Chapter 27: Kratopaxi Loon
Kratopaxi, Wild Space, beyond the Outer Rim
Capitol City, the capital of Kratopaxi, was a coastal city nestled in a river delta located in the temperate zone of the main continent. The city was mostly populated by corporate public servants slaving away in a multitude of four and five story departmental buildings. Perhaps the most important structure of all was the executive mansion, known as the Green House. This was not due to the building's color, which was a pale blue, but rather that it sat in the middle of a manicured private green parkland, the exclusive purview of the leader of Kratopaxi. This was the nerve center of the League of Corporations.
"Good morning ladies, gentlemen," said the Grand Chief Executive Officer as he strode into the Octagonal Office.
Each wall in the Octagonal Office held meaning. Seven of the walls were painted slightly different shades of pale blue. Decorating each wall were the original corporate logos and slogans for each of the founding "Big Seven" businesses who joined forces to form a new, government umbrella corporation—of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations.
The eighth wall, painted a neutral white, symbolized the merger of the Big Seven. It held large windows looking out onto the Green House grounds. Early morning light cast long shadows from bushes meticulously maintained as corporate logo topiaries.
The Grand CEO's desk was positioned in front of the windows, a symbolically neutral position, facing inward. Two small chairs were immediately in front of the desk, with two more on either side.
The desk itself occupied a relatively small part of the Octagonal Office. Centered was a large rug with the Corporate Seal of Office, a low table, two off-white sofas facing inward on either side of the table, and a matched scattering of other, comfortable chairs completed the setting. Meetings could either be held at the desk, or in the more informal area of the sofas and table.
The Grand CEO liked to keep things informal. "Have a seat, everyone. What's on the agenda this morning?" he asked, as he sat at the end of one sofa. He looked around expectantly and unconsciously adjusted his hairpiece.
The cabinet ministers had already agreed who would go first. The Minister of War waved a red folder.
"Go ahead, Susan," said the Grand CEO. He held out his hand.
"Have a look at this, Mister Executive. It's a game-changer," she said.
She leaned over and handed off the folder. Inside, it contained a series of photos and a one paragraph summary. The Grand CEO opened the folder and began flipping through the photos before looking up and around at everyone present.
"Is this a joke?"
"No, Mister Executive, it's deadly serious. This object was discovered to be in orbit last night. We are not entirely sure when it may have first arrived. As far as radar is concerned, it simply isn't there. All we have to go on are reported sightings."
The Grand CEO glanced over at the War Minister in surprise. "Last night! Why wasn't I informed of this earlier?"
The War Minister shifted uncomfortably. "Well Mister Executive, you were out on your yacht 'entertaining' at the time, and ah… well, I'm told your radio was off. The military, of course, went on alert. After a few sorties flew around ineffectually, and as the object itself has been entirely unresponsive, the alert level was downgraded. We've been keeping it under observation ever since."
"Unresponsive," said the Grand CEO. "I assume we've attempted contact?"
"Continuously. So far, it's ignored all attempts at communication. Another possibility is that our means of communication are too primitive for it to be aware of our attempts, assuming it is what it appears to be—an advanced alien spacecraft from outside the solar system. It would seem we now have definitive proof we are not alone."
"Does it put our space station at risk?" asked the Minister of Space Exploitation.
The War Minister shook her head. "Not directly. The object is in a high orbit, which puts it well above the relatively low orbit where the space station is located. This also places it out of reach of our space shuttle, which is designed for low-orbit missions only. Simply put, we don't have the means to launch a manned mission to the object—not as long as it stays where it is now. Unmanned we can do, if there's an exploration rover available to press into service as an impromptu probe along with a launch window."
The Grand CEO closed his folder. "Make that a priority. Can we keep a lid on it?"
"Too late for that," said the Minister of Public Information. "Anyone with a half-decent telescope can see it, and it's already been reported in the news. There have been multiple calls to news services around the world reporting the object. The earliest report…"
The Minister of Public Information paused to consult his notes.
"…comes from North District Seven: a sighting attributed to a young boy by the name of Timothy Ozenvo."
