"Bianca!” she shouted and ran toward her. She threw the sword at Barca. Luckily, he blocked it in time. Then, the soldiers tagged her with bullets. She fell before Bianca. The former queen went and covered her.
"DON'T! She didn’t do anything wrong.”
Ursula was already dead. Then, from out of nowhere, Barca came with the sword again. Slowly, Bianca went back to the position. She put her head down.
Then, she raised it quickly and said, “Could you do something for me? Give my son a message.”
"What is it?” Barca asked.
"Tell my son… I’m proud of him. No matter what, I love him and I’m proud of him.”
Barca could see that Bianca Santos’s only crime in this particular case was that she loved her son very much and only wanted him to be the leader she knew he could be.
Then, Barca awarded her for her mission: with a quick swipe that dropped Bianca clean and easy.
****
Barca came back from Illyr days later to the Santos Palace. As he addressed the court in the throne room, Barca came out with a basket in his hands. He went on one knee and presented it to Hector. Hector got up and went to the basket. He opened it slowly.
The look on the king was strange indeed. The court was curious. It was nighttime and some wanted to go home. Hector gave the order and everyone in the room left.
Hector put the basket on the floor and raise his present in the air. It was the head of his mother.
He looked dead into the woman’s eyes. “How do you like me now, Mother? Are you proud of me now? Do you think I’m still not a leader?”
Barca saw the applauding sight. He wanted to tell him the last words of his mother, but he saw that it would be no use. Hector carried a different persona at the point.
“Barca?”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Get some of the Democrat Guards together. Tell them we're going to a party.”
****
Pedro Santos was having a good time in his mansion in Maser. It was just another party to celebrate the coming of the closing of another year with everyone in town invited in the festivities. Pedro traded being a royal prince for just being a man of the people wanting to drink and party with the common ones.
As he drank and conversed with one of his business partners, a servant that was cleaning of all nights in the kitchen came to him.
“Pedro, Pedro!” he shouted hastily.
"What is it, man?” Pedro asked.
"Someone’s outside your door. You better come and see.”
Pedro went to the door. He opened it and before him stood about a hundred Democrat Guards.
"What’s the meaning of this?” Pedro asked.
Then, from the crowd of guards enter King Hector, coming out with a black cape around his back.
"Pedro,” he said smoothly. “A party! And you didn’t invite me? I thought we were family.”
"We’re not family,” Pedro said. "And this party’s invitation only.”
"I see. Do you know what that’s telling me? That’s saying you don’t respect me at all.” He walked closer. “Is that what you’re saying, Pedro?”
Pedro smiled, making Hector grinned as well. Others tried to get a good look. The Santos male cousins, probably the last ones in the ATM, faced off against each other. However, they saw it more as a joke, because whenever Pedro was drunk, he was a genuine joker.
“You don’t get it, do you? Okay, I’ll break it down for you.” Pedro broke it down sarcastically. “No one cares. This is a new Crystal Metropolis. The Santos family doesn’t control the universe anymore. In fact, you know what? This is what I think about my family now.”
Pedro opened up his pants and out came his genitals. He pissed on the shoes and pants of the king. Everyone from behind Pedro laughed uncontrollably. Hector looked down at his pants as Pedro snickered and commented to his friends on the little joke.
Hector turned around and smiled at the Democrat Guards. Then, he turned back around and from out of nowhere, Hector brought out his gun and shot Pedro's back against the door and inside his own mansion. People ran away as Pedro tried to get up, but Hector shot throughout Pedro’s back until he was empty.
"How do you feel now?” he said unrepentantly. “You feel like laughing now?” He started waving the gun at everyone in the main ballroom. The other Democrat Guards came inside and held everyone at gunpoint. They were shocked and appalled more for Hector’s erratic behavior than the death of the beloved Pedro Santos.
"Ladies and gentlemen,” Hector shouted. “I want you all to take a good look at this man. He thought it was right to make a fool out of me. He thought it was funny. Well, I got news for you. The fun stops here. All jokes end right now. Because from now on, if you think you can joke with me, you can join him to the depths of the underworld.” He pointed at Pedro. “Now, if anyone else has a joke about me, now’s the time to say it!”
No one made a peep.
"I didn’t think so,” Hector said. “Let it be known that I run Crystal Metropolis and if you don’t like, get the hell out of here because I don’t want you here.”
Everyone could see the fire in Hector's demeanor. The young, playful boy who loved the freedom of having fun was gone, replaced by a tyrant who could kill anyone at any time for no reason at all.
