12. The Ambition of Ceoda Moore

 

A day before Ceoda Moore first meets with King Remipor 

One of the critical reasons to why I'd avoided Earth for so long, was the way their leaders kept supporting old traditions. Earth’s law states that every newborn Larferna sovereign should be raised by a single neglectful guardian. By their tenth year, he or she shall start school and is to be bullied by a selected candidate, Jakcon in this case. Then forced to be alone until their term of schooling is completed. After, they will meet their first ever friend, a man named Octlyn filled this role, who is the younger brother to Jakcon. This selected friend will act as a caretaker to help guide Quent throughout his young adult life into the role of King. These roles only open for audition to any of the Royal cousins. It is the Remelan brothers who scored the mission. Maybe this will be a great raising technique to raise serial killers but I guess results don't lie. This idea of raising heirs was based on a life that someone lived. It was the childhood of the first King of Larferna, and it made him so successful. That he made a law that all Royal heirs are to be raised exactly how he had. To insure that the same mindset is passed on through generations. What he doesn't know is that every human being reacts differently. Plus, his life wasn't planned unlike Quents. But as a leader myself, I reckon success made him cocky and self centred. Maybe he created that law to rid himself the burden of raising his heirs? 

Annel texted me soon after, “Garitarie is awaiting your feedback regarding his newest intel.” I replied with, “Text back saying he’s to head over to my office now.” Garitarie sent me an email loaded with the location of the next King of Larferna, and the contracts of the Remelan brothers. Jakcon is on route to my C. T. Ship. Am currently in space, parked outside Planet Earth. He’s coming here to meet with Garitarie and I to ask for an Exporta for his King. Apparently the King and Octlyn had been ambushed with an attack by four masked bandits. The King lost a leg up in Mount Nuru and during his delayed hospital destination, it caused him to lose enough blood to be considered dying. He’s now in containment and is awaiting an Exporta. So that the doctors of Earth can recklessly fix his body without killing his brain. Was attacking Quent an assassination? Because if so, then why would they bother wearing masks. Though it does buy them identity insurance for if they failed, to which they did. But I heard they used bats, if they did plan to kill the King. Why not use a bow n arrow, or throw f*****g spears? Or better yet, a freaking gun… It could be a kidnapping mission? Annel texted then, causing me to remember the days for when I wasn’t famous, or even had a job. Meaning I wouldn’t have gotten an assistant, and therefore being interrupted out of my thoughts would’ve been uncommon for me. I finally read Annel’s text, “Garitarie is outside.” I couldn’t be bothered shouting him in, so I pressed a button to open the doors instead.

“Boss,” he nodded. “Any opinions on my email?”

“Replace opinions with questions,” I said. Gar was wearing his usual outfit. He stood there waiting for me to say more. “How did you came to know Jakcon?” I asked.

“There’s about forty-nine schools within the Larferna lands, and I’d thought that the King would’ve been, or had, attended one of them. So I had my hackers send an email to every student in Larferna saying, ‘King? You there?’. Jakcon was the only one who replied back with something other than, what the f**k.”

“So you just tried sending an email to a King that doesn’t even know he’s King yet?”

“Yeah, we were trying as many ideas as possible and now it’s gotten us a meeting.”

“Let me read what he wrote back,” Gar passed me his phone which showcased the on-going email between him and Jakcon. It reads:

Garitarie: King? You there?

Jakcon: What’d you want with a King? 

“That’s it?” I asked. 

“The email he replied back to, contains a virus that allows me access to his computer, plus location. And I immediately sent a few of my spies to check him out. My spies kidnapped him and interrogated Jakcon without violence. He eventually told us about his contract with the Larferna council.” 

“And now he’s coming here for a meeting?”

“Yep.”

“On behalf of the Larferna council, or for himself?”

“For the council,” said Jakcon. 

“Why would they send a bully to make one of the most important deals for their King? Why not the spokesman for the Larferna council?”

“I don’t know yet.” 

“When’s he arriving?”

“I saw his ship outside my window twelve minutes ago, he wasn’t far so I’m guessing just under an hour.” 

“Their King is dying and they’ll rather send someone to ask for an Exporta than to call for it?”

“Its tradition or something,”

“Is that the answer to everything Earth does that’s inefficient?” I laughed, and Gar joined me. Ever since he’s been in my employ, him laughing at my jokes feels more like a*s kissing. 

“Have him situated in the library when he’s aboard the C. T.” I ordered.

