“Mr. Trass, it is my pleasure to welcome you to New Beijing,” said Talo Gavaren, the withered old man seated behind a tall wooden podium positioned in the center of the far end of the aisle. Talo was the appointed Voice of the Assembly—the elected governing body of the United Sol Federation that only citizens with home addresses on Earth could vote on. It didn’t mean he had any more sway than the other forty-nine members, just that he disseminated their majority agreements to their constituents. Of course, I knew firsthand that true Earther power lay in the hands of corporate men and women like Madame Venta.
Behind him stretched a curving wall of glass with a view of the nighttime New Beijing skyline, blinking with building-sized ads and colorful lights. A curtain of security airships and drones zipping around just outside obscured most of it. On either side of Talo’s podium, a lower desk curved away, with enough seats to fit all other forty-nine members of the USF Assembly. Most were occupied by delegates in green robes. The virtual presences of those who couldn’t be there in person were projected above every empty seat.
“You have my deepest apologies for what occurred at the spaceport,” Talo continued. “And we will do whatever it takes to make things…” He trailed off as he too noticed the body being carried behind me.
I stopped at the foot of the dais atop which his podium sat. The stage where powerless fools got to stake their claim for more to the powerless, while those truly in control watched from behind.
“Mr. Trass, what is the meaning of this?” Talo questioned. I didn’t utter a word. I met his gaze and held it there. He, the man who was supposed to broker peace between our peoples, was as uninspiring as any Earther I’d ever seen. His sagging face was ripe with creases that seemed to grow deeper the longer I stared, and his wispy hair was as gray as the surface of Luna.
“Kale, say something,” Aria whispered into my ear. “He has to invite you up.”
I glanced back over my shoulder. Madame Venta sat in the front row. Her sons Karl and Fern were on one side of her, and a gaggle of gorgeous young women was on the other. The closest held her hand and stroked her arm. Around them was a smattering of additional Venta directors and officials, but I didn’t spot Basaam among them. That, in addition to the scowl plastered on Madame Venta’s face, told me all I needed to know.
“Kale, don’t,” Aria warned.
I nodded to my people, and they presented the Cogent’s body to me. I grabbed him by his limp neck. Even with my powered armor on, I couldn’t bear the weight of a genuine Earther with one arm, so I dragged him out of their hands and rolled him onto the dais. Crusted dirt and blood stained the authentic wood floor as the body tumbled like a rag doll into the base of Talo’s podium.
The collective gasp of the Assembly and all the other pretentious sycophants cluttering the room made me want to grin. I fought the impulse, holding my lips straight and my glare firm upon Talo.
“Mr. Trass!” he exclaimed.
“This is an outrage!” another Assembly member protested.
“We came here, Mr. Gavaren, under the promise that we would be safe,” I said, mustering all the vim I could manage to project my voice through my sanitary mask.
“And we did everything we could to ensure that you were,” Talo said. “I assure you, those responsible for the bombing will be found, and those who allowed it to happen will be reprimanded accordingly.”
“If we weren’t saddled by Venta regulations, it would have never happened!” a Red Wing Company director blurted out, her voice surprisingly robust considering how petite she was.
“Please, Galora. You second-rate mercs couldn’t guard the ass end of Old Russia without help,” Madame Venta’s son Karl countered from across the aisle.
As the Red Wing woman cursed, Talo banged a gavel on the podium. “Order!” he bellowed. “We aren’t here to discuss the merits of Earth’s many conglomerates. As far as I’m concerned, both of you failed.” He leveled his stare at me, bushy eyebrows accentuating his already narrow eyes. “But that doesn’t excuse you for tossing a body at our feet, Mr. Trass. I know you aren’t from here, but that is not how we begin discussions. We have been more than accommodating since you arrived, conceding to all your demands. So, I ask you again, what is the meaning of this?”
