Chapter 30

Mica had to chuckle.

He found the room was already set up for about twenty people and the staff had even set up the self-serving area with hot meals, cold meats, salads and bread for the hungry executives. The men happily served themselves before finding a spot at the long table.

One of the men, Nazem, who happened to be the Minister of Water Control, said to James as they walked to the seats, “You have undoubtedly caused a lot of destruction and several deaths, with your actions, Hasid.”

James grinned at him as he sat, “No, I think not. You have failed to pick up on a very salient point that I made.”

The man frowned as the others took a seat. “I’m sorry, Hasid I can’t see what I have missed?”

Saji looked around, “Where is your lovely wife, Hasid?”

“She had to go pick up a dear friend of ours. She said she wouldn’t be long,” James told him. “While we are waiting, I have a proposition for you and a confession to make. You see, I’ve lied to you all.”

James then changed his appearance back to himself. The men all blinked at him in shock, most gasped and several used expletives to express their surprise.

“My name is James Carmichael. I am a Wizard and a Police Detective from Australia. At present, I work for UNSEC as one of their Special Forces Space Military Police. I borrowed Hasid’s face to learn what was truly going on here. My wife, Dusty, did kill the real Hasid Merat several years ago in self-defence when she was a police officer in Australia. I saw his body after she shot him, so I know that his death is real.”

He ignored the gasps and continued, “Fiaz and Ishmael Merat are also dead. I am sorry Saji but Ishmael died when the ship they were travelling on blew up while it was in the asteroid belt in the Ono System. Our Special Forces team had only planned to disable the ship.”

“We were unaware at the time that the drugs that were aboard the ship were highly explosive in the concentrations they had them. They had also stored the drugs near one of the ammunition stores. Fiaz, Pathan and some of the crew were rescued after the initial attack and before the ship smashed into an asteroid.”

“However, when we put them on the island that housed the pirates, some of the pirates took exception to Fiaz being there. Due to the crimes Fiaz had perpetrated against many of the families of the men there, to force them to work for him, the magical cuff allowed their enforcer to execute Fiaz under the laws the men had agreed to live by.”

“Ironically, Pathan and the executioner Nuru are now a couple. They can also change their gender, as they have become shape-shifters. This fact may take some getting used to when you meet them. The Pirates we imprisoned have all been infected with a virus that has turned them into Shifters.”

James turned to Saji and in a serious voice said, “Saji, Pathan has told Dusty that you are indeed the eldest child even though Fiaz never recognised you as such. He doesn’t want to rule the Merat Kingdom. He has informed Dusty that the man who was Pathan can stay dead as far as he is concerned.”

“Patty, as she prefers to be called now believes that she was in fact, Ishmael’s child. Several years ago, he had gotten DNA tests done on his family. Apparently, Ishmael had a thing for Pathan’s mother and Pathan had always wondered why he was so different from Hasid and his sisters.”

“It was at this time that Patty learned that you were Fiaz’s son and he was not. You had a regressive gene that followed down Fiaz’s side of the family but not Ishmael’s. Patty decided to pay more attention to your career. She said to tell you that she was sorry for sicking the Futsal Federation on to you but he couldn’t see how else to help you,” James told Saji and the fascinated men with them.

“That little shit!” Saji ejected as he shook his head and then laughed. “He saved my life you know? The drugs Fiaz and Ishmael got me addicted to when I was injured were killing me, not helping me. Neither cared about me, just what fame they could bask in from my efforts. They sent me here in disgrace after I was kicked out.”

James nodded. “Wait one moment,” he said and placed his arm with the ‘brace on it, on the table.

“I heard that, my brother, Saji. I am so happy to hear that you are better,” Patty’s male voice said from the ‘brace.

“Thank you, little brother. However, you have left me in a fine mess once again,” Saji told Patty, with mirth in his voice.

Patty giggled, “I’m good at that aren’t I? Brother, I really don’t want Fiaz’s Kingdom, I don’t deserve it and it is far more than I would ever wish to look after. I have enough trouble looking after myself. You are the last Merat male of his line and according to my father’s will that makes it yours and you are welcome to it.”

Saji rubbed his jaw as he looked at the other men at the table. They were all grinning. Hagan said, “This gets better and better. You know we will follow your lead Saji.”

Saji sighed and replied, “Fine, then as your Shah, Patty, I declare that you and your partner Nuru must accept Ishmael’s Kingdom as restitution, for saving my life and freeing the people here from our fathers’ tyranny. I will talk to this man James and wife Dusty about how you may claim it. I think you will like the place. It is much smaller and only has one major town, a couple of farms, a mine and a fishing village. Do you think you can handle that much, little brother?”

“Saji,” Dusty’s voice said from the ‘brace. “I think I can convince, Patty and Nuru to accept your wishes. Rupert is jumping up and down going, ‘Yes, yes, yes’. Patty, however, is just a bit emotional right now. Just be aware that they will be mages under your rule.”

Saji frowned and James chuckled. “Yep, an Overlord likes to have a Lord Wizard in charge of nations or kingdoms on a continent as in your case. I think Dusty will make it your job to find your fellow wizards. Don’t forget that you will also own Fiaz’s shipyards on Mars and his holdings on Earth.”