“Will do.”

“How long has Quent been unconscious for?” 

“Since they’ve found him,” he paused. “If the King had remained conscious long enough for us to offer the merger deal in trading for saving his life. Him rejecting the deal can result to you refusing him access. Now we have to give him a free Exporta, or else he’ll die and consequently leave us with the Larferna council to deal with.” 

“It works out better this way. The King will see me as an ally for saving his life.”

He nodded and smiled in agreement, “Anything else boss?”

“Send for Meeroc and meet me at the library for when Jakcon’s here.” 

“See you soon,” said Gar, his vocal tone is smoothing out delightfulness. 

“Wait actually,” Garitarie turned around, face curious. 

“Your wife’s finally boarded last night, right?”

“Thanks for allowing her to stay.”

“No worries. Meer and I are going to play some tennis. You two fancy a game of 2 vs 2?”

“If I beat you, will you feel sullen about it?”

“You’re on my team, so no need to think like that.”

“Then my wife will be the one thinking it. She’ll worry that if she and Meeroc beats you at tennis. Then that might potentially make you direct an unpredictable reaction towards either of us.”

“Has something like that happened to you before?”

“I don’t talk behind my ex-bosses backs.”

“Safe reply, Gar, but I’m really not that emotional towards my employees.” 

“My wife is not your employee though.” 

“The worst thing I’ll do to her is call her a b***h, in a playful tone of course.”

“Would she be allowed to bite back?” 

“Yeah of course, I’ll hate it if she just absorbs insults without lashing back. I’ll meet you at the court in ten.”  

I told Gar to send for Meeroc but I couldn’t be bothered with the wait, so I voice-mailed Annel, “Send me Meeroc’s locale via radar signal.” She sent me a radar beeper to help track him, and instead of the radar beeping noise every time, it just vibrates. So I held it on my clitoris. Moaning to myself inside my mind while finding Meer. Meeroc was a fair distance away from my office, too far to the point that I’ve almost soaked myself with the natural lube we all carry within ourselves. I reached him at the balcony room. When you open the door to this room, it greets you only with a balcony. The whole room is made out of large TV’s, projecting a fake but immersive display of whatever you want. Meeroc chose the sunset setting. I had the room filled with weather manipulator’s, fans and heat producers to be exact. This is to give a sense of realness of the natural weather Earth has. Something space travel lacks. I found Meeroc smoking a cigarette, imported from the one place you can buy it from, Planet Mere. Probably one of the reasons why that Planet is the most visited place of 3015. Using one of man kinds worst addictions to draw in customers. Just like how my world will become the most endorsed Planet when I release Exporta. 

“Intaking cigarettes a public announcement for suicide,” I snapped out. 

“Thankfully I have a friend who excels on keeping people alive.” 

“Yeah, but if you keep contributing to lowering your current health then you’ll be speaking to me in a different body, real soon.” Meer looked at me all confused, so I started to clarify.  

“Exporta keeps the mind alive, not the body. Don’t worry though, I’ll make sure you’ll get an ugly vessel to suit your ugly habit.” I pointed at his cigarette. 

“You better work on fixing this soon then, because the whole Galaxy won’t believe you’re Ceoda Moore if you hop into another body instead.” I already have clones of myself created, and a dozen for Meer too, but he doesn’t know that. 

“We’ll see,” I mocked. Vanities always a big part of Meeroc’s life, take the cliche sunset view he picked as example. I would have went with a live feed of a political party, but Meer doesn’t have access to those options. He flicked the cig over my balcony. 

“You need this room for the stalking session?”  

“Stalking session?” I asked. 

“I heard you like using this room for watching live feeds of political parties.” How did he know I did that?

“The ones I’m not invited to.” 

“Who would refuse you to parties?” he seemed surprised. 

“Only the ones that take place on Earth,” I used my phone as a remote to change the display setting from sunset to matutine. 

“Weather is one of God’s way of manipulating our moods. Is that why you created this room, Ceoda?”

“You should reword God with the Sun.” He ignored my remark. 

“So, you here to chill with me then?” he asked.

“I’m here to be with you, but not to chill,” I smiled, showcasing my teeth. “Just wondering if  you want a game of tennis?”  

“I against you or we playing two v two?” Meeroc looked excited to an extent, don’t know what about though. 

“Garitarie and his wife is playing also.” 

“They in a team against us?”

“No, I want you to go with Gar’s wife.”

“What’s her name?”

