Menelaus turned around. “Yes?”
Cassio walked to him. "Just the man I was looking for. Is there someone where we can talk privately?”
“Who are you?”
“I’ll tell you later. What I can tell you now is I want to talk to you about Hector Santos.”
“What about him?”
“Killing him,” Cassio said softly.
Menelaus grinned. "Really?”
“Is there somewhere?”
“My home. I was about to go there right now.”
Cassio followed Menelaus to his stretched-out Galba cruiser, saying nothing to each other until they got to Menelaus’ home.
Then, without accommodating his guest, Menelaus said, “Okay, what is this about, whoever you are?”
“My name is Cassio Ramirez from…” He had been to so many places that were considered his home, but without trying to find one place, in case Menelaus knew about it, he said finally, “Solaria.”
“I know about that place. My…deceased wife was from there. You came all this way to tell me about Hector? What about him?”
Cassio took a seat on one of his black sofas. "Things are about to happen far away that’s going to decide the nature of the ATM.”
“The Second Renaissancers,” Menelaus guessed. “That was what the others was debating about. We heard that they were planning something and wondered should we support them."
“Hector’s gunning for them. Most of them are hanging in Solaria and are planning one of the most powerful defenses ever made. Then, everything will go to chaos.”
“And why tell me this?”
“Because I have my own plan.”
“How do you even know about me?”
“That’s not important. What’s important is I’m going to make a move on Hector. And you’re going to make a move on the ATM. People want to make a move on Hector, but they need someone to monitor them. They still need a stable leader.”
Menelaus’s mouth widened. “And…that someone is who? Me?”
“The man that I talked to told me about you. He said you were a resilient man and a good strator. You know the law. You know what needs to be done in order to bring peace back to the people.”
“Your friend put too much high hopes on me?”
“He trusts you.”
“But I’m not a Santos relative.”
“The Santos family will end with Hector. There would be no more Santos kings. But they need a leader. So instead of a king, take on another title.”
“And what title is that?”
“When I was involved with the Byzants, the elders that took care of the people were given the title of a either trader or processor. That’s what you will be. Instead of a king, you will be known as Processor Menelaus Santos.”
“Why the Santos at the end?”
“Respect for the past. Even though there’ll be no more Santos children, we must respect the name, since it is a part of ATM’s history. No matter how much we want to hide that fact."
“Are you sure you don’t want the throne?” Menelaus asked, surprised at the ideas Cassio presented to him.
Cassio just shook his head. “I wasn’t made for this universe.”
“So how is this going to play out?”
“You’re going to spread the word that Hector has waged war on his own people. Convince the strators. I know you can. At least I hope you can.
“And you?”
“I’m going to see the king and stall for time.”
“You’re not going to go after him and kill him yourself?”
“I’m trying to pay for my crimes. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to get myself together to do it. This has to be done by the people. I leave that up to them and to you. When you make your move, that’s when I’ll make mine.”
Cassio got up and walked to the door.
Menelaus acted quickly. He went to him and put his hand on the door. “This is a good thing you’re doing. You’re a good man.”
“No, I’m not,” Cassio said modestly. “But I hope you are. For the people’s sake.”
Cassio patted him on the shoulder, opened the door and left.
****
Days later, Cassio looked for himself as he viewed Menelaus and a few strators walking onto a flagship with soldiers loading things into it. He saw it fly into space, hoping continuously that Menelaus would take on the responsibility set before him. Of course, Menelaus would never know who the one responsible for giving him this information was. It was a secret that will die with him.
With his part in play, it was Cassio's turn.
The walk to the Santos Palace was a longest he ever made in his life. What he observed wasn't the feeling he had when he would see pictures of the planet. What was once majestic and the shining beacon for the galaxy, seemed creepy and menacing.
Then, he got to the doors where the guards were at attention. At this point, most of the elite Democrat Guard platoons were off the planet fighting all of Hector's enemies, which meant a skeleton crew was guarding the planet from foreign attack.
“I want to see the king,” Cassio said in a deep voice.
“What for?” one of the guards said. “The king isn’t seeing anymore.”
“Tell him I was the one who caused the Crystal Metropolis Fire. That would bring him up.”
The men aimed their machine guns at him. One of them grabbed his arm and took him inside. The other took Cassio’s other arm.
As they went to the throne room, Cassio whispered to them, “You know, pretty soon, I want one of you to perform a service for me. What do you say?”
The soldiers said nothing and went to the door that opened to the throne room. One of them entered while the other waited.
