Star Matters

by David John West

  They were not surprised to find that they were greeted by Harold’s executive assistant fifteen minutes or so after the stated time of the meeting. At this point she appeared with a whoosh of the elevator doors to the executive suite that emerged right next to Reception. She was smiling brightly, smartly dressed and coiffed as she checked with the reception desk who indicated the seated Darryl and Robert with a sweep of her arm. She then tripped over to where they were seated and confirmed their names.

  “I am so sorry you had a little wait there but Mr Martens is ready to see you now,” they were informed and she turned on her heels as they stood to follow. She stood silently in the elevator flashing on a thin smile just once very briefly about halfway up to the executive eighth floor in a way she imagined was elegant yet welcoming. The lift doors opened out into a large area carpeted in lightest beige with panels of redwood burl veneer, presumably real, lining the walls between the smoked glass doors to the executive offices and internal facing windows. Several executive secretaries sat at overlarge desks one for each large office, each occupied by a highly polished Queen Bee personal assistant maintaining her territory with little diversionary tasks relating to the importance of her boss. They each had nameplates centrally in their large desks stating the identity of the executive they looked after, rather than their own names.

  Harold Z Marten was waiting by his office door at the far end of the open area affecting a relaxed calm. Leaning against the door frame his stomach unfortunately sagged sideways to overlap the frame somewhat. On closer inspection he appeared tanned but unhealthy under the tan, maybe it had come from a bottle. He exchanged overly firm handshakes with Darryl and Robert displaying exaggerated bonhomie towards the kind of men he deliberately excluded from his own management team. From his office door it was a long walk either to his desk at the rear or comfortable chairs arrayed around a large redwood coffee table nearer the window. Harold despatched Martha (they discovered his PA’s name at last) for coffee and they had the distinct impression she would in turn send a more junior secretary to actually make the coffee and assemble the tray for Martha to then bring in to the office. Harold made for the long glass-top coffee table and sat himself down at the highest chair at the head of the table so that his huge desk framed him some distance away at the rear. Darryl and Robert were left to sort out their own seating so Darryl sat down lower than expected in the couch facing the long axis of the table with insufficient room for his uncomfortably bent-over knees. Robert took the chair at the opposite narrow end of the table from Harold but had the same low seating position.

  “Well thank you, guys, for coming round to see us at our place,” welcomed Harold with a broad smile, spreading his arms to embrace the executive space of Evrisoft as if he were putting it at their disposal. He too was without necktie but his ‘business casual’ looked like each item was selected from the thousand-dollar-plus section at the recommendation of his personal shop assistant at Nordstrom’s.

  “You must both be wondering why you got the call from the Big Dog?” Harold was warming to his larger-than-life persona. “We like to keep our eyes open for bright emerging businesses like you guys if they have anything that we could work with and we all get along. That usually means guys like yourselves make out very well if we decide to acquire your little start-up.” His smile elongated a little more unpleasantly as he completed the sentence. “We can see that working with Pengey as a subsidiary or even business partner could help Evrisoft reach out to the lower price end of the market and at the same time make us a bit more approachable, a bit more human if you know what I mean? We can appear a bit too corporate, a bit scary sometimes for the smaller customers.”

  Darryl reacted to this opener by saying he didn’t think that the people who contributed to Pengey would stick around if they were seen to be openly cooperating with Evrisoft when the door opened as Martha brought in coffee, followed by a tall, slim, oriental-looking woman in a simple but expensive Little Black Dress and immaculate matching heels.

  “Oh, I asked Haruka to join us,” Harold announced as he made the introductions. “Haruka heads up our network division that sees most benefit to us all from a link to Pengey. You know, small business apps hanging off our network and database, connecting the little guy to his big suppliers.” Haruka strode to the remaining chair opposite Darryl and sat primly, legs to one side, crossed at the ankles. She said hello to Darryl and Robert in accented English and there was a brief pause while coffee and small cinnamon biscuits in cellophane wrappers were distributed.