“This assassin was sent to kill me upon my arrival at the spaceport,” I said. “Had it not been for a terrorist bombing, he would have succeeded. That is two attempts on my life already, and I’ve been here less than a day. As a practical man, I have to assume this entire hearing was contrived to draw me close enough to kill.”
“How dare you accuse us of that!” another Assembly member’s voice echoed from all the way from the end of their crescent-shaped desk.
Talo raised his hand in objection. “That is not how we operate, Mr. Trass. The USF’s sacred charge is ensuring the safety of all of humanity, not merely those remaining on Earth.”
I gestured to the Cogent body. “If this is your example of safety, then it’s no surprise your ancestors were almost wiped out.”
Murmurs of outrage bubbled up all around me. I think I even heard Aria stifle a yelp. Talo grimaced, but he drew a deep breath to help retain his composure. “We all came from the same place,” he said.
“Yet your ancestors weren’t chosen by Darien Trass.”
“We are not here to discuss the origins of our people.” He snapped his fingers toward a group of security officers behind the Assembly’s desk. They rushed down the stairs to remove the body. “Our best agents are busy searching for who this cowardly attacker was and how he was able to slip past our drones.”
“You know very well who it was.” I tore the Cogent’s cracked eye lens off his face and tossed it up to Talo. The USF banner draping down from the podium—bearing the USF emblem of eight small white dots along a line with a larger one in the center—rippled as it landed. “This isn’t the first Cogent to take a shot at me, and it won’t be the last.”
Talo spun the eye lens around in his hand. Then he sighed and passed it along to the elderly Assembly member next to him. “We are all well aware of the grievances your ambassador has filed regarding Luxarn Pervenio. However, there is no evidence of any ‘Cogent Initiative’ or whatever you’re calling these attackers. He has willingly disseminated all of his records.”
“And yet, he isn’t here. Not even a single representative.”
“I wonder why, murderer!” someone from the back of the crowd hollered.
“You Ringers killed them all!” shouted another.
“Order!” Talo said, slamming his gavel. “This Assembly will not tolerate any more speaking out of turn! Mr. Pervenio sent his apologies for not attending and explained that Pervenio Corp has been extremely preoccupied with the limited release of its commercial line of service bots. After… what happened, the reshuffling of his company has left little time or resources to expend on hearings.” He pointed to a floating spherical bot with a bulbous lens hovering in the back of the room. “Pervenio Corp is actively monitoring the contents of this summit and I’m sure will be happy to refute your claims afterward.”
“I hope you checked that thing for explosives,” I said. I recalled service bots from advertisements on Earther news feeds. The floating orbs and their many stringy appendages were a last-ditch effort for Luxarn Pervenio to recoup his losses after relinquishing his exclusive access to Saturn’s valuable gases. I would’ve hated them if they didn’t make it so obvious how much Luxarn was struggling. The releasing line could barely do more than respond to simple orders—"Get this. Move over there.” They were a fun distraction, rather than the game-changing personal helpers Luxarn intended them to be.
“Is that a threat?” Talo said.
“Only against myself.”
“Well, I can assure you that every inch of this hall has been swept, inside and out. You have never been safer.”
“Then perhaps he’s just too scared to face me himself.”
Talo said nothing. His wrinkled lips pursed,
his scowl matching the dozens of others aimed down at me from the Assembly. I could only imagine how many of them wished to hurl me out; those who had a hand dipped in Pervenio’s pocket before his corporation went belly up and blamed me.
“I think you’ve made your point, Kale,” Aria whispered in my ear, pleading with her vibrant green eyes for me to stop. She was right. There were many reasons why I was on Mars. They all required me to make it out of the Assembly Hall alive.
“Enough of this, Mr. Gavaren,” I said. “My body and mind are worn after our long journey. Let’s discuss why we’re really all here.”
“Let’s,” he replied.
I moved aside and allowed Aria to stand before the dais. She waited for Talo’s invitation, then stepped up and bowed at the waist with the grace of a practiced dignitary.