Cassio said to the other soldier, “Are you tired of all this carnage that has formed over the course of just a few years?”
The soldier said nothing, but Cassio had a way with seeing expressions that speak volumes. He could tell the answer to the question even if the soldier, hardly a young adult, didn't say a word.
“Don’t worry. A change is going to come. Sooner than you think. Hector won’t be able to hurt anyone anymore.”
Then, the other soldier, more muscular than his partner, came back. “He’ll see you.”
Cassio entered inside and saw that the throne room was completely empty. The room used to have the entire royal court. The court was so scared about Crystal Metropolis since the fire that they stopped coming around, fearful of another one.
Cassio was nervous inside, but that nervousness propelled him forward. He was able to get a closer look at the king he held as a baby while in the Cyprun Valley with Bianca.
Hector sat still, a shadow of his former self. Other Democrat Guards were at the ready. Cassio could sense them lurking. Being around crime made him more cautious than ever.
“He told me you caused the fire,” Hector said in a partially-parched voice. “Is that true?”
Cassio looked around. The Democrat Guards prepared themselves to strike a blow.
“Yes, I did,” Cassio answered. “However, that doesn’t matter with you, does it? You made your mind up about who was responsible. So what are you going to do about it?”
Then, out came one of the Democrat Guards asking Hector, “Can I do the honor?” He took out his knife and put it close to Cassio’s chin. Cassio stayed focus on Hector’s face.
Hector got up from the throne chair and stepped down the stairs. "You think what you did was special?”
“No, but it got your attention. And that was what I wanted.”
Hector got up from his throne and went to Cassio. “Well, you got my attention. What now?”
Cassio grinned. “I remember the last time I saw you. You was already an adult. You used to be lighter, though. Your mother and I had a conversation about old times.”
Hector slapped his face. “Who do you think you are, talking to me about my mother?”
“Someone you should have gotten to know before all
this happened. Had that been so, you would have been a better person.” Cassio took a breath. “Can we talk in private?” He raised his arms. “I assure you, I’m not armed. I’m not here to kill you. Have the guards stand by the doors if you’re that paranoid. You won’t need them anyway, once I come to say what I have to say.”
With the knife still at Cassio's chin. Hector put his head down and made a little chuckle. "Who are you that you would want to talk alone with me?”
“Hector… I’m your father.”
The other Democrat Guards were shocked. Then, from behind him, Hector took out his knife and aimed for Cassio’s neck. Once again, Cassio stood stationary with the same calm expression. Hector put his away and the Democrat Guard was beside himself.
“Leave us,” Hector commanded. “I’ll speak with him alone.”
The Democrat Guards exited the room. Cassio got his time with the king. For the first time, Cassio had a closer look at the man that if times were different, could have been his son.
“My father?” Hector said.
“Your mother never told you about me?”
Hector was silent.
“I can understand why.”
“You don’t know a damn thing about my mother. You expect me to believe this?”
“You can believe what you want, but it’s the truth. I knew your mother.”
Hector started pacing. Every walk he made, his intensity to kill grew. Cassio was close to King Hector. He had to play his cards carefully.
“I was a soldier,” he started. "Your mother was in Cyprun. I was stationed there for the Force of Arms War. I met her at a bar. We had a nice conversation, which led to more conversations. That led to dates. And a first kiss. I don’t know who wanted it first, but then, we made love.”
Hector made a cough and for a few seconds, Cassio was caught off guard. He continued. "You were beautiful when you came in the world. I only had one chance to see you and hold you before I was sent off on a mission leaving you and Bianca. That was the biggest mistake I ever made. It started all this.”
Hector sneezed again. Cassio saw it on the face.
“Go on,” the king said.
Hector obeyed. “I was sent to Troyuvant. It was supposed to be for a few days. But then I died, or at least that what your mother probably thought. By the time I went back to Cyprun, both of you were gone. That was the end of me for a long time.
"When I went to the Hallow Points, I started dying a thousand deaths. I got into the wine. Then the thievery. I was heading for a place many don’t recover from. But then, I got myself together. I got into business with someone and we built something. We started getting into this drug called metine.”
Suddenly, the sound of the word “metine” made Hector watched Cassio carefully.
“We were making a fortune, more than we could imagine. We had the universe in our control as long as we had that, we could do anything. Then, just as I was getting into it all, your mother came back into my life. I started coming by the house. Started talking about old times.”
