by RJ Johnson
"What about it Koschei?" Emeline spoke up. "Sinjakama Sr. wasn't just here to patch up the place was he?"
Meade pretended to concentrate on his venison. If there was one thing he knew, it was when to let Emeline take the lead. She was like a bulldog once provoked.
"As I said, that information is classified." Koschei said apologetically.
"Why?" Emeline challenged. "We're here to find a killer. Seems to me that if you're hiding something that might be relevant to our investigation, then there's really no point for us to be here in the first place."
Koschei dropped his knife and fork on his plate, the noise echoing through the dining room. "Young lady, I have indulged your insolence as you are a guest of the esteemed Master Sinjakama, but I cannot allow you to take such a tone with me."
"Enough!" Sinjakama's voice thundered through the room. The Indian man dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. "Perhaps Mr. Koschei, Ms. Hunan is correct and we should reveal to them the real purpose for Rosetta. After all, we are not investigators and do not know what might be relevant and what to look for. As these people are in my employ and under a rather draconian non-disclosure contract agreement, I highly doubt they will reveal anything we may say here tonight. In fact, should they communicate any of the information, they would face the strictest of penalties from not only the Martian Coalition government, but our own as well. I believe our secret is safe with them."
Koschei frowned and picked up his fork and speared a piece of venison and chewed it slowly.
"All right," he said as he swallowed the tender meat, "but don't say I didn't warn you."
"Proceed." Sinjakama replied, examining the piece of meat on his fork. He sampled it and chewed it loudly.
"Rosetta is the culmination of a series of next generation projects by the Consortium." Koschei began. "While mining the ORI and shipping it back to Earth was initial purpose of this asteroid, the Consortium has never been a nation that's lacked imagination. Our glorious leaders have much larger plans, which, dare I say, are the most inspiring I've ever had the pleasure of seeing." He saluted Sinjakama from across the table who smiled and raised his glass in acknowledgment.
"Which are?" Meade challenged.
"We are on the brink of completing the greatest engineering task ever undertaken by mankind." Koschei paused for dramatic effect. "We have developed the capability to maneuver Rosetta into the L2 Lagrange point near Earth." A broad smile was spreading across Koschei's face as his pride swelled his chest. "It will bring prosperity and initiate a golden age for the Consortium unlike anything seen before in Human history. And, best of all, it will ensure the rightful dominance of our nation as the leader of Humanity into the next thousand years."
Meade's initial reaction was to laugh. Of all the things he could have expected, this was not one he was prepared for. Maneuvering an asteroid the size of Rosetta into a stationary orbit just 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth was the most bizzare thing he'd ever heard. It wasn't until he saw Koschei's face and Sinjakama's calm demeanor that he realized they were deadly serious. If the Consortium was capable of moving an asteroid the size of Rosetta 500 million kilometer to the Homeworld, it would not only be an amazing achievement, it would absolutely establish dominance by the Consortium over the Coalition as the premier driver of Homeworld politics.
"ORI has become cheap for our nation, but the lead time to get a twenty ton cargo container back to Earth is far too long and inefficient for Consortium's plans. Master Sinjakama's father accomplished what no man had ever dreamed possible until now. We have outfitted Rosetta with a set of ion thrusters unparalleled in their power. In a little under 36 hours, Rosetta will begin the procedures to start up the Ultra High Thrust Ion Engines Sanjay Sinjakama designed and Rosetta will be moved from the outskirts of the Asteroid belt into a stable orbit near the Homeworld." Koschei sat back, proud and smiling at Meade and Emeline's shocked reactions to his news.
Meade spat out the scotch he had been drinking in shock. "That's... that's impossible!" Even with his admittedly limited knowledge of orbital mechanics and physics, the sheer amount of energy necessary to get the asteroid on a course towards the Homeworld would be unspeakably demanding.
"The Consortium is known to do six impossible things before breakfast to misquote Alice Carroll" Sinjakama said, a wry smile on his face. "Using the largest immigrant population in space working non-stop over the last two years, my father built the most powerful engines ever designed in human history.
"Think of it Mr. Meade!" Sinjakama cried out his face flush with excitement. "A brand new moon, filled with ORI, virtually printing credits for the Consortium economy. The Coalition will have no choice but to shut down the Martian Mines, and the colony there will fail like it was destined to. They will be forced to buy our higher quality ore, at a higher percentage rate of course. The Coalition economy will be crushed and soon, every Coalition citizen from across the system will be begging for an opportunity to work and live on a Consortium star ship, each with its own high thrust ion engines based on my father's design. We are destined to colonize distant stars, live generations longer, expand the history of the glorious Consortium and prove the Coalition to be the fools we know they are. Some of our more optimistic scientists even believe we could reach Alpha Centari within the decade! And after that, who knows what is possible? Soon, the whole galaxy will be filled with Consortium colonies with our citizens exploring and helping humanity reach new untold heights of power. There's no telling what we will be able to accomplish!"