The Grand CEO nodded his head. "Since the grish is out of the cage, let's put our own spin on it. Put the kid on the public circuit as a consumer hero, invite his family to the Green House, that sort of thing."
"I'll get right on it, Mister Executive," said the Minister of Public Information.
"And Susan?" the Grand CEO said to the War Minister.
"Yes, Mister Executive?"
"Keep me informed at all times."
He gave the War Minister a little smile. "For the duration, I'll refrain from use of my personal yacht, but if, for some reason, you have trouble getting in touch with me, don't hesitate to send a helicopter, whatever you have to. Understood?"
"Yes Mister Executive," the War Minister replied evenly.
Internally, Susan was exasperated. Sending a helicopter was precisely what she proposed during a hastily called cabinet meeting last night. Against her better judgment, she allowed that idea to be downsized to keeping a helicopter and crew on hot standby, ready to go, if anything about the object changed. The Grand CEO was well known to be quite prickly about being disturbed when he was out with his mistress. No one in the cabinet wanted to be the object of his displeasure.
"Next item: I believe you have something, Randall?"
The Minister of Agriculture opened his folder. "The competition between South Districts Two and Three means they are both on track to exceed annual milk production goals. Even after dumping milk down the drain, we anticipate a cheese surplus in the coming months."
The Grand CEO nodded. "Make a note to incentivize consumers. Bump up the cheese quota to cover the surplus. Next?"
From Xev's borrowed bed chamber, Ginger heard Lillie humming tunelessly as she slowly walked along the corridor, the sound growing as she neared Ginger's bed chamber entrance. Ginger jumped up from the round bed and rapidly walked to the entrance.
"Hey Lillie," Ginger called.
Lillie had a distracted look as she walked. She idly ran her finger along the wall.
"What is it, Ginger?" Lillie said quietly with a hint of sadness. She didn't look directly at Ginger, but kept her eyes downcast.
Ginger stepped forward and gave Lillie a quick, reassuring hug. "Come here. Come with me."
Ginger took her by the hand. An unresisting Lillie allowed Ginger to lead her into the bed chamber. Ginger patted the round bed, indicating Lillie should sit. Ginger sat down beside her.
"I know that tune," Ginger began. "Let me guess: you still have the key?"
In answer, Lillie held up her right hand. It glowed briefly.
"We've tried everything!" Lillie said, her voice shaky. She wiped at a forming tear.
"We've been at it for what—two months now. Frankly, we're running out of ideas. Every position, every fantasy we can dream up. None of it is helping. It's turning into work to keep Stanley interested and going."
A sudden realization dawned on Ginger. "Oh! Of course! That's been the problem the whole time!" she said suddenly.
"What has?" said Lillie.
"Work! You're still thinking like a sex worker! No wonder a key swap isn't happening."
"But wouldn't skill and experience make the job easier?" Lillie said, puzzled.
Ginger shook her head. "I just realized it's the opposite. Don't you see, Lillie? It's not about doing the deed with skill. The person who holds the key must experience their own, very real, personal moment of ecstasy. Instead of doing what pleases you, you've been doing what you were trained to do—please the client. And we know how that works—you're managing the experience, not cutting loose and enjoying the experience. Holding back is holding you back."
"Huh. I think I see what you mean," Lillie said. She nodded slowly.
"Right? Now it's your turn to be the customer. What can Stanley do to please you, customer Lillie?"
Lillie started to reply, then paused to consider. Finally she said, "I—I don't know. In the past, if anyone asked that, the standard answer was—"
"'My pleasure is to pleasure you!'" Lillie and Ginger said together. They both laughed at that.
"Yep, I've given the standard answer myself," Ginger said with a smile. "But really, you also need to think beyond just returning the Lexx key to Stanley."
Ginger waved her hand to indicate their surroundings.
"When this is over, when you're no longer on the Lexx, to you really want to go back to the brothel, or do you want to do something else?"
Lillie made a face. "I've been so focused on returning the key I haven't really thought ahead. I just assumed I'd go back to the brothel, but yeah, it does seem a little small now, doesn't it?"
Ginger smiled. "They do say travel broadens the mind. Of course, the people who said that weren't thinking of fugitives riding inside the gut of a giant space bug, but still…."
