Chapter 8: Hunters
After Bruck’s death, Cheslie struggled with what she would do. She was 17 years old, nearly graduated from primary school, but she had been so far ahead of her peers, she had already completed the requirements to go on to college, but no universities accepted students under 18. They all said it was because they wanted to be sure students had all the pre-college experiences that would make them well-rounded people, but Cheslie knew it was just to keep the schools from getting over-crowded. She didn’t want to stay in Inner-London any longer. Without Elliot there, and after her father’s death, there was no reason to stay there anymore, and every day just reminded her of Bruck.
She had decided to sell everything in the apartment, and use the money to move to New Washington. She had applied at the University, and was certain to be accepted with her perfect grades. She just needed to find a place to stay for a while until she found a permanent apartment. She remembered that when she had spoken to Albrick Hunter, Elliot’s program director, he had told her that if there was anything she needed, just ask. She hated imposing on people, but decided that just this once, she would try depending on someone else for help.
She called the phone number he had left, and watched as the video phone began the ringing sequence, with the multi-colored bubbles rising randomly across the screen, the ringing tone quietly humming away. A woman answered her call. “Hello, this is the Hunter house.”
The woman was probably in her late fifties, or early sixties. Cheslie could tell that she was once a beautiful woman, which still shone through the wrinkles and gray hair left by time. Her eyes were a gray/green shade, her face was welcoming and her smile was broad. Her gray hair was cut short, in a distinguished cut, like you would expect from a businesswoman or politician. Cheslie was a little startled by the woman, since she had been expecting Albrick to answer.
“Yes, hello, is Mr. Hunter in?” Her voice was a little shaky, she did not enjoy talking to strangers on the phone, especially when it was personal, and not business.
“I’m sorry dear, he’s just run out for an evening meeting. Can I leave a message for him?”
“Oh, sure, can you tell him that Cheslie Adams called, and if he has a minute, could he call me?”
“Cheslie Adams? Albrick told me about your father, I am so sorry for your loss. Can we do anything for you? Oh, I’m so rude, my name is Hadessa, I’m Albrick’s wife.”
Cheslie was a little taken aback that Albrick’s wife knew who she was. But it made sense, since Albrick worked with Elliot, she had probably heard her name come up after Bruck’s death. “Um, well, actually, I um, yes, that’s why I, um.”
“It’s alright Cheslie, you can ask for anything.”
“Well, I was calling Mr. Hunter to ask for a favor.”
“Of course, first, a tip. Don’t call him Mr. Hunter, he hates that, it makes him feel old. Stick to Albrick, or Al if you prefer. Come to think of it, I don’t like being called Mrs. Hunter either, so that’s out too, guess you’ll have to call me Hadessa.” She smiled broadly at Cheslie, which made her feel much more comfortable.
“Well, obviously, you know what happened to my dad, so I am planning on selling our furniture and moving away from Inner-London. I applied at NWU, but they won’t take me for another six months, so I’m planning to move to New Washington in the meantime.”
“Enough said, our guest room is your home.”
“How did you…?”
“Just a hunch.” Hadessa shrugged her shoulders, “We’d love to have you stay with us. When will you be arriving? I’ll meet you at the station.”
“Um, Next Monday, I guess. Are you sure that’s ok? Shouldn’t you wait until Mr. I mean Albrick gets home?”
“He’d say the same thing, hon, when you’ve been married 35 years, you start to think alike.”
“Well, thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Albrick has said so many nice things about Elliot, and surely we can take care of his sister when she needs help.”
Cheslie had been living with Albrick and Hadessa for several weeks by the time they got word that Elliot’s team had safely reached Mars. It was an exciting day for everyone, and was heralded around the world as a major advance in the human struggle against the world they had inherited from the destructive generations before them. The world rejoiced together at what a prolonged peace could provide. At the center of this triumph was the figure of Zeke Rennet, the president who set the wheels in motion to achieve this success. The regions of the world had been in constant communication with the NAR government to offer assistance with the program, and ask for inclusion in any benefit it provides. A movement was underway in the NAR citizens to vote Rennet in as President for Life.
Cheslie was surprised to find out, upon moving to New Washington, that Hadessa was a Senator, representing New Washington in the NAR Senate. Albrick and Hadessa seemed to work almost every hour of the day, so she had a lot of time to herself in their apartment. The view from their apartment was fantastic. They lived near the edge of the cavern, with a view over the city. Cheslie loved sitting on the balcony looking out over the city below. She could see the Capitol and Artemis building in the center, and the roads radiating out from the bright center like a sunburst. It brought her hope in the human race to see the way the city functioned, everything working together to make the habitat continue. She would sit there and stare out, dreaming about her future, and what her part in society would be. She was enrolled in the Political Science program at NWU, and would be starting in just a few weeks. She had told Albrick and Hadessa that she planned to move out of their home once she started, because she didn’t want to overstay her welcome, and wanted to be closer to the university.
Cheslie was sitting on the balcony in one of her long daydreams when Hadessa came up behind her, and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Cheslie, how’s the view?”
“Oh, hey Hadessa, you’re home early today.”
“Yes, after the senate passed a resolution recognizing today as ‘Zeke Rennet Day,’ they decided that we should celebrate by taking an afternoon off. I had to give my staff the afternoon off, so I decided to come home, and spend the afternoon with you. How would you like to take a walk with me?”
“Yeah, that would be nice.”
They headed outside and began to walk towards the city center. They discussed life, told stories about where they grew up. Cheslie talked about Inner-London, and how it was so unpleasant and dark all the time, wherever you went.
