FREEDOM Legends

by Stephen Arseneault

  Chapter 17

  * * *

  Jamus followed Thelm as he entered the hangar building and stepped up in front of his workers. Twenty minutes later they were cheering on the elder statesman as he talked of expansion. He moved from the wide meeting into a conference room with Thelm’s senior staff. They were directed to seek out new opportunities and to bring those opportunities forward for evaluation. He wanted a firm plan in place and initiated before the games would be over in ten days.

  Thelm smirked as they walked back toward the taxi. "Jamus, I haven't been this excited about my businesses in quite some time. I feel invigorated. Ready to act. Master Drakis had better be watching his back, as the House of Thelm will soon be overtaking him."

  "I am certain my wise master will be successful. I can see it in your stride and smile."

  "Yes. My smile. I feel somehow different today, Jamus. Renewed. Your purchase has already shown itself to be an astute move. Shrewd actually. How was it again that I found you?"

  "Your old servants were a waste of your credits. They weren't delivering value for what you had spent. You advised your staff to make it right. Your sensible purchase of a slave that could actually perform shows you to be educated, enlightened, and informed. Your own rational decisions are beginning to pay off."

  "Yes. Sensible... and informed. Who was it that was your former master?"

  "Master Hox, of the House of Hox in the Nanuct sector. Sadly he is no longer with us. And his daughter is inept at business, unlike the vast array of skills you yourself possess."

  Martin shook his head as he watched on the display. "Wow. He's really laying it on. I'd say overdoing it."

  Bersa replied, "Thelm is an imbecile, so easily manipulated. His businesses have been on a slow decline because he surrounds himself with yes-men. Jamus is appealing to one of his biggest flaws… vanity."

  The next stop was at the corporate headquarters of a company belonging to Master Drakis. The entire corporation had been shut for the day and food and drink catered for the employees. Drakis met Thelm as he was led to a roped-off area for elites.

  "Master Thelm, welcome. I've been advised by my team to accept your offer for a territorial split. Both our operations should become lucrative, so long as we each keep out competition."

  Thelm nodded. "My thoughts exactly. We've been beating each other over the head for too long. I have advised my team to look into other areas where we might cooperate."

  Drakis pulled back. "You would take such risks? You do realize collusion to control markets is illegal, right?"

  "Ah, but we are not colluding to control. Any company can freely enter the market at any time. Our collusion is merely ensuring that we can each profit from our businesses."

  "Yes, well, my advisors have concluded that any further agreements along these lines would not be in my best interest."

  "Very well. Have you been enjoying the festivities so far?"

  "It is too early to tell."

  Thelm was left with that awkward conversational moment when there was nothing to be said. He bowed to the master of the House of Drakis and turned for his taxi.

  "Hmm. Just as last time," Thelm said to Jamus as they walked. "It has been two years and he is about as un-celebratory as one could be. For a Brekan, he lacks charisma. I have the feeling I shall regret our agreement."

  "He did lack the personal appeal you possess, Master."

  "Yes. Yes he did. Come, Jamus. It's time we returned our focus to this grand celebration. The House of Wilcer generally offers a fun and inviting event at their fashion headquarters. The outfits are stunning and the models wearing them equally so. Masterette Wilcer knows her fashion. Did you know I picked up my fourth wife at one of these events?"

  "No, Master. I did not."

  "Yes, well, I was young and she was fun to look at. Perhaps I should have brought her along. She added absolutely nothing to the House of Thelm at the time, but she has been a pleasant wife when in my company."

  "Pleasant is good, Master."

  "Yes. And she is practical as well. Did you know she maintains her wardrobe on the smallest budget of each of my wives?"

  "No, Master, I did not. How many wives do you have?"

  "Nine. I should be rid of at least two. But I can't bring myself to talk to the two in question. I haven't spoken with them in over a decade. They were wed for their family connections."

  "Are those family connections still beneficial to your businesses?"

  "Well, no, I suppose not."