Lillie gave a sharp bark of a laugh. "True, that. So, what now?"
Ginger thought about it for a moment. "If you want my advice, take a break from Stanley. In fact, why don't we switch sleeping arrangements for the next few days and you stay in this bed chamber."
"With you?"
Ginger shook her head. "Oh no. We can't sleep together. For that matter, I really shouldn't be sitting here alone with you, either."
She tapped her head. "I still have Giggerota up here. Giggerota would like nothing better than to get hold of the key, and she has designs on you, which I won't go into. I'll stay with Stanley in his dead moth bed."
Giggerota want, came an unbidden thought.
Shut up, Giggerota, Ginger pushed back. Go to your corner!
"Okay, thanks, Ginger, Let's do that," Lillie said. She flopped back and lay down on the bed with a smile. "It's a pity you can't just evict Giggerota."
Ginger jumped up. "I wish I could evict her. I'm heading to the bridge. Want to come with?"
Lillie grinned. "You go ahead. I want to give this bed a try."
As Ginger walked off, she could hear the sound of Lillie giggling and jumping on the bed. It made her smile.
"Ah, I see Kai is up," said Ginger as she walked onto the bridge. She gave Kai a nod, who returned it in kind.
"Yes, we were just talking about who should visit the planet first," said Stanley.
"And I said it should be the security guard," 790 said to Ginger. "Both you and Tweedle are the most expendable people on board."
Stanley rolled his eyes at that and looked at Ginger with an exasperated expression.
"Actually," Ginger said before Stanley could speak. "I think you're right 790, Stanley and I are the most expendable, but I don't think Stanley is a good choice for a first visit."
This earned Ginger a look from Kai, who raised an eyebrow. "Whom do you suggest?" he said.
Ginger waved her hands. "Lillie has the key, so she should stay. She looks to Stanley for guidance, so I think Stanley should stay here too, just in case something comes up. I will go. I'd like Kai to come along as backup, and 790 because he can monitor for dangers as we fly down."
"That is reasonable," said Kai. He gave Ginger another nod.
790 made a rude noise. "Or we just send Useless by himself. If the moth is destroyed on the way down, then we'll know it's dangerous with no great loss."
"Is that what Xev would want?" Stanley said through gritted teeth.
"She'll live with it," 790 shot back.
Ginger laughed, reached down and scooped up 790 from its cart. She held it out in front of her and smiled. "Sorry, 790," she said "You're not getting off that easy."
"Oh all right," 790 grumbled. "Not that I have any choice."
"That's the spirit!" Ginger said while hiding a smile. She tucked 790 under one arm. "Let's do this," she said to Kai.
Kai guided the moth as it dropped towards the planet. Ginger's earlier bravery began to flag a little as the reality of visiting a primitive culture outside the framework of the Empire hit her.
"You know, maybe we should avoid the larger cities for this outing," she said to Kai and 790.
"Oh, now you think about it!" complained 790 as it rolled its eyes.
"Hey, I'm a planet-visiting virgin," Ginger said with a somewhat defensive laugh. "It's nice to have someone experienced along like you, 790, to keep me straight."
"Flattery will get you nowhere!" 790 declared, who was nevertheless pleased.
"I am open to suggestions for a destination," said Kai.
The moth bounced and shuttered briefly as atmosphere thickened to the point it transitioned from flight by thrusters to using its wings. It gave a happy chirp.
"Follow that coastline south," said 790. "From information I've picked up, there are beach front vacation compounds south of here that are rarely used by their owners. An unoccupied compound will make an excellent base of operations."
Kai turned the joystick and banked the moth to its new heading as they continued to lose altitude. Soon, they were flying along the coastline, peering out the moth canopy bubbles at the ground below.
There were large, multi-story buildings jammed together along the coast. They could just make out dots of people on crowded beaches. As they continued south, the buildings thinned out, becoming individual houses.
"Those are rental properties," 790 said. "Keep going."
As they flew on, the houses became larger and spread farther apart. Eventually, they began to see fenced properties with a main house, outbuildings, and swimming pools.
"Now we're talking!" said 790. "These are the ones that sit empty most of the year."
