The Admiral, tall and athletic with white hair, wore his blue and black attire as he walked out from the meeting room. Because the Imperial Building was completely air-conditioned and secured by special air filters against the outside air pollution, a mask was unnecessary inside. The city officials stayed in this building to look after issues like the Water Confiscation Act, conflicts against regional rebels, and the supply of rationed water and food to the public. Most headquarters under the Imperial regime functioned through solar power, though the lower community strata lacked this facility. Water consumption was heavily rationed across the city, determined by daily consumption limits issued by the Imperial Office. Generally, a family of three or four might receive only about three liters, or that same quantity of water might have to last for a week, depending on the scarcity limit.
The Admiral opened the door to his office, followed by his secretary, a woman named Judy, who was tall, similar to Mitra, and wore her hair in a bun at the neck beneath a white clerical Imperial Suit.
Sam entered the moment he saw the Admiral and immediately saluted.
"Any news?" questioned the Admiral.
"Mitra is here, Sir!"
"The bounty hunter?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"Where is he?"
"In the waiting room!"
The Admiral stepped out of his office and noticed Mitra, who was without his mask. "Are you the son of Krishna?" he asked.
"Yes, Admiral."
"Your father and I worked together for a long time. I remember... those were the days... the water confiscation..."
"I know..."
"Come on in! Have a seat."
Mitra picked up his backpack, and they walked inside the office.
The Admiral continued, "Make yourself comfortable. The Governor asked me to help you with your need to find the rebels..."
The secretary was busy checking the Admiral's schedule. "Meet my secretary, Judy," he added with a smile.
Both Mitra and Judy shook hands and greeted each other.
"Judy, please arrange a room for Mitra and some refreshments," the Admiral instructed her.
They sat down facing each other. The Admiral dismissed Sam and told Judy to shut the door, asking her to leave them alone for privacy.
The Admiral poured Bourbon into a tall glass, which he offered Mitra, but Mitra refused.
"Not used to it?"
"When you live in the dry lands... you don't need refreshments."
"I understand, Son. I haven't done any of that tough stuff for quite some time."
"I know!"
Mitra brought out his copy of 'Paradise Lost' from the backpack and pulled the envelope from it. He opened the envelope, pulled out an old photograph of a woman, and passed it to him, setting the other photographs aside. The woman looked very young and innocent.
The Admiral looked at the picture thoroughly. "We believe you know her!"
"We?"
"Her name is Gayatri, the rebel leader!"
"I can't recall..."
"Think."
"Where did you find this photograph?"
"During my recent capture of the rebels, Pramnik, Richa, and a few others. I found it among their belongings."
The Admiral inquired, "How did you reach them?"
"Through a smuggler this time. He was supplying food to them."
"Did you kill the smuggler?"
"Apparently, no. He is under Imperial Custody by the Governor's order to extract more information about the location of the other rebel bases."
"I see." The Admiral turned to the photographs. "So, you want to trace this person?"
"Her last known sighting was in the Neutral Territory."
"I see. Any other photographs?"
Mitra pulled another photograph from the envelope. "This is your father, Mitra, when he was young!"
"Yes. I found these photographs and some more with the rebels." Mitra gave the rest of the photos to the Admiral.
The Admiral went through the photographs. "I knew a few of them from my younger days. Most of them are now put into labor camps."
"I see."
"So, you want to hunt the rebel leader?"
"True."
The Admiral looked at him with a frown. "Are you on some vendetta, Mitra? Hunting down rebels, killing them, putting them in labor camps?"
Mitra took some time, a suppressed anger tight in his voice. "These rebels killed my father."
"That was a long time ago! You are earning by killing them one by one."
"That's my only earning."
"You could have done better if you hadn't run away from us!"
Mitra raised his voice slightly. "I was young, Admiral. I hated you for being so late to rescue..."
"I am sorry! That doesn't mean you can waste yourself in the dry lands!"
"Do I have any other choice?"
"Not anymore! You are a prized hunter of the Regime! That is why you are preferred for the job, the anger, the hatred, and everything."
Mitra exhaled a deep breath. "Anyways. The Regime will reward you with certain provisions in the coming days... and there are unreported attacks carried out by the rebels in the Ghost City."
The Admiral's face filled up with fear and anger. "How do they know?"
"You see, Admiral! The Governor feels this city is dying and will be demolished completely!"
"The Governor has never voiced this information to me!"
"Well, there's another problem, too: most of the rations are not distributed by your officials, but are being distributed amongst themselves."
"You are very well informed."
"Conning the suppressed is what the Imperials do. I don't care what you and the Governor want to do!" Mitra paused. He continued, "Anyways, I have to find the rebel leader, and I will get a clean slate from 'The Imperial Regime.' Then, I will settle down in one of the lushes of the surviving rainforests!"
The Admiral felt relaxed by Mitra's words. "Good for you, Mitra! You don't want to be involved in this system." He released a deep breath. "Alas! I was promised a rainforest, but that never happened."
Mitra looked at the Admiral and said, "So, shall we get started?"
"Yeah. Sure. I will fix up a search party in the Neutral Territory, along with the nomads out there. The Governor's instructions are that you will lead the case. On a side note, you do your part, and I will do mine. I will take a copy of those photos, now!"
"Excellent!"
The Admiral brought out a communicator from his drawer. The communicator was a telecommunication device built with a screen for video calling, a mini camera, and a GPS for location tracking connected to encrypted Imperial Cloud Storage. The Admiral started taking photos of the images and then gave the originals back to Mitra, who put them back in the book.
"And join us for dinner... I will be very happy to know you better and meet my family, too."
Mitra nodded at the Admiral's words.
To be Continued: Chapter 3: The Dinner