His father froze, and for a moment there was a glimpse of something, something a little sad and lost in his father’s eyes that, had he not been looking the man dead in the eyes, he might have missed it. For whatever reason, his father did truly want him there. That one look made it crystal clear. However, it didn’t excuse any of his other behavior. In fact, it made it even more appalling.
He took his father’s red face and pursed lips after he quickly recovered from whatever downtrodden thought he was having, as the best response he was going to get. So, he took it as a signal to continue. “Now, I need to ask you about that girl that came here last night and what she said. She seemed to be in a lot of distress, and you sent her packing. She mentioned something about sex trafficking. Why didn’t you do anything about it?” Kyllian questioned, knowing he was not letting his father wriggle out of this one.
Thomas began to stumble over his words, seeming crazed again as he tried to come up with the proper explanation. “Look, you may know a lot about technology, but nothing about politics. When a crazy woman comes to talk to you in the middle of the night and tries to cut a deal, claiming that your town is corrupt and responsible, as a whole, for atrocities, there is something else going on underneath the surface. She is faking it for money, for fame, for a prank. I don’t know which, but this is called Utopia for a reason.”
Kyllian was not convinced at all. “You should have at least listened to see if there was any truth to it, to investigate the information she has. No planet is perfect, no matter what philosophy it was founded on. I need to know why you handled it that way. It didn’t feel right. And then you are all alone here with droids that have your grandparent’s voices and mannerisms. I knew you were an ass, but I never thought you were insane. Is something happening that I need to know about? Why does she think you, the mayor, no longer have any power here?”
“Maybe I have spent a little too much time inside lately. I don’t show my face as often. I realize how that can cause a bad impression. I had much hoped that you would be worthy of getting out there with me and gaining the people’s trust again.” Now Thomas was using the guilt-trip method. This guy was good.
“I am sorry I am not the son you wanted, but I am good enough for me, so I will have to be good enough for you. If not, then I can’t help. But I think you should get a hold of that young woman and reconsider.”
“Leave the crime to the space force, Kyllian. That is what their job is. Why she came to speak to me is beyond me. A mayor can only do so much in the way of those kinds of things. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. If it bothers you so much, find her and tell her just that: to take it up with space force. I don’t need people trespassing on my property and telling me how to do my job,” Thomas spat. It made the conversation that much more cut and dry. He wasn’t going to get anywhere else with his father, but the good news was he had pretty much permitted him to use his resources to track down Savanah. Hopefully, Savanah would give him enough information to investigate the matter on his own. Then, he would finally start unraveling the secrets of Delti Utopia 6 and its mayor.