"I don't see any place to land, unless we simply set down in a green space inside one of these compounds," said Kai.
"Hey look!" Ginger said, pointing down. "I think that one up ahead has a landing pad." She held up 790 so it could look out of the canopy.
"Yes, it is," replied 790. "That symbol inside a circle designates it as a landing zone for a 'helicopter,' a primitive vertical takeoff and landing craft. As far as I can see, it's the only compound in the area with its own pad, and I'm not seeing any signs of activity. I think we've found our base."
Kai dropped the moth down as it circled the compound, neatly landed on the pad and released the joystick. The moth settled down, its wings fluttering to a stop. Kai and Ginger hopped out, Ginger carrying 790 under one arm. They paused to get their first real look at their surroundings.
From their vantage point, the compound was large enough for security fencing to be out of sight. It afforded complete privacy to anyone living within. Behind them, a short concrete walkway transitioned to a boardwalk leading to the beach. In front, the concrete walkway led in the direction of multiple structures.
"I suggest we check the main building first," Kai said as he pointed to the mansion.
They followed the walkway from the helipad, which took them past a large pool on their right with a sheltered bar and changing area. There was a scattering of lounge chairs and tables with umbrellas around the pool.
"Water storage," Kai said, nodding towards the pool as they began to walk past.
"It's primary use is for swimming," 790 said primly. "But in a pinch, it could be used as an emergency fresh water supply."
Ginger abruptly stopped and grabbed Kai's arm.
"Hey guys," she said. "We're not alone here after all." She gave a sharp nod towards the mansion up ahead.
The back of the mansion had a wide veranda with stained wood decking. Centered was a pair of glass pane doors. Oversized, white wooden rocking chairs sat on the veranda on either side on the doors.
The doors were closed earlier. Now they were open. A woman in a charcoal gray business suit, with brunet hair pulled back into a high ponytail walked towards them along the walkway, clearly intent on meeting them halfway. In Kai's estimation, she did not appear to be armed, but he stayed alert for the possibility.
The woman looked Kai and Ginger over as she approached, noted Ginger's blue pantsuit, and concluded she was the one in charge.
"Hello. I'm Theresa," she said as she focused on Ginger. She held out her hand in greeting. "I assume you're here to take over as estate manager?"
Ginger, not knowing what else to do, reached out and solemnly shook hands. "Ginger," she said.
"Yes, she's here to take over," 790 jumped in.
Theresa rocked back slightly in surprise and laughed. "Well isn't that clever! What will they think of next?"
She leaned over and peered more closely at 790. "It's awfully bulky for a personal planner, but I do like the novelty. Does it double as a purse?"
"I am not a personal planner or a purse you idiot!" 790 exclaimed, outraged at the idea.
Theresa wagged her finger at 790 and laughed. "And it has a built-in collection of insults too!"
She looked at Ginger. "Come on, I'll show you around. You too, security guy," she said with a glance towards Kai.
"I'm glad that someone—that is to say, the two of you—are finally here," Theresa said as they walked towards the veranda. "I asked for my replacement over a month ago, but the former Grand CEO has burned too many agencies. There are not many people left willing to take on this job."
"Why is that?" asked Kai. They took two steps up to the veranda and stopped just outside the doors.
"Because he stiffs all of his contractors, including me. Oh, I knew going in that, aside from my sign-on bonus, my paychecks would likely never appear, but that's okay; I was prepared for that. The real money comes after this. All of his hangers-on and cult members—I mean his dedicated fans—will line up to hire me now. It's job security for life! By the way, I hope you're prepared for late or missing paychecks too."
"Oh, ah, yes, we are," said Ginger as she exchanged looks with Kai.
"That won't be a problem," 790 said with a smirk.
"Good. Shall we?" Theresa said, waving to the entrance.
The back room facing the pool was large enough to have furniture arranged in two separate groups, each with sofas and chairs arranged around low tables. At the far end of the same room was a square table large enough to seat twelve. Beyond the square table led to a large kitchen with its own seating around a breakfast table.
"That's just an informal dining area off the living room," Theresa said as she noticed Kai and Ginger looking at the large square table. She pointed back towards the middle of the room.
