"And that's when I converted a couple drapes into a fabulous dress. I was the talk of the gala!"
This comment earned a laugh from Sunbearer's guests, pretending to be amused by the joke. Since his teenage years, he'd long since learned pretending you cared was a vital life skill. He sipped his wine, a pleasant buzz in his head. Despite some hiccups, this had proven to be a successful party.
While there'd been some initial hesitation, he'd shown everyone that his AI bots would be a vital, efficient workforce that would bring the UOP to even greater heights of prosperity. He'd even brought several dozen onto the ship, and his guests were staring in awe as they performed simple tasks like tending bar and cooking with the grace of dancers. As he'd long suspected, once his citizens glimpsed the comfort of a life without the Demons, they ceased to care about the worthless wretches.
There were still some holdouts—the earlier protest had proven that—but they'd soon forget that grubby bunch once they realized how much the AI bots improved their lives. Sympathy and compassion always inevitably surrendered to self-interest.
"Excuse me, I would like a word." A stern voice said.
"Oh, Ralss, isn't it?" Sunbearer said as the dark man approached. "Why do I have this honor?" He searched his mind for what scandal plagued the man's family, but came up blank. He decided on a generic show of sympathy instead. "Sorry to hear about your family's recent troubles. If there is anything you need, I'll be happy to grant my aid."
"That is most appreciated. But I wish to speak of this matter in private," Ralss replied.
Sunbearer measured how much he actually cared, and whether he should simply make an excuse and mingle elsewhere. Still, he remained cautious. Ralss wasn't someone to trifle with.
"I would love to." Sunbearer guided his guest to a side room, the same one he'd spoken to Chief Rolf in two hours earlier. "Now, how may I assist you?"
Instead of responding, Ralss swirled his wineglass, occasionally sipping at it. Sunbearer fought back his irritation at being forced to wait, plastering a fake smile on his mouth. Finally, his guest spoke.
"I'm retiring."
"Oh?" Sunbearer said, surprised. Ralss was only in his late fifties.
"I'm handing over my business to my older son, Craig so I can fully focus on other pursuits—namely, politics. I am looking for potential political allies when I run for mayor in the next election."
The blatant grab at his job took Sunbearer aback. "You want me to help you steal my job?"
"No." Ralss shook his head. "I have a proposal. A step to a higher, grander position worth of your skills."
"Explain."
"I've seen the polls. You've been shaky the last few months, but your handling of the Demon situation has garnered a great deal of attention. Some controversy, true, but your AI bot workforce proposal has been popular. Luciest remains popular, but he's caught in a rut—stagnated, you might say. And a sharp firebrand like yourself might be exactly what the UOP wants in their Prime Minister."
"Prime Minister?" The proposal caught Sunbearer off guard. Indeed, he entertained daydreams regarding that role, but it'd been only that, a fantasy. Or was it? If he impressed enough people with Project: Ugly Duckling, it might win him the next election? And Ralss wasn't exaggerating—Prime Minister Luciest had been flagging somewhat in the polls. Not significantly, but perhaps enough to create wiggle room.
"You've caught my interest, Ralss," but not enough to bless the man's plan. "And what makes you so confident you'd win as mayor? Isn't there some controversy marring your family?"
The lip of Ralss's mouth tightened. "Irrelevant. A minor stain at best. Rocke's actions…" He controlled his rising temper, his glare flint-hard. It made Sunbearer retreat a step. "Rocke is no longer part of this family. He has no bearing on this matter."
"I suppose." While not convinced, Sunbearer dropped the subject. Still, Ralss was in a sound position if Sunbearer didn't seek reelection. Besides Braken, there weren't any other worthwhile candidates, and Ralss's pockets ran much deeper than Braken's did.
"I'll consider it, but not this election." A couple months remained until Luciest's four-year term ended. While having Ralss as a backer would help, Sunbearer doubted he'd get enough backing to dethrone him.
"I say you can." Ralss's smile was nasty, making Sunbearer wonder if the man knew something he didn't. "I think we can make Luciest very unpopular if we play our cards right."
"Oh?"
"Of course, this counts on you smelling like roses when this Demon situation settles. That's all for now. Ears might be listening."
