And one person was in the thick of it without being asked.
****
Lucius Gaines was feeling better than usual, living the high life in the Crystal Metropolis hustle. He had gotten into metine without even trying and it controlled most of his thoughts. His young adult son, Rafe Gaines, was a rising Democrat Guard and a sure-fire force to be reckoned with.
Just like his father once upon a time.
Lucius couldn't have been prouder of him. On paper, he still loved his childhood sweetheart Juliet and he still showed his compassion toward her and Rafe when he could, but he saw that something was not right between them, starting right from the time they moved to Crystal Metropolis taking a job for Ichiamo and his court.
He stuck to doing his job and left Juliet and Rafe alone to their own devices. As age crept in, he realized that something in his life was missing. All he knew that he needed something to get his mind back in the game.
Metine came in handy for some of those days. He didn't abuse it like most Crystal Metropolitans did. There were times when he just wanted to walk the streets with an inch of metine taste on his lips. It was the first time he ever thought of walking into the streets and villages of Crystal Metropolis. He could see something wild emerging from them, especially the teenagers. A part of him realized that youth wasn't on his side anymore. He was close to his forties, more mature and more content with his individualistic world.
However, the metine made his mood changed. Arguments with his wife started at a family setting where there was hardly any anger. Juliet would tell some of her friends, Lucius is somewhere between the gift of Crystal Metropolis and the curse of the ATM.
One night, another thought came into his mind on one of his metine trips: his conversations with Isabella Santos in Tier to see Kasuto. It was one of the most relaxing trips he had in a long time; where someone wanted to talk to him for a change instead of barking orders and unnecessary questions. Isabella poured her heart to Lucius and for some bizarre reason, he couldn't shake it.
He kept the feelings to himself for weeks.
Then, one day, he got up and after taking a few sips of metine in his food, decided to go and see Isabella. He masqueraded as a curser and went to her bedroom.
Within first glance, Isabella could see a dark hood and came close to pulling out a knife from her dresser to stab him. Then, he said his name and Isabella calmed down.
"The pilot,” she said.
Lucius thought that because they all were drunk with metine or something, they would not remember.
"What are you doing here?” Isabella asked.
"I…wanted to see you,” Lucius said. “For what, I don’t know, but something told me to come and see you.”
"You could be killed for even coming in here like this.”
Then, Lucius went back to the conversation they had in Tier. "You asked me what kind of life I have.”
"What?” Isabella said slightly.
He walked close to her as she stood up. "You ask me what kind of life you had that would make you a prisoner than a free bird. I say a life without freedom is nothing but a prison.”
Before Isabella could say another word, Lucius closed her lips. "How would you like to be free?”
Isabella wanted to talk, but Lucius quieted her again. "Don’t give me an answer. Just come with me. Right now. Come with me.”
Isabella brought her hand out to meet his and off they went, out of her bedroom and out of the palace without Hector or anyone else knowing or caring. They went to the Crystal Metropolis Airport, where they were all sorts of planes great and small in their hangers.
"Pick a plane,” Lucius told her. “Any plane.”
Isabella went along with the game, thinking that all of this was crazy and it would end as soon as she woke up. She picked out one, the Antonnius-designed plane Ameoba.
Then, Lucius said, “For now on, this is our plane. We can go anywhere in the ATM we want. Just the two of us.”
Then, he drove her to a dock where he could see the floating palaces, along with a new one being made for Hector himself. Lucius told her to pick one of the three.
She picked the smaller of the two, the Timon Palace.
"For now on, we can have our night spots there,” Lucius said. "You’re free to talk about anything and anyone you want.”
Before the trip was over and Isabella had to go to the Santos Palace, dizzy but still suspicious of this pilot who showed her around most of Crystal Metropolis in all sorts of vehicles.
“Why are you doing this?” Isabella asked.
Lucius wished he knew the answer himself. “I just wanted to do something for the queen. I mean…” Lucius took a deep breath and put his words together. “Something happen in Tier that I can’t shake no matter how I look at it. My whole life, I only had the comfort of talking with my friends. Well, I don’t seem to have any more because they’re either dead or close to it. You cried on my shoulder when you told me about Hector. That did something to me. And I know you probably going to hate me for saying this, but I don’t want that to end. Something tells me that in the future, you’ll need me and I’ll need you.”
Isabella shook her head and turned her back to him to make sure this wasn't some kind of dream. No one has come so direct with her and asked her to risk her life just for conversations.
She turned back around, and Lucius still stood in front of her.
“Lucius Gaines,” Isabella said. “I read you somewhere in books when I was little. You were a fighter pilot during the Force of Arms War. You fought for my father…”
She touched Lucius’s face, with no doubt that there was something genuine there.
