Chapter 29 - Choosing a Rep
Medoferro and Insegniferro finished up their lesson early, going over emergency procedures in case something were to happen to any of the Mullinix. It seemed like a timely lesson, considering the problem that had happened the day before. Iggy hoped that the lesson wouldn’t be needed, but would have felt remiss in not teaching it to him.
"That seems simple enough," Medo said, finishing reading some old documents, "So is that all we are going over today?"
"That’s all we’re doing formally," Iggy nodded, "But there is something else I need to talk to you about."
"This isn’t going to be a birds and the bees lesson is it?" Medo asked, "I think I’m learning that quick enough at night…"
"No, no," Iggy chuckled, "I think Massimaferro is much more qualified to handle any lectures on that anyway."
"So what are we talking about today, Iggy?" Medo asked him, "You’ve got the floor."
"You’ve met Roland and Paulus, right?" Iggy asked them, "Our personal representatives?"
"Yes," Medo nodded, "Nice enough guys. I saw Roland today, but I haven’t seen Paulus for nearly a week."
"Paulus is looking in on things for us down in Cirrus," Iggy said, "Roland is staying put until we get ready for the trade talks in Siraq."
"Why are you bringing this up?" Medo asked him.
"Because the personal representatives are an important part of being a Mullinix," Iggy told him, "We were hoping to get through a bit more of your training before having you choose one, but things have been getting dicey and we’ve needed a new rep for several years now. So we need you to choose one soon."
"What does a personal representative actually do?" Medoferro asked him, "I mean are there limitations as to what they do or what?"
"Your personal representative is someone that you can trust," Insegniferro explained, "No more and no less. He serves no master but you. Even Massy and I can’t do anything with him without telling you, though he will essentially be an apprentice as long as you are."
"Does it have to be a man?" Medo asked him.
"No," Iggy admitted, "It could be a woman. There have been a few opposite sex couplings, but they are rare."
"Any limitations on who I can choose?" Medo asked him, "I mean do you have to approve?"
"It would be nice if it was someone we could get along with," Iggy chuckled, "But knowing you I don’t think that will be a problem. It is your choice totally. Just remember before you make the choice that you are going to have to live with this person for a long time. Changing personal representatives is a pain in the ass, as the new one doesn’t have the history."
"The thing is," Medo said, "I don’t have many close friends. I was always a loner at home, not too close with my classmates. Most of them were people I’d say hello to if I saw them in the hallway, but not someone I’d ever spend the night with or go out drinking with."
"That is your choice," Iggy told him, "I’m sure there is someone out there who you feel close enough with."
"Do I have to have to have known them for a long time?" Medo asked him, "I mean…"
"It’s not a hard and fast rule," Iggy chuckled, "Honestly, I’d only known Roland for a year or two when I chose him. He was my best friend at the time though. Massy and Paulus had been friends since they were able to talk though."
"What about Taliaferro’s?" Medo asked, curious now.
"I don’t know," Iggy said honestly, "He’d been around for so many years by the time I came in that he was just accepted."
"The only two people I know that I think I’d consider are Simon and Miranda," Medo said, "They’ve been here for me since I’ve been in this predicament. You notice that nobody from home has even tried to contact me."
"I was wondering about that," Iggy said, "Usually the families take it well and respond well to the congratulations notice we send them. Your family hasn’t even responded yet."
"I don’t expect them to," Medo sighed, "I was pretty much the invisible boy at home."
"No abuse or anything, I hope," Iggy asked him, looking concerned, "Right?"
"Nothing like that," Medo assured him, "Nothing at all like what Marina had been subjected to. There just wasn’t much warmth in my household. I was a loner because that was what I was taught from the time I was young."
"That was the part I was worried about from your file," Iggy told him, "None of our agents could ever really find any personal information about you. You showed no signs of psychopathy or any other disorder, but you seemed to have no close friends."
"Everyone to their clique and a clique to everyone," Medo laughed, "I just never fit in while I was in school. Most of my old friends outgrew me or I outgrew them. So I kept to myself and figured I’d get a job doing something or other someday."
"I’m sure this isn’t what you had in mind," Iggy said, "Though you did have ample warning…"
"No kidding!" Medo said, "So you would have no problem if I chose Simon or Miranda?"
"Problem?" Iggy said, feigning surprise, "Hell, half the house staff is taking bets on which one of them you’re going to choose."
"Who is getting better odds?" Medo asked him, "You can bet on them and we’ll split the pot?"
"Nice gesture," Iggy laughed, "But I’m staying out of it. You can seriously choose either one, whichever one you think will do the best job."
"What exactly do they have to do?" Medo wondered, "And what is their compensation?"
"They serve out of loyalty usually," Iggy said, "But they basically get a lot of the same benefits you do, without some of the limitations. They get to live in a room here if they choose, though unlike us they can marry and live outside if they want to. There isn’t much money in it, but they will get to travel and never have to worry about their next meal. They’ll draw a small stipend for personal use and their travel will be paid for."