“I could have asked Gar the same question but I respect human independence enough to let people introduce themselves.” 

“You always find a way to share your opinions, eh?”

“It’s one of the easiest ways of inspiring the masses, Meeroc.”

“When we starting the game?”

“In five minutes,” I said.  

“I’ll get changed now. See you on the court soon,” he glanced back a smile. 

I didn’t bothered showering because I knew I’d be sweating soon anyway. I did wash my hands though. My tennis court was filled with Garitarie and his wife, Meer was already there too. 

“Boss, this is my wife, Jennie.” Meer gave me a mocking smile, I returned it of course. No doubt Jen thought my smirk directed at her instead. 

“Jennie, you can team with my friend, Meeroc Davies,” I said. She nodded in excitement. Gar and I was just making our way to the opposite sides of Meer and Jen, when Jakcon got escorted onto my court. 

“Jakcon Remelan of Earth, Madam,” announced one of my guards. I nodded.

“He’s early, Gar?” I asked. 

“Sorry for my poor time estimates, I can have him wait for us while we finish our game?”

“F**k no, the King’s dying remember.”

“Sorry,” Gar’s tough boy image seems to dilute every time he apologises. 

“I’ll go greet him, you inform your wife and Meer to get tea or whatever.” I walked towards Jakcon, masking on a welcoming expression I so tediously wear when greeting idiots. 

“Have Jakcon meet me in the library room.” I commanded the guard that announced Jakcon. He nodded yes to his orders. I looked behind me to see Jennie walking to the open bar and Gar and Meer having a one on one conversation. I activated my in-ear piece to listen in on the exchanges of these two interesting males. I had every room on my C. T. Ship bugged, and only I have access to over-hearing them via my in-ear transmitter. 

“Seems like Ceoda has taking a liking to me.”

“How so?”

“She choses to team up with me instead. I’d always thought she lusted for you but I reckon your just brother material to her.” I cringed at Gar’s theory. 

“Ceoda wanted me on the opposite team because she wanted to see me on full view. She benefits her visual pleasure by looking at me, while getting her intel at a logical listening position, from you.” I flushed at Meer’s correct acknowledgement of my intentions.

“Gar! Let’s go meet with Jakcon,” I gave an ideation of goodbyes to Meeroc via one of the smiles I’ve been saving up. A smile that I have never used in public but practiced many times with the mirror. Garitarie ran to catch up with me while Meeroc returned a mere one eyed blink that ratified me of our unofficial intimacy. 

Jakcon and the guards escorting him didn’t get to the library yet. Gar and I managed to catch up with them instead. Jakcon looked half starved and tired from his first ever space trip. 

“Let’s talk in the kitchen instead,” I suggested, Jakcon seemed glad at that. I texted Annel to clear the kitchen. 

“Anything you can tell me about your first departure from Earth?”

“The air seems lacking up here,” said Jakcon.

“Beats having none at all,” I pointed towards the window. Jakcon managed a fake courtesy smile. Something I guess he had only a days practice on. 

“You got a boyfriend?” asked Jakcon, simpering. My guards and Gar stopped walking. Looking at me for an instruction, Jakcon clearly doesn’t have the galactic manners one has when addressing a megalomaniac such as myself. 

“Why? You want to be mines?” I teased. Jakcon looked hopeful, but it was just to soften his tongue for when I ask him the questions he’s only here for.

“If you’ll consider me, then yeah,” he said. Garitarie seemed in awe at my restraint for not vomiting in reply to Jakcon’s ignorant attempt of asking me out. 

“I tend to know what I want, so ‘considering’ isn’t usually a thing I do.” Gar and the guards breathed out a giggle each. Jakcon was too distracted with looking at me to even acknowledge their subtle dislike for him. We arrived at the long desired kitchen, I prepared Jakcon, Gar and even the guards a meal each. I ordered us some space grown avocado mixed with greek gluten free pasta, freshly made by my private chef, Altum Harrisal. He finished by sprinkling our meals with the necessarily salt and pepper. When Jakcon gained most of his wits back from eating my energising meal, I started asking my questions. 

“You know how the King’s doing?” 

“He’ll live. Once he gets an Exporta, that is.” 

“I’ll give him one, don’t worry.”

“I guess that concludes my purpose then,” Jakcon stood up.

“Entertain me with a few answers first?” Jakcon nodded me to go on.

“How come you were at Mount Nuru when the King got injured.”

“I wasn’t, but what makes you think that?”