“You could die being around me,” Isabella said.
“I could die being without you,” Lucius said. "Either way, it’s deadly.”
“Why come back after all this time?”
“Like Kasuto said, something’s going to shake the ATM and turn this galaxy upside down.”
“With Hector, it could be anything,” Isabella said.
Lucius brought truths to her vision. She was ignored by Hector and the court. Memories of everything her father had done were just that. Maybe, she thought, that she could just be seen as Isabella, a new female reborn from the bowels of blood and glory that was once her forefathers’ kingdom.
Plus, she would have a good shoulder to lean on in Lucius Gaines.
****
For years, Doctor Juliet Barao-Gaines frequented among the solid, middle-class Crystal Metropolitans. Her husband and son was in the service of the king, she held parties for her friends, and she even celebrated the special festivals held on the planet.
Despite all of the years and the successes of Lucius and Rafe, she still felt like she was trapped in some kind of wall. She could see it in the changes in her life. Lucius resolved to his lone wolf status more and more. The little times they would talk, it was in argument over petty nonsense.
Then at other times, her thoughts would go back to returning back home to Solaria; back to the home they had known, lived, loved, fought for and nearly died for. It was there she fell in love with Lucius, made long-lasting friends and her life was full of light and compassion.
Crystal Metropolis was a different story. Juliet heard nothing but violence and possible wars, all due to Hector Santos. Plus, she knew that her husband was in high profile, so it could mean the end of him if it ever came down to the point of Lucius’s life being in danger.
Then, for one shining moment, some familiar faces came to see her after so many years, and they could not have come at a better time.
Doctors Sylvia Lavatch and Diana Cartier, her old roommates and war buddies, saved her day.
When they came to her home, the pasting times of youth returned. One thing Juliet found strange was that Diana was more conservative, wearing a black cloak and a hood over her head wrapped in symmetric fashion, while Sylvia was classier with jewels all around her. Juliet could see that these women had changed for the
better since becoming conquerors of the Gonora Plague.
“Where have you guys been all my life?” was the first question that came from Juliet’s lips. Since Lucius wasn't at home, they were free to talk about anything they wanted.
The energetic Sylvia started. "Well, let’s just say I hit it big, had some rocky roads, and still came out clean and cool on the other side.”
“You seem happy.”
“I am. After three quick husbands and millions in gold and silver, there shouldn’t be any reason.”
Then, Diana butted in the conversation. “You know all that gold and silver is going to do for you is send you to the abyss.”
“Don’t start with that abyss mess. We’re here with our friend. She doesn’t need to be hearing about the abyss and all that Second Renaissance mess.”
That word caught Juliet’s ear. “Second Renaissance? You’re a Second Renaissancer, Diana?”
“Yes,” Diana said peacefully. "I worked with several temples back in Solaria healing their sick. We’re doing what we can for the people.”
“Which is what exactly?” Sylvia interjected. “Because if you think that’s going to stop Hector, then think again.”
Juliet could tell from that point that Sylvia and Diana had become different over the years just as bad as she did. They both lived better exciting lives than her from what she could see.
“What about you?” Diana asked Juliet. “What have you been doing?”
“Well, just watching over my life and my son’s.” Juliet said, not eager to answer.
“Where’s Lucius, by the way?” Sylvia said. She opened another door that Juliet did not want to unlock.
“I don’t know, Sylvia. I mean you guys came…”
Diana went and touched her hand. "What happened? What’s going on?”
Juliet took a breath and shook some of the stress off. "I’m just wishing that I stayed in touch with you guys. Not much has been the same since that war.”
“I know,” Diana said. “It had taken a lot out of all of us. Sometimes, I still wonder what would have been if Hermia was still around.”
Hermia. A name never brought up after the war days. A little tear was coming into Juliet’s eyes. Diana knew what to do and she wrapped her arms around Juliet’s body. Sylvia came and wrapped her around Diana and Juliet.
"You know what we need," Sylvia said. "We need to take a trip together. Just the three of us. Just get away from everything for a little while."
Even Diana smiled at the idea. "Well, that I can agree to."
Both turned to Juliet. After giving them a minute pause, Juliet gave a grin and nodded.
Diana and Sylvia breathed a sigh of relief, with Sylvia saying "If you had said no, I swear on everything I love, Diana and I would have bound you up and kidnap you."
****
Elibali Tranio was just an inexperienced soldier stationed in Guapa when he was given the chance to rule the planet itself with Bianca Santos’ help. At first, he thought it could never be done, but just the thought of having power with a beautiful woman backing him was all the motivation he needed.
