Rhodium was pleased when she sat with Tin. Platinum, Gold, Ruthenium, and Iridium were at the round table as well. They all wore simple crowns, single bands fitted to rest comfortably just above their eyebrows, and made of their eponymous metal. Tin sat directly across from Rhodium and the others sat next to her, two on either side.
“I recently finished your book,” she said to Tin, who had forgotten that his crown was required for meetings with the five members of the board with at least two votes on COHH operations, resource allocation, and general business decisions.
“‘The existence of the soul is the commonality among all sentient beings of the universe, it is proof that we are all created equal.’ That is very eloquent,” Rhodium said. She wasn’t smiling, but she had a calm look on her face and she seemed to be perfectly posturing under her crown.
“Do you agree?” Tin asked. “Or does that statement conflict with the supremacy of First People descendants?”
“You are First People descendant,” Rhodium said earnestly. “You see spirits and use the very stuff that animates us to do…magic, it’s the only word I have for it.”
“What does that matter though? This whole thing is about being important to aliens we don’t really know anything about?”
“It’s about living up to our name. We are the Consortium of Human History, and we are living proof that First People are an important part of human history. And that history ties us to beings all around the universe “
Tin shrugged.
“Let me know when I get to go to another planet,” he said. “Why aren’t there alien ghosts on Earth?”
“How do you know there aren’t?” Rhodium asked.
“I’ve never encountered them.”
“Well you can study with the greatest minds in the universe soon enough to find out.”
“I don’t want to be the bad guy. Are we the bad guy Lynnette? What does your dog Worthington want with the Brave Chimutengwende?”
“I’m surprised he didn’t brag about it. And please Tin, show some respect for decorum.”
“Sorry, Rhodium.”
“The deals that Osmium has made with our new interstellar partners necessitate a show of strength. Worthington will make an army controlled by powerful generals so that the head of Interstellar Panel Security Forces can conquer a brutal culture from a place called the Fhetat. The rulers of the Fhetat are kings with extraordinary crowns that give them extraordinary powers. But the humans Worthington has assembled for me have extraordinary powers as well and with his conditioning, they will be competent generals capable of conquering this Fhetat.”
“The Brave Chimutengwende isn’t really equipped for that,” Tin said. “I mean, she could probably subdue an army, but what type of conditioning can Worthington do? She has a strong will and she won’t do anything she perceives as evil.”
“I trust Worthington. Are you regretting your decision to take the name, Tin?”
He laughed. He knew what she meant, taking the name was part of joining the board, but it sounded funny to him.
“The name Tin is the only good thing that has come of all of this so far. And the ancient books. Those make all of the villainy worth it I suppose. I’ll do it, I’ll torture the Brave into submission. But if she kills me, I will haunt you to your death.”
“Deal,” Rhodium said, and then everyone around her laughed.
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