Brinus’ bathroom had a porcelain toilet, a sonic shower with white marble tile, white marble floors, and baroque wood paneling like an 18th-century palace. The sink and vanity were made in an 18th-century French vanity with a black marble sink and gold fixtures. Brinus frantically searched his bathroom as a housemaid cleaned it. He had torn apart the medicine cabinet and thrown stuff out of the cabinet and the vanity.
The maid, after cleaning in futility for a few minutes, finally said, “What is the problem, Master Helios? How can I help you?”
Brinus looked at his housemaid with a wide look of insanity. “Where is my vape!? I need it now!!” He barked in annoyance.
“Your grace, you got rid of your vape three days ago. You sent home all of the smokers yesterday for a week and you…”
The butler knew if it wasn’t for his medicine he would likely be having way worse and would need an ambulance.
Brinus cut her off by snapping his fingers and yelled, “Get me the butler!”
The housemaid wanted no part of whatever the fuck this was, and she was more than happy to get her boss. She left without saying a word.
Brinus continued demolishing the bathroom, looking for a vape.
The butler came in with the housemaid a couple of minutes later. “Jane has told me you are having trouble.”
“I need to smoke! Get me a vape now!”
“No, your grace, I won’t.”
Brinus grabbed the butler’s shirt and lifted him against the wall. He stated calmly, “Why? I gave you an order!”
The Butler grabbed Brinus’ wrist and squeezed his pressure point at the radial artery and then bent it back without breaking a sweat, forcing him onto his knees.
“I served for eight years in the Emperor’s Royal Guard and was a police officer for ten years. I am a knight for your estate and will be shown the respect of a knighted butler. Do not touch me like that again. Understood?” Brinus nodded, and the butler let go. “Now, why don’t we behave like adults and talk this out? Agree?” Brinus nodded again, rubbing his wrist. “Remember when you said something like this would happen? You ordered me not to get you an e-cig. You bribed every Tarken Tea product store in a twenty-mile radius not to sell to you. Now quit harassing my staff and kindly go for a fucking walk, Master Helios.” The butler turned on his heel and left with his nose in the air.
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Brinus rocked back and forth and sat at the breakfast table, chewing his nails.
Simmie came home for lunch in his dress uniform, and Brinus approached him. “I need a vape! Can you give me your vape?”
Simmie smiled and kissed him on the lips. “No sweet pea. You said this would happen three days ago. You told me not to bring mine home with me because of this. I have been using nicotine pouches today because of this.”
“WHERE IS YOUR GODDAMN VAPE!?”
The butler came into the breakfast room. “Master Helios. We discussed this earlier. Do you need a reminder?”
“No, sir.”
The butler crossed his arms in front of his chest, “Are you sure?”
Brinus nodded and then the butler left.
Simmie looked at Brinus. “Damn, I have never seen you submit to someone so quickly.”
“I may need to smoke, but I ain’t stupid.”
Simmie pulled out a tin can of AA nicotine pouches and put two in his mouth. “I have your anti-anxiety meds if you want them.” Brinus nodded, and Simmie pulled out an autopen that Tigs prescribed. He pressed the button; it hissed, then injected into Brinus’s bare shoulder. “That should take care of the worst of the cravings.”
Tigs came into the breakfast room. “The butler told me you shouted at my son! Why?!”
“Dad, it’s okay. He’s just sick.”
Tigs rolled his eyes. “Whatever. How did your report go today?”
Simmie sighed, “It was bad. They want me to cut my budget by 22% without laying off staff, or they want me to increase income by 34%.”
“What do you plan to do? Maybe I can help?”
Simmie crossed his arms. “Do you think you cut cigarette and vape prices by 22%? Those are my biggest expenses.”
Tigs laughed and then said, “I am a businessman first. Just because you’re my son doesn’t mean you get special pricing. I can set up a vape store and open two more cigarette vending machines in your department. I saw the budget report before you presented it.”
“One additional cigarette vending machine and an 800-square-foot vape store. And I want a 22% cut of revenue with a 2,000 credit a month in rent for the shop.”
“1,500 credits.”
Simmie smiled. “1,800.”
“1,600.”
“1,750—my final offer.” Simmie extended his hand to Tigs.
Tigs smiled. “You have a deal. I will have my lawyers write up a contract soon.”