Meade's eyes widen in shock as he listened to Sinjakama's rant. The possibilities of Rosetta in a near Earth orbit were indeed limitless - especially if the engines mounted on the asteroid were as powerful as they claimed. He'd seen what the Garuda was capable of already, and Meade had no doubt that they believed they could accomplish what what they were telling him.
Meade glanced at Emeline and saw that her face showing complete disbelief. She was having just as hard of time believing Sinjakama as he was, but it was clear from her expression that more than anything else, she was troubled. It was a bit like watching a movie about the inevitable downfall of the Coalition play out before you.
"That's quite a goal you have there." Meade slowly responded, unsure of what else to say. "If that's the case, why wait?"
"You don't know much about orbital mechanics do you Mr. Meade?" Sinjakama sneered. "The orbit of the Homeworld and Rosetta will line up in aphelion in the next few days. While I am concerned about my father's death, it is secondary to my true mission here. After my father's death, as the only one who understood my father's designs, I was asked by the Consortium to personally ensure the launch went smoothly and the initial testing of my father's engines went without a hiccup."
Koschei smiled. "Your father's tragic death set us back some, but fortunately, he left detailed instructions for the later phases of the project and, yes, I am happy to officially report to you that even as we speak, final prefire testing is under way. We began final countdown to launch this morning. I had hoped to give you a personal tour after we finished dinner."
Sinjakama smiled broadly. "That is excellent news." He took a large and bloody bite of the venison in front of him, savoring the taste.
"Not only has this colony exceeded my expectations, the news that my father's untimely death did not delay anything is most welcome." Sinjakama continued. "However, I do want answers, and Mr. Meade is here acting as my representative."
"Of course Master Sinjakama." Koschei said kindly. "Your voice shall speak through his."
"Excellent." Sinjakama finished his venison and a servant appeared to take it away. He glanced at her, smirking. "I believe a bit of recreation to settle the stomach would be appropriate."
Koschei nodded. "Of course, please avail yourself of anything you wish in my house." He glanced at the servant girl which Sinjakama had yet to let go of. "If you are finished Mr. Meade, Madame Hunan, I have coffee and brandy in the sitting room if you care to join me."
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Meade felt sick to his stomach. He never got involved in politics, Rule #22. But after hearing Sinjakama and Koschei's plan to upend billions of people's lives in such a way that they would have no choice but to join the Consortium and its cabal of self-interested cocksuckers was a sure enough way to piss Meade off enough to get him involved.
"I'm afraid I've lost my appetite. Besides, I think this new information opens up a whole 'nother aspect of the case I have to consider." Meade said pushing the plate away from him. It was too bad. The meat was good, the scotch even better. Why'd it have to come with a side of assholes?
"I admire the dedication to your craft Mr. Meade." Koschei replied. "You are welcome to take home a bag for yourself."
"I'd prefer that pint of Johnny Walker Blue I saw behind in wet bar if I'm being honest." Meade was joking, but he needed something to settle his stomach after learning of the Consortium's plans for world domination. Competing multinational interests was how the Last War had started and that hadn't ended especially well for anyone.
Koschei smiled and snapped his fingers. A servant appeared holding that very bottle Meade had been secretly coveting all night.
"You're a generous one Koschei." Meade weakly said, as he accepted the gift. Might as well get what I can while I can, Meade thought to himself.
"I live to serve the Sinjakama clan. And as such, I am obligated to fulfill your every need. Do you have any other... requests?" Koschei glanced again at Sinjakama who was now whispering in the servant girl's ear as she shyly looked to the floor. She couldn't have been any older than 15. Meade's stomach turned at the thought of Sinjakama and the girl and what the man was about to do. He felt the sudden urge to vomit the very nice meal Koschei's chef had prepared for them.
"I think I'm going to retire to my quarters and look over the logs for the Pit if you don't mind. I do need your authorization to get past that gorilla of a security chief so I can look over the logs."
Koschei nodded. "It shall be done." He rose from the table and once again extended his hand to Meade. "I enjoyed our meal together Mr. Meade. I have to admit, I haven't met many of your kind, but for a Coalition man, you are certainly the most interesting."
"Interesting is probably the kindest thing anyone's called me lately." Meade replied, his eyes narrowing as he watched Sinjakama rise from the table and escort the young girl holding her hand out of the dining room and into the recesses of Koschei's house.
"Em, what say you and I get to work?" Meade asked as he watched her glare at Sinjakama leaving the room. If he didn't get her out of here now, she would likely kill the man. Meade walked around the table and tapped her on her shoulder. "Em?"
"You're just gonna let him take her?" She snapped, her brown eyes flashing. He looked at her, his eyes filled with regret and shook his head. He lowered his voice.
"It ain't our custom, and it ain't our place to interfere. He's a piece of shit, but he's a powerful piece of shit who could airlock us at any moment, especially now since we know the Consortium's big secret." He turned to their host who was watching their exchange.
"Mr. Koschei, it was a pleasure. Thank you for the generous meal. Best food I ate in a long time."
He had to drag Emeline out of the dining room who was now making audible threats of violence with heavy imagery on the various way she would castrate Sinjakama who thankfully was out of earshot. Koschei casually waved goodbye to his guests and he watched in amusement as Meade attempted to restrain Emeline from rushing down the hall, and tackling Sinjakama.
