The focus of the monitoring moved to that of following Jim Wazny. The "Waz" was on the bridge, pushing around his rags as Dester Marr served beverages.
The captain was talking with his nav officer. "I'm expecting an eleven-day stop at Parisser. Master Thelm has box seats for the kicking off of the ten-thousandth Ultimate Games. I believe eleven days because the first will be nothing but celebrations and parties, the remaining ten, the games. The crew, each of you, will be awarded a day and a half pass.
"You may watch the beginning of the games from wherever you like, but you will be back here at the first termination. I don't care if it lasts three minutes or three hours. When the first is over, you are expected back here immediately. The master may be spending the entire day out there watching, but we will be ready the moment he is called away."
The nav officer replied, "Sir, the next scheduled stop is on Polous for a meeting with his son and grandson. That will not be for twelve days."
"True, but as we've seen before, Master Thelm likes to go early so that he may check up on his assets before any meeting. He gets ornery if his grandson asks questions he is not prepared to answer. If he needs to leave sooner rather than later, we will be prepared. I've arranged these passes because I am certain he will stay for the time I mentioned, at a minimum."
The nav officer shook his head. "Ten-thousandth Ultimate. What a spectacle that will be. I've heard there may be as many as thirty thousand sleggs terminated on the first day. I do hope they bring in some who are capable of offering a challenge and not the same old weak and feeble we often see in the lesser games."
The captain leaned in. "I've been told this time it will all be fresh sleggs. No ailments. No encumbrances. Some have even been hinting around at giving them a small shield to make it more of a challenge."
"Oh, what I wouldn't give to be seated with Master Thelm for this."
The captain slapped his nav officer to the deck. "You aren't worthy to even mention that. Your pass is pulled. You'll be watching any games from this ship!"
The captain strode off with an indignant expression. Dester offered the downed officer a beverage, almost looking away as he fought to contain a smirk.
Tamia said, "Wow, that came out of nowhere."
Bresa replied, "Fourth in line for the governorship of a state demands respect. No crewman, let alone the captain himself, would ever be offered a seat with the master for this grand event or any other. It was an undignified thought and the crewman was punished for it. He shall not soon forget his transgression."
The remainder of the night was quiet.
Chapter 16
* * *
Jamus answered a gentle knock on the door as Thelm began to stir in his bed. As the master opened his eyes, a servant was standing next to his bed with a warm beverage.
"What is this?"
Jamus replied, "Something to bring you energy and start your day off right, Master. A good start to the morning brings a brighter day."
"Hmm."
Thelm took several sips. "What is this beverage?"
"A mix of berries, with the slightest touch of stimulant. Might I suggest a warm bath before dressing this morning?"
"Hmm, I do like my baths. And I do like to be clean. Let's make it so."
"As you command, Master."
Another scrubbing, this time with a new lightly-scented soap resulted in a smiling Master Thelm as his tunic was brought to his side.
"May I suggest we go with the green tunic with the orange sash this morning? You will be leaving the ship to attend the Ultimate Games festivities this morning. You look commanding in the green. Master."
"Commanding? Hmm. Indeed I do. Wait. How would you know this?"
"It is my everything to serve you, Master. I took note of this striking image of you on the wall. Well suited for any celebration. Outright commanding."
Thelm puffed up his sagging chest. "Commanding. Yes. I suppose the green would be the right outfit for the day. Go on. Put it on."
"And the regalia boots, Master. The perfect judicious compliment to your otherwise commanding presence."
"I do like to be judicious."
As Jamus pushed on the first of the boots, Thelm asked, "What is your name, slave?"
"Jamus, Master. And I am privileged that you should ask. Such magnanimity from a Talion in such a high position. No slave deserves such."
"You are right, Jamus."
As the elder Thelm was helped to his feet and he began to walk toward the door, he stopped. "Jamus, have you ever been to an Ultimate Games before?"
"No, Master."
"Clean yourself up. Speak to the captain about what you might wear. I want you serving me today as I make the rounds before tomorrow's games."
"As you ask, Master. I took the liberty of peeking at the menu for this morning's breakfast. desbet clippings drizzled in a carnival sauce. Your favorite. Nothing better than a healthy start to a day of celebration."
Thelm moved into the doorway with a chipper step before stopping again. "One last thing. When you attend to me today, there will be absolutely no talking. You will do just as you have been doing here. If I don't like your implied suggestion when handing me anything, I will shoo you away."
"Understood, Master. My replies beyond these walls would be disrespectful. I will follow your every command."
"Yes. Yes you will."
Thelm turned and strode off down the hall toward his waiting breakfast.
As the door to his chambers closed, Jamus glanced down at the camera. "Couldn't kiss his ass any harder, but I believe this to be a big score. He will be meeting with nothing but elites today, and I will be right there to hear everything they say. Bersa, I hope you haven't gone insane on the others yet. I know I'm taking risks in here. I'll be toning it down out there."