Simmie had one revenue increase solved. Now he needed to raise revenue by another 28%. He looked at his father. “What else would you suggest?”
“I am not familiar with how the navy works. However, we have a principle in business called buy low, sell high. It is one of the oldest principles in the book. Basically, you buy raw materials at the lowest possible prices without compromising quality and sell at the price the market will bear.”
“I could get a business license from the chief engineer and sell the excess parts and alloys.”
“There you go! Looking at your financial report, it looks like you have a lot of metal waste. Maybe recycling some of the used metals would help as well. You may want to hire a metallurgist to help with that. I know a consultant who can help you out where to cut costs.”
Simmie smiled.
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Meanwhile in the Federation…
Marci was at a civilian commissary which was like a state-owned grocery store. She had just come out of the streets which smelled like urine and feces. The store looked run down and moldy. It had a slight musty smell. There were thousands of homeless veterans injured during the war throughout the downtown area. Marci felt it wasn’t her problem to solve and put the sight out of her mind. She browsed the shelves and noticed the depressing silence. No one spoke to each other and were on their devices. She also noticed the cashiers had no stools or chairs and the staff pretended to be busy.
She browsed the mostly empty shelves. On her ration book, today were six pisces of Hardtack, which was bread cooked four times in the oven and left out to dry in order to leave no moisture; four 8-ounce cans of meat broth; half a pound of fake meat; two 8-ounce cans of vegetable broth; and a quarter pound of lard. She also had an allotment for sugar but didn’t see any.
A woman trying to pay at the counter caught her eye.
“Please… I need to feed my family.”
“We all need to feed our families. I can lose my job.”
“I can’t afford this week’s rations. I beg you. A least let me have the hard tack!”
“No, I won’t. Leave now before I call the police.”
The woman began crying. “Please, I’m pregnant.”
“Tough tiddy. When you people had power, you should have thought of the consequences,” barked the cashier.
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The woman left in tears.
Marci came up to the cashier. Who sneered, “Great another woman. Girl power,” he said mockingly laughing as he rang her up. “2000 coins.”
“Seriously?! There is no way this stuff is worth 2000 coins.”
“Pay it or fuck off! This is the ‘fuck you’ tax.”
Marci paid with her credit card in the credit card and handed the groceries to the bagger, who said, “Women bag their own groceries at this store.”
Marci realized calling a manager would get her beat up or killed, so she bagged her groceries and left.
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Brinus walked in the park with Simmie while they held hands. A family was hosting a barbecue with twenty people all laughing and joking; forty kids played in the playground unsupervised; and five teenagers played D&D in a grassy field. A group of college kids played hover ball, a game where a ball flew above the field and the players tried to catch it and throw it through the nets.
The park was lush and green with trees and flowers and multiple grassy fields. It was near the city center so it was gorgeous. The walkway was lined with benches and lamps. It was clean and smelled like nature.
“We’re meeting who again?”
Simmie kissed Brinus on the cheek. “My great aunt Charlie. She has been wanting to meet you forever.”
Brinus saw an elderly woman sitting on a bench. She looked a lot like Tigs but had a lighter skin tone. She also wore a suit with high heels and makeup.
Simmie came up to the older woman and hugged her. She hugged him back and came up to Brinus. “So, which one pitches and which one catches?”
“Auntie Agnus! We are in a park!”
“I am guessing the swamp rat is the dom and you’re the sub.” Brinus was stunned into silence. However, she hugged him and ruffled his hair. “What is it like being attracted to men? I knew Simmie was always not into girls but to marry an ex-con?” She laughed. “We all love you just the same. The family is having a cookout next weekend. Why don’t you bring your husband?”
Before Brinus could object, Simmie spoke over him, “We would be happy to.”
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Marci walked through the park with her groceries. It had uncut grass, dead trees, rusted playground equipment, needles everywhere, and cigarette butts on the ground, and it was empty save four young men eying her like a meal. Marci was trying not to make eye contact with the people watching her. They did knife tricks with butterfly knives while looking directly at her. She kept her posture erect as she noticed the four men following her, smiling menacingly.
Marci noticed two cops standing at the exit of the park and began walking to them. Maybe they could help. She didn’t run but noticed the four men were rapidly closing the distance. She noticed the two cops were smoking which was odd because cigarettes since Pattaban took power were illegal.
