The Jovian Conflict

Chapter 10

The Jovian Conflict

Politics and Such

Leroy Valli and his tagalongs all received confused and angry glances as they strutted through the ZLI's orbiting spaceport. Despite the fancy uniform adorned with many medals and badges, Leroy had zero authority. Everyone knew that. No one was afraid of him, even if he carried a nifty pistol. Space was a playground, Earth was a sanctuary. His power or lack thereof was proof of that. As the main man in charge of all legal authority on Earth, he hated space. Being there was troublesome. He was a target.

Despite all of his misgivings, he had been called there personally by Antanas Fedorov. He'd dealt with Antanas many times on Earth and almost called him a friend. It was tough to say such things about a man like Antanas, because being important meant he was untouchable and unreachable. In some ways, though, Leroy was just as powerful. Their relationship was more political than anything. Antanas was a businessman, Leroy was a police officer, and both of them understood the importance of influential allies.

"Grand Marshall Valli, how are you today?" a security guard greeted. It took a lot of energy to not scoff at the private security. They were wannabe cops. None of them understood what danger was and they didn't care for the law. Money was all they were after. ZLI security was no doubt a well-paying gig.

Somehow, he smiled. "Good," was his curt response. It wouldn't have been polite to just ignore the guard. After all, Leroy was an elected official and he couldn't exactly judge the poor sap. The only reason he campaigned for the position of Grand Marshall was for the pay and privileges that came with it. So long as he was on Earth, he could do anything he wanted.

Except he wasn't on Earth. His hand twitched in annoyance at the thought. He willingly threw himself into this dangerous situation just for Antanas. Whatever needed his attention so desperately had better be damned imperative.

The door to Diane Maes's office was closed and her secretary was gone. There was no reason to knock and he was in a rush. He was moving so fast he kicked the door before his hand even touched the handle. It flew open.

Antanas and Diane jumped at the intrusion. She turned herself completely around and adjusted her blouse; Antanas positioned himself behind her chair and made sure his collar was straight. Leroy frowned.

"Jesus, Leroy, can't you knock, asshole?" Antanas sneered.

"Can't you guys find a bed?" was his dry response. Behind him, his flunkies tried to peek over his shoulder. They were shut out when he slammed the door in their faces. His hat was removed and flung onto Diane's desk. It landed neatly by her computer. Unconcerned about propriety, he flung himself into a chair and propped his feet up next to his cap. It was quiet as he waited for the duo to regain their composure.

Antanas wouldn't stop rubbing the side of his neck where Diane's lipstick had been smeared. The top buttons of his shirt were missing and no matter how much he fiddled with it, it never looked quite right. The men knew they had to wait for her to fix her makeup before a conversation could be held. It was fortunate that the history between the trio was deep and personal enough that the mess wasn't a crisis.

Diane snapped her pocket mirror shut and spun around. Her throne was retaken as she sat in the comfy chair behind her desk. Antanas didn't move. Leroy joked, "You called me up for a threesome?"

"No," Antanas said immediately. The snapping tone was rarely used and caught Leroy's ear. It was clearly not the time for teasing or good-natured fun. To show that he understood, Leroy placed his feet on the floor and straightened up. Aware that he had Leroy's attention, Antanas continued, "There's something big happening and I need your help."

"Whatever I can do, pal."

"I've lost two ships in the Jovian sector over Callisto," Antanas said.

Leroy nodded, "Yes. I've heard about it. When you lose two people like Doctor Braun and Doctor Riedel, everyone hears about it." A beat passed but Antanas said nothing else. He asked, "What do you want me to do about it?"

There was a sigh emitted from Antanas before he said, "I need you to take a force to Callisto and investigate."

Leroy frowned. He wasn't amused. When he spoke next, it came out more as a growl than anything else. "You called me up here for this? I can't do anything, Antanas. This is space. I have no legal authority here."

"You can at least investigate. Arrest someone if you have to," Antanas said.

"And try them in what court? No government on Earth is going to take on that responsibility. I'm sorry, but this is a Zimmerman-Li issue. You're on your own."

Antanas allowed his rage to be channeled through his fingers, which gripped the back of Diane's chair so harshly that it tore through the upholstery. It wasn't enough. He started to shake. That was never a good sign. Whenever a Fedorov started to shake, it meant things were about to get ugly. Someone or something was going to get punched.

"Doctor Maes, you have an incoming call from JOPA HQ," a voice called out.

Leroy heaved a sigh of relief. He was saved – for now. Diane punched away at the phone on her desk until the video was being played on the screen to their left. Before them appeared the smug, young, and smirking face of the JOPA HQ manager, Frankie Hedrick. He swooshed his growing bangs away from his face even though they were nowhere near his eyes.

"Well, it looks like I called at just the right time! Do what do I owe the honor of having the three most powerful – and may I add, extremely beautiful! – people of civilization staring back at me?" he greeted with a tone dripping with strained sincerity. Behind him stood his second in command, whom had no problem rolling his eyes at his boss's antics.

"Frankie, dear, how great to see you," Diane said. It was a lie, of course.

No one liked Frankie very much, but he was beyond their reach. Despite his age, he truly controlled the entire Jovian sector and its trillion dollar economy. Four generations ago his family helped build and command the first Jovian spaceport. His post came purely from that alone. It infuriated Antanas, though he was in no position to complain. After all, his status was also handed down from generation to generation. Nepotism was the rule rather than the exception.