“I didn’t think it,” I signalled one of my guards to hand me the pictures.

“The Larferna council had a birds-eye view of Mount Nuru, and isn’t this you in front of  your younger brother, Octlyn?” Jakcon started looking a bit scared, probably sympathising to Quent’s similar mindset during school for the first time in his life. 

“I ordered my staff to hack into the Larferna surveillance and deleted the footage. So we’re the only ones at the moment who knows your involvement in the attack.” I stood up and walked to the fridge for a drink of some aphrodisiac tea that Meeroc brought. 

“I won’t release these pictures to the Larferna council if you answer all my questions honestly. Deal?” Jakcon nodded yes. Gar was still finishing his meal, expressionless. 

“Why did you attack the King?” I asked.

“To make this meeting possible.”

“Enough with the vagueness, I want first-class answers from now on.” 

“I was hired by him,” he nodded over to Gar. “To injure Quent to the point of close death. So that the Larferna councils only option is to request an Exporta for their King.” Gar seemed to tense up, but I continued with my questions so he relaxed for now. 

“And what was in it for you?”

“My brother Octlyn was attached to a contract that puts him in a position to protect the safety of Quent. By disrupting his mission, forces Octlyn to be banished from all the rewards one gets when working on a contract such as his.”

“What was his reward compared to yours?”

“If we both succeeded the contract, then we would rightfully rule together over the Remelan City, Remelands for short.” 

“And since you’ve completed yours. You get to have all the rewards for yourself?”

“Yes, but my brother didn’t even wan-” I stopped him with a hand gesture.

“Handcuff Jakcon, please.” I directed the order at no one in particular, Gar was the first to react and handcuffed him. 

“For what?” Jakcon shouted.

“For my entertainment,” I replied subtly. “All of you, meet me in the transfer room, and bring some rope. Metal rope that is,” I finished. 

I walked out the room with my ear-phones on, playing one of Leoncarlo Canlas’s song called Colossus. When I got to the transfer room, Gar was handcuffed also, along with his wife Jennie and Jakcon. They were linked together by the metal chain I’d requested earlier and their feet were tied also. “What the f**k is this, a staged scene of unusualness?” shouted Garitarie. His wife was ignorant of my unpredictability so she was just drowned with shock, than that of the fear in Jakcon’s knowing eyes of whats been planned for him. 

“Quite possibly an epiphany is to be discovered today.” I said to myself, while strapping on an all-purpose oxygen breather. I had one each equipped for the rest of the prisoned idiots. The song I’m listening to, is reaching the one minute twelve-seconds mark (the first climate), when the doors to my transfer room opens into space. I had the music turned up by this point so I couldn’t have heard the screams they were projecting. I did however, see the scared expressions they’ve so quickly mastered. The chain that linked them was given to me to hold by one of my trusted guards. I slowly lead them out the ship and into space. I signalled my guards to close the doors behind them, and now I was alone with Jakcon, Gar and Jennie. I knew it was cold in space so I had some protective wind proof lube rubbed on me before venturing out here. My prisoners floating before me doesn’t have that sort of treatment though, thus they were shaking like f**k. I slowly made my way to Gar’s wife and with great precision, I took her oxygen mask off. Space produces no sound, so we all watched Jennie suffocate to death in silence. We could only acknowledge the pain she’s feeling by looking at her face. Apart from me though, I watched while I had my music on. It wasn’t for cinematic effect, it was to substitute for the lack of sound in space. I killed Jakcon next and he acted like Gar’s wife, which was expected of a coward. I was smiling with my mouth open when I pulled off Jakcon’s breather mask. The only person I smile at with my teeth visible is with Meeroc. So why did I grin like that while murdering my first victims? I’ve invented some of the most useful tools that helped many humans progress, but I have never predicted that I’ll be inventing myself a new emotion. An emotion people call psychotic. My last killing was Garitarie himself, he didn’t attempt to struggle me off. He knew it was over for him and he knew then that he shouldn’t have risked injuring the one man that could bring me Earth. That world is important to my plan due to the newly immortalisation of my brain. Now I have to live in a world healthy enough to remain alive, because every Planet will die out soon, due to their incapability to inhabit lifeforms. We forced these desolated Planets out of its natural zone and made it into our shelter. Every world is just a hotel substituting for our original home, which is Earth. Immortalising my brain is the most unique achievement I’ve made, and now keeping my brain from being killed by dying Planets is the top of my concern.