  "Pardon my intrusion, Master, but it would seem they are no longer useful to the House of Thelm. Perhaps it is time they were let go so a lesser Talion can enjoy the burden of their expense."

  Thelm chuckled. "The burden of their expense. Now you are sounding like my second wife. Not a phrase is uttered from her mouth that doesn't hint at the benefit of divorcing all the others."

  "Master Hox had only three wives. His daughter has sixteen husbands."

  "Sixteen? Goodness. Now that sounds like a burden."

  They reached the hover-taxi and took their seats as it lifted off.

  "Seven wives. Yes. I think I shall move two of them along. They have been a burden, as you say, to the House of Thelm for far too long. Now, what shall we talk about on the ride over to meet Masterette Wilcer?"

  "You are fourth in line for the governorship, Master. Tell me your thoughts on those above you?"

  Bersa clasped her hands together. "Brilliant!"

  "Those above me. Well, there's Master Drakis, whom you just met."

  "What are the primary businesses of the House of Drakis?"

  "Hmm. The office furniture business, which you already knew. He has an even larger line of home furnishings. A popular beverage company. And probably his largest holding is the tobacco farms on the Wathrin colony. He supplies nearly 90 percent of the cigarettes for Betuaon State and two others."

  "Cigarettes?"

  "Yes. You've undoubtedly seen the small sticks that others have been puffing on? They are quite popular in the underclasses. A disgusting habit in my book. But to each his own."

  Bersa replied, "Tobacco… a plant that comes from your planet Earth. If the populace knew of its Human origin they would toss them all on the ground. The cigarette came to the stars with you Humans. As did a number of other vices."

  "Is tobacco something you could grow on your farms?"

  "Hmm, I suppose. But Drakis is the king of tobacco. There would be no good way to compete with him for that business from my farms. They are not expansive enough."

  "Master Hox used to talk of partnerships."

  "Did you not just witness how Drakis deals with partners? He doesn't like them."

  "Are there no other masters with plentiful farmland?"

  "Hmm, I suppose there are. What I fail to see is how do I bring anything to this partnership? I don't have farming and I don't have distribution."

  "Did I overhear you stating one of your businesses was a media company?"

  "Yes, I have a media company. Sixteen channels covering nine colonies."

  "And is your main revenue advertising?"

  "It is."

  "Do the citizens of the empire follow trends?"

  "Voraciously."

  "Would a trendy set of ads make a cigarette product competitive?"

  "Hmm. I see where you are going. If I find a partner who can grow and distribute product, I could provide a marketing campaign to start a trend. Interesting."

  "It's genius, Master. You are a genius."

  "Yes, I suppose I am. I will begin looking for a partner. An excellent suggestion, Jamus."

  "You are too kind, Master. This was your doing. You had the brains to think of this, and now the possible means to make it happen. Let Master Drakis snub you again. He will pay."

  "Snub me? Well, I suppose he was abrupt at denying my suggestion of continued cooperation. Yes... Master Drakis should pay for that."

  "He will pay big, Master. Your genius will make it so."<
br />
  Hallik opened a comm to Bersa. "Superb. My farms are fully capable of growing tobacco on a large scale. Not only can I profit from such an arrangement, I can take profit from the House of Drakis. Mr. Turnbull is devious. I could use his wit directly on my staff. Bersa, your contract is due to expire at the end of this month. It is being renewed for a full year and with a 20 percent raise and 20 percent bonus."

  Bersa was silent for several seconds. "That is quite generous, Master Hallik. I will continue to dedicate my best effort toward achieving our goals."

  Hallik smiled. "You've just earned another 10 percent in raise, Bersa. Your commitment has been stellar."

  At the Wilcer celebration, five of the other Betuaon governorship underlings were present, including Hallik. As Thelm sampled foods from a grand buffet, Hallik approached him from behind.

  "Master Thelm, I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you before. I've been a follower of yours for some time."

  "And you are?"

  "Master Hallik. I am honored to currently hold the fifth position in Betuaon."

  "Fifth? What happened to Snooka?"