"The main hallway leads to the foyer, formal dinning room, a sitting room, library and office. The next two floors up include the bedrooms, a separate den, and a kids playroom. The basement has yet another bar and pool table, among other stuff. If you don't feel like climbing stairs, there's an elevator too. Then there are two guest houses on the grounds, complete with their own kitchens. There's also a game court and a stable, but the stable's just used for storage these days. Out past the helipad where you landed is access to a private beach, boathouse and dock, complete with boat. The whole beach is fenced off to keep out the riffraff."
"If you'll follow me." Theresa led them through a door into a small room with a desk and a table off to one side overflowing with envelopes.
"This will be your office," she told Ginger. "When bills come in, just toss them over there," she said, indicating the overflowing table.
"Should not bills be paid?" Kai asked.
Theresa shrugged. "When you're rich, bills, quotas and taxes don't matter. I'm just doing what the last manager did, and passing on that knowledge to you. Oh by the way, the remaining house staff all quit last week because they weren't getting paid, and the vendors have stopped delivering food, but not to worry! All you need to do is go down to the front gate every morning. Between the cult members bringing gifts and the quota protesters dumping stuff, there's plenty to keep you well fed. Any questions?"
"What about utilities?" Ginger said. "Won't they be cut off?"
Teresa laughed. "Don't worry about it. It takes a court order for someone like a former Chief CEO to have his utilities cut off, and he appointed all the judges. They always deny motions and dismiss with prejudice, which means anyone wanting a court hearing must start over from scratch with a new complaint."
"And this former Chief CEO? When can we expect him to return?" Kai said.
"That would be never," replied Theresa. "As everyone knows, this is his official residence. What people don't know is that he doesn't actually live here. He's got a scattering of other houses around the planet where he splits his time. Just my opinion, but I think the only reason he keeps this place is to draw the public's attention away from wherever he actually happens to be. Anything else? No?"
Theresa reached over to the desk, picked up a business card, and offered it to Ginger. "If you have any questions over the next couple of days, you can call me on this number."
She smiled as Ginger took it and puzzled over it, holding it upside down. "Sorry, I know this is all a bit rushed, but I've been looking forward to getting out of here for a long time. The keys are on the desk. I'm going to pack up my stuff, but feel free to wander around. You can even have a party if you like, but keep it reasonable. There still aren't replacement staff yet. I'll leave that to you, and good luck hiring any."
Theresa looked at Kai. "One more thing. See that box mounted on the wall?" She pointed out a beige square with small lights and a number pad. "That's the alarm system. Be sure to arm it after dark, and anytime you leave the premises. The code for arming and disarming is one-two-three-four-five."
She laughed. "I know, it's incredibly stupid, but it's apparently the only thing our esteemed CEO can remember. Now, off you go—have a look around."
"Well that was all very strange," Ginger said to Kai once they were out of the office. "What do you think?"
They headed out the back of the mansion, towards the pool area.
"I think we have a base of operations," Kai replied. "But yes, she didn't even question my appearance, which I'm certain doesn't conform to local norms."
"She must really want out of here," Ginger said, nodding her agreement. "Let's tell the others to come on down."
"Speaking of local norms," 790 said. "It's quite conservative. You pass muster, Ginger, but we can't have Lillie running around effectively topless like she does on the Lexx."
"Lillie isn't topless!" Ginger protested. "Okay, it's an under-boob-showing, nipple-flashing crop-top that, yeah, is sometimes more see-through than top—"
"You don't need to defend her fashion choices because I don't care. Just keep in mind that beyond this estate, tits on display is a definite no-no. It will get her arrested."
About an hour later, a second moth came fluttering down and landed beside the first. Ginger half-walked, half-trotted along the walkway to the helipad carrying 790. When she saw Stanley and Lillie climb out of their moth, she started to laugh.
"Oh look—twins!" said 790.
"Well that's one way to fix the problem!" Ginger said, shaking her head with amusement.
Lillie was wearing one of Stanley's spare jumpsuits. On her, it looked like a shapeless red bag, sleeves rolled up with massive folds of material, and the leg bottoms had been rolled up into bulky rings to prevent dragging.