“Sir, I speak as ambassador for the people of Titan,” she said. “We’ve come here requesting that the USF Assembly recognize Titan and all its former properties throughout the Ring as their own sovereign state under the governance of Kale Trass, descendant of Darien Trass. It is our opinion that his family’s claim on Titan dates to before the Meteorite struck, making it more legitimate than any others.”
“Darien Trass didn’t murder anybody,” the elder Assembly member beside Talo remarked. “You compare your leader to a man who saved people? All that makes him famous is that he dropped a ship on thousands and then publicly executed a Pervenio director. One of our people!”
“Enough, Lathra!” Talo demanded. “Everyone in this room is aware of history.” He regarded Aria with a frown. “Ambassador, we deliberated endlessly while you traveled, but the truth of the matter is that much of what Lathra said is correct. We hesitate to meet your demands because we feel that they not only aren’t in the interest of humanity as a whole but that they aren’t in your interest either.”
I was about stomp up onto the dais and scream at him. Aria reached back to stay me.
“The Ring is a valuable asset to our kind,” Talo continued. “Darien Trass saw its worth centuries ago, and so do we now. While we respect your stance, there is no available DNA evidence proving this man is related to Darien. We also feel that leaving it solely in the hands of a young adult who has no experience running anything, presiding over a people who have a history of being highly susceptible to illness, would be irresponsible.”
I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer. “Illnesses your people brought over!” I barked.
“Let me finish,” he replied sharply.
“Why waste my time?”
“Let him finish, Kale,” Aria whispered.
I lowered my hands. They squeezed into fists.
Talo cleared his throat. “In an effort to cease hostilities, however, the United Sol Federation Assembly is prepared to grant you proprietary governorship over Titan on a demonstrative basis. You will have the privilege of directing the moon’s affairs with limited interference, under the oversight of this elected body, which exists to harbor humanity’s greater interests until we deem the results of this experiment suitable.”
“And what of the other moon colonies and stations that were established by the Titanborn around Saturn before the Great Reunion?” Aria asked. “There are various ports and factories. Even a version of Pervenio Station was originally installed by Titanborn builders.”
“As far as we are concerned, these properties have been seized illegally from a number of corporations and private companies that have established legal ownership since the calamity succeeding the Great Reunion. You may negotiate their future proprietorship with those bodies if you so desire, but we cannot condone such a policy of aggressive expansion.”
“Aggressive expansion?” I said. “As far as I’ve seen, that’s the only thing your kind does condone.”
“Considering the damages caused by the fighting you incited throughout the Ring, we feel this is a fair compromise,” Talo replied. “We are willing to sign a contract dictating these terms before you leave tonight. All you must do in return is agree to release all of the innocent civilians detained on Pervenio Station. We will negotiate the provision of ships for their transport in a way that does not hamper your colony as it adjusts to these new circumstances. In addition, you must surrender all private data and technology seized during the takeover of Pervenio Station. Consider it a demonstration of goodwill, to put all hostilities behind us and look forward to a brighter, more prosperous future.”
“Is that all?”
“Those are our terms.”
I had to fight to keep my entire body from quaking in anger. I turned to Aria, and I could tell she knew what I was thinking. Her expression preached caution, but that was the last thing on my mind. Millions of kilometers of travel and their only solution was to strip everything of value from us—from gas-harvesting ports and ships to refineries and factory stations. Even ice hauling wasn’t practical without controlling a facility closer to Saturn’s rings than Titan. We’d be subsidiary, bound to their credits and desires. Eventually, we’d wind up having to rent out the residential blocks on Titan just to stay afloat, and everything would go right back to how it was.
Aria swallowed a lump in her throat then said, “I can discuss these terms with Mr. Trass privately, though I fear we’re too far apart.”
“Surely the Assembly is open to negotiation in a more private setting,” the Red Wing Director named Galora insisted from her seat in the crowd. They were the only corporation we’d done any real business with since the revolution, so I wasn’t surprised. It was a feeble effort at feigning support for us. She didn’t even stand.