  "Master Snooka has made a number of poor decisions of late, costing him a tremendous amount of wealth. It's my understanding that Montat may surpass him in the coming months. I approached him seeking a farming partnership and was rebuffed. He seems to be averse to gathering credits and instead prefers to go it alone."

  "Farming? What kind of farming?"

  "I have fertile lands. I'm in the process of looking for a new crop. I have the land. I have the slaves. Would you have any insight into what might be in demand?"

  Thelm grinned. "Have you ever considered tobacco?"

  "Cigarettes? Isn't that market locked by Master Drakis?"

  "It is. But I've had this idea for creating a new trendy campaign that will make Drakis look like a fossil. However, I would need a growing partner before I could undertake such an adventure."

  "If... I were to grow product, how would your trendy new campaign work? What is the differentiator? Why would consumers come to your brand instead?"

  "Flavors, colors, shapes. The usual advertising gimmicks. I would hire any number of celebrities to push the product while ridiculing what Drakis sells. With the proper catchy trend, a well thought out campaign might actually unseat Drakis as the tobacco king."

  Hallik smiled. "I suppose something like that might cause enough shifting of wealth to move said partners up in their governorship rankings?"

  Thelm nodded with a smile of his own. "Precisely. You know, it was only this morning I went to Drakis with a partnership opportunity for which I was snubbed?"

  Hallik looked around as if to make certain no one was within listening distance. "I've heard he can be quite difficult to work with. And snubbed? Why should a person of such stature, and with such a rich history, ever be snubbed? That is just disrespectful."

  "Indeed. So, Master Hallik, would you have interest in becoming a tobacco farmer?"

  "Indeed I would. I will have my team put together a presentation for you to look over. If we both agree to terms, I don't see why we can't teach Master Drakis a good lesson in respect."

  Thelm stared for several seconds. "I like you, Master Hallik. You should have approached me before."

  "I'm humbled by your words. I genuinely wish I had sought a relationship earlier. I'm certain I will benefit from your wise council."

  The banter continued for another half hour before Hallik hurried away after a comm call. Thelm returned to his feast at the buffet, handing a plate and beverage to Jamus to hold as he ate and admired the crowd.

  "Jamus, it seems we may have struck another deal."

  "It seems like a good partnership, Master Thelm. With your leadership, I have no doubt it will be an exciting success."

  "Yes... exciting. It has been quite the day, Jamus. Quite the day."

  Two Talions walked past Jamus as they made their way to the buffet. "Hurry, the games are beginning in about fifteen minutes. Masterette Wilcer always has a surprise."

  Thelm stepped forward. "Excuse me, but where exactly are Wilcer's games?"

  One of the Talions turned with an annoyed expression before realizing who had asked the question. "Oh, Master Thelm. The uh, games... are in the arena just down the street, sir."

  Thelm turned toward Jamus. "Come. We will want to be there for the opening."

  A comm was opened to his ship. "Why wasn't I informed of the games in the arena?"

  "It is on your itinerary, Master. Third item on the list."

  "And why wasn't I informed?"

  "Uh."

  "Never mind." The comm was closed. "Incompetents."

  Jamus said, "Master Hox had a slave in charge of his schedule. Perhaps someone you own could see to it you are properly informed."

  "A slave managing my schedule? Preposterous."

  "Master Hox never missed a meeting, or an event in this case."

  "If word leaked that I had a slave seeing to my appointments, I'd be the laughing stock of all Betuaon. Do not bring up this idea again."

  "Yes, Master."

  Several minutes later they walked into the arena. Recognized as an elite in the Betuaon government, Thelm and his slave were escorted to a private viewing box. An attendant was waiting to serve refreshments as Thelm sat back in an ultra-plush chair.

  "Attendant? What will be the opening act?"

  "It is always a surprise, Master Thelm. Masterette Wilcer has quite the imagination."

  "I see. Very well. Bring me a beverage."

  The arena lights dropped. Eerie organ music began to play. It was difficult to make out, but Jamus could see the beginnings of a large wall being erected at one end of the arena, where a section of seats had been cordoned off and kept empty.