  Darryl was looking directly across at Haruka. To him she was clearly capable of being Zarnha of Spargar origin, presumably arriving some time ago by one of the Spargar planetary transports that gave rise to claims of UFO sightings here on Earth. Darryl surmised that she had probably arrived with her two other colleagues just prior to that first meeting with Harold when Evrisoft was a start-up itself that fitted their purposes. Haruka was looking carefully at Darryl and Robert in turn. Her oriental appearance and habits covered for her extended scrutiny and made it seem more acceptable than otherwise it may have been. She expected that the rise of Pengey to combat the strength of Evrisoft was due to Gayan influence and she wanted to confirm which persons were the Gayan agents. This was harder to achieve than expected since the Dawn of Gayan agents were indistinguishable from normal people born naturally with earthly souls until you exposed their knowledge and power issuing from their Gayan soul. It was frustrating that Dawn of Gaya seemed to breed their own agents as planetary natives that made them part of the local population as compared to Spargar agents arriving from off planet. It was some reassurance that as soon as advanced technology emerged, as here in Silicon Valley, the local people that worked there were largely workaholic nerds that were Spargar-like in attitude and often appearance, which helped Zarnha arrivals to blend in.

  The origin of this meeting was that Haruka and her two associates had suggested to Harold that it was time that he checked out the upstart Pengey company. They believed the new company could soon grow to be a very significant commercial threat. Harold had brushed the threat aside but even he had to be conscious of the list of large tech companies that had not seen the next wave coming and been consumed. They had briefed Harold on his action plan for the meeting so Haruka was able to sit and observe as Harold naturally led the conversation.

  “Yeah, we thought about the mismatch of cultures between Evrisoft and Pengey and we wouldn’t want to lose that consumer-friendly piece of Pengey as it’s exactly what we want to add to our business.” Harold tried to look thoughtful but somehow it wasn’t really coming across as convincingly as he intended. “So we thought we could recruit you both to Evrisoft as Executive Advisors. You would get substantial expenses and stock and continue to do your current job at Pengey. All we would want is advice from you on how best for us to work together and maybe help in getting some mutual products and plans out of the door medium term?”

  The way Harold put it sounded reasonable. Unless of course you factored in the opposing conflict of interests and that working clandestinely with Evrisoft would subordinate the very principles Pengey was seeking to abide by. A total sell-out of Pengey’s workers and customers not to mention all those developers round the world who gave their own free time specifically to put a spanner in the likes of Evrisoft.

  “Thank you for the kind offer, Harold, but I think I speak for both of us,” Darryl glanced at a nodding Robert, “when I say that it’s just not possible for us to continue in our roles at Pengey and also work with Evrisoft. And there is nothing useful for Evrisoft to acquire if you decided to buy us out. We are a non-profit organisation with no stock to purchase. Pengey is a global movement to provide easy open systems alternatives to Evrisoft. Not something that can be part of the kind of company that is Evrisoft.”

  “I am sorry you feel that way. I know how it feels to protect your little baby company. Most start-ups fall by the wayside and the founders
often wish they had taken up this kind of offer I am making you guys. It would be a home run – would give you a comfortable stash for life. If you were with Evrisoft you could be pushing on with your projects and we have much greater resources to make things happen,” Harold said, dangling the carrot.