He may had been a non-commissioned officer, but he was a bright intellectual that could maneuver his way into the top. In the end, that was he did. He played his cards right, and slid his way into the top spot eight years ago, turning into one of the most cunning rulers of the ATM. He was no tyrant like Hector, and his extreme dislike for his policies got him involved into the arms trade, the hottest trade in the galaxy as a sticking point to Hector.
Then, as he was sleeping alone on his bedchamber, he received a mysterious call. The caller never mentioned his name or how he knew Tranio.
He just asked him a simple question.
"How would like to take down the Hector Santos regime once and for all?”
Tranio’s curiosity got the best of him. "What do you mean?”
"What if I told you that I have the most powerful weapon at my disposal right now?”
"It depends. What kind of weapon are we talking about?”
"A Nova bomb.”
Tranio dropped the phone suddenly. Was this something serious? He knew about the Novas, but Ichiamo had hidden them from plain sight so no one could possess them.
Tranio picked up the phone again. "Alright, you got my attention. How do I know you have a Nova?”
"I got two. They both can be yours for the right price.”
"And who’s this I’m talking to?”
"You’re dealing with the Republican Field. And the name’s...Issac Arius.”
TWENTY-ONE: HEART OF A SANTOS
The santarguos trade was heating up with no end in sight. Hector thought that taking over the entire trade was the answer, but it presented more harm than good. He saw that not only was there space pirates and other criminals requiring them, most of the planet lords wanted them as well.
His own royal court fared no better. Some broke their tides from Hector after all the problems. One of his former loyalists, Alonso Fontaine, started the ball rolling by presenting himself before the king and said, "I'm leaving Crystal Metropolis."
Hector approved his request, but he didn't let Alonso leave without a final warning.
“If you come back to Crystal Metropolis or anywhere around it, you’re going to live the rest of your life screaming.”
Despite losing Alonso, he had his other main henchman, Barca Indus, still there with him. Lately, even he started to think twice about his decision to stay.
He could remember the last time he talked with Alonso. They had different beliefs, but Barca had a certain reverence for Alonso because of the battles he faced throughout his life.
When he saw him the day he left, it was as if there was nothing. He had no belief, no confidence, nothing. He might as well been the walking dead.
“Hector’s destroying this place,” Alonso told him. “Bit by bit, he’s ruined what Ichiamo was doing with this ridicule.”
All Barca could say about this was, “He’s the king. What are you going to do?”
Alonso fired back with another question. "Don’t you have anything else going in your life beside Hector?”
It took a while for Barca to answer. By the time he could find a definite answer, Alonso Fontaine was gone. He was alone to contend with Hector’s bloodthirsty obsession for recognition. He was sure, though, that another fate awaited Alonso. He wasn’t going home or retiring in peace. Like most of Hector’s regime, people who wanted out never got out the peaceful way. It was the only thing that stopped him from leaving Hector’s side, that and the “secret” he kept hidden in Illyr.
Barca only had to step out his door to see tensions rising from all directions. Hector kept telling his court everything was okay, but it was all in his head. They thought he was becoming delusional like Cheron Santos during his final years in power.
Then came the news from Guapa. A messenger gave Barca a message on a piece of paper. When Barca opened it and viewers the message, he closed it immediately and went straight to the king.
Presenting himself before the king in his throne room, Barca gave him the message. "Lord Tranio has a Nova and is planning to use it if we don't meet his demands. He wants you to give up the crown."
When Barca finished, Hector saw the worst kind of rage from Hector’s obese body. He took a guard, hardly a teenager, and nearly beat him to a bloody pulp in front of hundreds within the throne room of the Santos Palace. To make it worse, he set him on fire and forced the court to watch as his body became nothing but dust.
“Alright, that’s it! If Tranio wants a war with me, they’re going to have a war!”
Right away, Hector ordered a Democrat Guard. "Send a hundred guards to Guapa and arrest Lord Tranio for treason."
He dismissed the entire court with the exception of Barca.
“They work for my mother,” Hector said in his paranoid state. He did this while popping and chomping pills into his mouth. Barca observed this and could see that pills and his temper was a b
ad mix and could only lead to trouble in the future.
“I should have taken care of them a long time ago," Hector said. "I didn’t know my mother’s nails went so deep.”
“What are you going to do?” Barca asked.
Hector paced all over the throne room. He did this while taking more and more pills, making him more and more agitated and frustrated.
“Alright, that’s it,” Hector said. “If they want it, they’ll get it. The Aventine Monarch has got to understand that I rule this damn galaxy. ME! No one else! We’re going to start with Guapa and exposing Tranio. Then, we’re going after everyone else.”
INIQUITOUS DOMINION: The Galactic Classic Page 45