Lunam Natis: Chapter Five

Chapter Five: The Mayor

“I’ve told you, Adair, you’re not allowed to get married until you’re twenty!!” Mayor Blackstar calls in an exasperated voice, not turning to look towards us. Confused, I look at Adair.

He shrugs at me and says, “Darn, I guess we’ll have to wait two years.” I gasp at his implication and punch him in the shoulder. He laughs at my response.

“Uncle, that’s not it. I’ve a genius to help with the decision making process.”

“Her and every other tramp on the streets,” the mayor mutters.

“Am I the sort of person to bring in strays and show them off to you?” he asks.

“Well, you bring in strays all the time, but I always find them helping clean the building or feeding the staff. What training does she have?” At the mayor’s question, Adair turns to me.

“I’m an all-exclusive member at Stargazer’s, and I was in a conference with Professor Kiden before coming here,” I say confidently. Not even some of the professional astronomers have all-exclusive memberships to Stargazer’s, and Professor Kiden is the most respected scientist on Luna, Terra, and Venus. Venusian by birth, he traveled to Terra after a few of his big discoveries, then settled on the moon in one of the first colonies after he made some changes to how things are and how things are built. He always tells me not to introduce myself as having information from him, but having talked to him, and drawn conclusions that we agreed on.

“Kiden, you say? The Kiden?”

“The one and only,” I tell him sarcastically.

“What did he tell you to say?”

“We agreed that Luna has to send a stellarnavis to Terra to begin negotiations right away. If we’re going to get back into Terra’s orbit at the right time, at the right angle, we have to do it soon, which means that we have to get to Terra, get negotiations done, and get the stellarnavis out here to tow us back,” I tell him impatiently. “And none of that can happen before you send our stellarnavis in the first place, which will take a few hours to initiate.” I look at him pointedly.

“And why should I do any of this?” he asks me.

“Please, Uncle?” Adair asks in a soft voice.

“Oh, ok, fine,” he relents. I’m amazed at the power this eighteen-year-old boy has over the leader of our colony. Starburn turns to the screen on his desk and starts completely ignoring us. Adair leads me out of the gargantuan office.

“His office is bigger than my room,” I tell the prince. “That room is huge !!”

“Well, he does have that room and two others for his entire living space,” Adair tells me. I look at him through wide eyes.

“The staff lives on site??”

“Yep. Even I have only two rooms, not counting the bathroom, of course.”

“Wow... I thought that they lived in town and this huge building was just a waste of valuable dome space,” I tell him. I hear a car pull up, probably our most senior aircraft flyer that’s still active, to fly the stellarnavis. Adair smirks.

“Wanna see my space? There isn’t much to it, but I can’t remember having this much fun since a monkey and I ran through the castle, tearing up everything and knocking everything over when I was about seven,” he says.

“Mon-key?” I ask, repeating the unfamiliar word.

“Sorry, you guys up here call monkeys simiae,” he apologizes, which clears up my confusion. A stampede of important-looking people in fancy suits rushes past us, pressing us up against the wall to let them all go through. Probably all of the people needed to dispatch a stellarnavis to Terra.

“About my offer?” he persists.

“Umm... I should probably be getting back home. It’s almost lunchtime, and I’m on duty to work the shop this afternoon,” I tell him.

“I’ll escort you back to your house,” he volunteers.

“You’re just trying to get my address,” I mock scold him. He grins sheepishly, and holds his hands in the air, a Terran symbol for ‘you got me there’ or ‘I give up’. “But fine, whatever, you could probably just look in the archives if you wanted.”

“Yes, but this is more fun,” he says, taking my arm again.

“While we have some privacy, is your last name Starburn? Or is it something else?” I ask. “I can’t trust you until I know your full name.”

“My real last name is Star-ruler, not Starburn. My full name is Ailoxen Dellos Adair Myamo Starruler.”

“You have a long name,” I tell him.

“Thank you. What’s your full name?”

“Kasia Maya Ollens. Nothing fancy, but good enough for me.”

We walk the three blocks to my pawn shop in silence.

---

The shop is full to the brim with people, which is weird for such a seminal event. I guess that everyone is trying to stock up on special things. I’m sitting on the stairs, eating my lunch, as I watch DJ and Hayden try to manage all of the customers. Joy and I will take over in about ten minutes and I savor my chicken and egg sandwich while I can. Jaden comes up behind me.

“Crazy, eh?” he chuckles, looking at the herd of frightened people. Everyone is in a shocked state, either deer-in-the-headlights and accepting too low offers, or over-demanding and not settling for reasonable trades.

“Well, at least business’ll be good,” I say, getting up to throw away my napkin.

“Did you know that some of the buildings crumbled to dust?” He asks.

“Yah,” I tell him. “I was at Bob’s yesterday. Did any others fall?”

“Well, the Autobody Shop at 3rd and 5th fell, and Sporty’s Goods at 7th and 8th, but that’s about it,” he says.

“Was anybody hurt?” I ask.

“No one but my eyes, looking at your brilliance,” he says. I roll my eyes. The twins can be really down to Luna and useful sometimes, but others, they are just too flirty for their own good. They don’t even care about the fact that we’re from entirely different species. Our conversation is interrupted by Jasper calling. Jaden goes back to the living room at his twin’s call. I look at the clock, and it’s already time for Joy and I’s shift to start.

“Go to the showers, already, Derek,” I say, snapping him with a towel.

“I’ve told you, Miss Kitty Ears, my name is DJ!!” he says, running out of range of the towel, which I then throw back into the hallway and turn to the first customer, a bone-skinny elderly lady with a mean look in her eye.

“How can I help you today?” I ask pleasantly.

“I want that painting on the wall behind you,” she says in a harsh voice.

“Well, opening bid’s seventy-five dollars, what would you like to offer?”

“Ten,” she replies. My jaw nearly drops and I struggle to control my temper.

“How about sixty?” I suggest.

“No. I want it, and I want it for ten dollars.”

I look past her at the line that seems to go on forever. Inwardly, I sigh. This is going to be a long shift.

Author's Note

DOO DO DOO
Haven't finished the next chapter yet, I'll try to work on that...