Nary and I.
Wait? Nary is my assistance's name. And I am no longer greeted as Vice President Johnson, but as Vice President Ponleak.
I see my reflection in a pool of water along the right side wall of this chamber. It is not of me, but of the Man from Mars. It's the face of the Man I met in the bar, months before.
Am I living out, in a dream, what happened on Atlantis millions of Earth years ago. To him? The events, which must have preceded him, coming to our planet. Am I here to understand what happened to this world? To understand why he came to my home planet?
Maybe I can get some answers why he gave me the amulet?
I didn't have time to ponder these questions very long since I was greeted by, obviously, the Chairman of the Board. You couldn't miss him by the regalia which adorned him and the throne he sat on at the end of the longest clay table I have ever imagined. I would say there were fifty to sixty, finely dressed members, already seated on both sides of the table.
"Come in, come in Ponleak. We have been anticipating your arrival." Says Vithu, the man in charge.
"I hope I have not kept you waiting long?" I replied. Not knowing what else to say.
"No longer than usual, I might say." He said with disdain. "But I do so miss your father, your predecessor. He believed in this company." Vithu pauses here, to emphasis his point. "You know he found more undesirables in this corporation than all the Security Chiefs before him, put together. And as his son, the job feel to you. And what have you done with it?"
The Chairman takes the time to look into all of the faces, of each Board member, before continuing, "You come along with your own new ideas. Wanting to make changes to the Corporate Charter. Giving employees the right for advancement. For more pay. Giving them a better living."
I was stunned. The Man from Mars, I mean Ponleak, was a crusader for people's rights. He wanted to help his fellow Atlanteans.
It wasn't my ideas, but the words came from my mouth.
"How can our world survive being in this stagnation?" I said, becoming the orator I never knew I was. "Birth rates are down. Who will manufacture your goods and services in the future? Who will buy these goods as you constantly raise prices to meet your unrealistic bottom dollar?"
I could see a few heads bobbing with affirmation to what I said, yet most members just had a smirk of dispassion on their faces.
"Corporate law state that two people can only wed someone in the same class. Meaning, as a Vice President, I can only mate with a daughter from another Vice President. A Janitor can only mate with another janitor, and so on. Where is the diversity in our populace? Where is the chance of meeting a soulmate?"
"All unnecessary attributes of the common Atlantean, which does not contribute to our overall profit margin." Declared Vithu.
I continued. "A child is born of a maintenance working parents, and then that child is destined to be a maintenance employee when they come of age. A manufacturing line boss has a child, and that child will only be aloud to become a line boss. What happens if we are missing out on someone who could change the way we work? Finding an easier way of manufacturing? Broadening and improving what we manufacturer?"
Vithu couldn't help but interrupt me here.
"So what." He flatly said. "You would give up your birthright, as the son of a Vice President of Security, for someone who might or might not do your job more sufficient?"
Vithu was looking at me with hatred now.
"Do you believe that a child born of Board Member Sovandary, does not have privileges over a lowly child of a janitor?" Vithu raises his voice now to emphasis his point further among the board members. "Would you have us believe that a child born of two people who are attracted to each other is more worthy than a child born from the Jorani family. One of the oldest family lineages in Atlantean lore?"
Vithu stands ups now, pounds his hands on the clay table and says to me in anger, "How dare you sir. I call for your family's immediate resignation as Head of Security, with you and all of your associates immediately arrested and sent to the water mines in the north polar region, and all of your so called space exploration equipment and personnel be sold off to any interested party on this board. With any further assets split up among all the Board Members as compensation for all of your lack of duty to this corporation you have shown since you took office."
"And if I refuse?" I asked.
"I was hoping you would say that!" Vithu said with a smile.
To Be Continued...
Next Thursday.
This is,
Feeling Stronger Everyday
Jim Hauenstein,
And,
- Andy Weir, -
That is my story and I am sticking to it!
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