Power and Order | Difference

Twenty percent of the speed of the light and yet it took six and a half hours to reach Saturn. Shakhai travelled to the largest moon of Saturn, Titan. There was a large architecture named 'Titan Space Exploration Station', used as a junction and a car-shed of all spacecraft for interstellar or hyper-space travel and transportation. There, he took a high-powered hyper-space travelling passenger starship.

This starship was so large that it was itself a hotel, having different rooms for passengers, a ceremony hall, and a big garage for smaller spaceships. Like all other spacecraft, this spacecraft had a smooth surface, round in shape for edgeless cut, basically making the possibility of least friction. The starship was not as fast as smaller spaceships, but fast enough to reach Uranus in almost seven hours.

Near Uranus, there was a wormhole. A whopping great black sphere. Lots of small machines were releasing radiation of negative energy to stabilize the wormhole. These machines were manufactured by Paradise Industry. Shakhai's starship slowly went into that wormhole to travel to the other side of the universe in a short way.

In the wormhole, everything became otherworldly. Nothing remained normal. Shakhai's limbs, the starship, the pilot, other passengers, everything was stretched like a rubber band. The physical forms were distorted.

The new travellers became frightened. They were screaming, thinking they were going to die. But Shakhai knew this was only for a short period. When they reached the other side, everything became normal again.

Another stellar system, the Rodoranter system. It was larger than the solar system. Shakhai knew it was time to take a spaceship from the garage. He needed to go to Masad on his own now. Different passengers had different destiny after all.

He and a pilot got out of the passenger starship with a smaller spaceship. As an almond to an elephant, the spaceship was to the starship. So little and negligible.

It was the first time Shakhai had gone to Masad after thirteen years. Masad was much farther away from Rodorant. Ten hours later, he got to see the planet, larger than Earth. Then he saw the official residence of the President, the camel palace. He landed his ship on the spaceship base beside the Parliament House. Then he slowly walked towards the Parliament and entered.

"Look, who has come!" Zorvan mocked.

Shakhai was coming through the middle aisle, noticing all the Members of the Parliament. Their faces filled with enjoyment. He got a strange feeling. It was like he was the jester among all, and others were just audience.

"You've summoned someone from our company. And your call is so strong that the head himself has come." Shakhai said smiling. Then, his smile faded. He said frowning at the President, "But mister President, I'm afraid that I am not able to understand your action. Why do you want us to shift on Boduin?"

"Didn't I mention people there need you?"

"Yes. But I thought the government banned the artificial ozone layer project."

"For Earth!" Zorvan yelled. "Not for Boduin."

"Oh. But didn't we publicly announce that we are devoted to a crucial project? We are working on—"

Before he could complete his word, Zorvan enforced his statement. "We know, we know. Those 'blah blah' welfare for Earth. But look Shakhai, you cannot protect that planet. It's already dead. You are watering a dead plant. You should give up your hope for Earth by now."

"But mister President—" Shakhai wanted to say something, but the President made a dark glare. He gulped with tension. He hesitated.

"May we talk in private? The head of Paradise Industry?" The president asked with a mocking tone. Shakhai couldn't do anything except accept this request. In the end, power resided with the President.

"Did you forget what happened thirteen years ago?" President said in a harsh voice. Shakhai was sweating. He didn't want the same struggle to back again.

"Sir? Pardon me. What did you say?"

"Look Shakhai, I am a very decent and humble man. I am not like my father." Zorvan smirked. "I think you also don't want any trouble. Don't you?"

Shakhai couldn't answer, his voice became dried. He could feel the power difference. He felt his trembling fingers.

"Do what I am telling you. Be an obedient man. Go to Boduin. You are going to do good work after all. On Earth or Boduin, it doesn't matter."

Zorvan turned back to make a sign that the talk concluded here.

How many times? How many times do you have to listen to others? Have to follow their instructions? Why is there a power gap? Shakhai thought to himself. You, helpless fool. Haven't you been tired of all this? Have you learned nothing? They will—

"By the way, Shakhai, how is your son?" Zorvan asked. He didn't even let Shakhai complete his own thoughts.

"Son?" Shakhai asked. Not sons. "Which son, sir?"

"Of course, the younger one."

"Ohh, Rov… he is good… doing good."

"Have Bharatas started his martial arts training yet?"

"What? No, no. He is still young. His training will start when he will be ten. My older son's training is going on."

"Ohh… what a shame." A disappointment clouded Zorvan's face.

They returned to the hall. Shakhai almost forgot to ask about the details of their journey. But he didn't have to ask this, the President himself said, "I want you to depart for Boduin in two days after you return to Earth. My officials have prepared everything for you and your employees as well as for all of your families."

"Families?"

"Yes, I think it will take you many months even a year to complete this project. I don't want to separate my people from their families. Now my man, Raevour will tell you everything."

Raevour stood up from the front row. He nodded to Zorvan.