She approached the cops. “Four men are following me. I think they plan to rob me.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
The cops got between Marci and put their hands on their guns. The four men turned around and went back into the park.
One of the cops took a drag from his cigarette and tossed the butt onto the ground, snuffing it out with his shoe. “You’re obviously new to the area, so here is a tip, don’t carry groceries through any park close to sunset. Also, I can hook you up with a cigarette dealer. The Tarken Tea products will help with hunger.”
“I thought they were illegal.” She crossed her arms in annoyance.
The two cops laughed. “You think we’re going to enforce a law that makes our job harder,” exclaimed one of the cops. The cop, still smoking, handed her his business card. “If you want cigarettes, call this number. Ask for the police captain. Tell him your ration book was stolen and you need it replaced. He will give you the address to get the cigs. They’re 10 coins a pack. You can also get alcohol there too.”
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Brinus is back home in the parlor with Aunt Angus, Tigs, and Simmie. Aunt Agnus looked forty but Brinus knew she was actually seventy by her voice. Simmie was the only smoker in the family he had met so far. The parlor has marble, baroque style, paneling with crystal mirrors on the walls, a mural of the spaceport and of the Saffron planetary animal, a space wolf. There were 25 brass-plated, neo-imperial style, armchairs around a large fireplace with an epoxy wood table poured with gold. The room smelled clean like cleaning fluid and burning wood. The weather outside started raining and a chill settled into the air.
Brinus was still bare-chested and barefoot, while Simmie had a pair of pajamas, a fleece shirt, and a set of house shoes. Tigs wore an overcoat and a pair of sweatpants with a long-sleeved shirt. Aunt Agnus wore a sweater, sweatpants, and house shoes.
Aunt Angus took a shot of whisky from a footman. “Hey Brinus, I heard you can make fire.”
Brinus nodded. He rose from his seat and put wood in the fireplace. He then put wax cubes between the logs to make it crackle in the wood and then snapped his fingers. The logs burst into flames.
“Are you not cold?” inquired Tigs.
Brinus laughed and then giggled, “I don’t feel cold like most people.”
Tigs laughed and crossed his legs. “You should have seen Brinus when he felt heat for the first time. It was funny.”
Everyone, including Brinus, laughed.
Simmie left the parlor holding something in his hand.
Aunt Agnus asked, “How are your new medical trials doing?”
Tigs sighed and shifted in his seat. “Not good. Brinus and another test subject have been the only ones to stick with it after the nic fits set in because of how intense they are. The medicine definitely works, the placebo test group prove that. Next round, we might give something to manage the cravings better, like we had to do with Brinus.”
Aunt Agnus leaned forward and asked, “Just curious about the formulation of your new drug. It looks like it uses a muscle relaxant base with a false nicotine chain at the end, an interesting choice for medicine used to treat nicotine addiction. How does this drug work?”
“Based on brain scans, the magnesium relaxes muscles. The rest of the medicine is similar enough to AA nicotine. It tricks the brain into thinking it is getting drugs so it treats any e-cigs or cigarettes smoked as an overdose.”
Brinus sat next to the fireplace and basked in the warmth. He missed having his e-cig because he could sit by the fire and just smoke.
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Marci came home from the grocery store and unloaded her week’s worth of food. Her home had modern-style furniture with a TV, a kitchen with a ten-year-old chrome stove and oven that had crusty food on it; there was a sonic dishwasher that was twenty years old that smelled like spoiled fish, and a metal sink with simple fixtures. The counters and countertops were aged and looked like they were made from particle board that had warped. The house smelled moldy and was poorly maintained.
Marci put her food in the pantry and sat in front of the TV. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes she bought from another cop who was selling them. She never smoked before but was so hungry she would try anything to stave off her appetite.
She opened the pack and put one in her mouth. Knowing how bad they were, Marci was so hungry she didn’t care.
She lights the cigarette and inhales. However, she coughs and gags as soon as the smoke hits her lungs. She also felt lightheaded and dizzy but relaxed as well. Marci’s heart raced, felt nauseous, and she did feel a lot less hungry. Her tension was gone. She hated it and did not want to smoke anymore. She crushed the lit cigarette and threw the pack away as she stumbled over to the trash disposal unit. She then hit the undo button at the trash disposal and put the cigarettes on the counter.