"I look ridiculous," Lillie said as she held out her arms for Ginger and did a slow turn. She gave Ginger a small, rueful smile.
Ginger grinned. "Don't worry, you only need it if we go out. You don't need to wear it in here." She waved to indicate the compound.
"Okay," said Lillie. With a single, swift zip, she was out of the jumpsuit. She looked around with eager curiosity as she followed the walkway towards the mansion and pool.
Ginger glanced over at Stanley as he came up to stand beside her. He bent down and scooped up Lillie's borrowed jumpsuit. "I always seem to be picking up after her," he said with a sigh. "Where's Kai?"
"He's walking the security fence perimeter, making sure everything's okay."
Ginger paused for a moment as they both watched Lillie continue her exploration.
"You know, when I said she didn't need to wear that, I wasn't inviting her to go full on butt-naked," Ginger said, as she watched a nude Lillie make a right turn to investigate the pool.
Stanley smiled and shrugged. "If her usual outfit gets her arrested, does it really make a difference? I just figure it's Lillie being Lillie. As long as it doesn't cause trouble, I don't care."
"It won't be a problem," said 790. "I've been scanning online mansion sales brochures. The very architecture of housing for the ultra rich suggests they enjoy flaunting their wealth by getting naked in conditions that would almost certainly get anyone else arrested. A recurring theme is bathtubs perched in front of floor-to-ceiling windows giving the impression of all-weather nude outdoor bathing, with no privacy concerns at all. Same with naked outdoor hot tubing, or that pool Lillie just jumped into. Privacy is achieved by consolidating large tracts of land and keeping people out. I've also found gossip sites with rumors of nude parties, and the rich and famous going naked in front of their staff. Based on that, Lillie fits right in."
"But not an hour ago you said things are conservative!" Ginger said.
"Remember what Theresa said? Rules are for little people. Outside the fence the rules apply, but inside the compound? The grounds are large. Even the front gardens closest to the main road are hidden from public view. As long as Lillie doesn't hike all the way down to the front gate naked, she'll be fine."
Stanley nodded. "Okay, then we don't need to say anything to her. With luck she'll eventually tire of it. Meanwhile, let's kick back and relax. I'm just amazed at how easily you 'borrowed' living here for a few days. People must really hate the guy who owns this place, and best of all, no one seems to know or care that we're here!"
"Yeah, about that," said 790.
Outside the front gate, the usual always-present small groups of true believers and quota protesters were slowly being joined by new people. Some of the newcomers simply stood at the gate, quietly gazing in. Others chanted and sang songs in praise of the former CEO. Still others prepared for a long stay and set up small tents. News media soon joined the circus to do man-on-the-street interviews and report on the crowd. Food truck vendors arrived, making a tidy business selling to the growing throng. Police showed up to manage traffic, but otherwise left people alone.
A reporter shoved a mic in front of one random person.
"Hello! I'm Kevin Kisly with T103! And you are?"
"Laura."
"Do you have a last name, Laura?"
"I'd rather not say."
"Okay, Laura Rather-Not-Say. What brings you here today?"
"I'm here in praise of the real Grand CEO, not that Stealer-in-Chief sitting in the Green House! Everyone knows the last stockholder election was rigged!"
"Now Laura, that idea has been thoroughly debunked time and time again."
"Oh yeah? Then why did the lizard people choose to come here? It's an obvious endorsement of our Great Leader! They know the election was fake too! They have come to put our Great Leader back in the Green House where he belongs."
"And what makes you think there are lizard people?"
"They came from outer space of course!"
"Well, thank you for sharing, Laura."
Kevin looked around for someone else to interview. A quota protester pushed his way forward.
"Hello! I'm Kevin Kisly with T103! And you are?"
"Hey, you know what, Kevin Kisly? Instead of you reporters just interviewing the crazies, how about interviewing the people who have a grasp on reality? The people who care about what's happening to this planet? The people who care about the quota system keeping the vast majority enslaved?"
Kevin signaled his body guard to remove the protester.
"We're not live are we?" Kevin said to his cameraman.
"No, we're recording."
"Good," said Kevin. "We'll edit out that last part. Hello! I'm Kevin Kisly with T103! And you are?"