  "What is it? What's happening?" Thelm asked.

  "Some kind of construction, Master. A wall maybe?"

  Chapter 18

  * * *

  A full minute passed before a set of lights began to flash on the wall. A giant red and white target showed in its center. Down at floor level, a single spotlight illuminated a doorway out onto the floor of the arena. Seconds later, an elderly Human slave, dressed in a brightly colored outfit and wearing a red top hat adorned with flashing lights, was pushed out into the arena. A young Talion boy then scurried out with two leashes, handed them to the Human and sprinted back into the doorway.

  The crowd hushed as organ music began to build. Two piglets raced out, attached to the leashes. The crowd gave a tepid cheer. At the other end of the arena, another spotlight illuminated the surprise: an immense catapult sitting at the ready.

  Thelm took a sip of his beverage and scratched his head as the slave began to walk toward the steel mechanism, now fully illuminated. "Pig-pulting? That is the grand surprise? I suppose it's unusual, but not the opening all the hype suggested."

  As the brightly-colored Human arrived at the catapult, another Talion boy stepped into the spotlight, collecting the leashes and hurrying away.

  "What is happening? This doesn't make sense."

  Jamus scowled. "The Human."

  "The Human what?"

  "Is going on the catapult."

  Thelm stood with a thrilled look as the rest of the crowd began to stand as well. Murmurs turned into a low din, building to a roar of cheering and applause. The Human climbed into the bucket on the end of the arm, his light-covered top-hat flashing as he held it up into the air as a greeting to the crowd. The cheers turned into screams of delight, the building organ music only adding to the thunderous noise of the arena.

  The spotlight on the other end tightened to focus on the target symbol itself. A single spot showed on the arena floor, where Masterette Wilcer was standing. She held up both hands as she slowly rotated, taking in all sections of the crowd.

  She spoke into a mic. "People of Parisser and the surrounding colonies. Today we begin the opening festivities of the ten thousandth Ultimate Games. Several weeks ago, I was thinking
about how everything was on-target for this to be a record setting event. The phrase on-target stuck with me. So I thought, what better way to open the celebration than to be on-target?"

  The crowd roared.

  "As you can see, the bull’s-eye is hollow. The opening is small, but large enough to fit a Human-pulter. My team has taken a number of practice shots to get us close to being aligned, but not perfect. So to begin the opening ceremonies here at Wilcer Corporation headquarters, we will be launching Humans until no less than three have passed through the bulls-eye!"

  The crowd cheered.

  "Let the celebration begin!"

  The center spot dimmed and all attention turned back to the Human, who was now standing in the bucket.

  Jamus scowled at the thought of what was coming. A giant display showed a countdown from ten as the crowd chanted along. At zero, the catapult released. The Human, who had been standing and waving his top-hat, only following orders and oblivious to what was actually happening, shot up into the air, flipping end over end as he was flung from the bucket. After nearly striking the ceiling, he plummeted to the floor, not coming close to the target. A series of spotlights followed his trajectory.

  The man hit the hard arena floor with a thud, almost bouncing, before coming to a motionless stop. The crowd went ultra-quiet, before breaking out into a thunderous laugh. A team of Human slaves hurried out and dragged the defunct rider from the arena. The spotlights moved over to illuminate the doorway where another slave was pushed out into the light. Again, he was dressed in a brightly colored and ridiculous costume. He slowly marched to the catapult, climbed up, and seated himself in the bucket.

  The crowd noise began to build as an announcer came over the speakers. "What do we do when at first we don't succeed?"

  The crowd chanted back. "Try, try, again!"

  The second slave was launched, flipping through the air before slamming into the outer circle of the bull’s-eye. His body dropped from the wall to the arena floor, twenty meters below. A group of slaves scurried out to drag off the lifeless slegg. The third rider managed to stay conscious during the vault, seeming to steer herself through the bull’s-eye and into a safety net behind. The crowd politely clapped.