Hector Bozario Santos was coming into his own realm, and Crystal Metropolis would feel the roar of his rage soon…
TWENTY: METINE AND SANTARGUOS
110 B.E.
By the end of the first decade of the new century, the Metine Byzants were a million strong. Unifying tribes on Hallow Points planets contributed to the sudden spike in numbers. Like Tortila Suntoris did in making the Byzants his personal army, the Metine Byzants had their own personal army, the Republican Field.
Almost single-handedly, metine bridged gaps between civilizations, traditions, and timelines. Even better, it stopped tribal vendettas in their tracks.
Cassio grew into his new role as a trader; a far cry from the days he was issued orders. This time, he did not have to listen to authority. Authority listened to him.
Lately, he had been doing business away from the Hallow Points in 109 B.E. It was the first time in years he left the sector. Changes in management and interests steered the decision. However, there was more to the move than simple arrangements of management.
Around this time, Hector Bozario Santos settled into his role as sovereign ruler. There was no more Bianca. No more Ichiamo. Nobody to stop him from ruling the ATM with an iron hand. That exactly what Hector did. He wanted to be more like Pisanio Santos and bring back the warlord era. However, even with the statement he made with Pedro Santos’ death, no one viewed Hector as a Santos or as a king.
With his rivals out of the way, Hector continued where Bianca’s business transactions left off. He found out after her murder that she was involved in the metine trade that swept all over the ATM planets with extreme pressure. By the middle of the decade everyone was hooked on metine. Hector wanted a piece of it, not wanting to share it with anyone. In pursuing metine and the riches from it, he became a galactic gangster with metal for a heart, taking down anything and anyone that stood in his way.
Meanwhile, back in the Hallow Points, the Metine Byzants enjoyed their riches. Times for them were full of fun, money, power, and sex. Cassio forgotten about Bianca and love altogether and fell to his lustful urges, with Issac Arius as pleased as ever. They had something to be in common about, making their partnership stronger.
Then came 109 B.E.
Rumors spread around the Hallow Points that the presence of the Santos king lingered, trying to take over all of the metine markets. Democrat Guards were on the prowl, seeking anyone with connections to metine, and torturing them for the information.
This brought Issac to a meeting with his partner Cassio at the Ramirez Villa. Cassio was in the best mode ever. When Issac brought up the subject of Hector, he was stone cold.
Issac showed him a paper. On th
e front cover was Hector addressing the Strator Circle in one of his speeches.
"Bianca Santos is dead. Did you know that?”
There was no answer. Cassio touched the paper and saw Hector’s face. He remembered Hector when he was just a baby holding his hands during the Force of Arms War.
"Now, Hector’s moving in on our turf thanks to your former lover,” Issac continued. “It had to be her. No one else could get that kind of access.”
Issac went on and on, but Cassio stayed stone cold towards Bianca Santos. She was a distant memory and Issac failed to bring him around to talk about it.
"Luckily, I’ve been thinking about resurfacing into another venture,” Issac said. “It’s an even bigger moneymaker than the metine.”
Then, he got up and went to another part of the room as Cassio’s mind drifted to outer space. Issac came back and put a large gun on the table.
"It's called a santarguo,” Issac said. “It’s the new model I was able to buy out from Syra. There’s more where that came from. I got a couple of friends who have plenty in stock and all we have to do is acquire them first. I think we can make some good money with them. And it’ll be a good time to do so with Hector taking over our metine piece by piece. Pretty soon, he’s going to know who we are if he doesn’t already. What do you think?”
Issac tapped Cassio's shoulder, not paying attention to him at all. Issac slapped the back of his head and Cassio awakened back to the real world.
"Are you okay, partner?”
"I'm fine,” Cassio said. “I was just thinking.”
"About Bianca?”
The name started to get on Cassio’s nerves, but it assured Issac that he hadn't completely gotten over her and there was a piece still in his brain for her.
"Look, I’m saying we get into this now. We may need the firepower in the long run, but so will everyone else in the ATM. So what do you think?”
In a soft tone, Cassio said, “Go for it. I don’t care.”
"Are you sure?”
"If you think this it’s the right move, then I trust you with it.”
****
Issac was pleased with his decision and Cassio promised that he would help him make some of the transactions happen. Sure enough, he went from metine to futuristic guns like the santarguo. In fact, he was making deliveries of these sophisticated guns around Syra and Tier.
Issac's theory proved correct. They made better money with the arms than with the metine. They focused their power more on the guns while their other servers kept the metine channels in check. As a camouflage, the Republican Field became the name for the gang to separate themselves not just for the Santos family but also to the other Second Renaissance servers who could see the same potential in Issac's plan.
So far, everything was good. However, later in 110 B.E., Cassio had been running into trouble.
When he got into the metine trade, there was hardly any violence. However, in the arms trade, it was shady, corrupt, and extremely violent. The competition was more intense than the metine. Cassio realized for the first time that his gang, his family, went from the biggest kid on the block to just another big kid on the block.