"A lot of travel?" Medo asked.
"Quite a bit," Iggy admitted, "Enough that Roland’s wife is usually annoyed with me for sending him out. That’s why Paulus got the Cirrus trip, so we could let Roland spend some time at home with Sueta before sending him out. Roland will get the trip to Siraq to make the arrangements for the trade negotiations."
"So they are ambassadors for the throne?" Medo said.
"They perform that function, yes," Iggy nodded, "They also travel to places and see what the area is like. They can do it without the massive security they have to put on us. If there is a problem, they can often find it faster than we can."
"How dangerous is it?" Medo asked him.
"Not usually," Iggy said, "We’ll send a guard with them, usually in disguise if they’re traveling incognito. I won’t say we’ve never lost one, but it is rare and we always try not to send them to places they could get hurt."
"Man," Medo said, sitting back in his chair, "This is a serious job…"
"Everything here is serious, Medo," Iggy warned him, "You learned that the hard way yesterday. One day you’ll be responsible for life or death situations. Hopefully that day will be far away, but you have to be ready for it whenever it happens. Something could happen and one of us could die early, pushing you right into Massy’s spot."
Medoferro visibly shuddered at that fact, something that still worried Insegniferro a little. It had been so many years that he had almost forgotten what it was like to be new in this job. Thirty-six years is a long time to live as a Mullinix, especially when you’ve spent thirty of them in the hot seat.
"It is a fact, Medo," Iggy reminded him, "You are a simple heartbeat away from being the leader of this nation. My job now is to prepare you as best I can."
"The personal rep is to help us not to have to do that alone," Medo nodded, "Right?"
"That’s it in a nutshell," Iggy said, "Part friend, part confidant, part ambassador, the personal representative has to do it all. In some ways their job is even more thankless than ours is."
"The way you describe it," Medo s
aid, rubbing his brow thoughtfully, "I think Simon would be better for it than Miranda. He’s more outgoing."
"That is up to you," Iggy said, "Either one would probably do well, though I doubt she’d forgive you for pulling her in."
"That’s true," Medo chuckled, "She was almost as scared of it as I was."
"Think about it a bit before you decide," Iggy said, "You have the rest of the day off. If you decide on Simon, go ahead and ask him. Just have him come up here and we’ll fill out the paperwork."
"Does he have to finish school there?" Medo asked Iggy, "Or do we pull him out if I do choose him?"
"He is immediately transferred to us," Iggy smiled, "That’s a selling point too. He doesn’t have to eat that cardboard slop."
"Why is the food that bad?" Medo wondered, "Surely they can come up with something that tastes better than that."
"There actually is a valid reason for that," Iggy laughed, "You want to know what it is?"
"Sure," Medo nodded, "I was hoping that someone would have a valid reason."
"The Mullinix Empire is made of a polyglot of cultures," Iggy said, "All of them like different foods. Up north everything is spicy where the west is mostly salt and fish. South is bland food pretty much exclusively, the food from up north would kill most of their palates."
"So you make the food bad so everyone hates it?" Medo asked, not quite seeing the logic in it.
"The food is tasteless and filling," Iggy chuckled, "And the same for everyone. The same recipe has been used there for centuries. It’s a way of bonding, sharing the misery."
"That is just sick and twisted," Medo laughed, "Who the hell thought of that?"
"Medoferro I actually," Iggy grinned, "So I’d be careful criticizing it too much."
"Man," Medo sighed, "That’s depressing."
"Go ahead and take off," Iggy said, "You’ve done all you need to today. If you want to talk to Simon, go ahead and pull him out of class."
"Do I need to fill out anything for that?" Medo asked him.
"No need," Iggy said, "You’re a Mullinix. They will let you dispel class for the day completely if you really want to."
"Tempting," Medo said, "But I think I’ll just get Simon out and talk to him about it."
"All right," Iggy said, "Do what you will. If you choose tonight, just meet in the office tomorrow morning. We’ll make the official transfer then."
Medo nodded and headed out the door. The palace commons were a safe area, but they were separated from the Service Center School on the outside by a large wall filled with checkpoints. Medoferro, now realizing the threat on him, went over to the guard station to find out who was on protective duty.
"What’s up, Medoferro?" Rav Suvorov said, showing his true personality instead of the belligerent fool he showed in class, "Going out?"
"Quick trip," Medo nodded, "Only to the classroom areas."
"Let me get another big guy," Rav said, "Five minutes?"
"I can wait," Medo nodded.
It actually only took three minutes, as Suvorov found another young guard in the lunch room. They both wore full uniforms and carried compact dart weapons, small and deadly things that could be easily concealed.
"Where are we going?" Suvorov asked them.
"To the registrar," Medoferro said, "I need to find Simon."
"He’ll be in second session, room 204," Suvorov said, "I had the same schedule you two did."