A comm came in from Hallik. "Bersa, this may be bigger than the cameras on Snooka's shuttle. Masters from a wide range of companies and governments will be in attendance out there. The Annual Ultimate Games are the pinnacle of imperial celebration. Citizen work in the empire will come to a near-complete stop today as everyone watches the grand ceremonies.
"Having a camera there among the crowds will be a treasure trove of information. The discussion of deals, trades, and mergers will be rampant. And I do like the idea of a servant slave following me around. Perhaps we can start a new trend, and at the same time place our own people into powerful situations. Mr. Turnbull and his antics... often a delight."
"And often a headache, Master Hallik. None of this was planned. He takes risks. Risks that endanger us all."
"If he is willing to self-terminate, which I believe he is, then the risk is to him alone. But keep up your emphasis on following plans. I don't want others taking these same risks. Jamus seems to know what he's doing."
"Who would you like as your slave attendant today?"
"I will have to go with Ms. Brown. I know Martin is fully capable of pulling this off, but I am not looking to intimidate others with a big Human when I am trying to work them for a deal. I'm sorry, Mr. Gecka, you will have to watch the games from there."
Bersa nodded. "Just as well. I believe he would start throwing citizens around at the first sign of a Human being chased in a hunt."
Martin replied, "I would."
Hallik smiled. "You will not like what you see and hear in the coming days, Mr. Gecka. I can only ask that you have patience and that you channel any hostility toward moving us up in the governmental chain. The sooner I am emperor... the sooner these atrocities come to an end."
Bersa turned. "Ms. Brown, I believe you have an assignment."
"Expect me there momentarily," said Hallik. "We will figure out her dress on the way to the games. Ms. Brown, you will be following behind me at five to six paces. You will speak to no one, and you will listen to everyone. Please, unless you want to be beaten by a baton or by someone's guard, keep your eyes looking at the ground."
"I can do that, sir. You'll hardly know I'm there."
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"Perfect."
The comm closed. Fifteen minutes later, Tamia Brown was on her way to the pre-celebrations of the Ultimate Games. A dull-green outfit was selected, something that would allow her to blend into the background of all the fashion showboating that was certain to be taking place. The imperial elites would be out in force, flashing their wealth and prestige as they popped from one celebration to another. Bersa struggled to contain her excitement.
Thelm's shuttle landed at star-port Allegra on the colony of Parisser. An open-air hover-taxi was waiting to ferry the leader of the House of Thelm to the first of many celebrations. Cathold Corporation, a prosperous business under the Thelm umbrella, was the first stop. All the corporate officers were out and practically knocking each other down to get close enough to kiss the sash of the senior Thelm, a greeting usually done to his sleeve.
As the greeters were pushed back by his guards, Thelm leaned back for a whisper toward a head-bowed Jamus. "Excellent suggestion on the sash. You have saved me from the usual dobs of unsightly slobber on my sleeve. It will be sashes from now on for every celebration."
Thelm turned back to the greeters with a smile. "My people, I feel so welcomed by you here on this auspicious day. The Ultimate Games, the pride of the empire—and here on our planet, a Thelm colony. I've just come from a briefing about your annual contribution to our success. Bravo! You continue to be a key company and high contributor. For this reason, I have tasked your management with providing a thousand pairs of tickets to see the games live. These will be distributed by lottery and will cover the second half of the fourth day.
"For those who won't be so lucky as to attend, I have more good news. This year’s annual bonus has been moved up three weeks to today. If you check your credit accounts, you should see those bonuses within the hour. Now go out, enjoy the day, and may your wagers return three times your spend! Thank you!"
Thelm was hurried from the cheering crowd for a series of meetings with his senior management, then escorted to behind a podium. Before him, the forty members of upper management for Cathold Corporation were standing and waiting.
Thelm leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of the stand in front of him. His gray fur bristled. "As each of you know, the House of Thelm has been bleeding wealth. You here, Cathold Corp, have been a steady performer. But we are at a crossroads as a power in Betuaon. We've lost several key contracts to our competitors of late. The tickets just promised will be limited to a hundred pairs. Spread them among your key performers.
"As to the bonuses, a mix-up in accounting will delay those until the normal time. Assign the usual scapegoats, the non-performers, and have the blame placed squarely on them. Now we move on to the critical agenda. Your sales numbers are up a modest 5 percent over this past year. Our goal was 12. The initiatives we put in place are failing and I want to know why."
A list of performance metrics showed on a display wall behind Thelm. Jamus turned for his camera to take in a full view.
Bersa nodded in approval as she watched over the video feed from Beta Station. "We could not ask for better intel. This tells us the earnings of each division in their number one performing industry. Master Hallik will be ecstatic. This shows us precisely where to target within this corporation. Well done, Mr. Turnbull. Well done."
Thelm continued with his stern message about performance for another ten minutes before departing for another event. Jamus followed six paces behind with his head bowed.
As they entered a hover-taxi, Thelm signaled his guards. "You two, I want to be alone. Take the next taxi and follow."
"But sir, that is highly unusual."
"Am I your employer?"
"Yes, sir. I beg your forgiveness. We will follow."
The taxi lifted into the air.
