drink as well. Please, take mine. It is fresh." He offered his scotch to Emeline and she took it with a grateful nod, she tossed it back in one gulp.
"Not bad." She exclaimed smacking her lips. "What do you think of it Jim?"
Meade glanced at his and debated how he should answer it. Insult his host? Or the woman who gave him free drinks? Fortunately, he was able to avoid answering the question when Yanxiong reentered the room carrying a bottle and several wine glasses.
"Master Sinjakama, I have a 2062 red that will pair nicely with the venison. It has a fruity bouquet and earthy tones that I believe you will find quite pleasing to your palate." He uncorked the bottle and allowed it to breathe. "If you will give it a moment, I'll decant the wine and escort you to dinner. The chef informs me he is about to serve."
"Excellent!" Koschei cried. "Master Sinjakama, you are in for a treat. I killed the deer myself today. There is nothing quite like freshly killed meat from your own gaming preserve, but I'm sure I do not need to tell you that."
"It will be a relief to dine on something other than the rations offered by the Garuda. We left the Homeworld rather hastily and as a result, our pantry was not filled properly when we left port. While our chef made do with what we had, after he was ejected when our ship ran into some difficulties along the way, I’ve been forced to dine on the dehydrated fair. Absolute horror."
Koschei nodded sympathetically. "I heard about your troubles and rest assured I have assigned our finest engineers to look over and repair the issues raised by your travels here.”
"I will also require a skeleton crew for our eventual return at the conclusion of Mr. Meade's investigation." Sinjakama replied.
"Of course Master Sinjakama. You know I am the Consortium's loyal servant." Koschei bowed deeply as the dinner bell began to ring. "Ahh, there we are. Dinner is served."
The group was escorted to a grand dining room. An ornately decorated round table filled the dining room as an assortment of servants appeared from nowhere to escort each of their party to their seats. Suresh and Amla were about to be whisked away to the kitchen when Meade grabbed Suresh's arm.
"Where are you going? Aren't you eating with us?"
Suresh's voice became low to the point where Meade had to strain to hear him. "Sir, I know you are used to servants dining with their masters, but in the Consortium, such things are unheard of."
"Bull." Meade said loudly, enough to raise Koschei's attention. "You eat with us."
Suresh shook his head quickly and tugged Meade away from the group being escorted to their chairs. "Sir, I appreciate the gesture, but I will be fine. I prefer to eat with the kitchen staff."
Meade grimaced before finally acquiescing. "All right, but do me a favor and keep your ears open. See what you can find out from them what they know about Sinjakama Senior's death all right?"
A smile spread across Suresh's face. "You are certainly one of the good ones."
"If not that, at the very least try to keep 'em from spitting in my food." Meade joked. Suresh nodded and disappeared behind Amla into the kitchen. Meade found his seat in between Sinjakama and Emeline and looked at the vast feast set before them. It was more food than he had seen in a week and his stomach reminded him how hungry he really was. He swallowed the remainder of his scotch and set the drink down. As if by magic, another tumbler of scotch appeared by his right arm.
"You don't mess around here do you Koschei?" Meade remarked as a servant began spooning a large portion of Pakoras (a variety of vegetables fried in a spicy batter), and rice onto his plate.
"We eat well on Rosetta that is true." Koschei agreed. "It is my dream to one day be completely self-sufficient from the Homeworld, but I'm afraid I just can't get my people to brew scotch and wine like the Coalition can. Until then, I'm afraid Rosetta is caught in the ever revolving cycle of trade."
"And importing workers and immigration as well." Sinjakama added. "The Consortium is highly invested in making this colony a beacon and base along the way for deeper space exploration."
"As well as other, more laudable goals." The two Consortium men smiled conspiratorial as they clinked their glasses together.
"What does that mean?" Emeline asked.
"Oh, I'm afraid you wouldn't understand." Sinjakama's condescension was palpable. Meade wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was excited to see how the two of them played out their obvious distaste for one another.
"Try me." Her eyes were flashing. Never a good sign Meade knew. Perhaps he'd try to change the subject.
"How long has Rosetta been up and running Koschei?" He asked in an obvious attempt to divert attention from the fact Emeline was about to murder the man who hired them. No sense in letting her kill Sinjakama before he paid what he owed them.
"I've been on board for several months now. The initial mining operations began long before I even had a financial interest in the project." Koschei was the kind of man who liked talking about himself and his triumph. Flattery would get him everywhere with this man. The alcohol helped too.
"How long did it take to build the forest?" Meade asked. "It's incredible what you've been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time."
"Our goal has always been to recreate the Homeworld as best as humanly possible." Koschei began, "If you can believe it, the dome was the first thing installed to protect the workers from the Heavy Rain as they call it and micrometeorite storms. After that, construction didn't take long as all the heavy equipment was on board long before a human stepped foot on Rosetta."
"The Gravity plates are a bit uneven in the Pit." Meade remarked as he tried the Pakoras. His stomach felt like it had died and gone to heaven. The Consortium might be a totalitarian dictatorship, but they knew their food.
"Yes, I'm afraid certain sections of Rosetta were improperly built. That is partly why I requested Sanjay Sinjakama come on board and help oversee final construction. Unfortunately, he did not live to see his vision completed."
"What I don't get is, why him?" Meade asked. "There are plenty of names around the Consortium who do this sort of work. I don't get the feeling the Sinjakama family was hurting for money exactly, so why was a man of such standing and political importance so crucial to Rosetta's success?"
Koschei stretched and waved for the second course to be served. The food was quickly taken off the table and their plates replaced with a generous portion of venison steaks and green vegetables.
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss every detail of Master Sinjakama's duties here, but sufficed to say, he was the best and the Consortium is heavily invested in Rosetta's…" he paused, "…our success. We could not afford to allow anyone else to complete this project."
Meade nodded. It was the second time he had heard how Sinjakama was so crucial to Rosetta's success. Only no one was saying why, and the why was what interested him.
"I suppose, but I don't get is why an engineer who mostly worked on propulsion and high thrust ion d
rives was here just to patch up holes and readjust gravity well plates. I 'spect his talents would be better served elsewhere."
Sinjakama glanced at Koschei and the man in charge of Rosetta cut a piece of his meat, chewing thoughtfully. "You really should try this venison. You haven't lived until you've eaten wild game."
Meade realized he had hit a nerve and decided to let it go. Koschei either didn't know, or wasn't authorized by Sinjakama Jr. to reveal that particular piece of Consortium information. He decided to try the meat and cut a nice hunk of steak and ate it off his plate. He wasn't disappointed, Koschei was right. It was far and away the best thing he had ever tasted in his life, though to be fair, most of the meat he ate was grown in petri dishes in the Martian colony, so it wasn’t as if he had a lot to compare it to.