  It was time to drop into the conversation the line that Haruka had given to Harold to show that they had done their research on Pengey. This part of the conversation had been carefully rehearsed the prior evening in Haruka’s ranch-style home high in the Saratoga hills where the Omeyn MuneMei who ran all Spargar operations on planet Earth stayed and posed as Haruka’s mother. Omeyn MuneMei had instructed Haruka to mention the recent abduction of the wife of one of the key Gayans they suspected was operating in California from her home back on Gaya contrary to all the terms of the Epsilon treaties. It was vital that Haruka got Harold to say the strange names accurately so that Haruka could check the reaction of the two suspects from Pengey as Harold innocently parroted the words. Harold had been an oaf when it came to learning his lines but he had enjoyed flustering the usually calm facade that was Haruka. Eventually he had got it straight and he said, “For instance it may surprise you to know that we are aware of your Kyra and Corinth City projects and have every chance of hijacking them before you get them safely out of the door… ” Harold left the sentence hanging as Haruka had asked. Harold had thought was just a business threat supplied by Haruka before the meeting, but even he could tell that his words had caused his two guests from Pengey to come to a surprised halt. Darryl seemed to have paled noticeably. Robert sat up straighter, seemingly preparing for action. Harold was impressed that Haruka was so well informed that he could surprise the two young entrepreneurs.

  Haruka had been watching Darryl and Robert carefully as the oaf Harold delivered the words the Omeyn had provided. Haruka’s lips parted and she took in a long slow breath as she noted the clearly shocked reaction from the two young men. They were staring at Harold, amazed the telling words were coming from his naive mouth, too late to hide their response from Haruka watching the conversation obliquely. Her gamble of threatening this Darryl, who she had been told could be the key Gayan agent Keeran, husband to the woman Kyra back on Gaya, seemed to have paid off. The threat had hit home. She knew it, the Gayans knew it, Harold had no idea what the hell was going on.

  Harold saw that Haruka was watching Darryl and Robert closely as she had described in their meeting tactics. They were clearly surprised but covered up quickly. The young men exchanged glances and Darryl in turn considered that Harold had no idea of the significance of his words. These ‘projects’ he had referred to were actually the name of Keeran’s wife back on Gaya and Corinth City was his home city where Kyra was living. Harold must have been fed this line by the Zarnha operative sitting alongside him who was trying to flush him out, but had she actually executed this threat to abduct Kyra even if she had this much knowledge? Darryl could not believe that Harold himself was a Zarnha agent; he was the perfect stereotype of the kind of earthly stooge supported by Zarnha agents like Haruka.

  Robert was shocked too and could see that Darryl, earthly form of the Gayan soul that was Keeran, needed time to collect himself.

  “I hope you are not breaking any rules or laws by hijacking any of our property, business or otherwise,” he said in an attempt to warn off the stated threat from Harold and the hidden one from Haruka. “We would take every measure available to us to protect our property if that were to be so.” He was staring at Haruka now who remained outwardly cool but gave the distinct impression she was satisfied at provoking the reaction she was seeking in this conversation without saying much herself at all.

  “Come, come, Robert, there is nothing wrong with us competing with you if you choose not to join up with us,” said Harold, not really knowing the dramatic foundation to the threats he had been asked to deliver. He was uncertain of these undercurrents but did feel pretty sure his fancy lawyers would handle any fallout if these guys made any kind of fuss about it.

  “Come on, Darryl, I don’t think we are making any useful progress here,” said Robert, rising and taking his friend’s arm to stop him saying something that may give them both away if Darryl lost his composure. The Keeran that gave soul to Darryl was famously level-headed until such time he was stung to action, then he would react swiftly and surely until any threat had been neutralised.

  The meeting fell apart as Darryl and Robert left Harold’s office. Harold and Haruka made no effort to get up from their chairs. Harold could not understand anybody in business refusing one of his offers for clear personal profit and not being up for sale. Harold was conscious of the easy grace of Darryl and Robert rising from the uncomfortably low chairs he had assigned them. They looked like surfers. Harold overindulged the good things of life and was not a fit man. His envy of the physique of the two younger men was heightened by Haruka’s obvious interest. She had been staring at them the whole meeting and was doing it now as they were leaving. Hell, just look at her checking out their asses, he thought. Harold deeply desired to get intimate with his three lady veeps and the easy way they touched each other drove him wild as his own advances were always rebuffed. They must be lesbians, he told himself, though his surveillance had showed nothing beyond a heightened level of tactile contact between the three that could be explained by their foreign culture.

