Chapter fourteen

Office of the patriarch

Clan Shemra

His name was Calnor Shemra and he was the patriarch of clan Shemra. With that title came the responsibility to make sure the clan survived and prospered. Which was a responsibility that he took to heart. But since he couldn’t take care of it all by himself he had help. One of the people most helpful to him was his father’s youngest brother. They would meet every morning to discuss what was important to clan Shemra.

“We are starting to up the security for the wedding. Most of it will be done by the end of the week. Whatever isn’t will be finished before any guests start showing up. Also we will be on the lookout for anyone that might be coming for revenge.”

“Good I don’t want there to be any problems. This wedding has to go perfectly for Rexha. She has suffered enough.”

“Yes she has. But on another note there has been a possible sighting of Bebe.”

“Please find her and bring her back home. She holds the shame for something that isn’t her fault. Also now would be a great time for her to come home so she could surprise Rexha at the wedding. When you find her, don't bring her here and try to make sure they don’t bump into each other.”

“I will get right on it. When I have something to report I will let you know.”

“Good, see you around.”

With that Calnor found himself sitting by himself thinking about Bebe. He raised her and he really hoped that she would have come home a few times over the years. But he understood that she had the job of Admiral and it was easy to bury herself in it. But now that she doesn’t have the job anymore he wanted her back with her family more than anything. But it wouldn’t help to sit and brood about it. So he stopped thinking about it and went to work.

Wolf

I woke up early and took a shower brushed my teeth. After that I put on some baggy pants and sat down on the floor and started meditating. When I heard Bebe walking around in the common room I stopped meditating and got dressed. Then headed out to join her.

“Would you like to order room service or go out to eat.”

“I would like to go out. Maybe after breakfast you could show me around.”

“Ok, I know the perfect place that we should go eat at.”

“So let’s go.” With that we were off. As we walked from the hotel Bebe would point out different sites that had meaning to her. We walked for about five minutes when we walked up to a restaurant. We walked in and were seated right away because it was still early for breakfast.

“What can I get you.?” Asked the waitress.

I told the Bebe to order for me. The reason for that was because I wanted what she thought would be best. Also I was always willing to try something new. So I let Bebe get me what was considered special on her planet.

“We’ll have the breakfast special with the juice of the day.”

“Ok it will be here in a few minutes. Would you like anything while you wait?”

“Can I get a coffee please. Are you going to get something Wolf?”

“No I’m good, just the coffee for the lady.”

“I will be back in a moment with the coffee.” Said the waitress.

“So what’s the story with this place?”

“I used to come here with Rexha on our days off from school or in general when there was nothing to do that day. There are a lot of happy memories here and I thought I would relive them before you throw me to the wolves.”

“What do you mean, throw you to the wolves?”

“What I mean is that what we are planning on doing will attract attention. The kind of attention from a patriarch who will want to know what is going on and is it good for his clan. That will mean that he will find out that I’m back and I’m going to have to face my past and…”

The waiter showed up with our food so Bebe quieted down. When the waitress left after putting the plates down she started again.

“I don’t want to have to face the man or Rexha. So please let’s eat this meal in silence. So I may have my last moment of peace.

Office of the patriarch

“Uncle, what is it that you found that you came back so quickly?”

“I’m almost one hundred percent certain it’s Bebe. She was at a hotel on the edge of the city overnight. This morning she went to the diner that she always liked.”

“That hardly makes this person Bebe. There must be more to it then that you never give me something with so much uncertainty. So what are you really not telling me?”

“Well one of my agents got a picture but it’s been a long time so it’s not a one hundred percent match to the one we have on file.”

“That’s still not enough of a reason. You are still not telling me something. Just tell me what it is, this back and forth is making me nervous.”

“It’s that the lady we are looking at is with someone. The problem with this person is that when we looked into him he just didn’t look like the type of person Bebe would hangout with. So that has got me worried.”

“Ok, just follow them and we will see what’s going on.”

Wolf.

“Ok, that was delicious. But now that it’s over, how about we go for a walk around the city.”

“Sure I could use it.”

“How about you be my tour guide and I be the tourist.”

“Ok, let's work our way into the city.”

Just like that we spent our first day on Shemra exploring what the capital city of Jeng had to offer. Bebe showed me all the beautiful things the city had to offer. When it started getting late we turned around and started heading back to the hotel.

