Chapter XIII

“Many years ago, before your time and mine, there was a certain incident called the ‘Koopat Ge’kriku Fiasco’,” Cekyura started. “The Koopat Ge’kriku was a rather large financial organisation, whose policies of operation allowed many of the Koopa families to use them as a safe-house for slush funds, curiously lost antiques, criminal investment portfolios and a range of other illegal white-collar activities. Basically, it was the bank that catered for the black market’s needs, right under everyone’s noses. Word had spread through the right channels that the Koopat Ge’kriku was such an establishment, and soon foreign ‘investors’ started to use its services.

“Then, there was a certain little disagreement between your race and the Koopas over the then newly-discovered vast dry-caverns beneath Dinosaur Land, which is still called the Valley of Bowser here in the Realm. War started when terrorists planted a few bombs in–”

“In what’s now Bauzur’kalku, yes, I know, I studied Yamauchian Studies at school so you can spare the history lesson,” Lich interrupted impatiently. “But what’s this got to do with the B’ralku?”

“I’ll get to that, Mister Dyluck. As I was saying, terrorists need money to terrorise. So the KBT followed the money trail and found that it curved right around at them and that the Koopat Ge’kriku had been used as the investment brokerage. They talked to the Ge’kriku who feigned surprise and thus opened the terrorists’ accounts for investigation. The so called “public face records” showed nothing except that the money had been coming from the Archipelago, and thus the KBT followed the trail there. They found links to other Yoshies, and those Yoshies were linked back to the Ge’kriku after they interrogated them. With so many being bankrolled by accounts in the Ge’kriku, the KBT naturally became very concerned. So, they opened a full-scale investigation into the Ge’kriku’s practices. At first it was deemed over the top, but the bank’s managers, the Bugen’tek family, tried to flee the country, so something was definitely up. They didn’t make it, and it was soon discovered why they wanted to flee when their holdings were searched. The true records were opened, the lost antiques were discovered, and thus all hell threatened to break loose as the black market began to be mapped out by the KBT.

“The then governing family of Ket’nal’kok, the Kak’vitik, were found to have been skimming off the top of the Ge’kriku, thanks to the governor’s wife being the head bank manager’s daughter – it was their dowry. So, they were removed.” Cekyura drew his forefinger across his neck. “When it was discovered how wide the corruption had spread, the KBT realised that if every family cartel that had knowingly used the Ge’kriku for their black market dealings was rounded up, the nation would fall apart and that was the last thing they needed in the middle of a war. So, they brokered a deal with the cartels, promising to ‘overlook’ their misuse of the Ge’kriku in return for their loyalty, which was preferably in monetary terms. It was the impetus the KBT needed to become the super-agency it is today. At least, that’s what it seemed like on the outside.

“It still left the question of Ket’nal’kok. Now, the Gr’tokoru had been building their transportation empire for quite some time beforehand, and an allegiance between them and the Kak’vitik happened when the youngest daughter, Kinim, was betrothed to the Koopaling N’karo Gr’tokoru. Kinim was deemed to be innocent since she was practically a hatchling when the rest of her family was rounded up, so the Gr’tokoru took her into their fold and started to raise her. It was agreed that N’karo Gr’tokoru would have control of Ket’nal’kok once the wedding took place, and their son would be the continuation of the Kak’vitik lineage.”

Lich blinked. He had thought that the Gr’tokoru were just out to make B’ralku life miserable out of jealousy. Now it seemed that they had the right to, and the B’ralku were in the wrong to have had the seat.

“So, you’re saying that the Gr’tokoru are the rightful heirs?” Ark asked his question for him.

Cekyura waggled his hand. “Sort of yes, sort of no,” he explained. “These kids were still kids, so it was going to take quite some time before the two were of rightful marrying age. Ket’nal’kok needed a governor in the meantime, and this,” he rubbed his hands together, “is where things become interesting. The Bugen’tek clan had many branches into other families, one of them being none other than our dear friends, the B’ralku. The Bugen’tek had established the bank and when it was still honest a few generations earlier, they had paid a very generous dowry to the B’ralku. Being shrewd, the B’ralku had invested their new-found wealth in the Ge’kriku. However, the B’ralku had pulled out just in time before the collapse. How did they know this? Gek’bar B’ralku, Telg’s great-grandfather, was officially second-in-command of the investigation, behind the King, which actually made him run the show. He made the deal with the cartels for his own benefit.”

Lich blinked again, taken aback.