"I’d forgotten," Medo grinned, "My mind is just not able to process everything it is being fed."
"Understandable," Suvorov nodded, "You have to remember enough for any ten people."
"Right," Medo nodded.
They walked quietly towards the classroom areas. Medoferro was wondering how Simon would react to this, but he knew there was no better choice. The three of them went into the building and Medo had to fight hard not to flinch at some of the stares that resulted.
Suvorov and the other guard stood back and let Medoferro knock on the door to the right classroom. Miranda and Simon had been talking to each other in their usual seats in the back of the room when they looked forward. The instructor went over to the door and let Medoferro in, bowing respectfully.
"How are you, Medoferro?" the instructor said, "What brings you to my classroom?"
"I apologize for interrupting your lesson, instructor," Medoferro said, "But I would like to speak with Simon Sutcliffe, please."
"Simon," the instructor said, "I believe you’ve been summoned," then he turned over to Medoferro again, "Should I hold class for him?"
"No need," Medo said, "He won’t be returning today. Again, I apologize for interrupting. Go ahead with your lesson."
Simon and Miranda looked at each other and wondered what Medo had in mind. She shrugged and waved to Medo, a gesture that he smiled and returned. Simon got up and took his books with him, heading over to Medoferro.
"What’s up?" Simon asked Medo.
"Come on," Medo grinned, "I’ll tell you outside."
"You’re the boss," Simon chuckled, simply glad to get out of the room.
They walked out of the room and headed away from the classrooms. Simon was surprised to find that Rav Suvorov was outside as well and even more surprised that Suvorov was looking as official as he was.
"Ok Medo," Simon said, "What no good are you up to?"
"Just need to talk to you," Medo said, "Rav? Can we go to the field without additional escort?"
"Sure," Rav nodded, "The fields are within the walls. Only need the two person escort for when you’re outside the palace walls."
"He is your escort now?" Simon asked him, "Ok, this is weirdsville, Medo… What the hell is going on? Someone die?"
"Nope," Medo said, "Just needed to have a serious talk with someone and you’re elected."
"All right," Simon agreed, "This is your show and I’m grateful… That lecture was boring as hell."
They walked out of the developed area and headed into the fields, an area that had been put aside long ago to give an open area for people to walk around in. It being the middle of a work day nobody was out and they pretty much had it to themselves.
"Ok Medo," Simon said, "You’re concerning me, buddy. What’s up?"
"What do you have planned when you get out of here?" Medo asked him, deciding to approach it from that angle.
"Define out of here?" Simon asked, "Out of this field or out of service center?"
"Out of service center," Medo said.
"I don’t know," Simon said honestly, "Probably look for some sort of job. Not like I’m going to get anything from home."
"Too many of you?" Medo asked him.
"There are ten of us, remember?" Simon nodded, "Dad won’t be able to apprentice all of us, though he’s got friends that probably would take a few. I might go with one of them."
"I see," Medo nodded, going into thought again, "Doing what?"
"Who knows?" Simon said, "I thought you needed to talk, man. Why all the questions about me?"
"It’s you I need to talk about," Medo told him, "Did you spend any time talking to Roland or Paulus at the party?"
"A bit," Simon nodded, "Really nice guys."
"Do you know what they do there?" Medo asked him.
"Yeah, They’re the reps for the other Mullinix. They do things…" Simon said and then the realization hit him, "Oh man… You’re not thinking… Medo?"
"I’ve got to choose a personal representative," Medoferro explained to him, "You and Miranda are the only ones I know that well and frankly, though she is a great girl, you are better suited to this job."
"Holy shit…" Simon said, trying to get his bearings back, "Me? Work in the palace?"
"Not just in the palace, Simon," Medo said, "You’ll get to travel around the entire country, being my eyes and ears in places that I either can’t or don’t have time to travel to."
"You just had to find a way to drag me into it, didn’t you?" Simon chuckled, "Holy mol
y…"
"I’ll be honest," Medo said, "The pay sucks, but you will never have to worry about where your next meal will come from."
"When would I start?" Simon asked him, "And what other benefits?"
"You get to live at the palace with me when you’re not traveling," Medo said and then grinned at him, "And yes, you get the benefits that I do there."
"Now that is an inducement," Simon laughed, "Who would my official boss be?"
"That’s the other down side," Medo said, "I’ll be your boss."
"You’re kidding me," Simon said, "Ok, where do I sign up?"
"You sure you want in on this?" Medo asked him, "You have a choice, I didn’t…"
"Man," Simon said, "You are a good guy and I have only bullshit to look forward to otherwise. You never did tell me when I could start…"
"You don’t have to go back to class," Medo said, "We’ll just make a stop and get your stuff later."
"Looks like we’re on a new adventure," Simon chuckled, "Thanks, Medo."
"Don’t thank me yet," Medo laughed, "Not until you have to go to Cirrus for the first time…"
The Mullinix Book 1: Ascension Page 31