Before we went up to our rooms we stopped at the restaurant and had dinner. After dinner we went up and went our separate ways. I went to my room, took a shower then went to my bed. I picked up my tablet and started typing instructions for Ship to look for a ship building company that was for sale. Then I went to sleep.

I woke up early because I never really had to sleep that much. I went through my unarmed katas for about an hour then I took a shower and got dressed. I left a note for Bebe and went to the hotel lounge for some time to work. Also it was a good place to see what was going on around me. Like if I was being watched. Pakas taught me you always had to be on the lookout and it was better to be safe than sorry. So I sat down, turned on the pad and started going through the information that Ship provided for me to read about shipbuilding companies for sale.

I was looking for some very specific things from the company and the truth is that it would be almost impossible to get it all. But I would try and get what I could. While reading the list that Ship prepared for me I felt like someone was watching me. So I started trying to find out who it was. It was difficult until I realized the person was watching me through a camera on his pad. He was looking at his pad while the camera was pointing at me.

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Once I identified who was watching me I started watching him. From the way he acted, I knew he was a professional. Which meant that there would be multiple people watching me. So I decided on the direct approach. After finishing what Ship sent me on the ship building companies. I stood up and walked to the front desk and asked for a pen and paper. I wrote a note and asked one of the bellhops to give my watcher the note. Then I went back up to the room to prepare for the rest of the day.

Once I finished getting dressed for the day I went back out to the common room. There waiting for me was Bebe. With her ready we went to a restaurant for breakfast. After breakfast we spent the rest of the day playing tourist.

Patriarchs office

“Good morning uncle, do you want something to drink?”

“No”

“So what do you have for me today?” This started the regular briefing that the patriarch got every morning.

“Now on to the most pressing matter. One of our people watching the guy with Bebe was spotted.”

“Are you sure this person was spotted?”

“Oh yes I’m sure. A letter was given to him by a bellhop.”

“Ok, that is definitely spotted. So what did this note say?”

“It said that it knew who we were really interested in and that they would meet you for dinner tonight at a place of your choosing.”

“Ok why don’t we have dinner in one of the restaurants that are a front for you. What did the note say about us letting him know about where dinner would be.”

“It said we should leave a note at the front desk at the hotel and he would pick it up when they got back to the hotel. I will go and make arrangements and let you know where I set dinner and for what time.”

Wolf

“How about we head back to the hotel so I can take you to dinner.” With that they started heading back to the hotel. When they got back to the hotel Wolf went to the front desk and picked up the note that was left for him. After picking up the note he headed up to the room with Bebe. He read the note and told Bebe where they would be eating. Then he went to his room to get ready.

Once Wolf was dressed he went back out to the common room and waited for Bebe to come out. While waiting he ordered a limo craft from the hotel to transport them to the restaurant. Then waited a few more minutes for Bebe. Once Bebe came out of her room Wolf was surprised that she was dressed so nicely.

“What’s with this beautiful dress that you are wearing?”

“What did you expect when you are taking me to the most expensive restaurant on this planet?”

“Well ok then, let’s head out.”

With that they headed to the lobby. Once in the lobby they headed to the front desk for Wolf to find out if the limo was here. When they found out it would be in the front of the hotel in a minute they headed out instead of going to the bar. When the limo showed up they got in.

While the limo took off Wolf was looking out the window to see how many agents he would be able to spot. Then they arrived at the restaurant and someone opened their door. Wolf got out first, looked around then put out his hand for Bebe. Once Bebe was out they headed into the restaurant.

As they walked into the restaurant they were quickly met by someone who showed them to a room in the back of the restaurant. After showing them in he quickly shut the door and walked away surprised that the patriarch was eating dinner here. The reason for that was it was known that he spent as much time as possible in his house with his family, especially dinner.

As they cleared the hallway they saw someone standing there. When he turned around Bebe gasped while bringing her hand to her mouth.

Admiral Bebe Shemra

I was surprised when Wolf told me that we should head back to the hotel because he was going to take me to dinner. But I really shouldn’t have been surprised because for the few years that I have known Wolf he has shown that he does things his way and it’s not worth asking about it.

So I was really surprised when we walked into a private room and there was the person I considered my father. For one I didn’t think I knew of any way for Wolf to have arranged this meeting. But like I said I really shouldn’t have been surprised.