Hector could remember many men coming in and out of her mother's life, affecting how he saw females as an adult. Isabella was treated as a reminder of what her mother used to be.
“We were falling in love again, just like we were back at Cyprun. Then, just as soon as I was about to go down that road again, she left. Again! For a second time! Played for a fool.”
Hector breathed hard. “My mother had a habit of doing that.”
Cassio found an entrance as Hector opened up. Hector went to the steps where his throne was and sat down.
“I don’t know if you’re telling the truth, or you’re just a good storyteller,” Hector said.
Cassio reached into his pockets and out came a picture. He showed it closely to Hector.
“That was us on one of our dates. I think she was at her happiest when she took that picture.”
Hector took the picture gently and looked suspiciously at it. Then, he flicked it across the floor. "That could have been anyone.”
Cassio fired off another plan. “Let me ask you a question. When you first came here, did Bianca ever feel any kind of affection for King Ichiamo?”
Hector got up and paced around again. Then, after a few seconds stalling, he said, "No! She was trying, but there was always something in her eyes that said no. Something told me she did it because of me.”
Cassio got him hooked again. Hector opened up more of his past.
“I never wanted to be king. But my mother just kept pushing me and pushing me, wanting me to learn about all the Santos kings, practice the sword and gun, know all these people. She took me from a home I was getting used to for a life I wasn’t born to have. The more she persists, the more I rebel. Then, it got to the point where…she may me do things.”
“Like what?” Cassio asked.
Hector went back to the death of Cassius. He could remember how relentless she was in him wanting his stepbrother dead, saying it was to prove he was able to take actions needed to secure the throne. He put his head down because it was so hard, and Cassio thought that he could capitalize on it.
“You killed someone, did you?”
“My brother,” Hector said. "He could have been king if she wasn't so damn persistent in wanting him dead. He should have been the king.”
“I’ve killed people during my time,” Cassio said.
By this time, they were actually having a conversation. Cassio couldn't understand why Hector was suddenly opening up to him. Cassio realized Hector believed him and he started to believe in his own hype.
He knew that he wasn't the father. He found out that information when he returned to Cyprun and found out the palace he used to frequent with Bianca and Hector was the ancestral home of the Santos clan refurnished by Pedro Santos.
Cassio wanted to learn more about Pedro Santos and got more than he bargain for.
Besides making peace with Solaria, Ichiamo and Pedro Santos interjected themselves into the Lysander clan. While Ichiamo married older sister Katharina, Pedro dated Bianca, but their relationship was strictly sexual.
One of their sexual escapades ended up producing Bianca's only child: Hector Bozario Lysander Santos.
A part of Cassio's heart broke talking about his love for Bianca. After all the years of trying to erase her from his memory banks, he still loved her and saddened that he pushed her away when she needed him the most.
Hector went to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I want you to stay. I may need help with what I’m dealing with.”
“What’s going on?” Cassio asked, back to being the information-finder.
“Soon, Second Renaissance will be over. I’m planning the final blow to the gang. In Solaria! That’s where all of them are.”
Hector put his hand on his head and said, “I forgive you. You’re here now. That’s all that matters. We can take care of the rest of this business together.”
Cassio’s plan backfired. He thought Hector was going to kill him. As he thought about what to do next, Hector went back to the throne and sat down.
"I’m feeling better now. My father’s here. Second Renaissance’s almost gone. Things will get back swinging once my soldiers come back victorious.”
Cassio circled back at the exit. That was when a last-minute plan came into his head. He walked to the door. Hector followed him.
“Where you going?” he asked.
“Nothing. I need to go outside. I’m out of breath. I’m getting old, you know?”
"Well, you won’t have to worry about that. You’re going to be a god along with me.”
Cassio observed Hector’s eyes getting a little shorter. All he needed was to get far from Hector. That was all the time he needed. Hector went walking back up to his throne.
Cassio exited and saw three Democrat Guards standing there; two by the door and one further up.
Suddenly, for some reason, Cassio punched one of the guards cleaned in the cheek. Then, the other guard came to him and
punched him in the stomach. Cassio took out a gun from his side and went after one of them rushing forward. The Democrat Guard was startled as Cassio grabbed all over his uniform.
A shot rang out. Cassio fell back. The Democrat Guard couldn't keep his balance and fell down on the floor. He could feel something wet on his uniform.
It was blood, but not his.
He pushed Cassio over and found Cassio bleeding all over his stomach.
INIQUITOUS DOMINION: The Galactic Classic Page 49