Thelm turned. "Every visit, I have to chastise those buffoons for not making the numbers as directed. Where am I going wrong, Jamus?"
"They all work for you, Master. They should be grateful and perform as directed."
Thelm stared at his servant. "Yes. Yes I suppose they should. You seem different than the other slaves. More intelligent. Why?"
"I am what I am, Master. My former master insisted I talk. Perhaps that gives the perception of having intelligence."
"Perhaps."
Thelm leaned back in his seat. "I dread the next conversation. I will be letting a third of the senior staff go in the coming weeks. Their performance has been abysmal. The company builds and leases office furniture. Our competitor is squeezing us dry of profit. And I know they are struggling themselves."
Jamus replied, "My prior master looked to split territories with the competitor in a similar situation. Both companies profited."
Thelm again gave him a hard stare. "A slave knows business?"
"I apologize, Master. I am only repeating what I heard."
"I see. I'm ordering you here and now to not repeat anything heard while in my employ. Other than to me of course."
Thelm rubbed his chin. "Split territories. Hmm."
A comm was opened. "Drakis…"
A Brekan on the other end replied, "Thelm. Are you here at the games?"
"I am. And I wanted to discuss a situation where we have business overlap."
"Go on."
"The Myanta Corporation. You are selling goods on Parisser, Wathrin, Polous, and Delissy. I propose we divide those territories and eliminate the competitive pricing we are currently plaguing ourselves with. You will restrict your sales to Wathrin and Delissy, I to Polous and Parisser. I've done a quick run of the numbers in my head. The sales between that split are nearly identical, and although there is a slight loss in volume for me, I am willing to accept that if I have the ability to raise my margins."
"You do realize a significant price increase will bring in competitors from other businesses, right?"
"Of course. Which is why I would be increasing my unit cost by no more than 12 percent. Should we do this, we will both enjoy enough of a profit that we could easily keep out any competition with kickbacks and bribes, or 'incentives' as we generally call them."
"An interesting proposition, Thelm. I will have my people discuss this and will have an answer for you by lunchtime. Perhaps we can share a meal during the festivities today?"
Thelm nodded. "That would be a high honor, Master Drakis. A high honor indeed."
The comm closed.
Thelm turned with broad smile. "Jamus, you may have just solved a major problem for me."
"As I said, Master, I don't understand it. I was only repeating what I had heard."
Thelm nodded. "Yes, well, please repeat any more relevant conversations you've overheard. Master Drakis is directly above me in the Betuaon government. Settling disputes between us enriches us both. So much so that I might consider expanding our office sales into the territories of Masterette Wilcer. Imagine if a year from now I could work the same deal with her? Wouldn't that be marvelous?"
"I'm sorry, Master. I don't understand."
Thelm waved him off. "Doesn't matter. First desbet strips and now this. It's turning out to be a delightful day, Jamus. Simply delightful. Driver, change of plans. We will be going to fleet headquarters for our shuttle operations. Star-port Delta."
The taxi turned on a new heading, zipping silently across the landscape of Parisser toward the new destination. Minutes later, the taxi settled near a gate of the main terminal building.
Thelm stood. "Come, Jamus. Our fleet command will be meeting us in the hangar where we retrofit shuttles for package delivery. It has been a long-running and stable business for us, a core holding of the House of Thelm. We are the prime outlet for such shuttles."
"So business is good?"
"Well, not so much good as stable. Steady."
"Package delivery? Would expansion into other markets be possible? My prior owner expanded their manufacture of home refrigeration units to also service the commercial world. From their remarks, it seemed to be very profitable."
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p; Bersa shook her head. "What is he doing out there? Our goal is not to make Thelm richer. It's to overtake Thelm's wealth. He's only making things more difficult."
A comm was opened to Hallik. "Bersa? Is there an emergency?"
"I believe we have a problem, Master Hallik. Mr. Turnbull is advising Master Thelm on how to expand his businesses."
"I've been watching. I don't see an issue. Splitting territories between Thelm and Drakis makes it easier for us to come in and compete. I've already sent word to my team to acquire a struggling office furniture provider from another district.
"We'll be expanding into the Thelm territory within a month with a heavily discounted line. Thelm will soon be looking to divest himself of that entire business. We'll come in, purchase it on the cheap, and then raise prices just as he had planned. Mr. Turnbull has provided us with an excellent opportunity."
"And what of the expanded shuttle operations?"
"Any expansion by Thelm will be timid. He isn't a risk taker. Meanwhile, I have a team designing a new package hauler that will take advantage of modern designs. The Thelm shuttles have been exactly the same for two thousand years. We'll be putting together a sales campaign that will crush his business by minimizing his exact strengths.
"Our marketing will be relentless in making his designs look old and inefficient. It will be another losing business that he will be eager to either partner with me on or sell to me outright. Mr. Turnbull is delivering us shiploads of credits. You will let him be. Thelm seems oblivious to the manipulation. As far as exposure goes, Thelm would never admit to taking advice from a slave. I can see your nerves are frayed, Bersa. Sit back. Relax. Enjoy the performance."
Bersa nodded as the comm closed.
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