"Let me go!" Emeline gasped as Meade held her by the stomach. He couldn't trust to let Emeline loose just yet. She was furious at Sinjakama, not just for what he was doing the fifteen year old girl, but for what he was about to do to her colony, her friends and her country. Meade had never had much use for the Coalition, but Emeline was a true believer. She was always going on about how important it was for Meade to get involved in local politics and often made subtle jabs at him on how he needed to vote. Democracy wasn't broken she always insisted. Course, Meade figured, if the Consortium had their way and the plans they had with Rosetta, they might just live to see the day when he was proven right and democracy went the way of every other political system in history.
Amla and Suresh exited the kitchen and helped Meade escort Emeline out the door of Koschei's expansive house and finally, with the combined strength between Meade, Amla and Suresh, they managed to get Emeline outside and into the forest. He watched as her eyes flooded with tears. Yanxiong closed the massive wooden behind them and Emeline collapsed on the walkway.
"It's not fair!" Emeline sobbed. "The Coalition might have its flaws, but it's the best system we got. Why?" She looked up hopeless at Meade and he didn't know what to say or do, he'd never seen his friend like this. He did the only thing that made sense to him. He sat down next to her and hugged her tight, just to let her know that she wasn't alone and never would be.
Suresh and Amla watched them as they rocked together, her sobbing beginning to ebb. Meade knew Emeline's life was filled with tragedies just like what the young girl was now going through, and that combined with the doom predicted for the Coalition was just too much for the young woman. He'd never seen her cry before. She was supposed to be the tough one.
Meade stroked her hair and helped her stand up. "Those sorry sons-of-bitches deserve to breathe vacuum for what they're doing. But unless we do what we were hired for, I promise you, we won't live long enough to see that happen. Far as I can tell, Sinjakama didn't take a swan dive off that ledge, which leads me to believe he was murdered by someone. Someone on this rock wanted him dead and that tells me there's something much bigger going on besides this whole crazy plan to crash the Coalition's economy. There's too many variables that aren’t adding up and I'm getting that kind of bad feeling that unless you and I do something, we might as well go airlock ourselves now, cause otherwise our lives won't be worth spit." He stood her up and dusted off her jacket. "So what say you and I go find out what the hell happened to that bastard and figure out a way to sabotage those engines. You with me?"
She wiped away the tears from her eyes and nodded. "All right, but given the opportunity you let me loose on that son-of-a-bitch, you hear me?"
Meade grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Chapter Fifteen
Meade, Emeline, Suresh and Amla took separate Rampets back to their living quarters. Suresh stayed by Meade's side as he had been for the last 72 hours and Amla traveled with Emeline following them back. After dinner had concluded, the Amphetimax had finally worn off and Emeline was unable to keep her eyes open any longer. By time they got back to their quarters, Emeline was snoring peacefully next to Amla who was stroking her hair. After extracting a promise from Amla to make sure his friend slept through the night without being disturbed, Meade returned to his quarters and began pacing back and forth going over the case in his mind. As easy as the strange case had sounded when Sinjakama approached him, this latest reveal from Koschei and Sinjakama only made things stranger.
Unfortunately, Meade had no idea what his next step should be. If Sanjay Sinjakama had been murdered because of his work on the Ultra High Thrust Ion Drive, then the problem became one of motivation. Who stood to gain from the engineer's murder? Koschei might have other motives unknown to Meade, but after observing him interacting with Atel Sinjakama tonight at dinner, Meade hadn't seen anything to make him suspect Koschei of betraying his patron. It was clear from his speech tonight at dinner that the only thing Koschei was loyal to was money. As long as that kept flowing, Koschei would do whatever he was asked of by Sinjakama and the Consortium. Whatever agenda the man might have, Meade was fairly certain it didn't have anything to do with betraying the Consortium. At least, not on purpose.
So who then? Meade was stuck without ideas. He had less than squat. The logs for the Gravity well plates in the Pit had been delivered to him as promised by Koschei to his ArmBar as soon as he had arrived to his quarters. He was no enginee
r, but after looking them over, it was fairly obvious that standard protocol was to lower the gravity in the pit during the overnight shift to conserve resources and store whatever extra energy into a storage capacity. Meade suspected the draconian energy conservation had to do with the engines designed by Sanjay Sinjakama. Besides, even 50% of standard gravity was still enough to allow Sinjakama to fall and kill himself with the added bonus of preserving his body for an open casket.
All Meade had left was a gut feeling that all was not as it appeared on Rosetta. A murder covered up as a suicide. A pair of powerful ion engines. A threat to the delicate balance of power between the Consortium and Coalition forces. What was he missing? Meade paused and turned to Suresh.
"Suresh, did you get anything from the kitchen staff?" Meade asked, his voice hopeful.
Suresh shrugged, "They had nothing good to say about Sanjay Sinjakama if that's what you mean. He was a frequent guest of Master Koschei's and was not especially kind to the people who worked there."