“And,” Cekyura continued, relishing in Lich’s surprise, “when Ket’nal’kok was vacated and while everyone waited for N’karo Gr’tokoru to grow up, Gek’bar was appointed governor, until N’karo would accede the position, as the two families promised. At least, on the outside. What really happened was that with the proceeds from the investment, he bribed the King who badly needed war money, and was given Ket’nal’kok in exchange.”

Lich’s heart sank. “But…Telg’s not Gek’bar,” he argued weakly, trying to save face.

“You’re right,” Cekyura nodded. “Telg is, or was, not Gek’bar. But, he is his father’s son, who is his father’s son, who is again his father’s son.”

“What are you saying?” Ark asked, confused.

“N’karo grew up and married Kinim Kak’vitik-Gr’tokoru. And then they went away on their honeymoon in the mountains, only to be poisoned. Gek’bar B’ralku retained his position as governor, sucking up his generous share of taxes. Unfortunately, N’karo and Kinim had feared for their lives for some time leading up to their marriage, so they had a son, Tik’uk, who was put into another relative’s care. Although a bastard, Tik’uk was the link to the Kat’vitik heritage and so he gained the Gr’tokoru’s acceptance.

“Gek’bar was probably rightfully assumed of being behind the poison plot, so he received his revenge when he fell ill and was given a lethal overdose of his medicine whilst in hospital. But, he too had the foresight of having a son, and so his son vowed to seek vengeance on the Gr’tokoru. Meanwhile, the B’ralku’s strong KBT allegiance afforded them protection, and when Bowser came to the throne, that protection was continued and he ruled in favour of the B’ralku holding the seat since it was by royal decree, but still, the sniping continued, and we are where we are today.

“You see, my dear Yoshies, what Telg is trying to get you to do is to continue his family’s work of eliminating the Gr’tokoru ‘threat’, when history tells us that the Gr’tokoru are the ones in the right and the B’ralku are the ones in the wrong; you would be continuing this miscarriage of justice. If you manage to do what you promised him, Telg wins. If you get captured by the KBT, Telg wins. You are exactly what he needed, Mister Dyluck, in that you make an excellent assassin with your weapon and your magic powers, but you are also expendable, and you take promises seriously enough that he need, or needed, not pay you except with his medals – and yes, they are his – which he guessed were expendable. Now, what have you got to say to all of that?”

Lich sat in dumbstruck silence. He thought he knew Tob, but now it seemed he had been proven wrong. Really, though, did he know him? He was a key figure in the patch of recent haze in his memories, and while his dreams kicked his memory with steel-capped boots, Tob seemed to be a different character in them to what Cekyura was suggesting. He was supposed to be the friend he had when there was no-one else. But Tob had nothing to lose: even his life, at least in Lich’s dreams. Why else would he have those medals if he wasn’t dead?

Cekyura was trying to break his spirit, so that he wouldn’t go ahead and fulfil the promise. Lich knew that. But that was exactly it: it was a promise, the sort that was understood here with an “Ohh” and a nod of the head, an honourable promise that would seem dishonourable to outsiders. Lich did not like killing; he realised that he had not really thought the assassinations through because of it, but nevertheless, he had made that promise. And a promise was a promise.

“I’ll leave you to think on that,” the Mushroom spoke in a too-friendly tone, starting to get out of his chair.

Lich looked to his brother, who was looking back at him, awaiting his answer. He drew a breath and spoke, “I’m still going to do it.”

Cekyura was unmoved. “Pardon?”

“I said, I’m still going to do it.”

The Mushroom sat back down. “I see. Why, may I ask?”

“I promised that I would do it,” Lich answered. “I don’t know what you believe, but we were brought up to believe that when you make a promise to someone, you do what you promised.”

Ark nodded emphatically in agreement.

Cekyura looked down for a moment and smiled. “Look at the person you made this promise to. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this, knowing all that I told you now?”

“It’s the right thing to do,” Ark spoke meekly.

“The right thing to do. I see. It comes down to emotions. Matter over mind, yes, yes,” Cekyura nodded to himself. He then glared at them. “I suppose you’re about to tell me that this is honourable, yes?”

Lich nodded after a moment’s thought. “Yes, I guess so.”

“Then let me tell you that honour does not mean killing rightful heirs to seats of government, even if another person has that seat by royal decree,” Cekyura spoke sharply. “You may be filling Telg’s honour, but what about yours? Think, Yoshies, think. I know that might be a bit of a challenge for you, Mister Dyluck, but do try to.”

Lich needed to make a point here, but all of the threads of discussion seemed bare. Just as he was about to make a sign of giving up, Ark opened his mouth, catching his voice as he stopped himself from saying something stupid before his mind thought it through.