Saji blinked several times as he thought of what he knew of what Fiaz had owned. “Bloody hell!” he exclaimed. He then grinned in delight as a thought came to him. “It’s just as well that Fatima looks after the shipyards when Fiaz isn’t there. I think I just might hand them over to her as her inheritance since she is his oldest daughter and has been running the place for years.”

“Yeah, but was she involved with the shipping of the slaves?” Hagan asked. He had also been the minister of Roads and Land distribution and a long-time friend of Saji’s. He had been delighted when Saji had agreed to help him and the others at the table overthrow Fiaz.

Mica shook his head, “No, the shipyard business is strictly legitimate. Fiaz leased the ships to other concerns and then he and they organised them being filled with potential slaves. Fiaz might have been behind the slave deals and got his share but you will not find his name on any bit of paper or in an email. He ran his illegal businesses through shell companies and fake identities.”

Nazem asked, “Hasid, umm... , James, what about the slaves here? What will they do if the owners won’t pay them and they kick them off the properties?”

James grinned broadly. “Well, while I was keeping you and the other executives busy, UNSEC, Dusty, Empress Lee and Emperor Mikal have already sent our team and other volunteers to every know location in the Merat Kingdom where large numbers of people were known to have been sent.”

“In case you didn’t know, Empress Lee has a portal on this world and does keep an eye on what happens here. She and Emperor Mikal were more than happy to supply us with Shields, their form of police; to make sure things went smoothly when I announced the freedom of the slaves. Hiram did keep good books on his sales and we were able to retrieve them from his ship.”

“We decided that the people who owned six or fewer slaves could sort out their own problems initially. We will check on them when we can. In most of the smaller cases and runaways, we think the availability of the Help Centre will come into play. We are also hoping that by cracking down here first, the other Nations on Terra will come into line.”

“This planet is under UNSEC jurisdiction as Lee told the nations on Earth. The Shields from the other planets are here at UNSEC’s request, no matter how much the other nations here or on Earth wish to bitch about that fact.”

“The volunteers will only be here as long as it takes to get the two groups to negotiate and agree on settlements. The Shields and other magical people do have ways of calming people and making sure that no one is hurt while the differences are being sorted out.”

“Some of the slave owners may not appreciate what has happened or will happen, but they should not have thought that it was okay, to own other people and enslave them in the first place. A most distasteful practice that will not be tolerated here any more than it is on Earth, Utopia, Harmony or Amity.”

“Saji, ultimately it will become your responsibility to police the problem. I might mention that I have found a group of six ex-mercenaries that are now novice mages and who would probably be very happy to become part of your police force and become your investigators to help solve some of these problems for you.”

Saji nodded knowing who the people James spoke off were. “I think my friends here, and I will need to read your law book carefully and then put the laws into practice. Can the magical people stick around for at least a week or two until we get ourselves sorted out to some degree?”

“Yes, we agreed that at least two weeks if not a month would be required to sort out the basic needs and requirements of the people who have been displaced. Thankfully the population of this kingdom and this planet haven’t gotten too large yet and the slave owners and slaves have not been entrenched in this way of life for very long,” James replied.

Saji nodded, “I will want to hold elections for the government positions but we need to sort out provinces, what offices we want to create and such forth. I’d also like things to settle down a little before I hold them. I think a year would do it. I want to see who leaves and how the people who stay and were slaves settle into the new role of being free people.”

The men around the table were nodding in agreement.

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Dusty said.

The men spun around to look at the two beautiful women who had appeared in the room. They then gasped as three couples appeared behind them.

“I’m starving,” the biggest of the three men, said.

Sean Watson shook his head, “Mikal, you have a bottomless pit for a stomach.”

Mikal grinned and shrugged, “Easy for you to say, I came over forty lightyears to crash this little party.”

The girls just shook their heads and Crystal pointed to the bain-maries. “Go and eat,” she told her husband.

Mikal grinned at Sean and Nuru and they happily went to see what was interesting to eat, while the girls headed to the refreshment table to get a much-needed drink. Dusty moved up-beside James and kissed him softly. She then looked at Mica when he gasped and she grinned at him.

“Sorry, I am the real Dusty and still his wife. We were in disguise.”

“Yes, I can see the resemblance now that I look closer. I was worried about your health, as Donia didn’t seem like the type to let her husband kiss other women,” Mica replied with a grin.

Dusty chuckled, “I’ve let him kiss quit few for your information.”

“She gets the males,” James replied, to the stunned men.

“Sean and I like to follow that rule too,” Lee replied as she pulled up a chair.

“Mikal is such a tart that he doesn’t care what gender they are,” Crystal replied as she too claimed a seat.

“I don’t have that problem,” Vera replied. “Prince Hamdan only like me kissing him.”

Dusty looked at her friend, “Yes, I’m betting he is missing those kisses.”

Vera chuckled, “I bet.”

“Would you like me to go get him for you, Vera?” Sean offered as he placed a large plate of food on the table before sitting.