He talked to Issac about this through the cell.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Issac would tell him. This made Cassio think about why Issac refused to neglect that important bit of detail.
“We knew this was coming, right?”
Cassio wanted to say no, but that would not be smart. Issac came to him with this idea and he didn't want to argue. So Cassio would tell him to be more careful.
However, things didn't get better for him, for another threat brewed under the surface.
Space pirates.
From the death of Ichiamo to the emergence of Hector, space piracy increased, but continued to be a well-kept secret. At first, their purpose was to stick it to the Santos regime. Now, with the metine and arms trade, their purpose was to go after anyone rich and with clout. That included other space pirate crews. They had become legends overnight, thanks to their ruthlessness and their charm.
Cassio never had an encounter with them when he was in the metine game. With the arms trade, they came from all directions. Issac knew about it, but he saw it as more competition that had to be dealt with. Plus, he had the Byzants and the Hallow Points Republican Field in his corner.
One mission, Cassio followed a shipment, probably the largest that he mustered at one time, to Syra to trade with Traveling Byzants. Suddenly, as he was about to touch ground on the planet, space pirates from out of nowhere raided his ship. Cassio was taken prisoner, but not before punching and kicking his body for a while.
He was taken to Sardin in the Cyprun Valley cluster. Most of the space pirates dwelled and emerged from the area and had taken over after the Force of Arms War destroyed much of the beauty and allure they were known for. Sardin was more comparable to her sister planet Sicilia, but more beautiful. It was one island in a river of blood.
At first, Cassio was taken to a cave, where he was trapped in darkness for a week. By the time he was brought into the light, Cassio thought he was blinded for the rest of his life. He only saw light for a little while, and ended up blindfolded, all the way to their boss. The pirates took off the blindfold, and Cassio opened his eyes once again, only to be found in a small room, tied to a chair facing another chair that turned within seconds. Cassio faced a female with the pirate gear. She took off the curvy hat on her head and placed it on her desk.
“Cassio Ramirez,” she said. “Welcome to Sardin.”
That was when he knew that he was in the Cyprun Valley System.
“What do you want from me?” Cassio asked. “Who are you?”
“The name’s Lora. Happy? Now, what I want from you is your business.”
“The arms? They aren’t even mine. They belong to Syra and my bosses. I was going to give it to them when your men beat me up and brought me here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they found out I was late and come after you with guns blazing. Then, I’ll be the least of your problems. Besides, how do you know my gang anyway?”
“Let’s just say that Issac Arius and I are old friends.”
Cassio started blinking wildly. “You… you know Issac?”
“I told you. I know everything about you. With you here, there’s nothing stopping me from taking what’s yours.”
Cassio needed a solution. However, if there was a chance she knew his partner, then he was going to use it for his advantage.
“How long have you know Issac?” He asked.
“None of your business?”
“Were you a lover?”
Lora laughed. “Are you kidding?”
“No! Just curious.”
“What are you worried about it for?”
“Well, if you want the business, I need to talk with his first. He’s my partner after all. I don’t do anything without telling him.”
Lora was silent for a few minutes. “You can get Issac here?”
“If not, then you can kill me. No harm done. I’ll be dead weight anyway.”
Lora looked at Cassio up and down for a little while Cassio did the same. Then, she untied the ropes from his hands and feet. He wanted to plan his moves carefully. He wasn't a good fighter, so he knew that he wasn’t going far if he tried to escape. Lora presented him with a cell.
“Dial the number. And you better make it fast.”
Cassio did what she wanted. He looked around the room. He did not see any pictures of Issac.
Suddenly, he heard some rumbling. Then, the sound of cannon fire. One of the other pirates when to Lora. "Someone’s attacking!”
“Who?” Lora asked.
“Democrat Guards.”
Cassio put the phone down as Lora got out her weapons. She aimed her gun at Cassio’s face. “Don’t move,” she said, and left her office.
Cassio knew that this was big. He left the office to see. All he was looking for was a way out of the fighting. Looking outside, the f
ighting got fierce. The Democrat Guards gained the upper hand, killing off pirates few by few. Cassio observed the weak chance for the pirates and instead of seeing the outcome for himself, he went to find a cruiser to fly out of the planet immediately.
Luckily, he managed to find it. In flying it, he nerves got the better of him. There was heavy fighting, and he was concerned that a Democrat Guard would mistake him for a pirate.
Once again, Cassio escaped danger. Being stranded in space, he realized that the arms game was more dangerous than ever. If Hector Santos was getting into the act, the level of danger as well as the price to pay, just went up.
INIQUITOUS DOMINION: The Galactic Classic Page 43