"I see." This was his private air yacht, but one couldn't be too careful. If Ralss wanted to keep his cards close to his chest, that was fine. Weakened or not, his enemy was still the Prime Minister. "I need time to consider it, but I would welcome an ally with similar interests."
"Then I will keep in touch. Good day, Mayor Sunbearer." Without another word, Ralss wandered off, leaving Sunbearer much to consider.
"Prime Minister Sunbearer." He liked how it rolled off the tongue. Truthfully, he'd grown too comfortable in his eight-year career as Mayor of Vladus. Perhaps he needed a change. He'd certainly welcomed it after he left the intelligence office after the last war. It was time to evolve again.
Yes, he would take Luciest's job. A brilliant firebrand was just what the UOP needed. Once he exorcized the Demons from his beautiful city, he'd be unstoppable. Sunbearer chuckled at his clever pun.
"Prime Minister Sunbearer." It would be glorious.
///
"See the target?" Jafia asked through their secured line. She smiled as she handed off drinks, giving a nod toward a man whose suit likely cost more than her entire department's budget. The councilman didn't even notice her, laughing with his fellow people of wealth and influence.
Jafia had feared that someone might notice her unfamiliar face, but even security hadn't picked up on her. In their minds, everyone was secure. But Jafia remained careful, keeping her head low. And carefully avoided any police officers, for she was a wanted criminal. In retrospect, maybe the bomb in her apartment had been rather reckless. Nothing for it now, however. If she kept a low profile, she'd be okay.
"He just finished talking to a man wearing a black suit," Rojan whispered in her earpiece.
"I see him." Jafia's blood boiled when she saw who the Mayor had been speaking to. It was a man she'd only spoken to once before—Rocke's father, Ekkor Ralss. He'd been a hard man, someone who pushed Rocke too hard, always belittling him for his failures. They'd had countless conversations about it as Rocke bore his heart out to her. It made Jafia realize Rocke was more than some spoiled rich kid.
"No, he's not my concern. Focus on the target." Though, if he got caught in the collateral, she wouldn't complain. She'd never forgive him for abandoning Rocke after his arrest.
Security was tight, their keen eyes ever watchful for danger. A dark-suited man with a bodybuilder's build shadowed the mayor's every step, with half a dozen others nearby for support. Jafia had a laser pistol hidden under her jacket, but doubted she'd get off a shot before they interfered. These people were professionals.
Plan B? But it was dangerous, likely to get her killed with no guarantee of terminating the target. Best to keep that card up her sleeve for later. With no real way to approach Sunbearer, Jafia remained patient. An opportunity would present itself soon enough. Hours passed, but the target remained in the open, not meeting with anyone else. Instead, he spent a majority of the night getting drunker. Jafia wondered if he'd even be awake when midnight struck.
"Idea," a familiar accented voice said. Their Konquellian ally had been hiding in the engine area, keeping out of sight. With so many people running around down there, it surprised Jafia he'd avoided attention.
"Yes, North Star?" her partner said, using Nitao's code name. She was Hera and Rojan was Blackjack. Jafia straightened a tablecloth as she listened in.
"Distraction. We need one. I can make one."
"Can you make one without getting swarmed by guards, North Star?" Jafia whispered, nodding at her handiwork.
"I can, Hera. Easy enough," Nitao said. "Blow one engine. It will make plenty of noise."
"That might work, and it's a little less drastic than Plan B." The airship had four engines; it'd still fly with one gone. "Do it. We'll improvise on our end." An hour remained until midnight. With the guards lulled into a false sense of security, they should strike now.
"Hold on."
Jafia almost lost her footing, tearing the tablecloth she'd been straightening to keep her balance. Other people weren't as fortunate, many toppling over onto the polished tiled floor. Glass shattered as a waiter dropped an entire tray of drinks on one congresswoman's head. Sunbearer himself rolled like a ball into a wall, stunned.
"I didn't think he meant now!" Jafia thought, steadying herself as the floor beneath them tilted to one side.
"Briant! What the hell is happening!" Sunbearer shouted, straightening himself.
"Hold on, sir!" The bodybuilder guard pulled his charge up, using his body as a shield against any potential danger. He tapped his ear, listening to a conversation only he could hear.
"Sabotage! Someone overcharged engine three!" Briant said, heaving his boss away from the ball area. Other guards were helping the guests up or rushing to investigate the engine room.
