“If you’re wrong about his involvement?”
“I’m not.”
Or so he feared.
12
MX Transport Dalliance
SHAD ABDELMANI WISHED he could relieve Trevor’s anxiety. In good time, my friend. Shad watched via deepstream as Trevor stitched together connections with precision, though the final pieces eluded the young Governor. A few more days, and you will stand at the center of history.
“I’m proud of what he accomplished,” Shad said after Malik entered his father’s office and watched a brief snippet of the holo. “As a man, a father, a leader.”
Malik mumbled beneath his breath then added:
“The feeling won’t be mutual after you cut him off at the knees.”
Shad scoffed.
“What a tired metaphor, Son. Trevor Stallion rebounds quickly and with added fight. He’ll adapt when he understands the scope of our project.”
Malik handed Shad a tablet.
“Current disposition of UNF warships.”
Shad studied the graphics, which highlighted active and allegedly decommissioned ships.
“Our man in the Admiralty is good. Are we sure only the correct eyes will see this?”
“For now, he says. He can’t guarantee more than a week.”
Shad handed back the tablet and refocused on the wall of holos.
“All the time we’ll need. What about Raul? Has he responded?”
“The beacon is quiet. We haven’t heard from him in two months. Maybe it’s for the best.”
“Why would you say such a thing?”
Malik delivered a familiar side eye. Shad took it as a sign of his son’s insecurity.
“The man – if you can call him that – is psychotic,” Malik said. “He’s under no obligation to hold up his end of our insane bargain.”
“A handshake is a bond of trust.”
“So you taught me, Father.”
Malik looked away. Moments like this made Shad question his son’s commitment. However, recent events weighed on the young man’s spirits. Malik lacked spring in his step after shooting Alexi Babb and his crew. Why did Alexi open his mouth about the missing warships?
“I understand your misgivings, Malik. Our good friend Raul is an acquired taste. No more dangerous or vile a creature exists. But he’s a charming fellow with a strong instinct toward business. On that score, he owes me a debt too large to ignore. Without my thousands of contacts, he couldn’t have expanded Black Star so quickly.”
Malik grunted as he scrolled the tablet. Shad heard pessimism.
“You have something else to say, Son?”
“I turn cold whenever I’m near that cudfrucker. You never should’ve done business with him.”
“We’ve cycled through this conversation too often. Raul is a means to a fruitful end. His ambition exposed the filth in humanity. Would we be anywhere near fulfilling our cause without him?”
Malik shoved the tablet into his jumpsuit.
“That’s the problem. We set him loose, and now he’s too powerful. What if Raul decided he’s not obliged to the terms of the deal anymore? What if he knows about Requiem, or the Dyson Shells?”
“Or Code Exodus.”
“Yes.”
“He won’t care how we do it, so long as it’s done.”
“Explain his silence. He always responds to the beacon within two days. We sent it seven days ago.”
Shad chalked up Malik’s skepticism to the same issue which infected most of the crew: Years of hard, patient work neared a long-sought climax. They feared something might yet go wrong.
Used to be, Shad calmed his son with a few reassuring words. Then the boy became a man.
“Malik, my beloved first born. You should respect Raul. He is more experienced in the arts of decimation and death than any human in history. Our deal motivates him. He’ll respond when his calendar is free.”
“Hmm. You’re the Captain. I’m just a lowly XO of a transport worried about my crew.” Malik turned to leave then whirled about. He pointed to the image emanating from the Amity Governor’s office. “I also worry about your fixation on this man.”