Wolf

I watched Bebe bring her hand to her mouth. Then I put my hand on her upper arm and nudged her forward. She still wouldn’t move. She was so shocked. She finally moved her hands when Calnor hugged her.

“Why are you so surprised to see me? I would have thought that you would know that I was here.” Said Calnor Shemra.

“Well apparently the person over there didn’t feel the need to tell me that you would be here.” Said Bebe.

“Maybe we should sit down?” Asked Wolf.

“Just a minute there will be one more person joining us then we could sit down.” Said Calnor Shemra.

“Who’s coming?” Asked Bebe.

“Your mother, she would never forgive me if she found out I met you without her.” Said Calnor Shemra.

A minute later the Mrs. Calnor Shemra arrived and it got more emotional so I moved off to the side. With me was Calnor.

“Since I consider myself Bebe’s father it’s only appropriate that I ask what are your intentions concerning her.”

“Well she was looking for a job and I had one that I thought she could fill.”

“That didn’t really answer anything but it looks like you are saved by the ladies. They want to start eating.”

So we went and sat down. The first dish they brought out was the appetizer. It was a piece of fish served on a bed of salad. After we finished the appetizer the

conversation started up again. This is when I remembered what Pakas told me you had to give them something. The trick was not giving them too much information.

“So tell me about yourself.” Said the matriarch.

“There isn’t much to say. Just an orphan that made some friends along the way. Including your daughter over here.”

“There must be more to it but if you don’t want to say anything then I will respect that.” Said the matriarch.

There wasn’t much of importance discussed for the rest of the evening. But as everyone was leaving something was said.

“You should come to Rexha’s wedding. It's going to be in a week and a half. It would be a great thing for Rexha to see you there. I know why you didn’t come back. You should know she never held it against you. So you shouldn’t either.” Said the matriarch.

With that they split up and went back to where they were going to be spending the night.

The home of the patriarch

“So what did you think of this Wolf fellow?” Asked the patriarch.

“There are a lot of very interesting things about him. Tell me what you want to know specifically.”

“Tell me what you noticed and if there is something I want more details on I will ask.”

“Wolf is very well trained, which was obvious from the way he acted. I have seen a lot of well trained special forces soldiers. He was similar to them but there was something that he was missing. If I was to guess what it was that was missing I would say that it’s his killer instinct.”

“As we have discussed before, I don’t think a real soldier becomes a soldier until after they have killed someone. In my opinion that comes from finally putting what they’ve learned to the test. Then from there learning what works for them on the subsequent kills. With the confidence that they gain they get more predatory which translates to killer instinct. Which I don’t think he has.”

“Which in my opinion makes him unique because he is obviously very well trained and if I had to guess about his training I would say better than our special forces.”

“Which leads me back to the fact that he is a very dangerous person. But once he kills his first person he will start to get more dangerous as he figures out what works for him. He will become more decisive, more focused and very cunning.”

“But that all depends on how he handles his first kill and when it comes. You see he is still young and even though he has had a hard life he still doesn’t understand life. So if the kill comes too soon he may spiral out of control or he may be too afraid to kill again. Which would cause multiple problems if he restrained from killing when it was necessary.”

“So all of what I just said is just my opinion from the short observation of him by dinner. So I’m not one hundred percent sure about what I just said but I am reasonably sure about it.” Said the matriarch

“So what you are telling me is that he could either turn into a very good guy or a very bad guy and it all depends on his first kill.”

“How about you give me a recommendation about how to handle him?” Calnor Shemra asked.

“You are missing the point, what I’m trying to tell you is you can’t handle him. Chances are he would figure it out and the downside of that is much worse then the upside would be good.”

“What I am trying to tell you is that you should keep him close. Like the saying goes, keep your friends close but your enemies closer. He is neither and that is why I believe you should keep him even closer than an enemy. But that leads to another problem. This problem is that I don’t think you will be able to keep him close because I don’t think he plans on staying. But there is an easy solution to that and that is to help get what he wants for Bebe and she will be our inside man if you will.” Said the Matriarch.

“What would happen if he ever found out about it and who says that Bebe would go along with spying on Wolf?” Calnor Shemra asked.

“You leave that up to me and if she says no. Then it’s no it won’t be the end of the world. Said the Matriarch.