“We’re willing to discuss further liberties as time progresses,” Talo said. “And you have our assurance that proper care will be taken to ensure the health of Titan’s populace. In that, you will have the full support of the USF and all its affiliated corporations. Our medical research and capabilities are yours.”
“A kind gestu—” Aria began, but I cut her off by stomping up onto the dais myself, as far forward as I could go while maintaining eye contact with Talo.
“I don’t understand why you think this is a discussion,” I said harshly. He recoiled as if my words had physically struck him. I lowered my sanitary mask so he could see me in my entirety, unafraid. A dangerous move, but it had the desired effect. I could see the distress flood his features as he watched me.
“I came here to offer you our terms,” I said, my voice now unimpeded. “Perhaps you weren’t listening to my ambassador when she laid them out initially, so I’ll tell you all in person.”
I whipped around to face the crowd. If they appeared angry before, now they all looked like they wanted to shoot me. Red cheeks and raised brows characterized every face—everyone except Madame Venta. She remained staid, almost emotionless.
“Titan will not become another puppet of Earth!” I declared. “We are not a colony. We are the vision of Darien Trass. A better future on a new world. Our own world.” I stuck my finger out at the Assembly, sweeping from one side to the other. “Until that happens, we will not stop harassing your colonies or your ships on the Ring, no matter whose supervision they fall under. We will not release our captives, and we will not open trade.”
“Be reasonable, Mr. Trass,” Talo said through clenched teeth.
“I believe I am. Soon, if your kind occupy the Ring, it will be under our supervision, not the other way around. If they want to land a ship or open a port, they will ask us for permission. If they want a speck of ice, they’ll ask first. And until you agree to that, we’ll harvest every ounce of gas on Saturn for ourselves. Until the planet has nothing left but its rings.”
A few of the Assembly members blurted out in protest. I quickly silenced them by shouting, “I’m not finished! Last, you will deliver Luxarn Pervenio to my feet, wherever he is hiding. He will admit, to all of Sol, that the Ringer Plague brought about by the Great Reunion was no accident. That he and his father purposely dispersed germs to assume control over the Ring, knowing full well that
after three centuries on Titan, my people hadn’t the knowledge or experience in dealing with earthborn contagions.”
“That is a blasphemous accusation!” someone behind me yelled. The rest of what he said was drowned out by a torrent of opposition. The hammering of Talo’s gavel went unheard as well. Not a soul remained sitting, whether they were in the crowd or the Assembly. All pleasantries were tossed aside. The USF officers even had to sprint down to the floor to keep objects from being flung at me, though I’m sure most of them wanted to join in.
“I think this discussion is over,” I addressed Talo directly. He appeared as if he were about to have a stroke. “I look forward to the next one. Let’s go, Aria.”
She remained as still as a petrified tree, so I turned her gently. I walked her back down the aisle, now a narrow path through an incensed mob with my four guards surrounding us. It was different from when we landed in the spaceport. A sea of Earther dignitaries raged on either side of us, and there were no hired Red Wing officers or any weapons of our own to keep them at bay. The only thing that did was fear. Fear of what might happen to their people if they harmed me. Earther clan-families could be massive, and I guaranteed a few of their relatives were among those who weren’t able to flee the Ring before we took over.
“You dare turn your back on us?” Talo hollered so loud his voice cracked. “Come back here, Mr. Trass!”
“I don’t know if that was a good idea,” Aria said to me softly, clinging tightly to my side.
“Now you finally see how they see us,” I replied.
“They’re never going to give in to all of that.”
“Maybe not, but it’ll make them see that we aren’t a threat that can be solved by a pat on the head and a shipload of credits.”
“We can’t keep fighting forever.”
Children of Titan Series: Books 1-4: (A Space Opera Thriller Box Set) Page 70