Rise of A Queen: Aster's Story

Chapter 5

Aster sat at one end of the long table in the conference room waiting for the arrival of Morax. She was dressed in a navy blue business suit, a light blue undershirt, and black flats. She was free of jewelry and had minimal makeup. Overall, she felt that her appearance was professional, even if it was simple. There was tension in her back, she was eager to get this meeting over with. Jase was seated on her left side, ready to take notes at the meeting. Two elders entered and bowed their heads to her before sitting to her right. "I'm afraid we haven't been formally introduced, your highness. I am Elder Hamal and this is Elder Namid. We are here to advise and assist with today's meeting. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, we are at your service." Aster gave a small nod. "Thank you, it is nice to officially meet you. I believe today's meeting will run smoothly. I have a reasonable offer that I think will please Morax." With little to say to the people around her, she mulled over the plain and unappealing conference room. Like most of the general rooms in the station, they were gray and lacked any pictures. The table was black and surrounded by matching black chairs. There was a water cooler in one corner and, at the far end, a large screen for presentations. Perhaps Lyra would like to have the opportunity to make the space center more visually appealing. This lead her thoughts to wander to last night. She felt that her conversation with Lyra had been good. They were open and honest with each other. Although she was surprised to find herself physically attracted to her, she had been very pleased to find her wife willing and responsive. Perhaps this arrangement wouldn't be as bad as she feared. Her lips curled into a small smile thinking about the hours they had spent in bed touching and talking. She was hoping to get this meeting over with so she could spend more time with Lyra.

The door suddenly opened and a large man entered. His skin looked thick like elephant skin and was as red as an apple. He was completely bald, including facial hair. He had no eyebrows or eyelashes and his eyes were completely black. He had on a black long-sleeved turtleneck shirt that zipped up to his chin and black slacks. It was his belt that drew the most attention. It was a utility-style belt with pouches and cases wrapping around it. There was a gun holstered on his left side, which told Aster that he was left-handed. He was joined by two men with similar looks. One was also largely built but not as big as Morax and looked like the old human comic character the Hulk, but red instead of green. The other one was slender and had little beady eyes. They also wore utility belts with a gun holstered, but their demeanor was much less imposing than their leader. Nonetheless, Aster hated them immediately. However, she stood and gave a half-bow at the hip. The two elders also stood and gave a proper bow at the hip. Elder Hamal spoke first. "Good morning Morax. Let me introduce Queen Astoria Black. She was crowned yesterday upon the untimely death of King Cassiel." Aster took this as her cue to speak, "It's nice to meet you Morax, please let us sit. There have been a few recent changes that will be of interest to you." With that, she took her seat.

Morax and his crew sat next to the Elders, facing Aster. "Well, this is a surprise, but not altogether unpleasant. You are quite an attractive woman, Queen Astoria. Your presence makes this meeting much more enjoyable." Aster found his deep voice sort of pleasant, but his flirty demeanor turned her stomach. She painted a fake smile on her face and guided the meeting. "We had a great loss of King Cassiel yesterday, but before he departed, he made his final wishes known to the Elder Council. It was his dying wish to give me his daughter's hand upon my coronation. To grant his final wish, we held a small ceremony yesterday afternoon. Now, I know that you had intended to ask for her hand at today's meeting. As my wife is very appealing, I know that you may be disappointed to be leaving here without a bride. However, I have a business proposition for you that I think will make your trip all worth it." She watched emotion play across Morax's face as she spoke. He had no poker face, which was good for her, but probably didn't help him any. His face went from confusion to anger to interest. "Very well, tell me this proposal." Morax leaned back in his chair and waited for more information. Aster flashed her fake smile again, "I noticed that you are the leader in exporting precious metals and uncut gems, but you are simply exporting to other ports. While we have been exporting the highest quality materials. Now I believe we could both benefit from creating a new enterprise where we both benefit. I plan to expand into the fashion industry, and I am asking to have the first opportunity to purchase your materials. In return, I would create an exclusive line for you, featuring your metals and gems." Morax looked to be truly interested in what she was saying, so they spent the next hour discussing how they could help each other. She felt they had reached a pleasant deal by the time he left.

Now she was ready to grab some lunch and spend some time with her wife. Jase was rambling as she walked to her apartment, "I think you made quite an impression on Morax. I think he will be singing your praises to anyone who will listen. It's as if he completely forgot about Queen Lyra once you started talking money." Aster gave Jase a real smile, it reached her eyes. "Thanks, Jase. Make sure a copy of your notes makes it to my desk. I will take the rest of the day off unless there is something urgent. I hope to find my wife and spend some time learning more about the Canis Center. Now, go enjoy some downtime. I'm sure we will find plenty of work to do tomorrow." Jase gave her a deep bow and continued down the hall. Aster pushed open the large golden doors to her suite. She looked around the room as she walked to the kitchenette. Her refrigerator has been stocked yesterday, so she took a bottle of water and a salad and plopped onto the couch. She was a little disappointed to find her suite empty. She had hoped that Lyra has spent as much time thinking about her.

She dug into her salad and began reading a file that was sitting on her table. It was information about the orphanage. Lyra must have left it. It made her smile to know that she had been there working as she waited for the Guard to give her the clear to leave. It would have been strange to already feel a connection to someone she barely knew, but it just felt right. Maybe she was still at the orphanage. Now would be a great time to see it, and get some insight into something special to her wife. She hit the intercom to the guards outside her door. "Can you send someone to escort me to my wife? I am assuming she is still at the orphanage?" She posed this statement as a question. One of the guards immediately responded. "Yes your highness, I will get someone here right away. She is usually at the orphanage until 3:00, so you have plenty of time to catch her." Aster gave a nod even though they couldn't see each other. "Great, I will only be a few minutes." She opened the door to her closet and scrunched her nose, she desperately needed to get some clothes. She took a pale pink a-line dress and a pair of nude flats out of the closet. Perhaps she would ask Lyra to go shopping for her. She laughed and shook her head, no she would have her crew bring her clothes from Mars. Lyra's style was a little too girly for her. She gave a glance in the mirror, tucked her short curls behind her ear, and walked out of the door.