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It transformed his face from a plane of hard, chiselled, sombre surfaces into a softer, carefree expression.
‘Kipenzi!’ the woman trilled, emotion pouring out her sparling kohl-lined eyes. ‘What a lovely surprise. And who is this with you? Please introduce me to this beauty,’ she said magnanimously.
‘J’Kuu Kabi, I’d like you to officially meet Selene Munene, daughter of Kei’Lano Munene III and the soon-to-be new Prime of Dunia.’
J’Kuu swivelled her mighty presence towards Selene, folding warm, soft hands over the younger woman’s cooler ones.
‘Of course,’ J’Kuu said with a smile. ‘I am sorry to hear what you’ve endured these last few days. Your father was a great man, Dunia; rest his soul. May you defeat his enemies and honour his passing by taking back his seat,’ she said fiercely.
Selene felt tears prick her eyes. ‘Thank you. It’s why I’m here. To seek justice. To get the help, we need to take back Dunia for his sake and the people on the planet.’
The woman sliced her eyes over to the tall Edenite and smiled. ‘If Kainan is involved, you will get your justice!’
‘I hope so,’ Selene said.
J’Kuu turned to Kainan and pointed a finger at him. ‘Where have you been all this time?’
Without a doubt, this was an overdue reunion.
‘Here and there,’ Kainan said cryptically with a loped smile.
‘It’s been too long, son. You were gone for weeks. So what did you find patrolling the system’s outer reaches this time?’
‘Enough to keep me very busy, J’Kuu.’
The rotund woman turned to Selene and dropped her voice into a conspiratorial whisper. ‘When Kainan isn’t flawlessly running the business affairs of our humble little station, he prowls the badlands and asteroids for pirates and privateers while rescuing the lost, the forgotten and the wanderers in between.’
Yet another revelation for Selene. She twisted her neck to look at him. ‘Is that right?’
J’Kuu nodded her head emphatically. ‘He’s our very own self-appointed knight in stealth armour. And we love him for that, especially when you understand how far he’s come. He arrived here a very broken and young soldier. He fought his demons by serving on the streets and alleys of Eden II for years. He was working overtime here at the New Eden Centre to feed the hordes of abandoned and refugee children he’d rescued from the drainage pipes and underbelly of a very dark city. They loved him for it and followed him around in droves. They still do, to this very day.’
Kainan gave a humourless laugh. ‘Until you caught me stealing food for the kids and made me work in your kitchens to earn what I’d nicked from you.’
J’Kuu’s fleshy neck shook with mirth. ‘I owned a few warehouses back then, plus some eateries,’ she explained to Selene. ‘Kainan ended up working for me. And once he’d earned every schill back that he owed me, I promoted him to run operations. He brought along his Rider brothers and doubled my profits in a year. They used that to set up their various businesses. Every opportunity for him was a competition, and Kainan was always focused on winning.’
She turned to the hulking, silent man and spoke with almost a maternal pride. ‘A great strategy that worked very well for you and the rest of Eden II. Look where we are today!’
He gave her a half smile, but Selene caught the deep affection in his eyes for the older woman. Selene sensed the bond between them was unshakeable.
‘Enough of the personal embarrassment,’ Kainan deflected.
‘Agreed. Although I’d love to dish out more, tell me why you’ve cornered me in my kitchens during our busiest day of the week?’
‘We’ll need a more private place to speak,’ Kainan told her.
J’Kuu eyes narrowed as she read the intense expression on his face. ‘Come with me.’
She bustled them into an empty stock room and closed the door. ‘Tell me everything,’ she demanded, transforming into the Eden Council’s stalwart and firm leader.
Kainan stepped in, explaining The Sable Group’s offer to help Dunia. She listened carefully without interruption.
After Kainan and Selene’s detailed explanations, J’Kuu gave Selene a keen look. ‘Have you thought about the expected impact of the war?’
‘We have,’ Selene replied. ‘Apart from infrastructure challenges and community displacement, we also anticipate rising inflation and impaired economic growth, as well as more specific issues pertaining to the safety of our people on the ground and the Edenite soldiers deployed on planet. We’ve got a working committee of trusted and loyal government and military leaders, plus Kainan’s team working on ensuring the resilience of our supply chains and mitigating all aspects of the challenges we’re about to face.’
Kainan nodded. ‘And we’ll also be reaching out to Eden Elder Council and yourself, J’Kuu, to help and give advice as needed. Especially on the humanitarian and diplomatic front.’
Selene leaned in. ‘We’d appreciate your participation in our shared discussions on re-prioritising important resources. Also, can we tap into your knowledge and contacts to help build alliances and advocate for our cause amongst other planetary governments and humanitarian organisations?’