“Yes, Mister Ark?” Cekyura asked sweetly, with a cat-like grin.

Ark nervously clasped his hands together. “What denotes something as being honourable?” he questioned. “What is honour, anyway?”

Lich breathed a sigh of relief. “It seems we have a conflict of interests, Mister T.”

“Indeed,” Cekyura nodded. “I’m just trying to get you to see it what you’re doing from an enlightened perspective.”

“You mean, your perspective,” Lich replied. “It’s probably the Kingdom’s perspective, too, or one that you or the Agency has made up. I don’t know whether or not anything you have just said is true or not. But I know what truth I have, and that is that if I have these medals that Tob owns, valuable medals that someone would be stupid to let out of their sight, and if he hasn’t reclaimed them, then he must be dead. I showed you that truth in hard copy, but you haven’t shown me yours, nor have you shown me why you’re so interested.”

Cekyura chuckled to himself. “I see. Very good, Mister Dyluck. The proof is all about you outside. Talk to anyone involved in the cartels and they will point you towards the Ge’kriku Fiasco.”

Lich swept his arm to one side. “You know what? I don’t care about that at the moment. I have come here, risking life and limb to let the B’ralku know that their husband and father is dead. Surely the B’ralku have the right to know that truth. They have the right to closure. Killing the Gr’tokoru? Well, alright, maybe I don’t need to do that after all, but if the B’ralku won’t leave the country without the Gr’tokoru dead, then I’ll have to go ahead and kill them. I don’t see what business it is of the KIA anyway to stop someone from doing Koopan business.”

“Do you want to be responsible for a civil war, Mister von Kippo?” Cekyura hissed, bolt upright in his chair.

Lich blinked.

“Innocent people will die if you kill them! The Gr’tokoru keep their position with goodwill of the other cartels, and even with that assurance, they have KBT backing too! Remove the Gr’tokoru and the other cartels will literally kill each other for that goldmine, including the B’ralku! The country will fall apart, Bowser won’t have the same level of control and renegade factions will remove him!”

“Um…isn’t that what you guys want, anyway?” Ark asked cautiously.

“No!” Cekyura yelled. “If Bowser loses control, the only people who would step in are the Mushrooms and the Yoshies, and the last thing the Koopas want is us to occupy their lands! We’d have hostile Koopas, a hostile G’rekt and KBT battling both us and the renegade factions, who would also be battling us! We don’t have the manpower! But what’s even worse that the likely contenders who’d come to power are even worse than Bowser! We’re talking about the G’rekt being full of Magikoopas! Can you imagine the consequences? The entire Miyamoto continent would be over-run, and then it would only be a matter of time before they went through the warp to Fa’Diel! There, I said it; you got what you wanted to hear, Mister Dyluck.”

The Mushroom sat there, heaving deep breaths as his anger subsided, while Ark still sat recoiled from the outburst.

“Alright, then. I won’t kill the Gr’tokoru,” Lich spoke, quietly and calmly.

“Thank you!” Cekyura spat.

“But I will get the B’ralku out of the country.”

“And that’s not a good idea, either.”

Lich sighed. “Why not?”

“There is a difference between extraction and abduction, Mister von Kippo,” Cekyura spoke sharply. “I’m not sure if you know what it is, but let me inform you: extraction is when they’re on your side. Abduction is when they’re on theirs. You, I’m sad to say, are extraction. The B’ralku? They’re abduction.”

“Not if they go willingly,” Lich added, raising a finger. “They will when I show them the letter and the medals. And now, I believe we understand each other. If you would please give me back Telg’s letter and medals, my Boomerang, Ark’s Spear and all of our personal effects and show us the door, we will be on your way and out of your gills.”

The Mushroom wiped his brow. “I’m going to need to talk to my superiors about this.”

“Then you do that,” Lich nodded. “We would prefer to wait in your lobby this time, if you don’t mind.”

Cekyura raised his arm in surrender. “Fine. Eg’lk?” he called.

“Yes, sir?” came the guard’s voice from down the room.

“Please show these two…Yoshies…outside,” he ordered, barely hiding the last of his anger.

“Yes, sir. Please come with me,” Eg’lk ordered Ark and Lich.

The two Yoshies stood up. Lich nodded to Cekyura and moved towards the door. After they were ushered out and the door had shut, the guards moved to either side of it as the Yoshies sat down on a leather sofa. Then, there was a wooden thump on the other side, followed by Eg’lk’s smirk.

“You’d better hope Head Office speaks in your favour, because the last time Mister Cekyura was mad, that person disappeared,” he smiled evilly.