The Devil In The Details - Chapter #98

Free Enterprise  - The Devil In The Details -  Chapter  #98


Approximately three hours later Tyr emerged from his office to find all of his mother, his wives, and Khan waiting. Tamara noted that each women now wore a Double Helix armband. She stood and took Li Hoy's hand and led her away along with her sister. Victoria smiled and gave Tyr an approving hug and kiss, then followed the rest of the party out of the waiting room.

Khan immediately gave Tyr “the look” which clearly meant I need to speak to you in private “right now”. So, Tyr stepped back into his office with his Katay brother following closely on his heels.

“Tyr, what do you know about identical twins aside from the fact that they look alike?” Khan asked.

“They are born the same time, but instead of bizygotic twins where the egg splits into two and is fertilized by two different sperm. Monozygotic children are two born from the same egg and one sperm. Also that sometimes the only way to tell them apart is the fact that one is always the extrovert and anther an introvert.” Tyr replied.

“In Katay we call them. . . . .” and he yowled a word in his native tongue. “It means one soul in two bodies.” Khan intoned.

Tyr crossed his powerful arms across his broad chest and stared back at Khan.

“Khan? Were are we going with this?” Tyr asked. He had the tiniest inkling that this was not quite the casual conversation he expected.

“Since they have shared everything from the moment of conception. . . . .” Khan started. His Nietzschean brother still appeared clueless.

“They have a tendency to do EVERYTHING together, Tyr. ” Khan stated. “In other words, you cannot take the wagon without the horse, nor the horse without the wagon.” he continued.

The Katay nearly laughed when he saw how stricken Tyr's face had become.

“Don't worry, Tyr. You're Viceroy Tyr Anasazi, out of Victoria, by Barbarossa, of the Kodiak Pride, and you can handle it.” Khan said, as he pulled his whiskers back with mirth, and clapped his brother on the right shoulder.

“I feel a migraine headache coming on.” Tyr thought. And it had nothing to do with his ill-fitting circlet.


* * * * * * *


Perhaps an hour later, Alojz the metal crafter sat before Tyr in his office.

“Sire. You will need a whole new set of crowns. A formal set and a casual set.” man said. He already annoyed Tyr by having his display catalog set up and ready to go.

Tyr glowered at the man, who descended from generations of metalworkers who crafted crowns, weapons and boneblade sheaths, for the Nietzschean elite. He charged elite prices too. Rightfully so because he painstakingly handcrafted all of his creations from scratch.

Tyr as Viceroy, had a personal “outfitting fund” which was earmarked for such needs. However, he was hesitant to spend hard earned tax-payers money on something that he would not use very often. Money which could be used for other more worthy projects and causes.

In essence, he liked Barbarossa's circlet just fine.

“Perhaps he can. . . . .” Tyr thought as a plan dawned in his mind.

“Is it possible to stretch this?” He asked as he removed his father's circlete.

“It is possible, Sire.” Alojz started slowly. “But it depends on two factors. How much larger your head is than your fathers. If it is. . . . . er, ah, too large. . . . we will have to go with completely new crowns as I suggested earlier.” he continued.

Tyr frowned inwardly. The man was as relentless and shrewd in driving a hard bargain as an Old Earth used car salesman. After all, he stood to make a good piece of money if he was “commissioned.” After all, if he made a set of crowns for the Viceroy, everyone else would want one or several too. Call that residuals.

“What is the other factor?” Tyr asked.

“No matter how minute the adjustment may be, the stress may cause the metal to either crack or split. In other words, you will wind up with a broken crown and will still need new ones.” Alojz replied.

“There he goes again.” Tyr thought and smiled inwardly.

“I want you to stretch this one.” Tyr said, indicating an identical circlet which sat in a padded box on his desk. He was reluctant for the crown his father had given him to suffer so much as a nick. It had too much sentimental value. Predictably, Alojz's face fell. . . . .

“First I must measure your head.” Alojz said as he quickly recovered and stood.

Besides being an excellent craftman, he always had the tools of his trade handy in a valise. Tyr sat behind his desk, and submitted as Alojz went to work.

“Are you planning to keep your hair?” Alojz asked minutes later.

“Yes. Why?” Tyr asked and frowned. Thinking that was a rather personal question to ask.

“With hair your crown size would be thus. . . . .” Alojz said as he showed Tyr a padd where he had scrawled a figure. “Without hair it would be thus.” He continued. Obviously, without his dreadlocks, Tyr's crown would be several sizes smaller.

“I have no plans to part with my locks.” Tyr replied.

“Very well. We will go with the first figure then.” Alojz said.

About forty five minute later Tyr had his newly “sized” circlet. He made a deal with Alojz to have most of his Father's crowns stretched. Of course Alojz wasn't happy. Stretching a crown was a hell of a lot cheaper than fashioning one.

“Perhaps one day I will commission his to make two or three.” Tyr thought as he watched the man pack up his equipment.

Tyr smiled because for the first time his poor head wasn't being squeezed by his crown.

“Ah. The small pleasures” he thought.

However his expression immediately soured when he remembered he yet had to deal with a certain Arch Duke of the Drago-Katzof Pride verses Pride Secreto.