As they neared Pratt Square, they sat on a bench and watched street performers entertaining children and tourists nearby. Hadessa turned to Cheslie, and put a hand on her arm. “Cheslie, what are your plans for college. Besides school, I mean. Are you going to find a job to pay the bills during school?”
“I dunno, I hadn’t really thought about it in great detail. I was most likely going to just work at a coffee shop or something like that I guess.”
“Well, I’d like to make you an offer that I think you might want to consider. I would love to have you work for me in my Senate office. I know that’s going to take a significant amount of time, and I’m sure it will limit the amount of leisure time you’ll have. I will be flexible with your hours, you can work between classes, and if you need an afternoon off to study for an exam, no problem. “
“Thank you for the offer, I’m not sure I’m qualified, I’m only 18 years old, and I haven’t even started college yet.”
“Frankly, Cheslie, you’re over-qualified. The job involves a lot of mundane work, filing, answering phones, a little bit of research, nothing that you aren’t prepared to do. The most important qualification is trust, and I can trust you more than anybody currently on my staff. You’re a brilliant young woman Cheslie, and if I didn’t hire you now, I’m afraid I’d lose that opportunity.”
“Well, you make it hard to say no, are you sure there’s room on the staff?”
“Yes, I had to let half of my current staff go today.”
“Oh no, what happened?”
“Well, I was one of only 10 senators to oppose the resolution on Zeke Rennet Day. It made me very unpopular among my fellow Senators, and I started getting dozens of calls in my office every minute. I heard several of my staff telling the callers that I was opposing the measure, but could be convinced. I couldn’t have such mixed messages coming out of my office, so I had to let them go.”
“Oh…” Cheslie looked down at her feet, “I’m not sure I understand why you oppose that.”
Hadessa placed a hand on Cheslie’s shoulder, “Cheslie, it’s ok, you don’t need to be embarrassed. Your feelings are the same as most. It’s hard to understand why someone who has done great things for the NAR would not be honored in such a way as this. It’s why most of my colleagues voted in favor of the measure.”
“Yeah.” Cheslie looked up at Hadessa, who had a very soft look on her face, “Can you explain it for me?”
“Of course, let’s walk back to the apartment, I’ll explain on the way.” The pair got up and began to walk back towards the apartment. Hadessa dropped a few coins in the hat of one of the performers as they walked past.
Hadessa looked up at the dome of the Capitol and smiled. “Cheslie, do you know the story of Mayor Morgan Pratt?”
“A little.”
“Well, here’s a story you probably hadn’t heard. When he built the city of New Washington, he had no plans to become the Mayor. He was a visionary man who was incredibly inspirational. He knew that nothing would unify people more than a goal. He made this city his goal. He organized the people around the construction of it, he designed it, he managed the process, he took care of details. No single person was more involved in the founding of this wonderful city. He did not want to be mayor, in fact, when they held the first election, he specifically asked not to be on the ballot. But the people wrote his name in. He won the election with over 80% of the vote. It was overwhelming, to the point where he could not turn down the people’s sincere request that he lead. He became the mayor of the city, and when his four year term was done, he requested that they not vote for him, but encouraged them to vote for his vice-mayor instead. The people did this out of respect for the man.
“Once he was out of office, there was groundswell across the nation to elect him as president of the NAR. He was nominated by his party as their candidate, and he attended their national convention. At the convention, he gave an incredible and courageous speech. He talked about the responsibilities of the office of President, and the power associated with that office. He discussed how important it was to be cautious on whom you place that awesome burden. He spoke about the potential corrupting force of power, and the way that a person can become addicted to that power, to the detriment of the governed. He then said that he was declining their nomination, because he was severely disturbed with the legendary status he had attained, and did not trust himself with the responsibility of that legend. He knew that if he were given a seat of power, he would not easily relinquish it, and the people who voted him into that office would willingly enable him to stay. He argued for the necessity of a change of power in government as a way to keep any one person from achieving pharaonic status. He warned against the mindset that places any man or woman above human status, and made the profound statement that any person who would accept such a status could, by no means, be trusted with such. He said that his fear was that he did not have the character to turn down that status, and therefore, could not accept their nomination.
“The crowd was shocked as he walked off the stage. It wasn’t until several silent minutes later that a slow applause started in the gallery, and eventually spread to a loud standing ovation. The party nominated a new candidate, who won the election with the support of Mayor Pratt. The mayor lived out the rest of his life without holding office, but was a strong figure speaking out against abuses of power around the world.
“Most people stop their history of Mayor Pratt before that presidential nomination speech, but it’s that principle of preventing abuse of power for which he spent the latter years of his life fighting. I serve in the Senate and hope to emulate the vision of Morgan Pratt. That is why I could not support a resolution honoring a sitting president. That is why I fear this movement to make President Rennet more than just a president. I fear that it will come to the Senate before long, and I don’t have much time to get support from my colleagues. I refuse to allow our government to go down the road of crowning an Emperor.”
Cheslie was speechless, she tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. It would take some time before that all sank in for her. She was caught up in the fervor around the constant praise of Zeke Rennet, so this shift was something that she had a hard time accepting. But Hadessa’s story was very compelling. She knew that she could learn a lot by working on her staff. “I’d like to accept your offer, Hadessa. I look forward to working for you.”
“Good. I don’t suppose I can talk you out of moving out of our apartment, so take a week, get settled into your new place, and you can start next Monday.”
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