As Marci was strung out on AA nicotine on the couch, she contemplated her life choices. Realizing she would have gotten better food at the jail, Marci could have just served her 15-year prison sentence and been paroled after five years. Sure, reporting to the parole office every month and doing drug tests would be annoying but she wouldn’t be starving and in a bad situation. She could have gotten her BAR license and set up a small legal practice. Sure, starting her life at fifty would be tough. Being known as the ex-duchess would be a boost to her career. Most people in the confederacy unless someone hurt children or animals were forgiving of crimes.
She relaxed in her seat as the high took over her.
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Brinus tore apart the master bedroom as the storm set in. Outside the wind and rain pelted the glass. The trees waved in the wind. He spent an hour searching for Simmie’s backup vape. The pillows were on the floor with the pillowcases turned inside out, the chairs were upturned, and drawers were on the floor with contents emptied — the room was a disaster zone.
Finally, he found it. It was black with a red tip. Brinus smiled as he put it to his mouth. He pressed the button and inhaled. He vomited onto the rose-patterned carpet. It tasted like sour milk and spoiled cheese. He felt nauseous, and his heart raced but felt none of the pleasant effects. He immediately regretted vaping.
Simmie and the Butler came into the room just as a bolt of lightning and a loud crack of thunder erupted from outside.
“So sweet pea, was it worth it?” Simmie crossed his arms and cocked his head.
“No, it wasn’t.” Brinus handed Simmie his backup e-cig and ran for the bathroom to begin vomiting.
Condit shrugged his shoulders. “I guess the meds wore off. I am glad I never smoked.”
“I wish my dad made me quit when I was 14. Now I can’t quit.”
Simmie began picking up the mess. The butler put a hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry about your husband. Do you want me to get your father?”
“Please do. He needs more medicine.”
“Very well Master Simmie.”
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Two days later Brinus was asleep. Tigs adjusted his medicine so he didn’t have nic fits anymore. He was asleep and then heard a rustling at the end of the bed. He woke up and saw his mother standing at the edge of the bed.
“You!” Brinus yelled.
He got up and jabbed his finger into her Shoulder with every word. “Why are you tormenting me?”
“Why not?” she made an evil laugh.
Brinus slapped Marci hard enough to leave a handprint across her face. “First you roll out cigarettes to kill people including me and my husband. Then you publicly humiliate me in front of all of Saffron. Then you try to kill me with poison, stripping me of magic for a week.”
Marci snorted and rolled her eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. You wouldn’t have died. The poison was meant to neutralize you not terminate you. It would draw too much attention if…”
“DOES IT LOOK LIKE I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR GODDAMN EXCUSES!” Brinus screamed, jabbing his finger into her shoulder with every word.
“If we wanted you dead you would be dead.”
Brinus put his hands in his pockets to keep him from slapping her again. But then he felt something smooth and metallic in his left pocket.
He pulled it out and it was a knife.
“Do it. I know you want to,” she smiled sadistically.
Brinus laughed maniacally. “With pleasure.”
Brinus sunk the knife between Marci’s second and third rib penetrating her pericardial membrane and killing her instantly.
Brinus wanted to admit he enjoyed killing the dream version of Marci but then he realized he was awake in his bed and it was sunrise. He put on a pair of gym shorts and walked onto the balcony of the bay window. He realized he didn’t crave nicotine anymore. He began meditation in the cold air. It felt good to him. He was finally free as Simmie came onto the paito and handed him a coffee.
“What are you doing?”
“You hear that?”
“No?”
“Exactly. For once it’s quiet, outside and in, no naggin’ addiction, no irrational cravings, no little pressurin’ voices, they all gave up tryin’ to convince me to smoke. But I didn’t give up, or give in. I win. I fuckin’ won.”
Simmie kissed Brinus on the neck. “Do you wonna take a shower with me? I have to go to the admiralty and present my new budget plan and then I leave tomorrow for the new three-month deployment.” Simmie slapped Brinus on the ass.
Brinus stroked Simmie’s face and kissed him for a refreshing moment while the sun’s rays peeked through the last storm clouds to create a rainbow.
“Ya know,” Brinus started to admit, “The next time I see your dad, I’m gonna hug him until he apologizes for makin’ me feel so sick.”