It wasn't as though Frankie was an i***t, however. He had been schooled by the masters of space. A politician, a scientist, and a leader, all wrapped up in one. Antanas, Diane, and Leroy were all very well aware of how dangerous he could be if he flexed his might. For this reason alone they were polite to him.

An electronic notepad was raised by Frankie and he read over it. "Unfortunately, it's not great news I bring, sweet Diane. Rather, it appears as though the PR from your lovely announcement about the two sunken ships has sent ZLI stock through the ringer! In fact, the Jovian subsidiary has seen a dramatic slide!"

"I'm well aware, Mister Hedrick," Antanas said. This caused Frankie to look up at him, brow raised. Antanas didn't hide his feelings on the matter. "However, I have a policy about being honest when it comes to any events in my company."

The notepad was discarded with a toss. Frankie shrugged and said, "I'm not sure I understand your meaning, Mister Fedorov. We Jovians have been nothing but honest. Some things are just better left unsaid."

"Um, excuse me, sir, but…"

A newcomer appeared on screen and whispered something in Frankie's ear. The news didn't appear to affect him as his expression remained neutral. It wasn't until the other person retreated from view did he react. His hands were raised, fingertips touching, and his brow was furrowed. He announced, "I've just received news that a crew chief from the seventh mining team on Callisto was found dead. Why are you three really all huddled together right now?"

Leroy whispered, "He's hiding something."

Luckily it wasn't loud enough for the mic to pick up, but Frankie did see his lips move. "Oh? I'm sorry, Grand Marshall, but I couldn't hear what you just said. Do you mind repeating it for me?"

"I said that's unfortunate, Mister Hedrick," Leroy said with a raised voice.

Frankie didn't buy it but played along regardless. "It truly is, Grand Marshall. A loss of life is always a waste. It especially tears me to lose a Jovian. Crime is so rare out here, too. I'll have to look into the matter myself."

"Speaking of which, have you looked into the matter involving the Interceptor and Quantum?" Antanas asked.

Frankie raised a brow again. "The two ships that were sunk? It really is unfortunate to lose great minds like Braun and Riedel, isn't it? I read over the reports myself, Fedorov. No survivors."

Again, something about his tone and posture caught Leroy's attention. When he titled his head and furrowed his brow at the sight, it was Frankie's turn to notice something odd in another's body language.

"Do we know what caused the accidents, Frankie?" Diane inquired.

Frankie sighed, "Afraid not, cutie. Feel free to come over and take a look yourself."

Antanas was going to let it slid but the wink that followed irked him. He reminded Frankie, "This is serious, Mister Hedrick."

Frankie frowned, "Says the man with a crooked collar and fresh hickey."

Red stained Antanas's face within a heartbeat and he snarled, "Don't forget who you work for."

Frankie grinned. "I'm afraid you need to check yourself. In case you're unaware, the Jovian sector accounts for over a trillion dollars of industry. We pay you. It's our resources and industry that's creating your wealth. The reality of it is, Fedorov, we own you."

That was it, the breaking point. Antanas grabbed the nearest object to his hand and hurled it. The trinket smashed into the screen and shattered the thin device. It wasn't over. The smaller screen attached to the phone popped up. Seeing Frankie's smug expression again sent Antanas over the edge. He smashed his hand into the screen. The small shards cut into his skin and remained embedded there. Diane was quick to grab his shaking hand and inspect the damage.

Leroy, shocked at the rage he just witnessed, was nearly out of his chair when Antanas turned to him. A look into the wide, bloodshot eyes of Antanas was all Leroy needed to see. He was stilled.

"You still won't go to Callisto?" Antanas asked, his voice thick with pain and anger.

"Absolutely not!" Leroy said with determination. His eyes danced back and forth between Antanas's wild eyes and bloodstained hand. "I understand that you're taking this personally, but maybe it really is just all an accident. Besides, I told you I'm powerless out there!"

"Do it as a favor," Antanas pleaded.

"And lose my job? My position? My power? My career? Are you nuts?! I don't give a damn about a few dead frontiersmen!"

"A trillion dollars."

"What?!"

The shout was from both Leroy and Diane. Neither was seated anymore. Diane and leapt to her feet and Leroy had fallen out of his chair completely. Nothing more than a heap of motionless flesh on the floor, Leroy gazed up. Before him stood the richest man in the history of civilization, and now without a doubt, the craziest man to ever live. His blue orbs flashed a pleading desire and sparked with determination. Leroy felt his heart stop. This wasn't what he bargained for. This wasn't the man he nearly called "friend." This was a monster.

Antanas repeated, "A trillion dollars. But! They need to be brought home safely."

"Who?" Diane questioned.

"Doctor Braun and the other three survivors," he said.

Slowly, Leroy rose from the floor. With his body propped against the chair he said, "You're not telling us everything. Now… Now I get it."

"There's something happening on Callisto. They're undermining me and their killing my workers. My first priority is to get the survivors out of there. Then I'm tearing that damn base apart bolt by bolt until it's nothing more than a footnote in history. But before you get anything else from me, you need to answer my request. A trillion dollars; take it over leave it. Unless you really meant all that garbage you said in your campaign about how the Earth Police weren't going to be bought. That you wouldn't give in to so-called corruption."

There was no hesitation. The smile on Leroy's face was answer enough. Regardless, he made sure to stand on his feet. With a puffed out chest he said, "Corruption? Sounds like the real corruption is in JOPA. It's my duty as a police officer to protect lives."

Antanas smirked. A sturdy but brief handshake followed.