"That idiot Rolf! He should have prevented this from happening!" Sunbearer fought against his bodyguard, his face beat red. The floor evened somewhat, making it easier to keep his balance.
"They are pursuing the saboteur now." Briant's brow furrowed in obvious confusion. "They're saying it's a Konquellian? He's rushing deeper into the ship, Police Chief Rolf himself in hot pursuit."
"Him! He's here!" Much to Jafia's confusion, Sunbearer went white as a sheet. "He's here for revenge at last!" He ran off like a man possessed, heedless of his bodyguard's warnings.
Huh? What had scared the mayor? Whatever. Jafia fought past the tide of fleeing guests. She didn't apologize as she pushed aside a woman who'd blocked path.
"Blackjack, eliminate any viable targets you think are worth it. Create even more confusion," Jafia said in her comm. "I'm going after the prize. He won't escape."
///
"No, no, no!" Sunbearer's heart burned as he dashed through his airship's corridors. His mind raced, struggling to remember where the escape pods were. How could he not remember? He'd approved the design himself ten years ago. It had taken a small fortune to construct the craft, a marvel of technological elegance. And now the Konquell were destroying it under his feet to kill him.
"All these corridors look the same! Briant, you must know where to go!" But when Sunbearer turned around, he found himself alone, his burly bodyguard nowhere in sight. What? Had he somehow lost him? That meant the Konquellian would get him!
"After everything, I won't allow it!" It didn't matter if the Konquell sent a thousand assassins after him. He would survive.
"Okay, calm down. You aren't dead yet." Sunbearer took a deep breath, his mind clearing as he calmed his racing heart.
"Oh, of course." Sunbearer cursed his foolishness as he spotted the room number.
He was in the ship's vaunted guest wing, three dozen opulently decorated rooms for special guests when on tours across the UOP. That meant the escape pods were nearby, only a dozen feet away. When the tiny flight pod landed on its gravity engines, he'd make a distress call.
"Why was I even worried?" The Konquell were fools for trying to kill him on his own ship.
Sunbearer chuckled to himself, following the safety signs he'd failed to notice earlier. He froze mid-stride as footsteps stomped behind him. Much to his astonishment, the server was heaving, trying to regain her breath.
"Were you an Olympic athlete in your youth?" the woman said, panting.
"I served in the UOP military, overseas." At an outpost near the Konquell border. That was before the incident, however, and he'd purposely shot himself to get sent back home. He still had his Purple Heart in a case in his office. He'd served in a more administrative position once he's recovered, impressing his superiors enough that he'd served as Vanderfall's temporary governor during the war.
"I admire your dedication, young lady. But I will be all right." Sunbearer would offer this woman a promotion later, pleased by her loyalty. Such attributes were rare. "Return to the ballroom and help evacuate the guests."
"I don't think so." Sunbearer gasped as the woman pulled a laser pistol from her jacket. "This is where you die, Sunbearer!"
"What?" Hadn't he vetted his staff? That was why he'd axed a majority of them, fearing their loyalty. Somehow, a snake had slipped through the cracks. "You're in league with that Konquell, aren't you? Money—is that why you betrayed your own country?" It was his only chance: stall until help arrived.
"Huh?" The woman frowned. "No, I'm not doing this for money, but for justice."
Seeing her distraction, Sunbearer leapt at the assassin at a speed that startled her.
His weight and strength were enough to knock the weapon aside, hurling his attacker to the carpeted floor. Before she could recover, he threw a fist at her face. The assassin was quick, however, ducking under the blow. Sunbearer howled in pain as she elbowed him in the nose and drove a fist into his chest hard enough to drive the air from his lungs. As he lay gasping, the woman calmly searched for her weapon, blood splattering his expensive suit from his leaking nose.
"You surprised me there," the woman said, retrieving her pistol. "But it's not happening again." Sunbearer's heart thundered in his chest as she leveled the weapon at him. Her cold eyes told him she'd drop him dead without any fanfare, just a bolt of the heart.
But a flicker of movement caught his eye, his chest bursting with hope. His attacker noticed his reaction and ducked as a bolt sizzled past her skull. She cursed, rushing to the nearest cover, a stand holding a priceless ancient Vladus vase. It exploded into ceramic dust but saved her from certain death.