  Harold had installed surveillance devices in all areas of the building. He was only happy when he had useful knowledge of the weaknesses of all his employees that could be used if business relationships became unpleasant and he needed leverage to overrule or fire a troublesome employee.

  Haruka was indeed checking out the two young men’s physiques but not altogether in the way Harold was imagining. As Zarnha of Spargar, Haruka was very aware of the way Pointers of Dawn always acquired the natural look of the local people and were indistinguishable from them at the genetic level. In practice though they were somehow able to exploit the physical potential of those bodies to much greater physiological power than local Earth people. They were turbo-charged, somehow. Pointers of Dawn were the group that executed the off-world actions of Dawn of Gaya on planets with emerging human cultures of interest. They were leaders and teachers but equally they were there to sort out local difficulties as they saw fit especially when it came to competition with Zarnha. Haruka mused that if the local people had the capability of domesticated pussycats, Pointers of Dawn were as powerful and cunning as leopards. Same genetic material but many times more capable. This is what she saw in the easy fluid power of the two men as they stalked towards the door. She thought of them as they described them in Zarnha lore, ‘Dawn Leopards’, as they derived remarkable strength, speed and violent capability from standard size and form. This is what Haruka was sure she was seeing as the two men left the building seeming so naturally at ease with their surroundings, confident in their athletic prowess.

  After Darryl and Robert had left Haruka was cold and dismissive of Pengey’s prospects to Harold if they were refusing to cooperate with his offers. Harold was shrewd enough to know that there was no way to buy off Darryl and Robert despite his threats to Pengey’s secret projects Kyra and Corinth City, whatever the hell they may be. Soon after, Darryl and Robert found themselves exiting the main Evrisoft atrium door and outside the threat seemed to lift as the California sun seemed brighter and the skies bluer somehow now they had left the building. It was good to get out of that place, even if they had turned their backs on an easy personal fortune. Harold was wasting his time with that one. It was easy to see how earthly people could be bought off by that kind of offer from the big corporates. In this case however instant personal wealth was of no interest to Darryl and Robert, as Pointers of Dawn were only concerned with their mission to bring enlightenment to the new civilisation here on Earth. What was personal was the Zarnha threat to Keeran’s (Darryl’s in this life on Earth) home and family back on Gaya that suddenly rode over all else.
/>   All she had seen and heard confirmed to Haruka that she had indeed discovered her precise opposition from Dawn of Gaya on this mission. She reported back to her two colleagues who were waiting in Conference Room Three on the level below the Executive floor. They were very similar in appearance and style. Their most distinguishing feature was the length of their shiny blue-black hair like identical triplets trying to help people differentiate between them by sporting different hairstyles. Haruka’s was shoulder-length, Michiko sported a bob and Tatsu’s hair flowed down to her tiny waist. They cut a remarkable trio acting as a tight team; a closely functioning whole. They lived together in the large estate on Deer Park Road in the coastal foothills overlooking Saratoga and on up Silicon Valley. The strangely androgynous figure that lived with them did not get out much, posing as Haruka’s mother, the ageing relative that made the three Asian women living together seem more like a family group, blending well into the diverse culture of elite Silicon Valley high technology. This role for Omeyn MuneMei provided close control of the triplet Zarnha agents that could command the very many other Spargar operatives active on planet at this critical moment. Omeyn MuneMei was further protected in plain sight by the arrogance of the youthful IT culture of Silicon Valley, which showed little consideration for older generations that held little importance in their shiny new technology world.

  Haruka started her debrief to Michiko and Tatsu, “I would say that this Darryl and Robert from Pengey Corp are the enemies from Gaya we were led to expect. They may be able to hide among all these Earth people but they cannot hide from us when we expose them for what they are. They are a clear and obvious threat to Omeyn MuneMei and her plans for us Spargar here on Earth,” Haruka stated flatly. “We will report as much back to her and if she wants to follow up with operations against them then we will have done our duty.”