"Hurry, this way!" From the limp and the charred flesh on one leg, Sunbearer's bodyguard had gotten shot. That explained why he'd been so slow to come to his boss's aid. Not needing to be told twice, Sunbearer kept low as he hurried over to Briant's protective shadow. His attacker uttered some colorful expletives, firing shots after him. But they flew wide, leaving horrible char marks in his airship's lovely oak interior walls.
"Are you harmed?" Briant asked as Sunbearer approached. He got a shake in the negative. With a rough thrust, the bodyguard shoved his boss into a waiting, empty guest room. "Quick, barricade yourselves inside."
Sunbearer nodded, locking the door. He pushed a nearby satin finished couch in front of the portal, sweat glistening on his forehead as he finished. He collapsed in a heap, his body sagging as the adrenaline faded.
"You're a dead man, Sunbearer!" the woman screamed between the sizzle and crack of laser fire. "That room will be your tomb!"
"The Konquell are insane. To think they'd go this far." Sunbearer stumbled over to the room's stocked bar, his shaking hands spilling the amber liquid everywhere as he tried pouring a drink to steady his nerves.
He plopped onto a cushioned seat, too frightened and exhausted for anything else. The heart in his chest pounded as the firing stopped, and dead silence fell over everything. What had happened? Had Briant won? But he didn't dare speak a word, lest he break the spell. The sound of a discharging laser weapon made him jump. A heavy body collapsed soon after—easy to guess what had happened.
The door jiggled, rough and determined. A shot blew off the lock. The door creaked open a crack, a female eye peering through the gap. Their venomous gaze settled on the room's only occupant.
"No, this must be a nightmare."
"You're right." The woman shot him a nasty smile. "And I'm it! This is for everyone you hurt, you monster—all the broken lives because of you!"
Despite the fear, indignation sparked in Sunbearer. "You fools never seem to understand! What I've done is the best for everyone!" His lips quivered at unpleasant memories from his youth, back when he'd been an idealistic lad with his head in the clouds, chasing every pretty girl he came across. It hadn't been his fault. He'd had no choice. "You don't have the right to judge me, traitor! Was the Konquell's blood money worth betraying your country?"
"What?" The woman backed a step, her expression baffled. "No! What are you talking about?"
"It doesn't matter. I won't allow you the satisfaction." He only needed to hold out a couple minutes longer until reinforcements arrived.
As he raced up the second floor staircase, the traitor bashed against the barricaded door. Sunbearer darted into the palatial bedroom, pushing the mahogany dresser before the front door.
"Perfect!" He touched a wall panel, and a section slid open to reveal a terminal. With a quick stab of his fingers, he contacted his best chance.
"Look, Mayor, I'm busy. If you're angry about—"
"Shut up! I'm holed up in one of the guest suites, and a murderous traitor is outside trying to kill me!"
That caught the police chief's attention. For once, he actually listened. "I'll be right there. I'm near to you. My prey slipped away anyway. What room are you in?"
"Suite E, first floor."
"I'll be there soon. Hang on." Rolf hung up.
"Finally he's doing his job," Sunbearer snorted. He winced as someone wiggled the door handle. The smell of burned wood filled his nostrils as his attacker shot the lock off, blasting a hole right through. He caught sight of traitor's serving outfit through the smoke. She fought with the door, but the dresser blocking the entrance kept her from entering.
"That won't save you!" the woman said before pausing. "Right. Suite E. North Star, I need your help. Sunbearer has likely called backup. Blackjack, keep them busy. I won't be long." She must be speaking to someone through a comm unit.
With Sunbearer's luck, the ship was crawling with traitors. If he escaped this, his secretary's head would roll for such blatant incompetence.
"That was fast." His attacker sounded pleased. "Your skills are amazing. I won't mind some sparring later. But forget that—bust this door down. I'm guessing a dresser is blocking it."
To Sunbearer's wide-eyed astonishment, the dresser went flying as something slammed into the door. It smashed into wooden shards against the far wall, leaving no barrier between him and his assassins. A Konquellian walked through the door, his expression blank. His cold eyes leveled on Sunbearer, recognition flashing in his gaze. It was him! The man Sunbearer had warned Chief Rolf about. He'd finally come to do the deed.
"You're him, aren't you?" Sunbearer said with a trembling voice. "You're Tairn Hualzeo's son, here for revenge!"